Peres asks Netanyahu to form new Israeli government

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday formally asked incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new governing coalition following the January 22 general election.

Netanyahu will initially have 28 days to form a coalition. His rightist Likud-Beitenu party took a battering at the ballot box and won 31 seats, 11 fewer than it had going into the election, but it nevertheless emerged as the largest party.

Last week Peres consulted with representatives from the 12 parties elected to the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, and factions that control 82 seats recommended that Netanyahu should be asked to form a coalition.

His administration is expected to be cobbled together from a new centrist party headed by former TV personality Yair Lapid, which with 19 seats, is the second-largest party, the 12-seat far-right Bayit Yehudi ("Jewish Home") faction and other centrist and religious parties.

Israeli coalition-building can be a laborious process and Netanyahu may require the full 28 days before announcing success. He can ask Peres for another 14 days to complete the task, if needed.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-nominated-form-israeli-government-182314387.html

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Dogs to Dollars The Santa Barbara Independent

Owning a pet used to be a sign of extravagance that only the wealthy could afford. To be able to pay for food and veterinary care for your pet, you had to first be able to feed, clothe, house, and take care of yourself and your family. Although these things are still necessary, studies show that on a global scale pets are only partially a sign of wealth?whether people have companion animals seems to depend also?on culture and?nationality.

The 10 countries with the most family dogs?are:

1. United States?2. Brazil?3. China?4. Japan?5. Russia?6. South Africa?7. France?8. Italy?9.?Poland?10.Thailand

Contrast those with the list of the 10 richest countries (based on gross domestic product per?capita):

1. Qatar?2. Luxembourg?3. Singapore?4. Norway?5. Brunei?6. United Arab Emirates?7. United States?8. Hong Kong?9. Switzerland?10.The?Netherlands

The United States is the only nation overlapping on these two lists. So, on a global level, whether you own a pet or not has little to do with how much money you have. According to the nonprofit organization Care2, ?This is because having companion animals requires not only money, but also a cultural affinity for and understanding that they are relatable, emotional beings who can be members of a family. In countries that traditionally view non-human animals as a means to an end (i.e., dinner), no matter how much money people have, they will not be spending it on cats. But where there is a cultural belief that people can have worthwhile relationships with animals, more disposable income will probably mean more family?pets.?

When looking at these statistics, what I found interesting was that China is in the top 10 lists for both dogs and cats, but the Chinese spend less then one dollar per month feeding their pets. Compare that to the biggest spender, Norway, where pet owners spend over 50 dollars a month feeding their?pets.

If Norway?s pet food budget seems extravagant, consider this: American consumers collectively spent $370 million on pet costumes this past Halloween. And extravagant spending on pets doesn?t stop with Halloween. According to Time Magazine, Americans spent $5 billion on holiday gifts for pets and 77 percent of Americans give birthday presents to their?pets.

All this spending may seem excessive, but perhaps we pet owners are saving money in the long run by avoiding regular visits to a therapist?s office. Forty-nine percent of Americans say they experience anxiety and stress in their lives. When we cuddle, play with, or even just look at our pets we get a boost of oxytocin, our body?s naturally occurring feel-good, stress-relieving hormone. Since 95 percent of pet owners say their pet makes them smile at least once a day, for most people, the emotional gratification we receive from our pets far outweighs whatever money is?spent.

Adoptable Pets of the?Week

Harry, Ron, and?Hermoine

These three are adorable Chihuahuas were born in October. These darling little puppies are so fun and feisty. How can you not fall in love??They are wiggly, playful, happy, and absolutely love being held. You can come to visit them at the shelter but they won?t be able to be held by the public for a while longer because?they still need to get a couple rounds of shots to protect them from the bad sicknesses little puppies can?catch.

All of the dogs have been spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, are current on their shots, and have flea/tick/mosquito protection. We ask for a minimum adoption donation of $250 for young dogs (under three years), $150 for adult dogs, and $125 for seniors (dogs 8 years old and?over).

For more information on our available dogs, call (805) 681-0561, email adopt@sbdawg.org, or come by 5480 Overpass Rd. in Goleta, during open adoption hours, Thursday-Monday, 12 noon-5 p.m. You can view more adoptable dogs at www.sbdawg.org.

Simba

Simba

Don?t let Simba?s grumbled demeanor fool you, he feels he has to act a bit macho to compensate for his striking and unique beauty. His dapple-gray coat sets him apart from other bunnies. Call him handsome and don?t ruffle his dignity and he?ll be your loving companion for life! Every rabbit sheltered at B.U.N.S. is spayed or neutered prior to?adoption.

Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (B.U.N.S.) is a volunteer organization that cares for abandoned rabbits.?B.U.N.S is located at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter, 5473 Overpass Rd. B.U.N.S. works to find bunnies permanent homes, and educates the public on?caring for a companion rabbit.?You can call the County Shelter at (805) 681-5285 or call B.U.N.S. at (805) 683-0521 and leave a message for someone to call you back. For more information, visit www.bunssb.org.

Source: http://www.independent.com/news/2013/feb/01/dogs-dollars/

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92% Silver Linings Playbook

All Critics (219) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (194) | Rotten (16)

It's a rom-com that succeeds in revitalizing that discredited genre where so many others have failed, injecting it with the grit and emotion of realist drama rather than with amped-up whimsy or social satire or montages of people walking on the beach.

Silver Linings Playbook tells us that happily-ever-after may depend on finding people who coexist with our lunacy, not ones who can lead us out of it. In any case, it's crazy good.

A crazy beaut of a comedy that brims with generosity and manages to circumvent predictability at every turn.

An edgy romantic dramedy that suits our anxious times.

This meaningful film keeps the laughs, giddy anxiousness and warm butterflies from the trailer and sustains it all through two full hours of a love story.

This is a rom-com dressed up as an Oscar-baiting "dramedy". It's a good rom-com thanks to it's edge... but occasionally has the bad traits of a bad rom-com.

Silver Linings Playbook puts the "fun" in "dysfunction." And sure, that sounds glib, but actually, it's a rather extraordinary achievement. Especially when you're skirting on the edges of sanity.

A bittersweet pill that's a mixture of an endearing family drama and modern romance that's an absolute delight.

tows the line of conventional, feel-good Hollywood rom-com, albeit dressed up in just enough art-house quirk to make it feel like something slightly radical

A reminder that 'sanity' doesn't make your flaws any more orderly.

Silver Linings Playbook is a fine, funny film, and one that should charm viewers who haven't been tricked by all those Oscar nominations into anticipating it as some kind of world-changing work of art for the ages.

David O. Russell's latest buzz film straddles a fine line between farce and kitchen-sink drama before settling into a groove that gets under one's skin.

It starts to fray about halfway through as it shifts into a more conventional mode, taking on the usual trappings of the genre and making its way to a predictable resolution

Both charming and gritty... Cooper is edgy, while Lawrence is dynamite

If there's one reason why you should see this film, it's to admire the wonderful performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Cooper and Lawrence Shine in Linings.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silver_linings_playbook/

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Denmark?s Cornelius frustrates Mexico with late penalty

Cornelius celebrates his game-tying penalty kick goal against Mexico in Phoenix, Arizona January 30, 2013. ? Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Jan 31 ? Teenager Andrea Cornelius slotted a late penalty for Denmark to leave Mexico frustrated with a 1-1 draw from their friendly in Glendale, Arizona yesterday.

Cornelius, who scored a hat-trick in Denmark?s 4-0 win over Canada on Saturday, calmly completed the spot kick after being fouled by Jorge Torres Nilo in the 83rd minute at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

The 19-year-old?s goal cancelled out Marco Fabian?s 68th minute penalty following a scoreless first half in Mexico?s final warm-up before their next World Cup qualifier against Jamaica on February 6.

Javier Acquino drew the foul that set up Fabian?s spot-kick, but there was little else to cheer for the partisan crowd, with keeper Jesper Hansen making five saves to help Denmark secure the tie. ? Reuters

Source: http://allnews.rss.themalaysianinsider.com/c/33362/f/567634/s/2814439f/l/0L0Sthemalaysianinsider0N0Csports0Carticle0Cdenmarks0Ecornelius0Efrustrates0Emexico0Ewith0Elate0Epenalty0C/story01.htm

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2 deaths at embassy suicide bombing

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday, killing himself and one other person, officials said.

U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione told reporters that a guard at the gate was killed in the 1:15 p.m. blast, and a Turkish citizen was wounded.

The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance of the embassy, but did not do damage inside the embassy itself. Footage showed that the door had been blown off its hinges and debris littered the ground and across the road. An Associated Press journalist saw a body in the street in front of an embassy side entrance.

Police swarmed the area and several ambulances were dispatched. An AP journalist saw one woman who appeared to be seriously injured being carried into an ambulance.

The police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said police had examined security cameras around the embassy and had identified two people who could have been the suicide bomber.

The embassy building is heavily protected. It is near an area where several other embassies are located, including that of Germany and France. Police sealed off the area and journalists were being kept away.

The phones were not being answered at the embassy. In a statement, it thanked Turkey for "its solidarity and outrage over the incident."

There was no claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey. Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey over the last year.

As well, homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul. In a 2003 attack on the British consulate, a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosive-laden pickup truck into the main gate, killing 58, including the British consul-general.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Turkey has become a harsh critic of the regime in Syria, where a vicious civil war has left at least 60,000 people dead. The first of six Patriot missile batteries being deployed to Turkey to protect against attack from Syria was declared operational and placed under NATO command on Saturday and others were expected to be operational in the coming days.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-suicide-bombing-us-embassy-2-dead-120006594.html

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Stop iPhoto from Launching When iPhone is Connected

OS X Daily writes, Surely you have noticed the default behavior for connecting any iOS device to a Mac is that either iTunes or iPhoto launches itself automatically. This happens when any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is connected to a computer, and which app opens depends on if the other one is already opened, or if one has been disabled from doing so. While the auto-launching feature is undeniably helpful to some users, it?s also quick to become a bother if you just want to connect an iOS device to your computer to just charge the battery or manually sync files to it. If you?re annoyed with iPhoto opening?

Continue reading Stop iPhoto from Launching When iPhone is Connected at OS X Daily

Source: http://machash.com/osx-daily/52393/stop-iphoto-from-launching-when-iphone-is-connected/

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Marlborough: Local Breast Cancer Support Group meets

? Back to Events iCal Import

A Breast Cancer Support Group will meet Feb. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the Schwartz Conference Room at Marlborough Hospital, 157 Union St. This ongoing support group is facilitated by a nurse and provides educational and emotional support for women coping with breast and other forms of cancer.? The group meets the first Wednesday of the month at the hospital from September through June.? New members are always welcome. For more information, contact Sheila Courchaine, RN at 508-485-3757.

Source: http://www.communityadvocate.com/2013/01/30/marlborough-local-breast-cancer-support-group-meets-2/

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