Maria Menounos shoots, scores and stays in shape

Girl Crush:?Maria Menounos

queen of
the court

What?s a former beauty queen doing on the basketball court? Getting in enviable shape, that's what! Extra host and our Girl Crush for February Maria Menounos likes to have fun and score while torching mega calories. Sounds like a win-win to us. Here?s why you should be playing some hoop to get fit.

The Mayo Clinic says a 160-pound person can burn 584 calories an hour playing basketball. That equates to a couple slices of pizza, about half a pint of Ben & Jerry?s new cannoli ice cream or three bottles of beer. Suddenly, hitting the court never looked so good, right?

Where basketball got its start

The sport got going in December 1891, when Dr. James Naismith, a physical education instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School (now known as Springfield College in Massachusetts) was trying to come up with a way to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America was established. It merged in 1949 with the National Basketball League to form what we know today as the National Basketball Association.

How do you play the game?

While you can dribble or work on drills to build your skills, basketball is traditionally a team sport. Typically, two teams of five players play on a marked rectangular court with a basket at each end.

A team scores a field goal, worth two points when a player shoots the ball through the basket during a regular play, when the player is touching or closer to the basket than the three-point line. But the player will snag three points if he or she is behind the three-point line. As in football, overtime can come into play if the score is tied at the end of the game. While you?re busting out all of your moves to get the ball to the basket (hopefully as poised as our ?it" girl Menounos), keep in mind that you can?t move your feet without dribbling the ball or you?ll get penalized for traveling. It?s also a violation to carry the ball, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling, which is known as double dribble.

Get fit by shooting hoop

If you?re going to play the sport on a local team or with a group of friends on a regular basis, conditioning your body for running, stopping, turning, shooting and passing is vital. While being on the court is important so you can practice your aim and develop muscle memory, so are some good cardiovascular and agility exercises.

According to MensFitness.com, basketball great Kobe Bryant says he runs on and off the court to stay in shape, and Jason Kidd says legwork ? and even Pilates ? helps keep him on his game. A few of the primary conditioning exercises for basketball are known as suicides, wall touches, 40 in 2, and T drills. Get with a trainer or basketball pro to design a program that?s right for you.

More sporty ways to stay fit

Killer sports drills for non-athletes
Women?s fitness: Hockey for a hot body
Soccer for kickin? fitness

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The opinions expressed in this article are of the author and the author alone. They do not reflect the opinions of SheKnows, LLC or any of its affiliates and they have not been reviewed by an expert in a related field or any member of the SheKnows editorial staff for accuracy, balance or objectivity. Content and other information presented on the Site are not a substitute for professional advice, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical or mental health advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on SheKnows. SheKnows does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.

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Source: http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/983893/maria-menounos-basketball-workout-routine

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White House: Hagel will win Senate confirmation

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House on Friday dismissed criticism of Chuck Hagel's hesitant congressional testimony and insisted that it expects the Senate to confirm him as defense secretary.

One day after Hagel was roughed up in a grueling confirmation hearing, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Hagel did a "fine job" and the Obama administration would be stunned if Republicans tried to block the nomination of a decorated Vietnam combat veteran and former two-term GOP senator.

"The president believes Sen. Hagel will make an excellent secretary of defense and that he will be confirmed and he looks forward to working with Sen. Hagel in that position as we continue to advance our national security priorities," Carney told reporters.

If confirmed, Hagel, 66, would be the lone Republican in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, the first Vietnam veteran to be defense secretary and the first enlisted man to take the post.

Hagel seemed ill-prepared under withering cross-examination from Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans in nearly eight hours of testimony. He was repeatedly pressed about past statements and votes on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons.

Senate Democrats, who hold the majority, continue to stand behind the nomination, and no Democrat has said he or she would vote against the president's pick for his second-term national security team.

But Republican opposition grew on Friday as Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the committee; Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr announced that they would vote against Hagel. About a dozen Republicans have said they will oppose their former colleague and several others have indicated that they are likely to vote no.

So far, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, is the only Republican to announce his support for Hagel.

Burr said the hearing "confirmed for me many of the concerns I had about the nomination." Kirk said his existing concerns combined with Hagel's testimony were the reason for his opposition.

Blunt said "Hagel's answers before the committee were simply too inconsistent, particularly as they related to Iran and Israel. The idea that we can contain a nuclear Iran and his view that we should not have unilateral sanctions are just wrong and are too dangerous for us to try."

In fact, Hagel corrected his statement about containment of Iran and said all options, including military action, should be on the table to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

While Blunt announced his opposition, he signaled he would not support any effort to block the nomination. Blunt is a member of the GOP leadership team, and his reluctance to wage a filibuster fight is a positive sign for Hagel amid the threat of efforts to block the nomination.

Democrats hold a 14-12 edge on the committee, which could vote as early as Thursday, and a 55-45 advantage in the full Senate. Democrats would need five Republican votes to stop a filibuster, and GOP lawmakers often have spoken about the right of a president to get an up-or-down vote on his nominee.

Carney did not mention Republican Sen. John McCain by name, but he clearly was referring to him when he questioned the "badgering ... over issues like, 'why did you disagree with me over Iraq?' "

"Now somewhat bizarrely, given that we have 66,000 Americans in uniform in Afghanistan, senators yesterday in the hearing for the nomination of a secretary of defense asked very few questions about that active war," Carney said. "Instead they wanted to re-litigate the past. That argument will continue, no doubt."

The nominee's fiercest exchange came with McCain, a fellow Vietnam veteran and onetime close friend over Iraq.

The Arizona Republican pressed Hagel on whether he was right or wrong about his opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 at a point when the war seemed in danger of being lost. Hagel, who voted to authorize military force in Iraq, later opposed the conflict, comparing it to Vietnam and arguing that it shifted the focus from Afghanistan.

"Were you right? Were you correct in your assessment?" McCain asked.

"I would defer to the judgment of history to sort that out," Hagel said as the two men talked over each other.

"The committee deserves your judgment as to whether you were right or wrong about the surge," McCain insisted.

Unable to elicit a simple response, McCain said the record should show that Hagel refused to answer. And he made it clear that he would have the final word ? with his vote, which he said would be influenced by Hagel's refusal to answer yes or no.

"I think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you're on the wrong side of it," McCain told Hagel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-hagel-win-senate-confirmation-185753402--politics.html

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French president in Mali to back French troops, visits Timbuktu

TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande flew to Mali on Saturday to support French troops fighting Islamist rebels in the Sahel nation, and he visited the famed ancient city of Timbuktu that was recaptured from al Qaeda-allied fighters six days ago.

Hollande, accompanied by his ministers for defence, foreign affairs and development, was greeted by a group of dancers and singers at Timbuktu airport and then went on to visit the Grand Mosque in the UNESCO World Heritage Site city.

Heavily-armed French soldiers in armoured vehicles and Malian troops ringed the ancient mosque, built from mud bricks and wooden beams. French and Malian flags fluttered from telephone poles.

Local people chanted "Vive La France" and praised Hollande for France's military intervention in its former West African colony, which after three weeks has pushed Islamist fighters occupying the north into more remote desert and mountains.

"I'm so proud of Francois Hollande, we have got our old lives back," Khalifa Cisse, the muzzein or crier who calls the faithful to daily prayer at the mosque, told Reuters, wearing a flowing white robe and cap and a red, white and blue scarf.

The international community has greeted the liberation of Timbuktu with relief as the sharia-observing radical Islamist occupiers had smashed traditional ancient Sufi mausoleums in this seat of Islamic learning, calling them idolatrous.

They had also destroyed up to 2,000 of some 300,000 priceless ancient manuscripts held in the city. Curators say the bulk of the scholarly texts are however secure and safe.

During his one-day visit to Mali, which will also take him to the southern capital Bamako, Hollande was expected to outline the next steps of the French military operation, which has so far retaken from the rebels the main towns of the north.

Hollande has said that the French operation, which has 3,500 soldiers on Malian soil backed by warplanes, helicopters and armoured vehicles, wants to hand over to a larger U.N.-backed African force which is still being deployed.

Sustained French airstrikes have forced fighters from the Islamist militant alliance that was occupying northern Mali to retreat into the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border. The rebels are also believed to be holding there seven French hostages previously seized in the Sahel.

The United States and Europe are backing the U.N.-mandated Mali operation as a counterstrike against the threat of radical Islamist jihadists using the inhospitable and ungoverned Malian Saharan north as a launch pad for international attacks.

The U.S. and European governments are providing training, logistical and intelligence support to the French-led operation in Mali, but have ruled out sending ground troops.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-president-visits-mali-support-french-troops-085609241.html

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Google Stock Hits All-Time High

Should have bought sooner. (AP Photo/dapd, Virginia Mayo)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google's stock climbed to a new high Friday as Wall Street's best known indexes approached record territory, too.

The shares of the Internet search leader peaked at $775.32 in afternoon trading, eclipsing the stock's previous record of $774.38 reached in early October. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., went public at $85 in August 2004.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones industrial average crossed 14,000 Friday for first time since October 2007 ? near the bellwether's all-time high of 14,164. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index, which includes Google Inc., also is flirting with a new record.

Google's stock has been on the upswing since the company reported its fourth-quarter earnings 10 days ago. The results showed Google is still enjoying strong growth in Internet advertising.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/google-stock_n_2601008.html

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When did you first discover life hacking?

Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!

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To join or start great discussions on any topic, be sure to visit the Openthread forum.And today being Friday, don't forget to check out this week's Open Thread.

If you've got a cool project, inspiration, or just something fun to share, be sure to let us know in our Tips forum.

Happy Lifehacking, everybody!

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/cjPjODipfJ8/when-did-you-first-discover-life-hacking

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Iraq Sectarian Violence: Sunnis Protest Amid Al Qaeda Calls To Arms

BAGHDAD -- Tens of thousands of Sunni protesters blocked a major highway in western Iraq on Friday, as an al-Qaida-affiliated group called on Sunnis to take up arms against the Shiite-led government.

The rally comes at a time of mounting sectarian tensions in Iraq. Minority Sunnis complain of official discrimination against them, and the arrests of bodyguards of a senior Sunni politician in December have sparked weekly demonstrations.

The main rallies Friday took place in Fallujah and Ramadi, cities that straddle the highway running through Anbar province. The province was a former al-Qaida stronghold that saw some of the fiercest fighting against U.S. forces during the Iraq war.

Protesters also marched in the capital Baghdad and in the central city of Samarra. Friday's turnout appeared to be among the largest since the protests began in December.

In Fallujah and Ramadi, demonstrators performed Muslim noon prayers, the highlight of the religious week, on the highway, which links Iraq with Jordan.

Last week, five protesters and two Iraqi soldiers were killed in clashes in Fallujah, and demonstrators held up pictures of the dead on Friday.

Sunni cleric Abdul-Hameed Jadoua told the crowd that "the blood of the martyrs was shed so that the dignity of our Iraq and our tribes will be restored."

He demanded that soldiers be put on trial for killing protesters and said the army must stay out of the area. "From this place, we tell the government that we do not want to see a soldier from now on, not only in Fallujah, but in all its suburbs and (surrounding) villages," he said.

The cleric appeared to be rebuffing a call to arms. "I tell the young people that we do appreciate your zeal ... but you should be disciplined and adhere to the directives of the clerics and tribal leaders so that we act in a reasonable way," he said.

Al-Qaida has expressed support for the protests. On Friday, an al-Qaida-affiliated group, the Islamic State of Iraq, called on Sunnis to resort to violence against the government.

Sunnis can either bow to Shiites or take up arms and restore "dignity and freedom," said spokesman Mohammed al-Adnani in an audio statement posted on the group's website.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has suggested that al-Qaida and members of Saddam Hussein's ousted regime are involved in the demonstrations.

Organizers said they have no links to al-Qaida. "This organization represents only itself and it does not represent us," Saeed Humaim, a leading activist in Ramadi, said of the Islamic State of Iraq.

Humaim said organizers also asked demonstrators not to raise Saddam-era national flags. Under Saddam, toppled by the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Sunnis enjoyed special privileges while Kurds and Shiites were often persecuted.

During previous protests, many had waved Saddam-era flags, but there were fewer on Friday. Humaim said organizers did not want to give the government an opportunity to smear protesters as Saddam loyalists.

The protesters' demands include the release of Sunni detainees from Iraqi jails and the cancellation of a tough counterterrorism law and other policies they believe overwhelmingly target Sunnis.

Many of the demonstrators link their cause to the broader Arab Spring uprisings and are calling for the ouster of the government.

Al-Maliki has released hundreds of detainees in a concession to the protesters. On Thursday, the prime minister was quoted as saying he would address what he described as "legitimate demands." He said a committee dealing with these issues has made progress.

Humaim, the Ramadi organizer, accused the government of dragging its feet.

"We will go back to our homes only when there are real reforms and real change in Iraq," he said. "More delays by the government means more demands by the people."

With sectarian tensions mounting, an Associated Press tally showed that 178 people were killed in attacks by Sunni insurgents and in other Iraq violence in January.

Four major bombings and shooting attacks contributed to the relatively high monthly toll, which was the highest since September.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/iraq-sectarian-violence_n_2599523.html

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Ford Puts the Brakes on Firebaugh's Only New Car Dealership

Ford Puts the Brakes on Firebaugh's Only New Car Dealership

www.ksee24.com

A Firebaugh family business fixture for the last 30 years will close its doors for good tomorrow. There won't be mass layoffs at Westside Ford, but the business closure does leave the City of Firebaugh in a hole.<br />

Source: http://www.facebook.com/KSEE24/posts/442435342495865

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