Sunday, June 30, 2013

Gay, evangelical and seeking acceptance in church

Evangelicals are being challenged to change their views of gays and lesbians, and the pressure isn't coming from the gay rights movement or watershed court rulings: Once silent for fear of being shunned, more gay and lesbian evangelicals are speaking out about how they've struggled to reconcile their beliefs and sexual orientation.

Students and alumni from Christian colleges have been forming gay and lesbian support groups ? a development that even younger alumni say they couldn't have imagined in their own school years. Gay evangelicals have published memoirs that prod traditional Christians to re-examine how they think about gays and lesbians. Among the most recent is Jeff Chu's "Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America." Paul Southwick, a gay evangelical attorney in Oregon, has started an "It Gets Better" style video project, "On God's Campus: Voices from the Queer Underground," with testimonials from gays and lesbians at the Christian schools.

The goals of these activists and writers vary. Some argue monogamous same-sex marriages are consistent with traditional Bible views and hope to remain in conservative churches. Others agree with traditional teaching on marriage and have committed to staying celibate for life, but are speaking out because they feel demonized within their communities.

Whatever their aims, they are already having an impact.

"There are a growing number of us who grew up hearing a certain origin story about our same-sex attraction that didn't resonate with us," said Wesley Hill, 32, who teaches at a conservative Anglican seminary, Trinity School for Ministry in Pennsylvania, and wrote the book "Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality." ''We are wanting to have conversations that older generations of evangelicals haven't had or haven't wanted to have."

A February survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found seven in 10 white evangelicals overall were against gay marriage. However, younger respondents backed same-sex marriage by 51 percent. Younger Christians grew up with openly gay friends and relatives, and often found their elder's fight for traditional marriage damaging to the church, according to studies by the Barna Group's David Kinnamon, among other surveys.

Still, it is only in the last few years that gay and lesbian evangelicals have discussed their same-sex attraction so openly. It has been far more common for gays and lesbians from traditional faith groups to join liberal houses of worship or leave organized religion altogether. In a recent survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans by the Pew Research Center, 48 percent said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 20 percent of the general public. Of the LGBT adults with religious ties, one-third said there is a conflict between their religious beliefs and their sexual orientation.

Evangelical leaders are taking notice. After the U.S. Supreme Court last week gave federal recognition to gay marriages, several evangelicals responded not only by renewing their commitment to traditional marriage, but also by urging like-minded Christians to be more sensitive in the way they express their beliefs. For those outside conservative Christianity, this may not seem significant, but it's a notable change for Christians who believe their faith requires them to challenge same-sex relationships.

"We need to show grace and friendship to those who struggle, while holding fast to what the Scriptures teach. Without hiding our beliefs, we need to look for opportunities to have conversations, build relationships and demonstrate grace," wrote Ed Stetzer, head of the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, on his blog, "The Exchange."

A week earlier, the head of Exodus International, a Christian ministry that helped conflicted Christians rid themselves of unwanted same-sex attraction through counseling and prayer, apologized to the gay community for inflicting "years of undue suffering." Alan Chambers said he continues to hold "a biblical view that the original intent for sexuality was designed for heterosexual marriage." Still, he said the organization would shut down and he would instead work to promote reconciliation between people with opposing views.

In the last few years, more than 40 gay and lesbian support groups have been formed at Christian colleges, by Southwick's estimate. The 29-year-old lawyer has been reaching out to the groups as part of his video project and is also active in OneGeorgeFox, the support group founded by gay and lesbian alumni and students of his alma mater, George Fox University, a Christian school in Oregon.

He said few of the groups have been formally recognized by their schools and some meet secretly off campus. Christian colleges generally have community standards policies barring sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Students fear publicly identifying as gay ? celibate or not ? could jeopardize their futures at the schools.

"The goal is survival," Southwick said. "If you talk to any of the LGBT students at these campuses, they are in environments that are really hostile."

However, at least one prominent evangelical school, Wheaton College in Illinois, officially recognized its support group, called Refuge, four months ago. Wheaton is known as the Harvard of evangelical schools, graduating evangelist Billy Graham and other influential leaders. LaTonya Taylor, a Wheaton spokeswoman, said the goal of Refuge "is for students who experience same-sex attraction to be mentored by a Christian community" within traditional biblical standards, "rather than to struggle alone in silence." Other schools, including George Fox, have responded to the groups by organizing campus discussions about the Bible and homosexuality, including speakers who support same-sex relationships.

Another sign of change: Gay evangelicals have already prompting a backlash.

The influential Pentecostal magazine Charisma ran a critical three-part series starting in May, titled "Can a Christian be Gay?" in response to the recent book "Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays vs. Christians Debate" by Justin Lee, founder of the Gay Christian Network.

Lee is gay and celibate, but encourages dialogue among evangelicals with different views. He frames the discussion as "Side A" and "Side B" Christians. "Side B" believes gays should be celibate because of a consistent Christian teaching that sex is only for marriage between a man and a woman. "Side A" Christians believe God blesses same-sex relationships because the particular Bible verses cited to condemn homosexuality do not reflect advances in knowledge about same-sex attraction.

Lee started the network as an online-only community in 2001. It has since grown to become a national organization based in Raleigh, N.C., with annual conferences that organizers say draw hundreds of people.

In his Charisma articles, evangelist Larry Tomczak wrote that he wanted to clear up confusion caused by Lee's arguments.

"An entire chapter in the Old Testament lists certain activities and calls them 'detestable,' stating in no uncertain terms, "Stay away!" The New Testament uses five terms to describe both male and female homosexual conduct: 'unnatural,' 'perverted,' 'degrading,' 'shameful' and 'indecent,'" Tomczak wrote. "Not to be facetious, but is that hard to understand?"

Tomczak said being gay is a choice ? and one that dishonors God.

Inadvertently, Exodus and other ministries that have promised a gay-to-straight transformation have played a role in prompting gay and lesbian evangelicals to go public. Many gay evangelicals who unsuccessfully sought out a "cure" in the programs have emerged with profound misgivings about the way Christians approach the issue.

A 2005 graduate of George Fox University, Southwick said he was encouraged by the school to enter a two-year counseling program with a local affiliate of Exodus, which included a graduation ceremony that Southwick dismissed as "a straight diploma." He became depressed and suicidal during the program.

Lee, of the Gay Christian Network, was raised Southern Baptist believing that gays could become straight "if they trusted God and had the willingness to do so." In college, he attended Exodus conferences and sought out other similar ministries hoping to become attracted to women. It didn't work. Lee says he's always been celibate, so the ministries' focus on changing behavior wasn't helpful.

"I was focused on changing the attractions. That led me to ask a lot of tough questions about whether people's attractions were changing and I realized they were not," Lee said.

The Rev. Russell Moore, head of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, cautioned against reading too much into the collapse of Exodus International or any talk of a more compassionate evangelical response to gays and lesbians.

' 'There is no change in the Christian sexual ethic, because there can't be. For us it's a matter of Gospel fidelity," Moore said.

Instead, he considers the Exodus shutdown the end of a misguided therapeutic approach that Moore argues promised a quick fix it couldn't deliver. "We like conversion stories, and we like them to be quickly resolved in two or three minutes with a happy ending, but that's not what the Christian life is like in Scripture," he said.

Still, Moore agrees religious conservatives are at least approaching the debate about homosexuality differently in what he calls "a more authentic, honest conversation about sexuality."

At Fuller Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., the group OneTable formed to foster open discussion about religion and homosexuality.

Last October, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first bishop in world Anglicanism to live openly with a same-sex partner, spoke to the students, at a screening of a movie "Love Free or Die," about the uproar that followed his 2003 election as the New Hampshire bishop.

"Everyone thought there would be some horrendous blowup. It was a wonderful evening. The questions to me were absolutely honest and thoughtful and faithful," said Robinson, who recently retired from his diocese. "A lot of people came in certain and a lot of people left confused ? which is huge."

___

Follow Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-evangelical-seeking-acceptance-church-161522243.html

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Victor Joseph Espinoza 425 Pound Gang Member Gets Prison For Grabbing 10 Year Old Boy and Sniffing His Arm Pits in Santa Ana, California

Published by Junior Staff Writer on June 30, 2013

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Convicted gang member Victor Joseph Espinoza was sentenced this week to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to grabbing a 10-year-old boy and sniffing his arm pit.

Espinoza pleaded guilty to a false imprisonment charge.

In exchange for his guilty plea, charges of street terrorism and a sentencing enhancement for gang activity were dismissed.

The boy and his 19-year-old cousin were walking to the boy?s soccer practice on a bike trail by a park about 7:20 p.m., Oct. 4 2012.

The 425-pound Espinoza grabbed the boy and sniffed his arm pit, but the child managed to get loose.

His cousin shouted at Espinoza and the two then ran to the soccer field and told the boy?s coach what happened.

The coach caught up with Espinoza and tackled him, but he managed to get free, run away and hide behind a tree

but he was located by the Santa Ana Police helicopter and arrested.

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OtterBox Commuter or Reflex Case for iPhone 5 for $10 + free shipping

newegg offers the OtterBox Commuter Case for iPhone 5 in Punk (pictured), model no. 77-22163, Avon Pink, model no. 77-22977, Glacier, model no. 77-22167, or Black, model no. 77-21912, for $9.95 with free shipping. That's $9 under our March mention and the lowest total price we could find by $2. This case features two layers of protection and an adhesive screen protector.

newegg also offers the OtterBox Reflex Case for iPhone 5 in Vapor, model no. 77-22692, or Coal, model no. 77-22683, for $9.95 with free shipping. That's $10 under our March mention and the lowest total price we could find by $11. This 2-piece case features access to all ports and buttons.

Source: http://dealmac.com/Otter-Box-Commuter-or-Reflex-Case-for-iPhone-5-for-10-free-shipping/773376.html?iref=rss-dealmac-recent-deals

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

T-Mobile to acquire 10MHz of LTE spectrum from US Cellular in $308 million deal

LTE spectrum is a hot commodity, and if you're hurting for cash, it might not be a bad time to let some go. US Cellular just inked a deal to unload 10MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, padding its pocketbook with a whopping $308 million in cash. Pending FCC approval, that wireless load will be making its way over to T-Mobile, which would then own the vast majority of AWS. It's good news for T-Mobile customers, no doubt, especially those in the Southeast -- according to a press release, the spectrum T-Mob just snatched up covers 32 million people in cities like St. Louis, Memphis, Little Rock and New Orleans.

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Source: T-Mobile

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Melissa McCarthy & Sandra Bullock Had a Crush on Who?!

New Kids on the Block heartthrob Joey McIntyre can still make the ladies swoon -- even his co-stars in The Heat, Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/exclusive-heat-stars-melissa-mccarthy-sandra-bullock-talk-celebrity-crushes/1-a-540283?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aexclusive-heat-stars-melissa-mccarthy-sandra-bullock-talk-celebrity-crushes-540283

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SmackDown Results: Fiesta Del Rio turned into a Ziggler slugfest

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-06-28/results

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Droplr 3 brings iPad support, native sharing, and more

Droplr 3 brings iPad support, native sharing, and more

Droplr has been updated to version 3.0 which brings with it native iPad support, new sharing options, a tweaked interface, and more. For those not familiar with Droplr and what it does, it's a great way to share all kinds of files and store them in one universal place. With support from many third party apps, it's a great option for keeping track of all the files, photos, and videos you want to share across all your networks.

Droplr has long been a favorite when it comes to sharing images and other kinds of files and sharing them across the internet. With support for both Mac and Windows as well as iPhone and now iPad, it's a good option if you want access to all your files from anywhere. If you want to repost a video or image you previously shared, it's as simple as copying a link.

Many third party apps such as Twitterrific, Tweetbot, and many other services have native support for Droplr built right in which means you have access to everything you've uploaded to every network all within one app. The new version of Droplr also offers an option to upgrade to Pro within the app for $39.99 a year. Pro will remove ads and allow you to upload larger file sizes.

Version 3.0 of Droplr also allows you to share images in new ways via the sharing menu and also adds some visual enhancements that are a nice addition. You can pick up Droplr 3 from the App Store now for free and purchase Pro if you'd like via in-app purchase. For current Droplr users, 3.0 will simply be an update.

    


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Friday, June 28, 2013

US suspending Bangladesh trade benefits after factory tragedies - source

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14 hours ago

People rescue garment workers trapped under rubble at the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed, in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka in this Apr...

ANDREW BIRAJ / Reuters

People rescue garment workers trapped under rubble at the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed, in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka in this April 24, 2013 file photo. Sources says President Obama will suspend U.S. trade benefits to Bangladesh.

President Barack Obama is expected to announce on Thursday that the United States is suspending trade benefits for Bangladesh after two tragedies in a year in the country's garment sector that killed more than 1,200 workers, a congressional source said.

U.S. trade officials have said they expected Obama to announce a decision on the matter by the end of June. The U.S. Trade Representative's office did not have an immediate comment on whether an announcement would come Thursday.

Suspending Bangladesh from the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences program would increase U.S. duties on an array of products the Asian country exports to the United States, such as tobacco, sporting equipment, porcelain china, plastic products and a small amount of textile products.

But it would not directly affect Bangladesh's main export, clothing, since garments are not eligible for duty cuts under the GSP program, which was created in 1976 to help economic development in the world's poorest countries and to reduce import costs for U.S. companies.

In 2012, Bangladesh was spared about $2 million in U.S. duties on about $35 million worth of goods under GSP, but it paid about $732 million in U.S. duties on $4.9 billion of clothing exports not covered by the program, according to Ed Gresser, a trade analyst with the GlobalWorks Foundation.

Still, Obama's decision would be a repudiation of working conditions in Bangladesh following the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building in April that killed 1,129 people and the Tazreen factory fire in November that killed 112. Clothing for several American and European retailers is made in Bangladesh.

It also could influence the European Union's decision whether to suspend trade benefits for Bangladesh, which would have far more impact since Bangladesh's clothing and textiles exports receive duty-free treatment there.

The EU imported roughly 9.2 billion euros ($12.13 billion) of goods from Bangladesh last year, according to data from the EU's executive, the European Commission.

Clothing and textile products ranging from towels and bedding accounted for almost 93 percent of those goods.

EU officials have threatened to kick Bangladesh out of the program - a process that could take more than a year - unless it improves worker safety conditions.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2de37be3/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cus0Esuspending0Ebangladesh0Etrade0Ebenefits0Eafter0Efactory0Etragedies0Esource0E6C10A467534/story01.htm

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Conn. hometown of Hernandez shocked at star's fall

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? The murder case against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has led investigators to his hometown of Bristol, Conn., the working-class Hartford suburb where he began a meteoric rise that would carry him to the upper echelons of the NFL.

He is remembered as a fun-loving teenager at Bristol Central High School, where he followed in the footsteps of his older brother D.J., who would star as a quarterback and tight end at the University of Connecticut.

Some recall him struggling with the death of his father, Dennis, in 2006, but always determined to become a pro athlete, spending hours working out before and after school. As Bristol police assist Massachusetts investigators, arresting one local man as a fugitive from justice, the community was left to ponder the fall of the hometown hero with the $40 million pro contract and a new family of his own.

A former high school teammate, Andrew Ragali, 24, said the troubled street hood he has seen portrayed on television is not the Aaron Hernandez he knew.

"You could maybe say he was immature, but he wasn't a gang-banger at all," Ragali said. "I think when he went to college things might have changed, hanging around with the wrong people, but in high school, he wasn't like that at all."

The 23-year-old Hernandez was arrested Wednesday at his mansion in North Attleborough, Mass. and accused of orchestrating the execution-style shooting of his friend, Odin Lloyd, allegedly because Lloyd had talked to the wrong people at a nightclub. He was denied bail at a Thursday hearing in a Massachusetts courtroom, where a prosecutor said a Hummer belonging to Hernandez turned up an ammunition clip matching the caliber of casings found at the scene of Lloyd's killing.

Hernandez's lawyer argued his client is not a risk to flee and the case against him is circumstantial.

On June 16, the night before the slaying, a prosecutor said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut. A few minutes later, he texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, the prosecutor said. Authorities said surveillance footage showed the friends arriving, but they did not say who fired the shots.

New Britain State's Attorney Brian Preleski said Thursday that his office and Bristol police have been assisting investigators in Massachusetts and that Carlos Ortiz, 27, of Bristol, had been charged as a fugitive from justice. He waived extradition to Massachusetts and was being held on $1.5 million bail in Hartford.

Ortiz's public defender, Alfonzo Sirica, declined to comment about the case.

Massachusetts state police said Thursday night they were seeking another man, Ernest Wallace, in connection with Lloyd's killing. They issued an alert and wanted poster for Wallace, saying he was considered armed and dangerous, and sought the public's help in tracking down a silver or gray 2012 Chrysler 300 with Rhode Island license plates he was seen driving.

In Connecticut, Bristol is known to many as the home of ESPN, Otis elevator and the Hernandez family.

Aaron and his brother each earned honors as the state's Gatorade high school player of the year, although they played several years apart at Bristol Central. Aaron would often visit his brother at UConn, and at one point verbally committed to follow D.J. and play for UConn himself. But Aaron became too big a star for the state school and signed instead to play at the University of Florida, a national powerhouse where he was an All-American.

Ragali recalled seeing Hernandez again, years after high school, at a Hartford bar. He described him as quieter, with more tattoos. But said he was very nice, asked about his family and took pictures with his girlfriend.

It was after his father's death that Hernandez began smoking marijuana and hanging out with a rough crowd, Hernandez's mother Terri, told USA Today in 2009.

"The shock of losing his dad, there was so much anger," she said at the time.

Hernandez's mother works in the office at the local South Side elementary school, and other family members still live in Bristol.

"All I can say is that he will be cleared of all these charges in the end," she told the Bristol Press outside her home Wednesday. "Just let it play out until the end."

On Wednesday night, police searched a Bristol home and garage owned by Andres Valderrama, whom WFSB-TV identified as an uncle. A message was left at the home Thursday seeking comment.

The Patriots, who cut Hernandez following his arrest Wednesday, drafted him in 2010 and signed him last summer to five-year contract worth $40 million.

During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England picked him in the fourth round. Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college ? reportedly for marijuana ? and was up front with teams about it.

A Florida man filed a lawsuit last week claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club in February.

Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6 and said he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more."

Hernandez could face life in prison, if convicted.

____

Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith contributed to this report from Fall River, Mass.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/conn-hometown-hernandez-shocked-stars-fall-064235101.html

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Alaska volcano spews five-mile-high ash plume

Alaska volcano: Located almost 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof Volcano let loose its most powerful eruption since becoming active in mid-May.?

By Yereth Rosen,?Reuters / June 26, 2013

Space station astronauts captured this picture of Pavlof Volcano on Saturday.

Courtesy of the ISS Expedition 36 crew / NASA

Enlarge

An Alaska volcano spewing ash and lava for the past six weeks erupted with new intensity early on Tuesday, belching a plume of cinders 5 miles (8 km) into sky and onto a nearby town and disrupting local flights, officials said.

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The eruptions from Pavlof Volcano, on the Alaska Peninsula 590 miles (950 km) southwest of Anchorage, were its most powerful since its current eruptive phase began with low-level rumblings in mid-May, according to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The latest series of more powerful ash-producing blasts from the crater of the 8,261-foot (2,518-meter) volcano started late on Monday and continued overnight into Tuesday, scientists said.

"For some reason we can't explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor," said Tina Neal, an observatory geologist.

While the ash plume has so far remained too low in the sky to affect jetliner traffic, topping out at an altitude of 28,000 feet, smaller planes had to fly around it, officials said. Anchorage-based PenAir canceled one flight and re-routed others, said Missy Roberts, a company vice president.

Ash has dusted King Cove, a town of about 900 people located 30 miles southwest of Pavlof, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.

The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory for the region, warning of breathing problems for people with respiratory ailments and potential damage to exposed electronic equipment.

A second Alaska Peninsula volcano continued a low-intensity eruption, the observatory said. Ash from Veniaminof Volcano, 485 miles (780 km) southwest of Anchorage, has been limited to the area around its 8,225-foot (2,507-meter) summit, the observatory said.

The eruptions at Pavlof and Veniaminof are unrelated, scientists say.

A third, more remote, Alaska volcano remained restless but was not currently spouting lava or ash, the observatory said. Cleveland Volcano, 940 miles (1,512 km) southwest of Anchorage, began an on-and-off eruptive phase in mid-2011 but has not produced an explosive eruption since May 6, according to the observatory.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/BcqHONaCNTU/Alaska-volcano-spews-five-mile-high-ash-plume

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Google expanding 'Street View Trekker' program to third-party organizations

Interested groups can now offer their services as Google Street View mappers

For some time now Google has been using a 360-degree view backpack-mounted camera system to map popular locations on foot, and it is now ready to open up the program to third-parties. Google wants to map the whole world, and it means the whole world. From the tops of mountains to the bottom of the ocean, there are so many places that just can't be mapped by traditional Google Street View cars, nor can satellite imagery do them justice.

Google's new "Street View Trekker" program is hoping to increase the number of interesting places it has high-resolution mapping data on by letting interested groups get suited up and explore the world. Groups such as tourism boards, non-profits, governments, universities and research organizations can apply with Google to take the Street View Trekker backpacks out on their own, growing Google's database of street view imagery.

If you have a group that is interested in mapping places on foot for Google, you can apply with a simple form from the Google Maps Blog at the source link below.

Source: Google Maps Blog

    


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US set to suspend Bangladesh trade privileges

(AP) ? The United States is expected to suspend trade privileges for Bangladesh because of concerns over labor rights and worker safety that intensified after hundreds died there in the global garment industry's worst accident.

Congressional aides said the Obama administration would make its announcement Thursday, the culmination of a yearslong review of labor conditions in the impoverished South Asian nation.

Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for the step. Under the Generalized System of Preferences, Bangladesh can export nearly 5,000 products duty-free to the U.S., its leading market. While the GSP covers less than 1 percent of Bangladesh's nearly $5 billion in exports to the U.S. and doesn't include the lucrative garment sector, it could deter American companies from investing in Bangladesh.

The office of U.S. Trade Representative has said a decision would be made by the end of June whether to curtail Bangladesh's trade privileges. The office did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment.

A congressional official aware of the administration's thinking on the issue said Bangladesh won't be expelled from the program, and its suspension will come with some kind of roadmap to enable the restoration of suspended trade privileges if it makes progress on labor issues. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made.

Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries, is anxious to keep the trade benefit. While the immediate economic costs may not be significant, it carries reputational costs and may sway a decision by the European Union, which also is considering withdrawing GSP privileges. EU action could have a much bigger economic impact, as its duty-free privileges cover garments.

Bangladesh's government says it is taking steps to improve worker safety after the April 24 collapse of Rana Plaza in Dhaka that killed 1,129 people, and to amend the nation's labor law.

The U.S. Trade Representative review of labor conditions in Bangladesh follows a petition filed in 2007 by the AFL-CIO seeking withdrawal of the GSP benefits. The review was expedited late last year amid concern from U.S. lawmakers over deadly industrial accidents, deteriorating labor rights and the April 2012 killing of prominent labor activist Aminul Islam ? a case that has not been solved.

Calls for the benefits to be curtailed have multiplied since the Rana Plaza disaster.

Last month, 25 House Democrats wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calling for comprehensive action to improve worker safety, and this week, nine Democratic senators urged President Barack Obama to suspend trade privileges but also establish a roadmap and schedule for reinstating them to Bangladesh based on improvements in worker safety and related labor law reforms.

Lawmakers also have criticized U.S. retailers that source garments from Bangladesh for not joining the more than 40 mostly European companies that have adopted a five-year, legally binding contract that requires them to help pay for fire safety and building improvements. The Bangladeshi garment manufacturers' association says it stepping up inspections and has closed 20 factories.

The garment industry employs some 4 million people in Bangladesh, 80 percent of them women.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-27-US-Bangladesh-Trade/id-83e8cac6a3004cb19b2c49445607387a

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Right-Sizing Network Solutions for Small Businesses - Cisco Blog

This is a guest blog post from Cisco Product Manager Marc Nagao. Marc has spent close to two decades in high tech, with a mix of storage, managed services and of course networking. He is currently managing the Small Business RV Series Routers.

Network connectivity is a pretty big concern for any business, let alone a small, growing business. How many small business owners do you know that have turned to IT-savvy Cousin Jimmy for help, or called a ?computer expert? they found on Yelp, or tried to find the right network solutions doing only a few quick Google searches? Picking the right network solution can be a daunting task.

But that?s where right sizing a small business? networking solution comes into play ? it saves money now and saves more money in the future. Small businesses have the benefit of being nimble; a successful, single-person business can very quickly transform into a multiple-person small business, with an office and a warehouse and a dozen or even a few dozen folks. But that business? network connectivity solution doesn?t seem to move as quickly. A consumer wireless router could probably do the job for a single person home office adequately. But for a business looking to use its network for more than just accessing the Internet, the choice is not so obvious.

Now or in the future, a small business may want to be able to access local network resources remotely, use Voice over IP or have its network segmented to securely support guest access.? Moreover, as the business grows, the business applications themselves become more critical.? They need to be online and available, exactly when needed, and always when needed ? and that?s when business owners turn to partners like you to help them sort out their choices.

A New Set of Small Business Tools

1

It?s with those small business concerns in mind that we?re excited to add new Wireless Access Points and RV Series Router to Cisco?s Small Business portfolio.

The all-new WAP551/561 is a perfect wireless solution for addressing small business needs. These access points enable small businesses to deliver high-capacity wireless-N connectivity and guest access, securely and reliably. Simple yet powerful, they delivers business-class features such as Gigabit Ethernet connectivity with PoE, a captive portal for customized guest access, multiple SSID, VLANs and plenty more.

That makes perfect sense right?

2But wait! How does the network connect to the WAPs? Well, first, you need a router. The new business-class RV320 is now the flagship in the Cisco Small Business RV Series portfolio.

The RV320 is a powerful, yet highly secure business class router offering strong networking performance throughput. Add in business-class features such as dual WANs for fail-over and load balancing, an intelligent user interface, USB 3G/4G Broadband failover and small business users have a router that will provide years of service, and that they will never have to think about.

The last new addition is a Cisco?s business class switch that offers power-over Ethernet (PoE) functionality to allow the Access Points to be flexibly optimized for placement in the business. The SG300 series of PoE switches offer this PoE functionality together with all of the Security, Quality of Service, Scalability, and Reliability to deliver the best experience for small business applications and users.

These switches are available in 10 to 52 port configurations.

3

The bottom line is this: Cisco Small Business Products are changing the way small businesses connect to the world. And Cisco partners targeting this important segment of the market now have even more tools to get them there.

Tags: Cisco, partner, PoE+, Power over Ethernet, router, RV series, small business, WAP, wireless access points

Source: http://blogs.cisco.com/channels/right-sizing-network-solutions-for-small-businesses/

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Clintons welcome Supreme Court gay marriage ruling

(AP) ? Former President Bill Clinton is welcoming the Supreme Court decision striking down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he signed into law in 1996.

In a joint statement with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former president said the court recognized that discrimination toward any group holds all Americans back in efforts to form a more perfect union.

The Clintons also said they were encouraged that gay marriage may soon resume in California.

They congratulated the advocates and plaintiffs in the cases.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-26-US-Gay-Marriage-Clinton/id-dde49947d28d4045a1a845cb2070432a

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Flowers, vegetables could affect Snowden's fate

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) ? With Edward Snowden stuck in Moscow and Washington pushing hard for his return, many Ecuadoreans began realizing Tuesday that this small country's deep economic ties with the U.S. could make it the one with the most to lose in the high-stakes international showdown over the National Security Agency leaker.

While President Rafael Correa's leftist government was virtually silent on Snowden's request for asylum, Ecuadorean analysts said his fate, or at least his safe harbor in Ecuador, could depend as much on frozen vegetables and flowers as on questions over freedom of expression and international counterterrorism.

Unlike with China, Russia or Cuba, countries where the U.S. has relatively few tools to force Snowden's handover, the Obama administration could swiftly hit Ecuador in the pocketbook by denying reduced tariffs on cut flowers, artichokes and broccoli. Those represent hundreds of millions of dollars in annual exports for this country where nearly half of foreign trade depends on the U.S.

A denial wouldn't mean financial devastation for Ecuador, which has been growing healthily in recent years thanks in large part to its oil resources. But analysts and political figures said the prospect of any economic damage could nonetheless alter the political calculus for Correa, a pragmatic leftist who's long delighted in tweaking the United States but hasn't yet suffered any major consequences.

"Much of our foreign trade is at stake," said flower grower Benito Jaramillo, president of the country's largest association of flower farmers, who shipped more than $300 million in flowers, mostly roses, to the U.S. last year. "They've been inserting themselves in a problem that isn't Ecuador's, so we're in a dilemma that we shouldn't be in."

For years, Ecuador's oil, vegetables and roses have kept flowing northward even as Correa has expelled U.S. diplomats and an American military base, publicly hectored the U.S. ambassador and harbored WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at Ecuador's embassy in London.

Correa's strongest backers have delighted in his attacks on Washington. And even his detractors have tolerated his foreign policy as the indulgence of a man who has maintained general economic and political stability, funneling billions of U.S. dollars, which are also Ecuador's currency, to social spending and infrastructure projects.

The president's office and other government agencies declined comment on Snowden, referring questions to Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, who said only that he doesn't know where Snowden is or what travel documents he might be using.

Analysts and politicians said any potential loss to Ecuador could make hosting Snowden a tougher decision than previous ones for Correa, a member of Latin America's leftist bloc who's maintained cordial relations with countries like Cuba and Venezuela without marching in lockstep with them.

"The president's ideology toward the United States is one thing. It's another thing to be president of a country whose dependence on the U.S. is unavoidable, irreplaceable and extremely valuable, because we sell the U.S. a lot more than we could ever could to any other country," said former vice president Blasco Penaherrera, member of the center-left Liberal Party.

Many Ecuadoreans see the NSA surveillance revealed by Snowden's leaks as part of a longstanding and broad pattern of excessive U.S. interference abroad, including in Latin America. So, some people said, asylum for Snowden would be humane and wise despite any economic consequences.

"On a commercial basis, the U.S. and Ecuador are guided by pragmatism, independent of economic agendas. Businessmen set priorities based on cost-benefit and because of that I don't think there are going to be major consequences, because the commercial line is separate from the geopolitical one," said Pablo Davalos, an economics professor and analyst at the Catholic University in Quito.

But on the streets of the capital, people appeared to be increasingly feeling that their country should keep out of the affair.

"We shouldn't give him asylum," said Fredy Prado, a retired shoe company manager. "Every country needs to take care of itself, its own security."

The U.S. administration is supposed to decide by Monday whether to grant Ecuador export privileges under the Generalized System of Preferences, a system meant to spur development and growth in poorer countries. The deadline was deadline set long before the Snowden affair but conveniently timed for the U.S.

More broadly, a larger trade pact allowing reduced tariffs on more than $5 billion in annual exports to the U.S. is up for congressional renewal before July 21. While approval of the Andean Trade Preference Act has long been seen as doubtful in Washington, Ecuador has been lobbying strongly for its renewal in recent months.

"I hope the government doesn't decide to give Snowden asylum, because obviously this isn't in Ecuador's interests," said Roberto Aspiazu, chairman of a coalition of Ecuador's largest industries. "Hopefully the issue will be looked at from the perspective of Ecuador's interests, and I don't think it's in our country's interest to unnecessarily confront the U.S."

___

Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mweissenstein

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/flowers-vegetables-could-affect-snowdens-fate-213040651.html

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Edward Snowden tells South China Morning Post he took Booz Allen job to collect NSA information

Edward Snowden may now be far from Hong Kong, but the South China Morning Post has just revealed more details from an interview he granted on June 12th while he was still there. According to the paper, Snowden reportedly said that he took a job with NSA-contractor Booz Allen Hamilton in order to gather additional evidence about the spy agency's activities. "My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked," he said. "That is why I accepted that position about three months ago." He reportedly further said "correct on Booz," when asked if he specifically went to Booz Allen to gather evidence of surveillance. As the paper notes, Snowden also said that he took pay cuts "in the course of pursuing specific work" in an online Q&A with The Guardian last week, and he's also indicated that he has more information he intends to leak, saying that he'd like to "make it available to journalists in each country to make their own assessment."

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Source: South China Morning Post

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/24/edward-snowden-tells-south-china-morning-post-he-took-booz-allen/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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This Wooden Bicycle Is Beautifully Impractical

This Wooden Bicycle Is Beautifully Impractical

There's a natural charm to cycling that allows you to feel at one with the environment that surrounds you?but if that's not enough, maybe you need this bike that's made from the environment that surrounds you.

There's no way around the fact that a wooden bicycle isn't as practical as its metallic brethren. Wood just isn't naturally suited to frame building: it doesn't weather as well, is bulky, and rides strangely. But this amalgam of wood and steel is a triumph of old-school design and craftsmanship, and its looks make up for the material's shortcomings.

There's a lot to lust over here, from the wooden handlebars to the neatly jointed head and seat tubes. But the best thing has to be those beautifully curved wooden mud guards, that hug the wheels just right. Pricing is as yet unconfirmed?expect it to be high?but the bikes will finally go on sale in September. [BSG Bikes via Behance via This Is Colossal]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-wooden-bicycle-is-beautifully-impractical-569331193

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Trading in business car? Max out on depreciation ? Business ...

Q. I am buying a new business car, but I haven?t finished writing off the old one I?m trading in. Can I claim depreciation deductions for the new one? A.E.P., Albuquerque, N.M.

A. Yes. You may elect to treat the trade-in of the old car as a tax-free disposition. Then you can depreciate the new car based on an adjusted basis of the old car (figured as if 100% of the car?s use was for business) plus any additional amount paid for the new car. The depreciation deduction for the new car begins on the date you placed it in service. Alternatively, you can figure depreciation separately on the remaining basis of the old car and any additional amount paid for the new car.

Tip: Special ?luxury car? depreciation limits apply to most vehicles. See your tax pro for details.

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Hatred between Sunnis, Shiites abounds in Mideast

In this Friday, June 7, 2013 photo, Iraqi worshippers attend a joint Sunni-Shiite Friday prayer in Baghdad, Iraq. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

In this Friday, June 7, 2013 photo, Iraqi worshippers attend a joint Sunni-Shiite Friday prayer in Baghdad, Iraq. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

FILE - This April 22, 2009 file photo, shows Iraqi women at the al-Sayda Zeinab shrine in southern Damascus, Syria. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/Ola Rifai, File)

FILE - This June 14, 2012, file photo shows Syrian security forces at the site where a car bomb exploded near the shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, visible in the background, in a suburb of Damascus, Syria. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011 file photo, Muslim pilgrims visit the Hiraa cave, at the top of Noor Mountain on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. As Muslims from all over the world congregate for the annual hajj pilgrimage, some are defying the edicts of Saudi Arabia?s strict Wahhabi school of Islam by climbing al-Nour mountain in the hope of attaining spiritual favor. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

In this Tuesday, June 4, 2013 photo, Shiite women pray at the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine at Kazimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq. Hatreds between Shiites and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

(AP) ? It's not hard to find stereotypes, caricatures and outright bigotry when talk in the Middle East turns to the tensions between Islam's two main sects.

Shiites are described as devious, power-hungry corruptors of Islam. Sunnis are called extremist, intolerant oppressors.

Hatreds between the two are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria's civil war. On Sunday, officials said four Shiites in a village west of Cairo were beaten to death by Sunnis in a sectarian clash unusual for Egypt.

Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides in the region have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect.

But among the public, views are complex. Some sincerely see the other side as wrong ? whether on matters of faith or politics. Others see the divisions as purely political, created for cynical aims. Even some who view the other sect negatively fear sectarian flames are burning dangerously out of control. There are those who wish for a return to the days, only a decade or two ago, when the differences did not seem so important and the sects got along better, even intermarried.

And some are simply frustrated that there is so much turmoil over a dispute that dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.

"Fourteen centuries after the death of the prophet, in a region full of destruction, killing, occupation, ignorance and disease, you are telling me about Sunnis and Shiites?" scoffs Ismail al-Hamami, a 67-year-old Sunni Palestinian refugee in Gaza. "We are all Muslims. ... You can't ignore the fact that (Shiites) are Muslims."

Associated Press correspondents spoke to Shiites and Sunnis across the region. Amid the variety of viewpoints, they found a public struggling with anger that is increasingly curdling into hatred.

___

BACKGROUND

The Sunni-Shiite split is rooted in the question of who should succeed Muhammad in leading Muslims after his death in 632. Shiites say the prophet's cousin and son-in-law Ali was his rightful successor but was cheated when authority went to those the Sunnis call the four "Rightfully Guided Caliphs" ? Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman and, finally, Ali.

Sunnis are the majority across the Islamic world. In the Middle East, Shiites have strong majorities in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain, with significant communities in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other parts of the Gulf.

Both consider the Quran the word of God. But there are distinctions in theology and religious practice between the two sects.

Some are minor: Shiites pray with their hands by their sides, Sunnis with their hands crossed at their chest or stomach.

Others are significant. Shiites, for example, believe Ali and a string of his descendants, the Imams, had not only rightful political authority after Muhammad but also held a special religious wisdom. Most Shiites believe there were 12 Imams ? many of them "martyred" by Sunnis ? and the 12th vanished, to one day return and restore justice. Sunnis accuse the Shiites of elevating Ali to the level of Muhammad himself ? incorrectly, since Shiites agree that Muhammad was the last of the prophets, a central tenet of Islam.

The bitter disputes of early Islam still resonate. Even secular-minded Shiite parents would never name their child after the resented Abu Bakr, Omar or Othman ? or Aisha, a wife of Muhammad, who helped raise a revolt against Ali during his Caliphate. When outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Egypt earlier this year, the sheik of Al-Azhar, the bastion of Sunni theology, told him sharply that if the sects are to get along, Shiites must stop "insulting" the "companions of the prophet."

But only the most hard-core would say those differences are reason enough to hate each other. For that, politics is needed.

___

IRAQ

If Syria's war has raised the region's sectarian hatreds, the war in Iraq played a big role in unleashing them. After the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, the long-oppressed Shiite majority there saw a chance to take power. Sunnis feared the repression would flip onto them. The result was vicious sectarian fighting that lasted until 2008: Sunni extremists pulled Shiite pilgrims from buses and gunned them down; Shiite militiamen kidnapped Sunnis, dumping their tortured bodies later.

ABDUL-SATTAR ABDUL-JABAR, 56, is a Sunni cleric who occasionally preaches at the prominent Abu Hanifa mosque in the Sunni-dominated Azamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad. Two of his sons were killed by Shiite militiamen. He blames the United States and Iran for Iraq's strife.

"Right from the beginning, the Americans were trying to create sectarian rifts," he said. "Iran is a country of regional ambitions. It isn't a Shiite country. It's a country with specific schemes and agendas."

Now he fears the strife is returning, and he blames the Shiite-dominated government.

"We feel the government does not consider us part of the Iraqi nation," he said. "There is no magical solution for this. If the Shiites are convinced to change their politicians, that would be a big help."

AHMED SALEH AHMED, 40, a Sunni, runs a construction company in Baghdad mainly employing Shiites. He is married to a Shiite woman. They live in the Azamiyah neighborhood and raise their two daughters and son as Sunnis.

Still, his wife prays with the small clay stone that Shiites ? but not Sunnis ? set in front of their prayer rugs. She often visits a Shiite shrine in another Baghdad district. Ahmed sometimes helps his wife's family prepare food for Shiite pilgrims during religious ceremonies. But he admits that there sometimes is tension between the families.

"We were able to contain it and solve it in a civilized way," Ahmed said.

Iraqis like to talk politics, he said, and "when things get heated, we tend to change the subject."

When their children ask about sectarian differences, "we do our best to make these ideas as clear as we can for them so they don't get confused," he said. "We try to avoid discussing sectarian issues in front of the children."

Ahmed believes sectarian tensions have been strained because people have abused the democratic ideas emerging from the Arab Spring.

Democracy "needs open-mindedness, forgiveness and an ability to understand the other," he said. "No human being is born believing in democracy. It's like going to school ? you have to study first. Democracy should be for people who want to do good things, not for those who are out for revenge."

HUSSEIN AL-RUBAIE, 46, a Shiite, was jailed for two years under Saddam. His Shiite-majority Sadriya district in Baghdad saw considerable bloodshed during the worst of the strife, and he fears it's returning.

"The whole region is in flames and we are all about to be burnt," he said. "We have a lot of people who are ignorant and easily driven by sectarian feelings."

He sees it among his friends, who include Sunnis. "My friends only whisper about sectarian things because they think it is a shame to talk about such matters," al-Rubaie said, "but I am afraid that the day might come when this soft talking would turn to fighting in the street."

___

LEBANON

Among some of Lebanon's Shiites, it's fashionable to wear a necklace with a medallion in the shape of the fabled double-bladed sword of Ali. It's a mark of community pride at a time when the Shiite group Hezbollah says the sect is endangered by Sunni extremists in the Syrian uprising.

During Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, the main fight was between Christians and Muslims. But in the past decade, the most dangerous divide has been between Shiites and Sunnis.

For much of Lebanon's existence, Shiites, who make up about a third of the population, were an impoverished underclass beneath the Christians and Sunnis, each roughly a third also. The Shiite resentment helped the rise of the guerrilla force Hezbollah, on whose might the community won greater power. Now, many Sunnis resent Hezbollah's political domination of the government. The 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a Sunni, increased Sunni anger after Hezbollah members were blamed. Since then, both sides have clashed in the streets.

Syria's civil war has fueled those tensions. Lebanon's Sunnis largely back the mainly Sunni rebellion, while Shiites support President Bashar Assad's regime, which is dominated by his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiism. Hezbollah sent fighters to help Assad fight the rebels, enraging Sunnis region-wide.

RANIA, 51, is a Shiite Lebanese banking executive, married to a Sunni and living in Ras Beirut, one of the capital's few mixed neighborhoods.

When she married, at age 22, "I didn't even know what the difference between Sunnis and Shiites is."

Now she's inclined to support Hezbollah. While not a fan of the hard-line group, she believes that Hezbollah and Syria are targeted because of their stances against Israel. She said her husband is anti-Hezbollah and supports Syria's rebels.

Rania, who gave only her first name because she doesn't want to be stigmatized about her social, religious or marital status, said she doesn't talk politics with her husband to avoid arguments.

"I support one (political) side and he supports the other, but we've found a way to live with it," added Rania, who has a 22-year-old daughter.

She said education plays a big role. "I find that the people who make comments about it are the people who are just ignorant, and ignorance feeds hatred and stereotyping," she added.

KHALED CHALLAH is a 28-year-old Syrian Sunni businessman who has lived for years in Lebanon. He comes from a conservative, religious family but only occasionally goes to mosque. He said the only way he would be able to tell the difference between a Sunni mosque and a Shiite one would be if the cleric talked about Syria in the sermon.

"A Shiite imam would speak against the rebels, and call to resist them, and a Sunni sheik would talk against the government in Syria," he said.

He said he still doesn't understand the Shiites' emotional fervor over the battle of Karbala, in which Ali's son, Hussein, was killed by the armies of the Sunni Ummayad dynasty in the 7th century. Hussein's martyrdom is a defining trauma of their faith, deepening their feeling of oppression. Every year, Shiites around the world mark the battle with processions that turn into festivals of mourning, with men lashing or cutting themselves.

"It means much more to Shiites, this battle's memory, than to Sunnis," Challah said.

He said Sunnis "behave sometimes like they are the only Muslims."

Challah called this "very silly. Sunnis and Shiites come from the same root, they worship the same God."

___

IRAN

The Shiite powerhouse of the Middle East is home to a government led by Shiite clerics with oil wealth and a powerful Revolutionary Guard. Tehran has extended its influence in the Arab world, mainly through its alliance with Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Iran has presented that alliance not as sectarian but as the center of "resistance" against Israel.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies have been trying to stem Iran's influence, in part by warning of the spread of Shiism. Saudi Arabia's hard-line Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam views Shiism as heresy.

REZA TAJABADI, a Shiite cleric in Tehran, blames the Wahhabis ? and the related ultra-conservative Salafi movement in Sunni Islam ? for stoking sectarian hatred.

"If Wahabis withdrew from creating differences, then Shiites and Sunnis will be able to put aside their minor differences, which are not considerable."

ABOLFATAH DAVATI, another Shiite cleric, points to the historical difference between the two sects. Since Sunnis have been dominant through history, Sunni clerics became subordinate to the rulers. The Shiite clergy, he said, has been independent of power.

"Sunni clerics backed rulers and justified their policies, like the killing of Imam Hussein. Even now, they put their rulers' decision at the top of their agenda," he said.

"In contrast, Shiites have not depended on government, so Sunnis cannot tolerate this and issue religious edicts against them. This increases rifts."

___

EGYPT

In a country where the Muslim population is overwhelmingly Sunni, many Egyptians know little about Shiites. The Shiite population is tiny and largely hidden ? so secretive that its numbers are not really known. But ultraconservative Salafis, many of whom view Shiites as infidels, have become more politically powerful and more vocal since the 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. They often preach against Shiism, warning it will spread to Egypt.

MONA MOHAMMED FOUAD is a rarity in Egypt: Her mother is an Iranian Shiite, her father an Egyptian Sunni. She considers herself Sunni.

"People are always surprised and shocked" when they find out her mother is Shiite, said Fouad, 23, who works for a digital marketing company. "But usually as soon as they know, they are very interested and they ask me many questions."

Fouad said her sister has heard work colleagues criticizing Shiites. In her fiance's office they distributed leaflets "telling people to beware of Shiite indoctrination," she added.

"People should read about Shiism. We make fun of foreigners who believe all Muslims are terrorists and we say they are ignorant, but we do the same thing to ourselves," Fouad said. "There is a difference in interpretation, a difference in opinion, but at the end of the day, we believe in the same things."

She told her Sunni fiance from the start that her mother is Shiite. "I told him to tell his family, so if they have any problem with that, we end it immediately."

ANAS AQEEL, a 23-year-old Salafi, spent the first 18 years of his life in Saudi Arabia, where he would sometimes encounter Shiites. "We didn't ever argue over faith. But they alienated me," he said.

"I once saw a Shiite in Saudi Arabia speaking ill of one of the companions of the prophet near his tomb. That one I had to clash with and expel him from the place," Aqeel said.

He worries about Shiites spreading their faith. While he said not all Shiites are alike, he added that "some of them deviate in the Quran and speak badly of the prophet's companions. If someone is wrong and ... he insists on his wrong concept, then we cannot call him a Muslim."

___

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Palestinian Muslims are also almost all Sunnis. Their main connection to the Shiite world has Hamas' alliance with Iran. But those ties were strained when Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, broke its connections with Syria because of the civil war.

AHMED MESLEH, a 28-year-old blogger from the West Bank town of Ramallah, says he met Shiites on a trip to Lebanon and encounters them via Facebook. But some have de-friended him because of his online comments.

"If we take Shiites from a religious point of view, then we can describe Shiites as a sect that has gone astray from the true doctrine of Islam. I consider them a bigger threat to Muslims and Islam than Jews and Israel," Mesleh said.

He cited the Shiites' processions mourning Hussein's death, saying: "The way they whip themselves, it's irrational."

The Middle East conflict "is in its core a religious conflict. The Shiites want to destroy Islam. In Lebanon, they are the ones controlling the situation, and the ones who are causing the sectarian conflict."

ISMAIL AL-HAMAMI, a 67-year-old Palestinian refugee in Gaza's Shati camp, said politics not religion is driving sectarian tensions.

"In Gaza, Iran used to support the resistance with weapons. Now they support Assad. ... In Iraq, they (Shiites) executed Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni, and they took over the country with the help of the Americans. Now they are working against America in Iran and Syria."

"So is that related to religion? It's all about politics."

The beneficiaries of sectarianism, he said, are "those who want to sell arms to both sides ... those who want to keep Arab and Muslim countries living in the dark. The beneficiaries are the occupation (Israel) and the people who sell us religious slogans."

"God knows who is right or wrong."

___

AP correspondents Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Barbara Surk and Zeina Karam in Beirut, Dalia Nammari in Ramallah and Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Tony G. Gabriel and Mariam Rizk in Cairo and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-23-Mideast-Sunni-Shiite%20Voices/id-2335b2489bd942adb418ec55d636147d

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