Can long-distance relationships survive? | The Hand

Posted by The Hand on June 28, 2012 in Relationships |

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Long-distance relationships: Can they work? It depends

Q: I know you usually advise readers not to sit around and wait for a significant other ? long-distance relationships (stink). I get that. Does the advice change if the significant other is headed to Japan for a year (so, a definite endpoint) and really seems dedicated to making it work, with regular flights back to the States, waking up early to phone/Skype, etc.?

I really like this guy ? we?ve been dating for two years, and have grown very close ? but I also don?t know if I?m taking on too much if I choose to wait for him, and I get that waiting around isn?t usually a good idea. Am I giving up a great thing by giving up on this, or am I saving myself pain in the long run?

Anonymous

A: That is a concept I just don?t understand: ?saving myself pain.? The only sure way to avoid all emotional pain is not to care about anything. And I can?t think of anything more painful than that.

Certainly it makes sense not to be reckless and entrust our feelings to people who?ve proven to us that they can?t be trusted ? and we should all be attuned to any self-destructive patterns in our histories.

But I don?t see either of these here. Instead I see two people who have taken two years to establish that they really like and are good for each other. Does breaking up in this case qualify as ?saving myself pain,? or ensuring it?

Meanwhile, I think you might have misunderstood my position on ?waiting.? Long-distance is sometimes unavoidable, so I don?t have a blanket opinion that waiting is a bad idea. What would paired-off service members do, for example, if their partners refused to wait out deployments?

What I do advise is to take into account: how solid the relationship is, how mutual the goals and feelings, how long you?ll be apart, and how flexible you both are about living your lives while you?re apart.

The latter has a lot of wiggle room, since some couples are committed and monogamous and should stay that way; others may be earlier in their courtship and might benefit from releasing each other from any commitment and just seeing where they are after the separation term is over. What matters is that you?re both able to think clearly instead of being all over each other about following some sort of Long-Distance Relationship Code.

When you care, you try, and you see.

LDR Veteran: My now-husband and I were in a long-distance relationship for most of two years. The advice I?d give is to not view time apart as ?waiting around? for him to get back, but instead think of it as a break from the dating world.

I felt like I got to know myself during that time even more than I did during my single years, when a lot of my mental energy was taken up by dating. And, this may sound pessimistic, but I find it really valuable to know that I can build myself a life without him if I need to.

Carolyn: Love this, thanks. I think couples also find out whether they work together on a purely conversational level ? much insight to be gained.

Article source: http://www.tampabay.com/features/relationships/can-long-distance-relationships-survive/1237497

Tags: love, relationships

Source: http://the-hand.fut-the-wuck.com/2012/06/can-long-distance-relationships-survive/

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Texas OKs big boost in wholesale electricity rate

Associated Press

Posted on June 28, 2012 at 11:48 AM

Updated today at 4:46 PM

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? The Texas Public Utility Commission voted Thursday to raise the wholesale electricity price cap by 50 percent this summer in a move it hopes will spur construction of new power plants.

Texas officials say the state must boost generating capacity to meet growing demand in the next few years to help avoid rolling blackouts during peak periods such as hot summer days.

Supporters of the increase hope the lure of new profits will spur power companies to build more power plants. But consumer groups warn it could raise costs by billions of dollars, leading to higher electric bills for Texas households with no guarantee of new construction.

The vote by the three-member commission, all appointed by Republican Gov. Rick Perry, raises the wholesale rate cap on Aug. 1 from the current $3,000 per megawatt-hour to $4,500. And there could be more to come. Commissioners are already considering tripling the price to $9,000 in 2013.

The commission approved the increase on a 2-0 vote with commissioners Donna Nelson and Rolando Pablos in support. Commissioner Ken Anderson, who said he agrees with raising the cap, abstained because of concerns that this summer is too soon for some electric providers to adjust.

The cap increase affects wholesale rates within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid, which covers most of the state.

Texas AARP and other consumer and conservation groups say the commission hasn't studied the impact the rate increase could have on Texas households. Texas Industrial Energy Consumers, which includes refineries and chemical manufacturers, warned that a rate increase could create instability in pricing and drive smaller retail power providers out of business.

"Raising the cap this August will raise energy prices on home and business owners," said Cyrus Reed, conservation director for the Lone Chapter, Sierra Club. "It makes no sense to raise energy prices today when new generation will not result until 2014 anyway. By doing so we are just giving over our checks to electric utilities."

Pablos dismissed the warnings of skyrocketing household electric bills as "alarmist rhetoric."

"It's very clear a lot of the public don't understand the structure of the market and what we do here," Pablos said. "Energy prosperity leads to economic prosperity. We're doing this for the purpose of ensuring we have a higher quality of life for our citizens. A robust and reliable electric system will help us get there."

Although electric providers typically sign long-term contracts for electricity at a set price, they often fill in gaps on high-usage days buying wholesale on the "spot market" where prices are set several times an hour. That market can be compared to buying and selling on the stock market, where prices can be determined by sharp increases in demand and shortages.

Nelson said officials are still studying whether the change will allow electric retailers to pass the costs onto customers who already have contracts. But she said increasing the wholesale price cap by 50 percent doesn't translate into an automatic 50 percent increase on household electric bills.

Texas' competitive electricity market allows Texans to shop for the best plan they can get, she said.

Texas must find ways to make sure it can meet growing demands for electricity, she said.

"The one thing we can't do is ignore the situation and move forward blindly based on a faith and a hope we'll have enough electricity," Nelson said, pointing to the record heat that gripped the state in 2011. "If last summer taught us anything, hope for the best, plan for the worst."

Source: http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/Texas-OKs-big-boost-in-wholesale-electricity-rate-160700705.html

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Google Unveils Chrome for iPhone, iPad

Google today announced that a version of its Chrome browser for iOS will hit the App Store later today.

Chrome for iOS will work on the iPhone and iPad, Brian Rakowski, vice president of Chrome, said during the Google I/O developer conference today.

"Some of you have been very persistently asking" for Chrome on iOS, Rakowski said.

Rakowski promised a "silky smooth experience" that will allow users to close tabs with a quick swipe and swap tabs by dragging from the side. "It makes browsing the Web on your iPhone really fun," he said.

Like the desktop version of Chrome, the iOS app will sync across devices. Pull up pages that you looked at on your PC or iPhone via the iPad, or vice versa. Credentials are also synced, so no need to re-enter a password on that New York Times story via the iPad if you've already signed in on your PC.

Incognito mode is also available; toggle between public and private mode via a button on the browser bar.

During yesterday's I/O keynote, Google also unveiled Chrome for Android, running on the new Jelly Bean-enhanced Nexus 7 tablet. For more, see Hands On With Google's Nexus 7 Tablet, and stay tuned to PCMag for full reviews of Chrome for Android and iOS.

The announcement comes as Google today released Chrome 20, which includes hundreds of bug fixes.

For more, see PCMag's full review of Chrome and the slideshow below.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

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AIDS 2012 to Say Thanks to the US (Voice Of America)

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Pandemic H1N1 Flu Killed Far More Than Reported: Study

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Aviva Natural Health Solutions | Bodybuilding, Supplements, Diets ...

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Aviva?s name comes from a Spanish translation for ?enliven?. Founded in 2001 by Nathan Zassman, a Nutritional Therapist, we operate a retail centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and are proud to serve Canadian, American and international customers through Aviva.ca, launched in 2004.

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Our commercial kitchen displays juicers, grinders, blenders, dehydrators, water purification systems, and top quality cookware from?Silit, Fissler and?Sitram. We offer nutritional courses combined with cooking classes for small groups, and regularily hold larger?in-store seminars on a wide variety of health topics.

The Aviva approach is to improve health and wellness by integrating proven health promoting technologies into a person?s lifestyle. With certifications in nutritional therapy, I maintain a limited clinical practice, and prepare educational material on a wide variety of health topics for my clients and for publication on Aviva.ca. I spend as much time as possible studying the latest published orthomolecular research to learn the most effective application of orthomolecular therapies, using vitamins, herbs, amino acids, supplements, foods, etc., for healing mind and body. Through continual research and study, my goal is to find the most advanced clinically proven health, wellness, and fitness products that can improve the health of my clients and our customers, with a focus on products that can easily be integrated into a person?s lifestyle, so that health improvement can become so natural that no conscious effort is required

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Selena Gomez Says New Album Won't Be Justin Bieber 'Tell-All'

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Your top 20 pet insurance questions answered | Pets Best Insurance ...

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For Pets Best Insurance

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Pets Best Insurance does not require a physical exam to enroll pets in a pet health insurance policy.

17. How do I file a claim?
For the fastest processing, submit your claim online via your Customer Account. You can also submit claims by mail or fax. We need a completed claim form and a copy of an itemized invoice showing proof of payment. Claim forms do not require a veterinarian?s signature.

18. How quickly will my claim be processed and paid?
We process most claims within 5 business days and offer free direct deposit reimbursement.

19. Do you offer discounts?
Yes, in most states we offer discounts up to 5% when you insure multiple pets.

20. What about refunds? What if I decide I don?t want pet insurance after all?
If you change your mind about pet health insurance, Pets Best Insurance will refund your money up to 14 days or 30 days later (depending on your state) as long as you haven?t filed a claim. Pets Best Insurance cat and dog insurance policies can be canceled without penalty fees. We will also issue a refund for any unearned premium.

*For approved policies at the company?s discretion.

Tags: Cat insurance, dog insurance, kitten, pet insurance, puppy

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94% Moonrise Kingdom

All Critics (156) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (146) | Rotten (9) | DVD (1)

Anderson never loses his core themes - young love, the need to escape, the bind and bluster of family. His "Kingdom" may not be large, but it is perfectly appointed.

Though undeniably smart and charming, "Moonrise Kingdom" loves itself the way the callow Holden Caulfield loves himself: unconditionally. Salinger understood the problem with that. Anderson may not.

The latest unadulterated delight from Wes Anderson, director of "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

The usual complaints and caveats about Anderson - he's precious, his characters have no grounding in the real world - can be made about Moonrise Kingdom, but so what?

Anderson and his actors are able to convey more genuine feeling through these devices than most filmmakers can with more-traditional means.

One knock against some of Anderson's previous efforts is that they're too clever - so clever, in fact, that the humanity gets sucked out of them. That doesn't happen here.

It's funny, it's touching, it's Anderson doing what he does better than he's ever done before.

Wonderfully inventive and entirely immersing.

The great thing about Wes Anderson, other than his fabulously childlike imagination, is his deep attention to the smallest details.

This isn't Wes Anderson's best effort by any stretch. However, any Anderson is better than no Anderson at all.

This film contains some of cinema history's best lightning strikes.

Wes Anderson's films are stylistic carbon copies of each other, merely swapping out storylines and characters. It's like going to a bunch of different restaurants and ordering the exact same meal -- you walk in knowing what you're going to get.

Most of Wes Anderson's previous pictures came from the head; Moonrise Kingdom is one from the heart.

Moonrise Kingdom is a charming reminder of Anderson's particular talent for spinning fantasies about the collective childhood we all wish we had.

As fussy as anything Anderson has ever done, but instead of being overstuffed, as virtually all of his movies have been, for good and ill, [the film] is mostly delicate.

A sometimes precocious but mostly whimsical and artfully fluent evocation of adolescent enthusiasm and adult ennui.

Anderson's latest effort is like an Instagram photo - a nostalgic snapshot that seems to be of different time and place but is really the twee affectation of a world that never existed.

[Anderson] may make it look easy because of how firmly his mannerisms are established at this point, but it takes a real artist to evoke the rocky emotional storms of adolescence and adulthood with such clear eyes and precise voice.

Anderson's films have been described as quirky, eccentric and whimsical. But there is also a genuine charm and heart that is driven by the Anderson's love for his characters, and the love those characters have for one another.

Wes Anderson, at 43, is still grappling with adolescence.

More unbearable Anderson whimsy.

When the storm arrives, it's a doozy, especially as it intensifies a final, thrilling chase sequence.

Only Anderson could find the subtle brilliance in a shirtless, ax-wielding Murray dejectedly declaring "I'm going outside to find a tree to chop down."

Did you think Wes Anderson had no more tricks up his sleeve, that he was just showing us the same thing over and over again, that he couldn't surprise us? Wrong.

More Critic Reviews

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Opening! Go Inside Trevor Traina's Jaw-Dropping Photography Collection At The De Young Museum

California Home + Design:

For photo buffs the photographs in Trevor Traina's private collection are astounding. In April, he let California Home+Design inside his home for a sneak peek at his collection.

He owns classic prints by Robert Frank and Lee Friedlander, more modern ones by Cindy Sherman and Diane Arbus, and contemporary photos by Andreas Gursky and Ryan McGinley.

Read the whole story: California Home + Design

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Join us on Facebook and Twitter for all your local news updates. ? LubbockOnline.com

Join us on Facebook and Twitter for all your local news updates. LubbockOnline.com Meditation and Prayers for World Peace ? 10:30-11:30 a.m. KMC-Texas-Lubbock, 6701 Aberdeen Ave., Suite No. 4. Meditation for everyone. Free. 757-2499. and more??

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Troubles Mount For India's Kingfisher Airlines

Is there any good news for Kingfisher Airlines (NSE: KFA)?

Vijay Mallya, the Forbes billionaire that owns the airline, can?t get a break with this discount flier that is vanishing before Indian travelers? eyes.? India?s second-largest airport operator, known by the acronym GVK, recently launched legal proceedings against the beleaguered airline following a round of bounced checks upwards of 60 million rupees made payable to airports like Mumbai International. So far this year, the company has bounced around 30 million rupees in checks, according to press reports.

Sources told the Economic Times that the Mumbai International Airport filed a suit in a Mumbai civil court last week when a check for around 5 million rupee bounced. ?This has been going on for a while and the airport operator thought the time has come to take legal action,? said an airport source who did not want to be identified.

This is the first time an Indian airport operator has taken the cash-strapped airline to the courts over non-payment of dues. Analysts tracking the sector said Mumbai International?s decision to adopt legal means is because they have run out of options to amicably recover the overdue airport fees.

Kingfisher Airllines? story may be coming to an end.

Eighteen lenders to the airline will meet next week to discuss whether or not to continue letting Mallya?s company borrow.? The Bangalore-based carrier, which has struggled to pay salaries to employees for the past four months amid promises to do so as recently as April, has defaulted on tax payments and bills to its vendors. It has been seeking new credit lines since last December and trying to raise money from capital markets abroad.

Mallya also runs the profitable United Breweries Group (NSE: UBHOLDINGS), owners of the popular Kingfisher beer label, so he has plenty of money to fund the airline.? There was talk of him selling some shares in the brewery to help pay for the company?s obligations, but whatever he did sell was obviously not enough to cover this debt burden.

Some of the 18 lenders meeting next week hold a 23.4 per cent stake in Kingfisher Airlines. The company reported a loss of around 1.15 billion rupees in the March quarter and has debt of over 7.5 billion rupees and an equal amount of accumulated losses. The State Bank of India, SBI, holds a 5.67 per cent stake in the airline now.

It?s been a money loser for all involved.

The airline has not made any profit since its launch in May 2005.

United Breweries share price is up 5.75 percent year to date, while Mallya?s Kingfisher Airlines is down 34.7 percent.

?

?

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8 Czechs killed, 44 injured in Croatia bus crash

Police and firefighters survey the scene of the bus crash near Gospic, Croatia, Saturday, June 23, 2012. At least seven Czech tourists were killed and 44 injured in a bus crash on a major highway in Croatia early Saturday, police said. The accident happened some 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Zagreb, on the highway connecting the Croatian capital with the central Adriatic coastal city of Split. (AP Photo) CROATIA OUT

Police and firefighters survey the scene of the bus crash near Gospic, Croatia, Saturday, June 23, 2012. At least seven Czech tourists were killed and 44 injured in a bus crash on a major highway in Croatia early Saturday, police said. The accident happened some 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Zagreb, on the highway connecting the Croatian capital with the central Adriatic coastal city of Split. (AP Photo) CROATIA OUT

Police survey the scene of the bus crash near Gospic, Croatia, Saturday, June 23, 2012. At least seven Czech tourists were killed and 44 injured in a bus crash on a major highway in Croatia early Saturday, police said. The accident happened some 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Zagreb, on the highway connecting the Croatian capital with the central Adriatic coastal city of Split. (AP Photo) CROATIA OUT

Police survey the scene of the bus crash near Gospic, Croatia, Saturday, June 23, 2012. At least seven Czech tourists were killed and 44 injured in a bus crash on a major highway in Croatia early Saturday, police said. The accident happened some 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Zagreb, on the highway connecting the Croatian capital with the central Adriatic coastal city of Split. (AP Photo)

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) ? At least eight Czech tourists were killed and 44 injured when a bus crashed and overturned on a major highway in Croatia early Saturday, police said.

The accident happened around 4 a.m. about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Zagreb, on a highway connecting the Croatian capital with the central Adriatic coastal city of Split, according to a police statement.

Croatia's state TV said the bus crashed through metal barriers in the middle of the highway, and overturned in the opposite lane near a tunnel.

State TV quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the bus started "swaying" moments before the crash.

Photos from the scene showed the bus's twisted metal remains on its side, with seven dead passengers ? covered with white sheets ? lying on the pavement. State TV said a child was among the dead, and an eighth casualty was discovered in the wreckage.

Most of the injured passengers were hospitalized in the nearby town of Gospic while three of the most seriously hurt, including two children, were flown to Zagreb by a helicopter.

Hospital doctor Marija Vrkljan Ilijevska told Croatian TV that those hospitalized were not seriously injured, mostly with extreme fractures and concussions.

The highway was closed for traffic, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Associated Press

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Why Did Justin Bieber Almost Quit Music?

'He just broke down, and he said, 'I can't do it anymore,' ' Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, recalls to MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo:

It's not always easy being Justin Bieber. In fact, there has been a moment or two when the Believe singer had his doubts about embarking on a life of celebrity.

He recently opened up to Fabulous magazine about questioning his life of fame after he found himself smack dab in the middle of a paternity scandal with a fan, Mariah Yeater, who claimed he fathered her child. He remained steadfast that he never even met the woman, and she eventually dropped her claim.

But, as it turns out — according to Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun — when Bieber needed a pick-me-up and some convincing to stick to the music game another time, he looked to a pro athlete for some wisdom.

"There was a show in Orlando, [Florida] ... It was a day where he had to make a decision if he was going to continue on or not, 'cause he was fighting," Braun recalled to MTV News. "We were in Orlando. We had a sold-out arena show, and it had gotten to a point where kids were surrounding hotels, and you're talking about a kid who is 15, 16 years old, and he went and did a show 20,000 people, sold out, but right before he went into the show, he was having a little bit of an attitude." (Bieber played Orlando on his My World Tour in August 2010.)

"And he goes in the show, and he was fine, and he comes off, and I go, 'What was that before the show?' and he just broke down, and he said, 'I can't do it anymore. I can't go outside. I can't go anywhere ... I feel like a spectacle all the time.' And he was really struggling with it. You got to remember he didn't want to be a star: I found him, and it happened."

Bieber and Braun had a major heart-to-heart as he struggled with his superstardom, but the teen did offer one suggestion on how he might be able to come to terms with how he was feeling. "So, we had a long talk about 'Is this what you want?' He sat there, got real quiet, he looked at me and goes, 'I want to meet Kobe Bryant.'

"And I was like, 'Kobe Bryant? We just had this emotional conversation.' And he goes, 'No, I just feel like no matter what Kobe does, he'll always be chasing Michael Jordan's ghost, and someone the other day told me I could grow up in front of the entire world like Michael [Jackson] did, and I just want to know how you handle always chasing someone's ghost that you'll just never going to be able to catch.' It was actually a pretty profound moment."

Three weeks later, the encounter happened. Braun recalled, "They had a pretty intense conversation and something that I think Justin will never forget."

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Taliban siege at Kabul hotel kills at least 23

Elite Afghan police backed by NATO forces ended a 12-hour siege on Friday at a popular lakeside hotel outside Kabul. Msnbc.com's Alex Witt reports.

By Cheryll Simpson, NBC News in Kabul, and Reuters

Updated at 7:38 a.m. ET Friday: KABUL ? Guests swam for their lives after five Taliban gunmen attacked a lakeside hotel in Afghanistan, killing at least 18 people and taking 50 others hostage in a siege lasting several hours, according to reports.

The militants -- armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns -- attacked the exclusive Spozhmai hotel in the Qargha Lake recreation area late Thursday, bursting into a private party and shooting dead hotel workers.?

The local police chief told NBC News that all five insurgents were killed. The Associated Press quoted local police as saying the civilian death toll was 18 - including hotel guards and a policeman - and likely to climb.?

---

Many terrified guests jumped into the lake in darkness to escape the carnage, according to Afghan officials and local residents.

More photos: Afghan, NATO forces fight back?after Taliban gunmen take hostages at lakeside hotel

Ahmad Jamshid / AP

A soldier from NATO-led forces, center, outside the Spozhmai hotel after the attack came to an end on Friday.

Reuters journalist Hamid Shalizi reported?that the guests were a party of wealthy Afghans.

NBC News producer Cheryll Simpson said on Twitter that heavy gunfire could be heard from the hotel, which is about six miles from the center of Kabul.

The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the hotel was used for "prostitution, alcohol and immorality,"?she reported.

For the deeply conservative Taliban, men and women who simply mingle, perhaps flirt, are condemned as pimps and prostitutes who deserve punishment sanctioned by God.

8-year-old cleaner tells of attack
Rasoul Khan, 8, who works as a cleaner at the hotel, told Reuters that Taliban gunmen ?were asking everyone where the pimps were. They shot anyone who would not co-operate with them."

The young boy had a facial injury.

With a quavering voice, Ebadullah, 14, another cleaner at the hotel, described how one of his friends wet himself when an insurgent demanded information on the whereabouts of other guests.

Musadeq Sadeq / AP

People hide from militants outside the Spozhmai hotel on Lake Qurgha during an attack on the hotel on Friday.

"He cried and said that he was an orphan and was the only bread winner for his family," he told Reuters.?

At a military hospital in Kabul where the wounded were treated, engineer Salder Rahi recalled how he had gone to the hotel to meet his brother and three friends. By the end of the ordeal, his sibling was among the dead.

"They opened fire on everybody. Everybody just ran. There was a party outside and I saw the father shot dead and his wife wounded," Rahi told Reuters.

Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

NATO UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly near the Spozhmai Hotel in Qargha lake in the outskirts of Kabul in the early hours of Friday.

Abdullah Samadi, 24, was just settling in at the hotel when he heard a huge blast from an RPG, followed by gunfire.?"We tried to escape, but we were surrounded by suicide bombers. We hid ourselves beneath a tree until morning. God protected us," he said.

The gunmen, Samadi said, had been closely watching their prisoners and searching for illegal stocks of wine.

"Around dawn they came closer to us and we had to jump in the water," he said. "We were there until 9 a.m. and then the situation got better and we slowly, slowly swam toward security forces."

Elite Afghan quick-response police backed by NATO troops freed the remaining hostages and killed the gunmen in an operation that only began in earnest after sunrise to help security forces avoid unnecessary civilian deaths in night-time confusion.

Two NATO attack helicopters could be seen over the single-story hotel building and a balcony popular with guests for its sunset views.

'Crime against humanity'
The incident again highlighted the ability of the Afghan Taliban to stage high-profile attacks even as NATO nations prepare to withdraw most combat troops by the end of 2014, leaving Afghan forces to take the lead against the insurgency.

Authorities are about midway through a transition process during which security responsibility is being handed from NATO-led foreign troops to Afghan forces.

"This is a crime against humanity because they targeted children, women and civilians picnicking at the lake. There wasn't even a single soldier around there," said General Mohammad Zahir, head of the Kabul police investigation unit.

Qargha Lake is one of Kabul's few options for weekend getaways. Restaurants and hotels that dot the shore are popular with Afghan government officials and businessmen, particularly on Thursday nights.

Ahmad Jamshid / AP

More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

Guests at the Spozhmai must pass through hotel security before entering the hotel, where tables with umbrellas overlook the water, but security is relatively light for a city vulnerable to militant attacks.

Violence across Afghanistan has surged in recent days, with three U.S. soldiers and more than a dozen civilians killed in successive attacks, mostly in the country's east where NATO-led forces have focused their efforts during the summer fighting months.

Several well-planned assaults in Kabul in the past year have raised questions about whether the Taliban and their al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network allies have shifted tactics to embrace high-profile attacks targeting landmarks, foreigners and Afghanistan's elite, extending a guerrilla war once primarily waged in the countryside.

Afghan insurgents attacked Kabul's heavily protected diplomatic and government district on April 15 in an assault, eventually quelled by Afghan special forces guided by Western mentors, similar to one in September 2011.

President Hamid Karzai told a special session of parliament on Thursday that attacks by insurgents against Afghan police and soldiers were increasing as most foreign combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.?

Reuters contributed to this report.

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Study shows stagnating life expectancies in US

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Despite modest gains in lifespan over the past century, the United States still trails many of the world's countries when it comes to life expectancy, and its poorest citizens live approximately five years less than more affluent persons, according to a new study from Rice University and the University Colorado at Boulder.

The study, "Stagnating Life Expectancies and Future Prospects in an Age of Uncertainty," used time-series analysis to evaluate historical data on U.S. mortality from the Human Mortality Database. The study authors reviewed data from 1930 through 2000 to identify trends in mortality over time and forecast life expectancy to the year 2055. Their research will be published in an upcoming issue of Social Science Quarterly.

Although the researchers found that the U.S. can expect very moderate gains in coming years (less than an additional three years through 2055), the U.S. still trails its developed counterparts in life expectancy. For example, the average life expectancy in the U.S. for a person born today is is 78.49, which is significantly lower than people born in Monaco, Macau and Japan, which have the three highest life expectancies (89.68, 84.43 and 83.91 years, respectively). In addition, the most deprived U.S. citizens tend to live five years less than their more affluent countrymen, according to Justin Denney, Rice assistant professor of sociology, who was principal author for the study.

Denney said that in 1930, average life expectancy in the United States was 59.85. By 2000, it rose to 77.1 years. "But when broken down, these numbers show that those gains were mostly experienced between 1930 the 1950s and 1960s," he said. "Since that time, gains in life expectancy have flattened out.

"During periods of expansion in length of life, a similar expansion has occurred between more and less advantaged groups ? the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, inequality grows and life expectancy is dramatically impacted," Denney said. "And despite disproportionate spending on health care, life expectancy in the U.S. continues to fall down the ladder of international rankings of length of life. It goes to show that prosperity doesn't necessarily equal long-term health."

Denney said many of the chronic conditions that have led to smaller gains in life expectancy are more easily treated when people are more financially stable. He said the study shows "the ugly side of inequality," and he hopes it will draw attention to the fact that more needs to be done to address stagnating life expectancies in the U.S. and eliminate inequalities in the U.S.

"Even in uncertain times, it is important to look forward in preparing for the needs of future populations," Denney said. "The results presented here underscore the relevance of policy and health initiatives aimed at improving the nation's health and reveal important insight into possible limits to mortality improvement over the next five decades."

###

Rice University: http://media.rice.edu

Thanks to Rice University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Weak US job market weighs on broader economy

In this Monday, June 18, 2012 photo Trey Fortes, right, speaks with Jason Monteiro, of Hudson, Mass., left, during a job fair in Boston. The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dipped last week but not by enough to indicate hiring will pick up. Weekly applications for unemployment aid declined by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 387,000, the Labor Department said. That?s down from an upwardly revised 389,000. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Monday, June 18, 2012 photo Trey Fortes, right, speaks with Jason Monteiro, of Hudson, Mass., left, during a job fair in Boston. The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dipped last week but not by enough to indicate hiring will pick up. Weekly applications for unemployment aid declined by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 387,000, the Labor Department said. That?s down from an upwardly revised 389,000. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Monday, June 18, 2012, photo, Annette Loritz, of Benediction University, foreground right, speaks with a attendee about job opportunities, and continuing education during a career fair in Oak Brook, Ill. The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dipped last week but not by enough to indicate hiring will pick up. Weekly applications for unemployment aid declined by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 387,000, the Labor Department said. That?s down from an upwardly revised 389,000. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

FILE- In this Wednesday, May 23, 2012, file photo, a new home still under construction is seen for sale in Springfield, Ill. Americans bought fewer homes in May than April, suggesting a modest recovery in the housing market could be choppy. The National Association of Realtors says sales of previously occupied homes dropped 1.5 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.55 million units. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The sluggish job market is weighing on the U.S. economy three years after the Great Recession ended and it doesn't look to be getting much better any time soon.

A measure of the number of people applying for unemployment benefits over the past month is at a six-month high, the government said Thursday. That suggests June will be another tepid month for hiring.

Sales of previously occupied homes fell in May, and manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region contracted for the second straight month in June.

The gloomy economic data sent stocks sharply lower. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 175 points in afternoon trading. Broader indexes also tumbled.

"It appears the slow-growth expansion will be slower," said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities, in a note to clients.

Thursday's raft of economic reports was mostly disappointing:

? Applications for unemployment benefits dipped last week to 387,000, from an upwardly revised 389,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to 386,250, the highest level since December. When applications are above 375,000, hiring is likely to remain too weak to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.

? Home sales fell 1.5 percent in May from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.55 million, the National Association of Realtors said. Sales are up 9.6 percent from a year ago, suggesting that the housing market is slowly improving. But the annual sales rate is well below the 6 million that economists consider healthy.

? The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said that its index of regional manufacturing activity fell sharply to -16.6 from -5.8. That's the lowest level in almost a year. A reading below zero indicates contraction. Measures of new orders and shipments also plummeted.

? A measure of future U.S. economic activity rose in May to its highest level in four years, one of the few positive signs Thursday. The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators increased to 95.8. That's the highest level since June 2008, which was six months into the recession. Still, prior to the recession, the index routinely topped 100.

The bad news echoed a more pessimistic outlook delivered by the Federal Reserve Wednesday after its two-day policy meeting. The Fed sharply reduced its growth forecast to between 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent for the year. That's half a percentage point lower than the Fed's previous estimate in April.

In an effort to boost growth and hiring, the Fed said that it would extend a program intended to drive down long-term U.S. interest rates. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke hopes that will encourage more borrowing and spending.

Hiring slowed sharply in April and May, raising concerns about the strength of the recovery. Employers have added an average of only 73,000 jobs per month in April and May. That's much lower than the average of 226,000 added in the first three months of this year.

The report on unemployment applications suggests it won't improve much in June, economists said.

Some economists warned the weaker job market could start to affect home sales, which until recently were starting to show some modest improvement.

Fewer first-time buyers, who are critical to a housing recovery, purchased homes in May. And sales declined in every region of the country except the Midwest.

"Not a surprise that existing home sales took a step back in May," said Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. "Softening job growth could slow the housing recovery."

There was one positive sign in the housing report: The supply of homes for sale remains low. The inventory of unsold home in May was just 2.49 million, roughly the same as April. It would take about six months to exhaust the supply at the current sales pace, a ratio last seen in 2006 when the housing market was booming.

A low supply typically encourages more people to put homes up for sale. That generally improves the overall quality of the homes on the market, which drives prices higher.

The weaker manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region likely reflects the worsening debt crisis in Europe, which has dampened demand for U.S. exports.

Despite the plunge in the survey, companies said they are more optimistic about business conditions in six months. A gauge of future expectations rose to 19.5 in June from 15 the previous month.

Economists cautioned that the Philly Fed index is volatile and does not always reflect the state of manufacturing nationwide.

Paul Dales, an economist at Capital Economics, pointed out that the index fell sharply last August but then bounced back into positive territory two months later.

"The weight of the evidence therefore suggests that the easing in demand in Europe and Asia is taking a toll on the U.S. economy," but that it is still growing, he said in an email to clients.

___

AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Karen Klein, Bullied School Bus Monitor, Receives $140,000 in Donations, Feels Sorry For Kids

Students on Greece, N.Y., school bus No. 784 tormented Karen Klein to the point of tears this week, calling her awful names and spewing hateful comments.

Amazingly, the 10-minute verbal attack was caught on video and has since gone viral, with support pouring in for the 69-year-old bullied school bus monitor.

Support to the tune of $140,000. That's not a typo.

Making the School Bus Monitor Cry

It took "a lot of will power" to not fight back, the Greece Central School District employee told NBC's Today this morning. "I'm not usually that calm."

The unidentified middle school students under investigation; any disciplinary action will have to wait until September when school is in session.

Their torment of a widow and grandmother of eight whose son committed suicide is upsetting to say the least, but there is a silver lining to be found.

An online fundraising effort to send Klein on "a vacation of a lifetime" has long surpassed its $5,000 goal, with more than $140,000 (and counting) raised.

"I'm so amazed," she said. "I've gotten the nicest letters, emails, Facebook messages. It's like, wow – there's a whole world out there I didn't know."

Klein, who is semi-retired and worked as a bus driver for 20 years and as a bus monitor for the past three, said she doesn't want the kids to be punished.

Instead, she hopes the parents simply watch the video you see above.

"I'm sorry that your sons acted the way they did," she responded when asked what she would say to their parents. "I'm sure they don't act that way at home, but you never know what they're going to do when they're out of the house."

Most of the 1.5 million people who watched this online wouldn't be so even-handed.

You can find the bullying kids' names quite easily if you look around - we have not posted them here - and local police say they fear serious retaliation.

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