'Fabulous Fab' verdict is vindication for SEC lawyer

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the head of litigation for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Matthew Martens' main job is to oversee other lawyers. In his three years at the agency, he had not tried a case himself.

That is, until the SEC decided to bring a civil fraud suit against former Goldman Sachs Vice President Fabrice Tourre, the highest profile case to emerge from the agency's investigations into the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.

Martens, 41, tried the case himself and on Thursday secured a big win. A federal jury in Manhattan found Tourre liable on six of the seven charges against him.

Martens said in an interview it was important that a case deemed significant by the agency should garner attention from the top. He said the verdict should rebut critics of the SEC's trial record, which has taken hits amid setbacks last year in other financial crisis cases.

"If this doesn't convince people we can win these cases, I don't know what would," Martens said.

The SEC accused Tourre, 34, of misleading investors in a synthetic collateralized debt obligation called Abacus 2007-AC1. The SEC said Tourre failed to disclose that Paulson & Co Inc, the hedge fund of billionaire John Paulson, helped choose subprime mortgage securities linked to go into Abacus and also that the fund planned to bet against it.

During the trial, the 20th of his career, Martens told jurors, "Wall Street greed drove Mr. Tourre to lie and deceive."

He readily acknowledged to the jurors the complexities of the case, telling them "nobody is making a TV show any time soon about a CDO trial." But he sought to convince them the fraud Tourre committed was simple.

"You can't and don't need to teach them everything about the subject material," Martens told Reuters Friday.

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

Martens joined the SEC in August 2010 from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, North Carolina, which he joined as an assistant U.S. attorney and left as deputy criminal chief.

Before heading to Charlotte, Martens worked under Michael Chertoff, first as an associate at the law firm Latham & Watkins and later as chief of staff when Chertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division.

While he was in Charlotte, Martens started a securities fraud practice. He also built up his trial experience, taking 14 cases to jury trials.

"His philosophy was to volunteer to try anything," said Chertoff, who later served as secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and now heads the Chertoff Group consulting firm. "He wanted to really get that experience."

When Martens began looking to join the SEC, he originally applied to run its Atlanta office, according to Robert Khuzami, who stepped down as the SEC's director of enforcement in January and joined Kirkland & Ellis last month.

Khuzami, who got to know Martens through that process, subsequently reached out when the position of chief trial counsel opened up.

Martens's arrival at the SEC came at a time of restructuring for the SEC's enforcement division, which had been criticized for failing to uncover Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme before it came to light in December 2008.

Khuzami called Martens a "very hands on manager" who instituted closer supervision of members of the trial unit. He also was part of an effort to create more integration between the trial lawyers and investigative units, Khuzami said.

"He generally set a high standard for performance and encouraged member of trial units to get involved earlier in the investigative process," Khuzami said.

Mary Schapiro, who chaired the SEC at the time of Martens' hiring and is now at the Promontory Financial Group consulting firm, said Martens had "this extraordinary ability to, in a very cogent, concise, logical way, pull all the information together that was necessary for us to make a decision."

COURT APPEARANCES

While at the SEC, Martens was the lead lawyer in a lawsuit against the Securities Investor Protection Corp seeking to force the industry-funded non-profit to initiate a court proceeding enabling investors who lost money in Allen Stanford's $7 billion Ponzi scheme to file claims.

Martens argued the case at the district court level, where a judge ruled against the SEC. The case is now on appeal.

He also acted as lead counsel in seeking court approval of a $285 million settlement with Citigroup Inc, which the SEC accused of misleading investors in the sale of a $1 billion collateralized debt obligation.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan rejected the settlement in November 2011, criticizing a provision in which the bank neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing. An appeal of that ruling is pending.

Those court appearances notwithstanding, the Tourre case marked Martens's first actual trial at the SEC. He inherited it from Lorin Reisner, who handled the case as deputy director for enforcement until he left in 2011.

The Tourre verdict is a chance for the SEC to rebuff critics who have questioned its ability to win big cases stemming from the financial crisis.

How much longer Martens will be associated with the SEC is unclear. In May, Reuters reported he had been considering leaving to join a law firm.

Martens declined to discuss his future, other than plans to take a vacation this week.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Eddie Evans, Tiffany Wu and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fabulous-fab-verdict-vindication-sec-lawyer-142759536.html

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Dying 2-year-old son, suffering from leukemia, becomes the best man for US couple's wedding

A 2-year-old boy with only weeks to live has served as the best man for his parents' Pennsylvania wedding.

Christine Swidorsky carries her son and the couple's best man, Logan Stevenson, 2, down the aisle to her husband-to-be Sean Stevenson during the wedding ceremony on August 3, 2013 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. AP Photo

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Christine Swidorsky carried two-year-old Logan Stevenson on her shoulder at the Saturday afternoon wedding in Jeannette, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Newlywed Christine Stevenson kisses the hand of her son, Logan Stevenson, 2, after marrying Sean Stevenson in a wedding ceremony on August 3, 2013 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. AP Photo

Looking dapper in a tiny tan pin-stripe suit and orange shirt, Logan stood with his grandmother, Debbie Stevenson, during a ceremony uniting Logan's mother and his father, Sean Stevenson. The boy has leukemia and other complications.

Newlywed Christine Stevenson and Sean Stevenson smile after sharing their first kiss at the wedding ceremony on August 3, 2013 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. AP Photo

The couple tied the knot in a hastily arranged backyard ceremony that celebrated Logan's life. The couple abandoned an original wedding date of July 2014 after learning from doctors late last month that their son had two to three weeks to live.

Source: http://indiatoday.feedsportal.com/c/33614/f/589699/s/2f8ad2af/sc/1/l/0Lindiatoday0Bintoday0Bin0Cstory0Cdying0E20Eyear0Eold0Eson0Ebecomes0Ethe0Ebest0Eman0Efor0Ecouples0Ewedding0Epennsylvania0C10C2980A0A30Bhtml/story01.htm

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Rouhani becomes new Iranian president

By Yeganheh Torbati and Marcus George

Moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani took office as Iran?s president on Saturday, succeeding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsed him, Iranian media said.

Rouhani?s resounding election win in June raised hopes of a negotiated end to the dispute over Iran?s nuclear programme. That would avert a possible new war in the Middle East.

Khamenei kissed Rouhani on the cheek and the new president kissed the leader on his lapel.

The start of Rouhani?s presidency puts an end to Ahmadinejad?s eight years in office during which Iran grew more isolated and came under wide-ranging United Nations, U.S. and European Union sanctions over its nuclear programme, putting enormous pressure on the economy.

Rouhani faces huge challenges, including combating inflation he put last month at 42 percent, bringing down high unemployment and bridging the political divisions between conservative, moderate and reformist factions.

His most immediate test is persuading parliament to approve his candidates for cabinet positions, which he is expected to introduce on Sunday after he takes the oath of office.

?Rouhani will certainly appoint more competent men and women to key economic ministries and institutions. He will also follow saner economic policies,? said Shaul Bakhash, an Iran historian at George Mason University in Virginia.

?But the economic problems are staggering ? Above all, without a serious easing of sanctions, it is difficult to see how Rouhani can get the economy moving again.?

Source: http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/08/03/rouhani-becomes-new-iranian-president/

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CBS blocks Time Warner Cable customers online

TV

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

13 hours ago

CBS / CBS

Time Warner Cable customers in several major U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, have been without CBS programming since Friday, when negotiations over retransmission fees broke down. And now, thanks to a decision by CBS, those viewers andcustomers will feel squeezed out online: The network has decided to block them from accessing programming that would normally be available on the Internet, as well.

"If Time Warner Cable is a customer's Internet service provider, then their access to CBS full episode content via online and mobile platforms has been suspended as a result of Time Warner Cable's decision to drop CBS and Showtime from their market," CBS spokesperson Dana McClintock told TODAY.com.?

"As soon as CBS is restored on Time Warner Cable systems in affected markets, that content will be accessible again," she added.

That said, some TWC customers are still able to access CBS.com programming -- at least for now. As the spokesperson noted, "There are some instances where TWC customers have reported being able to watch. It's not 100%."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/cbs-blocks-time-warner-cable-customers-accessing-content-online-6C10838308

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5-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Scores Touchdown For The Browns: Watch Ryan Encinas Celebrate [VIDEO]

Five-year-old cancer survivor Ryan Encinas has probably accomplished more in the past few years than most. On Saturday, he celebrated two years in remission by adding a 40 yard, off-season NFL touchdown run to the list.

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Encinas' performance concluded the Cleveland Browns' "Family Night" ? a workout event at the FirstEnergy Stadium that drew an audience of 24,131. ESPN?reports that fans as well as players offered standing ovations as the prospective kindergartner received a hand-off from quarterback Brandon Weeden and ran as fast as he could into the end zone.

"That was cool," Weeden said. "The kid's been through a lot. I do a lot of stuff back home with Children's Hospital, so every time something like that happens, it brings a lump to your throat."

Cleveland Browns staff and players unanimously agreed with him.

"He couldn't do the things he wanted to do growing up, but to have this moment in front of these fans in this stadium, I'm getting chills right now," said Browns' linebacker Barkevious Mingo. "I'm sure it meant a lot to that little kid."

Encinas was diagnosed with lung cancer when doctors discovered a football-sized tumor on his left lung. The historic touchdown was coordinated by the Littlest Heroes, a program supporting young cancer patients and their families.

"This is one of the highest highs we've had during this entire ordeal," said Robert Bozic, Ryan's father. "To see him out there running with the Cleveland Browns is one of the greatest experiences of our lives."

The National Cancer Institute?describes lung cancer as a relatively rare form of childhood cancer, initially characterized by flu-like symptoms. Before the diagnosis, Encinas' family thought their son was simply fighting off a persistent cold. He endured weeks of chemotherapy, and his mother was forced to drop out of school in order to care for him during the course of the treatment.

Check out the video below and see Ryan Encinas score his first NFL touchdown.

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Published by Medicaldaily.com

Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/18084/20130804/ryan-encinas-cancer-survivor-touchdown-browns.htm

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Gilas Pilipinas falls to sizzling Chinese Taipei

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://sports.inquirer.net/112615/philippines-falls-to-chinese-taipei-in-fiba-asia

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Tornado touches down in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Authorities say a severe storm ripped through Jacksonville, damaging 15 to 20 homes and leaving at least one person with minor injuries.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down Thursday afternoon in the city's Arlington neighborhood.

The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/13FR2Gu ) reports the storm also dumped between two and four inches of rain on the city.

Fire officials say lightning may have sparked two house fires. Both were quick extinguished.

There were reports of multiple trees down across the area.

The sheriff's office says one person was treated for minor injuries sustained during the storm.

Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/02/3538206/tornado-touches-down-in-jacksonville.html

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Michigan's 2015 football class already high-profile

FOX Sports Next Midwest regional manager Allen Trieu and national recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg share their insights on Michigan?s latest high-profile commitments ? 2015 Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake wide receiver George Campbell and 2015 Berea (Ky.) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris:

Sam Webb: (Allen) you were the first analyst anywhere to talk to and to talk about Damien Harris. Tell us about Damien, his game, what he brings to the table, and where you figure he will be in the rankings when all is said and done.

Allen Trieu: He was one of those kids that just popped off the film. It really took the first play of his film for me to go, ?Wow, this is going to be a guy!? This was his freshman season when we first started watching him. Obviously, great speed. He has been timed as low as 4.36 in some places.

I think whether or not you believe the validity of some of those times, if you?ve seen the guy play you know he can run. So whether or not he is truly a 4.3 guy or a 4.4 guy doesn?t matter. The kid has breakaway speed. He is one of those kids who has that knack for making people miss and for finding lanes even when they?re not there. You watch him on film reverse field, he?ll stiff-arm a guy here, juke a guy there, and he is gone. He has that sixth sense for that kind of thing.

I think Damien is potentially is the No. 1 guy in the Midwest. Kentucky is part of the Midwest for (FOX Sports Next). There are a few guys vying for that top spot in the 2015 class. I think Damien is in the conversation. I think he will be a top-50 national guy. I don?t know exactly where he is going to fall yet, but I think he is truly one of the handful of guys in the Midwest that stack up with anybody in the country.

Sam Webb: (Jamie) let?s start off with the guy in your neck of the woods in George Campbell. Give us your expert analysis on him.

Jamie Newberg: Well, first of all, he is a first-class kid. Obviously, in today?s game of football you want to be well represented off the field with the microscope these programs and kids are under. He?s a phenomenal kid ? probably equal or better than his talent, and his talent is extraordinary. At (Nike?s) The Opening he was one of, I believe, four underclassmen there and was singled out by Trent Dilfer as one of the two best receivers out there, which speaks volumes.

We all know year in and year out what a talented position receiver is, not just in Florida but across the country. George is a guy that I?ve been watching for two years now. You look at him and he has got a unique skill set because he is huge, he is long, and he is a legit sub-4.4 (40-yard dash) kid.

I went to his playoff game last year when they hosted Vero Beach (Fla.). Everyone was talking about him as a wide receiver and here he was dominant at defensive end with two scoop-and-scores, one of which was 99 yards. This is a kid that has the athleticism to play defensive end at the next level, to be a safety, obviously receiver, and maybe tight end.

I?ve been doing this long enough to know you never know how a kid is going to ultimately mature physically. And let?s keep this in perspective; he still has two more years of high school football to play before he ever gets to Ann Arbor. That?s why when I wrote in my analysis piece when he committed that there is a possibility he could emerge and grow into another position. Having said that, right now he is a receiver with great ball skills, he can get behind the secondary, and I believe he is one of those five-star type of guys.

We?re coming out with a preliminary ranking for this 2015 class here in the next couple of weeks, so we?ll see where big George settles in, but I would certainly recommend five stars for him.

Sam Webb: Were you surprised first of all that he committed so quickly, and then when he did pick that Michigan was the school he committed to?

Jamie Newberg: Yeah, I?m always surprised when these kids commit a year-plus ahead of time. That?s the way this thing is headed. We?ve all seen the acceleration of the process over the last three, four, or five years. When there are more commitments in June and July then there are in December and January, something is amiss. But that?s where this thing is going. That?s where it?s headed. There?s a big emphasis with the spring and summer camps and getting kids on campus as early and often as possible. The unofficial visits become more important than the official visits. Anytime a kid comes up to campus, especially an out-of-state out-of-region guy like George Campbell up to the big barbecue in Ann Arbor last weekend there?s always the possibility.

Obviously his teammate Mason Cole, another exceptional prospect, is headed that way. So he has heard a lot of great things about Michigan and now he has seen them up close and personally. From that standpoint it doesn?t really surprise me. But you know what? I?ve always looked at it as the early commitment only signifies who the team to beat really is. It?s far from over, especially when you have Will Muschamp and the Gators and Jimbo Fisher at Florida State in-state. They?re not going to give up on this kid. And let?s face it ? every program in the country is going to want to get George Campbell on campus between now and his national signing day, which is 18 months away.

Sam Webb: Let?s move on to another 2015 prospect you got a chance to see last year. He committed (a few days) after George Campbell, and that?s Damien Harris. Tell me about Damien.

Jamie Newberg: My daughter lives up in the Lexington area, so I went up to see her. (Allen) said, ?Check out this kid Damien Harris.? So I made about an hour drive south of Lexington and watch him play Lynn Camp.

The only thing I would question in evaluating Damien on that night was the competition level. He was definitely a man among boys playing against Lynn Camp. Nonetheless, this is a kid that physically looks as impressive as anyone you?ll see in this class of 2015. I had a chance to see him at the All American combine a couple of months later in San Antonio. He is really put together, he runs exceptionally well, has a great burst and acceleration. He is a kid that has an exceptional lower body, can break tackles, runs behind his pads ? I was very impressed.

I really, really want to see him in a setting where he is playing more against his peers or players of his caliber. That would be the only thing I would question with Damien Harris. If everything falls the way I think it will with him, I think he has a chance to be an exceptional college player at Michigan.

Sam Webb: As far as running style, body type, a combination of the two ? does he put you in the mind of anyone? And the same thing with George Campbell. Is there anyone that he reminds you of or that his play is kind of reminiscent of?

Jamie Newberg: I hate to put analogies and stuff like that on kids because it puts those great expectations on them ? not that we don?t do it already. I just think at the end of the day those two kids are great building blocks for that next group. (Michigan) has already got (Philadelphia St. Joseph?s offensive lineman) Jon Runyan Jr. and (Massillon, Ohio, Washington kicker) Andrew David. So four commits out of the gate here with 18 months to go with this class, it?s shaping up to be (good). But you know what? This is Michigan and this is how they should always recruit. I look at them like you look at Ohio State, USC, and some of these national programs (like) Texas. They should always recruit players of this caliber across the country and be top-10 programs when it comes to recruiting. It looks like they?re off to a great start for next season.

Sam Webb: You?re in SEC country, so this level of recruiting consistently by top programs is typical where you are. It?s atypical of Michigan, at least of late. From a national perspective what?s the opinion of how Michigan has done on the recruiting trail over the last couple of years and in the 2015 class already?

Jamie Newberg: You nailed it on the head. To challenge for that trophy, and I?m talking the big one at the end of the year, you HAVE to recruit consistently well year in and year out. That is why you see Alabama at the top. No one has recruited better than Alabama since Nick Saban has taken over in Tuscaloosa. Look at Bobby Bowden?s run in the 90?s. If you look at that era of Florida State football, nobody recruited better than Bobby Bowden. Why were Pete Carroll and USC always on top? They out-recruited everybody by a mile when he was the Trojans? head coach.

To be great in college football you have to recruit consistently well. What we?ve seen with Hoke and his staff since he has been there is every year it gets a little bit better ? and now they?re recruiting really, really well. So they?ve got to keep that bar high hit every single year, and try to exceed it. Because let?s face it, Urban Meyer is just south in Columbus. That guy knows how to recruit. He is bringing that SEC recruiting mentality up to Columbus. They?ve got to stay on par or beat the Buckeyes in terms of recruiting because it?s going to be those two teams banging heads and battling for that Big Ten title. So I think Michigan is off to a great start with this class.

In the 2014 class you?re talking about guys like (Paramus, N.J. Catholic cornerback) Jabrill Peppers. They?re ranked in the top 10 and they?re obviously off to a wonderful start for next year with a long way to go for both of these groups.

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130802/SPORTS0201/308020088/1131/rss17

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It?s tag football summer camp as NFL in America save the big hits for match day

BILL PENNINGTON

Pro football summer training camps once were filled with two practices a day, gruelling sessions that featured helmeted players clashing gladiator-style under a merciless sun. That was before the average NFL salary soared to more than $2 million, forcing coaches and owners to weigh the risk and cost of preseason injuries. At the same time, the athletic community has been changed by research outlining the cumulative, debilitating effects of recurrent head trauma, even in practice. What?s left is a training camp landscape that would have been unrecognizable 10 years ago.

As 32 NFL teams opened their camps in recent days, the new practice model virtually prohibits tackling and tolerates only nominal full-scale contact between the players, often no more than five minutes a week. At NFL training camps across the nation this week, it?s as if a bunch of touch football games have broken out. The trend against tackling and what is known in football parlance as ?live contact? began about five years ago, but it has been especially pronounced this summer.

This week, after season-ending knee injuries cost the Philadelphia Eagles two of their starters, coach Chip Kelly, in his first year with the team, banned tackling for the duration of training camp. Coaches for the Carolina Panthers have issued a similar edict and have been reprimanding any player who knocks someone to the ground.

Limited live contact
Six days into their training camp, the New York Giants on Thursday were expecting to wear full pads and engage in limited live contact for the first time. ?The amount of contact now is pretty minimal,? Giants co-owner John Mara said on Tuesday, standing near his team?s practice. ?I would contend it?s just not necessary. So this has been a good thing.?

But if the job of defensive football players is to tackle, don?t they need to practice it? And don?t the running backs and receivers need to practice avoiding tacklers? In spring training in baseball, the batters don?t hit off a tee and the pitchers don?t throw only to catchers. Giants coach Tom Coughlin conceded there was a challenge to preparing 300-pound players for a violent game without letting teammates turn their ferocity on each other.

?In this day and age, it?s a very fine line and it is not easy,? Coughlin said. ?You?ve got to get a team ready to play and they?ve got to be physical, but you can?t step over the line. It?s not worth it.? Philadelphia?s Kelly called it ?a dance that everybody?s got to dance,? adding that his players would have four preseason games with unrestricted tackling. Some teams also schedule scrimmages with other teams. ?They?ll get plenty of hitting in the games,? Kelly said. ?But we?ve got to get our guys to the games.?

At parts of every training camp practice ? sessions now conducted only once a day, as mandated by a new labour agreement ? there is contact between players. Linemen knock shoulders, although not often at full speed. Wide receivers and defensive backs jostle during pass routes, and running backs sprint through narrow gaps between linemen. But almost every time a ball carrier is encountered by a defensive player, that defender will feint a tackle, but instead just tap or tag the offensive player. Infrequently, there is a shoulder lowered to deliver a glancing blow, but in the new NFL, except in sporadic cases, defenders in training camp do not use their arms to wrap up a ball carrier and drag or thrust him to the ground.

Threat of injury

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/851/f/10849/s/2f741090/sc/13/l/0L0Sirishtimes0N0Csport0Cother0Esports0Cit0Es0Etag0Efootball0Esummer0Ecamp0Eas0Enfl0Ein0Eamerica0Esave0Ethe0Ebig0Ehits0Efor0Ematch0Eday0E10B14820A13/story01.htm

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Dorian regenerates into depression near Florida

Dorian has regenerated into a tropical depression just east of Cape Canaveral

By Ken Kaye Sun Sentinel

10:14 a.m. EDT, August 3, 2013

Tropical Depression Dorian, Saturday, 5 a.m. advisory

OUTLOOK: Dorian, the system that just won't go away, re-strengthened into a depression in the Atlantic off the coast of Cape Canaveral on Saturday morning.

The former tropical storm is projected to remain a depression, aim northeast out to sea and finally die early next week.

WHAT FLORIDA CAN EXPECT: Dorian continues to spread clouds over much of the eastern part of the state, increasing the rain chance to 50 percent in South Florida and to 40 percent in the Orlando area on Saturday.

PARTICULARS: Even if Dorian re-strengthens into a tropical storm, it's unlikely that any watches or warnings will be posted because the strongest winds are in its southeast quadrant, or over the ocean, said senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart of the National Hurricane Center.

Dorian initially grew into a tropical storm on July 24 in the eastern Atlantic and fell apart last Saturday, the result of wind shear and dry air.

LOCATION: 85 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral

STRENGTH: 35 mph sustained winds

MOVEMENT: North at 6 mph

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sun-sentinel/news/weather/hurricane/blog/~3/WsuonoilnTc/story01.htm

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Alex Rodriguez homers in Double-A rehab game - KTTC Rochester ...

By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Yankees fan Matt Kowalski made the short trip to Arm & Hammer Park, hoping to catch one more look at Alex Rodriguez.

Kowalski got to see what he wanted - Rodriguez homered Friday night for the Trenton Thunder, and many in the sellout crowd cheered as the embattled New York star rounded the bases.

"I live 20 minutes away, and it could be the last chance to see him play," said Kowalski, of Mount Laurel. "It's kind of hard to not come out. I'm afraid something's pending. That's the rumor, at least."

Major League Baseball is set to suspend 14 players on Monday in the Biogenesis drug case, with Rodriguez likely to get the stiffest penalty. The 38-year-old third baseman hasn't played in the majors this season while recovering from hip surgery and a strained quadriceps.

Rodriguez left Friday night after five innings. He later said the Yankees told him the tentative plan is for him to rejoin the big league team in Chicago for Monday night's game against the White Sox.

Rodriguez said he's confident that will happen "unless I get hit by lightning, and these days you never know."

"I am mentally prepared to play for five more years," he said. "It's not time for me to hang it up. I have a lot more left in me. I will keep fighting."

The Yankees have said Rodriguez will play for Trenton on Saturday. The Yankees are in San Diego this weekend.

"I wish they would come in a plane tonight. I wish I was in San Diego," he said. "I can't wait to see my teammates. I think I can help them. I think I can help them be a better team."

Rodriguez rejoined the Yankees' Double-A farm team earlier in the day, his second minor league rehabilitation assignment during this comeback. After drawing a walk in the first inning, he hit a long two-run homer in the third inning against Reading lefty Jesse Biddle, a No. 1 draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.

Rodriguez leisurely circled the bases to the cheers of the 8,080 fans, many who applauded in admiration of the shot. The three-time American League MVP pointed to someone behind home plate after touching it and headed to the dugout for congratulations by his temporary teammates.

There were some boos during the night.

"I think there were a lot of Phillies fans out there," he said. "A lot of people cheered when I hit the home run."

In the fifth inning, Rodriguez was called out on strikes. He talked to a couple of fans in the stands, signed a few autographs and gave away his bat, and exited the game.

Cheryl Dacey of Princeton Junction sat behind a couple of Philles fans who booed every time Rodriguez came to the plate. She totally enjoyed seeing him quiet them up with his home run.

"In my opinion, I'm 52, I think A-Rod is one of the best players I will see in my lifetime for baseball," said the longtime Yankees fan. "I think there is a witch hunt on for him."

She got a chance to tell Rodriguez that, too. She left the stadium after he was taken out with her No. 13 Yankees uniform autographed.

Earlier in the game, Rodriguez knocked down a hard grounder and threw the batter out at first by a half step.

Prior to the game, Rodriguez smiled a lot, met his teammates and shook hands with coaches after stepping on the field at 4:13 p.m. He did not field questions from a massive media contingent before taking batting practice, throwing and fielding grounder in a 30-minute preparation for the game against the Fightin Phils.

This was Rodriguez's second appearance with the Thunder this season, but the first one in New Jersey.

While there were a couple of A-Rod jerseys in the stands, there also were Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira tops sprinkled in along with some from Philadelphia players.

The 30-year-old Kowalski wore a Rodriguez uniform, and was somewhat forgiving when asked about A-Rod's problems.

"It's hard not to appreciate what A-Rod did for the Yankees," he said. "Anyone who turns a blind eye to 2009 is kidding themselves. They don't win a ring in 2009 without him, so it's hard to forget that."

Thunder Manager Tony Franklin did not think Rodriguez's presence would be a distraction.

"Our guys understand the circumstances around this," he said. "It's all about baseball for our guys. One thing about baseball players is when the game they have a unique ability to separate what's on the field from what's off the field."

It was hard not to notice Rodriguez's every step. Cameramen and reporters stared at him, and they looked over his shoulder as he signed autographs 20 minutes before the first pitch.

"I expect him to be productive in this lineup," Franklin said of a player with 647 career home runs in the bigs. "We're in a pennant race, and I say it jokingly, but I look for the same effort he always gives. He's the consummate professional when it comes to playing the game. The game means everything to him."

Franklin kidded Rodriguez could keep up the tradition of stars buying food spreads for the minor leaguers after the game.

On a more serious note, he said Rodriguez is "a regular guy" who can impart a lot to his players. He also wanted to see him in action.

"I love watching him play," Franklin said. "I am still a fan of baseball and watching him play on the baseball field is what I enjoy."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.kttc.com/story/23034403/alex-rodriguez-arrives-in-trenton-for-rehab-games

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Existing cropland could feed four billion more by dropping biofuels and animal feed

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The world's croplands could feed 4 billion more people than they do now just by shifting from producing animal feed and biofuels to producing exclusively food for human consumption, according to new research.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/pZw1L1rPJnE/130801125704.htm

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APNewsBreak: Fla. education commissioner to resign

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ? Florida's education commissioner will resign amid allegations that he changed the grade of a charter school run by a major Republican donor during his previous job as Indiana's school chief, a state education official said Thursday.

Tony Bennett will resign in the wake of the scandal surrounding Christel House Academy, the official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement was not yet authorized for public release.

Bennett, when reached by the AP, would say only that "no decisions have been made at this point." He has denied any wrongdoing.

Emails published by the AP this week show Bennett and his Indiana staff scrambled last fall to ensure Christel DeHaan's school received an "A," despite poor 10th-grade algebra scores that initially earned it a "C."

Bennett lost his re-election bid last November in Indiana. He was hired by Florida as its education commissioner, a non-elected post, in December.

Indiana uses the A-F grades to determine which schools get taken over by the state and whether students seeking state-funded vouchers to attend private school need to first spend a year in public school. They also help determine how much state funding schools receive. A low grade also can detract from a neighborhood and drive homebuyers elsewhere.

After Bennett learned about a likely low grade for Christel House, he fired off a Sept. 12 email to his chief of staff.

"This will be a HUGE problem for us," Bennett wrote. "They need to understand that anything less than an A for Christel House compromises all of our accountability work."

Bennett, who now is reworking Florida's grading system as that state's education commissioner, denied that DeHaan's Christel House Academy school received special treatment. He said discovering that the charter would receive a low grade raised broader concerns with grades for other "combined" schools ? those that included multiple grade levels ? across the state.

Bennett downplayed the emails on Tuesday, repeating his assertion that he took action because he was concerned there was a flaw in the formula.

"It is absurd that anyone would believe that I would change the grade of a school based on a political donor or trying to hide schools from accountability," Bennett said. "That's fictitious at best, and it's totally unfounded."

He acknowledged that the problem was identified and fixed prior to the release of school grades but maintained the change affected as many as 13 schools.

"We did nothing wrong. We did nothing covert. We did nothing secretive," Bennett said.

The revelations that Bennett and Indiana officials scrambled to change the grade of one school come amid a strong debate over Florida's grading system.

Bennett earlier this month pushed the Florida board that oversees education policy to adopt a "safety net" provision that prevented the grades of more than 500 schools from dropping more than one grade this year.

That provision was adopted by a 4-3 vote amid much debate and criticism that the move would "mask" the true performance of schools. Bennett's plan was even opposed by the education foundation set up by Bush. The grades released last week still showed a sharp drop in the number of A-rated schools and a jump in the number of F-rated ones.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-fla-education-commissioner-resign-132032483.html

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Japan's Aso refuses to resign over Nazi comment

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso is surrounded by reporters at the ministry in Tokyo Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. Aso has retracted a comment he made Monday, July 29 in Tokyo suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country?s constitution, following complaints from neighboring countries and human rights activists. Aso drew outrage for saying Japan should learn from how the Nazi party stealthily changed Germany?s constitution before World War II before anyone realized it. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso is surrounded by reporters at the ministry in Tokyo Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. Aso has retracted a comment he made Monday, July 29 in Tokyo suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country?s constitution, following complaints from neighboring countries and human rights activists. Aso drew outrage for saying Japan should learn from how the Nazi party stealthily changed Germany?s constitution before World War II before anyone realized it. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks to reporters at the ministry in Tokyo Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. Aso has retracted a comment he made Monday, July 29 in Tokyo suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country?s constitution, following complaints from neighboring countries and human rights activists. Aso drew outrage for saying Japan should learn from how the Nazi party stealthily changed Germany?s constitution before World War II before anyone realized it. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 file photo, Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks during a press conference at the summit of financial ministers and heads of central banks of the G20 group of nations ahead of their meeting in Moscow, Russia. Aso has retracted a comment he made Monday, July 29 in Tokyo suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country?s constitution, following complaints from neighboring countries and human rights activists. Aso drew outrage for saying Japan should learn from how the Nazi party stealthily changed Germany?s constitution before World War II before anyone realized it. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze, File)

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso refused Friday to resign or apologize over remarks suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country's constitution stealthily and without public debate.

Following protests by neighboring countries and human rights activists, he "retracted" the comments on Thursday but refused to go further.

"I have no intention to step down" as Cabinet minister of lawmaker, Aso, who is also the deputy prime minister, told reporters. The government also said it is not seeking Aso's resignation, which some opposition members have demanded.

Aso, who is known for intemperate remarks, drew outrage for saying Japan should learn from how the Nazi party stealthily changed Germany's pre-World War II constitution before anyone realized it. He also suggested that Japanese politicians should make visit Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine quietly to avoid controversy. Such visits currently take place amid wide publicity and are a sore point for Southeast Asian nations, who suffered under Japanese occupation during World War II.

Aso said Thursday he was misunderstood and only meant to say that loud debate over whether Japan should change its postwar constitution, and other issues is not helpful.

In retracting his comments, he said it was "very unfortunate and regrettable" that his comments were misinterpreted.

On Friday, Aso said he stands by all his other remarks in the speech made earlier this week in Tokyo to an ultra-conservative audience.

Critics of the ruling Liberal Democrats are uneasy over the party's proposals for revising the U.S.-inspired postwar constitution, in part to allow a higher profile for Japan's military.

Japan and Nazi Germany were allies in World War II, when Japan occupied much of Asia and Germany much of Europe, where the racial supremacist Nazis oversaw the killings of an estimated 6 million Jews before the war ended in 1945 with their defeat. Japan's history of military aggression, which included colonizing the Korean Peninsula before the war, is the reason its current constitution limits the role of the military.

According to a transcript of the speech published by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Aso decried the lack of support for revising Japan's pacifist constitution among older Japanese, saying the Liberal Democrats had held quiet, extensive discussions about its proposals.

"I don't want to see this done in the midst of an uproar," Aso said, according to the transcript. Since revisions of the constitution may raise protests, "doing it quietly, just as in one day the Weimar constitution changed to the Nazi constitution, without anyone realizing it, why don't we learn from that sort of tactic?"

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said that postwar Japan has consistently supported peace and human rights.

"Cabinet ministers should fully understand their role and make sure to avoid misleading remarks," Suga said Friday. He said Aso has already retracted the Nazi comment and doesn't have to resign.

Aso often speaks in a meandering style that has gotten him in trouble for off-the-cuff remarks in the past. He has apologized previously for accusing the elderly of being a burden on society, joking about people with Alzheimer's disease, saying the ideal country would be one that attracts "the richest Jewish people," and comparing the opposition Democratic Party of Japan to the Nazis.

On Thursday, Aso insisted that he was referring to the Nazis "as a bad example of a constitutional revision that was made without national understanding or discussion ...I just don't want (the revision) to be decided amid a ruckus."

The Nazis' rise to power in the early 1930s amid the economic crisis brought on by the Great Depression was facilitated by emergency decrees that circumvented the Weimar constitution. So was Adolph Hitler's seizure of absolute power after he was made chancellor in 1933.

It was not a matter of revising but of abusing the constitution.

Opposition leaders condemned Aso's remarks, saying they showed a lack of understanding of history and hurt Japan's national interest. Some demanded Aso resign.

Aso's comments "sounded like praise for Nazi actions and are totally incomprehensible," said Akihiro Ohata, secretary general of the Democratic Party.

"Minister Aso's ignorance about historical facts is so obvious," said Seiji Mataichi, secretary general of the Social Democratic Party. "I also want to remind him that praising the Nazis is considered a crime in EU nations."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a group dedicated to keeping alive the history of the Holocaust, urged Aso to "immediately clarify" his remarks.

"What 'techniques' from the Nazis' governance are worth learning? How to stealthily cripple democracy?" Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in a statement.

In South Korea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said Aso's remark "will obviously hurt many people."

In China, which also suffered invasion and occupation by Japanese imperial troops before and during the war, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the comments showed that "Japan's neighbors in Asia, and the international community, have to heighten their vigilance over the direction of Japan's development."

Hong also objected to Aso's comments on visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan's 2.3 million war dead, including 14 wartime leaders convicted of war crimes.

Aso urged lawmakers in his speech to visit the shrine at times other than the closely watched anniversary of the end of the war on Aug. 15 to avoid diplomatic flare-ups.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-08-02-AS-Japan-Nazi-Comment/id-5cc456229e534fd39461750163804ef3

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Hey, Coach Bielema! Don?t Look Out West For Support

A couple of weeks ago, disagreement over the pace of offenses was a major topic at SEC Media Days in Birmingham.

On one side, was new Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, joined by a few others less vocal. Their position ? Slow down offenses, especially the no-huddle, even by rule change if necessary, arguably to reduce the chance of player injuries.

On the other side, was new Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, supported by other no-huddle coaches such as Hugh Freeze of Ole Miss and Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M. Their position ? Run whatever offense best fits your players and do a better job preparing defenses to stop it.

A survey of head coaches and players at the Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas provided one solid suggestion to Bielema. If you?re looking for support for traditional offense, avoid heading west!

Unanimously, every coach and player questioned rejected the idea of any rule change involving the speed of the game or limiting offensive flexibility. Several used Oregon as an example, pointing out that twice in recent seasons the Ducks were effectively slowed down and defeated by well-prepared teams (Stanford in 2012 regular season, 17-14 loss ? Auburn in 2010 BCS Championship Game, 22-19 loss).

Here?s what they had to say about a potential rule change due to up-tempo offense:

Chris Petersen, Boise State Head Coach:

?Of course, not. There should not be a rule change. You should be able to do what you want with your offense. It?s the defense?s responsibility to stop it. Sure, that?s our kind of offense, but we also have a defense that I?m concerned about, too. We have to practice and play against this type of offense.?

Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State Head Coach:

?I think it?s a red herring. When I was at Texas A&M, we ran a fast-paced offense and we played against that type offense. There were no more injuries than at other places. If defensive players actually do get more injuries and stats prove that, I think that would be known and acknowledged. A fast offense fits our personnel and we plan to use it until somebody tells us we can?t.?

Dave Christensen, Wyoming Head Coach:

??Absolutely not, there shouldn?t be any rules changed. If anything, let?s speed it up; allow 20 seconds between plays rather than 40 seconds. To those that want to slow down the game, ?get your act going? is what I say. You?re not going to completely stop great offenses, so work on trying to contain them.?

Ron Caragher, San Jose State Head Coach:

?There needs to be reason on this. The referee needs to make sure that both teams are ready, that they can be lined up properly. We don?t need trickery, trying to rush plays before the defense has a chance to be back in place. But, we also don?t need to impede the flow of the game, not allow the defense to intentionally drag its feet to slow it down. We don?t need to legislate anything. The defense just needs to prepare for that tempo.?

Cody Fajardo, Nevada Quarterback:

?We play as fast as we can, all-signal, no-huddle. We would like to run a play every 13 seconds. If we play bigger teams, we plan to be quicker, get more push off the offensive line late in the game. The injury argument just seems like a way to cover themselves. If defenses can?t stop the no-huddle, they need to work on their defensive strategy. Fans love watching fast games and points on the board. They love games with high scores.?

Derek Carr, Fresno State Quarterback:

?We train for fast-paced play, offensively and defensively. And, we don?t experience more injuries than other teams. Sure, it?s harder if your defense hasn?t prepared right. Oregon has been beaten in a couple of prominent games when the defenses slowed them down. There are two choices ? prepare for it or complain about it.?

Taylor Graham, Hawaii Quarterback:

?We ran a little of everything in the spring ? some no-huddle, some spread, some pro-set. We want to be unpredictable, make the defense be prepared for everything on every play. We?ll run a fast offense because we have the personnel to do it. Coming from a quarterback who will be running some no-huddle, that?s the idea ? wear down the defense. It?s up to the defense to decide how to stop it. I would hate it if I was told that I couldn?t take advantage of a defense that?s not in position to stop our offense.?

Derron Smith, Fresno State Defensive Back:

?That?s what you do on defense. It?s your job to get ready to stop the offense. Defense has to react to the whatever the offense does.?

Zach Vigil, Utah State Linebacker:

?You know, if you have a defense that can stop a fast offense, it doesn?t seem to be a problem. Of course, they shouldn?t outlaw the fast offense. There?s no reason to penalize a team that has speed and is in good shape. Look at our game against Louisiana Tech last year (won by the Aggies in overtime, 48-41). We ran extra before the game in preparation for their offense and were in our best shape of the season. But, by the second half, they still had us really tired and were having a lot of offensive success. That?s not their fault. The hurry-up offense isn?t really that complicated. The real question is if the defense can get off the field on third down. If so, you can win against any offense.?

Lyn Scarbrough

More at:?http://lindyssports.com/college-football/column/hey-coach-bielema-dont-look-out-west-for-support/118045

Source: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2013/08/01/hey-coach-bielema-dont-look-out-west-for-support/

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New variants at gene linked to kidney disease, sleeping sickness resistance

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A new study involves a classic case of evolution's fickle nature: a genetic mutation that protects against a potentially fatal infectious disease also appears to increase the risk of developing a chronic, debilitating condition.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/UbF3qhQIBds/130731133915.htm

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Activity picks up at big China factories, smaller firms struggle

By Aileen Wang and Kevin Yao

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity was slightly stronger than expected in July, a government survey showed on Thursday, but analysts cautioned against rushing to a conclusion that the world's second-largest economy had arrested its slowdown.

In contrast to the official report, a private survey focused on smaller firms suggested manufacturing remained under pressure in an economy that has slowed in nine of the past 10 quarters.

The government has tried to allay concerns the economy has slowed more than expected as it pushes through reforms, recently announcing a series of targeted support measures and expressing confidence of meeting its 7.5 percent growth target this year.

"The government needs to do more to strengthen this momentum if you look at the official figure. There are still a lot of uncertainties in the economy," said Haibin Zhu, chief China economist at JPMorgan Chase in Hong Kong.

The official PMI, which focuses on big and state-owned firms, published by the National Bureau of Statistics, rose to 50.3 in July from 50.1 in June. Economists had expected it to fall to 49.9.

In contrast, the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by Markit Economics Research, showed activity shrank for a third straight month as it fell to an 11-month low of 47.7, matching a preliminary figure last week.

A reading above 50 indicates expanding activity while a figure below that level points to a contraction.

"The HSBC PMI concentrates on small companies, so we can see the small companies are more affected by the liquidity tension apparently," said Wei Yao, China economist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong.

"I think the official report does offer a slim hope that the economy is stabilizing at least, but it is still a bit early to conclude that things have turned around decisively."

The better-than-expected official PMI buoyed shares in China and Asia and helped the Australian dollar, considered a proxy for Chinese growth because of the countries' strong trade links, pull away from a three-year low hit in early trade.

The politburo, China's top decision-making body, has pledged stable economic growth in the second half of this year as it presses ahead with reforms and restructuring.

While keeping the door shut for big stimulus, the government has unveiled polices to boost spending in social housing, urban infrastructure, high-speed rail and energy-saving industries, and tax breaks for small firms.

Analysts in a Reuters poll forecast annual GDP growth slowing to 7.4 percent in the third quarter from 7.5 percent in the second. Full-year growth is forecast to be 7.5 percent - in line with the official target.

FACTORY JOB LOSSES INEVITABLE

China's leaders are working to turn the economy into one led by domestic consumption and demand from a focus on manufacturing and exports, but those changes raise the possibility of job losses as traditional industries restructure.

A sub-index of the HSBC PMI measuring employment contracted for a fourth month to be at its weakest since March 2009. The official PMI indicates employment has been falling since the middle of last year.

Authorities hope the services sector can pick up the slack, but a failure to keep Chinese in jobs could threaten the social stability and economic prosperity that the Communist Party says justifies its one-party rule.

More manufacturing job losses look inevitable as Beijing tackles the worst polluters and loss-making companies in sectors gripped by overcapacity as part of its economic reforms.

"With weak demand from both domestic and external markets, the cooling manufacturing sector continued to weigh on employment," said Hongbin Qu, China economist at HSBC.

China's official PMI suggests services are growing faster than manufacturing. The services measure has hovered between 53.9 and 56.7 in the past 12 months, while manufacturing has fluctuated between 49.2 and 50.9.

(Editing by John Mair)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-factory-sector-struggles-big-firms-fare-better-052339831.html

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Iran grants Syria $3.6 billion credit to buy oil products

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria and Iran signed a deal this week to activate a $3.6 billion credit facility to buy oil products to shore up President Bashar al-Assad's war battered economy, officials and bankers said on Wednesday.

The deal, which was agreed in May and will allow Iran to acquire equity stakes in investments in Syria, is part of Shi'ite Iran's broader support for Assad in his battle against a two-year insurgency by mainly Sunni rebels.

Tehran has already provided military assistance to Assad, training his forces and advising on military strategy. Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters have also bolstered counter-offensives against rebels around Homs and Damascus.

"This will help Syria to import petroleum products that the country needs," said a Syrian trade official, referring to the credit facility. Underlining the acute nature of Syria's financial problems, he said authorities had tried to set a ceiling of $4 billion on the deal.

Syria is short of diesel for its army and fuel to keep the economy running, partly because of U.S. and European Union financial sanctions imposed after the crackdown on protests at the start of the crisis. Its main supplier of petroleum products by sea has been Iran.

Another $1 billion credit line to Damascus has already been extended to buy Iranian power generating products and other goods in a barter arrangement that has helped Syria export textiles, phosphates and some agricultural produce such as olive oil and citrus products, trade officials say.

"This will allow Syria to import Iranian products up to this ceiling, with almost half to buy electricity equipment for the sector," the trade official, speaking by phone from Damascus, told Reuters.

Alongside the favorable deferred payment terms of those financing facilities, Damascus has been in talks for months to secure a loan of up to $2 billion with low interest and a long grace period, the official said.

STRONG SIGNAL OF SUPPORT

Syria's economy has been hurt by depletion of foreign reserves that were estimated at around $16-18 billion before the crisis. The country had been earning some $2.5 billion a year from oil exports before the crisis.

With the economy on a war footing and military costs spiraling, Syria has been forced to rely increasingly on new credit lines from its main allies. Russia, Iraq and China have provided support - sometimes in the form of barter deals - but not on the scale of this week's deal with Tehran.

Syria's Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil held talks in Moscow last week about a possible Russian loan to Damascus but no agreement has been announced yet.

The latest deal should also ease financial demands on an economy whose $60 billion GDP is estimated to have shrunk by around 30 percent since the conflict began two years ago.

"It's a strong psychological and political message of support from Iran. They are not just giving you a specific loan but they are giving you funds over a long period and (you can) draw as much as you want on items you choose," said Samir Aita, a prominent Syrian economist living abroad.

"The credit facility will allow Syria to spend much needed funds now tied up on other areas," he added.

Although the financing deal provides short-term relief for Syria, it will push up the long-term debt of a country that once prided itself on a low national debt, bankers say.

Bankers say the credit facilities, that will be channeled through the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria and Iran's Bank Saderat, could also reduce the mounting pressure on the Syrian pound by limiting the need to pay for imported products and foodstuffs with scarce foreign currency.

The pound has crashed as low as one-sixth of its pre-crisis value against the dollar, leading to rampant inflation. Currency traders say the pound plunged to 300 to the dollar earlier this month before recovering to around 200.

"There will be less demand on the dollar when the state gets oil products and flour from Iran and we export to them textiles and some foodstuffs," said Essam Zamrick, deputy head of the Damascus chamber of industry.

Last year Iran and Syria arranged a gasoline-for-diesel swap, but the loss of Syria's main oil producing areas in the east meant that Damascus no longer has the light crude it produced nor the extra gasoline and naphtha it used to export.

Nevertheless, Iran has steadily expanded longstanding economic ties with Syria to help it withstand Western economic sanctions and sealed a free trade deal that granted Syrian exports a low 4 percent customs tariff.

Tehran used to supply Damascus with up to a $1 billion worth of oil products on similar credit terms in the early 1980s before Syria became an oil producer.

BANK VAULTS

Last January, Tehran agreed during a visit by Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki to deposit $500 million in Syria's central bank vaults to prop up the local currency, banking sources say.

The latest credit facility deal was welcomed by a cash-starved business community that has little access to Western financial systems under sanctions.

"These credit facilities will help exporters and businessmen who are suffering from lack of credit and loans that have raised costs and led to a capital flight," said Zamrick.

The deal will also open the door to wider Iranian investments in infrastructure projects such as power plants and heavy industry.

Officials say Iran's strong political support will ensure it gets a lion's share of reconstruction projects, assuming Assad remains in power. Iran and Syria already have an existing car assembly plant, one of several multi-million dollar joint projects that began before the 2011 troubles.

Iranian firms have also been awarded more contracts in the power sector and have signed deals to construct several grain silos which will be financed through the expanded credit lines, one banking source said.

Under that credit financing deal, Syria has also received 250,000 tons of Iranian flour, easing bread shortages in government-held areas caused by the loss to rebels of almost half the northern city of Aleppo, where most of the country's milling capacity existed

(Editing by Dominic Evans and Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-grants-syria-3-6-billion-credit-buy-164738882.html

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New Barcelona coach Martino's tactics fit Barca's style

Gerardo Martino was appointed as Barcelona's coach on July 22.

David Ramos/Getty Images

All events depend, to an extent, on chance, on a thousand, a million circumstances coinciding. It may be that Gerardo Martino is ousted from Barcelona at the end of the season having finished second in the league and having failed to take them to a seventh successive Champions League semi-final and his appointment will be seen as a regrettable short-term move necessitated by the dreadful news that Tito Vilanova requires further treatment for cancer. Or it may be that he achieves glory, a new dynasty is begun, and the world looks on the turbulent events of this summer and reflects on what a peculiar business appointing a manager can be.

"I don't believe in luck, but in certain cases, luck, or fate, has to be on your side," said Juan Manuel Llop, who was a teammate of Martino's in the great Newell's Old Boys side that won the Clausura and reached the final of the Copa Libertadores under Marcello Bielsa in 1992. "Look at Martino. If Barcelona had had to replace Vilanova a year ago, he wouldn't have been appointed. If Newell's had advanced to the Copa Libertadores final, he wouldn't have been on [vacation] and probably wouldn't have been willing to talk to other club and therefore he wouldn't have been appointed. But it happened."

It may be debatable whether anybody would have actually refused to talk to Barcelona, even if they had been about to lead the club they'd always supported into a Libertadores final, but the general point is a sound one. A year ago, Martino was a coach who had won four league titles in Paraguay and led the Paraguay national side to the quarterfinal of the World Cup and the final of the Copa America with a string of grindingly negative displays. After a year at Newell's, though, his attacking principles have re-emerged -- it scored 40 goals in 19 games in winning the Clausura. That was vital to him getting the job at Camp Nou, for it is by philosophy more than by past record that Barcelona appoints its coaches.

"I'm convinced that he's going to be successful," said Llop. "But it's also important to know why he's been appointed. And this is what makes the difference. Most of the clubs just look at results and they decide to set up a new project with a successful coach. Successful in the last year, or in the last few months. But you need to go deeper if you want to make a serious choice. In Argentina, it's one patch over another: there's no project. And Martino, at Newell's, started something serious. The differences were suddenly visible."

Having played under Bielsa, having been the creative and emotional hub of that '92 side, Martino shares the key tenets of the Barcelona model: pressing, ball-retention, fluidity. And yet logical as his appointment was, it still came as a shock. "I was as surprised as he was," said Llop. "As his assistants and relatives were. But Barcelona is the place where any manager in the world dreams of being. It's a place reserved just for the chosen ones. And the surprise in this case is that that normally means managers that have had a career in Europe. The surprise in this case is that Martino hadn't coached in Europe yet. But at the same time I ask myself: why not? Because he has a philosophy that is very similar to Barcelona's. And that's very important, especially for that club with such firm principles."

"He has an excellent squad and, more importantly, the players have all given public support to his arrival. If that happens also in the dressing-room, the manager will be able to work easily. I'm sure that it will be a continuation of the process that [Pep] Guardiola started. There won't be a tactical revolution or players having to assume completely new ideas."

Yet his time with Paraguay showed that Martino could be pragmatic. Robbed of his one real creative presence when Salvador Cabanas was shot in the head in a bar in Mexico City, he didn't try to force players to play in a way unsuitable for them, accepting that the only way for them to progress was by closing matches down. "He's sharp at understanding the kind of players he has and the best kind of football he can play with them," said Llop. "With Paraguay, it was one style. With Newell's, his best bet was to play another type of football, close to Barcelona's way of playing in terms of ball possession and attacking, and here it will be the same. It's how he understood football as a player: neat passing, always thinking of the opposition goal. You need the players to do it. Paraguay didn't have them, and as a manager, you must bring out the best of your footballers."

What he has shown, though, is that he can organize a defense and that means that, particularly in the later rounds of the Champions League, Martino's Barca may take a rather more dogged approach than other recent incarnations.

LYTTLETON: Zinedine Zidane is playing a key role in Real Madrid's pursuit of Gareth Bale

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/si_soccer/~3/KCKUuR1FAWg/

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Cheryl Boone Isaacs elected film academy president

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A veteran marketing executive is the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The organization's board of governors elected Cheryl Boone Isaacs to the position Tuesday evening.

She is the first woman to hold the post in three decades and the first African-American president in the academy's history.

Boone Isaacs was elected to a one-year term but is eligible to serve four successive terms. She succeeds Hawk Koch, who served for one year but was ineligible for re-election.

Boone Isaacs previously served as first vice president of the film academy, which announced its new president via Twitter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cheryl-boone-isaacs-elected-film-academy-president-031000355.html

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Golf-New dad Mahan withdraws from Bridgestone

July 29 | Tue Jul 30, 2013 8:34am IST

July 29 (Reuters) - Hunter Mahan has withdrawn from this week's World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational to spend more time with his newborn daughter Zoe, the golfer said in a statement on Monday.

Mahan was the 36-hole leader at last week's Canadian Open but withdrew from the tournament when his wife Kandi went into labor. Brandt Snedeker went on to win the event.

Mahan, 31, has two WGC victories among his five PGA Tour titles. He is expected to return at the year's final major, the PGA Championship from Aug. 8-11. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INgolf/~3/a9oFntnQRw0/golf-pga-mahan-idINL4N0G00N620130730

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Ford's 3D-Printed Haptic Shift Knob Demonstrates the Promise of Open-Source Vehicle Telematics

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Source: www.core77.com --- Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Ford research engineer Zach Nelson hacked up an Xbox 360 controller, and used an out-of-date MakerBot Thing-O-Matic, to make a rather interesting mod to a Shelby GT500: A haptic shift knob. When the RPMs hit a mere 3,000?god that car must have some awesome low-end torque?Nelson's 3D-printed custom knob vibrates, telling you it's time to shift (rather than informing you that you just ate a grenade in Call of Duty ). It might sound gimmicky, but Nelson's experiment provides a glimpse of the future. OpenXC is Ford's program to make vehicle data available to the user in realtime, with the diagnostic system beaming it to a tablet or smartphone over Bluetooth. By tapping that info, installing an Arduino controller, and programming in some simple values, Nelson was able to go from concept to execution in a matter of weeks. While some tech blogs have breathlessly been reporting that Nelson's device "will teach people how to drive a stick," that's obviously incorrect, and not the real point of the experiment; nor is the LED indicator going to be a gamechanger, as few of us who drive stick have ever been driving around going "Gee, what gear am I in?" Rather, Nelson is demonstrating that by simply opening the floodgates of a vehicle's information, Ford is enabling you customize your driving experience in a manner of your choosing. And it points towards the future: Open-source vehicle telematics, combined with digital manufacturing devices a ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/core77/blog/~3/lc_09J7x5XA/story01.htm

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Golf Roundup: Snedeker Closes Strong to Win Canadian

Brandt Snedeker,?right, embraces his caddie, Scott Vail, on the 18th green after winning the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday. (AARON LYNETT | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Published: Sunday, July 28, 2013 at 11:07 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 28, 2013 at 11:07 p.m.

OAKVILLE, Ontario | Brandt Snedeker won the Canadian Open on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title of the year, closing with 2-under 70 for a three-stroke victory.

Snedeker took the lead Saturday after second-round leader Hunter Mahan withdrew when his wife went into labor, and held on in the breezy final round at Glen Abbey.

Mahan's wife, Kandi, gave birth to daughter Zoe Olivia Mahan early Sunday in Texas.

Snedeker finished at 16-under 272. The six-time PGA Tour winner also won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February.

Dustin Johnson, William McGirt, Matt Kuchar and Jason Bohn tied for second.

Johnson was tied for the lead after a birdie on No. 16, then drove out of bounds and hit the lip of a fairway bunker en route to a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 17th. He finished with a 70.

McGirt had a 68, and Kuchar and Bohn shot 71.

Langer, Wiebe Set for Playoff in Sr. British

SOUTHPORT, England | Bernhard Langer and Mark Wiebe were tied after two playoff holes in the storm-delayed Senior British Open when darkness suspended play at Royal Birkdale.

They will finish the playoff today.

Wiebe shot a 4-under 66 to match Langer at 9-under 271. Langer had a 70. They each parred the par-4 18th twice in the playoff.

Langer, the 2010 winner at Carnoustie, blew a two-stroke lead with a double bogey on the final hole of regulation after hitting into a greenside bunker. Minutes earlier, Wiebe's birdie putt at No. 18 came up short.

Corey Pavin, Peter Senior and David Frost tied for third at 6 under. Pavin shot a 65, Senior had a 66, and Frost a 70.

Webb Wins Ladies European Masters

DENHAM, England | Hall of Famer Karrie Webb rallied to win the Ladies European Masters, making two eagles in a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory in the Ladies European Tour event.

The 38-year-old Australian, preparing for the Women's British Open at St. Andrews, had a 16-under 200 total at Buckinghamshire. She has three victories this season, also winning the Australian Ladies Masters in February and the LPGA Tour's ShopRite LPGA Classic in June.

Webb eagled the par-5 ninth and 14th holes.

South Africa's Ashleigh Simon was second. She closed with a 69.

The Women's British Open starts Thursday on the Old Course.

Tway Wins Boise In Playoff

BOISE, Idaho | Kevin Tway won the Boise Open on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Spencer Levin with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

The 25-year-old Tway, the son of Champions Tour player Bob Tway, closed with a 7-under 64 to match Levin at 23-under 261 at Hillcrest Country Club. Levin finished with a 63.

Michael Putnam, a two-time winner this year who leads the money list, had a 63 to tie for third with Bronson La'Cassie and third-round leader Philip Pettitt at 22 under. La'Cassie had a 65, and Pettitt shot 67.

Russell Knox, who shot a 59 on Friday to match the tour record, finished with a 69 to tie for 12th at 19 under.

Hoey Takes Russian For 5th Title

MOSCOW | Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey won the Russian Open for his fifth European Tour title, finishing with a 2-under 70 for a four-stroke victory.

Hoey had a 16-under 272 total at Jack Nicklaus-designed Tseleevo.

France's Alexandre Kaleka (68) and England's Matthew Nixon (69) tied for second.

Source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130728/news/130729280

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