Monday, June 24, 2013

Source: Sequel to Pitt's 'World War Z' is in works

U.S. actor Brad Pitt poses on the red carpet prior the "World War Z" premiere at the opening ceremony of the 35th Moscow international film festival in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)

U.S. actor Brad Pitt poses on the red carpet prior the "World War Z" premiere at the opening ceremony of the 35th Moscow international film festival in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)

In this publicity photo released by Paramount Pictures, the infected scale the Israeli walls in "World War Z," from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Jaap Buitendijk)

(AP) ? Brad Pitt is getting his action franchise, after all.

A person close to Pitt's "World War Z" told The Associated Press on Monday that Paramount Pictures is likely to develop a sequel to the apocalyptic zombie thriller. The person was not authorized to announce the plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.

"World War Z," based on Max Brooks' novel, was always intended to spawn a trilogy for Pitt, who stars as a United Nations inspector. But that seemed in doubt when the film ran significantly over budget and was forced to reshoot its ending.

But the film opened strongly over the weekend, earning $66.4 million domestically and another $45.8 million internationally. That put it on course to easily recoup its production budget of about $200 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-06-24-Film-World%20War%20Z/id-75b8be6d9f194b12906d668aad1db0b5

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Obama political group steps up immigration efforts

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama's political support group is stepping up its immigration efforts as the Senate holds hearings on overhauling the nation's broken system.

Organizing for Action will hold an immigration "day of action" May 2 that could include rallies around the country and visits to members of Congress. The group is also holding nearly 250 phone banks Tuesday to appeal for supporters to get involved.

The goal is to mobilize OFA's massive voter database ? the same one that helped elect Obama twice ? to support one of the president's top legislative priorities. Obama is backing a draft bill written by bipartisan senators that would secure the border and provide a path to citizenship for some of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-political-group-steps-immigration-efforts-160710359--politics.html

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Israeli spy says Syria used chemical arms, U.S. unconvinced

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons - probably nerve gas - in their fight against rebels trying to force out President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst said on Tuesday.

The assessment met with skepticism from the United States, which has declared any use of chemical weapons in Syria's two-year-old civil war a "red line" that could trigger intervention.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the latter "was not in a position to confirm" the briefing given by Itai Brun, a military intelligence brigadier-general, at a Tel Aviv conference.

"I don't know what the facts are," Kerry told reporters in Brussels.

Netanyahu's office declined comment on Kerry and Brun's remarks, made a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said while visiting Israel that Washington's spy agencies were still assessing whether such weapons had been employed.

"To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably sarin," Brun told Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies in the most definitive Israeli statement on the issue.

Forces loyal to Assad were behind the attacks on "armed (rebels) on a number of occasions in the past few months, including the most reported incident on March 19", Brun said.

The Syrian government and rebels last month accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo.

Brun's comments were likely to deepen international concerns over events in Syria. Kerry said separately on Tuesday that NATO needed to consider how practically prepared it was to "respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat".

FOAMING AT MOUTH

Speaking with a Powerpoint presentation showing what appeared to be a wounded or dead child, Brun said that foam coming out of victims' mouths and contracted pupils and "other signs" indicated deadly gas had been used.

Another Israeli military officer with knowledge of Brun's briefing said it drew on secret intelligence other than material available in the public domain.

"When an authority as senior as Brun makes such a statement in public, you can be sure it is based on solid evidence," the officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Ralf Trapp, an independent consultant on chemical and biological weapons arms control based in Geneva, said the symptoms described by Israeli intelligence were "consistent with sarin gas," but photographic evidence alone was not conclusive.

Asked about Brun's remarks, Pentagon spokesman George Little signaled no change in the official U.S. line: "The United States continues to assess reports of chemical weapons use in Syria. The use of such weapons would be entirely unacceptable."

On Monday, Hagel said the use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces would be a "game changer" and the United States and Israel "have options for all contingencies".

Hagel met Netanyahu on Tuesday, a day after flying in an Israeli military helicopter over the occupied Golan Heights on the edge of the fighting in Syria.

"This is a difficult and dangerous time, this is a time when friends and allies must remain close, closer than ever," Hagel, in remarks to reporters before his talks with Netanyahu, said of the United States and Israel.

MIDDLE EAST TOUR

He travelled to Jordan, home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, for talks with Prince Faisal, King Abdullah's brother, and General Mashal al-Zaben, the country's military chief, and then on to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the defense minister.

Discussions between Syria and the United Nations on a U.N. investigation of possible use of chemical weapons have been at an impasse due to the Syrian government's refusal to let the inspectors visit anywhere but Aleppo, diplomats and U.N. officials said last week.

U.N. diplomats said Britain and France had provided U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office with what they believed to be strong evidence that chemical weapons also had been used in the city of Homs.

Israel, which has advanced intelligence capabilities that it shares with its Western allies, has voiced concern that parts of Syria's chemical arsenal would end up in the hands of jihadi fighters or the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, with which it waged a war in 2006.

Israeli leaders have cautioned they will not allow that to happen. In an attack it has not formally confirmed, Israeli planes bombed an arms convoy in Syria in February, destroying anti-aircraft weapons destined for Hezbollah.

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and David Alexander in Riyadh, David Brunnstrom in Brussels and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Alison Williams and Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-general-says-syria-government-forces-used-chemical-074330220.html

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Can I Get DRM-Free Movies and TV Shows Without Pirating?

Dear Lifehacker,
I want to build an awesome media center and download digital copies of my movies and TV shows, but everything is riddled with DRM these days. I don't want to pirate shows. Is there any legal way to get DRM-free movies and TV on my media center?

Sincerely,
Down with DRM

Dear Down,
Unfortunately, you've stumbled upon the biggest problem with today's movie and TV industry: nearly everything you see is encased in DRM, meaning home-built media centers are difficult to load up with content without breaking the law. Here's what the scene looks like right now.

Download DRM-Free Videos

There are very few places online that actually sell DRM-free content, and it's not going to be from major studios. There is some great stuff out there, though: stand-up comedians like Louis CK, Aziz Ansari, and Jim Gaffigan have all started selling specials as DRM-free digital downloads. Archive.org has a big selection of DRM-free movies, news programs, and more. There are also a lot of great DRM-free web series' and podcasts out there, on channels like Revision3, which are worth watching (and are even available on iTunes).

All that is great, and you should definitely check it out. But, when it comes to movies from the big boys, you aren't going to find any DRM-free versions in legit stores. The movie and TV companies are obsessed with copy-protecting their content, which means if you want to watch popular movies and TV shows, things get a lot more difficult.

Record TV Shows Yourself

If you want DRM-free copies of your favorite TV episodes, you can always record them yourself using a TV tuner in your computer and a good recording program. Most TV tuners will record over-the-air TV just fine, but if you want to record cable channels, you'll need to shell out quite a bit for a tuner with a CableCARD (especially now that cable channels are encrypting more content than ever).

S

Of course, this is a lot more work than buying and downloading what you want, and you can't actually record something until it's on TV, which means past episodes and movies will be a bit harder to come by (you can't just get a whole season at once and watch as you please).

What About Ripping DVDs and Blu-Rays?

The most common way to get DRM-free movies and TV shows is to rip them from DVDs or Blu-Ray discs you own. It's effective, gives you a lot of control over the quality of your video files, and has become pretty easy with tools like Autorip on Windows or Automator on OS X.

Unfortunately, this is technically still piracy in many cases. Most commercial DVDs and Blu-Rays are loaded with copy protection, which according to the DCMA, is illegal to circumvent?which is exactly what you do when you rip them. Of course, you're less likely to get caught, and you aren't actually getting the movie for free, so many people consider it different than downloading the movie directly, but we can't technically pu it under the "piracy-free" banner.


We wish we had better news for you than that, but sadly, this is the state of the movie industry these days. You have very few options for getting DRM-free content, and none of them are exactly convenient. If you want convenience, you're stuck with DRM, whether it's through a download service like iTunes or a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu (which, coupled with the right set-top box, can actually be pretty good). If you absolutely must have the videos on your computer, you're free to try the above options, but they're going to be a lot more work?at least until the movie companies get their act together.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/eX6aLCgdW7c/can-i-get-drm-free-movies-and-tv-shows-without-pirating-477555875

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Monday, April 22, 2013

T-Mobile website, computer systems down over the weekend

T-Mobile SIM

High demand to blame for the outages; wireless network was not affected

If you had trouble accessing the T-Mobile website over the weekend, you weren't the only one. Not only were other customers having issues with the site, but also customer service reps in stores trying to operate internal computers. The sporadic outage, which seemed to take place for most of Saturday, was confirmed today by T-Mobile. In a statement to FierceWireless, the carrier said the issues were the result of extremely high demand -- with no further elaboration provided.

With the launching of a completely new plan and carrier strategy, along with some high profile device launches, it's not surprising that T-Mobile's website was under some serious pressure in the last couple of days. While the carrier thanks customers for their patience with the issue, it says that an apology is in order for the services being temporarily unavailable. It has also been confirmed that the wireless network did not experience outages over the same period.

Source: FierceWireless

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/f7tYCAH3KO4/story01.htm

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Jets trade Darrelle Revis to Buccaneers

FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talks to the media near his locker at the team's football training facility, in Florham Park, N.J. Revis and the New York Jets appear on the verge of parting ways. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday, April 21, 2013, that the Jets granted Revis permission to take a physical and negotiate a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signaling a trade is imminent. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talks to the media near his locker at the team's football training facility, in Florham Park, N.J. Revis and the New York Jets appear on the verge of parting ways. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday, April 21, 2013, that the Jets granted Revis permission to take a physical and negotiate a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signaling a trade is imminent. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

File-This Dec. 24, 2011 file photo shows New York Jets' Darrelle Revis pointing before an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets have traded Revis to the Buccaneers for this year's No. 13 overall draft pick and another selection next year. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)

File- This Dec. 18, 2011 file photo shows New York Jets' Darrelle Revis warming up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in Philadelphia. The Jets have traded Revis to the Buccaneers for this year's No. 13 overall draft pick and another selection next year. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum,File)

(AP) ? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the patience, persistence and money it took to get Darrelle Revis.

Weeks of speculation about the star cornerback's future ended Sunday when the New York Jets traded the three-time All-Pro to the Bucs in exchange for the 13th overall pick in this week's NFL draft and another selection next year.

Revis also agreed to six-year contract with his new team in a deal that his agents, Neil Schwartz and Jon Feinsod, confirmed is worth $96 million, with no guaranteed money.

"I been sitting around for the last hour trying to figure out what to say to the Jet Nation & I came up with this," Revis wrote on Twitter. "The six years I played for the New York Jets were unbelievable. I put my body on the line everyday & did everything could to help the team win. I experienced a lot & & learned a lot. The memories I had in New York I will keep dearly to my heart.

"I want to thank all the jets fans for making me feel welcome."

The Bucs are ecstatic about the opportunity to plug the seventh-year pro into a leaky secondary that general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano began shoring up with the signing of free agent safety Dashon Goldson, an All-Pro in San Francisco last season.

Tampa Bay was one of a few teams with enough room under the salary cap to accommodate Revis' desire to become one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league. In exchange for giving the player the type of numbers he was looking for, though, Dominik insisted the deal not include guarantees that potentially could strap the team.

"We're thrilled. It's rare that you get a chance to add a player of this caliber to your football team. That's what motivated us," Dominik said, adding he would withhold further comment until a Monday news conference at the team's training facility.

The contract includes a yearly base salary of $13 million, plus $1.5 million annually in both roster and workout bonuses.

The Jets also receive a conditional fourth-round pick in next year's draft that will become a third-rounder if Revis, who is coming off a torn ligament in his left knee, is on the Buccaneers' roster on the third day of the 2014 league year.

Discussions between Dominik and new Jets general manager John Idzik heated up late last week, when the clubs agreed to compensation and Tampa Bay received permission to begin discussions with Revis' representatives on a contract.

The trade was completed Sunday about two hours after Revis arrived in Tampa by private jet to take a physical for the Bucs, who wanted to check out his surgically repaired knee.

Schiano drove his car onto the tarmac to meet the plane, greeted Revis and whisked the cornerback away to One Buccaneer Place. Soon after, the front page of the Buccaneers' official website posted a big picture of Revis in what appears to be a Tampa Bay jersey with the words: "Treasure Island. Darrelle Revis (CB). It's a Bucs Life."

Tampa Bay opens the season at ? that's right ? the Jets.

Trade talk involving Revis had been swirling for months, and all along the Bucs were thought to be the most serious suitor. In addition to having the league's worst pass defense last season, Tampa Bay was more than $32 million under the salary cap before landing a player generally regarded as the best cornerback in football.

Idzik said during a conference call that New York wasn't proactively shopping Revis, but Tampa Bay had "sincere and sustained" interest. Idzik insisted Revis' desire was to remain a member of the Jets and that the team shared that feeling, but the GM said "we ultimately came to the conclusion that this was the best thing to do for the Jets at this time."

Idzik added that there were several factors that went into the final decision to trade Revis, who coach Rex Ryan reiterated Sunday is "the best cornerback in football." The main barriers included the distance separating the Jets and Revis' representatives on a long-term extension, the time factor with the NFL draft coming up and the "degree of uncertainty" regarding the cornerback's health.

"Fitting a deal of historical proportions into our short-term and long-term plans is very difficult," Idzik said.

Revis was New York's first-round pick in 2007 after then-GM Mike Tannenbaum traded up to No. 14 to draft the former University of Pittsburgh star. Revis quickly established a reputation on the field as a shutdown cornerback, routinely holding wide receivers to quiet games and causing quarterbacks to shy away from his side of the field. He was considered by many to be so dominant at his position that he earned the nickname "Revis Island" for leaving opposing wide receivers stranded.

The deal gives the Jets two picks in the first round ? they already had the ninth selection ? when the draft begins Thursday, meaning Idzik will be busy early in the first round.

The trade leaves Antonio Cromartie as the Jets' top cornerback, a role he flourished in last season with Revis sidelined by a knee injury. And 2010 first-rounder Kyle Wilson mostly likely would be stepping in as the other starter.

"We're a football team that has a No. 1 corner," said Ryan, who said he and Idzik have been "joined at the hip" and he was involved in the decision-making process. "We're fortunate to have Antonio Cromartie."

For the Bucs, adding Revis improves a secondary that already includes cornerback Eric Wright and safeties Goldson and Mark Barron. Tampa Bay finished last in pass defense last season, coming within 38 yards of allowing the most yardage through the air in league history.

The 27-year-old Revis was entering the last season of a four-year contract he signed in 2010, and was looking for a big payday. A clause in that deal prevented the Jets from using the franchise or transition tag on him next year, so he likely would have become a free agent in 2014.

Revis was the subject of rampant trade rumors since last season ended as the Jets weighed whether to try to sign him to a contract extension, lose him to free agency next offseason or deal him for high draft picks.

"It became quite evident to us that there was a substantial difference between Darrelle's view of his value and ours," Idzik said. "We felt there would have to be a significant change on either side in order to create a path toward reaching an agreeable deal for either side."

Complicating things was the fact Revis is coming off a serious injury. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last September against Miami, and had surgery the next month.

"It definitely muddies the water a little bit," Idzik said.

Revis has been rehabbing since, and has indicated in interviews he expects to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Against his former team.

With Revis' contract status still in limbo, many predicted the two sides would have a repeat of the tough negotiations that marked previous discussions and led to two holdouts and nearly a third last summer. Instead, Idzik made a move with an eye on the franchise's future and not going empty-handed by letting Revis walk as a free agent next offseason.

"We wanted to come up with a decision that was the best for the New York Jets," owner Woody Johnson said. "And that's the decision we arrived at. And I think it was the correct one."

___

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-22-FBN-Jets-Bucs-Revis/id-73ec85e7748c4ed7af3e0b6de82eba4a

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Monday in politics: Senate hearing on immigration, and more

April 22 (Reuters) - Pep Guardiola is not the only connection between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who meet in their Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Both teams are dominating their leagues to an almost embarrassing extent, have won the Champions League four times apiece, share an acrimonious rivalry with Real Madrid, and owe part of their success to the flamboyant Dutchman Louis van Gaal. Both have also been in two Champions League finals in the last four years, though the Catalans won both of theirs and the Bavarians came out losers on each occasion. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/monday-politics-senate-hearing-immigration-more-100343868--election.html

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