tagliatelle worthless: May 2013

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Report: 23 Hezbollah members killed in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian government forces pushed deeper into a strategic opposition-held town near the Lebanese border Monday, battling rebels in fierce street fighting, Syrian state-media said. An activist group said at least 23 elite fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group fighting alongside regime troops have been killed in the clashes.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the country's civil war, said that in addition to the deaths more than 100 Hezbollah members have been wounded in the fighting around the town of Qusair. If confirmed, the casualties would be a significant blow to the Shiite group, which has come under harsh criticism at home in Lebanon for its involvement in Syria's civil war.

A staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Hezbollah is heavily invested in the survival of the Damascus regime and is known to have sent fighters to aid government forces. The Lebanese group's growing role in the civil war next door also points to the deeply sectarian nature of the conflict in Syria, in which a rebellion driven by the country's Sunni majority seeks to overthrow a regime dominated by the president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The Observatory, which relies on a wide network of activists in the ground in Syria, cited "sources close to the militant group" for the death toll but declined to reveal their identity. It said at least 50 Syrian rebels were also killed in the battle for Qusair on Sunday, including two opposition commanders.

For weeks, fighting has raged around Qusair, a town in the central province of Homs that has been under rebel control since early last year.

The intensity of the fighting reflects the importance that both sides attach to the area. In the regime's calculations, Qusair lies along a strategic land corridor linking Damascus with the Mediterranean coast, the Alawite heartland. For the rebels, overwhelmingly Sunni Qusair has served as a conduit for shipments of weapons and supplies smuggled from Lebanon to opposition fighters inside Syria.

On Sunday, the regime launched an offensive to regain control of Qusair, with Hezbollah's elite fighters pushing into the town from the east and south, an opposition figure said.

He said Hezbollah troops took control of the main square and the municipal building in the center of the city in a few hours. By the end of the day Sunday, they pushed out rebel units, including the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, from most of Qusair, he added Monday on condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation by both sides.

He said fighting was focused in the northern part of the town on Monday.

The account matched that of Syria's state news media, which said President Bashar Assad's troops took control of most of Qusair on Monday. State-run TV said forces restored stability to the entire eastern front of the town, killing scores of terrorists there.

Residents on the Lebanese side of the border just across from Qusair reported seeing more than 30 plumes of smoke billowing from inside Syria and hearing the heavy thud of artillery and airstrikes late into the night Sunday and on Monday morning.

"Nobody could sleep last night from the sounds of battle," said Ali Jaafar, deputy mayor of the Lebanese border town of Hermel, adding that residents did not send children to school Monday for fear of fighting spilling over into Lebanon.

Before Sunday's offensive, Qusair had been ringed by regime troops and fighters from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, an Assad ally, for several weeks.

Lebanese security officials confirmed at least four funerals were being held Monday morning for Hezbollah fighters or their supporters killed in Syria. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

Army units "restored security and stability" to most of the city on Monday and killed "many terrorists," the majority of them foreign fighters who have been fighting alongside opposition forces, the state news agency said. The military also destroyed rebel hideouts and seized "large amounts of weapons and ammunition," it said, adding that government troops are fighting pockets of resistance in several districts of Qusair Monday.

The Syrian regime claims there is no civil war in the country but that the army is fighting foreign-backed terrorists trying to topple Assad's government.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011.

At least 1.5 million Syrian who fled civil war have sought shelter in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, while millions more have been displaced inside Syria and are in urgent need of basic aid, according to the United Nations.

An international aid organization, Oxfam, appealed for more funds to help Syrian refugees, saying warmer weather will increase health risks due to lack of shelter, water and basic sanitation in Lebanon and Jordan.

The Britain-based group said in a statement Monday that diarrhea and skin infections have already been noted among refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The two countries host the bulk of 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

Oxfam said it needs $53 million dollars to improve access to water and proper sanitation for Syrian refugees. So far the aid group has received $10.6 million dollars.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-23-hezbollah-members-killed-syria-082451602.html

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Syrian troops push into strategic rebel-held town

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian troops pushed into a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border on Sunday, fighting house-to-house and bombing from the air as President Bashar Assad tried to strengthen his grip on a strategic strip of land running from the capital to the Mediterranean coast.

With the regime scoring gains on the battlefield, the U.S. and Russia could face an even tougher task persuading Assad and his opponents to attend talks on ending Syria's 26-month-old conflict. Washington and Moscow hope to start talks with an international conference as early as next month, though no date has been set.

Government forces launched the offensive on the town of Qusair just hours after Assad said in a newspaper interview that he'll stay in his job until elections ? effectively rejecting an opposition demand that any talks on a political transition lead to his ouster.

Even though the regime and the main opposition group have not yet committed to attending the conference, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that he is hopeful it can take place "very soon," possibly in early June. In addition to the U.S. and Russia, he said he has spoken with Britain, France, China and other key parties.

Previous diplomatic initiatives have failed, in part because of divisions within the international community and because the regime and the armed opposition believed they could achieve more on the battlefield than in talks. Russia and the U.S. have backed opposite sides in Syria.

Still, neither regime forces nor rebel fighters have been able to create significant momentum since the uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011 and last year escalated into a full-fledged civil war.

The rebels control large rural areas in the north and east of the country, while Assad has successfully defended his hold on the capital, Damascus, the coastal area and parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Before Sunday's offensive, Qusair had been ringed by regime troops and fighters from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, an Assad ally, for several weeks.

Qusair lies along a land corridor between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, the heartland of Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Many rebel fighters are Sunni Muslims and Qusair, overwhelmingly Sunni, had served as a conduit for shipments of weapons and supplies smuggled from Lebanon to the rebels.

Hadi Abdullah, a Qusair activist reached by Skype, said regime troops and Hezbollah fighters began shelling the town late Saturday, followed by airstrikes early Sunday that sent residents taking cover in basements. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, said warplanes resumed bombing raids later Sunday.

By Sunday afternoon, regime forces had advanced into the town, engaging in house-to-house battles with rebel fighters, Abdullah said.

Syrian state media said Assad's troops took control of the main square, the area around the municipal building, a sports stadium and a local church. Syrian state TV said troops arrested rebel fighters who tried to flee Qusair dressed as civilians.

A government official said the regime left an escape road open to civilians, a claim denied by Abdullah, who said thousands of noncombatants were trapped in Qusair. "We tried to get civilians out four times. They are not allowing us," he said of regime forces.

The Observatory said 52 people were killed in Qusair, including 48 fighters, three women and a male civilian.

Abdullah said the air raids destroyed at least 17 houses. A field hospital was damaged last week, leaving the town with only one medical center which was unable to handle the influx of some 400 wounded Sunday, he said.

The main political opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said some 40,000 civilians are currently in Qusair and expressed concern for their safety. It urged the international community to step in to protect the lives of the civilians and called on the U.N. Security Council to denounce Hezbollah's involvement in the attack.

Six mortar rounds, apparently fired from Qusair, struck in nearby Lebanon, causing damage to a carpentry shop where a fire broke out, Lebanese security officials said. There were no reports of casualties.

In the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, clashes erupted between residents of a predominantly Alawite area and a majority Sunni neighborhood, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. It said at least five people were wounded in the fighting.

Events in Syria often raise tension among rival sects in neighboring Lebanon, particularly in Tripoli.

The Qusair offensive was just the latest indicator that the joint U.S.-Russian diplomatic initiative faces challenges.

Russia, despite its stated commitment to Syria peace talks, has reportedly delivered an advanced version of its Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, prompting U.S. complaints last week about an "ill-timed" step. Russia is a key political ally and arms supplier of the Assad regime, along with Iran.

The Obama administration, meanwhile, wants to avoid getting drawn into the Syria quagmire, despite pressure to find a way to end the bloodletting that has left more than 70,000 dead. U.S. concerns have been heightened by the growing dominance of Islamic militants among the fighters, including those linked to the al-Qaida terror network.

"For the U.S., (the conference) is mostly about postponing the tough decision-making Obama has been loath to get himself involved in, because he fears Syria will suck him in," said Peter Harling, a Syria expert at the International Crisis Group think tank.

In a further complication, Israel could get drawn in.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that he is ready to act if Syria attempts to ship advanced Iranian weapons to Hezbollah, saying that "we are prepared for every scenario." Earlier this month, Israel struck twice near Damascus, to intercept purported shipments to Hezbollah.

___

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Aron Heller in Jerusalem and Yasmine Saker in Beirut contributed reporting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-troops-push-strategic-rebel-held-town-190723274.html

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Spotify Takes on Billboard With Free-to-Play Most-Streamed Charts

Spotify has decided to take on the likes of Billboard with its own charts, making available a list of the top-50 most-streamed and most-shared songs to the public.

One in 10 teens using 'study drugs,' but parents aren't paying attention

May 20, 2013 ? As high schoolers prepare for final exams, teens nationwide may be tempted to use a "study drug" ?- a prescription stimulant or amphetamine -- to gain an academic edge. But a new University of Michigan poll shows only one in 100 parents of teens 13-17 years old believes that their teen has used a study drug.

Study drugs refer to stimulant medications typically prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); commonly prescribed medicines in this category include Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, and Vyvanse.

Among parents of teens who have not been prescribed a stimulant medication for ADHD, just 1% said they believe their teen has used a study drug to help study or improve grades, according to the latest University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. However, recent national data from Monitoring the Future indicate that 10% of high school sophomores and 12% of high school seniors say they've used an amphetamine or stimulant medication not prescribed by their doctor.

Sometimes students without ADHD take someone else's medication, to try to stay awake and alert and try to improve their scores on exams or assignments. Taking study drugs has not been proven to improve students' grades, and it can be very dangerous to their health, says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

"Taking these medications when they are not prescribed for you can lead to acute exhaustion, abnormal heart rhythms and even confusion and psychosis if the teens get addicted and go into withdrawal," says Davis.

"What we found in this poll is a clear mismatch between what parents believe and what their kids are reporting. But even though parents may not be recognizing these behaviors in their own kids, this poll also showed that one-half of the parents say they are very concerned about this abuse in their communities," Davis says.

White parents were most likely to say they are "very concerned" (54%), compared with black (38%) and Hispanic/Latino (37%) parents.

Despite this concern, only 27 percent of parents polled said they have talked to their teens about using study drugs. Black parents were more likely to have discussed this issue with their teens (41%), compared with white (27%) or Hispanic (17%) parents.

"If we are going to make a dent in this problem, and truly reduce the abuse of these drugs, we need parents, educators, health care professionals and all who interact with teens to be more proactive about discussing the issue," says Davis.

Over three-quarters of parents polled said they support school policies aimed at stopping abuse of study drugs in middle schools and high schools. Overall, 76% of parents said they believe schools should be required to discuss the dangers of ADHD medication abuse.

Another 79% support a policy to require students with a prescription for ADHD medications to keep their pills in a secure location such as the school nurse's office -- a requirement that would prohibit students from carrying medicines of this nature that could potentially be shared with, or sold to, other students.

"We know teens may be sharing drugs or spreading the word that these medications can give their grades a boost. But the bottom line is that these prescription medications are drugs, and teens who use them without a prescription are taking a serious risk with their health," Davis says.?

Full report: http://mottnpch.org/reports-surveys/one-ten-teens-using-%E2%80%9Cstudy-drugs%E2%80%9D-are-parents-paying-attention

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/BeA1mHx0gWw/130520094454.htm

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Cannes helps actors Bejo and Rahim cross borders

CANNES, France (AP) ? The magic and glamour of Cannes can be hard to spot on a day when rain is lashing the palm trees, roiling the gray Mediterranean and pooling in puddles along the Croisette.

But the world's leading film festival can transform careers ? something no one knows that better than actors Berenice Bejo and Tahar Rahim, stars of director Asghar Farhadi's festival entry "The Past."

Bejo shimmered on-screen in Cannes two years ago in "The Artist," her director husband Michel Hazanavicius' vivacious silent homage to Hollywood's Golden Age. It went on to win five Academy Awards, including best picture.

Rahim was the breakout star of the 2009 festival in Jacques Audiard's poetic and brutal prison drama "A Prophet," as a youth growing to manhood behind bars.

Cannes exposure helped boost both performers onto the international stage. While once most European actors could choose between stay at home and playing Hollywood villains, their paths suggest a more globalized movie world.

"It was quite a miracle for me," Bejo said Saturday, as rain drummed remorselessly on a Cannes rooftop lounge. "Two years ago my life changed a little bit in Cannes.

"I don't think Asghar Farhadi would have cast me in this movie if I hadn't done 'The Artist.'"

It's hard to think of two movie styles further apart than the flamboyant artifice of "The Artist" and the anatomically detailed domestic drama of "The Past"

Bejo plays Marie, a harried Frenchwoman with two children, a new boyfriend with a young son, and an Iranian ex who has returned after four years to finalize their divorce. Rahim is her boyfriend Samir, a man with complex family ties of his own.

All the characters are trying to move on ? but the past keeps dragging them back.

Bejo said she did a screen test for Farhadi, then didn't hear from him for a month, so initially thought she hadn't got the part.

"He said to me, I was looking into your face if I could see the doubt," she said. "I guess because he saw me in movies where I was quite positive, quite sunny, quite glamorous. He needed to see if I could show another part of myself ? and I guess he found it."

For Bejo, as for Rahim, working with the Iran director was a dream come true. "The Past" is the first film Farhadi has shot outside his homeland, and the actors say they loved his working methods ? two months of rehearsal to delve into character, break down barriers and forge bonds, followed by a four-month shoot.

With its Iranian director and largely French cast, it's one of several border-hopping movies at Cannes this year. French director Arnaud Desplechin's made-in-America "Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian" stars France's Mathieu Amalric and Puerto Rican actor Benicio Del Toro. Another French filmmaker, Guillaume Canet, has a multinational cast including Clive Owen, Billy Crudup and Marion Cotillard in his New York crime drama "Blood Ties."

It's a trend Bejo is happy to embrace.

"In America you have Christoph Waltz, you have Marion Cotillard," she said. "In France we have Italian and Spanish actors. ... I think it's great. We are used to strangers and foreign accents, and it's great that we can see that in our movies now."

Both she and Rahim have been busy since their Cannes breakthroughs. Bejo recently made French heist movie "The Last Diamond" and soon starts filming Hazanavicius' next project, a war movie set in Chechnya.

Rahim's projects include the English-language Roman-era adventure "The Eagle" and another movie appearing at Cannes this year, the nuclear power plant romance "Grand Central."

Coming up, he plays a cop in the French movie "The Informant," and is currently shooting a globe-spanning 1920s-set drama with Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, another pillar of culture-crossing cinema.

Despite the busy international career ? and post-"Prophet" expressions of interest from the United States ? Rahim says Hollywood remains a hard nut to crack for non-Anglophone actors.

"It's not what you expect at first," Rahim said. "You'd like to be with Michael Mann or (directors) like this, but you don't have those parts that easily. Because first you have to speak English, you have to erase your accent."

For now, he's just happy to be back in Cannes, an experience that is easier the second time around.

"The difference is that now I'm not afraid when I come here," he said. "I'm (saying) 'OK I'm going to take every good vibe and keep it.'"

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cannes-helps-actors-bejo-rahim-cross-borders-165726670.html

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Where do you hold your cell phone? Your brain decides

Your gadgets

Nidhi Subbaraman NBC News

2 hours ago

Getty Images

Right-handed and left-brained?

When you talk on the cellphone, do you hold it up to your right ear or left?

A group of researchers at the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan suggest that how you hold your phone could give away the dominant half of your brain.

The lesson the group took away was this: Most right-handed people, who eat and write and throw with their right hand, also prefer to talk with their cellphone held up to their right ear. Left-handed people hold their phone to their left ear.

They explain their findings involving 717 subjects in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Head and Neck Surgery journal in May this year.

Of all the people who took an online survey, 90 percent were right-handed. And more than half of them ? 68 percent ? said they held their phone to their right ear. Among the left-handed phone holders (65 people in all) 72 percent said they held up their phone to their right ear.

There were some caveats: Some survey responders did note that their capable hand (rather than their listening ear) was what guided their cellphone holding habits ? right-handed folks did note that the device just felt more comfortable in their right hand. Also, people's natural cellphone handedness was thrown off if they had trouble hearing with one ear ? as you'd expect, they held the phone to the ear that worked.

Nidhi Subbaraman writes about technology and science. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2c2993d4/l/0L0Stoday0N0Ctech0Cwhere0Edo0Eyou0Ehold0Eyour0Ecell0Ephone0Eyour0Ebrain0Edecides0E6C9996516/story01.htm

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US balks as Russia prepares to deliver missiles to Syria (+video)

Israel says Russia is preparing to deliver anti-aircraft missiles and launchers to the Assad regime, which the US warns will further destabilize a troubled region.

By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / May 10, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State John Kerry (r.) arrive for their meeting in the Kremlin, Moscow, Tuesday. Kerry is making his case to Putin for Russia to take a tougher stance on Syria at a time when Israel's weekend air strikes against the beleaguered Mideast nation have added an unpredictable factor to the talks.

Maxim Shemetov/AP

Enlarge

The United States has appealed to Russia to stop the reported delivery of six batteries of advanced S-300?anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian government, warning that this type of weaponry threatens to "destabilize" the region.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

Correspondent

Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

Dwyane Wade Prom Appearance: Surprise!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/dwyane-wade-prom-appearance-surprise/

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

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velez,

As you can imagine there has been a lot of major changes since 1.3, and even a reasonable amount since Elastix 2.0.

Elastix 2.4 does not have any major bugs that would affect faxing, so working on that basis, need to look at the following areas

1) Confirm your country is setup under /etc/dahdi/system.conf
2) Confirm your country is setup under /etc/modprobe.d/dahdi.conf
3) Turn echo cancellation off for the FXO line(s) that faxes are coming in on.

Give that a check/try first, otherwise post your logs (asterisk full logs and possibly the hylafax log of the call coming in..

Regards

Bob

Source: http://srv66.palosanto.com/index.php/en/component/kunena/38-hylafax/122041-incoming-fax-not-working-elastix-24.html

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Dwyane Wade Prom Appearance: Surprise!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/dwyane-wade-prom-appearance-surprise/

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Zara Shahid Hussain, Senior Member Of Pakistan Party Led By Imran Khan, Killed By Gunmen

Former prime minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N party, Nawaz Sharif, gestures while speaking to members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 13, 2013. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Party supporters of the former Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif dance and celebrate after his victory in front of one of his homes in Lahore on May 12, 2013. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

A Pakistani girl, right, who was displaced with her family from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between militants and the army, walks past an election banner showing former prime minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Nawaz Sharif, and other members of his party, pasted on a rickshaw parked in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, May 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Supporters of Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan block the main Murree road of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, May 13, 2013. Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf headed by Khan, observed a nation-wide protests against the alleged rigging in May 11 elections and demanded re-poll in certain constituencies. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Pakistan's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif (2L) meets with journalists at his farm house in Raiwind on the outskirts of Lahore on May 13, 2013. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Pakistan's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif (C) offers a table full of food to journalists after a press conference at his farm house in Raiwind on the outskirts of Lahore on May 13, 2013. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Supporters of Pakistani politician Imran Khan stage a protest against alleged vote rigging in Lahore on May 13, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

Party supporters of the former Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif dance and celebrate after his victory in front of one of his homes in Lahore on May 12, 2013. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Supporters of former Pakistani prime minister and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif celebrate the victory of their party a day after landmark general elections, in Lahore on May 12, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, celebrate with fireworks the victory of their party a day after landmark general elections, in Lahore, on May 12, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) celebrate election results with fireworks in front of a party office, late evening on May 11, 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) celebrate election results in front of a party office late evening on May 11, 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

A Pakistani woman casts her ballot at a polling station on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Pakistani women line up to enter a polling station and cast their ballots, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Supporters of Pakistani politician and former cricketer Imran Khan carry their party flags as they take part in a rally in Rawalpindi on May 12, 2013. (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images)

A Pakistani election official empties a ballot box at the end of polling in Rawalpindi on May 11, 2013. (FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images)

Pakistani election workers count ballots at a polling station on May 11, 2013 in the Old City of Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif (L) casts his vote at a polling station in Lahore on May 11, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

A Pakistani election official empties a ballot box at the end of polling in Islamabad on May 11, 2013. (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/18/zara-shahid-hussain-killed_n_3300092.html

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Movie Review + Trailer: The English Teacher - AARP

Enter Jason Sherwood (Michael Angarano of Almost Famous and Haywire), some years earlier a brilliant student of Sinclair's who has returned home to small-town Pennsylvania after supposedly failing as a playwright in New York City. Sinclair reads Sherwood's play, a dark family drama called The Chrysalis, and falls in love with it. (Start counting the minutes until the transference occurs.) She shares the manuscript with her colleague, drama teacher Carl Kapinas (more than once a joke is made about the pronunciation of his last name), played by the overly fey Nathan Lane.

Sinclair and Kapinas then join forces to convince their principal and vice principal (the very physically humorous Jessica Hecht of Sideways, and Norbert Leo Butz, who appeared recently in Disconnect) to allow them to make The Chrysalis into the next student theatrical production. Unbeknownst to Sherwood, who already is reluctant about the proposition, Sinclair and Kapinas agree to alter the play's violent ending on the ultimatum of their superiors.

My biggest problem (and there were several) with the film is that what we see of the play ? the supposed work of a genius student ? is utterly preposterous. A complete bomb! Couldn't the filmmaker come up with something better than nonsensical melodrama?

Meanwhile, I sort of enjoyed the main subplot, during which Sinclair enters into a sparring feud with Sherwood's dad, a physician played by the affable Greg Kinnear. Sinclair's got it in her mind that Dr. Sherwood is the model for the abusive father character in his son's play, and that now he's quashing Jason's creativity and forcing him to go to law school. As we all know, appearances are deceiving, and Moore and Kinnear actually create a sizzling on-screen chemistry.

Source: http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/info-05-2013/the-english-teacher-movie-review.html

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CA-NEWS Summary

U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States chided Russia for sending missiles to the Syrian government as plans for a peace conference promoted by Washington and Moscow were hit by diplomatic rifts over its scope and purpose. Sectarian bloodshed in neighboring Iraq during Friday prayers, a hacking attack on a Western newspaper by sympathizers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defiant comments by a rebel commander filmed eating a slain soldier's flesh were all reminders of how the two-year-old civil war is metastising.

Nigeria bombs Islamists, U.S. sounds alarm

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian warplanes struck militant camps in the northeast on Friday in a major push against an Islamist insurgency, drawing a sharp warning from the United States to respect human rights and not harm civilians. Troops used jets and helicopters to bombard targets in their biggest offensive since the Boko Haram group launched a revolt almost four years ago to establish a breakaway Islamic state and one military source said at least 30 militants had been killed.

Police clash with youth in Cairo after anti-Mursi protest

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces clashed with young men in central Cairo after a protest by several thousand opponents of President Mohamed Mursi, state news agency MENA reported. The forces fired tear gas at the youths throwing firebombs and stones at them. Police arrested a number of men, MENA reported.

Afghan parliament fails to pass divisive women's law

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament failed to pass a law on Saturday banning violence against women, a severe blow to progress made in women's rights in the conservative Muslim country since the Islamist Taliban was toppled over a decade ago. President Hamid Karzai approved the law by decree in 2009 and parliament's endorsement was required. But a rift between conservative and more secular members of the assembly resulted in debate being deferred to a later date.

Hopes fade for those still trapped in Freeport Indonesia mine

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc said on Saturday that rockfalls were hampering rescue efforts after a tunnel collapse four days ago at its giant Indonesian copper mine, with hopes fading of finding alive any of the 23 still missing. Freeport closed the world's second largest copper mine on Wednesday, a day after a tunnel fell in on 38 workers undergoing training. Five are known to have died. Several of the 10 rescued are still in hospital.

North Korea fires three short-range missiles

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired three short-range missiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, but the purpose of the launches was unknown. Launches by the North of short-term missiles are not uncommon, but the ministry would not speculate whether these latest launches were part of a test or training exercise.

Venezuela frees opposition activist jailed over post-vote violence

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Friday released an opposition activist who had been jailed on accusations of inciting violence in the wake of President Nicolas Maduro's narrow election victory in April. Retired General Antonio Rivero, who government critics described as the first political prisoner of Maduro's government, told a local television station he had been released after nearly three weeks in jail.

Two blasts at Iraqi Sunni mosque kill 43

BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two bombs exploded outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in the Iraqi city of Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks in a month-long surge in sectarian violence. Several other bombings claimed lives around the country - with 19 killed near a commercial complex in the west of Baghdad, as mounting violence intensified fears of a return to all-out civil conflict.

Sudans defuse row over rebel support, promise more talks

JUBA (Reuters) - Sudan's foreign minister said on Friday neighbor South Sudan had promised him it would not let rebels operate across their shared border, defusing a row that had threatened a key oil deal. The countries, which fought one of Africa's longest civil before a 2005 peace deal, agreed in March to resume cross-border crude exports and defuse tensions that have plagued them since South Sudan's secession in 2011.

One dead, dozens wounded in sectarian clashes in Egypt

ALEXANDRIA (Reuters) - One person died and dozens were wounded during clashes between Muslims and Christians late Friday night outside a Coptic church in Egypt's second city, state newspaper al-Ahram reported, in the latest violent sectarian row in the Muslim-majority country. A quarrel between two young men, one Christian and one Muslim, morphed into a family feud that sparked clashes in a western district of Alexandria.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-003416837.html

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Benefits Of Searching Free Health Insurance Quotes Online ? Hot ...

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Source: http://hotarticledepot.com/benefits-of-searching-free-health-insurance-quotes-online-3/

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Simpson's ex-lawyer says he poured his soul into trial

By Alexia Shurmur

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - An attorney who O.J. Simpson claims botched his Nevada robbery trial five years ago told a court on Friday that he poured his "blood, sweat and soul" into defending the former football hero, who he said had been badly tainted by his sensational 1990s murder case.

Yale Galanter, who took the witness stand in a week-long hearing into Simpson's bid for a new trial in the Las Vegas case that sent him to prison, said his client's past had presented challenges in front of a jury.

"Mr. Simpson brought a lot of baggage into the courtroom," Galanter testified. "It wasn't like the 12 jurors didn't know that Mr. Simpson was acquitted of murder in California ... And that was one of the things we had to deal with in this case."

The Miami-based attorney was the final witness in the hearing. A Las Vegas judge was expected to issue a ruling in the matter in the coming weeks.

Simpson, a star NFL running back turned actor and popular TV pitch man, was charged in the 1994 stabbing and slashing murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted in 1995 after a year-long proceeding in Los Angeles.

A civil jury later found him liable in a wrongful death lawsuit and awarded their families $33.5 million in damages.

Galanter, under questioning from Simpson's current attorneys, conceded that in hindsight he could have done some things differently in the Nevada trial, but offered a spirited defense of the overall efforts he made to win his client an acquittal under difficult circumstances.

"The truth of the matter is that when you look at (the) entire trial I don't think I could have fought harder or done more," Galanter said. "I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul I had into defending it."

In the Nevada case, Simpson was convicted in 2008 of 12 charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, for storming into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino with five other men and taking thousands of dollars in memorabilia at gunpoint from a pair of sports collectors.

His defense attorneys claimed that Simpson was only trying to retrieve property that he believed belonged to him and was unaware that two of his associates had brought guns along.

In seeking a new trial, Simpson, 65, claims that Galanter mishandled the case and had a conflict of interest because the attorney knew in advance that he planned to confront the sports dealers.

Simpson's current attorneys say Galanter should have argued at trial that his client wasn't aware of guns in the hotel room because Simpson was drunk at the time. But during his testimony, Galanter said he never raised such a defense "because Mr. Simpson wasn't intoxicated."

Galanter also said that Simpson told him he had discussed the guns with co-defendant Walter Alexander, adding that Simpson "knew that he had screwed up."

Galanter told the court that, contrary to claims by Simpson's current lawyers, he never approved of the hotel room scheme in advance, saying that he advised his client to call the police about the stolen property.

(Writing and additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Leslie Gevirtz and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/o-j-simpsons-ex-lawyer-says-poured-soul-014751299.html

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20 to 25 injured as Conn. commuter trains collide

Emergency workers arrive the scene of a train collision, Friday, may 17, 2013 in Fairfield, Conn. A New York-area commuter railroad says two trains have collided in Connecticut. The railroad says the accident involved a New York-bound train leaving New Haven. It derailed and hit a westbound train near Fairfield, Conn. Some cars on the second train also derailed. (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post, Christian Abraham) MANDATORY CREDIT

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) ? Two commuter trains collided outside New York City during the evening rush hour Friday, injuring 20 or more people, authorities said. There were no reports of fatalities.

The Metro-North Railroad, a commuter line serving the northern suburbs, referred in a news release to a "major derailment" near Fairfield, in southern Connecticut. It said emergency workers were at the scene of the accident, which came shortly after 6 p.m.

Twenty to 25 people were injured, Fairfield Police Officer Matt Panilaitis told The Associated Press. He said there were no fatalities.

Photos taken at the scene showed a train car askew on the rails, with its end smashed up and brushing against another train

The railroad said the accident involved a New York-bound train leaving New Haven. It derailed and hit a westbound train near Fairfield. Some cars on the second train also derailed.

"At this stage, we don't know if this is a mechanical failure, an accident or something deliberate," Fairfield police spokesman Lt. James Perez told the Connecticut Post.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-17-US-Trains-Collide-Conn/id-93f96be77cac489ca3620421194b028a

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Cop's 'daddy mode' kicks, helps lift SUV off trapped girl

(updates with quotes, details, adds byline) * Chest infection worsens, forcing Wiggins to withdraw * Defending champion Hesjedal also out * Italy's Nibali leads as Uran takes over as Team Sky leader By Alasdair Fotheringham BUSSETO, Italy, May 17 (Reuters) - This year's Giro d'Italia claimed two major victims when pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Ryder Hesjedal withdrew prior to Friday's 13th stage, the pair citing illness as the reason for abandoning the tour. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/police-officer-good-samaritans-lift-suv-off-trapped-182618868.html

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Android Team Fireside Chat Liveblog: 8:20 p.m. EDT tonight!

Google IO

Strap in, folks. Some of the top brass from Google's Android team are about to take the stage here at Google I/O, and maybe we'll get answers to a few of the burning questions from this year's conference. Plus, it's a chance for developers to chat directly with the other folks who make the magic happen.

It kicks off at 8:20 p.m. on the east coast, and 5:20 here in the west.

Join us for the liveblog after the break!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9m2lSnbPd28/story01.htm

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Jason Collins' Twin: I'm the Straight One!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/jason-collins-twin-im-the-straight-one/

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Orb favored to take Preakness, set up Triple try

Exercise rider Jennifer Patterson gallops Preakness Stakes favorite and Kentucky Derby winner Orb at Pimlico Race Course Friday, May 17, 2013 in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes horse race is scheduled for Saturday. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Oxbow, with an exercise rider aboard, gallops at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013. The Preakness Stakes horse race is scheduled to take place May 18. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Kentucky Derby winner Orb, right, with exercise rider Jennifer Patterson aboard, is escorted onto the track by Anna Martinovsky at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013. The Preakness Stakes horse race is scheduled to take place May 18. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A groom washes Kentucky Derby winner Orb after a workout at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013. The Preakness Stakes horse race is scheduled to take place May 18. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Hall of Fame trainer BobBaffert looks for his Preakness Stakes entrant Governor Charlie during a morning workout at Pimlico Race Course Friday, May 17, 2013 in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes horse race is scheduled for Saturday. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

BALTIMORE (AP) ? Everything's a go for Orb.

The Kentucky Derby winner was in a playful mood the day before the Preakness, making faces for photographers between nibbles of grass outside his stall at Pimlico Race Course.

"He's really settled in well. He seems to be energetic about what he's doing so I couldn't be more pleased," trainer Shug McGaughey said on a warm and sunny Friday morning. "We're excited about giving him a whirl to see if we can get it done and go on to the next step."

Getting it done would mean defeating eight rivals in the 1 3-16-mile Preakness to set up a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes three weeks from Saturday. Orb is the even-money favorite, and there's a growing feeling that this 3-year-old bay colt may be special enough to give thoroughbred racing its first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.

"We'd sure love to have that opportunity," said McGaughey, seeming relaxed and confident. "Probably the racing world would love to see it, too. It brings a lot more attention to what we're doing from all standpoints."

Orb extended his winning streak to five with a thrilling victory in the Derby two weeks ago, when jockey Joel Rosario patiently guided the colt from 17th to first in the final half mile over a sloppy track.

In the Preakness, Orb will break from the No. 1 post, a spot that has seen only one winner ? Tabasco Cat in 1994 ? since 1961.

"Who knows how this race is going to go, but I don't think it will be a problem," Rosario said of the inside post. "He's a horse that comes from behind, so I really don't think it will affect him. I'm just excited to go into this with a horse who has a chance to win."

A chance?

While rival trainers aren't conceding the race, most agree Orb is the best of the bunch.

"Orb, he's a freak. Right now, everybody should be rooting for Orb, except for the connections of the other horses in the race," trainer Bob Baffert said ? and he's got a horse in the race, 12-1 choice Govenor Charlie. "Anybody who's not rooting for Orb, there's something mentally wrong with them."

Baffert has been there before. Three of his five Preakness winners had also won the Derby, but were unable to complete the Triple Crown with a win in the Belmont. He says the Preakness is the least stressful of the three races.

"There is absolutely no pressure, believe it or not because you've just won the Derby," he said. "You're flying high and everybody's excited. You don't think about it. The next one (the Belmont) is the pressure."

Getting to the next one may sound easy. It isn't. Six of the past eight Derby winners did not win the Preakness, and McGaughey is well aware of the pitfalls.

"There are a lot of ways you can lose. Freaky things can happen," he said. "You hope he doesn't get in any trouble, you hope he handles the track, you hope he handles the kickback of the dirt, you hope he handles the day. If he does all that, I would have to think it will take a pretty darn good horse to beat him."

Maybe it's Goldencents, who did not take to the slop at Churchill Downs and finished 17th after winning the Santa Anita Derby in April.

"Orb's not like a one-race hit. All year long he's been super impressive," said Goldencents trainer Doug O'Neill, who won the Derby and Preakness last year with I'll Have Another, only to scratch the colt the day before the Belmont because of a tendon injury. "But we've seen Goldencents do some brilliant things in the afternoon. If he does, I think he can beat him."

Maybe it's Itsmyluckyday, another top 3-year-old who did not handle the sloppy track and finished 15th in the Derby.

"He's given me every sign that he's ready for the war; he's ready for the race; he's ready for the battle," trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., said. "Let's just get it on."

Or maybe it's Departing, one of the three horses in the race who did not run in the Derby. Orb knows Departing well ? the two were pals growing up at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., and ran around together in the same field. The gelding has won four of five starts, and comes into the Preakness off a win in the Illinois Derby.

And, of course, there's D. Wayne Lukas, who has three of the nine entries in Oxbow, Will Take Charge and Titletown Five, a colt owned by Green Bay Packer greats Paul Hornung and Willie Davis. Lukas, like Baffert, has five Preakness wins, and his next victory in a Triple Crown race would give him a record 14 ? one more than "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons.

Oxbow was sixth and Will Take Charge eighth in the Derby, while Titletown Five is a maiden winner who ran fourth in the Derby Trial.

"You have to be careful about that much emphasis on one race," Lukas said of Orb's Derby win. "You change the surface, you shorten the race, you put him in the one hole. These are things he'll have to overcome. He's the best horse. It's his race to lose. But it only takes one horse to spoil your day."

Weather could be a factor, too. The latest forecast for Saturday is calling for a 50 percent chance of rain with temperatures reaching the low 70s. Post time for the race on NBC is 6:20 p.m.

While Orb will take his shot at becoming the 34th horse with a chance at the Triple Crown ? 11 have done it, 19 failed and three others did not run in the Belmont ? several other historic milestones are in play. Rosie Napravnik will be aboard 5-1 second choice Mylute in an attempt to become the first female to the win the Preakness and Kevin Krigger, who rides Goldencents, looks to become the first black jockey to win since Willie Simms with Sly Fox in 1898.

Orb's rapid rise began with his win in the Fountain of Youth, followed by a solid victory in the Florida Derby before he ran off with the Kentucky Derby. The colt is co-owned by racing royalty ? Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps and his first cousin, Marylander Stuart Janney III. They run their racing operation the traditional way ? breeding and racing their own horses rather than attending sales and trying to buy champions.

McGaughey has been the Phipps' trainer for 28 years, and has campaigned such champions as Easy Goer, Inside Information and the undefeated Personal Ensign.

"This has kind of shown that with Stuart Janney's relationship with breeding that it can be done in a different way," McGaughey said. "There's a long line of pedigree that's been in their family for years and years and years and there's a lot of thought process in breeding horses to mares ? whether right or wrong. And we might have gotten a little lucky this time."

___

Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/rosenblattap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-17-RAC-Preakness/id-3e17e46814a04d329c932c4643e7603b

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Blue Ivy?s Going to Be a Big Sis!

Surprise! Beyonce is pregnant again. According to a new report, the 31-year-old pop star is expecting her second child with husband Jay-Z.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/beyonce-pregnant-jay-zs-second-baby-report/1-a-536546?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Abeyonce-pregnant-jay-zs-second-baby-report-536546

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Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Congressman, Ties School Shootings To Abortion Legalization

WASHINGTON -- Since mass shootings in places like Aurora and Newtown, lawmakers have been searching for answers for how to stop future massacres, examining issues like gun control and mental health. But in a speech this month, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) pointed to different culprits: the legalization of abortion and a demise in religious values.

Cramer made his remarks during a commencement address at the University of Mary on May 4. He decried a local TV anchor who was fired after accidentally swearing on air and then became an Internet sensation, as well as the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.

From his speech:

Just in the last several days, a Bismarck news anchor mistakenly uttered vulgarity on live television. He's been heralded by celebrities from New York to California as some sort of pop icon. His bosses have been called goons because they fired him.
We learned this week that the Pentagon is vetting its guide on religious tolerance with a group that compared Christian evangelism to rape, and advocated that military personnel and colluding chaplains who proselytize should be court-marshalled.

Forty years ago, the United States Supreme Court sanctioned abortion on demand. And we wonder why our culture sees school shootings so often.

Cramer also mentioned the 9/11 and Boston Marathon attacks, saying, "Innocent people in New York have airplanes flown into their places of work, and marathoners in Boston are victims of bombs, yet Christianity is singled out as bigotry in our public institutions because politicians and academics lack the courage to speak truth. We've normalized perversion and perverted God's natural law to the point where the only thing not tolerated anymore is a stand for truth."

He added that he expected to face criticism for his remarks, stating, "I was asked recently by a reporter if I'm afraid that some people would attack me if I speak like this. And I said, 'No, I'm not afraid they will, I'm quite certain they will."

Watch in the video at the top of the post, starting around 1:13:00.

Cramer's office declined to comment further.

James Dobson, evangelical pundit and founder of Focus on the Family, made comments similar to Cramer's in December after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"I mean millions of people have decided that God doesn't exist, or he's irrelevant to me and we have killed fifty-four million babies and the institution of marriage is right on the verge of a complete redefinition," he said, adding, "I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think he has allowed judgment to fall upon us. I think that's what's going on."

In March, Cramer attracted attention for getting into a heated discussion with Native American victim assistance leaders during a conversation about the Violence Against Women Act. The congressman reportedly said he wanted to "ring the Tribal council?s neck and slam them against the wall." Cramer later apologized for his remarks.

UPDATE: 12:55 p.m. --This story has been updated to reflect a response from Cramer's office.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/kevin-cramer-school-shootings_n_3285328.html

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US, Turkey project united front on Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan projected a united front Thursday on Syria, keeping stark differences about how much the U.S. should intervene behind closed doors as they looked to Russia and the global community to close ranks behind efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Under a pair of umbrellas outside a drizzly White House, the two leaders offered no hints about new actions either country would take, but pledged to keep upping the pressure on Assad to leave. After a lengthy meeting focused on Syria, Erdogan sidestepped a question about what he wants Obama to do, even though the Turkish premier has publicly urged the U.S. to take further steps to hasten Assad's departure. And Obama emphasized that if and when the U.S. takes further action, it won't be alone.

"I don't think anybody in the region, including the prime minister, would think that U.S. unilateral actions in and of themselves would bring about a better outcome inside of Syria," Obama said.

Erdogan, speaking in Turkish, called attention to where the U.S. and Turkey have spoken with one voice.

"Our views do overlap," he said. "We will continue to explore what we can do together."

Harmony in the White House Rose Garden obscured the intense debates both leaders are confronting at home and abroad about how to bring to an end a conflict that started in 2011 as a popular uprising and has escalated to claim more than 70,000 lives. Instead, Obama and Erdogan professed both impatience and optimism, hoping that unanimity among allies may compel other players in the conflict ? namely, Russia ? to get in line.

"What we have to do is apply steady international pressure, strengthen the opposition," Obama said. "I do think that the prospect of talks in Geneva involving the Russians and representatives about a serious political transition that all the parties can buy into may yield results."

Mindful that support from Russia, the Syrian regime's most powerful ally, is a key factor allowing Assad to cling to power, the Obama administration is looking hopefully to a joint U.S.-Russian push to launch peace talks between the regime and the opposition, possibly in early June. But those hopes have been somewhat dampened by word that Russia was planning to sell an advanced air defense system to Syria that could complicate further military intervention, and by Russia's demand that U.S. nemesis Iran be included in the talks.

The State Department wouldn't address the Iran demand Thursday, but said the U.S., Russia and others are still working to get talks underway. Secretary of State John Kerry next week will meet with foreign ministers representing America's Arab and European allies in Jordan, while Syria's opposition will discuss its plans at a meeting in Istanbul.

"The goal here," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, "is to get both sides back to the table to work toward a path toward a political transition."

None of these obstacles was on display after White House meetings Thursday between the U.S. and Turkey, a NATO member and largely secular nation that the U.S. sees as a crucial gateway to engagement with the Muslim world. The two leaders glossed over deep divisions about how actively to support the shadowy array of opposition groups fighting Assad's regime.

"Over the last couple of months, it seemed they were drifting away from each other, and Erdogan was, to put it mildly, disappointed with Obama for not extending the support he thought would come once the U.S. elections were over," said Kemal Kirisci, an expert on Turkish foreign policy at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution. "Today, they seemed to want to project an image to the public that they are on the same wavelength."

The White House is considering arming rebel forces despite concerns about weapons falling into the wrong hands and has already provided some military equipment like body armor in addition to hundreds of millions in humanitarian aid. But Obama, reluctant to mire the U.S. military in another unpredictable conflict, has resisted calls from some lawmakers for more decisive action like enforcing a no-fly zone.

Syria's lethal two-year war assuredly hits closer to home for Turkey, which shares a long southern border with Syria and is sheltering hundreds of thousands of its refugees. Violence spilling over the border reached new heights over the weekend when a pair of car bombs in a Turkish border town killed dozens, raising fears that Turkey is becoming increasingly embroiled in the conflict. Turkish authorities have blamed Syrian intelligence for the attacks.

"The United States stands with you as you defend your nation against terrorism," Obama said, calling the bombings "outrageous."

An early adversary of Assad, Turkey has firmly supported Syria's opposition, hosting its leaders and rebel commanders and retaliating against Syrian shells that have landed in its territory. Erdogan has been among the more vocal of the world leaders calling for a more hands-on U.S. effort, nudging Obama to act by declaring assertively that Syria has been delivering chemical weapons on hundreds of missiles ? a move that would violate Obama's "red line" against chemical weapons use. Obama has said there's evidence of chemical weapons use but is holding off until the circumstances can be more definitively determined.

Erdogan, too, faces a public divided about the best way to confront the seething conflict in its backyard. Some Turks have accused their leader of putting the nation's security at risk by backing the rebels, prompting anti-government protests and calls for Erdogan to resign. Meanwhile, the 200,000 or so Syrian refugees along the border have stoked resentment among residents in the ethnically mixed regions of southern Turkey.

In an attempt to show concrete action, the Obama administration added four Syrian government ministers, a Syrian TV station and its national airline to a U.S. terror blacklist Thursday, blocking their U.S. assets and prohibiting Americans from doing business with them.

But even that step included a pointed reminder that the U.S. can't be sure who will claim power if and when Assad is ousted. In a parallel move, the State Department blacklisted Muhammad al-Jawlani, the leader of the al-Qaida-linked rebel group fighting Assad's regime. The State Department dubbed al-Jawlani as a "global terrorist" and said he aims to create an Islamist state in Syria.

___

Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter: http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-turkey-project-united-front-syria-210924790.html

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the craft house ? wonkyeye photography

It feels like a different world and altogether a different person ago when I remember 2008. I had just finished a shift at the restaurant and was despondently walking down Barrington Street. I was on the verge of turning 29 and was lost in the jungle of 28-turning-29-years-old questions.?What should I do with my life? Is this it? Am I meant to be a waitress forever??

Then I looked up and saw a sign. No, literally a sign. It was hanging on the side of St. Mary?s Basilica and read Daily Mass ? 5:15pm. I pulled out my cell phone and it was 5:09. I went inside.

I sat in the back of the cool stone church and cried. I have no idea what the readings were or what the priest talked about. But I do know I cried and then, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. All of a sudden a thought occurred to me. If I don?t know the answers, maybe I?m asking the wrong questions.

An epiphany? Maybe. I?m not sure what I would call it other than an elegant solution. I was asking the wrong questions! It wasn?t what should I do with my life? It was what will make me happy? What talents has God so graciously given me and how can I use them best?

I went home and started my first blog. I called it wonkyeye and announced that on my 29th birthday, I was going to start living more creatively. I wasn?t going to become a doctor or teacher or dig wells in Africa. I was going to sew. And I was going to be okay with that.

It was magic. Immediately everything in my life started going right. I managed to convince my boss to give me Thursday nights off so I could take night courses at NSCAD. I started making (and failing at) all sorts of crafts but didn?t care about the end result ? I was living for the process. Then two very important things happened. I took a photography course. My passion for photography was ignited. Then I met Dave. Who became, unequivocally, my biggest fan. Then I became Christine the photographer and couldn?t be happier with how things turned out.

(If I?m in the image, the very patient Dave Hachey took the picture).

It?s interesting the twists and turns life takes. When Dave and I returned home from Asia, we sat down at the kitchen table and discussed two things. Getting a dog and starting a photography club. We knew that getting a dog was going to be awesome and we were right. Paddie turned out to be so wonderful that we got another one. But starting SNAPS? Sitting across the table from one another, we could never have guessed the wonderful things that would come from it. And no, I?m not just talking about a trip to Cuba!

The number one reason we started SNAPS was to meet like-minded people in the community. Being new to a rural area, we realized how important it was to put ourselves out there and become part of the tapestry of small town life. When Christmas rolled around, we hosted a club hot chocolate and cookies get-together at our house to which a number of people came ? including Lori. I had only briefly met her at the meetings and was taken by surprise when she squealed and squeezed my arm. I knew I liked you, she said. You have a bunting in your kitchen window!?

Lori was right. We did like each other. In fact, we hit it off like a house on fire. I was surprised and ever-so-thankful that by moving to what I often refer to as the middle of nowhere, I somehow manged to land not five minutes down the road from a spirited, crafty, kind-hearted and genuine soul. Whether it was serendipity, coincidence or fate, I?m very happy that I did.

Spending time with Lori rekindled my passion for crafting in a big way. By focusing so heavily on photography these past few years, I let all my other hobbies slide. But all of a sudden I was in a place where I had space to make, dream and do. I could feel the original intent of wonkyeye bubbling to the surface and I felt giddy with the idea of taking it to another level. Here I was with a solid photography business. Here was my new friend with oodles of experience working as an interior decorator. Here we were with incredibly complimentary skill sets and a combined passion for living authentic, handmade lives bigger than? the side of a barn. Heck, bigger than Montana. No, bigger than we sometimes even dare to dream!

And that, my friends, is how The Craft House came to be.

You can find out everything you need to know about The Craft House by clicking on over to our website. You can also follow us on facebook, twitter and pinterest so you don?t miss a crafty thing.

When Lori and I are chatting over tea and throwing ideas back and forth about everything The Craft House could be, Lori often exclaims, Oh the places we can go! It makes me grin ear to ear. What places will we go? I can?t wait to find out. xo.

Source: http://www.wonkyeye.ca/blog/the-craft-house/

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