Sony's 4K Ultra HD Video Player revealed, COO Phil Molyneux tells us what 'only Sony can do'

Kaz Hirai has promised a "One Sony" that aligns its various capabilities in entertainment and electronics to work better together, and it seems we'll have one of the first examples in its launch of the 84-inch XBR-84X900 LED TV. We spoke to Sony Electronics COO Phil Molyneux about the 4K Ultra HD Video Player that's coming with each purchase of its (MSRP: $24,999.99) beast and why, as he says, it's something "only Sony can do." First, we finally have the confirmed details of this first ever 4K player for the home: it's a hard-disc server, available exclusively on no-additional cost lease to purchasers that's preloaded with 10 full-length feature films (including The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall (2012), Taxi Driver, Bridge Over the River Kwai -- see the press release for a full list), a number of short concert / action sports clips from Red Bull, and an Xperia Tablet S packing a special remote control app that's similar to its Movies Unlimited service.

This is the first time home viewers will be able to experience 4K video of this caliber at home, and from the cameras, to its Colorworks digital facility opened in 2009, to the special white glove service charged with periodically updating the hard-disc's content for well-heeled buyers, Sony plans on pushing more soon. Check after the break for more details on how that will happen.

Gallery: Sony 84-inch 4K Bravia KD-84X9005 hands-on

Continue reading Sony's 4K Ultra HD Video Player revealed, COO Phil Molyneux tells us what 'only Sony can do'

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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WATCH: Britney Spears Shines in "Scream & Shout" Video

Britney Spears has just premiered her most exciting video in years -- and it's not even her video! On Wednesday night's X Factor, Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am premiered the video for his new single "Scream and Shout," featuring a guest appearance by Britney. Spoiler alert: like a true diva, she totally steals the show!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/watch-britney-spears-shines-williams-scream-shout-video/1-a-505387?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Awatch-britney-spears-shines-williams-scream-shout-video-505387

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Distro Issue 68: PC game designers and the quest for compatibility

Well friends, the week's end brings with it an issue of our tablet mag that's hot off the digital presses. PC gaming nabs the cover story this time out as we take a look at the task of insuring compatibility across a set of devices that adds customized models constantly. If full-length gadget reviews are what you're after, we put the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist, Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G LTE and Nintendo Wii U through their paces. Will.i.am's latest venture hits Hands-On, Oakley's high-tech eyewear occupies Eyes-On and Weekly Stat tracks holidays on Instagram. Visit your preferred reading repository to grab a copy before settling in for some weekend R&R.

Distro Issue 68 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes, Google Play

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/30/distro-issue-68-pc-gaming-compatibility/

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JMIR--Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Self-Help Intervention to ...

Original Paper

Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Self-Help Intervention to Reduce Cocaine Consumption in Problematic Cocaine Users: Randomized Controlled Trial

Michael Schaub¹, PhD, PD Dr.; Robin Sullivan¹, MAsC; Severin Haug¹, PhD; Lars Stark², MA

¹Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction, associated to Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland
²Mainstation Center, ARUD, Zurich, Switzerland

Corresponding Author:
Michael Schaub, PhD, PD Dr.

Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction
associated to Zurich University
Konradstreet 32
Zurich,
Switzerland
Phone: 41 44 448 11 65
Fax: 41 44 448 11 70
Email:

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ABSTRACT

Background: Web-based self-help programs that reduce problematic substance use are able to reach hidden consumer groups in the general population. These programs are characterized by their low treatment threshold and nonrestrictive intervention settings. They are also cost effective, making them of interest to both low-income and high-income industrialized countries with ever-increasing health costs.
Objective: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of an anonymous, fully automated, Web-based self-help intervention as an alternative to outpatient treatment services for cocaine users.
Methods: A total of 196 cocaine-using participants were recruited through various online and offline media for a randomized controlled trial. Participants in the intervention group received interactive cognitive behavioral modules and a consumption diary to reduce cocaine use, whereas participants in the control group received online psychoeducative information modules. Web-based follow-up assessments were conducted after 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months. Treatment retention was examined and compared between the intervention and control groups. Severity of cocaine dependence was the main outcome measure. Secondary outcomes were cocaine craving, depression symptoms, and alcohol and other substance use.
Results: This Web-based intervention attracted older and more educated participants than existing outpatient treatment programs for which cocaine is the primary substance of abuse. Participants in the intervention group showed greater treatment retention compared with the control group (P = .04). Low response rates at the follow-up assessments restricted the explanatory power of the analyses. At the follow-up assessments, the severity of cocaine dependence did not differ between the intervention and control groups (P = .75). Furthermore, there were no differences in cocaine craving, depression, or alcohol and other substance use. Using the consumption diaries, the average number of cocaine-free days per week did not change significantly, whereas the weekly quantity of cocaine used decreased equally in both groups (P = .009).
Conclusions: For cocaine users with low dependence severity, a fully automated Web-based cognitive behavioral self-help intervention is a feasible alternative with limited effectiveness in outpatient treatment services. However, this type of intervention may attract specific user groups that are rarely reached by existing outpatient treatment and may help them to control their cocaine consumption anonymously.
Trial Registration: ISRCTN93702927; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN93702927 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6CTMM10MR)

(J Med Internet Res 2012;14(6):e166)
doi:10.2196/jmir.2244

KEYWORDS

Cocaine; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Internet; Randomized Controlled Trial

Data on the prevalence of problematic cocaine use and addiction are lacking in Switzerland and many other developed countries, but there is no doubt that cocaine use has increased in Switzerland in recent years [1] and in other Western European countries [2]. In 2005, Swiss resident institutions reported, for the first time in history, that cocaine surpassed opiates as the most frequently abused substance [3]. This trend has also been observed in outpatient units [3]. This increase in treatment requests likely reflects only a minority of cocaine users. Typically, those cocaine users in outpatient treatment who do not report co-consumption of opiates are young and have low education levels [3]. Older and more educated cocaine users, who are likely to be better integrated into society, are rarely reached by standard treatment. Presumably, the majority of these individuals consume cocaine on a quasi-controlled basis and only a small fraction of them are likely to take advantage of treatment [4]. However, it is likely that some of these users will progress from controlled use to problematic use [5]. For more educated and integrated cocaine users, anonymous interventions that follow the principle of concurrent cover (ie, noninvasive, low-cost interventions in which therapeutic intensity can be enhanced and extended to face-to-face treatment according to need) appear to be more appropriate. Thus, the diversification of the available outpatient treatment services for cocaine users in this direction is favorable.

Over the past 12 years, a number of interventions enhanced by information and communication technology (ICT) have aimed to optimize various aspects of mental health care, such as the treatment of eating disorders [6], obesity [7], depression [8], and social phobia [9]. The majority of these approaches have been based on Internet and mobile phone technologies, such as text messaging [10]. Web-based self-help programs that reduce problematic consumption are able to reach hidden consumer groups in the general population because of their low treatment threshold and nonrestrictive setting for intervention [11]. Furthermore, these programs show a remarkably positive cost-benefit relation [12], which is of interest in industrialized countries with widespread Internet access and escalating health costs. These programs have been tested primarily in people with tobacco dependence or problematic alcohol use. The existing reviews and meta-analyses of Web-based interventions for tobacco smoking and alcohol use [13-16] show that these interventions are superior to no or minimal intervention; however, the effect sizes that have been reported are predominantly small. Evidence concerning their effectiveness compared with face-to-face interventions is inconclusive [13,17,18]. To date, few studies exist on the effectiveness of Web-based interventions for the treatment of illegal substance use. In a controlled trial, a Web-based intervention designed to help young people quit or reduce their cannabis use was tested [18]. Despite some methodological constraints, the results of this study showed that Web-based intervention is promising in the reduction of cannabis consumption compared to no intervention. To date, no research on the acceptance and effectiveness of a Web-based program for the treatment of problematic cocaine use has been conducted.

Snow Control, a 6-week Internet-based self-help intervention program for problematic cocaine users who intend to control, reduce, or stop their consumption of cocaine, was tested between March 2010 and December 2011 and compared with a control condition in a randomized controlled trial [19]. The treatment aim was moderation of cocaine use or cocaine abstinence, with participants in the Snow Control intervention group expected to show greater reductions in cocaine consumption after 6 weeks of treatment than the control participants. Moreover, we hypothesized that the participants in the intervention group would show greater improvements at the 6-week treatment termination point in secondary outcomes, including (1) cocaine craving, (2) alcohol intake, (3) use of illicit substances other than cocaine, and (4) symptoms of depression. We also anticipated the participants in the intervention group to show significantly greater retention. Overall, we aimed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an anonymous, fully automated, Web-based self-help intervention as an alternative to outpatient treatment services for cocaine users.

Interventions

Snow Control is based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods that have been tested on cocaine addicts [20,21], principles of motivational interviewing [22], current self-control practices, and the established relapse-prevention model [23-25].

The intervention is structured into 8 modules that are activated for week-by-week access in the first 3 weeks, with 4 additional voluntary modules that can be activated during weeks 4 to 6. A detailed description of the intervention can be viewed in the study protocol [19] (trial registration ISRCTN93702927). After successful registration, participants were randomized by computer program in a 1:1 ratio to 1 of 2 parallel groups. Participants were blinded to the interventions. After the first week in the intervention group, each log-in directed the participant to his or her consumption diary in which he or she was asked to specify, for each day, the amount of cocaine consumed in the past 7 days and the amount of cocaine he or she planned to consume each day for the next 7 days. The participant was then directed to the respective weekly module.

To assess the effectiveness of the Snow Control intervention, an appropriate psychoeducative online control condition was developed. Participants in the control condition received 8 psychoeducative information modules about risks, potential harm, and other important information about cocaine consumption followed by a quiz to evaluate their knowledge. The duration of the control condition was equal to the 6 weeks of the experimental intervention; however, the control condition did not include the whole consumption diary. Participants in the control condition were asked to specify the amount of cocaine consumed in the previous 7 days, but not the amount of cocaine they planned to consume in the next 7 days.

To avoid serious harm to the participants in the intervention and control condition during the study, a detailed consent procedure with thorough safety instructions was provided as well as a continuously accessible 24-hour emergency list (including the numbers of emergency help lines and contact information for the study team and the webmaster), regardless of whether participants withdrew or dropped out of the study. Moreover, during the 6-week intervention phase, the participants had the opportunity to contact a corresponding outpatient clinic in a nearby city by telephone (lists with opening hours, Web links, postal addresses, and telephone numbers were provided).

Measurement Instruments

All outcome measures were assessed through online questionnaires. After providing informed consent, participants who met the study entry criteria created a personal and secure log-in name and password and received an automated email notification with their access information. They were then directed to a baseline assessment Web page with questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics and consumption patterns. The primary outcome measures of cocaine consumption were recorded as the number of days and quantity of cocaine used, in milligrams, as specified in the consumption diary and reflected by the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) [26] score. The secondary outcomes consisted of the following: (1) the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Brief (CCQ-Brief) [27], (2) selected measures for the assessment of the past month’s consumption and method of consumption for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition)/International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (DSM-IV/ICD-10) substances of abuse derived from the European version of the Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI) [28], and (3) a short German version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) [29]. In addition, we asked participants to provide feedback about any technical and substance use problems during the intervention. We assessed the qualitative feedback after 6 weeks of intervention. We also planned to explore participants’ use of cocaine and other substances at a 6-month follow-up. Because we expected the follow-up rates to be low, compensation (€40) was offered to participants who logged in and completed the follow-up questionnaires.

Analyses

Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention on different variables assessed at baseline and various follow-up points over the study period of 6 months. The GEE is a repeated-measures regression model that takes into account the correlation between the repeated measures of each person [30]. We performed logistic GEE analyses for the binary outcome variables and linear GEE analysis for continuous outcome variables. An alpha level of .05 (2-tailed) was chosen for all statistical tests in this study. Due to the low response rate at the follow-up assessments, we applied multiple regression imputation methods to impute missing data on the investigated variables using the imputation by chained equations (ICE) procedure of Stata’s statistical software [31]. We applied the intention-to-treat principle and considered all randomized participants in the analyses. We crosschecked our results by running the analyses with the nonimputed dataset.

History data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and general linear models for repeated measures using group membership as a between-subject factor. Because retention was crucial in this study, we explored the baseline predictors of 6-week retention, defined as completion of the consumption diary, using binary logistic regression analyses. First, all potential predictor variables were entered into a preliminary regression model. Next, variables that were not significant (P ≥ .05) were systematically removed; only variables that were significant (P < .05) were retained in the model.

Recruitment

The study participants were recruited between March 2010 and October 2011 through the Snow Control website; websites of outpatient treatment centers in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland; websites of national organizations for alcohol and drug prevention in nightlife settings; and tailored advertisements on national social media platforms. In addition, advertisements were placed on national Internet forums, newspapers, and on 2 television reports that were broadcasted on Swiss Television. People interested in participating received more information on the Snow Control website. The website explained the rationale of the study, the different assessments, assessment schedules, and the assessment duration. The participants were informed about (1) study inclusion and exclusion criteria, (2) the potential risks of participation, (3) safety arrangements during and after the study phase, (4) the inability of Snow Control to replace face-to-face therapy for problematic cocaine use/abuse, and (5) the circumstances under which they should contact their general practitioner or a professional from the medical advisory and emergency list that was made accessible at all times and how to make this contact. The participants were also informed that the study was reviewed by the ethics committee of the Canton of Zurich and given their declaration of no objection (nihil obstat). Moreover, they were informed about their right to withdraw from the study at any time without consequences. Informed consent was accepted when participants clicked on a field on the informed consent page and submitted the consent with a submission button.

The study inclusion criteria were a minimal age of 18 years and cocaine use on at least 3 occasions in the past 30 days. The exclusion criteria consisted of participation in other psychosocial or pharmacological treatments for the moderation or cessation of cocaine use, reports of opioid use in the past 30 days (with the exception of substitution maintenance treatment for opioid dependence without street heroin use in the last 30 days), and previous treatment for cardiovascular problems or apoplexy. The exclusion criterion of a BDI score > 55 was omitted because the average BDI depression characteristics were above the 55-point score.

The flow of study participants is depicted in Figure 1. A total of 281 participants successfully registered online, provided their informed consent, and completed the baseline assessment, but 85 (30.2%) did not meet the following eligibility criteria: (1) age ≥ 18 and (2) cocaine use on at least three occasions in the last 30 days [19]. Consequently, these participants were excluded from further analyses. A total of 69 participants (24.6%) reported less than 3 days of cocaine consumption in the past 30 days (n = 31 in intervention group and n = 38 in control group), but 7 of these participants (2.5%) reported frequent use of amphetamines and began using Snow Control to control their amphetamine use (n = 5 in intervention group and n = 2 in control group). Another 8 participants (2.8%) who were not excluded for other reasons reported street heroin use in the past 30 days (n = 3 in intervention group and n = 5 in control group); and 8 participants (2.8%) were currently being treated for cardiovascular diseases (n = 3 in intervention group and n = 5 in control group). Therefore, 196 participants who met the inclusion criteria entered the study and were randomly allocated to the intervention or control conditions using the background database. Participants who were not randomized because they did not meet the inclusion criteria were allowed to participate in the intervention. Recruitment ended after the intended number of participants in the study protocol was exceeded (n = 196).

Source: http://www.jmir.org/2012/6/e166/

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Weekend box office revenue of the top 10 movies in the United States and Canada, November 23-25, 2012 (in million U.S. dollars)

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Reading support:
This statistic shows the box office revenue of the top movies on the weekend of November 23-25, 2012. Ranked ninth is a romantic comedy-drama "Silver Linings Playbook", based on a novel of the same name by Matthew Quick. The movie was directed by David O. Russel and stars Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. During its first weekend at movie theatres in North America it generated 4.38 million U.S. dollars.
The last "Twilight" movie tops both the domestic and the global box office charts.

Source: http://www.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/201600/umfrage/weekend-box-office-gross/

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Man says prayer group leader told him to kill wife

Keith Myers / AP

In this Nov. 13 file photo, Micah Moore, 23, is escorted into the Jackson County Courthouse Annex in Independence, Mo., for his murder charge in the death of 27-year-old Bethany Ann Deaton.

By Bill Draper, The Associated Press

Less than three months after he stood as a groomsman in the wedding of two friends he had known since college in Texas, Micah Moore walked into a suburban Kansas City police department and unloaded a dark secret: He had taken the woman's life at the request of her new husband, a charismatic prayer group leader.

Police said Bethany Deaton's death initially appeared to be a suicide. Officers found a note and empty bottle of over-the-counter pain medication along with her body in a minivan parked by a lake on Oct. 30.

It wasn't until Moore confessed nearly two weeks later that police announced she had been killed. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on a first-degree murder charge Wednesday.?

In the criminal complaint filed in support of the charge, police detailed a stunning series of allegations that Moore made as part of his confession.?

Moore, 23, lived with Deaton and her husband, Tyler, in a communal home shared by male members of their prayer group. He told police that several members had sexually assaulted Bethany Deaton and that they were worried she would tell someone. Moore said that's when Tyler Deaton ordered him to kill Bethany Deaton, according to a criminal complaint.?

Tyler Deaton has not been charged in his wife's death. Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Deaton was under investigation but declined to elaborate. Deaton does not have a listed phone number and did not respond to requests for comment The Associated Press made through Facebook and phone and email messages to his father.?

Moore's attorney, Melanie Morgan, declined to comment.?

Tyler and Bethany Deaton moved to Kansas City in 2009 from Texas to attend a six-month internship at the non-accredited International House of Prayer University. The two had met as freshmen at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, in 2005, and two years later Tyler started a prayer group, a former longtime member of the group told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was afraid of retaliation from Tyler Deaton.?

Tyler Deaton was listed at one point as a division coordinator for IHOPU's "friendship groups," but the school said that was a mistake. It issued a statement distancing itself from Tyler Deaton after Moore, a student at IHOPU, was arrested.?

"Since Bethany's death it has come to light that over five years ago, both she and Mr. Moore joined an independent, close-knit, religious group in Georgetown, Texas," the school said in a statement. "This religious group of fewer than 20 people was led by Tyler Deaton. They relocated to Kansas City over the last few years and operated under a veil of secrecy."?

IHOPU is the educational arm of International House of Prayer of Kansas City, an evangelical Christian group focused on missions and preparation for the end of time.?

The Deatons' prayer group had at least two houses, with women living in one and men in another. Bethany Deaton, 27, moved into the men's house with Tyler Deaton after they married in August.?

According to the criminal complaint, Moore told police that men in the house began drugging Bethany Deaton and sexually assaulting her soon after she moved in. He said she was seeing a therapist and group members became concerned she would tell the therapist about the assaults.?

Moore and other men who lived in the house told police that several group members also were having sexual relations with Tyler Deaton, unbeknownst to his wife. One man, whose name was blacked out of the criminal complaint, told police that Tyler Deaton said after Bethany Deaton died that he had had a dream he killed his wife by suffocating her.?

Moore told detectives Tyler Deaton instructed him to kill Bethany Deaton because he knew Moore had it in him to do it, and that Moore reported back to Tyler Deaton after she was dead. Moore told police that he had placed a bag over Bethany Deaton's head and held it there until her body shook.?

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? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/28/15511530-man-says-prayer-group-leader-told-him-to-kill-wife?lite

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Stabbing victim involved in '07 scandal with former GOP lawmaker

Spokane Police are investigating if a weekend fatal stabbing was self defense.

Officers found 25-year-old Robert Henry Fletcher bleeding in the?street near?Nelson and Wabash on Saturday night.? Police say he had been stabbed multiple times and was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.?

Detectives are not releasing the identity of the other man involved.

video Court records show Fletcher had a long criminal history.?In 2007, he was involved in a case that gained nationwide attention.? Fletcher was charged with extortion and conspiracy for attempting to shake down former Washington State lawmaker Richard Curtis.? Curtis?was a?Republican in the?Washington State House of Representatives from 2005 until 2007 when he resigned.??

Police reports say Curtis and 26-year-old Cody Castagna met at an adult bookstore and later had sex in Curtis' room at the Davenport Tower Hotel while he was visiting Spokane.?After the October 2007 encounter, Castagna and Fletcher?allegedly attempted to extort?$1,000 from Curtis in exchange for not revealing Curtis' gay lifestyle.??Fletcher was involved in collecting the money.?

Castagna later?plead guilty?and was sentenced to 65 days in jail and given credit for 65 days already served.?Prosecutors dropped?extortion and conspiracy charges against Fletcher at the request of Curtis.?

In July 2009, Court records show?Fletcher was sentenced to 43 months in prison for two counts of possession of stolen vehicle charges.? Fletcher's Facebook page includes a comment that says he was recently released from Walla Walla (Penitentiary) West Complex and was living a clean lifestyle.

Fletcher's younger sister, Lacey, said Tuesday evening that he was not just her big brother but also her best friend.

"He was a good person.? We loved him very much.? He had?a huge heart.? When he was released from prison in June, he was starting his life over again.? He was getting his GED and was looking for a job," she said.

His family held a candlelight vigil for him at the scene of the stabbing Monday night.? Friends say he leaves two children behind. The family, meanwhile, is waiting for answers from the Spokane Police Department as to what happened last Saturday night that brought Fletcher's life to a violent end.

"Police?aren't telling us why he was killed because the case is still being investigated.? He never did anything violent," Lacey Fletcher said. ?

Source: http://downtownspokane.kxly.com/news/news/85516-stabbing-victim-involved-07-scandal-former-gop-lawmaker

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Top 10 at Home Exercises | Pittsburgh Fitness

by Pat Hanavan on November 28, 2012

You don?t need to go to the gym for a great work-out. Many people simply don?t have the opportunity or the desire to visit their local gym, but work out routines are vital for fitness and health. So here are the top ten exercises which you can do at home, in your own time, at your own pace.

1. Running ? improves endurance, builds strength and is great for your cardio respiratory health. Whether you run over a specific distance, for a specific time, run outdoors or use a treadmill, running is a great basis for any exercise regime.
2. Pullups ? actually incorporate just about every muscle in the shoulders, back, chest and core. They require very little equipment; just a pull-up bar. Maybe you?ll come across one in the park while you?re out running; or you could set something across a door frame, in the garage . . . anywhere.
3. Pushups ? another great CrossFit exercise that actually uses the core of your upper body for strength exercises and training.? You can start off slowly but increase your goals as you go along and get stronger.
4. Jump Rope ? is a terrific method of exercise. It burns lots of calories in a relatively short amount of time. 10 minutes of jump rope exercises can burn off around 100 calories; and its fun too.
5. Burpees ? this CrossFit type exercise is a combination of pushups, jumps and squats; which are great for developing power, strength and endurance. They help to build up stamina and burn fats; what more could you ask for?
6. Squats ? a brilliant method of exercising the lower body, especially the legs and butt.
7. Superman ? this is a core exercise which is great for strengthening the lower back, and is a terrific exercise for warm-up and cool-down periods. Go on, do the Superman!
8. Crunches ? are recommended as being one of the very best CrossFit type exercises for strengthening abdominal muscles.
9. Lunges ? a bit like squats, this lower body exercise uses almost every major leg muscle group and can be performed in many different ways ? side lunges, walking lunges, stationery lunges, lunge jumps.
10. Handstand push-ups ? this is one to strive for. You?ll have to start off with the regular push-ups and pull-ups, but once you?ve built a certain amount of strength and stamina you can progress to performing handstand push-ups. You don?t need any equipment and it?s a great way to improve balance and strength in the core muscles as well as the upper body.

Source: http://if-fit.com/top-10-at-home-workouts/

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House speaker Boehner optimistic can avert fiscal crisis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner voiced optimism that Republicans could broker a deal with the White House to avoid year-end austerity measures, saying on Wednesday that Republicans were willing to raise revenues if Democrats agreed to spending cuts.

"I am optimistic that we can continue to work together to avert this crisis sooner rather than later," the Ohio Republican told reporters. "We (Republicans) put revenue on the table as long as it is accompanied by serious spending cuts to avert this crisis."

Mandated $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts will start going into effect early next year if the Obama administration and lawmakers cannot agree on how to change the law. Top policymakers say these austerity measures could topple the economy back into a recession.

Although the White House and top congressional leaders have started negotiating, Democrats and Republicans are deeply divided on how to reduce the trillion-dollar-plus U.S. budget deficit and put the nation on a sound fiscal path.

"You're not going to grow the economy if you raise tax rates on the top two rates," Boehner said. "We're willing to put revenue on the table, as long as we're not raising rates."

President Barack Obama, who was re-elected this month after campaigning to make the wealthy pay their fair share, wants to raise taxes on the country's highest income earners. A handful of powerful corporate chief executive officers, including Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein, has come out in support of higher taxes.

Blankfein and scores of business executives have been warning Washington not to go over the "fiscal cliff" and let the austerity measures kick in and are meeting with lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday.

Democrat Erskine Bowles, who along with former Republican senator Alan Simpson crafted a plan to slash the budget deficit at Obama's request, said the business community's involvement in the fiscal debate is significant.

"It's one thing for me to talk about the effect on the rate of growth, could be as much as 4 percent, enough to put the U.S. back into recession," Bowles told reporters as he arrived for the meeting with the CEOs and Republicans.

"For (lawmakers) to hear that these companies are already slowing their hiring down ... for them to hear individually from the business leader themselves, I think, makes it real that we really got to do something," Bowles said.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh and David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-speaker-boehner-optimistic-averting-fiscal-crisis-154141781--business.html

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Arafat's remains exhumed for poison tests

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Forensic experts took samples from Yasser Arafat's uncovered corpse in the West Bank on Tuesday, trying to determine if he was murdered by Israeli agents using the hard-to-trace radioactive poison, Polonium.

Palestinians witnessed the funeral of their hero and longtime leader eight years ago, but conspiracy theories surrounding his death have never been laid to rest.

Many are convinced their icon was the victim of a cowardly assassination, and may stay convinced whatever the outcome of this autopsy. But some in the city of Ramallah where he lies deplored the uncovering of his body on Tuesday.

"This is wrong. After all this time, today they suddenly want to find out the truth?" said construction worker Ahmad Yousef, 31. "They should have done it eight years ago," he said.

Arafat's body was uncovered in its grave and samples were removed without having to lift the corpse from the ground. As a result, the planned reburial ceremony with full military honors was called off.

The tomb was resealed in hours and wreaths were placed by Palestinian leaders including Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

"The state of the body was exactly what you would expect to find for someone who has been buried for eight years. There was nothing out of the ordinary," Health Minister Hani Abdeen told a news conference.

French magistrates in August opened a murder inquiry into Arafat's death in Paris in 2004 after a Swiss institute said it had discovered high levels of polonium on clothing of his which was supplied by his widow, Suha, for a television documentary.

The head of the Palestinian investigation committee, Tawfiq Tirawi said the forensic procedure went smoothly. A Palestinian medical team took samples and gave them to each of the Swiss, French and Russian teams.

"We need proof in order to find those who are behind this assassination and take it to the ICC (International Criminal Court)," he said. "When we have proof, we will go to the ICC for it to be our first case to try those whose policy is assassinations."

RESULTS IN SPRING 2013

Jordanian doctor Abdullah al Bashir, head of the Palestinian medical committee, said about 20 samples were taken and analysis would take at least three months.

"In order to do these analyses, to check, cross-check and double cross-check, it will take several months and I don't think we'll have anything tangible available before March or April next year," said Darcy Christen, spokesman for Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland that carried out the original tests on Arafat's clothes.

Arafat was always a freedom fighter to Palestinians but a terrorist to Israelis first, and a partner for peace only later. He led the bid for a Palestinian state through years of war and peacemaking, then died in a French hospital aged 75 after a short, mysterious illness.

No autopsy was carried out at the time, at the request of Suha, and French doctors who treated him said they were unable to determine the cause of death.

But allegations of foul play surfaced immediately, and many Palestinians pointed the finger at Israel, which confined Arafat to his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah for the final two and a half years of his life after a Palestinian uprising erupted.

Israel denies murdering him. Its leader at the time, Ariel Sharon, now lies in a coma from which he is expected never to awake. Israel invited the Palestinian leadership to release all Arafat's medical records, which were never made public following his death and still have not been opened.

Polonium, apparently ingested with food, was found to have caused the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. But some experts have questioned whether Arafat could have died in this way, pointing to a brief recovery during his illness that they said was not consistent with radioactive poisoning. They also noted he did not lose all his hair.

Eight years is considered the limit to detect any traces of the fast-decaying polonium and Lausanne hospital questioned in August if it would be worth seeking any samples, if access to Arafat's body was delayed as late as "October or November."

Not all of Arafat's family agreed to the exhumation.

Arafat's widow watched her husband's uncovering on television from her house in Malta.

"This will bring closure, we will know the truth about why he died. I owe this answer to the Palestinian people, to the new generation, and to his daughter," a tearful Suha told timesofmalta.com.

(Writing by Crispian Balmer; addition reporting by Chris Scicluna in Malta; Editing by Douglas Hamilton, Tom Pfeiffer and Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arafats-body-exhumed-murder-inquiry-053058256.html

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Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

The median installed price of residential and commercial PV systems completed in 2011 fell by roughly 11 to 14 percent from the year before, depending on system size, and, in California, prices fell by an additional 3 to 7 percent within the first six months of 2012. These recent installed price reductions are attributable, in large part, to dramatic reductions in PV module prices, which have been falling precipitously since 2008.

The report indicates that non-module costs -- such as installation labor, marketing, overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems -- have also fallen significantly over time. "The drop in non-module costs is especially important," notes report co-author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, "as these costs can be most readily influenced by local, state, and national policies aimed at accelerating deployment and removing market barriers." According to the report, average non-module costs for residential and commercial systems declined by roughly 30 percent from 1998 to 2011, but have not declined as rapidly as module prices in recent years. As a result, non-module costs now represent a sizable fraction of the installed price of PV systems, and continued deep reduction in the price of PV will require concerted emphasis on lowering the portion of non-module costs associated with so-called "business process" or "soft" costs.

The report indicates that the median installed price of PV systems installed in 2011 was $6.10 per watt (W) for residential and small commercial systems smaller than 10 kilowatts (kW) in size and was $4.90/W for larger commercial systems of 100 kW or more in size. Utility-sector PV systems larger than 2,000 kW in size averaged $3.40/W in 2011. Report co-author Galen Barbose, also of Berkeley Lab, stresses the importance of keeping these numbers in context, noting that "these data provide a reliable benchmark for systems installed in the recent past, but prices have continued to decline over time, and PV systems being sold today are being offered at lower prices."

Based on these data and on installed price data from other major international PV markets, the authors suggest that PV prices in the United States may be driven lower through large-scale deployment programs, but that other factors are also important in achieving installed price reductions.

The market for solar PV systems in the United States has grown rapidly over the past decade, as national, state and local governments offered various incentives to expand the solar market and accelerate cost reductions. This fifth edition in Berkeley Lab's Tracking the Sun reportseries describes historical trends in the installed price of PV in the United States, and examines more than 150,000 residential, commercial, and utility-sector PV systems installed between 1998 and 2011 across 27 states, representing roughly 76 percent of all grid-connected PV capacity installed in the United States. Na?m Darghouth, also with Berkeley Lab, explains that "the study is intended to provide policy makers and industry observers with a reliable and detailed set of historical benchmarks for tracking and understanding past trends in the installed price of PV."

Prices Differ by Region and by Size and Type of System

The study also highlights the significant variability in PV system pricing, some of which is associated with differences in installed prices by region and by system size and installation type. Comparing across U.S. states, for example, the median installed price of PV systems less than 10 kW in size that were completed in 2011 and ranged from $4.90/W to $7.60/W, depending on the state.

It also shows that PV installed prices exhibit significant economies of scale. Among systems installed in 2011, the median price for systems smaller than 2 kW was $7.70/W, while the median price for large commercial systems greater than 1,000 kW in size was $4.50/W. Utility-scale systems installed in 2011 registered even lower prices, with most systems larger than 10,000 kW ranging from $2.80/W to $3.50/W.

The report also finds that the installed price of residential PV systems on new homes has generally been significantly lower than the price of similarly sized systems installed as retrofits to existing homes, that building integrated PV systems have generally been higher priced than rack-mounted systems, and that systems installed on tax-exempt customer sites have generally been priced higher than those installed at residential and for-profit commercial customer sites.

Price Declines for PV System Owners in 2011 Were Offset by Falling Incentives

State agencies and utilities in many regions offer rebates or other forms of cash incentives for residential and commercial PV systems. According to the report, the median pre-tax value of such cash incentives ranged from $0.90/W to $1.20/W for systems installed in 2011, depending on system size. These incentives have declined significantly over time, falling by roughly 80 percent over the past decade, and by 21 percent to 43 percent from just 2010 to 2011. Rather than a direct cash incentive, some states with renewables portfolio standards provide financial incentives for solar PV by creating a market for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs), and SREC prices have also fallen dramatically in recent years. These declines in cash incentives and SREC prices have, to a significant degree, offset recent installed price reductions, dampening any overall improvement in the customer economics of solar PV.

The report Tracking the Sun V: An Historical Summary of the Installed Price of Photovoltaics in the United States from 1998 to 2011, by Galen Barbose, Na?m Darghouth, and Ryan Wiser, may be downloaded from: http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/LBNL-5919e-REPORT.pdf.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/AbBJiWU30oQ/121127130258.htm

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Internet Marketing - Make Money Online Tips | Cashpowerinfo

Do you have a product or service you want to promote? Do you want to get into e-commerce so you can start making money from online marketing? If so, you need to learn about internet marketing make money online. There are a great many ways to make money online. You can start an online business, or promote your existing service or product online to reach a larger customer base. All you have to have is the drive, the effort, and the time it takes to venture into the world of Internet marketing.

If you want to get into internet marketing make money online, you need to be able to present your product or service to its best advantage and have it seen by as many people as possible. For any new or existing business, a great website that appeals to the targeted customer base is essential. You have to know your customers? desires and needs. After you figure this out, you can market your product or service in such a way that appeals to that need or desire. For example, if you have a business selling purses that you buy wholesale and you want to get into online marketing, you might appeal to women?s need to dress stylishly. You might also appeal to women?s need to have their purses match the outfits they are wearing that day.

When you get into internet marketing make money online, you will need start-up capital for many things. You can usually apply for a small business loan, or seek assistance from a financial institution. Also, the federal and state governments have many programs that offer grants to people who are starting up businesses online. You can also borrow money from friends and relatives. Whichever you choose, know that money from a loan must be paid back in a timely manner.

In today?s high-tech world, it?s essential to go online to conduct commerce so you can reach more customers. You will need some start-up money and a desire to succeed in a very competitive environment. Once you have this tackled, be prepared for success. You will be glad you ventured into this way of selling your product of service in order to internet marketing make money online.

If you are really serious about making money online and put the time in that it takes to get it done, you can be successful working at home. There are many people that are already doing it so why not you too?

Source: http://cashpowerinfo.com/internet-marketing-make-money-online-tips/

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'Twilight,' Bond, 'Lincoln' lead record weekend

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 file photo, from left, American actor Taylor Lautner, American actress Kristen Stewart and British actor Robert Pattinson pose during a photo call at the Spanish premiere of the film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2" in Kinepolis Cinema in Madrid, Spain. Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner have walked their last ?Twilight? red carpet with the arrival of the finale ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2,? and now must step into careers of their own using the superstardom the multi-billion-dollar franchise has provided them. ( AP Photo/Gabriel Pecot, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 file photo, from left, American actor Taylor Lautner, American actress Kristen Stewart and British actor Robert Pattinson pose during a photo call at the Spanish premiere of the film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2" in Kinepolis Cinema in Madrid, Spain. Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner have walked their last ?Twilight? red carpet with the arrival of the finale ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2,? and now must step into careers of their own using the superstardom the multi-billion-dollar franchise has provided them. ( AP Photo/Gabriel Pecot, File)

FILE - This Oct. 22, 2012 file photo shows British actor Robert Pattinson, right, having his photo taken with fans upon arrival for an exclusive fan event for the final chapter of the Twilight Saga "Breaking Dawn Part 2" in Sydney, Australia. Thanksgiving newcomers have been unable to knock off the big three at the box office: Bella, Bond and Abe Lincoln. Kristen Stewart's finale as Bella Swan led the holiday weekend ticket sales. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Bella Swan, James Bond and Abe Lincoln have combined to lift Hollywood to record Thanksgiving revenue at the box office.

Kristen Stewart's finale as Bella in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2" was No. 1 again with $64 million during the five-day holiday stretch that began Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Daniel Craig's Bond adventure "Skyfall" came in at No. 2 with $51 million, while Daniel Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg's Civil War saga "Lincoln" finished third with $34.1 million.

According to box-office tracker Hollywood.com, the three films paced Hollywood to an all-time Thanksgiving week best of about $290 million from Wednesday to Sunday.

That tops the previous record of $273 million over Thanksgiving in 2009, when "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" led the weekend.

This Thanksgiving also was a huge 25 percent jump from a year ago, when domestic revenues were a weak $232 million as some big holiday releases fizzled.

With a strong December lineup ahead, Hollywood has resumed its record revenue pace for the year after a brief box-office lull in late summer and early fall.

Domestic revenues for 2012 are at $9.75 billion, putting Hollywood potentially on track for its first $11 billion year, which would beat the 2009 record of $10.6 billion, said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"We're barreling toward a record-breaking box-office year," Dergarabedian said. "It's built on the back of just a lot of really strong movies that have come out over the past few weekends. It bodes very well for the rest of the holidays."

The "Twilight" finale, "Skyfall" and "Lincoln" finished in the same top-three rankings for the second-straight weekend as new releases were unable to dislodge the holdovers.

Released by Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment banner, "Breaking Dawn ? Part 2," pulled in $43.1 million from Friday to Sunday, raising its domestic total to $227 million. The movie added $97.4 million overseas to bring its international total to $350.8 million and its worldwide take to $577.7 million.

Sony's "Skyfall" also topped $200 million domestically, ringing up $36 million for the three-day weekend to put its U.S. total at $221.7 million. With $41.3 million more overseas, "Skyfall" raised its international revenues to $568.4 million and its worldwide sales to $790.1 million.

"Lincoln," a DreamWorks film distributed by Disney, took in $25 million over the weekend to lift its domestic revenue to $62.2 million.

Leading the newcomers was Paramount and DreamWorks Animation's tale "Rise of the Guardians" at No. 4 with $24 million for the weekend and $32.6 million since opening Wednesday.

Based on William Joyce's "Guardians of Childhood" books, "Rise of the Guardians" gathers Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and other mythical beings as a team of heroes battling an evil overlord.

Close behind at No. 5 was director Ang Lee's shipwreck saga "Life of Pi" at No. 5 with $22 million over the weekend. The 20th Century Fox release has taken in $30.2 million domestically since its Wednesday debut and added $17.5 million in four Asian markets.

"Life of Pi" was adapted from Yann Martel's best-selling novel about an Indian youth adrift on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Many fans considered the introspective novel impossible to film, but Lee has charmed audiences and critics with an inspiring survival story told through dazzling 3-D images.

The weekend's other new wide release, a remake of the 1980s U.S.-invasion tale "Red Dawn," opened at No. 7 with $14.6 million, raising its total to $22 million since debuting Wednesday.

"Red Dawn" sat on the shelf for three years while studio backer MGM went through bankruptcy, with distributor FilmDistrict eventually picking it up for domestic release. The movie's cast includes Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") and Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games") in a story of young guerrillas battling North Korean invaders.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight's "Hitchcock" opened solidly with about $300,000 in 17 theaters. The movie stars Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock in a behind-the-scenes story of the making of "Psycho."

The weekend's overall strength came from a broad range of films that clicked with various audiences, from action and family fare to thoughtful drama.

"This is a marketplace that has something for everyone," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox. "You have something deeper like 'Life of Pi,' yet you have a very successful sequel in 'Twilight' at the same time. Adult bio-drama, if you will, in 'Lincoln,' and you have Bond. That's the secret to a very successful and balanced marketplace."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2," $43.1 million ($97.4 million international).

2. "Skyfall," $36 million ($41.3 million international).

3. "Lincoln," $25 million.

4. "Rise of the Guardians," $24 million.

5. "Life of Pi," $22 million ($17.5 million international)

6. "Wreck-It Ralph," $16.8 million ($2.1 million international).

7. "Red Dawn," $14.6 million.

8. "Flight," $8.6 million.

9. "Silver Linings Playbook," $4.6 million.

10. "Argo," $3.9 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-11-25-Box%20Office/id-0be8f298eb2d465eb0f2dcb1c6c3e6bd

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The iPad Is Drastically Transforming Retail - Business Insider

This post is part of the "Future of Business" series, which examines how cutting-edge technologies are rapidly reshaping our world, from how businesses run to how we live. "The Future of Business" is sponsored by SAP.

In just a few short years, iPads have changed how many retailers do business.

Some companies are replacing cash registers with the Apple devices, while others are using apps to track employee productivity and merchandise. The portable iPad is a "powerful selling device," said Sandeep Bhanote, a vice president at VeriFone, which provides companies with mobile payment software.

Michael Relich, president of IT at Guess?, said that he gave iPads to his store managers, with amazing results. "The iPad app we had allowed us to see what styles and sizes were selling in different regions," Relich said. "For instance, we needed to stock more small sizes in San Francisco, where people exercise a lot."

Guess? is just one of a growing list of retailers who are harnessing technology to their benefit. VeriFone told us a few ways that retailers are using iPads to change how they do business.

• Retailers can use apps that give associates and customers access to inventory and availability. E-commerce expands availability beyond inventory on hand to ensure that retailers never lose a sale. If a product is not available in-store, they can use the iPad to complete the purchase and have it delivered directly to the customer?s doorstep.
• Businesses can use iPads to show the customer more merchandise. Customer interaction tools, such as look books and product finders, drive sales by offering a more personalized customer experience through assisted selling, according to VeriFone. For instance, an apparel retailer could show the customer an entire outfit incorporating one item they were interested in.
• Retailers don't have to pay for printing and distribution costs for corporate materials. iPads eliminate the need to pay for paper, CDs, and other corporate materials such as training manuals or in-store promotions. One-touch delivery of corporate materials sent directly to the iPad makes it possible to update more frequently to ensure stores "are constantly leveraging the latest and greatest materials," according to VeriFone.
• iPads make associates more effective. Retailers can now deliver the most current customer insight, preferences, and selling tools to their staffs to support enhanced customer relationships. This allows retailers to "bring new associates up to speed more quickly and ensure that veteran associates are constantly refreshing their skills to effectively drive sales," Bhanote said.
• iPads make it easier for all retail employees to be on the same page. Managers can ensure that new layouts and trends are in-store before the competition. This could also bring in new customers.

Soon, iPads will be an essential tool for any retailer looking to keep up.

See more Future Of Business >>

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ipad-is-drastically-transforming-retail-2012-11

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Congo's government won't negotiate unless rebels leave Goma

The Congolese President met with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels for the first time since they seized the city of Goma, about a week ago. The rebels have shown no sign of leaving the city, and plan to march on others.

By Jonny Hogg and Richard Lough,?Reuters / November 25, 2012

Congolese M23 rebel soldiers are seen on the road to Rushuru near Buhumba some 16 miles north of Goma, Thursday. Rebel spokesman Lt. Col. Vianney Kazarama vowed Thursday that the fighters would press forward toward seizing the strategic eastern town of Bukavu, which would mark the biggest gain in rebel territory in nearly a decade if it were to fall.

Jerome Delay/AP

Enlarge

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

Congo?said on Sunday it would not negotiate with M23 rebels in the east until they pulled out of the city of?Goma, but a rebel spokesman said?Kinshasa?was in no position to set conditions on peace talks.

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Congolese President?Joseph Kabila?met with M23 for the first time on Saturday after an urgent summit in?Uganda?where regional leaders gave M23 two days to leave?Goma, which the rebels seized six days ago after U.N.-backed government troops melted away.

Eight months into a rebellion that U.N. experts say is backed by neighbouring?Rwanda, the rebels have so far shown no sign of quitting the lakeside city of one million people.

The rebels say they plan to march on other cities in the east, and then strike out across the country to the capital?Kinshasa, across 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of dense jungle with few roads, a daunting feat achieved 15 years ago by Kabila's father.

Amani Kabasha, a spokesman for M23's political arm, welcomed the meeting with Kabila but questioned the government's resolve to end a crisis that risks engulfing the region.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QKNi74ykybI/Congo-s-government-won-t-negotiate-unless-rebels-leave-Goma

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UK calls for U.S. focus on Israel-Palestinian issue

LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday urged the United States to take a more active role in seeking a lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, warning of a "final chance" for a two-state solution.

Eight days of fighting between Israel and Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled enclave of Gaza diverted U.S. President Barack Obama's attention to the Middle East as he toured Asia on his first trip abroad after this month's election.

Hague told the BBC it was "time for a huge effort on the Middle East peace process".

"This is what I have been calling for, particularly calling for the United States now after their election to show the necessary leadership on this over the coming months, because they have crucial leverage with Israel and no other country has," Hague said.

"We're coming to the final chance maybe for a two state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke off from Obama's tour of Asia to help negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end this month's bout violence.

Recent U.S. efforts to coax the Palestinians and Israelis back into negotiations to agree a long term peace have failed, and talks are set become even more fraught if the Palestinians succeed in securing recognition as an "observer state".

A vote on the diplomatic upgrade could take place later this month at the U.N. General Assembly, and if successful would implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood. Israel and the United States oppose the move and call for a return to talks.

The last direct negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank broke down in 2010 over the issue of Jewish settlement building across the territory.

Britain has also been pushing the United States, a close ally, to take a bigger role in helping to end the conflict in Syria, with Prime Minister David Cameron calling for greater engagement within hours of Obama's re-election.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-calls-u-focus-israel-palestinian-issue-142435658.html

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AP Interview: Hamas No. 2 rejects Gaza arms halt

Palestinian schoolchildren walk in debris by a damaged school in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Schools in Gaza opened Saturday for the first time since the truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. The school was damaged when Israeli forces struck on a nearby building. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Palestinian schoolchildren walk in debris by a damaged school in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Schools in Gaza opened Saturday for the first time since the truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. The school was damaged when Israeli forces struck on a nearby building. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Palestinian schoolchildren walk by a damaged school, right, in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Schools in Gaza opened Saturday for the first time since the truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. The school was damaged when Israeli forces struck on a nearby building. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Hamas militants of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades attend the funeral of Hamas member Joudeh Shamallah in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. According to family members, Shamallah was badly injured during the latest Israeli-Hamas fight and died from wounds Saturday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Un grupo de palestinos se congrega frente a la alambrada en la frontera Israel-Gaza al este de Khan Younis, en el sur de la Franja de Gaza, el viernes 23 de noviembre de 2012. Israel relaj? algunas restricciones fronterizas como parte de su tregua con los dirigentes de Hamas en territorio palestino el s?bado 24 de noviembre. (Foto AP/Bernat Armangue)

A relative of Hamas member Joudeh Shamallah makes the victory sign while weeping during Shamallah's funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. According to family members, Shamallah was badly injured during the latest Israeli-Hamas fight and died from wounds Saturday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

CAIRO (AP) ? Gaza's ruling Hamas will not stop arming itself, the No. 2 in the Palestinian group told The Associated Press on Saturday, signaling tough challenges ahead for indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamist militants on a new border deal for Gaza.

The talks are being brokered by Egypt, which also helped forge a cease-fire deal that ended eight days of Israel-Gaza fighting earlier this week.

The truce went into effect late Wednesday and has largely held. Residents in Gaza said Israel has begun easing some border restrictions, allowing fishermen to head further out to sea and permitting farmers inspect land in a former no-go zone.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy to Hamas' top leader in exile Khaled Mashaal, said talks on a further easing of restrictions are to be held in Cairo on Monday. Hamas and Israel do not meet directly and the indirect talks are held through Egyptian intermediaries.

An Israeli security official has said Israel would likely link a significant easing of Gaza's border blockade to Hamas' willingness to stop arming itself. Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment Saturday.

However, Abu Marzouk rejected such demands. "These weapons protected us and there is no way to stop obtaining and manufacturing them," he said in an interview at his office on the outskirts of Cairo.

Hamas officials in Gaza have said they have developed a local arms industry. Mashaal said earlier this week that the group has received weapons from Iran since Israel's last Gaza offensive four years ago.

Hamas smuggles such weapons into Gaza through tunnels under the border with Egypt.

Israel and Hamas have clashed repeatedly over the years, most recently in the cross-border battle that began Nov. 14.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Gaza children returned to school Saturday for the first time since fighting ended late Wednesday. About half of Gaza's 1.6 million people are children.

In 245 U.N.-run schools, the day was dedicated to letting children share what they experienced, in hopes of helping them deal with trauma, educators said.

In a sixth-grade class in Gaza City, boys eagerly raised their hands when asked by their science teacher to share their stories in the presence of a reporter. Mohammed Abu Sakr, 11, said that earlier this week, he witnessed an Israeli missile striking a car and engulfing it in flames. The boy said he had trouble sleeping and eating afterwards, and still feels scared.

Thirty-four children and minors under the age of 18 were among those killed in the fighting, said Gaza health officials and local human rights groups. A total of 156 Palestinians were killed during the fighting and 10 died later of their wounds, they said.

The exchanges of fire were the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. Israel launched the offensive to put an end to escalating Gaza rocket fire on Israeli towns. Israel said it reached its objectives, while Hamas claimed victory because Israel didn't make good on threats to send ground troops into the territory, as it had done four years earlier.

Israel's air force carried out some 1,500 strikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Gaza militants fired roughly the same number of rockets, including some targeting the Israeli heartland cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time.

The truce is to lead to a new border deal for Gaza, with Egypt hosting indirect talks between Israel and Hamas. Israel has shunned Hamas as a terrorist group and refuses to negotiate with it directly.

After the Hamas takeover in 2007, Israel and then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sealed Gaza to isolate the Islamic militants and make it harder for them to govern.

The restrictions have since been eased because of international pressure on Israel and because of regime change in Egypt. Both Hamas and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, elected earlier this year, are members of the region-wide Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Before the Nov. 14 start of the fighting, Gaza received most of its consumer goods through an Israeli cargo crossing, while Israel banned virtually all exports and travel from Gaza, preventing the area's battered economy from bouncing back.

Items restricted by Israel, such as construction materials, were brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels from Egypt, along with weapons for Hamas.

Israel also restricted the movement of Gaza's fishermen and farmers in border areas, citing security concerns.

On Saturday, fishermen were able to sail six nautical miles out to sea, or double the previous limit, said Mahfouz Kabariti, head of the local fishermen's association. He said several fishermen already made the journey Saturday.

"This is an opportunity and a chance for a better catch, though it is still a limited area," said Kabariti, who represents some 3,500 fishermen.

Israeli navy boats have been enforcing a sea blockade in an attempt to prevent weapons smuggling to Gaza. The restrictions on fishermen have fluctuated over the years, linked to the ups and downs in Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Meanwhile, some Gaza residents said they were able to enter an Israeli-enforced buffer zone on the Gaza side of the border Saturday with Israel without fear of being fired on.

Israel's military carved out a 300-meter-wide (300-yard-wide) zone several years to try to prevent militants from sneaking into Israel. The zone gobbled up scarce acres of farmland in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians surged toward the border fence, but Israeli soldiers fired to push them back, killing one man and wounding at least 19 people.

On Saturday, 42-year-old farmer Nidal Abu Dakka said soldiers stood and watched as he and others moved close to the fence. Abu Dakka, speaking by phone, said he was inspecting his land, some 60 meters from the border, and planned to plant wheat and barley soon.

In other border areas, residents said Hamas police kept them away from the fence.

An Israeli government spokesman said he was unaware restrictions had been eased. A defense official said the Israeli military was no longer enforcing the no-go zone, but reserved the right to act against suspicious people. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the issue with reporters.

___

Associated Press writers Karin Laub, Sarah El Deeb and Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City contributed reporting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-24-ML-Israel-Palestinians/id-cf6ba3dd4c164b9184f58c3fb6733660

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