Thursday, August 1, 2013

With video: Commissioner Roger Goodell says NFL 'proud to have' Browns' Jimmy Haslam as owner - Cleveland Browns - Ohio

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear today that, for now, the league will continue to stand by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam amid a federal investigation into a fraud scheme orchestrated by Pilot Flying J, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based truck-stop empire run by Haslam and owned by his family.

?Jimmy Haslam is a man of great integrity,? said Goodell, who made an appearance at the Browns? headquarters to promote safety at a ?Heads Up Football? youth skills clinic. ?We're proud to have him as an owner in the NFL and think he's going to be a great owner for the Cleveland Browns and their fans here.

?He's as disappointed as anybody in what happened at Pilot J and he's working hard to fix it and correct those issues, both from a structural standpoint and to make amends. He's kept me very much involved. I think ... as he tells me I was one of his first calls to inform me what was happening after he learned about it, and he's been great at keeping us informed.?

The FBI and Internal Revenue Service raided the headquarters of Pilot Flying J April 15, and an affidavit made public days later alleged that Haslam had knowledge of fuel rebate fraud that cheated trucking-company customers out of millions of dollars. So far, seven former Pilot Flying J employees have pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Goodell said Haslam, the CEO of Pilot Flying J, has told him privately what he has maintained publicly ? that he didn?t know about the fraud scheme until the FBI released its affidavit.

?Yes, absolutely [I asked him if he knew about the fraud],? Goodell said. ?And he?s been very clear that he?s had no knowledge of that, and he?s been clear publicly and clear with you all.?

In addition to the criminal investigation, about 20 trucking companies have filed civil lawsuits against Pilot Flying J. Eight of them have agreed to a settlement, and Haslam has sent checks to several other companies in an effort to make restitution.

?He?s been very proactive,? Goodell said. ?He?s made numerous statements about it. I think he?s taken responsibility for it. He?s spoken up. As I said before, he?s a man of integrity. This company has meant a lot to him and his family, and he?s more determined than ever to make it right.?

Some question whether Haslam?s finances could be drained enough to force him to sell the team, which he bought from Randy Lerner last year for about $1 billion.

When training camp opened to the public July 25, Haslam tried to alleviate concerns that he?ll be forced to sell the Browns. Haslam, who's attending practice today, insisted there are no cash flow issues and he?s optimistic about the outcome of the investigation.

?The fans should not worry,? Haslam said. ?Our family is going to own this asset for a long, long time.?

Goodell said he has no reason to doubt Haslam?s hopeful attitude about the outcome of the probe.

?You know, most of my reports are coming from Jimmy, and he shares everything else, and I have every reason to believe him,? Goodell said. ?We have not been given anything that would be inconsistent with that.?

Goodell repeatedly sidestepped questions about what the league?s course of action would be in the event Haslam is indicted.

?We?re not going to play the hypothetical game,? Goodell said. ?Right now he?s addressing the issues. We?re confident he?s going to deal with it properly.?

At what point would the league become more involved?

?Right now, this is an issue where he?s had some people in his organization that have obviously not conducted themselves in a way that?s consistent with what he wants,? Goodell said. ?He?s fixing it, and he?s got to do that. Those things happen in big organizations.

?Jimmy is more disappointed than anybody. But I don?t think it?s a matter for us at this moment.?

Goodell was asked if owners accused of crimes would be disciplined similarly to players accused of crimes.

?We actually hold ownership to a higher standard and management,? Goodell said. ?And I think we?ve proven that in what we?ve done. It?s not just accused. As you know, in our policy, oftentimes we let the criminal process unfold because you need to do that to find out the real facts. Sometimes we don?t have all the facts, and we need to do that. What we look at is multiple offenders. As you know, that?s a real focus for us.?

The league?s owners unanimously approved Haslam?s purchase of the Browns in October after the NFL's finance committee also gave its blessing. The FBI has been investigating Pilot Flying J since May 2011.

Goodell, though, defended the league?s vetting process, insisting it wasn?t flawed.

?No, I don?t think [it was flawed],? Goodell said. ?This was a surprise to [Haslam] and to his senior level management. From that standpoint, I don?t think he was aware of it, and I don?t know anyway we could have been aware of it. It was not disclosed to us.?

Haslam bought a minority stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, so the league examined him then. However, Goodell said the NFL?s vetting of Haslam before his purchase of the Browns was not any less thorough than usual.

?No, we go through the same process on any circumstance,? Goodell said. ?When you?re going through a controlling ownership position, that?s a big step up so we don?t just pass that off. We do the same vetting process. Obviously he knows people in the league after being an owner, so there were certain aspects of that which were easier. But we didn?t short-circuit anything.?

Goodell conceded the scandal is not ideal for the Browns or the league.

?You never want to see this kind of thing happen, particularly to a partner in the league,? Goodell said. ?So obviously his partners care a great deal about him, and as a partner they want to see him getting off to a good start. This is not what anybody intended, not anybody anticipated, but he?s a man that I think everyone truly respects in the NFL.?

But Goodell shot down the idea that the probe will distract the Browns.

?I don?t believe it?s distracting anybody in that building, and that?s what really matters at the end of the day,? Goodell said. ?And Jimmy obviously is focused on that, but he?s got a lot of great people that he hired to do the job. He always intended to stay involved with Pilot J.?

Goodell also expressed confidence that Haslam can still prove to be the man who delivers a winner to Cleveland.

?I think Jimmy Haslam came into this with a mindset that he was going to do everything possible to get this franchise turned around in a positive direction and a team that this community will be proud of, not just in any single year, but consistently and to create a winner,? Goodell said. ?And he?s brought in great talent. He?s brought in great people. He set the organization obviously in a different direction. I think that?s all positive and good for the fans here and ultimately good for the NFL.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ObrNewswire/~3/Vw9BpfL4JSc/with-video-commissioner-roger-goodell-says-nfl-proud-to-have-browns-jimmy-haslam-as-owner-1.417797

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Doctors, U.S. Task Force Urge Annual CT Scans for Those At High-Risk of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the?second leading cause of all death in this country?and on Tuesday July 30, 2013 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a new draft recommendation guideline on screening for lung cancer.??The July 30 announcement is expected to?recommend annual low-dose CT scans screenings for those most at risk for lung cancer. Such screenings are projected to save up to 70,000 lives per year.??Also, once final, those guidelines would result in?Medicaid and Medicare paying for such screenings, with private insurers typically following suit.?

?

The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) has been working since 1995 to bring about the science and studies to support the necessity of?these scans. Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA's President and CEO along with leading thoracic surgeon Dr. Bill Mayfield, who was a pioneer in lung cancer screening, talked to Local 7 Lifestyles.

Source: http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=637472

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Kerry says hopes Pakistan drone strikes to end soon

By Lesley Wroughton and Maria Golovnina

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Pakistanis on Thursday that Washington planned to end drone strikes in their country soon - a message aimed at removing a major source of anti-American resentment in the strategically important country.

After meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Kerry said they had agreed to re-establish a "full partnership", hoping to end years of acrimony over the drone strikes and other grievances including the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

In a television interview later, Kerry said of the drone strikes: "I think the program will end as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it."

"I think the president has a very real timeline and we hope it's going to be very, very soon," he told Pakistan Television, when asked whether the U.S. had a timeline for ending drone strikes, aimed at militants in Pakistan.

U.S. drone missiles have targeted areas near the Afghan border including North Waziristan, the main stronghold for various militant groups aligned with al Qaeda and the Taliban, since 2004. Pakistanis have been angered by reports of civilian casualties and what they see as an abuse of their sovereignty.

It is unclear if, in their face-to-face talks, Sharif asked Kerry to halt the drone attacks.

But when asked at a news conference whether Pakistan wanted the U.S. to curtail the strikes, his foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, replied: "We are asking them to stop it, not just curtail it."

Besides the drones and the killing of bin Laden in 2011, relations have been strained by Pakistan's support for Taliban insurgents fighting Western troops in Afghanistan as well as a NATO air attack in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

"I want to emphasize the relationship is not defined simply by the threats we face, it is not only a relationship about combating terrorism, it is about supporting the people of Pakistan, particularly helping at this critical moment for Pakistan's economic revival," Kerry told reporters.

A new government in Pakistan and a new secretary of state in Washington have increased hopes the two sides can settle their grievances - something both hope to gain from, with Pakistan's economy badly needing support and the United States aiming to withdraw the bulk of its troops from Afghanistan next year.

Speaking after talks with Sharif in Islamabad, Kerry - who as a senator sponsored legislation to provide $7 billion in assistance to Pakistan over 5 years - said he had invited Sharif to visit the United States, Pakistan's biggest donor, for talks with President Barack Obama.

"What was important today was that there was a determination ... to move this relationship to the full partnership that it ought to be, and to find the ways to deal with individual issues that have been irritants over the course of the past years," he said.

"And I believe that the Prime Minister is serious about doing that. And I know that President Obama is also."

(Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-says-hopes-pakistan-drone-strikes-end-soon-183438540.html

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Two Moons That Pass in the Night

Two Moons That Pass in the Night

This image shows the rare sight of Saturn's moons Mimas and Pandora aligning in the night sky?and they couldn't look more different.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YjmERlmuIw8/two-moons-that-pass-in-the-night-973366277

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More Than 200 Dogs Dead In Animal Hoarding Case Buried ...

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) ? Victims in a gruesome case of animal hoarding in Montgomery County were laid to rest Tuesday.

Jessica Kartalija explains.

More than 200 dogs were buried at a pet cemetery in Baltimore County.

At the Baltimore Humane Society?s Nicodemus Memorial Park, the cremated remains of hundreds of dogs are laid to rest. They were abuse victims taken in by Judy Cahill, a Rockville woman found guilty of animal neglect for hoarding dogs who needed homes.

?We believe thousands. She had been on that property for 30 years and seems to have handled hundreds of dogs per year,? said Shelley Janasheck.

?We are remembering today not only the pets in this case but in hoarding cases around the world, as they never had a chance at a good life and were forced to live in situations out of their control,? said Necodemus Memorial Park Director Andrew Mazan.

Unfortunately, animal cruelty cases are not uncommon. There are 3,500 new cases reported every year.

?Hoarding is a complex mental illness, one that doctors still find a mystery,? said Jen Swanson, Baltimore Humane Society.

Hoarders have an atypical number of animals in the home, are unable to provide even the minimum standard of care and are in denial about the impact the conditions are having on the animals.

In all, 240 dogs were laid to rest.

Anyone with more than four dogs are required to have a license.

Following a guilty verdict in Montgomery County District Court citing animal neglect, a Rockville woman was ordered to not have an animal for 10 years.

Source: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/07/30/over-200-dogs-dead-in-animal-hoarding-case-buried-tuesday/

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The powerful case for silver ? RT Op-Edge

Peter Schiff is one of the few non-biased investment advisors to have correctly called the current bear market before it began.

Published time: July 30, 2013 16:54 Silver bar (Reuters/Peter Andrews)

I am a well-known "gold bug" because of my strongly voiced opinion that gold has been one of the best assets for protecting yourself from the US dollar's prolonged decline.

Lately, the precious metals have taken a beating, and I've been called to defend gold's future prospects in the media countless times. While I am confident that gold will rebound with a vengeance before long, I think investors are potentially missing an even greater opportunity in that other monetary metal: silver.

To address this oversight, I have compiled a special report called The Powerful Case for Silver, which is available at www.schiffsilver.com. This 14-page report report contains in-depth analysis of what I believe to be the strongest arguments for owning the white metal. What follows is a general overview of the key arguments I make in the report.

The People's Money


After a couple generations of purely fiat currency in the United States, a lot of people have forgotten that money used to be backed by something of value - gold and silver. It wasn't until 1965 that the US stopped making its dimes and quarters out of 90% silver, and the dollar was backed by gold internationally until 1971.

In spite of fiat money's ubiquity, more and more people around the world are waking up to the dangers of paper currency and turning to gold and silver to protect their savings. Silver is particularly useful to everyday citizens around the world because of its smaller value-to-weight. A half-ounce of silver can buy you dinner. A half-ounce of gold can buy dinner for you and 60 of your closest friends. That's why for centuries, gold has been considered the money of kings, while silver is known as the people's money.

It's not hard to see the growing importance of a stable medium of exchange worldwide - look to the Cypriot banking crisis or the barter markets evolving spontaneously in economically devastated countries like Argentina or Greece. Here are places where having an stash of silver versus a roll of banknotes can mean the difference between keeping your family well-fed and having to beg for assistance.

Developed nations are also waking up to this reality, translating into record silver sales at the US Mint and other major bullion producers despite the recent correction in global spot prices. This investment demand is providing a baseline of support to silver's price and helping to re-establish silver as a universally recognized form of money.

Growing Industrial Demand

Silver conducts heat and electricity better than any other metal on Earth. It is also anti-bacterial. These amazing properties make silver indispensable in a vast array of modern industrial and technological applications.

This industrial demand has been shifting dramatically since the turn of the century, as defunct applications for silver like photographic film have been replaced by new technologies like photovoltaic power. The evolution of silver's industrial applications continues unabated, with new uses being developed every year.

In spite of a recent dip in demand for industrial silver due to global economic volatility, the fundamentals of the industries consuming silver look promising. The Powerful Case for Silver delves deeper into the latest silver technologies like nanosilver and demonstrates why I believe industry will provide growing demand for silver over time.

A worker removes a freshly made bar of silver from a mould (Reuters/Peter Andrews)

Undervalued Relative to Gold

For the majority of human history, the prices of silver and gold have been closely tied to each other. There is estimated to be about 19 times as much silver as gold in the earth, and only 11.2 times more silver than gold has ever been mined. Today, the silver:gold price ratio on the markets is about 65:1. That is out of sync with the relative scarcity of the metals and with the long-standing historic bounds from 12:1 to 16:1.

To understand why silver is being undervalued by the market, it is important to trace the histories of the two precious metals. Over the last two centuries, as world markets were forcibly detached from their monetary backing, clumsy attempts at setting fixed exchange ratios at first cleared and then flooded Western markets with silver. Then, with both metals taken out of circulation, precious metals investment was confined to saving - a role more suited to gold.

As the fiat currency system collapses around us, I expect the precious metals to return to circulation, and silver to once again be valued for its advantages in this role. Though I expect both metals to appreciate significantly, silver may rise much faster in order to realign with its historical price ratio to gold.

Take The Time to Understand Your Investment

I've just brushed the surface of The Powerful Case for Silver. Inside the report, you'll find more detail on all of these points, accompanied by helpful charts and graphs illustrating silver's future prospects.

The Powerful Case for Silver also provides advice on which silver products are investment-grade and how to go about purchasing them safely.

For those who have been on the fence during this bull market, the recent correction is an excellent opportunity to learn about silver and build a position.

Click here to download The Powerful Case for Silver, a free in-depth report on the state of the silver market right now and investment prospects for the precious metal in the future.

Peter Schiff is Chairman of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, a gold and silver dealer selling reputable, well-known bullion coins and bars at competitive prices.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Source: http://rt.com/op-edge/silver-metals-prospects-investment-265/

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Halliburton to plead guilty in Gulf oil spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge has scheduled a hearing on Sept. 19 for Halliburton Energy Services to plead guilty to destroying evidence after BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company was arraigned Wednesday in New Orleans on a misdemeanor charge. Although company attorneys entered a plea of not guilty during the arraignment, Halliburton has agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction of evidence in a deal with the Justice Department.

Halliburton also has agreed to pay the statutory maximum fine of $200,000, be on probation for three years and to cooperate with the government's criminal investigation.

The deal is subject to the approval of U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, who will preside over the September hearing.

Halliburton was BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded, triggering an explosion that killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Halliburton won't face any other criminal charges in connection with the case, though individual employees could still be charged. The Justice Department agreed not to prosecute the company for any other conduct related to the April 2010 blowout of BP's Macondo well. The explosion killed 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Halliburton also agreed to make a $55 million contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but the payment wasn't a condition of the plea deal.

The destruction of evidence involved a post-spill review of the cement job on BP's well.

Federal prosecutors said Halliburton's cement technology director in May 2010 directed a senior program manager to run computer simulations on centralizers, which are used to keep the casing centered in the wellbore.

The results indicated there was little difference between using six or 21 centralizers. The data could have supported BP's decision to use the lower number.

The cementing technology director allegedly instructed the program manager to delete the results. A different Halliburton employee also deleted data from a separate round of simulations that reached a similar conclusion, according to the Justice Department.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GULF_OIL_SPILL_HALLIBURTON?SITE=ORCOO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Foxtel Play IPTV service now live in Australia ahead of official launch

Foxtel Play now live in Australia ahead of official launch

Australians with Mac and PC computers, eligible Samsung Smart TV models and Xbox 360s can now get an IPTV package through Foxtel's Play service, even though the official launch is still two weeks away. For $25 AUD per month, you'll get you one genre-based package (the maximum four will cost $50), while sport, premium drama and movie channels will run an additional $25 each. Current cable or satellite subscribers will get the service for for free on up to two registered devices, including iPads, iPhones and Samsung models. Unlike Foxtel's regular TV offerings, though, you can grab an IPTV package on a month-to-month basis, with no commitment. For those who wish to remain unplugged, that could come in especially handy for certain sporting events.

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Via: Delimiter

Source: Foxtel

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/uegrqJt32rg/

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