Duck Dynasty’s Willie, Korie, Miss Kay and Uncle Si Robertson will visit Northwest Arkansas at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 20 at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale as part of an event sponsored by Cox Communications.
The event, called Field of Ducks, will also include local band Backroad Anthem, which is scheduled to perform live music before the Robertsons take the stage. Vendor booths and a kids zone are also planned.
Duck Dynasty stars will be at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale as part of an event sponsored by Cox Communications
Tickets range from $28 to $60 each, and are available at nwanaturals.com or by calling 877-444-2637.
Duck Dynasty follows the lives of the Robertsons, a Louisiana bayou family living the American dream as they operate a thriving homegrown mom-and-pop business, which makes products for duck hunters, primarily the top-of-the-line Duck Commander duck call.
According to new reports, Duck Dynasty fans are heading to West Monroe, Louisiana, as the Robertson family’s home place has become the vacation spot of the year.
Duck Dynasty, which follows Willie Robertson, his redneck family and their multimillion-dollar duck call business Duck Commander, is one of television’s most-watched reality series. More than 11.8 million viewers tuned in for the season four premiere in August, and fans are now taking their love for the show and hitting the road to visit the Robertsons’ town of West Monroe.
“We laugh and smile and shake our heads because the show has really put us on the map,” said Courtney Hornsby, president of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce. “We’re just trying to embrace it and see how we can use it to help grow the community.”
Duck Dynasty fans are taking their love for the show and hitting the road to visit the Robertsons’ town of West Monroe
Although Courtney Hornsby did not have official tourism numbers, she says the town of 13,000 is inundated on weekends. And local businesses are aiming to take advantage of the Duck Dynasty crowds.
The local Hampton Inn has a Duck Commander package which gives participants a gift bag with their very own Phil Robertson mug when booking a room. The Downtown Monroe Alliance is planning a holiday event around the show, to be called A Very Merry Commander Christmas, and the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau created the Duck Commander Hometown Tour to help tourists find locations from Duck Dynasty.
“It’s really exciting to see our area revitalized with increased tourism from the show,” said Rebekah Landry, art and social media director for Landry Vineyards. Her family’s vineyard was shown on an episode of Duck Dynasty in 2012. Rebekah Landry estimates that half of the vineyard’s visitors come by because of the show.
“People are always asking <<Where’s Willie?>>, <<Where can I meet him?>>, <<Where does he live?>>” said Rebekah Landry.
“It can be an irritant but people are coming in the door and buying our wines, so you can’t complain.”
Lori and Dalton Young and their four children spent their spring break visiting West Monroe from McKinney, Texas. Their first stop was the Duck Commander warehouse where they bumped into Si Robertson.
“Our youngest daughter has Down syndrome, and it was really sweet to see Si talking to her,” said Lori Young.
“She kept calling him daddy so he was laughing and joking with her.”
The World Food Day theme for 2013 is “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”.
The official World Food Day theme – announced at the start of every year by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – gives focus to World Food Day observances and helps increase understanding of problems and solutions in the drive to end hunger.
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on October 16
Today almost 870 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished. Unsustainable models of development are degrading the natural environment, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity that will be needed for our future food supply. Calls for profound changes in our agriculture and food systems are becoming more frequent and more insistent.
World Food Day 2013 is an opportunity to explore these and other questions, and help bring about the future we want.
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on October 16 in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.
The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme.
Jose Manuel Riella and Martina Lopez from Paraguay have got married in a religious ceremony after living together for 80 years.
From his wheelchair, Jose Manuel Riella, 103, promised his eternal love to Martina Lopez, his 99-year-old bride, who wore a long white dress.
The wedding was held in the couple’s garden, where an altar had been set up.
Jose Manuel Riella and Martina Lopez from Paraguay have got married in a religious ceremony after living together for 80 years
The ceremony was attended by many of their eight children, 50 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren.
The priest said they were the oldest newlyweds he had ever known.
Jose Manuel Riella and Martina Lopez had already got married in a civil wedding 49 years into their relationship, but had not gone through a religious ceremony at the time.
Martina Lopez said she felt very emotional at having her relationship blessed by the priest.
The family said the vows very followed by an “entertaining” party at the couple’s home in Santa Rosa de Aguaray.
A Lao Airlines aircraft on an internal flight has crashed into the Mekong River in southern Laos, media in the region say.
Reports from neighboring Thailand put the number of dead at around 40.
There is no official word from the airline on casualties so far.
An airline official quoted by the Bangkok Post said the plane crashed in bad weather just before it was due to land at Pakse on a flight from the capital Vientiane.
A Lao Airlines official said the plane had crashed at about 4 p.m. near Pakse, Champasak province, which is on the borders of both Thailand and Cambodia.
A Lao Airlines aircraft on an internal flight has crashed into the Mekong River in southern Laos,
Thai television showed a photograph of the ATR 72 turboprop plane partly submerged in shallow water on a stretch of the Mekong, the tail severed. Another television channel showed what appeared to be several bodies on the bank of the river.
“We do not yet know the number of casualties, our executives are currently in a meeting and will provide more details in the morning,” a Lao Airlines official told Reuters.
Lao Airlines is the national carrier of the communist state and has operated since 1976. Its aircraft carried 658,000 passengers last year and it has a fleet of just 14 planes, mostly propeller-driven.
Alexei Navalny’s jail sentence for embezzlement has been suspended by a Russian court, allowing him to go free.
However, Alexei Navalny’s conviction is likely to prevent him running in the next presidential election.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in July but released pending the appeal.
He has always denied the charges, which relate to his time as an adviser to the governor of the Kirov region.
His conviction bars him from running for elected office. Navalny has said in the past he would like to stand for president.
But it appears Alexei Navalny’s five-year sentence would rule him out of running for the next presidential election, due to take place in spring 2018.
Alexei Navalny’s jail sentence for embezzlement has been suspended by a Russian court
Alexei Navalny vowed to continue in politics, accusing the authorities of prosecuting him for political reasons, and said he would appeal against the sentence.
While on bail, he stood for mayor of Moscow, coming second and nearly managing to force the Kremlin’s candidate into a run-off.
In July, Alexei Navalny was found guilty of heading a group that embezzled timber worth 16 million roubles ($500,000) from the Kirovles state timber company while working as an adviser to Kirov’s governor, Nikita Belykh.
Speaking after the appeal verdict, he said: “It’s clear for me that the authorities are trying by all means to hound me out of politics, coming up with some restrictions and fabricated cases.
“One thing is for sure, they will not succeed in pushing me and my allies out of political life.”
Alexei Navalny could be seen using a mobile phone bearing a sticker which mocked Russia’s current President, Vladimir Putin, as a thief.
The veteran anti-corruption campaigner hugged his wife, Yulia, who has travelled from Moscow to Kirov with him for his court appearances.
Co-defendant Pyotr Ofitserov, who was jailed for four years, also had his sentence suspended on Wednesday.
Alexei Navalny took 27% of the mayoral vote in Moscow against the Kremlin-backed incumbent, Sergei Sobyanin, who officially scraped through on the first round with 51% – a result the opposition leader disputes.
French Catholic Church has finally corrected a “blasphemous” error that crept into the Gallic version of The Lord’s Prayer 50 years ago.
After a 17-year debate, theologians and writers concluded that the French equivalent of “And lead us not into temptation” implied that God Himself could lead us astray, rather than help us keep on the straight and narrow, and thus had “blasphemous” overtones.
The French line before read: “And don’t submit us to temptation.”
It now reads: “And don’t let us enter into temptation.”
The change will be incorporated into a new French translation of the Bible validated by the Vatican that will be published next month.
Traditionalists were appalled when the unfortunate wording was introduced in 1966, as according to father Frédéric Louzeau, a theologian, it suggested that: “God, who is infinitely good and the source of all goodness, could drive man to evil or sin.”
French Catholic Church has finally corrected a “blasphemous” error that crept into the Gallic version of The Lord’s Prayer 50 years ago
Le Figaro, France’s main conservative daily, said the consequences of the poor translation on “millions of Catholics” was “incalculable”.
The “error” was due to an ecumenical compromise between Orthodox Christians and reformed Protestants to create a “common Lord’s Prayer”. The resulting text came in the wake of the Second Vatican Council of 1965, which sought to address relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world.
The French Protestant version of the Bible modified the phrase at the time.
The new translation will be presented during the forthcoming plenary assembly of French bishops at Lourdes. However, it will not be used in French parishes until the changes are incorporated into the latest Roman Missal – not before 2015.
“We’ll have to explain it to our congregation. Even the priest will get it wrong,” Father Scheffels, priest in Nanterre, west of Paris, told Le Parisien.
Eric Denimal, a theologian, told the newspaper that believers should not worry about having said the wrong thing for the past 50 years.
“Whatever way the phrase is pronounced, what counts ultimately is the authenticity of the relationship between the person praying and the God he is addressing,” he said.
The Lord’s Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity also commonly known as the Our Father and in Latin as the Pater Noster.
In the New Testament, it appears a longer form in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and a shorter form in the Gospel of Luke, as a response by Jesus to a request by “one of his disciples” to teach them “to pray as John taught his disciples”.
The prayer concludes with “deliver us from evil” in Matthew, and with “lead us not into temptation” in Luke.
The death toll from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Philippines yesterday continues to rise.
At least 99 people died in the quake, which hit the central Philippines on Tuesday, a national holiday.
Residents have described ongoing aftershocks on Wednesday morning, with many afraid to return to their homes.
The earthquake struck below the island of Bohol, where the most casualties were reported.
Philippines earthquake struck below the island of Bohol, where the most casualties were reported
People were also killed in the province of Cebu, and historic churches, as well as roads, markets and buildings, were reported damaged on both islands.
The air force was carrying 24,000 lb of relief supplies to affected residents in Bohol province, Reuters news agency reported, citing a military spokesman.
Minda Morante, civil defense chief for the central islands, told AFP news agency that she expected the death toll to rise.
“We expect the number to increase considering there are still areas that need search and rescue [personnel] and there are areas where they need more aid,” Minda Morante said.
Philippines President Benigno Aquino is expected to visit the affected areas on Wednesday.
Riot police and protesters have clashed in Brazil’s largest cities – Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo – after marches in support of striking teachers.
Soon after a peaceful march by more than 5,000 people ended in Rio, a much smaller masked group attacked shops, set fire to a police car and threw petrol bombs.
There were also clashes in Sao Paulo, where shops were ransacked.
Police responded with tear and pepper gas and detained dozens of people.
Four officers were injured and seven banks were vandalized during the unrest in Sao Paulo, according to Reuters news agency.
Extra police had been deployed in Rio de Janeiro for the huge protest coinciding with Teacher’s Day, on which the country recognizes the profession.
Many shops and banks had boarded up their windows after last week’s larger protests, which had gathered more than 10,000 supporters.
Police also cordoned off the Rio house of representatives, which was targeted last week.
Teachers in Rio are demanding better working conditions and salaries and have the support of colleagues in other cities
After the end of Tuesday’s march, masked protesters from the so-called Black Bloc anarchist group set fire to the boards, as well as public telephones, rubbish bags and other street furniture.
Metal boards were also taken by some groups and used as shields to confront the police.
A police car was set alight and protest slogans written on walls.
Teachers in Rio are demanding better working conditions and salaries and have the support of colleagues in other cities.
They have been on strike for two months and many complained that Rio’s state government had started procedures to sanction the striking teachers.
On Tuesday night, a Supreme Court judge said it considered the government’s actions illegal.
Judge Luiz Fux told Brazil’s state news agency, Agencia Brasil, that the sanctions infringed, “even if in a roundabout way, the civil servants’ right to freedom of expressions through strike”.
Luiz Fux also summoned union leaders and government officials for talks on October 22.
In an earlier demonstration on Tuesday, a group of homeless people tried to break into the house of representatives of Sao Paulo.
Police held off the crowd, and a small group later met with government officials.
In the south-eastern city of Belo Horizonte, a peaceful protest was held a central square.
Smaller groups also gathered on Tuesday in Brasilia, the north-eastern city of Salvador and other cities.
Brazil’s security situation is a challenge to cities that will play host to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
Nike has unveiled Fuelband SE – its second generation activity-tracking wristband – addressing criticism that its earlier device failed to recognize that some activities use more energy than others.
The Fuelband SE lets owners define the start and end of a session and then tag it – for example as yoga or basketball.
Nike’s software then adjusts its “fuel” score accordingly.
However, speculation that Nike would add a heart monitor or other new sensor to improve accuracy proved incorrect.
The New York launch came two weeks after the Fitbit Force was unveiled – a rival activity tracker that introduced a height-measuring altimeter that can record how many stairs its owner has climbed.
Jawbone, iHealth, Garmin, Withings and Adidas are among other firms to offer dedicated fitness-measuring gadgets. Meanwhile Samsung and Sony are promoting their newly released smartwatches’ ability to download and run Android-based activity-tracking apps.
One market watcher suggested Nike might have missed a trick.
Nike has unveiled Fuelband SE, its second generation activity-tracking wristband
“Since Nike launched the first Fuelband early last year there has been an explosion of fitness wearables and apps,” said Nitin Bhas, senior analyst at the tech consultancy Juniper Research.
“On the one hand you have Apple’s promotion of the new motion processor in its iPhone 5S, which extends battery life when the function is used, and on the other hand you have Fitbit adding new technology.
“But you mustn’t forget that Nike has the fact that it’s an established brand in its favour, unlike some of the other firms involved.”
Other improvements to the Fuelband include an upgrade to the lower-power Bluetooth 4.0 technology, allowing the device to automatically synchronize its data to an iPhone rather than requiring the owner to carry out a series of button presses.
There continues to be no official Fuelband app for Android devices, although users can connect the gadget to a computer to upload their data to a website.
Nike also suggested a redesigned internal circuit board and other changes meant the device offered “greater flexibility” and “improved water resistance”. Issues with the original model meant several users suffered error messages after several months’ use, requiring the bracelet to be replaced.
Like its predecessor, Nike suggests the Fuelband SE can be worn in the shower but should not be submerged for extended periods, for example while swimming.
Nike said that its iOS app also introduced a feature allowing users to work together to hit a fuel score target as well as a way to better monitor how much energy was used at different hours of the day.
The company also announced plans to expand an existing programme to encourage third-party firms to develop software that makes use of the information generated by the device.
Analysts agree that the wearable tech market – which includes devices such as Google’s forthcoming Glass eyewear – is set to expand, but differ over its expected size.
According to a new report from Juniper Research, the sector will grow from $1.4 billion of annual sales this year to $19 billion by 2018.
Nike is adding France, Germany and Japan to its existing Fuelband markets – the US, Canada and the UK.
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The Fuelband SE will be available from November 6.
Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian journalist who covered data leaked by Edward Snowden, has announced he is leaving the British newspaper.
Glenn Greenwald said he was departing to take up a “dream” opportunity.
He told Buzzfeed website he would be involved in a “new, large-scale… media outlet”.
In a statement posted online, Glenn Greenwald said the news of this “momentous new venture” had been leaked before he had planned to announce it so he was not able to provide further details, but that it would be unveiled shortly.
“My partnership with the Guardian has been extremely fruitful and fulfilling: I have high regard for the editors and journalists with whom I worked and am incredibly proud of what we achieved,” Glenn Greenwald said.
Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian journalist who covered data leaked by Edward Snowden, has announced he is leaving the British newspaper
The Guardian‘s Jennifer Lindauer said: “Glenn Greenwald is a remarkable journalist and it has been fantastic working with him.
“Our work together over the last year has demonstrated the crucial role that responsible investigative journalism can play in holding those in power to account.”
Glenn Greenwald has been fiercely criticized for his work with Edward Snowden, who is wanted in the US on espionage charges and is living under asylum in Russia.
However, Glenn Greenwald, who is a lawyer by training, said during an interview that none of the information he had published in the Guardian could have damaged national security.
In August, Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda, who lives with the journalist in Rio de Janeiro, was held for nine hours at Heathrow under anti-terror laws. Police seized a number of electronic items he was carrying.
British Home Secretary Theresa May defended the move, saying the police had to act if someone had “highly sensitive, stolen information”.
Typhoon Wipha passed close to the Japanese capital killing at least 13 people, reports say.
Typhoon Wipha caused landslides and flooding on Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo, with several houses destroyed.
Many people died when their homes collapsed or were buried in mudslides on the island. Two were found dead near a river.
In Tokyo, flights were cancelled, bullet train services suspended and schools closed.
Typhoon Wipha caused landslides and flooding on Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo, with several houses destroyed
“It is the strongest typhoon in 10 years to pass the Kanto [Tokyo area] region,” Hiroyuki Uchida, the Japan Meteorological Agency’s chief forecaster, told journalists on Tuesday.
The storm brought strong winds and record rainfall – 4.8 inches in one hour on Wednesday morning – to Izu Oshima island, which lies some 75 miles south of Tokyo.
Officials on the island said that 13 bodies had found and more than 50 people were unaccounted for.
“We have no idea how bad the extent of damage could be,” town official Hinani Uematsu said.
Local media described mud and debris strewn around houses.
Democrats have rejected a proposal from House of Representatives Republicans to extend the debt limit and reopen the federal government.
The White House criticized what it called an attempt to appease a small group of conservatives, but praised a parallel bipartisan Senate plan.
The White House balked at the House’s proposed amendments to President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.
The US must raise its $16.7 trillion debt limit by Thursday or risk default.
It remains unclear whether Congress can agree a deal in time to avert the economic calamity in the US and across the world that economists say could result.
The House of Representatives would vote on Tuesday night on its bill to reopen the government and avoid default, said Republicans.
Meanwhile, Fitch credit agency placed the US AAA rating under review for a downgrade.
The Senate plan, outlined on Monday evening, would fund the government through mid-January and raise the debt ceiling until February, creating room for negotiators to agree a longer-term budget.
Democrats have rejected a proposal from House of Representatives Republicans to extend the debt limit and reopen the federal government
The House plan largely mirrored the Senate timeline until Representative Devin Nunes said on Tuesday afternoon it had been amended to fund the government only until December 15.
The California Republican said the revised House plan also dropped earlier attempts to delay a medical device tax used to pay for healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
The House plan would also eliminate healthcare subsidies for the president, vice-president, members of the president’s cabinet, and members of Congress and their staff.
The health law passed in 2010, was subsequently validated by the Supreme Court, and was a central issue in the 2012 presidential election, which Barack Obama won handily. Many key provisions have already taken effect, and more begin next year.
On Tuesday, Barack Obama rejected what an aide described as Republicans’ attempts to extort “ransom” while the government remained shut and the threat of a debt default loomed.
“Unfortunately, the latest proposal from House Republicans does just that in a partisan attempt to appease a small group of Tea Party Republicans who forced the government shutdown in the first place,” said White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage, referring to a faction of hardline conservatives who hold significant sway in the House.
Later, Republican House Speaker John Boehner said that both parties were trying to find a way forward and that Tuesday morning’s House plan was focused on “fairness for the American people under Obamacare”.
“There have been no decisions about exactly what we will do,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“There are a lot of opinions about what direction to go.”
But following a meeting with John Boehner and GOP moderates on Tuesday Republican representative Charlie Dent told the media his “best estimate is that there aren’t the votes to pass it”.
House and Senate Democrats immediately joined Barack Obama in denouncing the House Republican proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the plan was “an extreme piece of legislation and it’s nothing more than a blatant attack on bipartisanship”. He said it would never pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet House Democrats on Tuesday afternoon as the clock ticks to Thursday’s debt ceiling deadline.
Even if a deal is reached in the Senate, it is unclear whether Congress could act in time to pass legislation that would avert the October 17 default deadline.
Hans Riegel, the boss of German gummi bear maker Haribo, has died of heart failure at the age of 90.
Hans Riegel, the son of Haribo founder, died in Bonn, Germany, the company said in a statement.
He was in charge of marketing and distribution for Haribo and invented its “kids and adults love it so” slogan.
Hans Riegel, the son of Haribo founder, was in charge of company’s marketing and distribution
Hans Riegel inherited the company from his father in 1946 and built it up into a firm that now employs 6,000 people.
Haribo, which also makes sweets in the shape of cola bottles, jelly beans and milk bottles, has 20 factories across Europe and an annual turnover of about $2.5 billion.
Haribo is derived from the founder’s name and the German city where it is based – HAns RIegel, BOnn.
Pietro Parolin has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new prime minister of Vatican.
Veteran diplomat Pietro Parolin is replacing Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone as part of Pope Francis’ initiative to reform the Vatican.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, had been widely criticized over last year’s so-called “Vatileaks” scandals.
Leaked documents revealed corruption and infighting at the Vatican.
In September Tarcisio Bertone said he had been the victim of “moles and vipers”.
Pietro Parolin is replacing Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone as part of Pope Francis’ initiative to reform the Vatican
“Of course there were a lot of problems, particularly in the last two years, and some accusations were levied against me,” he said.
“But this should not darken what I see as a positive overall result. We missed some things, also because problems were kept locked away by some people who did not contact the Secretariat of State,” Tarcisio Bertone added.
Cardinals welcomed the choice of Pietro Parolin who is seen as a reformer and known for his efforts to improve relations with China and Israel.
The French cardinal, Jean-Louis Tauran, told Vatican radio that Pietro Parolin was “an excellent choice, an efficient man, a good negotiator, very balanced.”
Pope Francis has already set in motion the reform of the Vatican Bank which has allegedly been turning a blind eye to money-laundering by some of its clients. He has also appointed a committee of Catholic economists to advise him on improving accounting methods and financial transparency.
The appointment of Pope Francis’ new secretary of state is seen by Vatican watchers as the most important single administrative act carried out by the new Pope since his election last March.
A state of emergency has been declared in Sicily because of the large numbers of African migrants it has to deal with.
According to the Italian navy, almost 300 migrants have been rescued from two boats near the island of Lampedusa in the waters between Libya and Sicily.
The first, about 60 miles to the south of Lampedusa, was carrying 80 migrants, a navy statement said.
The second, said to be at danger of sinking was carrying 210 people.
It was 45 miles from the island.
A state of emergency has been declared in Sicily because of the large numbers of African migrants it has to deal with
The latest rescues come a day after Italy announced increased patrols following the deaths of hundreds of migrants sailing in overcrowded boats.
The migrants were all being transferred to Lampedusa, the navy said.
On Friday, at least 33 people died when their boat capsized between Malta and Lampedusa.
A week earlier, more than 350 migrants died in another shipwreck off the island, one of the deadliest such incidents in recent years.
Italy has previously called for EU help in dealing with the thousands of desperate migrants who wash up on its beaches every year.
Many are families fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East who hope for a better life in Europe.
The recent loss of life has led to further calls for EU action.
On Monday, Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro said the country intended to triple its presence in the southern Mediterranean.
“We need strong action to stop these shipwrecks,” he told Italian newspaper Avvenire.
In addition to coastguard and border police vessels, the Italian navy currently has three ships supported by four helicopters patrolling the area. It can also call on two surveillance aircraft with night-vision capabilities.
According to the UN, some 32,000 migrants have arrived in Malta and Italy this year.
According to a document leaked by Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency (NSA) collects up to 250 million online address books each year.
The NSA document was leaked to the Washington Post and shows a collection of contact lists from both foreign and US email and instant message accounts.
Scrutinizing such lists allows the NSA to find hidden connections between people of interest to them, it says.
The web firms involved said that they did not give direct access to the NSA.
During a single day last year, the NSA collected 444,743 email address books from Yahoo, 105,068 from Hotmail, 82,857 from Facebook and 33,697 from Gmail, according to the alleged internal NSA Powerpoint presentation.
Another 22,881 address books were harvested from unspecified providers, according to the Washington Post.
In response to earlier allegations, Yahoo said that it would begin to encrypt email connections from next year. Meanwhile Facebook called for greater government transparency about data collection and Microsoft said the revelations raised “significant concerns”.
According to a document leaked by Edward Snowden, the NSA collects up to 250 million online address books each year
The data collection, which the paper says takes place overseas, happens when users log in, compose a message or sync devices.
According to the leaked document, the information is collected at least 18 key access points controlled by telecommunication companies based outside the US.
Because American web communications can flow outside of the country, the contact lists of US citizens also cross the international collection points, known as Sigads (Signals Intelligence Activity Designators).
This is particularly significant because President Barack Obama has previously said that US citizens were not targeted by the surveillance, which he said struck “the right balance” between security and privacy.
Address books include names and email addresses but can also include telephone numbers, home addresses, and business and family information.
Many web-based email services generate contact lists automatically once an email has been sent. These lists allow users to write emails more quickly by providing an auto-complete suggestion.
For an intelligence analyst, access to such data would allow them to reconstruct a network of who knows whom among criminals and terrorists.
Previous Edward Snowden allegations have suggested large-scale NSA spying and attempts to weaken internet encryption.
The NSA said that such surveillance is used to combat terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking among other crimes.
It has always maintained it has no interest in the personal information of ordinary Americans.
NSA director general Keith Alexander has defended the bulk collection of internet communications, saying that counter-terrorism and serious crime-fighting requires “the haystack to find the needle”.
Tim Guraedy, better known as Duck Dynasty’s Mountain Man, paid a visit to the mid-south last Sunday.
Mountain Man spent the day at the opening of Collierville’s new Academy Sports Store in Tennessee. He signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
Tim Guraedy is better known as Duck Dynasty’s Mountain Man
Duck Dynasty is an A&E reality TV show based on a down home Louisiana family that struck it rich making duck callers.
Mountain Man is the Robertson family’s neighbor who owns his own air conditioning repair business, co-hosts a local radio talk show on KXKZ and appears regularly on Duck Dynasty reality show.
GOP operatives in Louisiana were trying to court Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson for retiring Rep. Rodney Alexander’s, R-La., Congressional seat, but this time around, that’s not happening.
“I ran for about a week, but I wasn’t aware that I was running,” Willie Robertson said in Washington last week.
“I never rule anything out,” he added.
“I like staying involved in politics, in trying to help shape things.”
Willie Robertson and his wife Korie were in Washington DC for the annual Angels in Adoption gala
Willie Robertson also advised current Members of Congress on how to solve the government shutdown: “I’m trying to get people to work in my duck call room, that’s hard enough.”
The Duck Dynasty star revealed he didn’t suffer from the shutdown on this Washington trip.
“No, it didn’t affect me getting in here at all, we’ll be back to work tomorrow,” Willie Robertson said.
“See, we still have to work down in Louisiana, so we’ve got to go to work and make some duck calls, try them out and keep making the TV show.”
Willie Robertson and his wife Korie were in Washington D.C. for the annual Angels in Adoption gala and were honored for the positive portrayal of adoption on their reality show.
“I asked Korie to marry me when she was 17, so really, I feel like I adopted her,” Willie Robertson joked.
Christina Aguilera has revealed her weight loss plan after shedding 30 lbs off her small frame.
In addition to limiting alcohol, Christina Aguilera, 32, now avoids unhealthy favorites like Nate ‘n Al’s restaurant, a place with everything from chocolate chip pancakes to corned beef.
For breakfast, Christina Aguilera starts with blueberries, half an avocado and turkey bacon, an ideal combo of healthy fats and protein.
Christina Aguilera has revealed her weight loss plan after shedding 30 lbs off her small frame
For a snack, the singer relies on celery with almond butter. For lunch she goes lean, eating chicken breast over a veggie-filled salad. No creamy dressings are added.
Christina Aguilera also loves shrimp cocktail as a healthy snack. For dinner, she loves chicken or fish curry and splurges with a glass of wine.
Capital One secret agent girl Tiffany Dupont is best known for playing the lead character, Hadassah, a Jewish girl, who will become the Biblical Esther, Queen of Persia, in One Night with the King.
Tiffany Dupont, 32, co-starred on the ABC Family series Greek between 2007 and 2009, where she played Frannie, who was head of the Iota Kappa Iota house which she founded on campus to rival ZBZ.
Tiffany Dupont as secret agent girl in Capital One commercials
The actress grew up in Burke, Virginia, attending high school at Lake Braddock Secondary School. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and also served as Miss University of Georgia during her junior year.
While attending the University of Georgia, Tiffany Dupont was a violinist and original member of The Dave Matthews Cover Band, a nationally touring tribute act.
She has been described as a “committed Christian” and at the time of her appearance as Esther said she only wanted to play wholesome roles.
Tiffany Dupont also appeared on TV shows such as Hawaii Five-0, Supernatural, Franklin & Bash, Castle, and CSI: Miami and will be in a film in 2013 called Born to Race: Fast Track.
Bob Costas found himself in a controversy over the nature of the Washington Redskins’ name, which has stirred debate amid the NFL team’s refusal to change its moniker.
During his half-time essay segment during NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast of the Redskins-Dallas Cowboys game, Bob Costas parsed the uproar over the Redskins and other sports franchise names that have been seen as insensitive in the modern era to various minority groups.
Bob Costas noted that some teams have adjusted their names over the years in light of modern-day sensitivities, including other teams dubbed “Redskins”, a derogatory term for Native Americans.
The NBC Sports anchor, an influential voice in the sports world, acknowledged that the name is used with “benign” intent in the present day by the team and its owner, Daniel Snyder. But he left no doubt about his reasoning on why there is a public campaign to pressure the team to change the name.
Bob Costas found himself in a controversy over the nature of the Washington Redskins’ name
“Think for a moment about the term <<Redskins>>, and how it truly differs from all the others. Ask yourself what the equivalent would be, if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or members of any other ethnic group,” Bob Costas said.
“When considered that way, <<Redskins>> can’t possibly honor a heritage, or noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It’s an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent. It is fair to say that for a long time now, and certainly in 2013, no offense has been intended. But, if you take a step back, isn’t it clear to see how offense <<might>> legitimately be taken?”
Robert Quinlan “Bob” Costas, 61, is on the air for NBC Sports television since the early 1980s.
He has been prime-time host of a record 9 Olympic games.
He also does play-by-play for MLB Network as well as hosting an interview show called Studio 42 with Bob Costas.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has unveiled plans to “take 3D printing into the metal age” by building parts for jets, spacecraft and fusion projects.
The AMAZE project brings together 28 institutions to develop new metal components which are lighter, stronger and cheaper than conventional parts.
Additive manufacturing (or “3D printing”) has already revolutionized the design of plastic products.
Printing metal parts for rockets and planes would cut waste and save money.
The layered method of assembly also allows intricate designs – geometries which are impossible to achieve with conventional metal casting.
Parts for cars and satellites can be optimized to be lighter and – simultaneously – incredibly robust.
The AMAZE project brings together 28 institutions to develop new metal components which are lighter, stronger and cheaper than conventional parts
Tungsten alloy components that can withstand temperatures of 3,000C were unveiled at AMAZE’s launch on Tuesday at London Science Museum.
At such extreme temperatures they can survive inside nuclear fusion reactors and on the nozzles of rockets.
“We want to build the best quality metal products ever made. Objects you can’t possibly manufacture any other way,” said David Jarvis, ESA’s head of new materials and energy research.
“To build a [fusion reactor], like Iter, you somehow have to take the heat of the Sun and put it in a metal box.
“3,000C is as hot as you can imagine for engineering.
“If we can get 3D metal printing to work, we are well on the way to commercial nuclear fusion.”
AMAZE is a loose acronym for Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech Metal Products.
The 20 million-euro project brings together 28 partners from European industry and academia – including Airbus, Astrium, Norsk Titanium, Cranfield University, EADS, and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.
Factory sites are being set up in France, Germany, Italy, Norway and the UK to develop the industrial supply chain.
AMAZE researchers have already begun printing metal jet engine parts and aeroplane wing sections up to 2m in size.
These high-strength components are typically built from expensive, exotic metals such as titanium, tantalum and vanadium.
Using traditional casting techniques often wastes precious source material.
Justin Bieber tweeted a message along with his newly released song Heartbreaker, admitting he’s still going through a hard time after his breakup with Selena Gomez.
Justin Bieber, 19, wrote: “It’s a song for people going through heartbreak – like I was when I wrote it. It means so much to me to be able to share what I was, and still am going through, with my fans. I’m very proud of this song and I hope it gives my fans some insight into my heart. – JB.”
Justin Bieber tweeted a message along with his newly released song Heartbreaker, admitting he’s still going through a hard time after his breakup with Selena Gomez
Despite releasing the revealing song, however, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez don’t talk anymore.
Heartbreaker lyrics are truly telling that Justin Biber was devastated about his breakup with Selena Gomez.
Justin Bieber sings: “Despite all the imperfections of who I am I still wanna be your man/I know it hasn’t been easy for us to talk with everyone being around/But this is.. this is personal, this is for me and you/And I want you to know that I still love you.”
Outer space drama Gravity has topped the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend.
The astronaut thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney took $44.3 million, according to early estimates.
Gravity easily beat Tom Hanks’ latest film, Captain Phillips, which took $26 million.
The movie tells the true story of the cargo ship captain who was taken hostage by Somali pirates after his ship was hijacked in 2009.
Gravity and Captain Phillips have earned critical acclaim with both Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks tipped as likely Oscar contenders.
Gravity‘s successful second week haul brings its total US domestic takings to $123.4 million.
“They say what goes up must come down, but that’s not really true with Gravity,” box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.
“To have opened as big as it did last week and only drop 21% [in revenue], that’s really an amazing hold. It’s a direct testament to the word of mouth on the movie.”
Gravity has topped the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend
Animated sequel Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 was at three in its third week of release with $14.2 million.
The weekend’s only other new release, Machete Kills, opened in fourth place with $3.8 million.
The gun-toting sequel from director Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez is the follow-up to Machete, which earned $11.4 million when it opened in 2010.
Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, fell two places to five with $3.7 million.
North American box office top 5:
1.Gravity – $44.3 million
2.Captain Phillips – $26 million
3.Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs 2 – $14.2 million
