World Bank Whistleblower Karen Hudes on GOLD

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Exposing The World Bank, IMF, and </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-9ca5mMqVPujxHSWZ_Jk8CFfETQrhBsNptr1n3fbp-cDA7px2JYyYjxwPXxZL3Vbs2tVsz-ZLh8QXDrCLkBzQMMmi-yfueJsNYktJ6C8IngkKxJx4k1i54nAAuf0d2OlzuMlcoc95Yk/s1600/KarenHudesPIC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-9ca5mMqVPujxHSWZ_Jk8CFfETQrhBsNptr1n3fbp-cDA7px2JYyYjxwPXxZL3Vbs2tVsz-ZLh8QXDrCLkBzQMMmi-yfueJsNYktJ6C8IngkKxJx4k1i54nAAuf0d2OlzuMlcoc95Yk/s1600/KarenHudesPIC.JPG" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>the Global Collateral Account</b></span></div><br /><b><i>"Either we take back our gold and our legality and we tell this group that thinks it's above the law that it's not above the law, or we can kiss ourselves goodbye.  Humanity will not continue we will have World War 3."</i></b><br /><b><i>---Karen Hudes</i></b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/H5h1i-7qt88?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>

World Bank Whistleblower Karen Hudes on GOLD

Exposing The World Bank, IMF, and the Global Collateral Account "Either we take back our gold and our legality and we tell this group t...

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Bitcoin Wins Best Technology Achievement at TechCrunch Awards

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="single-title"><h1><br /></h1><div class="single-info"> <span class="single-author"><a href="http://www.coindesk.com/author/nermin-hajdarbegovic/" rel="author" title="Posts by Nermin Hajdarbegovic">Nermin Hajdarbegovic</a> | </span> <span class="single-date">Published on February 11, 2014 at 13:08 GMT | </span> <span class="single-category"><strong><em><a href="http://www.coindesk.com/companies/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Companies">Companies</a>, <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/events/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Events">Events</a>, <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/news/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in News">News</a>, <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/technology/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Technology">Technology</a></em></strong></span></div></div><div class="picture featured"><img alt="crunchies" class=" wp-post-image" height="185" src="http://media.coindesk.com/2014/02/crunchies-300x185.jpg" width="300" /></div><span class="wpsr_floatbts_anchor" data-offset="31"></span>Bitcoin has won the TechCrunch Best Technology Achievement award at the 2013 Crunchies.<br />The 7th annual award ceremony was held last night in San Francisco and it was put together by TechCrunch, Gigaom and VentureBeat.<br />The fact that TechCrunch readers voted for bitcoin probably caused a problem or two for the organisers. Satoshi Nakamoto was a no-show, so Peter Vessenes, Chairman of the <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/companies/bitcoin-foundation/">Bitcoin Foundation</a>, accepted the prize in his place.<br />The award was presented by Gigaom’s <a href="http://gigaom.com/author/tkrazit/" target="_blank">Tom Krazit</a> and Khosla Venture’s <a href="https://twitter.com/rabois" target="_blank">Keith Rabois</a>. Here’s how TechCrunch <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/10/bitcoin-wins-best-technology-achievement-but-satoshi-doesnt-show/" target="_blank">explained the conundrum</a>:<br /><blockquote>“Since no one person made bitcoin (or did they?) the award goes to the idea and the hard-working men and women around the world who are maintaining, mining, and improving the BTC protocol. It’s also an exciting time for economists who have suddenly become useful again as they try to explain the vagaries of currency pricing.”</blockquote>TechCrunch went on to conclude that bitcoin is “almost mainstream” and that it seems like it is here to stay.<br />Although winning a Crunchie is no small feat, the last few weeks have been marred by bad news for cryptocurrencies. First there was <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/charlie-shrem-bail-silk-road-money-laundering-arrest/">Charlie Shrem</a>, then a few <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/btce-pulls-support-ruble-russia-bans-bitcoin/">regulatory problems and bans</a>, and then came the <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/price-drops-mt-gox-blames-bitcoin-flaw-withdrawal-delays/">Mt. Gox freeze</a>.<br />However, there were some positive developments that can’t be overlooked. Microsoft’s Bing search engine <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/microsoft-bing-search-engine-bitcoin-currency-conversions/">added a bitcoin converter</a> just the other day.<br /><a href="http://www.coindesk.com/companies/merchants/">Several big merchants</a> have gotten on board over the past few weeks and the <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/everything-you-need-to-know-new-york-hearings-bitcoin/">New York bitcoin hearings</a> ended on a high note, although they were overshadowed by the Shrem affair.<br /><h2>Increased coverage</h2>The sheer amount of coverage has increased, too. Bitcoin is no longer reserved for specialised publications and tech sites, as mainstream media sites show increasing interest in the fledgling currency.<br />Financial institutions are looking into bitcoin too, and some have already issued relatively <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/pwc-report-bitcoin-in-showbusiness/">positive reports</a> on the currency and the future of digital currencies in general.<br />Bitcoin still has its <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/price/">ups and downs</a>, but it is easy to argue the biggest positive development on the public relations front does not have anything to do actual news.<br />The fact that the media focus is no longer on price and speculation means that interest is now shifting to more serious issues like real world applications of digital currencies and regulatory issues.<br />In other words, attention seems to be shifting toward the areas that are integral to the growth of the bitcoin economy as a whole.<br />Image Credit: <a href="http://techcrunch.com/" target="_blank">TechCrunch</a></div>

Bitcoin Wins Best Technology Achievement at TechCrunch Awards

Nermin Hajdarbegovic | Published on February 11, 2014 at 13:08 GMT | Companies , Events , News , Technology Bitcoin has won the TechCrun...

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Video Shows U.S. Abduction Of Accused Al-Qaeda Terrorist Anas al-Libi

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RRnLVOt8QJQ" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Video Shows U.S. Abduction Of Accused Al-Qaeda Terrorist On Trial For Embassy Bombings -- Washington Post</b></span></div><br />After dawn prayers Oct. 5, Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, a wanted al-Qaeda terrorism suspect, returned to his family’s home in Tripoli, Libya.<br /><br />He stopped his car in front of the house, nestled in an affluent neighborhood in the coastal capital city. It was 6:38 a.m. and still dark.<br /><br />A white van trailing Ruqai pulled alongside his car. Then at least three men, with guns drawn, jumped out of the van as another car blocked Ruqai’s escape and a third vehicle idled down the street.<br /><br />The men yanked Ruqai, also known as Anas al-Libi, out of his car and threw him in the van, according to a video of the abduction obtained by The Washington Post. The video, from a closed­circuit camera in the neighborhood, provides a rare glimpse of a U.S. covert operation and captures some of the bewildered reaction in Ruqai’s home once he had disappeared.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/video-shows-us-abduction-of-accused-al-qaeda-terrorist-on-trial-for-embassy-bombings/2014/02/10/7f84927a-8f6b-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On A Video That Shows The U.S. Abduction Of Accused Al-Qaeda Terrorist Anas al-Libi</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2014/02/10/what-you-see-on-the-video-of-the-u-s-abduction-of-an-accused-al-qaeda-terrorist/">What you see on the video of the U.S. abduction of an accused al-Qaeda terrorist </a>-- Washington Post<br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/11/video-al-libi-capture/5385257/">Video shows 2013 capture of alleged al-Qaeda leader</a> -- USA Today<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/world/meast/anas-al-libi-capture-video/">Taken in 30 seconds: Video shows U.S. capture of terror suspect Anas al-Libi</a> -- CNN<br /><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/60-seconds-video-shows-us-secret-snatch-operation/story?id=22449318">Gone in 60 Seconds: Video Shows Secret US Anti-Terror Grab</a> -- ABC News<br /><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-capture-of-terror-suspect-allibi-seen-in-rare-video/">U.S. capture of terror suspect al-Libi seen in rare video</a> -- CBS News<br /><a href="http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/11/video-shows-us-capture-of-embassy-bombings-suspect-abu-anas-al-liby-in-tripoli/">Video shows US capture of embassy bombings suspect Abu Anas al-Liby in Tripoli</a> -- Euronews<br /><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/video-shows-u-s-military-abduction-terror-suspect-article-1.1608812">Video shows U.S. military abduction by Delta Force of Libyan charged in ‘98 Al Qaeda embassy plot: report</a> -- New York Daily News<br /><a href="http://www.newsweek.com/gone-60-seconds-video-shows-terrorist-suspects-dramatic-capture-commandos-228753">Gone in 60 Seconds: Video Shows Terrorist Suspect’s Dramatic Capture by Commandos</a> -- Newsweek

Video Shows U.S. Abduction Of Accused Al-Qaeda Terrorist Anas al-Libi

Video Shows U.S. Abduction Of Accused Al-Qaeda Terrorist On Trial For Embassy Bombings -- Washington Post After dawn prayers Oct. 5, Nazih A...

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How Does Al Qaeda Get It's Terror Ideas

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThmPbdS_fDjkqbsXkPo1x0dEsJiEcTQi80s63nLs_mm7BZG4DZq5wNGgg8EThWhPHPJ1WK1dP3YK92K6iMJ7YuCqXVlvFm_R02Fd7cAN5s0juod9oaQyu-ZuStCipozU-3VlwXoXZGRpb/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThmPbdS_fDjkqbsXkPo1x0dEsJiEcTQi80s63nLs_mm7BZG4DZq5wNGgg8EThWhPHPJ1WK1dP3YK92K6iMJ7YuCqXVlvFm_R02Fd7cAN5s0juod9oaQyu-ZuStCipozU-3VlwXoXZGRpb/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Osama bin Laden (L) sits with al Qaeda top strategist and second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri in this 2001 file photo. REUTERS/Hamid Mir/Editor/Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn/File</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How al-Qaida Gets Its Ideas -- Joshua Keating, Slate</b></span></div><br /><div class="text parbase section">An <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09636412.2013.816123#.Uvk8t_ldXvt" target="_blank">interesting new study </a>published in the journal <i>Security Studies </i>makes the argument that what made Osama Bin Laden an effective terrorist leader was not as much ruthlessness or charisma—though he possessed both—but an ability to spot good ideas from both his subordinates and from outsiders.<br /><br />The history of terrorist innovation is one of borrowing, adapting, and refining as much as any other field. The IRA didn’t invent the car bomb but <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HD13Aa01.html" target="_blank">perfected its use</a> in the 1970s. The Tamil Tigers <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104391493" target="_blank">borrowed suicide bombing</a> as a tactic from Hezbollah, making it the brutal trademark of their decades-long war against the Sri Lankan government.</div><div class="text parbase section"></div><br /><b><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2014/02/11/how_al_qaida_gets_its_ideas_bin_laden_s_secret_weapon_was_that_he_listened.html">Read more</a></b> .... <br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> This is why Jihadist websites and radical social forums are dangerous .... they provide ideas and observations that can be exploited by those who have the resources to make it happen.

How Does Al Qaeda Get It's Terror Ideas

Osama bin Laden (L) sits with al Qaeda top strategist and second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri in this 2001 file photo. REUTERS/Hamid Mir/Edi...

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Top U.S. Commander Ordered The Destruction Of All Osama Bin Laden Death Photos

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNH7-4JDFMpVRsVI99Bz0YJVwXj1URN2cVnFPYgx4HyoqAyGzwj0s3CxEHTPlW_2yo0VohnhQTeVq64iVi8GXDYhecdCu03JlVjY_RS7aSZZ09OjU9bQj9LqeE0HmIYT3ON5WoCRsxJye/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNH7-4JDFMpVRsVI99Bz0YJVwXj1URN2cVnFPYgx4HyoqAyGzwj0s3CxEHTPlW_2yo0VohnhQTeVq64iVi8GXDYhecdCu03JlVjY_RS7aSZZ09OjU9bQj9LqeE0HmIYT3ON5WoCRsxJye/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Policemen and residents stand near while demolition work is carried out on the building where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in Abbottabad.(Reuters / Sultan Dogar)</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>‘Destroy Immediately’: Top US Commander Ordered Bin Laden Photos Purge -- RT</b></span></div><br />Eleven days after the 2011 US elite forces raid that resulted in the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the head of US special operations ordered the destruction of all photos of the corpse or for them to be given to the CIA, new evidence shows.<br /><br />The disclosure was revealed Monday in an email obtained and released by non-profit legal group Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The heavily-redacted email was sent by Admiral William McRaven, head of US Special Operations Command, to subordinate officers on May 13, 2011, instructing them that any remaining photos of Bin Laden’s body must be destroyed or handed over to the CIA. Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by the special operations team commonly known as Seal Team Six during Operation Neptune Spear. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://rt.com/usa/bin-laden-photos-destroyed-467/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Order To Destroy All Bin laden Death Photos</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/special-ops-leader-ordered-osama-bin-laden-death-photos-destroyed-article-1.1608955">Special ops leader ordered Osama Bin Laden death photos destroyed after AP request for documents</a> -- New York Daily News/AP<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/10/newly-released-email-shows-effort-to-shield-bin-laden-death-photos/?intcmp=latestnews">Newly-released email shows effort to shield bin Laden death photos </a>-- FOX News<br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/bin-laden-death-images-purge-emails-reveal">Bin Laden death images subject to purge, emails reveal</a> -- The Guardian<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/politics/e-mail-photos-destroyed-osama-bin-laden/">Admiral's e-mail on photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse: 'Destroy them'</a> -- CNN<br /><a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/operations/198067-email-shows-military-official-ordered-for-photos-of-bin-ladens">Order: ‘Destroy’ bin Laden photos</a> -- The Hill<br /><a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-us-commander-ordered-osama-bin-laden-death-photos-be-destroyed-1435994">Top US Commander Ordered Osama Bin Laden Death Photos to Be Destroyed</a> -- IBTimes<br /><a href="http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140211/NEWS08/302110024/SOCOM-chief-s-email-shows-effort-shield-bin-Laden-photos">SOCOM chief's email shows effort to shield bin Laden photos</a> -- Marine Times<br /><a href="http://www.thenational.ae/world/afghanistan/us-military-ordered-destruction-of-bin-laden-corpse-photos">US military ordered destruction of bin Laden corpse photos </a>-- The National<br /><a href="http://freebeacon.com/judicial-watch-top-pentagon-leader-ordered-destruction-of-bin-laden-death-photos/">Judicial Watch: Top Pentagon Leader Ordered Destruction</a> -- Washington Free Beacon<br /><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/carlomunoz/us-military-leaders-tight-lipped-on-destruction-of-osama-bin">U.S. Military Leaders Tight-Lipped On Destruction Of Osama Bin Laden Death Pics </a>-- Buzz Feed

Top U.S. Commander Ordered The Destruction Of All Osama Bin Laden Death Photos

Policemen and residents stand near while demolition work is carried out on the building where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by ...

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Picture Of The Day

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=318&w=478&img=/dodcmsshare/homepagephoto/2014-02/hires_140203-A-XD704-012c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=318&w=478&img=/dodcmsshare/homepagephoto/2014-02/hires_140203-A-XD704-012c.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BLACK HAWK VIEW</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Dvorsky crews a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb 3, 2014. The Black Hawk was conducting a battle field circulation mission. Dvorsky is the command sergeant major of the 101st Airborne Division's Task Force Thunder, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joseph Green</span></div>

Picture Of The Day

BLACK HAWK VIEW U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Dvorsky crews a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb 3, 2...

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Mexico Drug Cartel Hitman Confesses To A Minimum Of 800 Murders

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWo_rXxUEb-dn82ag7FfqtDLEG6I8XZalP2F_167KpGeox2LWTPe333JrC82UUOu8y8Q5adrORgqPxkrDhasldHcFee2MaDvOgiChhWwsWinwq27BjilZwjmKsjuI4JxIYprFUoO51o96/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWo_rXxUEb-dn82ag7FfqtDLEG6I8XZalP2F_167KpGeox2LWTPe333JrC82UUOu8y8Q5adrORgqPxkrDhasldHcFee2MaDvOgiChhWwsWinwq27BjilZwjmKsjuI4JxIYprFUoO51o96/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jesus Ernesto Chavez Castillo. <a href="http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/07/two-barrio-azteca-gangmembers-arrested.html">Borderland Beat</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mexican Drug Cartel Hitman Tells How He Committed 800 Murders Before He Stopped Keeping Track -- Daily Mail</b></span></div><br />* Jesus Ernesto Chavez is the star witness against his former boss, Arturo Gallegos Castrellon<br />* Chavez admitted to 800 murders but knows there are more because he stopped keeping track after 800<br />* Castrellon is the alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca street gang<br />* Barrio Azteca was the go-to hit-squad for the Juarez drug cartel<br />* Castrellon, 32, is accused of orchestrating the murders of two Americans during a March 2010 drive-by shooting<br />* He claims he only confessed after he was tortured for three days by Mexican police who shocked his testicles and raped his wife<br />* A federal judge ruled last month that his confession can’t be suppressed, but his attorneys want a U.S. jury to decide<br />* Since Castrellon was arrested the murder rate in Juarez has fallen dramatically<br /><br />In shocking testimony during the murder trial of an alleged Mexican drug cartel enforcer, the star witness in the case - himself a cartel hitman - told jurors that he stopped keeping track of the number of people he had killed when the number approached 800.<br /><br />Jesus Ernesto Chavez Castillo, the star witness in the trial of his former boss, Arturo Gallegos Castrellon,gave grisly details about how Castrellon grew the Barrio Azteca gang from a Texas prison gang into the band of contract killers for one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels, the Juarez Cartel.<br /><br />Chavez testified that he had a daily murder quota he was expected to meet to instill fear in police, elected officials and the public at large.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2557171/Mexican-drug-cartel-hitman-says-committed-800-murders-stopped-keeping-track.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/24693179/cartel-hitman-testifies-to-800-murders-daily-quotas-at-kingpins-trial#axzz2t2PMlCG9">Cartel hitman testifies to 800 murders, daily quotas at kingpin's trial</a> -- FOX DC<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: A shocking number that defies imagination. If you add up the numbers .... he was murdering a few people per week.

Mexico Drug Cartel Hitman Confesses To A Minimum Of 800 Murders

Jesus Ernesto Chavez Castillo. Borderland Beat Mexican Drug Cartel Hitman Tells How He Committed 800 Murders Before He Stopped Keeping Track...

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What The CIA Learned From The Nazis

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEjvvh_yvSeQ4PrOSzoP7unziR8zJCR0_9cd_vO56sr_1h_d5mUyk9E-Icf0XKePWcAkJTecLI1VnP27PFNXvpkNFAPgdY4wc7mthIoF_WtlOuUKKMrFuwDOaRc-mPkk1ughOToQ414X5/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEjvvh_yvSeQ4PrOSzoP7unziR8zJCR0_9cd_vO56sr_1h_d5mUyk9E-Icf0XKePWcAkJTecLI1VnP27PFNXvpkNFAPgdY4wc7mthIoF_WtlOuUKKMrFuwDOaRc-mPkk1ughOToQ414X5/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What Cold War CIA Interrogators Learned From The Nazis -- Annie Jacobsen, Daily Beast</b></span></div><br />At a secret black site in the years after the end of WWII, CIA and US intelligence operatives tested LSD and other interrogation techniques on captured Soviet spies—all with the help of former Nazi doctors. An excerpt from Annie Jacobsen’s Operation Paperclip, published this week.<br /><br />It was 1946 and World War II had ended less than one year before. In Top Secret memos being circulated in the elite ‘E’ ring of the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff were preparing for ‘total war’ with the Soviets—to include atomic, chemical, and biological warfare. They even set an estimated start date of 1952. The Joint Chiefs believed that the U.S. could win this future war, but not for reasons that the general public knew about. Since war’s end, across the ruins of the Third Reich, U.S. military officers had been capturing and then hiring Hitler’s weapons makers, in a Top Secret program that would become known as Operation Paperclip. Soon, more than 1,600 of these men and their families would be living the American dream, right here in the United States. From these Nazi scientists, U.S. military and intelligence organizations culled knowledge of Hitler’s most menacing weapons including sarin gas and weaponized bubonic plague.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/11/what-cold-war-cia-interrogators-learned-from-the-nazis.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> This is what has been declassified .... I can only imagine the secrets that they are still keeping.

What The CIA Learned From The Nazis

What Cold War CIA Interrogators Learned From The Nazis -- Annie Jacobsen, Daily Beast At a secret black site in the years after the end of W...

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Sudan Steps Up The Use Of Parachute Bombs Against It's Own People

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9zqoCpkwvLQ_T_Xov-toQy72bg9mhdeb3Zn9CksCTPQbXB087fOFnP5Wwtbso0YpC52chbz09YdGTG3H2U97uDUKrdeW6C4Sw1E8YphXkl-NNaPvQV-tvrbFe2Bce0BmZPGQjTKCl8q/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9zqoCpkwvLQ_T_Xov-toQy72bg9mhdeb3Zn9CksCTPQbXB087fOFnP5Wwtbso0YpC52chbz09YdGTG3H2U97uDUKrdeW6C4Sw1E8YphXkl-NNaPvQV-tvrbFe2Bce0BmZPGQjTKCl8q/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Sudanese fighter jet deploying parachuted bombs in the Nuba Mountain region. (NubaReports.org) </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Silent Death From Above: Sudan Steps Up Use Of Parachute Bombs On People -- FOX News</b></span></div><br />The people of war-torn Sudan learned long ago to take cover when planes roared overhead, but the latest tactic being used on them -- parachute bombs -- is raining silent death down on innocent villagers, say alarmed activists.<br /><br />The country’s extremist Islamic regime in Khartoum has stepped up the practice in the Nuba Mountains, dropping deadly bombs by parachute from high altitudes as president and accused international war criminal Omar al-Bashir seeks to rout rebel forces opposed to his brand of radical Islam.<br /><br />In recent years, the Nuba Mountains, where Christians and Muslims live side by side, have become a battleground for the forces of al-Bashir's forces and the Sudanese People Liberation Army.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/11/silent-death-from-above-sudan-steps-up-use-parachute-bombs-on-people/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> The world is focus on South Sudan, Central African Republic, Somalia, Mali, Congo, and at other troubled spots in Africa. But the slaughter that is occurring in tge Nuba mountains of Sudan is just as horrific as all the rest.

Sudan Steps Up The Use Of Parachute Bombs Against It's Own People

A Sudanese fighter jet deploying parachuted bombs in the Nuba Mountain region. (NubaReports.org) Silent Death From Above: Sudan Steps Up Use...

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Why Israel Will Have Problems Exporting Gas To Cyprus And Turkey

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yKpHiNf-jWXHLGkWbCcyoskJta4iwzkDAk0Oocv-mkiv7U77Ou2zwWm0626d0lD49QIG00feqYtZMQYIx8bnioAY77A9j1vL-NssrDBhWQtXwc-oXfEIhiMgPOEMoDeO6BfAfxGrcyb8/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yKpHiNf-jWXHLGkWbCcyoskJta4iwzkDAk0Oocv-mkiv7U77Ou2zwWm0626d0lD49QIG00feqYtZMQYIx8bnioAY77A9j1vL-NssrDBhWQtXwc-oXfEIhiMgPOEMoDeO6BfAfxGrcyb8/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cyprus Conflict Threatens Israel-Turkey Offshore Gas Trade -- Haaretz</b></span></div><br /><i>Turkey will refuse to recognize any gas deals that would involve the Greek side of Cyprus.</i><br /><br />What might Israel’s offshore gas discoveries have to do with the Cyprus reconciliation talks between Turkey and Greece, which are resuming Tuesday in an effort to resolve the conflict over the island that’s been divided for 40 years?<br /><br />At a conference six months ago (sponsored by the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv), a representative of Turkey sat next to a Greek Cypriot representative and debated the possibility of Israel exporting its gas to the two neighboring countries, which both desperately want it. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.573555">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> The Greeks and Turks have been enemies for generations. To change this mindset is going to take more than just a cheaper supply of gas.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> Why Russia fears Israel's <b><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/09/israels-fortune-is-putins-horror/">gas bonanza</a></b>.

Why Israel Will Have Problems Exporting Gas To Cyprus And Turkey

Cyprus Conflict Threatens Israel-Turkey Offshore Gas Trade -- Haaretz Turkey will refuse to recognize any gas deals that would involve the G...

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The U.S. - Russian Media War At The Olympics

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kKkRVHgL4WM?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>War Of Words: Russian News Anchor Claims Marines In Iwo Jima Memorial Are Gay After CNN Called A Belarusian WWII Memorial 'Ugly' -- Daily Mail</b></span></div><br />* CNN included a Soviet-era WWII memorial on a list of the world's ugliest monuments, saying that the soldier looks 'constipated'<br />* Russian foreign minister issued an official reprimand to CNN's Moscow correspondent and the list was eventually taken down from their website<br />* News anchor on Russian state television then suggested that the marines in the American Iwo Jima memorial were gay because of their stance<br /><br />A war of words has begun between a top Russian news station and CNN with the networks trading insults after an American correspondent insulted one of Russia’s WWII monuments and then a Russian anchor shot back by suggesting that two of the soldiers in the American Iwo Jima monument were simulating gay sex.<br /><br />CNN caused a firestorm when it included a war monument in Brest, a city in the former Soviet republic of Belarus, in an article on the 'world's ugliest monuments' published last month.<br /><br />The piece said the Soviet soldier 'emerging from a mountainous block of concrete looks as if he's about to thump the West into submission before hurling North America at the sun.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556049/Prominent-Russian-news-anchor-suggests-U-S-Marines-depicted-Iwo-Jima-Memorial-gay-CNN-calls-Russian-WWII-memorial-ugly.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> To me .... the Olympics is all about sports and looking <b><a href="http://bustedcoverage.com/2013/12/11/30-sexiest-women-of-the-2014-sochi-winter-olympics-photos/#photo=32">at some gorgeous looking Olympic babes</a></b>. <br /><br /><b>Update:</b> This is a good one .... some are now starting to wonder why is there so much coverage of <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2014/02/sochi_olympics_more_female_athletes_in_lingerie_than_ever_before.html">beautiful Olympic athletes (in lingerie)</a></b>.

olympics The U.S. - Russian Media War At The Olympics

War Of Words: Russian News Anchor Claims Marines In Iwo Jima Memorial Are Gay After CNN Called A Belarusian WWII Memorial 'Ugly' -- ...

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The First U.S. Missile Cruiser Arrives To Boost NATO Missile Defense

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkd9EUmIT1v752yryhA-BFunzr2Gm_fSj6Nnz3UdxIM28PXDfcoBv0_1iEN2Ba8-6WYxHcIiLyRTYZSNnD1wCXenW9YoJss4WSTo-eWjp3A6oAGcwG43VeJShL_1uHFtP5B_8-4YMpx-I/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkd9EUmIT1v752yryhA-BFunzr2Gm_fSj6Nnz3UdxIM28PXDfcoBv0_1iEN2Ba8-6WYxHcIiLyRTYZSNnD1wCXenW9YoJss4WSTo-eWjp3A6oAGcwG43VeJShL_1uHFtP5B_8-4YMpx-I/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook steams off the coast of Norfolk, Va, on its way to Rota, Spain, where it arrived Feb. 11, 2014. It is the first of four U.S. Navy destroyers to form the centerpiece of Europe?s missile defense shield there. Adam Austin/U.S. Navy</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>First US Missile Shield Destroyer Arrives In Europe -- RT</b></span></div><br />The first of four US Navy destroyers, the USS Donald Cook, set to be a cornerstone of NATO’s European missile defense shield has arrived at the Spanish naval port of Rota, its new home. Russia says the system is a direct threat to its security.<br /><br />The USS Donald Cook will be joined by three more Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, which all are fitted with the Aegis weapon system. Over the next two years the USS Ross, USS Porter and USS Carney will all be based at Rota in southern Spain. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://rt.com/news/missile-destroyer-usa-europe-560/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Arrival Of The First U.S. Missile Cruiser Arrives To Boost NATO Missile Defense</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_106997.htm?selectedLocale=en">First of four US Navy ships to support NATO Ballistic Missile Defense arrives in Spain</a> -- NATO<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/11/first-4-us-destroyers-arrive-in-spain-as-part-nato-anti-missile-shield/">First of 4 US destroyers arrive in Spain as part of NATO anti-missile shield</a> -- FOX News/AP<br /><a href="http://www.stripes.com/news/first-of-four-missile-destroyers-arrives-in-spain-1.266948">First of four missile destroyers arrives in Spain</a> -- Stars and Stripes<br /><a href="http://www.rttnews.com/2267741/us-warship-in-spain-to-support-nato-ballistic-missile-defense.aspx?type=msgn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap">US Warship In Spain To Support NATO Ballistic Missile Defense</a> -- RTT<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/uss-donald-cook-arrives-in-new-home-port-in-spain/2014/02/11/2d97323e-9339-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html">USS Donald Cook arrives in new home port in Spain</a> -- Washington Post/AP

The First U.S. Missile Cruiser Arrives To Boost NATO Missile Defense

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook steams off the coast of Norfolk, Va, on its way to Rota, Spain, where it ar...

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Day 5: If I was a fan at the Olympics, I would act nuts, too

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Integration</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! segment today was getting the kids to write down what they like about watching the Olympics. This was after we had watched women’s luge and men’s halfpipe today, but also other events we’d viewed in the past. I’m not naming names, but each student has a number, so that’s how I’ll label them. So here you go, straight from the pencils of some of my students:</span></span></div><b id="docs-internal-guid-29bb1a4b-2477-0403-bbb3-2d6fe310b58f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#4: I liked the luge because of how fast they go. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#14: I like the luge because it looks so fun and it looks like a roller coaster and it looks like slides and I want to do it so much I love the Olympic games.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#9: Snowboarding because you get to do awesome tricks and it is cool.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#15: I like ski jumping because I like to think they’re flying.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#1: My favorite sport is slopestyle because of all the cool tricks the athletes do of the jumps.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#2: I like the luge because it looks like fun and it’s awesome to watch.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#5: I like how Shaun White falls. I like it because it’s funny when he falls.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">#12: I like ski jumping because I like to see them show their technique and how graceful they land. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">We also worked with schedules and times of events. Reading A-Z has a fantastic set of Olympic printables, and they have a schedule where students have to determine when certain events are, how much time is in between events, and what events only take place in the mornings. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Yesterday I didn’t keep anything a secret from myself: I woke up and checked all the results from the night. That meant that no matter what I viewed yesterday, I wasn’t spoiled. Unfortunately, it made my evening viewing pretty dull, because I knew what happened.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Today I kept things hush-hush, in an attempt to make the evening viewing more exciting. The only things I wanted to know was the live events I watched with my kids. We watched the tail end of luge (where we finally saw an American win a medal!), the tail end of men’s halfpipe, and the tail end of ski jumping, and those results were all I wanted to know. Unfortunately, thanks to the horribleness of nbcolympics.com, they have posting on the sides of the webpages and stupid tweets that are a couple minutes faster than the videos that are next to them. As I was searching for the live feed of halfpipe, the sidebar screamed, “Russian pairs post highest short program score ever!” Well, thanks a lot. A tweet said, “Germans not happy with second place in short program.” Another tweet said roughly, “Kikkan Randall tries hard but fails to medal in cross-country sprint.” Well geez! Can there just be a page for spoilerphobes?</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">I’ll spend the next couple of days finding the right balance between knowing what’s going on and keeping it quiet until I can watch in the afternoon or evening. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Are you having issues keeping stuff quiet? Do you really not care? Let me know!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Mini Blurbs</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s roundup</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: women’s luge (live), women’s ski jumping (live), men’s snowboard halfpipe (live), women’s cross-country, curling, women’s ski slopestyle, </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CND returns</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Since the slopestyle event returns with skis, the Creepy Nesting Doll makes a comeback. It’s haunting me.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight Bob Costas is reporting from…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Wait! That’s not Bob Costas! His pink eye looked awful last night, and it looked like it was in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">both</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his eyes. He took the night off, and Matt Lauer filled in. Well, Matt Lauer is reporting from your high school’s winter formal. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">weird</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hearing Lauer’s voice at the beginning and seeing him in the Ice Dome. Just weird. Anyone else think that was weird?</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I finally found a cross-country event that I like</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Sprint! Why did I not know about this event? The skiers race in heats - usually six in a heat - and they race around a super short cross-country track. The women race ¾ of a mile, and the men go around a lap that’s a little over a mile. Each heat takes roughly 2 ½ - 3 ½ minutes, and that’s why it’s so glorious. There’s no skipping of “boring” parts of the race, no cutting to commercial, crazy crashes (like the one in the men’s final, which wiped out three skiers!), and no absence of Americans - there are two very good American women, and one even made it to the final!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Another fun thing is that one of the camera angles is pretty much a camera strapped to the top of a snowmobile - I could hear the motor as the snowmobile raced up a hill with the skiers. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Most of the event is done in front of fans, which means the support is nearly constant, and I’m sure that’s very uplifting for the skiers. I would go to this event.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another set of events I would attend if I had the chance</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Luge, skeleton, and bobsled. Those fans are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nuts.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Have you seen them? (You might have - they were on Primetime tonight thanks to Erin Hamlin!)</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">It was great to hear my students so excited to see an American get a medal. They were confused when a “1” was next to her name, but the announcers kept saying she’d gotten bronze. I had to explain that they go in order from slowest to fastest, and the fastest two sliders were left. Then they were hoping that the other two racers would crash. Time to teach a little bit about sportsmanship.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SJ Shaun White gets fourth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: There weren’t many snowboarders that I saw who did very good on the halfpipe - lots of snowboarders couldn’t get a landing to save their life. Clearly Flying Tomato Shaun White is much better than Skinny Jeans Shaun White. Or the field has caught up. One of the two.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where were the mighty American ski jumpers?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> When I tuned in there was no mention of American ski jumpers. After all the hype, they were nowhere to be found. Thanks for bringing it to the Olympics, ladies, but I wish you’d made a better finish.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of Summer Games commentators</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Track interviewer Lewis Johnson is interviewing sliders. Good to see him.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donna Noble is curling!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sure, her “name” is Claire Hamilton, but we all know she’s looking for the Doctor. And now she’s Scottish.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you watching more curling now?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I love getting phone calls and texts saying, “I was just watching curling…” because I can turn right around and say, “Do you know the rules? It’s so much better when you know what’s going on!” I watched the US men vs. China (they royally lost) and the US women vs. Team GB (who CRUSHED the Americans, getting SEVEN points in one end). </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overhead cameras</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I’m a little miffed at the camera angles chosen to record snowboarding and slopestyle. There is an overhead camera on the slopestyle course that I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> saw in the snowboarding event and have seen only a couple of times in skiing. I love it! It really gives a good overall scope. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">In halfpipe, there’s a camera over the middle of the halfpipe that was slowly rolling down as the snowboarders did their tricks. But the cameras chose to use a stationary camera at the end, which was so boring! Give us a little style!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Devin Logan</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Thanks for winning a silver! You look awesome and can do amazing jumps. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pairs and Santana</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: You know, if Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir are going to skate to the music of Santana, Simon should really have played Marissa like a guitar.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Oh, and Simon’s parents are awesome. Did you see his dad’s Uncle Sam hat?</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hoses on snow</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Watching the “grounds crew” (?) blasting hoses of water on the halfpipe was incredibly entertaining. They should work with MLB grounds crews to help them with the snow issues.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That pairs music</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The music that Canadian Eric Duhamel composed for his and his partner’s routine is great. I would totally buy that piece.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jackets</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I have seen jackets worn by the women’s curling captain and the German figure skaters that have a really high neck and a fake scoop neck in a really bright color. Is that a new thing? I don’t like it. It’s like a fake scarf.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s other sports going on?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Way to go Michigan basketball!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Enjoy the day everyone! </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sAXi-UEIgz0hABqLsIVhzS4JZUlTwF7xXqwT59lgPkcvVVuQWbZ3s3iPpw9QRsPU4uk58nRoD3OSYZPT32vrg4DActGQCtzSDYipYxbU97f6f1JW9E-CosGlUW7Yfbp3gHrfsWaacj0/s1600/olympic_rings_568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sAXi-UEIgz0hABqLsIVhzS4JZUlTwF7xXqwT59lgPkcvVVuQWbZ3s3iPpw9QRsPU4uk58nRoD3OSYZPT32vrg4DActGQCtzSDYipYxbU97f6f1JW9E-CosGlUW7Yfbp3gHrfsWaacj0/s1600/olympic_rings_568.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>

Day 5: If I was a fan at the Olympics, I would act nuts, too

Part of my Integration ! segment today was getting the kids to write down what they like about watching the Olympics. This was after we had ...

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U.S. Keeping An Eye On Approaching Iranian Warships (Updated)

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/l49xpNfSeEs?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>U.S. To Keep Eye Out For Iranian Ships Heading This Way -- USA Today</b></span></div><br /><i>For the first time, Iran is dispatching two ships across the Atlantic — in response to the U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf.</i><br /><br />Iranian warships sailing toward U.S. borders would wind up in troubled waters if the U.S. Navy returns the threatening gestures it receives from Iran in the Persian Gulf, naval security experts say.<br /><br />"When they cross into the North Atlantic, we'll start the harassment," says Chris Harmer, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War who worked on military planning for the Persian Gulf as a commander in the U.S. Navy. "They do that to us every time we cross into the Strait of Hormuz."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/11/us-navy-iran-warships/5398447/">Read more </a></b>....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Approaching Iranian "Naval Fleet" To The U.S. Waters</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921122000307">Navy Commander: Iran’s Flotilla of Warships Moving towards Atlantic Ocean</a> -- FARS News Agency (Iran)<br /><a href="http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/02/10/iran-announces-its-naval-fleet-approaching-united-states-maritime-borders/">Iran announces its naval fleet ‘approaching United States maritime borders’</a> -- World Tribune<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/11/sinking-feeling-iranian-navy-sends-message-with-us-bound-rust-buckets/">Sinking feeling: Iranian Navy sends message with US-bound 'rust buckets'</a> -- FOX News<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/blog/2014/02/11/Pentagon-Iran-ships-to-US-waters-No-big-deal/6631392128374/">Pentagon: 'Iran ships to US waters?' -- No big deal</a> -- UPI<br /><a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-naval-vessels-united-states-/25259667.html">U.S. 'Not Concerned' Over Reports Of Iranian Ships </a>-- Radio Free Europe<br /><a href="http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140210/NEWS08/302100026/Iranian-warships-pose-little-threat-U-S-homeland">Iranian warships pose little threat to U.S. homeland</a> -- Marine Times<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/world/meast/iran-navy-near-u-s-/">Iran's navy aims to make PR splash with voyage near U.S.</a> -- CNN<br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/10/iran-warships-threat-to-usa-coast/5365335/">Iranian warships heading to USA to show reach</a> -- USA Today<br /><a href="http://freebeacon.com/mullahs-ahoy/">Mullahs Ahoy: Pentagon to Iran: Sail wherever you like</a> -- Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon

U.S. Keeping An Eye On Approaching Iranian Warships (Updated)

U.S. To Keep Eye Out For Iranian Ships Heading This Way -- USA Today For the first time, Iran is dispatching two ships across the Atlantic —...

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US Intel Chief: Afghan President Karzai Will Not Sign The US-Afghan Security Pact

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LbfiQs6YxOc" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>US Intel Chief: Karzai Unlikely To Sign US-Afghan Pact -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />CAPITOL HILL — America's top intelligence official says Afghan President Hamid Karzai is unlikely to sign a security agreement with the United States, leaving the long-term relationship between the two countries undefined as U.S. combat troops withdraw.<br /><br />For months, the United States has urged Karzai to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) he negotiated with the Obama administration. But Karzai has refused. U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper told senators the deal may not be finalized on President Karzai's watch.<br /><br />"It takes two [people] to sign this. And my own view, not necessarily company [official U.S.] policy, is I do not believe President Karzai is going to sign it," said Clapper.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/us-intel-chief-doubts-karzai-will-sign-us-afghan-pact/1849330.html">Read more </a></b>....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On US Belief That The Afghan President Karzai Will Not Sign The US-Afghan Security Pact</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/usa-afghanistan-agreement-idINDEEA1A0DL20140211">U.S. intelligence chief says Karzai unlikely to sign security pact</a> -- Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/afghan-president-karzai-us-troop-pact-clapper">Afghan president Karzai unlikely to sign US troop pact, says intelligence chief</a> -- The Guardian<br /><a href="http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2014/02/us-intelligence-chief-karzai-wont-sign-troop-deal/78638/#.UvqMgBZPOsk.twitter">U.S. Intelligence Chief: Karzai Won’t Sign Troop Deal</a> -- Defense One/National Journal<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/afghan-security-deal-danger">Intel chief doubts Karzai will sign security pact </a>-- MSNBC<br /><a href="http://swampland.time.com/2014/02/11/intelligence-chief-says-afghanistan-leader-unlikely-to-sign-security-pact/">Intelligence Chief Says Afghanistan Leader Unlikely to Sign Security Pact</a> -- Time<br /><a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_11/US-intelligence-director-not-expecting-Hamid-Karzai-to-sign-security-pact-8712/">US intelligence director not expecting Hamid Karzai to sign security pact</a> -- Voice of Russia<br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-leaders-rip-karzai-security-deal-snub-n27326">U.S. Leaders Rip Karzai on Security Deal Snub</a> -- NBC<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/11/us-reportedly-mulls-waiting-on-afghan-security-pact-until-karzai-leaves/?intcmp=latestnews">US reportedly mulls waiting on Afghan security pact until Karzai leaves </a>-- FOX News<br /><a href="http://rt.com/news/us-desperate-deal-afghanistan-488/">US 'drops' Afghan troop issue with Karzai, waits for successor</a> -- RT<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/02/11/US-said-to-mull-shifting-Afghanistan-exit-plans/UPI-64991392100281/?spt=rln&or=1">U.S. said to mull shifting Afghanistan exit plans</a> -- UPI<br /><a href="http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-451227/">Frustrated by Karzai, U.S. Shifts Afghanistan Exit Plans</a> -- Wall Street Journal<br /><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-considers-waiting-on-afghan-security-deal-until-hamid-karzai-leaves-report/articleshow/30199410.cms">US considers waiting on Afghan security deal until Hamid Karzai leaves: Report</a> -- Economic Times<br /><a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/region/12-Feb-2014/us-considers-waiting-on-afghan-security-deal-until-karzai-leaves">US considers waiting on Afghan security deal until Karzai leaves</a> -- Daily Times

US Intel Chief: Afghan President Karzai Will Not Sign The US-Afghan Security Pact

US Intel Chief: Karzai Unlikely To Sign US-Afghan Pact -- Voice of America CAPITOL HILL — America's top intelligence official says Afgha...

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U.S. Condemns Afghan Government Decision To Release 65 Dangerous Taliban Fighters

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gOyKEWk99jw?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>U.S. Condemns Afghan Decision To Go Ahead With Detainee release -- Reuters</b></span></div><br />(Reuters) - U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned a decision by the Afghan government to proceed with plans to release additional detainees that the United States believes pose a continuing militant threat.<br /><br />The detainees have become one more issue fueling tension in U.S.-Afghan ties, as foreign troops present in Afghanistan since 2001 steadily withdraw. The U.S. director of national intelligence said on Tuesday he did not expect President Hamid Karzai to sign a bilateral security agreement with Washington.<br /><br />"United States Forces-Afghanistan has learned that 65 dangerous individuals from a group of 88 detainees under dispute have been ordered released from the Afghan National Detention Facility at Parwan," the U.S. military force said in a statement.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/afghanistan-usa-detainees-idINDEEA1A0D320140211">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On U.S. Reaction To The Afghan Government's Decision To Release 65 Dangerous Taliban Fighters</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.khaama.com/us-forces-in-afghanistan-condemns-release-of-65-bagram-detainees-2777">US Forces in Afghanistan condemns release of 65 Bagram detainees</a> -- Khaama Press<br /><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140211/afghanistan-release-65-dangerous-taliban-prisoners">Afghanistan to release 65 'dangerous' Taliban prisoners </a>-- Global Post/AFP<br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-us-afghanistan-prisoners-20140211,0,2959534.story#axzz2t41LE47C">U.S. complains that Afghanistan releasing dangerous prisoners</a> -- L.A. Times<br /><a href="http://www.rttnews.com/2267604/us-denounces-decision-to-release-65-afghan-militants.aspx?type=msgn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap">US Denounces Decision To Release 65 Afghan Militants </a>-- RTT News<br /><a href="http://www.dvidshub.net/news/120440/usfor-condemns-release-65-detainees#.UvrC5oW0ykM">USFOR-A condemns release of 65 detainees</a> -- Dvids

U.S. Condemns Afghan Government Decision To Release 65 Dangerous Taliban Fighters

U.S. Condemns Afghan Decision To Go Ahead With Detainee release -- Reuters (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned a dec...

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We Must Save Curling in America

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Hola y’all! As you probably know by now, the US men’s and women’s curling teams are a combined 0-5 at the Sochi Olympics. This is unacceptable. Obviously curling needs to be saved and quickly! This morning Matt-Man and I discussed the idea of an Olympic Bikini Curling League with Chrissy Teigen as the team captain, but she never responded on Twitter so that’s probably out. However, I do think I have an idea how to save curling in America. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We should make a fun movie about curling! You know, one of those “triumph of the human spirit” type movies. A uniquely American story where a guy overcomes a bunch of obstacles in his life, pulls himself up by his bootstraps and not only makes curling popular, but turns America in a world curling powerhouse. As we should be! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our main character is a sad man who hasn’t really accomplished anything in life other than be elected as the mayor of Paducah, Kentucky. At first I thought of Matt Damon in this role, but I don’t think he’s that kind of guy. So, Kevin James it is! Of course, he needs a wife. The only logical person that a socially awkward overweight failed businessman who is elected mayor of a small town on the Ohio River could be married to would be played by Priyanka Chopra, right? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSR8JcyftPkC0InuleMNKU8Z64ZyOQWe9HkrKbJyePeeSL2j6obUYQ3BU-BaeCc1e9exG7EBhKCoJXgfGVosZNRJGBmR2_1tPCxjUiWOSjutosXkbh0IS0BmZKlAysZxqllkwIiN7tGvE/s1600/priyanka+chopra+hot+legs+sexy+nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSR8JcyftPkC0InuleMNKU8Z64ZyOQWe9HkrKbJyePeeSL2j6obUYQ3BU-BaeCc1e9exG7EBhKCoJXgfGVosZNRJGBmR2_1tPCxjUiWOSjutosXkbh0IS0BmZKlAysZxqllkwIiN7tGvE/s1600/priyanka+chopra+hot+legs+sexy+nude.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re gonna have a simple, lovable mayor try to fulfill his dream of turning Paducah into the curling capital of the world and make it a tourist attraction then you have to have an evil enemy who wants to scuttle the whole thing for his own financial gain. That cruel, greedy and all-around sleazy guy will be played by Tom Hanks, of course. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Every evil man must be married to an equally evil, scheming and conniving cunt of a wife. Gwenyth Paltrow is perfect for this role. She could just play herself, right? No effort at all. But, I don’t want to give her that easy money opportunity. So, the only other option here is Sandra Bullock. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu_rNL5U4O_RAELfXpQVayZvxViD5c7xqyP4kMyiHOvnqe0rt0SBk2cmQ-pmLfvcf8n200L72J5YHgwpUUNBJm7xpWq4pz60jpdcwL9PtLaMcU1BY4AdxXDIYoMC6Nnz4qEW0F0XHgWN6/s1600/Sandra+Bullock+Legs+Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu_rNL5U4O_RAELfXpQVayZvxViD5c7xqyP4kMyiHOvnqe0rt0SBk2cmQ-pmLfvcf8n200L72J5YHgwpUUNBJm7xpWq4pz60jpdcwL9PtLaMcU1BY4AdxXDIYoMC6Nnz4qEW0F0XHgWN6/s1600/Sandra+Bullock+Legs+Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Basically Paducah, Kentucky is a poor, economically depressed town with no future and Mayor Kevin James has a plan to save the town by building the biggest curling center in the world. People are skeptical and Tom Hanks takes advantage of this and tries to get Kevin James recalled. If his evil plan works, Hanks could be mayor and take big kickbacks from coal and oil interests and possibly run for governor and then president someday. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It looks bleak for Mayor James and his young exotic wife when a miracle happens! America’s greatest curler shows up in town one day and is interested in his plan. The curler, played by Jared Leto loves it and brings in all kinds of fundraising from socially and environmentally aware groups and the recall fails! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeUQegb3NMDsQ62N9kMEB7i-06BTmRkif0n3bj6kZSsxBOUUm40gwPXPtUIeBfPW29qPdFFUk5QU5_9lARK_lsCgV0SZnxg7jFjO3jk38B5RN-xq5Y5b2xKkgpFcpeicdBEowxfslLnrR/s1600/Jared+Leto+Shirtless+Nude+Hot+Sexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeUQegb3NMDsQ62N9kMEB7i-06BTmRkif0n3bj6kZSsxBOUUm40gwPXPtUIeBfPW29qPdFFUk5QU5_9lARK_lsCgV0SZnxg7jFjO3jk38B5RN-xq5Y5b2xKkgpFcpeicdBEowxfslLnrR/s1600/Jared+Leto+Shirtless+Nude+Hot+Sexy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then the curling center is built and on opening day people come from all over the world to check it out. All the big sports cable networks are there and all are bidding big money to televise tournaments from the Paducah Curling Center and God Bless America! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It could totally work y’all! I bet it would … SWEEP … the Oscars! Hey-OOOO!!! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/jayman68" target="_blank">My Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

We Must Save Curling in America

Hola y’all! As you probably know by now, the US men’s and women’s curling teams are a combined 0-5 at the Sochi Olympics. This is unacceptab...

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Betty White wows on WWE RAW (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35TQGqa_dH8vQVkFliFLb7NriSOT3HYf68eTRZIsfWhg02248aAwXhzbgW_H0X822XR7hc6G2oNyyZp6TcOW0y62HGDL2FKrF3AYwVdAMkzCT9nHyJwWXdUvYOirpyaE6-3DIQex0AKM/s1600/betty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35TQGqa_dH8vQVkFliFLb7NriSOT3HYf68eTRZIsfWhg02248aAwXhzbgW_H0X822XR7hc6G2oNyyZp6TcOW0y62HGDL2FKrF3AYwVdAMkzCT9nHyJwWXdUvYOirpyaE6-3DIQex0AKM/s1600/betty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;"><span class="dateline" style="box-sizing: border-box;">LOS ANGELES –  </span>She might be 92, but Betty White sure knows how to hold her own in the wrestling ring.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">The former Golden Girl brought much of the sold-out Staples Center, Los Angeles crowd to its feet as she took to the stage alongside WWE superstar Big Show, boldly declaring: "I'm gonna kick some ass!"</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">White never failed to make good use of her somewhat trademark cougar-like characters through her appearance duties, eyeing up the young and muscular wrestlers whenever the camera came her way and offering a cheeky eyebrow raise. </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">And as the decades go by, White shows no sign of slowing down her ever-illustrious Hollywood career. The fifth season of her show "Hot in Cleveland" premieres with a live episode March 26 on TV Land and airs Wednesday nights at 10/9 CT; meanwhile season three of "Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” premieres Feb. 28 on Lifetime.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Yet its her inclusion as the guest star of the popular WWE RAW showcase that cements the ever-growing obsession Americans have with the no-holds-barred entertainment industry icon. Back in 2010, a Facebook petition was launched urging White to step into the ring, and although it took a few years, fans finally got their way.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">And judging by the court of public opinion, she didn't disappoint.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">"Betty White is one of the best hosts for RAW. They didn't push her in any corny segments like other hosts. She was just being Betty," one viewer tweeted, while another concurred: "Hat tip to Betty White on being the host tonight. Helluva entertaining lady."</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">"Monday Night RAW" remains the longest-running, weekly episodic program in U.S. primetime history and also one of the most watched on cable. Since the "celebrity guest" concept was created in 2009, dozens of famous faces and made a thud into the spotlight, including Snoop Dogg, Dennis Miller, Jerry Springer, Charlie Sheen, Cyndi Lauper and even The Muppets.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">The February 10, LA-edition of the show was highlighted by the return of Sheamus, paired up with Christian to take on the Real Americans, Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro, with the two former taking the cake. The night closed with the much-anticipated showdown between Randy Orton and John Cena. After much body slamming and rope jumping, this time it was the latter's turn to take the celebratory cake. </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">The crowd gave such a dedicated applause, one would think it was all so very real.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/holliesmckay" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a5d80; cursor: pointer; outline: none 0px; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">@holliesmckay</a> on Twitter.</div>

Betty White wows on WWE RAW (BLOG)

LOS ANGELES –   She might be 92, but Betty White sure knows how to hold her own in the wrestling ring. The former Golden Girl brought much o...

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Report: Local Police Stymie U.S. Federal Background Security Checks

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6ALcf58ZUhs" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Report Says Uncooperative Local Police Stymie Federal Background Security Checks -- Washington Post</b></span></div><br />Law enforcement agencies in more than 450 jurisdictions, including D.C. police, do not cooperate with investigators conducting security-clearance probes for federal ­employees, according to a congressional report to be released Tuesday.<br /><br />The report by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said the millions of records kept by ­non-cooperative law enforcement agencies could provide vital clues to investigators on the front lines of a system that is facing unpre­cedented scrutiny. It proposes legislative changes to address lapses identified in the wake of last year’s mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard by a Defense Department contract worker.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/report-says-uncooperative-local-police-stymie-federal-background-security-checks/2014/02/10/e7642262-929e-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">More News On Reports That Local Police Stymied U.S. Federal Background Security Checks</span></b></div><br /><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/11/cities-hide-red-flags-from-feds-in-security-cleara/">Local cops block feds from doing full security clearances, Navy Yard review finds</a> -- Washington Times<br /><a href="http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/02/11/oversight-report-reveals-flaws-in-security-checks-that-let-navy-yard-shooter-slip-through-cracks/">Oversight Report Reveals Flaws in Security Checks That Let Navy Yard Shooter Slip Through Cracks</a> -- PJ Media<br /><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/report-on-navy-yard-shooting-notes-problems-seattle">Report on Navy Yard shooting notes problems in Seattle</a> -- Examiner<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/02/11/house-panel-to-examine-navy-yard-shooter-and-security-clearances/?tid=hpModule_14fd66a0-9199-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239">House panel to examine Navy Yard shooter and security clearances</a> -- Washington Post<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/us-usa-security-clearance-idUSBREA1A1AF20140211">Democrats seek probe of U.S. contractor for security checks</a> -- Reuters

Report: Local Police Stymie U.S. Federal Background Security Checks

Report Says Uncooperative Local Police Stymie Federal Background Security Checks -- Washington Post Law enforcement agencies in more than 45...

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Bruce Jenner’s Daughters ‘Very Confused’ By Their Dad’s Physical Transformation… As New Photos Emerge Showing Potential Hair Plugs Post-Adam’s Apple Shave (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoQJN15bemO5vJX4PZpxtQUyI9alI2yxJKa5VLegRuc1EvFKijx3jIoEXhEMW_J5O8-skPqdFBCS_v_iaHfwDkPh-l0GQbGhJlmoUfBbueferwXaSgUZFDYv9fmX9dG5T27DkGkS9Vqg/s1600/jen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoQJN15bemO5vJX4PZpxtQUyI9alI2yxJKa5VLegRuc1EvFKijx3jIoEXhEMW_J5O8-skPqdFBCS_v_iaHfwDkPh-l0GQbGhJlmoUfBbueferwXaSgUZFDYv9fmX9dG5T27DkGkS9Vqg/s1600/jen.jpg" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Being a teenager is riddled with uncertainty and strife, but teens <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/kendall-jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kendall</a> and <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/kylie-jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kylie Jenner</a>‘s angst has been magnified because of their father’s recent physical transformation in which he’s sporting longer hair and nails, and the decision <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/bruce-jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bruce Jenner</a> made to<a href="http://radaronline.com/photos/bruce-jenner-has-adam-apple-removed-amid-sex-change-rumors/photo/620428/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">have his Adam’s apple shaved down</a>, leaving his daughters extremely confused, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though their momager, <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/Kris-Jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kris Jenner</a>, has denied reports that Bruce is going to undergo a sex change, “Kylie and Kendall just don’t know what to think. It’s extremely confusing for them to grasp. There is just no denying Bruce’s recent physical changes, and he does look more feminine,” the source told Radar.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“It’s been especially hard for 16-year-old Kylie because some of her friends have made jokes about Bruce’s looks. The ridicule aimed at Bruce’s looks on social media has also taken a toll on Kendall and Kylie. Kendall continues to spend time with her dad, while Kylie hasn’t been hanging out as much with Bruce, unless it’s for filming.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaking of changed, Bruce emerged on Monday afternoon with what appeared to be new hair plugs and a hot ombre hair color.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though Bruce’s youngest daughters are having a <a href="http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/02/bruce-jenner-sons-admit-identity-crisis/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tough time with his physical changes</a>, sons <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/brody-jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brody</a> and <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/brandon-jenner/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brandon</a> with ex-wife <a href="http://radaronline.com/category/tags/linda-thompson/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0099cc; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Linda Thompson</a>, have been extremely supportive.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“While the boys haven’t come out and asked their dad if he is transitioning to becoming a woman, it has definitely crossed their minds. However, as long as Bruce is happy, that is all they really care about,” the insider said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Brody has been spending a lot of time with his dad, and the two have never been closer. If Bruce did decide to become a woman, Brody and Brandon would absolutely support him. All they know is that their dad is in a really good place right now, and that is all that matters.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jenner has denied that the laryngeal shave had anything to do with a sex change, insisting he simply did not like its appearance.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Brody and Brandon blamed Kris for introducing plastic surgery to the family.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“They do believe that Bruce became more conscience of his physical appearance and how he looked after<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Keeping Up With The Kardashians</i> premiered,” the insider explained.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“They blame their step-mother (Kris) for all of the plastic surgery he has had over the years.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Kris always encouraged Bruce to have his face nipped and tucked. He has had plastic surgery to remove excess fat above his eyelids. The Adam’s apple surgery is just following in that pattern.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dealing with their parents separation has been “hard for the girls…they have always been closer to their dad because Kris had been busy for so many years with their older half-sisters. It was always Bruce driving the girls to and from school,” the source added.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“He wants to spend time with them, but it’s hard for them to get all the way over Malibu where he is living. Plus, they would much rather be with their friends, which is typical for teenagers. Still, they miss their dad, and just don’t know what to say about what is going on with him.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RadarOnline</div><div class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled" id="jp-post-flair" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #747474; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-official sd-sharing" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.129412); border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 5px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 638px; zoom: 1;"><div class="sd-content" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: right; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: -2px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 523.953125px;"><ul style="background-image: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><li class="share-twitter" style="background-image: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 21px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: baseline;"></li></ul></div></div></div></div>

Bruce Jenner’s Daughters ‘Very Confused’ By Their Dad’s Physical Transformation… As New Photos Emerge Showing Potential Hair Plugs Post-Adam’s Apple Shave (BLOG)

Being a teenager is riddled with uncertainty and strife, but teens  Kendall  and  Kylie Jenner ‘s angst has been magnified because of their ...

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