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Source: http://ashleesingh27.blogspot.com/2013/01/health-and-fitness-detox-fitness-weg.html

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Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:43:55 -0800 Temple Run 2 landing on iOS tonight! http://yvageip.posterous.com/temple-run-2-landing-on-ios-tonight http://yvageip.posterous.com/temple-run-2-landing-on-ios-tonight

The sequel to the granddaddy of endless running games, Temple Run, will be hitting the App Store tonight, and is already in the New Zealand App Store. Temple Run 2 features the same great swipe and tilt evasion action that you've come to love with a few new additions.

For one, the graphics have been fully overhauled, and include a bunch of new settings. You'll be running over hills, racing through mines, and sliding down zip lines, just to name a few. Secondly, there's a new ability system where in addition to snagging power-ups between collecting coins on the course, players can also activate abilities such as shields with a double-tap. There are three unlockable runners, if you want to mix things up, as well as the usual purchasable upgrades.

At this point, there have been a ton of high-quality games using the same shtick, such as Agent Dash and Subway Surfers, but Temple Run still maintains a kind of classic appeal that will be hard to replicate. How many of you guys are still playing the first Temple Run regularly?

As the original, Temple Run 2 is going to be free to play, with optional in-app purchases for coins and gems. Expect it to hit the North American App Store here at around 11 PM EST tonight, or you can go ahead and switch app stores to get the New Zealand version, if you're in a real rush. There's no official announcement just yet, but check out the early gameplay video after the jump.

via TouchArcade

Update: It's out, and it's free, so download now.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/xMmOIVR0U6s/story01.htm

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Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:14:58 -0800 Stocks edge higher as retailers rally http://yvageip.posterous.com/stocks-edge-higher-as-retailers-rally http://yvageip.posterous.com/stocks-edge-higher-as-retailers-rally

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks edged higher on Wall Street after a rally in retail stocks offset concerns about flaring tensions in Washington over increasing the country's borrowing limit.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day up 27.57 points at 13,534.89. The Dow moved higher in the late afternoon after being down as much as 62 points in the early going.

The Standard and Poor's 500 rose 1.66 points to 1,472.34, a five-year high. The Nasdaq composite index, dragged down by a fall in Apple, fell 6.72 points to 3,110.78.

Retail stocks moved higher throughout the day, boosted by a report that showed retail sales increased in December, helping the major indexes reverse early losses.

Consumers bought more autos, furniture and clothing, despite worries about potential tax increases, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Sales rose 0.5 percent in December from November, slightly better than November's 0.4 percent increase and the best showing since September.

J.C. Penney rose 62 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $18.71. Dollar General gained $1.62, or 3.8 percent, to $44.64. Ford advanced 31 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $14.30.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told congressional leaders in a letter late Monday that the U.S. government will reach its borrowing limit as soon as mid-February, earlier than expected. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke also commented on the issue Monday, saying it was one of the "critical fiscal watersheds" for the government in coming weeks.

President Barack Obama has criticized congressional Republicans for linking talks over raising the debt ceiling to ongoing budget negotiations. Obama said the consequences of the U.S. government defaulting on its debt would be disastrous and shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip to extract concessions on spending cuts.

"We are very concerned how the market is going to respond to all the news events that will be coming out of Washington over the next few months," said Eric Wiegand, a senior portfolio manager at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. "It really comes down to the uncertainty and the risk of a further downgrade of our debt."

Markets were roiled in the summer of 2011 as lawmakers haggled over an increase to the debt limit. The dispute cost the U.S. its AAA ranking from the credit-rating firm Standard and Poor's.

The U.S. fiscal crisis is still the biggest single individual risk facing investors, with 37 percent of investors naming it as the biggest worry, according to a survey of fund managers published by Bank of America Merrill Lynch Tuesday. The European debt crisis was cited as the biggest concern by 23 percent of those polled and a "hard landing" for the Chinese economy was third on the list with 12 percent.

Apple fell $15.83, or 3.2 percent, to $485.92, closing below $500 for the first time in almost a year. Apple slumped 3.6 percent Monday on concern that demand for its iPhone 5 is slowing. Nomura analysts today lowered their target price for the stock to $530 from $660 and cut their estimates for iPhone sales this year.

Both the S&P 500 and the Dow are up on the year, having surged in the first week of January after lawmakers reached a last-minute budget deal to stop the economy going over the "cliff." The agreement prevented a series of tax increases and spending cuts that could have pushed the U.S. economy back into recession, according to economists.

Optimism about the outlook for global growth has also boosted stocks.

The S&P 500 is up 3.2 percent this year. The 30-member Dow is up 3.3 percent since the start of 2013.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, was little changed at 1.84 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves;

? Dell gained 88 cents, or 7.2 percent, to $13.17, rising for a second day on a report that the computer maker is in talks with private equity firms about a buyout.

? Facebook fell 85 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $30.10, paring its gains for the year to 13 percent, after the company unveiled a new feature Tuesday that lets users search their social connections for information about people, interests, photos and places.

? Lululemon Athletica, a maker of yoga apparel, dropped $2.83, or 3.9 percent, to $69.47 after its revenue forecast fell short of analysts' estimates.

? Given Imaging Ltd. fell $2.10, or 11.5 percent, to $16.10 after the medical equipment company said it was no longer considering a sale. Also one of its largest shareholders plans to sell its stake.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-edge-higher-retailers-rally-212618822--finance.html

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Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:58:25 -0800 Beats By Dre Pill http://yvageip.posterous.com/beats-by-dre-pill http://yvageip.posterous.com/beats-by-dre-pill

It seems as if everyone is making portable Bluetooth speakers these days, so it makes sense a big company like Beats by Dre doesn't want to be left out. Last year saw the Beatbox Portable, which wasn't particularly portable, and consumed batteries like an old Sega Game Gear. The Beats Pill is a smaller, rechargeable, Jawbone Jambox-like?speaker that doesn't have the huge footprint of the Beatbox line. At $199.99 (list), it's also less than half the price, though still more expensive than other Bluetooth speakers in its own class. It's well-designed and functional, but it can't handle strong bass at all, and isn't as compelling as the less-expensive?Logitech UE Mobile Boombox, our current Editors' Choice for Bluetooth speakers.

Design
Like its name implies, the Beats Pill looks like a giant pill. It's a 7.7-inch-long, 10.9-ounce cylinder with rounded ends and a band in the middle that holds all of the controls. It measures 1.8 inches across, and is cut in half on an angle with the front holding a metal grille and the back consisting of a rubberized shell, with an even more rubbery, flat "foot" running the length of the bottom side.

The middle band has a large, glowing Beats button that serves as a multifunction Play/Pause/Answer calls button, a pair of Volume Up/Down buttons, and a Power button near the back. The band also holds an NFC decal that lets you automatically pair your NFC-enabled smartphone, like my Samsung Galaxy S III, with the speaker just by tapping your phone to it. A microUSB port for charging the speaker, a 3.5mm input and output, and a Bluetooth indicator light also sit on the back panel.

The Pill comes with a few accessories besides the speaker itself. A USB-compatible AC adapter is included, along with a USB-to-micro-USB charging cable. If you don't have a Bluetooth device, the speaker comes with a 5-foot, 3.5mm audio cable to connect your devices directly.

The speaker also includes a hard shell zippered case with a loop on it. The case fits the speaker perfectly, but isn't particularly useful. It doesn't present the Pill in a more convenient-to-carry package besides the loop of fabric, and when zipped up?the only way to keep the speaker secure?the case muffles all sound. Since the speaker is already fairly rugged in its design and can be used outside as long as you don't get it too wet or dirty, the case doesn't serve any really useful function.

Beats Pill

Performance
You can't expect too much bass from a speaker so small, but the Beats Pill is particularly weak on that front. The speaker employs a processing algorithm that softens parts of tracks so they don't blow out the speaker, but the processing can take a second to kick in, so it might as well be useless. The dark, atmospheric sounds of Bathory's "Odens Ride Over Nordland" filled our test room comfortably, with the beat of hooves occasionally popping before the speaker could adjust but otherwise sounding natural. Our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," produced notable popping throughout the track, distorting heavily on the drumbeats.

The distortion occurs primarily when volume is maximized on both the audio device and the speaker. At slightly lower volume levels, songs like Green Day's "Kill the DJ" and Maximum the Hormone's "Louisiana Bob" sound clear and full, lacking notable bass but not distorting. However, it feels like you're missing out on how loud the speaker could be, if it had better audio processing to reduce distortion at high volume levels.

The Beats Pill doubles as a speakerphone, and serves well in that function. While not exceptionally clear, I could hear the caller well, and the caller could make out everything I said. The Pill puts enough power behind the speaker and sensitivity behind the microphone that it significantly improved the speakerphone feature of my Samsung Galaxy S III.

The Beats Pill offers a unique form factor and doubles as a good speakerphone, but it simply doesn't offer good enough sound quality to justify its $200 price tag. While you might get a reasonably loud and clear listening experience on one track, the next might pop distractingly and force you to tweak the volume just because it has slightly more bass. If the speaker handled bass distortion slightly better, it would have been a much stronger contender. As it is, you're better off getting the Jabra Solemate for its superior audio quality, or the Editors' Choice?Logitech UE Mobile Boombox?for its small size and exceptional value. Both speakers handle the low-end better, even if neither offers particularly strong bass, and the Mobile Boombox is just as functional as a speakerphone at half the price of the Pill.

More Speaker Reviews:
??? Beats By Dre Pill
??? JBL OnBeat Micro
??? Denon Cocoon Portable
??? Klipsch HD Theater 600
??? Kohler Moxie Showerhead + Wireless Speaker
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/iKSJn35Og-o/0,2817,2414249,00.asp

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Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:41:46 -0800 Dartmouth Hockey Takes Part in Sled Hockey Event for Veterans ... http://yvageip.posterous.com/dartmouth-hockey-takes-part-in-sled-hockey-ev http://yvageip.posterous.com/dartmouth-hockey-takes-part-in-sled-hockey-ev

WEST LEBANON, N.H. - Monday afternoon saw the Dartmouth men's and women's hockey teams leave the familiar surroundings of Thompson Arena behind, only to be replaced by Campion Rink just a short 10-minute drive down the road.

Both men's and women's players wore skates and donned their respective Big Green jerseys, but rather than a practice or a game, the two groups participated in what has become an annual community event.

With Dartmouth athletic trainer Nicole Humann's help, Northeast Passage was once again able to bring sled hockey to the Upper Valley in an effort to spread the game. Designed for veterans and individuals with mobility impairments, the group organizes sled hockey events to introduce the sports to individuals who otherwise may not be aware of it.

Sled hockey is an ice sport that allows individuals with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy and participate in the popular winter sport.

"I love doing this. It's a 'thank you' to our service members, who have sacrificed so much for us," Humann said. "It's great to have the two Dartmouth hockey teams out here, because it shows them something new they probably wouldn't otherwise see."

"For the veterans, especially the younger ones, it's great for them to see college players out here. They are coming back and, more likely than not, thinking about colleges and this is something that will help encourage them to pursue those intentions."

Early on, Reagan Fischer, Ailish Forfar and Olivia Whitford from the women's team as well as Cab Morris, Eric Neiley, Alex Goodship and Mike Keenan of the men's squad were on hand to help set up before getting on the ice.

The trio of Neiley, Goodship and Keenan wasted little time in getting into sleds and trying out this new brand of hockey for themselves.

Head coaches Mark Hudak and Bob Gaudet were also in the building, lending their support, along with women's associate head coach Holley Tyng and assistant Josh Liegl.

"Nicole has done a lot the past two years putting this together. Myself, being a veteran, coming here and seeing this it's pretty special and also very humbling for those of us that have been doing this our whole life," Hudak said.

"When we skate we take it for granted. To watch what they're are able to do on the sled and to watch our kids get on and try it you realize what it was like when you first started playing hockey a long time ago. Hopefully we can build on this and maybe even bring it to Dartmouth."

"I thought that was a great event," Gaudet remarked, echoing the sentiments of Hudak. "To see so many veterans and people who have been faced with life-changing circumstance after these injuries learning the game was remarkable."

"There was a lot of energy, enthusiasm and laughter from the sled hockey players as well as our group of players representing the college so well. I think this is a great event and I felt that way last year and didn't hesitate for a second when asked to participate again this year."

Catherine Berghuis and Lindsey Allen soon joined the group on the ice as well as men's players Tyler Sikura, Eric Robinson, Charlie Mosey, Andy Simpson, Rick Pinkston and Brad Schierhorn.

U.S. National Sled Hockey Team player Taylor Chace, a Hampton Falls, N.H., native, ran the event on the ice, organizing drills to teach players the necessary skills associated with this brand of hockey. An all-tournament selection at the 2012 Sled Hockey World Championship for his part in helping the US claim gold, Chace served as a perfect ambassador for the game he loves.?

Northeast Passage's motto is to "Empower individuals with disabilities to 'Define. Pursue. Achieve.' their Therapeutic Recreation and Adaptive Sports goals."

Source: http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11600&ATCLID=205974375

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Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:38:17 -0800 Forrester: U.S. Mobile Payments Market Predicted To Reach $90B By 2017, Up From $12.8B In 2012 http://yvageip.posterous.com/forrester-us-mobile-payments-market-predicted http://yvageip.posterous.com/forrester-us-mobile-payments-market-predicted phone_wallet_logo_googleForrester is predicting big growth for the mobile payments market in a new report out today, spanning 2013 to 2017. The market research firm is anticipating that the U.S. mobile payment market will see $90 billion spent in 2017, an incredible 48 percent compounded annual growth rate over the $12.8 billion that was spent in 2012.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/uUwAb-gjqFQ/

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Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:08:40 -0800 Sandy aid package moving toward House votes http://yvageip.posterous.com/sandy-aid-package-moving-toward-house-votes http://yvageip.posterous.com/sandy-aid-package-moving-toward-house-votes

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Northeastern lawmakers hoping to push a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package through the House face roadblocks by fiscal conservatives seeking offsetting spending cuts to pay for recovery efforts as well as funding cuts for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm.

The amendments by budget hawks set up a faceoff Tuesday, with Northeast lawmakers in both parties eager to provide recovery aid for one of the worst storms ever to strike the region as the House moves toward expected votes on the emergency spending package.

The base $17 billion bill by the House Appropriations Committee is aimed at immediate Sandy recovery needs, including $5.4 billion for New York and New Jersey transit systems and $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund.

Northeast lawmakers will have a chance to add to that bill with an amendment by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., for an additional $33.7 billion, including $10.9 billion for public transportation projects.

The Club for Growth, a conservative group, is urging lawmakers to oppose both Sandy aid measures. Sandy aid supporters, nonetheless, voiced confidence Monday they would prevail. The Senate passed a $60.4 billion Sandy aid package in December with bipartisan support.

"We have more than enough votes, I'm confident of that," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., claiming strong support from Democrats and Republicans from the Northeast and other states for both the base $17 billion bill and the amendment for the additional $33.7 billion.

The House Rules Committee on Monday night approved 13 amendments for floor consideration, including one requiring spending offsets and four seeking to strike money for some projects either not directly related to Sandy or not seen as emergency spending.

"With that many amendments, one could sneak through," King said. "We should be able to defeat the important amendments though."

As with past natural disasters, the $50.7 billion Sandy aid package does not provide for offsetting spending cuts, meaning the aid comes at the cost of higher deficits. The lone exception is an offset provision in the Frelinghuysen amendment requiring that the $3.4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects to protect against future storms be paid for by spending cuts elsewhere in the 2013 budget.

Conservative Reps. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., offered an amendment to offset the $17 billion base bill with spending cuts of 1.6 percent for all discretionary appropriations for 2013.

Mulvaney said he wasn't trying to torpedo the aid package with his amendment.

"This is not a poison pill," he said. "It's not designed for delay. ... I just want to try and find a way to pay for" Sandy aid.

Other amendments set for floor debate would cut $15 million for Regional Ocean Partnership Grants, $13 million for the National Weather Service ground readiness project, $1 million for the Legal Services Corporation and $9.8 million for rebuilding seawalls and buildings on uninhabited islands in the Steward McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, planned votes on both the $17 billion base bill and the Frelinghuysen proposal for $33.7 billion more. He's responding both to conservatives who are opposed to more deficit spending, and to pointed criticism from Govs. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., and Chris Christie, R-N.J., who are fuming because the House hasn't acted sooner.

Boehner decided on New Year's Day to delay a scheduled vote after House Republicans rebelled over a bill allowing taxes to rise on families making more than $450,000 a year because it included only meager spending cuts. Christie called the speaker's action "disgusting."

The Senate's $60.4 billion bill on Sandy relief expired with the previous Congress on Jan. 3. But about $9.7 billion was money for replenishing the government's flood insurance fund to help pay Sandy victims, and Congress approved that separately earlier this month. Whatever emerges from the House this week is scheduled for debate in the Senate next week after President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

FEMA has spent about $3.1 billion in disaster relief money for shelters, restoring power and other immediate needs after the storm pounded the Atlantic Coast with hurricane-force winds. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sandy-aid-package-moving-toward-house-votes-081101357--politics.html

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Wed, 16 Jan 2013 02:48:55 -0800 Mali Islamists threaten payback after French airstrikes http://yvageip.posterous.com/mali-islamists-threaten-payback-after-french http://yvageip.posterous.com/mali-islamists-threaten-payback-after-french

? A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Islamists in Mali today threatened to launch attacks "at the heart of France" after the European nation began military operations to free northern Mali from militants in a campaign that the French foreign minister said would take "a matter of weeks."

Abou Dardar, a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, one of the Islamist groups operating in Mali, told Agence France-Presse today that "France has attacked Islam. We will strike at the heart of France."

When asked where the group would strike, he said "Everywhere. In Bamako [Mali's capital], in Africa, and in Europe." He also said that his group, which has ties to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), would "make a statement" today on eight French hostages held in the region by Islamists.

RECOMMENDED: Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz.

The threat comes after a weekend of French airstrikes on Islamist targets in Mali. On Jan. 11, France ? which controlled Mali from the late 1800s to 1960 ? announced that it had committed its forces to a military intervention to stop the Islamists' southern advance toward Bamako, which Malian troops have been unable to halt. AFP reports that the French have bombed Islamist bases across the country, killing scores of militants and reportedly driving them out of Gao, northern Mali's main city. Reuters reports, however, that the militants have launched a counterattack in the town of Diabaly in central Mali.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said today that the French military effort would last "a matter of weeks," and did not signal a long-term presence in the country. The Financial Times reports that he said France has "no intention of staying forever," though he did not rule out a later return as "back-up" for Mali. The Financial Times notes that although several hundred French troops have been deployed to Bamako and the city of Mopti, they are not expected to be part of a ground offensive. Rather, they are expected to provide support to a combination of Mali's army and a mixture of West African forces committed to help by the regional Economic Community Of West African States bloc.

Get our FREE 2013 Global Security Forecast now

But the French campaign may prove to be more involved than planned. The Monitor reported yesterday that while the bombing campaign has so far proven effective in driving the Islamists back, "few believe that airpower alone will be enough to uproot what many analysts consider to be a well-armed and battle-hardened adversary."

In fact, a presidential official quoted by the Agence France Presse said that French armed forces were surprised by the military capacity of the Islamist militants.

"At the start, we thought they would be just a load of guys with guns driving about in their pick-ups, but the reality is that they are well-trained, well-equipped, and well-armed,? the official told AFP. "From Libya they have got hold of a lot of up-to-date sophisticated equipment which is much more robust and effective than we could have imagined," he continued, alluding to weapons that were smuggled into Mali after the fall of Muammar Qaddafi.

In an analysis for BBC News, Mark Doyle said "It is not going to be over in a matter of weeks."

"The French military participation may be limited, but whatever happens this is going to take a very, very long time. We're talking about an area the size of Spain," Mr. Doyle said. "The Islamists will no doubt be scared of these aerial bombardments, but that doesn't change the situation on the ground really until there is political stability in Mali and the Malian army can ultimately regain control of its own country, and the Malian army is, not to be too impolite about it, not very well organized at all."

Doyle also noted that the Islamist forces number in the thousands, and are spread across the whole of the Malian north, which is part of the Sahara desert.

France is receiving non-military support for its Malian campaign from both Britain and the United States. Although British Prime Minister David Cameron emphasized that there would be no British troops deployed on the ground in Mali, he did commit a pair of huge cargo planes to aid the French efforts, reports the BBC. And Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the US has offered France intelligence, logistical support, and in-flight refueling capabilities.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mali-islamists-threaten-retaliate-heart-france-140232360.html

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:45:48 -0800 CES 2013: Smartphones roundup http://yvageip.posterous.com/ces-2013-smartphones-roundup http://yvageip.posterous.com/ces-2013-smartphones-roundup

CES 2013 Smartphones  roundup

Smartphones at CES? Believe it or not, the mobile industry had a somewhat unremarkable presence at this year's show, as key handsets were few and far between. Most phone makers are much more keen to announce flagship devices at either Mobile World Congress in February or their own press events, so the newsmakers in this genre for CES 2013 were lesser-known companies like ZTE, Huawei and Sony. After the break, we'll break down the biggest news from mobile over the past week and find out what's in store for us as we face the coming months.

Continue reading CES 2013: Smartphones roundup

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/14/ces-2013-roundup-smartphones/

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:28:01 -0800 Recommendations to reduce gun violence to hit Obama's desk ... http://yvageip.posterous.com/recommendations-to-reduce-gun-violence-to-hit http://yvageip.posterous.com/recommendations-to-reduce-gun-violence-to-hit

Posted on: 8:08 pm, January 13, 2013, by Katie DeLong, updated on: 08:15pm, January 13, 2013

gun debate See more photos in the gallery-->

(CNN) ? When a set of recommendations to reduce gun violence hits President Barack Obama?s desk on Tuesday, it will trigger a new stage in a decisive political battle consuming Washington. And it will show just how much America may have changed in the wake of last month?s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The proposals from a White House task force may include some with broad support on issues involving mental health. But one of the most intense flashpoints is already known: The group, overseen by Vice President Joe Biden, is expected to support reinstating an assault weapons ban.

?I would say that the likelihood is they will not be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress,? National Rifle Association President David Keene said Sunday.

But the powerful gun rights lobbying group is gearing up for a fight, which, CNN has learned, will include an ad campaign.

?When a president takes all the power of his office and is willing to expend political capital, you don?t want to make predictions,? Keene said on ?State of the Union.?

Keene said he also does not believe Congress will pass a ban on high-capacity magazines.

The NRA argues that such bans won?t help stop gun violence and that they infringe on Second Amendment rights.

But Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, said the NRA?s prediction is wrong. ?I think that this issue is going to continue to move,? he told ?State of the Union,? speaking from Newtown.

?The NRA does not represent gun owners anymore. This is not your father?s NRA. It represents gun manufacturers,? Murphy said.

While the NRA does receive large sums of money from gun makers, Keene insisted that manufacturers are ?not our constituency.?

?Our constituency is twofold,? he said. ?It?s the American people who want to own guns and use them legally, and it?s the Second Amendment itself.?

Biden told reporters last week, amid meetings with a wide array of groups, that he had never heard so much support for ?the need to do something about high-capacity magazines.?

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is pushing a ban similar to one that expired in 2004, has said she believes it will make it through Congress.

?All of the things that society regulates, but we can?t touch guns? That?s wrong,? Feinstein said in December after 27 people, including 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, were killed in Newtown by a gunman who then shot himself to death.

Numerous mass shootings have involved high-capacity weapons.

Obama set up the task force and instructed the group to have proposals by the end of January. Biden said last week he will have a set of recommendations ready for the president by Tuesday.

While the NRA, with 4.2 million members, holds a great deal of sway, it faces a country deeply concerned about the kinds of weapons that have been used in numerous mass killings. It?s also facing a new foe: a political action committee created by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly.

Giffords was shot in the head in a mass shooting two years ago that killed six people.

?With Americans for Responsible Solutions engaging millions of people about ways to reduce gun violence and funding political activity nationwide, legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby,? the two vowed in a USA Today op-ed last week.

Obama made clear Saturday that he?s ready for a fight over how to respond to gun violence.

In his weekly radio address, he gave a list of challenges ahead, including protecting ?our children from the horrors of gun violence.?

?These, too, will be difficult missions for America. But they must be met,? he said.

The Obama administration will try to pass an assault weapons ban, an administration official said Friday.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, told CNN he believes that a ban on assault weapons alone, ?in the political reality that we have today, will not go anywhere.? A strong advocate for Second Amendment rights with an ?A? rating from the NRA, he has expressed openness to changing laws but argues that other aspects of society should change as well. ?It has to be a comprehensive approach,? he argued Sunday on ?State of the Union.?

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, on Sunday called on the nation?s largest gun retailers to ?participate in a temporary moratorium on selling assault-style rifles until Congress has considered legislation to reduce gun violence,? his office said in a statement.

?Since the Sandy Hook massacre, sales of assault-style rifles have skyrocketed and are poised to grow even further during an upcoming ?Gun Appreciation Day? organized by extreme pro-gun activists,? the statement said.

The group behind the event, scheduled for January 19, uses its website to encourage Americans to ?go to your local gun store, gun range or gun show with your Constitution, American flags and your ?Hands off my Guns? sign to send a loud and clear message.?

Dick?s Sporting Goods, one of the largest sporting goods retailers, suspended sales of certain semi-automatic rifles nationwide after the Newtown massacre.

Another likely point of contention between gun rights activists and those supporting stricter gun control is a call for universal background checks.

Biden has said several groups that his task force met with support such checks for all gun buyers, including those who purchase through private sales.

Keene has also told CNN that he does not support instituting background checks for purchases at gun shows.

He said Sunday the NRA does support the idea that people who are ruled mentally incompetent should be listed as not allowed to purchase firearms.

In the interview Sunday, Keene complained that Biden?s panel didn?t really listen to what the NRA had to say.

Despite promises that the task force had not reached conclusions before hearing from all sides, ?the conclusions were reached,? he argued. ?We suspected all they wanted to be able to do was to say he had talked to us, and now they were going to go forward to do what they wanted to do.?

Another question facing Biden?s panel is how to tackle images of shootings in entertainment.

His task force met with leaders of the film, TV and video game industries.

It?s unknown what the task force may suggest as a response to what Obama has described as a culture that often ?glorifies guns and violence.?

Meanwhile, across the country, Americans of all stripes are debating the issue in person, in town hall meetings, and in social media.

Source: http://fox6now.com/2013/01/13/recommendations-to-reduce-gun-violence-to-hit-obamas-desk-tuesday/

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:08:18 -0800 Finally, Wall-Mounted Bike Storage That Looks Great http://yvageip.posterous.com/finally-wall-mounted-bike-storage-that-looks http://yvageip.posterous.com/finally-wall-mounted-bike-storage-that-looks Wall-mounted bicycle storage is incredibly practical, but usually leaves you with an industrial-looking mess when the bike's in use. Not if you get hold of a Trophy Bicycle Holder: a modern riff on the stuffed animal head that doubles as a bike hanger. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/z364SEgXQlU/finally-wall+mounted-bike-storage-that-looks-great

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:51:48 -0800 South Africa clean up NZ http://yvageip.posterous.com/south-africa-clean-up-nz http://yvageip.posterous.com/south-africa-clean-up-nz

South Africa completed a 2-0 series win over New Zealand on Monday after thumping the visitors by an innings and 193 runs on the fourth day of the second test.

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Fast bowler Dale Steyn claimed innings figures of three for 48 and match figures of eight for 65, as New Zealand were bowled out for 211 in their second innings half an hour before lunch.

New Zealand also lost the first test by an innings after they were bowled out for 45 before lunch on the opening day.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith said that he had been pleased by the standard of cricket his team had played over the series as they strengthened their position as the world's top-ranked test nation.

"We've had to work hard to get into this position and it's nice to keep playing well and it's been a wonderful two test matches for us," Smith said at the post-match presentation.

"They (the wins) were very professional and both were very big wins. A lot of guys contributed and I thought our style of cricket and the way we played was good. Bar a couple of dropped catches in the first test I thought our cricket was of a very high standard.

Dean Brownlie and BJ Watling provided the bulk of New Zealand's runs with a 97-run fifth wicket partnership.

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Brownlie brought up his fourth test fifty but after making his way to 53 off 141 balls he edged a delivery from Jacques Kallis to keeper AB de Villiers.

Watling, one of the few positives the Black Caps could take out of the series, recorded his second half-century of the match, scoring 63 off 117 balls with 11 boundaries before he was bowled by a superb delivery from Steyn that pegged back the batsman's off-stump.

Brownlie's dismissal left New Zealand on 182 for five and the advent of the second new ball brought about the departure of Colin Munro (15) 21 runs later when the left-hander was caught at third slip off a delivery from paceman Morne Morkel.

Steyn followed up Watling's dismissal by having Doug Bracewell (0) caught by a diving Alviro Petersen at third slip before Morkel got Trent Boult (3) caught at point.

Steyn wrapped the series up by having Neil Wagner (4) caught by De Villiers.

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum conceded his team had been inferior to the Proteas.

"We knew coming in to this series that is was going to be tough playing against the number one side in the world. We will learn a lot of lessons from this. We were well short of the mark and we were exposed.

"We wanted to come here and compete...but South Africa showed their class and we weren't quite up to the mark," he said.

A three-match one-day international series between the two countries starts in Paarl on Jan. 19.


Report Day 1
Report Day 2
Report Day 3


SOUTH AFRICA: GC Smith (capt), AN Petersen, HM Amla, JH Kallis, AB de Villiers (wk), F du Plessis, D Elgar, RJ Peterson, DW Steyn, RK Kleinveldt, M Morkel

NEW ZEALAND: MJ Guptill, BB McCullum (capt), KS Williamson, DG Brownlie, DR Flynn, BJ Watling (wk), DAJ Bracewell, C Munro, JS Patel, TA Boult, N Wagner

Source: http://www.supersport.com/cricket/article.aspx?Id=1748724

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:22:49 -0800 Prevalence and Risk Factors of Fluid Overload in Southern Chinese Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients http://yvageip.posterous.com/prevalence-and-risk-factors-of-fluid-overload http://yvageip.posterous.com/prevalence-and-risk-factors-of-fluid-overload

by Qunying Guo, Chunyan Yi, Jianying Li, Xiaofeng Wu, Xiao Yang, Xueqing Yu

Background

Fluid overload is frequently present in CAPD patients and one of important predictors of mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors in a cohort study of Southern Chinese CAPD patients.

Methods

The patients (receiving CAPD 3 months and more) in our center were investigated from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009. Multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to assess the patient?s body composition and fluid status.

Results

A total of 307 CAPD patients (43% male, mean age 47.8?15.3 years) were enrolled, with a median duration of PD 14.6 (5.9?30.9) months. Fluid overload (defined by Extracellular water/Total body water (ECW/TBW)?0.40) was present in 205 (66.8%) patients. Univariate analysis indicated that ECW/TBW were inversely associated with body mass index (r?=??0.11, P?=?0.047), subjective global assessment score (r?=??0.11, P?=?0.004), body fat mass (r?=??0.15, P?=?0.05), serum albumin (r?=??0.32, PP?=?0.02), potassium (r?=??0.15, P?=?0.02), and residual urine output (r?=??0.14, P?=?0.01), positively associated with age (r?=?0.27, PPPPP?=?0.033), old age (??=?0.268, PP?=?0.006), less residual urine output (??=??0.116, P?=?0.042), and lower serum potassium (??=??0.126, P?=?0.03) were independently associated with higher ECW/TBW. After 1 year of follow-up, the cardiac event rate was significantly higher in the patients with fluid overload (17.1% vs 6.9%, P?=?0.023) than that of the normal hydrated patients.

Conclusions

The prevalence of fluid overload was high in CAPD patients. Fluid overload in CAPD patients were independently associated with protein-energy wasting, old age, and decreased residual urine output. Furthermore, CAPD patients with fluid overload had higher cardiac event rate than that of normal hydrated patents.

For the full article visit:
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Fluid Overload in Southern Chinese Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Syndicated from:PLoS ONE

Article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ElitesTV/~3/ObrIn091bpA/prevalence-and-risk-factors-of-fluid-overload-in-southern-chinese-continuous-ambulatory-peritoneal-dialysis-patients

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:46:39 -0800 Jason Statham Tells Jennifer Lopez To Strip In Exclusive 'Parker' Clip http://yvageip.posterous.com/jason-statham-tells-jennifer-lopez-to-strip-i http://yvageip.posterous.com/jason-statham-tells-jennifer-lopez-to-strip-i Jason Statham sure knows how to start a relationship out on the right foot. In an exclusive new clip from his upcoming movie "Parker," Statham tests whether he can trust Jennifer Lopez the only way he knows how: By telling her to strip. Of course, he has a valid reason for asking her to take [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/01/14/jason-statham-jennifer-lawrence-parker-clip/

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:03:10 -0800 Sen. Corker raises issue of Hagel's 'temperament' http://yvageip.posterous.com/sen-corker-raises-issue-of-hagels-temperament http://yvageip.posterous.com/sen-corker-raises-issue-of-hagels-temperament

(AP) ? A Republican senator says he thinks the issue of "overall temperament" will come up during former Sen. Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearing to be defense secretary.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker says the issue is whether Hagel is "suited" to run a big government department such as the Pentagon.

Corker isn't saying that he has questions about Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska.

Corker tells ABC's "This Week" that he thinks there are "numbers of staffers who are coming forth now just talking about the way he has dealt with them."

While Corker says he begins the confirmation process "with an open mind," he says that senators will be listening closely to what Hagel has to say on all matters, including Israel and Iran.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-13-US-Defense-Hagel/id-6baa5359ed36448b99d9587633c9b73d

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Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:16:26 -0800 Afghans to decide on immunity for US troops: Karzai http://yvageip.posterous.com/afghans-to-decide-on-immunity-for-us-troops-k http://yvageip.posterous.com/afghans-to-decide-on-immunity-for-us-troops-k
Coordinates19.026724???N72.838047???N
Native name?????? ?????? ?????????Jomh?r?-ye Esl?m?-ye Af??nist?n(Persian)? ????????? ?????? ???????Da Af??nist?n Isl?m? Jomhoriyat(Pashto)
Conventional long nameIslamic Republic of Afghanistan
Common nameAfghanistan
Image coatCoat of arms of Afghanistan.svg
Symbol typeEmblem
National anthemAfghan National Anthem
Official languagesDari PersianPashto
DemonymAfghan
CapitalKabul
Largest cityKabul
Government typeIslamic republic
Leader title1President
Leader title2Vice President
Leader name1Hamid Karzai
Leader name2Mohammed Fahim
Leader title3Vice President
Leader name3Karim Khalili
Leader title4Chief Justice
Leader name4Abdul Salam Azimi
LegislatureNational Assembly
Upper houseHouse of Elders
Lower houseHouse of the People
Area rank41st
Area magnitude1_E11
Area km2647500
Area sq mi251772
Percent waternegligible
Population estimate30,419,928
Population estimate year2012
Population estimate rank40
Population census15.5 million
Population census year1979
Population density km243.5
Population density sq mi111.8
Population density rank150th
Gdp ppp year2011
Gdp ppp$29.731 billion
Gdp ppp per capita$956
Gdp nominal year2011
Gdp nominal$18.181 billion
Gdp nominal per capita$585
Hdi year2011
Hdi0.398
Hdi rank172nd
Hdi categorylow
Gini29
Gini year2008
Gini categorylow
Fsi102.3 2.5
Fsi year2007
Fsi rank8th
Fsi categoryAlert
Sovereignty typeEstablishment
Established event1First Afghan state
Established date1October 1747
Established event2Independence (from the United Kingdom)
Established date2August 19, 1919
CurrencyAfghani
Currency codeAFN
Country codeAFG
Time zoneD?
Utc offset+4:30
Drives onright
Cctld.af
Calling code+93
Footnote1}}

Afghanistan (Persian/Pashto: , Af??nist?n), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and to some extent Western Asia. With a population of about 30 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.

Afghanistan has been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation from as far back as the Middle Paleolithic. Urban civilization may have begun in the area as early as 3,000 to 2,000 BC. Sitting at an important geostrategic location that connects the Middle East culture with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the land has been home to various peoples through the ages and witnessed many military campaigns, notably by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and in modern era Western forces. The land also served as a source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Timurids, Mughals and many others have risen to form major empires.

The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan begins in 1709, when the Hotaki dynasty was established in Kandahar followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power in 1747. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the "Great Game" between the British and Russian empires. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 and the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi, King Amanullah started modernization of the country. During the Cold War, after the withdrawal of the British from neighboring India in 1947, the United States and the Soviet Union began spreading their influences in Afghanistan. Between 1979 and 1989, the country experienced a major war between the US-backed mujahideen forces and the Soviet-backed Afghan government in which over a million Afghans lost their lives. This was followed by the 1990s Afghan civil war, the rise and fall of the extremist Taliban government and the 2001?present war. In December 2001, the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help maintain security in Afghanistan and assist the Karzai administration.

Three decades of war made Afghanistan the world's most dangerous country, including the largest producer of refugees and asylum seekers. While the international community is rebuilding war-torn Afghanistan, terrorist groups such as the Haqqani Network and Hezbi Islami are actively involved in a nationwide Taliban-led insurgency, which includes hundreds of assassinations and suicide attacks. According to the United Nations, the insurgents were responsible for 80% of civilian casualties in 2011 and 2012.

Etymology

The name Afgh?nist?n (, ) means "Land of the Afghans", which originates from the ethnonym "Afghan". Historically, the name "Afghan" designated the Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group of Afghanistan. This name is mentioned in the form of Abgan in the 3rd century CE by the Sassanians and as Avagana (Afghana) in the 6th century CE by Indian astronomer Varahamihira. A people called the Afghans are mentioned several times in a 10th century geography book, Hudud al-'alam, particularly where a reference is made to a village: "Saul, a pleasant village on a mountain. In it live Afghans."

Al-Biruni referred to them in the 11th century as various tribes living on the western frontier mountains of the Indus River, which would be the Sulaiman Mountains. Ibn Battuta, a famous Moroccan scholar visiting the region in 1333, writes:

One prominent 16th century Persian scholar explains extensively about the Afghans. For example, he writes:

It is widely accepted that the terms "Pashtun" and Afghan are synonyms. In the writings of the 17th-century Pashto poet Khushal Khan Khattak it is mentioned:

The last part of the name, -st?n is an Persian suffix for "place", prominent in many languages of the region. The name "Afghanistan" is described by the 16th century Mughal Emperor Babur in his memoirs as well as by the later Persian scholar Firishta and Babur's descendants, referring to the traditional ethnic Pashtun territories between the Hindu Kush mountains and the Indus River. In the early 19th century, Afghan politicians decided to adopt the name Afghanistan for the entire Afghan Empire after its English translation had already appeared in various treaties with Qajarid Persia and British India. In 1857, in his review of J.W. Kaye's The Afghan War, Friedrich Engels describes "Afghanistan" as:

The Afghan kingdom was sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Kabul, as mentioned by the British statesman and historian Mountstuart Elphinstone. Afghanistan was officially recognized as a sovereign state by the international community after the signing of the 1919 Treaty of Rawalpindi.

Geography

A landlocked mountainous country with plains in the north and southwest, Afghanistan is described as being located within South Asia or Central Asia. It is part of the Greater Middle East Muslim world, which lies between latitudes and , and longitudes and . The country's highest point is Noshaq, at above sea level. , and hot summers in the low-lying areas of the Sistan Basin of the southwest, the Jalalabad basin in the east, and the Turkestan plains along the Amu River in the north, where temperatures average over in July.|date=October 2011}} Despite having numerous rivers and reservoirs, large parts of the country are dry. The endorheic Sistan Basin is one of the driest regions in the world. Aside from the usual rain falls, Afghanistan receives snow during winter in the Hindu Kush and Pamir Mountains, and the melting snow in the spring season enters the rivers, lakes, and streams. However, two-thirds of the country's water flows into neighboring countries of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. The state needs more than to rehabilitate its irrigation systems so that the water is properly managed.

The northeastern Hindu Kush mountain range, in and around the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan, is in a geologically active area where earthquakes may occur almost every year. They can be deadly and destructive sometimes, causing landslides in some parts or avalanche during winter. The last strong earthquakes were in 1998, which killed about 6,000 people in Badakhshan near Tajikistan. This was followed by the 2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes in which over 150 people of various regional countries were killed and over 1,000 injured. The 2010 earthquake left 11 Afghans dead, over 70 injured and more than 2,000 houses destroyed.

The country's natural resources include: coal, copper, iron ore, lithium, uranium, rare earth elements, chromite, gold, zinc, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, marble, precious and semi-precious stones, natural gas, and petroleum among other things. In 2010, US and Afghan government officials estimated that untapped mineral deposits located in 2007 by the US Geological Survey are worth between and .

At , Afghanistan is the world's 41st largest country, slightly bigger than France and smaller than Burma, about the size of Texas in the United States. It borders Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far east.

History

Excavations of prehistoric sites by Louis Dupree and others suggest that humans were living in what is now Afghanistan at least 50,000 years ago, and that farming communities in the area were among the earliest in the world. An important site of early historical activities, many believe that Afghanistan compares to Egypt in terms of the historical value of its archaeological sites.

The country sits at a unique nexus point where numerous civilizations have interacted and often fought. It has been home to various peoples through the ages, among them the ancient Iranian peoples who established the dominant role of Indo-Iranian languages in the region. At multiple points, the land has been incorporated within large regional empires, among them the Achaemenid Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Indian Maurya Empire, the Islamic Empire and the Sassanid Empire.

Many kingdoms have also risen to power in what is now Afghanistan, such as the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Hephthalites, Kabul Shahis, Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Kartids, Timurids, Mughals, and finally the Hotaki and Durrani dynasties that marked the political origins of the modern state.

Pre-Islamic period

Archaeological exploration done in the 20th century suggests that the geographical area of Afghanistan has been closely connected by culture and trade with its neighbors to the east, west and north. Artifacts typical of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron ages have been found in Afghanistan. Urban civilization is believed to have begun as early as 3000 BCE, and the early city of Mundigak (near Kandahar in the south of the country) may have been a colony of the nearby Indus Valley Civilization. After 2000 BCE, successive waves of semi-nomadic people from Central Asia began moving south into Afghanistan, among them were many Indo-European-speaking Indo-Iranians. These tribes later migrated further south to India, west to what is now Iran, and towards Europe via the area north of the Caspian. The region as a whole was called Ariana.

The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism is believed by some to have originated in what is now Afghanistan between 1800 and 800 BCE, as its founder Zoroaster is thought to have lived and died in Balkh. Ancient Eastern Iranian languages may have been spoken in the region around the time of the rise of Zoroastrianism. By the middle of the 6th century BCE, the Achaemenid Persians overthrew the Medes and incorporated Afghanistan (Arachosia, Aria and Bactria) within its boundaries. An inscription on the tombstone of King Darius I of Persia mentions the Kabul Valley in a list of the 29 countries that he had conquered.

Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived to the area of Afghanistan in 330 BCE after defeating Darius III of Persia a year earlier in the Battle of Gaugamela. Following Alexander's brief occupation, the successor state of the Seleucid Empire controlled the area until 305 BCE when they gave much of it to the Indian Maurya Empire as part of an alliance treaty.|Strabo|64 BC ? 24 AD}} The Mauryans brought Buddhism from India and controlled the area south of the Hindu Kush until about 185 BCE when they were overthrown. Their decline began 60 years after Ashoka's rule ended, leading to the Hellenistic reconquest of the region by the Greco-Bactrians. Much of it soon broke away from the Greco-Bactrians and became part of the Indo-Greek Kingdom. The Indo-Greeks were defeated and expelled by the Indo-Scythians in the late 2nd century BCE.

During the 1st century BCE, the Parthian Empire subjugated the region, but lost it to their Indo-Parthian vassals. In the mid to late 1st century CE the vast Kushan Empire, centered in modern Afghanistan, became great patrons of Buddhist culture. The Kushans were defeated by the Sassanids in the 3rd century CE. Although various rulers calling themselves Kushanshas (generally known as the Indo-Sassanids) continued to rule at least parts of the region, they were probably more or less subject to the Sassanids.

The late Kushans were followed by the Kidarite Huns who, in turn, were replaced by the short-lived but powerful Hephthalites, as rulers. The Hephthalites were defeated by Khosrau I in CE 557, who re-established Sassanid power in Persia. However, in the 6th century CE, the successors to the Kushans and Hepthalites established a small dynasty in Kabulistan called Kabul Shahi.

Islamization and Mongol invasion

Between the fourth and nineteenth centuries, much of modern Afghanistan was known by the regional name as Khorasan. Two of the four main capitals of Khorasan (i.e. Balkh, Merv, Nishapur and Herat) are now located in modern Afghanistan, while Kandahar, Zabulistan, Ghazni, Kabulistan and the Afghanistan region formed the frontier between Khorasan and Hindustan. Arab Muslims brought the message of Islam to Herat and Zaranj in 642 AD and began spreading eastward, some of the native inhabitants they encountered accepted it while others revolted. The people of Afghanistan was multi-religious, which included Zoroastrians, Buddhists, worshippers of the sun, Hindus, Christians, Jews, and others. The Zunbil and Kabul Shahi were defeated in 870 AD by the Saffarid Muslims of Zaranj. Later, the Samanids extended their Islamic influence into south of the Hindu Kush. It is reported that Muslims and non-Muslims still lived side by side in Kabul before the Ghaznavids rose to power.|Istahkr?|921 AD}}

Afghanistan became one of the main centers in the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age. By the 11th century Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni had finally Islamized all of the remaining non-Muslim areas, with the exception of the Kafiristan region. The Ghaznavids were replaced by the Ghurids who expanded and advanced the already powerful empire. In 1219 AD, Genghis Khan and his Mongol army overran the region. His troops are said to have annihilated the Khorasanian cities of Herat and Balkh as well as Bamyan. The destruction caused by the Mongols depopulated major cities and forced many of the locals to revert to an agrarian rural society. Mongol rule continued with the Ilkhanate in the northwest while the Khilji dynasty controlled the Afghan tribal areas south of the Hindu Kush, until the invasion of Timur who established the Timurid dynasty in 1370. During the Ghaznavid, Ghurid, and Timurid eras, Afghanistan produced many fine Islamic architectural monuments as well as numerous scientific and literary works.

Babur, a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan, arrived from Central Asia and captured Kabul from the Arghun dynasty, and from there he began to seize control of the central and eastern territories of Afghanistan. He remained in Kabulistan until 1526 when he and his army invaded Delhi in India to replace the Afghan Lodi dynasty with the Mughal Empire. From the 16th century to the early 18th century, Afghanistan was part of three regional kingdoms: the Khanate of Bukhara in north, the Shi'a Safavids in the west and the remaining larger area was ruled by the Mughal Empire.

Hotaki dynasty and Durrani Empire

Mir Wais Hotak, seen as Afghanistan's George Washington, successfully rebelled against the Persian Safavids in 1709. He overthrew and killed Gurgin Khan, and made the Afghan region independent from Persia. By 1713, Mir Wais had decisively defeated two larger Persian armies, one was led by Khusraw Kh?n (nephew of Gurgin) and the other by Rustam Kh?n. The armies were sent by Sultan Husayn, the Shah in Isfahan (now Iran), to re-take control of the Kandahar region. Mir Wais died of a natural cause in 1715 and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Aziz, who was killed by Mir Wais' son Mahmud as a national traitor. In 1722, Mahmud led an Afghan army to the Persian capital of Isfahan, sacked the city after the Battle of Gulnabad and proclaimed himself King of Persia. The Persians were disloyal to the Afghan rulers, and after the massacre of thousands of religious scholars, nobles, and members of the Safavid family, the Hotaki dynasty was ousted from Persia after the 1729 Battle of Damghan. In 1738, Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces captured Kandahar from Shah Hussain Hotaki, at which point the incarcerated 16 year old Ahmad Shah Durrani was freed and made the commander of Nader Shah's four thousand Abdali Afghans. From Kandahar they set out to conquer India, passing through Ghazni, Kabul, Peshawar, and Lahore, and ultimately plundering Delhi after the Battle of Karnal. Nader Shah and his army abandoned Delhi but took with them huge treasure, which included the Koh-i-Noor and Darya-ye Noor diamonds. After the death of Nader Shah in 1747, the Afghans chose Ahmad Shah Durrani as their head of state. Regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan, Durrani and his Afghan army conquered the entire present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Khorasan and Kohistan provinces of Iran, along with Delhi in India. He defeated the Indian Maratha Empire, one of his biggest victories was the 1761 Battle of Panipat.

In October 1772, Ahmad Shah Durrani died of a natural cause and was buried at a site now adjacent to the Shrine of the Cloak in Kandahar. He was succeeded by his son, Timur Shah, who transferred the capital of Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776. After Timur Shah's death in 1793, the Durrani throne was passed down to his son Zaman Shah followed by Mahmud Shah, Shuja Shah and others.

The Afghan Empire was under threat in the early 19th century by the Persians in the west and the Sikhs in the east. The western provinces of Khorasan and Kohistan were taken by the Persians in 1800. Fateh Khan, leader of the Barakzai tribe, had installed 21 of his brothers in positions of power throughout the empire. After his death, they rebelled and divided up the provinces of the empire between themselves. During this turbulent period, Afghanistan had many temporary rulers until Dost Mohammad Khan declared himself emir in 1826. The Punjab region was lost to Ranjit Singh, who invaded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in 1834 captured the city of Peshawar. In 1837, Akbar Khan and the Afghan army crossed the Khyber Pass to defeat the Sikhs at the Battle of Jamrud, killing Hari Singh Nalwa before retreating to Kabul. By this time the British were advancing from the east and the First Anglo-Afghan War, one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, was initiated.

Western influence

Following the 1842 massacre of Elphinstone's Army and victory of Afghan forces, led by Akbar Khan, the British established diplomatic relations with the Afghan government but withdrew all forces from the country. They returned during the Second Anglo-Afghan War in the late 1870s for about two year military operations, which was to defeat Ayub Khan and assist Abdur Rahman Khan establish authority. The United Kingdom began to exercise a great deal of influence after this and even controlled the state's foreign policy. In 1893, Mortimer Durand made Amir Abdur Rahman Khan sign a controversial agreement in which the ethnic Pashtun and Baloch territories were divided by the Durand Line. This was a standard divide and rule policy of the British and would lead to strained relations, especially with the later new state of Pakistan. After the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, King Amanullah Khan declared Afghanistan a sovereign and fully independent state. He moved to end his country's traditional isolation by establishing diplomatic relations with the international community and, following a 1927?28 tour of Europe and Turkey, introduced several reforms intended to modernize his nation. A key force behind these reforms was Mahmud Tarzi, an ardent supporter of the education of women. He fought for Article 68 of Afghanistan's 1923 constitution, which made elementary education compulsory.

Some of the reforms that were actually put in place, such as the abolition of the traditional burqa for women and the opening of a number of co-educational schools, quickly alienated many tribal and religious leaders. Faced with overwhelming armed opposition, Amanullah Khan was forced to abdicate in January 1929 after Kabul fell to rebel forces led by Habibullah Kalakani. Prince Mohammed Nadir Shah, Amanullah's cousin, in turn defeated and killed Kalakani in November 1929, and was declared King Nadir Shah. He abandoned the reforms of Amanullah Khan in favor of a more gradual approach to modernisation but was assassinated in 1933 by Abdul Khaliq, a Hazara school student.

Mohammed Zahir Shah, Nadir Shah's 19-year-old son, succeeded to the throne and reigned from 1933 to 1973. Until 1946 Zahir Shah ruled with the assistance of his uncle, who held the post of Prime Minister and continued the policies of Nadir Shah. Another of Zahir Shah's uncles, Shah Mahmud Khan, became Prime Minister in 1946 and began an experiment allowing greater political freedom, but reversed the policy when it went further than he expected. He was replaced in 1953 by Mohammed Daoud Khan, the king's cousin and brother-in-law. Daoud Khan sought a closer relationship with the Soviet Union and a more distant one towards Pakistan. Afghanistan remained neutral and was neither a participant in World War II, nor aligned with either power bloc in the Cold War. However, it was a beneficiary of the latter rivalry as both the Soviet Union and the United States vied for influence by building Afghanistan's main highways, airports and other vital infrastructure. In 1973, while King Zahir Shah was on an official overseas visit, Daoud Khan launched a bloodless coup and became the first President of Afghanistan.

Marxist revolution and Soviet war

In April 1978, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in Afghanistan in the Saur Revolution. Within months, opponents of the communist government launched an uprising in eastern Afghanistan that quickly expanded into a civil war waged by guerrilla mujahideen against government forces countrywide. The Pakistani government provided these rebels with covert training centers, while the Soviet Union sent thousands of military advisers to support the PDPA government. Meanwhile, increasing friction between the competing factions of the PDPA ? the dominant Khalq and the more moderate Parcham ? resulted in the dismissal of Parchami cabinet members and the arrest of Parchami military officers under the pretext of a Parchami coup. By mid-1979, the United States had started a covert program to assist the mujahideen.

In September 1979, Khalqist President Nur Muhammad Taraki was assassinated in a coup within the PDPA orchestrated by fellow Khalq member Hafizullah Amin, who assumed the presidency. Distrusted by the Soviets, Amin was assassinated by Soviet special forces in December 1979. A Soviet-organized government, led by Parcham's Babrak Karmal but inclusive of both factions, filled the vacuum. Soviet troops were deployed to stabilize Afghanistan under Karmal in more substantial numbers, although the Soviet government did not expect to do most of the fighting in Afghanistan. As a result, however, the Soviets were now directly involved in what had been a domestic war in Afghanistan.

At the time some believed the Soviets were attempting to expand their borders southward in order to gain a foothold in the Middle East. The Soviet Union had long lacked a warm water port, and their movement south seemed to position them for further expansion toward Pakistan in the East, and Iran to the West. American politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike, feared the Soviets were positioning themselves for a takeover of Middle Eastern oil. Others believed that the Soviet Union was afraid Iran's Islamic Revolution and Afghanistan's Islamization would spread to the millions of Muslims in the USSR. The PDPA prohibited usury, made statements on women's rights by declaring equality of the sexes and introducing women to political life.

After the invasion, President Jimmy Carter announced what became known as the Carter Doctrine: that the U.S. would not allow any other outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf. He terminated the Soviet Wheat Deal in January 1980, which was intended to establish trade with USSR and lessen Cold War tensions. The grain exports had been beneficial to people employed in agriculture, and the Carter embargo marked the beginning of hardship for American farmers. That same year, Carter also made two of the most unpopular decisions of his entire Presidency: prohibiting American athletes from participating in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and reinstating registration for the draft for young males. Following the Soviet invasion, the United States supported diplomatic efforts to achieve a Soviet withdrawal. In addition, generous U.S. contributions to the refugee program in Pakistan played a major part in efforts to assist Afghan refugees.

The Reagan administration increased arming and funding of the mujahideen as part of the Reagan Doctrine, thanks in large part to the efforts of Charlie Wilson and CIA officer Gust Avrakotos. Early reports estimated $6?20 billion but more recent reports suggest that up to $40 billion were provided by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. This was in the forms of cash and weapons, which included over two thousand FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missiles.

The 10-year Soviet war resulted in the deaths of over 1 million Afghans, mostly civilians. About 6million fled to Pakistan and Iran, and from there tens of thousands began emigrating to the European Union, United States, Australia and other parts of the world. Faced with mounting international pressure and great number of casualties, the Soviets withdrew in 1989 but continued to support Afghan President Mohammad Najibullah until 1992.

Foreign interference and war

After the fall of Najibullah's government in 1992, the Afghan political parties agreed on a peace and power-sharing agreement (the Peshawar Accords). The accords created the Islamic State of Afghanistan and appointed an interim government for a transitional period to be followed by general elections. According to Human Rights Watch: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar received operational, financial and military support from Pakistan. Afghanistan expert Amin Saikal concludes in Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival: In addition, Saudi Arabia and Iran ? as competitors for regional hegemony ? supported Afghan militias hostile towards each other. According to Human Rights Watch, Iran was backing the Shia Hazara Hezb-i Wahdat forces of Abdul Ali Mazari to "maximize Wahdat's military power and influence". Saudi Arabia supported the Wahhabite Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and his Ittihad-i Islami faction. Conflict between the two militias soon escalated into a full-scale war.

Due to the sudden initiation of the war, working government departments, police units or a system of justice and accountability for the newly created Islamic State of Afghanistan did not have time to form. Atrocities were committed by individuals of the different armed factions while Kabul descended into lawlessness and chaos as described in reports by Human Rights Watch and the Afghanistan Justice Project. Because of the chaos, some leaders increasingly had only nominal control over their (sub-)commanders. For civilians there was little security from murder, rape and extortion. When the Taliban took control of the city in 1994, they forced the surrender of dozens of local Pashtun leaders. The Islamic State government took steps to restore law and order. Courts started to work again. Massoud tried to initiate a nationwide political process with the goal of national consolidation and democratic elections, also inviting the Taliban to join the process but they refused as they did not believe in a democratic system.

Taliban Emirate and the United Front

The Taliban started shelling Kabul in early 1995 but were defeated by forces of the Islamic State government under Ahmad Shah Massoud. Amnesty International, referring to the Taliban offensive, wrote in a 1995 report: "This is the first time in several months that Kabul civilians have become the targets of rocket attacks and shelling aimed at residential areas in the city."

The Taliban's early victories in 1994 were followed by a series of defeats that resulted in heavy losses which led analysts to believe the Taliban movement had run its course. Many analysts like Amin Saikal describe the Taliban as developing into a proxy force for Pakistan's regional interests. On 26 September 1996, as the Taliban with military support by Pakistan and financial support by Saudi Arabia prepared for another major offensive, Massoud ordered a full retreat from Kabul. The Taliban seized Kabul on 27 September 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They imposed on the parts of Afghanistan under their control their political and judicial interpretation of Islam issuing edicts especially targeting women. According to Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), "no other regime in the world has methodically and violently forced half of its population into virtual house arrest, prohibiting them on pain of physical punishment."

After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on 27 September 1996, Ahmad Shah Massoud and Abdul Rashid Dostum, two former enemies, created the United Front (Northern Alliance) against the Taliban that were preparing offensives against the remaining areas under the control of Massoud and those under the control of Dostum. The United Front included beside the dominantly Tajik forces of Massoud and the Uzbek forces of Dostum, Hazara factions under the command of leaders such as Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and Pashtun forces under the leadership of commanders such as Abdul Haq or Haji Abdul Qadir. The Taliban defeated Dostum's Junbish forces militarily by seizing Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998. Dostum subsequently went into exile.

According to a 55-page report by the United Nations, the Taliban, while trying to consolidate control over northern and western Afghanistan, committed systematic massacres against civilians. UN officials stated that there had been "15 massacres" between 1996 and 2001 and that "[t]hese have been highly systematic and they all lead back to the [Taliban] Ministry of Defense or to Mullah Omar himself." The Taliban especially targeted people of Shia religious or Hazara ethnic background. Upon taking Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, 4,000?6,000 civilians were killed by the Taliban and many more reported tortured. The documents also reveal the role of Arab and Pakistani support troops in these killings. Bin Laden's so-called 055 Brigade was responsible for mass-killings of Afghan civilians. The report by the UN quotes "eyewitnesses in many villages describing Arab fighters carrying long knives used for slitting throats and skinning people".

President Pervez Musharraf ? then as Chief of Army Staff ? was responsible for sending thousands of Pakistanis to fight alongside the Taliban and bin Laden against the forces of Massoud. According to Pakistani Afghanistan expert Ahmed Rashid, "between 1994 and 1999, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Pakistanis trained and fought in Afghanistan" on the side of the Taliban. In 2001 alone, there were believed to be 28,000 Pakistani nationals, many either from the Frontier Corps or army, fighting inside Afghanistan. An estimated 8,000 Pakistani militants were recruited in madrassas filling the ranks of the estimated 25,000 regular Taliban force. Bin Laden sent Arab recruits to join the fight against the United Front. 3,000 fighters of the regular Taliban army were Arab and Central Asian militants. Human Rights Watch cites no human rights crimes for the forces under direct control of Massoud for the period from October 1996 until the assassination of Massoud in September 2001. As a consequence many civilians fled to the area of Ahmad Shah Massoud. In total, estimates range up to one million people fleeing the Taliban. National Geographic concluded in its documentary "Inside the Taliban": "The only thing standing in the way of future Taliban massacres is Ahmad Shah Massoud."

In early 2001 Massoud addressed the European Parliament in Brussels asking the international community to provide humanitarian help to the people of Afghanistan. He stated that the Taliban and al-Qaeda had introduced "a very wrong perception of Islam" and that without the support of Pakistan and bin Laden the Taliban would not be able to sustain their military campaign for up to a year. On this visit to Europe he also warned that his intelligence had gathered information about a large-scale attack on U.S. soil being imminent.

On 9 September 2001, Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by two Arab suicide attackers inside Afghanistan and two days later about 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attacks in the United States. The US government identified Osama bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the Al-Qaeda organization based in and allied to the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as the perpetrators of the attacks. From 1990 until this date over 400,000 Afghan civilians had already died in the wars in Afghanistan. The Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden to US authorities and to disband al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan. Bin Laden later claimed sole responsibility for the September 11 attacks and specifically denied any prior knowledge of them by the Taliban or the Afghan people. In October 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom was launched as a new phase of the war in Afghanistan in which teams of American and British special forces worked with ground forces of the United Front (Northern Alliance) to remove the Taliban from power and dispel Al-Qaeda. At the same time the US-led forces were bombing Taliban and al-Qaida targets everywhere inside Afghanistan with cruise missiles. These actions led to the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif in the north followed by all the other cities, as the Taliban and al-Qaida fled over the porous Durand Line border into Pakistan. In December 2001, after the Taliban government was toppled and the new Afghan government under Hamid Karzai was formed, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established by the UN Security Council to help assist the Karzai administration and provide basic security to the Afghan people.

Recent history (2002?present)

While the Taliban began regrouping inside Pakistan, more coalition troops entered the escalating US-led war. Meanwhile, the rebuilding of war-torn Afghanistan kicked off in 2002. The Afghan nation was able to build democratic structures over the years, and some progress was made in key areas such as governance, economy, health, education, transport, and agriculture. NATO is training the Afghan armed forces as well its national police. ISAF and Afghan troops led many offensives against the Taliban but failed to fully defeat them. By 2009, a Taliban-led shadow government began to form in many parts of the country complete with their own version of mediation court. After U.S. President Barack Obama announced the deployment of another 30,000 soldiers in 2010 for a period of two years, Der Spiegel published images of the US soldiers who killed unarmed Afghan civilians. At the 2010 International Conference on Afghanistan in London, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he intends to reach out to the Taliban leadership (including Mullah Omar, Sirajuddin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar). Supported by NATO, Karzai called on the group's leadership to take part in a loya jirga meeting to initiate peace talks. These steps have resulted in an intensification of bombings, assassinations and ambushes. Some Afghan groups (including the former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh and opposition leader Dr. Abdullah Abdullah) believe that Karzai plans to appease the insurgents' senior leadership at the cost of the democratic constitution, the democratic process and progress in the field of human rights especially women's rights. Dr. Abdullah stated: :"I should say that Taliban are not fighting to be accommodated. They are fighting to bring the state down. So it's a futile exercise, and it's just misleading. ... There are groups that will fight to the death. Whether we like to talk to them or we don't like to talk to them, they will continue to fight. So, for them, I don't think that we have a way forward with talks or negotiations or contacts or anything as such. Then we have to be prepared to tackle and deal with them militarily. In terms of the Taliban on the ground, there are lots of possibilities and opportunities that with the help of the people in different parts of the country, we can attract them to the peace process; provided, we create a favorable environment on this side of the line. At the moment, the people are leaving support for the government because of corruption. So that expectation is also not realistic at this stage."

Over five million Afghan refugees were repatriated in the last decade, including many who were forcefully deported from NATO countries. This large return of Afghans may have helped the nation's economy but the country still remains one of the poorest in the world due to the decades of war, lack of foreign investment, ongoing government corruption and the Taliban insurgency. According to a report by the United Nations, the Taliban and other militants were responsible for 76% of civilian casualties in 2009, 75% in 2010, 80% in 2011, 80% in 2012. In 2011 a record 3,021 civilians were killed in the ongoing insurgency, the fifth successive annual rise. }} After the May 2011 death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, many prominent Afghan figures began being assassinated, including Mohammed Daud Daud, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Jan Mohammad Khan, Ghulam Haider Hamidi, Burhanuddin Rabbani and others. Also in the same year, the Pak-Afghan border skirmishes intensified and many large scale attacks by the Pakistani-based Haqqani Network took place across Afghanistan. This led to the United States warning Pakistan of a possible military action against the Haqqanis in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The U.S. blamed Pakistan's government, mainly Pakistan Army and its ISI spy network as the masterminds behind all of this. |Admiral Mike Mullen|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff}} U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, told Radio Pakistan that "The attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani Network. There is evidence linking the Haqqani Network to the Pakistan government. This is something that must stop." Other top U.S. officials such as Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta made similar statements. On 16 October 2011, "Operation Knife Edge" was launched by NATO and Afghan forces against the Haqqani Network in south-eastern Afghanistan. Afghan Defense Minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, explained that the operation will "help eliminate the insurgents before they struck in areas along the troubled frontier".

In anticipation of the 2014 NATO withdrawal and a subsequent expected push to regain power by the Taliban, the anti-Taliban United Front (Northern Alliance) groups have started to regroup under the umbrella of the National Coalition of Afghanistan (political arm) and the National Front of Afghanistan (military arm).

Governance

Afghanistan is an Islamic republic consisting of three branches, executive, legislative and judicial. The nation is currently led by Hamid Karzai as the President and leader since late 2001. The National Assembly is the legislature, a bicameral body having two chambers, the House of the People and the House of Elders.

The Supreme Court is led by Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi, a former university professor who had been a legal advisor to the president. The current court is seen as more moderate and led by more technocrats than the previous one, which was dominated by fundamentalist religious figures such as Chief Justice Faisal Ahmad Shinwari who issued several controversial rulings, including seeking to place a limit on the rights of women.

According to Transparency International's corruption perceptions index 2010 results, Afghanistan was ranked as the third most-corrupt country in the world. A January 2010 report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that bribery consumes an amount equal to 23% of the GDP of the nation. A number of government ministries are believed to be rife with corruption, and while President Karzai vowed to tackle the problem in late 2009 by stating that "individuals who are involved in corruption will have no place in the government", top government officials were stealing and misusing hundreds of millions of dollars through the Kabul Bank. Although the nation's institutions are newly formed and steps have been taken to arrest some, the United States warned that aid to Afghanistan would be reduced to very little if the corruption is not stopped.

Elections and parties

The 2004 Afghan presidential election was relatively peaceful, in which Hamid Karzai won in the first round with 55.4% of the votes. However, the 2009 presidential election was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread electoral fraud. The vote, along with elections for 420 provincial council seats, took place in August 2009, but remained unresolved during a lengthy period of vote counting and fraud investigation.

Two months later, under international pressure, a second round run-off vote between Karzai and remaining challenger Abdullah was announced, but a few days later Abdullah announced that he is not participating in the 7 November run-off because his demands for changes in the electoral commission had not been met. The next day, officials of the election commission cancelled the run-off and declared Hamid Karzai as President for another 5-year term.

In the 2005 parliamentary election, among the elected officials were former mujahideen, Islamic fundamentalists, warlords, communists, reformists, and several Taliban associates. In the same period, Afghanistan reached to the 30th nation in terms of female representation in parliament. The last parliamentary election was held in September 2010, but due to disputes and investigation of fraud, the sworn in ceremony took place in late January 2011. After the issuance of computerized ID cards for the first time, which is a $101 million project that the Afghan government plans to start in 2012, it is expected to help prevent major fraud in future elections and improve the security situation.

Administrative divisions

Afghanistan is administratively divided into 34 provinces (wilayats), with each province having its own capital and a provincial administration. The provinces are further divided into about 398 smaller provincial districts, each of which normally covers a city or a number of villages. Each district is represented by a district governor.

The provincial governors are appointed by the President of Afghanistan and the district governors are selected by the provincial governors. The provincial governors are representatives of the central government in Kabul and are responsible for all administrative and formal issues within their provinces. There are also provincial councils which are elected through direct and general elections for a period of four years. The functions of provincial councils are to take part in provincial development planning and to participate in monitoring and appraisal of other provincial governance institutions.

According to article 140 of the constitution and the presidential decree on electoral law, mayors of cities should be elected through free and direct elections for a four-year term. However, due to huge election costs, mayoral and municipal elections have never been held. Instead, mayors have been appointed by the government. As for the capital city of Kabul, the mayor is appointed by the President of Afghanistan.

The following is a list of all the 34 provinces in alphabetical order:

Foreign relations and military

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the foreign relations of Afghanistan. The nation has been a member of the UN since 1946, and has maintained good relations with the United States and other NATO member states since the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was established in 2002 under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1401 to help the nation recover from decades of war and establish a normal functioning government. Today, more than 22 NATO nations deploy about 140,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Apart from close military links, Afghanistan also enjoys strong economic relations with NATO members and their allies.

Afghanistan also has diplomatic relations with neighboring Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the People's Republic of China, including regional states such as India, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia, United Arab Emirate, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, and others. Afghanistan's relationship with Pakistan has often fluctuated since 1947. They have cultural, security and economic links with each other but disputes between the two states remain. Afghanistan continues to reject the porous and poorly marked Durrand Line as its international border with Pakistan, and has repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban insurgents, Haqqani Network, and other anti-Afghanistan terrorist groups. Economically, Afghanistan is highly dependent on Pakistan in terms of imports, supplies and trade routes. Conversely, Pakistan considers Afghanistan as an important trade route for access to Central Asian resources.

Pakistan harbors concerns over the growing influence of its rival India in Afghanistan. Relations between the two states were strained further after recent border skirmishes. Afghan officials allege that Pakistani intelligence agencies are involved in terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied supporting the Taliban and claimed that a stable Afghanistan is in its interest.

India and Iran have actively participated in reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, with India being the largest regional donor to the country. Since 2002, India has pledged up to $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan and has participated in multiple socio-economic reconstruction efforts, including power, roads, agricultural and educational projects. There are also military ties between Afghanistan and India, which is expected to increase after the October 2011 strategic pact that was signed by President Karzai and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The military of Afghanistan is under the Ministry of Defense, which includes the Afghan National Army and the Afghan Air Force. It currently has about 180,000 active soldiers and is expected to reach 260,000 in the coming years. They are trained and equipped by NATO countries, mainly by the United States Department of Defense. The ANA is divided into 7 major Corps, with the 201st Selab ("Flood") in Kabul being the main one. The ANA also has a commando brigade which was established in 2007. The National Military Academy of Afghanistan serves as the main educational institute for the militarymen of the country. A new $200 million Afghan Defense University (ADU) is under construction near the capital.

Crime and law enforcement

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) is the nation's domestic intelligence agency, which operates similar to that of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has between 15,000 to 30,000 employees. The nation also has about 126,000 national police officers, with plans to recruit more so that the total number can reach 160,000. The Afghan National Police (ANP) is under the Ministry of the Interior, which is based in Kabul and headed by Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. The Afghan National Civil Order Police is the main branch of the Afghan National Police, which is divided into five Brigades and each one commanded by a Brigadier General. These brigades are stationed in Kabul, Gardez, Kandahar, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif. Every province of the country has a provincial Chief of Police who is appointed by the Ministry of the Interior and is responsible for law enforcement in all the districts within the province. The police are being trained by NATO countries through the Afghanistan Police Program. According to a 2009 news report, a large proportion of police officers are illiterate and are accused of demanding bribes. Jack Kem, deputy to the commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, stated that the literacy rate in the ANP will rise to over 50% by January 2012. What began as a voluntary literacy program became mandatory for basic police training in early 2011. Approximately 17% of them test positive for illegal drug use. In 2009, President Karzai created two anti-corruption units within the Interior Ministry. Former Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said that security officials from the U.S. (FBI), Britain (Scotland Yard) and the European Union will train prosecutors in the unit.

The south and eastern parts of Afghanistan are the most dangerous due to the flourishing drug trade and militancy. These areas in particular are often patrolled by Taliban insurgents, and in many cases they plan attacks by using suicide bombers and planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on roads. Kidnapping and robberies are also often reported. Every year many Afghan police officers are killed in the line of duty in these areas. The Afghan Border Police are responsible for protecting the nation's airports and borders, especially the disputed Durand Line border which is often used by members of criminal organizations and terrorists for their illegal activities. Reports in 2011 suggested that up to 3 million people are involved in the illegal drug business in Afghanistan, many of the attacks on government employees and institutions are carried out not only by the Taliban militants but also by powerful criminal gangs. Drugs from Afghanistan are exported to Iran, Pakistan, Russia, India, the United Arab Emirate, and the European Union. The Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics is dealing with this problem. Recently, the people mustered courage and took to streets in Kabul to protest against gruesome killing of a woman accused of adultery by suspected Taliban in the Parwan province.

Economy

Afghanistan is an impoverished and least developed country, one of the world's poorest due to the decades of war and nearly complete lack of foreign investment. The nation's GDP stands at about $27 billion with an exchange rate of $15 billion, and the GDP per capita is about $900. Its unemployment rate is 35% and roughly the same percentage of its citizens live below the poverty line. About 42% of the population live on less than $1 a day, according to a 2009 report. On the positive side, the nation has a very low external debt and is recovering by the assistance of the world community.

The Afghan economy has been growing at about 10% per year in the last decade, which is due to the infusion of over $50 billion dollars in international aid and remittances from Afghan expats. It is also due to improvements made to the transportation system and agricultural production, which is the backbone of the nation's economy. The country is known for producing some of the finest pomegranates, grapes, apricots, melons, and several other fresh and dry fruits, including nuts.

While the nations's current account deficit is largely financed with the donor money, only a small portion is provided directly to the government budget. The rest is provided to non-budgetary expenditure and donor-designated projects through the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations. The Afghan Ministry of Finance is focusing on improved revenue collection and public sector expenditure discipline. For example, government revenues increased 31% to $1.7 billion from March 2010 to March 2011.

Da Afghanistan Bank serves as the central bank of the nation and the "Afghani" (AFN) is the national currency, with an exchange rate of about 47 Afghanis to 1 US dollar. Since 2003, over 16 new banks have opened in the country, including Afghanistan International Bank, Kabul Bank, Azizi Bank, Pashtany Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, First Micro Finance Bank, and others.

One of the main drivers for the current

Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2013/01/14/Afghans_to_decide_on_immunity_for_US_troops_Karzai/

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Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:59:53 -0800 Childhood obesity linked to more immediate health problems than previously thought http://yvageip.posterous.com/childhood-obesity-linked-to-more-immediate-he http://yvageip.posterous.com/childhood-obesity-linked-to-more-immediate-he

Jan. 14, 2013 ? While a great deal of research on childhood obesity has spotlighted the long-term health problems that emerge in adulthood, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition's immediate consequences and shows that obese youngsters are at far greater risk than had been supposed.

Compared to kids who are not overweight, obese children are at nearly twice the risk of having three or more reported medical, mental or developmental conditions, the UCLA researchers found. Overweight children had a 1.3 times higher risk.

"This study paints a comprehensive picture of childhood obesity, and we were surprised to see just how many conditions were associated with childhood obesity," said lead author Dr. Neal Halfon, a professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy at UCLA, where he directs the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. "The findings should serve as a wake-up call to physicians, parents and teachers, who should be better informed of the risk for other health conditions associated with childhood obesity so that they can target interventions that can result in better health outcomes."

With the dramatic rise in childhood obesity over the past two decades, there has been a parallel rise in the prevalence of other childhood-onset health conditions, such as attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, asthma and learning disabilities. But previous studies on the topic have been limited due to a narrow focus on a specific region of the county, a small sample size or a single condition.

The new UCLA research, a large population-based study of children in the United States, provides the first comprehensive national profile of associations between weight status and a broad set of associated health conditions, or co-morbidities, that kids suffer from during childhood.

Overall, the researchers found, obese children were more likely than those who were classified as not overweight to have reported poorer health; more disability; a greater tendency toward emotional and behavioral problems; higher rates of grade repetition, missed school days and other school problems; ADHD; conduct disorder; depression; learning disabilities; developmental delays; bone, joint and muscle problems; asthma; allergies; headaches; and ear infections.

For the study, the researchers used the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, analyzing data on nearly 43,300 children between the ages 10 and 17. They assessed associations between weight status and 21 indicators of general health, psychosocial functioning and specific health disorders, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Of the children in the study, 15 percent were considered overweight (a body mass index between the 85th and 95th percentiles), and 16 percent were obese (a BMI in the 95th percentile or higher).

The study, which is currently available online, will be published in the January-February print issue of the journal Academic Pediatrics.

The UCLA researchers speculate that the ongoing shift in chronic childhood conditions is likely related to decades of underappreciated changes in the social and physical environments in which children live, learn and play. They propose that obesity-prevention efforts should target these social and environmental influences and that kids should be screened and managed for the co-morbid conditions.

The researchers add that while the strength of the current study lies in its large population base, future studies need to examine better longitudinal data to tease out causal relationships that cannot be inferred from a cross-sectional study.

"Obesity might be causing the co-morbidity, or perhaps the co-morbidity is causing obesity -- or both might be caused by some other unmeasured third factor," Halfon said. "For example, exposure to toxic stress might change the neuroregulatory processes that affect impulse control seen in ADHD, as well as leptin sensitivity, which can contribute to weight gain. An understanding of the association of obesity with other co-morbidities may provide important information about causal pathways to obesity and more effective ways to prevent it."

Halfon's co-authors on the study included Kandyce Larson and Dr. Wendy Slusser, both of UCLA.

The study was supported by funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resource Services Administration.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Neal Halfon, Kandyce Larson, Wendy Slusser. Associations Between Obesity and Comorbid Mental Health, Developmental, and Physical Health Conditions in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Children Aged 10 to 17. Academic Pediatrics, 2013; 13 (1): 6 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2012.10.007

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/LPpeu8z_o8U/130114091754.htm

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