Vudu is joining Netflix in trying to put another nail in DVD's coffin by offering interactive features for select Sony films. The Walmart-owned streamer calls the new service Vudu Extras+, and kicked it off today with deleted scenes, featurettes and trivia from Sony's District 9 alien flick. Other ...
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/g7DcwWmpayQ/Someone actually went there: as the problems with Healthcare.gov moved into the vacuum created by the end of the government shutdown, National Review reporter Jonathan Strong Tweeted, "is Obamacare President Obama's Iraq war?"
One can understand why Strong found the logic seductive. The Bush presidency was defined by the Iraq war; Obama has made the Affordable Care Act the centerpiece of his legacy. The Iraq war was a hideous, years-long fiasco, costing hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars and the weeks-old strangled roll-out of the ACA insurance marketplace exchanges has … ok, wait.
In this image made from video provided by theOct26thDriving campaign, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Saudi woman drives a vehicle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. A Saudi woman said she got behind the wheel Saturday and drove to the grocery store without being stopped or harassed by police, kicking off a campaign protesting the ban on women driving in the ultraconservative kingdom. (AP Photo)
In this image made from video provided by theOct26thDriving campaign, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Saudi woman drives a vehicle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. A Saudi woman said she got behind the wheel Saturday and drove to the grocery store without being stopped or harassed by police, kicking off a campaign protesting the ban on women driving in the ultraconservative kingdom. (AP Photo)
In this image made from video provided by theOct26thDriving campaign, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Saudi woman drives a vehicle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. A Saudi woman said she got behind the wheel Saturday and drove to the grocery store without being stopped or harassed by police, kicking off a campaign protesting the ban on women driving in the ultraconservative kingdom. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this Friday, June 17, 2011 file image made from video released by Change.org, a Saudi Arabian woman drives a car as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s been a little more than two years since the last time women in Saudi Arabia campaigned for the right to drive. Since then, the monarchy has made incremental but key reforms, and activists hope that has readied the nation for greater change as they call for women to get behind the wheel in a new campaign Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. Ultraconservatives are pushing back with protests, threats and even a cleric’s warning that driving a car damages a woman’s ovaries.(AP Photo/Change.org, File)
FILE - In thos Friday, Nov. 7, 2008 file photo, a Saudi woman walks in the desert, in Thumama, Saudi Arabia. It’s been a little more than two years since the last time women in Saudi Arabia campaigned for the right to drive. Since then, the monarchy has made incremental but key reforms, and activists hope that has readied the nation for greater change as they call for women to get behind the wheel in a new campaign Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. Ultraconservatives are pushing back with protests, threats and even a cleric’s warning that driving a car damages a woman’s ovaries. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi activists said more than 60 women claimed to have answered their call on Saturday to get behind the wheel in a rare show of defiance against a ban on female driving in the ultraconservative kingdom.
Saudi professor and campaigner Aziza Youssef said the group has received 13 videos and another 50 phone messages from women showing or claiming they had driven. She said they have no way to verify the messages.
If the numbers are accurate, this year's campaign is the most successful effort yet by Saudi women demanding the right to drive. Youssef said they have not received any reports of arrests or women being ticketed by police.
A security official said that authorities did not arrest or fine any female drivers on Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
However, there have been a few roadblocks along the way.
Youssef said she and four other prominent women activists received phone calls this week from a top official with close links to Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, warning them not to drive on Saturday, the day the campaign set for women's driving.
She also said that "two suspicious cars" have been following her everywhere all day. "I don't know from which party they are from. They are not in a government car," she said.
Though no specific Saudi law bans women from driving, women are not issued licenses. They mostly rely on drivers or male relatives to move around.
Powerful clerics who hold far-reaching influence over the monarchy enforce the driving ban, warning that breaking it will spread "licentiousness." A prominent cleric caused a stir when he said last month that medical studies show that driving a car harms a woman's ovaries.
The kingdom's first major driving protest came in 1990 when some 50 women drove their cars. They were jailed for a day, had their passports confiscated and lost their jobs. In June 2011, about 40 women got behind the wheel in several cities in a protest sparked when a woman was arrested after posting a video of herself driving.
The atmosphere appeared more tolerant this year and state newspapers for the first time have run near daily commentary on the issue. Reforms made by the monarchy since the last 2011 driving campaign may have readied the deeply conservative nation for change. Changes include allowing women to sit on the national advisory council and a decision by King Abdullah to permit women to vote and run in municipal elections in 2015.
May Al Sawyan, a 32 year-old mother of two and an economic researcher, told The Associated Press that she drove from her home in Riyadh to the grocery store and back.
Like other female drivers defying the ban in Saudi Arabia, Al Sawyan said she has obtained a driver's license from abroad.
"I am very happy and proud that there was no reaction against me," she said. "There were some cars that drove by. They were surprised, but it was just a glance. It is fine ... They are not used to seeing women driving here."
In the run-up to the Oct. 26 driving campaign, Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki warned that anyone disturbing public order would be dealt with forcefully. That same language was used in charges levied against a female driver in 2011.
Women have been posting videos almost daily of themselves driving since the campaign's website was launched in late September, enraging conservatives in the country who accused the government of not doing anything to stop them from flouting the ban. In one incident this month, two women were pulled over by police who made them sign a letter stating they would not drive or be in the car with a female driver. Their husbands were called to pick them up.
Ultraconservative clerics, angry that the government is not cracking down harder, protested earlier in the week against the online petition campaign, which claims to have more than 16,000 signatures. The account's website, oct26driving.org, and official English language YouTube account were hacked on Friday, according to activists.
The four-minute video uploaded Saturday of Al Sawyan showed her wearing sunglasses and her face was visible. Her hair was covered by the traditional black headscarf worn by Saudi women.
Al Sawyan said she was prepared for the risk of detention if caught. She said she was far enough from a police car that she was not spotted.
"I just took a small loop. I didn't drive for a long way, but it was fine. I went to the grocery store," she said.
Her husband and family waited at home and called her nervously when she arrived at the store to check on her, she said. She drove with a local female television reporter in the car. They were both without male relatives in the vehicle, which in itself defies the country's strict norms requiring women to have a male guardian in public.
Deputy editor-in-chief of the state-backed newspaper Saudi Gazette, Somayya Jabarti, said she envies her male co-workers who can jump in their cars and leave the office while she has to coordinate ahead of time for a driver or relative.
"The struggle is more that people should have the option to choose," she said. "The logo of this current driving campaign is that women's driving is a choice. "
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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-26-Saudi-Women%20Driving/id-64ad5364ddf94078943528e6e02c7303
The Nintendo Wii is now discontinued in Europe, joining Japan in halting shipments of the massively popular game console. North America is the Wii's final holdout, with Nintendo of America telling GameSpot, "There is no change in the status of Wii in the United States and it is available for ...
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/1OSuftzfdKY/Being in the public eye can cause a lot of headache along with the perks of fame, and Justin Bieber became the target of some official scrutiny recently.
This past weekend, a photo of the "Hold Tight" singer with a bottle of beer in his hand taken inside NOX Houston club drew the attention of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
After a complaint was filed, the Commission will investigate whether or not the Biebs was served alcohol, which could mean big problems for the club.
Also that weekend, the 19-year-old pop star was departing San Juan, Puerto Rico when airport security decided to conduct a "random search" through his many bags. Following an hour-long search, Justin was permitted to leave on a private jet.
FILE - In this Wednesday, April 21, 2010, file photo, cast member Alex O'Loughlin arrives at the premiere of "The Back-up Plan" in Los Angeles. O’Loughlin says he’s signed up for two more seasons of “Hawaii Five-0” but is looking forward to a career beyond the hit TV series. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alex O'Loughlin says he's signed up for two more seasons of "Hawaii Five-0" but is looking forward to a career beyond the hit TV series.
The 38-year-old actor plays policeman Steve McGarrett on the CBS series, now in its fourth season. He said the intense workload and shooting schedule had kept him out of other potential projects.
"Like I read Doug Liman's script, 'Everest,' which he's about to start directing — it's amazing and it's invigorating. But it's also heartbreaking at the same time because it feels so far away from me at the moment," O'Loughlin said at the Australians in Film awards dinner Thursday night. "I've never played one character for this long. And it's network TV, too, so it comes with its own set of challenges from the artist's perspective. But I'm very lucky. My kids will get to go to good schools, we all eat organic food, and I live in Hawaii."
The actor noted that the show — a reimagining of the 1970s series starring Jack Lord — had overcome a number of hurdles to remain consistently highly rated.
"I mean, we've had cast troubles. I got really hurt and had to go and sort myself out in the second season. We've had injuries, we've had all sorts of things. It just keeps going," he said. "We can't seem to kill it. So I guess it's going to stick around for a while."
As for how long he'll stick around: "At the moment I can't imagine working any longer than tomorrow. Because there's just so much work. But we'll see, we'll see. I want to do other things sooner rather than later."
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Online:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/hawaii_five_0/
Anyone who's picked up an Ouya, or demoed one in-store, knows that the controller, with its sticky buttons and flimsy removable plates, could do with a lot of help. Company founder Julie Uhrman's aware of the issue and, in an interview with Polygon, she revealed that a new version of the Ouya ...
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