Chicago's top line too much for Boston to handle

CHICAGO (AP) ? Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are not exactly imposing, their playoff beards about the only thing keeping them from being mistaken for somebody's little brothers.

Try telling that to the Boston Bruins and their bruising tandem of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.

Chicago's top line made the Bruins pay again Saturday night, with Kane scoring two more goals in a 3-1 victory that puts the Blackhawks one victory away from its second Stanley Cup title in four years. Since Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville tinkered with his top line before Game 4 to reunite his two best players, Kane and Toews have combined for four goals and seven points.

And, most important, two wins.

"I think (Kane) gets excited playing with (Bryan) Bickell and Toews," Quenneville said. "They get excited about that togetherness, and they seem to read off each other. Everybody brings a little bit something different to the party, and they scored two huge goals for us tonight."

Whether the star-studded line stays intact for Monday night's potential clincher in Boston isn't certain, however. Toews didn't play at all in the third period, though he stayed on the bench and was badgering Quenneville to give him a shift.

"We're hopeful he'll be ready next game," Quenneville said. "He wanted to play. We'll see."

Kane and Toews are Chicago's version of peanut butter and jelly, a perfect combination that just isn't the same by itself. Drafted a year apart ? Toews was the third pick overall in 2006, Kane was first in 2007 ? they arrived together for the 2007-08 season and have been the cornerstones of Chicago's rejuvenation. They've already won one Stanley Cup, and began this year helping the Blackhawks set an NHL record for season-opening points.

"We're different style players, but I think we complement each other very well," Kane said of Toews. "We've played together for six years now. I know we didn't play together very much this year, but throughout times in the past you can look back at those times that we've had success."

But with the Blackhawks facing Boston, Quenneville decided to split up his young stars.

At 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds, Chara looks like a mountain on the ice ? and he's about as impassable. Seidenberg is equally formidable, and Quenneville didn't want them ganging up on his phenoms at the same time and neutralizing them.

But the experiment failed. Pretty miserably.

With no goals from either Kane or Toews in the first three games, the Blackhawks found themselves trailing the Bruins 2-1. Needing a spark, Quenneville put Kane and Toews back together again for Game 4.

"I think we bring three different styles of play," said Bickell, who has three points in the last two games.

Such a simple switch, yet it's turned the series around.

"Playing with Johnny and Bicks, they create a lot of space, and I've been taking advantage of the space they do make," Kane said. "I think everyone wants to be that guy in big-time games, and I've been lucky enough in a couple to step up."

Toews scored his first goal in almost a month ? May 25, to be exact ? in Game 4, while Kane got his first goal of the series. It was more of the same Saturday, with Kane's quick reflexes putting Boston on the ropes.

With 2:33 left in the first period, Johnny Oduya's slapshot hit Seidenberg's stick and shattered the blade. The puck trickled behind Boston goalie Tuukka Rask and Kane scooped it up and tucked it into the net to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

He doubled the score just over five minutes into the second period, getting help from both Toews and Bickell.

Bickell picked up a pass from Toews and took a shot from the left side, along the goal line. He got his own rebound and circled around the net, looking like a shark searching for prey. He finally spotted an opening, but the puck caromed off the side of the net.

Kane pounced on the rebound, and Rask never had a chance.

"It's an exciting time," Kane said, "especially when you're scoring in games like this."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chicagos-top-line-too-much-boston-handle-030458173.html

nhl Espn Nba paul mccartney bruins Jimmy Hoffa Rick Rubin The Wolf of Wall Street

Hong Kong says Snowden has left for third country

HONG KONG (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday.

A statement from the government did not identify the country, but the South China Morning Post, which has been in contact with Edward Snowden, reported that he was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination.

Snowden, who has been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks since he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs, has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland.

Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency, citing an unidentified Aeroflot official, said Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then take a flight to Caracas, Venezuela.

Snowden's departure came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and warned Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in the U.S.

The Hong Kong government said Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."

It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.

Snowden's departure eliminates a possible fight between Washington and Beijing at a time when China is trying to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance of American government and commercial operations. Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.

Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.

The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against delaying Snowden's extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News, "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."

Snowden's departure came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from Snowden that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.

He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.

Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.

The Chinese government has not commented on the extradition request and Snowden's departure, but its state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.

A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."

"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-says-snowden-left-third-country-081745849.html

april 30 wwe extreme rules 2012 vontaze burfict jimmy kimmel amzn white house correspondents dinner phoenix coyotes

Chapter 3 - We Live Healthy

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://we-live-healthy.com/chapter-3/

bulls heat goldman sachs brandon carr knicks coach encyclopedia britannica white lion mike d antoni resigns

Cuba, US try talking, but face many obstacles

FILE - In this June 4, 2009 file photo, Cuban coast guards, right, stop seven men trying to migrate illegally to the U.S. on a foam raft near Havana's Malecon. No one was arrested, according to police. The United States and Cuba have agreed to resume bilateral talks on migration issues next month, a State Department official said Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the latest evidence of a thaw in chilly relations between the Cold War enemies. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano, File)

FILE - In this June 4, 2009 file photo, Cuban coast guards, right, stop seven men trying to migrate illegally to the U.S. on a foam raft near Havana's Malecon. No one was arrested, according to police. The United States and Cuba have agreed to resume bilateral talks on migration issues next month, a State Department official said Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the latest evidence of a thaw in chilly relations between the Cold War enemies. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2013 file photo, people wait in a line that continues on to the sidewalk, to buy plane tickets at a small travel agency in Havana, Cuba. Cubans formed long lines outside travel agencies and migration offices, as a highly anticipated new law took effect ending the island's much-hated exit visa requirement. The United States and Cuba have agreed to resume bilateral talks on migration issues next month, a State Department official said Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the latest evidence of a thaw in chilly relations between the Cold War enemies. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)

HAVANA (AP) ? They've hardly become allies, but Cuba and the U.S. have taken some baby steps toward rapprochement in recent weeks that have people on this island and in Washington wondering if a breakthrough in relations could be just over the horizon.

Skeptics caution that the Cold War enemies have been here many times before, only to fall back into old recriminations. But there are signs that views might be shifting on both sides of the Florida Straits.

In the past week, the two countries have held talks on resuming direct mail service, and announced a July 17 sit-down on migration issues. In May, a U.S. federal judge allowed a convicted Cuban intelligence agent to return to the island. This month, Cuba informed the family of jailed U.S. government subcontractor Alan Gross that it would let an American doctor examine him, though the visit has apparently not yet happened. President Raul Castro has also ushered in a series of economic and social changes, including making it easier for Cubans to travel off the island.

Under the radar, diplomats on both sides describe a sea change in the tone of their dealings.

Only last year, Cuban state television was broadcasting grainy footage of American diplomats meeting with dissidents on Havana streets and publically accusing them of being CIA front-men. Today, U.S. diplomats in Havana and Cuban Foreign Ministry officials have easy contact, even sharing home phone numbers.

Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for North American affairs, recently traveled to Washington and met twice with State Department officials ? a visit that came right before the announcements of resumptions in the two sets of bilateral talks that had been suspended for more than two years. Washington has also granted visas to prominent Cuban officials, including the daughter of Cuba's president.

"These recent steps indicate a desire on both sides to try to move forward, but also a recognition on both sides of just how difficult it is to make real progress," said Robert Pastor, a professor of international relations at American University and former national security adviser on Latin America during the Carter administration. "These are tiny, incremental gains, and the prospects of going backwards are equally high."

Among the things that have changed, John Kerry has taken over as U.S. secretary of state after being an outspoken critic of Washington's policy on Cuba while in the Senate. President Barack Obama no longer has re-election concerns while dealing with the Cuban-American electorate in Florida, where there are also indications of a warming attitude to negotiating with Cuba.

Castro, meanwhile, is striving to overhaul the island's Marxist economy with a dose of limited free-market capitalism and may feel a need for more open relations with the U.S. While direct American investment is still barred on the island, a rise in visits and money transfers by Cuban-Americans since Obama relaxed restrictions has been a boon for Cuba's cash-starved economy. Under the table, Cuban-Americans are also helping relatives on the island start private businesses and refurbish homes bought under Castro's limited free-market reforms.

Several prominent Cuban dissidents have been allowed to travel recently due to Castro's changes. The trips have been applauded by Washington, and also may have lessened Havana's worries about the threat posed by dissidents.

Likewise, a U.S. federal judge's decision to allow Cuban spy Rene Gonzalez to return home was met with only muted criticism inside the United States, perhaps emboldening U.S. diplomats to seek further openings with Cuba.

To be sure, there is still far more that separates the long-time antagonists than unites them.

The State Department has kept Cuba on a list of state sponsors of terrorism and another that calls into question Havana's commitment to fighting human trafficking. The Obama administration continues to demand democratic change on an island ruled for more than a half century by Castro and his brother Fidel.

For its part, Cuba continues to denounce Washington's 51-year-old economic embargo.

And then there is Gross, the 64-year-old Maryland native who was arrested in 2009 and is serving a 15-year jail sentence for bringing communications equipment to the island illegally. His case has scuttled efforts at engagement in the past, and could do so again, U.S. officials say privately. Cuba has indicated it wants to trade Gross for four Cuban agents serving long jail terms in the United States, something Washington has said it won't consider.

Ted Henken, a professor of Latin American studies at Baruch College in New York who helped organize a recent U.S. tour by Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, said the Obama administration is too concerned with upsetting Cuban-American politicians and has missed opportunities to engage with Cuba at a crucial time in its history.

"I think that a lot more would have to happen for this to amount to momentum leading to any kind of major diplomatic breakthrough," he said. "Obama should be bolder and more audacious."

Even these limited moves have sparked fierce criticism by those long opposed to engagement. Cuban-American congressman Mario Diaz Balart, a Florida Republican, called the recent overtures "disturbing."

"Rather than attempting to legitimize the Cuban people's oppressors, the administration should demand that the regime stop harboring fugitives from U.S. justice, release all political prisoners and American humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross, end the brutal, escalating repression against the Cuban people, and respect basic human rights," he said.

Another Cuban-American politician from Florida, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, scolded Obama for seeking "dialogue with the dictatorship."

Despite that rhetoric, many experts think Obama would face less political fallout at home if he chose engagement because younger Cuban-Americans seem more open to improved ties than those who fled immediately after the 1959 revolution.

Of 10 Cuban-Americans interview by The Associated Press on Thursday at the popular Miami restaurant Versailles, a de facto headquarters of the exile community, only two said they were opposed to the U.S. holding migration talks. Several said they hoped for much more movement.

Jose Gonzalez, 55, a shipping industry supervisor who was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. at age 12, said he now favors an end to the embargo and the resumption of formal diplomatic ties. "There was a reason that existed but it doesn't anymore," he said.

Santiago Portal, a 65-year-old engineer who moved to the U.S. 45 years ago, said more dialogue would be good. "The more exchange of all types the closer Cuba will be to democracy," he said.

Those opinions dovetail with a 2011 poll by Florida International University of 648 randomly selected Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County that said 58 percent favored re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. That was a considerable increase from a survey in 1993, when 80 percent of people polled said they did not support trade or diplomatic relations with Cuba.

"In general, there is an open attitude, certainly toward re-establishing diplomatic relations," said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University. "Short of perhaps lifting the embargo ... there seems to be increasing support for some sort of understanding with the Cuban government."

___

Associated Press writers Christine Armario in Miami and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Paul Haven on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-21-CB-Cuba-US-The-Thaw/id-c47f0742a4584be182ec3613596e440c

neighborhood watch dodgers sale tami roman jetblue captain los angeles dodgers christie brinkley seattle mariners

Senators urge inclusion of food safety in Smithfield review

By Doug Palmer

(Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 15 U.S. senators urged the Obama administration on Thursday to consider whether the proposed sale of Smithfield Foods Inc to the Chinese meat company Shuanghui International posed a threat to the U.S. food supply that could justify blocking the deal.

"We believe that our food supply is critical infrastructure that should be included in any reasonable person's definition of national security," the senators said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, whose department chairs the interagency panel that reviews foreign investment for national security threats.

Smithfield, based in Smithfield, Virginia, is the world's largest producer and processor of pork. Shuanghui is planning to acquire it for $4.7 billion in what would be the biggest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.

"We strongly encourage you to include the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration in any CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) review of this transaction," the senators said.

The group included 15 of the 20 members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, including the Democratic chairman, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and the panel's top Republican, Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

They said the Agriculture Committee had not taken a formal position on the proposed sale but planned to "further examine how this transaction is reviewed and how these transactions will be reviewed in the future," given the potential for other foreign purchases of U.S. food assets.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, were among the five Agriculture Committee members who did not sign the letter.

The CFIUS review process does not typically include either the USDA or FDA, although the statute allows the president to bring in additional agencies on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to Treasury, other CFIUS members include the Departments of Justice, Homeland, Security, Commerce, Defense, State and Energy as well as the offices of the U.S. Trade Representative and Science and Technology Policy.

The senators urged Lew to make the USDA one of the lead agencies in the Smithfield review and to consider "the broader issues of food security, food safety and biosecurity" posed by the proposed takeover.

They also suggested the U.S. government should require certain safeguards, if the deal was approved, to ensure Shuanghui complied with U.S. food safety and biosecurity standards.

"We welcome a full review and fair consideration of the Shuanghui-Smithfield combination from the U.S. government," a Smithfield spokeswoman said, noting the company would continue to collaborate with Congress and CFIUS.

"We believe the proposed combination does not present any national security concerns, is good for U.S. farmers and agriculture, and will advance U.S.-China relations," the spokeswoman said.

RISING 'TO OUR STANDARDS'

U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman Holly Shulman declined to comment on the senators' letter, citing confidentiality requirements of CFIUS reviews.

"By law, information filed with CFIUS may not be disclosed by CFIUS to the public. Accordingly, the Department does not comment on information relating to specific CFIUS cases, including whether or not certain parties have filed notices for review," Shulman said.

Nancy McLernon, president of the Organization for International Investment, which represents foreign companies that invest in the United States, said she believed the Smithfield purchase would be approved and there was already no question that Shuanghui would have to abide by U.S. law.

"When foreign companies invest here, it's not a race to the bottom. It's about having them rise to our standards, because we have laws and regulations that they have to abide by. That's the price of entry into our market," McLernon said.

Treasury should respond quickly to the senators' letter so "the concerns don't spiral out any further," McLernon added.

CFIUS could sign off on the deal by mid-July if the companies satisfactorily answer all its questions in an initial 30-day review. But some analysts expect the investigation will go into a second phase, which could take up to 45 additional days.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer and Ros Krasny; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-urge-inclusion-food-safety-smithfield-review-011910470.html

MC Chris Colorado shooting suspect Finding Nemo 2 Provigil dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer

Google is given three months to comply with French Data Protection Act

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get the latest Haiti Sun headlines delivered to your inbox.

*We hate spam as much as you. Privacy

Source: http://www.haitisun.com/index.php/sid/215326709/scat/d805653303cbbba8

Autumn Pasquale ann coulter minecraft Ben Wilson Latest Presidential Polls trump presidential debate

SAfrica: Former president says Mandela improving

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A former South African president has said the health of Nelson Mandela is improving as the 94-year-old beloved anti-apartheid leader marked two weeks in the hospital Friday.

Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela as president in 1999, made the comment Thursday night in an interview with Power FM, a South African radio station.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison during white racist rule, was taken to a Pretoria hospital on June 8 to be treated for a recurring lung infection. It marked the fourth time he has been hospitalized since December.

"I maintained very close contact with the family and the doctors about Nelson Mandela's condition," said Mbeki, who served two five-year terms as president.

"Nelson Mandela is in fact improving, in terms of his health," Mbeki said. "I think we really need to feel comforted that we still have him with us now."

The government had described Mandela's condition as serious but stable, but later said he was improving.

Ndaba Mandela, one of Mandela's grandsons, thanked the many people around the world who have sent messages of support for his grandfather during his illness.

"For us, as family, as long as he can still hear and understand what is said to him, and talk to us, we'll continue to celebrate him," The Star, a South African newspaper, quoted Ndaba Mandela as saying Thursday. He spoke at a media briefing about a football invitational in South Africa that will be part of celebrations surrounding July 18, Mandela's 95th birthday.

Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and became South Africa's first black president in all-race elections in 1994.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/safrica-former-president-says-mandela-improving-095940577.html

lottery ticket megga millions what is autism the giver march 30 rimm pauly d project