Over the last decade, the now-closed TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, has been undergoing painstaking preservation. The center is currently in the process of being approved for adaptive reuse as a hotel.
We got a look inside.
James Steven, manager of JFK Physical Plant and Redevelopment tells Untapped of the renovation he has overseen with Beyer Blinder Belle, and has been detail-oriented down to each tile being properly sourced in keeping with the building's history. The National Trust for Historic Preservation helped save it from demolition in 2003, and is now highlighting the terminal as one of the 24 most inspiring preservation stories in the 24 years of its 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List.
This was the cathedral to aviation, if there ever was one, and you feel through the design the pride and optimism the aviation industry had then.
Find out more and see more photos on Untapped Cities and on the publication's Facebook page. Get in touch with Michelle on Twitter @untappedmich.
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Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter: www.twitter.com/untappedcities
Posted // 2012-06-28 - It seems like every year the winner of Wimbledon men's is one of three people: Roger Federer, Raphael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. In fact, these men have combined to win 27 of the last 28 Grand Slam titles and I am sick of it. These dudes can play and are certainly exciting to watch, as they have highlighted the tennis scene for the last eight years, but I think it is time for somebody else to win. Looking at this year?s Wimbledon field, here are some of the guys who I will be pulling for. You might as well hop on the bandwagon now.
Jimmy Wang (above)? All right, so my man has a funny name, but that is not why I am rooting for him. Young Jimmy?s real name is Wang Yeu-tzoo and how much cooler could a name get? He is straight out of Taiwan, stands 5?10?and is hailed as the ?Next Great Hope for Asia?. His signature style is rocking an all-white hat backwards, which clearly means the man has swag. Plus, if his tennis playing is anything like that of his stellar countrymen of the ping pong world, how could you not root for him?
Dudi Sela ? First of all, Sela?s nickname is the ?Hebrew Hammer,? which is sure to strike fear into his opponent?s hearts. Sela hails from Israel and is the son of a bus driver and a nurse. How a tennis star came out of that combo, I do not know, but Sela can play, having beaten Andy Roddick (no. 7 in the world at the time) in 2010 in straight sets. He is only 5?9? and weighs 144 lbs. but this little guy could certainly make a splash in this year?s tournament.
Dick Norman ? I like Norman for several reasons. He is the oldest in the field at age 41, and stands at a towering 6?8?. The big man out of Germany will be hard to miss at this year?s tournament as he tries to take the ?young whippersnappers? to school. So come on, tennis fans, let?s show the big fella some love.
Treat Conrad Huey ? So, I kind of cheated, as Huey will not be playing in singles competition in this year?s tournament, but simply due to the fact that he has the coolest name in the field I had to show him some love. From the Philippines, it would be a ?treat? if Huey made some noise in the doubles field. Ok, bad pun ?
Flavio Cipolla ? If you couldn?t tell, Flavio is from Italy and has had moderate success on the tennis circuit so far in his career. He played somewhat well against Nadal in the thirdround of the U.S. Open in 2008 and should be able to parlay some of that success this year. Viva Italia.
Inigo Cervantes ? ?My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die?. Wrong Inigo? Cervantes is from Spain and this is his first Wimbledon, plus, he rocks the Anthony Davis unibrow. Sign me up!
David Nalbandian ? Nalbandian reigns in Argentina and has recently gained fame for his famous boot of a line judge in a recent tournament. He is no McEnroe, but hey, the guy wants to win! As long as he doesn?t "treat" (Conrad Huey) (OK, another bad pun) the line judge like a soccer ball, he has some high aspirations!
Potito Starace ? Another great name, Starace is from Italy and, unbeknownst to many, is the Pete Rose of the tennis world. In 2007, he was fined and given a suspension for betting on professional-tennis matches. His career record is 149-170, which is not that stellar, but hey, he might be able to make some money if he bets against himself, right?
I have been so excited to post this recipe, you have no idea. I love the Cafe Rio/Costa Vida chicken tortilla soup and have been wanting to duplicate it forever, I just haven?t gotten around do doing it.. until NOW. I am not going to lie.. this is my personal favorite tortilla soup recipe and it tastes just like Cafe Rio (if not BETTER). It is so fresh and delicious, you are going to love it! Just a few side notes?? you can throw the chicken in the crock pot with the broth and it will probably still be amazing, but personally I LOVE the grilled chicken taste? grill it if you can! Also, you will notice I added pinto beans (not the Cafe Rio original way of doing things but it is totally worth doing). I liked it better actually and it makes the soup go further. If you want to keep it EXACTLY like Cafe Rio feel free to leave them out. And one more thing (because I am sure I will get e-mails about it).. instead of adding a scoop of guacamole (as I know Cafe Rio does), I just did diced avocado which just saves time having to make a separate little thing of guacamole (plus, I love having the chunks of cool avocado in there)!? *Serves 4-5
Our Version of Cafe Rio?s Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin
a dash (or two) cayenne
1/2 tsp. chili powder
5 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
pepper, to taste
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. paprika
vegetable oil (to taste)
pico de gallo (click HERE)
2-3 avocados, diced
2 c. pepper jack cheese
tortilla strips (Click HERE)
cilantro (for garnish)
lime wedges (for garnish)
Instructions
In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.
Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot (or medium-sized saucepan). Add chicken broth, cliantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.
In the meantime (when you are close to serving), combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco seasoning/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium-heat until cooked through (try to turn only once during the grilling process). Remove from grill and shred.
In individual bowls layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo, 1/3 c. diced avocado, and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 cup of chicken broth directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The NHL and the players' union opened negotiations on a new labor deal Friday by meeting for about 2? hours.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met with NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, union special counsel Steve Fehr and several player reps at the league's Manhattan offices.
"Members of our League Office staff and several of our owners met today with the NHLPA and various members of the players' negotiating committee at the League Office in New York," Daly said in a statement released after the meetings. "The meeting was very cordial and we hope it was constructive.
"Before breaking, the parties discussed follow-up steps and confirmed plans for future meetings. We have nothing further to report at this time."
Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis declined to comment as he left the building and hopped into a waiting car.
"Following today's meeting, we will review the NHL's initial presentation with the Players' committee before reconvening for further talks later next week." Donald Fehr said.
Among the players in attendance were Scott Hartnell of the Flyers, Rick DiPietro of the Islanders and George Parros of the Anaheim Ducks, Chris Campoli of the Canadiens, Dan Winnik of the Sharks, Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers, Brad Boyes of the Sabres, Ron Hainsey of the Jets.
This was the first formal talks between the two sides. They come after the NHLPA's executive board held a three-day meeting in Chicago earlier this week.
The collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15. There is fear the league could be heading toward another lockout.
The owners locked out the players in 2004 and it cost the NHL an entire season. The agreement that came out of that deal put in place a salary cap for teams for the first time.
Fehr, the former head of the baseball players' union who was hired by the NHLPA after the last labor deal was cut, said Wednesday at a news conference in Chicago that the players would be willing to start the season without a deal if negotiations were ongoing.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google's Chrome browser can now be used to surf the Web on the iPhone and iPad.
The Chrome application released Thursday is the latest volley in the escalating rivalry between Google Inc. and Apple Inc., which makes those two popular mobile devices. The announcement highlighted the second day of Google I/O, an annual conference that the company hosts in San Francisco for computer programmers around the world.
Google's attempt to supplant Apple's own Safari browser comes a day after it unveiled plans to sell a low-priced tablet computer to compete against the iPad and Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire.
If Chrome turns out to be a hit on Apple's mobile devices, it could help boost Google's profits, even though it's free, because Google now shares some advertising revenue with Apple in exchange for Apple building the Google search engine into the mobile version of Safari.
Google won't have to pay commissions on revenue generated from searches done through Chrome.
Macquarie Capital analyst Ben Schachter estimates that Google relinquishes up to 60 percent of the advertising revenue flowing from mobile searches on Safari.
The arrival of Chrome on Apple's mobile operating system comes a month after Yahoo Inc. released a browser called Axis for the iPhone and iPad.
Unlike Axis, however, Chrome already is one of the most popular alternatives to Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer on traditional computers. Google said Thursday that Chrome now has 310 million active users, up from 160 million a year ago.
Since Google released the browser in 2008, Chrome also has become the foundation for an operating system powering a line of lightweight laptops that debuted last year. The so-called Chromebooks, which had been sold only online, will be available in 100 Best Buy stores in the U.S. beginning Thursday.
Last month, Google announced its plan to rely on Best Buy to sell the machines, which so far haven't made much of a dent in the personal computer market.
Colon cancer or colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. And it occurs most often in people older than 50. With 655,000 deaths worldwide per year, it is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world. When it is found early, it is easily treated and often cured. But because it usually is not found early, it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Knowing what are the symptoms of colon cancer is very important because it is easily treated if it is found early. The key is to find it as early as possible.
The first symptoms of colon cancer are usually vague, like bleeding, weight loss, and fatigue (tiredness). Local (bowel) symptoms are rare until the tumor has grown to a large size. Generally, the nearer the tumor is to the anus, the more bowel symptoms there will be.
The cecum and ascending colon are on the right side of your abdomen. Cancer in this area may bleed, causing blood in the stool and symptoms of anemia, including fatigue and weakness. The amount of blood may be small and so well mixed with stool that your stool may look normal. The transverse colon goes across your body from right to left. Cancer here may cause abdominal cramps. The descending colon and the S-shaped sigmoid colon are on the left side of your abdomen and join the rectum. Cancer here may cause narrower stools and bright red blood in the stool.
The lifetime risk of developing colon cancer in the United States is about 7%. Colorectal cancer can take many years to develop and early detection of colorectal cancer greatly improves the chances of a cure. If you or your doctor thinks you have colon cancer then you will need a test, called a colonoscopy, that lets the doctor see the inside of your entire colon and rectum. During this test, your doctor will remove polyps or take tissue samples from any areas that don?t look normal. Download your Natural Cancer Treatments ebook @ href=?http://tinyurl.com/mkcrph?> http://tinyurl.com/mkcrph now.
About the Author
Muscleman is a Internet Health Advisor, compiled numerous success stories of cancers survivors. You can go http://tinyurl.com/mkcrph to get your Natural Cancer Treatments ebook now.
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) ? Police say suspected Sunni militants fired a rocket and sprayed gunfire at a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims in southwest Pakistan, killing at least six people.
Police officer Hamid Shakeel says the bus was traveling from Iran to Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, when it was attacked Thursday.
Shakeel says the bus was carrying around 40 passengers, and more than a dozen were wounded.
Pakistan has a long history of conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Obese appendectomy patients have fewer complications with minimally invasive operationsPublic release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cory Suzan Petty pressinquiry@facs.org 312-202-5328 American College of Surgeons
Longer hospital stay, higher rates of infectious complications with open appendectomy
Chicago (June 27, 2012, 12:01 am [CDT]): Obese patients who need to have their appendixes removed fare better after a minimally invasive surgical procedure rather than an open operation, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
While the traditional open operation (appendectomy) and minimally invasive procedure (laparoscopic appendectomy) are known to have similar outcomes for people of normal weight, surgeons at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine found that obese patients had fewer complications 30 days after a minimally invasive laparoscopic operation, in which surgeons make one to three small incisions in the abdomen and remove the appendix through one of the small openings. The obese patients had longer hospital stays and higher rates of infectious complications if they underwent the open procedure, whereby a surgeon removes the appendix through a 2-to-4-inch incision in the right side of the abdomen.
"There are early studies that suggest the laparoscopic approach may be less risky in obese patients, but there's not much recent information available to strongly prove it," said lead study author Rodney J. Mason, MBBCh, FACS, associate professor of surgery at Keck School of Medicine. Appendectomies are among the most common types of operations in the United States.1 Meanwhile, more than 35 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of youth are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2 "We expect to see more and more obese people with medical conditions that require general surgical intervention" Dr. Mason said. "We need to know what approach works best for these patients."
Dr. Mason and colleagues did two analyses in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database of patients who had appendectomy procedures between 2005 and 2009. Approximately 13,330 patients in the database were considered obese, based on a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
In the first analysis, Mason and his team of surgeons compared how all the obese patients in the database fared after having either an open or laparoscopic appendectomy. Results showed that patients who had the open procedure were significantly more likely to have complications, including wound infections, pneumonia, heart attacks, and septic shock. For example, 8 percent of the open appendectomy patients had non-wound related complications like heart attacks, compared with 4 percent of laparoscopy patients. Additionally, open appendectomy patients stayed in the hospital a mean of 2.3 days longer than patients who had the laparoscopic appendectomy. Overall, the laparoscopic procedure was associated with a 57 percent reduction in morbidity compared with the open procedure in obese patients.
The second analysis matched 1,114 of the laparoscopic appendectomy patients with an open operation patient group who had the same demographics and comorbid conditions. Results again showed that complications were more likely for patients who had open appendectomies. They spent more than a day longer in the hospital, and their procedures took longer than the time required for patients who had the laparoscopic procedure, which was associated with a 53 percent reduction in the risk of morbidity. Also, the more patients weighed, the worse their outcomes were with open procedures. In contrast, all the patients who underwent the laparoscopic procedure had similar outcomes, regardless of how obese they were.
Despite the noted improved outcomes for the laparoscopic surgical approach in patients with complicated appendicitis, over 40 percent of these patients in the database had undergone an open operation. With national expenditures already estimated at about $147 billion for obesity-related conditions,3 the study's results have implications for health care costs, particularly at hospitals that say open procedures cost less because they do not require the expensive equipment needed for laparoscopy.
"We've shown a shorter length of stay. There's the cost savings right there," Dr. Mason said. "Also if you can prevent a patient's wound infection, which stops him or her from having to come see the doctor four times after a procedure, reducing that complication will reduce costs. And if someone doesn't get pneumonia after an operation, that result will be cost-effective as well."
Dr. Mason noted that because laparoscopic appendectomy is still relatively new, especially for obese patients, some surgeons and hospitals default to the tried-and-true open procedure. But that approach is changing. "It depends on the surgeons' training and whether they were trained to perform laparoscopy or not," he explained. "Many surgeons are more inclined to perform laparoscopic procedures because that's how they were trained."
Moreover, the move toward laparoscopic appendectomy is to some extent patient driven, Dr. Mason pointed out. "Most of my patients seem to prefer laparoscopic operations nowadays" he concluded.
###
About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 78,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org(.)
1 Owings MF, Kozak LJ. "Ambulatory and in-patient procedures in the United States, 1996." In: Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13, No. 139 [DHHS publication no. (PHS) 99-1710.] Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 1998:26
2 Ogden, CL, et al. "Prevalence of Obesity in the United States, 2009-2010." NCHS Data Brief 82: Jan. 2012:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.pdf
3 Finkelstein, EA, et al. "Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: Payer- and service-specific estimates." Health Affairs 28(5): w822-w831; Sept-Oct. 2009.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Obese appendectomy patients have fewer complications with minimally invasive operationsPublic release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cory Suzan Petty pressinquiry@facs.org 312-202-5328 American College of Surgeons
Longer hospital stay, higher rates of infectious complications with open appendectomy
Chicago (June 27, 2012, 12:01 am [CDT]): Obese patients who need to have their appendixes removed fare better after a minimally invasive surgical procedure rather than an open operation, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
While the traditional open operation (appendectomy) and minimally invasive procedure (laparoscopic appendectomy) are known to have similar outcomes for people of normal weight, surgeons at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine found that obese patients had fewer complications 30 days after a minimally invasive laparoscopic operation, in which surgeons make one to three small incisions in the abdomen and remove the appendix through one of the small openings. The obese patients had longer hospital stays and higher rates of infectious complications if they underwent the open procedure, whereby a surgeon removes the appendix through a 2-to-4-inch incision in the right side of the abdomen.
"There are early studies that suggest the laparoscopic approach may be less risky in obese patients, but there's not much recent information available to strongly prove it," said lead study author Rodney J. Mason, MBBCh, FACS, associate professor of surgery at Keck School of Medicine. Appendectomies are among the most common types of operations in the United States.1 Meanwhile, more than 35 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of youth are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2 "We expect to see more and more obese people with medical conditions that require general surgical intervention" Dr. Mason said. "We need to know what approach works best for these patients."
Dr. Mason and colleagues did two analyses in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database of patients who had appendectomy procedures between 2005 and 2009. Approximately 13,330 patients in the database were considered obese, based on a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
In the first analysis, Mason and his team of surgeons compared how all the obese patients in the database fared after having either an open or laparoscopic appendectomy. Results showed that patients who had the open procedure were significantly more likely to have complications, including wound infections, pneumonia, heart attacks, and septic shock. For example, 8 percent of the open appendectomy patients had non-wound related complications like heart attacks, compared with 4 percent of laparoscopy patients. Additionally, open appendectomy patients stayed in the hospital a mean of 2.3 days longer than patients who had the laparoscopic appendectomy. Overall, the laparoscopic procedure was associated with a 57 percent reduction in morbidity compared with the open procedure in obese patients.
The second analysis matched 1,114 of the laparoscopic appendectomy patients with an open operation patient group who had the same demographics and comorbid conditions. Results again showed that complications were more likely for patients who had open appendectomies. They spent more than a day longer in the hospital, and their procedures took longer than the time required for patients who had the laparoscopic procedure, which was associated with a 53 percent reduction in the risk of morbidity. Also, the more patients weighed, the worse their outcomes were with open procedures. In contrast, all the patients who underwent the laparoscopic procedure had similar outcomes, regardless of how obese they were.
Despite the noted improved outcomes for the laparoscopic surgical approach in patients with complicated appendicitis, over 40 percent of these patients in the database had undergone an open operation. With national expenditures already estimated at about $147 billion for obesity-related conditions,3 the study's results have implications for health care costs, particularly at hospitals that say open procedures cost less because they do not require the expensive equipment needed for laparoscopy.
"We've shown a shorter length of stay. There's the cost savings right there," Dr. Mason said. "Also if you can prevent a patient's wound infection, which stops him or her from having to come see the doctor four times after a procedure, reducing that complication will reduce costs. And if someone doesn't get pneumonia after an operation, that result will be cost-effective as well."
Dr. Mason noted that because laparoscopic appendectomy is still relatively new, especially for obese patients, some surgeons and hospitals default to the tried-and-true open procedure. But that approach is changing. "It depends on the surgeons' training and whether they were trained to perform laparoscopy or not," he explained. "Many surgeons are more inclined to perform laparoscopic procedures because that's how they were trained."
Moreover, the move toward laparoscopic appendectomy is to some extent patient driven, Dr. Mason pointed out. "Most of my patients seem to prefer laparoscopic operations nowadays" he concluded.
###
About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 78,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org(.)
1 Owings MF, Kozak LJ. "Ambulatory and in-patient procedures in the United States, 1996." In: Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13, No. 139 [DHHS publication no. (PHS) 99-1710.] Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 1998:26
2 Ogden, CL, et al. "Prevalence of Obesity in the United States, 2009-2010." NCHS Data Brief 82: Jan. 2012:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.pdf
3 Finkelstein, EA, et al. "Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: Payer- and service-specific estimates." Health Affairs 28(5): w822-w831; Sept-Oct. 2009.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
An ice rink liners tarp is a tarpaulin that is usually made of strong polyethylene material used to cover ice rinks, or the area of ice used for sports, particularly the smooth, enclosed, and often artificially prepared ice surface used for ice-skating, hockey, or curling.
Most of ice rink liners tarps that you will find in the market are U.V. treated, so you can rest assured that your tarp, when used outdoors, can resist the sun?s violent U.V. rays and heat damage and can endure for several years of frequent usage. Additionally, these tarps are waterproof, and have an extremely high cold crack resistance so they won?t tear apart when the water freezes. There is a stretch factor built in to these tarps as well, so they will not be damaged when stretched to fit an ice rink.
Types and Uses
An ice rink liner tarp can prevent melting of the rink?s edges and can help in maintaining the rink liner so it can be used again.
To set this up is simple. It only takes two people to roll out the tarp over the ice rink and fasten it with clips or screw it to rink?s frames to secure it. Or, if you prefer, you can also cut it into more manageable lengths and sizes to avoid buckling if your rink framing boards are uneven.?
Regardless of the style of the rink, the liner is important. An ice rink liner tarp can be really handy in the making process of the ice rink, since it can hold the water in place and prevent spillage until the water completely freezes.
Ordinary tarps cannot do this, so you should opt for these tarps instead of the various inferior types of tarps that are suited for other tasks.
Most ice rink liner tarps are manufactured from tough low density polyethylene, laminated on both sides with high density polyethylene which makes these tarps strong, durable, and resilient to prevent tears, rips, scratches, and abrasion. They are 100% waterproof. In addition to these features, these tarps are lightweight so you can easily set them up and roll them over an ice rink, as well as to fold them back into rolls to store away. They rot proof, shrink proof, and adaptable to Artic or extremely cold temperatures. These tarps are also generally affordable with competent prices, thus they are widely used in backyard ice rinks and larger commercial rinks
Just when you were finally beginning to understand the difference between Openzone and Fon, British operator BT has decided to merge them into a single hotspot service called BT Wi-fi -- creating what it claims is the "world's largest wi-fi community." Access already comes free and unlimited with home and business broadband connections, so there's "no need to pay for 3G or a dongle" so long as you're in a relatively densely populated area. The re-branding should have little impact on how you use the service, except that the old network names will gradually be replaced, but then a bit of unification often has unexpected benefits.
The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard has four sexy suitors left, but the true object affection is newly-single host Chris Harrison, a tabloid hilariously claims.
Star cites "insiders" involved with the hit ABC reality show talking about how close the pair have become, with some even saying they are "madly in love."
While this revelation is new, the "electric attraction" has caused sparks to fly from the beginning, even before Chris and wife Gwen split up this spring.
"Chris openly told staffers that Emily was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on," said an insider, who apparently wasn't alone in noticing.
Even former contestants were aware of the potential there.
"From the beginning, I always said there was no way Emily was really going to end up with one of the guys," says former Bachelor winner Vienna Girardi.
"She really wanted to be with Chris, and it was obvious he wanted to be with her too, I vacationed with Chris and his family in St. Lucia and know him well."
"He was never with his wife. He's a flirt. I guarantee Emily and Chris end up together. If she gets engaged to another man, the show will probably spin it as a love triangle."
There may not be enough salt on the planet to take this report with. As for who she really picks, The Bachelorette spoilers say little about who does get her final rose next month ... though there are hints as to the final three.
The creation of the mysterious monument and the culture built around it suggests Stonehenge was thought as a symbol of unity in late Neolithic Europe, British researchers say.?
By Stephanie Pappas,?LiveScience / June 25, 2012
The mysterious structure of Stonehenge may have been built as a symbol of peace and unity, according to a new theory by British researchers.
Albo/Shutterstock
Enlarge
The mysterious structure of Stonehenge may have been built as a symbol of peace and unity, according to a new theory by British researchers.
During the monument's construction around 3000 B.C. to 2500 B.C., Britain's Neolithic people were becoming increasingly unified, said study leader Mike Parker Pearson of the University of Sheffield.
"There was a growing islandwide culture ? the same styles of houses, pottery and other material forms were used from Orkney to the south coast," Parker Pearson said in a statement, referring to the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland. "This was very different to the regionalism of previous centuries."
By definition,?Stonehenge?would have required cooperation, Parker Pearson added.
"Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labor of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them. Just the work itself, requiring everything literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification," he said. [Photos: A Walk Through Stonehenge]
The new theory, detailed in a new book by Parker Pearson, "Stonehenge: Exploring the Greatest Stone Age Mystery" (Simon & Schuster, 2012), is one of many hypotheses about the mysterious monument. Theories range from completely far-fetched (space aliens?or the wizard Merlin built it!) to far more evidence-based (the monument may have been an astronomical calendar, a burial site, or both).
The Culture of Stonehenge
Along with fellow researchers on the Stonehenge riverside Project, Parker Pearson worked to put Stonehenge in context, studying not just the monument but also the culture that created it.
What they found was evidence of a civilization transitioning from regionalism to a more integrated culture. Nevertheless, Britain's Stone Age people were isolated from the rest of Europe and didn't interact with anyone across the English Channel, Parker Pearson said.
"Stonehenge appears to have been the last gasp of this?Stone Age culture, which was isolated from Europe and from the new technologies of metal tools and the wheel," Parker Pearson said.
Stonehenge's site may have been chosen because it was already significant to Stone-Age Britons, the researchers suggest. The natural land undulations at the site seem to form a line between the place where the sun rises on the summer solstice and where it sets in midwinter, they found. Neolithic people may have seen this as more than a coincidence, Parker Pearson said.
Mozilla's Firefox 13 launched earlier this month and the latest version of the popular browser introduced a number of new features, including support for Google's SPDY protocol and a new homescreen and easy access to your most often used sites through the improved new tab page. That convenient new speed dial-like new tab page presents a bit of a security risk, however. As the Register reports, the thumbnails that accompany these links on the improved new tap page have the potential to leak personal information. The browser, it turns out, regularly takes screenshots of your browsing sessions to create these thumbnails (even while you are browsing a secure site)?and, in the process, could potentially expose your private data like banking information or email subjects to anybody else who uses your computer.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc's patent case against Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility unit in Chicago was dismissed on Friday with prejudice, keeping both parties from refiling claims against one another.
Richard Posner, an outspoken judge for the seventh circuit court of appeals in Chicago, said neither Apple nor Motorola sufficiently proved that one another's business, or a lack of patent licensing for technology in one another's devices, had caused damage to their companies.
"To suggest that [Apple] has suffered loss ...
BY IAN SHERR
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc's patent case against Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility unit in Chicago was dismissed on Friday with prejudice, keeping both parties from refiling claims against one another.
Richard Posner, an outspoken judge for the seventh circuit court of appeals in Chicago, said neither Apple nor Motorola sufficiently proved that one another's business, or a lack of patent licensing for technology in one another's devices, had caused damage to their companies.
By:
ROGER GONZALEZ|Daily Progress correspondent
Published: June 23, 2012
Updated: June 23, 2012 - 11:00 PM
Perspiration?engulfs his white Nike practice jersey as the Florida heat converts the football field into a suffocating sauna. Passes come his way from every angle, courtesy of former Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Chad Henne, NFL hopeful Jordan Palmer and many more. This is his dream nearing reality.
Former Monticello High School and Liberty University quarterback Mike Brown, who signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in May as a wide receiver, is?pursuing his life goal in the Sunshine State.
How it all came about is another story. Fate, perhaps, some would call it.
In late April, the 2012 NFL Draft took place, as 253 players were selected, from first pick QB Andrew Luck of Stanford to last pick QB Chandler Harnish of Northern Illinois. Brown, a star in college as a QB and a WR, never saw his name called.
?I talked to my agent [Robert Walker] right before the draft started,? said Brown, a two-time Big South Player of the Year. ?He said I should hear from teams on day two of the draft. He said they will probably start calling me if I?m going to get drafted or as a free agent.
?An hour after the draft was over, I went to bed a little upset. I hadn?t heard anything from any team.?My agent called me and said he hadn?t had any luck. He spoke with a few teams and said there wasn?t any interest.?
Then, he got his big break.
?It was a blessing for me. Coach [Danny] Rocco had been at Liberty. Him moving to Richmond kind of broke up our coaching staff,? Brown said. ?The Jaguars hired a new coach, and then they hired our receivers coach out of Liberty.?
Charlie Skalaski, who spent nine seasons with the Flames, working closely with Brown during his time at wide receiver, became the Assistant to the Head Coach/Offensive Assistant for the AFC South squad in January.
?Right after the draft, it gets kind of crazy,? said?Skalaski of the frenzy to sign undrafted players. ?For coaches, there is more action right after the draft than there is during the draft...It?s the closest thing to college recruiting [in the pros].
?Mike?s name came up. I said this guy, he would be a great guy to bring in here. We have nothing to lose. Just look at Mike?s West Virginia film.?
The coach was referring to Brown?s performance against the Mountaineers as a redshirt sophomore in 2009. He caught 11 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-20 loss.
Brown didn?t care if he was getting a look at quarterback, receiver, or heck, even punter. He just wanted a chance.
?I was kind of open to anything,? Brown said. ?I just wanted to play. I love the game; I love to compete. Any time you get a chance to compete at the highest level, it?s definitely an honor and a blessing.?
Brown went to Jacksonville for a tryout during the rookie mini-camp in early May and was signed to a non-guaranteed contract. Then, he went to the 10 days of organized team activities starting in mid-May and running to early June and a four-day mini-camp soon after.?It?s safe to say it went well.
?Mike has played himself right into contention,? said Skalaski, citing that Brown managed to beat out former Virginia Tech WR Jarrett Boykin and UCLA WR Nelson Rosario for a spot.
?Mike plays fast. We make too big of a deal in football about stopwatches. We are a football team, not a track team.?Mike plays at the same speed he runs. He gets in and out of his cuts. He has great quickness, great cuts. He is just a football player.?He has looked good so far.?
Now he is up before 7 a.m., training for countless hours on a daily basis while also meeting with?advisers, continuing on the path to his dreams. He is beaming with confidence, feeling that he deserves to be where he is.
?I had a really good rookie camp,? Brown said. ?I ended up being the only slot receiver that we had there. That helped me get a lot of reps. I got the ball a good amount of times. I was really able to display what I could do. I proved that I could learn pretty quick.
?We have a great wide receivers coach in Jerry Sullivan. He has coached a lot of great receivers. That dude is helping me a ton.?
Brown didn?t just catch the eyes of the coaches.
?Mike has certainly made a positive first impression that we hope is a lasting one,? said Gene Smith, the General Manager of the team. ?He?s really done a good job of converting from quarterback to wide receiver. He?s just a savvy football player who knows how to play the game. He?s shown natural hands and possesses good separation quickness at the top end of his routes.?
But, it hasn?t all been easy, especially dissecting the playbook.
?It?s a lot of stuff, it?s a lot of information,? Brown said. ?The main thing is, it?s all grown men now. You have to teach yourself. In college, we go over every single play. Now, it?s we are giving you the plays, you have to learn them.?
What Brown learned quickly is that this is now all?business. At times, it?s a cruel one.
?You can be there today, and you can be gone tomorrow,? said Brown, who saw his hotel roommate, former Furman QB Chris Forcier, released last week.
Living in a hotel isn?t the most ideal situation for a 23-year-old. But for the 5-foot-11, 200-pound rookie, at the moment, it couldn?t be a better situation, especially with head coach?Mike Mularkey?recently?stating that the former Mustang has shown up everyday and contributed.
?It?s been pretty good,? Brown said. ?I?ve been in the hotel and staying with friends since January...I haven?t really been home. I?m kind of getting used to it.?It has given us a chance to try and get to know each other.?
During his down time, he often heads over to the house of Rashad Jennings, a former Liberty running back who backs up Maurice Jones-Drew, the 2011 NFL rushing leader. Brown can envision himself as an established NFL player in years to come as long as he continues to work.
?It feels great,? said Brown, who will return to Virginia soon until late July. ?I have come a long way. I?m proud and happy. I still have a long way to go. The odds are really against me.?My motto has been ?beat the odds.? You look at Tom Brady, what a sixth round draft pick? Now he is a top-two player in the league. It?s not about where you went to college at, it?s about how you perform when you are here.
?When my roommate got?released, I was like ?man, I'm in this room now by myself.? Everyday you are putting your name on your work. You have to come out and you have to perform. You have to work your butt off and give it your best.?I?m really excited, just blessed. God is working in my life in a bunch of different ways. I?m one step closer. I?m not there yet.?
At this point, he may get there. Brown, who has also gotten time as a returner, will go through training camp starting in late July, and if all goes well, will be on the 90-man roster for the preseason. The team is then cut to 75 during the third week of preseason, before it is again trimmed down to 53 for the start of the regular season. Brown?s first game could potentially be on Aug. 10 at home against the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in week one of the preseason, if all goes according to plan.
?Absoultely Mike has a chance to make this team,? Skalaski said. ?The NFL is a very?tenuous?proposition at best. It?s hard to get in; it?s hard to stay in.?He took it and ran with the rest of it.?He is a 100 percent effort guy all the time, and he is a very?intelligent?player.
?We talk about the roster often in staff meetings. Mike has left an extremely favorable impression on the whole staff, from the offensive coordinator to the head coach to the special teams coordinator.?
The Jaguars could use help at the position.?With an uncertain quarterback situation, with 2011 first-round pick Blaine Gabbert and Henne likely battling it out to be the starter, the wide receiver corps lacks stability as well. The team, which went 5-11 last season, ranked 30th in the league in receiving. Brown will compete with other wide receivers for a spot on the roster, one that has few sure bets, aside from perhaps first-round pick Justin Blackmon, Mike Thomas, Lee Evans and Laurent Robinson.
For Brown, he received his shot, and that is all he ever wanted. He also received a decent comparison.
?I know Jerry Sullivan said Mike has a lot of the same qualities as Wes Welker,? said Skalaski,?referring the New England Patriots star wide receiver, who is a four-time Pro Bowl player and led the league in receptions in 2007 (tied), 2009 and 2011.
In the end, it was one move, a coach heading to the pros, that gave Brown the shot he wanted to fulfill his dream.
?It is amazing,? Skalaski said. ?It?s amazing how God works. I certainly didn?t plan on that going into the draft.
?If Mike is working and progressing like he has been, he is going to have a shot.?But there is a lot of football to be played between now and the start of the season.?Based on what I?ve seen, I?m a Mike Brown believer.?
By Kimberly Kaplan, NBC News, and M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com
Handout / Reuters
Jerry Sandusky is seen in a booking photo from the Centre County Correctional Facility in Bellefonte, Pa., on June 22, 2012.
Updated at 11:37 p.m. ET: BELLEFONTE, Pa. ? Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse Friday night and faces spending the rest of his life in state prison. His attorney said he would appeal the verdict.
Sandusky's attorney, Joseph Amendola, asked Judge John Cleland to allow Sandusky to be released on house arrest, but Cleland summarily rejected the request, saying: "Bail is revoked. Mr. Sandusky is remanded to the custody of the sheriff."
Michael Isikoff, John Yang, Ron Allen, Marianne Haggerty and Hannah Rapplye of NBC News and Jim Gold of msnbc.com contributed to this report by Kimberly Kaplan of NBC News and M. Alex Johnson of msnbc.com. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.
Sandusky was immediately led out of the courthouse in handcuffs as a large crowd of onlookers cheered. Sentencing was set for late September.
Sandusky, 68, the former longtime defensive coordinator for the Penn State University football team, had denied all 48 counts alleging that he abused 10 boys over 15 years. Two grand jury reports accused him of having used his connection to one of the nation's premier college football programs to "groom" the boys, whom he met through his Second Mile charity for troubled children, for sexual relationships.
Several of the counts are so-called mandated felonies, meaning Cleland has no discretion in sentencing. NBC News reported that he faces a minimum of 60 years in prison.
NBC News
Jerry Sandusky is led from the Centre County Courthouse in handcuffs Friday night.
Cleland, who is a senior judge in McKean County, was brought to Centre County to oversee the trial after local judges recused themselves.
Reaction to the Sandusky verdict
Amendola, who was interrupted by hecklers outside the courthouse?several times, said he had expected the outcome and respected the verdict of the jurors, who didn?t speak to reporters afterward.
Amendola said he believed Sandusky had legitimate grounds for appeal, saying his client had "an uphill battle" because of the extensive pretrial publicity.
"We said we were attempting to climb Mount Everest from the bottom of the mountain. Obviously, we didn't make it," he said.
Defense attorney Joseph Amendola speaks outside the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., after his client, Jerry Sandusky, was found guilty of sexually abusing children.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly, whose office prosecuted Sandusky, said, "A serious child predator ... has been held accountable for his crimes."
Kelly thanked the victims, who she said "came forward to bravely testify in this trial and to finally put a stop to the crimes that were committed."
"We hope that our search for justice will help them and perhaps others looking on nearby and afar," she said.
Grace Gordon, 49, of Bellefonte, also welcomed the verdict but lamented the damage the trial had done to Bellefonte and Centre County.
"It's hard. It really is, to see a small town torn apart like this," said Gordon, who was outside the courthouse with her 23-year-old son and his girlfriend.
Gordon said her father, wrho worked with Sandusky at Penn State, "would have just been devastated to know about this."
"You'd never, ever have dreamed that he'd be that kind of person," Gordon said. "What he did to those kids is just horrendous."
The university that Sandusky served for decades said in a statement late Friday that "we have tremendous respect for the men who came forward to tell their stories publicly. No verdict can undo the pain and suffering caused by Mr. Sandusky, but we do hope this judgment helps the victims and their families along their path to healing."
The university said it would seek to "fairly ... compensate" the victims and invited them to participate in a program to "facilitate the resolution of claims against the University arising out of Mr. Sandusky's conduct."
It said it intended to get in contact with lawyers for the victims "in the near future."
Sandusky was acquitted on three counts: an indecent assault charge?involving "Victim 6", a man who?testified that Sandusky had given him a bear hug in the shower but at one point he just "blacked out"; an indecent assault charge involving "Victim 5", who said Sandusky fondled him in the shower; and an involuntary deviate sexual intercourse charge regarding "Victim 2",?who?former assistant coach?Mike McQueary said he saw being attacked in a campus shower.
A trial that riveted the nation The trial, which opened June 11, culminated months of intense attention that led to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno, who won more games than any other major college football coach in history, many of them with Sandusky at his side.
Paterno died exactly five months ago, a few weeks after the Penn State Board of Trustees dismissed him for not having done enough to stop Sandusky's abuse.
Jurors heard often-graphic testimony from eight of the 10 victims whose accounts were included in two grand jury reports. They told how Sandusky would first win their trust by giving them gifts and taking them on trips with the football team before progressing to hugging, kissing, increasingly sexual touching and, in some cases, oral and anal sex.
In a rare occurrence in an abuse trial, prosecutors also presented the testimony of a corroborating eyewitness ? Sandusky's former Penn State coaching colleague McQueary.
McQueary said the boy had his hands against the wall and that Sandusky was standing up against him from behind. He said he heard a "skin-on-skin smacking sound" and that he had "no doubt" that Sandusky was engaging in anal sex with the boy.
Because they were sequestered, without access to computers, phones or any other way to hear news coverage, the jury of seven women and five men wouldn't have heard newer, potentially damaging information from two other accusers that emerged after they began deliberations.
Sandusky's adopted son Matt said he had been prepared to testify that he, too, was a victim of abuse by his father, according to a statement issued Thursday by attorneys who said they are representing the younger Sandusky.
(NBC News and msnbc.com generally do not identify victims of sexual assaults, but Matt Sandusky chose to identify himself in a public statement released through his attorneys.)
Full coverage of the Jerry Sandusky trial Ghosts of Sandusky's dreams haunt home where charity was born Legal analysis by Wes Oliver Matt Sandusky: From defender to possibly most damning accuser
Amendola said Friday night that Jerry Sandusky abandoned plans to testify in his own defense because of the prospect of damaging rebuttal testimony by his son.
Nor would they have heard the account of Travis Weaver, 30, of Ohio, who attended Second Mile camps as a youth. Weaver told NBC News in an interview that aired Thursday night that Sandusky performed oral sex on him in the upstairs bedroom of the Sanduskys' home.
Weaver testified to one of the two grand juries but wasn't mentioned in the grand jury reports or called as a witness during the trial.
The end of the trial doesn't mean the case is over.
Two former top Penn State officials, former Athletic Director Timothy Curley and former vice president Gary Schultz, face perjury charges in connection with their grand jury testimony in December, in which prosecutors alleged that concealed what they knew about Sandusky's conduct.
Law enforcement sources have told NBC News that former Penn State President Graham Spanier, who was fired in November, was under investigation for possible similar charges.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A manhunt that began with a deadly shooting in Illinois ended Saturday in the eastern New Mexico city of Tucumcari.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 20-year-old Carlton Neely and 22-year-old James Edward Johnson outside a truck stop early Saturday morning without incident after spotting one of the men buying food inside.
Murder warrants were issued for the men on June 15 in Illinois after the Marshals Service said the two men shot at least four people, killing one.
The Marshals Service said the pair fled to California, and investigators were able to track them to Arizona and then New Mexico.
After authorities combed Tucumcari area hotels for the men, a deputy saw Edwards buying food at a truck stop and notified his colleagues outside.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton and his wife, Katie, confirmed Friday they have agreed to the creation of a feature film about his life.
In a statement released before the Rangers' game against the Colorado Rockies, the Hamiltons said they were approached by actor/director Casey Affleck and Thunder Road Pictures.
"While they are not involved with the actual Hollywood pitching process," the statement read, "the Hamiltons will be an integral part of the film's creative direction and accuracy as the project develops."
Tampa Bay selected Hamilton with the No. 1 overall pick in 1999 before his career was knocked off track by drug and alcohol abuse. After going on the disabled list in 2001 while in the minors, he became addicted to alcohol and cocaine. He didn't play from 2003-05.
Hamilton finally made it to the majors in 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds and was traded to Texas before 2008, the season he led the AL with 130 RBIs.
Hamilton won the 2010 AL MVP and has helped the Rangers make consecutive World Series appearances. He is hitting .331 this season with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs, including a four-homer and eight-RBI performance on May 8 against the Baltimore Orioles.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Rockies?end Rangers' 7-game winning streak
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Tyler Colvin and Chris Nelson had consecutive two-out, two-run singles in an early outburst for Colorado, and the Rockies held on for a 11-7 victory Saturday that ended the Texas Rangers' seven-game winning streak.
KABUL (Reuters) - Elite Afghan police backed by NATO forces ended a 12-hour siege on Friday at a popular lakeside hotel outside Kabul, leaving at least 20 dead after Taliban gunmen stormed the lakeside building, bursting into a party and seizing dozens of hostages.
The night-time assault on the hotel with rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests and machine guns again proved how potent the Islamist insurgency remains after a decade of war.
The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said the attack bore the signature of the Taliban-linked Haqqani group that he said continued to operate from Pakistan, a charge that could further escalate tensions with Islamabad.
General John Allen's comments come days after U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington was at the limits of its patience with Pakistan over the existence of militant networks including the Haqqanis.
Pakistan says it is doing everything it can to fight militants on its side of the border and accuses Afghanistan of trying to shift the blame for its failure to combat the insurgency.
At the hotel, terrified guests jumped into the lake in the darkness to escape the carnage, Afghan officials and residents said. Up to 300 people had been inside the hotel when the attack began.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 12 to 15 civilians, two hotel guards and a policeman were killed in the gunbattle at the Spozhmai hotel, overlooking Qargha Lake. Five attackers were also killed.
The attack, quickly claimed by the Afghan Taliban, again showed the ability of insurgents to stage high-profile raids even as NATO nations prepare to withdraw most of their combat troops by the end of 2014 and leave Afghans to lead the fight.
"Afghan National Security Forces and coalition military sources acknowledge that this attack bears the signature of the Haqqani network, which continues to target and kill innocent Afghans and blatantly violate Afghan sovereignty from the safety of Pakistan," General Allen said in a statement.
Blood was splattered over the hotel floor and the crumpled body of a man lay in the garden. Women and children were among the wounded.
"We heard a heavy explosion from a rocket-propelled grenade. We tried to escape, but we were surrounded by suicide bombers. We hid ourselves behind a tree until morning. God protected us," said Abdullah Samadi, 24.
The gunmen, Samadi said, had been closely watching their prisoners and searching for illegal stocks of wine.
"Around dawn they came closer to us and we had to jump in the water. We were there until 9 a.m. and then the situation got better and we slowly, slowly swam toward security forces," he said.
Sediqqi said the Taliban were using civilians as human shields to defend themselves and held about 50 people hostage late into Friday morning.
Elite Afghan quick-response police backed by NATO troops freed at least 35 hostages in an operation that only began in earnest after sunrise to help security forces avoid civilian deaths in night-time confusion.
The Taliban complained wealthy Afghans and foreigners used the hotel, about 10 km (6 miles) from the center of Kabul, for "prostitution" and "wild parties" ahead of the Friday religious day holiday.
Launching their annual offensive this spring, the Taliban threatened to attack more government officials and rich Afghans, but the hotel assault was one of few in which multiple hostages were taken since the start of the war, now in its 11th year.
President Hamid Karzai said attacking a place where people went for picnics was a sign of defeat for the enemies of Afghanistan.
"This is a crime against humanity because they targeted children, women and civilians picnicking at the lake. There wasn't even a single soldier around there," said General Mohammad Zahir, head of the Kabul police investigation unit.
Television pictures showed several people wading out of the lake onto a balcony and clambering over a wall to safety.
NATO attack helicopters could be seen over the single-storey hotel building and a balcony popular with guests for its sunset views, while a pall of smoke rose into the air.
NEW FACE OF INSURGENCY?
Soldiers and police fanned out around the hotel at dawn, arriving in cars and armored Humvee vehicles and taking cover behind trees flanking the lake and a nearby golf course.
Qargha Lake is one of Kabul's few options for weekend getaways. Restaurants and hotels that dot the shore are popular with Afghan government officials and businessmen, particularly on Thursday nights.
Guests at the Spozhmai must pass through security checks before entering the hotel, where tables with umbrellas overlook the water, but security is relatively light for a city vulnerable to militant attacks.
Violence across Afghanistan has surged in recent days, with three U.S. soldiers and more than a dozen civilians killed in successive attacks, mostly in the country's east, where NATO-led forces have focused their efforts during the summer fighting months.
NATO commanders, halfway into the process of transferring security responsibility to Afghan forces, are racing through training for the Afghan army and police, including holding basic literacy classes for recruits.
Well-planned assaults in Kabul in the past year have raised questions about whether the Taliban and their al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network allies have shifted tactics to embrace attacks on landmarks, foreigners and Afghanistan's elite, extending a guerrilla war once primarily waged in the countryside.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Abdul Saboor; Writing by Rob Taylor,Missy Ryan and Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Ron Popeski)
I have been so excited to post this recipe, you have no idea. I love the Cafe Rio/Costa Vida chicken tortilla soup and have been wanting to duplicate it forever, I just haven?t gotten around do doing it.. until NOW. I am not going to lie.. this is my personal favorite tortilla soup recipe and it tastes just like Cafe Rio (if not BETTER). It is so fresh and delicious, you are going to love it!
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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012
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