Thursday, April 25, 2013

Officials: Suspect admits role in bombings

BOSTON (AP) ? The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings acknowledged to the FBI his role in the attacks but did so before he was advised of his constitutional right to keep quiet and seek a lawyer, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Once Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was read his rights on Monday, he immediately stopped talking, according to four officials of both political parties who were briefed on the interrogation but insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private.

After roughly 16 hours of questioning, investigators were surprised when a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney's office entered the hospital room and read Tsarnaev his rights, the four officials and one law enforcement official said. Investigators had planned to keep questioning him.

It is unclear whether any of this will matter in court since the FBI says Tsarnaev confessed to a witness and U.S. officials said Wednesday that physical evidence, including a 9 mm handgun and pieces of a remote-control device commonly used in toys, was recovered from the scene.

But the debate over whether suspected terrorists should be read their Miranda rights has become a major sticking point in the debate over how best to fight terrorism. Many Republicans, in particular, believe Miranda warnings are designed to build court cases, and only hinder intelligence gathering.

Christina DiIorio Sterling, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, said in an email, "This remains an ongoing investigation and we don't have any further comment."

Before being advised of his rights, the 19-year-old suspect told authorities that his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, only recently had recruited him to be part of the attack, two U.S. officials said.

The CIA, however, named Tamerlan to a terrorist database 18 months ago, officials said Wednesday, an acknowledgment that will undoubtedly prompt congressional inquiry about whether investigators took warnings from Russian intelligence officials seriously enough.

The U.S. officials who discussed the terrorist database and other details of the investigation are in addition to those who discussed the Miranda warning. They were close to the investigation and insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case with reporters.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whom authorities have described as the driving force behind the plot, was killed in a shootout with police. Dzhokhar is recovering in a hospital from injuries suffered during a getaway attempt.

Authorities had previously said Dzhokhar exchanged gunfire with them for more than an hour Friday night before they captured him inside a boat covered by a tarp in a suburban Boston neighborhood backyard. But two U.S. officials said Wednesday that he was unarmed when captured, raising questions about the gunfire and how he was injured.

More than 4,000 mourners at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology paid tribute to a campus police officer who authorities say was gunned down by the bombing suspects.

Among the speakers in Cambridge, just outside Boston, was Vice President Joe Biden, who condemned the bombing suspects as "two twisted, perverted, cowardly, knockoff jihadis."

Investigators have said the brothers appeared to have been radicalized through jihadist materials on the Internet and have found no evidence tying them to a terrorist group.

Dzhokhar told the FBI that they were angry about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there, officials said.

Dzhokhar's public defender had no comment on the matter Wednesday. His father has called him a "true angel," and an aunt has insisted he's not guilty.

Investigators have found pieces of remote-control equipment among the debris and were analyzing them, officials said. One official described the detonator as "close-controlled," meaning it had to be triggered within several blocks of the bombs.

That evidence could be key to the court case. And an FBI affidavit said one of the brothers told a carjacking victim during their getaway attempt, "Did you hear about the Boston explosion? I did that."

Officials also recovered a 9 mm handgun believed to have been used by Tamerlan from the site of a Thursday night gunbattle that injured a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer, two U.S. officials said.

The officials told the AP that no gun was found in the boat. Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis said earlier that shots were fired from inside the boat.

Asked whether the suspect had a gun in the boat, Davis said, "I'm not going to talk about that."

Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, did respond to the report.

"Within half a mile of where this person was captured, a police officer was shot. And I know who shot him." Schwartz said. "And there were three bombs that went off, and I know where those bombs came from. ... To me, it does not change anything. This guy was captured alive and will survive. True or not true, it doesn't change anything for me."

The suspects' parents, Anzor Tsarnaev and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, plan to fly to the U.S. from Russia on Thursday, the father was quoted as telling the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The family has said it wants to take Tamerlan's body back to Russia.

In Russia, U.S. investigators traveled to the predominantly Muslim province of Dagestan and were in contact with the brothers' parents, hoping to gain more information.

Investigators are looking into whether Tamerlan, who spent six months in Russia's turbulent Caucasus region in 2012, was influenced by the religious extremists who have waged an insurgency against Russian forces in the area for years. The brothers have roots in Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya but had lived in the U.S. for about a decade.

While in the U.S., the brothers received welfare benefits.

The Office of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts confirmed a Boston Herald report Wednesday that Tamerlan, his wife and daughter had received welfare benefits up until last year, when he became ineligible based on family income.

The state also says Tamerlan and his brother received welfare benefits as children through their parents while the family lived in Massachusetts.

Neither was receiving benefits at the time of the bombing.

At MIT, bagpipes wailed as students, faculty and staff members and throngs of law enforcement officials paid their respects to MIT police Officer Sean Collier, who was ambushed in his cruiser three days after the bombing.

Biden told the Collier family that no child should die before his or her parents, but that, in time, the grief will lose some of its sting.

"The moment will come when the memory of Sean is triggered and you know it's going to be OK," Biden said. "When the first instinct is to get a smile on your lips before a tear to your eye."

The vice president also sounded a defiant note.

"The purpose of terror is to instill fear," he said. "You saw none of it here in Boston. Boston, you sent a powerful message to the world."

In another milestone in Boston's recovery, the area around the marathon finish line was reopened to the public, with fresh cement still drying on the repaired sidewalk. Delivery trucks made their way down Boylston Street under a heavy police presence, though some damaged stores were still closed.

"I don't think there's going to be a sense of normalcy for a while," Tom Champoux, who works nearby, said as he pointed to the boarded-up windows. "There are scars here that will be with us for a long time."

___

Jakes and Dozier reported from Washington. Associated Press writers David Crary, Bridget Murphy and Bob Salsberg in Boston, Lynn Berry in Moscow and Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Tucker, Pete Yost and Eileen Sullivan in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-suspect-stopped-talking-miranda-044858309.html

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Friday, March 8, 2013

New Description of Truck That Followed and Shot Florida Sikh

New Description of Truck That Followed and Shot Florida Sikh
Gurdwara Sets up the Kanwaljit Singh Fund

By Anju Kaur, SikhNN staff writer, Washington Bureau
Posted: Thursday, March 07, 2013 | 05:13 pm

The vehicle involved in the shooting of Kanwaljit Singh of Port Orange, Florida, is a Chevrolet S-10 or GMC Sonoma-style truck, which differs from the initial description of the larger Ford truck that was circulated earlier, police said today.

Port Orange police detectives have obtained multiple surveillance videos showing Kanwaljit Singh?s car being followed by the suspect truck from International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach to the area where the shooting occurred on Dunlawton Bridge, the March 6 police report says.

Kanwaljit Singh was followed for about 10 miles, Capt. David Meyer told SikhNN. He had closed his new convenience store and was heading home.

Just before midnight on Feb. 23, police responded to a 911 call from Kanwaljit Singh saying he had been shot.

According to the first police report on Feb 26, the shooting occurred on the bridge while Kanwaljit Singh was driving westbound. The suspect truck pulled alongside his 2005 Ford Focus and fired multiple shots. Six were found in the driver?s side of the car. Two hit Kanwaljit Singh, one in the thigh and one in the lower torso.

The truck attempted to turn around and come after him again, said Navtej Singh Khalsa, Southeast regional director for the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and a family friend from the same area, in a previous interview. But it then fled westbound on Dunlawton Avenue and then turned southbound on Halifax Drive.

Kanwaljit Singh?s 13-year-old son was in the passenger seat and watched the entire incident unfold. He was not hurt.

The initial description was based on information received by the victim?s son, but it was during a ?tense moment when everything was going on,? Meyer said. ?The son is (now) in agreement (after) seeing the videos.?

Separate videos show a single-cab, dark blue or black truck, Meyer said. They also show that the license plate is on the right rear bumper, not as typically positioned in the center of the bumper, the police report says.

The surveillance video obtained from the police and published on SikhNN shows the light colored 2005 Ford Focus, the second car to drive by, followed by the truck, a few seconds later.

Kanwaljit Singh pulled over on the shoulder of the bridge and realized he had been shot, the earlier police report says. He called 911 at approximately 11:50 p.m. as he drove to the 200 block of Dunlawton Avenue where he pulled off to the side of the road. He was transported to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach.

Kanwaljit Singh came home on Tuesday. He is still recovering from the surgeries, and taking some calls from media. They are mostly doing ?human interest stories,? Navtej Singh said today. Navtej Singh also was part of a broadcast news story and took the opportunity to educate the public about Sikhs, he said.

Kanwaljit Singh?s wife is now running their convenience story, but only limited hours. His son also tries to help.

?She is concerned about their financial wellbeing,? Navtej Singh added. They do not have any health insurance. And with her husband unable to work, it is difficult to make ends meet.
?They had invested quite a bit into store,? he said. They just opened it about two weeks earlier. The local gurdwara, the Sikh Society of Central Florida, in Oviedo, has started a fund for the family.

Police are investigating this as a possible hate crime and believe that Kanwaljit Singh was shot because of his religiously mandated unshorn beard and turban. The FBI is assisting the Port Orange Police Department in the investigation.

_________________________

Any information on this vehicle or crime can be forwarded to Detective Jeff Wenzel at (386) 506-5884 or email jwenzel@port-orange.org.

To make a donation to the family, send a check to:
The Sikh Society of Central Florida
2527 W. State Road 426
Oviedo, FL 32765
c/o Kanwaljit Singh Fund

Source: http://www.sikhnn.com/headlines/2466/new-description-truck-followed-and-shot-florida-sikh

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'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Gets Taken Down A Notch By Honest Trailers

The love story of Shovelface and Mouth Breather comes to an end in the final installment of Honest Trailer's take on "The Twilight Saga," "Breaking Dawn." The hilarious takedown of the final two "Twilight" movies doesn't just mock Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, but also the Cullens, the "Snow Dogs" and the fact that vampires [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/07/twilight-breaking-dawn-honest-trailers/

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Twitter updates mobile apps with better search, improved browsing

Twitter has updated the search and web browsing capabilities for its official iOS and Android apps and its mobile website.

The tweet tweak, announced by the company on Wednesday, builds on the ability to capture "important Twitter moments" by showcasing older, notable tweets within search results. Wednesday's update brings a Top Tweet from the past while also allowing users to "view more from this time"

On its official blog the company wrote: "We recently introduced the ability to see older tweets in search results. Now when you search for important Twitter moments, you may see a Top Tweet separate from the rest of the results. This Tweet is the best match for your query based on relevance and engagement. To see additional Tweets from this time period, tap on ?View more from this time.? Try searching for ?four more years? or ?deep challenge? on your phone to see an example."

Another improvement involves the app's built-in web browser. Now, when users click a web link or load a video from within a tweet, the original tweet will also be visible at the foot of the screen.

The company says keeps the webpage in context for readers (and viewers) and allows them to easily quote, retweet or reply to the post without returning to their timeline.

"If you don?t want to see the Tweet, simply tap the page and the Tweet will slide away from view. By pulling up or down on the tray icon, the Tweet will appear or disappear from view," wrote software engineer Nick Takayama.

The update, which also features an improved auto-complete mechanism, comes in a week when Twitter has come under fire for removing support for the popular TweetDeck app it bought in 2011.

As it continues to discourage access from anything but its official suite of apps, Twitter will need to continue rolling out new and enticing features for its mobile apps to prevent users seeking alternatives.

Source: http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/twitter-updates-mobile-apps-with-better-search-improved-browsing

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

"Second Chance Animal" group rescue horses from animal cruelty

Published: Mar 5, 2013 at 9:00 AM PST
"Second Chance Animal" group rescue horses from animal cruelty ?Play Video
Starving colt rescued.
PECK, ID - There is outrage from animal lovers after three young horses starved to death in Clearwater County.

This is a Facebook picture from the animal rescue group, "Second Chance Animal." Allegedly, this horse was one of three that recently perished due to in-humane treatment. The animals were originally on a property in the Peck area, and then moved to Clearwater county.

Police said these horses were under weight and lived in deplorable conditions. It is still unconfirmed Monday night just how much the Clearwater county sheriff's office knew about the case, or the owner.
Deputies said an investigation is on-going.

Source: http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/Horses-suffer-animal-cruelty--195273941.html

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Skating to where the customers are going to be

"Skating to where the puck is going to be" is an old Wayne Gretzky saying that Steve Jobs once quoted, and so it gets rehashed a lot when discussing Apple's strategy for moving into new markets. Typically that's with hardware like iPhone, iPad, or potential hardware like the rumored iWatch, or with features like iTunes, AirPlay or Passbook. It's also an apt way to describe Apple's commercial strategy.

Time was, if you wanted to buy an Apple product, you had to search out one of the few, though often incredibly enthusiastic authorized resellers, or scour the dusty back shelves of a department retailer. Then Apple started building Apple Stores. They gave customers a place to go, and provided them with a great experience when they got there. But it wasn't enough. Even with stores in the hundreds, not everyone had one conveniently nearby. Apple Online could ship almost anywhere, but getting real products in real stores would take more. Apple knew that, so they built-out "stores within stores" at big boxes. And they kept going, getting their consumer devices on the shelves of popular electronics stores, megamarts, and this year, office depots.

They even made an Apple Store app because a growing segment of the market doesn't even go to the web anymore. They go to apps.

Apple's early retail strategy was unfocused and ineffective. They stepped back, regrouped, carefully built out something that could not only scale, but adapt, and then they began to deploy.

Time was, if you wanted to see Apple's ads you had to catch them on TV, hunt through Apple.com, or search out a bootleg online. Transformative campaigns like Think Different, Get a Mac, and App for That either required you to seek them out in unfriendly, hard-to-share formats, or suffer through a version uploaded at low quality, often with ancillary ads, commentary or agendas. Now Apple has a YouTube channel where they upload not only their own ads, but promotional videos and keynotes as well, in good quality, often the same day they air on TV or at events.

Even though it's owned by one of Apple's biggest competitors, Google, it's also the second biggest search engine in the world, enjoys massive mainstream awareness, and is almost a community unto itself.

Time was, if you wanted media and apps from Apple you had to go to iTunes and the App Store. Now iTunes is on Facebook, and Apple has multiple Twitter accounts for everything from movie trailers to podcasts, music to apps. They've even begun featuring iBooks inside the popular social reader, Flipboard.

Apple figured out that people coming to their stores were likely already customers, and already predisposed to buy. Putting their wares on social networks allowed them to push beyond the boundaries of their web site and devices, to where potential customers could be found. A like or a re-tweet here, and chance flip there, and someone who may not have even thought about visting an Apple Store or buying something suddenly sees a link, and maybe, curiously, clicks or taps on it.

Some have criticized Apple for these moves, accused them of devaluing their brand or tarnishing the premium aura of their products. By like Daring Fireball's John Gruber has often said, Apple is all about mainstream luxury. The iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and everything that rounds out the product line, has never been about snooty exclusivity but about exceptionally well made accessibility.

People used to joke, sometimes disparagingly, about seeing Apple products at the local quicky mart. That's not a joke. It's just constrained to gift cards. For now.

Apple is skating hard, not just to where their customers are, but to where they're customers are going to be.

Note to devs: I said YouTube instead of video because not putting your app videos on YouTube is like making your website exclusive to Bing. Apple's on YouTube for a reason. You should be too.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/jgBvc8Elqog/story01.htm

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Tuesday's Three Burning Legal Questions - Legal Blog Watch

Tuesday's Three Burning Legal Questions

Here are today's?three burning legal questions, along with the answers provided by the blogosphere.

1. Question:?I just entered the court for my argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, but all of the judges present for the argument are from the Third Circuit. Am I in the wrong place? Am I being Punk'd?

Answer:?No, sometimes every?judge serving on a federal appellate court finds it necessary to recuse themself from an appeal pending in their court, and federal appellate judges serving on a neighboring circuit will be assigned to sit by designation to resolve the appeal.?(How Appealing,?Third Circuit judges to decide Second Circuit case)

2. Question:?I just saw the security guards at my local Wal-Mart chasing some guy around the parking lot. Honestly, I'm not even sure why they are chasing him but count me in! I am carrying a concealed weapon -- can I fire a few shots at the guy's car so that the car will be?marked for the police?

Answer:?No, sir, your?life is not in immediate danger nor are you trying to defend someone else whose life is being threatened. Shooting up the car will get you charged with?charged with aggravated assault and shooting into an occupied vehicle. (The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Police: Shopper shoots at fleeing Walmart shoplifting suspect's car)

3. Question:?I'm a mine worker. Can my fellow workers and I create an underground mine Harlem Shake video??

Answer:?No, you will likely all end up getting fired for?breaching the mining company's "core values of safety, integrity and excellence." (Reuters,?Australian miners fired for dancing the Harlem Shake underground)

Posted by Bruce Carton on March 5, 2013 at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Source: http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2013/03/tuesdays-three-burning-legal-questions.html

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Cookbook review: The Bowler's Meatball Cookbook | Urban Pundit

urbanpundit stars 5.2
Bowler 1Recipe Tested:
Beef and Chorizo Balls
Suggested prep and cook time: 50 mins
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: 3/10

Choosing the specific recipe from ?The Bowler?s Meatball Cookbook? was the hardest task in reviewing this book. There is a choice of fish, meat and veggie balls, all of which looked extra tasty, however my dining guests were meat eating fish haters so I chose the Beef and Chorizo Balls with confit garlic mayonnaise, a thoroughly good choice.

What you need:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 shallots finely chopped
1 large free range egg (beaten)
500g beef chuck steak, minced
200g cooking chorizo, diced
400g white rice cooked (uncooked 100g)
200g Manchego cheese
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
100g breadcrumbs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Bowler 2Before you start, make sure you have cooked the rice and chopped everything as this will help to save time. Start by cooking the shallots on a low heat for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir for another 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Then, add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix with your hands until it?s all combined.The Bowler adds a nice little piece of advice to check the flavour; make a small patty and fry it off, then taste it. This way you can decide how much seasoning you want, however I?d say the recipe is spot on.

Next, line two baking trays with non stick baking parchment (works a treat, don?t use foil!) and cook at 220 degrees Celsius or gas mark 7 for 30 minutes and Bob?s your uncle! I served these ones as suggested, with the confit garlic mayonnaise which can be made from scratch (do it before the meatballs though, as the process takes a while) and rocket. ?I then sprinkled some of the Manchego cheese on top and served them with gherkins on ciabatta. It is as scrumptious as it sounds. The book has a lovely section at the back on the sauces and accompaniments, such as the confit garlic mayonnaise I used and Jerusalem artichoke gratin (which I really want to try), so you can make proper meatball banquets.

Bowler 3The recipe is easy, fairly quick and extremely tasty. The chorizo makes the meatballs flavoursome and adds another layer of texture, making them anything but bland. These are fillers though, so don?t be surprised if you can?t finish 4 ? I tried and failed. These would be great for a dinner party as they are quick and can be served on a bun, rather than with the usual pasta (yawn). The meatballs also work brilliantly as next day leftovers, as there were so many I had them for lunch cold with rocket and harissa cous cous and it hit the spot!
finished ballsJez Felwick is the Bowler, and he rides around the country in the Lawn Ranger (his grass covered van) serving meatballs to the masses. A regular on the London street food scene, Jez also makes appearances at farmers markets and festivals throughout the summer. If you want to find Jez and the Lawn Ranger then follow him on twitter @TheBowlerUK.

For more street food suggestions check out some of the things you can find at KERB Kings Cross.?

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Source: http://urbanpundit.view.co.uk/cookbook-review-the-bowlers-meatball-cookbook/

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FM asks difficult questions, India Inc keeps mum | Firstpost

The Finance Minister asked two rather difficult questions of captains of India Inc this afternoon: why are investments in industry drying up and why is there all round hesitation to declare actual income and therefore pay tax.

Mr Finance Minister, India Inc may be able to explain away the first question but it is unlikely that your second one will ever be answered truthfully.

PTI

Were you kidding us when you gave such an insignificant number of the super rich who pay taxes? PTI

It is a time tested practice in India to evade tax, else why would only 42,800 people from among 1.2 billion Indians confess to earning over Rs 1 crore in taxable income?

Were you kidding us when you gave such an insignificant number of the super rich who pay taxes?

P Chidambaram was at his candid best today when he said this number was given out deliberately to shock people during the Budget speech on Friday.

We are shocked sir. We remain in shock. You have stated something every Indian already knows: that our income tax compliance record is abysmal. Now, what are you doing about it?

Chidambaram has been trying to instil the fear of god, or more accurately the fear of the income tax inspector in the super rich, saying all high value transactions are being monitored. And today he let out yet another statistic: already 35,000 tax default notices have been sent out and another 35,000 notices are in the process of being sent out.? Only 70,000 defaulters? Are you kidding me?

He said during an interaction with industry chambers this afternoon that when he was a lawyer, he religiously declared his income and paid tax. Sir, how does this encourage anyone to follow your example?

Shouldn?t we be strengthening tax compliance laws instead?

On income tax refund arrears, he said in between April-February of the current fiscal, the tax department has given 69,000 refunds, against 84,000 given in the corresponding period last year.

But coming back to the FM?s first question of investments drying up, not one of the industry captains present today had an answer on why investments have dried up.

This, despite the Budget proposing a 15 percent investment allowance for companies investing Rs 100 crore in plant and machinery, over and above depreciation.

All Ficci president Naina Lal Kidwai came up with was a plea to reduce corporate tax rate which now stands at about 36 percent.

Chidambaram has taken up cudgels to bring back investment. He is planning extensive interactions with local industry representatives in the NCR region, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata shortly to figure out what is needed to spur investment.

Thereafter, he will begin wooing foreign investors during his visits to US, Canada and Japan between April and May this year.

All in all, the FM was quite candid in today?s interaction, rejecting several industry demands outright:

1) On SUVs: On hike in excise duty on Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) from 27 percent to 30 percent, he said the increase will not dampen demand and was levied because 98 percent SUVs run on diesel, a fuel the government subsidises. The 3 percentagepoint excise increase is the government?s way of recovering the diesel subsidy from SUV owners.

2) On fleet modernisation: Again, the FM brushed this aside. Why should the government incentivise someone who has already used his vehicle beyond depreciation, he wanted to know

3) on MAT: This debate was close some years back, he said brusquely and there was no case for reopening the debate at all.

4) Fear of tax men: There is no interface nor any plans for introducing an interface between IT officials and assessees. So there was no need to relook into the IT compliance norms

5) Royalty: Why should Indian companies not be taxed when they repatriate profits as royalty and not as dividends, he wanted to know. Anyway, the tax on royalty is within the DTAA norms.

Not only was the FM advising India Inc liberally, he also had a word of advice for RBI Governor Subbarao: reduce interest rates.

?I hope interest rate will come down, RBI Governor will have to take a call, we have done all we can on the fiscal side.?

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/business/fm-asks-difficult-questions-india-inc-keeps-mum-648031.html

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US town once home to exiled Soviet dissident Solzhenitsyn OKs exhibit in his honour at church

CAVENDISH, Vt. - Residents of a small town that was the home of exiled Soviet dissident author Alexander Solzhenitsyn for nearly two decades have decided to create an exhibit honouring him.

About 70 voters at Monday night's Town Meeting in Cavendish overwhelmingly decided the town should take over a historic stone church to house the exhibit for the Nobel Literature laureate.

Preservationists will examine the church, particularly its roof, in the spring, once all the snow has melted, and the exhibit should be ready by next year, Cavendish Historical Society co-ordinator Margo Caulfield said. The church likely will need minor repairs and cosmetic work, but events should be able to be held there almost immediately, she said.

Solzhenitsyn lived in Cavendish from 1977 to 1994 and died in Russia in 2008. His house in Cavendish is still lived in by his son, pianist and conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and his family.

The Town Meeting, residents' annual decision-making gathering, was the venue where Solzhenitsyn addressed his new neighbours when he arrived in Cavendish.

Solzhenitsyn, who had spent eight years in prison and labour camps for criticizing Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, said he chose Cavendish for its resemblance to his homeland and its small-town personality.

"I like very much the simple way of life and the population here, the simplicity and the human relationship," he said then. "I like the countryside, and I like the climate with the long winter and the snow, which reminds me of Russia."

Solzhenitsyn wrote his best-known works, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" and "The Gulag Archipelago," based on his years imprisoned, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970.

The exhibit would include videos of Solzhenitsyn talking about his years in Cavendish. The impetus for the project came last summer when the town had little to offer a group of Russian tourists who expected a monument in their countryman's honour, Caulfield said.

The church that will be used for the exhibit was built in 1844 under the leadership of renowned abolitionist the Rev. Warren Skinner and was decommissioned in the 1960s. Church leaders offered to donate it to the town of 1,300 residents last year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-town-once-home-exiled-soviet-dissident-solzhenitsyn-064358674.html

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Tips To Help You Manage Your Stress Levels | Self Help Hypnosis

It is common to feel overwhelmed at times. This kind of pressure can lead to feelings that are hard to endure. You will need some help to feel better when stress is getting the better of you.

Try drinking a tonic for stress relief. Explore natural medicines as a way to combat stress and anxiety. These natural remedies have proven to be both safe and effective at helping fight off stress and anxiety. Try the herb Kava, which has been shown in some studies that it works like alprazolam, better known as Xanax.

Devise a plan for your day, and do your best to stick with it. A haphazard approach to your day give will give you a greater chance of encountering stress. By keeping an organized schedule, you will know exactly what your day contains, and what your responsibilities are.

Smile often, and you will not be as affected by stressful situations. When you smile, the muscles used stimulate the limbic system, also known as the emotional center of the brain. So smiling can really be considered a valid solution to the stress in your daily life, as it helps your limbic system generate feelings of calmness.

Remind the people in your life that they are not the direct cause of the stress in your life. Spouses and children often think that they have acted in a way that is upsetting to you. Your stress should be your problem, and you should never displace it onto those around you who you love the most.

A nice, relaxing cup of tea is an excellent tension tamer. Green or black teas infused with chamomile, honey, or lemon are effective at reducing stress. Allow the tea to steep for at least 10 minutes to fully maximize their strength. Drink a cup of these in the morning or in the evening before you set off to bed.

An effective method of stress reduction is to engage in exercise. Going for a walk or a jog can be a simple way to release stress. As you exercise, endorphins kick in. The great thing about endorphin release is the calming effect it has on you. Your body will remove stress causing toxins when you are exercising as well.

You don't have to take on the weight of the world. The above article has given you some very useful techniques for kicking stress out of your life. The first step is yours to take now.

Do you need some stress relief? Sometimes things get to the stage where you think your brain might explode. Or you feel overwhelmed, emotional and tired. Wash away built-up stress with Instant Stress Relief.

Source: http://selfhelphypnosis.co.uk/tips-to-help-you-manage-your-stress-levels-3

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Silicon Valley Has Hit Peak Lameness

virool-6Hey Bros of Virool, I know you think it’s cool that your launch party is being written up in TechCrunch.?But seriously, half-naked girls in silver mono-kinis dancing in front of floating arithmetic, fractions and percentage signs? Why would women want to work for this company? When did Silicon Valley become so thin on actual technology that startups had to have ?nerd? or ?science?-themed parties to have cred? You’re YC-backed for chissake. How much of your $6 million round went into hiring contortionists? What would Jessica Livingston think? P.S. In case anyone thinks Jack McKenna doesn’t know how to party, Jack McKenna thought of this post while dancing in a “rave cave” at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Because Jack McKenna rolls all weekend long. Sans fake hand and tentacle fingers. Update:?Virool’s CEO Alexander Debelov?responds?in a comment below. He says that Virool didn’t spend any investor money on the party, is profitable and is on a multi-million dollar annualized runrate. [Editor's note: In further discussions with Virool, the company made clear that 1) this was a theme party around a popular video it had helped make viral, 2) it is making more money in a day than what the party had cost, and 3) many of its investors had attended and were pleased with the company's progress so far. The party was also planned by a woman, and the company did not intend to demean women in any way.] That’s great. But success shouldn’t mean throwing parties full of hired girls. Many tech companies like Facebook and Airbnb had, erm, questionable parties in their very early days, but they learned and they grew up. Virool should too. ?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/RlzM0lLZzXg/

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Enamored With Social Media Marketing? Don't Forget Search and ...

Social media marketing is top of mind with everyone today and for good reason. It?s new(ish) and it?s exciting. It?s also the hip and ?in thing? to be associated with if you are a marketer.

The question to ask yourself though is this, ?Is my concentration on social media marketing taking my efforts away from places that, while much less sexy, have the majority of Internet users using them??

Sadly, if many marketers are being honest, the answer would be yes. Money is being redistributed within online budgets to pay for social media ads because the big players like Facebook and Twitter are pushing it hard. Why? They need revenue and lots of it. At what price? Just look at the impact changes at Facebook regarding advertising have had on engagement for one New York Times writer.

So what might marketers be overlooking in this rush to be all things social? Good old search and email marketing. These numbers from eMarketer around the adoption rate of both are hard to ignore.

FOR EMAIL

US Email Users 2012 to 2017

FOR SEARCH

US Search Engine Users 2012 to 2017

Granted, if you look at the fine print for these results the parameters for these numbers are pretty loose in that all that is required to be counted is that a person look at email or use search at least once a month. How many people use these things that infrequently though? Not many.

The takeaway here is that marketers must make sure that while they need to be at the leading edge of what is considered the ?future of marketing? it should never be at the expense of what might work best in the present. Balance between the ?tried and true? and the ?new and exciting? should be struck to ensure that marketers are not leaving money on either table.

How do you feel about the old standards of search and email marketing? Are they something that will start to fade in favor of social or is social simply another way to reach a market and should be treated accordingly?

Source: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2013/03/enamored-with-social-media-marketing-dont-forget-search-and-email.html

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Currency vs. Rates Yo! | Wall Street Oasis

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We use Web log information to design our Web site, identify popular features, and in similar ways. We do not try to identify individuals from Web logs or to link Web logs to other user information. However, if someone tries to damage our Web site or use it in an unauthorized or illegal way, we may share Web log information with law enforcement agencies. The Company may provide aggregate information such as the number of users who visit particular pages of the site, or the number of people who link to certain external sites from our site, to other parties.

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While our philosophy of protecting user information from inappropriate uses and disclosures will not change, this policy will be updated occasionally to include any change that materially affects the collection, maintenance, use, or disclosure of personal information.

Source: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/currency-vs-rates-yo

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Recovery effort ends for Florida man presumed dead in sinkhole

SEFFNER, Florida (Reuters) - Florida rescue workers have ended their efforts to recover the body of a man who disappeared into a sinkhole that swallowed his bedroom while he slept in a suburban Tampa home, and the house will be demolished, a public safety official said on Saturday.

Jeff Bush, 36, who is presumed dead, was asleep when the other five members of the household who were getting ready for bed on Thursday night heard a loud crash and Jeff screaming.

"Our data has come back, and there is absolutely no way we can do any kind of recovery without endangering lives of workers," said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico.

She said demolition of the home would begin early on Sunday.

Authorities had not detected any signs of life using listening devices and cameras at the scene.

"There's nothing compatible with life in this situation," Damico said. "There's no way of possible survival."

Jeff Bush's brother, 35-year-old Jeremy Bush, had feared his brother was lost after jumping into the hole and furiously digging in an effort to find him.

"I thank the Lord for not taking my daughter and the rest of my family," Jeremy said on Saturday.

Jeremy himself had to be rescued from the sinkhole by the first responder to the emergency call, Douglas Duvall of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. When Duvall entered Jeff Bush's bedroom, all he saw was a widening chasm but no sign of Jeff.

"The hole took the entire bedroom," said Duvall. "You could see the bedframe, the dresser, everything was sinking," he said.

Norman Wicker, 48, the father of Jeremy's fianc?e who also lived in the house, ran to get a flashlight and shovel.

"It sounded like a car ran into the back of the house," Wicker said.

(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien and Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-man-feared-dead-sinkhole-swallows-him-015434162.html

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Satellite detects third radiation belt around Earth

NASA's twin Van Allen Probes caught the temporary formation of an third ring of high-energy particles in the Van Allen radiation belts.

By Nancy Atkinson,?Universe Today / March 1, 2013

Two giant swaths of radiation, known as the Van Allen Belts, surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958. In 2012, observations from the Van Allen Probes showed that a third belt can sometimes appear. The radiation is shown here in yellow, with green representing the spaces between the belts.

NASA/Van Allen Probes/Goddard Space Flight Center

Enlarge

In September of 2012, scientists with the newly launched Van Allen Probes got permission to turn on one of their instruments after only three days in space instead of waiting for weeks, as planned. They wanted to turn on the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) so that its observations would overlap with another mission called SAMPEX (Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer), that was soon going to de-orbit and re-enter Earth?s atmosphere.

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Now, they are very glad they did, as something happened that no one had ever seen before. A previously unknown third radiation belt formed in the Van Allen Radiation Belts that encircle Earth. The scientist watched ? in disbelief ? while their data showed the extra belt forming, then suddenly disappear, like it had been cut away with a knife. They have not yet seen a recurrence of a third belt.
?

?First we thought our instruments weren?t working correctly,? said Dan Baker, a member of the Van Allen Probes team from the University of Colorado at Boulder, ?but we quickly realized we were seeing a real phenomenon.?

What happened is that shortly before REPT was turned on, solar activity on the Sun had sent energy toward Earth that caused the radiation belts to swell. The energetic particles then settled into a new configuration, showing an extra, third belt extending out into space.

?By the fifth day REPT was on, we could plot out our observations and watch the formation of a third radiation belt,? says Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the mission. ?The third belt persisted beautifully, day after day, week after week, for four weeks.?

Since their discovery in 1958, we?ve known that the Van Allen radiation belt is composed of two donut-shaped layers of energetic charged particles around the planet Earth, held in place by its magnetic field.

The scientists are now incorporating what they saw into new models of the radiation belts ? a region that can sometimes swell dramatically in response to incoming energy from the Sun, impacting satellites and spacecraft or pose potential threats to human space flight.

The belts are normally between 200 to 60,000 kilometers above Earth; the new ring was much further out.

Launched on August 30, 2012 as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, the twin probes were renamed in honor of the belts? discoverer, astrophysicist James Van Allen. Observations of the belts have shown they are dynamic and mysterious. However, this type of dynamic three-belt structure was never seen, or even considered, theoretically.

The Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma (ECT) suite of instruments on board the probes were designed to help understand how populations of electrons moving at nearly the speed of light and penetrating ions in space form or change in response to variable inputs of energy from the Sun.

Already, what the team has learned is re-writing the textbooks of what is known about the Van Allen belts.

?These events we?ve recorded are extraordinary and are already allowing us to refine and confirm our theories of belt dynamics in a way that will lead to predictability of their behavior,? said astrophysicst Harlan Spence, principal investigator for the ECT, ?which is important for understanding space weather and ultimately for the safety of astronauts and spacecraft that operate within such a hazardous region of geospace.?

At a press briefing today, the team was asked why this third ring had never been observed before.

?We?ve never had the capability before to see something like this, said Nicky Fox, Van Allen Probes deputy project scientist. ?The fact that we had such an amazing discovery within days of turning them on shows we still have mysteries to discover and explain. What the Van Allen Probes have shown is that the advances in technology and detection made by NASA have already had an almost immediate impact on basic science.?

Baker added, ?As the philosopher Yogi Bera once said, you can observe a lot just by looking. This shows that when you open new eyes on the Universe you can invariably find new things.?

The team will be seeking to understand what the third ring mean for astronauts and satellites, even though the new ring is farther out, the regions in Earth orbit are magnetically connected to the new region that formed.

?Knowing more about this and understanding more about the belt is important for having better models and being able to predict the lifetimes of spacecraft,? said Fox.

?The rings, satellites, the space station are all affected by space weather,? said Mona Kessel, Van Allen Probes program scientist. ?We don?t completely understand what we?ve seen, but we are modeling it and trying to piece this all together, so stay tuned.?

The team has published a paper in the journal Science.

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the?NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast?and works with the?Astronomy Cast?and?365 Days of Astronomy?podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Connect with Nancy on?Facebook?|?Twitter?|?Google +?|?Website

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow?@universetoday?on Twitter

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/tjwgOrdgbuw/Satellite-detects-third-radiation-belt-around-Earth

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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Fiscal emergency declared in Detroit by Michigan governor

Gov. Rick Snyder has a candidate in mind to take over the struggling city's finances, though he did not identify that person when he made his declaration Friday.

By Steve Neavling,?Reuters / March 1, 2013

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan declared a financial emergency in Detroit on Friday, pushing the city closer to having a state-appointed emergency manager control its finances.

Paul Sancya/AP

Enlarge

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Friday formally declared Detroit in a fiscal emergency and said he had identified a top candidate to take over financial management of the destitute city.

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The declaration virtually assures that the state of Michigan will assume control of Detroit's books, though Snyder was careful to say there is still a window of 10 days for city leaders to convince him otherwise.

"I believe it's appropriate to declare the city of Detroit in financial emergency," Snyder told a forum of community leaders at a Detroit public television station.

Detroit has faced the steepest population decline of any major American city in recent decades. Once the fifth largest US city, which shone as the birthplace of the US automotive industry and Motown music, it now ranks 18th in size with about 700,000 people - after suffering a 25 percent decline in population between 2000 and 2010.

Snyder would not identify the top candidate to run Detroit or say whether the person was from Michigan or outside the state. Some residents have said he should name an African-American to manage a city that is 83 percent black.

Referring to the candidate, the Republican governor said, "They have vast experience working on relationships, they have strong financial knowledge, strong legal knowledge and that ability to say how do we build teams and work together," the Republican governor said of the candidate.

The emergency manager will eventually have vast powers to develop a financial plan, revise or reject budgets, consolidate departments, reduce or eliminate the salaries of elected officials, sell eligible city assets, lay off workers and renegotiate labor contracts.

With the exodus of residents and jobs as the auto industry contracted, the city has suffered from declining tax revenue and rising crime while saddled with the infrastructure and labor costs of a bygone era.

"We went from the top to the bottom over the last 50 or 60 years," Snyder said of the city.

The immediate reaction of Detroit officials and residents was skepticism about the move, which would strip the elected leadership of the city of much of their power.

City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said he was opposed to the move because it, "eliminates the democratically elected leadership in our city."

Detroit officials now have 10 days to request a hearing with the governor about his decision. Snyder said the hearing would be held on March 12. The nine-member city council has been preparing to argue that Detroit should not have an emergency manager and could also appeal the decision in state court.

After the hearing, Snyder will either confirm or revoke the declaration of emergency. If he confirms the emergency, as expected, management of Detroit's fiscal affairs would revert to a board composed of three state officials who will be Snyder appointees. The board would formally appoint an emergency manager, although in practice Snyder will make the final decision.

A court appeal of Snyder's decision would not delay the appointment of a manager, who could ultimately recommend Detroit file for bankruptcy in the largest such municipal filing in US history.

Snyder based his emergency declaration on a report of experts that described a city sinking under more than $14 billion of debt and on track to end its current fiscal year $100 million in the red. Snyder said that Detroit's creditors should be brought to the table to renegotiate debt terms by possibly delaying or relieving payments.

"This should be part of the strategy that needs to take place," he said.

A Michigan law that takes effect March 28 will allow existing emergency financial managers to remain in place and give them additional powers, including the ability to revise or terminate collective bargaining agreements.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4qyJdiWfFjM/Fiscal-emergency-declared-in-Detroit-by-Michigan-governor

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SpaceX rocket develops problem mid-flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? The SpaceX Dragon capsule has developed a problem on its way to the International Space Station.

The trouble cropped up nine minutes after Friday's launch from Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX's billionaire founder Elon Musk is reporting via Twitter that there's a problem with the thrusters on the spacecraft. He says flight controllers are trying to override the system and fix the problem.

Musk is monitoring the flight from SpaceX Mission Control in California.

More than 1 ton of space station supplies is aboard the Dragon. It's supposed to arrive at the space station Saturday morning.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-rocket-launched-problem-thrusters-155943133.html

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Beppe Grillo's protest group wins Italian hearts

ROME (AP) ? It says a lot about the political mood in Italy that when an unidentified package arrived at comic-turned-political leader Beppe Grillo's house, the bomb squad was called.

The package, delivered Thursday, actually contained bottles of Sardinian liquor ? a congratulations gift for his group's meteoric rise in Italy's latest election. The vote did not deliver a clear winner but showed Grillo's anti-establishment 5 Star Movement to be the top vote-getter among political parties.

One thing is clear: Three-party gridlock creating the first hung parliament in modern Italian history has raised political tensions even as Italy's economic situation continues to deteriorate. New figures released Friday show the recession-mired Italian economy contracted 2.4 percent last year, while Italian unemployment rose to a record 11.7 percent in January and 39 percent for youths.

No party won a clear majority in both houses, but if there was a moral winner it was Grillo and his grassroots movement.

"If there was a winner in this election, it was surely Beppe Grillo. Grillo did well from Piedmont to Sicily. He did well in all regions of Italy, with few exceptions he surpassed 20 percent of the vote and in some places 30 percent. It is a national party, it did well everywhere," said Edoardo Bressanelli, a political science professor at Rome's LUISS University.

Grillo himself appeared surprised by the breadth of his success -- along with it possibility for his movement to play a role in forming a new government.

"He expected to be important, but he thought he would be a hard opposition. He didn't expect to be a big player," Bressanelli said.

A total of 163 "Grillini" have won seats: 109 of 630 seats in Italy's lower house and 54 of 315 seats in its upper house. They rode a wave of popular anger at austerity measures, an overprivileged political class, a series of corporate scandals and an underlying absence of public morality. They are not numerous enough to form a government ? Pier Luigi Bersani's center-left coalition won control of the lower house and is expected to get the first shot ? but those loyal to Grillo certainly will have a key say in how Italy's new government is formed. Grillo won't hold office himself due to a manslaughter conviction for a 1981 traffic accident that left three dead.

Despite market unease over Italy's political gridlock, it will be weeks until President Giorgio Napolitano begins convening the parliamentary groups to form a government, after the newly elected parliament convenes on March 15 and elects its leaders.

In the jockeying ahead of the new legislature, the 64-year-old Grillo hasn't given up his edgy, biting tones or his uncompromising positions. So far he has been unwilling to become an ally of either of Italy's traditional parties ? the center-left led by Bersani or the conservatives led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi ? that he has harangued from his comic's stage for years.

"Bersani is a dead man talking," Grillo wrote on a blog post after the Democratic Party leader made overtures toward him. Grillo went on to call Bersani "a political stalker" for making "indecent proposals instead of stepping down, as anyone in his place would do. He managed to lose while winning."

Grillo instead says his movement should for a government. He says his forces will not vote to support any new government but would back legislation by conscience, one piece at a time. The withholding of a confidence vote limits the possibilities of forming a solid majority in the Senate, where the votes are split.

Bressanalli said one possible outcome is that Grillo could form a limited alliance with the center-left to achieve very specific agenda items before going into a new election soon.

Grillo has been clear about his goals. He wants to cut the number of parliamentarians in half, reduce their salaries, pay unemployed Italians a "citizen's stipend" of ?1,000 ($1,300) a month, pass an anti-corruption law and create incentives to help the small businesses that power Italy's economy.

He also has called for a referendum on the euro currency shared by Italy and 16 other European nations.

The Grillo lawmakers indicate they will shun the traditional perks of office, in which lawmakers spend lavishly on hotels and expensive dishes like caviar pasta while in Rome. Instead they will share accommodations and seek out vegetarian fare.

But all lack experience, and that makes them an unknown quantity.

"We know nothing, absolutely nothing" about these new lawmakers, noted political commentator Sergio Romano said.

For all the revolution his forces promise to bring, the former comic also is showing new signs of reasonableness.

After criticizing Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, for years, he praised him Thursday for defending Italy amid cutting remarks from a German politician who said Italy had elected "two clowns " ? a reference to Grillo and to Berlusconi. Napolitano, in Germany on a state visit, canceled a dinner with the politician after the comment.

"In these years he has been criticized for many, in my opinion, mistaken choices," Grillo wrote on his blog. "But in Germany I saw my president of the Republic. An Italian who stood up straight. Hats off!"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beppe-grillos-protest-group-wins-italian-hearts-162528463.html

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