Bradley Manning sentencing: Ex-general says leaks endangered troops

FT. MEADE, Md. -- Retired Army Brig. Gen. Robert A. Carr,?the government?s first witness in the sentencing phase of Pfc. Bradley Manning?s court-martial, testified Wednesday that Manning?s disclosures to WikiLeaks endangered U.S. ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Carr, who oversaw the Pentagon?s secret intelligence gathering but is now an executive at Northrop Grumman, said what Manning did ?affected our ability to do our mission.?

On Tuesday, Manning was found guilty of violating the Espionage Act but was acquitted of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy by making the material available to Al Qaeda and other terrorist? groups. Military prosecutors now are out to win a maximum prison term of 136 years for the 25-year-old soldier.

Carr, who worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, also headed a Defense Department task force that assessed the fallout from the leaks.

Manning disclosed more than 700,000 combat strategies, State Department cables and terrorism? detainee assessments, and Carr said the U.S. military was stunned to discover so much material had been given to WikiLeaks.

Carr testified that by exposing so much classified material, countless lives were put at risk.

?It?s a nasty world,? he said. ?In some cases, lives will be harmed.?

But Carr did not specify who was harmed by Manning?s disclosures. He did say that sources of information dried up and ?quit talking to us as a result of the releases.? He also said that U.S. supply lines were compromised because details of military logistics were divulged and secret surveys of communities in Afghanistan were jeopardized.

Another government witness, John Kirchhofer, deputy chief financial officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency who worked under Carr on the task force, described meeting with angry NATO partners in Europe the week WikiLeaks posted classified material about the war in Iraq.

?There were some unpleasant comments directed at me and some accusations directed at the U.S.,? he said. ?They were aggressive. People got chesty.?

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richard.serrano@latimes.com

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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-bradley-manning-sentencing-testimony-20130731,0,2222023.story?track=rss

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Sentencing set in Cleveland kidnap-rape case

CLEVELAND (AP) ? Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity, a onetime school bus driver faces sentencing for kidnapping three women and subjecting them to years of sexual and physical abuse.

Prosecutors are expected to detail Ariel Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war. With the possibility of the death penalty for a forced miscarriage taken off the table, Castro stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years on Thursday.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday that Castro, who chained his captives and fed them only one meal a day, "admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct" but "remains remorseless for his actions."

The memorandum says many of the specific charges in Castro's indictment reflect conduct documented by one of the women in her diary.

"The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war ... of being treated like an animal," it says.

The sentencing could take up to four hours, court officials said, with Castro, his attorneys, his victims and prosecutors getting a chance to speak. The legal team representing the women's interests declined to comment in advance on whether they would testify or send statements to the court.

In the court filing, McGinty offered new details of Castro's treatment of the women, who he said were kept "in a state of powerlessness" through physical, sexual and psychological violence.

"He made them believe that their physical survival depended on him, and he threatened to end their lives if they did not comply with his every demand," McGinty said.

Castro lured one of the women into his Cleveland home with the promise of a puppy for her son and tricked another by saying she could see his daughter, said McGinty.

He chained his captives by their ankles, fed them only one meal a day and provided plastic toilets in their bedrooms which were infrequently emptied, the filing said.

He menaced them with a gun, threatened them with tales of other captives, some of whom hadn't made it home, and at one point locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days while he had a visitor.

Castro claimed he didn't have an exit strategy from his complicated double life and finally gave the women a chance to escape by leaving a door unlocked, the court filing said.

The women, each kidnapped separately when they accepted a ride from Castro on Cleveland's blue-collar west side, quickly escaped after Amanda Berry kicked out the door panel May 6 and Castro was arrested within hours. The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

There was no comment from Castro's defense team on the eve of sentencing.

Other horrific details of the women's ordeal had already emerged, including tales of being chained to poles in the basement or a bedroom heater or inside a van, with one woman forced to wear a motorcycle helmet while chained in the basement and, after she tried to escape, having a vacuum cord wrapped around her neck.

Castro repeatedly starved and beat one of the victims each time she was pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times.

He forced the same woman on threat of death to safely deliver the child he fathered with another victim on Christmas Day 2006. The same day, prosecutors say, Castro raped the woman who helped deliver his daughter.

Prosecutors will ask the judge to prohibit Castro from ever seeing his daughter, now 6.

McGinty says experts will also discuss how Castro was able to keep the women captive for so long.

Berry, 27, made a surprise onstage appearance at a rap concert last weekend, and a second victim, Gina DeJesus, 23, made a few televised comments as a privacy fence was being erected around her house. The third victim, Michelle Knight, 32, appeared with Berry and DeJesus in a video in early July thanking the community for its support.

___

Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sentencing-set-cleveland-kidnap-rape-case-064539357.html

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Advance in regenerative medicine could make reprogrammed cells safer while improving their function

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The enormous promise of regenerative medicine is matched by equally enormous challenges. But a new finding has the potential to improve both the safety and performance of reprogrammed cells.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/fqbVw62w5hE/130801142428.htm

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5 Reasons to Start a Relationship With Apple Cider Vinegar

If it's not there already, apple cider vinegar deserves a home in your kitchen cupboard. It's rich in vitamins E, A, P, magnesium, iron, and calcium ? the laundry list goes on and on. If the vitamins and minerals alone are not enough reason to have you hooked, here are five reasons you should always have apple cider vinegar on hand.

Support weight loss: If you're looking to shed a few pounds, it's time to start using apple cider vinegar. Studies have shown that vinegar may help keep you from feeling hungry by slowing stomach emptying; it also lowers the glycemic index of high-carb foods like pasta, meaning it can help you feel fuller longer by slowing the release of glucose into your bloodstream.

Improve digestion: The pectin in apple cider vinegar has been known to move things along when bellies get backed up. Up your fiber intake with a green salad with plenty of roughage topped off with this honey apple cider vinaigrette to improve your digestion situation.

Zap warts: This may come as a surprise, but soaking a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and securing it on a pesky wart with medical tape can get rid of it quickly and naturally. Keep this in mind before you immediately call your dermatologist next time!

Add a pep to your step: Apple cider vinegar is also credited with improving energy levels. If you're cutting out caffeine at work, just a few tablespoons of ACV mixed with a full glass water can keep you from feeling cloudy and get you back to work.

Boost immunity: When you're adding that many healthy vitamins and minerals to your system, it's going to help your immunity system ward off illness. If you're already sick and in need of a little help, drink hot apple cider vinegar brew that combines with cayenne, lemon, and honey that will help open up your sinuses and replenish your body with the minerals it needs to recoup.

Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/5-Things-Uses-Apple-Cider-Vinegar-124361

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Microsoft, Google and Mozilla's browser teams share cupcakes

Microsoft decided to give many hard-working software developers in the San Francisco area some free cupcakes on Tuesday. The idea was to help promote IE11 and Microsoft's modern.IE development tools, and it seems to have been a big hit (free food is usually a good thing).

The official IE blog has a summary of the CakeOut campaign in the Bay area. Microsoft stated it got to talk with a number of developers to discuss not just the new modern.IE tools?but also how the revised F12 tools made for IE11 can help web creators optimize their sites to run on Microsoft's latest web browser version

The free cupcakes that Microsoft was offering Tuesday were not just for third-party web developers to devour. Microsoft also posted word on the IE Twitter account that the CakeOut campaign showed up at the offices of Google and Mozilla to share some sugar and cake mix with the Chrome and Firefox web browser teams.

Microsoft hints in the blog post that their IE CakeOut campaign may show up in other cities in the near future.

Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-google-and-mozillas-browser-teams-share-cupcakes

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Europe's factories grow, China's stabilize

By Andy Bruce

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's factories delivered more signs last month the region is gradually leaving recession behind, according to business surveys that also eased immediate fears over the health of China's economy.

Thursday's purchasing managers indexes (PMIs), surveying thousands of manufacturers worldwide, showed output in British factories surged in July, and industrial activity in the euro zone rose for the first time in two years.

A report on the United States due later is expected to show a modest rate of growth in factories after the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday the world's biggest economy was recovering but would still need support.

Overall, the European and Chinese PMIs allayed worries the global economy's mid-year lull will deepen from here, although that view could hinge on how many jobs the U.S. economy - still the global driver - added last month, with the figures due on Friday.

"We're seeing different trends in different parts of the world, which are to a large extent offsetting each other," said Andrew Kenningham, senior global economist at Capital Economics in London.

"The euro zone has clearly improved ... over the last six months or so, and the survey data in July was pointing to more or less flat GDP and possibly some growth in the third quarter."

"And of course the UK has clearly improved significantly."

The surveys backed a consensus expecting the European Central Bank and Bank of England to hold policy unchanged later on Thursday, although the latter surprised investors last month with a warning they were pricing in an interest rate hike too soon.

Markit's UK manufacturing PMI jumped to 54.6 in July from 52.9 in June, trumping even the most optimistic forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and triggering a rise in sterling.

Readings above 50 signify growth.

Brian Hilliard, economist at Societe Generale, noted the fastest rises in new orders and output since February 2011, at 58.2 and 58.0 respectively.

"Just amazing. What's the need for (Mark) Carney to do anything?" he said, referring to the new Bank of England Governor. "It's shaping up for Q3 to be stronger than Q2."

Markit's Eurozone manufacturing PMI signaled marginal growth among factories for the first time in two years, also rising to 50.3 in July from 48.8.

It follows a string of promising economic data out of the euro zone, which has wallowed in recession since the end of 2011.

"Manufacturing output rose again in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland during July, while there were welcome returns to growth for France and Austria," said Rob Dobson, senior economist at PMI compiler Markit.

There were signs the downturns in the euro zone's most vulnerable economies, like Spain and Greece, are easing too.

HOPE IN CHINA?

In China, the official government factory PMI was a little stronger than expected in July, offering a rare bright spot in an otherwise sluggish Asian manufacturing sector.

Although the China PMI surprised and gave a boost to regional share prices and commodities, it also signaled only a modest pace of growth. A rival report from HSBC was much more gloomy, showing factory activity fell to its lowest in nearly a year.

Elsewhere in Asia, other PMI reports suggested factory output and new orders falling in July in India, South Korea and Taiwan. In Indonesia, a PMI report signaled that output and new orders were holding at similar levels to June.

China's official PMI rose to 50.3 in July, contrary to expectations that it would fall to 49.9 from 50.1 in June.

"I think the official report does offer a slim hope that the economy is stabilizing at least, but it is still a bit early to conclude that things have turned around decisively," Wei Yao, China economist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong.

The HSBC PMI, compiled by Markit, fell to 47.7 in July, the weakest reading since August 2012, from 48.2 in June. The latest reading matched a preliminary PMI released last week

That focuses more on smaller and private sector companies than the official government PMI.

"We can see the small companies are more affected by the liquidity tension apparently," said Yao.

(Additional writing by Neil Fullick Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-factory-sector-perks-elsewhere-gloomy-065849663.html

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NBA Rumors: Would Rockets Trade Jeremy Lin to Bobcats, Celtics, Hawks or Lakers?

The Houston Rockets are saying all the right things regarding Jeremy Lin. They maintain that he isn?t going to be dealt, that he is an integral part of the organization, and that the acquisition of Dwight Howard will in no way substantially reduce his role with the team. Along the same lines, Lin too is saying exactly what he needs to say. Just a couple of weeks ago, in fact, he tweeted out that he is preparing for the upcoming season in Houston.

Of course, as everyone knows by now, perception and reality are two very different things in the NBA. While both the Rockets and Lin may be reciting the same company line, it?s a known fact that the organization wouldn?t be opposed to trading him. Daryl Morey made that clear privately in the aftermath of the Howard acquisition ? putting both him and Asik up on the open market. Thus far, there have been no takers. It?s still early, though, and anything can change before and during the NBA season.

There has been a lot of speculation floating around the web regarding where precisely Lin would land if Houston was able to move him. For weeks the Detroit Pistons were repeatedly mentioned as an ideal stop for him. Unfortunately, this past Tuesday, the team decided to throw its money at the black hole known as Brandon Jennings. Lin would?ve been a superb fit in Detroit?s backcourt, and a perfect guy to balance out Josh Smith penchant for taking horrendous shots, but the prospect of that happening is officially dead.

Here are the other teams that folks have speculated about this summer: the Charlotte Bobcats, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers. Let?s take a look at them one by one.

Bobcats ? After the Pistons, this made the most sense for all involved. Kemba Walker is what he is. If you compare his 36 minute totals to Lin?s, he is a marginally better scorer and a marginally worse passer. What the stats don?t tell you, however, is the fact that Walker did his damage on a team with no legitimate offensive playmakers ? allowing him to do pretty much whatever he wanted. The Rockets, meanwhile, even without Howard, were stacked ? leaving Lin with much less room to operate. For comparison?s sake: Walker?s usage percentage was 25.6; Lin?s usage percentage was 20.8. What Lin provides that Walker doesn?t, though, is a brand name and a recognizable face you can build around. If Lin could handle the bright lights of New York at 23, he can handle Charlotte. ?

Celtics ? The Celtics make a whole lot of sense for Lin, too. They want to dump Rajon Rondo; the Rockets want a pass-first point guard who would complement James Harden more than Lin currently does. On paper, it?s a great swap. Kris Humphries suddenly isn?t the most recognizable player on the Celtics anymore, and Houston becomes an even more legitimate championship contender. The problem is that Howard reportedly isn?t too fond of the idea of playing with Rondo. And it?s way too early in the game for the Rockets to piss off Howard with a move that they don?t need to make yet.

Hawks ? The Hawks need a reliable point guard who can direct an offense, and Lin fits the bill. Moreover, they reportedly really like Asik. Houston and Atlanta could probably work out a swap, if the latter group is even kind of willing to part ways with its best assets. Unfortunately, the Hawks are in full on cost-cutting mode right now ? and neither Asik nor Lin is particularly cheap.

Lakers ? This won?t happen. It?s natural that the Lakers get brought up, because, you know, they?re the Lakers. But this team a.) doesn?t want to commit big money before next summer and b.) can?t add a ball-dominating guard while Kobe Bryant is still alive.

In the end, Detroit was an ideal place for Lin to go. As they made clear with the Jennings sign-and-trade, they needed a capable floor general. And while Lin didn?t come into the league with the same sort of critical acclaim, at this stage, he?s a better basketball player than Jennings is.

Source: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/nba/nba-rumors-would-rockets-trade-jeremy-lin-bobcats-celtics-hawks-or-lakers

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