White House mum on bases in Afghanistan after 2014

Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a ceremony at Kabul University on May 9. (Anja Niedringhaus/AP)The White House on Thursday refused to confirm or deny Afghan President Hamid Karzai's claim that the United States wants to keep nine military bases in his war-torn country after 2014, when the bulk of U.S. combat troops are supposed to withdraw.

"The United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan," press secretary Jay Carney assured reporters aboard Air Force One as President Barack Obama headed to Texas. "Any U.S. presence after 2014 would only be at the invitation of the Afghan government, and aim at training Afghan forces and targeting the remnants of al-Qaida."

Here's the thing: Carney's words are essentially meaningless. Officially, no American military base on foreign soil is labeled "permanent"?not even the vast facilities anchored in England, Japan and Korea for more than a half-century. The bases all depend on the host country's continued willingness to host U.S. forces.

The issue came up in a very similar context in the later years of then-President George W. Bush's term, when his administration was negotiating with Iraq on the future of the American military presence there. The Obama administration has been negotiating with Karzai on the size and role of a "residual force" after the bulk of NATO forces leave by the end of 2014.

"We envision that the bilateral security agreement will address access to and use of Afghan facilities by U.S. forces," Carney said.

Has the president decided on the size of that residual force? Carney replied that it was an "ongoing process" and stressed that "we are in the process of drawing down our forces in keeping with the president?s commitment and policy together with our partners."

It's not yet clear whether the Afghan government will agree to a key U.S. request?that American troops be immune from local prosecution. Iraq's refusal to accept that led Obama to abandon plans to station a residual force there.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-mum-bases-afghanistan-post-2014-172125618.html

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Astro Shark HD (for Android)

Astro Shark (99 cents on Google Play) is the story of a large, friendly shark whose best friend Laika?the famous Russian space dog?is captured and sent into space. Angered at the abduction, the Astro Shark takes to the skies in pursuit. This is where you come in, propelling the Astro Shark on its rescue mission by orbiting planets and stars.

All this is told in a cute animation at the beginning of the game (that you can skip if your heart is made of stone) and segues directly into a tutorial level where you learn how to tap planets to orbit, and use them to fling you onward. Don't worry about smashing into one of these celestial bodies; the Astro Shark simply plows through them, adding points to your score but depriving you of things to orbit.

To complete each level, you must guide the Astro Shark toward a heart icon, where you find an animal pal tethered to a planet. Sadly, Laika remains beyond your reach in the early levels. In true Mario style, one of the rescued critters told me, "you are in the wrong location, your friend's in another constellation."

Rampaging Rockets
The game at first seems reminiscent of Tiny Wings, as both feature charming artistic design, unique controls, and a meditative soundtrack. The difference is revealed in the third level, where you're first pursued by the murderous rockets bent on preventing you from rescuing Laika.

Because Rockets are faster than you are, you'll have to use your orbital powers to gain speed and outmaneuver them, which is complicated by the fact that rockets can destroy planets, as can Astro Shark. Rockets will usually zoom in from off screen, so be sure to watch out for proximity warnings that tell you from which direction the rocket is approaching.

Mysterious Worlds
Each level has a different twist to it, and completing one unlocks the next. Some levels feature crumbling worlds that shatter as you orbit or ice-covered planets that freeze rockets?making them ripe for revenge. This keeps the play from becoming overly repetitive level to level;that's a real trick considering the game has only one difficulty mode.

Each level also has three challenges, usually playing to the level's gimmick. These score you extra points, earn you little stars for each level, but also suggest strategies. For instance, the ice planet level encourages you to freeze and smash rockets.

Too Difficult?
When reviewing a game, there's a fine line between "this is too difficult" and "I am just bad at this." Astro Shark rides this line very delicately. It has an enormous jump in difficulty between the second and third levels, and continues to challenge you from there (note: I cannot for the life of me get past the fourth level). At first I was annoyed at the difficulty, but the game only has 11 levels, and it's the frustrating challenge coupled with easy gameplay that's going to keep people coming back for more. It's tough, but it wasn't too tough to keep me from playing.

The bonus challenges for each level also push you towards different, and more challenging styles of gameplay. Simply powering through to the end of the level is much, much easier than trying to fulfill all the acrobatics the bonus achievements suggest.

That said, the pursuing rockets are tough cookies, known to suddenly change direction. If you're not paying attention to the proximity warnings, you'll get toasted.

Beyond the Game
Currently, the Google Play entry for the game advertises leaderboards?though I was unable to find them?and features Facebook integration that didn't seem to do anything when I finally got it working. I'd like to see these features fixed up for future versions. The iOS version of Astro Shark uses the built-in Game Center for leaderboard tracking, but even here the major motivation to playing the game is unlocking levels and completing achievements.

The game also seems like a bit of a resource hog. Some commenters on Google Play noted that it wouldn't play on older phones. In my testing I found that it was far more responsive on the Nexus 7 ?than the Samsung Galaxy S III .

Blast Off With Astro Shark
In its current form, Astro Shark is off to a strong start but I'd like to see a little more depth and options to the game. This could be as simple as an endless mode for planet-swinging, rocket-avoiding fun, or different difficulty levels. To return to the Tiny Wings comparison, it was a fun and challenging game right out of the gate but became even better when an update greatly expanded the game with different types of play.

In the end, Astro Shark is a fun mix of style and gameplay. It's easy to learn, hard to win, and even harder to master. But the gravity-swinging play and charming style will keep you thumb-tapping across the stars, making it well worth the money.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/XBrjgdIAYqE/0,2817,2418537,00.asp

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Report: Congo officers benefit from mineral trade

GOMA, Congo (AP) ? An environmental watchdog group says armed groups and high-ranking officers in the Congolese army are continuing to benefit from the illegal mineral trade in eastern Congo, despite international efforts to clean up the supply chain.

The report published Tuesday by Global Witness says that although there are signs of improvement in Congo's tin and tantalum sectors, the "progress remains localized."

The gold trade in particular remains a problem. The report said tons of gold mined in eastern Congo is smuggled to neighboring Burundi every year because it is easily smuggled across borders and proper checks are not carried out by local buyers in Africa's Great Lakes region or by international traders. Laundered through the Burundian local trade, the gold is exported to Dubai where it is bought by international traders.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-congo-officers-benefit-mineral-trade-162207617.html

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Liam Hemsworth?s Brothers Want Him To Quit Miley Cyrus!

Liam Hemsworth’s Brothers Want Him To Quit Miley Cyrus!

Liam Hemsworth’s brothers, Luke and Chris Hemsworth, believe their brother should call it quits for good with Miley Cyrus. The protective brothers had a little chat with Liam to tell them how they really feel about the troubled relationship. Of course, Miley still claims things are fine. Luke Hemsworth, 31, and “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth, ...

Liam Hemsworth’s Brothers Want Him To Quit Miley Cyrus! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/liam-hemsworths-brothers-want-him-to-quit-miley-cyrus/

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Windows 8 Updates

yeah. this is nowhere near to final. control+alt+del is not touchscreen friendly. so we are going to see tons of more changes.

---------- Post added at 07:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 AM ----------

Mac OS X Lion is confirmed to arrive later this year.

Windows 8 might arrive late next year.

---------- Post added at 07:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 AM ----------

Ubuntu 11.04 lands this month though

Source: http://broadbandforum.co/topic/47714-windows-8-updates/

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33-year-old GM hired: Will Phoenix regret it?

Phoenix has hired a 33-year-old to replace GM Lance Blanks. The new 33-year-old GM 'distinguished himself' at the Boston Celtics, says Suns President Lon Babby.

By John Marshall,?AP Sports Writer / May 7, 2013

Ryan McDonough, then with the Boston Celtics, discusses the team's selections in the NBA draft, June 28, 2012. The Phoenix Suns have hired McDonough as their next general manager. The 33-year-old replaces GM Lance Blanks, who was fired on April 22 after failing to take the Suns to the playoffs in three seasons.

Charles Krupa / AP / File

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The Phoenix Suns have hired 33-year-old Boston Celtics executive Ryan McDonough as their next general manager (GM).

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The 33-year-old replaces Lance Blanks, who was fired on April 22 after failing to take the Suns to the playoffs in three seasons.

"Ryan distinguished himself among an impressive group of candidates for our GM position," Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said Tuesday. "His natural leadership and communication skills will serve the Suns well. And, his prodigious work ethic and ability to identify talent will enable us to take full advantage of the 10 draft choices, including six in the first round, that we have over the next three years. We welcome his championship pedigree to our organization."

McDonough worked his way up from a 23-year-old special assistant to basketball operations in Boston to becoming assistant general manager the past three years.

McDonough has a strong scouting background, working four years in the Celtics' video scouting department, another as director of amateur scouting and as director of international scouting. McDonough spent two seasons as director of player personnel and was promoted to assistant GM in 2010.

As assistant GM, he worked with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and was principally responsible for draft evaluations of college and international players.

McDonough helped the Celtics acquire All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo with a draft-day trade in 2006 and had a hand in pulling together the 2007-08 team that won the NBA championship.

McDonough's father, the late Will McDonough, was a long-time columnist for the Boston Globe. His brother, Sean, is an announcer for ESPN and another brother, Terry, is the former director of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

His job in Phoenix won't be easy.

The Suns overhauled their roster during the offseason, trading away two-time league MVP point guard Steve Nash to the Lakers and allowing Grant Hill, another fan favorite, to sign with the Clippers as a free agent.

With nine new players on the roster, Phoenix struggled early in the 2012-13 season and never recovered, finishing 25-57, the second-worst season in franchise history behind the inaugural team, which went 16-66 in 1968-69.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/CVdsBj9frD4/33-year-old-GM-hired-Will-Phoenix-regret-it

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Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District to vote on master plans for ...

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District board members will vote on the Ridgewood View Park Master Plan Monday evening at a regular board meeting. The Tualatin Valley Water District will present its plan to enlarge the Ridgewood View Park reservoir to 7 million gallons.

Get Involved

What: THPRD Regular Board Meeting

When: 7 p.m. Monday, May 6

Where: Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex, Peg Ogilbee Dryland Meeting Room, 15707 S.W. Walker Road, Beaverton

The water district proposed several different design plans for the park in Cedar Hills. After receiving feedback, the water district presented a final plan to the community in mid-April.

The park district?s proposed partnership with the water district will allow the park to be renovated as part of the reservoir project with little to no cost to the park district.

Currently, the park district pays $5,359 per year to maintain Ridgewood View Park. Proposed park improvements include new trails, a bigger playground, tennis courts, and a pedestrian bridge. These improvements would increase this maintenance cost by $4,850 per year, bringing the total annual upkeep cost for the park to $10,209.

The park would be closed for up to two years during park and reservoir construction.

Other Agenda Items

• The board will vote on the master plan for the Veterans Memorial Park at the intersection of Southwest 7th Street and Southwest Washington Avenue. The plan also includes a Revolutionary War memorial.
• The board is set to award contracts for the Vista Brook Park Project and the Tennis Air Structure Replacement Project.
• Board members are also preparing to approve intergovernmental agreements with the Beaverton School District for development of Cedar Hills Park, and with Washington County and Metro to purchase land next to Mountain View Middle School in Aloha for a community park.
• The board is set to reappoint Julia Kegg to the Aquatics Advisory Committee. She currently serves as committee chair.

For more information, see the full agenda.

--Anna Marum

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/beaverton/index.ssf/2013/05/tualatin_hills_park_recreation_11.html

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