Gawker Media, the celebrity and political blog powerhouse, and it’s ring of blogs, including Twitter, were hacked this weekend by a group of hackers operating the under the name of Gnosis.Gawker said it was deeply embarrassed over the hack, in which Gnosis released a 500 MB file containing Gawker’s source code, internal conversations between the companies employees, and email addresses and passwords of commentators, banks, federal government employees and NASA.
"This weekend we discovered that Gawker Media's servers were compromised, resulting in a security breach at Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin and Fleshbot,” Gawker wrote in a post on its Lifehacker blog. "We understand how important trust is on the Internet, and we're deeply sorry for and embarrassed about this breach of security -- and of trust. We're working around-the-clock to ensure our security (and our commenters' account security) moving forward," Gawker added.
The successful hack followed a week of escalating attacks against Wikileaks for releasing U.S. State Dept. cables as well as counter-attacks by hackers associated with a group known as Anonymous in a campaign called Operation Payback.
The hackers brought the Gawker site to a standstill on Sunday with a denial-of-service attack, identical to the tactic being used against Visa.com, Paypal.com and Mastercard.com for those companies’ decisions to stop the ability to donate to Wikileaks.
Gawker has since regained control of their servers, and is telling readers to change their passwords.An anonymous source identifying itself as one of the Gnosis hackers told news blog Mediaite that Gawker was attacked because it’s arrogance, and wrote in the leaked file: "Your empire has been compromised, Your servers, Your database's, Online accounts and source code have all be ripped to shreds!.. You would think a site that likes to mock people, such as gawker, would have better security and actually have a clue what they are doing. But as we've proven, those who think they are beyond our reach aren't as safe as they would like to think!"
(CNN) -- Richard C. Holbrooke, the high-octane diplomat who spearheaded the end of the Bosnian war and most recently served as the Obama administration's point man in the volatile Afghan-Pakistani war zone, died Monday at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. Following are reactions to his death:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "Tonight America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants. Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war-zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination. He was one of a kind -- a true statesman -- and that makes his passing all the more painful. From his early days in Vietnam to his historic role bringing peace to the Balkans to his last mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard helped shape our history, manage our perilous present, and secure our future. He was the consummate diplomat, able to stare down dictators and stand up for America's interests and values even under the most difficult circumstances. He served at every level of the Foreign Service and beyond, helping mentor generations of talented officers and future ambassadors. Few people have ever left a larger mark on the State Department or our country. From Southeast Asia to post-Cold War Europe and around the globe, people have a better chance of a peaceful future because of Richard's lifetime of service."
President Barack Obama "For nearly 50 years, Richard served the country he loved with honor and distinction. He worked as a young foreign service officer during the Vietnam War and then supported the Paris peace talks which ended that war. As a young Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, he helped normalize relations with China. As U.S. Ambassador to Germany, he helped Europe emerge from a long Cold War and encouraged NATO to welcome new members. As Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, he was the tireless chief architect of the Dayton Accords that ended the war in Bosnia 15 years ago this week, saving countless lives. As Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard helped break a political impasse and strengthen our nation's relationship with the UN and elevated the cause of AIDS and Africa on the international agenda. And throughout his life, as a child of refugees, he devoted himself to the plight of people displaced around the world."
Vice President Joe Biden, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "Today, I lost a great friend and America lost one of its greatest warriors for peace. Richard Holbrooke was a larger than life figure, who through his brilliance, determination and sheer force of will helped bend the curve of history in the direction of progress. He touched so many lives and helped save countless more. He was a tireless negotiator, a relentless advocate for American interests, and the most talented diplomat we've had in a generation."
Commander Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan "This is a tragic loss for our country, this region, and our world," said Gen. Petraeus. "Richard Holbrooke was a true titan in the diplomatic arena and a central figure in the effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was a privilege to work closely with Ambassador Holbrooke when I was at CENTCOM and then as the commander here in Afghanistan. Indeed, it was with considerable pride that we called him our 'diplomatic wingman.' He was, in short, a tremendous diplomatic partner, a great American, and a good friend. Our thoughts are with Kati and his family."
Former President Bill Clinton "In a lifetime of passionate, brilliant service on the front lines of war and peace, freedom and oppression, Richard Holbrooke saved lives, secured peace, and restored hope for countless people around the world. Tomorrow marks the 15-year anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Accords - the agreement Dick negotiated which stopped the killings in Bosnia and paved a path to peace in the Balkans that endures today. He was central to our efforts to limit ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and pave the way for its independence, and he found a way to break the stalemate in talks in Cyprus. I was proud to nominate him as the United States' ambassador to the United Nations, where he helped equip the UN to meet the challenges of our 21st Century world. For the last two years, he worked hard to counter terrorism and to build a secure, democratic future for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our nation is safer, and our world stronger, because of the work he did. I will miss my friend very much."
Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State "With the death of Richard Holbrooke we have all lost a tremendous and devoted advocate for peace, diplomacy and human rights. I had the honor and privilege of working with Richard through many international crises over several decades, most particularly the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo. He could always be counted on for his imagination, dedication and forcefulness. He was a tireless defender of democracy and freedom, and continued working on these issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan until his final days. Above all, he loved our country. His death is a blow to American diplomacy and the goals to which he dedicated his life. All of his friends will miss his energy and determination. I am deeply saddened, and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kati and his entire family."
Samuel Berger, former National Security Advisor "I am deeply saddened by the death of Richard Holbrooke-- a remarkable public servant and a dedicated force for good. Richard was an unrelenting advocate for peace, a superb diplomat and a dear friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "Pakistan has a lost a friend. He was an accomplished and experienced diplomat who quickly gained the confidence of interlocutors. He was a key player in international diplomacy to bring peace to Bosnia and in confronting militancy in our part of the world. His services will be long
remembered. The best tribute to him is to reiterate our resolve to root out extremism and usher in peace. My thoughts are with his wife and family. May his soul rest in eternal peace."
Hussain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador to the United States: "In Richard Holbrooke's passing the world has lost a great diplomat while I have lost a personal friend and professional role model. Amb. Holbrooke showed great compassion for the people of Pakistan and was a strong supporter of Pakistan's progress and security as a modern Muslim democratic country. His attitude towards diplomacy was reflected in his response to my question at our breakfast on Thursday about how long he planned to keep working. He said 'As long as I can make a difference.' His greatest asset was his ability to be a personal friend and diplomatic interlocutor at the same time."
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee "Richard Holbrooke has been a dynamic force in American diplomacy for more than five decades. His stellar service is deeply appreciated and held in the highest esteem."
Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "This awful news is almost incomprehensible, not least of all because I cannot imagine Richard Holbrooke in anything but a state of perpetual motion. He was always working. He was always a man on a mission, the toughest mission, and that mission was waging peace through tough as nails, never quit diplomacy - and Richard's life's work saved tens of thousands of lives. We loved his energy, we loved his resolve -- that's who Richard was, and he died giving everything he had to one last difficult mission for the country he loved. It is almost a bittersweet bookend that a career of public diplomacy that began trying to save a war gone wrong, now ends with a valiant effort to keep another war from going wrong."
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut "Richard Holbrooke was a colossus of American diplomacy. From Vietnam to the Balkans and now Afghanistan and Pakistan, the history of our nation's foreign policy over the last forty years is inseparable from Richard's own remarkable and courageous life -- which was spent, both inside and outside government, in the distinguished service of the country he loved and in pursuit of the most noble ideals for which it stands. Richard Holbrooke has left the world far too soon, but he leaves it a far better place through his achievements."
Samuel Worthington, President of InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based international non-governmental organizations
"The U.S. NGO community wishes to extend our sincere condolences to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke's family and to all of his colleagues at the State Department on his untimely passing. Ambassador Holbrooke was a longtime friend of the NGO community and his death was a shock to us all. He served on many non-profit boards and was deeply committed to the humanitarian values that guided the NGO response to the Pakistani floods. Ambassador Holbrooke's passing is a great loss to his colleagues, friends, family and to our country. He was a gifted diplomat, whose work over half a century made a difference in the lives of so many people, whether helping to end wars or dealing with their aftermath. His mark on history will be forever felt."
MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court on Tuesday vehemently denied allegations that money changed hands in the acquittal of Hubert Webb and five other accused in the Vizconde massacre case.
Midas Marquez, the tribunal’s spokesman and court administrator, stressed that the seven justices who voted to acquit Webb et al based their decision on court documents and transcripts of records from the Parañaque regional trial court which tried the case.
“It would be better if they read the majority decision,” Marquez replied when asked to comment on insinuations that the justices received money to vote in favor of Webb’s petition.He also downplayed allegations that Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio had a hand in the acquittal of the accused.
“Justice Carpio inhibited himself from the case early on. I don’t see any reason how he could influence other justices,” he said.Voting 7-4, the high court ordered Webb’s release due to inconsistencies in the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro and the failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
Last week Sony and Naughty Dog first released the details of the upcoming Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. This weekend they topped it off with a trailer and an official November release date.
Somewhere along the way, the Uncharted series went from being a fun series that were liked, to one of the PS3’s biggest hits. The first game was considered a success, but the second game surpassed it in almost every way, quickly becoming one of the “must have” PS3 titles, and winning several “Game of the Year” . Sony then decided to push forward with a movie adaptation written and directed by David O. Russell, who may be on the way to an Oscar nod for his recently released flick The Fighter (although new reports suggest that the movie may be on hold while Russell pursues another project). In other words, the series got really big, really quickly.
So it is not an exaggeration to say that the news of Uncharted 3 was met with a fair amount of excitement. Last week the first details of the sequel—including the name–were released, but at the VGAs this weekend, Naughty Dog did us one better and released both a full trailer including gameplay, and the release date for the game.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will bring us back to the world of modern day Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake, as he heads to the Arabian Desert in search of the fabled Atlantis of the Sands. The game will also feature a heavy online emphasis as the previous game did.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be released as a PS3 exclusive on November 1, 2011 (or 11/1/11).
Hugh Jackman has been injured in a flying fox stunt during the taping of Oprah Winfrey's second show in Sydney.The actor was treated by medical staff after slamming into rigging on the outdoor set at the Sydney Opera House this afternoon.
He had been attempting to enter the stage in dramatic fashion with a 100-metre ride on the flying fox.An injury to his eye appears to be only minor."I'm not 100 per cent, actually," Jackman saidafter struggling to free himself from his harness while dangling 10 metres in the air.
"I've hurt my eye; it's not bad. I'm really sorry about this."Hugh Jackman has been injured in a flying fox stunt during the taping of Oprah Winfrey's second show in Sydney.The actor was treated by medical staff after slamming into rigging on the outdoor set at the Sydney Opera House this afternoon.
He had been attempting to enter the stage in dramatic fashion with a 100-metre ride on the flying fox.An injury to his eye appears to be only minor."I'm not 100 per cent, actually," Jackman saidafter struggling to free himself from his harness while dangling 10 metres in the air.
"I've hurt my eye; it's not bad. I'm really sorry about this." Jackman was due to make his entrance after surprise guest and U2 frontman Bono this afternoon.Winfrey has been filming two of her Ultimate Australian Adventure shows in Sydney today in front of 12,000 people. This morning's show featured special guests Russell Crowe and the Irwin family.
The Geminid meteor shower for 2010 peaks overnight Monday with what promises to be a spectacular show for sky watchers who find themselves under clear, dark skies with an unobstructed view of the horizon.
By some estimates, the Geminid meteor shower – so named because they appear to the observer to be emanating from the constellation Gemini – could yield up to 120 shooting stars an hour for those watching under ideal viewing conditions between midnight and dawn Tuesday.For astronomy buffs, the Geminids often provide the best meteor-shower show of the year. For some astronomers, however, the display and its source – an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon – represent something of a mystery: Where did this asteroid come from and why does it appear to be shedding like a golden retriever, something asteroids generally don't do?
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"The whole thing is very weird," says David Jewitt, an astronomer at the University of California at Los Angeles who studies comets and asteroids.Phaethon is a near-Earth asteroid – an object some three miles across whose orbit around the sun each 1.4 years brings it close to Earth's orbit and to within 13 million miles of the sun, well inside Mercury's orbit.
Astronomers discovered Phaethon in 1983 using a space-based infrared telescope known as IRAS. Once researchers had calculated the asteroid's orbit, the late astronomer and comet specialist Fred Whipple noticed that its path matched that of the debris stream that generates the Geminid shower.That appeared to solve a problem, Dr. Jewitt explains, since until then, no one had identified a source of the material forming the Geminids.
Meteor showers typically stem from dust and rocks that comets shed as they approach the sun. They heat up, the ices they carry flash from ice to gas, and as the gas vents through the comet's surface, it carries dust and debris with it. No one had been able to associate a comet with the Geminid debris stream.
But that raised another question: Why is Phaethon shedding? Asteroids don't tend to do that. Astronomers looked for signs that it might have a small halo of gas around it, similar to a comet's "coma." But none appeared. Indeed, over the years, the object has yielded no evidence of activity that would eject material.
Then last year, Dr. Jewitt and colleague Jing Li received an alert from another colleague that Phaethon had brightened suddenly as it reached its closest approach to the sun.Jewitt and Dr. Li captured images of Phaethon with NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft – one of a pair of sun-watching probes. They observed the brightening and proposed that Phaethon's flash occurred as it shed rocky material fractured by the heat of its close approach to the sun.
In effect, the researchers say, the object is a "rock comet" rather than an icy "dirty snowball" or "snowy dirt ball" comet. The duo published its results in November in the Astronomical Journal.As for Phaethon's origins, another team led by Julia Maria de León Cruz at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in Grenada, Spain, suggests that Phaethon may be a chip off Pallas, a 340-mile-wide asteroid in the main asteroid belt, which circles the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Although Phaethon and Pallas don't share the same overall color, a first-cut clue as to their surface composition, Phaethon does share more-detailed spectral signatures of nine other, smaller asteroids near Pallas that are associated with it. They posit that Phaethon and its nine siblings constitute debris left over from a collision between Pallas and another object in an event that would have carved a sizable crater into Pallas.
The Grenada team published its study in April in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
It's still unclear if Phaethon is shedding enough material to continually resupply the Geminid meteor stream, Jewitt acknowledges. The stream is about 1,000 years old. Phaethon would have to undergo at least 10 such shedding events each orbit over that time to provide enough material to sustain the Geminid shower that humans observe today. So far, astronomers have observed just one.
More broadly, Phaethon could be opening a window on a little-understood process that marks the end of the line for many asteroids and comets."We know small bodies can be destroyed in different ways," Jewitt says. Collisions can break them apart. Comets can run out of gas, their cores becoming dark hulks orbiting the sun. Asteroids and comets can end in fiery plunges into the sun. And comets can get disrupted by planets' gravity and break apart.
With Phaethon however, astronomers may be witnessing that Jewitt calls spontaneous disintegration. "Its a physical decay," he says. "They fall to bits, for reasons which are unclear."Not a promising future from Phaethon's perspective. But for Earthlings, that slow-mo crumble can put on a good show.
Paris (CNN) -- Children who were taken hostage at a school in France Monday were released unharmed and the man who held them was arrested, the mayor of the town of Besancon told CNN.The young man, armed with two swords, had entered a kindergarten and took children hostage in eastern France Monday morning, the French Ministry of Education said.
There were about 20 children, aged 4 to 6, in the classroom when the incident began, and five children and their teacher were held until the incident was resolved, Besancon police told CNN.The hostage-taker is about 17 years old, and had "demands," the Ministry of Education said, without specifying what they were.
The hostage taker is "depressed," had been "under medical treatment," and has not taken his medication for several days, Besancon Mayor Jean-Louis Fousseret told CNN.The mayor did not know of a connection between the hostage-taker and the school.
He had released children in three groups before the incident ended, the ministry said.A security cordon was placed around the school, and police marksmen took positions outside the school, pictures from the scene showed. They did not enter the school during the incident, the mayor said.
The incident started at at 8:30 a.m. at the Charles Fourier school in the borough of Planoise and ended about four hours later.France last had a high-profile school hostage incident 17 years ago.Six girls and their teacher were held hostage for two days in the suburbs of Paris in 1993, media reported at the time.
A man calling himself "The Human Bomb" strapped explosives to his body and demanded about $18 million to release them.He was killed by police marksmen using guns with silencers, press reports said.
As Ron Artest celebrated his first NBA title last June, he gave a special shout-out to his therapist. Everyone thought it was funny, and apt -- Artest is a crazy dude, of course he has a shrink! It was, to say the least, an unconventional acknowledgment. And given the strange, quixotic interviews Ron Ron gave that night, it felt about par for the course.
Artest may no longer have been the player he once was. But that night made it OK, finally, to open ourselves to one of the NBA's few true originals. They just don't make them like Artest anymore, and when they do (Gilbert Arenas, anyone?) the story often ends badly. Lucky for Artest, he got that part out of the way.
But if the Lakers forward started this season as a national treasure, he was still something of a joke. When he was at his most dangerous, literally and figuratively, even Artest's most pointed critics would admit he was the game's mightiest on-ball defender. They took him seriously. The fear of Artest, too, was a kind of compliment. He was a crisis point for the NBA exactly because he was so damn good. He became a winner with the Lakers, and a beloved one (despite being with the Lakers), and yet was denied any ballast. "Artest being Artest" brought us non-stop amusement, where before, it had been the source of the best kind of controversy.
Except, in an unlikely way, late-period Artest has started to matter again -- and you can thank his therapist for it. Pretty much everything Artest said that night was from the heart; the mention of his therapist, though, seemed the most tangential. As it turns out, it was possibly the most important thing he said, and absolutely key to the way he saw himself. Want proof? This season, Artest has made mental health advocacy his new m.o. as a public figure: raffling off a championship ring to raise money, recording a PSA, and now, according to NBA.com, possibly donating his entire 2011-12 salary away to charity.
From Scott Howard-Cooper at the Hang Time blog:
[Ron Artest] is seriously thinking about handing over at least half, and maybe all, of next season's $6.79 million salary. "I'm definitely considering the whole thing," Artest said. "Or maybe 60 percent."
Although he may not finalize details until the summer, he called the plan "very serious. I've talked to my wife about it already. It's a powerful message. The message is about the inspiration. That's what I want, to inspire people. People will be like, 'Wow. Why is he doing this? Oh, that's why. Wow. We need to help educate.' I didn't come [to the Lakers] for the money. Obviously I could have gone somewhere else, even a lesser market. Pay less taxes. The taxes here are freaking killing me, you know what I'm saying?"
It wouldn't be Ron Artest without that last, distracting, maybe even self-defeating, mention of taxes and the angst they cause him as a multi-millionaire.
This isn't the first time Artest has thought of giving his salary away, which might come as a huge surprise if we were talking about any other player. In 2006-07, which feels like light years ago in Artest's story, he considered giving that year's paychecks to "to college and high school scholarships." The difference is, this time it's personal. Arenas and former Arizona teammate Richard Jefferson once had a competition to see who could give the most lavish gift to their school. Jefferson, who gave the money to build a practice facility, won. It was funny -- a novel way for players to go about helping out their alma mater, and the latest "what can't Arenas make weird?" episode. Artest's earlier plan, while I don't doubt that it was sincere, seemed to tell us as much about his erratic behavior as what he really felt was important.
Ron Artest has had, to say the least, an eventful career. Through it all, he's been one of the most talked-about figures in the NBA -- usually for all the wrong reasons, or reasons that sought to make light of him as a person. That's all changing. Through it all, though, he is still undeniably Ron Ron. These days, "Artest being Artest" isn't scary, or laughable -- it's the new benchmark for authenticity in a league that's often sorely lacking in that department.
The red-hot San Antonio Spurs resume a lengthy six-game homestand tonight in search of their 25th straight home win over the Golden State Warriors.
The Spurs, who have topped the Warriors nine straight times overall, are also on the cusp of the best start in franchise history. A win tonight would make San Antonio 18-3, surpassing the 2007-08 club that also started the season at 17-3.
Most recently the Spurs improved to 2-0 on their current residency Sunday when Tony Parker registered 19 points and six assists in a well-balanced San Antonio attack that trounced New Orleans, 109-84.Matt Bonner went 4-of-5 from the three-point arc and finished with 14 points for San Antonio, which has won four of its past five overall.
Richard Jefferson had 13 points, while Tim Duncan, George Hill and Gary Neal all recorded 11 points in the victory. Duncan also chipped in nine rebounds."I thought that our team defense was very good from the beginning to the end of the game," said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. "It's one of the few games this year we've had really consistent defense for the whole 48 minutes."
The Warriors, meanwhile, continued to struggle last night by dropping the second of a very difficult three-game road trip in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki scored a game-high 25 points in that one, as the Mavericks held off Golden State down the stretch to notch a 105-100 win, their 10th straight victory.Stephen Curry had 21 points to lead the Warriors, who have lost four straight and nine of 10 games. David Lee posted 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in defeat.
"We're not getting the final results as far as the wins we need, but we are playing there," said Warriors head coach Keith Smart. "So by the time we get it all together, I think we're going to be a good basketball team."Monta Ellis finished with 18 points, while Dorrell Wright had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Golden State, which fell to 3-9 on the road.
The Spurs 24-game run against Golden State in the Alamo City, which began in Duncan's rookie season of 1997-98, is the NBA's longest active home winning streak against a single opponent.
DALIYAT EL-CARMEL, Israel—Slack winds and an expanded international squadron of fire fighting planes helped Israeli emergency forces on Sunday tame the deadly forest fire ranging in the Carmel mountains outside of northern city of Haifa for four days.
Fire officials said they had established control of the main centers of the blaze, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel no longer needed additional airborne assistance. Firefighters were able to shrink down and isolate a handful of fires to battle the flames.
Meanwhile, many of the 17,000 residents who evacuated homes in the Haifa environs began returning home."We've got it under control,'' said Mordechai Shamran, the deputy commander of the Haifa police force in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 television. "We're preventing the fire from reigniting in 98% of the places.''
Israel's worst forest fire in its history claimed 41 lives, and for the first time rendered the Jewish state dependent on foreign assistance to grapple with a national emergency. On Sunday, Palestinian firefighters and fire trucks from the West Bank cities of Jenin and Bethlehem joined the international effort
Cabinet Secretary Gideon Hauser said the caused about $74 million in damage, including 250 homes, Haaretz newspaper reported on its website. Meanwhile, news commentators called for an independent commission of inquiry to be set up to assign responsibility for the blaze.
In a Haifa, a magistrate court extended the detention of two minors from the Arab Druze village of Isfiya arrested on Saturday for negligence in starting the blaze.Israel enlisted 35 aircraft from 10 countries, including a Boeing 747 rented from the U.S., to help put out the fire. The giant smoke clouds over the lush Carmel was replaced on Sunday by a show-like procession of aircraft from Greece, Russia and Turkey.
Flying 15-minute sorties in small groups of four and two, the planes picked up salt water from the Mediterranean, then headed eastward to the mountain forest, made U-turns and then swooped low over the smoldering woods to release their payload.
The flights were punctuated occasionally by a giant shower of red flame retardant released by "Supertanker'' Boeing from Evergreen International Aviation Inc. of McMinnville, Oregon.Down below, hundreds of firefighters struggled to beat the blaze back from Israeli towns located in the forest. A group of firefighters with soot-smudged jackets said they were grateful for the assistance as they rested from four consecutive days of action.
"Today we're seeing results,'' said Haim Buniere, a firefighter with the Jewish National Fund who worked round-the-clock shifts since the blaze broke out on Thursday. "The situation is better and its more relaxed. There aren't any strong winds. It's painful to see trees you cultivated go up in flames.''
The four-day fire damaged about five million trees and 12,000 acres, some eight times the area damaged as a result of katyusha rocket hits during Israel's six-week war with Hezbollah in 2006.The southernmost front of the forest fire was centered about 10 miles south of Haifa. Dry winds whipped up blazes there that spread to an artists' village, Ein Hod, where several stone houses and studies were damaged Sunday, and the Carmel Forests luxury spa hotel.
While planes buzzed overhead, JNF forest ranger Omri Bonneh surveyed a gully with singed tree trunks and carpeted with white ash. "The spread of this fire was nothing like we have ever seen before,'' he said. "It will take many years to restore this beauty.''
The controversy rages on this weekend; it seems like everyone has their own opinion on whether Howard Stern would ditch his two channels on Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) in favor of a rumored $600 million, three-year deal with Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) where he could have a monthly subscription offering on iTunes.
I personally believe the rumor is false, but many of our own readers disagree.One of the reasons why I don't believe Stern is leaving Sirius, as I explained yesterday, is that if he "were really leaving Sirius XM Radio Inc, he would be bashing their management a lot on his show and on other shows. He isn't quiet when he's unsatisfied... I mean, you've seen Private Parts, right?"
Reader Alex corrected me: "Stern has been blasting Sirius XM management for months, on his show."
And reader Tim presents his own reasoning for why an Apple deal might happen: "People... Do the math, if 3 million subscribers pay iTunes $10 per month that is 30 mil per month in revenue. 360 mil per year and well over 1 billion over 3 years and we haven't even started adding up the ad revenue yet. He has 5 million listeners on Sirius so he should be able to get more than the 3 million listeners that I conservatively estimated."
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego fans booed loudly after no penalty was called on a helmet-to-helmet hit that left Chargers RB Darren Sproles with a concussion. But referee John Parry said the no-call was precisely in keeping with the rules.
The play occurred late in the second quarter of the Oakland Raiders' 28-13 win over the Chargers Sunday.Sproles was hit by rookie LB Rolando McClain after a 7-yard reception. Sproles was attended to on the field while the fans booed. He got to his feet and walked off, but he did not return to the game.
Parry said no penalty was called because Sproles had taken at least three steps after the catch and was no longer considered a "defenseless" receiver."You can't hit helmet-to-helmet on a defenseless player," said Parry. "He was not considered defenseless. He was considered a runner because the act of possession was complete. The minimum of three steps were taken, so he was not deemed to be a runner so helmet-to-helmet is legal."
Chargers coach Norv Turner said of the call: "I didn't get a good look at it. The guy (McClain) is playing football, and he came in there. The big emphasis to me is defenseless players. The quick look I had on it … I didn't seem him (Sproles) as being a defenseless player."Sproles' status moving forward?"Darren is going to be fine," said Turner. "He couldn't return in the game, but he's in there now (in the locker room), and he's doing good."
