Potential voter registration fraud in Florida: GOP?s own 'ACORN' scandal?

The Republican Party fired a voter registration contractor this week after the firm turned in illegible, incorrect, and falsified voter registration forms to Florida election officials.

By Patrik Jonsson,?Staff writer / September 29, 2012

A supporter of Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney attends a campaign rally in Sarasota, Florida, September 20, 2012.

Jim Young/REUTERS

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The Republican Party promptly fired a voter registration contractor this week after the firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, turned in illegible, incorrect, and falsified voter registration forms to Florida election officials.

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Saying the party has ?zero tolerance? for voter fraud, the GOP also filed complaints against the company with the Florida Secretary of State?s office. The company, run by long-time GOP operative Nathan Sproul, says a single employee was responsible for the forged signatures, though the problem, by Friday, had spread to 10 counties.

"This is an issue we take extremely seriously," RNC spokesman Sean Spicer told CBS News. "When allegations were brought to our attention we severed all ties to the firm."

While reasonable, those explanations could have trouble finding traction among the US electorate, which has watched battles erupt in mostly swing states from Florida to Ohio over control of voter rolls, and heated debates about potential disenfranchisement of key Democratic constituencies, poorer, minority, and elderly voters.

Why do Election 2012 swing states matter? 5 resources to explain.

The allegations are particularly poignant in Florida, which decided the presidential race in 2000 after a massive recount was halted by the US Supreme Court in a way that gave the election to the GOP, and where the current Republican state administration has fought with the US Department of Justice over an effort to weed out illegal immigrants from the state?s voter rolls.

Even more to the point of third-party voter registration contractors, the League of Women Voters sued Florida earlier this month after it instituted a new 48-hour deadline for turning in registration forms. The state relented, reinstating a 10-day deadline.

What?s more, the fraudulent registration findings have echoes of the 2008 controversies over the now-disbanded ACORN community activism group, which was accused by Republicans in 2008 of falsifying forms.

Brad Friedman, who runs the electoral watchdog Brad Blog, helped break the story, tying it to other emerging GOP registration controversies in California and Colorado. Other states where Sproul?s firm had been hired to gather registrations have not reported any problems.

?A massive GOP voter registration scheme, which appears to involve the upper-echelons of the national party, [has begun] to emerge,? Mr. Friedman writes.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/usa/~3/boJD__x_opI/Potential-voter-registration-fraud-in-Florida-GOP-s-own-ACORN-scandal

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Two Americans killed in confused Afghan shootout

KABUL (Reuters) - Two Americans were killed in Afghanistan during an exchange of fire between NATO-led forces and the Afghan army that may have been the result of a misunderstanding, as the death toll of U.S. military and civilian personnel passed 2,000.

A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, said on Sunday that an American soldier and a civilian contractor had been killed in the incident in eastern Afghanistan, the circumstances of which remain unclear.

The coalition initially said the incident may have been the result of an "insider attack" and another example of a member of the Afghan national security force turning on coalition troops in a war that began in 2001.

But it later said that nearby insurgent gunfire may have led to a misunderstanding.

"The circumstances were somewhat confused ... There was a report of insurgent firing taking place in this incident which we believe may have been a factor," Lt. General Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of the NATO-led coalition, said.

It was the latest setback for the coalition after the United States said joint operations with Afghan forces were returning to normal.

Joint operations were halted two weeks ago after a surge of attacks on the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) by its Afghan allies. At least 52 ISAF service members have been killed this year in so-called "green-on-blue" attacks.

The suspension of joint operations was a blow for NATO which wants to train the 350,000 members of the Afghan security forces so that they can try to ensure stability after coalition forces withdraw.

Pentagon data listing the number of U.S. troops and U.S. contractors killed in Afghanistan since combat began 11 years ago showed the two new deaths pushed the total combined number of U.S. personnel killed past the 2,000 mark.

The attack took place in the Sayed Abad district of the Wardak province, according to local police sources, who said a gun battle had broken out between coalition soldiers and Afghans when an Afghan National Army member opened fire on American troops.

Three members of the Afghan National Army were also killed in the firefight, while three other U.S. citizens and one Afghan were wounded, police spokesman Wali Mohammad said on Sunday.

"We appreciate the sacrifice of our fallen heroes, every death is tragic and important - none more than any other," ISAF said in a statement after the incident on Saturday.

Tension between coalition forces and their Afghan allies has been rising due to an escalation of so-called "insider" attacks, but Bradshaw denied the incident was a reflection of growing mistrust between Afghan and coalition forces.

"There is a very strong relationship between ISAF (the International Security Assistance Force) and our Afghan colleagues," Bradshaw told a press conference late on Sunday.

Separately on Saturday, police in eastern Kunar province said they had found the beheaded bodies of three male civilians in a forest.

The Taliban had kidnapped the men three days ago for allegedly spying for the government and NATO forces, Kunar police chief Shirwah Sameen told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni in Kabul, Mustafa Andalib in Ghazni and Phillip Stewart in Washington; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-soldier-civilian-killed-afghan-insider-attack-041708339.html

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Afghan forces also suffer from insider attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghan Army Sgt. Habibullah Hayar didn't know it, but he had been sleeping with his enemy for weeks.

Twenty days ago, one of his roommates was arrested for allegedly plotting an insider attack against their unit, which is partnered with NATO forces in eastern Paktia province.

Afghan soldiers and policemen ? or militants in their uniforms ? have gunned down more than 50 foreign troops so far this year, eroding the trust between coalition forces and their Afghan partners. An equal number of Afghan policemen and soldiers also died in these attacks, giving them reason as well to be suspicious of possible infiltrators within their ranks.

"It's not only foreigners. They are targeting Afghan security forces too," said the 21-year-old Hayar, who was in Kabul on leave. "Sometimes, I think what kind of situation is this that a Muslim cannot trust a Muslim ? even a brother cannot trust a brother. It's so confused. Nobody knows what's going on."

The U.S.-led coalition said a NATO service member and an international civilian contractor were killed on Saturday in the latest such insider attack. The coalition said in a statement on Sunday that Afghan soldiers were also killed or wounded, but provided no other details about the attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Insider attacks are taking a toll on the partnership, prompting the U.S. military to restrict operations with small-sized Afghan units earlier this month.

The close contact ? with coalition forces working side by side with Afghan troops as advisers, mentors and trainers ? is a key part of the U.S. strategy for putting the Afghans in the lead as the U.S. and other nations prepare to pull out their last combat troops at the end of 2014, just 27 months away.

The U.S. military also has shown increasing anger over the attacks.

"I'm mad as hell about them, to be honest with you," Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday. "It reverberates everywhere across the United States. You know, we're willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we're not willing to be murdered for it."

So far this year, at least 52 foreign troops ? about half of them Americans ? have been killed in insider attacks. The Afghan government has not provided statistics on the number of its forces killed in insider attacks. However, U.S. military statistics obtained by The Associated Press show at least 53 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed as of the end of August.

A U.S. military official disclosed the numbers on condition of anonymity because he said it was up to Afghan officials to formally release the figures. An Afghan defense official who was shown the statistics said he had no reason to doubt their accuracy.

Overall, the statistics show that at least 135 Afghan policemen and soldiers have been killed in insider attacks since 2007. That's more than the 119 foreign service members ? mostly Americans ? killed in such attacks since then, according to NATO.

Typically, foreign troops are the main targets, but Afghan forces also have been killed by comrades angry over their collaboration with Westerners and many more get killed in the crossfire, Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said. He said the ministry did not have a breakdown of how many had been targeted or killed in gunbattles during the attacks.

In at least one instance, an Afghan police officer with alleged ties to militants, killed 10 of his fellow officers on Aug. 11 at a checkpoint in southwestern Nimroz province. An Afghan soldier also was killed on April 25 when a fellow soldier opened fire on a U.S. service member and his translator in Kandahar province, the southern birthplace of the Taliban.

Last year, a suicide bomber in an Afghan police uniform blew himself up May 28 in Takhar province, killing two NATO service members and four Afghans, including a senior police commander. And just a week before that, four Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests under police uniforms attacked a government building in Khost province, triggering a gunbattle that left three Afghan policemen and two Afghan soldiers dead. On April 16, an Afghan soldier walked into a meeting of NATO trainers and Afghan troops in Laghman province, blew himself up, killing five U.S. troops, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter.

"It's difficult to know an attacker from a non-attacker when everybody is wearing a uniform, Hayar said.

The attacker was one of seven people rounded up earlier this month from various units within the Afghan National Army Corps 203, Hayar said. The corps covers the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Ghazni, Wardak, Logar and Khost.

"He was together with me in my room with some of my other colleagues. He had a long beard. We didn't know anything about him. We were living together, sleeping together," said Hayar, who has been in the Afghan army for 2 1/2 years.

He said the suspected infiltrator was identified after a Taliban militant arrested in Logar told his Afghan interrogators that members of the fundamentalist Islamic movement had infiltrated the corps and were planning imminent attacks. That prompted Hayar's superiors to start questioning soldiers in various units.

Hayar said his roommate's uneasy reaction raised suspicion, and investigators found Taliban songs saved to the memory card of his cell phone. He was then detained by Afghan intelligence officials and confessed he was a member of the Taliban and planned to stage attacks.

Hayar says he assumes his former bunkmate was probably going after foreign forces, but it makes him uncomfortable nevertheless.

"It's very hard to trust anybody ? even a roommate," he said. "Whenever I'm not on duty, I lock my weapon and keep the key myself. I don't put my weapon under my pillow to sleep because maybe someone will grab it and shoot me with my own weapon."

To counter such attacks, the U.S. military earlier this year stopped training about 1,000 members of the Afghan Local Police, a controversial network of village-defense units. U.S. commanders have assigned some troops to be "guardian angels" who watch over their comrades even as they sleep. U.S. officials also recently ordered American troops to carry loaded weapons at all time, even when they are on their bases.

Then, after a string of insider attacks, Allen this month restricted operations carried out alongside with small-sized Afghan units. Coalition troops have routinely conducted patrols or manned outposts with small groups of Afghan counterparts, but Allen's directive said such operations would no longer be considered routine and required the approval of the regional commander.

For their part, Afghan authorities have detained or removed hundreds of soldiers as part of its effort to re-screen its security forces. The Ministry of Defense also released a 28-page training booklet this month that advises soldiers not to be personally offended when foreign troops do things Afghans view as deeply insulting.

The booklet urges them not to take revenge for foreign troops' social blunders, such as blowing their noses in public, stepping into a mosque with their shoes on, walking in front of a soldier who is praying or asking about their wives.

"Most of the coalition members are interested to share pictures of their families. It is not a big deal for them. If someone asks you about your family, especially the females in your family, don't think they are disrespecting you or trying to insult you," the booklet says.

"That is not the case. By asking such questions, they are trying to show that they want to learn more about you. You can very easily explain to them that nobody in Afghanistan would ask, especially about wives or females in the family."

___

Associated Press writers Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez in Kabul contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-forces-suffer-insider-attacks-185712158.html

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Business Economics and the Digital Coupon | MyDealCompass ...

The adoption of smartphone growth is rapidly changing the retail shopping experience for both shoppers and businesses. Shoppers armed with their trusty smartphones continually want instant access to pricing information and special offers via their hand-held devices. A huge factor of this mega-trend is the use of digital coupons. This trend is further driven by group-buying, acceptance among the young and ease of redemption. Recessionary economics plays a role but the use of electronic coupons appears to be here to stay, regardless of the economic climate.

Those businesses who do not jump on board and join the digital coupon trend are risking a loss of business. Many businesses are hesitating to incorporate a large digital coupon plan into their marketing strategy because as the economic conditions improve they think shoppers will discontinue their reliance of retail coupons and savings codes. However, it is a fact that the couponing trend has continued to grow, even as the economy improves. Many shoppers now base their shopping activities where they can receive the best savings and discounts.

Also, the cost of advertising digital coupon deals online can be extensive with some of the coupon sites that are available. However, with myDealCompass, businesses can advertise their savings and discounts for a low monthly fee with no additional charges. Once their deal is live they can also tweek and change the savings as they see fit. This is an advantage that is not offered on other digital discount sites. As a result, there is a definite business advantage to join the digital coupon trend and give shoppers the instant access to deals that they search for.

Source: http://mydealcompass.com/blog/index.php/business-economics-digital-coupon/

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Get fit and team build with intramural sports

ROBERT HUSKEY/ Daily Titan

Intramural Sports might seem like a normal sports organization on campus, which could lead to the misconception of a rigid period of try-outs and a brutal amount of practice with swearing coaches. However, Intramural Sports are more about camaraderie than competition.

What else could one expect from an organization that offers zombie dodgeball as a team sport?

While the idea of a sport called zombie dodgeball is strange, it and the other items that the Intramural Sports organization has to offer all hinge on one idea: Teamwork.

The point of Intramural Sports is not to become professional athletes; instead it pushes students on campus to either form a team with a group of friends or branch out and meet new people. Intramural Sports are a way to not only enjoy playing various sports with old and new friends, but also to have a non-stressful environment in which to do so.

Farron Fowler has been the coordinator for Intramural Sports for the Student Recreation Center since the spring 2012 semester. His job is to oversee all the facets of Intramural Sports. His job includes leading free agents? and coaches? meetings and training officials on the rules of the sports.

?Intramural offers you the opportunity to meet new people; that?s the number one thing,? said Fowler. ?Usually (students) come with a friend and then you are added to a team of people you don?t know. So you meet new people and you?re inside the (Student Recreation Center) which is a phenomenal place of energy and excitement of the program. You get to experience a part of college that a lot of people don?t.?

Fowler also said new sports have been added this semester, with indoor soccer and zombie dodgeball being new additions to the Intramural Sports organization as well as certain sports being available for single day tournaments.

Lawrence Martinez, 18, a pre-business major, has taken part in intramural basketball since the spring 2012 semester and enjoys the competitive nature mixed with the ability to create a team full of his friends.

?You get to bond with your friends since you pick your own teams,? said Martinez. ?You feel that chemistry with your friends throughout the season? It?s really just about getting along and knowing how everyone plays together.?

Even with a heavy enrollment and positive feedback from participants, some students are still unaware that Intramural Sports are available on campus. One such student was Eduardo Miranda, 26, a broadcast journalism major. This semester is Miranda?s first semester being involved in Intramural Sports, but he has hit the ground running by joining the basketball league and soccer league this semester.

?This is my first time playing intramural (sports),? said Miranda. ?I didn?t even know about it. I transferred and I live in LA so I travel a lot. I really don?t know everything this school has to offer.?

This semester Intramural Sports offers basketball, softball, indoor and outdoor soccer, zombie dodgeball and flag football. There are options for coed teams as well as single gender. Tennis, racquetball, table tennis and badminton are also being offered as one-day tournaments.

Source: http://www.dailytitan.com/2012/09/get-fit-and-team-build-with-intramural-sports/

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Franco Antonello: For the "Friends" of Andrea and All the Rest

I consider it an honour to have been asked to write this post; when Lucia called me, I thought it was a joke. My first feeling was that my post would not be good enough. My second thought was that somehow I was benefitting from this privilege thanks to the drive of so many, so many voiceless young people -- autistic children like my son Andrea, who teach me the most important things in life. And I would like to thank them all for my presence here.

I am a father who found himself managing a storm -- two storms, seven typhoons that blow at once and incessantly, destroying the importance of so many things that I once believed were crucial in my life. In my case, the desire to never give up and, most of all, an unwavering positive energy, the same energy that each of these disabled kids need, led me, against all odds, to take my son and bring him with me on an adventure many dream of: to ride across the three Americas on a Harley Davidson, without specific destination and without a schedule, like two gypsies, in defiance of autism. From a problematic place, we invented our own fairy tale!

From that story came the book: Don't Be Afraid If I Hug You, fruit of the fantastic work of Fulvio Ervas and my travel notes, where I kept track of chronicles and thrills of the journey. The book has been very well received by readers; maybe because it offers a different vision of young people and their disabilities, maybe because it is loaded with love that sometimes is missing these days, maybe because it's a story of pure adventure, irony, and simple truth. And if this book is translated into many different languages and if the international production of a movie is already in the making, it means that something good has been done. This feeling pushes me to promote it as widely as possible because I received so many signs -- from parents and organizations -- that made me realize that, thanks to the book, something began to change.

While thinking about what I could write for this blog to describe what autism is, and disability in general, for a child that faces life, I thought of this: imagine that you are driving a car. The car is your body and it is through this car that you move to achieve anything in life. You are very aware that you need to turn on the engine, get started and spin the steering wheel to get on the road. But what happens is that when you start the engine, the horn sounds... and when you adjust your seat, the car starts moving forward... when you accelerate, the car goes backwards... you hit the turn signal and the doors open... you know what you have to do, you see everything, but nothing works the way you want it to. You try again and again, you kill yourself trying, you cry, you scream out of desperation... people look at you like a fool, they treat you like a fool because you act strange... and you try again and again but this car they gave you doesn't work. Maybe they gave it a wrong additive (a vaccine maybe?) and it broke down, no one knows how to fix it, people look at you and pass by with their own perfect cars -- machines that respond perfectly to their every command. You decide to get out of the car... you start opening the door, but the car starts moving at a furious speed... Help!!! Then at night, your tears wrinkle your pillow, you can't fall asleep and you wonder about how to get out of this confusion. You wake up and the nightmare is still real, for your entire life. Forever! No. Not forever?!? That is how I would describe autism.

This is why the foundation was created, the foundation of which I have been the president since 2005, the year it was created. This foundation has never been about projects, cures or therapies -- we don't organize congresses or conferences and we don't specialize in medicine or science. What we specifically do is raise funds to support projects for autistic people, involving entrepreneurs from every region. We form groups of 30 to 40 companies for each region, and each gives a small monthly share continually. The sum of these shares goes to projects that would otherwise never be financed, and allows businesses to grow closer to social issues. Right now, we are financing nine projects involving 200 entrepreneurs from the regions of Treviso, Padova, Vicenza, Brescia and Milano, but we are already getting active in other regions. Those projects are carried out from four hospitals and five parents associations (everything is explained on our website).

In exchange, the foundation publishes every month in daily newspapers (Il Sole 24 and Il Corriere della Sera, and prestigious local dailies) the actions in detail: the donated funds, who manages them, how they are spent, and what is the status of the funded projects, monthly, publicly and with total transparency so that every company knows exactly where its shares go. At the same time, on every page we give visibility to the companies that allow this all to happen, The message we are trying to communicate is that social work cannot be improvised, or cannot be realized with a large donation around Christmas time to then stop thinking about it: social work has to be managed like a company, with specific contracts, predictions of revenues and expenditures and people who work being fully responsible for what they do 365 days a year.

We tell the entrepreneurs: do your work, do it well and concentrate on your profitability, but with a smaller focus on the foundation, andwe will take care of the social engagement of your company with professionalism, keeping you aware of everything that happens with the money you give us. Yes, because many business owners do not invest in social projects because they wonder about where their money will truly end up. To them, we answer this: if everybody would invest 0.1% in social projects (time or money), I am convinced that many daily management problems would be resolved within our communities; support to the families, projects for the people would be offered. We wouldn't need to make demands or protest to our communities, provinces, regions or entities that are, today, unable to deliver all the answers on a financial or medical level. Managing social work with love, giving a little bit of our time, and a little bit of our resources would bring us all to a higher level of humanity, would bring us together, exactly like civilizations I have met deep in the Amazonian forests where each village shares and supports the difficulties of the weakest in a natural and spontaneous way. Deep in the Third World, in the villages kept separated from progress of civilization, I saw the strongest form of love, education, respect for one another. If we followed this example, our institutions could devote themselves to research, the latest medical discoveries, studies, and offering the financial resources necessary to make sure autism, as well as the other horrible diseases (HIV, etc), would be understood and defeated by science.

I would like to specify that I am only a dad, like any other dad, not quite able to discuss medicine because I don't have the expertise to do so. I can't suggest a cure, because the thousands we tried on my son in the last 15 years have been useless, if they didn't worsen his case. I won't be able to sustain this blog because my two sons, autism, the time I dedicate to the foundation, in addition to my work, unfortunately do not leave me enough time to spend on all those other things I would like to do, and I apologize for that. I hope, on the other side, that I can offer you through this post my positivity, my vision about fathers and sons dealing with autism, and simply give my testimony on disability and handicaps through the eyes of a father and the emotions of Andrea, my son, hoping that this post, as well as our entertaining book, can gather our worlds a little closer.

Speak to you soon,
Kind regards,
Franco

This post was originally published on HuffPost Italia and translated from Italian.

?

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/franco-antonello/for-the-friends-of-andrea_b_1911321.html

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Mexican report describes out of control, self-governed prisons

A report by Mexico's human rights commission said Mexico's prisons are plagued by overcrowding, lack of guards, and the omnipotence of prison gangs and drug cartels.

By Reuters / September 24, 2012

A tunnel that was allegedly used by inmates to escape from a state prison in Piedras Negras, Mexico, that took place on Sept. 17. Mexico's human rights commission cited major problems with Mexican prisons, saying 60 percent are controlled by criminal elements.

AP Photo

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Six out of 10 Mexican prisons are "self-governed" by prison gangs or drug cartels, according to a report issued Monday by the country's human rights commission.

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Commission representative?Andres Aguirre?said at a news conference that?Mexico's prisons also are plagued by overcrowding, a shortage of guards and corrupt employees who sometimes help with breakouts.

Aguirre said 60 percent of the country's 430 prisons or jails are controlled by criminal elements.

He added that the escape of 521 inmates over 14 incidents since 2010 - often with the help of corrupt prison officials - constitutes a grave problem for the country.

Earlier this month, more than 130 inmates escaped from a prison near the U.S. border in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, one of numerous mass breakouts tied to organized crime in the past few years.

Initial reports indicated the Piedras Negras inmates escaped through a 23-foot-long (2.9 meters) underground tunnel, but it was later revealed that they had merely walked out the facility's front door with the help of prison guards.

"A good number of (Mexico's) prisons feature similar conditions to those at Piedras Negras," Aguirre said.

Overcrowding of the country's prisons and jails is another problem facing the national penal system.

As of July,?Mexico's overall prison population stood at 48,872 inmates, or 25 percent above the system's official capacity.

Mexico?also faces a shortage of prison guards relative to international norms, Aguirre said.

The commission's findings are a reminder of the challenges that await?Enrique Pena Nieto,?Mexico's incoming president, who has pledged to reduce crime in the country after six years of increased gang-related violence under President?Felipe Calderon.

Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Bill Trott

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/LdO2si8MK9c/Mexican-report-describes-out-of-control-self-governed-prisons

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importance of fruits | Bodybuilding, Supplements, Diets, Workouts ...

---

Fruits are a delight to the human senses. Fruits are the most attractive, delicious, and nutritious of all foods available. Decorating a fruit tray may sound interesting but it can be a real hassle if you aren?t aware of the different fruit types. The importance of fruits in your diet can be attributed to the fact that they contain many vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are necessary for optimum digestion.

Fruits are the best source of natural sugar and are packed with anti-oxidants. They are high in fiber and low in calories. Fruits are also low in sodium so they help reduce the chance of gaining weight due to fluid retention. Protection from illnesses is yet another benefit we gain from consuming fruit.

Fruits also protect your body from cancer-causing free radicals and slow down the effects of aging.

Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe state. A fruit platter is a lovely addition to any gathering. A large dish decorated with various fresh fruits arranged in a pattern can be extremely delicious and appetizing. All fruits should have their individual places in the platter so that it gains a uniform appearance.

Here are a few fruit platter ideas which may be of use to you:

For a perfect fruit platter you must add a variety of fruits with different colors and textures.
Be careful with fragile fruits such as berries which get crushed easily.

Place them on the top of the bowl as garnishing.

The key to create a good looking fruit platter is to cut and slice your fruits into similar sized and shaped pieces.
You must ensure that you choose your fruits well. Shop for bright colored fruits with different textures in order to add variety to the platter.

It is very important that all the fruits are washed well and dried.

A fruit platter looks even better when you make two sections of fruits. One section can have whole fruits such as grapes, cherries, and berries and the other section can have sliced fruits which include apples, bananas, and oranges.
You can also slice melons and pineapples so they are displayed in their rinds.

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Source: http://stek.org/nutrition-supplements/foods/importance-of-fruits/

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The TechStars Model Comes To India: GSF Accelerator Partners With Dave McClure, Others For Three-City Mentoring/Funding Push

With VCs like Sequoia and Nexus Ventures pouring money into India's startup scene, it was only a matter of time before those focused on early-stage funding would follow. Today, GSF India, in partnership with some 30 other investors including Dave McClure's 500 Startups, announced a new initiative called GSF Accelerator. Set to take off this October, GSF Accelerator will be mentoring and offering seed funding of up to $30,000 each to 12 tech startups across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore -- four in each city.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VxxXBmqviRk/

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Seven (MORE) Must Read Books for Real Estate Investors

?The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you?ll go.?- Dr. Seuss

Several months ago I published a piece titled, ?Seven Must Read Books for Real Estate Investors.? The post simply discussed, in my opinion, the best books for real estate investors and took just a few minutes to type up.? Surprisingly, this post has become one of the most popular on RealEstateInYourTwenties.com and by far the most searched term from Google. In fact, there is a good probability that you are here because of it!

However, after writing that post I realized there were so many other great real estate books out there, and limiting to just those seven was an injustice for all the other great books. So, today I want to share seven more must read books for real estate investors.

(Also, in full disclosure, if you click these links you will be brought to Amazon ? and if you buy it then I get a small commission for referring you ? but you still get the discounted Amazon price!? So thank you in advance!)

One of the earliest books I read on real estate investing, A Million Bucks by Thirty became one of my favorite books because it inspired me to set the same goal. I was fortunate enough to actually have Alan Corey write an article titled ?How to Save Money When Buying A Rental Property? just for RealEstateInYourTwenties.com. The book is highly entertaining, filled with great stories (such as Alan?s appearance on the Jerry Springer Show!) but still contains a plethora of good business tips and ideas for saving money. While not a ?real estate book? per se, it definitely is a great read for any real estate investor.

The Real Book of Real Estate Investing is a collection of over 20 major real estate investors and advisors (such as accountants, lawyers, etc) who each take a chapter or two to discuss a different aspect of real estate investing. This book is HUGE and jammed pack with a lot of information. As with most Rich Dad investing books, this book focuses less on single family homes and more on large commercial investments. Probably not a top choice for beginners ? but if you already have an investment portfolio and are looking to take it to the next level ? check this book out.

By far the oldest book in this set, ?The Richest Man In Babylon? is a timeless classic that will revolutionize the way you look at money, investments, and financial freedom. It?s written in ?old English? so its like reading the King James Bible, which is entertaining and forces you to read slowly (making comprehension better). The entire book is made up of ?parables? ? stories meant to teach a lesson in an easy-to-follow manner that is enjoyable and profound.

The name itself is enough to warrant a deeper look, but the content in Making Big Money Investing In Real Estate is what will hook you. If you?ve ever wondered what a ?lease option? was or a good strategy for getting into real estate without using any of your own money ? this book is for you. It also contains one of the best chapters on negotiation I?ve ever read.

?

This exhaustive book on the theory behind real estate investing is a standard in anyone?s real estate investment book collection. While not rich in detailed ?how to? content, it contains a wealth of information about investment strategy, networking, and thinking ?big picture.?? This book is a serious read for serious investors, but still easy enough to sit for hours with and learn a ton. If you are serious about making real estate investing a permanent career choice, don?t miss this one.

This book has nothing to do with real estate investing ? but it has everything to do with you. Getting Things Done was a groundbreaking book about organizing the components in your life and allow you to get more accomplished with less stress. As a real estate investor, you are forced to wear multiple hats and as such ? you will find yourself overworked and stressed if you don?t manage those hats correctly. Getting Things Done will teach your dozens of tips and strategies to manage your day while maximizing every moment. I love this book and recommend it to anyone and everyone, regardless of your career.

Dave Ramsey is one of the most popular financial experts in the world today, and his message of getting out of debt and saving for the future, while not completely original, resonates strong with me. Ramsey?s book, ?The Total Money Makeover? defines a seven step process to build wealth and get out of the debt cycle. Ironically, I do not follow Dave Ramsey?s advice when it comes to investing in real estate (he promotes using cash only -which is great if you can save and wait) but I follow his strategies 100% when it comes to my personal finances. I included it in this list because until you can begin to get a handle on your own personal finances ? you have absolutely no business investing in real estate. I don?t think you need to be rich, old, or retired to invest in real estate. You do, however, need to have a strong enough financial base to weather the storms that investing in real estate can throw at you.? Following Dave Ramsey?s ?Total Money Makeover? will get you there.

?

There you go, my list of Seven (more) Must Read Books for Real Estate Investors! These books, combined with the ten listed on the last article titled ?Seven Must Read books for Real Estate Investors? make up the foundation of my favorite books to help you become a better real estate investor.

What books would you add to this list? What are your favorite books for Real Estate Investors?? Write your suggestions in the comments below!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Source: http://realestateinyourtwenties.com/blog/seven-more-must-read-books-for-real-estate-investors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seven-more-must-read-books-for-real-estate-investors

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/247641539?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Real Estate ? Event looks at building healthy communities

Is your house or your neighborhood making you fat?

If you?re stuck in traffic too much, never see your neighbors and can?t easily take walks or get to a park, you just might be living in an environment that?s not doing any favors for your physical or mental health.

Designers, doctors and developers are starting to look at the ways that neighborhood design can contribute to public health ? and whittle your waistline.

And it?s not just about chucking most of your worldly possessions and downsizing into a downtown condo so you can walk to a farmer?s market.

?I think filling in central San Antonio is a good idea, but most people will continue to live in the neighborhoods that surround the center. I think a lot can be done in small-scale neighborhood design,? said Thomas Schlenker, director of public health for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

?This is a community that is rapidly growing and changing and has lots and lots of potential. Hopefully as we rebuild the city around us we do it in a healthy way.?

To try to get people thinking about the connection between their home and their health, Schlenker is helping coordinate the Sustainable Urban Development Luncheon on Sept. 21 at the Pearl Stable.

The event will feature keynote speaker Richard Jackson, a pediatrician and chair of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles.

Jackson is the host of the PBS program ?Designing Healthy Communities.?
?We?re looking at an avalanche of public diseases,? Jackson said. ?We can wag our finger and say, ?Lose weight, exercise more.? If you want to change populations, you have to change environment. If you want kids to run around, there have to be parks and green spaces. People at first were telling me, ?If you?re not an architect and urban planner, you shouldn?t be arguing these issues.?.?

But he said he?s driven by the 25-pound average increase in weight since 1980 and the doubling of the diabetes rate since 2000.

What exactly does a healthy community look like? Jackson isn?t really picky about that.

?Because I?m a doctor, I don?t care so much about the design so long as people can walk and talk,? he said.

But he says that things such as improving transit systems and making good sidewalks and bike lanes available can encourage more activity, which usually translates into better health.

One thing renters and homebuyers can do is try to live within a short commute to work, or at least a commute that isn?t jam packed with other cars, he said.

?People who are commuting in high traffic have higher cortisol levels and higher blood pressure for several hours afterward,? Jackson said. ?Medically, it is not good for you.?

Another thing people can consider is their proximity to a park, walking trails or whether it?s easy to take a walk around their neighborhood, he said. Making friends nearby or meeting the neighbors helps, too.

?The most prevalent social disorder in America is depression,? Jackson said. ?The treatment for that is community. You stay busy. Our ancestors knew this. If you have contact with nature, people?s spirits rise more than if they?re on a treadmill watching TV in the basement rec room.

Clinical depression is a major disorder, but for the normal person, being physically active and outside and with other people really works. If you?re prediabetic, far and away the best things you can do is walk 5,000 steps a day. If you can do this with your friends, that?s even better.

There?s very good medical data to support this.?

It?s an argument the marketplace is responding to.

Brett Dietz, division president for KB Home in San Antonio, said that walking trails are among the most requested amenities homebuyers ask for in a neighborhood, and therefore are something the builder tries to incorporate, along with playgrounds.

?Sometimes basketball courts and fountains are neat, but walking trails are one of those things that buyers really say that they want,? Dietz said. ?It goes beyond health. It has to do with family and neighbors.?

Thad Rutherford of Southstar Communities, developer of Vintage Oaks at the Vineyard, said the acreage-lot New Braunfels community recently opened two miles of walking trails and has plans to add another eight.

?This is rough Hill Country, but we have compacted crushed granite on the trails and you weave in and out of live oaks,? he said. ?People can walk out of their yard and onto the trail, and they can walk to the amenity center. I don?t think even some of them have realized that it?s easier to just walk to the amenity center than it is to drive there.?

The hope is that people will walk and bike the trails for exercise, but also use them to visit friends and navigate the community, Rutherford said.

?We understood that people were buying acreage out there, but it?s important for a community to actually be a community,? he said.
Schlenker said that creating neighborhoods where people can walk or connect with nature, as well as offering things such as shaded bus stops or more free fitness events in the parks, are things that can make it easier and more enjoyable to live a healthy lifestyle.

He loves the path of the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, where, ?I?ve seen someone pull out a 12-inch bass (fish) in the middle of the city,? he said.

?That to me is the ultimate.?

A ?complete streets? policy where new or refurbished roads are made safe and comfortable for people on bikes, in cars, on buses or walking is one idea that Schlenker said could promote healthier living. The idea would be that whether people live in an urban or suburban setting, they could ride a bike or walk to a park, restaurant or grocery store. Or at least not have to drive too far.

?It?s almost impossible to live without a car, but you don?t have to use it all the time for everything. If we could all reduce our time in the car by 10 percent, it would be enormous,? Schlenker said. ?The solution to our national epidemic of obesity is not gastric bypass surgery.

That is not going to do it. It really requires really broad solutions that take everything into account.?
jhiller@express-news.net
Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller

Sustainable Urban Development Luncheon

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 21

Where: Pearl Stable

Cost: $65 for individuals; $95 with the book ?Designing Healthy Communities?

More information: visit www.aiasa.org

Source: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/homes/2012/09/event-looks-at-building-healthy-communities/

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Credit Analyst - Leasing - West Midlands - Asset Finance International

Thursday, 06 September 2012 11:13

Up to ?33,000 + Excellent benefits + bonus

My client is a recognised provider of dealer led finance and leasing options who currently requires a Credit Analyst based from their West Midlands office. Ultimately you will take responsibility for underwriting credit applications on behalf of their Northern Europe operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analysing and interpreting commercial credit requests.
• Presenting recommendations to senior management and the credit committee.
• Underwriting within the limitations of your delegated authority.
• Supporting the wider credit team and management.
• Complying to credit policies, directives and guidelines.
• Complying with legal and regulatory requirements.

Key Skills:

• Ideally you will be university educated with previous credit & risk experience preferably in the financial services sector.
• You will also have strong analytical and decision making skills.
• Experience of underwriting commercial asset backed finance will be a distinct advantage.

Contact: Gemma Nester 0161 486 0011 gemma@cbcrs.co.uk

Source: http://www.assetfinanceinternational.com/leasing-jobs/cbc-recruitment-solutions/7696-credit-analyst-leasing-west-midlands

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Cheap Auto Insurance For Your Car | SpasmodicDysphonia.info

However, the situation can ch? read There are numerous ways to get cheap auto insurance for your vehicle. Possibly you want to switch auto insurance firms in order to get cheap auto insurance for your auto. Or, maybe you want to make some safety changes to your vehicle in order to get cheap auto insurance for your car. Whatever you want to do, probabilities are you will devote some time searching for the auto insurance company that will give you the least expensive auto insurance quote for your vehicle. Even so, the circumstance can change when you are buying a new car. You may or may possibly not already have an auto insurance policy. You may or may not want to keep that auto insurance policy. Whatever the case, component of the shopping process when you are shopping for a new automobile is to make confident you have an auto insurance policy prior to you drive it off the lot. remove frames Instead of frantically searching for an auto insurance company that will give you inexpensive auto insurance for your new car, take benefit of one of the new features some auto lots have integrated into their customers auto-shopping experience. These vehicle lots have set up computers with Net access to permit their customers to search for inexpensive auto insurance policies for their new cars! Not only is this extremely hassle-free for consumers this is also a wise financial move for car dealerships. Many occasions a car salesman has a sale just within reach and loses it since the customer needs to figure out his or her auto insurance circumstance very first. With this new addition to the vehicle shopping encounter, clients can shop for cheap auto insurance policies for their new cars proper inside the car dealership! If you have the chance to use this auto insurance shopping feature, make certain you compare as several cheap auto insurance policies as possible. Dont rush just because your new car is waiting for you.

This entry was posted in General. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://spasmodicdysphonia.info/wordpress/?p=11666

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Organic (Growth) Only: Grocery List App Buy Me A Pie! Claims 2M iOS Downloads, Adds Gifting Functionality

Self-funded and hailing from Russia,?Buy Me A Pie!?is boasting some big numbers: The cloud-powered grocery list maker for iOS?now claims 2 million downloads for the fully-featured version of its app -- a version that is normally priced at $2.99 but has at times been heavily discounted and even given away for free as part of an 'organic' growth strategy that the app's developer says is bearing fruit. Buy Me A Pie! also gets a significant update today that sees 'app gifting' functionality introduced, making it easy for friends, housemates and family members to purchase the app for each other, motivated by the convenience of sharing and synchronising their grocery shopping lists.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Omu3G-GLsSg/

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Minka Kelly and Chris Evans: Dating?

Chris Evans and Minka Kelly are back together, insiders tell Us Weekly.

In other news ... Chris Evans and Minka Kelly were once together.

Apparently. After dating briefly in 2007, The Avengers actor and The Roommate actress recently rekindled romance, according to the supermarket tabloid.

Kelly allegedly broke his heart back then, as well.

"She did a number on him him back then," a source says of Kelly, who was in a long-term relationship with Derek Jeter from 2008-late 2011.

"But she reached out to Chris this time."

The on-again actors hit Max and Dylans eatery in Evans' native Boston August 18 and took in the musical The Book of Mormon in New York City August 24.

Still, pals hope Evans keeps his guard up. "He's still a little insecure, so he's being cautious," one Evans friend tells the celebrity gossip publication.

Put this in same category as the Minka Kelly sex tape. We'll believe it when we see it. Not that they wouldn't be a cute couple, but Us has been striking out lately.

[Photos: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/09/minka-kelly-and-chris-evans-dating/

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New UN Syria envoy puts pressure on regime

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, a Free Syrian Army fighter calls out to comrades as another fighter fires at Syrian Army positions in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, a Free Syrian Army fighter calls out to comrades as another fighter fires at Syrian Army positions in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, a Free Syrian Army fighter fires his weapon at a Syrian Army position through a hole in an empty and destroyed home during fighting in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, a Syrian rebel fires his weapon at Syrian Army positions during fighting in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, Free Syrian Army fighters take up positions during fighting with Syrian troops in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

In this image made from video and accessed Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, Free Syrian Army fighters engage with Syrian troops in Aleppo, Syria. Syrian troops bombarded the northern city of Aleppo Saturday with warplanes and mortar shells as soldiers clashed with rebels in different parts of Syria's largest city, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods where some buildings were damaged and a number of people were wounded. (AP Photo via AP video)

BEIRUT (AP) ? The U.N.'s new envoy to Syria told President Bashar Assad's regime on Saturday that change is both "urgent" and "necessary" and that it must meet the "legitimate" demands of the Syrian people, words that will not win the seasoned Algerian diplomat and international trouble shooter any friends in Damascus.

On his first day on the job, Lakhdar Brahimi also called on both sides to end violence in Syria, but said Assad's government bears more responsibility than anyone else to halt the bloodshed. These remarks were seemingly intended to push the Damascus government to ease off on military operations to create a better atmosphere for his peace mission.

His comments, made in New York, came as activists said rebels captured an air defense facility in the east of the country near the border with Iraq. The battle for control of Syria's largest city Aleppo meanwhile intensified, with government warplanes and ground forces pounding it with bombs and mortar rounds as rebel fighters fought off troops in the narrow alleys of the city's old quarter.

"I call on parties inside Syria to halt the fighting. Undoubtedly, this call is primarily directed to the government. More than others, it is the duty of governments, under any circumstances and anywhere, not just in Syria, to ensure security and stability for their people," Brahimi told al-Arabiya television in an interview.

"The need for change is urgent and necessary. The Syrian people must be satisfied and their legitimate demands are met," he said.

The latest violence in Aleppo shows that government forces are still struggling to regain full control of the city from the lightly-armed rebels nearly five weeks after they stormed their way into the city in a surprise offensive.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Right activist group said Saturday's clashes in Aleppo were concentrated in several tense neighborhoods ? Masaken Hanano, Bustan al-Qasr, Sukkari and Maysar. It reported injuries and damage to buildings, but gave no specific figures. Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the government was making heavy use of warplanes in attacking rebel areas.

For over a year after the uprising against Assad's rule began nearly 18 months ago, Aleppo and Damascus stayed relatively quiet. But in July, rebels launched a brazen attack on the two cities, capturing several neighborhoods. Government forces have regained most of the Damascus area but are being held to a stalemate in Aleppo, the nation's commercial capital and home to 3 million people.

In the east, the Observatory reported that rebels captured an air defense post in the town of al-Boukamal in the oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq. The opposition has claimed advances in the area in recent days. A video released by activists showed soldiers purportedly captured by rebels at the post.

The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.

There was no immediate response from the Syrian government to the comments made by Brahimi, who replaced Kofi Annan who quit after his six-point plan including an April 12 cease-fire failed to stop the Syrian civil war.

Brahimi said he had no new ideas to end the conflict and has yet to decide when to make his first visit Damascus in his new capacity.

"I don't have anything new except insisting on the necessity of ending the violence and starting a political process that has credibility and able to bring about peace and stability for the Syrian people," he said.

"A transitional political process is what is needed. There is no disagreement inside or outside Syria that a new situation or a new political framework is needed," he said, adding that since the government and the opposition are not talking to each other, they could use him as the go-between.

Addressing himself to the opposition, he said: "Realize that the situation is both difficult and dangerous and what is important is the interest of the entire people of Syria, not individuals or groups." He was apparently alluding to the fact that most rebels fighting the government are drawn from Syria's Sunni Muslim majority. Assad and many in the nation's ruling elite are members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Syria's 23 million people also include a sizable Christian minority.

Brahimi refused to directly comment on statements made in Moscow Saturday by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the international community should try to persuade all sides in the Syrian conflict to stop the violence and that it would be naive or provocative to ask the Syrian government to stop the violence first.

Asked about the Russian's comments, he said: "He is responsible for his words and has the right to say that all parties must stop the violence. But, undoubtedly, I don't believe that Lavrov differs with my view that the responsibility of the government is greater than that of that the others."

The Syrian conflict has its roots in mostly peaceful street protests that started in March last year. It has since morphed into a civil war, with at least 20,000 people killed so far, according to rights activists.

In addition to Aleppo and the east, fighting continued in Damascus, where, despite the government's offensive, opposition fighters continue to stage attacks using hit-and-run tactics in neighborhoods where they enjoy popular support, activists say.

Early Saturday, government forces bombarded the capital's southern neighborhood of Tadamon following street fighting with rebels there, the Observatory said. The LCC said troops also shelled the nearby neighborhood of Hajar Aswad.

Activists also reported the discovery of dead bodies shot execution style in a Damascus suburb where fighting and shelling have been intense over the past week. They said a total of 17 bodies were found on Saturday in Kfar Batna east of the capital, a day after government forces stormed the town of some 45,000 people.

Activist Mohammed Saeed, speaking via Skype from the Damascus area, said the dead included three nurses from a local clinic that treated civilians wounded by regime shelling.

Last week, activist reports spoke of anywhere between 300 and 600 people killed in the Damascus suburb of Daraya during days of shelling and a killing spree by troops who stormed the town after heavy fighting. Saeed said another seven bodies were found in Daraya on Saturday.

In the Damascus neighborhood of Qadam, the bodies of five unidentified people were found on Saturday, all shot execution style, according to the Observatory, an activist group.

None of these reports could be independently verified.

By late Saturday, the LCC said 156 people were killed across Syria.

____

Associated Press correspondent Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-09-01-Syria/id-f51759d8987644f3a463946e2fbbd825

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