Hagel makes first Afghan trip as defense chief

KABUL (Reuters) - Chuck Hagel arrived in Afghanistan on Friday for his first trip abroad as defense secretary, seeking to make his own assessment of America's longest war as it enters its final stretch.

Hagel said he would meet U.S. commanders and troops, and hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose recent orders to curtail U.S. military activity underscore an often tense relationship with the 66,000 American forces there.

Hagel praised the sacrifices of American troops in Afghanistan.

"As I begin my time as secretary of defense, I look forward to hearing from you, seeing this war from your vantage point and working to make sure you get what you need to finish the fight and come home safe," he said.

Hagel said it was his first trip to Afghanistan since a mid-2008 visit with then-Senator Barack Obama during Obama's campaign for the presidency. Obama, a Democrat, forged a close bond with Hagel, a Republican, and remarked later that summer that the two agreed on almost "every item" of foreign policy.

That included the Iraq war. Hagel was an early Republican critic of the Iraq war, angering party allies in the Senate. They fiercely opposed his nomination to become Obama's defense chief but lacked the votes to stop it.

Hagel was confirmed on February 26 and was sworn into office the next day.

Hagel's advice may help shape some of Obama's most lasting decisions in Afghanistan, notably how large a residual mission to keep there once NATO wraps up its combat mission at the end of next year and the vast majority of foreign forces go home.

"I need to better understand what's going on," Hagel told reporters as he flew to Kabul on the unannounced visit, adding his goal was to "make my own assessment and listen to our commanders".

On Tuesday, the outgoing head of the U.S. military's Central Command, General James Mattis, disclosed that he recommended keeping 13,600 American troops in Afghanistan - above the range of troop levels U.S. officials have said were being considered by the White House and discussed by NATO defense chiefs last month.

"I think it is important, General Mattis - all of our commanders - have an opportunity for their input. The president wants that, needs that, welcomes that," Hagel said, without disclosing his own thinking. He said Obama had not made a final decision.

Obama last month announced the withdrawal of 34,000 American troops - about half the total - by early next year. Officials also have outlined the expected pace of the withdrawal through next April.

Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran with shrapnel wounds in his chest, played down links between Vietnam and the grinding, counter-insurgency battle in Afghanistan. Despite 11 years of fighting and significant gains in Afghanistan, the Taliban remains resilient and enjoys safe havens across the border in Pakistan.

"As to the parallels to Vietnam, there are always parallels to any war," Hagel said.

Talking in broad terms about the end of the U.S. combat mission, Hagel remarked at one point to reporters: "It was never the intention of the United States to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely."

He added that did not mean the residual U.S. force after 2014, whatever size that would be, was not also significant - pointing to lasting U.S. military contingents in Europe, South Korea and Japan. But the role of the U.S. mission would change as Afghans take charge of their security.

"If you look at the role that we've had for the past 12 years as the lead combatant in Afghanistan, that's a totally different role than what we're transitioning into," Hagel said.

Asked about how the war would end, Hagel said: "I think we are transitioning in a way that gives the Afghan people a very hopeful future."

Hagel's visit to Kabul comes after Karzai has taken steps to limit U.S. military activities. On February 13, a NATO air strike requested by Afghan forces killed 10 people - including five children and four women - in the eastern province of Kunar, prompting Karzai to ban his troops from requesting foreign air strikes.

Two weeks later he halted all special forces operations in the central province of Wardak after a series of allegations involving U.S. special forces soldiers and Afghan men said to be working with them.

Asked whether limits on U.S. operations would be discussed with Karzai, Hagel said: "I look forward to talking with the president about many issues. And that, certainly, I'm sure will be one of them."

Hagel, in his message to troops, said he believed putting Afghans in full control of their country's security by the end of next year was a "clear and achievable" goal.

"We are still at war, and many of you will continue to experience the ugly reality of combat and the heat of battle."

(Editing by Michael Georgy and Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-afghanistan-first-trip-abroad-defense-chief-161858431.html

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T.I.'s 'Memories Back Then' Is 'Just As Hot' Without Gotye Sample

Tip talks to MTV News about the sample issues surrounding his latest single with B.o.B and Kendrick Lamar.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Lauren Child

T.I.
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703274/ti-single-without-gotye-bob-kendrick-lamar.jhtml

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Source: http://pheedo.msnbc.msn.com/id/18424824/device/rss/

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Emotion-health connection not limited to industrialized nations

Mar. 7, 2013 ? Positive emotions are known to play a role in physical well-being, and stress is strongly linked to poor health, but is this strictly a "First World" phenomenon? In developing nations, is the fulfillment of basic needs more critical to health than how one feels? A UC Irvine researcher has found that emotions do affect health around the world and may, in fact, be more important to wellness in low-income countries.

The study, which appears online in Psychological Science, is the first to examine the emotion-health connection in a representative sample of 150,000 people in 142 countries. Previous research on the topic has been limited to industrialized nations.

"We wondered whether the fact that emotions make a difference in our health is simply because we have the luxury of letting them," said Sarah Pressman, assistant professor of psychology & social behavior and the study's lead author. "We wanted to assess the impact of emotions on health in places where people face famine, homelessness and serious safety concerns that might be more critical correlates of wellness."

Against expectations, researchers found that the link between positive emotions (enjoyment, love, happiness) and health is stronger in countries with a weaker gross domestic product. In fact, the association increased as GDP decreased, according to Pressman.

People in Malawi, which has a per capita GDP of $900, show a more robust connection between positive emotions and health than residents of the U.S., which has a per capita GDP of $49,800.

"A hostile American with hypertension can take blood pressure-lowering medication. A Malawian cannot," Pressman said. "Medical interventions might lower the impact of emotions on health."

Using data from the Gallup World Poll, researchers noted whether participants had reported experiencing enjoyment, love, happiness, worry, sadness, stress, boredom, depression or anger during the previous day. They also measured physical health and the degree to which subjects' basic needs were met. Security was assessed by asking if participants felt safe walking alone at night or whether they had been robbed, assaulted or mugged.

"We hope that by showing that this phenomenon is prevalent and stronger than some factors considered critical to wellness, more attention will be drawn to the importance of studying both positive and negative emotions," Pressman said.

She co-authored the study with Shane Lopez of the Gallup Organization and Matthew Gallagher of Boston University.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Irvine.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. D. Pressman, M. W. Gallagher, S. J. Lopez. Is the Emotion-Health Connection a "First-World Problem"? Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612457382

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/YxWzFvYcN6o/130308103421.htm

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No.1 State Council Paper in 2013 Stresses Intelligent Agriculture ...

The Chinese State Council recently released the no.1 government paper, verbosely titled ?Several opinions of the State Council on accelerating the development of modern agriculture to further enhance the vitality of rural development,? which stressed that intelligent agriculture was one of the key government focus areas to develop the ?modern agriculture? system in China. The document set 80 tasks that the government should accomplish in 2013 and assigned each task to specific ministries and departments. Among these tasks, a significant portion are focused on developing information technology infrastructure in the rural area to effectively facilitate the development of intelligent agricultural technologies based on ?internet of things? (IOT) technologies.

That said, municipal governments are moving quickly according to the State Council guidelines. Just a few weeks after the release of the no. 1 document, the municipal government in Changzhun, the capital city of Jilin province in North East China,?signed an agreement with China Unicom to develop an agricultural information system in rural and peri-urban areas around the city. In the system, information such as soil humidity, soil temperature, and carbon dioxide will be collected by the sensors that are installed in the fields and sent to an analytical platform via wireless telecom networks. The government expects to use the platform to guide the precision planting activities, as well as facilitate the decisions on irrigation.

We expect the substantial government initiatives to develop intelligent agriculture will benefit the companies touching this value chain, including telecom infrastructure suppliers, intelligent green house system developers, and relevant components and system suppliers. The infrastructure developers include telecom giants such as China Telecom and China Unicom, while smart green house system developers are relatively small companies, such as Wuxi Kaiyi (client registration required) and Beijing Tiandi Furui (client registration required). In the initial stages, intelligent agriculture projects will be mainly sponsored by the government, as currently observed in the intelligent green house system market in which local governments are today?s biggest buyers. Clients seeking investment targets or business partners in the intelligent agriculture industry in China should consider the government relationships as a key factor when selecting the partners. It is also important to take the long view in business development in China in the agricultural area. Agriculture is now emerging as an investment theme with a view to major opportunities in the coming decades as China?s demographic dividend, urbanization, and affluence converge and demand advanced agriculture technologies and systems to serve China?s population.

This entry was posted in China BioPharma and tagged Beijing Tiandi Furui, China Telecom, China Unicom, Wuxi Kaiyi by Richard Li. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.luxresearchinc.com/blog/2013/03/no-1-state-council-paper-in-2013-stresses-intelligent-agriculture-development/

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Pa. business auctions vandal's brick for $1150

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? It's like throwing money out the window, only backward.

The brick a vandal tossed through a Pittsburgh printing shop's window Monday night fetched its new owner more than $1,000 in an impromptu auction Tuesday.

Business owner Dan Rugh says what was initially a frustrated joke turned into a big moneymaker, with people and businesses alike pitching in prizes. One woman offered tickets to a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game, a brewery offered a free tour, and restaurants donated gift certificates.

The final $1150 bid for the brick came in at 11:59 p.m. Donations totaled about $1000 more.

The window cost only $425 to fix so Rugh and his partner say they'll donate the rest to charity.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-06-US-ODD-Brick-Auctioned/id-628863966d7f446f8311b45f5018ee3c

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DC region faces unique challenges from budget cuts

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- To get a sense of just how much federal government spending influences the Washington metropolitan area, all you have to do is listen to the ads on an all-news radio station there.

Instead of promoting happy hours and nightclubs, WTOP's commercials are replete with buzzwords about cloud computing and fulfilling mission statements ? pitches by IT consultants and contractors trying to land business with federal agencies.

And the storm that hit the Mid-Atlantic region on Tuesday? It's been dubbed "snowquester," a play on the D.C. wonk jargon that is used to describe the $85 billion that must be cut from federal budgets over the next six months after President Barack Obama and lawmakers failed to reach a deal that would reduce the national deficit.

Communities on the Capital Beltway have disproportionately benefited from the federal government's growth for decades ? and there is no doubt they will now take a disproportionate hit from the budget cuts.

The federal government is the region's largest single employer and an economic engine. Thousands of federal government workers for agencies as varied as the CIA and the Patent and Trademark Office make their home in the area ? about 15 percent of the total federal workforce, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Office of Personnel Management.

So do those who labor for the scores of private contractors in the region that live and die off federal dollars.

The exact effect of the automatic budget cuts is, of course, difficult to predict with any precision. Federal agencies are still trying to figure out exactly how they will tighten their belts ? and nobody knows if the cuts will remain in place for an extended period of time.

The Republican-controlled House on approved legislation Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown on March 27 and blunt the impact of newly imposed spending cuts on the Defense Department. The measure heads to the Senate, where Democrats hope to give a variety of other federal agencies flexibility in implementing their share of the $85 billion in spending cuts required to take effect by the end of the budget year.

Still, hundreds of thousands of federal workers in the region are bracing themselves for unpaid furloughs.

Eugene Russell, a fire inspector and firefighter at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, is considered a Defense Department civilian. He said he is still waiting to find out whether firefighters will be furloughed ? which he estimates would cost him $1,200 a month ? or will in some way be made exempt from furloughs because of the public-safety requirements that demand a minimum level of staffing.

Russell said he knows some colleagues who are already cutting back, canceling cable TV and the like. In his own case, Russell said he may be forced to stagger payments for some family medical bills to hold the family budget together.

"Federal employees realize that the government's financial situation is in the sewer and there needs to be a fix," he said. "But they don't believe we should bear the load any more than any other citizen."

Half of the budget cuts are directed at the military, which has a commanding presence in the region. In addition to the Washington Navy Yard, the Pentagon is headquartered in Arlington, Va.; Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County; Fort Myer in Arlington County; and Quantico Marine Corps Base in Prince William County, among others.

And yet, the greatest pain from the cuts is likely to be felt not by the civilian military workforce, but employees for the numerous private systems-management and IT-consultant contractors that have popped up around the Pentagon during a decade of military buildup and security spending following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Even before the cuts went into effect, uncertainty about future funding prompted the government to scale back from $50 million to $5 million a contract it had awarded to Springfield, Va.-based Strategy and Management Services Inc., said company founder and CEO Staci Redmon.

Redmon's workforce has grown over the past five years to 120 employees and she is hopeful federal budget cuts won't reverse the trend.

"It's personal to me," she said. "I have employees who have families to feed."

One of the best ways to measure just how big a hit the region will take might be to head to the Metro, the nation's second-largest subway system.

If you can grab a parking spot at 8:30 a.m. at the East Falls Church Metro station in northern Virginia, or wedge yourself onto a train at Metro Center downtown during the afternoon rush without sucking in your gut, you'll know economic activity is slowing down a bit.

During rush hour, about 40 percent of the system's riders are federal workers, said spokesman Dan Stessel, who, in a recent meeting with Metro board members, estimated that a 1 percent drop in ridership would translate into $7.8 million in lost revenue.

The Metro could lose out on $10 million in fare revenue if the federal-worker furloughs take effect, he said.

The subway also is facing the loss of a separate $12 million federal subsidy.

Much harder to gauge are the trickle-down effects of the budget cuts on the small businesses that serve the federal workers.

At Uptown Cleaners, just a short walk from the Pentagon and all the military contractors that surround it, Marine uniforms are among the garments hanging from a rack. But employee Kris Yoon was unconcerned as she took a brief break from hemming a pair of slacks.

The government has gone through repeated budget scares during the four years Uptown Cleaners has been in business there, she noted, but people still need clean clothes.

"We're always steady here," she said.

Down the street at Epic Smokehouse, bartender David Holmgren said he didn't know what to expect. The bulk of the lunch rush is made up of government workers from the Transportation Security Administration and Pentagon ? but at dinner time, "it's really people in the neighborhood, and it's a wealthy neighborhood, so I don't see them being impacted too much," Holmgren said.

There is something else to consider: Despite the looming government presence in the region, metropolitan Washington is really no longer the monolithic, company town that it used to be.

Jerry Gordon, chairman of the Economic Development Authority for Northern Virginia's Fairfax County, said officials there have made a concerted effort over the past decade to diversify the county's economy so it does not rely so heavily on the U.S. government.

Fairfax County is now home to corporate headquarters in the automotive industry (Volkswagen AG's North American headquarters), hotels (Hilton Worldwide) and media (Gannett Co., parent of USA Today), among others.

"The toeholds in those industries levels out the draconian effects in the federal cuts," Gordon said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dc-region-faces-unique-challenges-085725727.html

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