Swisher homer lifts Indians past White Sox, 9-8

CHICAGO (AP) ? Nick Swisher's approach couldn't have been more simple. The result couldn't have been more timely.

Swisher ripped a long solo homer to cap a four-run ninth inning against Addison Reed Friday night, lifting the Cleveland Indians to a 9-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox for a sweep of the longest doubleheader by time for two nine-inning games.

"It's a major league record, right?" Swisher asked. "Definitely a long day."

After pounding Chicago 19-10 in the opener in a game that lasted 4 hours, 2 minutes, the Indians came through in the end to take a nightcap that ran 3:51.

The 7:53 total made it the longest doubleheader with two nine-inning games on record, but the marathon came to an end after Swisher delivered a crushing blow.

Throw in 63 minutes between games ? a 38-minute break, and, get this, a 25-minute rain delay ? and that's one marathon at the ballpark.

Reed (3-1) entered with an 8-5 lead in the ninth but quickly ran into trouble, blowing his fourth save in 25 chances.

"They did everything they could to get the ball in my hands," Reed said. "I wanted nothing more than to close that game out and get the win tonight."

He started the inning by giving up three straight singles to Ryan Raburn, pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Bourn to make it a two-run game. He then threw a wild pitch to pinch-hitter Jason Giambi, allowing Cabrera to score.

Jason Kipnis then tied it with a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in Bourn, and Swisher drilled a 3-2 pitch well into the seats in right to put Cleveland ahead.

"When you've got a closer throwing that hard, man, all you got to do is just try and find the barrel, man, and he'll provide a lot of the power," Swisher said.

The late rally made a winner of Matt Langwell (1-0), who got his first career win even though he allowed two runs in the eighth.

Vinnie Pestano walked Wells with one out in the ninth but struck out three for his sixth save in eight chances, finishing a game that ended just after 1 a.m.

Alejandro De Aza had three hits and scored four runs in the second game for Chicago. Jeff Keppinger had a pair of three-hit games for Chicago, with a homer in the opener.

Adam Dunn drove in two runs in Game 2 after going deep in the opener, and the White Sox looked like they were going to come away with the split before Reed gave it away.

"Ball was over the plate and up in the zone and they made me pay for it," Reed said.

Jose Quintana lasted six innings, allowing five runs and five hits for Chicago. Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco allowed six runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 and saw his ERA rise from 7.78 to 8.17.

But in the end, it was the Indians handing the White Sox another brutal loss.

In the opener, Jason Kipnis reached base six times and scored four runs, while Ryan Raburn homered and drove in four.

The Indians matched a season high for runs. They also set a season best with eight doubles while falling one hit shy of their most hits, 21.

Yet despite all that, Cleveland had to dig itself out of a five-run hole after the first inning and hang on after a nine-run lead dwindled to four.

Raburn gave the Indians some breathing room with a two-run drive off Ramon Troncoso in the seventh, making it 16-10. He also had a two-run single to break a 5-all tie in the fourth and spark a six-run rally.

Kipnis, who grew up in suburban Northbrook, Ill., extended his hitting streak to 10 and reached safely in his 30th straight game. He had three doubles, drove in two runs, and the only out he made was when Alejandro De Aza ran down his line drive to left in the ninth.

Then, in Game 2, the Indians somehow pulled one out in the end.

"To kick and scratch and fight," Giambi said. "We just kept going and going and going."

NOTES: Cleveland won a game with its starter lasting 2-3 of an inning or less for the first time since Paul Byrd got just two outs in a 15-13 victory over Kansas City on Aug. 23, 2006. ... Indians RHP Dillon Howard was suspended for 50 games without pay under baseball's minor league drug program following a positive test for an amphetamine. ... White Sox slugger Paul Konerko remains sidelined because of pain in the lower right side of his back. Konerko had six painkilling injections on Friday after undergoing an MRI the previous day but was not available for the doubleheader against Cleveland. He's feeling "a little better" and hopes to be ready to play by the end of the weekend. He plans to take swings Saturday and figures he'll know then whether he needs to go on the disabled list.... RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4, 4.58 ERA) starts Saturday for the Indians, with RHP Dylan Axelrod (3-4, 4.57) going for the White Sox.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/swisher-homer-lifts-indians-past-white-sox-9-064153266.html

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Ottawa area sports car racer Patrick Seguin needs to raise big money to compete at the highest level

Patrick Seguin competes at a recent race (Submitted photo)

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For Patrick Seguin, there's nothing quite like being behind the wheel of a sports car, racing at speeds up to 140 m.p.h, his heart rate rising to between 150-185 beats per minute ? dealing with temperatures that are usually about 140 F inside the vehicle.

For him, it's an unbelievable feeling, his nirvana.

"Nothing else matters when I'm in the car," said Seguin. "I'm at peace with myself. It requires my 120% focus. You're one with the car. It's home."

Finding that happiness has been costly. His strong belief in himself, his conviction, saw him max out a line of credit at $40,000. He sold his condo and has already sunk more than $200,000 into his dream.

Now he has to come up with another $300,000. He knows what's at stake. He knows what he can do. Apparently, so do others. He's been recruited to drive for Karl Thomson's high-powered Compass360 Racing next season, where he'll be a co-driver with Ryan Eversley.

There have been plenty of bumps along his road, but Seguin is revved up. Racing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, owned by NASCAR and televised on ESPN and Speed Channel, he believes, is the big opportunity he's been waiting for.

"Last year, I seemed to hit every roadblock along the way," said the 32-year-old Seguin. "Every time there was a positive, it was double that in negative. I just couldn't get any luck. It tested my will and desire. Now, I'm probably more determined than ever. With all my willpower, I can succeed."

Thomson likes what he sees.

"We've always been impressed with Patrick's drive and determination to compete at the pro level," said Thomson. "We're working with Pat and his management to put together a program for him to drive in one of our Hondas in the 2014 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, where I'm confident he'll excel and be in the championship hunt."

"In 2010, I still remember introducing myself to Karl for the first time and telling him that one day I wanted to drive for his team," said Seguin. "Now that the opportunity is here, I couldn't be more excited."

One of two Canadians competing in the World Challenge Series, Seguin was inspired to hop behind the wheel while watching a race on TV in 2006.

He had two offers to join a factory-backed team this season, but was forced to step away when a sponsorship program fell short. He knows what he's capable of doing with the right tools.

"The offer I have on the table now, it's the most sellable," said Seguin. "They're the top of the top of the top. You have to make the right moves. A good driver needs to drive for the right team."

Eight days before the first race of the season, Seguin got a call from Branden Peterson Racing. With some help from Theberge Homes and Top Karting, Seguin was able to compete, driving a five-year-old Honda Civic Si. The racing stable committed to building Seguin a 2013 Honda Civic Si in time for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Aug. 2-4.

"Before the season started, I was having some doubts," said Seguin. "I was putting everything in perspective, but when I got in the race car, with 50 horsepower less than everybody in the field, then finished fifth, I felt at that moment given the right car I could win a championship ... no doubt in my mind."

After growing up in Rockland, then moving to Clarence Creek, Seguin now rents a room from his brother Marc-Andre in Ottawa.

He works for Auto Pro PSE as an account manager and, on weekends, helps out with a friend's interlocking brick company out of Embrun-Russell.

Seguin played junior hockey in Ottawa, Clarence Creek, Carleton Place and Perth and was going to play in Germany until he suffered a hip flexor injury. He was also an assistant golf pro at Outaoauis from 1999-2001. But racing cars is really his comfort zone, where he wants to be.

"The only thing I can control is my ability. That's why I'm confident," said Seguin. "I had all the doors open, but without financial backing, that door closes."

tim.baines@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @TimCBaines

Source: http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/06/29/ottawa-area-sports-car-racer-patrick-seguin-needs-to-raise-big-money-to-compete-at-the-highest-level

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Obama to announce new power initiative for Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Sunday will announce a new initiative to double access to electric power in sub-Saharan Africa, part of his effort to build on the legacy of equality and opportunity forged by his personal hero, Nelson Mandela.

Obama, who flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Sunday, is paying tribute to the ailing 94-year-old Mandela throughout the day. The president and his family visited Robben Island, where the anti-apartheid leader spent 18 years confined to a tiny cell, including a stop at the lime quarry where Mandela toiled and developed the lung problems that sent him to the hospital for most of the month.

The White House said Obama's guide during the tour was 83-year-old South African politician Ahmed Kathrada, who also was held at the prison for nearly two decades and guided Obama on his 2006 visit to the prison as a U.S. senator. The president also saw the prison courtyard where Mandela planted grapevines that remain today, and where he and others in the dissident leadership would discuss politics, sneak notes to one another and hide writings.

"On behalf of our family, we're deeply humbled to stand where men of such courage faced down injustice and refused to yield. The world is grateful for the heroes of Robben Island, who remind us that no shackles or cells can match the strength of the human spirit," Obama wrote in the guest book in the courtyard, his U.S. Secret Service agents standing watch in the old guard tower above.

During the tour, which took place under sunshine and clear, blue skies, Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha took in the expansive view of the quarry, a huge crater with views of the rusty guard tower from where Mandela was watched. Obama commented on the "hard labor" Mandela endured and asked Kathrada to remind his daughters how long Mandela was in prison.

Michelle Obama asked how often Mandela would work and was told he worked daily. As the family turned to leave, Obama asked Kathrada to tell his daughters how the African National Congress, the South African political party, got started.

After the tour, Obama visited retired archbishop Desmond Tutu at a youth center run by his HIV foundation before delivering what the White House has billed as the signature speech of the president's weeklong trip, an address at the University of Cape Town that will be infused with memories of Mandela.

Obama will use the address to unveil the "Power Africa" initiative, which includes an initial $7 billion investment from the United States over the next five years. Private companies, including General Electric and Symbion Power, are making an additional $9 billion in commitments with the goal of providing power to millions of Africans crippled by a lack of electricity.

Gayle Smith, Obama's senior director for development and democracy, said more than two-thirds of people living in sub-Saharan Africa do not have electricity, including 85 percent of those living in rural areas.

"If you want lights so kids can study at night or you can maintain vaccines in a cold chain, you don't have that, so going the extra mile to reach people is more difficult," Smith said.

The U.S. and its private sector partners initially will focus its efforts on six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania, where Obama will wrap up his trip later this week. Former President George W. Bush, who supports health programs throughout the continent, will also be in Tanzania next week, and the White House did not rule out the possibility that the two men might meet.

Obama will also highlight U.S. efforts to bolster access to food and health programs on the continent. His advisers said the president sees reducing the poverty and illness that plague many parts of Africa as an extension of Mandela's example of how change can happen within countries.

The former South African president has been hospitalized in critical condition for three weeks. Obama met Saturday with members of Mandela's family, but did not visit the anti-apartheid icon, a decision the White House said was in keeping with his family's wishes.

Obama's weeklong trip, which opened last week in Senegal, marks his most significant trip to the continent since taking office. His scant personal engagement has come as a disappointment to some in the region, who had high hopes for a man whose father was from Kenya.

Obama visited Robben Island when he was a U.S. senator. But since being elected as the first black American president, Obama has drawn inevitable comparisons to Mandela, making Sunday's visit particularly poignant.

The president said he was eager to bring his family with him to the prison to teach them about Mandela's role in overcoming white racist rule, first as an activist and later as a president who forged a unity government with his former captors.

He told reporters Saturday he wanted to "help them to understand not only how those lessons apply to their own lives but also to their responsibilities in the future as citizens of the world, that's a great privilege and a great honor."

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said Mandela's vision was always going to feature prominently in the speech. But his deteriorating health "certainly puts a finer point on just how much we can't take for granted what Nelson Mandela did."

Harkening back to a prominent theme from Obama's 2009 speech in Ghana ? his only other trip to Africa as president ? Obama will emphasize that Africans must take much of the responsibility for finishing the work started by Mandela and his contemporaries.

"The progress that Africa has made opens new doors, but frankly, it's up to the leaders in Africa and particularly young people to make sure that they're walking through those doors of opportunity," Rhodes said.

Obama will speak at the University of Cape Town nearly 50 years after Robert F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ripple of Hope" speech from the school. Kennedy spoke in Cape Town two years after Mandela was sentenced to life in prison.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler and Julie Pace on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nedrapickler and http://www.twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-announce-power-initiative-africa-085714963.html

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Kerry pushes effort to restart peace talks

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the third time in three days, trying to press the restart button on talks between Israel and the Palestinians to end their long-running conflict.

Sunday is the fourth day of Mideast shuttle diplomacy for Kerry.

He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers until after 3 a.m. Sunday in a hotel suite in Jerusalem.

There is deep skepticism that Kerry can get the two sides to agree on a two-state solution. It's something that's eluded presidents and diplomats for years. But the flurry of meetings has heightened expectations the two sides can be persuaded to restart talks, which broke down in 2008.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-pushes-effort-restart-peace-talks-073724175.html

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Washington Post reveals new PRISM slides, offers greater clarity into the US' surveillance operation

PRISM: The surveillance story that started with four leaked slides from the Washington Post, today gets a bit clearer. The publication has revealed four more annotated slides about the once-secret NSA operation, along with detailing the various levels of scrutiny from the FBI and NSA that happen before, during and after approved wiretaps take place. It seems that many of the measures make sure the warrantless data mining of US citizens occurs to the smallest extent possible and that FISA rules are followed.

Detailing the process further, NSA analysts perform checks with supervisors to be certain intended targets are foreign nationals who aren't on US soil; approval is provided by way of "51-percent confidence" in assessments. During a "tasking process" search terms are entered, dubbed "selectors," which can tap into FBI gear installed within the private properties of participating companies -- so much for those denials. For live communications, this data goes straight to the NSA's PRINTAURA processing system, while both the FBI and NSA scan pre-recorded data independently. Notably, live surveillance is indeed possible for the likes of text, voice and and instant message-based conversations, according to a slide that details how cased are notated.

PRINTAURA is an overall filter for others, with names like NUCLEON for voice communications and MAINWAY for records of phone calls. Beyond that, another two layers, called CONVEYANCE and FALLOUT provide further filtering. Again, all of these checks apparently fine-tune results and help make sure they don't match up with US citizens. Results that return info about those in the US get scrapped, while results on foreigner targets get stored for up to five years -- this includes those that have US citizens' info in them, but restrictions are in place to limit the their exposure. A total number of 117,675 active targets were listed as April 5th, but the paper notes that this does not reflect the number of data that may also have been collected on American citizens in the process. It's likely that even more will be revealed in the coming weeks -- so if you haven't already, now might be a great time to catch up on this whole PRISM fiasco to learn about how it might affect you. You'll find all the new slides at the source link.

Comments

Source: The Washington Post (1), (2)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/29/washington-post-reveals-new-prism-slides-offers-greater-clarity/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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News Summary: Vatican official arrested

VATICAN ARRESTS: A Vatican cleric and two other people were arrested Friday by Italian police for allegedly trying to smuggle 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into the country from Switzerland by private jet.

THE CONTEXT: It's the latest scandal to hit the Holy See and broadens an Italian probe into its secretive bank.

THE ALLEGATIONS: Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank, is accused of corruption and slander stemming from the plot and was being held at a Rome prison, prosecutor Nello Rossi told reporters.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-vatican-official-arrested-143848929.html

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Baby Boy on the Way for Victoria Reca?o

The Inside Edition correspondent and husband Tom Burwell will welcome a son in November, the couple confirm to PEOPLE exclusively.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/xBmx_55fx3E/

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Guam Will End Gambling When Hospital Debts Are Paid | Pokerfuse ...

Heated debate on Guam as Senate passes bill to end gambling after hospital debts are paid.

The Senate on the US territory of Guam has passed Bill 19 which will make gambling illegal as soon as Guam Memorial Hospital?s debts are paid.

The bill allocates all gambling taxes to the hospital and other government agencies. Exactly how long it will be before the debt is paid is the subject of heated debate.

Senator Ben Pangelinan tried to introduce an amendment which identified a debt target of $18.8m, the figure owed to vendors in the March accounts. Whether or not the accounting figures will go to the Governor with the final version of the bill remains in doubt.

Gambling opponents argue that the amount must be clearly identified, or there is a possibility that gambling will continue to be legal indefinitely. Rules Committee Chairman Senator Rory Respicio has announced that an amendment inserted on Monday removes any inclusion of the numbers.

Currently permitted gambling includes a lottery and events during the annual Liberation Carnival and village fiestas. The Republican Governor Eddie Calvo issues executive orders to authorize gambling on these occasions.

Source: http://pokerfuse.com/news/law-and-regulation/guam-will-end-gambling-when-hospital-debts-are-paid-27-06/

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Google expands enterprise BYOD management options for Google Apps

New Google Apps administration tools make group Android device policy management easier

Google is improving the number of tools available to Google Apps administrators today with new features to help control devices brought in by employees. Companies using Google Apps with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs in place can now give administrators better control over corporate data with less effect on user's personal data. Admins can now do selective wipes of devices, cleaning Google Apps data without wiping the entire device. Additionally, when a full wipe is needed, the policy can now force an SDcard wipe along with the internal storage of the device if necessary.

Two new improvements will help the deployment of Google Apps policies as well, one of which requires the latest version of the Device Policy app to be installed to keep security policies up to date on every device. Admins can also now set Wifi configurations for every device with a Google Apps policy by letting them set it once and push to all managed devices at once.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9HwtExdL16A/story01.htm

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Is Anthony Kennedy 'the first gay justice'? (CNN)

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Guardian: NSA still collecting Americans' online data under Obama administration

Today, The Guardian reported that the Obama administration has permitted the NSA to collect large amounts of Americans' online data -- including email records -- for more than two years. The government's metadata-collection program, first started during the Bush presidency, was discontinued in 2011, but it appears that information-monitoring processes have since been going strong.

This news comes courtesy of "secret documents" obtained by the publication, and the source indicates that the NSA specifically collected information involving "communications with at least one communicant outside the United States or for which no communicant was known to be a citizen of the United States," though the agency eventually received the green light to tap US residents as well. Earlier this month, reports surfaced claiming the NSA has been snooping on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon customers, and this latest leak only confirms what many already suspected: that there's still plenty we don't know about the details -- and the extent of -- the government's surveillance activities.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: The Guardian (1), The Guardian (2)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/27/guardian-nsa-collected-online-info-under-obama/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Samsung launches 55-inch 'flawless' curved OLED TV in Korea

Just as the rumors foretold, Samsung has announced Korean availability of a 55-inch curved OLED HDTV. Priced at 15 million Korean won (around $13,000) Samsung claims its "Timeless Arena" design eliminates potential for defective OLED pixels. It also reiterates the claim LG made when it launched its own curved OLED model earlier this year that keeping all parts of the screen an equal distance from the viewer makes for a better viewing experience. It also supports features found in other Samsung TVs like multi-view that lets two people watch different things at the same time thanks to 3D glasses, and the Evolution Kit CPU upgrade. There's no word on US availability for its flat OLED HDTVs, but the company also launched its new 65- and 55-inch 4K TVs at the same event.

Gallery: Samsung 'world's first' curved OLED

Update: According to Reuters, Samsung now has no plans to offer a flat OLED HDTV in 2013.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4p0hzmNkmcY/

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Saudi Arabia says Syrian war on rebels is 'genocide'

By Lesley Wroughton

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday the Syrian government's attempts to suppress a rebellion amounted to "genocide" and called for rebels to get military aid to defend themselves, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric over the conflict.

Speaking at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal criticized Iran, Russia and Hezbollah for backing and arming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Syria is facing a double-edged attack. It is facing genocide by the government and an invasion from outside the government ... (It) is facing a massive flow of weapons to aid and abet that invasion and that genocide. This must end," he said.

The prince did not spell out what he meant by genocide but the kingdom has accused Assad of using air and artillery strikes against heavily populated civilian areas.

The Syrian war has also become increasingly sectarian, pitting the president, from an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, against rebels mostly from the country's Sunni Muslim majority.

The fighting has accentuated sectarian divisions across the region. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states have already sent arms to the insurgents, while analysts and diplomats say Shi'ite power Iran, along with Russia, is among Assad's main suppliers.

Prince Saud said the world's top oil exporter "cannot be silent" at the recent decision by Lebanese Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah to send fighters into Syria to back Assad - the latest sign of how Syria's neighbors are getting entangled.

"The most dangerous development is the foreign participation, represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," the prince said, repeating a call for rebels to be armed.

"The kingdom calls for issuing an unequivocal international resolution to halt the provision of arms to the Syrian regime and states the illegitimacy of the regime," he added.

KERRY TALKS

Kerry has returned to the Middle East after a two-day visit to India and, his aides say, will continue efforts to strengthen the Syrian opposition and revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

In Jeddah, Kerry held discussions with Prince Saud and Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who coordinates the kingdom's efforts to topple Assad.

The discussions included Washington's plans for providing direct military support to General Salim Idriss of the Supreme Military Council, the military wing of Syria's main civilian opposition group.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will arm the rebels but has not disclosed what type of assistance he will provide.

Kerry is trying to ensure that the aid to the rebels is properly coordinated among the allies, in part out of concern that weapons could end up in the hands of extremist groups.

"Our goal is very clear, we cannot let this be a wider war. We cannot let this contribute to more bloodshed and prolongation of the agony of the people of Syria," he said at the conference.

A meeting between Kerry and European and Arab counterparts in Doha last week agreed to increase support for Syria's rebels although there was no consensus over providing arms, with Germany and Italy strongly opposed.

More than 93,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, which began as a protest movement against Assad.

(Reporting By Mahmoud Habboush and Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Angus McDowall and Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-says-syrian-war-rebels-genocide-160955544.html

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Egypt Morsi Protests: Army Ready To Save Nation From 'Dark Tunnel,' Defense Minister Says

CAIRO ? Wading into an increasingly volatile fray, Egypt's military on Sunday gave the nation's Islamist rulers and their opponents a week to reach an understanding before planned June 30 opposition protests aimed at forcing out the president, in a toughly worded warning that it will intervene to stop the nation from entering a "dark tunnel."

The powerful military also gave a thinly veiled warning to President Mohammed Morsi's hard-line backers that it will step in if the mostly secular and liberal protesters, who have vowed to be peaceful, are attacked during the planned demonstrations.

In a bid to project a business-as-usual image, Morsi's office said in a statement late Sunday that the president met with the army's chief, Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, to discuss the "domestic scene and the government's efforts to maintain the security of the nation and the safety of its citizens." There was no mention of el-Sissi's warning.

Seeking to assert Morsi's seniority over el-Sissi ? the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces ? the brief statement, alluding to June 30, said he ordered the quick completion of plans to protect the state's strategic and vital installations.

The opposition argues that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, despite having won a series of elections since the 2011 revolution that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, have squandered their legitimacy with heavy handed misrule. It contends that the Islamists have encroached on the independence of the judiciary, sought to monopolize power, and pushed through an Islamist-backed constitution, breaking promises to seek consensus.

Morsi's supporters say the opposition has shunned his offers of dialogue and now are turning to force to remove him because they have been unable to compete at the ballot box.

On Sunday, a court compounded Morsi's troubles by saying members of his Muslim Brotherhood conspired with Hamas, Hezbollah and local militants to storm a prison in 2011 and free 34 Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi. Also, the most iconic youth figure of the 2011 revolution, Wael Ghonim, called on Morsi to step down before June 30 to prevent bloodshed.

Both sides say they intend to be peaceful on June 30, but many fear the day could descend into violence. There are worries young protesters could attack offices of the Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice party. Some of Morsi's hard-line supporters have vowed to "smash" the protests or have declared protesters infidels who deserve to be killed.

"Those who will spray Morsi with water will be sprayed with blood," warned one cleric.

El-Sissi, weighed in with his first public comments on the planned protests while addressing officers at a seminar Sunday.

It was his most direct warning yet that the military ? which ruled Egypt directly after Mubarak's fall until Morsi's June 30, 2012 inauguration ? could step in.

He said the country's divisions had reached a point that they were a danger to the state itself.

"Those who think that we (the military) are oblivious to the dangers that threaten the Egyptian state are mistaken. We will not remain silent while the country slips into a conflict that will be hard to control," he said in his comments, made public on the military's Facebook page.

Ostensibly, el-Sissi addressed both sides. But his demand for "genuine reconciliation" seemed to be a nod toward the opposition's stance that Morsi's past gestures of "dialogue" have been empty and a signal to him that he must make compromises.

"It is the most powerful public and direct message from the military to the president," said analyst Abdullah el-Sinnawi, thought to be close to the military. "I see this as a warning of a coup if Morsi does not find a solution."

Another analyst, Gamal Abdel-Gawad of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic studies, said the comments signaled a change in the military's position.

"We are in a different phase now. He (el-Sissi) is giving a deadline for a solution to the president to do what he can do or else they will be forced to intervene," he said.

El-Sissi appeared to lower the threshold for what warrants intervention by the military. In earlier pronouncements, he cited the collapse or near collapse of the state.

On Sunday, however, he said the military has a "patriotic and moral responsibility" to stop Egypt from "slipping into a dark tunnel of conflict or internal fighting." He said sectarian violence and the collapse of state institutions would also justify intervention.

He urged all parties to reach a "genuine reconciliation" to defuse the crisis before June 30.

"We have a week during which a great deal can be achieved. This is a call that is only motivated by love of the nation, its presence and future," he said.

In a thinly veiled warning to Morsi's hard-line backers, el-Sissi said: "It is not honorable that we remain silent in the face of the terrorizing and scaring of our Egyptian compatriots. There is more honor in death than watching a single Egyptian harmed while the army is still around."

El-Sissi also warned that the military will no longer tolerate any "insults" to the armed forces and its leaders, apparently a reference to a series of comments by figures from the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, that were perceived by the military as derogatory.

After its post-Mubarak period of direct rule, the powerful military has largely stayed out of the political fray. Soon after his inauguration, Morsi pushed the military's top two generals into retirement, ending the de facto military rule of Egypt that dates back to a 1952 coup that toppled the monarchy.

Morsi appointed el-Sissi as military chief and defense minister, leading many to believe the general would be beholden to the president. But el-Sissi, through a series of subtle but telling hints, has shown a significant level of independence as well as displeasure over the policies of the Morsi administration.

Morsi's comrades in the Brotherhood have made it clear that they want the military to focus entirely on protecting the nation against outside threats, but el-Sissi has countered by making clear that maintaining the security and stability of the nation was part of the military's mandate.

Protest organizers say they will bring out crowds across the country, building on public anger over a host of problems in the country, from surging crime and rising prices to fuel shortages, power cuts and unemployment. The protests call for Morsi to step down and early elections to be held at the end of a short transitional period.

Sunday, another prominent figure from the anti-Mubarak uprising, Ghoneim, weighed in with a video posted on his Twitter account saying it was time for Morsi to go.

"I was hoping that I would thank (Morsi) for what he has done for Egypt a year after he took office. But regrettably, the conditions in Egypt now are very grave," Ghoneim said. "Please stop the strife we are approaching, for the sake of God and country, and resign before June 30."

The report issued by a court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia added to Morsi troubles. The court statement read by judge Khaled Mahgoub named two members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood as among the conspirators along with Hamas and Hezbollah members in an attack on Wadi el-Natroun prison on Jan. 29, 2011.

The judge said his court would refer the evidence and testimonies it gathered to prosecutors so they can start their own investigation.

Morsi and the 33 Brotherhood leaders who were in jail in 2011 have maintained that they were freed by local residents. Hamas, the Palestinian chapter of the Brotherhood, has denied involvement in the attacks on prisons.

The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party said Sunday's court statement on the Wadi el-Natroun prison break was "void and illegal." It posted on its Twitter account that Mahgoub "will end like any other judge who did not respect the law or the constitution."

The prison breaks took place during the 18-day popular uprising that toppled Mubarak's regime. The breaks involved about 11 of Egypt's 41 prisons and led to a flood of some 23,000 criminals onto the streets, fueling a crime wave that continues to this day.

____

Associated Press reporter Maggie Michael and Tony G. Gabriel contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/egypt-morsi-protests-army-ready-to-save-nation-dark-tunnel_n_3486903.html

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Ecuador says Snowden seeking asylum there

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) ? Ecuador's foreign minister says that the former National Security Agency contractor wanted for revealing classified secrets is seeking asylum in the South American country.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino says on his Twitter account that "the government of Ecuador has received a request for asylum on the part of Edward Snowden."

.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-23-LT-NSA-Surveillance-Snowden-Ecuador/id-97a12fd81c9245fb9338d1d0bcca22bb

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A Windows Phone fan reviews the LG Optimus G Pro

It's always good to try new things, and that includes your smart phone choices

Our own Anndrew Vacca was fairly smitten with the Optimus G Pro. He puts it plainly, that the OGP "has the features, style, and wow-factor to steal eyeballs (and customers) away from the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4", and that's a bold statement from someone who has been able to use all three. But sometimes, you want the point of view a more "normal" user has when you're interested in a new smart phone. We get it, and we understand.

WPCentral forums ambassador mase123987 recently spent some time with the 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro, and took the time to write quite the review over in the WPCentral forums. We're not going to spoil the ending, but it's a great read if you're a smart phone fan on any level. Go give it a read, and be sure to thank mase for his insight -- this is valuable stuff coming from someone without any preconceived Android prejudices. 

Review of the Optimus G Pro (and Android) by a WP Lover

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/hMxDXxMoJ0k/story01.htm

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Lilly once-weekly diabetes drug proves superior in late-stage trials

By Bill Berkrot

(Reuters) - A once-weekly drug for type 2 diabetes developed by Eli Lilly and Co worked better at controlling blood sugar than three other widely used medicines, according to data from late- stage clinical trials.

The data, presented on Saturday at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in Chicago, also showed that the Lilly shot helped patients lose twice as much weight as those taking Merck & Co's $4 billion-a-year drug, Januvia.

The findings from the trio of late-stage studies suggest the treatment known as dulaglutide could be an important new weapon in the fight against type 2 diabetes, whose rapid growth globally has become a crisis affecting more than 300 million people.

"This is a very promising, safe and efficacious agent for the treatment of diabetes," Dr Guillermo Umpierrez, one of the lead investigators of the dulaglutide Phase III trial program, said in an interview.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin to control levels of blood sugar. It can lead to many serious health complications including heart problems, kidney disease and vision loss.

The results of the new studies showed that an injection of dulaglutide led to sustained reductions in blood sugar and helped more patients reach recommended target levels than those taking generic metformin, Byetta, a drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, and Januvia, the studies showed. There were no reported cases of serious hypoglycemia, or dangerously low blood sugar.

Lilly plans to use data from the three trials as a major part of the application seeking U.S. approval for dulaglutide it expects to file later this year.

If approved, dulaglutide would become a direct rival of once-weekly Bydureon, sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Plc, and Victoza from Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

Like those medicines, dulaglutide belongs to a class of injected drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that work by increasing the release of insulin after meals and by slowing absorption of food in the gastrointestinal tract.

Doctors are still likely to initially reach for oral drugs such as metformin for type 2 patients, but an injectable drug that needs to be taken only once a week could become an important treatment, researchers said, as diabetics often need two or three medicines to properly control blood glucose.

"I believe the use of GLP-1s will continue to increase and this new formulation of a once-a-week administration will be very attractive to patients and physicians," said Umpierrez, a professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta who presented data from one of the trials at the meeting.

SAFETY RISK?

While data from the three studies appears to show a comforting safety profile, dulaglutide will be under intense scrutiny from health regulators. The GLP-1 class, and the DPP-4 inhibitors to which Januvia belongs, have been associated with unconfirmed reports that they may cause serious inflammation of the pancreas and cell changes that can lead to cancer.

Two cases of pancreatic cancer reported among study participants were deemed highly unlikely to be connected to dulaglutide, the company and researchers said.

Lilly said there were similar rates of pancreatitis among patients taking comparator drugs or a placebo.

"There is no concern so far of pancreatitis or pancreatic tumors," Umpierrez said.

One of the studies dubbed Award-1, involving 978 patients over 52 weeks, tested dulaglutide against Byetta, a which is injected twice a day. Subjects in the study were already taking metformin and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co's Actos.

Adding dulaglutide to this mix helped 80 percent of patients reach target blood sugar levels - an A1c of 7 - compared with about 50 percent of those taking Byetta.

Dulaglutide and Byetta patients on average lost 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms), an attractive side benefit as obesity is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes.

In a separate 52-week study called Award-3, researchers tested dulaglutide against metformin - the most commonly used initial treatment for type 2 diabetes - in 807 patients earlier in their disease progression. They began the trial with an average A1c of 7.6 percent, above the ADA target of 7 percent.

People who took a 1.5 mg dose of the Lilly drug saw an average drop in their A1c of 0.8 percent, with 62 percent of patients getting to target blood sugar levels. That compared with a drop of 0.56 percent for metformin with 54 percent getting to goal.

Weight loss with dulaglutide was about 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) for metformin.

A third trial, dubbed Award-5, was a two-year study that tested dulaglutide against Januvia in more than 1,000 patients who were already taking metformin.

Patients who got dulaglutide had an average A1c reduction of 1.1 percent, with 60 percent of them achieving target levels, versus a reduction of 0.4 percent for Januvia with 30 percent getting to the ADA goal.

Average weight loss with the Lilly drug was 7 pounds (3.2 kg), while Januvia patients lost an average of 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg). The most common side effect reported in the three studies for dulaglutide was nausea, researchers said.

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lilly-once-weekly-diabetes-drug-proves-superior-stage-150601939.html

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3 die in floods, 75,000 forced from Calgary homes

A police car sits stuck in a parking lot of an apartment building after heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

A police car sits stuck in a parking lot of an apartment building after heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

In this aerial photo, the flooded Cougar Creek runs through Canmore, Alberta, on Friday June 21, 2013. Communities throughout southern Alberta are dealing with overflowing rivers that have washed out roads and bridges, inundated homes and turned streets into dirt-brown tributaries. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

The Bow River overflows in Calgary, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. Heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuations in Calgary. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

A search and rescue boat carries rescued passengers from a flooded industrial site near highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Elbow River, one of two rivers that flow through the southern Alberta city, has peaked. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage)

Firefighters monitor flood waters that spilled over a highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Elbow River, one of two rivers that flow through the southern Alberta city, has peaked. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage)

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) ? At least three people were killed by floodwaters that devastated much of southern Alberta, leading authorities to evacuate the western Canadian city of Calgary's entire downtown. Inside the city's hockey arena, the waters reached as high as the 10th row.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the level of flooding "stunning" and said officials don't know yet if it will get worse, but said the water has peaked and stabilized and noted that the weather has improved.

Overflowing rivers washed out roads and bridges, soaked homes and turned streets into dirt-brown waterways around southern Alberta. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Patricia Neely said two bodies were recovered and third was in an area that made it too dangerous to recover.

As the sun rose in Calgary on Saturday morning it wasn't raining. Some of the 75,000 flood evacuees were holding out hope they might soon be allowed back into their homes. However, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said earlier the downtown area was still without power and remained off limit. "It is extremely unlikely that people will be able to return to those buildings before the middle of next week," he said.

Nenshi also warned there could be another wave of danger ahead.

"There is a scenario in which upstream events at the dams further upstream from the city will lead to another surge in the Bow River," he said. "We don't know how realistic that scenario is, but we will have some hours warning if that actually happens."

The flood has hit some of the city's iconic structures hard. The Saddledome, home to the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, was flooded up to the 10th row. That would mean the dressing rooms are submerged as well.

Harper, a Calgary resident, said he never imagined there would be a flood of this magnitude in this part of Canada.

"This is incredible. I've seen a little bit of flooding in Calgary before. I don't think any of us have seen anything like this before. The magnitude is just extraordinary," he said.

"We're all very concerned that if gets much more than this it could have real impact on infrastructure and other services longer term, so we're hoping things will subside a bit."

Twenty-five neighborhoods in the city, with an estimated 75,000 residents, were evacuated due to floodwaters in Calgary, a city of more than a million people that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and is the center of Canada's oil industry. About 1,500 have gone to emergency shelters while the rest have found shelter with family or friends, Nenshi said.

About 350,000 people work in downtown Calgary on a typical day. However, officials said very few people need to be moved out, since many heeded warnings and did not go to work Friday.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford said Medicine Hat, downstream from Calgary, was under a mandatory evacuation order affecting 10,000 residents. The premier warned that communities downstream of Calgary had not yet felt the full force of the floodwater.

A spokesman for Canada's defense minister said 1,300 soldiers from a base in Edmonton were being deployed to the flood zone.

Police were asking residents who were forced to leave the nearby High River area to register at evacuation shelter. The Town of High River remained under a mandatory evacuation order.

The flood was forcing emergency plans at the Calgary Zoo, which is situated on an island near where the Elbow and Bow rivers meet. Lions and tigers were being prepared for transfer, if necessary, to prisoner holding cells at the courthouse.

Schools and court trials were canceled Friday and residents urged to avoid downtown. Transit service in the core was shut down.

Residents were left to wander and wade through streets waist-deep in water.

Newlyweds Scott and Marilyn Crowson were ordered out of their central Calgary condominium late Friday as rising waters filled their parking garage and ruptured a nearby gas line. "That's just one building but every building is like this," he said. "For the most part, people are taking it in stride."

Crowson, a kayaker, estimated the Bow River, usually about four feet deep, is running at a depth of 15 feet (4.57 meters).

"It's moving very, very fast," he said of the normally placid stream spanned by now-closed bridges. "I've never seen it so big and so high."

It had been a rainy week throughout much of Alberta, but on Thursday the Bow River Basin was battered with up to four inches (100 millimeters) of rain. Environment Canada's forecast called for more rain in the area, but in much smaller amounts.

Calgary was not alone in its weather-related woes. Flashpoints of chaos spread from towns in the Rockies south to Lethbridge.

___

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies contributed from Toronto and AP writer Jeremy Hainsworth contributed from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-22-Canada-Alberta%20Flooding/id-dfb87231350b4dd9a94376dd2084bce2

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