Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tony Award nominations may have a British accent

NEW YORK (AP) ? Two stories born in Britain are vying for America's biggest theater prize.

"Kinky Boots" and "Matilda" are each a virtual lock to get a Tony Award nomination Tuesday for best musical and each show will be eager to capture as many nods as possible in the other 25 categories.

The nominations will be announced from The New York Public Library for Performing Arts in a televised event co-hosted by Tony winner Sutton Foster and "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

"Kinky Boots" is based on the 2005 British movie about a real-life shoe factory that struggles until it finds new life in fetish footwear. Songs by pop icon Cyndi Lauper and a story by Harvey Fierstein have made it a crowd-pleaser, albeit in open-minded New York. Touring potential is key for Tony voters.

"Matilda," the import from London, is a witty musical adaptation of the beloved novel by Roald Dahl and is true to his bleak vision of childhood as a savage battleground. It has proven it can find audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

The other contenders for the best musical prize ? the biggest reward on Tony night? include the peppy "Bring It On: The Musical" the hit-stuffed "Motown: The Musical," the quick-to-close "Hands on a Hardbody" and the sweet "A Christmas Story, The Musical."

"Kinky Boots" and "Matilda" also have a good chance of nabbing nominations in the best musical actor category, with some interesting drag involved for both shows' leading men, who both wear skirts onstage. British actor Bertie Carvel plays a brutal headmistress in "Matilda" and Billy Porter plays a drag queen in "Kinky Boots."

Others who may get a nod include Rob McClure as the lead in "Chaplin," Matthew James Thomas in "Pippin," Brandon Victor Dixon in "Motown: The Musical" and Jim Norton in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Porter's co-star Stark Sands might also get a nomination.

The best play category is stuffed, but only four can make it. The leading lights include Richard Greenberg's "The Assembled Parties," Sharr White's "The Other Place" and Christopher Durang's "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike."

Others with a real possibility include Colm Toibin's "The Testament of Mary," Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy," Douglas Carter Beane's "The Nance," Craig Wright's "Grace," Holland Taylor's "Ann" and John Logan's "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers."

Leading the best musical revival group is "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" and "Pippin." Others hoping to fill out the four slots will be a solid "Annie," the brash "Jekyll & Hyde" and the rollicking "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

The best play revival is as competitive as the new play category, with Horton Foote's "The Trip to Bountiful," Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy," Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and a one-man "Macbeth" in hot contention. Others include David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" and William Inge's "Picnic."

Leading actress in a play nominees may likely include Bette Midler from "I'll Eat You Last," Jessica Hecht in "The Assembled Parties," Cicely Tyson in "The Trip to Bountiful," Kristine Nielsen from "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike," Laurie Metcalf in "The Other Place" and Fiona Shaw from "The Testament of Mary." Other possibilities are Sigourney Weaver, Scarlett Johansson, Holland Taylor and Amy Morton.

On the male side, best actor in a play contenders include Nathan Lane for "The Nance," Tracy Letts of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Tom Hanks in "Lucky Guy," Alan Cumming in "Macbeth" and David Hyde Pierce from "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike." Others with a shot include Douglas Hodge, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, and Alec Baldwin.

Top actresses in a musical likely will include Patina Miller from "Pippin," Laura Osnes of "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" and Valisia LeKae in "Motown: The Musical," Lilla Crawford from "Annie" and Stephanie J. Block of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

All four girls who rotate as the lead in "Matilda" ? Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro ? were deemed ineligible, although in London the four actresses there each took home the Oliver Award.

Some 870 Tony voters will decide the final awards after the nominees are revealed. The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, joint producers of the show, will host the glittery ceremony from Radio City Music Hall on June 9. It will be broadcast live by CBS. Only Broadway shows that opened since April 26, 2012, are eligible.

___

Online: http://www.TonyAwards.com

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tony-award-nominations-may-british-accent-185157191.html

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StanChart Ghana reports 75 pct jump in Q1 profits

By Mike Collett LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that if his team win their last three Premier League games they will qualify for the Champions League, but both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur could yet scupper his hopes. If Chelsea take at least nine points from their last four games, they will finish on 74 points. If Tottenham win their four remaining games, they would also finish on 74 points. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stanchart-ghana-reports-75-pct-jump-q1-profits-085051065.html

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Fire destroys Danish museum, artifacts saved

Museum officials say a fire is blazing through The Museum of Danish Resistance in Copenhagen, destroying large parts of the building.

They said Sunday that no one has been injured in the fire and firefighters and staff that rushed to the scene managed to save the majority of artifacts.

The fire started in the museum cafe early Sunday and quickly spread to the exhibition hall. The cause is not yet known.

The museum exhibits objects related to the Danish resistance to the German occupation during World War II.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fire-destroys-danish-museum-artifacts-saved-101522727.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

White House: Anthony Foxx in line for transportation post

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday.

If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx would replace outgoing Secretary Ray LaHood.

Foxx is Obama's first black nominee among the new Cabinet members appointed for the second term. The president faced criticism early in his second term for a lack of diversity among his nominees.

The official insisted on anonymity to avoid public discussion of the pick before the official announcement.

The official noted that Foxx has led efforts to improve his city's transit infrastructure to expand economic opportunity for businesses and workers. During Foxx's term as mayor, Charlotte has broken ground on several important transportation projects, including the Charlotte Streetcar Project to bring modern electric tram service to the city as well as a third parallel runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. The city has also moved to extend the LYNX light rail system to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the official said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx would take over a department that has been at the center of Washington's debate over the impact of the so-called sequester cuts. The automatic cuts resulted in furloughs for air traffic controllers that helped cause delays at many airports.

Congress reached a deal last week to provide the Transportation Department flexibility that allowed it to end the air traffic controller furloughs.

Foxx, an attorney who has worked in several positions with the federal government, was first elected mayor in 2009. He raised his national profile last year when Charlotte played host to the Democratic Party's convention.

He also served as a member of the Charlotte City Council.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wh-anthony-foxx-line-transportation-post-211537174.html

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Bangladesh building collapse death toll hits 359

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Police in Bangladesh took six people into custody in connection with the collapse of a shoddily-constructed building that killed at least 359 people, as rescue workers admitted that voices of survivors are getting weaker after four days of being pinned under the increasingly unstable rubble.

Still, in a boost for the rescuers, 29 survivors were pulled out Saturday, said army spokesman Shahinul Islam.

Most of the victims were crushed by massive blocks of concrete and mortar falling on them when the 8-story structure came down on Wednesday morning ? a time many of the garment factories in the building were packed with workers. It was the worst tragedy to hit Bangladesh's massive garment industry, and focused attention on the poor working conditions of the employees who toil for $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.

Among those arrested Saturday were two owners of a garment factory, who a Dhaka court ruled can be questioned by police for 12 days without charges being filed. Also detained are two government engineers and the wife of the building owner, who is on the run, in an attempt to force him to surrender. Late Saturday, police arrested another factory owner. Violent public protests continued sporadically in Dhaka and spread to the southeastern city of Chittagong where several vehicles were set on fire.

Working round-the-clock since Wednesday through heat and a thunderstorm, rescuers on Saturday finally reached the ground floor from the top of the mountainous rubble through 25 narrow holes they have drilled, said Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, the head of the fire services.

"We are still getting response from survivors though they are becoming weaker slowly," he said, adding that rescue workers were now able to see cars that were parked at the ground level.

"The building is very vulnerable. Any time the floors could collapse. We are performing an impossible task, but we are glad that we are able to rescue so many survivors." He said the operations will continue overnight as chances fade of people surviving for a fifth day with possibly grievous injuries and the heat.

The building site was a hive of frenzied activity all day with soldiers, police and medical workers in lab coats working non-stop. Rescuers passed bottles of water and small cylinders of oxygen up a ladder leaning against the side of the building to be given to possible survivors inside.

They used bare hands and shovels, passing chunks of brick and concrete down a human chain away from the collapsed structure. On the ground, mixed in the debris were several pairs of pink cotton pants, a mud-covered navy blue sock and a pile of green uncut fabric.

Every once in a while a badly decomposed body would be brought out, covered in cloth and plastic, to a spot where ambulances were parked. Workers furiously sprayed air-fresheners on the bodies to cover the stench, leaving the air thick with the smell of death and cheap perfume.

The bodies were kept at a makeshift morgue at the nearby Adharchandra High School before being handed over to families. Many people milled around at the school, waving photos of their missing loved ones.

Officials at a rescue control center at the scene said Sunday that the death toll had risen to 359. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said 2,429 survivors were accounted for.

Junior Home Minister Shamsul Haque Tuku said police had arrested Bazlus Samad, managing director of New Wave Apparels Ltd., and Mahmudur Rahman Tapash, the company chairman. He told reporters that police had also detained the wife of Mohammed Sohel Rana, the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, for questioning. The top three floors of the eight-story building were illegally constructed. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said officials arrested Aminul Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd., late Saturday in Dhaka.

Authorities are still searching for Rana, a local politician, who hasn't been seen publicly since the building collapsed. Negligence cases have been filed against him. Police in Bangladesh often detain relatives of missing suspects as a way to pressure them to surrender.

Dhaka police superintendent Habibur Rahman said Rana was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. His arrest, and that of the factory owners, was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.

Police said they detained for questioning two engineers working for the Savar municipality, Imtemam Hossain and Alam Ali. They did not say what role they played in approving the design of the building but it was clear that the arrests amounted to a widening crackdown. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed.

Police say they ordered an evacuation of the building on Tuesday after cracks in Rana Plaza were found, but the factories ignored the order and were operating when it collapsed the next day. Video before the collapse shows cracks in walls, with apparent attempts at repair. It also shows columns missing chunks of concrete and police talking to building operators.

Officials said soon after the collapse that numerous construction regulations had been violated.

The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. Since then, very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.

Bangladesh's garment industry was the third largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is the equivalent of about $38 a month.

Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.

The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.

Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.

Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.

__

AP writers Chris Blake and Gillian Wong in Dhaka, and Kay Johnson in Mumbai contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-building-collapse-death-toll-hits-359-033425257.html

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Best way to enhance business - Small-business - EzineMark

Making new contacts, potential sales leads and generally marketing your brand and product to a wider audience, networking is vital in creating growth within your business.

As a medium through which you can establish yourself ahead of your competitors, networking will also add value to your business. Whether that be legal, financial or otherwise, being able to project your brand within your sector, helps you create a reputation. Based upon the reputation that precedes them, businesses can thrive or fail; to create a positive reputation of your company any yourself, business network allows you.

Support and Advice- To make people more aware of your company is not simply business networking; to gain support and advice from like-minded peers, it can also serve as a medium. Helping in answering any questions you may have regarding an aspect of the business, speaking to people in your own field can give you an insight into best practice. The way that they have supported you or this may make your company look inexperienced or unwilling to share information, do not be selfish however, ensure that you are able to help and support others in the network.

When networking, you do not need to be confined to your own business sector; in other fields also, it is good practice to cross. This means that you will have somebody to go to if you need a bit of outside advice on a matter which you have little experience. For example about intellectual property, if you work in the field of tax law but needed a bit of advice.

Brand Awareness- Besides a brand getting the name out in the open, speaking to people in your business sector about your company will also make a difference.

The first step in its growth and thus improved sales is making people aware of your brand. You are the face of the company, when you are networking, either face to face or via the Internet. As an ambassador, reflecting the professionalism of your company and promoting the brand effectively, it is important that you present yourself in a way.

Direct Sales- To make direct sales of your services, networking with business in your sector and others gives a chance. Creating a lasting relationship which is in the interest of your firm and theirs, it is a chance to approach potential buyers. For example, a financial accountant and vice versa could be helped by a legal firm.

To gain information on whom the decision makers are, building up relationships with companies also means that you will begin.

?

Source: http://small-business.ezinemark.com/best-way-to-enhance-business-7d38ae8d9aea.html

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38 die in psychiatric hospital fire near Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) ? A fire swept quickly through a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow early Friday, killing 38 people, some of them sedated and in their beds, officials said.

The one-story brick-and-wood hospital building housed patients with severe mental disorders, Health Ministry officials said. An Emergencies Ministry official said the fire started in a wooden annex and then spread to the main brick building, which had wooden beams.

Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said that half of the patients took sedatives at night. She insisted that the patients were not tied to their beds and were not given any medication that would leave them unconscious and unable to escape.

At least 29 people were burned alive, said Irina Gumennaya, a spokeswoman for the federal Investigative Committee.

Investigators said the 38 dead included 36 patients and two doctors. They said a nurse managed to escape and save one patient, while another patient got out on his own. The Emergencies Ministry also posted a list of the patients indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76. Gumennaya told Russian news agencies that most of the people died in their beds.

Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyev said some of the hospital windows were barred. Gumennaya cited the surviving nurse as saying that the doors inside the hospital were not locked.

Investigators said they are looking at violations of fire regulations and a short circuit as possible causes for the blaze that engulfed the hospital in the Ramensky settlement, some 85 kilometers (53 miles) north of Moscow.

Vadim Belovoshin of the Emergencies Ministry said that it took firefighters an hour to get to the hospital because a ferry across a canal was closed and they had to make a detour.

Vorobyev told Russian state television that the fire alarm seems to have worked, but the fire spread too quickly.

Skvotsova told the state television said that the hospital had all the necessary fire equipment, but conceded mental hospitals should be better equiped for emergencies than the current law requires.

President Vladimir Putin called for a thorough investigation into the deadly fire and asked regional authorities to pay more attention to safety regulations.

Russia has a poor fire safety record, with about 12,000 deaths reported in 2012. In January, a fire in an underground parking lot killed 10 migrant workers from Tajikistan who were working and living there. In a similar incident in September, 14 Vietnamese workers were killed by fire at a clothing factory near Moscow.

In one of the most high-profile cases of negligence, more than 150 people died in a night club in the city of Perm after a pyrotechnic show ignited a wooden ceiling.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/38-die-mental-hospital-fire-outside-moscow-051615611.html

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

More rights for bicyclists? Not without a fight (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301912124?client_source=feed&format=rss

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The Bird That Struts Its Stuff

Copyright ? 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Up next, it's our Video Pick of The Week. And here with me, as always, is our managing editor and correspondent for video, Flora Litchman. Hi, Flora.

FLORA LITCHMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ira.

FLATOW: You went on a...

(APPLAUSE)

FLATOW: You went on a local expedition for us.

LITCHMAN: I love Salt Lake City.

FLATOW: Yeah.

LITCHMAN: I just want to...

FLATOW: They love you, it sounds like. Tell us about your expedition.

LITCHMAN: We went on an adventure for this week's video pick, and we went looking for a local celebrity. But I actually was hoping to sound check that with you guys, maybe via applause-o-meter. Who in the audience has heard a sage-grouse?

(APPLAUSE)

LITCHMAN: Well, there you go. OK. And who here has seen a sage-grouse strut?

(APPLAUSE)

FLATOW: Whoa...

LITCHMAN: Wow. Pretty good.

Before we get more into this, I want to bring on our sage on sage-grouse. Jason Robinson is the upland game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Thanks for joining us today and for being our tour guide for this week's Video Pick.

JASON ROBINSON: Thanks, Flora.

LITCHMAN: Describe what the strut looks like and why these birds do it.

ROBINSON: Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but I'll do my best. Basically a sage-grouse male has a white collar that's really bright. And what it does is they gather on this leks, and a lek is a location where males gather to kind of strut their stuff for the female hens.

And the males dance around a little bit, all puffed out, their tail feathers are all erect; they have very sharp pointy tail feathers, and they have these air sacs on their chest that they fill up with air and they rub their wings against those stiff feathers on the side and puff out to make kind of a unique noise that attracts the females, and hopefully is - makes them successful for mating.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: And we have a little clip of the noise of the sage-grouse while it's strutting and puffing up its chest. Can we hear that?

(SOUNDBITE OF SAGE-GROUSE'S PUFFING)

FLATOW: Oh.

LICHTMAN: Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: Can you do that one? Can you do that noise?

ROBINSON: You know, I've been asked several times to do that and I'm not able to.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR.

LICHTMAN: I'm Flora Lichtman.

FLATOW: And I'm Ira Flatow here at Salt Lake City talking about the sage grouse. You went on this expedition to look for one, right? And you found it right in the first - what did you got?

LICHTMAN: Unfortunately, no.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: No?

LICHTMAN: We did not see any sage-grouse despite Jason's excellent effort. We went all over, mountain to mountain, and we were totally unsuccessful. But our viewers...

FLATOW: The good news is...

LICHTMAN: Yeah. The good news is if you go to our website you can see them, thanks to Jason's agency, which has beautiful footage of these birds strutting it around. And they do this every year at this time, right?

ROBINSON: Right. Yeah. So they go to the same locations, year after year, for generations, and so we keep tracked to that information. You know, normally on a good day - we didn't have the best weather, but usually they're pretty predictable when they're going to be there and what times that sort of thing.

LICHTMAN: And these birds are facing some challenges here.

ROBINSON: They are. They're actually a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. So there's a lot of conservation efforts to try and save sage grouse and keep the populations from declining.

FLATOW: Can I ask you a question? I found interesting - the video is up on our website at sciencefriday.com. And as part of the video - I watched your adventures, it was quite interesting - is - you said that it requires a huge range of area, lot of open space for it to be successful. Why is that? Why does it need so much territory?

ROBINSON: Well, kind of referencing that, sage-grouse are sagebrush obligate. That means they have to have sagebrush in order to exist, but not just a few plants. They need vast landscapes of sagebrush, anywhere from 10 to hundreds of square miles. And the main reason for that is sagebrush is arid. They don't get much precipitation. There's not a whole lot for them to eat so they're adapted to eat the sagebrush. So they need these large expanses to be able to fulfill the life requirements they have.

LICHTMAN: And they can even gain weight over the winter, you said, because they do so well.

ROBINSON: Yeah. So they're so highly adaptive to eating sagebrush, and sagebrush is actually quite nutritious, the leaves, that they can gain weight in the winter if they have enough sagebrush available.

LICHTMAN: So the populations are declining. Why can people still hunt these birds?

ROBINSON: Well, that's actually the question I get asked most often. And it's probably one of the more controversial things surrounding sage grouse. You know, our agency's primary goal and objective is to keep sage-grouse on the landscape. You know, we work very hard doing that.

One of the things to keep in mind is sage grouse (unintelligible) birds, who actually produce more young than will be able to survive. So some of those are going to die of predation, or starvation or other - other factors.

Here in the state of Utah, we actually harvest less than three percent of the total statewide sage grouse population. And one of the benefits that we get from that is we get a lot of data that we wouldn't get otherwise to help us manage the species.

We also have out sporting group, hunters or conservationists, and they're very good conserving species and being advocates for the species. In addition to that it also generates some funds for protection of habit, for hiring biologists to be spokesmen for sage grouse and for conservation.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Well, if you want to see Flora's great adventure out there, looking for the sage grouse, it's up on our website at sciencefriday.com. And also it's very funny.

LICHTMAN: Don't miss it - these birds are really striking.

FLATOW: They are. And I've never seen a sage grouse before, and it's really - I'm struck by how beautiful it is and how unusual is to see that. Thanks, Flora.

LICHTMAN: Thanks, Ira.

FLATOW: Thank you, Jason Robinson, for being our tour guide today.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

FLATOW: It's up on our website at sciencefriday.com. That's about all the time we have. And so we want to thank the folks, everybody here at Grand Theatre at Salt Lake Community College, everybody at KUER - your local public radio station - for making it possible for us to be here.

(APPLAUSE)

FLATOW: Thank you. We want to thank all of you out in the audience. It's well-bunch of people here. It's - what a great record for us to set here in Salt Lake City. Thank you all. You all deserved a round of applause to yourself for coming out to see us today.

(APPLAUSE)

FLATOW: And if you missed any part of the program, or would like to see Flora's Video Pick of the Week, it's up there on our website. Also we podcast in this show, we have a Facebook page, we tweet all the time at SCIENCE FRIDAY. @scifri is our handle out there. And also you can take us along to join your - for anything that you carry along in one of those electronic devices that you have. Thank you again for coming out to see us today. We'll be back in New York. Thanks again. I'm Ira Flatow in Salt Lake City.

Copyright ? 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/26/179224941/the-bird-that-struts-its-stuff?ft=1&f=1007

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Ellen and Dennis Quaid Team Up on Prank, Nurse Pays the Price

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/ellen-and-dennis-quaid-team-up-on-prank-nurse-pays-the-price/

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Make your PlayStation 3 look that much more like a Terminator robot with a 'Metallic Gray' DualShock 3

Make your PlayStation 3 look that much more like a Terminator robot with 'Metallic Gray' DualShock 3

Tired of how much your PlayStation 3 doesn't look like a Terminator robot? Us too, especially given that hilariously mechanical new top-loading disc drive cover. Thankfully, Sony sympathizes with our plight, announcing this week that its "Metallic Gray" DualShock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 will arrive in the United States in a few months (it's been available in Japan for some time). On June 3rd, the controller becomes available for the standard DS3 price of $54.99, and interested parties can pre-order right this second if they so choose. Of course, we don't anticipate a shortage when they arrive this June, but it's always possible that a T-800 will be sent back from the future to accessorize. In which case, you pre-order folks end up looking pretty good.

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Via: Joystiq

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Hispanics Actually Don't Share Republican 'Faith and Family' Values

New Republican research on the GOP and Hispanics gives the party reason for hope that it can climb out of the political hole it is in with these voters. But there?s some bad news mixed in with the good, laid out in a Public Opinion Strategies memo about two lengthy focus groups of Hispanic voters this month in Las Vegas.

The most surprising findings involve social and cultural issues. Conservatives may assume they have the franchise on ?faith and family? and all that label signifies, but Hispanics don?t see it that way.

Polls show that Hispanics really do line up more with Republicans on gay marriage and abortion, as the GOP claims when it talks of Hispanics as Republicans in waiting or Republicans who just don?t realize it yet. But ?by a rather staggering margin,? POS partner Nicole McCleskey writes in the memo, Hispanics say they are much more likely to agree with the Democratic approach to social and cultural issues.

How can that be? The POS focus groups suggested that while Republicans interpret ?social and cultural issues? primarily to mean gay rights and gay marriage, for Hispanics the phrase has to do with justice, fairness, and respect for ?cultural differences.? ?It?s no wonder Hispanic voters are perplexed when Republicans insist we share the same values,? McCleskey writes. They are also perplexed when asked if the GOP is more likely to share their values of faith and family, she says, ?because they do not see either party as having cornered the market on faith and family.?

McCleskey said in an interview that Republicans and Hispanics "talk past each other? on social and cultural issues, particularly when it comes to the phrase "faith and family." ?I don?t know if they hear what is intended, which is that we share similar positions on the value of the traditional family,? she said. ?It?s kind of a code and they haven?t gotten the decoder ring.? She said she doesn?t have the answer yet for how the GOP should proceed, and intends her work to be a conversation-starter.

On the good-news front, the focus-group participants liked what they heard about Medicaid, immigration, economics, and education in clips from speeches by some prominent party figures. But the people they listened to?New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush?are unusual in how they talk about these issues and seemed like anomalies to the focus-group participants.

Comments about Christie, who is expanding Medicaid under the new health care law even though he disagrees with the law, summed up the problem. After hearing him talk about the human cost of not taking the new federal Medicaid money, the focus-group participants described him as human, caring, and someone who calls it like he sees it?but said he is just one person. The overriding perceptions among Hispanics, according to McCleskey?s memo, are that ?Republicans don?t want us here? and whatever they say about the economy ?will naturally be to the advantage to the wealthy and hurt the working class.?

Martinez won praise from McCleskey for going beyond the ?traditional opportunity refrain? to frame lower business-tax rates as a matter of fairness?leveling the playing field with neighboring states. Bush?s description of why he pursued his Florida education reforms?to lift the poor and shrink the achievement gap between white and minority students?was powerful and ?surprising stuff? to the groups, she said in the memo. McCleskey also said Paul was lauded for using personal stories in a discussion of immigration reform and making clear it is about all immigrants and not just Mexicans. McCleskey warned, however, that Republicans need to be careful about stressing that new citizens will create new taxpayers. That point reminded the focus groups of their perception that ?Republicans care more about money than they do about people,? she wrote.

It will take a presidential candidate to recast the image of the party, but the 2016 nominee is not likely to be one of the three politicians the POS focus groups showcased talking about immigration, education, or the economy. Martinez has signaled so far that she is not interested in a national race. Bush, whose wife is Mexican, clearly is interested, but the nation probably is not ready for a third Bush presidency (his mother certainly isn?t, telling NBC this week that ?we?ve had enough Bushes? in the White House). As for Paul, he is laying groundwork for a 2016 bid and may be less of a boutique candidate than his dad, but his libertarian leanings and odd mix of positions still make him a long shot.

The GOP does have some politicians with the potential to shift Hispanic views of Republicans. Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida are at the top of that list. ?Those two dominate the landscape as far as being change agents for our party,? McCleskey told National Journal. But first they?d have to survive a primary process that in 2012 reinforced the idea that Republicans are hostile to immigrants and led seven in 10 Hispanics to vote for Barack Obama.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hispanics-actually-dont-share-republican-faith-family-values-125625237.html

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Collapsed factory building in Bangladesh kills 87

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Rescuers tried to free dozens of people believed trapped in the concrete rubble after an eight-story building that housed garment factories collapsed, killing at least 87. Workers had complained about cracks in the structure before it came tumbling down, but were assured it was safe.

Searchers cut holes in the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those pinned inside the building near Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka.

"I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry. We can't leave them behind this way," said fire official Abul Khayer. Rescue operations illuminated by floodlights continued through the night.

The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh's massive garment industry.

Workers said they had hesitated to go to into the building on Wednesday morning because it had developed such large cracks a day earlier that it even drew the attention of local news channels.

Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that there was no problem, so employees went inside.

"After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly," Rahim said. He next remembered regaining consciousness outside.

On a visit to the site, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters the building had violated construction codes and "the culprits would be punished."

Among the textile businesses in the building were Phantom Apparels Ltd., New Wave Style Ltd., New Wave Bottoms Ltd. and New Wave Brothers Ltd., which make clothing for major brands including The Children's Place, Dress Barn, and Primark.

Jane Singer, a spokeswoman for The Children's Place, said that "while one of the garment factories located in the building complex has produced apparel for The Children's Place, none of our product was in production at the time of this accident."

"Our deepest sympathies go out to the victims of this terrible tragedy and their families," Singer said in a statement.

Dress Barn said that to its knowledge, it had "not purchased any clothing from that facility since 2010. We work with suppliers around the world to manufacture our clothing, and have a supply chain transparency program to protect the rights of workers and their safety."

Primark, a major British clothing retailer, confirmed that one of the suppliers it uses to produce some of its goods was located on the second floor of the building.

In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, Primark said it was "shocked and deeply saddened by the appalling incident." It added that it has been working with other retailers to review the country's approach to factory standards and will now push for this review to include building integrity.

Meanwhile, Primark's ethical trade team is working to collect information, assess which communities the workers come from, and to provide support "where possible."

John Howe, Cato's chief financial officer and executive vice president, told The Associated Press that it didn't contract with any of the factories directly but it's currently investigating what its "ties" were.

Howe said that one of Cato's domestic importers could have used one of the factories to fulfill some of the orders the retailer had placed. It's expected to have more information by Thursday.

Spanish retailer Mango denied reports it was using any of the suppliers in the building. However, in an email statement to the AP, it said that there had been conversations with one of them to produce a batch of test products.

Kevin Gardner, a spokesman at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the second-largest clothing producer in Bangladesh, said the company is investigating to see if a factory in the building was currently producing for the chain.

"We remain committed and are actively engaged in promoting stronger safety measures, and that work continues," Gardner added.

Workers said they didn't know what specific clothing brands were being produced in the building because labels are attached after the products are finished.

Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, which has an office in nearby Dhaka, says his staff is investigating the situation. He's hoping his team, working with local workers' groups, will be able to find out which brands were having their products made at the time of the collapse.

"You can't trust many buildings in Bangladesh," Kernaghan said. "It's so corrupt that you can buy off anybody and there won't be any retribution."

Sumi, a 25-year-old worker who goes by one name, said she was sewing jeans on the fifth floor with at least 400 others when the building fell.

"It collapsed all of a sudden," she said. "No shaking, no indication. It just collapsed on us."

She said she managed to reach a hole in the building where rescuers pulled her out.

Reports suggested the death toll was likely to rise.

"We sent two people inside the building, and we could rescue at least 20 people alive. They also told us that at least 100 to 150 people are injured and about 50 dead people are still trapped inside this floor," said Mohammad Humayun, a supervisor at one of the garment factories.

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the site, weeping and searching for family members. Firefighters and soldiers with drilling machines and cranes worked with volunteers to search for survivors.

An enormous section of the concrete structure appeared to have splintered like twigs. Colorful sheets of fabric were tied to upper floors so those inside could climb or slide down and escape.

Rescuers carried the body of a young boy from the building, but it was not immediately clear what he had been doing inside. The building, in the Dhaka suburb of Savar, housed a bank and various shops in addition to the garment factories.

An arm jutted out of one section of the rubble. A lifeless woman covered in dust could be seen in another.

Rahim said his mother and father, who worked with him in the factory, were trapped inside.

Mosammat Khurshida wailed as she looked for her husband. "He came to work in the morning. I can't find him," she said. "I don't know where he is. He does not pick up his phone."

Zahidur Rahman, a spokesman for Enam Medical College and Hospital, said Wednesday evening that 87 people had been confirmed dead. Brig. Gen. Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said 600 people had been rescued.

The morgue of the medical college echoed with the sobs of people waiting for the bodies of their loved ones. "Where's my mother? Where's my mother? Tell me, tell me, oh Allah, oh Allah!" Rana Ahmed cried.

The November fire at the Tazreen garment factory drew international attention to working conditions in Bangladesh's $20 billion-a-year textile industry. The country has about 4,000 garment factories and exports clothes to leading Western retailers. The industry wields vast power in the South Asian nation.

Tazreen lacked emergency exits, and its owner said only three floors of the eight-story building were legally built. Surviving employees said gates had been locked and managers had told them to go back to work after the fire alarm went off.

___

AP Retail Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/collapsed-factory-building-bangladesh-kills-87-173030768--finance.html

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Green flights? NASA explores biofuel use in planes.

Commercial jets could fly safely with a blend of jet fuel that includes a plant oil, NASA researchers said Thursday.?NASA is one of several government agencies examining the use of renewable biofuels to reduce dependency on foreign oil while reducing carbon emissions.

By Brock Vergakis,?Associated Press / April 25, 2013

A NASA DC-8 airplane releases contrails over California in a mission to determine the effect a biofuel blend made with camelina plant oil has on the aircraft?s emissions and engine performance. NASA would like to conduct additional flight tests on other biofuels in the future, especially algae because it doesn't require fresh water to grow.

NASA/AP

Enlarge

NASA researchers said Thursday that test flights conducted in California have shown a commercial jet could fly safely with a blend of jet fuel that includes a plant?oil.

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Scientists at NASA's Langley Research center in Hampton said there was no noticeable difference in the engine performance of a DC-8 aircraft flying as high as 39,000 feet on the biofuel mix made from the camelina plant?oil. The researchers also said that under certain conditions the biofuel mix produced 30 percent fewer emissions than traditional aviation fuel.

"In terms of these fuels being acceptable for use in commercial aircraft, they're quite acceptable, but we're still digging into the data," said Bruce Anderson, a senior research scientist at Langley who worked on the project.

NASA is one of several government agencies examining the use of renewable biofuels to reduce dependency on foreign?oil?while reducing carbon emissions. Military officials are also pursuing the use of biofuels, with the Navy hoping to deploy a 'Great Green Fleet' of ships and aircraft run entirely on alternative fuels in 2016.

Camelina, an oilseed crop that is native to northeastern Europe, can be cultivated in the U.S. and is considered well-suited to arid Northern Plains states because it needs little water and can handle low temperatures.

The research was conducted as a collaboration between Langley, Dryden and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The biofuel mix tested by the experts allows a plan to be fueled just like any other aircraft, researchers said.

But Anderson noted one catch: camelina?oil?is currently more expensive at about $18 a gallon, compared to about $4 a gallon for traditional jet fuel.

To examine the fuel's effects on the environment, researchers used the specially outfitted airplane to analyze the DC-8's contrails, coming as close as 300 feet to the aircraft while in flight.

The flights were made with a plane belonging to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Each of the test flights occurred when weather conditions were optimal for contrails to occur and took place near Edwards Air Force Base in California between February and April.

Anderson said the emission reductions would be greater if the jet ran entirely on biofuel instead of a 50-50 blend, but doing so would require the jet to be altered.

Detailed results of the research are likely be made public in coming weeks and anxiously awaited by the aviation industry, which has expressed a desire to see more of the crop grown and refined as it looks to battle against uncertainty in?oil?prices.

Even more exhaustive tests are planned on biofuels for 2014.

NASA would like to conduct additional flight tests on other biofuels in the future, especially algae because it doesn't require fresh water to grow. But officials say they're limited in what they can do because the technologies and commercial applications are still developing.

"The diesel market drives this and the jet biofuel market is just not there yet. In some ways we'd like to explore more fuels, but we're limited to the extent of what's commercially available," said Richard Moore, a post-doctoral fellow at Langley.

Anderson said while there were small differences in emissions using the biofuel mix in flight, other research has shown that the fuels could have a greater environmental impact while jets are on the ground. Idling airplanes at busy airports contribute greatly to poor air quality, he said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/r3_eiKrogs8/Green-flights-NASA-explores-biofuel-use-in-planes

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Extreme Rules Triple Threat Match: An infographic

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/2013/extreme-rules-2013-world-heavyweight-champion-triple-threat-match-infographic

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Bloomberg: Amazon Has a Kindle Streaming Box on the Way

Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Amazon will soon be announcing its own streaming box to pair up with its Amazon Streaming Video, as well as other popular streaming services. More »
    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ped6AXtBHTA/bloomberg-amazon-has-a-kindle-streaming-box-on-the-way

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

US futures moving higher as corporate profits roll

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013, photo, Glenn Kessler, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.World stock markets were mostly lower Tuesday April 23, 2013 after China's manufacturing growth slowed in April, adding to worries about the health of the world's second-largest economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013, photo, Glenn Kessler, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.World stock markets were mostly lower Tuesday April 23, 2013 after China's manufacturing growth slowed in April, adding to worries about the health of the world's second-largest economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Monday April 1, 2013 photo, a man leaves an Apple store with an iPhone and an iPad in his hands in central Beijing, China. Apple Inc., the maker of the iPhone and iPad, reports quarterly financial results after the market closes on Tuesday. April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

(AP) ? Stock futures are moving higher on more strong earnings from U.S. corporations, and ahead of new data expected to show that the number of homes being built is approaching levels last seen more than four years ago.

Dow Jones industrial futures are up 53 points to 14,552. S&P futures have added 3.1 points to 1,559. Nasdaq futures are up 12.25 points to 2,809.50.

DuPont, the chemical maker, reported first-quarter profits Tuesday that more than doubled as its agricultural unit did brisk business. Travelers insurance and Coach are soaring in premarket trading after big quarters.

Apple posts earnings after the market closes.

The Commerce Department releases new home figures and most economists expect a slight uptick from March, which would be close to record highs reached just before the housing collapse.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-23-US-Wall-Street-Premarket/id-65a53925528646079a090f29764d27c5

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Amanda Bynes Denies Smoking Weed in Planet Fitness Bathroom

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/amanda-bynes-denies-smoking-weed-in-planet-fitness-bathroom/

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Hasbro says Monopoly contest helped lift sales

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) ? Hasbro reported first-quarter results Monday that beat Wall Street expectations as the toy maker benefited from an online contest that let people vote to eliminate one of its Monopoly tokens and introduce a new one.

The Pawtucket, R.I., maker of G.I. Joe, My Little Pony and Transformers said revenue rose for three of its four categories: games, girls and preschool. Its boys category continued to face troubles, with sales down 20 percent.

Rival Mattel, which is the world's biggest toy maker with its Barbie dolls, also reported better-than-expected results last week, as strong sales of dolls like Monster High, Disney Princess and American Girl helped more than quadruple net income.

Hasbro, meanwhile, said growth in its girls category for the period was driven by Furby, My Little Pony and One Direction. Play-Doh helped boost its preschool category and action games such as Angry Birds Star Wars helped fuel growth in the games category.

The company also noted that the Monopoly contest was "tremendously successful" and that it plans to follow up with new versions of the game.

The Facebook campaign earlier this year let people vote to eliminate one of the eight tokens that identify the players and introduce a new one. Ultimately, a cat token replaced the iron.

Toy makers are looking to adapt and reinvent old brands as the industry faces a slowdown in developed markets such as the U.S. and Europe, where mobile devices and electronics are stealing attention away from toys.

Hasbro has embarked on a cost-cutting program to maintain profitability, including a push to slash its workforce by 10 percent. The move also includes consolidating facilities and reducing the number of product extensions.

By 2015, it says the program will result in $100 million in savings annually. For now, the changes are taking their toll through restructuring charges.

For the quarter, Hasbro lost $6.7 million, or 5 cents per share. That compares with a loss of $2.6 million, or 2 cents per share, a year ago.

When stripping out the impact of a restructuring charge and tax adjustments, however, Hasbro Inc. said it earned 5 cents per share. Analysts expected adjusted earnings of 4 cents per share.

Revenue rose more than 2 percent to $663.7 million despite a hit of more than $3 million from foreign exchange rates.

In North America, revenue growth of 4 percent was driven by the girls and games categories. International revenue was flat, or up 1 percent when excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates. The increase was driven by growth in Latin America and Asia, as well as the games, girls and preschool categories.

Analysts expected $642.1 million in revenue.

Hasbro shares rose $2.59, or 5.7 percent, to $47.61 in morning trading after rising as high as $48.46 earlier, the highest since December 2010.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hasbro-says-monopoly-contest-helped-lift-sales-143625931--finance.html

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Breaking news: US withdraws its proposal regarding the expansion ...

Morocco World News

New York, April 23, 2013

The United States has withdrawn its proposal to include a human rights monitoring organism in the Sahara after a fierce opposition from Morocco and the lobbying of other members of the Group of Friend of the UN Secretary General on the Western Sahara, trusted diplomatic sources told Morocco World News on Tuesday in New York. ?????

Diplomatic sources acquainted with the issue of the Sahara told MWN on Monday in New York ?there are positive signs indicating that the draft resolution proposed by the United States won?t be adopted as it was at first version?, adding that the members of the Security Council are keen on keeping the same consensus that marked the resolutions adopted in recent years on the issue.

The same source who attended the briefing presented by the UNSG Personal Envoy to the Sahara, Christopher Ross, to the 15-council members, added that the atmosphere of the briefing was rather positive and none of the council members mentioned the question of the human rights monitoring mechanism in the Sahara suggested in the first draft resolution presented by the United States.

He went on to say that the members of the council praised the progress accomplished by Morocco in terms of human rights in recent years.

??This is a missed opportunity and it?s disappointing to see the US retreat in the face of Moroccan overreaction,? said Philippe Bolopion, UN specialist for Human Rights Watch, which has lobbied for the rights mandate, was quoted by AFP as saying

? ?The compromise reached this year will not be sustainable unless Morocco allows UN rights experts to visit Western Sahara on a regular basis, and Algeria allows them to do the same in the Polisario-run camps around Tindouf,? he added.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/04/88132/breaking-news-us-withdraws-its-proposal-regarding-the-expansion-of-minurso/

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AP Twitter account hacked, posts false White House scare

Following a hack attack, the Associated Press' verified Twitter account posted "an erroneous tweet" claiming that two explosions occurred in the White House and that President Barack Obama is injured. Moments later, the @AP Twitter account ? with nearly 2 million followers ? was suspended.

Immediately following the false tweet, the Dow Industrial Average lost about 140 points. These losses were immediately recovered. (See chart below.)

"That's a bogus tweet," an AP spokesperson initially told NBC News, a statement that was repeated by the company's corporate communications account. Though the false tweet disappeared, the false message continued to exist on the service in over four thousand retweets.

In a briefing that occurred after the erroneous tweet appeared, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that "the president is fine, I was just with him." Julie Pace, AP's chief White House correspondent, reiterated during the briefing that "anything that was just sent out about any incident at the White House is actually false."

AP media relations director Paul Colford is quoted, in a blog post, as saying that the company had also suspended other AP Twitter feeds, "out of a sense of caution." He added, "We are working with Twitter to sort this out."

FBI spokesperson Jenny Shearer told CNBC that it is investigating the AP Twitter hack.

A wire statement issued later explained that the mid-day tweet "came after hackers made repeated attempts to steal the passwords of AP journalists." A group called the Syrian Electronic Army claimed credit for the hack. The group's original Twitter account is currently suspended, but on Tuesday afternoon, an alternate "official" account was live.

Social media accounts associated with CBS News programs "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" were compromised on Saturday. The same group, known for its pro-Assad politics, took credit for that attack too, as well as earlier attacks on the Twitter accounts of NPR and the BBC. The group is not to be confused with the hacking collective known as Anonymous ? in fact, they have previously clashed online.

Passwords are weak link
Because password theft is the culprit behind social-media account takeovers, security experts say that better protection is needed. Responsibility for security is shared between the user and the service.

"The challenge (with corporate-owned Twitter accounts) is, we share the password," Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos, told NBC News. "Once you get enough people with the password, bad things are going to happen," he adds. "There's no good way of isolating or limiting access these high-profile accounts."

Wisniewski said it is up to Twitter to strengthen security by using two-factor authentication, a log-in technique used by Google, Apple, Facebook and others that requires the pairing of a password with a code delivered to a user's cellphone.

"In my opinion, this is overdue for Twitter, especially for verified accounts," he said, regarding how incidents like this could be prevented. "Humans are the weakest things when it comes to a phish [attack]."

Twitter sent users a note saying that, "while we investigate (the AP hack), we wanted to get in touch to provide some information to help keep your account secure. And given the recent incidents, it is especially important to be extra vigilant about any attempt to phish your information." The note included a link to a support page with basic security precautions.

? with additional reporting by NBC News' Stacey Klein, Helen Popkin and Patrick Rizzo, and CNBC's Eamon Javers

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2b133e7a/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Cap0Etwitter0Eaccount0Ehacked0Eposts0Efalse0Ewhite0Ehouse0Escare0E6C9560A165/story01.htm

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