brettkobis: আগস্ট 2013

সোমবার, ৫ আগস্ট, ২০১৩

Late-term abortion ban is worthy GOP goal

D& E Abortion

In a poll done by Gallup earlier this year, the biggest complaint lodged against the Republican Party was ?inability to compromise.?

When I read the daily headlines, I see this theme continue. Republicans, particularly tea party Republicans, are portrayed as obstructionist, extreme, unreasonable and unwilling to compromise.

But let?s get perspective.

If we are talking about trying to decide what day of the week to collect garbage, and one wants Mondays and one wants Fridays, the side that refuses to compromise on Wednesdays might be considered unreasonable.

But this isn?t the kind of national discussion we are having today.

Some things are simply true and some things false. Some things are simply right and some wrong.

This kind of discussion does not lend to splitting things down the middle.

Few today would look back on the horrible national dispute about slavery and claim that the problem was inability to compromise.

As Abraham Lincoln put it so clearly in his second inaugural address, delivered while the Civil War still raged: ?Both (sides) read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.?

Sometimes, worldviews clash and resolution can come only from drawing the line in the sand and one view prevailing over the other.

Today we are having a battle for the soul of our nation. A number of key areas of our national debate are about principle, about right and wrong, and do not lend themselves to compromise. This is about which worldview will prevail.

One of these issues is most certainly abortion.

The trial of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, now a convicted murderer, delivered a wakeup call. It did for our national consciousness what ultrasound images provoke in a pregnant woman. Graphic pictures of a live child in the womb purge any sense that it is possible to be casual about abortion.

Unfortunately, the abortion issue ? and, specifically, the question about when life begins ? is often left to dry and abstract argument.

But in the case of late-term abortion, as with ultrasound pictures, the truth is graphically clear. We?re talking about destruction of a live, feeling human being. The Gosnell trial showed the nation that in American today, we have abortion factories where live children are being killed.

The fact that a child of 21 weeks may still be in the womb does not make that child any less alive.

But clear as this may be to some, it is not clear to all ? just as in 1860 it was not clear to all that this nation could not tolerate slavery.

The current fight to ban late-term abortion ? at 20 weeks, or five months, after conception ? is by and large a partisan battle of Republicans against Democrats.

The Republican House has passed legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks, with qualifications for the life and health of the mother. Now this critical issue must be put to a vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has called this a ?fringe? issue. Murder a fringe issue? Can there be any doubt that we are dealing with a clash in worldviews?

Republicans must carry this bill aggressively into the Senate. Pressure must be put especially on Senate Democrats up for re-election in states that lean pro-life, such as Mary Landrieu from Louisiana, Mark Pryor from Arkansas and Kay Hagan from North Carolina.

Perhaps this is a good time to recall George Washington?s words ?that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.?

No, this is not a time for compromise. The nation is confused, far adrift from its moral moorings. Republicans must grab the reins aggressively and provide, without compromise, the moral leadership needed so badly.

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Virtual Relationships-Are we Blind? - Virtual Handhold, LLC

Are we blind when we communicate and connect online??

Is the only way to "Really" love visual and tactile?

Does that mean someone blind cannot love??

Can you only love someone you touch? (That would totally take the romance out of the lyrics - "...to love pure and chaste from afar" Impossible Dream)

We have all heard the saying, "Love at first sight." Many times those incidents have been documented as life long commitments that work, other times it was a fleeting passion dissolved with the first spoken word.

In my book I do not count anything one-sided as love, but what if it is felt both ways? Is it a relationships then?

For every ONE way of defining love you will get "hit & miss" stories in real or virtual connections, so lets jump right to the philosophical statement - There are no absolutes...Absolutely! *wink*

So are there connections made online that can turn to love? Yes, plain and simple, we cannot rule out possibilities in this irrational human existence.

What is the best method to discern this?

1. First thing to question - Are the complements coming way to fast?

? ? Having someone stroke your ego right off the bat without ever knowing who they are talking to might be a sure way to feel good about yourself but does that constitute a relationship of love or self love?

This is often a tool sales people use who have to pour on the?shmaltzy to get people to buy.

Complements given too fast are rubbish.

2. Time: Relationships need time to be labeled true. So an online relationship of 3 hours during the last two weeks would not give you a correct measurement with any level of accuracy.

The higher the intellect on the other end, the harder and longer it will take to discern their true desires. There are professional deceivers among us... umm look at politicians, sales, business, psychics, psychologists ...the list goes on and on. We all seem to know how to spin reality to our benefit.

3. As it says in the Virgin's Handbook you have to know the level of engagement of the other party. Are they engaging with you disassociatively, immersively or augmentatively? Meaning are they looking for entertainment which you are supplying; Immersively engaged with you using their true perceptions and communication; or are they trying to sell you something?

4. Recognize your needs and what story you wish to be a part of and then enjoy it initially as a story. Think first of your interactions as a good book or movie. All books & movies end, so realize that at the start as well.

If after sometime of consistent interaction you both feel this is more than a story, well then take safe steps to meet. (I will go into that in another blog post)

Virtual relationships are no different then real relationships in that everything is up for question as how does the other person truly feel.

So when everything washes out and goes wrong does that mean the method of connection was false or just the perception and communication was at fault?

Be good to yourself and realize hiccups are a part of being human.?

Forgive and learn.?

Don't turn bitter.

Reflect and respin from the other person's point of view.

Relationships are difficult. Finding a match, even for a short time is a true quest. Good Luck... and Hugs.

You can always email me with your stories or make an appointment if trauma is plaguing you.

? ?

Source: http://www.virtualhandhold.com/blog/2013/08/05/Virtual-Relationships-Are-we-Blind.aspx

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Swaddle-maker swamped after UK prince's photo-op

FILE - This is a Tuesday July 23, 2013 file photo Prince George of Cambridge lays in a car seat as his parents, Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge leave St. Mary's Hospital exclusive Lindo Wing, in London where the Duchess gave birth on Monday July 22. Be patient everyone: Your order will be processed, but like little Prince George, you will have to get in line. It took perhaps 45 seconds for the heir to the throne to be carried from St. Mary?s Hospital in his car seat to be settled in the black royal Land Rover last week. But it was long enough for the world?s photographers to capture his tiny hands emerging from a cotton swaddle printed with little birds. Distinctive little birds. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file)

LONDON (AP) ? It took 45 seconds, but it was enough.

Newborn Prince George, carried from the hospital to the royal car, appeared in a cotton swaddle with the tiny birds on it. Mums-to-be around the world wanted to know: Who are you wearing?

The answer shows what it is like when a small company gets swept into the maelstrom of attention that comes from touching the golden hem of the House of Windsor.

Once the photos of the swaddle hit the Internet, style bloggers and fashion writers identified the would-be king's new clothes as being from New York-based aden + anais. Within four hours of George's appearance, the website crashed. The next day, the site crashed again. In nine days, the company had 7,000 orders ? a 600 percent increase in sales on that item.

The company never even issued a press release. Anyone who wanted to know the manufacturer simply had to type "royal swaddle" into Google, and up it came.

Raegan Moya-Jones, the chief executive of aden + anais, was about to start a meeting when a colleague brought in the picture. She couldn't believe it.

"I thought it was photo-shopped," she said.

The company is still digging out from under a pile of orders for the swaddle, part of the Jungle Jam pack of four that in Britain costs 44.95 pounds ($68).

The average daily visits to its site were off the charts: In Britain, they were up 1,960 percent; in Australia, up 892 percent; in Japan 791 percent and in the U.S., up 458 percent.

So just be prepared to wait if you want to similarly swaddle your little prince or princess. Jungle Jam is sold out for now in Britain and the United States. Desperate swaddle searchers can find them on the company's Australian site if they hurry. Shipping fees are extra.

And there's a factory run from China of 10,000. So hold on.

People just want to be a part of things says Cele Otnes, a professor of marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and co-author of the upcoming book "Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture." She said the rush to buy whatever the royals wear gives admirers a chance to participate in a big, happy event.

"This is history," she said. "If you can't be there, if you can't have a royal baby yourself, you can buy the swaddle."

The royals do grant warrants ? a mark of recognition of those who supply goods or services to the Royal Household. Fortnum & Mason has one for example, for being a "Grocer & Provision Merchant" to the monarch. But there are no royal adverts.

Nonetheless the royals remain marketing gold.

They have always been trendsetters. Even Queen Victoria once promoted a ball to help the Spitalfields silk industry, Otnes said. More recently, Princess Diana's every ruffled collar or bow-lined stocking could set off the cash registers.

But Prince George is the first heir to the throne born in the Internet age. New mums and dads can see what Kate and Wills and ? now baby George ? are wearing and buy it instantly.

This goes way beyond commemorative china, tea towels and other trinkets ? the traditional sort of souvenir that shoppers can pick up at the Buckingham Palace gift store.

There's even a name for it: the Kate Effect. It started with the sapphire blue wrap dress designed by Daniella Helayel that the then-Kate Middleton wore to announce her engagement ? and just kept going. Take the white dress Kate wore in the couple's engagement photo ? sold by UK retailer Reiss ? or Topshop's black dress with a Peter Pan collar that she wore for a video appeal.

Fashionistas follow Kate's every move. Every blouse, shoe, and bag the future queen of England wears is fodder for style bloggers and a money-spinner for retailers.

She's been democratic about it ? choosing stuff that is accessible to the average person and supporting British products in a big way.

And now there's George, who isn't even wearing clothes yet but has managed to get blankets out the door. And it isn't just the ones from aden + anais. Little George first appeared in a white crocheted blanket from G.H. Hurt & Son of Nottingham, England. They are swamped with orders, too, after photographers zeroed in on the firm's label, blew it up and posted it on the net.

And yet, this is just the start. Otnes said that the trend will just continue as George gets older. Get ready for the booties, the scooter, the sun hat. Firms can get overwhelmed by the attention, which comes fast, hot and for a limited time only.

"You had better hold on," Otnes advised companies in the limelight. "And put on another shift."

Moya-Jones, a native of Australia who started in the swaddle business because she couldn't find what she wanted in stores, didn't anticipate the royal wave. Even though aden + anais have wrapped the babies of celebs like Beyonce, the spotlight that turned on her company with Prince George was altogether different.

After all, her privately held company isn't huge ? founded seven years ago, it has 65 full-time employees and about as many part-time staff. In addition to swaddles, aden + anais makes sleeping bags, bibs, blankets and sheets, and Moya-Jones doesn't want to put so much emphasis on Jungle Jam swaddles that customers who want other products feel they are being ignored.

And then there's the shock factor ? even if it was a happy shock. The company didn't send the royals their product and expect them to use it. That's just not done.

Moya-Jones only learned after she saw pictures that Kate reportedly picked out the muslin swaddle personally at a London store.

"That's the nicest thing," she said. "At the end of the day, the duchess is a first-time mum, like all of us once were."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-08-03-Britain-King's%20New%20Clothes/id-0ad88e98f6304589a1bddc6889fdf2b1

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Robot Japan 6 Dance Contest: MENOU (Video)

Robots Dreams features general robotics, hobby and educational robots, robot contests, FIRST, RoboCup, combat robots, artificial intelligence based DARPA robots, robot software and code, robot hacks, robot reviews, LEGO Mindstorms NXT, VEX, and Lynxmotion. Robots Dreams also reports on space, military, industrial and medical robot news. The robot centric website focuses on hobby and educational robot products and projects, including robot and robotics technology news from Japan, the US, and around the world. Arduino, pic, Basic Stamp, and other micro-controller robot designs are of particular interest.

Entertainment robots, domestic helper robots, health care and senior care robots, and other robot applications in assisting mankind are covered regularly. The Robots Dreams video channel on YouTube includes new robot product news, exclusive coverage from major robot events including ROBO-ONE, the Wonderful Robot Carnival, and RoboGames. Robots Dreams is a member of the ROBO-ONE press, and an official corporate sponsor of RoboGames and the Wonderful Robot Carnival. The Robots Dreams Flickr photo gallery includes over 30,000 unique robot images taken by our dedicated staff covering robot news and robot competitions for the past ten years.

Source: http://www.robots-dreams.com/2013/08/robot-japan-6-dance-contest-menou-video.html

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Golf Tournament Raises Money, Awareness to Fight Rare Cancer

MASSANUTTEN -- A valley woman loses her battle with a rare cancer, but those close to her are still helping others with the disease, even after she is gone.

Barb Winegord started a golf tournament four years ago to help pay for her expensive treatments for ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, her life was cut short in June.

"She was the sunshine," said Lisa Jenkins, Winegord's sister-in-law. "She lit up a room. She was very energetic, she went at things at full-speed. There was no stopping her."

The tournament continues, now in memory of a women those who knew call a fighter.

"Barb lived a long time with her cancer," said Winegord's doctor, gynecologic oncologist Dr. Linda Duska. "Part of that was Barb. She's a great lady, a really strong person..."

The tournament raises money for Winegord's oncology fund at UVA, helping pay for meals, gas and hotels for families with loved ones being treated.

"This fund really can ease the burden on families, so they can focus on their health and well-being and getting better, and not worry about finding the resources to make it to their appointments - so that's not their battle, their battle's cancer," said Jocelyn Evans, with the UVA Medical Center.

The tournament also helps make sure women know the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Dr. Duska said the signs are common: abdominal bloating, pelvic pressure and a change in bowel function. But if the symptoms last, Dr. Duska says, see a doctor.

Knowing the symptoms is a crucial step in dealing with a rare strain of cancer for which doctors do not have strong methods of early detection.

"Ovarian cancer doesn't have its mammogram," Evans said.

That is why Winegord asked her family to continue the tournament - wanting to leave a legacy that reaches far beyond the links.

"That was her wish for us," Jenkins said: "to continue to push for women to know this information."

Source: http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/Tournament-Raises-Money-Awareness-for-Rare-Cancer-218235041.html

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Facebook?s new guide for domestic abuse and cyberstalking victims

Domestic Violence

Social media can be a great resource for connecting to one?s support network, but problems with privacy are nothing new on Facebook.

The real issue starts when those for whom social isolation is part of the problem can?t connect to their loved ones or organizations seeking to help for fear of their safety or that of their family.

To remedy this dilemma, Facebook teamed up with?National Network To End Domestic Violence to create a step-by-step guide to negotiating its privacy settings and other safety protocols that opens the channels of communication with only those a person in potential danger chooses.

As NNEDV VP Cindy Southworth noted:

Privacy and safety go hand in hand for survivors. The most dangerous time for a victim of abuse is when they are preparing to leave or have left an abusive partner. It is critical that survivors have the information that they need to navigate their lives safely and, in today?s digital age, a significant part of our lives are online.

You can find the guide here, and, please, stay safe.

Full story at NBC via The Mary Sue.

Keeping victims of domestic violence connected.

?Photo credit: Fotolia

Author on Google+

Source: http://holykaw.alltop.com/facebooks-new-guide-for-domestic-abuse-and-cyberstalking-victims

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রবিবার, ৪ আগস্ট, ২০১৩

17 hospitalized after Texas Roadhouse chemical incident

(WBIR - Alcoa) Update-- 10:50 p.m.

Alcoa Deputy Fire Chief Tom Daffron says 17 people have been taken to the hospital after a chemical incident at the Alcoa Texas Roadhouse.

He says an employee accidentally improperly mixed chemicals including bleach, which created a chemical gas.

The patients mainly had skin, eye and lung irritation. Daffron says the people were all conscious when they were taken to the hospital.

He says crews are working inside the restaurant to ventilate the building, monitor the air and remove the chemical smell.

Daffron says the restaurant should be able to reopen for business on Saturday.

Update-- 10:25 p.m.

Blount Memorial hospital confirms they are treating five people after a hazardous materials incident at the Texas Roadhouse in Alcoa.

Rural Metro also says they have sent four ambulances from Knox County to the restaurant.

Dispatchers tell 10News the building has been evacuated.

They cannot confirm the nature of the situation.

Previous story-- 10:05 p.m.

Blount Co. dispatch confirms at least two people are receiving treatment after a hazmat situation at Texas Roadhouse in Alcoa.

We have a crew on the way and will have the latest details as they become available here and on Channel 10.

Source: http://maryville.wbir.com/news/news/617312-17-hospitalized-after-texas-roadhouse-chemical-incident

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(08/02) BEST BET AUGUST 2013: SOUTH AFRICA

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Spectators Injured After Old Power Plant Implosion

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? One man had his leg severed Saturday and four others were also injured as shrapnel from the demolition of a power plant flew into a crowd of more than 1,000 spectators that had gathered in California's Central Valley to watch it come down, officials said.

The crowd gathered at 6 a.m., some sleeping in their cars overnight, in the nearby parking lot of a Lowe's Home Improvement store in Bakersfield to watch the planned implosion of the steam power plant owned by the public utility Pacific Gas and Electric that had been decommissioned for decades.

After buildings came down in a fiery crash, a police officer heard a man screaming for help and saw that his leg had been blown off.

"It was a piece of shrapnel that came flying out of the explosion and came across and went through a couple of chain link fences," said police Lt. Scott Tunnicliffe.

The 44-year-old victim also had major injuries to the other leg, and may lose it also, Tunnicliffe said. Officials declined to release his name.

Four other spectators were treated for minor injuries, said Kern County Fire engineer Leland Davis. All of the injured spectators were standing beyond a perimeter set up to ensure public safety, Davis said.

Fred Garten, 49, was standing behind the perimeter when a piece of metal roughly the size of a household door came flying at him and grazed his right leg, leaving his socks and shorts splattered with blood.

"It's a good gouge, but it's just scratches," Garten told the Bakersfield Californian, which first reported on the incident. "I just feel bad for the other guy. They took him away on a gurney, and I'm walking."

Kelly Patt, 21, who arrived five hours early to get a good view of the blast, said his girlfriend got sprayed with shrapnel but wasn't badly hurt. Patt said he was far more disturbed at seeing the man with the severed leg.

"I saw that dude's leg and I had to walk away," he told the Californian. "There was a lot of blood, a lot of blood."

Several cars were also damaged by the shrapnel.

Residents of the city about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles were eager to see the old plant torn down to make way for new development. The plant was decommissioned in 1986 and has been idle ever since.

Pacific Gas and Electric reached an agreement with the city to clean up the property and prepare it for sale. The company hired subcontractors to handle the demolition of the plant's boiler structures and worked with local authorities to set up a safe perimeter 1,000 feet from the site, said Denny Boyles, a company spokesman.

"We are deeply saddened that this happened," Boyles said. "We're looking for answers like everyone else."

Boyles said the boiler structure consisted of two towers measuring 140 feet high that supported four 200,000 gallon tanks.

Cleveland Wrecking Co. of Covina, Calif., the main contractor on the demolition, issued a statement expressing sympathy and vowing a thorough investigation but declined further comment.

"This was a terrible accident, and our hearts go out to the individuals who were injured," the statement said. "We will be conducting a full investigation and will cooperate with the authorities."

Several subcontractors also worked on the project.

A previous accident at the same demolition site in 2012 killed a 51-year-old Cleveland Wrecking worker who was suspended in a basket and cutting beams with a torch when one of the beams hit him and he fell 50 feet to his death.

In June of this year in Philadelphia, the wall of a building under demolition collapsed onto a thrift store and killed six people. That contractor was not among those hired for the Bakersfield plant.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/03/power-plant-demolition_n_3701137.html

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Police arrest suspect in deadly LA driving attack

In this image take from a security camera, pedestrians scatter as a car drives through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. At least a dozen people were injured, two of them critically, according to police. (AP Photo/Snapchat)

Pedestrians gather as police and fire officials respond after a car drove through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. At least a dozen people were injured, two of them critically, according to police. (AP Photo/Maarten Smitskamp)

An unidentified man looks at a car that came to rest against the entrance of a public restroom after being driven through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. At least a dozen people were injured, two of them critically, according to police. (AP Photo/Maarten Smitskamp)

Police and fire officials assist an injured pedestrian at the scene where a car drove through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. At least a dozen people were injured, two of them critically, according to police. (AP Photo/Venice311.org, Alex Thompson)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a driver plowed into crowds at the Venice Beach boardwalk, a seemingly intentional hit-and-run that killed an Italian woman on her honeymoon and injured 11 others.

Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, was arrested after he walked into a police station in neighboring Santa Monica about two hours after the incident and told police that he was involved.

Campbell, who authorities said lived in Los Angeles, remained jailed Sunday on $1 million bail. Authorities did not know of any motive.

Security video taken at the popular tourist site showed a man parking a black car, stepping out and surveying the leisurely scene for several minutes before getting back into the vehicle and speeding into the crowd. Hundreds of people who had been walking or sitting at cafes raced to get out of the way before the vehicle sped out of sight.

Witnesses reported a horrifying aftermath.

People were " stumbling around, blood dripping down their legs, looking confused not knowing what had happened, people screaming," said Louisa Hodge, who described "blocks and blocks of people just strewn across the sidewalk."

The Italian woman was identified as Alice Gruppioni, 32. Her family in Bologna told the Italian news agency LaPresse that she had been on her honeymoon after a July 31 wedding.

Authorities said another person was critically injured. Two others were in serious condition, and eight suffered less serious injuries.

The crash was not far from the scene where an elderly driver sped through an open-air farmer's market in Santa Monica in 2003, killing 10 people and injuring more than 70 others.

Investigators said George Weller, who was 86 at the time, mistakenly stepped on the gas instead of the brake and then panicked. He was doing up to 60 mph when he plowed through the market. Weller was convicted of 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced to probation.

It was not immediately clear how fast the car in Saturday's crash was going.

According to security video and witness accounts, the driver parked next to the Cadillac Hotel and twice walked out to the boardwalk before getting into the Dodge Avenger and accelerating, swerving around yellow poles meant to prevent cars from getting into the pedestrian-only area and onto the boardwalk.

"I heard a big 'boom, boom,' like the sound of someone going up and down the curb, it was super loud," said Alex Hagan, 22, who was working the desk at the Cadillac Hotel and watched the scene unfold from the start.

The driver knocked over two mannequins and then started hitting people, swerving from side to side and often running straight into them.

Video showed the car hitting at least three vendors who were sitting at their sales booths.

Two women who appeared to be in their 60s were also struck, Hagan said.

Many people ran after the car, screaming and cursing as it sped away, he said.

Golestan Alipour, bartender at Candle Cafe & Grill, said the large sedan carefully maneuvered between a storefront and metal poles that had been erected to prevent anyone from driving onto the boardwalk. A free-standing ATM barely slowed his race toward the crowds.

"The restaurant was full. Everybody ran," Alipour said.

The car went on for several blocks, knocking down a fortune teller who had a table on the boardwalk, a couple selling jewelry and a woman who does tattooing, Alipour said.

Authorities at the scene searched for evidence across the boardwalk, which is in a part of Los Angeles known for eccentricities. The 1.5-mile ribbon of asphalt that runs along the sand a few hundred yards from the ocean is home to galleries, restaurants, tattoo shops, skateboard parks and the famous outdoor weight room known as Muscle Beach. It can draw as many as 150,000 people on summer weekends.

Police found a car nearby that they believe belonged to the driver, he said.

Hodge said she and her friend, Ashley Taylor, had made note of the numbers walking along the seaside.

"It was a really nice day, there were tons of people out, in fact, we were talking about how packed it was, because we were having a hard time getting through all the people," Hodge said.

The two women stopped to buy ice cream and a couple of hats, which may have saved their lives. They stepped out of a store to see the aftermath, as emergency crews arrived and started putting victims on tarps.

Hodge saw one man and woman lying next to each other, wearing head braces, barely able to move.

"They were just laying next to each other and grasping hands," Hodge said, "just a man and a woman holding hands."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-08-04-Car%20Into%20Beachgoers/id-5c4db7900669408c9efbd1d598b33950

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Groups in federal court to block horse slaughter

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Federal officials failed to consider environmental hazards when they gave two companies permission to resume domestic horse slaughter, attorneys for animal rights groups seeking to halt the opening of the slaughterhouses argued Friday.

The Department of Agriculture issued the permits in June, and the plants in New Mexico and Iowa plan to open Monday.

But animal welfare groups are seeking a restraining order from U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo, saying the slaughterhouses should be forced to undergo public review under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.

No environmental impact study has ever been done to examine the effects of horse slaughter, Bruce Wagman, a lawyer for The Humane Society of the United States, the Colorado-based Front Range Equine Rescue and other plaintiffs argued in court on Friday. Horses are given more than 100 drugs not approved for other feed animals, he said.

"The government is about to embark on a brand-new multi-state program," he said. "We just don't know about the dangers that lie ahead."

But attorneys representing the USDA and the meat companies said the groups presented no evidence to back their assertions that those drugs would pose environmental dangers through waste runoff or other means, arguing the plaintiffs were simply in court because they are morally opposed to horse slaughter and are looking for a way to delay the plants while the lobby Congress for a ban on horse slaughter.

"There is speculation. There is innuendo. But there is no evidence," said assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew A. Smith.

Congress effectively banned horse slaughter in 2006. But the ban was lifted in 2011, renewing an emotional and divisive national debate over whether horses are livestock or domestic companions, and how best to deal with untold thousands of unwanted, abandoned and often starving horses.

Valley Meat Co. of Roswell, N.M., has been at the forefront of the fight, pushing for more than a year for permission to convert its cattle plant into a horse slaughterhouse. The meat would be exported for human consumption and for use as zoo and other animal food.

After more than a year of delays and a lawsuit by Valley Meat, the Department of Agriculture gave the company the go-ahead in June. USDA officials said they were legally obligated to issue the permits, even though the Obama administration opposes horse slaughter and is seeking to reinstate the congressional ban.

Another permit was approved a few days later for and Responsible Transportation of Sigourney, Iowa.

Pat Rogers, an attorney for Responsible Transportation, said the company was started by three young college graduates looking for a way to help fill a need. Currently, he said, old and unwanted horses have to be shipped thousands of miles in sometimes inhumane conditions to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.

"The truth is, you honor, there is no old horses home," Rogers told the judge. "There is no Medicare for horses."

And if the company is barred from opening, he said, the young entrepreneurs will be on the hook for $1.5 million.

Blair Dunn, who represents Valley Meat Co., argued horse slaughter is far from new.

"This has been going on for 100 years," he said. "... There has never been a finding of environmental harm."

Horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes are divided over what is the most humane way to deal with the country's horse overpopulation.

Some Native American tribes, including the Navajo and Yakama nations, are among those pushing to let the two companies open their slaughterhouses. They say the exploding horse populations on their reservations are trampling and overgrazing rangelands, decimating forage resources for cattle and big game and causing widespread environmental damage.

"The only actual evidence of environmental impact is ours," said Yakama Nation attorney John Boyd, who filed a statement from the tribe's biologist about the damage from more than 12,000 wild horses on the reservation. "And it's a catastrophe that can be largely or significantly ameliorated" by making it easier for the tribe to round up the animals to slaughter.

While some tribes are opposed to horse slaughter, citing the animals' sacred place in their culture, the Navajo Nation has expressed support for the plants. The Navajo Nation is the country's largest American Indian reservation. A tribal spokesman estimates there are as many as 75,000 horses on its land, including many horses that the officials say are dehydrated and starving after years of drought.

On the other side, actor Robert Redford, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, current New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King are among those who strongly oppose a return to domestic horse slaughter, citing the horse's iconic role as a companion animal in the West.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/groups-federal-court-block-horse-183537881.html

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Box Office: Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington Aim '2 Guns' at $30 Million Target

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Source: contoso --- Saturday, August 03, 2013
TW: Americans like guns, the rest of the world likes ... weird little blue guys. So goes the box office this weekend. The Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg buddy movie 2 Guns is the best bet to cop the domestic box-office crown with around $30 million, analysts say, while Smurfs 2 will score a major foreign haul. ...

Source: http://filmwatch.com/news/1324073/box-office-mark-wahlberg-and-denzel-washington-aim-2-guns-at-30-million-target

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Microsoft boosts the GPU clock speed in Xbox One dev kits

Even though the hardware specs of Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One console have been locked in place for some time now, the company is still apparently making tweaks. Microsoft's Marc Whitten, speaking on Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's podcast, stated that current developer kits were using GPUs clocked at 853MHz, up from 800MHz in E3-era kits. This 6.63 percent performance increase isn't massive in the scheme of things, but the fact that Microsoft feels comfortable boosting the clock speed like this may be a sign that things are going well with the console's semi-custom AMD processor.

Whitten also said that the company has updated its graphics driver since the console was shown off at E3 and that its operating system was being tweaked and iterated on daily. At this point in the console's development cycle, software tweaks like these are far less surprising than changes to the hardware specifications, and it's a fair bet that these changes will continue until very near the console's launch.

Though the Xbox One's GPU has gotten a speed boost, it's still working from a disadvantage relative to the PlayStation 4. Sony's console sports 1152 AMD Radeon GPU shaders while Microsoft's has 768, and it will be difficult to close that gap using clock-speed boosts without totally blowing the console's power budget (current rumors suggest that the PS4's GPU clock speed is also 800MHz, same as the old Xbox One speed). In the past, consoles hardware configurations were so dramatically different that these kinds of comparisons were more difficult to make (and differences like the Xbox One's eSRAM and the PlayStation 4's GDDR5 memory?still complicate comparisons to some small extent), but the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 both use AMD chips with very similar architectures. Even so, any increase in power is welcome, and the Xbox One's beefy heat dissipation capabilities should be able to handle the bump.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/08/microsoft-boosts-the-gpu-clock-speed-in-xbox-one-dev-kits/

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Judge denies class action for Wal-Mart bias suit (Providence Journal)

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How to Root Your Nexus, HTC One, or Samsung Galaxy S4

Android offers a wide variety of advanced customization options, but that?s only scratching the surface of everything you can do with Google?s open source operating system. With root access you can get down to the system level and tweak things to your liking, even going so far as completely replacing the OS.

Agent says Heat to sign Greg Oden

MIAMI (AP) ? Greg Oden is coming back to the NBA with the Miami Heat.

Mike Conley Sr., one of Oden's agents, said Oden has informed the Heat that he will accept their contract offer, a process that will likely be formally completed early next week.

Oden will sign a contract that will pay him about $1 million this coming season. He will have a player option for the 2014-15 season.

"He just thought that it was the best fit for him, where he's at and especially for how it relates to him coming back," Conley said Friday night. "He can be on a winning team and be working his way in slowly."

Oden's decision ends months of suspense that saw several NBA teams line up for a chance to sign the former No. 1 pick whose career has been derailed by a series of knee problems. Conley said Oden was also very interested in learning from Tim Duncan and playing for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, that he was impressed when he met with Dallas owner Mark Cuban, and that he's had a close relationship for some time with New Orleans coach Monty Williams.

But in the end, the Heat won out. They had been widely believed to be the frontrunners to land Oden for some time, and now get to add a 7-footer to a team that's won the last two NBA championships.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/agent-says-heat-sign-greg-oden-012703501.html

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NFL notes: Eagles arrange sensitivity training for WR Cooper

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By The Associated Press

Published: 2:00 AM - 08/02/13

PHILADELPHIA ? The Philadelphia Eagles are setting up Riley Cooper with sensitivity training after the wide receiver was caught on video making a racial slur.

"In meeting with Riley yesterday, we decided together that his next step will be to seek outside assistance to help him fully understand the impact of his words and actions," the team said in a statement Thursday. "He needs to reflect. As an organization, we will provide the resources he needs to do so."

Cooper apologized profusely Wednesday after a video of him using the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert last month surfaced on the Internet. The Eagles immediately fined him, and the league plans no further discipline.

"I know Riley made a heinous mistake," coach Chip Kelly said. "I was appalled by it. I was actually shocked by it because since I've been here since April, that's not the Riley Cooper I know. He accepted responsibility for it and he has to live with it, but I hope at some point in time we'll have a chance to move on from it.

"But right now I don't think it's going to be something that's going to go away very quickly."

Cooper, who grew up in Clearwater, Fla., was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft by the Eagles out of the University of Florida. He has just 46 catches and five touchdowns in three years with the Eagles, but has been practicing with the starters since Jeremy Maclin's season-ending injury last week.

Teammates Michael Vick, Jason Avant and others expressed forgiveness for Cooper. LeSean McCoy also said he forgives Cooper, but he doesn't view him the same anymore.

"Just on a friendship level, and as a person, I can't really respect somebody like that," McCoy said. "I think as a team, we need to move past it. There are some things that are going to be hard to work with, to be honest."

Millionaire Brees amazed by reaction to cheapskate tip

METAIRIE, La. ? Drew Brees says he's amazed his $3 tip on a $74 takeout order last month has become a talking point on national television and the Internet.

The quarterback was in the locker room at Saints headquarters Thursday morning when he noticed a discussion on a network morning show about tipping on takeout orders, referencing a photograph of his takeout receipt that was circulated online.

Brees said he figures the person who initially photographed the receipt did so innocently because he visits the San Diego-area restaurant regularly and poses for photos with staff.

The quarterback said he was disappointed "that it actually got spun and perceived as ? you immediately jump to the conclusion that he stiffed a waiter or waitress. That's the part that bothers me."

Brees responded to the blog himself on the social media site Twitter, writing, "In case anyone still cares about this report: I tipped $3 on a takeout order. Had we sat down it would have been 20% (plus)."

Brees suggested the headline to the initial blog post, which referred to him as "cheap," could have just as easily stated instead that he typically gives restaurant staff a few extra dollars on takeout orders, "but nobody's going to read that."

Brees' contract with the Saints pays $100 million over five years.

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Source: http://recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130802/SPORTS90/308020358/-1/rss02

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Park, seeking 4th straight major, opens with 69

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) ? Inbee Park wasn't just chasing history at St. Andrews. She was sprinting toward it.

All it took were three loose tee shots, a pair of three-putts and one double bogey on the back nine Thursday in the Women's British Open to remind her that winning an unprecedented four straight majors in one year is not going to be easy.

Park ran off six birdies in 10 holes to race to the top of the leaderboard, only to stumble coming back in for a 3-under 69 that left her three shots out of the lead.

"Felt like a roller coaster today," Park said.

Morgan Pressel, one spot out of making the Solheim Cup team this week, caught a break with the weather in the afternoon and made seven birdies in a round of 66. She was one shot clear of Stacy Lewis, the former No. 1 player in women's golf who shot 31 on the tougher back nine. Also at 67 were former U.S. Women's Open champion Na Yeon Choi, Nicole Castrale and Mi-Jeong Jeon.

Paula Creamer played bogey-free for a 68.

"Once the round started, and especially playing so good the first few holes, that really gave me a lot of confidence," Park said. "I didn't feel much pressure during the round. I'm just glad that it is already started and I got the first round under my belt."

The conditions were perfect for scoring on the Old Course, with light rain falling from a lead gray sky and barely any wind. Some of the biggest names in women's golf, including Park, Lewis and Creamer, teed off in front of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse with no more than a few dozen fans in tow.

Park already has won three majors this year. No golfer, male or female, has ever won four in one year. The 25-year-old South Korean said she was more nervous than usual before getting to the first tee, perhaps because of all the chatter about a Grand Slam.

It sure didn't show.

Park opened with a wedge into about 7 feet for birdie, and then she really poured it on with an amazing display of her putting stroke. She rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 3 with perfect pace. She hit a hybrid the perfect distance on No. 4, giving her a flat line between ridges for an 18-foot birdie putt. She made a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 6, another birdie just inside 20 feet on No. 8 and a sixth birdie on No. 10 after a wedge that stopped 5 feet from the hole.

Just like that, there was a feeling of inevitability about this Women's British Open, much as it was for Tiger Woods when he won the British Open for the first time at St. Andrews by eight shots to complete the career Grand Slam in 2000. But not for long.

Dressed in a black rain suit, her emotions never changed, even when she started to unravel.

It started with a tee shot into thick grass to the right of the 12th fairway. She saved par with another great putt, this one from 15 feet, but she couldn't save herself much longer. After another poor tee shot on the 13th, she came dangerously close to a large gorse bush. She chipped to 15 feet and made bogey, her first of the day. A delicate pitch-and-run helped her avoid another bogey on the 15th after a third tee shot to the right.

Her biggest mistake came from the left rough with a shot into a bunker short of the 16th green. The ball was a few feet from the lip, and Park was tempted to take it up over the high face of the vetted wall. Instead, she turned sideways and blasted out to the middle of the double green, the ball about halfway between the holes cut for No. 2 and No. 16. From about 90 feet away, she didn't hit it nearly hard enough, and her par putt from 15 feet caught the lip.

She also three-putted the 17th from 40 feet when her first attempt came up 10 feet short. Considered one of the best putters on the LPGA Tour ? and looking for a short time as though she couldn't miss ? Park had consecutive three-putt bogeys and had lost four shots in a five-hole span.

"I thought that I fixed my problems coming into this week. I was hitting it so good on the practice round and I didn't really miss any balls," Park said. "I thought I was really prepared, but those couple of bad shots really shocked me. I couldn't really concentrate on the greens when I hit those shots. I've learned my lesson. Good thing I've got my time to fix that today and tomorrow."

She still was only two shots behind, opening with a round that could have been much better. Even so, Park had no complaints.

"A little disappointing, but I'm glad that I've done that in the first round instead of the final round," she said.

Only four months ago, Park and Lewis were battling for No. 1 in the world until the South Korean left everyone in her wake by adding to her major championship collection. The Kraft Nabisco Championship put her in position to take No. 1 away from Lewis, and the playoff win at the LPGA Championship and four-shot win at the U.S. Women's Open brought her to the brink of something grand.

Lewis, however, has some history of her own at St. Andrews. In her final event as an amateur, Lewis was part of the Curtis Cup team that beat Britain & Ireland at the home of golf. Lewis won all five of her matches. She turned pro and played in the final group of the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen, which Park rallied to win for her first major.

Lewis and Karrie Webb were on the 11th tee when they saw Park make birdie to reach 5 under through eight holes.

"We both looked at each other and shook our heads," Lewis said. "We knew she was going to be there, but it's like she keeps doing it over and over and over again. The front nine is usually where you score. For me, it was the opposite. And I feel lucky to get away with one today."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/park-seeking-4th-straight-major-opens-69-143703633.html

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Immigration activists arrested during protest outside Capitol (Los Angeles Times)

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KB Home to Build New Development on Santee-Lakeside Border ...

Work on models for KB Homes communities, dubbed La Mesa Meadows and Canton Hills, is set to begin this month.

New housing developments are coming to the Santee-Lakeside border and La Mesa?this fall, according to builder KB Home (NYSE: KBH).?

The work on model homes in the developments, dubbed La Mesa Meadows and Canton Hills, is set to begin this month, with grand openings expected to take place this fall. Canton Hills will be developed in the open space at the intersection of?Los Ranchitos Road and 2nd Street in Santee.

?
In the meantime, those who are curious about the finished product can check in at the KB Home preview center at Grossmont Center. Officials are offering a glimpse at layouts for the communities, floor plans and design choices, and sign-ups for interest lists.?

??We?re very pleased to have secured these two prime parcels of land in one of the county?s most popular areas where there is a limited number of new home communities,? said Steve Ruffner, president of KB Home?s Southern California division, in a news release.?

The minimum size for the new homes is expected to be about 2,500 square feet, with the maximum at more than 4,000 square feet. The largest will feature six bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and a three-car garage as an option. La Mesa Meadows and Canton Hills are billed as solar communities.?

According to the company, they will become two of more than 20 other KB Home projects with ?1.5 kW standard systems (which) are expected to help homeowners save as much as 30% on their energy bills? when compared to structures with traditional electrical systems.?

KB Home is based in Los Angeles and has been in business since 1957. The firm's recent San Diego County project was in San Marcos.

Canton Hills?will be located along a route that KUSI's "The Turko Files" has dubbed the "deadly detour," a?path of traffic to and from Lakeside and Santee through a residential neighborhood where numerous accidents have occurred. The "Turko Files" recently blamed the city of Santee for not completing a project to connect Mast Boulevard to Lakeside. There is currently a dead end and a quarter-mile gap in the road.

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Source: http://santee.patch.com/groups/real-estate/p/kb-home-to-build-new-communities-in-la-mesa-lakeside

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Fla. education chief resigns amid grading scandal - News and ...

By GARY FINEOUT
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida's education commissioner resigned Thursday amid allegations that he changed the grade of a charter school run by a major Republican donor during his previous job as Indiana's school chief.

Tony Bennett announced his immediate resignation at a news conference, saying that he while he did nothing wrong he didn't want to be a distraction to ongoing efforts to overhaul Florida's education system. Emails published by The Associated Press this week show that Bennett and his Indiana staff scrambled last fall to ensure Christel DeHaan's school received an A, despite poor 10th-grade algebra scores that initially earned it a C.

Bennett called that interpretation "malicious and unfounded" and said he would call for Indiana's inspector general to look into the allegations because he is certain he will be cleared of wrongdoing.

He said it would be unfair to Gov. Rick Scott "to have to spend my time and the State Board (of Education's) time, as things continue to trickle out, defending myself." He called the allegations "politically motivated." He said the decision to step down was his and that both Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush had urged him to remain on the job.

"The decision to resign is mine and mine only because I believe that when this discussion turns to an adult we lose the discussion about making life better for children," Bennett said.

Bennett lost his re-election bid last November in Indiana. He was hired by Florida as its education commissioner, a nonelected post that pays $275,000, in December.

Scott, at an appearance in South Florida, said he had not fired Bennett or demanded his resignation.

"He let me know that he was going to resign. It was his decision," Scott said in Delray Beach. "Tony did a good job here. ... We're doing well in education." Scott refused to answer questions about the accusations against Bennett in Indiana. Bennett is the third education commissioner to leave office since Scott became governor in January 2011.

Bush, in a statement, praised Bennett for the work he had done in Indiana.

"Tony started every day with the focus of creating a system that would equip kids to achieve their God-given potential," he said.

The Florida State Board of Education will hold an emergency meeting Friday. Board members are expected to name Pam Stewart as an interim commissioner. Stewart, who is currently chancellor for the division of public schools, served as interim commissioner before Bennett was hired.

Stewart would take the helm at a critical time. Bennett was poised to decide whether Florida should remain with a national consortium or develop its own set of tests for new common core standards that are scheduled to take effect. Florida's Republican legislative leaders want the state to develop its own assessments.

Bennett's decision to resign came even though he had gotten support from board members after the initial reports from Indiana came out.

"I regret that Commissioner Bennett feels he must resign, but I respect his decision," said John Padget, a state board member from Key West. "He has spent countless hours focused on what's best for Florida's children, and I'll miss him."

Indiana uses A-F grades to determine which schools get taken over by the state and whether students seeking state-funded vouchers to attend private school need to first spend a year in public school. They also help determine how much state funding schools receive. A low grade also can detract from a neighborhood and drive homebuyers elsewhere.

After Bennett learned about a likely low grade for Christel House, he fired off an email last Sept. 12 to his chief of staff.

"This will be a HUGE problem for us," Bennett wrote. "They need to understand that anything less than an A for Christel House compromises all of our accountability work."

Bennett, who had been reworking Florida's grading system as the state's education commissioner, denied that DeHaan's Christel House Academy school received special treatment. He said earlier this week that discovering that the charter would receive a low grade raised broader concerns with grades for other "combined" schools - those that included multiple grade levels - across the state.

The revelations that Bennett and Indiana officials scrambled to change the grade of one school come amid a strong debate over Florida's grading system.

Bennett earlier this month pushed the Florida board that oversees education policy to adopt a "safety net" provision that prevented the grades of more than 500 schools from dropping more than one grade this year.

That provision was adopted by a 4-3 vote amid much debate and criticism that the move would "mask" the true performance of schools. Bennett's plan was even opposed by the education foundation set up by Bush. The grades released last week still showed a sharp drop in the number of A-rated schools and a jump in the number of F-rated ones.

___

Associated Press reporter Kelli Kennedy in Delray Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.

Follow Gary Fineout on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fineout

Source: http://www.kwqc.com/story/22988916/apnewsbreak-fla-education-commissioner-to-resign

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iCloud's 20GB free ride for MobileMe subscribers comes to an end

Apple shut down its MobileMe service in 2012 after introducing iCloud to replace it. To give MobileMe users an incentive to migrate to the new service, Apple offered 20GB of free iCloud storage. It's been a year since that happened, and Apple has sent out an e-mail to let iCloud customers know that the complementary period is coming to an end.

As a thank you for being a former MobileMe member, you received a 20 GB complimentary storage upgrade when you moved to iCloud. Your upgrade expires on September 30, 2013.

When it expires, your iCloud storage will be automatically adjusted to the free 5 GB plan...If you exceed your storage plan on September 30, 2013, iCloud Backup, Documents in the Cloud, and iCloud Mail will temporarily stop working.

Apple's built out iCloud to offer more services than MobileMe did, with features like "Documents In the Cloud" syncing for supported applications, making it possible to seamlessly share documents between iOS and OS X devices; Photo Stream and more. The company is offering new iCloud services this fall including iWork for iCloud (currently in public beta), iCloud Photo Sharing, iCloud Keychain and improvements to Find My iPhone.

Upgrading to the paid 20GB plan will cost you $40 per year (that's 25GB after your 5GB of complementary storage space). Apple also offers 50GB for $100 per year. A 10GB for $20 per year plan is also available for users with more limited iCloud storage needs.

For instructions on how to upgrade, see Apple's web site.

Will you be paying for the 20GB upgrade, or is 5GB good enough for now? Do you think Apple's prices are reasonable?

[Editor's note: Updated with info on 10GB plan.]

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U.S. Senate confirms Obama's head of Joint Chiefs of Staff

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Army General Martin Dempsey to a second term as President Barack Obama's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The action came a week after Republican Senator John McCain dropped his hold on the nomination when Dempsey, at McCain's request, spelled out possible U.S. military options in Syria.

Dempsey wrote that U.S. forces could undertake a range of missions to help Syrian rebels, from training to establishing no-fly zones and conducting limited attacks on military targets.

However, he warned of the risks of unintended consequences and noted that involvement in Syria would be an act of war that could cost billions of dollars.

McCain said he was disappointed with Dempsey's answers, but would not prevent a Senate vote.

(Reporting By Thomas Ferraro and Susan Cornwell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-senate-confirms-obamas-head-joint-chiefs-staff-015239317.html

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