China alleges U.S. hacking of Defense Ministry websites

BEIJING (Reuters) - Two major Chinese military websites, including that of the Defense Ministry, were subject to about 144,000 hacking attacks a month last year, almost two-thirds of which came from the United States, the ministry said on Thursday.

This month a U.S. computer security company said that a secretive Chinese military unit was likely behind a series of hacking attacks mostly targeting the United States, setting off a war of words between Washington and Beijing.

China denied the allegations and said it was the victim.

It has now provided some details for the first time of the alleged attacks from the United States.

"The Defense Ministry and China Military Online websites have faced a serious threat from hacking attacks since they were established, and the number of hacks has risen steadily in recent years," said ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng.

"According to the IP addresses, the Defense Ministry and China Military Online websites were, in 2012, hacked on average from overseas 144,000 times a month, of which attacks from the U.S. accounted for 62.9 percent," he said.

The comments were made at a monthly news conference, which foreign reporters are not allowed to attend, and posted on the ministry's website.

Geng said he had noted reports that the United States planned to expand its cyber-warfare capability but that they were unhelpful to increasing international cooperation towards fighting hacking.

"We hope that the U.S. side can explain and clarify this."

The U.S. security company, Mandiant, identified the People's Liberation Army's Shanghai-based Unit 61398 as the most likely driving force behind the hacking. Mandiant said it believed the unit had carried out "sustained" attacks on a wide range of industries.

The hacking dispute adds to diplomatic tension between China and the United States, already strained by Chinese suspicion about Washington's "pivot" back to Asia and arguments over issues from trade to human rights.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-says-u-routinely-hacks-defense-ministry-websites-084447505.html

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One of ten national laboratories monitored and funded primarily by ...

27 February 2013 by admin

Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities to the university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven for for DOE?s Office of Science to Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited liability company by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization founded.. One of ten national laboratories monitored and funded primarily by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy , Brookhaven National Laboratory performs research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences , as well as in energy technologies and national security.

The New York Times reported about a man?s struggle with the health care system: ?In the debate on health care reform, there are countless stories of families with hospital bills and unemployed, insurance insurance saddled But the story of Eric De La. Cruz, Las Vegas stands out as a striking example of both the best and the worst that the American health care system has to offer ? extraordinary medical skills, which is all too often out of reach for all but the luckiest and best insured ?.Of inflammation, marker of inflammation is also important on statin is Special How to Falling LDL .

In this study, lead investigator Dr. Paul Ridker and fellow follow-up 15,548 first healthy men and women out the JUPITER trial ? 87 percent the initial subjects in this study. You assessed the effects of rosuvastatin 20 mg versus placebo on rate out of non-fatal heart attack, nonfatal apoplexy, hospitalization for unstable angina, arterial revascularization , or cardiovascular death. Levels of LDL have been measured (?

The conference will, organized by the Department on health , brought the crowd from public health and local governmental field health inequities the heart of health White Paper contact advice. At the conference, stated John Reid:.

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Source: http://www.supportspringvalley.org/fitness/one-of-ten-national-laboratories-monitored-and-funded-primarily-by-the-office-of-science-of-the-u/

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Americans have "the right to be stupid": John Kerry (Reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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NBA Regular Season: Utah Jazz (31-24) at Los Angeles Clippers (39-18) -- Game 56

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Source: http://www.slcdunk.com/jazz-game-streams/2013/2/23/4022764/nba-regular-season-utah-jazz-31-24-at-los-angeles-clippers-39-18-game

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Grief besets family of Pistorius' slain girlfriend

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Far from the courtroom drama that has gripped South Africa, the family of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend has struggled with its own private deluge of grief, frustration and bewilderment.

The victim's relatives also harbor misgivings about efforts by the Olympian's family to reach out to them with condolences.

Pistorius, meanwhile, spent Saturday at his uncle's home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria, the South African capital, after a judge released him on bail following days of testimony that transfixed South Africa and much of the world. He was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day, but the athlete says he killed her accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.

"We are extremely thankful that Oscar is now home," his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said in a statement that also acknowledged the law must run its course. "What happened has changed our lives irrevocably."

The Pistorius family took steps to lower its profile on social media after someone hacked into the Twitter account of his older brother, Carl, family spokesman Janine Hills said.

"Carl did not tweet this afternoon, out of respect to Oscar and Reeva," Hills said in a statement. "We are busy cancelling all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister."

Mike Steenkamp, Reeva's uncle, told The Associated Press that the family of the double-amputee athlete initially did not send condolences or try to contact the bereaved parents, but had since sought to reach out in what he described as a poorly timed way. After Pistorius was released on bail in what amounted to a victory for the defense, Arnold Pistorius said the athlete's family was relieved but also in mourning "with the family" of Reeva Steenkamp.

"Everybody wants to jump up with joy," Mike Steenkamp said, speculating on the mood of Pistorius' family after the judge's decision. "I think it was just done in the wrong context, completely."

A South African newspaper, the Afrikaans-language Beeld, quoted the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, law school graduate and participant in a television reality show, as saying the family had received a bouquet of flowers and a card from the Pistorius family.

"Yes, but what does it mean? Nothing," June Steenkamp said, according to the Saturday edition of Beeld. She also said Pistorius' family, including sister Aimee, a somber presence on the bench behind the Olympian during his court hearings in the past week, must be "devastated" and had done nothing wrong.

"They are not to blame," June Steenkamp said. According to Beeld, she said she had hoped to plan a wedding for her daughter one day.

In an affidavit, 26-year-old Oscar Pistorius said he was "absolutely mortified" by the death of "my beloved Reeva," and he frequently sobbed in court during the several days during which his bail application was considered. However, prosecutor Gerrie Nel, suggested in a scathing criticism that Pistorius was actually distraught because his vaunted career was now in peril and he was in grave trouble with the law.

"It doesn't matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he will have to live with his conscience if he allows his legal team to lie for him," Barry Steenkamp, Reeva's father, told Beeld.

"But if he is telling the truth, then perhaps I can forgive him one day," the father said. "If it didn't happen the way he said it did, he must suffer, and he will suffer ... only he knows."

Barry Steenkamp suffered "heavy trauma" at the loss of his daughter and his remarks to the newspaper partly reflect how he is working through it, said his brother, Mike Steenkamp.

Steenkamp was cremated in a funeral ceremony on Feb. 19 in her family's hometown of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southern coast. Mike Steenkamp delivered a statement about the family's grief to television cameras, at one point breaking down in tears.

The three-story house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt and uncle lies on a hill with a view of Pretoria. It has a large swimming pool and an immaculate garden.

Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and had his legs amputated at 11 months. He has run on carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is a multiple Paralympic medalist, but he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meter race and on South Africa's 4x400 relay team.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/grief-besets-family-pistorius-slain-girlfriend-143751649--oly.html

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South Africa puts top detective on Pistorius case

PRETORIA | Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:13pm GMT

PRETORIA (Reuters) - A judge is likely to decide on Friday whether to grant bail to Oscar Pistorius, with prosecutors arguing he is a cold-blooded killer and his own lawyers that he is far too famous to have any chance of fleeing prosecution.

The bail hearing, which began last Friday, was set to resume at 0800 GMT.

Defence lawyers for Pistorius say the athlete shot dead his girlfriend only by terrible mistake, and deserves bail to prepare for a case that has garnered global attention and has been marred by a bungled police investigation.

The star "blade runner", whose lower legs were amputated in infancy, has become an even more globally recognised figure since he killed model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day at his home.

Prosecutors have told the court it was a premeditated murder, with Pistorius firing four shots through a locked toilet door at a cowering Steenkamp on the other side. She was hit in the head, arm and hip.

Witnesses said they heard a gunshots and screams from the home in a gated community surrounded by 3-metre- (yard-) high stone walls and topped with an electric fence.

Pistorius contends he was acting in self-defence, mistaking Steenkamp for an intruder and feeling vulnerable because he was unable to attach his prosthetic limbs in time to confront the threat, he said in an affidavit read in court.

The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.

Pistorius described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the mistaken belief that the intruder was lurking inside.

Bail hearings in South Africa allow for prosecutors and defence lawyers to lay out their basic arguments, based on preliminary evidence.

The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 m in the London Olympics.

The impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

Police investigating Pistorius pulled their lead detective off the athlete's case on Thursday after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/uk-safrica-pistorius-idUKBRE91K06L20130221?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews

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Wal-Mart U.S. shoppers feel gas pains, tax-return delay

CHICAGO/BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Thursday that U.S. sales weakness persisted into early February, as Americans absorbed the impact of higher payroll taxes and gasoline prices, along with slow tax refunds that put some spending on hold.

The weakness came even as the world's largest retailer reported a bigger-than-expected profit increase, which was helped by a lower-than-anticipated tax rate. Wal-Mart also raised its dividend payout.

Wal-Mart's shares rose 3 percent, or $2.09, to $71.30 in morning trading as the company said that U.S. sales patterns became more normal as tax refunds began to pick up late last week.

Walmart U.S., Wal-Mart's largest unit by far, had a slow start to February, which Walmart U.S. Chief Executive Bill Simon attributed largely to the tax refund delay. The company expects sales at Walmart U.S. stores open at least a year, or same-store sales, to be about flat during the current first quarter. A year earlier, such sales rose 2.6 percent.

"I think Wal-Mart is quite well positioned actually," Stewart Samuel, a senior analyst with food and grocery researcher IGD, said. "If there is any sort of trading down, Wal-Mart will benefit from that."

Efforts such as extending its layaway program and matching competitors' prices initially attracted shoppers during the competitive holiday season, but Walmart U.S. same-store sales rose just 1 percent in the fourth quarter. The company had forecast an increase of 1 percent to 3 percent, and analysts, on average, had anticipated a 1.5 percent gain.

A year earlier, Walmart U.S. same-store sales rose 1.5 percent.

"We are confident that our low prices will continue to resonate, as families adjust to a reduced paycheck and increased gas prices," Simon said in a statement.

CONSUMERS TAXED

The results from Wal-Mart are the latest sign of pressure on U.S. consumers due to the January 1 expiration of a 2 percent cut in payroll taxes, a delay in income tax refund payments and a 30 cent increase in gasoline prices this year through last week.

Consumer sentiment for lower-income individuals fell for a third straight month in January to its lowest level since November 2011, according to University of Michigan data.

"Wal-Mart is a proxy for the broader U.S. consumer. We have been hearing that February is off to a slow start and this adds to that view," Joseph Feldman, a senior retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said.

Wal-Mart has cashed some $1.7 billion in tax return checks at its U.S. stores so far this year, Simon said. At this point last year, that amount was about $3 billion.

That not only delays spending, but may also affect what people buy. For example, Simon said that when consumers cash a tax check in the week before the Super Bowl, they tend to buy a television. The retailer does not know how the later refund checks will be spent.

But the company has also been focusing hard on its strategy of offering low prices and the economic pressure could help it in the long run, some analysts said.

Wal-Mart said its biggest unit gained market share in major categories of food, consumables, health and wellness and over-the-counter medications, as well as in entertainment and toys, which are big sellers during the holiday period. It cited data from Nielsen and the NPD Group.

The company is also changing some package sizes and other offerings in its stores to accommodate shoppers hurt by the payroll tax increase, although Simon said the company has not seen customers trading down yet.

"The delay in income tax refunds has really affected their business and they have been seeing lower volumes driven by the increase in payroll tax," said Kim Forrest, a senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. "And those are things we can't escape from because more money is going to the government and less money came from the government."

FORECASTS PROFIT GROWTH

Wal-Mart earned $5.61 billion, or $1.67 per share, from continuing operations in the fiscal fourth quarter, up from $5.19 billion, or $1.51 per share a year earlier.

Wal-Mart had forecast a profit of $1.53 to $1.58 per share from continuing operations, and analysts expected it to earn $1.57 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose 3.9 percent to $127.92 billion.

The company forecast first-quarter earnings per share of $1.11 to $1.16, up from $1.09 a year earlier.

It also forecast fiscal-year earnings per share of $5.20 to $5.40, including about 9 cents in increased costs for its e-commerce operations. It earned $5.02 per share in fiscal 2013.

Wal-Mart spent $157 million last year on its own probe of alleged bribery allegations in Mexico, Brazil, China and India, and on improvements to its compliance programs. A New York Times article in April 2012 unveiled alleged bribery at the major Mexican unit.

The company said its forecast includes about $40 million to $45 million in first-quarter costs related to foreign corrupt practices act and compliance matters.

Wal-Mart said its fiscal year 2014 dividend would be $1.88 per share, up from $1.59 per share in fiscal 2013.

Wal-Mart saw traffic weaken in a majority of international markets in the fourth quarter. Consumers in China were shifting to weekly stock-up trips from daily shopping, while convenience shoppers in Brazil, Canada and Mexico shopped less and bought fewer items. Sales growth also slowed at its British Asda unit.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Boca Raton, Florida; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak in New York; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wal-mart-profit-key-holiday-quarter-120758348--sector.html

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Majority of Americans believe illegal immigrants should be deported

Jonathan Alcorn / Reuters

People line up for assistance with paperwork for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, August 15, 2012.

By Rachelle Younglai, Reuters

WASHINGTON ? More than half of U.S. citizens believe that most or all of the country's 11 million illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday that highlights the difficulties facing lawmakers trying to reform the U.S. immigration system.

The online survey shows resistance to easing immigration laws despite the biggest push for reform in Congress since 2007.

Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported.

Only 5 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally, and 31 percent want most illegal immigrants to stay.

These results are in line with other polls in recent years, suggesting that people's views on immigration have not changed dramatically since the immigration debate reignited in Congress last month, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

"It's not Americans' views that are shifting. It is that the political climate is ripe for this discussion," after the November election when Hispanics voted overwhelmingly in favor of Democratic President Barack Obama, she said.

"Democrats feel that the time is right to capitalize on their wins and Republicans feel that they had a bad blow and are eager to reach out to Hispanics," she added.

Polls show that most Americans back immigration reform, although they often have different ideas of what that means, with some people favoring looser immigration laws while others want to see greater border security.

A group of eight U.S. senators are working on a bipartisan deal to enact immigration reform, the first major attempt since a similar overhaul died in Congress six years ago.

The senators' proposal calls for a full path to citizenship for illegal immigrants once they pay back taxes and a fine and wait in line behind others applying to become Americans.

A plan by Obama has similar provisions, but the senators want any move to relax immigration laws dependant on boosting security on the southern border.

Attitudes toward immigration are polarized by party, according to another the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Seventy-five percent of Republicans think all or most immigrants should be deported, compared to 40 percent of Democrats who think the same.

Republican Senator John McCain, one of the eight senators in the group, had his own encounter with citizens angered by illegal immigration on Tuesday when residents of his state of Arizona complained bitterly at a town hall meeting about the lack of security on the border with Mexico.

One man asked why troops had not been deployed to the border.

"Why didn't the army go down there and stop them? Because the only thing that stops them I'm afraid to say, and it's too damn bad, is a gun," the man said.

Another resident, Keith Smith, got into a testy exchange with McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate whose views on immigration have fluctuated over the years.

"Cut off their welfare and all their stuff and they'll go back," Smith said, referring to undocumented workers.

McCain had been trying to explain his position: "You're not telling these people the truth. They mow our lawns, they care for our babies, they clean ... that's what those people do," he said.

The Arizona lawmaker, whose position on immigration hardened during the 2010 midterm elections before softening again, is a key part of the Republican side of the senators' bipartisan immigration effort.

Wednesday's Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted Friday through Tuesday and surveyed 1,443 Americans over the age of 18.

The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online poll is measured using a credibility interval. In this survey, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17035190-majority-of-americans-believe-illegal-immigrants-should-be-deported?lite

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How to Integrate Google Apps with Windows 8

Windows 8 is designed to push Microsoft?s web services: Bing, Internet Explorer, Outlook.com, and more. However, Windows 8 isn?t limited to just Microsoft?s services. Google services like Gmail, Google Search, Chrome, and more can all be integrated with Windows 8.

Google hasn?t made many Modern apps for Windows 8 and has no intention of doing so, but important Google services like Gmail work in the included apps. Unfortunately, contact and calendar sync will stop working in July.

Google Search

Google has made one modern app: the Google Search app. Install it from the Windows Store and you?ll get a tile that brings up a Windows 8-style Google search screen. This app is designed to compete with Microsoft?s Bing search app.

If you use Internet Explorer, you can also change IE?s default search engine to Google. This option is only accessible from the desktop version of Internet Explorer, although changing it also affects the Modern version of Internet Explorer.

Chrome

Google offers a version of Google Chrome for Windows 8. If you install Chrome and set it as your default browser, you will be able to use a Modern version of Google Chrome in the new Windows 8 environment. This gives you access to your Google account?s synced bookmarks, apps, extensions, and other browser data.

You can toggle between the two styles of Google Chrome browser ? desktop mode and Windows 8 mode ? using the Relaunch Chrome option in Chrome?s menu.

Note that Google Chrome is not available on Windows RT. Microsoft bans third-party browsers on Windows RT, just as they ban third-party desktop apps. On a Windows RT machine like the Microsoft Surface RT, you will have to use Internet Explorer for all your web browsing.

Gmail, Contacts, & Calendar

The Mail app included with Windows 8 supports Gmail accounts. You will be able to read your emails, send emails, and see new mail notifications for your Gmail account on the Mail app?s live tile.

To add your Google account, open the Mail app, press Windows Key + I to open the Settings charm, and select Accounts.

Select the Google account option and enter your Google account?s email address and password.

Unfortunately, this is a time of upheaval. While you can currently add Google accounts and sync your contacts and calendars with the People and Calendar apps on Windows 8, Google is removing the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support for free accounts. (Microsoft charges Google a licensing fee to offer this service.)

Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) support will be deactivated on July 31, 2013. After this date, you will have to access Gmail via IMAP in the Mail app. Contacts and calendars in the People and Calendar apps will not be available unless Microsoft adds support for the CalDAV and CardDAV standards to these apps.

Pin It

Google?s web apps can be sort-of integrated with Windows 8?s start screen with the pinning feature. You can pin shortcuts to websites such as Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) or Google Maps to the start screen, allowing you to access them with a single click.

To pin a website to your Start screen in Chrome, you first have to open Chrome?s menu, point to Tools, and select Create Application Shortcuts. Create a shortcut on your desktop. You can then right-click the desktop shortcut and select Pin to Start.

Pinning websites to your Start screen in Modern Internet Explorer is even easier.

If you don?t like the website tile icons, you could use OblyTile to create nicer-looking tile icons for any website or application.

---

Of course, all the standard Google applications ? Google Drive, Google Earth, Picasa, and others ? work normally on the Windows 8 desktop. (But not on Windows RT, which only allows desktop applications written by Microsoft.)

You will also find some unofficial apps for Google services in the Windows Store, including unofficial apps for Google Maps and Google Reader. If you are looking for a modern app that supports Google Talk and other chat networks, search for the IM+ app in the Windows Store.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/137852/how-to-integrate-google-apps-with-windows-8/

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The new University of Hawaii Cancer Center is now open for business in Kakaako....

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Pravda: Obama Declares War on The Catholic Church

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Source: http://reader.creativeminorityreport.com/2013/02/pravda-obama-declares-war-on-catholic.html

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Pictures Not Worth A Thousand Words? Why Not Boldomatic

In the deep and rich world of self-generated Internet content, there are few things as stark - and as starkly polarizing - as text on a colored background. Is it meme-cheating? Is it boring? Is writing "i hate mondays" in Helvetica over a field of taupe better than posting a picture of a cat hanging off of a tree limb with the same aphorism under her? Now we can find out definitively with Boldomatic.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/S6Z0fl5J_xU/

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General Dynamics to Port Advanced Communications Waveforms ...

Cost-effective DMR upgrade extends Navy network interoperability among legacy systems and MUOS next-generation satellite communications system

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ ? General Dynamics C4 Systems received a $40 million contract modification in December 2012 from the U.S. Navy to port the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) waveform and the Integrated Waveform into the AN/USC-61(C) Digital Modular Radio (DMR). General Dynamics has been delivering DMRs to the Navy since 1998. General Dynamics C4 Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

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The MUOS waveform allows the four-channel DMR to communicate using the MUOS satellite communications network, the military?s next-generation narrowband satellite communications system. MUOS provides high-speed voice and data connectivity across a worldwide network that extends into the most remote locations. General Dynamics developed the MUOS waveform as part of the MUOS program and has integrated it into the Handheld Manpack Small Form Fit (HMS) AN/PRC-155 Manpack radio. The company is also building the four MUOS ground sites that support worldwide communication from the ground to the MUOS satellites and from one end-user to another.

The Integrated Waveform increases the communications capacity and efficiency of legacy satellite communications networks.

?With more than 500 Digital Modular Radios in the Navy?s current communications fleet, the decision to upgrade the radios with these two waveforms is extremely cost-effective and leverages the Navy?s investment,? said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems.

In addition to the new MUOS and Integrated Waveform capability, the four-channel DMR enables maritime and shore-based communications using High Frequency, Very High Frequency and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) line of sight communications and UHF satellite communications.

The option modifies a contract initially awarded in September 2010. The contract authority is the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, for the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I).

Work will be done in Scottsdale, Ariz., and supports more than 100 jobs.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2013 at 10:52 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://ftnews.firetrench.com/2013/02/general-dynamics-to-port-advanced-communications-waveforms-onto-u-s-navy-digital-modular-radios/

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Israeli investigation: Prisoner X hung himself

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel has partially lifted a gag order over the investigation into the death of an Australian-Israeli man in an Israeli prison two years ago. The probe rules that the man known as "Prisoner X" hung himself.

The story has dominated headlines in Israel for the past week. According to Australian media, the man, identified as Ben Zygier, worked for Israel's Mossad spy agency and was mysteriously imprisoned by Israel in 2010 for unspecified security offenses.

Israel kept the case under wraps for more than two years, acknowledging it last week only 24 hours after Australian ABC broke the story.

According to the new information released Tuesday, Israel concluded the prisoner killed himself on Dec. 15, 2010, by hanging himself with a bed sheet from the bathroom window in his cell.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-19-Israel-Australia/id-a99dd585170642c5a1ed3371abce7e05

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US, Iran find common ground: Olympic wrestling

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. National freestyle wrestling coach Zeke Jones, right, and his team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members prepare to leave Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport in Iran after their arrival on early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. National freestyle wrestling coach Zeke Jones, left, arrives with his team at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. freestyle wrestling team members arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, early Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2013, to attend World Cup tournament. USA Wrestling has formalized plans for a committee charged with restoring Olympic wrestling. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? The caretakers of the Olympics may have inadvertently accomplished what has eluded diplomats: Galvanizing Iran and the U.S. on a common goal.

Wrestling officials from the arch foes appeared to be in bonding mode Tuesday on the sidelines of a Tehran tournament less than a week after the stunning decision by the International Olympic Committee that will force the ancient sport ? as old as the Olympics themselves ? to lobby for a spot at the 2020 Games.

Already, the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics has brought the U.S. and Cuban federations into a possible alliance. But close cooperation between Iran and America would be an even more remarkable display of common cause with almost everything else driving them apart ? led by an impasse over Tehran's nuclear program and Western sanctions that have upended the Iranian economy.

It's unlikely that any kind of wrestling detente would spill over into the wider issues, but it's certain to at least draw attention to the power of sports as a low-risk icebreaker going back to the historic 1971 "pingpong diplomacy" between China and the U.S.

"We'll be standing arm-in-arm with Iran, and we'll be standing with Russia as we will with lots of other countries," said Mitch Hull, national teams director for USA Wrestling, in an interview in Tehran with AP Television News before the World Cup Tournament.

"Those (countries) really do make a difference because politically we're not always on the same page, or politically with Russia, but in wrestling, there's no doubt that we are all together in this effort and we consider Iran one of our strongest allies in the sport of wrestling," Hull said.

Hull described them as "sport rivals, but they are friends in sport, too."

"We have great confidence that we can work with the Iranian wrestling federation, Iranian wrestlers and the Iranian people to show the world that, no matter what's happening politically, we have the same goal and the same belief and passion about the sport of wrestling," he said.

U.S. wrestling coach Zeke Jones called the sport an important "ambassador" that has "brought closer the people of Iran and the U.S." ? both often on the medals podium at the Olympics.

"I am sure the world will become united in support of wrestling, and this will lead to a change of the view of the IOC. It will keep wrestling in the Olympics," Jones was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Mehr news agency after arriving in Iran with his team.

Hojatollah Khatib, the head of Iran's wrestling federation, said the tournament would offer "the best opportunity to confront the decision" to drop the sport from the Olympics.

"We should resist the decision, determinedly," Khatib was quoted by the Mehr agency as saying. "We should show our unity in the current event."

On Monday, U.S. wrestling officials agreed to create a special committee charged with seeking to save Olympic wrestling, which will remain in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. But it must compete against seven other events ? including squash, roller sports and wakeboarding ? for one open slot in the 2020 Games, which have yet to be awarded to a host city.

Iran also has said it is looking to join wrestling's "big powers" to reverse the IOC decision. Last week, Iran's wrestling federation and its Olympic committee said they would send a protest letter to the IOC.

The independent Etemad newspaper ran a report that described the "axis" of wrestling ? Iran, the United States and Russia ? as joining forces to keep the sport in the Olympics.

For Iran, it's a mission of serious importance. Wrestling is considered by many to be something of a national sport ? not as popular as soccer or with the deep Persian roots of polo, but one that gives Iran a chance to shine in international competitions. Wrestling also is Iran's major medal sport at the Olympics.

Iran won three gold medals, its first in the Greco-Roman division, out of six overall in wrestling at the London Games, and the U.S. took two gold medals out of four overall.

"Do we destroy our historical sites which are symbols of humanity? No. Then, why should we destroy wrestling?" Iranian gold medalist Ali Reza Dabir said shortly after the IOC decision on Feb. 13.

In the current 14-team World Cup tournament in Tehran, the U.S. is joined by other freestyle wrestling powers including Russia and many of the former Soviet republics. Last week, Alexander Mamiashvili, the head of the Russian wrestling federation, said President Vladimir Putin had ordered a committee be formed to contest the IOC decision.

Despite the shared dismay over wrestling's Olympic snub, Iran's state media had only limited reports on the arrival of the American wrestlers ? perhaps linked to the official anger over the sanctions that have hit Iran's critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international financial networks.

The cool reception is in distinct contrast to the almost celebrity welcome given in 1998 to the first U.S. wrestlers who competed in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that collapsed ties between the two countries. Washington cut relations after the U.S. Embassy was stormed, leading to 52 Americans being held hostage for 444 days.

U.S. sports team now make occasional appearances in Iran, but the two countries often compete together in international events.

There also have been some false starts.

In 2009, Iran invited the U.S. women's badminton team to compete in a tournament, then denied visas by saying there was not enough time to process the applications. In late 2011, Iran bowed out of an invitational table tennis exhibition tournament in Qatar that included the U.S., North Korea and Pakistan.

The U.S. has sent more than 30 athletes to Iran under a sports exchange program launched in 2007, and more than 75 Iranian athletes and coaches have visited the United States.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-19-OLY-Wrestling-Iran-US/id-d3e19afa82e54461b2123d310353a93a

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South China fuel oil imports to fall in Feb

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Source: http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/i119610/South_China_fuel_oil_imports_to_fall_in_Feb

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Swapnil Joshi has joined China Information Technology: Networking, Forum and Jobs ????????????

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Source: http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2752289/rss_jgrp/?hs=false&tok=32kg0kvu4Rc5E1

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TNK-BP is First in Russia to Get FTS Investment Tax Credit for Energy Efficient Projects

?N?-?? reports that it has become the first Russian company to sign an agreement with the Federal Tax Service (FTS) on an investment tax credit for implementing energy efficiency improvement projects in West Siberian brownfields.

TNK-BP is one of the major power consumers in Russia (ca. 1.5% in the country's energy budget). The Company is carrying out a number of activities aimed to optimize and reduce power costs, including the implementation of the energy management system, upgrade of assets, and search for new technology solutions.

The agreement between FTS and TNK-Nyagan (TNK-BP Group of Companies) envisages the provision of tax benefits to the Company in the amount of 50% of the profit tax with a 5-year payment deferral. The investment tax credit applies only to the federal part of tax burden, while payments to the regional budget will be made in full.

Following the implementation of this "pilot" project the Company will consider the expediency of rolling out this initiative, with account of the results of partial substitution of the Group's existing credit portfolio for the investment tax credit nominated in rubles.

"The investment tax credit agreement between TNK-Nyagan and FTS is an important step towards increasing the efficiency of the tax system: the Company gets an extra incentive to develop its business and the state gets a clear, positive and stable economic effect. Being granted the investment tax credit will allow allocating additional funds to implement capital intensive projects in producing regions," says Sergey Ivanov, TNK-BP's Vice President, Tax Division.

Source: http://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/news/tnk-bp-first-russia-get-fts-investment-tax-credit-energy-efficient-projects

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Best Buy Says It Has Killed 'Showrooming' For Good - Business Insider

Best Buy?is confident that its latest policy change will kill "showrooming" in its stores for good.

Starting on March 3, the retailer will price match all local retail competitors, along with 19 "major online competitors" in all product categories, whenever a customer asks for it, the company announced.

?There is no doubt that this new policy ends showrooming for Best Buy customers,??company spokesman Matt Furman told Bloomberg.

Back during the holiday rush, Best Buy announced a temporary price-matching initiative. This is its permanent version.

Showrooming, the practice of looking at items in a physical store then going online to make the actual purchase, has been a big worry for consumer electronics stores. Customers showroom electronics items more than any other category, according to data from comScore.

Chris Morran at the?Consumerist obtained an internal document from Best Buy?that announces the change and has more details. Here's what it says:

Starting March 3, 2013 Best Buy will price match the current pre-tax price for new, identical, immediately available products from local retail competitors and select designated major online retailers at the time of purchase only. (No subsequent price matching of competitors is allowed)

If Best Buy lowers a price on a product (online or in-store) we will allow price-matching up to 15 days following the original purchase. This applies to all customers including Reward Zone Premier Silver members. Please note: After a transition period for Reward Zone Premier Silver members through April 18, 2013, the 15 day period of the Price Match policy goes into effect (post-purchase ? Best Buy only).

There have also been one major change to Best Buy's return policy.

The "Return and Exchange" period is being cut in half to 15 days from its previous length of 30 days.?All returns will still require a receipt and I.D., plus?Reward Zone Premier Silver members will retain their 60-day return eligibility.?

Here is the full list of big online competitors that are included in the price-matching guarantee:

• Amazon.com
• Apple.com
• Bhphotovideo.com
• Buy.com
• Crutchfield.com
• Dell.com
• Frys.com
• hhgregg.com
• HP.com
• HomeDepot.com
• Lowes.com
• Newegg.com
• OfficeDepot.com
• OfficeMax.com
• Sears.com
• Staples.com
• Target.com
• TigerDirect.com
• Walmart.com

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-buy-new-price-matching-policy-2013-2

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flying-blades: JAPAN

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PFT: Alec Ogletree charged with DUI

Getty Images

The Lions plan to be players in free agency ? but that doesn?t mean they?ll be payers.? (See what I did there?? Yeah, I know it was lame.? Does admitting it make it any better?? Probably not.)

Team president Tom Lewand recently told the team?s official website (i.e., a press release that reads like an article) that the Lions will be careful when it comes to spending money.

?Free agency is an area where you have to understand the opportunities that are there and understand the risks that are there,? Lewand said.? ?When we, in 2010, added guys like Nate Burleson and Kyle Vanden Bosch, those were tremendous value for us.?

The Lions specifically targeted both players because offensive coordinator Scott Linehan had a history with Burleson, and coach Jim Schwartz had a history with Vanden Bosch.? Unlike many first-day signings (and due in part to their age), the players didn?t demand market value.

Tim Twentyman of the team?s official website sums up the philosophy that plenty of teams follow, and that the Lions presumably intend to respect:? ?Scoring in free agency isn?t always as easy as identifying the best player available at a position of need and going after him. Most of the time, teams end up overpaying for those services.?

As applied to the Lions, this means they won?t succumb to the temptation to spend on a guy who will generate excitement and create hope (false or otherwise) among the fan base.? Twentyman observes that ?[s]ometimes a player simply isn?t the same after a big contract is in hand,? and he points to defensive end Mario Williams as a guy who has not made ?a significant difference for the Bills.?

Coincidentally (or not), Avril recently said he?d ?love? to get a contract like the one Williams signed last year.? The article/press release/whatever on the team?s official website makes it clear that the Lions won?t get caught up in the rush to overpay Avril or anyone else.

The reality is that the Lions don?t have the cap space to overpay.? And with top-of-the-market value already given to receiver Calvin Johnson and in due time to quarterback Matthew Stafford based on the leverage created by the latter years of their pre-wage scale top-two contracts, the Lions can?t afford to give a large piece of cap pie to folks who never have played for the team.

And for those like Avril who already do.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/16/alec-ogletree-charged-with-dui/related/

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Twitter debate: Is Southern Nevada still losing higher education money to the North?

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Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.

Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/16/north-south-battle-over-higher-education/

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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Hottie: Steamy in Sin City

Posted Friday February 15, 2013 11:35 AM GMT

Kicking off the weekend a bit early, the lovely ladies of the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue showed up at 1Oak Nightclub at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas last night (February 14).

And it was an extra special Valentine?s Day in Sin City as Jessica Gomes, Anne V and Katherine Webb all showed off their stellar good looks.

Meanwhile, Kate Upton proudly displayed her second cover in a row and smiled for the shutterbugs with a flirty updo and white toga-style dress.

In a recent interview, Miss Upton denied her relationship with Detroit Tigers stud Justin Verlander and claimed she?s flying solo these days. She declared, "Actually, I'm single right now.?

Enjoy the pictures from the 'Club SI Swimsuit' event in Las Vegas (February 14).

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-2013/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-hottie-steamy-sin-city-808233

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Would you support Marco Rubio for president in 2016? http://www.lifenews.com/201...

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USD/CHF: Swiss Franc trading higher in the Asian ... - GCI Forex News

GCI Forex News - USD/CHF: Swiss Franc trading higher in the Asian session

?

USDCHF Movement

For the 24 hours to 23:00 GMT, the USD rose 0.51% against the CHF and closed at 0.9223.

In the Asian session, at GMT0400, the pair is trading at 0.9219, with the USD trading marginally lower from yesterday?s close.

The pair is expected to find support at 0.9176, and a fall through could take it to the next support level of 0.9132. The pair is expected to find its first resistance at 0.9255, and a rise through could take it to the next resistance level of 0.9290.

The currency pair is trading between its 20 Hr and 50 Hr moving averages.

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Source: http://forexnews.gcitrading.com/currencies/usdchf/usdchf-swiss-franc-trading-higher-in-the-asian-session-7.htm

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100% 56 Up

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (0)

We feel good, refreshed and depressed in watching these people get older, also embarrassed in moments and cautioned about the passage of time.

Apted, himself now in his early 70s, says he hopes to continue the series further. Long may it live.

Watching "56 Up" gives you the wonderful feeling of seeing a sociological experiment blossom into something novelistically rich and humane.

Time has been neither kind nor cruel to the 13 men and women profiled in "56 UP." It has just been time, which is what this groundbreaking series is about.

We are all older now, and this series proves it in a most deeply moving way.

Inevitably, one looks in the mirror afterward and thinks, What have I lost? What have I gained? And at what cost?

A completely unique and remarkable documentary project.

Apted skillfully weaves old footage with the new, and we become poignantly aware of another factor shaping their lives (and our own): biology, as the we watch the once-cute kids grow gray and heavy.

Perhaps the boldest and probably longest running sociological experiment on film.

I think the best thing about this movie (and the entire series) is that it forces the viewer to think about their own lives. It's kind of an awakening experience.

Once again, Apted assembles a captivating documentary that's profoundly educational, essential viewing to aid the understanding of the human experience.

"56 Up" is well worth seeing.

56 Up is still moving and philosophic, though not as exciting as earlier episodes, which had more drama.

The running time is over two hours, but the lives here are richly revealed and vastly rewarding.

Apted possesses the unsettling ability to shape perceptions of their lives and personalities from inside an editing suite, a fact that the members of his flock begin to recognize at varying points throughout their adult years.

...can be seen and appreciated by both those who have followed series and those to whom it is all new.

It's like the startling time lapse photography of "Chasing Ice" had been applied to the human race.

See you again in 7 years, friends.

In the eighth installment of Michael Apted's epochal documentary series, his aging participants (one of cinema's greatest assemblage of living characters) provide not just a telescope into the past but also a kind of primer for how to live.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/56_up/

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Erik Bakich remakes Michigan baseball with mental training, community presence

Ann Arbor ? When Michigan baseball coach Erik Bakich walks into his office, the first things he sees are a framed ink drawing of his college coach and mentor, Keith LeClair, and a Sports Illustrated cover of Pat Tillman.

Bakich, hired last summer to replace Rich Maloney and revive a struggling program, prominently positioned those two items as part of what he calls perspective building, something he has extended to his players.

As soon as the 35-year-old Bakich arrived here, he instituted leadership training and mental game training. As part of the former, he had his players create "perspective posters" consisting of images and pictures, people and events.

"We have a compared-to-what mentality," Bakich said this week as his team prepares for Friday's season opener at California. Michigan's home opener is March 12. "You think you're having a bad day or you need a reminder how privileged and fortunate you are to be at Michigan or to be a college baseball player ? or even bigger themes like to live in a free country and have good health.

"For me, Pat Tillman and Keith LeClair, the coach I played for (at East Carolina), are two of mine. They're two reminders for me that a guy like Pat Tillman gives up his NFL career to serve our country and protected our freedom ? to me that's the ultimate."

This poster project, while tough and sometimes an emotional experience for players, along with visits to Mott Children's Hospital and the VA Hospital, is part of the foundation he's trying to build.

"The reason we do perspective posters and visit the hospitals is so these guys have a true appreciation for how fortunate they are," Bakich said. "But also with baseball, you build up these bottom-of-the-ninth, game-winning situations like they're life and death. When we actually go visit people who really have struggled with life and death, you understand we're playing a kid's game. We can actually perform better knowing it's not really a life-or-death situation. It's about execution and we'll make the opponent make it life or death."

'We're just young'

Bakich, the youngest coach of a BCS-level program, left his head coaching job at Maryland and at Michigan inherited a team that had NCAA tournament success from 2005 through 2008. But the Wolverines have dropped off in recent seasons, going 17-37 in 2011 and 22-34 in 2012.

The 2013 Wolverines boast a young roster with a couple returning stars ? senior captain and center fielder Patrick Biondi, All-Big Ten second team last season, and junior right fielder Michael O'Neill, who hit .329. Both are on the Big Ten "Players to Watch" list, but Michigan was not among the top six teams included in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll.

"Overall, we're just young," Bakich said. "Our success is going to be determined a lot by the ability of our pitching and defense to perform at a high level. There is some talent, and there are some elite-level players who will provide a huge spark for this team. There are some bright spots, but overall it's just young."

Still, Bakich said team goals are high.

"I would be satisfied with a Big Ten championship," he said. "This season, our goal is to win the Big Ten conference tournament, and in order to win the Big Ten conference tournament, we have to get to the Big Ten conference tournament, which has been a little bit elusive the past couple seasons."

The Wolverines finished 10th in the Big Ten in 2011 and 2012 and failed to qualify each year.

"We have enough talent, we have enough critical pieces on our roster to do that, as long as we're playing well at the end," Bakich said. The big thing for us is to get these guys not thinking about what's going to be happening in May, and get these guys focused on the very next pitch. We have a phrase that we use called 'win this pitch.' We want to try to keep the guys present and very focused about their best effort on every single pitch."

Positive thinking

Bakich has enlisted the help of Brian Cain, a mental conditioning coach who has worked with several college baseball programs. Cain's purpose is to give players tools to understand the mental aspects of baseball.

"They've learned how to implement routines and use breathing and visualization and self-talk to not only help them maintain their confidence, but be able to focus on one pitch at a time," Bakich said. "Brian has been great for routine implementation and getting these guys to stick to the process."

And part of that process is, very simply, having the players work on their breathing, whether he's a pitcher, hitter, or playing defense.

The players also have been taught to recognize "signal lights," when game situations are getting tight and players begin to talk to themselves negatively. Every player, Bakich said, has a release, whether it's kicking dirt, taking his helmet off or adjusting his batting glove. Next, the player finds his personal focal point, whether it's the left-field foul pole or a spot on the bat, for example, and he then returns to positive thinking.

Is this new-age baseball?

"This is an approach some teams focus on and some teams don't," Bakich said. "You play on such big stages with so many external factors ? fans, scouts, media ? and it keeps them in the present.

"I told them in meeting one, the mental game training will be the most important thing we do all fall, and it has been ? that and the leadership training. More than any drill, any swing, any pitch, any physical baseball play we've done ? those have been the two most important components."

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130214/SPORTS0201/302140456/1131/rss17

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[Gatestone Institute] Did Brooklyn College's Political Science Department Violate the First Amendment?

[Gatestone Institute] Did Brooklyn College's Political Science Department Violate the First Amendment?

Did Brooklyn College's Political Science Department Violate the First Amendment?

... But once the political science department became involved as a co-sponsor, the students alone could not call the shots, when it comes to the First Amendment. The university assumed responsibility for assuring that the free speech of all students was equally protected. ...

Source: http://ironburka.blogspot.com/2013/02/gatestone-institute-did-brooklyn.html

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