CAT CHAT: Book Review: Pampered Pets On A Budget: Written By ...

I was excited when I was contacted a few weeks back asking if I would like to receive a copy of Pampered Pets On A Budget by Jeffrey L. Barnes And Kristen M. Levine to read and review.

My pets, like everyone else's are pampered and since I am virtually unemployed and my husband has recently retired, the idea that I could read about how to pamper my pet and receive ideas/suggestions about how to do so AND maintain a budget had my ears perked and my tail on alert!

These are tough times in which we live. Every day people are losing jobs and struggling to make ends meet, while the prices of groceries, medical care, etc. continue to rise. Sadly, when a family experiences a financial blow one of the first casualties is often the family pet.

As pet lovers we can never have too many tools in our tool belt to help us not only care for our pets but to maintain a budget while doing so and this book sets out to do what it promises, and that is to:

"help pet parents uncover new ways to save on the products and services you need to take great care of your pets, without compromising your pet's health and wellness care or severely damaging your pocketbook."

This book is short (74 pages) but don't let that fool you. It is 74 pages that are jam-packed with must-have information for today's pet owner.

Take a look at some of the chapters:

Chapter 3-The Internet is not Always Right: this chapter was written by Jeffrey Barnes and is one ?of my personal favorites. We have all fallen victim to running to the internet when our animal is ill. It can be anything from a Google search to posting a problem on Facebook and receiving 500 differing opinions. Many of those opinions include horror stories that when you are already stressed and worried, are the LAST things that you need to hear.

This chapter explains:

• How the internet is NOT a substitute for your veterinarian, your veterinarian knows YOU and your pet!
• It reinforces how when you are reading ANY information from the internet you need to look at the qualifications, licensing and formal education of the source providing that information!
• It mentions how drug and vaccine manufacturers stand behind their products ONLY when they have been purchased directly from your veterinarian.

Other great chapters in this 10 chapter book are:

Chapter 4-Trusted Online Pet Resources-

in this chapter Kristen Levine points out that there is some online information that can be trusted but that it should NEVER take the place of human professionals when it comes to your beloved pet.

?This chapter talks about:
General pet information and adoption sites such as petfinder.com and catster.com
?It also mentions reputable Veterinary and Health Sites such as VeterinaryPartner.com?

Chapter 5-The Value of Your Veterinarian: as explained by Jeffrey Barnes one of my favorite points made in this chapter is "your veterinarian is your pet's medical health care captain and is the only authority on medical issues."


Chapter 7-Pet Health Insurance is discussed by Kristen Levine and is relevant to me because I am still pondering the issue as to whether or not to purchase pet insurance for Cody and Dakota. Some points that Kristen mentions that are important to consider are:

Consider Premiums, Co-Pays and Deductibles
Pick Coverage, Not Cost

This book contains so much information and delivers it in an interesting, ?straight-forward, concise and ?reader-friendly style.

I loved that at the end of each chapter there is a page called Chapter Highlights which is a summation of information listed in an easy to refer to bulleted format.

Pampered Pets On A Budget ?will be your newest, invaluable resource to help you "properly position yourself to give your pet the best lifestyle possible."

For more information about this book please visit:
?www.PamperedPetsOnABudget.com

Pampered Pets on a Budget is available from: www.lulu.com and www.amazon.com.
Paperback ? ISBN: 978-1-105-20415-9 ? $15.99
Kindle ? ISBN: 978-1-105-20415-9 ? $9.99

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Jeffrey L. Barnes: is a business advisor, consultant, and business intermediary, who strives to give veterinarians and business owners sound business advice in their day-to-day operations and represents them when they buy or sell their practice or business. His professional experiences with such respected companies as Aventis, John Deere, Merial, and the Sandler Sales Institute has afforded him the extensive sales, client service, and marketing knowledge that he now shares with countless veterinarians, practice managers, manufacturers, distributors, local, state, and national veterinary associations. Jeffrey lives in Tampa, FL with his wife and two dogs.

Kristen M. Levine's ?volunteer work led to a fifteen-year career as the Public Relations Director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Tampa Bay, Florida, where she played a critical role in promoting pet adoption and pet lifestyle education. Kristen's knowledge of pet lifestyle concerns and family dynamics coupled with her understanding of public relations led her to found Fetching Communications, the nation?s first marketing and public relations firm wholly dedicated to serving the pet industry, in 2003. Having logged over 1,000 live national radio and television show appearances, Kristen is also a frequent contributor to pet and veterinary trade magazines nationwide. Kristen serves as Bissell Homecare?s official pet spokesperson, educating pet parents about pet clean up solutions, as well as on the Toyota Pet Expert Team (P.E.T.), where she shares her knowledge to help develop programs to teach pet parents the importance of properly protecting and securing pets in automobiles. Kristen lives in Florida with her husband, dog and a pair of miniature donkeys.

I received no compensation for this review. I received a copy of the book to read/review.

Source: http://opcatchat.blogspot.com/2011/12/book-review-pampered-pets-on-budget.html

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Australia woman survives 3 days trapped in car

Ambulance Service Of Nsw/Handout / EPA

A woman was trapped for three days in her car after it plunged down an embankment on Christmas Day in Tumut, in New South Wales, Australia.

By msnbc.com staff

A woman who crashed her car on Christmas Day survived for three days with her leg pinned in the wreckage after it plunged off an embankment in southern Australia, according to local reports.

Debbie McKnight, 45, was driving home from her daughter's house in Tumut, New South Wales when she swerved to avoid a kangaroo and careened off the road. Her car flipped and landed 26 feet below on its roof, trapping her inside, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

---

Ambulance Service Of Nsw/Handout / EPA

Paramedics attend to the scene of a car that crashed off Wondalga Road and pinned a woman inside for three days. A local youth heard her cry for help on Wednesday night and called emergency services.

Local teenager Caleb Wilks found her late Wednesday when he walked past the wreck and heard her screaming for help, Sky News Australia reported.

"Otherwise we wouldn't have found her," Sergeant Brian Hammond told Sky.

McKnight was flown to Canberra Hospital where surgeons amputated her leg. She is in stable condition.

"She was so desperate she was actually going to cut off her leg herself but she couldn't find anything sharp enough," Hammond said.

The Ambulance Service of New South Wales said the pressure from the car on her leg likely acted as a tourniquet and stopped any life-threatening bleeding.

Tumut's mayor John Larter told the Sydney Morning Herald that McKnight was fortunate to have survived.

"As anyone would be in a vehicle lying upside-down for three days over Christmas, I imagine anyone would have been distressed," Larter said. "You'd be missing your family over Christmas and I suppose you'd be wondering when somebody was going to come and rescue you."

?

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

?

?

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/29/9794399-woman-survives-three-days-trapped-upside-down-in-crashed-car

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HTC tool unlock bootloaders on some Android devices (Digital Trends)

Last summer, phone maker HTC raised eyebrows by announcing it would enable users to unlock the bootloaders on some of its most popular phones, enabling technically-inclined customers to root the devices and install custom operating systems or, really, any darn thing they like. Now, HTC has come through, releasing a tool to unload the bootloader on phones launched after September 2011. HTC also says it is working to make the bootloader operational on phones launched before September 2011.

The company has offered a complete list of devices currently supported by the tool. HTC notes some devices may never be supported by the unlock tool due to operator restrictions.

HTC had previously gone to some lengths to lock down bootloaders on its Android devices?partly as a defense against malicious software?but reversed course in the face of strong feedback from technically-inclined customers who feel that the ability to install their own custom operating systems is a key element of Android?s ?openness.? (HTC says it was ?overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of our fans.?) After all, what?s the point of an operating system being available as open source if programmers can?t download it and install it on devices?

For ambitious users, unlocking the bootloader may be a quick way to get Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich onto HTC devices without waiting for official updates.

HTC is clear that it not officially supporting devices that have been unlocked with the bootloader, merely allowing users to unlock their devices at their own risk?and may mean they?re no longer covered by device warranties. HTC also notes that it?s possible unlocking devices may have unintended consequences, including overheating.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Apple lands jab to Android with legal victory over HTC

ITC delays decision in Apple/HTC case?again

HTC to refocus, deliver more LTE devices in 2012

HTC cuts sales forecast thanks to Samsung, Apple

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111230/tc_digitaltrends/htctoolunlockbootloadersonsomeandroiddevices

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chavez speculates us may be behind cancer

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speculated on Wednesday that the United States might have developed a way to give Latin American leaders cancer, after Argentina's Cristina Fernandez joined the list of presidents diagnosed with the disease.

It was a typically controversial statement by Venezuela's socialist leader, who underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his pelvis. But he stressed that he was not making any accusations, just thinking aloud.

"It would not be strange if they had developed the technology to induce cancer and nobody knew about it until now ... I don't know. I'm just reflecting," he said in a televised speech to troops at a military base.
WHAT DO U THINK?IS IT POSSIBLE OR ONLY ONE OF LEFTIST CONSPIRACY THEORY....
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/29/us-venezuela-usa-cancer-idUSTRE7BR14I20111229

Source: http://www.paklinks.com/gs/world-affairs/535242-chavez-speculates-us-may-be-behind-cancer.html

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Oscar Ballots 2012 Mailed Out

LOS ANGELES ? Academy Awards season is officially on. Nominations ballots for the 84th Oscar show have just gone in the mail.

Oscar organizers mailed ballots Tuesday to 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ballots are due back Jan. 13, and Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 24.

The Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 26, with Billy Crystal returning as host for the first time in eight years.

Among this season's best-picture prospects are the black-and-white silent film "The Artist," the Deep South drama "The Help," George Clooney's family tale "The Descendants" and Steven Spielberg's World War I epic "War Horse."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/27/oscar-ballots-2012-mailed_n_1171667.html

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India aiming for big first innings lead

AAP

India plan to bat Australia out of the game on day three of the first Test at the MCG, confident that the pitch will help them.

Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin said the visitors had the better of the batting conditions on Tuesday, as the sun came out, and the pitch began to flatten.

With India poised at 3-214 in their first innings, just 119 in arrears, Ashwin expected Wednesday's conditions to be ever more conducive to batting.

Advertisement: Story continues below

He said there was little sign of the wicket beginning to crumble or any deviation.

"If the sun's going to belt down like this and the wicket eases more and more, I think we'll have to look at batting out as much time as possible and trying to get as much ahead in the game as possible," Ashwin said after Tuesday's play.

"That's very important.

"As far as this game could go, I think it's all about the first innings lead or first innings situation that both teams find themselves in.

"I hope it just flattens out and becomes a really good day for us tomorrow."

Ashwin said India would have settled for the position in which they ended day two at the start of their innings, despite the blow of losing Sachin Tendulkar in the day's final over.

Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/india-aiming-for-big-first-innings-lead-20111227-1pbie.html

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Samsung Android Phones

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

Source: http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f8/samsung-android-phones-84212-new/

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Jenni Lake, Idaho Teen, Loses Cancer Fight After Delivering Son

By JESSIE L. BONNER, The Associated Press

POCATELLO, Idaho -- Jenni Lake gave birth to a baby boy the month before her 18th birthday, though she was not destined to become just another teenage mother.

That much, she knew.

While being admitted to the hospital, she pulled her nurse down to her at bed level and whispered into her ear. The nurse would later repeat the girl's words to comfort her family, as their worst fears were realized a day after Jenni's baby was born.

"She told the nurse, `I'm done, I did what I was supposed to. My baby is going to get here safe,'" said Diana Phillips, Jenni's mother.

In photographs, the baby's ruddy cheeks and healthy weight offer a stark contrast to the frail girl who gave birth to him. She holds the newborn tightly, kissing the top of his head. Jenni, at 5 feet and 4 inches tall, weighed only 108 pounds at the full term of her pregnancy.

A day after the Nov. 9 birth, Phillips learned that her daughter's decision to forgo treatment for tumors on her brain and spine so she could carry the baby would have fatal repercussions. The cancer had marked too much territory. Nothing could be done, Phillips said.

It was only 12 days past the birth ? half spent in the hospital and the other half at home ? before Jenni was gone.

Even so, her family and friends insist her legacy is not one centered in tragedy, but rather in sacrifice.

This month, her family gathered at their ranch style home in Pocatello, where a Christmas tree in the living room was adorned with ornaments picked out just for Jenni, including one in bright lime green, her favorite color. She had passed away in a bedroom down the hall.

Recalling Jenni's infectious laugh and a rebellious streak, her mother held the baby close, nuzzling his head, and said, "I want him to know everything about her, and what she did."

___

The migraines started last year, when Jenni was a 16-year-old sophomore at Pocatello High School. She was taken to the family doctor, and an MRI scan found a small mass measuring about two centimeters wide on the right side of her brain.

She was sent to a hospital in Salt Lake City, some 150 miles south of Pocatello, and another scan there showed the mass was bigger than previously thought.

Jenni had a biopsy Oct. 15, 2010, and five days later was diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma, a type of brain tumor. With three tumors on her brain and three on her spine, Jenni was told her case was rare because the cancer had spread from her brain to another part of her body with no symptoms.

Her parents, who are divorced, remember they were brought into a room at the hospital and sat down at a long table as doctors discussed her chances of survival.

"Jenni just flat out asked them if she was going to die," said her father, Mike Lake, 43, a truck driver who lives in Rexburg, north of Pocatello.

The answer wasn't good. With treatment, the teen was told she had a 30 percent chance to make it two years, Lake said. While he was heartbroken, Lake marveled at how strong she seemed in that moment. "She didn't break down and cry or anything," he said.

But her mom recalled Jenni did have a weak moment that day.

"When they told her that she might not be able to have kids, she got upset," said Phillips, 39.

Jenni started aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments, while also posting videos on a YouTube site titled "Jenni's Journey," where she hoped to share her story with updates every other day. She managed to upload only three videos, though, as her treatments left her tired and weak.

On her second video, posted Nov. 20, 2010, Jenni appears distraught while a family friend records her having lunch with her mom.

"Last night, like, I was just lying in bed and I was thinking about everything that was going on and it just like, it just hit me, like everything, and I don't know, it made me cry," Jenni says on the video.

Her mom is shown burying her face in her hands. "Do you know how hard it is to be a mom and know that she's sick and there's nothing you can do," she says, before collapsing into tears.

Jenni persists: "It's hard. It's like, I don't know how long this is going to last and I just want it to go away ... I feel like this is holding me back from so much ..."

By March of this year, the tumors had started to shrink, the family said.

In a picture taken at her prom in early May, Jenni is wearing a dark blue strapless dress and gives the camera a small smile. There's a silver headband in her hair, which is less than an inch long. Chemotherapy took her shoulder-length blond tresses.

Her boyfriend, Nathan Wittman, wearing a black dress shirt and pants, is cradling her from behind.

___

Jenni started dating Nathan a couple of weeks before she received her diagnosis. Their adolescent relationship withstood the very adult test posed by cancer, the treatments that left her barely able to walk from her living room to her bedroom, and the gossip at school.

"The rumors started flying around, like Nathan was only with her because she had cancer," said Jenni's older sister, Ashlee Lake, 20, who tried to squelch the mean-spirited chatter even as the young couple ignored it.

They were hopeful, and dreamed of someday opening a restaurant or a gallery.

Jenni had been working as an apprentice in a local tattoo shop. "She was like our little sister," said the owner, Kass Chacon. But in May, Jenni's visits to the shop grew less frequent.

She had been throwing up a lot and had sharp stomach pains. She went to the emergency room early one morning with her boyfriend and when she returned home, her family members woke up to the sound of crying. "We could hear Jenni just bawling in her room," said her sister, Kaisee, 19.

She had learned that she was pregnant, and an ultrasound would show the fetus was 10 weeks old.

Jenni's journey was no longer her own.

From the start of treatment, she was told that she might never have children, her mother said, that the radiation and chemotherapy could essentially make her sterile.

"We were told that she couldn't get pregnant, so we didn't worry about it," said Nathan, 19.

Jenni, the third of her parents' eight children, had always wanted to be a mom. She had already determined to keep the baby when she went to see her oncologist, Dr. David Ririe, in Pocatello two days after she found out she was pregnant.

"He told us that if she's pregnant, she can't continue the treatments," Phillips said. "So she would either have to terminate the pregnancy and continue the treatments, or stop the treatments, knowing that it could continue to grow again."

Dr. Ririe would not discuss Jenni's care, citing privacy laws, but said, generally, in cases in which a cancer patient is pregnant, oncologists will consider both the risks and benefits of continuing with treatment, such as chemotherapy.

"There are times during pregnancy in some situations, breast cancer being the classic example, where the benefits of chemotherapy may outweigh the risk to mother and baby," Ririe said. "There are other times where the risk outweighs the benefits."

There was no discussion about which path Jenni would choose. Her parents didn't think of it as a clear life or death decision, and Jenni may not have, either. They believed that since the tumors had already started to shrink earlier, she had a strong chance of carrying the baby and then returning to treatment after he was born.

"I guess we were just hoping that after she had the baby, she could go back on the chemotherapy and get better," her mother said.

___

Jenni and Nathan named the baby Chad Michael, after their dads. Nathan has legal custody of the child, who is primarily cared for by Nathan's mother, Alexia Wittman, 51.

"Nathan will raise him," she said. She brings the baby to Jenni's house to visit her family whenever they ask.

Jenni didn't show regret for her decision, not in the final weeks of her pregnancy as she grew weaker, and not when she started to lose her vision as the cancer took its course, her family said.

Jenni's last words were about her son as he was placed beside her a final time, her father said. As she felt for the baby, she said: "I can kind of see him."

Below, photos of Jenni Lake's family and newborn son: "Chad Michael was born on 11/9/11 at 5:21 p.m. He was 6 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. And, as you can see, perfect and beautiful. :)" -Jenni's Facebook page "Chad Michael was born on 11/9/11 at 5:21 p.m. He was 6 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. And, as you can see, perfect and beautiful. :)" -Jenni's Facebook page

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

"Chad Michael was born on 11/9/11 at 5:21 p.m. He was 6 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. And, as you can see, perfect and beautiful. :)" -Jenni's Facebook page '; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/27/jenni-lake_n_1171220.html

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Sample New Year's Resolutions, from Sarah Palin to Barack Obama (ContributorNetwork)

Yahoo! News asked readers and contributors to write New Year's resolutions for some U.S. politicians. Below are one reader's recommendations.

For New Year's resolutions on the eve of 2012, several nationally-known politicians should resolve to get along with their fellows and do what's best for Americans. The economy is slowly getting better and Americans will hopefully get more work in 2012. Plus a presidential election is on the way as an incumbent will fight to keep his job in the White House.

Here's what our national politicians should resolve to do next year to make everyone's lives better. Below is what I recommend they tell Americans:

Sarah Palin

"I resolve to send out the best darn holiday greeting card to all Americans in this exceptional country of ours. You see, the first family sent out a holiday card I didn't like because it didn't show the true American spirit of 'family, faith and freedom.' So instead of coming up with an alternative card that I could send to all of my supporters, I simply complained about someone else's."

Rep. Michele Bachmann

"I resolve to learn more about my native state of Iowa. My 99 county tour in 10 days will go a long way to rectify mistakes such as believing John Wayne was born in Waterloo. Even though I'm not doing well in polls and I'm putting all of my hopes on the Iowa caucus, my voice will be heard Jan. 3 despite the Occupy Iowa City protesters who drowned out my meet-and-greet with supporters at the Hamburg Inn."

President Barack Obama

"I resolve to meet with Republican leaders in Congress on a regular basis. Despite recent reports that I'm standoffish with Congress, I really do want to be able to work with legislative leaders. If not, I'll blame them for gridlock and the 2012 election is mine."

Speaker of the House John Boehner

"I resolve to stop referring to the rich as 'job creators.' Republicans know it was unscrupulous mortgage lenders at huge banks that caused the economic downturn that happened under the watch of a GOP administration. I further resolve to try Democratic ideas instead of complaining they won't work since Republican policies ran the world's economy into the ground."

Newt Gingrich

"I resolve to think about America's future instead of delve into the past as an historian. No one cares that the Taft-Hartley Act was enacted June 23, 1947. Americans need jobs tomorrow, not someone who languishes in America's previous greatness."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111226/pl_ac/10753143_sample_new_years_resolutions_from_sarah__palin_to_barack_obama

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Any GSM phone vulnerable to new scam: researcher (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? A well-known expert on mobile phone security says a vulnerability in a widely used wireless technology could allow hackers to gain remote control of phones, instructing them to send text messages or make calls.

They could use the vulnerability in the GSM network technology, which is used by billions of people in about 80 percent of the global mobile market, to make calls or send texts to expensive, premium phone and messaging services in scams, said Karsten Nohl, head of Germany's Security Research Labs.

Similar attacks against a small number of smartphones have been done before, but the new attack could expose any cellphone using GSM technology.

"We can do it to hundreds of thousands of phones in a short timeframe," Nohl told Reuters in advance of a presentation at a hacking convention in Berlin on Tuesday.

Attacks on corporate landline phone systems are fairly common, often involving bogus premium-service phone lines that hackers set up across Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.

Fraudsters make calls to the numbers from hacked business phone systems or mobile phones, then collect their cash and move on before the activity is identified.

The phone users typically don't identify the problem until after they receive their bills and telecommunications carriers often end up footing at least some of the costs.

Even though Nohl will not present details of attack at the conference, he said hackers will usually replicate the code needed for attacks within a few weeks.

T-MOBILE, SFR LEAD RANKING

Mobile networks of Germany's T-Mobile and France's SFR offer their clients best protection against online criminals wanting to intercept their calls or track their movements, shows a new ranking Nohl will demonstrate at his presentation.

The new ranking, at gsmmap.org, lets consumers to see how their operators are performing and lets anyone to participate in measurement of their carriers' security.

Researchers reviewed 32 operators in 11 countries and rated their performance based on how easy it was for them to intercept the calls, impersonate someone's device or track the device.

"None of the networks protects users very well," Nohl said.

The sample is set to grow from 32 carriers dramatically next year as the tool enables anyone to participate in gathering of the data.

Nohl said mobile telecom operators could easily improve their clients' security, in many cases by just updating their software.

"Mobile network is by far the weakest part of the mobile ecosystem, even when compared to a lot attacked Android or iOS devices," he said.

Researchers reviewed operators in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Slovakia, Switzerland and Thailand.

(Additional reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Matt Driskill and Vinu Pilakkott)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/security/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/tc_nm/us_mobile_security

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Orca 226 Support Sports Bra - Women's

LOVE it!

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Source: http://www.bonktown.com/bonktown/index.html?cmp_id=ODAL_RSS9001&amp;mv_pc=r1004&amp;cmp_sku=ORC0041

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Iraq agrees to move Iran exiles; rockets hit camp (AP)

BAGHDAD ? The United Nations and the Iraqi government agreed to relocate several thousand Iranian exiles living in a camp in northeastern Iraq, potentially averting a showdown with its residents. The dissidents, who have not said whether they would agree to move, reported a rocket attack on the camp.

The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, one-time allies of Saddam Hussein in a common fight against Iran, said Katyusha rockets struck near housing units inside the camp on Sunday night, but did not report any casualties.

A representative of the camp's residents said Monday they were still waiting to see the agreement before commenting on whether they would decide to relocate or not.

"We hope that it would officially include the minimum assurances so that it would be acceptable to Ashraf residents," said Shahin Gobadi. "Ashraf residents have repeatedly emphasized that they would in no way accept forcible relocation."

Since Saddam's overthrow, Iraq's new leaders have improved relations with Iran and have sought to shut down the camp, home to 3,400 residents and located in barren terrain northeast of Baghdad about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Iranian border. The U.N. reported that at least 34 people were killed in a raid by Iraqi government forces in April.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq announced an agreement Sunday night that establishes a process to move the residents of Camp Ashraf to a temporary location. It did not give a timeline for the move or specify the new location.

A statement from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the residents would be moved to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near the Baghdad International Airport.

At Camp Liberty, the U.N.'s refugee agency will interview the residents to determine their eligibility to get refugee status, before they can eventually be resettled in third countries, Clinton said.

"We are encouraged by the Iraqi government's willingness to commit to this plan, and expect it to fulfill all its responsibilities," she said in the statement. "To be successful, this resettlement must also have the full support of the camp's residents, and we urge them to work with the U.N. to implement this relocation."

The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran first moved to Camp Ashraf during the regime of Saddam, who saw the group as a convenient ally against Tehran. The group is committed to the overthrow of the Iranian regime.

The group carried out a series of bombings and assassinations against Iran's clerical regime in the 1980s and fought alongside Saddam's forces in the Iran-Iraq war. But the group says it renounced violence in 2001. U.S. soldiers disarmed them during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been determined to close down the camp by the end of December. His government considers the camp as an affront to Iraq's sovereignty.

Last week, an Iraqi government spokesman said the government was working out a solution to the situation at Camp Ashraf with the U.N. and would allow the camp to stay open into January as residents are being relocated. At the time, representatives of the residents suggested they would be willing to move, as long as their security was provided for.

Under the agreement outlined by the U.N., the international organization will monitor the relocation process and then a team from the U.N.'s refugee agency will be deployed at the new location to process the refugee claims.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will also visit regularly, the State Department said.

The Iraqi government will be responsible for the exiles' safety during that time, and will have a liaison officer from the Ministry of Human Rights involved in the relocation, the U.N. said.

"I would like to highlight that the government is exclusively responsible for the safety and security of the residents both during their transfer and in the new location until they leave the country," said Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Iraq.

The Iraqi government's vow to close Camp Ashraf had raised concerns that forcibly removing its residents would result in violence.

The People's Mujahedeen has been branded a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, a designation now under review by the State Department. It has been removed from similar blacklists in Europe.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_camp_ashraf

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saraivaonline: "O X da Quest?o" O ?cone no mundo dos neg?cios, Eike Batista, narra sua trajeto?ria de sucesso. http://t.co/SgfuAI10

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"O X da Quest?o" O ?cone no mundo dos neg?cios, Eike Batista, narra sua trajeto?ria de sucesso. ow.ly/88JPk Il y a environ 24 heures via HootSuite Retweeted by 1 person

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Matt_Ginella: Tomorrow at 3:00 EST on @NBC's Global Golf Adventure, I'll be running, swimming and swinging my way to Hawaii.

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Cheap Limos Brisbane to make your Wedding perfect

Posted in blogging by sitepropeller on December 24th, 2011

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Source: http://www.luckybunnyranch.com/lucky-bunny-ranch/11067

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Three UK to roll out 42.2Mbps HSPA+ in 2012

Hidden away in today's festive message from Three UK was the news that the carrier is planning to roll out 42.2Mbps HSPA+ speeds across its network over the next year. Three says it's already deployed 21.1Mbps HSPA+ across "the majority" of its 3G network, and adds that it plans to extend HSPA+ to all 3G coverage areas by early next year.

Other UK networks haven't made quite as much noise about HSPA+, though we have noticed quiet roll-outs of the tech in certain areas by T-Mobile UK and Vodafone. Currently HSPA+ is only available on a minority of handsets sold in the UK, with notable examples being the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus, which support up to 21.1Mbps.

Looking ahead, Three says its main challenge for 2012 is to ensure that the repeatedly delayed UK LTE spectrum auction goes ahead, freeing up valuable airwaves for 4G rollout in the coming years. Yeah, when it comes to LTE in the UK, we're still talking years, not months. In preparation, Three says it's planning to run its own 4G LTE trials at some point in the near future.

Source: Three UK (1, 2)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/SwPmXZGuTXU/story01.htm

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US rep apologizes to first lady on 'big butt' quip (The Arizona Republic)

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Thousands gather in snow to mourn Kim Jong Il (AP)

PYONGYANG, North Korea ? Tens of thousands of mourners packed Pyongyang's snowy main square Wednesday to pay respects to late leader Kim Jong Il as North Korea tightened security in cities and won loyalty pledges from top generals for Kim's son and anointed heir.

Women held handkerchiefs to their faces as they wept and filed past a huge portrait of a smiling Kim Jong Il hanging on the Grand People's Study House, in the spot where a photograph of Kim's father, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, usually hangs.

Kim Jong Il died of a massive heart attack Saturday, according to state media, which reported his death on Monday. They said he was 69 ? although some accounts put his age at 70.

A huge crowd of mourners converged on Kim Il Sung Square with traditional white mourning flowers in hand. The crowd grew throughout the day, even as heavy snow fell, and some mourners took off their jackets to shield mourning wreaths set up in Kim's honor, just below the spot where he stood last year waving to crowds at the massive military parade where he introduced his successor, Kim Jong Un.

Two medical workers rushed to carry away a woman who had fainted.

"We chose to come here to care for citizens who might faint because of sorrow and mental strain," Jon Gyong Song, 29, who works as a doctor in a Pyongyang medical center, told The Associated Press. "The flow of mourners hasn't stopped since Tuesday night."

South Korean intelligence reports, meanwhile, indicated Wednesday that North Korea was consolidating power behind Kim's untested son, believed to be in his late 20s.

Worries around Northeast Asia have risen sharply as Kim Jong Un rises to power in a country with a 1.2-million troop military, ballistic missiles and an advanced nuclear weapons development program.

South Korea has put its military on high alert. In another sign of border tension, Chinese boatmen along a river separating North Korea and China told the AP that North Korean police have ordered them to stop giving rides to tourists, saying they will fire on the boats if they see anyone with cameras.

Along the Koreas' border, the world's most heavily armed, South Korean activists and defectors launched giant balloons containing tens of thousands of propaganda leaflets, a move likely to infuriate the North. Some of the leaflets opposed a hereditary transfer of power in North Korea. Some showed graphic pictures of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's battered corpse and described his gruesome death.

Kim Jong Il ruled the country for 17 years after inheriting power from his father, national founder and eternal North Korean President Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994. Kim Jong Un only entered the public view last year and remains a mystery to most of the world.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service believes the North is now focused on consolidating Kim Jong Un's power and has placed its troops on alert, according to South Korean parliament member Kwon Young-se.

South Korean military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of policies that restrict comment on intelligence matters, said North Korea has ordered its troops to be vigilant but that it didn't mean they were being moved.

Lawmaker Kwon said the NIS told the parliamentary intelligence committee that senior military officials have pledged allegiance to Kim Jong Un, and that more security officers have been deployed in major cities across the country. Intelligence officials declined to comment.

The NIS also gave its predictions on how the North's government will work during the transition of power to the younger Kim.

It told lawmakers that an ad hoc committee is expected to handle key state affairs before Kim Jong Un formally becomes the country's leader, according to lawmaker Hwang Jin-ha, who also attended the closed-door briefing. Intelligence officials didn't describe how they got the information, he said.

The NIS predicts that Kim Kyong Hui, a key Workers' Party official and Kim Jong Un's aunt, and Jang Song Thaek, her husband and a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, will play larger roles supporting the heir, the lawmaker said.

A South Korean Defense Ministry official handling North Korea affairs, however, said there is too little information to make a confident judgment about where North Korea's power transition is heading.

Initial indications out of North Korea suggest the power transition to the son has been moving forward, though it remains unclear when Kim Jong Un will formally take power.

In 1994, Kim Jong Il declared a three-year mourning period following his father's death, becoming the official leader of the nation in 1997.

Kim Jong Un led a procession of senior officials Tuesday in a viewing of Kim Jong Il's body, which is being displayed in a glass coffin near that of Kim Il Sung. Publicly presiding over the funeral proceedings was an important milestone for Kim's son, strengthening his image as the country's political face at home and abroad.

According to official media, more than 5 million North Koreans have gathered at monuments and memorials in the capital since the death of Kim Jong Il.

Hundreds of thousands visited monuments around the city within hours of the official announcement that Kim had died.

The North has declared an 11-day period of mourning that will culminate in his state funeral and a national memorial service on Dec. 28-29.

The leaflets sent into North Korea on Wednesday by South Korean activists are a sore point with the North, which sees them as propaganda warfare. North Korea has previously warned it would fire at South Korea in response to such actions. There were no immediate reports of retaliation, however. South Korean activists vowed to continue sending leaflets.

___

Reporting from Pyongyang by Associated Press Television News senior video journalist Rafael Wober and AP reporter Pak Won Il. AP writers Foster Klug, Hyung-jin Kim, Sam Kim and Eric Talmadge in Seoul, AP photographers Andy Wong in Dandong, China, and Lee Jin-man in Imjingak, South Korea, as well as Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_re_as/as_kim_jong_il

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Community steps up to back Gary Christmas dinner

By Carole Carlson ccarlson@post-trib.com December 21, 2011 5:24PM

Updated: December 21, 2011 11:21PM

GARY ? The Grinch won?t steal this dinner.

Thanks to the generosity of several Northwest Indiana residents and businesses, State Rep. Vernon Smith said his annual ?Spirit of Christmas? dinner will offer free bus transportation. The outpouring of goodwill has been so great, Smith said he?ll have a little extra money to buys toys for children, as well.

?A lot of time, when bad things happen, good things come out of it,? Smith said Wednesday.

He?s been scrambling last week to find bus transportation for about half of the anticipated 500 people who attend the dinner, set for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Ivy Tech, 1440 E. 35th Ave.

Smith said Illinois Central, the company that contracts with the Gary Community School Corp., has provided the free service for the past two years, but declined to do it this year. Instead, Smith said the company asked for $1,500.

Gary School Board members Barbara Leek and Marion Williams read about Smith?s plight in Wednesday?s Post-Tribune and offered to cover the cost.

?I know that?s something the community has looked forward to for a long time,? said Williams. ?This is just a season of giving. I feel honored to contribute to do it.?

Smith said Larry Webb who owns Eclipse Charters and Tours in Gary will now provide the transportation.

Leek stressed they were doing it as citizens, not on behalf of the school district.

?Vernon has been doing this for more than 20 years,? said Leek. ?I know the housing authority residents very much look forward to this dinner. With times as they are now, I?m sure it will be better attended. It?s important to support it.?

Smith hosts the dinner along with friend Joyce Washington-Price, Dwight Pointer and Dwight Williams.

Meanwhile, others stepped up, too. Smith said he received calls from Luke Oil in Hobart, Patrick Salvi who owns the Gary SouthShore RailCats baseball team, Haywood Insurance and local developer Vance Kenney. All of them offered financial help.

?It?s certainly solved my problems,? said Smith. ?It?s going to be great.?

Reach reporter Carole Carlson at 648-3154.

Source: http://posttrib.suntimes.com/9585806-418/community-steps-up-to-back-gary-christmas-dinner.html

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Son of gay parents, Obama comedy speech, Perry campaign ad top YouTube 2011 political videos (Star Tribune)

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Fort Hood: 300 troops home from Iraq for holidays (AP)

FORT HOOD, Texas ? Staff Sgt. Elama Palemene held his two young daughters and kissed his wife early Sunday after returning to Fort Hood with about 300 other soldiers, among the last U.S. combat troops returning from Iraq in time for the holidays.

They arrived about 3 a.m. to a cheering, flag-waving crowd of teary wives and bundled-up youngsters on a field at the Texas Army post with temperatures in the high 40s.

"My husband wanted to have (our children) stay behind, but it was a must to have them here," said Annaden Palemene, his wife, who held a large homemade sign that read "Sgt. Palemene, Your Tour Stops Here."

The soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division said they were glad to be home before the holidays ? and relieved to be out of Iraq.

"This was my fourth deployment to Iraq ... so it feels great to be home," said Staff Sgt. James Cantrell, who had just hugged his wife, Brenda, and 7-year-old daughter Janelle.

The group was among many returning to Fort Hood in recent weeks ? one nearly every day ? because of the troop withdrawal, said Staff Sgt. Jefferson VanWey, a 1st Cavalry spokesman.

Several soldiers said they were was happy upon hearing the news that the very last U.S. combat troops rolled out of Iraq across the border into neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday. That convoy's exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered, with troubling questions lingering over whether the Arab nation will remain a steadfast U.S. ally.

"I think it's good we're out of Iraq. I think they're ready ? the government and the military," said Spc. Keenan McCoy, holding his 13-month-old daughter Kyrie close to him and hugging his wife Rachel.

He declined further comment, and Fort Hood officials then said reporters present were banned from asking questions about how soldiers feel about leaving Iraq or the war.

Palemene said he hopes the country remembers that U.S. troops are still fighting elsewhere in the world.

"It feels good to be home safe and sound, but we should remember that there are still soldiers in Afghanistan," he said.

The war in Iraq cost nearly 4,500 American and well more than 100,000 Iraqi lives and $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury. The quiet weekend withdrawal was a stark contrast to the start of the war, which began with a pre-dawn airstrike in Baghdad on March 20, 2003, before U.S. and allied ground forces then stormed from Kuwait across the deserts of southern Iraq toward that capital.

In late 2003 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, then based at Fort Hood, captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and he was executed in 2006. The division and its headquarters moved to Fort Carson, Colo., in 2009.

Troops also have been returning to other military installations across the country.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_returning_home

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Betty White to dominate NBC with 90th birthday extravaganza (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ready for some hot, steamy, Betty White-on-Betty White action?

You'll have to wait a long, cold month for it, but it's coming.

"Hot in Cleveland" star White will be all over NBC on January 16, with a 90-minute televised celebration, "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl," followed by a preview of her hotly anticipated hidden-camera series, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers."

A sort of "Punk'd" for the Geritol set, "Off Their Rockers" will feature White leading "a fearless band of senior citizens to the streets to pull shockingly hilarious pranks on the younger generation," with the "Golden Girls" alum providing "saucy commentary" and sharing "engaging, comical pearls of wisdom." The series, based on the Belgian show "Benidorm Bastards," will be executive-produced by White.

The sneak preview will be preceded from 8 to 9:30 p.m. by "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A tribute to America's Golden Girl." (White's actual birthday is January 17, but she'll probably be otherwise occupied at Chippendales that night.)

Taped live at Los Angeles' Biltmore Hotel, the special will feature White's co-stars and other famous well-wishers feting the actress with musical performances, special appearances and comedy. Brad Lachman Productions and Universal Television are producing, with Brad Lachman, Jon Macks and Steve Ridgeway serving as executive producers.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_betty_white_dominate_nbc90th_birthday_extravaganza_020926688/43933197/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/betty-white-dominate-nbc-90th-birthday-extravaganza-020926688.html

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Summary Box: Ex-Fannie, Freddie execs charged (AP)

EXECUTIVES CHARGED: Two former CEOs at mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and four other executives, were charged with civil fraud, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday. They are the highest-profile individuals to be charged in connection with the 2008 financial crisis.

SUBPRIME LOANS: The executives were accused of understating the level of high-risk subprime mortgages that Fannie and Freddie held just before the housing bubble burst.

CRIMINAL CHARGES?: The Justice Department began investigating the firms three years but many legal experts say they don't expect the six executives to face criminal charges.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fannie_freddie_charges_summary_box

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Gov't to adopt strict new limits on chimp research

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 1961 file photo, Ham, the first higher primate launched into outer space, is comforted by an unidentified man on the deck of a rescue ship after the splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. Chimpanzees should hardly ever be used for medical research, a prestigious scientific group told the government Thursday _ advice that means days in the laboratory may be numbered for humans' closest relatives. The Institute of Medicine stopped short of recommending the outright ban that animal rights activists had pushed. Instead, it urged strict limits that would make invasive experiments with chimps essentially a last resort, saying today's more advanced research tools mean the primates' use only rarely will be necessary enough to outweigh the moral costs. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 1961 file photo, Ham, the first higher primate launched into outer space, is comforted by an unidentified man on the deck of a rescue ship after the splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. Chimpanzees should hardly ever be used for medical research, a prestigious scientific group told the government Thursday _ advice that means days in the laboratory may be numbered for humans' closest relatives. The Institute of Medicine stopped short of recommending the outright ban that animal rights activists had pushed. Instead, it urged strict limits that would make invasive experiments with chimps essentially a last resort, saying today's more advanced research tools mean the primates' use only rarely will be necessary enough to outweigh the moral costs. (AP Photo, File)

This undated photo provided by the Wildlife Way Station shows Booie the chimpanzee. Booie who kicked a smoking habit and used sign language to beg for candy has died at a California animal refuge. Martine Colette of the Wildlife WayStation says Booie, was being treated for a heart condition when he died Saturday, Dec. 11, 2011, at 44. The chimp had been living at the animal sanctuary near Los Angeles since 1995, after he retired from a research lab. Colette says she turned Booie into a non-smoker but couldn't fix his sweet tooth. (AP Photo/Wildlife Way Station, Dave Welling)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The government on Thursday said it would adopt strict new limits on using chimpanzees in medical research, after a prestigious scientific group recommended that experiments with humans' closest relative be done only as a last resort.

The National Institutes of Health agreed that science has advanced enough that chimps seldom would be needed to help develop new medicines.

NIH Director Francis Collins temporarily barred new federal funding for research involving chimps, and said a working group will review about 37 ongoing projects involving the animals to see if they should be phased out.

Chimps' similarity to people "demands special consideration and respect," Collins said.

These apes' genetic closeness to humans has long caused a quandary. It's what has made them so valuable to scientists for nearly a century. They were vital in creating a vaccine for hepatitis B, for example, and even were shot into space to make sure the trip wouldn't kill the astronauts next in line.

But that close relationship also has had animal rights groups arguing that using chimps for biomedical research is unethical, even cruel.

Chimp research already was dwindling fast as scientists turned to less costly and ethically charged alternatives.

Thursday's decision was triggered by an uproar last year over the fate of 186 semi-retired research chimps that the NIH, to save money, planned to move from a New Mexico facility to an active research lab in Texas.

Where and how to house those animals ? and others scattered around the country who probably no longer will be needed ? are among the issues that Collins said a government working group will decide as it determines how to implement the new research restrictions.

The Institute of Medicine's recommendation on Thursday stopped short of the outright ban that animal rights activists had pushed. Instead, it urged strict limits on biomedical research ? testing new drugs or giving animals a disease ? that would allow using chimps only if studies could not be done on other animals or people themselves, and if foregoing the chimp work would hinder progress against life-threatening or debilitating conditions.

The panel advised the government to limit use of chimps in behavioral and genetic research as well, saying such studies must provide insights that otherwise are unattainable ? and use techniques that minimize any pain or distress.

"We understand and feel compelled by the moral cost of using chimpanzees in research," said bioethicist Jeffrey Kahn of Johns Hopkins University, who chaired the Institute of Medicine panel. "We have established criteria that will set the bar quite high for justification of the use of chimpanzees."

The U.S. is one of only two countries known to still conduct medical research with chimpanzees; the other is Gabon, in Africa. The European Union essentially banned such research last year.

Here, too, the practice was becoming uncommon. The Institute of Medicine's investigation found over the past 10 years, the NIH has paid for just 110 projects of any type that involved chimps. There are not quite 1,000 chimps available for medical research in the country.

While it's impossible to say how many have been used in privately funded pharmaceutical research, the industry is shifting to higher-tech and less costly research methods. One drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, adopted an official policy ending its use of great apes, including chimpanzees, in research.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2011-12-15-Chimp%20Research/id-36bbfb9de9434db89bc0d526f1292cd0

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