Russia's Putin calls for Stalin-style "leap forward"

NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters) - Russia needs a "leap forward" to rejuvenate its sprawling defense industry, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, harkening back to the ambitious industrialization carried out by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the run-up to World War Two.

"We should carry out the same powerful, all-embracing leap forward in modernization of the defense industry as the one carried out in the 1930s," Putin told his Security Council, without mentioning Stalin by name.

Stalin, who ruled the Soviet empire with an iron fist for 27 years, is blamed for the death of about six million people but also is praised by many Russians for winning the war and industrializing the country.

Putin made renewed industrialization a priority during his third term in the Kremlin which started in May amid the largest protests of his 12-year rule. He conceded that the defense industry, once the heart of the Soviet economy, was in tatters.

"Unfortunately, many of our enterprises are technologically stuck in the previous century," Putin said, complaining about poor discipline at plants working on state defense orders.

In the 1930s Soviet leaders transformed a rural country devastated by civil war into an industrial superpower, using terror and executions to impose strict discipline at new plants built across the vast country.

Putin's top defense industry official Dmitry Rogozin posted on his Facebook page a copy of a 1940 letter from Stalin to gun factory managers and accompanied it with a sarcastic warning: "Such methods of improving discipline also exist".

Stalin's letter to the managers said: "I give you two or three days to launch mass production of machinegun cartridges... If production does not start on time, the government will take over control of the plant and shoot all the rascals there."

"Of course, it was a joke," Rozogin told reporters regarding his posting but added that failures would not be tolerated.

"Our satellites are falling, our ships are sinking, we had seven space failures in the last 18 months but not a single plant felt the consequences," he said after the council session.

"The culprits should come on stage. The country should know them."

Putin plans to spend $680 billion in the next eight years to modernize the military, with the bulk of the money going to 1,350 defense plants which employ about 2 million Russians. Many defense sector workers backed Putin during the election.

He sees the sector as a new growth driver for the stagnating economy which can help wean Russia off its dependency on energy. He promised to open up the sector to private businesses.

Putin's critics argue that the arms industry is too backward and corrupt to be given such money and point to numerous recent failures and delays such as space satellite crashes or failed test launches of new intercontinental missiles.

(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russias-putin-calls-stalin-style-leap-forward-201240730--sector.html

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Get the latest news and info on South Asian / Middle East region ...

There is a need to be categorical about it

The latest terrorist attack at Kamra and the sectarian killings in August 2012 provide the latest evidence of the continuing threat of terrorist and armed religious groups. Though their capacity to terrorize the state and society has declined since 2009-2010, these groups can still use violence to advance their religio-political agendas, including the desire to create a domain of authority at the expense of the Pakistani state. The Kamra attack was neutralized in less time than the attacks of the Mehran Naval base and the Army headquarters, the fact that the militants can breach the security of the prime military installations is a matter of grave concern.

The August terrorist activity has also demonstrated that the politically active and vocal sections of the society are divided on the sources of terrorism and the methods for coping with it. They also diverge on who needs to change the policies for controlling terrorism: the government of Pakistan or the Taliban and other militant Islamic groups or the United States? The response of the Pakistani state and society to terrorism is characterized by ambiguity about terrorism and a tendency to avoid criticism of the Taliban and mainland based armed religious groups. Only a small number of people are categorical in criticizing and condemning the groups that engage in terrorism and sectarian violence.

The ambiguous and split societal disposition towards religious extremism and terrorism has sapped the will of the government to adopt a unified and clear-cut stand against the groups and organizations that engage in violence and terrorism.

Only three political parties officially take an anti-terrorism stance and view the Taliban and similar extremist and hardline groups as a threat to the state and the society. These political parties are: the PPP, the MQM and the ANP. They are partners in the federal government.

The opposition and other political parties and groups may express opposition to terrorism and religious extremism as a principle but they do not criticize any specific militant organization for its terrorist or sectarian activities. They blame the federal government of failure to provide security of life and property to the citizens.

The societal disposition towards terrorism is shaped mainly by partisan political affiliations or Islamic denominational affiliations or both. The right of the centre to far-right and Islamic groups and parties demonstrate varying degrees of sympathy for the Taliban and other militant Islamic groups. It ranges from avoidance of criticism, blaming the government of Pakistan and the military for taking action against them, claiming that those engaging in violence are not genuine Taliban but the agents of Pakistan's foreign enemies in the garb of the Taliban to open support.

A more prominent tendency among them is to hold the United States responsible for all the ills of Pakistan. The more a person is Right-wing and Islamist in orientation the more will be the tendency to see things in Islam versus others and that the U.S. is determined to destabilize Islamic Pakistan and grab its nuclear weapons. By implications there will hardly be any criticism of the Taliban and other militant groups.

Many political and religious groups and column-writers accused India, the U.S. and Israel for masterminding the Kamala attacks. Some of them argued that sectarian killings were also arranged by some of these countries and their agents in Pakistan. Some analysts argued that the attacks and killings were the punishment from the God.

Most Islamic parties and groups, especially those identifying with Deoband, Whabbi, Salafi and Ahle-Hadith traditions of Islam offer varying degrees of support to the militant groups of their respective denominations. The Islamic groups identifying with the Barelvi Islamic tradition are openly critical of the Taliban for the last two-three years. The Shia Islamic groups are also opposed to the Taliban and other sectarian groups that attack and kill the Shias.

Pakistan's civilian government and the military are unable to convince the people at large that Pakistan's participation in the U.S. led effort to eliminate terrorism served Pakistan's national interests. There are few takers of the policy that Pakistan is fighting the war for saving itself from terrorism. This perspective runs deep in Pakistani society, cutting across the denominational and political differences. It afflicts the government circles as well as the Pakistan military. The retired officers of the army are more vocal on this issue. These people may not publicly support the Taliban but their view of war on terrorism and Pakistan's role are similar to the Taliban.

The lack of unanimity on terrorism is also caused by four dimensional power struggles in Pakistan, i.e., the PPP-led federal government and the opposition; the federal government and the military; the federal government and the overactive Supreme Court; and the military's policy to play soft with some militant groups.

The federal government has to spend more energy in saving itself from pressures of the opposition parties, the Supreme Court and the military rather than improve governance. The military wants the civilian government to own the military operations in the tribal areas but it exerts its political clout if and when it feels that the civilian government disregards the military's sensitivities.

The federal government under siege spends more time and energy in surviving the political onslaught. It is unable to mobilize public support for the military's efforts to control the tribal areas.

The military has often overplayed anti-Americanism and sought the cooperation of pro-Taliban militant and Islamic groups and the Political Right to protect its institutional interests, i.e. the Kerry Lugar bill controversy (2009), the Difa-e-Pakistan conglomerate after the Salala border post incident. By now, anti-American sentiments have become so deep rooted that no rational approach to foreign and security policy can be implemented.

The elected government, the political players and the security apparatus may like to control religious extremism and terrorism but they lack the political will to take and implement difficult decisions. They are unable to evolve a shared disposition on terrorism. The key question is if the military can practically adopt a policy of treating all armed religious groups as a threat? It needs to convince the pro-military circles and retired officers to view countering terrorism as Pakistan's war and fully support the military on it. As this is not expected to happen in the near future, the confused and ambiguous policy for controlling terrorism against the backdrop of internal power struggle will continue.

Source: http://pakistanpal.livejournal.com/1174568.html

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E-cigarette Online Videos ? First Hand Profiles ... - Critical Care 2011

This article goes over the hidden dangers to your unborn child if you smoke during pregnancy.

The child of a mother who smokes during pregnancy is at risk for a long list of harmful effects. If you smoke while pregnant you are guaranteeing your child will have at least some of the known problems. There are too many known risks with smoking during pregnancy, even though there haven?t been that many studies done. We tend to feel there is a huge disconnect between what is known and what mothers, or potential mothers, are aware of concerning the risks. It is extremely important for women to know what the possibilities are if they smoke while pregnant. Continue reading and we will share just a couple of the known risks involved with smoking during pregnancy.

Cigarettes have hundreds of added chemicals which attack all of the systems. The baby will have a greater tendency to get sick more often because their immune system is compromised. Smoking during pregnancy also causes many complications for the respiratory system. Children of mothers who smoked while pregnant can also have problems with normal growth.

Ectopic pregnancies are a certain percentage of all pregnancies every year. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the embryo implants itself in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus. There are numerous complications that arise from an ectopic pregnancy. Women who smoke are at a greater risk for an ectopic pregnancy. Smoking while pregnant can also negatively impact the placenta. These serious risks can affect the health of both the mother and the fetus. Never forget the most important part of this is you plus your moving forward after reading about e-cigarette, here. Most people, the majority of them, do nothing all throughout their lives and nothing good happens from that.

We do not really know why most people do not advance themselves, but that seems to be the common thing to do, or not do. There is really a form of momentum in our lives, and the hard part for most is just simply getting started.

Therefor, think how you can best make good utility from what you are reading and then go forward. Let?s see what else there is to know about this topic.

This is only one of the many risks associated with smoking while pregnant. A few of the other known risks include cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and retardation. Of course the most serious possibility, and one that is recognized, is infant death. Much is known about the effects of smoking during pregnancy on the unborn child as well as the developing child. There is still much to be learned, however, so more research needs to be done. Still, the bottom line is pretty clear considering what is known about the negative and harmful effects of smoking on a fetus. So if you?re pregnant, it?s vital to find a way to quit smoking. Not being ready to quit or thinking it?s too hard are the reasons most people don?t quit. Take the time to do more research on this subject, however. Pregnant women especially should get help from their doctors to beat their nicotine addiction.

Related Links

1. Richard Lower
2. Thomas Linacre
3. Jonas Salk
4. Frederic E. Mohs
5. Gerbrand Bakker

Source: http://www.criticalcare2011.org/e-cigarette-online-videos-first-hand-profiles-on-their-utilization

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RNC Liveblog: Allow Mitt to Reintroduce Himself

Mitt Romney will tell Americans it's okay to give up on President Obama and try something completely different in his speech accepting the nomination for president at the Republican National Convention tonight. Romney will outline a plan to create 12 million new jobs, and, despite telling reporters he did not want the campaign "to personalize me like I'm a piece of meat," he will talk about love. As his wife did Tuesday, Romney will explain the importance of love -- the "unconditional love" between parents and children and God's love. Having spent most of the election presenting himself as a numbers-obsessed manager, this new appreciation of human emotions seems like a bit of conversion, so maybe we'll get a dance number like at the end of?A Muppet Christmas Carol. We'll be liveblogging the night and holding on to that hope till the very end.

RELATED: Did Mitt Romney Pay $500,000 for Journey to Play a Tampa Fundraiser?

Updates:

RELATED: Humanizing Mitt Romney Means Talking More About Ann

7:05p.m.: Other speakers will include Newt and Callista Gingrich. three Olympians, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and House Speaker John Boehner. There will also be a little movie about Bain Capital.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rnc-liveblog-allow-mitt-reintroduce-himself-231600037.html

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How Do You Guide A Child To Move On From Pet Loss Grief? ? Self ...

When parents decide to have a pet at home, it is a decision that they usually make for the happiness of their children. For many kids, pets are not just playmates. Rather they are creatures that can make them happy, teach them how to be responsible, relieve them of daily pressures and overall serve as their good friends. Considering this, it is safe to assume that during the entire stay of a pet in any household, most of the hours are spent with children. Hence, children are likely to experience pet loss grief with the death of a pet. As a parent, it might be hard to think how you can help your kids move on from the loss. This is because you, yourself, are finding it hard to cope up. But since you are the adult, you have to take it upon yourself to give your kids some extra help.

Parents have to remember that patience is very important. Children have the tendency to bring up the topic repeatedly so be patient. Other than this, you should allow your children to work through their grief. Let them express their grief openly and let them see you express your grief as well. Always make sure that when you talk about what happened, you do it with all honesty. Also similar to what Christian counseling experts would tell you, talk about death and grief in terms children understand. Don?t use words like God took the pet or the pet is just asleep. These might lead them to develop fears such as the fear of God taking them or their loved ones away and fear of sleeping. It is also recommended to involve your children to activities pertaining to the loss. Give them permission to participate in the burial service. Allow them to have a say on how the memorial service should be carried out. If ever a child says he doesn?t want to join, don?t force him to.

Also, you should not forget that part of helping your kid cope up with the loss is to teach him that death is permanent. Further, don?t commit the mistake of immediately getting another pet to replace the lost one. This will trigger feelings of disloyalty and will also give the wrong impression that grief for a loss can be overcome by mere buying of a replacement. Pet loss grief counseling for children may not be as serious as substance abuse counseling but it needs attention just the same. Exerting effort in learning the best practices to help your kids cope up can go a long way in your kids? recovery. As always, be patient and never forget to hug and reassure your kids.

Related:

Substance Abuse and CounselingComprehensive coverage of substance abuse and the roles helping professionals can play to aid diagnosis, treatment and prevention. All forms of substance abuse are explored and clinically tested interventions are offered.

Tags: Christian counseling, pet loss grief, substance abuse counseling

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://selfimprovement.woodriverhall.com/uncategorized/how-do-you-guide-a-child-to-move-on-from-pet-loss-grief/

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Metabolism in the brain fluctuates with circadian rhythm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) ? The rhythm of life is driven by the cycles of day and night, and most organisms carry in their cells a common, (roughly) 24-hour beat. In animals, this rhythm emerges from a tiny brain structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus. Take it out of the brain and keep it alive in a lab dish and this "brain clock" will keep on ticking, ramping up or gearing down production of certain proteins at specific times of the day, day after day.

A new study reveals that the brain clock itself is driven, in part, by metabolism, the production and flow of chemical energy in cells. The researchers focused primarily on a phenomenon known as "redox" in tissues of the SCN from the brains of rats and mice.

Redox represents the energy changes of cellular metabolism (usually through the transfer of electrons). When a molecule gains one or more electrons, scientists call it a reduction; when it loses electrons, they say it is oxidized. These redox reactions, the researchers found, oscillate on a 24-hour cycle in the brain clock, and literally open and close channels of communication in brain cells.

They report their findings in the journal Science, which also wrote a Perspective on the research. "The language of the brain is electrical; it determines what kind of signals one part of the brain sends to the other cells in its tissue, as well as the other parts of the brain nearby," said University of Illinois cell and developmental biology professor Martha Gillette, who led the study. "The fundamental discovery here is that there is an intrinsic oscillation in metabolism in the clock region of the brain that takes place without external intervention. And this change in metabolism determines the excitable state of that part of the brain."

The new findings alter basic assumptions about how the brain works, Gillette said.

"Basically, the idea has always been that metabolism is serving brain function. What we're showing is metabolism is part of brain function," she said. "Our study implies that changes in cellular metabolic state could be a cause, rather than a result, of neuronal activity."

The study team also included graduate student Yanxun Yu, postdoctoral researcher Gubbi Govindaiah, graduate student Xiaoying Ye, graduate student Liana Artinian, electrical and computer engineering professor Todd Coleman, chemistry professor Jonathan Sweedler and pharmacology professor Charles Cox. Gillette, Govindaiah, Ye, Sweedler and Cox also are affiliates of the Beckman Institute at Illinois.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal References:

1. T. A. Wang, Y. V. Yu, G. Govindaiah, X. Ye, L. Artinian, T. P. Coleman, J. V. Sweedler, C. L. Cox, M. U. Gillette. Circadian Rhythm of Redox State Regulates Excitability in Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Neurons. Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1126/science.1222826
2. M. D. C. Belle, H. D. Piggins. Circadian Time Redoxed. Science, 2012; 337 (6096): 805 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227203

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/XVIJVzDF7ck/120828143315.htm

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Orange you glad Katy Perry changed hair color?

Orange you glad Katy Perry is on the music scene to keep things lively?

L'officiel de la Mode

Katy Perry sports reddish-orange hair on the cover of L'Officiel Paris.

The singer's striking fashion choices often extend to her haircolor. She's sported royal blue locks, pale blonde with hot pink highlights, raven-colored and more. Sometimes she dons a wig, sometimes she goes for the semi-permanent hairdye.

Now Perry poses for the cover of the September issue of L'Officiel Paris magazine, a French fashion magazine, and her hair is a vibrant reddish-orange.

The Huffington Post writer who commented on the new look wasn't exactly a fan, sniffing that "she's gone a shade of orange we can only describe as (former model and Vogue creative director) Grace Coddington-meets-a-jack o' lantern."

For some, it's not the haircolor as much as Perry's look in general. Wrote one reader on The Fashion Spot forums, "This must be photoshopped to death because it took me five minutes to actually see any resemblance to her actual face."

Others disagree, with one reader writing, "This has to be one of her best covers."

And for another, it was simply too much of one hue. "This looks like a Halloween issue, why the orange overload?" one reader wrote on the forum.?"I wouldn't have mind the image if they had put her in a different colored top."

What do you think of Perry's new hair color? Tell us on Facebook.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/08/28/13529686-orange-you-glad-katy-perry-changed-her-hair-color?lite

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New Couple Alert? Rihanna Has a Date with Rob Kardashian

Usually it's Kim Kardashian who falls for musicians -- but her younger brother Rob seems to have taken a shine to Rihanna. This weekend, the former Dancing with the Stars contestant was spotted on what looked like a date with the Grammy-winning singer. Were they just two friends having fun, or has RiRi wooed Rob away from girlfriend Rita Ora?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/rihanna-goes-date-rob-kardashian/1-a-483151?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Arihanna-goes-date-rob-kardashian-483151

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British opposition, Branson urge delay over rail contract

Britain's opposition Labour party joined business magnate Richard Branson on Monday in urging government to delay the signing of a major railway contract until parliament returns next week.

Branson's Virgin Rail Group earlier this month lost a long-term deal with the British government to run the major West Coast Main Line railway from London to Glasgow as rival FirstGroup were awarded the 13-year franchise.

More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the decision to be reconsidered but the Department for Transport said it had "no reason" to delay the signing, which is due to take place Tuesday.

Labour lawmaker Maria Eagle, the shadow transport secretary, said there were concerns over how the new contract would affect fares and levels of service and called on the government to allow parliament time to consider the deal.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Justine Greening, Eagle said she had concerns over the history of "over-ambitious payment promises that proved impossible to realise" when it came to awarding rail franchises.

"The decision appears almost exclusively a 'bottom line' one, driven by a particularly high pledge of payments to Government," Eagle wrote.

Eagle's plea came after Louise Ellman, chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee, also wrote to Greening asking her to hold off signing the final contract, saying that "important issues" had been raised.

Virgin Rail -- 51-percent owned by Virgin Group and 49-percent owned by transport firm Stagecoach -- has been running the route since 1997, during which time it introduced tilting high-speed Pendolino trains and more than doubled passenger numbers.

FirstGroup is set to begin services between England and Scotland from December but Branson on Sunday offered to run the line for free to allow the government time to review what he called an "outrageous" decision.

FirstGroup will have to pay back ?5.5 billion ($8.6 billion, 7.0 billion euros) to the government in premiums over the life of the franchise and Branson has claimed that their bid will lead to "almost certain bankruptcy".

The entrepreneur said Virgin Rail had offered to pay ?750 million less than this for the line.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-opposition-branson-urge-delay-over-rail-contract-172928380.html

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Modern Love ? Your relationship is NOT OVER! | WebTalkRadio.net

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed on these programs are those of the hosts and participants and are not intended to and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WebTalk Radio Network its owners and agents. All listeners are advised that neither WebTalk Radio Network, nor its owners and agents shall be held liable for the content of programs, including any advice given. All listeners are advised to make their own decisions after appropriate consultation with professionals who have had an opportunity to consider completely each listener's circumstances, and not in reliance upon the content of WebTalk Radio Network programs.

Source: http://webtalkradio.net/2012/08/26/modern-love-your-relationship-is-not-over/

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Minnesotans are in the mix as GOP fights over its brand (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/243698883?client_source=feed&format=rss

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92111 Heat Repair and Air Conditioning - Informal Learning Web ...

About Us:
5 Star Air Condition and Heating is a privately own HVAC service companies that principles our client relation as well as honor ourselves with existence an effective piece of the community. We appreciate that your satisfaction is the recipe to our success and assure to warranty all situation with the individual notice that it justify. We know that you own a choice and we require you to sense confident that we resolve assemble all of your needs. Our client is always our amount one precedence. We pleasure ourselves on existence capable to provide almost any type of product and service that you might require regarding air conditioning and heat. 5 Star Air Conditioning?s values of worth work perform by highly qualified, dedicated technicians contain resulted in research progress for us. Our commitment will never alter. Helping our clients with the main amount of training, value and reply will agreement our continued victory. At 5 Star Air Conditioning, the customer continuously come original. We?ve earn a leading reputation by tailoring system purposely to each customer?s wants. Our group of licensed, factory qualified heating and air condition specialist studies your project and expectations carefully, then propose and install the perfect heating or cool system for you.

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5 Star Air Condition Residence heating, air condition, and ventilation services. We additionally can be count on for the lowly price on latest equipment, so phone us for a next view when receiving quote. Whether you require your furnace or ac piece repair or replaced, call on us for your home or business repairs needs. 5 Star Air Conditioning perform several services counting replacement or repair of:
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Every air conditioning unit, whether it is a central air system for a house, an in-window system, or an industrial-sized condenser; will entail servicing from occasion-to-time. Air condition use a enormous contract of energy, which can consequently lead to overheating and other issue. Additionally, filter require to be trained, and the refrigerant checked and accustomed as per supplies.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2012 at 11:10 PM and is filed under Air Conditioning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://informallearning.org/Blog/2012/08/11/92111-heat-repair-and-air-conditioning/

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Afghan parliament votes to remove key ministers

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The Afghan parliament passed votes of no confidence Saturday to remove the country's defense and interior ministers, a move that threatens to throw the country's security apparatus into confusion as foreign forces withdraw.

The vote demanded the dismissal of two of President Hamid Karzai's key security lieutenants: Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, one of the top Afghan officials most trusted by Washington, and Interior Minister Bismullah Mohammadi.

Legislators faulted the two for what they view as the government's weak response to cross-border attacks from Pakistan that they blamed on that country's military. The parliamentarians also asked the ministers about allegations of corruption within their ministries and alleged security lapses that led to recent assassinations of top officials.

The parliament then passed a measure to remove Wardak by a vote of 146 to 72. A separate vote of no confidence on Mohammadi passed 126 to 90. Both measures need 124 votes to pass.

"Both ministers are disqualified from their positions and we request His Excellency President Karzai to introduce new ministers for these positions as soon as possible," Abdul Raouf Abrahimi, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said after the vote.

It is unclear if the two will immediately leave their posts. Parliament occasionally flexes its muscle to thwart Karzai's policies or appointments, but the constitution places most power in the president's hands.

Karzai's office issued a three-sentence statement acknowledging that Article 92 of the Afghan constitution gives the parliament the authority to disqualify ministers. Karzai's statement did not express any support or regret for the no confidence votes, saying only that the president would "make decisions about the disqualified ministers" after he meets with his national security team on Sunday.

In past no-confidence votes, Karzai has simply kept other ministers in their jobs in an acting capacity and dragged out the process of nominating replacements.

Among the criticisms of the two ministers was the government's tepid response to allegations that the Pakistani military launched hundreds of shells and rockets into Afghanistan last month, sometimes hitting homes along frontier areas where insurgents have staged cross-border attacks.

Karzai has been careful not to openly blame the Pakistani military for the artillery barrage, which reportedly hit districts in the eastern provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. Interior Minister Mohammedi and other top-ranking administration officials, however, have explicitly blamed Pakistan for the shelling.

Afghan military analyst Abdul Hadi Khalid, a former deputy interior minister, said he thinks the dismissal vote was less about the controversy over the cross-border attacks than a power play by parliament.

He suspects that the lawmakers were reacting to citizen allegations that they were a "useless parliament" that could not make decisions.

"So suddenly, the parliament made a decision to gain dignity from the nation and show that they can oust top security ministers," Khalid said. "These two ministers became the victims of the weakness of this government."

Wardak, who studied in the U.S. and speaks English fluently, has been long backed by Washington and the NATO military coalition. He has been defense minister since late 2004, and was deputy defense minister before that. In the 1980s, he was a well-known leader of mujahideen fighting against the Soviet and Afghan communists.

Wardak has overseen massive growth of the army ? now 185,125-strong. In recent years, tens of thousands of soldiers have been recruited, given literacy and military training and sent to fight alongside foreign forces.

The votes of no confidence come at a critical time in the war when Afghan police and soldiers are increasingly taking responsibility from exiting international troops, who are scheduled to leave Afghanistan or move into support roles by the end of 2014.

Afghan forces now take lead in areas of the country that are home to 75 percent of the population.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-parliament-votes-remove-key-ministers-122603469.html

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Clinical Negligence Compensation is a Necessity | Q2R

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Weapons maker Lockheed builds submarine for oil rigs

PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp is already the Pentagon's biggest supplier and the largest information technology provider for the U.S. federal government, but now it is turning its sights on a $1 billion niche market in the oil and gas industry.

At a small waterfront facility just outside Palm Beach, Florida, engineers have developed a 10-foot unmanned submarine named Marlin that uses sonar and other technologies developed for the U.S. military to inspect off-shore oil rigs in far less time and at lower cost than current systems.

The bright yellow unmanned undersea vehicle was tested last summer in the Gulf of Mexico at a facility owned by Chevron , generating detailed three-dimensional data that have piqued a great deal of interest in the industry.

A Lockheed crew is back in the area off Louisiana this week, where Marlin is surveying a number of offshore platforms owned by a big oil firm, generating the first commercial revenues for this small arm of Lockheed. Lockheed did not name the oil firm.

The project, first initiated in mid-2009, reflects growing efforts by big weapons makers like Lockheed to find revenues in adjacent markets as they brace for weaker defense spending in the United States and Europe after a decade of strong growth.

Rich Holmberg, vice president of Lockheed's mission and unmanned systems unit in Florida, sees bright prospects for the Marlin vehicle, given the huge and growing number of offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf and elsewhere; growing calls for increase regulation after the 2010 BP oil spill; and increased investment in offshore wind energy.

"We're kind of bullish," Holmberg told Reuters in a glass-walled conference room overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and several of the company's smaller research and support ships.

Holmberg, who previously headed Lockheed's naval helicopter programs, declined to estimate future possible sales or the per unit price, but said Lockheed believed it was the only company with the full set of capabilities offered by the Marlin vehicle at the moment.

The mission and unmanned systems unit has historically been more of a research house, like Lockheed's famous Skunk Works aeronautics development shop, which has earned it the nickname "Squid Works," but it is ramping up for a higher profile.

While other parts of Lockheed are laying off workers, Holmberg's unit has filled 130 positions over the past 18 months, bringing its workforce to 430 people to deal with demand for Marlin and complete work on several U.S. Navy programs, including a remote mine-hunting system for coastal warships.

It also just opened an office in Houston, home of the oil and gas industry, to step up marketing of the Marlin vehicle.

VEHICLE COULD REPLACE DIVERS, TETHERED UNMANNED SYSTEMS

Marillyn Hewson now heads the electronic systems division which oversees Holmberg's unit but is moving up to become Lockheed's president and chief operating officer in January.

She told Reuters in June that Lockheed saw great opportunities for company's unmanned capabilities in the air, at sea and on land, including the autonomous Marlin vehicle.

The new system can be programmed to autonomously survey an underwater object, and detect any changes. It then generates three-dimensional models that oil and gas companies can use to lower their high inspection costs.

Currently, oil and gas companies do inspections using divers and remotely operated, but tethered undersea vehicles that provide less detailed video images.

Marlin could simplify those efforts since it is able to complete inspections in far less time -- mapping a 135-foot platform in 27 minutes -- and can be launched from a smaller ship, reducing fuel costs.

"These systems enable those companies to do more inspections more efficiently so they get better inspections and more inspections for about the same cost as their current inspections," Holmberg said.

Industry data shows there are over 3,800 offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, over 40,000 miles of underwater pipeline, and an estimated 12,000 capped wells -- all of which are subject to various government inspection requirements.

Holmberg said Lockheed is still developing its business model for the new venture, but plans to both sell the unmanned submarines, and to team up with service companies serving North America, the North Sea, Brazil and even the Arctic.

Marlin is currently able to dive to 1,000 feet below the surface, but Lockheed is working on a variant that would be able to service deep water platforms by diving to 12,000 feet, according to Dan McLeod, the creator of the Marlin program.

The company is also working with a subcontractor to integrate a three-dimensional laser that could improve the data gathered by Marlin. It is also exploring systems that would remain under the water but could be turned on when needed.

(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weapons-maker-lockheed-builds-submarine-oil-rigs-001052018--finance.html

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DIY Kids: Beach Crafts | DIY Del Ray

During our beach vacation every year with family friends, we come prepared to do a few fun craft projects with the kids. Midday when it?s too hot to be outside and the kids are running wild indoors, we take over the dining room table and make some fun beach souvenirs.

This year, we made rings, and shell-adorned letters ? the first letter in each child?s name. For the first few days, the kids collected shells and the stray piece of beach glass, and then rinsed and dried them. For the rings, my friend Sara from Madison, WI, whose North Carolina beach house we stay in, had bought adjustable ring blanks to fit big and little fingers from an Etsy vendor. She also brought a glue gun and a few trinkets to use as ?jewels? along with shells.

Sara made a ring for herself with a pretty round shell.

Liam made a funky rainbow ring.

Ana combined a flat sparkly ?gem? with a shell on top.

Later we worked on the letters. We collected even more shells for this project. We had a cardboard letter on hand for the first name of every child. Sara had also bought these supplies ahead of time from a craft store in Madison called Hobby Lobby. I?m sure most craft stores of the Michaels variety or Paper Source sell them too.

The parents helped the youngest children with their designs and guided them on how to apply the glue.

They enjoyed chatting about their designs and picking just the right place for the shells to go.

The adults used the glue gun for the littlest children.

The older girls used the glue gun by themselves.

Both projects were easy for the youngest children but also fun and rewarding for the older kids. You could do these projects in the city too ? instead of shells, you can use anything really to put on the rings and the letters. You could decoupage the letters with pictures from magazines, for example. You can use Mod Podge to add a glaze to the letters and make them adhere better too.

For beach trips, the supplies are easy to source and pack in suitcases ahead of time. We didn?t need to find any perfect shells on the beach ? we used an assortment of shapes and sizes that the kids had fun gathering in their buckets. And everyone has some sweet souvenirs to bring home with them this year.

Source: http://diydelray.com/2012/08/02/diy-kids-beach-crafts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=diy-kids-beach-crafts

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Nikitin insists tattoo was not swastika

FILE - In this June 9, 2012 file photo Russian baritone Evgeny Nikitin poses at a hotel in Berlin, Germany. The 38-year-old opera singer dropped out in July from a new production of Wagner's "Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)" after a 2008 image of the tattoo, which appeared to be a swastika, was broadcast on German television. In a statement released Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 through New York's Metropolitan Opera, Nikitin insists the tattoo was not a swastika, and that it was "still in progress" at the time the video footage was made. (AP Photo/dapd, Christoph Soeder, File)

FILE - In this June 9, 2012 file photo Russian baritone Evgeny Nikitin poses at a hotel in Berlin, Germany. The 38-year-old opera singer dropped out in July from a new production of Wagner's "Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)" after a 2008 image of the tattoo, which appeared to be a swastika, was broadcast on German television. In a statement released Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 through New York's Metropolitan Opera, Nikitin insists the tattoo was not a swastika, and that it was "still in progress" at the time the video footage was made. (AP Photo/dapd, Christoph Soeder, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? After withdrawing from the Bayreuth Wagner Festival last month following the appearance of a tattoo during a program broadcast on German television, Russian bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin now says the image was not a swastika.

The 38-year-old dropped out in July from a new production of Wagner's "Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)" after the image was televised. It appeared to be a swastika tattoo partly covered by another symbol, and the singer said at the time that getting the tattoos years ago was a serious mistake and he was "not aware of the extent of the confusion and hurt that these symbols would cause."

But in a statement released Wednesday through New York's Metropolitan Opera, Nikitin said, "While it is true that I have had a varied artistic life, including an interest in heavy metal music and Scandinavian mythology, which was the inspiration behind the tattoos I have on my body, it is inaccurate to state that I ever had a swastika tattoo. In fact, the tattoo that has been called into question and that was photographed in 2008 was still in progress at the time."

Nikitin remains scheduled to sing Klingsor in a new production of Wagner's "Parsifal" that opens at the Met on Feb. 15 next year. Nikitin called the withdrawal from Bayreuth "the most disturbing event of my artistic career." He had the Met release both a sketch of the tattoo and what he said was a current photo of it, which depicts a star with eight points with a shield over it along with a sword and an ax.

"I have absolutely no affinity for or connection to any neo-Nazi or fascist movement, nor have I ever in the past," he said. "Nazism in particular has been the source of great personal grief and loss. My two grandfathers were both killed by Nazi forces during World War II.

"My main interest and purpose in life is my art as an opera singer, and it is very distressing that a mistaken interpretation of a tattoo has caused the recent cancellations in Bayreuth and raised questions about my integrity as a performing artist," he said.

Wagner, who died in 1883, wrote anti-Semitic essays and was the favorite composer of many Nazi leaders. The Bayreuth Festival, which he established, is run by great granddaughters Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-02-Met%20Opera-Nikitin/id-70fff1d1cd7e4528bc7720fef00467dd

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The Irresponsible Opposition (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

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Dana White?s VLOG, Demian Maia, Joe Lauzon: Morning News Roundup ? 8.1.12

What you see on television during a UFC broadcast is pretty cool, but what goes on backstage, away from the lights and the cameras, is so real and fascinating that it's practically another beast entirely.? I've been credentialed for 17 UFCs, and though the last one I went to was UFC 55 (back in 2005), the access to the area behind the curtain - where the fighters are either mentally preparing themselves for combat or dealing with its after effects, and where the emotion is a thousand times more true and raw - was totally and completely money.? I say all this because leading off today's news roundup is UFC president Dana White's latest video blog, which is the opening salvo in hyping UFC on FOX 4, but contains some sweet behind-the-scenes stuff on UFC 149.?

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• Go here?for White's first UFC on FOX 4 video blog.? Things to note include: UFC commentator Joe Rogan rapping with Ryan Jimmo and White coming by to congratulate Jimmo on his ultra-fast KO victory (and White blaming the referee for not being able to stop the fight faster, thereby preventing Jimmo from setting a new record); Matt Riddle giving opponent Chris Clements some post-fight kudos and looking like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo; a very bummed Brian Ebersole; and, former featherweight champ Urijah Faber, battered and bruised and in pain, but still a great sportsman and heaping praise on the man who just beat him,?Renan Barao.

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• Brazilian Demian Maia is looking good so far in his new weightclass, so the?middleweight-turned-welterweight gets a step up in competition for UFC 153 (which will take place in?Brazil in October).??His opponent: Rick Story.? ?If you'll recall, Maia defeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148 when Kim gave up due to a rib injury incurred earlier in the bout; methinks Story ain't going out like that.? Nope, not at all.? Maia is in for a fight.

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• According to Dana White, whoever looks the best in victory at UFC on FOX 4 on Saturday night gets the next shot at the light-heavyweight champ down the line.? Well, you can count Joe Lauzon out.? Said the lightweight fighter via Twitter:

So, @danawhite?said whoever wins most impressively Saturday at #UFConFox gets a shot at @JonnyBones... I'm preemptively forfeiting my shot.?

You know, we laugh, but if this were PRIDE in Japan, Lauzon could very well end up having to fight Jon Jones.

That's all for now.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-vlog-demian-maia-joe-lauzon-morning-135632101--mma.html

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