Visitors sue Met for misleading entrance fee

Though the $25 entrance fee to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is recommended, not required, several patrons are suing the museum for what they say is misleading techniques that cause visitors to believe they must pay.

By By Joseph Ax,?Reuters / March 5, 2013

Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors view painitings from the Impressionist era.

Mary Knox Merrill/The Christian Science Monitor

Enlarge

Visiting the venerable?Metropolitan Museum of Art?in New York City can be a transformative experience for any art lover. And best of all, it's free.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

But a lawsuit filed on Tuesday against the museum complains that most museum-goers have no idea that the "recommended" $25 entrance fee is nothing more than a suggestion.

The plaintiffs include a member of the museum, along with two Czech tourists who purchased single-day admissions. They argue the museum employs misleading signs and other techniques to dupe its 6 million annual visitors into believing they must pay to gain access.

The museum's rent-free lease with the city mandates that it open its doors to the public for free on multiple days a week, although it is permitted to ask for a voluntary fee. But the lawsuit says the museum deliberately deceives its visitors into believing that the charge is mandatory.

Signs above the admissions desk that list the entrance fees feature the word "recommended" in small type below the word "admissions" in larger, bold type. The lawsuit also pointed out that visitors are funneled in lines to the admissions desks, where cashiers await to collect the fee.

"MMA has misled, and regularly misleads, members of the general public to believe, on all days of the week during times when the MMA is open, that they are required to pay the Admission Fees in order to enter?Museum Exhibition Halls," the lawsuit claimed.

Museum spokesman?Harold Holzer?said in an email that the museum is "confident that our longstanding pay-what-you-wish admissions policy meets the spirit and letter of our agreement with the city ... and ensures that the Met is fully accessible to and affordable by all."

The law firm that filed the case, Weiss & Hiller, previously filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of two museum members seeking an injunction requiring the museum to make its policy clearer to visitors. The suit is still pending.

Tuesday's complaint asks for an injunction as well as unspecified damages for all museum visitors who, like the three named plaintiffs, paid to enter with a credit card.

"There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that, as reflected in the complaint filed today, No. 1, an overwhelming majority of people who visit the museum are completely fooled into believing that they are required to pay the museum's admission fees; and No. 2, museum officials know all about it," said?Michael Hiller, the lawyer for the plaintiffs.

The museum, known colloquially as "The Met," is one of the world's largest and most acclaimed art museums.

Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Andre Grenon

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MzkeKRiZaes/Visitors-sue-Met-for-misleading-entrance-fee

toys r us kohls target target walmart best buy sears

Product promotion: When do emotional appeals trump celebrity spokespeople?

Public release date: 5-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of Chicago Press Journals

Emotional appeals could be more effective than celebrities when promoting products related to a consumer's identity, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

"Specific emotions can help consumers strengthen their identities by providing information about how to feel a particular identity, especially when emotions are associated with distinct patterns of action. Consumers tend to choose products that bolster emotions associated with a particular identity," write authors Nicole Verrochi Coleman (University of Pittsburgh) and Patti Williams (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania).

Imagine you are selling a new energy drink targeted at two different groups of consumersathletes and business people. Each group might respond very differently to the same upbeat and energetic appeal consistent with the product's benefits.

In one study, athletes chose to listen to "angry" music and indicated they would pay more to see "angry" bands in concert, while volunteers chose to listen to "sad" music and were willing to pay more to attend "sad" concerts. In another study, athletes found an advertisement more persuasive when the model's face in the ad expressed anger, while volunteers were more persuaded by a model with a sad face, and environmentalists by a model expressing disgust.

Consumers can benefit from matching their emotional experiences to their identity. For example, turning up some angry head banging music on the way to the gym might make you a better athlete, or listening to sad love songs on the way to the soup kitchen might make you a better volunteer.

"Identity-based marketing has generally used spokespeople but poor performance or personal issues can undermine a spokesperson's reputation and reflect poorly on a brand. However, companies can employ identity-based marketing without directly mentioning an identity by simply incorporating emotions related to that identity," the authors conclude.

###

Nicole Verrochi Coleman and Patti Williams. "Feeling Like My Self: Emotion Profiles and Social Identity." Journal of Consumer Research: August 2013. For more information, contact Nicole Verrochi Coleman or visit http://ejcr.org/.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 5-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of Chicago Press Journals

Emotional appeals could be more effective than celebrities when promoting products related to a consumer's identity, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

"Specific emotions can help consumers strengthen their identities by providing information about how to feel a particular identity, especially when emotions are associated with distinct patterns of action. Consumers tend to choose products that bolster emotions associated with a particular identity," write authors Nicole Verrochi Coleman (University of Pittsburgh) and Patti Williams (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania).

Imagine you are selling a new energy drink targeted at two different groups of consumersathletes and business people. Each group might respond very differently to the same upbeat and energetic appeal consistent with the product's benefits.

In one study, athletes chose to listen to "angry" music and indicated they would pay more to see "angry" bands in concert, while volunteers chose to listen to "sad" music and were willing to pay more to attend "sad" concerts. In another study, athletes found an advertisement more persuasive when the model's face in the ad expressed anger, while volunteers were more persuaded by a model with a sad face, and environmentalists by a model expressing disgust.

Consumers can benefit from matching their emotional experiences to their identity. For example, turning up some angry head banging music on the way to the gym might make you a better athlete, or listening to sad love songs on the way to the soup kitchen might make you a better volunteer.

"Identity-based marketing has generally used spokespeople but poor performance or personal issues can undermine a spokesperson's reputation and reflect poorly on a brand. However, companies can employ identity-based marketing without directly mentioning an identity by simply incorporating emotions related to that identity," the authors conclude.

###

Nicole Verrochi Coleman and Patti Williams. "Feeling Like My Self: Emotion Profiles and Social Identity." Journal of Consumer Research: August 2013. For more information, contact Nicole Verrochi Coleman or visit http://ejcr.org/.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uocp-ppw030513.php

megga millions what is autism the giver march 30 rimm pauly d project adrienne rich

Rooney's future under scrutiny after Madrid snub

By STEVE DOUGLAS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 6:15 a.m. ET March 6, 2013

LONDON (AP) -Emboldened by comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney was in such a position of strength at Manchester United in 2010 that he took on manager Alex Ferguson and won a lucrative new contract.

At that time, Rooney was at the peak of his powers, easily English football's star player. He seemed to believe he was too good for United, that the club wasn't matching his ambitions.

Less than three years later and the opposite may be true.

Ferguson's decision to drop Rooney - now behind Robin van Persie in the pecking order - for Tuesday's Champions League match against Real Madrid has left some to question the striker's future at Old Trafford.

Ten years ago, David Beckham was snubbed by Ferguson for a big Champions League match against Madrid - and then left United for the Spanish team at the end of the season. Ruud van Nistelrooy was left out of United's side for the 2006 League Cup final following an apparent rift with Ferguson and wasn't at the club the following campaign.

Rooney's plight - missing out on arguably United's biggest match since the 2011 Champions League final - was overshadowed by the game-changing red card awarded to Nani and the fact that Ronaldo scored the winner against his former club on an emotional night at Old Trafford.

Yet, it could well prove to be an intriguing side-issue for the rest of the season, for Rooney will never be short of suitors. British bookmaker William Hill has odds of 7-2 on Rooney leaving in the offseason, with Manchester City the favorite to sign him.

The reasons behind Ferguson's selection must be galling for Rooney. The coach suggested the player's fitness was an issue - "Wayne Rooney needs a game or two" - despite Rooney having played 90 minutes against Norwich on Saturday, scoring a fabulous late goal and setting up two others in an impressive display.

Ferguson also said Danny Welbeck was the attacking player more suited to the defensive duties of shackling Xabi Alonso, the deep-lying playmaker who starts many of Madrid's attacks.

"Big decisions have to be made," United assistant manager Mike Phelan said.

And Ferguson has shown down the years he is not afraid to make them.

Until Nani was sent off, the tactics worked perfectly. Welbeck was United's best player, stunting Alonso's influence but also looking like his team's most dangerous player going forward.

However, he didn't score from two great chances and that is the point Rooney's many supporters will argue. Whereas Welbeck has scored only two goals for United this season, Rooney has 14 and would have been more likely to take those chances.

Rooney, brooding while sitting in United's dug-out, came on as a 73rd-minute substitute, all fired up. But couldn't change the game, missing a good chance when he hooked a close-range volley over.

His actions after the final whistle were telling. While the majority of United's players complained to the officials - Rio Ferdinand applauded sarcastically in Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's face - Rooney was shaking hands with Madrid players.

Perhaps it is a sign of the new, mature Rooney. But usually he is one of the most emotional players out there, the first to be barking at the officials.

As United's players trudged off the pitch aggrieved at a sense of injustice by a refereeing call, Rooney could have been hurting for another reason.

"He'll be bitterly disappointed to be left out," former United midfielder Roy Keane said in his role as a TV analyst. "Wayne might be quite selfish about it and look at it and say the writing's on the wall for him."

That's the same Keane who also had run-ins with Ferguson, notably after criticizing his teammates in an interview with in-house station MUTV in 2005.

Rooney has had to accept he is no longer the main striker at United since Van Persie's arrival in August and his contribution to United's surge to the Premier League title has been fleeting.

It's getting to the stage where pundits are applauding his determination and ability to track back to help his defense more than his impact as a goal scorer. Rooney has been playing on the left wing, behind the striker even in central midfield this season - and he surely sees himself as more than simply a glorified utility player.

Rooney's actions and body language are sure to be followed with increasing interest for the remainder of the season.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement

More newsDean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images

PSG roars into quarterfinals

PST: Ezequiel Lavezzi scored the insurance goal to help PSG advance past Valencia and into the Champions League quarterfinals, 3-2 on aggregate over Valencia.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45111863/ns/sports-soccer/

slither slither naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin

SpaceX addresses hitch that could have put mission to space station in doubt (+video)

Friday's launch represents the second formal resupply flight that SpaceX has undertaken under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to ferry goods to and from the International Space Station.

By Pete Spotts,?Staff writer / March 1, 2013

The unmanned Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday. The rocket will transport the Dragon capsule to the International Space Station containing more than a ton of food, tools, computer hardware, and science experiments.

John Raoux/AP

Enlarge

A US cargo mission to the International Space Station has been placed safely on orbit, and after several hours of trouble-shooting, engineers appear to have gotten on top of a problem that could have put the rest of the mission in doubt.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon cargo capsule from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday.

At 10:10 a.m., Eastern time, a Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon cargo capsule launched from its pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Built and operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, Calif., the Falcon 9's launch appeared to go flawlessly ? a welcome sign after one of the first stage's nine motors shut down prematurely during the company's first commercial launch last October.

The rocket delivered Dragon to its proper orbit, as planned. But shortly after the Dragon capsule separated from the rocket's second stage Friday morning, mission controllers reported that the flight-control system had prevented three of the capsule's four thruster pods from activating. The thrusters allow controllers to adjust the capsule's orbit, maneuver at the space station, and slow and orient the capsule properly for reentry.

The problem appears to have been traced to a balky oxidizer valve or clogged line. Initially, only one pod was functional. The craft needs at least two to put it on a trajectory to reach the space station.

By late afternoon, Elon Musk, the company's founder and chief technology officer, said that all four pods were working and that controllers were preparing to raise Dragon's orbit as it heads for the space station.

Initially, plans called for a rendezvous Saturday morning at 6:30, Eastern time. Now, that has been postponed, although NASA and SpaceX officials say the capsule could reach the station Sunday.

Friday's launch represents the second formal resupply flight that the company has undertaken under a 12-mission, $1.6 billion contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to ferry goods to and from the space station. But it's also the third trip a Falcon 9-Dragon duo has made to the orbiting outpost.

In May 2012, the company launched its first and only demonstration mission to the station, carrying a light load of cargo that at the time NASA said it could stand to lose if something went wrong.

Each mission in its own way has thrown something unexpected at mission controllers, suggesting that the successes so far haven't come without teething issues.

Perhaps the most dramatic so far was the premature shutdown of one engine last October.

The rocket is designed to deliver its payload to orbit if an engine fails, noted company president Gwynne Shotwell during a press briefing ahead of Friday's launch.

"You don't want it to happen. But the fact that the vehicle did exactly what it was supposed to do was impressive," especially to the insurers, she said.

The October mission also endured the shutdown of one of Dragon's three flight-control computers. And after splashdown, enough water leaked into the service section, aft of the crew section, to cut off power to a freezer designed to return lab samples from the space station. Fortunately, no samples were lost, noted Michael Suffredini, who runs NASA's space-station program.

Since then, technicians have worked to more effectively plug the nooks and crannies that allowed water to seep into the service section's electrical system.

Indeed, this ability to bring cargo back to Earth is unique among the Russian, European, and Japanese resupply craft also servicing the space station.

On this mission, Dragon is carrying some 2,300 pounds of cargo up and is slated to return with slightly more than 3,000 pounds.

Whereas in October, the crew was treated to fresh ice cream hauled up in the lab freezer, this time they will receive a package that's a bit healthier, Ms. Shotwell says, adding, "It came from one of our employee's father's orchards."

[Editor's note: This story was revised at 5 p.m., March 1, to reflect updates about the thruster pods.]

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/iWm3ig5K0mw/SpaceX-addresses-hitch-that-could-have-put-mission-to-space-station-in-doubt-video

dandelion wine cough matt groening brandon phillips summerfest summerfest fidel castro

Compassion Culture: SPEAK it, Baby! | Partners in Wellness

What is your native tongue? How well do you speak compassion?The language and living of love (agape)??

Couldn?t help, but think a little about my heritage/language. VERY Thankful: i was raised with no prejudice or partiality toward any ethnic group?in other words?i was raised to Appreciate & Love All Variety of Breathing-Fragile-Life:)?in other words?my family did not elevate one particular group of Breathing-Fragile-Life over another particular group of Breathing-Fragile-Life?in other words?my particular ethnicity is quite a mix! For example, if you were going to adopt/rescue a doggie: i would be labeled a mutt for sure -lol:)?i?m a ?little? of a lot of different Breathing-Fragile-Life. My DNA is an acculturation.

Right now, i?m meditating/pondering deeply about whether or not to reveal to You my ?specific? partial-nationality/heritage list or not?(For clarification: whatever ?i may? choose to reveal about myself via this blog or past blogs?serves a ?teaching? /trust purpose for the topic under consideration/discussion. i strive to speak truth.)

Let me preface my following statement as NOT a presumption:?any ?possible? Mental Health Drs. out there (or Others) who ?possibly? follow my writing & may ?possibly? think they may ?possibly? have me/my life/my personality/my profile totally figured out: think again! -lol:)?i?m an undefined?work in progress?someday, i hope to get achieve?name (not talking fame).

Whatever hazy reflection you see of me/my inner person/my personality, etc.?revealed in my writing?would change IF you, my Reader,? ever met me in person. Truth: Outer appearance is a distraction from the ?true? inner person.

• Do you have the ability to see past faces into hearts?! (i try to see hearts.)
• Do you have the ability to see past gender?!
• Do you have the ability to see past age?!
• Do you have the ability to see past nationality?!
• Do you have the ability to see past obese?!
• Do you have the ability to see past skinny?!
• Do you have the ability to see past superficiality?!
• Do you have the ability to see past?sick?!
• Do you have the ability to see past healthy?!
• Do you have the ability to see past social classes?!

Compassion does have the ability to see past?.!:)

*For clarification of my written language: In writing unlike speaking, it?s difficult to convey modulation: power, pace and pitch. So when i bold, italics or ALL CAPS?not screaming exactly?just trying to express power and enthusiasm and emphasis! Get it? Got it! good! THANKS for reading my words/blogs! THANKS for trying to understand my written language?Hope it?s encouraging to You in your personal journey of compassion!:)

When i write and You read?the compassion message (hopefully) doesn?t get diluted?like it would if: you heard my actual voice or saw my freckle-face?nothing, but distractions. Would my heritage distract you??

NO! Okay:)?in no particular order: Lithuanian, French, English, Irish, Dutch?.Cherokee, etc?a variety mix of DNA is me. Mom?s side Lithuanian, etc.: ?Antonowicz??Dad?s side: American Indian, etc. his Mom?s maiden name: ?Love??what a cool name, huh?!:)

Would You agree: a main way of learning a culture is through language? A culture?s language reflects values. Culture is an entire way of life. What culture are You personally promoting by Your way of life?

Compassion Culture/Compassion language values LIFE!?ALL VARIETY of BEAUTIFUL-BREATHING-FRAGILE-LIFE?to me life is a sacred gift.?Do You appreciate gifts? Would you describe any gifts?you enjoy as sacred?? How can you express gratitude toward your sacred gifts today and every day?! What words would you choose?

Compassion culture speaks a language that does not degrade any Beautiful-Breathing-Fragile-Life. Compassion culture expresses love not hate nor prejudice!

Each day i ?attempt? to speak compassion by applying this practical admonition:

?Let a rotten saying not proceed out of your mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need may be, that it may impart what is favorable to the hearers.? (Ephesians 4:29)

Did You know that the Apache language has no profanity!?WOW:) Read this excerpt/article a few years back:

The testimony of Apache Indian James Kaywaykla.

James was born about 1873 in New Mexico, in the United States. In his later years, when he was nearly 90 years old, he related the following:

?One morning I was awakened by the sound of Grandfather?s voice. He sat in the opening of our brush arbor, facing the rising sun, and singing The Morning Song. This is a hymn to Ussen .?.?. thanking Him for one of the greatest of his gifts?the love between a man and woman, which is to Apaches a sacred thing. Never do they make obscene jokes about sex, and the fact that White Eyes [white men] consider conception and birth a matter of levity is something they cannot understand. It is, to them, on a level with taking the name of God in vain. I am very proud of the fact that in our language there is no profanity. For the privilege in sharing the creation of new life we give thanks to the Creator of Life.??Native Heritage, edited by Arlene Hirschfelder.

Song Lyrics: hyper bowl? or hyperbol-e is more like it?(What words will You speak today?? What words will flow from Your heart?? What culture will you choose to express: the culture of hate? or the culture of love?) Will You modify Your speech (if needed) to reflect Love of All Breathing-Fragile-Life inhabiting our beautiful planet?? just gonna end with this:

Compassion Culture: SPEAK it, Baby! ? lol?don?t stop!:)

Languages at Shuttershock
Stop Hating & Start Loving at Shuttershock

????Last reviewed: 5 Mar 2013

APA Reference
Winifred, J. (2013). Compassion Culture: SPEAK it, Baby!. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 6, 2013, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/wellness/2013/03/compassion-culture-speak-it-baby/

?

Source: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/wellness/2013/03/compassion-culture-speak-it-baby/

stacy francis tournament brackets 2012 ncaa basketball tournament walt what time is it current time a thousand words

Connecticut massacre records remain secret

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) ? There is no doubt who is responsible for the Newtown school massacre. The shooter is dead and the prosecutor handling the case has said he does not expect any charges.

Yet authorities are continuing to keep search warrants and police records secret. Media outlets have pressed for the release of more records, which could shed light on a crime that has revived the national debate over gun control and could change the way guns are regulated.

The massacre has led to proposals for universal background checks on gun buyers and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. It also prompted reviews of school security and mental health care and led to proposed legislation in Connecticut that would forbid arcades and other establishments from allowing children under 18 to play point-and-shoot video games.

The 20-year-old shooter, Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their home before killing 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. He killed himself as police arrived.

Prosecutor Stephen Sedensky III successfully argued in December to keep search warrant affidavits and applications related to Lanza's house and the car he drove to the school sealed for 90 days, saying disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing investigation. He said at the time no arrests were anticipated but had not been ruled out.

News media advocates say the records should be unsealed, arguing the public has a right to see such records, which include what was found in the house and car. They say records may be sealed only when an investigation would be hurt by disclosure.

"There seems to be absolutely no reason that they would need to. It's not going to jeopardize the case in any way," said Linda Petersen, chairwoman of the Freedom of Information Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists.

William Fish, an attorney who has represented the news media in high-profile cases that were sealed in Connecticut, also said the sealing does not appear justified since no prosecution is likely. He conceded, however, that "it's not a surprise to me that a court has in fact sealed the records just because it's so horrible."

Newtown police denied requests by The Associated Press for 911 calls and any police reports involving Lanza or his family. State police also declined to release records, citing the pending investigation.

In an editorial last week, The Hartford Courant said such records should be released sooner, not later, since they might answer the public's questions about the murders and could guide legislators making policy decisions in reaction to the crime.

Richard Hanley, graduate journalism director at Quinnipiac University, said he understood the 90-day sealing while the investigation unfolded but said there should be no extension of that sealing.

"This was a case that had a profound impact on people beyond the immediate area and it will have a profound impact on public policy," Hanley said Monday. "It's imperative that the authorities release the full investigative records, the 911 calls and other documents relative to this slaughter, because the overriding interest is the public's right to know."

Sedensky, the prosecutor, noted that authorities have disclosed details about the weapons used in the shooting: a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle was used to kill the children and educators and a handgun to kill himself. He said he advised Newtown officials not to disclose the 911 calls.

Danbury Superior Court Judge John F. Blawie on Dec. 27 granted the 90-day seal on search warrant affidavits and applications after concluding that the state's "interest in continuing nondisclosure substantially outweighs any right to public disclosure at this time."

Sedensky said he has not decided yet whether to seek an extension of the sealing. A police report on the probe may not be ready until the summer, he said.

In denying a request by the AP for police reports and 911 calls, the Newtown Police Department said releasing the documents was prohibited by state law "as information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action." AP's request sought all police calls for service to the Lanza house and to Sandy Hook Elementary School, 911 calls and any police reports involving Lanza and his family.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe has said there were only two calls to the Lanza house several years before the shooting. One was in 2006 in which Lanza's mother Nancy reported someone rang the doorbell and ran off and the other was to report a larceny in 2003 that turned out to be in another jurisdiction, Kehoe said.

Chase Kowalski, 7, was an active boy who was always riding his bicycle (Reuters)

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/conn-massacre-records-secret-media-seek-access-194010901.html

nicki minaj beez in the trap video food network good friday f/a 18 f 18 crash virginia tenebrae the lake house

NATO chief backs larger Afghan force through 2018

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghanistan's president got reassurance Tuesday that NATO intends to backstop his troubled nation's security long beyond 2014, after NATO's chief endorsed keeping Afghanistan's security forces at the current strength for years to come.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told The Associated Press that keeping the Afghan force larger for longer is more cost effective, and it would be more acceptable to Afghans than foreign soldiers.

He spoke after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Monday.

"From the political point of view, it is better to give the defense ... an Afghan face, and from an economic point of view, it's less expensive to finance Afghan security forces than to send foreign troops," he said Tuesday as he toured a NATO base in Helmand province.

Fogh Rasmussen was commenting on a proposal favored by the Afghan government ? and debated by NATO ministers in Brussels last month ? to keep 352,000 Afghans in uniform through 2018. NATO is due to turn over security duties to local forces next year and pull out most of its troops. Fogh Rasmussen said most troops in Helmand have already traded combat patrols for advising the Afghans as they do the fighting.

The Afghan army has grown to 184,676 soldiers and the country's police force numbers 146,339 officers, just short of the planned 352,000 total, according to figures shared by NATO this week.

NATO had planned to shrink that combined force to 230,000 next year, but U.S. military and Afghan officials have both suggested keeping the Afghan security forces at their higher "surge" numbers to deal with an expected Taliban onslaught as foreign forces leave.

The "surge" refers to a temporary U.S.-led increase in troops in 2010, aimed at dealing a decisive blow to insurgents, and also to a parallel increase in numbers of Afghan security forces trained and armed by NATO.

The concern for Afghans is that after the NATO drawdown, their green troops could be overrun, and the country plunged back into civil war. Americans worry that the Taliban would use the chaos to regain power, defeating the original purpose of the U.S. military action in 2001.

Cash-strapped NATO members, including the U.S., must figure out who would cover the increased expense for maintaining the Afghan forces at the higher level ? from $4.1 billion annually for the 230,000 troops NATO had planned on, to an estimated $4.8 billion to maintain the surge-level forces.

Fogh Rasmussen says he expects NATO members to make a decision "in a matter of months," likely by summer, as part of their calculations on how many NATO troops to deploy after 2014. U.S. and NATO officials are discussing leaving a residual force of between 8,000 to 12,000 foreign troops to advise and train Afghans after NATO combat operations end.

The White House backs the plan for the Afghan forces, but it must first get through the domestic financial fallout of the automatic spending cuts that kicked in on March 1, dictating mandatory across-the-board reductions in the U.S. federal budget, including defense and foreign aid.

The NATO chief said he and Karzai also discussed signing a long-term security agreement between Afghanistan and NATO, after the U.S. and Afghanistan complete their bilateral security negotiations, possibly by November.

"Once that is concluded, it could serve as a template for a NATO training mission," he said. Fogh Rasmussen added he thought it would be possible to have one agreement covering all nations taking part in the training mission, rather than each nation negotiating with Afghanistan separately. The agreements map out the legal status of foreign forces on Afghan soil.

The NATO chief would not be drawn on Karzai's recent demand that U.S. special operations troops leave Wardak province, following his claims that Afghans linked to U.S. commandos had carried out extrajudicial killings, renditions and torture there. U.S. officials privately denied the charges, while asking Afghan officials to share any evidence they had of such incidents. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the Afghan investigation into the allegations is still ongoing.

Fogh Rasmussen would say only that he expected NATO special operations troops to be a key part of the future mission, especially after his visit with European special forces trainers and their Afghan counterparts at the base in Lashkar Gah.

"No doubt that Afghan special operations forces will be the bedrock of Afghan security in the future, so obviously they will also need our continued training, advice and assistance," he said.

___

Kimberly Dozier can be followed on Twitter http://twitter.com/KimberlyDozier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-chief-backs-larger-afghan-force-2018-142543132.html

hugo nfl combine 84th annual academy awards beginners 2012 oscars the shore meryl streep oscar wins