gustaf hansel: 2013

Monday, August 5, 2013

Kahne holds off Gordon to win at Pocono Raceway

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) ? Kasey Kahne got the jump on Jeff Gordon off the final restart with two laps left and pulled away to win at Pocono Raceway.

Kahne had the car to beat for the final half of Sunday's 400-mile race until a late caution bunched up the field. Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, took the lead and seemed poised to win his first race of the season. After the final caution, Kahne was strong enough this time off the restart in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Kahne also won at Bristol this season. His win helped solidify his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Gordon finished second on his 42nd birthday. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.

The top five cars were Chevrolets.

Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt made it a strong day for Hendrick. Teammate and series points leader Jimmie Johnson was 13th after a blown tire knocked him out of the lead.

Kahne had stretched his lead to almost 8 seconds when a caution for debris came out with 12 laps left. Gordon, still winless this season, was strong in the No. 24 and zipped to the lead as he looked to extend his record for career wins at Pocono.

Matt Kenseth spun with four laps left to erase Gordon's lead and set up the thrilling finish. Gordon led again until Kahne ran him down and blasted by his teammate for the win.

So close to the checkered, this loss stung Gordon.

"We had them. We certainly had the position," he said. "I'm pretty disappointed I let him get inside of me on (turn) one."

Kahne also won at Pocono in 2008. He entered ninth in the points standings and need a win to make sure he'd at least qualify for a wild-card spot should he fall below 10th place. Kahne was third last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and seems to be heating up with five races left until the Chase field is set.

Kahne's 16th career win should make him a Chase lock.

Gordon, who has six Pocono wins, finished second last week and has three straight top 10s to also position himself for a spot in the 12-driver field. He had won at Pocono each of the last two seasons. When Gordon leads late at Pocono, he usually wins. Just not this time.

"I've given away a lot more races than I've won," he said.

Johnson, who set a track record in qualifying, again had the dominant car for half the race until he blew a front tire. A week after a slow, final pit stop cost him a win at Indianapolis, Johnson was done in this time by a tire issue that ended his chance to win. Johnson did stretch his points lead to 77 over Clint Bowyer.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kahne-holds-off-gordon-win-pocono-raceway-205921651.html

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Preventative Task Force working towards requiring lung cancer screenings

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Triathlon raises money for Women's Cancer Program | WLFI - West ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A women only triathlon was held Saturday morning as competitors swam, biked and ran to help raise money for cancer awareness.

More than 80 competitors came out to the second annual Women Only Triathlon at Boilermaker Aquatic Center.

Hosted by Haka Multisport, the event helps raise money for the YWCA Women's Cancer Program.

The program helps more than 2,000 under-insured and uninsured women in 23 counties throughout Indiana receive breast and cervical cancer screenings.

Race director Michael Groaning says they keep the course short, so that more women will join.

"The thing that's interesting is that there's so many people, who are afraid of swimming and are actually doing this race. I think the fact that it's women's only helps also reduces that intimidation factor," said Groaning.

In addition to Saturday's triathlon,?Groaning says they plan have additional races throughout the coming years, including those that are more kid oriented.

Source: http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/triathlon-raises-money-for-womens-cancer-program

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Padlocks of love and commitment

A Christian Science perspective: Does the sentimental tradition of placing a padlock on a bridge to symbolize one person's love for another hint at something more important?

By Katherine Stephen / August 2, 2013

If any proof were needed that many people long for committed, faithful relationships, a number of bridges in European cities ? and elsewhere around the world ? currently provide abundant evidence. In a trend that reportedly began in Rome a few years ago, padlocks, some with initials, some plain, have been secured on the ironwork of bridges, mostly by young couples, as symbols of hope and intention that their commitment to each other will last.

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Some of the most famous bridges in Europe, including some over the Seine in Paris, are now noticeably crowded with thousands of these locks. And although there has been voicing of disapproval or action taken by municipal officials in a few cities, most have done little to remove the locks or discourage their placement.

While this tradition might be regarded by some as quaint, sentimental, or merely profitable for people who sell locks, I believe that it hints at something more important.

In an age when it sometimes seems that transitory, unstable relationships have become the norm, this practice shows an appreciation of commitment and fidelity. It also may be at least an indication of a move toward countering the ?hook-up? trend ? the practice, prevalent on college campuses in the United States, of young people forming physical relationships without any emotional commitment.

The Bible assures us that faithfulness, sincerity, and commitment in relationships are essential components of growing spiritually toward realizing our place in the kingdom of heaven. And, while it is ambiguous as to whether those who place locks on bridges are married or intend to marry, the spirit behind the institution of marriage ? that of life-long commitment ? is certainly being affirmed symbolically. Perhaps the word ?wedlock,? a synonym for marriage which happens to bear a verbal similarity to the word ?lock? or ?padlock,? hints at the quality of everlastingness expressed by those who feel moved to secure locks on bridges.

From a Christian Science perspective, what does it take to attain this goal of fidelity and commitment? Although putting a lock on a bridge requires only a little time and effort, to truly demonstrate faithfulness and commitment over a lifetime requires much more. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, devoted a chapter to the subject of marriage in the Christian Science textbook, ?Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,? and she included articles on the subjects of fidelity and wedlock in her book ?Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896.? She says in an article titled ?Fidelity,? ?Only by persistent, unremitting, straightforward toil; by turning neither to the right nor to the left, seeking no other pursuit or pleasure than that which cometh from God, can you win and wear the crown of the faithful? (p. 340).

Does this sound rigorous and demanding? Fortunately, we?re not alone in the endeavor. God, divine Mind, is always with us, helping us live His laws, guiding and inspiring us to choose the path that will lead to freedom and fulfillment.

Quoting Jesus? apostle Paul, Mary Baker Eddy wrote, ? ?Work out your own salvation,? is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you? (Science and Health, p. 22). But what if you feel you could do a better job of expressing loyalty and commitment in your life or know someone who has taken a different path and is experiencing challenging consequences? God, divine Love, is right there, helping each individual to realize and live more of the good derived from divine Principle, God, until the divine standard has been demonstrated.

After all, it?s not only marriage that requires commitment and fidelity. What about other relationships, such as being a good friend, a good son or daughter, or other relative? Are these relationships characterized in our lives by reliability, or do we work at them only when it?s convenient or advantageous? And then there is the question of loyalty to an ideal or a cause, or to God Himself. Christ Jesus identified this endeavor as of utmost importance: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30).

Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of the subject of faithfulness is the extent of God?s faithfulness to us. The Bible indicates that His closeness to us is like that of a marriage in its oneness and in His faithfulness to us. In the book of Hosea, God is quoted as saying: ?And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord? (Hosea 2:19, 20).

It sounds like it would require a lot of locks on bridges to demonstrate that kind of love!

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/xfVM485dTLo/Padlocks-of-love-and-commitment

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Voiceless at the end of life

Doctors rushed an ill-fated motorcyclist with severe injuries to the head and chest to the ICU. Emergent CT scans revealed brain swelling so pronounced it was squeezing out of the skull plus multiple fractures of the bones of the face.

Doctors tried everything: they induced a barbiturate coma and gave treatments to decrease swelling of the brain. When that failed, they tried a last resort: they removed part of his skull to release the lethal pressure build up.

Nothing worked. Periodically all sedation was lifted and ? no speech, no flutter of the fingers, there was no spark of recognition in the eyes. His chest rose and fell solely because of the clockwork suck and whir of a mechanical ventilator. He was punctured by plastic catheters in his neck, his arm, and his penis, and he received liquid nutrition through a tube in his stomach. One by one the inevitable complications of weeks in an ICU marched across his body ? infections, clots, and bedsores.

This is where I came in. I am not a surgeon, or a critical care physician. I am not a priest. But in this hour of mortal need, I was who they called. I am a clinical ethicist, and they asked me to speak up for the right to let a loved one die.

The doctors, nurses, and social workers caring for the patient knew there was nothing more they could do to save his life, and they had confessed this, gently, to his family. Long conversations and then consensus ensued: this fun-loving hobbyist who most loved the open highway and the wind in his hair would not want to live this way.

But there was a catch: he had no legal decision-maker. No one could speak for him, legally.

In most states, there is a clear hierarchy of legal representatives for patients who cannot speak for themselves. First the spouse, then the adult child, then the parents, or a sibling ? and so on down the line.

In my home state, New Hampshire, and a dozen other states, there is no such hierarchy, no statute specifies the chain of command. That means unless the patient has an advanced directive document, or has appointed a durable power of attorney for healthcare, there is no default legal representative.

This puts patients, families, and clinicians in a bind: should we adopt some convenient chain of command by default, or must the legal guardian be specified in court? In practice, the right decision-maker is often obvious, and we listen. But when the decision-maker isn?t clear, or when there is controversy, we get the court to appoint a legal guardian. This can take days or even weeks.

In this patient?s case, there was no uncertainty or controversy. But out of an excess of caution, the family went to court anyway to be designated his legal guardians. The court obliged, with one exception: the judge did not grant them the power to withdraw life-sustaining therapy.

The judge was trying to do the right thing. Confronted with a complicated medical situation and a family he did not know, the judge did not want to move precipitously toward withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. Plus, he felt obligated by a 1986 New Hampshire state supreme court case called In re: Doris M. Terry to ensure we met certain legal criteria for withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy by a legal guardian. So he asked the hospital to appoint a physician ethicist to describe the patient?s prognosis and to discuss whether it would be ethical to stop life-sustaining therapy.

That is where I came in. I reviewed the records, discussed the case with the ICU team, examined the patient, and met the family. And then, on a hot July day, I put on a suit and took the stand, swearing for the first time to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I laid it out in plain English: I listed the patient?s injuries, including the missing half of his skull, and I described his poor response to standard neurological tests of brainstem function. I cringed that the patient?s family had to hear the gory details, but none of this was new to them ? they had been witness to this nightmare for weeks.

The judge was thoughtful and concerned, and in the end he ruled the family could withdraw life-sustaining therapy. Soon thereafter doctors slipped the breathing tube out of the patient?s mouth and gave him medicines to prevent air hunger and anxiety.

I was glad the case worked out in the end, but aggrieved the family had to go to court in the first place. The doctors, the nurses, the family and the judge were all acting in good faith. But they were trapped in a legal quagmire. It is long past time for the laws in New Hampshire and elsewhere to give families a voice at the end of life. Unless conflict requires it, we should not turn the deathbed into the scene of a courtroom drama.

Just weeks ago, our patient rode his motorcycle on a sunny day with no idea what was around the next turn. Today he is dying. Tell the people you love that you love them, and let them know what you want done if you cannot speak for yourself when catastrophe strikes. To learn more, click on these links about end-of-life decision-making, advanced directives, and state surrogate decision-maker laws.

Images: Shane T. McCoy, United States Navy and Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/basic-science/~3/pRe7-lXOKhA/post.cfm

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Woman due in court on charge of defacing U.S. National Cathedral

(Reuters) - A woman accused of dumping green paint on parts of the National Cathedral was scheduled to appear in a Washington court on Friday for a preliminary hearing on charges of destroying property.

Jia M. Tian, 58, is accused of splashing green paint on a pipe organ and on woodwork in two chapels at the cathedral. She is charged with destruction of property and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Police were still investigating whether she was involved in similar acts of vandalism at Washington monuments last week. Green paint was also splashed onto the Lincoln Memorial and used to paint symbols onto a statue outside the Smithsonian Institution.

Tian, who carried a Chinese passport and was traveling on an expired visa, has been jailed since her arrest on Monday. She is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court before Judge Fredrick Sullivan at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-due-court-charge-defacing-u-national-cathedral-122711204.html

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Friday, August 2, 2013

A Century of Service ? The Health Journal: Fitness, Nutrition, Wellness

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Two Riverside Team Members Celebrate 50 Years with the Health System

Written by Stephanie Heinatz and Natalie Miller Moore
?

Surprisingly, Queenie Wellman-Swinton and Pecolia Coppedge don?t know each other.

Not only did they both join the ranks of Riverside Health System within days of each other in 1963, but earlier this summer, both also made health system history, marking a total century of service to the Virginia Peninsula community.?

Wellman-Swinton and Coppedge are the first Riverside team members to work for the company for 50 years.?

Why? Both cited a love for helping people and a passion to serve for keeping them inspired to come in to work each day.?

?Riverside has been extremely fortunate to have Queenie and Pecolia as team members at two of our facilities for 50 years each,? says Sally Hartman, a senior vice president with Riverside. ?They are daily role models of our mission of caring for others as we would care for those we love and an inspiration to all of their fellow team members.?

As soon as she graduated from high school, Queenie Wellman-Swinton came to work for Riverside Health System, then the Patrick Henry Hospital for the Chronically Ill. Over the years she?s worked as an aide?dispensing medicine, admitting people and helping patients.?

Today, she works as a unit secretary overseeing multiple units and making sure they run smoothly. She isn?t directly caring for patients, but she knows she?s taking care of things so that people can be taken care of at The Gardens at Warwick Forest, a continuing care retirement community on the Newport News and York County border.

?My mother told me to treat patients just like they were my family,? Wellman-Swinton says. ?I will never forget one patient I had, who?d had a stroke and was a quadriplegic, and I would go in to bathe her and I would sing. She would have tears running down her face. I just put myself in her place; that could be me or my mother.?

? The biggest change Wellman-Swinton has seen in the last 50 years of health care? While patient care remains essentially the same, technology has changed a lot about her job.?

Where she used to write out medication records for five floors a day, by hand, and delivering medication on trays with cups labeled with the patient?s name, today, the medication process is computerized and identification is done with bar code scanners and wristbands.

?Wellman-Swinton has no immediate plans to retire.?

?I wake up feeling good enough to get up and come help patients. I think about these patients and they need assistance. They need love and care and respect, and they deserve it.?

Pecolia Coppedge came to work at Riverside Hospital in 1963, at the recommendation of a friend. Through the years, she?s moved and worked up and down the different floors of the Riverside Regional Medical Center.?

East. West. Hematology, oncology, intensive care; as a nurse?s aide who enjoys taking care of patients and meeting nice people, Coppedge has always been willing to go where she?s needed.?

Coppedge was 20 when she started and over the years has watched health care change, including the increase in technology and the length of time people stay in the hospital.?

?At night, after visiting hours were over, we would take around the juice cart to offer patients drinks, and offer backrubs to people who were bedridden,? Coppedge says. ?Patients were there longer and so we knew their personalities better. But, one of the reasons they were there longer was that there wasn?t any laser surgery, everyone had incisions that took a while to heal.??

The one thing that has stayed the same, year after year for 50 years, Coppedge says, is that ?taking care of people is at the heart of it. If you aren?t willing to do all of it, to wait on people and to listen to them, this isn?t the career for you.?

Coppedge plans to retire this fall.?

My mother told me to treat patients just like they were my family.

?I hope I made a difference, that I was able to make someone more comfortable, and to help them heal,? Coppedge says. ?And for the ones who didn?t heal, I hope that I was a comfort and a blessing to them.?

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Source: http://www.thehealthjournals.com/2013/08/a-century-of-service/

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Uganda Awards Another Dam Project to Chinese Company

KAMPALA ? China's influence in Uganda is growing, with two dam contracts recently awarded to Chinese companies, offers of cheap credit and even a possible deal to buy the debts of Ugandan MPs. But some rights groups worry that it could come at the expense of the country?s independence.
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The Ugandan government, lured by the promise of cheap credit and heavy investment, is turning more and more toward China.
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Chinese firms have been pouring into the country. According to the Chinese Embassy here, 45 new companies set up shop in Uganda just last year. And state-owned Chinese companies were recently awarded contracts to build Uganda?s two newest hydroelectric dams. The largest is estimated to cost almost one and a half billion dollars.
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Chinese investment has been creating jobs in Uganda, and the new dams should help the country meet the energy demands of its fast-growing population, says Minister of State for Energy Simon D?Ujanga. Plus, he adds, cheap loans sweeten the deal.
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?We have a bilateral arrangement with the Chinese government for cheap capital. It is a concession which is at a very low rate, and therefore we take advantage of that,? said D?Ujanga.
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D?Ujanga acknowledges that low interest rates are not the only thing that makes China an attractive business partner.? ?If anything, the Chinese government is more liberal than the other lenders. When they come, we discuss strictly business, and that?s all. They don?t start asking many questions which are not related to the business,? D?Ujanga noted.
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The questions China does not ask are about governance and human rights. Godber Tumushabe is director of the Kampala-based Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment. He said this no-strings-attached approach is one of the main reasons why many African leaders are seeking Chinese investment.
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?They don?t want to be held accountable to any standard in terms of good governance, in terms of human rights, in terms of even economic governance. Because some of these regimes, they are patronage regimes, they are client regimes, and therefore they don?t want to be held to any standard that Western countries normally would demand,? Tumushabe said.
?
China?s involvement with the Ugandan government has recently taken a more personal turn. Last week, lawmakers said that a Chinese firm is negotiating a deal to buy off the debts of Ugandan parliamentarians.
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Tumushabe explains that many Ugandan lawmakers overspend during their campaigns, and end up in debt to other politicians. If the Chinese deal goes through, he said, it would compromise them even further.
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?It?s really more or less like selling away the other aspect of your independence. All of a sudden, you have to probably look favorably on some of the transactions that China is doing here.?
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According to reports in the local media, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni opposes the deal. Tumushabe said it is the country?s very sovereignty that is at stake. ?I don?t think that a state that claims to be sovereign, like all these African states normally want to claim, should be in the business of allowing another state to come and pay off the debts of your elected leaders. I think that?s a responsibility that the state should have to its citizens," said Tumushabe. "To make sure that the elected leaders do not mortgage themselves to another country.?
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But, he adds, Uganda?s behavior is not unusual. Governments across the continent have been turning to China to avoid having to make the changes that a growing middle class demands, he said.
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?The presence of China gives a lease on life for regimes across the world, and more specifically in Africa - regimes that are not yet ready to reform, both in terms of economic reforms but also in terms of governance reforms,? said Tumushabe.
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D?Ujanga insists that the Ugandan government knows what it is doing when it comes to China, and is not sacrificing its independence. ?Not at all. This is not the first time we are dealing with the Chinese people. We have dealt with them before, and we can predict them,? he stated.
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But Tumushabe warns that too few politicians weigh the real costs of cheap Chinese credit. When it comes to international relations, he says, there is no such thing as a blank check.

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/uganda-awards-another-dam-project-to-chinese-company/1722260.html

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Rihanna comes out on top in T-shirt suit

Retail

Kiran Moodley CNBC

July 31, 2013 at 11:12 AM ET

Stuart Wilson / Getty Images

A High Court has decided in favor of Rihanna to ban Topshop from selling T-shirts with Rihanna's image on them. In this file photo, Rihanna attends as the Rihanna for River Island collection is launched at the Oxford Street River Island store on March 4, 2013 in London, England.

Pop star Rihanna has won a legal battle in London against fashion giant Topshop over the sale of a T-shirt bearing the R&B singer's image.

Topshop began selling an image of the singer on a T-shirt in 2012, with the approval of the photographer who took the image, but not with the permission of Rihanna herself.

Rihanna sued Topshop's parent company, Arcadia, for $5 million, and the U.K. High Court found in her favor on Wednesday morning, although damages have not yet been settled.

(Read more: Billionaire Green plans 10 new Topshop stores in US)

Rihanna's lawyers argued that Topshop had misled customers into thinking that Rihanna had endorsed the use of her image on the T-shirt, leading to consumer confusion and damaging Rihanna's reputation.

Simon Clark, head of intellectual property at Berwin Leighton Paisner, said that that was exactly what had led Justice Birss to find in favor of Rihanna.

(Read more: Geek chic: Google revamps Topshop runway)

"In finding that a substantial proportion of Rihanna fans will have mistakenly bought the Topshop T-shirt thinking that she had endorsed it, the judge appears to have been influenced by two key factors," Clark said.

"Firstly, the image showed Rihanna wearing the same clothes that she wore in the video for her 'We Found Love' single. Secondly, the fact that it was Topshop, which has a reputation for associating fashion with celebrities, meant that there was more likely to be confusion than if the T-shirt had been sold in a different type of outlet."

Indeed, Birss said that Topshop's use of Rihanna's image "amounts to sales lost to her [Rihanna's] merchandising business. It also represents a loss of control over her reputation in the fashion sphere."

(Read more: Topshop sells stake ? A new reason for US retailers to worry)

Topshop said it was surprised by Birss's decision, and would seek permission to appeal. Topshop's lawyers had argued that the Barbados-born star was attempting to assert image rights, which are unrecognized under U.K. law, in contrast to U.S. law.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2f642977/sc/2/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Crihanna0Ecomes0Eout0Etop0Et0Eshirt0Esuit0E6C10A80A5960A/story01.htm

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Thank you roleplaygateway

Today is my 19th birthday. I took work off and have nothing to do all day, but I've been thinking about writing this for a while now. I've been an on again, off again member of roleplaygateway for 4 years now, since back when I was 15. In hindsight, my writing was shitty, my interests were dumb, and I wasn't all that smart. I came to roleplaygateway because someone I knew on another forum had posted a link here, and I was interested. I never thought I would become as invested as I have since then.

I don't think many people know, but I've dealt with depression for much of my life. As much as I try to tell myself to suck it up and be a man, there were days when I can't even get out of bed. Getting up and going to work was the worst thing imaginable. I would think about quitting on the spot every single minute while I was working, but I didn't. I had something to look forward to. Video games would lose their appeal when I was in a depression. Sports couldn't get my attention. TV made it worse. I had to create something, and I'm not good at drawing or painting or sculpting, and I can't sing or play any instruments, but anyone can type.

Roleplaygateway is what got me through most days. Long days in boring classes were spent thinking about my character in my current roleplay. Granted, I probably should have payed attention in Pre-Calc, but roleplaygateway allowed me to not just create something wonderful, but also to be someone other than myself, and even make friends doing it. It took my mind off of how I felt about my own life.

I'm rambling at this point. I know this isn't as eloquently written as some other life stories, but it will have to do. the point is, roleplaygateway and her community helped me through a very rough time in my life, and I might not have made it to today without you guys, so thank you all so much. I love you guys.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/aDBsq61Wem4/viewtopic.php

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Government braces for coming changes to NSA powers

With a chart listing thwarted acts of terrorism, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., left, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., right, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, question top Obama administration officials on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 31, 2013, about the National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance programs for the first time since the House narrowly rejected a proposal last week to effectively shut down the NSA's secret collection of hundreds of millions of Americans' phone records. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In this frame grab taken from Rossiya 24 channel, Lon Snowden, the father of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden speaks during an interview to the state-owned Rossiya 24 channel in Washington, DC late Tuesday, July 30, 2013. He said on Russian television that he is grateful to the Kremlin for protecting his son. Speaking to the state-owned Rossiya 24 channel in footage broadcast Wednesday, Lon Snowden of Allentown, Pennsylvania, thanked President Vladimir Putin and his government for the "courage" they have shown in keeping his son safe. (AP Photo/Rossiya 24 via APTN) TV OUT

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama's national security team argued Wednesday to keep its sweeping domestic surveillance powers intact, even as it acknowledged some limitations appear inevitable.

Facing unexpectedly harsh opposition from both parties over its once-secret program capable of sweeping up the phone records of every American, the Obama administration said it wanted to work with lawmakers who seemed intent on putting limits on that authority.

"We are open to re-evaluating this program in ways that can perhaps provide greater confidence and public trust that this is in fact a program that achieves both privacy protections and national security," Robert Litt, counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told skeptical members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The hearing came one week after a surprisingly close vote in the House that would have killed the phone surveillance program. It barely survived, but lawmakers promised that change was coming.

This newest privacy-vs.-collective security debate was touched off when former government contract systems analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents exposing National Security Agency programs that store years of phone records on every American. That revelation prompted the most significant reconsideration yet of the vast surveillance powers Congress granted the president in the wake of the harrowing Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

On Wednesday, the national security establishment sought to reassure Congress that their surveillance powers were rigorously monitored and narrowly crafted while simultaneously leaving open the possibility of some new limitations.

To that end, the administration declassified documents about the telephone program. But the documents revealed no legal analysis that underpinned the widespread surveillance. And the redacted documents show only in broad strokes how NSA officials use the data.

For the first time, however, the government acknowledged publicly that using what it calls "hop analysis," it can analyze the phone calls of millions of Americans in the hunt for just one suspected terrorist. That's because NSA analysts can look at not just a suspect's phone records, but also the records of everyone he calls, everyone who calls those people and everyone who calls those people.

If the average person calls 40 unique people, three-hop analysis could allow the government to mine the records of 2.5 million Americans when investigating one suspected terrorist.

"What's being described as a very narrow program is really a very broad program," said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.

John Inglis, the NSA's deputy director, conceded the point but said, in practice, such broad analysis was rare.

"We have to compare the theory to the practice," he said.

Last week's House vote of 217-205 defeating an attempt to dismantle the program was significant not only because of the narrowness of the victory for the Obama administration, but also because it created unusual political coalitions. Libertarian-leaning conservatives and liberal Democrats pressed for change against the Republican establishment and Congress' national security experts.

Backing the NSA program were 134 Republicans and 83 Democrats, including House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who typically does not vote, and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Rejecting the administration's last-minute pleas to spare the surveillance operation were 94 Republicans and 111 Democrats.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-31-US-NSA-Surveillance/id-b5234f66ef114ac8b12a08fc230ef1e1

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'50 Shades' popular among Guantanamo Bay prisoners: Congressman

Andrew Matthews/AP

A pile of "Fifty Shades of Grey

By Jane Sutton, Reuters

The "Fifty Shades of Grey" series of erotic novels are the favorite reading material among "high-value" prisoners at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba, a U.S. congressman said.

Representative Jim Moran of Virginia was among congressional delegates who last week toured Camp 7, the top-security facility that holds more than a dozen "high-value" prisoners, including five men charged with plotting the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

"Rather than the Koran, the book that is requested most by the (Camp 7 detainees) is 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' They've read the entire series," Moran said in an account first published by the Huffington Post and confirmed to Reuters by Moran's spokeswoman.

"I guess there's not much going on, these guys are going nowhere, so what the hell."

Andrew Matthews/AP

The guard tower stands at the entrance to detention facilities at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2012.

Moran, who favors shutting down the detention camp on the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, said he learned about the book's popularity while touring Camp 7 with the base commander and deputy base commander, the head medical official and the officer in charge of that camp.

A military spokesman said he could not discuss details of Camp 7, whose inmates were held in secret CIA prisons before being sent to Guantanamo in 2006.

"We don't discuss our high-value detainees except in the most generic terms. Further, we do not discuss the assertions made by members of Congress," said Lieutenant Colonel Samuel House, a spokesman for the prison camp.

Overall Guantanamo holds 166 men rounded up in counter-terrorism operations. Some prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest their indefinite detention.

Journalists are not allowed to visit that part of the detention camp but can tour the other prisons and the library that provides books, magazines and DVDs to all 166 captives.

During a visit last week, Reuters saw an eclectic mix of books in numerous languages, from religious tomes to Star Trek novelizations, Agatha Christie mysteries, stress reduction workbooks and the Greek classic "The Odyssey."

Also on offer is "The Hunger Games," according to a librarian who goes by the nickname Zorro. "We have the movie and the book too," he said.

Guantanamo librarians have said in the past that they screen reading material for sexual content, even blacking out photos of scantily clad women in the advertisements in sports magazines.?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663306/s/2f5b9c2a/sc/42/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A70C30A0C197798210E50A0Eshades0Epopular0Eamong0Eguantanamo0Ebay0Eprisoners0Econgressman0Dlite/story01.htm

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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Community Health to buy Health Management for $3.9 billion

By Susan Kelly and Caroline Humer

(Reuters) - U.S. hospital chain Community Health Systems Inc said on Tuesday it would buy smaller Health Management Associates Inc for $3.9 billion to increase its base during the overhaul of the country's healthcare system.

Health Management on Tuesday also disclosed it had received additional subpoenas in a widening federal government investigation of its admissions practices. The troubled company also named a new CEO on Tuesday.

The Community Health deal, which the market had been anticipating, is the second in the sector in as many months. Faced with declining patient admissions and rising bad debts, companies are struggling to shore up their finances as they await an expected influx of newly insured patients beginning next year under healthcare reform.

Both companies' hospitals are primarily in smaller cities and rural areas. Health Management has a strong presence in the U.S. Southeast, including Florida. Community Health is the second largest for-profit chain behind HCA Holdings Inc , mostly spread across the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest.

The combined company would have 206 hospitals across 29 states. "HMA's geographic footprint is complementary to ours. They are in different markets that give us a chance to expand into new communities," Community Health Chief Executive Wayne Smith said on a conference call.

Community Health said that based on Monday's share prices it would pay $13.78 per share in cash and its own stock. Health Management shareholders would own a 16 percent stake in the new company and get an additional contingent value right worth up to $1 per share that depends on the outcome of a government probe of admissions practices at Health Management.

Health Management shares fell 11.1 percent to $13.26, while Community Health dipped 0.4 percent at $47.03.

Deutsche Bank analyst Darren Lehrich said the acquisition could potentially add 20 percent to 30 percent or more to Community Health's earnings per share in 2015.

Community Health expects to achieve breakeven earnings in the first year after the deal closes and would cut costs between $150 million and $180 million annually within two-and-a-half years.

Separately, Health Management on Tuesday forecast weaker-than-expected second-quarter earnings of 10 cents to 11 cents a share due to lower hospital admissions.

It also said it received additional subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about emergency room operations after getting subpoenaed in 2011. It also received an additional subpoena on physician relationships.

Health Management has also received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over accounts receivable, billing writedowns, contractual adjustments, reserves for doubtful accounts and revenue.

Health Management cut its earnings outlook in April, citing weak patient admissions. In December, it was the subject of a story on the "60 Minutes" CBS television program that claimed it used aggressive policies to boost admissions. Health Management denied the assertions.

Health Management has also faced a looming proxy fight with hedge fund Glenview Capital Management, which wanted to replace the entire board. Health Management has hired Morgan Stanley and law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges to help respond to Glenview's campaign.

Glenview, which owns 14.6 percent of Health Management, said in a June letter to the hospital operator there was "significant room for improvement," and that its financial performance had fallen short for more than a decade.

Health Management CEO Gary Newsome was due to retire at the end of the month. On Tuesday the company said John Starcher would be interim president and CEO.

'VERY DIFFICULT TIME'

"This industry is having a very difficult time, if you haven't noticed, in terms of our earnings," Community Health's Smith told analysts.

Last month, No. 3 hospital chain Tenet Healthcare Corp said it was buying Vanguard Health Systems Inc for $1.73 billion.

Community Health, based in Franklin, Tennessee, reported a drop in second-quarter profit on Monday due to weak admissions and a rise in bad debt. Earlier this month, it said it had received an additional subpoena related to a Justice Department investigation of short-stay admissions from emergency departments.

The boards of both companies have approved the deal, which they expect to close by the end of March.

(Reporting by Susan Kelly in Chicago and Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/community-health-buy-health-management-3-9-billion-111105172.html

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Golf: Hall drawn alongside Davies in Women's Open

8:09pm Tuesday 30th July 2013 in Sport Photograph of the Author By Ian Wadley

DORSET golfing sensation Georgia Hall has been handed a dream draw for the Women's Open - alongside four-time major winner Laura Davies.

The 17-year-old amateur star will be in illustrious company when she tees up alongside legend Davies in the St Andrew's showpiece later this week.

Hall has been drawn to play with Davies and Korea's So Yeon Ryu in the first round of the prestigious event at 11.26am on Thursday.

Wallisdown's Hall, a member at both Remedy Oak and Parkstone, won last year's British Girls' Championship and earned exemption to the Open with victory in the ladies' British Amateur Championship.

Davies, 49, is one of the best-known players in the women's game and boasts a fine record of 84 professional career wins.

Source: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/10581160.Golf__Hall_drawn_alongside_Davies_in_Women_s_Open/?ref=rss

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Apple releases fourth beta of iOS 7 to developers

By AppleInsider Staff

Apple on Monday supplied its developers with the fourth pre-release beta of iOS 7 for testing, as it prepares to launch the software to the public this fall.

iOS 7 beta 4 arrives three weeks after the previously beta seeded to registered developers. It is now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

According to Apple, the latest beta of iOS 7 includes bug fixes and improvements. The company has again warned that it should only be installed on devices dedicated to iOS 7 beta software development.

People familiar with the beta said the lock screen has been tweaked to add an arrow pointing right, located to the left of the "slide to unlock" text. The quick launch and notification center graphics at the bottom and top of the screen, respectively, have also been changed to straight lines rather than arrows, though they revert to arrows once the menus have been invoked.

iOS 7 beta 4 also reportedly fixes issues with syncing calendars through iCloud, and addressed an issue where high-resolution images for a contact may not sync. Font line heights are also said to have changed from previous builds.

A handful of known issues remain with the pre-release software, including a glitch that prevents voice memos from being restored via iCloud backup. Developers are advised to sync voice memos off of a device before restoring from iCloud.

Apple had previously been releasing new iOS 7 betas every two weeks, but that schedule may have been thrown off by a hack that forced the company to take down its developer portal. The Dev Center returned last Friday after 8 days of being offline.

A new rumor from Boy Genius Report on Monday claims that Apple is planning to release two more betas of iOS 7 to developers. After releasing six betas, it's expected that the company will issue the golden master, or intended final build, of iOS 7.0 at some point in September.

Source: http://appleinsider.com.feedsportal.com/c/33975/f/616168/s/2f4d9a7c/sc/5/l/0Lappleinsider0N0Carticles0C130C0A70C290Capple0Ereleases0Efourth0Ebeta0Eof0Eios0E70Eto0Edevelopers/story01.htm

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Today's Housing Market Making It Extra Tough on ... - AOL Real Estate

Young couple visiting new home construction site

By Kathryn Buschman Vasel

If you're a first-time homebuyer in today's market, experts have a brief message for you: good luck. Traditionally, first-time homebuyers tend to be couples, in their mid- to early 30s with an established career and adequate savings to make the big purchase. But some of the faces making up this group now are a little older than in the past.

"There is now an older group of first timers who couldn't buy before the housing burst because they were just getting established and prices were insanely high," says Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage and consumer loan website HSH.com. "But then they also couldn't buy during the recession because they lost their job or had massive debt."

He estimates that about 15 to 20 percent of the new-homebuyer market is made up of people over 35.
First-time buyers play a key role in the housing market's health and strength of the economy, but they're having a hard time finding room at the bargaining table and face unique challenges that those before them didn't face.

"Because home prices fell so much after the housing bubble burst, there is stronger-than-usual investor activity. Inventory is below normal and mortgage credit is tight," says Jed Kolko, chief economist for Trulia.com.

According the National Association of Realtors, first-time buyers made up 29 percent of home sales in June, down from 32 percent in the same period a year prior.

"Adults that used to be buying houses are now living with their parents or with many roommates because they have no economic confidence, and that takes a toll on construction, which is key to the housing market," explains Kolko.

Consumers' first house tends to be the starting point to larger purchases after they establish more equity and are able to move up to larger and more expensive homes. When this trading-up effect doesn't happen until later in life, it can stifle economic growth.

"Buying a home used to be the second step," says Kolko. "It used to be: You rent first, and then buy. Now, you live in a basement, then rent, and then buy. That pushes a lot of spending to later in life, and the economy needs that spending."

It's hard to fault would-be-homebuyers' lack of confidence. "These young adults have a lot of hurdles they have to overcome, they are still underemployed or work part time, so they don't have the job history or income strength to get a mortgage," says Gumbinger. "The ability to increase your income is slight in this marketplace of rising home prices."

First-timers are also carrying around more student loan debt than past generations, which prevents them for qualifying for a mortgage.

"Right now, the interest on student-loan debt is an average of $22,000-$25,000 ... so we are asking first-time homebuyers to first pay the equivalent of two cars before being able to buy a house," says Jed Smith, managing director for quantitative research for the National Association of Realtors.

First-time buyers do face some obstacles, and experts advise them to either get in now or wait a year or two. "They either need to pull the trigger now and battle the low inventory and tight mortgage market and take advantage of the lower rates or wait a year, face higher home prices but have more inventory to choose from and have looser lending practices," says Kolko.

He expects home prices to continue to rise, but not at the current 10 percent year-over-year pace. "Prices will hit the brakes, but that won't throw the market's recovery into reverse."

For buyers ready to take the plunge now, they should expect to pony up a big offer. According to a recent survey from Trulia, 78 percent of young adults who plan to buy a home say they would use aggressive tactics to seal the deal, including making an offer above list price, paying seller's closing costs and removing contingencies.

Financing has always been a struggle for first-timers, but current lending practices are especially tight for buyers because lenders' are too "shell-shocked," according to Smith. "We don't see standards loosening significantly in the near future. Hopefully (lenders) will readjust their portfolios to make them feel comfortable taking on a little more risk, but that's down the road."

The attitude of potential first-timers has also shifted as memories of the recession continue to haunt them.

"There is no doubt now is a great time to buy, but there is this fear of loss that is stopping them," says Gumbinger. "This is jumping in with both feet into the deep end; they watched friends and family lose their life savings, get removed from their homes and have to start all over, and for them, it's just not worth the risk and responsibility."

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More on AOL Real Estate:

Find homes for rent.
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/07/29/first-time-homebuyers-tough-housing-market/

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Car bombings in Iraq wound Maliki's government

? A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

More than 46 people were killed in Iraq this morning after a wave of car bombs exploded in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods and other cities across the country ? the latest signal that the long simmering Shiite-Sunni conflict in Iraq is once again coming to a boil.

The New York Times reports that the attacks targeted a variety of sites, including a hospital, a restaurant, a bus station, and several markets. At least 30 were killed in Baghdad, while others were reported dead in Basra, Kut, and Smawa. The Times writes that more than 100 people were reported wounded, while Agence France-Presse put the injured at least at 226.

The Times reports that no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, though in the past coordinated bombings against Shiites have been a hallmark of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

RECOMMENDED: Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do you know the difference? Take our quiz.

The string of car bombs is just the latest event in Iraq's ongoing sectarian conflict, which has flared in recent months. The BBC reports that April, May, and June of this year each saw more than 700 people, mostly civilians, killed in Iraq, with a high of some 1,045 dead in May, according to United Nations figures. July has already surpassed the 700-dead mark, with Reuters putting the tally at 810 so far. Iraq Body Count, an independent watchdog tallying the conflict's death toll, put July's total at 831 before today's attacks.

And AFP notes that today's car bombings follow a pair of coordinated attacks by militants in recent days: an assault Wednesday by some 150 militants on the town of Sulaiman Bek that saw the execution of 14 Shiite truck drivers, and a brazen jailbreak at Abu Ghraib a week ago in which more than 500 prisoners were set free and at least 20 security forces were killed.

The Christian Science Monitor's Dan Murphy, commenting after the jailbreak, writes that "Whether this was a total disaster or just the latest in a series of black eyes for the government remains to be seen."

But what's already clear is light infantry attacks involving a large number of insurgents and weapons, that must have been long planned, were carried out against government forces on the outskirts of Baghdad, the seat of central government power. Iraq's sectarian civil war in some ways never really ended, US protestations that the "surge" brought peace to Iraq to the contrary. The Shiite dominated government has behaved autocratically, clamped down on freedom of speech, continued the tradition of torture in Iraq's prisons and police stations, and cut Sunni Arabs out of the political process.

Not surprisingly some of the Sunni Arabs who were promised a seat at the table in the "new Iraq" but have instead been systematically marginalized are taking up arms again. Lately they've been given heart by Sunni jihadi successes across the border in Syria (where Bashar al-Assad is allied with Shiite Iran and enjoys at least the tepid support of the Maliki government), with Iraqi jihadis from Anbar and other border provinces playing a prominent role in the Jabhat al-Nusra insurgent group, and those returning home reinvigorating their comrades.

BBC News adds that tensions are not just increasing along the country's Sunni-Shiite divide, but within the Shiite government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as well. Analyst Rami Ruhayem writes that the recent spate of attacks ? the jailbreak in particular ? has been "opening fissures within the governing coalition and between ministers themselves."

After the jailbreak, there were arguments over whether the blame should fall on the justice ministry or the interior ministry, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had to sack a number of security officials. Monday's attacks are likely to increase popular anger at the government's failures.

RECOMMENDED: Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do you know the difference? Take our quiz.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Sony and Panasonic working on a new 300 GB optical disc standard

Sony and Panasonic have officially announced that they are working on the next-generation optical disc for long-term digital data storage. Both companies are planning to develop an optical disc with storage capabilities of at least 300 GB by the end of 2015.

The specifics of the optical disc, like protection against dust, water, temperature and humidity are the main reasons for Sony and Panasonic to still be investing in the format.

Sony and Panasonic are currently targeting the video production industry along with motion picture houses and broadcasters as its potential customers. However, cloud-based data centers too are expected to make use of the upcoming high-capacity disc to store large amount of data.

Today?s Blu-ray discs can store up to 25 GB of data on a single layer, while the dual-layer has the capacity to store 50 GB of data. So, if you are planning to store large amount of data in a compact optical disc, then the new standard discs is what you should be looking forward to.

Source

Source: http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-and-panasonic-working-on-a-new-standard-300-gb-optical-disc/

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Dragons Crown Is Sold Out Almost Everywhere in Japan

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Source: contoso --- Sunday, July 28, 2013
If you live in Japan and don't want to settle with the digital version of Dragon's Crown you may want to hurry, as the latest game by Vanillaware appears to have made a big splash in the archipelago of the rising sun, big enough to be sold out at almost every retailer. ...

Source: http://animeshinbun.com/news/1320957/dragons-crown-is-sold-out-almost-everywhere-in-japan

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Sunday, July 28, 2013

AT AMAZON, up to 60% off on Sony SD Memory Cards. You can never have too many. Also: up to 25% ?

AT AMAZON, up to 60% off on Sony SD Memory Cards. You can never have too many.

Also: up to 25% off on select underwater cameras.

UPDATE: Reader Bruce Parker writes: ?A friend and I went to the Isle of Man races in June, and he bought a Pentax WG-# ?adventure camera? for the trip. Amazing features, very compact, excellent results. My Canon G9 was a box camera in comparison.?

Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 7:00 pm

Source: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/173170/

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'Glee' actor says Monteith was show's leader

FILE - In this Monday April 12, 2010 file photo, Cory Monteith, a cast member in the television series "Glee," arrives at the "Glee" Spring Premiere Soiree in Los Angeles, Vancouver police say Canadian born actor Montieth, star of the hit show "Glee" has been found dead in city hotel. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

This publicity image released by NBC shows actor Mike O'Malley from the "Welcome to the Family" panel during the NBCUniversal Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday, July 27, 2013. "Welcome to the Family," set to premiere in October, follows the culture clash between a white and Latino family who are thrown together after their teenage children get engaged after an unexpected pregnancy. (AP Photo/NBC, Chris Haston)

This publicity image released by NBC shows actor Mike O'Malley, from left, Executive Producer Mike Sikowitz, and actor Ricardo A. Chavira from the "Welcome to the Family" panel during the NBCUniversal Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday, July 27, 2013. (AP Photo/NBC, Chris Haston)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? "Glee" cast member Mike O'Malley says Cory Monteith, who died earlier this month of a drug overdose, was a leader on the show.

O'Malley plays Burt Hummel, dad to Chris Colfer's Kurt on the musical. He told the Television Critics Association on Saturday that Monteith was a welcoming colleague, a talented actor and a great guy.

O'Malley said Monteith, who played quarterback Finn, was the quarterback on the set as well.

The 31-year-old Monteith was found dead July 13 in a hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, and an autopsy revealed he died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol.

O'Malley is set to star in a father's role in the new NBC comedy, "Welcome to the Family," set to premiere in October, which follows the culture clash between a white and Latino family who are thrown together after their teenage children get engaged after an unexpected pregnancy.

O'Malley says the toughest scene he's had to do as an actor was opposite Monteith. On the show, Burt Hummel eventually married Finn's mother.

"I had to throw (his character) out of the house because of a slur that he used. It was remarkable to me when we were shooting that scene over and over again, the depth of emotion he was able to portray."

"Glee" is set to begin its fifth season on Sept. 26, a week later than originally scheduled, and a tribute episode to Monteith is planned.

"I'm here doing 'Welcome to the Family,' and we shoot one episode five days a week. But Burt is a very important role to me. It's been a great part and I've said to all those guys, that I'll work early in the morning, late at night, Saturday, Sunday, whatever I need to do to participate and continue to be on that show honoring Cory and his passing and that character. He is my stepson on that show. I certainly plan on being there."

O'Malley said he thinks he will be on hiatus from "Welcome to the Family" when the tribute episode to Monteith is shot, which would clear his schedule to appear on the show.

___

Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http:/www.twitter.com/aliciar

___

Online:

http://www.nbc.com/Welcome-To-The-Family/

http://www.fox.com/glee/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-07-27-US-TV-O'Malley-Monteith/id-10deef32851848a08bcc717bbdec4a60

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Mali scrambles to be ready for Sunday's 'fresh start' vote

By David Lewis and Tiemoko Diallo

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian election officials scrambled to distribute voting material for an election on Sunday intended to provide a fresh start to a country divided by a coup and a war in its desert north.

Candidates wound up campaigns promising reconstruction and reconciliation but, underscoring security fears despite a successful French offensive against al Qaeda-linked fighters, an Islamist group threatened to attack polling stations.

Separatist and Islamist rebels swept across the country's desert north last year shortly after soldiers ousted the president, an unprecedented crisis in the former French colony, previously seen as an island of stability in West Africa.

Thousands of French troops halted a rebel advance in January and United Nations peacekeepers are deploying to stabilize the broken nation. A successful vote on Sunday would take the gold-producing country another step towards its recovery.

"We need this election - it is critical," said Abdrahamane Toure, a postal worker who went to the Aminata Diop school in Bamako's Lafiabougou neighborhood to check where he would vote.

"Once we have a legitimate state back, things might start getting better," he added.

In a sign of last-minute preparations, residents were still lining up to collect newly-printed ID cards that they will have to show in order to vote as a truck laden with plastic ballot boxes pulled up at the Bamako school on Saturday.

Authorities also instructed some 6.8 million eligible voters how to find their polling stations by sending SMS messages to designated numbers.

In the run-up to the vote, experts had warned that a rushed election might lead to challenges and further crises.

But election officials say they have distributed 85 percent of the ID cards and a free and fair race in a field of 26 men and one women could take place.

Louis Michel, head of the European Union's election observer mission, said he was "positively surprised" by preparations and that the conditions for the vote were acceptable.

"A month ago, there were a lot of doubts (over the election). But it has come together. Everyone realizes that this interim government has to end as its inherent fragility and uncertainty has been so costly for Mali," said Mary Beth Leonard, the U.S. ambassador to Bamako.

Voting is due to start at 4.00 a.m. ET at 21,000 polling stations across the country, from the bustling, lush riverside capital in the south to the remote desert garrison town of Kidal, which was at the heart of last year's rebellion.

Most of the front-runners are established political figures over the last 20 years of Malian politics so there is little likelihood of a radical overhaul of the country's democracy.

A second round of voting will take place on August 11 if no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote.

"LOOKING FOR UNITY"

Before last year's collapse, Mali, a poor nation straddling the south of the Sahara, had built up a reputation for stability and become Africa's No. 3 gold producer.

Donors who slashed aid after the coup have promised over 3 billion euros in reconstruction assistance after the election.

The new president will have to oversee peace talks with separatist Tuareg rebels who have agreed to allow the vote to take place in areas they operate in but have yet to lay down their arms.

France is hoping a successful vote will allow it to scale down its military presence in Mali from around 3,000 troops currently. A 12,600-strong U.N. mission is rolling out.

While there have been few counter-attacks by Islamists since they were scattered from their northern strongholds, MUJWA, one of the groups that occupied Mali's north last year, on Saturday threatened to attack polling stations.

"Places of the so-called election will be a target for the strikes of the Mujaahideen (holy strugglers)," Mauritania's Nouakchoute News Agency quoted the group as saying in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by the agency.

The group also warned what it called the Muslims of Mali against taking part in the elections and urged them to stay away.

Election experts said they expect some problems given the rushed preparations but added the key to stability was ensuring no-one were seen aiding one side or the other.

"All we are looking for is unity," Mohamed Kale, imam at Bamako's Grand Mosque, told Reuters after Friday prayers.

"This vote will allow us to find a leader so it has to be a good one. The number of people who take part will give this legitimacy," he added.

(Additional reporting by Sami Aboudi; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mali-scrambles-ready-sundays-fresh-start-vote-010444272.html

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