Thursday, January 31, 2013

UK ups offer for Mali, African anti-Islamist effort

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday boosted its offer of aid to help France fight Islamist rebels in Mali, and pledged troops to help other African governments in the region counter a rising tide of Islamist radicalism.

Up to 240 British troops could be deployed as part of two missions to train African troops, 40 in Mali as part of a European Union mission, and a further 200 in anglophone West African countries, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said.

At least 70 more British personnel could be involved in logistical and support missions. "It is an African operation in support of the Malian government and we think that the right way to do this is for regionally-led forces to take the lead," the spokesman said, adding Britons would take no combat role.

The increased logistical support for France includes a ferry to transport troops and equipment to Africa, and allowing France and its allies to use Britain for air-to-air refueling.

Britain has also offered to set up a "Combined Joint Logistics Headquarters" in Mali, but France believes such a facility is not needed, Cameron's spokesman said, adding it would be kept under review.

A decision on whether to send up to 200 British soldiers on West African training missions is expected to be taken soon after African Union-led discussions in Addis Ababa, while talks are taking place in Brussels over troops for Mali.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-offers-240-troops-mali-african-training-missions-121048688.html

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

New Apple TV to Feature Internal Changes Only

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Source: http://www.iclarified.com/27100/new-apple-tv-to-feature-internal-changes-only

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Purported iPad mini-like iPad 5 casings leak

Purported iPad mini-like iPad 5 casings leak

Again, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the next-generation iPad 5 may be adopting the design cues of the iPad mini. With that in mind, 9to5Mac has scored some pictures of what just might be the back casing for the black Wi-Fi + 3G model.

Today, we received an unverified image from a purported China-based iPad accessories maker, an industry that seems to frequently tip off Apple?s future product designs, of the back plate for the next iPad.

I've already gone over the background for why this design makes sense, but also what technological hurdles still need to be overcome to make it a reality.

One of the pictures is up top. Check out the rest via the link below.

Source: 9to5Mac



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/-CAU6ASrVpU/story01.htm

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The Engadget Mobile Podcast: BlackBerry 10 edition, live at 4pm ET!

The Engadget Mobile Podcast BlackBerry 10 edition, live at TKTKpm!

We're not saying that the entire podcast will dedicated to today's launch of BlackBerry 10, but let's face it -- that's the news of the week, and there's a lot to talk about. We're hoping to be joined by some special guests as we discuss the new phones and what it means for the future of RIM. Regardless of who joins us, however, it's going to be a great podcast, so make sure to tune in!

January 30, 2013 4:00 PM EST

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/yRdvf97cUWg/

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Fly Or Die: Temple Run 2

Screen Shot 2013-01-29 at 12.13.20 PMTemple Run was one of the biggest games of 2012, so it only makes sense that the guys from Imangi Studios would create a sequel. Since launching on January 17, the app has seen some solid success, with over 6 million downloads on opening day alone. This could be thanks in part to the new Temple Run course, which includes ropes, train cars, curves, stairs and hills. However, Temple Run 2 still keeps the same familiar gameplay we've come to know and love.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ou3g4bjFpU8/

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

'Charities' Funnel Millions to Climate-Change Denial

A British newspaper claims to have discovered the convoluted way oil billionaires in the United States can funnel huge amounts of cash toward climate change-denial campaigns, while reaping tremendous tax advantages in the process.

A shadowy group called the Donors Trust is largely funded by billionaire Charles Koch and his wife Liz, according to an investigation by The Independent. The trust indirectly receives millions of dollars in funding from a third-party group called the Knowledge and Progress Fund, which the Koch family operates, the paper claims.

Charles Koch and his brother David are majority shareholders in Koch Industries, an immense conglomeration of oil and gas companies with a global reach ? and a definite interest in denying any link between fossil-fuel use and climate change.

A recent profile in Forbes called Charles Koch "one of the 50 most powerful people in the world, one of the 20 wealthiest ? and one of the dozen most vilified."

The IRS recognizes the Donors Trust as a charitable organization due to its status as a "donor-advised trust." These trusts "are individual accounts administered by tax-exempt organizations, such as community foundations and national charities," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Because the IRS considers these organizations charitable groups, money donated to them is tax-deductible, and the popularity of such trusts is growing quickly. Contributions to donor-advised trust funds increased 10.6 percent in 2011 over 2010, the Journal reports. [The Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted]

"It's becoming the vehicle of choice," said Robert Brulle, a sociologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia, referring to the donor-advised trust. "It's an attractive conduit of funding to these conservative think tanks," Brulle told LiveScience.

But what do the recipients of the estimated $500 million in donor funding since 2003 actually do with the money? "A lot of it is just unknown," said Brulle. "It goes into the black box of Donors Trust" where the money is, for the most part, untraceable.

The website for Donors Trust provides some clues to their interests: "The current environment on university campuses values Diversitas over Veritas ? but cultural diversity is a poor substitute for truth, which must be the prevailing aim of the university. And discovering truth is impossible without a commitment to freedom of inquiry and the broadest possible range of viewpoints ? what we call intellectual pluralism.

"Typically, we provide top-notch professors with substantial seed capital, spread over three years. After these professors have demonstrated progress with their 'centers,' we assist them in identifying other funding sources ? alumni, institutional or foundations ? to sustain their efforts."

According to the Independent's investigation, Donors Trust has given significant funding to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank. Climatologist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University has sued that group, claiming it accused him of scientific fraud and compared him to a child molester. (Nine investigations of Mann's climate research, including one by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and another by the National Science Foundation, have found no evidence of academic fraud. The CEI removed the harsh claims several days after publication.)

Mann, however, remains committed to promoting a science-based approach to climate change. "I like to think we're turning the corner on this issue. The damaging impacts that climate change is already having on us here in the U.S. ? are increasingly clear to the person on the street," Mann told LiveScience in an email interview.

"Climate-change denial, despite the great degree of funding and organization behind it, is simply no longer credible to the vast majority of the public," Mann said. "It is my hope ? and my expectation ? that we will soon transition from the unworthy debate about whether the problem even exists to the worthy debate to be had about what to do about it."

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/charities-funnel-millions-climate-change-denial-171452053.html

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Family Trying To Escape 'Murder/Suicide House' | Ghost Theory

Imagine this scenario: Your spouse dies, so you decide to start a new life. To facilitate this plan, you pack up your kids and all your belongings, hop in the U-Haul and travel cross country to a lazy PA town where your future, close relatives and a beautiful home await you.

Once settled into the house you meticulously chose out of the many listings considered, you receive some news from a neighbor that turns your life upside down in an instant.

This is what happened to Janet Milliken, who at 59, decided to start anew as she and her two children made the move from California to Thornton, Pa.

Janet settled on a house which she paid $610,000.00 for in 2007, but it was just a few weeks later that a neighbor alerted her to the grizzly history associated with her dream house. A history of suicide, a history of murder?..

ht_janet_millekin_home_jt_130125_wg

Lets check in with ABC News for more on this strange story:

Homebuyer Appeals to Pa. Supreme Court on Her Home?s Bloody Past

A Pennsylvania woman has appealed to the state Supreme Court in her suit against a home seller and real estate agent who failed to disclose that a murder-suicide had taken place in the home she purchased.

When Janet Milliken, 59, moved from California after her husband died, she had hoped to start a new life with her two teenage children in Pennsylvania near her family.

She bought a home in Thornton, Pa., for $610,000 in June 2007. She learned a few weeks after she moved in from a next-door neighbor that a murder-suicide had occurred the year before in her home.

She sued the seller and the real estate agent for fraud and misrepresentation, saying they made a ?deliberate choice not to disclose the home?s recent past,? according to a court document.

The trial judge granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, saying state law does not require agents to disclose such events.

Then in December 2012, a panel of the state appeals court affirmed that decision, though with a nearly split decision.

The matter dates back to Feb. 11. 2006, when a previous homeowner, Konstantinos Koumboulis, allegedly shot and killed his wife, then shot himself in the master bedroom.

Joseph and Kathleen Jacono had bought the home Oct. 31, 2006, knowing of the murder-suicide, for $450,000. They later sold it to Milliken, who wants the transaction rescinded and her money back.

Filing a petition to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania last week with the hope of arguing the case further, the attorney for Milliken, Tim Rayne, said they ?hope to have Pennsylvania recognize that having a horrific event occur within a property can be just as damaging and troubling to a future homeowner as a physical defect, or perhaps even more so.?

?Having a gunshot murder-suicide committed within the home is much more devastating than having a small leak concealed by the previous homeowner,? Rayne said. ?Physical defects can be fixed. Troubling events that could and did occur in this home could never go away.?

Rayne said sellers should be required to disclose troubling events ?at least for some period of time.?

Abraham Reich, the attorney for the Jaconos and their agent with Re/Max, said, ?The majority, en banc [full-court] opinion of the Superior Court was well reasoned and consistent with years of industry practice in Pennsylvania.

?While the issue is interesting, the number of times it comes up does not warrant Supreme Court review,? Reich said. ?The Superior Court opinion provides guidance for any real estate transaction in the future and puts to rest the uncertainty of whether a seller has a duty to disclose a murder-suicide or any other type ?psychological damage.? In my opinion, the result is a good one.?

Rayne said Milliken, 59, was ?disturbed? when she learned of her home?s history from a neighbor. ?As she was struggling what and if to tell the kids,? he said, her children?s friends visited the home for Halloween and told the children about the murder-suicide.

?They were very upset upon learning about it and disturbed about the whole situation,? Rayne said.

?They were dealing with the death of a father and husband and wanted to move closer to family, and then this happened to them,? he said. ?It was a tragedy all around.?

Rayne said Milliken and her children are still living in the home. He said they would prefer to move out of the home but can?t afford to do so without selling it.

?They feel that if they sold it, through good conscience they would have to disclose,? Rayne said, ?so it would negatively impact the value.?

Would you live in such a house knowing it?s past?

While PA doesn?t require it, many states have adopted full disclosure policies regarding real estate, although, you have to wonder about a seller who purposely withholds information such as a prior tragedy. Personally, I couldn?t live with myself for being so unscrupulous.

Does this woman have a case? As much as I feel for her and her situation, I?d say probably not. When buying a house, you are making a major investment, likely the biggest of your life. That being said, it?s important to cover every aspect possible.

Finally, the advice I would give to people considering their next major purchase is simple:

Caveat emptor! Which means in essence, ?don?t be a sucker!?

Thanks again to ABC News for quoted material.

Associated Content:

GT: Submitted Story: Nan?s Old House
GT: Christopher Lutz: Growing Up In The ?Amityville Horror House?
GT: Would You Live In A ?Murder House??

My name is Scott and I've been writing here at GT for over two years now. Boy how time flies as I just came in on a temp basis and stayed.

I am a Christian in my late 40s and grew up in NWPA. After a long engagement in South Florida I came to Chicagoland against my will.

I've always been interested in the unknown and started reading about Bigfoot long before there was an Interweb or cell phones or TV or indoor plumbing.....OK, I lied about the Interweb. I've actually been online since 1967.

I enjoy writing for GT and hope someday to be half as good as Javier. Don't tell him I said that...

Source: http://www.ghosttheory.com/2013/01/29/family-trying-to-escape-murdersuicide-house

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Age Actively Using these Resources | Fun and Fit: with Fitness Pros ...

About Fun and Fit

Get practical exercise advice, your fitness questions answered, and cutting edge health edu-tainment that is accessible and doable from long time fitness experts, Kymberly Williams-Evans, MA and Alexandra Williams, MA. We have taught on land, sea, and airwaves for 3 decades on 4 continents. From writing to speaking, emceeing to hosting a radio show, reviewing products to teaching classes, we believe that little steps turn into big paths. Move a little more than the day before. FitFluential Ambassadors and award-winners both online and off.

Source: http://funandfit.org/age-actively-using-these-resources/

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories

Monday, January 28, 2013

The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration as we grow older has been elusive. But for the first time, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a link between these hallmark maladies of old age. Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory.

UC Berkeley neuroscientists have found that the slow brain waves generated during the deep, restorative sleep we typically experience in youth play a key role in transporting memories from the hippocampus ? which provides short-term storage for memories ? to the prefrontal cortex's longer term "hard drive."

However, in older adults, memories may be getting stuck in the hippocampus due to the poor quality of deep 'slow wave' sleep, and are then overwritten by new memories, the findings suggest.

"What we have discovered is a dysfunctional pathway that helps explain the relationship between brain deterioration, sleep disruption and memory loss as we get older ? and with that, a potentially new treatment avenue," said UC Berkeley sleep researcher Matthew Walker, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study to be published this Sunday, Jan. 27, in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The findings shed new light on some of the forgetfulness common to the elderly that includes difficulty remembering people's names.

"When we are young, we have deep sleep that helps the brain store and retain new facts and information," Walker said. "But as we get older, the quality of our sleep deteriorates and prevents those memories from being saved by the brain at night."

Healthy adults typically spend one-quarter of the night in deep, non-rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Slow waves are generated by the brain's middle frontal lobe. Deterioration of this frontal region of the brain in elderly people is linked to their failure to generate deep sleep, the study found.

The discovery that slow waves in the frontal brain help strengthen memories paves the way for therapeutic treatments for memory loss in the elderly, such as transcranial direct current stimulation or pharmaceutical remedies. For example, in an earlier study, neuroscientists in Germany successfully used electrical stimulation of the brain in young adults to enhance deep sleep and doubled their overnight memory.

UC Berkeley researchers will be conducting a similar sleep-enhancing study in older adults to see if it will improve their overnight memory. "Can you jumpstart slow wave sleep and help people remember their lives and memories better? It's an exciting possibility," said Bryce Mander, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of this latest study.

For the UC Berkeley study, Mander and fellow researchers tested the memory of 18 healthy young adults (mostly in their 20s) and 15 healthy older adults (mostly in their 70s) after a full night's sleep. Before going to bed, participants learned and were tested on 120 word sets that taxed their memories.

As they slept, an electroencephalographic (EEG) machine measured their brain wave activity. The next morning, they were tested again on the word pairs, but this time while undergoing functional and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans.

In older adults, the results showed a clear link between the degree of brain deterioration in the middle frontal lobe and the severity of impaired "slow wave activity" during sleep. On average, the quality of their deep sleep was 75 percent lower than that of the younger participants, and their memory of the word pairs the next day was 55 percent worse.

Meanwhile, in younger adults, brain scans showed that deep sleep had efficiently helped to shift their memories from the short-term storage of the hippocampus to the long-term storage of the prefrontal cortex.

###

University of California - Berkeley: http://www.berkeley.edu

Thanks to University of California - Berkeley for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 27 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126485/Poor_sleep_in_old_age_prevents_the_brain_from_storing_memories

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Secure Your Business for Data Privacy Day - Security

I'd like to tip my hat to Dwight Silverman, whose blog not only alerted me to Data Privacy Day, but who also offers some excellent advice as to what individuals can do to further secure their private data. You'll find a lot of good material in that article, covering passwords, social media activity, credit reports, and more. Even if you think you're familiar with this information, I'd suggest reading Silverman's piece, as it links to some very useful resources.

One of these resources, in fact, is StaySafeOnline.org. It's powered by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a not-for-profit whose stated mission ?is to educate and therefore empower a digital society to use the Internet safely and securely at home, work, and school, protecting the technology individuals use, the networks they connect to, and our shared digital assets.? The website offers a wealth of resources, information, and tips, not just for individuals but for businesses. I used their site as a resource for the rest of the information in this article.

The first step you should take in evaluating your firm's data security is to assess your risk.? If you're a small company, you might be surprised to learn that you're at greater risk of getting hacked than a large company. You might think a hacker would consider your firm to be small potatoes compared to the Amazons of the world, but criminals know that small companies can't afford the resources to protect their data that large corporations can ? thus making them tempting targets.

And what do hackers do once they break into your company's network? ?If cybercriminals can breach a small business and steal credentials (banking accounts, email access, etc.) they can use that information to steal money directly, create attacks on your customers and work their way around the business ecosystem in other nefarious ways,? StaySafeOnline explained.

To assess your company's online risk, consider some of the following questions: do you have a formal written Internet security policy for your employees? Do you have any policies in place regarding how your employees use social media? Do you have a privacy policy with which your employees must comply when handling customer information? Do you offer training to your employees regarding the Internet and online security? Do your employees understand the potential risks of using USB devices in the workplace? Are all of your machines completely wiped of their data before disposal?

After assessing your company's risk, you can move on to making its data (and the data of your customers and employees) more secure. StaySafeOnline offers plenty of advice on that, but one great way to do this is with employee training. Such training should at least include the following five simple tips.

First, make sure your employees know what they are and are not allowed to install and keep on their work machines. Put rules in place ? and enforce them. ?Unknown outside programs can open security vulnerabilities in your network,? StaySafeOnline notes. As a side note, they can also make computers function less efficiently, which leads to calls to the IT department (and costs valuable time). In a previous job, when I shared an office with an elderly co-worker who didn't understand why she couldn't have whatever she wanted on her computer, I saw this happen more than once.

Second, teach your employees how to follow good password practices. Passwords should be long and contain a mix of upper case and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Users should change their passwords regularly and keep them private. Until someone comes up with something better, they're still the best way an individual can keep data secure.

Third, make sure your employees know not to open suspicious links in email, posts, tweets, online ads, messages, or attachments. Make sure they also understand that a link isn't necessarily safe just because they know the source; a friend's email account could have been hacked, for instance. Spend some time explaining your company's spam filters and how to use them to your employees, as well.

Fourth, data security covers more than just protecting sensitive information from hackers. It also means preventing the loss of data. Teach your employees to back up their work, and tell them how often they need to do so ? or if? you do automatic backup at your office, make sure your employees know what they need to do to make sure their important data is saved.

Finally, a computer behaving ?strangely? can be a hint that it has been compromised ? so ?Your employees should be encouraged to keep an eye out and say something if they notice strange happenings on their computer,? according to StaySafeOnline. And remember, no one is totally immune. Back in August, Matt Honan?got spectacularly hacked and lost a lot of personal data...and he's a tech blogger, so you know he was doing what he could to secure himself. It could have been much worse, but he noticed his computer behaving oddly, and was able to work with Amazon and Apple to save at least some of his data.



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Source: http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Security/Secure-Your-Business-for-Data-Privacy-Day-60038/

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The Decayed & Blooming Blossoms

Is a free roam rp but does have a plot.

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Dir En Grey are a well known band from Japan. They been to North American many times in there years and to Europe. They seem to be looked at by some as bad or evil. But this is far from the truth there just a little rough. They do and say what they want. But often do it with meaning or passion behind it to. Many just see them go on stage then off. But what happens off stage? They go home and often do what everyone else does. Talk to friends and go out to see movies and etc. Lately they been getting anonymous messages from people. Threatening them and even wanting to take there spot light. But these haven't been really bugging them. Cause they happen to a lot of people and are ignored. Something is lurking in the shadows even if they don't notice. Anyone involved with the band or friends could get caught in the middle of it to.

Full name: ?? ?? (Andou Daisuke)

Nicknames: Die, Dai, Dai-suki

Image

part: guitarist

Date of birth: 12.20,birth place Mie

Age:37

Astrological sign: Sagittarius

Zodiac sign: Tiger

Blood type: B

Height: 178cm / 5'10"

Weight: 61 kg

Clothes' size: L

Shoe size: 41 (8)

Favourite cigarette brand: Salm Light

Favourite sport: soccer, baseball

Favourite music: Sakai Noriko, Hide

His former bands: ka?za?ri ? La:Sadie's

Personality: sincere and honest ... and impudent, because he likes to tease people.He sees himself as a hard-working, sincere, honest person

Likes: cheese, sake, tease Shinya,
Dislikes: raw things, rainAccording to him, the most important thing is life,Tora (Alice Nine)

Favourite food: tofu, potatoes, bacon, cheese omlett, milk, cheese, spaghetti, roasted meat, okonomiyaki, curry, pizza, hamburger, ramen, pastries etc...Food that he detests: seafood, thorny animals, raw foods

He likes to get: cigarettes

He likes not to get: raw things, candy

Fun facts: His breast is especially ticklish. He is near-sighted, he wears contactlenses. He is the most serene and easy-going member.Die was disgusted of some Chinese food served on their tour once, he was not impressed with the chicken-head soup. He was not able to look at it! Kyo and Toshiya on the other hand, thought it cool and Toshiya was playing with a head!There was a fire in Die's apartment once. He tried to smother it with a fire extinguisher, but he just succeeded spraying the foam all around his feet and then he ran outside. He said: "That was so uncool!". *** Although Die is the second guitarist in the group, he is no less talented than our leader-sama, Kaoru. By the way, he is pretty amazing guitarist, the way he and Kaoru play together makes really gorgeous music.

For some of their songs - especially in older ones like "Ash" and "Zan" - Die even sings backup vocals; he has a lovely, definite but soft voice. During concerts, Die is just like any other guitarist: he struts across the stage to pump the crowd up, or just stands beside Kyo while he is singing. His idol is Takigawa Ichiro, the guitarist of Craze. He is the most talkative member of the band, also extremely playful, and quite a joker, too: he likes to tease the others especially Shinya, together with Kaoru. On the video taken in Osaka-Jou Hall, Toshiya pushed Shinya to the ground, and pounced on top of him, while Die covered them with feathers. So, he can make the others laugh almost any time. Die's real name is Daisuke, and the nickname for it is Dai. Some say that he changed the spelling of it to that of the English word "die", aiming to a more serious aspect. So Die is to be pronounced as "dai", not "di-eh". He is very proud of his mane which he had grown since high-school. It is almost dyed in red, often use to defy the laws of gravity - sticking upwards in all directions - making for a punkish hairstyle. But nowadays he wears his hair short and dark chestnut-coloured, also he uses less hair-styler. Die confesses: if someone state that he looks awful, he takes it as a compliment ^_^. After some of his fans complained that he was too fat - Die supposedly had eating and weight problems, because he took their ramblings to his heart, and became heavily under weighted. When Dir en grey was still dressing up in Visual Kei style, Die was quite extreme when it came to his looks and fashion; though his makeup was not always as daub-like as Kyo's. He was almost always leather-clad with lots of silver accessories - he always looked like a tough J-Rocker. Even though his music and scary outfits give off a hardcore attitude, Die is an extremely sweet and caring person. He has a kid hidden in himself, the way he seems to always be up to something. One world: kawaii. "Don't run away from things, make your own decisions for your own self...."

Die Facts * When asked to list his 3 most precious things, Die responded with: 1. Dir en Grey; 2. fans; 3. staff * When asked to say something to each of his band mates, Die responded with: Kyo, please don't pierce any more holes! Kaoru, get a haircut! Toshiya, please fix your room. Shinya, for how long do you intend to hide yourself?" * Die describes his most blissful moment of the day as right before he goes to sleep. He frequently has nightmares, so before he goes to sleep, he tells himself "I am going to sleep now; whatever happens after, however terrifying, will only be nightmares." * Die's nightmares are usually about running for life with friends. His friends "run speedily" while he runs slow like he has "eaten some lard." * Favorite time of year is the Christmas season. * Die loves drinking with his younger brother, quite often to the point where he babbles incoherently and is too drunk to leave the bar. * Die describes himself as "baka." * Audrey is his signature song. * At the Tokyo NKH Hall concert there was a large pink rat head sitting just in front of Shinya`s drums. Die kept looking at it near the end of the show, debating popping it on his head, but it wasn`t built as a mask, so he had to forget that idea. * Die likes getting things from the fans that he can use. Like underwear. Apparently a fan once sent him some. * Die is very straightforward and talkative, yet he is the "joker"; he can make any of the other members laugh at any time. He teases Shinya mercilessly. * Die does not like sashimi or seafood; he likes Western food, especially Italian. * Die likes cute girls with big eyes. When he was younger he was very nervous and shy, especially when he had to talk to girls. * He has a black belt in Kendo. He took it from elementary to high school, then stopped when he learned to play guitar because there was not enough time for both. * Of all the band members, Die is the one most likely to count calories.

Other random facts:His type of girl is Nori-P who was the popular Japanese pop idol in the 80s. When he performed Zan in Music Station, his grandmother was watching the program but because she had not seen Die for a long time, she could not recognize who was her grandson. He likes winter. ?Winter has a lot of fantasy?? says Die. He was so upset with fans pulling his hair at the gig in small live house. ?My hair gets damaged,? says Die. He agrees that he looks like a Siberian Husky (I think he does too, but I always saw more of a hyena because of the black eye make up). He is a mood maker in the band. Kaoru is his pub mate. On stage, he disappears from people?s view quite often. He doesn?t go anywhere, he just falls. His guitar strap becomes undone sometimes because of his intensive performance. He walks around until his roadie fixes it for him. He falls onto stage and falls from the stage. When he comes back to the stage, Kaoru makes fun of him. He breaks guitar strings easily. Kaoru cut Die?s yange ( hair that Die kept long for nine years) ?I loved doing it,? says Kaoru. He jokes. Mr. Inoue (manager) tells him off when he overdoes it. He speaks a lot. Drinks a lot. Once he was drinking until 11:00am (tour finished previous day) then he to a photo shoot (he was still drunk) and worked until the morning. He can?t eat a lot of things. His worst experience ever was when he was forced to eat Sashimi (he lost a bet). He hates raw fish more than anything else. He has a very lovely character and is a very kind person but once he abandoned stage because some fans left their seats and thronged to the stage (that time thronging and diving were about to be banned). Diru had to stop the gig in the middle and never come back. He couldn?t play acoustic guitar. Engineers told him that it would take another five years to master it, but he practiced hard and played in the gig without any major mistakes. He has guts. He can throw an empty water bottle to the third floor. He spends 30 minutes in the bathroom.

His dialect is from Kansai.

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Kaoru

is the leader of Dir en grey and writes most of their music.
His full name is Niikura Kaoru and he was born on Feb 17, in Hyougo.
His blood type is A and he stands at 5'7".

Age:38

Contrary to popular belief, Kaoru can indeed play acoustic guitar in addition to his electric. His hair has been black, blue, bleached white, neon pink (my personal favorite), purple, and currently, blonde.

His trademark was the three braids he would whip around while headbanging.

Kaoru's nicknames include the God of Death, God of Guitars, and Japanese Zombie Hero.As the oldest, he is seen as the "responsible" one; he constantly pushes the rest of the band to do their best.

Kaoru Facts

* Kaoru likes anime and manga, especially Gundam.
* When asked to list his 3 most precious things, Kaoru responded with: 1. Dir en Grey; 2. my hair; 3. hide-sama's signature
* When asked to say something to each of his bandmates, Kaoru responded with: " I got so much to say! Kyo, you have lent so many things to me, such as games. I will return them to you next time. I don't think you even know about me borrowing some of them! Die, you also cut your hair. Now it's only me left. I must persist! Toshiya, I will return the LD animes you lent me very soon. Shinya, you sure are manly!"
* When asked to describe a recent lucky thing, Kaoru replied with: "My home is surprisingly warm. When I turn on all the electrical appliances at home, I feel truly warm. But I think I need to restrict myself a bit. *laughs*"
* Kaoru can be extremely random. One moment he is quiet, the next he comes out with some ridiculous outburst.
* Kaoru was asked to name a thing that makes him suffer. He replied that answering this question made him suffer, because he does not know how.
* Kaoru describes an unlucky recent event with:"I tried to tidy up my home recently. I want to have it spotless. However there turned out to be a hole in the garbage bag, and the oil inside practically got all over the floor of my home. I've already finished cleaning, but I ended up in a mess."
* Kaoru is confidant with his "super coaxing skills." He often uses these skills on their manager when he wants them to do something Kaoru does not want to.
* Kaoru clames he gets lazy when there is no goal to work towards, and that he did have used to be a loafer.
* "Audrey" was titled as such because Kaoru has always liked that girl's name.
* In school, Kaoru was good at sports and art but hated studying, so when he went home every day he would just play videogames, read manga, and make models.
* Kaoru's first love was his kindergarten teacher, who he said was a kind and gentle woman.
* Kaoru has stated that he does not wanted to get married yet, saying that marriage was something adults did and that he does not think there is anyone he could marry now, since Dir en grey is currently his main focus in life.
* In school, Kaoru considered joining the art club 3 times, but never actually made it to the interview. He got bored waiting, so he caught some grasshoppers and let them fight each other.
* He did join the soccer team, though. He liked the hat. He never went to practices, but played in the games. He says proudly that this shows he has a talent for soccer.

Toshiya

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The bassist for Dir en grey. His real name is Hara Toshimara.
Nicknamed "Totchi" by the fans, he was born on March 31, , in Nagano.

Age:35

His blood type is B and he stands at 5'10". Upon meeting Kaoru for the first time, Toshiya was impressed with his blue hair. Thus, Toshiya's hair has been blue ever since, though it may currently be black. Toshiya is the happy-go-lucky one, never afraid to show his emotions, and enjoys anime and manga. Many of his costumes are anime-inspired. According to the fans, his best solo is in "Cage."

Toshiya Facts

* When asked to list his 3 most precious things, Toshiya responded with: 1. My past; 2. everyone I've met; 3. this very moment.
* At one of Dir en grey's first concerts, Toshiya cried all the way through GARDEN because his father had come to see him perform and stood during the whole concert.
* When asked to say something to each of his bandmates, Toshiya replied with: "Kyo, you have to be the poisonous person forever. Kaoru, play faster! *laughs* Die, why don't you go play a Light Band. *laughs* Shinya, please count "one, two, three" louder before you start drumming away!"
* When asked to describe a recent unlucky thing, Toshiya replied with: "I live on the first floor. That day somehow water seeped up from the floor. I rose to find my carpet totally wet. At first, I thought I spilled some juice on the carpet on the previous night, but no matter how hard I mopped it up, the water keep coming through. Then I realize it is something more serious than that, and I called up my landlord to handle it. Now all my wooden furniture is going all rotten and moldy, it's terrible even thinking of it. Oh I wanted to move out ASAP..."
* At the Grand Cube Osaka concert, as Shinya walked off the stage, Toshiya followed behind him and gave Shinya a jumping kick in the butt just before he could get back stage. As he ran off the stage himself, he did a very exaggerated run with his knees drawn all the way up to his chest.
* Toshiya is definately the dorkiest member of the band. He once stated that he thinks Japan is shaped like a banana, and he likes living in Japan because it is the only country shaped like a banana.
* There were no other boys in the area Toshiya lived in as a child, so he grew up playing with the girls. As a result, when he started school he was bullied for being a crybaby. He never liked the outdoors much.
* Spring makes Toshiya think of getting new sunglasses.
* In school, Toshiya was in the kendo club. He was afraid of his senior, who liked to eat protein supplements.
* Toshiya hates seaweed.

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Shinya is Dir en grey's drummer.

His full name is Terachi Shinya.
Shinya was born in Osaka on Feb. 24,
His blood type is B and he stands at 5'7".
Age:34
Nickname:Shin,
He has big eyes and full lips for an Asian man, and he could not look like a man if he tried to. Shinya's hair has been both curly and straight, and varying shades of brown and red. Currently it is blonde. He is the youngest member of the band, loves his chichuahua more than anyone else, and hardly ever talks. He is the only one that does not smoke and he tries to eat healthy, though he has a soft spot for ice cream. He gets teased the most, by his bandmates and interviewers alike.

Shinya Facts

* Shinya loves riddles and reading books that can "train his brain."
* Shinya is very quiet. It took the rest of the band 6 months to figure out he had finally bought a telephone. It was another 6 months to a year before he gave them his number.
* When asked to list his 3 most precious things, Shinya replied: 1. My dog; 2. my parents' dog; 3. Dir en Grey.
* Out of all of his bandmates, Shinya is closest to Kyo.
* When asked to say something to each of his bandmates, Shinya replied with: "Kyo, don't catch a cold. Die, don't let others beat you up. Kaoru, please be gentler. Toshiya, don't be nosy."
* Shinya describes his most blissful moment of the day as: "When I return home. Yumi barks welcome happily, and I will say to him, "I'm back!" The best is sleeping in bed with him. "
* When asked what the moon makes him think of, Shinya replied simply with "rabbit."
* Shinya needs an average of 10 hours of sleep each night, and during holidays he is known to nap with his dog for up to 12 hours.
* When asked what he is confidant about, Shinya replied solving riddles.
* Shinya does not believe he will truly be grown up until he becomes a dad.
* During one of Kyo's speeches at an Osaka concert (involving many "anou's and eto's") he suddenly decided that Shinya would give a short speech. Shinya immediately clapped his hand over his mouth and tried to become invisible. He did eventually speak, but gave the microphone back quickly.
* At the Tokyo NKH Hall Concert, as Dir en grey came out for the second part of the concert, each member sgot on top of the box at center stage. Kaoru grabbed Shinya, picked him up horizontally and set him down on his side in front of the drums.
* A fan once sent Shinya a vacuum cleaner.
* He is also getting involved in things apart from the band. He models jewelry for a company called Wild Strawberry.
* Shinya "blew trumpet" in his high school brass band. Because of this, the rest of the band has teased him about his lips.
* Kyo says that Shinya looks like a space robot and talks like a nutty professor ("Such as, we made nice tea, we would say ?nice tea?, wouldn?t we ? But Shinya would say ?this tea is quiet nice tea. What do you put in this tea !?")
* Despite his shy appearance, the rest of the band claims Shinya is rather self-confident.

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Kyo is the singer for Dir en grey. His real name is Nimura Tooru, he was born in Kyoto on Feb. 16
Age:37
His blood type is B, and he stands at 5'3". His unique voice is clearly the most valuable asset to the band. He does singing, falsettos, screaming, moaning, roaring, crying, dying, choking, rapping, you name it, he can do it. Kyo makes short people everywhere proud with his powerful presence. Indeed, one has not lived until he has been glared at by Kyo. His hair has been pink, red, black, and blonde, the latter of which it currently is right now. Kyo enjoys being the "scary one," and though he may be likened to an evil china doll, he has a very kind face without the makeup.
* Kyo enjoys lying during interviews. One cannot trust what he says.
* Kyo looks up to the vocalist Kiyoharu in the band Kuroyume.
* When asked to list his 3 most precious things, Kyo responded with: 1. Dir en Grey; 2. my voice; 3. my 800-1000 CDs at home.
* When asked to say something to all of his bandmates, he simply replied with "Minna-san work hard."
* Kyo must like classical music (Ma! Not what one would expect from a rocker!) He listens to Brahms- Dir en grey borrowed a tune from that composer for Deity.
* At one point at a concert in Osaka, Toshiya gave his bass to Kyo. The look on his face is assumed to be the same face he would make if someone handed him a large, dead, smelly fish.
* Kyo likes girls in kimonos. Perhaps this is why he so often wears a furisode.
* His likes and dislikes could be summed up with one word: women. "They can bring such wonderful happiness, yet are utterly terrifying." He prefers strong women to passive women.
* Kyo wears glasses. Okay, so that's not really a strange thing, but kinda nice for all the fans out there looking at the world through two windows.
* Kyo once stated that it is okay for people to wear normal clothes at weddings, but the bride should wear a blue fish. Any reference to Mr. Newsman? He has stated he would like to get married and settle down someday.
* Kyo once stated in an interview that, for some reason, people keep calling him Miyabi. Ever since then, Die keeps calling him "Miya-chan."
* Kyo likes to be called "Kyo" and "Kyo-san." He hates being called "Kyo-chan."
* He also does not like getting things like candy from fans because it melts in the mail and makes a mess. He would prefer cigarettes.
* Kyo is getting into other medians of entertainment than visual kei. He has auditioned for some movies. Us overseas have yet to find out if he made it.
* Kyo has been quoted to say he will never write a happy song.
* Kyo likes collecting little figurines and action figures.
* He also likes to play videogames and watch anime.
* He also likes plums.
* It has been stated that Kyo can fall asleep anywhere at any time.
* Kyo once ruptured his tympanum (something in his ear.) The cause is theorized to be a live version of Rasetsu Koku. While he was in the hospital, Kyo was not worried about delaying the tour or if these complications would cause problems with the band. He was just worried that he was going to get fat from the medicine. He also complained that the nurse giving him saline injections took the needle out of his arm very slowly, and he wanted her to do it fast.
* When Kyo left the hospital, his bandmates threw him a party with champagne.
* Kyo is allergic to flower pollen.
*Mouthy and likes things his way(swares,cusses)
* In his school days, Kyo claims he was in the Shogi (Japanese chess) club and also claims he never actually joined.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/ePvgc9wYCFQ/viewtopic.php

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Bangladesh probing if factory's 1 exit was locked

A Bangladeshi garment worker inspects the damaged machinery inside the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

A Bangladeshi garment worker inspects the damaged machinery inside the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Bangladeshi garment worker Laiju stands inside the damaged Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Tags of Paris based brand Scott & Fox lie amidst the burned remains inside the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

A jacket lies amidst the burned remains inside the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Bangladeshi garment worker Shahinur looks inside the damaged Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday. Saturday?s fire occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory near the capital, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

(AP) ? Bangladesh's government is investigating allegations that the sole emergency exit was locked at a garment factory where a fire killed seven women.

The fire Saturday at the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. The gates of that factory were locked.

Government official Jahangir Kabir Nanak said Sunday an investigation has been ordered into the cause of Saturday's fire and allegations that the emergency exit was locked.

Altaf Hossain, father of a garment worker killed in the latest fire, has filed a police case against three directors of the factory, accusing them of negligence involving the fire, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Sub-inspector Shamsul Hoque told The Associated Press. He said police had begun an investigation.

Doctors said most of the victims died from asphyxiation.

"When I tried to escape through the emergency exit I found the gate locked," factory worker Raushan Ara was quoted as saying by Dhaka's Prothom Alo newspaper.

The newspaper said at least 50 people were injured in a stampede triggered by the fire, and six of them were hospitalized.

Some of the injured jumped out of the windows of the two-story factory, survivors said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Monzurul Kabir said the bodies of seven women were recovered from the top floor of the factory. He said the factory was making pants and shirts, but could not provide further details.

Fire official Abdul Halim said it took firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control.

Volunteers joined firefighters in battling the fire as a large crowd gathered outside the factory awaiting word on the fate of relatives. Family members were seen crying near the body of a female worker named Josna, who was 16.

About 250 workers were working at the time of the fire, newspapers said.

It was not immediately known if the factory produced garments for any international companies. The owner was not available for comment, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the factory was not a member so it had no details.

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. alerted its global suppliers that it will immediately drop them if they subcontract their work to factories that haven't been authorized by the discounter. The stricter contracting rule, along with other changes to its policy, come amid increasing calls for better safety oversight after the deadly fire in late November at a factory owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd. that supplied clothing to Wal-Mart and other retailers. Wal-Mart has said the factory wasn't authorized to make its clothes.

Wal-Mart ranks second behind Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M in the number of clothing orders it places in Bangladesh.

Fires have caused more than 600 deaths of garment workers in Bangladesh since 2005, according to research by the advocacy group International Labor Rights Forum.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-27-Bangladesh-Factory%20Fire/id-99d9c1e35c704388b5c2cc85189b2133

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Menopause And You | Jackie's Women's Interest Bazaar ...

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Source: http://boynamalikas.blogspot.com/2013/01/menopause-and-you-jackie-women-interest.html

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

French forces in Mali strike at Gao rebel stronghold

KONNA, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - French forces fighting Islamist rebels in Mali seized the airport and a bridge at the rebel bastion of Gao on Saturday, the biggest military success so far for an offensive against al Qaeda-allied insurgents occupying the country's north.

The United States and Europe back the U.N.-mandated Mali operation as a counterstrike against the threat of radical Islamist jihadists using the West African state's inhospitable Sahara desert as a launching pad for international attacks.

In their overnight advance on Gao involving special force troops backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships, the French killed an estimated dozen Islamist fighters without suffering any losses or injuries, the French army said.

The speed of the French action in a two-week-old campaign suggested French and Malian government troops intended to drive aggressively into the north of Mali in the next few days against other Islamist rebel strongholds, such as Timbuktu and Kidal.

There have been 30 French air strikes on militant targets around Gao and Timbuktu in the past 36 hours.

News that the French were at the gates of Gao, the largest northern town held by the Islamists, came as African states struggled to deploy a planned 6,000-strong intervention force in Mali, known as AFISMA, under a U.N. mandate.

French army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard said French forces were still coming under fire from rebels inside Gao.

"At the moment, there are still contacts, some harassment operations by terrorist groups who are firing in the direction of the airport from residences or seeking to blend in with the population," Burkhard told Reuters.

He said both the bridge and airport runway were undamaged.

In Paris, the French defense ministry said that Malian and French troop reinforcements were being brought up and that troops from Chad and Niger, who have experience in desert warfare, would also be flown in shortly to Gao.

To the west, French forces pushed towards Lere, on the road to Timbuktu, without so far encountering resistance.

For two weeks, French jets and helicopter gunships have been harrying the retreating Islamists, attacking their vehicles, command posts and weapons depots. The French action had stymied a sudden Islamist offensive launched in early January that had threatened Bamako, Mali's capital in the south of the country.

Washington and European governments, while providing airlift and intelligence support to the anti-militant offensive, are not planning to send in any combat troops.

FRANCE TAKING THE LEAD

At an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, AU leaders called on the United Nations to provide emergency logistics and funding to allow the African force for Mali to deploy.

AU officials say AFISMA is severely hampered by logistical shortages and needs airlift support, ammunition, telecoms equipment, field hospitals, food and water. It also required training to operate in Mali's desert and arid mountains.

There appeared to be some embarrassment among African ministers and leaders that the continent was having to rely on a former colonial power, France, much criticized for past meddling in Africa, to take the lead in the military campaign in Mali.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said France's intervention was "justified".

"If Africa can't do it, somebody else should do it," Mushikiwabo told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.

France, which dispatched its military to Mali at the Bamako government's request, already has 2,500 soldiers on the ground in its former colony.

Around 1,900 African troops, including Chadians, have been deployed to Mali so far. Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Niger and Chad are providing troops while Burundi and other African nations have pledged to contribute.

While the French and Malians thrust northeast in a two-pronged offensive towards Gao and Timbuktu, Chadian and local forces in neighboring Niger are preparing a flanking thrust coming up from the south.

A large column of armored vehicles and hundreds of Chadian troops rolled out of the Niger capital Niamey on Saturday, heading northwards towards the Mali border.

ISLAMISTS "IN RETREAT"

Malian army officers said there had been no direct fighting in recent days as the Islamist insurgents pulled back to avoid deadly French air strikes that have destroyed rebel vehicles, command posts, fuel depots and stores.

"They are all hiding. They are leaving on foot and on motorcycles," Malian Army Captain Faran Keita told Reuters at Konna, about 500 km (310 miles) southeast of Gao.

Konna's capture by the Islamist insurgents on January 10 triggered the sudden French military intervention to aid Mali. Reporters there saw charred rebel pickup trucks that had been blasted by French air strikes. Munitions lay scattered about.

The question remained whether the Islamists would fight to hold Gao and Timbuktu or withdraw further north into the trackless desert wastes and mountain fastnesses of the Sahara.

"We have stopped their offensive, they are in retreat - that is clear. Whether they are in retreat to regroup, what their next intentions are or what has been done to their total strength, that is not clear," a U.S. official in the region, who asked not to be named, said.

On Friday, the Islamists blew up a road bridge on the main road south from Gao to Niger, but military officials from Niger said the Chadian and Nigerien forces could still reach Gao by other routes when they advanced.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande by phone on Friday and expressed support for France's military operation in Mali.

At a conference of donors for the Mali operation to be held in Addis Ababa on January 29, the AU is expected to seek hundreds of millions of dollars in logistical support and funding to assist the deployment of the African intervention force.

(Additional reporting by James Regan in Paris, Richard Valdmanis in Konna, Mali, Richard Lough and Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa and David Lewis and Pascal Fletcher in Dakar; Writing by Pascal Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-says-forces-mali-seize-airport-bridge-rebel-122925544.html

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African leaders meet in Ethiopia amid Mali crisis

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) ? African leaders met in the Ethiopian capital Sunday for talks dominated by the conflict in Mali as well as lingering territorial issues between the two Sudans.

The African Union says it will deploy a force in Mali, where French troops are helping the Malian army to push back Islamist extremists whose rebellion threatens to divide the West African nation.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attending the two-day summit in Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took over from President Yayi Boni of Benin as chairperson of the African Union.

"We are determined to do what we can to help the people of Mali in their time of need," Ban said. "Humanitarian agencies are helping suffering civilians. The United Nations has also sent specialists on the military and political tracks. This is a moral imperative for all in the international community. I have presented to the Security Council my recommendation on the logistics support package for (the Mali force)."

With Mali at the top of the agenda, African leaders hope they can make quick progress in deploying a substantial number of African troops there. As the African leaders met, French special forces fighting alongside Malian troops were pushing farther north into the Malian desert in an offensive against al Qaida-linked Islamists who took control of northern Mali more than nine months ago.

Africa's economic boom is threatened by violent conflicts across the continent, African Union officials said at the summit.

"While we are proud of the progress made in expanding and consolidating peace and security on the continent, we also acknowledge that much still needs to be done to resolve ongoing, renewed and new conflict situations in a number of countries," said African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Dlamini-Zuma said the Peace and Security Council of the African Union will report to the summit on efforts to resolve conflicts in countries ranging from Mali to Madagascar.

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union said in a statement Saturday that it wanted "the early operationalization of the African Standby Force" in Mali. The council also said it fully supports Mali President Dioncounda Traore but urged him to put in place a roadmap to free and fair elections. It also said the African Union is committed to preserving the unity of Mali and would "spare no efforts" to safeguard the country's territorial integrity.

A number of African countries have pledged to send troops to Mali, and on Tuesday the African Union will hold a conference of donors with hopes that money will be raised for the Mali force. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union urged member states to "seize the opportunity of the donors' conference ... to meaningfully contribute toward the mobilization of the necessary resources."

The council also urged the international community to contribute generously to the Mali force.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan met at the summit in Addis Ababa, although African Union officials said they did not expect them to make much headway. South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month agreed to "the unconditional and speedy" implementation of deals they had reached back in September. But a subsequent meeting of the two countries' negotiating teams that should have outlined timetable for the deal's implementation ended in disagreement.

Ban urged the two Sudans to resume direct talks and spoke of the "dangerous humanitarian situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states."

"In Sudan and South Sudan the parties have taken positive steps to resolve outstanding issues," Ban said. "But they should make more progress in meeting their agreements."

Mediators led by former South African leader Thabo Mbeki have until July to push the two sides to agree on the status of the disputed Abyei region as well as other contested border areas.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/african-leaders-meet-ethiopia-amid-mali-crisis-100222090.html

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Video: Baby born with heart outside body goes home

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50605236/

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iPhone 5S, a Plastic Version and iPad 5 Reportedly Coming This Year

iPhone 5S, a Plastic Version and iPad 5 Reportedly Coming This Year
It's been just about three months since the fourth-generation iPad was announced, so naturally, it's time for some rumors and reports of the fifth-gen model to start rolling in -- along with reports on the next-generation iPhone.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/kTfx6VjTV_k/

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Why Don't Experts Share The Personal Injury Legal Advice In This ...

Posted by Joyce Loto on Jan 26, 2013 in Education |




Have you filed or are you thinking about filing a personal injury case? What are some of the things that will likely come your way over the course of your case? Although you cannot see into the future, it will nonetheless benefit you to examine things that are typical in personal injury cases so you will know what to expect.

If you are unhappy with your personal injury lawyer, know that you can terminate the contract. This must be done in writing, but it gives you an out and allows you to find someone else to represent you. Just keep in mind that if you choose to do this, you will still owe your attorney funds for the work he has completed prior to being let go.

Personal injury lawyers tend to specialize in a number of different fields. For example, one may solely take on medical malpractice cases, whereas another may be proficient in automotive accidents. Don?t assume that all personal injury lawyers are the same and be sure to make inquiries about any lawyer you have under consideration.

Make sure to have contact information for a backup in case your attorney cannot be reached. This might be another attorney in the office, a paralegal or some other assistant. Having someone to contact in an emergency is important, especially when you are considering a case that could make the difference in your health and financial future.

If you do not get medical attention as soon as you are injured, you may find that you get less in damages at a personal injury trial. You have to be able to ?mitigate losses? by getting yourself repaired as quickly as possible, allowing you to get out of bed and back to work.

At your first meeting with your personal injury lawyer, bring anything that you think is relevant to your case. For example, if the police were involved, bring a copy of their report. If you have spoken with your insurance company, bring any notes that detail what happened with them. All of this information will help your attorney start piecing together your case.

If you are paying your lawyer an hourly rate, remember that any communication is billed. To help keep costs down, gather all information that you want to discuss before visiting or calling the attorney. Remember, every time you call, the attorney must find your file and then talk with you which can result in you spending more money.

Be sure you get yourself an actual personal injury lawyer. Understand that lawyers specialize in many different areas. Not all of them specialize in personal injury. A personal injury lawyer is very knowledgeable on these matters; therefore, you will be more likely to win your case and receive a larger settlement than you thought possible.

As the start of this piece mentioned, the law may be furthest thing from your mind when you suffer a personal injury. You do need to focus on it though, seeing as it will be a major part of your life in the weeks, months, and perhaps years to come. Visit www.clearlawonline.co.uk for more information.

Tags: Education

Source: http://www.candam-marketing.com/WP/14151/why-dont-experts-share-the-personal-injury-legal-advice-in-this-article-5/

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