Appetites: Expanding food and beverage pairing to cocktails ...

Appetites

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio

June 26, 2013

LISTEN
Copy and paste the HTML below to embed this audio onto your web page.

Audio player code:
<iframe title="minnesota_general_features_2013_06_26_appetites_20130626_64s_player" type="text/html" width="319" height="83" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/syndicate.php?name=minnesota/general/features/2013/06/26/appetites_20130626_64" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Wine has been served with food for as long as vintners have been fermenting grape juice, but pairing a specific wine with a particular dish is a more contemporary practice. Interest in matching wine with food has spawned similar pairing of beer and food and, most recently, the development of pairing cocktails and food.

Rachel Hutton, senior editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, speaks with Tom Crann of MPR News' All Things Considered about an innovative Minneapolis restaurant that is rethinking the notion of a mixed drink.

? Photos: Cocktails at The Bachelor Farmer

TOM CRANN: It sounds as if there is far more to food and beverage than the old wine adage: white wine with fish, red with meat.

RACHEL HUTTON: That's certainly the most popular rule. I consider it a basic rule-of-thumb for the idea that you generally want to try to match light-bodied wines with lighter foods, and full-bodied wines with heavier, richer foods.

A crisp, dry Sauvignon Blanc will pair well with a delicate white fish. A Cabernet Sauvignon is a great match for a well-marbled steak because the tannins in red wine --which are compounds from the grape skins that create a dry, astringent sensation -- cut through the fat.

CRANN: But rules are meant to be broken, right?

HUTTON:Sure, especially because some whites, such as oaky California Chardonnays can be fuller bodied than certain light reds, such as Pinot Noir. In rethinking these old adages, restaurateurs have been doing all sorts of creative things such as pairing oysters with stout beer, and, most recently, at the Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis, creating food-pairing cocktails.

CRANN: Is this an update on the three-martini lunch?

HUTTON:That classic trope from the Mad Men era doesn't actually offer an optimal food-beverage combination -- most cocktails are far too strong to pair well with food. In developing these new food-friendly, less-alcoholic mixed drinks, the Bachelor Farmer's head bartender, Pip Hanson, downplayed spirits with dilution or replaced them with lower-proof beverages such as sake and hard cider.

CRANN: How would you describe the drinks?

HUTTON:They're served in wine glasses, which I think helps get the diner in the right frame of mind for food-pairing, though the drinks are really not like wine at all. They have more flavor complexity, like a cocktail, and yet they're far lighter and subtler than, say, a cosmo or a Manhattan.

CRANN: So a full-strength cocktail would overwhelm the food?

HUTTON:Yes, you wouldn't be able to really taste the flavors in the dish, much less how the flavors in both food and beverage are interacting.

CRANN: And how do they interact?

HUTTON:The drinks have enough acidity and brightness to complement dishes without dominating them. I sipped Hanson's cider and sherry cocktail with one of the restaurant's Scandinavian toasts with yellow split peas and I thought its crisp sweetness was a nice counterbalance to the thick, mild puree.

CRANN: Sounds very unique.

HUTTON:As far as I know, it's the first food-pairing cocktail menu in the Twin Cities, and maybe even the country.

Tom Crann

? ? ?Host, All Things Considered

Tom Crann is the host of All Things Considered for MPR News.

Source: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/26/appetites/rachel-hutton-food-cocktails

gold rush gold rush windows 8 Emanuel Steward nyc.gov SAT Notre Dame Football Schedule

Trading day could be shaped by Fed officials?

markets

Patti Domm CNBC.com

8 hours ago

Fed speakers could shape the trading day Thursday, starting with New York Fed President William Dudley who speaks just after the stock market open.

Markets have been fixated on Fed commentary this week, after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke last week said that the Fed could begin to wind down its $85 billion monthly bond purchases before the end of the year. That sent already rising yields higher, and stocks have been on a roller coaster ride. With the prospect of higher rates and a firmer dollar, gold has plunged to a near three-year low.

(Read More: Why Bond Selling Hysteria Is Overdone)

Stocks took flight Wednesday, with the Dow ending up 149 points at 14,910, after a surprising downward revision to first quarter GDP made traders doubt that the Fed will be too aggressive in moving to slow bond purchases. Economists had expected 2.4 percent growth, but the number was 1.8 percent instead.

The stock market's bullishness has been penned in by the Fed's tapering plans, which Bernanke said would be dependent on improvement in the economy. The S&P 500 Wednesday rose 15 to 1603, the center of what had been a supportive range before the market fell through it last week. The 10-year Treasury yield, meanwhile, fell to 2.54 percent from 2.61 percent, as investors stepped in to buy bonds

"People are still looking at GDP which is very much yesterday's data. That kind of revision makes people say that it makes it harder for Bernanke to taper," said Art Cashin, UBS director of floor operations at the NYSE. On Tuesday, stocks went higher but that was after better-than-expected economic data on housing and durable goods. Tuesday's move was also driven by comments from the People's Bank of China that helped soothe global market concerns about a credit crunch in China.

Dudley speaks at 10 a.m. ET on the regional economy and the labor market for college graduates, and while those topics are not about Fed policy, traders have been speculating his speech would be worth watching.

"That will be a real focus. People will be watching. They think if anybody's a spokesman for Bernanke, it's him," said Cashin.

(Read More: The Real Reason 1Q GDP Took a Hit)

Dudley is a key member of the Fed's core, and no one other than Bernanke, or Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen, possible successor to Bernanke, has as much credibility when it comes to conveying what direction the Fed might take.

"That will be an important speech. He is in the center of the committee, or one of those towards the center for the committee and aligned with Chairman Bernanke, so it will be interesting to hear how he discusses the outlook, what he says about tapering and how he's interpreting the recent data," said Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist at Barclays. Traders also want to hear what he says about the violent reaction in markets since the Fed meeting last week.

Maki said the markets may have become confused when Bernanke signaled during his press conference that the unemployment rate would be the most important variable to determine when the Fed will taper its bond buying. Bernanke said the Fed would reduce its purchases in "measured steps" and that it would be done with purchases by the middle of next year, when the unemployment rate should be about 7 percent.

"We think that's (7 percent) going to be achieved by the first quarter, so that's why even though growth will be sluggish, we think the Fed will be tapering," said Maki. Maki said he expects the Fed to begin cutting back on its purchases in September.

He said the Fed confused the markets by pinning a 7 percent unemployment rate target on the quantitative easing program, while it has also said a trigger to raise short-term rates could be when unemployment reaches 6.5 percent.

(Read More: New Math Makes It Easier to Lower the Unemployment Rate)

"I think the problem is by tying tapering and the first rate hike to the unemployment rate when the Fed moves up the timing on tapering, it seems reasonable to many market participants that the Fed may be also raising rates sooner than it otherwise might have," said Maki. The Fed forecasts hiking the Fed funds rate, now zero, in 2015 but some traders see it happening sooner.

"It's an odd time for the Fed to be talking about tapering when GDP growth is slowing, job growth is slow?and inflation is about half the rate they expect it to be," said Maki. He expects 1.5 percent growth in the second quarter, and 2 percent growth for the balance of the year, while the Fed sees growth picking up to 3 percent later this year.

Other Fed speakers Thursday include Fed Gov. Jerome Powell, who speaks at 10:30 a.m. on non-conventional monetary policy, and Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, a non-voting member, speaks at 12:30 on the economic outlook.

Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota told CNBC's senior economic correspondent Steve Liesman, in an interview Wednesday on "Squawk Box" that the Fed needs to be clearer in its communication on the Fed funds target rate, and the market reaction to Fed tapering has been "out-sized."

"There continues to be a great deal of uncertainty about what the Fed is going to do with the Fed Funds rate, our main policy instrument, as the economy recovers more," he said. The Fed did repeat that it would not raise rates until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent or lower, providing the outlook for inflation stays under 2.5 percent.

"We sort of take for granted that people understand that we're going to be in the business of [rate] accommodation for long after asset purchases end," Kocherlakota said. "We're in the business of accommodation as the economic recovery strengthens."

Besides the Fed, traders will be focused on data, including weekly jobless claims and personal income and spending at 8:30 a.m. ET, and pending home sales at 10 a.m. The Treasury auctions $29 billion in 7-year notes at 1 p.m.

The auction follows a $35 billion 5-year auction Wednesday and a $35 billion 2-year auction Tuesday, both with weakish results. "The results for the 2- and 5-year do not bode well for the 7-year tomorrow," said Ian Lyngen, senior Treasury strategist at CRT Capital. "There's limited risk appetite ahead of the end of the quarter. "

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2ddf9b15/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Ctrading0Eday0Ecould0Ebe0Eshaped0Efed0Eofficials0E6C10A4680A0A2/story01.htm

grenada grenada Sikh Sanya Richards Ross decathlon Honey Boo Boo Child Nathan Adrian

Helping many people boosts social standing more than helping many times

Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tim Wall
walltj@missouri.edu
573-882-3346
University of Missouri-Columbia

Research could guide business and political decisions as well as charity work

A business may build a better reputation as a good corporate citizen by donating $100,000 to ten charities, as opposed to $1million to one charity, suggested University of Missouri anthropologist Shane Macfarlan. Contrary to earlier assumptions in theoretical biology, Macfarlan's research found that helping a greater number of people builds a positive reputation more than helping a few people many times. The results of this research can offer guidance to businesses and politicians on how to improve their public images.

"Good reputations are good business. For example, buyers tend to purchase from merchants with numerous positive ratings on internet-based commerce websites, such as Amazon and eBay," said Shane Macfarlan, post-doctoral anthropology researcher in MU's College of Arts and Science. "Beyond the realm of commerce, the power of a positive reputation may have influenced the evolution of language and cooperation in our species. In our study, we found that an individual's reputation improves more after helping a greater number of people compared to performing a greater number of helpful acts for fewer people."

For example, a politician hoping for reelection may wish to back legislation that benefits many people, as opposed to giving tremendous help to a smaller group, noted Macfarlan. Political scientists recently contacted Macfarlan about applying his findings to public figures and their attempts to build positive reputations.

In his research, Macfarlan studied the work habits and reputations of men in a remote village on the Caribbean island of Dominica. The isolation of the village reduced outside influences on reputation and allowed the study to focus solely on the effects of specific behaviors on social standing.

On the island of Dominica, the men were all involved in the production of bay oil, a tree leaf extract used to make cosmetics by companies such as Burt's Bees. Bay oil production is labor intensive, so village men require assistance from each other. Macfarlan identified why some men attracted both many volunteer helpers and the respect of their peers, while other men had few helpers and little regard in the community.

"Helping numerous other men led to individuals achieving higher regard among their peers," Macfarlan said. "However, other men, who helped a smaller number of people, would end up with a worse reputation, although both men performed a similar total number of helping acts. Moreover, men with the best reputations received a greater amount of assistance from a greater number of people when they needed it most, whether it was in agricultural production or assistance after disasters, such as hurricanes."

Previously, researchers creating computer models of reputation-based cooperation had only considered the effect of the number of acts of cooperation on reputations, not the breadth of cooperation. Macfarlan's real-world observations of how reputations are built could lead to improvements in modeling human social interaction.

###

The study, "Cooperative Behavior and Pro-social Reputation Dynamics in a Dominican Village," was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of the journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tim Wall
walltj@missouri.edu
573-882-3346
University of Missouri-Columbia

Research could guide business and political decisions as well as charity work

A business may build a better reputation as a good corporate citizen by donating $100,000 to ten charities, as opposed to $1million to one charity, suggested University of Missouri anthropologist Shane Macfarlan. Contrary to earlier assumptions in theoretical biology, Macfarlan's research found that helping a greater number of people builds a positive reputation more than helping a few people many times. The results of this research can offer guidance to businesses and politicians on how to improve their public images.

"Good reputations are good business. For example, buyers tend to purchase from merchants with numerous positive ratings on internet-based commerce websites, such as Amazon and eBay," said Shane Macfarlan, post-doctoral anthropology researcher in MU's College of Arts and Science. "Beyond the realm of commerce, the power of a positive reputation may have influenced the evolution of language and cooperation in our species. In our study, we found that an individual's reputation improves more after helping a greater number of people compared to performing a greater number of helpful acts for fewer people."

For example, a politician hoping for reelection may wish to back legislation that benefits many people, as opposed to giving tremendous help to a smaller group, noted Macfarlan. Political scientists recently contacted Macfarlan about applying his findings to public figures and their attempts to build positive reputations.

In his research, Macfarlan studied the work habits and reputations of men in a remote village on the Caribbean island of Dominica. The isolation of the village reduced outside influences on reputation and allowed the study to focus solely on the effects of specific behaviors on social standing.

On the island of Dominica, the men were all involved in the production of bay oil, a tree leaf extract used to make cosmetics by companies such as Burt's Bees. Bay oil production is labor intensive, so village men require assistance from each other. Macfarlan identified why some men attracted both many volunteer helpers and the respect of their peers, while other men had few helpers and little regard in the community.

"Helping numerous other men led to individuals achieving higher regard among their peers," Macfarlan said. "However, other men, who helped a smaller number of people, would end up with a worse reputation, although both men performed a similar total number of helping acts. Moreover, men with the best reputations received a greater amount of assistance from a greater number of people when they needed it most, whether it was in agricultural production or assistance after disasters, such as hurricanes."

Previously, researchers creating computer models of reputation-based cooperation had only considered the effect of the number of acts of cooperation on reputations, not the breadth of cooperation. Macfarlan's real-world observations of how reputations are built could lead to improvements in modeling human social interaction.

###

The study, "Cooperative Behavior and Pro-social Reputation Dynamics in a Dominican Village," was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of the journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uom-hmp062613.php

cbs sports ncaa tournament kids choice awards Miley Cyrus Twerk ncaa march madness cbs march madness bracket

Experts: Deen's TODAY apology 'failed,' 'bizarre'

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

10 hours ago

On Wednesday, Paula Deen appeared on TODAY with Matt Lauer to address the scandal over revelations that she had used racial slurs in the past. Her apology and explanation for her behavior was lengthy, but opinions are split over how effective her 13-minute mea culpa really was.

"She appeared very genuine," said Lily Golightly, owner and publicist with New York-based Golightly Media. "Her YouTube videos were kind of strange, and this interview should have cleared things up."

Unfortunately for Deen, the interview may have had the opposite effect.

David E. Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, a public relations and branding agency, calls her appearance a "non-apology" of Nixonian proportions. "(Former President Richard Nixon) never apologized by saying he was guilty or wrong about Watergate; she was the same way," he said.

And Golightly admits, "Toward the end it was kind of bizarre."

"From a PR aspect, what people wanted to know is -- could there be any more fallout, any more shoes to drop," he says. But Deen's categorically saying she'd never used the N-word other than what has already been discussed was a terrible move. "From a PR standpoint, that's a horrendous scandal. Now if anyone ever comes out with anything, ever caught her on a cell phone making a racial slur, she's done."

Other low points, according to Johnson:

• Referring to her work in the African-American/minority community: "That was odd because the one thing we have not heard from outside of her family is a rush of colleagues, ex-employees or African-American community members coming to her defense about all she's done in the community."
• Getting personal by naming Food Network (which canceled her show) and QVC (which has not yet disassociated with her): "The Food Network reference came almost as a veiled threat, wink-wink to her fans, daring them to boycott... With QVC she was almost daring them to take some action, as if she was calling them out."
• Her gestures and manner of speech seemed stilted and practiced: "It was almost mechanical, especially when she reached over and touched Matt's leg."
• Her poor, poor me stance: "She appeared angry at everyone who's been talking or questioning her, and it was almost like she felt she was a victim. The public and corporations wanted her to sincerely, humbly apologize and assume responsibility. Instead she went into a long thing about young African-Americans using the N-word."
• Saying, "I is what I is": The pidgin colloquialism rang instantly with racial connotations, something Deen seemed tone deaf about. "My wife was saying that's what she's going to remember from this interview most."

The fate of Deen's star power and her cooking empire remains to be seen; the apology (or lack thereof) could mean the difference between Paula Deen rising again or not. A successful mea culpa may put famous faces back into the public eye, though rarely without tarnish. Think of Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Alec Baldwin -- they've all been involved with scandals of varying degree and complexities, yet they all have returned to a place where they're accepted if not celebrated.

Deen seems to have done enough, according to some fans, who Tweeted post-interview with their support:

For other fans, reaction was a little more mixed.

So what can Deen do next? Golightly says she still has a few more steps to take.

"She needs to do something good now," she explains. "You have to outweigh the bad with good. She needs to come out on the other side and start inspiring social change. As an international businesswoman, she has the power to do that."

But in Johnson's perception, it's over. "There are some people who will still go crazy over Paula Deen, but the brand as we knew it is gone forever," he said. "She can't resurrect it -- and it's all due to the failed apology. Watching her on TODAY, she clearly doesn't understand the changes that have gone on in civil society. The apology has done her in."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/paula-deens-today-apology-failed-was-bizarre-experts-say-6C10452611

aspergers Richard Engel Daniel Inouye steelers scarlett johansson peter frampton Sandy Hook Elementary School Colors

Syria military battles rebels in eastern Damascus

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad hit rebel-held eastern districts of Damascus on Tuesday with mortar bombs, artillery and air strikes, opposition activists said.

The assault was focused on Zamalka and Irbin, on the edge of the government-controlled centre of the capital, according to the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Rebels in the capital's outskirts say they are facing a slow but steady army advance. A rebel push into the city a year ago was seen at the time as heralding Assad's fall, but his forces, with support from his Shi'ite Muslim allies, have fought back.

If they retake eastern districts of Damascus, mostly Sunni Muslim rebels would lose arms supply routes and suffer a severe blow in their drive to end four decades of Assad family rule.

"The areas of Irbin and Zamalka were exposed to bombings by regular forces, mortar bombs and heavy artillery," the British-based Syrian Observatory said. It said there were reports of casualties from air raids, but gave no details.

Rebels say their prospects for reversing Assad's gains in Damascus may now hinge on military support from Western and Arab backers. The United States announced unspecified military aid this month.

More than 93,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, which began as a popular anti-Assad protest movement but has descended into a civil war with sectarian overtones.

Nearly 1.7 million refugees have fled into neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where clashes between armed groups supporting opposing sides in Syria have fuelled fears of a lapse back into sectarian civil war.

Lebanon is still struggling to heal the wounds of its 1975-90 civil war.

The Beirut government is trying to restore calm after Sunni militiamen clashed with the army this week in the coastal cities of Sidon and Tripoli. They accuse the army of backing Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group fighting on Assad's side.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-military-battles-rebels-eastern-damascus-115452207.html

JA Happ Tim Lambesis jaycee dugard Great Gatsby Mark Sanford Ray Harryhausen elizabeth smart

United Airlines Runs Out of Toilet Paper on 10-Hour Flight

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/united-airlines-runs-out-of-toilet-paper-on-10-hour-flight/

uc berkeley harrison barnes brett ratner stevie nicks anchorman capybara duggars

Putin says no to US request to turn over Snowden

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media following a meeting with the Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at the presidential summer residence Kultaranta in Naantali, Finland, Tuesday June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Kimmo Mantyla) FINLAND OUT

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media following a meeting with the Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at the presidential summer residence Kultaranta in Naantali, Finland, Tuesday June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Kimmo Mantyla) FINLAND OUT

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S. demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, saying that Snowden hasn?t crossed the Russian border as he seeks to evade prosecution. Sergey Lavrov insisted that Russia has nothing to do with Snowden or his travel plans. Lavrov wouldn?t say where Snowden is, but he angrily lashed out at the U.S. for demanding his extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed at Central, Hong Kong's business district. The Hong Kong government says Snowden wanted by the U.S. for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has left for a "third country." The South China Morning Post reported Sunday, June 23, 2013 that Snowden was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination. Snowden has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S. demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, saying that Snowden hasn?t crossed the Russian border as he seeks to evade prosecution. Sergey Lavrov insisted that Russia has nothing to do with Snowden or his travel plans. Lavrov wouldn?t say where Snowden is, but he angrily lashed out at the U.S. for demanding his extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was booked in the name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, during Aeroflot flight SU150 from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Confusion over the whereabouts of National Security Agency leaker Snowden grew on Monday after SU150 Aeroflot flight filled with journalists trying to track him down flew from Moscow to Cuba with the empty seat booked in his name.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly rejected U.S. pleas to turn over National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden on Tuesday, saying he is free to travel wherever he wants and insisting that Russian security agencies haven't contacted him.

Snowden is in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and has not passed through Russian immigration, Putin said, meaning he is not technically in Russia.

After arriving Sunday on a flight from Hong Kong, Snowden registered for a Havana-bound flight from Moscow on Monday en route to Venezuela and then possible asylum in Ecuador, but he didn't board the plane.

Snowden's whereabouts since then have been a mystery, and Putin's comments were the first time Russia has made clear it knows where he is.

Speculation has been rife that Russian security agencies might want to keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing, but Putin denied that.

"Our special services never worked with Mr. Snowden and aren't working with him today," Putin said at a news conference during a visit to Finland.

Putin said that because there is no extradition agreement with the U.S., it couldn't meet the U.S. request.

"Mr. Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him," Putin said. "I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the U.S. and I hope that our partners will understand that."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that though the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, it wants Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned.

Putin's staunch refusal to consider deporting Snowden shows the Russian president's readiness to further challenge Washington at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are already strained over Syria and a Russian ban on adoptions by Americans.

A Kremlin decision to provide even temporary shelter and safe transit to Snowden would embarrass Washington. And despite Putin's denial, security experts believe the Russian special services wouldn't miss the chance to question a man who is believed to hold reams of classified U.S. documents and can shed light on how the U.S. intelligence agencies collect information.

Igor Korotchenko, director of the Center for Global Arms Trade and editor of National Defense Magazine, said Snowden would be of particular interest because little is known about digital espionage.

"The security services would be happy to enter into contact with Mr. Snowden," Korotchenko said.

Russia also relished using Snowden's revelations to try to turn the tables on U.S. criticism of Russia's rights record.

Putin compared Snowden to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who has been provided asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, saying that both men were labeled criminals but consider themselves rights activists and champions of freedom of information.

"Ask yourself a question: should people like that be extradited so that they put them in prison or not?" he said. "In any case, I would prefer not to deal with such issues. It's like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool."

In an apparent reference to claims that Moscow could have played a role in Snowden's exit from Hong Kong, he said that his arrival was a "complete surprise" and dismissed accusations against Russia as "ravings and sheer nonsense."

"He doesn't need a visa or any other documents, and as a transit passenger he has the right to buy a ticket and fly wherever he wants," Putin said.

Russian news media had reported that Snowden remained in a transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, which is separate from the regular departure zones. He has not been seen by any of the journalists that have been roaming the airport in search of him.

Legally, an arriving air passenger only crosses the border after clearing immigration checks.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the U.S. push for Snowden's extradition earlier Tuesday, but wouldn't specify his whereabouts, saying only that he hasn't crossed the Russian border.

"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violating U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said. "There are no legal grounds for such conduct by U.S. officials."

U.S. and Ecuadorean officials had said they believed Snowden was still in Russia.

Kerry called for "calm and reasonableness."

"We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice,' " Kerry said at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport.

A representative of WikiLeaks has been traveling with Snowden, and the organization is believed to be assisting him in arranging asylum. Assange, the group's founder, said Monday that Snowden was only passing through Russia and had applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries.

A high-ranking Ecuadorean official told The Associated Press that Russia and Ecuador were discussing where Snowden could go, saying the process could take days. He also said Ecuador's ambassador to Moscow had not seen or spoken to Snowden. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, hailed Snowden on Monday as "a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone's fundamental liberties."

"We're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed," President Barack Obama told reporters.

The Kremlin has previously said Russia would be ready to consider Snowden's request for asylum.

Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.

Snowden also told the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." He is believed to have more than 200 additional sensitive documents in laptops he is carrying.

Some observers said in addition to the sensitive data, Snowden's revelations have provided the Kremlin with propaganda arguments to counter the U.S. criticism of Russia's crackdown on opposition and civil activists under Putin.

"They would use Snowden to demonstrate that the U.S. government doesn't sympathize with the ideals of freedom of information, conceals key information from the public and stands ready to open criminal proceedings against those who oppose it," Konstantin Remchukov, the editor of independent daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

Putin has accused the U.S. State Department of instigating protests in Moscow against his re-election for a third term in March and has taken an anti-American posture that plays well with his core support base of industrial workers and state employees.

____

Huuhtanen reported from Naantali, Finland. Michael Weissenstein and Gonzalo Solano contributed to this story from Quito, Ecuador.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-25-NSA-Surveillance/id-0d036e9e2e70420db7c138b48c6dabb9

Krysten Ritter v for vendetta Voting Locations atlanta falcons voting hours election results Doug Martin