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Trayvon Martin Case: Attorney Choice Sparks Division

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey is heading the investigation of the black teen's death. Her reputation for being tough on crime comforts some, but worries others. Corey says what she needs is patience from a public that's demanding action.

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'Game Of Thrones' Season Two: The Reviews Are In!

Critics are raving about new season, with one reviewer describing HBO fantasy series as 'spiritual heir' to 'The Sopranos.'
By Josh Wigler

Carice Van Houten as Melisandre in "Game of Thrones"
Photo: HBO

Winter is behind us in real life, but in the brutal realm of Westeros, it's just days away.

When "Game of Thrones" returns Sunday for its second season, the days of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell will be behind us, with the reign of Tyrion Lannister (and another Emmy-worthy performance from Peter Dinklage) in our future. Based on the second novel in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, "A Clash of Kings," season two of "Thrones" promises even more political intrigue, warfare, sex and violence than ever before — and given the show in question, that's certainly saying something!

Several critics have already seen the first episode of the new season of "Thrones," and with very few exceptions, their reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Here's a taste of the reviews:

The Story "It's a pleasure to see that 'Game of Thrones' hasn't lost a grip on its ability to tell a vast, interconnected story without slowing down the pace. What's truly impressive is that as life is breathed into these storylines, 'Game of Thrones' just gets better and more fulfilling as a top-tier television series. The intrigue of the plot and the keenly drawn characters — plus the sense instilled in Season 1 that absolutely anything can happen and no one is safe — makes the show all the more compelling." — Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter

Accessibility for Non-Readers "I had read the first volume of George R.R. Martin's saga 'A Song of Ice and Fire' (the source material for this series) before I watched the first season of 'GoT' so I would be familiar with the vast array of characters and plots that would develop. But I intentionally did not read the epic's second volume, 'A Clash of Kings,' before watching the start of 'GoT' season 2, because I wanted to see if I'd have trouble following the new intricacies. And I'm here to report that my lack of homework in no way prevented me from becoming enthralled with this series all over again. That's a testament to what adapters David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have accomplished in whittling down and reshaping Martin's novels for weekly TV. It's difficult enough to hook a viewer like me, who resists sprawling, noncontemporary narratives; it's another level of pop culture wizardry to make such storytelling seem so vivid, so vital, and just plain fun." — Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

Blood and Boobs " 'Thrones' creates such a rich visual feast — replete with plenty of gratuitous nudity and blood-letting — as to almost obscure its fundamental storytelling pleasures, which are as much a mob drama as anything else, having traded bullets for broadswords. By that measure, this really might [be] the closest spiritual heir to 'The Sopranos' HBO has delivered since the show's notorious whiteout." — Brian Lowry, Variety

The New Guys in Town "Even though I'm a fan of Martin's novels, I must confess that I always found the Stannis retainer Davos Seaworth fairly bland and boring, but Liam Cunningham, like Emilia Clarke, ably brings to life a character who could seem rather remote on the page. Several other smaller roles have been filled with lively specificity, but I have to wonder if we'll get enough time with each of these people. Will the plight of Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), a stoic warrior who nurtures an unrequited love for royal contender Renly Baratheon, be as sadly evocative as it was in the books? Will there be time for the show to do more than lightly sketch the dilemmas of minor but interesting characters like her?" — Maureen Ryan, Huffington Post

The Bottom Line "As with the novels, this 'Game of Thrones' is breathtakingly ambitious, an ever-unfurling tapestry that threatens, at times, to overwhelm its frame. That it does not is a testament to the power of piecework — art is not defined by the space it occupies but by its details, the truth it captures. Many heads bend over this adaptation, each belonging to a master of his or her craft, and what emerges is a truly new, and miraculously accurate, definition of epic television." — Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times

Are you excited for more "Thrones" action? Tell us in the comments section or hit me up on Twitter @roundhoward!

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Loeb will not rejoin for day two

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We need a leader to take city forward

T HERE is no question that if Bristol is to claim a place at the top table of British cities we need an elected mayor. Never mind what Bristol city council leader Barbara Janke may claim, the coming mayoral referendum is our chance to invigorate the way our city is governed. For too long we have lacked charismatic, decisive leadership.

An elected mayor in the style of Boris Johnson or Ken Livingstone could bring us that.

And we have nothing to lose in trying. The current system has hardly delivered a succession of sparkling minds and performers.

The reluctance by Mrs Janke and other local politicians to embrace the idea of an elected mayor is partly self-preservation.

But it also highlights the inertia and the wariness that has dogged Bristol and made this an unattractive city to both business and investors.

Michael Bothamley delivering his final speech as president of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce got it exactly right.

An elected mayor would be a major step forward.

He said it could well lead to Bristol becoming a great city again.

Actually Bristol is already a great city. But what it needs is a great leader and if we vote in favour of an elected mayor then we stand a chance of getting one.

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The Hunger Games review: Sci-fi adventure movie that will leave teens hungry for more

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Branislav Ivanovic will rebuff CSKA Moscow

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New Apple iPad Kicks PC Industry While It's Down

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Raikkonen eager for ?normal? weekend

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The car elevator Mitt Romney should buy for his San Diego beachfront home

After long weeks on the trail, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney escapes to this San Diego beach house, a fairly spartan two-story structure in an upscale neighborhood. But renovation plans revealed by Politico show the Romneys' want to tear it down and build a home three times larger -- including a 3,600-sq. ft. basement and [...]

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A star isn't born — yet

Vito Vincent wowed everyone in New York, but Hollywood is a much tougher town with lots of competition. Still, he draws a crowd wherever he goes and maybe one day he'll be discovered.

Poor Vito Vincent, who came to Hollywood chasing a dream.

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Verizon confirms Jetpack MiFi 4620L will be available April 12th for $50 on-contract

It's taken considerably longer to roll out than the few weeks that were promised back at CES in January, but Verizon has now confirmed that the Novatel-built, LTE-capable Jetpack MiFi 4620L will be available on April 12th for $49.99. That's on the usual two-year contract, of course, and after a $50 mail-in rebate. In addition to supporting up to ten WiFi connection, it also notably has a removable battery that can be swapped out for a higher capacity 3000mAh unit (double the capacity of the included the one). Look for it at Verizon stores and Verizon's website initially, with a roll out to Best Buy locations following shortly thereafter.

Verizon confirms Jetpack MiFi 4620L will be available April 12th for $50 on-contract originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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