SAfrica: Mandela's wife says he is seldom in pain

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The wife of critically ill Nelson Mandela says the former South African president is sometimes uncomfortable but seldom in pain while being treated in a hospital.

Graca Machel spoke about her husband's condition on Thursday at a fundraising drive for a children's hospital that will be named after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.

A Mandela family court affidavit obtained by the Mail and Guardian newspaper said Mandela is on life support in the form of a breathing respirator.

Also, the office of President Jacob Zuma said he visited Mandela on Thursday. Zuma's office says Mandela, who was hospitalized on June 8, remains in critical but stable condition.

Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years during white racist rule and was freed in 1990 before being elected president in all-race elections.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/safrica-mandelas-wife-says-seldom-pain-122323801.html

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A Guide To Everything Google Has Been Asked To Censor

The internet is all about the free flow of ideas, right? Collaboration! Discourse! Sharing! The day to day reality of what we do online may not always be quite so idealistic and ideologically motivated, but the open underpinnings are there. Except, of course, when they're not at all. This visualization, published by Sebastian Sadowski, uses Google's transparency data to visualize all the things the company has been asked to censor.

The governments of many countries routinely ask Google to suppress content across sites like Google Search and YouTube. Reasons range from national security, to suicide promotion, and government criticism. There are also categories for "other" and "reason unspecified." It's interesting to see which countries are better or worse than you thought they would be. And check out that little chunk of mint green "reason unspecified" censorship on the U.S. chart. You can get the gist below, but because of the interactivity you really have to explore on visual.ly to see what's going on. Even though Google's data are openly available, a chart like this allows you to take everything in quickly because someone did the processing work for you. So no excuses. [Digg]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-guide-to-everything-google-has-been-asked-to-censor-624948425

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Luxury sports car plows into crowd in Poland during race, injuring 17 (VIDEO)

AP

The aftermath of the high-speed wreck, in which this luxury sports car crashed into spectators during a race in Poland today. 17 people were hurt, but all are expected to survive.

WARSAW, Poland ? Authorities say a luxury sports car skidded into the crowd during a car show in Poland, injuring 17 people.

The Provincial Governor's Office in Poznan, western Poland, said in a statement Sunday that four people are in serious condition but their injuries are not life-threatening. Two children are among the injured.

The statement said the driver lost control on a straight stretch of road, broke through a barrier and hit the crowd. Prosecutors are investigating.

Polish agency PAP said the driver was Norwegian. The car was from Swedish specialty automaker Koenigsegg.

The accident took place during the ninth Gran Turismo Polonia show, in which drivers show off their rare sports cars.

Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/luxury_sports_video_plows_into_crowd_pUeI89P1JTefyLUenamTiK?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20International

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PFT: Cowboys' center to be Hogan's son-in-law

It?s July 1. ?A slow point on the NFL calendar, but a momentous day in these parts.

Four years ago today, we hitched the PFT wagon to NBC.

I didn?t want to do it. ?Rick Cordella, now the NBC Sports Group?Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital, can attest to that. ?I tried to scare him away, making Costanza-style demands and protestations about journalistic integrity despite, as Jerry (sort of) told George, I?m not a journalist, and I have no integrity.

But it eventually happened (the whole story is too long to tell here, also likely too boring). ?And it has been the best move we ever made.

Sure, we get accused from time to time of being kindler and gentler than we used to be. ?And then, when we try to show that we have the same edge we displayed pre-NBC, we get accused of being jerks, or worse.

It?s a balance we?ll continue to try to strike, one day at a time, dozens of posts and tweets per day. ?Will we periodically, through all the content and stories and reports and takes, give a blogger or tweeter or whatever something to point to and say, ?See, these guys are sellouts? or ?See, these guys are jerks, or worse?? ?Sure.

But the greater goal is to enhance the diversion that comes from following the NFL, with information and analysis and mildly-amusing-at-times turns of phrase or YouTube clips or whatever else will make this something other than the unflavored gelatin recitation of the facts you can find in plenty of other places.

Thanks to everyone at NBC who helps up do what we do, including (and I?m guaranteed to piss someone off by omitting them but what the hell I?ll give it a try anyway) Mark Lazarus, Sam Flood, Fred Gaudelli, Rick Cordella, Kevin Monaghan, Matt Casey,?Brett Goodman, Dan Steir, Bruce Cornblatt, Joe Gesue, Ron Vaccaro, Ron Wechsler, Michael Kane, Eric Black, Kristen Coleman, the entire crew that puts together PFT Live, the entire crew that puts together Pro Football Talk on NBCSN, the folks who have the thankless job of clearing the thousands of comments our posts generate, all the great on-air talent who has treated us like family from day one, including Dan Patrick, Al Michaels, Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Peter King, Doug Flutie, and Michele Tafoya, Pro Football Talk on NBCSN co-host Erik Kuselias, analysts Ross Tucker, Shaun King, Pete Najarian, and Anthony Becht, fill-in hosts Carolyn Manno and Russ Thaler, and the ever-growing crew of folks who crank out the content here every day of the year, with no days off: ?Michael David Smith, Darin Gantt, Josh Alper, Curtis Crabtree, and Mike Wilkening.

And special thanks to Dick Ebersol, who believed in what we do and constantly went out of his way to help promote it.

That?s a lot of names. ?Proving that, indeed,?we?ve come a long way from a solitary man in a messy apartment that may or may not contain a chicken.

Thanks for joining us on the ride, and please stick around. ?We?re constantly trying to make it better, and we hope that we?ll find ways to do it in the coming years.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/30/cowboys-center-will-be-hulk-hogans-son-in-law/related/

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Dream final: Host Brazil vs world champion Spain

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? The Confederations Cup has the final many wanted: a long-awaited matchup between world champion Spain and host Brazil.

The most dominant national team in recent years and the most successful team ever in international play will meet Sunday at Maracana Stadium for the title of the eight-nation warmup tournament for next year's World Cup.

It will be the first meeting between the nations since 1999 and their first competitive match since Brazil's 1-0 win on Socrates' goal in the first round of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

"It's the match everyone wanted to happen," said 21-year-old Brazilian forward Neymar, the star of the five-time world champions. "The entire world wanted it and everybody will be watching it."

With more than 70,000 Brazilian fans packing the iconic venue, Brazil will be seeking its third straight Confederations Cup title. Spain enters unbeaten in a world record 29 competitive matches over three years since losing its 2010 World Cup opener to Switzerland.

"For us it's a dream game," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque told FIFA.

Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals in the last two World Cups and hasn't won a significant title since the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. Spain won the 2010 World Cup along with the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

"They are the current world champions, they have to be praised," Brazil captain Thiago Silva said. "But anything can happen in a final, and I'm certain that Brazil will be fully prepared for the matchup."

Spain hasn't lost in 26 matches overall since a 1-0 defeat against England at Wembley in 2011. Brazil struggled after coach Luiz Felipe Scolari replaced Mano Menezes in November, winning only one of its first six matches. Scolari, who coach Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, enters the final with a five-game winning streak.

"There is no doubt it will be an even match," Brazil right back Daniel Alves said Saturday. "There is mutual respect between these two national teams."

Brazil beat Japan, Mexico and Italy in the group stage before defeating South American champion Uruguay 2-1 in the semifinals. Spain defeated the Uruguayans in its opener, then routed Tahiti and beat Nigeria before getting past Italy on penalty kicks in the semifinals.

"It's the match everybody has been waiting for," said Brazil assistant coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led the national team to the 1994 world title. "We all know how good Spain is, but Brazil is going through a sensational moment and is full of confidence."

While the host hasn't played since Wednesday, Spain endured overtime and the shootout in the semifinal against Italy in the heat of Fortaleza on Thursday. Del Bosque has said Spain will not use fatigue as an excuse, and Scolari also downplayed the issue.

"They were able to rest all of their starters when they played Tahiti, so basically they had to play one game less than we did," he said.

Both coaches will have all of their top players available for the match at the renovated Maracana.

Four players who will be in Sunday's final were nominated for the Golden Ball award handed to the best player at the Confederations Cup: Brazil's Neymar and Paulinho and Spain's Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos.

___

Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dream-final-host-brazil-vs-world-champion-spain-172642164.html

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Military Bowl great send-off for area stars

Saturday, June 29, 2013 10:54 PM EDT

By CHRIS MCLAUGHLIN

EAST HARTFORD ? For six of our area?s athletes, Saturday?s Hall of Fame Classic Military Bowl was more than just another football game, it was a last hurrah for playing football at the high school level, and a great way to cap off their stellar senior seasons.

Southington?s Nick Spitz and Nathan Bonenfant, Newington?s Zachery Hedberg, Berlin?s Kevin Main and Mitch Blanchette, and New Britain?s Daequone Clark all were selected to the 2013 Senior High School All-Star football game, and though not all of them got the opportunity to make the big plays, each of them enjoyed the opportunity to be apart of the prestigious game.

?It?s a once in a life time thing,? Hedberg said. ?I?m going off to Western, so it?s a good way to end senior year.?

The National Guard and Marines held a draft to select the teams, picking from the best high school seniors the state has to offer. Whether it was the luck of the draw, or by design, both the Southington players wound up on the Marines team, while both Berlin players were chosen to the National Guard. While it won?t be the last time Main and Blanchette play on the same team, as both are committed to go to Western Connecticut State University in the fall, they still enjoyed being able to play together one more time.

?I had a lot of fun it was a good time,? Blanchette said. ?It was a great honor to have us two here to represent our town. Hector Rodriguez was supposed to be here with us but he got injured unfortunately, but we had a lot of support here today so it makes us proud that we can represent the town and pull out the win.?

?Kevin and I have been best friends since we were little so we?re excited that we get to play four more years together at Western,? Blanchette said.

Rentschler Field was the site of the Berlin Redcoats Class M State Finals defeat to Hillhouse, so playing one more time here brings up some memories for Main and Blanchette. Fortunately, for them they were chosen by the National Guard, who won the game 15-14, so Main and Blanchette get some Rentschler Field redemption.

?It was pretty emotional coming back here,? Main said. ?It was a tough loss here back in the fall, so it?s nice to leave this place with a win.?

The Southington duo of Spitz and Bonenfont won?t get the chance to play together at the next level, as Spitz will attend Salve Regina University, while Bonenfant will be playing for the Southwestern Connecticut Grizzlies prep football program, but both relished the opportunity to play together one final time.

?It was an honor to play in this game with some of the top players in the state, I?ve been waiting for months to get out here,? Bonenfant said. ?Spitz is my boy, we?ve been playing together for a long time, so it?s sad to have played in our final game together, but he?s a great player so I?m sure I?ll see him at college.?

The lone New Britain representative, Clark, didn?t receive a lot of attention during the game, he was only thrown to a couple times, but did have a big 12-yard catch to give his team the first down. While he would have liked to get some more action, it was all about the honor of being selected to the game.

?It was a good game and it was great to get out here and represent New Britain,? Clark said. ?I didn?t really get a lot of catches, but it was still fun to be apart of the game it was a great experience.?

Though Hedberg was, like Clark, the only representative from his school, his coach Roy Roberts was with him on the sidelines serving as an assistant coach for the Marines team. Though the outcome wasn?t one either Hedberg or Roberts liked, they still enjoyed their final game together,

?Coach Roberts is a very good coach,? Hedberg said. ?He loves his kids and he?s done a great job developing my brother Jake, so good luck down the road to them.?

For all the players involved, Saturday?s game was the culmination of four years of hard work. Each of them earned their spot in this game, and did their city proud with their performance.

Chris McLaughlin can be reached at (860) 225-4601 ext 255 or at cmclaughlin@newbritainherald.com

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Source: http://bristolpress.com/articles/2013/06/30/sports/doc51cf9d96d1efa635287093.txt

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Kerry says progress made in peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry smiles at a question from a reporter during a news conference about his trip to the Middle East, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, June 30, 2013. Kerry engaged in breakneck shuttle diplomacy to coax Israel and the Palestinians back into peace talks over a four-day span with multiple trips to Jordan and Israel and a stop in the West Bank town of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry smiles at a question from a reporter during a news conference about his trip to the Middle East, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, June 30, 2013. Kerry engaged in breakneck shuttle diplomacy to coax Israel and the Palestinians back into peace talks over a four-day span with multiple trips to Jordan and Israel and a stop in the West Bank town of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about his trip to the Middle East during a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, June 30, 2013. Kerry engaged in breakneck shuttle diplomacy to coax Israel and the Palestinians back into peace talks over a four-day span with multiple trips to Jordan and Israel and a stop in the West Bank town of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas brief the media after the meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, June 30, 2013. Kerry continued his frenzied shuttle diplomacy Sunday to restart Mideast peace talks, but while Israel says it's ready to sit down, it showed no sign of bending to the Palestinians' long-standing demands for negotiating a two-state solution to the conflict. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday wrapped up four days of shuttle diplomacy without agreement on restarting Mideast peace talks but left on a positive note, saying he had considerably narrowed the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians and that the resumption of negotiations could be "within reach."

Kerry delivered the assessment after a final, frantic day of diplomacy that included a late-night meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a last-minute meeting in the West Bank with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"I ... know progress when I see it, and we are making progress," Kerry told reporters at Israel's international airport before departing to Brunei for an Asian security summit.

He would not elaborate, but said he would leave a team of aides in the region to continue the mediation efforts. He also said that at the request of both sides, he would return in the near future.

"We started out with very wide gaps and we have narrowed those considerably," Kerry said. "We have some specific details and work to pursue but I am absolutely confident that we are on the right track and all of the parties are working in very good faith in order to get to the right place."

Since taking office early this year, Kerry has been shuttling between Israel and the Palestinians in search of a formula to restart negotiations aimed at forging a final peace agreement. The talks seek to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Kerry's visit was his fifth to the region as secretary of state, and the lack of any apparent progress has begun to generate skepticism on all sides. After their meeting Sunday, the Palestinians were quick to note that there had been no breakthroughs.

But Kerry said he was convinced that both sides are serious about restarting peace efforts. Kerry extended his stay, canceling a visit to Abu Dhabi, in order to continue his peace efforts in Jerusalem, the West Bank and neighboring Jordan.

"I am pleased to tell you that we have made real progress on this trip and I believe with a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach," he said. "I believe their request to me to return to the area soon is a sign that they share cautious optimism."

The last substantial round of peace talks broke down in late 2008, and with the exception of a brief attempt at restarting negotiations in 2010, efforts have remained at a standstill.

The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, territories that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

The Palestinians have said they will not resume talks unless Israel stops building Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, or accepts its pre-1967 frontiers as the basis for a future border. The Palestinians are also pressing Israel to release more than 100 of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners it is holding.

Kerry is believed to be pursuing a package of incentives to both sides that would include economic aid to the Palestinians, some sort of slowdown in Israeli settlement construction, a prisoner release, security guarantees to Israel and assurances to the Palestinians that talks on borders will take place quickly.

Kerry declined to identify the ideas under discussion, saying that secrecy was needed for negotiations to take place in good faith. He also declined to set any deadlines or time limits.

"This has been years and years; if it takes another week or two weeks or some more time that is minimal, minuscule compared to the stakes and what we are trying to do," he said.

Israel's Netanyahu has insisted that talks begin immediately without any preconditions. But Netanyahu rejects a return to the 1967 lines and has allowed thousands of new settler homes to be built on his watch, raising Palestinian suspicions that he is not serious about peace.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and the Hamas militant group's takeover of the territory has added to the complicated task facing Kerry.

Addressing his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu showed little signs of bending.

"We are not putting up any impediments on the resumption of the permanent talks and a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians," he said.

At the same time, he said, "We will not compromise on security, and there will be no agreement that will endanger Israelis' security."

He added that any agreement would be presented to the public in a referendum.

Critics have said such a step would merely add an additional obstacle to implementing any deal, which would require a broad pullout from the West Bank.

Following Sunday morning's meeting in Ramallah, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, reported progress but said that gaps remained.

"I cannot say we have a breakthrough," he said. "All I can say once again is no one benefits more from the success of Secretary Kerry than the Palestinians, and no one stands to lose more from its failure than Palestinians."

___

Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-30-ML-Kerry/id-9566947ca75c43eebca92b946edbfbb5

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