FSP: Combine, UFC 158, Baseball, Week in Sports - Feb 23,2013

On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/vichbk/2013/02/23/fsp-combine-ufc-158-baseball-week-in-sports

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Texas Sports Writers Association's Class 5A All-State Football Team

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Source: http://www.ketknbc.com/news/texas-sports-writers-associations-class-5a-all-sta

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Google Planning 42-Acre "Bay View" Expansion to Googleplex

All hail the new Googleplex. Er, rather, the Googleplex expansion.

According to a new article in Vanity Fair, Google is planning to launch a second campus neighboring its current Googleplex in Mountain View, California.

The 1.1-million-square-foot campus, dubbed "Bay View," will eat up around 42 acres of space with its nine different buildings. From the top, they look like a Tetris game gone awry ? buildings that would themselves be nice and rectangular were they not all featuring a dramatic bend roughly right in the middle. Or, to put it another way, they look like a giant Google gathering for the letter "J."

However, there's a method to Google's architectural madness. As Vanity Fair's Paul Goldberger reports, Google ? in typical Google fashion ? went on a data-collecting spree prior to deciding exactly what it wanted the shape and scale of its Bay View complex to look like. In essence, the company wanted to first figure out all the little nuances of how its employees work together, under the premise that its headquarters expansion should more closely bring together groups and workers who frequently interact.

The J-shaped buildings and overall design for Bay View that emerged allegedly ensures that every single employee working at Google's new complex will be, at most, a 2.5-minute walk from any other Bay View employee. Or, as civil engineer David Radcliffe puts it in Vanity Fair's article, "You can't schedule innovation."

"We want to create opportunities for people to have ideas and be able to turn to others right there and say, 'What do you think of this,'" Radcliffe added.

The nine Bay View buildings will all be interconnected with bridges and feature an assortment of cafes and other meeting spaces ? and green roofs, in some instances ? that will help the new campus align with the existing Googleplex's look and feel. Seattle-based architecture firm NBBJ is handling the project in total, which includes the fun fact that Bay View's proposed (and energy-efficient) radiant heating solution will be the nation's largest for an office complex.

"The existing buildings have a relaxed and casual, even whimsical, quality to their interiors, as if to say that pleasure is a part of efficiency; I'm not sure how Google quantifies this except by seeing how many workers like it, but here, too, the plan is to continue on the same track, even if the new buildings aren't likely to feel quite as improvised," Goldberger writes.

So, who wins the "coolest new campus" award? Google's Bay View or Apple's Spaceship?

?

For more tech tidbits from David Murphy, follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/breakingnews/~3/YULxrycw_Vs/0,2817,2415796,00.asp

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New reactor in Iran could be second way of making bomb

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran appears to be advancing in its construction of a research reactor Western experts say could offer the Islamic state a second way of producing material for a nuclear bomb, if it decided to embark on such a course, a U.N. report showed.

Iran has almost completed installation of cooling and moderator circuit piping in the heavy water plant near the town of Arak, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report issued to member states late on Thursday.

Nuclear analysts say this type of reactor could yield plutonium for nuclear arms if the spent fuel is reprocessed, something Iran has said it has no intention of doing. Iran has said it "does not have reprocessing activities", the IAEA said.

In its previous report on Iran, in November, the Vienna-based U.N. agency said installation work at Arak was continuing, without giving any indication of how far advanced it was.

Iran rejects Western allegations it seeks to develop a capability to assemble nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is entirely peaceful and that the Arak reactor will produce isotopes for medical and agricultural use.

Iran says it plans to begin operating the facility in the first quarter of 2014, the IAEA said. Tehran last year postponed the planned start-up from the third quarter of 2013, a target that Western experts said always had seemed unrealistic.

The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, said late last year that it was questionable whether Iran would be able to meet the new target date as well, in view of "significant delays and impeded access to necessary materials" because of international sanctions imposed on Iran.

Western worries about Iran are focused largely on uranium enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordow, as such material refined to a high level can provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb. But experts say Arak may also be a proliferation issue.

The Arak facility is a "growing source of concern", said Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the non-proliferation and disarmament program of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think-tank.

Israel, believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state, sees Iran's nuclear program as a serious danger and has threatened to attack its atomic sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to resolve the decade-old dispute.

If it does, the nuclear sites at Natanz, Fordow and Arak in central Iran are likely to be targets. Fitzpatrick said it could be Arak that triggers a conflict because attacking it after it is launched could cause an environmental disaster.

TESTING FUEL FOR ARAK REACTOR

Thursday's quarterly IAEA report showed Iran expanding its uranium enrichment program in defiance of tightening Western sanctions, installing advanced centrifuge machines at its main enrichment plant near the town of Natanz.

The report, issued just a few days before six world powers and Iran are due to resume negotiations after an eight-month hiatus, underlined the tough task facing the West in seeking to pressure Tehran to curb its nuclear activities.

Cliff Kupchan, Middle East director at the Eurasia consultancy, said Iran had adopted a defiant policy of pressing ahead with its nuclear program, despite harsh sanctions.

"As a result, Israel and the U.S. Congress will press a receptive U.S. administration to move forward with new and even harsher sanctions," he said in a research note.

Enriched uranium can fuel nuclear power plants, Iran's stated aim, but also provide the explosive core of a nuclear weapon if refined much further. Making plutonium from spent fuel is a second way of obtaining potential bomb material.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a U.S. think-tank, noted that Iran planned to use a medical research reactor in Tehran, known as TRR, to test fuel for Arak.

"The TRR is now more than a medical isotope production reactor, Iran's stated use for the reactor, and is necessary for the operation" of Arak, it said in a report.

If operated optimally, the heavy-water plant could produce about nine kilograms (20 pounds) of plutonium a year, or enough for about two nuclear bombs annually, ISIS has said previously.

"Before it could use any of the plutonium in a nuclear weapon, however, it would first have to separate the plutonium from the irradiated fuel," it added on its website.

Iran has repeatedly declared it has no plans to reprocess the spent fuel. But, "similarly sized reactors ostensibly built for research" have been used by India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan to make plutonium for weapons, Fitzpatrick said.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-appears-advance-construction-arak-nuclear-plant-115811924.html

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Goldman Sachs sells 75% of Ariel Re reinsurance business to ...

by admin on February 22, 2013

According to a report in the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs has completed the sale of 75% of its reinsurance operations, Ariel Re, to investors through a private placement. Goldman Sachs only bought Ariel Re last year in an effort to profit more from reinsurance premiums and diversify away from its core investment banking business, but its said that regulatory requirements such as Basel III capital requirements provided the trigger for the sale.

We wrote about this back in January when it became clear on its Q4 earnings call that Goldman Sachs planned to sell its reinsurance operations and we discussed some of the potential ways it could achieve that. According to the FT, Goldman has sold 75% of its reinsurance operations in a private placement to investors and put the operations into a new corporate vehicle which will be called Global Atlantic.

Goldman Sachs will retain a non-controlling 25% share of the reinsurance business, which must be a small enough share for it not to impact the bank under Basel III as a non-core business operation. The FT quotes a source as saying that Goldman will provide hedging and investment services to the newly established Global Atlantic reinsurance business. The FT suggests that the 75% stake which was sold to investors had an asking price of around $1 billion.

In our article in January on the sale we discussed the possibility that Goldman Sachs could use the sale as a way to get into the collateralized reinsurance business. We can?t confirm this but it seems like if that was the desired business model then it could be achieved, with investors and Goldman backing a cash collateralized reinsurance company in Global Atlantic and Goldman Sachs investment and hedging arm utilising the resulting premiums to maximise profits. In that way the investors would benefit with profits from both premium income and investment income while Goldman Sachs could also profit from a fee income due to its investment services provided to the investors as well.

Of course the actual strategy followed by Global Atlantic could be a mix of the above or simply a typical reinsurance business with access to investment and hedging strategies provided by Goldman Sachs. Depending on the motivations of the investors and Goldman Sachs, the new Global Atlantic reinsurance firm could be traditional, fully collateralized or follow a hedge fund backed reinsurer approach. There is also, perhaps, an opportunity for Goldman to operate reinsurance-linked funds, managing the investment operations while Global Atlantic manages the underwriting, as well.

You can read the full Financial Times article here, but may require a login.

Tagged as: Ariel Re, collateralized reinsurance, goldman sachs, reinsurance, third party capital

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Source: http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2013/02/22/goldman-sachs-sells-75-of-ariel-re-reinsurance-business-to-investors-say-reports/

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College Football: Why the SEC Has Risen to Dominance in College Football

Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver DeAndrew White (2) holds the SEC sign after winning the 2012 SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Georgia Dome. Alabama won 32-28. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

You have to go back to 2005 to find a BCS Championship game that was not won by a team in the SEC conference.

Since that BCS win by Texas over USC 41-38, Florida won two games, LSU and Auburn have each won one, and Alabama has captured three wins in the last four championships.

I?m only 18 years old, but I can barely remember a time when the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Big 12 were even relevant when it came to winning a national championship.

So why has the SEC become such a powerhouse in college football?

It starts with the very beginning of the SEC winning streak seven years ago, and possibly even a bit before. In 2006, The Florida Gators powered their way to a 41-14 destruction of the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

From then on, the SEC was in complete control. Or was it really?

You see, from 2005 through 2010, there were never more than two SEC teams ranked in the top 10 teams nationally. We saw plenty of space in those other spots taken up by teams in conferences such as the Big Ten. The difference is that in each of those years, an SEC team was ranked either No. 1 or No. 2.

It?s a matter of a small group of schools carrying over success to represent a conference for an extended period of time. Really, it isn?t the whole SEC that deserves the ton of hype that it receives. Or it wasn?t always like that. It was two or three teams that had repeated success.

Topics: Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn, BCS, College Football, Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, NCAA College Football, SEC

Source: http://stripehype.com/2013/02/22/college-football-why-the-sec-has-risen-to-dominance-in-college-football/

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Jackson Jr.'s district has history of corruption

CHICAGO (AP) ? They elected a Harvard-educated Rhodes Scholar and ended up with a congressman who was convicted of having sex with an underage campaign worker. They voted for the son of a famous civil rights leader and got someone who illegally spent campaign funds on everything from furniture to Bruce Lee memorabilia.

Call it Chicago corruption at its worst or simply uncanny coincidence, but residents of Illinois' 2nd Congressional District haven't been represented in Congress in more than three decades by someone who didn't end up in serious ethical or legal trouble. That hangs over them as they go to the polls Tuesday for a special primary to begin picking a replacement for disgraced former U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr.

It began with Gus Savage, who took office in 1981 and was defeated a decade later after allegations of sexual misconduct with a Peace Corps worker while on a congressional visit abroad. Then there was Mel Reynolds, who won office in 1992 and was convicted of fraud and having sex with a minor. This past week, after 17 years in office, Jackson pleaded guilty to spending $750,000 in campaign money on personal expenses.

"They all drank from the same cup," said Charles Hill, an unemployed father of five. The Chicago resident once supported Jackson, but the legal drama has left him so drained he's not even paying attention to the batch of nearly 20 candidates vying for the spot. "It's a sad commentary."

Even by Illinois' corruption standards ? where four of the last seven governors were sent to jail ? troubles in the district are astonishing. The attempts to explain it ? among voters, experts and the most recent candidates vying for the seat ? range from a culture of corruption to pure coincidence.

Corruption in Chicago politics dates back to at least 1869, when city commissioners were snagged in a scheme over City Hall paint contracts. More than 1,000 Illinois public officials, most in the Chicago area, have been convicted of corruption since the 1970s, according to Dick Simpson, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor. In a study, he ranked Chicago as the No. 1 in corruption among U.S. metropolitan areas.

Jackson's grip on the 2nd District seat ? winning each election since 1995 in a landslide ? created conditions ripe for wrongdoing, Simpson said. Even so, he's slightly baffled by why more problems seem to exist in this district than in others with similar demographics and longtime congressmen.

"Unfortunately, the 2nd Congressional District seems to be an epicenter for these mistakes by public officials," he said.

The district includes part of Chicago's South Side, south suburbs and some rural areas.

Talk of ethics has been a secondary issue among the candidates after jobs and guns, as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's political action committee has poured money into ads criticizing candidates it deems too weak on gun control. The candidates include 14 Democrats and four Republicans. The district is largely Democratic, and the winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary is widely expected to sail through the April 9 election.

The only hint of an ethics scandal has involved former state Rep. Robin Kelly, a front-runner who's been attacked by other candidates over accusations that she misrepresented hours she worked as a top aide to former Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in 2010. The Chicago Tribune obtained a report by the chief investigator in the treasurer's office through an open records request. No action was taken against Kelly because she had already left state government.

Kelly has denied wrongdoing and dismissed the allegations as "political silly season."

As for the region's troubles with ethics?

"I think it's coincidental," she said. "I don't think the district has any whammy over it."

Those who agree with her include Reynolds, who's running for the seat again. He says the corruption issue has been blown out of proportion, and his campaign signs read, "REDEMPTION."

"An aberration is what happened in my life," he said. "It was not a determination of my character."

That hasn't kept the issue from the headlines, especially with Jackson's legal proceedings playing out in federal court. Jackson and his wife, former Alderman Sandi Jackson, both pleaded guilty Wednesday in the scheme.

Another candidate, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, has emphasized the issue, saying it's a time for a clean slate. She unsuccessfully challenged Jackson in last year's primary, even as he was plagued by questions over ties to imprisoned ex.-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and reports of an extramarital affair. Blagojevich was convicted on corruption charges that included trying to sell President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat.

"People want to close this door to unethical behavior," she said. "We've had enough. This district has been plagued for far too long."

The third front-runner, Anthony Beale, a Chicago alderman whose ward overlaps with the district, said the fact that neither Reynolds nor Jackson held public office before Congress was likely a factor in their ethical problems.

"They were not homegrown to know what the district needs," Beale said.

Savage was defeated by Reynolds after the House Ethics Committee determined he made improper sexual advances to a female volunteer. Then Reynolds was convicted in the sex case and sent to prison. Later, while still behind bars, he was convicted of federal wire and bank fraud charges. President Bill Clinton commuted his sentence in 2001.

The district's history has fueled cynicism among some voters.

Grocery store worker Pnakara Nealy, 32, of Calumet Park, supported Jackson in the past, but now she's disillusioned with politics.

"He's not the only one doing it," she said of Jackson. "He just got caught."

___

Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jackson-jr-district-history-corruption-170730679--election.html

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Microsoft Launches New Lync for Windows 8 Version, Download Here

A new version of the Lync app is now available in the Windows Store, bringing not only bug fixes, but also several performance improvements and new options.

According to the official release notes, the new Lync build comes with buttons to provide faster access to Back, Search, Mute and End Call features, but also with enhanced ink capabilities in IM conversations.

What?s more, the update brings additional language support, plus the aforementioned bug fixes and performance improvements.

The new Lync version is available to users running any of the available Windows 8 builds, including x86, x64 and ARM flavors, so Surface RT owners can deploy it too. As usual, the update is being distributed via the integrated Windows Store, so you don?t need to manually download the new version.

Click here to view the Windows Store page of the updated Lync for Windows 8 app.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Launches-New-Lync-for-Windows-8-Version-Download-Here-331627.shtml

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Man who killed ex-girlfriend in fire is first Texas execution of year

REUTERS/Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Handout

Carl Henry Blue is seen in an undated handout photo from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The state of Texas is preparing to execute Blue for killing his former girlfriend in 1994 by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire.

By James B. Kelleher, Reuters

The state of Texas on Thursday executed a man convicted of killing his former girlfriend in 1994 by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire.

Carl Henry Blue, 48, was put to death by lethal injection at the state penitentiary at Huntsville, said the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He was pronounced dead at 6:56 p.m. local time.

Blue was convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Carmen Richards-Sanders, 38, in her apartment in Bryan, Texas, as she was getting ready to leave for work.

His execution was the first this year in Texas, which leads the United States in executions, and the second in the country. Robert Gleason, 42, was electrocuted by the state of Virginia on January 16.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17048756-man-who-killed-ex-girlfriend-in-fire-is-first-texas-execution-of-year?lite

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Florida?s Medicaid expansion could hit legislative opposition

JIM SAUNDERS, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Gov. Rick Scott dropped a bombshell Wednesday when he announced support for a Medicaid expansion. But a day later, it remained unclear whether the idea would get through the Republican-dominated Legislature.

House GOP leaders appear to have the strongest reservations, with Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, publicly expressing doubts about the wisdom of the expansion.

?I remain skeptical that that?s in the best interests of the state,? McKeel said Thursday morning.

Weatherford, during an appearance before the Florida Retail Federation and in a television interview, also repeatedly used the word ?skeptical.? Pointing to broader federal budget and debt problems, he questioned whether Washington would make good on a promise to pay billions of dollars for the expansion.

?We?re talking about a federal government that is not able to pay its bills,?? Weatherford said during an appearance on the show, ?Florida Face to Face.?

Some Senate Republicans indicated they might be more willing to go along with Scott, who said he would support expanding Medicaid eligibility for three years and then revisiting the issue. The federal government is slated to pay all of the expansion costs for the first three years, before the state has to pick up a portion of the tab.

?I support the governor, and I think the Senate has an open mind on it,?? said Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater. He later added, ?I think we give it a shot and see how it works.?

Senate Health Policy Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, pointed to the possibility that a Medicaid expansion could help ?safety net? hospitals that serve large numbers of low-income and uninsured people. More Medicaid coverage would produce additional revenues for hospitals, helping offset other types of funding cuts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_4/~3/-kDWO41hMOQ/floridas-medicaid-expansion-could-hit.html

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Stay tuned to our Facebook page throughout the weekend for behind the scenes sho...

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Japan PM arrives in Washington for summit with Obama

2013-02-21 23:13:48 GMT2013-02-22 07:13:48(Beijing Time) ?SINA.com

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday started a visit to the United States in which he hopes to show a firm, unified line to an "assertive China".

Abe arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington on Thursday afternoon. He meets Obama at the White House on Friday at a time of growing tensions between Japan and China, and days after a nuclear test by Pyongyang.

Fresh from a convincing December election victory and with high approval ratings, Abe has taken small steps toward a harder Japanese stance including moving to step up military spending by the officially pacifist state.

Danny Russel, Obama?s top advisor on Asia, said that the United States wanted a diplomatic solution to ease tensions over contested islands in the East China Sea.

Obama ?remains supportive of the peaceful efforts to find diplomatic resolution to outstanding issues of territorial claims,? Russel told reporters on a conference call.

Russel said that the United States wanted to avoid ?miscalculation? between China and Japan, saying that the world?s second and third largest economies were leading a region that is ?the driver of growth and dynamism.?

In an interview with The Washington Post ahead of his trip, Abe voiced hope that the U.S. alliance?and the presence of 47,000 American troops on Japanese soil under a security treaty?would "send a message to China".

Officials said that the two leaders would also look to show a common front on Pyongyang, which carried out its third nuclear test on Feb 12 despite pressure.

Abe, who previously served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, has throughout his career been known as a hawk on Pyongyang.

Abe?s Liberal Democratic Party swept out of power the left-leaning Democratic Party of Japan, which initially had a rough relationship with Obama by pushing for the withdrawal of more US troops from crowded Okinawa island.

Robert Hathaway, director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, expected Obama to be forthright in public comments but to talk privately to Abe about avoiding miscalculations that could send tensions soaring with China.

Abe, who faces upper house elections in July, is likely to speak to Obama about whether Japan will join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a U.S.-backed free trade pact bitterly opposed by many Japanese farmers.

White House official Michael Froman said that any nation that enters negotiations would be expected to put ?everything on the table.? Abe, during his campaign, said that certain sectors should be exempted.

(Agencies)

Source: http://english.sina.com/world/2013/0221/563866.html

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Around the Galaxy: Rumors, Rings and Rad Toys!

Hey TORWarrios and fans of all things Star Wars, it?s time for another issue of Around the Galaxy! For the uninitiated AtG is where we widen our focus from Star Wars: The Old Republic and talk about some of the other awesome stuff that?s out there in the realm of Star Wars. As always there?s a lot to talk about so let?s get right to it.

Rumor Roundup

Wrangling rumors, it?s a dirty job but someone?s got to do it!

As usual there?s no shortage of speculation and rumors coming from unnamed sources this week. We started off with a story from Latino Review. They?re reporting that Harrison Ford has signed on for Episode VII. Latino Review states that this is confirmed however this has been neither confirmed or denied by Disney as is typical when these types of things break. You can catch the Latino Review announcement in the video here, it?s at about 7:05.

It?s interesting to note that back in November there were some reports that Harrison Ford was open to the idea of doing more Star Wars films which was a pretty big reversal since it?s been widely reported in the past that Ford had no interest in revisiting his role as Han Solo. No other details were provided so it?s tough to say whether he?d be returning for a cameo or a meatier role. Personally I?d like to see him come back as a mentor for a new generation of heroes which brings us to the next interesting tidbit that broke as I was putting the finishing touches on this article.

ET Online is reporting that Mark Hamill has confirmed that he and several of the original cast members are currently in talks with Disney/Lucasfilm to reprise their roles in the new trilogy!

Via ET Online:

They?re talking to us.?George Lucas?wanted to know whether we?d be interested. He did say that if we didn?t want to do it, they wouldn?t cast another actor in our parts, they would write us out?I can tell you right away that we haven?t signed any contracts. We?re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with?Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and?Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed on their end, not mine. They?re more busy than I am.

Another thing I?d want to make sure of is are we going to have the whole gang back? Is?Carrie Fisher?and?Harrison Ford?and?Billy Dee Williams?and?Anthony Daniels, everybody that?s around from the original [returning]? I want to make sure that everybody?s on board here, rather than just one.?

Mark Hamill then had some remarks about what the new trilogy might be about:

?I?m assuming, because I haven?t talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring?Like my character would be sort of in the Obi-Wan range [as] an influential character.?

There?s a bit of speculation by Hamill there but the takeaway here seems to be that yes, they are all talking about revisiting their roles in the new trilogy but aren?t really sure if that?s going to happen and what exactly those roles are going to entail. As I?ve stated previously I?d really like the story to advance to the next generation of characters and have our old friends from the original trilogy there along for the ride. I think everybody wins that way and it?s a fan friendly way to move the story forward. You can catch the entire ET Online article with some more comments from Hamill here.

Ring Around the?Death Star?

Now you too can show off your devotion in Star Wars style!

Sometimes you see some pretty cool and unique stuff related to Star Wars that isn?t action figures or video games. This is definitely one of those times. Check out the Star Wars themed jewelry over at Swank Metalsmithing on Etsy. They?ve got a unique selection of really great looking rings in sterling silver and other metals for the devoted Star Wars fan. Shown in the photo above is the his and hers ring set themed with the classic ?I love you?, ?I know? scene between Han and Leia.

The Swank Metalsmithing site states that these items are made to order and can be customized as well. Note that the lead time for these is about six weeks. You can find all of the details on that ring set and some other nifty Star Wars themed jewelry here.

Some Things Were Just Made To Go Together

Peanut butter and chocolate. Beer and pretzels. LEGO and Star Wars. These are all things that seem like they were made for each other. This week I was linked to a video from LEGO about the new Red Five X-Wing Starfighter. This is a completely revamped set that?s billed as the most highly detailed LEGO X-Wing ever produced. Coming in at 1558 pieces, it features operating wings, a detailed cockpit and a special stand. Just what every discerning Star Wars and LEGO fan wants! This set will be available for sale directly from LEGO beginning in May 2013.

Around the Galaxy is a regular feature where we make a slight detour from?Star Wars: The Old Republic?and offer up news and opinion about all things?Star Wars. In addition to news about development of official?Star Wars?projects we curate related news and items of interest from the community. I?m always looking for interesting things to share with the community so if you see something that you?d like me to share here don?t hesitate to contact me via TORWars or on Twitter @HolyCrapItsLate.

As always we love hearing from you! Please leave constructive comments and feedback below.

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Florida governor expands Medicaid

By Maggie Fox, Senior Writer, NBC News

Florida governor Rick Scott, one of the biggest critics of President Obama?s health reform efforts, said Wednesday he would do the administration?s bidding and expand the Medicaid program.

But Scott said he was doing the expansion on his own terms: for three years only, while the federal government is footing the entire bill.

?While the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost of new people in Medicaid, I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care,? Scott said in a news conference.

?We will support a three-year expansion of our Medicaid program under the new health care law, as long as the federal government meets their commitment to pay 100 percent of the cost during this time. This legislation would sunset after three years and need to be reauthorized.?

Scott denied he was giving in to the administration. ?It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,? he said.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act was designed to transform health care in the United States, which most experts agree currently costs too much and leaves far too many people without health insurance.?It was meant to provide more care to people who can?t buy insurance by forcing states to expand Medicaid.

The hope was to add about 16 million of the poorest people to the rolls -- about half of those who need health insurance. But after a series of challenges to the law, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the Medicaid expansion requirement went too far. While most of the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, the court ruled, the federal government could not force states to offer Medicaid to more people.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that 12 million people will become newly eligible for Medicaid in the states that choose to expand their offerings by 2022.?The law required states to extend Medicaid to people earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $14,800 for single people and $31,000 for a family of four.

Many Republican governors immediately said they wouldn?t expand Medicaid.

Texas governor Rick Perry turned down $76 billion in federal matching funds that would have helped pay to do it over the first five years. ?We?re just not going to be a part of ? socializing health care in the state of Texas,? Perry told reporters in July.

South Carolina?s Nikki Haley said expanding Medicaid would bring people out who were already qualified -- and she said that her state would go broke taking care of them, even if the federal government paid the bill for those who would newly qualify. In addition, states will have to start paying a very small percentage in 2017.

But health care experts predicted that many red states would not turn away free money from the federal government.

Arizona governor Jan Brewer said her state would expand Medicaid to about 300,000 residents in her state of the state address last month. Michigan governor Rick Snyder made his announcement Feb. 6: His state will add about 320,000 people to the joint state-federal health insurance plan for the low-income.

?I am forced to accept it as today?s reality and I have decided to expand Nevada?s Medicaid coverage,? Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, another Republican, ?said in December.

Republican-leaning holdouts include Alabama, Louisiana, Idaho, Mississippi, South Carolina, Maine and 12 others.

Scott said he wasn?t happy, but said he was facing reality.

?There are no perfect options. Our options are either having Floridians pay to fund this program in other states while denying health care to our citizens or using federal funding to help some of the poorest in our state with the Medicaid program as we explore other health care reforms,? he said.

Left-leaning groups applauded.

?Now about 613,000 Florida women stand to gain the security of quality health coverage and the ability to get the care they need, when they need it, without facing huge medical bills,? said Judy Waxman of the National Women?s Law Center.

?Combined with other reforms in the Affordable Care Act, this expansion would reduce the percentage of uninsured women in Florida from 25.3 percent to 5.8 percent.?

Scott says he?s not against health reform, he just doesn?t like the approach taken in the 2010 health reform law.

?Before I ever dreamed of standing here today as Governor of this great state, I was a strong advocate for better ways to improve health care than the government-run approach taken in the President?s health care law,? he added.

?I believe in a different approach. But, regardless of what I -- or anyone else -- believes, a Supreme Court decision and a presidential election made the President?s health care mandates the law of the land.?

Scott says he will still refuse to set up a state health insurance exchange, leaving the federal government to run it.

Related stories:

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Source: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17034418-florida-governor-a-health-reform-foe-expands-medicaid?lite

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Promising new method for next-generation live-attenuated viral vaccines against Chikungunya virus

Feb. 21, 2013 ? Researchers have successfully applied a novel method of vaccine creation for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) using a technique called large scale random codon re-encoding. Using this approach, a group from the UMR_D 190, Emerging viruses Department in Marseille, France in collaboration with the University of Sydney, Australia, demonstrated that the engineered viruses exhibit a stable phenotype with a significantly decreased viral fitness (i.e., replication capacity), making it a new vaccine candidate for this emerging viral disease.

This new report publishes on February 21 in the Open Access journal, PLOS Pathogens.

There is an immense need for the development of vaccines targeting many emerging viral pathogens. CHIKV has been responsible for several million human cases over the last decade and represents a striking example of a re-emerging, arthropod-borne, human pathogen for which no licensed vaccine exists. Worryingly, one of the vectors of CHIKV, the mosquito Aedes albopictus, has dispersed into new regions (including temperate areas) resulting in outbreaks of this disease where they had never been previously observed, for example in Italy.

Using the large-scale codon re-encoding method, Antoine Nougairede and colleagues were able to synthetically modify the nucleic acid composition of the virus without modifying the encoded viral proteins. When this method was applied to poliovirus and Influenza A virus, it resulted in a live but attenuated virus that had significant reduction of viral fitness. In contrast with previous studies, which employed a targeted approach of codon re-encoding, this new study demonstrates that a random approach reduced the replicative fitness of CHIKV in both primate and arthropod cells. The employed strategy also prevented the reversion of the attenuated phenotype by mutation or recombination, thus reducing the possibility that the newly created virus strain could evolve back to the pathogenic version.

The findings by Nougairede et al. suggest that large-scale codon re-encoding can provide a strong basis for the rapid design of next-generation viral vaccines against emerging viral pathogens, as soon as their genome sequence has been determined. It represents an exciting route to vaccine development because it intrinsically alleviates the likelihood of novel pathogenic properties of the designed live vaccine, and allows modulation of the amount of reduced fitness by altering the terms and degree of the genetic re-encoding. Thus, this strategy potentially allows for the generic development of live attenuated vaccines against many new viral pathogens, with reduced costs and the potential single dose induction of long-term immunity.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Antoine Nougairede, Lauriane De Fabritus, Fabien Aubry, Ernest A. Gould, Edward C. Holmes, Xavier de Lamballerie. Random Codon Re-encoding Induces Stable Reduction of Replicative Fitness of Chikungunya Virus in Primate and Mosquito Cells. PLoS Pathogens, 2013; 9 (2): e1003172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003172

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ZfDSqDFNAto/130221194235.htm

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Apple supplier Foxconn freezes hiring at largest plant

TAIPEI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc's manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology Group has frozen hiring at a Shenzhen plant that makes gadgets including the iPhone 5 and put the brakes on recruiting for other factories across China, but said the move was not linked to any single client.

Foxconn, which runs a network of factories across the world's No. 2 economy that make products for tech companies from Hewlett Packard to Dell, sought to pour cold water on a Financial Times report that it had imposed a hiring freeze while it slows production of Apple's latest smartphone.

"Due to an unprecedented rate of return of employees following the Chinese New Year holiday compared to years past, our company has decided to temporarily slow down our recruitment process," the company said in a statement.

"This action is not related to any single customer and any speculation to the contrary is false and inaccurate."

Like other Chinese contract manufacturers, Foxconn relies on a large number of migrant laborers from across the country, who journey home for the most important holiday of the year. Many do not make it back to work, but Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo said this year they saw as many as 97 percent of employees return.

Apple sold a less-than-expected 47.8 million iPhones in the 2012 holiday quarter, fanning fears that its dominance of consumer electronics is on the decline as Samsung Electronics Co and other manufacturers that use Google Inc's Android software gradually gain market share.

The iPhone is Apple's most important product, accounting for half its revenue. The company's shares slipped almost 2 pct on Wednesday to $451, and are down about 34 percent from their September peak above $700, as investors fret about sliding margins and intensifying competition.

IMPLICATIONS FOR APPLE

Apple watchers often take cues from its component suppliers and manufacturing partners. In January, CEO Tim Cook took the unusual step of warning investors that it is difficult to extrapolate from limited "data points".

RBC estimates that just 70 to 80 percent of Chinese workers return to factories it tracks.

"This year we believe the return rates have been closer to 90 percent, which may minimize the need to hire," RBC analyst Amit Daryanani wrote in a Wednesday research note.

"Given the timing of the freeze, it may have more to do with higher return rates of employees versus what was expected by Foxconn and other supply chain companies."

Foxconn's latest statement contradicts another Foxconn spokesman, Liu Kun, who is cited in the newspaper on Wednesday as saying, "Currently, none of the plants in mainland China have hiring plans."

A check on Foxconn's recruitment website on Wednesday showed the company's Taiyuan and Hangzhou plants were hiring. But its factory complex in the southern city of Shenzhen is its single largest production base.

The Shenzhen plant "is not hiring at the moment because workers' return rate after Chinese New Year is very high this year, reaching 97 pct", Woo said.

"We replenish each year depending on the return rate."

(Editing by Edwin Chan, John Wallace and Dale Hudson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-supplier-foxconn-places-hiring-freeze-largest-plant-142812240--finance.html

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Canonical Unveils Ubuntu For Tablets, Developer Preview Available For Nexus Devices On Thursday

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Ubuntu on phones comes Canonical's latest announcement: Ubuntu on tablets. This is, in many ways, a no-brainer: Android and iOS have already demonstrated that the same OS can work on both form factors. But the story is a little more interesting when you consider what Ubuntu offers. And developers can start playing with it on Thursday.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sk0fECxuEFc/

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Police: Rape suspect met victim on popular dating website

By R. Stickney, NBCSanDiego.com

Via NBCSanDiego.com

Sean Banks of Del Mar, Calif., was arrested for allegedly raping a woman he met on a dating website.

Police in La Mesa, Calif., have arrested a man accused of raping a woman he met on a Christian online dating website.

Sean Banks, 37, of Del Mar, Calif., has been known to use aliases online including Rarity, Rylan, Rylan Butterwood and Rylan Harbough.

Banks is accused of raping a woman he met on the website ChristianMingle.com, officials said.

The woman told police after Banks arrived at her home in La Mesa, he was sexually aggressive toward her and ultimately raped her.

"This was the first time she met him face-to-face," La Mesa PD Officer Matt Nicholass said.

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He said that the woman felt comfortable with the individual coming to her house, and it was only after he was inside the home that he became forceful.

The incident occurred in November 2012. Banks was arrested by La Mesa police on Feb. 11.

Banks was booked on a number of charges including rape by force, digital penetration by force and residential burglary.

Also on NBCSanDiego.com: Woman attacked on walk home from Imperial Beach?bar, deputies say

When contacted by NBC 7 San Diego, the dating website said it has reached out to the La Mesa Police Department and is willing to assist in the investigation in any way it can.

"The safety and security of our members is of critical importance to us," said spokesperson Arielle Schechtman. "We take tremendous precautions to protect the safety and privacy of our community members."

She said the website has profile review experts who manually review all profile text and photos submitted by members.

"We have also developed several proprietary, automated tools to help identify questionable profiles and to eliminate fraudulent activity in our communities," she said.

Also on NBCSanDiego.com: Scary moments for crew fighting Vista house fire

Now detectives are asking for the public's help. They are concerned Banks may have been using other names and may have more victims.

Banks has moved around the country, so investigators are concerned there may be victims outside of San Diego County and perhaps California.

The suspect may have been working on other websites.

Anyone with information can call La Mesa Police at 619-667-1400.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/18/17007734-police-rape-suspect-met-victim-on-popular-dating-website?lite

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Google working with Visa, Mastercard, PayPal to cut off funding for alleged piracy sites

MARANA, Arizona, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk joined a growing chorus of players backing the idea of the PGA Tour adopting a local rule to ignore a proposed ban on putters anchored to the body on Tuesday. American Stricker, widely regarded as one of the game's best putters, said he had changed his view after consistently opposing the use of long putters and that he would not be surprised to see the tour dig in its heels. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-working-visa-mastercard-paypal-cut-off-funding-045924327.html

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UGA men?s golf team finishes fourth in Puerto Rico

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico ? The No. 9 Georgia men?s golf team finished fourth on Tuesday in the Puerto Rico Classic.

On the Rio Mar Country?s Club River Course, the Bulldogs shot a 6-under-par 282 and wound up at 12-under 852 for the tournament. Team honors went to Alabama at 33-under 831.

T.J. Mitchell and junior Michael Cromie paced the Bulldogs in the final round with 3-under 69s. Keith Mitchell added a 1-under 71 and Nicholas Reach signed for a 1-over 73. Sam Straka had the Bulldogs? non-counting score of 4-over 76.

Reach and Cromie finished tied for 16th at 2-under 214. North Carolina State?s Albin Choi secured medalist honors at 12-under 204. T.J. Mitchell wound up at even-par 216, followed by Keith Mitchell at 1-over 217 and Straka at 10-over 226.

The Bulldogs will return to action March 8-10 in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas.

Source: http://dogbytesonline.com/uga-mens-golf-team-finishes-fourth-in-puerto-rico-68525/

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Does the president deserve a raise?

President Barack Obama?s salary pales in comparison to the average CEO. But does the president really need a raise? The historical data says ?yes,? but the potential big payoff for newer presidents says ?probably not.?

In 2011, the average Fortune 500 company leader made $12 million a year. President Obama has a $400,000 annual salary, gets a $50,000 expense account, and a really cool house to live in. But he has to buy his own food in some cases.

The debate over presidential pay dates back to the Prohibition era, when people were shocked in 1930 when baseball star Babe Ruth was given a salary that paid more than President Herbert Hoover?s.

Ruth legendary response was, ?So what? I had a better year than he did.?

President Obama?s compensation is above average compared with other world leaders, including the leaders of China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany. Many are not far behind, though, with compensation in the US$200,000?? $300,000 range. And a handful are paid much more; the leader of Singapore gets about US$1.7 million a year.

The U.S. Constitution outlines how the president can get a raise and lets Congress decide on the timing through legislation.

Article II, Section 1 says that ?The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.?

President Washington received a salary of $25,000 in 1789, which was a lot of money at the time. It?s difficult to estimate the current value; projections range from $300,000 to $4 million in current dollars (depending on the economic barometer). But Washington also had to cover most of his own expenses. Luckily, the father of our country was a wealthy landowner.

Since the time of President Washington, there have been five presidential pay raises, which were effective in the next presidential term after Congress passed them. For example, in January 1969, the outgoing president was Lyndon Johnson; the pay raise took effect when Richard Nixon became president.

Pay hikes came in 1873 ($50,000), 1909 ($75,000), 1949 ($100,000), 1969 ($200,000), and 2001 ($400,000).

The chief benefactors of those pay raises were the first presidents to receive them, since they weren?t as susceptible to inflation. So in current 2012 dollars, Ulysses S. Grant received $945,000 in 1873; William Howard Taft got a hefty $1.9 million in 1909; Harry S. Truman received $950,000 in 1949; and Richard Nixon got $1.2 million in 1969. President George W. Bush?s pay was not considerably higher due to inflation over the past decade. But he did see his pay double compared with President Bill Clinton?s salary in 2000.

Basically, because there is no cost-of-living adjustment, the presidents make less each year they are in office.

Contemporary presidents do have a big advantage over their predecessors when it comes to making money after they leave office, and that is where they?re more competitive with CEOs.

Until 1958, presidents didn?t receive a pension after leaving office. Today, a president receives an annual pension equal to the current salary of a Cabinet secretary (about $200,000 per year) when leaving the White House.

In a 2008 report, the Congressional Research Service said that the three former presidents at the time (Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton) were receiving between $518,000 and $1.1 million a year in benefits from taxpayers, including pensions, office space, transportation, and other expenses.

Presidents George W. Bush and Clinton also signed lucrative book contracts after leaving office.

Clinton, in particular, has made out well financially. He told CNN in 2010, ??I?ve never had any money until I got out of the White House. But I?ve done reasonably well since then.?

Clinton made $16 million by giving speeches soon after he left office in 2001. By 2010, the website 24/7 Wall Street estimated that Clinton?s net worth was $55 million, and he had made $125 million before taxes.

On the 2012 campaign trail, candidate Mitt Romney floated the idea of a compensation plan that would make the president and other politicians more like CEOs, using incentives.

?I wish we had that happen throughout government?where people recognized they are not going to get rewarded in substantial ways unless they are able to achieve the objectives that they were elected to carry out,? he said.

However, that could backfire on a president. For example, the CEO of Walmart, Mike Duke, makes about $17 million in total annual compensation. Walmart also had a $16 billion profit in 2011.

The federal government annual deficit for the same year was $1.3 trillion.

Scott Bomboy is the editor-in-chief of the National Constitution Center.

Recent Constitution Daily Stories

Presidents Day isn?t a national holiday (but is a boon to car sales)

How Abraham Lincoln lost his birthday holiday

Can you pass a basic 10-question quiz on the presidents?

Does a Constitution-free zone really exist in America?

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/barack-obama-next-president-raise-112407975.html

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Azarenka beats Williams to win Qatar Open

DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? Defending champion Victoria Azarenka beat Serena Williams 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-3 to win the Qatar Open on Sunday, earning her 16th title and ending a 10-match losing streak against the American.

Azarenka will give up the No. 1 ranking to Williams on Monday but extended her current winning streak to 14 matches, including her second Australian Open title. More importantly, she may have turned around what has been a one-sided rivalry against Williams. Azarenka had not beaten Williams since 2009 in Miami, and had a 1-11 record against the American going into Sunday's final.

Williams dominated the second set with her powerful serve and forehand, but Azarenka took a 5-2 lead in the third before clinching the victory.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/azarenka-beats-williams-win-qatar-open-182126115--spt.html

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MR & MRS Sign, Wedding Table Sign, anniversary party table, photo prop, thank you - Your color choice, large 4x18 by AndTheSignSays

? MR. & MRS. Sign ?

Your color choice!
(as pictured is white w/chocolate lettering)

Measures 4x18
Sawtooth hanger (hang it at home after your big day!)

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Please note ~ I use pine wood which may have knots, small dinks and imperfections as to be expected of wood. I do not attempt to completely cover these. I think they add warmth, charm & character to the sign. Each sign will vary slightly depending on those characteristics, grain of the wood and distressing.

*?*Please allow up to 6 BUSINESS weeks for your item to ship out.*?* If for some reason you need it sooner, please convo me. Many times it is sooner than that amount of time but I like to make you aware that it can be up to that amount of time.

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/83886618/mr-mrs-sign-wedding-table-sign

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Bloomberg Pot: NYC Mayor Opposed to Legalizing Marijuana

Bloomberg Pot NYC Mayor Opposed to Legalizing Marijuana

Shocker of the century: the same guy who doesn't want us to have tons of soda or painkillers also doesn't want us to get high.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was both praised and criticized for banning?the sale of sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces last year, now has a bone to pick with marijuana, which he does not wish to legalize.

During a Friday?installent of his weekly radio show, the Independent politician said he's against weed legalization, as the stuff is stronger than it used to be. Before you call him a total killjoy (don't worry, I'll get to that part later), know that he'd said a day earlier that he aims to stop booking and arraigning many individuals charged with low-level marijuana-possession.

This policy change, which will go into effect next month, aims to clear out the crowds at jails and courts. Those with small amounts of pot will get desk appearance tickets if they have IDs and don't have any open warrants, according to Politico. In other words, people with just a little weed won't have to spend a night in jail.?

"It's the right thing to do, and it will allow us to target police resources where they're needed most," Bloomberg said of the policy.

He may have gone soft?on those in possession, but if marijuana were legal, Bloomberg continued, drug dealers would start to sell something else, such as cocaine (as if they already don't).?

Clearly he's not a fan of drug use, as he said last month that the city had plans to restrict painkiller distribution in public hospitals' emergency rooms.?Under the new policy, many?public hospital patients would no longer be able to receive more than three days? worth of narcotic painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet.

"Abuse of prescription painkillers in our city has increased alarmingly," Bloomberg said in January, adding that painkiller abuse has even caused "holdups at neighborhood pharmacies."?

I'm sure his heart is in a good place about all these things: he doesn't want us all to die of heart attacks or become slaves to pills, but with him campaiging against soda, painkillers, and now marijuana, he's starting to look like a "No" man more likely to take than give.?

Source: http://www.policymic.com/articles/26785/bloomberg-pot-nyc-mayor-opposed-to-legalizing-marijuana

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PST: Arsenal stunned by Blackburn, out of FA Cup

When English Premier League teams get bounced out of domestic cups by lower-tier sides, usually you look to the squad and see changes that reflected a manager taking unknown opposition too lightly. Arsenal has no such excuse. True, all of Theo Walcott (right), Jack Wilshire, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna were on the bench, but the names in the starting XI should have been enough to carry them past a decent but flawed Championship side. Mikel Arteta played. Thomas Vermalen, Wojciech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal were in defense. Olivier Giroud started at forward.

That should be more than enough to see off Blackburn, yet it wasn?t. After Chelsea/Fenerbahce castoff Colin Kazim-Richards scored in the 72nd minute, the embattled Lancashire club had all they needed. Not only did they bounce the Gunners from the fifth round of the FA Cup, they held them scoreless at the Emirates, winning 1-0.

Now all those Friday pieces from English outlets talking about Arsenal?s trophy drought can be recycled and refiled next year. Arsene Wenger is now eight seasons without meaningful silverware. After a find and replace, the staffs at the Guardian, Telegraph, Times and Independent can use next year?s space asking whether nine years is long enough.

Of course, it is. One year is long enough. Who doesn?t like winning trophies as often and as soon as possible? It?s an absurd premise, one that tends to overshadow legitimate concerns with Arsenal?s direction. Arsenal?s lack of trophies is much less significant than their diminished relevancy. While they used to threaten in league, Europe, and cups, now they?re afterthoughts.

Nobody?s wondering whether they?ll beat Bayern Munich mid-week. We?ve come to tactically acknowledge Arsenal?s no longer at that level.

In a strange way, today?s match-winner reminded me of the goal Arsenal conceded to lose the 2010-11 League Cup final. The mistakes the defense made against Birmingham City were more glaring, with a miscommunication between Koscielny and Szczesny gifting Obafemi Martins the Cup-winning goal. Today?s errors were equally emblematic, with Arsenal?s defense beaten in transition before their keeper blocks a rebound to a dangerous spot, allowing Kazim-Richards to redirect home the match?s only goal.

Here?s the goal, one that allowed Blackburn to move into the competition?s quarterfinals:

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/16/arsenal-fa-cup-results-blackburn-rovers/related/

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