California gay-opponents want reversal of court order

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

On the face of it, Edward Snowden broke US law when he revealed details of its international eavesdropping programme. However, the benefits of his actions to Americans and the international community, by most accounts, outweigh the cost even in terms of national security. The US should give up its efforts to capture and prosecute him; it should grant him a pardon. If Snowden and ...

St Petersburg gays bashed as they launch kiss-in

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

A peaceful protest that had been called for gay rights in Russia turned violent on Saturday as homosexual activists embarked on a kissing protest. Anti-gay protesters threw smoke flares and stones into the small crowd of activists as they demonstrated their sexuality. Police became quickly involved and had to detain people from both sides. City officials later said the protest had ...

Gay ambassador banned from office in Dominican Republic

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The Dominican Republic's Catholic Church has rejected a new US ambassador. The church has opposed Washington's nomination of gay rights activist, James "Wally" Brewster, with Vicar Pablo Cedano, the archbishop of the capital Santo Domingo, criticizing the nomination as "a lack of respect." He said the US president, Barack Obama, had shown disrespect by sending "that kind of person as ...

US general says he wishes there had been talks with Taliban

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The deputy commander of the foreign forces in Afghanistan has told the Guardian newspaper that the Western allies should have tried holding talks with the Taliban a decade ago, just after they had been thrown from power. British officer, General Nick Carter, in an interview published on Friday, said a political solution with the Taliban could have been reached at the time forces had them "on ...

Climate change on the minds of most people

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The effect of global climate change and international financial instability have become the key talking points around the world, according to Politico. Another major issue is Islamic extremism, particularly in the United States, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Majorities of people in nations surveyed have said they are more worried about Islamic extremism than American or Chinese power and ...

Appelas Court gives OK for Californian gay marriages

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

An appeals court in California has lifted the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The order lifting the ban was issued Friday by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was only days after the US Supreme Court allowed the appeal to take place. The order came following opinion which was published on Wednesday by the US Supreme Court, which effectively killed a voter-approved ban on same-sex ...

Mandela to get visit from Barack Obama

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Johannesburg as part of his three-country tour of Africa. While in the country, he will have talks with President Jacob Zuma on trade, economic co-operation and other issues. The health of Nelson Mandela is also expected to be high on the agenda. While Nelson Mandela's health issues have captured attention around the world, the US president had ...

Britain set to approve three-person fertilization method

Bombay News.Net - Friday 28th June, 2013

LONDON - In a significant development that will help in eliminating serious genetic disorders, the United Kingdom is all set to become the first country in the world to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people. The controversial procedure is called mitochondrial transfer that uses three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF) to eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal ...

EU demands explanation after reports of US spying

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

A media report claiming that the US National Security Agency spied on EU offices may have tremendous repercussions, the European Union (EU) said Sunday, and asked for immediate explanation from Washington. German magazine Der Spiegel reported that "the US placed bugs in the EU representation in Washington and infiltrated its computer network. Cyberattacks were also perpetrated against Brussels ...

EU questions U.S. over alleged spying Media

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Brussels, June 30, (Xinhua-ANI): The European Union (EU) said it has questioned U.S. authorities about alleged spying on EU offices, media reports said on Sunday. The EU has contacted with U.S. authorities immediately and demands "full clarification" after a report made by German weekly Der Spiegel claimed that Washington bugged EU offices in Brussels and the U.S., an EU statement was quoted as ...

Rolling Stones already planning 60th anniversary tour

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

'Rolling Stones' band members, who are currently on their '50 and Counting' world tour to mark their 50th wedding anniversary, have already started thinking about the 60th anniversary tour. During a chat with Classic Rock magazine, team member Keith Richards said that he has been hooked on everything once or twice in his life, but the one thing he can't kick is playing with the band, ...

Two ICC Womens World Cups and four ICC Womens World Twenty20 tournaments to be staged from 2016-2023

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Chair of the ICC Women's Committee Clare Connor has hailed the decision by the IDI Board which approved six global women's tournaments in the next ICC events calendar from 2016-2023. The schedule will see two ICC Women's World Cups as well as four ICC World Twenty20 events, including the continuation of the highly successful joint men's and women's events of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016 and ...

McEnroe launches No.1 coffee-table book

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Tennis great John McEnroe has launched ATP's commemorative coffee table book 'No.1' celebrating all year-end ATP World Tour No.1s over the past 40 years. "I first became World No.1 at Memphis in March 1980. I got goosebumps thinking that I was ranked ahead of Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. I didn't think I quite deserved it yet. I thought I had more work to do. It was inspiring to hit that mark ...

Interesting seeing new faces at Wimbledon second week Djokovic

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic says seeing new faces break through to the second week at Wimbledon is positive for the sport. A total of seven players who will contest the pre-quarterfinals Monday are unseeded. "It is a surprise, there's no question about it. It's a strange feeling not to have (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal at the second week of a major. There are some players who ...

Over 568000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon UN

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Beirut, June 30 (Xinhua-ANI): The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Sunday that over 65,000 Syrian refugees registered with its office in Lebanon in June, bringing the total number to 568,000 since the Syrian crisis that began over two years ago. The UNHCR said in a report that the refugees are benefiting from aid provided by the UN, the Lebanese government and various non-governmental aiding ...

Danish favourites disappoint in Speedway World Cup Grand Prix

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Top Danish drivers Nicki Petersen and Niels-Kristian Iversen failed to make it to the semifinals in the Danish Grand Prix for the Speedway World Cup 2013 contest at national stadium Parken here. Australian rider Darcy Ward won the Danish Grand Prix Saturday night. He is now ranked 12 with 44 points in the overall standings in the Speedway World Cup 2013, reports Xinhua. Petersen is placed ...

India U-19 beat Papua New Guinea by 71 runs

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

India comprehensively defeated Papua New Guinea by 71 runs at Tracy Village here Sunday in a friendly Under-19 International Series match. Papua New Guinea bowler Sakavai Charlie Gebai (4/26) restricted India to 136 all out from 43.1 overs with Indian opener and captain Vijay Zol top scoring with 48 runs. In reply, Papua New Guinea were no match with the bat against the experienced Indian ...

Nike laying off workers to avoid criticism over factory working conditions Report

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Nike is slashing on its international workforce in an aim to cut down on labour costs. However, the move by the American sportswear giant could even be to cut down on criticism over the way it treats its workers. According to the Huffington Post, Don Blair, Nike's chief financial officer, said the company is engineering the labour out of some of its products by replacing workers with ...

Australia beat New Zealand in U-19 series

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

An impressive five-wicket haul by pacer Matt Fotia saw Australia off to a flying start in the U-19 International Series with a 19-run win over New Zealand at the Marrara Oval here Sunday. The Australian bowlers built up pressure and snatched five wickets in five overs to win the game. New Zealand had been cruising in their chase of Australia's total of 225/6 from 50 overs but fell short thanks ...

Poland to host FIVB Beach Volleyball World meet

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Poland will host the ninth edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships starting from July 1. There are 48 teams in each gender taking part in the seven-day championships from July 1 to 7, including Chinese women's pair of Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, reports Xinhua. The championships will be played in Stare Jablonkia, a small village in the Mazury lake region (northeastern Poland). ...

Bahrain calls for EU support to stop Hezbollah interference in Syria

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Manama, June 30 (Xinhua-ANI): Bahrain, along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, on Sunday called for the European Union (EU)'s support to stop Hezbollah's increasing " interference" in Syria. Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa made the call during the opening of the 23rd EU-GCC ministerial meeting which is currently held in the kingdom. "Foreign ...

Pakistani paramilitary accused of killing boxer

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

The Pakistan Rangers paramilitary force has been accused of killing an international boxer in a staged shooting incident, media reports said Sunday. The boxer, identified only as Saqib, was an international boxer and represented Pakistan in several tournaments held abroad, according to the Dawn and News International dailies. The Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Karachi chapter termed the ...

Source: http://www.bombaynews.net/index.php/sid/215533427/scat/b8de8e630faf3631

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Lightning strikes Ind. summer camp, 3 kids hurt

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Indianapolis police say three children were injured when lightning struck a summer camp on the north side of the city, including one child who was critically hurt.

Officer Kendale Adams says the critically injured child was taken to Indianapolis St. Vincent Hospital, but the child's condition wasn't immediately known. The other two were taken to Riley Hospital for Children in stable condition.

Witnesses told police that the children were injured when lightning struck shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday at the Goldman Union Camp Institute, a Reform Jewish summer camp.

Adams says he didn't have ages or genders of the victims because camp officials didn't want the information released.

The camp director didn't return a message from The Associated Press.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lightning-strikes-ind-summer-camp-3-kids-hurt-002533973.html

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Friday prep baseball roundup

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Source: http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20130629/SPORTS010101/306290039/1025/

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Cox flareWatch beta brings IPTV with 60 HD channels, cloud DVR for $35 monthly

While everyone tries to figure out what the future of TV looks like, Variety reports Cox Cable has crossed over to offering internet TV service to customers in Orange County. flareWatch beta testers can buy a Fanhattan Fan TV set-top box for $99 (up to three per household) and sign up for a TV package that features 90 live TV channels (60 in HD) and includes the usual favorites like ESPN / ESPN2, AMC, CNN, Nickelodeon and TNT, with video on-demand coming soon. DVR recordings take place in the cloud, with 30 hours of storage available for each subscriber.

There is one notable limitation however, as with cable company provided TiVo DVRs, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix are not available. Cox already cloud based storage under the MyFlare brand name, and Variety also mentions the company plans to expand it with music and game services. Other providers have hinted at offering IPTV options and Comcast launched an IPTV test at MIT, but this is the first one publicly available from a major company. If you live in the area, demonstrations are available at several locations, check out the site at the link below and a preview video after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Variety, watchFlare

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/29/cox-flarewatch-iptv/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Mark Kirk Survived A Stroke. Now He's Picking Fights in Congress

After suffering a massive ischemic stroke in January 2012, Illinois senator Mark Kirk was unsure if he would ever return to full form. For days Kirk lingered in the intensive care unit, floating in and out of consciousness. At one point, Kirk recalls, he saw angels with New York accents talking to him, urging him to come with them like in all those near death, white light stories you hear.

But against the long odds, the freshman Republican senator has not only managed to recover enough to perform his busy day job, he's placed himself in the middle of the most heated Washington fights. Kirk slammed Eric Holder at a recent Appropriations Committee hearing, probing to see if the spy agency was listening in on Congress and livid about Holder's seemingly evasive answer. Kirk's threat not to support immigration reform unless border security was strengthened surprised many of his colleagues and endangered Republican support for the bill. He got in a fight with Rep. Bobby Rush, the Chicago congressman, who chided Kirk for his plan to "crush" Chicago's gangs saying it was an "upper-middle-class, elitist white boy's solution."

And he says he's already planning to run for a second term in 2016, despite the rigor it will take to defend a seat in one of the most Democratic states in the country.

Kirk's recovery has been remarkable by the standards of a stroke patient even as it's still left him without his pre-injury vigor or ability to hustle the way politicians must to keep their office in competitive seats which his surely is. He walks slowly. His voice is weakened. He's not all he was. But his comeback has been inspiring.

"If people knew how catastrophic this stroke was, they'd be blown away by his recovery," says Illinois Rep. John Shimkus who was the first member of the state's House delegation to visit Kirk in the hospital in 2012. Asked if he ever had any doubts that Kirk would want back in politics, he recalled the senator, even though he was in rehab, staying up late to watch the HBO film Game Change. "That was the signal to me that he was coming back."

Kirk's stroke largely spared his cognitive function but has left him disabled, dependent on the kind of four legged cane you usually see on the elderly, and a wheelchair for longer hikes. "The Senate is appropriately designed for older men," he jokes. He was just 52 when the stroke hit.

When he walked up the Capitol stairs in January to the bipartisan applause of his colleagues including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, his home state senator with whom he has a close relationship, it was an emotional moment that left many feeling that the stroke had in some ways made him a more important force--less an object of sympathy than an inspiring example of perseverance.

To understand Kirk, you have to know that he's a creature of the Chicago suburbs and a creature of Congress. He loves both. Raised outside Chicago, the son of a telephone company executive, he graduated from Cornell and worked for Rep. John Porter while he was at law school at Georgetown becoming the congressman's top aide. Porter represented Chicago's North Shore, the lakefront district that includes the leafy suburbs glorified in John Hughes movies and Kirk's hometown of Kenilworth. When Porter retired, Kirk won his seat and carried on Porter's moderate GOP politics as Illinois became more and more blue. When the U.S. Senate seat opened up in 2010, Kirk went for it and beat an Obama ally, the state treasurer, Alexi Giannoulias, a hoops buddy of the president, in the wave of discontent.

Kirk was no tea partier but he wasn't a bland moderate, either. He'd been a critic of the stimulus which other Republican moderates had backed and he loathed Obamacare. "I'm a fiscal conservative, a social moderate and a national security hawk," Kirk told me, using a mantra he repeats frequently.

Just a year into his term, in January 2012, Kirk, a slim, former intelligence officer in the Naval Reserves began to feel dizzy while back home. Aides rushed him to Lake Forest Hospital and then transferred him to the Northwestern University Medical Center when it became apparent that he'd had a massive ischemic stroke. The attack put his left carotid artery out of business and his life in danger. He had to undergo three operations, two of which were craniectomies to remove portions of his skull to allow the brain to expand. "There was a remarkable amount of swelling," notes Richard Fessler, a professor of neurosurgery who operated on Kirk. "The surgeries were life saving but he's doing great."

Kirk had the kind of emotional reckoning that comes with a near-death episode. He decided to spend more time with his sister, for instance. But he never doubted he wanted to return to the Senate. He told his speech therapists that he wanted his public speaking voice back. And he told those who worked on his physical therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) that he wanted to be able to climb the Capitol steps when he returned. Mike Klonowski worked with Kirk--putting him in a harness so he could move on a treadmill, putting him through the paces of a research study that pushed Kirk to do more intense physical training than the typical patient.

"There was initial shock when I found out I was going to be working with him," Klonowski remembers about the prospect of putting a U.S. Senator through the paces." But he responded to very specific goals and wanted to make sure that we were focused on his return back to the Senate."

Now he's back and working on his recovery and working to help other patients are on his mind. This coming week he'll be in Chicago where he'll join Durbin and Emanuel to celebrate the $550 million expansion of the RIC. "My concern is what happens if you have a stroke and you're not in the U.S. Senate and you have no insurance and no income," Kirk told me. "That's the question I have been asking and the reality is that if you're on Illinois Medicaid are a stroke survivor, you will get just five visits to the rehab specialist." When I ask Kirk where the money might come from for more extensive benefits, he notes that he's working with Sen. Tim Johnson on a "stroke agenda." (Johnson himself suffered a stroke.)

Since his return, Kirk has cut an interesting path, weaving left and right in ways that aren't predictable. When Iran elected its new president who many hailed as a moderate, Kirk denounced him as more of the same. He stuck with moderates on gun control, earning him an attaboy tweet from Obama's consiglieri David Axelrod. But he also took a hawkish line on immigration that surprised many before he relented and supported the bill. By contrast, Kirk was full of kind words for Rahm Emanuel when I saw him. "He's doing a very, very good job," says Kirk who served with Hizzoner when they were in the House. The two graduated in 1977 from New Trier High School in Winnetka but didn't know each other. (Donald Rumsfeld went there, too, 27 years earlier.)

With his military intelligence background, Kirk has emerged as a compelling voice on the NSA maess, leaning closer to the privacy advocates than the voices in both parties who say everything's fine with the way we collect intelligence. "It's bad intelligence work to be focusing on 121 million Americans who aren't doing anything particularly terrorist related," he says. Kirk notes that in the post-9/11 world with its efforts to limit stovepiping of intelligence, low level operatives in the field like Bradley Manning in Iraq or Edward Snowden in Honolulu have dangerous access. "We have a classified Internet on the backside of the intelligence community and if you're on that system then a Bradley Manning can download the presidential book of secrets like in the movie [National Treasure].

Kirk says he's interested in running again in 2016 and Republicans expect he will. In a state as Democratic as Illinois, he likely to have a serious race. He rejects the idea that Republican moderates are an endangered species but he sounds the refrain that his party has been myopic. "What often happens is that people or politicians get out of date and that's my worry about the Republican Party. It apparently doesn't understand how multicolored and how multicultural our country has become." Kirk was the second GOP senator, after Rob Portman and before Lisa Murkowski, to support same-sex marriage which puts him ahead of Illinois which has yet to grant it. Divorced, with a girlfriend and no kids, and unmarried until 41, Kirk gets modern families in a way that many Republicans don't. Whether that'll make him an outlier or a lodestar in the GOP remains to be seen.

For now, Kirk has bigger tasks. He regularly hauls himself up to Walter Reed Medical Center where he gets physical therapy in the Traumatic Brain Injury clinic, along with young vets, often missing limbs in addition to their head injuries.

"You're having a tough day and you look over at a soldier who might be missing a leg or two arms and he is doing great," Kirk said. "And you think to yourself, 'There is nothing challenging me like what is challenging him.' "

Recalling that, Kirk tells an aide that he wants the Walter Reed therapists to push him harder--just like the ones back in Chicago.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mark-kirk-survived-stroke-now-hes-picking-fights-060021154.html

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Senate Nears Passage of Immigration Overhaul Bill (WSJ)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/315627150?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Military announces same-sex spousal benefits after Supreme Court decision

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ingvar Kamprad, founder of furniture company IKEA, announced on Wednesday he plans to return home to Sweden 40 years after leaving the country to escape its high taxes. Kamprad, 87, said he would return from Switzerland before year-end and settle down on a farm outside of Almhult, a southern Swedish town where he founded IKEA 70 years ago and put Swedish "flat-pack" furniture on the global map. "Moving back to Sweden gets me closer to my family and my old friends," Kamprad said in a statement. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/military-announces-same-sex-partner-benefits-following-supreme-222026405.html

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Senator Wendy Davis is Filibustering Anti-Choice Legislation in Texas (Balloon Juice)

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Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx Salsa Dance on Univision: Watch Now!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/channing-tatum-jamie-foxx-salsa-dance-on-univision-watch-now/

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High Speed Footage Reveals an AK-47 Works Even Better Under Water

The AK-47 can be considered the Timex watch of the gun world. It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking, except that by ticking we of course mean firing round after round of ammunition. The automatic machine gun is based on a gas recoil system that uses the hot expanding gases of a bullet being fired to automatically rechamber the next round, and surprisingly, it appears to work even better under water.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BrIzx_qkAvI/high-speed-footage-reveals-an-ak-47-works-even-better-u-555224613

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Immigration bill faces another major hurdle in Senate on Monday

A major addition to the immigration bill that beefs up border security and effectively serves in part as a ?redo? of the legislation will face a crucial procedural vote in the Senate on Monday afternoon.

Written after a series of negotiations between Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Democratic Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, the amendment is intended to ease concerns of skeptical lawmakers who are calling for tougher border enforcement as part of the bill.

The bill retains the language of the original one proposed by a bipartisan group of eight senators earlier this year, but adds 119 new pages, Corker says. While most of the language would remain the same, the Corker-Hoeven version strengthens security measures by nearly doubling the amount of security agents along the nation's borders. The bill would also mandate the construction of a fence stretching "no less than" 700 miles along the U.S. border with Mexico and provide funding for aerial surveillance of the area. The federal government will be required to meet a series of security benchmarks before immigrants living in the country illegally would be allowed to obtain permanent legal status.

?The American people want a strong, comprehensive immigration reform plan, but we need to get it right,? Hoeven said in a statement last week. ?That means first and foremost securing the southern border before we address other meaningful reforms to our immigration policy. They want to know that ten years from now, we won?t find ourselves in this same position, having to address the same problem.?

The Senate will vote on whether to end debate on the amendment, which will allow it to move on to final passage within the next few weeks.

Lawmakers rejected a similar (and less costly) amendment to the bill proposed by Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn last week by tabling the measure, so supporters of the new amendment hope it will serve as a new vessel to entice more Republicans to sign on to the bill.

The co-authors of the original immigration bill, including Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have spoken optimistically about securing as many as 70 votes for the final bill in the Senate, the number they think the bill needs to show the effort has wide bipartisan support. The bill is likely to get the support from 60 members needed to overcome a filibuster, but getting 70 would put pressure on the House?a chamber with a higher concentration of conservative lawmakers?to act.

?We?re very, very close to getting 70 votes," Graham said during a weekend interview on ?Fox News Sunday.?

The Senate is expected to hold the procedural vote on the Corker-Hoeven amendment at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/immigration-bill-faces-another-major-hurdle-senate-monday-151728618.html

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Supreme Court strikes down key part of Voting Rights Act

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major blow to civil rights activists, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down an important part of a 48-year-old federal law designed to protect minority voters.

The court ruled on a 5-4 vote in favor of officials from Shelby County, Alabama, in finding that a section of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act that sets the formula that determines which states need federal approval to change voting laws is invalid.

Writing for the majority, conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said the coverage formula that Congress used when it most recently reauthorized the law in 2006 should have been updated.

"Congress did not use the record it compiled to shape a coverage formula grounded in current conditions," he wrote. "It instead re-enacted a formula based on 40-year-old facts having no logical relationship to the present day."

The court, split on ideological lines, did not go as far as striking down Section 5 of the law, known as the preclearance provision, which requires certain states to get approval from the Justice Department or a federal court before making election-law changes.

But a majority did invalidate Section 4 of the act, which sets the formula for states covered by Section 5 and was based on historic patterns of discrimination against minority voters.

Although Section 5 is technically left intact, it is effectively nullified, at least for the near future, as Congress would now need to pass new legislation setting a new formula before it can be applied again.

As a result, the ruling is a heavy blow for civil rights advocates, who believe the loss of a working preclearance program could lead to an increase in attempts to deter minorities from voting. They say that 31 proposals made by covered jurisdictions to modify election laws have been blocked by the Justice Department under Section 5 since the law was re-enacted in 2006.

One of the most closely watched disputes of the court's current term, the case centers on the civil rights-era law that broadly prohibited poll taxes, literacy tests and other measures that prevented blacks from voting. In the 1960s, such laws existed throughout the country but were more prevalent in the South with its legacy of slavery.

Section 5 of the law required certain states, mainly in the South, to show that any proposed election-law change does not discriminate against black, Latino or other minority voters.

The nine fully covered states were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

The Shelby County challengers said the kind of systematic obstruction that once warranted treating the South differently is over and the screening provision should be struck down.

The Obama administration, backed by civil rights advocates, had argued that the provision was still needed to deter voter discrimination.

The issue of voting rights remains prominent in the United States. During the 2012 presidential election campaign, judges nationwide heard challenges to new voter identification laws and redrawn voting districts. The most restrictive moves ended up being blocked before the November elections.

Just last week, the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona state law that required people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of citizenship, a victory for activists who said it discouraged Native Americans and Latinos from voting.

Democrats say that and similar measures, championed by Republicans at the state level, were intended to make it more difficult for certain voters who tend to vote Democratic to cast ballots.

The case is Shelby County v. Holder, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-96.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-strikes-down-key-part-voting-rights-141933323.html

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U.S. Talks Tough on Leaker (WSJ)

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George Lucas Got Married, He Did

The 'Star Wars' creator tied the knot with Mellody Hobson on his Skywalker Ranch in California.
By Todd Gilchrist

Mellody Hobson and George Lucas
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709517/george-lucas-married.jhtml

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NUJP calls for release of kidnapped Fil-Algerian filmmakers - Rappler

by Rappler.com
Posted on 06/23/2013 8:36 PM ?|?Updated 06/23/2013 10:16 PM

MANILA, Philippines ? The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chapter in Zamboanga City has called on security forces and local officials to "coordinate and move for the safe and speedy release" of the Fil-Algerian sisters who were kidnapped on June 22.

The kidnapping "stains further the image of the Philippines as the most dangerous country for media workers to operate on, the NUJP said in a statement on Sunday, June 23.

Sisters Nadjova and Linda Abdelbasit, both indie filmmakers, were kidnapped by members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Barangay Liangm Patikul, Sulu, on Saturday.

The kidnappers, who were identified as part of the kidnap-for-ransom group's Lucky Nine Group, fled with their victims toward Sitio Kanjimaw, through Barangay Tugas, in Patikul.

The police report on their case did not identify them as filmmakers or as visitors in Sulu.

In the statement, NUJP said the kidnapped filmmakers traveled to Sulu to take footages for an upcoming film. They previously produced the first film on the sea gypsies in Mindanao.

Nadjova took up film studies at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University and works for Amnesty International. Her film Bohe, Sons of the Waves ("bohe" is Tausug for "water") earned her a nomination for the Gawad Urian and Cinemalaya Awards.

"We respectfully call on the Philippine national government not to allow this incident to be another demonstration of its helplessness in addressing the roots of the social conflict in Sulu. Instead let its immediate action towards the Bansil sisters? freedom from their captors, young orphaned sons of the Abu Sayyaf Group members, be an initial manifestation of the GPH?s efforts to address the structural and cultural violence that have long been inflicted upon those in these conflict areas," the group said in its statement. ? Rappler.com

Source: http://www.rappler.com/nation/31982-nujp-release-kidnapped-fil-algerian-filmmakers

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From mites to NHL, nicknames a hockey tradition

CHICAGO (AP) ? The best names in the NHL are the ones that never make the roster.

Or get used by Mom.

Tazer. Little Ball of Hate. The Great One. Sid the Kid. Looch (who also goes by Gino). The Bulin Wall. Kells.

"There's always someone, or a few guys, that want to call you different things," said Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad, dubbed "The ManChild" by his teammates. "I guess it's just part of the camaraderie of the sport and the guys being close. I'm not really sure of the exact science."

Anyone who has ever played a sport knows that nicknames are part of the game, a byproduct of both competition and camaraderie. But hockey players have taken it to an art form.

From the littlest mite to the NHL's biggest stars, everyone's got a moniker ? and usually more than one. Most are simplistic, involving the addition or subtraction of a letter or two. Shorten a last name, tack on an 's' or a 'y' ('ie' also works) and, voila! Instant nickname. Patrice Bergeron becomes "Bergy." Brent Seabrook is "Seabs" or "Seabsy."

If a player's last name only has one syllable, just add an 'r' or a 'y' (the 'ie' rule applies here, as well). Patrick Kane is now forever known as "Kaner," while Patrick Sharp, his occasional partner on Chicago's second line, is "Sharpie."

And anyone whose last name is Campbell is automatically "Soup" or "Soupy."

"Pretty boring," said Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly, who is known as, you guessed it, "Kells." ''I wish we came up with cooler nicknames."

But the beauty of the simplicity is in its versatility. It can be applied to almost any name, regardless of nationality.

Jaromir Jagr? Jags. Alex Ovechkin? Ovie. Marty Turco? Turks.

It even works with Bruins left wing Kaspars Daugavins.

"We call him Doggie," Kelly said.

But just as there are exceptions to every grammatical rule, there are some names that defy the conventions of hockey nicknamification. Or lend themselves to some added creativity.

Blackhawks right wing Jamal Mayers is "Jammer" ? not to be confused with Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who is "Hammer." Edmonton goalie Nikolai Khabibulin is "The Bulin Wall." Henrik Lundqvist, he of the 2012 Vezina Trophy, seven straight 30-win seasons and Olympic gold medal in 2006, is, simply, King Henrik.

Other monikers come about because of something a player does on the ice.

Hall of Famer Max Bentley was known as the "Dipsy Doodle Dandy from Delisle" because of his silky-smooth style of evading opponents. Steve Yzerman thought Johan Franzen looked like "a mule" whizzing around the ice as a rookie back in 2005. The nickname stuck. Phoenix enforcer Paul Bissonnette is "BizNasty."

And some nicknames just happen.

Boston forward Brad Marchand is now called the "Little Ball of Hate," thanks to President Barack Obama. But the nickname originally belonged to Pat Verbeek of the New York Rangers. He got it because teammate Glenn Healy had already dubbed Ray Ferraro the "Big Ball of Hate."

"It's just a bunch of guys probably acting a little bit younger than they should and goofing around," said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, known as "Tazer" or "Captain Serious."

But it's also a nod to hockey's roots, a reminder that no matter how big the NHL becomes, it's not that far removed from its quaint history of small towns and backyard ponds.

"It goes back to the fact that hockey, more than baseball, for example, was a Canadian frontier game ... and the large majority of players came from small areas," said Stan Fischler, the MSG hockey analyst and leading NHL historian.

"(The NHL) is a multibillion-dollar industry. But at the same time, it does have a folksy, family feel about it," Fischler said.

Indeed, not only does everyone have a nickname, but everyone uses them, too.

Imagine LeBron James' teammates calling him "Jamesy" or "Headband." Or Gregg Popovich referring to Tim Duncan as "Duncs."

It would never happen.

Yet Chicago coach Joel Quenneville routinely refers to his players by their nicknames, and sometimes is the one who comes up with them. The next Blackhawk to call Kane Patrick will be the first.

"That's part of the beauty part of hockey," Fischler said. "Apart from the intensity on the ice, it's a very friendly sport."

___

AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mites-nhl-nicknames-hockey-tradition-212142463.html

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Where did ?King Mo,? New York and ?The Korean Zombie? fall on Cagewriter?s Hot or Not list?

Who is having a good week in the world of MMA, and who isn't? Check it out in Cagewriter's version of hot or not.

Hot -- "King Mo" Lawal: What's the best way to respond to a knockout loss? Returning with a knockout win. Lawal did that on Wednesday and took out Seth Petruzelli with one punch. Lawal moved on in the Bellator tournament, while Petruzelli decided to retire.

Not -- Bellator ratings: Lawal delivered the memorable knockout, but not that many people watched it live. The ratings from Wednesday's fights were nearly half that of the last Bellator fight, and they got worse for "Fight Master," Bellator's new reality show.

Hot -- "The Korean Zombie:" Chan Sung Jung mentioned last week that Anthony Pettis had cut in line for a shot at the UFC featherweight belt. Pettis suffered a training injury, so now Jung doesn't have to wait for a title shot any more. He's fighting Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in Pettis' place.

Not -- Anthony Pettis: When he suffered the knee injury, Pettis hoped that it wouldn't take too long to heal, and maybe he could slide into UFC 164 and the already-scheduled fight between T.J. Grant and lightweight champion Benson Henderson. Unfortunately, the knee injury will take longer to heal than he had hoped, and he won't be fighting on either pay-per-view card in August.

Not -- New York: The state with the largest city is also the last state to consider professional MMA fighting illegal. MMA's status in New York took a blow this week as the bill to make MMA legal and regulated never made it to a vote.

Still taking temperature -- Invicta FC: After previously showing their fights just through online streaming, the all-women's promotion is making the jump to television pay-per-views. Fans will have the chance to purchase the July 13 event, headlined by Marloes Coenen vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, via iNDemand, Dish and Avail-TVN for $14.95. Will it work?

As always, thank you for reading Cagewriter. We appreciate each and every one of you. For more Cagewriting fun, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Invicta ready for prime time
? Ricardo Lamas bypassed for title shot again
? Junior dos Santos says UFC champ ?hits like a girl?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/where-did-king-mo-york-korean-zombie-fall-171628039.html

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Concert review: Barenaked Ladies can't capitalize on nostalgia in ...

(Paul Fraughton | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ed Robertson of The Barenaked Ladies performs at USANA Amphitheater on Thursday, June 20, 2013.

Concert review: Barenaked Ladies can?t capitalize on nostalgia in Utah summer tour stop

Last Summer on Earth tour ? Guster and Ben Folds Five share the bill.

USANA Amphitheatre on Thursday was filled with ?90s nostalgia brought on by the music of Guster and Ben Folds Five. But for headliner Barenaked Ladies, the absence of Steven Page marred the band?s usual witty interplay and fun-loving improvisation with each other and the audience filled with throngs of young professionals and their children.

Each band billed on the Last Summer on Earth tour played for about an hour, bringing back memories of the time when the Internet was still in swaddling clothes and the innocence we enjoyed in a pre-9/11 world.

That sense of carefree fun resonated throughout Guster?s members ? the hand-played bongos of Brian Rosenworcel, the guitar work of Adam Gardner and the croonings of lead singer Ryan Miller. Their jeans may have been skinnier and their baseball caps truckier, but the trio performed classics such as "Barrel of a Gun," "Satellite," and "Airport Song" with the same engaging pizzazz that has drawn audiences for two decades.

They battled the 7:30 p.m. blaze of USANA?s west-facing stage with the help of sunglasses donated by audience members, and kept their 45-minute set rolling without much time to talk with the crowd, other than to invite members to stand and dance.

Ben Folds Five, who got back together late last year after a dozen-year hiatus, smashed through piano-heavy hits such as "Song for the Dumped," "Brick," and even threw in Ben Folds? solo single "Landed." To the delight of the crowd, the group ended with "Army," a song the trio didn?t play at its Jan. 25 Las Vegas show that many die-hard Utah fans attended before the June show was announced.

Many in the crowd sported Ben Folds Five T-Shirts from years ago, but still were able to sing along to every word of new songs on the album "The Sound of the Life of the Mind" such as "Do It Anyway" and "Erase Me." Folds? lyrics and music kept the continuity of his previous works, and the trio?s performance felt like old friends picking up a conversation as if only seconds ? and not years ? had passed.

The same couldn?t be said for Barenaked Ladies.

Lead singer Ed Robertson brought his charm and wit in his freestyle rap about Hogle Zoo and the Montage hotel in Park City, but it was a quick spark that quickly dissipated. The nights of improvisation and banter between he and former bandmate Page, who departed in 2009, sadly are gone, and the band ? and audience ? suffered for it.

Barenaked Ladies always has communicated its deeper emotional core through humor, but both were lost without the comedic interplay the Canadian pop stars were known for in their first two decades. Even classics such as "One Week" and "If I had a Million Dollars" lost some of their charm without it Thursday night.

New songs from the album "Grinning Streak" ? such as the catchy "Boomerang" and the uplifting nerd anthem "Odds Are" ? show promise for a whole new sound as they celebrate their 25th year performing. But the now-four piece band can?t conjure up the joys of the past because a piece of its soul is simply missing.

story continues below

It was a bittersweet end to what was otherwise a joyful trip down memory lane.

smcfarland@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sheena5427

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/56473305-223/folds-ben-barenaked-ladies.html.csp

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WHO study: Third of women suffer domestic violence

LONDON (AP) ? In the first major global review of violence against women, a series of reports released Thursday found that about a third of women have been physically or sexually assaulted by a former or current partner.

The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, called it "a global health problem of epidemic proportions," and other experts said screening for domestic violence should be added to all levels of health care.

Among the findings: 40 percent of women killed worldwide were slain by an intimate partner, and being assaulted by a partner was the most common kind of violence experienced by women.

Researchers used a broad definition of domestic violence, and in cases where country data was incomplete, estimates were used to fill in the gaps. WHO defined physical violence as being slapped, pushed, punched, choked or attacked with a weapon. Sexual violence was defined as being physically forced to have sex, having sex for fear of what the partner might do and being compelled to do something sexual that was humiliating or degrading.

The report also examined rates of sexual violence against women by someone other than a partner and found about 7 percent of women worldwide had previously been a victim.

In conjunction with the report, WHO issued guidelines for authorities to spot problems earlier and said all health workers should be trained to recognize when women may be at risk and how to respond appropriately.

Globally, the WHO review found 30 percent of women are affected by domestic or sexual violence by a partner. The report was based largely on studies from 1983 to 2010. According to the United Nations, more than 600 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered a crime.

The rate of domestic violence against women was highest in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where 37 percent of women experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner at some point in their lifetimes. The rate was 30 percent in Latin America and 23 percent in North America. In Europe and Asia, it was 25 percent.

Some experts said screening for domestic violence should be added to all levels of health care, such as obstetric clinics.

"It's unlikely that someone would walk into an ER and disclose they've been assaulted," said Sheila Sprague of McMaster University in Canada, who has researched domestic violence in women at orthopedic clinics. She was not connected to the WHO report.

However, "over time, if women are coming into a fracture clinic or a pre-natal clinic, they may tell you they are suffering abuse if you ask," she said.

For domestic violence figures, scientists analyzed information from 86 countries focusing on women and teens over the age of 15. They also assessed studies from 56 countries on sexual violence by someone other than a partner, though they had no data from the Middle East. WHO experts then used modeling techniques to come up with global estimates for the percentage of women who are victims of violence.

Accurate numbers on women and violence are notoriously hard to pin down. A U.S. government survey reported almost two years ago that 1 in 4 American women said they were violently attacked by their husbands or boyfriends, and 1 in 5 said they were victims of rape or attempted rape, with about half those cases involving intimate partners.

Some experts thought the rape estimate was extremely high but said it may have to do with the definition of assault. The results were from a survey that did not document the claims, which were made anonymously.

In a related paper published Thursday online in the journal Lancet, researchers found more than 38 percent of slain women are killed by a former or current partner, six times higher than the rate of men killed by their partners.

Heidi Stoeckl, one of the authors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the figures were probably an underestimate. She and colleagues found that worldwide, a woman's highest risk of murder was from a current or ex-partner.

In countries like India, Stoeckl said "honor killings," where women are sometimes murdered over dowry disputes or perceived offenses like infidelity to protect the family's reputation, add to the problem.

She also noted that women and men are often slain by their partners for different reasons.

"When a woman kills her male partner, it's usually out of self-defense because she has been abused," she said. "But when a woman is killed, it's often after she has left the relationship and the man is killing her out of jealousy or rage."

Stoeckl said criminal justice authorities should intervene sooner.

"When a woman is killed by a partner, she has often already had contact with the police," she said.

Stoeckl said there should be more protection for women from their partners, particularly in cases where there is a history of violence.

"There are enough signs that we should be watching out for that," she said. "We certainly should know if someone is potentially lethal and be able to do something about it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-third-women-suffer-domestic-violence-205228597.html

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Wall St. set for worst selloff in two months

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 fell more than 2 percent on Thursday, setting stocks up for their worst day in two months, hit by the Federal Reserve's plans to begin winding down its massive monetary stimulus later this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 282.99 points, or 1.87 percent, at 14,829.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 32.96 points, or 2.02 percent, at 1,595.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 67.46 points, or 1.96 percent, at 3,375.74.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-drop-wake-feds-stimulus-tapering-outline-114830321.html

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Police warn of scam after Orem woman buys fake iPhone

Earlier this month, a woman bought what she thought was an iPhone 5 at a grocery parking lot. It turns out she paid $120 for a piece of junk, Orem police said.

Sam Penrod, Deseret News

OREM ? Police have issued a warning about a new scam involving one of the hottest gadgets right now: the iPhone 5.

Earlier this month, an Orem woman thought she was getting a fabulous deal on a brand-new iPhone 5, but what she really got was a piece of junk.

Police said someone approached her at in the parking lot at Macey's grocery store, 880 N. State, and offered her a new iPhone for a good price.

"He presented it as a brand-new iPhone that he just didn't need," Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez said. "He was asking for $350, and she talked him down pretty quickly to $120. So she gave him $120 and he left."

The fake phone Martinez examined came in Apple-style packaging with charging accessories and earphones.

Martinez compared a real iPhone with the fake.

"It's not a phone at all," he said. "(It) looks exactly like an iPhone, feels like an iPhone, but it's not even a real phone. It won't even work. It won't turn on. It's a total piece of junk."

When the woman took the phone to get it activated, it became obvious she had just paid a lot of money for nothing, Martinez said.

Her son was suspicious enough that he got the license plate number for the seller's car during the transaction, but when they went to trace the license plate, it came back to a rental car company. Police are still investigating that lead.

"This scam has hit Orem and Utah County," Martinez said.

The Internet is filled with warnings about counterfeit electronics. In this case, police say it was clear the package was only meant to quickly deceive people into giving their cash away.

"When you are buying phones, stereo systems, speakers, don't do it in the parking lot outside of someone's trunk," Martinez said. "It never turns out good, and you never get what you are paying for."

The Orem Police Department is asking anyone who has fallen victim to this scam to let authorities know so they can investigate the situation.

Email: vvo-duc@deseretnews.com

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581915/Police-warn-of-scam-after-Orem-woman-buys-fake-iPhone.html

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What's Obama's strategy for Syria?

President Barack Obama decided to arm Syria's rebels earlier this week. That sound you are now hearing? Raspberries, both from people who want the US government to throw its full weight behind a rebel victory, and from those who think the US should wait out the Syrian civil war on the sidelines.

Obama has pulled the classic maneuver of a compromise that satisfies no one and irritates everyone. But the decision, and the points of agreement from various analysts who disagree sharply about what the US should be doing, is particularly troubling in what it says about the lack of strategic care going into all of this (one commentator on twitter said it was looking like an "etch-a-sketch intervention.")

Does President Obama have a strategic objective in mind? He hasn't outlined one in public yet, and it's hard to divine one amid the morass of unnamed sources quoted in DC press reporting on the decision.

RECOMMENDED: Obama, Putin in stare-down over (no, not the Super Bowl ring) Syria war (+video)

Sure, the US would like a stable, democratic Syria that's friendly to America and Israel, hostile to Sunni jihadis and the Shiite movement Hezbollah, and distant from Iran. Obama says he'd like to see a negotiated, political transition - notwithstanding both sides are committed to victory and nothing but victory. But that is just an empty aspiration if there isn't a meaningful road-map for getting from point A to point Z. That's not to say the US must have an answer to this question, or even that there's a plausible one to be found. Sometimes the best you can hope for is to ride the tiger and limit the fallout for your own interests.

But best practice in those kind of situations is to not to get involved in the conflict at all. Simply pouring more weapons into the situation and hoping for the best isn't a smart option. And if the Obama administration has cracked the code, or thinks it has, it's time it starts sharing that with the American public before the US risks getting dragged into another Middle Eastern war.

What's more, the limited amount of support currently on offer is highly unlikely to lead to anything resembling a decisive advantage for the rebellion writ large, particularly if the US is successful in keeping the new weapons out of the hands of jihadi groups like Jabhat al-Nusra - among the most effective fighters on the opposition side.

Criticism of Obama's decision have been pointed - both from people who want a robust US effort to help the rebels win, and from those who think the US should steer clear entirely. Shadi Hamid is in the former camp, and he writes that:

What makes Obama's decision so unsatisfying -- and even infuriating -- to both sides is that even he seems to acknowledge this. As the New York Times reports, "Mr. Obama expressed no confidence it would change the outcome, but privately expressed hope it might buy time to bring about a negotiated settlement."

To some extent like the 2010 Afghanistan "surge," this is a tactical move that seems almost entirely detached from any clear, long-term strategy. A source of constant and sometimes Kafkaesque debate among interpreters of Obama's Syria policy is figuring out what exactly the policy is in the first place. Secretary of State John Kerry has been promoting the Geneva II peace conference, but his explanations of US goals have tended to confuse. For example, there is this: "The goal of Geneva II is to implement Geneva I." But no one is quite sure what the goals of Geneva I were, except perhaps to "lay the groundwork" for Geneva II.

George Washington University's Marc Lynch, an occasional adviser to the administration on Middle East foreign policy who would like to see the US limit it's military involvement in the war, writes the decision to send weapons is probably Obama's "worst foreign policy decision since taking office."

Nobody in the administration seems to have any illusions that arming the rebels is likely to work. The argument over arming the FSA has been raging for well over a year, driven by the horrific levels of death and devastation, fears of regional destabilization, the inadequacy of existing policies, concerns about credibility over the ill-conceived chemical weapons red line, and a relentless campaign for intervention led by hawkish media, think tanks, Congress, and some European and regional allies.

... Obama's move is likely meant as a way to "do something," and perhaps to give Secretary John Kerry something to work with diplomatically on the way to Geneva II, while deflecting pressure for more aggressive steps. The logic behind the steps has been thoroughly aired by now. The dominant idea is that these arms will help to pressure Assad to the bargaining table, strengthen the "moderate" groups within the opposition while marginalizing the jihadists in the rebellion's ranks, and assert stronger U.S. leadership over the international and regional proxy war. Much of it sounds like magical thinking.

Earlier this week columnist Jeffrey Goldberg reported that Gen. Martin Dempsey dressed down Secretary Kerry over the apparent absence of clear objectives and the danger of directly attacking the Syrian government. Mr. Goldberg cites this only to "several sources" with no further identification, so the usual caveats apply as to the motives and honesty of the anonymous. But if true, it's a fascinating window into the debate between the professional soldiers and civilian leaders in the Obama administration.

At a principals meeting in the White House situation room, Secretary of State John Kerry began arguing, vociferously, for immediate U.S. airstrikes against airfields under the control of Bashar al-Assad?s Syrian regime -- specifically, those fields it has used to launch chemical weapons raids against rebel forces.

It was at this point that the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the usually mild-mannered Army General Martin Dempsey, spoke up, loudly. According to several sources, Dempsey threw a series of brushback pitches at Kerry, demanding to know just exactly what the post-strike plan would be and pointing out that the State Department didn?t fully grasp the complexity of such an operation.

Dempsey informed Kerry that the Air Force could not simply drop a few bombs, or fire a few missiles, at targets inside Syria: To be safe, the U.S. would have to neutralize Syria?s integrated air-defense system, an operation that would require 700 or more sorties. At a time when the U.S. military is exhausted, and when sequestration is ripping into the Pentagon budget, Dempsey is said to have argued that a demand by the State Department for precipitous military action in a murky civil war wasn?t welcome.

... Dempsey was adamant: Without much of an entrance strategy, without anything resembling an exit strategy, and without even a clear-eyed understanding of the consequences of an American airstrike, the Pentagon would be extremely reluctant to get behind Kerry?s plan.

The talk of many of the purveyors of conventional DC wisdom about all this is instructive in its fundamental incoherence. Consider the musings of David Ignatius yesterday about the White House's plans.

In Ignatius' estimation "the reality is that, despite his decision last week to arm the opposition there, Obama is still playing for a negotiated diplomatic transition" and that "Obama wants to bolster moderate opposition forces under Gen. Salim Idriss until they?re strong enough to negotiate a transitional government. He wants to counter recent offensives by Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed forces aiding President Bashar al-Assad. And he wants to keep Arab nations from bolting the U.S.-led coalition backing Idriss and instead arming radical jihadists."

It's hard to know where to start with the above. Some Arab nations already are arming jihadis, and the efforts to arm the "nice" rebels exclusively haven't worked, with strong evidence that weapons that started to flow through Jordan at the end of last year quickly ended up in the hands of jihadi fighters, who have been an enormous battlefield asset to the uprising.

Strong enough to "negotiate a transitional government?" That in reality would be "strong enough to win." Assad and his supporters view the fight as one for existence and survival, have the backing of Iran and Russia, and see little upside in negotiating a "transition" that ends up with them in exile or swinging from the gallows. If Assad doesn't fear imminent defeat, he isn't going to negotiate his exit. And rebel commanders, both under the banner of the Free Syrian Army and of the jihadis, have been united in demanding Assad's removal from power as a precondition for any meaningful peace talks.

Finally, it's unclear what the sending of light weapons - Obama has been frustratingly vague on what exactly he's willing to give them, and it will take a while to set up supply routes and vetting procedures - will do to substantially change the situation. The Syrian army is professional and well-equipped; Hezbollah is one of the most capable fighting forces in the region. Without anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft weapons - and professional training in their use - it's hard to see extra bullets or rifles making much of a difference beyond, perhaps, prolonging the agony.

Meanwhile, Russia looks on. President Vladimir Putin drew his own red line this week over any kind of no-fly or no-drive zone over Syria. His country continues to hold back on a promised delivery of the advanced S-300 anti-aircraft system to Assad that has alarmed Israel and the US. The greater the US slips towards a policy of regime change, the more likely he is to deliver those and perhaps other weapons.

RECOMMENDED: Obama, Putin in stare-down over (no, not the Super Bowl ring) Syria war (+video)

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whats-obamas-strategy-syria-161644717.html

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