Lance Armstrong speaks at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Mo., June 9, 2011. (Getty Images)
Shortly after the first of Oprah Winfrey's two-part interview with Lance Armstrong aired on Thursday, Livestrong?the Austin-based cancer charity Armstrong founded?released a statement saying they were disappointed in their former leader, but grateful he created the foundation in the first place.
?We at the Livestrong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us," the statement posted to its website began.
Before taping the interview, during which the seven-time Tour de France winner and testicular cancer survivor admitted to doping and lying throughout his cycling career, Armstrong met with Livestrong's staff to apologize.
"We accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course," Livestrong continued. "We look forward to devoting our full energy to our mission of helping people not only fight and survive cancer, but also thrive in life after cancer."
More from the foundation's statement:
Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community. Lance is no longer on the Foundation?s board, but he is our founder and we will always be grateful to him for creating and helping to build a Foundation that has served millions struggling with cancer.
The 41-year-old told Winfrey that when he was diagnosed, it "turned me into a fighter. That was good. [But] I took that attitude?win at all costs?to cycling. That's bad."
Armstrong, who founded the charity in 1997, stepped down as chairman of Livestrong in October on the same day Nike, Armstrong's longtime sponsor, severed ties with him. He was dropped from Livestrong's board of directors the next month.
"The whole situation is very sad," Livestrong CEO Doug Ulman said on the "Today" show on Friday. "Watching [the interview] was hard. And yet I have to watch it through the prism of the work of the foundation, and the resilience I've come to know from millions of cancer survivors that have been touched by our work."
Ulman added: "There was a little sense of relief, because our organization today can finally move beyond this topic and this interview. ... Lance created this organization before he ever won the Tour. He gave us this platform and it's our opportunity to take this forward."
That may prove difficult.
"I see the anger in people, betrayal, it's all there," Armstrong told Winfrey. "People believed in me and supported me and they have every right to feel betrayed and it's my fault, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people."
Strip Scribbles: Miss America controversy; ?Absinthe?; Food University - Las Vegas Sun News
Las Vegas Sun
TVT
Former Miss America winners pose together in front of Neiman Marcus. Top row, from left: Heather French Henry, Ericka Dunlap, Jennifer Berry Gooden and Lauren Nelson. Bottom row, from left: Bebe Shopp, Lee Meriwether, Maria Beale Fletcher, Vonda Van Dyke and Shawntel Smith?Wuerich.
Wicked Whispers and Racy Rumors! A controversy over seating at the 2013 Miss America Pageant has reportedly erupted between producers and 2004 Miss America Ericka Dunlap. Ericka told TMZ that she was ordered to exit her seat at the first commercial break to accommodate parents of a contestant who made the Top 15.
Ericka reportedly refused and then said two producers forcibly moved her to another seat. Ericka is demanding an apology and says it would never have happened if she wasn?t black. The organization says it was not their responsibility and that the production crew moved rapidly for program resumption and offered her a better seat, which she refused.
Is an expansion in the works for Henderson Airport to turn it into America?s best showcase for private jet sales?
The webcast currently being filmed by The Gazillionaire of ?Absinthe? at Caesars Palace might be used as a sizzle reel for its own reality TV show if the Internet broadcast gets winning reactions from viewers.
COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
The Food Network culinary star Duff Goldman, known as the ?Ace of Cakes,? joins with Gordon Ramsay?s Season 10 ?Hell?s Kitchen? winner for the three-day Food University courses at Caesars starting March 27. Also on the faculty: Rao?s restaurateur Frank Pellegrino Jr., French pastry prince Francois Payard and the ?Godfather of Italian American Cooking? Steve Martorano from The Rio.
Students get nine hands-on cooking classes, three seminars on wine, chocolate and farm food, two field trips to go behind-the-scenes of our Strip?s top restaurants and a mixology seminar. Proceeds from ?admissions? benefit our beloved charity Keep Memory Alive. More details: FoodUniversityLasVegas.com.
Chef Mike Minor from Border Grill at Mandalay Bay has been honored as one of the country?s top culinary talents in the debut edition of Best Chefs America, a first-ever, peer-review guide of U.S. kitchen stars. The exquisite 386-page, $75 coffee-table book will be released March 1.
I?ve accepted an invitation to join the judging panel of the upcoming 101 Best Restaurants in America for 2013 from TheDailyMeal.com. We?ll develop a preliminary list of 303 nominations and narrow that to 202 and then vote the best 101. I will ensure that Las Vegas gets its fair shake in the third-annual directory!
OPENING WEEKEND: Congratulations and best wishes to the four lads from Down Under who make up Human Nature as they premiere at The Venetian with their new residency run. They tell me the show has been transformed from top to bottom, and their mentor Smokey Robinson, who has helped guide their U.S. career, is planning a celebration next month at their showroom.
STAR SURVEILLANCE
Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham will be at their Planet Hollywood movie premiere of ?Parker? next Thursday.
Robert De Niro, who is filming the boxing film ?Grudge Match? in New Orleans with Sylvester Stallone, jets here in early February for the Nobu Hotel opening at Caesars.
?iCarly? star Jennette McCurdy dined at STK in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil executives.
Singer CeeLo Green will be on The Strip on Feb. 22 for a major publicity stunt in advance of the Feb. 27 opening of his show ?Loberace? at Planet Hollywood.
Radio talk show host and chef Jamie Gwen is on a research trip of new Strip restaurants while staying at the Cosmopolitan.
TONIGHT'S TIP?S
Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices are at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
The Wonderground International Magic Festival led by Jeff McBride presents three shows at Olive Mediterranean in Henderson with acts from as far afield as Singapore, Brazil and Great Britain.
DJ Chuckie spins the wheels of steel at Tao?s Worship Party in The Venetian.
Royal jeweler Harry Winston unveils the first official Hope Collection Bracelet at its boutique in Crystals with 100 percent of sales donated to KMA.
Hyde Bellagio launches Vino Thursdays with music from ?American Idol finalist Mahi.
Of Mice and Men, Volumes, Texas in July, Woe Is Me and Capture the Crown are at Hard Rock Cafe on The Strip.
Sin City Sinners with Dizzy Reed from Guns N? Roses performs at the Paradise Visuals AVN party hosted by XXX legend Ron Jeremy at Hard Rock Cafe beside the Hard Rock Hotel.
And Marche Bacchus features a five-course tasting menu by chef David Middleton paired with Silver Oak and Twomey cellars wines. One guest will receive a signed 2007 Magnum of Silver Oaks Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
TOMORROW?S TEASE
Our jam-packed weekly Weekend Celebrity Preview highlights the 2013 AVN Awards at The Joint in the Hard Rock and a first-time visit by Kourtney Kardashian to Kardashian Khaos at The Mirage.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world?s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
Caesars Palace
Transport yourself to the opulent and excessive Roman Empire at Caesars Palace. But the ever-changing Caesars Palace is far from ancient. The hotel and casino is constantly raising the bar for what visitors can expect in a Vegas resort experience.
Caesars Palace features 3,348 rooms and suites in five towers and 129,000 square feet of gaming space, including the Strip?s largest poker room and 250-seat sports book. Add in 25 restaurants, a four level shopping mall, four pools, a spa, Pure and Poetry nightclubs and some Pussycat Dolls and you may never want to leave.
Dining options include restaurants from world-renown chefs Guy Savoy, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay and Bradley Ogden.
You never know what characters you?ll run into at Caesars with regular performers like Jerry Seinfeld, Bette Midler, Elton John and maybe even the emperor himself.
3570 S. Las Vegas BoulevardLas Vegas, NV89109
702-731-7110Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Catering to the young and modern crowd, Planet Hollywood is a one-stop shop for entertainment with its massive shopping mall, slew of restaurants, spacious casino and clubs.
The ambiance of the casino is retro-chic meets high-tech with black granite floors throughout and colorful LED lights throughout the space. The theme carries into the 100,000 square-foot casino with 250 flat screens topping off slot machines. The casino is also home to 87 tables, a sports book and a poker room.
There's also the Miracle Mile Shops, one Vegas' largest malls, with 140 stores including BCBG Max Azaria, bebe, Urban Outfitters and The Discovery Channel Store.
Following an afternoon of shopping, guests can satisfy their appetites at one of the gourmet restaurants in Planet Hollywood, like the non-traditional approach to steakhouses at Strip House or check out the exotic Far East motif at KOI restaurant and lounge. And if guests are still looking for more, they can spend the after hours at Priv?, Triq or Krave nightclubs.
Perhaps one of the resorts biggest attractions came in March with the addition of "Peepshow." The naughty twist on the story of Little Bo Peep is modern-day spin on the run-of-the-mill Vegas topless review. The "Peepshow" stage has seen visiting celebs like Scary Spice Mel B, "Dancing with the Stars" Kelly Monaco and Playboy's Holly Madison.
3667 S. Las Vegas Blvd.Las Vegas, NV89109
702-785-5555
Viewed
Discussed
E-mailed
Strip Scribbles: Miss America controversy; ?Absinthe?; Food University - Las Vegas Sun News
Las Vegas Sun
TVT
Former Miss America winners pose together in front of Neiman Marcus. Top row, from left: Heather French Henry, Ericka Dunlap, Jennifer Berry Gooden and Lauren Nelson. Bottom row, from left: Bebe Shopp, Lee Meriwether, Maria Beale Fletcher, Vonda Van Dyke and Shawntel Smith?Wuerich.
Wicked Whispers and Racy Rumors! A controversy over seating at the 2013 Miss America Pageant has reportedly erupted between producers and 2004 Miss America Ericka Dunlap. Ericka told TMZ that she was ordered to exit her seat at the first commercial break to accommodate parents of a contestant who made the Top 15.
Ericka reportedly refused and then said two producers forcibly moved her to another seat. Ericka is demanding an apology and says it would never have happened if she wasn?t black. The organization says it was not their responsibility and that the production crew moved rapidly for program resumption and offered her a better seat, which she refused.
Is an expansion in the works for Henderson Airport to turn it into America?s best showcase for private jet sales?
The webcast currently being filmed by The Gazillionaire of ?Absinthe? at Caesars Palace might be used as a sizzle reel for its own reality TV show if the Internet broadcast gets winning reactions from viewers.
COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
The Food Network culinary star Duff Goldman, known as the ?Ace of Cakes,? joins with Gordon Ramsay?s Season 10 ?Hell?s Kitchen? winner for the three-day Food University courses at Caesars starting March 27. Also on the faculty: Rao?s restaurateur Frank Pellegrino Jr., French pastry prince Francois Payard and the ?Godfather of Italian American Cooking? Steve Martorano from The Rio.
Students get nine hands-on cooking classes, three seminars on wine, chocolate and farm food, two field trips to go behind-the-scenes of our Strip?s top restaurants and a mixology seminar. Proceeds from ?admissions? benefit our beloved charity Keep Memory Alive. More details: FoodUniversityLasVegas.com.
Chef Mike Minor from Border Grill at Mandalay Bay has been honored as one of the country?s top culinary talents in the debut edition of Best Chefs America, a first-ever, peer-review guide of U.S. kitchen stars. The exquisite 386-page, $75 coffee-table book will be released March 1.
I?ve accepted an invitation to join the judging panel of the upcoming 101 Best Restaurants in America for 2013 from TheDailyMeal.com. We?ll develop a preliminary list of 303 nominations and narrow that to 202 and then vote the best 101. I will ensure that Las Vegas gets its fair shake in the third-annual directory!
OPENING WEEKEND: Congratulations and best wishes to the four lads from Down Under who make up Human Nature as they premiere at The Venetian with their new residency run. They tell me the show has been transformed from top to bottom, and their mentor Smokey Robinson, who has helped guide their U.S. career, is planning a celebration next month at their showroom.
STAR SURVEILLANCE
Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham will be at their Planet Hollywood movie premiere of ?Parker? next Thursday.
Robert De Niro, who is filming the boxing film ?Grudge Match? in New Orleans with Sylvester Stallone, jets here in early February for the Nobu Hotel opening at Caesars.
?iCarly? star Jennette McCurdy dined at STK in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil executives.
Singer CeeLo Green will be on The Strip on Feb. 22 for a major publicity stunt in advance of the Feb. 27 opening of his show ?Loberace? at Planet Hollywood.
Radio talk show host and chef Jamie Gwen is on a research trip of new Strip restaurants while staying at the Cosmopolitan.
TONIGHT'S TIP?S
Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices are at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
The Wonderground International Magic Festival led by Jeff McBride presents three shows at Olive Mediterranean in Henderson with acts from as far afield as Singapore, Brazil and Great Britain.
DJ Chuckie spins the wheels of steel at Tao?s Worship Party in The Venetian.
Royal jeweler Harry Winston unveils the first official Hope Collection Bracelet at its boutique in Crystals with 100 percent of sales donated to KMA.
Hyde Bellagio launches Vino Thursdays with music from ?American Idol finalist Mahi.
Of Mice and Men, Volumes, Texas in July, Woe Is Me and Capture the Crown are at Hard Rock Cafe on The Strip.
Sin City Sinners with Dizzy Reed from Guns N? Roses performs at the Paradise Visuals AVN party hosted by XXX legend Ron Jeremy at Hard Rock Cafe beside the Hard Rock Hotel.
And Marche Bacchus features a five-course tasting menu by chef David Middleton paired with Silver Oak and Twomey cellars wines. One guest will receive a signed 2007 Magnum of Silver Oaks Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
TOMORROW?S TEASE
Our jam-packed weekly Weekend Celebrity Preview highlights the 2013 AVN Awards at The Joint in the Hard Rock and a first-time visit by Kourtney Kardashian to Kardashian Khaos at The Mirage.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world?s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
Caesars Palace
Transport yourself to the opulent and excessive Roman Empire at Caesars Palace. But the ever-changing Caesars Palace is far from ancient. The hotel and casino is constantly raising the bar for what visitors can expect in a Vegas resort experience.
Caesars Palace features 3,348 rooms and suites in five towers and 129,000 square feet of gaming space, including the Strip?s largest poker room and 250-seat sports book. Add in 25 restaurants, a four level shopping mall, four pools, a spa, Pure and Poetry nightclubs and some Pussycat Dolls and you may never want to leave.
Dining options include restaurants from world-renown chefs Guy Savoy, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay and Bradley Ogden.
You never know what characters you?ll run into at Caesars with regular performers like Jerry Seinfeld, Bette Midler, Elton John and maybe even the emperor himself.
3570 S. Las Vegas BoulevardLas Vegas, NV89109
702-731-7110Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Catering to the young and modern crowd, Planet Hollywood is a one-stop shop for e
It?s been a couple of weeks since I?ve had the opportunity to create a new video for AudioAcrobat, but in today?s post I?m overjoyed to share with you the very first ?feature? video of its kind!
This new video can be seen by clicking the image above or by visiting this direct link, and focuses on one of our favorite features, the Video Web Recorder. ?In this video, viewers will learn several important facts about AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder, without being bored to death (I promise), including:
Who can benefit from using AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder
What AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder is/does
Where to access AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder
When to start using AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder
Why your business should use the Video Web Recorder, and
How the Video Web Recorder can be used to grow your business
Feel like reading words on a screen instead of rotting your brain with moving images? ?If so, I?ve made the transcript of the video available for those of you who consider yourselves, as Bill Hicks would say, ?readers?, right here:
AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder is the easiest way to record and host online videos, using nothing more than your Webcam and internet connection.?
The best part is that there?s no need to spend time uploading or converting your video prior to sharing with your audience.?
Placing your video on the Blog, Website, Email, Newsletter or Social Network of your choice requires nothing more than a couple of clicks and/or a copy and paste.
AudioAcrobat?s Video Web Recorder satisfies a variety of today?s real-world solutions, including the ability to easily and effectively convey important messages, generate income, donations, revenue and sales and helps to increase web traffic for many fields and industries, such as?
Advertisers, Authors, Astrologers, Bloggers, Coaches, Critics, Doctors, Inventors, Journalists, Marketers, Musicians, Non Profit and Religious Organizations, Radio/TV Hosts, Sales Teams, Teachers and Website Owners.?
Heck, even Cavemen can get in on the action!
Sign up for a 30-Day Free Trial today at AudioAcrobat.com and get started right away!
If you have any questions or would like to explore other ideas on how to best use this feature to grow your business, please get in touch with us at AudioAcrobat.com!
Did you find the above video/transcript helpful? ?Were you inspired to start using the feature? ?Please let us know!
Comment below and connect with us for daily updates!
Want to learn more about AudioAcrobat? Go ahead, give it a try yourself by signing up for a 30 day Free Trial or join one of our FREE Training Classes without signing up for squat. Already have an account? Login HERE.
Did you know that AudioAcrobat has a built-in affiliate referral program? Earn 33% commissions, monthly!
London helicopter crash pilot named as Pete Barnes
January 16, 2013
The pilot who died in this morning's helicopter crash in London has been named as Mortimer businessman Captain Pete Barnes.
The 50-year-old, who started his successful aviation career around 25 years ago, is managing director of Helivision Ltd based in Mortimer.
Mr Barnes was killed this morning when his helicopter crashed into a crane in central London at about 8am.
One other person died and 12 were injured in the incident.
Mr Barnes, who has piloted helicopters in action scenes in movies Die Another Day, Tomb Raider II and Saving Private Ryan also?worked for flight operator RotorMotion.
The helicopter spun out of control and crash-landed near Vauxhall station after the pilot attempted to divert the aircraft to a helipad due to bad weather.
The AgustaWestland 109 Power clipped a crane on top of one of Europe's tallest residential towers, falling from the sky before exploding into flames and crashing into the streets below.
Metropolitan Police commander Neil Basu said: "The helicopter was on a scheduled flight from Surrey. It was scheduled to fly from Redhill to Elstree but it was diverted."
Captain Philip Amadeus, managing director of RotorMotion, an executive helicopter charter business, said the aircraft was on a commercial flight from Redhill, in Surrey, to Elstree.
He said: "Our main priority now is for the family of the pilot and we extend our greatest sympathy to the friends and relatives of those who have died and been injured."
RotorMotion spokesman Paul Blezard added: ?His colleagues are devastated. The loss of Captain Pete Barns is a great tragedy not only for the British aviation industry but for RotorMotion as well. He was one of the most highly skilled and highly qualified helicopter pilots in the UK with 12,000 hours and he flew for a number of companies as well as flying air ambulances."
The Israeli economy has developed immunity to political and security-related crises, a Bank of Israel study concludes based on a "fear" index it created.
The central bank's new index is rather akin to the Chicago Board Options Exchange's VIX volatility index, better known as the "fear index" ? it tracks the state of trepidation in the marketplace.
It developed the index to track the state of Israel's financial markets ? specifically the bond, stock, and currency markets ? on a daily basis. Not that you can see it: the Bank of Israel won't be making its index public for now. It's a tool to help set monetary policy, the central bank explained.
The index, the outcome of research by Bank of Israel spokesman Dr. Yossi Saadon and Meital Graham of its research department, is based on values between "0" and "1". A value approaching "0" reflects calm while values close to "1" indicate a state of crisis.
Like the VIX, the central bank's index allows analysis of untoward events.
It is based on methodology like that used by the U.S. Federal Reserve, says the BoI, adding: "A uniform and objective interpretation of the impact of various events on the financial markets can make the process of determining policy simpler."
Since the crisis brought on by the collapse of the gargantuan U.S.-based hedge fund LTCM in 1998, there have been four events that intensely shook Israel's financial markets, the study shows: the 2002 crisis, the outbreak of the sub-prime crisis in 2007, the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, and warnings over an impending downgrade of U.S. debt ? which actually came to pass in 2011 ? along with the spread of Europe's debt crisis.
Of the four, only the 2002 crisis directly impacted Israel, yet all these events shook investors badly.
That said, the study indicated that over the years, Israel's economy developed resistance to political and security-related events. This immunity to jolts was expressed by increasingly flat reactions by financial assets to the unhappy events as they took place.
Knowing the economy had successfully weathered such events in the past seems to reduce uncertainty when new crisis arises, the study's authors say. This in and of itself is reason why the Israeli markets react less over time.
The central bank study also examined the reaction of the index to political events. For instance, Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation as finance minister ? a position in which he had garnered esteem - on August 8, 2005 caused the index to jump to 0.3. Yet an event with potential to significantly shake up the government, the stroke suffered by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on January 5, 2006, raised the index by much less ? just 0.1.
Arriving in China's capital city, Richardson told reporters that the trip had been productive, and said the delegation had advocated for more open access to information in North Korea, and a stop to missile launches and nuclear tests.
"We enjoyed our trip to the DPRK, especially with the North Korean people, and we had a good opportunity to talk about expanding the Internet and cell phones in the DPRK," Richardson told the Associated Press before boarding the flight from Pyongyang to Beijing.
Richardson had described the trip as a "private humanitarian mission." And it was thought that the delegation would try and negotiate the release of an American, Kenneth Bae, who had been detained in North Korea. By Thursday, it was clear that effort had failed.
The delegation, Richardson said, did not meet the country's young leader Kim Jong Un, and the most senior official to meet with the group was a vice minister.
Many North Korea watchers remain puzzled by the presence of Google's executive chairman in the delegation.
High-profile visits to North Korea by American business leaders are rare, and Schmidt's trip is certainly the most notable example since Kim was installed last year as the country's leader.
In a statement issued last week, a spokeswoman for Google said the company does not comment on "personal travel" by its executives, a sign that Schmidt was not making the trip at the behest of his employer.
The trip was also made over the objections of the State Department, which is trying to manage fallout resulting from a successful rocket launch carried out by North Korea in the face of international condemnation.
The State Department said last week that the trip was ill-timed.
"Frankly we don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful, but they are private citizens and they are making their own decisions," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "They are well aware of our views."
Jared Cohen, a former State Department official who now leads Google's in-house think tank, was also on the trip. And the Associated Press reported that Schmidt's daughter, Sophie, joined as well.
Met by reporters at Beijing Capital Airport on Thursday, Schmidt commented on the country's technology infrastructure and the computer centers visited by the delegation -- and stressed the need for reform.
"As the world becomes increasingly connected, [North Korea's] decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth and so forth," Schmidt said. "It will make it harder for them to catch up economically."
Earlier in the week, Richardson, Cohen and Schmidt toured Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, where computer science students showed off their web-surfing skills.
North Korea's Kim has expressed a desire to increase the country's technological and industrial standing in the world, but the regime's plans remain largely undefined, and observers caution that no significant changes are expected for a majority of the country's citizens.
Related: Google invests $200 million in Texas wind farm
Google(GOOG, Fortune 500) has been expanding its presence throughout Asia in recent years but it has run into problems in China due to censorship concerns. Yet the company's problems in China are nothing compared to North Korea, where access to the Internet is restricted to a small cadre of regime officials and loyalists.
It remains to be seen whether Schmidt's trip will affect the regime's extreme limits on the proliferation of technology.
Schmidt, along with Cohen, have in the past written at length about the Internet's ability to empower citizens oppressed by autocratic governments. The pair are even writing a book together on the subject -- one unlikely to be published in North Korea.
"Almost nothing, short of a biological virus, can scale as quickly, efficiently or aggressively as these technology platforms," Schmidt and Cohen write, according to a preview published by the New York Times, "and this makes the people who build, control and use them powerful, too."
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) ? An ex-Marine convicted of firing shots at the Pentagon and other military targets in 2010 was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison, despite a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia that raised some questions about his sanity.
At a sentencing hearing Friday in U.S. District Court, Yonathan Melaku, 24, of Alexandria, said he wanted to go forward with a plea deal reached last year that called for a 25-year sentence ? even though the schizophrenia diagnosis, confirmed by government doctors, raised the possibility of an insanity defense.
Melaku pleaded guilty last year to a series of nighttime shootings, including at the Marine Corps museum in Quantico and military recruiting stations in Chantilly and Woodbridge, that caused more than $100,000 in damage. No one was injured.
He was caught months later, in June 2011, after he was discovered trying to desecrate graves in Arlington National Cemetery. He also planned to leave bags of ammonium nitrate at the cemetery to induce fear.
The plea deal called for a non-negotiable 25-year sentence. But after pleading guilty, Melaku got new lawyers who uncovered evidence he was mentally ill. Government doctors have now also diagnosed him with schizophrenia.
Medical records cited in the court papers showed Melaku suffered from delusions that the 2010 shootings would allow him to reunite with a girl he knew in high school before the world came to an end in 2012. Doctors who evaluated Melaku at the federal medical prison in Butner, N.C., wrote that "Mr. Melaku consistently reported feeling threatened by God and believing he had to engage in certain behaviors or acts to 'force God to stop the visions.'"
Still, having a mental illness ? even a severe one like schizophrenia ? is not the same as being able to demonstrate to a jury at trial that a person is legally insane, which under federal law requires clear and convincing proof that a defendant at the time of the offense did not appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct.
Had Melaku tried to break the plea deal, federal prosecutors indicated they were prepared to file charges that would have resulted in a mandatory minimum of 85 years if convicted on all counts.
Melaku's new attorney, Billy Martin, said Friday that he had discussed the issue at length with his client, and that Melaku decided for himself that he wanted to stick with the plea deal and the 25-year sentence.
Prosecutors said the sentence was appropriate. In court papers, they ascribed Melaku's motives not to mental illness but to anger at U.S. foreign policy. They cited FBI interviews with Melaku in which he said he wanted to send a message that the U.S. should not engage in wars against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Yonathan Melaku is a self-radicalized terrorist who carried out a campaign of fear that escalated until his arrest," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride said after Friday's sentencing. "He took calculated steps to target specific military buildings, cover up his crimes, and plan even more destruction should his message not be heard."
Melaku said little during Friday's hearing except to request that he serve his time at the federal medical prison in Butner, a request granted by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.
Melaku's family wrote to the judge saying their son began acting bizarrely after a tour of duty in the Marine Corps.
Melaku "is sick. He is not a terrorist," the family wrote. "When he returned home (from the Marines), he was a different son."
Lee called the crimes "a bizarre set of facts for a former U.S. Marine. ... You instilled fear in the public," Lee said, likening the crimes to the 2002 sniper spree by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo that gripped the D.C. region with fear. "Obviously, you do not represent the Marines that most of us know."
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Jan 10, 2013 19:03:24 EST
WASHINGTON ? The U.S. has largely ruled out sending in ground troops to secure Syrian chemical weapons under hostile circumstances, but the Pentagon could provide some forces if the Assad regime ever agrees to a peaceful transition, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that it will be nearly impossible to prevent the Syrian government from using its chemical weapons, so the U.S. must rely on deterrence and continue warning Syria that using them would be unacceptable.
?The act of preventing the use of chemical weapons would be almost unachievable,? Dempsey said during a Pentagon press conference. ?You would have to have such clarity of intelligence, you know, persistent surveillance, you?d have to actually see it before it happened, and that?s ? that?s unlikely, to be sure.?
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Panetta says his biggest concern is how the U.S. and allies would secure the chemical and biological weapons sites scattered across Syria and ensure the components don?t end up in the wrong hands if the regime falls, particularly under violent conditions. He said the U.S. is preparing no options for having U.S. ground troops in that country if the regime falls while under attack.
But, he added, ?you always have to keep the possibility that, if there is a peaceful transition and international organizations get involved, that they might ask for assistance in that situation.?
There are widespread worries among allies and countries in the region that if Syrian President Bashar Assad is toppled, Islamic extremists could gain control of Syria?s stockpile of chemical weapons, which includes sarin and mustard gas. And there are lingering worries that Assad might use his chemical weapons, perhaps on his own people, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime.
President Obama has said the regime?s use of chemical weapons against the rebels would be a ?red line? and change his ?calculus? about possible military intervention there.
Fears escalated early last month when U.S. officials said there was evidence that Syrian forces had begun preparing sarin, a nerve agent, for possible use in bombs. But Panetta later said that it appeared the Syrian government had slowed its preparations for the possible use of the weapons.
The Pentagon has put together a variety of options for securing the weapons under a range of circumstances, Dempsey said. And he acknowledged the U.S. has been in contact with NATO allies, such as the Czech Republic, who have developed capabilities for handling chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. But Dempsey said not specific request has been made of the Czech Republic.
At least 60,000 people have died during Assad?s two-year crackdown on rebels, according to a recent U.N. estimate. Opposition fighters have seized large swaths of territory in northern Syria, and on Thursday activists said they now control parts of a strategic air base. But despite significant rebel advances on the battlefield, the opposition remains outgunned by government forces and has been unable to break a stalemate on the ground.
Panetta on Thursday said he believes there is a strong likelihood that Assad will ultimately leave power.
Lance Armstrong speaks at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Mo., June 9, 2011. (Getty Images)
