Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295122563?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Microsoft Excel 2013
Excel is the second-most widely used productivity app in the world, and it's second only to Microsoft Word. If you use Excel every day, but you don't need Word or Outlook or PowerPoint or the rest of the enormous toolbox that makes up Office 2013, you don't need to buy the whole Office suite. A long-standing but little-known option makes it possible to buy Excel alone. Just visit Microsoft's Office store, scroll down until you find the tiny icons that let you but the Office apps separately, and click on the icon that lets you buy Excel 2013 for $109.99. Just don't ask why Microsoft chose that price, because Microsoft isn't saying. It's a strange price, but for all the power the app offers, it's an excellent deal.
Excel 2013 deserves a longer and deeper look than we had room for in our write-up of the full Office 2013 suite, partly because Microsoft seems to have packed more new features and conveniences into Excel 2013 than into any of the other apps in the suite. Some of these new features add functions that Excel never had before, but most of them make it effortless to use features that took a lot of time, trouble, and expertise to use in earlier versions.
What's Obviously New
Some of the new features are obvious, such as the way Excel now opens multiple worksheets in separate Excel windows, each with its own ribbon interface, instead of as separate panes in a single Excel window sharing one ribbon. This makes it easy to manage different worksheets in a dual-monitor setup, while also bringing Excel into line with Word, which has used separate windows for separate documents for ages. Some are under the hood, including fifty new functions for use in formulas, including one that converts strings to numbers in a customizable way, so that "15%" appears as to "0.15" without requiring a trip to the "Format cell" dialog to change a cell's appearance.
Other new features streamline existing features, making it surprisingly easy for beginners to perform tasks that used to be limited to experts. When you select a block of data, a Quick Analysis icon appears at the lower right of the selection. Click on it, and Excel displays a gallery of suggested formatting, charts, totals, and much more. For example, as you move through the suggested choices, Excel displays a row or column of totals, running totals, averages, and other calculations based on the selected data.
Quick Analysis also suggests suitable charts, or custom formatting that color-codes the data, or displays icons in each cell indicating whether the number of greater or less than the preceding cell. The same gallery also suggests possible pivot tables for custom views of the data, making this feature more accessible than ever. All these various options were (and still are) available from the Ribbon if you had the knowledge and patience to find them, but now Excel goes out of its way to offer them. By the way, keyboard aficionados will be glad to know that the Quick Analysis gallery, like everything else in Excel, can be opened with a keyboard shortcut, in this case Ctrl-Q.
My favorite new feature, because it saves a tremendous amount of time-wasting effort, is called Flash Fill, and it's one of many features where Excel acts as it it's using its brain, not just its raw number-crunching power. If you have a column of first names and a column of last names, and you want a single column containing cells with a last name followed by a comma, then a first name. I used to accomplish this by copying the names into Word, combining them there by replacing tabs with commas, and then copying the results back into Excel. Now, all I need to do is go to the top row of the columns of names, containing, for example, "Arthur" and "Andersen," find an empty cell on that row, and enter "Andersen, Arthur". Then I start typing a similar combination of names on the next cell down, corresponding to the names in the second row, and Excel fills in that cell, and the whole rest of the column, with the combined names that I want. The filled-in data appears in gray until I click on an icon that invites me to confirm that I got the data I want.
You can use the same trick in reverse, too, extracting the first or last word from cells that contain multiple words, instead of combining multiple words into one cell. With some experimentation, you may find that Flash Fill is smarter than you expect. For example, if you have a column of dates such as "2012, 1995, 1987, 1990" and you enter "2000s, 1990s" in the column next to them, Excel will instantly suggest "1980s," and "1980s" to continue the series correctly.
What's Under the Hood
Some of Excel's best new features aren't visible in Excel itself because they exist only on the Web. One especially nifty feature lets you add a view-in-Excel button to almost any table that you want to include on a webpage. This can be a webpage on your own site or a blog or anywhere else. All you need to do is to visit Microsoft's site, click a few buttons to get the two chunks of HTML code that you need, and then paste that code above and below a table in a web page.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/owSp9WUPubk/0,2817,2417132,00.asp
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Spat between two Dutch companies sparks record-breaking 300Gbps DDoS attack
By Simon Evans MEXICO CITY, March 27 (Reuters) - United States central defenders Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler went into Tuesday's game against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium with just two World Cup qualifying starts between them, but looked like they had been alongside each other for years in a spirited 0-0 draw. Gonzalez, making his third start in a qualifier and Besler making his first, held Mexico at bay in front of more than 95,000 fans as the U.S earned just their second point ever at the home of their arch-rivals. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spat-between-two-dutch-companies-sparks-record-breaking-010927453.html
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STRANGE AMUSEMENTS: Video Game Review ? Ni No Kuni for ...
Although I usually don?t cover video games here on Strange Amusements, I was recently held captive for over 50 hours by a role playing game that bears mentioning. In an era when video games have found themselves on the radar in Washington, DC due to their sometimes violent nature, one cannot draw enough attention to a game like Ni No Kuni. If politically there is a movement to denigrate the gaming industry and its consumers because of the taste for violence in games, there should also be a strong push to promote a game like Ni No Kuni, a game where your hero quite literally goes on a quest to mend broken hearts and save the world from a consuming nightmare of darkness.
?
Ni No Kuni tells the story of Oliver, a pure-hearted boy, and his quest to save a parallel world after the death of his mother. Starting from a moment of pure sadness at his loss, he embarks into a fantasy world where each person from his world has a soul mate, or a soul's double. That world has fallen under the shadow of Shadar, a dark figure bent on destruction and a man himself merely a player in a greater plot of despair. Along with his sidekick and guide, Mr. Drippy, a brought-to-life stuffed animal given to Oliver when he was a boy, Oliver sets out against incredible odds to become a wizard and a world's savior.
?
The story that you follow along with as you play is nothing short of charming, but that alone is not enough to make a great game. The gameplay itself is fantastic, though, featuring a variation of a classic JRPG turn-based mechanic with some more real-time action. Each member of your party relies on familiars that you capture throughout the game and develop into fighting surrogates, and the variety here is diverse. There is always plenty to do, featuring a pile of side quests that give you tons of opportunity to power up your party without ever feeling like you?re grinding and fighting just for the sake of it. These side quests often feature chances to mend broken hearts and right wrongs, but there are also some fun bounty hunts to do as well as some item hunts that assist you in another layer of the gameplay?alchemy.
?
The flow of the game is well paced, especially after the first few hours that set the story up, and the graphics are perfect, feeling almost as if you are a participant in a classic anime film, especially one made by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) which sort of makes sense since Studio Ghibli is behind this game.
?
Without a doubt, Ni No Kuni is one of the best role playing games to come along in years. The story is epic and heartfelt, and it also, in a weird way, addresses much of the reasons that good people do horrible things, wrestling with a philosophical question hardly being addressed when politicians point fingers at the gaming industry instead of the social forces that lead to societal ills. If you are even a casual player of role playing games, this is one that shouldn't be missed as it has solid and engaging gameplay and a story that you can enjoy as much as a kid could and, at its core, there is a great message and purpose for the tale it tells.
Source: http://www.strangeamusements.com/2013/03/video-game-review-ni-no-kuni-for-ps3.html
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Baltimore, MD 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe New SUV Glen Burnie, MD Annapolis, MD Bob Bell Ford/ Hyundai/ Kia for $38,780
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Source: http://bobbell.com/2013-Hyundai-Santa-Fe-Baltimore-MD/vd/14007397
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The Google Nexus 7 and 8? of Snow?
Hello M:R Nation -
Let me start this quick post off by answering a couple of questions? Yes, it is March 24th and there is 8? of snow on the ground? Yes, we have had more snow fall since that lying ground hog Punxsutawney Phil announced that Spring would come early than we have had ALL winter? Yes, we are sick and tired of the cold (which explains why I just called an innocent land creature a liar, sorry Phil).?
Yes, another snow storm!
So, the next thing on my mind is the Google Nexus 7. Which explains the random title of this post. As I was walking into the office this afternoon out of the 8? of snow, it was the first item I saw being repaired. I know that I have been talking a lot about this particular device lately, but can you blame me? Look at this thing. It is a beautiful piece of art that ASUS and Google conjured up.
Google Nexus 7 with a Cracked Screen
We have been repairing these things left and right which is another reason they are so fresh on my brain. It is truly one of my favorite devices since the iPad and I would actually consider buying one if my iPad ever happens to crap out on me.
Well, with that being said, I am off to go and shovel the walk ways here at the Mission Repair headquarters. It seems that everyone in the area (including the building maintenance team) has decided to stay home today. I will not leave you empty handed, however. Here are a few very helpful pieces of data to enjoy the rest of your day with!
To Order This Service:?Google Nexus 7 Front Glass Screen Repair Service
To Call Us: 866-638-8402
To Email Us: Sales@missionrepair.com
Cheers, Troy
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Tags: asus repair, broken google nexus 7, Cracked Google Nexus 7 Screen, Google Nexus 7 Front Glass Screen Repair Service, nexus 7 replacement glass
Source: http://blog.missionrepair.com/2013/03/24/the-google-nexus-7-and-8-of-snow/
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Marshall Henderson: 'I Don't Regret Anything I Do In Life' - Business ...
It only took a few hours for controversy to find Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson at the NCAA Tournament.
Henderson earned a reputation as college basketball's most notorious bad boy this year by taunting fans, talking trash, and giving brilliantly unfiltered press conferences.
And he's living up to that reputation now.
After his team upset Wisconsin on Friday, Henderson was spotted out drinking at a Kansas City bar. Henderson is 22, he isn't doing anything wrong at all in these pictures. But given his persona, it still became a controversy:
He was summoned back to the team hotel after the picture hit the internet, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Djork told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports:
"It wasn't like he was guzzling a beer ? As soon as those pictures were posted, we got him back to the hotel. It's just not good to be in public."
Henderson gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for why he went out at a press conference yesterday, "I really just wanted to go out and socialize with all the people here and just enjoy the experience."
Henderson's second controversy of the weekend came later that night when he got into an expletive-filled Twitter fight with what seemed to be the account of Kentucky player Ryan Harrow.
The only problem: the account was fake.
It started when the fake account told Henderson to "be quiet" if he didn't win the NCAA Tournament. Henderson went off, taunting the Harrow account for only making the NIT.
He deleted his tweets after he found out that he wasn't actually talking to Harrow. But here's what he said when he thought he was talking to the real Harrow (via USA Today):
Henderson was asked if he regretted the Twitter mix-up at a press conference yesterday and he responded, "I don't regret anything I do in life."
Marshall Henderson knows exactly what he's doing. He has developed a villain persona that's designed to unnerve opponents and rile up fans and commentators. On the strength of that persona, he has beaten out players with more talent to become the biggest star of the NCAA Tournament.
If Ole Miss continues to advance, you can expect many more mini-controversies and many more swagger-laden quotes.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/marshall-henderson-i-dont-regret-anything-i-do-in-life-2013-3
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Saturday, March 9, 2013
Creating a Click-Worthy Profile Description: Social Media For Business
When people are searching social media one of the first things they will see is your profile description. Whether it?s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media site, this short description is the discriminating factor on whether or not someone will click on your profile or continue on to your website to learn more.
If you?re using social media for business, and you have shown up in a search, you definitely want these people to click on your profile. Your profile descriptions need to be intriguing enough to get their attention, but professional enough to represent your brand.
So what can you do to create a great description that makes people click through? Here are some tips for each major social media site.
LinkedIn is the top social network for business and search results for keywords often produce tens of thousands of results. Your description is public to all LinkedIn members, so you want this to stand out from everyone else in the list. This short description, called a Headline, appears immediately under your name. LinkedIn defaults this to your current job title but we are not defined by our job titles, so why should our profiles be? You can easily edit this field and write something more descriptive of your professional background.?
What to do:
- Carefully select 2 or 3 keywords that describe who you are and what you do
- The headline cannot exceed 120 characters
- Word the headline to reflect your personality. If you?re quirky, make it quirky.
- Find a good combination of fun & professional ? but remember it is a professional networking site
What not to do:
- Don?t make your headline rude or offensive
- Don?t make it a list of keywords
- Don?t use hashtags
Twitter is great for developing brand awareness. Here you get to represent your brand, but you get to be a real person, sharing real information and real experiences. Even if you?re using Twitter under the name of your company, you will be expected to engage as an individual. Twitter displays your description beneath your profile picture, name and Twitter handle. Twitter will not automatically fill in this section for you. You?re not anonymous, so don?t let the Twitterverse think you are. Even when used for business purposes, Twitter is about real, honest engagement and your description should reflect this.
What to do:
- Select 4 or 5 keywords or areas of expertise that define you
- The description cannot exceed 140 characters
- Make it fun & unique to you. If you are passionate about something, put it out there!
- Tell people why you?re here
- Include your website or blog link so people can connect with you further
What not to do:
- If you use hashtags, don?t overuse them. 1 or 2 is sufficient
- Don?t write the description in the 3rd person narrative. If it doesn?t sound like you?re the one here, why should we follow you?
Facebook is another popular site in social media for businesses. With the majority of social media users operating Facebook accounts, this is a great platform for engaging with your customers. Facebook Business pages provide a small section beneath the profile photo that shows the ?About? information for your company. If your company is associated with a physical address or place, that information will be listed here. If you are not associated with a physical address, the ?About? description is a 3 line description of your business. This is the first textual description that viewers will see of your company/brand so make sure it?s effective!?
What to do:
- Choose a descriptive title for your business that reflects the best aspects of your business
- The About description will display up to 225 characters
- Add your website link here to gain higher click-through rates to your site
What not to do:
- Don?t use hashtags
- Don?t let the text end mid-sentence. When writing the ?About? text, you can exceed 225 characters but only the first 225 will display on the profile page. The rest will only be visible by clicking on ?About?.
Google+
While still considered new to the social media world, Google+ is gaining traction. Business profiles look the same as personal profiles up front so use your description to define what your company does. Google+ uses what they call a Tagline underneath your name to describe more about you. This is a short one sentence description. If you don?t fill this in, Google+ will leave it blank. Many people and businesses leave this blank so you?ll stand out if you fill in this feature. 
What to do:
- Choose 2 or 3 keywords that describe you
- There is no defined length listed for Google+ taglines, but I recommend you keep it to less than 80 characters.
- Make it fun and descriptive and reflective of your personality
What not to do:
- Don?t use hashtags
- Don?t use a string of keywords
I also suggest changing each of your descriptions every 6 months. Doing this keeps it fresh. It also gives you the opportunity to try out different tactics to see what garners the best results. Try being whimsical, then go more serious, then bring in a motivational aspect, etc. Whatever helps enhance your brand and bring awareness of who you are.
It is important to remember that when it comes to social media for business, these brief descriptions are often the 3-5 seconds that it takes for someone to decide if they want to connect with you or not. By making the descriptions entertaining and informative, you will ensure that you stand out from all the other boring ones out there!
Source: http://topdogsocialmedia.com/social-media-for-business-increase-clicks/
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Netflix changes its public API program by ending it, will no longer issue new dev keys
Once upon a time, Netflix was proud enough of its public API which enabled third-party services and apps to serve up its data and content in different ways that it opened a gallery to display them. Unfortunately, times have changed since 2009 -- the old App Gallery is gone and now, so is public API access for new developers. A blog post indicates the API is now focused on supporting Netflix's official clients on the many devices its customers use to stream movies, not hobbyist projects for managing ones queue or finding new movies to watch. While those already in place should still work since existing keys will remain active, the developer forums are being set to read-only, no new keys are being issued and new partners are no longer being accepted.
The move is reminiscent of recent changes by Twitter, where as each company has grown it's decided having control over the user experience through its own official apps outweighs allowing the community to build and extend access as it sees fit. We're sad to see the program go, as many of these tools assisted Netflix members in ways the official website and apps either never did, or no longer do after the features were removed. Even though Netflix relies on its own secret sauce for recommendations, we've always found it hard to beat InstantWatcher's curated lists (by year, Rotten Tomatoes rating, critic's picks, titles most recently added by other users and more) to find a video, and FeedFliks was indispensable for monitoring exactly how valuable the service is until its features were cut down by API changes. They provided an edge the competition like Amazon Prime and Redbox couldn't match, but we'll have to wait and see if this change is noticed by enough subscribers to matter -- we've seen how that can go.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Netflix Developer Blog
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/08/netflix-changes-its-current-api-program-by-ending-it-will-no/
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Drake Takes Subliminal Shots On '5 Am in Toronto'
MTV News' #5 'Hottest MC' aims at naysayers, competitors and an unnamed 'list' on new track.
By Rob Markman
Drake
Photo: Larry Busacca/ Getty Images
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703173/drake-5am-in-toronto.jhtml
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Obama eases export controls on some military spare parts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has notified Congress of plans to modify weapon and ammunition export controls to make it easier for American companies to export spare parts for aircraft and gas turbine engines, the White House said on Friday.
Currently, everything on the U.S. Munitions List "is controlled equally, whether an F-18 fighter or a bolt that has been modified for use on that F-18, and each of these items requires an individual license," the White House said.
The proposed changes, which go into effect in 180 days of publication, provide "a streamlined export authorization process for thousands of parts and components" used in aircraft and gas turbine engines, the White House said.
The actions are the first changes to the Munitions List as part of a reform initiative that began early in President Barack Obama's administration, with enthusiastic backing from business.
The effort is aimed at easing export licensing requirements for less sensitive items and building better protections for the most critical technologies, administration officials said.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in April 2010 outlined the administration's plan to merge two separate government lists that govern exports of weaponry and dual-use technology goods into a single list.
"We need a system that dispenses with the 95 percent of 'easy' cases and lets us concentrate our resources on the remaining 5 percent," Gates said at the time.
The Commerce Department currently issues export licenses for dual-use goods and technology with both civilian and military applications.
The State Department administers the U.S. Munitions List, which contains 21 categories ranging from firearms and tanks to satellites and nuclear weapons design and test equipment.
"Rebuilding our export control lists and moving less sensitive items from the State to the Commerce list will provide us the flexibility to more efficiently equip and maintain our partner's capabilities while allowing us to focus on preventing potential adversaries from acquiring military items that they could use against us," the White House said.
U.S. manufacturers have complained that restrictions on less sensitive technologies have cost them billions of dollars in lost sales that have gone to foreign suppliers.
A study by the Milken Institute for the National Association of Manufacturers a few years ago estimated that modernizing export controls could boost real U.S. economic output by $64 billion and create 160,000 manufacturing jobs.
Closes U.S. allies have also complained that Washington's system makes it difficult for them to get spare parts for equipment they have bought from the United States.
(Reporting By Doug Palmer)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-eases-export-controls-military-spare-parts-195727951.html
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
'Skyfall' director Sam Mendes says no to Bond 24
LONDON (Reuters) - British director Sam Mendes will not direct the next James Bond movie, despite impressing critics and breaking box office records with "Skyfall", the 23rd movie in the spy series.
Speaking to Empire magazine in an interview published on Wednesday, the Oscar-winning filmmaker said he would be focusing on his theatre projects for the foreseeable future.
The success of "Skyfall", the top-grossing Bond film having earned more than $1.1 billion at the global box office, had led to media speculation that Mendes would return for Bond 24.
"It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara's very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie," said Mendes, referring to Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
"Directing "Skyfall" was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" and "King Lear", that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond."
Mendes has a long background in theatre direction and burst on to the movie scene by winning an Academy Award for his debut feature "American Beauty" starring Kevin Spacey.
His collaboration with Daniel Craig as James Bond and handling of key new cast including Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw in "Skyfall" has been widely praised by critics and helped the film become a major commercial success.
The 47-year-old director left the door open for a return to the franchise in the future, however.
"I feel very honored to have been part of the Bond family, and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again sometime in the future," he said.
Wilson and Broccoli said they understood Mendes' decision to turn down Bond 24 but added they "hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with him again".
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skyfall-director-sam-mendes-says-no-bond-24-143209635.html
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Venezuela's Chavez dies, officials call for unity
A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez cries as she holds a sign that reads in Spanish "I am Chavez" as Chavistas gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez cries as she holds a sign that reads in Spanish "I am Chavez" as Chavistas gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez cries as she holds a picture of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez, as Chavistas gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez cries as she holds up a poster of Chavez that reads in Spanish "Let's be like Chavez" and "Forbidden to forget" as Chavistas gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Supporters of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Some in anguish, some in fear, Venezuelans raced for home and stocked up on food and water Tuesday after the government announced the death of President Hugo Chavez, the larger-than-life firebrand socialist who led the nation for 14 years.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro's voice broke and tears ran down his face as he appeared on national television to announce that Chavez died at 4:25 p.m. local time (3:55 p.m. EST, 1755 GMT) "after battling hard against an illness over nearly two years."
He did not say what exactly killed Chavez, although the government had announced the previous night that a severe new respiratory infection had severely weakened him.
A few hours later, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua affirmed one of Chavez's final wishes: Maduro would be interim president and then be the ruling party's candidate to carry on Chavez's populist "revolution" in elections to be called within 30 days.
It was a day fraught with mixed signals, some foreboding and some violent. Just a few hours before announcing Chavez's death, Maduro made a virulent speech against enemies he claimed were trying to undermine Venezuelan democracy.
And he said two U.S. military attaches had been expelled for trying to destabilize the nation.
In announcing the death of the former army paratrooper who wielded Venezuela's oil wealth to benefit the poor and win friends regionally, Maduro shifted tone.
He called on Venezuelans to be "dignified heirs of the giant man" Chavez was.
"Let there be no weakness, no violence. Let there be no hate. In our hearts there should only be one sentiment: Love. Love, peace and discipline."
The government declared 7 days of mourning and closed all schools and universities until next Monday.
All across downtown Caracas, shops and restaurants began to close and Venezuelans hustled for home, some even breaking into a run.
Many people looked incredulous or anguished.
"I feel a sorrow so big I can't speak," said Yamilina Barrios, a 39-year-old clerk who works in the Industry Ministry, her face covered in tears. "He was the best this country had."
"I hope the country calms down and continues the work that he left us, continues in unity and the progress continues," Barrios said.
Among the nervous was Maria Elena Lovera, a 45-year-old housewife. "I want to go home. People are crazy and are way too upset."
There were several incidents of political violence.
In one, a group of masked, helmeted men on motorcycles, some brandishing revolvers, attacked about 40 students who had been protesting for more than a week near the Supreme Court building to demand the government give more information about Chavez's health.
The attackers, who didn't wear clothing identifying any political allegiance, burned the students' tents and scattered their food just minutes after the death was announced.
"They burned everything we had," said student leader Gaby Arellano. She said she saw four of the attackers with pistols but none fired a shot.
Outside the military hospital where Chavez's remains were visited by loved ones and confederates, an angry crowd attacked a Colombian TV reporter.
"They beat us with helmets, with sticks, men, women, adults," Carmen Andrea Rengifo said on RCN TV. Video images showed her bleeding above the forehead but she was not seriously injured.
Maduro and other government officials have recently railed against international media for allegedly reporting rumors about Chavez's health, though RCN was not among those stations criticized.
After nightfall, several hundred people gathered at Bolivar Square, a symbolic place for Chavistas because it has a huge nine-meter-tall (30-foot-tall) statue of Simon Bolivar, the 19th century independence hero who Chavez claimed as his inspiration.
Some arrived singing Venezuela's national anthem and holding up posters of Chavez. Many chanted "I am Chavez," which had been a campaign slogan of the president.
One man began shouting through a megaphone a warning to the opposition: "They won't return." The crowd then joined in, chanting: "They won't return."
Maduro, who had urged people to meet at the square, called on the opposition to respect "the people's pain."
"Those who never supported the comandante Hugo Chavez, respect the pain of the people. This is the moment to think of our families, of our country."
Chavez leaves behind a political movement firmly in control of the nation, but with some doubt about how a new leadership will be formed.
Chavez's illness prevented him from taking the oath of office after he was re-elected to a new term on Oct. 7 and the constitution says the speaker of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, should take over as interim president under such circumstances.
But Jaua said Maduro would assume the rule as that was Chavez's will.
The man Chavez defeated in October, the youthful Miranda state Gov. Henrique Capriles, is widely expected to represent the opposition.
Venezuela's defense minister appeared on television to announce that the military will remain loyal to the constitution in the wake of Chavez's death.
Adm. Diego Molero appealed for "unity, tranquility and understanding" among Venezuelans.
The announcement of Chavez's death stunned Venezuelans, if it did not surprise them.
Earlier in the day, Maduro was more belligerent in tone as he announced the government had expelled two U.S. diplomats from the country and said "we have no doubt" that Chavez's cancer, which was first diagnosed in June 2011, was induced by "the historical enemies of our homeland."
He compared the situation to the death of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, claiming Arafat was "inoculated with an illness."
Chavez's inner circle has long claimed the United States was behind a failed 2002 attempt to overthrow him, and he has frequently played the anti-American card to stir up support. Venezuela has been without a U.S. ambassador since July 2010 and expelled another U.S. military officer in 2006.
U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell rejected the assertion that the U.S. was trying to destabilize Venezuela and said it "leads us to conclude that, unfortunately, the current Venezuelan government is not interested in and improved relationship."
Maduro has been taking on a larger role since Chavez urged Venezuelans to choose him as president before disappearing in early December to undergo a fourth round of cancer surgery in Cuba.
He accused U.S. Embassy Air Force attache Col. David Delmonaco of spying on Venezuela's military and seeking to involve officers in "destabilizing projects." Maduro gave Delmonaco 24 hours to leave, and U.S. officials said he had already left the country.
Maduro said Tuesday that the government was "on the trail of other elements that figure in this entire venomous scenario and are seeking to stir up trouble."
Later Tuesday, Jaua said a second U.S. Air Force attach? was being expelled, also for alleged espionage. The Pentagon said the officer, Devlin Costal, was already in the United States.
"Let's remember that active participation of the United States in the fascist coup of 2002," Jaua said.
Chavez has run Venezuela for more than 14 years as a virtual one-man show, gradually placing all state institutions under his personal control. But the former army paratroop commander, who rose to fame by launching a failed 1992 coup, never groomed a successor with his same kind of force of personality.
The campaign for the upcoming election to replace him, though undeclared, has nevertheless already begun. Maduro has frequently commandeered all broadcast channels, Chavez-style, to tout the "revolution" and vilify the opposition.
Maduro on Tuesday repeated government claims that Capriles met in the United States over the weekend with right-wing U.S. conspirators and was planning to meet over the weekend with Roberta Jacobsen, assistant U.S. secretary of state for the hemisphere.
One personality on state TV also accused the Capriles family of buying a New York City apartment with stolen funds.
Capriles responded via Twitter Tuesday by calling Maduro a liar.
"Lie after lie in every speech," he said.
Chavez had neither been seen nor heard from, except for photos released in mid-February, since submitting to a fourth round of surgery in Cuba on Dec. 11 for an unspecified cancer in the pelvic area. It was first diagnosed in June 2011.
The government said Chavez returned home on Feb. 18 and was confined to the military hospital since.
Maduro said last week that the president had begun receiving chemotherapy around the end of January.
___
Associated Press writers Christopher Toothaker in Caracas, Vivian Sequera in Bogota, Colombia, and Robert Burns and Luis Alonso in Washington contributed to this report.
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Chavez death: Venezuelans in US hopeful of change
DORAL, Fla. (AP) ? Cheering Venezuelans in the U.S. waved their country's flag and voiced hope that change would come to their homeland after the death Tuesday of long-ruling populist President Hugo Chavez.
"He's gone!" dozens in a largely anti-Chavez community chanted after word spread swiftly of the death of the 58-year-old leftist. Many said they were rejoicing after nearly a decade and a half of socialist rule, heavily concentrated in Chavez's hands.
"We are not celebrating death," Ana San Jorge, 37, said amid a jubilant crowd in the Miami suburb of Doral. "We are celebrating the opening of a new door, of hope and change."
Wearing caps and T-shirts in Venezuela's colors of yellow, blue and red, many expressed cautious optimism and concern after the announcement of the death. But some were anxious, too.
"Although we might all be united here celebrating today, we don't know what the future holds," said Francisco Gamez, 18, at El Arepazo, a popular Venezuelan restaurant in Doral.
In Caracas, Venezuela's foreign minister announced late Tuesday that Vice President Nicolas Maduro would be interim president and run as the governing party candidate in elections to be called within 30 days. It wasn't immediately clear when presidential elections would be held.
Chavez, though cancer-stricken in recent years, had led the oil-rich Latin American nation for years by espousing a fiery brand of socialism. All the while he bickered with a succession of U.S. governments over what he called Washington's hegemony in the region.
Many in Florida's large Venezuelan community and similar communities around the U.S. are stridently anti-Chavez and had fled their home country in response to the policies his government instituted.
One of them is Marcel Mata, a 28-year-old opponent of Chavez, who now lives in New Orleans. He moved to the U.S. from Caracas, Venezuela, during a turbulent period in 2002 and said the prospects of an election were dizzying for opposition forces long unable to defeat the seemingly larger-than-life Chavez.
After 14 years of Chavez, Mata said: "It's hard to believe. There seemed to be no end in sight and now there's a sense of hope."
Mata said Maduro may not have the campaign allure of the charismatic Chavez, adding "there's no way anyone in his party can fill his shoes." But he said he is nervous about the transition no matter who wins, warning there could be trouble.
A large number of professionals and others left their country beginning after Chavez became president in 1999. Many did not agree with his socialist government, became frightened of soaring crime or sought better fortunes abroad.
Doral has the largest concentration of Venezuelans living in the U.S. They transformed what was a quiet suburb near Miami's airport into a bustling city affectionately known as "Doralzuela."
The restaurant El Arepazo is at the heart of the community and sells arepas, corn flour patties stuffed with fresh cheese and other fillings. Hundreds of Venezuelans gathered at its tables with family and friends, riveted to the news broadcasts from their country Tuesday.
An estimated 189,219 Venezuelan immigrants live in the United States, according to U.S. Census figures. Besides Florida, there are sizable Venezuelan communities in Los Angeles and New York.
At Mil Jugos restaurant in downtown Santa Ana, in Southern California's Orange County, the Briceno family rejoiced. Daughter Norah Briceno left her country 14 years ago after struggling economically under Chavez despite a master's degree in finance and a popular restaurant. She sold her business to a friend and opened an identical restaurant in California.
"When Chavez won, if you weren't with the Chavez revolution, you were out and you barely had enough money to eat," she said. "Finally, he's died. He's the reason we had to leave home and we're all here."
Her mother, Solange Briceno, is nervous about her son who remains with his family in Venezuela. The 72-year-old called him Tuesday in between serving customers steaming cachapas ? Venezuelan sweet corn pancakes.
"I am very worried," she said.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said in statement the Chavez's death marks a challenging time for Venezuela. He said the U.S. is committed to promoting democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law.
Chavez's inner circle has long claimed the U.S. government was behind a failed a 2002 attempt to overthrow him, and he has frequently played the anti-American card to stir up support.
Others, meanwhile, mourned Chavez's death.
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II recalled that Chavez and the people of Venezuela donated 200 million gallons of heating oil to the group he heads, Citizens Energy, which distributes oil to lower income families in 25 states and Washington, D.C.
Kennedy, who is a nephew to the late President John F. Kennedy, said Chavez cared about the poor.
He said his prayers go out to Chavez's family and the Venezuelan people.
____
Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Santa Ana, Calif., Claudia Torrens in New York, Steve LeBlanc in Boston, and Stacey Plaisance in New Orleans contributed to this report.
____
Follow Christine Armario on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/cearmario
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-death-venezuelans-us-hopeful-change-223343514.html
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013
How dedicated are MMA fans? Check out how one couple incorporated it into their wedding
When Rebecca Dodell and Fernando Albiar started dating, she wasn't much of an MMA fan. But she fell for the sport as their relationship grew more serious. Now, she attends UFC events and cheers on fighters with her fiance. The pair was in attendance at UFC 157 in Anaheim.
So when it came time to send out save the dates for their summer wedding, they decided to honor their favorite sport. In the front of the card, Dodell has the championship belt and Albiar has the interim. On the back, she has both because she's united the belts.
"It is who we are. Some of our family does not get it and some don?t like it. But this is us and we will continue to advocate for MMA," Albiar said.
Best wishes to the Mr. and Mrs. from Cagewriter.
As Dodell and Albiar prove, MMA fans are some of the most dedicated in sports. Do you have a story that shows just how dedicated you are to sport? Email it to Cagewriter for use in a future post.
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ChargeCard pocket iPhone charger starts shipping, we go hands- and wallets-on
Perhaps we all bemoaned the death of the 30-pin dock connector accessories a little prematurely. Apple may be moving away from the technology in a huge way, but it seems the category's got a little juice left in her after all. On the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign last summer (raising a bit more than three times its proposed $50,000), the duo behind ChargeCard took their iPhone charger on the road to Las Vegas in January. Roughly half a year after hitting its goal, the product has finally started shipping, with one of the units making its way to our desk just this week.
The ChargeCard's clever in its simplicity, a credit card-sized device made from ABS (think: Lego) plastic. A little rubberized arm lives in the center of the thing, unfolding and plugging into a USB port. One edge of the card, meanwhile, fits into your iPhone's port (assuming, of course, that you're not one of those fancy pants iPhone 5 owners, you big shot, you). And, well, that's pretty much all there is to the thing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Source: ChargeCard
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/05/chargecard/
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Sunday, March 3, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013 - Family Home and Life: Grandparent's Say ...
Good morning! Well the world seems all shiny ?and bright today....I'm not sick!! And no one is lost :) I am busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and toddlers though. I thought life would be a lot slower during these years than it is. How about you, are you super busy or have you slowed down a bit?
It was a busy week with the grand kids too. My second oldest has wanted a hot air balloon ride since she was tiny and got her wish for her sixth birthday. She wasn't a bit afraid, but then after you have?flown as an angel?dangling from wires I guess a balloon ride isn't that different! That's Lake Pleasant there in the distance. Kc you would have loved it!?
It was Daddy daughter dance this last week. I am one proud mama/grandma of those two!Such a fun and affirming night for girls. Doesn't my grand daughter look like her daddy? ??
We have celebrated the last birthday (of what I call birthday season) for about 3 weeks before another birthday rolls around. That's about as long as we go without a birthday party around here. I actually stuffed money in a birthday card last week, a very rare thing for me to do because I always make something. But I am running out of time left and right. I need to clone myself or become twins....or have the energy Joyce has ;)?
This month I am celebrating my blog?anniversary?and I would like to have some guest posters from the grandma bloggers; anyone interested? It is last minute I know but if you would like to write a post, please send me an email.Thanks for stopping by today! Love you guys!
This is a link up for older bloggers; but you don't need to be a grandparent to link up.?Link up to three post, not to your home page, and link that back to Family Home and Life. While you are here I hope you will visit the other linkers and come back to see who links up later. We all love comments! No Etsy shops or giveaways please. This link closes on Monday night.? Be sure to visit Lisa at?Grandma's Briefs?to join her linky, GRAND Social, on Mondays. Thank you for linking up with me!
If you are reading this post anywhere else but at Family Home and Life then it was used without permission! Please report it! Copyright ? Family Home and Life 2010-2013 All Rights Reserved
It was a busy week with the grand kids too. My second oldest has wanted a hot air balloon ride since she was tiny and got her wish for her sixth birthday. She wasn't a bit afraid, but then after you have?flown as an angel?dangling from wires I guess a balloon ride isn't that different! That's Lake Pleasant there in the distance. Kc you would have loved it!?
It was Daddy daughter dance this last week. I am one proud mama/grandma of those two!Such a fun and affirming night for girls. Doesn't my grand daughter look like her daddy? ??
We have celebrated the last birthday (of what I call birthday season) for about 3 weeks before another birthday rolls around. That's about as long as we go without a birthday party around here. I actually stuffed money in a birthday card last week, a very rare thing for me to do because I always make something. But I am running out of time left and right. I need to clone myself or become twins....or have the energy Joyce has ;)?
This month I am celebrating my blog?anniversary?and I would like to have some guest posters from the grandma bloggers; anyone interested? It is last minute I know but if you would like to write a post, please send me an email.Thanks for stopping by today! Love you guys!
If you are reading this post anywhere else but at Family Home and Life then it was used without permission! Please report it! Copyright ? Family Home and Life 2010-2013 All Rights Reserved
Source: http://www.familyhomeandlife.com/2013/03/grandparents-say-it-saturday_2.html
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Five Best Desktop Search Applications
Whether you have the files on your computer neatly organized or they're all over the place, a great desktop search utility makes getting right to the file you need when you need it a super-simple proposal. All of the major operating systems have some built-in search, but there's usually a better option out there that's faster, has more accurate results, or has more great features. This week we're looking at five of the best, based on your nominations.
Earlier this week we asked you which desktop search apps were the best. You responded with tons of great suggestions, but we only have room for the top five:
Alfred (OS X)
Alfred is a combination app launcher and desktop/web search utility for OS X. Once installed, Alt+Space brings up a search bar that you can use to lauch any application on your system, search the web, and of course, search your system for files, folders, images, and more. You can add and remove folders from Alfred's search scope, and use its built-in engine to search for documents, or you can turn on Alfred's search "Extras" to make it index and present file and folder results as you type. It's a little slower (especially when you can press space again after bringing up Alfred's search bar to look for files) but it gives you everything up front. The beauty of Alfred is that it's an app launcher and desktop search tool in one, but it's also much more. Alfred sports an iTunes mini-player, built-in calculator, support for customizable hotkeys, and has a wealth of available extensions to add even more features. It's free, although the Alfred Powerpack will set you back ?15 (approx $23 USD) and toss in some extra useful features.
Everything (Windows)
Everything originally came out back in 2008 (I should know, I covered its launch for another publication!) and quickly rose to become one of Windows' most popular search utilities. It's not the only one by any means, but Everything was fast?fast like no other desktop search tool at the time really was. It builds its search index while you use it, making it easy to start searching as soon as you download it and get even more accurate results the longer you leave the app running. Everything stopped development in 2009, and the last official version is still from then, but Void, the developer, reappeared last month on the forums with a new beta version designed for current versions of Windows. So far, it works like a charm, and retains the speedy search capabilities that made Everything great to begin with. It still needs admin access for best performance, and it still only works on NTFS volumes (and some features have been removed for privacy or performance reasons), but Everything is definitely back. Worst case though, you can still grab the old version. Everything is freeware, although the developer notes he may release some features as add-ons in the future.
Quicksilver (OS X)
Quicksilver has a long and storied history. For a while, it was the best app launcher and customization tool available for the Mac. We loved it then, and when its future looked a little grim, we mourned. Still, it went open source, and when independent developers picked it up, we were happy. Since then it's been updated frequently, and is still our favorite app launcher for Mac. Even though it's an app launcher, it's also a great file and document search tool, and allows you to browse and search your Mac's file system quickly and with a few keystrokes. Right out of the box, Quicksilver lets you search files, folders, documents of all types, contacts, bookmarks, and more. It can chain commands, so it can search for a file, then give you options of how to open it, or find a file and then move it to a file location for you. It also has a wealth of independently created plugins that can extend its search and scripting features, which let you really play with what the app can do under the hood. The latest versions of Quicksilver are really sharp, and it's completely and totally free (although the team behind it definitely appreciate donations to keep the project running.)
Launchy (Windows/OS X/Linux)
Launchy is our favorite application launcher for Windows, and as we pointed out when we explained why you should be using an app launcher, it can do much more than just find and launch the apps you want to use when you want to use them. Launchy is super-fast, cross-platform, and makes finding files, launching applications, and chaining activities (finding files and then opening them in a specific application, or searching for a term and then opening it in Google in your favorite browser) really simple. It needs a little time to index before it's really effective, but you won't notice it working in the background. Launchy stays lean and trim by cutting out the bloat and other added features that other app launches include, but for the purposes of desktop search, it works like a charm and is super-simple to use. It's completely free, and works just as well on OS X and Linux as it does in Windows.
Windows Search (Windows)
Windows Search is pretty terrible on its own, and it's not really as useful as some of the other contenders in the roundup. It leaves out tons of search locations and file types from its index and indexing is slow and often incomplete. Thankfully, we've shown you how to make Windows Search much more powerful, and many of you noted that once you amp it up a little bit and tweak it so it works better, it's just as good as having a third-party utility on your system. Some of you noted that you'd rather just use what you have than install something new, or that Windows Search is "okay," and combined with just being organized, you didn't need a special search tool. Whichever camp you're in, enough of you noted Windows' built-in search that it's a contender. Still, if you are going to stick with Windows Search, at least tweak it so it's more useful.
Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to a vote to determine the all-out winner.
Honorable mentions this week go out to Google Desktop Search, which was discontinued in 2011, but many of you still use and love even though Google doesn't officially make it available for download, and isn't offering security fixes, patches, or updates for it. There are various installers floating about the web if you're still interested in trying it (or still have it installed), and it really is a great desktop search tool, but getting it to work with current OSes can be challenging. Still, if you have it and it works for you, enjoy it!
Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is?and make your case for it?in the discussions below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it?it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/3kTOtVQQEo4/five-best-desktop-search-applications
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Syrian rebel chief: Fighters desperate for weapons
This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding a caricature placard during a demonstration, at Kafr Nabil town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)
This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding a caricature placard during a demonstration, at Kafr Nabil town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)
This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian child, injured by heavy bombing from military warplanes, in the town of Hanano in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, March 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center AMC)
This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding banners and chanting slogans, during a demonstration in the neighborhood of Bustan Al-Qasr in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center AMC)
This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding a banner and Syrian revolution flags, during a demonstration, at Kafr Nabil town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)
BEIRUT (AP) ? The head of Syria's rebels said Friday that the food and medical supplies the United States plans to give his fighters for the first time won't bring them any closer to defeating President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's civil war.
"We don't want food and drink, and we don't want bandages. When we're wounded, we want to die. The only thing we want is weapons," Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the opposition's Supreme Military Council, told The Associated Press by telephone.
The former brigadier in Assad's army warned that the world's failure to provide heavier arms is only prolonging the nearly 2-year-old uprising that has killed an estimated 70,000 people.
In what was described as a significant policy shift, the Obama administration said Thursday it was giving an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria's political opposition and said it would, for the first time, provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels battling to topple Assad.
The move was announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at an international conference on Syria in Rome. In the coming days, several European nations are expected to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition to increase pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.
But the frustration expressed by Idris is shared by most of his colleagues in the Syrian opposition, as well as by scores of rebels fighting in Syria. They feel abandoned by the outside world while the Assad regime pounds them with artillery and bombs.
The main rebel units, known together as the Free Syrian Army, regrouped in December under a unified, Western-backed command headed by Idris and called the Supreme Military Council, following promises of more military assistance once a central council was in place. Despite those pledges, opposition members say very little has been delivered in terms of financial aid, and more importantly, in weapons and ammunition.
The international community remains reluctant to send weapons, fearing they may fall into the hands of extremists increasingly gaining ground among the rebels.
Mouaz al-Khatib, the leader of the Syrian opposition coalition, has lamented the West's focus on the presence of Islamic militants among the fighters. In a forceful speech Thursday to the Rome conference, he said the media reports give "more attention to the length of fighters' beards than to the (regime's) massacres."
Some Syrians expressed their disappointment on social media websites. One showed a photo of Kerry carrying a toy gun as a gift for the rebels. Another depicted a three-wheeled cart, of the kind usually used by farmers, with the words: "The first of the nonlethal weapons has arrived."
Idris, a 55-year-old who studied in Germany and taught electronics at a Syrian military college before defecting in July, said the modest package of aid ? consisting of an undetermined amount of food rations and medical supplies ? will not help them win against Assad's forces who regularly use warplanes to pound rebel strongholds.
"We need anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to stop Bashar Assad's criminal, murderous regime from annihilating the Syrian people," he said. "The whole world knows what we need, and yet they watch as the Syrian people are slaughtered."
Still, he said he hoped that the promised aid is delivered, which would provide some relief to the civilians caught in the fighting.
Russia, meanwhile, sharply criticized the decision by Western powers to boost support for Syrian opposition forces, saying the promised assistance would only intensify the conflict. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the moves announced in Rome "encourage extremists to seize power by force."
Russia is a close ally of Syria that has continued to supply arms to Assad's regime as well as shielding the country from U.N. Security Council sanctions.
Idris denied media reports that the rebels have recently received arms shipments and said his troops were suffering from "severe shortages" in weapons and ammunitions.
Croatia's president said Friday his country will withdraw about 100 peacekeeping troops from the Syria-Israel border after reports that Syrian rebels have been armed with Croatian weapons. The Croatian government fears its troops could become targets for Syrian government soldiers fighting the rebels.
Croatian officials have also denied reports by local media and The New York Times that arms, including machine guns, rifles and anti-tank grenades used in the Balkan wars in the 1990s have recently been sent to the Syrian rebels.
Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said despite the official denials, "everyone has read those reports, and our soldiers are no longer safe."
Fierce clashes continued in northern Syria between government forces and rebels attacking a police academy near Aleppo, the country's largest city and commercial hub.
Rebels backed by captured tanks have been trying to storm the police academy outside the city since launching a new offensive last week. Activists say the academy, which has become a key front in the fight for Aleppo, has been turned into a military base used to shell rebel-held neighborhoods in the city and surrounding countryside.
Syrian's state-run news agency said government troops defending the academy had killed dozens of opposition fighters and destroyed five rebel vehicles.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group also reported heavy fighting around the school and said there were several rebel casualties.
The Observatory said clashes were still raging around Aleppo's landmark 12th century Umayyad Mosque in the walled Old City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mosque was heavily damaged last year just weeks after a fire gutted the city's famed medieval market.
There were conflicting reports about whether the rebels had managed to force regime troops out of the mosque and take full control of the holy site.
Mohammed al-Khatib of the Aleppo Media Center activist group said the mosque was in rebel hands, although clashes were still raging.
"The regime forces left lots of ammunition in it (the mosque), with guns and rocket-propelled grenades," he said via Skype.
Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said rebels have been in control of at least half of the mosque complex for days, but he could not confirm that they had captured all of it.
Near the capital of Damascus, activists said the bodies of 10 men ? most of them shot in the head ? were found dumped on the side of a road between the suburbs of Adra and Dumair. Such incidents have become a frequent occurrence in the civil war.
___
Associated Press writers Ryan Lucas and Ben Hubbard in Beirut contributed to this report.
Associated Press
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