NY exhibits draft of Washington's Farewell Address

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A State Museum exhibit highlighting New York residents who became president is featuring the original draft of George Washington's Farewell Address, written in his own hand.

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The special three-day, Presidents Weekend exhibit at the downtown Albany museum opens Friday and runs through Sunday.

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The exhibit honors Washington, the nation's first president, as well as political leaders who lived in New York and rose to the presidency, including Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Chester A. Arthur, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt.

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Washington published his Farewell Address in September 1796 after serving two terms as president and declining the opportunity to run for a third. New York state's original draft of the document was saved from the fire that heavily damaged the state Capitol in 1911.

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(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Source: http://albany.wnyt.com/news/news/184110-ny-exhibits-draft-washingtons-farewell-address

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Is It a Party of Abstractions? (talking-points-memo)

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Clippers rout Lakers 125-101, clinch season series

Los Angeles Lakers forward Antawn Jamison, left, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler battle for a loose ball during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Antawn Jamison, left, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler battle for a loose ball during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Antawn Jamison (4) defends and guard Kobe Bryant (24) watches during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, left, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, left, yells at referee Bill Spooner during the first half of their NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Los Angeles Clippers have no banners on the walls or in the rafters at Staples Center. They would need decades to measure up to the Lakers' history.

And they don't care. The past is easy to overlook in Hollywood. The present belongs to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers, who are running Staples Center with style this season.

Paul had 24 points and 13 assists, Griffin scored 18 of his 22 points in a spectacular first quarter and the Clippers cemented their supremacy in Los Angeles with a 125-101 victory over the Lakers on Thursday night.

Chauncey Billups hit five 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the Clippers, who never trailed as they roared into the All-Star break by clinching the season series in their city rivalry for the first time in 20 years. The Clippers have won the Staples Center co-tenants' first three games of the season, with Los Angeles' longtime underdogs burying the 16-time champions in this latest meeting under a wave of 16 3-pointers.

"It's great. It's important to get these wins, but we're not really just concerned about just them," said Griffin, who outscored the Lakers by himself in the opening quarter. "I mean, it's good to be 3-0 against them, but we still have to play them another time, and we still have to play a lot of other teams. This isn't one of those seasons where it's going to come down to either us or them. There's a lot of other teams that are good in the West."

Caron Butler had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who lead Golden State by seven games atop the Pacific Division standings. The win was their fourth straight in an impressive five-night stretch heading into what could be a memorable All-Star game for Los Angeles' teams, which are contributing four of the West's five starters this weekend in Houston.

The Clippers hadn't won this series in a season since taking three of five from the Lakers in 1992-93 ? but on April 7, they'll go for the franchise's first season sweep of the Lakers since 1975. In a possible sign of how far the Lakers have fallen this season, Paul wouldn't even recognize the Clippers' city dominance without qualifying it.

"That's all good and well, but it's all about the postseason," Paul said. "This means nothing if we don't do things in the playoffs."

Kobe Bryant had 20 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, who head to the break in 10th place in the Western Conference, four games below .500 with little reason to suspect things will get a whole lot better ? particularly without Pau Gasol, who's likely out until April with the latest in their series of serious injuries.

"We've played well, won eight of 12, so it's not to be forgotten," said Steve Nash, who scored his 17,000th career point. "I wouldn't say we have an identity yet. I wouldn't say we've formed any kind of consistent understanding, so we've got work to do."

The Clippers scored the first 15 points despite their weariness. Dwight Howard had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who missed their first nine shots and never got closer than 13 points in the second half.

Bryant rebounded from his four-point performance Tuesday against Phoenix with a solid game, but the Lakers' defense couldn't keep up with the Clippers' perimeter shooters. Paul, Butler and Matt Barnes hit three 3-pointers apiece.

The Lakers' defense "was nonexistent," Bryant said.

"They made a lot of shots, and they really broke the game open by getting out in transition," he added. "It's a step back. We just have to regroup."

The Clippers appear to be cruising toward the first division title in the woebegone club's 43-year history, dominating the lackluster Pacific and establishing themselves as a legitimate threat to Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the West. They'll need only nine wins after the break to secure the best season in the club's Los Angeles history, and 11 victories for the best year in franchise history, surpassing the 49-win Buffalo Braves in 1974-75.

Just down the hall, the Lakers are mired in one of the most disappointing seasons in their history despite adding veteran stars Howard and Nash to their roster last summer.

"Enjoy the break, and let's get ready for a big push in the second half of the season," Bryant said to the Lakers' crowd before the game.

Instead, Griffin roared out of the gate for the Clippers, scoring their first 10 points and making nine of his 10 shots. The Lakers erased much of the Clippers' early 16-point lead with a second-quarter rally led by Antawn Jamison, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the period while the Lakers pulled within three points.

But Billups led an 11-0 spurt late in the period and hit three more 3-pointers early in the second half.

"Blake was amazing in that first quarter, and I was just excited to see (Billups) on this stage in this big game," Paul said.

NOTES: Most of the Lakers wore red versions of Bryant's signature shoes in honor of Valentine's Day. ... The Clippers lost Lamar Odom in the second quarter when the longtime Lakers big man got poked in the left eye. ... The Lakers' Jodie Meeks converted a four-point play late in the third quarter. ... Larry David, Ellen Pompeo and Ellie Goulding attended the game.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-15-BKN-Clippers-Lakers/id-d7e9fa4f288d44949bee0ceb4537a01a

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LeBron's top-flight play continues as streak ends

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? With a single meaningless miss, LeBron James' unprecedented run of high-scoring efficiency officially came to an end.

For King James, though, the greatness continues on.

James had 39 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Miami Heat trampled the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-100 in a Thursday night showcase. All that spoiled it was a late miss from 3-point range that snapped his NBA record run of games with at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting at six straight games.

"It didn't bother me during the game, if I was shooting 60 percent or not," James said. "I just go out and play my game, and that was the result of it. It didn't bother me and it didn't matter if I got it tonight or not. ... To win is what it's all about."

James was just over 60 percent before missing from a couple steps beyond the 3-point line as the shot clock ran down with just over a minute left and Miami up 10. That dropped him to 14 for 24 in the game, or 58 percent.

All that mattered to him, though, was that Miami's winning streak reached a season-best seven games ? and the Heat beat the Thunder for the sixth time in a row, dating to last year's NBA Finals.

Chris Bosh chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who won the last four games of last season's Finals after losing Game 1 in Oklahoma City and continued their dominance in the series after winning on their home court on Christmas Day.

"It's not from the Finals. It's not from anything," James said. "We just come in with a game plan."

Kevin Durant had 40 points and eight rebounds, but missed his first seven shots as Oklahoma City fell hopelessly behind. After the slow start, he wound up making half of his 24 shots ? going 8 for 10 in the fourth quarter to get Oklahoma City within 108-100 after trailing by as much as 23.

It wasn't enough to measure up against James, who beat him in last year's MVP race and then the Finals before the two won a gold medal together at the London Olympics.

"It's fun. I take on the challenge every time we're playing," Durant said. "He had a great game. He was making some tough shots, man ? one-leggers, fadeaways in corners, 3s. So, you've got to tip your hat to that.

"I just wanted to keep putting pressure on him. I missed a few and then I started to hit in the fourth. I just tried to will my team back in the game, but it didn't work."

Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists, with six turnovers, for the Thunder. He had 20 points in the first half to keep Oklahoma City from getting run out of its own gym.

James already had put his stamp on the game by then, with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Miami took a 63-46 lead. Even though Durant suggested earlier in the day that no one would win the league MVP based on one midseason game, James again showed off what has made him the best.

"It's a beautiful mentality that he has, to have a pro's mindset and not just become complacent with greatness," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "If you're the best player in the game and you've won multiple MVPs, the natural tendency would be to relax but he doesn't have that in his genes."

Now that he has his first championship, all that's left for James is to keep building on his legacy. But what more can he do?

"I guess he could shoot 80 percent from the field. He could get better than 60 and 70," said teammate Dwyane Wade, who had 13 points and eight assists before fouling out with 3:29 to play. "That's the only thing.

"He does everything on the floor. Everything for him is coming together."

If there was any doubt, the Heat showed the Thunder that the NBA championship still resides on South Beach, and they'll have to come through James if they want one of their own.

"He's going to break a lot of records, he's going to have all the numbers. It's just going to be how many championships he gets that people are going to talk about," Wade said. "That's a different kind of conversation."

Despite playing without injured starting forward Udonis Haslem (leg) and then losing two starters to foul trouble in the first 6 minutes, the Heat took control by scoring 11 straight points midway through the first period and went up 28-13 when Ray Allen made the free throw after Durant drew his 11th technical foul of the season.

Miami never trailed and led by as much as 79-56 when James put back a missed jumper by Bosh with 5:07 left in the third quarter. That matched the largest deficit of the season for the Thunder, who also were down 23 in a home loss against Brooklyn last month.

Oklahoma City fell to 23-4 at home and suffered back-to-back losses for only the second time all season ? with the Heat responsible for the second loss on both occasions. The defeat also dropped the Thunder (39-14) to even in the loss column with Miami (36-14) as the two potentially jockey for home-court advantage if there's a Finals rematch.

San Antonio (42-12) has the best record in the league and is the only team ahead of Miami and Oklahoma City.

Notes: Miami had two winning streaks of six games earlier in the season. ... The Heat had shot at least 55 percent in its previous two games and were trying to do it in a third straight game for the first time in franchise history. They ended up at 47 percent, going 41 for 88. ... Oklahoma City went 21 for 22 at the foul line in the first half to keep the margin from getting even worse Westbrook was 10 for 11 and Durant went 9 for 9.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebrons-top-flight-play-continues-streak-ends-082139095--spt.html

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Rangers' Buckel Hones His Craft At Baseball Ranch

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Source: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/organization-reports/texas-rangers/2013/2614716.html

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Fla. city banks on manatees after nuke plant retired

Carlos Barria / Reuters file

Manatees gather near the outlet where Florida Power & Light Company pipes warm the water at an inactive power plant undergoing renovation work in Riviera Beach, Fla., in January 2010.

By Saundra Amrhein, Reuters

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - The decision earlier this month to retire a nuclear plant near this small Florida city - potentially costing hundreds of jobs and lost revenue - has residents banking on the lure of the endangered manatee.

"We'll always have tourism, we'll always have manatees. That's a huge draw," said Michele Bunts, manager of Cracker's Bar, Grill & Tiki, as employees wiped down tables in preparation for the lunch crowd on the deck overlooking the sparkling blue waters of Kings Bay, the headwaters of Crystal River.?

As the nation's only place where people can legally swim with manatees, Crystal River draws tourists from around the world for a chance to snorkel with the sea cows, which can be 10 feet long and weigh between 800 and 1,200 lbs. Tourists also enjoy the chance to spot the creatures from a boat or land.?

Bunts expects that her restaurant, a popular watering hole in this central-west Florida city of about 4,000 people, could see a decline in customers in the wake of Duke Energy Corp's announcement last week that it will retire the plant. Like many of her fellow residents, she hopes that tourists flocking to see the manatees will make up the difference in lost revenue.?

Residents will have some time to absorb the impact as the process of decommissioning the nuclear plant takes decades, said Sterling Ivey, spokesman for Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke. "It's not like a factory where we lock the doors and everybody gets a pink slip," he said.?

The Crystal River nuclear plant had been in operation since 1977, helping serve Duke's 1.6 million Florida customers. It had already been shut down and offline since 2009 due to structural damage during upgrades to the unit's steam generators.?

About 600 people could lose their jobs once the plant is eventually retired, but there will be plenty of work for at least the next five to seven years, said Ivey. The plant would then transition into a "mothballed-type status" for another 20 to 25 years.?

The Kings Bay manatee refuge, located about 80 miles north of Tampa, lies about 8 miles south of the nuclear plant complex.?

The dozens of natural freshwater springs in the bay area are home to hundreds of manatees during winter months as the herbivorous marine mammals escape the chilly waters of the Gulf of Mexico for the 72-degree Fahrenheit warmth of the brackish sanctuary.?

Manatee mania
The manatee's importance to the town's tourist industry is on display in front of the tan-brick one-story City Hall - a star-studded replica of the mammal painted red, white and blue.?

The nuclear plant is on Duke property along with four coal-powered energy plants that are expected operate at least for the next few years.?

Duke said it was considering alternatives to replace the nuclear plant, including the construction of a new natural gas-fired plant.?

Duke is the largest employer and taxpayer in Citrus County, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Shutting the nuclear plant would lower the company's tax bill from $35 million to as little as $13 million, a loss that equals a quarter of the county's general fund, the paper reported.?

Residents worry that the closure could further depress the housing market in this rural county dotted by forest preserves, strip malls and manatee attractions.?

Store and restaurant owners were hoping to recoup lost business if Duke chose to decontaminate the plant, adding more workers. Instead, the company announced on Feb. 5 it planned to pursue another option, safely storing the plant for several decades to let nature help with the decay before cleaning out the rest of the radiation.?

Crystal River Mayor Jim Farley acknowledged that the county as a whole might take a hit should many employees be reassigned out-of-state and if property tax income drops if Duke does not replace the nuclear facility with a natural gas plant.?

But he predicted that ongoing plans for the springs will make the area a bigger ecotourism attraction than it already is.?

"It's not going to be a disaster," Farley said. "I think we're going to be able to cope. We'll lose some business because of it, probably. These are tough economic times as it is, but we have so much going for us."?

Long-term residents roll their eyes at the promises of city-sponsored development of ecotourism. Officials have been saying that for years, said Greg Dristiliaris, deli manager at a Shell gas station.?

Plant workers once packed the place in the mornings to buy lunch sandwiches and in late afternoons after work to buy food, beer, cigarettes or tobacco, he said. He used to have 30-40 pizzas on hand to sell each day, he said. Now he does not offer pizzas at all.?

Like the others, Dristiliaris said the most challenging part of the news is the uncertainty of what comes next. But as a long-time Floridian, he compared coping with tumultuous change to another familiar part of life in Florida - hurricanes.?

"You just got to roll with it," he said.?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16962212-florida-city-hopes-manatees-fill-economic-void-left-by-retired-nuclear-plant?lite

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EU experts plan horsemeat response

14 February 2013 Last updated at 23:12 ET

Food safety experts from across Europe are due to meet in Brussels to address the scandal over mislabelled horsemeat.

The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain will draw up plans for large-scale testing of beef products to check if they contain horse DNA.

On Thursday the French government suspended the licence of processing firm Spanghero, saying it had "knowingly" sold horsemeat as beef.

In the UK three people were arrested for suspected fraud in meat sales.

The widening scandal has affected at least 12 countries and raised questions about the complexity of the food industry's supply chains across Europe.

The previously little-known committee is suddenly the focus of attention, and the plans it comes up with could eventually have a huge impact on consumer confidence in the food being eaten in Europe, the BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels says.

The experts from all 27 EU countries will try to devise accurate random tests to determine the scale of the mislabelling of horsemeat.

They will also draw up plans for separate tests to assess the scale of contamination with phenylbutazone or "bute" - a veterinary medicine considered potentially harmful to humans.

Their proposals will still have to be approved by EU ministers.

Continue reading the main story

Meat scandal

• In mid-January, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by UK supermarket chains
• Subsequently, up to 100% horsemeat found in several ranges of prepared frozen food in Britain, France and Sweden
• Concerns that a drug used to treat horses, and which may be harmful to humans, could be in food chain
• Meat traced from France through Cyprus and The Netherlands to Romanian abattoirs
• Investigation suggests adulteration was not accidental but the work of a criminal conspiracy

'Conspiracy'

The scale of the crisis was underlined on Thursday in France, where ministers said they believed the sale of horsemeat labelled as beef went on for six months and involved about 750 tonnes of meat.

The French government accused meat processing firm Spanghero of knowingly mislabelling horsemeat as beef and suspended its licence pending further investigation.

The company has strongly denied the allegation, saying it only ever dealt in meat it believed to be beef.

Spanghero imported meat from Romania and sold it on to another company, Comigel, which made frozen ready meals at its factory in Luxembourg for further distribution.

Millions of processed meat products have been withdrawn from supermarket shelves across the EU.

The UK has asked the European investigative agency Europol to co-ordinate a continent-wide investigation into an alleged international conspiracy to pass horsemeat off as beef.

In the UK on Thursday, a fresh beef product was withdrawn from sale for the first time over fears that it contained horse DNA.

Also on Thursday, Britain's Food Standard Agency (FSA) said tests on eight horses that were killed in the UK had tested positive for bute, and meat from six of them may have entered the food chain in France.

But England's chief medical officer said the highest level detected posed "very little risk to human health".

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French food producer makes order

Comigel HQ in Metz, north-east France, asks its subsidiary, Tavola in Luxembourg, to make food products - including beef lasagne for Findus.

Factory orders meat

The Tavola factory orders the meat from Spanghero in the south of France.

Subcontractor used

Spanghero contacts a subcontractor in Cyprus to source the meat.

Subcontractor enlists trader

The Cypriot subcontractor in turn contacts a trader in the Netherlands.

Trader orders from Romania

The trader in the Netherlands places an order for meat with abattoirs in Romania.

Abattoirs send meat to France

The meat from the abattoirs travels to Spanghero in France. However, Romania rejects claims that it was responsible for wrongly describing the horsemeat from its abattoirs as beef. Horsemeat is always labelled as such, they say. The Romanian authorities claim records show orders had been for horse carcass - easily distinguishable from beef.

Meat used to make products

Spanghero sends the meat to the Comigel subsidiary?s factory in Luxembourg before the finished products are supplied to Findus and retailers across Europe, including the UK. The president of Comigel says the company was unaware the meat was coming from abroad.

Horsemeat found in Ireland and UK

Tests by Irish authorities have found equine DNA in beefburgers made by firms in the Irish Republic and the UK. Traces of horsemeat have also been found in stored meat at another plant in Ireland and one in Northern Ireland. In mainland Britain, police and officials probing alleged horsemeat mislabelling have carried out raids at a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth. Three men were later arrested on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act..

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21467989#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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