Michelle Obama defends husband on Africa (AP)

GABORONE, Botswana ? Visiting Africa on a goodwill mission, first lady Michelle Obama defended her husband Friday against criticism that he isn't paying enough attention to the continent. She said her weeklong trip to South Africa and Botswana is proof of the president's commitment to Africa.

"This trip is a reflection, a direct reflection, of his support and his interest and his view of the importance of Africa to the world and to the future of the world," she said. "That's why I'm here."

Given that Barack Obama is America's first black president and his father was from Kenya, many had hoped to see stepped-up U.S. involvement on the vast continent during his presidency. Africans also longed for Obama to visit so they could welcome home a U.S president they consider one of their sons.

He did visit, stopping in Ghana in 2009. But he stayed less than 24 hours and has not been back to Africa.

The first lady said people expect a lot from her overworked husband and that some won't ever think what he does is enough.

"He would love to be here but there's a lot of work to do on the domestic front," she told four American reporters traveling with her. "And as president it's hard to predict and plan internationally because you've got domestic stuff hitting you left and right".

"Africa's absolutely important to him," she added. "I understand why people feel like they want more. It's a big continent, a lot of challenges. But I think his record and the number of senior officials who've spent so much time in Africa ... that is a reflection of this administration's commitment to this continent."

White House officials previously have pointed to the president's involvement in Libya, Sudan and Ivory Coast as examples of his commitment to Africa, along with repeat visits by such senior administration officials as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mrs. Obama said she is her husband's "direct representative" and as such she was the one who met Friday with Botswanan President Ian Khama. The two emerged from his office after about 45 minutes and shook hands for the news media. They made no remarks.

The White House said later that they underscored the "breadth and depth" of the relationship between their countries. Botswana is considered one of Africa's most stable democracies and has held 10 successive democratic elections since becoming independent in 1966.

Khama expressed appreciation for US assistance, including life-saving support for HIV/AIDS patients, the White House said. HIV/AIDS is a major public health challenge in Botswana, a Texas-sized country of 2 million people in southern Africa. About 300,000 Botswanans are infected with the disease.

They also discussed youth leadership, the key theme that Mrs. Obama has been promoting in Africa, and Khama's interest in conservation. Khama also sent his best wishes to Obama.

Mrs. Obama opened the second leg of her trip in Botswana on Friday by wielding a paint brush to help create a mural at a children's HIV/AIDS clinic sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The facility treats more than 4,000 children and their families.

The US has spent more than $450 million since 2005 to help Botswana deal with AIDS. The country's efforts and partnerships with academic institutions and foundations have helped more than 95 percent of infected Botswanans get treatment, officials said.

The first lady also had lunch with a group of women, many of whom have overcome personal challenges, and their mentors. She told them that she's proof that success isn't about money or connections because her parents had neither of those. It's "about how much one believes in their own potential," she said.

After the call on Khama, Mrs. Obama ended the day at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, where family and staff had dinner.

The first lady is traveling with her daughters, Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10; her mother, Marian Robinson; and a niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, 15 and 19, respectively. She began the trip Monday, spending two days each in Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa before moving on to Botswana.

She is due back at the White House early Monday, after a private family safari this weekend.

___

Darlene Superville can be reached at: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110624/ap_on_re_af/af_michelle_obama_africa

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Vanity Mirror Watch from Gadgets and Gear

If you like to always have a mirror at hand, perhaps one on your wrist will suffice. ?The Vanity Mirror Watch from Gadgets and Gear looks like a polished mirror until you need to know the time. ?Press a button on the watch to light up red LEDs that display the time. ?The Vanity Mirror [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/06/24/vanity-mirror-watch-from-gadgets-and-gear/

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Up Next in Sports: The Wrestling Munchies - Epic Fail Funny Videos ...

Source: http://failblog.org/2011/06/24/epic-fail-photos-up-next-in-sports-the-wrestling-munchies/

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EU tells hard-up Greeks to unite

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Brussels summit, 24 Jun 11Chancellor Merkel insists that Greece must swallow more austerity to get EU help

EU leaders have urged all Greek politicians to support new spending cuts and tax hikes, saying there is no alternative if debt-laden Athens is to qualify for a second massive bail-out.

The second rescue is being negotiated in Brussels. It is expected to be about 120bn euros (£107bn; $171bn).

"There will be a new programme for Greece, on which the Greek parliament will have to vote next week," said Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The UK says it will not contribute.

EU leaders have begun a second day of summit talks in Brussels dominated by the Greek debt crisis, which threatens the stability of the 17-nation eurozone.

"In the case of Britain I sought assurances that Britain wouldn't be pulled into a eurozone package for Greece, and I've received those assurances," UK Prime Minister David Cameron said.

Ms Merkel reiterated: "We will do everything to stabilise the euro."

She spoke of the Greek opposition needing to "fulfil its historic responsibilities".

The BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels says Europe's exasperation with Greece's economic woes is all too clear.

On Thursday night the EU leaders called on "all political parties in Greece to support the programme's main objectives", saying national unity was a "prerequisite for success".

Our correspondent says it was a direct challenge to the Greek opposition, which says it will not support the budget cuts when they are put to parliament next week.

For weeks Athens has been gripped by huge street protests and strikes by Greeks opposed to the tough bail-out conditions. Many of them think Greece is being sacrificed to save the euro.

Greece's government is proposing additional spending cuts worth 28bn euros over five years.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy

Herman Van Rompuy: "Required additional funding will be financed through both official and private sources"

If these are passed then Greece will get its next 12bn-euro instalment from the current 110bn euro bail-out package from the EU and International Monetary Fund.

Without this money Greece will default on its next loan payments due in mid-July.

However, many economists think it will be difficult for Greece to avoid default at some time in the future.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the EU was also moving to make it easier for Greece to access EU development funds to help boost its economy.

Earlier, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker urged Athens to meet its commitments under the bail-out programme.

"All conditions must be met," said Mr Juncker, who also chairs the group of 17 eurozone finance ministers. "You can't let anyone believe there is a Plan B. If Greece does what it has to do, we will do what we have to do."

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said his government was committed to pushing the austerity plans through parliament next week.

"Greece is committed, strongly committed, to continue a very important programme for major changes, radical changes, to make our economy viable," he said.

This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-13902794

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Critics Consensus: Cars 2 is Stuck in Neutral

Plus, Bad Teacher doesn't quite pass the test.

Also opening this week in limited release:

  • Leap Year, a drama about a journalist who engages in a steamy, complicated affair with a sadist, is at 100 percent.
  • If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, a documentary about the radical environmental group that engaged in domestic terrorism, is at 85 percent.
  • Chris Weitz's A Better Life, a drama about an immigrant's struggle to provide for his teenage son, is at 83 percent.
  • Passione, John Turturro's documentary tribute to the music and culture of Naples, is at 83 percent.
  • Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a doc about the comedian's stage show in the days after his public break from NBC, is at 79 percent.
  • The Names of Love, a French romantic comedy about a radical woman who has affairs with conservatives in order to convert them to her cause, is at 67 percent.
  • Turtle: The Incredible Journey, a doc about the 25-year global oceanic journey of a loggerhead turtle, is at 67 percent.
  • General Orders No. 9, a meditative doc about the ecosystem of the South, is at 60 percent.
  • The Best and the Brightest, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris in a comedy about a couple that pulls out all the stops to get their child into an elite kindergarten, is at 36 percent.
  • A Love Affair of Sorts, a lo-fi drama about a man who documents his tentative relationship with a woman he catches shoplifting, is at zero percent.
(1 - 20 of 69 Discussions)

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923059/news/1923059/

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Stamped Concrete Patio Designs That Enhance The Quality Of Your ...

June 24th, 2011 by

Stamped concrete patio designs is making it extremely difficult for individuals to determine what type of beautiful flooring they are actually walking on. Hiring the right professionals can lead you to an experience where you were able to capture a specific type of stone and without high cost. A number of satisfied consumers are realizing the greatest dreams for both their indoor and outdoor design needs.

Source:Stamped Concrete Patio Designs That Enhance The Quality Of Your Environment

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Source: http://home-improvement-power.com/concrete/stamped-concrete-patio-designs-that-enhance-the-quality-of-your-environment

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Grand Strand clinic leads fight against prostate cancer - WMBFNews ...

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) ? One Grand Strand clinic is leading the fight against prostate cancer, paving the way for four new treatments in just the last year.

The latest of those treatments was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late April. It's called Zytiga and works to give patients with advanced prostate cancer a longer and better quality life.

"Remarkably what this once-a-day oral agent showed is prolongation of survival in men who had advanced prostate cancer," said Dr. Neal Shore, who runs the Carolina Urologic Research Center.

Dr. Shore says this new drug is just the tip of the iceberg in fighting the disease. He says the clinic has been instrumental in getting three other drugs a nod from the FDA as well.

People come from all over the country to get treatment here at Dr. Shore's Myrtle Beach office. They're people like 81-year-old Roy Ellis who's been living with prostate cancer for almost 20 years.

"I'm very optimistic and that's one reason I think that I've been able to carry on so long," said Ellis.

Ellis has tried a laundry-list of treatments and luckily, he's been able to control the cancer without experiencing much pain. He says ultimately, if the new drugs don't work, he's?still?glad to help with the new research.

"If it doesn't help me there's a lot of people involved in these studies and the conclusion of the study it might help somebody else," said Ellis.

Dr. Shore and his team say their clinic does research that rivals larger institutions like the Medical University of South Carolina and Duke University.

"We have now been approached by virtually every large company as well as the government in terms of looking at early stage trials. We have a proven track record which I'm very proud of and again I'm proud of the team," Dr. Shore said.

Copyright 2011 WMBF News. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/14972977/grand-strand-clinic-leads-fight-against-prostate-cancer

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Orwell vs. Huxley (Graphic) - Visual News

This infographic ? created by Column Five for Akorn Entertainment ? looks at the growing concern over keeping the Internet as a free and open platform by visualizing the concepts from George Orwell?s book 1984, and Aldous Huxley?s Brave New World; then comparing them to the current Internet censorship techniques of the Iranian government, and the flood of irrelevant and trivial information of the Western world.

The internet was created to be a free and open platform for the spreading of ideas, concepts, art, music, film, entertainment, news, political ideology and activism. The current state of the internet is seriously being threatened, and the #killswitch documentary is looking to reverse that. Go to their Kickstarter page to show some love, and help them realize their dream. Enjoy the trailer below.

Via: Kickstarter

Share Neil Spencer

Posted by Neil Spencer

Charming, passionate and magnetic. None of these things have ever been said about Neil Spencer. Still, he rises like a phoenix to the occasion of writing elegant and resourceful factoids for you; the reader. Truth be told, he's currently locked away in an undisclosed location chipping away at his self proclaimed "next great american novel," in order to win a bet with his long time creative partner ? Jeff Vanbilliard ? who will in turn release an as of yet unnamed hip-hop mixtape.

Source: http://www.visualnews.com/2011/06/23/killswitch-infographic-orwell-vs-huxley/

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Virtual private server Hosting and Wordpress platforms ...

What is WordPress?

If you read the terms VPS and WordPress within at present this represents an ideal formula for just about any blogger which has improved his blog to an alternative level because of multiple factors but one of these is the key one and that is stability. Well this major factor depends upon one specific point, because The wordpress platform is really a highly effective application that needs resources continuously to show it?s full capabilities. When you are getting started your individual weblog, the very first logical action is always to start it about the shared hosting profile because of the lowest price in the marketplace, but additionally since you have no idea just how much hits and visitors your website can get. So in the event of low visitations the actual shared hosting is just about the best answer to suit your needs.

WordPress and Virtual Serves

However in occasions when those hits be a few 1000 a day time, then it?s time for you to find a product much more reliable, faster plus much more controllable. This is where the VPS hosting and WordPress get together like a perfect match because of the huge assortment as well as variety in features the way the VPS provides and every one of these features are almost made to support WordPress. This really is also a pros and also a con from the WordPress since it does not allow sloppiness. The reason by that is with WordPress and it is content you need resources available continuously to it, as well as up and running constantly. If the situation is not met next certain plug ins in the WordPress will cease functioning, and also the consequence that is the worst of all may be the diminishment from the actual Google rank. This is actually a good thing, as you will have to hunt down for your most reliable hosting servers you could find, using the highest quality services that you?ll need but of course for just about any reasonable price, but the cost depends upon what sort of package and additional service you need. Since the Wp is kind of sensitive tool with the volume of traffic so it may handle before this starts showing connection between overload, it might be a good idea to update (add) more room, bandwidth, generally more resources to allow them to keep up the pace in the visitors, since this is one of the big advantages in the VPS, the easiness of expanding-diminishing in the hardware that the person currently use. Another extremely great feature from the WordPress may be the truth that it can adjust to the various degree of skills it?s users have. It?s the particular novice adaptation for the user as well as for that professionals. Like every other software about the hosting environment, for that simplest way of installation it is suggested for you to possess an user interface that will help you simplify the installation inside a great amount.

If you?re an experienced webmaster who may have been established online, moving to the next phase of web hosting, cpanel vps , would give you and your small business a wonderful knowledge about your WordPress vps .

Source: http://articlebaseplus.com/computers-and-technology/virtual-private-server-hosting-and-wordpress-platforms.html

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Home Qualities For A Surefire Sale | Bellevue Real Estate Group

The year 2010 has just passed the torch to 2011 along with the low interest rates and increasing number of foreclosures which is flooding the real estate market now. Some homeowners are still paying their mortgage debts and since interest rates are rising, more repossession is expected to happen. First time home buyers on the other hand can benefit from the current housing market condition. Because owning a house is a need these days, surely your home will undergo a lot of transformations after buying one. Perhaps during your retirement years, you will live in a different location. With this thing in mind, it is best to invest in your home and grab the opportunity of doubling its market value because who knows, your retirement years will require you to buy Draper Utah Real Estate and spend the rest of your retirement years there.

The fact still remains that home buyers are still looking for the best place to stay. While everybody has just woken up from the winter-hibernation of Christmas events and parties, take advantage of the coming spring and get your house ready. But there are a few things that you need to consider before you start doing your homework.

You might have always heard this word. What does curb appeal mean? The beauty of the exterior part of a residential or commercial property is what you call ?curb appeal?. It is the aesthetic image and appearance a home, or building from the street to a prospective buyer. In other words, it is used to describe the initial impression of a home and was coined during the housing boom where it continues to persist as a sign that may induce the buyer to look more closely at the property.

So if you?re selling Gainesville Homes, how it appears from the road or driveway matters. So a home that is clean, well-maintained, and really attractive even from across the street is the one that has a curb appeal.

It doesn?t matter if you want to make your home simple or artistic. When you look right down to it, what matters are the materials that you are using in your staging project that perfectly fits your home. Elegance and simplicity are the winning factors in home staging because this lasts longer compared to using high-tech gadgets for your home. High-tech tools are in these days, but there are still simple add-ons that you can use in your home staging like the timeless aesthetic value of plants.

Besides from style and simplicity, a home must be in order and clean always. A clean home will give its homeowners lots of benefits like less expense for repair and maintenance, free from early deterioration, and fast depreciation. You don?t need to be an interior designer or an expert Richmond VA home stager to achieve the kind of curb appeal that cam make home buyers stop and see your home. All you have to know is what the buyer actually wants in a house.

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Tags: curb appeal, home selling tips, home staging

Source: http://www.bellevuerealestategroup.com/257/home-qualities-for-a-surefire-sale/

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