BOSTON (Reuters) - Lawyers for James "Whitey" Bulger, the accused gangster whose story inspired the award-winning film "The Departed," are fighting to have a half-dozen veteran Boston journalists listed as potential witnesses at his murder trial, effectively barring them from covering it.

Bulger's lawyers have submitted a list of 82 people including journalists and top officials at the FBI that they may call as witnesses in the trial, which begins next week in U.S. District Court in Boston and is expected to last four months.

Two of the journalists are a top crime reporter and a columnist for The Boston Globe who wrote a book about the now 83-year-old Bulger. He is accused of committing or ordering 19 murders while running Boston's "Winter Hill" crime gang in the 1970s and 80s and was on the run for 16 years.

Bulger had featured prominently on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list of fugitives before his June 2011 arrest in Santa Monica, California. His story inspired Martin Scorsese's 2006 Academy Award-winning film "The Departed" in which Jack Nicholson played a character loosely based on Bulger.

Lawyers for the newspaper argued that keeping the reporters on the witness list, which effectively prevents them from covering the trial, would violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protecting freedom of the press.

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper is expected to rule on the witness issue before lawyers for each side present their opening statements on Wednesday. In the meantime, lawyers have spent the last few days reviewing questionnaires filled out by hundreds of prospective jurors.

Bulger's notoriety is expected to attract crowds of spectators to court who will want to hear details of his life of crime, which includes a three year stint on the island prison of Alcatraz off the coast of San Francisco from 1959 to 1962.

Bulger has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

UNPREDICTABLE TESTIMONY

Bulger's attorneys argued in court papers that they may need to call the journalists as witnesses if their prior reporting contradicts the testimony of government witnesses including Kevin Weeks, a former criminal associate of Bulger; Stephen Rakes, the victim of an extortion attempt, and Thomas Foley, a former Massachusetts State Police official.

"The defendant cannot at this point predict how these government witnesses will testify," wrote Bulger's attorneys, led by J.W. Carney of the Boston law firm Carney & Bassil. "Any witnesses who could impeach their testimony must not be permitted to be present in court during the trial."

Witnesses in criminal trials are typically not allowed to attend those parts of a trial where they are not testifying.

Putting reporters on a witness list is an unusual move for a defense, said Howard Abadinsky, a professor of criminal justice at St. John's University in New York. He said it could sow doubts about prosecution witnesses in the minds of jurors.

"They're going to generate a tremendous amount of information and a lot of it is going to be, if not contradictory, show that they didn't say exactly the same thing at the trial as they said to the reporter," Abadinsky said.

Lawyers for the Globe, owned by the New York Times Co, said excluding its reporter Shelly Murphy and columnist Kevin Cullen would infringe the right to freedom of the press.

They also questioned their capacity to act as witnesses.

"Their qualifications as witnesses apparently arise from accurately reporting news to the public. Neither was a party or witness to any criminal activity," wrote Globe attorney Jonathan Albano in a court filing early this week.

Other journalists on the witness list include Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, former Globe columnist Bob Ryan, and Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, authors of "Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI and a Devil's Deal."

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Grant McCool)

According to a U.S. official and a bank employee, who both spoke on condition of anonymity, ElectraCard Services was the company that processed prepaid travel cards for National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah PSC (RAKBANK). RAKBANK suffered a $5 million coordinated heist at ATMs around the world on December 21 last year, according to the U.S. indictment.

ElectraCard (ECS) said investigations show that "the PIN and Magnetic stripe data seem to have been compromised outside the ECS processing environment."

It added in a statement: "As already reported in the media earlier this year, there were fraud attacks which affected several institutions worldwide, including ECS, in December 2012."

(Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)

MIAMI, June 2 (Reuters) - Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert was fined $75,000 by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Sunday after a post-game press conference outburst which included an anti-gay slur.

Hibbert scored 24 points as the Pacers beat the Miami Heat 91-77 on Saturday to force a deciding game seven in South Florida on Monday but the 26-year-old responded with a rant in the televised press conference.

Hibbert used the phrase "no homo" to describe his play and also attacked the media, using foul language when asked to discuss his low place in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year.

The league said in a statement that Hibbert had used "inappropriate and vulgar language".

Before the fine, Hibbert had issued an apology on the Pacer's official website.

"I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night," read Hibbert's statement.

"They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television.

"I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers' organization. I sincerely have deep regret over my choice of words last night," he said.

The NBA noted Hibbert's statement but said he still deserved a fine.

"While Roy has issued an apology, which is no doubt sincere, a fine is necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA," said commissioner David Stern.

After the press conference, Hibbert sent a tweet to fellow NBA player Jason Collins, who in April became the first active player in the league to come out as a gay.

"Hey can I get a follow? Would like to discuss somethings with you," read the tweet from Hibbert which was later deleted. (Reporting By Simon Evans; editing by Julian Linden)

A merry conservative prankster named Caleb Bonham is the prime mover behind the YouTube stunt,The College Fix. Bonham was active as a College Republican at nearby Colorado State University before graduating in 2011.

The card is giant piece of white poster board with the words “THANK YOU IRS” emblazoned in block letters. The set piece also reads: “TEA PARTY DESERVE IT”

There’s an image of President Barack Obama at the bottom. He appears to be giving the thumbs-up sign. There are a couple festive balloons for good measure

“We’re sending a giant thank-you letter to the IRS thanking them for targeting the tea party conservative groups,” Bonham explains to his first liberal victim. “You wanna write a quick message?”

“Sure,” says a guy holding a long brown thermos.

With jovial music playing in the background, the video then cuts to several more signatories.

“Yes, because I think it’s a fake scandal and I think it makes sense to prosecute the 501(c)(3)s, or whatever it is,” says a long-haired dude on a bike.

“Oh cool!” responds a guy with a terrible mustache. “I think this is pretty rad,” he then adds as he prepares to sign the poster board.

“I read about that,” says a woman with a sweet leather backpack. “I thought it was pretty funny because the IRS is actually, like, doing the right thing but the wrong thing at the same time. You know what I mean?”

Amazingly, Bonham gets a guy wearing a San Francisco Giants shirt to admit: “I love discrimination.”

He somehow convinces another woman to say, “Support Obama. Target the tea party.”

Bonham told The College Fix that he was unsure how people on the CU-Boulder would react to his fake card. In the end, 45 people signed it. He claims that only two people refused to participate in the hoax.

“This really demonstrates the need for limited government and conservative principles,” Bonham added. “Government using its enforcement arm to target groups. That is tyranny. If students don’t recognize it, then we are in a lot of trouble.”

Watch:

http://dorthaiquh.skyrock.com/3165245330-3-800-Early-Advertising-Cuts-Deberny-Type-Foundry-ebook-downloads.html
http://cythiaaurl.orbs.com/
http://doreenpbt.skyrock.com/3165245332-Downloads-2006-Subaru-Legacy-Outback-Owners-Manual-2006-book.html
http://margarettom.orbs.com/roger+maris%3A+a+title+to+fame+book
http://luciennefsb.skyrock.com/3165245338-Downloads-How-the-Forest-Grew-e-book.html
http://addiedmab.skyrock.com/3165245336-The-Gift-Of-The-Gods-ebook-downloads.html
http://friendfeed.com/oqooomi/e0ab3727/matrix-eigensystem-routines-eispack-guide
http://deboradduq.skyrock.com/3165245352-Benjamin-Franklin-Silence-Dogood-The-Busy-Body-and-EarlyWritings.html
http://daveou.orbs.com/the+modern+bread+baker%3A+giving+the+newe
http://rahababy.jimdo.com/2013/05/29/how-do-you-spell-customer-service-ca-online/
http://tannerqcvm.skyrock.com/3165245380-Download-The-Clubhouse-Model-Empowering-Applications-of-Theory-to.html
http://tannerqcvm.skyrock.com/3165245376-The-Crime-of-Julian-Wells-read-online.html
http://shanadear.skyrock.com/3165245378-North-American-Criminal-Gangs-Street-Prison-Outlaw-Motorcycle-and-Drug.html
http://wesleyoib.skyrock.com/3165245390-Downloads-Animaatio-Animaatio-ohjaajat-Animaatioelokuvat.html

Lapatinib, which is marketed as Tykerb mainly in the United States and as Tyverb mainly in Europe, is approved for the treatment of breast cancer and some other solid tumors.

The British company said the drug did not meet the primary end point of improving overall survival rates for patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer, including esophageal, in a late-stage global trial.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Louise Heavens)

The right-hander grimaced after throwing a changeup to Brian McCann, the sixth batter he faced, with one out in the second inning Friday night.

Strasburg retired McCann on a grounder and struck out Dan Uggla to end the inning.

Craig Stammen relieved Strasburg to begin the third. Strasburg, who left with a 2-1 lead, allowed two hits and one run a homer by Freddie Freeman with no walks and two strikeouts.

The Nationals did not immediately announce why Strasburg's night ended so soon. He threw 23 of 37 pitches for strikes.

Washington shut down Strasburg on Sept. 7 last season to limit the workload on his surgically repaired arm, keeping him out of the NL playoffs. The top pick in the 2009 amateur draft, he underwent elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Sept. 10, 2010.

The 24-year-old Strasburg was making his 12th start of the season. He began the night 3-5 with a 2.49 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 72 1-3 innings.

After getting off to a slow start this year, Strasburg was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his previous three starts.

In a two-day, court-mandated course a condition of probation for some juvenile offenders teens are paired with shelter dogs and offered intensive sessions designed to help at-risk youth identify and break the cycle of violence. The jTLC candidates are carefully selected by the District Attorney's Office along with the Juvenile Court judges.

"jTLC is a different approach with teens who are entering the juvenile system," says spcaLA President, Madeline Bernstein. "These kids learn coping and anger management skills and gain self-esteem. With the help of our shelter dogs, we instill in them compassion and empathy which steers them into a more positive direction."

For the last two years, spcaLA has pilot-tested the jTLC program with juvenile offenders from communities like Long Beach and Sylmar. 80% of the offenders have avoided trouble and not reoffended. jTLC is unique to spcaLA and Los Angeles County. Other communities, like New York City, have inquired about the program and how they can introduce it into their own juvenile systems.

"As an animal lover, retired Police Sergeant and currently Los Angeles County District Attorney Juvenile Offender Intervention Program (J.O.I.N.) hearing officer, I knew from experience and studies that the direct correlation between animal cruelty and domestic violence, child abuse, bullying and school fights is factual," said Lianne Osendorf. "The cycle of abuse will continue unless there is intervention to break the cycle. The collaboration of the LA DA and spcaLA to bring awareness and intervention to these minors is a major step in doing just that. Thanks to Melanie Wagner, Director of Humane Education, and her staff and some very caring District Attorneys the program has been a phenomenal success. With few exceptions the minors that participate come away from the experience with new found respect for animals and people. The weekend class focuses on teaching minors how damaging abuse can be not only to animals and people but also to the person inflicting the abuse."

jTLC attendees range from teenage girls who were convicted of bullying to an animal abuse offender who, at 8 years old, was bullied by his brother to injure a rabbit. Now at 14 years old, he was sentenced to jTLC for hitting a dog in the head with a brick.

jTLC is based on spcaLA's award-winning at-risk youth violence prevention program, Teaching Love & Compassion (TLC). Since 1996, TLC has helped over 500 at-risk youth exhibiting behavioral problems or anti-social tendencies. The program is designed to prevent animal cruelty and in turn prevent violence toward people. The TLC program helps students identify and break the cycle of violence through positive feedback, building self-esteem and increasing respect for all living creatures.

The students work one on one with the shelter dogs with the focus of building a positive relationship. In the group portion of the class, the teens focus on teamwork and other valuable interpersonal skills.

At the end of the two-day session, a graduation ceremony is held. The teens, alongside their shelter dogs, will discuss what they have learned in the program and show a brief demonstration of commands with shelter dogs. Media is invited to attend provided the juvenile offenders remain anonymous.

For media who would like to attend the graduation ceremony or to schedule an interview, please contact Ana Bustilloz at 323.730.5300, x252 or cell 323.707.1271,

Established in 1877, spcaLA is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, the Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education and a variety of shelter services.

SOURCE spcaLA

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) - Charl Schwartzel has victory in his sights at this week's Memorial Tournament but also has the Presidents Cup in sharp focus, even though the biennial competition is four months away.

The Ryder Cup-style event which pits a 12-man team from the United States against a line-up of international players from outside Europe will be held from Oct 4-6 at Muirfield Village Golf Club, the same venue staging this week's PGA Tour stop.

South African Schwartzel was among several likely members of the Internationals team who linked up with captain Nick Price and his assistants here earlier in the week, the latest meeting to plot how to break the virtual U.S. stranglehold on the Cup.

The Americans, captained by Fred Couples, will be bidding to lift the trophy for an eighth time in 10 editions to continue a dominant run which Schwartzel finds hard to explain.

"It's difficult," the 2011 Masters champion told Reuters after taking control of the Memorial Tournament with a sizzling seven-under-par 65 in the opening round at Muirfield Village.

"I don't know why they (the Internationals) have lost so many times but if you look at the stats, the American are always a lot stronger.

"Their 12th man is a lot of times ranked as high as our fourth or fifth so we've got eight other guys who are a lot weaker. We are the underdogs. The stats don't lie."

Schwartzel, who made his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia in 2011 when the U.S. triumphed 19-15, accepted that matchplay golf was highly unpredictable but felt that respective rankings would always be a big factor.

"In 18-hole matchplay, anyone can beat anyone at the end of the day, but you know you've earned that 30th world ranking by being more consistent than the guy who is 60th," the slender South African said.

"So over four days the guy who is 30th is going to beat the guy ranked 60th more often than not. That's why he's 30th, so coming down the stretch the Americans will have a stronger team."

EUROPEAN LESSON

Schwartzel, who clinched his maiden major title with a grandstand four-birdie finish to win the 2011 Masters by two strokes, also felt the Internationals could learn from Europe, who have generally gelled superbly as a team at the Ryder Cup.

"We need to get a bit more into it, a bit like the Europeans do, be more of a team and beat the U.S. guys that way," said Schwartzel, referring to Europe's impressive run of seven Ryder Cup victories in the last nine editions.

"We are going to try and play as many practice rounds together as we can (at PGA Tour events) with the guys who are currently in the team.

"The guys are really going to try this year to be up for it, see if we can be more of a team and arrive at Muirfield Village earlier in the week."

Schwartzel predicted that team bonding by the Internationals would be further enhanced by the laidback captaincy style already adopted by three-times major winner Price, a veteran of five Presidents Cups as a player.

"Nick will be a great captain," said Schwartzel. "He is very relaxed which is a good thing because guys who are more relaxed normally play better. I think we will bond a lot earlier this time.

"We've already had a few meetings with Nick and he's asked us to spend a bit of time on certain parts of our games. At the end of the day, though, he wants us to walk off on the Sunday with everyone on the team having had a really good time."

The leading 10 players in the Internationals points standings after the Deutsche Bank Championship ends on September 2 will automatically qualify for the Presidents Cup and Schwartzel is excited that seven South Africans already occupy those spots.

"In a way it's going to be to our benefit because normally you've got players from all over the world on the Internationals team," he said.

"As we all know, you sort of stick with the guys that you know from the same country, so I think it will be a big benefit for us if there are a lot of South Africans and a lot of Australians."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Frank Pingue)

The 2014 Spark EV, which goes on sale next month in California and Oregon, will sell for as low as $19,995 after accounting for the full federal tax credit of $7,500, GM said. The larger Chevy Volt, which was introduced in the fall of 2010, sells for about $32,500 after the tax credit.

"The Chevrolet Spark EV is the most efficient - and now one of the most affordable - EVs you can buy," Chris Perry, GM's vice president of Chevrolet marketing, said in a statement.

GM has made rolling out cars with electrical technology -- including its eAssist system that boosts fuel efficiency in gasoline-powered cars -- as a central part of its global strategy.

The U.S. automaker is aiming by 2017 to build up to 500,000 vehicles a year that include some form of electric engine power, including cars like the Spark EV, the Volt and those with eAssist. GM will begin building the Cadillac ELR plug-in electric coupe late this year.

The rollout of the Spark EV continues GM's push to seize the mantle of "greenest automaker in the world" from Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the popular Prius hybrid car. Toyota also sells a plug-in version of the Prius.

California Spark EV owners also could qualify for an additional $2,500 in state tax credits and incentives, GM said. The car will lease for as low as $199 a month for 36 months with $999 due at signing.

GM previously said the Spark EV will be able to travel twice as far on an electric charge as the plug-in hybrid Volt can go before its gas engine kicks in.

The Spark EV has a combined city/highway range of 82 miles when fully charged as estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Volt gets about 40 miles on an electric charge. The Spark EV's fuel economy is equivalent to 119 miles per gallon on an EPA-estimated combined city/highway basis.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Example: If my mom asks him how his parents are doing, without looking up from his cellphone he'll grunt and say, "They're fine" -- nothing more. When we go out to dinner, he usually doesn't join in the conversation. Instead, he just sits there with a dismissive, bored look on his face.

I have told him I don't want him to come with me when I visit them. It only takes a few times before he asks if he can come again and promises to try to behave. But after a few visits, he reverts back to his old, rude ways. It has reached a point that it's affecting our marriage. Can you offer any suggestions for how this issue can be resolved? -- TIRED OF IT IN TORONTO

DEAR TIRED OF IT: It would be helpful to know why your husband behaves this way. Does he dislike your folks? Does he have so little in common with them he doesn't know how to participate in a conversation with them? Is he this way with any other people?

Perhaps it would be better for all concerned if he saw them with you less often, say, 30 percent to 50 percent of the time. And before he does, make sure he is up to the task of being social because, as it stands, I agree his behavior is rude.

He's not a teenager with his nose buried in a cellphone; he's an adult who should know better. If he finds your parents' company less than stimulating, he should be a better actor.

DEAR ABBY: Last year my darling mother lost her battle with cancer. Aside from grief and loss, a bigger issue looms over my life. It concerns my stepdad.

Before Mom was diagnosed, my stepfather was a selfish, self-centered man. At times he was mean to her to the point that I wanted her to leave him. In fairness, once Mom was diagnosed, he stepped up to the plate and took excellent care of her until her death.

I have other issues with my stepfather. He was inappropriate with me, sharing things he should have kept to himself. It caused my mother great heartache and made me lose respect for him. I am still uncomfortable around him. Mom knew how I felt and understood.

Now that she is gone, do I have any obligation to him? He has a strained relationship with his only child. My sibling thinks I'm too hard on him, but doesn't understand the major problems our stepdad caused. I don't want to continue pretending I like him. Please help, Abby. -- SEARCHING FOR GUIDANCE

DEAR SEARCHING: You are entitled to your feelings and, no, you do not have any obligation to your stepfather. If your sibling wants to see him, that's his/her choice. Explain to your sibling your reasons for feeling the way you do -- and if you encounter your stepfather during family gatherings, be polite and don't linger. That isn't pretending to like the man; it is good manners.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order "How to Be Popular." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)