Phoenix, Las Vegas bake in scorching heat

PHOENIX (AP) ? A blazing heat wave expected to send the mercury soaring to nearly 120 degrees in Phoenix and Las Vegas over the weekend settled across the West on Friday, threatening to ground airliners and raising fears that pets will get burned on the scalding pavement.

The heat was so punishing that rangers took up positions at trailheads at Lake Mead in Nevada to persuade people not to hike. Zookeepers in Phoenix hosed down the elephants and fed tigers frozen fish snacks. And tourists at California's Death Valley took photos of the harsh landscape and a thermometer that read 121.

The mercury there was expected to reach nearly 130 through the weekend ? just short of the 134-degree reading from a century ago that stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

"You have to take a picture of something like this. Otherwise no one will believe you," said Laura McAlpine, visiting Death Valley from Scotland on Friday.

The heat is not expected to break until Monday or Tuesday.

The scorching weather presented problems for airlines because high temperatures can make it more difficult for planes to take off. Hot air reduces lift and also can diminish engine performance. Planes taking off in the heat may need longer runways or may have to shed weight by carrying less fuel or cargo.

Smaller jets and propeller planes are more likely to be affected than bigger airliners that are better equipped for extreme temperatures.

However, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport officials reported no such heat-related problems with any flights by Friday evening.

The National Weather Service said Phoenix reached 116 on Friday, two degrees short of the expected high, in part because of a light layer of smoke from wildfires in neighboring New Mexico that shielded the blazing sun. Las Vegas still was expecting near record highs over the weekend approaching 116 degrees while Phoenix was forecast to hit nearly 120. The record in Phoenix is 122.

Temperatures are also expected to soar across Utah and into Wyoming and Idaho, with triple-digit heat forecast for the Boise area. Cities in Washington state that are better known for cool, rainy weather should break the 90s next week.

"This is the hottest time of the year, but the temperatures that we'll be looking at for Friday through Sunday, they'll be toward the top," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark O'Malley. "It's going to be baking hot across much of the entire West."

The heat is the result of a high-pressure system brought on by a shift in the jet stream, the high-altitude air current that dictates weather patterns. The jet stream has been more erratic in the past few years.

Health officials warned people to be extremely careful when venturing outdoors. The risks include not only dehydration and heat stroke but burns from the concrete and asphalt. Dogs can suffer burns and blisters on their paws by walking on scorching pavement.

"You will see people who go out walking with their dog at noon or in the middle of the day and don't bring enough water and it gets tragic pretty quickly," said Bretta Nelson, spokeswoman for the Arizona Humane Society. "You just don't want to find out the hard way."

Cooling stations were set up to shelter the homeless as well as elderly people who can't afford to run their air conditioners. In Phoenix, Joe Arpaio, the famously hard-nosed sheriff who runs a tent jail, planned to distribute ice cream and cold towels to inmates this weekend.

Officials said personnel were added to the Border Patrol search-and-rescue unit because of the danger to people trying to slip across the Mexican border. At least seven people have been found dead in the last week in Arizona after falling victim to the brutal desert heat.

In June 1990, when Phoenix hit 122 degrees, airlines were forced to cease flights for several hours because of a lack of data from the manufacturers on how the aircraft would operate in such extreme heat.

US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said the airline now knows that its Boeings can fly at up to 126 degrees, and its Airbus fleet can operate at up to 127.

While the heat in Las Vegas is expected to peak on Sunday, it's unlikely to sideline the first round of the four-week Bikini Invitational tournament.

"I feel sorry for those poor girls having to strut themselves in 115 degrees, but there's $100,000 up for grabs," said Hard Rock casino spokeswoman Abigail Miller. "I think the girls are willing to make the sacrifice."

___

Carlson contributed in Death Valley, Calif. Also contributing were Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Julie Jacobson and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas, Michelle Price in Salt Lake City, Cristina Silva and Bob Christie in Phoenix and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phoenix-las-vegas-bake-scorching-heat-202602575.html

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Four Vanderbilt football players dismissed

Four Vanderbilt University football players were dismissed from the team and suspended from the school as sex crime detectives look into an alleged incident in a dormitory, the college and police said Saturday.

The school and police declined to release further details about the team rule violations.

Vanderbilt University Police reported the incident to Nashville, Tennessee, police on Wednesday, authorities said. The school said it's cooperating with investigators.

The city's sex crime investigators are looking into "a matter that is alleged to have occurred at a Vanderbilt University dormitory," Nashville Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said Saturday.

The investigation is ongoing, Aaron said.

While on interim suspension from the school, the four players can't be on campus without explicit permission from the school's office of student conduct and academic integrity, the university said.

"The well-being of our students is of paramount concern to us, and we will not tolerate any actions that threaten student safety and security," Vanderbilt vice chancellor for public affairs Beth Fortune said in a statement.

Last season, Vanderbilt finished 9-4 for its best record since 1915 when it was 9-1. The team won the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, beating North Carolina State 38-24.

Source: http://www.wdsu.com/news/national/Four-Vanderbilt-football-players-dismissed/-/9853500/20773234/-/dx5cm6/-/index.html?absolute=true

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Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130629/METRO01/306280083/1408/rss38

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Power for seaports may be the next job for hydrogen fuel cells

June 27, 2013 ? Providing auxiliary hydrogen power to docked or anchored ships may soon be added to the list of ways in which hydrogen fuel cells can provide efficient, emissions-free energy.

Hydrogen fuel cells are already powering mobile lighting systems, forklifts, emergency backup systems and light-duty trucks, among other applications. Now, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have found that hydrogen fuel cells may be both technically feasible and commercially attractive as a clean, quiet and efficient power source for ships at berth, replacing on-board diesel generators.

The Sandia study was completed for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Auxiliary power to docked ships, usually provided by on-board diesel engines, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, accounting for one-third to one-half of the in-port emissions attributed to ocean-going vessels. According to a 2004 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, average daily emissions for a busy port could exceed the total emissions from nearly 500,000 vehicles.

Evaluating fuel cell barges at western U.S. ports

The study evaluated a simple fuel cell strategy that consists of mounting a hydrogen-fueled proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell on a floating barge. Supplying a container ship with average power and run times (1.4 megawatts over 48 hours) requires four 40-ft containers, two for the fuel cell and two for hydrogen fuel storage, which could readily fit on a typical flat-top barge. For ships requiring less power, such as tugboats, a single container housing both the fuel cell and hydrogen will suffice, according to the Sandia study.

To evaluate the feasibility of the fuel cell barge strategy and analyze potential deployment options, Sandia's Joe Pratt visited ports up and down the West Coast and in Hawaii. He gathered data from two U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration facilities and the ports of Long Beach, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif., Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., Tacoma, Wash., Honolulu, Hawaii and Seattle, Wash.

"While Sandia has previously examined the potential for hydrogen and fuel cells in other applications, this is the first study of a maritime environment," Pratt said.

Cheaper, cleaner than grid-based "cold-ironing"

A common alternative to auxiliary diesel engines is a practice called "cold-ironing," in which a vessel at berth connects to a source of electricity on the shore. (The engine, made of steel or iron, literally becomes cold, hence the name.) Electricity supplied by a hydrogen fuel cell thus could become a new form of cold-ironing.

The U.S. Navy has been employing grid-based cold-ironing for many years to save fuel. Ports in California are now turning to the practice to meet the state's environmental regulations. While only a few berths have grid-based cold-ironing, ports throughout California are installing infrastructure to meet the state Air Resources Board's regulations that take effect in 2014.

But grid-based cold-ironing is complex and costly, and most ports lack the infrastructure needed to meet the power needs of multiple ships at berth. Those costs can run up to $5-10 million or more per berth, said Pratt. The Port of Oakland is installing 11 berths on six terminals at an estimated cost of about $70 million.

In addition, switching to grid-based power doesn't eliminate emissions. Instead, that approach shifts the emissions to the source of electricity. Depending on the electricity source, the overall reduction in emissions can be relatively small.

Many potential deployment options, economic benefits

The hydrogen fuel cell barge bypasses the need for electrical infrastructure. The barge also has the capability of being moved from berth to berth as needed and to anchorage points to power vessels that are waiting for berths.

"In California, ports are already installing the necessary infrastructure for cold-ironing because of the regulations introduced a few years ago," said Pratt. "So hydrogen fuel cell auxiliary power has the opportunity for greater impact elsewhere. While this was an unexpected finding, we discovered other locations and applications for hydrogen fuel cell power."

At ports in Oregon and Washington, grid-based cold ironing infrastructure is limited or nonexistent. Using a hydrogen fuel cell to power container ships at berth has attracted interest for its potential economic and environmental benefits, Pratt said, and he continues to work with those ports on quantifying the benefits and deployment options.

Hawaii's Honolulu Harbor in Oahu had a different need. Much of the cargo is unloaded and then reloaded onto barges for distribution to the other islands. As the barges have no power, they carry diesel generators to provide power to shipping containers that require refrigeration, known as "reefers."

"You can replace the diesel generator with a hydrogen fuel cell without changing the operations. It's just a power source in a box, a shipping container in this case," said Pratt. Hawaii ports aren't facing the same emissions regulations as California ports, but the potential savings in fuel cost is attractive for the company operating the inter-island transportation service, along with anyone else suffering from high fuel expenses.

The study's basic fuel cost analysis showed that at today's prices hydrogen, at about $4 per kilogram, with a fuel cell is cost-competitive with maritime fuels using a combustion engine. Subsequent analysis has shown that when generators are frequently producing less than maximum power, such as in the Hawaii application, the efficiency advantage of fuel cells compared to the combustion engine is widened. Even hydrogen at $5 per kilogram can potentially save tens of thousands of dollars per year for each generator.

"Fuel cost is only part of the total economic picture," Pratt said.

He is now developing a detailed plan for the Hawaiian interisland transport barge application. "A successful deployment of the containerized fuel cell on a floating platform in a typical marine environment will be useful not only in this particular service, but also because it validates the concept for the larger, container-ship-sized application," Pratt said. "It's challenging on many levels, but technically feasible with potential worldwide commercial impact."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/M4Yd38LGiIA/130627082713.htm

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With All That Developer Mojo, Google Is Like An Ass-Kicking Octopus

For James Governor and the RedMonk crew, craft beer is a metaphor for talking about developer communities, the cloud and all that goes with them. It's something these guys do every day, providing their own independent analysis about the millions of programmers who RedMonk Co-Founder Stephen O'Grady calls the new kingmakers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DnncoAVfzGs/

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Angry Birds Trilogy slingshots to Nintendo's Wii U and Wii consoles on August 13th

As if its flock of angry fowl weren't already near-ubiquitous, Rovio's today announced an August 13th release date for the Wii and Wii U versions of Angry Birds Trilogy. The Finnish company had previously committed to the two Nintendo ports earlier this year, prompted by the success of the title on the 3DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rovio's not just pushing out a repackaged redo, either -- this collection bundles the original Angry Birds game with Seasons and Rio, while also adding some new levels. And given the finger-flicking origins of the franchise, gamers will be able to make use of the Wii U's GamePad for that famed asymmetric play (read: GamePad-only) and touch controls. If you haven't already exhausted your lust for flipping Rovio's birds, then the dog days of summer should see you and that Wii U making nice. Of course, by then you could also be flinging zombie-like Pikmin with reckless abandon. What's a Wii U owner to do?

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

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Source: Polygon

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/sNEC4FjT2Ds/

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Twitter Sees a Surge in Government Information Requests

NO KIDDING: Twitter CEO Costolo, a former improvisational comedian, believes his company is obligated to ?reach everyone on the planet.? Image: Courtesy of Joi Ito, via WikiMedia Commons

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Twitter sees itself as the digital incarnation of the town square, eliminating time and distance as barriers to unfiltered communication among citizens. In this role as the world?s unofficial open idea exchange (in 140 characters or less, of course), the company is finding that governments, law enforcement agencies and even its own Twitterverse are increasingly holding it accountable for how people use its microblogging service.

The social network appears to be taking this newfound responsibility seriously. During a Webcast conversation on Wednesday with Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo discussed how his company responds to this growing scrutiny. He also talked about Twitter?s attempts to help users filter the fire hose of information they face each day as well as the pros and cons of pseudonymous tweeters.

Although he declined to comment specifically on the U.S. National Security Agency?s PRISM digital surveillance program, Costolo articulated Twitter?s stance on cooperating with government and law enforcement requests. ?When we receive a valid, specific request in the countries [where] we operate, we will honor it,? he said. ?Those that are not legal and valid, we will push back on.? Twitter is conspicuously absent from the list of tech companies?including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo?accused of complying with the NSA?s requests for user data.

Twitter?s computer servers?like those of many Web sites?automatically record information generated by users. This may include a user?s IP address, location, mobile carrier and the device used to access the Twitter account. The company says it deletes this data or removes any common account identifiers?such as username, full IP address or e-mail address?after 18 months.

In the past year Twitter has begun to publish a biannual transparency report highlighting trends in government requests it has received for user information and content removal. (Google publishes a similar report). ?We would like more companies to do this,? Costolo said. ?Our users have a right to know when their information has been requested so they can fight the request if they wish.?

The Twitter report also indicates how the company responded to those government requests, which have increased steadily in the past year. Twitter received 849 such requests during the first half of 2012 and 1,009 during the second half?the lion?s share coming from the U.S. government. The latest report will be published in a few weeks. ?When you don?t have any idea what information is being requested, you can only imagine what the government wants,? Costolo said. ?More organizations should participate in these transparency reports because they help people understand exactly what is going on. Then you can disagree or agree with the specifics rather than assumptions.?

Mobile devices offer people a means of ubiquitous online communication?they also give companies a way to track those people using the devices? geolocation capabilities. This raises questions about privacy that have been little more than an afterthought to this point, Costolo noted. Still, he pointed out that there?s no need to be fatalistic about the future of privacy, given that Twitter and many other social networking sites require users to opt in for features such as geolocation that broadcast a user?s whereabouts whenever they log on.

One of Twitter?s main goals, not surprisingly, is improving its ability to curate important events so the most relevant information is easy to find. ?Right now you get the reverse chronological order of the tweets, but it would be nice to see a graphic of spikes in the conversation,? Costolo said. ?It would be nice to be able to scroll back to [a] particular moment.? He likened this capability to a digital video recorder for social media that would help Twitter users more quickly get to the substance of a conversation.

Twitter has experimented with ways to filter out some of the background noise that obscures more relevant reporting and reactions to important events. ?We tried a couple of things during the [London 2012] Olympics, such as curating tweets from the more important sources [such as broadcasters and analysts], but it felt like you were in a very quiet studio,? he said. ?You lost that roar of the crowd that makes [Twitter] the public town square. We became more of an aggregator.?

Twitter is also looking at ways to preserve user anonymity without facilitating troll-like behavior where pseudonymous account-holders use their tweets to harass other users. Anonymity is especially important when Twitter is used as a tool for social change, with protests in Turkey being the latest example, said Costolo, who did not comment further on the situation in that country. The ability to use a pseudonym is crucial to enabling open political discourse, he added. ?You can use our platform to say what you believe.? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Twitter as a way to spread lies about his government, which has asked Twitter to reveal the identities of users who posted ?messages deemed insulting to the government or prime minister or which flouted people's personal rights,? according to Reuters.

Anonymity does create headaches for Twitter beyond governments demanding user identities, Costolo acknowledged. Pseudonymous tweeters are a problem when they engage in cyber bullying and can be particularly vicious in what they say about celebrities and other public figures. He added, ?We have to do a better job of filtering out egregious and repeated harassment.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/basic-science/~3/fxFVofqfZ1E/article.cfm

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Battleground DOMA: What next for opponents of gay marriage?

After twin losses at the Supreme Court, the battleground shifts to the states, where social conservative leaders aim to 'fight like crazy,' with little help from the national GOP establishment.

By Linda Feldmann,?Staff writer / June 27, 2013

Enzo Catalano, 9, holds up a sign amongst thousands of revelers at Castro St. in San Francisco, Calif., after the United States Supreme Court delivered rulings on California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act June 26, 2013. Opponents of the ruling now face a long battle in the states, as support for gay marriage nationally grows.

Noah Berger/REUTERS

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Some are angry, others are philosophical, but opponents of same-sex marriage agree on one thing: The battle against gay marriage just got tougher, after twin losses in the Supreme Court that have given pro-gay-marriage forces a burst of momentum.?

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But social conservatives are ready to press on in the states, in defense of a religiously based definition of marriage that has endured for millennia, even if they don?t expect much help from the Republican establishment.?

?The mix of decisions magnifies the fact that people who believe in normal marriage need to fight like crazy at the state level to ensure that they keep the right to define what they want marriage to be in their state,? says Gary Bauer, leader of the group American Values and one-time Republican presidential candidate.

For now, Christian conservative activists have a cushion. Gay marriage is banned in the constitutions of 30 states, and even though nationally, a growing majority of Americans supports a right to same-sex marriage, many individual states still tilt against it. Social conservative leaders also have a ready army of supporters, easily reached through churches and representing a significant portion of the Republican Party?s base.

Keeping the traditional-marriage-only wing of the GOP from becoming demoralized will be part of the battle. But after Wednesday?s rulings ? which struck down a key part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and opened the door to a resumption of gay marriages in California ? conservative leaders expressed hope that their supporters would be all the more motivated to keep fighting.

Some leaders took a glass-half-full approach to the decisions, applauding the justices for, at least, not establishing a national right to same-sex marriage as the high court did for abortion in the 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade. ?That, they say, gives them time to get organized and rally their troops, even if, by outward appearances, time is not on their side.

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington, asserts that, in fact, time is not on the side of those seeking to create a right to same-sex marriage. ?

?As the American people are given time to experience the actual consequences of redefining marriage, the public debate and opposition to the redefinition of natural marriage will undoubtedly intensify,? Mr. Perkins says.

His ally Ralph Reed, head of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, calls for pressure on Congress to pass legislation that will limit the impact of the DOMA ruling. And he goes back to a core focus of religious conservatives -- the selection of judges.

The Supreme Court?s decisions ?underscore why people of faith must remain engaged and energetic in seeing genuine conservatives nominated and confirmed to the federal courts,? says Mr. Reed. That requires electing conservative senators who will make judicial confirmation battles a priority.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/aMOHFqJ71cw/Battleground-DOMA-What-next-for-opponents-of-gay-marriage

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Iran's top leader: Nuclear solution 'easy'

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's supreme leader said a solution to the nuclear impasse with the West would be "easy" if the United States and its allies are serious about seeking a deal, Iranian media reported Thursday.

The remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are his first on the nuclear issue since the presidential election earlier this month of Hasan Rouhani, who supports direct talks with Washington. It suggests Khamenei also could endorse bolder diplomacy by Tehran if talks resume with world powers.

Several newspapers, including the hard-line Jomhouri Eslami, quoted Khamenei as saying "the solution to Iran's nuclear case is an easy and smooth job" if Western powers want to strike a deal.

"The opposition front against Iran does not want the nuclear issue to be solved," Khamenei told a group of judiciary officials Wednesday.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, singled out the U.S. for what he called "new excuses" to block possible headway on negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.

No other details were given in the press reports, but Rouhani has suggested greater openness on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.

The West suspects Iran seeks a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies the charge, saying its nuclear activities aim at peaceful purposes such as power generation and medical isotopes.

Khamenei also urged all governmental bodies to support Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator who has the backing of reformist leaders. He formally takes over from outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in August.

"Managing the country is a difficult job, indeed," Khamenei said. "All individuals and bodies must help the president-elect."

Also Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran supports direct flights to the U.S. as a way to serve the large Iranian community in Southern California and elsewhere. There have been no direct air routes between the two countries since the U.S. broke ties after the storming of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 in the wake of the Islamic Revolution.

Previously, Iran's national carrier Iran Air operated the longest nonstop flight at the time between Tehran and New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/irans-top-leader-nuclear-solution-easy-092414199.html

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Mad Men, Season 6

I could barely watch Don this season. All the qualities that once drew us to him were suddenly gone.

He wasn?t suavely bedding bohemian free spirits. He was wallowing in a protracted, messy affair with his saintly friend?s wife.

He wasn?t crushing client meetings with bursts of eloquence and insight into human fragility. He was bumbling through misguided pitches, pettily squabbling with his own colleagues, and often not bothering to show up at all.

He wasn?t the retro stud who could throw back three whiskeys without consequence. He was an increasingly pitiable and dependent alcoholic.

That guy who promoted Peggy, carefully guided her through a personal crisis, and treated her as a respected peer? That guy who made a point of engaging Joan on the basis of her shrewd capabilities, and never treated her as a pile of garish curves?

That guy was pretty much absent this season. Until the very end.

Mad Men?s sweet spot from the start has been scenes in which the psychological nuances of advertising mesh with the psychological pathologies of its characters. Again and again, Don will pitch an ad concept that seems to speak just as much to his own emotional state as it does to the imperative of selling ketchup, or cars, or hotel rooms. That last client powwow with the good folks from Hershey?s was a stellar example.

But with a fascinating twist: Instead of rooting a proposed marketing campaign in his own neuroses, Don realized he didn?t want a campaign at all. Couldn?t tolerate any subterfuge or gilding. He yearned for honesty, authenticity, simple goodness.

Just before Don opened up his soul and poured it onto the conference table, he glanced meaningfully at Ted. Ted was lost in his thoughts, in love with Peggy, struggling to cling to the anchor of family amid a squall of social upheaval. The look on Ted?s face is what at last drove Don to ditch his lies and come clean. Don was so supremely selfish all season, disrupting the lives of everyone around him as he flitted from one emotional salve to the next. And then he finally looked through another man?s eyes (saw both sides, if you will, but more on that later) and thought: This guy deserves my help; I can help him. He packed Ted off to California, with the hope of saving the poor fellow?s marriage. It was a return of the selfless Don who?d made regular appearances in seasons past.

The billboard art for Season 6 featured two Dons passing each other on the sidewalk, headed in opposite directions. From beginning to end, the themes of doubling and bifurcation hovered over the season. There were Don and Ted, darkly and lightly complected, two men with the same job, two sides of the same coin?ending up on opposite coasts. There was Bob Benson (B.B. to Don?s D.D.), the mysteriously self-invented go-getter who seems to mirror Don?s early rise. There was Sally using Beth Francis?Betty?s name?on her fake I.D., after smoking cigarettes side-by-side with Betty on the car ride home from a prep school visit, two savvy blondes. And then Sally and Don: both getting too drunk, both with fake identities, one suspended from work and the other from school.

The episode closed with the Joni Mitchell?penned and Judy Collins?sung ?Both Sides, Now,? floating along on its dark-light lyrical construction. ?Try to see it from our side,? said Roger, ushering Don into a mandatory leave. As Troy Patterson pointed out, the Don standing before his childhood home as the season ended had at last?perhaps for the first time in his life?reconciled ?be and seem.? There is one Don. He is both sides, now.

I felt a great deal of release when the show resolved Don?s ongoing, painful struggle to integrate himself. Let us be done, though, with this gloomy chapter. I hope next season?s overarching themes will be a bit brighter. Mad Men is many shows at once?an intimate character study, a period piece, even a sharp sitcom at times?but I like it best when it zooms along on the zingy momentum of office drama.

My wish for next season: It?s Peggy?s time. We?ve wrung all we can out of Don?s internal struggle. I want to watch a late ?60s working girl take control of her career while possibly turning into a one-woman wrecking ball in her personal life. Bring on the pantsuits!

Hanna and Paul, it was a true pleasure reading your entries each week. I?ll miss your companionship on the bumpy voyage that was Mad Men Season 6.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/tv_club/features/2013/mad_men_season_6/week_12/mad_men_season_6_review_after_dark_don_time_for_peggy_in_pantsuits.html

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91% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)

Sometimes it takes a feature-length documentary to stitch together a story we think we already know.

A real-life cyber-thriller with real-life consequences, Alex Gibney's We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is a riveting and revelatory documentary ...

Gibney builds a remarkable level of suspense, given how exhaustively WikiLeaks has been covered in the media.

Engaging, kinetic, revelatory and unexpected.

At once an awkward mingling of two complex life stories and a gripping, necessary look at how information is gathered, shared and, yes, stolen.

Who is "We" in the title We Steal Secrets? There's no need for a spoiler alert, but it's neither Gibney nor Assange.

Which is the real Assange? This movie cannot say. It's as if Gibney threw up his hands, put the whole mess in the audience's lap and said, "Here, YOU figure this guy out."

A psychological suspense film with an open ending that's more haunting than the tricky climaxes of most post-Hitchcock thrillers.

With an approach that feels like a thriller, Gibney looks at both sides of the debate over the site's purpose and effectiveness.

Smart and opinionated, it's a great introduction to this ongoing story.

Gibney continues his run as the premier nonfiction filmmaker working today.

Arguably furthers WikiLeaks' stated purpose, but with a necessary whiff of the investigative filmmaker's instinctive skepticism.

The film is fascinating and provocative, deftly navigating complex personalities and shifting allegiances.

Who decides what stays secret? This brilliant documentary explores that question, itself a meta-narrative as the documentarian exposes the secrets of the secret-sharers.

Works...as a saga of self-destructive behavior by capable people whose judgment was perverted by smugness about their own oprinciples.

A fascinating account of a man who loved stirring the pot until he was the one sitting in it.

Gibney has created one of the signature discussions on the signature debate of the post-9/11 information-security age, namely: Who needs to know?

No quotes approved yet for We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/we_steal_secrets_the_story_of_wikileaks_2013/

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Aspirin Cuts Colon Cancer Risk, Study Suggests

Taking aspirin regularly may reduce the risk of most types of colon cancer, a new study suggests.

In the study, people who took aspirin at least twice a week were 27 percent less likely to develop colon cancer over a 28-year period, compared with those who took aspirin less frequently, or not at all.

However, this reduction in risk applied only to colon cancers that did not have a mutation in a gene called BRAF. Taking aspirin regularly did not reduce the risk of developing colon cancer with a BRAF mutation; about 10 to 15 percent of colon cancers have this mutation.

The findings agree with previous research showing a reduced risk of colon cancer among people who take regular aspirin. But the new results suggest that colon cancers with a BRAF mutation may be less sensitive to the effects of aspirin, the researchers said.

The next key question is to determine which people are more likely to develop BRAF-mutated colon cancer, said study researcher Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. People at risk for this specific colon cancer may not benefit from regularly taking aspirin, Chan said. [See 5 Interesting Facts About Aspirin].

Because the study included mainly white participants, the findings should be confirmed in a more diverse population, the researchers said.

Despite growing evidence linking regular aspirin use with a reduced risk of cancer, the drug is not generally recommended as a way to prevent cancer. Taking aspirin comes with risks, including an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, and so researchers need to figure out what groups would be most likely to benefit from such a recommendation.

People interested in taking regular aspirin should speak with their doctor first, Chan said.

The study included more than 127,000 people who were followed from the 1980s until 2012. During this time, 1,226 people in the study developed colon cancer.

The rate of non-BRAF mutated cancer was 40.2 cases per 100,000 people per year among those who did not regularly take aspirin, but only 30.5 cases per 100,000 people per year among those who regularly took aspirin.

The rate of BRAF-mutated cancer was 5 cases per 100,000 people per year among those who did not regularly take aspirin and 5.7 cases per 100,000 people per year among those who took regular aspirin, a difference that may have been due to chance.

Taking aspirin more frequently was linked with a lower risk of non-BRAF mutated cancer, but not BRAF-mutated cancer. Those who took six to 12 doses of aspirin weekly were 30 percent less likely to develop non-BRAF mutated cancer than those who did not take aspirin, the study said.

For people who had been diagnosed with colon cancer, taking aspirin did not affect patient survival, regardless of cancer type, the study also found.

The study is published in the June 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH); the Bennett Family Fund for Targeted Therapies Research; and the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance. Chan has previously worked as a consultant for Bayer Healthcare, which manufactures aspirin.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. FollowLiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aspirin-cuts-colon-cancer-risk-study-suggests-201622812.html

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'Family Ties' creator Gary David Goldberg dies

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

5 hours ago

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images file

Gary David Goldberg in 2011.

Emmy Award-winning television producer and writer Gary David Goldberg died from brain cancer Sunday at his home in Montecito, Calif., his son-in-law and "The Colbert Report" writer Robert Dubbin confirmed to TODAY.com. He was 68 years old.

Goldberg mined his own life for some of the shows he created, including "Family Ties," the sitcom that made Michael J. Fox a star and ran from 1982-89. He later re-cast Fox in the political comedy "Spin City," which he created with "Cougar Town's" Bill Lawrence. That series ran from 1996-2002.

Initially a sports enthusiast, the Brooklyn-born Goldberg was expelled from two universities; when he met his future wife, flight attendant Diana Meehan, they hitchhiked around the world for a year with his black Labrador Retriever Ubu, a dog who became the symbol of his future production company, Ubu Productions. (The post-credits slate that ran after his shows featured a picture of the dog and Goldberg's voice saying, "Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog.")

He was 31 when he took a writing class at San Diego State, and encouraged to write for television he took jobs on series like "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Lou Grant." He won a WGA award for a 1978 episode of "M*A*S*H." In 1980 he formed Ubu Productions, and shifted between television and film, also writing and directing 1989's feature "Dad" with Ted Danson and 2005's "Must Love Dogs" starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. Over the years he won two Emmys (for "Lou Grant" and "Family Ties" and was nominated five other times; he also earned a second WGA award, six Humanitas Prizes and a Peabody Award.

In 2008 he penned a memoir: "Sit, Ubu, Sit: How I Went from Brooklyn to Hollywood With the Same Woman, the Same Dog and a Lot Less Hair." (He and Meehan eloped in 1990, over 20 years after they first met.)

Friends and co-workers began immediately Tweeting their condolences and tributes:

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Goldberg said in his Archive of American Television interview that he would like to be remembered as "a guy who showed up for work and took the chance on finding out whether I could do it or not. ... I'd like to think I made my success not at the expense of anyone. Success was accidental."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/family-ties-spin-city-creator-gary-david-goldberg-dies-68-6C10423621

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Texas House of Representatives passes sweeping abortion restrictions

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval early Monday to sweeping restrictions on abortions, including a ban on most after 20 weeks of pregnancy and stricter standards for clinics.

Supporters of the measure said it was needed to protect women's health and to keep fetuses from feeling pain, while opponents have said it would cause nearly all the state's abortion clinics to close or be completely rebuilt.

"Sadly, too often today the back-alley abortion is the abortion clinic because the standards for providers and the facilities are too lax or substandard," the measure's House sponsor, Representative Jodie Laubenberg, told colleagues early Monday. "This bill will assure that women are given the highest standard of healthcare."

The vote was 97-33, mostly along party lines. The measure would need final approval from the House before it could return to the Senate, which passed a version of the bill without the 20-week ban.

Republicans are racing to send the measure to Governor Rick Perry, who supports restricting abortion, before the end of the special legislative session on Tuesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on those late in the pregnancy.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

Similar to the federal measure, the 20-week provision of the Texas proposal is based on controversial medical research that suggests a fetus starts to feel pain at that point.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

Planned Parenthood said the stricter requirements for abortion facilities would reduce the number of clinics in Texas from 42 to five.

State Representative Senfronia Thompson, a Democrat who unsuccessfully proposed an exemption for victims of rape and incest, waved a coat hanger on the floor of the House, warning that such objects would be used to perform abortions if the measure becomes law.

"There are going to be more people ending up in the hospital DOA (dead on arrival) for trying to do the abortions themselves," Thompson said during the debate.

(Editing by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-house-representatives-passes-sweeping-abortion-restrictions-150751075.html

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Ecuador says Snowden seeking asylum there

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ? Ecuador's foreign minister says his government is analyzing an asylum request from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor wanted for revealing secrets.

"We are analyzing it with a lot of responsibility," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters Monday through a translator at a hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam.

He says the decision "has to do with freedom of expression and with the security of citizens around the world."

Patino spoke briefly to reporters on his way to a meeting with Vietnam's foreign minister. He did not say how long it would take Ecuador to decide.

Snowden was on a flight from Hong Kong that arrived in Moscow Sunday and was booked on a flight to Cuba Monday, the Russian news agencies ITAR-Tass and Interfax reported, citing unnamed airline officials.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecuador-says-snowden-seeking-asylum-170413690.html

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Thousands return home as rivers recede in Calgary

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) ? Thousands of residents of Calgary were allowed to return to their homes and many of them faced extensive repairs after flooding that left Alberta's largest city awash in debris and dirty water.

About 75,000 people had to leave at the height of the crisis as the Elbow and Bow rivers surged over their banks Thursday night. Three bodies have been recovered since the flooding began in southern Alberta and a fourth person was still missing.

"We've turned a corner, but we are still in a state of emergency," Mayor Naheed Nenshi said. "Our hearts and thought and prayers are with our colleagues downstream."

People in the eastern part of the province headed for higher ground as the flood threat remained. In Medicine Hat, Alberta, thousands of people have left their homes as water levels rose on the South Saskatchewan River. The river was not expected to crest until Monday, but by Sunday morning it was lapping over its banks in low-lying areas and people were busy laying down thousands of sandbags.

In Calgary, Nenshi said crews were working hard to restore services and he thanked residents for heeding the call to conserve drinking water.

He had already warned that recovery will be a matter of "weeks and months" and the damage costs will be "lots and lots."

While pockets of the city's core were drying out, other areas were still submerged. The mayor didn't anticipate that anyone could return to work downtown until at least the middle of the week. The downtown area was evacuated Friday.

The city's public schools were also to remain closed Monday.

Nathan MacBey and his wife found muddy water had risen to about kitchen counter level in their Calgary home at the peak of the flooding. His basement was still swamped and the main floor of the home was covered in wet mud.

"This is unprecedented," said the father of two, his voice cracking with emotion. "Not being able to give our kids a home, that's tough. ... We can survive, it's just the instability for the kids."

Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths said that 27 communities in Alberta were under states of emergency ? with some areas slowly starting to emerge from the watery onslaught and others still bracing for it

Griffiths said no place has been hit harder than the town of High River south of Calgary and it will be some time before residents there will be allowed back.

The waiting and worrying were causing tensions and emotions to run high, but Griffiths said virtually every home in the town of 18,000 would need to be inspected.

More than 2,200 military personnel were involved in flood relief efforts, along with nine helicopters. Soldiers were helping evacuate an area around the mountain town of Canmore, laying down sandbags in Medicine Hat and assisting in road repairs in Kananaskis Country, west of Calgary.

In High River, about 350 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry from Edmonton have been assisting police in reaching homes that still haven't been checked. Armored vehicles have been churning through submerged streets and Zodiac watercraft have been used to reach the hardest-hit areas.

High River Mayor Emile Blokland said the town's infrastructure has been dealt a critical blow and there is no timeline for when citizens can return.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Brian Jones said the atmosphere was "surreal."

"We're finding a great deal of mud, a great deal of sludge on the streets. The homes are secure. It's almost like time stopped," he said.

Back in Calgary, the water has taken a toll outside residential neighborhoods as well. The Saddledome hockey arena, home of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, was extensively damaged. The team said boards, dressing rooms, player equipment and several rows of seats were a total loss.

The rodeo and fair grounds of the world-famous Calgary Stampede were also swamped, although Nenshi was optimistic that things would be cleared up in time for the show to open July 5.

Nenshi said Sunday that all the major hotels in the downtown were closed and advised visitors to plan accordingly.

The federal Conservative party had planned to hold a policy convention in Calgary next weekend, but that's been postponed and a new date hasn't yet been set.

Canmore was one of the first communities hit when the flooding began on Thursday. Residents there have been allowed to return to 260 evacuated homes, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police says 40 more are too damaged to allow people back.

In Saskatchewan, efforts are under way to move more than 2,000 people from their homes in a flood-prone part of the province's northeast.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-return-home-rivers-recede-calgary-042930021.html

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Tool to detect hydrogen sulfide

June 24, 2013 ? University of Oregon chemists have developed a selective probe that detects hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels as low as 190 nanomolar (10 parts per billion) in biological samples. They say the technique could serve as a new tool for basic biological research and as an enhanced detection system for H2S in suspected bacterially contaminated water sources.

Hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas, has long been known for its dangerous toxicity -- and its telltale smell of rotten eggs -- in the environment, but in the last decade the gas has been found to be produced in mammals, including humans, with seemingly important roles in molecular signaling and cardiac health. Detection methods for biological systems are emerging from many laboratories as scientists seek to understand the roles of H2S in general health and different diseases.

Reporting in the Journal of Organic Chemistry -- online in advance of regular print publication -- researchers in the UO lab of Michael D. Pluth, professor of chemistry, describe the development of a colorimetric probe that relies on nucleophilic aromatic substitution to react selectively with H2S to produce a characteristic purple product, allowing for precise H2S measurement.

"This paper describes a new way to selectively detect H2S," said Pluth, who has been pursuing detection methods for the gas under a National Institutes of Health "Pathway to Independence" grant. That early career award began while he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This technique allows you to use instruments to quantify how much H2S has been produced in a sample, and the distinctive color change allows for naked-eye detection."

In biological samples, he said, the approach allows for a precise measurement. In the environment, he added, the technique could be used to determine if potentially harmful H2S-producing bacteria are a contaminant in water sources through the creation of testing kits to detect the gas when levels are above a defined threshold.

The key to the technique, said the paper's lead author, doctoral student Leticia A. Montoya, is the reaction process in which the probe reacts with H2S to produce a distinctly identifiable purple compound. "This method allows you look selectively at hydrogen sulfide versus any other nucleophiles or biological thiols in a system," Montoya said. "It allows you to more easily visualize where H2S is present."

The chemical reaction produced in the experiments, Pluth said, also holds the potential to be applied in a variety of materials, on surfaces and films, with appropriate modifications. The UO has applied for a provisional patent to cover the technology.

The study is the second in which Pluth's lab has reported potential detection probes for H2S. Last year, in the journal Chemical Communications, Montoya and Pluth described their development of two bright fluorescent probes that sort out H2S from among cysteine, glutathione and other reactive sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen species in living cells.

"We're really interested in making sharper tools," Pluth said. "We have the basic science worked out, and now we want to move forward to fine-tune our tools so that we can better use them to answer important scientific questions."

"University of Oregon researchers are helping to foster a more sustainable future by developing powerful new tools and entrepreneurial technologies," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the UO graduate school. "This important research from Dr. Pluth's lab may someday alert us to environmental contaminants and could also impact basic science and human health."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/EospQ3KQMKU/130624133143.htm

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Nationals' Harper uncertain about rehab timeline

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is not convinced he can begin a rehab assignment as quickly as his manager believes.

Davey Johnson had said Friday that he expects Harper to start a rehab stint Tuesday at Class A Potomac. Harper, who has been sidelined since May 26 with left knee bursitis, said he thought he needed an extra day or two.

"It just depends how I feel today and tomorrow," Harper said before Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies. "Monday is an off day, which is good. Tuesday, that's kind of early. I'm thinking Wednesday or Thursday, maybe."

Reporters later informed Johnson of Harper's comments during the manager's pregame media session.

"I'll have a conversation with him about that," Johnson said. "When a player starts playing, it's really up to me, what I think they need. Not up to the player. I'm always trying to do what's best for the player. But at the same time, it's my job to know when they're ready and when they're not."

Entering Saturday, Harper has missed 29 of the Nationals' 73 games. The NL Rookie of the Year ran in the outfield and took swings in the indoor batting cage the previous two days.

"Running after a ball and running on the bases and hitting, I'm full speed, every single day," Harper said. "It's going to be hard playing at 70 percent if they want me to play at 70 percent. I'm not going to do that. I want to come back 100 percent and get back as quick as I can."

Johnson: "The most I'm concerned about is is (Harper) going to be able to bounce back after playing a nine-inning game? He's probably worried about timing and everything being letter-perfect. All that changes from if you're in Potomac. You may never get your timing there because it's a whole new ballgame there, guys don't have command as well as they do up here, and there's a big variation in how they pitch to guys.

"So I'm more concerned about just how they recover from when they come off the DL than I am about what they hit. Since he's never really been on the DL or done rehab, I think his concept might be different from mine."

Before his managerial career, the 70-year-old Johnson played in the majors for 13 seasons.

"I trust players too. They know more about their body than the medical staff," Johnson said. "But when you come back from injury, are you ever 100 percent? But the body has a wonderful ability to heal itself. The more you get the blood flowing, the more you have to heal. Let's get off the DL, guys."

Despite the missed games, Harper, batting .287, remains tied with Ian Desmond for the team lead in home runs with 12.

"It's still going to be sore the whole year, I feel like," Harper said of his left knee. "But daily, it's getting better. I have no pain, which is good. I'm a little sore everywhere else, but that's common. It's good to have no pain finally. To run with zero pain is going to feel great."

Washington has struggled without its left fielder, but their current three-game winning streak has moved the Nationals one game above .500 at 37-36.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nationals-harper-uncertain-rehab-timeline-154405992.html

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WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed at Central, Hong Kong's business district. The Hong Kong government says Snowden wanted by the U.S. for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has left for a "third country." The South China Morning Post reported Sunday, June 23, 2013 that Snowden was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination. Snowden has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Admitted leaker Edward Snowden circled the globe in evasion of U.S. authorities on Sunday, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said they would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States and do not value press freedoms whatsoever," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum.

"This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States," she added.

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

Snowden helped The Guardian and The Washington Post disclose U.S. surveillance programs that collects vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweeping up information on American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.

Snowden has been in hiding for several weeks in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong but was rebuffed; Hong Kong officials said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

A State Department official said the United States was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries that Snowden could travel through or to, reminding them that Snowden is wanted on criminal charges and reiterating Washington's position that Snowden should only be permitted to travel back to the U.S.

The White House would only say that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the developments by his national security advisers.

Russia's state ITAR-Tass news agency and Interfax cited an unnamed Aeroflot airline official as saying Snowden was on the plane that landed Sunday afternoon in Moscow. The report said he intended to fly to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela.

U.S. lawmakers scoffed, and warned that all countries helping Snowden to evade trial were hurting their relationship with the U.S.

"The freedom trail is not exactly China-Russia-Cuba-Venezuela, so I hope we'll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there'll be consequences if they harbor this guy," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Upon his arrival, Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. One explanation could be that he wasn't allowed; a U.S. official said Snowden's passport had been revoked, and that special permission from Russian authorities would have been needed.

"It's almost hopeless unless we find some ways to lean on them," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

With each suspected flight, efforts to secure Snowden's return to the United States appeared more complicated if not impossible. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country could give Snowden a political exemption.

"As we have seen of late, I think 10 percent of Snowden's issues are now legal, and 90 percent political," said Douglas McNabb, an expert in international extradition and a senior principle at international criminal defense firm McNabb Associates.

The likelihood that any of these countries would stop Snowden from traveling on to Ecuador seemed unlikely. While diplomatic tensions have thawed in recent years, Cuba and the United States are hardly allies after a half century of distrust.

Venezuela, too, could prove difficult. Former President Hugo Chavez was a sworn enemy of the United States and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year called Obama "grand chief of devils." The two countries do not exchange ambassadors.

U.S. pressure on Caracas also might be problematic given its energy exports. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports Venezuela sent the United States 900,000 barrels of crude oil each day in 2012, making it the fourth-largest foreign source of U.S. oil.

Assange's lawyer, Michael Ratner, said Snowden's options aren't numerous though.

"You have to have a country that's going to stand up to the United States," Ratner said. "You're not talking about a huge range of countries here."

That is perhaps why Snowden first stopped in Russia, a nation with complicated relations with Washington. U.S. lawmakers warned those relations would grow more perilous if Moscow does not cooperate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "aiding and abetting Snowden's escape," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States," Schumer said. "That's not how allies should treat one another, and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship."

It also wasn't clear Snowden was finished with disclosing highly classified information.

"I am very worried about what else he has," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had been told Snowden had perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents.

Ros-Lehtinen and King spoke with CNN. Graham spoke to "Fox News Sunday." Schumer was on CNN's "State of the Union." Sanchez appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Feinstein was on CBS' "Face the Nation."

___

Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Matthew V. Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-23-NSA-Surveillance-Snowden/id-f5aa805d79c94ffea3678ee3856c69e2

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