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US doesn't believe reports of blast at Iran nuclear plant By REUTERS 01/28/2013 20:13 WASHINGTON - The United States does not believe media reports about an explosion at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday. The reports had said there had been an explosion early last week at the underground Fordow bunker near the holy Iranian city of Qom. "We have no information to confirm the allegations in the report and we do not believe the report is credible," Carney said. "We don't believe those are credible reports."

A very clever ad. Watch it until the end! You WILL be SURPRISED!!!

CLAYTON, Mo., Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Olin Corporation (OLN) announced today that its fourth quarter 2012 net income was $34.6 million, or $0.43 per diluted share, which compares to $18.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2011. Sales in the fourth quarter of 2012 were $587.6 million, compared to $445.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Joseph D. Rupp, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer said, "During 2012, Olin achieved $373 million of adjusted EBITDA, which is the highest in the history of the company. The record EBITDA was driven by strong results...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three months after Superstorm Sandy ravaged coastal areas in much of the Northeast, Congress on Monday sent a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for storm victims to President Barack Obama for his signature. "I commend Congress for giving families and businesses the help they deserve, and I will sign this bill into law as soon as it hits my desk," Obama said in a statement late Monday. Despite opposition from conservatives concerned about adding billions of dollars more to the nation's debt, the Senate cleared the long-delayed bill, 62-36, after House Republicans had stripped it earlier this...

Fleeing Islamist insurgents burnt two buildings containing priceless books as French-led troops approached al-Qaida-allied fighters on Saturday torched two buildings that held the manuscripts, some of which dated back to the 13th century. They also burned down the town hall, the governor's office and an MP's residence, and shot dead a man who was celebrating the arrival of the French military. French troops and the Malian army reached the gates of Timbuktu on Saturday and secured the town's airport. But they appear to have got there too late to rescue the leather-bound manuscripts that were a unique record of sub-Saharan...

(CNN) -- Yemeni authorities working with the U.S. Navy intercepted a ship carrying a "substantial" cache of "illegal arms" such as surface-to-air missiles, potent explosives and rocket-propelled grenades, a U.S. official and Yemen's government said Monday. The incident took place in Yemeni territorial waters in the Arabian Sea last Wednesday, according to a statement issued five days later from Yemen's embassy in Washington.The crew of the USS Farragut, a Naval destroyer, was working with Yemeni authorities when they spotted the vessel, said an official in the Obama administration. The ship had several flags onboard, but no reliable documentation showing where...

This old video popped up when Mike and the Mechanics "Silent Running" was posted by Freeper "txhurl" on another thread.

New DARPA program seeks performers for transient electronics demonstration The sophisticated electronics used by war-fighters in everything from radios, remote sensors and even phones can now be made at such a low cost that they are pervasive throughout the battlefield. These electronics have become necessary for operations, but it is almost impossible to track and recover every device. At the end of operations, these electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and might be captured by the enemy and re-purposed or studied to compromise DoD’s strategic technological advantage.

On Current TV’s “Viewpoint” on Jan 17, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) attacked Republicans over their alleged inability to get anything done, and said “these are people who want to kick you when you're down.” In the interview, Grayson was critical of House Republicans over the amount of time it took to provide federal assistance to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. … He continued “Look, we live in a country where almost 25 million people can’t find full time work and the president and the Democratic Party have been desperately trying to do something about this for the past four years...

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said that some kind of pathway to citizenship “absolutely” must be part of immigration reform. Immigration officials arrested an illegal immigrant and convicted sex offender interning for Sen. Menendez in December. “Absolutely,” Menendez said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, when asked if a pathway to citizenship was necessary. “Latino voters in—first of all, Americans support it in poll after poll. Secondly, Latino voters expect it. Thirdly, Democrats want it. And fourth, Republicans need it.” …

Katie Pavlich is aghast, calling it the “worst” piece of commentary in the week of the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade: During a segment last week, Toure went on what he called an abortion rant in which he thanked God and country abortion was there to “save him” at a time when taking care of a baby and becoming a father would have been inconvenient for him. He also refers to abortion as a “safety net.” … Got that? Toure was willing to end the life of an unborn child so his own life could remain convenient and less...

The late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) continues to exert an influence on the Senate, the chamber in which he served for 47 years. Democrats cited Kennedy, long known as the "Lion of the Senate," as an inspiration when they passed the healthcare reform law at the start of President Obama’s first term. Now, nearly four years after Kennedy's death, senators in both parties are channeling his memory as they pursue immigration reform. “If we do succeed, and I think we will, it will be a testimonial to Ted Kennedy’s effort years ago that laid the groundwork for this agreement,” said...

EXCLUSIVE: The soaring symbol of American resilience now bears the markings of lowlifes. The graffiti looms over the 16-acre site in lower Manhattan where more than 2,800 people of all colors and creeds died — victims of an attack directed at the heart of American ideals.

Freedom can be defined in many ways. However, one of the greatest indicators of freedom and liberty is economic freedom. True free-market capitalism is the basis of individual liberty. However, America is no longer a top 5 contender, and we haven’t been for a years. Actually, America is barely even in the top 10. The 2012 Index of Economic Freedom study reports that America continues to fail. Who took first place in economic freedom in 2012? The answer may surprise you. It was Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s score was an 89.9%, which was a 0.2% increase from 2011. Following Hong...

Beware of any requirement designed to determine your mental health if you have no previous record of mental health problems. Determining one’s mental health to purchase or own a firearm would depend upon your answers to a list of questions formulated by the government. The spiritual and political mindset of those formulating the questions would be strictly subjective. If your answers would be of like-mind, spiritually, socially, and politically with the examiner who formulated the questions, then you would pass. Otherwise, you could be declared ‘unfit’ to own a gun and be ordered to turn over to the government any...

Rush Limbaugh calls on Fox to fight ‘amnesty’ By: Kevin Cirilli January 28, 2013 04:43 PM EST Rush Limbaugh said Monday that it’s up to him and Fox News to stop amnesty for undocumented immigrants. “I mean, thanks to Obama you have amnesty unless you get convicted of a major felony. So I don’t know that there’s any stopping this. It’s up to me and Fox News, and I don’t think Fox News is that invested in this. I don’t think there’s any Republican opposition to this of any majority consequence or size,” the conservative commentator said on his radio...

Iranian space officials announced Monday (Jan. 28) that they have successfully launched a live monkey into space, inching closer to the Islamic republic's goal of a manned mission, according to news reports.The space capsule, called Pishgam, which means "pioneer" in Farsi, reportedly returned the monkey alive after a suborbital flight to space and back, according to Iranian news agencies.

With corporate profits at record levels and stocks regaining the ground lost during the financial crisis, Wall Street anxiously anticipates the return of the individual investors to equity markets. It may be a long wait, because the little guy may have concluded stocks are a sucker’s bet. Investors, as opposed to traders, buy stocks in companies whose profits they expect to rise. The conventional wisdom says stock prices will follow profits up, but over the last two business cycles, that simply has not happened. In March 2000, the S&P 500 first closed above 1500. Since corporate profits are up 135...

Conservative policies have greatly benefited urbanites. Why won’t Republicans seek their votes?After the presidential election in November, New York Times exit polls found that Republican candidate Mitt Romney had received only 29 percent of the big-city vote to President Obama’s 69 percent. That gap prompted Paul Ryan, Romney’s running mate, to conclude that it was “the turnout especially in urban areas” that “gave President Obama the big margin to win this race.” Ryan was right: the GOP has an urban problem. And it’s partly a self-created one. The party, nationally and even locally, has focused on winning suburban and rural...