Chavez dies shortly after expelling US military attaches

Even as he lay dying, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez picked a fight with the US. El Universal of Caracas said "Chavez died" in a banner headline Tuesday.

A Google Translation of the paper said: "Hugo Chavez died after a long battle against cancer, a disease that was treated in Havana since mid-2011. The President had traveled to Cuba, in this final stage the December 8, 2012, two months after his fourth election, to be operated for the fourth time."

Venezuelan TV said Chavez died at 4:25 p.m.

The Associated Press reported the country had expelled two US military attach?s, claiming they met with military officers to destabilize the country. The Los Angeles Times and CBS reported he had died shortly after the expulsions.

?We completely reject the Venezuelan government?s claim that the United States is involved in any type of conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuelan government,? State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said, ?Hugo Ch?vez?s presidency was characterized by a dramatic concentration of power and open disregard for basic human rights guarantees.?

El Trajajadores of the Communist Party in Havana commented: ?He died a good man. Let us raise a requiem for Chavez and then think what Jos? Mart? wrote one day: ?The tomb is the route, and not the end.??

Chavez, who returned from Cuba in February with no notice after being treated for cancer, has long been the face of leftist opposition to the US in South America, though his biggest fights were with former President George Bush.

The 58-year-old Chavez had not appeared in public since his return, and his inauguration to a fourth term as president was delayed. Little information had been released on his condition.

On Monday night, CNN reported Information Minister Ernesto Villegas saying on national television that the President was having problems breathing ?related to the state of his depressed immune system.?

According to Wikipedia, Chavez announced on June 30, 2011 that he was recovering from an operation ?to remove an abcessed tumor with cancerous cells. He required a second operation in December 2012.?.

Chavez was seen as a leader of a ?Pink Tide? of 12 leftist and socialist leaders elected in Latin America since 1998. In addition, his friendship with the Castros in Cuba was seen as a slap in the face to Washington.

Venezuela?s oil revenue made it possible for him to help Cuba after the collapse of the Russian empire. Havana will be watching events in Caracas closely.

Foreign Affairs said Chavez was so weak that he had to be ?sedated before takeoff, and the plane flew at a low altitude to avoid compromising his delicate health and an ongoing respiratory problem. Upon his return, he was taken to the military hospital in Caracas. When he was safely in his room, messages went out on his Twitter account, thanking Cuba, Fidel and Raul Castro, Ch?vez? and to the people of Venezuela, "We have arrived again to Venezuela. Thank God. Thanks to my beloved country. Here we will continue treatment."

The country?s constitution calls for a special election to elect a successor if Chavez dies

Latin America as a whole is in much better shape than in the past, and there is no need for the US to support dictators to stop the spread of Russian communism.

Reuters says the Institute of International Finance reports the region ?outpaced other emerging market regions as a magnet for foreign capital in 2011 and 2012??

BBC Chavez Obituary

Source: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14173309-as-chavez-lays-dying-venezuela-expels-us-military-attaches

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American Dream Shows Its Dark Side In Mike Mellia's Satirical Photography Series (PHOTOS)

As one of the characters states in Gary Shteyngart?s "Super Sad True Love Story," it's ?zero hour for our economy, zero hour for our military might, zero hour for everything that used to make us proud to be ourselves.? Photographer Mike Mellia scratches through the pastel exterior of squeaky clean Americans in the series below to show a shocking dystopian reality. Smart phones, syringes, handguns and stilettos populate Mellia's vision, where perfection comes at a dangerous cost.

The photographer went with a palette of "Psychiatric Green and Barbie Pink" to depict the warped ideals in our current culture. The artist explains his vision in a work featured below: "In an over-medicating world of delusional distraction, the images explore if the American Dream has become a perverse, deformed clich?."

This isn't the first time Mellia, a commercial photographer, has used his professional medium to let out some steam; we featured the satirical artist's takedown of overweight American consumers last year. However, if you're offended, Mellia's words might not console you: "If you are following your vision with a clear concept, the level of offensiveness is irrelevant."

Take a look at Mellia's series and let us know if you think he paints an accurate picture of the American nightmare dream today.

• Cellphone Syringe

• Retail Shopping Therapy

• Breadcrumbs for the Birds

• Bouquet of Guns

• Super-marvel Re-education

• The Invisible Hand

• Laboratory Experiment #84

• Final Straw

• The American Dream

• Please Await Further Instruction

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/05/american-dream-mike-mellia-photos_n_2812608.html

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Expectant parents die in crash; baby born at scene

Eli Wohl / VosIzNeias.com via AP

First responders work at the scene shortly after a car accident in Brooklyn, New York, took the lives of an expectant couple Sunday, March 3, 2013.

By Alexander Smith, BreakingNews.com, and Tracy Connor, NBC News

A young couple en route to a hospital to have their first child was killed in a car crash in New York City early Sunday but the baby was born at the scene and survived.

Nathan and Raizy Glauber, both 21 and Orthodox Jews, were using a car service to go to the hospital when another vehicle crashed into the side of theirs at an intersection in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, Hasidic community activist and family friend Isaac Abraham said.

Nathan Glauber was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital, while his wife died at Bellevue, the New York Post and The Associated Press reported.

Pictures of the scene were posted on Vos Iz Neias, a news site that covers the Jewish community.

The couple's son was delivered at the scene and was taken to a hospital in serious condition, said Abraham, who is also a neighbor of Raizy Glauber's parents and lives two blocks from the scene of the crash.

Abraham said: "The child is in a serious condition in Beth Israel Hospital, in Manhattan. Now we just pray with the child that all medical efforts keep him alive."

He added: "I know Raizy because I saw her grow up from a child."

The driver of the vehicle that hit the couple's car fled, police told the AP. No arrests have yet been made.

The Post reported that a BMW was involved and that it was the driver of the BMW who fled the scene, at the intersection of Kent Avenue and Wilson Street.

The condition of the car service's driver is unclear, police said, according to the AP.

Alastair Jamieson, ?NBC News, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 3, 2013 6:06 AM EST

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/03/17166773-expectant-parents-killed-in-nyc-crash-baby-born-at-scene?lite

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White House: You Should Be Able to Unlock Your Phone If You Own It

The White House has responded to a 100,000+ signature petition opposing the recent decision by the Librarian of Congress to remove DMCA exemptions for unlocking cellphones. The official response? You should be able to unlock your phone with no legal penalty. So long as you own your phone. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3sBOATy-T1g/white-house-you-should-be-able-to-unlock-your-phone-if-you-own-it

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Push grows to blacklist Spain over digital pirating

Spain, with one of the world?s worst online piracy track records, is hoping that plans to pass new antipiracy legislation this year will be enough to convince the US government to keep it off its infamous blacklist, despite the Spanish and American entertainment industry demands to relist it.

After five consecutive years on a ?priority watch list? curated by the US office of trade, Spain was delisted in 2012 following its implementation of a more muscular antipiracy code. But the powerful International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), a coalition of US trade associations, recommended in February that Spain be included on this year's list of countries that do not do enough to protect copyright laws.

?Contrary to the expectations that led to Spain?s removal from the Special 301 Watch List last year, Spain saw no positive developments in 2012,? the IIPA said in its influential annual report released last month.

?Internet piracy has continued to grow at a tremendous rate. After years of difficulty, many in the copyright industries see not a hint of optimism for the levels of piracy in the country,? the report said.

A spot on the blacklist would carry the threat of sanctions and scare away investors, which could further damage Spanish efforts to rebuild its economy amid the euro crisis.

RECOMMENDED: Think you know Europe? Take our geography quiz.

Spanish officials, though, say they don?t expect Spain to be blacklisted again, because they have only had one year to implement their 2012 legislation, and given the forthcoming laws, expected to be passed by the end of the year.

While acknowledging limited success in the fight against online piracy, the government trusts the US will recognize it just needs more time, officials say.

?The IIPA?s request to have Spain included [on the US government's priority watchlist] doesn?t mean that we will,? says a high ranking official in the Culture Ministry, which is charged with protecting copyright content in Spain. ?US authorities are aware of the Spanish government?s commitments and plans for more ambitious legislation. We trust we won?t be included,? says the official who asked not to be named because she is not permitted to speak publicly on the matter.

PRESSURE

Spain is one of 33 countries blacklisted by the IIPA in its 2013 annual report, including usual suspects like China, Russia, and India. But the IIPA has also recommended that the US government include countries like Italy, Canada, Israel, and Brazil on the 301 list that will be released in April. Ukraine was the worst offender last year, according to IIPA.

Spain's rate of piracy is increasing and reached 74 percent for the film industry, costing 1.4 billion euros, according to IIPA. More than 90 percent of downloaded music and 44 percent of software is pirated and illegally downloaded video games have ?completely overtaken? the legitimate ones.

The pressure is not just coming from IIPA. On Jan. 22, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy agreed to a private meeting with former US Senator Chris Dodd, who is the chief executive of the Motion Picture Association of America, to discuss Spain?s antipiracy progress. Days later, the US ambassador to Spain also criticized Spain?s track record.

Under Spanish law, downloading unlicensed content is not illegal, but distributing it is. The new codes were supposed to make it easier to target peer-to-peer websites, a favorite source for online piracy. But these have ?produced remarkably few results in the fight against online piracy,? the IIPA said.

In 2012, IIPA members filed 87 complaints after the codes went into effect, of which only 16 were initiated into cases, and none resulted in a blocked website. The lengthy process is not a ?deterrent? to piracy, the IIPA said. Many sites are legally shielded because they don?t technically distribute copyright content, instead they simply act as middlemen linking uploaders to downloaders.

The entertainment industry wants the government to criminalize downloading pirated content, and it has recommended several ways to streamline forcefully shutting down websites and prosecuting their owners. However, European privacy laws and the need to harmonize them, coupled with the worsening economic and political Spanish crisis, limits how much the government can do.

?We realize we need to make [our laws] more effective,? the Culture Ministry source says. ?But it?s a new process that needs more time to improve. You can?t expect this to change in one year of one administration.?

RECOMMENDED: Think you know Europe? Take our geography quiz.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/push-grows-blacklist-spain-over-digital-pirating-183017090.html

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Spending cuts seem here to stay

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The spending cuts are here to stay if you believe the public posturing Sunday.

The Senate's Republican leader Mitch McConnell called them modest. House Speaker John Boehner isn't sure the cuts will hurt the economy. The White House's top economic adviser, Gene Sperling, said the pain isn't that bad right now.

So after months of dire warnings, Washington didn't implode, government didn't shut down and the $85 billion budget trigger didn't spell doom. And no one has a tangible proposal for rolling back those cuts.

"This modest reduction of 2.4 percent in spending over the next six months is a little more than the average American experienced just two months ago, when their own pay went down when the payroll tax holiday expired," McConnell said.

"I don't know whether it's going to hurt the economy or not," Boehner said. "I don't think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work."

And Sperling, making the rounds on the Sunday news shows, added: "On Day One, it will not be as harmful as it will be over time."

Both parties cast blame on the other for the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts but gave little guidance on what to expect in the coming weeks. Republicans and Democrats pledged to retroactively undo the cuts but signaled no hints as to how that process would start to take shape. Republicans insisted there would be no new taxes and Democrats refused to talk about any bargain without them.

"That's not going to work," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. "If we're going to increase revenue again, it's got to go to the debt with real entitlement reform and real tax reform when you actually lower rates. ... I'm not going to agree to any more tax increases that are going to go to increase more government."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said any tax increases were unacceptable.

"I'm not going to do any more small deals. I'm not going to raise taxes to fix sequestration. We don't need to raise taxes to fund the government," Graham said.

All of this comes ahead of a new, March 27 deadline that could spell a government shutdown and a debt-ceiling clash coming in May.

Boehner said his chamber would move this week to pass a measure to keep government open through Sept. 30. McConnell said a government shutdown was unlikely to come from his side of Capitol Hill. The White House said it would dodge the shutdown and roll back the cuts, which hit domestic and defense spending in equal share.

"We will still be committed to trying to find Republicans and Democrats that will work on a bipartisan compromise to get rid of the sequester," Sperling said.

Obama has phoned lawmakers but it isn't clear to what end; the White House refused Sunday to release the names of lawmakers Obama phoned. Boehner and McConnell said they had a productive meeting with Obama on Friday, but it didn't yield a deal.

"Well, no one can think that that's been a success for the president," said Mitt Romney, Obama's unsuccessful rival in November's election. "He didn't think the sequester would happen. It is happening."

Obama and the Republicans have been fighting over federal spending since the opposition party regained control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. The budget cuts were designed in 2011 to be so ruthless that both sides would be forced to find a better deal, but they haven't despite two years to find a compromise.

The $85 billion in cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. But without a deal they will continue slashing government spending by about $1 trillion more over a 10-year period.

McConnell spoke to CNN's "State of the Union." Boehner was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press." Sperling appeared on ABC's "This Week," NBC and CNN. Ayotte appeared on ABC. Graham spoke with CBS' "Face the Nation." Romney was a guest on "Fox News Sunday."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-03-Budget%20Battle/id-b8d8aead72024c3fa0caa673fdbbd7db

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8 of the best tech products from Mobile World Congress

Staff , LAPTOP ? ? ? 9 hrs.

Mobile World Congress remains the world?s biggest dedicated mobile technology event, and this year?s show saw more than 70,000 people converge in Barcelona to find out what?s next in smartphones, tablets and more. From upstart operating systems and the world?s thinnest slate to a whole new way to make your own apps, these are the eight best mobile products from Mobile World Congress 2013:

Best smartphone: LG Optimus G Pro

These days, high-end features like a quad-core processor and 1080p screen are just table stakes in the Android superphone game. That?s why with the Optimus G Pro, LG focused on delivering uniquely compelling software that makes work more efficient and play more fun.

With LG?s updated QSlide technology, users can run important apps in small windows on the 5.5-inch full HD screen, allowing them to multitask in a way never before available on a phone. Dual Recording, which allows you to capture video using both the front HD camera and back 13-MP shooter at the same time, takes family video to a whole new level. Then there's QTranslate, which provides real-time offline translation of words viewed through the camera lens. Add in a whopping 3,140mAh battery and you have an Android phone ready to take on the world.

More:LG Optimus G Pro Pairs 1080p Screen with Powerful Multitasking Features (VIDEO)

Best budget smartphone: Nokia Lumia 520

With the Lumia 520, Nokia has proved its dedication to bringing high-end features to lower price points, making the Windows Phone 8 experience available to an entirely new set of users worldwide. The 520 sports a 5-MP camera that supports Nokia's fun lens apps and offers super-sensitive touch technology for controlling the display even when you're wearing gloves. The phone cuts a few corners compared to the powerful Lumia 920, with a screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and no LTE support, but these compromises bring the price down to just 139 EUR, or around $180 USD unsubsidized. Overall, the Lumia 520 looks like a fantastic deal.

More:Nokia Debuts Lumia 520 Entry-Level Smartphone and Three Other Budget Options (VIDEO)

Best large tablet: Sony Xperia Tablet Z

At just 0.3 inches thick, Sony?s Xperia Tablet Z may be the ?world?s thinnest tablet,? but that isn?t the only reason it takes home the prize for Best Large Tablet of Mobile World Congress 2013. This 10-incher packs a gorgeous 1920 x 1080-pixel display with a 20 percent greater color gamut than Apple?s iPad, thanks to Sony?s Bravia Engine technology. And with a powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, the Xperia Z has enough muscle to take on the toughest tasks.

Oh, and did we mention the whole thing goes underwater? That?s right, the Xperia Z can take a dip in up to 6 inches of water for 30 minutes. Rounding out this tablet?s top-tier features are an integrated IR blaster and Sony?s SideView app, which allows you to see what?s on TV and change the channel.

More:Sony Xperia Tablet Z is World?s Thinnest Tablet, Goes Underwater (VIDEO)

Best small tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

If Goldilocks were shopping for a tablet, she?d say the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is just right. Samsung?s powerful new quad-core tablet was modeled after a notepad, making it ideal for taking notes in meetings using the built-in S Pen. The Galaxy Note 8 also packs a host of compelling software features, from Samsung?s Dual View multi-window feature to Idea Sketch, which provides clip art images based on words you scribble on screen. Other highlights include Smart Remote for controlling your TV and a Reading Mode that automatically adjusts the display for enjoying e-books.

More:Samsung Galaxy Note 8: The Pen Tablet You?ve Been Waiting For (VIDEO)

Best car tech: AT&T and GM 4G LTE

AT&T and General Motors want your next car to provide a truly connected experience. The two companies announced a new partnership at Mobile World Congress 2013 that will see GM?s 2015 model year vehicles equipped with AT&T's 4G LTE modems. With all that bandwidth, you can stream video to your car?s rear seat displays and keep the kids from asking "are we there yet?" every five minutes.

GM is also considering installing cameras at all four exterior corners of select vehicles, which users will then be able to access via the Web in order to get a live look at their cars from a mobile app. The system can also determine when your car has been hit and send you an alert.

More:AT&T 4G LTE Brings Live TV, Apps, and More to GM Vehicles

Best mobile software: AppMachine

These days everyone wants a mobile application, but software development can be a lengthy and complicated process. AppMachine is an online software platform that takes the pain and high learning curve out of creating applications for Android and iOS. Users can enter a website, social media page or RSS feed and populate an app in seconds. You can customize your app?s appearance using one of the included themes or more advanced settings. The company will even submit your application to the Apple App Store or Google Play, usually a long and tedious process, allowing you to create and sell your app in hours rather than weeks or months.

More: AppMachine Helps Anyone Create Native iPhone and Android Apps (VIDEO)

Best innovation: Firefox OS

We?ve had high hopes for Mozilla?s HTML 5-powered Firefox OS for quite awhile, and when it finally made its big debut here at Mobile World Congress 2013, it didn?t disappoint. Mozilla designed the attractive operating open system to break down the barriers between apps and Web pages and between developers and users. Unlike other platforms that rely exclusively on walled garden app stores to distribute software, Firefox OS will allow software publishers to sell their wares directly to consumers while also providing a vibrant market for app discovery.

To Mozilla, local apps and remote Web pages deserve equal treatment. So Firefox OS? most unique feature is a dynamic search function that scours websites and HTML 5 apps at the same time. If you want information on your favorite musician, the search engine will show a screen with background wallpaper of that artist and icons representing both Web pages and apps with ticket info, biographies and songs. So far, we?ve only seen the Firefox OS running on entry-level smartphones, but it should be coming to mid-range and high-end handsets soon.

More:Firefox OS Breaks Barrier Between Web and Apps (VIDEO)

Best accessory: Samsung HomeSync

We?ve seen network-attached storage drives and we?ve seen set-top boxes, but we?ve never seen anything quite like the Samsung HomeSync, a home media center that runs a full version of Android 4.1 Jellybean while providing 1TB of storage for sharing media across all of your devices.

Using a Bluetooth input device or a Samsung smartphone as your keyboard/mouse, you can play demanding games, watch movies or run any app from Google Play on the device?s 1.7-GHz, dual-core processor. Fire up the AllShare app on your phone or tablet and use it to browse photos, videos or songs from the HomeSync?s massive hard drive.

More: Samsung HomeSync 1TB Media Center Doubles as Android Station (VIDEO]

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/8-best-tech-products-mobile-world-congress-1C8645570

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