Sudanese police block protest at human rights commission

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese security forces on Sunday blocked activists trying to deliver a petition criticizing the government to the country's human rights commission, drawing a rare rebuke from the state-appointed body.

Sudan has avoided mass "Arab Spring" protests that unseated rulers in Egypt and Tunisia, but President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who seized power in 1989, has faced dissent over a severe economic crisis and corruption.

Before the activists arrived, police and plain clothed security agents, some armed with batons, pulled up in cars and spread out at the front gate to bar entry to the commission, witnesses said.

"Plain clothed agents beat several activists trying to submit their petition and also journalists covering the protest," a witness told Reuters. Policemen also grabbed placards held up by the protesters.

Around 40 human rights activists had called for the protest at the Human Rights Commission in Khartoum to criticize the government for what they called obstruction of the work of civil society.

Staff at the commission, whose head was appointed by Bashir, came out of the building to ask police to let the activists deliver their letter, but police refused.

The commission, which rarely criticizes the government, condemned the breakup as an "attack" on the commission.

"The commission rejects this behavior. It is a clear violation of the constitution...and the law regulating the Human Rights Commission," it said in a statement.

"This will be also considered as attack on the inviolability of the commission and its immunity."

The security forces were not immediately available to comment.

Sudanese police fired teargas on university students in early December after four days of protests which followed the death of four students from Darfur.

The demonstrations were the most sustained to hit Sudan after a wave of protests against government austerity measures in June.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudanese-police-block-protest-human-rights-commission-175808825.html

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The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, 2012: The Winners ...

And here they are: the results of the fifth annual Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate! Who won what in this year?s competition? You?ll find the answers below.

This announcement caps an almost month-long process that began with calls for nominations in 7 separate award categories. Official ballots were assembled from reader nominations. Then voting was opened up ? to everyone.

Winners of the 2012 Swampies: We salute you for your unique contributions to this city. It takes something special to stand out in Houston?s real estate landscape. On Swamplot, Houston real-estate fans have noticed you!

Big thanks are due the many Swamplot readers who took time to nominate, evaluate, vote, and comment on competitors in each category. It?s your judgments, your descriptions, and your observations that are featured below. Does this honor roll of award winners ? along with the list of runners up ? provide a good snapshot of the year in Houston real estate? All were determined by reader votes. Let us know what you think!

The winners of the 2012 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate are . . .

* * *

1. Favorite Houston Design Clich?. Award winner: Humping Bungalows, aka Humper Houses.

The nomination: ?They look like a McMansion or awkwardly proportioned 2-story bungalow went into heat and decided to mount an old bungalow from behind. Many preservationists consider this sort of ?back door? addition a way to ?save? an old house by, uh . . . pumping new life into it. City design guidelines for historic districts actually encourage this renovation strategy, though they refer to it more gently as a ?camelback? addition. Whatever you call it, the resulting indignity is usually difficult to ignore ? though it?s often not entirely obvious who?s getting screwed.?

• From Carrie: ?Silly looking on the outside, awkward on the inside.?
• From bigintexas33: ?How else can you have a 1910 bungalow with 90% new construction??
• From RobertInHeights: ?The Humping Bungalow is a uniquely Houston design atrocity.?
• From heyzeus: ?Humping bungalows are happening here in Austin too, perhaps even moreso because of the ?McMansion Ordinance? that prevents almost any other kind of expansion.?
• From Roy: ?The humper is just the latest form and revival of the camelback shotgun, it is just being done to bungalows now. My grandmother was living in one during the Mississippi flood of 1927, so it is an old solution.?
• From ex-Park Memorial: ?It takes a good architect to make one work. Sadly, good architects are not being hired very often.?
• From Spencer Howard: ?I refuse to design these. I always tell my clients they should just buy a different house in a different neighborhood because they obviously don?t like bungalows or historic districts.?
• From chris: ?I think the humper houses are pretty awkward looking, but it is better than tearing the old house down and building town houses.?
• From Annie: ?We are proud to have built the Heights? only non-humping addition to a bungalow in 2012.?

Runner-up: The Sago Palm. Other nominees in this category: ?Urban-Style? Neighborhoods in Far-Flung Communities, Gentle Arc Roofs, the Mixed Glass and Concrete Gridded Look for Highrise Office Buildings, Whitewashed and Partly Whitewashed Brick, Knock Out Roses.

2. Best Demolition. Award winner: Park Memorial Condominiums, 5292 Memorial Dr., Rice Military.

The nomination: ?The demise of this garden-style condo complex already qualified as a slow-motion real-estate disaster long before the body was discovered. Yes, this was the compound at Memorial and Detering that city officials, fearful of imminent structural collapse, ordered shut down more than 4 years ago. Locked out of their homes, many residents were forced to sell their units at a significant loss, go bankrupt, or both; others took the city to court over the hasty eviction order. A few residents fought plans to sell the property. Earlier this year, JLB Partners finally managed to carry out a purchase agreement with as many as 108 separate property owners. The developers plan to build a new 5- and 6-story apartment complex on the property, more than tripling the density of the 4.85 acres. By the time demolition crews moved onto the scene this past summer, though, it seemed as if the site?s problems were ancient history. And indeed they now seem to be: Skeletal remains discovered under a removed foundation ? which authorities at first thought might be signs of 1980s-era foul play ? have since been identified as remnants of a somehow-forgotten African-American cemetery that once stood there.?

• From Old School: ?The only building nominated that actually had to be torn down.?
• From Lost_in_Translation: ?So much suffering finally put out of its misery.?
• From NorhillJoe: ?Emergency evictions and skeletal remains. No place but Houston.?

Runner-up: 3640 Willowick Rd., River Oaks. Other nominees in this category: Former Home of the MuffinMan, East Montrose; Houston Main Building (former Prudential Tower), Texas Medical Center; Ben Milam Hotel, Downtown; 77018; Katy Prairie Animal and Plant Habitat.

3. The Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Traffic. Award winner: Private Traffic Cops.

The nomination: ?Throughout the Galleria at rush hour, off-duty cops hired by office buildings stop traffic so people can pull out of lots and garages, causing huge backups through multiple intersections on the main roads. Why is this even allowed??

• From matx: ?It?s an overused privilege and disrupts traffic patterns.?
• From Al: ?A problem all over town.?
• From #328: ?I find it odd how the needs of the few individuals in their cars trying to exit a parking garage should impede the needs of the many other individuals already on the streets.?
• From kbates2: ?There are a couple of cops downtown that will tell pedestrians to stop walking as well as stop 200 cars from driving to let the one person come out the second that they pull up.?
• From Golyadkin: ?. . . when you are actually trying to pull out, they get VERY angry with you if you don?t pull out incredibly quickly and into the exact lane they want you in.?
• From bigintexas33: ?Depends mostly on the cop directing traffic. When directed properly, flow isn?t impeded as much. And apparently none of the complainers have ever been on the beneficial side of this ? in some instances without the cops people would never get out of their garages. Not to mention the dangers of pedestrians crossing in front of blind exits, etc. Definitely abused in some places, but on the whole is a necessary service.?

Runners-up: The West Alabama St. Reversible Center Lane and Feeder Road Construction Along I-10 between Washington and Taylor. Other nominees in this category: The Yale St. Bridge, Ashby Highrise Bissonnet Park-In, Free Tuesdays at the Houston Zoo, Low Speed Limits in Unincorporated Harris and Northern Brazoria Counties, HOT Lanes, Ella Blvd. between 43rd St. and Loop 610.

4. The ?It?s Alive!? Award. Award winner: 1624 Holman Apartments, 1624 and 1630 Holman St. and 3508 Mosley Ct., Midtown.

The nomination: ?We thought for sure this place would be a goner. A few months ago new owners took over and it?s been completely different. We haven?t seen any of the drug dealers or prostitutes we?d see daily before. No more condom wrappers and needles in the street. My wife literally cried with joy at the improvements; we no longer feel we have to move. No, it?s not much different looking from the street, and there?s still plenty of work to do. In the common area of one of the buildings, most of the interior windows were boarded up; there was busted drywall and hand drawn ?NO SLEEPING IN THE HALLWAY? signs. But that?s all been fixed. It?s now clean and painted, with new hall windows and doors. This complex was for sure bound for the wrecking ball or at least to be boarded up. Now it?s becoming quite a nice place.?

• From Cody: ?It was knocking on death?s door. The city would have loved it blown up. It?s old and ugly in a ?hot? area of town. It had all the markings of something about to be toast.?
• From coconutbutter: ?This is a building that had ?tear me down? and ?put me out of my misery? written all over it. Instead of destroying it and putting up a bunch of townhomes (or whatever is the trend du jour), the new owners began restoring it while bringing in/attracting stable tenants. . . . For a property that looked like it was condemned to die, it certainly got a well-deserved second chance!?
• From Superdave: ?It exemplifies taking the high road in real estate . . . saving a building that still has residual value, giving it a noble purpose, and most importantly . . . keeping townhomes at bay.?
• From Robert Boyd: ?It demonstrates that when a owner or manager of a property decides not to to be a slumlord, it can make a huge difference.?

Runner-up: Penguin Arms Apartments, Upper Kirby. Other nominees in this category: The University Line; I-45 Expansion; Repurposed Commercial Buildings in the Greater Heights Area; Lucky Burger, Montrose; AIG, America Tower, North Montrose; the Astrodome; Crooms Cemetery, under Park Memorial Condominiums, Rice Military.

5. Most Overlooked Neighborhood. Award winner: Sharpstown Country Club Terrace.

The nomination: ?It?s only a matter of time before the location, lot sizes, availability of good private schools, and affordability get noticed. For now, though, the Sharpstown stigma helps keep it under wraps.?

• From Diane: ?One of the least-expensive neighborhoods close in. Well-built homes, lots of people moving in and renovating. Plenty of new commercial/institutional investment into the area, as well. St. Agnes Athletic Complex, new Neff Elementary, new St. Francis de Sales Church, etc., as well as more building to come (HBU, Sharpstown International, etc.). Great restaurants of every cuisine ? various Asian, Mexican, Indian, American, etc. within walking distance.?
• From ZAW: ?Sharpstown County Club Terrace offers larger, somewhat newer houses than Sharpstown ? and it?s amazingly close to everything. The single-family areas of Sharpstown are very safe; the Sharpstown Stigma is almost entirely due to the multifamily and commercial areas around it; not the neighborhood itself.?
• From Michal Woods: ?Sharpstown in general has made many improvements these past few years; I think it?s time people take notice to these changes.?
• From Skarner: ?Great location and very under-rated value wise, and that abundance of luscious Latinas is a perk.?
• From jose: ?I LOOOVVVVE the food in the area and the neighborhood itself seems to be picking up. Apartments are bad but the worst ones are being demolished. The complex next to Sharpstown high school was destroyed thankfully because it was a crime hot spot; I?m wondering what they will do with the land.?
• From Amy: ?The lot sizes are large, great neighbors, and the crime is low (you can leave your garage door open at night and nothing will be missing in the morning). I love that long term residents still reside here as well as a mix of families . . . the houses and yards are well kept. The apartments are a whole nother story . . . but Rome wasn?t built in one day!?
• From Well?: ?The solution to the neighborhood being overlooked is probably not voting here, but getting rid of the dicey apartments that engulf it ? or perhaps even working with the owners to clean them up.?

Runner-up: Sharpstown. Other nominees in this category: Park Place; Willowbend, Willowbrook, and Post Oak Manor; Afton Village; Acres Homes; Mangum Manor; Shepherd Park Terrace; Westbury; Spring Shadows; Museum Park.

6. Neighborhood of the Year. Award winner: Meadowcreek Village.

The nomination: ?A beautiful neighborhood with an active civic club and park director. Huge wooded lots, with the majority of them backing up to Berry Creek or a natural gully. Right outside the 610 Loop, close to everything but far enough away to have the kind of lot space that?s usually unheard of so close to town. Plenty of midcentury Mods here ? one of which was recently featured in the Houston Architectural Guide. Reasonable home prices; home to some elected officials, journalists, and young professionals. A true gem!?

• From ECP: ?Kids leave their bikes in the middle of the street & neighbors walk them back over to the owners. The civic club is active and has a good relationship with HPD. The lots are spacious and so are the houses. The neighborhood enjoys a great nature life as well ? blue herons, fresh water otters, turtles, ducks, fish and lots of mature pine, oak, weeping willow, pecan, lemon & orange trees. Its location is perfect ? just outside the loop makes for great house prices & great driving distance to downtown, Reliant Park or NASA!?
• From Philip Misner: ?Still ?undiscovered? country living in the city! Quiet, beautiful, clean community of family, churches & schools with all the city conveniences ? 24 hours a day, surrounding but not invading the neighborhood. Hope this doesn?t send us a rush of ?yuppies? (remember them?) but that?s what is really cool, everybody is welcome & lives here, very culturally diverse, and ALL wonderful friendly neighbors . . .?
• From Jan Forrester: ?My dad and grandfather built our home in the original 5 street Meadowcreek Village neighborhood in 1955-56. I even remember the evening we ?officially? moved in. My parents moved out of our home last year, the last of the original families to leave. 2 months later I moved back in. It has taken a bit of getting used to living outside of the Loop after all these years but I don?t regret the decision at all. I really love being ?back home?!?
• From Susan & Larry Fox: ?More than 30 years ago Meadow Creek Village was the only neighborhood we looked into, and we are still here! The big trees snuggle us into our homes. The Gold Crested Herons make their nests 40 feet above in the pines. These birds are our symbol, part of our identity.?
• From Ken Reed: ?We?ve lived in Meadowcreek Village 53 years. It has held up well, and we expect to remain here the rest of our lives . . . in peace and happiness. If we won the lotto, we?d stay put.?
• From robert: ?That place is one huge cancer zone, you could never pay me to live that close to all those refineries.?
• From W.R.S.: ?On the bayou are many water fowl, all types of wildlife, we even have an eagle at times, the neighbors are tops, and it is a clean & a quiet neighborhood. I would not want to live any other place.?
• From Diane Barber: ?The East Side is where it?s at, baby.?

Runner-up: The Greater Heights. Other nominees in this category: Alden Place, Old Sixth Ward Historic District, Montrose, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Piney Point Village, Springwoods Village, Braeswood Place, Knollwood Village and South Braeswood.

7. Greatest Moment in Houston Real Estate. Award winner: Voters Approve Funding for the Bayou Greenways Initiative, November 6th.

The nomination: ?The Bayou Greenways program will turn stormwater detention projects along the city?s bayous into parks, with continuous trails for running and cycling running along both sides. The new park space and improved drainage and infrastructure included in the plan could attract major new development to areas that have been neglected for decades, and help large sections of the city avoid flooding problems as well. The election victory gave voter approval for $100 million in bonds dedicated to bayou work, but an additional $105 million will need to be raised from private, state, and federal sources to complete the improvements.?

• From Matt: ?Transforming the unsightly bayou into a true city treasure will have a lasting benefit for decades to come.?
• From joel: ?The market will come and go with the oil money, but the parks and trails should outlast everything else on this list . . . or at least they should.?

Runner-up: Houston?s Real Estate Market Marks Its Comeback. Other nominees in this category: Construction Finally Begins on Regent Square?, KBR Sells Its Former Fifth Ward Campus, Grand Parkway Contractors Agree To Rebury Their Ancestors in Concrete, 806 Main St. Comes Out of Its Shell, Asia Society Texas Center Opens.

Congratulations to all who participated in this year?s awards!

Images: HAR (1615 Columbia St., Park Memorial Condominiums; 7711 Lacy Hill Dr.; 2042 Forest Oaks Dr.); David Hille (Park Memorial demo); Michael Cot? (Galleria traffic [license]); Mary Benton (officer); Candace Garcia (1624 Holman); Houston Parks Board.

Source: http://swamplot.com/the-swamplot-awards-for-houston-real-estate-2012-the-winners/2012-12-28/

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Coach cleared of child porn wants files sealed

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) ? Minnesota State University, Mankato, head football coach Todd Hoffner, who was cleared of child pornography charges last month that stemmed from videos found on his cellphone of his naked children clowning around after a bath, is suing to keep the police investigative reports sealed.

Hoffner has been taken off administrative leave, but he hasn't been reinstated as head coach and is facing a 20-day, unpaid school suspension in January for unspecified reasons. He sued the state and Blue Earth County earlier this month in an effort to keep the police reports private, after a Twin Cities television station asked to see them. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order that would keep anyone from disseminating the investigative file.

District Court Judge Krista Jass ruled last week that the reports will remain private until they can be reviewed, the Mankato Free Press reported (http://bit.ly/ZFYA0c ),

Jass ordered prosecutors to gather all investigative reports and turn them over to Hoffner's attorney, Jim Fleming. He'll be allowed to file a sealed list of information that he believes should be kept from the public. After receiving Fleming's list, Jass will decide what should remain sealed.

Fleming said in a court affidavit that releasing the information would harm Hoffner.

"Plaintiff Mr. Hoffner has an ongoing investigation relative to his employment as a head football coach at (MSU)," Fleming's affidavit said. "Release of private non-public data could irreparably harm (Hoffner) with respect to that investigation that a civil lawsuit for damages would not fully compensate."

Hoffner was charged with child porn possession in August after school officials found videos of his naked children on his work-issued cellphone, which he had turned in to be repaired. Jass dismissed the criminal charges last month after concluding that the short videos of his children acting silly after a bath were not child porn and showed nothing illegal.

Last week, the university said it was suspending Hoffner without pay for 20 days starting Jan. 7. In its announcement, the university didn't say why it was suspending Hoffner, and school officials have declined to specify the reason.

An attorney for the union representing Hoffner has said the suspension is being challenged. The university also said last week it is still investigating a complaint against Hoffner.

Fleming told the newspaper that he wants the information sealed to protect Hoffner's privacy. Investigators went through computer files and took pictures of items in his house.

"We're not hiding anything from anybody," Fleming said.

___

Information from: The Free Press, http://www.mankatofreepress.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/coach-cleared-child-porn-wants-files-sealed-175214868--spt.html

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Fiscal cliff? Here are ways to cushion your fall.

Higher taxes and federal spending cuts would begin to hit all Americans Jan. 1. Here are ways to cope with the 'fiscal cliff.'

By Christianna McCausland,?Correspondent / December 27, 2012

Hundreds of veterans and military spouses meet with prospective employers at the Hiring Our Heroes DC job fair at Nationals Park earlier this month in Washington. Failure of 'fiscal cliff' talks would lead to mandatory budget cuts and cun employment by some 2.1 million jobs, according to one estimate. Hardest hit would be Maryland and Virginia, with large concentrations of federal workers and those who work for contractors to the US government.

Larry French/AP/File

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The "fiscal cliff" ? that perfect storm of mandatory budget cuts, expiring tax cuts, and new taxes ? looms with all the finality of a New Year's countdown clock.

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Unless Congress acts by Jan. 1, $600 billion to $800 billion would be cut from the federal deficit. Such a cut ? about 20 percent of federal spending ? dwarfs any reduction since 1947, when the United States was winding down wartime spending. Even if Congress reaches a compromise, Americans are sure to feel the pinch at some point.

"The drain of this money from the private economy may mean a serious economic slowdown, as if the economy ran into a wall," says Mark Waldman, a financial adviser in Vienna, Va., and executive in residence at American University.

Here are three ways to mitigate the effects of going off the cliff:

1. Taxes: The fiscal cliff comprises several tax changes, including the expiration of Bush-era and payroll tax cuts, and the introduction of new taxes to pay for Obamacare. That would amount to more than a $500 billion tax increase, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Will Congress ring in 2013 by dunning each household an average of nearly $3,500?

If taxes are likely to go up next year, it makes sense to take as many tax breaks as you can and pay as much tax on income this year as you can. Of course, there's bound to be plenty of uncertainty over which taxes will go up. That means market volatility, says?Peter Hayes, managing director and head of BlackRock's municipal bond group in Princeton, N.J. "Take advantage of any overselling or overbuying that occurs."

Mr. Waldman is less optimistic. "Anyone who's not scared doesn't understand the problem," he says. He recommends short- to intermediate-term bonds, so a sudden rise in interest rates wouldn't hit so hard, he says. "In stocks, the safest place to be is in world-leading, dividend-increasing companies, large multinational firms that not only [pay] dividends every year but increase them."

Households should cut expenses, he adds. Set aside a rainy day fund if you don't have one yet.

2. Employment: Mandatory budget cuts would cut equally into defense and nondefense jobs. A George Mason University report estimated that the cuts would trim the nation's gross domestic product by $215 billion and cost 2.14 million jobs.

"We're already seeing a reduction in hiring, an increase in layoffs, and a cautiousness across the federal contracting community," says Jenessa Hoffman, president of Potomac Recruiting in Arlington, Va. With so many federal contractors, Maryland and Virginia have the most to lose, but spending cuts would hit nationwide.

Many jobs could be at stake, so update your r?sum?. "You never know when you're going to meet someone who provides an opportunity, and you don't want to spend a weekend pulling your r?sum? together," says Ms. Hoffman. Participate on social networking sites to boost visibility. Consider job havens like IT and health care.

3. Health care: If the 2 percent cut in Medicare goes through, 496,000 jobs would be lost in the first year, says a report by the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Hospital Association, and the American Nurses Association. That hits communities as well as facilities.

There are access concerns, too: "Medicare payments to physicians have been frozen for the last 10 years while practice costs have gone up," says Jeremy Lazarus, AMA president. "This kind of cut could impact physician decisionmaking about seeing new Medicare patients."

Strategies to avoid Medicare cuts are limited. Mr. Lazarus suggests that the public put pressure on Congress to repeal the cuts and eliminate the current formula that would lower Medicare payments an additional 27 percent. Others suggest a wholesale reform of the Medicare system.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/hpfM8F1KG9g/Fiscal-cliff-Here-are-ways-to-cushion-your-fall

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Do You Make New Year's Resolutions?

Walter Glenn

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If there's one habit we're really good at keeping, it's making New Year's Resolutions?and then breaking them a week later. What about you? Do you make resolutions for the new year?

We've talked about the science behind New Year's resolutions and how it can help you achieve your goals. We've also shown you several ways to better your chances of making successful resolutions, including giving them a 30-day trial, outsourcing them to make them stick, and using a three-step approach to ensure success.

But now, we'd like to know:

Photo by cristovao (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/orEtuNNUy8Y/do-you-make-new-years-resolutions

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Helen Hall Ramaglia, Author, Foster/Adopt Mother, Foster Care Alumni

Helen Hall Ramaglia?is an author, Foster/Adoptive Mother, Speaker and Advocate for kids in foster care.? She is Founder and Executive Director of Fostering SuperStars, a nonprofit organization designed to enrich the lives of children placed in foster care by serving as a primary connector to organizations, partnerships and providers to meet many of their needs that would normally go unmet.??Fostering SuperStars matches each child with a mentor/advocate, enrolls each child in life skills camp, and ensures that each child receives a seasonal wardrobe twice a year.? Fostering SuperStars will also connect each child who desires it with an organization that provides horseback riding/therapy.

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Helen says that we must fully understand the heart and life of a foster child before we can effectively foster, adopt or work with this vulnerable population of extraordinary children.? She shared her story with The Teen Toolbox blog readers to help America walk in the shoes of a child who has experienced physical, mental and emotional abuse, was removed from everything they had known, was provided shelter from the State and strangers, and thrust into adulthood totally unprepared.

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Helen?s early years were filled with violence, trauma, and loss. Helen was thrust into foster care at the age of eleven.? Although she had suffered significant abuse from her father and believes that being placed in foster care literally saved her from death at the hands of her father, Helen was re-traumatized by the separation from everything she had known and the uncertainty of what to expect.? She never had a chance to say goodbye to anyone and no one explained the foster care system to her nor informed her what would become her home.? Helen was even placed in several juvenile detention centers before being placed in a long-term foster home.

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Helen was placed in a safe family but still had many unmet needs.? She never learned about personal hygiene and grooming from her foster mother and never received counseling services while in care.? During her teenage years Helen stopped talking as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder.? Her foster parents did not realize the effects of the trauma she had experienced and reacted negatively to many things Helen said or did.? When Helen advocated for herself she was labeled as having a ?smart mouth?.? Because of this experience, Helen warns us that well-meaning foster parents who provide a home free from violence can still ?add insult to injury? for the children in their care thus all foster parents should be trained in positive parenting techniques.

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In 1976, Helen became the first foster child to leave the United States and live in another country.? Without warning or explanation, Helen woke up one morning to find that her sister had been taken from Europe and returned to the US.? No one ever came looking for her.? She was invisible to a system that did not remain in contact with her to ensure her safety and stability.? Helen graduated high school at age 16 and received no guidance or support regarding higher education from her foster family.? At age 17 she returned to the US but to a different state from where she departed.? Low self-esteem and little valuable communication skills led Helen to sleeping pills.? With few options, Helen was married and soon became pregnant because she had never learned about birth control.? There was also a time in her young adult life that she experienced homelessness.

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Helen had never been taught how to make good decisions but for the first time in her life she was ready to set goals and follow a plan to reach them.? She was 35 and decided to write a book.? Prior to this awakening, every day in her life was about sheer survival.? She lacked basic interpersonal dynamics and knowledge of social norms. She was jittery and nervous and felt that her words had no meaning.? The book was a catalyst for Helen to do something with her life and an avenue to ?become whole?.? She began to watch influential people and read about their personal journeys.? Helen also got the courage to reach out to people and connect as a way of filling personal gaps in her life.?

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Helen?s book?From Foster To Fabulous ? One Little Girl?s Journey Through Abuse, Foster Care, Aging Out and Life Beyond helps us all understand the emotional baggage that weighs many children in foster care down.? Her faith in God got her through many terrible ordeals and she believes that all children can find it in themselves to overcome obstacles with guidance and support.?

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When asked what we can do to better support teen girls in foster care, Helen replied that every girl should be connected with lifetime mentorship.? A person (not an authority figure) who will not leave them when they age out but stick with them, teach them about life, and connect them with needed resources.? She also believes that we should do a better job of training foster parents and holding schools and workers accountable to ensure that children are safe and thriving.? Helen also wishes that every child in foster care could have a stand in family during the holidays which can be very challenging for many young people.

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Helen truly found her voice at age 45. She and her husband became foster parents to a special needs sibling group of two toddlers and an infant who had been in seven prior placements.? She began to fight for them and has never looked back.? The Ramaglia family has adopted the toddlers who are now thriving 6 and 7 year olds.? Helen and her husband are also the parents of two biological children.? Helen is a 2012 Angel in Adoption Award winner, a Points of Light award winner, and trainer.? ?She is using her voice to advocate for changes for all children in foster care.? ?

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As we wrap up our 6^th Annual?Pack A Purse Drive? in December 2012, we will use the Teen Toolbox blog as a platform to spread inspiration and hope by highlighting the triumphs of successful women foster care alumni.

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Nicki Sanders, MSW, Chief Visionary Officer

The Teen Toolbox provides youth portfolio development and civic engagement and academic empowerment strategies to help teens set goals for life after high school and create a road map to reach those goals through its PACKAGED FOR SUCCESS? Programs.? We are committed to supporting and raising awareness about the needs and potential of teenagers in the foster care system.

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Tags: aging out, foster care, foster care alumni, Pack A Purse, Packaged For Sucess, youth empowerment

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Posted in Child Welfare Worker Toolbox Foster Care Alumni Foster Parent Toolbox Foster Youth Toolbox Packaged For Success? by Nicki Sanders

Source: http://theteentoolbox.com/helen-hall-ramaglia-author-fosteradopt-mother-foster-care-alumni/

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Diet and lifestyle Tips to get Younger Skin | Health and Fitness Tips ...

8 to 10 portions of water each day might seem like a great deal but our physiques actually need much water to remain healthy inside and outside. This helps within the removal of wastes and harmful toxins in the skin. Moisturize The Skin. The sun?s rays is the skin?s worst enemy. Whenever you sunburn the skin you damage cells.

The skin may be the primary organ within your body and mirrors your way of life. Skin safeguards us in the extremes in our atmosphere and from contaminants in mid-air around us. It reflects your food intake, drink or do. Keeps the skin searching fresh by finding the way your lifestyle and skin-care habits shape the skin every day? Stay well hydrated. Consuming lots of water does indeed help the skin become more healthy and fewer prone to facial lines.

When skin cells are broken, the skin must produce new cells to exchange them which process weakens the skin each time it?s repeated. The skin are affected from impulsive aging if you do not safeguard if from Ultra violet sun rays and repeated sunburns. Although Ultra violet sun rays cause the skin to glance older than however they may also cause cancer of the skin. The only method to fully defend the skin is by using a sun screen lotion cream each day. You?ll find daily skin lotions with Ultra violet protection in addition to foundation makeup with SPF?s as much as 15. Put on a hat or visor to safeguard the face in the sun. Clothing alone won?t safeguard the skin from Ultra violet sun rays. Smoking may also cause the skin to appear pale or gray colored. Giving up smoking will get a lean body and the look of the skin greatly.

Skin wants lots of oxygen to remain healthy and just what better technique to get added oxygen rather than exercise. Do regular cardio and plug your lung area track of just as much oxygen as possible inhale in. Working out keeps the skin well developed as well as your body who is fit. Whenever your is who is fit it is best outfitted to help keep its organs healthy. Exfoliated skin is good skin. You need to exfoliate the dead cells out of your skin on the normal basis to maintain your skin searching good. If you do not exfoliate the skin it will likely be less in a position to take advantage of the creams and skin lotions are applying into it. Rubbing ocean salt on the skin with a little water is a superb method to exfoliate. Utilizing a moisturizer in it every single day can help the skin stay elastic and healthy searching.

A moisturizer in it ought to be used all around the body every time you bathe or shower. Body oil put on faintly wet skin following a shower will aid seal in moisture and the skin from becoming dry. Use a moisturizer in it in your face each morning and during the night. Ascorbic Acid creams can offers brilliant wrinkle control plus they could also aid liver spots to fade. An item which consists of alpha hydroxy chemicals could be good at keeping the skin more youthful searching too. For good proper care of the skin internally it provides you with plenty of many years of protection without causing you to look over the age of your years.

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Tags: diet tips to get younger skin, lifestyle Tips, Younger Skin
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 and is filed under Health Tips, Skin Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.hhtip.com/diet-and-lifestyle-tips-to-get-younger-skin/

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SPOILER ALERT: Twist awaits US fans of 'Downton'

NEW YORK (AP) ? British fans of "Downton Abbey" are feeling blue after Tuesday's conclusion of Season 3, even as the U.S. audience eagerly anticipates this third cycle on PBS' "Masterpiece" beginning Jan. 6.

(ANY "ABBEY" DEVOTEES WHO PREFER NOT TO LEARN WHAT AWAITS THEM ARE URGED TO STOP READING RIGHT NOW.)

___

One of the stars of this wildly popular British costume drama is leaving the series after its third season. Dan Stevens had opted not to continue beyond his initial commitment, the British network ITV confirmed Wednesday.

His character, Matthew Crawley, has been written out with what ITV called an "untimely and tragic death" in the season finale. That episode will air in the U.S. in February.

Michelle Dockery will be returning in Season 4 as Matthew's soon-to-be widow, Lady Mary.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-26-TV-Downton%20Abbey/id-9ab3967fd312475bbd4ba34c5abd30b0

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Russian parliament endorses anti-US adoption bill

MOSCOW (AP) ? The upper chamber of Russia's parliament on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of a measure banning Americans from adopting Russian children. It now goes to President Vladimir Putin to sign or turn down.

All 143 members of the Federation Council present voted to support the bill, which has sparked criticism from both the United States and from Russian activists who say it victimizes children by depriving them of the chance to escape often-dismal orphanages.

The bill is one part of a larger measure by angry lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Putin hasn't committed to signing the bill, but has referred to it as a legitimate response to the new U.S. law.

Some top government officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against it, arguing the measure would be in violation of Russia's constitution and international obligations.

But Senator Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, referred to the bill as "a natural and a long overdue response" to the U.S. legislation.

"Children must be placed in Russian families, and this is a cornerstone issue for us," he said.

Several people with posters protesting the bill were detained outside the Council before the vote. "Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read.

There are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia, according to UNICEF. More than 60,000 Russian children have been adopted in the United States in the past 20 years.

The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.

Russian children rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were about to be adopted by U.S. citizens would stay in Russia if the bill is adopted ? despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.

The ombudsman supported the bill, saying that foreign adoptions discourage Russians from adopting children.

"A foreigner who has paid for an adoption always gets a priority compared to potential Russian adoptive parents," Astakhov said. "A great country like Russia cannot sell its children."

The Russian law allows foreign adoptions only if a Russian family has not expressed interest a child in question.

Margelov said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to notify of a halt in adoptions 12 months in advance.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the president would consider the bill within the next two weeks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-endorses-anti-us-adoption-bill-110523337.html

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Rondo leads Celtics past Nets 93-76

Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) and Brooklyn Nets forward-center Andray Blatche (0) battle for the ball in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) and Brooklyn Nets forward-center Andray Blatche (0) battle for the ball in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) shoots over Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Evans (30) in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams (8)shoots over Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) and Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Evans (30) scramble after a rebound in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Rajon Rondo lost his cool, and any chance at history, in the second quarter when Boston last met Brooklyn.

This time, the second period featured some of the best basketball the Celtics have played this season.

Rondo scored 19 points in his first full game against the Nets this season, and the Celtics won 93-76 on Tuesday in another game with some heated moments between the division rivals.

Rondo, sidelined in the first meeting and thrown out of the second after shoving Nets forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats, outplayed counterpart Deron Williams and helped the Celtics take control early.

"We moved the ball; we rebounded the ball," Rondo said. "They beat us pretty bad on the glass, so tonight we did an exceptional job on the glass, taking care of the defensive rebounds, and we got stops."

A month after the teams scuffled in Boston, there was another skirmish in the fourth quarter that resulted in four technical fouls. But that was the most fight the Nets put up in a disappointing performance on the national stage of the Christmas opener. They were never in the game after the first 20 minutes, and their fans headed to the exits with under 2 minutes left as a "Let's go Celtics!" chant broke out.

"It was a big game for us. It was a division rival. We were ready for a big game. It just didn't happen," Williams said.

Rookie Jared Sullinger tied a career high with 16 points and Jeff Green had 15 for the Celtics (14-13), who avoided falling under .500 with just their second victory in six games.

The Celtics took control with a 23-5 run in the second quarter of the opener of their four-game road trip. They had 11 assists on 13 baskets and outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period after dropping the previous two meetings.

"It was good to get off to this start. It was good to finally play from start to finish, especially with the way we've been playing against Brooklyn," said Paul Pierce, who had just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. "So it was a well-balanced game, but I'm happy with the start of the trip."

Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez each scored 15 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Struggling to find anything that worked, they played Lopez and fellow center Andray Blatche together with three guards at one point, but Brooklyn shot just 41 percent and committed 20 turnovers that led to 25 points.

Williams had only 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting and Joe Johnson, his partner in a high-priced backcourt, shot 4 of 14 for his 12 points.

"This one hurts. We didn't play our game. They beat us from the opening tip," Wallace said. "We didn't make shots. We turned the ball over too easy. Our defense just wasn't there tonight. We were not ourselves tonight."

Boston's Kevin Garnett had eight points and 10 rebounds on the day he tied Charles Oakley for 15th place on the NBA's career list with his 1,282nd game. He was also front and center when things got testy.

Wallace was fouled with 9:31 remaining and appeared to hold onto Garnett's uniform to balance himself and not fall. Garnett was fine with that but then objected to how long Wallace hung on to his shorts, and they said something to each other as they tried to push themselves free. That led to technical fouls on the two, along with Blatche and Courtney Lee.

Garnett said he asked Wallace what he was doing but got no response.

"I don't know where in America you can (yank) somebody's pants off, or shorts off. I don't know what the hell was going on," Garnett said.

Sullinger delivered a flagrant foul on Wallace a few minutes later, but there was nothing further.

In the Nets' Nov. 28 victory in Boston, Rondo, Humphries and Wallace were ejected.

It was the second quarter of that game where things got away from the Celtics, and Rondo's frustrations soon followed when he shoved Humphries after the Nets forward fouled Garnett. That ruined the point guard's chance to extend what was then a 37-game streak with double-digit assists, tied for second-longest ever, by finishing with three. He had five assists and six rebounds Tuesday.

This time, the second period belonged to the guys in green.

With the Celtics down three, Green had six points in a 10-0 run that made it 36-29. After Johnson's basket, Boston answered with a 13-3 spurt. Jason Terry made a 3-pointer before Rondo converted a three-point play to push the Celtics' lead to 49-34 with 3:56 to go.

The Celtics opened a 21-point lead early in the third quarter and cruised from there. Terry finished with 11 points.

Notes: As with everyone playing on Christmas, players, coaches and referees wore green ribbons in tribute to the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School. ... Humphries was out with an abdominal strain and will be re-evaluated after the Nets return from Milwaukee. He had mostly been a starter but then didn't play at all Sunday against Philadelphia. ... Feeling Avery Bradley isn't ready yet, Celtics coach Doc Rivers decided not to bring the guard on the road trip so he can continue working his way back from shoulder surgery in Boston. Rivers said the shoulder is strong but that Bradley has had only 2? practices.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-25-BKN-Celtics-Nets/id-84b7723a4b20418cb29a4170229c4209

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edrisali19903: Home Crafts with Basic Office Supplies-spun2 | new ...

There is nothing more fun that getting together with the family and having a session of craft making. It teaches children to be creative and you can end up with some great things for your home. All you really need is basic office fitflop online supplies that you can buy at most supermarkets and you have the tools to create whatever your mind can conceive.

A good example of this is getting the children together to make Christmas decorations. All that is really needed in terms of office supplies is paper, a pair of scissors and a stapler. Get the children to cut the paper into little strips then draw their impressions of Christmas on them. From here you can take the strips and staple the ends together to make them into loops cheap nike nfl jerseys.

The trick is that you look the second one through the first before you staple it together. You can continue going until Fitflop Via best price you have a long enough chain of paper then just start a new one. You can even use this idea all year round to brighten up your children rooms. The paper you use can be simple white paper or even fancy coloured paper. Your local office supply store should stock all varieties of paper for you to choose from.

If decorations are not quite your thing why not try scrap booking? This is a great idea for getting your children to interact and create memories. Not only will you end up with a great photo album but your child can add to the book fitflops australia as they go along. They will be able to look back in years to come and see how many happy times they had with you.

The ideas for home crafts are literally endless and all you really need is the office supplies you can buy at most general stores. You could even take the whole thing a step higher and start creating home crafts to sell.

One good home craft that generally sells well is homemade picture frames. You will have to start out with a basic frame bought from the store but from here you can customize it in any way you like. From printing pictures and using decoupage to stick them onto the frames to making papier-mh?animals or people to give them a 3D effect, the ideas are as limited as your imagination.

If you feel that home crafts are something you would enjoy doing then take some time to browse the internet for some ideas. There are lots of sites that offer not only great ideas but also the blueprints to help you create your masterpiece.

You can easily get some office supplies from your local office store or even a supermarket. Whether you choose to go into it Cheap FitFlop Xosa sale online free shipping for self satisfaction or to create an extra income fitflop sale is irrelevant, the basic principles will always be the same. Take a little time, a dose of effort and some basic office supplies and you will be crafting in no time at all.

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Source: http://newcoolguys.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/home-crafts-with-basic-office-supplies-spun2/

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Source: http://edrisali19903.blogspot.com/2012/12/home-crafts-with-basic-office-supplies.html

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Video: TODAY anchors share favorite holiday memories

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50271444/

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Self improvement: Advice On Reaching Your Full Potential ...

Posted by mikaza on December 25, 2012 in Business | Short Link

If you were stressing over the best way to improve your current circumstances, then this article is exactly what you will need. Do not forget that positive thinking and education are the strategy to self improvement. This short article provides you with some things you can use to reach your primary goal.

Being a selfless individual is a large step of progress towards your very own development. Taking care of others, and being able to sacrifice for the kids, will help you improve yourself and become an improved person. Making sacrifices persons may help you and Dr Zebupoitu to transcend feelings of selfishness and jealousy.

A good thing to take into consideration with regards to personal development is, value your important things. Value exactly what you love the most and earn them extremely important Warhammer Sale Website.

Multiple people have a problem meeting someone worthwhile to date. Maybe you should try the web. Approximately 40% of couples currently met online. That knows, the person you are interested in could also be trying to find someone! Every one has its negative and positive points.

Work more proficiently to find the most from your energy. The simple trick is to take more breaks if you work. Even if this seems counterproductive, taking regular breaks is a useful one as it provides you with the opportunity recharge the mind, so when you resume work, you can actually get more jobs done.

A prosperous leader has the strength to place their wishes into action, as well as being humble of this ability. An integral factor of leadership may be the power to serve oneself to others, and to be firm while also being gentle. Leaders must have integrity and virtues should they desire to be successful.

Escaping . and living your health really can increase your pursuit of self improvement. You?ll want to made a decision to actively take part in your life rather than being a spectator. Sitting back and watching will make you dull and unhappy.

Evaluate yourself and search for any particular one aspect that you wish to change or improve. You may wish to improve numerous things with regards to you, but if you fail to focus on something at the same time you?ll become overwhelmed. This also assists you to maintain this modification, because this new habit will probably be introduced gradually.

Paying attention to someone is just as vital as talking to them. This is particularly true when you are speaking about self-development. Listening helps to increase the words you?re saying and the sentences you are constructing. To improve yourself being a person, you?ll want to listen to yourself.

Try taking some risks to become truly happy! People often resign themselves one?s in their comfort zones. This can make them overlook valuable opportunities! Taking risks shows courage, the industry ingredient that can assist you on the way of happiness.

Having a better life can often happen as a consequence of willpower, and keep in mind that this stuff you want others may have an effect on you. Thus, never wish recorded on someone and try to pray for the best. Mind-set can reduce the burden of negativity.

Of course, no a couple are the identical, so try different things out of this article before you discover a strategy that work well right for you. Because the old G.I. Joe cartoons accustomed to say, ?Knowing is only half the battle.? You should apply everything you learn to make any progress. If the advice you?ve found here sounds befitting for an associate or loved one, you can share it so that you will while others can improve yourselves together.

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Source: http://valttiblogi.com/self-improvement-advice-on-reaching-your-full-potential/

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What a call to courage sounds like: Woody Guthrie?s ?Union Maid? (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Yemen general may head new unit after army overhaul

SANAA (Reuters) - A powerful army general who lost a command in a military reshuffle seen as vital to stabilizing Yemen may be given another senior post in the impoverished country's armed forces, sources at the presidency said on Sunday.

Brigadier General Ahmed Saleh, whose Republican Guard was abolished in the shake-up ordered on Wednesday by his political rival, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is expected to be named as the commander of a military region, the sources said.

Hadi has vowed to unify the army, which is divided between allies and foes of Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose legacy still looms large in Yemen and who is General Ahmed Saleh's father.

Hadi's decrees, restructuring the military into four main units and disbanding the Republican Guard, are widely seen as an attempt to reduce Saleh family influence in the military.

Ahmed Saleh has voiced no public objection to the reshuffle, easing fears of more turmoil in a country in the throes of a tense political transition.

Hadi's decrees on Wednesday also abolished the First Armoured Division, led by General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a dissident military officer who broke away from Saleh's forces after the protests began last year. Ahmar welcomed the overhaul.

A source at the presidential palace told Reuters on condition of anonymity that both Ahmed Saleh and General Ahmar would be given some senior positions in the new set-up.

"It is expected that President Hadi will issue a decree to appoint Brigadier General Ahmed Saleh and General Ali al-Ahmar as commanders for two military regions," the source said.

SALEH LEGACY LOOMS LARGE

The source said the implementation of Wednesday's decrees could take up to six months, during which time both Ahmed Saleh and Ahmar would remain in control of some military brigades. The source did not elaborate.

Another presidential source confirmed the anticipated move and added: "There are no objections to the president's orders to restructure the army."

Officials at General Saleh's office were not available for comment.

After a year of protests against his rule, then president Saleh made way for Hadi in February under a Gulf-brokered transition plan backed by Washington and its Western allies.

But the former president's continuing clout in the army and wider society worries its neighbours and Western nations who fear further conflict could plunge Yemen back into chaos.

On Thursday, Ahmed Saleh agreed to give up his missiles in apparent compliance with the army shake-up.

The military overhaul, part of an internationally backed plan to restore stability to Yemen, is widely seen as part of efforts to loosen the Saleh family's grip on the armed forces.

Restoring security in Yemen is a priority for the United States and its Gulf allies because the country is the theatre of multiple conflicts, posing a potential threat to oil export giant Saudi Arabia next door and nearby shipping lanes.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Rania El Gamal, Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-general-may-head-unit-army-overhaul-151750764.html

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Peacekeeper shoots dead three comrades, self in Sudan

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - An international peacekeeper killed three other peacekeepers before killing himself in the Darfur region of Sudan, the U.N.-led international peacekeeping force (UNAMID) said on Friday.

The shooting happened at a UNAMID site in Mukjar in West Darfur on Thursday, UNAMID spokeswoman Aicha Elbasri said, adding that the gunman had shot himself and another comrade had been wounded.

The African Union-United Nations force initially had said the peacekeeper killed four comrades. "The mission is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident," Elbasri said, declining further comment.

Despite the presence of the world's largest peacekeeping mission, fighting between Sudan's armed forces and rebels has continued, alongside banditry and tribal clashes, since the conflict erupted in 2003.

In a separate statement, UNAMID said it was investigating whether the Sudanese air force had bombed this week two areas in North Darfur as reported by local sources.

It sent a patrol to Shangil Tobaya to verify reported bombings but had been denied access by the Sudanese army, UNAMID said, adding that civilians had fled the area.

"The Mission...warns that continued fighting could lead to a catastrophic humanitarian situation for the displaced civilians in North Darfur," it said.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other officials for masterminding war crimes in Darfur. They deny the charges and refuse to recognise the court.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/peacekeeper-shoots-dead-three-comrades-self-sudan-084016970.html

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Pope pardons ex-butler who stole, leaked documents

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI granted his former butler a Christmas pardon Saturday, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting for stealing and leaking private papers in one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.

After the 15-minute meeting, Paolo Gabriele was freed and returned to his Vatican City apartment where he lives with his wife and three children. The Vatican said he couldn't continue living or working in the Vatican, but said it would find him housing and a job elsewhere soon.

"This is a paternal gesture toward someone with whom the pope for many years shared daily life," according to a statement from the Vatican secretariat of state.

The pardon closes a painful and embarrassing chapter for the Vatican, capping a sensational, Hollywood-like scandal that exposed power struggles, intrigue and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons in the highest levels of the Catholic Church.

Gabriele, 46, was arrested May 23 after Vatican police found what they called an "enormous" stash of papal documents in his Vatican City apartment. He was convicted of aggravated theft by a Vatican tribunal on Oct. 6 and has been serving his 18-month sentence in the Vatican police barracks.

He told Vatican investigators he gave the documents to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi because he thought the 85-year-old pope wasn't being informed of the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican and thought that exposing it publicly would put the church back on the right track.

The publication of the leaked documents, first on Italian television then in Nuzzi's book "His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI's Secret Papers" convulsed the Vatican all year, a devastating betrayal of the pope from within his papal family that exposed the unseemly side of the Catholic Church's governance.

The papal pardon had been widely expected before Christmas, and the jailhouse meeting Benedict used to personally deliver it recalled the image of Pope John Paul II visiting Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who shot him in 1981, while he served his sentence in an Italian prison.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the meeting was "intense" and "personal" and said that during it Benedict "communicated to him in person that he had accepted his request for pardon, commuting his sentence."

None of the documents threatened the papacy. Most were of interest only to Italians, as they concerned relations between Italy and the Vatican and a few local scandals and personalities. Their main aim appeared to be to discredit Benedict's trusted No. 2, the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Vatican officials have said the theft shattered the confidentiality that typically governs correspondence with the pope. Cardinals, bishops and everyday laymen write to him about spiritual and practical matters assuming that their words will be treated with the discretion for which the Holy See is known.

As a result, it prompted a remarkable reaction, with the pope naming a commission of three cardinals to investigate alongside Vatican prosecutors. Italian news reports have said new security measures and personnel checks have been put in place to prevent a repeat offense.

Gabriele insisted he acted alone, with no accomplices, but it remains an open question whether any other heads will roll. Technically the criminal investigation remains open, and few in the Vatican believe Gabriele could have construed such a plot without at least the endorsement if not the outright help of others.

A Vatican computer expert, Claudio Sciarpelletti, was convicted Nov. 10 of aiding and abetting Gabriele by changing his testimony to Vatican investigators about the origins of an envelope with Gabriele's name on it that was found in his desk. His two-month sentence was suspended.

Benedict met this past week with the cardinals who investigated the origins of the leaks, but it wasn't known if they provided him with any further updates or were merely meeting ahead of the expected pardon for Gabriele.

As supreme executive, legislator and judge in Vatican City, the pope had the power to pardon Gabriele even before he went to trial. The only question was when it would come.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-pardons-ex-butler-stole-leaked-documents-122111410.html

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