Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Avoiding The Most Common Causes Of Hearing Loss ~ Weight Loss ...

If you are currently dealing with hearing loss, it can be difficult to feel confident about yourself. There are many things that can keep you from feeling confident. You may feel embarrassed because you cannot hear other people talking as well as you would like to. You may avoid regular conversation because you know situations where regular conversation is taking place can be very uncomfortable for you.

During these times, the Eustachian tube are easily blocked by swelling in the upper respiratory area, blocking the path for fluid to transfer from the middle ear down to the throat. The fluid creates a bit of a pool that is the breeding ground for bacteria and viruses to grow.

Bacterial and viral infections are common during this time. If left untreated, these can turn mean, creating temporary or permanent hearing loss. A good way to keep this from happening is by treating an ear infection as soon as it starts. An even better way to prevent this is to get treatment for your upper respiratory infections that come from time to time.

For some, it can be the loss of something as basic as their hearing. Having once enjoyed the lovely melodies of birds singing, children laughing, or music playing, it can be hard to adjust to the blanket of silence that follows you for the rest of your life.

The balance that you must work to maintain is the balance of caring too much what other people think vs. not caring enough what people think. When you care too much about what other people think, you essentially are letting other people tell you what to wear.

That infection can damage the baby's inner ear, hurting their chances to hear throughout their lives. These infections could be German measles, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, and Syphilis. German measles are characterized by a red rash, low fever, runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and headache. Cytomegalovirus is known to cause a high fever, sore throat, swelling in the neck.

Confident people also do not seek advice from just anyone. They will seek advice from their closest friends and family members, people whose opinions they deeply trust.

Syphilis is the last of these. It is known for causing heart and brain problems, blindness, and death. Another cause can come during birth. Oxygen deprivation can hurt the hearing. Jaundice can too. Jaundice is a condition when the baby comes out of the womb with a yellowish hue to the skin. That yellowish hue is a sign of too much bilirubin in the blood. At such a young age, it has the potential of harming a baby's hearing.

Trauma during birth can also hurt the baby's hearing. Trauma happens should they be injured during the birthing process. Once the kids are out, their hearing can still be affected by a number of childhood illnesses. Bacterial and viral meningitis can have this side effect.

Little technological advances are helping the recently hearing impaired live lives as closely paralleled to the ones they lived before. These are the beautiful horizons people miss out on when they grow depressed about something they had, but lost.

A captioned telephone is like a regular telephone, but with captions like a TV that spell out what the person on the other end of the phone is saying. Having a captioned telephone can help you to feel more confident in general with your daily conversations.

Source: http://weightlossand-fitness.blogspot.com/2013/07/avoiding-most-common-causes-of-hearing.html

aurora Angie Everhart tom hardy Jessica Ghawi People Water Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012

15 Most Badass Cartoon Characters of All Time

Doctor Heinz Doofenschmirtz, 'Phinneas and Ferb,' Disney Channel

Courtesy of YouTube

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/15-most-badass-cartoon-characters-all-time/1-a-541839?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3A15-most-badass-cartoon-characters-all-time-541839

Camarillo fire Amanda Bynes Topless reese witherspoon joakim noah Of Monsters and Men boxing news mint julep

Monday, July 15, 2013

Analysis: Iran's shock election result sets a challenge to Israel

Darren Whiteside / Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem on Monday.

By Bill Neely, International Editor for ITV News, NBC News' international partner

News analysis

The election of Hassan Rowhani as the new president of Iran seems to have stunned everyone ? his supporters and staff, and analysts and decision-makers around the world. ?

No-one expected that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei would allow a moderate to occupy the presidency at a time when Iran is under pressure, under sanctions and under suspicion.

And nowhere is the shock of Rowhani's election more profoundly felt than in Israel.

NBC's Ali Arouzi reports from Tehran, where Iranians overwhelmingly chose to elect moderate cleric Hassan Rowani, saying "it will be interesting to see what course he tries to take."

The country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke twice in the days after the election, warning the world that Iran's new face changed nothing.?

"The election clearly reflects the deep disaffection of the Iranian people with its regime,? he said on Monday. ?But unfortunately it doesn't have the power to change Iran's nuclear ambitions.?

Israel ??and many in the West ??have been deeply concerned about Iran's growing ability to process its own uranium. It argues that Iran is on the verge of being able to produce enough to make its own nuclear weapon.?The fact that controversial outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is leaving doesn't change Israel's profound anxiety about its future survival: Western countries maintain that Tehran's nuclear program is a cover to one day develop an atomic bomb.

Consequently, severe international sanctions have been imposed, forcing sharp cuts to Iran's oil exports and hurting the economy.

Meanwhile Israel has been threatening to bomb Iran if Israel's own nuclear "red line" is crossed.

The election of a moderate, who is promising to open a new chapter in Iran's relations with the world and who says Iran will be "more transparent" about its nuclear program, arguably pulls the rug from under the tough-talkers in Israel.

It may be hard, for a few months at least, for Israel's position to be heard.?Few will want to hear that all options in regards to Iran, including a military one, must be on the table.

Netanyahu probably knows he will struggle to communicate this. He is asking the world now to focus on Iran's known, core ambition of nuclear independence.?

"People have to be consistent," he said. "They have to see the important thing. And the important thing is, does Iran veer away from that -- that is, does it make a U-turn and go the other direction. Not whether it smiles or presents this or that more respectable face. What it does, not what it says it will do."

Presidential Official Website / / EPA

A handout picture made available by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official website shows Ahmadinejad (L) greeting Iranian President-elect Hassan Rowhani (R) in Tehran on Tuesday.

Paradoxically, Israel had one of its best cards in the figure of Ahmadinejad when he cast doubt on the Holocaust and said Israel should be wiped of the face of the Earth. How could anyone do a deal with, or even talk to, a president who said such things??Israel knew the more Ahmadinejad ranted, the more the world would see how unreasonable Iran was.

Now he's leaving power and things are poised to change. ?

Israel knows Rowhani's election is a moment of hope, a time for cautious optimism, perhaps an opportunity for a new and successful round of talks on the nuclear issue. It also knows Rowhani is a wily negotiator.

When he was his country's chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005, Rowhani kept Iran's nuclear program going without sanctions being imposed and without Iran being referred to the United Nations Security Council. He has also insisted that Washington and the West recognize what he said was Iran's right to enrich uranium.

By simply smiling as he did so much in his first news conference on Monday, Rowhani presents Israel with a challenge. Repeating the same phrases about the clock ticking and military options won't be enough for Israel now ? it may have to find another way to check Iran?s nuclear ambitions.

At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.

Related stories:

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663309/s/2ea6b5eb/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C180C190A211780Eanalysis0Eirans0Eshock0Eelection0Eresult0Esets0Ea0Echallenge0Eto0Eisrael0Dlite/story01.htm

Cnn.com Chechen Boston bombers chechnya live news nbc UMass Dartmouth

Samsung Galaxy Note III User Agent Profile Confirms 1080p Display


Samsung Galaxy Note III User Agent Profile Confirms 1080p Display

July 9, 2013
By CJ Lippstreu

Not that anybody should be surprised, but Samsung?s UAPROF (User Agent Profile) for the Galaxy Note III confirms that it will feature a 1920?1080 Full HD display and an ARM processor. Noted as model number SM-N900T and SM-N900A, the Galaxy Note 3 has been rumored with numerous, often contrasting, specifications over the past six months. The over-sized Android smartphone isn?t expected to be unveiled until IFA 2013 in early September, so hopefully more leaks confirming other details start to trickle out soon.
According to rumors and speculation, the Galaxy Note III could sport anywhere from a 5.7 to 6.3-inch 1080p FHD Super AMOLED or LCD display. The general consensus is that it will rock Qualcomm?s Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, but don?t rule out the Exynos 5 Octa octo-core chipset for select regions. While 2GB of RAM seems likely, there?s also a rumor claiming it will be one of the first devices to house 3GB of RAM. It?s expected to come equipped with a 13 megapixel camera to match the Galaxy S4 as well.

via

Source: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-forums-member-news-depot/248591-samsung-galaxy-note-iii-user-agent-profile-confirms-1080p-display.html

ricin

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Icons: Steve Remote ? Pioneering Mobile Production with Aura ...

Sound wasn?t meant to stand still.

Neither, it seems, is Steve Remote, which may explain his love affair with the audible force that rushes through the air at 1,126 feet per second.

And while the mobile production fleet that he?s created may not look supersonic, it?s adeptly kept Remote in the race ? for decades on end.

Based out of Queens, Remote and his dedicated team of engineers have built up nothing less than a national resource for audio: Aura-Sonic, which was founded in 1977 and today stands as the oldest operating, single-owner mobile recording company in the USA. The shows and sheds captured since then are countless, including Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Dave Brubeck, Frank Zappa, Green Day, Herbie Hancock, Interpol, James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, My Morning Jacket, Neville Brothers, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Talking Heads, UB40, Van Dyke Parks, Wilco, XTC, and Yo Yo Ma, just for starters.

Steve Remote in one of his mobile homes -- the ultra-advanced Elroy.

Steve Remote in one of his mobile homes ? the ultra-advanced Elroy.

And there?s no sign of slowing down, especially with the summer music season now in high gear. With voyages to the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival right around the corner, and a solid schedule of live recordings at venues nationwide on the books, Aura-Sonic has its work cut out for them. Which is exactly the way Remote likes it.

Designing and fabricating a killer truck and doing a great job is what motivates me,? Steve Remote says. ?Imagine having a hobby that turned out to be your gig. Even if I have a slow month, it doesn?t matter: I have plenty of things to do.?

Constructing A Flexible Fleet

How do you achieve such high mileage in the ultra-competitive, and incredibly labor-intensive, sector that is mobile audio?

It would be easy to chalk it up to a road warrior mentality, but there?s a lot more to it than that. In Steve Remote?s case, his palpable passion has many energy sources: a deep love for live music, a curious mind bent on invention, and a technical mastery of his craft. If he can dream it, he really can do it, provided he?s got the time and resources at hand.

The proof is experiencing Remote in the Aura-Sonic field shop, an intriguing HQ where military-spec organization and a creative vibe magically coincide ? step inside, and you?re face-to-face with his rolling creations.

First you?ll find The Bread Mobile ,a GMC/Grumman Kurbmaster Stepvan (Exterior: 25.5? L x 11.5? H x 96? W) that espouses Remote?s ?Open Architecture? philosophy of full flexibility, allowing it to be customized for everything from VO/ADR sessions to a full 56-input mobile recording studio.

The Bread Machine on Newport Festival location.

The Bread Machine on Newport Festival location.

Parked alongside this venerable vehicle is Cosmo, a 36-foot long Hino 268A rig (Exterior: 36.0? L x 11.5? H x 102? W) originally owned by Creedence Clearwater Revival?s Doug ?Cosmo? Clifford and Stu Cook, and then owned and operated by Phil Edwards Recording. Aura-Sonic is currently in the process of converting it over to the Open Architecture design, and it?s set to debut in the first quarter of 2014.

The next level is Elroy, a 33,000-lb Mercedes expando truck (Exterior Expando Dimensions: 22.0? L x 11.5? H x 14.0? W) where the Open Architecture Platform is maximized, to say the least. Designed with extreme input/output capabilities, Elroy can do far more than just location sound ? it?s a rolling recording studio where virtually all things audio/video are possible: It can serve as a broadcast control room, music mix suite, post production/editing suite, video assist, ADR/VO, live studio space, machine room, rehearsal space, high-tech green room, demonstration show room?plus anything else that Aura-Sonic?s clients can think of.

And there?s nothing Steve Remote seems to like more than a new idea.

All of Aura Sonic?s mobile environments can be a strong complement not just to a live concert but also to promotional content and events for a brand. In one example, Aura-Sonic captured several adventurous on-location live music videos for the Converse ?Ready, Set Get Lost? series with The Bread Mobile.

Taking it a step further, Heineken had Aura-Sonic bring The Bread Mobile out to Manhattan?s Pier 22 ? Heineken placed their logos on the truck, after which people outside listened to beats and wrote lyrics. Next they were invited to come inside The Bread Mobile and record their lyrics, then instantly come away with their new song on a USB flash drive.

Wheels of Invention

?I want to make this distinction,? says Remote, whose unlimited energy goes into overdrive within the expansive inner space of Elroy. ?Yes, I?m a remote recording engineer/producer/mixer, and Aura-Sonic has remote trucks, but the key is that we?re like an automotive industry: That?s because we?re designing and building every one of our trucks. If something isn?t already made, I?ll invent it and we?ll fabricate it here at the shop, to meet whatever our needs are.?

As an example, check out the entrance door to Elroy. Amidst the thousands of live recordings and broadcasts he executed, Remote knew that megastars often come back to the truck to review the live mixes. To ensure privacy, Remote wanted a door whose glass could be privately opaque, and then totally transparent at the touch of a button later on. Further, the door had to be able to withstand the unique rigors of being attached to a road vehicle.

So Remote designed Elroy?s unique door with a laminated Suspended Particle Device (SPD) Smartglass and Liquid Crystal (LC) Polycarbonate privacy glass panel assembly. Applying electrical voltage to the SPD film via regulation of the 120V, users can observe a wide range of light control. The exact level of transparency can be dialed into the SPD Smart Glass, from opaque to totally clear. Remove the current, and the glass returns to the frosted ?private? state.

?My friends have said to me, ?Why not buy a door that?s all ready to go??? Remote relates. ?We could do that, except I wanted something special. Moreover, I want to learn how to build it, and therefore how to fix it. So I take these things that have happened to us, and say, ?How do we think of a better way, and make sure we?ll never have an issue???

Elroy, expanded and in action.

Elroy, expanded and in action.

Space Ship Elroy

While all of his trucks have their high points, Elroy is a uniquely versatile mobile unit, providing Aura-Sonic and its clients with an inspiring hub to create in ? or branch out from, as the case may be.

A dual-expanding wall truck that?s been evolving non-stop since 1999, Elroy is designed to be configurable to any media production need, and in a highly efficient form. Its interior can accommodate multiple operator positions all in one space, and the main mixing position is pre-configured for 5.1 surround monitoring.

Input/output possibilities are absolutely huge: Elroy?s passenger side ?Inside Universe? patch bay has 2080 points that can connect to the flexibly assembled ?Main,? ?Aux? and ?Outside Universe? rack panels. The driver side ?Guest Area? patch bay provides a completely independent system with the capabilities of connecting to the ?Guest? and ?Outside Universe? rack panels. The ?Guest Area? power is completely isolated from the main power via a second isolation transformer.

Being inside Elroy, it?s easy to forget you?re in something that can easily move from city to city, and state to state ? the feeling is one of being in a decently spacious studio control room or broadcast/post suite. People have plenty of room to walk around, or can scoot around in their chairs.

If preferred, a band can set up inside and be recorded in a world-class studio environment, right on the spot. We can tell you a thousand more words about that or you can see for yourself how well it works in the live music video below, where the six-man NYC band Hey Guy records their melodic metal without any overdubs:

Note the pro video production for the video, which is not something Aura-Sonic farmed out. Knowing full well that live video streaming to the Web is important to today?s content producers, Remote has designed Elroy to be a turnkey operation that drives up and then provides all the audio, video and production capabilities needed. Elroy can also be paired up with one of their rigs or any other remote recording facility to provide an on-location mobile studio space and control room environment.

?I look at it as reinvention ? now that we?ve got this mobile environment, how can we use it?? Remote explains. ?People are starting to see that this truck can do all these other things, beyond music and television production. What do you want it to do? It?s about new ideas. This truck can come to a big event, but it?s not just there to capture a show ? it?s a part of the event.?

Recruiting A Competitive Crew ?

Naturally, Steve Remote doesn?t do this alone. He has a staff of full-time and freelance associates that keeps the fleet humming.

Not surprisingly, getting into the Aura-Sonic system is a rigorous process. Remote launched his own career in 1976, when he showed up at Max?s Kansas City with an eight-channel Sony MX-20 mixer and a two-track Studer A700 tape recorder and talked his way into recording the New York Dolls that weekend. Just 18 years old at the time, Remote went on to record many other live shows at the storied club.

All the while ? on the way to taking part in the recording of three Grammy Award winning albums and winning a 2009 TEC Award ? Remote was studying audio fundamentals and training himself to be self-sufficient, a trait he passes on to his staff as they train and move through the ranks: Audio Utility, Audio Assistant, Recording Engineer, and ultimately Engineer in Charge or Music Producer.

?We take the old British recording studio approach,? he says. ?When I take on an intern or an apprentice, they learn from the ground up: how to build a cable, wire stuff, fabricate tables and racks. You pass that, then you move on to help us prep a gig ? that?s an Audio Utility, a person who made it out of the shop and knows what they?re doing enough to move cables and gear. Moving up from there, you?re setting up recorders or microphones.

?It?s not about how much time you?ve put into it,? Remote continues. ?It?s about how much you?ve learned. When you do a live broadcast and you?re going out to ten million homes it?s got to be right ? you make a mistake and its forever. We?re only as good as our last gig.?

A Live Life

No matter what directions Steve Remote?s explorations lead next, it all circles back to the same source of nonstop excitement for him.

?The stimulating part of it is the live thing,? Remote says. ?That special performance can never be redone. The one-shot nature of it all. You can?t get that as vividly in a studio as you can in a mobile or on location situation. That?s what?s great about this business: It?s always about going to these interesting locations, and making it as good as it possibly could be. Bring out the best.?

? David Weiss

Inside the Bread Mobile, set up for a PGA Tour broadcast.

Inside the Bread Mobile, set up for a PGA Tour broadcast.

The Bread Mobile at Brooklyn's Fast Ashleys Studio.

The Bread Mobile at Brooklyn?s Fast Ashleys Studio.

?

Back inside Elroy, you have depth...

Back inside Elroy with Aura-Sonic?s Felix Toro, you have depth?

...with width...

?with width?

...for space to spread out...

?for space to spread out?

...or get totally musical.

?or get totally musical.

Tags: audio engineering, Aura-Sonic, Cosmo, Elroy, how to record location audio, how to record mobile audio, live audio, live sound, location recording, mobile audiio, mobile music production, mobile music recording, Mobile Recording, remote recording, Steve Remote, The Bread Mobile

Source: http://www.sonicscoop.com/2013/06/30/icons-steve-remote-pioneering-mobile-production-with-aura-sonic/

nfl schedule brittney griner ied breaking news new york post Texas Bombing Sean Collier

Obama suggests spying on nations' allies is common

FILE - This June 17, 2013 file photo shows President Barack Obama meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. President Barack Obama brushed aside sharp European criticism on Monday, suggesting all nations spy on each other, as the French and Germans expressed outrage over alleged U.S. eavesdropping on European Union diplomats. American analyst-turned-leaker Edward Snowden, believed to be stranded for the past week at Moscow?s international airport, applied for political asylum to remain in Russia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - This June 17, 2013 file photo shows President Barack Obama meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. President Barack Obama brushed aside sharp European criticism on Monday, suggesting all nations spy on each other, as the French and Germans expressed outrage over alleged U.S. eavesdropping on European Union diplomats. American analyst-turned-leaker Edward Snowden, believed to be stranded for the past week at Moscow?s international airport, applied for political asylum to remain in Russia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in the Kremlin in Moscow, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, Pool)

In this photo taken on Monday, June 24, 2013, shows a view of Moscow's Airport Sheremetyevo, terminal E, with a hotel for transit passengers at the transit zone inside. Leaker Snowden has been caught in legal limbo in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he has hoped to get asylum, says it may take months to rule on his case. Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Monday, July 1, 2013, that Snowden will have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wants to get asylum in Russia, but added that Snowden has no plan to stop leaking. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)

FILE - In this file photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013, a Russian supporter of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden holds a poster outside Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. Leaker Snowden has been caught in legal limbo in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he has hoped to get asylum, says it may take months to rule on his case. Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Monday, July 1, 2013, that Snowden will have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wants to get asylum in Russia, but added that Snowden has no plan to stop leaking. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Bolivian President Evo Morales, second right, attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in the Kremlin in Moscow, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Maxim Shemetov, Pool)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama brushed aside sharp European criticism on Monday, suggesting that all nations spy on each other as the French and Germans expressed outrage over alleged U.S. eavesdropping on European Union diplomats. American analyst-turned-leaker Edward Snowden, believed to still be at Moscow's international airport, applied for political asylum to remain in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement he acknowledged sounded odd, told reporters in Moscow that Snowden would have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wanted asylum in Russia ? and he added that Snowden seemed unwilling to stop publishing leaks of classified material. At the same time, Putin said that he had no plans to turn over Snowden to the United States.

Obama, in an African news conference with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, said the U.S. would provide allies with information about new reports that the National Security Agency had bugged EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels. But he also suggested such activity by governments would hardly be unusual.

"We should stipulate that every intelligence service ?not just ours, but every European intelligence service, every Asian intelligence service, wherever there's an intelligence service ? here's one thing that they're going to be doing: They're going to be trying to understand the world better, and what's going on in world capitals around the world," he said. "If that weren't the case, then there'd be no use for an intelligence service."

The latest issue concerns allegations of U.S. spying on European officials in the German news weekly Der Spiegel. French President Francois Hollande on Monday demanded that the U.S. immediately stop any such eavesdropping and suggested the widening controversy could jeopardize next week's opening of trans-Atlantic trade talks between the United States and Europe.

"We cannot accept this kind of behavior from partners and allies," Hollande said on French television.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin, "Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable." He declared, "We're not in the Cold War anymore."

Even before the latest disclosures, talks at the upcoming free-trade sessions were expected to be fragile, with disagreements surfacing over which items should be covered or excluded from an agreement. The United States has said there should be no exceptions. But France has called for exempting certain cultural products, and other Europeans do not appear eager to give up longtime agricultural subsidies.

Obama said the Europeans "are some of the closest allies that we have in the world." But he added, "I guarantee you that in European capitals, there are people who are interested in, if not what I had for breakfast, at least what my talking points might be should I end up meeting with their leaders. That's how intelligence services operate."

Nonetheless, Obama said he'd told his advisers to "evaluate everything that's being claimed" and promised to share the results with allies.

Meanwhile, the Interfax news agency said a Russian consular official has confirmed that Snowden had asked for asylum in Russia.

Interfax cited Kim Shevchenko, the duty officer at the Russian Foreign Ministry's consular office in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, as saying that Snowden's representative, Sarah Harrison, handed over his request on Sunday.

Snowden, in legal limbo, is believed to have been in the airport's transit zone since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he has hoped to get asylum, has been giving off mixed signals about offering him shelter.

"If he wants to go somewhere and there are those who would take him, he is welcome to do so," Putin said. "If he wants to stay here, there is one condition: He must stop his activities aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners, no matter how strange it may sound coming from my lips."

Obama said "there have been high-level discussions with the Russians" about Snowden's situation.

"We don't have an extradition treaty with Russia. On the other hand, you know, Mr. Snowden, we understand, has traveled there without a valid passport, without legal papers. And you know we are hopeful that the Russian government makes decisions based on the normal procedures regarding international travel and the normal procedures regarding international travel and the normal interactions that law enforcement has. So I can confirm that."

Putin didn't mention any Snowden effort to seek asylum in Russia, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say what the Russian response might be. Putin insisted that Snowden wasn't a Russian agent and that Russian security agencies hadn't contacted him.

Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the Snowden case, said Washington's efforts were focused primarily on persuading Russia to deport Snowden either directly to the United States or to a third country, possibly in eastern Europe, that would then hand him over to U.S. authorities.

In a sign of the distrust the latest report had revealed, the German government said it had launched a review of its secure government communications network and the EU's executive, the European Commission, ordered "a comprehensive ad hoc security sweep."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday he didn't know the details of the allegations, but he still played them down, maintaining that many nations undertake various activities to protect their national interests. Kerry failed to quell the outrage from allies, including France, Germany and Italy.

A spokesman for Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, said, "The European Union has demanded and expects full and urgent clarification by the U.S. regarding the allegations."

According to Der Spiegel's report, which it said was partly based on information leaked by Snowden, NSA planted bugs in the EU's diplomatic offices in Washington and infiltrated the building's computer network. Similar measures were taken at the EU's mission to the United Nations in New York, the magazine said.

It also reported that NSA used secure facilities at NATO headquarters in Brussels to dial into telephone maintenance systems that would have allowed it to intercept senior officials' calls and Internet traffic at a key EU office nearby.

As for Snowden, White House national security spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the White House won't comment on specific asylum requests but reiterated its message to all countries that he "needs to be expelled back to the U.S. based on the fact that he doesn't have travel documents and the charges pending against him."

Regarding possible effects on U.S. interactions with Russia, she said it remains the case "that we don't want this issue to negatively impact the bilateral relationship."

___

Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris, Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Raf Casert in Brussels, Deb Riechmann in Brunei, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Julie Pace in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-01-NSA%20Surveillance/id-ff817bc0d87a40a99ea29de9675766a9

forrest gump bernard hopkins devils la riots rachel maddow gia utah jazz