U.S. government invites hackers to 'Civic Hacking Day'

A coalition of organizations, companies, and government agencies are hosting the National Day of Civic Hacking on June 1 and 2.(Credit:hackforchange.org)The U.S. government is hoping that hackers can help make the nation a better place. The White House announced today that it will kick off a "National Day of Civic Hacking" on June 1 and 2 and is inviting those with tech know-how to use their coding...

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Evidence shows bold L.A. priest abuse cover-up

(CBS News) LOS ANGELES - There is new evidence that leaders of the Catholic Church in Los Angeles maneuvered secretly to shield priests accused of sexually abusing children. Documents just released indicate they never told parishioners -- or the police -- what they knew. "What we're seeing in these files is but a glimpse into a very, very dark, and endless tunnel of secrecy, of abuse, of silence,"...

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Left Turn? Obama Speech Invigorates Progressives

A presidential campaign that was largely about jobs and the economy gave way during Monday's inaugural ceremonies to a sweeping affirmation of progressivism and call for "collective action." Now, liberal allies of President Obama say they're closely watching to see whether the second-term president follows through on issues with which he has struggled before.Obama's groundbreaking...

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Algeria vows to fight Qaeda after 38 workers killed

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's prime minister accused a Canadian of coordinating last week's raid on a desert gas plant and, praising the storming of the complex where 38 mostly foreign hostages were killed, he pledged to resist the rise of Islamists in the Sahara. Algeria will never succumb to terrorism or allow al Qaeda to establish "Sahelistan", an Afghan-style power base in arid northwest...

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Israelis vote in elections seen swinging to the right

JERUSALEM: Israelis vote Tuesday in a general election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power at the head of a government of hardline right-wing and religious parties.The ballot to choose Israel's 19th parliament is likely to usher in a government that will swing further to the right, undermining the chances of a peace deal with the Palestinians and raising the prospect...

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Keep your Blu-rays and DVDs, Hollywood -- I'm gone digital

It had been years since I actually bought a DVD or a Blu-ray copy of a movie. But over Christmas, I bought one. I really wanted those extra features that a physical disk provides. Why not get a Blu-ray with a digital copy, I thought, and have the best of both worlds? Why not turned out to be because redeeming digital copies is a nightmare. Are you getting a copy for iTunes? Or for Amazon? Or whatever...

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Anticipating Obama's coming immigration push

(CBS News) MESA, Arizona - In his inaugural address Monday, President Obama touched only briefly on immigration reform. But in the next few weeks, he is expected to propose changes that would put millions of illegal immigrants on the path toward U.S. citizenship. It could be one of the biggest challenges in his second term. "We need this president to push as hard as he can, because Latinos care...

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Obama's 2nd Term: Whose Time Is 'Our Time'?

Jan 21, 2013 12:50pm Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty ImagesANALYSIS By RICK KLEINPresident Obama used a brief pause in the partisan warfare that’s scarred his time in office to return to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, with his own declaration of urgency and a call to action that reflects shared sacrifice and responsibility.This was no centrist conciliator. It...

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Algeria toll rises as attack claimed for al Qaeda

ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) - The death toll has risen to at least 48 hostages killed during a four-day siege at a gas plant deep in the Sahara as a veteran Islamist fighter claimed responsibility on behalf of al Qaeda for the attack. Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details at a Monday news conference about one of the worst international hostage crises in decades,...

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President Tan confident US will steer world out of uncertainty

SINGAPORE: President Tony Tan Keng Yam has said he is confident that the United States will be able to rise to the occasion of steering of the world out of economic uncertainty, under the leadership of President Barack Obama.In a congratulatory letter to President Obama on his inauguration for a second term in office, President Tan noted that during his first term, the US averted a financial...

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