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Damaging winds, destructive hail and torrential rain affected many parts of the country on Monday 9 October. Johannesburg was the first hit by large hail and strong winds which resulted in three people dying and several others injured. Heavy downpours caused chaos in parts of the city with the roof of Cradlestone Mall in Krugersdorp blown off and an office park in Ruimsig partially destroyed.
There were several reports of hail smashing windows and damaging cars, and torrential rain flooding and blocking roads. A number of tornadoes across the city were also reported.
Durban ravaged by flash floods
The storm moved to KwaZulu-Natal wreaking havoc in parts of Durban. The Department of Water and Sanitation issued a warning for residents of Ethekwini Municipality to stay indoors.
URGENT WARNING ⚠ pic.twitter.com/oFVDgFoFDW
— RTMC PublicRelations (@TrafficRTMC) October 10, 2017
Durban experienced heavy downpours with many cars finding themselves trapped in floodwater. Schools had to suspend learning and thousands of households were left without electricity. Two patients died and two others were seriously injured when a wall collapsed at the Umlazi hospital. The city is still assessing the damage caused by the storms. Many took to social media to post images and videos of the storms:
Damn, just got this video of the weather in Durban. Prayers to all those that are affected. Please keep safe. #DurbanStorm pic.twitter.com/TGILBcAn7C
— Maps Maponyane (@MapsMaponyane) October 10, 2017
My front yard fence gone ask well 😢💔 #DurbanStorm pic.twitter.com/Ot0c7Wor0i
— Ntokozo Mahlobo (@datkidROBO) October 10, 2017
#DurbanStorm is scary reminder that South Africa isn't prepared for any kind of a disaster. pic.twitter.com/IeZ1Cnyqvs
— Bulelani Mfaco (@BulelaniMfaco) October 11, 2017
Snow, storms in other parts of SA
The severe weather patterns also affected other areas like the Drakensberg. Residents reported that 50cm of snow had accumulated on the ground in the northern parts of the Eastern Cape.
PICS: Brrrr! Surprise snow in Lesotho and Drakensberg | @Traveller24_SA https://t.co/OEczjEtsAN pic.twitter.com/NSLt85mcg2
— News24 (@News24) October 5, 2017
Meanwhile in Cape Town, water levels remain low and the city has begun plans to start rationing water.
Dam levels are at only 27,8% useable water. Consumption remains way too high. Water rationing under way. #ThinkWaterCT pic.twitter.com/hAEpXU8sRD
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) October 10, 2017
Here is your weekly dam update:
Water and dam levels are steady across the country. The Vaal River System consisting of 14 dams serving mainly Gauteng Sasol and Eskom is at 89%. The Cape Town Dams System consisting of six dams serving mainly City of Cape Town are at 36% this week.
For a more in depth rainfall update, visit WeatherSA or click here. For more information on the water storage levels across the country, visit the DWS site. For a comprehensive drought status report from the Department of Water and Sanitation, click here.
Emergency numbers for Durban are as follows:
Emergency numbers issued by @kzncogta. #DurbanStorm pic.twitter.com/oXGYu4I5n8
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) October 10, 2017


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Further, electrical diagnostics provide a warning light indication for electrical malfunctions of these particular elements. ... They provided the means for subleasing the cars to high mileage private fleets. ... procured the spare parts for the ACRS eauipment and was to provide the field service and accident investigation for ACRS related items. ... Building 1, 000 units did not warrant the fabrication of full-scaleanbsp;...
|Air Bag Developemnt and Technology, Hearing Before..., 93-1, on Air Bag Development and Technology, August 1, 1973
|United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce
|- 1973
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Lost in Beijing (-)
Because the rape scene this film, directed by Li Yu, was deemed too provocative, the movie was banned in China. Remember, it was only after Chairman Maos death that men and women in that country, who wore indistinguishable clothing, were allowed to walk hand-in-hand in public. The rape scene, during which very little skin is exposed, will not visually shock American audiences. We are fed a steady diet of much more graphic scenes.
The film opens in the Gold Basin Massage Palace in Beijing where the female employees provide foot and back massages to their customers. A country woman, Ping-guo (Fan Bingbing), is one of the employees. When her employer, Mr. Lin (Tony Leung Ka Fai), finds her drunk and passed out in the office one day, he takes advantage of her drunken state and rapes her. Ping-guos husband, An-kun (Tong Da Wei), a window washer, witnesses the rape. Ping-guo discovers that she is pregnant, and the question is, who is the father of the child? She and her husband attempt to extort money from Mr. Lin. At this point, the film becomes a boring soap opera.
What I found interesting were the scenes of modern-day Beijing. What an eye opener! High-rise buildings everywhere. I visited China in 1979 when Westerners in that country were still rare. People would follow me and my companions down the street for blocks. Friendship stores, as they were called, sold merchandise left there on consignment. A stranger at a Peking hotel told me to buy whatever I liked and could afford, because chances were I would never return. That was good advice which I now offer to my friends who are traveling. I bought two jade horses in China which conjure up fond memories of my trip whenever I look at them.
So back to the picture. To sum up, if you are interested in a thought-provoking film, this is not the one to see. If, however, you are interested in seeing a little bit of modern-day China and how that country has changed since Chairman Mao, whom they still revere, you might want to see it. His picture still dominates the entrance to The Forbidden City at Tiananmen Square.
When I was in that famous square, it was crowded in the late afternoon with Chinese workers returning home on their bicycles. In the film, the square appears to be filled will cars. Because of stupid trade policies, General Motors sold China a license to build Cadillacs. Chinese workers are paid $1.50 an hour while General Motor pays its workers approximately $26.00 an hour. I prefer the bicycles, so long as I am in my car. HS said: This is a movie which, if it were made in say, Chicago, and the characters spoke English, there would be absolutely no reason to see. The high-rise buildings and highways of Beijing show us that overdevelopment is not unique to New York. You also learn a lot about foot massages, which do not seem erotic. It is odd that the picture was banned in China for the rape sequences. All you see is a couple of heavy-set mens butts. All the titles are listed in English and Chinese, which is a novelty. I recommend it for daytime TV, not as an $11 nighttime movie. (In Mandarin, with English subtitles.)
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GHS seniors log on to become more financially literate
Everfi program teaches money basics
Once she graduates from Gothenburg High School, Lonna Foster plans to go to work to raise enough money to attend St. Joseph's College of Beauty in North Platte.
Fellow classmate LaTasha Howell has similar plans, except she wants to attend Mid-Plains Community College in McCook.Senior Josh Portiner will head to the University of South Dakota this fall with help from student loans.
All three students, as well as other seniors in Tom Scott's government and psychology classes, are learning how to finance college, manage debt and other money basics through the Everfi program.
Since January, students have used the on-line class in the high school media center. They will receive a grade upon completion of Everfi.
Tom said there are 10 different modules, one per class, that the students complete.
Gothenburg State Bank bought the rights to provide Everfi for student use.
Caroline Scott, a GSB loan clerk, said the bank decided to offer the program since the majority of high school graduates don't have the skills they need to make basic financial decisions.
"It's geared toward technology and kids are so inundated with technology," she explained, noting that many states require financial education as a part of curriculum. "Nebraska doesn't."
Portiner likes Everfi, noting that the program teaches students about finances "so you don't go into the big ol' world blind."
Portiner and others said they learned about leasing cars, renting apartments and how to finance college, among other things.
Alex Parker, who plans to attend MPCC in North Platte, said she appreciated learning her credit score and about taxes and insurance.
The most surprising thing Parker said was learning there's such a thing as good debt to help establish credit.
Foster said she was surprised to discover the different types of insurance offered.
Tom said the program has worked well.
"It's teaching students life skills regardless of whether they go to college or not," he said. "We all deal with these things at one point or another."
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By Jordan G. Teicher
The first time Maja Daniels saw Monette and Mady together, walking briskly down the streets of Paris, she wasn't sure they were real. Like Alice's White Rabbit, they were there and gone in a flash.
When she finally approached the identical twins in 2010, after years of watching them from afar, they thought it was strange that she would want to document them.
Admittedly, though, it wasn't the first time they'd been approached by curious passersby. And it's easy to see why: Not only are the sisters identical, but whenever they go out in public, they dress exactly alike.
It's not uncommon, perhaps, to see that with babies and young children. But turn the clocks forward a few decades, and the sight is bound to turn heads.
"I think they do it as a provocation to other people," Daniels said. "To them, we're just singular people. They've elevated beyond the single person."
That's clear not just on the street, but in every facet of their lives: Monette and Mady share an apartment, work together as models and dancers, and finish each other's sentences. They aren't married and they don't have kids. They simply have each other.
Daniels says when they were younger, the twins called themselves the Diamond Sisters, and they performed a cabaret in matching outfits.
"I think they just decided they would do it from then on. They've brought it into their everyday life, "Daniels said.
When Daniels first came across the twins, she had been working on a photography project about Alzheimer's disease. In the process, she says, she became aware of the stereotypes that are associated with aging. But Monette and Mady, she noticed, seemed to break every rule.
"They're kind of childlike in their view of life and how they see themselves," Daniels said. "They don't celebrate their birthdays, they don't give out their age. They're very much in the moment."
As Daniels set about photographing the sisters, she decided to combine documentary photos with staged ones—a natural choice, considering the extent to which Monette and Mady's lives tread the line between reality and illusion.
Daniels continues to photograph the women whenever she's in Paris. Over the years, she's formed a friendship with the sisters and has learned a lot about them. She can tell the two apart (the trick, apparently, is their voices, and the differences in their demeanors).
One thing she knows for sure: While Monette and Mady's existence may have performance elements, this is not an act. Monette and Mady are living their lives the way they see fit, each embracing the other as a part of her identity.
"When they speak, they say 'I.' That reflects the feeling that there aren't two of them," Daniels said. "They are one."
See more images on Slate.


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Ron Cushman's journey to teaching started when he was wounded in the Vietnam War. He joined the Marines in 1968, at the age of 19. He was severely injured the following year.
"I was a scout in the Marine Corps, and I must have stepped on a land mine or a booby trap. That's all I remember," he says.
Cushman's right hand was mangled and eventually amputated.
"When I was in the hospital, you had to kinda think about what are you going to do for the rest of your life," Cushman says. Then he remembered his sixth-grade gym teacher, who once told him, "You know, you ought to be a teacher."
Though he's not sure what his gym teacher saw in him, he took the advice. Cushman taught kindergarten and second-grade classes for nearly 30 years in Bothell, Wash., a suburb of Seattle. He retired in 2004.
On his first day of teaching, he was nervous and scared. In place of a hand, he had a hook. "I remember walking on the playground. This mob of kids, they just came running over at me, and they were just gawking and staring," Cushman says.
At first, he tried to fold his arms and hide it, but the students were curious.
"So, every year, like on the first day of school, I'd take out the prosthetic arm and then we'd pass it around and ask questions, and they play Captain Hook or they do whatever," he says. "As long as you were open and playful and answer all their questions, it was only a big deal for about an hour or two."
He particularly clicked with students like Jamie Marks, now 16 years old. "There was definitely something past the 'I'm going to teach you the alphabet, and then you're gonna forget me in second grade,' " she says.
Marks was Cushman's student in the 2000-2001 school year. They've stayed in touch ever since.
"I live in a split family, and so I've never really had someone that's, like, always been there," she tells Cushman. "You've always been stable, throughout everything, you've been there with a lot of the huge stages in my life."
"That's what I want to give," Cushman says. "It's not just fun, but I want there to be meaning. I want to be a lasting impression."
Cushman even taught Marks how to drive. He was there when Marks got her driver's license.
Marks says she's thankful for everything her former teacher has done.
"You know, it really is a privilege to be able to say that I know you," she says.
Audio produced for Weekend Edition by Katie Simon with Anita Rao.
Now, for another conversation from StoryCorps' National Teachers Initiative.
MARTIN: This school year, we're sharing stories from and about teachers and their students. Today's story comes from Bothell, Washington, a suburb outside Seattle. That's where retired kindergarten teacher Ron Cushman taught for nearly 30 years. Recently, Ron sat with 16-year-old Jamie Marks, who is one of his former students. And Ron told Jamie how his path to becoming a teacher started when he was wounded on patrol while serving in the Vietnam War.
RON CUSHMAN: I was a scout in the Marine Corps, and I must have stepped on a land mine or a boobie trap - that's all I remember. My right hand, it was just all mangled up. And I did have it amputated. When I was in the hospital, you had to kind of think about, what are you going to do for the rest of your life? 'Cause I was 19 - or 20. And then I did remember that there was a gym teacher back in sixth grade who said to me, you know, you ought to be a teacher. I don't know why he said it, but I remember that did stick with me through all the years. And it popped out of my head: I can be a teacher.
JAMIE MARKS: Do you remember your first day at - being a teacher?
CUSHMAN: Yeah. I remember being really, really nervous - and scared. And I wore a hook on my hand. I remember walking on the playground. This mob of kids, they just came running over at me, and they were just gawking and staring. I folded my arms to kind of hide it, but they were curious. So every year - like, on the first day of school - I'd take out the prosthetic arm, and then we'd pass it around and ask questions. And they'd play Captain Hook, or they did whatever. And as long as you were open and playful and answer all their questions, it was only a big deal for about an hour or two.
MARKS: Yeah.
CUSHMAN: And kids like you, Jamie, we kind of clicked.
MARKS: Yeah. There was definitely something past the, I'm going to teach you the alphabet and then you're going to forget me in second grade. And I live in a split family, so I've never really had someone who's like, always been there. And you've always been stable, throughout everything. You've been there with a lot of the huge stages in my life.
CUSHMAN: Remember driving last spring?
MARKS: Yeah.
CUSHMAN: I taught you how to drive.
MARKS: And you were there when I got my driver's license.
CUSHMAN: Yeah, I remember. And that's what I want to give - not just fun. I want there to be meaning. I want to be a lasting impression.
MARKS: You know, it really is a privilege to be able to say that I know you, you know. I guess, just thank you for everything.
CUSHMAN: Oh? Yeah, it goes right back at you.
MARTIN: Ron Cushman with his former student Jamie Marks in Bothell, Washington. Learn more about StoryCorps' National Teachers Initiative, at NPR.org.
MARTIN: You're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is the only device that lowers CVP to single digits, which creates the potential for liver and kidney recovery.
Tucson, Ariz. (PRWEB) February 21, 2013
At only 20 years old, Tiernee Gonzalez has been battling two major diseases for most of her young life: heart failure and kidney failure. When she became the first patient at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to receive the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart on Nov. 9, her doctors hoped it would bring her one step closer to winning her battle against end-stage heart failure. What they didn't expect, was that it would also help save her one remaining kidney.
"The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is the only device that lowers CVP to single digits, which creates the potential for liver and kidney recovery," said Dr. David L.S. Morales, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Cincinnati Children's. "In the case of this patient, what we initially defined as end-stage renal failure simply became delayed recovery thanks to the total artificial heart."
As a young girl, Gonzalez suffered from a form of kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma. In addition to having one of her kidneys removed, she had to undergo chemotherapy, which weakened her heart. In August 2006, the summer before she started eighth grade, Gonzalez received a heart transplant.
However, over the next few years, her body rejected the donor heart and her health began to deteriorate. She progressed to end-stage renal failure and was looking at needing dialysis for the rest of her life. Doctors didn't think she would survive the wait for another heart transplant, so they decided to implant the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart.
"I was nervous at first, obviously," said Gonzalez. "After I got over the initial shock, I just kind of thought, 'OK… They're going to put this device in me and I'm not going to have a heart. It's going to be mechanical.'"
For almost two months after the implant surgery, Gonzalez continued to produce no urine, so she was scheduled for surgery on Jan. 2 to receive a permanent catheter. However, on Jan. 1, she began making urine.
"Even I had started to lose hope," said Dr. Morales. "And now, she has normal function to her kidney. This experience has made me very optimistic that many of the livers and kidneys that fail due to heart disease could actually be recoverable with the total artificial heart. Every time we put in this device, we learn something new."
On Jan. 12, Cincinnati Children's received approval from the FDA to switch Gonzalez to the Freedom® portable driver, the world's first wearable power supply for the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. The Freedom driver will allow Gonzalez, who feels healthier than she has in years, to leave the hospital and return home for the first time since October.
"I keep telling her that I don't know what God's plan is, but there is a plan," said Gonzalez's mother, Leslie Hudson. "And she just has to keep pushing through."
The Freedom driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
Read the feature story on Gonzalez published in the Cincinnati Enquirer at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130217/NEWS/302130225/Children-s-patient-pioneer-artificial-heart?nclick_check=1
CAUTION – The Freedom portable driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.
About the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart
SynCardia Systems, Inc. (Tucson, AZ) is the privately-held manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart. Originally used as a permanent replacement heart, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is currently approved as a bridge to transplant for people suffering from end-stage heart failure affecting both sides of the heart (biventricular failure). There have been more than 1,100 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 300 patient years of life.
Similar to a heart transplant, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves, eliminating the symptoms and source of end-stage biventricular failure. Unlike a donor heart, the Total Artificial Heart is immediately available at SynCardia Certified Centers. It is the only device that provides immediate, safe blood flow of up to 9.5 liters per minute through each ventricle. This high volume of safe blood flow helps speed the recovery of vital organs, helping make the patient a better transplant candidate.
Forbes Ranks SynCardia #69 Among "America's Most Promising Companies"
In its February 2013 issue, Forbes selected SynCardia as one of "America's Most Promising Companies" for the second consecutive year. On the list of 100 privately held, high-growth companies with bright futures, SynCardia was selected #69, moving up eight spots from its #77 ranking last year. See the full list of SynCardia Awards & Recognition here.


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Betty Riley, 70 - October 01, 2008
Betty L Riley, 70, of Kearney, formerly of Gothenburg, died Monday, Sept. 22, 2008, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Services were held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at Blase-Strauser Memorial Chapel of Gothenburg. Burial took place at the Fort McPherson National Cemetery.
Riley was born on Dec. 12, 1937, at Bellefontaine, OH, to Arthur Edward and Helen May (Rhodes) Moon. She grew up in Bellefontaine and graduated from high school at the age of 16.
On May 12, 1962, she was united in marriage to William E. Riley at Bellefontaine. She later lived at Lexington, KY, and Lewisville, IN.
She and her husband had moved to Gothenburg in 1979 where she lived until moving to Kearney in 1996.
Riley worked as a nurse's aid and was an active member of the WM Women, where she served as president for several years at Family Tabernacle.
She enjoyed making flower arrangements, singing and listening to the Gaither Vocal Group, according to family members.
Riley was preceded in death by: her parents, Arthur and Helen; her husband, Bill on Oct. 6, 1987; four brothers—Bob, Harold, Frank and Chuck; a grandson, Daniel; a nephew, Bobby.
?Survivors include: her son, Michael William (Chris Eve) Riley of Chula Vista, CA; her two daughters—Leslie Jody (Marion K.) Bodey of Kearney and Michelle Lee (Paul Brenner) Mosley of Minden; five grandchildren—Chris (Heidi) Galas of Gothenburg, Julie Shipley of Kearney, Nicole Galas of Virginia, Kersten and Kelsee Mosley of Minden; three great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters—Nancy Moon, Donna Moon, Ruth Moon, Bud (Ann) Moon, Fred (Jean) Moon, Kay Moon, Vicky (Dean) Dodd and Phyllis Kay Moon; numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorials are suggested to the family: c/o Michelle Mosley, 103 East Third St., Minden, NE 68959.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blase strauser.com.
Arrangements have been placed in the care of Blase-Strauser Memorial Chapel of Gothenburg.
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text: You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truths Behind Ipod Activation Lock Bypass By Molly DinaVerkroostPosted on February 1, 2018February 2, 2018 Share this:SharerTweetAdd +1Related posts:Everything You Need To Know About How To Activate Siri On Iphone 11sEverything You Need To Know About Iphone 7 BypassTop 6 Trends In How Much Iphone 6 Cost In June 2017 To WatchSeven Brilliant Ways To Advertise How To Activate Iphone 8 Plus T Mobile8 Taboos About Number To Activate Verizon Iphone 8 You Should Never Share On Twitter6 Signs You're In Love With Iphone Unable To Activate Touch Id Molly DinaVerkroostCurrently living in United Kingdom. 24 years old. Gadget Lover and Blogger. Welcome to my world.


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Aug 31, 2011
MailChimp Acquires TinyLetter
We've acquired TinyLetter. For those of you who don't know, TinyLetter is a beautifully simple email newsletter app created by Philip Kaplan and launched late last year. We're pretty excited about this. Sure, we think TinyLetter fills a gap in the MailChimp offering and all that, but more importantly, we think it has the potential to fill a significant gap we've seen growing in the social conversation.
First, The Cruel Irony of Freemium
MailChimp has grown organically and profitably since 2001. We didn't launch our freemium plan until 2009 (here's the old announcement), and so far it's done very well for us, because we're adding about 3,000 users per day right now and we're days away from hitting 1 million active users (if you're interested, we posted a 1-yr update on the freemium model here).
Our "bass-ackwards" approach to freemium is very important here, because it gave us a lot of advantages, but one really unexpected disadvantage.
Unlike many freemium offerings, we didn't launch with a free "barebones" app, then try to figure out which direction to take while also trying to monetize. Over the years, we just took our time building an unbelievably flexible, powerful, yet easy-to-use email marketing app that businesses would truly want to use. With MailChimp, you get enterprise power for SMB prices. Plus we built an API that opens up the door for all kinds of crazy opportunities and useful integrations.
Then we made it all free.
Here's the ironic part. Now that it's so easy to get found and build a following via social networks, there are tons of new people out there who want to send email newsletters to their contacts. People who otherwise might not have ever had the need to send email newsletters. And since MailChimp is the most powerful free email marketing app out there, we're kinda the obvious choice. The deal's so good, it's almost as if we're *forcing* people to use MailChimp. And for a lot of those people, they actually resent us for that. If you're a business looking for email marketing solutions, MailChimp is the best, easiest-to-use app out there (ahem, imho). But if you're not a "business," MailChimp can seem like overkill.
Anybody Can Be An Influencer Now
We're living in a world where the average teenager has almost 500 network friends, and the average 22 year old has more than 1,000. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, I had about 3 friends in my close "inner circle" (and by "circle" I mean the real — er, figurative circle, not the Google+ kind), and outside of that, I had maybe 10 friends total. Granted, I was a weird kid.
But social networks have made it easy to grow a following and gain clout (or is it spelled "klout" now?). Forget about the Ashton Kutchers and the Justin Biebers for a minute, and think about how brands like Gatorade are setting up social mission control rooms and talking to influential sports mom bloggers. You can now win friends and influence people just for being a stats nerd, a parent advocate for families dealing with autism, a coffee aficionado, or a swiss designer (yay!).
C'mon, even a peacock can have more than 5,000 followers:
The social web has made it easy to tweet, poke, post, friend, follow, like, and chat with your network.
But When It's Time to Have an Engaging Conversation?
How do you send a simple email to thousands of followers, though? Most personal email services like Gmail have a limit of a few hundred recipients per day (in order to prevent abuse). So you'd have to use an email marketing service.
Naturally, something like MailChimp. The problem with that is we're built to help businesses send out emails, manage their customer databases, track ROI, perform A/B testing, send QR coupons, integrate with survey tools, and on and on.
But if you're someone like Kevin Rose, and you need to send quick notes to your fans, you can either a) setup a MailChimp account and spend a lot of time de-activating a bunch of features in order to strip it down and send a simple letter to your fans, or b) use TinyLetter.
You could think of TinyLetter as a "MailChimp Lite." A more directionally accurate analogy would be, "Gmail on steroids."
Basically, TinyLetter is for people what MailChimp is for business: we help you have engaging conversations with your followers.
What Makes TinyLetter Special?
Well, besides being created by the legendary Philip Kaplan (if you're over 35 and were laid off by a dot-com you know who @pud is, and you know how great his email newsletter was), we think TinyLetter is a unique take on email marketing newsletters because:
- It was built from the ground up by someone who is NOT from the email marketing world,
- It's utterly simple (because of #1),
- Being utterly simple will make mobile app development for TinyLetter really easy,
- TinyLetter lets you read replies, so you can continue the conversation with your contacts.
- The signup process is very simple and personal. It's less like a formal survey (where you'd enter your title, select interest groups, etc), and more like an about.me, or flavors.me page.
- There are no templates. It's all about your content letter.
What's Ahead for TinyLetter and MailChimp?
We're trying really hard not to make things disruptive for existing TinyLetter users. Our first task was the re-branding (done) and our next task will be to replace TinyLetter's current email delivery engine with our own (this will be the first implementation of MailChimp Embed, an API-driven email delivery engine for web apps). There will be subtle-but-powerful differences between TinyLetter and MailChimp. For example, you will not "Create Campaigns" in TinyLetter, like you do in MailChimp. You'll "compose a message," and you'll do it in a distraction-free interface. You won't have "subscriber lists" like in MailChimp. You'll have your "contacts." Moving forward, TinyLetter will be all about getting back to the art of writing good letters from "people who matter" to the people who matter to them.
Interested? Give TinyLetter a try yourself, or subscribe to Philip Kaplan's tinyletter at: tinyletter.com/pud
or to my own at: tinyletter.com/ben


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The 2017 MINI Clubman packs a lot of car into a little shape. While completely redesigned last year, it still keeps that MINI feeling that the brand has become so beloved for. Two powertrains are available in three trims, a 1.5L turbocharged 3-cylinder engine in the base trim makes 134 horsepower and 162 lb-feet of torque. The uplevel S trim gets a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder capable of 189 horses and 207 lb-feet of torque. Both engines can be had with either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic.
This Clubman is built on a platform similar to the MINIs 4-door Cooper. This means 4 "real" full-size doors. The Clubman also carries on the tradition of rear center-split "barn doors". These doors open to reveal 17.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold the rear seats down, and it becomes 48 cubic feet.
The usual MINI look and feel carries through the interior. The large center pod doesn't have a speedometer anymore, but it does carry the vehicle's entertainment and navigation systems. Rounded corners, metal trim and toggle switches complete the MINI experience.
Standard equipment includes 16" alloy wheels with run-flat tires, heated mirrors and rain-sensing wipers. Inside the standard steering wheel is leather-wrapped, proximity key, a 6.5" screen as well as all the usual power accessories.
Standard safety equipment includes stability and traction control, tire pressure monitors, front and curtain airbags and a driver knee airbag.
The S trim gets the more powerful engine and also 17" alloy wheels, a lip spoiler, fog lamps and carbon fiber interior trim.
Options allow a lot of customization in typical MINI fashion. No fewer than 5 alloy wheel choices are available, as are 3 different colored roof and mirror caps and both white and black bonnet stripes. A Premium package upgrades the audio system to a Harman/Kardon system, adds a panoramic moonroof and a proximity entry key system. A Technology package includes a rearview camera, a rear park distance control and integrated navigation with traffic information. Heated and power-adjustable seats are available, as are LED fog lamps and adaptive headlamps.
BMW's Dynamic Damper Control, which allows the driver to modify suspension settings on the fly, is available, and included in the Sport package.
Compare Appomattox, VA MINI prices. Get free price quotes for any MINI in Appomattox, VA. See the invoice price, MSRP price, and clearance prices for all vehicles. Save big when Appomattox, VA MINI dealerships compete on price. Compare MINI prices, pictures, reviews, local rebates and incentives, and more.
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Seventh Person Dies in Workplace Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Family members of a man shot and wounded in Minnesota's deadliest workplace shooting say he has died of his injuries.
The family of Eric Rivers said in a statement Thursday that he passed away at Hennepin County Medical Center Wednesday night. Rivers was one of three people wounded in the shooting at Accent Signage Systems Sept. 27.
Gunman Andrew Engeldinger shot and killed six others, including Rivers, before taking his own life at the Minneapolis company where he had just been fired. Rivers had been hospitalized in critical condition since the shooting.


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SACRAMENTO - Judge Christopher Klein, who is overseeing Stockton's bankruptcy case, said Wednesday morning he has been paying close attention to recent news reports that have suggested the nearby city of Vallejo could face a second insolvency.
SACRAMENTO - Judge Christopher Klein, who is overseeing Stockton's bankruptcy case, said Wednesday morning he has been paying close attention to recent news reports that have suggested the nearby city of Vallejo could face a second insolvency.
Klein made the remark during a one-hour status hearing Wednesday on Stockton's case, which is less than two months from going to trial.
The judge made the comment because Stockton is proposing to exit bankruptcy without touching its employee pension obligations, just as Vallejo did when it exited bankruptcy in 2011. Klein said he wants to be certain that if Stockton exits bankruptcy without addressing pensions, it will not run its own risk of a second insolvency.
"The court has an independent duty to satisfy itself that the (Stockton) plan is going to work," Klein said. "I'm probably going to have to be persuaded that the plan is going to work."
Klein's statement may have been sparked by a report one month ago by Moody's Investors Service. The report suggested Stockton will face a possible second bankruptcy if it does not reduce its pension obligations.
Stockton's city manager, Kurt Wilson, strongly disputed the Moody's report in February, and Stockton's bankruptcy attorney, Marc Levinson, voiced his disagreement Wednesday in court.
"What you're reading in the press is not true," Levinson told Klein. "Look where the press is coming from. It's coming from the tools of Wall Street."
Stockton's bankruptcy trial remains scheduled to begin May 12. Attorneys for the city and for the lone remaining major creditor - Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund and Franklin California High Yield Municipal Fund - on Wednesday scheduled two more pretrial status conferences for April, one early and another late in the month.
Franklin lent the city $35 million for various projects in 2009. The city proposes in its bankruptcy plan to repay Franklin less than $95,000.
There was no indication one way or the other Wednesday whether the city and Franklin might be able to reach a negotiated settlement before the trial date. Attorneys for both sides did indicate they are cooperating well enough with each other that they have not needed Klein to intervene.
"We have engaged in furious discovery with Franklin," Levinson said. "By furious I don't mean angry. I mean intense. ... There have been bumps in the road, ... but together we have been able to overcome them."
Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or email@example.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/phillipsblog and on Twitter @rphillipsblog.


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Salem child inspires comic-book hero poster campaign for the hearing-impairedBy APRIL GUILMET
Union Leader Correspondent February 25. 2013 8:12PM
Five-year-old Anthony Smith's story inspired Marvel Comics to team up with hearing aid manufacturer Phonak to create a series of posters designed to encourage kids with hearing impairments. Anthony and his family is traveling to New York City, where Iron Man is presenting the youngster with a special poster to hang on his bedroom wall. The comic book company created a customized, hearing-aid wearing character, Blue Ear, for Anthony last year after learning about the deaf little boy's fondness for superheroes. (COURTESY)
SALEM -- The plucky spirit of a little boy whose story led Marvel Comics to create a hearing-aid wearing superhero has inspired a hearing aid company to help other hearing-impaired children discover their own heroes.
Anthony Smith, 5, of Salem, made international headlines last spring when a simple remark made to his mother, Christina D'Allesandro, led to something much bigger.
"One morning he told me he didn't want to wear his hearing aid anymore because superheroes don't have blue ears," D'Allesandro said. "I told him that this just wasn't true."
Born with an underlying chromosome disorder that affected his right side, Anthony, whose grandfather is state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, cannot hear out of his right ear and has reduced hearing in his left ear. The disorder has also affected Anthony's heart, and the little boy has recently recovered from a successful open-heart surgery.
These days he's doing quite well, his mother said, and his days are filled with typical preschooler pursuits like swimming, karate, soccer and endless hours playing with his favorite superhero toys.
Anthony, who attends the HEAR school for hearing-impaired children in Hooksett and wears blue Phonak hearing aids, was thrilled when Marvel Comics heard of his story and artists Nelson Ribeiro and Manny Medeiros sketched out a special character just for Anthony by the name of Blue Ear.
As Iron Man's sidekick, "Blue Ear" uses his special blue hearing aids to hear others in need of help.
"Blue Ear has since become an extension of who Anthony is," D'Allesandro said. "He has a Blue Ear costume, which he wears all the time."
D'Allesandro said her son's story touched the hearts of parents and children all over the globe - she's received emails from parents of hearing-impaired children from as far away as India, England and Sweden.
"Anthony's story is now about something much bigger. It's been shared and shared," D'Allesandro said.
On Tuesday, Anthony and his family are traveling to New York City where another surprise is in store for the active little boy. Hearing aid manufacturer Phonak has partnered with Marvel Comics' icon Iron Man to create an original poster to be distributed to pediatric audiology clinics all over the nation. The young patients will be given posters of their own to hang on their bedroom walls, serving as constant inspirations.
The poster depicts Iron Man and a little boy that uses a hearing aid in a series of comic book adventures, Marvel Comics editor Bill Rosemann said.
"After hearing how Anthony's story helped him and others to accept his hearing aid, Phonak saw the impact Marvel characters had on readers," Rosemann said. "We both saw the potential for using superheroes to teach us that it's OK to wear a hearing aid."
Rosemann said the poster is essentially a one-page comic book based on a short story by author Christos Gage and featuring the art of Paco Medina. In the comic book tale, a group of children are playing soccer and are hesitant to allow a deaf classmate in on the game. Fortunately, Iron Man comes to the rescue and explains to the children that their new friend isn't all that different than they are, except that he happens to use technology to help him be his best.
"We're hoping people can see these posters and walk away feeling positive about hearing loss and those that rely on hearing aids," Rosemann said. During a public unveiling of the poster at the Center for Hearing and Communication, Iron Man himself will be on hand to meet and chat with Anthony and present him with his own special poster.
"He's beyond excited about making the trip," D'Allessandro said on Friday. "We're also pretty excited about being able to help other families with similar struggles."


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In Search of Myths and Heroes "Shangri-La" The third of Michael Wood's historical journeys takes viewers on a thrilling trek through India, Nepal and Tibet in search of Shangri-La. The tale of the magical valley hidden behind the Himalayas was popularized in the 1930s movie Lost Horizon, but the myth of a secret earthly paradise is much older. To find the truth behind the legend, Wood travels on foot through some of the world's most sacred mountains before finally reaching the fantastic ruins of a lost city, which he believes is the real inspiration behind the myth. Part 3 of 4G
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In Search of Myths and Heroes "Jason & The Golden Fleece" Jason is presented with a "mission impossible": to sail into the unknown to find the Golden Fleece. He is saved by the priestess Medea and her magical arts, but her love comes at a high price. A fairy tale? Or was there a real voyage? Wood heads from Greece to the wild mountains of the Caucasus to find the truth behind the Jason legend. Part 4 of 4G
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Moyers & Company "What We Can Learn from Lincoln" Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner, who wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Lincoln, joins Bill on an encore presentation of Moyers & Company this weekend to talk about finding the man inside the monument, and what Abraham Lincoln -- 147 years after his death -- can still teach us all about politics, compromise, and the survival of American democracy. "The job of the president is both to make the compromises necessary to actually have things happen in a democracy, which means compromising at a slower pace than anybody would necessarily like," Kushner tells Bill. D
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Lost in the SDCC shuffle: Liam Sharp launches Madefire Publishing
Say the name Liam Sharp to a group of comic readers and it's bound to bring up different images for each person. To some he's best known for the early '90s Marvel UK series Death's Head II, while others think Judge Dredd and even others remember his ill-fated comic company Mamtor from a few years back. Although Mamtor failed to become a lasting presence, it featured impeccable work (and design from Tom Muller) that is a great back-issue find if you're so lucky. And at Comic-Con International over weekend, Sharp announced his new publishing outfit — Madefire Publishing.
Launching as a digital-first comics publisher, Madefire is intended to be a modern-day equivalent of the comics from Sharp's childhood — "cheep, accessible entertainment," as he's told Bleeding Cool. Using the wide user base of smartphones, Madefire's digital comics app hopes to touch into both the hardcore fan, the lapsed fan and the future fan with their line-up of titles.
In addition to his own project Captain Stone is Missing, Sharp has assembled a great line-up of creators for the effort, including Mike Carey and Dave Kendall's Houses of the Holy and a new series called Treatment written and drawn by Dave Gibbons (!!).
No word yet on when their first projects will be released, but I'll be keeping my ears up looking for more information as its announced.
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Mentor Graphics has adopted the RealView Compiler as the reference compiler for Nucleus RTOS and middleware, which will result in end products with even higher performance and lower memory requirements. The Nucleus and EDGE development kits include an evaluation version of the RealView Compiler, and Mentor Graphics will distribute a full version of the compiler as part of their product offering.
The RealView Development Suite enables a seamless evaluation of Nucleus RTOS and the Nucleus Graphics 3D GUI technology by running pre-packaged examples on its fast Real-Time System Models. RealView Debugger supports kernel aware debugging of the Nucleus kernel and can be used to do run-mode debug of Nucleus applications. The ARM Profiler can non-intrusively analyze Nucleus applications, generating profiling reports and optimization information.
"Mentor provides leading embedded technologies for today's advanced products, including support for Nucleus RTOS, Linux, and Android-based devices," said John Cornish, System Design Division executive vice president and general manager, ARM. "The addition of support for Nucleus RTOS in our leading RealView Development Suite provides an optimum solution for accelerated product development and innovation."
"The RealView Compiler is the best set of compilation tools for ARM processors and is essential to get the best performance out of Mentor's RTOS and GUI products,"said Glenn Perry, Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division general manager. "Our agreement with ARM will enable customers to quickly create exciting new products to meet market needs."
More information about this collaboration is available at www.mentor.com/go/realview
About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com/
About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $800 million and employs approximately 4,425 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.
Mentor Graphics and Nucleus are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
ARM and RealView are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Limited.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; ARM Norway, AS and ARM Sweden AB


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Vatican City (CNN) — Pope Francis on Thursday emphasized church advancement in his first Mass with the cardinals who elected him as pontiff a day earlier.
With solemnity, he delivered a homily about moving the Catholic Church forward to the cardinal electors, who were dressed in light yellow robes. Altar servers burned incense in the Sistine Chapel, the setting for the Mass.
He didn't appear to use a script and kept the sermon short, calling on the cardinals to have courage.
"When we don't walk, we are stuck. When we don't build on the rock, what happens? It's what happens to children when they build a sand castle and it all then falls down," the new pontiff said.
"When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we confess without the cross, we are not disciples of Christ. We are mundane," he said. "We are all but disciples of our Lord.
"I would like for all of us, after these days of grace, that we find courage to walk in the presence of God … and to build the church with the blood of Christ," he continued. "Only this way will the church move forward."
When Jorge Bergoglio stepped onto the balcony at the Vatican on Wednesday evening to reveal himself as the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, he made history as the first non-European pope of the modern era, the first from Latin America, the first Jesuit and the first to assume the name Francis.
Thursday has been low-key by comparison.
Francis began the day by praying at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, a place of special significance for the Jesuits.
His next public appearance is likely to be Sunday. The new pontiff will "very probably" celebrate Mass at St. Peter's and then deliver the traditional Angelus blessing, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman.
But it won't be until Tuesday that Francis will be formally installed as pope.
That's by design. The day coincides with the Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Italy.
Already a picture is emerging of a humble man who shies away from the trappings of his new status and is devoted to his pastoral duties.
As pope, Francis will have plenty to deal with. He takes the helm of a Roman Catholic Church that has been rocked in recent years by sex abuse by priests, and claims of corruption and infighting among the church hierarchy.
Reflecting the urgency of those concerns, a group representing the alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests has written an open letter to Pope Francis requesting a meeting.
"Your predecessor met only a few times with a few carefully chosen victims in tightly choreographed settings, as he visited nations where this crisis had reached a fever pitch," the letter from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests states.
"We write today seeking a different kind of meeting — one in which our respective organizations — yours, huge and struggling, and ours, small and struggling — can begin to work together to safeguard children across the globe."
Pope Francis called Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the phone Wednesday night, and will visit him at Castel Gandolfo at some point soon, but not in the next couple of days, Lombardi said.
The new pontiff will meet with all the cardinals, not just those who were eligible to vote for him, on Friday and will hold an audience with the media on Saturday, Lombardi said.
Conservative reformer
The 76-year-old, who served as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, is the first pope to take the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, revered among Catholics for his work with the poor.
The pontiff is considered a straight shooter who calls things as he sees them, and a follower of the church's most social conservative wing.
As a cardinal, he clashed with the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over his opposition to gay marriage and free distribution of contraceptives.
He was runner-up in the 2005 papal conclave, behind then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
The new pope brings together the first and the developing worlds. Latin America is home to 480 million Catholics.
By choosing him, the cardinals sent a strong message about where the future of the church may lie.
Francis' first public appearance as pope — when he appealed for the crowds to pray for him before he gave a blessing — suggested a "different pastoral style" in comparison with the more academic approach of Benedict, said Lombardi.
Francis is someone who has had "a day-to-day link with the population and ordinary people" during his many years at the head of a large diocese in Buenos Aires, he said.
He also sought to dampen concerns prompted by media reports that the new pope has only one lung.
Although Francis had part of one lung removed when he was a young man, the whole lung was not removed and the new pope is in good health, Lombardi said.
CNN iReporter Cesar Sotolongo in Lima, Peru, said the election of a Latin American pope, particularly from the Jesuit order, marked "a new chapter" for the Catholic Church.
Originally from Florida, Sotolongo also has his own advice for Francis: "The pope should shape the church with what he has been doing during his career (as an example)," he said. "Stay in contact with the people, communicate clearly, promote the unification of faith and … represent the word of Jesus."
A Jesuit pope
Born in Buenos Aires to an Italian immigrant father, Francis is known for his simplicity.
Details given by Lombardi on Thursday of Francis' first hours as pope reinforce that impression — one which may go down well with his global flock, many of whom live in poverty or are feeling the squeeze of austerity.
Francis stood, rather than sitting on a throne, to receive the oath of allegiance from his fellow cardinals after his election, and for his appearance on the balcony wore just a white cassock and a simple cross, eschewing gold or jewels, Lombardi said.
Also, on the ride back from the Sistine Chapel to the Santa Marta residence, he declined the papal car that had been prepared for him and instead took the bus with other cardinals, Lombardi said.
And Francis thanked the other cardinals at dinner, joking, "May God forgive you for what you have done," Lombardi said.
Francis will remove the seals from the official papal apartments Thursday but will not move in until renovations are complete, he added. The new pontiff will live in a suite at the Santa Marta residence until the papal apartments are ready.
Back in Buenos Aires, Francis chose to live in an apartment rather than the archbishop's palace, passed on a chauffeured limousine, took the bus to work and cooked his own meals.
He was ordained by the Jesuits in 1969. He became co-archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1997 and sole archbishop of that city one year later.
He was made a cardinal in 2001 and served as president of the Argentine bishops conference from 2005 to 2011.
As a Jesuit, Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus, one of the biggest and most important orders in the church.
Jesuits are recognized for their exceptional educational institutions and focus on social justice.
"Jesuits are characterized by their service to the church … but trying to avoid positions of power," said Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, who is also a Jesuit. "I am absolutely convinced that we have a pope who wants to serve.
"His election was the election of a rejection of power."
'Most stunning' choice of name
His selection of the name of Pope Francis is "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering," CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said. "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."
The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.
Miguel Diaz, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, agreed, calling the new pontiff's choice of names "very significant."
"Francis of Assisi is the saint who opted for the little ones in God's kingdom," he said. "This man represents a change and could potentially be a great gift for leadership, servant leadership, for all of us within the church and society."
It is something the Catholic Church says it desperately needs.
"If you look back over the past years — the crisis of abuse, the scandals here at the Vatican, financial mismanagement, questions about the leaks and everything — when you step back from it all, every crisis we faced ultimately is a crisis of holiness that we've missed the calling," said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, the Vatican's deputy spokesman.
"We've moved far away from what we're supposed to be."
World reacts
Word of the election of Pope Francis, who was not considered a frontrunner among analysts, quickly spread around the globe, with everyone from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to U.S. President Barack Obama offering congratulations.
"As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day," Obama said.
Ban said the new pope shares common goals with the United Nations, from the promotion of peace to social justice. "We also share the conviction that we can only resolve the interconnected challenges of today's world through dialogue," he said.
There is likely to be no shortage of invitations for Pope Francis to travel to the four corners of the globe in the pursuit of such goals.
Syria's Patriarch Gregory III Laham of Antioch, who heads the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, on Thursday invited Francis to visit Syria, Jerusalem and Lebanon for peace and reconciliation, according to Syria's official news agency.
Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also urged him to visit the Middle East.
"He'll be a welcome guest in the Holy Land, as a man of inspiration that can add to the attempt to bring peace in a stormy area," said Peres.
Nowhere was the reaction to Francis' selection as pope more heartfelt than in Latin America.
"I am truly still very surprised … not just that a Latino pope came out, but that he is an Argentinian from Buenos Aires," the Rev. Eduardo Mangiarotti, an Argentine priest, told CNN en Español.
It's a "huge event" not only for the church in Latin America but worldwide, he said.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, greeted the selection with "extraordinary joy."
"I have been hoping that we would move into the Southern Hemisphere, and especially I think many of us had hoped … we would have a pope who would come from Latin America," he said.
"One-half of the Catholics in the world are from Latin America, so this is a way the cardinals have very graciously acknowledged that."
Filipino priest and CNN iReporter Joel Camaya was among the tens of thousands who witnessed history Wednesday night in St. Peter's Square, as Francis emerged on the balcony.
"The multitude, from all parts of the world, were ecstatic to be in the square for this beautiful occasion," he said. "This was one event that left me teary-eyed and thanking God for making me a Catholic."


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Flower Assortment
Ranunculus asiaticus 'Elegance Hot Pink'
Color: Pink
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Helping Congress write a farm bill the president can sign remains the top priority, but the federal government should be looking beyond the traditional safety net of farm programs to make U.S. agriculture competitive, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said.
At press time, congressional leaders and administration officials were continuing to try to find a way to pass a new farm bill by March 15, the date the latest extension of the current law runs out. Reports differed about how close the sides were to an agreement.
Acknowledging he is a "term-limited" secretary working for a president who has less than a year left in office, Schafer said procrastination is not something the administration will be able to indulge in on the farm bill or any of the myriad issues confronting the country.
"I've got a short time here, so a lot of things are on the agenda," said Schafer, the former governor of North Dakota and telecommunications executive who spoke at USDA's annual Agriculture Outlook Forum in Arlington, Va.
"At the top of the list is working with Congress to deliver a farm bill the president can proudly sign. That means a bill that preserves a strong safety net for producers and achieves real reforms in farm policy and does it without imposing new taxes on American citizens."
Schafer ticked off sound domestic farm policies, fighting barriers that keep U.S. producers out of foreign markets, and vigilance about the safety of food products from domestic or foreign sources as actions the government must take to meet the demands of the global economy.
"But having the right structure of public policies in place may also mean looking beyond the traditional safety net of marketing loans, crop insurance and disaster aid," Schafer said.
"That can mean taking a look at new policies such as accelerating depreciation of farm equipment or tax credits for carbon sequestration, and repealing the death tax on family farms. These public policy directions can do more for many of today's farmers than a bump in prices or loan rates can do."
Schafer said farmers and ranchers and rural residents today must have full access to the knowledge and skills that they need to "compete vigorously and successfully in the global economy. That means making sure that our rural communities have the infrastructure in place that will allow the 60 million Americans who live there to participate fully in the new economy and to achieve the same quality of life of their fellow citizens who live in the urban and suburban areas."
That could turn on bringing adequate broadband access to rural areas, said Schafer, who founded Extend America (a company that provides wireless voice and high-speed data services in five Midwestern states) after leaving the North Dakota governor's office.
"If we go back 100 years to the way life was lived on farms around this country and compare it to the way it is today, it is unimaginable," said Schafer, who was sworn in as secretary on the day of President Bush's State of the Union address.
"From the backbreaking work of plowing fields with a team of mules or horses, today's farmer is likely to be driving a $250,000 air-conditioned combine, and at the same time he's checking the futures on the markets and watching the latest weather forecast from the cab in that tractor."
The secretary said farming is more of a white-collar, managerial occupation than ever before. "The skills required are a lot more than just pulling calves and being able to do a hard day's work. Today you have to know something about distribution and accounting, you have to be adept at transportation and computers, and you have to have an education and skills to deal with the complexities of today's marketplace.
"Our farmers need to succeed, and they must take full advantage of the opportunities that the market offers them, and they must be skilled and resourceful at controlling the costs of their own operations."
To take full advantage of the nation's demand for energy crops, farmers will also have to be able to work their way through the complexities of the energy and agriculture programs devised in Washington.
"We've been known to change them from year to year as well just to kind of keep you on a steep learning curve. But we hope that those policies as developed are leading the opportunities in the agriculture arena."
email: [email protected]


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If there's no active ST window, if I run "subl ." on the command line (to open the current directory as an ST project), it also creates an empty "untitled" file. This is fairly annoying, and virtually never what I want (I want to start working on the files in the directory, not create new ones).
Is there a way to turn off this behaviour?
+1. Ecstatically, +1.
agree. this is confusing and uncommon at least for a new user from other editors.
The same thing happens here (on Build 2139/Mac OS X Lion).
I have open_files_in_new_window set to false.
And +1 to a way to turn this off, I agree. I often run multiple subl commands to open up windows with a few libraries and my project (I prefer to keep them separate) so I end up with multiple Untitled windows to go with them.
I am not sure why the . is required on the command line. Is that a typical way to open the cwd in the editor?
"subl ." no longer creates an untitled tab in 2139
As per my post above, it does for me on 2139 on Lion.
Happy to record a screencast or send you any debug logs (if they are created by Sublime Text 2) if you want
"subl ." always creates an untitled windows on Lion 10.7.2
This also happens to me in build 2141 on OS X 10.7.2
Mine opens an extra window too. I'm using windows and sublime 2 build 2221


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Hey Everyone, my boyfriend and I are flying over from London to New York in April, then getting the train to Boston, where we pick up our hire car. We have then have 2 weeks to drive down to New Orleans for our return flight. We're SO excited! its been a dream of mine forever to see the East Coast so can't believe we're finally going to do it.
We haven't planned our route really, we're hoping to take in Philadelphia, Washinton, Carolina & Alabama before we get the New Orleans and I would really love to see Virginia Beach, Memphis and Ohio if possible, but I'm a bit dumb when it comes to working out the route! Do people think this is doable?!
Also - I had a slight worry about parking, especially when we're in a city?! We live in London currently and its pretty impossible to park the car anywhere and I wondered if this was going to be a problem in the cities like Washington etc? We're planning on staying in motels and guesthouses when we get there - is this easy enough?
Finally - does anyone have any experience/advice for this route and any tips for interesting places to visit/routes to take? It would be really great if anyone could point me in the right direction!
Thanks so much.
Rebecca :)


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MICHIGAN -- I bought a brand new Xbox One for my nephew as it's his birthday gift. 10 days later he doesn't like it and want exchange it and getting a PS4. I called GameStop and ask them if I can exchange it or not? They told me since it has been opened, it can't exchange it at any cost. The only way my nephew can get a PS4 is trade in our Xbox One, which is 250 dollars trade in value. It means I have to pay the difference in order getting a new PS4, which I have to pay another 121 dollars plus the warranty. What a joke? If I know I will getting so many hassles for it, I will going somewhere else buying it. No wonder why GameStop is start losing customers and ground to other retailers.
I work at Gamestop, and I realize how awful some of the pushier clerks can be, I've known those guys and I even have a few working under me. What some of you may not realize is that most of them aren't actually like that. I'll be damned if I've ever met a hardcore company-line clerk. For anyone who works retail, you probably understand, there are certain things we are supposed to say every time someone walks into the store, calls etc. There are certain things we are required to push or it's pink slip time.
I won't deny any of it, I used to be one of those people. Constantly worried about my job because of what the company calls 'low numbers'. It's the unfortunate nature of the Gamestop beast. We don't enjoy pushing product on you, we hate it. We know we annoy you, we annoy ourselves with it, believe me. But if you happen to be a secret shopper and we don't say our little lines, it's a write up and then a pink slip. I want to punch myself every time I say, "Thank you for calling Gamestop, where we buy and sell new and used games." Just typing makes me grit my teeth.
But take this into account when you purchase from any retail clerk. We have a lot of playing room in that magical computer of ours, we can do all kinds of exciting things, make returns that the company calls explicit 'no-no's'. New opened game? You bet we can return it, and for the most part we don't hear a word about it. However, if you enter the store with a chip on your shoulder, a piss poor attitude or an otherwise self-important demeanor, ask yourself why we should help you above and beyond our call of duty? There is no reason. You see, the retail world, the relationship between the customer and the clerk is not a one way street, far from it.
The old adage, "the customer is always right' is a bit tired. The customer is right if the customer is polite. Try that one out and you'll find your shopping experience is much better. Believe it or not, most of the employees at Gamestop are not out to get you. In fact we actually want to help you. But when we are treated as sub-human you have to expect some adverse consequence.
I'm not saying there isn't the occasional self-righteous gamer nerd who thinks you're some kind of stone-age relic because you don't play games and actually have some semblance of a social life outside of the internet. I wouldn't deal with those people either, and neither should you. Make a complaint, there's a phone number at the bottom of every receipt, the person who sold you your game, his name is at the top. If it's really bad, ask for the district manager's number.
I personally love most of my customers, I've grown to call some of them friends. I play with a dozen or so on Xbox Live, we exchange Christmas gifts, they come in and grab a slice of pizza and hang out and talk politics, games, movies, music, and a myriad of other things. And that's the kind of store I enjoy working in, it makes earning enough money to get through college a lot less stressful. Try treating a retail clerk like a human being and maybe the next time you go in you can get a free slice of pizza, or be updated about some new album that just came out.
You may even just learn that the average, underpaid retail clerk is a pretty cool person who wants to help you get the right thing for your son or daughter, or turn you on to a game you would have otherwise overlooked. Who knows? Just remember, you as the customer are not always right. And we, as the clerk, aren't always right either. For the most part it's two people bonding, if ever so briefly, to help each other out. You should take this with you to what ever retail store you go to, not just Gamestop. You will find the whole thing move a lot smoother if you do.
Also, remember, be nice to your local pharmacy employee, if anyone gets more crap than a retail employee, it's the underpaid pharmacy technician.
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN -- I ordered the headset online. I paid the $15 shipping fee to get next day shipping. The site stated that once order was processed then the shipping would be one day after that. Order was processed immediately and received product next morning. I had an excellent experience with this company. I even paid less than any other website with the shipping included.
ILLINOIS -- I ordered a Pipboy edition of Fallout 4 on their online store because it was available for a short time. There was an issue with the order and their website wouldn't let me order another one or cancel it. I waited 2 hours for some guy in another country to answer my call. In that time the game had sold out and he told me there was nothing he could do. I'd give them even less than one stars if I could. Never ever doing business with them again.
ONLINE -- I ordered and received a pre-owned Nano Gen 7. I was VERY happy. It looked brand new. It had arrived in time for the birthday party. Then I reviewed the contents of the box (not the original box, a generic "Pre-Owned" box). The wrong sync cable was included. The Nano 7 uses the lightning cable, not the old sync cable.
I called the 800 number. Spoke to a nice guy, but since he didn't even know the Nano 7 used a different cable, I told him I was going to go to the local store and have them change it out. The local stores didn't have one, so I called the 800 # back. I was told they couldn't send me just a cable. I would have to send the entire package back. Once received they would send me a new package with the correct cable (possibly). I have never in my entire life heard of something so ridiculous.
If these were new units I could maybe buy that GameStop doesn't have spare cables lying around. However, these are USED units, so clearly GameStop has NEW cables and earbuds in inventory to match up with the USED units that are purchased.
This is just an example of what GameStop thinks of their customers, that we are just trying to get spare cables for free. Well then, ask me to return the cable and if it is not received in 10 days charge my credit card. Don't make me wait two weeks for GameStop to correct their mistake. It is insulting and a perfect example of lack of concern for their customers. I will never shop at GameStop, online or in stores again. I would rather pay full price than deal with incompetence and line the pockets of a company who thinks so little of their customers.
LONG, LONG term customer, with 2 teenage sons who won every gaming system in existence (all purchased from GameStop), the first to pre-order games... Have spent thousands of dollars at GameStop. Purchased Star Wars the Force, Unleashed for the PS3 ($29.99) on Tuesday with Overnight Shipping. UPS erroneously marked it as delivered on Thursday. Called Friday to report and seek a replacement (as it was a gift for my son). Was advised that a replacement could not be shipped until GameStop completed its "investigation". This process of "tracing" the package would take 10 business days.
When asked to speak with a supervisor and gently remind them of my long term purchase history - I was placed on hold 3 times (for 3 minutes or more) and told that representative had spoken to supervisor and the policy stands. When asked additional times to speak with supervisor, was finally transferred to ** at extension **, who proceeded to tell me that the policy was to protect GameStop from customers who would abuse them. I reminded him to view my account, 16 purchases in the past 3 months alone - he said it did not matter, they must be protected.
Directly asked him to explain to me why GameStop would be willing to lose a long term customer who has spent thousands, just this year alone over $29.99. He said, "Well ma'am that is certainly your choice." Final resolution: I wait 10 business days for UPS investigation. Upon it going in my favor, I could receive a refund in 5-7 business days if their claims representative approves it. If UPS erroneously find it was delivered in hand, I have no recourse. If the claims representative does not approve the refund, I have no recourse.
My final resolution: To NEVER, EVER spend another dollar of my hard earned money at GameStop and to find alternatives. I would rather spend more money to avoid the drama (total customer service call time 2 hours) of dealing with a business that sees the value of my business as worth less than $29.99. #EpicFailGameStop
BEL AIR, MARYLAND -- First thing to note, I always start Christmas shopping early (in September) and always keep my receipts in a box. I went to GameStop back on 11/28/10 to pick up 6 items for Christmas gifts. 2 Gift Cards, 3 computer games and a hint book. Had fast, friendly service that day. Yesterday I started wrapping all the gifts that I had bought for the last few months. When I started to wrap one of the computer games, I noticed that it was very light. When I looked closer, I saw that the DVD was not in the box and that the box wasn't even shrink wrapped. With a sigh, I started to look for the receipt. Instant panic. Not in my receipt box. I couldn't find it anywhere.
I would need to go and re-buy the computer game, right? I mean, over a month sense the purchase and with no receipt. So I call the store and ask if they still have any of that computer game left. They said yes and I asked them to hold it until the evening when I could come up to get it. No problem, I'm told, they can hold the game. So when my hubby gets home, off to GameStop we go.
When I get there I ask for the game and with a sigh, hand them the empty box and explain why I'm re-buying it. The manager, **, overhears this and asks if I have a GameStop Card. I say yes and he asks if he can see it for a minute. I hand it over and he starts typing away at his computer. He then says, "You bought this game on November 28th right? Along with some other games and gift cards?" I say yep, that was the date. And he says, "Well, there is no sense in you re-buying the game if we forgot to put in the DVD the first time is there." He then gives me the new computer game and says, "Here you go and Happy Holidays!"
I was floored! This is the customer service I remember from ages ago. I will now ALWAYS get any games and game items from this store, even if I have to pay more. Kudos to GameStop and thank you, **, for helping in making this a happy Christmas.
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS -- I had ordered the new 250GB Hard Drive for the Xbox 360 on the website with the COUPON CODE: 25OFF. The code was 25% off any order over 100$ w/ free shipping. The code was ACCEPTED & I received a confirmation e-mail about my order and when it would be delivered.
I just received an e-mail that the order was canceled. I thought it may have been a server error so I tried to re-order it from the website, but the coupon code was no longer valid. I called Customer Service and they said it was a mistake to allow the coupon code to work and that they would not honor their own code. This falls under that a common type of FRAUD known as FALSE ADVERTISING. I asked to speak to the supervisor and he was no more help than a guy selling sand in a desert.
I just finished submitting a complaint through the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in hopes of some form of resolution (honoring their code would be nice). If not, I will make it my mission to twitter/Facebook/myspace this event to everyone I know about how GameStop does business (shady like). This is the first time that I have ever had a problem like this. I would bet that Amazon.com or Buy.com would be the first to apologize, take the hit by honoring it, and move on with life. Making me (the customer) happy and continuing to both ORDER from them and recommending them to friends & family.
This is the LAST time I will ever deal with Gamestop at all (online or in stores). The fact that you can ALWAYS get it cheaper online at Amazon/Buy/Ebay and you don't have to pay tax makes it superior. That and as you can see, Gamestop doesn't honor their OWN CODES!
This is more of a warning/heads-up/reminder than a complaint because I acknowledge that it was partly my fault. I get a discount on video games where I work but we weren't pre-selling Godfather II so I went to GameStop. There was a bonus character that you were supposed to receive when you picked up your reserved copy. I was naive about the pre-sell process and when I picked up my game that's exactly what I got. The game and nothing else. I'd assumed that the pre-sell bonus was inside the game (that was MY mistake. Never never assume).
I got home, opened it, no character. I called them and was told the code for the character was on a separate card that I needed to drive back for and pick it up. I drove back and at first they said they were out of the pre-sell cards. I was upset and a bit confused because I had reserved the game and not gotten the card so there should have been at least one left over. The associate walked to the back and came back with one. It had been stapled in the corner and was a bit crumpled, but whatever. I took it home and, unfortunately, the code was no longer valid for the character. In other words someone had used the code and returned it with their game.
To their credit, the sales associate was extremely nice and understanding. I went back to the store, explained the situation, and they totally refunded me. I then bought it at work and at least got my discount. But I'm still sad that I never did get that pre-sell character. It was why I'd gotten myself into that mess in the first place. Final warning: double check that you have everything before you leave the store.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- Street Fighter 4 Collector's Edition: Less than 30 minutes after I completed my transaction, a GameStop representative called me to confirm this order. Mumbling something about an address verification for the credit card that was used for this transaction. Furthermore, why was I NOT NOTIFIED at the "time" that I verified my address, that THIS ITEM HAD BEEN D-LISTED? I mean seriously, would it have been too proactive to have even considered adjusting your website to mention "OUT OF STOCK".. or "D-LISTED" instead of processing a transaction for an item that WAS NEVER INTENDED TO SHIP?
Lastly, NOT ONLY ARE YOU "NOW" HOLDING MY $95.73.. hostage (you are literally borrowing it for 3-5 business days), but, you have the audacity to attempt to charge me $10.14 for some sort of processing fee. Are you kidding me? To add insult to injury, I received a "canned" response from GameStop. That implied that somehow "my financial institution" was to blame for the incurred charges to my credit card. NO APOLOGIES for taking my cash for an item that they KNEW they didn't have in stock, and that they NEVER INTENDED to ship.
AND! Had my son not logged into our GameStop account, and NOTICED that the order had been CANCELLED, we would still be sitting here twiddling our thumbs, wondering where the shipment was.. as GameStop never even bothered to notify us. AND IT ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE, that I should not be charged a processing fee.. I NEVER CANCELLED THE ORDER. GameStop did.
"Dear Customer, Thank you for contacting us. In response to your request we have cancelled your order # **. As a reminder, your payment method was never charged for the canceled items. Any related authorization hold on your credit or debit card account will be released in accordance with your financial institution holds policy. Please contact your financial institution for more information. For Barnes & Noble orders, refunds are processed within 3-5 business days. If your order was placed with a GameStop gift card or Edge Card, please note that any related authorization hold on the card should fall off within 3-5 business days.
Also, please feel free to check out our new website features for your future cancellation needs as we are now offering customer self-service options, like canceling your own order/items. We value your business and hope to see you again soon!"
SERIOUSLY.. WHAT GIVES HERE? Why is the consumers responsibility to LOAN MONEY to GameStop? I have to admit, this is a clever approach to floating cash flow......... but, at what expense? ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!


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Lean ground buffalo like you have never experienced, it is vacuum packed for freshness in five (5) 1 pound packages. Each quarter-pound burger contains only 200 calories.
Flash frozen and shipped with 10 pounds of dry ice for safe delivery to your door; We guarantee it! Blackwing items ship separately from the rest of your order and cost $35 for expedited frozen handling. An incremental $10 will be added for each additional Blackwing item or collection you add to your cart after the first one.


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Edited volumes and monographs that address U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region, released in cooperation with external publishers.
As the PLA's capabilities increase in tandem with China's rising power and expanding national interests, the PLA is involved in an increasing number and variety of missions in addition to its traditional focus on contingencies in the Taiwan Strait. Beyond the Strait explores these other missions and objectives, which include disaster and humanitarian relief, United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPKO), counterterrorism and border defense, and outer space and cyberspace security. Chapter authors consider the interplay between China's armed forces and its increasingly complex foreign policy and international security environment. They shed light on how these interactions affect China's policy toward the wider Asia-Pacific region and the implications for U.S. strategic interests.
For more information and to download a free copy, please visit the Strategic Studies Institute.
Learn more about the 2008 PLA Conference, "PLA Missions Beyond Taiwan."
Read a transcript of the Beyond the Strait book launch event.
Welcome and introduction
Richard Bush, The Brookings Institution
Army War College greetings
Steven Metz, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
Bush School greetings
Andrew Scobell, Texas A&M
Chair and Overview
Roy Kamphausen, The National Bureau of Asian Research
How China Manages Internal Security Challenges and its Impact on PLA Missions
Murray Scot Tanner, CNA
PLA Missions in Frontier Security and Counterterrorism
Robert Modarelli, National Center for APEC
Prospects for China's Military Space Efforts
Dean Cheng, CNA
China's Regional Power Projection: Prospects for Future Missions in the South and East China Seas
Mark Cozad, U.S. Government
PLA 'Joint' Operational Contingencies in South Asia, Central Asia, and Korea
Larry Wortzel, Colonel, US Army, Retired
David Lai, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
Dennis Wilder, John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution
Closing Remarks
Richard Bush, The Brookings Institution
Beyond the Strait: PLA Missions Other Than Taiwan
Roy Kamphausen, David Lai and Andrew Scobell
The Chinese People's Liberation Army in 2025
Roy Kamphausen and David Lai
Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad
Roy Kamphausen, David Lai and Travis Tanner
Assessing the People's Liberation Army in the Hu Jintao Era
Roy Kamphausen, David Lai and Travis Tanner
Slade Gorton: A Half Century in Politics
John C. Hughes
Chinese Lessons from Other Peoples' Wars
Andrew Scobell, David Lai and Roy Kamphausen
2011 APEC Energy Policy Roundtable Report: Realizing APEC's Energy Growth through Sound Energy Policy
The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China's Military
Roy Kamphausen, David Lai and Andrew Scobell
Beyond the Strait: PLA Missions Other Than Taiwan
Roy Kamphausen, David Lai and Andrew Scobell
The "People" in the PLA: Recruitment, Training, and Education in China's Military
Roy Kamphausen, Andrew Scobell and Travis Tanner
Right Sizing the People's Liberation Army: Exploring the Contours of China's Military
Andrew Scobell and Roy Kamphausen
China, the United States, and Southeast Asia: Contending perspectives on politics, security, and economics
Evelyn Goh and Sheldon W. Simon
Energy, Wealth and Governance in the Caucasus and Central Asia
Richard M. Auty and Indra de Soysa
Russia's Far East: A Region at Risk
Judith Thornton and Charles E. Ziegler
The Many Faces of Asian Security
Sheldon W. Simon
Korea's Future and the Great Powers
Nicholas Eberstadt and Richard J. Ellings
Energy Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus
Robert Ebel and Rajan Menon
From APEC to Xanadu: Creating a Viable Community in the Post-Cold War Pacific
Donald C. Hellmann and Kenneth B. Pyle
Korean Approaches Reunification
Nicholas Eberstadt


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BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian warplanes and artillery blasted parts of the capital Damascus and its rebellious suburbs on Sunday, part of what activists described as intense fighting as rebels try to push their way into the center of President Bashar Assad's power base.
In central Syria, a car bomb killed at least 15 people, the official news agency reported.
The fighting over the past few weeks in Damascus is the most serious in the capital since July, when rebels captured several neighborhoods before a swift government counteroffensive swept them out.
The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets struck twice in the suburb of Daraya as regime artillery pounded other districts just south of Damascus.
The Syrian air force also launched airstrikes on the northern city of Aleppo, some cities in the northern province of Idlib and the Mediterranean city of Latakia, the Observatory said. The group relies on reports from activists on the ground.
The Damascus suburbs have been opposition strongholds since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011. In the past weeks, the army has pressed an offensive to regain lost territory near the capital, including two air bases. The Observatory said there was also ongoing fighting in towns near the Damascus International Airport on the southern edge of the city. The towns include Aqraba, Beit Saham and Yalda.
The road to the airport from Damascus was closed on Thursday because of heavy fighting, but authorities reopened it after troops secured the area, activists said. The Information Ministry said on Saturday the airport was operating normally and that the road leading to the facility is "totally secure."
On Sunday, EgyptAir Chief Executive Roshdy Zakaria said the country's national carrier will resume flights to Damascus and Aleppo after a three-day suspension because of poor security on the roads around the two airports.
In central Homs province, a car bomb exploded near Omar Bin al-Khattab mosque in the al-Hamra neighborhood of Homs, killing at least 15 people and wounding 24, state-run SANA news agency said.
Activists said seven people died in the attack. The Observatory said the death toll is likely to rise because some were critically wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
In a village just outside Homs, two other people were killed by artillery shelling, including a baby girl, the Observatory said.
Homs has been a frequent battleground in the 20-month rebellion aimed at toppling Assad.
The increase in bombing attacks as part of the civil war has raised concerns that Islamist extremist groups are taking a larger role on the side of the rebels.
SANA claimed that on the outskirts of Homs, the Syrian army killed scores of rebels in an attack on their hideouts.
Activists say at least 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which began with peaceful pro-democracy protests but turned into a civil war.
While fighting has intensified nationwide in the past weeks, members of the new Syrian opposition leadership coalition held talks in Egypt on a transitional government.
The Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces was established earlier this month in Qatar under pressure from the United States for a stronger, more united opposition body to serve as a counterweight to the more extremist forces which have joined the fight against Assad's regime — some of them foreign jihadists.
The coalition members said they have agreed on the framework of a transitional government with 10 ministers. Walid Albunni, the coalition's spokesman, said its members will speed up the decision-making process and name the prime minister in the coming days to keep up with developments on the ground.
"We have to work as fast as possible to be ready for the downfall of the regime," Albunni said Saturday at the end of a three-day meeting in Cairo, where the opposition body is based.
Albunni said the coalition could support a United Nations peacekeeping force in Syria, but only after Assad is toppled.
"Anything can happen after all those who have stained their hands with blood of people are gone," Albunni said.
Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy in Cairo contributed to this report.