NEW YORK (AP) ? The boozy, bluesy, hot-mama howl of Janis Joplin is heading to Broadway.
Producers said Wednesday that the musical "A Night With Janis Joplin" starring Mary Bridget Davies as the iconic singer will start previews at the Lyceum Theatre on Sept. 20.
The show, written and directed by Randy Johnson, has a live onstage band and features Joplin hits and classic songs such as "Piece of My Heart," ''Mercedes Benz," ''Me and Bobby McGee," ''Ball and Chain" and "Summertime."
The show has already been staged at Portland Center Stage in Oregon; the Cleveland Play House; Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; the Pasadena Playhouse in California; and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
Davies, who was raised in Cleveland, first won the role in 2005 after beating 150 actresses. She has appeared in the musical revue "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues" and another Joplin musical, "Love, Janis." She has toured with Joplin's band, Big Brother & the Holding Company and has released the album "Wanna Feel Somethin.'"
Joplin rose to fame during San Francisco's 1967 "Summer of Love," gaining acclaim when she performed her version of blues singer Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain" at the Monterey International Pop Festival. She died of a heroin overdose in Hollywood in 1970.
Exercise benefits patients with type 2 diabetesPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
OAK BROOK, Ill. Moderate-intensity exercise reduces fat stored around the heart, in the liver and in the abdomen of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, even in the absence of any changes in diet, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into the cells, or when the cells resist the effects of insulin. The disease can lead to a wide range of complications, including damage to the eyes and kidneys and hardening of the arteries.
Exercise is recommended for people with diabetes, but its effects on different fat deposits in the body are unclear, according to the study's senior author, Hildo J. Lamb, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
"Based on previous studies, we noticed that different fat deposits in the body show a differential response to dietary or medical intervention," he said. "Metabolic and other effects of exercise are hard to investigate, because usually an exercise program is accompanied by changes in lifestyle and diet."
For the new study, Dr. Lamb and colleagues assessed the effects of exercise on organ-specific fat accumulation and cardiac function in type 2 diabetes patients, independent of any other lifestyle or dietary changes. The 12 patients, average age 46 years, underwent MRI examinations before and after six months of moderate-intensity exercise totaling between 3.5 and six hours per week and featuring two endurance and two resistance training sessions. The exercise cycle culminated with a 12-day trekking expedition.
MRI results showed that, although cardiac function was not affected, the exercise program led to a significant decrease in fat volume in the abdomen, liver and around the heart, all of which have been previously shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
"In the present study we observed that the second layer of fat around the heart, the peracardial fat, behaved similarly in response to exercise training as intra-abdominal, or visceral fat," Dr. Lamb said. "The fat content in the liver also decreased substantially after exercise."
Dr. Lamb noted that the exercise-induced fat reductions in the liver are of particular importance to people with type 2 diabetes, many of whom are overweight or obese.
"The liver plays a central role in regulating total body fat distribution," he said. "Therefore, reduction of liver fat content and visceral fat volume by physical exercise are very important to reverse the adverse effects of lipid accumulation elsewhere, such as the heart and arterial vessel wall."
The findings point to an important role for imaging in identifying appropriate treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, which the World Health Organization projects to be the seventh leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.
"In the future, we hope to be able to use advanced imaging techniques to predict in individual patients which therapeutic strategy is most effective: diet, medication, exercise, surgery or certain combinations," Dr. Lamb said.
###
"Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Changes in Tissue-Specific Fat Distribution and Cardiac Function." Collaborating with Dr. Lamb were Jacqueline T. Jonker, M.D., Pieter de Mol, M.D., Suzanna T. de Vries, M.D., Ralph L.Widya, M.D., Sebastiaan Hammer, M.D., Ph.D., Linda D. van Schinkel, M.D., Rutger W. van der Meer, M.D., Ph.D., Rijk O.B. Gans, M.D., Ph.D., Andrew G. Webb, Ph.D., Hermien E. Kan, Ph.D., Eelco J.P. de Koning, M.D., Ph.D., and Henk J.G. Bilo, M.D., Ph.D.
Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Exercise benefits patients with type 2 diabetesPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
OAK BROOK, Ill. Moderate-intensity exercise reduces fat stored around the heart, in the liver and in the abdomen of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, even in the absence of any changes in diet, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into the cells, or when the cells resist the effects of insulin. The disease can lead to a wide range of complications, including damage to the eyes and kidneys and hardening of the arteries.
Exercise is recommended for people with diabetes, but its effects on different fat deposits in the body are unclear, according to the study's senior author, Hildo J. Lamb, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
"Based on previous studies, we noticed that different fat deposits in the body show a differential response to dietary or medical intervention," he said. "Metabolic and other effects of exercise are hard to investigate, because usually an exercise program is accompanied by changes in lifestyle and diet."
For the new study, Dr. Lamb and colleagues assessed the effects of exercise on organ-specific fat accumulation and cardiac function in type 2 diabetes patients, independent of any other lifestyle or dietary changes. The 12 patients, average age 46 years, underwent MRI examinations before and after six months of moderate-intensity exercise totaling between 3.5 and six hours per week and featuring two endurance and two resistance training sessions. The exercise cycle culminated with a 12-day trekking expedition.
MRI results showed that, although cardiac function was not affected, the exercise program led to a significant decrease in fat volume in the abdomen, liver and around the heart, all of which have been previously shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
"In the present study we observed that the second layer of fat around the heart, the peracardial fat, behaved similarly in response to exercise training as intra-abdominal, or visceral fat," Dr. Lamb said. "The fat content in the liver also decreased substantially after exercise."
Dr. Lamb noted that the exercise-induced fat reductions in the liver are of particular importance to people with type 2 diabetes, many of whom are overweight or obese.
"The liver plays a central role in regulating total body fat distribution," he said. "Therefore, reduction of liver fat content and visceral fat volume by physical exercise are very important to reverse the adverse effects of lipid accumulation elsewhere, such as the heart and arterial vessel wall."
The findings point to an important role for imaging in identifying appropriate treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, which the World Health Organization projects to be the seventh leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.
"In the future, we hope to be able to use advanced imaging techniques to predict in individual patients which therapeutic strategy is most effective: diet, medication, exercise, surgery or certain combinations," Dr. Lamb said.
###
"Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Changes in Tissue-Specific Fat Distribution and Cardiac Function." Collaborating with Dr. Lamb were Jacqueline T. Jonker, M.D., Pieter de Mol, M.D., Suzanna T. de Vries, M.D., Ralph L.Widya, M.D., Sebastiaan Hammer, M.D., Ph.D., Linda D. van Schinkel, M.D., Rutger W. van der Meer, M.D., Ph.D., Rijk O.B. Gans, M.D., Ph.D., Andrew G. Webb, Ph.D., Hermien E. Kan, Ph.D., Eelco J.P. de Koning, M.D., Ph.D., and Henk J.G. Bilo, M.D., Ph.D.
Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Microsoft is selective about where its first-party game franchises appear -- outside of lightweight releases like Kinectimals and Wordament, it prefers to use games as technologyshowcases and system sellers. It may not be picky for much longer, though, as Nikkei claims that Microsoft has reached a deal with Japan's KLab to develop Android and iOS versions of its first-party titles. The deal reportedly includes adaptations of both PC and Xbox games, and would start with a free-to-play variant of Age of Empires that could launch before the end of the 2013 fiscal year. We've reached out to Microsoft to verify the rumor, but it's clear that the arrangement could be a breakthrough for gamers who aren't wedded to Microsoft's existing mobile strategy.
At the end of May, it was reported that the Cleveland Browns were letting VP of Media Relations Neal Gulkis go some time in mid-June. Gulkis reportedly worked his final day on the job last Friday, and today, the team announced the hiring of a Director of Communications: Zak Gilbert.
"We are thrilled to add someone with Zak?s skills and background to lead our communications department," said Browns CEO Joe Banner. "He brings nearly 20 years of expertise on both the collegiate and professional level. We are happy to welcome him to the Browns organization."
Gilbert was the Director of Media Relations for the Oakland Raiders in 2012. Usually, you don't have interesting back-stories about your PR guys. Things are different in Gilbert's case. He was fired by Raiders owner Mark Davis on June 1. According to Silver and Black Pride, the firing came as a result of Davis not liking what was said in a piece that was published by Sports Illustrated:
Gilbert had been brought over from the Green Bay Packers by Reggie McKenzie as part of the regime change. His dismissal came straight from Mark Davis and was reportedly because of an article in Sports Illustrated which spoke of the Raiders' legacy being tainted by the past ten years of non-winning seasons.
Since the article came out, Gilbert had been put on leave and had not been at the Raiders' facility, performing many of his duties from home while assistant media directors Will Kiss and Erin Exum were coordinating things from Raiders headquarters.
A week later, Silver and Black Pride explained more about why Gilbert was fired by Davis:
Mark did not provide a direct response about the firing of Gilbert, but in essence he really did reveal that he did not like the approach that the Raiders were taking to distance themselves from his father. He does not want to move on with the image of Al being incapable of adapting to the new NFL, he wants the image to be the timeless ones of his father holding the Lombardi trophy.
Per Gilbert's LinkedIn account, he is, "actively seeking new opportunities to serve a championship organization." The firing of Gilbert created a stir in Oakland and the national media earlier this month, so I'd imagine that he was well-liked by outsiders. Maybe the Cleveland media will be happier with how things are run now than they were under Gulkis?
Shark Week might be more than a month away, but that hasn't stopped the Discovery Channel from starting its ad campaign for the highly anticipated programming.
Its first ad of the season takes us to a fake local news station's coverage of the rescue of Snuffy the Seal. The tag line says it all: "Shark Week. It's a bad week to be a seal."
The ad is shocking, awesome, and effectively getting fans pumped for August 4.
A Pakistani Taliban spokesman said the attack was retaliation for the killing of the group's No. 2 in a US drone strike last month.
By Taha Siddiqui,?Correspondent / June 23, 2013
Nine foreign tourists and one Pakistani guide have been shot dead in the Himalayas of northern Pakistan, a region considered relatively insulated from the country's extremist violence.
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According to the police, the attack took place in the middle of the night when armed men dressed up as local paramilitary police ambushed a base camp in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. The camp lies at the foot of Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth highest mountain, and is usually inhabited by mountaineers for climbing expeditions.?
Although the identities of the tourists have yet to be verified, Pakistan?s interior ministry has confirmed that they hailed from China, Russia, and Ukraine.
In a country already struggling with its image abroad, many in the tourism industry fear that the latest attack on foreigners will discourage thousands of other international tourists who come every year to Pakistan to one of the only remaining safe regions in the country.
?Around fifteen to twenty thousand tourists including mountaineers came to Pakistan each year during the summer season. Each one of them spends over five to six thousand dollars. The loss to Pakistan because of this attack will be in billions of rupees,? says Ghulam Nabi, a representative of Pakistan Tour Operators? Association. ?And it?s not just tourists that run away then, it also affects the foreign investor confidence."
Following the attack, this Monitor reporter received a call from an undisclosed location in which Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesperson for the banned terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.
?We will continue to target the foreigners until the drone strikes stop. This attack was particularly in revenge for the killing of our commander Wali-ur-Rehman. Our local Taliban faction in the area carried it out under our instructions,? Mr. Ehsan said.
Wali-ur-Rehman, who was killed last month in one of the first drone strikes after the new government in Pakistan came to power, served as the deputy commander of the TTP, operating out of the tribal region of Waziristan where the US has focused much of its drone activity. Following his killing, the Taliban withdrew an offer for?peace talks with Nawaz Sharif, whose party was elected into power after the?May 11?general elections.
The newly elected Prime Minister has openly condemned the drone attacks and has asked the United States to stop using drones. He is of the view that peace talks are one of the main options to tackle the issue of insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban.
But analysts believe that the government?s insistence on peace talks has helped the Taliban gain strength and that is why there is an increase in their attacks once again. ?When the government and especially the leadership calls for a dialogue with the Taliban, the security forces become relaxed thinking that their job is over ? which actually gives the Taliban time to regroup and rebuild. We have seen this happen many times before,? says Khadim Hussain, a development specialist who has worked on counter-terrorism projects in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region where the Taliban are headquartered.
Mr. Hussain says that the solution to end terrorism in Pakistan can only be through a multifaceted policy which should include use of force, political strategy, and social changes.
?There is a strong ideological support in the general Pakistani population for these elements because of years of state indoctrination through education, media, mosques, etc. We need to use the same tools to create an alternative discourse for jihad and teach values that inculcate pluralistic and democratic principles,? he adds.
Christopher Dorner, the former Los Angeles police officer who went on a killing rampage he said was motivated to clear his name, was properly fired after using the internal Los Angeles Police Department system to try to stay on the force, police officials said Friday.
In a report to the Police Commission, Police Chief Charlie Beck and Inspector General Alexander Bustamante said the department followed all the correct procedures in removing Dorner from the department in 2009 after he filed a false complaint against a training officer, accusing her of kicking a suspect who had been restrained.
Beck had ordered the review after Dorner's manifesto, a 17-page document called "Last Resort," raised questions over the procedures used in his firing.
Dorner is believed to have committed suicide when he was cornered inside a Big Bear cabin following a killing spree in which he had allegedly murdered the daughter of the attorney who had represented him and her fiance, as well as killing two other police officers and wounding three others.
Gerald Chaleff, special assistant for constitutional policing to Beck, detailed in a 22-page report the problems Dorner experienced at the Police Academy and while on the force up to his dismissal.
"After a review of all the evidence ... and the allegations of Christopher Dorner, it has been determined that terminating him from the department was not only appropriate, it was the only course the department could take based on the facts and the evidence," Chaleff said.
"Dorner repeatedly displayed a tendency to utilize the department's complaint process to further his own personal agenda."
Chaleff said Dorner was originally hired by the LAPD in 2005, but that it took him 13 months to graduate rather than the normal six months due to a variety of factors, including an injury suffered with the negligent discharge of his weapon.
Dorner was fired in 2009 after it was determined he had filed a false complaint against his training officer, saying she had kicked a suspect during an arrest.
Chaleff said Dorner made the complaints 13 days after the arrest and only after he was told he was being given an unsatisfactory rating report.
Also, he said, Dorner passed up several opportunities in that time period to lodge a complaint against the training officer.
"The inconsistencies in Dorner's various explanations as to why there was a delay in his reporting the alleged kicks to a supervisor, and the fact that he offered no reasonable rationale for such delays, cast considerable doubt on the credibility of his allegations," Chaleff said.
"Dorner's statements concerning the delay continued to change throughout his testimony and appeared to be self-serving and in several instances were blatant fabrications."
Once the complaint was made, investigators tried to follow up with the mentally ill suspect who had been arrested, but they were unable to corroborate that he had been kicked.
"The record is clear that Dorner fabricated allegations against his training officer, and later, against his peers and superiors," Chaleff said. "The decision to terminate Dorner was sound and just. Dorner's documented proclivity to concoct allegations and evidence to advance his personal agenda support the conclusion that Dorner was rightfully terminated from the LAPD."
Dorner would also make complaints about the Board of Rights hearing in which his dismissal was upheld. Later investigations also cleared the board of any conflicts.
Chaleff said a second report is being prepared on the department's disciplinary process.
Dorner also filed an appeal over his firing with the Superior Court and it was dismissed.
In his manifesto, Dorner accused the LAPD of continuing to discriminate against officers based on race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation and there was retaliation against those who reported problems.
Chaleff said the department has acknowledge past problems, including a code of silence, but that steps have been taken over the past decade to address these problems. Most recently, a federal judge lifted the consent decree over the department noting the gains that had been made in dealing with problem officers.
AN Oyo State High Court has given more time to Mr. Yisau Olaogun and others who represent Lagelu Aboke family to regularise all court process in preparation for the hearing of a suit filed against the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana and others.
The Lagelu Aboke family is praying the court to declare that? its non-incorporation as part of royal lineages to be appointable into Olubadan-in-Council is against the native law and custom of Ibadanland. Also, they are seeking an order of the court to direct the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, the Attorney General of the state and the Olubadan of Ibadan to incorporate the claimants into the chieftaincy lineages. The family, who claimed to be? descendants of Lagelu, the founder of Ibadanland, expressed their displeasure at the way they were sidelined by the kingmakers in the ancient city.
At the sitting of the court, on Tuesday, the court, presided over by Justice Ladeinde, adjourned to June 18, 2013 for the commencement of hearing.
Before the case was adjourned, counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants, Dupe Awosemusi, argued that the court should not consider the counter-affidavit which, she said, was served on her at the hearing by the claimants. Responding, counsel to the claimants, Mr. Diekola Rufai, said the defendants violated the provisions of Order 39 Rule 1 of the court and as such should be deemed as not filed before the court.
He said, ?whether it had been filed two or three years ago, so far it violated the rules of the court, it cannot stand. I applied for the needed documents in the file. I deliberately filed the counter-affidavit and written address. The time of this court cannot be taken against me?. The court adjourned the case to 18 June, 2013.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Funeral services for actor James Gandolfini will be Thursday at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City.
An HBO spokeswoman speaking on behalf of the family says the funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m.
The 51-year-old star of "The Sopranos" died Wednesday in Rome. Family spokesman Michael says Gandolfini died of a heart attack.
The Italian news agency ANSA reports Gandolfini's body departed Rome for the United States on Sunday. Kobold earlier told reporters the "provisional plan" was to repatriate Gandolfini's body Monday.
The actor had been headed to Sicily to appear at the Taormina Film Festival, which paid tribute to him Saturday.
Within the roleplay known as The Multiverse there is a player-created organization known as The Invictus. Birthed outside of the Multiverse by yours truly, but allowed to blossom when I arrived here a few years ago.
Unlike some organizations that one will find within the Multiverse, or some other media and fiction, the Invictus has no strict code of conduct, uniform, ideology or too much else that can restrict players tempted to approach about having a character join up or just become involved with the Invictus in general.
This is due to the fact that the Invictus are a business, profiteers who sell the skills honed by their members in war, medicine, science and law. This flexibility has allowed for the Invictus to, on an OOC level, become not only a group, but a group of individuals. Characters within the organization tend to be, and are encouraged to be, characters who can exist with or without the Invictus.
The Invictus is meant to be something that helps RP, not hinder it. They can be a plot point, a plot hook, a plot device, something to use for a character's background or just something to use for atmosphere. Maybe your characters hires them as bodyguards, maybe they have an office set up down the road from where your character lives.
Also, here's a picture of some puppies to appeal to a certain demographic:
Right now the Invictus are involved in many plots within the Multiverse. Some more directly than others. So far they're involved in rebuilding the infrastructure and military of the planet Terra, fighting a war with an ageless god going by the name of Lochlyn Haley and his army of supersoldiers, religious fanatics, mercenaries, anarchists, and just plain ol' bad people, and many smaller plots and scenarios as a result of the actions of individual characters.
They've also found themselves in a bit of a proxy war with a group of Invictus defectors named the Lost and their investors from one side of the extremely Irish Horne family led by Colin Horne and the equally Irish Casey mob against the other half of the Horne family led by Colin's first cousin Kane Horne in Wing City on Terra.
So, if anyone is interested in the Multiverse or the Invictus be sure to get in touch with me. You can send me a message, post a reply here or catch me in the Multiverse chat.
And remember those puppies? If I don't get the desired amount of roleplayers or messages the highly-trained team of ex-Navy Seals I have hired will begin the slaughter.
Hope to hear from some of you soon! Think about those puppies.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? North Korea's U.N. envoy demanded the dissolution of the United Nations Command in South Korea on Friday, accusing the United States of using the force to prepare for war against the North and build an Asian version of NATO to realize President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia.
Ambassador Sin Son Ho told reporters at a rare news conference that the most pressing issue in northeast Asia today is the hostile relations between North Korea and the United States "which can lead to a new war at any moment."
He reiterated North Korea's surprise offer last Saturday of wide-ranging senior-level talks with the United States "to defuse tension on the Korean peninsula and ensure peace and security in the region."
The proposed talks followed months of rising tensions and anti-American rhetoric by North Korea and the collapse earlier this month of proposed high-level talks between North and South Korea, amid bickering over who would lead the two delegations.
Sin stressed that the deteriorating situation on the Korean peninsula "is not caused by the DPRK," the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"All deteriorations and intensified situations (are) entirely caused by the United States of America," he insisted on several occasions.
Sin said U.S.-North Korea talks should include replacing the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War ? and he stressed that one of the "prerequisite requirements" for establishing "a peace mechanism" to replace the armistice is the dissolution of the U.S.-led U.N. Command.
The ambassador said the talks can include "a world without nuclear weapons," which the United States has already proposed.
But he warned that North Korea will not give up its nuclear "self-defense deterrent" unless the United States "fundamentally and irreversibly abandons its hostile policy and nuclear threat" toward the North and dissolves the U.N. Command, which oversees the armistice, and as long as there are nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.
The U.S. State Department said: "The United States remains committed to authentic and credible talks on denuclearization" in order to implement a Sept. 19, 2005 joint statement in which the DPRK made a commitment to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and to bring North Korea into compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions "through irreversible steps leading to denuclearization."
The Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and left the Korean peninsula divided by a heavily fortified border monitored by the U.N. Command. Washington also stations 28,500 American troops in South Korea to protect its ally against North Korean aggression.
A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted two days after North Korean troops invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, recommended that U.N. member states provide military forces and other assistance "to a unified command under the United States of America" to assist the South.
At peak strength, when the armistice was signed in July 1953, the command had over 930,000 troops from 17 countries, including more than 590,000 South Koreans and 302,000 Americans. Since then, the command has overseen the armistice.
In 1994, then U.N. secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali distanced the United Nations from the U.N. Command saying in a letter to North Korea's foreign minister that the Security Council didn't establish it "but merely recommended the creation of such a command, specifying that it be under the authority of the United States."
"Therefore the dissolution of the unified command does not fall within the responsibility of any United Nations organ but is a matter within the competence of the Government of the United States," Boutros-Ghali was quoted as saying.
In a lengthy statement, Sin claimed the U.N. Command "was a tool of war for aggression which was organized by the U.S." and "has nothing to do with the U.N."
"The U.N. Command is the U.S. command in essence," he said, and if necessary the DPRK will submit the issue to the U.N. General Assembly to dissolve it.
Sin said all the facts show that the U.S. is gradually transforming the U.N. Command into a multinational military alliance "which would serve as a matrix of the Asian version of NATO" and "a stepping stone for the U.S. armed forces for aggression toward the DPRK and the realization of ... America's pivot to Asia strategy."
The U.S. aim, he said, is to make South Korea "a forward base for domination of (the) Asia Pacific region and hold fast to it as a cannon fodder for an aggressive war."
As a result, he said, "the situation on the Korean peninsula this year has reached to the full-scale nuclear showdown and to the brink of war between the DPRK and the U.S."
Sin's appearance before U.N. journalists was his first since June 15, 2010 when he vehemently denied any North Korean involvement in the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March 2010 and demanded that military investigators from the North be allowed to go to the site to verify the results of a South Korean probe. It concluded the ship was sunk by a torpedo launched by a North Korean midget submarine.
The ambassador also answered questions on a number of other issues Friday, saying "we don't have any human rights problems in our country," that recent North Korean talks with China were "very friendly," and that the U.S. should "stop economic sanctions against us."
___
Associated Press Writer Maria Sanminiatelli contributed to this report from the United Nations
Paula Deen issued a video apology on Friday, days after it was revealed that she admitted using racial slurs in the past.
The TV cook said she wanted to apologize "for the wrong that I've done" and that she wanted to learn and grow from the incident.
While questioned last month in a discrimination lawsuit, the 66-year-old Food Network star admitted to having used racial slurs in the past, but insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.
In the video apology posted on YouTube, Deen said "inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable."
The Food Network said Thursday it doesn't tolerate any form of discrimination and is looking into the situation.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- American officials are hailing the election of an Iranian president who vows to seek relief from international sanctions as the first tangible evidence that the U.S. strategy is influencing Tehran's nuclear policy.
The draconian sanctions have wreaked havoc on the Iranian economy and weighed heavily in the June 14 vote for Hasan Rowhani, a candidate who openly criticized how his country's leadership has handled the nuclear file.
His election has opened a debate in the U.S. on whether it's time to ease sanctions and see whether Tehran shifts away from what the U.S. believes is the pursuit of a nuclear weapon. It also has set off intense discussions among government agencies on how to proceed with Iran, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
"I think that the administration should ease off on sanctions and pressure Congress to slow the train because President-elect Rowhani has painted a picture of a more forthcoming, more flexible Iranian nuclear policy," said analyst Cliff Kupchan, director for Middle East at Eurasia Group, a U.S.-based consulting group.
Rowhani's election will have no bearing on the next round of new U.S. nuclear sanctions, set to take effect on July 1.
The U.S. officials said there will be no lifting or easing of sanctions at this time unless Iran offers something concrete in return. Washington is well-aware that hard-line Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's ruling clerics ? not the president ? call all the shots in policymaking and make every major decision on the nuclear program and dealings with the West.
However, the Americans could offer other concessions to the Iranians at the so-called P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran, which include the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.
"The question is whether the administration offers a preliminary olive branch, or they say: 'You put down the first piece of silver on the table,'" said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "I would think the administration would be wise to take the signs at face value and offer an olive branch. Olive branches are cheap, and we've got a lot of them in the quiver."
Iran has long insisted its nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful ? for generating power and medical research.
The U.S. and its international partners are deeply skeptical, however, and some in Congress have begun to push new legislation that would impose the harshest sanctions yet. If passed, the law would move the U.S. closer to a full oil and trade embargo than it has ever been. It is by far the biggest sanctions threat hanging over Iran now.
Kupchan said he believes Rowhani's election has dimmed the prospects for that legislation passing anytime this year. And trying to cut back more on Iran's oil exports would be complicated by the fact that the U.S. would have to persuade China and India to reduce their imports further ? a tough sell.
The sanctions starting next month target the local currency, the rial. But the rial has lost about two-thirds of its value over the past two years and analysts say there is little room left on the downside.
This round also aims to stop all transfers of gold to the government or ordinary citizens ? something that sanctions opponents cite as an example of penalties that punish the population more than its leaders. Another measure hits at Iran's auto industry, while the U.S. will also tighten existing sanctions on shipping and energy.
Round after round of sanctions by the U.S. and its international allies have wrought serious damage on Iran's economy. On top of the rial's devaluation, inflation has spiked to about 30 percent, food prices have shot up, and critical oil exports have been cut in half. International banking transactions have been virtually paralyzed.
The rial and Iran's stock market rebounded a bit after the presidential election on optimism that tensions with West may ease and Rowhani might take other measures to stabilize the economy. Managing the domestic economy is one of the main roles of Iran's president.
Despite the economic pain of sanctions, Iran has continued to defy Western demands to halt uranium enrichment, a process to produce nuclear fuel that can be used either for electricity generation or weapons production. Iran has even ratcheted it up over the past few years, as sanctions have mounted.
At a hearing early this month on sanctions, before Rowhani's election, senators grilled administration officials on why the intense economic pressure Iran is feeling has not translated into a change in Iran's nuclear calculus policy.
The policymakers pointed to an Iranian request at the last P5+1 talks for sanctions relief, but seemed hard-pressed to come up with evidence of any other policy effects.
Now, Rowhani's election is being touted by U.S. officials as the "smoking gun."
"The accumulated weight of the sanctions has woken them up from their sleep," said Iran analyst Mehrzad Boroujerdi, director of the Middle East Studies program at Syracuse University.
Conservative lawmakers in Congress, who take a harder line on sanctions than the Obama administration, have made clear they see no cause to let up.
"We need to take our sanctions to maximum levels to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons breakout capability," Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. told The Associated Press in an email. Kirk and other conservative politicians have dismissed the notion that Rowhani is a moderate reformer, saying he was hand-picked by Khamenei.
The administration has spoken in somewhat softer language about the election's outcome.
"I see it as a potentially hopeful sign," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough told CBS.
Ultimately, the stakes of Iranian inaction are about as high as they can be.
"What Rowhani has given us is a new trajectory for diplomacy but not necessarily a lot more time," said Kupchan. "This time next year, we will be talking about strikes on Iran."
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Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
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