Presidential palace in Afghanistan attacked

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The Taliban say they have hit one of the most secure areas of the Afghan capital with a suicide attack, as a series of explosion rocked the gate leading into the presidential palace.

Smoke rose from the eastern gate of the palace early Tuesday after more than a half dozen explosions and at least 45 minutes of on-and-off small arms fire.

The Taliban sent a quick text-message statement saying "we brought death to the enemy."

The palace is in a large fortified area of downtown Kabul that also includes the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters for the NATO-led coalition forces.

Reporters gathering for an event with President Hamid Karzai counted at least seven or eight explosions starting about 6:30 a.m.

Police had no immediate comment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-attack-presidential-palace-afghanistan-030026459.html

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Bobby "Blue" Bland Dies; Soul & Blues Great Was 83

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/bobby-blue-bland-dies-soul-and-blues-great-was-83/

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Attacks kill at least 11 people in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) ? Suicide bombers and shootings in northern and central Iraq were among attacks across the country that left eleven dead on Sunday.

They were the latest incidents in a wave of violence that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since the start of April. Militants, building on Sunni discontent with the Shiite-led government, appear to have grown stronger in central and northern Iraq.

The commander of the army's 12th Division, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Khalaf, said the assault on the police station near the town of Hawija started with a gunman on foot opening fire on the guards. A suicide bomber with an explosives belt then blew himself up in the reception area, and a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the building, Khalaf said. Three policemen were killed and five others wounded.

Hawija, a former insurgent stronghold, is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad. The predominantly Sunni town and surrounding areas have been tense since April, when Iraqi security forces launched a deadly crackdown on a Sunni protest there in which 23 people, including three soldiers, died.

In the nearby city of Tuz Khormato, 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad, two parked car bombs went off in the early morning in a residential area, killing one civilian and wounding 27 others, a police officer said.

Also Sunday, a mortar round hit a motel in central Baghdad, killing three civilians and wounding nine others, police said.

At night, gunmen, carrying guns fitted with silencers opened fire on a group of people standing in the street in Baghdad's northern Qahira neighborhood, killing four and wounding two others, said two police officials.

Qahira neighborhood was the scene of a deadly suicide attack inside a Shiite mosque last week. At least 34 people were killed in that attack.

Two medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information to reporters.

___

Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin and Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attacks-kill-least-11-people-iraq-210207745.html

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Pelosi booed by activists after criticizing leaker Edward Snowden (Los Angeles Times)

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How To Find The Right Teacher In Martial Arts | Content for Reprint

Author: Andrew Toth | Total views: 123 Comments: 0
Word Count: 1050 Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 2:05 PM

It goes without saying that not all teachers (of any subject) are equal and that is probably multiplied to the nth degree in the martial arts which doesn't allow for standardization to quite the same degree as other subjects might. There are of course ongoing attempts at standardization and classification but the martial arts are still very much of a melting pot and one is often left wondering who is teaching what and where did it come from.

Enter the beginner?

Given this prodigious output of styles and teachers, how is a beginner, who knows virtually nothing about the martial arts?how is such a person to find the right teacher?

And is that the right question?

Maybe there is no "right" teacher. Maybe the right teacher for me is not the right teacher for you.

So it can get a bit complicated?

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Questions such as these simply do not arise for most people. They join their neighborhood club, pay their fees, get graded a few times, get a nice colored belt maybe even a trophy or two, tell their friends they are a brown belt in such and such a style and?that is all they want. And I'm not here to argue with that, but?

If you're real serious, if martial arts is your reason for living, you will need to find the Right Teacher and that means that you will have to do some serious searching. Both internally and externally.

Why?

Because the Right Teacher will not appear miraculously on the horizon when you first decide to be the next Bruce Lee. And so, almost by default, beginners tends to think of their first teacher as THE RIGHT TEACHER! Which is understandable because they don't know any better. They have nothing to compare their first teacher to, so the first teacher is THE BEST. The beginner is totally convinced of that.

However, as time moves on the beginner may begin to experience some disquiet. Some things don't add up. The first teacher may be a bit overweight, or not as fit as he could be. Maybe he doesn't answer questions satisfactorily?but hey! nobody's perfect and all things considered the first teacher is still The Best, and that's all there is to it, right? Nonetheless there is talk...there is talk of another teacher down the road who is (blasphemy!) even better. The beginner puts all those preposterous notions aside of course, but...

There are now some cracks in the facade.

Not fatal, but it is through these cracks that the doubts seep in.

That, at least, is what happened to me. I was absolutely convinced that my first teacher was the best, but?I checked out the new teacher down the road (no harm in that, is there?). Then I joined up and started the cycle all over again. And then again and again and again?

I tried judo, ju-jutsu, Hsing-i, Pa-kua, Tai chi, Shaolin and a number of other styles the names of which I now forget. Nothing changed. The teachers were all promising to begin with and, truth be told, they were all quite capable in their own way and I learned a lot from each and every one of them but they were only technicians. They knew the techniques, and that is all they knew. And I wanted more, so I moved on. Just what I wanted I was still not sure of?

An astute reader will now see the obvious. One's Search, one's Quest, is part of one's over-all Training. A very important part. Why?

Because it is all part of a learning curve. You are learning not only new techniques but you are learning something infinitely more important: the Art of Discernment! The Art of separating the wheat from the chaff. The Art of separating the Real from the False?

And yes, it is also the Art of recognizing the Real Teacher when he or she finally appears.

You see, that is the secret. Finding the right teacher is only the half of it. Recognizing them to be such is by far the more difficult and important half.

Let me ask you a question: how often does a student find the right teacher and continue to walk on by and not know the difference?

It happens more often than you might think! I've seen it again and again and again!

The thing to bear in mind is that the Right Teacher may not be (and usually isn't) the Hollywood stereotype. The Right Teacher may be an unassuming little fellow who runs a little corner store, is disarmingly self-effacing and has maybe one or two students who are equally unimpressive. In short this is not really the sort of person who matches your mental image of a deadly warrior. Or he may be crude and rude and obnoxious. And (blasphemy again!) he may not have your best interests at heart!

In other words, not all Masters fit the Hollywood mold! You really do have to keep your wits about you on this because the Right Teacher will confound your expectations nearly every time!

The "secret" then is to keep training, keep looking and to develop the Power of Discernment so that you can see below superficial appearances. (This will stand you in good stead not only in your search for a teacher and but also when you are in a fight!)

There is a saying that when the student is ready, the Teacher will appear. And that will happen when the student has developed a keen sense of discernment.*

*Author's note: by discernment I do not mean cynicism. The "been there, done that" attitude will not help you find a Teacher and if perchance you do, that Teacher will not be interested in teaching you. Real discernment has a quality of humility: you don't know the answer, you don't even know if there is an answer, but you will not stop searching.

Andrew Toth is the author of the book, Shaolin Temple Kung Fu, which is arguably the most advanced book available on the subject of martial arts. It is a must for anyone who is serious about this subject. You can read it HERE

Related to: fighting - karate - ju-jitsu - tai chi - pa-kua - kung fu - shaolin - Mixed Martial Arts - martial arts

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1: How Seiko Kinetic Watches Compare With Citizen Eco-Drive For Divers

Both these companies make great products, but they do so utilizing completely different technologies So which is best, and further more which is the better choice when considering purchasing a dive watch

by: J Allen on: Tue, 5 Feb 2008

2: What 2008 Snowboard Binding is Right for You?

It is recommended that you buy boots before purchasing a pair of snowboard bindings. Finding the best-fitted boots makes it easier for you, since you can fit your snowboard bindings snugly without worrying about the shoes being too big or too small.

by: Valheru75 on: Sat, 10 Nov 2007

3: The Role of Agility Training for Tennis Players

Agility is such an important component when it comes to an athlete being fast. Tennis requires the athlete to be fast over short distances, in multiple directions and have the ability to develop explo

by: articles44 on: Fri, 24 Aug 2007

4: Decathlon Secrets: World's Greatest Athlete

The Decathlon crowns the World's Greatest Athlete. Why? Because the Decathlon is a true test of every attribute of an athlete.The Decathlon tests strength, mental toughness, consistency, commitment,

by: ke2global on: Mon, 3 Sep 2007

5: Motorcycle History - The Honda CBR600 Series

The Honda CBR600 series has been touted as one of the best sport motorcycles in the industry. In fact, the Honda CBR600RR (the race replica version of Honda's CBRFx series motorcycles) has won every Supersport World Championship title from 2002 to 2008. But how did it all start? Here is a brief history of the Honda CBR600 series and how it has evolved throughout the years.

by: Sarah Simmons on: Wed, 10 Oct 2012

Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/how-to-find-the-right-teacher-in-martial-arts.htm

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Wing walker, pilot die in crash at Ohio air show

CINCINNATI (AP) ? The plane that crashed at an Ohio air show, killing the pilot and stunt walker, is registered to a veteran wing walker.

Federal records show that the Boeing Stearman biplane that crashed Saturday at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton was registered to Jane Wicker of Loudon, Va.

The Federal Aviation Administration says Wicker was also a contract employee who worked as an FAA budget analyst.

An FAA official says the kind of aircraft that crashed was heavily used for pilot training during World War II.

The plane turned upside-down as Wicker sat on top of the wing before it titled and crashed into the ground, bursting into flames.

The air show canceled the rest of Saturday's events after the crash but planned to resume Sunday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wing-walker-pilot-die-crash-ohio-air-show-191655523.html

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LGBT Community Untapped Market Consumer Brands - Business ...

Flickr/Brendon Thorne

Rick and Liam wanted recognition of their commitment to each other, so they did what many gay couples are doing these days.

They boarded a plane to New York where marriage between same-sex partners is legal. After hearing about the couple?s plans, the JetBlue crew on their flight showered them with special attention including free drinks and best wishes.

When Rick and Liam realized they lacked a witness for the wedding, one of the flight attendants accompanied the men to city hall to serve in that role, showing up at the nuptials only after stopping to get a special dessert for the occasion. The newly married men penned a heartfelt ?thank you? letter to JetBlue. The airline proudly posted the story on their blog and distributed it to the press.

JetBlue is not alone in its desire to shine a light on its support of its gay consumers. Many brands are waking up to the opportunity that the LGBT market today represents for their business.

Brands from Apple to Budweiser to JCPenney are becoming more interested in gay consumers, with many brands making concerted efforts to target the LGBT market. ?

Why? What is really at stake? Here are just a few numbers surrounding LGBT consumers and the differences in spending power of gay households vs. the American general market:

• 23% higher median household income¹

• 24% more equity in their homes¹

• 26% of gay men say they will pay more for top quality brands²

• 30% have taken a major vacation in the past year²

• 40% bought a new smart phone in the past year²

Estimates put the buying power of the LGBT community at over $800 billion annually. Some marketers are realizing that they may need to adjust their plans to accommodate this segment, or at least make sure that their marketing spending is inclusive of this valuable target. But many brands have been slow to pick up on the impact of the gay and lesbian consumer on their sales. Some are content to let their general market messages do the job of reaching everyone, and see no reason to pay special attention to LGBT consumers.

Are gay consumers? spending habits and brand loyalties really all that different? In some categories, maybe not. But in others, the impact of gay consumer spending is more profound. Here are a few differences between the purchasing habits of gay consumers and everyone else.

Gay Shopping Habits Pay Off For Brands ? Same-sex households spend at rates fairly similar to other households, when it comes to shopping for consumer packaged goods. However, gay and lesbian households make 16% more shopping trips than the average U.S. household ? 173 vs. 149 per year.3 The impact on total spending equates to about 25% more for same-sex households. Male same-sex households are especially likely to spend more frequently, shopping nearly 30% more often than the average household. On average, that?s $2,045 more per year spent on packaged goods in male same-sex households.3 This means that brands have more opportunities to reach LGBT consumers at retail to influence their purchase behaviors and brand preferences.

Gay Consumer Brand Loyalties ? Are the factors that influence the brand selection of gay consumers really that different? They are more likely to pay for quality brands and to influence others as well. When asked if it is worth paying extra for top-of-line or cutting edge products, 26% of gay men agreed, considerably higher than the average American?s answer to that question. And LGBT consumers are a source of word-of-mouth marketing for brands. Gay men (64%) and women (65%) agreed that when they find a brand they like, they are likely to make a point of telling their friends about it. That?s well above the average of all U.S. consumers.²

Gay Consumers and Finances ? Although there is some disagreement about income of gay consumers compared to the average American, most sources indicate LGBT consumers have more disposable income. According to a survey done by Prudential in 2012, gay consumers reported annual household incomes around $61,500, significantly higher than the national median of just over $50,000.1 Gays were more likely to have higher educations, to carry less debt, to have more savings and were less likely to be jobless with an unemployment rate of almost a point below the national percentage. Additionally, LGBT homeowners in the survey had significantly more equity in their homes and were better financially set for retirement.¹

But are gay consumers open to brand marketing messages tailored to them? With a constant media-driven debate reminding gay Americans of inequities including workplace discrimination, marriage inequality, and cultural clashes, on an almost daily basis, gays and lesbians are paying attention to brands that appear to be allies.

And even for brands that do not have any plan to market directly to LGBT consumers, the shift in America?s attitudes about the issue is requiring a new sensitivity. Brands from beer to candy bars have found themselves the subjects of consumer or industry criticism when they used ??harmless? jokes in ads that inadvertently seemed to show same-sex relationships in a bad light. And the concerns are not always coming from gay groups. More and more progressive general market consumers are expressing their support of gay issues and holding brands accountable as well.

With billions in spending at stake, it?s more important than ever that brands, even those who have no interest in marketing to gay Americans, become sensitive to these issues. This loyal group of consumers is ready to reward brands that really speak their language.

¹Prudential 2012 Survey of more than 1,000 LGBT respondents

²Community Marketing, Inc., July 2012 survey of 13,000 Gay & Lesbian Americans

³Nielsen, January 2013

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lgbt-community-untapped-market-consumer-brands-2013-6

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An Easy Home Based Business For A Rough And Tumble Life ...

An Easy Home Based Business For A Rough And Tumble Life An easy home based business can be just the career path for individuals seeking a rough and tumble, energetic life. An easy home based business comes in many forms and offers several benefits, but across the board facilitates a lifestyle of freedom and adventure [...]

The post An Easy Home Based Business For A Rough And Tumble Life appeared first on Free PLR.

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Source: http://eatinglinks.tk/2013/06/22/an-easy-home-based-business-for-a-rough-and-tumble-life/

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Wozniak on Jobs' Biopic: 'Young Steve Wasn't a Saint'

The first trailer of the upcoming Steve Jobs' biopic starring Ashton Kutcher is here. I asked Steve Wozniak, close friend of Steve Jobs and Apple co-founder about it. Here's what he said:

Read more...

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'A Hijacking' Review: Drama Counts the Cost of Somali Piracy

By Leah Rozen

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - This tense drama is an accomplished contemporary take on adventure at the high seas, but rather than Errol Flynn brandishing a sword and yelling, "Ahoy, matey!," "A Hijacking" follows what happens when Somali pirates take over a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean.

The Danish film is more of a psychological drama than an action-filled tale though the pirates all tote automatic weapons. What action there is mostly takes place on fax and telephone lines and in a conference room in Copenhagen as Peter Ludvigsen (Soren Malling), the CEO of the Danish shipping company that owns the boat, wrangles with Omar (Abdihakin Asgar), the negotiator for the Somali pirates, over how many millions the company will pay for the release of the ship's small crew.

These negotiations drag on for months. That a ransom will be paid is never in question: what's in dispute is how much, with the pirates and the shipping company far apart in agreeing on a figure at the start.

As numbers are tossed back and forth, the crew of the ship, the MZ Rozen (the writer of this review was neither prejudiced for, or against, the movie because of sharing the ship's moniker), find themselves pawns in a game over which they have absolutely no input or control. One of the film's primary characters, Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbaek), the ship's cook, struggles to maintain his psychological equilibrium and health as conditions aboard the ship deteriorate.

What the movie makes clear is that, even though the lives of the hostages are at stake, this is a business for both the Somali pirates and the companies that own the ships that are their targets. It's a complicated game of give and take that's all about dollars. There are rules in place, consultants to be hired, and a complicated etiquette that everyone follows when a ship is hijacked.

While taking an almost documentary-like approach to his material, director-writer Tobias Lindholm ("R") still manages to plumb the emotional depths of his major characters, the CEO and the cook. His biggest achievement, though, is managing to convey the concomitant tenseness and tedium of a prolonged hijacking for those on board the vessel.

If there's a flaw in "A Hijacking," it's that the Somali pirates are little more than stick figures. Other than Omar, who views himself as a mere negotiator for hire, the pirates mostly stand around with guns drawn, alternately threatening and joking with the hostages and complaining to Mikkel about his cooking.

If nothing else, "A Hijacking" serves as an accomplished appetizer before director Paul Greengrass' hijack drama, "Captain Phillips," arrives in October. That's the Hollywood studio film starring Tom Hanks about the real-life hijacking of an American ship in 2009 by Somali pirates.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hijacking-review-drama-counts-cost-somali-piracy-185224136.html

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One woman?s journey out of Hasidism

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

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Beagle-boxer-basset wins World's Ugliest Dog

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) ? A huge-headed, duck-footed mix of beagle, boxer and basset hound was the upset winner at the 25th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest.

Walle (WAHL-ee), a 4-year-old mutt from Chico, Calif., who was entered at the last minute, was judged Friday as the most unsightly of 30 dogs at the Northern California competition.

"This dog looked like he's been photo-shopped with pieces from various dogs and maybe a few other animals," judge Brian Sobel said.

Walle overcame the dominance in recent years by nearly hairless Chihuahuas, Chinese cresteds, or combinations of the two.

Owner Tammie Barbee got the dog when he was three months old.

"People come up to me and say that dog is not right," Barbee said, "but I love him."

Judges said they were especially impressed by Walle's bizarre waddle of a walk.

Walle wins $1,500 and will make several network TV appearances next week, including NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

The contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds gets worldwide attention, with media from around the world traveling to Petaluma, about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

Organizers say the dogs are judged for their "natural ugliness in both pedigree and mutt classes."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beagle-boxer-basset-wins-worlds-ugliest-dog-034143349.html

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Farm bill fails in House (cbsnews)

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Stocks extend slide as China heightens anxiety

Specialist John Urbanowicz works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Financial markets are sliding after the Federal Reserve said it could end its huge bond-buying program by the middle of next year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist John Urbanowicz works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Financial markets are sliding after the Federal Reserve said it could end its huge bond-buying program by the middle of next year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Mario Picone works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Financial markets are sliding after the Federal Reserve said it could end its huge bond-buying program by the middle of next year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist John O'Hara works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Financial markets are sliding after the Federal Reserve said it could end its huge bond-buying program by the middle of next year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Justin Flinn works in a booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Financial markets are sliding after the Federal Reserve said it could end its huge bond-buying program by the middle of next year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? For investors, there was no place to go on Thursday.

A day after the Federal Reserve roiled Wall Street when it said it could reduce its aggressive economic stimulus program later this year, financial markets around the world plunged. A slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and reports of a credit squeeze in the world's second-biggest economy heightened worries.

The global sell-off began in Asia and quickly spread to Europe and then the U.S., where the Dow Jones industrial average fell 353 points, wiping out six weeks of gains.

But the damage wasn't just in stocks. Bond prices fell, and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.42 percent, its highest level since August 2011, although still low by historical standards. Oil and gold also slid.

"People are worried about higher interest rates," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners. "Higher rates have the ability to cut across all sectors of the economy."

The question now is whether the markets' moves on Thursday were an overreaction or a sign of more volatility to come. What is becoming clearer is that traders and investors are looking for a new equilibrium after a period of ultra-low rates, due to the Fed's bond-buying, which helped spawn one of the great bull markets of all time.

It doesn't mean the stock run-up is over. After all, the S&P 500 is still up 11.4 percent for the year and 135 percent since a recession low in March 2009. But it may suggest the start of a new phase in which the fortunes of the stock market are tied more closely to the fundamentals of the economy.

And that might not be a bad thing. The reason the Fed is pulling back on the bond-buying is because its forecast for the economy is getting brighter.

The job market is improving, corporations are making record profits and the housing market is recovering.

"People are overreacting a little bit," said Gene Goldman, head of research at Cetera Financial Group. "It goes back to the fundamentals, the economy is improving."

The Dow's drop Thursday ? which knocked the average down 2.3 percent to 14,758.32 ? was its biggest since November 2011. It comes just three weeks after the blue-chip index reached an all-time high of 15,409. The index has lost 560 points in the past two days, wiping out its gains from May and June

The Standard & Poor's 500 lost 40.74 points, or 2.5 percent, to 1,588.19. It also reached a record high last month, peaking at 1,669. The Nasdaq composite fell 78.57 points, or 2.3 percent, to 3,364.63.

Small-company stocks fell more than the rest of the market Thursday, a sign that investors are aggressively reducing risk. The Russell 2000 index, which includes such stocks, slumped 25.98 points, or 2.6 percent, to 960.52. The index closed at a record high of 999.99 points Tuesday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.42 percent, from 2.35 percent Wednesday. The yield, which rises as the price of the note falls, surged 0.16 percentage point Wednesday after the Fed's comments. As recently as May 3, it was 1.63 percent.

A Fed policy statement and comments from Chairman Ben Bernanke started the selling in stocks and bonds Wednesday.

Bernanke said that the Fed expects to scale back its massive bond-buying program later this year and end it entirely by mid-2014 if the economy continues to improve.

The bank has been buying $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds, a program that has made borrowing cheap for consumers and business. It has also helped boost the stock market.

Alec Young, a global equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ, said investors weren't expecting Bernanke to say the program could end so quickly, and are adjusting their portfolios in anticipation of higher U.S. interest rates.

"What we're seeing is a pretty significant sea-change in investor strategy," Young said

For much of the year, the stock market rose with barely an interruption. The S&P 500 climbed for seven months straight from November 2012 through May. Investors, fearful of missing out on the rally, pounced on any dips and pushed markets to record highs. On Thursday, those opportunistic buyers were absent. Nobody wanted to stand in the way of the market's slide.

As investors sold stocks, they likely put the proceeds in cash "for fear the deterioration will continue," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial.

The sharp increase in bond yields prompted investors to sell homebuilders, whose business could be hurt if the pace of home buying slows down. Those stocks fell Thursday even though the National Association of Realtors said U.S. sales of previously occupied homes last month topped 5 million at an annual rate for the first time in 3 ? years.

PulteGroup plunged $1.89, or 9.1 percent, to $18.87. D.R. Horton fell $2.13, also 9.1 percent, to $21.31.

Markets were also unnerved after manufacturing in China slowed at a faster pace this month as demand weakened. That added to concerns about growth in the world's second-largest economy. A monthly purchasing managers index from HSBC fell to a nine-month low of 48.3 in June. Numbers below 50 indicate a contraction.

A big jump in the overnight lending rate in China also unsettled investors, said Brad Reynolds, a financial advisor at LJPR. The rate measures how much banks charge each other to borrow short-term money. The People's Bank of China was forced to pump about 50 billion yuan, about $8 billion, into the Chinese financial system to alleviate the squeeze, Bloomberg News reported.

Before trading began Thursday on Wall Street, Japan's Nikkei index lost 1.7 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 3 percent while Germany's DAX dropped 3.3 percent.

In currency trading, the dollar rose to 97.34 Japanese yen from 96.54 yen. The euro fell against the dollar, to $1.3197 from $1.3274.

Gold plunged, leading a rout in commodity prices. Gold dropped $87.80, or 6.4 percent, to $1,286.20 an ounce. Silver fell $1.80, or 8.3 percent, to $19.823 an ounce. Both are at their lowest since September 2010.

Traders dumped gold and silver as their appeal as insurance against inflation and a weak dollar faded. Both became less of an issue after the Fed said it was contemplating an end to its bond-buying program.

Oil was swept up in the sell-off. Crude oil had its biggest one-day price drop since November. U.S. benchmark oil for July delivery sank $2.84, or 2.9 percent, to finish at $95.40 a barrel in New York. Gasoline futures fell more than 3 percent.

Some investors said the sell-off in stocks may be overdone. The Fed is considering easing back on its stimulus because the economy is improving. The central bank has upgraded its outlook for unemployment and economic growth.

The S&P 500 is still up 11.3 percent, for the year, not far from its full-year increase of 13.4 percent last year.

Among other stocks making big moves:

? GameStop, a video game store chain that sells new and used games, rose $2.41, or 6.3 percent, to $40.94 after Microsoft backpedaled and said that there will be no limitations on sharing games on its upcoming Xbox One gaming console.

? Rite Aid fell 23 cents, or 7.4 percent, to $2.88 after the nation's third-largest drugstore chain lowered its forecast for 2014 earnings

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-20-Wall%20Street/id-6c8e7697e8714d518289876dd8b21ed1

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Obama nominating Comey as FBI director

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has chosen a former George W. Bush administration official best known for a dramatic hospital bedside standoff against a warrantless wiretapping program to head the FBI for the next decade.

White House officials are hoping that James Comey's bipartisan background and two decades of law enforcement experience will help him win Senate approval to replace outgoing FBI Director Robert Mueller. Mueller took over the agency the week before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and will have served longer than any director besides J. Edgar Hoover when he steps down Sept. 4.

Mueller transformed the agency into one the country's chief weapons against terrorism, leading Obama to ask him in 2011 to stay on two years beyond his initial 10-year term. The new director would take over as the agency grapples with a privacy debates surrounding a host of recently exposed investigative tactics, and the White House said Obama would announce Comey as the man for the job Friday afternoon in the Rose Garden.

Comey was a federal prosecutor who served for several years as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York before coming to Washington after 9/11 as deputy attorney general. In recent years he's been an executive at defense company Lockheed Martin, general counsel to hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, board member at HSBC Holdings and lecturer on national security law at Columbia Law School.

He has shown a willingness to take on battles over government surveillance in the age of terrorism ? an issue that remains prominent in current Washington debate. In a confrontation he has called the most difficult night of his career, he rushed to the hospital bedside of his boss, John Ashcroft, in 2004 to stop two senior Bush White House aides from getting the ailing attorney general's approval to reauthorize a post-9/11 program that allowed government wiretaps to be used without warrants.

Comey's defiance won him respect in Washington, and Republicans have said they see no major obstacles to his confirmation. But he is certain to face tough questions about his recent hedge fund work and his ties to Wall Street as well as how he would handle current, high-profile FBI investigations.

The FBI is responsible for both intelligence and law enforcement, with more than 36,000 employees. It has faced questions in recent weeks over media leak probes involving The Associated Press and Fox News; the Boston Marathon bombings; the attack at Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans; and two vast government surveillance programs into phone records and online communications.

The leaker of those National Security Agency programs, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, also is the subject of a criminal investigation. And just this week, Mueller revealed the FBI uses drones for surveillance of stationary subjects and said the privacy implications of such operations are worthy of debate.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which doesn't take positions on nominees, is raising questions about Comey's record on national security. ACLU senior policy counsel Mike German said while Comey stood up to some surveillance, he eventually approved the NSA program, along with interrogation techniques that included waterboarding, as well as defended the indefinite detention of Jose Padilla, an American terrorism suspect.

"We want to make sure whoever sits in that chair has a determined interest in protecting the rule of law, particularly since they will be there 10 years, outlasting this president and potentially the next president," German said.

But the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee that will oversee Comey's confirmation hearing expressed support for his nomination. Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called for senators to give Comey "the swift and respectful confirmation he deserves."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Comey's experience on national security would benefit the FBI. Grassley also said he wanted to question Comey on his work in the hedge fund industry and on the Obama administration's efforts to prosecute Wall Street for its role in the economic downturn.

In dramatic testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007, Comey said he thought the no-warrant wiretapping program was so questionable that he refused to reauthorize it while serving as acting attorney general during Ashcroft's hospitalization. Comey said when he learned that the White House chief of staff and counsel were heading to Ashcroft's room despite his wife's instructions that there be no visitors, Comey beat them there and watched as Ashcroft turned them away.

"That night was probably the most difficult night of my professional life," Comey testified. He said he and Ashcroft had reservations about the program's legality, but he would not discuss details since the program was classified.

Comey was deputy attorney general in 2005 when he unsuccessfully tried to limit tough interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists. He told then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that some of the practices were wrong and would damage the department's reputation.

As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Comey headed one of the nation's most prominent prosecutorial offices and one at the front lines in the fight against terrorism, corporate malfeasance, organized crime and the war on drugs.

As an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia, Comey handled the investigation of the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 U.S. military personnel.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nominating-comey-fbi-director-081049082.html

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Barry O'Farrell's bid to ban a rash of 'legal' drugs | thetelegraph.com.au

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Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/barry-ofarrells-bid-to-ban-a-rash-of-legal-drugs/story-fni0cx12-1226655093369

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