TBILISI, Georgia – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Georgia on Wednesday, almost a year after a war with Russia that turned the small nation on the far frontier of Europe into the epicenter of the simmering conflict between Moscow and the West.
Biden will hold two days of talks with President Mikhail Saakashvili and opposition leaders to demonstrate U.S. support for Georgia, a loyal ally concerned about Washington's efforts to court the Kremlin.
The Russia-Georgia war capped years of increasing tensions between the West and Russia, a country key to U.S. and European efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons, battle terrorism and secure Europe's energy supplies.
Biden's trip comes just a few weeks after President Barack Obama's summit in Moscow and amid increasing concern among some of Russia's East European neighbors that warming relations between the U.S. and Russia might leave them out in the cold.
He will arrive from Ukraine, another former Soviet nation looking to strengthen ties to the U.S. and Europe.
Saakashvili and Biden will attend ceremonies Wednesday night, including a banquet where both will exchange toasts, a ritual of hospitality that Georgians have turned into an art form.
On Thursday, Biden will hold formal discussions with Saakashvili, whose government was shaken this spring by mass street demonstrations demanding his resignation. The vice president will also meet with leading members of the opposition.
Political foes blame Saakashvili for the August war's disastrous results and accuse him of riding roughshod over democratic rights.
Saakashvili has said he tried to defend Georgia from Russian aggression, and he announced a series of political reforms Monday meant to address his critics' complaints that his administration was restricting rights.
After Georgia used military force to try to seize a breakaway region from Moscow-backed separatists in August, Russia sent tanks and warplanes deep into Georgian territory, crushing the country's army.
The conflict ended hopes in the West that Russia, after recovering from the economic and social turmoil of the post-Soviet era, would become a docile, democratic member of the club of European nations.
Instead, Russia has tried to reclaim its historic role as an assertive regional power with global ambitions.
Shortly after the Georgian war, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared that Moscow has a "zone of privileged interests" among former Soviet and Eastern European satellites.
The U.S. and Europe have rejected sphere-of-influence geopolitics, which give great powers sway over their smaller neighbors. And they show no signs of backing down.
Neither do they seem willing to risk a confrontation with Russia on the issue.
The U.S. has pledged to support NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. But Germany and other European member states are skeptical.

PARIS (AFP) –
Consumer spending in recession-hit France rebounded in recent months, driven by a revival in car buying, official statistics showed on Wednesday.

Seasonally-adjusted figures from the INSEE statistics institute showed household spending on manufactured products grew 1.4 percent in June after a dip in May, by 0.7 percent over the second quarter of 2009 and 0.2 percent in the first.

The second-quarter rise was driven "mainly by consumer spending on automobiles," it said.

Consumer spending, seen as a key driver of growth in Europe's third-biggest economy, was up by 1.2 percent over the past 12 months.

France's economy is expected to contract by three percent overall this year due to one of the harshest economic crises in decades.

Economy Minister Christine Lagarde hailed the figures as a better than expected. Speaking on French television ahead of their official publication she said that industrial production and the auto sector were looking up.

"In many industrial countries today, there is a slight upturn," she said.

McALLEN, Texas – A Fort Hood-based soldier has been missing for about a week since telling family members he was heading to a Texas border town, and the FBI says the Army was told the missing private had been kidnapped, the soldier's brother said Tuesday.
The family of Pfc. James Gonzalez, 24, last saw him July 11 at his mother's house in Robstown, near Corpus Christi, said his older brother, J.C. Gonzalez. James Gonzalez said he was headed to Laredo that afternoon to hang out with friends before returning to base July 13, his brother said.
But on July 13, Gonzalez's commander called looking for the private. Later that day, the FBI called the family to say that the Army had received a call saying Gonzalez had been kidnapped. The caller demanded $100,000 and the withdrawal of all troops from the border.
About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but thousands that had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.
The FBI referred questions to the Army, which is leading the investigation.
Christopher Grey, chief public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command in northern Virginia, said the Army was cooperating with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the search for Gonzalez. Grey said the Army would not discuss details of the case, including whether it received a ransom call. The Army had issued an advisory in the border region asking people to be on the lookout for Gonzalez and to contact local law enforcement with information on his whereabouts, Grey said.
J.C. Gonzalez said his brother was familiar with the border city of Laredo and had not mentioned any plans to cross into Mexico, directly across the Rio Grande. For the past week his cell phone has gone straight to voicemail, he has not logged into his MySpace Web page and authorities have not been able to track his car, a 2006 BMW, which was fitted with a tracking device, said J.C. Gonzalez.
If Gonzalez was going to take off, "he would have told somebody," his brother said. "It's not like him at all."
James Gonzalez's decision to join the Army about a year and a half ago surprised his family, but they supported the decision, J.C. Gonzalez said. It seemed to be a good change for him.
"He was pretty happy," his brother said. "He had a house, a car and had taken that step to manhood. He was enjoying himself."
The family says it has been frustrated so far by the Army's response.
"We don't feel the Army is taking it as seriously as we are," J.C. Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez was awaiting trial this fall on misdemeanor charges stemming from an argument with his girlfriend. His brother said that situation was being handled and would have been no reason for him to disappear.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Honduras' interim government ordered Venezuelan diplomats on Tuesday to leave the country as the international community threatened new sanctions on the Central American nation if negotiations fail to resolve the crisis.
Venezuelan Embassy charge d'affaires Ariel Vargas said he received a letter from the Honduran Foreign Ministry ordering his diplomats to leave in 72 hours.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been the most vociferous critic of what he calls the "gorilla" government that overthrew his ally Manuel Zelaya on June 28.
The government of Roberto Micheletti, whom congress swore in as president after the coup, accused Venezuela of meddling in its affairs and of threatening to use its armed forces against Honduras, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press.
Vargas dismissed the allegations and — holed up in the embassy along with a consular officer also affected by the order — vowed to defy it.
"We only have relations with the government of President Manuel Zelaya," Vargas told reporters outside the building. He said the expulsion order "does not exist for us, because the Micheletti government does not exist. It is a usurper government, a coup government, a government that is not recognized by anyone on an international level."
Micheletti apparently planned no immediate action to remove the Venezuelans.
"We are going to wait for them to obey the order this country has given them," he said late Tuesday. He added that "we have information that many of their people are involved in the movements that have been happening in our country," an apparent reference to pro-Zelaya protests.
Marta Lorena Alvarado, Micheletti's assistant foreign affairs minister, said Honduras was withdrawing its embassy staff from Venezuela; both countries pulled their ambassadors soon after the coup.
From Managua, Nicaragua, Zelaya told the Venezuelan diplomats to stay put and said he plans to try again to return to Honduras sometime after Wednesday, the expiration date for a 72-hour period requested by Costa Rican President and mediator Oscar Arias to allow time for negotiations.
"We want to return to Honduras to look for solutions. It will be a peaceful return," Zelaya told a news conference. He did not give details.
Zelaya also said he sent a letter to President Barack Obama naming army officials and lawmakers who allegedly planned his ouster, and asking for economic actions against "those who conspired directly to execute the coup."
Chavez has demanded Washington do more to pressure Micheletti and force Zelaya's return to power, including withdrawing U.S. troops from its Honduran base.
The European Union, meanwhile, warned Tuesday that if talks to end the crisis fail, it may impose further sanctions against Honduras. The EU announced on Monday that it had already frozen some euro65 million ($92 million) in aid.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt — whose country holds the rotating EU presidency — said the bloc is "considering different ways" to support mediation efforts by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. He did not elaborate.
The 27-nation EU, like the United Nations and the Organization of American States, has condemned the coup and called for Zelaya's immediate return to power.
No government has recognized the Micheletti administration.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Micheletti there would be serious consequences if his government keeps ignoring international calls for Zelaya's return — the key point that led to a stalemate in U.S.-supported negotiations over the weekend.

Micheletti has vowed not to back down, and he sent a team to Washington this week to lobby against economic sanctions by painting the coup backers as a bulwark against "dictatorship" and "communism."

Appealing to free trade supporters, Micheletti's team hopes to nudge the Obama administration away from its threat to impose sanctions on the impoverished country, where export-assembly factories are dominated by U.S. firms and investors.

Business executives say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens called them into meetings to say Honduras could face tough sanctions if leaders continue to refuse Arias' compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government. The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings.

Micheletti has said he will stay in power until a scheduled Nov. 29 presidential vote, which the United States has suggested it may not recognize if it is held under a de facto government.

Zelaya angered many people in Honduras by ignoring Congress' and the courts' objections to his effort to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government.

He argued that the current constitution protects a system of government that excludes the poor.

___

Associated Press writers Juan Carlos Llorca in Tegucigalpa and Morgan Lee in Managua, Nicaragua, contributed to this report.

Tuesday’s strong Senate vote to halt production of the F-22 fighter breathes new life into Pentagon procurement reforms and provides a much needed boost for President Barack Obama’s larger change agenda.
A late-breaking White House lobbying campaign averted what could have been an embarrassing political setback, given Obama’s faltering support in recent polls and the uphill battle he now faces over health care reform.
Instead what emerged was a new message of three R’s: reform, fiscal restraint — and something rare for this White House: Republicans. Defense Secretary Robert Gates proved a major asset in drawing senators from both parties; as many as 15 Republicans joined 42 Democrats and Vermont independent Bernie Sanders in backing the president.
“The president really needed this vote, not just in terms of the merits of the F-22 itself but in terms of his reform agenda,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) told POLITICO: “We have got to be a leaner, meaner government. We have to be more efficient.”
The 58-40 margin marked a dramatic shift from only last week, when conventional wisdom held that the $1.75 billion authorization would easily survive a challenge on the floor. Going forward, even small sums for the plane are in doubt, and the F-22’s best hope may be foreign sales to Japan or some compromise to fund purchases of spare parts and engines for planes already ordered from Lockheed Martin.
“I’ve already talked to the Defense Department. I said, ‘See if we can come up with some language,’” said Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense panel. Just last week, Murtha budgeted $369 million as an advanced procurement down payment toward F-22 purchases, but he told POLITICO on Tuesday that is “obviously no longer in play ... They lost it by such a big margin.”
The full Appropriations Committee takes up the bill Wednesday, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) appears to be leaning toward backing Gates in any floor fight. Wasting no time, the grass-roots organization TrueMajority.org has an ad in the works urging Florida Rep. Bill Young, Murtha’s Republican counterpart, to vote against F-22 funding. “Be a lion, not a gopher for Lockheed Martin” is one line in the script.
The fight brings back memories of 20 years ago, when then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney sought unsuccessfully to kill the V-22 Osprey helicopter. Cheney lost after fights with the Marine Corps, which was actively calling the program its No. 1 priority, as well as with Congress, which eventually restored funding for the program.
That, perhaps, was an easier fight for Congress to win, suggested Loren Thompson, chief operating officer for the Lexington Institute, who also does consulting for defense companies. The V-22 was a research and development platform that required far less of an investment at the time — in the millions of dollars as compared to the $1.75 billion pulled out to fund just seven F-22 Raptors.
But Gates may have learned from his predecessor’s experience. He laid enormous groundwork on the F-22 within the Pentagon to head off in-house opposition from last summer, when he fired the Air Force’s top leadership over a nuclear stewardship issue. Defense sources say the F-22 was a key underlying sore point, and that firing sent a powerful message to the incoming leaders — Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz — who have gone on to support Gates’s position on the fighter.
In the run-up to the Senate vote, Gates was the public point man for the administration, making calls and delivering a toughly worded speech last week in Chicago. But as the stakes became more apparent, Obama and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel also jumped in on the phones, and last week Vice President Joe Biden called senators — including his old friend, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), an ardent F-22 backer.
A closely watched vote was Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), a past F-22 supporter who backed the administration after speaking with Gates on Monday. Kerry’s vote was all the more striking since his Massachusetts colleague, Sen. Ted Kennedy, had cast a decisive vote in the Armed Services Committee for the F-22.
In seeking Gates out, Kerry said part of his motive was to address concerns raised by Massachusetts Guard forces about the state of their own equipment in a tight defense budget. In his own remarks after the vote, Obama stressed too that defense spending is now “a zero-sum game” and the F-22 an “inexcusable waste of money” at a time when the U.S. is “fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit.”
Yet for some Democrats, it was a foolish fight for Obama to elevate so high, with early, bluntly worded veto threats that left little room for compromise. Amid the troubled economy, F-22 supporters said thousands of aerospace jobs were being put in jeopardy for what is really a small percentage of the defense budget.
“That’s two-tenths of 1 percent of the budget before us,” said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, whose home state of Connecticut has a major stake in the manufacturing of F-22 engines. “We’re told that there are at least 25,000 direct jobs and 95,000 direct and indirect jobs at stake for $1.75 billion, or 0.2 percent of this budget. ... We’re about to put that many jobs across our country at risk.”
Adding to the emotions was the return of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who has been absent since this spring because of illness but returned to cast his vote for the F-22, a statement of loyalty to Dodd.
Retired Gen. Michael Dunn, president of the Air Force Association, which lobbied unabashedly for F-22 production, said he wasn’t yet convinced the F-22 is “necessarily dead.” Dunn sees a parallel to the American experience with another costly weapon: the B-1 bomber.
“There have been countless times when conventional wisdom said weapons were too expensive, but history proves those critics wrong,” Dunn said. “We’ve needed the B-1 many, many times since.”

But for Gates, the F-22 termination has become his signature issue in revamping the Pentagon budget to focus more on the immediate needs of wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan, two theaters where the sophisticated stealth fighter has not been used.

The president’s July 13 letter threatening a veto was extremely significant, said David Berteau, who studies the defense industry for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think it shows that they’re willing to escalate to a level that is pretty rare and perhaps unprecedented,” Berteau said.

“He would have been highly crippled if he lost this vote,” said one industry official. But Gates also backed up his confrontational style with an ability to count — and cultivate — swing votes.

“Gates gained a lot of credibility on his ability to count, identify and reach out to swing votes,” said John Isaacs of the Council for a Livable World. Obama’s old rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), warmly praised both the secretary and the president for “standing up” on the issue.

“This amendment is probably the most impactful amendment that I have seen in this body on almost any issue, much less the issue of defense,” McCain told the Senate. “It really boils down to whether we’re going to continue business as usual, or once a weapons system gets into production it never dies.”

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Senator John McCain and his Republican Party publicly apologized to singer Jackson Browne on Tuesday for using his song "Running on Empty" without permission in a campaign advertisement last year.

The apology came as Browne and McCain's Republican camp agreed on a settlement to the lawsuit that the singer filed in August, soon after the advertisement aired.

Browne's 1977 song was used by the Ohio Republican Party in an attack on Barack Obama that was critical of the Democrat's stance on gas conservation. Obama defeated McCain in last November's presidential election.

"We apologize that a portion of the Jackson Browne song 'Running on Empty' was used without permission," McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party said in a statement.

The Republican camp also pledged in future elections to obtain permissions and licenses from artists "where appropriate" when using their copyrighted works.

Browne, a liberal activist, told Billboard he would "absolutely" sue political candidates and groups he supports if they used his music without authorization.

"I really hope that people begin to understand what goes into making music," Browne told the music publication's website. "It's not just that one gets paid; it's that one's entire enterprise is fed, whether it's recording studios or the amount of money you can pay our band. ... It is a huge industry."

Browne had sued McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party, accusing them of copyright infringement.

It is not the first time a popular singer has gone after the Republicans for use of a song. In the mid-1980s, Bruce Springsteen complained about then-President Ronald Reagan's contextually inaccurate use of his song "Born In the U.S.A." during his re-election campaign.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Peter Cooney)

Technology companies are on a winning streak this week. Intel, Google and IBM are beating analyst expectations and causing a rally on Wall Street.

IBM on Thursday reported earnings of $2.32 per share, compared with diluted earnings of $1.97 per share in the second quarter of 2008, an increase of 18 percent. The earnings-per-share results were the highest for any first, second or third quarter in the company's history, adjusted for stock splits.

Second-quarter net income was $3.1 billion, compared with $2.8 billion in the year-ago period, a 12 percent increase. Despite all the good news, total revenue for the second quarter was down 13 percent to $23.3 billion from the year-ago period. But there is plenty of room for optimism.

"As a result of our strategic transformation, we have a very strong business model that is delivering superior earnings, cash and client value," said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and CEO. "We have continued our strategic investments in Smarter Planet solutions, business analytics, and next-generation data centers. As a result, we are optimistic about how IBM is positioned to make the most of current growth opportunities as well as those that emerge as the economy recovers."

Weathering the Storm

For the quarter, revenue from the software segment was $5.2 billion, a decrease of seven percent compared to the year-ago period. Revenues from IBM's key middleware products, which include WebSphere, Information Management, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $3 billion, a two percent decrease from the second quarter of 2008. Looking at WebSphere as a solo product, though, revenues increased eight percent year over year.

IBM saw losses in the services as its Total Global Service revenue fell 12 percent. Global Technology Services revenue decreased 10 percent to $9.1 billion, while Global Business Services revenue decreased 15 percent to $4.3 billion. Big Blue also saw losses in its Systems and Technology segment. Revenues totaled $3.9 billion for the quarter, down 26 percent. Global Financing revenues also decreased 10 percent in the second quarter.

It's the big picture, however, that's causing Wall Street to rally. IBM ended the second quarter with $12.5 billion of cash on hand and generated free cash flow of $3.4 billion, excluding global financing receivables. The company returned $2.4 billion to shareholders through $732 million in dividends and $1.7 billion of share repurchases. Big Blue said its balance sheet remains strong, and the company is well positioned to take advantage of opportunities.

A Bright 2009

Palmisano said IBM is well ahead of pace for its 2010 road map of $10 to $11 per share. What's more, IBM has raised its expectations for 2009. Big Blue now expects full-year 2009 earnings of at least $9.70 per share, compared with its previous expectation of at least $9.20 per share. And the company expects full-year 2009 pre-tax income for its software segment to grow at a double-digit rate and reach approximately $8 billion.

"Overall, I think 'virtually bulletproof' is a reasonable was to describe the company's performance," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "During a quarter that boasted more doom and gloom than an average episode of True Blood, IBM appears to have shrugged off the malaise gripping the economy and showed the IT industry the way it's done."

That "way" is by leading with strong long-term services and software engagements, lessons Hewlett-Packard and Oracle hope to emulate, King said. The news there wasn't all good, but IBM has reduced its debt, increased its backlog of services business, and has a healthy cash position of $12-plus billion, he noted, all meaning that the company appears to be in a very solid position now and looking forward.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County coroner's office says it will take longer than first expected to complete Michael Jackson's full autopsy report.
The office previously expected to wrap up the report late this week or early next week.
But Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Thursday that it's now expected to be two weeks away. He declined to explain the reason for the delay.
The toxicology report should include what drugs were in Jackson's system when he died and whether they caused his death. That will be key in determining whether any criminal charges are brought.
Jackson died June 25.

LONDON (AFP) –
British insurer Friends Provident proposed on Friday a takeover of buy-out firm Resolution in an all-shares deal, turning the tables on Resolution which itself is looking to buy Friends Provident.

Four days ago, Friends rejected a takeover bid from Resolution as "wholly inadequate".

"The board of Friends Provident Group has today sent to the chairman of Resolution Limited a letter setting out a proposed structure for effecting a possible combination of the two groups," Friends said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.

But it added that a tie-up "can only be agreed on terms that are fair to both sets of shareholders and with a structure that is appropriate for the implementation of the combined group's follow-on acquisition strategy."

It went on: "The proposal put forward by Friends Provident envisages that Friends Provident would become the holding company of the combined group, with Resolution shareholders exchanging their shares in Resolution for new shares in Friends Provident."

Friends said on Monday that it had received an all-share offer of 0.8 new Resolution shares for every Friends Provident share.

Friends added on Friday: "Our board has thought long and hard about Resolution's proposal. We recognise the shareholder value which consolidation could bring and we can see the benefits of combining two strong executive teams with complementary skills and experience.

"The potential of the new group will only be realised if we have the right structure from the outset."

-- Dow Jones contributed to this story --

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A wealthy Florida Panhandle couple slain in their home during a precisely executed break-in were being laid to rest Friday as investigators said they still have more people they want to talk to about the crime.
Byrd and Melanie Billings, known for adopting 13 special needs children, were shot to death and a safe was taken from their nine-bedroom home west of Pensacola last week. Six men and a teenager are charged with murder, and a woman, Pamela Long Wiggins, is charged with being an accessory after the fact.
An arrest report on Thursday said the woman's husband told investigators that the safe was hidden in her backyard in suburban Gulf Breeze. Authorities would not say where they had found the safe or what was in it.
Long Wiggins was released on $10,000 bond and has not returned numerous phone messages.
At least one of the other suspects told investigators that her red minivan had been left near the Billings home to help the suspects get away. Some suspects said the safe and guns were transferred to the minivan, which was later spotted at an antique store she owns in Gulf Breeze.
The report said information indicated Long Wiggins was in the van with the guns and knew they'd been used during the break-in.
Family and friends gathered Thursday night for a visitation for the couple at Liberty Church west of Pensacola. A funeral was set for Friday at the church.
State Attorney Bill Eddins said the case was mostly wrapped up.
"In our opinion, this was a home invasion robbery where the people stole a safe," he said. "It was as simple as that as to the motive."
But Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said at a news conference with Eddins that other motives may emerge and there are still people investigators want to talk to.
"We have some people of interest that we're continuing to look at and I can tell you that those are now numerous people," Morgan said.
Surveillance cameras at the Billings home captured footage of masked men — some dressed as ninjas — slipping into front and back doors, and one of the people investigators want to talk to may have been someone who failed to carry out an assignment to disable them.
The surveillance videos led investigators to a full-size red van — not the red minivan — used as an initial getaway car and eventually to the suspects, a loosely connected group of mostly day laborers who knew each other through a power washing business and an auto detailing operation.
Morgan has said Wiggins is a friend and landlord to 35-year-old Leonard Gonzalez Jr., described as a "pivotal person" in organizing the break-in. Gonzalez, who is charged with murder, proclaimed his innocence in court Tuesday. He and the other six, including a 16-year-old male, are being held without bond on two counts of murder each.
Morgan also confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration is assisting with the investigation of the suspects, but he said the agency is not investigating the Billings family.
Nine of the couple's adopted children were home during the break-in. Three saw the intruders but were not hurt. The couple also had four children from previous marriages. The adopted children are together and staying with family members.
___
Associated Press writers Melissa Nelson in Pensacola and Tamara Lush in Miami and the AP News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Chinese-born engineer has been convicted of stealing trade secrets critical to the U.S. space program in the nation's first economic espionage trial.
A federal judge in Santa Ana, Calif., ruled Thursday that former Boeing Co. engineer Dongfan "Greg" Chung stole 300,000 pages of sensitive documents that included information about the U.S. space shuttle and a booster rocket.
The 73-year-old stress analyst was found guilty of six counts of economic espionage and other charges.
Prosecutors say Chung began spying for the Chinese in the late 1970s. They say investigators found papers in his house that included information about a booster rocket's fueling system.
Defense attorneys say Chung was a "pack rat" but not a spy.

Front Pocket Wallets

Some wallets are attached to metal chains which are then clipped onto a belt, as a way of preventing loss or theft by pickpockets. Some travellers replace wallets with money belts, which are belts with a hidden money compartment.
Other types of small bags can also serve as wallets, such as this golf tee bag which is used to hold credit cards and money

Other types of small bags can also serve as wallets, such as this golf tee bag which is used to hold credit cards and money.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Chinese-born engineer accused of passing critical trade secrets on the U.S. space program to China in the nation's first economic espionage trial will soon learn his fate.
A verdict in the trial of Dongfan "Greg" Chung was expected to be announced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Chung has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, economic espionage, lying to federal agents, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent.
Federal prosecutors accused the 73-year old man engineer of using his 30-year career at Boeing Co. and Rockwell International to steal 300,000 pages of sensitive documents, including papers on the U.S. space shuttle and a booster rocket.
Prosecutors said investigators found papers stacked throughout Chung's house that included sensitive information about a fueling system for a booster rocket — documents that Boeing employees were ordered to lock away at the close of work each day. They said Boeing invested $50 million in the technology over a five-year period.
Chung opted for a non-jury trial that ended nearly three weeks ago. During the trial, defense attorneys said Chung was a "pack rat" who hoarded documents at his house but insisted he was not a spy.
They also said Chung may have violated Boeing policy by bringing the papers home but didn't break any laws and the U.S. government couldn't prove he had given any of the information to China.
The Economic Espionage Act was passed in 1996 to help the government crack down on the theft of information from private companies that contract with the government to develop U.S. space and military technologies.
The legislation became a priority in the mid-1990s when the United States realized China and other countries were targeting private businesses as part of their spy strategy.
Since then, six economic espionage cases have settled before trial. Another is set for trial in U.S. District Court in San Jose this year.
Chung worked for Rockwell International until it was bought by Boeing in 1996. He stayed with Boeing until he was laid off in 2002. After the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, Chung was brought back as a consultant. He was fired when the FBI began its investigation in 2006.
The government believes Chung began spying for the Chinese in the late 1970s, a few years after he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and was hired by Rockwell.
Prosecutors said they discovered Chung's activities while investigating another suspected Chinese spy, Chi Mak. Mak was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to export U.S. defense technology to China and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.
Mak was not charged under the Economic Espionage Act.

A mousepad (sometimes mouse pad, mousemat, or mouse mat), is a surface for enhancing the usability of a computer mouse.

Details of a mousepad designed by Armando M. Fernandez were published in the Xerox Disclosure Journal in 1979 with the description:

URL

Los Angeles (E! Online) –
Trendsetters, take note: Ukraine is the new Kazakhstan.

A week before it was scheduled to open in the former Soviet nation, Brüno has been formally banned by Ukraine from playing within its borders, after the country's Culture Ministry branded the film "immoral" and called its language and sexual imagery "obscene and improper."

Apparently, frontal male nudity, depictions of S&M swingers' parties and simulated sex acts with a ghost aren't what pass for entertainment in the Ukraine (on a related note, God bless America).
The decision to ban Sacha Baron Cohen's latest tour de force came after a 14-member commission appointed by the ministry deemed the film unfit for public viewing, as it could potentially "cause damage to public morals."

The group concluded that the film featured an "artistically unjustified exhibition of sexual organs and sexual relations, homosexual acts in a blatantly graphic form, obscene language, sadism, and antisocial behavior which could damage the moral upbringing of our citizens."

If that's not a tagline for the movie poster, nothing is.

Back in 2006, Ukraine, along with Kazakhstan and Russia, banned Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, on similar grounds.

And oh, how that hurt its box office haul...all $261.6 million of it.

Meanwhile, Britain has found a creative way around any potential offense caused by their native son, with Universal Pictures set to release a second, more teen-friendly version of the film on July 24.

The studio cut out 1 minute and 50 seconds of the original film and, in doing so, managed to lower its rating from an 18-certificate (the U.K.'s equivalent of an R rating), to one that allows viewers ages 15 and under into the theater.

Not that the more mature version has suffered for its raunchiness. Brüno debuted at No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K. over the weekend.

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