Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/155735789?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Obama vs. GOP on jobs: Let the blame game begin
The essence of the divide remains: Increase federal investment to stimulate job creation versus easing environmental and other regulatory restrictions that critics say can hinder job creation.
The partisan debate over jobs creation has descended into a blame game between President Obama and congressional Republicans.
Skip to next paragraph?Over and over, they have refused to even debate the same kind of jobs proposals that Republicans have supported in the past ? proposals that today are supported, not just by Democrats, but by Independents and Republicans all across America,? Obama complained in his radio address Saturday morning. ?Meanwhile, they're only scheduled to work three more weeks between now and the end of the year.
Republicans in the House respond that they?ve passed 15 job-creating bills only to have those measures bottled up in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
?We call these bills the 'forgotten 15',? Rep. Bobby Schilling of Illinois said in the Republican address Saturday.
?These are common-sense bills that address those excessive federal regulations that are hurting small business job creation,? said Rep. Schilling, a freshman lawmaker whose family owns a pizza business in Moline. ?A number of them have bipartisan support. Yet the Senate won't give these bills a vote, and the president hasn't called for action.?
The essence of the divide remains: Increase federal investment to stimulate job creation versus easing environmental and other regulatory restrictions that critics say can hinder job creation.
As with much of the debate in Washington these days ? including the effort by the bipartisan congressional ?super committee? to cut the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion before draconian budget cuts kick in automatically ? this one can?t avoid the subject of taxes.
A new report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office gives Obama ammunition for his assertion that ?millionaires and billionaires? can afford to pay more.
The CBO reported this week that while the rich got a lot richer over the past 30 years, the rest of American society struggled to keep up.
The CBO found that average after-tax income for the top 1 percent of US households had increased by 275 percent while middle-income households saw just a 40 percent rise and for those at the bottom of the economic scale, the jump was 18 percent.
"The distribution of after-tax income in the United States was substantially more unequal in 2007 than in 1979," CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf said in a blog post. " Income ? for households at the higher end of the income scale rose much more rapidly than income for households in the middle and at the lower end of the income scale.?
Obama says he?s doing what he can through executive order because GOP lawmakers refuse to consider his proposals.
On Friday, Obama directed government agencies to shorten the time it takes for federal research to turn into commercial products in the marketplace. The goal is to help startup companies and small businesses create jobs and expand their operations more quickly.
The president also called for creating a centralized online site for companies to easily find information about federal services. He previously had announced help for people who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth and for the repayment of student loans. The White House also challenged community health centers to hire veterans.
"We can no longer wait for Congress to do its job," Obama said Saturday. "So where Congress won?t act, I will."
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/kad_4s2LqNM/Obama-vs.-GOP-on-jobs-Let-the-blame-game-begin
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North America box office goes to "Puss in Boots" (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Animated movie "Puss in Boots" landed on its feet with a $51 million global debut over the weekend and likely set a Halloween weekend record for a domestic opening, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The big-budget 3D spinoff from the blockbuster "Shrek" series took top domestic box-office honors, while the new Steven Spielberg-directed "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" performed strong in international markets.
"Puss" lapped up a solid $34 million from North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, which will top the $33.6 million Halloween weekend record set by horror movie "Saw 3" if the figure holds when the final tally is released on Monday.
Audiences polled by survey firm CinemaScore gave "Puss" an A- rating on average. Antonio Banderas provided the voice for the sword-fighting cat, which was originally seen as a sidekick in the "Shrek" movies.
DreamkWorks Animation, which produced "Puss" for about $130 million, said the movie performed within expectations. An early snowstorm in the East likely shaved "a couple million" off the weekend's sales, said Anne Globe, chief marketing officer for DreamWorks Animation.
Knowing many families were busy with Halloween activities, the studio plans a big push to bring in filmgoers next weekend, Globe said. "We're well-positioned to maximize the release going into November. I think we will have strong word of mouth," Globe said.
"Puss" added $17 million from three international markets for a combined total of $51 million.
Other moviegoers seeking a Halloween scare opted for horror flick "Paranormal Activity 3." The low-budget haunted house sequel, last week's box-office winner, slipped to second place with $18.5 million. Its worldwide sales to date reached $136 million since the movie hit theaters a week ago.
BIG DEBUT FOR 'TINTIN'
New science fiction thriller "In Time," starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, took third place for the weekend with $12 million. The total was within the studio's expectations, said Chris Aronson, senior vice president for domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. The film, which cost about $40 million to make, explores a world where wealthy people can buy immortality while the poor scramble to purchase time to live past age 25.
Just 36 percent of critics featured on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a positive review.
A remake of 1980s dance classic "Footloose" landed in fourth place, earning $5.4 million during its third weekend in theaters.
Another new film, "The Rum Diary" starring Johnny Depp, grossed a lackluster $5 million to finish in fifth place. The drama about a journalist working in 1950s Puerto Rico is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by the late Hunter S. Thompson.
"While we all wish the numbers were better, we're proud of the film and its loving tribute to Hunter S. Thompson," Bob Berney, head of theatrical distribution for FilmDistrict, said in an emailed statement.
Overseas, Spielberg's "Tintin" pulled in a strong $55.8 million from the 19 markets where it debuted. Distributors Sony and Paramount sought to capitalize on Europe's adoration of Tintin, a Belgian comic book hero mostly unknown to North American moviegoers. The 3D motion-capture movie won't reach U.S. theaters until just before Christmas.
"Puss in Boots" was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. "Paranormal Activity 3" and "Footloose" also were released by Paramount. News Corp unit 20th Century Fox released "In Time." Privately held FilmDistrict distributed "The Rum Diary." Sony Corp and Paramount released "The Adventures of Tintin."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Trott)
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Modern Combat 3 tops iPhone Games of the Week (Appolicious)
Leading the charge this week is Gameloft?s first-person shooter, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation. It?s a pretty impressive Call of Duty look-alike with great production values and a huge multiplayer offering that?ll keep you busy throughout the weekend. But it?s not the only great game we saw this week. There are four other phenomenal contenders you should pick up as well. Read about all of them below.
Riptide GP (iPhone, iPad) $4.99
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
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Death toll in Turkish quake reaches 570 (AP)
ERCIS, Turkey ? Officials say the death toll in the massive earthquake in eastern Turkey has gone up to 570.
The government's crisis center says Friday 2,555 people were injured in the 7.2-magnitude quake, while 187 were rescued.
The latest to be brought out alive from the rubble was a 13-year-old boy who was trapped for five days under a collapsed building.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ERCIS, Turkey (AP) ? A relative says a 13-year-old boy used a rock in a desperate attempt to dig a hole and free himself from the rubble of a collapsed building following a massive earthquake that killed at least 550 people.
Rescuers pulled Ferhat Tokay out of the debris of a building early Friday, five days after a massive earthquake leveled many buildings in eastern Turkey.
The boy's uncle told NTV television Tokay was caught inside a shoe shop where he worked.
He placed shoes under his head and used them as a pillow to sleep at night.
Earlier reports said the boy was injured but the uncle, Sahin Tokay, said he had "not even a scratch."
The quake that hit Sunday has injured some 2,300 others and left thousands homeless.
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শুক্রবার, ২৮ অক্টোবর, ২০১১
Business events scheduled for Wednesday (AP)
Major business events and economic events scheduled for Wednesday:
WASHINGTON ? Commerce Department releases durable goods for September, 8:30 a.m.
WASHINGTON ? Commerce Department releases new home sales for September, 10 a.m.
American Electric Power Co. reports quarterly financial results.
Boeing Co. reports quarterly financial results.
ConocoPhillips reports quarterly financial results.
Corning Inc. reports quarterly financial results.
Ford Motor Co. reports quarterly financial results.
JetBlue Airways Corp. reports quarterly financial results.
Lockheed Martin Corp. reports quarterly financial results.
MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. reports quarterly financial results.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. reports quarterly financial results.
Norfolk Southern Corp. reports quarterly financial results.
Northrop Grumman Corp. reports quarterly financial results.
Sprint Nextel Corp. reports quarterly financial results.
Visa Inc. reports quarterly financial results.
WellPoint Inc. reports quarterly financial results.
German software maker SAP AP reports quarterly financial results.
German drugmaker Merck KGaA reports quarterly financial results.
Dutch beer maker Heineken NV reports quarterly financial results.
Chinese bank Bank of China reports quarterly financial results.
BERLIN ? Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the German parliament on eurozone rescue efforts before a vote by lawmakers on plans to increase the firepower of the 17-nation bloc's rescue fund. Merkel then travels to Brussels for an EU summit.
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৭ অক্টোবর, ২০১১
Obama announces help for student loan borrowers (AP)
DENVER ? President Barack Obama recalled his struggles with student loan debt as he unveiled a plan Wednesday that could give millions of young people some relief on their payments. Speaking at the University of Colorado Denver, Obama said that he and his wife, Michelle, together owed more than $120,000 in law school debt that took nearly a decade to pay off. He said that sometimes he'd have to make monthly payments to multiple lenders, and the debt meant they were not only paying for their own degrees but saving for their daughters' college funds simultaneously.
"I've been in your shoes. We did not come from a wealthy family," Obama said to cheers.
Obama said it's never been more important to get a college education, but it's also never been more expensive. Obama said his plan will help not just individuals, but the nation, because graduates will have more money to spend on things like buying homes.
"Our economy needs it right now and your future could use a boost right now," Obama said.
Obama's plan will accelerate a measure passed by Congress that reduces the maximum required payment on student loans from 15 percent of discretionary income annually to 10 percent. He will put it into effect in 2012, instead of 2014. In addition, the White House says the remaining debt would be forgiven after 20 years, instead of 25. About 1.6 million borrowers could be affected.
He will also allow borrowers who have a loan from the Federal Family Education Loan Program and a direct loan from the government to consolidate them into one. The consolidated loan would carry an interest rate of up to a half percentage point less than before. This could affect 5.8 million borrowers.
Student loans are the No. 2 source of household debt. The president's announcement came on the same day as a new report on tuition costs from the College Board. It showed that average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose $631 this fall, or 8.3 percent, compared with a year ago. Nationally, the cost of a full credit load has passed $8,000, an all-time high.
Student loan debt is a common concern voiced by Occupy Wall Street protesters. Obama's plan could help him shore up re-election support among young voters, an important voting bloc in his 2008 election. But, it might not ease all their fears.
Anna Van Pelt, 24, a graduate student in public health at the University of Colorado Denver who attended the speech, estimates she'll graduate with $40,000 in loans. She called Obama's plan a "really big deal" for her, but said she still worries about how she'll make the payments.
"By the time I graduate, my interest rate is going to be astronomical, especially when you don't have a job," Van Pelt said. "So it's not just paying the loans back. It's paying the loans back without a job."
The White House said the changes will carry no additional costs to taxpayers.
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., his party's ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement that while he supports efforts to help struggling graduates, the president's plan was crafted behind closed doors and "we are left with more questions than answers."
Last year, Congress passed a law that lowered the repayment cap and moved student loans to direct lending by eliminating banks as the middlemen. Before that, borrowers could get loans directly from the government or from the Federal Family Education Loan Program; the latter were issued by private lenders but basically insured by the government. The law was passed along with the health care overhaul with the anticipation that it could save about $60 billion over a decade.
The change in the law was opposed by many Republicans. At a hearing Tuesday, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs a subcommittee with oversight over higher education, said it had resulted in poorer customer service for borrowers. And Senate Republicans issued a news release with a compilation of headlines that showed thousands of workers in student lending, including those from Sallie Mae Inc., had been laid off because of the change.
Today, there are 23 million borrowers with $490 billion in loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Last year, the Education Department made $102.2 billion in direct loans to 11.5 million recipients.
_____
Hefling reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report.
_____
Kimberly Hefling can be followed at http://twitter.com/khefling
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Monster Miles Davis Trumpets In-Ear Headphones Review
I was at the CES press conference where head Monster, Noel Lee, unveiled the Miles Davis Trumpet Headphones with much fanfare. He said something to the effect that these headphones are for those that listen for nuances within music. These are for professionals, he said. That was code to me that they probably sound like garbage to the average listener. But after several weeks of testing, I'm pleased to report that I was mostly wrong. Monster markets the Trumpets as "musicians' headphones." They praise the detail and clarity and I agree for the most part -- if you can get can them in your ear correctly and don't care about lossless audio.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DHwyb9dnz5k/
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Jackson doctor's defense case expected to start (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? Defense attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death are expected to begin calling witnesses in their case Monday after they finish grilling a key prosecution expert.
The defense case will be Dr. Conrad Murray's opportunity to counter four weeks of damaging testimony about him from 33 prosecution witnesses who have cast him as an inept, distracted and opportunistic doctor who repeatedly broke legal, ethical and professional guidelines.
The defense case is expected to comprise of 15 witnesses, although Murray's attorneys have not publicly revealed whether they will call the Houston-based cardiologist to testify on his own behalf. Jurors have heard from the doctor through a more than two-hour interview with police, and it seems unlikely that Murray's attorneys would subject their client to what would be blistering questioning from prosecutors.
Monday will begin with lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff questioning Dr. Steven Shafer, the prosecution's final witness and an expert in the anesthetic propofol, which Murray had been giving Jackson as a sleep aid. Chernoff's questioning on Friday challenged Shafer's conclusions and comments he had made about colleague Dr. Paul White, who will testify for the defense team.
So far, Shafer has not retreated from his position that Murray is solely responsible for Jackson's death and that the cardiologist committed 17 egregious violations of medical practices that each could have either led to Jackson's serious injury or death.
After Shafer is done testifying, Murray's attorneys will likely ask a judge to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter case against the cardiologist. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor will rule on the oral motion immediately and if he rejects it, the defense case will begin.
Defense attorneys have said they will call police detectives who prosecutors did not call, several character witnesses, White and possibly other experts. They expect their case will last through Thursday.
Murray has pleaded not guilty, and faces up to four years behind bars and the loss of his medical license if convicted.
The defense will have its work cut out for them to try to sway jurors to acquit Murray.
"He will have to change the landscape here and show some reasonable doubt, said Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor and trial attorney who has been following the case closely. "The question is will this be enough."
McRae said calling Shafer as the prosecution's final witness was a master stroke.
"Brick by evidentiary brick, Shafer has built a wall of scientific reasons for the jury to conclude that Dr. Murray was criminally negligent," he said. "It allows the prosecution to tell the jury that their case is built on science rather than shifting theories."
Out of sight of the jury, the defense's theory has shifted in recent months from arguing that Jackson swallowed propofol and gave himself the fatal dose and more recently that the singer had swallowed several pills of the sedative lorazepam, which led to his death.
They may also argue that Jackson somehow gave himself a shot of propofol after Murray left the room, killing him quickly.
Prosecutors have sought to discredit all those theories through Shafer, who himself drank propofol before the trial in an attempt to confirm that it wouldn't induce sedation or other ill effects. He called the amount of lorazepam in Jackson's stomach "trivial" and last week said the only possible explanation for Jackson's death based on the evidence was that Murray put the singer on IV drip of propofol and left the room after the singer appeared to be asleep.
This week, it will be the defense's turn to either offer alternate theories or somehow pick apart the prosecution's case.
___
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
___
McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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Justin Timberlake Discusses Mind-Bending, Otherworldly In Time Role
Justin Timberlake makes his first turn as an action star In Time, out Friday. Now a bona fide A-list actor, the 30-year-old plans a futuristic James Bond of sorts.
“I got to live out a lot of boyhood fantasies in this movie shooting guns and getting to learn how to stunt drive,” Timberlake told our partner site, Movie Fanatic.
In Time follows Timberlake’s character in a world where money has been replaced by time. What would he personally do if he only had 24 hours to live?
Moreover, what age would he not want to revisit, and what causes does he help advance when he's not singing, acting and being the coolest guy alive?
His answers are both fun and enlightening. Check out the In Time trailer below and follow the link for Movie Fanatic's interview with Justin Timberlake ...
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/justin-timberlake-speaks-on-in-time-role/
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Pan-Asian girl band looks to Snoop Dogg for help (Reuters)
SINGAPORE (Reuters) ? The pan-Asian "girl band" Blush has been around for only 11 months but already has a track record more established groups might envy -- a single that hit number three on the U.S. dance music charts and rapper Snoop Dogg in one of their songs.
This week, the English-singing group, whose members hail from Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea and India, will open for the Black Eyed Peas at their Manila concert. They appeared at a Justin Bieber concert in Hong Kong earlier this year.
"The goal for Blush is to become really the first Asian singers to make it big in the West," said John Niermann, a former president of Walt Disney Co's Asia-Pacific unit, who brought the band together last year after a broad talent search.
"The idea started several years ago when I was curious why an Asian singer had not really made it to the top of the charts in America," he told Reuters in Singapore.
The group is made up of Japan's Natsuko Danjo, Victoria Chan from Hong Kong, Korea's Ji Hae Lee, Alisha Budhrani from India and Angeli Flores from the Philippines.
Ranging in age from 19 to 28, most of the stylishly-slender group members sang and danced from childhood, dreaming of stardom, according to the group's website. But the 26-year-old Lee only began singing seriously after graduating from Korea's Hoseo University -- with a degree in law.
"Manufactured" pop groups have been around for over 20 years. But Blush is the first to be made up entirely of singers from across Asia who perform in English, in an attempt to broaden their global appeal. Blush is also unusual among Asian performers in the sense that it hopes to make it big in the United States before becoming popular in its home region.
To help the Hong Kong-based group gain a following, Niermann hired songwriters and producers who worked on tracks by artistes such as Bon Jovi and the Spice Girls.
Their first single, "Undivided," which featured American rapper Snoop Dogg in both song and video, made it to number three on the Billboard Dance Club chart.
CONCERTS, MERCHANDISE, SPONSORSHIPS
Niermann has also tried to popularize Blush through music videos and TV appearances as well as toys and computer games, tapping contacts made during his time at Disney and Electronic Arts Inc, another former employer.
"These days you monetize through live appearances like concerts, merchandise, sponsorships and endorsements. These are the key areas," he said.
Fans at recent Singapore events praised the group for their friendliness and style.
"Lots of energy and great vocals," said Andrew Teo, the event manager at The Butter Factory, a Singapore dance club where the group performed.
The group, though, spends much of its time in North America, targeting cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver where there are large ethnic Asian communities in hopes of building the fan base essential for success.
"Blush are wholesome enough to work with Disney yet at the same time are edgy enough to draw a crowd that might prefer to listen to Snoop Dogg or Black Eyed Peas," Niermann said.
But the group may find broad success hard, experts said.
"The difficulty about breaking into Western markets is the mindset... Westerners do not bother about singers outside their country because they do not identify with them," said Dean Augustine, head of artistes and repertoire at Sense Music, a Japanese-Singaporean management and production house.
"When an artiste has a following, fans will comment on YouTube and this gives the media something to write about."
(Editing by Elaine Lies and Yoko Nishikawa)
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NFL's Goodell advises English FA on diversity rule
Associated Press Sports
updated 12:42 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2011
LONDON (AP) -NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has advised English Football Association officials on the benefits of adopting an American Football rule designed to create more opportunities for black and minority coaches.
The FA and League Managers' Association has spent several months exploring the possibility of emulating the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate when filling head coach and general manager positions.
Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who pushed for the diversity rule that was eventually named after him, joined Goodell in a meeting with FA officials this week.
"We're more than happy to share our perspective in anything we do (...) the issue that we spent time on was what we call the Rooney Rule," Goodell said Saturday. "What that has done is create more opportunities for African-American coaches and other minority coaches to become NFL head coaches because you've had to look at a broader slate of qualified individuals.
"And that has been good for our game (and) it's good business. And that was exactly our message to the FA officials."
Goodell is in London for Sunday's regular-season NFL game at Wembley Stadium between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, teams which both employ black coaches.
Tampa Bay's Raheem Morris and Lovie Smith of the Bears are among seven black coaches and one Hispanic coach currently working in the NFL. When the Rooney Rule was implemented in 2003, there were three African American NFL head coaches.
Among England's 92 professional clubs over the top four divisions, there are only two black managers - Chris Hughton at second-tier Birmingham and Chris Powell at third-tier club Charlton.
In the Premier League - the world's richest football league - all 20 managers are white.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsUnited vs. City a clash of equals
For the first time in a generation or more, the United vs. City match this Sunday?? the "Manchester derby"?? will be a true contest of equals.
AFP - Getty ImagesKlinsmann ripped
Bayern Munich's president has dismissed Jurgen Klinsmann's time as coach of the German powerhouse as an expensive mistake.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44998047/ns/sports-soccer/
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Dell Inspiron 14z (i14z-6677DBK)
The Dell Inspiron 14z (i14z-6677DBK) ($849.99 list) is the Staples configuration of another leading mainstream laptop, the Editors' Choice Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5) ($750 direct, 4 stars). With the same thin chassis, the next iteration of the Core i5 processor, and a slightly longer battery life, the new Inspiron could be the next top mainstream laptop, but there are other excellent systems also vying for that title, like the Sony VAIO VPC-EG16FM ($829.99 list, 4 stars), which costs $20 less, but offers more in the way of wireless (WiMAX) and video-oriented (Blu-ray) features.
Design
The i14z-6677DBK features a thin, sleek design that dresses up a plastic chassis with cool brushed aluminum. The Dell weighs 5 pounds, the same as comparable laptops, like the Samsung QX411-W01UB ($699.99 list, 3.5 stars) (5 pounds) and Sony VAIO VPC-EG16FM (4.9 pounds). It's also quite stylish looking, with a dark brown finish covering the lid and palm rest.
The i14z-6677DBK's full-size keyboard is done in the chiclet style and offers one of the most comfortable typing experiences found on a 14-inch laptop, with subtlety sculpted keycaps providing a more finger-friendly surface than regular tile keys. It doesn't, however, have the handy backlight that was offered on the previous Dell 14z (Core i5). The accompanying trackpad is smooth and responsive, but the mouse buttons are a bit stiff. These sorts of details are highly subjective, however, so try before you buy.
The 14-inch widescreen display is quite bright, thanks to a white LED backlight, and sharp, with standard 1,366-by-768 resolution. You'll also find that the stereo speakers built in to the laptop deck sound crisp and clear, thanks largely to SRS Premium Sound software enhancement. The result is what Dell calls HD Sound 2.0, and it rivals HP's Beats Audio in quality.
Features
The i14z-6677DBK has plenty of features, but it tucks most of them out of sight behind protective covers. Open the cover on the right and you'll find two USB 3.0 ports and a headphone jack. On the left, the cover conceals a mini-DiplayPort, USB 2.0 port, and HDMI-out. Uncovered is an integrated media card reader (SD, MMC, MS/Pro). There's even a cover on the rear of the laptop, hiding the Gigabit Ethernet connection. These covers help keep dirt and grime out of the ports and help maintain the smooth uninterrupted lines of the laptop, but they are still an irritant that you'll be dealing with every time you need to plug in a mouse or USB drive.
The i14z-6677DBK has an HDMI port for connecting the laptop to the an HDTV to watch your videos; alternately, you can also you use the WiDi 2.0 feature, which lets you stream HD content to any TV equipped with a Netgear Push2TV adapter. It's not the only wireless solution included in the i14z-6677DBK; you also get 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The included dual-layer DVD burner is nice, but it can't quite match the Blu-ray drive found in the Sony VPC-EG16FM.
The i14z-6677DBK's 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive is larger than those of most leading mainstream laptops, like the Samsung QX411-W01UB and Sony VPC-EG16FM, which both have 640GB drives. On the hard drive, you'll find a bit of bloatware pre-installed, like Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a 60-day trial of McAfee Security Center, two ereaders (Blio and Zinio) and a handful of game samples from WildTangent.
Dell protects the i14z-6677DBK with a 1-year warranty covering parts and labor, but Staples buyers can take advantage of their 2-year extended protection plan. In addition to covering the laptop against the usual wear and tear, this service plan also includes 24/7 technical support and a free screen replacement?an expensive, but commonly needed, repair.
Performance
The i14z-6677DBK utilizes Intel's integrated graphics solution instead of a discrete graphics card, but the performance is still quite good, leading the pack with 3DMark 06 scores of 5,186 at medium settings and 2,833 at native resolution. In gaming tests it took the prize again, pumping out 19.9 frames per second in Crysis and 19.5fps in Lost Planet 2. That's good enough for moderate intensity 3D games at medium quality settings, and lighter 3D titles.
A large 65Wh battery pushes battery life close to 9 hours, lasting 8 hours 41 minutes in Mobile Mark 2007. It lasted long enough to outlast the previous Dell Inspiron 14z (8:38), and the Sony VPC-EG16FM (8:12). The only laptop to go longer was the Samsung QX411-W01UB, by a mere 17 minutes (8:58).
The Dell Inspiron 14z (i14z-6677DBK) has plenty in common with its Editors' Choice predecessor, the Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5), like the latest Core i5 processor, a larger hard drive, and slightly better performance in gaming and multimedia, but it also retains some of its flaws, like stubborn mouse buttons and a irritating port covers. It makes a strong showing in its category, but other laptops like the Sony VAIO VPC-EG16FM add features like Blu-ray and WiMAX and cost less. For the time being, the previous Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5) remains our Editors' Choice.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:
COMPARISON TABLE
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Obama's Iraq Withdraw Courts Disaster in the Middle East (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Barack Obama has announced the full and total withdraw of American troops from Iraq. Mission accomplished, he might have said. Our long, national nightmare is now over.
If Hot Air is correct, the next phase in the even longer nightmare that is Iraq is about to begin. The dirty little secret is that Americans are leaving Iraq not because the Obama administration wants them to or that anyone thinks it is prudent. They are leaving because the Shiite majority government in Iraq would like the Americans out of the way so that it can consolidate power, with the help of Iran, at the expense of Iraq's Sunni minority.
Saudi Arabia, which sees Iran as an existential, is not likely to sit still for an Iran's client state on its northern border. What it lacks in military power, it has more than enough cash. Money can provide a lot of arms and support for a Sunni uprising against an Iranian back regime.
Of course that has within it the prospect of more killing, horror, and devastation. Iraq would become a police state once again, with all that implies. The Bush era dream of an Arab democracy, fueled to prosperity with a properly developed oil industry, would become a distant memory.
Obama must be hoping against hope that the blow up does not occur or at the very least sometime after 2012. This may be a vain hope. Just as the aftermath in Libya has all the potential for disaster, Iraq too could very well be experiencing a long, hot summer next year just in time for the 2012 election to heat up.
It is true that American troops are leaving because the current Iraqi government does not want them there. But a stronger leader than Obama (say, George W. Bush) could have exerted more pressure and have insisted that enough Americans stay to consolidate the hard won gains of the past nine years and to win the peace.
Instead, Obama may well have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. If Iraq goes up in flames on his watch, he may try to blame Bush as he has for so many things, but he will have no one to blame for the disaster but himself.
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রবিবার, ২৩ অক্টোবর, ২০১১
[OOC] Outbreak Protocol
[unable to retrieve full-text content]This will be the OOC and discussion thread for an open-world MV event centered around an outbreak of a pathogenic, hyper-virulent bacteria by the name of Iramorbus.
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HBT: Red Sox pitching coach reportedly joining A's
UPDATE: Apparently the interview went well, because Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that Young has left the Red Sox and rejoined the A?s.
==========
Jane Lee of MLB.com reported yesterday that Oakland is interested in rehiring pitching coach Curt Young after he left the A?s to take the same job with the Red Sox this season and sure enough according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe permission has been granted for an interview.
That seems like mostly just a formality, because presumably general manager Billy Beane and the rest of the A?s decision-makers know exactly how they feel about Young after he spent the previous seven seasons as Oakland?s pitching coach.
Toss in the fact that Young is friends with Bob Melvin, who took over as manager around midseason, and the writing is definitely on the wall for a reunion following one shaky year in Boston.
It?s also worth noting that Clay Buchholz didn?t exactly seem upset at the possibility of Young leaving when asked about the situation during a radio interview yesterday, explaining how much more laid back Young was compared to former pitching coach John Farrell and indicating that few pitchers on the staff went to Young for help.
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Microsoft HoloDesk: when you need to juggle something that isn't there (video)
If you'd thought that OmniTouch and PocketTouch were the end of Microsoft Research's natural user interface projects, think again. It's now released a video of the HoloDesk, a tool that lets you manipulate virtual 3D objects with your bare hands. Looking through a transparent display, the objects react nearly instantly, rolling from a sheet of real paper into a real cup and falling into shadow if you block the virtual light-source. The Cambridge lab that developed the tool sees uses in remote working, collaboration or device prototyping. If you hadn't guessed, there's a hacked Kinect at the heart of HoloDesk's DNA, which makes us wonder how long it'll be before we can use it to play Halo.
Microsoft HoloDesk: when you need to juggle something that isn't there (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bombings, beheadings? Stats show a peaceful world (AP)
WASHINGTON ? It seems as if violence is everywhere, but it's really on the run.
Yes, thousands of people have died in bloody unrest from Africa to Pakistan, while terrorists plot bombings and kidnappings. Wars drag on in Iraq and Afghanistan. In peaceful Norway, a man massacred 69 youths in July. In Mexico, headless bodies turn up, victims of drug cartels. This month eight people died in a shooting in a California hair salon.
Yet, historically, we've never had it this peaceful.
That's the thesis of three new books, including one by prominent Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Statistics reveal dramatic reductions in war deaths, family violence, racism, rape, murder and all sorts of mayhem.
In his book, Pinker writes: "The decline of violence may be the most significant and least appreciated development in the history of our species."
And it runs counter to what the mass media is reporting and essentially what we feel in our guts.
Pinker and other experts say the reality is not painted in bloody anecdotes, but demonstrated in the black and white of spreadsheets and historical documents. They tell a story of a world moving away from violence.
In his new book, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined," Pinker makes the case that a smarter, more educated world is becoming more peaceful in several statistically significant ways. His findings are based on peer-reviewed studies published by other academics using examinations of graveyards, surveys and historical records:
? The number of people killed in battle ? calculated per 100,000 population ? has dropped by 1,000-fold over the centuries as civilizations evolved. Before there were organized countries, battles killed on average more than 500 out of every 100,000 people. In 19th century France, it was 70. In the 20th century with two world wars and a few genocides, it was 60. Now battlefield deaths are down to three-tenths of a person per 100,000.
? The rate of genocide deaths per world population was 1,400 times higher in 1942 than in 2008.
? There were fewer than 20 democracies in 1946. Now there are close to 100. Meanwhile, the number of authoritarian countries has dropped from a high of almost 90 in 1976 to about 25 now.
Pinker says one of the main reasons for the drop in violence is that we are smarter. IQ tests show that the average teenager is smarter with each generation. The tests are constantly adjusted to keep average at 100, and a teenager who now would score a 100 would have scored a 118 in 1950 and a 130 in 1910. So this year's average kid would have been a near-genius a century ago. And that increase in intelligence translates into a kinder, gentler world, Pinker says.
"As we get smarter, we try to think up better ways of getting everyone to turn their swords into plowshares at the same time," Pinker said in an interview. "Human life has become more precious than it used to be."
Pinker argued his case in a commentary this past week in the scientific journal Nature. He has plenty of charts and graphs to back up his claims, including evidence beyond wartime deaths ? evidence that our everyday lives are also less violent:
? Murder in European countries has steadily fallen from near 100 per 100,000 people in the 14th and 15th centuries to about 1 per 100,000 people now.
? Murder within families. The U.S. rate of husbands being killed by their wives has dropped from 1.2 per 100,000 in 1976 to just 0.2. For wives killed by their husbands, the rate has slipped from 1.4 to 0.8 over the same time period.
? Rape in the United States is down 80 percent since 1973. Lynchings, which used to occur at a rate of 150 a year, have disappeared.
? Discrimination against blacks and gays is down, as is capital punishment, the spanking of children, and child abuse.
But if numbers are too inaccessible, Pinker is more than happy to provide the gory stories illustrating our past violence. "It is easy to forget how dangerous life used to be, how deeply brutality was once woven into the fabric of daily existence," Pinker writes in his book.
He examines body counts, rapes, sacrifice and slavery in the Bible, using an estimate of 1.2 million deaths detailed in the Old Testament. He describes forms of torture used in the Middle Ages and even notes the nastiness behind early day fairy tales, such as the evil queen's four gruesome methods for killing Snow White along with a desire to eat her lungs and liver.
Even when you add in terrorism, the world is still far less violent, Pinker says.
"Terrorism doesn't account for many deaths. Sept. 11 was just off the scale. There was never a terrorist attack before or after that had as many deaths. What it does is generate fear," he said.
It's hard for many people to buy the decline in violence. Even those who deal in peace for a living at first couldn't believe it when the first academics started counting up battle deaths and recognized the trends.
In 1998, Andrew Mack, then head of strategic planning for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, said a look at the statistics showed the world was becoming less violent. The reaction from his professional peacekeeping colleagues?
"Pffft, it's not true," they told Mack, arguing that the 1990s had to be the worst decade in U.N. history. It wasn't even close.
Joshua Goldstein, a professor of international relations at American University and author of "Winning the War on War," has also been telling the same story as Pinker, but from a foreign policy point of view. At each speech he gives, people bring up America's lengthy wars in the Middle East. "It's been a hard message to get through," he acknowledged.
"We see the atrocities and they are atrocious," Goldstein said. "The blood is going to be just as red on the television screens."
Mack, who's now with Simon Fraser University in Canada, credits the messy, inefficient and heavily political peacekeeping process at the U.N., the World Bank and thousands of non-governmental organizations for helping curb violence.
The "Human Security Report 2009/2010," a project led by Mack and funded by several governments, is a worldwide examination of war and violence and has been published as a book. It cites jarringly low numbers. While the number of wars has increased by 25 percent, they've been minor ones.
The average annual battle death toll has dropped from nearly 10,000 per conflict in the 1950s to less than 1,000 in the 21st century. And the number of deadliest wars ? those that kill at least 1,000 people a year ? has fallen by 78 percent since 1988.
Mack and Goldstein emphasize how hard society and peacekeepers have worked to reduce wars, focusing on action taken to tamp down violence, while Pinker focuses on cultural and thought changes that make violence less likely. But all three say those elements are interconnected.
Even the academics who disagree with Pinker, Goldstein and Mack, say the declining violence numbers are real.
"The facts are not in dispute here; the question is what is going on," John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics."
"It's been 21 years since the Cold War ended and the United States has been at war for 14 out of those 21 years," Mearsheimer said. "If war has been burned out of the system, why do we have NATO and why has NATO been pushed eastward...? Why are we spending more money on defense than all other countries in the world put together?"
What's happening is that the U.S. is acting as a "pacifier" keeping the peace all over the world, Mearsheimer said. He said like-minded thinkers, who call themselves "realists" believe "that power matters because the best way to survive is to be really powerful." And he worries that a strengthening China is about to upset the world power picture and may make the planet bloodier again.
And Goldstein points out that even though a nuclear attack hasn't occurred in 66 years ? one nuclear bomb could change this trend in an instant.
Pinker said looking at the statistics and how violent our past was and how it is less so now, "makes me appreciate things like democracy, the United Nations, like literacy."
He and Goldstein believe it's possible that an even greater drop in violence could occur in the future.
Goldstein says there's a turn on a cliche that is apt: "We're actually going from the fire to the frying pan. And that's progress. It's not as bad as the fire."
___
Researcher Julie Reed Bell contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Steven Pinker's web site: http://stevenpinker.com/
A lecture by Pinker with his statistics and graphics on a "history of violence:" http://bit.ly/rupVbk
Joshua Goldstein's book website: http://winningthewaronwar.com/
The Human Security Report Project: http://www.hsrgroup.org/
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শনিবার, ২২ অক্টোবর, ২০১১
Asia emerges as battlefield for growth-hungry tech firms (Reuters)
HONG KONG (Reuters) ? When Google Inc unveiled its latest version of Android, the operating platform powering 50 percent of the global smartphone market, it picked Hong Kong as the destination to show off the new software on Wednesday.
The event in Hong Kong, where a population of 7 million has a mobile penetration of 200 percent, highlights Asia's importance as a market Google is keen to win in its high stakes war with Apple Inc.
In the process, the search giant is deepening ties with Asian electronics powerhouse Samsung Electronics, the largest Android seller, which is also set to overtake Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in the third quarter.
"The Asian market is very important. Especially some of the countries are really emerging with smartphones and we are very excited about the opportunity," Won-pyo Hong, executive vice president for Samsung's global product strategy, said on the sidelines at the All Things D technology conference in Hong Kong.
The three-day event hosts senior executives from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Alibaba Group, Sony Corp, Twitter and other companies.
South Korea's Samsung, cross-town rival LG Electronics Inc and Taiwan's HTC Corp are already leading the Android charge, with some of these vendors also supporting Microsoft's software.
Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which sports both the Samsung and Google logos, will be the first device running the new Android system named 'Ice Cream Sandwich', aimed to unify the software used in tablets and smartphones.
The release comes after Apple began sales of the iPhone 4S, which boasts a voice-recognition technology dubbed 'Siri'.
"This will be our strategic product for the year-end holiday season, as (Apple's) iPhone 4S just came into the market," said JK Shin, president and head of Samsung's mobile communications business. The product will be launched in November.
Asia-Pacific, already bustling with smartphone users, will drive further growth in feature phones and smartphones over the next few years, while European and U.S. markets stagnate, analysts say.
Microsoft said on Thursday it will launch Mango-powered handsets from mobile makers including Nokia Oyj, Samsung and HTC over the next few weeks.
"As the price comes down, emerging markets do become a huge opportunity, but also the existing markets in western Europe and the U.S., because as the price point comes down, more people will get into the smartphone market," Andrew Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows phone division, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
Android software, which Google licenses free to manufacturers, is the most popular smartphone software globally, ranking ahead of Apple's iOS as well as software by Microsoft and Research in Motion Ltd.
Android runs on 190 million devices, up from 135 million in mid-July. As of the second quarter of this year, shipments of iPhones totaled around 129 million units, while that of iPads totaled 29 million, IDC figures show.
Smartphones now create 25 percent of all phone market volumes, and the majority of the profits.
Jerry Yang, Yahoo's co-founder highlighted Asia as a "very important and growing" consumption market for Yahoo.
"Southeast Asia and India, in the next three years, there will be 100 million users coming online," Yang said, pointing to the proliferation of $50 feature phones.
APPLE BETS ON CHINA
This week, Apple's Chief Executive Tim Cook highlighted Greater China as its next big growth opportunity, saying "the sky's the limit there," even as the company missed street estimates for profit for the first time in 10 years.
Cook told analysts that Greater China -- mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- was becoming an all-important region for Apple as it has "become No. 2 on our list of top revenue countries very, very quickly." Revenue from the region increased four-fold to $4.5 billion during the quarter.
China and India, the largest and fastest growing mobile markets, with about 1.8 billion mobile phone subscribers, still have a smartphone penetration rate of less than 5 percent and this is where the top players are likely to boost investments and jostle to stitch deals with telco operators.
"For 2011 and 2012 we expect Apple to build a viable mid-range smartphone business and to pressure Android vendors with a reliance on the mid-range, while heavily pressurizing others such as RIM," analysts at Nomura said last week in a report on the global mobile phone industry.
Apple lags rivals in smartphone markets, such as India and China, where buyers mostly choose handsets based on prices unlike the trend in matured markets.
Huawei Technologies and smaller rival ZTE Corp Ltd, are also aggressively muscling in on mobile devices.
This month, Apple launched its first store in Hong Kong, which joined its five other China stores as those with the highest traffic and among its highest revenue stores in the world.
(Additional reporting by Huang Yuntao; Writing by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
U.N. and activists urge inquiry into Gaddafi death (Reuters)
GENEVA (Reuters) ? The United Nations and human rights groups called on Friday for a full investigation into the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and voiced concerns that he may have been executed, a war crime under international law.
Images filmed on mobile phones before and after Gaddafi's death showed him wounded and bloodied but clearly alive after his capture in his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, and then dead amidst a jostling crowd of anti-Gaddafi fighters.
"If you take these two videos together, they are rather disturbing because you see someone who has been captured alive and then you see the same person dead," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told Reuters Television.
Asked whether Gaddafi may have been executed, he said: "It has to be one possibility when you look at these two videos. So that's something that an investigation needs to look into."
Under the Geneva Conventions which lay down the rules of conduct in armed conflict, it is prohibited to torture, humiliate or murder detainees.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which upholds respect for the 1949 pacts, said it had no information on Gaddafi's death. "In general, a captured person must be treated correctly," an ICRC spokesman said.
Russia believes that Gaddafi should have been treated as a prisoner of war according to the Geneva Conventions and should not have been killed, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday, calling for an investigation.
"If Colonel Gaddafi was killed after his capture, it would constitute a war crime and those responsible should be brought to justice," Claudio Cordone, senior director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch, interviewed by CNN in Sirte near the drainage ditch where Gaddafi was captured, said: "We do not think he was caught in crossfire. Did Muammar Gaddafi die from wounds or did he receive a fatal head wound after he left this area?
"We are calling for an autopsy and an investigation. This is a blemish on the new Libya that he died under suspicious circumstances," he said.
Some 95 bodies were found after Libyan transitional forces took Gaddafi's besieged hometown, including several bodies executed with gunshots to the head, according to Bouckaert.
Gaddafi's body lay in an old meat store on Friday as arguments swirled over his burial and the circumstances of his death.
With a bullet wound visible through the familiar curly hair, the corpse shown to Reuters in Misrata bore other marks of the violent end to a violent life that was being broadcast to the world in snatches of grainy, gory cellphone video.
A television station based in Syria that supported Gaddafi said on Friday that the slain Libyan leader's wife had asked for a U.N. investigation into his death.
ARRESTED ALIVE, KILLED LATER
Colville said it was a fundamental principle of international law that people accused of serious crimes should be tried if possible. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in June for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and their intelligence chief for crimes against humanity.
"Summary executions are strictly illegal under any circumstances. It's different if someone is killed in combat. There was a civil war taking place in Libya. So if the person died as part of combat, that is a different issue and that is normally acceptable under the circumstances," he told Reuters.
"But if something else has happened, if someone is captured and then deliberately killed, then that is a very serious matter," he said.
Libya's interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said Gaddafi was killed in a "crossfire" while being brought to hospital after his capture. A doctor who examined Gaddafi's body said he had been fatally wounded by a bullet in his intestines.
But a senior interim ruling National Transitional Council source told Reuters Gaddafi was killed by his captors: "While he was being taken away, they beat him and then they killed him," the source said. "He might have been resisting."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Misrata and Gleb Bryanski in Moscow; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
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Clinton says US will still stand by Iraq
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, walks alongside Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Friday, Oct. 22, 2011. Clinton is visiting Tajikistan and Uzbekistan this weekend as she wraps up a South and Central Asia tour focused on securing and stabilizing Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Lamarque, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, walks alongside Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Friday, Oct. 22, 2011. Clinton is visiting Tajikistan and Uzbekistan this weekend as she wraps up a South and Central Asia tour focused on securing and stabilizing Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Lamarque, Pool)
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) ? The United States will continue to support Iraq as it moves toward democracy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday as she wrapped up a weeklong overseas trip.
Without mentioning Iran by name, Clinton warned Iraq's neighbors against meddling and said the U.S. and Iraq would remain close allies.
"As we open this new chapter in a relationship with sovereign Iraq, to the Iraqis we say: America is with you as you take your next steps in your journey to secure your democracy," she said.
"And to countries in the region, especially Iraq's neighbors, we want to emphasize that America will stand with our allies and friends, including Iraq, in defense of our common security and interests."
She said the United States would have a "robust, continuing presence throughout the region, which is proof of our ongoing commitment to Iraq and to the future of that region."
U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday declared the more than eight-year Iraq war will be over by the end of the year and said that virtually all U.S. troops will be brought home. Some 200 troops will remain to provide security at the U.S. Embassy and other offices.
Critics of the president warn that by withdrawing its troops, the U.S. is giving Iran an opening to increase its influence in Iraq.
Clinton is due back in Washington on Sunday following stops in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
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