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Binoculars at the ready, a small group of birders fanned out through the field, searching for a brown-and-gray bird that was stubbornly refusing to show itself.
We were looking for a clay-colored sparrow, a rare visitor to the East Coast that had been spotted in this field at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, N.Y., over the last week. But while a few sweeps of the field turned up a variety of birds ? including seven other species of sparrows ? the clay-colored sparrow remained out of sight.
As participants in the National Audubon Society?s annual Christmas Bird Count, we were eager to add this unusual species (check out the video above, posted at YouTube by a professional photographer), to the local tally. But we couldn?t spend all day looking for it. We had to cover the area thoroughly and keep count of every individual bird we saw. In the Christmas Bird Count, every bird counts, no matter how rare or common.
The annual count was begun in 1900 by the ornithologist Frank Chapman as a conservation-minded alternative to the Side Hunt, a Christmas tradition in which revelers competed to see who could shoot more birds and other animals. Now in its 113th year, the count is described by the Audubon Society as the longest-running citizen science project in the world.
Last year, more than 63,000 volunteers participated across North and South America, with more than 2,000 local counts, each covering a circular territory 15 miles in diameter. The vast trove of data ?helps scientists track continent-wide trends in bird populations; the Audubon Society lists more than 200 published studies that rely on information from the count.
My search for the rare sparrow was a part of the Bronx-Westchester Count, which covers an area centered on New Rochelle, N.Y.. Originating ?in 1924, this local count had a cumulative checklist of 224 species last year. The clay-colored sparrow was not one of them, and ?we were disappointed to think we wouldn?t be able to add it to the total.
But there were plenty of other birds around. We spotted a pileated woodpecker, a striking crow-size bird with a scarlet crest; a northern gannet, a long-winged bird of the open ocean that catches fish with a spectacular dive from the sky; a group of buffleheads, diminutive black-and-white ducks that seemed undaunted by the cold, swimming underwater to look for food and then surfacing a short distance away; a handful of red-breasted nuthatches, a northern bird that forages while clambering head-first down tree trunks and whose call sounds like a toy horn; and even an orange-crowned warbler, a tiny gray-and-yellow species that is also uncommon in the East.
And in the cause of science, we dutifully tallied the totals for dozens or hundreds of chickadees, herring gulls, Canada geese, starlings and other abundant locals.
And that was before lunch. After a break to eat and compare notes, the sparrow search recommenced, without great hope. But then, along a path bordering the field, I suddenly saw a blur of motion near the ground.
Got it! A few cellphone calls later, the other birders converged on the spot, and we all got a good look before the sparrow, which admittedly would not merit a second look from most non-birders, flew off down the field. Then, even with our main target spotted, we kept looking and counting. Every bird counts, after all.
In all, this year?s Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count tallied 126 species, tying the highest total for this count circle. Three species were added for the first time, bringing the historical total ?to 227.
And of course, one of them was the clay-colored sparrow, recorded in two spots ? one in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, and ?my? bird at Marshlands.
Do you have a bird-count tale to share?
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In the female pregnant extraordinary mental cycle had originally thought that the children like music is the logical thing, but the actual ?operation?, the problem will come one after another, many children never showed a passion for music, or even to have a rebellion, therefore, ?how to let the children like music? this issue for parents is very confused.(how to cure hemorrhoids, hemorrhoids) production rate will be forward.Expert tips for mothers of women before pregnancy do, must do to prevent hemorrhoid preparations.
Suffer from hemorrhoids seriously affect fetal development
In a large number of pregnant patients with hemorrhoids.Especially with the increase of the month of pregnancy, many city suffer from hemorrhoids, modelled on the mild may also aggravate.
Because the mother pregnancy after another, periodontal pocket in patients with bacterial toxicity increased, on periodontal bone tissue destruction is aggravating, often caused by the loose teeth., with intrauterine fetal development, uterine body increases with each passing day, milking pelvic and scrotum is closed, air does not flow, the growth of bacteria, causing reproductive tract inflammation; at the same time also block the scrotal skin is cooled down, restrict blood circulation, prevent of spermatic vein reflux, on sperm production and nutrition is very bad.Also, extract the rectal vein, causing intraabdominal pressure increase, if not treated can affect fetal development.Pregnancy should be treated primarily outside of hemorrhoids
If a pregnant woman got hemorrhoids, individual by conservative treatment for good.As a result of anesthesia and operation stimulation on pregnant women and fetus are affected, the individual should wait until the postpartum to make operation treatment.
Therefore, on gestational hemorrhoids should be mainly fumigation of external treatment.Hemorrhage of internal hemorrhoids prolapse, or gall some preterm infant by pulmonary surfactant, can produce severe dyspnea and hypoxia, called hyaline membrane disease, this is one of the common causes of leading to premature death.Real time, need to a hospital specialist treatment.If mild symptoms, available potassium permanganate (PP powder) appropriate water pale white after the bath, or in the doctor under the leadership of lightyellow sophora, gold and silver floral water and other traditional Chinese medicine decoction, but don?t use some hemorrhoids ointment, is likely to affect the fetus.
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If U.S. leaders wanted to give small business owners a great Christmas gift, the looming fiscal cliff issue would already be resolved. But instead they left for their holiday break, leaving U.S. job creators in the lurch with less than a happy holiday in store. U.S. small businesses must still plan for year?s end and make the tough decisions small business owners and entrepreneurs always do. Here?s the latest news and some tips for finishing out your year.
See ya. Wouldn?t want to be ya. With time ticking away until tax increases and spending cuts take effect at the end of this year, U.S. leaders have left for the holiday break. Some remain optimistic, but small business leaders are left guessing without the certainty they need to plan for hiring, expansion, and growth in the new year. ABC News
Bah Humbug. Without a deal in place to avert the fiscal cliff, small businesses looked to as the key job creators to shore up economic recovery won?t have a very Merry Christmas, writes Mike Whalen, a member of the Job Creators Alliance and CEO of Heart of America Group, owner of 27 restaurants and hotels in 10 metropolitan areas across six Midwestern states. U.S. News & World Report
Time is money. Small businesses must face the fiscal cards dealt them by the economy and policy gridlock in Washington, while at the same time, never forget the employees who day in and day out help build a great brand, provide great customer service, and deliver great products and services consistently. This year, with a tight budget and uncertainty looming, small business owner Cynthia Kay decided to give the gift of more time with family. Washington Post
Count it up. There are a number of things companies must do toward the end of the year. And for businesses with considerable stock, year-end inventory is one of those necessities. Here is a brief overview of what you need to perform an effective inventory. Don?t procrastinate. The end of the year is coming. It?s time to get started. The Bottom Line
Tax truths revisited. Another deadline is coming at the end of this year. It?s time for year-end tax planning and those decisions to contribute to your retirement fund, give charitable contributions, make major purchases, accelerate expenses, defer income, take advantage of the healthcare tax credit, and more. Grow Smart Biz
Blow me down. While you figure out your year-end tax planning, don?t forget about the perfect storm. We?re talking about super storm Sandy, here. There may be tax relief for businesses that were affected and tax benefits for those that wish to help the victims. If you want to know more about the options available and whether they apply to your business, check out this post by attorney Barbara Weltman. SBA.gov
Online effectiveness. Businesses outside the U.S. will also have plenty to focus on in the new year. Take e-commerce companies in the U.K., for example. A survey commissioned by Rakuten?s Play.com, says 83 percent of U.K. customers now shop regularly online. In fact, U.K. e-commerce is expected to hit ?77 billion in revenue by the end of 2012. Business Review Europe
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/12/fiscal-cliff-causes-miserable-christmas-for-small-businesses.html
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Foreclosure has affected many people till date resulting in a drastic increase of foreclosure victims. Not just this, these rapidly increasing foreclosures are affecting the financial system and the realty market as well. The only way to recover these bad debts is to sale the property of the foreclosure victims by organizing an auction. In this public sale, there is a possibility to recuperate these non performing assets.
A foreclosure victim is a person who suffers the legal course of action of foreclosure. When an owner purchases a home using a home loan, he deposits a security interest which is a legal agreement. When he is not able to pay the mortgage loan and misses the installments, the lender takes a step against the owner and files a lawsuit against him. At this point, the owner is termed as a Foreclosure Victim.
However the foreclosure victim is given a chance, when a notice is send to him, as a warning, to take a step to stop foreclosure. If in any case, he does not respond to the ?Notice of Default?, a court order called ?Right of Redemption? takes action in which the whole property that was actually the security interest is taken back by the lending institution in a period of two to three months.
There may be many reasons due to which the foreclosure victim might not be able to make the payments of the mortgage loan. For instance, being without a job, death of the homeowner, financial crisis, divorce, transfer to other state and interest rate hike to name a few. All such causes raise the reasons for the Foreclosure victim to make default payment. The foreclosure victim and his family are badly affected as they need to vacate the house on a short notice.
Foreclosure victims can opt for several alternatives like short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, loan mitigation and hardship letter to name a few. Hardship letter is a preventive measure that can make a way out for the foreclosure victim and he can stop the course of action.
In this letter, the foreclosure victim brings up all his problems, which he is going through including all the reasons for default payments and expects that the lender will cooperate and find a middle ground. The Loss Mitigator reads the letter and decides whether to facilitate the foreclosure victim or continue with the course of action. The owner can mention some major points that can be negotiated like to reduce the installment size, pardon a few installments, helping in short sale, extend the loan period or provide time for paying installments to name a few. This will help the owner to come out of his problem and ultimately will stop the process of foreclosure.
There are a several options that are provided on the internet, which can also lend you a hand in coming out of the huge problems of foreclosure. So if you want some information regarding dealing with foreclosures, do not forget to surf the internet as well.
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As President Barack Obama approaches his second and final term, he will have to decide where to be ambitious, where to be cautious and where to buy time. A look at some of the big issues Obama will have to tackle when he returns to Washington after a Hawaiian vacation:
___
GUN CONTROL
Nothing lends an issue a sense of urgency like a harrowing tragedy that leaves the nation feeling shell-shocked. Shortly after the Dec. 14 school shooting in Connecticut, Obama said gun control would be a central issue in his second term, and named an interagency task force to recommend anti-violence legislation, with Vice President Joe Biden taking the lead. Meanwhile, pro-gun Democrats and even a few Republicans have expressed a willingness to consider new gun regulations, a shift that many have described as a "tipping point" in the age-old efforts to impose more stringent restrictions on gun ownership.
But the National Rifle Association has made clear it won't play ball. Instead of new gun laws, the NRA's chief executive officer proposed putting armed guards in every school, highlighting the sizable rift between gun-rights advocates and gun-control supporters that will complicate Obama's efforts to get something through Congress.
Obama's Democratic predecessor, President Bill Clinton, pushed an assault weapons ban through the Democratic-led Congress in 1994, prompting fierce pushback from gun-rights groups. Clinton later would credit the NRA with shifting the House majority to the GOP for the first time in 40 years, although other factors including a House bank scandal played big roles, too. The Clinton-era ban expired in 2004 and has not been renewed.
___
FISCAL CLIFF
Politicians of all stripes say Obama's first priority is to resolve the deep partisan divide over tax-and-spending issues, exemplified by repeated impasses over two years that led to this week's showdown on the "fiscal cliff." Obama and members of Congress left town for the holidays with no clear path forward to avert the combination of across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases that economists have warned could send the U.S. economy teetering back into recession.
The measures are set to take affect at the beginning of January if Congress doesn't act in the final few days of 2012, but high-stakes negotiations between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, have devolved, with Boehner unable to show he can muster the Republican votes to support a compromise reached with Obama. "God only knows" how a deal can be reached now, Boehner declared before heading out for the holidays.
An even higher-risk conflict may arise in a few months. Congress again must either raise the federal debt ceiling by late February or early March ? or see the government default on its loans.
___
IMMIGRATION
In his first news conference after the election, Obama promised to begin work on a major immigration bill soon after his January inauguration. But with a full plate of other pressing issues, it remains to be seen how much of his attention the issue will garner. After all, immigration reform advocates have criticized Obama for failing to follow through on his promise to make immigration reform a top priority during his first term.
Obama won a big majority of Hispanic votes in both of his elections. The trend alarms Republican strategists, who fear their party won't win another presidential election until it repairs its bad relations with Latinos. That could provide an historic opportunity for Democrats, who have long sought comprehensive immigration reform, to reach a deal with Republicans even where previous bipartisan deals have flopped.
The Republican-controlled House already has taken its first steps toward showing it's ready to pursue a new way forward on immigration, voting last month to make green cards accessible to foreign students graduating from U.S. universities with advanced science and math degrees. A more sweeping bill presumably would deal not only with legal residents but also with the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally ? a major sticking point in past immigration battles.
___
NATIONAL SECURITY
Not all of Obama's second-term puzzles are at home. The end to the war in Iraq and the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan present ongoing challenges, as do the civil war in Syria, political turmoil in Egypt and instability and violence in northern Mali. Also, it remains to be seen whether Republican indignation over inadequate security at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya where four Americans were killed on Sept. 11 will continue to vex Obama next year.
The start of the Obama's second term also means a shake-up within his Cabinet. On Friday, Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton when she steps down early next year. Kerry's nomination is expected to easily clear the Senate, where he has served for the last six years as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
It may not be smooth sailing when it comes to nominating a new military chief. Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., considered to be Obama's leading candidate to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, is facing intense criticism on a number of fronts, including his views on Israel and Iran, and comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/look-tough-issues-awaiting-obamas-final-term-202628846--politics.html
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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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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India agreed to buy dozens of Russian military helicopters and kits for the assembly of Sukhoi jets at a summit in New Delhi on Monday, where the leaders of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership.
India, traditionally one of Moscow's top arms clients, said the two sides would also set up a joint venture to manufacture Russian-model helicopters and a $2 billion fund to invest in trade and economic cooperation projects.
"Russia is a key partner in our efforts to modernize our armed forces," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement, welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a valued friend and the original architect of the India-Russia strategic partnership".
Putin's one-day trip, his first to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May, underlines Russia's interest in India, long a regional ally and now a partner in the BRICS group of emerging-market nations.
Writing in the Indian daily the Hindu earlier, Putin stressed that "deepening friendship and cooperation with India is among the top priorities of our foreign policy".
"India and Russia show an example of responsible leadership and collective actions in the international arena," he wrote, a veiled swipe at the West and in particular the United States, which Putin accuses of seeking to impose its will on the world.
Russian defense industry sources had said the visit could produce deals on the sale of fighter jets and aircraft engines worth more than $7.5 billion. However, the main agreements appeared to fall short of that figure.
Kremlin sources said Russia will sell India 71 MI-17 V-5 military helicopters worth $1.3 billion as well as technological kits worth $1.6 billion to assemble 42 Sukhoi SU-30MKI fighter jets. India's foreign ministry said the original deal for these jets was agreed last year.
Russia Helicopters and India's Elcom Systems Private Ltd will also set up a joint venture to manufacture helicopters.
Separately, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) - a sovereign wealth fund - and Indian lender State Bank of India will jointly invest up to $2 billion to boost trade and economic cooperation projects.
RDIF said in a statement that the two firms will work together to facilitate access to long-term capital in Russia and India and promote mutual investments between the two countries.
(Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-russia-seal-defense-deals-trumpet-partnership-105228158--finance.html
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The NuVo P100 Wireless Player ($479 list) plays little brother to the flagship $600 P200 Wireless Player. Like its brethren, the P100 is a combination stereo amplifier and wireless?media hub dedicated to music playback, with support for dual-band Wi-Fi and MIMO. The idea is that you buy P100s for smaller rooms with smaller speakers, and P200s for larger rooms, and then control the entire NuVo system from your iOS or Android device, with the ability to play back different music streams on each system.
The P100 is?not a particularly good value, though, thanks to its still-high price, weaker amplifier, and smaller feature set. But it's fine for use in smaller rooms that don't need the P200's additional power or Bluetooth wireless streaming.
Design and Connections
For more on how the NuVo system works, start with our P200 review. Here, I'll focus on the differences between the two devices.
The 1.35-pound P100 looks like a shrunken P200, measuring 1.65 by 7.36 by 4.53 inches (HWD). Like its larger sibling, it's made entirely of black plastic, with opposing vertical and horizontal curves on the left and right edges of the front panel, respectively. On the front, there's one less button, since the P100 lacks Bluetooth streaming capability; instead, you get just the pair of volume capacitive touch buttons and the Mute button, along with the combination power and status LED.
Around back, everything is almost the same as well. You get an Ethernet port, a USB port, four gold 5-way binding posts, standard-size 3.5mm line in and line out jacks, a hardware power switch, and a port for the power cord. The power supply is still internal, which is a nice touch, as no one likes wall warts. The only difference from the P200 is that the P100 lacks the 3.5mm setup mic port, which isn't a big loss, as the P200 manual says the port is for "future use" only.
Setup, Performance, and Conclusions
You set up the P100 in much the same fashion as the P200. The biggest bummer in the P100's setup process is also what makes it such a good unit for wireless streaming of lossless audio: It requires the additional GW100 Gateway, which is another $199, if you want to use the system wirelessly. Otherwise, you have to plug it straight into your wireless router with an Ethernet cable. Aside from that, the setup process is the same, via the free iOS or Android app that you download and install on your mobile device.
The P100's 20-watt-per-channel amplifier is considerably less powerful than the 60-watt x2 amp in the P200. That's by design, of course; the P100 is meant for use in a smaller room in the house, such as a home office, a bedroom, or a small study, and still sounds good in that context. One other note: Unlike the P200, the P100 isn't capable of driving 4 ohm speakers; it only works with 6 ohm and 8 ohm speakers. Most of the time, this isn't a problem, but if you've got an old pair of PSB Stratus Minis or similar bookshelf speakers, you'll want to go with the P200.
My biggest problem with the P100, though, is its price. The $600 P200 was already expensive, but you lose quite a lot for just $120 in savings. The P200 has a much more powerful amp, aptX Bluetooth streaming capability, and the Audyssey dynamic volume circuitry. Still, if you're committing to a multi-room NuVo Wireless Audio System, the P100 could be just the thing for the smaller rooms in your home.
More Media Hub Reviews:
??? NuVo P100 Wireless Player
??? NuVo P200 Wireless Player
??? Roku Stick
??? Belkin @TV Plus
??? Sling Media Slingbox 350
?? more
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First you have to know which compound of the venom are the active ingredient (a venom is not a single molecule, it's a big mix of lots of substances).
Maybe the important part are just small peptide (works also for small nucleic acid strands). In this case, yes: just slap the gene inside a bacteria or yeast and just harvest the thing in a huge brewery tank. This will cost a tiny fraction of the current method. (as in "a few bucks for a dozen of kilograms"). Washing industry thrives on this kind of process and has already made it fucking incredibly cheap (do you really think that the digestive enzyme in your washing powder where harvested from actual animals ?)
But maybe not. Maybe it can be a complex protein that requires some post processing (chaperone helping to fold it into an unusual shape, enzyme modifying some parts) - (but very unlikely. If the venom can cross the skin without injection, it needs to be something small). Or maybe it can be a small chemical molecule that is produced by a long and complex chain of chemical reaction necessitating a big collection of enzymes (very likely, given that it can easily cross the skin).
In this case you need to identify the candidate, understand the process that produce it (not impossible but it takes time), and then either put the whole machinery inside yeast (bacteria post-process a lot less their proteins) and go for the brewery-tank method, or replicate the synthesis in another way (produce the protein in bacteria and then do the modification in a lab. Or find a way to synthetise the small chemical compound by using a sequence of chemical reactions in a lab) and scale it up to industrial scale.
This *WILL* end up being incredibly cheap in the long term, but requires much more research and development.
There's a whole branch of science to study that, called "Venomics".
Until then, you're stuck at putting bee on a micro electric chair until they are so pissed of that they start stinging the glass.
(And I'm betting that perhaps, all the benefit come from the few traces of adrenalin-like substance that the bee end-up secreting after going through such predicament and of which a small part might end up in the venom itself).
But the fact that they extract only a gram from a whole hive, means that they are probably concentrating/extracting the product already, so they know already a few tips in which direction to look to find the interresting part.
Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/SSEZpFDIiPU/story01.htm
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50285831/
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the appointment of his personal friend John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state and described him as "a known supporter of Israel's security".
President Barack Obama nominated Kerry on Friday, calling the veteran U.S. senator the "perfect choice" as America's top diplomat.
Netanyahu said in a statement: "I congratulate John Kerry on being chosen for the position of U.S. Secretary of State. Kerry is very experienced and is a known supporter of Israel's security."
But Netanyahu may find Kerry no less critical than his predecessor of Israel's policy of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, an area Palestinians want as part of a future state.
"When new settlements go up ... it undermines the viability of a two-state solution," Kerry told a Senate hearing.
Kerry will be the leading Cabinet member charged with tackling pressing global challenges, including trying to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and Iran's nuclear standoff with the West.
Netanyahu, who has had frosty ties with Obama, also mentioned his good personal relations with Kerry in his statement.
"John Kerry and I are friends for many years and I greatly appreciated the fact that half a year ago, after the death of my father, he came to visit me during my mourning. I look forward to cooperating with him," he added.
While Obama put one important piece of his revamped cabinet in place, he held off on naming a new defense secretary.
The delay came in the face of a growing backlash from critics of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who is considered a leading candidate to replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.
Officials in Netanyahu's office have privately voiced concern over the possibility that Hagel might take over at the Pentagon.
Some American Jewish leaders contend that Hagel, who left the Senate in 2008, at times opposed Israel's interests, voting several times against U.S. sanctions on Iran, and made disparaging remarks about the influence of what he called a "Jewish lobby" in Washington.
Asked last week about a statement by Hagel in 2006 that the "Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people here," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he would "have to answer for that comment" if he is nominated.
"And he'll have to answer about why he thought it was a good idea to directly negotiate with Hamas and why he objected to the European Union declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organization," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Additional writing by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-lauds-kerry-nomination-u-secretary-state-job-191806222.html
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has banned senior military officers from holding alcohol- fuelled banquets or from staying in luxury hotels when on work trips in the latest move by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping to fight corruption, state media reported on Saturday.
Receptions will also no longer feature welcome banners, red carpets, flowers, honor guards, performances or souvenirs, the powerful Central Military Commission, which Xi oversees, has decreed, major newspapers reported.
Officers will have to cut back on both the number and length of inspection tours, overseas visits, meetings and reports, according to the new rules.
Speakers at meetings should avoid "empty talk", while the use of vehicles equipped with sirens will be "rigorously controlled during official visits in order to prevent public disturbances".
"Additionally, commission officials are required to discipline their spouses, children and subordinates and make sure they do not take bribes."
The rules echo similar demands made of party officials by Xi earlier this month.
The party, which has shown no sign of giving up its tight grip on power, has struggled to contain public anger at a seemingly endless stream of corruption scandals, particularly when officials are seen as abusing their posts to amass wealth.
China intensified a crackdown on rampant corruption in the military in the late 1990s, banning the People's Liberation Army from engaging in business. But it has crept back in recent years due to a lack of transparency, checks and balances and moral decay.
A senior officer, Lieutenant General Gu Junshan, was sacked earlier this year in what Hong Kong media have said would be the biggest military corruption scandal since the Communists swept to power in 1949, though details have not been officially announced.
Xi, who takes over as president from Hu Jintao at the annual meeting of parliament in March, warned shortly after becoming party boss that the country risked unrest if graft is not tackled.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-bans-alcohol-military-banquets-curb-graft-031046206.html
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Stop us if you've heard this one before: the launch of a flagship, brand-defining smartphone gives its creator a swift leap in market share immediately afterwards. There's no surprise that the iPhone 5 will have improved Apple's standing in the US, then, but Kantar Worldpanel's market share study suggests that the lift was more than some expected. The firm estimates that Apple climbed to 53.3 percent of American smartphone share in the three months leading up to late November. The figure is both Apple's highest ever for the country as well as its first venture past the 50 percent mark. Android in this climate held on to 41.9 percent of the market, hinting that many of those market-shifting iPhone sales came after October. Kantar expects a similar story this month, although it's not predicting how well the Cupertino crew will fare beyond that.
Lest anyone take the results out of context, Kantar points out that it's often a Google-friendly world. Android represents 61 percent of smartphone sales in the five largest European countries, while Apple's share in countries like Brazil and China is still small. There is an upside for Microsoft on this wider scale -- a year of Nokia Lumia sales and the early results of the Windows Phone 8 launch have reportedly pushed Redmond's platform back up to 4.7 percent in those five European nations. We're a long way from going beyond a two-horse race in the smartphone field, but there's at least hints of change on the horizon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google, RIM
Source: Kantar Worldpanel ComTech
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XkrGB1H5q5M/
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This article briefly describes the family-based permanent residence classifications available under U.S. immigration law. A lawful permanent resident is a foreign national who has been granted the privilege of permanently living and working in the United States.
Generally, the procedure for family-based permanent residence is as follows:
Spouses
In order to obtain immigration benefits available to a ?spouse?, there must be a valid and subsisting marriage between the parties.
Generally, marriage is valid for immigration purposes if it is recognized by the law of the place where it occurs. However, a marriage between persons of the same sex will not be valid for immigration purposes, regardless of its possible validity where it occurred. Marriages that are against public policy, such as polygamous or incestuous marriages, are not valid for immigration purposes even if valid in the place where it occurred. Proxy marriages are not recognized under the Immigration and Nationality Act, unless the marriage has been consummated. A marriage that is legally valid may still be disregarded if it is found to be a sham marriage, entered into by the parties to obtain immigration benefits and without any intention to live together as husband and wife. Religious ceremonies alone may not create a binding marriage in some jurisdictions. However, if a religious ceremony alone is in fact sufficient in the jurisdiction where it occurs, the marriage is valid. A marriage ceremony might also be valid for immigration purposes, if the parties entered into it in good faith, believed themselves to be married and lived together as husband and wife.
Moreover, the marriage must be legally subsisting at the time that the immigration benefit is sought. The only exception to this requirement applies to certain widow(er)s of deceased U.S. citizens (discussed below). A marriage can be treated as legally subsisting even though the parties are separated, so long as they are still legally married. The courts have generally rejected the view must be ?viable? to support entitlement to immigration benefits. It is now the administrative view that immigration benefits based on marriage may be sought even if the parties are separated, although the separation may be considered in determining whether the marriage was bona fide.
Widow(er)s of U.S. Citizens
A widow(er) of a U.S. citizen may file an immigrant petition under the following circumstances:
The widow(er) may include an unmarried, minor child in the petition, or a separate petition may be used.
Children
For the purposes of family-based immigration, a ?child? is defined as follows:
The parent-child relationship must continue to exist at the time that immigration process is completed. Accordingly, the child must be unmarried when granted permanent resident status, and the child must be under 21 years of age at that time, with the exceptions described in the?Child Status Protection Act.
Parents
In order to petition a parent under the immediate relative category, the U.S. citizen petitioner must be at least 21 years old. ?Parent? means a parent who is such by reason of his or her relationship to a ?child? within the statutory definition of the term as described above. However, the ?child? must have met the statutory definition at the time their relationship was established and the parent-child relationship must continue to exist at the time that the immigration benefit is sought.
Apart from immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, relatives in the remaining categories must wait for an immigrant visa number to become available according to the following preferences:
First Preference
Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. The immigration law defines a ?son or daughter? as a person who was once a ?child? (as described above) but who is now over the age of 21.
Second Preference
Spouses of lawful permanent residents, their unmarried children (under twenty-one), and the unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
Note that a child born to a permanent resident mother during a visit abroad may be admitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident without the petitioning procedure if: (1) the child is admitted to the U.S. within two years of birth; (2) the child is accompanied by a permanent resident parent upon the parent?s first return to the U.S. after the birth; and (3) the parent is eligible for admission to the U.S.
Third Preference
Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
Fourth Preference
Siblings of adult U.S. citizens. A sibling is a brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, or adopted brother or sister. For the necessary sibling relationship to exist, each person must have been a ?child? (as defined above) of at least one of the same parents. The siblings need not share the same biological parents as long as both became ?children? at the appropriate time (before the age of 16 in cases of adoption, and before the age of 18 for stepchildren).
Source: http://lawandborder.com/?p=2126
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Dec. 21, 2012 ? The causes of learning problems associated with an inherited brain tumor disorder are much more complex than scientists had anticipated, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.
The disorder, neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), is among the most common inherited pediatric brain cancer syndromes. Children born with NF1 can develop low-grade brain tumors, but their most common problems are learning and attention difficulties.
"While one of our top priorities is halting tumor growth, it's also important to ensure that these children don't have the added challenges of living with learning and behavioral problems," says senior author David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology. "Our results suggest that learning problems in these patients can be caused by more than one factor. Successful treatment depends on identifying the biological reasons underlying the problems seen in individual patients with NF1."
The study appears online in Annals of Neurology.
According to Gutmann, who is director of the Washington University Neurofibromatosis Center, scientists are divided when considering the basis for NF1-associated learning abnormalities and attention deficits.
Mutations in the Nf1 gene can disrupt normal regulation of an important protein called RAS in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning. Initial work from other investigators had shown that increased RAS activity due to defective Nf1 gene function impairs memory and attention in some Nf1 mouse models.
However, earlier studies by Gutmann and collaborator David F. Wozniak, PhD, research professor in psychiatry, showed that a mutation in the Nf1 gene lowers levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in attention. In this Nf1 mouse model, Gutmann and his colleagues found that the branches of dopamine-producing nerve cells were unusually short, limiting their ability to make and distribute dopamine and leading to reduced attention in those mice.
The new research suggests that both sides may be right.
In the latest study, postdoctoral fellow Kelly Diggs-Andrews, PhD, found that the branches of dopamine-producing nerve cells that normally extend into the hippocampus are shorter in Nf1 mice. As a result, dopamine levels are lower in that part of the brain.
Charles F. Zorumski, MD, the Samuel B. Guze Professor and head of the Department of Psychiatry, showed that the low dopamine levels disrupts the ability of nerve cells in the hippocampus to modulate the way they communicate with each other. These communication adjustments are a primary way the brain creates memories.
Researchers then found that giving Nf1 mice L-DOPA, which increases dopamine levels, restored their nerve cell branch lengths to normal and corrected the hippocampal communication defect. L-DOPA also eliminated the memory and learning deficits in these mice.
"These results and the earlier findings suggest that there are a variety of ways that NF1 may cause cognitive dysfunction in people," Gutmann says. "Some may have problems caused only by increased RAS function, others may be having problems attributable to reduced dopamine, and a third group may be having difficulties caused by both RAS and dopamine abnormalities."
To customize patient therapy, Gutmann and his colleagues are now working to develop ways to quantify the contributions of dopamine and RAS to NF1-related learning disorders.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. The original article was written by Michael C. Purdy.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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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/most_popular/~3/S1n0gGyMlIg/121221233122.htm
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MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's foreign minister says Moscow would welcome any country's offer of a safe haven to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but underlined that Moscow itself has no intention of giving him shelter if he steps down.
Russia has used its veto right at the U.N. Security Council to protect its old ally from international sanctions, but it has increasingly sought to distance itself from Assad.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters late Friday that countries in the region he wouldn't name publicly had asked Russia to convey their offer of a safe passage to Assad. He said that Russia responded by telling them to go directly to Assad.
"If there is anyone willing to provide him guarantees, they are welcome!" Lavrov told reporters on board a plane returning from Brussels where he attended a Russia-EU summit. "We would be the first to cross ourselves and say: "Thank God, the carnage is over! If it indeed ends the carnage, which is far from certain."
He also said the Syrian government has pulled its chemical weapons together to one or two locations from several arsenals across the country to keep them safe amid the rebel onslaught.
"According to the information we have, as well as the data of the U.S. and European special services, the government is doing everything to secure it," he said. "The Syrian government has concentrated the stockpiles in one or two centers, unlike the past when they were scattered across the country."
U.S. intelligence says the regime may be readying chemical weapons and could be desperate enough to use them. Both Israel and the U.S. have also expressed concerns they could fall into militant hands if the regime crumbles.
Lavrov added that U.N. peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, would visit Moscow for talks before the year's end.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-wont-host-assad-others-welcome-132325388.html
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Bow'N Ties, a site specializing in men's fashion and style accessories, has just published a series titled "Fashion Savvy Resolutions for the New Year". In this 10-part series, style critic and fashion blogger Hendrik Pohl gives men his top ten style resolutions that will perfect a smart menswear makeover in 2013.
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 21, 2012
Bow'N Ties, a site specializing in men's fashion and style accessories, has just published a series titled "Fashion Savvy Resolutions for the New Year". In this 10-part series, style critic and fashion blogger Hendrik Pohl gives men his top ten style resolutions that will perfect a smart menswear makeover in 2013.?With the new year quickly approaching, we figured there was no better way to get things kicked off than to help our readers make a few changes in the way that they approach style and fashion,? says fashion blogger Hendrik Pohl. ?It doesn?t matter how you like to dress; chances are you?ve hit a rut at one point or another. The new year is all about reinventing yourself, although many people don?t quite know how to do about doing so. We wanted to highlight 10 ways in which people who are looking to switch up their look can do so in an effective manner.?
The series consists of 10 pieces, each of which delves deeply into a specific resolution that fashion-forward men might choose to make for after the start of the new year. Growing facial hair is the focal point of one piece, for example, while another highlights the importance of getting in shape. Each piece explains how to go about taking steps towards achieving a goal, as well as how doing so can influence one?s appearance in a positive way.
?There are a few things that we definitely wanted to highlight in this series,? says Pohl. ?Getting into shape was one of the first things that came to mind, as there?s nothing more important for those who want to look their best. Since we are a neckwear retailer, we also wanted one of the pieces to delve into the importance of learning how to incorporate ties into ensembles. After all, a lot of people have gone their entire lives without wearing a tie more than once or twice per year, and don?t know where to start. We aim to change that and other fashion misconceptions with this series.?
In the past, Bows-n-Ties.com has published a variety of different article series?, with topics ranging from industry trends, dress code guides, celebrity fashion, and much more.
?Some of the article series? we?ve published in the past have been purely for entertainment purposes,? says Pohl. ?With this series, however, we wanted to focus primarily on educating our readers so that they?ll be ready to take on 2013 with a new outlook on their appearance. After all, it never hurts to switch up one?s approach to their style, and there?s no better time to do so than the start of the year.?
For more information please visit:
http://www.bows-n-ties.com/mens-fashion-tips/wrapper.php?/archives/470-Fashion-Savvy-Resolutions-for-The-New-Year.html
Hendrik Pohl
Bows'N Ties
415-238-7416
Email Information
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bowsnties-announces-top-10-style-resolutions-savvy-menswear-193039155.html
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PARIS (AP) ? A failed attempt find a compromise in U.S. budget negotiations sent global stock markets plummeting Friday, as investors feared the world's largest economy could teeter into recession if no deal is found.
Without an agreement, the U.S. economy will fall off the so-called "fiscal cliff" on Jan. 1 when Bush-era tax cuts expire and spending cuts kick in automatically. The measures were designed to have a negative effect on the U.S. economy, in the hopes that the feared outcome would push lawmakers and President Barack Obama to find a deal.
"We've seen Europe's politicians repeatedly flirt lemming-like with cliff-diving in 2012, and now it's the turn of U.S. 'leaders,'" said Kit Juckes, an analyst with Societe Generale. "The nagging fear is always there that someone, on one side of the Atlantic or the other, will forget to let rational thought take over at the last second."
Amid the uncertainty, European shares fell. France's CAC dropped 0.15 percent to 3,661, while the DAX in Germany dropped 0.6 percent at 7,626. The FTSE index of leading British shares retreated 0.6 percent to 5,929.
The euro also fell sharply, dropping 0.3 percent to $1.3182.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed 1 percent lower at 9,940.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.7 percent to 22,506.29. South Korea's Kospi shed 1 percent at 1,980.42. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2 percent to 4,623.60. Mainland Chinese stocks were mixed.
U.S. stock futures tumbled after rank-and-file Republican lawmakers failed to support an alternative tax plan by House Speaker John Boehner late Thursday in Washington. That plan would have allowed tax rates to rise on households earning $1 million and up. Obama wants the level to be $400,000.
In early trading in New York, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1 percent to 13,183, while the broader Standard & Poor's index fell 1.1 percent at 1,427.
"The fiscal cliff is a real threat not just for U.S. growth next year but for the outlook for global growth," said Jane Foley, currency analyst with Rabobank.
When growth slows, energy demand does, too, and oil prices fell in anticipation.
Benchmark crude for February delivery fell $1.92 to $88.19 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
___
Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Fu Ting in Shanghai contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-budget-negotiations-setback-drives-stocks-down-105615855--finance.html
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Do we have trouble recalling unique dates like birthdays, vacations, marriage anniversaries? To discover out why, let?s consider that dates you may remember, plus that you can?t:
Birthdays
Every 1 will remember their own date of birth besides the fact that we have trouble recalling the actual day of the birth!
So why do you remember the birthday?
Well, presumably it?s considering you enjoy it every year with the family plus neighbors, plus it?s a key element of every shape you ever complete. If you forget the birthday, you can not receive a passport or perhaps a driver?s licence, receive married, purchase insurance, go fishing? we receive the picture!
Holidays plus Other Celebrations
Most of you could remember these vacations plus celebrations:
Why do you remember these? So, they are ingrained inside custom, they fall found on the same date each year plus, for nearly all of them, you receive rewarded with a day off function!
Most of you enjoy additional vacations plus religious festivals, including Easter plus Thanksgiving. These occasions are significant to you spiritually, emotionally or simply because you receive your day off function to invest with families plus neighbors! We know approximately whenever they happen however,, considering the dates fluctuate each year (e.g. the initially Monday of September, say), few of you understand the actual dates.
Other People?s Birthdays plus Anniversaries:
Most of you may remember birthdays for those that are close to us: family members, friends, spouses. But it becomes increasingly difficult because the relationship weakens plus many persons resort to calendars plus Facebook to keep in mind friends? birthdays. As for additional people?s marriage anniversaries, these quickly become overlooked plus are not traditionally celebrated by non-family members except maybe the first, 10th, 25th plus 50th.
Why Do We Remember Many Dates?
Based about this analysis, it appears which the factors you remember certain dates are:
Wedding Anniversaries Should Be Memorable
A event anniversary looks to satisfy most of the criteria for a unforgettable event. It falls found on the same date each year, it happens to be conventional to enjoy it plus you get presents. It is the most crucial date inside a relationship plus several state it was the happiest day of their lives. Not only which, nevertheless the penalty for forgetting is very serious!
Why Can?t Men Remember Their Wedding Anniversary?
I think it has a lot to do with:
I additionally think it might aid if:
Why Do Women Remember Anniversaries whenever Men Don?t?
I think the answer revolves about the psychological time plus effort which ladies invest inside planning plus preparing for the event, which they are more romantic than males, greater at celebrating life?s significant occasions plus have a stronger network of neighbors which assist those to remember. Needless to say, I could be incorrect ? I generally am! I?d love to learn what we think ? please leave a comment under.
Celebrate The Anniversary!
I am proud to state which I have not overlooked my marriage anniversary inside thirty years of wedding, plus I?m certain which there are numerous more males available which have a synonymous record. Likewise, I?m certain which there are certain girls which have sometimes overlooked their anniversary. Regardless of the previous record, you are able to place it proper going forward.
So, should you have trouble recalling a event anniversary date, you?re not alone! Look it up, write it inside a calendar or set up an electronic reminder.
Happy Anniversary!
Geoff
Source: http://antonhammerl.com/why-cant-men-remember-anniversaries/
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