Report: Iranian students protest UN nuclear team (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? An Iranian news agency is reporting hard-line students have staged a silent gathering to a visit by U.N. nuclear inspectors.

The Tuesday report by the semiofficial Isna says the students gathered at the gate of the country's atomic agency.

The students say they're worried the visit would lead to assassination of other Iranian nuclear experts.

They believed the U.S. and Israeli agents used leaked information by the U.N. agency to target Iranian nuclear experts.

On Sunday a dozen Iranian hard-liners carrying photos of slain nuclear expert Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan gathered at Tehran airport to protest the visit. Roshan was killed by blast earlier in January.

The team from the UN nuclear watchdog arrived Sunday on a visit scheduled for three days. An Iranian official indicated it could be extended.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

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'Kourtney & Kim Take New York': Best And Worst Moments

MTV News picks the 'pits' and the 'peaks' from season two.
By Christina Garibaldi

Kim Kardashian on "Kourtney & Kim Take New York"
Photo: E!

The season finale of "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" aired Sunday night, and even though we did not see Kim and Kris Humphries end their marriage, all signs were pointing to divorce.

During the final moments of the episode, viewers witnessed a Kardashian family tradition where they revealed their "pit" and "peak" of their time in the Big Apple, so we here at MTV News figured we would do the same for this season of "Kourtney & Kim Take New York."

Pit: Kim and Kris talk babies
Kim and Kris have the baby talk. After contemplating whether they are ready to have kids, the question comes up of where they would raise their bundle of joy, and according to Kim, it's not Minnesota. Kim reveals that she will never move to Kris' home state to raise a family, in which Kris replies that no one will care about Kim by the time she has kids. Ouch.

Peak: Kourtney and Khloe prank Kris
Kourtney and Khloe decide that the best way to get to know their new brother-in-law is to prank him. The partners in crime decorated Kris' room with toilet paper, but when Kris' reaction isn't satisfying for the sisters, they decide to take their prank to a whole new level: a snake on his bed.

Pit: Kim Finds Out Kris is in Canada — on Twitter
Kim and Kourtney decide to have a sisters' weekend getaway in Mystic, Connecticut, leaving both Kris and Kourtney's boyfriend, Scott Disick, at home. Not a good idea. Kris decides to head to Toronto, Canada, for a club appearance and decides to bring Scott along. But he forgot one thing: to tell his wife he was heading out of the country. Kim finds out on Twitter that her husband has jetted off to Canada, and when he's confronted, he says "Stop stalking me on Twitter!" Probably not the best response, Kris.

Peak: Scott Disick
By far the star of this season is Kourtney's boyfriend, Scott Disick. The one-time bad boy has made a complete transformation turning into a loving boyfriend, a doting father and even a pianist! With another baby on the way for Kourtney and Scott, it seems like things couldn't be better for this happy couple.

Pit: Kim's Fairytale Comes to an End
In the much anticipated season finale, Kim has finally reached her breaking point. With Kourtney and Scott by her side, she revealed that her marriage was over. "You don't think I feel embarrassed that I fell in love and I really thought I was and then like I look back now and it's not what I want?" she cried. "I fell in love with a guy and, like, it's not what I thought it would be. Everyone sees I'm a different person. I'm such a bitch. Like, I'm just not myself and I'm not happy and it happened way too fast. I didn't know." Kim elected not to air the actual conversation of their marriage ending, saying that she wanted to handle this issue privately, but from the looks of it, it seemed as if this decision was inevitable.

What did you think of the season finale of Kourtney and Kim Take New York? Let us know in the comments.

Related Photos

• The Evolution Of: Kim Kardashian

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678129/kourtney-and-kim-take-new-york-season-finale.jhtml

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[OOC] Matryoshka

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Matryoshka?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Matryoshka"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

Annaky

Member for 2 years

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I'd like to reserve a female Matryoshka spot.

CountessMomo

Member for 0 years

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Reserve the girl please~ I really like the RP btw.^^

AmiOfTheRain

Member for 1 years

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I'd like to reserve a male Matryoshka spot plz??

Mat_z6

Member for 1 years

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May I reserve a female Matryoshka?

(Since I'm normally a lunatic, this is the perfect RP for me. XD)

Because.

KuruLesperance

Member for 1 years

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Scrath that i'll do a female Matryoshka as well. Kuru is right this should also bring out some of the crazy in me :DD

Emily3456

Member for 2 years

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Hello Annaky! May I be reserve for a Male Matryoshka please?

DarknessToDeath23

Member for 2 years

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Post a reply

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Panetta cites key intelligence on bin Laden raid (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is acknowledging publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor provided key information to the U.S. in advance of the successful Navy SEAL assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last May.

Panetta told CBS's "60 Minutes," in a profile to be broadcast on Sunday, that Shakil Afridi helped provide intelligence for the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden's presence in the compound. He has since been charged by Pakistan with treason. Panetta said he is "very concerned" for the doctor.

Panetta also told "60 Minutes" that he remains convinced that someone in the Pakistani government "must have had some sense" that a person of interest was in the compound. He added that he has no proof that Pakistan knew it was bin Laden.

The Pakistani government had hoped to resolve the Afridi matter quietly, once media attention died down, perhaps releasing him to U.S. custody, according to two Pakistani officials. They requested anonymity because the investigation into charges the doctor behaved treasonously was ongoing.

___

AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_panetta_pakistan

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Glee's Lea Michele fills closet with Candie's (AP)

NEW YORK ? Lea Michele is moving from a locker to a much bigger closet. She's the star of the new Candie's ad campaign, dubbed "Hanging at Home," shot at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. The images show her poolside, in the kitchen, in a bed with satin sheets and in a walk-in closet, wearing a new outfit and pair of shoes in each one.

The 25-year-old star of "Glee" is following in the high-heel footprints of former brand spokeswomen Britney Spears and Fergie, among others. Michele says she particularly liked Spears' old ads. "I think they're fun and flirty and show off her body great."

Michele does a little showing off here, too, with some sexy poses, some silly poses and some glamorous ones.

Anyone who has seen Michele do a turn on the red carpet knows she's got her moves down for the camera.

She has become a "get" for designers eager to show off their gowns on a hot, young starlet. At the recent Golden Globes, she wore a silver Marchesa gown that was straight from the runway.

Her sentimental favorite gown, though, was probably the one she wore to her first Globes in 2010: a black, strapless Oscar de la Renta with a full skirt.

Other tidbits from Michele in an email interview:

AP: What was your wardrobe like in high school?

Michele: My wardrobe in high school was very simple. Jeans and maybe a sweatshirt and sneakers.

AP: Is there a style trend that you love?

Michele: I love wide-leg, high-waisted pants. If done the right way, they're very chic.

AP: Is there a trend you wish would go away?

Michele: Feathers in people's hair!

AP: Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Michele: I LOVE beauty products. Face and body creams are my obsession.

The Candie's brand is available exclusively at Kohl's Department Stores.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fashion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_en_tv/us_fea_fashion_lea_michele_candie_s

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The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store (AP)

iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Jan. 23, 2012:

Top Songs:

1. "Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj)," David Guetta

2. "Set Fire to the Rain," ADELE

3. "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," Kelly Clarkson

4. "Rack City," Tyga

5. "Good Feeling," Flo Rida

6. "Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars)," Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg

7. "We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)," Rihanna

8. "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO

9. "Domino," Jessie J

10. "Ni(asterisk)(asterisk)as in Paris," Kanye West, JAY Z

___

Top Albums:

1. "21", ADELE

2. "Take Care," Drake

3. "El Camino," The Black Keys

4. "Bangarang," Skrillex

5. "Kidz Bop 21," Kidz Bop Kids

6. "Mylo Xyloto," Coldplay

7. "Joyful Noise (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)," Various Artists

8. "This Means War," Attack Attack!

9. "Lana Del Rey," Lana Del Rey

10. "Making Mirrors," Gotye

___

(copyright) 2012 Apple, Inc.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_mu/us_itunes_music_top10

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'Citizen Kane' to be shown at Hearst Castle (AP)

SAN SIMEON, Calif. ? The 1941 film "Citizen Kane" will be shown at Hearst Castle, the elaborate California estate built by the newspaper magnate who inspired Orson Welles' cinema classic.

The Los Angeles Times says (http://lat.ms/wx3lpV) "Citizen Kane" will be shown March 9 at the visitor center theater as part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, with the blessing of the late William Randolph Hearst's family.

Hearst sought to derail the movie, which portrayed the rise and fall of an obsessively controlling character, and festival director Wendy Eidson says it has probably never been seen at the estate, which is now a state park.

Great-grandson Steve Hearst says it will be presented as a work of fiction rather than as a documentary about the media tycoon.

___

Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_en_mo/us_citizen_kane_hearst_castle

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Mom Is My Wingman

Advances | More Science See Inside

Male monkeys who live at home have more luck with females

By Joan Raymond ?| January 22, 2012

Image: Courtesy Carla B. Possamai/Federal University of Espirito Santo

Human males living with their moms may not expect to have much luck hooking up this Valentine?s Day. But among the northern muriqui monkeys, males that spend the most time around their mothers seem to get an added boost when mating time rolls around.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, suggest that females in some species may have evolved to play a critical role in their sons? reproductive success. Karen Strier, the paper?s lead author and a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin?Madison, says the paper ?extends? the so-called grandmother hypothesis, a concept in which human females evolved to live past their prime reproductive years to spend more time helping offspring.

The research team observed and collected genetic data from a group of 67 wild monkeys living in a protected reserve in Brazil?s Atlantic Forest: infants, mothers and possible sires. They found that six out of the 13 adult males they studied spent more time in close proximity to their mothers than would be expected by chance. These same six monkeys, on average, sired the greatest number of offspring.

The investigators are still trying to figure out why. ?It?s not like we see moms intervening and helping their sons out,? Strier says. ?Maybe by sitting near their moms, they get to see when females are sexually active, or maybe they just get more familiar with other females.? Strier also found that there was no inbreeding among sons and their close female relatives, a process that might also be mediated by mothers. ?Mating may be less random than we think, perhaps because of the influence of the mothers,? she says.

The findings can help with future conservation efforts for the critically endangered species. ?The last thing we would want to do is take a male out of its natal group,? Strier observes.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c8208b27e2b1daf66e194f9ed6242cd1

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No whooping cough deaths in California last year

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? No Californian died from whooping cough in 2011, the first year since 1991 that there have been no deaths in the state from the highly infectious illness.

Public health officials credit greater awareness, faster diagnosis and a new state law requiring that middle and high school students get a booster shot.

The news Tuesday comes after the state experienced a whooping cough epidemic in 2010 in which 9,000 people were infected and 10 infants died.

Though infections remained high last year, no deaths were reported.

Dr. Gil Chavez of the state Department of Public Health says authorities are waiting to see how this year goes before declaring the epidemic over. But he says the state is headed in the right direction.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-24-California%20Whooping%20Cough/id-8e8ed66177724a5ba2de943e2ee0cf9d

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Anne Nivat: Afghanistan, An Indecent Silence

It's rarely talked about on television anymore, and the images are few and far between. When there are images, they're always the same -- soldiers trekking through sand-colored highland villages under the suspicious gaze of stoic men. Commentators have left the scene, leaving the usual suspects to repeat the same sound bites over and over again. And yet, the war that shook Afghanistan -- and in which France has actively participated for a decade -- is not over. On Friday morning, four unarmed French soldiers were killed on a base near Kapisa by a man wearing an Afghani uniform. Their death, reported by a nearly indifferent media, was a cruel reminder that the war continues.

Given the scale of losses, and his incomprehensible stance on the war, President Sarkozy was unable to avoid his recent shocking declaration, in which he implied an early return for the French army. This was a complete reversal of all his previous statements, in which he stressed his plans to remain in Afghanistan.

For ten years, over 50,000 of our soldiers have gone through the "Afghan theater," as it is nicely referred to in military jargon. 82 have not come home. Very shabby theater indeed. Even though the pride of our military has been felt -- the pride of having participated in a large scale OPEX (External Operation), of having fought "at an American level" for a decade, of feeling like a great nation capable of so much -- all that's left today is weariness and doubt.

But this weariness and doubt, whether felt by officers or enlisted men, is kept quiet. Each soldier knows that nobody is interested -- not even his friends, let alone the public. Only his immediate family knows what's really on his mind. Imagine when, at a bar, your friends ask you to explain what really happened in Afghanistan, how many people you took out, and you have to explain that you, in fact, did not kill anyone. No, you did not shoot one single bullet, did not even see anything close to the Taliban. Because that is the other side of war: waiting, watching, knowing that you are being watched, not understanding, doubting, and being killed.

But who sent the military to Afghanistan? Who made the decision at the highest level that France would join in this war, would participate gallantly in an international coalition dominated by U.S. forces, both in terms of finances and resources? Politicians. Our politicians, those that we have had the opportunity to elect in our good old democratic society, where elections are not distorted like they are in distant lands, where we are quick to give lessons in democracy. The politicians that we are about to elect again in less than three months.

So why are they silent? Why, during the Socialist primary, which were covered to death by the media, no one even dared to utter the word "Afghanistan?" Except Martine Aubry, who only mentioned it during the last ten seconds of the third debate to point out that no one had talked about it.

Why, on the side of the majority, do we continue to hear the same awkward silence, the same ignorance of the realities on the ground? Why is it, that for every French soldier that dies in Afghanistan, the same official, impersonal statement is copied, pasted, and used again, with only the name, age, and rank changed? In Canada, a high-ranking soldier always gives a short speech on the life of the individual who has sacrificed his life in the name of who-really-knows-what. The official may not have known the fallen soldier, but this ritual at least honors the dead. And the media are there, with the consent of the families, to film the departure of the coffin from Afghanistan, its arrival in Canada, and the journey to its final resting place. People gather on bridges and roads, some waving flags, to pay tribute. "These are images of what would never happen here in France," have confessed so many saddened French soldiers to me.

Why? Are we ashamed of what we have done -- or not done -- in Afghanistan? Has this topic become taboo? What prevents us from talking about it, from dumping it into the public sphere for discussion, alongside the loss of France's triple-A rating, PIP implants, and Jean-Luc M?lenchon's calling Marine Le Pen "semi-insane," etc..

I prefer to think that our politicians are silent out of complete ignorance, merely following the American example, and daring not to raise an issue that is seen with such ambiguity by the French population (the real question is: have we won or lost the war?). I dare not think that they are silent because they know. They know that this war is no longer "fashionable" and that with the current planned troop withdrawal for 2014, the pack of journalists have abandoned the field. They know that the strategies against Afghan insurgencies have not worked (On Friday, this hostile act against our soldiers was perpetrated; on December 29, 2011, two legionnaires were also shot and killed on a secure base by Afghan police officers that were trained and armed by us, Westerners). They know that we have not won the confidence of the indigenous people, or that we have not won enough. They know that "Afghanization," a pure marketing ploy to help sell a departure "with our heads held high," is second-rate. They know all of this, but they say nothing.

So, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed candidates: what do you have to offer on the subject of Afghanistan, beyond the mandatory question of withdrawal? You, politicians who have been unable to organize even a parliamentary debate, answer. Enter the discussion, and draw conclusions about this military engagement -- it has cost us many lives, and yet it is still neither approved of or understood by the public. After ten years, we still lack clear and convincing answers.

Anne Nivat is a freelance reporter and author of The Fog of War, Fayard, 2011.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-nivat/afghanistan-war_b_1222350.html

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San Jose knows its way out of housing mess

Lately economists and investors have been debating whether the housing market has hit bottom. It?s a complicated picture on a national level, but zoom in and it?s possible to identify cities that have not only reached a bottom, but are beginning to experience a recovery.

Take San Jose, Calif. The Golden State has gotten a lot of attention for its economic woes, but San Jose is a veritable oasis of prosperity. Employment in the capital of Silicon Valley is expected to expand 3.3 percent this year and it logged net in-migration in 2010 of 4,840 people. Job and population growth are fueling housing demand: New home construction in the area was up a whopping 97 percent in 2011?s third quarter compared to the year earlier.

San Jose is one of 10 metro areas that Forbes deems ripe for a real estate rebound. The folks at Local Market Monitor, a Cary, N.C.-based real estate research firm, helped us compile this list, sorting through housing and economic data for the 100 most populous cities and their surrounding suburbs, defined as Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. LMM assessed the change in home prices over the past 12 months and three years (on the latter, our reasoning is that markets that lost less value in the housing bust have the potential to recover faster), unemployment rates, 12-month job-growth projections, the change in population from 2006 through 2009 (the most recent data available from the U.S. Census) and new-home construction rates for the third quarter of 2011 as compared to the same quarter in 2010.

Forbes.com slideshow: Cities where real estate is ripe for a rebound

All of the cities that made our list share one common factor: a relatively strong job market. ?For real estate to do well you want to see two things: that incomes are growing rapidly like they are in a market like San Jose ? and that the growth in jobs attracts other people to that market,? says Ingo Winzer, founder and president of Local Market Monitor. However, job growth should be looked at as a bullish housing indicator only if the unemployment rate is already relatively low ? that suggests local companies are creating new jobs rather than rehiring for positions they cut during the recession.

That seems to be the case in Boston. The New England hub has a low 5.7 percent unemployment rate thanks to the presence of more than 100 universities and colleges in the metro area and a variety of biotech and financial services companies. ?Income is well above average. The housing boom was mild, with a 16 percent rise in prices followed by a 10 percent drop. The recession also was mild, with jobs down just 2 percent,? explains Winzer. Clear Capital and Trulia also have positive forecasts for Beantown this year, and many of its neighborhoods graced Forbes? 2011 Most Expensive ZIP Codes list for the first time. Other college towns offering real estate promise are Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C.

Oil doesn?t just heat homes, it also heats up a housing market. Cities where oil and natural gas are key components of the local economy have not only fared well in the downturn, they?ve thrived. In Houston, where the heavy concentration of energy companies has earned it the nickname ?Baghdad on the Bayou,? home prices shot up 21 percent from 2002 to 2007 and rather than falling, have stayed close to those 2007 levels since. The population has grown at nearly triple the national rate and median income is above average. Houston and other Lone Star cities also didn?t succumb to the levels of overbuilding that cities in neighboring Sun Belt states did, either.

Forbes.com: Cities where home prices are falling dangerously

Two surprising entrants on our list are Pittsburgh, Pa., and Rochester, N.Y., industrial-era boomtowns that went through several decades of economic decline. Pittsburgh has been one of the most stable housing markets over the past five years: Prices have been more or less flat since the market peak in 2007. Home prices in Rochester have dropped 15 percent since 2007, but its economy has managed to stabilize and hang onto jobs. Pittsburgh and Rochester "are not high-growth markets yet, and they haven?t attracted new people yet,? says Winzer. ?But they are both creating new kinds of jobs ? high-tech and medical research-related jobs ? and that?s why ? they will do better than most markets this year.?

Another city on our list that has gone through tough times is New Orleans. The Big Easy sports a relatively low 6.5 percent unemployment rate, a forecast for 1.9 percent job growth this year and a steady influx of newcomers. ?It is a really different kind of market because it is still heavily affected by what happened with Hurricane Katrina,? notes Winzer. The port city boasts an economy fueled by energy, tourism and construction. ?The real estate situation is complicated by the large number of properties destroyed. Now that the economy seems to have stabilized, renewed population growth will spur new construction.?

One of the things to remember when looking at home price data for these recovery-ready markets is that price drops or increases of one, two, or 3 percent are a pittance compared to the double-digit percentage drops common in recent years. Real estate experts like Winzer agree that price fluctuations of 3 percent or less generally indicate that a market is stabilizing. If a city hovers within that range for several quarters or a year, it?s probably safe to say that market has found its bottom. All of the metro areas on our list have almost undoubtedly found their bottoms. New home construction, which remains depressed for nearly every market across the country, should take off in these markets later in the year. ?Once these markets are truly recovering, you will see a doubling in activity,? asserts Winzer. ?It?s the last thing that happens.?

Forbes.com: A $1.5 million cave house in the arizona desert??
Forbes.com: Homes of the future, on sale now
Forbes.com: America?s 25 best-performing cities??
Forbes.com: Where americans are hunting for homes

? 2012 Forbes.com

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46063283/ns/business-forbes_com/

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In SC, Romney says he'll win some, lose some

One supporter waves an American flag, and other waves a campaign banner, during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

One supporter waves an American flag, and other waves a campaign banner, during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters during a campaign rally, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) ? Mitt Romney is heading into primary day conceding that he'll win some and lose some.

Romney on Friday acknowledged the contest here is "neck-and-neck" and said he expects to lose "some primaries" to rival Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker.

As voters head to the polls Saturday, Romney and Gingrich both planned to appear at the same breakfast restaurant in the morning. Both campaigns refused to change their schedules Friday night, potentially setting up a face-off between the two men ahead of the polls closing.

The past week has been an abrupt reversal of fortune for the former Massachusetts governor, who landed here last Wednesday after a big victory in New Hampshire and what was then a narrow win in Iowa.

But this week the Iowa GOP reversed his win there after problems with the vote count, and he's been dogged by questions about releasing his tax returns. And instead of emerging from South Carolina with three wins and a seeming lock on the GOP nomination, Romney and his team are now acknowledging they could lose here. That would leave the putative front-runner with just one early state win heading into Florida's Jan. 31 primary.

Romney's campaign planned at least two campaign stops Saturday ahead of polls closing. He planned to visit his campaign headquarters and Tommy's Country Ham House, where Gingrich also planned to stop. Romney was to end the day in Columbia, the state capital.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-21-Romney/id-01b3a5f1a3414f49901aae69c3802d88

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Car bomb kills at least 9 in Iraq's Mosul (Reuters)

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) ? A car bomb exploded inside a residential complex for displaced Shi'ite Muslims in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday, killing at least nine people and wounding five, hospital and police sources said.

The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on Shi'ite targets since a political crisis erupted a month ago threatening the survival of Iraq's fragile power-sharing government following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

A Reuters reporter at the scene of the blast in a small village of Shi'ites from the Shabak minority said the explosion left a shallow crater four meters across and flesh scattered nearby. A taxi shattered by shrapnel lay 30 meters from the explosion with pools of blood beneath it.

"All this because of the political conflict over government posts and we are the poorest people paying the price," Abu Ebrahem, a village resident, told Reuters. "They want to agitate sectarian unrest, but they won't succeed."

Police said they found another car bomb at the scene and closed the area for several hours to defuse it.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualty toll.

Political tensions in Iraq have been high since December, when Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government ordered the arrest of a Sunni vice president, touching off a crisis that many fear will bring a relapse into sectarian conflict.

On Saturday, a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman killed at least 53 people and wounded scores in an attack on Shi'ite pilgrims at a checkpoint in the southern city of Basra.

Mosul, in northern Iraq, was once an al Qaeda stronghold, and witnessed some of the fiercest fighting during the war that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The eastern outskirts of Mosul form part of the disputed areas between the central government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region Government in the north.

The disputed territories between Iraqi Arabs and Kurds are seen as a flashpoints for possible conflict after the last American troops left Iraq in December, nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

(Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Patrick Markey and Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence

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First Read - Perry's legal team appeals VA ballot ruling

By NBC's Pete Williams

With time running out for Virginia to finish printing ballots for its March 6 primary, lawyers for Rick Perry are asking a federal appeals court to either order state election officials to include his name or to stop preparing them until the court fight is over.

Perry and three other Republicans who failed to qualify for the ballot -- Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman -- lost the first round of their legal battle on Friday, when a federal judge ruled that they came to court too late. They might well be right, said Judge John Gibney, that it's unconstitutional for Virginia to prevent out-of-state residents from gathering signatures to qualify for the ballot.?

But Judge Gibney said the candidates waited too long to challenge the law. He said they knew the rules for circulating petitions as far back as last summer, but waited until late December to go to court.

Over the weekend, Perry's lawyers took the case to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. It's unreasonable, they argue, to expect that Perry and the others would challenge the state's election rules in advance. "Candidates for the presidency are focused on running for president, not on fighting legal battles to pre-emptively hold state election laws unconstitutional," they said.???

But Virginia authorities respond that Perry's campaign has been slow to pursue the issue from the beginning. They say that although he declared for president in August, his campaign did not hire a Virginia company to help gather signatures in the state until late October.?

The state says the company might actually have gathered enough signatures, but then had problems of its own. The agent in charge of the petition effort, the state says, was suddenly hospitalized. "It is entirely possible that the critical number of signatures were simply lost," the state's legal brief says.

Lawyers for Gingrich said he, too, would challenge last week's ruling but have yet to file their appeal documents. And because Huntsman has dropped out of the race, he will likely abandon his challenge.?

Source: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/16/10167945-perrys-legal-team-appeals-va-ballot-ruling

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Join Our Golden Globes 2012 Live Blog!

If you thought Ricky Gervais was inappropriate at the Golden Globes last year, just wait ??the British comedian is back for another round of offending the Hollywood elite this year, and we've got a feeling he's looking to up the ante.
The Golden Globes are tonight, and it's not just the Gervais gags that we're tuning [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/15/golden-globes-2012-live-blog/

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Compton tales always involve his hearts

Erik Compton drives onto the 17th hole during the third round of the Sony Open golf tournament, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Erik Compton drives onto the 17th hole during the third round of the Sony Open golf tournament, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Erik Compton eyes his putt on the 16th hole during the third round of the Sony Open golf tournament, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

HONOLULU (AP) ? Justin Leonard finished hitting wedges on the range Sunday morning and had moved on to irons as he worked his way through the bag before the final round of the Sony Open. Erik Compton arrived and took the spot next to him.

About 10 minutes later, Leonard was surprised to hear the sound of a shot from over his shoulder. He turned to see Compton bending to tee up another ball.

"You're hitting driver already?" Leonard said.

Compton smiled and joked back, "I used to come out and just hit four drivers on the Nationwide Tour."

One couldn't help but wonder if that was yet another physical restriction for Compton, who already has had two heart transplants. Turns out it was the design of this range, which has a prevailing left-to-right wind that might lead to bad habits for the shape of his shot.

Compton, though, is used to every query involving his heart.

From the time he played in the 2001 Walker Cup, if not before, his story is well known, and no less amazing.

Because of viral cardiomyopathy as a kid, he had his first heart transplant when he was 12. He suffered a heart attack on Oct. 3, 2007, and drove himself to the hospital with his heart running at 15 percent capacity. His second heart transplant was seven months later, and five months later made the cut on the PGA Tour while playing on a sponsor's exemption.

The highlight for Compton, at least on the golf course, came last summer when he won the Mexico Open on the Nationwide Tour, which coupled with good results earlier, assured him of finishing in the top 25 on the money list and graduating to the big leagues.

The Sony Open was his 31st start on the PGA Tour, his 20th since getting a third heart, his first as a full-fledged member. As if anyone could doubt a fighting spirit, he was headed toward a missed cut until finishing birdie-eagle to make the cut on the number.

With another cut in effect Saturday, Compton made a 10-foot birdie on the last hole that pushed him through to Sunday. It was worth another round, a small example of how the 32-year-old from Miami just keeps going.

There have been suggestions of a book, perhaps even a movie, of his life.

Hollywood would have no trouble finding the storybook ending. Going through a heart transplant to be a college success and play in the Walker Cup. Surviving a second heart transplant. Returning to play golf. Winning on the Nationwide Tour. Reaching the PGA Tour.

Where does it end?

"I don't think my story is quite done yet," Compton said. "I think sometimes Hollywood wants an ending, and something that's going to see is never good enough. You have to win a PGA event, and then you have to win a major, and then you have to win a Grand Slam, and then you've got to be the president of the United States.

"It's just a tough story to write, because it's still in the process," Compton said.

The hype over books and movies has subsided recently, which is OK with Compton. For all the trauma he has endured, despite a road to the PGA Tour unmatched by anyone in history, what appeals to him is the feel of a crisp shot, the satisfaction of making a big putt, a number on the card, a spot on the leaderboard.

"I just really want to be able to compete and be able to make a difference," he said.

One of these days, Compton will get the same questions as most everyone else on the PGA Tour ? details of the round, key shots, being in contention, coping with nerves going into the weekend with a chance.

He's different, though, because while he wants to be a golfer and achieve as much as he can, he has a story to tell about transplants. If nothing else, Compton can inspire hope.

He has a partnership with Genetec, which uses human genetic information to develop medicine to treat serious or life-threatening conditions. Compton describes it as a "perfect fit."

"We're trying to promote more organ donor awareness and trying to get more people to donate organs because there's a shortage," he said. "By me playing and being able to share my story, I think people will realize that it really is a real thing and it affects normal people every day. So I think that's kind of the two sides of me ? the player and the transplant side to it.

"I've done a good job of being able to balance that when I get on the golf course," he said. "I just feel like a regular person, and being able to play successful and good golf for me is just being healthy."

But he is finding some normalcy in the clubhouse, on the putting green, at lunch, on the golf course.

"When I go in the locker room, they just look at me like I'm a regular player," he said. "None of the players ever ask me, and I kind of respect that, because they understand that I'm getting that on the other end. But I kind of blend in. I'm not like a superstar that people think. I'm just a regular guy, and I look like a regular guy."

Compton can't think of an interview when someone didn't mention his heart, "unless it was a reporter that didn't have the background or didn't have a clue." That's OK. He expects to get that as long as he's playing golf, and he doesn't mind talking about it.

Part of him looks forward to the day when he gets the same questions that Jeff Maggert received on Saturday after tying for the lead, or Brendon de Jonge on Friday after he switched back to his old putter and shot 62.

Or maybe not.

"When I see some interviews, they can be boring to me," he said. "I mean, how much can you talk about golf?"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-15-GLF-Sony-Open-Compton/id-fceba0d2997a49d9bcd11bc61703cccc

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Ricky Gervais On The Golden Globes

www.esquire.com:

The comedian talks about Churchill, Caligula, Gandhi, being invited back to the Globes, and why he'll never host the Oscars. And honesty.

Read the whole story: www.esquire.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/13/ricky-gervais-interview-golden-globes_n_1201789.html

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Bahrain fires tear gas, stun grenades to halt protesters

Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters

Anti-government protesters take cover as riot police fire tear gas during a protest in Manama on Thursday night.

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

Updated at 9:50 a.m. ET:

Protests in Bahrain appear to have picked up recently despite the findings released in November of a government-backed? commission established to investigate abuses by the government and security forces, Mariwan Hama-Saeed of Human Rights Watch says.

"We were expecting (the government) just to ease up on these people, but since this report was published we've seen crackdowns every day," he says.

---

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), set-up by the government in June, found that security forces had engaged in a patterns of serious human rights abuses, including the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment of detainees and denial of fair trial guarantees.

The government of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has pledged to respond to the commission's findings, but an estimated hundreds remain in detention in the wake of the protests, with at least 23 of them being leaders of Bahrain's political opposition, Hama-Saeed says.

Published at 3:25 a.m. ET:

Bahraini security forces violently broke-up a protest in the Gulf kingdom's capital Friday, using tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the marchers, the BBC reported.

More than 3,000 people participated in the protest, which the government said was illegal, the BBC reported.

The march was led by leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was beaten by security forces on Friday, Jan. 6, according to Human Rights Watch.

"We are using the streets peacefully. We are marching for our rights," Rajab told the BBC.

Human Rights Watch on Friday called on authorities to "immediately halt attacks on peaceful protesters."

Bahrain, where members of the Shiite majority began protesting against the country's Sunni royal family in February, is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

On Thursday, the government said it would rebuild 12 Shiite mosques demolished by authorities during the unrest.?

The work seeks to address allegations of abuses raised by an independent report on the uprising.

As part of the widespread crackdowns, Bahraini authorities razed Shiite mosques they claimed were built illegally or had other violations.

Over 35 people are thought to have died in the unrest on the island nation in the Gulf off the Coast of Saudi Arabia, which has a population of around 1.2 million.

Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10146162-bahrain-fires-tear-gas-stun-grenades-to-halt-protesters

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Pitch Now: Intel Awarding Young Entrepreneurs With $100K For Whizbang Business Ideas

Intel knows a thing or two about technology and innovation. Hey, that's why they hired Will.i.am as "director of creative innovation". (Wink.) Really, in the same way that it's catalyzed change in the computing industry (and helped bring modern microprocessing to life), in December Intel launched a platform designed to give young entrepreneurs the opportunity to bring their own innovative ideas to life.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3df9vRof74s/

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Stock prices fall on European credit rumors

Stock prices fell in morning? trading Friday after a rare earnings miss for JPMorgan Chase reports swirled that European governments may get their ratings cut soon. Stock prices dragged the Dow down 159 points in the first hour of trading.

Stock prices fell in morning trading after a rare earnings miss for JPMorgan Chase, the country's largest bank, and as reports swirled that European governments may get their ratings cut soon.

Skip to next paragraph

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 103 points to 12,368 shortly after noon. That's a drop of 0.8 percent. The Dow was down as much as 159 points in the first hour of trading.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. led the Dow lower, losing 3.5 percent. Bank stocks fell broadly. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. dropped 8 percent.

It was the first earnings miss for JPMorgan since the final quarter of 2007, a period in which a credit crunch began taking a toll on financial markets. The thinking is that if JPMorgan, widely considered one of the best managed big banks, had trouble in the fourth quarter of 2011, the rest of the industry may have trouble, too.

"JPMorgan is the gold standard," said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors. "So what happens to the banks that aren't quite as strong and aren't quite as well managed."

It's called the "cockroach theory" on trading desks, Orlando said. "You never see just one cockroach. If you see one, you know there's bound to be a lot more."

The euro fell to its lowest level in 17 months after reports came out that Standard & Poor's may follow through on warnings to cut credit ratings for European governments. The euro dropped 1.2 percent against the dollar to $1.26. Borrowing costs for Italy and Spain, two countries at the center of the region's debt crisis, increased.

The dollar and U.S. Treasury prices rose as investors moved money into lower-risk assets. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell to 1.84 percent from 1.93 percent late Thursday.

Standard & Poor's warned Dec. 5 that 15 countries that use the euro were at risk of getting downgraded, citing higher borrowing costs for top-rated governments and ongoing disagreements among European leaders.

The weakness at JPMorgan opened the season for bank earnings on a sour note. Though a pickup in the stream of U.S. earnings may help steer markets over the coming days, Europe's debt crisis is likely to remain the focus.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 12, or 0.9 percent to 1,283. The Nasdaq composite fell 22, or 0.8 percent, to 2,703.

Even with Friday's fall, all three indexes remain on track to post gains for the second straight week.

Among stocks making larger moves than the overall market Friday:

? Diamond Foods Inc., which makes Emerald Nuts, plunged 13 percent after The Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry into its financial practices. The Journal also reported that two large shareholders have dumped most of their stakes in the company.

? Safeway Inc. rose 1 percent. An analyst at Jefferies placed a "buy" rating on the stock on the expectation that the grocery store chain will benefit from an improving job market, especially in California.

? Alpha Natural Resources fell 9 percent, the largest loss in the S&P 500. The coal company bought Massey Energy last year, and the U.S. Department of Justice is considering whether to prosecute those who ran Massey when its Big Branch mine exploded in 2010.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Dcammoorgqk/Stock-prices-fall-on-European-credit-rumors

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Epstein not counting Cubs out for next season

/

By ANDREW SELIGMAN

updated 8:29 p.m. ET Jan. 14, 2012

CHICAGO - For all the talk about the Chicago Cubs' future, Theo Epstein isn't ready to write them off for next season.

The club's new president of baseball operations says the Cubs just might surprise a few people even though there are question marks on the roster and holes in the farm system.

Epstein sees each season as a "sacred opportunity to win" and insists the Cubs "have more talent than we're given credit for."

"Check back in the middle of the season," Epstein said Saturday during a question-and-answer session with fans at the Cubs Convention. "We might just have the ability to really surprise some people, do some damage in the National League Central."

Chicago is undergoing a major overhaul, and a quick turnaround appears unlikely. There were some rumblings the Cubs were eyeing Prince Fielder, particularly after they hired manager Dale Sveum from Milwaukee's staff, but don't count on that.

"There haven't been any discussions with us with Prince," said Sveum, the Brewers' hitting coach the past three seasons after serving as their bench coach and third-base coach. "He's a heck of a player. He's probably one of my favorite guys that I've ever coached, but that's just not going to happen. We have a first baseman in Bryan LaHair and (prospect Anthony) Rizzo waiting in the wings as well. We're doing OK with big power, left-handed hitters right now."

They're OK in their fans' eyes, too.

There's a big sense of optimism surrounding the Cubs as they try to break a championship drought that dates to 1908. Long-suffering fans are hopeful that Epstein along with new general manager Jed Hoyer can turn things around and help bring home that elusive title, just as they did in Boston.

They see a plan. They see a roster getting overhauled. They see reason to have hope, and right there with them are the owners, the Ricketts family.

Chairman Tom Ricketts said, "2011 wasn't what we wanted it to be on the field, but off the field, we've added some people that I think will get the organization going in the right direction. And I think we have a bright future."

He said president Crane Kenney was the one who actually requested permission from Boston to speak to Epstein, and after negotiations began, they flew him in for a clandestine meeting in Chicago. The secret got out when a fan spotted Epstein at a Starbucks and told the Chicago Tribune.

"We were so secret," Ricketts said. "We flew him in secretly, we picked him up secretly, all these things. And then he hops out of the car to get an iced coffee. If you're going to go to Starbucks, why didn't you just fly in on United and put up a billboard?"

That misstep aside, Ricketts knew he was the man for the job. The task is no small one.

Management has already started gutting the roster, with Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Pena and Carlos Zambrano gone. The Cubs have been stocking up on prospects along with young and inexpensive players with major league experience, beefing up the farm system while hoping low-risk investments pay big dividends.

"We'll be scratching and clawing, trying to acquire as many assets as we can," Epstein said. "Very bluntly, we don't have enough of them. We don't have enough good players. We don't have enough young players. We don't have enough players whose contributions on the field exceed or match their salary, so we're going to be scrapping and clawing to acquire those guys as we feel that they can maximize our competitiveness now and create that foundation for long-term success."

The Cubs have made a big commitment to their minor league system and scouting. They have an academy in the Dominican Republic in the works, hoping to tap into a fertile market, and although Epstein said the system is deeper than he expected, it is a bit thin at the higher levels.

"There aren't necessarily a lot of high-impact players that are close to the big leagues," Epstein said. "If there were, it would be one of the best systems in baseball. We're not. There's a lot of room for improvement, a lot of work to do to get where we want to be, but there are a number of interesting players. ... We do have a lot of depth, albeit at the lower levels. I think with a few more acquisitions and prospects and a solid draft, you're going to see our system start to creep up into the upper third ? which is a nice place to be."

NOTES: Tom Ricketts had little to say about a sexual assault allegation against star shortstop Starlin Castro, other than he hopes it gets resolved quickly. ... The Cubs announced they are adding the "Budweiser Patio" in the right-field bleacher section for the upcoming season. The plan calls for a 75-foot long LED board that will show information such as the pitch count along with a player's picture and statistics. The patio will accommodate groups of 50, 100 or 150 guests with seats and standing-room only tickets that will include all-inclusive food and beverage packages. ... Kenney, the president of business operations, also said the Cubs remain committed to renovating Wrigley Field rather than building a new ballpark. "We're here for good," he said.

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

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45998084/ns/sports-baseball/

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Canada welcomes Cuban reforms on eve of tour by Harper's Latin America minister

OTTAWA - The Conservative minister for Latin America is softening some of the Harper government's previous tough talk on Cuba.

This week, Diane Ablonczy, the junior foreign minister for the Americas, visits the communist Caribbean island ? which, at 135 kilometres from the southern tip of Florida, is both the closest sworn enemy of the United States and the favoured vacation choice of a million sun-seeking Canadians each year.

Ablonczy praises the ongoing economic reforms that Cuban President Raul Castro has instituted ? opening up private property ownership, new opportunity to hold select private sector jobs, the right to sell a used car ? since he took over the country from his legendary and ailing brother, Fidel, almost four years ago.

"We see a very significant process of economic reform and liberalization in Cuba," Ablonczy told The Canadian Press in a pre-trip interview.

Ablonczy does not necessarily believe this will lead to greater democratic freedoms any time soon in a country where the government exerts Soviet-era control over its 11 million citizens.

"Political change is not what Cuban leadership has in mind," she said.

"There's a lot of debate around these things and there's a lot of caution too. But Canada, as an investor in Cuba, with lots of people-to-people contact, wants to play as positive and constructive role as possible."

Ablonczy said Canada stands ready to share experiences and best practices "as Cuba moves forward, very gradually, towards some needed changes and modernization."

Her comments are a marked departure from the language employed by one of her predecessors in the portfolio, Peter Kent, who publicly chided the Castro regime on its human rights record almost three years ago.

His comments prompted Havana to rescind an invitation to visit in the spring of 2009. Kent eventually travelled to Cuba in late 2009, and he reported a successful visit that included discussions on trade and human rights.

Cuba is Canada's largest market in the Caribbean and Central American region, with two-way trade topping $1 billion in 2010. A Canadian oil and gas company, Sherritt International, is the largest foreign investor in Cuba.

Ablonczy, who has travelled widely in the region since her appointment last May, said she wants to form meaningful working relationships with her Cuban counterparts.

She said it's important to be very respectful of her hosts and "what they want to achieve and their own goals and objectives."

A leading voice in Canada's non-governmental agency community agreed there is opportunity for the government to have a meaningful impact on reform in Cuba.

Robert Fox, head of Oxfam Canada, recently concluded his own working tour of projects in Cuba and said there is good progress being made in municipal governance and in opening up the farming sector to more local participation.

That might not sound like much, but both are significant developments in Cuba, where the Castro regime allows no political dissent and virtually no capitalism.

Municipal councils are meeting and coming up with ideas on how they want to live in their communities, within the constraints of the central government's edicts, said Fox.

"In a country like Cuba, a decentralizing dynamic is also a democratizing dynamic."

Meanwhile, Cuban farmers are working on ways to grow and sell local products locally ? a significant step in a country that, despite massive swaths of fertile countryside, still imports most of its food.

"Canada continues to be seen in a positive way in Cuba. Canada has never conditioned its aid to Cuba. Cubans are very aware that there are a million Canadians who come to their country every year," said Fox.

"When we look to the changes in Cuba in terms of opening up to local markets and opening up to global markets, when we look to women's leadership and gender equality, when we look to municipal governments and local authorities, when we look to the co-op movement ? which are all areas that Cubans are taking to a new level ? those are all areas where Canada has huge strengths, huge capacity."

Canadian embassy diplomats in Havana expressed interest to Fox about strengthening municipal authorities and the agricultural sector.

Ablonczy said Canada does have expertise to offer in those areas but she said she would wait to see what topics her Cuban hosts raise with her.

Canada, she said, does not have all the answers and won't "take a lecturing approach."

Ablonczy is expected to have meetings with Cuba's ministers for foreign affairs, trade and tourism, as well as paying visits to Canadian-funded aid projects. She will also visit Panama and Guatemala in the coming week as well.

Overall, Ablonczy is a staunch defender of her government's efforts to open up economic opportunities throughout the region, even if it means trading and doing business with governments that have less-than-stellar rights records.

She said engagement can contribute to "important human rights advancement in these countries, providing the economic opportunity that is often key for people breaking free from tyranny and oppression?

"We've taken a very strong stand on wanting to be an active and positive force while being very clear about our concerns and our desire to see human rights continually addressed and advanced in all countries, including our own."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/08/canada-welcomes-cuban-ref_n_1192556.html

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