HTC sends invitations to February 19th press conference, flagship M7 unveiling expected

HTC

Struggling smartphone vendor HTC (2498) will hold a press conference in New York City on February 19th to unveil its latest device. Invitations to the event were sent to bloggers and reporters on Tuesday, but no details were provided. The likely topic of conversation will be the company?s upcoming flagship Android phone, code-named ?M7,? which is expected to pack impressive specs including?a 4.7-inch full-HD display with a pixel density of 468 ppi, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, a 13-megapixel camera and a 2,300 mAh battery.?BGR will be on hand at the event, so tune in for all the news as it breaks. An image of the invitation follows below.

[More from BGR: Apple unveils new 128GB iPad]

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/htc-sends-invitations-february-19th-press-conference-flagship-150034643.html

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Cape Breton to develop $36m biomass plant in Sydney, Canada

EBR Staff Writer
Published 30 January 2013

Renewable energy developer Cape Breton Explorations has outlined its plans to develop a biomass plant in Sydney, Canada.

The plant is expected to entail an investment of $36m and will produce 50,000MWh of electricity per annum for local consumption.

Proposed to be located at Harbourside Commercial Park, the biomass plant will also produce fuel to power buses and fertilizers as a by-product.

Cape Breton president Luciano Lisi noted that the project was fully funded.

Lockheed Martin will provide the engineering and construction services for the project and has commenced work on the preliminary design of the plant, added Lisi.

Construction on the plant is expected to commence in the middle of 2013 with December 2014 set as the target for commercial operations.

Nova Scotia Deputy Premier Frank Corbett remarked that the province was keen to develop clean energy sources for the community to offer cheaper fuels and reduced emissions.

The biomass plant will be developed under the Community-Feed-in Tariff program and meet 20% of the city's energy requirements.

Source: http://biofuelsandbiomass.energy-business-review.com/news/cape-breton-to-develop-36m-biomass-plant-in-sydney-canada-300113

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Why Online Textbooks Still Don't Work ? TeleRead: News and views ...

By Joanna Cabot

Techdirt has a great write-up about a school district that is spending over $2 million to switch back to paper textbooks after investing heavily in an on-line model.

The problem? Surprisingly, it?s not one of those,??There isn?t enough content available yet!? situations. There is content. But the hardware requirements to run it, in this age of multimedia, are so high that students who can?t afford broadband Internet at home can?t use them! Techdirt posits this as a form of DRM?they add in the ?bells and whistles? to prevent students from downloading an offline version.

But it?s more than that?it?s not just broadband they?re asking for. The system requirements also spell out screen resolution, memory requirements and software including Microsoft Excel and a broad spectrum of Adobe plug-ins. You have to have broadband, yes, but you also need to have a pretty up-to-date system, and that?s just not within reach for many students. And if they can?t access the textbook from home, they can?t exactly do their homework.

I have to admit, I feel Techdirt?s pain on this. I am currently struggling to manage an online training program I am enrolled in right now that is unfortunately 100 percent video-based. On one level, I?m frustrated because this is not my preferred learning style, and I resent sitting through all these 20-minute videos when I could read a textbook or lecture notes in one-third of the time. And on another level, I?m having a lot of trouble fitting the coursework into my schedule. I do have breaks during the day when I have time for it, but the aging computers aren?t robust enough to handle the system the course planners have set up. It won?t run on my iPad, so I can?t use that, and it won?t download so I can play it on my phone during the commute home. And then at night, I am so tired?

And to make it all the more ironic, the Techdirt article hit my inbox the same afternoon I got a well-meaning email from my ?mentor? for the course, asking me if everything was OK, because she hasn?t seen me online for awhile. I haven?t responded yet. Maybe I should just forward her the Techdirt article and let her draw her own conclusions.

?

Source: http://www.teleread.com/textbooks/why-online-textbooks-still-dont-work/

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Blueprints For Special Needs Families ? January 28, 2013 ...

Facebook?s Timelines And Your Special Needs Planning

Rob Wrubel CFP^?, ^AIF?

Facebook has a feature called Timeline. It shows your posting and interaction history of your life on Facebook starting from now and working backward. It is a rear-view mirror of your life as lived on the social media site.

Blueprints ? our financial planning process for families with special needs ? is oriented towards the future ? towards thinking about and making the type of life do you want to see, live and enjoy. Unlike Facebook postings, there are no pictures or funny image or stories to tell yet. There are hopes, dreams and ambitions, stress and worries, possibilities and opportunities. The stories will be written after they are lived and enjoyed.

It is up to us to make these possibilities come out the way we hope and dream. Of course, we cannot control the outcomes or ensure that they happen. We can move ourselves, our families and our behaviors in the right direction to plan and work towards the best outcomes for our families.

One step to take is to map out parts of the future with a timeline. Generally speaking, we know when certain life events will take place. Some of the timeline pieces may have passed for your family so just skip them. Add others that fit your family.

Take out a piece of paper and pencil to get started with key ages or desired life events for your family.

1. First day of kindergarten
2. First day of middle school/high school
3. Age 18 of special needs person
4. Transition programs
5. Age 21
6. Independent living
7. Expected future education needs
8. Expected future medical issues ? if any
9. Purchase of a second home
10. Start a business
11. Retirement
12. Death of one or both parents

Certain events are crucial to helping make the right outcomes take place for your family.

Age 18 is the age when some governmental benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income, can first be used. The cash received can make a big difference for your family even as your special needs family member lives at home.

Age 18 is also the time when most families apply for guardianship if it will be necessary. Guardianship allows for a family member to be the responsible party for medical decisions, living arrangements, social settings, asset protection and for other times where important decisions must be made. Many people with special needs act as their own guardians. The choice of who should be guardian, person with special needs, Mom, Dad or someone else may be a difficult decision for your family. You will want to spend time in advance of the 18^th birthday talking with other people and professionals to determine the need for guardianship and who should fill that role.

Age 21 is the time when transition services through school districts end. Transition programs allow for your family member with special needs to stay in supported programs offered by the school district. These programs are geared towards encouraging independence and may involve working, life training, social and day programs or volunteering. Unfortunately, the time after age 21 means a loss of programs, involvement and opportunities for many people with special needs. Colorado, for instance, has a long waiting list estimated at 14 years for people to be served by comprehensive benefits that open the door to government funded programs. How do you plan to cover the gap in activity and funding from age 21 to the point where benefits are available?

The timelines of special needs planning are geared towards understanding key moments and preparing for them. You will need to be ready financially, emotionally and intellectually. Events on the timeline require forethought and preparation. Take the step of independent living for example. At what age will you aim to have your special needs family live some place other than your home? Will it be in a host home, group home or truly independent? Who will provide supports? You will likely need to research which supported living and supported working non-profits in your community have the best reputations and can provide care in a way that is meaningful and sustainable for your family.

The timeline is one step in the special needs planning process. It is used to get you thinking about important future needs and goals for your family member with special needs. It helps take all those thoughts zooming around and get them down in an organized way. Financial planning, saving and investing cannot be done well without knowing what you wish to have happen. Once those goals are written down, the process of funding them can start.

Facebook?s timeline is fun ? a time to look at your life or a friend?s life and see where they have been and what they have been thinking. Have fun with your Blueprint?s timeline and enjoy thinking about the future you wish to have.

Rob Wrubel CFP^?, ^{AIF?, is a Senior Vice President ? Investments with Cascade Investment Group, member FINRA & SIPC. Rob is also a father of a daughter with Down syndrome. Cascade Investment Group is not a tax or legal advisor. You should always consult with your tax advisor or attorney before taking any actions that may have tax consequences.719-632-0818}

Source: http://blog.ciginc.net/?p=744

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Sandy aid bill heads to Obama's desk

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Three months after Superstorm Sandy ravaged coastal areas in much of the Northeast, Congress on Monday sent a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for storm victims to President Barack Obama for his signature.

"I commend Congress for giving families and businesses the help they deserve, and I will sign this bill into law as soon as it hits my desk," Obama said in a statement late Monday.

Despite opposition from conservatives concerned about adding billions of dollars more to the nation's debt, the Senate cleared the long-delayed bill, 62-36, after House Republicans had stripped it earlier this month of spending unrelated to disasters. All 36 votes against the bill were from Republican senators.

"This is a huge relief," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., noting the vote came 91 days after Sandy struck.

The House passed the bill two weeks ago. Lawmakers say the money is urgently needed to start rebuilding homes, businesses, public transportation facilities and other infrastructure damaged by the Oct. 29 storm, one of the worst to strike the Northeast.

Sandy roared up the East Coast and is blamed for more than 130 deaths and tens of billions of dollars in property damage, particularly in New York and New Jersey. The measure is aimed primarily at helping residents and businesses as well as state and local governments rebuild.

The biggest chunk of money is $16 billion for Housing and Urban Development Department community development block grants. Of that, about $12.1 billion will be shared among Sandy victims as well as those from other federally declared disasters in 2011-2013. The remaining $3.9 billion is solely for Sandy-related projects.

More than $11 billion will go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund for providing shelter, restoring power and other storm-interrupted utility services and meeting other immediate needs arising from Sandy and other disasters. Another $10 billion is devoted to repairing New York and New Jersey transit systems and making them more resistant to future storms.

Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., said Republicans weren't seeking "to undermine" help for Sandy victims but instead were trying to make sure that the money was actually being spent on emergency needs.

"We're simply trying to say we need some standards," Coats said.

Earlier in January, Congress approved and Obama signed a $9.7 billion bill to replenish the National Flood Insurance Program, which has received well over 100,000 flood insurance claims related to Sandy. Added to the new, $50.5 billion package, the total is roughly in line with the $60.4 billion that Obama requested in December.

The aid package was greased for passage before the last Congress adjourned and the new one came in on Jan. 3. But Speaker John Boehner refused to bring it to the floor after two-thirds of House Republicans voted against a "fiscal cliff" deficit-reduction deal raising taxes on couples making more than $450,000 a year while deferring some $24 billion in spending cuts to defense and domestic programs.

The ruckus after the Senate had passed an earlier $60.4 billion Sandy relief package by a nearly 2-to-1 margin on Dec. 28 exposed deep political divisions within Republican ranks. "There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims, the House majority and their speaker, John Boehner," Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed at the time.

Top House Republicans responded by bringing new Sandy aid legislation to the floor under ground rules designed to win over as many Republicans as possible while retaining support from Democrats eager to approve as much in disaster aid as possible.

GOP leaders cut spending in the Senate bill unrelated to disasters. One would have transferred $1 billion for training Iraqi policemen to instead be used to bolster security at U.S. diplomatic missions. The shift in money followed a Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed.

Also deleted were $188 million for an Amtrak expansion project that included new, long-planned tunnels from New Jersey to Penn Station in Manhattan, and another $150 million for fisheries disasters that states such as Alaska and Mississippi could have shared.

After all the cost-cutting, 179 House Republicans still voted against the disaster aid package with only 49 favoring it. GOP leaders had to rely on yes votes from 192 Democrats to pass it.

As with past natural disasters, the Sandy aid bill is not offset with spending cuts, meaning the aid adds to the deficit. The lone exception is an offset provision requiring that $3.4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects to protect against future storms be covered by an equal amount of unspecified spending cuts in other programs before next October.

The Senate on Monday rejected, 35-62, an attempt by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to amend the final package Monday with a provision to cut federal programs across the board by one-half of 1 percent through 2021 as a way to prevent the disaster aid from swelling the U.S. debt.

As of Monday, FEMA said it spent $3.3 billion in disaster relief money for shelter, restoring power and other immediate needs arising from the storm.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Ohio, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia have shared that money.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congress-passes-50-5b-superstorm-sandy-aid-bill-233619002--finance.html

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Rockets hand Jazz worst home loss, 125-80

From left, Houston Rockets' Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino and Greg Smith celebrate a teammate's 3-pointer against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

From left, Houston Rockets' Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino and Greg Smith celebrate a teammate's 3-pointer against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) celebrates his 3-pointer in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. Harden had 25 points as the Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) drives around Utah Jazz's Randy Foye (8) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden, rear, shoots as Utah Jazz's Paul Millsap (24) defends during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah Jazz's Randy Foye (8) shoots as Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) defends during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? The Houston Rockets had plenty of trouble getting to Salt Lake City as a blizzard left them grounded for a while in western Colorado.

Once they arrived, they made the Jazz pay, rolling to a 125-80 victory on Monday night and handing Utah the most-lopsided home loss in franchise history.

"We could have had Michael Jordan in his prime with us tonight . and it wouldn't have mattered (the way we played)," Jazz center Al Jefferson lamented.

"It was like everything went wrong. They came ready to play. I don't know where our energy was."

The Rockets, after recently suffering through a seven-game slide, are out of that funk. They have now won three straight and four of their last five.

"That's the way we have to play," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "We have to play with pace. We have to move the ball. The ball can't get sticky. It's got to go from side to side. And guys just got to make plays."

James Harden continued to do most of the damage, scoring 25 points despite sitting the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the Rockets starters.

Harden, selected as an All-Star for the first time recently, has averaged 27.2 points in his last five games.

When he wasn't driving the lane, the Rockets were pouring in 3-pointers.

They hit 16 of 34 on the night to tie their season high for shots made beyond the arc.

But it was their pace that floored the Jazz, outscoring Utah 26-2 on the break.

"That's how we play," Harden said. "If you watch Rockets basketball, you know we get out in transition and we get some stops. We just try to do a good job of that for 48 minutes."

The Rockets held Utah to 39.5 percent shooting, and the Jazz made just 5 of 18 3-pointers.

Carlos Delfino and Marcus Morris each hit four 3-pointers alone for Houston and Omer Asik tied a career high with 19 rebounds.

Every Rockets player scored, including six in double figures, with Morris adding 16 and Delfino 14.

"It was just fun because everyone was getting involved," said Chandler Parsons, who added 12 points. "And it was right from the tip. We wanted to emphasize transition defense and taking care of the ball. We did those two things beautifully tonight and played unselfish. Everyone was just having fun out there and it's a lot more fun to play that way."

Houston led by 21 points in the second, by 35 in the third and kept pouring it on in the fourth.

The Rockets closed the third with three straight 3s ? two by Morris and one by Harden ? then saw Morris drain another 3 to open the fourth.

By then the fans were already booing and heading for the exits.

"We should have been booing ourselves," said Jefferson, who had 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

Randy Foye led Utah with 12 points.

Utah trailed by 50 points before a driving layup by Alec Burks and 3-pointer by rookie Kevin Murphy in the final 20 seconds.

Utah's previous most-lopsided loss at home was by 33 points to Milwaukee on Nov. 18, 1980. It was the fifth worst overall for the franchise.

"I don't think this ruins us," said Gordon Hayward, who did not play because of a sprained shoulder.

Still, the Jazz hardly looked like the team that had won nine of their previous 12.

They had been undefeated at home in January ? 6-0 ? with their last loss in Salt Lake City coming Dec. 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers in which they blew a 21-point lead.

Unlike the Jazz, the Rockets weren't about to blow this one.

"I think this is something we definitely needed," said guard Jeremy Lin, who took only five shots Monday but made all five to finish with 12 points.

It was a special trip for Lin, who arrived in Salt Lake City early enough Sunday night to slip in for the last screening of the documentary "Linsanity" during the Sundance Film Festival.

The movie premiered about a year after Lin began catapulting to worldwide stardom in New York. He was an afterthought only a month before, cut by the Rockets on Christmas Day and claimed by the Knicks off waivers.

If his rise to fame was crazy, so was Monday's game.

"It's a testament to how the ball moved tonight and how everyone was looking for everybody. When you have a team play like that, play so unselfishly, it's a beautiful thing to watch," Lin said.

NOTES: Eighty-nine-year-old Wataru Misaka, the first player of Asian descent to play in the NBA, was at Monday's game to watch Lin warm up. Misaka, once discriminated against because of his Japanese ancestry, recalled writing Lin a note of encouragement "when he was with Oakland back in the dark days when things didn't look too good for him. He didn't have all these fans at this time but he's made a lot of progress since then and I think he's in a much better place now." Misaka, who lives in nearby Bountiful, is a former point guard who played for the New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season and led the University of Utah to the 1944 NCAA championship. "He broke a lot of barriers and racial stereotypes," Lin told the Houston Chronicle of Misaka. "You have to pay respect to the people who came before you." Lin is the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-29-BKN-Rockets-Jazz/id-5d754b185a4a4b36adb11c8f211bb8ae

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Germany keen to invest in energy sector: Kliinner | Pakistan Today ...

KARACHI?-?Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany at Karachi Dr Tilo Klinner has said that his country is keen to develop infrastructure and alternative energy exploration in Pakistan. He was speaking to a meeting which was held here on Sunday on sustainability reporting, corporate social responsibility and governance under the auspices of an Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance (PICG) Dr Klinner said there was a time in Germany when it had a ?commissions-based? society. But the creation of a well-documented economy gave German corporations the impetus to be transparent and disclose full information. The diplomat said companies must look towards maximizing not only profits but also sustainability and fairness to all stakeholders. He gave the example of the BASF plant in Karachi which has developed an innovative solution to clean its industrial water to make it usable and supply it to the urban community around the plant. Fuad A Hashimi, President and CEO of PICG said that 600 people had been inducted into PICG?s director training program out of which 361 were certified directors.

Source: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/01/28/city/karachi/germany-keen-to-invest-in-energy-sector-kliinner/

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Timbuktu Chronicles: Open Source Philosophy

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Source: http://timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/01/open-source-philosophy.html

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Do Your Orgasms Make You Say ?Oh God!!!???? | Musings by ...

The other day I listened to a research paper from a clinical sexologist who researched descriptors of ?the optimal orgasm? of people over 40 ? ?336 participants.

Before I tell you some of the her results ? think for a minute how would you describe the qualities of your optimal orgasms?? Really.? I mean it. Get out? piece of paper and write down 5 ? 10 qualities, descriptors, adjectives, phrases.? Go ahead. I?ll wait ?.

The salient descriptors from her study all had transcendent qualities ? speechless, awe inspiring, spiritual, breath-taking, amazing ? the classic ? ?Oh God!!?

So what does this mean for the average Joe (or Jane)?? And why do I care?

What was both affirming and striking was how spiritual language infiltrated so many of the descriptors.? Once again I found myself stunned by and reminded by the inherent integration of sexuality and spirituality when sexual experience of the highest pleasure is experienced.? Was this true for you as well?

When I think of those moments when I have experienced ?the thin spaces? as the Irish call it ? that moment when the boundaries between heaven and earth blur and you are suspended somewhere bathed in sacred light outside the confines of words ? I find myself remembering the birth of my children, my head on my father?s chest as he exhaled for the last time, dissolving in love-making with my beloved.? I have had these moments at two other times as well ? when my soul was tearfully begging God for insight and comfort.

So while my own experience echoed the findings of her study, once again I found myself baffled as to why we as a culture (and specifically our religious culture that prides itself in ?knowing God?) ?does not discuss the potential interface of sexual expression and transcendent communion with the sacred.? How is it that people of faith and people outside of faith both describe their optimal sexual experiences in transcendent terminology?? Those without faith or opposed to religion ? those least likely to adopt such imagery ? who have NO agenda driving their description ? who are simply using the language of ?best fit? ? perhaps even wishing it wasn?t ?so spiritual? ? how is it that they too describe great sex as a wholly physical and spiritual experience?

What a fabulous mystery!

Tina Schermer Sellers is a recognized scholar in the integration of spirituality into a multitude of areas represented in family and career life. As a behavioral scientist, licensed family therapist, medical family therapist, and certified sex therapist, she specializes in helping to craft relationships, organizations and lives that flourish. In the area of sexuality, Tina has spent a career helping people discover what culture has failed to teach them about their bodies, their hearts, their capacity for intimacy and their erotic potential.

Source: http://blog.tinaschermersellers.com/2013/01/27/do-your-orgasms-make-you-say-oh-god/

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Thousands march for gun control in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Thousands of people, many holding signs with names of gun violence victims and messages such as "Ban Assault Weapons Now," joined a rally for gun control on Saturday, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.

Leading the crowd were marchers with "We Are Sandy Hook" signs, paying tribute to victims of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Washington Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials marched alongside them. The crowd stretched for at least two blocks along Constitution Avenue.

Participants held signs reading "Gun Control Now," ''Stop NRA" and "What Would Jesus Pack?" among other messages. Other signs were simple and white, with the names of victims of gun violence.

About 100 residents from Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six teachers, traveled to Washington together, organizers said.

Participant Kara Baekey from nearby Norwalk, Conn., said that when she heard about the Newtown shooting, she immediately thought of her two young children. She said she decided she must take action, and that's why she traveled to Washington for the march.

"I wanted to make sure this never happens at my kids' school or any other school," Baekey said. "It just can't happen again."

Once the crowd arrived at the monument, speakers called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition and for universal background checks on gun sales.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the crowd it's not about taking away Second Amendment gun rights, but about gun safety and saving lives. He said he and President Barack Obama would do everything they could to enact gun control policies.

"This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear," Duncan said. "This march is a starting point; it is not an ending point ... We must act, we must act, we must act."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s non-voting representative in Congress, said the gun lobby can be stopped, and the crowd chanted back, "Yes, we can."

"We are all culpable if we do nothing now," Norton said

James Agenbroad, 78, of Garrett Park, Md., carried a handwritten sign on cardboard that read "Repeal the 2nd Amendment." He called it the only way to stop mass killings because he thinks the Supreme Court will strike down any other restrictions on guns.

"You can repeal it," he said. "We repealed prohibition."

Molly Smith, the artistic director of Washington's Arena Stage, and her partner organized the march. Organizers said that in addition to the 100 people from Newtown, buses of participants traveled from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. Others flew in from Seattle, San Francisco and Alaska, they said.

While she's never organized a political march before, Smith said she was compelled to press for a change in the law. The march organizers support Obama's call for gun control measures. They also want lawmakers to require gun safety training for all buyers of firearms.

"With the drum roll, the consistency of the mass murders and the shock of it, it is always something that is moving and devastating to me. And then, it's as if I move on," Smith said. "And in this moment, I can't move on. I can't move on.

"I think it's because it was children, babies," she said. "I was horrified by it."

After the Connecticut shootings, Smith began organizing on Facebook. The group One Million Moms for Gun Control, the Washington National Cathedral and two other churches eventually signed on to co-sponsor the march. Organizers have raised more than $50,000 online to pay for equipment and fees to stage the rally, Smith said.

Lawmakers from the District of Columbia and Maryland rallied the crowd, along with Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund and Colin Goddard, a survivor from the Virginia Tech massacre.

Goddard said he was shot four times at Virginia Tech and is motivated to keep fighting for gun control because what happened to him keeps happening ? and nothing's been done to stop it.

"We are Americans," he said, drawing big cheers. "We have overcome difficulties when we realize we are better than this."

Smith said she supports a comprehensive look at mental health and violence in video games and films. But she said the mass killings at Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., all began with guns.

"The issue is guns. The Second Amendment gives us the right to own guns, but it's not the right to own any gun," she said. "These are assault weapons, made for killing people."

___

March on Washington for Gun Control: http://www.guncontrolmarch.com/

___

Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-march-gun-control-washington-164306917.html

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Creep On Strangers' Lives Six Seconds at a Time With Vinepeek

Some people are out there using Vine for pretty dumb things. Others are capturing more interesting six-second snippets their actually interesting lives, or making stop-motion videos. And you can creep on all of them, one after the other, in a constant fire-hose of anonymous, random video with Vinepeek. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Z5Q2S_ysFXo/creep-on-strangers-lives-six-seconds-at-a-time-with-vinepeek

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SWOCC Small Business Development Center Director Achieves ...

Coos Bay ? The Southwestern Oregon Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is pleased to announce Director Arlene Soto has passed the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) exam. The NASBITE CGBP certification confirms knowledge in international trade and assures that credential holders are able to practice global business at the professional level required in today?s competitive environment. International trade skills tested include; global business management, global marketing, supply chain management and trade finance.

According to Ms. Soto, ?Achieving this certification allows the SWOCC SBDC to better serve the small business community with answers to international business questions. Business in this high tech world has become more global.?

The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that small businesses represent 98% of U.S. firms exporting goods and services. International trade complexity makes global business assistance an important service provided by Small Business Development Center professionals.

NASBITE is an organization of small business international trade educators and SBDC personnel from the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Ms. Soto served as NASBITE President from April 2007 through March 2008. In April 2012 she was recognized by NASBITE International as a NASBITE fellow.

Source: http://www.socc.edu/news/swocc-small-business-development-center-director-a.shtml

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AP Interview: Ohio's Kasich enthuses over Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Embarking on what he called a reluctant trade mission, Ohio Governor John Kasich said Friday that his state's economic comeback was generating interest ? and potential new business opportunities ? on the world stage in Switzerland.

Ohio's blue-collar voters have made it arguably the most important swing state in recent U.S. presidential elections, and President Barack Obama won the state in November by focusing on the controversial auto industry bailout. Kasich, who explored a presidential bid in the run-up to the 2000 election, also confirmed he would seek re-election in 2014.

The Republican governor, a former congressman who rose to House Budget Committee chairman before working as a Lehman Brothers investment banker and commentator on Fox News Channel, told The Associated Press that he was initially "very reluctant" to make the trip to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.

He decided to go, he said, after he realized that this week's gathering offered a valuable chance to court business and provide a global perspective. Davos is awash with top business leaders from around the world as well as many other high-profile people from the worlds of politics, academics and commerce.

"It's like a trade mission in one small little area," he said. "We focused almost exclusively on CEOs."

Kasich was involved in a number of panel discussions and held private meetings with about 15 executives from big companies to pitch ideas on investing in Ohio.

"The thing that I have been surprised by is that the people around have heard that things are getting better in Ohio," he said. "I've been shocked."

When talking with international leaders, Kasich said he emphasizes his willingness to work closely with business ? a fact he credits for helping turn Ohio's $8 billion budget deficit into what he says will be a $1 billion surplus.

Among those he held business discussions were U.S.-based Dow Chemical Co. and Philips Healthcare, which announced thousands of layoffs last year and is a part of Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics.

His message: "We're open for business .... If you've got a big idea, come to Ohio."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-ohios-kasich-enthuses-over-davos-183852458--finance.html

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Fight Diet Failure with 4 Secrets for Weight-Loss Success - Shape

It seems so simple: Eat right, exercise, get some rest, and you will lose weight. But maybe it?s not so simple. According to Jessica Bartfield, M.D., who specializes in nutrition and weight management at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care, diets fail for four reasons:
1. Underestimating calories consumed
2. Overestimating activity and the calories burned
3. Poor timing of meals
4. Inadequate Sleep

If you think these reasons account for your lack of dieting success, here are four secrets to change your luck.

Secret #1: Underestimating calories is not an issue when you don't have to count them at all.
Really. Don?t deprive yourself and eat when you are hungry, selecting foods that will keep you full instead of those that provide a quick pick-up and then leave you searching for more soon after. Have three meals that each incorporate a variety of foods, protein, and fat, and drink water or zero-calorie beverages. If you are hungry between meals, have a snack or ?mini-meal,? not junk food or a 100-calorie snack pack.

For example, maybe you have a Western cheese omelet with 1/2 cup fruit at breakfast, a burger patty alongside grilled vegetables and a baked sweet potato with a thin pat of butter for lunch, and then dine on shrimp scampi and broccoli atop spaghetti squash with a side salad.

RELATED: Learn more surprising reasons why you should stop counting calories if you want to lose weight and eat right.

Snacks could be peanut butter celery boats, plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh berries, peppers and hummus, two squares of dark chocolate and up to 10 nuts, or a small handful of homemade trail mix (shredded coconut, nuts, and seeds).

Secret #2: For weight loss, diet counts more than exercise. If you are not counting calories for food, then do not sweat over how many calories you burn during a workout.
Be active and enjoy your exercise. "Just do it" to help boost your metabolism and maintain weight loss. If you need some workout ideas, try these interval training plans or simply grab a jump rope and follow this fat-blasting routine.

Secret #3: If you don't want to eat, then don't. But don?t binge either.
Try a fast. In the January issue of Scientific American, many studies point toward intermittent fasting (IF) as an approach that shows promise in promoting health and longevity.

Or just focus on increasing awareness of your own hunger, which is your body?s way of telling you to eat. Listen to yourself so you can notice when your stomach sends those ?Hey, I?m empty and need food? messages?and then satisfy it! And if you?re uncertain if you are in fact hungry, check out this hunger scale.

RELATED: When the need to nosh between meals hits, fill up with one of these three snacks that help you lose weight by knocking out hunger.

Secret #4: Establish a bedtime routine to help you get the shut-eye you need.
Turn your bedroom into a sleeping sanctuary and do whatever you need to make it as dark and comfortable as possible. Then avoid caffeine or any other stimulants from food, beverages, supplements, or medicines, and refrain from drinking anything a couple of hours before you plan to hit the sheets.

Now go ahead, jump! Try these one or all four of these secrets. You have nothing to lose but weight.

?

Nationally known as an expert in weight loss, integrative nutrition, blood sugar, and health management, Valerie Berkowitz, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. is co-author of The Stubborn Fat Fix, director of nutrition at The Center for Balanced Health, and consultant for Complete Wellness in NYC. She is a woman who strives for internal peace, happiness and lots of laughs. Visit Valerie's Voice: for the Health of It or @nutritionnohow.

Source: http://www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-coach/fight-diet-failure-4-secrets-weight-loss-success

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Halliburton beats estimates on higher international business ...

Halliburton Co., the world?s second- largest oilfield-services provider, reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts? estimates as customers around the world boosted spending at the end of the year. Shares rose the most in more than a year.

Excluding discontinued operations, the Houston-based company earned 63 cents a share, 2 cents higher than the average of 33 analysts? estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales climbed 3.2 percent to $7.3 billion, which was more than the average of 24 analysts? estimates.

Halliburton, which generated 56 percent of its sales in North America last year, is increasing its international operations to take advantage of increased oil-company spending globally.

?Across the board they did better than expected,? Stephen Gengaro, an analyst at Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. in New York, who rates the shares a buy and owns none, said today in a telephone interview. ?We expected declines in North America. They just didn?t decline as much as expected.?

Halliburton rose 4.5 percent to $39.51 at 11:32 a.m. in New York, after climbing as much as 6.5 percent, the biggest intraday rise since Dec. 20, 2011.

Explorers and producers around the world are expected to boost spending another 5.5 percent this year to a record $645 billion, Jim Crandell, an analyst at Dahlman Rose & Co., wrote earlier this month in a note to investors.

Global Margins

Operating profit margin outside the U.S. and Canada should average in the ?upper teens? this year, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Lesar told analysts and investors today on a conference call. The margin was 17.6 percent in the fourth quarter, according to Bloomberg calculations.

In North America, where operating profit margin fell to 12.4 percent, the U.S. land margin is projected to have hit bottom in the fourth quarter, Lesar said.

Net income dropped to $669 million, or 72 cents a share, from $906 million, or 98 cents, a year earlier, Halliburton said in a statement today.

While North American operating income declined, the company?s region that includes the Middle East and Asia reported income that rose 43 percent to $243 million.

?Home Run?

?They really hit a home run there,? said Brian Youngberg, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis, who rates the shares a hold and owns none.

The shares have 23 buy and 12 hold ratings from analysts.

Schlumberger Ltd., the world?s largest oilfield services provider, reported Jan. 18 fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts? estimates as drilling in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico increased.

Bloomberg News

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/01/25/halliburton-beats-estimates-on-higher-international-business/

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Strong turnout in Jordan's elections belies deep-seated cynicism

Jordanians turned out to vote in record numbers in yesterday's parliamentary elections, but many, even those who voted, see the system as stacked against change.

By Nicholas Seeley,?Correspondent / January 24, 2013

Jordanians arrive at a school to vote in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday. Jordanians voted yesterday in a first electoral test for their king's political reforms, while a boycott from his Islamist-led opponents cast doubt over whether the vote would quell two years of simmering dissent in the streets.

Mohammad Hannon/AP

Enlarge

By mid-afternoon yesterday, Mohammad Audeh still hadn't decided if he was going to vote or not. He said he didn?t see anyone he wanted to vote for as he hung around outside the polling station, watching as, according to him, candidates tried to buy votes from the young people in the neighborhood.

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Eventually Mr. Audeh said he might vote anyway, on the off chance that these elections would be better than the corrupt contests of Jordan's past.

"The King has taken a lot of interest, and he is following it up. And the USA [is watching]," he said. "It might be decent."

Based on preliminary results from Jordan's parliamentary elections yesterday, the big winner seems to be the regime. Despite an election process that observers say remains deeply flawed, there was record-high turnout, bolstering the government's contention that reform-minded Jordanians are still looking to the system, rather than the opposition, for change.

Final turnout figures have not yet been released, but according to an electronic database created by Jordan's new Independent Election Commission ? one of the recent reforms ? nearly 57 percent of registered voters had cast ballots at the close of polling yesterday.

The Islamic Action Front, the country's main opposition party, boycotted the polls and claims the turnout figures are inflated. But while election observers remain highly critical of the voting process as a whole, they say they found no evidence of state manipulation of the results. Independent local election monitors estimated turnout to be between 50 and 51 percent, but stopped short of attributing that difference to inflation by the state.

"In most of the centers, the number [of voters listed on the official figures] was correct," says Mohammed Hussainy, the head of the Integrity Coalition for Election Observation. "We say clearly that, by Independent Election Commission at least, there was no systematic fraud. But the chaos that happened in the last few hours [of polling] created the possibility for fraud."

The Islamic party, who did not deploy poll observers on election day, say evidence of fraud will eventually come out. "There are no secrets in Jordan, and I'm positive in two or three days, everything will be out. We just have to wait and see," says Nimer Al-Assaf, the Islamic party's deputy secretary general.

He points out that even if the turnout numbers are correct, most Jordanians still did not vote ? only 2.2 million of Jordan's 3.6 million eligible voters were registered, and turnout percentages are based only on registered voters.

Beyond voting

Local and international groups praised the elections commission cautiously, saying this voting process was significantly better than previous ones, which were dogged by numerous allegations of fraud. But all noted that the problems with Jordan's democracy run much deeper than the conduct at the polls.

The country's convoluted elections system makes some votes worth more than others, prevents political parties from winning seats, and generally slants representation in parliament toward regime-loyal tribal groups. New seats for political parties were introduced this election, but with the official opposition not participating, no party won more than a handful of seats, and most won only one.

Many of the national lists, observers say, were created by the same tribal groups who typically control parliament. The new legislature looks remarkably like the old one.

"So what is the point of these closed lists?" Asked Ghaith Al-Qudah, head of the Islamic Action Front's youth wing. "There's no actual political life.... There are no actual political blocs in this new house of parliament."

And despite new regulations, there were widespread allegations of the longtime practice of vote buying. Candidates' agents surrounded many of the polling centers yesterday, corralling groups of young men to go vote. In one east Amman neighborhood, they were even allowed inside. Numerous voters showed their completed ballots to the candidates' observers.

Mr. Al Assaf accused the state of tacitly allowing vote buying as a way to increase turnout in the election. "It was so obvious and so allowed, that they just wanted to raise the numbers voting," he says.

Entrenched cynicism

For now the government seems to have emerged victorious, but it remains to be seen how much the problems that still assailed the vote will affect Jordanians' perception of the new parliament and confidence in the state's reform promises.

"It goes back to the underpinnings of the electoral structure, which hasn't really changed ... you continue to have a situation where vested and entrenched tribal figures and power brokers are at an advantage," says Scott Mastic, the director of Middle East programs at the International Republican Institute, which sent election monitors to Jordan for the past two parliamentary votes.

At the polls yesterday, several said that if this election produced a decent crop of lawmakers, things might change.

"We feel as if, maybe, it's going to be a decent one," said Issam Rashid, who had just cast his vote at a polling place in Amman's Wihdat neighborhood, a former camp for Palestinian refugees. "This is the first time we've had an independent election commission."

But long-held cynicism also cropped up.

"The old [parliament], what they did is useless. All these people were useless, because they were doing something for themselves, that's all," said Samir Al-Neimi, a Jordanian who lives in Abu Dhabi, but who had come back to vote.

"I hope ? but I don't believe in them."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/O6VwXHnhEps/Strong-turnout-in-Jordan-s-elections-belies-deep-seated-cynicism

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Book Review : Cycling Science: How Rider and Machine Work Together by Max Glaskin

By Max Glaskin

Web edition: January 24, 2013
Print edition: February 9, 2013; Vol.183 #3 (p. 30)

The physics of two-wheeled locomotion gets deep coverage in this illustrated overview for the bike-obsessed.

Univ. of Chicago, 2012, 192 p., $30

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347785/title/Book_Review__Cycling_Science_How_Rider_and_Machine_Work_Together_by_Max_Glaskin

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Mesothelioma ? a silent cancer | UT Physicians

Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2013

Me-so-the-li-o-ma. You?ve probably heard this mouthful of a word?the name of a rare cancer?on late night television commercials. Or maybe you?ve heard that mesothelioma is linked to working with asbestos, but that?s the extent of your knowledge. UT Physicians oncologist Jorge Quesada, M.D., sheds some light on this rare condition.

Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium?a thin membrane lining the lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. In pleural mesothelioma, cancer cells grow on the pleura?the sac that lines the chest cavity and protects the lungs. Continued exposure to asbestos, over a period of many years, is the most frequent cause of the disease.

Only about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States, according to the American Lung Association.

?It continues to be a relatively rare condition,? Dr.?Quesada says. ?You don?t get to see too many cases in private practice, perhaps three to four cases a year. The number of cases varies according to geographic location and demographics.?

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked with asbestos for many years. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals and does not conduct electricity. Until regulations passed in the 1970s and ?80s restricted its use, asbestos was widely used to insulate homes, and in the ship building and automotive industries. When inhaled, asbestos fibers may enter the lungs and penetrate and irritate the cells in the pleura. Continual irritation may lead to mesothelioma.

Because mesothelioma can take up to 30 to 50 years to develop, the majority of patients with the disease are over age 65. A notable exception may be the first responders to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, who were exposed to massive amounts of asbestos in a short period of time.

?There is an increased risk of mesothelioma with the amount and length of exposure,? Dr.?Quesada says.

?Over the past few decades, we have seen a decline in mesothelioma because of improved regulations in asbestos used for construction and in factories,? Dr.?Quesada continues.

Common symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, pain under the rib cage, and coughing. Unfortunately, these symptoms are also found in other minor, non-life threatening conditions affecting the chest and lungs such as the flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia. As a result, mesothelioma is often overlooked until the cancer is advanced. Depending on the stage of the cancer, other symptoms may include weight loss, fluid in the chest, loss of appetite, and trouble swallowing.

After a complete physical exam and health history, doctors who suspect mesothelioma will order a series of tests to rule out more common causes of symptoms, including benign and malignant conditions (lung cancer). Tests may include chest X-rays and other imaging studies to look for abnormal findings.

?Ultimately, the diagnosis can only be confirmed by obtaining biopsies of the pleura or finding malignant cells in pleural fluid,? Dr.?Quesada says.

Because of the silent nature of this disease, mesothelioma is often diagnosed when the cancer is at an advanced stage. Average survival time is only about one year, according to the American Lung Association. Five-year survival rates are slowly improving, and scientists are constantly searching for new treatments.

?When it (mesothelioma) develops, it develops slowly and without very specific signs,? Dr.?Quesada says. ?And it is difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are not very obvious, and by the time it is diagnosed, the tumor has often spread across a large area.

?The best possible treatment is early intervention, and surgical intervention,? Dr.?Quesada says, adding that the surgeon should be an experienced oncology surgeon who is part of a physician team including an oncologist. He recommends patients diagnosed with mesothelioma choose a cancer center that treats a large number of patients with the disease.

Even with a skilled surgeon, mortality for the surgery remains high.

?An estimated 15 to 20 percent of patients may die of complications,? Dr.?Quesada says.

And surgery is not an option for many patients with the disease, Dr.?Quesada says, because they are older and may also smoke, have emphysema and heart conditions that make them ineligible for surgery.

Other treatment options for mesothelioma may include a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted drugs. For patients in advanced stages of the disease, palliative therapy helps reduce pain and discomfort caused by the disease.

New drugs for mesothelioma target molecular pathways that cause cell changes and may have fewer side effects than traditional, broad-based chemotherapy agents. One group of these new drugs is angiogenesis inhibitors, which block formation of blood vessels that feed tumors. Other drugs target different changes in the cell. Researchers are conducting clinical trials using drugs used for other types of cancer, including imatinib (Gleevec), dasatinib (Sprycel), bortezomib (Velcade), and vorinostat (Zolinza).

?We are cautiously optimistic about finding an agent that may help,? Dr.?Quesada says. ?Ongoing trials may hopefully lead to new options for patients with mesothelioma. In conjunction with chemotherapy, these new drugs will be a good option for patients who are not candidates for surgery.?

Other new therapies for mesothelioma under investigation include gene therapy, cancer vaccines, and photodynamic therapy. The effectiveness of multimodality therapy?a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy?also is being tested.

People who have been exposed to asbestos should quit smoking to lower their risk for developing the disease and see a doctor for regular checkups.

?Early diagnosis is the key to helping patients,? Dr.?Quesada says, adding that patients who worked with asbestos should volunteer that fact to their doctor. ?Bring information about exposure up front; don?t wait for the nurse or doctor to ask.?

?Anissa Anderson Orr, HealthLeader

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston (a part of UTHealth), UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.

---

For assistance, please call UT Physicians at 1-888-4UT-DOCS (1-888-488-3627). Access directories of our clinics by clicking on Clinics & Locations.

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Source: http://www.utphysicians.com/18118/mesothelioma-silent-cancer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mesothelioma-silent-cancer

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Sheriff blasts colleagues over gun law defiance

By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

The Colorado sheriff whose county includes the Batman shooting movie theater spoke out Tuesday against law enforcement officials who refuse to enforce gun regulations that they deem unconstitutional.

Sheriffs across the county have said in recent weeks that they will not enforce any new gun-control legislation that they think steps over the line -- a response to proposals offered by President Obama and many state lawmakers.

?Public safety professionals serving in the executive branch do not have the constitutional authority, responsibility, and in most cases, the credentials to determine the constitutionality of any issue,? Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson?said in a statement. Law enforcement officials should leave it to the courts to decide whether a law is constitutional or not.

Robinson?s deputies were among the officers who responded to the mass shooting in?Aurora, where James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and wounded dozens more last year.

Related:?Some sheriffs vow not to enforce Obama's gun plan

?Acts of violence and gun violence have and will, sadly, continue to victimize our community and our country,? said Robinson, who identified himself as a supporter of the right to bear arms. ?We all have an obligation to our families, neighbors, our community and our country to be engaged and to demand that well-considered, meaningful, and sustainable solutions to these senseless acts of violence are implemented in a timely manner.?

In the statement, Robinson also made a plea for better mental health services, stricter penalties for perpetrators of gun crimes, and more gang violence initiatives.

Sheriff Denny Peyman of Jackson County, Ky., is among the sheriffs who have said they would consider not enforcing new gun laws.

?Kentucky is a sovereign state,? Peyman told NBC News last week. ?The federal government is coming in and saying, ?This is what you?re going to do.? We?re not going to do it.?

?Let?s say I know there?s a thousand assault weapons in my county,? Peyman said. ?I?m not going to be a witch hunter and go door to door checking.?

Sheriff Tim Mueller of Linn County, Ore., sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden dated January 14 in which he said politicians in favor of new gun laws are attempting to ?exploit the deaths of innocent victims.?

Mueller also wrote that he would not allow federal officers to enforce ?any unconstitutional regulations or orders? in Linn County.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/23/16660172-colorado-sheriff-blasts-colleagues-over-refusal-to-enforce-gun-laws?lite

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Britain borrows more, threatening new budget target

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government borrowed slightly more than expected in December as the economy continued to struggle, thwarting efforts to erase a large budget deficit and adding to pressure on the country's top credit rating.

Just over a month after official borrowing forecasts for 2012-13 were revised, economists said the figures showed the Chancellor, George Osborne, was almost certain to miss his new annual target, further endangering a deficit-cutting drive that is already running two years behind.

The government's preferred measure of public sector borrowing rose to 15.419 billion pounds in the month from 14.848 billion pounds a year earlier, just above a forecast of 15.2 billion pounds.

It was mainly due to a poor growth in revenues, which will bolster criticism that the government has cut too hard and too fast in the public sector to allow the economy to grow.

But there were also worrying signs that, with unemployment rising, spending is growing faster than expected, by 5.4 percent on the year compared with a 3.6 percent rise in revenues.

There are a number of windfalls likely to flow into state coffers before the financial year ends in early April, but the most-used measure of borrowing is already 2 billion pounds short of the 2012-13 target set in December.

"We're still trying to work out how the government believes they're going to meet their borrowing requirement this year," said Tom Vosa from National Australia Bank in London.

"They still seem to be some way off from the target announced in (December)."

The Office of Budget Responsibility, a budget watchdog, said after the data it was still hopeful that the target it set in early December could be met.

It hopes for 3.5 billion pounds from the sale of 4G mobile phone frequencies and another 11.5 billion pounds from the transfer of coupon payments on gilts (bonds) bought by the Bank back to the finance ministry.

But while tax receipts in coming months will be bolstered by income tax returns, the OBR's hopes of a faster rise in revenues than seen so far are set against growing speculation that the economy may be slipping back into recession.

Deutsche Bank economist George Buckley said his calculations showed the deficit would overshoot by 22.5 billion pounds to reach 131 billion pounds if fiscal performance did not improve in the final three months.

FEEBLE

Excluding another one-off effect -- the absorption of Royal Mail employees' pension savings -- the target most economists are using for borrowing stands at 106.5 billion pounds, up 7.3 percent this year.

Osborne, the chancellor of the Exchequer, had imposed tough spending cuts and tax rises in a bid to eliminate Britain's structural budget deficit -- the shortfall that would remain if the economy were operating at full steam -- by the next election in 2015.

But feeble economic growth has derailed that plan and pushed back the deadline to 2017. There is widespread speculation among financial market analysts that Britain in the meantime could lose its triple-A credit rating after the budget announcement in late March.

That would risk raising the cost of servicing debt, which now amounts to 70 percent of Gross Domestic Product and as much as twice that taking account of banking bailouts.

"The question is how long the UK can hold onto its AAA status," said James Knightley, economist at Dutch bank ING.

"With the United States and France having been downgraded by one ratings agency, another disappointing borrowing number and a widely expected contraction in fourth-quarter GDP on Friday will intensify the threat of the UK suffering the same fate."

While there remains a strong consensus in favour of cuts to the public sector -- and indeed on the right for deeper cuts -- a raft of economists believe that Osborne should have held off with some of the austerity until other sources of growth for the economy had more time to recover.

"I think the Chancellor is overly aggressive in his plans on austerity at present," Adam Posen, a policymaker at the Bank until his departure in August, told a parliamentary committee.

"But you have to take the lesson from Japan that when times get good again...you have to consolidate. You have to pay attention to the (economic) cycle, which cuts both ways."

(Additional reporting by David Milliken and Li-mei Hoang. Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/december-public-borrowing-rises-spending-grows-faster-income-093221701--business.html

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Why Arctic Sea Ice Melts So Quickly

During the Arctic spring and summer, ponds of freshwater appear on the melting ice, dotting the landscape with a dazzling range of blues.

Despite their beauty, these melt ponds are a harbinger of climate change in the Arctic, according to a new study by researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. The pools form more easily on young ice, and young ice now accounts for more than 50 percent of the Arctic sea ice cover. The ponds also absorb more of the sun's heat, helping ice melt faster, the study finds.

To test the effect of the melt ponds on sea ice, scientists from the institute traveled to the Arctic aboard the research ice breaker RV Polarstern during the summer of 2011. They analyzed how far the sun's rays penetrated the ice with a remotely operated underwater vehicle equipped with radiation sensors and cameras.

Thinner ice, more melt ponds

Arctic sea ice has become distinctly thinner and younger in the past decade, the researchers said in a statement. The amount of 3-foot-thick (1 meter), multiyear ice, which lasts through seasonal melts, is declining.

This older ice has a rough surface, created by the constant motion from currents and collisions. Far fewer and smaller ponds appear on this uneven surface, though they were considerably deeper than the flat ponds on the younger ice, the researchers found.

But almost half of the thin, year-old ice floes are extensively covered with melt ponds, the researchers discovered.

"The decisive aspect here is the smoother surface of this young ice, permitting the melt water to spread over large areas and form a network of many individual melt ponds," Marcel Nicolaus, a sea ice physicist and melt pond expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute, said in the statement.Young, thin ice with many melt ponds allowed three times as much light to pass through than older ice, Nicolaus said. It also absorbed 50 percent more solar radiation, which causes more melting and means the thin ice reflected less of the sun's rays than thick ice.

"The ice melts from inside out to a certain extent," Nicolaus said in the statement.

Harbinger of future changes

The research team is now investigating how additional sunlight will affect organisms that live on and beneath the Arctic ice, such as algae that clings to the ice floes.

"We assume that in the future, climate change will permit more sunlight to reach the Arctic Ocean ? and particularly also that part of the ocean which is still covered by sea ice in summer," Nicolaus said. "The sea ice will become more porous, more sunlight will penetrate the ice floes and more heat will be absorbed by the ice. This is a development which will further accelerate the melting of the entire sea ice area," Nicolaus said.

The study appeared online Dec. 29 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2013 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-arctic-sea-ice-melts-quickly-212719033.html

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Girl Drinks

A Cosmopolitan

Photo by Jupiterimages/Thinkstock.

Girl drinks, also known as chick drinks and girlie drinks, exist primarily to serve and to overserve persons eager to know the fun of catching a buzz while staying ignorant of the bliss of tasting liquor. This article represents an independent-study tool for readers seeking to refine this basic understanding along lines that are personally potationally meaningful. The key is to keep your definitions fluid but your taxonomy strict, remembering for instance that some so-called girl drinks are frat shooters in drag, and that others, if you listen closely to their accents, are androgynous tropical coolers transplanted to temperate latitudes.

One popular girl-drink style?frou-frou and fructose?arrives on the taste buds with the subtle flair of Kool-Aid Man presenting a hostess gift. Take the Angry Feminist, please?a girl drink from the cocktail list at a bygone vegan restaurant in Manhattan. The Angry Feminist calls for tarragon-infused organic vodka, Bonny Doon raspberry wine, triple sec, orange juice, and a pineapple-wedge garnish. I presume the drink is angry that one of her closest culinary cousins, the Purple Hooter, is a favorite of Nevada brothel whores.

The Angry Feminist is not to be confused with the Feminist Cocktail, which exemplifies a second girl-drink subgenre?cutesy and sucrose. Perhaps you've enjoyed a drink made in the tradition of The Savoy Cocktail Book? Well, the Feminist is more in line with the Beatles? ?Savoy Truffle.? It?s such a zany candy bar of a highball?rum, amaretto, peppermint schnapps, and Kahl?a, topped with ginger ale?that it simply must have been named with a slight sexist twirl of the mixologist?s moustache.

Girl drinks in a third major category?regressively lactose?involve milk or sweetened condensed milk or light cream or heavy cream or your roommate?s half-and-half or in a pinch your grandson?s Similac. Because they are associated with girls of a certain age, they are sometimes referred to as ladies? drinks. Because they overlap with cocktails from the dairy genre favored by screen eccentrics, these milkmaid drinks are sometimes referenced by overworked television writers, who give them to supporting characters in lieu of a personality trait (cf. C.J. Cregg?s grasshopper on The West Wing and Raj?s on The Big Bang Theory).

Girl drinks come in a numbers of flavors, textures, and archetypes, it is plain to see. Same goes for the dolls and guys who order them. Yes, the girl-drinking community counts among its pillars many young women who really need to be carded, but it?s highly diverse in terms of demographics, sensibility, and tolerance for alcohol. Some girl-drinkers have been smacking their lips at the same post-prandial Pink Squirrel every weekend for decades on ends, and lemminglike others unthinkingly sip the flavor of the week. Some are novice drinkers, who, getting into the spirits on a rare occasion, simply ask the bartender for ?something sweet,? which is his cue to lower the Malibu boom. And some are novice drunks upon whom banana daiquiris act as with shinobi stealth and a clinically degenerate lack of remorse, blasting them to the bathroom stall, where penitently they kneel, sobbing oaths and swearing curses while their friends hold their hair.

Sometimes the girl-drinker is an ombibulous literary type employing the time-management technique of snapping up the first cocktail that comes into view. The noted anthropologist Cindy Adams recorded one such girl-drinking episode in the New York Post a few years back when she teased Salman Rushdie for pounding pre-prepared Cosmopolitans out on the town. To his credit, the novelist offered the gossipeuse a correct response: "Look, it's what they've got. I'm easy."

The Cosmopolitan?which, as we shall see, this year celebrates its 25^th anniversary?is a uniquely special girl drink. As the girliest popular cocktail in living memory and the buzziest girl drink in recorded history, it ranks as the third-girliest drink of all time, I hereby posit.

The second-girliest drink of all time is the Jackie O, which was originally conceived as a Mother?s Day brunch special at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, Mass. Vodka-based and bubbly-topped, blending six fruit flavors, the Jackie O is served, in its most austere version, in a glass frosted with pink sugar.

The girliest drink of all time is sweet and pink and garnished with a flower. Concocted for a benefit thrown by Eve Ensler, it entered the journalistic record when described by Eric Felten in the Wall Street Journal in 2006. Very obviously, the girliest drink of all time is the Vagini. Its creator, a cocktail consultant named Kim Haasarud, described the Vagini to me as a riff on the Cosmopolitan incorporating sparkling ros?. This news arrived somewhat to the disappointment of my editrix, who had wondered if the recipe calls for a dash of fish sauce.

Haasarud took pains to state that the organs she most closely associates with the Vagini are the tongue and the cheek. ?Many women today have pretty sophisticated palates,? she believes, and I agree. It should of course go without saying that a great many persons in skirts are more knowledgeable about single-malt scotch than any given poser in a kilt. It should, but it does not, which is why you are reading this sentence, which exists to mollify the freelance interrogation experts of the gender-crimes division of the thought police. The urgent queries of that crowd ring among a multitude of other questions, for girl-drink enthusiasts are an inquisitive lot: Where did the girl drink come from? Where is it going? Can you help me find my shoes? Please allow me to sketch a timeline. The chronology below intends to debunk some stereotypes, to rebunk others, and to repair the singular damage wrought by frozen mudslides.

1878: The Ladies? Blush
Start with 2 ounces of Old Tom, which is sweetened gin. Add 1 teaspoon of cr?me de noyaux, which is a sweet almond-scented liqueur, and 1 teaspoon of white sugar, which also tends toward the sweet side, plus five drops of absinthe. Shake this with ice and strain it into ?a coloured glass, the rim of which has already been dampened with lemon juice and dipped in white sugar.? The book American and Other Drinks touts the ladies? blush as a "favourite drink among the fair sex," neglecting to cite its popularity with aspiring hyperglycemics.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=a3693363ecdf18f4838856e7b23e96e3

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