Four Pets Dead After Fire | WNEP.com

MILTON ? A fire left four animals dead in Northumberland County.

Firefighters said that the fire started at a home on Dougal Street, just before 8:30, Friday night.

Officials said Crews had the flames under control in 20 minutes, but it was too late to save the house, two dogs, and two cats from the fire.

According to investigators, the fire was caused by an electrical surge protector.

The home owners will be staying with family, and assisted by the Red Cross.

Source: http://wnep.com/2013/03/23/four-pets-dead-after-fire/

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White House to argue for GPS tracking without a warrant | USAHM ...

Posted: Yesterday

Lawyers for the Obama administration will argue next week that US authorities are not required to obtain a search warrant before attaching a GPS device to an individual?s car in order to keep tabs on them.

The case, set to be heard on Tuesday by the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, comes over a year after a US Supreme Court decision failed to convince the Department of Justice that warrantless GPS tracking is an infringement on Americans? Constitutional rights.

?This case is the government?s primary hope that it does not need a judge?s approval to attach a GPS device to a car,? Catherine Crump, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) told Wired magazine.

In January 2012 the Supreme Court overruled an Obama administration assertion that police should be permitted to affix a GPS device to a personal vehicle without a search warrant. Questions were left, however, when the Court declined to answer whether that type of search was unreasonable and when justices could not reach a consensus on how police would need to monitor a suspect before requesting a warrant.

?We hold that the government?s installation of a GPS device on a target?s vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle?s movement, constitutes a ?search,?? Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the five-justice majority last January.

Scalia stipulated in the opinion that a warrant was not always necessary, but failed to mention any specific examples of when this would be the case.

Now prosecutors are honing on Scalia?s exact language, arguing that the Supreme Court?s decision only specifies that the installation of a GPS constitutes a search, while the tracking that follows does not. The government argues that the Supreme Court has given police near free reign in allowing for search warrant exceptions.

Searches of students, individuals on probation and border crossings are among the proposed exceptions.

The argument resurfaced after Philadelphia brothers Harry, Michael and Mark Katzin were indicted for a string of late-night pharmacy burglaries in 2010. Suspicious of the Dodge Caravan they thought was used in the robberies, investigators monitored the vehicle with a GPS device for 48 hours and were able to trace the brothers? involvement.

Arguing in US v. Katzin, government prosecutors claimed that a law requiring them to seek a warrant would seriously impede investigations of terrorist suspects.

?Requiring a warrant and probable cause before officers may attach a GPS device to a vehicle, which is inherently mobile and may no longer be at the location observed when the warrant is obtained, would seriously impede the government?s ability to investigate drug trafficking, terrorism and other crimes,? authorities said in court.

?Law enforcement officers could not use GPS devices to gather information to establish probable cause, which is often the most productive use of such devices. Thus, the balancing of law enforcement interests with the minimally intrusive nature of GPS installation and monitoring makes clear that a showing of reasonable suspicion suffices to permit use of a ?slap-on? device like that used in this case.?

While the ACLU accused the government of prosecutorial overreach in the case, it praised a new bill ? the so-called ?GPS Act? ? that would require law enforcement to get a warrant in order to access an individual?s GPS tracking history, whether it be from a vehicle device or a cell phone provider. The bill, which would not affect emergency services but would require police to prove probable cause, was reintroduced into Congress by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Kirk (R-IL) and Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT).

In a statement, Wyden decried the government?s blind eye to police overreach.

?GPS technology has evolved into a useful commercial and law enforcement tool ? but the rules for the use of that tool have not evolved with it,? he said. ?The GPS Act provides law enforcement with a clear mandate for when to obtain a warrant for the geolocation information of an American?It protects the privacy and civil liberty of any American using a GPS-enabled device.?

Source: RT News

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Source: http://usahitman.com/whtagtwaw/

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Business Highlights

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The cash register rings its last sale

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ka-ching! The cash register may be on its final sale.

Stores across the country are ditching the old-fashioned, clunky machines and having salespeople ? and even shoppers themselves ? ring up sales on smartphones and tablet computers.

Barneys New York, a luxury retailer, this year plans to use iPads or iPod Touch devices for credit and debit card purchases in seven of nearly two dozen stores. Urban Outfitters, a teen clothing chain, ordered its last traditional register last fall and plans to go completely mobile one day. And Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is testing a "Scan & Go" app that lets customers scan items as they shop.

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Crisis in Cyprus threatens EU role and legitimacy

BERLIN (AP) -- By rejecting an EU bailout and turning to Russia for help, Cyprus has exposed the growing frustration and dwindling solidarity within the European Union, a bloc meant to bring the continent closer together after World War II.

While talks about a Russian rescue appeared stalled Friday, experts noted that the idea of seeking Russian money alone raised doubts about the legitimacy of the European project ? notably over perceived German dominance and threats to national sovereignty. The extraordinary spectacle of an EU member seeking salvation from the old Cold War enemy has raised deep questions about how far Europe can or will go to take care of its own.

Ever since the financial crisis five years ago put pressure on heavily indebted countries ? from Greece to Portugal to Ireland ? the bailouts have become as much a political as an economic issue, with wealthy Germany insisting on strict austerity measures as a condition for help.

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Tiffany 4Q net income rises less than 1 percent

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tiffany says fourth-quarter net income edged up less than 1 percent, but still beat Wall Street predictions as strong customer demand in Asia for its pricey baubles offset weakness in the U.S.

The upscale jewelry company also offered an annual sales outlook that topped analysts' estimates, and its shares rose nearly 2 percent Friday.

The results, which include the critical holiday season, show Tiffany's resilience even as it faces challenges in the U.S. and a fiscal crisis in Europe.

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Darden 3Q profit falls but tops Street's view

NEW YORK (AP) -- Darden Restaurants' third-quarter net income dropped 18 percent, as it dealt with soft sales at Red Lobster, but the results still beat Wall Street's expectations.

The Orlando, Fla., company said Friday that sales at its Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants open at least a year fell a combined 4.6 percent.

This figure is a key gauge of a restaurant operator's performance because it excludes results at store recently opened or closed.

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Investigators scold Boeing over 787 comments

Boeing's comments about the smoldering batteries on its 787 have annoyed the National Transportation Safety Board.

Boeing gave its own account of two battery incidents, which included a fire, at a detailed press briefing in Tokyo last week. The problem is that the NTSB is still investigating the incidents. Boeing is a party to the investigation, meaning it provides technical experts and, in effect, gets a seat at the table as investigators try to sort out what happened.

Boeing's "failure to inform the NTSB of the content off the recent technical briefing in Tokyo prior to its occurrence is inconsistent with our expectations for a party," the NTSB wrote.

The letter released late Thursday noted that on the day of the battery fire in Boston, someone from Boeing signed a certification committing it to the NTSB's guidelines for participating in the investigation.

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FCC Chairman Genachowski to step down

NEW YORK (AP) -- The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, said Friday that he's stepping down in the "coming weeks," after a four-year tenure that's garnered mixed reviews for him and tangible progress in the industries he oversees.

The country's top telecommunications regulator told a staff meeting of his decision Friday morning. His impending departure was reported Thursday by several news outlets.

Genachowski, 50, was appointed in 2009 and has taken a middle line between the desires of public-interest groups and the telecom industry, which hasn't enamored him to either side.

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FAA to close 149 air traffic towers under cuts

CHICAGO (AP) -- Under orders to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from its budget, the Federal Aviation Administration released a final list Friday of 149 air traffic control facilities that it will close at small airports around the country starting early next month.

The closures will not force the shutdown of any of those airports, but pilots will be left to coordinate takeoffs and landings among themselves over a shared radio frequency with no help from ground controllers under procedures that all pilots are trained to carry out.

The plan has raised concerns since a preliminary list of facilities was released a month ago. Those worries include the impact on safety and the potential financial effect on communities that rely on airports as key economic engines for attracting businesses and tourists.

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South Korea misidentifies China as cyberattack origin

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- In an embarrassing twist to a coordinated cyberattack on six major South Korean companies this week, investigators said Friday they wrongly identified a Chinese Internet Protocol address as the source.

A joint team of government and private experts still maintains that hackers abroad were likely to blame, and many analysts suspect North Korea. But the error raises questions about investigators' ability to track down the source of an attack that shut down 32,000 computers Wednesday and exposed big Internet security holes in one of the world's most wired, tech-savvy countries.

South Korean investigators said Thursday that a malicious code that spread through the server of one of the hackers' targets, Nonghyup Bank, was traced to an IP address in China. Even then it was clear that the attack could have originated elsewhere because hackers can easily manipulate such data.

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BP announces $8 billion share buyback

LONDON (AP) -- Oil company BP said Friday it will buy back $8 billion of shares using money it earned by selling its stake in Russian producer TNK-BP.

The announcement came after BP completed the sale of its 50 percent interest in TNK-BP to Moscow-based Rosneft, in a deal that gave it $12.5 billion in cash and a stake in the state-owned oil company. The deal allowed Rosneft, the Russian oil giant, to tighten its grip on the country's lucrative oil industry.

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PepsiCo says it's not hungry for a big snack deal

NEW YORK (AP) -- PepsiCo Inc. says it isn't interested in any big acquisitions after a report suggested a mega-snack food deal could bring its Doritos under the same roof as Oreos.

The Purchase, N.Y., company, which dominates the salty snack market with Frito-Lay, issued a short statement Friday after the Telegraph newspaper of London said activist investor Nelson Peltz could push it to merge with Mondelez, which is known for sweets including Cadbury and Nabisco.

The report cited unnamed sources saying Peltz, who often makes big investments in companies and then forces change, has been building stakes in Pepsi and Mondelez in recent weeks.

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By The Associated Press(equals)

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 90.54 points, or 0.6 percent, to 14,512.03 Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 11.09 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,556.89. The Nasdaq composite gained 22.40 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,245.

Benchmark oil for May delivery rose $1.26, or 1.4 percent, to $93.71 a barrel. Brent crude, used to price many kinds of oil imported by U.S. refineries, fell 23 cents to $107.24 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Wholesale gasoline fell 1 cent to $3.06 a gallon. Heating oil lost 1 cent to $2.97 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 1 cent to $3.93 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-highlights-221928528.html

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Holder averts furloughs of prison staffers

FILE ? In this March 6, 2013, file photo U.S.Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress passed a spending bill to keep the government open through the end of September 2013, which Holder says provides no relief from the $1.6 billion in budget reductions that became effective March 1. In a memo to Justice Department employees he says he dealt with the problem by transferring $150 million in existing Justice Department funds to the Bureau of Prisons account, thus averting daily furloughs of 3,570 federal prison staffers around the country, and staving off what would have been a serious threat to the lives and safety of staff, inmates and the public. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE ? In this March 6, 2013, file photo U.S.Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress passed a spending bill to keep the government open through the end of September 2013, which Holder says provides no relief from the $1.6 billion in budget reductions that became effective March 1. In a memo to Justice Department employees he says he dealt with the problem by transferring $150 million in existing Justice Department funds to the Bureau of Prisons account, thus averting daily furloughs of 3,570 federal prison staffers around the country, and staving off what would have been a serious threat to the lives and safety of staff, inmates and the public. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Attorney General Eric Holder says he has averted daily furloughs of 3,570 federal prison staffers around the country, moving $150 million from other Justice Department accounts to stave off a serious threat to the lives and safety of correctional staff, inmates and the public.

Some 38,000 employees at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons supervise 176,000 inmates at 119 institutions, ensuring security and providing prisoners with needed programs.

In a memo Friday to all Justice Department employees, Holder said that congressional passage of a spending bill keeping the government open through the end of September provides no relief from $1.6 billion in Justice Department budget reductions that already took effect.

Holder's memo did not say which department agencies were tapped for the $150 million and spokeswoman Nanda Chitre declined to comment on that question Saturday.

Holder said the cuts still raise serious issues.

"I am deeply troubled by the impact the sequester will have on the department's capacity to prevent terrorism, combat violent crime, partner with states and local law enforcement agencies and protect the judiciary and our most vulnerable citizens," Holder wrote.

"I am still evaluating whether we have the ability to avoid other furloughs in the department this year," he added, addressing concerns of department employees. "I will do all that I can to minimize the impact of these events on your lives."

The attorney general said moving the $150 million can protect prison facilities through the end of the fiscal year in September, but does not resolve "serious life and safety issues" the Bureau of Prisons faces next year.

Holder said his department has already required extensive cuts to travel, training, contracts and other accounts.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-23-US-Holder-Prison-Furloughs/id-8fdba710568a4557a68bfdc3b55651c7

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93% Zero Dark Thirty

All Critics (241) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (225) | Rotten (17) | DVD (1)

What's striking is the absence of triumphalism -- Bigelow doesn't shy away from showing the victims shot down in cold blood in the compound -- and we come away with the overwhelming sense that this has been a grim, dark episode in our history.

Chastain makes Maya as vivid as a bloodshot eye. Her porcelain skin, delicate features and feminine attire belie the steel within.

No doubt Zero Dark Thirty serves a function by airing America's dirty laundry about detainee and torture programs, but in its wake, there's a crying need for a compassionate Coming Home to counter its brutal Deer Hunter.

While "Zero Dark Thirty" may offer political and moral arguing points aplenty, as well as vicarious thrills,as a film it's simply too much of a passable thing.

From the very first scenes of Zero Dark Thirty, director Kathryn Bigelow demonstrates why she is such a formidable filmmaker, as adept with human emotion as with visceral, pulse-quickening action.

A timely and important reminder of the agonizing human price of zealotry.

Despite what those silly Oscars would have you believe, it was this movie, not Argo, that was the finest of 2012.

Indulges Cheneyian fantasies complete with the bad-movie scene of the prisoner's defiance: "You're just a garbage man in the corporation," shouts the Arab who needs a lesson in manners from the Ph.D. (in torture?) who is racking him.

Bigelow tells the story very well, very efficiently, but doesn't really say much about it, which is ironic given the response to the film in some quarters.

Kathryn Bigelow takes the procedural model and brushes away every unnecessary detail, leaving behind a heavy, blunt object of a film that is also hugely watchable, engrossing and, best of all... highly suspenseful.

Rotten Tomatoes notes that I agree with Tomatometer critics 80 percent of the time, but this is one of those times I have to part ways with them.

Bigelow has directed excellent movies before, but this deserves to be remembered as the film that established her as a master.

You can't deny that what Zero Dark Thirty sets out to do, it does excellently.

An exhilarating and compelling historical document worthy of praise.

Bigelow's latest proves a rewarding piece of filmmaking, one that, in its best moments at least, is as gripping and as troubling as anything the director's ever made.

Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal shape history -- those breaks, big and small, that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden -- into one of the finest fact-based thrillers since "All the President's Men."

Purely as cinematic exercise, Zero Dark Thirty is an exhilarating piece of work. But, beyond its for-the-times subject matter, the work does not linger whatsoever.

Zero Dark Thirty is interesting as opposed to enjoyable, intriguing as opposed to entertaining, and certainly less memorable than The Hurt Locker.

It's quite remarkable how Bigelow and Boal managed to take 12 years of information (including a conclusion that everyone knows) and packaged it into a coherent, intimate and intense movie.

We know the ending, yet remain mesmerized by familiar details, filmed with a harrowing sense of urgency. It's as close to being in the White House situation room that night, watching a closed-circuit broadcast, as anyone could expect.

The second half of the film IS the film.

Whereas Locker was less about war than what it is to have a death wish, ZDT is less about the suspenseful true-life search for Osama bin Laden than the red tape one woman must wade through to prove that a mean old bastard is living in suburban Pakistan.

Bigelow's great achievement is stripping down the action from the exaggerated theatrics in movies and television shows so the missions feel no less exciting and immediate.

One of the finest movies of the year is a thriller about the tracking and, finally, slaying of Osama bin Laden.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zero_dark_thirty/

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North Dakota passes toughest anti-abortion package in US; bills await governor

James Macpherson / AP

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, hasn't said where he stands on the measures, which the Republican-dominated House approved on Friday.

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

North Dakota lawmakers approved measures Friday that would effectively ban abortion in the state, including a ballot referendum that would let voters declare that life begins at conception.

Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who has three legislative days to decide whether to sign or veto two of the three measures, hasn't signaled where he stands on the bills. The referendum doesn't need his signature and will be part of the state's 2014 general election ballot.

---

The measures, which had previously been approved by the state Senate and were passed Friday by the House, would ban abortions after 20 weeks except in medical emergencies and require doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.

The Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, North Dakota's sole abortion provider, said the hospital provision "is clearly intended to regulate abortion out of existence in North Dakota."

"Admitting privileges are not easily come by under any circumstances, but more importantly, such a requirement gives hospitals the power to decide whether abortion is even available in the state," the clinic said in a statement.

The clinic vowed to stay open and asked supporters on its Twitter feed to call Dalrymple to urge him to veto the measures.

Related:?40 years after Roe v. Wade, more states restricting abortion

Rep. Vernon Laning, a Republican from Bismarck, defended the hospital measure as a safeguard for women who have complications during their pregnancies.

"It ensures the physician is well-qualified to address the problem," Laning said on the House floor. "I certainly think a woman undergoing a procedure would want as many safety precautions as possible."

But Rep. Kylie Oversen, a Democrat from Grand Forks, said House Republicans had taken a giant step toward making North Dakota the most dangerous state in the U.S. for pregnant women, NBC station KMOT of Minot reported.

"As a young woman who has not yet had the privilege of becoming a mother, I want to know that when I make a decision to do so, any already difficult decision that I must face with my physicians and my family will not be complicated by legal matters, by an overreach of state government," Oversen said.

Opponents also said the measures would force the state to spend millions of dollars defending them against legal challenges 40 years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many state restrictions on abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe cited that concern earlier this month in vetoing what he called a "blatantly unconstitutional" measure that banned abortions in that state after only 12 weeks. The Legislature overrode the veto, and that ban will go into effect in May.?

The ballot measure, meanwhile, asks North Dakotans whether "the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected" ? that is, to declare a fetus to be a person from the moment of conception.

The practical effect of the referendum, if approved by voters, would be to amend the state constitution to completely ban abortion, without exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the woman. Supporters said they hope it can serve as the basis for a legal challenge to Roe v. Wade.

Keith Mason, president of Personhood USA, a national anti-abortion-rights activist group, said the referendum gives North Dakotans the chance to "(pave) the way for human rights nationwide."

"We applaud the North Dakota House and Senate for their willingness to protect all of the people in their state," Mason said in a statement.

But Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-abortion-rights organization, said she was "confident that the voters of North Dakota will see through this blatant attack on Roe v. Wade and vote it down at the ballot box."

Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29e4725c/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C220C17420A9270Enorth0Edakota0Epasses0Etoughest0Eanti0Eabortion0Epackage0Ein0Eus0Ebills0Eawait0Egovernor0Dlite/story01.htm

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Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt join Dwayne Johnson in "Hercules"

By Lucas Shaw

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt, Rebecca Ferguson and Aksel Hennie have all joined the cast of Paramount and MGM's "Hercules," an upcoming film based on the myth (and a graphic novel). Brett Ratner will direct the film, which will star Dwayne Johnson as the eponymous hero.

Paramount and MGM will co-produce "Hercules," an adaptation of Radical Studio's graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," a reimagining of the classic tale. Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the script for the film, which Paramount signed on to co-produce in November. The two studios have since announced the new film will open July 25, 2014.

"We are thrilled to surround Dwayne with an ensemble cast featuring legendary actors as well as some of the finest emerging talents working today," Jonathan Glickman, president of MGM's motion picture group, said in a statement. "We are anxious to get production underway on what promises to be a high-action film that works around the globe."

It marks the second original film for MGM since it emerged from bankruptcy, following "The Machine," a film starring Vin Diesel that will begin production later this year. The studio had a strong year in 2012 thanks to existing properties "The Hobbit" and "Skyfall."

McShane, who won a Golden Globe for his work on HBO's "Deadwood," can be seen now in "Jack the Giant Slayer." Sewell last appeared in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" while Fiennes, best known for "Shakespeare in Love," starred in season two of "American Horror Story." Hurt, an iconic British actor with multiple awards to his name, last appeared in "Jayne Mansfield's Car."

Beau Flynn, Barry Levine and Ratner are producing the film.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ian-mcshane-rufus-sewell-joseph-fiennes-john-hurt-225928200.html

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