Chavez battling for life

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life while he continues to undergo treatment more than two months after his latest cancer surgery.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on television that Chavez "is battling there for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him."

The vice president has used similar phrasing in the past, saying on Dec. 20 that Chavez "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health."

Chavez hasn't spoken publicly since before his latest cancer operation in Cuba on Dec. 11. He returned to Venezuela on Feb. 18, and the government says he has been undergoing more treatment at a military hospital in Caracas.

Maduro also called for Venezuelans to keep praying for Chavez and to remain loyal to the president. He said Chavez's health had suffered because he had dedicated himself "body and soul" to his work as president.

Chavez himself has previously acknowledged that he was neglecting his health in recent years, often staying up late and drinking dozens of cups of coffee a day.

The president has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments since June 2011, when he first announced his cancer diagnosis. He hasn't specified the type of cancer or the exact location in his pelvic region where his tumors have been removed.

Hundreds of giant ice boulders weighing 75 POUNDS wash ashore in Michigan

These massive snow boulders, estimated to be about 75 pounds, have washed ashore off the coast in northern Michigan.

The stunning snowballs were spotted by a woman who was walking her dog at the Sleeping Bear Dunes national park.
Olmstead said the snow boulders lined the coast for about a 100-foot stretch and there appeared to be hundreds of them.

She was walking her two dogs, Zola and Bula, when she happened upon them.

Olmstead quickly pulled out her camera and took these amazing photographs that were picked up by local media.

'I thought it was the coolest thing ever especially since I've never seen anything like it,' said Leda Olmstead. 'I have a small English bulldog and they were as tall as her. They were pretty massive.'

'People think it's so boring and gross up here in the winter but I think it's beautiful,' Olmstead said of northern Michigan.

While the snow boulders seem like freak occurrences, or from another planet, weather experts provided a straight-forward explanation for how they came to be.

Is sugar toxic?

Is sugar toxic ?, Toxic is a strong word with strong implications, even though it seems to be thrown around pretty lightly lately. For the purposes of physical health, a toxin is a poisonous substance that has an ill effect on the body. We all know that sugar is a source of empty calories and is said to promote cavities, but is it toxic?

That is the complicated question Gary Taubes tackled in his lengthy New York Times essay last Sunday.

Partly inspired by a 2009 lecture Robert Lustig gave called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube (see on page two), the question has taken on a whole new legion of askers. And although it’s high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that has become Public Enemy #1, Lustig lumps both white granulated sugar (sucrose) and HFCS in the same messy, disease-causing bowl.

By the early 2000s, according to the U.S.D.A., Americans have increased consumption of sugar to more than 90 pounds per person per year. This increase happens to coincide with the current epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes writes that in 1980, roughly one in seven Americans was obese, and almost six million were diabetic, and the obesity rates, at least, hadn’t changed significantly in the 20 years previously. By the early 2000s, when sugar consumption peaked, one in every three Americans was obese, and 14 million were diabetic.

Lustig’s argument is that sugar has unique characteristics, specifically in the way the human body metabolizes the fructose in it, that may make it especially harmful, at least if consumed in sufficient amounts. If this is true, it would mean that sugar is the likely culprit for several chronic ailments considered to be diseases of Western lifestyles—heart disease, hypertension and many common cancers among them.

Girls Gone Wild Bankruptcy

Girls Gone Wild Bankruptcy, n a strategic move to protect itself from multimillion-dollar debts and legal awards, the company that produces the Girls Gone Wild videos has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company's videos feature college-age women drinking, exposing themselves or having sex, usually at parties, clubs and events. Us Today...

GGW founder Joe Francis has lost high-profile lawsuits that have saddled his firm, GGW Brands, with more than $13 million in jury awards and $2 million in other debts. It listed its assets at less than $50,000.

He owes casino mogul Steve Wynn $10.3 million, including a $7.5 million slander award last year and a disputed $2 million gambling debt.

A St. Louis woman sued Francis' company in 2008 to collect $5.8 million she was awarded after claiming someone exposed her breasts in a bar for the Girls Gone Wild Sorority Orgy series.

GGW Magazine and GGW Events also filed for protection.

The company said the bankruptcy filing, made Wednesday in Los Angeles, will not affect its operations.

"Just like American Airlines and General Motors, it will be business as usual for Girls Gone Wild," the company said in a statement.

GGW Brands filed for bankruptcy "to restructure its frivolous and burdensome legal affairs," Francis' executive assistant said in an e-mail to Bloomberg News. She said Francis has not owned the company for two years.

Marijuana cannon seized at the border Across

Marijuana cannon seized at the border Across, Drug traffickers will go to any length to ensure that their product is distributed on time. In fact it is down right amazing to the extent the drug traffickers will go to to complete their transactions. The latest intense level includes 30 pounds of pot and a large handmade crafted cannon according to the Feb. 28 MSN reports.

Twitter users are completely in awe of the construction of a handmade marijuana cannon constructed for the purpose for shooting large amounts of marijuana from Mexico into California in the United States. Reported Examiner...

Discussions on the social networks about the marijuana cannon has many network users concerned at what else besides drugs could be shot out at the borders into the U.S., with many worried that dangerous chemicals, and deadly germs could be used as a form of terrorism using the same tactics now.The pot cannon was seized by authorities in the Mexican border city of Mexicali after a pickup truck carrying a homemade cannon in the bed as confiscated by police officials.

The jerry-rigged pot blaster is described as a plastic pipe attached to an metal tank that used compressed air from a car engine. The pot shot could fire cylinders that packed as much as 30 pounds of weed over the border.

The pot cannon packed with drugs that weighed as much as 30 pounds and was confiscated last week after U.S. officers told Mexican police that they had been confiscating a large number of drug packages that appeared to have been fired over the border. Mexican police on the border have recovered a series of similar devices in recent years.

In December of last year a similar cannon was used to shoot marijuana into Arizona. According to this report over $42,000 worth of marijuana, consisting of 30 cans, was shot into Yuma, Arizona using a cannon.

The marijuana weighed around 85 pounds and the cans were fired from about 500 feet away using a pneumatic-powered cannon. There also was a carbon-dioxide tank found nearby according to The Guardian.

What are your thoughts on the marijuana cannon?

Mariah Carey wardrobe malfunction

Mariah Carey wardrobe malfunction, It's The Emancipation of Mimi's nipple! Mariah Carey gave audience members quite a show at So So Def's 20th Anniversary Concert at Atlanta's Fox Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 23 -- but not for the reasons the American Idol judge intended.

Wearing a curve-hugging cream dress with metallic accents, the "Dreamlover" singer wheeled out a birthday cake to honor her longtime pal and collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. Unbeknownst to her, Carey's left breast briefly popped out of her dress as she waved to fans onstage. Reported usmagazine...

Carey -- mom to 22-month-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, with husband Nick Cannon -- has never shied away from wearing provocative clothing. "It's a dichotomy, I understand," she once told Allure of her sexy style. "I understand that people think I'm a ditzy moron."

Luckily for Carey, she's not the only American Idol judge to suffer a nip slip: Nicki Minaj accidentally flashed her areolas on ABC's Good Morning America in August 2011 and on BET's 106 & Park in November 2012.

Michael Winans Jr. gets nearly 14 years in prison for Ponzi scheme

DETROIT - A member of the gospel music Winans family has been sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for an $8 million financial scam.

Two of Michael Winans Jr.'s victims spoke in Detroit federal court Wednesday, saying the scheme devastated families.

Attorney Hammoud had asked for a sentence within the guidelines, which range from 12 1/2 years to 15 1/2 years in prison.

Winans sold oil bonds to more than 1,000 investors in 2007 and 2008.

He promised 100 percent returns in two months then used the money for personal expenses or to pay off earlier investors. About 600 people are still owed nearly $5 million.

Winans eventually learned the bonds were phony but didn't tell investors and kept collecting money.

Rape Victim 100 Lashes

ape Victim 100 Lashes, A 15-year-old girl in the Maldives who was allegedly raped by her stepfather was sentenced to 100 lashes for having premarital sex with a different man.

During an investigation into the alleged rape by her stepfather, the girl eventually told police that she had consensual sex with a second man, Sky News reports.

Sex outside marriage is illegal in the Maldives, which operates under Islamic law.

Amnesty International said the punishment was "cruel, degrading and inhumane," while the Maldivian government didn’t agree with the sentencing and is considering changing the law, the BBC reports.

In addition to the rape, the girl’s stepfather is accused of killing and burying a baby conceived from it. He faces 25 years in prison if convicted.

Court officials say the girl will be lashed when she turns 18, and she was also placed under eight months of house arrest, Sky News reports. ape Victim 100 Lashes

Who should replace Mike Krzyzewski as USA Basketball coach?

Mike Krzyzewski done--Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski repeated his desire to retire as coach of USA Basketball this week, reopening the “Who replaces him?” question.
In advance of USA Basketball’s run to the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, Krzyzewski, who has coached the team since 2005, said it would be his “last time.” His head coaching tenure includes a 62-1 record, gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, a gold medal at the 2010 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships.
This week, speaking on an ESPN radio interview, Krzyzewski reiterated his desire to step down as coach of USA Basketball, despite a recent report that indicated USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo’s desire to keep him on.
“My stance has’t changed,” Krzyzewski said. “I’ve loved, loved, loved and it’s been an honor being with the USA Basketball team, to coach the team and work with Jerry. These seven years have been marvelous. We’re in a good spot. We need to keep building. … [My replacement] will be great. And he’ll get all the support of all of us and of me.”
Krzyzewski did not provide any indication as to who would take the reins as USA Basketball prepares for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, but noted that an announcement will be coming this summer.
“They would never make announcements during the basketball  season,” he said. “They have respect for the coaching staff, whoever that coaching staff would be, that they would not interrupt what those guys are doing. Sometime this summer I know Jerry Colangelo and USA Basketball will make an announcement.”
The search for USA Basketball’s is generally seen as a two-horse race between Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Here’s a brief look at the top two candidates plus a few other names worth considering if any assistant coaching spots open up.
Gregg Popovich, Spurs: The conversation for replacing Krzyzewski should begin and end with Popovich, whose four NBA titles and 16 consecutive seasons winning 61+ percent of his games speak for themselves. Popovich, 64, has previously served as a USA Basketball assistant and he graduated from and coached at the United States Air Force Academy. The San Antonio Express-News reported last year that Colangelo felt Popovich “seemed burned out” when he interviewed for the job in 2005, but the paper noted Tuesday that Popovich has said he would “would welcome the chance” to take the reins if given considering this time around.
There’s no good reason to pass over the NBA’s most accomplished current coach for the national team’s head spot. Popovich’s rosters have been dotted with players with international experience, he’s coaxed improvement and effort from both star players and role guys for years, he’s a master of juggling personalities, and the Spurs have enjoyed offensive success thanks in large part to ball movement and three-point shooting, key factors in international play. It’s difficult to imagine a more qualified candidate.
Doc Rivers, Celtics: Conventional wisdom suggests if not Pop, then Doc. Yahoo Sports stated Rivers’ case clearly last season: he has championship experience, he’s an excellent communicator, and he masterfully walks the line between being a player’s coach and prodding his teams to exert maximum effort. He’s known for his ability to relate to players — having a 20-year-old son in the NBA surely helps — and he’s managed the idiosyncrasies of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett to produce deep postseason run after deep postseason run in Boston. Rivers, 51, also played for USA Basketball at the 1982 World Championships.
Erik Spoelstra, Heat: Spoelstra’s name hasn’t popped up on many short lists for USA Basketball coaching positions, mostly because of his relative youth and the fact that his success in the NBA happened after coaches were selected for USA Basketball’s most recent four-year cycle. The snubbing should end now. The “Big 3″ era in Miami has been the ideal training ground for Spoelstra, 41, to hone skills that would be helpful for USA Basketball. He’s handled huge amounts of pressure and re-designed his offensive system to maximize the otherworldly abilities of LeBron James. He’s dabbled in position-less lineups, an approach that would likely have great success in the international game, he’s stood face-to-face in huddles with some of the biggest egos in the game, he’s fully embraced advance statistics and analytics as methods for fine-tuning his team’s play on both ends, and he’s helped sell auxiliary roles to star players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
The Heat are an outstanding 144-58 (.713) since James arrived in town and they look poised to make a third straight Finals appearance, and possibly snag a second straight title, this season. There isn’t room on USA Basketball’s bench somewhere for this bright young mind?
Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: Carlisle, 53, offers the full package: he’s a former player with more than a decade of coaching experience and the 2011 NBA title on his résumé. The Mavericks have pursued an erudite approach on his watch and, like Popovich, he’s coached a number of players who have made an impact on the international stage. Carlisle’s in-game adjustments, set plays, and exploitation of mismatches all regularly draw praise, even if the Mavericks are having their first down year in recent memory.
Frank Vogel, Pacers: The freshest face on this list, Vogel, 39, deserves a mention as a possible defensive coordinator. The Pacers ranked No. 10 in defense last year and they are tops in the league this season. Like Spoelstra, Vogel rose up the ranks from video coordinator, honing an attention to detail and work ethic that served him well once he reached the bench. While Indiana’s slow-down style runs counter to USA Basketball’s preferred up-tempo approach, the same could be said for Nate McMillan’s old Portland teams, and that didn’t hold him back from serving as a USA Basketball assistant.

CARVING IT UP AT OSCAR AFTER PARTY

The first stop on the party circuit for Oscar night winners is almost always the Governor's Ball.

Oh sure, the fancy food Wolfgang Puck lays out there is part of the attraction. But it's also the place to go to get your name engraved on your new toy.

"You trading that in?", lead actress winner Jennifer Lawrence asked Ben Affleck when she saw him show up with his best picture statuette.

"What can I get for this award?", Affleck joked.

Anne Hathaway arrived with her Oscar in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other.

She covered her mouth in awe when the engraver showed her the nameplate, then helped attach it to her trophy's base. Her husband, Adam Shulman, recorded the moment for posterity on his iPhone.

After spending a moment checking out his Oscar, Affleck stood up to a round of applause from those in the room.

"Thank you! I love it," he said.

— Sandy Cohen — www.twitter.com/apsandy

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Show Bits brings you the 85th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Erin Andrews rejects 50 Cent's kiss

50 Cent had a tough time getting to the Daytona 500.

Once he finally arrived, we had the first wreck of the day well before the race even started.

As FOX reporter Erin Andrews wandered around pit road trying to find Danica Patrick, awkwardly speaking to drivers in passing, she spotted the 37-year-old rapper.

Curtis Jackson made a beeline for her and went straight in for the kiss. Andrews did her best to dodge and he wound up settling for her cheek. As she deflected the smooch, Andrews said "I've gotta go talk to Danica Patrick."

Hours later, he tweeted: "Hey I wanted to kiss her so I did"

Not a "P.I.M.P." move, 50.
50 Cent Erin Andrews

Kristen Stewart crutches

Kristen Stewart crutches, f you missed Kristen Stewart arriving on the red carpet with crutches, you couldn't miss the "Twilight" star's limp when she presented the production design Oscar along with Daniel Radcliffe.

MTV even noticed that the 22-year-old was only wearing one shoe. According to Stewart's make-up artist, Beau Nelson, the actress hurt herself after stepping on glass......marquee.blogs.cnn.

"[Stewart] cut the ball of her foot, quite severely, on glass two days ago," Nelson told People magazine. Although she was photographed with crutches, Stewart didn't rely on them as she posed for photographers on the red carpet in a strapless Reem Acra gown.

It probably didn't hurt that she had best actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence, as seen in the Twitpic below, ready to lend a helping hand:

Raiders' Desmond Bryant arrested

Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant was arrested in Miami on Sunday on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.
After allegedly going to a neighbor's house inebriated and causing a commotion, Bryant was booked at 9:24 a.m., according to Miami-Dade County records. A police report wasn't available.
Bryant was held on $1,000 bail.
Bryant, who went undrafted out of Harvard, is set to become an unrestricted free agent March 12. He had four sacks in eight starts for the Raiders last season, his fourth with the team.

Guards foil helicopter prison break

A murderer's plot to escape from jail using a helicopter has been foiled by prison guards and the police, the Ministry of Justice said.
Brian Lawrence, who was convicted of killing a friend of his ex-lover and hiring a hitman to kill two others, then hoped to use the Isle of Wight Festival as cover once free from Parkhurst prison on the island.
The 67-year-old communicated with his accomplices using lemon juice as invisible ink and codes hidden in sudoku puzzles.
In the letters he drew maps and gave encrypted instructions for his plan to bring a helicopter into a part of the prison grounds not protected by nets.
He intended to fund the escape plan using the sale of a quarry in Newbury, Berkshire, worth £500,000.
But the plot, which had the aim of reaching Spain, was uncovered when prison guards spotted the phrase "more heat, less light" in one of his letters.
They then found the invisible messages which can be seen when the paper is heated up from underneath.
Lawrence, who is serving a life term, was then transferred to another prison.
Barry Greenberry, governor of HMP Isle of Wight said: "I am very proud of the operations team at HMP Isle of Wight who diligently pieced together intelligence to stop a security breach."
Lawrence, a retired schoolteacher, was found guilty at Reading Crown Court of battering a friend of his ex-lover Korean War veteran Deryk Cox, 69, to death before setting fire to his house in Caversham, Berkshire, in 2003. He then set out to hire a hitman to kill two other people.

Fans wear KKK hoods

Fans wear KKK hoods Student KKK stunt at hockey semi sparks Twitter uproar, Three Red River fans put on hoods, robes in “whiteout” section at North Dakota high school game.A North Dakota high school principal says appropriate action is being taken after three students briefly donned Ku Klux Klan-style white robes and hoods Friday night during a state hockey semifinal game.

The photo caused an uproar on Twitter when it was posted by 19-year-old Shane Schuster, who was seated with some friends at Ralph Engelstad Arena when something in the student section across the rink caught his eye......thestar.

“I thought, ‘Are those KKK hoods?’ I couldn’t believe it,” Schuster said. “I was shocked.” Schuster said he focused his camera phone and snapped a photo, later uploading it to Twitter.

Kristopher Arason, Red River’s principal, said the school’s investigation determined the students put on the attire just after Red River’s first goal and wore it for about 30 seconds to a minute. The teens removed the outfits after students in the section told them it was offensive, he said.

“We, as a school, are extremely disappointed with the behaviour of these three students,” Arason said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Saturday. “This behaviour is not a representation of our school or student body.”

Arason said administrators were notified of the incident at the completion of the game. The students and their parents have been contacted and “appropriate action is being taken,” he said.

Arason did not indicate what disciplinary action, if any, the three unidentified students could face.
Red River topped Fargo’s Davies High School 2-0 to advance to Saturday night’s North Dakota Boys state title game against Grafton-Park River.

Davies High School is named in honour of Ronald Davies, the former federal judge from Fargo whose 1957 rulings integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. — a pivotal event in the civil rights movement.

The photo that Schuster posted on the social media site shows the three hooded fans in the middle of the Red River Roughriders section, in which everyone is dressed in white as part of a “whiteout.” The post had been retweeted 75 times by late Saturday afternoon, with many users expressing their outrage.

The hockey tradition of encouraging fans to all wear all white was started more than 25 years ago by the original Winnipeg Jets — which currently are the Phoenix Coyotes. In 1987, Jets fans donning white shirts and jerseys packed Winnipeg Arena to watch the team take on the Calgary Flames in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The practice has since spread to the college and high school levels.

Arason said Red River has a tradition of wearing a different colour for each of the three days of the state tournament in accordance with the team’s colours. Roughrider fans wore black for the first day, white for the second and red for the final day.

Helicopter prison escape foiled

Helicopter prison escape foiled--A helicopter swooped down on a prison courtyard Sunday as armed men on board fired on guards and lowered a rope to help a convicted killer make his fourth attempt to escape from a Greek prison.

But the plot was foiled after the prisoner was shot and the chopper forced to land in the prison's parking lot.

The dramatic escape attempt was one of a handful involving helicopters in Greece, and the first time such plans have failed.

Authorities said the chartered helicopter — carrying two armed passengers, a pilot and a technician — first tried to rip off the chicken-wire fence surrounding Trikala prison with a hook dangling from a rope. But that didn't work, so a rope was lowered down to whisk away Panagiotis Vlastos. Another prisoner, an unnamed Albanian national also in the courtyard at the time, may also have been part of the escape plan.

At the same time, the armed passengers used AK-47 assault rifles to fire on the prison guards. One guard, who was inside a post, was slightly injured by shards of flying glass. He and others returned fire, injuring Vlastos, who had managed to climb into the helicopter, as well as the helicopter's technician. Vlastos fell from a height of about 3 meters (10 feet) into the courtyard, and the helicopter was eventually grounded in the parking lot.

Vlastos, 43, is a convicted murderer and racketeer serving a life term who had tried and failed three times before to escape from prison.

Prison officials told TV stations Mega and NET that they recovered well over 500 bullets fired from the helicopter. The Ministry of Justice, in statements describing the escape attempt, added that the helicopter passengers also carried, but did not use, "improvised explosive devices."

Authorities said Vlastos was wounded in the legs but is being treated in the prison hospital because his injuries were not deemed serious enough for a transfer elsewhere. The technician's hand was slightly wounded.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot and flight technician had willingly participated in the escape attempt or had been forced to fly to the prison, which is located 328 km (205 miles) northwest of Athens. Also unclear was whether the second would-be escapee was in on the scheme or just happened to be in the courtyard and tried to take advantage of the situation.

The helicopter was hired from a western Athens suburb and was supposed to fly to Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. But it deviated from is flight path to head to the prison.

This is the third time a helicopter has been used in an attempted prison escape in Greece. Convicted criminals Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizaj were whisked by helicopter from the high-security Korydallos prison in Athens in June 2006. They were caught, but escaped for a second time — again using a helicopter — in February 2009. Paleokostas is still at large.

Vlastos was first arrested in 1994 in the murder of two members of a rival criminal gang. He was convicted last year as the behind-the-bars mastermind of the kidnapping of shipping tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos. Panagopoulos was kidnapped in January 2009 and released after eight days, when a ransom of €30 million was paid.

While awaiting trial for the kidnapping, Vlastos tried to escape in December 2011 from Korydallos prison along with three members of armed anarchist group Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire. The four used a pistol and knives to take hostage three prison guards and 25 visiting relatives of other prisoners. The four surrendered to authorities after a five-hour standoff.

Vlastos had also tried to escape, unsuccessfully, in 1994 and 1998.

19 Arrested After Disturbance at Chicago Mall

19 arrested at mall--Nineteen teenagers have been arrested following a disturbance that shut down a Chicago shopping mall and left two people with minor injuries.
Chicago police spokeswoman Laura Kubiak says the teens arrested Saturday were males and females ranging in age from 13 to 18.
Most are charged with misdemeanor mob action. A 16-year-old is charged with battery of a mall security guard who was trying to evacuate the mall.
Ford City Mall senior general manager John Sarama says the incident wasn't related to an appearance by the boy band Mindless Behavior, which ended about 45 minutes earlier.
Police say a large group of teens started causing chaos inside the mall. The disturbance continued in the parking lot, where some teens climbed on top of cars.

El Chapo killed : suspected to be dead after a shootout in Guatemala

LIMA, Peru —El Chapo killed— Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman the ‘Most-wanted' drug lord is suspected to be dead after a shootout in Guatemala near the Mexican border.

The authorities said Friday they are investigating the possibility a man killed in the shootout was 58-year-old Guzman, but later backtracked, saying they hadn't yet located a body or even confirmed there was a shootout, the Associated Press reported.

If confirmed, the death of Guzman could be the highest-profile blow to the international cocaine trade since Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar died in a hail of bullets in a shootout with security forces in Medellin in 1992.

As head of the ruthless Sinaloa cartel, Guzman, said to have amassed a personal fortune of $1 billion, is thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands, mainly in Mexico but also in the US and elsewhere in Latin America.

Forbes recently him the world’s 63rd most-powerful person and is widely viewed as the Western Hemisphere’s most-wanted criminal.

Indeed, many analysts now believe Guzman is a more powerful and dangerous operator than Escobar ever was.

That is in part because under his ruthless leadership the Sinaloa cartel has achieved what experts call “vertical integration” of the cocaine supply chain, with its tentacles stretching from the remote Andean regions where coca is grown into the heart of the world’s largest cocaine market — the United States.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration has had a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzman’s arrest for more than eight years.

And, earlier this month, Chicago even officially named the elusive 5-foot-6-inch druglord, whose “El Chapo” nickname is Mexican slang for “shorty,” public enemy No. 1. It's the first time in eight decades, since Al Capone terrorized the Windy City, that authorities there have officially used that term.

Nevertheless, if one of the corpses at the scene of the shootout in Guatemala’s jungle region of Peten does turn out to be Guzman, it's unlikely to stop the flow of cocaine into the US any more than the death of Escobar did.

Behind Guzman, crime analysts say, is a long queue of brutal, highly ambitious lieutenants eager to take their turn at the top of the Sinaloa cartel.

And most experts believe as long as demand for cocaine remains strong in the US, Europe, Asia and increasingly in Latin America, particularly Mexico and Brazil, the trafficking is unlikely to stop.

NKorea threatens 'final destruction' of South Korea

By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com North Korea followed up its nuclear test last week with threats aimed at its southern enemy during a UN conference on disarmament in Geneva Tuesday. "As the saying goes a new born puppy knows no fear of a tiger," said North Korean diplomat Jon Yong Ryong to the meeting. "South Korea's erratic behavior would only herald its final destruction." Jon avoided specifically mentioning the nuclear test, instead referring to a "resolute step for self-defense." "If the US takes a hostile approach toward the DPRK to the last, rendering the situation complicated, it [North Korea] will be left with no option but to take the second and third stronger steps in succession," he said. The nuclear test which earned broad condemnation from the U.N. and world leaders for threatening regional security. The test, which was on a smaller device than in North Korea's two previous tests, raised fears that the country was nearing the capability of attaching a nuclear warhead to a missile capable of intercontinental distances. Ambassador Laura Kennedy, the U.S. permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament, strongly condemned North Korea's statement. "I also was particularly struck by the phrase 'heralding the destruction of the Republic of Korea' and find that language incredibly inconsistent with the goals and objectives that this body is intended to pursue," she said. NKorea threatens 'final destruction'

Facebook hacked, says no user data compromised

(CNN) -- Facebook says it was recently hacked, though it says no data about its more than a billion users was compromised.

The company described the "sophisticated attack" in a blog post on Friday, saying it took place in January when a small number of employees visited a compromised website that installed malware on their machines.

"As soon as we discovered the presence of the malware, we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement and began a significant investigation that continues to this day," Facebook Security said in the post.

Facebook, the largest social network in the world, is the latest high-profile site to be hacked this year. Twitter announced a similar intrusion earlier this month, and major news organizations including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have also admitted to being hacked.

The news sites attributed the breaches to hackers working for the Chinese government, but neither Facebook nor Twitter mention China when describing their attacks.

"Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well," said the blog post. "As one of the first companies to discover this malware, we immediately took steps to start sharing details about the infiltration with the other companies and entities that were affected. "

Unlike Twitter, Facebook said it has found no evidence that any user information was compromised. Twitter said that user names, encrypted passwords and e-mail addresses for as many as 250,000 users were potentially grabbed by the hackers. It reset passwords for all affected accounts.

The string of hacks have primarily exploited vulnerabilities in the programming language Java, which is installed on most computers by default. Facebook said the site responsible for its attack took advantage of a previously unknown Java vulnerability, which Oracle patched on February 1.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued an alert about the security-challenged software and recommended people turn it off on their computers. Apple turned off Java by default for its OS X users as a precaution. Full instructions on how to disable Java on any computer can be found on Oracle's website. If you must use Java, make sure that you have downloaded the latest updates, which include key security patches.

Facebook said it will continue to work with law enforcement and others in the industry to prevent future attacks. Facebook says it was hacked

2 Chainz arrested for marijuana possession, tweets picture with police

The 'Spend It' rapper's van was stopped by police late last night and he was taken into custody for allegedly carrying the drug, law enforcement sources told TMZ.

He was apparently only in custody long enough to be booked for the crime, before being released by the authorities.

2 Chainz later vented frustration about the experience on Twitter, claiming the police asked him to pose for a photograph after his arrest.

"dam police f**kn wit a n**ga… Locked me up and then Wanted pictures smh (shaking my head) (sic)," he complained.

He later added: "We [went] to jail for a grinder??? REALLY???... I work hard and pray even harder , we gone always b good yall. Not to mention my security said it was his and they said , he don't smoke ,, how da f*k u know? Haha wut a valentines day!!!"

2 Chainz has had a string of hits on the US rap charts, including 'Mercy' featuring Kanye West and 'No Lie' featuring Drake.

To Save Newborn, Doctors 'Freeze' Baby

When Claire Ives was seven months pregnant with her third child, she used a handheld device to listen to her unborn son's heartbeat. As she turned the machine on, she thought something had malfunctioned.

"I thought I wasn't listening right or something," Ives, a nurse in London, told ABCNews.com. "I didn't believe his [heart] rate could be that fast."
Ives' son had a heart rate of about 300 beats per minute, nearly double the normal 160.
After doctors were alerted to the baby's elevated heart rate, Ives delivered her son, Edward Ives, five weeks early via emergency cesarean at the University College London Hospital.
Edward Ives was born with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and was given a five percent chance of survival. SVT is caused by improper electrical impulses in the heart that leads to an irregular rapid heartbeat heart, which then can lead to heart failure or affect internal organs. When the heart beats too quickly, it can't fill up properly and then distribute blood to vital organs correctly.
"I just thought he was going to die," said Ives.
A few hours after Edward was born, his heart started to race again. Doctors attempted to reset his heart rate by shocking his heart and giving him different medications, but when that failed they were left without many options except one they had never tried for SVT: They would lower Edward's body temperature to protect his vital organs and slow his heart rate.
"We'd gone through all the usual maneuvers that usually work in babies, giving drugs … trying to shock the heart, the baby and get [a healthy heart rate back]," said Dr. Nicola Robertson, who works in the neonatal unit at the University College London Hospital.
Over a period of hours the Doctors 'Freeze' Baby body temperature to approximately 91 degrees, which both protected his organs and slowed the electrical circuit in his heart. Unfortunately, over the next day, as Edward was warmed up, his heart began to race again. So the team again cooled his body temperature, three days after they had initially lowered it.
"That was one of the worst nights," recalled Ives. "I asked one of the nurses if he was going to die and she said he might."
Ives was sent out of the room when the doctors again attempted to slow his heart rate down by not only cooling but administering medication. Eventually they came to tell her that his heart rate had slowed, although he would again need to be warmed up to see if his heart rate was stable.
"It was really strange highs and lows because he was doing extremely poorly," said Ives. "But, oh, thank God! It worked."
Doctors then began the slow process of warming Edward, this time going at a slower rate as they carefully raised his temperature only half a degree every 12 hours. This time his heart rate remained stable.
It wasn't until 10 days after giving birth that Claire Ives was able to hold her son. A month later she and her husband, Phillip Ives, were able to bring Edward home to join his two older siblings.
Now a healthy six-month old, Edward has an excellent prognosis and is unlikely to need further hospitalizations for SVT although he is being closely monitored to see if the irregular heartbeat returns.
"It's made me appreciate all the small things about my children," said Claire Ives, who is planning to run a half-marathon to raise awareness about neonatal SVT. "It's the best thing ever to bring him home."

Third child pregnancy :Megyn Kelly pregnant: Megyn Kelly is pregnant with her third child

Megyn Kelly pregnant: Megyn Kelly is pregnant with her third child, the news anchor announced Thursday morning in a cute Valentine's Day-themed segment on Fox News' "America Live."

"Every Valentine's Day we always struggle to find just the right gift and yet, this year I believe that we found the perfect solution," Kelly said on air. "Happily, Doug and I are expecting another baby.".......latimes.

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13-year-old ‘not so little newborn ’ photo goes facebook

Newborn 13-year-old- boy who was adopted and wanted photos of himself as a child had his wish come true — after a photo of him posing as a “newborn” has gone viral. His adopted family created “new” newborn photos of Latrell Higgins, who was adopted, along with his sister, at 10 years old.

And while the photos might look a little cliche, that’s exactly what the family was going for, they told the Daily Mail. The goal was to have a little fun and mock the typical “newborn poses.”

In all seriousness, the Higgins family said on Facebook they hope the photo will help raise awareness for adoption of older children.
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Apple Inc cuts prices on MacBook Pro laptop $199 [Picture]

(Reuters) - Apple Inc cut the price on the base version of its 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop with "retina" display by $200 as it revamps its top-end laptops, weeks after the company reported a steep decline in Mac sales in the holiday quarter.
Investors have worried that Apple's iPad is cannibalizing its Mac range, but Chief Executive Tim Cook has brushed aside these concerns.
The company sold 4.1 million Macs in the December quarter, down 21 percent from a year earlier.
Apple also missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for the third straight quarter in January after iPhone sales came in below expectations, fanning fears that its dominance of consumer electronics is slipping.
The iPhone maker said on Wednesday the base version of the MacBook Pro with retina display will now be priced at $1,499, and introduced a new 2.6 gigahertz processor, 256 gigabytes flash memory version for $1,699.
Apple also lowered the price of its 13-inch MacBook Air laptop with 256 gigabytes of flash memory to $1,299 from $1,399.
The company upgraded its 15-inch MacBook Pro with a faster 2.4 gigahertz quad-core processor and the top-end 15-inch notebook with a new 2.7 gigahertz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory.
Apple shares were down 0.6 percent at $465 in early trading on the Nasdaq.

Mexican 'Ape woman' buried after 150 years [Picture]

'Ape woman' buried after 150 years- An indigenous Mexican woman on display in the Victorian era Europe was due to a rare genetic disorder that was covered her face in her thick hair in her home state on Tuesday in a ceremony that one of the most famous episodes ends buried at a time when corpses as human treated as a collectible specimen.
With her hairy face and body, protruding jaw and other malformations, Julia Pastrana became known as "monkey woman" after the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa left in 1854 when she was 20, and was hit in the United States of Showman Theodore Lent, according to a Norwegian Commission, which investigated her case.
They sang and danced for paying audience, always a sensation. Also toured Europe and Russia You and Lent married and had a son, but she developed fever to complications from the birth, and died with her baby in 1860 in Moscow. Her remains ended up at the University of Oslo, Norway. After public and private demands on their bodies back, the university sent her remains to the state of Sinaloa, where they were laid to rest.
"Julia Pastrana has come home," said Saul Rubio Ayala, mayor of her home town of Sinaloa de Leyva. "Julia has been reborn among us. Let us never another woman be turned into an object of trade."
After a Roman Catholic Mass at a local church, Pastrana coffin was carried to the city cemetery and buried as a band played traditional music.
"The story is so important," said visual artist Laura Anderson Barbata who fought for Pastrana returned to Sinaloa. "Bringing back here is a way to restore it."
Pastrana repatriation is part of a broader movement among museums and scientific institutions, human remains during the European colonization of Latin America, Africa and Asia gathered back to their countries and send tribal areas.
Hundreds of thousands of relics cultural institutions in the U.S., Europe and Australia left since the repatriation movement began in the late 1980s, when a new generation of anthropologists, archaeologists, curators confrontation with the colonial legacy of their disciplines began, said Tiffany Jenkins, author of "contestation Human Remains in Museum Collections:. The crisis of cultural authority "
"You have been symbolic, in a way; make an apology," said Jenkins.

'Coca-Cola addiction' contributed to mother's death

A mother-of-eight ,Natasha Harris, 31, died in her home after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia, according to the coroner's report ,  likely because of her habit of guzzling up to 10 litres of Coca Cola every day for years and  described by her family as "addiction",
David Crerar, a coroner estimated he drank at least six to 10 liters of Coke everyday and caused
Some of her teeth should be removed after they become putrid, and one of her child will be born without enamel on their teeth.
Christopher Hodgkinson-her husband, estimated Natasha consumed four 2.25 litre bottles of Coke a day. She was said only drink Coke, and to display withdrawal symptoms if she went without.

On February 25, 2010, emergency services were called to their home after Natasha called out for help after difficulty breathing. Ambulance staff was unable to resuscitate her on arrival.
A post-mortem examination showed Natasha had an enlarged liver, and deposits of fat within the liver, which pathologist Dr Dan Mornin attributed to the consumption of "excessive amounts of sugar".
She also appeared to suffer from hypokalemia, or low potassium levels in her blood, which could be related to drinking large quantities of Coke, he said.

Coroner Crerar also calculated that drinking 10 litres of Coke per day would amount to 970mg of caffeine and more than 1kg of sugar every day.
More than 500mg of caffeine per day is considered unhealthy. One litre of Coke contains 97mg of caffeine and 108g of sugar (116% of an adult's recommended daily intake of sugar).

Mornin refers to Natasha's low potassium levels and high caffeine intake as attributing causes for the arrhythmia which killed her.

The symptoms Natasha had complained of in the months before her death - describing nausea, vomiting and a racing heart-beat - were indicative of someone who consumes high doses of caffeine.

"I find that, when all the available evidence in considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died," coroner Crerar said in his report, released today.

"Natasha Harris died of cardiac arrhythmia. On the balance of probabilities it is more likely than not that the drinking of very large quantities of Coke was a substantial factor that contributed to the development of metabolic imbalances, which gave rise to the arrhythmia."

However, Crerar made clear that "Coca Cola cannot be held responsible for the health of consumers who drink unhealthy quantities of the product".

He also criticised Natasha for her not heeding the dietary information contained in labels on bottles of Coke, noting that Natasha and her partner Christopher believed that because there was no health warning on the bottle that it was safe to drink in any quantity.

"Natasha Harris knew, or ought to have known and recognised, the health hazard of her chosen diet and lifestyle," he said in his report.

"The fact she had her teeth extracted several years before her death because of what her family believed was Coke induced tooth decay, and the fact that one or more of her children were born without enamel on their teeth, should have been treated by her, and by her family, as a warning."

He also criticised Natasha's avoidance of consulting a doctor despite being in clear ill-health, adding that blood tests would have identified what was wrong with her.

Recommendation over warnings

Crerar said a copy of his findings will be sent to the Ministry of Health, with a recommendation that it considers bolstering warnings on carbonated beverages to "give sufficient protection to consumers" and ensure potential dangers are "more clearly emphasised".

He also suggested Coca Cola "give consideration" to the amount of caffeine in its drinks, and the introduction of appropriate warnings on its products.

However, Coca Cola has disputed the findings, suggesting other factors which could have been responsible for causing Natasha's low potassium levels and fatty liver, such as undiagnosed diabetes and anaemia. But these were dismissed by Mornin and a second clinical expert brought in to review the findings.

"The expressed view of Dr Mornin remains that a combination of factors, including excessive caffeine intake, persistent vomiting and poor nutrition led to electrolyte disturbance, in particular hypokalemia, which triggered the arrhythmia," said Crerar.

The soft-drinks company has issued a statement to ONE News saying it is "disappointed" by the coroner's decision, saying he acknowledged he could not be certain what caused Natasha's arrhythmia.

"We are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris' excessive consumption of Coca Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death," the company said.

"This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause."
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George Karl once concocted a fake trade rumor for fun

The NBA trade deadline is only 10 days away, and that means we're now in a period of rampant hearsay and rumor-mongering. As various reports surface, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. With so many rumors flying, who knows which talks are real, how far along they are, and whether or not these deals are likely to go through?
It can be a tough time for coaches, too, particularly as they try to figure out which players will be at their disposal for the the stretch run. They need to let off some steam in any way they can. And that's why, years ago, longtime NBA head coach George Karl decided to make up a trade rumor to see if he could get it into the papers. From Jodie Valade for The Cleveland Plain-Dealer (via SLAM):

Karl said he tries to avoid media in the days before the trade deadline because "we tell fibs and lies." However, he has helped to fan the flame. He admitted he once had a contest with coaching pals to see who could get an outlandish rumor into the newspaper first.
"We make up some trade that never was proposed in 100 years and suddenly it's on ESPN," he said, smiling.

Karl said he's no longer in the business of pulling pranks, and had no trades in the works that he wanted to share. He swears he hasn't spread any trade rumors in "7-8 years," he said.

Karl began his tenure with the Nuggets in 2005, so, if his timing is correct, this rumor likely would have been spread during his first season with the team. A quick look at the roster suggests that the only meaningful trades would have involved Carmelo Anthony (who never would have been traded at that point in his career), Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, or Kenyon Martin. I don't want to guess at the specifics of the rumor, but if it included any other player — like, say, Greg Buckner — then I can only guess that ESPN was really hurting for content that day.
I don't know which other coaches were involved, but I hope they informed their players of the joke ahead of time. As Karl notes earlier in the Plain-Dealer article, he feels for players around this time of the season because they don't know what the future will bring them. Spreading a fake rumor will only make their lives tougher, because they'll have to contend with new speculation from the media and fans. Why force that experience on anyone, let alone a group of young men you're being paid to leave?
Oh, and another thing: Right before Karl took the Nuggets job, he was employed by ESPN as a color commentator on their NBA broadcasts. Perhaps he wanted to get back at a producer he didn't like, or just prank some old pals.
Whatever the case, we now know that coaches are capable of taking the silly season of trades less seriously than we may have imagined. Unfortunately for them, in 2013 it is virtually impossible to concoct a trade rumor that hasn't already been proposed in some media outlet. Reality is now much stranger than fiction.

3 killed in L.A. helicopter crash while reportedly filming reality TV show

3 killed in reality show crash, while reportedly filming a television show in Acton today.
The crash was at 3:40 a.m. on the Polsa Rosa Movie Ranch, 5726 Soledad Canyon Road, said Los Angeles County Fire dispatcher Robert Diaz.
The aircraft, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter, was substantially damaged, said Allen Kenitzer of the Federal Aviation Administration.
A movie was reportedly being shot on the ranch, which was closed to reporters. Signs at the gate pointed to a set for a production called “Bongo,” but firefighters could not confirm if that was the production that was underway during the crash.
KCAL-TV reported that a company called “Bongo Productions” was shooting an unnamed reality show there.
The ranch is a movie, TV show and commercial location offered for rent to production companies. It has two airstrips and “miles of roads,” according to its website.
Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, Kenitzer said, with the NTSB serving as the lead investigative agency. “The NTSB investigator usually posts a basic preliminary report on the agency’s website, www.ntsb.gov, within a week or two of an accident," he said.“However, it typically takes NTSB months to come up with a probable cause for accidents."
The crash happened about 35 miles east of the movie location where actor Vic Morrow and two small children were killed in 1982, when simulated artillery fire downed a helicopter hovering over them during the filming of “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”
Criminal charges were filed against director John Landis, but he was acquitted.

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Olympic champion- Usain Bolt beaten in 1st race of season in Jamaica[picture]

Usain Bolt was the sprint king of London 2012 but he made a low-key start to the new season in Jamaica. Photograph: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images

Usain Bolt was beaten in his first race of the 2013 season on Saturday, finishing third in a low-key 400m event in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica.
The triple gold medallist from both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, who often runs in 400m events at the start of each season to build fitness, easily won his heat in 46.71sec at the Camperdown Classic, but he had to settle for third overall after his team-mates Warren Weir and Yohan Blake both posted faster times in their heats. There was no final for the event.
Bolt i next scheduled to appear in Texas for the National Basketball Association All-Star Game on 15 February before focusing on preparation for August's athletics world championships in Moscow.

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Chris Brown crashes car on eve of Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Embattled R&B singer Chris Brown crashed his car into a wall in upscale Beverly Hills on Saturday, and later told police officers he was trying to elude aggressive paparazzi, police said.

The crash came on the eve of the Grammy Awards, almost exactly four years after Brown assaulted his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, the night before the awards show in 2009.

In the latest incident, Brown told Beverly Hills police that photographers were chasing him right up until the crash, said police Sergeant Kurt Haefs.

The singer was not cited or arrested at the scene, Haefs said. He added the damaged vehicle may have been towed away.
Media reports indicated Brown was driving a black Porsche.
A representative for Brown, who was not injured in the accident, did not immediately return calls on Saturday evening.
Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to beating and punching Rihanna and he faces ongoing legal troubles stemming from the case.
A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday ordered a new report on the community service Brown was due to perform as a result of the conviction, after prosecutors accused the singer of cutting corners on the work.

Prosecutors have cited occasions when they said Brown was not at the recorded location of his community service and instead was performing or traveling, once on a private jet bound for Cancun, Mexico.

Rihanna, who has admitted that she has resumed dating Brown, accompanied him to his court hearing on Wednesday.
Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, has denied the latest allegations about the singer's community service and accused prosecutors of persecuting his client.
This year, Brown's "Fortune" is nominated for best urban contemporary album at the Grammy Awards.
(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Sandra Maler)

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Boy die from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning In Snowed-In Dorchester Car

DORCHESTER (CBS) – An 11-year-old boy became the first casualty of the Blizzard of 2013 in Massachusetts Saturday afternoon. WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Doug Cope reports According to the Boston Fire Department, he was shoveling a sidewalk with his father outside an apartment building on Nazing Street in Dorchester when he became tired and cold and climbed into a running car to get warm.

 The back of the car was buried in a four-foot-high snowbank, which clogged the tailpipe and caused carbon monoxide to leak into the vehicle.

 The boy was overcome by the fumes and went into cardiac arrest. When EMTs arrived, two neighbors were performing CPR on him. He was rushed to the hospital, but they were unable to revive him. The boy’s father, realizing what happened, was overcome and went into respiratory arrest. He was also taken to a Boston hospital. The father’s condition has not been released, but he is expected to survive.

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Egypt court orders YouTube blocked for a month

 By AYA BATRAWY
CAIRO (AP) — A Cairo court on Saturday ordered the government to block access to the video-sharing website YouTube for 30 days for carrying an anti-Islam film that caused deadly riots across the world.

Judge Hassouna Tawfiq ordered YouTube blocked for carrying the film, which he described as "offensive to Islam and the Prophet (Muhammad)." He made the ruling in the Egyptian capital where the first protests against the film erupted last September before spreading to more than 20 countries, killing more than 50 people.
The ruling, however, can be appealed and, based on precedent, might not be enforced.
The 14-minute trailer for the movie "Innocence of Muslims" portrays the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, a central figure to Islam, as a religious fraud, womanizer and pedophile. It was produced in the United States by an Egyptian-born Christian who's now a U.S. citizen.
Egypt's new constitution includes a ban on insulting "religious messengers and prophets." Broadly worded blasphemy laws were also in effect under former President Hosni Mubarak prior to his ouster in a popular revolt two years ago.
Similar orders to censor pornographic websites deemed offensive have not been enforced in Egypt because of high costs associated with technical applications. Blocking YouTube might be easier to enforce, though it also can be circumvented by active Internet users.
Rights activists say Egypt's ministry of communications and information technology has appeared unwilling to enforce such bans. The Cabinet spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.
Human rights lawyer Gamal Eid said the decision to ban YouTube stems in large part from a lack of knowledge among judges about how the Internet works. Activists say this has led to a lack of courtroom discussion on technical aspects of digital technology, leaving cases based solely on threats to national security and defamation of religion.
"This verdict shows that judges' understanding of technology is weak," Eid said. "The judges do not realize that one wrong post on a website does not mean you have to block the entire website."
Eid, who is executive director at The Arabic Network for Human Right Information, said the government should file an appeal and make it clear to judges that, at most, only specific pages on websites should be blocked.
His group released a statement saying that the decision to block YouTube is counterproductive, citing thousands of videos that seek to promote a better understanding of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad on the website.
Requests for comment from YouTube's parent company, Google, were not immediately returned.
Google declined requests to remove the video from the website last year, but restricted access to it in certain countries, including Egypt, Libya and Indonesia, because it said the video broke laws in those countries. At the height of the protests in September, YouTube was ordered blocked in several countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah issued an order blocking all websites with access to the anti-Islam film in the conservative kingdom.
Lawyer Mohammed Hamid Salim, who filed the case against the Egyptian government, alleged the film constitutes a threat to Egypt's security, adding that YouTube refused to remove the film despite its offensive content. Protesters in Cairo scaled the U.S. Embassy's walls and brought down the U.S. flag in the first demonstration against the film last year.
Two other cases filed against the government and Google are pending in Egyptian courts. One lawsuit calls for a complete ban on Google's search engine and demands the company pay a $2 billion fine.
Last year, an Egyptian court convicted in absentia seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor, who allegedly promoted the film, sentencing them to death on charges linked to the anti-Islam film. The case was seen as largely symbolic because the defendants were outside Egypt and unlikely to ever face the sentence.
The cases raise concern by some seculars and liberals that Islamist lawyers, emboldened by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups' rise to power, are seeking to curb freedom of speech. However, the most widespread curb occurred under Mubarak when his government blocked all access to the Internet for several days during the 18-day uprising that ousted him from power in an attempt to disrupt communications among activists.
Protests have continued to roil Egypt in the two years since Mubarak was toppled, with the latest bout of violence directed against President Mohammed Morsi's rule. Friday's protests were ignited partly by the apparent torture-death this week of activist Mohammed el-Gindy, whose body showed marks of electrical shocks on his tongue, wire marks around his neck, smashed ribs and a broken skull, according to an initial medical examination and one of his colleagues.
However, on Saturday the justice minister told the state-run Ahram Arabic website that an official medical report showed el-Gindy died in a car accident. The autopsy report was not immediately available.
___
Associated Press Writer John S. Marshall in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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Girls Basketball Team Disciplined after post 'Nazi Salute' on Facebook

By Andrew Lu 

Teenagers do dumb things. Just look at what happened to a girls basketball team in Maine whose members decided to pose on Facebook while giving a Nazi salute.
We've all joked about things that are not politically correct. However, the difference with teens today are that they have ways to memorialize their dumb acts forever, and for everyone to see.
When word of the photo got back to the high school principal, he took immediate disciplinary action against the students, reports The Bangor Daily News. The discipline may have come down especially swift, given that this is the second time this school year that the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school district has dealt with anti-Semitic actions.

The photo that caused this controversy is actually not that controversial. Two members of the Greely High School girls basketball are facing a third member while giving a Nazi salute. The third team member in the middle is flashing the peace sign, writes the Daily News. All of them are wearing their basketball uniforms.
It's reported that one of the team members is nicknamed "Hitler" by the team. It's not clear if that team member is any of the three team members in the photo or if the nickname is meant as an insult.
Nevertheless, the high school and school district may want to consider adopting some social media rules that many universities and colleges have adopted to protect student-athletes from themselves.
Like it or not, athletes attract undue attention to their own actions. So the things they tweet and post on Facebook may be scrutinized more than others.
Some universities' social media policies simply provide guidance for students to not post offensive pictures or comments and to never post emotionally.
But other social media policies take a harder line, such as requiring student-athletes to turn over their passwords to university administrators and prohibiting the use of social media platforms like Twitter. After the Nazi salute photo incident on Facebook, grade schools may want to consider doing the same.

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