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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

First Person: Forever Changed After Service in Iraq

One of the last photos taken of me before I left the service in 2011. As we near the 10-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, Yahoo News asked U.S. servicemen and women who served to share their perspectives and discuss how it changed them. Here's one story.

FIRST PERSON | On March 19, 2003, when the U.S. military invaded Iraq, I was 18 and in Navy basic training. We had no TV, but the recruits were taken elsewhere to watch the televised event unfold. I didn't go because I was standing watch, and my training commander said I would miss the fun. I responded that I would most likely witness it first-hand myself one day.

I deployed to Iraq twice. The first was in 2005 aboard the USS Carl Vinson, and the second was in 2007-2008, embedded with the Army in Baghdad, Iraq and it's this deployment I'd like to discuss.

I was 23 and a Second Class Petty Officer (E-5). My task was to document the war for historical preservation. I traveled the country to collect data, pictures, artifacts and I interviewed multiple individuals to ensure the efforts of our military would be remembered.

A Marine colonel pins the Iraq Campaign Medal as well as a Joint Service Commendation Medal to my uniform.I witnessed and learned of many acts that ranged from heroic to atrocious. I interviewed troops who described events endured like the loss of comrades, close calls in combat and the overall daily life of service in Iraq.

Many Americans are at least aware of the videos terrorists posted online of beheadings and other atrocities, but because of my job I saw hundreds. One particular video was of a man who cried his children's names while begging his captors for his life. He had three daughters, and I watched this video as he was violently executed. It's now a rare occurrence, but I occasionally wake up hearing his screams echoing in my head.

I can't answer what we as a nation gained by invading Iraq, or whether invading was the right thing to do. What I can say is my belief as to why our service members answer our nation's call, regardless of where it takes them or the reasoning. I believe troops fight not for love of country nor orders handed down, but because of those who stand beside them. They fight because the men and women one serves with become his family, and these warriors selflessly risk their own lives for those of the family who surround them in arms.

A picture taken outside a checkpoint near a base in Baghdad, Iraq.Iraq affected my life in many ways. I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2008 and it wasn't caused by the close calls on my life, but the atrocities I was made aware of and my inability to come to terms with them. This cost me my first true relationship, pushed me to the brink of contemplating suicide and required therapy to learn to live with my knowledge of human depravity.

I am now a forever changed, but happy man. Iraq will always be with me, but I know how to cope and encourage anyone suffering symptoms of PTSD to seek help.

If asked to do it again, even if it meant sacrificing everything, I would without hesitation. I would because standing shoulder-to-shoulder with such high-caliber warriors, at sea and in Iraq, was the most rewarding experience of my life.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/first-person-forever-changed-iraq-161700180.html

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Jennifer Lawrence's Fall Can't Keep Her From Best Actress Oscar

First-time winner fights her way to the stage to claim her award.
By Brett White

Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702526/jennifer-lawrence-fall-oscars-stage.jhtml

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Sterling struggles after UK debt downgrade

LONDON (AP) ? The British pound is recovering after dropping against the world's leading currencies as markets reacted to a downgrade of the U.K.'s cherished triple-A credit rating.

During early trading Monday, sterling dropped to $1.5069 against the dollar ? its lowest level since July 2010 ? before bouncing back to $1.5144. Against the euro, the pound hovered around 18-month lows with one euro worth 0.8745 pound.

The pound was in focus in the wake of last Friday's decision by Moody's to downgrade the U.K.'s credit rating by one notch from the top AAA to AA1. The agency says sluggish growth and rising debt are weakening the British economy's outlook.

Two other major rating agencies ? Fitch and Standard & Poor's ? have also warned that they may downgrade the U.K. as well.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sterling-struggles-uk-debt-downgrade-103218519--finance.html

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Seth MacFarlane Wasn't a Terrible Oscars Host After All

Minutes into his opening monologue as host of the 2013 Oscars, Seth MacFarlane cracked a joke about the best oicture nominee, Django Unchained. "This is the story of a man fighting to get back his woman, who's been subjected to unthinkable violence," he began. "Or, as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it, a date movie." While the audience laughed uneasily, MacFarlane voiced what many were thinking about the host: "'That's what we were afraid he would do,'" he quipped. "That's as bad as it gets, if it makes you feel any better!" he tried to assure viewers (and censors).

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/seth-macfarlane-2013-oscars-host-review/1-a-523552?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aseth-macfarlane-2013-oscars-host-review-523552

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TSX slumps, hit by fears of Italian gridlock

TORONTO (Reuters) - The prospect of a divided Italian parliament prompted a late retreat in banking and other Canadian financial stocks on Monday, pushing the main Toronto equity index into the red after it had earlier hit a three-week high.

Voting projections in Italy show no coalition garnered enough votes to form a government, reviving fears about an extended period of uncertainty in Europe's third-largest economy.

"The basic problem is that the whole Europe situation had been shunted to the back-burner ever since the beginning of this year," said Elvis Picardo, strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver.

"The latest developments show that there is a degree of risk that is still attached to the continent," he said. "It's causing investors to rethink some of their assumptions about the market."

Royal Bank of Canada fell 1 percent to C$63.59, insurer Manulife Financial Corp lost 2.1 percent to C$14.84 and its rival, Sunlife Financial Inc , slipped 1.9 percent to C$28.34.

Picardo said investors may also be feeling more cautious about bank earnings, which are due to be reported this week and next, after a recent string of weak domestic housing, employment, inflation and retail sales data. <.to/>

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> ended down 50.76 points, or 0.40 percent, at 12,650.87.

It had earlier hit 12,832.71, its highest level since January 30.

The tide turned in the last hour of trade, and seven of the 10 sectors ended in negative territory.

Energy stocks took a beating, with Suncor Energy Inc falling 1.4 percent to C$31.52 to end the day as the heaviest weight on the index.

It had earlier risen, along with fellow oil sands producer Canadian Natural Resources Ltd , after a Barron's article suggesting each stock could gain 25 percent in the next year.

Canadian Natural Resources finished up 0.6 percent at C30.55.

Gold miners provided some of the only gains, as the price of bullion rose in part on the back of the Italian uncertainty.

Barrick Gold, the world's biggest producer, gained 2.2 percent to C$31.81, while four more gold miners rounded out the top five positive influences on the index.

Shares in BlackBerry ended flat at C$13.48, giving up early gains after the smartphone maker's chief executive told a German newspaper that sales of its make-or-break BB10 line were going better than expected and that the company had increased production to keep up.

(Editing by Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tsx-may-open-higher-investors-eye-italian-elections-134527465--sector.html

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Stern calls Clive Davis comments 'sickening'

Louis Lanzano / AP file

By Us Weekly

Howard Stern is adding his voice to the very public, very messy back-and-forth between Kelly Clarkson and Clive Davis. The radio shock jock, who is known more often for slamming celebrities than defending them, took a surprisingly sympathetic stance toward the "American Idol" alum's accusations that Davis had "bullied" her during their collaborations -- and mischaracterized her in his memoir, "The Soundtrack of My Life."

"I always find it sickening when management guys like to set the record straight about how f--king creative and what geniuses they are," Stern said on his show on Wednesday, Feb. 20. "And, like, this guy's trying to diminish what she does? Doesn't he have enough in life? Can't he sort of tell his story without f--king degrading her and putting her down?"

PHOTOS: Shocking celeb feuds

Earlier this week, Clarkson, 30, took to her blog to slam what she called Davis' "memory lapses and misinformation."

"First, he says I burst into 'hysterical sobbing' in his office when he demanded 'Since U Been Gone' be on my album. Not true at all," she wrote of her 2004 album?"Breakaway." "I cried because he hated ["Because of You"] and told me verbatim that I was a 's--tty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me.'"?

The legendary 80-year-old record producer defended the details of his memoir, though he did own up to "a few creative differences' in their years working together.

PHOTOS: Kelly's funny night at the Grammys 2013

"As anyone who has read 'The Soundtrack of My Life' knows, I think Kelly Clarkson is a tremendous vocal talent and performer," he wrote on Twitter one day later, on Wednesday, Feb. 20. "In the book, I provide an in-depth look at our years together during which we shared major multi-platinum success, as well as a few creative differences. I am truly very sorry that she has decided to take issue with what I know to be an accurate depiction of our time together."

Stern's comments Wednesday similarly praised Clarkson's vocal prowess, though he too saw Davis' memoir as a knock on the "Stronger" singer's talents.

PHOTOS: Kelly's body evolution

"I think she has an amazing voice, and the girl has worked hard to get to where she is," he said. "I don't understand Clive Davis' motivation for knocking this chick down."

The 59-year-old radio host is no stranger to controversy himself, having come under fire earlier this year after calling 'Girls' creator Lena Dunham a "little fat girl" and likening the HBO show's sex scenes to "rape" -- he offered Dunham an on-air apology a few days later.

"It makes me feel bad, and I think she is getting the impression that I somehow think she's just a talentless little fat chick," he said.

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Monday, February 25, 2013

LG Optimus L3 II hands-on: Jelly Bean comes in a pebble (video)

LG Optimus L3 II handson Jelly Bean comes in a pebble video

The blink-and-you-miss-it phone you see above is the LG Optimus L3 II, the smallest in the Korean manufacturer's trio of style-driven devices. Much like its predecessor, the L3 II is a 3.2-inch Android handset; the difference this time is the fact that it's running Jelly Bean, a firmware version that way too many larger smartphones -- even some new ones -- are still lacking. The twist here is that only Android fans with small hands and no need for raw processing power need apply, as there's only a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 chipset (MSM7225) and 512MB RAM running the magic behind the show. Additionally, we were greeted by a QVGA (320 x 240) resolution, 3.15MP rear camera and 1,540mAh battery.

The fact that such a small phone with rather "budget-friendly" specs can run Jelly Bean without too much concern is a fact-check to manufacturers that claim their older devices can't be upgraded to it due to fears that it won't perform properly. Granted, the device was slower than we're accustomed to seeing on other Android 4.1 phones, but we have a feeling that it wouldn't be that much different a story if it were using Ice Cream Sandwich.

When it comes to the fit and feel of the L3 II, you probably won't be terribly surprised to learn that it wasn't terribly comfortable, though admittedly we're now conditioned to do hands-ons with phones as large as 5.5-inch (and even 6.1-inch). That said, its pebble-like form factor nearly got buried in our hands and it was difficult to see even the most trivial of apps, thanks to the vastly limited screen real estate. Still, we recognize that this particular size is designed to fit a very specific demographic, and it will likely delight anyone who is in the market for a smaller handset. Regardless of its size, the L3 II at least feels as if it's made with solid build quality. The white version offers a matte finish, while the black remains glossy -- and yes, a massively annoying fingerprint magnet.

Gallery: LG Optimus L3 II hands-on