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Thursday, February 28, 2013
Why travel abroad? Four reasons I want to travel the world... | NZ Muse
Why travel the world? I?ve been thinking lately about why travel is important to me. Why I choose to spend my time and money on travel, and why we?re taking half a year out to see the world. After all, it?s easy to look at beautiful pictures of mountains, or buildings, or beaches, from the comfort of your own home. Heck, sometimes you?ll get a better view that way. Often monuments are underwhelming in the flesh, or dirty, or crowded, or hard to see from the ground.
That said, wanderlust is in my bones. I want to see these places in the flesh. Breathe the air. See the colours. Taste the flavours. I won?t, lie, one of my big motivators is?
The food
We get pretty good Asian food in New Zealand, being in the Pacific. That said, I want to eat authentic Vietnamese and Thai noodle soups. I want to try genuine Greek and Italian food (which we don?t get so much of here). I want to eat real Mexican, French pastries, In-N-Out Burger, and churros in Spain.
Inspiration
It?s basically impossible not to be inspired by the sights you?ll see and the people you?ll meet. Write, photograph, paint, draw ? whatever your vice, you will find fresh creative fodder on the road. Hand in hand with inspiration (at least for me) also comes sheer contentment. It?s likely bad things will happen along the way. You?ll miss a bus or run out of petrol or lose a memory card or get food poisoning ? but it?s all part of the experience. Think of the stories you?ll tell when you get back. Overall, travel is always an amazing experience for me, and it?s always worth it. As a rule, I?m deliriously happy when I?m travelling. It?s a feeling that I just believe how lucky I am to be where I am at any given moment, and am constantly pinching myself to make sure it?s real.
Get some perspective
Basically all the couchsurfers we?ve hosted have said how much they?d like to live here and that they could see themselves staying in New Zealand if they could get a job. It is a beautiful country, and it?s hard for ME not to get caught up in their amazement and awe myself. You get to see your country through new eyes. Conversely, when you?re the visitor in someone else?s country, learning about their customs and laws and environment and culture, you will either learn just how lucky you are to live where you do, or see its shortcomings more clearly (or a bit of both). Travel helps you clarify what?s important to you. Broadening your horizons = personal growth.
The memories
Some of my fondest memories are from the road. Wandering Sydney?s suburban streets. Walking along Bondi in bare feet, and getting strange looks for it. Trying not to lose my shit as I fell 15,000 feet from a plane over Queenstown. The meeting of sea and sky in one glorious palette at Kaikoura. The crystal clear waters of Rarotonga. Freezing my ass off on the walk to Fox Glacier. Drinking from a waterfall at Milford Sound. Spotting penguins in the Catlins. Cursing the squawking ducks on Lake te Anau. Photographing the whooshing geysers at the Pancake Rocks, and feeding weka in the carpark. Getting lost in Mt Aspiring National Park, and stopping to climb the rocks at Hospital Flat. The hidden charms of New Chum?s Beach and Cathedral Cove. All the better, almost all of these are shared experiences with T I won?t forget.
Because I have a new plugin, I?ve gone a bit tad crazy. Vote on my travel polls below!
Source: http://nzmuse.com/2013/02/why-i-travel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-i-travel
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Marlins owner says he didn't renege on promises
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? A cluster of media stood outside the Miami Marlins clubhouse, awaiting the arrival of owner Jeffrey Loria, when outfielder Bryan Petersen walked past.
"Somebody getting married?" Petersen said.
It was more like somebody trying to salvage a relationship. Loria's three-day public relations campaign to patch things up with angry fans brought him to spring training Tuesday for an interview session that included several testy exchanges before the owner cut it short.
Loria reiterated many of his previous comments regarding the 2012 payroll purge, saying it wasn't about money but about improving the farm system. Ten minutes into the news conference, he bristled when asked why fans should believe him.
"You've said that question in four different ways," Loria said. "My response to you is we have put together some championship-caliber players. We're going to field an excellent team in the next two or three years that you're going to be proud of."
Fans are upset that after only one season of big spending in a new ballpark built mostly with tax money, the Marlins have reverted to their tight budgets of the past. Loria was asked about trying to change the impression the ballpark project was "a con job."
"A con job? I'm not even going to answer that," Loria said.
Many project the Marlins to lose 100 games only a year after they were the talk of baseball and touted as playoff contenders. This year's payroll is expected to be less than $45 million, compared with $90 million in 2012.
Loria denied he reneged on any promise, noting the Marlins finished last in the NL East with their biggest payroll ever.
"I fulfilled my promise in the new ballpark last year," he said. "It didn't work. So what do you do? Go back again and lose more games? We needed to do something to beef up the organization."
A blockbuster trade in November sent to Toronto three of the Marlins' highest-paid players ? shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. In exchange Miami acquired mostly prospects.
"We have some very exciting young players here," Loria said. "We need to bring them along and develop our own stars, or else we're going to be a last-place team forever."
As he stepped away from the TV cameras after 15 minutes, a PR aide said the owner would take more questions. Instead, Loria disappeared through a clubhouse door and didn't return.
At some point the team's play will have to speak for itself.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marlins-owner-says-didnt-renege-promises-180146430--mlb.html
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Ancient shark relative had? buzzsaw mouth
Ray Troll
This is a re-creation of a Helicoprion, which lived 270 million years ago and is the only animal ever with a complete 360-degree spiral of teeth.
By Jennifer Viegas
Discovery
The world?s only animal, past or present, with a complete 360-degree spiral of teeth was Helicoprion, which sliced into prey like a buzzsaw.
This sharklike fish, which lived 270 million years ago, is described in the latest issue of Biology Letters. It had one of the most unusual mouths and sets of teeth in the animal kingdom.
"When the animal closed its mouth on prey, the spiral of sharp teeth rotated backwards, like a circular saw, and slashed through the meat,? lead author Leif Tapanila, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University, told Discovery News.
Tapanila is also the research curator and head of the Earth Sciences Division at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. For the study, he and his colleagues took the first ever 3-D images of Helicoprion remains.
Scientists have puzzled over this animal for more than a century, given its highly unusual "tooth whorl.? The new research sheds light on what this prehistoric marine species looked like, what its ancestry was and how it behaved.
"Helicoprion looked a lot like a big-bodied modern shark, but it had a very unusual mouth,? Tapanila said. "An arc of 15 to 18 serrated teeth were exposed in the center of its lower jaw, and it had no protruding teeth in the upper jaw.?
Ray Troll
Leif Tapanila, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University, with the Helicoprion fossil.
The buzz saw-looking tooth whorl had two functions, the researchers determined. The outermost part anchored the teeth for biting, while the rest of the inner spiral was designed to house the old and previously used teeth from when the animal was younger.
The scientists did not see much wear, tear and breakage, so they suspect Helicoprion primarily sliced into squid or other ancient relatively soft and somewhat chewy sea life. Aside from squid and their early relatives, armored and cartilaginous fish lived in Helicoprion?s ecosystem, along with brachiopods, bivalves and snails. "Cartilaginous? refers to fish made up of cartilage, a firm yet flexible connective tissue.
While Helicoprion looked and acted like a shark, the researchers determined that it?s at the base of the family tree that today includes chimaera (aka "ghost sharks?) and ratfish. Ghost sharks are not technically sharks, but they look and act a lot like them.
Tapanila explained that cartilaginous fish are divided into two main categories: sharks and rays on one side, ratfish and chimaera on the other. They are all marine predators.
No living land or sea animal directly resembles Helicoprion -- especially it?s buzz-saw tooth whorl.
"It was really an improbable animal, and maybe one of the best examples of a successful ?Hopeful Monster,?? Tapanila said, explaining that this refers to evolutionary processes that can result in very unusual body types, with most doomed to failure.
While Helicoprion eventually went extinct, it used to have a nearly global distribution and existed over a period of 10 million years or more, proving that even some eccentric body designs can be successful if they meet the particular needs influenced by the animal?s environment, food sources and more.
John Long, a professor of paleontology at Flinders University, told Discovery News that he fully supports the new findings about Helicoprion and its kin.
"This study ends a century old mystery about this iconic fossil (species) and highlights the unexpected diverse body form that holocephalans occupied,? Long said.
Tapanila and his team would love to find a fossilized prey animal in the mouth of such a prehistoric shark-like animal, to better determine which exact species they were hunting and eating. Given that they lived even before the dinosaurs, Tapanila isn?t "holding his breath? for such a rare find.
Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17118881-ancient-shark-relative-had-buzzsaw-mouth?lite
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Kerry, in France, looks at next steps on Syria
PARIS (AP) ? New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has held his first official meeting with France's leadership amid increasing efforts by both countries to bolster Syria's opposition.
Kerry met Wednesday with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, chatting in French on the front steps of the Elysee Palace.
The war in Syria and Iran's nuclear program have topped the agenda of Kerry's tour of Europe and the Middle East.
Officials in the United States and Europe said Tuesday the U.S. administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide non-lethal assistance to carefully vetted fighters opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
France, Syria's onetime colonial ruler, is also seeking ways to provide more support for Syria's opposition coalition after two years of fighting Assad's government crackdown.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-france-looks-next-steps-syria-094912847--politics.html
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Jose Aldo-Anthony Pettis featherweight championship fight back on
Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said featherweight champion Jose Aldo was refusing to take a fight with Anthony Pettis, the lightweight who was scheduled to fight Aldo in August. As Kevin Iole wrote, Aldo told White he didn't think Pettis had earned the title shot.
The fight is back on. Andre Pederneias, Aldo's manager, told SporTV in Brazil (with translation from our friends at Yahoo! Brazil) that Aldo will take the fight, with one condition:
?I had a meeting today (Monday) with Jos? Aldo, who said: ?I?m going to end with this clownery. People are saying that I?m running, so they are going to see who will run from who when the time comes. If you enjoy a brawl, you can buy the pay-per-view of august 3th and that what you are going to watch because heads will roll?. At that moment I called Dana White to agree with the fight, but on one condition: after that fight, the winner gets a title shot at LW?.
White confirmed that the fight is on.
Yes Aldo vs Pettis and it's for Aldo's UFC 145lb title
? Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2013
ESPN is reporting that Aldo will get his wish, and that if he beats Pettis on Aug. 3, he will get a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Benson Henderson is currently the title holder, and will fight Gilbert Melendez in April.
This means the UFC lightweight belt has a clear path for 2013. Pettis was supposed to be the next lightweight contender, but pushed for the Aldo fight because he didn't want to wait until the Henderson and Melendez fight was over.
Are you looking forward to seeing Aldo possibly fight for the lightweight belt? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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Q&A with Ashley Bell | People's Critic: Film Reviews - seattlepi.com
Actress Ashley Bell took time out to talk about reprising her role as Nell in The Last Exorcism Part 2. We talk about the joy and challenges of playing Nell, working with Eli Roth, and she explains why horror films are great date movies.
Was there any apprehension playing the role of Nell in the Last Exorcism movies?
Ashley Bell: Oh no. It?s such a dream roll for an actress. I come from a theater background. I studied acting at NYU and also the Groundlings in LA. Jumping into a role that was so physically and emotionally demanding was just awesome.
Were there any subtle changes you wanted to make to Nell?s character in The Last Exorcism Part II?
AB: Very much so. With Nell?s character, when I read the script, you think about where she comes from. She?s been broken by the events that have happened in Part 1 and we see this person that?s shattered. She?s putting her life back together and picking up these pieces and there are a lot of pieces missing. There?s a lot of doubt and a lot of questions. In these questions is where the temptation comes in.
You see this arc in the first film of Nell not knowing what?s going on and then all these events start happening. I thought you played that very well. I know that?s tough to give a character layers without much dialogue.
AB: I really appreciate that. Growing up I was a huge fan of horror movies. There?s nothing more fun than going into a movie with a smile because you know you?re going to be scared to death [laughs]. There?s something thrilling about sitting there waiting for a scare to happen. When I saw Part 2 for the first time, people were jumping into each other arms. The film packs a lot of really fun scares. There?s also a real surprise ending. It?s really something only Eli Roth can pull off.
With your families acting background, was acting something you always wanted to do?
AB: Growing up I always wanted to always be something new. I thought if I was an actress, I would have a chance at doing it all. What?s incredible about this profession is every role you play; you learn a different skill set. That really appealed to me.
What was it like working with Eli Roth?
AB: Eli is such a master of the horror genre. He knows it so well, so he can break all the rules. He knows what hasn?t been seen, and how to make a twist to turn a film on its head and surprise audiences. I saw him work in the editing room and he?s like a magician. He knows how to turn a scene that?s scary into something truly horrifying.
I remember that when he did Cabin Fever and Hostile. He really pushed the envelope.
AB: What I loved about the Hostile movies was the revenge element. The characters get revenge and the 13 year old boy in me loves that. Audiences will be surprised when they see The Last Exorcism Part 2, Nell gets revenge.
In Part 2 what was your favorite scene to shoot?
AB: It?s really important to do all of my own physicality. I was important in Part 2 to one up the backbend. There?s a levitating backbend and that?s a really challenging stunt to do. It was one of the most exhilarating days on set. There was a stunt crew and they ok?d me to do it six times and we ended up doing the scene twenty times. Every take was more and more intense. We kept on adding things to it and the crew was involved. It was great. At the end of the day if somebody asked what I did today I could say, ?Well, I flew.? Who gets to say that?
As great as it is to be part of horror films, I?m jumping into a few other genres. I?m coming out in a romantic comedy called The Bounceback that?s premiering at SXSW. I?m also doing an action film called The Marine. It?s straight up action. I?m jumping through windows, cars are exploding, and I run around on an abandoned ship. I?m also stepping behind the camera. This year, I visited Cambodia to do a documentary on elephants called Love and Bananas. You can find out more information at loveandbananas.com.
Anything fans could look forward to in Part 2.
AB: I always say horror films are great date movies. In the first twenty minutes you?re going to end up in each other?s arms. [laughs]
[laughs] That?s a great tip
The Last Exorcism Part 2 opens in theaters on 3/1
Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/peoplescritic/2013/02/26/qa-with-ashley-bell/
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Senate to vote on moving ahead on Hagel nod
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama's contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight.
Twelve days after Republicans stalled the nomination, the Senate was slated to vote Tuesday on proceeding with the Hagel selection after GOP lawmakers signaled late Monday they would end their delaying tactics. If Hagel gets the necessary votes, it would just be a matter of time for a simple up-or-down vote, although Republicans could insist on the maximum 30 hours of debate before a final vote.
If confirmed, Hagel would succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and join Obama's retooled national security team just days before automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the Pentagon.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he was optimistic about the vote's outcome and said it was critical for the Senate to act quickly.
"Given sequestration, it's really important that we have a secretary of defense who is in place when that hits, if it hits," Levin told reporters Monday. "I want to still say 'if' because I'm a perennial optimist."
Hagel's nomination bitterly split the Senate, with Republicans turning on their former GOP colleague and Democrats standing by Obama's nominee.
The president got no points with the GOP for tapping the former two-term senator and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran. Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel over his past statements and votes. They argued that he was too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., clashed with his onetime friend over his opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 at a point when the war seemed in danger of being lost. Hagel, who voted to authorize military force in Iraq, later opposed the conflict, comparing it to Vietnam and arguing that it shifted the focus from Afghanistan.
McCain called Hagel unqualified for the Pentagon job even though he once described him as fit for a Cabinet post.
Republicans also challenged Hagel about a May 2012 study that he co-authored for the advocacy group Global Zero, which called for an 80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and the eventual elimination of all the world's nuclear arms.
The group argued that with the Cold War over, the United States can reduce its total nuclear arsenal to 900 without sacrificing security. Currently, the U.S. and Russia have about 5,000 warheads each, either deployed or in reserve. Both countries are on track to reduce their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by 2018, the number set in the New START treaty that the Senate ratified in December 2010.
In an echo of the 2012 presidential campaign, Hagel faced an onslaught of criticism by well-funded, Republican-leaning outside groups that labeled the former senator "anti-Israel" and pressured senators to oppose the nomination. The groups ran television and print ads criticizing Hagel.
Opponents were particularly incensed by Hagel's use of the term "Jewish lobby" to refer to pro-Israel groups. He apologized, saying he should have used another term and should not have said those groups have intimidated members of the Senate into favoring actions contrary to U.S. interests.
The nominee spent weeks reaching out to members of the Senate, meeting individually with lawmakers to address their concerns and seeking to reassure them about his policies.
Hagel's halting and inconsistent performance during some eight hours of testimony at this confirmation hearing last month undercut his cause, but it wasn't a fatal blow.
There was no erosion in Democratic support for the president's choice and Hagel had the backing of three Republicans ? Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Richard Shelby of Alabama. Other Republicans were reluctant to block a president's Cabinet choice from getting an up-or-down vote, fearing the precedent.
Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate, more than enough to confirm Hagel on a majority vote.
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Amid Palestinian protest, rocket hits Israel
? A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas strained to tamp down tensions in the West Bank as Palestinians protested by the thousands and called for a third intifada, and militants in Gaza broke a November cease-fire by firing a rocket into southern Israel.
"The Israelis want chaos.... We will not allow them to drag us into it and to mess with the lives of our children and our youth," Mr. Abbas said, according to Reuters, as he sought to cool tensions and cast the uptick in Palestinian anger as a result of Israeli incitement.
But Abbas is up against formidable voices who seem to see another uprising as the inevitable result of days of large-scale protests across the West Bank against conditions for Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons, sparked by the Feb. 23 death of one such inmate.
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about Israel? Take the quiz
?This is the new intifada,? said Mustafa Barghouti, a rival to Abbas in the 2005 presidential election, according to Bloomberg. ?A popular resistance has started.? Calls for a third intifada come despite the fact that public sentiment still largely opposes a full uprising.
The Christian Science Monitor reported yesterday that the most recent protests come on top of frustration about the seemingly endless Israeli occupation and settlement growth, as well as Israeli and international inaction.
?The issue of the prisoners is only one point that created this eruption,? said Sheikh Issa Jaradat, the former mayor of Sair, at the funeral for deceased prisoner Arafat Jaradat. People filled every rooftop, balcony, and open patch of grass surrounding the village square as Jaradat?s coffin was carried through the crowd, sparking fierce whistling and a few gunshots.
?The fact that so many people are here shows that this is not just about the suffering of Sair. The whole West Bank is suffering,? says the sheikh. ?This could easily be the beginning of an intifada.?
But, as the Monitor reports, only 32 percent of Palestinians support a third intifada, according to a poll taken before the death of Arafat Jaradat, the Palestinian inmate. Sixty-five percent oppose it, with 41 percent of them saying it will hurt the Palestinian cause.
Indeed, such an uprising could work against Palestinian interests in several ways. It could bolster Israel?s argument that it has no partner for peace, enabling it to continue expanding settlements in the West Bank unfettered by negotiations. It could also provide Israeli justification for maintaining or increasing checkpoints, arrests, and administrative detention in the name of security.
Reuters reports that international leaders had hoped the unrest in the West Bank was dying down prior to the rocket attack from Gaza, for which the militant group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility. The news agency described the attack as ?an apparent show of solidarity? with the protests. It was the first such attack since a cease-fire was signed in November to end eight days of Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli air strikes.
The Wall Street Journal reports that ?Israel is taking the unrest seriously,? with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding ?security consultations? yesterday and sending a representative to Ramallah to urge the Palestinian Authority (PA) to calm the protesters.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu, pinned blame for the protests, some of which turned violent, on PA officials, the Journal reports. "There were elements within the [Palestinian Authority] who were actually encouraging incitement and violence," Mr. Regev said. "The Palestinian Authority has an obligation to maintain law and order."
And Amos Gilad, an Israeli defense official, told Army Radio that ?It looks as if the Palestinian Authority is trying to walk a delicate tightrope: both raising unrest and displays of violence and not wanting the matter to spin out of control,? the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Related stories
Read this story at csmonitor.com
Become a part of the Monitor community
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amid-palestinian-protests-gaza-militants-fire-rocket-israel-135849287.html
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Deformed otter penises a concern for humans
Al Grillo / AP file
This Alaska sea otter from the waters off of the Aleutian Island of Adak looks healthy enough. Its brethren in England aren't faring so well.
By Marc Lallanilla
LiveScience
Scientists are concerned about the deformed sex organs of England's otters ? and what it might mean for humans.
The furry mammals are found in rivers throughout Britain, but male otters aren't what they used to be. An alarming number of them now have shrunken penis bones (baculum), as well as undescended testicles (cryptorchidism) and cysts on sperm-carrying tubes, according to a new report written by Cardiff University scientists.
The results are based on analyses of samples from 755 otter carcasses collected around England and Wales between 1992 and 2009.
"We were surprised to see the reduction in the baculum weight," Elizabeth Chadwick, project manager at the Cardiff University Otter Project, told the BBC. "(It's) certainly something that needs further investigation."
Though scientists aren't yet able to identify a single cause for the deformed sex organs, one leading suspect is a class of chemical pollutants known as endocrine disruptors.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals?(EDCs) alter the hormone balance of humans and animals. An unborn fetus is particularly vulnerable to the effects of endocrine disruptors, since the development of sex organs in the womb is largely controlled by hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
The plastic additive Bisphenol A, or BPA is one hormone disruptor that's consistently been cited as a concern for women of childbearing age and their babies. Other endocrine-disrupting compounds are found in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other common household products.
Though scientists are still sifting through the evidence, there are many researchers who believe the prevalence of endocrine disruptors might be linked to a worldwide drop in sperm quality and quantity in humans. [Sexy Swimmers: 7 Odd Facts About Sperm]
As the top predator in England's rivers and lakes, the BBC reports, otters are an indicator species whose health reveals much about the well-being of the entire aquatic ecosystem. Health problems discovered in otters, Chadwick said, "could be a warning for all mammals really, which include us humans."
"These findings highlight that it is time to end the complacency about the effects of pollutants on male reproductive health, particularly as some of the effects reported in otters may be caused by the same EDCs that are suspected to contribute to the declining trends in men's reproductive health and cause testicular cancer, undescended testes and low sperm count," Gwynne Lyons, director of Chemicals, Health and Environment Monitoring Trust (CHEM), which co-authored the report with Cardiff University, said in a statement.
Contact Marc Lallanilla at mlallanilla@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcLallanilla. Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Mediterranean diet can ward off heart disease: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A Mediterranean diet high in olive oil, nuts, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables may help prevent heart disease and strokes, according to a new large study from Spain.
Past research suggested people who eat a Mediterranean-like diet have healthier hearts, but those studies couldn't rule out that other health or lifestyle differences had made the difference.
For the new trial, researchers randomly assigned study volunteers at risk of heart disease to a Mediterranean or standard low-fat diet for five years, allowing the team to single out the effect of diet, in particular.
"This is good news, because we know how to prevent the main cause of deaths - that is cardiovascular disease - with a good diet," said Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, who worked on the study at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona.
He and colleagues from across Spain assigned almost 7,500 older adults with diabetes or other heart risks to one of three groups.
Two groups were instructed to eat a Mediterranean diet - one supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and the other with nuts, both donated for the study - with help from personalized advice and group meetings. The third study group ate a "control" diet, which emphasized low-fat dairy products, grains and fruits and vegetables.
Over the next five years, 288 study participants had a heart attack or stroke or died of any type of cardiovascular disease.
People on both Mediterranean diets were 28 to 30 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those on the general low-fat diet, the researchers reported Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The new study is the first randomized trial of any diet pattern to show benefit among people initially without heart disease, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, who studies nutrition and cardiovascular disease at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
NOT DUE TO SINGLE INGREDIENT
It's the blend of Mediterranean diet components - not one particular ingredient - that promotes heart health, according to Martinez-Gonzalez.
"The quality of fat in the Mediterranean diet is very good," he told Reuters Health. "This good source of calories is replacing other bad sources of calories. In addition, there is a wide variety of plant foods in the Mediterranean diet," including legumes and fruits as desserts, Martinez-Gonzalez added.
"I think it's a combination of what's eaten and what's not eaten," agreed Mozaffarian, who wasn't involved in the new research.
"Things that are discouraged are refined breads and sweets, sodas and red meats and processed meats," he told Reuters Health. "The combination of more of the good things and less of the bad things is important."
Martinez-Gonzalez suggested people seeking to improve their diet start with small changes, such as forgoing meat one or two days per week, cooking with olive oil and drinking red wine with meals rather than hard alcohol.
Replacing a high-carbohydrate or high-saturated fat snack with a handful of nuts is also a helpful change, said Teresa Fung, a nutrition researcher at Simmons College in Boston who also wasn't on the study team.
"All of these steps are making, at the end of the day, a big difference," Martinez-Gonzalez said.
Fung pointed out many people in the new trial were already on medications, such as statins and diabetes drugs.
"The way I see it is, even if people are on medication already, diet has substantial additional benefit," she told Reuters Health.
That's likely the case for people without heart risks - including high blood pressure or cholesterol - as well, Fung added.
"This is a high-risk group, but I don't think people should wait until they become high-risk in order to change," she said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/YuyV7v New England Journal of Medicine, online February 25, 2013.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mediterranean-diet-ward-off-heart-disease-study-182104968.html
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Do Bank Overdrafts or Payday Loans Charge Higher Fees for Short ...
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Welcome to My Personal Finance Journey! If you are new here, please read the "About" or "First-Time Visitor" pages to find out more about us. If you would like to receive free updates on articles like this by email, then sign up here or you can?subscribe to the RSS feed. Also, check us out on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for visiting! Keep on learning!
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Recently, I was reading a post on MyBankTracker?that revealed taking out a payday loan may actually be cheaper than using an?unauthorized?overdraft service from your bank/checking account.?
Surprised? I was too. After all, aren't payday loans supposed to the about the worst deal you can get?!?While many people (including me) would not assume that taking out a payday loan on a short-term basis would result in lower repayment costs in comparison to main-stream bank overdraft fees, recent research has also highlighted this is the case, particularly depending on the balance of the transaction.
Because of this high interest rate, payday loans are absolutely not suitable for longer-term borrowing or if you are experiencing chronic financial difficulties regularly.?Recent research from payday loan provider?Payday Bank?revealed that more than a third (37%) of payday borrowers used payday loans to ease pressure with bills during a difficult time, while a further 28% used payday loans specifically to tide them over in an emergency.
How about you all? Have you ever over-drafted your bank account? If so, how much did it cost you?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of?http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5093/5566653522_7edf8846f1_z.jpg
Welcome to My Personal Finance Journey! If you are new here, please read the "About" or "First-Time Visitor" pages to find out more about us. If you would like to receive free updates on articles like this by email, then sign up here or you can?subscribe to the RSS feed. Also, check us out on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for visiting! Keep on learning!
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Recently, I was reading a post on MyBankTracker?that revealed taking out a payday loan may actually be cheaper than using an?unauthorized?overdraft service from your bank/checking account.?
Surprised? I was too. After all, aren't payday loans supposed to the about the worst deal you can get?!?While many people (including me) would not assume that taking out a payday loan on a short-term basis would result in lower repayment costs in comparison to main-stream bank overdraft fees, recent research has also highlighted this is the case, particularly depending on the balance of the transaction.
Let's take a look at this in a little more detail:
Another report/analysis performed by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) compared the cost of borrowing ?200 (~$300 USD) from a typical payday lender against the same sum as an unauthorized overdraft with two UK banks, Lloyds Bank and Nat West. What they found was that borrowers actually had the lowest cost through a payday lender at ?66. The overdraft fees for this same amount were both significantly higher at??84.22 with Lloyds Bank and ?110 with Nat West.
What is the Cost of a 1 Month Payday Loan?
The CISI study reported that in the UK, the typical payday lender charges ?29 (~$44 USD) interest for every ?100 borrowed, provided loans are repaid within a 28-day period. This corresponds to a representative APR of around 2670%.?Because of this high interest rate, payday loans are absolutely not suitable for longer-term borrowing or if you are experiencing chronic financial difficulties regularly.?Recent research from payday loan provider?Payday Bank?revealed that more than a third (37%) of payday borrowers used payday loans to ease pressure with bills during a difficult time, while a further 28% used payday loans specifically to tide them over in an emergency.
For obvious reasons, payday loans are definitely not the type of loan situation you want to find yourself in, especially considering that credit card interest rates, at 20%, are even considered pricey!?However, before we pass judgment too far on these, let's also take a look at how the fees associated with bank/checking account overdrafts compare with this:
What is the Cost of Overdraft Fees for the Same 1 Month Time Period?
According to the CISI study above, main-stream banks charge overdraft fees?totaling?an APR equivalent of up to 53,099,884%. Talk about expensive! Does that really say 53 million percent?! That's and outstanding business return!Because this sounded pretty wild, I also wanted to check this APR reported with US banks to see how it compares. Below is what I discovered:
- According to Bank of America's overdraft fee section of their website, they charge $35 per overdraft transaction on the first day the overdraft occurs, and then another $35 every 5 days until the overdraft transaction amount is paid off/you have a positive balance.?
- Assuming 30 days in 1 month, this means you will be charged a total of $245 ($35 x 7 total charges) for the one month.?
- Since these overdraft charges are on a per transaction basis, this means that the lower the value of the item you are using the overdraft to pay for, the higher the representative APR will be.?
- For example, if you had a 1 month overdraft on the 100 GBP / $151 mentioned in the payday loans section above, you would be charged the same $245. This would equate to a $2940 fee on a yearly basis, or an APR of 1,970%.
- On the other hand, if you had the same one month overdraft on only a smaller $50 purchase, this would equate to an APR of 5880%.
- As a worse (but maybe not very realistic) case, for a $1 purchase, this would equate to an APR of 294,000%. What this means is that in order to generate the 53 million percent figure mentioned above, they likely figured it using a purchase of only a few cents. Like I said, maybe not totally realistic, but possibly more effective at driving home their point...
Conclusions
From the above investigation, we saw that 1 month payday loans tend to charge fees correlating with an annual interest rate of several thousand percentage points. On the other hand, we saw that 1 month bank overdrafts can (depending on the balance) charge APR's varying from several hundred to tens of thousands of percentage points.What we can conclude from this is that even though there are better ways to pay for unexpected expenses (emergency fund ideally or even a credit card since it has a lower APR),?if the single transaction/purchase you are taking the loan out on is quite large (>$200), it is actually cheaper to use bank overdrafts. However, if the balance is smaller, payday loans are technically cheaper.
Another interesting thought I considered while writing this article was potential reasons for why bank overdraft fees don't really have the same bad reputation that payday loans tend to carry, despite the fact that they have similar APR's. Perhaps it is because most of the time, when bank overdrafts happen, they are paid off very quickly, and so do not end up costing the full one month of fees modeled here.?
How about you all? Have you ever over-drafted your bank account? If so, how much did it cost you?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of?http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5093/5566653522_7edf8846f1_z.jpg
Source: http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com/2013/02/do-bank-overdrafts-or-payday-loans.html
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Princess pulls Spanish King into royal scandal - The Local
A German aristocrat said on Monday she secured a job for Spanish King Juan Carlos' son-in-law, who is under investigation for allegedly embezzling million of euros of public money, at the request of the monarch.
"The king asked me to help Inaki find a suitable job at an internationally recognised organisation," said Sayn-Wittgenstein, whom Spanish media describe as a close friend of the king.
Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball champion who is married to the king's youngest daughter Cristina, is accused of leveraging his connections to gain inflated contracts to stage sports and tourism events from regional governments for the Noos Institute, a non-profit foundation he once managed.
Prosecutors suspect Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres siphoned off millions of euros from these contracts and then redirected much of the money to offshore accounts and private businesses.
Urdangarin, 45, was jeered as he appeared at a court in Palma to be questioned for the second time by a judge investigating the corruption allegations. He and Torres have denied any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any crime.
Torres has provided the investigation judge with e-mails allegedly exchanged between Urdangarin and Sayn-Wittgenstein which appeared to indicate that the king backed and closely followed his son-in-law's business career.
Sayn-Wittgenstein, who runs a consulting firm, Appolonia Associates, told El Mundo that Urdangarin visited her London office in June 2004 to discuss a job at Laureus, which is best known for staging a yearly awards ceremony sponsored by luxury brands.
"His profile seemed perfect to work for Laureus. He was a real 'Golden Boy': an Olympic Athlete with two medals, at Atlanta and Sydney, and member of a European royal family through his marriage with Princess Cristina," she said.
But after several months Urdangarin, who comes from a wealthy Basque family and who acquired the title of Duke of Palma when he married Cristina in 1997, decided not to accept the job, she added.
"When he did not accept the offer from Laureus, I was very disappointed. And that put me in a very uncomfortable position with the Foundation," Sayn-Wittgenstein said.
"It was perfect given his position, but I think it was not enough for him. Laureus was not El Dorado," she added.
Laureus offered to pay Urdangarin a yearly salary of ?200,000 but he felt the amount was not sufficient, El Mundo reported.
During his court appearance on Saturday, Urdangarin said the royal family did not advise or authorise the activities of the Noos Institute, which he ran from 2004 to 2006.
AFP/mb
Source: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130225-48181.html
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Google planning Spotify-style subscription music service - report
AppleInsider writes, As rumors swirl of a Pandora-style Internet radio service from Apple, Google is said to be working on a paid subscription music service akin to Spotify.
Continue reading Google planning Spotify-style subscription music service - report at AppleInsider
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Vatican lashes out at 'false' pre-conclave reporting as attempts to influence cardinal votes
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican lashed out Saturday at the media for what it said has been a run of defamatory and false reports before the conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI's successor, saying they were an attempt to influence the election.
Italian newspapers have been rife with unsourced reports in recent days about the contents of a secret dossier prepared for the pope by three cardinals who investigated the origins of the 2012 scandal over leaked Vatican documents.
The reports have suggested the revelations in the dossier, given to Benedict in December, were a factor in his decision to resign. The pope himself has said merely that he doesn't have the "strength of mind and body" to carry on.
On Saturday, the Vatican secretariat of state said the Catholic Church has for centuries insisted on the independence of its cardinals to elect their pope. Now, it said, the "pressures of public opinion" is in play in a bid to influence their vote.
"It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave ... that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories that cause serious damage to persons and institutions."
It was issued as Benedict met for the last time with the Vatican bureaucracy before stepping down Feb. 28. The occasion was the final session of the Vatican's Lenten spiritual retreat, a weeklong series of meditations composed by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, himself a papal contender.
In one of his final meditations Friday, Ravasi denounced the "divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies" that afflict the Vatican bureaucracy ? divisions that were exposed by the leaks of documents taken from the pope's study. The documents revealed the petty wrangling, corruption and cronyism and even allegations of a gay plot at the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
The three cardinals who investigated the theft of the documents had wide-ranging powers to interview even cardinals to get to the bottom of the dynamics within the Curia ? the Vatican bureaucracy ? that resulted in the gravest Vatican security breach in modern times.
Benedict has referred obliquely to the Vatican's dysfunction in recent days, deploring how the church is often "defiled" by attacks and divisions and urging its members to overcome "pride and egoism."
On Saturday, in his final comments to the Curia, he lamented the "evil, suffering and corruption" that has defaced God's creation. But he also thanked the Vatican bureaucrats for eight years of work, love and faith and promised them he would continue to be spiritually close to them in retirement.
___
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-lashes-false-pre-conclave-reporting-attempts-influence-134629403.html
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
Italians vote in parliamentary elections
A nuns casts her ballot in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A nuns casts her ballot in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A nun votes in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A nun exits a booth as she votes in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Nuns vote in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A man arrives to vote in a polling station in downtown Rome, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ROME (AP) ? Will Italy stay the course with painful economic reform? Or fall back into the old habit of profligacy and inertia? These are the stakes as Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies.
Fellow EU countries and investors are watching closely, as the decisions that Italy makes over the next several months promise to have a profound impact on whether Europe can decisively put out the flames of its financial crisis. Greece's troubles in recent years were enough to spark a series of market panics. With an economy almost 10 times the size of Greece's, Italy is simply too big a country for Europe, and the world, to see fail.
Leading the electoral pack is Pier Luigi Bersani, a former communist who has shown a pragmatic streak in supporting tough economic reforms spearheaded by incumbent Mario Monti. On Bersani's heels is Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul seeking an unlikely political comeback after being forced from the premiership by Italy's debt crisis. Monti, while widely credited with saving Italy from financial ruin, is trailing badly as he pays the price for the suffering caused by austerity measures.
Then there's the wild card: comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo, whose protest movement against the entrenched political class has been drawing tens of thousands to rallies in piazzas across Italy. If his self-styled political "tsunami" sweeps into Parliament with a big chunk of seats, Italy could be in store for a prolonged period of political confusion that would spook the markets.
While a man of the left, Bersani has shown himself to have a surprising amount in common with the center-right Monti ? and the two have hinted at the possibility of teaming up in a coalition. Bersani was Monti's most loyal backer in Parliament during the respected economist's tenure at the head of a technocratic government. And in ministerial posts in previous center-left governments, Bersani fought hard to free up such areas of the economy as energy, insurance and banking services.
But it's uncertain that Monti will be able muster the votes needed to give Bersani's Democratic Party a stable majority in both houses of Parliament.
"Forming a government with a stable parliamentary alliance may prove tricky after elections," said Eoin Ryan, an analyst with IHS Global Insight. "A surge in support for anti-austerity parties is raising chances of an indecisive election result and post-vote political instability."
Another factor is turnout. Usually some 80 percent of the 50 million eligible voters go to the polls but experts are predicting many will stay away in anger, hurting mainstream parties.
When Berlusconi stepped down in November 2011, newspapers were writing his political obituary. At 76, blamed for mismanaging the economy and disgraced by criminal allegations of sex with an underage prostitute, the billionaire media baron appeared finished as a political force.
But Berlusconi has proven time and again ? over 20 years at the center of Italian politics ? that he should never be counted out.
The campaign strategy that has allowed him to become a contender in these elections is a simple one: please the masses by throwing around cash.
Berlusconi has promised to give back an unpopular property tax imposed by Monti as part of austerity measures. Even his purchase of start striker Mario Balotelli for his AC Milan soccer team was widely seen as a ploy to buy votes. Berlusconi has also appealed to Italy's right-wing by praising Italy's former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during a ceremony commemorating Holocaust victims.
The most recent polls show Bersani in the lead with 33 percent of the vote, against 28 percent for Berlusconi's coalition with the populist Northern League. Grillo's 5 Star movement was in a surprise third place, with 17 percent support, while Monti's centrist coalition was notching 13 percent. The COESIS poll of 6,212 respondents had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percent.
Pollster Renato Mannheimer said among his biggest clients heading into the elections were foreign banks seeking to gauge whether to hold or sell Italian bonds.
"They are worried mostly about the return of Berlusconi," Mannheimer said.
Uncertainty over the outcome of the vote has pushed the Milan stock exchange down in the days running up to the vote and bumped up borrowing costs, as investors express concern that Italy may back down from a reform course to pull the country out of recession.
Mannheimer said many undecided voters ? who comprise around one-third of the total electorate ? identify with the center-right, and that may help Berlusconi. He said that the undecided vote may also tilt heavily toward Grillo's protest movement.
The professorial Monti looked uncomfortable at first as a candidate but has recently warmed to the role. Like the others, he has not shied away from name calling, warning that Berlusconi is a "charlatan" and saying his return would be "horrific."
Bond analyst Nicholas Spiro said the election "will deliver the most important verdict on the eurozone's three-year-old austerity focused policies."
But he is betting on a period of political instability after the vote.
"An upset victory by Mr. Berlusconi may be markets' nightmare scenario," he said, "but the prospects for a stable and harmonious Bersani-Monti coalition government ? still the mostly likely outcome in our view ? are bleak."
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California: County Supervisors Committee Sends Anti-Gun Proposed Ordinances to the Full Board for Consideration
Unfortunately, members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee do not seem to understand that it is not law-abiding gun owners who are the cause of violent crime.?? They?apparently?believe that if they impose further restrictions on current legally owned products then they will reduce violent crime where current?gun control laws have utterly failed.? Criminals do not respect current gun laws, so why should anyone expect criminals to obey new gun laws?
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee approved two anti-gun ordinances to now be heard by the full County Board of Supervisors.?? As of this writing, these two onerous ordinances were not on the schedule for the Tuesday, February 26 Board meeting.? However, it would not be surprising for that to change, so please be prepared to attend the February 26 board meeting at 2:00 pm.? Usually, the County Supervisors meet every Tuesday at City Hall in room 250 at 2:00 pm.
File 130040 bans "the possession and sale of certain ammunition, including black talon ammunition and ammunition intended exclusively for law enforcement and military purposes."? San Francisco law already prohibits the sale of the ammunition listed in File 130040.? Unfortunately, this proposed ordinance would take that law a step further and ban the possession of these types of ammunition.? This?proposal?will only make criminals out of law-abiding citizens and do nothing to stop the criminal activities of others.
File 130039 requires the reporting of ammunition sales of 500 or more rounds.? This ordinance will also do nothing to stop criminal activities.? These reports will only have information on law-abiding competitive and recreational shooters, because they would be the only individuals who regularly buy ammunition in bulk to save money on the large quantities of ammunition they need to improve and maintain their skills.
If enacted these egregious ordinances will only result in innocent law-abiding citizens paying the price for the criminal activities of others.
It is critical that you call AND e-mail county?Supervisors TODAY and urge them to OPPOSE these useless anti-gun ordinances.?? Ask them to instead focus on meaningful measures relating to school safety, mental health issues, marketing of violence?as entertainment?for?our children and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals.? Don't forget to forward this alert to your family, friends and fellow gun owners in San Francisco County and urge them to do the same.
Please continue to check your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for updates on this important issue.
Contact information for the county Supervisors can be found below:
?
District 1
Eric Mar
(415) 554-7410
Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
?
District 2
Mark Farrell
(415) 554-7752
Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org
?
District 3
David Chiu ? President of the Board
(415) 554-7450
David.Chiu@sfgov.org
?
District 4
Carmen Chu
(415) 554-7460
Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org
?
District 5
London Breed
(415) 554-7630
London.Breed@sfgov.org
?
District 6
Jane Kim
(415) 554-7970
Jane.Kim@sfgov.org
?
District 7
Norman Yee
(415) 554-6516
Norman.Yee@sfgov.org
?
District 8
Scott Wiener
(415) 554-6968
Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
?
District 9
David Campos
(415) 554-5144
David.Campos@sfgov.org
?
District 10
Malia Cohen
(415) 554-7670
Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org
?
District 11
John Avalos
(415) 554-6975
John.Avalos@sfgov.org
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
Marco Rubio: A True Friend To Israel
During his second visit to Israel, Rubio has appeared very presidential, meeting with both Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.? He even had the hutzpah to tell Peres that Jerusalem is, ??of course the capital of your country.?? Neither that sentiment, nor those words, will escape Obama?s mouth next month.?
Not wishing to offend America?s president, the Israeli government omitted that statement in its official press release of the Rubio/Peres meeting.? The nation?s newspapers and TV news programs broadcast it, however; most Israelis see Rubio as a true friend.
With Florida?s senator in the country, Netanyahu (yet again) warned that a ?UN nuclear report? confirmed ?Iran has begun installing advanced centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment plant?.??
Israel cannot wait forever to strike Iran, although she is holding off because the Obama administration still sees a ?window of opportunity? for a diplomatic solution.
The question is, of course, will the Jews wait too long?
The most popular tourist attraction in southern Israel is Masada, the site of the last Jewish resistance against Rome prior to the beginning of the Diaspora in 70 A.D.? Visiting Israeli soldiers take an oath there: ?Masada will never fall again.?? At that revered site, the Jewish rebels watched, and watched, and watched as the Romans built a road up to the side of their fortress.? Eventually, the Romans breached the wall, but not before all of the Jews had chosen death before surrender.? The Masada story is legend throughout Israel.?
Will Israel wait too long again?
Rubio has affirmed America?s resolve to keep Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, but the hour is late.? Quite possibly, it?s too late.? North Korea?s ?earthquake? a few days ago may have been its testing of a nuclear device for its Iranian allies.
And Israelis are feeling a growing sense of loneliness, as all of their bordering neighbors grow colder -- even America appears to be distancing herself from the Jews.? President Mohamed Morsi?s Egypt is openly antagonistic, as is Hezbollah?s Lebanon.? Syria is on life-support, and there are Muslim Brotherhood rumblings beginning in Jordan.? All of Israel?s neighbors are again potential foes in some future confrontation just as the revelation of American financial aid being cut becomes front-page news.
Naturally, a warm visit by a high-ranking, influential American politician is a much appreciated breath of fresh air.
In the past few days, the Israeli government has let it be known that during Obama?s visit, the president will be honored ?on behalf of the American people? and because of Israel and America?s long-standing friendship and common goals.? How is that for warmth toward Obama?
With Rubio, the nation of Israel sees a genuine friend who just might be able to mend damaged fences.? The smiles surrounding Rubio appear genuine.? There will also be smiles next month, but they will have a plastic element to them.
Walt Osterman is the author of "Not Home Yet: A Tale Concerning Israel's Rebirth." He served in Vietnam and is a Bronze Star recipient. He lives in Wyoming.
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/marco-rubio-true-friend-israel-1100949
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Friday, February 22, 2013
MCX Crude Oil negative on weak global cues support at 5150
MUMBAI (Commodity Online):?Crude oil futures for March delivery on India's Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) is negative on weak global cues. Futures likely to remain negative during intra-day trade with selling pressure persisting.
?For intra-day the commodity has support at 5150 while 5180 is the resistance and traders are advised to stay on selling side,? said Amrita Mashar, Research Analyst at Commodity Online.
?If prices break 5150 level, then one can enter into sell position with stop loss of Rs.5180 for target near 5120,? she added.
MCX crude oil futures for March delivery was down by 0.21 percent at Rs.5153 per barrel in the evening session on Thursday.
Meanwhile, US crude stockpiles rose by 2.96 mn barrels last week, while gasoline stocks declined 0.12 mn barrels, according to the data released by the American Petroleum Institute.
The futures may have taken cues from US housing data which missed expectations. Minutes of US Federal Reserve's FOMC meet wherein traders may have seen a signal to ending of QE measures also influenced futures negatively.
WTI crude oil futures for April delivery on New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) was down by 1.44 percent at $93.83 per barrel as of 04.13 PM IST on Thursday.
Putting pressure on crude oil and other commodities, preliminary euro zone manufacturing purchasing managers? index fell to a seasonally adjusted 47.8 in February from a final reading of 47.9 in August, according to the data released by Markit.
In US, crude oil traders are waiting for crude oil inventory data scheduled to be released later today by the US Energy Information Administration(EIA).
NYMEX brent crude oil futures for April delivery was down by 1.11 percent at $114.35 per barrel as of 04.15 PM IST on Thursday.
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Michael Phelps has his eye on golf, not gold
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) ? Michael Phelps still hops in the pool these days, but only to escape questions about whether he'll swim competitively again.
The most decorated Olympian is too busy enjoying retirement to think about a Michael Jordan-like comeback. Phelps is filming a reality TV series for the Golf Channel with swing coach Hank Haney. The two visited the Baltimore Orioles in spring training on Thursday.
Phelps donned a helmet for batting practice. After getting warm he found the outfield with more than a few swings, impressing manager Buck Showalter.
Phelps wore a No. 18 jersey, the same number of Olympic gold medals he won during his unparalleled swimming career.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michael-phelps-eye-golf-not-gold-205124694--oly.html
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Soon You'll Be Chatting With Your Car, TV, and Home
Siri, Apple's personal assistant, already understands complex voice commands. You can ask her to find nearby pizza places, and then see a list of options. Say "Tell my wife I'm running late," and Siri will prompt you to send a text. You can ask about the weather and she'll know you are in Chicago, not Miami.
Yet Siri is far from perfect. You can't dictate an email yet, and she doesn't always understand context. If you say "Play my favorite music," she will think you mean an artist named favorite music.
Changes are coming to speech tech in 2013. Several companies are developing next-gen speech technology that will understand everyday language, not just a small subset of voice commands. Using technology developed by Nuance, many modern cars can understand voice commands, and even let you dictate a text message. Google has added speech recognition to everything from smartphones to the Chrome browser. We'll be able to search for all George Clooney movies just by saying his name, control the climate in our car from the back seat by speaking the temperature, and control a PC with our voice in a way that actually works. Improved algorithms, better omnidirectional microphones, and home control of your TV are all coming.
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Mumford & Sons, Adele among winners at Brit Awards
Justin Timberlake performs on stage during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Justin Timberlake performs on stage during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift performs on stage during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
From left, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne of British band One Direction perform on stage during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Robbie Williams performs on stage during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Emeli Sande seen on stage after winning the British Album of the Year award during the BRIT Awards 2013 at the o2 Arena in London on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
LONDON (AP) ? British music put on a brash, confident show at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, celebrating a resurgent industry whose bands and artists are topping charts around the globe.
Winners ranged from established acts such as Coldplay and Adele to world-conquering boy band One Direction, who won in the new Global Success category.
One Direction's Louis Tomlinson called the prize "absolutely mind-blowing."
American artists Frank Ocean and Lana Del Rey were among the non-British winners at a ceremony that embraced the mainstream while rewarding artists with distinctive personalities.
Surfing English folk singer Ben Howard and chanteuse Emeli Sande each won two awards.
Sande was named best British female artist and won the album of the year prize for her debut "Our Version of Events," which has been in the British charts for more than a year. Scotland-raised Sande got a big boost in 2012 when she performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
"This is a dream, really," said Sande, who beat Alt-J, Mumford & Sons, Plan B and Paloma Faith to the album prize.
She thanked everyone "who made me feel like I'm part of something much bigger."
Howard was named British breakthrough act and British male artist of the year.
"I'm not very good at speeches," the 25-year-old singer said, accurately ? though he may have to get good at it if his career continues to take off.
Long derided as dull, the Brits have become a lively celebration of "Cool Britannia" music and style, featuring a dinner for hundreds of artists and industry figures followed by a televised concert and awards show for thousands of paying fans.
Hard rockers Muse opened the show at London's O2 Arena with a typically robust performance of their song "Supremacy"? all thundering music, dazzling light show and 60-piece orchestra. Other performers ranged from tween-pleasing One Direction to American artists Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake, dapper in a tuxedo as he performed "Mirrors," was described by host James Corden, in a nod to Europe's horse meat scandal, as "95 percent beefcake with just a little touch of horse."
One Direction performed a mashup of post-punk classics "One Way or Another" and "Teenage Kicks," their single for Britain's Comic Relief charity.
Mumford & Sons were named best British group. The banjo-twanging band topped U.K. and U.S. charts with their second album "Babel," which was named album of the year at the Grammys earlier this month.
Soul singer Amy Winehouse ? who died in July 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning ? was among the other nominees for British female artist, eligible thanks to her posthumous "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" album. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, arrived for the awards ceremony at London's O2 Arena wearing a waistcoat emblazoned with a picture of his daughter.
Coldplay was named best British live act, beating nominees including The Rolling Stones, who celebrated their 50th anniversary with a series of sold-out shows last year.
Adele won the best British single prize for her James Bond theme "Skyfall." The soulful singer sent a message from Los Angeles, where she is rehearsing for Sunday's Academy Awards.
There was no repeat of last year, when she was cut-off mid-speech because the show was running late ? an incident Corden referred to in mock-embarrassment several times.
The Black Keys were named best international group, while Del Rey took the trophy for international female solo artist. The U.S. singer, who began as an Internet sensation, won a breakthrough Brit award last year and on Wednesday thanked Britain for supporting her.
The international male trophy went to R&B star Frank Ocean, who said it was "definitely a long way from working fast food in New Orleans" ? and was the only winner to thank artist Damien Hirst for creating the polka-dot Brit Awards statuette.
Style standouts included Swift, who performed "I Knew You Were Trouble" in a hoop-skirted white number ? more wedding cake than wedding dress ? that she shed to reveal black undergarments. Jessie J drew attention in a deeply low-cut black dress.
Most of the awards are chosen by more than 1,000 musicians, critics and record industry figures, with several decided by public vote.
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Online: www.brits.co.uk
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