Activist churches bait IRS, but agency won't bite so far

Handout via Reuters

Pastor Jim Garlow Garlow not only intends to break IRS rules for political endorsements by religious organizations, he also plans to spend the next four months recruiting other pastors to do the same.

By Nanette Byrnes, Reuters

?Pastor Jim Garlow will stand before congregants at his 2,000-seat Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, California, on Sunday, October 7, just weeks before the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, and urge his flock to vote for or against particular candidates.

He knows such pulpit pleading could endanger his church's tax-exempt status by violating IRS rules for a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. A charity can take a position on policy issues but cannot act "on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." To cross that line puts the $7 million mega-church's tax break at risk.

Even so, Garlow not only intends to break the rules, he also plans to spend the next four months recruiting other pastors to do the same as part of Pulpit Freedom Sunday. On that day each year since 2008, ministers intentionally try to provoke the IRS. Some even send DVD recordings of their sermons to the agency.

Last year, 539 pastors participated. This year organizers expect far more. Participants want to force the matter to court as a freedom of speech and religion issue.

"I believe we're on the early stages of the next great awakening," Garlow told his congregation last year. "We're going to see it just sweep across this nation."

The situation is fraught with peril for the IRS, which needs to be seen as apolitical. When it cracks down on political activities proscribed by the 501(c)(3) regulations, it is inevitably branded as partisan.

When the target is a church, mosque or synagogue, enforcement puts two fundamental American values at odds: freedom of speech and the separation of church and state. Although the agency has enforced the tax-exemption rules against churches in the past, it has so far ignored the provocations of Freedom Sunday.

The IRS has also been silent about the increasingly aggressive political activity of the U.S. Catholic bishops, who have called for their own Fortnight for Freedom this week. Masses, rallies, and parish bulletins are being mobilized against the Obama administration's healthcare regulations on contraceptives.

The result of agency inaction, according to tax experts and former IRS staffers, will be a lot more electioneering by leaders of the faithful, in local races as well as national, and to the benefit of Democrats as well as Republicans.

"It will get worse unless the IRS takes action, and they seem reluctant," said Nicholas Cafardi, dean emeritus and professor of law at Duquesne University and the longtime lawyer for the Catholic diocese of Pittsburgh.

Cafardi called the current state of affairs "toxic" in its mingling of the two worlds. Many religious leaders do not support the trend toward more political involvement by organized religion and worry it will undercut their moral authority.

The money involved is enormous. Combined, federal tax breaks on donations to churches and exemptions from state and local property taxes likely add up to something on the order of $25 billion in lost revenue each year.

Last year churches received $96 billion in tax-free contributions, according to estimates compiled by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Unlike other types of charities, churches do not have to file financial statements with the government. There are only rough estimates of church endowment or investment income, which is also tax-free and believed to be larger than annual contributions.

Using tax data from the U.S. Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation and data on giving to churches from the Indiana Center, a Reuters analysis found that tax breaks on church giving shaved $12 billion or so from total U.S. tax collections in 2011 and approximately $145 billion over the last decade.

The property tax break is probably even bigger. In their 2011 book "Politics, Taxes, and the Pulpit," law professors Nina Crimm and Laurence Winer calculated that houses of worship received $12.7 billion in property tax exemptions on $685 billion of property in 2006, a figure large enough to have played a role in city and state budget deficits of recent years.

In big cities the numbers can be dramatic. New York City's 9,500 churches, synagogues, and mosques, for example, will avoid $626.9 million in property taxes this year thanks to their tax-free status, according to the city's Independent Budget Office.

Like most of California, La Mesa, where Garlow's Skyline Church is located, has suffered a steep drop in property tax collections, forcing municipal staff cuts and a sales tax increase.

Skyline's campus, which is assessed at $7.3 million and cost a reported $27 million to build, is almost entirely tax-exempt, according to the county assessor's office.

The IRS has not always been quiet. In 1992 it went after the Church at Pierce Creek in Binghamton, New York, which had bought full-page newspaper ads opposing then-Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton.

The church lost its IRS tax-exempt status but continued operating, changing its name to Landmark Church when it moved into central Binghamton several years ago.

Pastor Dan Little said the church never lost its property tax break. At the end of the year, Landmark gives people a record of their giving just like other churches, he said, leaving it up to them and their accountants to decide tax matters. "We just never have made any big issue of it," said Little, who continues to preach about politics and morals.

In 2004 the IRS created a dedicated enforcement program focused on political activity by churches and other nonprofits.

Called the Political Activities Compliance Initiative (PACI), it investigated in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 election cycles 80 instances where church officials were alleged to have endorsed a candidate during services.

According to IRS tallies made public after each election, the majority of the PACI complaints were upheld and settled with a warning that the organization comply with the ban on political activity.

The IRS did not respond to Reuters questions about its enforcement activities in recent years, or explain why they seem to have ended abruptly in 2009.

IRS church audits seem to have halted entirely in January 2009. That was when Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, successfully appealed an IRS audit. In question were an endorsement of Republican Michele Bachmann for Congress by pastor James Hammond and financial deals that may have benefited him personally, a violation of IRS rules.

IRS audits of churches must comply with strict rules designed to prevent undue governmental pressure. One is that a high-level IRS or Treasury Department official must authorize the audit. In the Living Word case, the U.S. District Court in Minnesota ruled that the IRS staffer who authorized the audit did not qualify.

In July of that year, Minnesota's Warroad Community Church was told by an IRS official that it was closing its 2008 examination of the church "because of a pending issue regarding the procedure used to initiate the inquiry." (Reuters obtained a copy of the letter from the Alliance Defense Fund, which was representing Warroad in the audit.)

Other churches that had been under IRS review received comparable letters, according to their lawyers.

The IRS stopped publishing the results of its PACI initiative. Three years later the IRS has yet to come up with a new set of church audit rules, making it impossible, experts say, for the agency to pursue such examinations.

Former staff insist that being seen as weak on enforcement of the law would be more damaging to the IRS than any allegation of partisanship would be.

Still, tight budget may have made it easy to put off tackling 501(c)(3) disputes. Others argued the agency may worry it could lose a court case over revocation on constitutional grounds, and that by avoiding such a test they may preserve the deterrent power of having the law on the books.

Whatever the reason, IRS inaction has effectively thwarted the evangelicals' efforts to force the matter in court.

At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting last week in Atlanta, bishops vowed to keep up their criticism of Obama administration policies on employer-provided birth control and other controversies.

"The first principle is that American citizens don't lose their freedom of religion or their freedom of expression when they become bishops," said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago.

As to what is and is not acceptable to say about candidates for office, "the guidelines are broader than some may interpret them," George told Reuters at the conference. In follow-up email correspondence, he declined to say whether he thought the IRS rules constrained free speech or whether he would be willing to forgo the church's tax exemption so clerics could speak out without restriction.

The meeting offered no public discussion of an April sermon by Illinois Bishop Daniel Jenky that has been vigorously debated in the local and the religious press and which many think violated the prohibition against opposing a candidate for office. The sermon has drawn a request for an IRS investigation by a watchdog group.

After asserting that Obama, "with his radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda" seemed to be on an anti-Catholic path similar to Hitler and Stalin, Jenky exhorted all Catholics to "vote their Catholic consciences" this fall.

Do the people in congregations follow such instructions? Only 18 percent of those polled by the Pew Research Center in January said the endorsement of a candidate by their minister, priest or rabbi would sway their vote. Seventy percent said it would make no difference.

A second Pew study this spring found that most parishioners would prefer their religious leaders steer clear of electioneering, with Catholics among the most adamant.

More money and business news:

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Lawfare ? Things Are Happening at the Naval War College: Cyber ...

Lots of exciting stuff going on at the Naval War College these days, in keeping with NWC?s long tradition of engagement with cutting edge legal issues.? Kudos to?Prof. Mike Schmitt (whom I am?proud to note?is a graduate of UT Law) for sparking all this activity.

First, NWC has just launched a nifty online research tool that they are calling ?Stockton,? in honor of Rear Admiral Charles H. Stockton (a pioneering Navy expert on international law and the namesake for the prestigious Stockton Chair at NWC).? Click through to check it out and you?ll find all sorts of handy resources compiled under the various tabs.

Second, NWC?s International Law Division annual?conference starts next week, and will focus on legal issues associated with armed conflict in cyberspace.? Jack, Matt, and I are all involved, as are a host of other terrific speakers.?I?ve reprinted the agenda below:??

MONDAY, JUNE 25

8:30 a.m. Registration

9:00? Welcoming Remarks

Rear Admiral John N. Christenson, U.S. Navy, President, U.S. Naval War College

Professor Michael N. Schmitt, Chair, International Law Department, U.S. Naval War College

Colonel Gary Brown, U.S. Air Force, Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Cyber Command

9:30 Panel I: An Introduction to Cyber Operations

Moderator: Lieutenant Commander Paul Walker, Judge Advocate General?s Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Cyber Command

Building U.S. Cyber Command ? Captain Timothy J. White, Naval Information Operations Command, Maryland

U.S. Cyber Strategy ? TBD

Intersection of Intelligence & Military Operations ? Mr. Eric Greenwald, Cyber Command J3

10:30 Break

11:00 National Security Law and Cyberspace

Professor Jack L. Goldsmith, Harvard Law School

12:00 p.m. Lunch (on own)

Brown Bag: Demonstration of Cyber Capabilities

1:30 Panel II: Organizing for Cyber Operations

Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Gumbs, JA, U.S. Army, U.S. Cyber Command

Role of U.S. Government & the Intelligence Community in Cyber Operations ? Mr. Stewart Baker, Steptoe & Johnson

Legal Support for DoD Cyber Operations ? Mr. Mark Young, Cyber Command J5

Cyber Operations: A European Perspective ? Colonel Paul Ducheine, Netherlands Army Legal Service, Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy

3: 00 Coffee Break

3:30 Panel III: Cyber Attacks: The Operators? Perspective

Moderator: Dr. Derek Reveron, National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College

Military Cyber Operations ? Major Chris Walls, U.S. Army, Cyber Command J3

Threats & Vulnerabilities ? A Senior Tech Advisor, NSA TBD

U.S. Foreign Policy on Cyber ? Dr. Deborah Schneider, U.S. Department of State

6:00??Icebreaker ? Commissioned Officers? Club

?

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

8:30 a.m.? Panel IV: General Principles of International Law

Moderator: Captain Kevin Kelly, Judge Advocate General?s Corps, U.S. Navy, International Law Department

Sovereignty and Neutrality in Cyber Space ? Professor Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, Europa-Universit?t Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder)

Legal Framework for Analyzing Cyber Operations ? Sir Daniel Bethlehem

Title 10/Title 50 and International Law in Cyber Warfare ? Professor Robert M. Chesney, School of Law, University of Texas

10:00 Coffee Break

10:30 Panel V: Self-Defense

Moderator: Captain Peter Bowers, Royal Australian Navy

Uses of Force [2(4)] ? Ms. Alexandra Perina, U.S. Department of State

Armed Attack ? Professor Matthew Waxman, Columbia University

Anticipatory Self-Defense ? Professor Terry D. Gill, Amsterdam Center for International Law, University of Amsterdam

12:15 p.m. Lunch (on own)

1:45 Panel VI: Cyber Conflict and the Law of Armed Conflict

Moderator: Colonel Gary Brown, U.S. Air Force, Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Cyber Command

Classification of Cyber Conflict ? Professor Michael N. Schmitt, Chair, International Law Department, U.S. Naval War College

Cyber War Actors ? Professor Vijay Padmanabhan, Vanderbilt University

Command Responsibility ? Major General Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., U.S. Air Force (Ret.), Duke University

3:15? Coffee Break

3:30? Panel VII: Cyber Attacks: The Law

Moderator: Commodore Andrew Jameson, Royal Navy

Lawful Targets ? Professor Noam Lubell, Essex University

Proportionality and Precautions in Attack ? Professor Eric T. Jensen, Brigham Young University

Methods and Means of Cyber Warfare ? Air Commodore William Boothby, Royal Air Force (Ret.)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

8:30 a.m.? Panel VIII: Beyond International Armed Conflict

Moderator: Captain (N) Genevi?ve Bernatchez, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Canada

Non-international Armed Conflict ? Professor Robin Geiss, Potsdam University

Counter-Terrorism ? Professor William Banks, Syracuse University

Peace Operations ? Professor Jann Kleffner, Swedish National Defence College

9:45 Coffee Break

10:15 Panel IX: The Road Ahead?

Moderator: Professor Dennis Mandsager, International Law Department, U.S. Naval War College

Professor Kenneth Watkin, International Law Department, U.S. Naval War College

Dr. Cordula Droege, International Committee of the Red Cross

Professor Michael J. Glennon, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

11:45 Concluding Thoughts: Professor Yoram Dinstein, Professor Emeritus, Tel Aviv University

12:15 p.m.? Concluding Remarks: Professor Michael Schmitt and Colonel Gary Brown

?

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Tired Of Your Home? Make Some Interior Design Changes! | Home ...

Need some decorating inspiration, but uncertain as to where to begin? Look no further! You will find advice from professionals to be of great use, more so for people on a tight budget. Use this article to get more ideas on how to decorate.

It does not have to be expensive to replace lighting. Some retailers sell discounted chandeliers and other lighting fixtures. If you pay less, it is much easier to update to a different look when you tire of the light.

A book shelf or library can be a very elegant addition to the living room or office in your home. This setup can add sophistication, whether you are choosing to add an encyclopedia or a complete library in the interior. Just be sure that both bookends and the covers complement the existing colors of the room.

Before you start working in a room, decide the kind of mood you want the room to present. The mood of a room can range from calm and soothing to exciting and outrageous. Choosing the mood of the room will help you choose more cohesive decorations in order to create a better room.

Your bathrooms and kitchen should have adequate lighting. Most of the time a bathroom or kitchen is the smallest room of the home. They can seem even smaller if there is not enough lighting. Putting the right light in a room is the best thing you can do. Ensuring adequate lighting is installed in bathrooms and kitchens can make them feel more expansive.

When anyone is creating a design for one of the rooms in their home, they should remember to focus on a particular mood. Different rooms require a different mood, so take this into consideration before designing. For example, you could choose soft and warm colors if you want to create a calm and tranquil feel.

It is a good idea to use popular elements in your design. They give a modern and stylish feel to a room. Use trendy items sparingly as they can overwhelm a room if used too liberally. Once-popular leopard sheets can easily be changed out for the trend of the day. If, however, you went trendy with a big piece, you might be stuck with it longer than you would like.

All spaces should be designed with consistency in mind. If you possess a modern looking fireplace, then a timely couch will look bad with it. You need to select an overall theme in order for your design to flow together properly.

Whenever designing a room, the color scheme is of the utmost importance. You should think about what looks good together and what will not so your room looks balanced. Also avoid using too many bold colors in the same room.

You have now taken a glimpse into interior design and all it has to offer. . If you were concerned that it was too complicated for you to handle, you now know tat simply is not the case. Try not to settle for just being ordinary; think of something special that your entire family will love.

Whatever your goals, you?ll find these home staging costs information to be the best.

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Egyptian official: Al Qaeda affiliate adds to violence between Israel, Palestinians

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • NEW: Israel says Palestinian militants caused the death of a Palestinian child when a rocket launch backfired
  • A cross-border attack was by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and an al Qaeda affiliate, an Egyptian general says
  • Palestinians say 6 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes
  • An Israeli worker was killed in the cross-border attack

Jerusalem (CNN) -- A spike in violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants in Gaza, along with a cross-border attack into Israel from Egypt, has left six Palestinians and one Israeli dead over the past two days, officials said Tuesday.

Also, a Palestinian child was killed when a rocket launch attempt by Palestinian militants backfired, Israel said.

An al Qaeda-affiliated group was involved in the cross-border attack, an Egyptian official said.

Palestinian medical officials said Israeli airstrikes had killed six Palestinians in Gaza: Four Palestinians were killed in Beit Hanoun, a city in northern Gaza, and two more early Tuesday east of central Gaza City, the medical officials said. The Palestinian Cabinet, which meets in the West Bank, issued a statement saying six Palestinians were killed in Gaza.

The Cabinet also cited as "martyrs" two Palestinians who were killed by an Israeli settler in Hebron, in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said a group of Palestinians on Sunday "attempted to pull an Israeli civilian out of his car (while) threatening and beating him. The civilian opened fire at the attackers. He was injured and evacuated to a hospital to receive treatment." A hospital spokesman said two men who were shot were pronounced dead at a hospital Sunday.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out air raids against targets in Gaza as militants fired numerous rockets into southern Israel.

By evening, 25 rockets were fired into southern Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The armed wing of Hamas said it had shelled an Israeli military base. Israel did not say immediately whether a base was hit.

The Izzedine al Qassam Brigades said some rockets it fired into Israel hit "the Zionist settlement of Re'im."

The Israel Defense Forces said its aircraft targeted "a terrorist squad" in Gaza that was responsible for the rockets. "A hit was confirmed," the IDF said in a statement.

On its official Twitter feed, the IDF reported that Palestinian militants caused the death of a Palestinian child when a rocket launch backfired. Between 10% and 15% of rocket launch attempts from Gaza backfire, the IDF said.

"During 2012, over 290 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt by terrorist groups to target Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will continue to operate against those who use terror against the state of Israel," the statement said, adding that Hamas "is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from" Gaza.

But the Palestinian Cabinet slammed "the continuous Israeli escalation against our people."

Monday's attack, on the Israeli side of the border with Egypt, was the work of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and al Qaeda, according to a North Sinai intelligence officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In a statement, a group calling itself the Religious Council of Mujahedeen said it was behind the attack "in the name of the great martyr Osama bin Laden." It identified the two attackers as an Egyptian and a Saudi.

The Israeli military said it killed two infiltrators in the attack.

"Fire was opened at Israeli workers during routine construction work on the security fence between Israel and Egypt. IDF soldiers responded with fire towards the terrorists," the IDF said in a statement.

The Egyptian intelligence officer, a general, told CNN: "We now have to face the reality that al Qaeda is present in Sinai. ... Palestinian Islamic Jihadi factions now present in Sinai, along with al Qaeda cells, are active, and we are tracking them down."

CNN's Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder, Talal Abu Rahman, and Josh Levs and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.

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ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition

asus-zenbook-prime-ux31a-alights-ivy-bridge-amazon

True to its pledge, ASUS has hauled the backlit keys and 1920 x 1080 IPS displays of the Zenbook Prime UX31A stateside, where it just made the Amazon scene in Core i7 and i5 Ivy Bridge flavors. The 13.3-inch Ultrabooks also have 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4000 Graphics and 128GB or 256GB solid state drives, depending on the model, and weigh in at a stark 2.86 pounds. The priciest Core i7 configuration with a 256GB SSD will run $1,599, and the lower-end Core i5, 128GB SSD version is $1,149. Some models are out of stock already, so if want to shell out, check the source for the product page.

ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iraq asks Obama to halt Exxon's Kurdish deal

BAGHDAD/LONDON (Reuters) - Iraq has asked U.S. President Barack Obama to stop Exxon Mobil exploring for oil in its autonomous Kurdistan region, saying the U.S. company's actions could have dire consequences for the country's stability.

An aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told Reuters of a letter the premier had sent, seeking Obama's intervention, as Kurdistan said on Tuesday it would sign more deals with majors to raise its output five-fold.

Turkey also signaled it was prepared to import oil directly from Kurdistan, potentially defying Baghdad, which has a long-running dispute with Kurdistan over oil export controls.

Exxon angered Baghdad last year by signing an exploration deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the north, which the central government deemed illegal.

"Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki explained to President Obama in the letter sent this month the dire consequences of the Exxon deal and its negative impact on Iraq's stability," Maliki's media adviser Ali al-Moussawi said.

Since the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in December, disputed areas between Kurdistan and Baghdad have been seen as a potential flashpoint for conflict as tensions between the two regions rise, without the buffer of a U.S. military presence.

Iraq's oil minister said in April that Exxon had written to Baghdad informing it that it had suspended work in the Kurdish region.

"Despite Exxon's letters about the freezing of their work in the region, we still receive information that suspicious work is going on relating to their exploration activities," Moussawi said.

"The point of the message was clear. The U.S. administration must intervene," he added.

KURDISTAN SAYS OIL MAJORS CIRCLING

Kurdistan announced in November the signing of a deal for six exploration blocs with Exxon, the first major oil company to deal directly with the Kurds in northern Iraq.

Iraqi Kurdistan, which has its own government and armed forces, has already clashed with the central government over autonomy and oil rights, and halted its crude exports in April after accusing Baghdad of not making due payments.

On Tuesday, Kurdistan's natural resources minister said it expects more oil majors to follow Exxon in the next few months and that oil shipments would resume.

"The market is very buoyant in Kurdistan. We have a lot of majors circling around looking at new PSCs (production-sharing contracts) and certainly mergers and acquisitions," Ashti Hawrami told an energy conference in London.

"So in the next few months, we expect to see another two or three major companies coming and working in Kurdistan."

Exxon is one of the oil majors participating in massive projects in central Iraq, which is due to become the biggest source of additional oil for world markets in the next decade.

But as exploration terms with the central government look less and less attractive, companies begin to look at Kurdistan.

Exxon is keeping a low profile in Kurdistan but industry sources said the company had already issued a tender for drilling rigs while French rivals Total and Norway's Statoil are also looking at exploration blocks there.

Exxon was not available on Tuesday to comment on Maliki's letter. Total and Statoil have previously declined to discuss their plans in Kurdistan.

The KRG halted oil exports in April due to a payment dispute with Baghdad. Before then, contractors in Kurdistan were producing and exporting about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd).

"The oil will flow ... regardless of an agreement, and I infinitely prefer an agreement," said Hawrami. By 2014 to 2015, output should grow to 1 million bpd, he said.

"When you have 1 million barrels a day stranded, it will find its way to the market despite the political haggling."

"We expect more discoveries this year to bring us to our new target of 2 million barrels per day by 2019."

PIPELINE TO TURKEY

Kurdistan has started plans to begin exporting its crude oil along a new pipeline to the Turkish border by August 2013.

Turkey signaled on Tuesday that was prepared to import oil directly from Kurdistan despite Baghdad's stance that it has the sole right to exports.

"Turkey cannot stay indifferent to developments in the energy sector of Iraq, including those in the KRG," Berris Ekinci, Deputy Director General for Energy, Water and Environment at Turkey's ministry of foreign affairs, told the London conference.

"The most important thing will be the market drivers," she said in reference to Turkey's potential purchases of Kurdish oil.

Small scale deliveries are expected to commence in coming weeks, when Kurdistan starts up a crude-for-products swap with Turkey, she told Reuters.

Industry sources say the KRG is gearing up to move crude by tanker truck to Turkey - possibly as part of the arrangement. Kurdistan is short of key products, including diesel and kerosene. It receives only 15,000 bpd of fuel from southern Iraq.

"The volume (from Turkey) will increase incrementally," said Ekinci. "But neither the start date nor the volume has been set yet."

Turkey, which shares a border with Kurdistan, has increasingly courted Iraqi Kurds as its relations with the Shi'ite-led central government in Baghdad have soured. Turkey is a major investment and trading partner for Iraq, especially for Kurdistan.

(Additional reporting by Julia Payne; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Anthony Barker)

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Cops Follow Stolen iPhone To Cache Of Illegal Weapons, Oakland Pot Operation

oakland_weaponscache.jpg While it's not quite as big as the iPad that led to the meth bust of the century down in San Jose, cops serving a search warrant for a stolen iPhone yesterday entered a home to find a cache of illegal weapons, more stolen electronics and a 100-plant strong illegal marijuana grow operation.

The suspect, who mugged a woman at gunpoint on MacArthur Boulevard last Thursday, was found in the home on Aileen Street near Adeline when the cops arrived looking for the stolen iPhone/homing beacon. Oakland PD's search of the home turned up an AR-16 with a shortened barrel and warzone-ready 100-round drum magazine, a knockoff Uzi, a couple of pistols and laser sights, as well as those 100 marijuana plants and ready-to-sell bud.

In addition to the iPhone that got away, the suspect had been hoarding more stolen laptops, cellphones and iPads. The biggest win for Oakland PD, however, were those high-capacity magazines, which OPD spokeswoman Joanna Watson seemed pretty proud to be removing from the streets of the East Bay. The suspect was immediately arrested and ? surprise ? OPD says he has "a very lengthy criminal history."

Oakland Police believe the evidence they found yesterday could help them close several other cases, so there's an upside to those iPhone privacy fears, at lease.

Previously: Stolen iPad Leads Cops To 780 Pounds Of Crystal Meth
[KTVU]

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9PM ET

It's Monday, which means it is time for you to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 9:00PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat too.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9PM ET

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to access SQL database from an iPhone app Via RESTful WCF service hosted on IIS 7.5

Introduction?

If you are looking for a way to access a Microsoft SQL database from mobile phones like Android or iPhone, and would like an example on how to do it and test it, then may be this will help you.?

Background????????

One way to get at SQL data from a mobile app is via a RESTful WCF service. The WCF service will expose the database and return JSON data which can get consumed by an iPhone app using http requests.

This article assumes that you have a basic understanding of WCF, SQL database, and iPhone programming. In this tutorial, I will build a WCF service that exposes a simple SQL database "EmpDB", host the service on IIS 7.5, and return the Employee info in JSON format, which will get consumed in an iPhone Application. This example is built with the following tools:?VS2010, SQLServer 2008, .Net Framework 4.0, and iOS 5.???

Why JSON not XML?????

  1. Better representation of language-independent Data Structures
  2. Simple, well defined, easy to parse, and easy to read.??
  3. lightweight payload = reduced bandwidth = faster transfers?
  4. iOS has nice native JSON SDKS, which makes it easy to parse and super fast.??

Using the code??????

If you already have a SQL database on your machine that you would like to expose, then skip to step #1. Otherwise, create a simple SQL database, and for consistency purposes, you can use a SQL database like mine. Call it "EmpDB", create one table "EmpInfo" with three fields: ? ??

  • firstname (nchar(10) type)???????
  • lastname??(nchar(10)??type) ???
  • salary??(decimal type) ? ???????

As you can see, I have 5 records in my database that I would like to get into my iPhone app.?

?

Here are five simple steps required to accomplish the goal:?

  1. Create a new?WCF service??
  2. Add Interface Code?
  3. Implement Service????
  4. TEST the service remotely??
  5. Consume JSON from mobile apps like iOS????

1.Create a new?WCF service?

File>New project>C#>WCF Service>"JsonWcfService"?

?

Delete the automatically generated IService1.cs and Service1.svc files. We will create our own.?

Add WCF service: FILE>new item>C#>WCF service>"GetEmployees.svc". ?

This will create two files, the interface "IGetEmployee.svc" and the service implementation file "GetEmployee.svc".?

2. Add Interface Code????

Add the following code to the interface "IGetEmployee file".?

using System.ServiceModel.Web;
  
 namespace JsonWcfService
 {
     [ServiceContract]
     public interface IGetEmployees
     {
         [OperationContract]
                 [WebInvoke(Method = "GET",
             ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json,
             BodyStyle = WebMessageBodyStyle.Wrapped,
             UriTemplate = "json/employees")]
                 List<Employee> GetAllEmployeesMethod();
     }
 }

Add a reference to?System.ServiceModel.Web.?If this framework wasn't available, right click on project > properties > Application Tab> Target> and make sure .Net Framework 4.0 is selected.???

The WebInvoke attribute before the method ensures that data is returned in JSON fornmat. This could have been?WebMessageFormat.Xml, if you are interested in returning XML instead.???

The interface has one method "GetAllEmployeesMethod", which returns a list of employees from the database. This method will need to be implemented in our service code in the next step. ?

??

3. Implement Service?
Add the following code to Implementation file "GetEmployees.svc". This service file implements the interface method "GetAllEmployeesMethod". In this method, I simply open a basic connection to a local SQL database "EmpDB" with all defaults to keep it simple. I query the "EmpInfo" table by asking to get a list of all the employees with their firstname, lastname and salary. Make sure to add a reference to?System.Data.SqlClient fto expose SQL operations, and?System.Runtime.Serialization?to expose?[DataContract] ?attribute like shown in the images below.??

using System.Data.SqlClient;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 namespace JsonWcfService
 {
     public class GetEmployees : IGetEmployees
     {
        public List<Employee> GetAllEmployeesMethod()
         {
              List<Employee> mylist = new List<Employee>();
  
             using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection("server=(local);database=EmpDB;Integrated Security=SSPI;"))
             {
                 conn.Open();
  
                 string cmdStr = String.Format("Select firstname,lastname,salary from EmpInfo");
                 SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdStr, conn);
                 SqlDataReader rd = cmd.ExecuteReader();
                
                 if (rd.HasRows)
                 {
                     while (rd.Read())
                         mylist.Add(new Employee(rd.GetString(0), rd.GetString(1), rd.GetDecimal(2)));
                 }
                 conn.Close();
             }
  
             return mylist;
         }
     }
  
     [DataContract]
     public class Employee
     {
         [DataMember]
         public string firstname { get; set; }
         [DataMember]
         public string lastname { get; set; }
         [DataMember]
         public decimal salary { get; set; }
         public Employee(string first, string last, decimal sal)
         {
             firstname=first;
             lastname=last;
             salary=sal;
         }
     }
 }

Now, tweak the web.config file within the project's solution explorer like this. Note I used?binding="webHttpBinding"?and?<webHttp/>. Project won't work correctly without these tweaks! ? ??

<services>
       <service name="JsonWcfService.GetEmployees" behaviorConfiguration="EmpServiceBehaviour">
         <endpoint address ="" binding="webHttpBinding" contract="JsonWcfService.IGetEmployees" behaviorConfiguration="web">
         </endpoint>
       </service>
     </services>
  
     <behaviors>
       <serviceBehaviors>
         <behavior name="EmpServiceBehaviour">
           <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/>
          <serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="false"/>
         </behavior>
       </serviceBehaviors>
       <endpointBehaviors>
         <behavior name="web">
           <webHttp/>
         </behavior>
       </endpointBehaviors>
     </behaviors>

This is it for WCF service. Compile in Release and Debug modes. Run by ctrl+F5, this will open a browser that displays GetEmployeeService, like?http://localhost:7794/GetEmployees.svc. Well if you want to see the Employees list, you can type this into the browser:?http://localhost:7794/GetEmployees.svc/json/employees?

The WCF service returns our employees list from the database in JSON format and is hosted in IIS. But, how can I get the employees list into my iPhone or Android Application and be able to test it??

What we did so far can only be tested on the same development machine, but can't get to it from a different machine or from an iphone app which is our goal. To do that, we need to host the service using some website. To do this, you need to pick a folder somewhere that will contain the necessary files to run the website.

4.?TEST the service remotely??

To create and run the website:?

- Make a new folder C:/JsonWcfService. Two files will go here: a .svc file and web.config file. ??

- Under?C:/JsonWcfService, open new notepad file, name it "GetEmployees.svc", and place the following line in it:??

<% @ServiceHost Service="JsonWcfService.GetEmployees" %>

- Open new notepad file, place the following code in it, and name it "web.config".?Basically, the endpoints and service behaviors here have to match the web.config from your service in Visual Studio?

="1.0" ="utf-8" 
 <configuration>
   <system.serviceModel>
     <services>
       <service name="JsonWcfService.GetEmployees" behaviorConfiguration="EmpServiceBehaviour">
         <endpoint address ="" binding="webHttpBinding" contract="JsonWcfService.IGetEmployees" behaviorConfiguration="web">
         </endpoint>
         <host>
           <baseAddresses>
             <add baseAddress="http://localhost:8000/" />
           </baseAddresses>
         </host>
       </service>
     </services>
     
     <behaviors>
       <serviceBehaviors>
         <behavior name="EmpServiceBehaviour">
           <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/>
           <serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="false"/>
         </behavior>
       </serviceBehaviors>
       <endpointBehaviors>
         <behavior name="web">
           <webHttp/>
         </behavior>
       </endpointBehaviors>
     </behaviors>
   </system.serviceModel>
 </configuration>

- Make a new subfolder?C:/JsonWcfService/bin, and copy "JsonWcfService.dll" from your ~project/bin directory?to?C:/JsonWcfService/bin.???

- Now, we just need to add the website in IIS7.5 and point to the folder we just created: ???

  • Open IIS(Internet Innformation Services) manager from cmd prompt or from windows search box??
  • Under Connections tree, expand "sites" > Right Click on Default Web Site > Add Application
  • use "JsonWcfService" for alias and Browse to folder "C:\JsonWcfService" for physical path
  • press ok???

?

This is it. To get the employees list from same machine, type the following link in your browser:?http://localhost/JsonWcfService/GetEmployees.svc/json/employees?

To get the employees list from a remote machine on your intranet:?http://"yourIPAddress"/JsonWcfService/GetEmployees.svc/json/employees? ????

Replace "yourIPAddress"?by the IP address of the machine that hosts your service.?Get your IP address: cmd prompt>ipConfig.???

e.g:?http://192.168.1.104/JsonWcfService/GetEmployees.svc/json/employees???????

5.Consume JSON in an iPhone?application?

Luckily, iOS5 has native JSON SDKs that will make this task very straight forward.???

In iOS, add a basic simple View app with 2 UIlabels to display the JSON text, and a more human readable format. Wire them up.

@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *jsonText;
 @property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *humanText;

Add the following code to your viewDidLoad method:???

#define WcfSeviceURL [NSURL URLWithString: @"http://192.168.1.102/JsonWcfService/GetEmployees.svc/json/employees"]
  
 - (void)viewDidLoad
 {
     [super viewDidLoad];
     NSError *error = nil;
     NSData *data = [NSData dataWithContentsOfURL:WcfSeviceURL options:NSDataReadingUncached error:&error];
     jsonText.text = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:data encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
  
     if(!error)
     {
         NSDictionary* json = [NSJSONSerialization 
                               JSONObjectWithData:data 
                               options:NSJSONReadingMutableContainers 
                               error:&error];  
         
         NSMutableArray *array= [json objectForKey:@"GetAllEmployeesMethodResult"];
         
         for(int i=0; i< array.count; i++)
         {
             NSDictionary *empInfo= [array objectAtIndex:i];
             
             NSString *first = [empInfo objectForKey:@"firstname"];
             NSString *last = [empInfo objectForKey:@"lastname"];
             NSString *salary  = [empInfo objectForKey:@"salary"];
             
                         NSString *firstname = [first
                                    stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@" " withString:@""];
             NSString *lastname = [last
                                    stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@" " withString:@""];
             
             humanText.text= [humanText.text stringByAppendingString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@ %@ makes $%@.00 per year.\n",firstname,lastname,salary]];
         }
         
     }
 }

Notice the use of?NSJSONSerialization?class, which turns JSON objects to NSFoundation objects, like NSDictionary, NSArray, NSString. So,?NSDictionary* json contains the list of employees.?

So, here is the employees list output displayed in your iPhone app in JSON and human human formats?

?our ???

Points of Interest??

The article provides you with a taste of how to access data across platforms. With the growing demand in the mobile industry, going across the boundaries becomes a must. It is often the case that mobile apps would like to communicate with other servers and databases. Restful WCF is a nice lightweight solution which can return JSON or xml and allows to be consumed by different technologies, which makes it very flexible for the future. WCF services provide a great alternative for traditional web services.

History??

V1.0 June 18, 2012

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36 dead in Nigeria church attacks, rioting

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