Republican Hagel faces GOP critics at hearing

WASHINGTON ? Republican Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary, is facing GOP critics who have challenged his past comments on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons.

The former two-term senator from Nebraska is the lone witness at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday that could be crucial in determining whether he will win Senate confirmation to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Obama's second-term national security team. Two former committee chairmen ? Democrat Sam Nunn and Republican John Warner ? will introduce the nominee.

If confirmed, Hagel, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, would be the first enlisted man and first Vietnam veteran to serve as defense secretary.

Hagel has the announced backing of about a dozen Democrats and the tacit support of dozens more who are unlikely to embarrass the president by defeating his Cabinet pick. One Republican ? Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi ? has said he will vote for his former colleague.

Six Republicans, including four members of the Armed Services panel, have said they will oppose Hagel's nomination. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top GOP lawmaker on the committee, has said he and Hagel are "too philosophically opposed" on issues such as defense spending, nuclear weapons and the Middle East.

Crucial for Hagel will be the questioning by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Hagel and McCain are fellow Vietnam veterans who once had a close relationship during their years in the Senate, but politics and Hagel's opposition to increased troop numbers in Iraq divided the two men.

McCain has praised Hagel's military service but said he had serious concerns about positions the nominee has taken on various issues. He said he is reserving judgment until after the hearing. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., earlier this month described Obama's selection as an "in-your-face" pick but was a bit less critical this week.

"Who are we getting ? the guy today or the guy who said things before?" Graham said Tuesday after a 20-minute meeting with Hagel. Graham said he doesn't doubt Hagel's "personal integrity, but I do have real concerns about his policy positions."

The hearing will be the first time Hagel publicly addresses the barrage of criticism that he is not sufficiently pro-Israel or tough enough on Iran. In the past, Hagel has questioned the efficacy of unilateral sanctions on Iran, arguing that penalties in conjunction with international partners made more sense. He has also been criticized for his comments about the influence of a "Jewish lobby" and his view of gay rights.

He addressed several of the issues in a 112-page questionnaire to the committee in which he said his wartime experience would shape his decisions about using military force.

"I understand what it is like to be a soldier in war," wrote Hagel. "I also understand what happens when there is poor morale and discipline among the troops and a lack of clear objectives, intelligence and command and control from Washington. I believe that experience will help me as secretary of defense to ensure we maintain the best fighting force in the world, protect our men and women in uniform and ensure that we are cautious and certain when contemplating the use of force."

In his responses, Hagel adopted a hard line on Iran and its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He echoed Obama's view that all options are feasible to stop Tehran, praised the rounds of penalties and warned of "severe and growing consequences" if Iran balks at international demands.

Questioned about all options, Hagel said, "If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that the U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency."

He said that he would continue to put in place the "smart, unprecedented and effective sanctions against the Iranian regime" that Congress and the Obama administration have adopted in recent years.

The criticism of Hagel has surprised some of Hagel's strongest backers.

"This idea that's being propagated that he might be soft on adversaries. Chuck Hagel's not soft on anybody, particularly himself," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, in a conference call with Hagel allies. "He drives hard. He's someone who searches for the right approach and the right policy."

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wral.com/republican-hagel-faces-gop-critics-at-hearing/12046321/

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Monthend Tastebuds: Let's Drink Some Tea | ChloeAsh ? A Beauty ...

This post is inspired by Liz of Beauty Reductionista where she talks about her love for tea. Unlike Liz, I don?t drink much coffee. While others claim they need coffee to kick start their day, or to stay awake, I claim that coffee does nothing to me. I will still doze off. I guess sleep overpowers everything else. I?m a tea drinker. I love my tea, Chinese tea, but I?ve never really talked about it. I guess I just don?t talk tea language. So, tea experts, please don?t judge. It?s just my way of drinking tea, so right or wrong, it?s just my way

I wanted to show you these tea, which belong to my in-laws. They like collecting tea, and they have expensive taste. I don?t. When I?m lazy, I just buy my Twinnings Jasmine Green Tea and dunk it in hot water. These leaves are packed in paper, and the older they are, the better. To drink, we just take some loose leaves and put it in a pot. There are many types of tea leaves, from black tea to flower tea to oolong tea. I like my?ti kuan yin, chrysanthemum, cha wang and?po lei (also known as pu-erh).

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Now, teapots are part of the fun. I bought this Tenmoku tea set for a reasonable price. The set consists of a tea pot, tea holder and 6 little cups. They sit prettily on one of the cabinets in the dining room. We used it before, but sets get rotated.

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There are different ways of drinking tea. I prefer it to be minimalistic, but my in-laws have a ritual. They like to use little clay pots and cups. If they?re plastic, they?d look like they fit in my children?s playroom. They are super adorable. Usually, hot water is poured onto all the pots and cups, to warm them up before using. Some also believe that teapots aren?t meant for washing. I was told that tea tastes better if the teapot is older. Unfortunately for me, my tastebuds aren?t sophisticated enough to tell.

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Just to show you some different types of tea pots in the house?.

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So that?s just a brief overview of tea talk. We like to drink tea as it is. It is weird to drink it with milk and sugar. Because I?m used to drinking tea as is, I can?t bring myself to add anything to my Earl Grey either. Personally, I?m used to having tea with my meals, or with snacks. I especially love my tea with dim sum. It just isn?t the same without a hot little cup to sip after a bit of?char siew pau. Some say tea has the ability to?wash off fats from food. I usually search for proof, but in this case, true or false, I?d like to believe it. Drinking tea will be that much sweeter with that added fact.

Let me end this post with a short story. I was 4 years old. We went to a dim sum place for breakfast and I was apparently taking my own sweet time, a?char siew pau in my left hand, and a little cup of tea in my right. One bite of food, one sip of tea. My parents were threatening to leave me there, and I just ignored them, slowly sipping my tea. I guess I started young. LOL!

What about you? Are you a tea drinker? What tea do you like? Do you prefer coffee with your meals?

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xoxo Lily

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Source: http://www.chloeash.com/2013/01/monthend-tastebuds-lets-drink-some-tea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=monthend-tastebuds-lets-drink-some-tea

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In recaptured city in Mali, Islamists hunted down

GAO, Mali (AP) ? Residents in Mali's newly liberated city of Gao hunted down and beat suspected Islamist extremists who had not fled with their brothers-in-arms as Malian and French military forces closed in and retook the town.

Malian troops bundled the men into an army truck Tuesday, their hands bound behind their backs. For the better part of a year, the al-Qaida-linked extremists had banned music, insisted women cover themselves and began carrying out public executions and amputations in the towns of northern Mali that they controlled.

Now the Islamists' control of the cities has slipped, with the provincial capitals of Gao and Timbuktu coming back under government authority in quick succession with the arrival of French and Malian troops. They also may have lost control of a third key city, Kidal.

France, the former colonial ruler, began sending in troops, helicopters and warplanes on Jan. 11 to turn the tide after the armed Islamists began encroaching on the south, toward the capital. French and Malian troops seized Gao during the weekend, welcomed by joyous crowds. They took Timbuktu on Monday. The Islamists gave up both cities and retreated into the desert.

But not all of them left.

Members of a youth militia, the Gao Patrolmen, went house to house hunting down suspected Islamic extremists in Gao. Abdul Karim Samba, spokesman for the group, said men were scouring the town for remnants of the extremist Islamist group known as the Movement for Unity and Oneness of the Jihad, or MUJAO.

"They are the Islamists who have gone into their homes to hide, so we've been rounding them up to hand them to the military," he told The Associated Press. Troops from Chad, one of the African nations sending soldiers to help restore Malian government control over the whole country, patrolled the streets, and French soldiers joined overnight patrols. The city market was slowly returning to normal.

On Tuesday, Tuareg fighters from a secular rebel group said they were now in charge of Kidal, located some 270 kilometers (170 miles) to the northeast.

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad ? Azawad is the Tuareg's name for their homeland ? appears to have taken advantage of the French-led military offensive to assert themselves in Kidal. Phone lines were down there, making it difficult to independently confirm the group's claim. The loss of Kidal would mean the Islamists no longer control any of the northern provincial capitals that they had seized last April.

On its website, the NMLA said it is ready to work with French troops and fight terror organizations. However, it said it would refuse to allow Malian soldiers in Kidal and the other towns under its control in northeastern Mali, following allegations that the troops killed civilians suspected of having links to the Islamists.

Timbuktu Mayor Ousmane Halle said Tuesday he hopes to return home in the next 48 hours from the capital but that the Islamists had destroyed part of the airport's runway before leaving, making it hard for planes to land.

Halle had a message for Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of the extremist group, Ansar Dine, which imposed strict Shariah law in Timbuktu last year and forced thousands to flee in fear.

"In one of the meetings I had with Iyad Ag Ghali, he told me that the whole world knows he is the master of Timbuktu. But today it's me that is the mayor of Timbuktu, and he is on the run like an animal," Halle told AP.

To help battle the Islamists in their desert hideouts, a U.S. military official says the Pentagon is considering setting up a drone base in northwest Africa to increase intelligence collection.

The official says the U.S. signed an agreement Monday that would set the rules for greater American military presence in Mali's neighbor to the east, Niger, which would be the most likely location for any new drone base. The official in Washington spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision has been made.

African and Western nations on Tuesday pledged more than $450 million to fund an African-led military force to continue the fight against the Islamist extremists in Mali. The promises of money and equipment were made in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa at a conference held by the African Union, which said $960 million is needed to fund the Mali campaign.

The French military operation has so far met little resistance though experts warn it will be harder to hold on to the towns than it was to recapture them from the Islamists.

France's defense minister said the job was not yet done.

"The operations are not finished, and we need to work alongside African troops and Malian troops until they take over," Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the French parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle Faul in Johannesburg and Rukmini Callimachi in Bamako, Mali contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/recaptured-city-mali-islamists-hunted-down-151946131.html

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Original New Unlocked Apple iphone 5 32GB...$475 onlinestoreltd@outlook.com

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Stocks end longest win streak in eight years

5 hrs.

Reuters

The S&P 500 eased slightly on Monday after an eight-day run of gains, its longest winning streak in eight years, while the Nasdaq edged higher as Apple shares rebounded.?

Caterpillar shares helped cap losses in the Dow industrials even as the company posted a 55 percent drop in quarterly profit due to a charge connected with accounting fraud at a Chinese subsidiary and weak demand among its dealers. Caterpillar's shares, down 2.2 percent in the past three sessions, rose 1.5 percent Monday to $96.97.?

Boeing , down 1.2 percent at $74.14, shares led decliners on the Dow. The aircraft maker risks losing about $5 billion in revenue by the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner fleet, according to a Bloomberg report.?

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 12.98 points, or 0.09 percent, to 13,883.00. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 2.71 points, or 0.18 percent, to 1,500.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 4.59 points, or 0.15 percent, to 3,154.30.?

"I think this multi-year high is really something that's in play both for short-term traders and for folks with money on the sidelines," said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama.?

Investors poured $55 billion in new cash into stock mutual funds and exchange-traded funds in January, the biggest monthly inflow on record, research provider TrimTabs Investment Research said.?

Bargain hunters lifted Apple after the tech giant's stock dropped 14.4 percent in the previous two sessions. With Apple's stock up 2.4 percent at $450.29, the iPad and iPhone maker regained the title as the largest U.S. company by market capitalization as Exxon Mobil fell 0.9 percent to $90.94 and slipped back to second place.?

Data on Monday pointed to growing economic momentum as companies sensed improved consumer demand.?

Thomson Reuters data showed that of the 150 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far, 67.3 percent have beaten analysts' expectations, which is a higher proportion than over the past four quarters and above the average since 1994.?

U.S. durable goods orders jumped 4.6 percent in December, a pace that far outstripped expectations for a rise of 1.8 percent. Pending home sales unexpectedly dropped 4.3 percent. Analysts were looking for an increase of 0.3 percent.?

Equities have also gained support from a recent agreement in Washington to extend the government's borrowing power. On Monday, Fitch Ratings said that agreement removed the near-term risk to the country's 'AAA' rating.?

Hess Corp shares shot up 6.3 percent to $62.59 after the company said it would exit its refining business, freeing up to $1 billion of capital. Separately, hedge fund Elliott Associates is looking for approval to buy about $800 million more in Hess stock.?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-end-longest-win-streak-eight-years-1C8147522

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Kenya elections observers to enhance transparency (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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How to make your iPhone password better: Use an accent

2 hrs.

Thorin Klosowski , Lifehacker

We've?talked before?about using a longer passcode on your iPhone instead of a 4-digit pin, but as the tech blog Digital Inspiration points out, adding in accented characters adds yet another level of security.

The idea is that most people aren't going to bother dealing with accented characters (if you hold down on a letter, the available accented characters show up) when they're trying to guess your password. To use these, you first have to turn on the alphanumeric passcode. Just head into Settings > General > Passcode Lock, and turn off Simple Passcode. You'll be asked to enter in a new password, so throw in a few accented characters. It might make it a bit of a pain to enter in your passcode, but at least it's more secure.

[via Digital Inspiration]

More from Lifehacker:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/use-accented-characters-make-your-ios-password-even-stronger-1C8120707

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John Kerry: Global climate change is threat to US

John Kerry said the US should pursue policies to boost clean energy and slow the effects of climate change in his confirmation hearing Thursday. Climate change has been a focus of John Kerry's career in the Senate.

By Matthew Daly,?Associated Press / January 24, 2013

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. listens as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday. John Kerry told fellow senators he would be a "passionate advocate" on slowing climate change if confirmed as secretary of state.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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Calling global climate change a "life-threatening issue," Secretary of State nominee John?Kerry?said Thursday that the United States must play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

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Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said at his confirmation hearing that the U.S. should pursue policies to boost clean energy and energy efficiency. In his state and others, such as California, "the fastest growing sector of our economy is clean energy,"?Kerry?said. "It's a job creator."

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has made climate change a central focus of his Senate career and led a failed effort in the Senate for a climate change bill in 2010.

Kerry?told fellow senators he would be a "passionate advocate" on the issue if confirmed as secretary of state, "not based on ideology but based on facts, based on science. And I hope to sit with all of you and convince you that this $6 trillion (energy) market is worth millions of American jobs and leadership, and we better go after it."

Failing to deal with climate change was more of a risk than addressing it head-on,?Kerry?said, citing damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, drought and wildfires. Congress is expected to approve more $50 billion in disaster relief for Sandy victims alone. The storm pounded Northeastern states in late October and has been blamed for 140 deaths.

"If we can't see the downside of spending that money" as a short-term fix after a disaster "and risking lives for all the changes that are taking place ? to agriculture, to our communities, the ocean and so forth, we're ignoring what science is telling us,"?Kerry?said.

On a related issue,?Kerry?said he has made no decision about the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. Environmental groups have been pressuring the Obama administration to reject the pipeline, saying it would carry "dirty oil" that contributes to global warming.

Kerry?said a review process is well underway at the State Department. The department has jurisdiction over the pipeline because it crosses an international border.

"It will not be long before that comes across my desk,"?Kerry?said. "And at that time, I'll make the appropriate judgments about it."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/-pGePMEyVRU/John-Kerry-Global-climate-change-is-threat-to-US

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Trial in India gang rape begins in special court

NEW DELHI (AP) ? The trial of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus began in a closed courtroom with opening arguments by the prosecution lawyers in a special fast-track court set up just weeks ago to handle sexual assault cases.

The brutal attack last month set off protests across India and opened a debate about its epidemic of violence against women. A government committee established because of the attack has called for a complete overhaul of the way the criminal justice system deals with rape, sexual assaults and crimes against women in general.

The five men on trial ? who face a maximum sentence of death by hanging if convicted ? covered their faces with woolen caps as they walked into the courtroom Thursday surrounded by a phalanx of armed police. Two hours later, after proceedings were over, they were whisked away by the police.

Details of the proceedings were not available because of a gag order against revealing what happens inside the courtroom, and court officials who provided some information to The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity because of the order. Closing courtrooms to the public and the media is routine in Indian rape cases, even though defense lawyers had argued that since the victim is dead, the proceedings in this case should be opened.

Judge Yogesh Khanna turned down requests by journalists that they be briefed on the day's proceedings and said the gag order would remain.

Since Friday is a public holiday in India, the next hearing in the case was set for Monday, when the defense will present its opening arguments.

A sixth suspect in the case has claimed he is a juvenile and is expected to be tried in a juvenile court.

On Thursday, a magistrate separately rejected a petition by Subramanian Swamy, a prominent politician, that no leniency be shown toward the accused who claims to be a juvenile because of the brutal nature of the crime, said Jagdish Shetty, an aide to Swamy.

Documents presented by prosecution last week to the Juvenile Justice Board indicated that the defendant was a juvenile at the time of the attack, which would make him ineligible for the death penalty.

Magistrate Geetanjali Goel is expected to rule on the suspect's age on Jan. 28.

The suspect, who is not being identified by The Associated Press because he says he is 17, would face three years in a reform facility if convicted as a juvenile.

After the fast-track court hearing, M.L. Sharma, a defense lawyer for Mukesh Singh, one of the accused, said he had withdrawn from the case. V.K. Anand, who represents Mukesh's brother Ram Singh, will now defend both brothers. The two lawyers had been arguing over who was Mukesh Singh's real lawyer.

Sharma said he left the case to save his client from being tortured to fire him. He has long maintained that the other defense lawyers were planted by the police to ensure guilty verdicts.

Dozens of police were outside the sprawling court complex in south New Delhi where the trial is taking place. Inside the court, about 30 policemen blocked access to the room where Khanna heard the prosecution's case.

Outside the courtroom scores of journalists and curious onlookers crowded the hallway.

Prosecutor Dayan Krishnan warned defense lawyers that if they spoke to journalists he would slap contempt of court notices on them, said V.K. Anand, a defense lawyer.

Police say the victim and a male friend were attacked after boarding a bus Dec. 16 as they tried to return home after an evening showing of the movie "Life of Pi." The six men, the only occupants of the private bus, beat the man with a metal bar, raped the woman and used the bar to inflict massive internal injuries to her, police said. The victims were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

Abhilasha Kumari, a New Delhi-based sociologist, said the attack could end up having a large impact on the country.

"This case has brought the violence against women center stage and it has, out of sheer public pressure, forced the government to sensitize itself to crimes against women," she said.

The trial began a day after a government panel recommended India strictly enforce sexual assault laws, commit to holding speedy rape trials and change the antiquated penal code to protect women.

The panel appointed to examine the criminal justice system's handling of violence against women, received a staggering 80,000 suggestions from women's groups and thousands of ordinary citizens.

Among the panel's suggestions were a ban on a traumatic vaginal exam of rape victims and an end to political interference in sex crime cases. It has also suggested the appointment of more judges to help speed up India's sluggish judicial process and clear millions of pending cases.

Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said the government would take the recommendations to the Cabinet and Parliament.

"Procedural inadequacies that lead to inordinate delays need to be addressed," he told reporters.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trial-india-gang-rape-begins-special-court-012953846.html

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Frontiers publishes systematic review on the effects of ... - Health.am

Yoga has positive effects on mild depression and sleep complaints, even in the absence of drug treatments, and improves symptoms associated with schizophrenia and ADHD in patients on medication, according to a systematic review of the exercise on major clinical psychiatric disorders.

Published in the open-access journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry, on January 25th, 2013, the review of more than one hundred studies focusing on 16 high-quality controlled studies looked at the effects of yoga on depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints, eating disorders and cognition problems.

Yoga in popular culture
Yoga is a popular exercise and is practiced by 15.8 million adults in the United States alone, according to a survey by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau, and its holistic goal of promoting psychical and mental health is widely held in popular belief.

?However, yoga has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and patients to differentiate legitimate claims from hype,? wrote the authors in their study. ?Our goal was to examine whether the evidence matched the promise.?

Benefits of the exercise were found for all mental health illnesses included in the review, except for eating disorders and cognition problems as the evidence for these was conflicting or lacking.

Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center, US, and author of the study, explained that the emerging scientific evidence in support of the 5,000 year old Indian practice on psychiatric disorders is ?highly promising? and showed that yoga may not only help to improve symptoms, but also may have an ancillary role in the prevention of stress-related mental illnesses.

According to Stephen Cope, a psychotherapist and author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, hatha yoga?s postures improve mood by moving energy through places in the body where feelings of grief or anger are stored. ?Hatha yoga is an accessible form of learning self-soothing,? he says. ?These blocked feelings can be released very quickly, [creating a] regular, systemic experience of well-being.? Yoga students may also benefit from their relationship with the yoga instructor, Cope said, which can provide a ?container? or a safe place for investigating, expressing and resolving emotional issues. The instructor?s encouraging and accepting words may also help students defeat self-limiting notions.

Not all mental health practitioners are convinced of yoga?s healing powers, but many agree it can be helpful when combined with more traditional treatments. Zindel Segal, Ph.D., a University of Toronto psychiatry professor, recently studied SRRP when used in conjunction with cognitive therapy. He asked 145 people who were at risk for depression to undergo cognitive therapy either alone or with the SRRP. Segal found that after eight weeks of treatment, those participants who received both types of therapy were much less likely to relapse into depression. ?This means that people can learn about their emotions not just by writing down their thoughts, which is what cognitive therapy is all about, but also by paying attention to the way their emotions are expressed in their bodies,? he says. ?Both approaches allow people to observe their experience without judgment, an important first step in stepping out of depression.?

While yoga?s therapeutic capabilities are still under scientific scrutiny, Smith isn?t waiting for more proof. Having lost her grandmother to depression- she was one of many bipolar sufferers who take their own life due to the disease- Smith is determined not to let the disorder get the best of her. Since 1994, she has practiced and taught hatha yoga to depression sufferers- passing on what she believes has literally saved her life.

The review found evidence from biomarker studies showing that yoga influences key elements of the human body thought to play a role in mental health in similar ways to that of antidepressants and psychotherapy. One study found that the exercise affects neurotransmitters, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipids, growth factors and second messengers.

Yoga is no longer a traditional fitness workout. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) not only has a 45-minute yoga package to treat psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia, but has started comparing its curative effects with general medicine.

Doctors at Nimhans say their studies reveal evidence of biological changes in the body brought about by yoga. They prescribe yoga therapy along with medication in major ailments, while using yoga therapy alone for less serious disorders.

Unmet need among mental health patients

Depression alone affects more than 350 million people globally and is the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). On World Mental Health Day last year, the WHO called for improved access to treatments.

While there has been an increase in the number of medications available for mental health disorders, many of which can be life saving for patients, there remains ?a considerable unmet need,? according to Dr. Meera Balasubramaniam, lead author of the study, who is also based at Duke University, US.

When you hear the word ?depression?, probably the first thing that will come to your mind is sadness. And yes, you thought right. Depression is a state of sadness. However, it is not to be confused with major depression, which is a mental condition characterized by a severe state of sadness or melancholy that has reached the point of hindering a person from functioning well socially.

While simple depression (or a depressed mood) may only last for a short time and can be treated easily, major depression can last for a longer time and treatment can vary from person to person. Major depression is also more dangerous because not only does it disrupt your social functions, but it has more serious symptoms such as:

Being fatigued physically and mentally

Change in appetite

Feeling of intense fear or melancholy

Irritability

Loss of interest in usual activities

Changes in sleeping patterns (e.g. insomnia, excessive sleep, or loss of REM sleep)

Trouble in decision-making or in concentrating

Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, or helplessness

Delusions or hallucinations

Recurring thoughts of suicide or death

Poor compliance and relapse as well as treatment resistance are growing problems, and medications are expensive and can leave patients with significant side effects.

Provided by ArmMed Media

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Source: http://www.health.am/psy/more/effects-of-yoga-on-major-psychiatric-disorders/

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Damon 'hijacks' Kimmel's ABC show

This frame grab image provided by ABC shows a scene from the Thursday Jan. 24, 2013 Jimmy Kimmel show. Actor Matt Damon who's been the butt of a long-running joke on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC talk show, took over the program Thursday night and left a bound and gagged Kimmel to watch a succession of stars stop by. (AP Photo/ABC)

This frame grab image provided by ABC shows a scene from the Thursday Jan. 24, 2013 Jimmy Kimmel show. Actor Matt Damon who's been the butt of a long-running joke on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC talk show, took over the program Thursday night and left a bound and gagged Kimmel to watch a succession of stars stop by. (AP Photo/ABC)

This frame grab image provided by ABC shows a scene from the Thursday Jan. 24, 2013 Jimmy Kimmel show. Actor Matt Damon who's been the butt of a long-running joke on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC talk show, took over the program Thursday night and left a bound and gagged Kimmel to watch a succession of stars stop by. (AP Photo/ABC)

This frame grab image provided by ABC shows a scene from the Thursday Jan. 24, 2013 Jimmy Kimmel show. Actor Matt Damon who's been the butt of a long-running joke on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC talk show, took over the program Thursday night and left a bound and gagged Kimmel to watch a succession of stars stop by. (AP Photo/ABC)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Matt Damon had his revenge.

The butt of a long-running joke on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the actor opened Thursday night's show as a kidnapper who tied Kimmel to a chair with duct tape and gagged him with his own tie.

"There's a new host in town and his initials are M.D.," Damon said. "That's right, the doctor is in."

For years, Kimmel has joked at the end of his show that he ran out of time and was unable to bring Damon on as a guest. Kimmel was the silent one Thursday, watching from the back of the stage as Damon did his job.

Damon tormented Kimmel by bringing on a succession of big-name guests. Robin Williams stopped by to finish the monologue. Ben Affleck had a walk-on role. Sheryl Crow was the bandleader and performed her new single. Nicole Kidman, Gary Oldman, Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon and Demi Moore all crowded the talk show's couch.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time," Damon said. "This is like when I lost my virginity, except this is going to last way longer than one second."

Damon's guest hosting turn came at a key time for Kimmel. ABC earlier this month moved the show to 11:35 p.m. ET and PT after a decade of airing it a half hour later, putting him in direct competition with Jay Leno and David Letterman.

Thursday's special program aimed for the same water-cooler status as a memorably lewd short film Damon made for the show a few years ago with Kimmel's then-girlfriend, Sarah Silverman. It went viral and remains probably the best-known skit in the show's history.

To twist the knife even further, Damon brought Silverman on as his final guest Thursday night, with Kimmel looking on forlornly as she likened their five-year relationship to an unfortunate trip to a hot dog vendor.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to Jimmy?" Damon asked.

"No, I'm good," Silverman replied.

Then came the sweetest revenge of all, with Damon promising to ungag Kimmel in the show's final minutes.

"Wait," he said. "I'm sorry. We're out of time."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-25-US-TV-Kimmel-Damon/id-e0b78ea988764e1e884bd2223ded756c

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What's the threat? North Korean rhetoric, reality

TOKYO (AP) ? According to its official statements, North Korea is ready to go to the brink. But how serious are Pyongyang's threats?

This week, new U.N. sanctions punishing the North's successful December rocket launch have elicited a furious response from Pyongyang: strong hints that a third nuclear test is coming, along with bigger and better long-range missiles; "all-out action" against its "sworn enemy," the United States; and on Friday, a threat of "strong physical countermeasures" against South Korea if Seoul participates in the sanctions.

"Sanctions mean war," said a statement carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

In the face of international condemnation, North Korea can usually be counted on for such flights of rhetorical pique. In recent years it threatened to turn South Korea into a "sea of fire," and to wage a "sacred war" against its enemies.

If the past is any indication, its threats of war are overblown. But the chances it will conduct another nuclear test are high. And it is gaining ground in its missile program, experts say, though still a long way from seriously threatening the U.S. mainland.

"It's not the first time they've made a similar threat of war," said Ryoo Kihl-jae, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "What's more serious than the probability of an attack on South Korea is that of a nuclear test. I see very slim chances of North Korea following through with its threat of war."

Although North Korea's leadership is undeniably concerned that it might be attacked or bullied by outside powers, the tough talk is mainly an attempt to bolster its bargaining position in diplomatic negotiations.

The impoverished North is in need of international aid and is eager to sign a treaty bringing a formal end to the Korean War, which ended nearly 60 years ago in a truce. It uses its weapons program as a wedge in the ever-repeating diplomatic dance with the U.S.-led international community, and there is no reason to believe this time is different.

"I see this as their way of testing the water," said Narushige Michishita, a North Korea expert at Tokyo's Graduate Institute of Policy Studies. "North Korea will probably never be able to defeat the United States in a war. But they are getting stronger."

In 2006 and 2009, North Korea carried out underground nuclear tests just after receiving U.N. sanctions for launching long-range rockets. The latest barrage of rhetoric comes after the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to condemn the successful Dec. 12 rocket launch and further expand sanctions against Kim Jong Un's regime. Pyongyang replied with its threat of more launches and possibly another nuclear test.

"Settling accounts with the U.S. needs to be done with force, not with words," said Thursday's statement from the National Defense Commission, which promised "a new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle that has lasted century after century."

North Korea has long insisted that its rocket launches were peaceful attempts to put a satellite in orbit, while the U.S. and United Nations consider them illegal tests of missile technology. This week, however, Pyongyang, made it clear that one goal of its rocket program is to attack the United States.

But its ability to do so is limited, say experts who believe North Korea still has technological kinks to work out in its nuclear devices. It is thought to be unable to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be mounted on a missile, so it needs to test that technology as well.

Another big issue is money.

In his first speech to his people, the young leader, Kim, who is still believed to be in his 20s, said North Korea will continue its "military first" policy. But for a nation that chronically struggles to feed its own people, resources are limited. And because of trade restrictions, acquiring parts for its weapons from abroad is increasingly difficult.

Despite December's successful launch, North Korea's ability to get missiles off the launch pad is less than reliable. In April, a similar rocket splintered into pieces over the Yellow Sea. Days later, North Korea showed off what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, but many experts who reviewed footage of the rockets said they were clearly fakes.

The North does, however, appear to be making some progress.

Japan's Defense Ministry, in an assessment of the December launch presented to the prime minister on Friday, said the North's best designs probably give its missiles a range of more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), according to Japan's Kyodo news service. That would be enough to reach the West Coast of the United States. A South Korean defense official said Friday that Seoul agrees with that assessment.

The Japanese report warned that Pyongyang's missile technology has "entered a new stage" that is of serious concern to the international community. Japan is particularly wary of North Korea's capabilities because all of its islands are well within striking distance. Japan also hosts about 50,000 U.S. troops, whose bases would be a tempting target if Pyongyang were to try to make good on its threats.

"There has been a tendency to underestimate what North Korea can do in the space and missile field, and possibly with technology in general," U.S. nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis wrote recently on his Arms Control Wonk blog. He noted that debris recovered from the wreckage of the December rocket's first stage indicates that most of it was made in North Korea.

North Korea claims the right to build nuclear weapons as a defense against the United States, which stations more than 28,000 troops in South Korea.

It is believed to have enough weapons-grade plutonium for about four to eight bombs, according to nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, who visited North Korea's nuclear complex in 2010. And in 2009, Pyongyang also declared that it would begin enriching uranium, giving it a second way to make atomic weapons.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that he has seen no outward sign that North Korea will follow through soon on its plan to conduct a test, but added that doesn't mean preparations aren't under way.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whats-threat-north-korean-rhetoric-reality-095710945.html

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Kim Dotcom and Mega: Legal FAQs ? Brodies TechBlog

You?re probably familiar with Kim Dotcom, the German-Finnish internet entrepreneur?who currently resides in New Zealand, and is being pursued by the US Department of Justice regarding?accusations of a ?Megaupload? business empire built on rampant?infringement of US copyright laws and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.?

Much of what is currently being written about Mr Dotcom simply churns trite facts without actually offering much in the way of explanation.? I thought a blog which answered some of the main?questions would be helpful.

How does the US have?jurisdiction over Megaupload?
Why would Megaupload?Limited, with its registered office in Hong Kong, be subject to US copyright laws and to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act?? The answer is that Megaupload?deliberately carried out business in the US and with US residents.? The site leased?more than 1,000 servers in North America (525 were at Carpathia?Hosting, which received $13 million from Megaupload).? ?

Wired provides?great analysis?here, but the general principal is that individuals and companies can?t gain the benefits of doing business in a jurisdiction without complying with its laws and being subject to its enforcement efforts ? assuming that the jurisdiction can gets its hands on you in ?terrifying real life?. Which brings us to extradition!

Will Dotcom be extradited?
Under New Zealand?s Extradition Act, any request for extradition from New Zealand must relate to an ?extraditable offence? which is defined as an offence that:

• Carries a maximum penalty of not less than one year?s imprisonment in the requesting country; and
• Involves conduct that would be regarded as criminal had it occurred in New Zealand, and would have carried a similar penalty

Unfortunately for Kim Dotcom, breach of copyright is just as?illegal in New Zealand as it is in the US.?

Part 3 of the Extradition Act also provides a mechanism by which the requirements to provide evidence establishing a prima facie case in support of the extradition request can be replaced by the simpler ?record of the case? procedure. This mechanism?is available?to?select countries, including the US.? (A guide to New Zealand extradition prepared by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade can be read here.)

Nevertheless the US is struggling to extradite Dotcom and is also struggling to make its case against Megaupload and the ?conspirators? (Dotcom and various associates).? Dotcom actually received an apology from the Prime Minister of New Zealand for illegal surveillance.? A helpful timeline of the various legal twists and turns can be read here.

What?s the new service that he?s offering?
Kim Dotcom has launched a new service, Mega,?which he says is distinct from Megaupload, and which he also?insists is legal.

Mega?is offering?all users 50GB of free cloud storage, making it a potentially compelling competitor to the likes of Dropbox (2GB free) and SkyDrive (7GB free) ? if you?re not worried about the service getting shut down like its predecessor.

Mega offers client-side encryption, meaning that (arguably) even Mega doesn?t know what is on the files that clients upload.? The only way?a client?file can be decrypted?is if the client makes?both the encrypted file and?also the?private encryption key publicly available.? This would presumably breach acceptable use of Mega, and Mega also?has in place a?take down process similar to what other content sharing websites (such as YouTube) offer, and which?is required under US law in order for the website operator to qualify for ?safe harbor? protection from copyright infringement claims.

Of course, the predecessor site Megaupload had a take down process as well, so this leads us to the next obvious question.

Is Mega legal?
Dotcom still insists that Megaupload?was legal, despite the US Department of Justice?s claims that Megaupload?s overall operating model was geared towards criminal intent, because:

• the vast majority of users did not have any significant long term private storage capability;
• continued storage was dependent upon regular downloads of files occurring;
• files that were infrequently accessed were usually rapidly removed, whereas popular downloaded files were retained;
• only a small portion of users paid for storage subscriptions, meaning that the business was dependent on advertising revenue, and displaying adverts to downloaders;
• an incentive programme was adopted encouraging the upload of ?popular? files in return for payments to successful uploaders; and
• (potentially most damning of all) there was a comprehensive take down?process?in use for?child pornography and terrorist propaganda, but this same take down process?was?not deployed to remove infringing content.

Initial impressions?would suggest that Mega does not share these strategies.? Certainly Dotcom would have to be incredibly foolish to not apply the take down? process this time around.? In fact, it?s perhaps?a credit to Dotcom?s slick advertising/media persona,?and Mega?s attractive user interface, that initial bloggers?thought?Mega would??dismantle copyright forever?.

As Jonathan Bailey succinctly puts it (in by far the best analysis of Mega which I have read):

where Megaupload provided incentives and tools that encouraged users to upload (often illegal) files for mass download, Mega? does not and in fact has a structure and service that puts barriers up against mass downloading of files, legal or otherwise.

What is certain is that we can expect plenty of fun and games over the next few months.?

When Mega launched this week as ?The Privacy Company? their claims of super-security were bound to come under the highest levels of scrutiny (some cloud providers definitely perform better than? others in the security stakes ? see my colleague Leigh?s analysis).? Yesterday the story was that Mega?s encryption was substandard, today the story?(which is emerging as?I write) appears to be some form of encryption prize ? Kim Dotcom himself has just Tweeted:

We welcome the ongoing #Mega security debate & will offer a cash prize encryption challenge soon. Let?s see what you got ;-)

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

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Source: http://techblog.brodies.com/2013/01/25/kim-dotcom-and-mega-legal-faqs/

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Economic disparity docs occupy Sundance fest

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? The Sundance Film Festival is all about diversity and inclusion. Two of its documentaries are all about disparity and exclusivity ? economic inequality that has left a rising gap between the super-rich and everyone else.

Director Jacob Kornbluth's "Inequality for All" is inspired by economist Robert Reich's book "Aftershock: The Next Economy & America's Future" and features the former U.S. labor secretary's analysis of such issues as wage stagnation and big money in politics.

"99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film" takes its cue from the 2011 protests that had activists camped out in cities around the country. Inspired by the collective approach of the Occupy movement, four directors and five co-directors oversaw the work of about 100 people, with more than 70 contributing footage to chronicle the protests.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/economic-disparity-docs-occupy-sundance-fest-161735482.html

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Delta in talks with Airbus, Boeing to buy jets: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc is in talks with Airbus SAS and Boeing Co to buy $1 billion or more new jets, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Atlanta-based airline is looking at current versions of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, not the newest versions, likely meaning a deeper discount to retail prices than normal, the news agency quoted one person as saying. (http://link.reuters.com/byw45t)

The talks are for an order of twenty-four to thirty planes and deliveries would start in three to five years, it said.

Lindsay McDuff, a spokeswoman for Delta, told Reuters that the company does not comment on industry rumor and speculation.

The deal could have a book value of at least $1 billion, based on prices tracked by consultant Avitas of Chantilly, Virginia, Bloomberg said.

Delta, the No. 2 airline behind United Continental Holdings , is looking for a deal in which it could exchange some of its 50-seat regional jets for new planes from Boeing or Airbus, similar to a deal with Bombardier Inc made in December.

The sale of old aircraft is a part of a cost-cutting program at the company, which includes retiring smaller, less efficient planes from its fleet.

(Reporting by Maria Ajit Thomas and Karen Jacobs; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/delta-talks-airbus-boeing-buy-jets-bloomberg-015643207--sector.html

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Green Blog: On Our Radar: Clean Energy, Sullied?

The discovery of links between the Mafia and Italy?s once-booming wind and solar industries raises questions about the use of government subsidies for renewable energy. [The Washington Post]

Living paintings: a New York City artist cultivates vibrant bacteria from the befouled Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek and pours it into hefty steel and glass frames. [OnEarth]

A speedup in the melting of glaciers in the tropical Andes threatens freshwater supplies in Peru and Bolivia, a new study warns. [Mongabay.com]

Many note that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo?s New York State budget presentation omitted any mention of fracking, which would require a big investment in environmental inspections and other safeguards. The state is still awaiting a study on potential health effects before it decides whether to allow that natural gas drilling process to proceed. [New York]

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/on-our-radar-clean-energy-sullied/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Volunteer Candidates Sought for Utility Customer Review Panel

City looking for residents to guide the development of a strategic plan

The Seattle City Council and Mayor are looking for nine volunteers to serve on a Customer Review Panel that will provide feedback and guidance during the new Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Strategic Planning Process.

This year, Seattle Public Utilities will be developing a comprehensive Strategic Business Plan, similar to the one created by Seattle City Light to guide its investments, service levels and rate path over the next six years.

The primary goal of the Strategic Business Plan is to provide direction for all of SPU?s business lines (water, drainage, wastewater and solid waste services) that reflects customer values, provides rate predictability and results in the best value for customer dollars.

?Seattle residents rely on SPU for a wide array of services. And we are always working to deliver those services as efficiently and effectively as possible,? said Mayor Mike McGinn. ?I will look to this panel to help us deliver the best possible services for our customers.?

?Customers? feedback on rates and services will be at the forefront of the strategic planning effort.? I encourage Seattleites to apply,? said Councilmember Jean Godden Chair of the Libraries, Utilities and Center Committee.

The Customer Review Panel will guide development of the strategic plan, allowing residents and rate payers to provide leadership and guidance on priorities, direction and the future goals of SPU.

The Panel will meet bi-monthly between March 2013 and December 2014.? The Panel will not continue to meet after the strategic plan is complete.

Specific Panel Duties include the following:

1. Gaining a working knowledge of SPU services, financial policies, costs and rates;
2. Reviewing the plan?s assumptions, technical evaluations, policy directions, and action alternatives;
3. Working closely with staff to understand the issues and challenges;
4. Providing advice to the Mayor and Council on the Strategic Business Plan concurrent with delivery of the final proposed plan to Council;
5. Assisting the Mayor and Council in engaging customers in discussions of the merits and implications of the Strategic Business Plan.

Requirements:? Service on the Committee will require a significant investment of time to learn about Seattle Public Utilities four lines of business (water, drainage, wastewater, and solid waste services) and in depth bi-monthly meetings between March 2013 and December 2014. Candidates should have an interest in learning about SPU?s services and a commitment to the customers of SPU, including considering rates, fees, and utility services from the customer perspective.

Interested candidates should send a brief paragraph of interest (no more than 300 words) to Diane Clausen to Diane.Clausen@seattle.gov by 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2013.? Of the nine positions five are Mayoral appointments and four are appointed by the Council.

Source: http://atyourservice.seattle.gov/2013/01/23/volunteer-candidates-sought-for-utility-customer-review-panel/

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Telecoms industry leads development ? Vietnamese Dong News

Last update 22/01/2013 (GMT+7) 0 0 12345

VietNamNet Bridge ? Development of Viet Nam's wired and wireless broadband internet infrastructure can progress ahead of schedule, despite the country setting a target of becoming a modern industrial nation by 2020.

Technicians check circuits in Quang Ninh Province's Van Don District. Viet Nam's wired and wireless broadband internet infrastructure is expected to progress ahead of schedule.

The forecast was made by IT experts at a telecoms conference held recently to thoroughly grasp the contents of Resolution 13- NQ/TW from the Party Central Committee and plans to build information infrastructure.

Addressing the conference, Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Bac Son said the Resolution aimed to build synchronous internet infrastructure to turn Viet Nam into a modern industrial country by 2020.

Target for broadband internet by 2015

- Fixed broadband internet: 6 to 8 subscribers / 100 people
- Wireless broadband: 20 to 25 subscribers / 100 people
- Households with internet access: 15-20 per cent
- 90 per cent of communes have public telecom services with broadband connection.
Target for broadband internet by 2020
- Fixed broadband internet: 15 to 20 subscribers / 100 people
- Wireless broadband: 35 to 40 subscribers / 100 people
- Households with internet access: 35 to 40 per cent
- 100 per cent of communes have public telecom services with broadband connection.

Son said the Resolution determined that information technology was one of the most important infrastructures, both for the economy and technical sectors as well as social development.

According to World Bank research, 10 per cent of the population using broadband internet would boost the GDP of developed countries by 1.21 per cent, and up to 1.38 per cent in developing countries.

Use of wireless broadband internet is currently thriving and has exceeded the forecast of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Doan Quang Hoan, Director of the Radio Frequency Department under the Ministry of Information and Communication said wireless broadband internet would become increasingly popular as it was vital infrastructure for a knowledge-based economy.

In the near future, the number of 2G subscribers would decrease while the number of 3G subscribers would grow strongly.

Meanwhile, HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology remains the most promising technology prior to 2020, said Hoan.

Hoan said Viet Nam had a good quality advanced wireless broadband infrastructure. The number of 2G and 3G subscribers in the country has increased in recent years, but Viet Nam is still in the early stages of wireless broadband internet.

He said development of wireless broadband has strong potential, but currently remains limited due to consumers' purchasing power.

Le Thi Ngoc Mo, deputy director of the Radio Frequency Department said development of fixed broadband internet would be a challenge for the local telecoms industry.

Over the last two years, development of fixed broadband internet has seen slower growth. Currently, landline phone networks were considered the best platform for broadband internet development.

Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)?s service accounted for 90 per cent of the telecom market, but the service has been reduced 25 per cent annually in recent years. During its peak, VNPT had 13 million subscribers, but that figure has fallen to just 6.5 million.

With the increasing popularity of mobile phones, the number of fixed landline phone subscribers will continue to fall sharply in years to come.

Viet Nam aims for 90 per cent of communes to have access to broadband internet by 2015, with comprehensive access by 2020.

Mo said developing stable and safe broadband was the national strategy. Therefore, the Ministry would soon outline its policies on tariff and service charges for landline telephone services and on development to FTTH (Fiber-To-The-Home).

The most important thing was to use the Viet Nam Public Utility Telecommunication Service Fund as a source of finance for developing telecoms infrastructure. It was estimated that from 2013 to 2020, this fund would grow to around VND10 trillion ($480 million), said Mo.

Source: VNS

Source: http://dongtalk.com/2013/01/22/telecoms-industry-leads-development/

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18 killed in northeast Nigeria market attack

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? A deputy governor in Nigeria says 18 people were killed in an attack on a local market there.

Borno state deputy Gov. Zanna Mustapha said Tuesday he received the information from a local village chief in the village of Damboa. Mustapha said local chief Abba Ahmed said the attack happened late Monday.

Residents and the deputy governor said the violence started after the local market banned a group of hunters from selling "bush meat" from slaughtered monkeys and other creatures. Local Muslims decline to eat it because of their religious convictions.

Security officials on Monday had said no one was killed in the attack. Damboa, in a rural part of the state, is difficult to reach.

The region is under attack by a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/18-killed-northeast-nigeria-market-attack-182001890.html

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Online Dating Expert: How Not to Get 'Catfished' | genConnect

Manti Te?o

As the story continues to unfold, it appears Manti Te?o wasn?t the only one who may have been duped into a relationship by an online dating hoaxer.

The Notre Dame football star on Thursday will share his personal and painful story about the love scam, commonly known as ?catfishing,? on Katie Couric?s talk show, ?Katie.?

Whether you?re a celebrity or the boy or girl next door, when matters of the heart are involved, it?s not uncommon to get lured in by a romantic pursuer on the Internet.

Related: When You?re Sick of His ?Stuff? (VIDEO)

This most certainly doesn?t mean that all online daters are insincere, but the Notre Dame football star?s story will create more awareness about the digital courting process.

Spending time in chat rooms, Gchat, or Facebook chat provides an immediate connection with someone with whom you may share personal information and intimate details with after a certain period of time.

The next thing you know, you have that euphoric feeling that someone is in your digital corner. In other words, you now have a ?digital pen pal,? not a real girlfriend or boyfriend. You want to share your exciting news with your friends, but if your online crush isn?t who he or she says they are, you?ll feel embarrassed and shame will kick in. You won?t want your friends to know you?ve been duped.

Related: Don?t Make the Same Dating Mistakes This Year

So before you start changing your Facebook status to ?In a Relationship,? look for these signs:

1. Your online crush is quick to say, ?I love you?
2. Your chats only take place late at night, when everyone else is asleep
3. Your new love won?t hop on a Skype call or video chat
4. The photos seem too good to be real
5. Multiple excuses prevent you from meeting in person
6. Your digital pen pal asks for money
7. Your new love is from another country

Watch: Online Dating to Become Safer For Singles (VIDEOS)

Understand that the fantasy of the perfect person is so elevated, that you truly do believe you?ve met ?the one.?? If this is the case, I recommend the following steps:

1. Check his or her Facebook profile to see if the photos match up and if you have friends in common.
2. Do a reverse phone number check by typing in your new love?s phone number in a Google search.
3. Type his or her e-mail address into a Google search to see if there?s a digital footprint.
4. Use photo recognition software such as TinEye.
5. Conduct a background search using a site such as Intelius.

While these tips may provide information on your new digital love, not all of the data is available on the Internet. Let a close friend know you may be suspicious of your date and see if your friend can help solve the mystery.

At the end of the digital day, trust your intuition. Even Manti Te?o had his doubts about Lennay Kekua.

Visit my Web site for more online dating safety tips.

For more daily expert updates, follow genConnect on?Twitter?and?Facebook.
To stay on top of the latest contributions from experts:?Sign Up for genConnect.

Tags: catfished, catfishing, courtship, cyber dating, dating, digital footprint, Facebook, featured, Gchat, Intelius, Julie Spira, Katie, Katie Couric, Lennay Kekua, Manti Te?o, Notre Dame, Notre Dame football, online crush, online daters, online dating, online dating hoax, Online dating service, relationships, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, Skype, TinEye, video chat

Category: Dating, Relationships

Source: http://www.genconnect.com/relationships/online-dating-expert-how-not-to-get-catfished/

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Is Apple prepping a 4.8-inch device called the 'iPhone Math'?

A big-screen Apple iPhone could launch by June, according to a new report.?

By Matthew Shaer / January 21, 2013

Sure it's only January. But when has that ever stopped a good Apple iPhone rumor?

Reuters

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New year, new Apple iPhone rumor.?

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The latest? Well, according to the China Times and the Commercial Times, a publication based in Taiwan, Apple is currently prepping a new 4.8-inch smart phone tentatively dubbed the "iPhone Math." The Math, the two reports indicate (hat tip to Marketwatch), could launch as soon as June, putting the device well ahead of the yearly iPhone refresh, which typically occurs in the fall (the iPhone 5 was unveiled in September, as was the iPhone 4S).?

It's not clear exactly what's going on with the name ? it could be some kind of reference to the bump in screen size to 4.8-inches from the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5. Or, as?Chloe Albanesius of PC Magazine notes, it could be some kind of translation error. At any rate, this is all very preliminary stuff, and Apple has not issued any comment.

So take all this Math talk with a heaping spoonful of salt.?

Still, the idea of a bigger iPhone does make a certain kind of sense. After all, although former Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said 3.5-inches was the perfect size for a smartphone display, Apple expanded the display from 3.5 inches to 4 inches for the iPhone 5 ? an attempt to keep up with massive gadgets such as the HTC Droid DNA and Samsung Galaxy S III.?

"I'm with Steve Jobs in his admonition that you shouldn't live somebody else's life, and should think for yourself," writes Jonny Evans, the Apple Whisperer over at Computerworld. "In the case of the latest 4.8-inch iPhone rumor, there's for and against arguments aplenty, but nothing is 'the truth' until Apple finally plays its hand.?However, I can't believe the company would release a product with as unattractive a name as 'iPhone Math.' "

In related news, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that Apple was working on a bargain-basement iPhone handset, which?could resemble the boxy?iPhone 4?and?iPhone 5, but be built with far cheaper materials.

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter:?@CSMHorizonsBlog

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/zZ1AsPL3PTg/Is-Apple-prepping-a-4.8-inch-device-called-the-iPhone-Math

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