Release of bin Laden death video, photos considered by US

(States Twitter)-ABC News has learned that the Obama administration possesses a number of photographs of Osama bin Laden’s corpse, taken in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.


Leon Panetta said, “The bottom line is that, you know, we got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him.”


And once that image gets released, the media can’t ignore it. They have no other option but to print it.


Items taken from the raid – which include hard drives, documents, DVDS and more – are already being studied according to John Brennan, White House counter terrorism adviser. These items are expected to contain information that could tip US intelligence to al Qaeda’s operations and might lead their manhunt to find the next-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.


We generally avoid pictures that are gra­tui­tous­ly ghastly. But the key word is ‘gratuitously,’ meaning the images, besides being disturbing, don’t have significant journalistic value. Pictures of Osama bin Laden dead certainly have significant journalistic value.


Barack Obama received a standing ovation from both, Democratic and Republican leaders, at a White House evening meeting; which had been planned prior to the assault, but had now become a celebration and a chance to step back from the discord of the present political climate.


The pictures of bin Laden in Afghanistan are from a US military base. The ones from the aircraft carrier are of bin Laden on the deck before and after he was wrapped in a shroud, in keeping with Muslim burial traditions.

White house:continue on release dead Osama images

(States Twitter)-U.S. President Barack Obama says he will not release death photos of Osama bin Laden taken after he was killed early Monday by U.S. commandos.


Obama's decision was reported on the CBS News Web site Wednesday after the president sat for an interview with the news magazine program.


White House has debated releasing a photo to offer proof that bin Laden is dead. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday that the photo was gruesome and could be inflammatory.


House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Wednesday that the Obama administration should not release the gruesome post-mortem images, saying it could complicate the job for American troops overseas. Rogers told CBS News he has seen a post-mortem photo.


president made his decision as the Navy SEALS involved in the daring raid in Pakistan arrived in the U.S. for debriefing, and U.S. officials began to comb through the intelligence trove of computer files, flash drives, DVDs and documents that the commandos hauled out of the terrorist's hideaway.


He called on Congress to reauthorize for a "substantial period of time" provisions in the Patriot Act that expire at the end of the month.


The provisions set to expire allow roving wiretaps on people with suspected terror ties, access to records, and tracking someone with no ties to a terrorist group, a so-called "lone wolf." Holder said those provisions are needed now more than ever.


Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, a member of the Armed Services Committee - told CBS News Wednesday they had seen post-mortem photographs of bin Laden.No Democrats have said they have seen the images.


Photoshopped images purporting to show bin Laden after he was killed have already surfaced on the Internet.

Prayer Forms,Frorms of prayer,

(States Twitter)-Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts. There are morning and evening prayers, graces said over meals, and reverent physical gestures. Some Christians bow their heads and fold their hands. Some Native Americans regard dancing as a form of prayer.Some Sufis whirl. Hindus chant mantras. Orthodox Jews sway their bodies back and forth and Salah for Muslims ("kneel and prostrate as seen on the right"). Quakers keep silent. Some pray according to standardized rituals and liturgies, while others prefer extemporaneous prayers. Still others combine the two.

Prayer in Judaism,

Prayer in Christianity,

Prayer for health,

Prayer in Islam,

Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith,

Prayer in Buddhism,

Prayer in Hinduism,

Shinto prayer,

Sikh prayer,Akal Purakh

National Day of Prayer

(States Twitter)-National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The law formalizing its annual observance was enacted in 1952, and its constitutionality is being challenged in court.


Controversy
Issues of government involvement with religion are often disputed because of the Establishment clause in the First Amendment. While the free-exercise clause allows for this type of event to be organized by non-governmental bodies, the U.S. Congress may not pass any laws enforcing religious observances.
The contention was brought to attention by one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson. On January 23, 1808 he wrote on the topic:
“ "Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their hands, where the Constitution has deposited it. ...civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents. ”
In 1822, James Madison wrote:
“ "There has been another deviation from the strict principle in the Executive Proclamations of fasts & festivals, so far, at least, as they have spoken the language of injunction, or have lost sight of the equality of all religious sects in the eye of the Constitution. Whilst I was honored with the Executive Trust I found it necessary on more than one occasion to follow the example of predecessors. But I was always careful to make the Proclamations absolutely indiscriminate, and merely recommendatory; or rather mere designations of a day, on which all who thought proper might unite in consecrating it to religious purposes, according to their own faith & forms. In this sense, I presume you reserve to the Govt. a right to appoint particular days for religious worship throughout the State, without any penal sanction enforcing the worship.


Litigation
On October 3, 2008, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued President George W. Bush, Jim Doyle, Shirley Dobson, chair, National Day of Prayer Task Force, and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino at a Madison, Wisconsin federal court, challenging the federal law designating the National Day of Prayer. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is defending Shirley Dobson and the National Day of Prayer Task Force. The Obama administration asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to dismiss the case in March 2009. The administration argued the group has no legal standing to sue and that the tradition of the National Day of Prayer dated back to 1775. The suit was then amended to include President Obama and Press Secretary Gibbs.
U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice to appeal the ruling on April 22, 2010, and on April 14, 2011 a panel at the 7th District Court of Appeals unanimously overruled Crabb's decision, stating that "a feeling of alienation cannot suffice as injury." They further stated that the President is free to make appeals to the public based on many kinds of grounds, including political and religious, and that such requests do not obligate citizens to comply and do not encroach on citizens' rights. The same day, the Freedom From Religion Foundation announced that it would seek an en banc review of the ruling by the full Seventh Circuit court.
History


There had been at least two individual (i.e. single-day) national days of prayer in U.S. history before the day was made an official annual day of observance in 1952. Prior to the nation's founding, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending "a day of publick sic humiliation, fasting, and prayer" be observed on July 20, 1775. During the Quasi-War with France, President John Adams declared May 9, 1798 as "a day of solemn humility, fasting, and prayer," during which citizens of all faiths were asked to pray "that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it. On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation expressing the idea "that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins", and designated the day of April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer" in the hope that God would respond by restoring "our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace". He went on to say, "...it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
More recently, the idea of an annual National Day of Prayer was introduced by the Rev. Billy Graham, who suggested it in the midst of a several-weeks crusade in the nation’s capitol. Members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual National Day of Prayer, "on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.


Tags:Prayer in Judaism, Prayer in Christianity,Prayer for health,Prayer in Islam,
Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith,Prayer in Buddhism,Prayer in Hinduism,Shinto prayer,

Sikh prayer,Akal Purakh

Sony’s PSN Back

Sony released a comprehensive update to their timeframe for bringing the PSN back up and running at full speed – with many services resuming by the end of the week.


Now we’re getting official (translated) confirmation that, as part of Sony’s updated security, users should expect to download a new firmware – designated 3.61.


Sony’s Playstation Network has been down since a hacker accessed personal information on roughly seventy-seven million user accounts between April 17th and April 19th. Sony failed to release further information to customers until April 26th.


PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service.


Sony currently believes that it will be able to restore a limited version of the Playstation Network within a week. The Playstation Store will be disabled until Sony can fully investigate the hack. The Playstation Network is expected to be restored in Japan first. Europe and the United States are also high priorities for restoration.

Kentucky Derby 2011: Tough field for Kentucky Oaks

(States Twitter)-Run for the Roses" boasts field of 20 impressive thoroughbreds that will hit the dirt on Churchill Downs this weekend.

Whether you're a pony expert or pick your favorite based on the funny horse names, check out our slideshow to get the latest odds for Saturday's big race.

Odds presented by the Kentucky Derby.

137th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place this Saturday, and you probably don't know anything about any of the horses. We are here to help. Today's contender is "Pants On Fire," who is in a hurry because he is a race horse, and because his pants are on fire.

Joyful Victory finished fifth in last November's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies but roared to life this spring at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, winning the Grade III Honeybee by 9 3/4 lengths, then taking the Fantasy by 7 lengths.

Trained by Larry Jones, the Tapit filly now has three wins from five career starts. The rail often is a problematic spot in the starting gate. But since Joyful Victory normally runs from off the pace, she won't be forced to gun for early position from the gate.

OH GOD THIS IS THE WORST NAME EVER BECAUSE LITERALLY MY PANTS ARE ON FIRE AND I'M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE WEARING THEM BECAUSE I AM A HORSE AND I THOUGHT NOT WEARING PANTS WAS A PERK OF THE JOB WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO LITERAL HORSE OWNERS--

Bob Baffert will saddle Plum Pretty, who ran third in both the Santa Ynez and the Las Virgenes at Santa Anita before winning the Sunland Park Oaks in New Mexico by 25 lengths in her last outing.

The early favorite, R Heat Lightning, was declared from the race this week with a knee injury.

Pants On Fire has a quality upset on his record in the form of his victory at the Louisiana Derby, where he outpaced Mucho Macho Man down the stretch and took home the race's $600,000 purse for a win. More importantly, Pants on Fire automatically qualified for the Derby with the winnings and avoided any further racing wear and tear in the lead-up to the Derby. Considering how stressful it already is to be named "Pants on Fire," this has to be good news for the horse and its trainers.

Oaks is one of five stakes events on Friday's card at Churchill Downs. Oaks Day once was a haven for locals seeking to avoid the throngs on Derby Day. In recent years, however, it has come to rival the big day in terms of attendance and general frenzy.

Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile (2 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57.2 kg) and fillies 121 pounds (54.9 kg). The race is known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" or "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration, and is also called "The Run for the Roses" for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and is followed by the Preakness Stakes then the Belmont Stakes. The horse must win all three to win the Triple Crown. The attendance at the Kentucky Derby ranks first in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races including the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and the Breeders' Cup. For more information, see American Thoroughbred Racing top Attended Events.

History

The Kentucky Derby is one of the USA's oldest Thoroughbred horse races (the Phoenix Stakes being the oldest, first run in 1831). From the time the region was settled, the fields of the Bluegrass region were noted for producing superior racehorses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which at the time was the greatest race in France.

Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city. The track would soon become known as Churchill Downs, named for Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s relatives, John and Henry Churchill, who had provided the land for the racetrack. Officially, the racetrack was incorporated as Churchill Downs in 1937.

The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1½ miles (2.4 km), the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris (now known as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1¼ miles (2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under jockey Oliver Lewis, a colt named Aristides, who was trained by future Hall of Famer, Ansel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

Although the first race meet proved a success, the track ran into financial difficulties and in 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with new capitalization and improved facilities. Despite this, the business floundered until 1902 when Col. Matt Winn of Louisville put together a syndicate of businessmen to acquire the facility. Under Winn, Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three year old thoroughbred horses in the North America.

Traditions

In addition to the race itself, a number of traditions play a large role in the Derby atmosphere. The Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and a sugar syrup is the traditional beverage of the race. The historic drink can be served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup but most Churchill Downs patrons sip theirs from souvenir glasses (first offered in 1939 and available in revised form each year since) printed with all previous Derby winners. Also, burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby.

The infield, a spectator area inside the track, offers general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race. Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party with abandon. By contrast, "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous and the well-connected. Women appear in fine outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats. As the horses are paraded before the grandstands, the University of Louisville Marching Band plays Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home.

Notes

The 1882 Winning horse Apollo was the only 3 year old horse to win the derby without having raced the year before as a 2 year old.

D. Wayne Lukas swept the 1995 Triple Crown with two different horses.

The Kentucky Derby is the oldest, continuous sporting event in the United States.

The 2008 second place winner, Eight Belles, marks the first time that any horse has died in the Kentucky Derby. The filly came in second place before breaking both front ankles on the cool-down. She was immediately euthanized. Churchill Downs has since announced that a magnolia tree will be planted in the garden of the Kentucky Derby Museum for Eight Belles and that her remains will be interred at its base. Churchill Downs has also announced that it will rename the La Troienne Stakes (Gr. III) in honor of Eight Belles. There are also plans for a ceremony on Derby Day 2009 in her memory.

2008 Kentucky Derby Winner Big Brown did not wear the blanket of roses he earned in the race because he hates flowers. Kent Desormeaux (Big Brown's jockey) did not want to upset the horse and so would not let the Winner's Circle handlers place the roses on Big Brown.

The Lincoln Lawyer (film)

(States Twitter)-Lincoln Lawyer is a 2011 American crime drama film adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe and Marisa Tomei. The film is directed by Brad Furman, with a screenplay written by John Romano.


Cast
Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller
Ryan Phillippe as Louis Roulet
Marisa Tomei as Margaret McPherson
William H. Macy as Frank Levin
Michaela Conlin as Detective Heidi Sobel
Josh Lucas as Ted Minton
Margarita Levieva as Regina Campo
Trace Adkins as Eddie Vogel
Laurence Mason as Earl
Frances Fisher as Mary Windsor
John Leguizamo as Val Valenzuela
Michael Peña as Jesus Martinez
Bob Gunton as Cecil Dobbs
Katherine Moennig as Gloria
Reggie Baker as Judge Fullbright
Mackenzie Aladjem as Hayley Haller
Bryan Cranston as Detective Lankford
Michael Paré as Detective Kurlen
Pell James as Lorna Taylor
Shea Whigham as DJ Corliss


Plot
Moderately successful criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) operates around Los Angeles County out of a Lincoln Town Car driven by a former client working off his legal fees (hence the title). Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of his career: Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a Beverly Hills playboy and son of real estate mogul Mary Windsor (Frances Fisher), who is accused of the brutal beating of a prostitute. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.
Roulet is seemingly innocent and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Haller and his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) analyze the pictures and evidence, notably the injuries the victim sustained. It bears a similarity to a past case of Haller's that landed a previous client, Jesus Martinez (Michael Peña), in jail for murdering a woman, despite always proclaiming his innocence.
Haller spends time with his ex-wife, prosecutor Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei), who has never appreciated Haller's efforts on behalf of guilty criminals when he ought to be trying to put them behind bars. All his clients claim to be innocent, but Haller begins to wonder if he should have tried harder on behalf of Martinez instead of convincing him to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
In prison, Martinez becomes agitated when Haller shows him Roulet's picture. Haller begins to suspect that Roulet could be the real killer in the Martinez case, but bound by attorney-client confidentiality rules, he cannot tell the police what he has learned.
Levin is mysteriously killed after leaving a voicemail message claiming that he has found Martinez's ticket out of jail. Haller is suspected of killing Levin because a collector's gun missing from his house was used to kill Levin, a gun that Haller believes was taken by Roulet after the latter broke into Haller's home.


Marketing
The trailer debuted on the 20th of November, 2010. A second trailer, which provided more plot details, was released on the 23rd of December, 2010. The trailer featured the Linkin Park track "The Catalyst.


Reception
The site's critics consensus reads, "It doesn't offer any twists on the predictable courtroom thriller formula, but with a charming Matthew McConaughey leading its solid cast, The Lincoln Lawyer offers briskly enjoyable entertainment." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 63, based on 30 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews.Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars out of a possible 4, saying, "The plotting seems like half-realized stabs in various directions made familiar by other crime stories. But for what it is, The Lincoln Lawyer is workmanlike, engagingly acted and entertaining."
After watching a rough cut of the film on November 12, Michael Connelly, author of the book The Lincoln Lawyer, said:
“ The movie comes out March 18. A couple days ago I saw an unfinished cut of it and could not be happier. I thought it was very loyal to the story and the character of Mickey Haller. Matthew McConaughey nails him. Those who loved the book will love the movie, I think. Those who don't know the book will love it just the same. The casting and acting is really superb. Like I said, I could not be happier. I'm very excited and can't wait to see what fans of the book think.