Kerry steps up shuttle talks with Abbas and Netanyahu

By Lesley Wroughton

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accelerated his Middle East shuttle diplomacy on Friday in the hope of persuading Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct peace negotiations.

After seeing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan, Kerry flew by helicopter to Jerusalem for evening talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a sign that he may be making progress in his mission to bring the sides together, a State Department official announced late on Friday that Kerry would return to Amman for another meeting with Abbas on Saturday, then return to Israel for additional meetings.

The frenzied back-and-forth is reminiscent of Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy as secretary of state to mediate conflicts in the Middle East throughout the 1970s.

The State Department official said a three-hour meeting with Netanyahu on Friday, the second in as many days, involved a "detailed and substantive conversation about the way forward".

Israeli President Shimon Peres praised Kerry for his determination.

"I know this is difficult, there are many problems, but as far as I'm concerned I can see how (among) people, there is a clear majority for the peace process, a two-state solution, and a great expectation that you will do it and that you can do it," he told Kerry.

Direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2010 in a dispute over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories that the Palestinians seek for a future state.

Abbas has insisted that building in the settlements, viewed as illegal by most world powers, be halted before talks resume. He also wants Israel to recognize the boundary of the West Bank as the basis for the future Palestine's border.

MORE TALKS AHEAD

Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rdaineh said a "clear response" was needed from Israel before talks could resume.

Israel wants to keep settlement blocs under any future peace accord and has rejected Abbas's demands as preconditions. But it has also quietly slowed down housing starts in settlements.

Palestinian and U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the results of the Abbas-Kerry meeting. Zeev Elkin, Israel's deputy foreign minister, placed the peacemaking onus on Abbas.

Asked on Israel Radio whether Kerry's visit - his fifth - could bring a breakthrough, Elkin said: "The only one who knows the answer to that question is not Kerry, nor Netanyahu, but Abu Mazen (Abbas)."

Kerry has divulged little of his plan to bring the sides together, but has said he would not have returned to the region if he did not believe there could be progress.

He is also keen to clinch a peacemaking deal before the United Nations General Assembly, which has already granted de facto recognition to a Palestinian state, convenes in September.

Netanyahu is concerned that the Palestinians, in the absence of direct peace talks, could use the U.N. session as a springboard for further statehood moves circumventing Israel.

State Department officials believe the sides will return to negotiations once there is an agreement on confidence-building measures - for example, partial Israeli amnesty for Palestinian security prisoners - and a formula for fresh talks.

Part of the incentive for the Palestinians to return to talks is a $4 billion economic plan led by former British prime minister Tony Blair, whom Kerry also met in Jordan.

The plan involves investments from large private-sector firms that will boost jobs and spur economic growth in agriculture, construction and tourism.

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-steps-shuttle-talks-abbas-netanyahu-040545091.html

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30 sent to hospitals in Las Vegas as record heat parks over West, Southwest

In Los Angeles, heat-related power failures snarled traffic, and in Death Valley, where temperatures hit triple digits, the forecast is could bring a record 129 degrees. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

More than thirty people were taken to hospitals for heat-related injuries and illnesses Friday at a music festival in Las Vegas, authorities said, as a wave of life-threatening blistering temperatures blazed across the West.

Clark County fire personnel treated close to 200 people for heat-related nausea, vomiting and fatigue Friday afternoon and evening at the Vans Warped Tour, an eclectic outdoor music festival at the Silverton Casino off the famous Strip.

---

Most were given water and taken to shaded areas, but 34 had to be taken to hospitals for further treatment, the fire department said.

"It's pretty intense," said Clark County spokesman Eric Pappa. "We're used to summer temperatures of 100, 105. But we're beyond 100. It's a scorcher."

The high temperature officially hit 117 degrees at Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport ? equaling the airport's record ? Friday as thousands of people streamed to the casino site for the festival. The thermostat fell slightly Saturday, leveling at a still-steamy 105 degrees, according to The Weather Channel.

Records are similarly expected to be broken across the West and the Southwest through the weekend and into next week, the National Weather Service said, thanks to a high pressure "dome" parked over the sprawling region.

Death Valley, Calif., could even top 130 degrees Saturday through Monday, just below the world record high of 134 recorded there on July 10, 1913, The Weather Channel said.

Temperatures in Phoenix are expected to soar between 115 and 120 degrees. In western parts of Arizona, temperatures could reach 125.

Officials in Arizona warned residents to take precautions.

"If you get dizzy or lightheaded, those are some signs of dehydration. If you become confused, that's a real warning sign," Dr. Kevin Reilly of the University of Arizona Department of Emergency Medicine told NBC station KVOA of Tucson.

In Las Vegas, meanwhile, the National Weather Service warned of the potential for a "life-threatening heat event." Temperatures were expected to match those of a July 2005 heat wave when 17 people died in the Las Vegas Valley.

The extreme weather is expected to reach Reno, Nev., reach across Utah and stretch into Wyoming and Idaho, where forecasters are predicting potentially lethal hot spells. Triple-digit temperatures were forecast during Idaho's Special Olympics in Boise.

Matt York / AP

Runners take advantage of lower temperatures at sunrise Thursday in Mesa, Ariz. Excessive heat warnings will continue for much of the Desert Southwest as building high pressure triggers major warming in eastern California, Nevada and Arizona.

Organizers urged coaches to prepare their athletes.

"The basic stuff, wearing breathable, appropriate clothes, staying in the shade as much as possible, staying hydrated is obviously a big thing," Matt Caropino, director of sports and training for Special Olympics Idaho, told NBC station KTVB. "We've put in place some misters that we're going to have at our outdoor venues."

The National Weather Service advised people to keep tabs on signs of potentially lethal heat stroke.

"Heat stroke symptoms include an increase in body temperature, which leads to deliriousness, unconsciousness and red, dry skin," it said in a report. "Death can occur when body temperatures reach or exceed 106-107 degrees."

Los Angeles was forecast to peak between the upper 80s and the lower 90s Saturday as inland communities like Burbank edge toward the low 100s. Palm Springs, Calif., no stranger to steamy summers, may peak at 120 degrees, NBC station KMIR reported. Sweltering heat also is expected for the state's Central Valley, according to The Weather Channel.

While the west remains hot and dry, the east is getting lots of rain that has resulted in flash flooding. Some of the worst flooding was in upstate New York where whole neighborhoods remain under water. ?The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel reports.

Commercial airlines were also monitoring conditions because excessive heat can throw flights off course. The atmosphere becomes less dense in extremely high heat humidity, meaning there's less lift for airplanes ? calculations that have to be made individually for every type of aircraft.

Triple-digit heat forced several airlines to bring operations to a halt after Phoenix climbed to 122 degrees in June 1990.

Daniel Arkin of NBC News contributed to this report.

Related:

'It's brutal out there': Weekend heat wave to bake western US

Alaska sweating through brutal blast of heat

Oppressive heat hits West as storms soak East

This story was originally published on Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:50 AM EDT

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Paris Jackson 'better,' but misses tribute to dad

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? One was not enough.

Less than 20 months after the debut of the first Cirque du Soliel show paying tribute Michael Jackson, comes the second: "Michael Jackson ONE"

Cirque president Daniel Lamarre said he'd planned two Jackson-inspired shows "from the first day we got the rights from the (Jackson) estate," with the first production, "Immortal," delivering a stadium-sized touring concert and "ONE" a more intimate affair ? something closer to what Cirque du Soliel usually serves up. It's a multimedia extravaganza that often flies high, but never loses sight of its inspiration.

Saturday's world premiere attracted celebrities including musician Justin Bieber, as well as actors Neil Patrick Harris, Allison Janney and Alfre Woodard. Also in attendance were Michael Jackson's brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie, the latter noting that most of the Jackson family would be inside the theater for the premiere except for Michael's daughter Paris, who, on June 5, was taken by ambulance from her family's home and hospitalized.

"She's going to be OK," Jackie Jackson said. "She's getting better."

The brothers said even less when asked about the family's wrongful-death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live, which the family claims hired Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Michael Jackson's 2009 death.

"We can't elaborate on that, because it's still ongoing," replied Marlon Jackson.

Following a dramatic week of courtroom testimony surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, the brothers seemed relieved to be revisiting Michael's life and work.

"ONE" ''is all about the music" said Marlon Jackson. "This is part of giving back and sharing his legacy."

"ONE" also gives Cirque another crack at producing the ultimate Jackson tribute show.

Some heavyweight media outlets gave "Immortal" lukewarm reviews (The Hollywood Reporter, and the Los Angeles Times among them), and even Cirque president Lamarre admitted the production was being "tweaked" throughout its North American run.

"ONE" director Jamie King commented, "I think the questions with ('Immortal') was, 'Was there enough Cirque? Was there enough Michael' There's where the confusion (was)."

"ONE" is very different," continued Lamarre. "It's a total immersion. So, people are going to dive into the universe of Michael Jackson."

Despite mixed reviews and initial production problems, "Immortal" was a box-office smash. According to Forbes, it was the highest-grossing tour in the United States in 2011 and the second-highest in 2012. By the time it traveled overseas, Lamarre said, "Immortal" was greatly improved and, "I cannot wait to bring back 'Immortal' (to North America) for people to realize how good a show it is now."

___

Online:

cirquedusoleil.com/Michael_Jackson

___

Follow Michael Cidoni Lennox at http://www.twitter.com/MikeCLennox

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paris-jackson-better-misses-tribute-dad-123258675.html

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Cross-Section Bullets Are Beautiful for Something That Could Kill You

When it isn't being fired at or around you, ammunition can be kind of beautiful. We've already seen the striking beauty of exploding bullets trapped in plexiglass, but photographer Sabine Pearlman found a different, but equally awesome bullet-photography approach: cutting them in half.

Her photo series AMMO, conisists of shots of the innards of over 900 different types of ammunition, showing not only how carefully engineered and unique every different kind of bullet is, but also just how damn pretty they are up close.

Of course, there are more themes at play here than just "pretty bullets." The work's official description puts it this way:

Pearlman?s photographs blur our preconceptions by humanizing the tools of the shooter, showing us their simplicity and aesthetic balance, their serene arrangement of parts. Yet, Pearlman?s work also acts to disarm the shooter. Cloven in two and isolated from their context, they are rendered harmless. The viewer is forced to contemplate them as abstractions composed of shapes and angles, flecks of color and texture, devoid of use.

But even with all that said, I just can't get over how some of the explosive material looks a whole hell of a lot like Cocoa Pebbles.

You can catch more of Sabine's work over on her Facebook page, or check out her portfolio over at her website.

Images ? Sabine Pearlman | Ammunition cross-sections from the series "AMMO"

Source: http://gizmodo.com/cross-section-bullets-are-beautiful-for-something-that-615919730

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Home price gains bring sellers off the sidelines

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Robert and Emerald Oravec were itching to sell their condominium late last year to move closer to a favorite surfing spot, but they were stuck. They owed the bank $194,000 and figured the most they could get was $180,000.

When they put their San Diego home up for sale a few months later, they fielded five offers within two weeks. It sold for $260,000 in May, allowing them to invest profits in a new home that's more than twice the size on a large lot and 40 minutes closer to the surfing beach.

"We're stoked," said Robert, 50, a facilities engineer at Solar Turbines Inc., a maker of gas turbines that has employed him for the last 22 years. "It was better to be patient and wait it out."

Soaring prices are leaving fewer homeowners owing more money than their properties are worth, bringing them off the sidelines of the nation's surging housing market and offering relief to buyers who are frustrated by bidding wars. As more homes are put up for sale, price increases are expected to moderate.

Mark Fleming, chief economist at real estate data provider CoreLogic Inc., calls it "a virtuous circle."

"The fact that house prices have increased so dramatically ... has unlocked a lot of that pent-up supply," said Fleming, whose firm found that markets with the largest percentage of "underwater" or "upside down" mortgages often have the lowest supply of homes for sale.

From January to March, 19.8 percent of the nation's mortgaged homes were underwater, down from 23.7 percent a year earlier and 25 percent during the same period of 2011, according to CoreLogic. Gains spread across the country, though regions that rose high and crashed hard remained saddled with homeowners who bought near the peak.

Nevada had a nation-high 45.4 percent of mortgages underwater, followed by Florida at 38.1 percent, Michigan at 32 percent and Arizona at 31.4 percent. Montana had a nation-low 5.6 percent.

Among major metropolitan areas, Tampa Bay had a nation-high 41.1 percent of mortgaged homes underwater, followed by Miami at 40.7 percent. Dallas had a nation-low 8.3 percent.

San Diego, at 19.5 percent, was slightly better than the national rate and California's 21.3 percent. The region's median home sale price hit $406,500 in May, up 21.3 percent from a year earlier amid brisk sales, according to DataQuick.

Housing inventories remain unusually low. There was a 5.2-month supply of existing, single-family homes for sale in May, compared to 6.4 months a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors. California had only a 2.6-month supply, compared to 3.6 months a year earlier and well below the six months that is considered a balanced market.

San Diego broker Colleen Cotter began knocking on doors this year after scouring property records to find homeowners who didn't owe money. If someone answers, she makes an all-cash bid on behalf of investors who don't even visit.

Nearly one of three homes sold in Southern California is paid for in cash, putting borrowers at a disadvantage. Some buyers write sellers about how they would cherish a home, hoping to spark a personal connection.

Josh Martin, 26, discovered homes he and wife considered buying had changed hands less than a year earlier at much lower prices. The first-time homebuyers lost nine bids since August? many to cash buyers ? until finally landing a home in May for $250,000 in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista.

"It was very stressful because the prices just kept going up," said Martin, who recently left the Marine Corps. "Our lease was about to end and we didn't want to sign another year."

Economists expect many homeowners will continue to resist selling because they think they can profit more by waiting.

Nancy Randazzo, a 38-year-old public school teacher who owes about $240,000 on an Anaheim condominium that she bought for $335,000 in 2005, figures she might be able to sell for what she owes but wants to rent to Disneyland tourists. One potential snag is that she and her fiancee would need to find a place to buy.

"Prices are going up so fast that I don't know if I can," she said.

The huge price increases produced an unexpected retirement gift for Larry and Diane Plaster, who were resigned in January to selling their San Diego home for less than they owed the bank, known as a short sale. They owed $352,000 but accepted an offer for $290,000.

Their bank rejected the deal four months later, leading the couple to put the home up for sale again. On the second attempt, they took an all-cash offer of $380,000, yielding a windfall of $6,500 after broker fees and closing costs. The Plasters, who live on Social Security income, fulfilled a dream of moving to a geodesic dome they built in Janesville, 130 miles north of Lake Tahoe.

The former Catholic social service workers were so angry when Chase rejected the short sale that they closed their account after more than 40 years.

"Now I guess I should send them a thank-you note," said Diane, 66.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/home-price-gains-bring-sellers-off-sidelines-140703042.html

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Man paralyzed after saving drowning girl, dies at 43

Michael Patterson (photo: Facebook)

Michael Patterson, the 43-year-old Georgia man who dived into a creek to save a 4-year-old girl from drowning and became paralyzed from the chest down during the rescue, died after spending three weeks in a hospital, the Associated Press reports.

Patterson's family shared the news on Facebook.

Patterson's bravery left many, including the woman whose daughter he rescued, stunned. "He jumped in head first and after I grabbed her, I looked back and he was floating on top of the water," Jones told WSB-TV.com after Patterson's injury, which occurred on June 8.

The girl, Javea Jones, was able to be resuscitated. Patterson broke his neck during the dive. He also developed respiratory acidosis, pneumonia and a bacterial infection following the injury, according to Fox News.? The medical problems that came after the broken neck contributed to his death, Polk County Coroner Trey Litesey told news outlets.

Patterson's bravery was commended across the Web. Comments on the Yahoo News story following his injury reflected the immense respect people had for his actions.

One commenter wrote, "there really are no words to express the character of this man." Another wrote, "now this is what a hero looks like."

On Facebook, where friends and family of Patterson had set up a page to raise funds for his care, there was an outpouring of sympathy.

The friends of Mike Patterson wrote this on a Facebook page:

Mike?s spirit and selfless actions inspired tens of thousands who sent cards, letters and emails and engaged in posts at the Friends of Mike Patterson Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Friendsofmikepatterson). His life and the lives of others are forever changed by his courageous, split-second decision to save another?s life. Mike?s tragic story made news headlines around the globe. His heroic act stirred an outpouring of emotion and a desire to help Mike in his time of need. His caring nature will forever be honored.

At this time, funeral or any other arrangements are not known. The Friends of Mike Patterson Trust will post additional information as it becomes available. Please keep Mike's family and friends in your prayers.

Patterson's dive was not the first time that he had demonstrated his bravery. A week before, he and another man had pulled a truck driver from his cab after the truck caught fire.

His mother told WSB-TV that her son didn't see what the big deal was about his part in rescuing the man from the truck fire.

"He said he did what he thought, what he hoped anyone else would have done for him. That's not a very common thing anymore, for anyone to care about someone they don't know," she told the Cedartown Standard.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/man-became-paralyzed-saving-drowning-girl-dies-43-210825678.html

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Third man arrested in case involving ex-NFL player

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) ? A man arrested in Connecticut in connection with the murder case against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was being sent to Massachusetts on Friday, and investigators said a third suspect was arrested in south Florida.

Massachusetts State Police said local officers in Miramar, Fla., captured Ernest Wallace early Friday afternoon, hours after a Connecticut judge ordered Carlos Ortiz turned over to Massachusetts authorities.

New Britain State's attorney said investigators arrested the 27-year-old Ortiz in Bristol on Wednesday as part of the inquiry into the slaying of Boston semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez is charged with murder in the slaying of Lloyd near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Mass. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

Ortiz was charged in Connecticut as a fugitive from justice. His public defender, Alfonzo Sirica, declined to comment about the case.

Also Friday, Massachusetts authorities said officers had recovered a car linked to Wallace.

Authorities revealed Thursday night that they were seeking Wallace, who they said should be considered armed and dangerous, on a charge of acting as an accessory after Lloyd's murder.

Police arrested Hernandez on Wednesday at his Massachusetts mansion and charged the 23-year-old with orchestrating Lloyd's execution-style shooting, allegedly because the victim had talked to the wrong people at a nightclub.

A judge denied Hernandez' bail appeal Thursday in a Massachusetts courtroom, where a prosecutor said a Hummer belonging to Hernandez turned up an ammunition clip matching the caliber of casings found at the scene of Lloyd's killing.

Hernandez's lawyer argued his client is not a risk to flee and the case against him is circumstantial.

On June 16, the night before the slaying, a prosecutor said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut.

A few minutes later, he texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, the prosecutor said. Authorities say the three picked up Lloyd at around 2:30 a.m. June 17, drove him to an industrial park near Hernandez's home and shot him five times. They have not said who fired the shots.

Meanwhile, Lloyd's relatives were preparing for his funeral in Boston on Saturday. A relative said the service will be at Church of the Holy Spirit in the city's Mattapan section.

At Ortiz's court hearing in Bristol on Friday, there was no mention of any other allegations against him, no reference to Hernandez and no discussion of Lloyd's homicide. It remained unclear if Ortiz was one of the two friends whom authorities say were with Hernandez when Lloyd was shot to death.

A friend and a relative of Ortiz said outside the courthouse that they were surprised by his arrest. They said Ortiz is the devoted father of two girls and a boy, all under the age of 9. Ortiz was unemployed recently, but previously worked a long time at a Savers clothing store, they said.

They also said they couldn't believe Ortiz could be part of a murder.

"He's not that type of person. He has a good heart," said friend Milton Montesdeoca, 24, of Bristol, who added he didn't know Hernandez and never heard Ortiz talk about the football star.

The Patriots, who cut Hernandez following his arrest, drafted him in 2010 and signed him last summer to a five-year contract worth $40 million.

He could face life in prison if convicted.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle R. Smith in Fall River, Mass., and Bridget Murphy in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3rd-man-arrested-case-involving-ex-nfl-player-182953489.html

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'Quota' rugby poaching rampant - The Herald

Schalk Mouton

ALMOST 20 years into democracy and with R500-million spent by SA Rugby, transformation efforts in the sport are floundering as government is failing to come to the party.

At school rugby level, where the most rugby development should take place, large rugby unions like the Blue Bulls are accused of the "wholesale" poaching of players from the Western Cape to bolster their quotas.

Players' school fees are paid by the schools and the players can hope for a possible contract at the rugby union after school.

While this brings players out of poor, underdeveloped communities, Western Cape principals said they spent thousands on the development of these players, just for the Bulls to poach them.

In the Craven Week for high schools ? being hosted in Polokwane, Limpopo, from July 8 to 13 ? nine out of each squad of 22 players should be "players of colour".

"Everybody does it," Johan Schoeman, manager of rugby development at the Blue Bulls rugby union, said about the recruitment from other provinces.

"If the circumstances are so that you walk into a brick wall, and you can't get the talent you need in your own communities, then you go and search for it in the Cape," he said.

Dirk Marais, principal of the Swartland Ho?rskool in Malmesbury, said the Bulls made frequent recruitment forays to the Western Cape to fill their quotas.

"I have lost my whole blackline," Marais said about the Bulls' most recent recruiting drive.

"I spent R35000 to develop one of my top players, Duncan Matthews, and Heyneke Meyer personally came and recruited him."

Pretoria's Garsfontein Ho?rskool has even set up a Section 21 company to fund the recruitment and development of players.

Schoeman said while the Bulls were spending "millions" in trying to develop the game in underprivileged areas, they were getting no support from either the Education Department or Sports and Recreation Department.

"There are no facilities. The teachers are not willing to participate in extramural activities and there are no funds," he said.

The Sports and Recreation Department ? which spent R46-million last year on their Sports Awards Gala Dinner ? signed a memorandum of understanding with the Education Department 1? years ago, taking over all responsibility for sports development at schools.

However, except for a series of national tournaments for the top schools, the department had not contributed a "single cent" to rugby development, Schoeman said.

The department could not be reached for comment.

The Blue Bulls have increased the number of "underdeveloped" schools playing rugby by 40%, and now have up to 3000 children competing in games in townships. "But our Springboks come from private and city schools," Schoeman said.

Source: http://www.peherald.com/news/article/16637

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Legal How-To: Subletting Your Apartment - Law and Daily Life

As you take off for a long-awaited summer vacation, you may want to know how to sublet your apartment.

Renting out your place is a great way to shoulder costs and, in some cases, meet new folks. But the subletting process can be daunting -- and in some jurisdictions, it may even be unlawful, depending on the circumstances.

Thankfully, there are certain steps you can take for a smooth(er) subletting process. Here are five steps you'll want to consider:

1. Make sure it's legal to sublet. Before all else, make sure short-term leases are legal in your area. In New York City, for example, it's illegal to rent out a single-family home, apartment, or room for less than 30 days if you aren't living there. Other cities and states have similar restrictions. Violating such laws may result in hefty fines, so be sure to check your local laws before you list your casa on Craigslist or Airbnb.
2. Ask your landlord for permission. Micro-sublets can potentially jeopardize your lease. That's because most rental agreements include a clause that limits your ability to sublet or have guests stay for long periods of time without your landlord's approval. So check your lease and get written consent from your landlord saying it's OK to sublet your apartment.
3. Find a trustworthy tenant. At the end of the day, the subtenant isn't responsible to your landlord. You still are. So choose your subtenant wisely! You'll be liable for any nonsense that goes on while you're gone. You may want try to look for a subtenant through reliable friends and/or family. If you plan on using Craigslist or Airbnb, try to interview potential candidates -- perhaps via a service like Skype for out-of-towners -- and consider getting references. It might not hurt to take a peek at his or her Facebook profile, either.
4. Put your sublease agreement in writing. The sublease agreement is between you (the original tenant) and the subtenant. The subtenant pays you rent and is covered by the same lease terms you agreed to. As for the exact wording of these agreements, your local library will likely carry titles that include examples of subleases; you can also find a variety of sublease agreement templates for purchase online that are tailored to your state.
5. Get a security deposit. When you're making sublet agreements, especially for short-term leases, there's a very real possibility that potential subtenants will flake on you. Sometimes the ol' virtual handshake isn't enough -- even after you become Facebook friends. To make sure your subletters keep their word, seal the deal by requiring a security deposit. It's also a good way to ensure the subtenants stay on their best behavior. It'll help cover any maintenance or repairs that need to be performed while you're subletting.

Need more help?

Subletting your apartment has a certain legal art to it. Because of the legal implications involved, you'll want to be very careful in how you word your sublease agreement. That's where an experienced landlord-tenant attorney can come in handy.

If you're using a template for your agreement, another option is to sign up for a prepaid legal plan. Some plans, like those offered by LegalStreet, include attorney contract reviews (up to 10 pages) at no extra charge. LegalStreet plans also include unlimited phone consultations with licensed lawyers in your area, in case you have questions about your sublease, or any other legal issue that may arise.

(Disclosure: LegalStreet and FindLaw.com are owned by the same company. FindLaw.com also has a business relationship with U.S. Legal Forms, which offers template legal forms for purchase.)

Are you facing a legal issue you'd like to handle on your own? Suggest a topic for our Legal How-To series by sending us a tweet @FindLawConsumer with the hashtag #HowTo.

Related Resources:

Source: http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/06/legal-how-to-subletting-your-apartment.html

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Senate Nears Passage of Immigration Overhaul Bill (WSJ)

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Weekend heat wave to scorch western U.S.

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? A high pressure system hanging over the West this weekend is expected to bring temperatures extreme even in a region used to baking during the summer.

Notoriously hot Death Valley's forecast could touch 129 degrees, not far off the world-record high of 134 logged there July 10, 1913. The National Weather Service called for 118 in Phoenix, and 117 in Las Vegas on Sunday ? a mark reached only twice in Sin City.

"It's brutal out there," said Leslie Carmine, spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, which runs a daytime shelter in Las Vegas to draw homeless people out of the dangerous heat and equip them with sunscreen and bottled water.

While the Southwest boasts the most shocking temperatures, the heat wave is driving up the mercury all over the West. Western Washington ? better known for rainy coffee shop weather ? should break the 90s early next week, according to the weather service.

Dry southern Utah is forecast to reach higher than 110 degrees, and northern Utah ? which markets "the greatest snow on Earth" ? is also expected to see triple digits.

The heat wave is "a huge one," National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto said. "We haven't seen one like this for several years, probably the mid- to late 2000s."

The system's high pressure causes air to sink and warm, drawing down humidity.

"As the air warms, it can hold more moisture, and so what that does is take out the clouds," Seto said.

While those in the West take to their swimming pools or hunker down indoors during the heat wave, the eastern half of the country is set for normal and below normal temperatures driven by lower pressure.

"There's a balancing act in the atmospheric pressure," said Chris Stachelski, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Las Vegas.

The hottest cities in the West are taking precautions to protect vulnerable residents. Police are pleading with drivers not to leave babies or pets in their car, and temporary cooling stations are popping up to welcome homeless people and seniors on fixed incomes who hesitate to use the air conditioning.

Officials said extra personnel have been added to the U.S. Border Patrol's Search, Trauma, and Rescue unit as people illegally crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona could succumb to exhaustion and dehydration.

Several bodies of immigrants have been found in the last week in Arizona. Agents in the Tucson sector rescued more than 170 people from the desert during a 30-day stretch in May and June when temperatures were even lower than expected in the coming days.

At low-lying Lake Mead, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border and is anticipating 120 degrees this weekend, rangers are positioned at trailheads to discourage visitors from hiking.

Earlier in June, a group of Boy Scouts hiking in the Colorado River canyon fell prey to soaring heat. Four teenagers and an adult had to be rescued, while a 69-year-old Scout leader died.

"We don't want a repeat of the tragedy we had a few weeks ago," Lake Mead spokesman Kevin Turner said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weekend-heat-wave-bake-western-us-181304892.html

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Getting cat management wrong: 'Who's for cats?' - Saving Pets

June 28, 2013No Commentscats

More than 53% of us (that?s over 12 million) share our homes, lives and often our beds, with a dog or cat, or both. We consider them members of our families and spend more than $4.62 billion every year caring for them.

Given this groundswell of love for animals, there is enormous potential to tap into this compassion to promote effective and humane management of homeless cats and dogs in our communities.

This begs the question, why did the Victorian Government choose to spend over $220,000 on a two-year cat management campaign that succeeded only in driving up kill rates while demonising free-roaming cats and all those who choose to care for them? The ?Who?s for cats?? campaign was hailed a success in changing behaviour by all bodies involved, but the bigger picture reveals some damaging and costly end results.

Getting cat management wrong: ?Who?s for cats??

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Source: http://www.savingpets.com.au/2013/06/getting-cat-management-wrong-whos-for-cats/

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Military announces same-sex spousal benefits after Supreme Court decision

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ingvar Kamprad, founder of furniture company IKEA, announced on Wednesday he plans to return home to Sweden 40 years after leaving the country to escape its high taxes. Kamprad, 87, said he would return from Switzerland before year-end and settle down on a farm outside of Almhult, a southern Swedish town where he founded IKEA 70 years ago and put Swedish "flat-pack" furniture on the global map. "Moving back to Sweden gets me closer to my family and my old friends," Kamprad said in a statement. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/military-announces-same-sex-partner-benefits-following-supreme-222026405.html

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Calgary Humane Society deals with rush of animals ... - Metro News

Staff at the Calgary Humane Society are asking people to hold off on animal surrenders as they care for the pets of dozens of owners displaced by flooding in the city.

Spokesperson Christy Thompson said the 615 furry residents at the organization?s shelter presently puts it near ? or at ? capacity.

?We are trying to manage the space we have right now,? she said. ?We are community-driven, we are looking at community need right now and the need for us is to be emergency boarding.?

Even this week, Thompson said flood victims have continued to drop their pets at the shelter as they are given uncertain timelines on when they can return home.

She said staff hope the capacity issue doesn?t last for long.

?We?re hoping within a week we?ll have a really good idea of where we stand,? Thompson said.

The society is offering up support packs for flood victims who continue to care for their pets that include blankets, food and other essential items.

For more information, head to calgaryhumane.ca.

News Worth Sharing:

Source: http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/720725/calgary-humane-society-deals-with-rush-of-animals-after-flooding/

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Education in Afghanistan ? the Good, the Bad and the Ugly ...

• by Shelly Kittleson (kabul)
• Wednesday, June 26, 2013
• Inter Press Service

KABUL, Jun 26 (IPS) - Despite impressive advancements in enrolment rates, media reports of gas attacks on girls' schools, shoddy books, and a lack of classroom facilities continue to mar the reputation of the education system in Afghanistan.

Students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Credit: Shelly Kittleson/IPS

Many locals feel that landmark developments such as the enrolment of roughly eight million children ? 37 percent of whom are girls - compared to the 900,000 exclusively male students enroled under the Taliban go largely unreported.

Other, less obvious changes, such as the gradual removal of references to war and violence from school textbooks, have also escaped media attention, said former human rights commissioner Nader Nadery.

Nadery, current chairman of the Free and Fair Elections Foundation, told IPS that between 1996 and 2001, boys-only schools functioning under the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan studied material that actively promoted violence.

In mathematics classes, for example, he said word problems included such scenarios as: "If you shoot a gun and the bullet travels at X speed towards a soldier standing 500 metres away, how long does it take to kill him?"

According to Nadery, tireless work by human rights bodies led to a revision of these texts between 2006 and 2007 to include, among other things, gender-sensitive references that replaced such passages as: "The boy was playing football while the girl was carrying water and washing dishes."

Education Minister Spokesman Amanullah Eman told IPS that youth now learn about hitherto taboo subjects like tolerance and the dangers and diseases associated with drug-use.

English and computer skills are also taught in government?funded religious schools, which Eman says about two percent of children attend, including some 15,000 girls.

And whereas "religious instruction was given in Arabic under the previous regime, we have now translated all the books into the two national languages: Dari and Pashto," he added.

The past few years have also seen rapid growth in the number of private institutes of both basic and higher education.

One of the best known is the Kardan Institute of Higher Education, which was founded in 2003 by four Afghans in "a single room when there were no other private institutions in the country," said Hamid Saboory, a legal expert and consultant to the university.

This alternative to traditional institutions like Kabul University offered short courses in finance, management and business administration and is now one of the most highly respected of the "over 70 private institutions registered with the ministry," he told IPS.

In rural areas, however, educational facilities and services can be difficult if not impossible to access. Some remote areas rely on lectures transmitted through TV to compensate for the lack of qualified vocational trainers, Nadery said.

Meanwhile, in the northeastern province of Kapisa, at Al-Biruni University, a number of girls in the law faculty complained to IPS of frequent power outages, and going days without running water in the dormitories.

Still, the presence of so many young women in the law faculty, hailing from such far-flung provinces as Farah in the west to Jowjzan in the north and in many cases coming with the blessings of their fathers, is an encouraging sign of slow but sure change.

Payvand Seyedali, former executive director of Aid Afghanistan for Education (AAE), echoed this observation, but stressed the need to change a law that bans anyone who is married from enroling in the public school system.

"This has serious implications," she pointed out, "for girls who are married at 13,14, 15...who are essentially (forced) to drop out of school."

However, AAE schools that cater specifically to this population found that many husbands, brothers and fathers were often the ones encouraging their female relatives to stay in school, "sometimes even making that a condition of the marriage," she told IPS.

A researcher on ethnic bias in Afghan textbooks who asked not to be named sounded a word of caution about the complexities of creating an "inclusive" education system in a country of 35.2 million people, of whom 42 percent are thought to be Pashtun, 27 percent Tajik, nine percent Uzbek and nine percent Hazara.

He found that?100 percent of the references to people, groups or dynasties in eighth-grade textbooks are all Pashtun, a pattern that is repeated in other grades as well.

Other inconsistencies in the curriculum include gaping holes in national history. For instance, the last 40 years of the country's history were left out of high school social science textbooks, a decision supposedly motivated by the desire to "promote national unity", according to the government.

Asked about this move, Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) Deputy Minister Mohammad Asif Nang said that all parties to the bloodiest part of Afghan history could be impacted by mention of the 32 years of war.

"People from the Communist regime, from the Taliban regime, from the Mujahedeen" are still alive, and their children could end up fighting one another, he said.

The deputy minister stressed, "Every day we build five schools. Every day we have activities for teachers (to gain more skills)."

He lambasted an overly critical media that jumps on flaws in the system and exaggerates their impact.

What the country needs during this phase of state-building, he said, is more support, correction of mistakes and adjustments to and reform of the system, a process that risks being derailed by negative media.

? Inter Press Service (2013) ? All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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Engadget UK Giveaway: win one of five TonidoPlug personal cloud servers

There's a whole plethora of places to keep your data online, but without getting too political, there's no place like home, right? TonidoPlug is a tiny personal server that lets you access your images, photos and personal files wherever you are, without having to hand them over to someone else to look after. Not only is there software to mount it as a local drive -- a-la dropbox -- but it serves as a NAS device on your home network too. With the option to plug in USB drives, or add an internal SATA HDD, you won't need to pay a subscription, either. Best of all, we've got five to give away to some lucky UK readers. Please read the terms and conditions after the break to make sure you qualify. But if you do, -- be sure to enter, and good luck!

Filed under: Peripherals, Internet, HD, Mobile, Alt

Comments

Source: Tonido

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/27/tonido-uk-giveaway/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Coup leader asks forgiveness from Malian people

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ? The officer who led a coup last year that plunged Mali into chaos asked for forgiveness from the Malian people during a ceremony meant to heal the rift between soldiers who supported the putsch and the presidential guard who fought to defend the former president.

Coup leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo said that he and his brothers and sisters in green-beret uniform "want to ask for forgiveness from Malians as a whole."

After the coup, the green berets led a purge of the red beret-wearing presidential guard. Many red berets were "disappeared," while others were imprisoned and allegedly tortured.

Interim President Dioncounda Traore said Wednesday the ceremony marked the reconciliation of the two sides and announced that all red beret soldiers still incarcerated had been freed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/coup-leader-asks-forgiveness-malian-people-215310701.html

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Breast-Fed Children More Likely to Climb the Social Ladder

Children who are breast-fed may be more likely to reach a higher social class than their parents, a new study finds.

The researchers looked at about 34,000 people in the U.K., either born in 1958 or in 1970, and compared their social class at the age 33 or 34 with that of their fathers when they were children.? Among the study participants, those who had been breast-fed were more likely to have moved up the social hierarchy in adulthood, which the researchers defined as having a job of higher social status than their fathers.

The study found that while breast-feeding increased the chance of moving upward socially by 24 percent, it also reduced the chance of sliding downward by 20 percent.

The results suggest that breast-feeding improved children's neurological development, resulting in better cognitive abilities, which in turn helped them with their upward move in the society, the researchers said. ?

Breast-fed children in the study also had fewer signs of emotional stress, which could have contributed to their success later in the life, according to the study published today (June 24) in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Previous studies have suggested that nutrients in breast milk improve cognitive development. Similarly, skin-to-skin contact between mother and child has been linked to enhanced mother-child bonding, and reduced stress.

"Perhaps the combination of physical contact and the most appropriate nutrients required for growth and brain development is implicated in the better neurocognitive and adult outcomes of breast-fed infants," the researchers wrote in their study. [The Facts on Moms & Breast-Feeding]

For the study, the researchers asked mothers of two large groups of people born 12 years apart whether they had breast-fed their children.

They then compared people's social class as children ? based on the social class of their father when they were 10 or 11 ? with their social class as adults, measured when they were 33 or 34. Social class was based on different categories of occupations, from unskilled and manual, to managerial and professional jobs.

The researchers measured children's cognitive performance and stress response every few years. They found that cognitive abilities and stress scores accounted for about a third of the total impact of breast-feeding.

There is evidence that some constituents of breast milk, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, are essential for neurological development of the child. The researchers said they suspect that there may be other nutrients in breast milk as well that support child's development.

The study also found that fewer children were breast-fed in 1970 than in 1958. More than two-thirds of children born in 1958 were breast-fed, compared with one-third in 1970.

The results suggest that there may be lifelong social benefits from breast-feeding, the study said. Such benefits may be even greater for more vulnerable children who are born preterm or with low birth weight.

Email Bahar Gholipour or follow her @alterwired. Follow?LiveScience?@livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/breast-fed-children-more-likely-climb-social-ladder-223721956.html

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Kerry calls Karzai to ease anger on Taliban office (The Arizona Republic)

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

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets get priced in Europe

The latest Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets are about to hit the market really soon, and now we have a general idea as to how much they will be priced at. Well, at least in Europe?? a Dutch online retailer has all three of them listed on its web page, along with an estimated delivery date.?

So let's cut straight to the chase. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch, which is the leader of the gang, carries a 379 euro price tag. That equals to a tad above $500. However, the retailer is running a promo (for a limited time, presumably) that slashes the tablet's price by 50 euro, thus bringing its cost down to a lot more reasonable $440. That gets you a 10.1-inch Android tablet of a mid-range class, with a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel processor, 1GB of RAM, 3.2MP main camera, and 16GB of storage.Moving further down the list we see the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch priced at 299 euro, which is about $400. Sadly, there are no discounts with this one. Specs-wise, the tablet offers an 8-inch screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 5MP auto-focus camera, and 16GB of storage. Read more about it in our Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch review.?Last but not least we have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch retailing for 199 euro, or about $266. That's a tempting price indeed, but you do get what you pay for. This low-end Android tablet has a 7-inch 1026 by 600 pixel display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 3MP camera, and 8GB of storage. You can learn more about it by reading our Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch preview.

Note that these prices are for the Wi-Fi-only versions of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets. How much the 3G/4G-capable variants will cost isn't known at this time. All three devices are on pre-order with an estimated delivery date of July 11. ?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/phonearena/ySoL/~3/qIQ9wyRNj3E/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-3-tablets-get-priced-in-Europe_id44249

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Edward Furlong Charged, Pleads Not Guilty to Assault, Threating Girlfriend

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/edward-furlong-charged-with-assault-threating-girlfriend/

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DNA constructs antenna for solar energy - R&D Magazine

Artificial photosynthesis is one of the hot trends in energy research. A large number of the worlds' energy problems could be resolved if it were possible to recreate the ability plants have to transform solar energy into fuel. The Earth receives enough solar energy every hour to satisfy our energy needs for an entire year.

A research team at Chalmers Univ. of Technology has made a nanotechnology breakthrough in the first step required for artificial photosynthesis. The team has demonstrated that it is possible to use self-assembling DNA molecules as scaffolding to create artificial systems that collect light. The results were recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Self-assembling system
Scaffolding in plants and algae consists of a large number of proteins that organize chlorophyll molecules to ensure effective light collection. The system is complicated and would basically be impossible to construct artificially.

"It's all over if a bond breaks," says Jonas Hannestad, PhD of physical chemistry. "If DNA is used instead to organize the light-collecting molecules, the same precision is not achieved but a dynamic self-constructing system arises."

Recreates a part of nature's miracle
With a system that builds itself, the researchers have begun to approach nature's method. If any of the light-collecting molecules break, it will be replaced with another one a second later. In this sense, it is a self-repairing system as opposed to if molecules had been put there by researchers with synthetic organic chemistry.

The sun's light is moved to a reaction center in plants and algae so they can synthesize sugars and other energy-rich molecules.

We can move energy to a reaction center, but we have not resolved how the reactions themselves are to take place there," says Bo Albinsson, prof. of physical chemistry and head of the research team. "This is actually the most difficult part of artificial photosynthesis. We have demonstrated that an antenna can easily be built. We have recreated that part of the miracle."

Like pieces in an intricate puzzle
The Chalmers researchers are combining artificial photosynthesis with DNA nanotechnology. When constructing nano-objects that are billionths of a meter, DNA molecules have proven to function very well as building material. This is because DNA strands have the ability to attach to each other in a predictable manner. As long as the correct assembly instructions are given from the start, DNA strands in a test tube can bend around each other and basically form any structure.

"It's like a puzzle where the pieces only fit together in one specific way," says Albinsson. "That is why it is possible to draw a fairly complex structure on paper and then know basically what it will look like. We subsequently use those traits to control how light collection will take place.

Source: Chalmers Univ. of Technology

Source: http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/06/dna-constructs-antenna-solar-energy

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Blackboard Co-Founder Michael Chasen Raises $12.75M Series A For SocialRadar, A New Take On Location-Based People Discovery Apps

If you thought the "ambient location" craze has passed, prepare to be surprised. A company called SocialRadar is announcing today that it has raised $12.75 million in Series A funding from NEA,?Grotech?Ventures, and others including?Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, Dave Morin and Kevin Colleran for a mobile, location-based people discovery app arriving first on the iPhone.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H8_fxVjSHhM/

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Men's Wearhouse ousts founder, pitchman Zimmer

FILE - In this Thursday, May 6, 1999 file photo, George Zimmer, second from left, gestures to Andy Dolich prior to a meeting, in Oakland, Calif. Men's Wearhouse Inc. says it has dismissed Zimmer, its founder and executive chairman. In a terse release issued Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the company didn't give a reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of the nation's largest specialty retailers in men's clothing, with 1,143 locations. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 6, 1999 file photo, George Zimmer, second from left, gestures to Andy Dolich prior to a meeting, in Oakland, Calif. Men's Wearhouse Inc. says it has dismissed Zimmer, its founder and executive chairman. In a terse release issued Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the company didn't give a reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of the nation's largest specialty retailers in men's clothing, with 1,143 locations. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Men's Wearhouse doesn't like the way its founder looks anymore.

The men's clothier said Wednesday that it has fired the face of the company and its executive chairman, George Zimmer, 64, who appeared in many of its TV commercials with the slogan "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it."

The company announced the move in a terse statement that gave no reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse Inc. from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of the North America's largest men's clothing sellers with 1,143 locations.

The firing appears to end the career of one of TV's most recognizable pitchmen. Zimmer's slogan became almost a cultural touchstone, and his natty but down-to-earth charm made dressing sharply feel more accessible to men.

Zimmer said in a written statement that over the past several months he and the company's board disagreed about the company's direction.

"Over the last 40 years, I have built The Men's Wearhouse into a multi-billion dollar company with amazing employees and loyal customers who value the products and service they receive at The Men's Wearhouse," he said in a statement. But he noted that "instead of fostering the kind of dialogue in the boardroom that has, in part, contributed to our success, the board has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns by terminating me as an executive officer."

The bad blood spooked investors, who drove Men's Wearhouse's stock down 53 cents to $36.94. The stock is still near its 52-week high of $38.59 and ended Tuesday up about 20 percent since the start of the year.

Beyond creating a successful company, Zimmer is known as something of a cowboy in the business world.

He brought in spiritual leader Deepak Chopra as a member of the company's board in 2004. He put his fortune to work behind California's failed Proposition 19 in 2010, which would have legalized marijuana in California, where he lived. And Men's Wearhouse didn't conduct background checks on new hires because Zimmer believed that everyone deserves a second chance.

"He's one of a kind," said Richard Jaffe, a Stifel Nicolaus analyst. "He's an entrepreneurial visionary. ... He made looking terrific available for every man in America."

Zimmer declined to comment for the article through his personal publicist beyond the statement. Calls to company executives and board members were immediately referred to a company spokesperson, who declined to comment beyond the release.

Jaffe speculated that Zimmer, who handed over his title as CEO to Douglas Ewert in 2011, may have had difficulty in letting go of the company's reins.

"Clearly, something happened abruptly and fairly dramatically," he said. Jaffe also speculated that perhaps the company was looking for a new spokesman so it could target younger shoppers.

Like many clothing retailers, Men's Wearhouse saw its sales and profits battered during the Great Recession, but over the last two years the company's business has been recovering.

For the latest year ended Feb. 2, the company's revenue rose 4.4 percent to $2.48 billion. Net income rose 5.3 percent to $131.7 million.

The firing comes a week after Men's Wearhouse reported that its fiscal first-quarter profit increased 23 percent.

Three months ago, the company said it was conducting a strategic review of its K&G store division, which it acquired in 1999. The division, which accounts for about 15 percent of the company's total revenue, is very promotional and has seen its business decline. Jaffe speculated that deciding what to do with that division could have been a point of contention.

Still, a few other analysts and experts in executive recruiting said privately that the ousting could be something more than just wrangling over the direction of the company and pointed out that the timing of the announcement was odd. It happened the morning the company's annual shareholder meeting had been set to take place. The company delayed the meeting but didn't give a new date.

The company said the purpose of postponing the annual meeting is to re-nominate the existing board of directors without Zimmer. It said the board expects to discuss with Zimmer the extent, if any, and terms of "his ongoing relationship" with the company, language that seemed to leave a small window open for him to remain an advertising spokesman.

Also highlighting the suddenness of the firing: The company's website still prominently spotlighted Zimmer for much of Wednesday, calling him "The Man Behind The Brand" and linking to YouTube videos of "the man in action." The pages were still available by midafternoon, though a prominent link from the site's front page had been removed.

"This is very rare to fire a founder. Founders are generally entrenched in the company," said Eleanor Bloxham, CEO of The Value Alliance, a board advisory firm.

In 1971, fresh out of college, Zimmer made his first foray into the clothing industry, working in Hong Kong for six months as a salesman for his father's coat manufacturing business, according to the company website.

In 1973, he and his college roommate opened the first Men's Wearhouse store, which sold $10 slacks and $25 polyester sport coats, in Houston. His personal car was a van with the company logo on the side and clothing racks in the back.

The company aired its first TV commercial in the 1970s when commercials for clothing were rare. Zimmer starred in his first commercial in 1986, with the line "I guarantee it."

Men's Wearhouse kept expanding, focusing on large markets where business was sluggish to take advantage of lower real estate costs. It also expanded beyond sports coats and trousers to casual sportswear in the 1980s and then went into the tuxedo rental business in 2000.

The company went public in 1992, and the company has been cited by Fortune magazine as one of the top 100 best companies to work for.

Zimmer owned 1.8 million shares of Men's Wearhouse as of the company's May 9 proxy filing, a 3.5 percent stake.

The company, based in Fremont, Calif., also runs the Moores retail chains. It also sells uniform and work wear in the U.S. and U.K.

___

AP writers Candice Choi in New York and Sudhin S. Thanawala in San Francisco contributed to this report.

___

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