Health and Fitness ? Blog Archive ? Ways to ?strengthen? the Brain

Being smart was not a spontaneous thing that happened since. In addition there are several ways to genetic factors that are used to increase your intelligence. If you wish, you can follow the 10 steps recommended the following alternatives:

1. Sports Trust to increase the capacity of the brain for several years, but scientists have found new evidence that shows the connection with the exercise of physical and mental health. A study from the University of Cambridge states jog several times a week can stimulate the brain. Be some walking during the day, hundreds of thousands of new brain cells to grow which will have an effect on the formation of memories and memories. Thus increasing the ability to recall memories without any confusion on cognitive tasks and can memerlambat mental disorders in old age. New- Recently, the scientists also found that exercise can also release a protein named ?noggin?. Proteins that will act as an agent and cons of other proteins, such as bone morphogenetic proteins. Thus stimulating an increase in cell division of the brain, the brain remains active and nimble with age. Research also indicates the strengthening of the production of ?noggin? could prevent age-related brain such as Alzheimer?s.

2. Afternoon Sleep Scientists suspect that napping has a significant impact on the brain?s memory capacity. Recent research has found that sleeping for an hour in the afternoon to increase brain power and dramatically improve their ability to learn new facts and tasks. sleep after lunch also serve as a regenerative aid, which allows the brain to keep the memory stays while the information new entry. The researchers found that those who stay awake during the day tend to be more difficult to learn new tasks, so experts assume that the long-term impact of a nap is a degenerative mental disease.

3. Magnesium rich foods magnesium rich foods like spinach and broccoli are believed to enhance memory and brain power food. The latest study, published in the journal Neuron found, an increase in magnesium in the brain can help the learning process both young and elderly people.

4. Bask Scientists have found that sunburn can increase your intelligence and preventing dementia. Intake of vitamin D can be obtained from the sun, but vitamin D can also be found in oily fish oils. Which can improve the ability to keep the brain remains active in top condition as you age. Also, in the Journal of Neurology found that the association between increased intake of vitamin D resulted in a faster information processing, especially in men aged over 60 years.

5. Cut the grass The researchers said the chemicals were found when mowing the lawn can not only reduce stress and make people happier, but also can prevent mental decline in old age. Australian scientists claim that the smell of freshly cut grass directly work on the brain, especially in the area of emotion and memory. Even when this was released a perfume that smelled of cut grass that can be used for creating a sense of relaxation and stimulating individual brain around.

6. Sex and Chocolate Book by Simon Wootton and Terry Horne has claimed that eating dark chocolate increases sex, and follow the traditions of Scandinavia, who chose to have cold meat for breakfast can improve brain power. This book examines how diet, environment and stress affect mental capacity. They emphasized that the capacity of the brain is always considered in terms of genetic, although it is actually determined lifestyle. Also, the material of dark chocolate affects the process of sexual intercourse, while the energy gain of cold meat may stimulate the brain and prevent mental disorders as they age.

7 . Studied music since the young A study showed that young children who take music lessons show more advanced brain development and improved memory than those who did not take the music. Children who are trained ditemukkan music better on memory tests related to intelligence skills common such as literacy, verbal memory, mathematics, and IQ. The scientists who conducted this research indicates that music has the potential to improve intelligence in children from the age of four.

8. Talking to your baby Experts say that mothers who talk to babies can help their child?s brain is better developed. Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois found that words play an important role in brain development of children even before they start talking. study showed that increasing the ability to categorize words according to the representation of their images at early age can help children?s brain development .

9. Playing Tetris A study by American scientists found that the classic puzzles (Tetris game) may also have a positive impact on your brain power. results showed although the game is relatively simple compared to the sophisticated computer game today, regular exercise can improve the intellect. After playing for half an hour each day over a period of three months, suffered a brain ?structural changes? in areas associated with movement, critical thinking, reasoning, language and processing.

10. ?Thinking Cap? Currently, scientists have developed a product called ?Thinking Cap? which is expected this device can enhance the brain?s ability to learn. Researchers from the University of British Colombia, Vancouver, began this project after discovering that the brain?s ability to learn tasks The new improved significantly when a magnetic vibration directed into the premotor cortex, a brain area just behind the forehead. This technique can be used not only to enhance the intellectual capabilities, but also to help those with learning difficulties.

Related posts:

1. Three easy ways to help you look and feel glamorous
2. Top 7 Ways Claimed By Experts to Slow Down Aging Effects
3. Healthy Food Brings Better Grades and Body
4. Healthy Food for Children

Source: http://www.aim2010.info/2012/02/ways-to-strengthen-the-brain/

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Mexico: Gang tried twice to rescue Gadhafi son

MEXICO CITY?? Prosecutors said Wednesday they broke up not one, but two Indiana Jones-style plots to "extract" a son of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi from Libya and bring him to Mexico as his father's regime crumbled.

The attempt to sneak out al-Saadi Gadhafi involved piles of stolen passports, white-knuckle flights with pilots who refused to land in war-torn Libya and luxury homes bought under false names in Mexico, Assistant Attorney General Jose Cuitlahuac Salinas said.

He said it was led by a Canadian woman, a Danish man and two Mexican suspects who were charged this week with attempted immigrant trafficking, falsifying documents and organized crime.

Under the foiled plans, the dictator's son would have entered the country under the names Daniel Bejar Hanan, Amira Sayed Nade, Moah Bejar Sayed and Sofia Bejar Sayed, according to Mexican newspaper El Universal. (Link in Spanish)

Salinas said the group hired pilots to fly from Mexico to Kosovo, from there to the Tunisian capital of Tunis and on to Libya in July, but that attempt failed to extract the dictator's son.

Moammar Gadhafi through the years (on this page)

"They weren't able to do it out because the pilots refused to carry out a secret landing," Salinas said.

The ring then allegedly made arrangements for a second attempt, hiring pilots and a plane. But Mexican authorities were tipped off to the scheme by a series of anonymous e-mails and arrested the four suspects in November, before the second flight could take off.

The suspects were detained in November and held under form of house arrest until last week, when they were formally charged. Because they have not been ordered held over for trial, they have not entered pleas, nor do they have lawyers of record.

Authorities have said that Canadian Cynthia Vanier was the alleged ringleader of the plan, and the Danish man, identified as Pierre Christian Flensborg, was "the logistic liaison."?

Salinas said the story began in 2009, when 4,586 blank Mexican passport forms were stolen in Mexico City.

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Apparently, the ring got hold of some of those blank passports. It had also discussed what false names to use for al-Saadi and his family, he said.

Gadhafi's son finds refuge in luxury villa

He said Vanier had a false Mexican passport and birth certificate in her own name when she was detained in November; the documents were apparently used to open bank accounts.

Vanier, 52, has been identified in Canadian news media as a former mediator for Indian tribes from Mount Forest, Ontario.

The suspects also reportedly arranged to acquire properties where al-Saadi Gadhafi and his relatives were to have lived under false identities once they arrived in Mexico.

Those properties included a $1.25 million dollar apartment at the St. Regis, a hotel and residential tower on Mexico City's leafy Reforma boulevard. The hotel's website describes its 24-hour room service and butlers, and says "St. Regis Residences offer a unique opportunity to expand your incomparable lifestyle."

Video: Seif al-Islam Gadhafi captured in Libya (on this page)

They had allegedly made arrangements to buy that apartment but the deal had not yet gone through, prosecutors said.

The conspirators had also allegedly made a $57,000 down payment on a home at a coastal development near the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta.

The beachfront house, whose total cost was not clear, sports an ornate double car port, a swimming pool and direct beach access, according to photos of the property at the address listed by prosecutors.

Vallarta & Beyond, a real estate company that once represented the sellers, said the house had been for sale at a a price of around $600,000.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that a fifth suspect, who they would not identify, was still at large.

'Humanitarian rights'
In December, Gary Peters, the director of the Canada-based Can/Aust Security & Investigations International Inc., told The Associated Press that he had worked as al-Saadi's North America security chief in Canada, and that Vanier had been involved in efforts to get him into Mexico.

Peters said Vanier's role was to get travel documents for Gadhafi's son, but he said the arrangements were legitimate, as far as he knew.

"It wasn't smuggling," he said. The plan, Peters said, "was to help him get there on humanitarian rights."

"I don't know where these documents were coming from; that was all Cindy's area. I was just doing security," Peters said.

Gadhafi fighters seize control of Libyan town

"As far as I knew, the contacts that she was talking to, they weren't going to be false, they were going to be legitimate documents." But he added he didn't know whether al-Saadi's name would appear on the passports. "I don't know whose name, I don't know, that wasn't my area."

Prosecutors described the anonymously emailed tip in a slide presentation along an image of the Guy Fawkes mask.

The image of Fawkes, a 17th century English revolutionary, has become a symbol of the Internet network "Anonymous," which has claimed credit for internet hacking around the world. They did not explain that connection.

A Twitter account linked to the Anonymous IberoAmerica website, which has carried comments from the movement in Mexico in the past, did not immediately respond to queries about whether the Anonymous movement was responsible for blowing the whistle on the plot.

In December, a lawyer for al-Saadi Gadhafi denied that his client plotted to sneak illegally into Mexico.

Al-Saadi Gadhafi, who is known for his love of professional soccer, playboy lifestyle and run-ins with police in Europe, never made it to Mexico, but did reach the Western African country of Niger, where he has been living.

The elder Gadhafi ruled Libya with an eccentric brutality for nearly 42 years before he was ousted by an uprising in August.

He was captured and killed in October, along with his son Muatassim. Killed earlier in the civil war were younger brothers Seif al-Arab and Khamis. Another son, Seif al-Islam, was captured in Libya in November. Their mother, Safiya, and sister Aisha fled to neighboring Algeria.

Msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46233170/ns/world_news-americas/

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Jsis Article Directory ? The best used cars selection process

If you are planning to purchase a car, there is a major decision that you will have to make. The first factor that you will have to believe of is whether you want to buy a new one or used cars. There are advantages and disadvantages of each of these. The first thing that you will have to remember is that the new automobile will be a good buy, but the cost will be very high. So, you will have to determine whether or not the new automobile is possible for you to purchase. As soon as you have decided on purchasing used cars, the first thing that you will have to do is to check which brand you will like to purchase. The brand is one of the most important issues simply because if you do not like a particular brand, then you ought to not purchase it.

There are some important techniques in which you will be able to select the best used cars. The first thing that you will have to do is to sit and strategy on the brand of car that you want to buy. There are many different brands that are accessible and the one that is the greatest for you will be the one that you like. So, as soon as you have planned on the used cars that are best for you, the next step in the process is to sit and decide on the numerous choices that you have.

The used cars are accessible on the internet and also in the used cars showrooms. There are also new car showrooms where you will be in a position to purchase used cars. This is because of the reality that you will be in a position to exchange the old cars for the new ones from the new automobile showrooms. This is the reason for the new car showrooms to have the used cars for sale too. So, once you have decided on the place where you are planning to buy the car, you will have to begin the choice process.

The used cars choice is not an easy process. You will have to make certain that you use the services of a mechanic. This is the person who will know all about the car. He will know whether or not the used cars are worth the money that you are planning to pay for it. So, this kind of planned selection of the used cars is something that is extremely essential for you to do. If you are not planned in the process of choosing the car, then you will finish up with a dud that is not helpful for you at all.

There are a lot of individuals who like to buy used cars rather than new one at http://www.cars4sa.co.za/usedcarsforsale.php. There are numerous factors that individuals may have for this type of decision.

Source: http://jsisweb1.com/automotive/car-detailing-customization/the-best-used-cars-selection-process.html

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Cornelius' legacy lives on in Chicago (AP)

CHICAGO ? When this proud city welcomed back hometown hero Don Cornelius last year, it wasn't just Chicago-style ? it was "Soul Train" style, complete with Afro wigs, bell bottoms and hip-shaking in the streets.

The 40th anniversary celebrations for "Soul Train" traced a remarkable journey for a former Chicago police officer who got his start in broadcasting when he pulled over a radio executive in a traffic stop and then had to build up his pioneering show one step at a time.

Cornelius, who became an icon defining black culture in America for decades, died at his California home Wednesday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 75.

While the South Side native and his show left Chicago decades ago for Los Angeles, his legacy has lived on here ? in the "Don Cornelius Way" street sign west of downtown, in the teens and performers who boogied onstage during the early days of "Soul Train" and in the audiences who were glued to their televisions every Saturday to see the newest dance moves and styles.

To television viewers ? especially those in Chicago ? Cornelius was the epitome of cool. An impeccably dressed cat whose voice was as smooth as his demeanor and who rubbed elbows with the biggest stars in music and the most promising up-and-comers.

Which is why Chicago Ald. Walter Burnett says it was so much fun to see Cornelius let his guard down last year when the city gave him an honorary street sign.

"Don was just in rare form," said Burnett, whose ward the sign is in. "He just wanted to talk and talk and talk. ... He broke down because he was with his friends."

The sign is outside the studios of WCIU-TV, where "Soul Train" got its start in 1970. It began as a local program and aired nationally from 1971 to 2006.

Cornelius came back to town last year for the sign's unveiling and for a 40th anniversary celebration of the show. An anniversary concert featured acts such as soul singer Jerry "Iceman" Butler, the Impressions and the Chi-Lites.

Butler recalled that Cornelius seemed particularly pleased to be back home in Chicago.

"In his introduction, he talked about how much Chicago meant to him and even though he was transplanted now to California, that this would still be home and the home of `Soul Train,'" said Butler, now a Cook County Commissioner.

At the sign unveiling, Chicago was just as happy to see Cornelius, Burnett said.

"That was a wonderful day, it took people back, man, to the `Soul Train' days," he said. "I came in my leather jacket, people came with their Afro wigs on and their bell bottoms, people were dancing in the crowd. It was packed. ... It was a beautiful thing."

Cornelius got his start in broadcasting while working as a Chicago police officer. He pulled over Roy Wood, then news director of black radio station WVON-AM, who "was amazed at this police officer's voice," said Melody Spann Cooper, current president of WVON. Wood offered Cornelius a job in the newsroom, and he said yes.

Cooper said that while Cornelius was from Chicago, his influence was national.

"He was the original social network," she said. "Before we had internet or Facebook, we all gathered around that television every Saturday to see what people were listening to, what we were dancing to.

"Don Cornelius helped shape black culture at a time coming out of the Civil Rights era, when America had not been exposed to the social side of who we were," she said.

But "Soul Train" didn't start out big, and Butler recalled getting a call to come over and perform on the show on the day it was to make its inaugural syndicated broadcast.

"I think Gladys Knight and the Pips were originally scheduled to come and do it and they got jammed up and couldn't come and I was the stand-in, so I went and did it," he said.

Though he appreciated being called, Butler suggested that it was Cornelius who was the more grateful one.

"Well, you know, this is going to sound arrogant but at the time I did `Soul Train' I meant more to the show than he meant to me. He was dealing with a South Side perspective and I was dealing with a nationwide perspective."

But, he said, Cornelius' career took off as the significance of the show grew and grew.

"Over time, he became the show to be on if you wanted to be anybody in this business," said Butler.

Butler, who played with the likes of Otis Redding and was once a member of the Impressions, along with Curtis Mayfield, sang for Cornelius at the 40th anniversary show. Along with two original Impressions and the singer who replaced the late Mayfield, Butler performed his 1969 hit "Only The Strong Survive."

Butler recalled Cornelius walking a little slower, but otherwise seeming to be in good health and in good spirits.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120202/ap_on_en_mu/us_obit_cornelius_chicago

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Effective vs Ineffective Communication and Why | Relationship ...

Abandonment and Inundation

Everyone has ?baggage? which they bring to their relationships from their childhood in their family of origin.

In fact, that is the place where we learn what relationships are and we develop patterns which we repeat in our adult relationships.

Everyone has some degree of dysfunctional relationship patterns? from the past, from mild to severe.

Some patterns are more obvious (physical or verbal abuse), some are more subtle (non verbal behavior conveys a message).

These patterns range from abandonment on one end to inundation on the other end and every combination of both in between.

A person with high abandonment issues (type A) will want more closeness than the person with higher inundation issues (type I).

The person who has inundation fears will experience the person with abandonment anxiety as ?needy? or ?clingy?, and distance themselves, thereby creating or triggering the exact repetition of the pattern.

The type A person will try even harder to get the closeness, and they are off and running. And of course the opposite is also true.

Type A will experience type I as the castle with the moat where the drawbridge is closed.

They will keep trying to cross the moat, but they will only get the person to come out of the castle, by quietly waiting, instead of further inundating them.

Each person is only trying to get their unmet needs from childhood met in the relationship. Instead they end up repeating them.

In any case, it is too much (perhaps even impossible) to expect a partner or spouse to fill your wounds from childhood, but people unconsciously choose a partner to do just that!

And it becomes attack-defend, ad?infinitum.

In a healthy relationship, knowing the other person?s developmental injuries, a person, will be consciously willing not to behave in ways that will trigger them.

To do this, a person must be healthy enough to give up his/her defensive reactions.

Here are a few examples.

Ineffective Communication

She said: ?You never listen to me?!

He said: ? I can?t stand the way that you are yelling at me?!

She said: ?I?m yelling because I am angry that I have had to say the same thing to you over and over?!

He said: ?I don?t listen because you are a nag?!

Beginning The Dialogue

Most people wait and ?put up? with the other person?s behavior until they are frustrated and angry, either avoiding confrontation or not wanting to hurt the other person.

This doesn?t work because the tone of voice (if not the volume) will reveal the resentment and anger and will be met defensively.

Both people need to learn to be courageous enough to take a risk and bring up a hurt feeling or a problematical situation for discussion before that situation has escalated into a volatile one.

Example: ?Can we set up a time to sit down and have a talk about something that?s been on my mind??

That might be interpreted by the receiver as the dreaded ?we have to talk? communication. Even so, try to convey, that you have positive intentions and are looking for a solution.

Then ask for a time for this to happen, so the other person is not put on the spot and has time to accommodate to the request.

?You Language? vs ?I Language?

Do not start a sentence with ?you?. The other person will feel criticized and become defensive. From there the ?discussion? will be series of attacks and defenses, going nowhere and escalating into a battle.

Starting a sentence with ?I? is expressing a feeling or opinion without blaming the other person (although they may feel blamed anyway). It takes practice to learn to speak ?I? language effectively.

Example: ?I feel hurt and angry when you don?t pay attention to what I am trying to tell you?.

Problem-when you say ? I feel (fill in the blank? when you (fill in the blank)-it is still ?you language? in disguise.

Better example: ?I want to share with you the way I am feeling right now?-Notice this is entirely about the speaker, just asking to be heard.

Active Listening, Being Heard and Mirroring

Once the dialogue has been initiated, the listener should be satisfied to just listen and not react from a personal place. The listener SHOULD begin their response with ?you? instead of ?I?.

Empathy and active listening is the first part of an effective communicating style. Empathy does not imply taking care of, feeling sorry for, agreeing with or apologizing to the other person.

It DOES imply hearing and UNDERSTANDING the emotional MEANING of what the speaker is saying.

It is not PARROTING, repeating or saying ?I hear you?.

Example:

Ineffective

She said: ?You didn?t return my calls?

He said: ?I was too busy at work. You should know that?.

She said: ?But I worry when you don?t call back?

He said: ?There you go again, I can never satisfy you?

Effective

She said: ?Honey, I?d like to talk to you, are you available now??

He said: ?Sure, what?s up? You look upset?

She said: ?I am upset. I felt really hurt when you didn?t return my calls today?

He said: ? I can understand that, you get concerned when I don?t call you back. Would it help if I can?t talk that I send you a text message letting you know I will call you back??

She said: ?Oh yes, that would be wonderful. Thanks Honey?

OR

He said: ?Not now, but I can spend some time later this evening?

She said ?Great, when can we do that??

He said: ? How about in an hour??

In the first case, she feels that her feelings are being received and? that he cares about her feeling, enough to listen. He doesn?t feel blamed or criticized or react defensively. He seems interested and receptive.

In the second case, if he can?t listen at that moment, he reassures her that he will make time to hear her later. That way, she does not feel dismissed or abandoned by him.

About the author

Dr. Marjorie Rand has?been a psychotherapist for 30 years, licensed in three states: California, Colorado and New Mexico, and have trained psychotherapists world-wide since 1986. Her training Institutes are located in Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Israel, South America and five in the United States.?

In addition to her practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist,?she is also a?somatic psychotherapist,?meditation teacher, supportive?yoga therapy teacher?and pre- and peri-natal psychologist.

To know more about Dr. Marjorie Rand, visit her website,?http://www.drrandbodymindtherapy.com/

Related posts:

1. Differences Between Good Communication And Bad Communication

Tagged as: Dr. Marjorie Rand, Effective vs Ineffective Communication, www.drrandbodymindtherapy.com/

Source: http://relationshipadvicecafe.com/effective-vs-ineffective-communicationeffective-vs-ineffective-communication/

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Syria troops push back rebels as UN showdown looms (AP)

BEIRUT ? Syrian troops crushed pockets of rebel soldiers Tuesday on the outskirts of Damascus and the U.N. Security Council took up a draft resolution demanding that President Bashar Assad halt the violence and yield power.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the Security Council that action to end the violence in Syria would be different from U.N. efforts to pacify Libya.

"I know that some members here may be concerned that the Security Council is headed toward another Libya," she said. "That is a false analogy."

"It is time for the international community to put aside our own differences and send a clear message of support to the people of Syria," Clinton said.

Russia, one of Assad's strongest backers, has signaled it would veto any U.N. action against Damascus, fearing it could open the door to eventual international military involvement, the way an Arab-backed U.N. resolution led to NATO airstrikes in Libya.

However, the Arab League emphasized that international military action was not being sought.

"We are attempting to avoid any foreign intervention, particularly military intervention" in Syria, Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said. "We have always stressed full respect of the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian people."

Russia has stood by Assad as he tries to crush an uprising that began nearly 11 months ago. In October, Moscow vetoed the first Security Council attempt to condemn Syria's crackdown and has shown little sign of budging in its opposition.

Moscow's stance is motivated in part by its strategic and defense ties, including weapons sales, with Syria. Russia also rejects what it sees as a a world order dominated by the U.S.

The diplomatic showdown came as Syrian government forces took back control of the eastern suburbs of the capital, Damascus, after rebel soldiers briefly captured the area in a startling advance last week.

The fact that rebels made it to the doorstep of Damascus, the seat of Assad's power, was a dangerous development for the regime. The military launched a swift offensive Monday and on Tuesday crushed the remaining resistance in Zamalka and Arbeen.

But the suburbs were not entirely quiet. On a government-sponsored media trip, Syrian journalists heard at least seven explosions Tuesday from the eastern suburb of Rankous. It was not clear what caused the blasts.

Violence also was reported in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs in central Syria, a hotbed of opposition to the regime. Activist Mohammed Saleh said he heard hours of shelling and machine-gun fire, and thick black smoke was rising in the distance.

The smoke was believed to be from a pipeline that was struck, but details were not clear. Activists said regime forces' fire hit the pipeline, but that could not be confirmed.

The U.N. estimated several weeks ago that more than 5,400 people have been killed in the Syrian government crackdown, but has not been able to update the figure. The death toll from Monday's offensive was around 100 people, making it among the bloodiest days since the uprising began in March, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group.

Activists said Tuesday's death toll was at least seven, although the LCC put the figure at up to 28. Syria prevents independent reporting, making it difficult to confirm events on the ground.

The bloodshed in Syria has increased in recent days as Western and Arab countries stepped up pressure on Russia over Security Council action.

The draft resolution demands that Assad halt the crackdown and implement an Arab League peace plan that calls for him to hand over power to his vice president and allow creation of a unity government to clear the way for elections.

If Assad fails to comply within 15 days, the council would consider "further measures," a reference to a possible move to impose economic or other sanctions.

Earlier Tuesday, a French official said the draft U.N. resolution had a "comfortable majority" of support from 10 of the Security Council's 15 members, meaning Russia or China would have to use their veto power to stop it.

Russia has agreed to negotiate on the draft, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with department rules.

The Syrian uprising, which began with mostly peaceful protests, has become increasingly violent in recent months as army defectors clash with government forces and some protesters take up arms to protect themselves.

The violence has inflamed the sectarian divide in the country, where members of Assad's Alawite sect dominate the regime despite a Sunni Muslim majority.

Assad's regime has warned that the turmoil will throw Syria into chaos, religious extremism and sectarian divisions, a message that resonates among Alawites and minority Christians who fear reprisals from the Sunni majority.

On Tuesday, Syrian reporters were taken north of Damascus to see the Sednaya Convent, believed to have been build in A.D. 547. The site was damaged by artillery fire Sunday, in an attack the government blamed on "armed terrorists." No casualties were reported.

"Providence has salvaged this holy site," said Sister Verona, the head of the Sednaya Convent.

Also Tuesday, army defectors gained full control of the central town of Rastan after days of intense clashes, according to a town activist who identified himself as Hassan. He refused to give his full name, fearing reprisal.

The town was taken by defectors twice in the past only to be retaken by Syrian troops. Rastan is the hometown of former Defense Minister Mustapha Tlass, who held the post for more than three decades, mostly under Assad's father and predecessor, the late Hafez Assad.

___

AP writers Anita Snow at the United Nations, Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

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"Two and a Half Men" repeat is tops but Fox wins the night (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? A repeat of CBS' "Two and a Half Men" drew the night's top ratings Monday, but Fox took an overall win with the combination of "House" and the new J.J. Abrams drama "Alcatraz," according to preliminary numbers.

Fox drew the night's highest average rating with a 2.8 rating/7 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, and was the most-watched network for the night with an average 8.4 million total viewers. "House" at 8 was the second-highest rated program of the night with a 2.8/8 and 8.6 million total viewers, while "Alcatraz" the following hour was down 10 percent from last week for a 2.7/7 and 8.3 million total viewers.

CBS was the night's second-highest rated network and scored the night's second-highest total viewership, despite running repeats throughout the night. A "Two and a Half Men" rerun at 9 drew the highest numbers in the demographic with a 3.0/7, and drew the night's highest individual viewership, with 10 million total viewers.

"The Bachelor," on ABC from 8 to 10, was down slightly from last week, taking a 2.6/7 and 8 million total viewers. A "Castle" repeat followed at 10.

NBC's night consisted of "Who's Still Standing" at 8, which was flat with last week for a 1.7/5 and 6.6 million total viewers, followed by a repeat of "Fear Factor" at 9 and "Rock Center With Brian Williams" at 10. Monday night's episode drew a 0.8/.2 and 3.2 million total viewers.

At the CW, the 100th episode of "Gossip Girl" at 8 gave the series a boost, yielding the second-best numbers of the season. "Gossip Girl" was up 17 percent with a 0.7/2 and grew 25 percent in total viewers, with 1.3 million. "Hart of Dixie" the following hour also enjoyed a boost, climbing 20 percent for a 0.6/1 and rising 21 percent in total viewers, with 1.4 million.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/tv_nm/us_tvratings

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