Iraq's Christians face hardship, but peaceful Easter also highlights promise

War and persecution by newly empowered Islamist forces drove Iraq's Christians away, halving the population of the once-thriving community. But a new Christian leader vows to rebuild.

By Jane Arraf,?Correspondent / March 31, 2013

A worshipper reaches to touch a crucifix during Easter mass at Virgin Mary Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday. The Chaldean Church is an Eastern Rite church affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Khalid Mohammed/AP

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Iraqi Christians celebrated a largely peaceful Easter under heavy security as a newly-elected Catholic leader pledged to try to stop an exodus from the Middle East and rebuild the battered church community.

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Soldiers and federal policemen in armored vehicles were posted outside churches and security patrols were increased in Christian areas. Because of Baghdad?s fragile security, at many churches the main Easter service traditionally ending at dawn Sunday morning was held Saturday night.

Iraq?s Christian population, which was believed to top 1 million before the war, dropped to half that as Christians fled attacks on their neighborhoods and churches. Many of them have resettled in the west. Tens of thousands of Christians who went to neighboring Syria for safety or to apply for refugee status are just now beginning to return as fighting rages in that country.

On Sunday morning in Baghdad, church bells rang out as families with children dressed in new Easter clothing greeted each other on the steps in the spring sunshine. The?post-Saddam?Iraqi government has continued a decades-long tradition of granting Christian government workers a two-day holiday for Easter.

At the main Chaldean Catholic mass late last night, the new Chaldean patriarch, dressed in a red cape and gold-embroidered, stone-encrusted headdress celebrated Easter with a few hundred parishioners in a mass carried live on state television.?

Louis Raphael Sako was elected last month by a conference of bishops in Rome to head the Chaldean Catholic church, the largest of the Christian denominations in Iraq and Syria. The patriarch, whose official title is Patriarch of Babylon, is the most senior religious official of the church. It traces its roots back to Jesus's apostle St. Thomas,? who preached the gospel as he traveled through Iraq and Syria on his way to India.

Mr. Sako, who met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last week to urge him to meet with political opponents, called in his sermon yesterday for Iraqis to unite to help build prosperity and stability.

In an interview this week, Sako made clear that, after what he described as several years of stagnation, the church would focus on making it safe enough for Christians to remain in Iraq and on strengthening ties with the Muslim community.

?We must stay. This is our history. This is our patrimony. When we leave everything will leave with us,? says Sako. ?Other Iraqis are also persecuted, not only Christians, so there is a solidarity among us? They have to stay to struggle with the others.?

Christian exodus

More than 1,000 Christians have been killed in the past 10 years and 60 churches have been attacked since Saddam Hussein was toppled, according to Sako. Although that is only a fraction of the number of Muslim victims, it is a much larger percentage of the overall community.

In the worst of the attacks, gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic church during mass in 2010, killing 58 people, including priests. A group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.? The church has re-opened but is now hidden behind high concrete walls, guarded by soldiers, and closed to all but regular parishioners.

That attack and fragile security in Baghdad, Mosul, and other centers with large Christian communities, sparked a new exodus.?

A lack of priests has left only 18 Chaldean parishes, down from 30. In some areas where large numbers of Christians have been displaced and there are no priests, mass is held only once a month instead of daily or weekly.

The Chaldean population in Syria doubled to about 30,000?as Iraqi Christians fled there when it was safer. Some are now beginning to come back?as their country of refuge falls apart.

?Sako says emigration from Iraq mirrors the movement of?Christians from other countries, where the Arab Spring has toppled dictators, but?also removed much of the protection for Middle East Christians.?

?They are scared ? all Christians, not only Chaldeans,? says Sako. ?The Arab spring is not a spring. It has changed even in Egypt, in Tunisia, in Algeria, in Libya. Now the Islamists have the power ? the authority.?

?People are afraid of a kind of Islamic state as it was in the Seventh century where Christians would be considered a second class citizen...We want to keep?[Iraq's Christians]?? to convince them that they can stay here and to live a good life,? he says.?

Still 'more freedom' here

While some are still trying to leave Iraq, many of those who stayed form a tight-knit community,?remembering the diverse, more tolerant country that existed before the war and determined not to leave it.

?I will never leave Iraq. We have more freedom here than any other country in the region,? says a retired academic attending mass at St. Joseph?s last night. However, the woman said she did not want her name used because she lives in Mosul, the site of many of the attacks on priests and parishioners. Her sister and brother-in-law were wounded in the attack at Our Lady of Salvation and are still undergoing medical treatment in France.

At the Easter ceremony at St. Joseph?s, a female parishioner delivered the reading from the gospel while altar girls joined boys in the procession. Young women in tight jeans with long, flowing hair stood next to older women in black with lace scarves on their heads. ?

Sako ? who has studied Islam and speaks French, English, Italian, and German in addition to Arabic and the Aramaic spoken by most Chaldeans ? was known for building strong ties with Muslim religious and political officials when he was archbishop of Kirkuk before being elected patriarch.?

Kirkuk, in the middle of Iraq?s northern oil fields, is?disputed territory,?claimed by the central government, as well as Kurds and Turkmen.

He says Christians have been swept into the wider struggle for power in Iraq, which includes sectarian violence as well as conflict between the Kurdish and central governments.

?Shiites, Sunnis, Christians are also a victim of this conflict ? we don?t understand why they are attacking Christians because we don?t have any political ambition,? he says. ?We don?t want to set up a Christian regime in Iraq but there is a struggle between Shiite and Sunni ? and between the Kurds. The future is not known.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/d8V5hiIppFs/Iraq-s-Christians-face-hardship-but-peaceful-Easter-also-highlights-promise

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Futile pot raid follows indoor gardening, spurs lawsuit - KansasCity ...

A Leawood couple says heavily armed Johnson County deputies barged into their home last year, turning it upside down and detaining them and their children for more than two hours in a fruitless search for marijuana.

?This is how we were awakened: banging, pounding, screaming,? the mother, Adlynn Harte, said Friday. ?My husband opened the door right before the battering ram was set to take it out.?

The father allegedly was forced to lie shirtless on the foyer while a deputy with an assault rifle stood over him. The children, a 7-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, reportedly came out of their bedrooms terrified, the teenager with his hands in the air.

And all because the couple, Robert and Adlynn Harte, bought indoor gardening equipment to grow a small number of tomato and squash plants in their basement, according to a lawsuit filed this week. The equipment was never used for marijuana, the couple says, and no one in the family has ever used illegal drugs.

Nearly a year after the SWAT-style raid, the Hartes still don?t know what evidence deputies used to persuade a judge to grant a warrant to search their home in the 10300 block of Wenonga Lane on April 20. Their requests for records that could provide such information have been denied by the sheriff?s office.

The lawsuit filed Thursday asks the court to order the release of the records. The information revealed could be used in a federal civil rights lawsuit.

?You can?t send out the SWAT team because people are trying to grow tomatoes in their basement,? Robert Harte told The Star.

Cheryl Pilate represents the couple, who met while both worked for the CIA and, according to Adlynn Harte, had top-secret security clearances.

?This was an egregious overreach, and there was no basis for the search,? Pilate said. ?These are highly educated and very patriotic people. They feel very strongly about it.?

Tom Erickson, a spokesman for the Johnson County Sheriff?s Office, declined to confirm the raid or discuss the allegations in the lawsuit Friday.

?We?ll let it play out in court,? he said.

The 7:30 a.m. raid was part of a highly publicized series of raids conducted on a day that is known to some as a marijuana holiday. After the raids, the sheriff?s office publicly declared the initiative a success, saying that they had confiscated 43 marijuana plants and one pound of marijuana.

But ?there was no acknowledgment in the Sheriff?s Department announcement that at least one of the raids had revealed no evidence of any kind of drug activity,? the lawsuit said.

Adlynn Harte said that after the deputies entered the home and asked for the children, she followed them downstairs.

?They made me and the children sit cross-legged against the wall in the foyer while my husband was face-down with his hands behind his head,? she said.

Once deputies searched the couch, the family was allowed to sit there. At first, they thought the authorities had simply come to the wrong house. But then the search went on and on ? every cupboard, every closet and into the attic, Robert Harte said.

Deputies told the Hartes that they had the couple under surveillance for months prior to the raid. But the Hartes ?know of no basis for conducting such surveillance, nor do they believe such surveillance would have produced any facts supporting the issuance of a search warrant,? the lawsuit said.

Over the course of the raid, the deputies appeared to get frustrated that they weren?t finding anything, the suit said. The suit also said deputies ?made rude comments? and implied their son was using marijuana. After two hours, they brought in a drug-sniffing dog, but still found nothing.

Pilate said the search should have been finished in minutes instead of hours.

?They would have known in the first minute if they would have checked the equipment and seen the tomato plants,? she said. ?This was a hydroponic garden on the level of a school project, with just a few plants and inexpensive lights. It was nothing.?

Afterward, they gave the Hartes a receipt stating, ?No items taken.? The Hartes said they never received an apology.

?It was just egregious. It was outrageous,? Robert Harte said.

The incident was so embarrassing, Adlynn Harte said, that her husband went around the neighborhood, showing everyone the receipt.

But the Hartes want more information than a receipt. They believe the information they are seeking is in the public interest.

?This is about government accountability,? Pilate said. ?These folks have a right to know why they were targeted and why they were allegedly surveilled.?

The family has lived in their Leawood home since 2004. They moved to Kansas City in 1999. Adlynn Harte works at Waddell and Reed, a financial planning and management firm; Robert Harte works in the home, caring for the children, one of whom is home-schooled.

Pilate said she has learned through her own investigation that deputies routinely generate leads for their marijuana raids by watching stores that sell hydroponic equipment.

?With little or no evidence of any illegal activity, law enforcement officers make the assumption that shoppers at the store are potential marijuana growers, even though the stores are most commonly frequented by backyard gardeners who grow organically or start seedlings indoors,? the lawsuit said.

Robert Harte said that several times over a year and a half, family members had visited such a store in the River Market area, but bought only small amount of equipment. And they paid with a credit card.

Their gardening efforts weren?t going well, he said, so they sometimes consulted a clerk there for advice.

Adlynn Hart said the family has the ?utmost respect? for law enforcement, but wants to make sure that tax dollars are properly used and that other families ? with fewer resources than the Hartes have ? aren?t subjected to similar tactics.

?We feel llike it?s un-American and we need to do something about it,? Adlynn Harte said. ?I told my son last night that doing the right thing takes courage.?

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/29/4151902/futile-pot-raid-spurs-lawsuit.html

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The South: A near-solid block against 'Obamacare'

ATLANTA (AP) ? As more Republicans give in to President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul, an opposition bloc remains across the South, including from governors who lead some of the nation's poorest and unhealthiest states.

"Not in South Carolina," Gov. Nikki Haley declared at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference. "We will not expand Medicaid on President Obama's watch. We will not expand Medicaid ever."

Widening Medicaid insurance rolls, a joint federal-state program for low-income Americans, is an anchor of the law Obama signed in 2010. But states get to decide whether to take the deal, and from Virginia to Texas ? a region encompassing the old Confederacy and Civil War border states ? Florida's Rick Scott is the only Republican governor to endorse expansion, and he faces opposition from his GOP colleagues in the legislature. Tennessee's Bill Haslam, the Deep South's last governor to take a side, added his name to the opposition on Wednesday.

Haley offers the common explanation, saying expansion will "bust our budgets." But the policy reality is more complicated. The hospital industry and other advocacy groups continue to tell GOP governors that expansion would be a good arrangement, and there are signs that some Republicans are trying to find ways to expand insurance coverage under the law.

Haslam told Tennessee lawmakers that he'd rather use any new money to subsidize private insurance. That's actually the approach of another anchor of Obama's law: insurance exchanges where Americans can buy private policies with premium subsidies from taxpayers.

Yet for now, governors' rejection of Medicaid expansion will leave large swaths of Americans without coverage because they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid as it exists but not enough to get the subsidies to buy insurance in the exchanges. Many public health studies show that the same population suffers from higher-than-average rates of obesity, smoking and diabetes ? variables that yield bad health outcomes and expensive hospital care.

"Many of the citizens who would benefit the most from this live in the reddest of states with the most intense opposition," said Drew Altman, president of the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

So why are these states holding out? The short-term calculus seems heavily influenced by politics.

Haley, Haslam, Nathan Deal of Georgia and Robert Bentley of Alabama face re-election next year. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is up for re-election in 2015. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is term-limited at home but may seek the presidency in 2016. While they all govern GOP-leaning states, they still must safeguard their support among Republican voters who dislike large-scale federal initiatives in general and distrust Obama in particular. Florida's Scott, the South's GOP exception on expansion, faces a different dynamic. He won just 49 percent of the vote in 2010 and must face an electorate that twice supported Obama.

A South Carolina legislator put it bluntly earlier this year. State Rep. Kris Crawford told a business journal that he supports expansion, but said electoral math is the trump card. "It is good politics to oppose the black guy in the White House right now, especially for the Republican Party," he said.

Whit Ayers, a leading Republican pollster, was more measured, but offered the same bottom line. "This law remains toxic among Republican primary voters," he told The Associated Press.

At the Tennessee Hospital Association, president Craig Becker has spent months trying to break through that barrier as he travels to civic and business groups across Tennessee. "It's really hard for some of them to separate something that has the name 'Obamacare' on it from what's going to be best for the state," he said, explaining that personality driven politics are easier to understand than the complicated way that the U.S. pays for health care.

Medicaid is financed mostly by Congress, though states have to put in their own money to qualify for the cash from Washington. The federal amount is determined by a state's per-capita income, with poorer states getting more help. On average in 2012, the feds paid 57 cents of every Medicaid dollar. It was 74 cents in Mississippi, 71 in Kentucky, 70 in Arkansas and South Carolina, 68 in Alabama. Those numbers would be even higher counting bonuses from Obama's 2009 stimulus bill.

Obama's law mandated that states open Medicaid to everyone with household income up to 138 percent of the federal poverty rate ? $15,420 a year for an individual or $31,812 for a family of four. The federal government would cover all costs of new Medicaid patients from 2014 to 2016 and pick up most of the price tag after that, requiring states to pay up to 10 percent. The existing Medicaid population would continue under the old formula. In its ruling on the law, the Supreme Court left the details alone, but declared that states could choose whether to expand.

Hospital and physician lobbying groups around the country have endorsed a bigger Medicaid program. Becker said he explains on his road show that the Obama law paired Medicaid growth with cuts to payments to hospitals for treating the uninsured. Just as they do with Medicaid insurance, states already must contribute their own money in order to get federal help with those so-called "uncompensated care" payments.

The idea was instead of paying hospitals directly, states and Congress could spend that money on Medicaid and have those new beneficiaries ? who now drive costs with preventable hospital admissions and expensive emergency room visits ? use the primary care system. But the Supreme Court ruling creates a scenario where hospitals can lose existing revenue with getting the replacement cash Congress intended, all while still having to treat the uninsured patients who can't get coverage.

Becker said that explanation has gotten local chambers of commerce across Tennessee to endorse expansion. "These are rock-ribbed Republicans," he said. "But they all scratch their heads and say, 'Well, if that's the case, then of course we do this.'"

In Louisiana, Jindal's health care agency quietly released an analysis saying the changes could actually save money over time. But the Republican Governors Association chairman is steadfast in his opposition. In Georgia, Deal answers pressure from his state's hospital association with skepticism about projected "uncompensated care" savings and Congress' pledge to finance 90 percent of the new Medicaid costs.

Altman, the Kaiser foundation leader, predicted that opposition will wane over time.

Arkansas Republicans, who oppose Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's call for expansion, have floated the same idea as Haslam: pushing would-be Medicaid recipients into the insurance exchanges. Jindal, using his RGA post, has pushed the Obama administration to give states more "flexibility" in how to run Medicaid.

Deal convinced Georgia lawmakers this year to let an appointed state board set a hospital industry tax to generate some of the state money that supports Medicaid. That fee ? which 49 states use in some way ? is the same tool that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is using to cover her state's Medicaid expansion. Georgia Democrats and some hospital executives have quietly mused that Deal is leaving himself an option to widen Medicaid in his expected term.

"These guys are looking for ways to do this while still saying they are against 'Obamacare,'" Altman said. "As time goes by, we'll see this law acquire a more bipartisan complexion."

-----

Follow Barrow on Twitter (at)BillBarrowAP.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-near-solid-block-against-obamacare-191744666.html

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Navy identifies SEAL killed in Arizona training accident

PHOENIX (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Saturday identified the elite Navy SEAL who died in a parachute training accident in southern Arizona that also injured another SEAL.

Navy officials said Special Warfare Operator Chief Brett Shadle, 31, of Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, was killed in the free-fall training accident near Pinal Airpark, northeast of Tucson, on Thursday.

Shadle was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit, the Navy said in a statement. The second SEAL, who has not been identified, remains hospitalized in stable condition.

The office of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said Shadle was a highly decorated member of SEAL Team 6 and had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of SEAL Team 6 carried out the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. Brewer said in a statement that Shadle died after colliding with another SEAL in midair. She ordered flags at all state buildings be flown at half-staff on Saturday.

SEAL is an acronym for sea, air, land.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor, Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-navy-seal-dies-parachute-training-accident-010402231.html

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Giant panda artificially inseminated at U.S. National Zoo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Veterinarians at the National Zoo artificially inseminated the zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang on Saturday after natural breeding failed to occur, zoo keepers said.

Mei Xiang was put under general anesthesia and inseminated with a combination of fresh semen and frozen semen collected from the zoo's male giant panda Tian Tian. The scientists said they planned a second insemination later on Saturday.

Veterinarians detected a rise in hormone levels on Tuesday, indicating Mei Xiang was ready to breed but said "no competent breeding" between the panda pair had occurred.

"We are hopeful that our breeding efforts will be successful this year, and we're encouraged by all the behaviors and hormonal data we've seen so far," said Dave Wildt, head of the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Scientists will continue to monitor Mei Xiang's hormone levels in the coming months and conduct ultrasounds to determine whether she is pregnant. A pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days, they said.

Mei Xiang has given birth to two cubs. One died a week after its birth last year. The other was born in 2005 and is now at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton; editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/giant-panda-artificially-inseminated-u-national-zoo-173415545.html

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Facebook expected to introduce themed Android OS, HTC handset next week

HTC's Status may not have been a tremendous hit, but it looks like Facebook hasn't severed its ties with the smartphone maker just yet. According to TechCrunch and New York Times sources, April 4th's "Come See Our New Home on Android" event is set to feature an HTC smartphone with a custom, Facebook-centric OS. It's perhaps the next best thing to a phone designed and manufactured by Facebook, but instead, HTC will be tasked with creating the hardware. The integration is expected to run deep, however -- when you power on the device, a Facebook home screen is what you'll see first. Additionally, the device's camera and messaging apps will default to Facebook, according to the New York Times report. Hardware specifications have yet to be revealed, but software will clearly be the focus here. Tune in at 1PM EST next Thursday for our liveblog, direct from Facebook HQ.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, HTC, Facebook

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Source: The New York Times, TechCrunch

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Twitter music app reportedly includes Vevo, may expand to more services

As much as we're intrigued by the prospect of Twitter's music app, the rumored emphasis on SoundCloud would potentially limit the selection given major label resistance to giving away ad-free content: we'd expect a lot of DJ sets and indie demos. A supposed leak from AllThingsD has Twitter catering to the less adventurous among us by adding Vevo support. While the full workings of the rumored app remain a mystery, Twitter would reportedly play Vevo's mostly pop-oriented music videos through a custom player. It might not be the only service involved, too: the same tips suggest that Twitter wants to round up multiple services, and the two that have surfaced so far are just the first to hop aboard. We have a hunch that the expanded app (if real) won't make the originally claimed March launch when we're already at the last weekday of the month, but the latest tidbit suggests Twitter is far from giving up on turning microblogs into mini jukeboxes.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: AllThingsD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/29/twitter-music-app-reportedly-includes-vevo-may-involve-more/

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United delays Denver-Toyko service as 787s sit

CHICAGO (AP) ? United Airlines is delaying its new Denver-Tokyo service ? again ? because its new Boeing 787 jets remain grounded.

United said Friday that service between Denver and Tokyo's Narita Airport will begin June 10. The airline had already pushed back the original March 31 start to at least May 12.

The airline said that it was still determined to use the plane on the new route.

The 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner, promises a more comfortable ride for passengers and significant fuel savings for airline customers. But all 50 of the planes in airline fleets are grounded because of incidents involving smoldering batteries in January.

Boeing Co.'s fix for the lithium-ion batteries includes putting more space around cells and wrapping the batteries in steel cases.

Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said Friday that the changes "will add several layers of additional safety features" to the batteries. He said Boeing was moving as quickly as possible on the testing and certification process without taking short cuts.

CEO Jim McNerney said Thursday that Boeing feels it is "very close" to getting the 787 approved for passenger flights.

The company conducted a 2-hour test flight of a 737 on Monday over Washington and Oregon and reported that everything went according to plan. Boeing is doing follow-up work in preparation for another test flight in which it would demonstrate the battery system's performance for Federal Aviation Administration experts.

Officials in Denver say they're confident that the flights to and from Tokyo will benefit their city, the metro area and the Rocky Mountain region.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-29-BC-US-United-Airlines-Boeing-787/id-a2da7e54a2d247dababbca23b5523dea

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Celebrity Week In Review: Amanda Bynes' Bizarre Behavior ...

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Britney Spears, her two sons Sean and Jayden Federline and her father Jamie were spotted arriving on a flight in New Orleans, La., on March 29.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Diane Kruger posed for pictures outside ABC Studios for an appearance on "Good Morning America" on March 28 in NYC.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Taylor Swift went casual in a black sweater and red pants as she headed out and about in New York City on March 27.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Sandra Bullock gave her son Louis a piggyback ride after picking him up from school in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 26.

Celebrity News: March 2013

Angelina Jolie and the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague visited a rescue camp for women on March 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo to raise awareness of warzone rape. Jolie, a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner, said the issues need a "worldwide focus."

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Kim Kardashian stepped out in New York City on March 26 after revealing her pregnancy weight is around 140 pounds.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jamie Lynn Sigler celebrated the news of having a boy with with a Sally Hansen Nail Color Manicure (in blue) in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 25.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Kelly Osbourne attended a photocall to promote her E! show Fashion Police in Amsterdam on March 25.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Anne Hathaway looked all bundled up as she was spotted out and about with husband Adam Shulman in New York on March 25.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Gwen Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale took their sons Kingston and Zuma to a park in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on March 24.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart attended Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona on March 23, where the Moet & Chandon champagne was flowing as celebrities toasted the guest of honor, Muhammad Ali.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Drew Barrymore ran some errands in New York City on March 22. Looking good post-baby!

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Ashley Greene was spotted leaving a gym wearing a pink top in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 20.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Eva Mendes, wearing a brown leopard print dress and brown boots, headed to a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York City on March 19.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

"The Bachelor" star Sean Lowe and his fiance Catherine Giudici took a stroll at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 19.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

A makeup-free Cameron Diaz sported black spandex pants as she got some exercise while hiking with a friend in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 19.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Emilia Clarke looked incredible at HBO's Season Three premiere of "Game of Thrones" held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif., on March 18.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Selena Gomez showed off her legs in a a short skirt as she arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to promote her new film "Spring Breakers" on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on March 18.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Lindsay Lohan was seen leaving the court house in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 18 after showing up 45 minutes late.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

"Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara took a taxi to an office building in New York on March 18.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner took their kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel to a park in Brentwood, Calif., on March 17. How adorable are these sweet siblings?

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Taylor Swift rocked short shorts as she headed to a photo shoot in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 16.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

"Jersey Shore" star Pauly D was spotted this past weekend spinning some of today's hottest hits at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana's ORO Nightclub in the Dominican Republic.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jessica Simpson, who recently confirmed she is expecting a boy, shopped at Bel Bambini Baby Boutique in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 15.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Khloe Kardashian left the One The Thirty restaurant in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on March 14. Looking good, Khloe!

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jennifer Garner struck a pose at the Neutrogena Sun Summit (raising awareness on the changing environment's impact on overall skin health) in in New York City on March 13.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Camila Alves rocked a blue leather jacket, black top and black pants as she set out around New York City on March 13.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar filmed scenes on the beach in Malibu, Calif., for the TV show "Franklin & Bash" on March 12.

Celebrity PHotos: March 2013

Pregnant reality star Kim Kardashian headed to an office to film scenes for 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 12.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jessica Alba returned to her hotel in Soho in New York City on March 11.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

"Pretty Little Liars" actress Shay Mitchell prepped her skin with Bior? Acne Clearing Scrub in the green room in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 12.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Charlize Theron stopped for a sweet snack at Pinkberry with her son Jackson in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 11.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Maxxinista Giuliana Rancic picked up designer finds for spring at T.J.Maxx in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 11.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Ryan Gosling returned to his hotel after attending a press junket in New York City on March 10. The actor's girlfriend and co-star was close behind.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Camila Alves is seen with her kids, Levi and Vida in New York City on March 10.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Isla Fisher took her daughters, Olive and Elula, out for a shopping trip in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 9.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Eva Mendes walked her dog in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 7.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Hilary Duff stopped by Paquito Mas in Sherman Oaks, Calif., to grab some mexican food to go with her baby boy Luca on March 6.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Lea Michele and boyfriend Cory Monteith seemed upbeat as they arrived in New York City on March 5.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

"Twilight" star Kristen Stewart was escorted by friends out of the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 5.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Selena Gomez grabbed a lot of attention as she posed on the set of a video shoot in Palmdale, Calif., on March 4.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Rihanna attended the launch of her River Island collection at the Oxford Street River Island store on March 4 in London. She donned a sexy sheer dress, of course.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Newly single Michelle Williams took daughter Matilda Ledger grocery shopping in Brooklyn, NY on March 4.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attended the Givenchy Fall-Winter 2013-2014 'Ready-To-Wear' collection show held at Halle Freyssinet in Paris on March 3.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Natalie Portman went casual in an all brown ensemble for a trip to the grocery store in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 3.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield strolled through Tribeca on a chilly afternoon in New York on March 2.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Britney Spears was seen playing with her two sons, Sean and Jayden Federline in Santa Barbara, Calif., on March 2.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Jessica Chastain attended the Viktor & Rolf Fall-Winter 2013/2014 Ready-to-Wear collection show held at Espace Ephemere des Tuileries in Paris, France on March 2.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel took an arm-in-arm stroll through graffiti filled Soho together on March 1 in NYC.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Newly engaged "90210" star, Shenae Grimes, got her lips ready for her big day with eos Summer Fruit Lip Balm on March 1.

Celebrity Photos: March 2013

Mariah Carey, wearing a very tight black dress and leather jacket, left a midtown hotel in New York City on March 1.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/celebrity-week-in-review-amanda-bynes_n_2966758.html

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Kim Kardashian: My Baby?s Going to Be Born Wearing Leather Leggings!

"It's definitely fun! I'm enjoying figuring it out," the Temptation actress tells PEOPLE. "Either you go tight and you really show it off, or there's the muumuu style that's perfect for tall, skinny model types."

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/IS1UF6NbbII/

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Bible comes to life as locusts swarm Israel

Israeli Jews celebrating Passover will easily relate to their ancestors this year ? the country has been swarmed by millions of locusts, one of the 10 plagues visited on the Egyptians.

By Christa Case Bryant,?Staff writer / March 27, 2013

Locusts make their way from Egypt just before they land in Kerem Shalom near the border with Egypt, in southern Israel's Negev Desert, March 11.

Ariel Schalit/AP

Enlarge

Locusts have descended on Israel this week, just in time for Passover. As millions of Jews commemorate the story of the children of Israel?s exodus from Egypt, including the 10 plagues that afflicted Pharaoh and his people, millions of the crunchy buggers are creeping all over Israel?s southern deserts.

Skip to next paragraph Christa Case Bryant

Jerusalem bureau chief

Christa Case Bryant is The Christian Science Monitor's Jerusalem bureau chief, providing coverage on Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as regional issues.

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This is nothing like the eighth plague of biblical times, in which locusts covered ?the whole face of the earth? in a kind of collective punishment for the Egyptians whose leader refused to let his Hebrew slaves go free.

But this year is the first time since 2005 that modern-day Israel has had to combat locusts, which can swarm so thickly that drivers can?t see beyond their windshield. Potato farmers bemoaned the detrimental effect of a previous wave of the grasshopper-like insects several weeks ago. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, which was on ?locust alert,? has responded quickly to the latest wave with pesticides.?

But it?s not just Israel. Today the Palestinian Authority?s Ministry of Agriculture sprayed pesticides in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. And Egyptian farmers have suffered millions of dollars in damage after a swarm of about 30 million locusts hit Cairo earlier this month.

The most serious situation, however, appears to be in Sudan, where the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) head has warned that immature ?hoppers? are lining up along a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) stretch of the Nile and could pose a serious threat to Nile Valley crops in May.

OK, so locusts are not your average grasshopper. But still, how can they cause such massive damage?

Consider these arresting facts: They can eat their weight in crops every day; They can fly more than 80 miles a day ? in swarms as dense as 200 million per square mile; And females can lay as many as 1,000 egg pods in roughly 10 square feet, according to a FAO fact sheet.?

To put the threat in practical terms, 1 ton of locusts (just a fraction of your average swarm) can eat about as much food as 2,500 people can in a single day, says FAO.

The Israelis have sought to reverse the food chain this Passover, however, by grilling the kosher insects for a crunchy, high-protein delicacy. And they?re not alone. Locust recipes abound.?

A Mexican version from ?Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects,? by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio calls for roasting locust torsos and sprinkling them on homemade guacamole in a taco shell. Scrap that. Sprinkle and?enjoy, the cookbook says.?

B?tayavon, as the Israelis would say.?Bon appetit.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/G0pZQ4Y1GOg/Bible-comes-to-life-as-locusts-swarm-Israel

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'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Introduces A Whole New Joe

Sequel to 2009's 'Rise Of Cobra' does a tonal turnaround, giving fans a more faithful adaptation of the real American heroes.
By Brett White

Dwayne Johnson in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"
Photo: Paramount

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704530/gi-joe-retaliation-guide.jhtml

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N.C. police: 3 dead after shooting, police standoff

HARRISBURG, N.C. (AP) ? Authorities in a Charlotte suburb say a man suspected of shooting two neighbors has committed suicide after a six-hour police standoff.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Cabarrus County sheriff's deputies said late Friday that the suspected shooter shot himself as deputies and SWAT team members surrounded the house where he was hiding.

Late Friday afternoon, deputies responded to a report of a man shooting a gun at a house. They said the suspect shot two neighbors in what was described as a neighborhood feud. Neighbors told the newspaper that the two victims were adult males.

WBTV-TV reports that a woman and her young children were able to escape the home where the initial shootings occurred.

Sheriff Brad Riley couldn't immediately be reached for comment by the Associated Press.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nc-police-3-dead-shooting-police-standoff-034401056.html

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Cash shortage stretches to sea bed

29 March 2013 Last updated at 20:00 ET By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst

The government has admitted moving slowly to protect wildlife in the seas because of the cost.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said that in the current financial squeeze he could not designate as many areas for protection as he would like.

He said he was hoping to confirm the designation of the current tranche of 31 Marine Protected Zones under a consultation that ends on Sunday.

Environmentalists have accused the government of dragging its feet.

This is because 127 zones were originally nominated for protection after a compromise deal agreed with other users of the sea.

Jolyon Chesworth from the Wildlife Trusts said: "We are disappointed at the rate of progress. The government has an international obligation to protect wildlife in the seas.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

I want to do as many zones as we can for as little as we can?

End Quote Richard Benyon Environment minister

"The marine environment is not as obvious to people as it is when they see wildlife walking through a woodland or downland but it's just as important and equally worthy of protection.

"The 127 zones were only nominated after very long discussions with anglers, sailors and the fishing industry. We are now being asked to compromise on a compromise."

But Mr Benyon told the BBC that with cuts to the Defra budget, the cost of making scientific assessments and then developing rules for the use of different areas could not be dismissed.

"We are constrained by a hugely expensive process at a time when we have little money in government", he said.

"I want to do as many zones as we can for as little as we can. People have waited many years for this; we will designate the first tranche in September and will announce the next lot for consultation then."

Environmentalists are worried that the UK might slither back from its international commitment to create an ecologically coherent network of sites.

They are angry that several key sites have been left out of the first tranche on the grounds that insufficient evidence was supplied to justify them.

Sailors' fears

Mr Chesworth said that in his south of England region there was a cast-iron case for designating, among others, Bembridge Levels on the Isle of Wight - home of the stalked jellyfish and Poole Harbour - a key breeding ground for sea horses.

But both of these zones have been contested by sailors who fear that new rules will prevent them anchoring on sensitive sites. One boat owner on the Isle of Wight told Mr Benyon that the designations were "bonkers".

Boaters are the mainstay of the local economy and have lived in harmony with wildlife for decades, he said.

John Pockett from the Royal Yachting Association told the BBC: "We fear we won't be able to anchor our yachts; we fear we won't be able to train our next Ben Ainslie (the Olympian) because we won't be able to anchor marker boats."

Sailors are not the only ones protesting. In some areas fishing crews object to MPZs, even though they are supposed to provide a breeding ground for fish stocks to recover.

Conservationists warn that recently revealed chalk arches off the North Norfolk coast could be destroyed by one careless pass of a trawl net.

A further complication is the fact that UK jurisdiction ends six nautical miles from the shore, even though its responsibility for wildlife stretches further.

"It would be terrible to stop our own fishermen from exploiting a sensitive areas then allow boats of other nationalities to come in", Mr Benyon said. "We are trying to negotiate this with Brussels."

The proposals stem from the 2009 UK Marine Bill. If all the sites had been approved, just over a quarter of English waters would end up under some kind of protection. Currently, the total is way under 1%.

Globally just 0.6% of the world's oceans have been protected, compared to almost 13% of our planet's land area.

Marine author Callum Roberts told the BBC: "There's no way you'll have an effective network of marine-protected areas the way we are going. It's undermining trust."

But public sector cutbacks are a reality. And the government insists that the state of the economy will inevitably be felt on the sea bed, like everywhere else.

Follow Roger on Twitter

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21967189#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Brad Pitt Talks World War Z

World War Z





Max Brooks' epic tome of a fictional time of global war against the undead is brought to life in this Paramount Pictures/Plan... Read More

(8)

"World War Z" has been plagued -- no pun intended -- with bad buzz since undergoing reshoots last year. But when Moviefone was invited to a preview last week along with a select group of outlets, star and producer Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster seemed in good spirits and very excited about the nearly finished film, which will hit theaters June 21.

Pitt gave a brief intro to the 3D trailer and some exclusive footage, saying, "Four years ago, I knew nothing about zombies, wasn't really interested. Now I'm an expert." He added, "I wanted to make this film because I wanted to make a film my sons would enjoy before they get old. You will see we got a little carried away. I hope you enjoy it as much as my boys are. They're going to love it."

Forster (whose previous films include "Quantum of Solace" and "Monster's Ball") stayed after the footage for a Q&A where he addressed the re-shoots, how the movie is trying to offer a "new perspective" on zombies, and the first reaction from a test screening.

Here's what we learned:

It's not "just" a zombie movie
"For me, this is not just a zombie film," said Forster. "It's a film about a global crisis. Yes, it's a zombie film, but it speaks about some global issues." Pitt added, "We found much more than a zombie film. We found this global apocalypse, this 'zombie epidemic as worldwide pandemic' and that really interested us."

The movie's stunning visual twist of zombie swarms is also a metaphor
"The idea we had for the zombies came from nature, sort of this flocking and swarming," Forster explained. "In the George Romero films in the '70s, zombies were such a great metaphor for consumerism. For me, the metaphor was more about overpopulation today and that there are less and less resources. Their swarming is like their going after the last resources especially when the feeding frenzy starts."

Don't expect a lot of gore
Although Forster said he's a fan of TV's "The Walking Dead," "World War Z" will be rated PG-13: "Most of the gore and blood, I avoid it on purpose."

Do expect a "Contagion" approach to the zombies
Pitt's character is a former U.N. employee who's spent time problem-solving in hot spots like Africa and Bosnia. "He was able to come out alive out of these places, so at this point in the story, it's up to him to go on a quest to find 'Patient Zero'," Forster explained. Pitt's search takes him to Jerusalem, where the striking "zombie swarm" from the trailer occurs as they try to make it inside the "Salvation Gates" erected to keep them out.

"World War Z" won't be campy.
Forster's goal was to make the action feel "very real, that it could happen right now. It's a pretty intense ride. You're on the edge of your seat pretty much from beginning to end."

These zombies turn in an instant
"It's 12 seconds," Forster said of the ultra-fast conversion process. "There are some people who turn faster than others, which [Pitt] discovers that when he sees the first person change in Philadelphia," although as the virus mutates, some people transform faster than others.

The catchphrase from this just might be...
Forster quotes a line about the "World War Z" approach to taking out the undead: "'Spines are divine but knees are just fine,' So just basically if you hit them in the knees, they start crawling."

Everyone says they're happy about the re-shoots
"We shot the movie and put it together and we all felt the ending wasn't what we wanted it to be and could be better," Forster said. "We showed it to the studio and made a proposal and we went back and did some additional shooting and we are really happy now with the result. I prefer it and I think it's more powerful and works in favor of the story."

Pitt and Forster are still on speaking terms
Not only did the two amicably share a stage, but Forster sang Pitt's praises to the press, "For me, it was a really fantastic collaboration, because we share a lot of similar sensitivities. Developing this was a lot of fun and it worked out really, really positively, so I enjoyed the process tremendously."

Author Max Brooks gave them his "blessings"
"I met Max a couple of times," Forster said. "We spoke about the book and his intentions and I think, ultimately, he gave us his blessings. He hasn't seen the finished film yet but I am looking forward to showing it to him."

"World War Z" is trying to reinvent the zombie genre.
"You're dealing with a genre that has been done many times, but you're trying to find a way in that still is new and fresh and different and have a new perspective to it," Forster said, pointing out a scene from the trailer: "You haven't seen that in a zombie movie before: An outbreak on an airplane."

Don't rule out a "World War Z" trilogy, as Pitt has previously mentioned.
"There could be more story to tell, yes," says Forster.

Earlier on Moviefone:

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927143/news/1927143/

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Confederate flag comes down at old N.C. capitol

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol last week to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being taken down after civil rights leaders raised concerns.

The decision was announced Friday evening, hours after the Associated Press published a story about the flag, which officials said was part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863. The flag had been planned to hang in the House chamber until April 2015, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of federal troops in Raleigh.

"This is a temporary exhibit in an historic site, but I've learned the governor's administration is going to use the old House chamber as working space," Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz said Friday night. "Given that information, this display will end this weekend rather than April of 2015."

Kim Genardo, the spokeswoman for Gov. Pat McCrory, said the exhibit that includes the Confederate battle flag will be relocated, possibly across the street to the N.C. Museum of History.

The decision was a quick about-face for the McCrory administration, which initially defended the display. Many people see the flag as a potent reminder of racial discrimination and bigotry.

State Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison had said Thursday the flag should be viewed in what he called the proper historical context.

"Our goal is not to create issues," said Hardison, a Civil War re-enactor and history buff. "Our goal is to help people understand issues of the past. ... If you refuse to put something that someone might object to or have a concern with in the exhibit, then you are basically censoring history."

North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber was shocked Friday when he was shown a photo of the flag by the AP.

"He is right that it has a historical context," Barber said. "But what is that history? The history of racism. The history of lynchings. The history of death. The history of slavery. If you say that shouldn't be offensive, then either you don't know the history, or you are denying the history."

Sessions of the General Assembly moved to a newer building a half-century ago, but the old Capitol building is still routinely used as a venue for official state government events. McCrory's office is on the first floor, as are the offices of his chief of staff and communications staff.

The Republican governor was in the House chamber where the Confederate flag hangs as recently as Thursday, when he presided over the swearing-in ceremony of his new Highway Patrol commander.

The presentation of the Confederate battle flag at state government buildings has long been an issue of debate throughout the South. For more than a decade, the NAACP has urged its members to boycott South Carolina because of that state's display of the flag on the State House grounds.

Prior to taking his current job in North Carolina in 2006, Hardison worked as director at the Mississippi home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which is operated as a museum and library owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group has led the fight in the South for the proud display of the Confederate flag, which it contends is a symbol of heritage, not hate.

Hardison said the battle flag was displayed with other flags described in the diary of a North Carolina woman who visited the Capitol in 1863. A large U.S. flag displayed in the Senate chamber is reminiscent of a trophy of war captured from Union troops at the Battle of Plymouth.

"I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to recreate this?" Hardison said. "I think we were all thinking along the same vein. ... The Capitol is both a working seat of government, in that the governor and his staff has his office there. But it is also a museum."

Hardison pointed out that the national flag used by the Confederate government, with its circle of white stars and red and white stripes, is still flown over the State Capitol dome each year on Confederate Memorial Day. The more familiar blood-red battle flag, featuring a blue "X'' studded with white stars, was used by the rebel military.

David Goldfield, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of the book "Still Fighting the Civil War," said the battle flag can hold starkly different meanings depending on a person's social perspective.

"The history of the Confederate battle flag, how it was designed and formulated, how it has been used through the years, clearly states that it is a flag of white supremacy," Goldfield said. "I know current Sons of Confederate Veterans would dispute that, saying 'Hey, I'm not a racist.' But the fact remains that the battle flag was used by a country that had as its foundation the protection and extension of human bondage."

The NAACP's Barber said the McCrory administration eventually made the right call, but questioned how the decision to hang the flag was made in the first place.

"A flag should represent a banner of unity, not division," Barber said. "A substantive symbol and sign of our best history, not our worse. We cannot deny history but neither can we attempt to revision it in a way that glorifies the shameful and attempts to make noble that which is ignoble."

___

Follow Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/confederate-flag-old-nc-capitol-coming-down-234855125.html

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Feeling better

I have been experiencing some back pain lately, so I went to see my doctor. He immediately recommended that I see a specialist, and get some kind of proper treatment for it. As we agreed, after the consultation, I went to see a specialist at the nearest clinic. The specialist examined me and recommended that I should go to a good Detroit physical therapy. He gave me some further recommendations on how to improve the health of my back and avoid pain. So, I followed his advice and really started feeling better, even after a day. Now I stick to my daily exercise regimen and I feel great.

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Source: http://www.knupnet.com/latest-health-news/feeling-better/

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Congressional Inaction Could Cost College Students

(Reuters) - Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since losing his world number one ranking earlier this week, got off to a shaky start at the Houston Open on Thursday where he dropped three shots over his opening eight holes. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who was replaced atop the world rankings by Tiger Woods this week, struggled to find his rhythm on an ideal day for low scoring at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas. He bogeyed the par-four second hole and made a double-bogey seven on the eighth hole to limp to the turn at three-over. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congressional-inaction-could-cost-college-students-071208468.html

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Katharine McPhee Returns to American Idol, Performs with OneRepublic

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/katharine-mcphee-returns-to-american-idol-performs-with-onerepub/

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Amazon acquires literary social media website Goodreads

Some Goodreads users are excited about the prospect of linking their Amazon devices to their Goodreads accounts while others feel betrayed by the decision.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / March 29, 2013

The acquisition of Goodreads by book-buying giant Amazon is expected to close by July.

Enlarge

In a move that has angered some in the book world, Amazon has bought popular social media book website Goodreads.

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Goodreads lets readers view recommendations from other users and comment on their favorite titles, and having the website may give Amazon more of an ability to reach readers and recommend books.

In a statement on their website, Goodreads founder Otis Chandler wrote, ?Goodreads will continue to be the wonderful community that we all cherish. We plan to continue offering you everything that you love about the site?the ability to track what you read, discover great books, discuss and share them with fellow book lovers, and connect directly with your favorite authors?and your reviews and ratings will remain here on Goodreads. And it's incredibly important to us that we remain a home for all types of readers, no matter if you read on paper, audio, digitally, from scrolls, or even stone tablets.?

The site was founded in 2007 and now boasts more than 16 million members. Chandler wrote on the company?s blog that ?Goodreads and the awesome team behind it are not going away,? so it seems as if the website?s staff will stay on.

Chandler said of becoming part of the Amazon company, ?We truly could not think of a more perfect partner for Goodreads as we both share a love of books and an appreciation for the authors who write them. We also both love to invent products and services that touch millions of people.?

The acquisition should close by July. Details such as whether Amazon will have access to information shared by Goodreads users or whether Goodreads recommendations will carry over to users' Amazon accounts have not yet been shared.

However, some are not happy about the decision, with industry newsletter Shelf Awareness writing that some Goodreads members, including those who own independent bookstores, left the website after the announcement was made.

?Too bad,? one commenter named Wendi wrote on the Goodreads site. ?Another good independent thing bites the dust. Happy for you and the money you'll make off the cool thing you started; sad for me, and sad for the internet, which will soon be owned by Amazon and Facebook.?

Another commenter named Macartney wrote, ?This is a big bummer. I understand you guys and your backers are looking to make money, but this has ripped the rug out from under everything I enjoyed about Goodreads. Amazon is undermining and destroying publishing as we know it. I don't want to participate with that kind of company.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Q3U2p__tkUI/Amazon-acquires-literary-social-media-website-Goodreads

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Paying the Costs of Iraq, for Decades to Come (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295362847?client_source=feed&format=rss

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