Fletcher eyes Mainzeal jobs rescue

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Bogus cop hunt widens

The hunt is on for four police impostors who have been stopping cars in Northland and questioning motorists about the amount of cash they are carrying. ?

Dad's frantic fire dash to evacuate family

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Wellington father Chris Sadler had just a few minutes to evacuate his five young children this morning as a blazing scrub fire made its way towards the family home.

Photos: Happy Valley fire

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Residents flee Happy Valley scrub fire

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Disorientated toddler found in Tokoroa

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The parents of a two-year-old toddler found disoriented and wandering in Tokoroa on his own late last night have been found.

Pistorius wanted revolvers, shotguns

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Oscar Pistorius applied for firearm licences for six more guns weeks before the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp inside his house, according to records.

Victim warns of car-surfing dangers

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Every time Mosgiel resident Nick Vermeulen looks in the mirror, the consequences of his actions are reflected in the asymmetry of his face.

Rezone plan spurs slum fears

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More than half of Auckland's residential land is to be rezoned for apartments and intensification to squeeze in a million extra people by 2040.

Smart phone work ends with twist

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A man who lost his smartphone managed to track it down by remotely installing software which allowed him to find who was using it.

Use of steroids in gyms rockets

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An increasing obsession with appearance and body shape has led to a spike in the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in gymnasiums.

PlayStation 4 announcement tipped

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Sony is expected to announce the new PlayStation console today during a challenging time for the console market.

Scene set for Eden Park decider

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New Zealand didn't get enough runs, bowled out in the penultimate over for 269 on a cracking batting pitch. But it's all on at the series decider on Saturday in Auckland?

Armstrong won't interview with USADA

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Lance Armstrong won't interview under oath with the US Anti-Doping Agency to reveal all he knows about doping in cycling, his attorney says.

Guard's long recovery from attack

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A prison guard whose jaw was broken in two places by a violent inmate's brutal attack has had corrective surgery for almost two years and been unable to work as a result?

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10866714&ref=rss

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Obama weighs stepping in on gay marriage case

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Facing heightened expectations from gay rights supporters, the Obama administration is considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage ? a move that could have a far-reaching impact on same-sex couples across the country.

The administration has one week to file a friend-of-the-court brief with the justices outlining its opinion on the California ban, known as Proposition 8. While an administration brief alone is unlikely to sway the high court, the government's opinion does carry weight with the justices.

Opponents of the Proposition 8 ban believe the president signaled his intention to file a brief when he declared in last month's inaugural address that gays and lesbians must be "treated like anyone else under the law." An administration official said Obama ? a former constitutional law professor ? was not foreshadowing any legal action in his remarks and was simply restating his personal belief in the right of gays and lesbians to marry, though the official said the administration was considering filing a brief.

The Proposition 8 ballot initiative was approved by California voters in 2008 in response to a state Supreme Court decision that had allowed gay marriage. Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while nine states and Washington, D.C., recognize same-sex marriage.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli is consulting with the White House on the matter, according to a senior administration official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to address the private deliberations publicly.

While the Justice Department would make the filing, the president is almost certain to make the ultimate decision on whether to do so.

"I have to make sure that I'm not interjecting myself too much into this process, particularly when we're not a party to the case," Obama said Wednesday in an interview with San Francisco's KGO-TV.

He said his personal view was that gay couples should have the same rights as straight couples and said his administration would do whatever it could to promote that principle.

Obama has a complicated history on gay marriage. As a presidential candidate in 2008, he opposed the California ban but didn't endorse gay marriage. As he ran for re-election last year, he announced his personal support for same-sex marriage but said marriage was an issue that should be decided by the states, not the federal government.

To some, Obama's broad call for gay rights during his Jan. 21 inaugural address was a sign that he now sees a federal role in defining marriage.

"Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law," Obama said during his remarks on the west front of the Capitol. "For if we are truly created equal, than surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."

Seeking to capitalize on growing public support for gay marriage, advocates are calling on the administration to file a broad brief not only asking the court to declare California's ban unconstitutional but also urging the justices to make all state bans illegal.

"If they do make that argument and the court accepts it, the ramifications could be very sweeping," said Richard Socarides, an attorney and advocate.

The administration could also file a narrower brief that would ask the court to issue a decision applying only to California. Or it could decide not to weigh in on the case at all.

The Supreme Court, which will take up the case on March 26, has several options for its eventual ruling. Among them:

? Uphold the state ban on gay marriage and say citizens of a state have the right to make that call.

? Endorse an appeals court ruling that would make same-sex marriage legal in California but apply only to that state.

? Issue a broader ruling that would apply to California and seven other states: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island. In those states, gay couples may join in civil unions that have all the benefits of marriage but may not be married.

? Rule that the Constitution forbids states from banning same-sex unions.

For weeks, supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 have been lobbying the administration to side with them.

Last month, Theodore Olson and David Boies, lawyers arguing for gay marriage, met with Verrilli and other government lawyers to urge the administration to file a brief in the case. A few days later, Charles Cooper, the lawyer defending Proposition 8, met with the solicitor general to ask the government to stay out of the case. Those kinds of meetings are typical in a high court case when the government is not a party and is not asked by the court to make its views known.

Boies and Chad Griffin, president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, also had a meeting at the White House on the case.

Ahead of next week's deadline, nearly two dozen states have filed briefs with the court asking the justices to uphold the California measure.

Public opinion has shifted in support of gay marriage in recent years. In May 2008, Gallup found that 56 percent of Americans felt same-sex marriages should not be recognized by the law as valid. By November 2012, 53 percent felt they should be legally recognized.

One day after the court hears the California case, the justices will hear arguments on another gay marriage case, this one involving provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The act defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of deciding who can receive a range of federal benefits.

The Obama administration abandoned its defense of the law in 2011 but continues to enforce it.

___

Associated Press writer Mark Sherman and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-stepping-gay-marriage-case-075906331--politics.html

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T. Boone Pickens is Bloomberg's No. 1 fan

T. Boone Pickens and Bloomberg outside New York City Hall (Holly Bailey/Yahoo News)NEW YORK?Michael Bloomberg remains cagey about whether he?ll someday run for president. But the outgoing New York City mayor received a notable show of support on Thursday from one of the country?s biggest political donors who has spent tens of millions of dollars in the past to elect presidential candidates.

T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire energy mogul from Texas, joined Bloomberg at a press conference outside New York?s City Hall to unveil the city?s first natural-gas-powered food truck and to talk about clean energy efforts?an issue both he and the mayor are passionate about.

Speaking to a large group of reporters and political types on a frigid February morning, both men showered each other with compliments. Bloomberg praised Pickens as ?one of the great Americans? in business and someone who has emerged as a ?powerful voice? for clean energy efforts.

?I used to read about T. Boone Pickens in the paper, and I never thought I?d know him on a first-name basis,? Bloomberg said.

A few seconds later, Pickens returned the compliment, telling Bloomberg, ?Mayor, if you were in Washington today, we?d be a hell of a lot better off than where we are.?

Bloomberg beamed, as several people applauded.

Pickens has been a longtime backer of Republican parties and candidates, including former President George W. Bush. In 2004, Pickens was one of the early contributors to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a shadowy political group that spent millions on television ads attacking then-Sen. John Kerry?s White House bid. In 2008, Pickens was a prominent supporter of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani?s bid for the GOP nomination.

But during the ?08 campaign, Pickens reinvented himself as a green energy activist, directing more of his wealth toward promoting alternative energy like wind. In a surprising turn, Pickens later worked with Kerry on a climate-change bill in Washington that included subsidies for natural-gas-powered vehicles?one of Pickens? pet issues.

On Thursday, Bloomberg implied the men had grown close over their belief that the country needs to rely less on oil and more on natural gas and other clean energy. Together, they toured the Neapolitan Express, a new food truck that serves pizza from its 900-degree electric oven, which is fully powered by compressed natural gas. The truck, the first of its kind in New York, was funded in part with investment from Clean Energy Fuels Corp., one of Pickens? companies.

?Every slice comes with a breath of fresh air,? Bloomberg said at one point, reading from a prepared statement. He paused and then ad-libbed, "Uh, who wrote that I have no idea, but somebody on our staff is very creative and clever and should work for WPP,? the London-based advertising conglomerate.

After the press conference, Pickens ignored a question about whether he would support a Bloomberg bid for the White House. Instead, he and the mayor walked back inside City Hall together, deep in conversation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/t-boone-pickens-praises-bloomberg-d-better-off-192215237--politics.html

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Hilarious Troll Takes Over the Domain Name of Guy Fieri's Restaurant and Posts a Comically Fake Menu

Guy Fieri, the food personality who spikes his hair with french fry oil, has a new-ish restaurant, Guy's American Kitchen and Bar in Times Square, that was brutally eviscerated by food reviewers. That's probably not good when you're trying to launch a restaurant. What's also not good is forgetting to lock down the website domain of your restaurant's name. Apparently, somebody bought the rights to Guysamericankitchenandbar.com and posted a fake menu that's sure to excite all of Middle America. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bfOG-6WXX3o/hilarious-troll-takes-over-the-domain-name-of-guy-fieris-restaurant-and-posts-a-comically-fake-menu

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Advice on buying investment property - best areas ... - Zillow Real ...

South Florida is on fire right now.? Single Family homes in Homeowners Associations 4 bedroom 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, 2000-2400 sqft living space are running $180,000-$220,000.? Good neighborhoods and easy to rent.? $1,800-$2,000 month is typical and Cash on Cash retuns of 8%+
We are in a very hot market with a large number of investors.? Many homes are being bid up over investment grade.

I don't have time to even look at homes.? We make offers on 5-10 properties a day, sight unseen and hope our offer is accepted, then have 7-10 days for inspections.

Message me if you are considering South Florida (Palm Beach County)

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Advice-on-buying-investment-property-best-areas-for-growth-and-rental/479252/

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US, Iran find common ground: Olympic wrestling

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. National freestyle wrestling coach Zeke Jones, right, and his team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members prepare to leave Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport in Iran after their arrival on early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. National freestyle wrestling coach Zeke Jones, left, arrives with his team at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? The caretakers of the Olympics may have inadvertently accomplished what has eluded diplomats: Galvanizing Iran and the U.S. on a common goal.

Wrestling officials from the arch foes appeared to be in bonding mode Tuesday on the sidelines of a Tehran tournament less than a week after the stunning decision by the International Olympic Committee that will force the ancient sport ? as old as the Olympics themselves ? to lobby for a spot at the 2020 Games.

Already, the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics has brought the U.S. and Cuban federations into a possible alliance. But close cooperation between Iran and America would be an even more remarkable display of common cause with almost everything else driving them apart ? led by an impasse over Tehran's nuclear program and Western sanctions that have upended the Iranian economy.

It's unlikely that any kind of wrestling detente would spill over into the wider issues, but it's certain to at least draw attention to the power of sports as a low-risk icebreaker going back to the historic 1971 "pingpong diplomacy" between China and the U.S.

"We'll be standing arm-in-arm with Iran, and we'll be standing with Russia as we will with lots of other countries," said Mitch Hull, national teams director for USA Wrestling, in an interview in Tehran with AP Television News before the World Cup Tournament.

"Those (countries) really do make a difference because politically we're not always on the same page, or politically with Russia, but in wrestling, there's no doubt that we are all together in this effort and we consider Iran one of our strongest allies in the sport of wrestling," Hull said.

Hull described them as "sport rivals, but they are friends in sport, too."

"We have great confidence that we can work with the Iranian wrestling federation, Iranian wrestlers and the Iranian people to show the world that, no matter what's happening politically, we have the same goal and the same belief and passion about the sport of wrestling," he said.

U.S. wrestling coach Zeke Jones called the sport an important "ambassador" that has "brought closer the people of Iran and the U.S." ? both often on the medals podium at the Olympics.

"I am sure the world will become united in support of wrestling, and this will lead to a change of the view of the IOC. It will keep wrestling in the Olympics," Jones was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Mehr news agency after arriving in Iran with his team.

Hojatollah Khatib, the head of Iran's wrestling federation, said the tournament would offer "the best opportunity to confront the decision" to drop the sport from the Olympics.

"We should resist the decision, determinedly," Khatib was quoted by the Mehr agency as saying. "We should show our unity in the current event."

On Monday, U.S. wrestling officials agreed to create a special committee charged with seeking to save Olympic wrestling, which will remain in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. But it must compete against seven other events ? including squash, roller sports and wakeboarding ? for one open slot in the 2020 Games, which have yet to be awarded to a host city.

Iran also has said it is looking to join wrestling's "big powers" to reverse the IOC decision. Last week, Iran's wrestling federation and its Olympic committee said they would send a protest letter to the IOC.

The independent Etemad newspaper ran a report that described the "axis" of wrestling ? Iran, the United States and Russia ? as joining forces to keep the sport in the Olympics.

For Iran, it's a mission of serious importance. Wrestling is considered by many to be something of a national sport ? not as popular as soccer or with the deep Persian roots of polo, but one that gives Iran a chance to shine in international competitions. Wrestling also is Iran's major medal sport at the Olympics.

Iran won three gold medals, its first in the Greco-Roman division, out of six overall in wrestling at the London Games, and the U.S. took two gold medals out of four overall.

"Do we destroy our historical sites which are symbols of humanity? No. Then, why should we destroy wrestling?" Iranian gold medalist Ali Reza Dabir said shortly after the IOC decision on Feb. 13.

In the current 14-team World Cup tournament in Tehran, the U.S. is joined by other freestyle wrestling powers including Russia and many of the former Soviet republics. Last week, Alexander Mamiashvili, the head of the Russian wrestling federation, said President Vladimir Putin had ordered a committee be formed to contest the IOC decision.

Despite the shared dismay over wrestling's Olympic snub, Iran's state media had only limited reports on the arrival of the American wrestlers ? perhaps linked to the official anger over the sanctions that have hit Iran's critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international financial networks.

The cool reception is in distinct contrast to the almost celebrity welcome given in 1998 to the first U.S. wrestlers who competed in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that collapsed ties between the two countries. Washington cut relations after the U.S. Embassy was stormed, leading to 52 Americans being held hostage for 444 days.

U.S. sports team now make occasional appearances in Iran, but the two countries often compete together in international events.

There also have been some false starts.

In 2009, Iran invited the U.S. women's badminton team to compete in a tournament, then denied visas by saying there was not enough time to process the applications. In late 2011, Iran bowed out of an invitational table tennis exhibition tournament in Qatar that included the U.S., North Korea and Pakistan.

The U.S. has sent more than 30 athletes to Iran under a sports exchange program launched in 2007, and more than 75 Iranian athletes and coaches have visited the United States.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-19-OLY-Wrestling-Iran-US/id-d3e19afa82e54461b2123d310353a93a

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PFT: Dolphins' Long mum on staying with club

The process of the Eagles hiring Tom Gamble as their vice president of player personnel took longer than he hoped, but the former 49ers personnel man said the time was right this year.

Gamble said there were several reasons why he wasn?t able to join the Eagles a year ago, but that his rare mid-offseason jump made sense this time. He interviewed with general manager Howie Roseman about the job formerly held by Colts GM Ryan Grigson last year, but was able to talk his way out of the 49ers for what amounted to a lateral move.

?The timing wasn?t right [last year] for a lot of different reasons, some professional, some family,? Gamble said, via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. ?Then this whole thing came up again. I have enough relationship with Howie, enough dialogue. Living out in Pac 12 country, I?ve got a lot of respect for Chip Kelly ? I?ve been in and out of his [Oregon] building, he?s been in and out of [the 49ers'] building, I think he?s a hell of a football coach.?

?We chatted again, and you know what, it was time. I was real excited about it. Again, I wasn?t looking to go anywhere; I was in a great situation with some great people ? as good as it gets in this business.?

The primary lure for Gamble was a return home. His father Harry was the Eagles president in the 1980s when the son got into the family business.

?It?s Philadelphia. That means something,? Gamble said. ?It?s a little bit different, this thing. There?s not a lot of movement, not a lot of opportunity. I didn?t know when it would come up again, and I was ecstatic to come back.?

Gamble indicated that the 49ers were hesitant to let him leave a year ago, but agreed that if the opportunity presented itself again, they?d give him a chance.

Gamble interviewed for other GM jobs, but even though he lacks that title in Philadelphia, he?ll have significant input. Roseman doesn?t have the classic personnel evaluation background, and with Kelly having no NFL experience, getting Gamble on board is a solid move for the organization.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/19/jake-long-mum-on-chances-of-staying-in-miami/related/

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