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HOUSTON (AP) -- A top administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has apologized for using the word "crucify" two years ago when describing the agency's enforcement policies, and for saying it makes examples of bad players in the oil and gas industry.

EPA Region 6 administrator Al Armendariz, who oversees Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico, issued a written apology Wednesday after video surfaced of him at a meeting in May 2010 in the tiny town of Dish.

The video shows Armendariz answering a question about the agency's enforcement policies. In the Middle Ages, he tells the crowd, the Romans would enter a troublesome village, "take the first five guys they saw and crucify them." Then the town would be "really easy to manage for the next few years," he said.

The EPA also makes "examples of people who are not complying with the law, you make examples out of them, use it as a deterrent method," Armendariz continued. "Companies that are smart see that and they don't want to play that, and they decide at that point that it's time to clean up."

To some Republicans and conservatives, the comments justified their long-standing allegation that the EPA under President Barack Obama has stepped up enforcement to a point where it is harming the economy and the energy industry. The EPA also has become a popular target on the campaign trail, and Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has in the past called for EPA chief Lisa P. Jackson to be fired.

Armendariz's apology was issued Wednesday by the EPA's headquarters in Washington.

"I apologize to those I have offended and regret my poor choice of words. It was an offensive and inaccurate way to portray our efforts to address potential violations of our nation's environmental laws," he said. "I am always and have been committed to fair and vigorous enforcement of those laws."

Cynthia Giles, the assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, also issued a statement.

"Strong, fair and effective enforcement of the environmental laws passed by Congress is critical to protecting public health and ensuring that all companies, regardless of industry, are playing by the same rules," she wrote.

Dish is a town north of Dallas where residents' concerns over the environmental impacts of a new method of gas drilling helped put the issue on the national stage.

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EPA official apologizes for use of word 'crucify'

Enid Burns for RedOrbit.com

For those who missed out on Woodstock in 1969, or even the more recent 1994 and 1999 music festival events of the same name, the spirit of the music goes on, and online. Microsoft is expected to unveil its new streaming music service at the video game trade show E3 in June. A few details made the rounds online this week in advance.

Woodstock will operate as a cross-platform music service that will likely work with the upcoming Windows 8, Android, iOS and Xbox. Release is expected to be timed with the availability of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, later this year, according to a news story posted on The Verge.

Microsofts music system as it is, is built into Microsoft connected systems, the biggest of which would be Xbox Live on the console side, Billy Pidgeon, senior analyst at M2 Research, told Redorbit in an interview. Beyond the Xbox system, Microsoft has several platforms where Woodstock will live. Theyve got Live, PC, mobile, its on everything. The only area where theyre going to be tied down is Android.

While initial rumors list Android as a potential platform, Pidgeon feels that the relationship may create problems when it gets carried on the Google-backed platform. On the marketing side its a push, says Pidgeon. Will they have to pay for third-party positioning? Theres not a lot of incentive for Google to make a deal with Microsoft. Sony has a better chance of getting carriage on Android than Microsoft just because of inherent competition with Microsoft and Google.

Even if Microsoft sees challenges with visibility on the Android platform, there are other channels to consider. Pidgeon points out Smart TVs in addition to the other platforms circulating under the Woodstock rumor. Smart TVs, thats another platform you have to think about in the mid-term if not the near-term, says Pidgeon.

News of the Microsoft streaming music service drops just as competitor Sony gets ready to release Music Unlimited, a cloud-based music catalog originally called Qriosity of roughly 15 million songs that will be released in Japan by the end of the year, after debuting first in 16 other countries. Music Unlimited is available in the U.S. currently, but still has room to grow. Music Unlimited is out on the [PlayStation] Vita and Im hoping that evolves more. Its got a lot to compete with these days.

Spotify is one of the top competitors in the space. The cloud-based music service has a growing following, which will be hard for Microsoft and Sony to chip away at. While it has a lot of traction, it also has some limitations which may or may not effect Microsoft when it releases Woodstock. One notable drawback is that users often find out a song is not available in their area when they try to add a song to their playlist or simply listen to a song. Theyre sticking to this regional stuff, its bonkers. Its online, it should be everywhere, Pidgeon says.

For Microsoft, as well as the competition, the music industry still presents kinks. Theres so much room for innovation in the space, if the music industry gets out of the way, says Pidgeon.

The software giant has had its hand in music before. Microsoft released Zune, a line of portable media players, in 2006. To support the player, Microsoft created the Zune Marketplace, an online store that offered music, podcasts, TV shows, movies, music videos and mobile applications. This service became available in late 2010, and the company hoped it would revive its lagging Zune line. Microsoft discontinued the Zune line in October 2011. Focus in that market was instead put on Windows Phone.

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Word Emerges Of Microsoft's In-Development Streaming Music Service

ST. BARTHELEMY--(Marketwire -04/26/12)- Will the sun and crowds around Cap Ferrat, Paloma Plage and Ibiza be too hot and heavy this summer? Then think Caribbean where everything that's laid out for the stars becomes more affordable in the summer, thanks to the Caribbean's premier full-service villa rental company, WIMCO Villas.

New this summer and fall are a range of Summer Travel Specials for WIMCO's collection of private villas in the French Caribbean, including complimentary rental cars with each villa rental, free nights in select villas, and other treats.

On the island of St. Barts, WIMCO represents 265 private villas, and this summer it will provide a free rental car for a week, plus exclusive dining deals, and 2 for 1 massage deals with Ligne St. Barth, the premier spa service company on the island. On St. Martin, WIMCO offers a free night with every 7 night reservation in over 40 private villas. Guests will also enjoy arrival gifts. Details are available on WIMCO's Summer Travel Specials page or at 1-401-849-8012.

"We've assembled an exciting list of exclusive offers and value-added programs," says WIMCO's president Stiles Bennet. "The secret of the Caribbean's allure as a summer vacation destination is that off-season pricing applies -- about 35% lower than winter pricing -- and the temperatures stay in the mid 80s, with mild humidity, while the temperatures along the coasts of the US and Europe soar into the 90s. Islands like St. Barts also arrange concerts and culinary events as an added enticement to visit during the summer. Another plus is that the Caribbean's world famous beaches, coral reefs, and popular villas and hotels are largely deserted during the summer months... more space, privacy and value for the savvy traveler."

About WIMCO VillasRecently featured on The Today Show, WIMCO Villas is an award-winning luxury villa rental company, providing access to some of the world's most beautiful and exceptional private villas, along with concierge travel services before, during and after the vacation. WIMCO has received numerous accolades including Cond Nast Traveler magazine's "Best Presented Villas," best luxury villa company by Travel & Leisure magazine, FORTUNE magazine's "Top Villas Companies in the World," and FORBES "Best of the Web."

WIMCO Villas' agents have intimate knowledge of the villas in their portfolio, and can tailor make a villa vacation to suit each client's needs, whether it be arranging for private chefs, yoga instructors, yacht charters or simply a restaurant reservation. WIMCO represents villas on St. Barthelemy and 12 other Caribbean islands, Europe, Hawaii and Nantucket, and publishes the Vendome Guide series of villa vacation guides. For additional information please call 800-449-1553. Inquiries can be sent via email to info@wimco.com

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Caribbean Summer Travel Specials From WIMCO, Gorgeous Private Villas and Deserted White Sand Beaches Await

Besides the novel story, Sircar insists that his casting director Jogi Malang did a phenomenal job of roping in the right actors in the film -- right from Ayushhman Khurrana, the film's lead to Delhi-based theatre actor Krishna Singh, who plays Vicky's limping friend and is constantly badgering him for an 'intro' with a girl he fancies.

In one of the most popular scenes in the film, Vicky's mother (played by theatre person Dolly Ahluwalia) and her ultra modern, outspoken mother-in-law (played by Kamlesh Gill) are seen bonding over pegs of whiskey after a day of constant bickering.

Sircar describes it as a cult scene.

He also reveals that the sequence was inspired from his own life, his late mother.

"In the later stage of my mother's life, she would have trouble sleeping at night. I was drinking one day and offered a glass to her. She accepted, and slept really well that night. After I moved to Mumbai, she would often call me to ask when I would visit again," he says, adding that his mother wasn't a regular drinker.

The drinking sequence has been likened to the growing cult status Kahaani's Bob Biswas has achieved. When asked if he thinks he should have highlighted it before the film released, he says, "That would confuse the audience. We didn't want to deviate from the central theme of the film."

Shoojit Sircar with Yami Gautam and N K Sharma (far right), from Delhi-based theatre group Act One which Sircar has been a part of

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Vicky Donor director: Every filmmaker lives for this

Entertainment of Thursday, 26 April 2012

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Leading events outfit, Empire Entertainment is celebrating 5 years of the existence in the entertainment industry this month with one of their biggest club raves yet; the EMPIRE Rave, on the 27th of April,2012.

The Empire Rave is set to be a culmination of some of the biggest empire raves such as the White Christmas Party, the Hook-Up Party and many others which have thrilled ,entertained and defined the raving trends of many event goers.

Empires club raves in the past have been known to assemble a an eclectic mix of celebrity appeal with the biggest entertainers in the business and the citys most renowned revelers whose only aim have been to entertain patrons at every single event.

With the Empire Rave, once again, Bola Ray and his crew are presenting a plush exclusive rave spot, Krysties, which will provide various party lounges and atmospheres whiles maintaining their status quo of bringing in the nations biggest celebrities and thrilling rave folk with amazing music selections from the biggest Djs on the scene backed by the likes of Commotion, Bola Ray and a roll call of the biggest MCs in the business.

Indeed, the guys in the famous green and white building of Empire, are promising their biggest club rave till date and they have never been known to let rave folks down.

As a teaser to the much anticipated 2nd edition of the Ghana Meets Naija Concert in June, Empire will be giving away advanced tickets to 5 lucky ravers on the night in a special lucky dip competition and so much more.

The Empire Rave is powered by Empire Entertainment with support from Club Invasion and Digital Innovation . Media Partners are YFM, Hitz Fm, and Joy Fm.

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Empire Entertainment Celebrates 5 Years