Friday, December 7, 2012

Why Jim DeMint's Would-Be Successor Refuses to Be 'The Black Republican'

Now that Jim DeMint has quit the Senate, here are two truths we already knew: One, the Republican Party will struggle to win national elections until it appeals to a broader voter set than its very white and male coalition. Two, Republican Rep. Tim Scott is black. But connecting Truth No. 1 and Truth No. 2 is a little awkward, because?marveling at any racial progress highlighted by Truth No. 2 makes it hard to ignore the history that created Truth No. 1. Scott appears to be the leading contender to replace DeMint, who gave up his South Carolina seat?to go?run the Heritage Foundation, hinting that he'd like Gov. Nikki Haley?to pick Scott as his sucessor. But Scott doesn't appear to like making a big deal out of being the first black Republican elected to the House from South Carolina since 1901 ? or the only black Republican in Congress right now. So it's a little tricky to talk about this ? the more recent history Scott might help start to re-write for the GOP right now ? without?dwelling too much on the history of affirmative action... and South Carolina.

RELATED: Jim DeMint Is Leaving the Senate Four Years Early

Scott seems, understandably, to not want his race to be the first thing you notice about him. Affirmative action is still a powerful force in the GOP, as we saw this election when Scott Brown attacked Elizabeth Warren for claiming she was American Indian as a law professor. "I'm not going to be 'the black Republican.' I'm going to be a Republican who happens to be black who will talk about issues that I'm passionate about that are specific to the agenda that I want to accomplish," Scott told the Christian Broadcasting Network in 2010. But since Florida Rep. Allen West lost his reelection in November, Scott will be the only black Republican in Congress when it returns for its next term. In early 2011,?Scott refused to join the Congressional Black Caucus, saying, "My campaign was never about race."?But fellow Republicans clearly noticed what he looks like. In March, Rep. Trey Gowdy told?National Journal's Ben Terris:

"We are naive if we don?t believe that certain topics are best broached and best discussed by people who come from certain community groups... He's in a prominent position in our party, and he should be."

Now that Scott is the presumed frontrunner to replace DeMint, Republicans are being less coy than using the word "certain." Like this: "It would be historic for an Indian American governor from the Deep South to appoint an African American to the U.S. Senate," a state Republican official told Talking Points Memo's Evan McMorris-Santoro. Surveying the political scene in the state,?CNN's Peter Hamby says,?"If [South Carolina Gov. Nikki] Haley does appoint someone from the South Carolina delegation, it's hard to imagine her passing over the state's lone African-American member of Congress."?

RELATED: Romney's Defense of Bain Doesn't Fit Into a Pithy Soundbite

In explaining Scott's solid chances for getting DeMint's seat, The Washington Post's Aaron Blake is more explicit than "certain." He writes, "Given the premium the Republican Party has placed on diversification since the 2012 election, adding Scott to its Senate caucus would be nothing but good." In this instance, however, sentences about how we've come so far are very quickly followed by sentences about how we have not come that far after all. Blake notes that it's unlikely that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will appoint herself to the seat, in part because:

[Haley] would be allowing her rival, state Senate Pro Tem Glenn McConnell (R), to become governor, which as we?ve written before is a tricky situation and could harm the party more broadly?(McConnell is a Confederate history buff who was once photographed alongside two African-Americans dressed as slaves).

Scott holds the late segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond's old House seat.?Y'all: Strom Thurmond was in the Senate in 2003. That's less than 10 years ago. You can't congratulate South Carolina on its progress without noticing it took so long.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-jim-demints-successor-refuses-black-republican-224359662.html

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Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom | HouseofFengShui ? oumtatovs Space ...

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In the bedroom

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Software guru McAfee hospitalized in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Software guru John McAfee, who is fighting deportation to Belize, was rushed to the hospital in Guatemala on Thursday after his lawyer said he suffered two mild heart attacks earlier in the day, Reuters witnesses said.

McAfee was carried out on a stretcher from an immigration service cottage where he was detained after crossing illegally into Guatemala from neighboring Belize. Police in Belize want to question McAfee in connection with his neighbor's murder.

(Reporting by Lomi Kriel and Sofia Menchu; Editing by Simon Gardner and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/software-guru-mcafee-hospitalized-guatemala-203450331--finance.html

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Steering Clear Of Typical Snowboarding Incidents

Snowboarding can be an enjoyable sports activity to execute however it holds threat that you should be familiar with. Almost nothing could are terrible to a greater extent in which reverting from the snowboarding excursion having a cracked leg or even sprained wrist joint. There are various of wide safety precautions you possibly can comply with to reduce your risk associated with a snowboarding wound that we will focus on.

Ensure that you have appearance for you to skiing. Coordinate for the winter sports getaway that has a preparation designed to advance key stableness along with muscle. Energy and leg strength is definitely primarily essential for you to help in avoiding accidents.

Put on acceptable levels regarding outfits, which do not restrict your motion. You don't wish being completely bulked up and struggling to transfer readily. If you fail to transfer you then are not able to snowboard appropriately and the complete joy factor is finished.

As with every some other sporty activity, heat up and cool off. Prior to deciding to hitting the actual inclines take the time warmup and extending to assist educate your system for action.

The most notable wound that a most of the snowboarders incur is often a wrist injury. Drops tend to be recurrent for the duration of snowboarding. The actual normal reply to a fall is always to loosen up a hand for you to disrupt the fall, and falls are likely to happen more regularly in novices. Because of this Colles bony injury Scaphoid along with bony injury of the wrist are a somewhat typical attribute, with some 100,000 wrist cracks globally amongst snowboarders yearly. Snowboarders ought to don wrist protects because they appreciably lessen the occurrence regarding wrist accidents in the course of drops. One more frequent wound is definitely head injuries encourage considerable findings. Headgear work in lowering the occurrence of modest concussions throughout lower speed crashes. Make sure to get these two once you perform your current purchasing snowboarding.

You could think it will help you save money, however in the finish it costs you hundreds and hundreds in clinic charges. Do not acquire products coming from buddies; the item considerably improves your own risk of harm. In case you are employing tools be sure you retain the services of from the suggested retailer. Make certain that every one of the apparatus matches effectively. This will aid keep off grave incidents along with unneeded declines on account of not fitted products.

One other good hint is actually Usage 'multiple-mode' release bindings if possible. The outstanding release obtainable in current bindings is simply one ingredient that has made it easier for reduce accidents. Backside release shoes or boots could substantially lessen the danger of ACL harm.

Do it yourself-try out your bindings each day. Home assessment of bindings is easy. Get yourself into the particular binding after which it twist sideways to produce the toe-piece beneath the command procedure. The heel could be analyzed simply by moving into the binding and tilting frontward, to discharge the heel-piece. The two toe and heel are able to launch if effectively modified.
One more Recommendation is always to continue with the FIS Policies intended for Carryout in Winter Sports.

1. Regard for different people

A skier or snowboarder need to respond so which he isn't going to jeopardize or even bias various other individuals.

2. Charge of velocity along with skiing or snowboarding

A skier or snowboarder need to move about in control condition. He must modify his pace as well as types of skiing or snowboarding in order to his particular potential and also to the prevalent problems of surfaces, snowfall and climate and also to the concentration of visitors.

3. Range of way

A skier or snowboarder coming initially from from behindhand ought to take his path so which he will not expose skiers or snowboarders in front.

4. Overtaking

A skier or snowboarder might surpass yet another skier or snowboarder below or above and also to the right or to the left so long as he simply leaves ample area regarding the overtaken skier or snowboarder for making some sort of voluntary or reflex action.

5. Stepping into, beginning in addition to shifting up

A skier or snowboarder going into reasonable run, commencing once again following preventing or relocating up about the inclines should search for along with straight down the actual inclines which often he are able to do in a way devoid of endangering himself or other people.

6. Halting around the piste

Until it really is essential, a skier or snowboarder should keep off ending around the piste in constrict areas or perhaps exactly where visibleness is fixed. Following a collapse this kind of position, a skier or snowboarder must shift away from the piste as quickly as possible.

7. Ascending as well as climbing down upon feet

A skier or snowboarder possibly ascending as well as climbing down by walking must continue with the part of the piste.

8. Regard for indicators along with marks

A skier or snowboarder need to value totally indicators and marks.

9. Help

At mishaps, every skier or snowboarder is responsibility certain to help.
10. Detection

Each and every skier or snowboarder and watcher, no matter whether a dependable company or otherwise, need to interchange names in addition to details soon after any sort of accident.

With these guidelines that were divulged to you you, I think you'll figured out a few things and may enjoy a secure getaway. Get back without hassle and begin preparing another.

About the Author:
Michael Pie, a passionate writer, he writes articles about different topics as a hobby. He Loves shoes especially mens dresses shoes and designer mens shoes.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Steering-Clear-Of-Typical-Snowboarding-Incidents/4260640

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro (AT&T)


Choosing a smartphone?can be tough, especially when you're choosing a tough smartphone?there just aren't that many options available. AT&T makes it easy with the $99.99 Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, the best rugged smartphone we've tested. It has a tough build, a powerful processor, and smoking fast LTE data speeds, offering an excellent balance of form and function, making it our latest Editors' Choice for rugged smartphones.

Design, Rugged Tests, and Call Quality
The Rugby Pro measures 5.04 by 2.65 by 0.50 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.6 ounces, which makes it a good deal bulkier than the Samsung Rugby Smart?, our previous top pick for rugged smartphones. Luckily, that bit of girth is channeled into a bigger display and much faster hardware. The back of the phone is textured black plastic, with a plastic silver lock to make sure it stays put. The sides of the phone, meanwhile, are made of thick, grippy, rubberized plastic.

The 4-inch, 800-by-480-pixel Super AMOLED display is bigger than the 3.7-inch screen on the Rugby Smart, but it's the same resolution, so it isn't as sharp. It still looks bright and saturated, though the PenTile pixel arrangement makes text and images appear fuzzy if you look very closely. The onscreen QWERTY keyboard is just large enough to type on comfortably, though, for some reason, I sometimes had trouble when trying to swipe across the screen horizontally. There are three clicky, textured physical function keys beneath the display, a covered 3.5mm headphone jack on the top, and a covered power port on the bottom. There's a Power button on the right and volume controls on the left, along with an extra, customizable key.

The phone meets U.S. military spec 810G for dust, humidity, rain, shock, and temperature. When all of its ports are tightly closed, you can submerge the Rugby Pro in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. I placed it in a container of water for 30 minutes with the screen on and it came back out just fine. But as far as dropping the phone, things aren't as reliable. I dropped the Rugby Pro onto the hard, rubbery floor of the PCMag Lab from a height of five feet about ten times. Roughly half of those times the phone's battery cover opened partially, secured only by the lock on the bottom. And twice the phone's battery became dislodged and nearly popped out. So while this phone can stand up to mild abuse, and probably isn't going to break from a fall like your standard smartphone might, you should still be careful with it.

The Rugby Pro uses AT&T's super-fast LTE network, which makes it the first rugged LTE smartphone we've tested. It scales down to HSPA+ where LTE isn't available, and connects to 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi on the 2.4GHz band. It also works a mobile hotspot to share your connection with additional devices with the appropriate data plan.

This is a good voice phone. Reception is strong, and calls sound full and clear in the earpiece, though there's a slight humming sound in the background. Speakerphone quality sounds fine, but it isn't loud enough to hear outdoors. Calls made with the phone sound clear, if a bit robotic, and feature good noise cancellation. In my tests, calls sounded clear over a?Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset and Samsung's Siri-like S Voice app worked well. Battery life was very good, at 12 hours and 40 minutes of talk time.

Processor and Apps
Rugged smartphones have been historically underpowered compared to their more fragile counterparts. Not so this time around. The Rugby Pro is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor, which beats the heck out of the single-core Rugby Smart. It performed very well in our benchmark tests, turning in scores similar to other top-tier phones like the Samsung Galaxy S III?. It doesn't match the quad-core performance of a phone like the LG Optimus G, but there aren't many quad-core phones out there yet. The Rugby Pro should be able to handle all of the 600,000+ apps and games in the Google Play store without a problem.

The Rugby Pro runs Android 4.0.4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" with Samsung's TouchWiz extensions. So far, Samsung hasn't announced if this phone will receive an update to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean." You get five customizable home screens that come preloaded with apps and widgets, some useful, and some not as much. There's a decent amount of bloatware, including an AT&T-branded messaging client and QR code scanner. You can't delete any of it, but you can disable it so it doesn't show up on your Apps page.

There are some useful preinstalled apps, like the aforementioned S Voice. It's not quite Siri, but it does a pretty nice job with voice commands and searches. There's also Kies Air, which lets you view your phone's contacts, messages, and media through a PC's Web browser.?

Samsung has added a tiny strip at the bottom of the home screen and Apps menu that allows you slide through pages just by dragging a finger over it, which is helpful. There are also a couple of motion-sensitive controls you can activate: You can flip the phone over to mute the ringer or any other sounds that are playing, and you can shake it to scan for compatible Bluetooth or Kies Air devices.

Multimedia and Conclusions
You get 4.87GB of free internal storage, and there's an empty microSD card slot under the battery (my 32GB and 64GB SanDisk cards worked fine). I was able to play back all of our audio test files except for FLAC, and sound quality was good over both wired headphones as well as Altec Lansing BackBeat?Bluetooth headphones. All of our test videos played back at resolutions up to 1080p, though audio stuttered on DivX files.

The 5-megapixel camera is average. Shutter speeds are a little slow, at 1.1 seconds to capture a photo. Both color and detail are slightly above average, and images tend to favor softness instead of noise. The video camera records 720p video at 30 frames per second indoors and out, though details were a little soft on video recorded indoors. There's also a 1.3-megapixel forward facing camera for self portraits and video chat.

If you need a tough smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is it. Not only is it tough, but it's just as powerful as many other of the high-end phones out there. The LG Optimus G has a more powerful quad-core processor and a larger, sharper display. The?Apple iPhone 5, meanwhile, features a gorgeous new 4-inch retina display and an unsurpassed app catalog. And the Nokia Lumia 920 gets you a gorgeous polycarbonate design with Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 software. But if you drop any of those phones, chances are, you're going to need to replace it. So if you're tough on your stuff, or just clumsy, the Galaxy Rugby Pro can't be beat.

More Cell Phone Reviews:
??? LG Optimus L9 (T-Mobile)
??? Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro (AT&T)
??? Samsung Galaxy Note II (U.S. Cellular)
??? Nokia Lumia 920 (AT&T)
??? HTC Windows Phone 8X (AT&T)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/rcaZf7m6KVA/0,2817,2411879,00.asp

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Anti-regime activists say Syrian regime kills 23 in Damascus suburb in airstrikes, clashes

BEIRUT - Airstrikes by Syrian jets and shells from tanks levelled a neighbourhood in a restive city near the capital of Damascus on Tuesday, killing 18 people, and at least five rebel fighters died nearby in clashes with regime troops, activists said.

The airstrikes on the city of Douma, northeast of the capital, left residents scampering over a huge expanse of rubble and using their hands to dig up mangled bodies, according to activist videos posted online.

Scenes of vast destruction like those from Douma on Tuesday have grown more common as rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad have made gains on the ground, and Assad's forces have responded with overwhelming air power.

In the past weeks, anti-regime activists say about 150 people have been killed a day in fighting. Since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011, they say 35,000 have died.

Tuesday's airstrikes came a day after what activists called the heaviest and most widespread bombing campaign nationwide on what was to be the final day of an internationally sanctioned truce that never took hold.

The death toll for what was supposed to be a four-day cease-fire ending Monday exceeded 500.

Activists speculated that the government's heavy reliance on air power reflected its inability to roll back rebel gains, especially in the north of the country near the border with Turkey, where rebels have control of swathes of territory.

The international community remains at a loss about how to stop the Syria violence. The U.S. and other Western and Arab nations have called on Assad to step down, while Russia, China and Iran continue to back him.

In the latest fighting after nightfall Tuesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 civilians were killed in an airstrike and tank fire Tuesday in the Hajariyeh neighbourhood in the suburb of Douma, northeast of Damascus.

The dead included four women and five children, the group said, adding that the toll could rise as residents were still searching through the rubble.

Five rebel fighters were also killed in clashes with regime forces elsewhere in Douma, the group said.

Amateur videos posted online showed a deep, rubble-filled crater in the middle of what appeared to be a poor neighbourhood, with many walls collapsed in the blast.

Men were seen chanting "God is great!" while pulling a mangled body from the rubble in one video. They used their hands to dig through cinder blocks and cement dust in another to uncover another dead body.

In yet another video, a man standing in the destruction yells at the camera, "These are the accomplishments of Lakhdar Brahimi," referring to the international envoy who proposed the recent, failed cease-fire.

Regime airstrikes also collapsed buildings in the rebel-held northern city of Maaret al-Numan, which straddles a key supply route from the capital to Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a main front in the civil war.

Assad's regime has been hammering away at Maaret al-Numan, 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Aleppo, with heavy airstrikes since it fell to rebels on Oct. 10.

One amateur video purporting to show the aftermath of an airstrike on Tuesday showed a man holding up the dead body of a small girl in a red and white shirt and baby blue pants. Other videos showed men carrying bloodied women and children from destroyed buildings.

The Observatory said the day's airstrikes on the city killed at least seven people, four of them children.

One video showed the bodies of three girls wrapped in white shrouds. Nearby, a man dripped water on the face of a dead older man with a white beard, saying: "Go to heaven, dad. May God take revenge."

The Observatory said at least one rebel fighter was also killed in clashes south of the city, and regime forces were trying to bring in reinforcements from further south.

Activist claims and videos could not be independently verified because of restrictions on reporting in Syria, but the videos appeared genuine and corresponded with other Associated Press reporting on the events depicted.

Violence also flared elsewhere in and around Damascus. The Observatory said missiles fired from a fighter jet struck the capital's Jobar neighbourhood ? a rare hit in the capital's municipal area. Most of the fighting around Damascus for the past few months has been in suburbs and outskirts, where rebels have managed to challenge the regime.

Syria's state news agency said an "armed terrorist group" assassinated a high-ranking air force general. Maj. Gen. Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khalidi was gunned down while getting out of his car in the mostly Kurdish neighbourhood of Rukn Eddine in Damascus.

The government views the rebels as terrorists and accuses them of being foot soldiers in a foreign plot to destroy Syria.

In Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed "great sadness" that the cease-fire had failed and said government was done talking to Assad's regime.

"Unfortunately the attacks continued, and the Syrian people spent the holidays suffering great pain," Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. "There would be no meaning to forging a dialogue with a regime that pressed ahead with such a massacre even during the holidays."

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed reporting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anti-regime-activists-syrian-regime-kills-23-damascus-204013453.html

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