California police probe stunts that shut down freeways

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The California Highway Patrol is investigating two apparently unrelated stunts that jammed freeways over the weekend, including one involving hundreds of motorcyclists celebrating a marriage proposal that inconvenienced motorists east of Los Angeles.


Both events created a flurry of viral Internet videos, fueling concerns about a repeat performance by copycats.






On Interstate 10 east of Los Angeles on Sunday, up to 300 bikers stopped traffic so that one of them could propose to his girlfriend, said Officer Vince Ramirez, a Los Angeles-area spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.


Video that surfaced online of the stunt showed some bikers creating a wall of smoke by spinning their tires against the concrete. In the middle of the gathering, pink smoke could be seen wafting into the air.


As they exited the freeway, several bikers were later ticketed for reckless riding unrelated to their possible role in the freeway shutdown, Ramirez said.


He said officers were working with the Los Angeles County District Attorney‘s office to prepare additional charges against some of the bikers.


The stunt did not cause any injuries or collisions, he said.


In Oakland on Saturday, traffic ground to a halt on Interstate 880 near the city’s sports coliseum, as several sports cars did doughnuts, spinning around and filling the air with tire smoke, officials said. Stunned motorists exited their cars and watched.


Several motorists caught in the sudden traffic jam were frightened or angry, according to recordings of calls to authorities released on Tuesday.


“I can’t believe this – I have three kids in the car,” one caller told an Oakland-area dispatcher. “It scares the hell out of me.”


Authorities have not found or identified any of the drivers, said California Highway Patrol Sergeant Diana McDermott.


California Highway Patrol officers said they feared the weekend events’ popularity on social media websites could start a dangerous trend. So far, such stunts have been rare, they said.


“That’s why the investigation is expanding,” Ramirez said.


“If there are any criminal charges that can be filed as a result of this incident, they will be filed,” he said.


(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis, Tom Brown and Eric Walsh)


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Justin Timberlake & Barbra Streisand Performing at Grammys & Oscars

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01/30/2013 at 01:20 PM EST







Justin Timberlake and Barbra Streisand


Justin Lane/Landov; Walter McBride/Retna


How's this for a generational gap?

This year's Grammy and Oscar ceremonies will feature top performers from two very different times. For the first time in four years, Justin Timberlake will appear onstage at the Grammy Awards with a live performance, according to Rolling Stone. Two weeks later, Barbra Streisand will make her own return to the Oscar stage, performing there for the second time.

Timberlake, 31, recently released a new single, "Suit and Tie." His upcoming album, The 20/20 Experience, drops March 19, and he'll put on his first show in four years at a Feb. 2 Super Bowl event, Rolling Stone reports.

As for Streisand, 70, she last sang at the Oscars in 1977, (performing "The Way We Were," which won best original song honors that night), according to CBS News.

"In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music, how could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand?" said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron of the upcoming "very special performance."

The Grammy Awards air on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and Oscar coverage begins on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

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APNewsBreak: EPA moves to ban some rodent poisons

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to ban the sale of a dozen rat and mouse poisons sold under the popular D-Con brand in an effort to protect children and pets.


The agency said Wednesday it hopes to reduce the thousands of accidental exposures that occur every year from rodent-control products. Children and pets are at risk for exposure because the products typically are placed on floors.


The agency had targeted a handful of companies two years ago, saying they needed to develop new products that are safer for children, pets and wildlife. All but Reckitt Benckiser Inc., manufacturer of D-Con, did so.


The company will have at least 30 days to request a hearing before an administrative law judge. If no hearing is requested, the ban will take effect.


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Video: Bikers shut down freeway for marriage proposal

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With the help of his biker friends, a motorcyclist briefly shut down the 10 Freeway in West Covina to propose to his girlfriend amid a cloud of pink smoke. Now the California Highway Patrol is investigating.

Videos of the Sunday afternoon proposal were posted on YouTube and have collected thousands of views.


Now CHP investigators are reviewing the videos, said Officer Jose Barrios. Possible citations include impeding or blocking traffic, he said.


"It's illegal," Barrios said. "They're not allowed to do that."


Barrios said the CHP had no immediate information on any accidents caused by the proposal.


In an interview with Power 106 on Monday, the happy couple — identified by multiple media outlets as Hector Martinez and Paige Hernandez — said they had not yet been contacted by law enforcement.


Martinez said he first got the idea for the proposal in October. After recruiting some help — and asking the couple's families to watch from an overpass — he told his now-fiance the trip was "just another Sunday ride."


"When he got off and took off his helmet, that's when I was confused," Hernandez told the radio station. "I saw everybody on the bridge, so I was like, 'What's going on?'"


It's not the only freeway show gaining attention in California. In Oakland,
CHP officers are looking for the drivers who spun doughnuts in the
northbound lanes of Interstate 880 over the weekend. Videos of that
"sideshow" incident have also gone viral.

For L.A., Barrios said, the motorcycle proposal was a first.



"There's
a lot of odd things that happen on the freeway," Barrios said. "This
doesn't happen every day, obviously, otherwise it'd be a huge issue. We haven't seen something like this."


ALSO:


Man charged in 'sextortion' case targeted 350 women, feds say


Backyard bones: Man accused of stealing dead father's benefits


Manti Te'o hoax suspect posed as girlfriend in calls, lawyer says


— Kate Mather


Follow Kate Mather on Twitter or Google+.



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China may consider ending its decade-long ban on video game consoles

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Shares of Sony (SNE) and Nintendo (NTDOY) surged on Monday following a report from China’s official newspaper that claimed the country is considering the lift of a decade-long ban on video game consoles. An unnamed source told the China Daily newspaper that the Ministry of Culture is “reviewing the policy,” and has conducted surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of lifting the ban. An official at the ministry’s cultural market department denied the report in a statement to Reuters, however, claiming it “is not considering lifting the ban.”


[More from BGR: BlackBerry 10 debuts on Wednesday – strap in for a wild ride]






China banned the sale of video game consoles in 2000 to safeguard children’s mental and physical development. In order for the ban to be lifted, the seven different ministries who issued the ruling must all agree to reverse it.


[More from BGR: Apple releases iOS 6.1 to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users]


Shares of Sony’s stock were up more than 8% in Tokyo on Monday, while Nintendo gained 3.5% on a weaker Nikkei index.


This article was originally published on BGR.com


Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Katy Perry Reveals Her Fast Food Indulgence

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How does Katy Perry get that perfectly curvy bod? With lots of hiking, a little bit of training ... and the occasional double cheeseburger.

"I've cut out most fast food," the pop star, 28, told PEOPLE last week. "The only thing I stop for now is In-N-Out Burger."

Perry, who's been going strong with beau John Mayer for several months, also has a new work out addiction.

"I'm really obsessed with getting my steps in now," says the songstress, who recently purchased an UP by Jawbone activity tracker. "You create a team and everybody's competitive about who gets the best steps in and it also tracks your sleep."

But just because she's working out and eating healthier now doesn't mean Perry is no longer a foodie when she's traveling around the world.

"I do like to try all of the cuisines that are authentic to the area," says Perry, who recently dined at the sushi restaurant featured in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

"It was really intense," she added. "[I] barely [finished]... with a lot of Sapporo!"

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Soldier looks forward to driving with new arms

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BALTIMORE (AP) — A soldier who lost all four limbs in a roadside bombing in Iraq says he's looking forward to driving and swimming with new arms after undergoing a double-arm transplant.


"I just want to get the most out of these arms, and just as goals come up, knock them down and take it absolutely as far as I can," Brendan Marrocco said Tuesday.


The 26-year-old New Yorker spoke at a news conference at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was joined by surgeons who performed the operation.


After he was wounded, Marrocco said, he felt fine using prosthetic legs, but he hated not having arms.


"You talk with your hands, you do everything with your hands, basically, and when you don't have that, you're kind of lost for a while," he said.


Marrocco said his chief desire is to drive the black Dodge Charger that's been sitting in his garage for three years.


"I used to love to drive," he said. "I'm really looking forward to just getting back to that, and just becoming an athlete again."


Although he doesn't expect to excel at soccer, his favorite sport, Marrocco said he'd like to swim and compete in a marathon using a handcycle.


Marrocco joked that military service members sometimes regard themselves as poorly paid professional athletes. His good humor and optimism are among the qualities doctors cited as signs he will recover much of his arm and hand use in two to three years.


"He's a young man with a tremendous amount of hope, and he's stubborn — stubborn in a good way," said Dr. Jaimie Shores, the hospital's clinical director of hand transplantation. "I think the sky's the limit."


Shores said Marrocco has already been trying to use his hands, although he lacks feeling in the fingers, and he's eager to do more as the slow-growing nerves and muscles mend.


"I suspect that he will be using his hands for just about everything as we let him start trying to do more and more. Right now, we're the ones really kind of holding him back at this point," Shores said.


The procedure was only the seventh double-hand or double-arm transplant ever done in the United States.


The infantryman was injured by a roadside bomb in 2009. He is the first soldier to survive losing all four limbs in the Iraq War.


Marrocco also received bone marrow from the same donor to minimize the medicine needed to prevent rejection. He said he didn't know much about the donor but "I'm humbled by their gift."


The 13-hour operation on Dec. 18 was led by Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, plastic surgery chief at Hopkins.


Marrocco was being released from the hospital Tuesday but will receive intensive therapy for two years at Hopkins and then at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.


After a major surgery, human nerves regenerate at a rate of an inch per month, Lee said.


"The progress will be slow, but the outcome will be rewarding," he added.


___


Associated Press Writer David Dishneau contributed to this story from Hagerstown, Md.


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Woman who drowned autistic son gets prison time

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Autism
A 37-year-old San Diego woman who told police she killed her son because of the burden of caring for an autistic child was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.


Patricia Corby drowned her 4-year-old son, Daniel, in the family bathtub March 31 while her husband was at work, according to evidence submitted in court.


"I hate you with all my heart and soul," Duane Corby told the woman before San Diego County Superior Court Judge Charles Gill sentenced her for the death of the boy.


After killing her son, she tried to commit suicide but failed, according to evidence.


She wrapped the boy in a blanket and took his lifeless body to a police substation responsible for their Carmel Valley neighborhood.


Under Gill's sentence, Corby will not be eligible for a reduced sentence due to good behavior while in prison. Corby's husband told investigators that he had never seen any signs of mental illness in his wife.


The family had spent $70,000 trying to find help for their son, according to evidence in court.


Corby kept her head bowed in court as relatives told the judge about the pain caused by the boy's death, including an aunt who said the boy is probably looking down from heaven and asking, "Mama, why did you kill me?"


ALSO:


Manti Te'o hoax: Diane O'Meara says she was hounded for photos


Latino kids disproportionately victimized by teachers, lawyer says


Frank Ocean wants Chris Brown prosecuted in clash over parking spot

-- Tony Perry in San Diego


Photo: Patricia Corby at arraignment. Credit: Fox-5 San Diego




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The Lede Blog: Images of New Clashes in Egypt, Two Years After the Revolution's 'Day of Rage'

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Last Updated, 2:02 p.m. As my colleague David Kirkpatrick reports from Egypt, there were protests in the Suez Canal city of Port Said and fresh clashes in Cairo on Monday.

Video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday showed officers firing at protesters in Port Said, killing four, including a man in a wheelchair, according to Mosireen, a collective of activist Egyptian filmmakers.

Video said to show Egyptian police officers firing at protesters in the Suez Canal city of Port Said on Sunday.

As clashes continued in Port Said on Monday, despite a declaration of martial law, journalists and bloggers there uploaded video of angry chants against the government at funerals for protesters and reports of escalating mayhem.

Video said to show the funeral of protesters killed in Port Said, Egypt on Monday.

In Cairo, police fired tear gas on Sunday and Monday at protesters at the foot of the Kasr el-Nile bridge near Tahrir Square, which was the scene of an epic battle during the uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak exactly two years ago, on what was known as the revolution’s “Day of Rage.”

The activist blogger Omar Kamel shared dramatic photographs and video of the clashes by the bridge on Sunday, showing clouds of tear gas in front of the luxury hotels along the Nile Corniche illuminated by the protesters’ fireworks and lasers.

Video of clashes along the Nile Corniche in Cairo on Sunday night, posted online by Omar Kamel, an activist filmmaker.

The Egyptian newspaper El Watan uploaded video of clashes in the same area on Monday.

Video on clashes in Cairo on Monday, from hte Egyptian news site El Watan.

The Cairene blogger who writes as Kikhote uploaded video shot from above Tahrir Square on Monday that zoomed in to the foot of the Kasr el-Nil bridge, showing the location of the bridge and what looked like hundreds of protesters gathered there.

Video shot from above Tahrir Square on Monday showed the location of clashes at Kasr el-Nil bridge nearby.

Kikhote also drew attention to the activist blogger Rasha Azab’s photograph of a cloud of tear gas in the air above the heads of protesters near the foot of the bridge on Monday, in front of the distinctive salmon-colored facade of the Cairo Semiramis hotel.

Tarek Shalaby, another activist blogger, reported on Twitter that a couple of hundred protesters remained on the bridge, with dozens of officers from the Central Security Forces on the Corniche nearby, at about 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon.

A short time later, my colleague Kareem Fahim reported from the bridge that tear gas was being fired at protesters on the Cornche.

At abut 5 p.m. local time, Jonathan Rashad, a photographer, reported on Twitter that the officers had pushed protesters back from the Cornche on to the bridge and into Tahrir Square.

About two hours later, the Egyptian journalists Mohamed Abdelfattah and Simon Hanna reported from the Corniche that a protest march coming from the other direction had broken through the police lines just down the street from the Semiramis, and, after some fighting, the protesters captured a senior officer outside another luxury hotel, the Kempinski.

Witnesses also said that the protesters then took control of one police armored personnel carrier, driving it to Tahrir Square, and set fire to another.

At about 8 p.m. local time the A.P.C. that was driven into Tahrir Square by protesters was also on fire, as video posted online by the blogger Kikhote showed.

Video of an armored personnel carrier ablaze in Tahrir Square on Monday night.

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Siemens picks banks for two disposals: sources

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Siemens AG has picked banks to organize the sale of two units as part of its efforts to streamline operations and stay competitive in a weak global economy, people familiar with the matter said.


Goldman Sachs Group Inc will advise the German conglomerate on the sale of its Water Technologies units, while Rothschild will oversee the divestment of its smaller security products arm, which makes access card readers and technology for intruder detection and surveillance, the sources said on Monday.






Siemens, Goldman and Rothschild all declined comment.


Siemens, which ranks as Germany’s second-most valuable company and which makes products ranging from trains to hearing aids, late last year announced the plan to divest several units in a bid to focus on its most profitable businesses.


It also aims to put itself in a better position to compete in core product areas with the likes of Switzerland’s ABB Ltd and U.S.-based General Electric Co.


Since then, several possible bidders for the water unit – which has annual sales of about 1 billion euros ($ 1.4 million) and employs 600 – have approached the Munich-based group and investment bankers have started to work on the possible sale, the sources said.


HATS IN THE RING


Siemens built up its water technology operations through a flurry of acquisitions over the last decade, buying the water systems and services division of U.S. Filter from Veolia Environnement for instance for $ 1 billion in 2004.


Since much of Siemens’s water business is focused on North America, industry sources expect U.S.-based peers Xylem Inc and Pentair Ltd to take a look at the asset.


“Asian companies are also likely to throw their hats into the ring,” one of the people said.


The region is experiencing rapid economic growth, climate change effects, rising populations and stricter energy and water regulations and is therefore expected to see heavy investment in water treatment equipment in coming years, he said.


Kurita Water Industries Ltd, Hyflux Ltd, Hitachi Ltd and Marubeni Corp are seen as possible suitors, he added.


Big private equity groups like KKR & Co LP, Bain and Permira are also expected to show interest.


Permira in 2011 bought Israel-based Netafim, a maker of irrigation technology, for 800 million euros.


Siemens Water Technologies offers products ranging from conventional water treatment to emergency water supply and water disinfection systems.


A report published in 2010 by Global Water Intelligence, an industry journal, put the size of the global water market at more than $ 500 billion.


Siemens shares were down 0.3 percent by 8.25 a.m, backtracking from a five-month high set last week, compared with a 0.1 percent drop in the main German index.


(Additional reporting by Jens Hack; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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