U.S. Republican targets IRS employees in Tea Party probe

By Kim Dixon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans probing the Internal Revenue Service want to question five employees about the tax agency's targeting of the Tea Party and other conservative groups, an effort that a key lawmaker said on Wednesday was part of a fact-finding mission.

"It appears that a number of IRS employees played key roles in carrying out the improper scrutiny," Republican Representative Darrell Issa, head of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, said in a letter to the IRS requesting transcribed interviews with the employees.

Issa did not elaborate on why these employees were chosen and it remains unclear if they engaged in any improper activity. The IRS has not released names of employees who were involved in an effort launched in 2010 in Cincinnati to target Tea Party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny as they sought tax-exempt status.

The agency has said it will cooperate with any inquiries, but officials were not immediately available to comment on Issa's request or the employees listed.

The targeting effort eventually came to the knowledge of top IRS officials in Washington, one of whom acknowledged it and apologized publicly last Friday. Faced with a widening scandal, President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that the acting director of the IRS, Steven Miller, would resign.

In a letter to employees, Miller praised the agency's work and said he was stepping down to try to restore confidence in the agency.

FIVE IRS EMPLOYEES NAMED

One of the employees sought by Issa in his letter is Holly Paz, the Washington-based director of rulings and agreements for the tax exempt division, who contributed at least $2,000 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008, according to federal election records. In 2012 she announced at a tax conference steps the IRS was taking to question large tax-exempt groups about their political activities.

Paz said at the time that the IRS was looking at whether such groups were complying with the law, which does not allow exemptions for groups focused on political activities, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing her comments at the conference. Paz didn't name any specific groups.

The Journal named Crossroads GPS, the giant organizing committee co-founded by Republican operative Karl Rove, as one group the IRS intended to examine. A U.S. senator had asked the IRS to conduct an inquiry. Priorities USA, a rival started by Obama aides, is another of the biggest of these groups.

Paz could not be reached for comment.

Another employee Issa wants to question is Greg Muthert, who told Reuters he is an IRS agent in the Cincinnati office with 28 years of service.

Muthert declined to elaborate on his role with the IRS and to what extent, if any, he was involved in the controversial flagging of certain groups. He defended the work of the Cincinnati office.

"I don't know what to think. Something's wrong, but I'm going to speak my piece one time, and that's it," he said.

Issa also asked to speak with Joseph Herr. A Tea Party group, the Ohio Liberty Coalition, told Reuters that Herr handled its application for tax-exempt status and asked questions the group considered inappropriate. It was not clear why they were deemed inappropriate by the group.

Some Tea Party groups complained to members of Congress about the extensive questioning from the IRS. In letters the groups had complained that the IRS was seeking lists of donors and many documents.

Herr could not be reached for comment at his home in Cincinnati.

The Clear Lake Tea Party of Texas publicly complained about IRS employee cited in Issa's letter, Elizabeth Hofacre, who handled the group's application. Hofacre could not be reached for comment.

Mary Huls, president of the Clear Lake Tea Party in Texas, told Reuters her group received a letter from Hofacre in which the IRS requested 19 additional questions. Huls declined to elaborate.

"They were personal and they didn't seem to have too much bearing on whether or not we could be tax exempt," Huls said.

The group stopped the process "because then we thought that we would lose our rights of free speech," Huls said.

Hofacre could not be reached for comment.

The fifth employee listed in the letter is John Shafer, whose position was unknown and who could not be located.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Nick Carey, Kevin Drawbaugh, Bob Driehaus and Kim Dixon.; Editing by Marilyn W. Thompson, Mary Milliken and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-republican-targets-irs-employees-tea-party-probe-044915275.html

i am legend san antonio spurs greta van susteren tony parker the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012

Beckham to retire from soccer at end of season

Paris Saint Germain's David Beckham celebrates their title after winning their French League One soccer match against Lyon, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Paris Saint Germain's David Beckham celebrates their title after winning their French League One soccer match against Lyon, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Paris Saint Germain's coach Carlo Ancelotti celebrates the title with player David Beckham, left, after winning their French League One soccer match against Lyon, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Paris Saint Germain's midfielder David Beckham from England, left, and Paris Saint Germain's midfielder Marco Verratti from Italy, right, arrive to attend the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Valenciennes, at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris, Sunday, May 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

LONDON (AP) ? David Beckham is retiring from soccer, ending a career in which he transcended the sport with forays into fashion and a marriage to a pop star that made him a global celebrity.

The 38-year-old midfielder, who recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain, said Thursday he will retire after the season.

"I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level," the former England captain said in a statement.

Beckham, whose curling free kicks became his signature as a player, has two more matches left at PSG ? against Brest on Saturday and at Lorient on May 26. He has been giving his salary to a children's charity.

Beckham started his career with Manchester United and also played for Real Madrid and the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning titles with all those clubs. He also spent time with AC Milan.

"If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy," Beckham said. "I'm fortunate to have realized those dreams."

On the international stage, Beckham made 115 appearances for England's national team ? a record for a player other than a goalkeeper.

"To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country," Beckham said. "I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I'm honored to represent England both on and off the pitch."

Beckham is now living in London with wife Victoria, a former "Spice Girls" singer, and their four children.

"I wouldn't have achieved what I have done today without my family. I'm grateful for my parents' sacrifice, which made me realize my dreams," he said. "I owe everything to Victoria and the kids, who have given me the inspiration and support to play at the highest level for such a long period."

With United between 1992 and 2003, Beckham won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and the Intercontinental Cup.

Beckham left United in 2003 shortly after manager Alex Ferguson accidentally struck Beckham's eye with a football boot. Ferguson announced his retirement from Manchester United last week.

Beckham spent four years in Madrid ? winning the 2007 Spanish title before making the surprise move to Major League Soccer, where he won the title twice.

There were highs and lows in Beckham's international career. He was blamed for England's elimination from the 1998 World Cup for his petulant red card against Argentina, but scored the winning goal against the same team at the World Cup four years later.

Beckham responded to jeering at the 2000 European Championship with an obscene hand gesture to England fans, but was lauded by the same supporters a little more than a year later when his last-minute free kick against Greece secured a place at the 2002 World Cup.

England dropped Beckham in 2006 in an effort to renew the team with younger players after a quarterfinal exit at that year's World Cup. England coach Steve McClaren recalled him the following year after a poor run of form, and he returned for the remainder of England's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.

His last England appearance came against Belarus in October 2009, and he missed the 2010 World Cup because of an Achilles tendon injury. He still went to South Africa as part of Fabio Capello's backroom staff.

"I want to thank all my teammates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from," Beckham said. "I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed."

Beckham had already started planning for his post-playing career earlier in the season, becoming an ambassador for Chinese soccer.

"Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead," Beckham said. "I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

Beckham played a key role in England's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup ahead of the 2010 vote, and the English Football Association wants to capitalize on his influence and star power in the future.

"He is an iconic figure in the game and produced wonderful performances for his clubs, particularly Manchester United," FA chairman David Bernstein said. "When you look at his playing and work for England, no one would ever accuse him of being unpatriotic and not giving everything for his country.

"He is a real loss to the game and I am sure the FA will want to embrace him and to get him closely associated with the organization."

Beckham's retirement comes a week after the 71-year-old Ferguson ended his managerial career.

"In the week following Sir Alex Ferguson retiring, which came as a bit of a shock, now we have the iconic David Beckham coming out of the game," Bernstein said. "It's unexpected even though he is getting to mature years for a footballer."

___

Rob Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/RobHarris

?

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-16-Beckham%20Retires/id-1fee30631d824cca8d9786bc89913682

mothers day 2012 osama bin laden death spinal muscular atrophy brooklyn nets may day protests tony nominations 2012 facebook organ donor

Google Didn't Mention Google Glass During Its Keynote - Business ...

Google didn't mention its exciting new computing platform Glass once during a three and a half hour presentation to developers.

(Sure, Larry Page gave Robert Scoble a rap on the knuckles for that shower photo, but nothing substantive was said at all.)

Glass, which is a computerized lens that floats over your right eye, is supposed to mark the beginning of a revolutionary new paradigm.

Developers are the very people who would be most interested in news or other updates on the product. They create apps that will presumably bring all kinds of functionality to Google Glass, filling in the blanks just like iOS developers do in Apple's App Store.

This omission is puzzling since people were wearing Glass in the audience, which should be an obvious visual clue that people want to hear what's going on with it.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-didnt-mention-google-glass-during-its-keynote-2013-5

quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro travis pastrana aj jenkins shea mcclellin

NTT DoCoMo's summer mobile lineup is all about battery life, colors and LTE

While the semi-annual parade of new smartphone models at NTT DoCoMo often reveals some unexpected devices, this summer it had a bumper crop: we've already seen the new Sony Xperia A, Sharp's Aquos Phone Zeta and Aquos Pad SH-08E plus a Galaxy S4 in "arctic blue." Seven more phones round out the lineup and NTT DoCoMo is trumpeting 2,100 mAh minimum batteries, LTE, NFC and quad-core processors for the entire gamut. Other standout models include Fujitsu's 5.2-inch, 1080P Arrows NX F-06E, a model with a 16-megapixel camera you'll likely never see stateside, Panasonic's Eluga V P-06D with a 4.7-inch 1080P screen and a whopping 2,600 mAh battery, and Disney Mobile's F-07D, which should be an endurance wonder with a 720P screen and 2,600mAh cell. Naturally, there's a rainbow of new hues for most of the models, which will roll out over the summer in Japan -- click the source link PDF for detailed specs or check the PR after the jump.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

Comments

Source: NTT DoCoMo (PDF)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Eo5xW76SQzw/

Summly monsanto Human Rights Campaign bioshock infinite smokey robinson smokey robinson kellie pickler

US launches drone from aircraft carrier

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (AP) ? A drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world.

The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases.

"As our access to overseas ports, forward operating locations and airspace is diminished around the world, the value of the aircraft carrier and the air wing becomes more and more important," Rear Adm. Ted Branch, commander of Naval Air Forces Atlantic, said after the flight off the Virginia coast. "So today is history."

The move to expand the capabilities of the nation's drones comes amid growing criticism of America's use of Predators and Reapers to gather intelligence and carry out lethal missile attacks against terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

Critics in the U.S. and abroad have charged that drone strikes cause widespread civilian deaths and are conducted with inadequate oversight.

Still, defense analysts say drones are the future of warfare.

The new Joint Strike Fighter jet "might be the last manned fighter the U.S. ever builds. They're so expensive, they're so complex, and you put a human at risk every time it takes off from a carrier," said James Lewis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"This is the next generation of military technology ? the unmanned vehicles, the unmanned submersibles, the unmanned aircraft. This will be the future of warfare, and it will be a warfare that is a little less risky for humans but maybe a little more effective when it comes to delivering weapons and effect."

While the X-47B isn't intended for operational use, it will help Navy officials develop future carrier-based drones. Those drones could begin operating by 2020, according to Rear Adm. Mat Winter, the Navy's program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons.

The X-47B is far bigger than the Predator, has three times the range and can be programmed to carry out missions with no human intervention, the Navy said.

While the X-47B isn't a stealth aircraft, it was designed with the low profile of one. That will help in the development of future stealth drones, which would be valuable as the military changes its focus from the Middle East to the Pacific, where a number of countries' air defenses are a lot stronger than Afghanistan's.

"Unmanned systems would be the likely choice in a theater or an environment that was highly defended or dangerous where we wouldn't want to send manned aircraft," Branch said.

During Tuesday's flight, the X-47B used a steam catapult to launch, just as traditional Navy warplanes do. The unarmed aircraft then made two low approaches toward the aircraft carrier as it if was going to land, before being waved off and returning to a higher altitude. The jet then landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland about an hour later.

The next critical test for the tailless plane will come this summer, when it attempts to land on a moving aircraft carrier, one of the most difficult tasks for Navy pilots.

Earlier this month, the X-47B successfully landed at the air station using a tailhook to catch a cable and bring it to a quick stop, just as planes setting down on carriers have to do.

The X-47B has a wingspan of about 62 feet and weighs 14,000 pounds, versus nearly 49 feet and about 1,100 pounds for the Predator.

While Predators are typically piloted via remote control by someone in the U.S., the X-47B relies only on computer programs to tell it where to fly unless a human operator needs to step in. Eventually, one person may be able to control multiple unmanned aircraft at once, Branch said.

The group Human Rights Watch said it is troubled by what it described as a trend toward the development of fully autonomous weapons that can choose and fire upon targets with no human intervention.

"We're saying you must have meaningful human control over key battlefield decisions of who lives and who dies. That should not be left up to the weapons system itself," said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch.

Developed by Northrop Grumman under a 2007 contract at a cost of $1.4 billion, the X-47B is capable of carrying weapons and is designed to be the forerunner for a drone program that will provide around-the-clock intelligence, surveillance and targeting, according to the Navy, which has been giving updates on the project over the past few years.

The X-47B can reach an altitude of more than 40,000 feet and has a range of more than 2,100 nautical miles, versus 675 for the Predator. The Navy plans to show the drone can be refueled in flight, which would give it even greater range.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-launches-drone-aircraft-carrier-205352636.html

Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores khan academy Espn College Football

15 Android Fixes We Want to See This Week

Google I/O is almost upon us, and that means, presumably, some updates to Android. We might not see a full-on update to a new version (5.0) announced at tomorrow's keynote, but we do expect some changes. And while the wishlist might not be as long as it has been in years past, there's still plenty left to do. Here's what we're hoping for.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mvPuCH0zQpA/15-android-fixes-we-want-to-see-this-week-505604331

christine double fine adventure turbo tax katharine mcphee cold mountain valentines day ideas the villages florida

Shakespeare: working magic in solitary confinement

Can Shakespeare really touch the hearts of America's most hardened criminals? Professor Laura Bates says the answer is yes.

By Marjorie Kehe,?Books editor / May 15, 2013

"That?s the ironic thing," says Laura Bates of her work teaching Shakespeare to prisoners in solitary confinement. "These big scary prisoners were frightened of Shakespeare."

Courtesy of Indiana State University

Enlarge

The concept of "Shakespeare behind bars" is not new. At least since 1995 there have been programs in some US prisons encouraging inmates to study and/or perform Shakespeare. But prisoners in solitary confinement? This group ? considered to be the most dangerous and hardened inmates in the entire penal system ? have always been excluded from such programs.

Skip to next paragraph

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; // google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Until Laura Bates came along. Bates, a professor at Indiana State University and author of Shakespeare Saved My Life, recently talked with Monitor books editor Marjorie Kehe about her experiences teaching Shakespeare to inmates in a ?supermax? long-term solitary confinement prison unit. Here are excerpts of their conversation.
?

Q: What gave you the idea of teaching Shakespeare to prisoners in solitary confinement?

Initially I got the idea to do volunteer work in prison because a friend of my husband?s was working in a maximum security prison. I sort of challenged the whole idea. I thought these maximum security prisoners were beyond rehabilitation. And so I started my own program [teaching college classes] at the local Chicago Cook County Jail with first-time offenders. I didn?t know what ?supermax? was until one of my students was sent there. Flash-forward 25 years: Here I am teaching in supermax.

Q: Were you scared at first?

I want to say no but nobody?s going to believe me! I was definitely apprehensive. Of all the years I spent working in prisons, the most apprehensive that I ever felt was that first day that I entered the supermax unit.

But partly I think my background helped. I?m not a traditional academic. I grew up in inner-city Chicago. I worked my way through school. I didn?t end up getting a college degree until rather late in life.? My parents didn?t have college educations. So in a funny sort of way, I wasn?t as scared of prison as I was of college or academia!

And in a strange way I find that to be true [of the prisoners as well]. Because of all the prisoners I worked with ? the 200 prisoners I worked with ? not a single one entered the program through a love of Shakespeare. And many of them were actually frightened of Shakespeare. That?s the ironic thing: these big scary prisoners were frightened of Shakespeare.? A 400-year-old dead author. Initially there was that fear factor and challenge that they themselves had to get over.

Q: Can you tell us about Larry Newton, the convicted murderer who had been in solitary confinement for 10 years ? and who became your star Shakespeare scholar??

Larry didn?t even know who Shakespeare was. I think that?s part of the beauty of this story. Larry [is like] so many other prisoner readers ... [who] didn?t have a teacher at high school or college feeding them their Shakespeare. They directly connect to Shakespeare. And that?s something that Larry did on a very, very personal level. [While reading ?Macbeth?] Larry said that he found himself questioning Macbeth?s motives: Why does he do this deed that he knows is wrong? Why does he give in to peer pressure?

Larry [said that this led to] a very harsh analysis of himself. [He asked himself]: Why did I engage in a variety of criminal behaviors that I personally didn?t want to do? What was driving my motives? [And] that?s where he really found true freedom. [Editor?s note: Mr. Newton?s improved behavior after he began studying Shakespeare eventually led to his release from solitary confinement. He has since written a manual to help other inmates read Shakespeare.]

"Macbeth" is the first play I have the prisoners read. I felt like they would connect, that they would relate to the character of Macbeth who is a good man who is contemplating making a bad choice in killing an innocent person.

Q. And you've seen this kind of character analysis lead to personal reform?

Absolutely! That?s why it?s so important to get the word out [about these kinds of programs]. The Shakespeare program [at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange, Ky.] and a handful of others tend to focus on the performance of the plays. And that?s a good thing in itself of course. But we use the plays exclusively to try to have the prisoners come to that kind of understanding of themselves. So it?s really about self-analysis and ultimately a change in their criminal behavior.

Q: Could this kind of program work using an author other than Shakespeare?

The beauty of Shakespeare is that his works are so open to multiple interpretations. And I think that is more true of Shakespeare than other literature. And then ?Macbeth? in particular is a very important text to be used in prisons because it gets so into the head of a killer who at the beginning of the story is not a bad person. That?s a very important text for the prisoners.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/9TrQstQIMoQ/Shakespeare-working-magic-in-solitary-confinement

Breezy Point Seaside Heights nj transit PSEG hocus pocus hocus pocus mta schedule