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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Obama dials back drone strikes: 3 reasons why

How's this for a paradox: US drone strikes are now declining under President Obama ? the man who made drone strikes a primary element of his counterterrorism strategy.

President Obama has, in some ways, become known as the "drone president." His drone campaign started three days into the first term of his presidency. His national security policy has been defined, at least in part, by a penchant for targeted killings. And he has already authorized more than six times the number of strikes in Pakistan that President George W. Bush did in his entire presidency.

And yet, as the president prepares to make his case for drones in a Thursday address at the National Defense University in Washington, it turns out drone strikes are actually down considerably, according to an analysis in The New York Times.

RECOMMENDED: Drone warfare: top 3 reasons it could be dangerous for US

In Pakistan, drone strikes plummeted nearly 61 percent from 2010 (117 strikes) to 2012 (46 strikes), and they?re still dropping, with a relatively scant 13 strikes so far this year, according to data from Long War Journal, a website that tracks American drone strikes. In Yemen, strikes are down from 42 in 2012 to 10 in 2013. And in Somalia, no strikes have been reported in more than a year.

Why the quiet drop-off in drone strikes? Here?s three reasons:

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FEWER TARGETS REMAIN

That?s right, the program?s very success in efficiently eliminating scores of Al Qaeda operatives means there are, quite simply, fewer Al Qaeda targets left to kill.

?The [Obama] administration used the drone strikes aggressively and killed the top al Qaeda leaders,? an unnamed intelligence official told Pakistani news site The News International in December 2012. ?Now that we have taken out most of these guys, the usage of the drone strikes seems decreasing.?

In Pakistan, it appears so many Al Qaeda targets have been killed, the focus has quietly shifted to Taliban fighters. Taliban targets account for more than 50 percent of targeted killings, compared with just 8 percent for Al Qaeda figures, according to national security analyst Peter Bergen.

DIPLOMATIC STRAINS

No surprise, Mr. Obama?s drone program has alienated allies abroad, largely because of the number of civilian casualties incurred as a result of the strikes. Nowhere is that more true than in Pakistan, where anti-American sentiments are already high due to US actions such as the SEAL team operation to kill Osama bin Laden.

For a president who, upon taking office, vowed to improve relations with the Muslim world, the drone program is counterproductive. A Pew Research Center survey reveals that under Bush 43, a relatively unpopular president in the Muslim world, the US generated higher approval ratings (19 percent) than it does now (12 percent), under Obama.

?Globally these operations are hated,? Micah Zenko, a scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The New York Times. ?It?s the face of American foreign policy, and it?s an ugly face.?

RECRUITMENT

Al Qaeda has used the Obama administration?s drone program, and particularly its sad side effect of civilian casualties, as a central part of its recruitment propaganda. Wildly unpopular in the Muslim world, the strikes are leveraged by Al Qaeda to make a case that the US is at war with Islam and to drum up sympathy for its cause.

The drone program has also been mentioned by convicted terrorists as motivation for their crimes, as the Times points out, including ?underwear bomber? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who tried to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009, as well as Faisal Shahzad, whose attempted Times Square car bombing was foiled in 2010.

In other words, drone strikes may be creating as many would-be terrorists as it seeks to eliminate.

RECOMMENDED: Drone warfare: top 3 reasons it could be dangerous for US

Square Cash appears on invite-only site, lets you send money with an email

Square's been venturing beyond those tiny credit card swipers as of late. Last week, the company introduced its nifty $299 Stand POS system for iOS, and now it appears to be branching out to individuals, with a to-be-announced service called Square Cash. There's not much info to share at this point -- TechCrunch recently discovered a dedicated landing page for the new service, which looks to be invite only at this point. There does seem to be an option to request an invitation, but the button isn't properly linked, so we weren't able to make our way to the proper form in order to take a closer look.

A handful of help articles do shed some light on the service, though. To send money, you'll simply send an email to your recipient with the dollar amount in the subject line and "pay@square.com" in the cc field. Once your friend or associate receives the email, they'll type in the debit card account number of their choosing and Square will fund the associated checking account within 48 hours. Each payment costs just 50 cents to send, and there's no cost to receive -- it's not quite clear whether or not you can use a credit card to fund the transfer, but with fees of less than $1, we imagine you'll need to use a checking account. Square has yet to formally introduce the service, but we're guessing an announcement will be coming soon.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Square Cash, Sending Square Cash

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/yW9DzZoftIE/

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

AP photographer sees kids pulled from Okla. school

A woman carries a child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. The relationship between the woman and the child was not immediately known. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)

A child calls to his father after being pulled from the rubble of the Tower Plaza Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)

Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a collapsed wall at the Plaza Tower Elementary School to free trapped students in Moore, Okla., following a tornado Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)

A boy is pulled from beneath a collapsed wall at the Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)

A fire burns in the Tower Plaza Addition in Moore, Okla., following a tornado Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)

MOORE, Okla. (AP) ? I left the office in Oklahoma City as soon as I saw the tornado warnings on TV. I had photographed about a dozen twisters in the past decade, and knew that if I didn't get in my car before the funnel cloud hit, it would be too late.

By the time I reached Moore, all I could see was destruction. I walked toward a group of people standing by a heaping mound of rubble too big to be a home. A woman told me it had been a school.

I expected chaos as I approached the piles of bricks and twisted metal where Plaza Towers Elementary once stood. Instead, it was calm and orderly as police and firefighters pulled children out one by one from beneath a large chunk of a collapsed wall.

Parents and neighborhood volunteers stood in a line and passed the rescued children from one set of arms to another, carrying them out of harm's way. Adults carried the children through a field littered with shredded pieces of wood, cinder block and insulation to a triage center in a parking lot.

They worked quickly and quietly so rescuers could try to hear voices of children trapped beneath the rubble.

Crews lifted one boy from under the wall and were about to pass him along the human chain, but his dad was there. As the boy called out for him, they were reunited.

In the 30 minutes that I was outside the destroyed school, I photographed about a dozen children pulled from the rubble.

I focused my lens on each one of them. Some looked dazed. Some cried. Others seemed terrified.

But they were alive.

I know that some students were among those who died in the tornado, but for a moment, there was hope in the devastation.

___

AP Photographer Sue Ogrocki has worked in Oklahoma for more than 10 years where she has covered about a dozen tornadoes.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-21-US-Oklahoma-Tornado-Photographer/id-f19dee2dd2a64114b3e1de80cf7b1a71

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Christian Bale trades Bat suit for bad suit

Celebs

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

38 minutes ago

From Bat suit to leisure suit: Behold, Christian Bale and some other guys who have at times been labeled sexier than everyone else, captured in full 1970s glory while filming "American Hustle" in New York City.

Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner sport the bad suits, bad ties, bad hair, and good sense to star in the next project from director David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook," "The Fighter"). Bale won an Oscar for "The Fighter" and Cooper was nominated for one for "Playbook."

Aby Baker / Getty Images

Suck in that gut. Christian Bale, left, and Jeremy Renner in New York on May 18.

Jennifer Lawrence (who won an Oscar for "Playbook") and Amy Adams (nominated for an Oscar for her role in "The Fighter") are also on board. The film focuses on the true story of the FBI's Abscam operation of the late '70s.

Aby Baker / Getty Images

I'm walkin' here! Bradley Cooper films "American Hustle" in New York.

Aby Baker / Getty Images

With his comb over and rose-tinted glasses, Bale's "American Hustle" is a long way from his "American Psycho."

"American Hustle" is reportedly set for a Christmas release in theaters -- just in time for awards season.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/no-bat-suit-just-bad-suit-christian-bale-hustle-co-6C9993963

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Obama exhorts good deeds by Morehouse graduates

President Barack Obama receives an honorary degree during the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. Morehouse is the historically black, all-male institution that counts Martin Luther King Jr. among its alumni. It is Obama's second graduation speech of the year. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. Morehouse is the historically black, all-male institution that counts Martin Luther King Jr. among its alumni. It is Obama's second graduation speech of the year. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama smiles during prayer at the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama waves to a crowd gathered at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on his way to give the commencement speech at Morehouse College, Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

ATLANTA (AP) ? President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, on Sunday told graduates of historically black Morehouse College to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people's lives.

The president said his success was due to "the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn't have the opportunities that I had ? because there but for the grace of God, go I. I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me."

Noting the Atlanta school's mission to cultivate, not just educate, good men, Obama said graduates should not be so eager to join the chase for wealth and material things, but instead should remember where they came from and not "take your degree and get a fancy job and nice house and nice car and never look back."

"So yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and powerful, or if you can also find time to defend the powerless," Obama said. "Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business, we need black businesses out there. But ask yourself what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood."

"The most successful CEOs I know didn't start out intent on making money. Rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed," he said.

For those headed to medical school, Obama said, "Make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too."

Before Obama arrived in Atlanta, thunderstorms drenched hundreds of people who gathered on the campus lawn for the outdoor ceremony, forcing many guests to wear clear plastic ponchos over what amounted to their Sunday-best clothes. Rain began falling again, accompanied by more thunder and lightning, minutes after Obama began to speak.

"I also have to say you all are going to get wet," he said. "I would be out there with you if I could. But Secret Service gets nervous, so I'm going to have to stay here, dry. But know that I'm with you in spirit."

Obama urged graduates to "inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves."

Obama used the speech to once again share his personal story of growing up without a father, confessing that along the way he made unspecified bad personal choices "like too many men in our community."

"Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down," he said. "I had a tendency to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is, there's no longer any room for excuses."

Speaking in personal terms as he often does when addressing predominantly black audiences, particularly of black males, the nation's first black president also spoke intimately of his desire to be a better father to daughters Malia and Sasha than his absent father was to him, and to be a better husband to his wife, Michelle.

He told the graduates to pay attention to their families, saying success in every other aspect of life means nothing without success at home.

"I was raised by a heroic single mother and wonderful grandparents who made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you," he said. "But I still wish I had a father who was not only present, but involved. And so my whole life, I've tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father wasn't for my mother and me. I've tried to be a better husband, a better father, and a better man.

"It's hard work that demands your constant attention, and frequent sacrifice. And Michelle will be the first to tell you that I'm not perfect," he continued. "Even now, I'm still learning how to be the best husband and father I can be. Because success in everything else is unfulfilling if we fail at family.

"I know that when I'm on my deathbed someday, I won't be thinking about any particular legislation I passed, or policy I promoted. I won't be thinking about the speech I gave, or the Nobel Prize I received," said Obama, 51. "I'll be thinking about a walk I took with my daughters, a lazy afternoon with my wife, whether I did right by all of them."

The speech was Obama's second commencement address of the season, following remarks last Sunday at Ohio State University in Columbus. His third and final graduation address will come Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

About 500 students received undergraduate degrees on Sunday and became "Morehouse Men."

After the speech, Obama joined about 100 people at a fundraiser at the office of the foundation of Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons. It was the first of six money events that officials say he will headline for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is recruiting candidates and strategizing to keep control of the Senate in next year's midterm elections. Democrats will be defending more Senate seats than Republicans, including six held by long-serving Democratic senators who have decided not to seek re-election.

After briefly discussing the economy, early childhood education, energy independence, climate change and infrastructure, Obama said "the good news is we've got good, common-sense solutions that we can implement right now," on those issues. "The bad news is there's a shortage of common sense in Washington."

He told the donors, who paid anywhere from $10,000 per couple to $32,400 per couple to attend the fundraiser, that their support is important because it will help elect more non-ideological senators like Michael Bennet, D-Colo., "who don't come at this thinking there's just one way of doing things." Bennet chairs the campaign arm for Senate Democrats and introduced Obama at the event.

"That kind of approach, if we get a critical mass in the Senate, and we can potentially get a critical mass of folks like that in the House, means that the sky's the limit," Obama said. "Nothing can stop us."

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-19-Obama/id-78c991a3f1f4412386a15f5ead6de0c6

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Zeigler House Inn: Gals, Guys, Couples: Summer Packages to ...

SAVANNAH Georgia (May 18, 2013) ? Tap into both sides of Savannah?s personality -- genteel to quirky -- with lots of fun in between.?
Innkeeper Jackie Heinz at Zeigler House Inn -- a popular 7-suite bed and breakfast inn in downtown Savannah -- makes it easy. The stately inn on the prestigious Jones Street is an insider?s social hub for fun-ready tourists! ?The tour package deals are a great idea for last minute getaways ? whether for an affordable honeymoon, first anniversary gift or 50th anniversary trip, romantic getaway in the southeast, historic sightseeing in the Deep South, local food travel, discovering what?s on the Georgia Coast back roads, a mini reunion with siblings or college friends, or gals? getaway, ? states Jackie.?

Savannah Travel Tip:? When your travel dates are flexible, ask for recommended dates during some of the best events in Savannah, performing arts, and heritage festivals. Surprising ?must-do? happenings will double the reasons to travel to Savannah.

Featured in Fodor?s 2013 Travel Guide, Zeigler House Inn affords a triple experience -- sultry Savannah paired with European heritage, and curated French themed sleep retreats. ?You?ll love escaping ... to your secret place in beautiful Savannah GA's historic district!? adds Jackie. Details for the new packages are found on the inn?s Savannah Bed and Breakfast Package web page, here. Simply scroll down that page link for package details.? Short details are below.?? Do more than wish you could stay in our Savannah B&B!? Take advantage of our inn?s lodging discount -- Savannah Summer rates for lodging, in effect July 15, 2013 ? August 29, 2013. You?ll love playtime in Savannah when the city is less crowded!

Let?s talk soon!

Jackie Heinz
Zeigler House Inn, Savannah GA USA
A B&B member of Romantic Inns of Savannah
email innkeeper@ZeiglerHouseinn.com
Toll Free 866-233-5307
Local Telephone 912-233-5307?

Source: http://blog.zeiglerhouseinn.com/2013/05/gals-guys-couples-summer-packages-to.html

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

AP CEO says sources are reluctant to talk after Justice Department probe

The chief executive and president of the Associated Press said the Justice Department's investigation and the seizure of the news agency's phone records are having a negative impact on news gathering.

By Alina Selyukh,?Reuters / May 19, 2013

Gary Pruitt, the President and CEO of the Associated Press, discusses the leak investigation that led to his reporters' phone records being subpoenaed by the Justice Department on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington Sunday.

Chris Usher/CBS/AP

Enlarge

The Justice Department's seizure of phone records for journalists at?the Associated Press?is hurting the agency's ability to gather news, the wire service's Chief Executive and President?Gary Pruitt?said on Sunday.

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"Officials that would normally talk to us and people we talk to in the normal course of news gathering are already saying to us that they're a little reluctant to talk to us," Pruitt said on CBS's "Face The Nation" program. "They fear that they will be monitored by the government."

The Justice Department told the AP on May 10 that it had earlier seized records of more than 20 of its phone lines for April and May 2012. The seizure was part of an investigation of media leaks about a foiled terrorism plot.

"Approximately a hundred journalists use these telephone lines as part of news gathering," Pruitt said. "And over the course of the two months of the records that they swept up, thousands upon thousands of news-gathering calls were made."

The?White House?has said that President?Barack Obama?learned about the Justice Department's record seizure from press reports and had no prior knowledge of the action.?Obama's administration?is fielding concerns on several incidents that raise questions about its transparency.

Pruitt said the Justice Department claimed an exception to its own rules that required them to notify the AP of such a record seizure by saying that such a disclosure would have posed a substantial threat to the investigation.

"But they have not explained why it would and we can't understand why it would," Pruitt said. "We never even had possession of these records, they were in the possession of our telephone service company and they couldn't be tampered with."

Government officials have told Reuters that the AP phone records were just one element in an ongoing sweeping U.S. government investigation into media leaks about a?Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner, prompted by a May 7, 2012 AP story about the operation to foil the plot.

"We don't question their right to conduct these sort of investigations," Pruitt said. "We think they went about it the wrong way, so sweeping, so secretively, so abusively and harassingly."

Pruitt said the AP would have sought to narrow the scope of the record seizure through courts had it been notified, instead of "the Justice Department acting on its own, being the judge, jury and executioner, in secret."

Reuters was one of nearly 50 news organizations that signed a letter to Attorney General?Eric Holder?complaining about the AP phone record seizures.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DpWzRtv9nZ0/AP-CEO-says-sources-are-reluctant-to-talk-after-Justice-Department-probe

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