Microsoft to buy Skype for $8.5 billion -- CNN Money

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excerpt:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Microsoft has agreed to buy Internet phone service provider Skype for $8.5 billion in cash, the companies announced Tuesday.

The deal gives Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) access to the market for real-time video and voice communications. The software maker said it plans to use Skype to support such products as the Xbox gaming system and Windows Phone.

As the largest acquisition in its history, the deal marks a significant change in strategy for Microsoft, which has not bought another company since 2006.
"Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world," said Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

In 2010, Skype had 170 million connected users who logged over 207 billion minutes of voice and video conversations.

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Microsoft to buy Skype for $8:5 billion - CNN Money
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 10, 2011 - 11:07a

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TINA FEY BACK AS SARAH PALIN -- POLITICO

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“It’s just so great to be back on Fox News, a network that both pays me and shows me the questions ahead of time,” said Fey, as Palin, in a skit called “GOP 2012 Undeclared Candidates Debate," which also featured spoofs of Mitt Romney and Donald Trump. “And I just hope that tonight the lamestream media won’t twist my words by repeatin' them verbatim.”

“First, I want to acknowledge that this week we finally vanquished one of the world’s great villains, and I for one am thrilled to say good riddance to Katie Couric … I’m going to be running for president every four years for the rest of my life. It’s my Olympics and I intend to win a whole bunch of silvers.”

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TINA FEY BACK AS SARAH PALIN - POLITICO 
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 10, 2011 - 10:47a

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Ala Tornado: 132 Miles of Devastation: EF-5 tornado deadliest in United States in last 56 years - Huntsville Times

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NORTH ALABAMA - The deadliest tornado to sweep across this country in the last 56 years began in Marion County, a few miles from the Mississippi line, where the highway signs now bend toward the ground along U.S. 78 west of Hamilton.

Trees blew over. Hamilton lost power. Yet for 10 miles, the massive storm largely churned above the wilderness, growing in ferocity, sucking moist afternoon air high into rotating clouds. Soon the system would spawn a tornado measuring more than a mile across.

The National Weather Service also reports evidence of satellite vortices, essentially twisters within twisters. Mesocyclone winds swirled along the outside edges, gusting toward the center.

This natural fury first encountered civilization at Hackleburg. A quiet town of 1,600 in the northeast corner of Marion County, the still-standing water tower boasts of a high school baseball championship in 2007. The chief employer had been the distribution center for Wrangler jeans.

Six days after the storm, Tommy Quinn picked through his few recognizable belongings. He held a picture his older brother had painted years ago and a clamp for his piano.
"I was thinking nothing is going to happen," said Quinn, 21, standing near what had been his childhood home. Listening to the weather report on TV, his sister-in-law chose to pack suitcases with diapers and photo albums and urge the family to the storm shelter.

On the Enhanced Fujita scale, a tornado ranks at the highest level of EF-5 when wind speeds top 200 mph. At that strength, brick homes are swept away. Concrete walls give way. Steel girders bend.

About a dozen separate tornadoes claimed more than 230 lives in Alabama on April 27. The storm that the National Weather Service now calls the Hackleburg Tornado, the one that traveled 132 miles and passed north of Huntsville, was the only one rated EF-5.

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Ala Tornado: 132 Miles Of Devastation, Deadliest In U.S. In Last 56 Years - Huntsville Times
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 10, 2011 - 10:34a

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Army Corps Battles Rising Mississippi From Memphis To New Orleans - CNN

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excerpts ..
Waging war against flooding of historic proportions that has already affected thousands of people in eight Midwestern and Southern states, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened a spillway Monday north of New Orleans in an effort to calm the rising Mississippi River.
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Upstream in Memphis, Tennessee, residents and authorities had prepared all they could Monday as they anxiously waited for the Mississippi to crest Tuesday morning at a near-record 14 feet above flood stage.

Gallery: Floods swamp Midwest and South

Reporter waist deep in Mississippi River

Towns wrecked by floods

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"It's sort of torturous, we've been waiting so long. It's hard keeping peoples' attention. It's warning fatigue, if you will," Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. said. "But we're ready for it."


The river is the highest it's been at Memphis since 1937, when it crested at 48.7 feet -- 14.7 feet above flood stage. That flood killed 500 people and inundated 20 million acres of land, said Col. Vernie Reichling, the Corps' Memphis District commander.

The river Monday covered the lowest parts of the city's historic Beale Street and had forced about 400 people from their homes, Wharton said. Another 1,300 remained in low-lying areas, he said.

While Corps' officials said it appeared levees protecting the area were holding up well, with only minor amounts of water seeping in from beneath or lapping over from above, local officials were taking no chances.

"It's a very powerful river. It looks like it's running very slowly, but it has a very strong current," said Bob Nations, director of preparedness in Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes Memphis. "We still don't know (exactly what) the river might do."

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Arny Corps Battles Rising Mississippi From Memphis To New Orleans - CNN

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The Meck Report / Blog - May 9, 2011 - 3:14p

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Obama: Bin Laden raid was 'a 55/45 situation' - CNN

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excerpt ..

Washington (CNN) -- Sending U.S. troops on a dangerous mission to get Osama bin Laden was worth the risks, even though it was not certain the al Qaeda leader was in the Pakistani compound, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a "60 Minutes" interview Sunday on CBS.

"This was still a 55/45 situation," Obama told CBS. "I mean, we could not say definitively that bin Laden was there. Had he not been there, then there would have been some significant consequences."

"Obviously, we're going into the sovereign territory of another country and landing helicopters and conducting a military operation," he said. "And so, if it turns out that it's a wealthy, you know, prince from Dubai who's in this compound and, you know, we've sent special forces in, we've got problems."

It's been a whirlwind week since bin Laden's death

But the president says he did not lose sleep over "the possibility of taking bin Laden out."

"Justice was done," Obama said. "And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined."

The president's biggest worry was that "Murphy's Law applies and something happens," he said. "Can we still get our guys out?"
One of the helicopters crashed early in the raid, but Obama said there was "a backup plan."
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Obama and his closest advisers gathered in the White House Situation Room to monitor the mission in real time, he said.

"And it was the longest 40 minutes of my life, with the possible exception of when Sasha got meningitis when she was three months old, and I was waiting for the doctor to tell me that she was all right," he said. "It was a very tense situation."
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Obama: Bin Laden raid Was 'a 55/45 situation' - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 9, 2011 - 2:43p

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Serenading Huckabee -- Politico / Ben Smith

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Oh my goodness .. 
Check this video/band out.

Gov. Huckabee has his own TV Show .. Radio Show.
And now a band has a song for him -- Huck A Bee.

Serenading Huckabee -- Politico / Ben Smith
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 8, 2011 - 1:59p

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Seve Always The Fighter ... In Golf And Life -- Robert Lusetich

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excerpts ..
Of very few men could it be said that they changed the face of a sport.
In golf, none left their mark quite like Severiano Ballesteros.

The suave, dashing swashbuckler from Pedrena, a small fishing village on Spain's windswept northern coast, was "special," as his brothers warned us before he exploded onto the scene, still a teen, with a second-place finish at the 1976 British Open.
"He was the greatest show on earth," said his contemporary, Nick Faldo.

And in that, Faldo has never been more right, because although other champions may have won more often, when Seve was Seve, and at the top of his game, there was no taking your eyes off him.

"On a golf course he had everything," Lee Trevino once said, "I mean everything; touch, power, know-how, courage and charisma."
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Ballesteros routinely pulled off audacious shots others wouldn't even dream of attempting, and while the bravado that fuels such aggression was very much in his nature, some of it's explained, too, by the fact that he came from a country not steeped in golf tradition, so he wasn't bound by conventions and dogma.

He wasn't restricted to the "right" way of doing things.

He'd learned to play as a boy on the sand with a rusted 3-iron.
He had, in essence, invented his own way to play, guided by an artist's eye and an indefatigable determination to succeed.
"The aspect of his personality that shone through more than anything for me was his self-belief," said his European Ryder Cup teammate, Sam Torrance. "Seve was convinced he could do anything if he set his mind to it."

It wasn't coincidental that when Seve's self-taught game began to desert him in his mid-30s and, in desperation, he reached out to noted golf instructors for conventional teaching, that his deterioration only worsened.

The truth is that he could only do it his way or he couldn't do it at all.

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Seve Always The Fighter ... In Golf And Life -- Robert Lusetich
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 8, 2011 - 1:45p

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GOLF GREAT SEVE BALLESTEROS DIES

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Spanish golf legend Severiano Ballesteros, who underwent surgery for a brain tumor three years ago, died early Saturday at his home in northern Spain.
Ballesteros was regarded as one of golf's all-time greats. He was 54.

"Today [Saturday], at 2:10am Spanish time, Seve Ballesteros passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his home in Pedrena," a statement on his official website said.

"The Ballesteros family is very grateful for all the support and gestures of love that have been received since Seve was diagnosed with a brain tumor on 5th October 2008 at Madrid Hospital la Paz.
"At this time the family asks for respect and privacy at such a painful time."
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A statement on the website Friday said Ballesteros had suffered a "severe deterioration" in his condition.
Ballesteros — who won five majors, including the Masters twice, during his 30-year professional career — underwent surgery for a brain tumor, followed by a course of chemotherapy, three years ago.

He had four operations to remove the tumor following a collapse at a Madrid airport in October 2008.
He underwent an initial 12-hour operation, but further surgery was necessary before he was well enough to return home and begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.

Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros was born in Pedrena on April 9, 1957. He turned pro at age 16 in 1974 and finished second at the British Open at age 19 in 1976.

He would go on to win the British Open three times in his career (1979, '84, '88) and don the green jacket twice (1980 and '83) at Augusta National.

The former world No. 1 holds the record for European Tour victories with 50.

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GOLF GREAT SEVE BALLESTEROS DIES
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 7, 2011 - 1:55a

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Obama Meets With Navy SEAL Team 6, The Unit Who Raided Bin Laden - CNN

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While at Fort Campbell, the president, along with Vice President Joe Biden, privately met with members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that conducted the raid.
Obama and Biden thanked the commandos and were briefed on the operation by the unit members who conducted it, according to a White House official.

Obama awarded Presidential Unit Citations to the units involved in the mission, the official said. The citation is the highest such honor that can be given to a military unit.
"They practiced tirelessly for this mission, and when I gave the order they were ready," the president told the troops. "They're America's quiet professionals."

It was a "job well done," he said.
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Obama Meets With Navy SEAL Team 6, The Unit Who Raided Bin Laden - CNN 
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 6, 2011 - 6:55p

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Family: Ballesteros' Health Failing -- Fox Sports

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excerpt ..

Golf great Seve Ballesteros has suffered ''severe deterioration'' in his recovery from a cancerous brain tumor and is being cared for at home.
The 54-year-old Spanish star was resting at his home in the northern Spanish town of Pedrena, where he has mostly been since undergoing four operations in late 2008, his family said Friday.

''The family will inform accordingly about any change in his health condition and takes this opportunity of thanking everyone for the support that both Seve and his own family have been receiving during all this time,'' a statement on the golfer's website said.
It said his ''neurological condition has suffered a severe deterioration.''

Ballesteros won three British Opens and two Masters with a game marked by spectacular improvisational play. One of the best-known personalities in Spain and the golfing world, he also won 50 times on the European Tour and is widely credited with transforming European golf.

Spanish golfers Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez were visibly upset after finishing their second rounds at the Spanish Open in Terrassa and declined to speak to reporters.

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Family: Ballesteros' Health Failing -- Fox Sports
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 6, 2011 - 6:39p

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Obama Visits Ground Zero; Honors 9/11 Victims - CNN

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 excerpt ..
"I wanted to just come up here to thank you," Obama said in prepared remarks, after eating lunch with firefighters and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "This is a symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago."
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The president visited with members of Fire Engine 54, Battalion Nine, which lost 15 men after al Qaeda hijackers flew two commercial airliners into the World Trade Center's twin towers.

"Obviously we can't bring back your friends that were lost," he said. "I know that each and every one of you not only grieve for them, but have also over the last 10 years dealt with their family."
The men of Engine 54 left behind 28 children, collectively.
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The meetings with firefighters were private exchanges during which the president sought to mark an end to the near decade-long hunt for the Qaeda leader, officials say.

"It was a wonderful gesture, based on the news that we got of Osama bin Laden's death," New York Fire Chief Edward Kilduff told reporters.
"For him to come here to see the faces of those killed in 9/11," Kilduff said, referring to photographs that hung inside the firehouse of the men who died, "I think it really meant something to him."

Read more/Video
Obama Visits Ground Zero; Honors 9/11 Victims - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 5, 2011 - 4:05p

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Hudson's 1-Hit Shutout Gives Braves A Sweep Of Milwaukee - AJC

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excerpts ..
This time, Tim Hudson didn’t have to worry about not pitching in the ninth inning.
He pitched a one-hit masterpiece Wednesday night against Milwaukee in an 8-0 win that gave the Braves a doubleheader sweep of the Brewers and earned Hudson his first complete-game win since 2008. They won 8-3 in the opener.
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On Wednesday, he needed only 102 pitches to record 27 outs, allowing one hit and one walk with six strikeouts in his 24th complete game and 12th shutout. Rickie Weeks had a double in the fourth inning and a walk in the ninth, and no other Milwaukee batter reached base against Hudson (4-2).
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Tommy Hanson won his third consecutive start in the first game Wednesday, and McLouth had his hands on things all day and night from the eighth position in the order.
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Hanson (4-3) pitched six strong innings (two runs, three hits) in the opener and got plenty of offensive support from McLouth and Prado, who had three hits and three RBIs.

“Big win for us; I don’t even remember the last time we were over .500,” Hanson said after the Braves pushed their record above .500 since for the first time since April 5.
“April 5? See. I mean that was almost a month ago,” said Hanson, had seven strikeouts with two walks. “We need to just keep pushing and playing hard every game, and hopefully look up and we’ll be multiple games above .500.”

Hudson's 1-Hit Shutout Gives Braves A Sweep Of Milwaukee - AJC / David O'Brien
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 5, 2011 - 12:02a

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Obama: I Won't Release Bin Laden Death Photos - CBS

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In an interview with Steve Kroft for this Sunday's "60 Minutes" conducted today, President Obama said he won't release post-mortem images of Osama bin Laden taken to prove his death.

"It is important to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool," said the president.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Mr. Obama added. "The fact of the matter is, this is somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received."

The president said he had discussed the issue with his intelligence team, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and that they agree with the decision. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that Mr. Obama made the decision today.

President Obama interviewed on "60 Minutes," May 4, 2011.

(Credit: CBS)
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In explaining his choice not to release the photo, Mr. Obama said that "we don't need to spike the football." He said that "given the graphic nature of these photos it would create a national security risk."

Obama: I Won't Release Bin Laden Death Photos - CBS News

The Meck Report / Blog - May 4, 2011 - 11:23p

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Getting Osama Bin Laden: How The Mission Went Down - Politico

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excerpt ..
The helicopter carrying Navy SEALs malfunctioned as it approached Osama bin Laden’s compound at about 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, stalling as it hovered. The pilot set it down gently inside the walls, then couldn’t get it going again.
It was a heart-stopping moment for President Barack Obama, who had been monitoring the raid in the White House Situation Room, surrounded by members of his war cabinet.
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“Obviously, everyone was thinking about Black Hawk Down and Desert One,” a senior administration official recalled.

The SEALs disembarked.
“The assault team went ahead and raided the compound, even though they didn’t know if they would have a ride home,” an official said.
The special forces put bombs on the crippled chopper and blew it up, then lifted off in a reinforcement craft just before 4:15 p.m.

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Getting Osama Bin Laden: How The Mission Went Down - Politico / Mike Allen
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 4, 2011 - 10:58p

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