Analysis - Syngenta risks fresh China corn dispute with unapproved trait (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3tE4p9qBl8zS1-5N5q3q4TyeYFw8fnz-KvNtUm6GVoAZPD3f-y8Kk4xvF_w9LPVVoU5gnwGblN-pt5GDEQXBF9jiYNo_o0bcL3HSWUwvlsTu4-k4Md1oyO13OCm3sQPsr2imc5NOl94/s1600/2014-01-21T132642Z_1_CBREA0K11CL00_RTROPTP_2_SWITZERLAND.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3tE4p9qBl8zS1-5N5q3q4TyeYFw8fnz-KvNtUm6GVoAZPD3f-y8Kk4xvF_w9LPVVoU5gnwGblN-pt5GDEQXBF9jiYNo_o0bcL3HSWUwvlsTu4-k4Md1oyO13OCm3sQPsr2imc5NOl94/s1600/2014-01-21T132642Z_1_CBREA0K11CL00_RTROPTP_2_SWITZERLAND.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17478" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">By Tom Polansek</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.307695388793945px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17081" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">CHICAGO (Reuters) - Syngenta AG is pressing ahead with U.S. sales of a new corn trait that is not approved in China, fueling concerns of another jarring GMO trade quarrel with the world's fastest-growing food importer.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17490" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">While the U.S. grain industry lobbies the Chinese government to stop rejecting cargoes of corn containing another unauthorized genetically modified Syngenta strain, farmers in the Midwest are weighing whether to take a chance on the Swiss-based company's new product, engineered to combat pests called rootworms.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17500" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Syngenta, the world's largest crop chemicals company, said its Agrisure Duracade trait will be available for planting for the first time this year in "limited quantities" after U.S. authorities cleared it for sale and cultivation last year.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17509" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">For farmers it may be a risk worth taking: Infestations of rootworms have developed into a major challenge in top-producing states such as Iowa and Illinois, because farmers have increasingly been planting corn on the same fields year after year to take advantage of high prices. The traditional practice of rotating corn with soybeans had helped better control pests.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">But the planting of Duracade threatens new disruptions - and millions of dollars in losses - for global grain traders if the strain gets mixed into the mainstream supply chain and prompts another round of rejections from China, as some analysts fear.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The commercialization of Duracade could "further contaminate, slow down, gum up" shipments of U.S. corn to China, Rich Feltes, vice president of research for commodity brokerage R.J. O'Brien, said in a recent interview.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The issue has already split the farm sector, as a national growers' group urged the U.S. Agriculture Department to approve the strain while grain lobbyists warned in 2012 that the trait could hurt U.S. trade because it was not accepted by all major importers.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Some U.S. seed companies have declined to license the new Duracade trait from Syngenta to insert into seeds, out of concern that growers could be stuck if grain elevators and exporters refuse to buy corn that contains it.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The United States is expected to export 1.45 billion bushels of corn in the marketing year that ends August 31, accounting for 10 percent of the last harvest.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">VIPTERA STANDOFF</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In November, Chinese authorities began rejecting some U.S. corn cargoes that contained Syngenta's Agrisure Viptera variety, known as MIR 162, which has been awaiting Beijing's acceptance for more than two years.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Why some imports have been allowed while others have been stopped is not clear, and analysts and traders have offered various explanations, including possible trade tensions or a desire to support domestic corn prices.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Whatever the cause, a total of 600,000 ton of U.S. corn and corn products have been denied entry, weakening U.S. prices and providing the latest example of GMO use disrupting agricultural trade.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Syngenta is not considering any steps to pull back Duracade from the market because it believes growers need access to new technologies, spokesman Paul Minehart said. The number of acres planted with seed containing the trait will be determined by seed production volumes and shipping time lines, he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In line with industry standards, Minehart said, Syngenta commercializes corn traits once it has approval from countries with "functioning regulatory systems."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"The regulatory systems in China and the EU are not considered functioning according to industry policy, meaning their decision-making processes are not predictable, are not completed in a timely manner and can be subject to political influence," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">While the European Union approved Viptera for import in 2012, it has not yet approved Duracade for import.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Syngenta applied for Chinese import approval of Duracade after U.S. authorities cleared the trait in February 2013. In theory, China's agriculture ministry has 270 days to make a decision. However, industry sources say it can take as long as two years after a strain is approved by the United States.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Syngenta won import approval for the Duracade trait from Mexico and South Korea in September and from Japan in August. It also has import approval from Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"United States and China do not have synchronous approval process. If China does not change the current approval procedure, it remains an issue in future U.S. exports to China," said Li Qiang, senior analyst with Shanghai-based JC Intelligence Co Ltd, a private agriculture-consulting firm.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Until recent years, China's slower system for approving new GMO products was less of an issue, since it imported almost no U.S. corn. But shipments have surged in recent years, accounting for almost 14 percent of U.S. corn exports in 2011/12.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The increase has made it increasingly perilous for the trading industry to have China excluded from the list of countries whose approval is required to launch a new trait, some say. China mainly buys U.S. corn to feed livestock.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"China may not have a functioning approval system, but they represent the largest growth potential in U.S. corn exports," Feltes said. "Let's get real."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"TICKING TIME BOMB"</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">John Latham, president of Iowa-based Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, has licensed the Duracade trait from Syngenta for this spring. But without approval from China, he says, U.S. corn growers have been wary of booking those seeds and that some elevators may refuse to accept corn with the trait.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Peterson Farms Seed in North Dakota decided against licensing the Duracade trait from Syngenta because of concerns about China, agronomy manager Adam Spelhaug said. The firm sells corn with the Viptera trait, he said, while making sure that customers who buy those seeds can sell to markets that accept the trait.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Unless it has Chinese approval, we're probably not going to bring something else into our bag right now," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rootworms are a "ticking time bomb" in U.S. farmers' fields that are estimated to cost more than $1 billion annually in yield losses and treatment costs, Syngenta said in an online ad for the trait. Duracade "delivers unmatched corn rootworm control" that is distinct from another rootworm-fighting trait previously released by Syngenta, the company said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rival Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, introduced corn rootworm protected products in 2003. However, a group of academic corn experts in 2012 warned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of growing rootworm resistance to GMO corn.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">With Duracade coming to market, "the probability of overall of resistance goes down because there's another tool that can be used" to fight rootworm, said Rodney Weinzierl, director of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The National Corn Growers Association in 2012 told the USDA that it supported Duracade because of rootworm threats. A spokesman did not respond to requests for an updated comment.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">PREVIOUS WARNINGS</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Even if corn containing Duracade is planted on a small number of acres, it could accidentally be shipped to China, exporters said. Varieties are often mixed with each other because they are grown in fields near each other and harvested, transported and stored together.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In 2011, Bunge North America, a unit of agricultural trading house Bunge Ltd, refused to accept Viptera because it had not been approved by major export destinations. Archer Daniels Midland Co and Cargill Inc that year declined to accept at elevators grain that was not approved for commercial use in the EU, which included Viptera, without prior written notice.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Syngenta sued Bunge in 2011 for refusing to accept Viptera corn. Bunge largely prevailed in the case.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Representatives of Bunge, Cargill and ADM declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment on Duracade. Two top U.S. grain groups - the National Grain and Feed Association and North American Export Grain Association -- had discouraged the USDA from clearing Duracade.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The lack of import approvals for new traits creates "a risk of significant economic losses to U.S. grain and oilseed producers and markets," the groups said in a 2012 letter. Chinese quarantine officials can reject shipments that contain any amount of an unauthorized strain, they said. The groups declined to provide updated comments on the matter.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Corn importers in China typically stipulate in their contracts that the seller bears all costs related to possible GMO risks, industry sources say.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17536" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The USDA in 2012 responded to concerns about missing import approvals by saying that grain elevators could refuse to buy corn containing Duracade. Commercialization of the trait could even enhance trading "through more efficient production of corn supplies worldwide," the USDA said at the time.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_17526" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Additional reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City and Niu Shuping in Beijing; Editing by Jonathan Leff and Steve Orlofsky)</div></div>

Science Analysis - Syngenta risks fresh China corn dispute with unapproved trait (BLOG)

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - Syngenta AG is pressing ahead with U.S. sales of a new corn trait that is not approved in China, fueling...

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Edward Snowden is a RUSSIAN SPY

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There's just something about Disney World and Disney Land

The Wonderful World of Walt Disney The new MAGICAL RFID BRACELETS ...developing...

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Jamaica Bobsled Team Crowdfunds to Get to Olympics (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4daDCII-M2EvemOb7xBlHpYMB0daLC4sCgqooV6kcDucnGKp07zO7NOu1EKIL0PV7ZnFIBx724-NKr-kLsLs45ehu8hxy3-0ySBfQatLmxTZMjMsC1mfaojBZpouKbF7f3i-0XNtiio/s1600/The_IOC_Needs_to_Write-16a90f7edb9fc93cd5c365a774a45aaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4daDCII-M2EvemOb7xBlHpYMB0daLC4sCgqooV6kcDucnGKp07zO7NOu1EKIL0PV7ZnFIBx724-NKr-kLsLs45ehu8hxy3-0ySBfQatLmxTZMjMsC1mfaojBZpouKbF7f3i-0XNtiio/s1600/The_IOC_Needs_to_Write-16a90f7edb9fc93cd5c365a774a45aaf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_13233" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Last competing in the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, the Jamaican bobsled team has qualified to compete once again this year--if they can raise enough cash to cover the costs. But unlike a decade ago, the Jamaican team and other athletes are going to online sites like Reddit and Indiegogo to cover their costs.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_13243" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The crowdfunding website <a data-rapid_p="9" href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/help-the-jamaican-bobsled-team-get-to-sochi/description" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Crowdtilt</a> has raised more than $25,909 for the team while a fundraising site on <a data-rapid_p="10" href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-jamaica-bobsleigh-team-to-go-sochi-2014-winter-olympics" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Indiegogo</a> has raised about $16,000.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_13263" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">With the hashtag #CoolRunnings, the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation, which is sponsoring the Indiegogo campaign, and fans on Twitter aren't ashamed to capitalize on the 1993 Disney movie that was based on the team's 1988 Olympic debut in Canada. The Walt Disney Disney Company is the parent of ABC News.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_13273" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">After the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation announced the qualifiers to compete next month in Sochi, including U.S. track star <a data-rapid_p="12" href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/inside-lolo-jones-road-winter-olympics-sochi/story?id=21596945" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Lolo Jones</a>, the Jamaica Olympic Association congratulated the team of four and said, "once again, the pride of the country is with our athletes who continue to blaze the trail."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_13307" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The Jamaican bobsled team is not the only Olympians who are fundraising online. The website RallyMe, unlike Kickstarter, which excludes teams and athletic competitors, was created specifically for athletes in financially precarious situations.</div></div>

Jamaica Bobsled Team Crowdfunds to Get to Olympics (BLOG)

Last competing in the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, the Jamaican bobsled team has qualified to compete once again this year--if...

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Vehicle Miles Traveled

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6pqhsfIGVYB5bupTj-5RkK0D0gu9ButdXjm8yfIMTIJvnP-X8CuEqW6w-mfem3BoL-Y2aXC2ZHwu848k71nmvtyzbO-o9oUp3GvaptbmyTnaEZJ8lDmf17Fo4mKpLufphhEAR7R6CBM/s1600/Vehcile+Miles+Traveled+v.2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6pqhsfIGVYB5bupTj-5RkK0D0gu9ButdXjm8yfIMTIJvnP-X8CuEqW6w-mfem3BoL-Y2aXC2ZHwu848k71nmvtyzbO-o9oUp3GvaptbmyTnaEZJ8lDmf17Fo4mKpLufphhEAR7R6CBM/s320/Vehcile+Miles+Traveled+v.2.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />Once we get through this post-recession soft patch, things are really looking up!<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/M12MTVUSM227NFWA">St. Louis Fed: Moving 12-Month Total Vehicle Miles Traveled</a>

Vehicle Miles Traveled

Click to enlarge. Once we get through this post-recession soft patch, things are really looking up! Source Data: St. Louis Fed: Moving 12-Mo...

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Real Money: How to Save Money on Household Bills (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZijb0Yaw5JH_rT97WzkpDHXIpa04W_Up3jc0w0UYWKQKy_8zPqd4DbnwAWpkpjS78_f4cvr87eelhFIaT1ErIfNGPETGhbsiiI-aQkzPLaRtmoxeYnbIGgXRPnEjTtSbXnQxLvi5nv4/s1600/077d247bc4ee60f13eaa1a18b486351f.cf.png" 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/AVvXsEjrZijb0Yaw5JH_rT97WzkpDHXIpa04W_Up3jc0w0UYWKQKy_8zPqd4DbnwAWpkpjS78_f4cvr87eelhFIaT1ErIfNGPETGhbsiiI-aQkzPLaRtmoxeYnbIGgXRPnEjTtSbXnQxLvi5nv4/s1600/077d247bc4ee60f13eaa1a18b486351f.cf.png" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10427" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Have you ever wondered how much money you could save on your household bills if you just took the time to shop around?</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10478" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Well you can now check out the latest deals available for cell phones, cable, Internet and electricity online, thanks to a new website, BillCutterz.com, a service that analyzes your bills, then negotiates them down for you.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10487" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We know what to ask, how to ask, what the promotions or otherwise are, or the flavor of the month, because all these companies change regularly," says Barry Gross, president of BillCutterz.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10497" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The team regularly saves customers up to 30 percent on their bills without changing the provider or the plan -- and now the folks at BillCutterz are sharing some of their trade secrets with you:</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10507" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">--- If you have time, do a bit of homework. Look at what the competition is advertising.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10516" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">--- Next, call during non-peak times. Let them know you're looking to save some money on your bill.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10525" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">--- Be as friendly as possible, and use the rep’s name.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">--- If you feel like you're getting frustrated, try back another time.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_10627" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">And finally, if you just don't have the time, try a service like BillCutterz, that does the work for you.</div></div>

Real Money: How to Save Money on Household Bills (BLOG)

Have you ever wondered how much money you could save on your household bills if you just took the time to shop around? Well you can now chec...

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The Universal Look

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IWPTH7f5scN2yobz4YdZCeke5GyXtr7qn60w928rZxL7ZxGmVovxHkiNu6wy-2PXUuhyUaLh3fipLaz50gXYZ1XMmdV3TR8yJ8cIUiMyfdf9vYHm9otdkNxXD1SSCKvPiL1PU2y3_s4Y/s1600/epic+boobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IWPTH7f5scN2yobz4YdZCeke5GyXtr7qn60w928rZxL7ZxGmVovxHkiNu6wy-2PXUuhyUaLh3fipLaz50gXYZ1XMmdV3TR8yJ8cIUiMyfdf9vYHm9otdkNxXD1SSCKvPiL1PU2y3_s4Y/s640/epic+boobs.jpg" /></a></div><br />You've seen it before.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzybl1oOt3Y8Jq98yza5qp5tkMCb2JSYkl9R_Vz2ADL-gX7Ng8Ou_Z_4iYsq5rsI1oL38h1uXPKsRK9KAcr2bJsSBs2Fe_ppyWDEjrUC9s7XaNlHliMxyxRdKdfBtow75K0GsXMomhl5d/s1600/bug+eyed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzybl1oOt3Y8Jq98yza5qp5tkMCb2JSYkl9R_Vz2ADL-gX7Ng8Ou_Z_4iYsq5rsI1oL38h1uXPKsRK9KAcr2bJsSBs2Fe_ppyWDEjrUC9s7XaNlHliMxyxRdKdfBtow75K0GsXMomhl5d/s640/bug+eyed.jpg" /></a></div>

The Universal Look

You've seen it before.

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We All Need a Little More Hapiness

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FtCu-jKC71gy_hFGvjY4sHX16XcFOInGXysWg_qUQ2MYfcQB17-tpweo7hJHeA3gKjMPtdfdCKUgGde0cvLzkwti6dFT86hAXfDgZ5XZzBuqZ0RxKbIEF5tej-aqishWgnzO8EqhJ6wo/s1600/boobs....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FtCu-jKC71gy_hFGvjY4sHX16XcFOInGXysWg_qUQ2MYfcQB17-tpweo7hJHeA3gKjMPtdfdCKUgGde0cvLzkwti6dFT86hAXfDgZ5XZzBuqZ0RxKbIEF5tej-aqishWgnzO8EqhJ6wo/s640/boobs....jpg" /></a></div>

We All Need a Little More Hapiness

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Only The Ones

This sick fucking bastard is still on the force!<br /><br /><br />Read the rest, this is just the tip of the iceberg with this guy!<br /><br /><br />This is an embeddable article.<br /><br /><div class="rpuEmbedCode"><div class="rpuArticle rpuRepost-c974ea2abd938ff77758b939624f7b29-top" style="margin:0;padding:0;"><script src="https://1.rp-api.com/rjs/repost-article.js?3" type="text/javascript" data-cfasync="false"></script><a href="http://s.tt/1WxyF" class="rpuThumb" rel="norewrite"><img src="//img.1.rp-api.com/thumb/9914388" style="float:left;margin-right:10px;" /></a><a href="http://s.tt/1WxyF" class="rpuTitle" rel="norewrite"><strong>Prosecutors won’t charge Ohio trooper who masturbated with boy to teach him about sex</strong></a> (via <a href="http://s.tt/1WxyF" class="rpuHost" rel="norewrite">Raw Story </a>)<p class="rpuSnip">Prosecutors declined to charge an Ohio State Patrol trooper with a history of domestic violence who admitted to a sexual encounter with a boy. State trooper Ricky Vitte Jr. told his wife that he had watched a pornographic video and masturbated with…<br /></p></div></div><!-- put the "tease", "jump" or "more" break here --><hr id="system-readmore" style="display: none;" /><a name='more'></a><!--break--><hr class="at-page-break" style="display: none;"/><div class="rpuEmbedCode"><div class="rpuArticle rpuRepostMain rpuRepost-c974ea2abd938ff77758b939624f7b29-bottom" style="display:none;"> </div><div style="display: none;"><!-- How to customize this embed: http://www.repost.us/article-preview/hash/7b432557a1f7756f237db6cd13c8c4be --></div></div>.

Only The Ones

This sick fucking bastard is still on the force! Read the rest, this is just the tip of the iceberg with this guy! This is an embeddable art...

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Obama's pot comments could help legalization efforts in states (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibdeq1S4F15GYIIYqcMQL0xg8yzNhdg1BtTOjd8XYlYpTkKQjtt1EsbLl6yFv-j6TRcbaTv_GhPuMH_aqQ_v8uvIdsiRdtk4yOPczIZGq-50HW5V3WYYoZUp3Y77WYF3csrMWAORdFfc/s1600/1b797b0268b03102490f6a706700c7cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibdeq1S4F15GYIIYqcMQL0xg8yzNhdg1BtTOjd8XYlYpTkKQjtt1EsbLl6yFv-j6TRcbaTv_GhPuMH_aqQ_v8uvIdsiRdtk4yOPczIZGq-50HW5V3WYYoZUp3Y77WYF3csrMWAORdFfc/s1600/1b797b0268b03102490f6a706700c7cc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_2936" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">President Barack Obama's <a data-mce-href="http://news.yahoo.com/obama-marijuana-football-184222270.html" data-rapid_p="9" href="http://news.yahoo.com/obama-marijuana-football-184222270.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">comments on marijuana</a>, published in the New Yorker magazine over the weekend, could help legalization efforts in several states, including Oregon, <a data-mce-href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140120/UPDATE/301200002/%20" data-rapid_p="10" href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140120/UPDATE/301200002/%20" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the Statesman Journal reports</a>.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_2956" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The president's comments "will certainly have an impact on voters in the state of Oregon,” Rep. Vicki Berger told the Statesman.“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama told the magazine. "I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_2975" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">According to the newspaper, Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce a legislative referral next month that would ask voters whether they want recreational marijuana legalized. Similar efforts are under way in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The president's views "will influence people throughout the country,” Donald Moorse, a Portland, Ore., medical marijuana dispensary owner, told the paper. “I think that’s why he made the comments.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The president acknowledged marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer."</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="11" data-uuid="653f5edc-e79d-35fc-ba8b-1a3925eca667" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/obama-smiles-daughter-sasha-fill-burritos-volunteer-dc-photo-193233676.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Obama smiles as he and his daughter Sasha fill burritos&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Obama smiles as he and his daughter Sasha fill burritos&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="200" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/uWgjUHwU1SLxDS8D_fO5EQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIwMDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-01-20T193233Z_58128909_GM1EA1L09IM01_RTRMADP_3_USA-KING.JPG" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">U.S. President Barack Obama (C) smiles as he and his daughter Sasha (2nd R) fill burritos as they vo …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Asked about the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington, Obama said, “it’s important for it to go forward because it’s important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In Colorado, where a law legalizing recreational marijuana went into effect on Jan. 1, Obama's pro-pot comments were front-page news, even appearing above the Denver Broncos' win over the New England Patriots on Monday's cover of the Denver Post.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Last week, the New Hampshire House of Representatives became the first state legislature to vote in favor of a bill to legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana, which, if signed into law, could entice Vermont to do the same.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><a data-mce-href="http://watchdog.org/124288/new-england-pot-domino-effect/" data-rapid_p="12" href="http://watchdog.org/124288/new-england-pot-domino-effect/" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">According to VermontWatchdog.org</a>, a bill to legalize the sale and possession of pot will be on this session's agenda in Montpelier.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The support was welcomed by pot advocates.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390361308186_2991" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">“The first step to improving our nation’s marijuana policy is admitting that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol," Mason Tvert, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement. "Now that he has recognized that laws jailing adults for using marijuana are inappropriate, it is time to amend for those errors and adopt a more fact-based marijuana policy.</div></div>

Obama's pot comments could help legalization efforts in states (BLOG)

President Barack Obama's  comments on marijuana , published in the New Yorker magazine over the weekend, could help legalization efforts...

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Signs Your PMS Is Out Of Control

Dayum! <a href="http://m.news4jax.com/news/police-wife-shoots-husband-in-lake-city-park/-/16626108/24037036/-/2q8fd0/-/index.html">She is still on the loose too</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUliEk6JHidO3IAs92urcoN5noZmWw11qxtIAdufNgeW415ElZmH9RVZikr4l3ecsLrN0cxjhaFIrwHdn_iqkRuFM5QZsU_XTk-dCmoDdZRoaNw1l_mmS8QGeoGPkeaU7krzA-fyfTRnlh/s1600/Ruby-Sheppard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUliEk6JHidO3IAs92urcoN5noZmWw11qxtIAdufNgeW415ElZmH9RVZikr4l3ecsLrN0cxjhaFIrwHdn_iqkRuFM5QZsU_XTk-dCmoDdZRoaNw1l_mmS8QGeoGPkeaU7krzA-fyfTRnlh/s400/Ruby-Sheppard.jpg" /></a></div><br /><blockquote>Lake City police say 43-year-old Anthony Sheppard was at the park with family and friends as part of the Martin Luther King Day festivities. At about 6 p.m., his wife, Ruby Sheppard, drove into the west parking lot of the park off of N.E. Denver street in a 2004 Cadillac. Upon seeing her husband, witnesses reported she attempted to run him over with the vehicle, subsequently pinning him between two vehicles.<br /><br />Police say Ruby Sheppard got out of her vehicle and began an argument as he was getting out from between the two vehicles. After a brief argument, she ran back to her vehicle and retrieved a semi-automatic handgun from the glove compartment. The victim and witnesses reported to investigating officers that Ruby Sheppard began hit her husband with the handle of the gun.<br /><br />According to authorities, during the struggle, when their 21-year-old son, Anthony Sheppard Jr., attempted to separate them, his mother pointed the gun at him. Police say her husband pushed him out of the way as she pulled the trigger and the Anthony Sheppard Sr. was shot one time in the upper left thigh.<br /><br />He was taken to Shands at Lake Shore Hospital by his family with non-life-threatening injuries.<br /><br />Police say Ruby Sheppard drove away. As of midday Tuesday, she was still at large. Officers say she is wanted on charges attempted murder and aggravated assault and should be considered armed and dangerous.</blockquote>

Signs Your PMS Is Out Of Control

Dayum! She is still on the loose too . Lake City police say 43-year-old Anthony Sheppard was at the park with family and friends as part of...

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Russian police kill Islamist militant leader before Olympics (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFeh1CeR8R3ZKKa8D2dZdqzkQvzbMMEYPhdII42hFPmwpfRhuwea81NSSL2DY0ERsiotHgAvmg3sD95SNJ55uMjPR6OUxBHlKTM9qanliqjytEn1PTz3Wn5Qh8AIauBCz9zZAtH-_KYI/s1600/download+(6).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/AVvXsEhWFeh1CeR8R3ZKKa8D2dZdqzkQvzbMMEYPhdII42hFPmwpfRhuwea81NSSL2DY0ERsiotHgAvmg3sD95SNJ55uMjPR6OUxBHlKTM9qanliqjytEn1PTz3Wn5Qh8AIauBCz9zZAtH-_KYI/s1600/download+(6).jpg" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10624" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police have killed a senior Islamist militant in Russia's North Caucasus ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where security forces searched on Tuesday for a woman they fear is planning an attack during the games.</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.307695388793945px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10675" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Eldar Magatov, a suspect in attacks on Russian targets and alleged leader of an insurgent group in the Babyurt district of Dagestan, died in a shootout, the National Anti-Terror Committee said on Tuesday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10684" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">President Vladimir Putin has staked his political reputation on organizing a successful Olympics and tightened security nationwide after insurgents who hope to create an Islamist state in the North Caucasus threatened to attack the games, which start on February 7.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10693" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Putin had a phone call on Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama in which they discussed how best to have a "safe and secure" Winter Olympics, the White House said.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10702" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In Sochi, which plans to host hundreds of thousands of visitors during the games, security forces were searching for Ruzanna Ibragimovaya, 23, who may have arrived to the Olympic host city on January 11-12, a letter seen by Reuters said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"(She) may be used as a terrorist-suicide bomber by (insurgency) leaders to organize terrorist acts during preparations for and during the 2014 Winter Olympics," read the letter, asking police to look immediately into the matter.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="8" data-uuid="69b745a2-64a9-335a-8e36-215507ee89ea" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/rosa-khutor-alpine-resort-pictured-cable-car-cabin-photo-001456269.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort pictured from the cable car&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 186px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort pictured from the cable car&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="186" src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zjlWr5QoUjprdani_8qBKA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTE4NjtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-01-22T001456Z_1_CBREA0L00PD00_RTROPTP_2_RUSSIA.JPG" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">The Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort is pictured from the cable car cabin during heavy rain in Krasnaya Pol …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The letter from Russia's Federal Security Services to local police said she was the widow of a slain Islamist militant and is believed to have recently left her home in Dagestan, which lies nearly 600 km (370 miles) from Sochi on the opposite end of Russia's predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Photographs of Ibragimovaya show a woman in a hijab, wearing a long dress.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dagestan has become the focal point of the insurgency, which is rooted in two separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">A White House statement about the Putin-Obama call said the two leaders talked about how best to advance shared U.S.-Russian interests, "including a safe and secure Sochi Olympics, for which the United States has offered its full assistance.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The U.S. military is making two ships in the Black Sea available should American support be required during the Olympics. Washington is also offering American technology used to thwart roadside bombs in places like Afghanistan to boost security during the Olympics, a spokesman for U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In a video published on Monday, two men said by an Islamist militant group to have carried out twin suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd last month warned Putin to expect more attacks if the games go ahead in Sochi.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10706" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The attacks in Volgograd killed at least 34 people and raised security fears before the Olympics.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_10721" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Reporting by Thomas Grove; Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Timothy Heritage, Alister Doyle and Peter Cooney)</div></div>

Russian police kill Islamist militant leader before Olympics (BLOG)

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police have killed a senior Islamist militant in Russia's North Caucasus ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where...

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Today's archidose #728

Here are some photos of the <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/436273/brick-house-ventura-virzi-arquitectos/">Brick House</a> (2011) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by Ventura Virzi Arquitectos, photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/">Federico Kulekdjian</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017791153/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/12017791153_15927d0f33_z.jpg" width="550" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017781603/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/12017781603_f19a65055b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017497035/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/12017497035_f98e759a8e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017838034/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/12017838034_735d2b953a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017486015/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="800" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/12017486015_7cfbe53a71_c.jpg" width="528" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017476555/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/12017476555_0c50898c65_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017481045/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="800" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/12017481045_d7e0a0ebea_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12018300466/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/12018300466_9bfbe663c4_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fedeku/12017862554/" title="Casa de Ladrillos by Federico Kulekdjian, on Flickr"><img alt="Casa de Ladrillos" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/12017862554_11d7a98760_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #728

Here are some photos of the Brick House (2011) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by Ventura Virzi Arquitectos, photographed by Federico Kulekdjia...

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'Perplexed' India says U.S. probably still most important ally (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPANO8gDxG6G5hgixTCsE3XifINKZve-POQr6-HuzDQ2GOG6LbYqGweqUkkhuQufy29nH9mfqcosuzShaQRqwhjMqlrUkh1Xz1Ma3UgVpS5x6Rpv93AS9oj77SOPThh1lH5Ny678lUDrc/s1600/2014-01-21T234559Z_1_CBREA0K1U0X00_RTROPTP_2_INDIA-USA-DIPLOMAT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPANO8gDxG6G5hgixTCsE3XifINKZve-POQr6-HuzDQ2GOG6LbYqGweqUkkhuQufy29nH9mfqcosuzShaQRqwhjMqlrUkh1Xz1Ma3UgVpS5x6Rpv93AS9oj77SOPThh1lH5Ny678lUDrc/s1600/2014-01-21T234559Z_1_CBREA0K1U0X00_RTROPTP_2_INDIA-USA-DIPLOMAT.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_7505" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">By David Brunnstrom</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_6825" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I won't underplay this incident, I won't overplay this incident. I think we need to see it in perspective," S. Jaishankar said in an interview. "I think we are in the midst of working this one out."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The case of the Indian consul arrested and strip-searched in New York last month was handled "appallingly" and needs to be resolved, but the United States remains probably India's most important ally, the Indian ambassador to Washington said on Tuesday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_7530" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jaishankar said India was "perplexed" by the decisions of U.S. authorities to arrest and strip-search 39-year-old Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul in New York, after she was accused of visa fraud and underpaying her maid.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_7539" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"There was a fair measure of anger about both the substance of the problem and the way it was handled," he said. "It was not just done publicly; frankly it was done appallingly."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">But Jaishankar, who arrived in Washington in December after serving as Indian ambassador to China, played down the impact on the practical side of the relationship - emphasizing that the two sides were still talking despite the postponement of two high-level U.S. visits this month, including one by U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Frankly, it's probably the most important relationship," he said. "We are not holding up business, or Pentagon dealings, or congressional dealings ... or science programs and saying, 'They don't get done until things get sorted out.'"</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jaishankar said, however, there was a need to resolve both the Khobragade case and the broader issue of the lesser level of diplomatic immunity accorded to Indian and other foreign consular staff in the United States compared with what Washington expects for its consular staff serving overseas.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">'LARGER ISSUE'</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Asked if India supported a demand from Khobragade's lawyer for the charges against her to be dropped, he said, "That is an issue in respect of this diplomat, but I think there is a larger issue of immunities and privileges."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I think we need to sit down and work this one out."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Khobragade left the United States this month after a complex deal in which her diplomatic status was switched to the United Nations, affording her a greater degree of immunity from prosecution. But U.S. authorities have so far refused to drop the charges against her.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Until the issue was resolved, Jaishankar said, the level of immunity enjoyed by U.S. consular officials in India would be reduced to exactly the level granted in the United States.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Since our consular officials have no immunity against felonies, U.S. consular officials do not have immunity against serious crimes in India," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">India sharply curbed privileges offered to U.S. diplomats in retaliation for Khobragade's treatment and asked Washington to withdraw a diplomat from New Delhi.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">It also ordered the U.S. Embassy to close a club for expatriate Americans in New Delhi, and a government source said it was also preparing steps against the American Embassy School, which it suspected may be employing some staff in violation of visa rules.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jaishankar noted that many Asian nations valued the U.S. presence in their region and that India was keeping a "watchful" eye on the debate over the U.S. budget, which has seen U.S. military leaders warning about the possible impact on Washington's ability to respond to global crises.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I think as uncertainties mount, as volatility grows, I think people do value a strong American presence," Jaishankar said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">He noted efforts last year by then-U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to deepen bilateral defense ties, including proposed co-development of the next version of the Javelin anti-tank missile now built by Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Corp.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_7568" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jaishankar called co-development of defense technologies with India "uncharted territory" and added it was a matter he had discussed in his initial interactions with the Pentagon since taking up his post. Still, he said such proposals would take time to develop.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_7558" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart; Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Peter Cooney)</div></div>

'Perplexed' India says U.S. probably still most important ally (BLOG)

By David Brunnstrom "I won't underplay this incident, I won't overplay this incident. I think we need to see it in perspective,...

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U.S. man pleads guilty to sending ricin to Obama, two others (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuS1ZAG1sjTmAjXtCuS58P9RwYc3le9HZNXiX4tmXpHntxX-6aL2t1Bdq6rT8XsLkKor99uGLHD4i7jbfOal9dCWbG_9PJYPzWgr0hVH5ADdk7oIFN7YNMWJC0HSvN9a2ziZbSYssVrCY/s1600/2014-01-18T021953Z_5_CBREA0G100M00_RTROPTP_2_USA-SECURITY-RICIN-ARREST.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuS1ZAG1sjTmAjXtCuS58P9RwYc3le9HZNXiX4tmXpHntxX-6aL2t1Bdq6rT8XsLkKor99uGLHD4i7jbfOal9dCWbG_9PJYPzWgr0hVH5ADdk7oIFN7YNMWJC0HSvN9a2ziZbSYssVrCY/s1600/2014-01-18T021953Z_5_CBREA0G100M00_RTROPTP_2_USA-SECURITY-RICIN-ARREST.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3440" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">By Emily le Coz</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.307695388793945px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3443" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi man accused of sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and two other public officials, and then pinning them on an Elvis impersonator, pleaded guilty in U.S. court and agreed to a 25-year jail sentence, the Justice Department announced on Friday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3527" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">James Everett Dutschke, 41, has been jailed since his arrest last April, when authorities accused him of sending ricin-tainted letters to Obama, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a local Lee County judge, Sadie Holland.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Ricin is a highly toxic protein found in castor oil plants that can kill an adult human in tiny doses.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutschke, a former martial arts instructor and one-time political candidate, originally had denied the charges but on Friday changed his plea in U.S. District Court in Oxford, Mississippi, according to a Justice Department press release.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It's closure, and any time you can get that it's a good thing," said Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson, whose department had assisted the FBI and other agencies in identifying and arresting Dutschke last April.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The guilty plea "has eased our community and eased our victims and the other people he could have come in contact with," said Johnson, who described Dutschke as a manipulator who thinks he can "outsmart any person of authority or any system."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutschke's attorney, Ken Coghlan, said the plea agreement involved resolution of outstanding state charges of child molestation.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"He (Dutschke) was facing a lot of uncertainty and at least now he knows where he stands," said Coghlan, noting that his client faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Under the agreement, Coghlan said Dutschke would plead guilty to the molestation charges next week and would serve his sentences concurrently in federal prison.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutschke pleaded guilty to four charges of developing and possessing the biological agent ricin and subsequently mailing ricin-laced, threatening letters, including one that threatened bodily harm to the president of the United States.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Only Holland received one of the letters. The U.S. Postal Service intercepted those that were sent to Obama and Wicker.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The plea agreement was announced by John Carlin, acting assistant attorney general for national security; Felicia Adams, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi; and Daniel McMullen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Jackson field office.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3538" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutschke will be sentenced in about 60 days, the Justice Department said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutschke previously had pleaded not guilty to five counts of a grand jury indictment and denied sending the letters. He also pleaded not guilty on December 3 to a new charge that he tried to continue the scheme from jail.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3548" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">An initial indictment in June said Dutschke tried to frame Paul Kevin Curtis, an Elvis impersonator, by lifting phrases from Curtis's Facebook account to make it look as though he was responsible for the letters.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360917566_3564" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Additional reporting by David Adams and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Sophie Hares, Leslie Adler and Ken Wills)</div></div>

U.S. man pleads guilty to sending ricin to Obama, two others (BLOG)

By Emily le Coz JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi man accused of sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and two oth...

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AP source: Players wanted A-Rod out of union (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TkTaYDFw7BEWLibhSRSsQjC3n7sqbt6eFmcFvoCf0Fxcovtanx2v3LLVI3qAgxVIpWugf_8rBXjWccwQRj1owTSd9EsOAYkwFJlbX1Dq1xe1OqJram9UJgBeCKZQmNKt0s6l9afGbV8/s1600/201401211620588074338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TkTaYDFw7BEWLibhSRSsQjC3n7sqbt6eFmcFvoCf0Fxcovtanx2v3LLVI3qAgxVIpWugf_8rBXjWccwQRj1owTSd9EsOAYkwFJlbX1Dq1xe1OqJram9UJgBeCKZQmNKt0s6l9afGbV8/s1600/201401211620588074338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1179" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">NEW YORK (AP) -- Several angry major league players wanted<a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" data-rapid_p="8" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5275" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1178" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;">Alex Rodriguez</a> kicked out of their union after he sued it last week, but staff lawyers told them expulsion was not allowed.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1219" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrator's decision suspending him for the 2014 season and postseason.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1228" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Details were first reported Tuesday by Yahoo Sports and later confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the call. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1237" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The union and Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz declined comment.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1247" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">All players in the major leagues are members of the union and pay $65 daily in dues, or $11,895 if a player is in the big leagues for a full season. Baseball's labor contract specifies the union is ''the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all major league players.''</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The union will incur costs of defending the lawsuit by the New York Yankees third baseman, who claimed in the suit it ''breached its duty of fair representation to Mr. Rodriguez.'' The union retained Michael Rubin and Barbara J. Chisholm of the San Francisco firm Altshuler Berzon to defend it, according to a court filing Tuesday.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Aug. 5, and the union filed a grievance contending the discipline was without ''just cause.'' The penalty was reduced to 162 games plus the 2014 postseason by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who concluded Rodriguez violated baseball's drug agreement each year from 2010-12 and twice obstructed MLB's investigation in violation of the sport's labor contract.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodriguez agreed to a $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees after the 2007 season. Horowitz's decision cost Rodriguez $22.13 million of his $25 million salary this year; the three-time AL MVP is owed $61 million by the Yankees from 2015-17.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360782969_1288" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">NOTES: MLB and the union have agreed to follow their previous methodology for luxury tax payrolls in dealing with Rodriguez's suspension. He will count as $3,155,738 this year for the Yankees, which is 21-183rds of the $27.5 million average annual value he would have been listed at. Horowitz ruled Rodriguez loses 162 days' pay over the 183-day season.</div></div>

AP source: Players wanted A-Rod out of union (BLOG)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Several angry major league players wanted Alex Rodriguez  kicked out of their union after he sued it last week, but staff l...

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New App Records Your Friends’ Reactions to Your Photo Messages (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n90zp7-ks1Sf3FjoZUi31KXYNhNnxuMrvyj136XtGuKDgmmmFs5j0_GL-wxAyEz4XLj_Pa0tIBcRgYP3wG27xp8HVja8Q-BZ5AC7DGY7YyaejsNAVSbBu0gwdxGKIIuZoodf398HRt0/s1600/757e05827b53a4ce8ec2dc94e83e444dd4a6a01d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n90zp7-ks1Sf3FjoZUi31KXYNhNnxuMrvyj136XtGuKDgmmmFs5j0_GL-wxAyEz4XLj_Pa0tIBcRgYP3wG27xp8HVja8Q-BZ5AC7DGY7YyaejsNAVSbBu0gwdxGKIIuZoodf398HRt0/s1600/757e05827b53a4ce8ec2dc94e83e444dd4a6a01d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">One of the great things about the Internet is experiencing things together in real time. You want to see what people are saying about Miley Cyrus’ tongue, Olivia Pope’s white Armani suits and Richard Sherman’s post-game interviews as they appear on your TV screen. Twitter is a great, sprawling public forum for that, but not so much for personal interactions between friends.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">This is where <a data-rapid_p="48" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:62893677-1cd0-3392-a1c4-120693f44d01;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dumbstruck/id713590482?mt=8" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Dumbstruck</a> could come in handy. It’s a messaging app that records your friends’ immediate reactions to private photo messages. As soon as your friend opens your message, their smartphone’s camera records a short video of them and their subsequent reaction and then sends the reaction to you.  </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">The recorded reactions are automatically deleted after a day, but you can also choose to save them to your camera or to share them via Facebook or Twitter.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">Interested? Here’s how Dumbstruck works:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">1. <a data-rapid_p="49" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:62893677-1cd0-3392-a1c4-120693f44d01;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dumbstruck/id713590482?mt=8" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Download the Dumbstruck app on iOS</a> and open it up.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">2. Tap on the camera button on the bottom right of the screen.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l3.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/96f008779bb26acdddebf4dfd4d736884c5b858d" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">3. The camera app will open up. Snap a photo of whatever you’d like to send. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">4. Below the photo, you’ll have the option to add text or draw on the photo (as show below). </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l1.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/90cf3b01948b0c657cf16a9ca5b67dd908fe569d" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">5. Spice up that photo. Or don’t and be boring. That’s on you.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l1.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/fa62a29422468bf78121ca1609bcda208492f535" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">6. Choose the lucky recipient for your masterpiece. And click <strong>Send</strong> in the upper-right corner of the screen.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l3.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/9664b8a3a9fa57cbb5b44057bfc4bffdf5ec2976" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">7. Wait patiently for the person to see and react to your message. When your recipient opens your image and records her reaction, the sent item will be marked as “Reacted” in your inbox.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l3.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/a55ec8053fc93043de94f1ef06fac6ba84cb9f36" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">8. Tap on the message. You’ll be brought to the screen where you can play your friend’s reaction. Maybe it’s one of joy, confusion — or disgust over your incessant obsession with new apps. You’ll only know when you press the <strong>Play</strong> button at the center of the screen.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/ce9aac516ea7a37c847b81691dc30fef7650decb" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">9. Watch the reaction. Oh, she’s smiling! Phew. That was fun. Sort of.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;"><img alt="image" height="750" src="http://l1.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w423/c9cc1e83869f9d4a437b7181c2ac012232ee7c59" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="423" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">That’s about it! Now go weird the world out. It’s free, after all.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.55em; margin-top: 0.55em;">You can <a data-rapid_p="50" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:62893677-1cd0-3392-a1c4-120693f44d01;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dumbstruck/id713590482?mt=8" style="color: #324fe1; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">download Dumbstruck right here</a>. </div></div>

New App Records Your Friends’ Reactions to Your Photo Messages (BLOG)

One of the great things about the Internet is experiencing things together in real time. You want to see what people are saying about Miley ...

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stitches and satchels

Sorry for the radio silence everybody. Yesterday, as I tried to make a lovely snow day breakfast, I had a run in with a pesky knife and ended up with stitches in my hand.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkspvNeKEFqr4XTJ-jy_rV6s0XfJgcCv1P52oVIuVbQRCe_FEOvgEKsiN1ZFJHV10ROKkuSfIbteFvd_E51qUpItO-H1uWcbmZV_eTxX3f_e-Ie4YNb4jaPtevRYbCUJv46r6_0xUCCei/s1600/stitches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkspvNeKEFqr4XTJ-jy_rV6s0XfJgcCv1P52oVIuVbQRCe_FEOvgEKsiN1ZFJHV10ROKkuSfIbteFvd_E51qUpItO-H1uWcbmZV_eTxX3f_e-Ie4YNb4jaPtevRYbCUJv46r6_0xUCCei/s1600/stitches.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />The buggers are right where my thumb muscle moves to make my hand...useful. And let me tell you in case you have forgotten this from Jr. High science, our opposable thumbs are one of the greatest gifts evolution gave us. Life without it is slow and frustrating. So typing is not my friend these days. Bare with me and know I'll be back in fighting shape soon.<br /><br />But I can't drop a lame bomb like that and leave you empty handed (pun intended). So head over to <a href="http://resembl.com/article?_id=52deb3fc6b37305d2fc082f4" target="_blank">Resembl</a> where I'm sharing my favorite black and white handbags for the new year. Empty handed, hand bags, I just can't help myself.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3VJaEo25EjxcwwZvRSkjlddDc-2k9srusA34_rsWWX3_NSkNlxymoEjGzeH5PD0g5e_MblQ7TuiBvlh_DYfEwjg5AErwxfwILD1Q54cGA0aq5VsX-kikX3b3FRpkB0J3YiR0hMKEessX/s1600/art12-home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3VJaEo25EjxcwwZvRSkjlddDc-2k9srusA34_rsWWX3_NSkNlxymoEjGzeH5PD0g5e_MblQ7TuiBvlh_DYfEwjg5AErwxfwILD1Q54cGA0aq5VsX-kikX3b3FRpkB0J3YiR0hMKEessX/s1600/art12-home.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I really love a good handbag and I've got some great choices to drool over. Check it out<a href="http://resembl.com/article?_id=52deb3fc6b37305d2fc082f4" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br /><br />Do you have an obsession with bags like I do? Ever had stitches? Ever heard a doctor say "We've got a bleeder!"? Sadly, I have. (Extra points if you can name the movie that line is also from.)

stitches and satchels

Sorry for the radio silence everybody. Yesterday, as I tried to make a lovely snow day breakfast, I had a run in with a pesky knife and ende...

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GOLD could fall to $471 an ounce

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>GOLD FAIR VALUE = $800 and even lower</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CYAJp20EUMtAfxTrYu9jGJZUJT_vpn43-xn5d4eUcmIWvE_SIe-Id2AWc9j86r1xKpxc2oVVJmFU5Or0F6Jn7NZhnFUpFznvOswnrdiP7zWxW_fcSjA0mTmDPVqiDb_x6GoYnjkwT8g/s1600/GoldBARSpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CYAJp20EUMtAfxTrYu9jGJZUJT_vpn43-xn5d4eUcmIWvE_SIe-Id2AWc9j86r1xKpxc2oVVJmFU5Or0F6Jn7NZhnFUpFznvOswnrdiP7zWxW_fcSjA0mTmDPVqiDb_x6GoYnjkwT8g/s1600/GoldBARSpic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What happened to the ASSET PROTECTION INSURANCE?</b></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The GOLD BEAR MARKET CONTINUES</b></span> </div><br />Expect more ECONOMIC RECOVERY and RISING INTEREST RATES along with a STRENGTHENING U.S. DOLLAR as THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE and SHTF SCENARIO has been postponed...<br /><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-incredible-gold-interest-rate-correlation-2014-01-22?dist=lcountdown" style="color: red;">http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-incredible-gold-interest-rate-correlation-2014-01-22?dist=lcountdown</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wYtA8v9UA9g?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VpMUUVOOndU?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />...developing...</div>

GOLD could fall to $471 an ounce

GOLD FAIR VALUE = $800 and even lower What happened to the ASSET PROTECTION INSURANCE? The GOLD BEAR MARKET CONTINUES Expect more ECONOMIC ...

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Husband: 5 murder-suicide deaths 'unimaginable' (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDmUu8A3ao10uN_GvFOXGIMKqfrmSJnYZ1kDtFfK3VuTg2utQnzwFMCw34lAsHNWpd-DjpDuMVd38Lvhgm7ys897EEEZE2wLZoBK1Pm7F6GNx5zigkPkefE1jCqstIcN3FbRzwTgpcZc/s1600/5fb0561d69113302490f6a70670018d9.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/AVvXsEjDDmUu8A3ao10uN_GvFOXGIMKqfrmSJnYZ1kDtFfK3VuTg2utQnzwFMCw34lAsHNWpd-DjpDuMVd38Lvhgm7ys897EEEZE2wLZoBK1Pm7F6GNx5zigkPkefE1jCqstIcN3FbRzwTgpcZc/s1600/5fb0561d69113302490f6a70670018d9.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12040" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — The father of a woman who died along with her two children and mother in a Spanish Fork murder-suicide called the killings "unimaginable" and said he's angry "like you wouldn't believe" at his son-in-law.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12055" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The five bodies were discovered at the family home late Thursday.Authorities said Lindon police officer Joshua Boren, 34, shot the four people last week before committing suicide. Boren was the husband of one victim and the father of the two children.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12066" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jeff King said he's been passing sleepless nights by planning a funeral for his 32-year-old daughter, Kelly Boren, his 7-year-old grandson, Jaden, his 5-year-old granddaughter, Haley, and his 55-year-old ex-wife, Marie King.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12076" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"You look for understanding, and there is none," King told KSL (http://bit.ly/1eQ0dLQ ) on Monday. "You can't describe how you're feeling. . They were my whole world."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12086" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">King said Joshua Boren had moved out of the house and into an apartment in September, but the couple's separation seemed amicable, and they had gone on date nights and vacationed in Disneyland together. He said Boren was an old-fashioned, polite man who showed no signs that he would carry out a shooting.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I feel so betrayed, angry, hurt, and then talking to Josh's family, his sisters and his brother and, I mean, they're every bit as much or worse," King said. "It's so much hurt and pain you can't understand."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The two were great parents, King said, and Kelly Boren was anxious to work out the issues in the marriage so Joshua Boren would always be part of the children's lives.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"That's where you can't comprehend it as a dad. There's nothing you wouldn't do to protect your kids, and I always thought he felt that way too," King said.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12106" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">___</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1390360114945_12096" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Information from: KSL-TV, http://www.ksl.com/</div></div>

Husband: 5 murder-suicide deaths 'unimaginable' (BLOG)

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — The father of a woman who died along with her two children and mother in a Spanish Fork murder-suicide called the ...

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