Saturday, December 31, 2011

North Korea vows no engagement with South's president

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea announced Friday that there would be no change in its policy under its new leader, Kim Jong Un, striking a characteristically hostile posture with a threat to punish President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea for "unforgivable sins."

The statement from the National Defense Commission, North Korea's highest decision-making body, marked the country's first official pronouncement to the outside world since the regime upheld Kim as its supreme leader Thursday. His elevation came a day after the state funeral of his father, the long-time dictator Kim Jong Il.

"We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us," said the statement. "We will never deal with the traitor group of Lee Myung-bak."

The commission said it was "entrusted by the party, state and military" to issue the "principled stance." The statement was carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the regime's official mouthpiece to the outside world.

It directed its wrath at Lee, whose government refused to express official condolences to North Korea and allowed only two private delegations to visit Pyongyang during "the great funeral of the nation." It also criticized South Korea's move to place its military on heightened vigilance and conservative South Korean activists' launching of balloons that carried leaflets into the North.

By returning swiftly to its more typical bellicose form after two weeks of mourning, North Korea appeared to demonstrate a confidence that the transition of power in Pyongyang was going smoothly. But the strident rhetoric was also a sign that the regime, as it often has, was using perceived tensions with the outside world to rally its military and people behind the new leader during a sensitive transition.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_19649333?source=rss

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Friday, December 30, 2011

[Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder of Microsoft]

Computer History Museum

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, talked about his memoir. During this event he was interviewed by Jose Antonio Vargas, former Washington Post reporter and senior contributing editor at Huffington Post. He also .. Read More

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, talked about his memoir. During this event he was interviewed by Jose Antonio Vargas, former Washington Post reporter and senior contributing editor at Huffington Post. He also responded to questions submitted by members of the audience. This was part of the Computer History Museum 2011 lecture series celebrating Revolutionaries.

1 hour, 2 minutes | 734 Views

Source: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/299901-1

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Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking

Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology

ST. PAUL, Minn. People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Those with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins also had higher scores on mental thinking tests than people with diets low in those nutrients. These omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D are primarily found in fish. The B vitamins and antioxidants C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables.

In another finding, the study showed that people with diets high in trans fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and lower scores on the thinking and memory tests than people with diets low in trans fats. Trans fats are primarily found in packaged, fast, fried and frozen food, baked goods and margarine spreads.

The study involved 104 people with an average age of 87 and very few risk factors for memory and thinking problems. Blood tests were used to determine the levels of various nutrients present in the blood of each participant. All of the participants also took tests of their memory and thinking skills. A total of 42 of the participants had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.

Overall, the participants had good nutritional status, but seven percent were deficient in vitamin B12 and 25 percent were deficient in vitamin D.

Study author Gene Bowman, ND, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said that the nutrient biomarkers in the blood accounted for a significant amount of the variation in both brain volume and thinking and memory scores. For the thinking and memory scores, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 17 percent of the variation in the scores. Other factors such as age, number of years of education and high blood pressure accounted for 46 percent of the variation. For brain volume, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 37 percent of the variation.

"These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet," Bowman said.

The study was the first to use nutrient biomarkers in the blood to analyze the effect of diet on memory and thinking skills and brain volume. Previous studies have looked at only one or a few nutrients at a time or have used questionnaires to assess people's diet. But questionnaires rely on people's memory of their diet, and they also do not account for how much of the nutrients are absorbed by the body, which can be an issue in the elderly.

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Portland VA Medical Center.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of 24,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology

ST. PAUL, Minn. People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Those with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins also had higher scores on mental thinking tests than people with diets low in those nutrients. These omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D are primarily found in fish. The B vitamins and antioxidants C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables.

In another finding, the study showed that people with diets high in trans fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and lower scores on the thinking and memory tests than people with diets low in trans fats. Trans fats are primarily found in packaged, fast, fried and frozen food, baked goods and margarine spreads.

The study involved 104 people with an average age of 87 and very few risk factors for memory and thinking problems. Blood tests were used to determine the levels of various nutrients present in the blood of each participant. All of the participants also took tests of their memory and thinking skills. A total of 42 of the participants had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.

Overall, the participants had good nutritional status, but seven percent were deficient in vitamin B12 and 25 percent were deficient in vitamin D.

Study author Gene Bowman, ND, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said that the nutrient biomarkers in the blood accounted for a significant amount of the variation in both brain volume and thinking and memory scores. For the thinking and memory scores, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 17 percent of the variation in the scores. Other factors such as age, number of years of education and high blood pressure accounted for 46 percent of the variation. For brain volume, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 37 percent of the variation.

"These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet," Bowman said.

The study was the first to use nutrient biomarkers in the blood to analyze the effect of diet on memory and thinking skills and brain volume. Previous studies have looked at only one or a few nutrients at a time or have used questionnaires to assess people's diet. But questionnaires rely on people's memory of their diet, and they also do not account for how much of the nutrients are absorbed by the body, which can be an issue in the elderly.

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Portland VA Medical Center.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of 24,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/aaon-dpm122011.php

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Warren J. Blumenfeld: Girl Scout Organization Fulfills Its Promises and Laws

"I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout."
--The Girl Scout Law

When Bobby Montoya, a 7-year-old transgender girl, wished to join the Girl Scouts of Denver, Colo., the troop's leader initially turned down her request by reportedly telling her mother and grandmother, "It doesn't matter how he looks, he has boy parts, he can't be in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts don't allow that [and] I don't want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor."

Bobby, upon hearing the news, felt devastated and depressed, and began to cry. Her mom, Felisha Archuleta, stated that Bobby has expressed her gender as a girl since about the age of 2 years old and has "loved girl stuff," so she permitted Bobby to dress and express gender how she wanted "as long as [Bobby's] happy."

Felisha objected to the troop's decision, and recently, the Girl Scouts of Colorado rescinded its earlier decision and released a statement that "Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout."

And by so doing, the Girl Scout leadership has fulfilled its own written laws "to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible."

Not all troops and troop leaders, however, welcomed the Colorado decision. Specifically, three Girl Scout leaders affiliated with the Northlake Christian School in Covington, La. resigned their posts and disbanded their troops. One of the leaders who resigned, Susan Bryant-Snure, who has three daughters among the approximately 25 scouts in her troop, reported to The Christian Post that the action taken by the Girl Scouts of Colorado is "extremely confusing" and an "almost dangerous situation" for children. "This goes against what we [Northlake Christian School] believe."

The three former Girl Scout leaders said they may now affiliate with American Heritage Girls (AHG), a Christian association founded in 1995 in reaction to an earlier decision by the Girl Scouts of America allowing scouts to use alternate words to "God" in their pledge. AHG proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord, teaches Christian doctrines, and restricts membership to those assigned "female" at birth.

The Baptist Press reported that Jeff Johnston, spokesperson for the ultra-conservative Focus on the Family, argued that permitting transgender youth to join the Girl Scouts would "lead to growing societal confusion about gender" and added that "[s]trong cultural campaigns are already underway to teach that gender doesn't matter, and to promote more than two genders." The Baptist Press wrote that Johnston also claimed that his organization had been contacted by mothers in Colorado afraid about their daughters "attending camping trips with boys pretending to be girls."

Well, Bobby and other people who live along the transgender spectrum are not "pretending" to be anyone or anything other than themselves, their true and authentic selves.

In her 1990 essay "Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions," critical theorist Judith Butler wrote, "Gender is ... a construction that regularly conceals its genesis; the tacit collective agreement to perform, produce, and sustain discrete and polar genders as cultural fictions is obscured by the credibility of those productions -- and the punishments that attend not agreeing to believe in them."

So with the reality that "gender" itself is socially constructed and socially determined, I refute Johnston's contention that the Scout's decision to admit Bobby "will lead to growing societal confusion about gender." Instead, this decision helps to underscore the artificiality and social manufacture or production of this thing, actually, these behaviors we call "gender."

In her 1990 essay "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution," Butler equates gender with actions that one performs as an actor performs a role upon a stage: "Hence, gender is an act which has been rehearsed, much as a script survives the particular actors who make use of it, but which requires individual actors in order to be actualized and reproduced as reality once again."

While living in a social environment -- one that mandates gender-role conformity while promoting misunderstanding, misinformation, bigotry, and, yes, persecution and violence --transgender people are attempting to live their lives with integrity and authenticity. I would even go so far as to assume that maybe even consciously or unconsciously, members of the transgender community are attempting to live according to the scout qualities enumerated in the Girl Scout laws, especially regarding making the world a better place.

I know that I am a better person and one who feels more optimistic and safer in the world knowing that there are young people like Bobby who refuse to adhere to the constraining, outmoded, and oppressive notions of gender, and mothers like Felisha who refuse to impose and reiterate gender-role conformity on their children.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-j-blumenfeld/girl-scouts-bobby-montoya_b_1168416.html

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Filmpje: Qatar laat liefde voor auto's zien in feestelijke parade

Moskou 2011: bezoek TopLine beurs

Moskou, een stad die niet te omschrijven is in een paar zinnen maar waar een volledig boek voor nodig is. Deze stad is een unieke belevenis en hoe de dagelijkse chaos en overweldigende luxe is... Moskou 2011: in gesprek met Oleg Egorov van TopCar

Gepassioneerd als Italianen en zo gek als echte Russen. Onze kennismaking met TopCar is bijzonder te noemen. In de miljoenenstad Moskou is sinds 2004 het bedrijf TopCar gevestigd. Wat begon als een...

Source: http://www.spyspots.com/nl/item/12899/filmpje-qatar-laat-liefde-voor-autos-zien-in-feestelijke-parade.html

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Texas police: Man in Santa suit killed 6 relatives

Grapevine police investigate the scene where they found seven people dead outside Dallas in Grapevine, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Grapevine police investigate the scene where they found seven people dead outside Dallas in Grapevine, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Police tape hangs in front of an apartment complex where 7 people were found dead, Sunday Dec. 25, 2010, in Grapevine, Texas. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Police tape stretches through a Grapevine, Texas, apartment complex where police found seven people dead in an apartment on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 in Grapevine, Texas. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Police line tape lines the scene where police found seven people dead in an apartment on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 in Grapevine, Texas. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Scott Goldstein) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

Grapevine police investigate the scene where they found seven people dead outside Dallas in Grapevine, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. Four women and three men who police believe to be related were found apparently shot to death, and authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Michael Ainsworth) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT;

(AP) ? Police in a quiet Fort Worth suburb worked Monday to piece together a family history after a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit apparently shot six relatives and himself on Christmas.

Grapevine police spokesman Sgt. Robert Eberling said the shooter showed up in the Santa outfit shortly before gunfire erupted and that the family appeared to have been opening Christmas presents. Police responding to a 911 call found four women and three men dead, along with two handguns.

"We think he was just inside there celebrating Christmas with the rest of them and decided for whatever reason that's how he's going to end things," Eberling told The Associated Press.

Investigators worked through Sunday night and into Monday morning, meticulously searching the apartment where the bodies were found, along with vehicles parked outside. Police said they believe the victims were related, though some were visiting and didn't live in the apartment.

Eberling said investigators are piecing together a "family history," but he declined to get into specifics. Autopsies of the shooter and the victims were being done Monday by the Tarrant County medical examiner, but it would probably be Tuesday before their identities were released, he said.

"We're getting a clearer picture, but we're not ready to go on the record with anything until we find out from the medical examiner absolute confirmation of identities and the manner of death," Eberling said.

Roger Metcalf, a spokesman for the medical examiner's office, said the victims have been tentatively identified, but the office couldn't confirm the names because the state driver's license fingerprint database wasn't available on the holiday.

"In addition, we need to locate next of kin before information can be released, and our investigators are working on that as well," Metcalf wrote in an e-mail to the AP.

Late Sunday evening, police intently searched a sport utility vehicle parked outside the apartment. The vehicle is registered to a man who listed his residence as a home two miles away in the neighboring suburb of Colleyville.

Thomas Ehrlich, who lives near the home in Colleyville, told the AP he heard from neighbors that police went to the house Sunday. He said it was his understanding that the man and women who once lived there were estranged.

Records show the couple had financial problems and that their home, most recently valued on the county tax rolls at $336,200, had been sold in 2010 at a foreclosure auction.

Police and firefighters rushed to the Lincoln Vineyards complex about 11:30 a.m. Sunday after receiving a 911 call in which no one was on the other end of the line. Because no one responded on the phone, police went into the apartment, located at the back of the complex.

They found the seven, aged 18 to 60, dead.

Many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbors reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.

The apparent murder-suicide involved the first homicides in Grapevine in more than a year and a half.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-26-Texas-Seven%20Dead/id-9cd10d8db035482fa9e6f51178ff37ec

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favorite iphone apps / games


I'm getting an iPhone 4s in days. Company moving from T-Mobile with Blackberry's to ATT with Blackberry's or iPhones...I'm making the switch. Have actually NEVER had a touch screen phone in my life. Then again, my company(s) have always paid for my cell phone, so no need to get my own. Unfortunately, most companies operate on BES.

Can't come soon enough, because crunchSMS is giving my BB fits - keeps bogging down, causing me to have to pull the battery.

Source: http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php?38430-favorite-iphone-apps-games&goto=newpost

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Just How Important Is Value Investing? - Finance

Posted by publisher on December 26th, 2011

A price-driven discipline that seeks companies whose shares are selling at a discount to their true or intrinsic value is value investing and its roots date back to the 1930s.

Value investors seek companies that are temporarily out of favor while growth-oriented investors focus on firms whose earnings are growing at a rapid pace, a quality that makes them highly sought after. Due to factors ranging from company-specific issues to shifting investor sentiment, cyclical trends, poor economic conditions, or an overall market decline, their shares may be depressed. For no good reason, they are sometimes being ignored by the market.

There are three factors that have amply made the case for the value style of investing over the past 25 years and these are performance, diversification and risk control.

When it comes to performance. Value investing is first and foremost a strategy that has done well over time and it rewards investors with strong risk-adjusted performance. This has actually been true over the past quarter-century.

Another important thing you need to remember is that dividends, particularly those of value stocks, have and continued to be a significant component of the stock market?s total returns.

Diversification. Over time, value and growth stocks have tended to move in different cycles. When growth stocks are in favor, they tend to outperform value shares, and vice versa. Encouraging many investors to construct portfolios employing both value and growth strategies and helping to ensure that they have equity investment with the potential to perform in changing market environments is that kind of knowledge.

The value strategy has more than held its own against its growth counterpart and this is something you should keep in mind. Value?s outperformance has been particularly pronounced in recent years.

Risk control. By their nature, generally tending to be less volatile than their growth counterparts are value stocks. Their shares are typically selling at depressed prices which is why value firms are better positioned to withstand market declines. But normally having higher earning expectations that are built into their prices are shares of growth companies which means that they are subject to wider price swings as those expectations change.

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Source: http://www.thefinanceanalysis.com/2011/12/26/just-how-important-is-value-investing/

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Hacked Powermat lets you touch-to-charge your iPhone in stop-and-go traffic

When you're cruising down the highway, you've got much better things to do than fiddling with iPhone cables -- like, you know, texting and playing Angry Birds. Thankfully, this handy little Powermat hack brings the fun of wireless charging to the comfort of your mobile office, to help free up your hands a bit -- at least until Siri learns how to steer. Video after the break and instructions in the source link -- but please, pull over to the side of the road before attempting to install.

Continue reading Hacked Powermat lets you touch-to-charge your iPhone in stop-and-go traffic

Hacked Powermat lets you touch-to-charge your iPhone in stop-and-go traffic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, December 26, 2011

The Best Christmas Present ? NBA Season Starts Today

Sunday, 25 December, 2011 00:54 Last Updated on Sunday, 25 December, 2011 00:54 Written by admin

-

Even Though David Stern f*cked up the Lakers chances of winning again, I?m

still glad that the NBA lockout is over and the season will begin today with 5

games on the schedule on Christmas Day?..

P.S.? ? Kobe you need to demand a trade now, if they don?t make the trade for

Dwight Howard or its going to be a long season?.

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Source: http://ru-crazy.com/2011/12/25/the-best-christmas-present-nba-season-starts-today/

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DickieV: @greggdoyelcbs Ur stuff on the NCAA with St Joe's situation is right on the money . Agree with @danwetzel. Gregg hope Santa makes u happy.

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@greggdoyelcbs Ur stuff on the NCAA with St Joe's situation is right on the money . Agree with @danwetzel. Gregg hope Santa makes u happy. DickieV

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Racist newsletters put Ron Paul on the defensive for first time

Long-ago Ron Paul?newsletters are getting attention for their inclusion of slurs against black?Americans. The Texas congressman is also taking fire for his foreign policy views.

The pattern isn't surprising: As his chances of showing significant?strength in early primaries have grown, Republican candidate Ron Paul?is facing closer scrutiny.

Skip to next paragraph

The press and his rivals for the GOP nomination aren't going to give?him a free pass in his bid for voter support.

What's suddenly big news is the racial content of Ron Paul?newsletters from prior decades, which are getting attention for slurs against black?Americans. But the so-called "racist newsletter" scandal is not the?only front on which the Texas congressman is taking fire.

Other candidates have blasted his foreign policy positions, which are?also the subject of a critical opinion column in Thursday's Wall Street?Journal.
To some degree, Mr. Paul is getting what he's given. In the?build-up to primary votes in Ohio and New Hampshire, he has served up?some strong criticism of other Republican candidates.

Whatever has prompted the current negative headlines about Paul?(whether it's partly his own negative ads about rivals or not), the?onus is now on him. After dishing it out, he needs to show he can take it?? and provide an adequate response.

Recent examples of Paul going negative on other candidates:

  • One ad focused on alleged "serial hypocrisy" by Newt Gingrich. The?ad showed examples of policy flip-flops by the former House?speaker while in office, the implication that Mr. Gingrich's values?were tainted by later financial ties to Freddie Mac and the health?care industry.
  • Another ad titled "Consistent" called out aspirants Mitt Romney,?Rick Perry, and Herman Cain for supporting federal bailouts during the?2008 financial crisis, while portraying Paul as delivering a consistent?message of fiscal conservatism for more than two decades.
  • His "Big Dog" spot opens with the words, "What's up with these?sorry politicians? Lots of bark. When it's showtime, whimpering like?little Shih Tzu's." OK, maybe the Shih Tzu is the only one directly?named in a negative light. But the ad implies that other candidates?won't deliver on promises to curb Washington spending in a hurry,?while Paul will.

Perhaps this is just Paul being persistent in pointing out his?policy differences with other candidates, and in emphasizing?constistency as his strong suit. That has won him lots of fans,?especially among libertarian-leaning Republicans.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/cLmMavoKk1s/Racist-newsletters-put-Ron-Paul-on-the-defensive-for-first-time

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J3573 : Willowfield (CoI) parish church, Belfast (2)

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Willowfield (CoI) parish church, Belfast (2)

Willowfield (CoI) parish church, Belfast (2)

See J3573 : Willowfield (CoI) parish church, Belfast (1). The belfry seen from My Lady?s Road J3573 : My Lady's Road, Belfast. An early drawing shows a spire on top although it?s unclear whether it was an unexecuted design or an original feature later removed.

Source: http://www.geograph.ie/photo/2738826

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Jolie hopes Bosnia War movie speaks to her generation (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Angelina Jolie didn't plan on directing a movie. But the more she learned about the 1990s Bosnia war, the more she felt responsible for bringing it home to her generation.

Jolie threw her energy into "In the Land of Blood and Honey", writing, co-producing and directing the complex love story set against the horror of the 1992-95 conflict in which more than 100,000 people are believed to have died.

The movie, which initially stoked controversy in Bosnia, opens in U.S. theaters on Friday and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for foreign language film.

"I didn't go into this wanting to be a director, I went into this film because I was moved by the themes," Jolie, 36, told Reuters.

"It wasn't a normal film experience for me, it was an education everyday in humanity and in unity, and also getting to know a culture," she said.

The Oscar-winning "Girl, Interrupted" actress was just 17-years-old and working to establish herself in Hollywood when the conflict in Bosnia erupted on the other side of the world.

But it wasn't until years later, when she became a United Nations Goodwill ambassador and visited Bosnia, that she learned about the war and its victims.

"As I looked into Bosnia -- because this was (when) I was a teenager -- I felt responsible to pay more attention because I didn't at the time ... I was too young and living my life," said Jolie.

"This is my generation that went through this in Europe. So I read more and I learned more and I was just so taken by how little I knew, how little the world speaks about it, and I felt compelled to put this story together," she said.

"Blood and Honey" is the tale of a Serbian man and a Bosnian woman on the eve of the ethnic conflict, who later meet when he is an army officer and she is his detainee.

Jolie cast unknown Bosnian actors Goran Kostic and Zana Marjanovic as the leads and filmed in both English and Serbo-Croat.

But before reading the script, female victims of the war raised objections, and Jolie was forced to shoot many of the scenes in Hungary, rather than Bosnia as she had planned. The movie has since received an enthusiastic reception in Bosnia and Jolie was given an honorary award in July by the Sarajevo film festival.

"This film belongs to this country and these people, it's their story and their film," Jolie said. "They're the most talented actors and nobody could have done these roles better."

Responsibility also weighed heavily on the two lead actors.

"You try very hard to do the best job you can and represent that conflict and your people as best as you can," said Marjanovic, who plays Ajla.

Kostic, who plays Serbian character Danijel, said the movie was very personal. "It's very close to our hearts, and of course, coming from the region, it's easy to tap into that emotional landscape," he added.

Jolie, who was last seen on screen in the 2010 action romance "The Tourist", is yet to schedule her next project.

"I still can't believe somehow I ended up doing this, but I was so compelled by this particular story and I have such a unique crew and cast," she said.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Robert Mezan; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/en_nm/us_angelinajolie

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TripAdvisor Spins Off From Expedia, Takes Flight On The NASDAQ As A Public Company

tripIn April, Expedia announced its intentions to spin off trip reviews site TripAdvisor as a public company. And this morning, TripAdvisor debuted on the NASDAQ under the symbol 'TRIP' trading at. The company is trading at $29 which is actually higher than Expedia, which is trading at $27.72, down 50 percent. TripAdvisor, which was founded in 2000, was originally bought by IAC in for $212 million in 2004. IAC spun off Expedia, which included TripAdvisor, in 2005. With 50 million unique monthly visitors and 20 million members, TripAdvisor is the giant in the travel reviews space. The site publishes 25 new contributions every minute and also features over eight million candid traveler photos. The reviews site operates in 30 different countries, including in China under the site Daodao. IAC chairman and CEO Barry Diller will serve as the TripAdvisor's chairman.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gl4QMKWqjOc/

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Fuhu Nabi Kids Tablet


With tablets?finding their way into more and more households, there is a sensible need for a child-friendly solution. For most, giving your child free rein over an expensive device like the iPad 2?($499-$829, 4.5 stars) may not be the best idea. Not only are parents afraid of damage to their precious pads, but they should also be concerned about exposure to inappropriate content. That's where Fuhu's Nabi Kids Tablet ($199.99, sold exclusively at Toys R Us) steps in. The 7-inch? tablet features two distinct Android environments; one sheltered interface catering to kids and one nearly full featured, traditional Android interface. The Nabi is not a toy, but it is also not quite a tablet either. Its collection of pre-loaded apps and content, a customizable child-safe interface, in a tablet that comes with a thick rubber bumper. And some problems with functionality and responsiveness hold the Nabi tablet back.??

Design and Display
The first thing you will notice about the Nabi is its striking red, oversized rubber bumper. This thing is really solid and looks like it could withstand most anything a child might throw at it (or throw it at). But the bumper isn't integrated into the tablet; it's just a peel-off gel case. It's too easily removable and doesn't make the tablet waterproof. It does offer solid drop protection, but it also makes the Power and Volume buttons difficult to press.

Under the rubber bumper is an unassuming white plastic slab. Together with the bumper, the Nabi measures 10.6 by 7.7 by 3.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.2 pounds; bigger and heavier than the Kindle Fire?($199, 4 stars) at 7.5 by 4.7 by .45 inches (HWD) and 14.6 ounces, but far better equipped for the rigors of playtime. The Nabi sports a 7-inch, 800-by-480-pixel TFT display, a low resolution you're more likely to find on a phone than a tablet. It's an upgrade over child-oriented tablets like the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer's ($99, 4.5 stars) 480-by-272-pixel display, but not as nice as the 1,024-by-600 screens on high-quality 7-inch tablets like the the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet?($249, 4 stars). The screen is bright, and viewing angles are pretty narrow. The biggest problem with the Nabi's display is unresponsiveness. In my tests, it often took multiple touches to get the desired response. This was while navigating through the tablet's interface, and playing games like Cut the Rope.

The tablet is equipped with a mini HDMI port, so you can connect it to an HDTV for playback, and a front-facing camera. For connectivity, there's 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

OS, Apps, Performance
The real draw of the Nabi Kids Tablet is the kids-only interface it lays on top of the now-obsolete Android 2.2. Kidz Mode is a child-safe, stripped-down environment that basically consists of oversized app icons, as well as shortcuts to Nabi's child-friendly Web and multimedia content. Any parent worried about what kind of trouble their kids can get into will appreciate the walled-off nature of Kidz Mode.

Parents can customize what apps appear in Kidz Mode, deciding for themselves what is or is not appropriate for their child. The tablet comes preloaded with games, educational apps, and childrens' books and videos. You get Angry Birds and Cut the Rope, 30 preloaded childrens' books with audio tracks for reading along, and Fooz Kids University, which is math training software for elementary schoolers. Kidz Mode also features a section of kid-safe Web shortcuts to third-party sites like Cartoon Network.

Though the browser supports Flash, which is used heavily in the third-party websites, the games and content didn't work very well on the Nabi in my tests. The sites were clearly meant to be enjoyed on a real computer, with little mobile, let alone tablet, optimization. For instance, one Cartoon Network link leads to a Flash-based game, which loads properly, but requires keyboard and mouse controls to work, which the Nabi lacks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/x3r4SDvt9vo/0,2817,2397906,00.asp

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US gray wolves rebound but face uncertain future (AP)

ATLANTA, Mich. ? After devoting four decades and tens of millions of dollars to saving the gray wolf, the federal government wants to get out of the wolf-protection business, leaving it to individual states ? and the wolves themselves ? to determine the future of the legendary predator.

The Obama administration Wednesday declared more than 4,000 wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have recovered from widespread extermination and will be removed from the endangered species list.

"Gray wolves are thriving in the Great Lakes region," said Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Coupled with an earlier move that lifted protections in five western states, the decision puts the gray wolf at a historical crossroads ? one that could test both its reputation for resilience and the tolerance of ranchers and hunters who bemoan its attacks on livestock and big game.

Wolves have returned only to isolated pockets of the territory they once occupied, and increasing numbers are dying at the hands of hunters, wildlife agents and ranchers. Now, the legal shield making it a crime to gun them down is being lifted in the only two sections of the lower 48 states where significant numbers exist.

State officials said they will keep wolf numbers healthy, but all three western Great Lakes states will allow wolves to be shot if they are caught assaulting farm animals or pets.

"We now have the ability to kill a wolf that needs killing," said Russ Mason, Michigan's wildlife division chief.

Hunting and trapping also could be allowed. No seasons have been set.

Some environmentalists supported the decision. Others whose lawsuits blocked previous efforts to drop Great Lakes wolves from the endangered list said they were disappointed but had not decided whether to return to court.

"We believe the wolf has not recovered," said Howard Goldman, Minnesota state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

Since being declared endangered in 1974, the American wolf population has grown fivefold ? to about 6,200 animals wandering parts of 10 states outside Alaska.

"They are in the best position they've been in for the past 100 years," said David Mech, a senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in St. Paul, Minn., and a leading wolf expert. The animals' long-term survival will "depend on how much wild land remains available, because wolves are not compatible with areas that are agricultural and have a lot of humans. There's just too much conflict."

Also Wednesday, the government put off a decision on protections in 29 Eastern states that presently have no wolves. The Interior Department said it still was reconsidering its prior claim that wolves in those states historically were a separate species, which effectively would cancel out protections now in place.

Gray wolves in Wyoming are next in line to come off the endangered list, which is expected sometime next year. Similar actions are planned for most remaining western states and the Great Plains.

Since 1991, the federal government has spent $92.6 million on gray wolf recovery programs and state agencies have chipped in $13.9 million, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

"We are ready to declare success in those areas where wolves are now secure, turn over management responsibility to the states and begin to focus our limited resources on other species that are in trouble," said Gary Frazer, assistant director for the Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species program.

The government plans to continue trying to bolster a struggling Mexican gray wolf population in the desert Southwest and is weighing whether to expand protections for small numbers of the animals that have slipped into the Pacific Northwest from Canada.

But there are no plans to promote their return elsewhere. Federal officials say it's not the government's job to return wolves to their previous range as long as the population is stable.

In Montana and Idaho, where wolves can be legally hunted and trapped, officials want to drive down wolf numbers this winter to curb attacks on farm animals and elk.

Some scientists and advocates say the hunts show what will happen when federal safeguards are lifted elsewhere. The government, they say, is abandoning the recovery effort too soon, before packs can take hold in new areas. Vast, wild territories in the southern Rockies and Northeast are ripe for wolves but unoccupied.

"The habitat is there. The prey is there. Why not give them the chance?" said Chris Amato, New York's assistant commissioner for natural resources.

But federal officials are grappling with tight budgets and political pressure to expand hunting and prevent wolves from invading new turf. They insist the animals known for their eerie howl, graceful lope and ruthless efficiency in slaughtering prey will get by on their own with help from state agencies.

North America was once home to as many as 2 million gray wolves. By the 1930s, fur traders, bounty hunters and government agents had poisoned, trapped and shot almost all wolves outside Canada and Alaska.

The surviving 1,200 were clustered in northern Minnesota in the 1970s. With endangered species protection, their numbers rocketed to nearly 3,000 in the state and they gradually spread elsewhere.

Today, Wisconsin has about 782 wolves and Michigan 687 ? far above what biologists said were needed for sustainable populations.

The success story is hardly surprising in woodlands teeming with deer, said John Vucetich, a biologist at Michigan Tech University. But even in such an ideal setting, the wolves could return only when killing them became illegal.

"What do wolves need to survive?" Vucetich said. "They need forest cover, and they need prey. And they need not to be shot."

Shooting already is happening ? legally or not ? as adventurous wolves range into new regions such as Michigan's Lower Peninsula and the plains of eastern Montana.

Those sightings are unsettling to farmers because resurgent packs have killed thousands of livestock. Some owners may quietly take matters into their own hands ? "shoot, shovel and shut up," said Jim Baker, who raises 60 beef cattle near the village of Atlanta, Mich.

Wolves "could wipe me out in a couple of nights if they wanted," Baker said.

Since the late 1980s, more than 5,000 wolves have been killed legally, according to an AP review of state and federal records. Hundreds more have been killed illegally over the past two decades in the Northern Rockies alone.

Ranchers in some areas are allowed under federal law to shoot wolves to defend their livestock. In the northern Rockies, government wildlife agents have routinely shot wolves from aircraft in response to such attacks. Often that involves trapping a single wolf, fitting it with a radio collar and tracking it back to its den so the entire pack can be killed.

Biologists are confident that neither legal hunts nor poaching will push wolves back to the brink of extinction.

Idaho has been the most aggressive in reducing wolf numbers, offering a 10-month hunting season that sets no limits. State officials say they intend to reduce the population from 750 to as few as 150 ? the minimum the federal government says is needed in each Northern Rockies state to keep the animal off the endangered list.

Studies indicate plentiful habitat remains in other regions, including upstate New York, northern New England and the southern Rockies of Colorado and Utah. But experts say the Fish and Wildlife Service's plan would mean that any wolves wandering into those states could be shot on sight unless protected by state laws.

"Wolves, next to people, are one of the most adaptable animals in the world," said Ed Bangs, a former Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who led the effort to return wolves to the northern Rockies. "The key with wolves is, it's all about human tolerance."

___

Brown reported from Billings, Mont.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_re_us/us_gray_wolf_future

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Did Kim Jong-il death ruin breakthrough deal on North Korea nukes? (The Christian Science Monitor)

WASHINGTON ? The death of Kim Jong-il has disrupted an American plan to encourage North Korea to curb its nuclear arsenal, and the uncertainties surrounding the ?dear leader?s? replacement mean US officials have little choice for now but to sit tight.

Before the announcement of Mr. Kim's death Sunday, the US was on the verge of completing a deal to exchange humanitarian assistance for North Korean steps toward denuclearization.

But as Kim's replacement and youngest son, Kim Jong-un, tries to establish himself in his father?s place, it will likely be months ? and potentially tense and surprise-laden months ? before the North Korean leadership will be ready to reengage diplomatically, many North Asian analysts say.

RECOMMENDED: 4 questions about 'dear successor' Kim Jong-un

?We may be able to get back to talks, perhaps in months, but with Kim Jong-un looking to establish himself, we also have to realize that this may not be his highest priority,? says Bruce Klingner, a northeast Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.

Last week, US officials were negotiating with North Korean officials over a plan that tentatively called for the US to send a substantial amount of food assistance to North Korea in monthly shipments of 20,000 tons. In return, Pyongyang would have agreed to suspend its uranium-enrichment program, reopen its Yongbyon nuclear facility to international nuclear inspectors, and suspend any further nuclear or missile tests.

The accord would have reportedly opened the door to resumption of negotiations on North Korea?s denuclearization that collapsed in 2008. The six-party talks include the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia, and Japan. 

But several key issues, including the facility inspections and just how intrusive they would be, had still not been finalized when word came of Kim?s death, State Department officials say. ?It is a monitoring issue, among other things,? said spokeswoman Victoria Nuland Tuesday, responding to questions about what had not been resolved in last week?s talks.

Even before Kim?s death, however, some analysts were skeptical that North Korea?s powerful military would have accepted the demands the US was making. The assumption now is that the 20-something Kim Jong-un will need some time to establish his credibility with the military, making an accord considerably less likely, especially any time soon, these analysts add.

There has been some speculation that North Korea could transition to a ?collective leadership? in the place of one ruling Kim, but that might not help US interests, says Mr. Klingner of Heritage. ?The hardest of the hardliners in such a leadership might be unwilling to move quickly ahead with the US,? he says. 

With China wielding considerable influence over North Korea, the US will have to remain in close contact with Beijing during Kim Jong-un's succession. Some diplomatic experts like John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, say Kim?s passing and the rise in his place of a young, untried son, could present an opportunity for the US to encourage China to see the benefits of a reunified Korea.

But other analysts caution that China, valuing stability in its neighborhood above all else, is unlikely to look favorably on the prospect of losing a Communist ally that has fallen increasingly under its influence in recent years. ?China ? would prefer to keep North Korea as a buffer state between it and the thousands of US-allied troops sitting on the demilitarized zone,? writes Amy Stoddard, an Asia specialist with the German Marshall Fund in Brussels.

To be sure, Kim Jong-un will need to demonstrate a degree of independence from Beijing to suit his country?s nationalist streak, but both the US and South Korea must be alert to the fact that Beijing's interests regarding the Korean peninsula are not identical with their own.

The two ?must make sure not to give Beijing carte blanche in defining the future of the peninsula,? says Ms. Stoddard

Indeed, finding substantial common ground with China on North Korea may not be easy, especially given China?s growing reluctance to even criticize (let alone punish) Pyongyang?s belligerence towards South Korea, says Klingner.

?There has been some overlap [in American and Chinese interests],? he says, ?but the truth is that in recent years China has tended to be more a part of the problem than a part of the solution.?  

RECOMMENDED: 4 questions about 'dear successor' Kim Jong-un

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111221/ts_csm/440678

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

17 Days Out: Good Morning Iowa (ABC News)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/175907559?client_source=feed&format=rss

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World Briefing | Europe: Britain: Computer Equipment Seized in Climate E-mail Inquiry

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The British police said they had seized computer equipment as part of an investigation into the online dissemination of thousands of private e-mails from servers at the University of East Anglia.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1b4661cd589c76ef4dfa08754bb67264

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Crew stabilizes leaky Russian boat near Antarctica (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? The 32 crew members aboard a leaking Russian fishing ship near Antarctica have made progress stabilizing the vessel, and a plane is scheduled to drop them supplies.

The vessel Sparta on Friday hit underwater ice, which tore a one-foot (30 centimeter) hole in the hull and caused it to list at 13 degrees. Maritime New Zealand, which is coordinating rescue attempts, said in a statement Saturday the crew had pumped water from the vessel overnight and moved cargo about, making the boat safer and more stable.

Crew members who had donned emergency suits and boarded life rafts were now back aboard the Sparta, the agency said.

A New Zealand Defence Force C-130 plane is scheduled to drop fuel and equipment to the vessel later in the day.

Rescue ships, hampered by heavy sea ice, are still several days away from the vessel.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_stricken_ship

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

US formally ends Iraq war with little fanfare (AP)

BAGHDAD ? There was no "Mission Accomplished" banner. No victory parade down the center of this capital scarred and rearranged by nearly nine years of war. No crowds of cheering Iraqis grateful for liberation from Saddam Hussein.

Instead, the U.S. military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday with a businesslike closing ceremony behind blast walls in a fortified compound at Baghdad airport. The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was lowered and boxed up in a 45-minute ceremony. No senior Iraqi political figures attended.

With that, and brief words from top American officials who flew in under tight security still necessary because of the ongoing violence in Iraq, the U.S. drew the curtain on a war that left 4,500 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead.

The conflict also left another 32,000 Americans and far more Iraqis wounded, drained more than $800 billion from America's treasury and soured a majority of Americans on a war many initially supported as a just extension of the fight against terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.

As the last troops withdraw from Iraq, they leave behind a nation free of Saddam's tyranny but fractured by violence and fearful of the future. Bombings and gun battles are still common. And experts are concerned about the Iraqi security forces' ability to defend the nation against foreign threats.

"You will leave with great pride ? lasting pride," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the troops seated in front of a small domed building in the airport complex. "Secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new chapter in history."

Many Iraqis, however, are uncertain of how that chapter will unfold. Their relief at the end of Saddam, who was hanged on the last day of 2006, was tempered by a long and vicious war that was launched to find non-existent weapons of mass destruction and nearly plunged the nation into full-scale sectarian civil war.

"With this withdrawal, the Americans are leaving behind a destroyed country," said Mariam Khazim, a Shiite whose father was killed when a mortar shell struck his home in Sadr City. "The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans. The Americans did not leave a free people and country behind them, in fact they left a ruined country and a divided nation."

Some Iraqis celebrated the exit of what they called American occupiers, neither invited not welcome in a proud country.

"The American ceremony represents the failure of the U.S. occupation of Iraq due to the great resistance of the Iraqi people," said lawmaker Amir al-Kinani, a member of the political coalition loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Others said that while grateful for U.S. help ousting Saddam, the war went on too long. A majority of Americans would agree, according to opinion polls.

The low-key nature of the ceremony stood in sharp contrast to the high octane start of the war, which began before dawn on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike in southern Baghdad where Saddam was believed to be hiding. U.S. and allied ground forces then stormed across the featureless Kuwaiti desert, accompanied by reporters, photographers and television crews embedded with the troops.

The final few thousand U.S. troops will leave Iraq in orderly caravans and tightly scheduled flights.

The ceremony at Baghdad International Airport also featured remarks from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Austin led the massive logistical challenge of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically moving more than 50,000 U.S. troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year ? while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles.

The war "tested our military's strength and our ability to adapt and evolve," he said, noting the development of the new counterinsurgency doctrine.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and about 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq ? a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country. All U.S. troops are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then.

The total U.S. departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is a bit premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence-sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult region.

Despite President Barack Obama's earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops will be able to help finalize the move out of Iraq, but could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed.

Despite the war's toll and unpopularity, Panetta said earlier this week, it "has not been in vain."

During a stop in Afghanistan, Panetta described the Iraq mission as "making that country sovereign and independent and able to govern and secure itself."

That, he said, is "a tribute to everybody ? everybody who fought in that war, everybody who spilled blood in that war, everybody who was dedicated to making sure we could achieve that mission."

Iraqi citizens offered a more pessimistic assessment. "The Americans are leaving behind them a destroyed country," said Mariam Khazim of Sadr City. "The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans."

The Iraq Body Count website says more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion. The vast majority were civilians.

Panetta echoed President Barack Obama's promise that the U.S. plans to keep a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, foster a deep and lasting relationship with the nation and maintain a strong military force in the region.

U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. U.S. defense officials said they expect there will be no movement on that issue until sometime next year.

Obama met in Washington with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier this week, vowing to remain committed to Iraq as the two countries struggle to define their new relationship. Ending the war was an early goal of the Obama administration, and Thursday's ceremony will allow the president to fulfill a crucial campaign promise during a politically opportune time. The 2012 presidential race is roiling and Republicans are in a ferocious battle to determine who will face off against Obama in the election.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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