Judge revokes bail for online seller, citing murder threats

NEW YORK?? An eyewear website operator was imprisoned without bail Wednesday after witnesses said he threatened them with murder or rape when they complained about eyeglass orders.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan ordered Vitaly Borker, 36, jailed as soon as the last of five witnesses from across the country finished testifying about the terror they felt from his threats. The judge said he found "highly credible" their claims that Borker made threats that included murder, rape and, in one instance, slicing off a woman's legs.

Borker pleaded guilty last year to making threats and fraud charges. He was to be sentenced earlier this year but the judge stopped the proceeding and asked to hear from witnesses after Borker's lawyer, Dominic Amorosa, insisted Borker never threatened anyone with rape or death despite claims by numerous individuals that he did. Amorosa cited sales of more than 100,000 pairs of eyeglasses to show that the business was successful. He conceded that Borker made threats but denied he ever said he would kill anyone.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of roughly three years in prison, but Sullivan has said he might impose a harsher sentence.

Prosecutors said well over 200 complaints against Borker had been filed with the Federal Trade Commission since 2007 over the operation of his website, DecorMyEyes.com.

Sarah Lauch, testifying from the Chicago area via videotape, said Wednesday that she began getting threats after she tried to cancel her glasses order, taking advantage of the money-back guarantee that was promised on the website.

"It was horrible. It was a nightmare for a month and a half," she said.

Lauch said Borker in a voicemail message said: "I hope you die. I want to slice your legs off." She said she did not save the message.

Marlene Pedesclaux, testifying via videotape from a Marrero, La., courthouse near New Orleans, said she was harassed after she canceled her $149 credit card transaction in 2010 when she was sent damaged sunglasses.

"Yes, a lot of F-bombs went flying," she said of Borker's language.

Pedesclaux said Borker threatened to kill her and her family and to stalk her relentlessly unless she withdrew her canceled order.

"I asked him if it was worth it for $149," she said.

Melissa Kross, another Chicago-area resident, testified in Manhattan that she was threatened through emails and phone calls after she canceled her $200 order for glasses when the glasses never arrived.

"I was terrified," Kross said. "At one point, he had even threatened to kill me."

She said she was so scared that she contacted police and spent $500 on a home security system.

After the testimony, Sullivan summoned court officers from the back of the courtroom to take Borker away even though more witnesses are scheduled to testify next week.

"Thus far, I have found all the witnesses to be highly credible," he said.

Amorosa declined comment as he left court. At an earlier hearing, he blamed Borker's actions on psychiatric problems including bipolar behavior and said his client was "full of remorse for what he did to these people."

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48155144/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

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US Cellular announces availability of Galaxy S III, 16GB version onsale tomorrow

Just after lucky customers began to receive emails confirming that their preordered Samsung Galaxy S IIis have shipped, US Cellular has officially announced availability of the flagship phone.

The 16GB version will be available to purchase online starting July 11 (that's this Wednesday) and will arrive in retail stores by the end of the week. The 32GB version will be made available 'shortly after that'.

The cost of both will be $199.99 (16GB) and $249.99 (32GB) after a $100 mail-in rebate.

So if you weren't able to get your pre-order in or you're just waiting to play with one, you'll be able to pick one up tomorrow and at the end of the week directly from the store. If you do pick one up, share your experience in the Samsung Galaxy S III Forum!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_zF-9WTsn3w/story01.htm

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Mickey Mouse takes NKorean stage in show for Kim

In this image made off North Korea's KRT video footage, North Korea's new Moranbong band and performers dressed as America's cartoon characters perform in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2012. Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters in North Korea. (AP Photo/KRT)

In this image made off North Korea's KRT video footage, North Korea's new Moranbong band and performers dressed as America's cartoon characters perform in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2012. Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters in North Korea. (AP Photo/KRT)

In this image made off North Korea's KRT video footage, North Korea's new Moranbong band and performers dressed as America's cartoon characters perform in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2012. Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters in North Korea. (AP Photo/KRT)

In this image made off North Korea's KRT video footage, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, watches performances by North Korea's new Moranbong band in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2012. Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage during the concert for Kim in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters in North Korea. (AP Photo/KRT)

North Koreans bow in front of a statue of Kim Il Sung on the 18th anniversary of the late North Korea founder's death on Sunday, July 8, 2012, at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

North Koreans visit the statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, right, on Sunday, July 8, 2012, on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea, to pay tribute to Kim Il Sung on the 18th anniversary of the former North Korean leader's death. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters.

Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from "Snow White," ''Dumbo," ''Beauty and the Beast" and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV.

The inclusion of characters popular in the West ? particularly from the United States, North Korea's wartime enemy ? is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors and actresses also showed off new wardrobes, including strapless gowns and little black dresses.

In recent years, performances such as the "Arirang" mass games featured performers dressed as panda bears in homage to North Korean ally China.

This appears to be the first time Disney characters have been included in a major performance, though Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been popular among children for several years. Backpacks, pencil cases and pajamas imported from China often feature Disney characters, and stories such as "Dumbo" have been translated into Korean for North Korean schoolchildren. However, it is unusual to make such images a central part of a North Korean performance and to publicize it on state TV.

Zenia Mucha, chief spokesperson for The Walt Disney Co., said the use of Disney characters in the North Korean performance was not authorized by the U.S. entertainment company.

"This was not licensed or authorized by The Walt Disney Company," Mucha told the AP by telephone on Sunday.

U.S. sanctions prohibit the import of North Korean goods to the United States, but do not ban the sales of American consumer products in North Korea unless they involve officials or companies on the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions blacklist.

The performance was staged Friday by the Moranbong band, which was making its debut after being assembled by Kim himself, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

Kim, who took power after his father, longtime leader Kim Jong Il, died in December, has a "grandiose plan to bring about a dramatic turn in the field of literature and arts this year," KCNA said.

The dispatch made no mention of Disney characters, but said the concert included the traditional folk tune "Arirang" as well as a number of upbeat foreign songs.

Featuring Disney characters signals that Kim may be seeking to carve out a different image than his father and grandfather by easing restrictions on Western culture, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean studies professor based in Seoul, South Korea.

Kim, who is in his late 20s, has sought to project an image of youth, vitality and modernity.

Early Sunday, he led top officials in paying their respects to his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, at the mausoleum where he lies in state. Kim died 18 years ago Sunday.

Earlier in the year, a quintet of accordionists became a YouTube sensation for their arrangement of "Take on Me," a pop song by the Norwegian band a-ha.

North Korea and the United States remain in a technical state of war because they signed a truce, not a peace treaty, after three years of fighting in 1953. The foes do not have diplomatic relations.

___

Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-08-NKorea-Disney%20Characters/id-7643006b8dfe4ad39a5d4db3644eab85

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Is The Lumia 1001 Nokia?s First Windows Phone 8 Device?

With Windows Phone 8's launch fast approaching, it not exactly a surprise to hear that Nokia is slaving away on some new hardware. The Nokia Lumia 910 -- which some suspect is a Lumia 900 meant for T-Mobile USA -- was recently spotted thanks to Nokia's Remote Device Access service, but that's not all the Finnish company seems to have in the works. A new device called the Nokia Lumia 1001 was also detected by one of Nokia's remotely-accessible phones, and its significant model number jump could mean it's the company's first Windows Phone 8 device. Or does it?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Dh48xtqOioU/

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I should change my name to Ebert (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/237302048?client_source=feed&format=rss

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After weak June, retailers to sweat out summer

NEW YORK (AP) ? Retailers could be sweating it out this summer.

Shoppers, worried about jobs and the economy, pulled back on spending in June, slowing sales for most retailers to the weakest pace since 2009. And that could leave merchants on edge, wondering if Americans will spend more when the back-to-school season starts in late July.

"The consumer is in a watch-and-wait mode,'" says Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at consulting firm Kurt Salmon. "She has to be seduced by value."

The June results, based on revenue at stores opened at least a year, are considered an indicator of a retailer's health. Only a small group of chain stores report monthly sales figures. But the results offer a snapshot of consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of all economic activity.

The figures have shown an uneven recovery. Discounters and high-end stores, for example, notched stronger growth last month.

But for most, sales were disappointing. Big chains like Costco, Kohl's and Macy's, as well as teen retailer The Wet Seal, were among stores whose results fell short of Wall Street expectations.

Shoppers are concerned about the struggling economy. Employers have pulled back on hiring. Europe faces a recession and growth has slowed in China. Worries about jobs sent shoppers' confidence down in June for the fourth straight month.

Tracy Garza, 41, has been waiting all year for hard evidence that the economy is on solid footing. The San Francisco resident picked up a pair of shoes for $25 at Ross Stores and bought some Blu-ray discs earlier in the year but has held back on buying a laptop for $1,200.

"Are you going to spend? Are you going to wait?" says Garza, whose income from freelance writing and Spanish translation has been uneven. "I'm going to wait to get a better idea of where the economy is going."

June is a period when stores clear out summer merchandise to make room for fall goods. So it is typically the second-biggest shopping month behind December. But because spending was so tepid last month and it took more discounts to get shoppers to buy, March may end up the biggest month, says Mike Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Overall sales growth was only 0.2 percent, according to the ICSC's tally of 23 stores nationwide. That was lower than the 1.7 percent increase in May, and it marked the weakest performance since November 2009 when the tally was down 0.2 percent. Growth would have been higher at 2.6 percent, excluding drug stores, which dragged down the overall tally.

Shoppers spent more during the first three months of the year, when warmer-than-usual weather and a sunnier outlook for the economy lured shoppers to malls. But since then, shopping, like the economy, has stalled.

Some temporary factors depressed June's retail results. The figures were compared with a hefty sale gain of 6.9 percent a year earlier, when results were the most robust for that month since 1999. Also, a series of storms left millions without power across a broad swath of the country.

Two trends could help shoppers feel wealthier and give retailers a boost during back-to-school sales, the second-biggest shopping period of the year after the holidays. Gas prices are down 60 cents since their peak of $3.94 in April, and home prices have begun to stabilize in most U.S. markets.

But a big question remains: Will hiring improve? A positive answer would go long way in helping Americans open up their wallets and bolster an economy that relies on consumer spending. On Friday, retailers and shoppers could get a partial answer.

Economists expect U.S. employers to add 90,000 jobs to payrolls when June figures are reported that day. That would be up from 69,000 in May, although the gain wouldn't be enough to lower an unemployment rate stuck at 8.2 percent.

Against this backdrop, ICSC's Niemira expects a modest 2.5 percent increase in total back-to-school sales from mid-July through mid-September. If that happens, the result would be lower than last year's 3.6 percent increase and the 5.4 percent gain in 2010. But it would be a big improvement over the 4 percent drop in 2009.

Overall, June's revenue results were lopsided, with discounters and luxury stores faring better than mall-based clothing merchants catering to low to middle-income shoppers.

Costco's revenue from stores open at least a year rose 3 percent but fell short of the 3.7 percent estimate from analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Target had a 2.1 percent increase as shoppers spent more on food and health and beauty items. That was slightly lower than the 2.4 percent rise analysts expected.

Among department stores, Macy's, traditionally a strong performer, reported a slim 1.2 percent gain.

"In part, this was a function of a macroeconomic environment that is stagnant at best, and lower spending by tourists in cities such as New York," said Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy's. He added sales were also slowed by the renovation of Macy's Herald Square store in Manhattan, which is creating more disruptions than expected.

Kohl's sales fell a worse-than-expected 4.2 percent in June, as the department store chain tried to build back inventories after reducing them too much earlier in the year.

A deteriorating economy could add to the woes at rival J.C. Penney, which is getting rid of hundreds of sales in favor of everyday low prices. The company, which no longer reports sales on a monthly basis, notched an almost 20 percent drop in revenue at stores open at least a year for the first quarter.

Among teen retailers, The Wet Seal reported 9 percent drop, bigger than the expected 7.7 percent decline.

Not everyone had disappointing results.

Strong performances at Ross and The TJX Cos., which operates Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Home Goods, underscored that shoppers' have a strong appetite for brand names at bargain prices. Both Ross and TJX posted a 7 percent gain in revenue and raised their profit outlook.

Luxury chains Nordstrom and Saks also fared well, easing fears that the affluent could pull back because of big swings in the stock market. Nordstrom notched an 8.1 percent increase, up from the 5.3 percent pace in May. Saks had a 6 percent gain, up from a 4 percent gain in May.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weak-june-retailers-sweat-summer-200130151--finance.html

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New Videogame Lets Amateur Researchers Mess With RNA

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New Videogame Lets Amateur Researchers Mess With RNA
Featuring an array of clickable candy-colored pieces, EteRNA looks a little like the popular game Bejeweled. But instead of combining jewel shapes in Tetris-like levels, EteRNA players manipulate nucleotides, the fundamental building blocks of RNA, to coax molecules into shapes specified by the game.

Source: Wired
Posted on: Thursday, Jul 05, 2012, 8:18am
Views: 21

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/121495/New_Videogame_Lets_Amateur_Researchers_Mess_With_RNA

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