Monday, December 31, 2012

Demon Bureau

Demon Bureau

It is the year 2030, the presence of demons in the world became obvious but against the expectations of most humans, they integrated well. In a metropolis there is an office that deals with demons and humans alike.

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

UFC 155: 4 Questions We Have About Junior Dos Santos

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, the train of Junior dos Santos will continue down its tracks.

So who will be next for him?

With a win, it's 100 percent Alistair Overeem. The two hate each other, and there's money to be made off of the white-knight champion against the black-hat challenger.

What if he loses?

You'd have to think dos Santos would still be in the mix given how thin the division is and how far ahead of the curve he is compared to most other contenders. He might see Antonio Silva across the cage from him or maybe even a rematch against Roy Nelson.

That's all speculation, though. He has the biggest fight of his life coming up at UFC 155, and that's all he or anyone else needs to be interested in right now.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1461648-ufc-155-4-questions-we-have-about-junior-dos-santos

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Friday, December 28, 2012

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Downton Abbey Is In My Blood

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue

By Elizabeth Wray

A genealogical search reveals my dirty little secret life as a closet Brit!

Despite my name, I never related to my Anglo heritage. Still, I get caught up in imperial dramas -- and one of my favorite eras, now being chronicled by Downton Abbey, is post-World War I when the entitled Brits are freefalling and the Yanks are in ascension.

Lady Sybil marries the Irish chauffeur (hurrah!) and launches a new bloodline. We know their great-granddaughter Kathleen will marry Vijay, begetting Ravi, who will marry Lupe. We?re an American audience, after all. The noble old Crawleys are going down. Ain?t it grand!

A Childhood Spent Dodging Anglos

I grew up in Oklahoma with olive skin, full lips and a proclivity to dance -- not the typical Scotch-Irish-English type. Surely someone of my folk had mated with an Indian or a black cowboy. I went to graduate school in New York City and worked as a bartender at a Howard Johnson?s in Times Square. When my regulars asked, as New Yorkers do, what I was, meaning my heritage, I evaded the question: "What do you think?"

I decided to believe the majority opinion: northern Italian. When I looked in the mirror, I saw myself at 25: operatic mouth, intense feelings, tears. Most of my friends were weepy Irish poets.

I didn?t admit it back then, but I was fighting an uphill blood battle. My father was a Shakespeare professor. My mother was a theater director with a penchant for that most English of Irish writers, Oscar Wilde. I was named after Her Royal Highness Elizabeth I and brought up in the Anglican Church. We ate roast beef and Yorkshire pudding every Christmas. I majored in ... English. I still get excited when they announce the books that have won the Man Booker Prize. The current audiobooks on my iPhone are Mansfield Park, A Tale of Two Cities, North and South and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. OK, they?re all plot-driven and easy to listen to while on the treadmill, but still ... it?s embarrassing.

And the topper? I grew up playing dress-up in my mother?s costume shop. The striped taffeta gown worn by Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest was my favorite. My clothes to this day could be costumes and by far the hottest category on my Netflix account is Movies Based on Classic Literature, aka English costume dramas.

And I am, indeed, awaiting the January return of Downton to PBS, with bated, bloody English breath!

From Chaucer to the DAR

A few months ago, I received an email from Michael Nolan, a friend from my Cuban salsa class who had started a business as a genealogical sleuth. That struck me as a good excuse to confront my ancestry head-on. I rang him up.

"So, what do you want to find out, Elizabeth?" he asked.

I gave him the list: "Is there a non-Anglo hiding out in my family tree? What accounts for my dark-skinned grandfather? Is there any truth to our being related to John Adams?"

After what Michael considered a relatively easy search (if you come from conquering people, the records tend to survive), the answers to those questions were what I dreaded: No; I don't know; and no.

Well, I didn?t dread hearing there was no connection to Adams. Even though the surname is rampant in my family, the illustrious link never made sense, because, with the exception of my parents, no one I?d ever heard of on either side of my family had ever left the Deep South. A Yankee relative? You gotta be kiddin?. As for my grandfather's dark skin, it was disappointing, if not surprising, to learn that there are some doors even a genealogical dig can?t pry open.

And my deep desire for non-Anglos in my blood? Even just one emotive Roman Catholic, please! Nope, nary a one. Just Brits going back to Chaucer?s day. And some Scots who, sanctioned by His Majesty, invaded Northern Ireland (aka The Plantations) around 1610 to ?homestead? and who must have mucked it up there as their sons sailed to Virginia in the 1640s.

(More: To Italy With Love)

Over the centuries, my folk sunk deeper and deeper into the American South - farmers, gunsmiths, preachers all, with an occasional war hero in the mix. My favorite: Dicey Langston, a teenager during the Revolutionary War. She rode her horse across flooding streams to warn her brother and his band of South Carolina Patriots of an imminent raid by Bloody Bill Cunningham and his Loyalist troops ? and saved the people of Laurens County. Another time, she threw herself between her father and a Loyalist gunman sent to kill him, sparing his life. Here was an ancestor worth claiming. So what that she bore her husband, another war hero, 22 children and history never heard of her again.

Dicey was my fifth great-grandmother. My mother was named Miss Good Citizenship of Alabama in 1939 and invited to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. But that was the year the DAR refused permission for Marian Anderson to sing at Constitution Hall, and my mother told the DAR, "No, thank you."

Roast Beef With Downton Chaser

Meanwhile, it?s winter in America and I?m counting on Downton Abbey as an antidote to post-holiday blues. Nobody serves up drama as delicious as that of the Brits. I?ll be rooting for the Irish chauffeur and his once-entitled feminist wife, Sybil. I'll be hoping that head housemaid Anna finds a way to spring her true love -- Bates, Lord Grantham?s valet -- from prison and that their progeny to go on to university. They are my folk, the common folk. I wish I could warn them not to get caught up in the fascist politics of the 1930s and promise them that in another couple of generations, they?ll be able to dress just like the Crawleys for a pittance.

When I look in the mirror these days I see thinning lips, not quite the same intensity and only a slight chance of tears. I look more like the Anglo I am. My empire is passing, but all is not lost. I have a trunk full of costumes that I?ll pass on to my daughter some day. Now I?m able to laugh about my heritage, thanks to genealogical tracking ? and a lifetime of gorging on English costume dramas.

Read more on Next Avenue

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The Don't-Miss List: Eric Clapton, 'Amour' and More

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/downton-abbey_n_2349673.html

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Friday, December 21, 2012

We always have russian car crash videos.....now here comes the Chinese

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A personal view of judicial elections (Offthekuff)

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English football agrees on anti-racism action plan

By ROB HARRIS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:00 a.m. ET Dec. 20, 2012

LONDON (AP) -The English Football Association has approved proposals to help stamp out the resurgence of racism in the national game.

The "Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Action Plan" was requested by British Prime Minister David Cameron after high-profile racism cases involving Chelsea captain John Terry and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez last season, and various fan incidents.

Among proposals across 15 pages, managers and players will have "mandatory induction arrangements" if they are new to the "British cultural environment."

Football leaders also want greater consistency in the response by police to racist abuse at matches and legislation to clamp down on abusive messages on social networking sites.

FA Chairman David Bernstein says "this is a commitment on behalf of English football to ensure the game is inclusive and free of discrimination."

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


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Opinion: Even if Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates had no coach to guide them, you'd think hard about betting against perhaps the greatest team ever.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Biology Syllabus ? So What Does The Subject Focused On ...

If you?re encountered with biology syllabus assessment in that case he/she really needs to fully grasp the exact objectives to make sure that he/she are able to comprehend the objective. There are 3 well-known objectives concerning learning the field of biology which generally are to have practical knowledge with understanding, ability to actually deal with important information and resolve issues in conjunction with learning experimental skillsets as well as inspections.

The actual Biology Syllabus entails of scientific phenomena specifics hence these particular 3 important objectives are crucial for the main assessment procedure. A few other reasons for assessment are to be capable of making predictions, address issues, manipulate data and locate ideal sources to get knowledge acquisition.

19 December 2012 | Reference and Education

Source: http://www.apodimosstudents.com/reference-and-education/biology-syllabus-so-what-does-the-subject-focused-on/

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Video: Set a festive table with Colin Cowie?s ideas

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From super to ultra: Just how big can black holes get?

Dec. 18, 2012 ? Some of the biggest black holes in the Universe may actually be even bigger than previously thought, according to a study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Astronomers have long known about the class of the largest black holes, which they call "supermassive" black holes. Typically, these black holes have masses ranging between a few million and a few billion times that of our sun.

This new analysis of the brightest galaxies in a sample of 18 galaxy clusters suggests that the masses of at least ten of the supermassive black holes in these galaxies are ultramassive, in that they weigh between 10 and 40 billion times the mass of the sun. Astronomers refer to black holes of this size as "ultramassive" black holes and only know of a few confirmed examples.

"Our results show that there may be many more ultramassive black holes in the universe than previously thought," said study leader Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo of Stanford University and formerly of Cambridge University in the UK.

The researchers estimated the masses of the black holes in the sample by using an established relationship between masses of black holes, and the amount of X-rays and radio waves they generate. This relationship, called the fundamental plane of black hole activity, fits the data on black holes with masses ranging from 10 solar masses to a billion solar masses.

The black hole masses derived by Hlavacek-Larrondo and her colleagues were about ten times larger than those derived from standard relationships between black hole mass and the properties of their host galaxy. One of these relationships involves a correlation between the black hole mass and the infrared luminosity of the central region, or bulge, of the galaxy.

"These results may mean we don't really understand how the very biggest black holes coexist with their host galaxies," said co-author Andrew Fabian of Cambridge University. "It looks like the behavior of these huge black holes has to differ from that of their less massive cousins in an important way."

All of the potential ultramassive black holes found in this study lie in galaxies at the centers of massive galaxy clusters containing huge amounts of hot gas. Outbursts powered by the central black holes are needed to prevent this hot gas from cooling and forming enormous numbers of stars. To power the outbursts, the black holes must swallow large amounts of mass in the form of hot gas. Because the largest black holes can swallow the most mass and power the biggest outbursts, ultramassive black holes had already been predicted to exist to explain some of the most powerful outbursts seen. The extreme environment experienced by these galaxies may explain why the standard relations for estimating black hole masses do not apply.

These results can only be confirmed by making detailed mass estimates of the black holes in this sample, which is by modeling the motion of stars or gas in the vicinity of the black holes. Such a study has been carried out for the black hole in the center of the galaxy M87, the central galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest galaxy cluster to Earth. The mass of M87's black hole, as estimated from the motion of the stars, is significantly higher than the estimate using infrared data, approximately matching the correction in black hole mass estimated by the authors of the Chandra study.

"Our next step is to measure the mass of these monster black holes in a similar way to M87, and confirm their existence. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up finding the biggest black holes in the Universe," said Hlavacek-Larrondo. "If our results are confirmed, they will have important ramifications for understanding the formation and evolution of black holes across cosmic time."

In addition to the X-rays from Chandra, the new study also uses radio data from the NSF's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and infrared data from the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS).

These results were published in the July 2012 issue of The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. J. Hlavacek-Larrondo, A. C. Fabian, A. C. Edge, M. T. Hogan. On the hunt for ultramassive black holes in brightest cluster galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2012; 424 (1): 224 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21187.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/e_q4YWhu1NE/121218143000.htm

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Japan Trade Gap Boosts Stimulus Call

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Winter storm moves through Rocky Mountains

Don McLachlan shovels out from a winter snow storm at Shelter Cover Resort and Marina on Willamette Pass after a snow storm descended on the area Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Chris Pietsch)

Don McLachlan shovels out from a winter snow storm at Shelter Cover Resort and Marina on Willamette Pass after a snow storm descended on the area Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Chris Pietsch)

(AP) ? A winter snow storm moved through the Rocky Mountain region Tuesday as many people prepared for the start of their holiday travels.

The storm could cause travel delays on major highways such as Interstate 40 in Arizona, Interstate 15 in Utah, Interstate 70 in Utah and Colorado and Interstate 25 in Colorado.

Travel along roads in eastern Colorado could be especially treacherous because of winds expected to reach 50 mph, said Mike Hudson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kansas City. These areas east of I-25 should get less snow than other parts of Colorado, but will have blizzard conditions and zero visibility.

"That wind is really going to play havoc," Hudson said.

Hudson said Denver International Airport could see delays starting Tuesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service was forecasting 3-8 inches of snow in southern Utah and northern Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 6-8 inches of snow in some parts of Colorado.

Mountains and ski areas in the three states will get more snow.

Just light snow flurries are expected in the Salt Lake City area in northern Utah, said Jeff Zimmerman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City International Airport wasn't expecting delays.

But the snow will continue to come down heavily in the Utah ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains. The ski areas have received 12-20 inches of snow in the last 48 hours and should get 4-8 inches more, Zimmerman said.

The Utah Avalanche Center has issued a warning for dangerous backcountry snowslides in northern Utah's mountains.

By Thursday, the snow is expected to subside in Utah and Arizona. By then, storms will begin in the Pacific Northwest, where snow and rain is expected, Zimmerman said.

The snow expected in northern Arizona will add to an already thick snowpack.

Two recent storms had combined to blanket the mountains north of Flagstaff with 2 feet of snow, about 20 inches in Flagstaff and along the Mogollon Rim, and about 6 inches in Prescott. The snowfall put Flagstaff above its nearly 17-inch normal for December with the snowiest month yet to come in January.

The fast-moving storm will hit Arizona from west to east Tuesday evening before leaving the state Wednesday with temperatures that will be 10-15 degrees below normal, the National Weather Service said.

For those traveling over the weekend for the holidays, the weather won't be as bitter. Warmer temperatures return Thursday and will back to near-normal on Friday and through the weekend, said Robert Rickey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

Until then, the major roadways in northern Arizona are expected to be an icy and slushy mess. Gusty winds that send snow blowing through the air also could limit visibility.

___

Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca contributed from Flagstaff, Ariz.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-18-Winter%20Storm/id-b923cd8f3a544313b5f9c5bcd4c6bdc6

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Colorado cycling coach who admitted to past doping fired from college

Rick Crawford (Provided by Colorado Mesa University)

GRAND JUNCTION???Colorado Mesa University has fired its high-profile, winning cycling coach Rick Crawford after a third athlete who had studied under Crawford has accused Crawford of helping him to dope. Crawford denies the allegation.

In October, Crawford voluntarily had gone to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and admitted that he had helped procure performance-enhancing drugs for two professional cyclists ? Levi Leipheimer and Kirk O'Bee ? between 1999 and 2001. The agency reprimanded him earlier this month, and he agreed to perform 500 hours of community service.

CMU allowed him to stay on as coach under the oversight of former professional cyclist Scott Mercier of Grand Junction. Mercier walked away from elite professional cycling in the 1990s rather than bow to the pressure to take drugs.

"I wanted to get it out. It felt ugly the whole time," Crawford said after admitting his part in the doping scandal that has taken down many professional cyclists.

Crawford was the first coach to come forward and publicly admit to helping athletes dope. He said he never helped collegiate athletes use drugs and, on the contrary, preached adamantly against doping.

Crawford, 53, came to CMU in February after coaching at Fort Lewis College for eight seasons. His CMU team was recently ranked first nationally among Division II schools.

Crawford did not return requests for comment this week. Mercier said CMU has started a coach search. In the interim, a team member from Germany, Patric Rostel, has assumed the duties and pay of coach.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/DJRzqtZQPVo/colorado-cycling-coach-who-admitted-past-doping-fired

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Campaign for IOC president takes shape, quietly

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) ? Thomas Bach strides through the hotel lobby between meetings with a phone pressed to his ear. Over in one corner of the foyer sits Richard Carrion, deep in discussion with a fellow member. A few tables away, Ng Ser Miang chats with a colleague over a cup of tea.

All in the same room, three leading contenders all quietly engaged in the so-far unofficial campaign for perhaps the most powerful job in world sports: president of the International Olympic Committee.

Just don't say out loud that that the race is on.

With the election nine months away, the campaign to succeed Jacques Rogge is forging ahead behind the scenes without fanfare, policy platforms, debates ? or any declared candidates for that matter.

Rogge, the Belgian surgeon who has led the Olympic body since 2001, steps down at the end of his term in September 2013. Although no one yet speaks openly about replacing him, the list of potential contenders is an open secret in IOC circles.

Some members are still sounding out their chances, while a few others look certain to run.

The deadline for declaration of candidacies is not until June, three months before the vote in Buenos Aires on Sept. 10. Candidates are likely to wait until closer to the date before announcing their intentions, thereby avoiding the impression of being too hasty or undercutting the outgoing president.

"It's little by little coming out in the open," Gerhard Heiberg, a senior IOC member from Norway who is not in the running, told The Associated Press. "It's still too early, but people are preparing for what's going to happen. I think that's good. It's an open field with many possible candidates and that's what we want."

Heading the prospective field are Bach, Carrion and Ng. All three were in Lausanne recently for IOC meetings, and they were hard to miss. While Bach and Ng are vice presidents who sit on the ruling executive board, Carrion is no longer a board member and must make an extra effort from outside the inner circle.

All three also made the trip to Israel for the 70th birthday celebrations of IOC member Alex Gilady earlier this month.

Bach, a German lawyer and former Olympic fencer, shapes up as the favorite. He ticks several boxes: He's from Europe, the dominant bloc in the IOC. Of the IOC's eight presidents since 1894, only one ? Avery Brundage of the United States ? came from outside Europe.

The 58-year-old Bach has been on the executive board ? as a regular member or vice president ? since 1996. He's a former Olympic athlete, having won the team foil gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Games. As chairman of the IOC juridical commission, he leads most of the investigations into doping cases. He's president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation.

Carrion, chairman of Puerto Rico's largest bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, has made his mark as a money man. Head of the IOC's finance and audit commissions, he led the negotiations that secured the record $4.38 billion deal with NBC for U.S. TV rights through 2020. Carrion, 60, also oversees the IOC's financial reserves, which have grown to more than $550 million from $105 million in 2001.

If Carrion has a drawback, it's that he doesn't have a strong sporting background like Bach.

Ng, a 63-year-old member from Singapore, is seen as the candidate from Asia, a continent with growing influence on the world stage. Ng is best known for having led the organizing committee for the inaugural Youth Olympics ? Rogge's pet project ? in Singapore in 2010. Whether he can marshal the full backing of Asian members remains key to his chances.

British bookmakers are even listing odds on the race ? with Bach the even-money favorite with Ladbrokes, followed by Carrion at 2-1 and Ng at 6-4.

There are a handful of others in the frame.

Nawal El Moutawakel, the Moroccan who won a gold medal in the women's 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, confirmed recently that she was thinking about a possible run. She was elevated to the IOC vice presidency in July and holds a high-profile position as head of the coordination commission for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Another woman, longtime U.S. member and former IOC vice president Anita DeFrantz, is a possible candidate. The former rower, who chairs the women and sports commission, ran for IOC president in 2001, but was eliminated in the first round. DeFrantz has failed in several attempts to return to the executive board since then.

Two Swiss members, Rene Fasel and Denis Oswald, are also weighing their options. Fasel is president of the International Ice Hockey Federation and led the IOC oversight panel for the 2010 Vancouver Games. Oswald, the former longtime head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, chaired the IOC commissions for the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Games.

"There are a few colleagues who are trying to convince me to run," Oswald told The Associated Press. "I haven't decided yet. I will have to assess the situation and my chances. I will make a decision in a few months, probably."

In the end, a field of four or five candidates would seem likely.

"Nobody is talking openly and declaring any firm intention but it's always pretty much the same names floating around," Oswald said. "I have the feeling that more than one (are) in the situation where they don't know yet and still wait to see how it develops and talk with some people."

Rogge was elected to an initial eight-year term and was re-elected unopposed to a final four-year mandate in 2009. The succession battle is developing as the 70-year-old Rogge, coming off recent hip replacement surgery, looks his age ? a far cry from the sturdy and youthful man who took over 12 years go.

Members believe the election campaign should not overshadow the remainder of his presidency.

"Jacques Rogge is still the president and should not be disturbed by candidates going out openly at this stage," Heiberg said. "I hope the longer it takes before that starts, the better. The closer we get to the day for the voting, the better."

Holding off before declaring a candidacy can have strategic advantages. Once members become official candidates, they are covered by tight ethics rules that restrict election campaigning.

Under rules drawn up the ethics commission, candidates must limit their travel to promote their campaign. So, until then, members can still benefit from traveling to meetings or conferences where they can approach colleagues and privately discuss the election.

The ethics code also prohibits candidates from using social media to promote themselves and bars them from organizing any public meetings or taking part in any debate. The intention is to "prevent any excesses" and conduct the campaign with "dignity and moderation."

"In a way I think it's not a political election," Oswald said. "It shouldn't be at least. We know each other pretty well. I don't think we need to have a campaign the American way. The president who is able to have the best financial support is the one who is going to be able to win pretty much. It's good that we don't have something similar."

Rogge, meanwhile, has pledged to remain neutral in the race. The idea of grooming a successor or endorsing a candidate has never been an issue.

"It's certainly our president's attitude in general not to show any preference," Oswald said. "We have to respect that. I'm pretty sure he won't give any instruction or show any specific support to anyone."

For now, the instruction is simple: Shhhh! The campaign has yet to begin.

___

Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/campaign-ioc-president-takes-shape-quietly-100408792--oly.html

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Ask Siri for Directions "via Transit" to Use Google Maps Instead of Apple Maps

Ask Siri for Directions "via Transit" to Use Google Maps Instead of Apple MapsWe're happily using Google Maps on our iPhones, but find it frustrating that using Siri to find a route with anything other than Apple's default app requires a bit of work. Software blog Addictive Tips found a clever workaround: you only need to say "via transit" after your request and Siri will offer other routing options.

A simple, but not entirely hands-free, way of making Siri display Google Maps directions is to speak the words ?via transit' at the end of your request. For example, "show directions to Dragon City via transit". This displays a list of all available navigation apps, including Google Maps, which you can then select from the list to have it provide you directions.

Apple may remove this sometime in the future, possibly when their mobile app offers transit and walking directions, but for now you can use Siri and Google Maps almost exactly as you would with Apple's default offering.

How To Use Siri To Get Google Maps Directions Without Jailbreak | Addictive Tips

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/kD6raB1kKNA/ask-siri-for-directions-via-transit-to-use-google-maps-instead-of-apple-maps

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Video: Stocks Rally on 'Cliff' Optimism

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50231447/

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Can a Mind Body Spirit Detox Help Psychological Health and fitness ...

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Source: http://naraklemorijao.blogspot.com/2012/12/can-mind-body-spirit-detox-help.html

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UC Berkeley to Give $1 Million in Scholarships to Illegal Immigrants ...

Posted by College Insurrection ?? Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 9:30am

One has to wonder why so many colleges are?subsidizing higher education for illegal immigrants. Students who are citizens or legal immigrants are having a hard enough time paying for college or finding work, aren?t they?

Eric Owens of the Daily Caller has the story.

Mucho dinero: UC Berkeley to give $1 million in scholarships to illegal immigrants

The University of California, Berkeley has received a $1 million gift from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. The money will provide scholarships for almost 200 students who are illegal immigrants.

The award is the largest individual donation any American university has ever received for scholarships of this kind, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel. It will go toward the school?s Dreamers Fund, an initiative designed to help improve access to education among illegal immigrant students.

UC Berkeley students from some 20 different countries who came to the United States as children and are still living in the country illegally while attending the prestigious university will receive the scholarship money.

While federal law does not allow illegal immigrants to receive Pell Grants, subsidized student loans or work-study aid, the 2011 California Dream Act made such students eligible for privately endowed scholarships and state-sponsored financial aid.

?We feel like these dreamers have already beaten the odds,? said Denis Chicola, a spokesperson for the Haas Jr. Fund, according to The Daily Californian. ?They have really proven themselves as hardworking students.?

Not everyone is slapping themselves on the back, though.

?Clearly it?s unethical,? says Mark Krikorian, executive director of the anti-illegal-immigration Center for Immigration Studies, according to NPR. ?What it means is that this foundation is valuing illegal immigrant students above American or legal immigrant students who can?t afford the tuition at the UC system.?

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Source: http://collegeinsurrection.com/2012/12/uc-berkeley-to-give-1-million-in-scholarships-to-illegal-immigrants/

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Why Choose Pavers (Paving Stones) Over Concrete? | Home ...

Why Choose Pavers (Paving Stones) Over Concrete?

paving stones in new jerseyPavers or paving stones area concrete-made substances that are used in making pavements. However, it is 4 times sturdier than concrete. Pavers have long been used in enhancing the beauty of walkway, courtyard, driveway, backyard, pool deck, patio, etc.

Back in 5000 BC, the Cretans built the first paved roads. The Romans built the first paved expressway system more than 1,900 years ago. At earlier times, paving stones were made of clay or sand. Latest paving system uses accurate fabricated concrete interlocking paving stones. These are durable, easy-to-maintain, and are available at a reasonable cost.

Based on paving surface, different types of pavers are there ? natural stone, concrete, rubber, clay brick, and grass pavers. Part from that, there are also Mortared block and Mortar less paving systems. Mortared brick type of pavers is nonflexible, rigid, and tends to crack easily. By contrast, mortar less pavers contains sand between ingredients and is used in road-based objects. It is more flexible than Mortared block system and is widely used in the fastest growing paving business.

Paving stones have some certain benefits than concrete. Let us take a look why these stones are preferable to concrete for your walkway.

  • Driveway or walkway must be strong and durable so that it lasts for a long time. Pavers will give you such a lasting durability. They are hundred times better than concrete and are easy to repair.
  • Using paving stones adds greatly to the look of a walkway. They enhance the beauty of your surroundings by giving it a natural look. Scenic walkways instead of a concrete or brick build one will attract people more. People can beautify their outdoor living space by constructing dazzling walkway, pavement, or patio with pleasantly designed paving stones.
  • Paving stones are available in a variety of colors. So, people are open to choose them according to their personal taste and preference.
  • Decorating the driveway with admirable pavers will increase the property value. Moreover, it can be done at a low cost.
  • Pavers last more than brick or concrete. They are also resistant to earthquake.

The popularity of these stones is increasing day by day. However, you should check the quality before buying pavers from any company. In addition, you should also employ an experienced installer in order to get the most out of them. The beauty and durability of these stones largely depend on their quality and the expertise of the installer.

This informative post on pavers and paving stones has been presented by Peach Country, a leading pavers New Jersey company for the entire region. Check us out online!!

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Source: http://homeimprovement4me.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/why-choose-pavers-paving-stones-over-concrete/

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

business | Excellent Troy Polamalu Jersey Self Help Suggestions ...

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Source: http://www.gamezone.nfo.ph/excellent-troy-polamalu-jersey-self-help-suggestions-for-the-better-existence/

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Romar International appoints new international business ... - AME Info

Lyle Hopkins is responsible for identifying new commercial opportunities and driving growth across these regions. He joins the company after accumulating many years' experience within the oil and gas industry working in various international locations including Dubai, Oman and India.

Romar's core business is in the provision of magnetic separation products and services for the offshore oil and gas industry worldwide. The appointment is amongst a number of initiatives taken by Romar to ensure the business meets its on-going strategy for international growth.

Prior to joining Romar, Mr Hopkins worked for Tesco Canada International in Dubai for three years where he was responsible for developing North African markets and supporting sales in the Middle East and India. From 2006 to 2009 he was sales and operations manager for Tesco Corporation UK, working with casing running and top drives.

Mr Hopkins also has experience in sales consulting and product development and has held positions at Noble Drilling, Petro Care Supply and Western Well Tool. In his new role he will be based at Romar's head office in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire.

Romar International commercial director, Robbie Gray, said, "Lyle Hopkins joins the company at a very exciting time for Romar as we continue to progress into further international locations. The Middle East, North Africa and India are significant areas for Romar and his expertise and knowledge will be invaluable towards achieving our plans for international expansion in the coming years. We are committed to growing and maintaining our reputation for providing high quality products to our clients."

Gray said, "As a business development manager for Romar, Mr Hopkins will be working to shape the expansion of the company's strategy by analysing the market and advising Romar directors of development opportunities. He will also work to initiate and develop business relationships with existing and potential clients."

Romar has continued to increase its staff numbers this year in response to business growth - the company currently has 16 members of staff and plans to expand this by a further five-six in the coming months.

Since 2001 the company has grown in size and currently trades in many oilfield industry provinces including the UK and Norwegian North Sea, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, SE Asia and South America. Its success is underpinned by its ability to set up strategic partnerships in regions where Romar's products will be well utilised.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/romar-international-appoints-international-business-development-322835

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Square Register?s Next Frontier In Mobile Payments: Small To Mid-Size Regional Chains

Monthly Pricing from Square ? SquareWith the Starbucks deal in place, there's no doubt that Square will continue to eye partnerships with large brick and mortar stores and brands to power mobile payments and loyalty. But there's a point to be made that the major opportunity may not be with the large brands like Starbucks but with the multitude of small to medium sized chains across the U.S. and beyond. These are regional stores that have two or more locations, but aren't as big as the larger national chains. If Square were to capture marketshare for these regional stores, the company would be able to complete the entire tail of merchants, from the local taco truck to the small chain of wine stores to the Starbucks. Interestingly, we're told that updates to the the company's iPad powered register, Square Register, earlier this year has brought more and more small chains to the payments platform.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/I4HuZ_x-wFw/

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Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid use may impact visuospatial memory

Dec. 14, 2012 ? The long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) may severely impact the user's ability to accurately recall the shapes and spatial relationships of objects, according to a recent study conducted by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School investigators.

In the study, published December 14 online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, McLean Hospital Research Psychiatrist Harrison Pope, MD, used a variety of tests to determine whether AAS users developed cognitive defects due to their admitted history of abuse.

"Our work clearly shows that while some areas of brain function appear to be unaffected by the use of AAS, users performed significantly worse on the visuospatial tests that were administered. Those deficits directly corresponded to their length of use of anabolic-androgenic steroids," explained Pope. "Impaired visuospatial memory means that a person might have difficulty, for example, in remembering how to find a location, such as an address on a street or a room in a building."

The study looked at 44 individuals whose ages ranged from 29-55, with 31 having used AAS for an average of seven years. Each participant was asked to complete five cognitive tests that assessed a wide range of brain functions, including memory for shapes and locations of objects, memory for lists of words, reaction time, ability to maintain attention, and speed of information processing .

Pope and his colleagues discovered that those participants who were long-term AAS users did significantly worse than nonusers on a test called "Pattern Recognition Memory," where participants are asked to try to remember a collection of patterns that they have been presented on a computer screen. The scores on this test declined noticeably with increasing lifetime AAS dose. These results remained stable in sensitivity analyses addressing potential confounding factors, indicating that the findings were unlikely to be attributable to some factor other than AAS use.

Pope explained, "We have seen a significant rise in AAS use within the general population over the last 20 years, and are finding that people are taking doses that are often 10 times stronger than those typically used in the 1960s and 70s. We are worried that with higher doses of AAS and longer periods of lifetime exposure, some people might even eventually develop visuospatial deficits similar to those sometimes seen in elderly people with dementia, who can become easily become lost or disoriented. "

According to Pope, science still knows very little about the very long-term effects of AAS abuse, so few in fact that the McLean team did not know if they would even find that the extended use of AAS resulted in any cognitive defects. "The magnitude of our findings was quite shocking and we hope that they will lead to larger studies and increased awareness regarding the possible dangers of the use and abuse of AAS," said Pope.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by McLean Hospital.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Gen Kanayama, Joseph Kean, James I. Hudson, Harrison G. Pope. Cognitive deficits in long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.11.008

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/xEnN-pzLTKY/121214143025.htm

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Critics Consensus: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Is (Mostly) Worth the Trip

Plus, Any Day Now is a powerful drama.

Also opening this week in limited release:

  • Any Day Now, starring Alan Cumming in a drama about a gay couple who get in trouble with authorities for raising a child in 1970s Los Angeles, is at 90 percent.
  • Consuming Spirits, a hand-drawn animated drama about a dysfunctional family in an Appalachian town, is at 78 percent.
  • Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, a doc about a guitar prodigy who soldiers on in the face of Lou Gehrig's Disease, is at 78 percent.
  • Trashed, featuring Jeremy Irons in a doc about the ecological threat posed by garbage, is at 75 percent.
  • Stand Up Guys, starring Al Pacino and Christopher Walken in a dramedy about a group of old criminals who reunite after one gets out of prison, is at 56 percent.
  • Save The Date, starring Alison Brie and Lizzy Caplan in a romantic comedy about two sisters struggling with different commitment issues, is at 44 percent.
  • Let Fury Have The Hour, a documentary profile of a disparate group of left-leaning writers and musicians, is at 33 percent.
  • Yelling to the Sky, starring Z?e Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe in a coming-of-age drama about a young woman caring for her mentally ill mother in a rough neighborhood, is at 25 percent.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926474/news/1926474/

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Small-business sales make tentative recovery in region | Pacific ...

By Marlize van Romburgh on December 14, 2012.

The number of small businesses in the Tri-Counties that have changed hands so far this year is up 4.2 percent compared to the first 10 months of 2011, but the recovery varies widely by county.

Statistics from BizBen.com, a clearinghouse that connects buyers, sellers and brokers of small businesses and franchises, show that in Ventura County, deals were up 2.2 percent compared to a year earlier, to 235 transactions as of October. But compared to pre-recession transactions, sales in Ventura County are off almost by half, down 47.9 percent compared to 451 in the first 10 months of 2008.

Santa Barbara County has seen a much more robust recovery, with small-business sales up 23.4 percent to 169 through October of this year, compared to those same months in 2011. When stacked against the number of sales in the first 10 months of 2008, however,? deals in the county are down 26.8 percent, compared to 231 in the first three quarters of that year.

And in San Luis Obispo County, sales this year are down 12.5 percent to 112 as of October. Compared to 2008, small-business transactions in the county are down 37.1 percent from 178 in the first 10 months of that year.

?It kind of reflects a lot of what?s happening in the state as a whole,? BizBen founder and President Peter Siegel told the Business Times. ?These numbers are like the major indicators in the economy ? they go up one month, and down the next.?

Statewide business sales were 1,022 in November, according to BizBen?s calculations, representing an increase of more than 7 percent over the 952 deals recorded throughout California in November 2011.

But the month-to-month volatility appears to be concentrated in smaller metro areas such as the Tri-Counties. ?The second-tier metro areas are really the ones that are still all over the place,? Siegel said.

BizBen uses business sales data from city and county governments to tabulate its figures.

Year-to-date, 13,084 small businesses have changed hands in the Golden State, down about 34 percent compared to the 19,885 deals in the first 11 months of 2008.

Siegel said the drastic drop is a direct result of the banking crisis, when credit markets froze and many people lost their jobs.

?A 34 percent drop in activity means at least one third fewer people were able to buy a business in each of the last four years, even though there has been increased demand for small and mid-sized businesses in the state,? he said in a statement. ?Behind the demand pressure are thousands of Californians who?ve decided that owning their own company is a better long-term financial plan in this economic environment than working for someone else.?

While bank lending requirements remain tough, Small Business Administration-backed loans have increased significantly this year, and Siegel said that has been a source of financing for many of the transactions. The Los Angeles district office of the SBA, for example, reported that its loan volume in fiscal year 2012 remained near the high-water mark of 2011, with $1.5 billion in SBA financing in the district.

Siegel said a lot of dealmaking has been held back by political wrangling in Washington, D.C. ?I think that with uncertainty about what?s going on ? there are a lot of tax ramifications that may take place ? a lot of buyers are waiting, putting their plans on hold.?




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Source: http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2012/12/14/small-business-sales-make-tentative-recovery-in-region/

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