Guantanamo's last Western detainee returned to Canada

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - The youngest prisoner and last Westerner held in the Guantanamo military base, Omar Khadr, was sent to finish his sentence in his native Canada on Saturday, the Canadian government said.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said that Khadr, who was a 15-year-old fighting in Afghanistan when captured in 2002, had been flown from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a military base in Trenton, Ontario and transferred to the province's Millhaven maximum-security prison.

Khadr's case has been controversial both in Canada and abroad given his age when he was captured, the nature of his detention and hearing, and the reluctance of Canadian officials to accept his return.

"I am satisfied the Correctional Service of Canada can administer Omar Khadr's sentence in a manner which recognizes the serious nature of the crimes that he has committed and ensure the safety of Canadians is protected during incarceration," Toews said in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A U.S. war crimes tribunal in 2010 sentenced Khadr, now 26, to 40 years in prison, although he was expected to serve just a few more years under a deal that included his admission he was an al Qaeda conspirator who murdered a U.S. soldier.

Khadr pleaded guilty in 2010 to charges that included murdering American Army medic Christopher Speer with a grenade in a 2002 firefight, conspiring with al Qaeda to commit terrorist acts, making roadside bombs to target U.S. troops in Afghanistan, spying on American military convoys and providing material support for terrorism.

Khadr was the first person since World War Two to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile. He was the youngest prisoner still at Guantanamo, but younger boys were previously held there.

Canadian-born Khadr was taken to Afghanistan by his father, a senior al Qaeda member who apprenticed the boy to a group of bomb makers who opened fire when U.S. troops came to their compound. Khadr was captured in the firefight, during which he was blinded in one eye and shot twice in the back.

In a written statement, Toews said Canada received Khadr's application for transfer from the United States on April 13, 2012. He said U.S. officials assured Canada it would receive a videotape copy of an interview with Khadr, but it, along with other videotapes of interviews and unedited reports, was not sent until this month.

Former Canadian ambassador Gar Pardy, however, said Canada's Conservative government - which cultivates an image of being tough on crime - dragged out the transfer.

"I think the government was mainly very mean-spirited in how it handled the case," Pardy said to CTV News.

Toews said he continues to be concerned that Khadr "idealizes" his father and denies Ahmed Khadr's association with al Qaeda. The Canadian public safety minister said he is also troubled by how "radicalized" Khadr has become from his time in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Guantanamo Bay.

The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that it transferred Khadr to Canada, leaving 166 detainees at Guantanamo.

In the 2008 presidential election campaign, President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantanamo prison during his term, but that pledge has gone unfulfilled amid security concerns among Americans and opposition from Congress, which enacted laws making it more difficult to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo.

The transfer represents progress, but the Guantanamo prison should close immediately, said Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA's executive director.

Canadian authorities should also investigate Khadr's allegations of torture while in the prison, she said.

"Canada now has the chance to right some of these wrongs."

Khadr's sentence will expire on October 30, 2018.

(With additional reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson in Toronto and Jane Sutton in Miami; Editing by Bill Trott and Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guantanamos-last-western-detainee-returned-canada-143025383.html

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China leaders stage show of unity after expelling Bo

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's leaders put on a show of unity on Saturday after their damning accusations against disgraced politician Bo Xilai, whose expulsion from the Communist Party drew an outcry from leftist supporters in a sign of the rifts his prosecution could inflame.

Once a charismatic yet divisive star who stood out on China's stolid political stage, Bo is almost sure to face trial and jail after the ruling Communist Party announced his expulsion on Friday and issued a list of allegations: bending the law to hush up a murder, taking huge bribes and engaging in "improper sexual relations with multiple women".

The party buried Bo under the accusations at the same time that it announced a November 8 date for a congress that will anoint a new generation of top leaders - a lineup that Bo held barely disguised ambitions to join.

On Saturday evening, top leaders gathered in the cavernous national parliament building for a National Day reception, their first public appearance since the revelation of the accusations against Bo.

Premier Wen Jiabao did not mention Bo or any other controversies in his remarks to hundreds of diplomats, officials and other guests.

"Looking ahead, we are full of confidence," Wen told them, adding that "no hardship will prevent us from forging ahead".

The eight other members of the Politburo Standing Committee - the party's innermost core of power - also attended.

Bo's downfall has unsettled their preparations for the leadership succession, and exposed high-level abuse of power after his former police chief briefly took refuge in a U.S. consulate and revealed that Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, had murdered a British businessman.

State media tried to draw a clear line between Bo and the party elite he once belonged to, casting his fall as a victory for the party's determination to fight corruption.

"No matter how high a position, no matter how influential, anyone who violates party discipline and state law will be sternly pursued and punished," the official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary on the case.

"As a senior party official, Bo Xilai should have been a model of obedience to party discipline," the news agency said in the commentary, widely distributed by state media websites. "But instead he monopolized power and behaved recklessly, doing as he pleased and gravely violating discipline."

"His misdeeds deserve their punishment."

Earlier on Saturday, the party-run parliament confirmed that Bo had been removed as a delegate, following his expulsion from the party and its governing councils, Xinhua news agency reported.

DEMONISATION AND DISILLUSIONMENT

The party could face trouble, however, convincing skeptics that it has only recently awoken to Bo's crimes, which it traced back to his years as a city official in northeast China. Bo's leftist supporters have already revived charges that Bo is the victim of a plot to eradicate him and his populist policies.

"Last night, one of the core members of the ruling party's leadership was suddenly turned into a demon," said one commentary on "Red China", a far-left Chinese-language website that has issued a stream of commentary defending Bo.

"Unlike other ousted senior officials, Bo Xilai's downfall has triggered two diametrically opposed reactions in society - one of elation and relief, and the other of outrage and regret."

The "Red China" site has been blocked to the many Chinese users who do not know how to get past censorship barriers. But China's version of Twitter, "Weibo", has also echoed with debate about Bo's dramatic downfall.

Public support for Bo is unlikely to creep into the heavily regimented party congress, but the effort to disgrace him could foster deeper public disillusionment with the party by showing that one of its formerly favored officials was steeped in corruption. Bo, 63, is the "princeling" son of a Communist Party official who served alongside Mao Zedong.

"He won support from the underdogs of society and the radical intellectuals, and maybe even some within the party and the military," said Lai Hongyi, who teaches about contemporary China at the University of Nottingham in Britain. "That's probably quite polarizing because you are not talking about just a few people but a segment of the whole of Chinese society and the establishment."

After arriving in Chongqing in 2007, Bo turned it into a showcase for pro-growth economics, and ran a campaign against organized crime, policies welcomed by many of the city's 30 million residents, though his brash self-promotion irked some leaders in Beijing.

Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, and his former police chief, Wang Lijun, have already been jailed over the scandal stemming from the murder in November of British businessman Neil Heywood.

The official statement carried by Xinhua said that in the murder scandal, Bo "abused his powers of office, committed serious errors and bears a major responsibility". That charge appears to reflect accusations from Wang's trial that suggested Bo tried to stymie the murder investigation.

The government also accused Bo of taking huge bribes and other unspecified crimes. Before Bo is charged and tried, investigators must first complete an inquiry and indict him, but China's prosecutors and courts come under party control and are most unlikely to challenge the accusations. (Additional reporting by John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Editing by Daniel Magnowski and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-leaders-stage-show-unity-expelling-bo-041633568.html

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Ron Howard's remarks played at Mayberry Days

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? Andy Griffith led by example on the set of his television show, teaching a 6-year-old boy that true leadership requires not only confidence and hard work but also humility, Academy Award-winning film director Ron Howard said in recorded remarks Sunday.

Howard's remarks were to be played during a Griffith tribute at the 23rd annual Mayberry Days celebration in Mount Airy. It's the first Mayberry Days held since Griffith, a native of Mount Airy, died July 3 at the age of 86 at his home in Manteo. The three-day event typically attracts 25,000 to 30,000 people.

"Andy's impact on my life and my approach to my work really can't be measured," Howard said. "The balance that he sustained between focused, creative effort and this overt, playful enjoyment that he got out of working hard with people that he liked, doing a show he loved, was something that I hope I'll always remember and emulate."

Howard played Opie Taylor, the red-headed son of Sheriff Andy Taylor, on "The Andy Griffith Show." The CBS TV show aired from 1960 to 1968, starting when Howard was 6 years old and ending when he was 14.

Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry Arts Council, said Howard reached out to her and told her he wanted to "do something for Andy," adding that he knew Griffith loved his hometown. He emailed Jones after she had reached out to his father, actor Rance Howard, for help with the celebration that's held in the North Carolina town that inspired the fictional town of Mayberry.

Ron Howard hinted that what he learned on "The Andy Griffith Show" helped him with his future career, which includes an Academy Award for directing "A Beautiful Mind." Griffith, he said, established an inclusive set that allowed him, at age 6, "to feel safe, comfortable enough to participate and then to be able to witness and learn so much about the collaborative process ? the value of originality, the discipline of form and the bursts of individual inspiration that good moments and scenes are built on."

Rance Howard sent a statement praising Griffith's character to be read at the tribute.

"Andy was an excellent role model, the guardian of good taste and humor," wrote Rance Howard. "He loved to laugh out loud and long but his motto was, 'I don't want the public to laugh at us, I want them to laugh with us.'"

Griffith was recovering from a heart attack when Rance Howard's wife, Jean, died. Griffith flew with his wife, Cindi, to California so he could speak at the memorial service.

"That's the kind of friend Andy was," Rance Howard wrote. "Yes, he played an enormous role in our lives."

Ron Howard said he learned during the eight seasons "how much care had to go into making a program if it was going to be truly worthy of an audience's time.

"...He helped me to understand that high achievement and leadership require confidence, yes, hard work, absolutely. But it could be gained while still maintaining humility, humanity and a joyous appreciation for those around him. Like so many others, I'm going to miss you, Andy."

With his last words for the crowd, Howard mimicked Griffith, who was famous for telling the audience three words at the end of his shows: "I appreciate it."

___

Martha Waggoner can be reached at http://twitter.com/mjwaggonernc

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-30-Mayberry%20Days/id-e7577e2b6b944e209e2833c2e8d6cef0

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This Is What Shooting a Gun Underwater Looks Like [Video]

Ever wonder what it would be like to shoot a gun underwater? It looks like a scene lifted straight from a Bond flick. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kuvwGCGUQl4/this-is-what-shooting-a-gun-underwater-looks-like

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Day of the Dead Altar | Mslr Dia de los Muertos

This holiday has one important aspect ? family reunion. It?s the time when family visits the graves of their loved ones, to clean them and put lots of decorations, like flowers, candles, some families even make a picnic bringing food with them, usually favorite dishes of the deceased. They sometimes make temporary altars placing personal belongings of the deceased.

The essence of the holiday is returning of the spirits from the afterlife with the purpose of spending time with their families and friends. The living invite the spirits of the family to return home for a few hours of laughter, tears and memories. They are usually attracted by the scent of marigold flower that helps them find the right direction. Some families make paths of the petals that lead out of the cemetery and to the house to guide the spirits. A cross of marigold petals is formed on the floor so that when the spirit approaches the altar, steps first on the cross and expel his guilt.

The main altar is placed in family homes, where one room is especially reserved for that purpose. They can be made in levels. Some are made with two levels, symbolizing heaven and earth, some with three symbolizing heaven, purgatory and earth and there are those with even seven levels, representing steps a soul has to make so it can go to heaven. Once the altar preparations start, a designated area of the home is cleared of its normal furnishings. The arrangement often consists of a table and several overturned wooden crates placed in tiers and covered with clean linens. The offerings are then laid out in an artistic and fairly symmetrical fashion. The smell of burning incense and the light of numerous candles are intended to help the departed find their way.

Symbols and aromas places on the altar represent different things, so symbol of the harvest represent the earth. People fill bowls with corn, fruit or something else that has a certain importance for them and symbolizes the earth.? Candles represent fire, helping the souls to come home safely. The wind is represented with papel picados that wave in the breeze.? Water is prepared for the refreshment of the tired souls. Main directions are marked by four candles, placed on the top level. Most of the altars are filled with the favorite foods, sweets, drinks and harvest fruits of each family spirit, but some things are common for all of them: water to quench the thirst and for purification, salt to season the food and for purification, bread to represent the food needed for survival and a washbasin, soap, towel, mirror and comb are placed nearby so the spirits can clean up when they return.

A candle is lit for each dead family member and one extra so that no one is left out. The candles, which represent hope and faith, burn during the night, so that there is no darkness.

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Source: http://mslrdiadelosmuertos.com/day-of-the-dead-altar/

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Last Western detainee at Gitmo returns to Canada

FILE - This undated photo shows Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, a Canadian, taken before he was imprisoned in 2002 at the age of 15. A decade after Khadr was pulled near death from the rubble of a bombed-out compound in Afghanistan, the Canadian citizen set foot on Canadian soil early Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, after an American military flight from the notorious prison in Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Canadian Press, File)

FILE - This undated photo shows Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, a Canadian, taken before he was imprisoned in 2002 at the age of 15. A decade after Khadr was pulled near death from the rubble of a bombed-out compound in Afghanistan, the Canadian citizen set foot on Canadian soil early Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, after an American military flight from the notorious prison in Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Canadian Press, File)

TORONTO (AP) ? The last Western detainee held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay returned to Canada Saturday after a decade in custody following his capture in Afghanistan at age 15 after being wounded in a firefight with U.S. soldiers, officials said.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said that 26-year-old Omar Khadr arrived at a Canadian military base on a U.S. government plane early Saturday and was transferred to the Millhaven maximum security prison in Bath, Ontario.

The son of an alleged al-Qaida financier, Khadr pleaded guilty in 2010 to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan and was eligible to return to Canada from Guantanamo Bay last October under terms of a plea deal.

But Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government had long refused to request the return of Khadr, the youngest detainee held at Guantanamo. The reluctance was partly due to suspicions about the Khadr family, which has been called "the first family of terrorism."

The U.S. Defense Department confirmed the transfer in a statement and said 166 detainees remain in detention at Guantanamo Bay.

The Toronto-born Khadr was 15 when he was captured in 2002 in Afghanistan, and has spent a decade at the Guantanamo prison set up on the U.S. naval base in Cuba to hold suspected terrorists after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He received an eight-year sentence in 2010 after being convicted of throwing a grenade that killed Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer during a 2002 firefight.

"His head is spinning a bit and it's going to be a real adjustment for him, but at the same time he is so happy to be home," John Norris, Khadr's Canadian lawyer, said after speaking with his client.

"He can't believe that it is finally true. He simply can't. For very good reason he was quite fearful that the government would not follow through on its word and he's pinching himself right now not believing that this government has finally kept its word," he said.

Norris said Khadr would be eligible for parole as early as the summer of 2013. He said Khadr's return to Canada comes 10 years too late.

Toews said the U.S. government initiated Khadr's transfer and suggested that Canada had little choice but to accept him because he is a Canadian citizen. It will be up to Canada's national parole board to release him, Toews said.

"Omar Khadr is a known supporter of the al-Qaida terrorist network and a convicted terrorist," Toews said.

Toews called for "robust conditions of supervision" if Khadr is granted parole. Toews said in his written decision that he reviewed all the files forwarded by the U.S. government and said the parole board should consider his concerns that Omar "idealizes" his father and "appears to deny "Ahmed Khadr's lengthy history of terrorist action and association with al-Qaida."

Toews also said that Omar Khadr's mother and sister "have openly applauded" his father's "crimes and terrorist activities" and noted that Omar has had "little contact with Canadian society and will require substantial management in order to ensure safe integration in Canada."

"I am satisfied the Correctional Service of Canada can administer Omar Khadr's sentence in a manner which recognizes the serious nature of the crimes that he has committed and ensure the safety of Canadians is protected during incarceration," Toews said.

Norris said it is regrettable that the minister is trying to influence the parole board.

"Most of what he has said there is simply not true. It's part of the stereotype of Omar that this government has been disseminating from the beginning," Norris said.

He added that once the Correctional Service "will get to know Omar" they will "recommend appropriate conditions."

Defense attorneys have said Khadr was pushed into fighting the Americans in Afghanistan by his father, Ahmed Said Khadr, an alleged al-Qaida financier whose family stayed with Osama bin Laden briefly when Omar Khadr was a boy.

The Egyptian-born father was killed in 2003 when a Pakistani military helicopter shelled the house where he was staying with senior al-Qaida operatives. Omar's youngest brother lives in Toronto and is paralyzed after being shot in the attack that killed his father.

Another brother was released from a Canadian jail last year after successfully fighting extradition to the U.S. on charges he supplied al-Qaida with weapons in Pakistan.

The father was arrested in Pakistan in 1995 after a bomb attack targeting the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, but was released after former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien appealed to Pakistan to give him due process. Canada was embarrassed when he later emerged as a senior al-Qaida figure. Canadian governments have since been refused to speak out on behalf of the Khadr family.

Omar was found in the rubble of a bombed-out compound badly wounded and near death in Afghanistan in 2002. His case received international attention after some dubbed him a child soldier.

Khadr's family did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment about his release. Norris said he told the family Saturday morning that Omar had returned to Canada.

Norris said it's not for him to say whether Omar should live with his family once he's released.

"You can't change the fact that they are his family," Norris said. "They love him and I know that they'll find a way."

Norris said Khadr has received some education in Guantanamo Bay and hopes that will continue so that he's able to reintegrate into the community.

Khadr has claimed in the past that he was abused at Guantanamo, but Canadian Foreign Affairs officials said they accept U.S. assurances that Khadr was treated humanely. Human rights groups and opposition parties in Canada have long criticized Harper's Conservative government for not doing enough for Khadr.

Canada's three opposition parties have long demanded that Harper's government bring Khadr home. He has received some sympathy from Canadians, largely due to his age and the torture allegations, but his family has been widely criticized.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed off on Khadr's transfer in April. Panetta said in Ottawa earlier this year that sending Khadr back to Canada would be an important step because it would serve as an example to other detainees who are looking to return to their home countries or other places. Some Guantanamo detainees have been reluctant to agree to plea deals after noting that Khadr had remained in Guantanamo despite being eligible to leave since last October.

Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA Executive Director, said the Guantanamo prison should finally be closed. She said Canada now has a chance to right what she called the many wrongs against Khadr and called for an investigation into Khadr's allegations of torture.

"Given the Obama administration's glacial pace towards closing the U.S.-controlled detention center, little and late though it is, today's news represents progress," Nossell said in a statement. "Khadr was imprisoned at the age of 15, subjected to ill-treatment and then prosecuted in a military commissions system that does not meet international fair trial standards. Growing up in Guantanamo and facing more prison time in Canada, his future remains uncertain."

The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights released a statement calling Khadr's case "one of the ugliest chapters in the decade-long history of Guantanamo."

"Khadr never should have been brought to Guantanamo. He was a child of fifteen at the time he was captured, and his subsequent detention and prosecution for purported war crimes was unlawful, as was his torture by U.S. officials," CCR Legal Director Baher Azmy said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-29-CN-Guantanamo-Canadian-Prisoner/id-6ba73f432f654cafb49d2bc17b9385a0

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B of A to pay $2.43B over Merrill Lynch purchase

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Bank of America says it has agreed to pay $2.43 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit related to its acquisition of Merrill Lynch at the height of the financial crisis.

In the lawsuit, shareholders alleged that Bank of America and some of its officers made false or misleading statements about both companies' financial health.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of investors who bought or held Bank of America stock when the company announced its plans to buy Merrill Lynch in a $20 billion deal as the banking industry and federal regulators struggled to contain fallout from the financial crisis in the fall of 2008.

Bank of America's deal to buy Merrill Lynch was forged on the same September 2008 weekend that Lehman Brothers collapsed. The transaction came into question later after Bank of America disclosed that Merrill would post $27.6 billion in losses that year. That added significantly to Bank of America's financial woes, and the company subsequently asked for a $20 billion bailout from the government to help offset those losses, on top of the $25 billion it had already received. It has since repaid all $45 billion.

In announcing the settlement proposal on Friday, Bank of America denied the shareholders' allegations and said that it agreed to the settlement to get rid of the uncertainties, burden and costs related to the lawsuit.

"As we work to put these long-standing issues behind us, our primary focus is on the future and serving our customers and clients," Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in a statement.

The investors who filed the suit said the amount of the settlement is the largest ever resolving such a claim.

"We are very pleased that the settlement will recoup a substantial portion of the losses incurred by (Bank of America) shareholders," Brian Guthrie, executive director of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, said in a statement. "The magnitude of the recovery reinforces the important role that pension funds play when they serve as lead plaintiffs in securities actions."

Two of Ohio's public pension funds also were among the plaintiffs in the case. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine told reporters at a news conference in Columbus that Bank of America didn't tell investors all the details about the huge losses that were occurring in Merrill's fourth quarter.

"There was general reference to losses, but never was the magnitude of those losses disclosed," DeWine said. "This would be akin to telling someone to watch out for a pothole, when they were about to fall into the Grand Canyon."

The settlement still needs court approval and will be reviewed by Judge Kevin Castel of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

As part of the settlement, the bank has also agreed to adopt several corporate governance policies until Jan. 1, 2015. These policies include those related to majority voting in board member elections, annual disclosure of noncompliance with stock ownership guidelines, policies for a board committee regarding future acquisitions, the independence of the board's compensation committee and its compensation consultants and conducting an annual "say-on-pay" vote by shareholders.

Bank of America, based in Charlotte, N.C., has been dogged by litigation as the consequences of the financial crisis continue to swirl around it. Most of the legal headaches stem from Bank of America's acquisitions of Merrill and of Countrywide Financial, the brash company known for making high-risk mortgages.

The Securities and Exchange Commission won a $150 million settlement from Bank of America in 2009 to resolve charges that it misled shareholders when it acquired Merrill. The SEC had accused Bank of America of failing to disclose to shareholders before they voted on the Merrill deal that it had authorized Merrill to pay as much as $5.8 billion in bonuses to its employees in 2008 even though the investment firm lost $27.6 billion that year.

But a major civil fraud suit against Bank of America and former CEO Kenneth Lewis remains pending from New York state, accusing them of failing to properly disclose the Merrill losses and bonuses before the acquisition closed. The suit was filed by former New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo in February 2010, and the current AG Eric Schneiderman is pursuing it. The bank has said the charges are unfounded.

Countrywide had spiraled into disaster as investors suddenly realized that many homeowners wouldn't be able to repay mortgages that required no proof of income or downpayment, and offered adjustable rates that made monthly payments unaffordable.

The Countrywide purchase in July 2008 made Bank of America a major player in the U.S. mortgage market. Regulators, meanwhile, portrayed Countrywide's huge size as the result of its executives single-minded pursuit of market dominance, even if it meant taking disastrous risks.

In the legal aftermath, Bank of America entered an $8.4 billion settlement with 12 states over Countrywide's lending practices. A class-action suit by former Countrywide shareholders cost the bank another $600 million. Bank of America has paid out more than $13 billion for investor claims related to mortgages.

Both acquisitions turned out to be "very troublesome" for Bank of America, said Bert Ely, a banking industry consultant based in Alexandria, Va. "They're still cleaning up the mess," Ely said, and likely will have to continue to deal with it for a few more years.

Bank of America's mortgage division hasn't turned an annual profit since 2007.

After years of gobbling up other companies, the bank has been shrinking, laying off employees and selling operations.

"The challenge is trying to right-size the company" and get its earnings up to snuff, Ely said. The bank "still is not a top-notch performer. It has got more work to do," he said.

Fitch Ratings said it views the settlement as "a positive step for (Bank of America) toward resolving its multitude of legal issues." However, the rating agency added, given that other legal issues remain, "we believe these will continue to create headwinds for the company over a near- to intermediate-term time horizon, from the perspective of both management attention and earnings generation."

Bank of America said Friday that it will pay for the settlement with existing litigation reserves and about $1.6 billion in litigation expense that will be recorded in its third quarter. The company cautioned that this expense, coupled with some other charges, is expected to lower its third-quarter earnings by about 28 cents per share.

Bank of America will report its third-quarter financial results on Oct. 17.

Shares of Bank of America Corp. fell 14 cents to $8.83 in trading Friday. It shares peaked for the past year at $10.10 on March 19 and traded as low as $4.91 in mid-December 2011.

__

Associated Press Writer Ann Sanner in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bank-america-pay-2-43b-settlement-125036643--finance.html

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Senior ally of former Ivory Coast president re-arrested in Ghana

(Reuters) - Interpol agents in Ghana have rearrested a senior ally of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo amid a deepening dispute that has led to the closure of the border between the two West African neighbors, his lawyer said late on Friday.

Ivorian authorities are seeking the extradition of Justin Kone Katinan, a former budget minister, who was first arrested in Ghana last month during a wave of deadly attacks in Ivory Coast that the government there blamed on pro-Gbagbo exiles.

A court in Ghana's capital Accra granted his release on bail on Tuesday, but Katinan's lawyer said he had been arrested again at his home on Friday afternoon.

"They picked him at about 5 pm (1.00 p.m. EDT) and sent him to the Interpol wing (of the police)," Patrick Sogbodjor, the lawyer, said, adding that he was worried his client could be summarily extradited to Ivory Coast.

"That should not happen without going to court. It is not the right way, however, it can happen," he told Reuters.

Ivory Coast shut its border with Ghana a week ago, saying that gunmen who attacked police and army installations in the Ivorian border town of Noe had crossed over from Ghanaian territory.

Katinan is being sought on one of around two dozen international arrest warrants issued by the government of President Alassane Ouattara last year following a brief war that killed more than 3,000 people.

The violence erupted after Gbagbo refused to accept Ouattara's internationally recognized victory in an election in late 2010.

While Gbagbo is currently awaiting trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, most of his senior political and military allies are either in jail in Ivory Coast or in exile, many in Ghana.

(Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; Editing by Joe Bavier and Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senior-ally-former-ivory-coast-president-arrested-ghana-231738961.html

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Apple Patents In-Screen Speakers, Flexible Displays And Tactile Keyboards For Future iPhones And iPads

Apple has published a new patent today, one that takes the possibilities for future iOS mobile devices and adds a whole heap of abilities seemingly ripped from sci-fi thanks to flexible display technology. Some of this we've seen before: tactile keyboards that essentially rise up to meet your fingers have long been a theoretically possible addition to screens, and there's been talk of Apple using them in the past. But a display that's also a built-in surround sound system? That's new.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/iJJHAdO4rWY/

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Thread: Not as long as some of you guys... - Family Woodworking

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?28510-Not-as-long-as-some-of-you-guys

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Gay couple sues after photo used in anti-gay flier - U.S. News

Tom Privitere and Brian Edwards, a married couple living in New Jersey, said their engagement photo was altered from the original by the group, Public Advocate of the United States, which opposes gay marriage, in mailers sent during campaigning for Republican statehouse seats in Colorado.

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News

Tom Privitere and Brian Edwards posed for their engagement photo, holding hands and kissing, in front of the Brooklyn Bridge in 2010. The image captured one of the happiest days of their lives. But earlier this year, their special moment was soured when the photo was used in two anti-gay mailers in Colorado.

On Wednesday, the couple and their photographer filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Colorado against Public Advocate of the United States, a nonprofit that opposes same-sex marriage. They are seeking a court order saying the group violated the law, damages, costs and attorney fees for the allegedly unauthorized use of the copyrighted photo.

---

?We want to take back the beautiful moment in our lives that was reflected in our engagement photo before it was hijacked,? Edwards, a 32-year-old college administrator living in Montclair, N.J., told NBC News on Monday before traveling to Colorado to file the lawsuit. ?We also ? want to take a stand for others who might be similarly targeted in the future.?

The couple, who met in New York in 2000, got engaged in December 2009. The next year in May, photographer Kristina Hill snapped their engagement photos. The pair married later that year in a civil ceremony in Connecticut.

?All that we did was what any other couple would do to mark their engagement and have these photos taken for family and friends to share our joy and our excitement and help people (see) what path we were taking toward our wedding,? said Privitere, 37. ?It was a great, great day for us.?

Kristina Hill/Kristina Hill Photography

This original engagement photo of Tom Privitere and Brian Edwards was taken on May 23, 2010. The couple married in Connecticut later that year.

The couple alleged that Public Advocate seized upon that personal moment to spread what Edwards called a ?message of hate? in two mailers it sent this spring during Republican primary races for the Colorado statehouse.

One of the mailers targeted State Sen. Jean White, who supported a bill that would have granted same-sex civil unions. Across the couple?s image were the words: ?State Senator Jean White?s Idea of ?Family Values??? The other one, aimed at House candidate Jeffrey Hare, read: ?Jeffrey Hare?s Vision for Weld County?? Both candidates lost their races.

For 1st time, gay marriage may win statewide vote
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Despite marriage progress, gay couples face big hurdles to parenthood
Conservatives target Republicans who back gay marriage

A friend alerted the couple to the mailers in late June. It?s not clear how Public Advocate got the photo, which the pair had posted to a blog about their engagement and impending nuptials. They say the group never asked the couple or Hill to use it.

Public Advocate did not immediately respond to emails or a phone call from NBC News seeking comment.

?The use of Tom and Brian?s likenesses, or of Kristina?s copyrighted photo, was wholly gratuitous,? said their attorney, Christine Sun, of the Southern Poverty Law Center. ?Public Advocate could have just paid for a stock photo of a gay couple kissing but instead Public Advocate decided to take this very personal photo of this happy moment and use it to attack gay people.?

? ? the doctrine of fair use is not intended to allow people to use copyrighted work just because it?s cheaper than paying for something,? she added.

The couple has experienced sleepless nights and anxiety since they learned of the mailer. They?re concerned about the impact of the mailers upon others who may have seen it, such as gay youth and families who may be struggling with accepting them.

?Colorado is a positive step in trying to right a wrong,? said Privitere, who works in entertainment ticketing. ?We?re nervous to be thrust into the public spotlight again. We?re nervous that we?re not going to represent our community the best that we can. But we?re going to do all that we can to try to fix or make this right.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/26/14098656-gay-couple-sues-after-photo-used-in-anti-gay-flier

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What Is Credit Counseling? Is It Right For You? | Fixing Bad Credit

Credit counseling is the practice of helping people make better decisions about their money. The counselors who work in this field are trained professionals who can assist you with creating a budget, getting a handle on your debts, or improving your credit. Many organizations offer credit counseling as a service, either in-person, online or over the phone.

Choosing a quality provider is important. Even though most counseling services are non-profits, this does not mean their services are free. This leads some unscrupulous people to pose as counseling agencies in order to collect fees. It is important to investigate counseling services thoroughly, especially those that offer sessions over the phone or online. The FTC has some suggestions about how to make sure a credit counseling organization is legitimate here.

Although many counseling agencies do collect fees on a sliding scale in order to cover their operating costs, don?t assume that you cannot afford to get help. Explain your situation, and a good counseling agency will work with you. They may offer free help, create a payment plan, or give you other latitude in payment. These organizations exist to offer aid with repairing your finances, and they want to help.

In most cases, credit counselors work with you to assess your financial needs and create a realistic budget. This involves assessing your income, debts, and living expenses and making a reasoned plan that you can stick to. They may provide information on new ways to manage your finances as well as an outside perspective on where you may be going wrong.

Another option that a counseling agency may offer is a Debt Management Plan (DMP). This is a program where all of your payments for unsecured debt such as student loans and credit cards go through the counseling agency. It may reduce your interest rate and fees, but does not necessarily. Some people find it very helpful for getting creditors off their backs, however.

A debt settlement program is different from a DMP. These programs claim to settle your debt for a smaller amount than what you owe. They can have long-term negative effects on your credit, and they can be financially risky. Some of them are outright scams. Be extremely cautious when considering either a DMP or a debt settlement plan, and contact your creditors directly to make sure they have agreed to the terms of either program.

Credit counseling is not really about fixing your credit, but it can help with the process considerably. Poor credit scores usually come from failing to make minimum payments and/or having a lot of debt. Putting together a plan and making future payments on time will significantly help you to repair your credit score.

Source: http://www.fixingbadcredit.org/what-is-credit-counseling/

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Should You Worry About Fraud When Buying a Home? | Nolo's Real ...

Various forms of real estate fraud are on the rise, the news tells us. The biggest one making headlines is ?collusion,? which we?re told affected fewer than 5% of real estate transactions before 2009, but doubled by 2010, and then fell only a little, to 6.8%, in 2011. (See ?Housing prices: Agents make houses sell for a lot less. On purpose,? by Schuyler Velasco of the Christian Science Monitor.)

Also called ?flopping,? this? form of fraud is not likely to affect you as a homebuyer ? it simply means that home sellers convince the bank to let them sell the house ?short? (for less than what?s owed on the mortgage), sometimes by tearing up the lawn, painting false cracks, and otherwise making it look bad; then they sell it to a friend or family member; then happily roll in profits when that person makes big bucks reselling the place a day or two later. The bank/lender is the primary victim of this crime.

Then there are the various schemes and scams that prey on homeowners having difficulty paying their mortgages; see, for example, the video ?ConsumerWatch: Real Estate Fraud On The Rise In Bay Area.?

But when it comes to simply buying a home, the type of fraud you should probably worry about the most concerns the seller?s representations about the house?s condition. In most U.S. states, sellers are required to fill out a disclosure statement, itemizing the house?s features and pointing out any known defects. (Even in those states that don?t legally require it, savvy buyers can negotiate to receive such a summary.) Unfortunately, the disclosure forms don?t require the seller to actually investigate the property, and they often contain opportunities to fudge an answer (such as the option to check a box saying ?unknown?), leading some sellers to turn a blind eye to problems.

That?s why any home buyer with an ounce of sense will also make the sale contingent upon the right to hire one or more home inspectors, and to be satisfied with the results of the inspectors? reports. A trained home inspector will examine the house from roof to basement, test the various working systems, and point out defects concerning everything from wiring to leakage to foundation issues.

Those two protective mechanisms, the disclosure report and home inspection, are usually enough to uncover the biggest problems with a house.

And yet . . . some home sellers manage to perpetrate more serious forms of fraud, even under the nose of the home inspector. Attorney Ken Goldstein of Massachusetts, for example, says: ??One of the most blatant cases I?ve seen was where, a few weeks after the sale, the new owners heard a crash from the basement. The ceiling?one of those drop structures with a metal framework and tiles fitting in the grid?had just collapsed. The tiles were all soaking wet. Suspiciously, an old kitchen pot was sitting within the wreckage. It turns out there was a leaking pipe up there, and the sneaky seller had apparently removed a tile and put in the pot. That worked to hide the problem through the closing date?but then the pot overfilled.?

Oops. When something like that happens, it?s time to read Nolo?s article on ?Home Defects: Sue the Seller??.

Source: http://blog.nolo.com/realestate/2012/09/25/should-you-worry-about-fraud-when-buying-a-home/

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Google: Maps not waiting in wings for iPhone 5

14 hrs.

Kevin Krolicki , Reuters

Google has made no move to provide Google Maps for the iPhone 5 after Apple?dropped the application in favor of a home-grown but controversial alternative, Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said.

Apple launched its own mapping service earlier this month when it began providing the highly anticipated update to its mobile software platform iOS 6 and started selling the iPhone 5.

But users have complained that Apple's new map service, based on Dutch navigation equipment and digital map maker TomTom's data, contains glaring geographical errors and lacks features that made Google Maps so popular.

"We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" Schmidt told a small group of reporters in Tokyo. "What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."

Schmidt said Google and Apple were in constant communication "at all kinds of levels." But he said any decision on whether Google Maps would be accepted as an application in the Apple App Store would have to be made by Apple.

"We have not done anything yet," he said.

Google and Apple were close partners with the original iPhone in 2007 and its inclusion of YouTube and Google Maps. But the ties between the two have been strained by the rise of Google's Android mobile operating system, now the world's leading platform for smartphones.

Schmidt said he hoped Google would remain Apple's search partner on the iPhone but said that question was up to Apple.

"I'm not doing any predictions. We want them to be our partner. We welcome that. I'm not going to speculate at all what they're going to do. They can answer that question as they see fit," he said.

Google provides Android free of charge and allows developers to add applications on an open basis, betting that by cultivating a bigger pool of users ??now at over 500 million globally ??it can make more money by providing search functions and selling advertising.

"Apple is the exception, and the Android system is the common model, which is why our market share is so much higher," Schmidt said, adding that success was often ignored by the media, which he said was "obsessed with Apple's marketing events and Apple's branding."

"That's great for Apple but the numbers are on our side," he said.

At one point, Schmidt, who was in Japan to announce the launch of Google's Nexus tablet here, used the device to show off a new function of Google Maps.

The feature allows users to shift their view of an area by moving the device in the air without touching the screen, similar to the effect of looking around.

"Take that Apple," he said, adding quickly, "That was a joke by the way."

(Writing by James Topham; Editing by Ryan Woo)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Click For Restrictions -?http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-maps-not-waiting-wings-iphone-5-1B6078691

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At Brooklyn Invitational, Disrupting Notions of Motorcycle Culture ...

A send-off to a long, hot summer was orchestrated on Sept. 22, as thousands of motorcyclists descended on the waterfront of North Williamsburg for the Brooklyn Invitational Custom Motorcycle Show. The attendance and variety of motorcycle culture on view further cemented the position of the show, in its fourth year, as among the most important in North America.

But this was no Sturgis or Laconia, those rallies given over to ponytails and patch-covered leather vests. The aesthetic of the Brooklyn Invitational is largely dictated by John Copeland, a fine arts painter; Keino Sasaki, owner of Keino Cycles, a custom bike shop in Brooklyn; and Jeffrey Schad, a professional photographer.

Mr. Copeland said the three started the event in 2008 because there ?was nothing happening on the East Coast, let alone New York City,? that showcased the kinds of design, style and attitude embraced by them and the builders they admired.

?We just were like, ?Why don?t we do it like a gallery show, where it?s like, look, this is the people that we respect, the work that we think is good, and do it in a different context,?? Mr. Copeland said.

The Invitational featured about two dozen builders invited from all over the country. California-based builders on hand included David Freston of Chopper Dave?s Casting Company in Long Beach; Max Schaaf of 4Q Conditioning in Oakland; and Scott Jones of Noise Cycles in Santa Ana, whose impossibly detailed black and gold 1959 pan-shovelhead Harley-Davidson was a crowd favorite.

The scope of the event has grown since its start at an indoor skate park in Greenpoint. Its first year, which featured 12 bikes, drew roughly 2,000 people, Mr. Copeland said. By 2011, attendance swelled to more than 5,000, and in a phone interview on Monday, Mr. Copeland estimated the crowd on Saturday at 10,000. What little money the event makes ? entry is free ? goes toward producing the next year?s Invitational.

?Everybody in here is doing this because they love it and it?s part of their heart and soul,? he added. ?They don?t have a choice. They?re going to do this, or they?re going to do nothing else.?

Held at Root, an expansive photo studio near the waterfront in North Williamsburg, the Invitational is a forum for motorcycle culture of a different stripe. Local bands Endless Boogie and Psychic Limb provided music, and Asahi peddled $3 cans of beer late into the night, without a trace of ZZ Top or Budweiser to be found.

But the centerpiece, unequivocally, was the bikes.

?This event is different than everything else,? said Mr. Freston of Chopper Dave?s, a repeat guest. His 1947 green and cream knucklehead Harley on display was a masterwork of postwar curves and latter-day minimalism.

?They?ve managed to make a bike event that somehow isn?t a bike event,? he added. ?It?s an art deal, but they?ve somehow crossed the two in a way that?s never been done before that works.?

Given its location just a few blocks from Bedford Avenue, the area?s main drag and a catwalk for New York?s postmillennial creatives, the hybrid is not surprising. The show?s tattooed, neatly coiffed attendees would have looked as comfortable in the dive bars and art studios of Bushwick as at a motorcycle show. The women attendees, unlike those at some other bike shows, were fully clothed.

Inside the crisp, white-walled gallery were pristine, hand-customized motorcycles surrounded by photographic prints. For all the fun inspired by bikes, beer and bands, the mood inside was also reverential. Builders discussed their craft before awed admirers, who crouched to get closer views and to snap photos on their mobile phones.

Outside, the cracked streets and sidewalks of the old waterfront, still wild and industrial, were thronged with bikers and their hundreds of bikes, some of which rivaled the machines inside for meticulousness and bravura.

?Three-quarters of this show is happening out on the street right now,? Jeff Wright, from Church of Choppers, in Des Moines, said. Mr. Wright, who also runs a blog of the same name, said he spent hundreds of hours building his bike: a red, white and blue, extended-fork 1979 shovelhead Harley that was a model of simple chopper elegance.

He appreciated the show because he was ?sick and tired? of events in what he described as the ?California? mold. The grittiness of the waterfront, with the sun setting behind Manhattan, was a perfect backdrop for a scrappy motorcycle show.

?That artwork that?s out there, it?s not flowers and green and palm trees,? he said.

Source: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/at-brooklyn-invitational-disrupting-notions-of-motorcycle-culture/

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My Novel Writing Odyssey ? This is your real mother speaking?

24 Sep 2012

by chalkdustfairy in Writing, The Welded Link, Influences/Sidebars, Blogging

?What?? I can hear some of you saying, ?Another random blog post? Where are these Chapters 27 and 28 she was supposedly holed-up re-writing??

Geez! I would say back (and have!). I have a bruise on my upper arm where one of you poked me for not having produced them yet, by the way. You know who you are.

I?M WORKING ON IT, OKAY? (All capitals designates yelling, for those of you who think I?m just a crappy typist?which I am, but that is beside the point!)?Seriously, though, it?s those of you who read The Welded Link who?ve kept me going and I really appreciate all of the support.

The operative word here is WORK (not yelling this time, just emphasizing). I?ve been mystified as to why these two chapters have been SO frickin? HARD (now I?m yelling) to write and I?ve come to the conclusion that the majority of The Welded Link came to me way too easily, as if I had dreamed it. ?You?re going to have to work for these chapters, sister!? the Almighty seems to be saying. And I think he means it. Have I just gotten lazy?

Looking back, I realized that I did work for every chapter. The difference is that it?wasn?t?so much work back then as it was obsession, and I loved every minute of it. I must have read twenty-five?books as part of my research; several of them about fishing, Astoria, Oregon, the Columbia River and religion, and twelve of those about Iceland and Icelanders in particular; their culture, literature, cooking, language and history. I own the 782 page tome, The Sagas of the Icelanders and the two disc Teach Yourself Icelandic. I spent months listening to Icelandic radio while I wrote, just to get a feel for the rhythm of the language.

I spent untold hours researching online, reading newspaper articles in an Astoria museum and traveling up and down the streets of that town. I?ve driven the roads and walked the piers and the beaches. I ate, drank and slept these characters and their story for over two years. It was an ?awesome high.

I was thinking about one of the few negative experiences I had during that time as I pulled out Chapters 27 and 28 today. In my past online research I had found notation of a piece of information that would have been extremely helpful to me, particularly with Chapter 28. When I emailed the woman with the historical information I was looking for, explaining what I was doing, her reply was ?There?s already been a story like that.? She further denied the existence of the information I was asking about. Afterward, I did a little research and it turns out she was the author of (what was in her mind) ?the only book that ever needed to be written? on the subject! The only thing my story had in common with hers was that it involved an Icelander.

I was annoyed, but there was a lesson to be learned there. The lesson was never, ever let someone or something discourage you from doing what it is that you have set out to do. Work around them. Work in spite of them. Work through, around or over whatever is standing in your way- and do not quit until you have achieved what you set out to do.

I?m feeling some of that old fire return as I ponder these chapters and thumb through my notes, and it feels good. It?s true that the best way to appreciate a thing is not to have it for awhile. It?s been months since I felt that passion for my story.

I can see what I need to do now. I can?t believe I didn?t see it before, it?s so obvious. Chapter 28 should be woven into Chapter 27, the past mixed in with the present. It?s the perfect solution for most of the problems. That?s not to say that there won?t be more work involved, because there will, but I?m feeling my stubbornness and OCD kicking in, in a good way!

Who says the last, best definitive story has already been written? Some lady in Utah? I don?t think so! There must be as many possible variations as there are snowflakes. I?m not going to let some silly old bat discourage me. I?m not going to let a missing piece of research stop me from recreating a vital scene. I?m not going to let my shortcomings as a writer, my insecurities and ?fears about how the story will be received get the better of me anymore. This is my story and I?m going to tell it.

Source: http://thisisyourrealmotherspeaking.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/my-novel-writing-odyssey/

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Robert Pattinson Reunites With Kristen Stewart On Trial Basis

Robert Pattinson Reunites With Kristen Stewart On Trial Basis

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have reunited for a month to see how things go. The couple split over the summer when Kristen was caught [...]

Robert Pattinson Reunites With Kristen Stewart On Trial Basis Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/09/robert-pattinson-reunites-with-kristen-stewart-on-trial-basis/

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