What happens when you take a ZBoard, a pair of spnKiX, and a Solowheel for a spin? Find out when host Marc Istook explores the latest in high tech personal transportation devices.
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Video: Mischievous Santorum votes and Obama cash
ABC's Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos, Jake Tapper and Jonathan Karl break down the week's politics news.
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Red Cross finds bodies of 2 reporters in Syria
GENEVA (AP) - The International Committee of the Red Cross says it now has the bodies of two foreign reporters killed in Syria and is taking them to Damascus.
Red Cross spokesman Bijan Farnoudi told The Associated Press on Friday the group is transporting the remains of American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik to the Syrian capital.
The two reporters were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs last month.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BEIRUT (AP) - Two French journalists who had been smuggled out of Syria flew to France Friday, a week after one of them suffered injuries in the restive central Syrian city of Homs, officials said.
Edith Bouvier and William Daniels were taken on a medically equipped plane, said airport officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Francois Abi Saab, a French Embassy spokeswoman, confirmed the two journalists left Lebanon.
Earlier Friday, a senior Lebanese security official said Bouvier and Daniels were smuggled across the Lebanese-Syrian border into the northeastern part of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Bouvier was then taken to the Hotel-Dieu de France hospital in Beirut, where she arrived early Friday.
Bouvier, 31, was wounded in a rocket attack on Feb. 22 during a government onslaught on the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr. The attack killed two Western journalists - American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik - and wounded a British photographer, Paul Conroy.
Daniels was not hurt in the attack.
A video posted online by activists soon after showed Bouvier lying on a hospital gurney with a white cast stretching from her left ankle to her thigh. In another video, Bouvier said her leg was broken in two places and that she needed an operation that local medics couldn't perform. Daniels stood at her side and pleaded for help.
"It is difficult here. We don't have electricity. We don't have much to eat. The bombs continue to fall," he said.
The security official, speaking on Friday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the convoy of ambulances and police vehicles drove through the mountains of Lebanon amid a heavy snow storm to bring Bouvier to Beirut.
In a video obtained by The Associated Press before Bouvier was taken to Beirut's Hariri Airport in an ambulance, she was seen in her hospital bed looking in good condition.
French President Sarkozy said late Thursday that Bouvier and another journalist William Daniels of France had been successfully smuggled into Lebanon.
"I had (Bouvier) on the phone. She is with her colleague, outside Syria," Sarkozy said during an impromptu news briefing in Brussels. "She has suffered a lot, but she will give the details herself."
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe expressed his "immense joy" that the two were safe in Lebanon.
"They were taken in by the French Embassy in Beirut and everything is being done to ensure their medical care and their repatriation as soon as possible," Juppe said.
Also stuck in the rebel-held neighborhood, which has been under a tight government siege and daily shelling for nearly four weeks, was Javier Espinosa of Spain. He, too, was smuggled into Lebanon this week.
He described life in the neighborhood during the siege.
"The people just hide during the day - just waiting not to be hit because it was a matter of luck," he said in an interview with BBC. "There was no logic. They were shelling randomly, randomly from one corner to the other corner in the neighborhood."
He said people would only go out after dark.
"They went outside at night and tried to pick up the pieces of houses that were demolished and get some food and try to get some supplies for people inside that could not move."
On Thursday, videos released by activists in Syria said Colvin and Ochlik were buried in Baba Amr. But obscuring the picture, the Syrian government said Thursday it had disinterred their bodies and would repatriate them.
Reached at her home in East Norwich, N.Y., on Thursday night, Colvin's mother, Rosemarie, said the family had received conflicting reports about her daughter's body.
"We're not getting any kind of decent information. It's all contradictory," she said. It was unclear if she had seen the video.
The videos and Bouvier's and Daniels' escape were steps toward the end of the ordeal of the six journalists who had sneaked into Syria illegally to report on the uprising against President Bashar Assad and found themselves trapped inside the besieged Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr.
The Syrian government has prevented most reporters from working in the country, and many journalists have been crossing into Syria illegally from Lebanon and Turkey.
The Baba Amr section of Homs has been the target of the heaviest Syrian military shelling during a four-week siege of rebel-held parts of Homs. Rebel forces said Thursday they were pulling out of the neighborhood, and a Syrian government official said the army had moved in. Activists say hundreds have been killed in Homs.
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Medical journal advocates killing newborns
A British medical journal is defending the publication of an article that argues it should be permissible to kill newborn babies because they don't have the “same moral standing as actual persons.â€
“After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?†was published last week in the Journal of Medical Ethics. It was written by Alberto Giubilini, of the University of Milan and Francesca Minerva, of the University of Melbourne and Oxford University.
BUY TODD'S NEW BOOK â€" ENDORSED BY SEAN HANNITY AND MARK LEVIN!
The writers suggested that newborn babies are morally equivalent “potential persons†whose family's interests override theirs, according to the Sydney Morning News.
The authors argue “that what we call ‘after-birth abortion' (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.â€
Click here to read the entire academic paper.
Both academics said they have received death threats after writing their paper, which Minerva said was “theoretical†and intended for an academic community.
“This was a theoretical and academic article,†she told the newspaper. “I didn't mean to change any laws. I'm not in favor of infanticide. I'm just using logical arguments.â€
But pro-life advocates in the United States scoffed at such a defense.
“It's not just theoretical,†said David Prentice, a senior fellow for life sciences at the Family Research Council. “As soon as you propose this type of idea, there are people who will pick it up and try to put it into practice.â€
Prentice said the academic paper is further evidence “of the erosion of any sort of consideration for human life and human dignity.â€
Prentice, who has a Ph.D. in Bio-chemistry, said article shows how this could “easily become a real life and death situation for many people.â€
“They are saying a newborn essentially has no moral standing as a human being,†Prentice told Fox News.
Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, said the medical journal exposed the true nature of the pro-choice movement.
“Those of us who are pro-life should welcome this article because it unmasks the pro-choice movement for what it really is â€" a license to kill,†Jeffress told Fox News. “This is more indicative of the culture of death in which we are living. This shows the natural end of the abortion argument â€" which is killing children for convenience.â€
Penny Nance, the president of Concerned Women for America, condemend the article.
“This is deeply, darkly disturbing,†she told Fox News. “It's just carrying the abortion argument to its logical conclusion â€" that there are only certain rights for human beings and perhaps when you reach a certain level that society judges you useful, that you have full rights to life.â€
The company that owns the Journal of Medical Ethics strongly defended the authors and their article, while denouncing critics as “fanatics.â€
“What is disturbing is not the arguments in this paper nor its publication in an ethics journal,†wrote Julian Savulescu, editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics. “It is the hostile, abusive, threatening responses that it has elicited. More than ever, proper academic discussion and freedom are under threat from fanatics opposed to the very values of a liberal society.
But Jeffress said all movements start somewhere.
“Every movement begins with an academic argument to lay the moral justification,†he said. “That certainly included the genocide that took place in the Holocaust. You have to have an academic basis before society will buy into something.â€
“I believe it would have been unthinkable fifty years ago that our nation would have legalized the killing of unborn children in the womb,†Jeffress said. “What is unthinkable today becomes a part of public policy ten years from now.â€
And Nance said that what the article is advocating is not exactly a new concept.
“We also saw this same line of reasoning from Peter Singer at Princeton University,†she said. “He has argued that there should be a time after a child is born that parents decide whether or not they want to keep it.â€
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Tornado wrecks homes in Ala.; no word if injuries
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - A reported tornado destroyed several houses in northern Alabama as storms threatened more twisters across the region Friday, two days after a storm system killed 13 people in the Midwest and South.
There was no immediate word on any injuries from local emergency officials. But the Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Office says ambulances are responding to neighborhoods near Huntsville.
Madison County emergency managers said in a statement that several houses were "leveled" in one neighborhood in the Walker Lane area.
WAFF-TV aired video of crushed homes outside Huntsville. The station also reported that storms caused extensive damage in the small community of Meridianville, where people were trapped in cars.
Forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms with the threat of tornadoes crossing a region from southern Ohio through much of Kentucky into Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
Thousands of Alabama schoolchildren were getting out of class early Friday because the threat of tornadoes and other severe weather across the northern half of the state.
More than 20 school systems say they are dismissing classes early Friday because of the possibility of severe storms. Otherwise, the bad weather could hit around the time schools normally dismiss for the day, based on predictions from the National Weather Service.
Syrian activists say regime forces are carrying out execution-style killings to crack down on the uprising there: http://t.co/amVWrSxk
March 2 is Dress in Blue Day, Dr. Seuss' birthday, Banana Cream Pie Day, Shabbat Across America: http://t.co/LSLKuiCp
Why did Ann Romney put 'Anna Karenina' on her Pinterest board?: http://t.co/VW5TUDVI
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Power Players
In the fast paced world of politics and this bruising presidential campaign, we can follow the major headlines, but what do the insiders really think were the most interesting and significant developments?
ABC's Diane Sawyer took a pause to catch up with colleagues George Stephanopoulos, Jake Tapper and Jonathan Karl to chew over the things that raised their politically astute eyebrows this week - from Michigan to the Beltway, all the way to Hollywood.
After Rick Santorum almost won the Michigan primary on Tuesday, we learned from ABC News' Jonathan Karl that the conservative candidate had some help from unlikely voters. Democrats. He caught up with a couple of Democrats in Michigan who even had the gall to show up at the Rick Santorum campaign party.Â
But George Stephanopoulos was more drawn to another development back in Washington. Congressional gridlock finally reached a breaking point for Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. After 33 years of public service Snowe announced she will not seek re-election. Does this moment signal a change in the fierce partisan politics inside the Beltway? Or will it dampen Republicans' chances of taking control of the Senate in November? Everyone is asking, what is the real reason this longtime Senator is stepping down?
And finally, why is President Obama so interested in Hollywood right now?  With some of his traditional moneymen, like financier George Soros sitting out the campaign cycle, Obama has to look to Tinseltown for some dough.  As Jake Tapper points, Hollywood is the Presidential campaign's ATM this year. And he is hitting that ATM with regularity as he raises staggering amounts of money to fund his campaign.
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Honeymoon \'killer\': Gabe Watson breaks silence on details of wife\'s death
On Feb. 23 Gabe Watson, the 34-year-old Alabama man some called "the honeymoon killer" after his wife died on their scuba-cruise honeymoon, had the murder charge against him dismissed by a Birmingham, Ala., judge.
Although the judge declared there was not enough evidence to continue his trial, the cloud of doubt and mystery still hangs over Watson and the events that took his wife's life.
In an exclusive interview with "20/20" anchor Elizabeth Vargas, Watson for the first time spoke publicly and in detail about what happened that day.
Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
Unlike the other passengers aboard the Spoil Sport, including her husband, Tina Watson was not an experienced diver. She had 11 dives under her belt, none in open water.
Gabe Watson said she never told him this last fact, adding she wasn't nervous.
"She was excited," he said. "I was excited. We were ready to go."
Watson expected a relatively easy dive.
"I kind of figured, We're on vacation. They're going to be very easy, calm, nice, pretty dives," he said.
In fact, the dive was a 50-foot wreck dive to the SS Yongala, a 350-foot steamer that sank in 1911. And there was a strong underwater current, which led the crew to label it a red dive, i.e., one typically for advanced divers only.
The couple planned to travel down the anchor line, drift across the top of the wreck, pick up a second line and return to the surface.
Within minutes, the severity of the current hit Gabe Watson.
"As soon as we let go," he said, "we were moving, moving quite a bit. ... It was definitely not what I was expecting, and neither was Tina."
Tina Watson looked at her husband and motioned back toward the anchor line, Gabe Watson said.
"I stuck out my right hand, she grabbed it with her left, and we both started swimming back to where we came," Watson said.
The current prevented them from making much progress, he said.
"I turned to her, grabbed my inflator hose and motioned to her, you know, Fill it up, thinking that she's going to understand. Put some air in your [buoyancy compensator] and we'll start floating up," he said.
"Nothing happened from the inflator hose," Watson continued. "That was when I realized, you know, We're -- This isn't good. We're in trouble. So I reached out and grabbed ahold of the b.c. strap right there. And I just pulled her in, and then I turned and started heading back to the anchor rope."
"I was scared to death," Watson recalled.
He turned back and tried to yell, "Swim! Swim, Tina, swim!" he said.
"All of a sudden I just felt this whack across my face, and my mask got, like, turned off to the side of my face," he said.
Gabe let go of Tina to replace his mask, he said.
When he turned around to look, Tina was 10 feet down and sinking, he said.
"She was face up, and she had her arms up. She was reaching out for me to grab ahold of her."
"I kinda just turned on my head and gave a few kicks down to see if I could grab her," he said. "And she was still out of arm's reach. And that -- I just decided I got to go find somebody."
How could he leave his wife?
"I don't think I was making rational choices at that point," said Watson. "I don't know what I would have done had I stayed with her. I don't know that there's anything that I was actually capable of doing."
Watson ascended in a controlled way to avoid injury, as with any scuba dive. At the surface, he yelled for help, and a dive master raced to find Tina.
He brought her up, and crew members and fellow passengers tried to resuscitate her for over 40 minutes while Gabe was comforted by other divers on another boat.
Why didn't he go to the other boat?
"That's not something I can handle," Watson said. "I don't ever want to see one of my loved ones being worked on like that, ever."
John Downie, a cruise passenger who is a doctor and who tried to help Tina Watson, told Gabe Watson his wife was dead.
"I just-- I just collapsed onto him. ... We just all kinda piled into each other and at some point fell to the floor. And I don't know how long that went on. I -- I mean-- I was devastated."
When Australian police interviewed Gabe Watson for details on what happened, it became more of an interrogation. Fellow passengers came forward, saying Watson's story didn't add up. Police started comparing it to the dive computer.
Dr. Carl Edmonds is a diving medical expert who has examined this case and was prepared to testify for the defense. He said that, in the context of diving accidents, Tina's death was neither mysterious nor suspicious.
"She was doing a dive to a depth that she had never been to before, in conditions she'd never experienced before," Edmonds said. "It all fits together ... as a very common drowning accident."
'Honeymoon Murder': Scuba Experts on Tina Watson's Death
Michael McFadyen, another diving expert who has examined this case and was prepared to testify for the defense, agreed. He said he wouldn't take Tina Watson or any diver with her lack of experience on the Yongala dive.
"She's never been [scuba diving] in the ocean, never been in salt water, never been in a place where there's wave actions, currents," he said.
Edmonds and McFadyen said the first three to four minutes of Tina Watson's dive were normal, as she and her husband leisurely followed the anchor line down 30 feet to the Yongala wreck.
It was in the fifth minute, when they let go of the anchor line and Tina Watson began to sink involuntarily, that the touble began.
"[Sinking this way] makes you very unsettled," McFadyen said. "It also makes you swim in a vertical situation instead of being horizontal, like you should ... which takes a lot more effort."
Edmonds said that Tina Watson's motioning back to the anchor line was "sensible, except it doesn't take into account the effect of the current. ... Had they got back to the line, it would have worked. Unfortunately, they only got halfway back."
"Because she was over-weighted, because she was swimming against a current, she's exerting herself greatly," Edmonds said. "And we know that, because of her air consumption, which was unbelievably high, she was also panicking."
Panicking made her overbreathe, then aspirate water through the regulator in her mouth, eventually losing consciousness and sinking to the ocean floor, Edmonds said.
"The autopsy was very clear," Edmonds said. "The findings were that she [was] drowning and that she had air embolism. ... If you look at the statistics on diving fatalities, the two commonest causes of death are drowning -- in about 70% -- and air embolism -- in about 14%."
The prosecution said Gabe Watson didn't ascend as quickly as he might have, and that this showed his intent to kill his wife.
"I happen to think that he went up quicker than they think he did," McFadyen said, "mainly because they're relying on the ... the graph that's produced by the dive computer as being 100% accurate, and it's not."
Dive computers take snapshots of a dive based on each time a diver goes through a 10-foot level, McFadyen said. "So if you go through at two minutes 10 seconds, it would record it as two minutes. If you went through at two minutes 59 seconds, it would still record it as two minutes. So it's not exact."
Because of this, McFadyen believes Gabe Watson ascended the 54 feet in about one minute 30 seconds, an ascent he characterized as "quick."
Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
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Air Force shelves $3B worth of brand new drones
Far from spying on terrorists, more than a dozen high-tech surveillance drones, which together cost the U.S. government more than $3 billion, could soon be sitting in a storage facility gathering dust after top Air Force officials admitted this week the birds still are not as good as the half-century-old spy planes they were designed to replace.
Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz appeared with Air Force Secretary Michael Donley before a Senate committee Tuesday where the two defended the service's decision to stop acquisition of the Global Hawk Block 30 drones and to shelve the 18 Block 30 unmanned drones the Air Force already has, claiming it will save the Pentagon $2.5 billion. In joint written testimony, Schwartz and Donley said the Block 30s cost too much and would require expensive upgrades to match the current version of the Cold War era U-2 spy plane's technical capabilities.
"This was a choice [where] we had an asset that can do the mission as it's currently specified and could do it overall at much less cost," Schwartz said told lawmakers during the hearing. "Sustaining the U-2 was a better bet."
The Block 30 Global Hawks, developed by defense contracting giant Northrop Grumman, are designed for capturing images and detecting electronic signals over extremely long distances. Other variations of the Global Hawk, including the Block 20 that specializes in communications technology and the Block 40 that sports a long-range radar system for advanced target detection, will continue to be used by the Air Force, Schwartz said. Each bird, regardless of type, is estimated to cost around $176 million.
The entire program has suffered from a series of costly delays and the program price tag has risen so steadily -- from an estimated $5.3 billion in 2001 to $13.6 billion in 2010 -- that as of March last year, the Department of Defense had been required to notify Congress three times about the ballooning cost.
Pentagon in 2011: Drones 'Not Operationally Suitable'
The Block 30s in particular were the subject of a scathing internal Defense Department report last May which claimed that in operational testing in 2010, the drones failed to provide adequate coverage of a target area more than half of the time they were in the air. The report said then that the drone was "not operationally suitable." A representative for Northrop Grumman later told ABC News the company was aware of the issues brought up in the report and said the company had worked with the Air Force to solve most of them.
DOWNLOAD: Global Hawk Block 30 Operational Test and Evaluation (PDF, From Aviation Week)
Despite the internal report, an Air Force spokesperson told ABC News in June 2011 that some Block 30s had already been used in real-world operations where they "did not immediately perform at [their] full capacity."
Around the same time as that admission, Pentagon acquisitions chief Ashton Carter wrote a letter to Congress describing the program's faults, but essentially saying the U.S. military was stuck with it.
"The continuation of the program is essential to national security... [and] there are no alternatives to the program which will provide acceptable capability to meet the joint military requirement at less cost," the letter said.
Schwartz, who was read a portion of the letter by lawmakers during the Senate hearing this week, said that conditions had changed since Carter's letter and budget constraints made the U-2 a better choice.
The U-2 spy plane is one of the nation's longest-running weapons programs, the first plane having taken off back in 1955 and made its name by providing crucial intelligence about the Soviet missile build-up in Cuba for the CIA during the Cold War. The planes have been regularly upgraded since.
Drones to Stand By in Storage for Change in Circumstance
Winslow Wheeler, an acquisitions watchdog at the Washington, D.C., thinktank Center for Defense Information, said the costly Block 30s sitting on the sidelines are a waste of billions that could've been easily avoided.
"They could've had a side-by-side comparison years ago to see if [the Global Hawk] could compete with the U-2," Wheeler told ABC News today. "But they went through the typical technological assumption that this is a step forward, that this will be better and cheaper... [except] it's both more expensive and not as good."
Representatives for Northrop Grumman declined to comment to ABC News for this report, except to point to a statement posted on the company's website that notes the company's "disappointment" in the Air Force's decision to drop the Block 30s.
"Global Hawk is the modern solution to providing surveillance. It provides long duration persistent surveillance, and collects information using multiple sensors on the platform," the statement says. "In contrast, the aging U-2 program, first introduced in the 1950s, places pilots in danger, has limited flight duration, and provides limited sensor capacity. Extending the U-2's service life also represents additional investment requirements for that program."
Wheeler said that Northrop Grumman is likely to push hard to get the Block 30s back in the military's arsenal, something Schwartz left plenty of room for in his testimony.
"We will put the platforms into recoverable storage," he said. "We're not talking about breaking the birds up. We want to be able to have access to them and as circumstances change, perhaps there will be a time when they come out of storage."
In the meantime, Schwartz said he was confident the military will continue to use the other variations of the Global Hawk to the best of their ability.
"We're not giving up on the Global Hawk by any means," he said.
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Surf the World Wide Weird
Want a .satan URL? Or .hack, .christ, or even .god? Look no farther than the alternet.
The Cesidian Root is an Internet for the third world -- or rather the fourth, fifth and sixth worlds, according to its website. The organization lists current time on its site as Mercuday 10 Columbus 2012 @ 568 (the last three numbers are the time in Cyberterra Mean Time, of course).
What the heck?
The Cesidian Root may seem like it should be called the world wide weird -- but founder Cesidio Tallini says it's not an alternet at all. He's merely a passionate defender of the First Amendment.
“There is only one Internet,†Tallini told FoxNews.com. “That is Internet by the people, for the people -- and that's the one that I am running.â€
There is only one Internet. That is Internet by the people, for the people -- and that's the one that I am running.
- Cesidio Tallini, founder, The Ceisidian Root
Though you won't stumble onto his system with a simple misstep in your daily websurfing, getting on Tallini's network is easy enough:
Your computer looks up the Internet address of a website (such as “http://204.245.162.49â€) from the name you type in a browser (“www.FoxNews.comâ€) using a phonebook of sorts, a remote computer called a DNS server. Point your PC to Tallini's DNS server rather than the one your Internet provider has supplied (using Google's handy how-to guide) and bang -- you're surfing the World Wide Weird.
“Freedom of speech is also about being in control of your own computer,†Tallini says. “The government shouldn't have the right to control what is on the Internet.†When WikiLeaks' host provider shut down access to the site in November 2010 -- a move encouraged by the U.S. government, he says -- Tallini claims the Cesidian Root had it up and running four days later.
High-tech entrepreneur Tallini says he created the Cesidian Root in order to provide access to the Internet completely free from government control -- one of the reasons he expanded the standard set of top-level domains (common TLDs include .edu and .com) to include .god, .africa and many more.
He also calls himself governor of the United Micronations Multi-Oceanic Archipelago (UMMOA)-- the world's first supermicronation.
Tallini explains that the Cesidian Root is not under the jurisdiction of the United States or any another other country, despite servers located all over the world. He established UMMOA on Jan. 19, 2008, through what he calls “the most peaceful and bloodless battle in world history.â€
According to the UMMOA's constitution, the supermicronation “digitally†annexed the 11 insular possessions that make up the United States Minor Outlying Islands -- uninhabited dots in the Pacific Ocean that include Midway Island, site of one of the most important naval battles of World War II. UMMOA then established (you guessed it) Cesidian law, a body of law created by Tallini himself, which governs the Cesidian Root.
“What we've created is under its own jurisdiction for matters of convenience,†said Tallini.
Not so fast: The U.S. Department of the Interior, which operates the Office of Insular Affairs, doesn't recognize Tallini's claims, said spokesman Adam Fetcher.Â
"Midway Atoll remains an insular area of the United States of America," Fetcher told FoxNews.com. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carries out administration of the island out of its Honolulu office."
Tallini's territorial claims are clearly illegal, in other words.
According to Aleksey Korzun, the founder of Web consulting company WebFoundation.net, what Tallini has cooked up is nothing special.
“The Cesidian Root is using the same systems the Internet uses,†Aleksey Korzun told FoxNews.com “It's simply giving your computer different directions on how to get to a certain website.â€
Korzun likens an Internet address to a phone number. Basically, Tallini created his own phonebook.
“He would tell you, if you want to use my server to get directions to get someplace, you need to call this server instead of the other ones,†he explained.
Tallini hopes his message of free speech will help spread awareness of the alternative Web system he has created.
But Korzun says the system may have another, more purple purpose: pornography.
“Systems like the Cesidian Root would usually only be used for illegal activities. They're used for child pornography rings, drug sales, and people who are lulled in by a false sense of security and they want to do something illegal.â€
In fact, Cesidian Root users may have less free speech protection than ordinary netizens.
“I would say if you use his server, you would have less free speech as he can change whatever he wants at any time,†Korzun said. “He has no legal or moral obligation to serve his users.â€
Besides, why use a system 99 percent of web surfers won't see?
“There are standards for the Internet that have been in place for a long time,†Korzun said. “Why would someone use the Cesidian Root or any of their domain names when no one will access your site because they've never heard of it?â€
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Officials: Homes destroyed by Ala. tornado
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Emergency management officials in northern Alabama say houses have been destroyed by what they describe as a tornado.
There was no immediate word on any injuries Friday. But the Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Office says ambulances are responding to neighborhoods near Huntsville.
Thousands of Alabama schoolchildren are getting out of class early because the threat of tornadoes and other severe weather across the northern half of the state.
More than 20 school systems say they are dismissing classes early Friday because of the possibility of severe storms. Otherwise, the bad weather could hit around the time schools normally dismiss for the day, based on predictions from the National Weather Service.
Syrian activists say regime forces are carrying out execution-style killings to crack down on the uprising there: http://t.co/amVWrSxk
March 2 is Dress in Blue Day, Dr. Seuss' birthday, Banana Cream Pie Day, Shabbat Across America: http://t.co/LSLKuiCp
Why did Ann Romney put 'Anna Karenina' on her Pinterest board?: http://t.co/VW5TUDVI
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Rutgers trial\'s mystery witness, M.B., testifies in court
The mystery witness in the trial of Rutgers student Dharun Ravi made a dramatic appearance in court today under extraordinary efforts to keep his identity secret.
The witness, identified only by his initials M.B., had several dates with Ravi's roommate Tyler Clementi and is expected to testify about what Clementi said and how he felt when he discovered that Ravi had spied on them through his webcam.
Under court restrictions, the media was allowed to only show M.B.'s hands during the testimony and the audio of the pool camera was shut off. He arrived in the courtroom without going through any of the courthouse's public hallways.
Watch live stream of the Rutgers trial.
Ravi is on trial charged with invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, and hindering arrest, and faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
The case gained national prominence when Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge a day after he complained to his dorm adviser about the spying and had asked for a different room. Clementi left a suicide note, but its contents have not been disclosed.
M.B. arrived in court in a blue and white striped shirt and black pants. He was clean-shaven and had short black hair.
Follow the Rutgers trial with @mckoenigs
The witness described how he met Clementi on a gay dating site, Adam4Adam, and began chatting online with him in August 2010. They decided to meet in person once Clementi began attending Rutgers.
M.B. said he drove to Rutgers for the first time Sept. 16, 2010, to hang out with Clementi from about 10 a.m. until about 2 a.m., while Clementi's roommate, Ravi, was out of the room.
The next time M.B. went to Rutgers to see Clementi, on Sept. 19, 2010, the pair were spied on by Ravi, who activated his webcam and saw the two men standing up and kissing in the dorm room. M.B. testified that the pair had sex during the date.
M.B. said he recalls seeing the webcam "on top of the computer," a "business card shape" during his encounter on Sept. 19.
Prior to M.B.'s testimony, a string of Rutgers students testified about the week during which the alleged spying occurred, disclosing that Ravi told friends that he had spied on Clementi's Sept. 19 date and planned to do it again during another date on Sept. 21.
Ravi also sent Twitter messages about the spying, and invited others to activate his webcam remotely to watch the tryst as well, the students testified.
The students also testified that Ravi, now 20, had not expressed any animosity towards gays or towards Clementi. One student said Ravi's concern was that his roommate's date was an older man who was not apparently a Rutgers student and that Ravi feared the man would steal his iPad.
Also ReadArticle from YAHOO NEWS
\'As president of the United States, I don\'t bluff,\' Obama says to Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama warned that he is not bluffing about attacking Iran if it builds a nuclear weapon, but in an interview published Friday, Obama also warned U.S. ally Israel that a premature attack on Iran would do more harm than good.
In his most expansive remarks on the issue thus far, Obama told The Atlantic magazine that Iran and Israel both understand that "a military component" is among a mix of many options for dealing with Iran, along with sanctions and diplomacy. That is the most direct threat he has issued during months of escalating tension with Iran over its disputed nuclear development program.
His comments appeared aimed more at Israel and its supporters in the United States than at Iran. Obama addresses the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Sunday and meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday at the White House. Netanyahu will also address AIPAC.
"I think that the Israeli government recognizes that, as president of the United States, I don't bluff," he said in the interview. "I also don't, as a matter of sound policy, go around advertising exactly what our intentions are. But (both) governments recognize that when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say."
Obama will try to convince Netanyahu to postpone any plans his government may have to unilaterally attack Iran's nuclear facilities in coming months. An attack that soon would not carry U.S. backing, and the U.S. would probably not be involved in planning or executing it.
Nonetheless, it could force the United States into a new conflict and an arms race in the Middle East, as Obama made clear in the lengthy interview. It also could allow Iran to paint itself the victim and draw new support that would undermine rather than enhance Israel's security, Obama warned.
"At a time when there is not a lot of sympathy for Iran and its only real ally (Syria) is on the ropes, do we want a distraction in which suddenly Iran can portray itself as a victim?" Obama said.
At the same time, Obama has consistently refused to renounce a military option for the United States down the road. The dispute with Israel is over the timing and efficiency of such a strike, not whether one is ever appropriate. The difference of opinion has quickly come to dominate the U.S.-Israeli relationship and the U.S. strategy for dealing with a nuclear Iran is a major issue for American Jewish voters in this election year.
Israeli leaders have strongly hinted that they want to hear clearer terms from Obama for what the United States would do if Iran crosses the threshold from nuclear energy to nuclear weapons. Until now, Obama has said a nuclear Iran is unacceptable but has not spelled out just what the U.S. would do or when.
In the interview, Obama did go further than he has before. He explicitly referred to the possible use of military force, and he firmly rejected the notion that the United States might settle for a strategy of deterring Iran from using a nuclear weapon.
"You're talking about the most volatile region in the world," he said. "It will not be tolerable to a number of states in that region for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and them not to have a nuclear weapon. Iran is known to sponsor terrorist organizations, so the threat of proliferation becomes that much more severe. "
He also pointed to economic turmoil in Iran and reiterated that sanctions against the Iranian regime are starting to bite.
In a series of recent meetings with Israeli leaders, administration officials are believed to have sought to persuade the Jewish state to give sanctions more time to work and to hold off on any military strike. Speaking Thursday to reporters, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama believes there is still "time and space" for those measure to persuade the Iranian regime to take a different course.
Israeli officials acknowledge the pain in Iran but have publicly expressed doubt those measures will ever cause Iran's clerical leaders to change course.
Obama wasn't so sure. "They're sensitive to the opinions of the people and they are troubled by the isolation that they're experiencing," he told the Atlantic. "They know, for example, that when these kinds of sanctions are applied, it puts a world of hurt on them."
Though Obama emphatically portrays himself as one of Israel's best friends, touting military and other ties, his relationship with Netanyahu has at times been frosty. The two have sparred publicly over Jewish settlements on the West Bank, with Netanyahu pushing back on Washington's efforts to move forward on peace talks with the Palestinians.
The Iran issue has risen to the forefront of his foreign policy. At a fundraiser in New York on Thursday night, an audience member shouted out, urging the president to avoid a war with Iran.
"Nobody has announced a war," Obama cautioned. "You're jumping the gun a little bit."
Article from YAHOO NEWS
\'Idol\' Has Its 2012 Finalists
America voted, and the Top 10 contestants on “American Idol†have been chosen â€" including Heejun Han, who record producer and “Idol†mentor Jimmy Iovine plainly thought was in the wrong competition.
“Let me tell you about Heejun,†Iovine said during a taped segment on Thursday night's live show. “This guy completely confuses me. I get the personality, I get the schtick, I get the whole thing. Sort of a good voice. This isn't ‘American Comedian'â€"this is ‘American Idol!'â€
After listening to Iovine's critique, Han brushed off the blunt assessment with his characteristic quick wit.
Host Ryan Seacrest gravely asked Han, “What did you think about what Jimmy had to say about ‘American Comedian?'â€Â
Without missing a beat, Han replied, “Who's that?â€Â
Han may have earned some laughs last night, but he will have deliver some serious vocals in the coming weeks if he hopes to stay in the competition much longer.
Joining Han in the Top 10 are clear front runners Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchezâ€"both of whom Iovine said he would sign ‘on the spot.â€
Hollie Cavanagh also made the cut. “Little girl, big voice,†said the chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M. “Could have been a little bit more believable. Give her the right material, she could some real damage in this game.â€Â
Iovine called church-going gospel singer Joshua Ledet the “real deal,†but noted, “It's my job that we don't turn this into ‘Sister Act Three.'â€
According to Iovine, Skylar Laine “Blends soul with country, which is a great formula for rock ‘n roll.â€Â
He declared that Shannon Magrane had “great poise†and “sang beautifully†but thought she could use some help with her style. “She was dressed more for the prom than for a live performance,†Iovine said of the floor-length dress Magrane wore Wednesday night.
Iovine also had some advice for finalist Elsie Testone. “She sings a little hard, she pushes a little much, she has to be careful,†he suggested. “It's a long competition. She has to hold on to that voice.â€
Colton Dixon earned plenty of praise from Iovine. “(He) is really talented. Probably one of the most talented kids in this show. But he can't do too much too soon. Jumping on the piano, off the pianoâ€"he's just got to take it slow, pace himself, and he could really win this thing."
Jermaine “Gentle Giant†Jones also made it into the Top 10 after being cut from the competition during the Las Vegas round. “I'm so glad the judges brought Jermaine back,†said Iovine. “What a beautiful voice. I could listen to an entire album of that voice, (and there) are very few people I can say that about in today's business. We got to figure out how to get him through this show. It's going to take a bit of variety, a bit of excitement, and a lot of creativity, but I'm rooting for him.â€
Deandre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt, and Jeremy Rosado were chosen as “wild card†contestants, making a grand total of 13 singers who will start competing against one another next week.
Up next: The guys perform the music of Stevie Wonder and the girls pay tribute to Whitney Houston, as they're mentored by Mary J. Blige.Â
Article from FOXNEWS
Speech Jamming Gun Invented
TOKYO â€"  Japanese researchers have invented a speech-jamming gadget that painlessly forces people into silence.
Kazutaka Kurihara of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Koji Tsukada of Ochanomizu University, developed a portable "SpeechJammer" gun that can silence people more than 30 meters away.
The device works by recording its target's speech then firing their words back at them with a 0.2-second delay, which affects the brain's cognitive processes and causes speakers to stutter before silencing them completely.
Describing the device in a research paper published Feb. 28 at arXiv.org, Kurihara and Tsukada wrote, "In general, human speech is jammed by giving back to the speakers their own utterances at a delay of a few hundred milliseconds. This effect can disturb people without any physical discomfort, and disappears immediately by stopping speaking."
They found that the device works better on people who were reading aloud than engaged in "spontaneous speech" and it cannot stop people making meaningless sounds, such as "ahhh," that are uttered over a long time period.
Kurihara and Tsukada suggested the speech-jamming gun could be used to hush noisy speakers in public libraries or to silence people in group discussions who interrupt other people's speeches.
"There are still many cases in which the negative aspects of speech become a barrier to the peaceful resolution of conflicts," the authors said.
Article from FOXNEWS
Lohan Pucker Mostly Plastic?
In the days preceding her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig, Lindsay Lohan has been hitting the town and making the rounds in New York City, appearing on the "Today Show" and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."
But this time around -- Lohan has hosted "SNL" three times previous -- instead of sparking reports of late night partying and questionable shenanigans, it is Lohan's plumped up appearance that has drawn attention.
The "Mean Girls" actress showed of a fuller face in paparazzi shots taken in Manhattan, and on promotional clips she did for her "SNL" gig.
Experts say Lohan may have had some medical enhancements in the weeks leading up to her big "SNL" hosting gig, which she herself has said is a big part of her acting comeback at the tender age of 25.
"People can say things all they want, but I think I still need to go through the process of proving myself," she told Matt Lauer on the Today Show Thursday. "You know, with SNL, being on time, being, you know, keeping my - can't say the word - but stuff together.â€
Celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn told RadarOnline.com that Lohan "appears to have a classic, over-plumped pillow face. Her cheeks look like she's storing nuts for the winter. I suspect that she's undergone multiple injections of filler like Sculptra or Restylane."
Youn, who does not treat Lohan, is not impressed with the results.
"While these treatments can create a very youthful, natural look, when overdone they can make a person look like a Cabbage Patch Doll," he said.
Ouch.
Lohan's "SNL" appearance follows her controversial nude pictorial in the January issue of Playboy magazine. Next up, she is slated to play Elizabeth Taylor in a Lifetime biopic about the screen legend.
Article from FOXNEWS
Video: What Rick Santorum can\'t afford to lose
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Red Cross aid convoy prepared to enter the shattered Baba Amro district of Homs on Friday after a Syrian official declared the area "cleansed" and the opposition spoke of a massacre by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
The residential district became a symbol of resistance to Assad after government troops surrounded it with tanks and artillery and shelled it intensively for weeks, killing and wounding civilians cowering in its ruined buildings.
Rebels withdrew on Thursday in a key moment in the year-old uprising. An official at Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the army had "cleansed Baba Amro from the foreign-backed armed groups of terrorists."
Activists said Syria's army had begun hunting down and killing insurgents who had stayed to cover their comrades' retreat, although the reports could not be verified. They said 10 young men were shot dead on Friday. It was not immediately clear how many rebels had been killed in the onslaught and how many had withdrawn.
"All men who remained in the neighborhood aged between 14 and 50 were arrested. We fear they will be massacred. Where is the world?," said one activist.
Defiant protesters took to the streets after Friday prayers in towns and cities across Syria - Homs, Hama, Deir al-Zor, Deraa and several districts in Damascus, television footage showed. Activists' video footage appeared to show troops shooting at demonstrators. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 13 people were killed when troops fired a mortar at a protest in the town of Rastan. Independent verification of such reports is extremely difficult and foreign media are all but shut out of Syria.
"God curse you Hafez for having a son like that," shouted protesters in reference to Assad's late father who ruled Syria for three decades until he died in 2000. "The people want to announce Jihad (Holy War)," read a banner.
In Geneva, the United Nations human rights body reminded Assad of his obligations under international law. "We are alarmed at reports starting to come out of the Baba Amro district of Homs after it was taken over by government forces yesterday," spokesman Rupert Colville said.
One pro-government figure said troops had "broken the back" of the uprising and the rebel withdrawal heralded impending victory over what he termed a Western-backed insurgency.
The ICRC said a convoy had reached Homs and was preparing to enter Baba Amro. The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Thursday it was leaving the district -- normally home to 100,000 residents. Only a few thousand people remain.
Conditions in the heavily bombarded district are hellish. TV footage showed heavy snow and freezing weather, with residents lacking electricity or fuel for heating. There is also a shortage of food and medical supplies.
Barely a building has escaped damage from artillery shelling and many are pock-marked with bullet holes.
For graphic of Homs http://link.reuters.com/huh86s
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"DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT"
In a rare show of unity with Western powers, Russia and China joined other Security Council members at the United Nations in expressing "deep disappointment" at Syria's failure to allow the U.N. humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos to visit the country, and urged that she be allowed in immediately.
It was the first statement on Syria from the council, which has been deadlocked on the issue, since August last year. But it was not immediately clear how far Moscow and Beijing - hitherto Assad supporters - had shifted their position.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appeared to distance himself further from Assad in an interview with a group of European editors, saying he had no special relationship with the president.
"It is up to the Syrians to decide who should run their country ... We need to make sure they stop killing each other," the London Times quoted Putin as saying on Friday.
France announced it would shut its Syrian embassy and was ready to step up support of the rebels if the UN Security Council cleared the way for such a move. "Dictators will all, one day, have to pay for their actions," President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Syria's rulers would be held to account. "We need to start collecting the evidence now so that one day, no matter how long it takes, there will be a day of reckoning for this dreadful regime," Cameron told reporters at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
The European Union was planning to call for increased pressure on Assad, including sanctions, according to a draft of its conclusions. It was also preparing to urge the Arab League to convene a meeting of the Syrian National Council, which it said it recognized as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
The EU has over the past months been adding names to a list of people it sanctions with travel bans and asset freezes.
As news of the opposition pull-out from Baba Amro spread, video footage released on the internet appeared to show the bodies of American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik being buried in Homs, where they were killed in shelling eight days ago.
French journalists Edith Bouvier, who was wounded in the same bombardment, and William Daniels flew to Paris on Friday from Lebanon, Sarkozy said, the last of a handful of reporters trapped in the city.
Armed rebels and defecting soldiers have been spearheading the revolt against Assad that began with largely peaceful protests inspired by the Arab Spring, but escalated after a government crackdown.
As the drama unfolded in Homs, a Lebanese official close to Damascus said a defeat for the rebels in Homs would leave the opposition without any major stronghold in Syria, easing the crisis for Assad, who remained confident he could survive.
President Assad, a London-trained eye doctor, is increasingly isolated internationally in his struggle to crush the armed insurrection.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul told Reuters on Thursday that
Russia and Iran would soon realize they had little choice but to join international diplomatic efforts for Assad's removal.
The United Nations says Syrian security forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians since the revolt began last March. Syria's government said in December that "armed terrorists" had killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police during the unrest.
(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny, Oliver Holmes and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Steve Gutterman in Moscow and Nour Merza in Dubai; Writing by Samia Nakhoul, editing by Janet McBride)
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Video: Computerized skateboards, one-wheel skates and more
Too far to walk, too close to drive. That's the theme of the technology we're showcasing on this week's episode of The Future Is Now. First off, full disclosure. When I first heard the idea, I thought to myself, "Isn't that what bicycles and scooters are for? Or feet?" But after seeing the cool, modern motorized technology we found, I hope you'll agree that it's time to ditch the bicycle, car keys and never-ending search for parking spots in favor of one of these three high-tech electric people movers.
[Hey Tweeters! Like this video? Here's a short code: http://yhoo.it/yR99nv Don't understand what that last sentence meant? Go find a neighborhood kid and ask them. Orrrr...you could click here.]
Let's start with the ZBoard - a weight-sensing electric skateboard. Now, this isn't the first attempt at putting a battery-powered motor on a skateboard, but modern, lightweight battery technology has come a long way in recent years. That tech allows the ZBoard to hit 17 mph in the Pro version on a charge that lasts 5 hours and will take you 10 miles. Pressure-sensitive footpads sense directional lean to power you forward or to apply the brakes.
So easy even a Marc can do it!
The ZBoard is certainly simple to use.  I'll be honest - the only shredding I've ever done is in the kitchen. With lettuce. For my signature gourmet burgers. But I digress. My point is, with the ZBoard, you don't have to be a skateboarding superstar to ride. Simply hop on, lean and go. You'll be channeling your inner Tony Hawk in no time. No more one-legged pushing off. Just think of all the wear and tear that'll save on your skate shoes.
Next up - spnKiX. Spin - as in the wheels on these things spin. And KiX - as in "kicks," or what the cool kids CALL shoes. The spnKiX are small enough to toss into a backpack. And at 10 mph, fast enough to get you to your destination in a timely fashion. No question, there's a coolness factor at work here, but there's also a real learning curve with the spnKiX. It takes time to master the balance required to glide mere inches off the ground. And the wheels and battery pack are heavy - so heavy you may soon be longing for the low-tech simplicity of walking. You remember - that activity where you simply put one foot in front of the other?
Graceful...always graceful.
Think Segways are for sissies? The Solowheel might be more your style. Part motorized scooter, part unicycle, AND all fun. It ups the skill quotient considerably from a Segway, but operates in much the same way. Lean forward to go. Back to stop. Simple. The hard part is mastering the balance required to zip around town at 10 mph for 15-20 miles or so on a single charge. But practice makes perfect. It only took me half an hour to figure the Solowheel out. Once I did, it was hard to pry me off. It requires just enough skill and ability to keep you paying attention - and having fun. And once you've got that whole balance thing down, you'll crave the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth for hours.
Standing tall again!
Gas ain't cheap. And walking is sooo 2011. Hopefully with today's technology and these three new people movers, you'll be hitting those places too far to walk and too close to drive in no time. To learn a bit more about some of the products featured, check out our bonus content:
Video produced by Jennie Josephson and Will Lerner. Production by Tommy Morquecho, Mario Framingheddu, James Kelly and Alex McCourt. Post-production by Nolan Cooper, Katie Best, Ben Turner and John Adams. Graphics by Todd Tanner for Yahoo! Studios.
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Activists allege execution-style killings in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian activists accused regime forces of carrying out execution-style killings and burning homes Friday as part of a scorched-earth campaign in a restive neighborhood in the city of Homs, while the Red Cross headed to the area following a bloody, monthlong siege to dislodge rebel forces.
Syria has faced mounting international criticism over its bloody crackdown on the uprising, which started with peaceful protests but has become increasingly militarized. The U.N. has estimated that more than 7,500 people have been killed since the uprising began nearly a year ago. Activists put the death toll at over 8,000.
France said Friday it is closing its embassy in Syria, a day after two French journalists escaped to Lebanon after being trapped for days in the central city of Homs. The United States and Britain already have closed their embassies in Syria.
Syrian forces retook control of the district, called Baba Amr, on Thursday, and there were growing fears of revenge attacks after the rebels withdrew. The Red Cross reached Homs, but had yet to enter Baba Amr.
Bassel Fouad, a Syrian activist who fled to Lebanon from Baba Amr two days ago, said a colleague there told him Friday that Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen known as shabiha were conducting house-to-house raids.
"The situation is worse than terrible inside Baba Amr," Fouad said. "Shabiha are entering homes and setting them on fire."
His colleague said the gunmen lined 10 men up early Friday and shot them dead in front of a government cooperative that sells subsidized food. He said Syrian forces were detaining anyone over the age of 14 in the three-story building.
"They begin at the start of a street and enter and search house after house," he said. "Then they start with another street."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said it had received reports of 10 people slain in front of a co-op and called on the Red Cross team heading to Homs to investigate claims by residents the building is being used a prison. Another group, the Local Coordination Committees, said 14 were killed.
The claims could not be independently verified. Information from inside Baba Amr has been difficult to obtain in recent days. Activists elsewhere in the city said those in Baba Amr stopped using satellite connections for fear the government could use them to target strikes. Others accuse the government of scrambling signals.
The central city of Homs, Syria's third largest, has emerged as a key battleground in the uprising against President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011. Activists said hundreds were killed during the nearly monthlong siege, and many lived for days with little food and no electricity or running water.
The U.N. said it was alarmed by the reports of execution-style killings after the Syrian army seized Baba Amr from rebel forces in a major blow to the opposition.
In Geneva, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the agency had received unconfirmed reports of "a particularly grisly set of summary executions" involving 17 people in Baba Amr after government forces entered.
Rupert Colville did not provide details but said his office was seeking to confirm the reports and called on both government and rebel forces to refrain from all forms of reprisal.
The Red Cross, meanwhile, sent a convoy of aid trucks to Homs along a snow-covered route from the capital Damascus early Friday after getting permission from the government.
Khalid Arqsouseh, a spokesman for the Syrian Red Crescent in Homs, said the seven 15-ton trucks were carrying food, milk powder, medical supplies and blankets.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the events in Syria a "scandal," adding that the European Council "condemned in the harshest terms what is happening in Syria."
Ambassador Eric Chevallier had only recently returned to Damascus after being recalled to Paris for consultations. He was sent back to help try to get two stranded French reporters out of Syria.
Those reporters flew out of Lebanon on a medically equipped plane Friday after being smuggled out of Syria the night before. One of them, Edith Bouvier, was wounded last week in a rocket attack in Baba Amr that also wounded British photographer Paul Conroy and killed American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik. Another French reporter, William Daniels, was traveling with Bouvier.
Conroy and Spanish reporter Javier Espinosa also were smuggled out of Syria this week.
Activist videos posted online Thursday purported to show the burials of Colvin and Ochlik in Baba Amr early this week. The Syrian government said it dug up the bodies after taking Baba Arm so they could be repatriated.
The West has stepped up its criticism of Assad's regime amid mounting reports of atrocities at the hands of security forces. The U.S. has called for Assad to step down and Hillary Rodham Clinton said he could be considered a war criminal.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin blasted the West Friday for backing the Syrian opposition against the government, saying it has fueled the conflict. But his foreign ministry made it clear that it will not be able to stop other countries from launching a military intervention if they try to do it without U.N. approval.
Putin called for both Syrian government and opposition forces to pull out of besieged cities to end the bloodshed, adding that Western refusal to make that demand of Assad's opponents has encouraged them to keep fighting.
"Do they want Assad to pull out his forces so the opposition moves right in?" Putin said at a meeting with editors of top Western newspapers in remarks carried by state television. "Is it a balanced approach?"
Activist groups said protesters took to the streets in towns across Syria Friday, many of them met with tear gas, gunfire and mass arrests by Syrian security forces.
The Observatory said 10 people were killed in the town of Rastan near Homs when a mortar landed near marchers. The LCC said 16 were killed in the same event, among 52 reported dead nationwide.
Protesters dubbed Friday the day of "Arming the Free Syrian Army" - reflecting a widening perception that only military action can stop the crackdown on dissent and hasten Assad's downfall.
___
Associated Press writers Frank Jordans from Geneva and Albert Aji in Damascus contributed reporting.
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Are Your Shoes Making You Fat?
The shoes you wear can make you feel slim, sexy, and stylish-or they can leave you wincing in pain.Â
Ever wonder how much damage you are doing when you walk to work in sky-high heels or scuff through errands in flip-flops? We wanted to find out for sure, so we took three 40-something women to a high-tech motion-analysis laboratory to test out four different types of shoes: flip-flops, high heels, dress flats and toning sneakers. (Results were compared with our gold standard of comfort-a simple pair of running shoes).Â
At the lab, the women were outfitted with sensors to measure muscle and joint activity so we could see precisely what types of stress their bodies were subjected to. Read on to learn the findings and (since we know shoe choice is not always based purely on practicalities) get expert advice on how to make even those stilettos as foot-healthy and pain free as possible.
Try These 10 Best New Walking Shoes
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How Flip-Flops Wreck Your Body
They may be your favorite things to slip on as soon as the weather gets warm, but flip-flops aren't as foot-friendly as you might think. Here's why:
Scrunch time.
Only a thin strap and your bunched toes keep flip-flops from coming off. That constant grip makes it impossible for your arch to flex normally, which in turn compromises the way your forefoot pushes off when you step forward. Deprived of a powerful push-off, our testers compensated by using their hips, forcing their knees and hips to absorb more impact. In addition, your butt and the backs of your legs are less engaged in your stride, weakening those muscles over time, says Katy Bowman, a biomechanical scientist and the author of Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief.
Short steppin'.
Wearing flip-flops shortens your gait, so you can't expect to get very far very fast in them. Eventually your shortened stride may lead to lower-body fatigue, which in turn may make you more inclined to hop in a cab or get in your car rather than walking, says Philip J. Vasyli, a podiatrist and the founder of the orthotic company Vasyli International.
Flip-Flops Lab Result: Our testers were up to 2.5 times less stable in flip-flops than sneakers.
Flip-Flop Fixes
Stretch it out.
To help your toes recover from the stress of being clenched, stretch the muscles along the top of the foot, says Bowman. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then place one foot behind you, turning the tops of your toes to the floor. Try to keep both knees straight, stand tall, and don't let your ankle roll out to the side as you stretch. Start by holding the stretch for a few seconds on each side (your foot might cramp initially because it's not used to stretching this way), and work up to 60 seconds on each side.
Shop smarter
If you can't fathom going through a flip-flop-less summer, opt for a more structured pair. Look for a contoured arch that fits to the shape of your foot (look for brands that have the American Podiatric Medical Association's seal of acceptance) rather than the flimsy corner-drugstore ones that look like they're stamped out of a piece of rubber.
10 Biggest Walking Pains Solved
Â
How High Heels Cause You Pain
There's a reason most women willingly forgo comfort to squeeze their feet into stilettos: Adding inches makes you look slimmer, accentuates calf muscles, and even lifts your backside.
But you may be doing lasting damage if you live your life in heels. A 2011 Danish study found that walking in heels can increase the risk of osteoarthritis sixfold. Here's what else we found in testing:
Tighter quads.
Imagine standing on the edge of a ski slope with your toes pointing downhill. To compensate for this tipped-forward position, it's natural to bend your knees slightly and arch your back. As a result, your quads are forced to work overtime, which makes them tight and prone to injury. Walking with your knees slightly bent also puts 200 percent more stress on your kneecaps, which can wear away at the cartilage and increase your risk of developing arthritis, says Howard Dananberg, DPM, a podiatrist in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Screaming shins.
The added height of heels puts extra strain on the shin muscles, which control the forefoot. This repetitive strain can eventually lead to painful shin splints.
Knotty calves.
Heels put your calf muscles in a shortened position. Over time, this can become permanent: One study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found regular heel wearers had calf muscles that were an average of 13 percent shorter than those of nonheel wearers, making it uncomfortable for them to walk without heels because their natural stride was thrown off.
High Heels Lab Result: Our testers walked slowly in heels than sneakers. Wear them daily and the decrease in calorie burn could add up to a 5-pound gain in a year!
High Heels Help
Stretch it out.
Give your calves a good daily stretch like this one from Bowman: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place a rolled-up towel under the ball of your right foot. Lower your right heel to the floor. Once you're comfortable here, take a small step forward with your left foot, keeping your hips square. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and work up to 60 seconds.
Massage your shins.
Relieve shin pain with a gentle self-rubdown, applying long vertical finger strokes down the front of your lower leg. Then focus on kneading the muscles horizontally, says Bowman.
Embrace the commuter shoe.
Switch to low-heeled options for getting places, and save those skyscrapers for when you're mostly sitting pretty.
Shop smarter
Feet swell over the day, so if a shoe feels slightly tight at 7 a.m., it'll be a vise by nightfall. Only buy shoes that are roomy enough, and consider going lower. Research shows that 2-inch heels create impact forces 4 percent greater than flats, while 3-inch heels boost stress by 33 percent.
How Flats Cause Foot Pain
Flats sound like the healthier alternative to heels, but the truth is that even a basic ballet flat or canvas casual can be just as problematic, says Megan Leahy, DPM, a podiatrist with the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute in Chicago.
Arch enemy.
Many flats lack internal support (like the kind you find in a sneaker). Without it, the ligaments and tendons along the bottom of your foot can overstretch and the arch can collapse, says Marlene Reid, DPM, a podiatric surgeon in Naperville, Ill. This in turn can lead to the painful foot condition plantar fasciitis-a notoriously hard-to-treat burning or aching along the bottom of the foot. Poor internal support is especially problematic if you're naturally flat-footed.
Strained soles.
Many casual flats have even less interior cushioning than heels or sandals. This lack of padding can trigger pain in the heel or ball of your foot when you're walking, especially if you have high arches, says Leahy.
Flats Lab Result: In our tests, women put about 25 percent more impact on the heel with each step when wearing flats, compared with pumps.
Fixes for Flat Shoes
Give your feet a workout.
To wear shoes with no built-in support, you need to strengthen the tiny foot muscles that support your arches, says Bowman. Try doing toe lifts: Raise your big toe without moving the rest of the gang. It may seem impossible at first, but it's like riding a bike, says Bowman, you just have to master the coordination. Until you get the knack, wiggle your toes and rub your feet vigorously, which will stimulate your nerve endings and help wake up your feet. Do 20 toe lifts per foot.
Stretch it out.
Just as the abductor/adductor machine at the gym strengthens your outer and inner thighs, you can work your toe abductors and adductors to make the muscles of your foot stronger and more supportive. Start by interlacing your fingers with your toes to help press them apart, then spread and relax them without assistance from your hands. Hold the stretch long enough to sing the alphabet. Do this once a day (or up to three times if you have bunions).
Bump it up.
Help strengthen the small muscles in your feet and lower legs by striding barefoot across an uneven surface such as cobblestones. This also helps stimulate the nerves in your feet. Buy a pre-made cobblestone mat with smooth stones already glued to it, or find (or make) a bumpy space to walk back and forth on in your backyard.
Add OTC insoles.
If you have flat feet (your wet footprint shows the entire foot), foam or rubber insoles can help prevent your arches from collapsing. If you have high arches (you see only the heel and ball of your foot in your footprint), look for an insole with more rigid arch support.
Shop smarter
Look for flats with an insole that curves along the same lines as your foot and arch. Then try to fold the shoe in half-it should bend only at the ball (the same place your foot naturally bends as you walk). Also avoid pairs that fold right in the middle or roll up easily.
How Toning Shoes Cause Foot Pain
Shoes with rounded or "rocker" soles that purportedly increase muscle activity and boost calorie burn are big business-after all, who doesn't want to get a workout without really working out? But despite their medical provenance (rocker-bottom shoes were originally engineered to help patients with pain in the balls of the feet, says Leahy), consider the following before you get a pair as a fitness tool.
Stress case.
The rigid soles prevent arches from naturally flexing. Eventually, this can cause your arches to flatten and lead to overpronation (when the feet excessively roll in while walking). The result: Your feet absorb less shock, causing your knees and back to take on extra stress.
Teeter trouble.
Testers were slightly less stable in the rocker-bottom shoes. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site is loaded with complaints about injuries from toning shoes (including tendinitis; foot, leg, and hip pain; and even broken bones resulting from falls).Â
Rockers Lab Result: Surprise! Our testers worked their butt and thigh muscles less when wearing tone-up shoes, compared with simple sneakers.
Relief from Rocker Shoes
Be inspired (but don't skip your strength workout).
If these shoes help you feel more conscious of the benefits of every step you take and make you want to walk more, go for it! But don't skip proven strengtheners. The best way to tone your lower body is with strength moves such as squats and lunges, not just walking around in toning shoes.
Work your wobble muscles.
Because these shoes make you unstable, they can lead to ankle injury. To strengthen the muscles around the ankle, practice standing barefoot with one leg lifted, keeping your standing knee straight, and try to minimize wobbling. Start with 30 seconds and work up to 60 seconds at a time.
Take it slow.
The convex soles force you to change your natural gait, so it can take your muscles a while to get used to the movement. "At first you should not wear these shoes all day, every day," says Leahy. Start with about an hour a day and build up gradually. And listen to your body: "If you start to develop pain in your back, hips, knees, feet, or ankles, switch shoes," she adds.
Shop smarter
If you're determined to try the rocker technology, look for a pair that actually bends at the ball of the foot. This will allow your foot to flex more naturally despite the extra thickness of the sole.
Article from FOXNEWS
Dershowitz: Media Matters Crossed Line Into \'Bigotry\'
Harvard University Professor Alan Dershowitz alleged Friday that Media Matters has "crossed the line into anti-semitism" by tolerating an employee who uses charged language to criticize supporters of Israel.Â
Dershowitz, a liberal Democrat who is a staunch supporter of Israel, first started speaking out against the liberal media watchdog group last month. He went further in an interview on Fox News, saying Friday that Media Matters has crossed the line into "bigotry."Â
The professor directed his complaints at one staffer in particular, M.J. Rosenberg, for downplaying the Iranian nuclear threat and repeatedly employing the term "Israel firster" -- an epithet that implies somebody's loyalties are to Israel before America.Â
"When you accuse Jews of dual loyalty, you invoke a canard that goes back hundreds of years and falls into the category of anti-semitism," Dershowitz said. "To the extent that Media Matters hired him to do that and is tolerating him, they have crossed the line into anti-semitism."Â
Dershowitz called on Media Matters to fire Rosenberg, but also called on the White House to disassociate itself from Media Matters -- warning that their cozy relationship would cause problems in the 2012 reelection campaign.Â
"The president should do to Media Matters what he did to Jeremiah Wright -- totally disassociate, rebuke and say 'I stand with Israel,'" he said.Â
Rosenberg, a senior foreign policy fellow, often writes about the heated rhetoric in Washington regarding the possibility of a conflict with Iran over its nuclear program. He is a sharp critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has been warning the U.S. against joining his administration in any military campaign against Iran.Â
Rosenberg is hardly alone in those opinions, but his critics complain he also resorts to name-calling in the course of making his arguments.Â
In a column last month, Rosenberg argued that the "Israel firster" term is "accurate," if not polite, in covering the issue of a possible war with Iran.Â
"There is no need here to describe who the Israel Firsters are. They are those people (of whatever ethnic background) who invariably support Israel's policies over those of the United States," he wrote.Â
Dershowitz, though, argued that Israel's and America's interests are aligned, and said Rosenberg was effectively accusing people like him of "treason."Â
"It's the oldest of charges ... accusing Jews of dual loyalty, and it can't be tolerated, whether it comes from the left or the right," he said. "The tent is not big enough to include people who have engaged in bigotry against the Jewish people."
Click here for more Media Matters coverage.Â
Article from FOXNEWS
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