Sunday, January 27, 2013

IK Multimedia iRig BlueBoard and iRig HD hands-on (video)

Last year at CES, IK Multimedia unveiled its iRig Stomp as a foot switch controller for wrangling the outfit's Amplitube software for iOS. Here at NAMM though, the company has cast off the wired connection for the Bluetooth-sporting iRig BlueBoard MIDI foot pedal. In addition to managing presets sans cables, the device can access four effects / amp modeling combos via backlit selectors without the need to swipe the screen of your iPhone or iPad. The gadget is AAA battery powered and there's no power adapter or in-built power pack. It's a bit of a bummer that the BlueBoard isn't rechargeable, but then again, a lot of guitar pedals and stompboxes are either battery or adapter powered. Two 1/4-inch jacks fare along for the ride in case you need to add on volume or expression pedals to the $99 rig that's set to arrive in Q2.

During our visit, we also took a look at the recently announced iRig HD guitar connector. The next-gen version of the original iRig touts higher quality sound (as the moniker suggests) and now connects via 30-pin or Lightning port for use with a mobile device or via USB for laptops and such. There's also a input level adjustment on the side in a form factor that resembles the Apogee Jam -- albeit with different connectors. Even with the help of headphones it was hard to tell just how good the captures were thanks to the painfully noisy show floor. However, in our brief time with the setup it worked like a charm for handling our feeble attempts at a few Taking Back Sunday riffs. Hop down past the break for a quick tour of the duo.

James Trew contributed to this report.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JId4DWPorkg/

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Mumbai sentencing: American gets 35 years, judge calls him 'terrorist'

David Coleman Headley, a US citizen of Pakistani heritage, conducted surveillance for the Mumbai attackers. In light of his cooperation with investigators, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

By Warren Richey,?Staff writer / January 24, 2013

In this courtroom sketch, David Coleman Headley appears before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber at federal court in Chicago, Thursday, as Leinenweber imposes a sentence of 35 years in prison for the key role Headley played in a 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai that has been called India's 9/11.

Tom Gianni/AP

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A federal judge in Chicago sentenced an American citizen to 35 years in prison on Thursday for his role in providing surveillance information and videos laying the groundwork for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, that left more than 160 dead and hundreds wounded.

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David Coleman Headley, a US citizen of Pakistani heritage, was arrested in October 2009. He agreed shortly afterward to cooperate with US investigators and intelligence officials, and he testified against one of his fellow co-conspirators.

Among other information, Mr. Headley told US officials of a link between the terror operation in India and Pakistan?s intelligence service, the ISI. He identified his ISI contact as ?Major Iqbal,? according to court documents.

?Major Iqbal? helped plan and fund the Mumbai attacks, he said.

In light of his cooperation, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty for Headley. In addition, instead of a life sentence, prosecutors urged US District Judge Harry Leinenweber to impose a 30 to 35-year prison term.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Leinenweber called Headley a ?terrorist? and rejected suggestions he had reformed his life.

?I don?t have any faith in Mr. Headley when he says he?s a changed person and believes in the American way of life,? the judge said, according to the Associated Press.

In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors acknowledged that Headley played ?an essential role in the planning of a horrific terrorist attack.?

?There is little question that life imprisonment would be an appropriate punishment for Headley?s incredibly serious crimes,? they said. But they added that his extensive cooperation had been of ?significant value? to US anti-terror efforts.

Headley, 52, is unlikely to emerge from prison until he is well into his 80s.

Headley pleaded guilty in March 2010 to all 12 counts in his indictment. The charges included conspiracy to bomb public places in India, conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India, and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.

Among the dead were six American citizens.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/vs15QuJp-iE/Mumbai-sentencing-American-gets-35-years-judge-calls-him-terrorist

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Verizon Said To Be Getting A Flagship Nokia Windows Phone (Codenamed ?Laser?) Of Its Own

lumia 900-10Don't get me wrong, HTC's Windows Phone 8X is great and all, but the rest of Verizon Wireless' Windows Phone lineup (think the Nokia Lumia 822 and Samsung;s ATIV Odyssey) is a bit lacking in the oomph department. If a new report from The Verge's Tom Warren holds true though, that may not be the case for too much longer -- according to sources within Verizon, the carrier is gearing up to release a flagship Nokia Windows Phone with a spec sheet similar to the Lumia 920.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mnPtVDAobWw/

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How creating the perfect bathroom can add value to your home

By Ryan Hirst | January 24, 2013 | Featured Stories

The bathroom is probably one of the last home improvement projects we take on in and around our homes for whatever reason, but this is where some people fail when it comes to adding value to their home or making their home more buyer friendly. Today I intend to explain how creating the perfect bathroom can add value to your home.

Within the bathroom we will usually see some fairly expensive appliances, and with this in mind it is hard to understand why people and homeowners spend so much money on things such as the bath, the shower and the sink if they do not plan on keeping up the upkeep of the room.

Without spending a high amount of money there are simple improvements we can make in order to make our bathroom a focal point of our home. By simply changing the colour of a room you can see a great improvement and this is something I would advise if you are looking for money saving techniques when improving your bathroom.

By adding a new lick of paint to your bathroom it is amazing how much of a difference and new life you can add. If you don?t actually want to spend hours repainting then you can create a new theme to your room by changing the colour of things such as towels, your mats and also things like utensils, like flower vases etc.

Along with this you can capture life again in your bathroom by simply repainting things like the skirting boards and window sills, without having to spend as much money on paint for the whole room this tactic can in fact give your room a new form of life again.

Other DIY projects for your bathroom

Redecorating any part of our home can be a fairly good DIY project especially for those who maybe don?t ?have the confidence or experience to take on bigger home improvement and DIY projects their selves. However if you are actually a fairly experienced DIYer or a bit of a home improvement fanatic you can take on some bigger jobs in your bathroom that will make a huge difference when it comes to adding value to your home or even making your home more ?sellable?.

?Jobs that can be done include:

  • Retiling
  • Adding new flooring
  • Installing a new shower
  • Installing a new toilet
  • Adding an extra appliance such as a b-day
  • Extending your bathroom
  • Or even adding a new bath

All of these are good DIY projects, however if you do not have much experience or knowledge within this industry they may be out of your skill level and I would advise having a professional do the jobs.

Today we have decided to include a helpful guide from one of our friends Ultimate Handyman on their Youtube channel on ?How to fit a bath?. Fitting a bath can be a good improvement to your home and with the help of this video you may be able to do so without having ?a professional on board, which can save you some much needed money for other home improvement jobs.

If you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to share it with your friends and colleagues using your favourite social network.

Source: http://www.eurofitdirect.co.uk/blog/how-creating-the-perfect-bathroom-can-add-value-to-your-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-creating-the-perfect-bathroom-can-add-value-to-your-home

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

State Department delays Keystone pipeline decision

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has delayed a decision on TransCanada Corp's rerouted Keystone XL oil pipeline until after March, even though Nebraska's governor said on Tuesday he approved a plan for a section of the line.

"We don't anticipate being able to conclude our own review before the end of the first quarter of this year," said Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman at the State Department, which had previously said it would make a decision before the end of March.

The State Department will rule on a final permit for the $5.3 billion northern section of the line being planned by TransCanada because it would cross the national border.

Work has already begun on the Texas to Oklahoma section of the pipeline that TransCanada has rebranded the Gulf Coast Project. President Barack Obama threw his support behind that section of the line, which would help drain a glut of crude in the nation's midsection resulting from new oil drilling in North Dakota.

The State Department expects to issue a draft environmental assessment of the pipeline project in the near future and before the end of March, a second official at the department said. That report will have a public comment period before it is finalized and the department can make a final decision on the line.

NEBRASKA APPROVES PIPELINE SECTION

Nuland's comments came shortly after Nebraska's governor approved a revised route in his state for the Keystone XL pipeline that would link production from Canadian oil sands to refineries in Texas.

Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican, sent a letter to President Obama that said TransCanada would adhere to 57 safety conditions. Those include rigorous pipeline design, testing, and the reporting of leaks on the line.

TransCanada had submitted a new route for the northern pipeline, expected to transport 830,000 barrels per day of oil, after the Obama administration had rejected an initial plan after environmentalists had complained it would cross ecologically sensitive regions in Nebraska.

Heineman approved the line even though his state's environmental regulator said it would still cross a section of the massive Ogallala aquifer, an important source of irrigation and fresh water to the Great Plains states.

Environmentalists have also opposed the line because oil sands crude is carbon-intensive to produce. But the State Department said in a previous environmental review that the line would not result in additional emissions because the oil would find its way to market if Keystone was not built.

Earlier this month Nebraska's environmental regulator said in a report that the line would avoid the sensitive Sandhills region. The report also said TransCanada would pay for cleaning up any leaks.

Nuland said the State Department would consider Heineman's approval. "Our processes move in parallel," she told reporters. But had Nebraska changed the route or done something else that certainly would have been complicating ... we obviously want to take the Nebraska environmental study, we want to compare it with the work that we've done."

Heineman said in the letter that TransCanada would provide evidence that it is carrying $200 million in third party insurances to cover any cleanup costs from leaks.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nebraska-approves-route-keystone-oil-pipeline-193820596.html

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2013 Farmers Insurance Open: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson ...

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson lead a talent-laden field into Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Tiger Woods? run at his eighth win as a professional at Torrey Pines -- and first since his monumental playoff win over Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open -- tops the list of storylines for this week's tour stop near Phil Mickelson's San Diego hometown.

Runner-up would be Kyle Stanley?s 72nd-hole meltdown at last year?s contest. Stanley?s triple bogey on his final hole in regulation opened the door for Brandt Snedeker, who, with a win on the second playoff hole, posted his first of two victories in 2012 on his way to earning the FedEx Cup title.

Farmers Insurance Open preview:

  • Dates: January 24 - January 27
  • Courses: 7,698-yard, par-72 Torrey Pines Golf Course (South) and 7,045-yard, par-72 Torrey Pines North. Participants play both courses Thursday and Friday, with those making the 36-hole cut teeing it up on the South Course over the weekend
  • Field: 156 players, including five of the world's top 20
  • Defending champion: Brandt Snedeker
  • Purse: $6.1 million
  • FedEx Cup: Winner receives 500 points
  • Format: Four-day, 72-hole stroke play
  • Marquee players: Tiger Woods, making his 2013 PGA tour debut after missing the cut last week in Abu Dhabi, and Phil Mickelson head the field. Dustin Johnson comes back after the flu forced him to withdraw from the Sony Open following his win at the season-opening Tournament of Champions. Other A-listers include reigning Masters champ Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley
  • Of note: Tiger Woods (1999) and George Burns (1987) hold the 72-hole course record of 266, while Woods (third round 1999) owns the 18-hole record on the South Course (62), and Mark Brooks (second round 1990) and Snedeker (first round, 2007) posted 61s to record the 18-hole record on Torrey Pines North
  • Television (all times ET): Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS)

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Source: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2013/1/23/3901240/farmers-insurance-open-preview-2013-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson

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'Quadruple helix' DNA discovered in human cells

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

In 1953, Cambridge researchers Watson and Crick published a paper describing the interweaving 'double helix' DNA structure - the chemical code for all life.

Now, in the year of that scientific landmark's 60th Anniversary, Cambridge researchers have published a paper proving that four-stranded 'quadruple helix' DNA structures - known as G-quadruplexes - also exist within the human genome. They form in regions of DNA that are rich in the building block guanine, usually abbreviated to 'G'.

The findings mark the culmination of over 10 years investigation by scientists to show these complex structures in vivo - in living human cells - working from the hypothetical, through computational modelling to synthetic lab experiments and finally the identification in human cancer cells using fluorescent biomarkers.

The research, published today in Nature Chemistryand funded by Cancer Research UK, goes on to show clear links between concentrations of four-stranded quadruplexes and the process of DNA replication, which is pivotal to cell division and production.

By targeting quadruplexes with synthetic molecules that trap and contain these DNA structures - preventing cells from replicating their DNA and consequently blocking cell division - scientists believe it may be possible to halt the runaway cell proliferation at the root of cancer.

"We are seeing links between trapping the quadruplexes with molecules and the ability to stop cells dividing, which is hugely exciting," said Professor Shankar Balasubramanian from the University of Cambridge's Department of Chemistry and Cambridge Research Institute, whose group produced the research.

"The research indicates that quadruplexes are more likely to occur in genes of cells that are rapidly dividing, such as cancer cells. For us, it strongly supports a new paradigm to be investigated - using these four-stranded structures as targets for personalised treatments in the future."

Physical studies over the last couple of decades had shown that quadruplex DNA can form in vitro - in the 'test tube', but the structure was considered to be a curiosity rather than a feature found in nature. The researchers now know for the first time that they actually form in the DNA of human cells.

"This research further highlights the potential for exploiting these unusual DNA structures to beat cancer ? the next part of this pipeline is to figure out how to target them in tumour cells," said Dr Julie Sharp, senior science information manager at Cancer Research UK.

"It's been sixty years since its structure was solved but work like this shows us that the story of DNA continues to twist and turn."

The study published today was led by Giulia Biffi, a researcher in Balasubramaninan's lab at the Cambridge Research Institute.

By building on previous research, Biffi was able to generate antibody proteins that detect and bind to areas in a human genome rich in quadruplex-structured DNA, proving their existence in living human cells.

Using fluorescence to mark the antibodies, the researchers could then identify 'hot spots' for the occurrence of four-stranded DNA - both where in the genome and, critically, at what stage of cell division.

While quadruplex DNA is found fairly consistently throughout the genome of human cells and their division cycles, a marked increase was shown when the fluorescent staining grew more intense during the 's-phase' - the point in a cell cycle where DNA replicates before the cell divides.

Cancers are usually driven by genes called oncogenes that have mutated to increase DNA replication - causing cell proliferation to spiral out of control, and leading to tumour growth.

The increased DNA replication rate in oncogenes leads to an intensity in the quadruplex structures. This means that potentially damaging cellular activity can be targeted with synthetic molecules or other forms of treatments.

"We have found that by trapping the quadruplex DNA with synthetic molecules we can sequester and stabilise them, providing important insights into how we might grind cell division to a halt," said Balasubramanian.

"There is a lot we don't know yet. One thought is that these quadruplex structures might be a bit of a nuisance during DNA replication - like knots or tangles that form.

"Did they evolve for a function? It's a philosophical question as to whether they are there by design or not - but they exist and nature has to deal with them. Maybe by targeting them we are contributing to the disruption they cause."

The study showed that if an inhibitor is used to block DNA replication, quadruplex levels go down - proving the idea that DNA is dynamic, with structures constantly being formed and unformed.

The researchers also previously found that an overactive gene with higher levels of Quadruplex DNA is more vulnerable to external interference.

"The data supports the idea that certain cancer genes can be usefully interfered with by small molecules designed to bind specific DNA sequences," said Balasubramanian.

"Many current cancer treatments attack DNA, but it's not clear what the rules are. We don't even know where in the genome some of them react - it can be a scattergun approach.

"The possibility that particular cancer cells harbouring genes with these motifs can now be targeted, and appear to be more vulnerable to interference than normal cells, is a thrilling prospect.

"The 'quadruple helix' DNA structure may well be the key to new ways of selectively inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. The confirmation of its existence in human cells is a real landmark."

###

University of Cambridge: http://www.cam.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Cambridge for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126377/_Quadruple_helix__DNA_discovered_in_human_cells

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Monday, January 21, 2013

President Obama's Inauguration Today: What To Expect

In addition to performances from Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson, Obama's speech will seek to bring the country together.
By Gil Kaufman


President Barack Obama alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia
Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700530/president-obama-inauguration-ceremony.jhtml

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Obama Begins Second Presidential Term (Voice Of America)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Bridging finance can help capitalise on profitable ... - Bridging Loans

Posted on | January 21, 2013 | No Comments

A popular and often very lucrative opportunity is gaining planning permission for one or more additional properties on a portion of the land that makes up an existing property?s garden. Once the planning permission has been obtained the owner can either sell the plot, or plots, for development or build on the land for themselves. Deciding to build will often mean that finance is required to fund the project and this can be raised through the use of property development loans or bridging finance.

Even if the building plots are to be sold then there may still be a requirement for some finance. This would typically occur if there is already a mortgage facility on the property, likely to date back to when the property was originally purchased or a time when the property was remortgaged. An existing mortgage facility will most likely be secured on the original property and land, so to split the building plots so that they are on their own set of deeds will require the permission of the existing mortgage provider.

Mortgage providers are not always that cooperative and may refuse any request to give up some of their security, or may indeed agree to do so, provided some of the outstanding balance is repaid to compensate them for effectively agreeing to take less security for their loan. However, sometimes the ways in which the mortgage providers want to achieve this isn?t always convenient. Indeed it may be that once the plots are sold, or have been developed and sold, it is the intention of the owner to clear the existing mortgage completely from the proceeds received from the sales. Alternatively the owner may want to rent the properties out, so intends to raise buy to let mortgages in order to repay any development or bridging finance.

When it is impossible to move forwards with this sort of development due to awkward mortgage providers, a possible option can be bridging finance. The funds raised from bridging finance can be used to clear any existing mortgages and can also fund any other work that needs to be carried out, for example putting in the services, in order to enable the sale of the plot or plots. If looking to develop the sites for them self, a bridging loan can also provide the funds required to pay for the development. At the end of the development the properties would be sold or refinanced in order to repay the bridging loan. Alternatively development loans can be used to fund such projects.

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Source: http://www.kisbridgingloans.co.uk/blog/474/bridging-finance-can-help-capitalise-on-profitable-opportunities-when-planning-is-obtained-for-additional-properties-in-your-garden/

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

My new venture - Dwell Antiques & Home in Denver, CO

I can't believe it's been 6 months since I've blogged here! I sincerely thought I'd be able to manage my new antiques store and this blog, but the evidence is clear and I think my posts here will be few and far between.

The good news is that the antiques shop I opened in September is doing splendidly!
The store is called Dwell Antiques & Home and is located just outside of Denver, CO in the Cherry Hills Marketplace of Greenwood Village. We carry antique furniture - painted and unpainted dressers, desks, hutches, baker's racks, dining tables, side and end tables, night stands, headboards, etc. - as well as new and antique home decorating items - antique mirrors, frames, linens, silver, baskets, glassware, and other decor - gifts, beautiful jewelry, hand made treasures and so much more. We like to call Dwell a "lifestyle store."

I would love it if you followed us on the Dwell Antiques & Home Facebook page. We're also on Pinterest and are just getting our Etsy store started.

While I'll try to be here from time to time, the store is where I'm focusing most of my attention these days. Our goal is to be one of the best small antique stores in the Denver area. It's been a lot of hard work thus far, but it's also extremely rewarding and tons of fun.

Thanks for your support!

Source: http://mysocalledgreenlife.com/2013/01/my-new-venture-dwell-antiques-home-in.html

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Officials lay wreaths at King memorial on Mall

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. Monday's inaugural may be Obama's big day, but Martin Luther King Jr. will loom large over the festivities. A quirk in the calendar pushed Obama's public swearing-in onto the national holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader, and inaugural planners have taken pains to acknowledge that fact. Going into his second term, Obama seems to have put King at the front of his mind, too. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. Monday's inaugural may be Obama's big day, but Martin Luther King Jr. will loom large over the festivities. A quirk in the calendar pushed Obama's public swearing-in onto the national holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader, and inaugural planners have taken pains to acknowledge that fact. Going into his second term, Obama seems to have put King at the front of his mind, too. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Dignitaries and celebrities participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, comedian Dick Gregory and actors Jamie Foxx and Chris Tucker were among those who attended Sunday's event.

Foxx told a crowd that packed the memorial that this is a "spectacular time" for African-Americans.

Sharpton called the weekend an "intersection of history," with the nation's first black president taking the oath of office for a second term the same weekend as the federal holiday commemorating King's life. Sharpton says there was a time when no one believed the country would have either a black president or a federal holiday for a black civil rights leader.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-20-Inauguration-King%20Memorial/id-86c13fde6f80438b9d3be282abf287d4

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Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial dies at age 92

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Stan Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals star with the corkscrew stance and too many batting records to fit on his Hall of Fame plaque, died Saturday. He was 92.

Stan the Man was so revered in St. Louis that he has two statues outside Busch Stadium - one just wouldn't do him justice. He was one of baseball's greatest hitters, shining in the mold of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio even without the bright lights of the big city.

Musial won seven National League batting titles, was a three-time MVP and helped the Cardinals capture three World Series championships in the 1940s.

The Cardinals announced Musial's death in a news release. They said he died Saturday evening at his home in Ladue surrounded by family. The team said Musial's son-in-law, Dave Edmonds, informed the club of Musial's death.

''We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family,'' team chairman William DeWitt Jr. said. ''Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball.''

Musial was the second baseball Hall of Famer who died Saturday. Longtime Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver also passed away, at age 82.

Musial spent his entire 22-year career with the Cardinals and made the All-Star team 24 times - baseball held two All-Star games each summer for a few seasons.

A pitcher in the low minors until he injured his arm, Musial turned to playing the outfield and first base. It was a stroke of luck for him, as he went on to hit .331 with 475 home runs before retiring in 1963.

Widely considered the greatest Cardinals player ever, the outfielder and first baseman was the first person in team history to have his number retired. Ol' 6 probably was the most popular, too, especially after Albert Pujols skipped town.

At the suggestion of a pal, actor John Wayne, he carried around autographed cards of himself to give away. He enjoyed doing magic tricks for kids and was fond of pulling out a harmonica to entertain crowds with a favorite, ''The Wabash Cannonball.''

Humble, scandal-free, and eager to play every day, Musial struck a chord with fans throughout the Midwest and beyond. For much of his career, St. Louis was the most western outpost in the majors, and the Cardinals' vast radio network spread word about him in all directions.

Farmers in the field and families on the porch would tune in, as did a future president - Bill Clinton recalled doing his homework listening to Musial's exploits.

Musial's public appearances dwindled in recent years, though he took part in the pregame festivities at Busch during the 2011 postseason as the Cardinals won the World Series. And he was at the White House in February 2011 when President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor for contributions to society.

At the ceremony, President Obama said: ''Stan remains to this day an icon untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you'd want your kids to emulate.''

He certainly delivered at the plate.

Musial never struck out 50 times in a season. He led the NL in most every hitting category for at least one year, except homers. He hit a career-high 39 home runs in 1948, falling one short of winning the Triple Crown.

In all, Musial held 55 records when he retired in 1963. Fittingly, the accolades on his his bronze Hall plaque start off with this fact, rather than flowery prose: ''Holds many National League records ...''

He played nearly until 43rd birthday, adding to his totals. He got a hit with his final swing, sending an RBI single past Cincinnati's rookie second baseman - that was Pete Rose, who would break Musial's league hit record of 3,630 some 18 years later.

Of those hits, Musial got exactly 1,815 at home and exactly 1,815 on the road. He also finished with 1,951 RBIs and scored 1,949 runs.

All that balance despite a most unorthodox left-handed stance. Legs and knees close together, he would cock the bat near his ear and twist his body away from the pitcher. When the ball came, he uncoiled.

Unusual, that aspect of Musial.

Asked to describe the habits that kept him in baseball for so long, Musial once said: ''Get eight hours of sleep regularly. Keep your weight down, run a mile a day. If you must smoke, try light cigars. They cut down on inhaling.''

One last thing, he said: ''Make it a point to bat .300.''

As for how he did that, Musial offered a secret.

''I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider,'' he said. ''Then, I'd pick up the speed of the ball in the first 30 feet of its flight and knew how it would move once it has crossed the plate.''

It worked pretty well, considering Musial began his baseball career as a pitcher in the low minors. And by his account, as he said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, an injury had left him as a ''dead, left-handed pitcher just out of Class D.''

Hoping to still reach the majors, he turned toward another position. It was just what he needed.

Musial made his major league debut late in 1941, the season that Williams batted .406 for the Boston Red Sox and DiMaggio hit in a record 56 straight games for the New York Yankees.

Musial never expressed regret or remorse that he didn't attract more attention than the cool DiMaggio or prickly Williams. Fact is, Musial was plenty familiar in every place he played.

Few could bring themselves to boo baseball's nicest superstar, not even the Brooklyn Dodgers crowds that helped give him his nickname, a sign of weary respect for his .359 batting average at Ebbets Field.

Many, many years before any sports fans yelled ''You're the man!'' at their favorite athletes, Stan was indeed the Man.

Dodgers pitcher Preacher Roe once joked about how to handle Musial: ''I throw him four wide ones and then I try to pick him off first base.''

Brooklynites had another reason to think well of Musial: Unlike Enos Slaughter and other Cardinal teammates, he was supportive when the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Bob Gibson, who started out with the Cardinals in the late 1950s, would recall how Musial had helped established a warm atmosphere between blacks and whites on the team.

Like DiMaggio and Williams, Musial embodied a time when the greats stayed with one team. He joined the Cardinals during the last remnants of the Gas House Gang and stayed in St. Louis until Gibson and Curt Flood ushered in a new era of greatness.

The only year Musial missed with the Cardinals was 1945, when he was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was based in Pearl Harbor, assigned to a unit that helped with ship repair.

Before and after his military service, he was a star hitter.

Musial was the NL MVP in 1943, 1946 and 1948, and was runner-up four other years. He enjoyed a career remarkably free of slumps, controversies or rivalries.

The Cardinals were dominant early in Musial's career. They beat DiMaggio and the Yankees in the 1942 World Series, lost to the Yankees the next year and defeated the St. Louis Browns in 1944. In 1946, the Cardinals beat Williams and the visiting Red Sox in Game 7 at Sportsman's Park.

Musial, mostly a left fielder then, starred with Terry Moore in center and Slaughter, another future Hall of Famer, in right, making up one of baseball's greatest outfields. Later on, Musial would switch between the outfield and first base.

Musial never played on another pennant winner after 1946. Yet even after the likes of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron came to the majors, Musial remained among baseball's best.

The original Musial statue outside the new Busch Stadium is a popular meeting place before games and carries this inscription: ''Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight.''

''Everybody's a Musial fan,'' former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog once said.

Musial gave the press little to write about beyond his grace and greatness on the field. He didn't date movie stars, spike opponents or chew out reporters or umpires.

In 1958, he reached the 3,000-hit level and became the NL's first $100,000-a-year player. Years earlier, he had turned down a huge offer to join the short-lived Mexican League. He never showed resentment over the multimillion dollar salaries of modern players. He thought they had more fun in his days.

''I enjoyed coming to the ballpark every day and I think we enjoyed the game,'' Musial said in a 1991 Associated Press interview. ''We had a lot of train travel, so we had more time together. We socialized quite a bit and we'd go out after ball games.''

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, his first year of eligibility.

''It was, you know, a dream come true,'' Musial once said. ''I always wanted to be a ballplayer.''

After retiring as a player, Musial served for years in the Cardinals' front office, including as general manager in 1967, when the Cardinals won the World Series.

In the 1970s, Musial occasionally played in Old-Timers' Day games and could still line the ball to the wall. He was a fixture for decades at the Cooperstown induction ceremonies and also was a member of the Hall's Veterans Committee. Often, after the Vets panel had voted, he'd pull out a harmonica conveniently located in his jacket pocket and lead the other members in a rendition of ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game.''

Into the 2000s, Musial would spend time with the Cardinals at spring training, thrilling veterans and rookies alike with his stories.

Ever ready, he performed the national anthem on his harmonica at least one opening day at Busch Stadium. Musial learned his music during overnight train trips in the 1940s and in the 1990s was a member of a trio known as ''Geriatric Jazz'' and collaborated on a harmonica instructional book.

Stanley Frank Musial was born in Donora, Pa., on Nov. 21, 1920, son of a Polish immigrant steelworker. He began his minor league career straight out of high school, in June 1938, and soon after married high school sweetheart Lillian Labash, with whom he had four children.

Musial fell in 1940 while trying to make a tough catch and hurt his left arm, damaging his pitching prospects. Encouraged by minor league manager Dickie Kerr to try playing outfield, he did so well in 1941 that the Cardinals moved him up to the majors in mid-September - and he racked up a .426 average during the final weeks of the season.

In his best year, 1948, he had four five-hit games, hit 39 home runs and batted .376, best in the National League. He also led his league that year in runs scored (135), hits (230), total bases (429), doubles (46), and triples (18).

In 1954, he set a major league record with five home runs in a doubleheader against the New York Giants. He hit .300 or better in 16 consecutive seasons and hit a record home runs in All-Star play, including a 12th-inning, game-winning shot in 1955.

In 1962, at age 41, he batted .330 and hit 19 home runs. In his final game, on Sept. 29, 1963, he had two hits at Busch Stadium against the Reds and the Cardinals retired his uniform number.

He was active in business, too. He served as a director of the St. Louis-based Southwest Bank. He was co-owner of a popular St. Louis steakhouse, ''Stan Musial and Biggie's,'' and a bowling alley with former teammate Joe Garagiola (leading to a bitter fallout that eventually got resolved). He later ran Stan the Man Inc., specializing in merchandise he autographed. Musial was known for handing out folded $1 bills.

A prominent Polish-American, he was a charter member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and was warmly regarded by his ancestral country, which in 2000 dedicated Stan Musial Stadium in Kutno, Poland. Musial also was involved politically, campaigning for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and serving as Lyndon Johnson's director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.

Musial's versatility was immortalized in verse, by popular poet of the times Ogden Nash, who in ''The Tycoon'' wrote of the Cardinals star and entrepreneur:

''And, between the slugging and the greeting,

To the bank for a directors' meeting.

Yet no one grudges success to Stan,

Good citizen and family man,

Though I would love to have his job

One half tycoon, one half Ty Cobb.''

The Cardinals said Musial is survived by his four children, Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Musial's wife died in May 2012.

Funeral arrangements had not yet been finalized, the Cardinals said. The team set up a memorial site around one of Musial statue's at Busch Stadium.

---

Associated Press writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/mlb/SIG=12l6k0ler/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/cardinals-hall-famer-stan-musial-010325831--mlb.html

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

GOP Senators Okay With Raising the Debt Limit

Two Republican senators want to raise the debt limit, highlighting a divide between the two chambers on how to handle the next big financial showdown.

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski this month criticized the Republican Party for its refusal to raise the limit without accompanying spending cuts.

"If you incur an obligation, you have a responsibility to pay for that," Murkowski told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner during a Jan. 9 editorial-board meting.

Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins agrees, The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reported Tuesday: Collins's press aide provided a statement to Sargent that Collins believes the debt limit must be raised because "the U.S. cannot default on its obligations to pay for spending that has already occurred."

During fiscal-cliff negotiations with the White House and Senate Democrats, Republicans in the House and Senate both resisted any deal that would grant President Obama authority to raise the debt limit on his own. As Republicans resisted, that deal passed without a long-term debt-limit deal.

Since 2011, the debt-limit's battle lines have been clear: Democrats want to extend it cleanly, while Republicans demand that spending cuts must accompany any increase. Sens. Murkowski and Collins have simply proposed raising it, seemingly without political entanglements.

Rumblings of agreement with Democrats almost exclusively come from the upper chamber, while the more conservative House GOP continues to be a driver of opposition to President Obama. Cases in point: House Republicans' rejection of Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" fiscal-cliff proposal, Democrats' abandonment of talks with Boehner in favor of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the cluster of House Republicans who voted against Boehner's reelection as speaker.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-senators-okay-raising-debt-limit-000605538--abc-news-politics.html

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

UPI Sports Calendar for Tuesday, Jan. 15

Published: Jan. 15, 2013 at 12:01 AM

(All times Eastern)


Basketball

NBA

New Orleans at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

LA Clippers at Houston, 8 p.m.

Portland at Denver, 9 p.m.

Milwaukee at LA Lakers, 10:30 p.m.


NCAA

(20) Notre Dame at St. John's, 7 p.m.

Northern Iowa at (10) Creighton, 8 p.m.

(24) Cincinnati at DePaul, 8:30 p.m.

Wisconsin at (2) Indiana, 9 p.m.


Men's & Women's Tennis

Australian Open at Melbourne

Source: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2013/01/15/UPI-Sports-Calendar-for-Tuesday-Jan-15/UPI-74911358226060/

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Cuomo signs tough new gun bill into law

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is signing a tough and sweeping new gun control bill into law late Tuesday.

The bill limits magazines to seven bullets; increases penalties for gun crimes; gives the state more power to take away guns from mentally ill people; and bans semi-automatic rifles and handguns that have a "military-style feature," such as a bayonet lug. The ban goes into effect immediately. People who already own such guns are grandfathered in but must register them with the state.

New York is the first state to pass a gun law since the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., sparked a national debate on gun violence.

"I am proud to be governor, not just because New York has the first bill, but because New York has the best bill," Cuomo said before signing it. "I'm proud to be a New Yorker because New York is doing something, we are fighting back."

The Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill on Monday night, with the Democratic Assembly approving it Tuesday afternoon. Blue state governors in several other states?including Connecticut, Maryland and Delaware?are also pushing for new gun laws.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/ny-gov-cuomo-prepares-sign-tough-gun-bill-214040530.html

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IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif., Jan. 14, 2013: Credit Card Debt Relief ...

? /PRNewswire/ --?Golden Financial Services, a San Diego and Imperial County, CA based credit card debt relief company, has helped over 1.5 million customers get out of debt with their credit card debt relief education programs, advice, and proven credit debt relief services.

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Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/14/4541559/credit-card-debt-relief-education.html

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Directors Guild honors documentary filmmakers

AAA??Jan. 14, 2013?2:53 PM ET
Directors Guild honors documentary filmmakers
AP

This undated publicity photo released by courtesy Sony Pictures Classics shows Rodriguez in a scene from the documentary film, "Searching for Sugar Man." The Directors Guild of America announced on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, the DGA's nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries in 2012, including directors, Kirby Dick, "The Invisible War," Malik Bendjelloul, "Searching for Sugar Man," Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles," David France, "How To Survive A Plague," and Alison Klayman, "Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry." The winners in all categories will be announced at the 65th Annual DGA Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics, Hal Wilson)

This undated publicity photo released by courtesy Sony Pictures Classics shows Rodriguez in a scene from the documentary film, "Searching for Sugar Man." The Directors Guild of America announced on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, the DGA's nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries in 2012, including directors, Kirby Dick, "The Invisible War," Malik Bendjelloul, "Searching for Sugar Man," Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles," David France, "How To Survive A Plague," and Alison Klayman, "Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry." The winners in all categories will be announced at the 65th Annual DGA Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics, Hal Wilson)

(AP) ? The AIDS chronicle "How to Survive a Plague" and the military rape study "The Invisible War" are among nominees for the documentary prize at the Directors Guild of America Awards.

The contenders announced Monday all are first-time nominees for the guild honor, including "How to Survive a Plague" director David France and "Invisible War" filmmaker Kirby Dick.

The other nominees are Malik Bendjelloul's "Searching for Sugar Man," a portrait of 1970s singer-songwriter Rodriguez; Lauren Greenfield's "The Queen of Versailles," the story of a wealthy family's downturn amid the recession; and Alison Klayman's "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," an examination of the dissident Chinese artist.

Winners will be announced on Feb. 2 at a Directors Guild dinner.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-14-US-Directors-Guild-Documentaries/id-d684ca4990dc411eb4d8516b971d2f51

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Gold Manipulation, Investing, and The Ideal Gold Junior ? Jay Taylor ...

?The policy makers don?t want the people to be aware of gold manipulation, because if people realized gold was artificially low priced then you?d have a rush into gold and out of paper.? ? Jay Taylor

from VisionVictory, via FutureMoneyTrends:

Source: http://sgtreport.com/2013/01/gold-manipulation-investing-and-the-ideal-gold-junior-industry-insider-jay-taylor/

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Mali: one African war France could not avoid

PARIS (Reuters) - Just as its leaders were defining a new "hands-off" strategy for Africa, France has been thrust onto the front line of one of the continent's riskiest battlefields deep in the desert of Mali.

President Francois Hollande's backing of air strikes to halt Islamist rebels advancing on the capital Bamako raises the threat level for eight French hostages held by al Qaeda allies in the Sahara and for the 30,000 French expatriates living in neighbouring, mostly Muslim states.

It could also trigger an attack on French soil. But, in what could be the biggest foreign policy decision of his presidency, Hollande bet that inaction bore a greater peril of producing a jihadist state like Afghanistan under the Taliban.

"We must stop the rebels' offensive, otherwise the whole of Mali will fall into their hands - creating a threat for Africa and even for Europe," his foreign minister Laurent Fabius told reporters to justify backing Mali's dilapidated national army.

For months, military planners in Paris had been working on discreet and limited support for an African-led effort due later this year to try and drive Islamists out of France's ex-colony.

That scenario was swiftly overtaken on Thursday as rebels captured the central town of Konna that is a gateway towards Bamako 600 km (375 miles) further south.

With Mali's army impotent, Hollande ordered the first military strikes of his career. Now France has deployed 550 troops, C-160 transport aircraft, attack helicopters and has Rafale jets on standby the question is: where does it go from here?

HOLLANDE HAS WIDE BACKING - FOR NOW

The intervention came weeks after Paris conspicuously failed to rescue the incumbent leader in Central African Republic, another ex-colony, leaving President Francois Bozize no alternative but to accept a power-sharing pact with insurgents threatening to take over his mineral-rich state.

The Bozize snub was a sign that Hollande's government was banging another nail in the coffin of "Francafrique", the decades-old system under which Paris propped up African leaders aligned to French business interests.

Francafrique for years helped dictate the Africa strategies of French companies in the mining and energy sectors such as the oil giant Elf Aquitaine that became Total SA in 2003. Total's chief executive was quoted last year as saying he believed Francafrique was dead.

Hollande's government stresses that by entering Mali, France is not falling back into old habits.

Its presence is legitimised by U.N. resolutions mandating foreign intervention to support Mali forces and approval by the same African leaders irked in 2011 when France and Britain ordered NATO air strikes in Libya to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

The United States and Britain have also signalled backing, and even opposition French conservatives mostly say Hollande did the right thing. Shocking reports of public amputations in rebel-held northern Mali as tough shariah Islamic law is imposed will persuade many French voters the intervention was just.

But events on the ground could change that quickly.

While the Mali Islamists are a rag-tag army, they managed to recoup many of the arms that spilled out of Libya during its war and can inflict real damage including the downing of a French helicopter on the first day of strikes.

By going to help the Malian army, Hollande defied threats by the rebels' allies, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to kill the French hostages taken across the Sahara in past years.

As the failure of a French commando bid late last week to free a secret agent held in Somalia since 2009 shows, it will be very hard for him now to guarantee their safety.

"With this (Mali) intervention, the French president has shown he did not want to be taken hostage himself by the issue of the French hostages held by AQIM. That is an act of political courage," said Mathieu Pellerin, head of the Paris-based Centre of Strategic Intelligence on the African Continent (CISCA).

Hollande said he believed the secret agent had been killed during the abortive raid, an assertion which the Somalian al Shabaab insurgents deny.

REPRISALS RISK

With some of the rebel Malian fighters living side by side with their families, the further risk is of collateral damage that would drain domestic and foreign support for the action.

"If we jump in then we could have horrific images of children, women killed," said one French diplomatic source speaking before last week's events, noting how civilian deaths caused by NATO operations in Afghanistan damaged public support for the Western mission to dislodge Taliban Islamists there.

Fears will also grow of reprisals on the large expatriate French communities in neighbouring Muslim countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal.

"There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world," Sanda Ould Boumama, of the Malian insurgent group Ansar Dine, warned on Saturday.

But the real political game-changer for Hollande is the threat of an attack on French soil.

France is no stranger to such strikes, with eight killed during a wave of bombings of the Paris Metro in 1995 by Algeria's Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a guerrilla Islamist movement from which AQIM traces some of its lineage.

Home to Europe's largest Muslim population of some five million, France is acutely aware of the risk of radicalisation after an al Qaeda-inspired gunman last March went on a killing spree in the southern city of Toulouse, killing seven.

Underlining that he takes the threat of attack seriously, Hollande on Saturday announced he was stepping up security measures on French transport and in public places.

BAPTISM OF FIRE

For now, France said its aim is not to begin an operation to take Mali's north back out of rebel hands. Hollande has stressed its exclusive goal is to prepare for a subsequent intervention to be led not by Paris but by the West African ECOWAS bloc.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday France was pursuing strikes on rebel targets and residents said its aircraft had even bombed the northern rebel stronghold Gao.

But Mark Schroeder, Africa-watcher for U.S.-based risk and security consultancy Stratfor, expected French troops largely to focus on holding the line in central Mali in coming weeks and wait for the operation to take on a more international feel.

"Behind that line, the European Union military training mission will come in and African forces will start to arrive," he said of troops from neighbours including Niger due to arrive from Monday to build a total force around 3,300 strong.

While that could help France wind down its exposure, CISCA's Pellerin said that would still depend crucially on the African-led coalition gaining the necessary size and strength to lead the fight to push back the rebels - not a given at this stage.

A rare dissenting voice, former foreign minister Dominique de Villepin - who led world opposition to the U.S.-led Iraq war in 2003 - warned France could get sucked into a conflict where military victory was hollow without political conciliation.

"It is time to break with a decade of lost wars," he said of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya which he argued merely created the grounds for future conflicts.

For Hollande, whose poll ratings are at record lows because of his hesitant leadership and failure to cut unemployment, Mali could emerge as his political crucible.

It was already diverting attention away from a mass march on Sunday in protest at his plans to legalise gay marriages, and meant that a late-night Friday deal between trade unions and employers on reforming the labour market went little noticed.

"This is not just any old baptism of fire," said Bruno Tertrais, head of research at Paris's Foundation for Strategic Research. "This is a baptism of fire in his very role as chief of the armed forces."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mali-one-african-war-france-could-not-avoid-053507998.html

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Sunday, January 13, 2013

Obama undergoes fitness exam at Pentagon

ST ANTON, Austria, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Alice McKennis underlined the depth of American alpine skiing with her maiden World Cup downhill victory in St Anton on Saturday. While all eyes were on fellow-American Lindsey Vonn who was making her comeback following a three-week break, McKennis stole the show in one minute and 14.62 seconds. The Colorado skier, 23, was the fourth American downhill specialist on a World Cup podium this season after Vonn, Stacey Cook and Leanne Smith while youngster Mikaela Shiffrin emerged as the new slalom sensation this winter. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-undergoes-fitness-exam-pentagon-174721556.html

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Egyptian appeals court orders Mubarak retrial

Egyptians supporters of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak celebrate an appeal granted by a court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago. The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptians supporters of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak celebrate an appeal granted by a court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago. The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

An Egyptian supporter of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak celebrates an appeal granted by a court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago. The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptians supporters of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak celebrate an appeal granted by a court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago. The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptians supporters of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak celebrate an appeal granted by a court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago. The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

FILE - In this June 2, 2012 file photo, Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt. An Egyptian security official says ousted president Hosni Mubarak has been interrogated over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he allegedly received from the country's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power. Mubarak is serving a life sentence after being convicted for failing to stop killings of protesters during 2011 uprising. (AP Photo/File)

(AP) ? An appeals court on Sunday overturned Hosni Mubarak's life sentence and ordered a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president for failing to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime.

The ruling, read out by judge Ahmed Ali Abdel-Rahman, dredged back up the highly divisive issue of justice for the former leader ? and his top security officers ? in a country that remains mired in political turmoil and economic malaise nearly two years after Mubarak's fall.

Mubarak, who is currently being held in a military hospital, will not walk free with Sunday's court decision? he will remain in custody while under investigation on charges in an unrelated case. The 84-year-old ex-president was reported last year to have been close to death, but the current state of his health is unknown.

A small crowd of Mubarak loyalists in the courtroom erupted with applause and cheers after the ruling was read out. Holding portraits of the former president aloft, they broke into chants of "Long live justice." Another jubilant crowd later gathered outside the Nile-side hospital where Mubarak is being held in the Cairo district of Maadi, where they passed out candies to pedestrians and motorists.

The court did not provide the reasoning for its decision, but the grounds for granting the appeal were expected to be released later. No date has been set for the retrial.

The decision to grant the appeal, however, had been widely expected. When Mubarak was convicted and sentenced to life in June, that trial's presiding judge criticized the prosecution's case, saying it lacked concrete evidence and that nothing in what was presented to the court proved that the protesters were killed by the police.

Mubarak's defense lawyers had argued that the former president did not know of the killings or realize the extent of the street protests. But an Egyptian fact-finding mission recently determined that he watched the uprising against him unfold through a live TV feed at his palace.

The mission's report could hold both political opportunities and dangers for Mubarak's successor, President Mohammed Morsi of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. A new Mubarak trial would be popular, since many Egyptians were angered he was convicted for failing to stop the killings, rather than ordering the crackdown that killed nearly 900 people.

But the report also implicates the military and security officials in the protesters' deaths. Any move to prosecute them could spark a backlash from the powerful police and others who still hold positions under Morsi's Islamist government at a time when the nation's new leader is struggling to assert his authority over a nation reeling from political upheaval.

The judge also ordered a retrial of Mubarak's former security chief, Habib el-Adly, convicted and sentenced to life in prison on the same charges.

He also ordered the retrial of six of el-Adly's top aides who were acquitted in the same trial. Five of them were found not guilty of involvement in the killing of the protesters, while one was acquitted of "gross negligence." No date was set for their retrial either.

It also granted the prosecution's request to overturn not-guilty verdicts on Mubarak, his two sons and an associate of the former president, Hussein Salem, on corruption charges. Salem was tried in absentia and remains at large to this day.

The six top police commanders held key positions at the Interior Ministry, which was led by el-Adly and which is in charge of the security forces. Their acquittal surprised many Egyptians who are still demanding retribution for the nearly 900 protesters killed during the 18-day uprising that culminated with Mubarak's ouster on Feb 11, 2011.

The prosecutors in the Mubarak trial complained that security agencies and the nation's top intelligence organization had not cooperated with their investigation, leaving them with little incriminating evidence against the defendants. During the trial, prosecutors focused their argument on the political responsibility of Mubarak and el-Adly.

Sunday's ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper, Al-Ahram, as a show of loyalty while he was in power.

The public funds prosecutor ordered Mubarak held for 15 days pending the completion of the investigation. Mubarak, 84, was moved to a Cairo military hospital last month after slipping inside a prison bathroom and injuring himself.

Mubarak's sons, one-time heir apparent Gamal and businessman Alaa, are in prison while on being tried for alleged insider trading and using their influence to buy state land at a fraction of its market price.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-13-Egypt-Mubarak/id-1b48988a060e4eeab38017f0fc690b3f

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