Friday, March 29, 2013

Striking Guantanamo prisoners say water denied

MIAMI (AP) ? Prisoners taking part in an expanding hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay leveled new complaints about their military jailers Wednesday as a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross made a fact-finding trip to the U.S. base in Cuba.

In an emergency motion filed with a federal court in Washington, lawyers say guards have refused to provide drinking water to hunger strikers and kept camp temperature "extremely frigid," to thwart the protest. A spokesman for the detention center denied the allegations.

"The reality is that these men are slowly withering away and we as a country need to take immediate action," said Mari Newman, a human rights lawyer based in Denver, who was among those who submitted the motion.

They filed the petition after interviewing Yemeni prisoner Musaab al-Madhwani by phone Monday. He told them that guards were refusing to provide bottled water and telling prisoners to drink from tap water that inmates believe is non-potable. The lawyers say in their motion that the lack of drinkable water has "already caused some prisoners kidney, urinary and stomach problems," in addition to the health effects of the hunger strike.

Along with their motion, they submitted an affidavit from Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist and retired general, who believes that the hunger strike and lack of adequate drinking water "sets them up for gastrointestinal infections and a quick demise." The doctor also said the 34-year-old al-Madhwani suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his torture while in U.S. custody in Afghanistan and could be worsened by harsh conditions at Guantanamo.

The U.S. government has not filed a response to the motion. Navy Capt. Robert Durand, a spokesman for the prison, said prisoners are provided with bottled water and that the tap water is safe to drink.

"It's potable water. It's the same water I make my coffee with and that they make lunch with," Durand said. He also denied that there had been any change to the air conditioning settings inside the prison camps.

Accounts of the hunger strike have been in sharp conflict for weeks. Lawyers who have visited or interviewed their clients say a majority of the 166 men held at Guantanamo have joined the protest and some have lost significant weight and are at serious risk.

The military said that as of Wednesday, there were 31 men on hunger strike, up from 28 on Monday. Three men were at the hospital being treated for dehydration and 11 were being force-fed with a liquid nutrient mix to prevent dangerous weight loss.

A two-person delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross that includes a doctor is at the base to assess the situation. They started a week earlier than planned because of the hunger strike, said spokesman Simon Schorno. Their findings will be presented to the camp commander and Miami-based Southern Command, which oversees the prison, but will not be made public.

Lawyers for the prisoners say the hunger strike began on Feb. 6 as a protest of the men's indefinite confinement without charge and because of what they said was a return to harsh treatment from past years, including more intrusive searches and confiscation of personal items such as mail from their families. The military says no policies or procedures have changed at Guantanamo and the strike is an attempt to draw attention to their cause.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest say Obama's team is closely monitoring the hunger strikes, but deferred to the Pentagon for any specifics.

"The administration remains committed to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo bay," Earnest said, noting that legislation passed by Congress makes it likely that process won't be quick.

____

Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler contributed from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/striking-guantanamo-prisoners-water-denied-152817946.html

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Child With Hearing Disorder Gets Wish

Mar 26, 2013 11:14pm

ABC News? Dan Harris, Julia Bain and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek report:

You would have to look closely, but if you kept your eye on Carson Rubin, you would see he is consistently one step behind his preschool classmates.

Carson claps only after seeing everyone else doing it, sits for a few more seconds when all the other kids stand up, and stares off when teachers are talking to him.

?I think he?s constantly trying to keep up,? Shay Rubin, Carson?s mother, told ABC News. ?I think he wears himself out trying to keep up with everybody else, and trying to figure out what?s going on all the time.?

Carson is 5 years old and has a condition called auditory neuropathy, a hearing and nerve disorder where sound waves entering the ear can?t reach the right parts of the brain.

For Carson, the world around him sounds like a radio station that?s not quite tuned in.

?You hear a sound, but it?s not very clear,? Lauren Stott, Carson?s audiologist said. ?It?s distorted or static. You feel like, ah, I can tell there?s something there but it?s not quite right.?

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Image credit: ABC News

Carson?s parents worry his condition is not only damaging his intellectual development, but also endangers his safety.

If there was a car coming fast down a street, he wouldn?t hear it.

The good news is that there is a treatment that could dramatically improve Carson?s hearing called cochlear implants.

Karen Munoz, associate professor of audiology at Utah State University, who is not involved with Carson?s case, said: ?Cochlear implants will open his world to sound and the ability to fully engage in the world around him.?

Cochlear implants involve a surgery that has produced miraculous results for many children. But at a cost as high as $132,000 per ear, individuals would either?need to have $264,000 on hand, or an insurance policy that covers the procedure.

The bad news is that when the Rubin?s first asked their insurance plan, Coventry Health Care of Georgia, they were told their policy didn?t cover cochlear implants.

The exclusion for cochlear implants is listed on the Coventry Health Care of Georgia plan documents provided to the Rubins.

?Without appropriate access to hearing the skill to develop spoken language won?t occur,? said Munoz.

For Carson to get the surgery the Rubins were daunted by the idea they may have to set?up a payment plan to get their son the treatment he needed to hear.

When ABC News? first contacted Coventry Health Care of Georgia, Coventry issued the following statement:

?Coventry is committed to offering affordable coverage and access to high quality care to all of our members.?While Coventry?s policies provide coverage for a broad scope of benefits and services,?no health?insurance?policy?covers?every?procedure. ?Currently, states determine which benefits and services must be covered, and Coventry?s policies always comply with state requirements. Consistent with the standards for Georgia?s small group market and state regulations, Coventry?s small group policies have not covered cochlear implants.?

As many as 90 percent of private insurance companies and all Medicaid programs cover cochlear implants.

A 2008 Vanderbilt study estimated that 12,816 children would be considered for cochlear implants each year.? And every year more than 1,000 kids who are candidates are likely to be denied cochlear implants by their private insurance companies.

In 2011, Coventry earned roughly half a billion dollars in profit. Allen Wise, Coventry?s CEO, is number 53 on the Forbes list of richest executives, and in 2011 had a total compensation package of $20.87 million, which could cover Carson?s implants 80 times over.

?We?re just an American family trying to raise children and have a family and this is the predicament we find ourselves in,? Brian Rubin said.

Brian Rubin and Shay Rubin, a stay-at-home mom, live in suburban Atlanta, with their two children. At first, the parents turned to Facebook to raise money for their son?s cochlear implants, raising nearly $10,000, a drop in the bucket for a procedure.

Despite the setbacks, the Rubins remained determined.

?One way or another he?s going to get what he needs,? said Shay.

Coventry Health Care denied ABC News? repeated requests for an on-camera interview, but when ABC News made one last call to Coventry we learned they had changed their position on covering cochlear implants.

Coventry issued the following statement to ABC News on the matter:

?Until very recently, small group policies in Georgia have not covered cochlear implants, and?Coventry?s policies remained consistent with those standards. We understand policies have shifted, and as a result, we are making a similar change to our policies.?Coventry?Health Care of Georgia will cover cochlear implants for commercial members as of April 1.?

Carson Rubin?s cochlear implant surgery is scheduled on April 19.

This change in policy is only for members of Coventry Health Care in Georgia. ? But while Coventry Health Care operates plans in 25 states, cochlear implants are only covered for their members in Utah and now Georgia.

When asked if Coventry Health Care would change its cochlear implant coverage policy for its other 23 states, they told ABC News, ?We are?re-evaluating?our policies in other states.?

But coverage for hearing devices and specifically cochlear implants may improve with the Affordable Care Act, possibly as early as 2014.

Janet McCarty, the private health plans?adviser?at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and a member of the organization?s Government Relations and Public Policy Committee told ABC News, ?Under the Affordable Care Act, as one of the essential benefits, there are rehabilitation and habilitation services that?theoretically?would cover health care services that would help a person keep, learn or improve skills or?functions?of daily living.? ?McCarty hopes hearing aids and speech generating devices like cochlear implants would be covered under the Affordable Care Act.

The Rubins? prayers were answered and when they heard Coventry had changed their policy to cover Carson?s cochlear implants, the shock was almost too much.

?I kind of couldn?t breathe for awhile,? Shay Rubin said.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/03/26/child-who-needs-corrective-hearing-surgery-gets-wish/

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

Record Wall Street boosts sentiment, U.S. holds key in Q2

TOKYO (Reuters) - Whether the world's largest economy can sustain momentum will be a primary focus for investors for the next three months after a general recovery trend in the United States helped risk sentiment for broad markets in the first quarter of 2013. Asian shares edged higher and the euro steadied on Friday after banks in Cyprus reopened to relative calm. Overall trade was subdued, with many Asian markets, including Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, closed on Friday for Easter holidays.

Banks lift TSX on Cyprus calm; index up for quarter

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index powered ahead in a late surge on Thursday, led by strength in financial and industrial shares, on relief that banks in Cyprus reopened relatively smoothly following a bailout deal. The market received further support from BlackBerry after the smartphone maker reported a surprise quarterly profit.

Cyprus says threat contained, no plan to leave euro

NICOSIA (Reuters) - The president of Cyprus said on Friday the risk of bankruptcy had been contained and the country had no intention of leaving the euro, in a speech laden with criticism of Europe's currency union for "experimenting" with the island's fate. Conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades spoke a day after banks reopened following an almost two-week shutdown to avert a run on deposits by worried Cypriots and wealthy foreign depositors as the country raced to clinch a rescue package from the European Union.

Quarter of U.S. firms in China face data theft: business lobby

BEIJING (Reuters) - A quarter of firms that are members of a leading U.S. business lobby in China have been victims of data theft, a report by the group said on Friday, amid growing vitriol between Beijing and Washington over the threat of cyber attacks. Twenty-six percent of members who responded to an annual survey said their proprietary data or trade secrets had been compromised or stolen from their China operations, the American Chamber of Commerce in China report said.

Exclusive: Indonesia's CT Corp proposes all-cash deal for Bakrie's media unit

TANJUNG BENOA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia's fifth-richest man has proposed to buy a controlling stake in PT Visi Media Asia, valued at up to $1.8 billion, in an all-cash deal that would give him the lion's share of the TV advertising market in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Chairul Tanjung, the billionaire founder and chairman of CT Corp, a conglomerate with banking and media interests, told Reuters that his company wanted to buy the stake in the media unit of Indonesia's powerful Bakrie family without any partners.

Sony, Olympus delay medical venture as regulatory approval on hold

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp and Olympus Corp have again delayed the start of a joint venture to develop medical equipment because they have yet to gain approval from some regulators. "The examination by the relevant authority is taking longer than expected," the two companies said in a statement. They did not set a new date for operations to start.

Commission considers good and bad of British banking

LONDON (Reuters) - The Archbishop of Canterbury has spent the run up to Easter contemplating the ethics of the trading floor and ways to curb greed in the City of London. Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of 80 million Anglicans, is one of an influential committee of British lawmakers looking at how to change the culture of an industry laid low by price manipulation, mis-selling and fraud.

Boeing CEO urges FAA to return 787 to service, delays continue

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - - Boeing Co Chief Executive Jim McNerney on Thursday urged regulators reviewing battery problems on the company's grounded 787 passenger jet to let the plane back into service, saying he was confident the redesigned battery was safe. He would not specify when he expected the jet to be flying customers again other than saying "sooner rather than later."

Indonesia should ban all private cars from using subsidized fuel: adviser

TANJUNG BENOA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia should slap a nationwide ban on the use of subsidized fuel by the country's 11 million private cars, a move that would save the government $8.6 billion this year and erase a widening fiscal deficit, a presidential adviser said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is struggling to find a way to deal with runaway fuel subsidy costs that now account for more than 30 percent of state spending and are draining funds that should be used for much-need infrastructure in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Hockey helps Canada's economy grow again in January

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economy bounced back from a year-end slump in January thanks to factories, mines and the return of professional ice hockey, but growth still looks too weak to match the central bank's upbeat outlook and interest rates are unlikely to budge until 2014. Gross domestic product expanded by 0.2 percent in the month, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, following the weakest two quarters since the 2008-09 recession and a 0.2 percent contraction in December.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-012855661--finance.html

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Strap a Tiny Toolbox To Your Zipper With Gerber's Daily Carry Accessories

Gerber's long been a name associated with those big multitools you carry in a nylon pouch on your belt. But as the company works to expand its brand, it's started to think on a smaller scale with its new Gerber Daily Carry—or GDC—tools. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0yU2IkQ9CHM/strap-a-tiny-toolbox-to-your-zipper-with-gerbers-daily-carry-accessories

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Mini Must-Have: Flynn Bloom?s Cute Bag

Find out who makes Miranda Kerr's son's cute doggie backpack.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/XgC_ZxLVgUw/

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ISA Survival Guide for Grad Students: the essential clothing, food, shelter, and networking dos and don?ts

by Megan MacKenzie on 2013-03-24 in Duck

blog1It is time again for the International Studies Association Annual Conference. With thousands of attendees, a phone book full of panels, and a slough of receptions, dinners, meetings, and opportunities, the whole thing can be a bit overwhelming as a grad student (and for everyone else too!). You?ve likely received advice on how to present your work in 10 seconds or less- but what about the rest of the conference? Here are a couple of key tips for surviving the four days and getting the most out of the experience.
Before we get to the real essentials (food, shelter, and clothing), let?s start with networking:
In addition to all the obvious tips (always wear your name tag, ask your supervisor to invite you along to some key dinners/meetings, hang out in the common areas and just generally act like you are speed dating, but for a job and contacts rather than for a mate) here are some more unconventional tips for making an impression:

  • Do get up and head down to the lobby if you have jet lag and can?t sleep at 4am. There is always the potential that you?ll be invited to join a tequila tasting/debate on the norm diffusion/poker game, or that you?ll see your academic idol passed out in the lobby- who wants to miss that for reruns of ?What Not To Wear? in the hotel room?
  • Do Google image all of your academic idols. If you end up behind Ole Waever in the Starbucks lineup you don?t want to miss the chance to (quickly) introduce yourself and tell him you use his work in your thesis. Also, if Ole comes to your panel, and you don?t recognize him, and he asks a difficult question about securitization (hey, it is possible!) you don?t want to a) accuse him he doesn?t know what he?s talking about b) go into detail about what an idiot you think Ole Waever is c) ask him if he?s related to Kevin Bacon because there is something familiar about him. On that note, Don?t (ever) use the coffee lineup, receptions, or the bar as an opportunity to ask someone like Ole to explain what they mean by social security or to tell them what aspects of their theory you think they got wrong. You may be right, and you may be brilliant, but there is a fine line between making an impression and burning a bridge/looking like a total douche.
  • Don?t follow the advice ?ask a question at every panel, but start by talking about your research first.? People who tell you to do this want you to fail. Yes, you should ask questions if and only if you have a strong, relevant question- let?s be honest, that won?t be at every panel. And, yes you should always introduce yourself first. But no one wants the Q&A time hijacked by someone pitching their own research- save that for the bar or receptions.

Ok, on to the other essentials:

Clothing
Choosing what to wear at a conference can actually be quite difficult as a graduate student. You want to look professional, you have no money, and you don?t want to end up looking like a little kid dressed in his/her parent?s business attire. So?

  • Do remember that a full-on formal business suit isn?t necessarily the standard for men or women- especially if you are under 25. I cringe thinking about the big boxy androgynous-looking suits I wore to my first ISA. I thought I was so cool and professional but I?m sure I looked like the ?professional? clearance rack at Filene?s Basement threw up on me. Think- ?what would I wear to give a guest lecture at my university? NOT ?what did Russel Crowe wear in a Beautiful Mind or Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile?? Remember, navy is not mandatory, no one carries a leather briefcase with code locks,? and everyone can tell the difference between real and fake pearls.

Food and Booze (or, how to get through the conference with less than $200)
The obvious ?do? is to attend as many receptions as possible through the conference and graze the food. What you should also know, is receptions rarely have enough food for all the attendees, so arrive early. In fact, you can hit up one or two receptions before they actually start, fill your belly (and grab some wine) before you eventually settle on the final destination (the hotel staff setting things up recognize your ?help me, I?m a broke grad student? smile and leave you to fill your plate in peace). Oh, and the Feminist Theory Gender Studies reception ALWAYS has the best food (and, my opinion is also the most welcoming reception and best place to meet great and interesting people- even if this isn?t your area). Also,

  • Do sign up to participate in any pre-conference workshops that seem remotely relevant to your topic. These can be a great way for you to interact with people in intimate settings- and they provide food!
  • Don?t overdo it on the booze. Yes, it may be free at some receptions (not many!) but it is tough to network and hand out your card when you are completely blotto. In fact, though most aspects of the conference can be enhanced by a glass of wine or two, I recommend grad students stay sober. You?ll be 10 steps ahead of your woozy competition and you?ll actually make it to the 8am panels. There will be plenty of time to indulge when you have a job and the last thing you want to be remembered for is blurting out ?I f@cking love feminism? to Ann Tickner or? ?I think norms are an urban myth? to Kathryn Sikkink.
  • Do keep a stash of protein/granola bars, fruit, yogurts in your room and in your conference bag. This can help you avoid the $4.99 cake/cardboard muffins on offer in the halls and keep you from passing out before the receptions.

Shelter
At this stage you?ve already secured accommodation?..right?
Well in case you haven?t, Do offer to share with fellow grad students to cut down costs; however, Don?t think that stuffing four grad students into a single room will necessarily be a success. Don?t get me wrong, some of my best ISA memories involve late nights chatting it up with my ISA roomies, but unless you are discerning on this, you could end up with a snorer, an alcoholic, an insomniac, a ?What Not to Wear? addict, and limited access to the shower. Sometimes the best option is a single room at the hostel down the road from the conference.

What are your ISA survival tips?

Print article

Source: http://www.whiteoliphaunt.com/duckofminerva/2013/03/isa-survival-guide-for-grad-students-the-essential-clothing-food-shelter-and-networking-dos-and-donts.html

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Disable Windows 8?s Adaptive Brightness to Fix Dark Screen Problems

In the newly installed Windows 8, you might feel the Brightness level is not updated or according to user choice, the reason behind it that the relating brightness feature?doesn?t?work in proper manner. Now how to disable it follow the following:

More occasionally, it is a positive response that your feature is working so that one can make sure that the driver is working in a proper manner, still here is some points for you.

Dark Screen of windows 8Adjusting the Brightness in Windows 8

To start with the process, press the Win + I and you will see the Brightness control bar on the screen.

Brightness control bar The MacBook settings vary up and down.

Disabling Adaptive Brightness in Windows 8

Use the combination of keys, Win+D, to call up the power management icon, navigate to the more power options of the menu.

More Power OptionsNote: Metro screen should be used to access to the power options Panel.

Now, hit the ?Change Plan settings? and choose the Plan for it.

Power Options windowOnce here, you need to hit the ?Change Advanced Power settings? link.

More advanced power settingsAfter reaching at the right place, scroll down to Adaptive settings, and make the changes like turn on the settings from off to on.

Power optionsThrough the above stated settings, all the brightness issues are resolved and now you can alter the brightness of your PC by above stated discussions.

Source: http://techmell.com/how-to/disable-windows-8-adaptive-brightness-fix-dark-screen-problems/

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Health News and Fitness ? The Fundamentals Of Cosmetic Surgery

Mar 16 2013

It is not unusual for an individual to have anything they would like to change about their human anatomy. Some people have abnormally large noses. Some women would like to see their breast size enlarged or reduced. Many people want to decrease the fatty deposits in their stomachs, hips and thighs! That is where plastic surgery will come in. You are having a healthier, normal part of your body reshaped and changed for aesthetic reasons, when you have cosmetic surgery done. These areas of you?

Source: http://www.firstborn.us/the-fundamentals-of-cosmetic-surgery/

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Microsoft Kinect for Windows Director Bob Heddle: In Conversation liveblog

Microsoft Kinect for Windows Director Bob Heddle In Conversation liveblog

Kinect has branched out from its gaming roots to PC interaction, and we?re chatting with Bob Heddle, director, Kinect for Windows at Microsoft to see how the hardware is changing natural user-interfaces. We?re also set to get a sneak peak at what?s coming up in the next release of the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit. The chat gets started at 7PM ET, sharp.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Gaming, Laptops, Software, Microsoft

Comments

Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/16/microsoft-kinect-for-windows-bob-heddle-liveblog/

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Tekifeedcom-GadgetFeedsGadgetNewsAndMore/~3/zwRkfdpcox4/

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Syria's children shot at, tortured, raped, group says

By Oliver Holmes

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A boy of 12 sees his best friend shot through the heart. Another of 15 is held in a cell with 150 other people, and taken out every day to be put in a giant wheel and burnt with cigarettes.

Syria's children are perhaps the greatest victims of their country's conflict, suffering "layers and layers of emotional trauma", Save the Children's chief executive told Reuters.

Syrian children have been shot at, tortured and raped during two years of unrest and civil war, the London-based international charity said in a report released on Wednesday.

Two million children, it said, face malnutrition, disease, early marriage and severe trauma, becoming innocent victims of a bloody conflict that has already claimed 70,000 lives.

"This is a war where women and children are the biggest casualty," chief executive Justin Forsyth told Reuters during a visit to Lebanon, where 340,000 Syrians have fled.

Forsyth said he met a Syrian refugee boy, 12, who saw his best friend killed outside a bakery. "His friend was shot through the heart. But initially, he thought he was joking because there was no blood. They didn't realize he had been killed until they took his shirt off," he said.

The Save the Children report cited new research carried out among refugee children by Bahcesehir University in Turkey which found that one in three reported having been punched, kicked or shot at.

It said two thirds of children surveyed said that they had been separated from members of their families due to the conflict and a third said they had experienced the death of a close friend or family member.

"All these children tell you these stories in a matter of fact way and then you realize that there are layers and layers of emotional trauma there," said Forsyth.

Syria's civil war started with peaceful protests against the dynastic rule of President Bashar al-Assad. His forces shot at protesters and arrested thousands and soon the revolt turned into a civil war. Rebels now control large swathes of Syria.

Millions have fled their homes for safer ground or neighboring countries. Save the Children says 80,000 people are living in barns, parks and caves and children struggle to find enough to eat.

Both government forces and rebels have been accused of targeting civilians and committing war crimes. Refugees say that Assad's soldiers are directly targeting children.

Forsyth said he met one child who said he was in a prison cell with 150 people, including 50 children.

"He was taken out every day and put in a giant wheel and burnt with cigarettes. He was 15. The trauma that gives a child is devastating."

Save the Children says that some young boys are also being used by armed groups as porters, runners and human shields, bringing them close to the front line.

RAPE AND EARLY MARRIAGE

Rape is being used to deliberately punish people, said Forsyth, adding that it is underreported due to the sensitivity of the issue, especially among conservative communities.

"In most conflicts, over 50 percent of rapes are against children. And I am sure that is the case in this conflict too."

Fear of sexual violence is repeatedly cited to Save the Children as one of the main reasons for families fleeing their homes, according to the report.

It said that there are also reports of early marriage of young girls by families trying to reduce the numbers of mouths they have to feed, or hoping that a husband will be able to provide greater security from the threat of sexual violence.

Forsyth said that he met a Syrian family in Lebanon who told their 16-year-old daughter to marry an older man. "Her mother said she is beautiful and every time the (Syrian) soldiers came to the house she thought: 'They are going to rape her.'"

"Rape is being used deliberately to punish people," he said, adding that girls as young as 14 are being married off.

Save the Children works in neighboring countries and within Syria but Damascus has restricted access to aid organizations, especially in opposition-held territory.

The charity called for unfettered and safe access to humanitarian agencies, including "access across the lines of the conflict", and for Damascus to ease bureaucratic restraints.

Despite pledges of $1.5 billion by international donors for a response plan to help Syria's displaced, only 25 per cent has been funded, the United Nations says.

(Editing by Kevin Liffey/Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-children-shot-tortured-raped-charity-report-030509304.html

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Monday, March 11, 2013

SKorea, US begin drills as NKorea threatens war

(AP) ? South Korea and the United States began annual military drills Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the U.S.

After the start of the drills, South Korean officials said their northern counterparts didn't answer two calls on a hotline between the sides, apparently following through on an earlier vow to cut the communication channel because of the drills.

Pyongyang has launched a bombast-filled propaganda campaign against the drills, which involve 10,000 South Korean and about 3,000 American troops, and last week's U.N. vote to impose new sanctions over the North's Feb. 12 nuclear test. Analysts believe that much of that campaign is meant to shore up loyalty among citizens and the military for North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang isn't believed to be able to build a warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, and the North's military has repeatedly vowed in the past to scrap the 1953 armistice. North Korea wants a formal peace treaty, security guarantees and other concessions, as well as the removal of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

Still, South Korean and U.S. officials have been closely monitoring Pyongyang's actions and parsing the torrent of recent rhetoric from the North, which has been more warlike than usual.

North Korea regularly claims South Korea-U.S. drills are a preparation for invasion, but Pyongyang has signaled more worry about the drills that began Monday. The drills follow U.N. sanctions that the North says are the result of U.S. hostility aimed at toppling its political system.

North Korea has also warned South Korea of a nuclear war on the divided peninsula and said it was cancelling nonaggression pacts.

Under newly inaugurated President Park Geun-hye, South Korea's Defense Ministry, which often brushes off North Korean threats, has looked to send a message of strength in response to the latest threats. The ministry warned Friday that the North's government would "evaporate from the face of the Earth" if it ever used a nuclear weapon. The White House also said the U.S. is fully capable of defending itself against a North Korean ballistic attack.

North Korea has said the U.S. mainland is within the range of its long-range missiles, and an army general told a Pyongyang rally last week that the military is ready to fire a long-range nuclear-armed missile to turn Washington into a "sea of fire."

While outside scientists are still trying to determine specifics, the North's rocket test in December and third atomic bomb test last month may have pushed the country a step closer to acquiring the ability to hit the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction. Analysts, however, say Pyongyang is still years away from acquiring the smaller, lighter nuclear warheads needed for a credible nuclear missile program.

But there are still worries about a smaller conflict. North Korea has a variety of missiles and other weapons capable of striking South Korea. In 2010, North Korea shelled a South Korean island and allegedly torpedoed a South Korean warship, killing a total of 50 South Koreans.

Both incidents occurred near the disputed western sea boundary, a recurring flashpoint between the Koreas that has seen three other bloody naval skirmishes since 1999.

Kim Jong Un visited two islands just north of the sea boundary last week and ordered troops there to open fire immediately if a single enemy shell is fired on North Korean waters. Kim was also quoted as saying his military is fully ready to fight an "all-out war" and that he will order a "just, great advance for national unification" if the enemy makes even a slight provocation, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

Despite the threats, South Korea and the U.S. began the 11-day war games as scheduled Monday. The allies have repeatedly said the drills and other joint exercises are defensive in nature and they have no intention of attacking the North.

A U.S. military statement said the exercise is not related to current events on the Korean Peninsula.

The drills are part of larger war games that began March 1 and are set to go on for two months.

U.S. troops in South Korea are meant to prevent North Korean aggression, U.S. and South Korean officials say, and are a legacy of the Korean War, which ended with the peace treaty that leaves the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war.

___

Associated Press writer Foster Klug contributed to this report from Seoul.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-10-Koreas-Tension/id-f46102883e1045dd87c23c750f8e51ec

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Speed cited in Ohio crash that killed 8 teens

WARREN, Ohio (AP) ? Investigators were focused on speed as a key factor in the crash of a sport utility vehicle carrying eight teenagers that smashed into a guardrail and flipped over into a swampy pond, killing five boys and the young woman driving.

While citing an unspecified "high rate" of speed, investigators wouldn't speculate on whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash about 7 a.m. Sunday on a two-lane road snugged between guardrails just south of this industrial Ohio community.

No one in the vehicle had permission to take it, but there were no theft reports, State Highway Patrol Lt. Brian Holt said. The vehicle was licensed to a resident of Youngstown, about 20 miles away. It wasn't clear how the teens knew each other.

"I can't believe you're gone," Mariah Bryant, 12, wrote in a message taped to a stuffed bear at the scene in memory of her half-brother, Daylan Ray, 15, who was killed.

"I love and miss you so much," said the message, which drew a steady stream of onlookers. The bear was part of a growing memorial of stuffed animals at the roadside.

The Honda Passport veered off the left side of a road and overturned about 60 miles east of Cleveland, State Highway Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston said. Investigators say it came to rest upside down in the swamp and sank with five of the victims trapped inside. A sixth, who was thrown from the SUV during the crash, was found under it when the vehicle was taken out of the water.

The two boys who survived escaped from the submerged vehicle and ran a quarter-mile to a home to call 911, the highway patrol said.

Holt said at an evening news conference that speed was a factor, although investigators were still trying to determine the speed at the time of the accident.

"We will not be speculating on alcohol and-or drug usage pending toxicology reports," Holt said.

After the news conference, the gates of an impound lot were opened to show the wreck, with windows smashed and extensive damage to the front end, hood and roof.

Ralston didn't know where the teens were headed when the crash happened and Holt said later it wasn't clear how long they had been out.

"All I know is my baby is gone," said Derrick Ray, who came to the crash site after viewing his 15-year-old son Daylan's body at the county morgue. He said he knew that his son, a talented football player who was looking forward to playing in high school, was out with friends, but didn't know their plans.

Warren Fire Department Capt. Bill Monrean said a cold water rescue team was deployed to the scene and got five teens out of the submerged vehicle.

"Being a cold water rescue situation, cold water extends life," Monrean told AP Radio. "We knew we had a chance; even being in there a while."

Two of the teens, both 15, were brought to a hospital in full cardiac arrest, St. Joseph Health Center nursing supervisor Julie Gill said, and were pronounced dead there. She said they were treated for hypothermic drowning trauma, indicating they had been submerged in cold water.

The two survivors, 18-year-old Brian Henry and 15-year-old Asher Lewis, both of Warren, were treated for bruising and other injuries and released, she said.

All those killed were ages 14 to 19, authorities said. State police identified the others as the 19-year-old driver Alexis Cayson; Andrique Bennett, 14; Brandon Murray, 17; and Kirklan Behner, Ramone White and Ray, all 15. The Highway Patrol said Cayson was the only female in the vehicle.

Rickie Bowling, 18, a friend of Behner, sobbed at the crash scene as she recalled his playfulness and reputation as a cut-up.

"He was one of a kind," she said. "Everyone knew him in the neighborhood. In school, he always made everyone laugh."

Officials opened a school where several of the victims attended to provide counseling for families Sunday night. Superintendent Michael Notar called the crowded closed-door session heartbreaking and said counselors would be available again Monday in schools.

Cheryl Moore, 54, whose nephew is a classmate of some of the victims, emerged from the counseling session and said it was helpful. "I just feel we have to come to grips with what happened today," she said.

All eight were from Warren.

Warren, located near the Pennsylvania state line, is a mostly blue-collar city that was hit by the decline of U.S. steel mills. It has more than 41,000 residents in the industrial Mahoning Valley region.

___

Associated Press writer Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/highway-patrol-high-rate-speed-ohio-crash-063431955.html

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Al-Qaida says it killed 48 Syrian soldiers in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Al-Qaida's branch in Iraq claimed responsibility on Monday for the killing last week of 48 Syrian soldiers and nine Iraqi guards in western Anbar province.

The brazen assault suggests possible coordination between the terror network's Iraq affiliate and its ideological allies in Syria who are fighting on the side of the rebels against President Bashar Assad's regime.

The Syrian troops had sought refuge in northern Iraq during recent clashes that ended with the rebels taking over a border crossing along Iraq's northern province of Ninevah. The troops were being escorted back to Syria through another border crossing, further south, in Iraq's western Anbar province, when they were ambushed.

In a statement posted on militant websites Monday, the Islamic State of Iraq said its fighters were monitoring the movements of the soldiers as Iraqi authorities worked to transfer them secretly back across the border.

"The lions of the desert and the men of the impossible missions set up traps along the road that leads to the border exits," said the statement.

The attack started with militants detonating explosive charges on military escort vehicles assigned to protect trucks carrying the Syrian soldiers, the group said.

After that, "the fighters launched an attack from two directions using light and medium range weapons as well as rocket propelled grenades," said al-Qaida in Iraq. "Within less than half an hour the whole convoy ... was annihilated."

The account of the attack matches descriptions provided to The Associated Press by Iraqi officials in the immediate aftermath of the assault.

Syria's conflict began with anti-regime protests in March 2011 and later spiraled into civil war. The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed so far.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaida-says-killed-48-syrian-soldiers-iraq-073247122.html

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

US, China propose tough UN sanctions for NKorea

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FILE - In this undated file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a consultative meeting with officials in the fields of state security and foreign affairs at undisclosed location in North Korea. U.N. diplomats say the United States and China have reached agreement on a new sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)

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FILE - In this Wed., Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, a South Korean protester shouts slogans near an effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an anti-North Korea rally to denounce North Korea's nuclear test in Seoul, South Korea, a day after North Korea defied U.N. warnings with a nuclear test. The Cold War still rages in North Korea, and enemy No. 1 is the United States, which Pyongyang blames for making necessary its much-condemned drive to build nuclear weapons. North Korea?s latest nuclear test in February - its third - has led even China, its only major ally, to support a new round of U.N. sanctions. A draft resolution is expected to be circulated this week at the U.N. The West condemns the North's nuclear bombs as a serious threat to Northeast Asia's delicate security and a drain on precious resources that could go to North Korea's largely destitute people. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? A U.S.-China draft resolution aimed at reining in North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program would impose some of the strongest sanctions ever ordered by the United Nations, in a move certain to infuriate the regime and inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The proposed resolution put forward by the United States and China ? North Korea's closest ally ? followed Pyongyang's third nuclear test on Feb. 12. It reflected the U.N. Security Council's growing anger over the country's defiance of three previous rounds of sanctions aimed at halting all nuclear and missile tests.

Pyongyang threatened to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War in response to the looming fourth round of sanctions. North Korea insists its nuclear program is a response to American hostility that dates back to the Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war.

"North Korea will be subject to some of the toughest sanctions imposed by the United Nations," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said. "The breadth and scope of these sanctions is exceptional and demonstrates the strength of the international community's commitment to denuclearization and the demand that North Korea comply with its international obligations."

Rice and China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong, who negotiated the text behind closed doors over the last three weeks, predicted speedy approval of the resolution.

"The vote will be Thursday ? that's the target," Li said. Rice said the council hoped for "unanimous adoption."

The draft resolution would make it significantly harder for North Korea to move around the funds it needs to carry out its illicit programs.

It would also strengthen existing sanctions that bar North Korea from testing or using nuclear or ballistic missile technology and from importing or exporting material for these programs. It would strengthen the inspection of suspect cargo bound to and from the country.

Many analysts believe that the success of this new round of sanctions depends largely on how well China enforces them. Most of the companies and banks that North Korea is believed to work with are based in China.

The Korean People's Army Supreme Command, citing the U.S.-led push for sanctions, threatened Tuesday to cancel the armistice agreement on March 11 because of ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that began March 1. Without elaborating, the command also warned of "surgical strikes" meant to unify the divided Korean Peninsula and of an indigenous, "precision nuclear striking tool."

Such heated military rhetoric and threats have become increasingly common from North Korea as tensions have escalated following last December's rocket launch and Pyongyang's recent nuclear test.

The United States and other nations worry that North Korea's third nuclear test pushes it closer to its goal of gaining nuclear-armed missiles that can reach the U.S. The international community has condemned the regime's nuclear and missile efforts as threats to regional security and a drain on the resources that could go to North Korea's largely destitute people.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said President Barack Obama and the American people want to see North Korean leader Kim Jung Un engage in peace talks.

"Rather than threaten to abrogate and threaten to move in some new direction, the world would be better served ... if he would engage in a legitimate dialogue, legitimate negotiations, in order to resolve not just American concerns, but the concerns of the Japanese and the South Koreans and the Russians and the Chinese, everybody in the region," Kerry said in Doha, Qatar. "That's our hope."

Kerry also stressed that the United States will continue "to do what is necessary to defend our nation and the region together with our allies."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is South Korean, said the North must abide by the Korean armistice.

"I am deeply concerned about that kind of very provocative rhetoric," Ban said. "I strongly urge the Pyongyang authorities to reverse course to build trust that will lead to durable peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

China's Li also called for increased dialogue.

"Military solutions aren't a solution," he told reporters. "We are concerned about the peace viability in the region and ... around the whole world. So that's why we encourage all the parties to sit down and have a serious talk with each other and address their differences through diplomatic means."

Rice said the proposed sanctions break new ground by targeting the illicit activities of North Korean diplomatic personnel, banking relationships and illicit cash transfers.

All countries would now be required to freeze financial transactions or services that could contribute to North Korea's nuclear or missile programs, according to a Security Council diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because the draft has not been circulated publicly.

To get around financial sanctions, North Koreans have been carrying around large suitcases filled with cash to move illicit funds, the diplomat said. The draft resolution clarifies that financial sanctions apply to all cash transfers as well as the cash couriers.

The proposed resolution includes what the diplomat called unprecedented new travel sanctions that would require countries to expel agents working for sanctioned North Korean companies.

The draft also requires states to inspect suspect cargo on their territory and prevent any vessel that refuses an inspection from entering their ports. And a new aviation measure calls on states to deny aircraft permission to take off, land or fly over their territory if illicit cargo is suspected to be aboard, the diplomat said.

____

Associated Press writers Matthew Pennington in Washington, Foster Klug and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul and Louise C. Watt in Beijing contributed to this report.

??Recommend this story. ??Know more about this story? Tell us.

Source: http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2013/mar/05/us-china-propose-tough-un-sanctions-for-nkorea/

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Basketball: NBA to play 8 preseason games at overseas venues

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Jeb Bush stumbles on path to citizenship (Los Angeles Times)

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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Shane Black and Kevin Feige Iron Man 3 Interview

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While Marvel and Disney have been trying to keep the buzz on?Iron Man 3?on a low hum, that?s all about to change.? With the film?s release date fast approaching (May 3), the studios have started unveiling the merchandise and they also recently held a long lead press day where they showed selected members of the press about 15 minutes of the movie.? In addition, right after watching the awesome-looking footage, we got to interview?Robert Downey Jr.?as well as?Iron Man 3?director?Shane Black?and?Kevin Feige?(President of Production at Marvel Studios).

During the interview with Black and Feige, the two talked about?creating the film?s iteration of The Mandarin, how the film?s plot came together, the connective tissue between?The Avengers?and?Iron Man 3, how?Downey, Black and Drew Pearce worked together on the dialogue on set, the way Iron Patriot plays a role in the sequel, the stunt-heavy filming of the Air Force One attack sequence, and so much more.? If you?re looking forward to Iron Man 3, I promise you?ll love this interview.? Hit the jump to either read or listen to what they had to say.

iron-man-3-posterNote: This interview took place the day before the Super Bowl and it was after Marvel showed us about 15 minutes of Iron Man 3.? If you?d like to know what I thought of the footage, here?s my spoiler free recap.

In addition, Marvel has just released a new trailer for Iron Man 3, so you might want to watch that first before reading the interview.

And since I know some of you like to read the highlights, here?s a few of them from this interview.? Just know (slight) spoilers are discussed.

  • When Shane Black first came in to meet on the project, they had the basics of the film?s plot outlined: a Tony Stark-centric story, they wanted to blow up his life and see how he deals with a nemesis without his suits working, and get him back metaphorically to the cave with a box of scraps like the first film.
  • When crafting The Mandarin, Black wanted to interpret the comics character in a more realistic way for the movies that?s still recognizable, like The Joker in The Dark Knight.
  • This iteration of The Mandarin is a modern day terrorist who?s savvy; he knows how to use the media and the intelligence world to his benefit.
  • The only connective tissue between The Avengers and Iron Man 3 is the effect of the events from the Avengers on Tony?s psyche.
  • The story is one of Tony learning to become Tony Stark again outside the armor, vulnerable to these massive new threats.
  • Robert, Shane, and Drew Pearce would try to improve lines in the script on the day of shooting by gathering together and thinking about how to ?plus? the scene with different dialogue.
  • The Iron Patriot armor is created as a response to the events of The Avengers, in that the US Government felt embarrassed that the United States was saved by a group of superheroes and not the government.
  • They filmed an Air Force One attack sequence using the Redbull skydiving team and digitally erasing their backpacks. They did 8 to 10 jumps a day for a week.
  • Initially, Shane Black wasn?t happy with the idea of working with a co-writer, but after a few meetings he and Drew Pearce became good friends and collaborators on the script.

Click here to listen to the audio, otherwise the full transcript is below.??Iron Man 3 opens May 3.

iron-man-3-poster-ben-kingsleyQuestion:? So watching the footage today it?s kind of interesting that they called his glove ?The Gauntlet,? is there anything going on with that?? Because there?s a Marvel thing that?s called The Infinity Gauntlet.

Kevin Feige: Whoa.

Shane Black: Wow, we just dived right in.

That was just one thing I picked out of that footage that I thought was really great.

Feige: I think [we] always have sort of called that a gauntlet.? The Iron Man gauntlet, not Infinity.

Black: The giant rabbit was fun; we had enormous fun coming to work every day to see that big thing.

Just to clarify something Robert Downey Jr. said in his session, he said that Jon Favreau and he had reached out to you a couple of times so you have been involved in the Iron Man projects before this one.

Black: Only in so far as I knew Robert from a previous movie and Jon and he would come over kind of grumpy, sort of groping for ways to fix the script and they asked me a couple questions.? I don?t think that I contributed anything too terribly important, although Robert?s been kind enough to cite it as having been helpful.? I don?t remember that very well, frankly.? I just remember they came over, we ate some food and I think one of the things Jon?s done since then, however, has been very helpful to me on this one.? As an actor coming in he had every opportunity to be kind of weird or resentful, like ?I did these pictures for four years and now you?re doing them?? But instead he was the nicest guy in the world and was extremely beneficial in helping like, ?What would you do here, Jon?? and that kind of thing. ?He?s great.

I?m curious how the project came together in terms of story.? How early on did you know this was the exact story you guys were going to make and how much did it change along the way?

kevin_feige_iron_man_2_movie_image_set_photo_01Feige: Well we first started meeting with Shane in spring of 2011 maybe because you came in on the mix day, I think we were mixing Captain America at Fox and we were having meetings with him there.? We knew a few of the elements that have remained.? We had pillars of we want it to be: a Tony Stark-centric story, we want to blow up his life and see how he deals with a nemesis without his suits working, get him back metaphorically to the cave with a box of scraps, like the first movie.? That has remained and carried on through, and it was one of the reasons we connected with Shane.? Because if we wanted to do a big ?It connects to The Avengers and then Nick Fury comes in and stuff,? I don?t think Shane would have been interested in that? and I don?t I don?t think he would have been the right guy for it.? But to take a Tony Stark journey and explore his character deeper than we had since the first act of the first film, he was the man.? It evolved over the next 8 or 9 months after that into basically what it is now.

Of course during that you also have to sprinkle some things in for the fans, you have to make it part of that bigger world. ?Can you both talk about finding the balance in your jobs?

Black: I consider the fan base to basically be Marvel?s job.? Mine is to be a fan and I am one and I have been from a young age, of Iron Man, so for me, I just please me and I hope that pleases the rest of the fans.? It should.? For instance, one of the joys for me has always been seeing how you take a villain from the comic book and realize him in a slightly more realistic way for the movie, render him for movies in a way that?s recognizable, but different.? And that?s fun.? Like the Joker in The Dark Knight is not the Joker from the comic book, but there?s just enough of him that you recognize him and go, ?Wow, what a creative way of interpreting the Joker for motion pictures.? So that was our task here too.? The fans love this character The Mandarin and we just said, ?Well, what we don?t want is this potentially racist, stereotype of a Fu Manchu villain just waving his fist.? But we found a way, I think, to get an iteration of The Mandarin that we like.? We got very excited about bout having cracked this story when we found out that we could include The Mandarin and give him a character that would be a perfect match, the ultimate Iron Man villain, but without relying too heavily on what the comic book stereotype was.

Iron-Man-3-poster-Gweneth-PaltrowFrom what we saw today, I thought what was really compelling about even just that brief glimpse of him was how stage managed he was.? To see the set that they had set up for him to deliver his address and see how very savvy the media set up is, and yet the character he?s playing is more archetypal and I think more arch than that.? It?s a really interesting idea, a media terrorist, or a media-age terrorist and certainly something that we can?t help but be aware of right now, how those things get used. ?Was that part of what attracted you to this notion of him?

Black: From the very beginning we were all about that, yeah, the idea of just a real world interpretation of this guy who, I hate to break it to you, but he?s not from space in this.? The rings are rings.? They?re showmanship.? They?re accoutrements.? They?re paraphernalia of warfare that he sort of drapes himself with.? He studies Sun Tzu.? He studies insurgency tactics. ?He surrounds himself with dragons and symbols of warlords and Chinese iconography because he wants to represent this sort of prototypical terrorist who ? we use as the example Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now -?this guy who may have been an American, may have been a British National, someone who is out there doing field work, supervising atrocities for the intelligence community who went nuts in the field and became this sort of devotee of war tactics, and now has surrounded himself with a group of people over which he presides, and the only thing that unifies them is this hatred of America.? So he?s the ultimate terrorist, but he?s also savvy.? He?s been in the intelligence world.? He knows how to use the media.? And taking it to a real world level like that was a lot fun for us.?

It?s interesting because obviously when Iron Man started part of what was so appealing about Jon?s approach was how grounded it was, how real world it was, and now over the course of the rest of the Marvel movies, you?ve introduced a god from Asgard, space aliens, Loki, and all these truly fantastic elements and yet you still have to have Tony grounded in something recognizable.? Has that been a balancing act in this film?? Is there some sense that the fantastic has changed him and then changed how he deals with this world that he lives in?

Iron-Man-3-poster-Guy-PearceFeige: Yes, and it sort of answers your other question, which is that the only real connective tissue we wanted from Avengers in this movie was Avengers? effect on Tony?s psyche.? This man who comes from this grounded universe ? I always say it?s grounded enough although he builds an iron suit and flies around ? the notion that Tony Stark, who is the shit and always thought of himself as top dog, now has been to outer space, nearly got killed by freaking aliens, has encountered a god that can smash him across the forest with a hammer, has encountered a guy that his father used to talk about from 1945.? It?s no mistake that we meet Tony at the beginning of this movie and he?s just building suits, putting himself in the suit, and he?s much more comfortable when he?s in the suit.? And a lot of this movie is about Tony learning to become Tony Stark again outside the armor, and he has a little help in that his house is completely destroyed.

Black: He?s in a world where all of the sudden, without this armor, there?s elements with which he cannot hope to compete.? So his comfort in his own skin has diminished at the start of this movie by the fact that he feels like, unless he can build the perfect man, he?s going to be outdone and outshone by these people who are literally gods.? So how he can then have those suits taken away from him until he?s just a man and he can?t possibly compete, that was the impetus for this movie, rip everything off him and say, ?Yes, you?re alone with these incredible forces aligned against you, and you don?t even have your armor.?

Feige: And in all of our films, particularly this one with what Shane and Drew Pearce have done, you can have heightened elements. ?Look at Avengers, you can have these crazy otherworldly things as long as the way the characters are responding to those things?the emotional response of the characters, that?s where grounding it in reality is most important.? Even in the comics, by the way, that?s the difference between caring about a comic book character and not, is if their emotional response is believable and is appropriate.? Certainly what Tony is going through based on the events of Avengers is very real and, is not quite as dire as this, but is a form of post-traumatic stress.? He is actually dealing with it in a way you don?t see superheroes deal with it much.

Iron-Man-3-poster-Don-CheadleBlack: It?s almost like a sub-genre in a way of taking a comic book movie and then imposing on it what would happen in the real world if this happened.? And people have done that with ?Damage Control? or whatever, so this is just more about trying to maintain the sense of reality form the first Iron Man given that there?s a god from space.? Because if in the middle of Iron Man, when he was in the cave with Yinsen and Thor came in you would say, ?What the hell is this movie?? That doesn?t make any sense.? But now, Thor is there so what does that mean for our character?

When in the process did you come in to it?? How much had Marvel and Marvel Film Division mapped out what Iron Man 3 was going to be?? And at any stage in the process did you guys go, ?Well we better take it down because we can?t go bigger than Avengers right after Avengers??

Black: They said that to me upfront and I agree.? That was the touchstone of the first meeting was that we can?t go bigger than we?ve just gone.

Feige: Well it would be a fool?s errand to do that.? There?s no reason to do that.? Shane was in early days.? Again we wanted to get Tony, we were sort of internally talking about, back to basics, metaphorically blow him up on a convoy, put him back in a cave and see what he can do with a box of scraps.? That was about as far as we had ? and it was not an Avengers-centric story outside of just the effect that all of it has had on him.? So no Nick Fury, no Black Widow; those were really the only parameters.? And we did want him to have a mystery to uncover and solve that he would [be] on his own for.? That was about it and then Shane and Drew brought it to life.? And we certainly are looking over their shoulders and giving them input every step along the way, but it was a collaboration form that point.

We talked a little bit with Robert earlier about how in the first two films he would come up with lines on the spot or change things and I?m curious about his collaboration with you on this one.? How much was he sticking to the script?? How much were you guys fiddling with the dialogue on the day of?

Iron-Man-3-posterBlack: Well, he was sticking to the script, but the script wasn?t necessarily being written far in advance [laughs].? The script would be written sometimes a day or two in advance, but we?d have an outline for a scene.? Often what it was was we would have all the jokes lined up, or all the dialogue, or all the points and beats lined up, but we would play the game of plus-ing.? Which was we would say ?Okay Robert, here?s your line,? and he would go, ?Eh, okay, I can say that but I think we can beat it,? and I?d go, ?Okay we?re shooting soon, let?s plus it, what do you want?? And then we would sit and we would talk, we would try to come to something that had that shape, but that was plus-ed.? Sometimes it would Drew Pearce chiming in and we?d go, ?Okay that?s a plus,? then Robert would say something.? We tried to keep all the good stuff.? Every once and a while someone would have an idea that we didn?t like and we?d say, ?No, no that?s a minus.? It was an evolving process, but the script was always there, there was always a fallback, that was great.? We could always get one that was the script and then we could say, ?Try to plus.? It was like when I worked with Bruce Willis back then when Bruce used to do a lot of improving.? Get one that?s the script, then talk to Bruce and play.? And we?ll always have the base line, then if you can plus it, terrific.? The experience with me was that most of the time Robert could plus what was there, or the collaboration of Robert, Drew, and myself in a room for 20 minutes prior to shooting would enhance what was there and it was usually better than when we walked into that trailer.

In these Iron Man movies it seems like in every other scene he?s got a new suit.? In this one we?ve seen the Mark 47 and Iron Patriot. ?Can you talk a little bit about those, how they came into the script, and what they?re bringing to it?

kevin_feigeFeige: Yeah, you know we?ve seen, through Avengers, 7 or 8 suits and we wanted to progress that in this one.? It?s part of, again, the effect Avengers had on him is that he?s tinkering even more than he did before and he?s building much more than he ever did before.? The Iron Patriot is also kind of a response to Avengers.? It?s a government rebrand of War Machine, frankly because the US government felt that they were slightly embarrassed by the events of Avengers.? These crazy heroes known as ?The Avengers? were the ones that saved the day, saved New York City, saved United States; not the government.? The government felt they needed a hero of their own, they have a military officer that has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white, and blue. They pose it next to the president and Tony sort of rolls his eyes, you saw a little bit of that today.? They want a hero of their own.? And Tony?s like, ?What do you mean, I?m a hero?? And they say ?Well you?ve been spending a lot of time in your workshop.? We want somebody we can rely on.? So that?s sort of how the Iron Patriot came about.? And, again, it?s a thing from the comics, we just thought the Iron Patriot suit looked equal parts cool and slightly goofy in the comics. ?It?s not Norman Osborne or any of that stuff obviously, but it gave us a place to go with Rhodey.? We wanted to take Rhodey and his sort of split loyalties between his friend and his duty and keep carrying that storyline through.

I have to ask, just to add on to that, the toy images that were leaked of the deep space suit, can you comment on what that is?

Feige: Well I would say that I?ve owned a number of ?Jungle Attack? Batmans in my time and I don?t remember any jungle attack batman sequences, so.

The sequence with Air Force One, which we saw today and is going to be in the full trailers, can you talk about where that came from and filming that sequence?

Shane-black-iron-man-3Black: Well the filming of it was interesting.? We decided early on, Drew and I, that I wanted to [...] hijack stuff and I wanted to have people in the sky, just falling, and Iron Man is confronted with that image and he?s got to get them out of it somehow.? The challenge was on the days we said, ?Well we?d really love to do this, but we don?t want to do just green screen, can we just toss people out of a plane?? and they said, ?Well that would probably be unethical.? But we found the Redbull skydiving team that was willing to jump out of a plane and have their backpacks erased digitally.? It?s kind of compelling, the first images you see of people falling in clothes, because people are always in jumpsuits, orange or yellow jumpsuits, and when you just see some girl in a skirt and a guy in a business suit falling it?s pretty scary.

Feige: Over the course of almost a week, we did 8 to 10 jumps a day, for a week.? It was amazing, amazing footage.

Moonraker did a sequence where it was a 3 week shoot for something that ended up being 8 minutes, 9 minutes.

Feige: And frankly we talked about Moonraker a lot because that sequence is actually pretty impressive, except for the fact that you can see the parachutes, until they cut in to the inserts, which it then doesn?t work at all.? We wanted to be like that without doing that.? And we have an Iron Man suit which is an advantage over Roger Moore.

[To Shane Black] So you came up with the idea for this sequence?

Black: Basically.

Feige: It was he and Drew; it definitely came out of their script conversations.

Black: No it was just me, Drew was?

iron-man-3-rebecca-hallFeige: It was definitely just Shane.

Black: He was getting the coffee.

Feige: What we loved about it was, how is Tony going to do that?? If you remember he says ?Jarvis, how many people are in the air?? ??13? ??How many can I carry?? ??4? ?So what are you going to do?

The moment you hear that line, it?s a great hook for a commercial because immediately you need to see the rest of that set piece.

Feige: Oh, good.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926964/news/1926964/

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