News article:

Academy cringing over news of Sacha Baron Cohen’s rumored Oscars stunt Rumored to be hitting red carpet in 'The Dictator' costume

 Sacha Baron Cohen has been blacklisted from the red carpet on Hollywood's biggest night.

 The actor's tickets for Sunday's 84th Academy Awards ceremony have been rescinded amid fears he would attend in full costume as the character from HIS upcoming flick "The Dictator," Deadline.com reported.

 The unusual move was taken by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences after rumors circulated that Cohen would violate the decorum of the awards show with the publicity stunt.

 "Unless they're assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show," an insider told Deadline's Nikki Finke.

 Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

 Cohen had been invited to attend the Oscars as a member of the cast of the best picture nominee “Hugo”.

 The 40-year-old British comic, however, has built his career on edgier material - famously staying in character as he turns unsuspecting passersby into the butts of his jokes in movies like 2006's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of AMerica for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" and 2009's "Bruno."

 His role in the upcoming "The Dictator" was described by the Hollywood Reporter as a “sex-crazed Gaddafi-meets-Hussein ruler who fights to stop democracy from coming to his country.”

 The movie, which also stars Anna Faris, B.J. Novak and John C. Reilly, is slated to be released May 11. ||||| Will Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘The Dictator’ Walk The Oscar Red Carpet?

 UPDATED 5:30 PM WITH MORE DETAILS

 EXCLUSIVE… BREAKING 3PM… The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has pulled actor Sacha Baron Cohen‘s tickets from the 84th Academy Awards. This means he is banned from attending the Oscars even though he is an Academy member and one of the stars from Hugo, Paramount’s 11-nominated movie and Best Picture contender. “Unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show,” Paramount just told me. The reason is that a proposal reached the Academy for Baron Cohen to strut the Red Carpet in full costume as his title character in the upcoming Paramount comedy The Dictator. UPDATE AT 5:30 PM: Later today, faced with all the bad publicity resulting from its action, the Academy tried to parse what it did when questioned by some media outlets. But the fact is that, this morning, the Academy’s Managing Director Of Membership Kimberly Rouch phoned Paramont’s awards staff to say Baron Cohen’s tickets had been pulled unless he gives the Academy assurances ahead of time promising not to show up on the Red Carpet in costume and not to promote the movie on the Red Carpet. The Academy made it clear that, without those assurances, it would not issue him the tickets. So he’s banned.*

 Of course, the next best thing to that publicity stunt is all the media coverage which this ban is going to generate for Baron Cohen’s film. So the Academy has decided to act like dictators about the actor playing The Dictator. Ugh.

 Sancha Baron Cohen Today Show Video

 Loosen up, people. Frankly, the Academy looks like uptight wankers with this treatment of one of the globe’s funniest comedians. The Academy merely had to say no when that proposal was presented to it. Everyone involved in the ceremony was adamantly against it on the grounds that it makes a mockery of what Hollywood considers its most prestigious event. Instead, the Academy clearly wants another overly long, ridiculously reverential show about movies no one bothered to see where the best thing about the telecast will be the comeback of popular host Billy Crystal at age 63.

 UPDATE: Is Academy Blinking On Banning Sacha Baron Cohen From Oscars 2012?

 The Dictator is a spoof about the “heroic story of a Middle Eastern dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppressed”. Whether the fact that the 84th Academy Awards will be beamed into 200 countries had anything to do with this ban is unclear. But it is highly unusual for the Academy to pull a member’s tickets. An Oscars spokesperson acknowledged to Deadline yesterday: ”We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting.” Oh really? Then why did Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park crossdress down the Red Carpet as J-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow in evening gowns in 2000? Or Ben Stiller appear as an Oscar presenter in full blue Avatar makeup and hair in 2010?

 Deadline reported yesterday that Baron Cohen’s plan was to come dressed as The Dictator and then change into a tuxedo and attend the Oscars as planned. He wasn’t scheduled to present an award, but he was arriving at Kodak Theatre as part of the Paramount contingent. Now he can’t do even that. Paramount has a Best Picture nominee in the Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo in which Baron Cohen plays the train station inspector of the movie about an orphan in 1930s Paris.

 At the 2007 Oscars, Baron Cohen was asked to be a presenter and said he would do it only if he could be in character as Borat. And Oscars’ Powers That Be said, “No way.” He didn’t attend. But this is the first time he has been officially banned from the show.

 Purists feel that the Oscars is no place for such in your face promotion. The Academy hasn’t even allowed movies to be advertised during the Oscarcast, until this year. Then again, these Oscars have very little suspense because it’s a forgone conclusion that many of the winners of the marquee categories are already known and The Artist will win Best Picture. The prospect of Baron Cohen’s Red Carpet walk was the closest thing to drama.

 This would not have been Baron Cohen’s first time upstaging an awards show. To promote Bruno, he flew through the air at the MTV Movie Awards and landed with his crotch in the face of Eminem, who later admitted the stunt was rehearsed. And a trailer for The Dictator certainly was one of the raciest ever allowed by the MPAA during the Super Bowl, where Baron Cohen’s character was hilariously depicted running a competitive race while and leg-shooting rivals with a starter pistol as they got close to him.

 Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here. ||||| Contrary to reports, the Academy has not yet pulled Sacha Baron Cohen's Oscar tickets over his plan to appear on the red carpet in character for his next movie — but that could still happen

 According to an executive with the Academy who did not wish to be identified, AMPAS officials have been in touch with representatives for Baron Cohen since they learned of his plan to attend the Oscars in costume as the title character in "The Dictator."

 Their message to British comic was clear: "Our red carpet is not for stunting."

 The Academy is now waiting for a response from Baron Cohen's camp; once they receive one, they will decide whether he can use the tickets he received as a cast member of the Best Picture nominee "Hugo."

 Baron Cohen would have done red carpet interviews in character – and if his past appearances as Borat and Bruno were any indication, would have used the occasion to be disruptive (and probably pretty funny).

 Also read: 'The Dictator' Trailer: Sacha Baron Cohen Laughs in the Face of Tyranny (Video)

 Baron Cohen caused problems for the Oscars four years ago, when they asked him to present but he insisted on doing so only in character, as Borat. The Academy refused.

 The Oscars have a history of being uncomfortable with the unpredictable. Last year, AMPAS executives were worried that Banksy, director of the nominated documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop," would try to take the stage in disguise.

 Speaking of a conversation he had with representatives for the elusive graffiti artist, Academy president Tom Sherak said, "We suggested to them that it might be a good idea that if he did win, one of them would accept in his place – that it would not be dignified for the Academy to have somebody come up wearing a monkey's head."

 (Angry reps for Banksy disputed that he ever wore a monkey mask in public.)

 Also read: Steve Pond's Oscar Picks: 'The Artist' Will Win, but Should It?

 The Academy wasn't amused in 2000, when Best Song nominees Trey Parker and Matt Stone ("South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut") showed up in knockoffs of the famous awards-show gowns worn by Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow.

 Parker and Stone had not cleared their plan with the Academy before that show – and, they said, they got plenty of dirty looks (plus a thumbs-up from Michael Caine) as they walked the red carpet.

 Baron Cohen was reportedly planning to do something similar, wearing his "Dictator" outfit for an in-character trip down the red carpet and then changing into a tux for the show.

 Using an Oscar appearance to promote an upcoming film is not, of course, completely unknown. This year's host, Billy Crystal, did just that in 1991 when he made his entrance on a horse before the release of "City Slickers," and Ben Stiller appeared onstage in his "Starsky and Hutch" costume in 2004.

 But those were onstage, where it was sanctioned and controlled. The red carpet is something else – out there, the Academy doesn't like wild cards. Related Articles: 'The Dictator' Trailer: Sacha Baron Cohen Laughs in the Face of Tyranny (Video) Steve Pond's Oscar Picks: 'The Artist' Will Win, but Should It? 2012 Oscars: Complete List of Nominees |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Sacha Baron Cohen has been told he's not welcome at this Sunday's Academy Awards unless he promises he won't arrive dressed up as a Middle Eastern military dictator. Oscar tickets are in jeopardy for the creator of Borat and Bruno because of fears that he will arrive on the red carpet in character as the "sex-crazed Gadhafi-meets-Hussein" title character of his latest spoof, The Dictator, reports the New York Daily News. Baron Cohen had been invited as one of the stars of Best Picture contender Hugo, "but our red carpet is not for stunting," an Academy official tells Reuters. With most of this year's Oscar winners looking like a foregone conclusion, "the prospect of Baron Cohen’s red carpet walk was the closest thing to drama" viewers could expect this year, notes Nikki Finke at Deadline. Maybe the Academy feared a repeat of the funnyman's 2009 MTV Awards stunt, when Bruno descended from the ceiling in angel wings and landed butt-first on Eminem.


Summarize this article:

HARTLAND, MI (WXYZ) - "The last thing I expected was to not have a job," said Kristopher Oswald, 30, who was fired from Walmart this week after he intervened to help a woman who was apparently being assaulted in the parking lot of the store.

 UPDATE | Walmart has offered Oswald his job back

 It happened around 2:30 a.m. outside the Walmart store in the Livingston County town of Hartland.

 Oswald, who worked stocking pet food on the overnight shift at Walmart, was spending his lunch break in his car when he heard a woman screaming and a man hanging onto the hood of her car.

 At first, Oswald wondered if it was just people horsing around recklessly, but when he walked over to see if the woman was really in danger, he says the man began to attack him, punching him in the head while yelling "I'm going to kill you".

 Oswald tells Action News that he was able to get on top of the man and just when he thought he had him under control, two other men jumped Oswald from behind.

 Livingston County Sheriff deputies were quick to arrive, but Oswald says he wasn't expecting what Walmart did next.

 The company fired Oswald and the reason given on his termination papers states: "after a violation of company policy on his lunch break, it was determined to end his temporary assignment".

 Oswald only began working for Walmart about seven weeks ago and would not have been considered a permanent hire until a 180-day probation period ended.

 Oswald says Walmart has policies against workplace violence to prevent employees from assaulting co-workers or tackling a shoplifter, but that it appears that nothing allows for them to assist in situations of imminent danger and self-defense.

 Now that he's out of a job, Oswald says, "I don't even know what to put on an application about all of this. How do I say this ended?"

 We asked Oswald if he would do it all over again, he replied, "I will always do the right thing."

 Action News has left messages with Walmart's media relations team, but they have not responded. ||||| A Michigan man says he was fired from his job at Wal-Mart after he tried to help a woman being assaulted in the parking lot of one of the retail giant's stores and ended up fighting with her attacker.

 Kristopher Oswald told WXYZ-TV in Detroit ( http://bit.ly/18qGyBh) that Wal-Mart has policies against workplace violence to prevent employees from assaulting co-workers or tackling a shoplifter, but that it appears that nothing allows for them to assist in situations of imminent danger and self-defense.

 A spokeswoman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. told The Associated Press on Thursday that while the company understood Oswald's intentions, his actions violated company policy.

 "We had to make a tough decision, one that we don't take lightly, and he's no longer with the company," company spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said.

 Oswald, 30, said he was in his car on his break about 2:30 a.m. Sunday when he saw a man grabbing a woman. He said he asked her if she needed help and the man started punching him in the head and yelling that he was going to kill him. Oswald said he was able to get on top of the man, but then two other men jumped him from behind.

 Livingston County sheriff's deputies arrived and halted the fight.

 Oswald said the Hartland Township store's management gave him paperwork saying that "after a violation of company policy on his lunch break, it was determined to end his temporary assignment." Oswald had worked for Wal-Mart for about seven weeks and said he would not have been considered a permanent employee until after his 180-day probation.

 "The last thing I expected was to not have a job," Oswald said.

 ___

 Information from: WXYZ-TV, http://www.wxyztv.com |||||

– It's hard to imagine an attempt at heroism going worse than the one Kristopher Oswald attempted Sunday. The 30-year-old Walmart employee was taking a lunch break in his car at around 2:30am (he worked as an overnight stocker), when he heard a woman screaming for help and saw a man on the hood of her car. He approached and asked if the woman needed help, and the man lunged at him, he tells WXYZ. Oswald got on top of his attacker, only to be jumped from behind by two other men. Police came to his rescue soon thereafter. But the last blow landed later when Walmart fired him over the incident. A company spokesman tells the AP that they fully understand that he was trying to help, but that he violated Walmart's anti-violence policy. Oswald was stunned. "The last thing I expected was to not have a job," he says. "I don't even know what to put on an application about all this. How do I say this ended?"


Write an article based on this summary:

– Ashley Judd can do drama, comedy, and action, but top Democrats are increasingly skeptical that she has the chops to play the junior senator from Kentucky. While Judd looks toward a run for Mitch McConnell's seat next year, party power brokers—including Bill Clinton—are trying to convince Kentucky secretary of state Alison Lundergan Grimes to run instead, reports Politico. McConnell's seat is top of the party's hit list for 2014. A Judd candidacy would guarantee the party both big headlines and fundraising dollars. But some are worried that a Hollywood liberal who currently lives in Tennessee won't play well to a Kentucky base. Grimes, a more established politician with strong family connections in the party, offers a far less controversial choice. But that's assuming Clinton and Co. can convince her to run at all. "Why would [Grimes] take on this race?” said a former McConnell chief of staff. “She could run for a state office with little opposition or run against McConnell and endure $30 million in career-ending advertising." Judd's big sister Wynonna, however, is predictably and firmly in her corner, telling Us Weekly, "Of course I'd vote for her!" Though maybe just because blood is thicker than water: "I don't agree with anything she says half the time. We're so different. But I love my sister. I am for Ashley."

Wynonna Judd on Sister Ashley Judd's Possible Bid for 2014 Senate Run: "Of Course I'd Vote For Her!"

 If Ashley Judd decides to hang up her Hollywood hat and dive into the realm of politics, she already has one huge fan in her corner: Older sister Wynonna Judd.

 The country singer, who made her ballroom debut on Dancing With the Stars on Monday, March 18, told Us that though she and the Olympus Has Fallen actress don't always see eye-to-eye, she's already ready to cast her vote should Ashley decide to run for Senate in 2014.

 PHOTOS: Wynonna and Cactus' country wedding

 "Of course I'd vote for her!" she said. "I don't agree with anything she says half the time. We're so different. But I love my sister. I am for Ashley."

 In fact, when Ashley announced her decision to part ways with husband Dario Franchitti, 39, earlier this year, Wynonna was "one of the first people that she told."

 "There were times when I was at such a valley, darkening of the soul, and she and Dario were there for me. and I'm there for Dario and Ashley," the 48-year-old singer told Us. "And they're both still as close and dear to me. And they both know it."

 PHOTOS: Ashley Judd's face throughout the years

 Ashley, 44, and Indy 500 champion Franchitti announced their decision to split after 10 years of marriage in a joint statement this past January.

 "We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed," the couple told Us in a statement.

 Wynonna, who got married to husband Cactus Moser just last year, added that it isn't her place to judge her younger sister -- rather, she wants to act as a support.

 PHOTOS: Hollywood's most expensive divorces

 "There are people that are going to be so surprised like, 'Well if you guys love each other so much, why are you getting a divorce?'" she said of Ashley's amicable divorce. "It's nobody's business! And I say knowing them, it's their story and they are living it so am I supportive? If they ask me opinion, I'll tell them what I think. Otherwise, I support them. Period. Individually. Collectively."

 And the singer explained that her fierce loyalty is returned in kind. When Moser, 55, lost his leg in a devastating motorcycle accident last summer, Ashley was on hand to help out and lift both their spirits.

 PHOTOS: Celebrity health scares

 "Here's this Harvard graduate, you know, smarty-pants who's gonna change the world," Wynonna told Us of her sister. "She comes over to read to Cactus story after story, like she's in the eighth grade! It was the sweetest thing because I hadn't seen that side of Ashley in some time." ||||| Democratic heavy hitters — including Bill Clinton — are quietly trying to woo a new candidate to jump into the race to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, even as actress Ashley Judd is taking steps toward launching a star-studded campaign of her own.

 With fears growing in some Democratic quarters over Judd’s potential candidacy, some prominent Democrats in the Bluegrass State are beginning to set their sights on 34-year-old Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky secretary of state. Among Grimes’s attributes: She lacks political baggage since she’s served barely a year in office, and she hails from a well-connected family influential in Kentucky Democratic politics. But it’s not at all certain if she’ll jump into the race.

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 reset PHOTOS: Judd through the years Play Slideshow Judd on becoming an activist

 Grimes does have the Clintons in her corner. Earlier this month, the former president — a longtime friend of Grimes’s father — privately urged the young secretary of state to mount a Senate bid while assuring Grimes that both he and his wife, Hillary, would get behind her should she decide to take on the powerful Senate GOP leader, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

 (Quiz: Do you know Ashley Judd?)

 Attending an event for former Kentucky Sen. Wendell Ford in Owensboro earlier this month, Clinton privately met with Grimes for about 35 minutes, where they discussed her political future. Sources said Clinton made the case that the Senate bid would offer a bigger platform than the governor’s mansion or the U.S. House race in the 6th Congressional District, covering Frankfort and Lexington, which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had hoped she would pursue.

 Grimes has also met with officials from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to Kentucky Democratic sources. Both the DSCC and Clinton’s office declined to comment.

 The behind-the-scenes jockeying underscores the divide in Democratic quarters over taking on McConnell, the party’s biggest target in 2014, when control of the Senate is at stake. There is a palpable fear among some key Kentucky Democrats that if they nominate the wrong candidate — or engage in a messy primary battle — they will squander their best chance to defeat McConnell since his first Senate win in 1984.

 (PHOTOS: Mitch McConnell’s career)

 Some bluntly worry that Judd — an untested actress-turned-activist — would not be able to take down the McConnell machine while causing headaches for Democrats down the ticket because of her staunchly liberal politics in a conservative state. It’s a fear that McConnell’s allies are only too happy to reinforce.

 “It’s my personal, professional judgment that [Judd] places others on the ballot in peril if some of the fears … come to fruition,” said Dale Emmons, a Kentucky Democratic campaign operative of more than two decades and a Grimes ally. “She places these people at risk by a weak performance on the ballot in this midterm election.” |||||


News article:

Sudoku puzzles can be brainteasers, but one man's brain had an unusual response to solving the numerical grid puzzles: He developed seizures.

 The 25-year-old German man didn't always react this way to Sudoku, according to a new report of his case. His problems began after he was trapped in an avalanche during a ski trip. The young man, a physical education student, had been skiing with a friend in November 2008 when an avalanche occurred on the mountain.

 The avalanche buried the man in the snow and knocked him unconscious, according to the case report. But he was fortunate to have been skiing with a buddy who was a paramedic, and his friend rescued him and started CPR immediately, said Dr. Berend Feddersen, a neurologist at the University of Munich in Germany, and the lead author of the case report published today (Oct. 19) in the journal JAMA Neurology.

 The man suffered a ruptured spleen and hip fracture, Feddersen said. In addition, while he was buried under the snow, his body tissues and brain got too little oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia.

 As a consequence of his brain being deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes, the man developed myoclonic jerks, which are sudden muscle twitches. These twitches occurred in the muscles of his mouth when he talked, and they also occurred in the muscles of both of his legs when he walked. [See Video: Man Has Seizures While Doing Sudoku]

 In the hospital, the man started having a type of seizure called spontaneous tonic clonic seizures in his left arm, Feddersen told Live Science. This type of seizure involves the muscles stiffening and then jerking rapidly and rhythmically. The doctors prescribed anti-epileptic medication to keep the seizures under control, Feddersen said.

 Sudoku-induced seizures

 A few weeks later, after the man was moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery, he attempted to solve a Sudoku puzzle, an activity he enjoyed doing in his free time.

 But while doing the puzzle, he again began having clonic seizures, or muscle twitches, in his left arm.

 Eventually, the doctors figured out that these seizures were triggered because the man had a very intense three-dimensional imagination that activated whenever he solved a Sudoku puzzle. Imagining the numbers three-dimensionally allowed him to sort them and put them in sequence, Feddersen told Live Science.

 The seizures did not occur when the man completed other types of math problems, or while he was reading, Feddersen said.

 The reason the seizures began only after the avalanche was because the hypoxia had resulted in the death of inhibitory fibers, which slow down brain signaling, in the right centro-parietal region of the man's brain.

 Normally, this area of the brain is activated when 3D imagination is used. But with fewer inhibitory fibers in this region, when the man used his 3D imagination, it led to an overactivation of this brain region, which resulted in clonic seizures in his left arm.

 The doctors even found that when the man had very strongly activated his 3D imagination while solving Sudoku, the clonic seizures in his left arm were much more intense, Feddersen said.

 "When he stopped this 3D imagination, the seizures stopped immediately," he noted. So, the man had no choice but to give up Sudoku.

 Feddersen last saw the man in November 2014. He was still affected by the myoclonic twitches brought on by talking and walking, but these symptoms have improved with physical therapy, he said.

 The man has been seizure-free for more than five years, thanks to taking anti-epileptic medication regularly — and steering clear of Sudoku.

 Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. ||||| Also Meets CME requirements for:

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 Your quiz results: The filled radio buttons indicate your responses. The preferred responses are highlighted ||||| Solving sudoku puzzles led to seizures in a young German man, say scientists from the University of Munich who wrote about the unusual medical tale in JAMA Neurology.

 The 25-year-old man, a physical education student, had survived being buried just weeks before by an avalanche during a ski trip. Deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes, he developed muscle jerks when he tried to speak and walk. While in the hospital, he was trying to work out a sudoku puzzle when he began to experience clonic seizures of his left arm, which had not been injured in the accident. Clonic seizures involve repeated jerking of the muscles. When the patient stopped trying to solve the puzzle, oddly, the seizures ceased.

 In their report about the unique case, Dr. Berend Feddersen and colleagues explained that the patient experienced reflex epilepsy which is characterized by seizures induced by external stimuli such as reading, making calculations, touching, a warm bath, playing games, noise -- or in this case, a sudoku puzzle.

 To solve a sudoku puzzle, every digit from 1 to 9 needs to appear in each of 9 vertical columns, in each of 9 horizontal rows, and in each of 9 boxes. The way the patient figured out answers to the puzzle was by visualizing solutions in 3D, but because his brain was damaged by the accident, this triggered reflex epilepsy.

 While the case study focused on sudoku as the trigger, the patient told CBS News in an email that other things can set off his seizures as well. "Take crossword puzzles ... excel sheets ... they all share something: horizontal and vertical lines and the brain must calculate, then focus on one certain spot (to write something down) PLUS the fingers have to move. I think that this combination causes the real problem," he said.

 Why would this happen? "In our patient, hypoxia [oxygen deprivation] most likely caused some diffuse, widespread damage," Feddersen wrote.

 The brain consists of brain cells connected by fibers, explained Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Elson So, an epilepsy specialist.

 "We can look at the brain as a network system. There are some centers for mathematical concepts and others for language. The authors have shown with some evidence that the fibers connecting the centers were damaged," So said.

 So explained that not all the fibers in the brain play a role in "activating" specific functions; they also play a role in keeping other things down. "Every complex system needs an activating and deactivating systems. Everything in moderation."

 He said the fibers that are supposed to moderate the excitation for mathematical concepts and exercises had become hyper-activated because of damage to fibers that should be tempering the excitation.

 "It's a very interesting finding and a nice demonstration for what is basically reflex epilepsy," said So.

 Fortunately for the patient in Germany, kicking his sudoku habit was enough to stop the seizures.

 "Our patient stopped solving sudoku puzzles and has been seizure free for more than five years," Feddersen wrote.

 In addition, the man said, "I stay away from crossword puzzles ... Once in a while I play scrabble, but unfortunately problem [is] the same. I don't miss it. There are so many things that I miss (in contrast to my old life), sudoku and crossword puzzles are the least important ones." |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– A 25-year-old German skier survived an avalanche that buried him without oxygen for 15 minutes, thanks in no small part to his paramedic ski buddy, who rescued him and started CPR immediately. But the lack of oxygen to his body tissues and brain (called hypoxia) took a toll, notes Live Science, and University of Munich researchers report in JAMA Neurology that it manifested in a quite unusual side effect. First, he developed muscle jerks brought on by walking and talking, and at one point in the hospital he started a Sudoku puzzle, and the muscles in his left arm—which was not injured—began to spasm in what the doctors called "clonic" seizures, reports CBS News. "We can look at the brain as a network system," says Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Elson So, who was not involved in the research. "There are some centers for mathematical concepts and others for language. The authors have shown with some evidence that the fibers connecting the centers were damaged." Thanks to this damage, the fibers that control excitation for mathematical concepts and 3D thinking were essentially hyper-activated, and because the patient visualized solutions to Sudoku puzzles in 3D, the activity triggered epilepsy. Five years later, physical therapy improved the twitches brought on by walking and talking, and he's steered clear of seizures altogether thanks to epilepsy meds—and avoiding Sudoku completely. (Epilepsy may have fueled Chopin's hallucinations.)


– Almost a year after his acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman doesn't seem to have much in the way of a life, according to paperwork filed this month as part of his divorce case. The 30-year-old says he has no home, no job, no income, and nearly no assets apart from his 2008 Honda pickup, the Orlando Sentinel finds. But according to his financial affidavit, he still spends $3,304 a month, including $200 for psychological counseling—and $100 on vacations. He currently pays no rent. Zimmerman, who owes his lawyers $2.5 million, has just $650 in the bank, according to the court filing, which makes no mention of the $100,000 he made by selling a painting on eBay earlier this year. Meanwhile, at Florida Memorial University, Trayvon's parents were at a ceremony late last week to welcome the Trayvon Martin Foundation they founded to its new home, reports the Miami Herald. The foundation focuses on helping families affected by violent crimes. The teenager's death "galvanized the nation," his father said at the ceremony. "It’s just proof that positive things come out of tragedy. Even though he’s not here, we know he’s looking down on us," he said.

Expand this summary.

A narrow stairwell at Florida Memorial University leads to rooms filled with collages and paintings from around the country.

 While the artwork varies in style, there’s one common theme: almost all of the pieces depict a young man in a hooded sweatshirt.

 This is the headquarters of the Trayvon Martin Foundation, established by Martin’s parents after the Miami Gardens teen was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

 Zimmerman was acquitted last year after a racially charged, contentious trial.

 The historically black university hosted a ceremony Thursday that started and ended with prayer and was filled with spiritual references. The second floor of the school’s library quickly became crowded as people filed in.

 The short program included remarks from the university president, Martin’s parents and comments from the director of the foundation. Afterward, Martin’s family used scissors to cut a large blue and orange ribbon.

 About 100 people attended the ceremony, including local politicians, state representatives, foundation members and Miami residents.

 Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, stood in front of a group of solemn young men from the university’s Black Male College Explorers Program, a college prep program for at-risk black males.

 “As I look at the young men behind me, they remind me of Trayvon,” she said.

 Some attendees shook their heads as she spoke about her son.

 “I am overwhelmed,” she said. “I am grateful to God that I’m able to stand before you and let you know that God is in the midst of it all.”

 The school offered the foundation financial support because of the kind of work it is doing in South Florida. The foundation focuses on helping families affected by violent crime.

 “It’s a learning laboratory for us,” said Roslyn Artis, president of Florida Memorial University. “We really wanted it to be a quiet place where they can reflect and remember.”

 Martin’s father Tracy referenced the College Explorers as he thanked people for attending the ceremony. Students in the program take math, science and literature classes along with sessions focused solely on leadership and respect.

 “Our mission is to help these young men,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for.”

 His son’s death “galvanized the nation,” he said. “It’s just proof that positive things come out of tragedy. Even though he’s not here, we know he’s looking down on us.”

 After the ceremony concluded, people lined up to take pictures with Martin and Fulton and tour the facility.

 One group peered at pictures of Trayvon as a slide show of the Martin family played on a computer screen.

 Foundation members handed out “I am Trayvon Martin” wristbands and explained the significance of each room.

 Florida Memorial sophomore Michael Williams, 19, said he thinks the organization having a meeting place is a great step forward. The office is open to the public, and Artis said she hopes the space will motivate students to brainstorm about ways to affect legislation and help reduce crime.

 “What the foundation really stands for is getting people to understand that violence is not the answer,” Williams said.

 While discussion about Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s trial often is racially charged, Fulton said that the foundation works on behalf of everyone.

 “It’s not just an African American issue,” she said. “It’s universal.”

 In May, she met with parents from all over the country who have lost children to gun violence, including the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims and the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, who was shot and killed in 1996.

 “When they say, ‘I know how you feel,’ they actually know how you feel,” she said. “It was just good to be with other people in the same position we’re in.”  ||||| George Zimmerman divorce records: I've got no home, no job and spend $100 a month on vacations

 Zimmerman, 30, is the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer acquitted last year of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old.

 SANFORD - George Zimmerman has no job, no home, no income but spends $100 a month on vacations and $200 a month on psychological counseling, according to a financial affidavit he recently filed in his divorce case.

 Immediately after the shooting - Feb. 26, 2012 – he quit his job and went into hiding with his wife, Shellie, but two months after his acquittal, she filed for divorce, saying he had taken to the road and would not tell her where he was and what he was doing.

 As part of the divorce case, Zimmerman filed a financial affidavit last week, spelling out his income, assets and debts.

 According to it, he spends $3,304 a month, despite having no income.

 He listed his total assets at $14,000 – most of that is his 2008 Honda pickup. His debts total $2.5 million, most of that is money he owes criminal defense attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West.

 According to his paperwork, Zimmerman has no job, pays nothing for rent or a mortgage and has no health insurance.

 He spends $350 a month for medical care plus $200 a month for psychological, psychiatric or mental health counseling.

 He also spends $100 a month on vacations, he wrote.

 Zimmerman's legal defense fund, which raised more than $400,000, now has a balance of $300, according to the affidavit.

 It is not clear what happened to any money he earned from the sale of a painting on eBay in December. The winning bid was $100,000. There is no mention of it in his affidavit.

 His banking account has $650, he reported.

 In an interview last month, Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., said the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer is homeless and moves from place to place, sleeping in the homes of friends and supporters.

 Zimmerman's divorce attorney, Howard Iken, would not comment.

 rstutzman@tribune.com or 407-650-6394 |||||


News article:

The U.S.'s top general in Afghanistan is under investigation for alleged inappropriate communications. The WSJ's Enda Curran tells us what this latest development could mean in a scandal that has impacted officials from the CIA, FBI and now U.S. military.

 WASHINGTON—The adultery scandal that led to the downfall of David Petraeus as CIA director widened Tuesday as President Barack Obama put on hold his nomination of Marine Gen. John Allen as commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, one of the world's top military posts.

 The Pentagon said a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into Mr. Petraeus's communications had revealed that Gen. Allen, now the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, exchanged numerous emails with Jill Kelley, the Florida woman who triggered the investigation. Ms. Kelley had complained to the FBI about receiving harassing emails that the agency later traced to a woman involved with Mr. Petraeus.

 On Tuesday, people familiar with the case said that at one point in the summer, after the investigation began pointing to larger potential national security issues, Ms. Kelley tried to get the FBI to drop the matter. The people said she made the request because she was worried about the personal information being provided to investigators.

 Enlarge Image Close European Pressphoto Agency U.S. Gen. John Allen

 Enlarge Image Close Bloomberg News U.S. Gens. David Petraeus, left, and John Allen listen to a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington in April 2011.

 Enlarge Image Close Associated Press FBI agents carry boxes and a computer from the home of Paula Broadwell in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday.

 After the discovery of allegedly inappropriate e-mails between Marine Gen. John Allen and a Tampa woman, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asked the Senate to put on hold the confirmation of the top commander in Afghanistan. Photo: Getty Images.

 U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Gen. John Allen's nomination as commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is on hold pending an investigation linked to David Petraeus. The WSJ's Enda Curran has the details.

 Ms. Kelley, a 37-year-old volunteer who organized social events for military personnel, developed misgivings after friends in her Tampa social circle urged her to drop the matter, saying the probe would only cause bigger problems, the people familiar with the case said.

 Ms. Kelley's apparent regret points to one of the more unusual aspects of the case: what began as a seemingly minor case of cyberstalking mushroomed into fears that the Central Intelligence Agency director's personal email account had been hacked, which spawned concerns the CIA director might have passed sensitive information to his mistress. Each of those fears ultimately proved unfounded, U.S. officials familiar with the probe said. But the investigation eventually exposed Mr. Petraeus's relationship with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, leading to his resignation, according to U.S. officials familiar with the probe.

 Into the early fall, investigators focused principally on Ms. Broadwell. They found classified documents on her computer, though they decided there was no proof she had received them from Mr. Petraeus. They also determined that the two had at times shared access to an email account to communicate.

 In the course of determining that the email messages Ms. Kelley complained about had been sent by Ms. Broadwell, investigators also discovered reams of emails between Ms. Kelley and Gen. Allen, both of whom are married.

 Military officials said the FBI had turned over emails between the two, dating back to 2010. Pentagon investigators haven't found any sensitive or classified material in the messages, though they are still reviewing the material. Another government official said no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or security lapses by Gen. Allen had been found.

 Gen. Allen has denied that he had an affair with Ms. Kelley, or that he shared any classified information with her, according to an official familiar with his thinking. He also told officials that he never had been in a room alone with Ms. Kelley and that there had been no affair or sex, the official said.

 White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Mr. Obama remains supportive of Gen. Allen. A defense official urged against prejudging, saying Gen. Allen's nomination as NATO commander may yet go forward. "We probably ought to give him the benefit of the doubt," said a senior defense official.

 Ms. Kelley and Ms. Broadwell haven't commented on the scandal. Defense officials said that Gen. Allen was weighing whether to make a statement.

 The official familiar with Gen. Allen's thinking described Ms. Kelley as a wealthy socialite who was friendly with many top military commanders in Tampa, home of the U.S. Central Command, which Gen. Petraeus once ran. Though her emails, sent to Gen. Allen and other senior officials, may appear flirtatious in nature, this doesn't mean she engaged in any adulterous relationships, the official familiar with Gen. Allen's thinking said.

 Key Facts in the Petraeus Scandal See a guide to the players and a timeline of the scandal that led Gen. David Petraeus to resign. View Interactive

 This person added that Gen. Allen may innocently have used endearing terms, such as "sweetheart," in his communications with Ms. Kelley.

 Defense and military officials who have seen the emails have different opinions of them, said one senior military official. Some see no indication of impropriety while others view them as possibly indicative of an inappropriate relationship. "It is going to come down to your perspective," said one official.

 Gen. Allen has told associates he became entangled in the Petraeus adultery scandal a few months ago, when he received an email later traced to Ms. Broadwell, the official familiar with his thinking said.

 Ms. Broadwell, whose extramarital affair with Mr. Petraeus had ended by then, believed that Ms. Kelley may have been a romantic rival, according to this official. Besides the emails sent directly to Ms. Kelley, she also sent a flurry of emails from a pseudonymous account to senior military officials, denigrating Ms. Kelley, the official said.

 In the email received by Gen. Allen, Ms. Broadwell—writing under the pseudonym KelleyPatrol—described Ms. Kelley as a "seductress" and warned the general about being entangled in a relationship with her, the official said. A lawyer for Ms. Broadwell didn't return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

 Gen. Allen was concerned by that email and forwarded it to Ms. Kelley, the official with knowledge of Gen. Allen's thinking said.

 FBI agents conducted a consensual search at Ms. Broadwell's home in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, though it was unclear why. Multiple government officials have said that while the FBI doesn't believe Mr. Petraeus committed any crimes, they are still examining Ms. Broadwell's conduct.

 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that the Pentagon received the information concerning Gen. Allen from the FBI on Sunday.

 Some officials believe that if Gen. Allen's account is proved true—that there was no physical relationship and that flirtation was mostly on the part of Ms. Kelley—his nomination to become NATO commander won't be derailed. Gen. Allen will remain commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan while the facts are ascertained, Mr. Panetta said.

 "His leadership has been instrumental in achieving the significant progress that ISAF, working alongside our Afghan partners, has made in bringing greater security to the Afghan people and in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists," Mr. Panetta said in a statement. "He is entitled to due process in this matter."

 —Julian E. Barnes, Adam Entous and Maria Abi-Habib contributed to this article.

 Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com, Evan Perezat evan.perez@wsj.com, and Yaroslav Trofimovat yaroslav.trofimov@wsj.com

 A version of this article appeared November 14, 2012, on page A1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Scandal Entangles A Second General. ||||| Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite connected to ISAF Commander John Allen and former CIA Director David Petraeus, is an "honorary consul" of South Korea, a diplomatic official with direct knowledge of the arrangement told The Cable.

 "She is an ‘honorary consul' of the Republic of Korea," the official said. "She assumed this position last August thanks to her good connections and network."

 The position of honorary consul is symbolic and has no official responsibilities, the official said.

 "She does not work as a real consul. They play a role to improve the relationship between the ROK and the U.S.," the official said. "Jill Kelley helped to get support for [the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement] and she arranged meetings between the ROK Ambassador to Washington and local businessmen when the ROK Ambassador visited the Tampa area."

 There's no implication that the South Korean government has anything to do with the growing scandal that involves Kelly, Allen, Petraeus, and Paula Broadwell, Petraeus's biographer and alleged mistress. But her work on behalf of the South Koreans may explain some of the 20,000 to 30,000 pages of e-mails between her and Allen that the Defense Department's Inspector General's office is investigating now.

 Kelley does drive a Mercedes sedan with license plates that say "Honorary Consul," and she invoked her honorary diplomatic status in a Nov. 11 911 call when she was complaining about trespassers on her private property.

 "I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property," she told the 911 operator. "I don't know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well, because that's against the law to cross my property because, you know, it's inviolable."

 "Ok, no problem, I'll let the officer know," the 911 operator responded.

 In fact, "honorary" diplomats have no specific privileges or protections under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and therefore her property is not actually ''inviolable" as a matter of international law.

 A New York Post report today said that Kelley's sister Natalie Kwaham had invoked Allen and Petraeus's names in her custody battle. She also invoked in legal papers the names of Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Spokesmen for Kerry and Whitehouse both said the senators had met Kwaham through Kwaham's boyfriend Gerald Harrington, a Democratic Party fundraiser.

 Calls to Kelley for comment were not returned.

 Associated Press ||||| Jill Kelley requested "diplomatic protection" in 911 call Posted: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 4:50 PM EST Updated: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 4:50 PM EST

 The vehicles at the Kelley house have "honorary consul" license plates. We've obscured the numbers in this image.

 The South Tampa woman connected to the Gen. David Petraeus scandal has called police to her home several times in the last few days, and at least once tried to invoke "diplomatic protection."

 Media from around the world have convened on the two-story Bayshore Boulevard home of Scott and Jill Kelley. Jill is the socialite mother of three whose FBI complaint about harassing emails eventually led investigators to uncover the CIA director's affair with his biographer and is now linked to the name of a second top general.

 The Kelleys have kept a low profile since news of the scandal broke, and had to request police help to chase people from their yard.

 Two 911 calls were made from the Kelleys' home on Sunday. In the first recording, a man whose name was redacted says there is someone at the door who won't leave his property. The second caller, who identifies herself as Jill, says there's someone lurking in their yard.

 As the call ends, she makes an apparent reference to her role at MacDill Air Force Base, which the Associated Press has described as an "unpaid social liaison."

 "You know, I don't know if by any chance, because I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property. I don't know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well," she told the 911 dispatcher, who agreed to pass the information along to police.

 Three more calls were made to police on Monday, all to the non-emergency number. In each one, the caller identified herself as Jill Kelley, reporting trespassers on the property.

 "They're trying to push the door open; they won't leave," she says in one call.

 "Are you sure you don't know who these people are?" the dispatcher asks her.

 "I do not know who they are, no," she insists.

 Tuesday, the house remained quiet aside from the media circus. A woman could be seen inside the home's large bay windows, but it was not clear if it was Jill or her twin sister.

 According to retired Colonel E.J. Otero, Jill Kelley doesn't qualify for diplomatic protection.

 "It is not possible at all. Diplomatic immunity, diplomatic protection is only given to American personnel. Diplomatic personnel in foreign countries," he said.

 Otero says Kelley's title was honorary, given by the Coalition Village at MacDill. He compared it to an honorary doctorate, stating that does not make an individual a physician.

 "So (Kelley's honorary title) has no value, no legal protection, no legal authority," he said. ||||| She drives a luxury Mercedes and always dresses to kill — but Jill Kelley is actually drowning in debt.

 The woman at the root of the four-star scandal that led to the downfall of David Petraeus and threatens the career of Gen. John Allen lives an extravagant lifestyle that conceals mountains of money owed to banks and credit card companies, court documents show.

 RELATED: HEAT'S ON PRESIDENT OBAMA IN FOUR-STAR FIASCO FOR U.S.

 RELATED: PAULA BROADWELL HOLES UP IN BROTHER'S WASHINGTON, D.C. HOME

 RELATED: GEN. JOHN ALLEN'S BRILLIANT MILITARY HISTORY, ACHIEVEMENTS DIMMED BY PETRAEUS SCANDAL

 The palatial home in Tampa, where Kelley, and her husband, Scott, hosted top military brass, including Petraeus and Allen, has been in foreclosure since 2010.

 RELATED: OBAMA STICKING BY ALLEN

 PHOTOS: THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE PETRAEUS SCANDAL

 Court records reveal that in March of that year, Bank of America claimed the Kelleys hadn’t paid their mortgage since September 2009.

 The bank said the couple owed $328,338 on their home valued at $1,837,571.

 SDFL/Splash News

 The house remains in the foreclosure process, with the most recent motion filed on Oct. 12.

 Kelley, who is an unpaid social liaison to the men and women in uniform coming and going from MacDill Air Force Base mere miles away from her home, never showed signs of stress.

 “ She turns heads,” an anonymous friend of the Kelleys told the Daily Mail.

 “At the parties she would flirt with all the senior military guys. She’s touchy-feely. Her hands would be on their arms. She was attentive. It’s not hard to see why she had some guys under her spell.”

 Yet the party was at risk of coming to an end for at least two years.

 Chris O'Meara/AP

 A second property owned by the Kelleys in downtown Tampa was also in foreclosure proceedings beginning in 2010.

 In that case, Central Bank claimed the couple owed $2.2 million, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The case was resolved, though details were not available.

 And in 2010, Chase Bank sued the Kelleys over failure to pay a $25,088.56 debt on a revolving credit account. The case was voluntarily dismissed by the bank a year later.

 Regions Bank sued the Kelleys for $253,437.31 in unpaid credit card bills, according to court documents.

 In February the couple agreed to pay $850 a month, with $8,500 down, until the balance is paid, records show.

 Chris O'Meara/AP

 All told, Jill or Scott Kelley have been the subject of at least nine lawsuits since they moved to Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

 But their troubles weren’t just restricted to the Sunshine State.

 The Kelleys were sued in 2004 in Montgomery County, Pa., by a couple who said they refused to return a $10,000 deposit on a condo rental that fell through. The court issued a default judgment against the Kelleys, and court records show it was paid the following year.

 Despite their debt, the couple remained firmly established as the de facto welcoming committee to top military brass at U.S. Central Command.

 Photos from bashes at Chez Kelley show a jolly Petraeus wearing beads around his neck alongside the woman who would ultimately lead to his undoing. Holly Petraeus — who is now reportedly fuming over her spy husband’s not-so-secret affair — also is all smiles.

 Courtesy of Tampa Bay Magazine.

 The swank soirees came complete with catered buffets, valet parking, primo cigars, Champagne and even string quartets, the Washington Post reported.

 “Jill was such an awesome client,” one caterer told the Tampa Bay Times. “(She) did so much for the military, fabulous mother and amazing wife; can’t say enough nice things about her. She never spared anything for the military. It was all about them.”

 Scott Kelley is reportedly a highly sought-after surgeon specializing in cancer of the esophagus .

 But a tax filing from 2007 for the Doctor Kelley Cancer Foundation provides a hint at the cost of sparing no expense for the brass he and his wife so admired.

 The nonprofit foundation lists only Jill and Scott, along with Jill’s twin sister Natalie Khawam as its trustees.

 Chris O'Meara/AP

 The foundation — dedicated to “efforts to discover ways to improve the quality of life of terminally ill adult cancer patients” had no employees, according to the documents.

 Yet in a single year, the Kelley clan spent $43,317 in meals and entertainment connected to the foundation, according to tax filings. They spent $8,822 in travel expenses, and $3,740 in office-related expenses, though the nonprofit was based in their home.

 The foundation did not file tax information past 2007.

 But it’s clear the Kelleys’ connections had perks — though they couldn’t save Natalie from her own money troubles.

 Both four-star generals caught in the scandal vouched for Natalie in letters supporting her in a custody battle over her son.

 Amy Scherzer/St. Petersburg Times

 Not only did the judge in the case award Natalie’s ex-husband custody last year of their now 4-year-old son, John, but he also told Natalie to pay his legal bills amounting to $350,000.

 She filed for bankruptcy in April after racking up more than $3 million in debt, according to federal court records. Court filings indicate that the debt included an $800,000 personal loan from Jill and Scott Kelley.

 The status of Natalie’s most recent custody appeal was not known.

 None of the lawyers listed in the reams of court documents returned phone calls.

 Chris O'Meara/AP

 The only information from the Kelley family came in a statement from their superstar crisis manager, Judy Smith, who pleaded for privacy.

 Jill’s brother David Khawam, an attorney based in Mount Laurel, N.J., told the Burlington County Times he spoke with her Sunday.

 “She was doing okay. I don’t know how she’s handling it now,” Khawam, 40, told the paper.

 sbrown@nydailynews.com

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What is a shorter version of the above article?

– The Tampa socialite at the heart of the Petraeus "love Pentagon" sex scandal was the co-founder of a cancer charity that does not appear to have been involved in any charity work, the Huffington Post finds. Jill Kelley and her surgeon husband founded the Doctor Kelley Cancer Foundation in 2007, stating that it "shall be operated exclusively to conduct cancer research and to grant wishes to terminally ill adult cancer patients." But records reveal that the charity went bust later that year, having spent every penny of the $157,284 it started with on expenses like parties, entertainment, and travel. The charity also listed $12,807 for office expenses and supplies, and $7,854 on utilities and telephones, which is a little on the steep side for a charity that operated out of the couple's mansion, the HuffPo notes. But the charity isn't all that's surfaced on Kelley: The mansion where Kelley and her husband threw lavish parties for military top brass has been in foreclosure since 2010, reports the New York Daily News. The couple owes vast sums to banks and credit card companies and has been hit by at least nine lawsuits. Kelley isn't just an unpaid social liaison to nearby MacDill Air Force Base, she's an honorary consul of South Korea, an embassy official tells Foreign Policy. "She assumed this position last August thanks to her good connections and network," the Korean official says, adding that the position is symbolic and has no official responsibilities. Kelley tried to invoke "diplomatic protection" in one of several 911 calls made over the last few days, Fox reports. Complaining about trespassers on her property, Kelley told the dispatcher, "I'm an honorary consul general ... I don't know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well, because that's against the law to cross my property because, you know, it's inviolable." The Wall Street Journal adds that over the summer, Kelley became worried about personal information getting aired and tried to get the FBI to drop its investigation into threatening emails Paula Broadwell sent her. Broadwell, it notes, also sent anonymous emails to military brass bashing Kelley.


(Adds details)

 ATHENS, June 29 Greece will not pay a 1.6 billon euro loan installment due to the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday, a Greek government official confirmed on Monday, highlighting the depth of the financial crisis facing the country.

 Ministers have said repeatedly that Greece would not have the funds to pay the IMF unless it reached a deal with creditors to unlock 7.2 billion euros in bailout funds frozen while the two sides wrestled over the conditions demanded of Athens.

 After talks broke down at the weekend, triggering the imposition of capital controls on Greek banks, it became a virtual formality that the IMF's June 30 deadline would not be met.

 IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde earlier this month said Greece would be in default as of July 1 if it failed to the pay the money, though an IMF spokesman last week said a missed payment would classify Greece as "in arrears".

 The missed payment would bring Greece closer to an exit from the euro zone currency if it prompted the European Central Bank to cut off emergency funding that Greek banks rely on. But the ECB is expected to maintain that lifeline at least for this week and analysts say Greece could default and remain in the euro.

 Despite the shock of a default by a euro zone country, Greece's fate is likely to remain unchanged until after a snap referendum on July 5 on bailout terms presented by creditors in exchange for aid.

 Euro zone policymakers have warned Greeks that a "no" vote against the aid package would be tantamount to a rejection of engagement with creditors and point towards a euro zone exit. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, writing by Deepa Babington; editing by Philippa Fletcher) ||||| Greece has shut down its banking system for six days and imposed capital controls after the European Central Bank opted not to expand a lifeline of emergency funds. Charles Forelle assesses whether a bailout deal is still possible.

 European leaders appealed to Greeks to vote “yes” in a referendum on their country’s bailout, warning that the risk of Greece’s exit from the euro was real, as Athens confirmed it wouldn’t be able to make a loan repayment to the International Monetary Fund due on Tuesday.

 The Greek government’s decision to call a vote on measures its creditors demand in return for more bailout aid has cast the country into uncharted waters. As of Tuesday, Greece will be cut loose from international rescue loans for the first time in more... |||||

Write a summary.

– As predicted, Greece doesn't have the funds to pay back a $1.8 billion euro loan installment by tomorrow's International Monetary Fund deadline, a government official there confirmed today—meaning the country may now be one step "closer to an exit from the euro zone currency," as Reuters puts it. Echoing that: Standard & Poor's today cut Greece's credit rating by one notch further into junk status, and put the chance of Greece exiting the eurozone at 50-50, reports the AP. S&P put out a statement saying that the decision to hold a July 5 referendum suggests the country "will prioritize domestic politics over financial and economic stability, commercial debt payments, and eurozone membership." European leaders are urging Greeks to vote "yes" in that referendum on bailout conditions, the Wall Street Journal reports. "You shouldn't commit suicide because you're afraid of dying," the European Commission president urged Greek citizens, per the newspaper. Although the European Central Bank is expected to cut off the emergency funding required to keep Greece's banks afloat following the missed payment, analysts tell the news agency they think the ECB will keep money flowing at least through this week.