Ireland needs help, finance minister admits

(CNN) -- Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan will recommend that the country apply for international funding to stay afloat, he said Sunday, reversing days of Irish insistence that Dublin does not need help.

The aid package would involve "tens of billions" of euros, he told Irish state broadcaster RTE.

He made the comments shortly before the government meets to finalize a deficit-slashing budget.

Dublin had insisted for more than a week that it doesn't need money from abroad to stay afloat despite the crisis, but the European Union and International Monetary Fund began discussing a possible bailout days ago.

Fears that Ireland will be swamped by a crisis in its banking sector have put strain on the euro and markets, and other European countries have been pressing Dublin to apply for help.

The EU and IMF bailed Greece out to the tune of 110 billion euros (currently $150 billion) in May of this year. Lenihan seemed to be signalling that an Irish rescue package would be smaller.

A "correction" of 6 billion euros ($8.2 billion) will need to be made in the next budget, the government said Sunday as it announced the cabinet meeting.

The country is trying to cut its deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2014, the government says.

The new budget will be announced "in the next days," the government said.

The Irish government has pumped billions of euros into Irish banks to keep them afloat, effectively nationalizing most of them. The European Central Bank is lending money to Irish banks because other banks won't.

Officials from the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank were in Ireland on Thursday to examine the country's debt crisis -- a visit that could result in a substantial loan, the head of the Irish Central Bank said.

The bank's governor, Patrick Honohan, told state broadcaster RTE the negotiations with the IMF and European officials were not about a bailout, but would lead to a loan of tens of billions of euros to Ireland.

The money would go directly into Irish banks to shore up investor confidence, he added. The banks, many of which have been nationalized, are unable to loan to other banks.

One analyst said Ireland has no choice now but to accept outside money.

"In actual fact Ireland as a country, in financial markets, has no reputation now. We've got to rebuild it, and the reason you rebuild it -- or how you rebuild it -- is you rebuild your balance sheet," author and economist David McWilliams told CNN Thursday.

"The situation is, if there is no money, we can't pay. And there is no money. That's why the IMF are here. If we had money, they wouldn't be here."

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Blackburn 2 - 0 Aston Villa

Morten Gamst Pedersen scored twice as Blackburn defeated Aston Villa at Ewood Park in front of the club's new owners Venkateshwara and Balaji Rao.

Pedersen struck with a free-kick from a tight angle that Brad Friedel should have saved and later diverted a low strike from Ryan Nelsen into the net.

Paul Robinson made good stops from Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, who also headed against the crossbar.

Robert Pires made his debut for Villa as a second-half substitute.

But Rovers led 2-0 by that stage as Villa's five-match unbeaten run came to an end.

Sam Allardyce's Rovers had started the day in 16th but such is the congested nature of the table that their victory lifted them above their opponents and up to 11th.

Rovers rode their luck at times during what was in many ways a poor and forgettable game, but the home team undoubtedly made the most of their physical superiority, with both their goals coming from set pieces.

Villa often flattered to deceive - occasionally catching the eye with an attractive phase of play but without a cutting edge in the final third.

Having said that, the largely ineffective Stephen Ireland played a beautifully weighted ball in behind Gael Givet in the third minute to set Downing through on goal but the winger's low strike from a tight angle was saved by Robinson.

Ashley Young was later played in down the left and, after feinting one way then the other, created a yard of space before forcing an excellent one-handed stop with a fierce strike across goal.

Rovers wasted an early opportunity when Chris Samba skewed his strike horribly wide after the ball was rolled into his path from a free-kick. It set the tone for some terrible finishing from the home team as both Givet and David Hoilett contrived to shoot well wide from promising positions.

Givet had a particularly poor opening half and, in addition to being regularly caught out of position, he suffered the misfortune of being accidentally knocked to the floor by referee Michael Oliver and was substituted at the break.

Villa keeper Friedel seemed to spend a large chunk of the contest on the floor as one Blackburn player after another challenged him for aerial balls.

And the physical nature of the match might have been playing on Friedel's mind as he failed to save Pedersen's free-kick on the stroke of the interval.

It had been a sloppy and needless foul for Villa to concede as Stephen Warnock lunged in on El-Hadji Diouf, but Pedersen's strike was from an extremely wide angle and, even allowing for the swerve on the ball, Friedel should not have been beaten.

The goal was the last significant action of the half but Villa responded by upping the tempo after the restart and creating two quick-fire chances.

Ashley Young cut in from the left and forced a good save with a 20-yard strike that swerved through the air and, seconds later, headed a Downing cross against the woodwork.

Villa looked good value for an equaliser but Rovers continued to threaten and it took a precise last-ditch sliding tackle from Richard Dunne to take the sting out of a shot from Diouf.

And Villa were punished when they failed to clear a corner, with Pedersen showing good reactions to score his second.

Diouf should have scored a third with a far-post header but missed, while luckless Villa could only look on as a rebound fell to a Rovers player after Robinson palmed clear a shot from Downing.

Former Arsenal favourite Pires had little chance to impress after his 67th-minute introduction but another substitute, Chris Herd, forced a goal-line clearance from Michel Salgado.

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Impossible Skills

The Best Football Skills Are Here...
(Video)

Can You Try  Them!

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How to share files over a network in OS X

Sharing files between computers used to be something of a dark art, and this has perhaps permeated the collective consciousness of Mac users.

Seemingly few realise how simple it is to enable file sharing across networked Macs.

In fact, with each revision of Mac OS X, Apple has made it easier to share files over a network, and to access networked Macs if you have relevant clearance.

This walkthrough takes you through the process of sharing files with other Mac users, and also details settings that will enable Windows users to access your Mac (although those settings should only be active for as long as they need to be).

We also briefly mention how to share your photos and music using iPhoto and iTunes, rather than attempting to do the same using standard file sharing. When it comes to file sharing, it's worth noting that you should only share what you're comfortable for anyone on the network to access.

The Sharing System Preferences pane, iTunes and iPhoto all avoid defaulting to sharing all of your content, instead letting you decide what you want to share. However, do note that guest accounts cannot do anything destructive with your files.

For example, if someone uses a guest account to access a shared folder via Finder, they can view the folder and open files, but they cannot delete anything, nor can they edit files 'live'. Only when you provide someone with login details (a username and password) can they edit documents on the shared computer – so only give out those details when you're absolutely certain they won't be misused.

Finally, shared files can only be accessed when the host Mac is awake, so be mindful of network users when shutting your Mac down.

How to share files over a network in OS X:

01. Unlock sharing settings

 

n System Preferences, click the Sharing icon under Internet & Wireless. In the Sharing pane, click the lock icon. In the subsequent dialog box, type your admin password (and username, if relevant) and then click OK to continue and return to the pane.

02. Enable file sharing

Check File Sharing and you'll see the LED graphic next to File Sharing go green. Under Shared Folders, you can determine which folders are shared by default. Click + to add to the 'Public' folder(s). To removed a folder, select it and click the minus (–) button.

03. Access the files  

Other Macs on the network should show your shared machine's name (the one stated in the Computer Name field in the Sharing pane) in the Shared section of Finder sidebars. Select a machine to connect to it as a guest and browse the folders enabled in the previous step.

04. Connect as a user

If you own multiple Macs and need fuller access to one that's been set to share files, click Connect As… underneath the Finder window's search field. Type in your username and password for access to the same content you can usually access on the shared machine.

05. Share with Windows

If you need to share folders with Windows users, return to the Sharing pane and click Options. In the sheet, check Share files and folders using SMB. They should then be accessible via the Windows sidebar (My Network places in XP; Network in Windows 7).

06. Share photos

If you want to share photos, avoid file sharing and use iPhoto. Open the Sharing section of iPhoto's preferences and check Share my photos; either check Share entire library or select albums to share. Other users can access shared content via the sidebar's Shares section.

07. Share music

If you want to share your music, you could share /Music in step 2, but it's simpler to use iTunes. Again, use the Sharing section within preferences, and share your library or selected playlists. Connected users will be able to navigate shared content in List view only.

  

08. Use Home Sharing 

iTunes offers a second way to share content across computers. Advanced > Turn On Home Sharing activates Home Sharing, which enables purchased content to be automatically transferred to authorised computers. But for occasional sharing, stick to the previous step.

  

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Getting Ready With 200 x 100 x 100

Ned Denison, a candidate for the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year, relentlessly pushing athletes to succeed in their marathon swimming goals, whether it is in his notorious open water training camps in Ireland or in the controlled confirms of a pool.

"Today we had core group of five in the pool for a long swim set," Coach Ned explained. "The set was 200 100 100 - or 200 x 100 meters on 100 seconds for a 20K swim. It was simple, non-nonsense and brutal."

"[In order to help prepare the athletes,] I announced that there was the strongest adverse tide ever for the first mile of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and that the organizers expected 70% of the swimmers to be unable to make the corner. We would all sprint for 2,500 meters at the start."

Gotta love Ned (shown in the Santa Barbara Channel), especially since he was right there with everyone slogging out those 200 100's one after another after another after another.

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Two Bodies Hung From Bridge, man beheaded in Tijuana

TIJUANA, Mexico - Two men were slain and hung from a bridge, another was decapitated and a fourth was shot to death over 24 hours in Tijuana, the latest gruesome killings in a Mexican border city where hopes had risen that cartel violence was decreasing.

The bodies of two men were found hanging from the Los Alamos bridge early Friday, said Fermin Gomez, Baja California state's deputy attorney general for organized crime.

Both victims had their hands and feet bound and one had his head covered with a black plastic bag. One of the bodies fell into traffic when the rope broke.

A day earlier, a human head was found underneath another bridge in Tijuana, which sits across from San Diego, California. The body of the 24-year-old man was found 12 hours later alongside the highway from Tijuana to the beach town of Ensenada.

Gomez said the victim, Victor Ramirez, had recently been deported from the United States, though he had no information on the circumstances.

Also Thursday, a man was shot to death while leaving his house in the exclusive Tijuana neighborhood of Chapultepec, and two other people were wounded in a shootout on one of the city's main avenues.

Gomez blamed the killings on feuding between drug-dealing gangs, but declined to give details.

Beheadings, massacres and body hangings had initially declined in Tijuana since the January arrest of Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental, one of two crime bosses who had been waging a bloody turf war in the city.

President Felipe Calderon even visited Tijuana last month and touted it as a success story in his nearly four-year-old drug war, noting during a festival to promote the city's industries that homicides are down from a peak in 2008.

Days after his visit, drug gangs started beheading rivals and hanging bodies from bridges again. On Oct. 24, armed men burst into a Tijuana drug rehab center and killed 13 recovering addicts.

Prosecutors say they are investigating whether the rehab massacre was related to a record seizure of nearly 135 tons of marijuana the previous week.

The latest killings come two weeks after U.S. authorities made one of the largest marijuana seizures in San Diego, confiscating more than 20 tons of pot that was smuggled in through a tunnel connecting warehouses on either side of the border. Mexican authorities seized more than four tons of pot from the warehouse on their side of the border.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for alleged drug kingpin Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villareal said Friday that the Mexican government will not deport the U.S. citizen for prosecution in the United States.

The government considers Valdez, son of Mexican-born parents, a Mexican national who must go through the more complicated extradition process to be sent out of the country, attorney Kent Schaffer said.

Mexico has increasingly extradited high-profile drug kingpins to the U.S. under Calderon, a way to prevent them from running cartels from corrupt Mexican prisons.

Mexican officials in October extended a 40-day limit for holding Valdez without charge and that expires after this weekend, so they must decide whether to try him in Mexico.

Schaffer said both he and the U.S. Justice Department want Valdez to be prosecuted in the United States, where he is wanted on cocaine smuggling charges in three states. Schaffer said an extradition request had yet to be filed. U.S. Department of Justice officials could not be reached late Friday.

The Mexican attorney general's office would say only that Valdez was still being held and the investigation continued.

Valdez, a former Texas high school football player, was arrested Aug. 30 by federal police on his ranch outside Mexico City.

Described by authorities as a former ally of Mexico's most-wanted kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Valdez allegedly had been fighting for control of the notorious Beltran Leyva gang after Mexican marines killed its leader in late 2009. The warring factions were responsible for brutality and bloodshed from Cuernavaca south of Mexico City to the state of Guerrero and the resort city of Acapulco on the Pacific coast.

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California grandmother made dummy bomb that led to international terror alert

A dummy bomb that sparked an international terror alert was made by an 80-year-old woman in California and ended up discarded in a Namibia airport because of "a boo-boo," NBC News reported Friday.

The device — part of a "modular bomb set" or MBS, which is used for X-ray and physical/bag search training — was manufactured by a "mom and pop" machine shop in Sonora called Larry Copello Inc. four to five years ago.

The owner, Larry Copello, told NBC News that his then-80-year-old grandmother had completed it, doing the wiring and fitting Velcro attachments. 

The device was found at Windhoek airport by Namibian police in routine security checks during loading ahead of an Air Berlin tourist flight to Munich, Namibian and German authorities said Thursday.

Germany has been in a heightened state of alert this week with warning of a possible terrorist attack.

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