US-born Ambassador Oren returns home to Israel

Wrapping up four years in office Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to US, tells Ynet of close relations with US officials, getting Obama's help during Carmel fire disaster and scolding Washington Post editor over doctored photo

Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON - Michael Oren finds it tremendously painful when people doubt his "Israeliness". He spent long periods of time in Israel in the 1970s, made official aliyah in 1979, joined the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade and fought in the 1982 Lebanon War.

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This week, after it was decided to appoint Ron Dermer as the next Israeli ambassador to the United States, Oren told Ynet: "I'm still surprised that some people, even advisers in the Prime Minister's Office, ask me if I'm Israeli."

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Oren, who will end his term of four years in office in October, further said about doubts regarding his Israeliness that "I did the entire classic Israeli lifestyle my entire adult life, from Kibbutz Gan Shmuel and (Jerusalem's) Gonen. My three children served in elite units. One of them was injured, my sister-in-law was killed in a Jerusalem bombing; it's the Israeli way. People don't know that I live in Jerusalem, and now, with the end of my term as the Israeli ambassador to Washington, even people at the PMO are surprised to hear that I'm coming back home."

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After Oren presented his credentials as the Israeli ambassador to Washington in May 2009, there were some who congratulated him for brilliantly representing the US as an ambassador to Israel. "I also heard some US Congress legislators presenting me as the US ambassador to Israel, and I had to politely correct them."

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In order to be given the coveted post, Oren was required to waive his US citizenship. "It was tough, it's a painful ceremony," the ambassador said. "My father served as a military officer, and so did my uncle, they both fought in World War II and then in the Korean War. In the ceremony, you stand before the American consul and the American flag with witnesses. The consul reads to you the rights you are giving up and then you sign all kinds of papers and finally they take away your passport and punch a hole in it."

With wife Sally

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Oren cynically remarked that "the renunciation of US citizenship does not make me ignorant on matters of football and baseball or literature, and does not erase my American accent." He needed no introduction to Washington, the White House, the Congress or even the local television studios. Before his appointment, he met with George W. Bush, was called for briefings on Iran with former Vice President Dick Cheney and was even called to testify at Congress hearings.

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Even Rahm Emauel, mayor of Chicago and US President Barack Obama's former chief of staff, asked him to give a briefing regarding the Middle East. This was prior to Emanuel's appointment as the White House chief of staff and Oren's appointment as ambassador. "Rahm warmly received me when I entered office, and throughout the entire time he felt free to pick up the phone and talk to me. I really like him and I was willing to hear the curses as well. He said things out of love for Israel."

Emanuel, Oren. Close relationship

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During his term, Oren formed bonds with important powerful agents within the White House. For example, Susan Sher, Michelle Obama's chief of staff, is a personal friend of the outgoing ambassador. "Our parents were friends and played tennis for 40 years, we're both from the same village," Oren revealed.

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Samantha Power, Obama's senior adviser and designated US ambassador to the United Nations, is also an acquaintance of Oren's. They are both Harvard University professors and were among the first to write about the Armenian genocide, at a time when criticizing Turkey was not popular. The ambassador suddenly had an direct line to a senior official at the US National Security Council. "I could pick up the phone and meet for lunch, we would sit and talk a lot," Oren told.

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Oren is first a historian and lecturer, and a book he published in 2006 about US involvement in the Middle East since the 18th century quickly became a New York Times bestseller, opening many doors for him in Washington. Newsweek then reported that former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is using the book as proof that US governments' problems in the Middle East began in the days of the third president, Thomas Jefferson.

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In the three years prior to his tenure as ambassador, Oren served as a visiting professor in three major universities: Harvard, Yale and Georgetown. He gave classes on Middle East History and was a sought-after interviewee on American networks. It was a natural extension of his role as a reserve officer in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, who made countless TV interviews during the Second Lebanon War and Cast Lead Operation.

(Photo: Courtesy of the Israel Embassy in DC)

?Oren came fully equipped with all that is necessary for an ambassador in Washington: Access to the government, Jewish community and media. The Jewish community admired him as one of their own, writing and media appearances were in his DNA and he was well-known within the administration, from the president himself to the very lowest ranks.

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Oren was brought by Benjamin Netanyahu to do hasbara, not make policy. He did it very well, as a realistic right-winger who knows how to talk to a liberal administration and the media. Communication between the White House and Israel on the peace process was channeled through US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who was involved in the process even before stepping into office.

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"At no stage did I have a problem communicating with the administration," Oren claimed. "The reality is that the White House calls me even at 2 am and I can call them whenever it is urgent for us. We had no problem reaching state officials, even when I needed to reach National Security Adviser Tom Donilon in the middle of the night. Special connections were made with Vice President Joe Biden, I had a lot of Biden-time, he has a warm spot in his heart for Israel."

Oren with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

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President Obama is also quite familiar with Oren. In his latest State of the Union speech, Obama was passing through the line of congressmen who pushed their way to shake his hand, when he spotted the Israeli ambassador. The American president was seen "cutting through" in order to shake Oren's his hand. Oren on his part managed to say "we're waiting for you in Israel" and Obama responded: "I want to do it."

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Oren was considered the "human buffer" in what was one of the most difficult periods of the Obama-Netanyahu relationship. However, his proudest achievement is one he dubbed "Operation Keren": "My young sister Keren lives in New Jersey and is in love with Obama, but don't tell her husband? I decided I would have them meet and the opportunity came about in a Hanukkah reception. I seated her in the front row and when the president approached she shouted 'Oh My God'."

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The ambassador further told about the personal operation that "Obama shook Keren's hand, and she responded 'I'm Michael Oren's sister'. He hugged her and turned to me and said, 'she's better looking than you'. I responded that my mother thinks the same. No doubt, Keren was the happiest person alive."

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In regards to Obama himself, Oren said that whoever knows the president informally and without a teleprompter, knows he is a man of more than words. "He is a peaceful man, who knows how to listen and quickly respond, he is a funny man with a sharp sense of humor, who can also make fun of himself."

Oren, Obama. Much admiration

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Oren's access to the president proved to be crucial during several dramatic national crises, such as the siege on the Israeli embassy in Cairo and the fire in the Carmel. "When the fire broke out," Oren remembered, "I was on my way to a White House event. The prime minister called and asked me to ask the president for help. I walked in the White House, came across Susan Sher and she immediately took me straight to the president."

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Oren added that, "I told Obama that the prime minister spoke with me five minutes earlier and that the situation in the Carmel is severe and we need fire-extinguishing aircraft and materials. The president turned to his aides and instructed them to help with whatever Israel needs. Shortly after he was on a flight to Afghanistan, and when he landed in Kabul, his first question was about the firefighting planes to Israel."

'Obama instructed aides to help Israel extinguish Carmel fire' (Photo: Arik Nisimov, Fire and Rescue Services)

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"When he (Obama) asks (for something), none of the state officials go to sleep. During that night we sat with Donilon and other state officials until 4 am. Do you understand? The national security adviser is busy all night with the Carmel fire and beside him are Pentagon and other state officials, scanning all every warehouse in Europe in search of firefighting materials."

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Oren said that after the work day ends at 6 pm, he starts a whole new day of work in the evenings in social events. "A social secretary is a strategic role, to map out which events to go to, and which to skip. I am here to promote Israeli interests, not for leisure."

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The Israeli ambassador's residence has become a hot-spot during his term. It has hosted an Israeli-Irish event with a band that featured Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley as the guitarist and Oren himself as the drummer. There was also an Israeli-Latino event with Latin legislators and a performance by David Broza; an Israeli-Greek event; Israeli-Chinese evening; Israeli-Iranian evening featuring Rita, and an event for the gay community. The last event had Oren receiving an official invitation to the opening of the annual gay community convention in Philadelphia. "It was a great honor for me," he stressed.

Oren drumming at Israeli-Irish event

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Oren is also particularly proud of an Iftar (end of Ramadan) event at his residence. "When I brought it up for the first time there was silence. I told everyone that we represent the entire Israeli people, including Muslims, and that there is non-radical Islam in the US that we should reach out to." The repertoire of residence events also included a Palestinian event featuring a band consisting of four members of the Israel Philharmonic and four Arab-Israeli musicians.

Oren in Iftar event (Photo: Israeli embassy)

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Oren also felt at ease in the different TV studios. He was always well-dressed and ready with a list of messages. "There's one type of interviews that you cannot prepare for: Steven Colbert, Bill Maher, John Stewart, The View. There you just have to go with the flow. They have a teleprompter and you're exposed on stage, but that's the way to reach the under-25 audience, who use entertainment programs as their primary news source."

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Israeli diplomats know how difficult it is to get op-eds in acclaimed US newspapers. During his four-year term, Oren published some 45 such articles. He is particularly proud of two of them. One was published during Pillar of Defense in The Washington Post. It happened after the paper's front page featured the photo of a Palestinian father mourning the death of his son who was allegedly killed by IDF fire.

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"I picked up the phone and yelled at the editor," Oren said. "I told him that the photo is too symmetrical and it appears to be fabricated. I told him that publishing such photo serves Hamas ' propaganda. He suggested I would write an op-ed about it, I wrote about how the media unknowingly serves Hamas' propaganda, and later it turned out that the boy was actually killed by a Hamas rocket."

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His most important writing piece, in his view, is one he wrote for the website Politico. After the IDF operation in Gaza, the ambassador wrote that the Iron Dome batteries did not only save Israeli lives, but also gave the government time and space to resolve the crisis without immediately entering war. "The message was instantaneously received, legislators phoned me and asked how much an additional battery would cost, and this column helped us bring more Iron Domes.

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Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4410324,00.html

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?Illegal Orders? in the Military, War Crimes and the Trial of Bradley Manning

After the details of My Lai, a Vietnamese village that was destroyed and men, women and children killed by U.S. Soldiers came out, and the military had selected their fall guy for the massacre, Lt. Calley, we in the Army were subjected to constant classes on when to follow or when not to follow orders. We were told that there are legal orders and illegal orders, and that following illegal orders, would be well?illegal. If an enlisted man followed ?what he knew to be an illegal order, not only would the person that gave the illegal order be held responsible, the person that carried out the illegal order could also be charged.

It all sounds good, but it reality it is as the Brits say, ?A bit of a sticky wicket?. This is because in the military, they also teach you to follow orders immediately, if there is a question about what orders to follow, bring it up later. In combat, when your life is on the line, and also the lives of your comrades on the battlefield with you, the best thing is to follow the orders even if it means putting your own life on the line. This is because the ?fog of war? in the midst of battle is usually better seen (but not always) by the command that has a better picture of what is taking place.

We were given class after class as to what is an ?illegal order?.? Discussions were held, and looking back on it, the classes were really a reaction to the media?s portrayal of the military during and directly after the My Lai trial, for public consumption, and to raise the morale of the troops when many in the military were ashamed of atrocities committed in Vietnam. This was a way to let the public and the troops know that the military was addressing some of the unspeakable horrors of war and they were trying to do something about it. In reality, this was a public relations operation.

The idea was that if a soldier saw something going on that was not legal according to the Geneva Convention on the Laws of War, that soldier should go to a higher authority and report it. If he didn?t have the time, he should refuse to participate and if it was within his power, he should try to stop it. This all sounds reasonable, but in the military, sometimes it is not as cut and dry as one would think.

Now, in this day and age, we have a military that has seen continuous combat operations for over a decade. Most of the invasions and operations are, in reality, contrary to the Geneva Conventions themselves. This places the American soldier in a predicament from the start. The question being that if one enlists and takes the oath of enlistment to obey the orders of the officers above him and to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic , when your nation is breaking both U.S. and international law in the first place, how do you obey the orders of those officers that give them?

Now we had situation where a Private First Class was allowed to access sensitive information that showed beyond a reasonable doubt that the American military was committing atrocities and crimes that were against not only his moral code, but were against military law and the Geneva Conventions. This was during a period when the U.S. Military was committing crime after crime by using depleted uranium (a weapon of mass destruction), and destroying entire cities as in Fallujah with air strikes, artillery and armor, killing men women and children indiscriminately and for all intents and purposes, destroying the city.

Meanwhile, no soldiers were reporting crimes to their superiors (that we know about). ?It was business as usual in this new type of hostilities against other nations in undeclared wars that the U.S. euphemistically calls ?The War on Terror?. Soldiers were seemingly following illegal orders on a daily basis and ?doing their duty?.

This Private First Class was in a terrible quandary. It must have seemed to him that with his access to all of this sensitive information that allowed him to see a larger picture of what was really going on, that his nation was indeed committing grievous war crimes. When he brought this matter to his superiors, he was ignored. This, in reality, is what many soldiers experience when confronted with war in all of its horrific forms.

The difference here is that this lowly Private decided that he was going to expose these crimes. Like I said, in this day and age, long after the My Lai massacre. this type of behavior is unheard of. According to the American Government, the enemy we face is more horrific and dangerous than any we have ever faced. After all, didn?t Muslims fell the Twin Towers and kill innocent Americans and aren?t they plotting continuously to commit acts of terror against the United States? As far as the military was concerned, the gloves were off and according to the President at the time; ?Either you are with us or against us?.

It must have taken a supreme act if courage for Bradley Manning to finally release his information to the only people that seemed to care what was happening in Iraq, Wikileaks. Now he finds himself in front of a Court Martial after being tortured for months by the military by being forced to remain in solitary confinement for months, while remaining naked, in a cold dark cell, being treated like an animal in direct violation to all military law and the Geneva Conventions in regard to treatment of prisoners.

Most of his defense has been deemed by the people in charge of his Court Martial to be inadmissible, and this leaves him defenseless against the power of the United States military that had once proclaimed that if a soldier saw wrongdoing and violations of the Geneva Convention on the Laws of War, that soldier should go to a higher authority and report it,? and if it was within his power, he should try to stop it. ?The Private did report it, but the report of these violations fell on deaf ears.

Now he will pay the price of doing the right thing. Doing the right thing, not only to assuage his own sense of right and wrong, but doing the right thing according to what the United States Army once told their soldiers.

This is a new age however. An age of masking wars as defensive actions, even though they are in reality invasions of other nations against all International Law, the Geneva Conventions are no longer relevant. We have seen an observer call on Apache attack helicopters to fire on journalists walking with their cameras on a city street, and once they were wounded and lying on the street and when people ran to help them, the Apaches were ordered to fire on the rescuers. Manning let the world see this. Still, no charges were filed against the individuals responsible for these actions.

It is Bradley Manning that will suffer for these actions. The American military is using this to issue a warning to their soldiers that conscience and adherence to the laws of war will no longer be tolerated. This is what the trail of Private First Class Bradley Manning means.

Republished from: Global Research

Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/illegal-orders-in-the-military-war-crimes-and-the-trial-of-bradley-manning/53752/

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Contribution of Humanists & Atheists to British society ? House of ...

On 25th July for 2.5 hours the House of Lords debated, in 20,000 words, how humanists and atheists had made contributions to British society.?Of the 19 Lords who spoke, several made speeches ?challenging religious faith? ? the Atheism UK strapline.

This post is the second of my two posts on the debate, the first is here.

At 3.33pm Baroness Warnock said?that religious people can be a danger if they insist that lack of proper literal religious belief is the cause of lack of moral sense. It is dangerous to society to suggest that without religion, or in the aftermath of religion, there can be no firm moral values and no shared or common ideals that can be universally worth pursuing. Despair of the possibility of a morality which is other than mere whim is dangerous because we may be forced into a false dichotomy: either a morality based on dogmatic transcendentalism, which can authoritatively dictate on what is right and what is wrong, or no morality at all, said Baroness Warnock.

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At 3.39 pm?Lord Soley an atheist and natural humanist said that?so called religions of peace can end up fighting among themselves and killing large numbers of people. This happens because religion is similar to political ideology. If you lay down a set of assumptions, statements and beliefs that have to be accepted in order to become a member, you inevitably invite conflict and division.

Religion comes from human beings struggling to understand a world with terrifying natural forces like thunder, lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes; the idea of God or gods was a very useful way of achieving social control said Lord Soley. You needed social control because, in order to survive, you needed to co-operate. Co-operation needs social control, so you build on it.?If you then make the mistake of making all these assumptions about things that you have to accept, nobody should be surprised if divisions rapidly occur.

The great advance, said Lord Soley, brought by the Civil War to this country and the rest of the world was that it threw out the idea that the King was the representative of God on Earth. You no longer had the idea that you could not challenge your leader. In Iran at the moment, the Ayatollahs play that exact role. It will fail for similar reasons: ultimately, there will be a dispute about the correct interpretation. We get around that by having elections to throw out the person who thinks they have the right interpretation. If you are using a religious or God-based structure, you cannot do that. You have to rely on other things.??

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At 3.59pm Lord Warner said?that Governments and parliamentarians should be more cautious about listening to religious interests when changing public policy about abortion, assisted dying, embryo research, faith schools, employment law, discrimination and gay marriage.?Organised religions should be treated like any other pressure group. Their views should be listened to but given no more weight than any other set of interests.

Lord ?Warner said how can a sovereign be crowned as a defender of the faith, if only a minority of the citizens hold that faith and the majority have no faith at all?

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At 4.08 pm?Baroness Royall of Blaisdon?said she did not respect intolerance and utterly condemned oppression and certain practices carried out in the name of religion.

She did?do not accuse the church or any other religion of capitalising on poverty or ignorance, but all over the world many?poor people and those who have little or no access to education, cling to religion in the hope of a better afterlife.

She recognised the invaluable role that churches and religions play in bringing people together and providing support, especially for the vulnerable. However, that coming together must not result in intolerant tribalism.

Sources:?

1)?House of Lords video?from 2.12pm to 4.40pm:?Contributions of Atheists and Humanists to Society (from 14.12 hours).

2)?Hansard transcription:?Hansard: Contributions of Humanists & Atheists to British Society (from 2.12pm to 4.40pm)?and links at TheyWorkForYou.

3)?I blogged the debate for HASSNERS?with atheist contributions (in red):?HASSNERS reviews the debate in the House of Lords on the contributions to society of atheists and humanists.

Source: http://www.atheismuk.com/2013/07/28/news/contribution-of-humanists-atheists-to-british-society-house-of-lords-debate-part-2/

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State Bank of India launches State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone devices

Home ? apps, Software, Windows '; } } google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client='pub-9307253907600475'; google_ad_channel = '1044051032'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_feedback = 'on'; google_skip = google_adnum; google_encoding = 'utf8'; google_language = 'en';

The State Bank of India has launched their official?State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone devices. This app lets you login to your account, trasfer funds, pay bills, book train tickets and lots more. There is a bit of registration process before you can use the app. The?State Bank Freedom app was released for Android back in 2011 and for iPhone back in 2012.

Features of?State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone

• Funds transfer (within SBI or other Bank?s account)
• Immediate Mobile Payment Services (IMPS) : Fund Transfer, Merchant Payments 24 x 7
• Enquiry Services (Balance Enquiry / Mini statement)
• Cheque Book request
• Demat Account Enquiry
• Bill Payments (Utility bills, Credit Cards, Insurance premium), Donations, Subscriptions
• Mobile Top up
• M-Commerce (DTH Recharge of Tatasky, BigTV, SunDirect, DishTV, DigitalTV and Videocon d2h connections, SBI Life insurance premium, etc.)
• Booking of train tickets over the IRCTC portal through IMPS

Download?State Bank Freedom app for Windows Phone (7.5 and later) from the Windows Phone Store for free.

Source: http://www.fonearena.com/blog/76604/state-bank-of-india-launches-state-bank-freedom-app-for-windows-phone-devices.html

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Chinese Professor Thinks ?To Rape A Bargirl Does Less Harm Than To Rape A Good Woman?

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The ongoing trial of Li Tianyi, a 17-year-old boy accused of participating in the gang rape of a woman in Beijing, spurred some vomit-inducing comments from Yi Yanyou, a professor at Tsinghua University. As the blog Shanghaiist reported, in defending the accused rapist, Yanyou posted to his Weibo account that since ?a bargirl, a dancing girl, an escort or a prostitute? is more likely to consent to sex, it isn?t as bad to rape them.

In an attempt to clarify his comment, Yanyou continued (but probably should have kept his mouth shut):

?To emphasise that the victim is a bargirl doesn?t mean it?s OK to rape a bargirl. It only means that a bargirl is more likely to agree to a sexual act. Besides, even if it is a rape, to rape a bargirl does less harm than to rape a good woman.?

Oh, so many reasons why this is horrible! First, it implies that the bodies of some women are more valuable than others. Second, it also implies that men are going to rape women no matter what, so it?s better if they rape the ?bad? women. No, that is so wrong, Professor Yi. At the very least, Professor Yi has received a healthy dose of heat from the internet for his ignorance.

[Shanghaiist]

[Photo via CCTV]

Source: http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-07-27/chinese-professor-thinks-to-rape-a-bargirl-does-less-harm-than-to-rape-a-good-woman/

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Weather News Headlines - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/weather/ Get the latest Weather news headlines from Yahoo! News. Find breaking Weather news, including analysis and opinion on top Weather stories, photos and more.en-USCopyright (c) 2013 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reservedSat, 27 Jul 2013 19:23:00 -04005http://news.yahoo.com/weather/ http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gifCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? A system of thunderstorms across western North Carolina stalled on Saturday and dumped about a foot of rain on the area, causing power outages and flash floods that swamped homes and washed out roads and bridges.http://news.yahoo.com/heavy-rains-flood-homes-roads-north-carolina-211549741.htmlSat, 27 Jul 2013 19:23:00 -0400Associated Pressheavy-rains-flood-homes-roads-north-carolina-211549741<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/warm-weather-means-early-calif-wine-grape-harvest-142540274.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RSm2FhIre5MPgH8z2zKCBA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0afa9dc01f5bcc19380f6a706700a975.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo taken Friday, July 26, 2013, assistant winemaker and viticulturist Nathalie Jure Buckland looks at veraison, the onset of ripening, taking place on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Opus One winery in Oakville, Calif. One thing that is certain about the weather in California?s premiere wine grape-growing region is that there is no such thing as normal, and 2013 is living up to that adage. After dealing with cool temperatures in three of the past four years that slowed ripening and kept grapes hanging on the vine until the fall rainy season threated, growers in Napa Valley are dealing with an opposite challenge. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)" align="left" title="In this photo taken Friday, July 26, 2013, assistant winemaker and viticulturist Nathalie Jure Buckland looks at veraison, the onset of ripening, taking place on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Opus One winery in Oakville, Calif. One thing that is certain about the weather in California?s premiere wine grape-growing region is that there is no such thing as normal, and 2013 is living up to that adage. After dealing with cool temperatures in three of the past four years that slowed ripening and kept grapes hanging on the vine until the fall rainy season threated, growers in Napa Valley are dealing with an opposite challenge. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)" border="0" /></a>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? There&#039;s no such thing as &quot;normal&quot; weather in California wine country, and vineyard operators say this year that truism could mean good news for wine lovers.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/warm-weather-means-early-calif-wine-grape-harvest-142540274.htmlSat, 27 Jul 2013 17:22:33 -0400Associated Presswarm-weather-means-early-calif-wine-grape-harvest-142540274<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/warm-weather-means-early-calif-wine-grape-harvest-142540274.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RSm2FhIre5MPgH8z2zKCBA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0afa9dc01f5bcc19380f6a706700a975.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo taken Friday, July 26, 2013, assistant winemaker and viticulturist Nathalie Jure Buckland looks at veraison, the onset of ripening, taking place on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Opus One winery in Oakville, Calif. One thing that is certain about the weather in California?s premiere wine grape-growing region is that there is no such thing as normal, and 2013 is living up to that adage. After dealing with cool temperatures in three of the past four years that slowed ripening and kept grapes hanging on the vine until the fall rainy season threated, growers in Napa Valley are dealing with an opposite challenge. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)" align="left" title="In this photo taken Friday, July 26, 2013, assistant winemaker and viticulturist Nathalie Jure Buckland looks at veraison, the onset of ripening, taking place on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Opus One winery in Oakville, Calif. One thing that is certain about the weather in California?s premiere wine grape-growing region is that there is no such thing as normal, and 2013 is living up to that adage. After dealing with cool temperatures in three of the past four years that slowed ripening and kept grapes hanging on the vine until the fall rainy season threated, growers in Napa Valley are dealing with an opposite challenge. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)" border="0" /></a>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? There&#039;s no such thing as &quot;normal&quot; weather in California wine country, and vineyard operators say this year that truism could mean good news for wine lovers.</p><br clear="all"/>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? A series of thunderstorms moving across western North Carolina has triggered major flash flooding, inundating roads, apartments and parts of several counties.http://news.yahoo.com/heavy-rains-cause-flash-flooding-north-carolina-201832512.htmlSat, 27 Jul 2013 16:18:36 -0400Associated Pressheavy-rains-cause-flash-flooding-north-carolina-201832512Update: 3:41 PM The National Weather Service has issued a Severe T-Storm Watch until 11pm for the areas in yellow below, this does include Dallas and Tarrant Counties. Another abnormal July cold front is moving [?]http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/07/26/345pm-t-storm-watch-until-11pm-storm-chances-this-evening-then-a-brief-cool-down/Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:46:41 -04002013/07/26/345pm-t-storm-watch-until-11pm-storm-chances-this-evening-then-a-brief-cool-down/<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/europes-largest-ever-telecommunications-satellite-launches-indian-weather-184423152.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/b40MiNLTrihqzLJ..OxYEg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Europe%27s_Largest-Ever_Telecommunications_Satellite_Launches-6ad9743b9c6dfef28e7cfdf91d7cecb3" width="130" height="86" alt="Europe&#039;s Largest-Ever Telecommunications Satellite Launches With Indian Weather Probe" align="left" title="Europe&#039;s Largest-Ever Telecommunications Satellite Launches With Indian Weather Probe" border="0" /></a>PARIS ? A European Ariane 5 ECA rocket on July 25 successfully launched Europe&#039;s largest-ever telecommunications satellite and a meteorological spacecraft for India in the rocket&#039;s 56th consecutive success.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/europes-largest-ever-telecommunications-satellite-launches-indian-weather-184423152.htmlFri, 26 Jul 2013 14:44:23 -0400SPACE.comeuropes-largest-ever-telecommunications-satellite-launches-indian-weather-184423152<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/europes-largest-ever-telecommunications-satellite-launches-indian-weather-184423152.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/b40MiNLTrihqzLJ..OxYEg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Europe%27s_Largest-Ever_Telecommunications_Satellite_Launches-6ad9743b9c6dfef28e7cfdf91d7cecb3" width="130" height="86" alt="Europe&#039;s Largest-Ever Telecommunications Satellite Launches With Indian Weather Probe" align="left" title="Europe&#039;s Largest-Ever Telecommunications Satellite Launches With Indian Weather Probe" border="0" /></a>PARIS ? A European Ariane 5 ECA rocket on July 25 successfully launched Europe&#039;s largest-ever telecommunications satellite and a meteorological spacecraft for India in the rocket&#039;s 56th consecutive success.</p><br clear="all"/>Say what you will about us millennials?we?re a wilting bouquet of narcissistic, socialistic, overeducated, underemployed, tatted-up hipsters who still live at home?but, from this day forward, don?t you dare say we?re climate change deniers.http://news.yahoo.com/young-voters-climate-deniers-ignorant-touch-crazy-184303009.htmlFri, 26 Jul 2013 14:43:03 -0400Takepart.comyoung-voters-climate-deniers-ignorant-touch-crazy-184303009A summer cold front arrives from the northwest this afternoon. It?ll bring us some decent storm chances later today, even a slight risk of severe weather. By tomorrow we?ll enjoy cooler weather (and even slightly [?]http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/07/26/storms-chances-today/Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:11:35 -04002013/07/26/storms-chances-today/<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/being-outdoors-perilous-during-thunderstorms-003443353.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/mToIK2V21x50OYOgfOM8OQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/828199b3dd8e8918380f6a706700eace.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="This Wednesday, July 24, 2013 photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff?s Office shows the rock wall believed to be where a victim was sitting when lighting stuck Tuesday at the Le Fevre Overlook on Highway 89A, some 8 miles north of Jacobs Lake, Ariz. A married couple was killed and a teenage boy injured when the lightning struck, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Coconino County Sheriff?s Office)" align="left" title="This Wednesday, July 24, 2013 photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff?s Office shows the rock wall believed to be where a victim was sitting when lighting stuck Tuesday at the Le Fevre Overlook on Highway 89A, some 8 miles north of Jacobs Lake, Ariz. A married couple was killed and a teenage boy injured when the lightning struck, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Coconino County Sheriff?s Office)" border="0" /></a>FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) ? The deaths of two people at a scenic overlook in northern Arizona this week bring to 14 the number of people killed by lightning strikes in the U.S. this year, according to the National Weather Service. Many of the victims were enjoying summertime activities like sightseeing, boating, camping and fishing. Weather experts say when thunderstorms roar, you should get out of the water, drop the sporting equipment and flee to a safe area inside a building or a vehicle.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/being-outdoors-perilous-during-thunderstorms-003443353.htmlThu, 25 Jul 2013 20:35:09 -0400Associated Pressbeing-outdoors-perilous-during-thunderstorms-003443353<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/being-outdoors-perilous-during-thunderstorms-003443353.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/mToIK2V21x50OYOgfOM8OQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/828199b3dd8e8918380f6a706700eace.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="This Wednesday, July 24, 2013 photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff?s Office shows the rock wall believed to be where a victim was sitting when lighting stuck Tuesday at the Le Fevre Overlook on Highway 89A, some 8 miles north of Jacobs Lake, Ariz. A married couple was killed and a teenage boy injured when the lightning struck, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Coconino County Sheriff?s Office)" align="left" title="This Wednesday, July 24, 2013 photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff?s Office shows the rock wall believed to be where a victim was sitting when lighting stuck Tuesday at the Le Fevre Overlook on Highway 89A, some 8 miles north of Jacobs Lake, Ariz. A married couple was killed and a teenage boy injured when the lightning struck, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Coconino County Sheriff?s Office)" border="0" /></a>FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) ? The deaths of two people at a scenic overlook in northern Arizona this week bring to 14 the number of people killed by lightning strikes in the U.S. this year, according to the National Weather Service. Many of the victims were enjoying summertime activities like sightseeing, boating, camping and fishing. Weather experts say when thunderstorms roar, you should get out of the water, drop the sporting equipment and flee to a safe area inside a building or a vehicle.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/weird-weather-dry-seasons-start-earlier-wetter-221316079.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/WQ1WBtH52rfzplD4ALkauw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/flooding-vicksburg-110512-02.jpg1320192772" width="130" height="86" alt="Weird Weather: Dry Seasons Start Earlier, Are Wetter" align="left" title="Weird Weather: Dry Seasons Start Earlier, Are Wetter" border="0" /></a>Call it weird, call it extreme, maybe even call it the new normal. Wild weather in the United States in the past decade has amassed a long list of toppled records and financial disasters.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/weird-weather-dry-seasons-start-earlier-wetter-221316079.htmlThu, 25 Jul 2013 18:13:16 -0400LiveScience.comweird-weather-dry-seasons-start-earlier-wetter-221316079<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/weird-weather-dry-seasons-start-earlier-wetter-221316079.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/WQ1WBtH52rfzplD4ALkauw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/flooding-vicksburg-110512-02.jpg1320192772" width="130" height="86" alt="Weird Weather: Dry Seasons Start Earlier, Are Wetter" align="left" title="Weird Weather: Dry Seasons Start Earlier, Are Wetter" border="0" /></a>Call it weird, call it extreme, maybe even call it the new normal. Wild weather in the United States in the past decade has amassed a long list of toppled records and financial disasters.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/why-price-tag-global-warming-just-went-60-162020917.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/q4pdYhGLP.aBIzrG1swXGA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/theatlanticwire/Why_the_Price_Tag_for-4c189e5fb93ddd35d88d50e1c13ff2b6" width="130" height="86" alt="Why the Price Tag for Global Warming Just Went Up by $60 Trillion" align="left" title="Why the Price Tag for Global Warming Just Went Up by $60 Trillion" border="0" /></a>$60 trillion dollars is enough money that you could spend $1 million every minute for a century and still have about $7.5 trillion (roughly the GDP of China) left over. The world will end up spending it a lot faster than that, though, according to new research published in Nature. If the melting in the Arctic remains unchecked, the resulting release of greenhouse gasses from just one region of the world will make addressing climate change $60 trillion more expensive.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/why-price-tag-global-warming-just-went-60-162020917.htmlThu, 25 Jul 2013 12:20:20 -0400The Atlantic Wirewhy-price-tag-global-warming-just-went-60-162020917<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/why-price-tag-global-warming-just-went-60-162020917.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/q4pdYhGLP.aBIzrG1swXGA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/theatlanticwire/Why_the_Price_Tag_for-4c189e5fb93ddd35d88d50e1c13ff2b6" width="130" height="86" alt="Why the Price Tag for Global Warming Just Went Up by $60 Trillion" align="left" title="Why the Price Tag for Global Warming Just Went Up by $60 Trillion" border="0" /></a>$60 trillion dollars is enough money that you could spend $1 million every minute for a century and still have about $7.5 trillion (roughly the GDP of China) left over. The world will end up spending it a lot faster than that, though, according to new research published in Nature. If the melting in the Arctic remains unchecked, the resulting release of greenhouse gasses from just one region of the world will make addressing climate change $60 trillion more expensive.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-video-watch-us-heat-2100-221440308.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/khZDgNerqBkBMcHYKLON4Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/Temperature_2100.jpg1374703438" width="130" height="86" alt="NASA Video: Watch US Heat Up by 2100" align="left" title="NASA Video: Watch US Heat Up by 2100" border="0" /></a>The United States will be a much hotter place at the end of the 21st century, according to a new climate change visualization released by NASA this week.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-video-watch-us-heat-2100-221440308.htmlWed, 24 Jul 2013 18:14:40 -0400LiveScience.comnasa-video-watch-us-heat-2100-221440308<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-video-watch-us-heat-2100-221440308.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/khZDgNerqBkBMcHYKLON4Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/Temperature_2100.jpg1374703438" width="130" height="86" alt="NASA Video: Watch US Heat Up by 2100" align="left" title="NASA Video: Watch US Heat Up by 2100" border="0" /></a>The United States will be a much hotter place at the end of the 21st century, according to a new climate change visualization released by NASA this week.</p><br clear="all"/>A Republican Secretary of State Urges Action on Climate Changehttp://news.yahoo.com/republican-secretary-state-urges-action-climate-change-110100019.htmlWed, 24 Jul 2013 07:01:00 -0400Scientific Americanrepublican-secretary-state-urges-action-climate-change-110100019WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp on Tuesday was awarded an Air Force contract worth about $101 million over a decade, to modify the U.S. defense weather satellite program, the U.S. Department of Defense said. The contract work will be performed by Lockheed Martin Space System Corp in Sunnyvale, California, and is scheduled to be completed by October 2020. The program collects various weather, oceanographic and solar data for the Defense Department, and is managed by the Air Force Space Command. It has been in operation for about 50 years. ...http://news.yahoo.com/lockheed-snags-contract-u-defense-weather-satellite-program-221511202.htmlTue, 23 Jul 2013 18:15:11 -0400Reuterslockheed-snags-contract-u-defense-weather-satellite-program-221511202Entergy Corp. says more than 15,000 customers are without power in Arkansas' Pulaski County as severe thunderstorms roll through the area. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a flood advisory ...http://news.yahoo.com/storms-knock-power-15k-central-183804126.htmlTue, 23 Jul 2013 14:38:04 -0400Associated Pressstorms-knock-power-15k-central-183804126Scattered rain and above-normal temperatures continued to boost crop development in South Dakota over the past week. The Agriculture Department says in its latest crop and weather report that there were ...http://news.yahoo.com/rainy-warm-weather-continues-boost-132831468.htmlTue, 23 Jul 2013 09:28:31 -0400Associated Pressrainy-warm-weather-continues-boost-132831468With the summer storm season upon us in full force, you're bound to hear emergency broadcasts, news reports, and videos of massive thunderstorms, with commentary and terminology you might not be familiar with. Knowing what those words mean can tell you a lot more about what's going on than just what's shown on the screen. Here are six lesser-known terms that are associated with the storm season.http://theweek.com/article/index/247150/6-strange-terms-for-weather-phenomenaTue, 23 Jul 2013 06:30:00 -0400The Week (RSS)article/index/247150/6-strange-terms-for-weather-phenomena(Reuters) - A surface low pressure system located couple of hundred miles south-southeast of the Cape Verde Islands has a medium 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone during next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said early Tuesday. Showers and thunderstorms have become a little more concentrated near the center of the storm system and it is expected to move west-northwestward at 15 to 20 miles per hour, the Miami-based weather forecasters said. ...http://news.yahoo.com/nhc-says-40-percent-chance-cyclone-near-cape-052154564.htmlTue, 23 Jul 2013 01:21:54 -0400Reutersnhc-says-40-percent-chance-cyclone-near-cape-052154564<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/antarctic-evidence-reveals-past-melting-180116325.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qfpV7u4KWMeY56eAi_dd5g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/satellite-image-of-antarctica-lrg.jpg1374514757" width="130" height="86" alt="New Antarctic Evidence Reveals Past Melting" align="left" title="New Antarctic Evidence Reveals Past Melting" border="0" /></a>One of the wild cards in estimating future sea level rise from global warming is the enormous East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds more freshwater in its icy expanse than the whole of Greenland.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/antarctic-evidence-reveals-past-melting-180116325.htmlMon, 22 Jul 2013 14:01:16 -0400LiveScience.comantarctic-evidence-reveals-past-melting-180116325<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/antarctic-evidence-reveals-past-melting-180116325.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qfpV7u4KWMeY56eAi_dd5g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/satellite-image-of-antarctica-lrg.jpg1374514757" width="130" height="86" alt="New Antarctic Evidence Reveals Past Melting" align="left" title="New Antarctic Evidence Reveals Past Melting" border="0" /></a>One of the wild cards in estimating future sea level rise from global warming is the enormous East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds more freshwater in its icy expanse than the whole of Greenland.</p><br clear="all"/>Ken Cuccinelli, the conservative firebrand running for Virginia governor, has taken lots of heat for his views on climate change. The state's attorney general drew a national spotlight for his investigation of University of Virginia climate scientist Michael Mann, and his skepticism of the science that human activities cause global warming. He's been attacked as an ideologue and is the target of an aggressive campaign by the League of Conservation Voters.http://news.yahoo.com/terry-mcauliffe-flip-flopper-thats-just-fine-green-053657417.htmlMon, 22 Jul 2013 09:32:56 -0400National Journalterry-mcauliffe-flip-flopper-thats-just-fine-green-053657417KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda expects its July coffee exports to fall 3 percent to 300,000 60-kg bags compared with the same month in 2012 due to unfavourable weather conditions, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. "In Central Region, the weather has been generally very hot and dry... there were fears that the hostile weather may affect development of the coffee berries and consequently reduce volume and quality of coffee expected to be picked next harvest season," state-run UCDA said in its June monthly report. ...http://news.yahoo.com/uganda-july-coffee-exports-seen-edging-3-pct-103705816.htmlMon, 22 Jul 2013 06:37:05 -0400Reutersuganda-july-coffee-exports-seen-edging-3-pct-103705816Climate change could ensure the wipe out of the Iberian Lynx, considered the world's most endangered cat, new research from Spain suggests.http://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-could-wipe-iberian-lynx-170445697.htmlSun, 21 Jul 2013 13:04:45 -0400LiveScience.comclimate-change-could-wipe-iberian-lynx-170445697<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorm-threat-wildcard-calif-wildfire-074626684.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oXfU8AXmrcuxzrtHYASHlA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/d456cb74436d1318380f6a706700e0a7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="This image provided by NASA shows the agency&#039;s Terra spacecraft photo showing smoke from a wildfire near Idyllwild, Calif., right, and the Los Angeles area, left. The blaze in the San Jacinto Mountains has expanded to roughly 39 square miles and was 15 percent contained Friday July 19, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA)" align="left" title="This image provided by NASA shows the agency&#039;s Terra spacecraft photo showing smoke from a wildfire near Idyllwild, Calif., right, and the Los Angeles area, left. The blaze in the San Jacinto Mountains has expanded to roughly 39 square miles and was 15 percent contained Friday July 19, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA)" border="0" /></a>IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) ? Firefighters got little help from Mother Nature on Saturday as much-needed rainfall from expected thunderstorms didn&#039;t materialize for a huge wildfire burning in the Southern California mountains near Palm Springs.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorm-threat-wildcard-calif-wildfire-074626684.htmlSat, 20 Jul 2013 23:47:02 -0400Associated Pressthunderstorm-threat-wildcard-calif-wildfire-074626684<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorm-threat-wildcard-calif-wildfire-074626684.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oXfU8AXmrcuxzrtHYASHlA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/d456cb74436d1318380f6a706700e0a7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="This image provided by NASA shows the agency&#039;s Terra spacecraft photo showing smoke from a wildfire near Idyllwild, Calif., right, and the Los Angeles area, left. The blaze in the San Jacinto Mountains has expanded to roughly 39 square miles and was 15 percent contained Friday July 19, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA)" align="left" title="This image provided by NASA shows the agency&#039;s Terra spacecraft photo showing smoke from a wildfire near Idyllwild, Calif., right, and the Los Angeles area, left. The blaze in the San Jacinto Mountains has expanded to roughly 39 square miles and was 15 percent contained Friday July 19, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA)" border="0" /></a>IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) ? Firefighters got little help from Mother Nature on Saturday as much-needed rainfall from expected thunderstorms didn&#039;t materialize for a huge wildfire burning in the Southern California mountains near Palm Springs.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/more-evacuate-weird-weather-fears-calif-fire-042855215.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CjSdtA4eOTmP9NOnwiz.wQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/7220de4a09f0f718370f6a7067000f0f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo made Wednesday, July 17, 2013, and released by the U.S. Forest Service, a DC-10 drops fire retardant along an edge of the Mountain Fire near Lake Hemet, Calif. The blaze about 100 miles east of Los Angeles had grown to more than 35 square miles in size and had destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service)" align="left" title="In this photo made Wednesday, July 17, 2013, and released by the U.S. Forest Service, a DC-10 drops fire retardant along an edge of the Mountain Fire near Lake Hemet, Calif. The blaze about 100 miles east of Los Angeles had grown to more than 35 square miles in size and had destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service)" border="0" /></a>IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) ? Residents of another 700 homes were advised to retreat to safety on Friday as crews fighting a wildfire in the mountains above Palm Springs grew increasingly concerned about the possibility of unstable weather and erratic winds that could last through the weekend.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/more-evacuate-weird-weather-fears-calif-fire-042855215.htmlSat, 20 Jul 2013 02:19:58 -0400Associated Pressmore-evacuate-weird-weather-fears-calif-fire-042855215<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/more-evacuate-weird-weather-fears-calif-fire-042855215.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CjSdtA4eOTmP9NOnwiz.wQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/7220de4a09f0f718370f6a7067000f0f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo made Wednesday, July 17, 2013, and released by the U.S. Forest Service, a DC-10 drops fire retardant along an edge of the Mountain Fire near Lake Hemet, Calif. The blaze about 100 miles east of Los Angeles had grown to more than 35 square miles in size and had destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service)" align="left" title="In this photo made Wednesday, July 17, 2013, and released by the U.S. Forest Service, a DC-10 drops fire retardant along an edge of the Mountain Fire near Lake Hemet, Calif. The blaze about 100 miles east of Los Angeles had grown to more than 35 square miles in size and had destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes. (AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service)" border="0" /></a>IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) ? Residents of another 700 homes were advised to retreat to safety on Friday as crews fighting a wildfire in the mountains above Palm Springs grew increasingly concerned about the possibility of unstable weather and erratic winds that could last through the weekend.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorms-could-hamper-efforts-subdue-california-wildfire-200431331.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pOtiMX9ue7tIhdiaH9v2CA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-19T200431Z_1_CBRE96I1JRL00_RTROPTP_2_USA-FIRE-CALIFORNIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A plume of smoke rises into the night sky as a wildfire, or the so-called Mountain Fire, burns near Idyllwild" align="left" title="A plume of smoke rises into the night sky as a wildfire, or the so-called Mountain Fire, burns near Idyllwild" border="0" /></a>By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firefighters raced on Friday to buttress defensive lines against a fierce blaze roaring for a fifth day near the scenic mountain resort of Idyllwild in Southern California, as thunderstorms in the forecast threatened to hamper efforts to subdue the flames. The so-called Mountain Fire has already burned across more than 24,800 acres of dry brush and timber and forced the evacuation of Idyllwild after destroying seven nearby homes and other property in the rugged San Jacinto range, authorities said. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorms-could-hamper-efforts-subdue-california-wildfire-200431331.htmlFri, 19 Jul 2013 19:01:04 -0400Reutersthunderstorms-could-hamper-efforts-subdue-california-wildfire-200431331<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/thunderstorms-could-hamper-efforts-subdue-california-wildfire-200431331.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pOtiMX9ue7tIhdiaH9v2CA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-07-19T200431Z_1_CBRE96I1JRL00_RTROPTP_2_USA-FIRE-CALIFORNIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A plume of smoke rises into the night sky as a wildfire, or the so-called Mountain Fire, burns near Idyllwild" align="left" title="A plume of smoke rises into the night sky as a wildfire, or the so-called Mountain Fire, burns near Idyllwild" border="0" /></a>By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firefighters raced on Friday to buttress defensive lines against a fierce blaze roaring for a fifth day near the scenic mountain resort of Idyllwild in Southern California, as thunderstorms in the forecast threatened to hamper efforts to subdue the flames. The so-called Mountain Fire has already burned across more than 24,800 acres of dry brush and timber and forced the evacuation of Idyllwild after destroying seven nearby homes and other property in the rugged San Jacinto range, authorities said. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/07/19/weather-blog-relentless-heat/Fri, 19 Jul 2013 18:36:48 -04002013/07/19/weather-blog-relentless-heat/

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weather

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Cranston: 'We hug it out' at 'Breaking Bad's' end

TV

Susan Young TODAY contributor

14 hours ago

Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Bryan Cranston, left, and Aaron Paul had a little fun at the TV Critics summer press tour in Beverly Hills on Friday.

Do you really want to know how ?Breaking Bad? ends?

?I think everyone will be satisfied with the ending where we hug it out and all is forgiven,?? star Bryan Cranston, who plays Walter White (aka Heisenberg), joked to reporters at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour on Friday.

?Don?t tell them about the musical number ...,? co-star Betsy Brandt chimed in.

As the AMC hit prepares to end its run when it returns for the final episodes next month, big questions remain: Just how much good is left in the chemistry teacher turned meth king? And how much bad is left in Walt's right-hand man, Jesse Pinkman?

?(Jesse's) just emptied out. He just wants to stay as far away from Walt as possible,? Aaron Paul told reporters of his character. ?Walt?s true colors were definitely revealed to him towards the end of the last season. He?s terrified of this man. He wants nothing to do with him and he wants to stay out of the business if he can.

?Walt has a large reservoir of good to be shared with everyone else as he spreads his joy throughout the last eight episodes,? Cranston shot back.

The change from good to bad has been gradual but major for Walt. While it used to be Jesse who did the bad deeds while Walt cooked the blue stuff, the one-time teacher is no longer in the backseat. He kills when he needs ? and sometimes when he doesn't need to (RIP, Mike) ? often putting innocent people in harm's way. (Remember Brock? The other folks in the nursing home?) He's cold, ruthless and in control.

Cranston said the transformation of Walt after his cancer diagnosis to now is not that far-fetched.

?I really believe that everybody is capable of good or bad," Cranston, who is nominated for another lead drama actor Emmy, said. "We're all human beings. We're given the spectrum of emotions as complex as they are. Depending on your influences, DNA and parenting, and education and social environment, the best of you can come out, and the worst of you can come out. If given the right set of circumstance and dire situations, any one of us can become dangerous.?

Yes, Walter is the danger. He is the one who knocks. But what fans really want to know is not the specifics about the finale, but if viewers will be left with some measure of resolution when it all ends.

?What I loved about this whole journey is that I was able to be the mouthpiece for (creator/producer) Vince Gilligan. I wanted it to end the exact way that Vince Gilligan wanted it to end,? Cranston told TODAY.com. ?And I can stand here now and say I?m really proud that it has. I think that every fan of 'Breaking Bad' will be satisfied, pleased at the ending. It is very unapologetic and very 'Breaking Bad.' ?

The final season of "Breaking Bad" returns Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. on AMC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/bryan-cranston-we-hug-it-out-end-breaking-bad-6C10766850

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