100 days to Olympics

Republican House Speaker John Boehner accuses President Obama of ‘bogeyman' reelection strategy. http://t.co/57fOM9wG

Article from YAHOO NEWS

No Lines at Disney Parks?

If you've ever been to Walt Disney World you know that planning is key and long lines can just about ruin your trip.

But image if you could book appointment times for your rides, meetings with Disney characters and other popular park attractions months before your vacation.

This isn't some fantasy land, but part of a high-tech reality being introduced across Disney theme parks as part of a billion-dollar project dubbed “NextGen.”

Details of the plan emerged in February 2011 when Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs announced some major changes at an investors' conference.

“Guests will be able to reserve times for their favorite attractions and character interactions…secure seats at our shows and spectaculars…make dining reservations…and pre-book many other favorite guest experiences -- all before even leaving their house," Staggs said. 

Since then, Disney has remained quiet about the project -- even its existence. 

“I can't confirm nor deny it,” said Disney representative Marilyn Waters when FoxNews.com asked her about the NextGen project.

But the blogosphere has been rife with NextGen particulars from those who say they have details of the plan.

Entertainment blogger Jim Hill and editor of JimHillMedia.com, told FoxNews.com that he learned many intricate details of the project after someone at the “executive level in Burbank” showed Hill a PowerPoint presentation prepared for Walt Disney International President Bob Iger on the progress of the company's NextGen initiatives. 

According to Hill, one major initiative of NextGen focuses on what is being called an xPASS, which would allow guests to book rides weeks or months in advance. Here's how Hill says it will work: Visitors planning their trip would go on the xPASS website and use the free service which allows you to reserve experiences, including ride times, exclusive meet-and-greets with Disney characters, even viewing spots for the nightly fireworks. The xPASS system would also help to avoid lines at restaurants by ordering food in advance.

“This xPASS/NextGen effort is going to fundamentally change how people visit the Disney parks,” said Hill.

Currently, Disney's line-skipping system called FastPass allows guests to book a time for an attraction, leave to do other things, and return at an allotted time. Last month, Disney began enforcing return times, which many Disney watchers saw as the first step to the implementation of the xPASS system. 

Another expected aspect of the plan is the use of a wrist bands embedded with radio-frequency identification microchips, or RFID, that reads your identity and acts as your ticket. Disney is already experimenting with RFID technology, for example, at Epcot Center. But the the NextGen wrist band concept is expected to go further. It's believed that guests would provide information -- such as their names, credit card information and favorite attractions -- ahead of their arrival. After they enter at the park, the RFID would interact with sensors deployed throughout Disney's resorts and trigger interactive features.  So for example, an attraction may greet you and your family and call you by name.

Some have raised questions about privacy and what type of information Disney may require, while others say late bookers may not have access to many of the more popular attractions.

But Scott Smith, a former Disney employee who now teaches theme park management at the University of Central Florida, told DisneyDispatch that NextGen's goal is to eliminate the wait time, streamline the experience for guests --and more importantly for Disney to make money.

“Disney is a business, bottom line driven, and what they want to do with the wrist bands is make it easier for resort guests to spend money. It's almost like a Club Med situation: it's easier for you to spend money if you don't actually have to take the cash out of your wallet. All you have to do is swipe your wrist,” says Smith.

While it is unclear when xPASS or other NextGen features will be unveiled (some say as early as 2013), some who follow Disney theme parks say it will completely change people's theme park experience.

“It's exciting,” said Disney blogger Ricky Brigante, editor of Inside the Magic. “Any way of taking a Disney theme park experience and making it individual and more memorable, I can't see anything wrong with that.”

Travel writer and consultant Sandra Halket says Disney travel agencies are already preparing for the project to launch, as Disney fans and potential guests call and ask when they will see this.

“People really love the fact that we can give them tips prior so this would just take that to a next level because everything is done before you leave home,” said Halket.

Mary Quinn O'Connor is part of the Junior Reporter program at Fox News. Get more information on the Junior Reporters Program here.

Article from FOXNEWS

Good news, bad news for the Bible in 2012

The good news about the Good Book is that it's still the No. 1 seller of all time, with an estimated 6 billion copies sold.

The not-so-good news though, according to a new survey by The American Bible Society, is that it's lost a bit of its prominence in affecting people's lives.

The "State of the Bible 2012" looked at the trends surrounding the most influential book of Western civilization. The survey found that while 82 percent of Americans revere the Bible as sacred literature, that number is down slightly from a year ago when 86 percent thought so.

And when asked whether The Bible contains "everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life," 69 percent agreed either strongly or somewhat. That number was down also from the previous year, when 75 percent responded the same way.

The ABS sees opportunity rather than disappointment in the results.

Lamar Vest, President and CEO of ABS, says, "We do see that as something to be concerned about, but it is still a very high percentage, when you have 82 percent of Americans agreeing on anything. So we're still very pleased about it. We're sorry for the slippage, but still, 82 percent gives us an incredible open door."

One of the challenges the ABS is launching is encouraging people to read the Bible. The survey found that when asked about certain spiritual truths, nearly half (46%) of Americans couldn't differentiate between the teachings of the Bible, the Koran, or the Book of Mormon.  

Vest says, "There are probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes. Americans buy the Bibles, they debate the Bible, they love the Bible... they just don't read the Bible."

Vest is meeting with Joshua Dubois, the head of the President's Office of  Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to begin a dialogue on the importance of the Bible in the founding of the country.

As the ABS approaches its bicentennial in 2016, much of its signage will point to the influence of the Bible on shaping America. For example, Vest says, many of the principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution find their roots in Scripture. For instance, the separation of church and state is seen in the verse from the New Testament's  Luke 20:25 -- "Render therefore unto Cesar the things which be Cesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." It is the principal idea behind the Constitution's First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

And on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia are inscribed the Old Testament's words of Leviticus 25: 10: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

"So, if you look back in the early days of the formation of this country," says Vest,  "it's impossible to separate the formation of our democratic republic from the foundation of Scripture."

The survey reveals how much more work is needed to prove to the public that the Bible is not a dusty out of date, rule book. The ABS, says Vest, is not trying to get people to go out and buy new Bibles, just to make good use of the ones they already have.

Article from FOXNEWS

Secret Service chief takes heat for prostitution scandal

• Oct. 20, 2011: Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan speaks during a news conference after a meeting in Bulgaria.Reuters

The swelling scandal over the alleged sexual indiscretions of nearly two dozen Secret Service agents and military personnel in Colombia has raised questions about the "secret" culture at the nation's elite protection agency -- and few are feeling the heat more intensely than its director, Mark Sullivan. 

So far, officials on both sides of the aisle are largely defending Sullivan's leadership. President Obama "has confidence" in the director, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and other lawmakers have vouched for Sullivan and praised his swift response to allegations of misconduct in Colombia last week.

But at the same time, lawmakers have questioned what the incident reveals about the "culture" at the Secret Service. Some doubt this is the first time, and warn that the agents' alleged actions could have put the U.S. at risk. 

At least one lawmaker, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., says Sullivan should be replaced. "In baseball, you get three strikes and you're out. I don't know how many strikes you get in national security, but the strikes are mounting up," Forbes, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told Fox News on Wednesday. "Now they can't even control the fact that their agents are busing in loads of prostitutes. I think it's about time that we say they're out." 

And Ronald Kessler, the author who broke the story on the prostitution scandal in coordination with The Washington Post, said repeatedly in interviews this week that Sullivan must go. 

"The answer is not congressional hearings and a lot of hot air out of Congress. The answer is replacing Mark Sullivan," Kessler told Fox News, accusing him of presiding over an agency marred by "corner-cutting" and "laxness." He cited, among other complaints, the 2009 incident in which aspiring reality-show couple the Salahis crashed a White House dinner. 

Sullivan, while pursuing an internal investigation, has requested an independent review from the agency's inspector general. 

For these steps, lawmakers have applauded him. The highly regarded director -- a Bush administration appointee retained by Obama -- is practically a lifelong Secret Service agent, having served nearly three decades at the agency. He started his career in the Detroit office in 1983, moving his way steadily up the ranks -- through the presidential protective division in the 1990s and ultimately to the position of director in 2006. 

But the alleged misconduct in Colombia is a stain on the agency he runs. Some lawmakers are dubious the incident is isolated, and warn that the security risks are far higher than is being portrayed. 

"It is hard for me to believe that this is the one and only time this has happened because there were so many Secret Service members involved," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Fox News. After speaking with Sullivan, Collins claimed Monday he revealed up to 21 women were brought to the hotel where the agents were staying. The Department of Homeland Security later disputed that figure. Eleven Secret Service agents have nevertheless been implicated, along with 10 military members, according to sources. 

Collins said this indicates a "culture problem." 

"If it had been one or two, then you would think that it's just one bad apple. But for 11 or 12 to be involved is really alarming," Collins said. 

She added: "Who knows who (the women) were working for? So they may have been sent to lure these agents into a trap to kidnap them, to disable their guns, to plant eavesdropping devices. The implications are mind boggling." 

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has raised similar concerns. 

But Dave Wilkinson, a retired agent who served for years with Sullivan, rejected the idea of a "culture" problem at the Service as well as Kessler's comments. 

"It's really just those few agents and/or military folks that made this bad decision," he said. "It certainly doesn't suggest that the culture of the Secret Service is in any way a part of this." 

He said reports of so-called "wheels-up" parties -- where agents would supposedly kick back upon the conclusion of an assignment -- have been misconstrued. He said the term typically refers to formal receptions held by host embassies and ambassadors after a delegation visit. 

In an interview with FoxNews.com, Wilkinson stood by Sullivan and said the incident should not cost him his job. 

"We came up through the Secret Service together," he said, recalling their time together during the Clinton administration. "You will not find a more dedicated, more conscientious, level-headed leader for the Secret Service." 

King earlier told Fox News that Sullivan took a "bad rap" for the Salahi incident. He blamed that breach on the White House social secretary, who later resigned, rather than the Service. 

"I have a great regard for Director Sullivan," King said. "This could not have been (investigated) more efficiently." 

As director, Sullivan is responsible for an agency with more than 150 offices around the world. The Service not only protects the president and his family, but also is tasked with protecting foreign delegations and other top U.S. officials as well as conducting criminal investigations. 

On Tuesday, Carney said Sullivan "acted swiftly in response to this incident." Obama earlier said he would be "angry" if the allegations against the agents turn out to be true, but voiced confidence in the Service itself. 

FoxNews.com's Judson Berger and Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

Article from FOXNEWS

Poll: Voter ID Laws Act as Safeguard Against Fraud

Most Americans think voter identification laws are needed to stop voter fraud, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.  

Overall, 70 percent of Americans say voter ID laws are needed to stop illegal voting.  That's far more than the 26 percent who see the laws as a hindrance to legal voting.  

An overwhelming 87-percent majority of Republicans say voter ID laws are necessary to ensure only eligible voters participate in elections.  Some 74 percent of independents and 52 percent of Democrats agree.  

Click here to see the full results of the poll. 

Democrats (44 percent) are four times as likely as Republicans (10 percent) to consider these laws an unnecessary deterrent to law-abiding citizens casting their ballot.  

The poll was conducted in connection with a new documentary to air on Fox News Channel this weekend.  Hosted by Eric Shawn, it's called "Fox News Reporting: Stealing Your Vote."

In their increasingly heated battle, many supporters and opponents of voter ID laws are accusing the other of acting in bad faith.

The poll finds 34 percent of voters believe supporters of voter ID laws are trying to “steal” elections by keeping eligible voters away from the polls.  Yet more people -- 50 percent -- think opponents of the laws are acting in bad faith by trying to increase participation from ineligible voters.  Some 17 percent think both supporters and opponents of voter ID laws are playing dirty.  

The federal “Help America Vote Act” says all states must require identification from first-time voters who registered by mail and did not provide verification of their identification with their mail-in voter registration.  Thirty-two states have passed voter identification laws that are broader than the federal mandates.  Of these, nine states have passed the strictest legislation, which includes a requirement for voters to show a photo ID in order to vote.  

A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the Arizona voter identification law that requires state voters to provide documents proving their identity before voting.  

Earlier Fox polls found large majorities -- 80 percent or more -- favor requiring people to show a government-issued form of photo identification to prove U.S. citizenship before being allowed to vote.  

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 910 randomly-chosen registered voters nationwide and is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from April 9 to April 11.  For the total sample, it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.  

Article from FOXNEWS

Boehner accuses Obama of ‘bogeyman\' reelection strategy

RT @jmartpolitico: RT @GingrichIdeas: Eat a dog on the roof of a car.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Inspired by Chris Powell, woman loses 130 pounds

Chris Powell has witnessed some amazing weight loss journeys.

Powell, the fitness trainer on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition," gets messages from many people who tell him about what motivated them to achieve their remarkable weight loss results.

Among the standout stories is that of Dana Atkins, a cancer survivor from Lafayette, La.

Atkins recalled her 130-pound weight loss success on "Good Morning America" today.

"I was watching your show one day, and I thought, 'if these people can do it, so can I.' And so I thank you. You have no idea how much you inspired me," she told Powell.

Atkins did it by committing to hitting the gym five days per week, cutting the calories and adjusting her eating habits.

She tracks her weight loss on an app called Lose It, eats breakfast every morning and doesn't eat carbs after 5 p.m.

The 36-year-old said Powell inspired her, even through her tough workouts.

"I could hear Chris's voice in my head ...  even though my legs are on fire and my knees are hurting I could hear him saying, 'Come on Dana, keep going, you got this,' and I would just finish the workout, I would feel so much better after," she said.

Working all on her own, Atkins went from 380 pounds -- and a size 30 -- to 253 pounds and a size 18.

She still wants to lose 90 pounds more.

Powell turned up at Cajun Gym in Lafayette one day to surprise Atkins. He worked out with her and gave her some workout tips and encouragement.

"You're going to do great," he told her.

Chris Powell's Workout Tips

Weight loss is not easy. The body begins to adapt after repeated exposure to the same type of exercise and weight loss slow or even stop, but you can outsmart your body and continuously lose weight.

Here's how: Simply increase one of the following FITT components every six to 10 workouts:

Frequency.  For example, if you typically exercise three days a week, increase to four days.

Intensity.  For example, if you typically walk at a 3.0 on the treadmill, increase to a 3.5.  Or if you run a mile in nine minutes, aim for 8:30.

Time. For example, if you typically exercise for 30 minutes, increase to 35 minutes.

Type.  For example, if you typically jog for exercise, try a different type of exercise like rowing, cycling, or boxing.

Also Read

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Suspect arrested after rape video goes viral in S. Africa

An eighth suspect was arrested Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the abduction of a 17-year-old girl whose gang rape was caught on a video that has gone viral in South Africa. 

The victim, who went missing in Soweto on March 25, was found with the suspect and was en route to see a doctor, News24.com reports. 

"She was found with [the arrested] man in his house in Bramfischerville," Warrant Officer Kay Makhubele told the news station. 

On Tuesday seven males, including two minors were arrested after matching the description of the suspects in the video, News24.com reports. 

Authorities are reportedly still searching for more suspects. 

Click here to read more on the story from News24.com.

Article from FOXNEWS

Power Players: Hollywood nominates woman VP

Top Line

Women support her, she's got name-brand recognition, and she's got a sense of humor -- no wonder Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been tapped for vice-president ... on the small screen anyway.

The Seinfeld alum stars in HBO's new series 'Veep,' where she plays a former senator who accepted the call to be vice president, only to find out the job is not all it's cracked up to be. 'Veep' debuts this Sunday, and Top Line caught up with Louis-Dreyfus at the Washington, D.C. premiere -- a town where everyone is obsessed with who presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney will pick as his 'veep.'

Louis-Dreyfus's advice to Romney?

"He could chose one of his Cadillacs," she quipped.

"I'm not going to help him out. I personally am a Democrat, so I'm not going to give him any ideas," Louis-Dreyfus added. "I think a Cadillac is not a bad idea. It does what you say, you get in it, you drive it, it goes where you tell it to go."

And to be fair, vice presidents rarely get to do the steering. Former Vice President John Nance Garner, who served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, said the office of vice president "isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss."

"He was a little bit right," said Louis-Dreyfus. "I challenge you to find one politician who aspires to be vice president. I think that very ambitious people become vice president and they are very often thwarted."

Does Louis-Dreyfus and her new show project a cynical view of Washington and the second-highest office in the nation? Check out this week's Top Line to find out.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Time releases 100 ‘Most Influential People in the World\' list

(Time)

Time magazine released its annual list of the 100 "Most Influential People in the World" on Wednesday. Among them: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffett, Catherine and Pippa Middleton, Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin and Matt Lauer.

The magazine said it picked people "who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world." And not always for the better. Included on the list were Syria president Bashar Assad, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Mullah Mohammed Omar, spiritual leader of the Taliban.

Anonymous, the controversial Internet "hacktivist" collective, won the magazine's online poll for its inclusion on the 2012 list.

There were a few questionable--though not unworthy--inclusions with ties to Time. Former editor Walter Isaacson, who penned Time's cover story on Steve Jobs' death--made the list for his biography of the late Apple founder. Mashable founder Pete Cashmore-whose site was rumored to be close to a sale to Time-corporate sibling CNN earlier this year--made the list for the first time.

As has become tradition, Time solicited essays about honorees from fellow luminaries. Obama wrote about Buffett, and Lin about Tebow:

Watching Tim Tebow play football, you can observe many things about his character. You see his fierce competitiveness, his strong work ethic and how he is a leader that his teammates trust and respect.

But it is the qualities that Tim, 24, embodies in his life off the field that truly set him apart. He is unashamed of his convictions and faith, and he lives a life that consistently reflects his values, day in and day out. Through his foundation, he constantly reaches out to people and communities in need of hope. He realizes what he has been blessed with and seeks to help those who are worse off. As athletes, we pour our hearts into winning games. Tim is a reminder that life is about much more than that.

Click here for complete Time 100 list.

More popular Yahoo! News stories:

- Samantha Brick: I know I'm beautiful-Daddy told me so

- Pulitzer Prize winners announced: Patriot-News honored for reporting on Penn State scandal

- George Zimmerman attorney wants judge in murder case tossed and records to remain sealed

Tyson\'s Dicey Link to Pitt

LAS VEGAS â€"  What do Brad Pitt and Mike Tyson have in common?

It is one of the many topics discussed by Tyson during his one-man show performance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“At the beginning (of the show), I say welcome to my living room,” the boxing legend tells Fox411.com. “I set the stage like we're at home and we're talking to friends.”

The show, titled “Undisputed Truth,” isn't as over-the-top as most of the shows you'll find on the Vegas strip.  It's just Tyson, a small band, and a singer on stage, as Tyson talks about the ups and downs of his career and personal life. From his father-son like relationship with famed boxing trainer Cus D'Amato, to his tumultuous marriage to actress Robin Givens, Tyson reveals, in a lecture-type of format, the inner workings of one of the most enigmatic personalities in sports history.

The intimate setting was even a little intimidating for the former heavyweight champ.

“I'm terrified,” said Tyson, when asked about his comfort level on stage. “But I'm born to do this stuff. I'm born to entertain people, one way or another.”

And it is Tyson's story about actor Brad Pitt that definitely steals the show. Tyson said he was still sleeping with his ex-wife Givens while they were going through their very public divorce battle. He recalled one morning before making a visit to his lawyer to talk about their divorce when he decided to first make a pit stop (no pun intended) at Givens' house for what he termed as a “morning rump” (by that, Tyson clarified it as “sexual activity”). 

When Tyson rang the doorbell, no one answered. As he was walking back to his car, lo and behold, Givens pulls up in a car with none other than Pitt.

"I'm born to entertain people, one way or another"

- Mike Tyson

“As she pulls up in the car, guess who's with her? Yes, ‘Mr. Pretty Boy' Brad Pitt,” said Tyson. “He looked like…you know…blonde hair…just beautiful.”

Was Pitt scared when he pulled up and saw one of the most intimidating boxers in sports history? According to Tyson, not really.

“He didn't look scared,” said Tyson. “He was just like, ‘Hey dude!'”

Tyson's one-man show closes this week at the Hollywood Theatre inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But his production team, SPI Entertainment, said they plan to take the show on the road. And Tyson has the biggest goal of all: "Broadway."

Pete Griffin is part of the Junior Reporter program at Fox News. Get more information on the program here.

Article from FOXNEWS

Illinois Mega Millions winner to claim share of jackpot

RED BUD, Ill. â€"  The mystery about who won the third and final share of the record $656 million Mega Millions jackpot nearly three weeks ago is about to end in southern Illinois.

The Illinois Lottery says it plans to reveal the third winner of the March 30 drawing during a news conference Wednesday at the Village Hall in tiny Red Bud.

That ticket was bought at a MotoMart convenience store in the 3,700-resident farming community.

The other two winning tickets already have been anonymously claimed in Maryland and Kansas, with each stake worth $218.6 million.

Illinois Lottery officials say the holder of the Red Bud ticket is a single winner, but they haven't been more specific.

Red Bud is about 40 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Article from FOXNEWS

Pentagon condemns photos appearing to show US forces posing with Afghan bodies- Afghan girls hospitalized after poisoning at school

The Pentagon on Wednesday condemned a report that U.S. troops posed for pictures with the mangled bodies of insurgents in Afghanistan. 

The Los Angeles Times released the purported images Wednesday morning, and reported that they showed soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division in 2010. One photo showed what appeared to be U.S. troops, some smiling, holding up a pair of severed legs. 

The military said Wednesday it has launched an investigation. 

"Secretary (Leon) Panetta strongly rejects the conduct depicted in these 2-year-old photographs," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. "These images by no means represent the values or professionalism of the vast majority of U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan today." 

Little said the probe could lead to "disciplinary measures," and that "anyone found responsible for this inhuman conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system."

Little also said Panetta was "disappointed" that the Los Angeles Times published the photos, as "this material could be used by the enemy to incite violence against U.S. and Afghan service members in Afghanistan." 

"U.S. forces in the country are taking security measures to guard against it," he said. 

The Times published a couple photos, but claims to have 18 in its possession. According to the article, the photos were provided by an American soldier worried about a possible breakdown in leadership. 

The Times reported that the photo of the severed legs was taken after U.S. soldiers arrived at a police station on orders to identify the body of a suicide bomber. 

The same platoon reportedly inspected the remains of three more insurgents a few months later -- and again posed next to the bodies.   

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker also released a statement early Wednesday condemning the alleged actions. 

"The U.S. Embassy strongly condemns the actions depicted in photos recently made public, which appear to show members of the U.S. military committing disrespectful acts with the bodies of insurgents, killed in their own suicide attacks in 2010," he said. "Such actions are morally repugnant, dishonor the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians who have served with distinction in Afghanistan, and do not represent the core values of the United States or our military." 

The incident marks the latest problem for the U.S. military in Afghanistan. A video surfaced earlier in the year appearing to show U.S. troops urinating on bodies. The burning of Korans at a U.S. base in Afghanistan later fueled widespread and deadly riots -- following that, a U.S. soldier was accused of going on a killing spree that left 17 Afghans dead. 

Outside of Afghanistan, the U.S. military, as well as the Secret Service, is reeling from a prostitution scandal in Colombia. Sources say 10 U.S. military service members were involved in that incident, and top military officials have said they are embarrassed over the alleged misconduct. 

Click here to continue reading at the Los Angeles Times. Warning: Graphic Images

Article from FOXNEWS

\'Man Camps\' Tap Tempers Amid US Oil Boom

• April 7, 2010: One of the many oil pumps scattered near Stanley, N.D. Oil has brought economic prosperity and scores of oilmen to western North Dakota, but now the Williston City Commission has approved the first reading of an ordinance that would make it illegal to live in a camper within city limits. (AP)

One town smack in the middle of North Dakota's historic oil boom has a plan for getting rid of the "man camps" that have sprung up as laborers pour in: Ban their campers.

Williston, the state's ninth-largest city, is fed up with an estimated 400 RVs that are scattered throughout the city limits and house out-of-state workers who have flocked in to help oil companies tap the massive Bakken formation. The City Commission has introduced an ordinance that would make it illegal to live in a camper within city boundaries. If passed, the law would make living in a home on wheels a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine.

"The people who live here and the ones who pay taxes are developing a lot of frustration with it," Williston Mayor Ward Koeser told FoxNews.com.

Ready jobs at high wages in the oil fields have brought droves of workers to the city, fueling a population increase to 20,000 from just 12,500 in 2008. While the national unemployment rate remains at 8.2 percent, North Dakota's jobless rate was 3.1 percent in February. The so-called “man camps” have popped up in towns throughout the Bakken formation, which holds up to 24 billion barrels of oil according to some estimates.

Koeser acknowledged that the new residents have not driven up the crime rate, but said the young, single men who inhabit the campers are a nuisance.

"We've had some instances where people would urinate in an alley, park on lawns, be disrespectful to neighbors, that sort of thing," he said.

"We cannot stress enough that I would spend 97 percent of time trying to secure someplace to live. If you do that, you're going to find a job within a day up here, provided you can pass a drug test and you've got some skill set.

- Shawn Wenko, assistant director, Williston Economic Development Office

Workers typically pay a landowner by the day or week for permission to park their campers. Once a cluster forms, the neighbors are likely to complain, Koeser said.

"The problem is their backyard is next to someone else's backyard who may have a problem with it," Koeser explained.

The workers aren't living in temporary homes for lack of money. The average weekly salary in Williams County, which includes Williston, is currently $1,300, according to Shawn Wenko, assistant director for the Williston Economic Development Office. The problem is, there just aren't enough homes in Williston, even with an ongoing construction boom.

"We've got record building over the last several years," Wenko told FoxNews.com. "You're talking thousands of apartments, hundreds of homes. It's going to take us a couple of years to catch up [to housing demand]. We could see the light at the end of the tunnel in two, possibly three years when we'll get our hands around this."

A ban on campers won't work unless there's a new place for the workers to go, said Wenko. Three RV parks are opening up in the area this summer, but they won't absorb all the campers now dotting Williston.

Koeser called for compassion, and has even suggested a 60-day grace period if the measure passes. But even that may not be enough time for a suddenly well-heeled oil worker to find a permanent place to put his boots down at the end of a long day. According to Wenko, finding a job in Willistown is easy -- the real work is finding a home.

"We cannot stress enough that I would spend 97 percent of time trying to secure someplace to live," Wenko said. "If you do that, you're going to find a job within a day up here, provided you can pass a drug test and you've got some skill set. Housing is very, very tight here."

Article from FOXNEWS

Norway\'s mass killer complains of being ridiculed

The expected deportation of Osama bin Laden's family from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia has been delayed because their passports are not ready, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The 12-member family, including bin Laden's three widows, eight children and one grandchild, had originally been due to leave overnight Tuesday. Two of the wives are Saudi nationals and the third is from Yemen.

The 9/11 mastermind's family were detained by Pakistani authorities after bin Laden was killed in a US special forces operation in the garrison town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, last May.

Lawyer Muhammad Aamir told AFP they were expected to receive their passports later on Wednesday and may be able to leave for Saudi Arabia later in the day.

But a Saudi embassy official said they were still waiting for details from Pakistani authorities.

"We are waiting to receive names of the family members from the Pakistani interior ministry to proceed further in the matter," the spokesman told AFP.

A senior Pakistani security official meanwhile said Pakistan was awaiting the green light from the Saudi and Yemeni governments for the deportation to proceed.

"No timeframe can be given at the moment," he told AFP, adding that discussions were ongoing. "There is a kind of understanding but things need to be finalised."

Aamir denied speculation that the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Yemen may be reluctant to accept them.

"This is not correct," he said.

"They were scheduled to leave Pakistan for Saudi Arabia late Tuesday but the problem in completing their travel documents delayed the departure."

Earlier this month, a court sentenced the widows and two of bin Laden's older daughters to 45 days' detention on charges of illegal entry and residency in Pakistan and ordered their deportation as soon as possible.

They completed the sentence on Tuesday, counting time already served since they were formally arrested on March 3.

Aamir said on Tuesday that bin Laden's youngest and reportedly favourite wife, Amal Abdulfattah, who is Yemeni, may be sent to Yemen with her five children.

Pakistani officials have said that the whole family was initially expected to be flown to Saudi Arabia.

A number of Saudi diplomats have visited Pakistan in recent weeks to work out the details of the deportation, sources say.

The discovery of the 9/11 mastermind in Abbottabad dealt a massive blow to US-Pakistan relations and led to accusations of Pakistani complicity or incompetence.

Abdulfattah, 30, told Pakistani interrogators that bin Laden had fathered four children while he hid out in Pakistan, according to a police report seen by AFP last month.

After fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden moved his family around Pakistan before settling in a three-storey house inside a walled compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad in 2005.

According to the police report, the family movements while they were on the run were organised by "Ibrahim and Abrar", two Pakistanis given responsibility for the task by members of Al-Qaeda.

Both the men were killed during the raid on Abbottabad and had been living in the same compound, along with Ibrahim's wife, Bushra, and bin Laden's son, Khalid.

In February the Pakistani authorities, reluctant for the Abbottabad house to become a shrine to the dead terror leader, used bulldozers to raze the building to the ground.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Boehner: Obama can\'t run on economic record

The expected deportation of Osama bin Laden's family from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia has been delayed because their passports are not ready, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The 12-member family, including bin Laden's three widows, eight children and one grandchild, had originally been due to leave overnight Tuesday. Two of the wives are Saudi nationals and the third is from Yemen.

The 9/11 mastermind's family were detained by Pakistani authorities after bin Laden was killed in a US special forces operation in the garrison town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, last May.

Lawyer Muhammad Aamir told AFP they were expected to receive their passports later on Wednesday and may be able to leave for Saudi Arabia later in the day.

But a Saudi embassy official said they were still waiting for details from Pakistani authorities.

"We are waiting to receive names of the family members from the Pakistani interior ministry to proceed further in the matter," the spokesman told AFP.

A senior Pakistani security official meanwhile said Pakistan was awaiting the green light from the Saudi and Yemeni governments for the deportation to proceed.

"No timeframe can be given at the moment," he told AFP, adding that discussions were ongoing. "There is a kind of understanding but things need to be finalised."

Aamir denied speculation that the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Yemen may be reluctant to accept them.

"This is not correct," he said.

"They were scheduled to leave Pakistan for Saudi Arabia late Tuesday but the problem in completing their travel documents delayed the departure."

Earlier this month, a court sentenced the widows and two of bin Laden's older daughters to 45 days' detention on charges of illegal entry and residency in Pakistan and ordered their deportation as soon as possible.

They completed the sentence on Tuesday, counting time already served since they were formally arrested on March 3.

Aamir said on Tuesday that bin Laden's youngest and reportedly favourite wife, Amal Abdulfattah, who is Yemeni, may be sent to Yemen with her five children.

Pakistani officials have said that the whole family was initially expected to be flown to Saudi Arabia.

A number of Saudi diplomats have visited Pakistan in recent weeks to work out the details of the deportation, sources say.

The discovery of the 9/11 mastermind in Abbottabad dealt a massive blow to US-Pakistan relations and led to accusations of Pakistani complicity or incompetence.

Abdulfattah, 30, told Pakistani interrogators that bin Laden had fathered four children while he hid out in Pakistan, according to a police report seen by AFP last month.

After fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden moved his family around Pakistan before settling in a three-storey house inside a walled compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad in 2005.

According to the police report, the family movements while they were on the run were organised by "Ibrahim and Abrar", two Pakistanis given responsibility for the task by members of Al-Qaeda.

Both the men were killed during the raid on Abbottabad and had been living in the same compound, along with Ibrahim's wife, Bushra, and bin Laden's son, Khalid.

In February the Pakistani authorities, reluctant for the Abbottabad house to become a shrine to the dead terror leader, used bulldozers to raze the building to the ground.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Arrest, body discovery in search for Marine\'s wife

SAN DIEGO (AP) - One woman was arrested on suspicion of murder. The body of another was discovered near a lake some 70 miles away.

The connection between them, and just about everything else in the case, remained murky as authorities investigated the disappearance of a U.S. Marine's wife from San Diego County.

"There are too many loose ends to try to make any sense of it at this point," said Lt. Larry Nesbit, the lead homicide detective in the case, told KCAL-TV.

Jessica Lynn Lopez, 27, was arrested at a Ramada Inn near the San Diego airport, sheriff's Capt. Duncan Frasier said at a Tuesday news conference in San Diego.

Later in the day to the north in Riverside County near Temecula, a woman's body was discovered about a mile from Lake Skinner, Frasier said.

Detectives searching for Brittany Dawn Killgore, who has been missing since Friday, found the body after it was spotted by a maintenance worker leaving the area after clearing brush, Nesbit told several media outlets at the scene where the body was found.

The woman's identity could not be confirmed until a coroner's investigation, authorities said

The area where she was found is about 70 miles northeast of San Diego and 25 miles northeast of Killgore's home in Fallbrook.

Lopez was under guard at University of California, San Diego Medical Center with self-inflicted wounds and will be taken to jail after she's treated, Nesbit said.

Sheriff's officials said they were also investigating another Marine, Louis Ray Perez, 45, who was the last person seen with Killgore. Authorities have not disclosed the nature of their relationship.

Perez was arrested Sunday on an unrelated charge of possessing an AR-15 rifle stolen from Camp Pendleton, but Frasier said "he is being actively investigated in this disappearance."

He remained jailed on $500,000 bail.

Killgore's estranged husband - a Marine vehicle operator in Afghanistan - was returning to California on emergency leave after being informed she was missing.

Brittany Killgore went missing after filing for divorce from Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore last week.

Her cellphone was found in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego, but authorities said it was unclear whether she actually left Fallbrook, where she lives.

Cory Killgore, 22, could be back at Camp Pendleton by the end of the week, said 1st Lt. Alex Lim, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Division.

"One of his loved ones is missing and I can only hope the best for him," Lim said.

Authorities have said Killgore is not suspected in the disappearance of his wife.'"

April 18 is Pet Owners' Independence Day, Adult Autism Awareness Day, National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day: http://t.co/TtOIJ7Ot

U.S. soldiers posed with the mangled remains of suspected Afghan suicide bombers in 2010, according to report. http://t.co/gmsjKcOb

RT @torrey_ynews: #Obama targets #oil speculators: Is it just smoke and mirrors? http://t.co/7Tnnb1IZ

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels backs Romney

RT @BuzzFeedAndrew: So Ted Nugent ate Obama's dog? That's what I got out of yesterday's news cycle.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Capital murder charges after infant\'s mother gunned down

A woman arrested for gunning down and killing a new mother and snatching her 3-day-old baby in the parking lot of a Texas pediatrician's office will face capital murder charges, according to the Montgomery County district attorney.

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Williams on Abuse, Abortion

In the new book "You Have No Idea," Vanessa Williams and her no-nonsense mother Helen Williams give an often hilarious and moving mother-daughter take on Vanessa's many professional achievements, as well as her sometimes rocky personal life. 

The book pulls no punches. Vanessa discusses in depth the nude photo scandal that abruptly ended her reign as the first African-American Miss America, writes movingly of being sexually molested as a child, and reveals she had abortion as a teenager. 

Fox411: Why did you decide to write a book now?

Vanessa Williams: I'd been approached a bunch of times to do a memoir but I never felt it was the right time because I felt I had a lot of living to do. I had a done a mother/daughter piece for Oprah maybe five years ago and they called me last year saying they wanted me and my mom on again. I said, ‘Huh, there's something here with our relationship.' 

People that have grown up with me and know my mom know she's a character. Anything that happens in my life, my friends say, ‘What did Helen say?' She's legendary in her own right. I thought well this is a much more interesting story, our parallel experiences, to see how a mother protects, a mother defends and being a mother of four myself, I could completely relate to what she was going through. It was a great spin on it.

Fox411: You write of how you were molested as a young girl.

Williams: When I was structuring the book, one of the ideas was to start it off with the [Miss America] press conference, speech, and legal team, all of that stuff. One of the questions I was asked [by my lawyers before the press conference] was if I'd ever had any relations with women and I said, ‘Well I was molested as a child by a woman,' and they said that might come up. That's when I said I don't want to fight anymore. I've been raked over the coals already so that was a pivotal moment for me not to be dragged through the mud anymore. 

It's also an opportunity to show what I was hiding from my parents. My mother didn't know about it till she read the book. It tipped off my rebellious nature. [The molestation] didn't create it, but it definitely was part of me being impulsive in terms of where my head was at at a very young age.

Fox411: How old were you when you posed for the photos that appeared in Penthouse and cost you the Miss America crown?

Williams: I certainly had a sense of self and had achieved much at 19, but I'm a risk taker.

Fox411: How did you get through that media tsunami?

Williams: I guess it's the resilience my mom demonstrates. You just keep moving on. I didn't have time to sit and grieve or mourn. There was no downtime to wallow in suffering. I'm not that kind of girl anyway.

Fox411: You also write that you had an abortion as a teenager.

Williams: Who knows how life would have been different? I think the bottom line is I definitely would have been where I am now even if I'd gone down another path. It doesn't take away from the drive or the talent. You can make your life whatever you want with or without a child.

Again that's just to illustrate that so many people saw me as this particular symbol and the message is that there was a normal 20 year old who had experienced a lot up until that time before I was crowned. That's kind of what the title of the book is about. When people said, ‘Oh you can sing?' I said, ‘you have no idea what I've done prior to what you know me for,' and that's been the theme of my life. 

Fox411: Are you a strict mom?

Williams: Not as strict as my mother was. I am a structured mother. 

Fox411: Don't you feel like saying to your kids ‘You have no idea how good you have it?'

Williams: Oh they know! I certainly remind them which I think every parent does. They get constant reminders, but they also appreciate the hard work that I do to put them through school and take them on trips and buy them things. I've got great kids, they always show how appreciative they are, and they thank me for making dinner for them.

Fox411: You're a practicing Catholic.

Williams: We go to church on Sunday. I love the practice of praying, which is akin to meditation, where you're still and focused and grateful. I think that it's very important to stop the spinning at times and just focus and be thankful.

There are some priests in the church who made me feel very welcome in our parish. I have very supportive relationships with, I would say, three priests that I truly love, that are great men that made religion not a scary place.

Fox411: You also write of how your mom found you and your teen boyfriend in bed together?

Williams: (Laughs) I am very lucky to have kids that are not like me. Well I did buy a Mercedes for my mother on her 60th birthday, and I just upgraded it a couple of years ago.

Article from FOXNEWS

Shop In Stores, Buy Online?

• Consumers shop for TVs at a Best Buy store in Brentwood, Tenn. But will they buy in the store -- or online, where they may find a bargain?AP Photo / Mark Humphrey

You might already have done it yourself -- and felt a little guilty about it in the process.

"Showrooming" is the practice of using local stores to check out a product, but then ordering that product for less money online, often while still standing on the store carpet in front of frustrated sales people.

Brick and mortar retailers loathe the practice, implying that it is somehow morally reprehensible. They have to pay for showroom real estate and for the employees to run those showrooms. Shoppers are exploiting this service when they use those stores to get hands-on time with a product but then buy it from online retailers like Amazon. The economics make it impossible for traditional retailers to compete, and smartphone apps like Shop Savvy make it extremely easy.

SUMMARY

WHAT IS IT: "Showrooming" is the practice of using local stores to check out a product, but then ordering that product for less money online.

Trend is happening all across Europe and in the U.S., experts say.

Retailers are fretting about showrooming, expect it will explode this holiday season.

"Onlining" -- searching for products and reviews online, then heading back to stores -- may help.

Indeed, it has become a worldwide phenomena, according Jurgen Boyny of global research firm GfK Group. At a press conference for the forthcoming 2012 IFA consumer electronics show that will take place in August in Berlin, Boyny pointed out that it is happening all across Europe and in the U.S. And retailers are definitely fretting about the trend, which many expect will explode this holiday season.

Best Buy, for example, just lost $1.7 billion in its most recent quarter, and then announced layoffs, store closures, and the resignation of its CEO (although the change at the top may not be solely due to poor financial performance). Even stores not focused on electronics are feeling the pinch. To combat showrooming, Target is using its marketing muscle to pressure suppliers to provide its stores with exclusive products -- ones you won't find online.

Personally, I don't want a world without stores. 

While you can preview a movie, a CD, or even a book online, you can't try on a pair of shoes or push buttons on a stereo system on the Web. You can't sample a cheese or check out a tablet online. We still need brick and mortar stores, but what can retailers do?

The exclusive in-store product approach certainly won't work. Shoppers are too smart to be fooled by changing a feature or model number; they'll simply find similar products online and buy them. More important, such a maneuver does nothing to help small, local retailers. Panasonic isn't going to build an exclusive product for Joe's Electronics down the block.

There is a countervailing trend, however, that might bring more people into stores. Call it "onlining" -- the reverse of showrooming.

Car buyers, for example, spend an average of 8 hours doing it, according to Lincoln. People buying big-ticket items like refrigerators do it. Even people shopping for a home do it. You search for products and reviews online, learning the differences between models, energy efficiency ratings, reliability issues, etc. 

Then you select the models that pique your interest -- and walk into the local store to see and test the product in person -- and usually make the final purchase there.

"Now consumers come into the store saying, 'I know everything,' " points out Boyny, which can be daunting for retailers. The traditional approach was to have sales people help customers make a decision. Today, the customer may often know more about a product than the sales assistant.

However, by making it even easier for this new type of onlining customer, stores may be able to entice them to buy on site rather than online.

"Shopping is possible everywhere," Boyny said. So retailers need to recognize this fact and use the technology to reach customers in novel ways. Specific store apps with rewards and notices of upcoming sales can help. But more innovative approaches will be needed.

One example was an experiment by grocery giant Tesco. In a Seoul, South Korea, subway station the company installed a virtual store displaying popular foods. While waiting for the train, shoppers could scan items and order them immediately. Ultimately, the idea is to allow the orders to be picked up at the store or delivered by the time the weary commuter arrives home.

Now that's an approach that could save us all from wasting time, or living with a guilty conscious.

Follow John R. Quain on Twitter @jqontech or find more tech coverage at J-Q.com.

Article from FOXNEWS

Syrian bombings reportedly kill 10 goverment troops

• April 6, 2012: Free Syrian Army fighters try to spot a sniper during fighting with Syrian troops in a suburb of Damascus, Syria.

BEIRUT â€"  Syria's state-run news agency says two roadside bombs have killed at least 10 members of the security forces in the north of the country.

The SANA agency reported explosions in the Idlib province and the nearby Aleppo region.

A U.N.-brokered cease-fire formally took effect in Syria a week ago, but Syrian forces have continued attacks on opposition strongholds. Rebel fighters also kept up attacks, including bombings and shootings.

In the past, the regime justified its harsh crackdown on the 13-month uprising against President Bashar Assad by saying it is responding to provocations by "terrorists."

SANA says Wednesday's blast in the village of Mastouma killed six soldiers and wounded 11. It says a second blast in the Aleppo region killed four soldiers.

Article from FOXNEWS

Woman charged with murder in Texas mom shooting- Body found in search for Marine\'s missing wife- Police: Missing Fort Bragg soldier \'may be in danger\'

• Keegan's mother was shot and killed in a Houston parking lot Tuesday afternoon.MyFoxHouston.com

SPRING, Texas â€"  A woman has been charged with capital murder in the shooting of a young mother and the abduction of her newborn son near Houston, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Verna McClain was charged early Wednesday in the killing of Kala Marie Golden.

Witnesses say an argument broke out between Golden and another woman as Golden left Northwoods Pediatric Center in Spring on Tuesday afternoon with her 3-day-old son, Keegan.

The woman shot Golden up to seven times and snatched the baby from her arms before driving away in a blue or light green Lexus, according to witness accounts.

Ligon said McClain's statement to investigators indicate the shooting was part of a wider plan to kidnap any child and that Golden was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"There were statements as indicated in the arrest record that were made by Ms. McClain that led us to believe that, in fact, this was an intentional act on her part," Ligon said. "Not that Ms. Golden was targeted specifically, but that this was part of a plan to kidnap a child."

He made no mention of a man whom witnesses said they saw in the Lexus that was blood stained on the driver's side.

Keegan was found unharmed Tuesday evening. Ligon says Child Protective Services are looking after him but that they expect the baby to soon be reunited with his father.

Authorities detained a person of interest late Tuesday, but it wasn't immediately clear if that person was McClain.

Golden's mother, Linda Golden, told the AP that she had been baby-sitting another of Kala's sons when someone at the scene called her using her daughter's cellphone. She rushed to the clinic but was unable to see her daughter because paramedics were trying to save her.

"I wanted to kiss her before they put her in the ambulance," Linda Golden said.

Ligon wouldn't say where the infant was found, but he said it wasn't at a nearby apartment complex raided by officers wielding guns and riot shields Tuesday evening. Spring is about 20 miles north of Houston.

Linda Golden said she had no idea what could have sparked the slaying and abduction.

"That's the hardest she's ever fought," Linda Golden said. "She died trying to save her baby."

Please click here for more from MyFoxHouston.com

Article from FOXNEWS

NYC jeweler: Hooker stole $50G worth of diamonds

Hapless gem trader Kurt Kaiser lost out on a deal to sell a half million dollars worth of uncut diamonds, but really hit rock bottom when he despondently picked up a hooker - who took off with the gems. 

“I woke and thought ‘I've been screwed,' ” Kaiser, 47, told The Post yesterday outside his home in Forest Hills, Queens.

He believes he was drugged by the woman, who was last seen on a hotel surveillance video with his briefcase in one hand and her heels in the other.

Kaiser met the sexy brunette while throwing back drinks at Whiskey Park on Central Park South - his third stop Monday night after blowing a deal to sell the rocks.

“I was sitting by myself having a last vodka and soda, and she came up and asked, ‘Mind if I join you?' I said: ‘Hell, yeah!' ”

He spent another 45 minutes at the bar with the 23-year-old Hispanic woman, who wore a short, black dress and high heels.

Click here to read more on this report from the New York Post.

Article from FOXNEWS

Real Elvis Tour Could Happen

• Home
• Video
• Politics
• U.S.
• Opinion
• Entertainment
• SciTech
• Health
• Travel
• Lifestyle
• World
• Sports

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• RSS
• Newsletters

©2012 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All market data delayed 20 minutes. Privacy - Terms

Article from FOXNEWS

Husband\'s Backyard Burial Sparks Fight in Connecticut

A Connecticut woman's fight to keep the remains of her deceased husband in her backyard has taken her all the way to the state Supreme Court.

Elise Piquet buried her husband, Doll, on her 8-acre property when he died in 2004 at the age of 84.

Piquet has said she made the plans for the private home burial because all the cemeteries in Chester, where the couple lived, were full. The burial was performed by a licensed funeral director, and Piquet made plans to be buried alongside her husband on her property when the time came.

However, in 2005 the town's zoning enforcement office informed Piquet private burials are not addressed in the town's zoning regulations and therefore not allowed. They told Piquet she needed a permit to bury her husband on her property.

Piquet took the case to local courts, asking them for the right to leave her husband's remains on the property. The local courts ruled in favor of the town, so Piquet took her case all the way to the state Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, John Bennet, attorney for the town of Chester, argued Piquet needed a zoning permit to have a burial on private property, but she didn't get one. He said Piquet should have attempted to resolve the issue through the zoning board of appeals before bringing it to the legal system.

"The unequivocal part of this is that there's a violation," said Bennet. 

Piquet says she assumed she had the legal right to be buried on her property. She said the house, which was built in the 1700s, has other people buried around it as well.

"I just thought it was a matter of historical precedent and that I could just do it," she said. "I didn't mean to break any rules, but I didn't know there were any."

She described her legal battle as being akin to "facing Mount Everest."

Click here for more on this story from Fox Connecticut. 

Article from FOXNEWS

Photos of U.S. soldiers posing with bodies sparks probe

published by the Los Angeles Times early Wednesday, sparking a military investigation.

The graphic photos--taken in 2010--show soldiers, some smiling, posing with dismembered body parts of insurgent corpses. A soldier from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division provided 18 photos to the paper, which published them online.

U.S. officials "strongly condemned" the photos. The Army has launched a "criminal investigation," the Times said.

In a statement to CNN, Gen. John Allen, head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, said the incident "represents a serious error in judgment by several soldiers who have acted out of ignorance and unfamiliarity with U.S. Army values."

The U.S. embassy in Kabul released a similar statement: "Such actions are morally repugnant, dishonor the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians who have served with distinction in Afghanistan, and do not represent the core values of the United States or our military."

The release of the photos come at a "particularly sensitive moment for U.S.-Afghan relations," the Times noted:

In January, a video appeared on the Internet showing four U.S. Marines urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran at a U.S. base triggered riots that left 30 dead and led to the deaths of six Americans. In March, a U.S. Army sergeant went on a nighttime shooting rampage in two Afghan villages, killing 17.

The paratroopers that took the macabre photos had been deployed to get "iris scans and fingerprints" of the suicide bombers who had accidentally blown themselves up.

The soldier who provided the photos to the Times did so on the condition of anonymity--though the paper provided some details:

He served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team from Ft. Bragg, N.C. He said the photos point to a breakdown in leadership and discipline that he believed compromised the safety of the troops. He expressed the hope that publication would help ensure that alleged security shortcomings at two U.S. bases in Afghanistan in 2010 were not repeated.

U.S. officials asked the Times not to publish them.

"After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan," Times editor Davan Maharaj said in a statement, "including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering U.S. troops."

More popular Yahoo! News stories:

- Samantha Brick: I know I'm beautiful-Daddy told me so

- Pulitzer Prize winners announced: Patriot-News honored for reporting on Penn State scandal

- George Zimmerman attorney wants judge in murder case tossed and records to remain sealed

Woman charged with murder in shooting of Texas mom

SPRING, Texas (AP) - A prosecutor says a woman has been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a mother and the abduction of her newborn son near Houston.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon says Verna McClain was charged early Wednesday in the killing of Kala Marie Golden.

Witnesses say Golden died Tuesday afternoon after another woman shot her, snatched the 3-day-old baby from her arms and drove away.

Ligon told ABC's "Good Morning America" that McClain's statement to investigators indicate the shooting was part of a plan to kidnap a child.

He says he doesn't think Golden was specifically targeted.

The baby, Keegan, was found unharmed Tuesday evening. Ligon says Child Protective Services are looking after Keegan but that they expect him to soon be reunited with his father.

U.S. soldiers posed with the mangled remains of suspected Afghan suicide bombers in 2010, according to report. http://t.co/gmsjKcOb

RT @torrey_ynews: #Obama targets #oil speculators: Is it just smoke and mirrors? http://t.co/7Tnnb1IZ

Abducted newborn found safe after his mother was fatally shot outside a pediatric center in Texas: http://t.co/jehWf8fY

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Would You Buy Apple Cologne?

MELBOURNE, Australia â€"  Most people love the scent of fresh apples ... but what about a freshly unwrapped Apple?

Artists in Melbourne, Australia are incorporating the scent of an Apple MacBook Pro laptop into an upcoming exhibit titled "Greatest Hits," All Things Digital reported Tuesday.

According to Macworld, "The scent created with Air Aroma ... encompasses the smell of the plastic wrap covering the box, the printed ink on the cardboard, the smell of paper and plastic components within the box and, of course, the aluminum laptop which has come straight from the factory in China."

Scent company Air Aroma said in a post on its blog this week that "samples of fragrances with the aroma of glue, plastic, rubber and paper" were obtained from its French supplier to use in the MacBook fragrance.

"The fragrance will be diffused with the Air Aroma Aroslim diffuser for the duration of [our client's] artistic exhibition in Melbourne," but will not be available commercially as it was only created for the exhibition, Air Aroma said.

The exhibition will run from April 20 to May 12.

Article from FOXNEWS

Warren Buffett diagnosed with early prostate cancer- Vitamin D linked with lower risk of prostate cancer

Article from FOXNEWS

Then/Now: \'Mary Tyler Moore\'

• Home
• Video
• Politics
• U.S.
• Opinion
• Entertainment
• SciTech
• Health
• Travel
• Lifestyle
• World
• Sports

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• RSS
• Newsletters

©2012 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All market data delayed 20 minutes. Privacy - Terms

Article from FOXNEWS

Fellow \'80s Stars Attack Kirk

Former child star Kirk Cameron stirred controversy in Hollywood when he declared homosexuality to be “unnatural,” “detrimental” and “ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization” to gossip show host Piers Morgan.

In response to Cameron's comments, some of his ‘80s and ‘90s sitcom contemporaries banded together to star in a mock PSA video as members of CCOKC: Child Celebrities Opposing Kirk Cameron on the comedy web site “Funny or Die.”

The video, which has had well over one million views in less than a week, pledges to “raise awareness about a serious threat to our civil rightsâ€"Kirk Cameron's stupid opinions.”

“A friend of ours who is gay had been posting some responses to Kirk on YouTube, and then we had the lightbulb idea to do this,” Brice Beckham, who starred the ‘80s sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” and spearheaded the video, explained to Fox411.com. “This just seemed like a way to poke fun at an idea we don't agree with.”

On “Fox & Friends,” Cameron stood by his original comments, calling out Morgan for bringing up the topic of gay marriage in the first place. 

“When you're sitting across the table from someone who knows what your perspective is on issuesâ€"and I've been very consistent, I don't think anything I said surprised anybody as a Bible-believing Christian," he said. "But to then take some answers, reduce an important and personal and sensitive issue to a four-second sound bite and toss it into a community to start a political bonfire and really upset people that you're saying that you're looking to protect â€" I think is disingenuous.”

And while he may be disappointed in Morgan, Cameron isn't particularly irked by his ‘80s colleagues' video, Fox411.com has learned.

"When Kirk heard about the spoof, he didn't have any bad feelings"

- Source close to Cameron

“When Kirk heard about the spoof, he didn't have any bad feelings â€" in fact, he thought it was funny,” a source explained. “He doesn't hate anybody.”

Hopefully, Cameron has a thick skin, because CCOKC round two is just around the corner: tee-shirts and a blooper reel are coming soon. 

“We're working on printing up some CCOKC tee-shirts for sale, with the proceeds going to a gay rights organization,”  Beckham told Fox411.com. “And we're possibly doing a follow-up video with outtakes from the shoot.”

Indeed the actors in original the “Funny or Die” video are not backing down one bit.

“If your personal beliefs incite hate speech or persecution of an entire group of people â€" perhaps that opinion is best kept to yourself,” Christine Lakin, who starred in the ‘90s hit “Step by Step,” told FoxNews.com.

“I'm supportive of Kirk Cameron and his right to say anything he wants to say within the limits of our First Amendment, but there's a line, and I think he came close enough to the line of hate speech,” added Keith Coogan, star of the 1987 film, “Adventures in Babysitting.”

Since the video premiered, the actors say they have received both positive and negative feedback from friends and fans.

“Everyone I know loved it, except for my cousin who has since disowned me,” said Josie Davis, who starred on “Charles in Charge” in the ‘80s. “I won't even quote the negative thing she said. I responded, ‘Thanks for sharing!' and then she unfriended me on Facebook.” 

“I got my first hate mail from it, which was nice,” said Coogan sarcastically. “I immediately emailed Brice after it came out and I was like, ‘You really stirred up a s**tstorm.'”

Davis thinks the haters should lighten up. 

“People are forgetting is that this is supposed to be funny â€" it's called ‘Funny or Die,'” said the star of “Sonny” with James Franco. “It's just a good message promoting love and it's not slamming people for being gay. It's not anti-Christian.”

Coogan believes the debate on the subject of gay marriage is invaluable.

“I love that there's been a discussion and a conversation started about it, I think that's the most important thing,” said the grandson of the legendary Jackie Coogan. “But I didn't expect any of that when Brice asked me, ‘Would you be interested in being a part of this video.' I had no idea it would exist outside the ‘Funny or Die' universe. I thought maybe it would get a couple thousand hits.”

Cameron has no official comment on the video, but his rep does tell FoxNews.com that “Kirk is focusing on his film ‘Monumental' which continues to do extremely well in theaters.”

Article from FOXNEWS