Ted Cruz Takes On Chuck Hagel - Business Insider

The Senate's interrogation of Chuck Hagel went from bad to worse on Thursday, when newly-elected Texas Sen. Ted Cruz laid into Obama's Defense Secretary nominee with some bogus visual aids.?

In an unorthodox move, Cruz streamed a 2009 call-in interview Hagel gave to Al Jazeera in front of the hearing, in an attempt to show that Hagel had agreed with callers' statements that the Israel had committed "war crimes" in Lebanon and the U.S. is "the world's bully."?

Watch the clip below, courtesy of Talking Points Memo:?

?

As BuzzFeed's Rosie Gray points out, the first clip, on "war crimes," was actually taken way out of context. Cruz did not play Hagel's full response to the caller, who referred to "war crimes" as part of a much longer diatribe that ended in a question about U.S. moral leadership.?

Here's the full interview:?

The second clip, which has come up often in criticism of Hagel, is only slightly more legitimate. In that clip, a caller asks whether the U.S. needs to change the "perception" that it is "the world's bully," to which Hagel responds: "Well, her observation is a good one and it's relevant. Yes to her question."?

Overall, Cruz's questioning was a low point in what has so far been a rocky confirmation hearing for Hagel. The former Nebraska Senator has struggled to defend his previous positions on Iran, as well as past statements about Israel and the "Jewish lobby."

Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin reports that additional Republican Senators have decided to vote against Hagel's confirmation in light of his testimony today. But Hagel still has the support of Senate Democrats, and it is unlikely that Republicans will decide to filibuster his confirmation.?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chuck-hagel-ted-cruz-al-jazeera-2013-1

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Remarkable Seaside Holiday Homes

Do people dream of having their own amazing vacation homes to which they can retreat when the stresses of everyday life just become too burdensome? Apparently they do, because the documentary series "Amazing Vacation Homes" was one of the Travel Channel's most viewed.

So if you find yourself, in the cold wet dark days of winter, fantasizing about amazing vacation homes in warm, sunny, palm-and bougainvillea graced settings where the balmy breezes carry the whisper of breaking surf through your windows, you're not alone.

If just hearing the names of Santa Barbara, or Aspen, or Gold Coast or Lake Como floods you mind with pictures of amazing vacation homes to which you can return each evening after a day on the beach or on the slopes or water, and a dinner at a world-class restaurant accompanied by some of the world's best wine, you're not alone.

Amazing vacation homes have traditionally been seen as the special domain of the world's rich and famous, but as the Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age, and have more time to travel, and the money to buy a second home in which to spend their winters, the market for those looking for amazing vacation homes is growing rapidly.

And there are amazing vacation homes to suit any taste; from mountain lodges, to beachfront condos, to apartments in the heart of the world's great cities with easy access to sporting events and cultural venues. There are country retreats where those with a yen to develop their green thumbs can turn humble farmhouses into amazing vacation homes with gardens paths, waterways, and hidden floral delights.

Build Your Own Amazing Vacation Home

Many amazing vacation homes, in fact, have been constructed from other edifices from barns, railroad depots, schoolhouses, lighthouses, and old country stores. If you think the idea of taking buildings with decades of built-up character and turning them into amazing vacation homes has its appeal, you can start by calling realtors in the area where you'd like to spend your vacation time. Historical societies are also good sources of information on interesting properties and whether or not they the can be used for residences.

Transforming quaint old structures into amazing vacation homes is, above all, a labor of love, and can require significant financial resources and years of time. But if you start when you're young, and spend part of your vacations creating your amazing vacation home of the future, by the time it's complete it will be full of family memories and uniquely your own.

If at all possible, look at a house in person before you rent it. At the very least, find out when the pictures of the house were taken, and don't rent anything without seeing recent pictures of the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and main living area. If the hosue is shown with views of a nearby natural attraction like a beach, find out if a zoom lens was used to minimize the distances involved.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Remarkable-Seaside-Holiday-Homes/4408893

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Alcatel-Lucent's credit facility raised to 2 billion euro

PARIS (Reuters) - Telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent said on Wednesday its credit facility underwritten by Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs has been raised to 2 billion euros from an initial 1.6 billion euros following strong investor demand.

"Alcatel-Lucent confirms that the proceeds will be used for the refinancing of certain existing indebtedness and for working capital and general corporate purposes," the statement said.

Bankers had said last week that growing investor demand for riskier assets had allowed Alcatel-Lucent to increase the debt it planned to raise in a refinancing, giving a boost to its turnaround efforts.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alcatel-lucents-credit-facility-raised-2-billion-euro-154847359--finance.html

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BlackBerry 10 arrives Feb 5th in Canada, tomorrow in the UK, US carriers revealed

If you like what you've seen so far from RIM BlackBerry's big launch event today, then you might want to know when you can get it? Those in the US might have hoped the rumors weren't true, but indeed, you will have to wait until March before you can get your hands on BlackBerry 10. Though when it does land, customers of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint (only Q10 confirmed) and T-Mobile (Z10 confirmed) will all be able to get onboard. BlackBerry's giving its home turf a little bit of a head start with a February 5th release date and Bell, Rogers, Koodo, Telus and Virgin Mobile confirmed as carrying. But -- as had already been hinted at -- it's the UK that gets the goods first, with the Z10 and Q10 both available starting tomorrow on all the major carriers. US pricing will depend on each operator, but expect to pay around $200.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

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Source: T-Mobile

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AiFNl-WMMEw/

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MacNN | iPhone News: Withings rolls out baby and toddler Wi-Fi scale

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iOS app allows for weight recording, other data collection

Accessory manufacturer and designer Withings has announced the availability of its Internet-enabled baby and toddler scale, the Withings Smart Kid Scale. The Smart Kid Scale has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, which allows for the instant transfer of data measured by the scale to be sent directly to the Withings Baby Companion application. The scale and app combo provides parents a simple and accurate way to monitor, understand and share a child?s growth using the Internet. ? ?

By using the Withings Smart Kid Scale and accompanying application, parents can access the history of their child?s weight readings and easily communicate the progress of the child?s weight with a doctor, pediatrician, family, and friends.

In addition to storing weight data, the Withings Baby Companion app allows parents to capture other data and keep track of milestones -- users can log a child?s height, and compare with other children of the same gender and age. Breastfeeding parents can log when the last feeding was, which side the baby fed from and how long the feeding was. Parents using bottles can keep also track feedings by number of bottles and ounces consumed.

The Smart Kid Scale can be used from infancy to 55 pounds.?The scale features a large graphical screen for animations and instructions, and a button that allows parents to easily record the child's height. The scale comes with a two-piece interlocking baby basket that is inserted into the scale?s base and is used to weigh infants safely.

The Withings Smart Kid Scale is available from the company's website and at retail for $180. The Withings Baby Companion app is free at the Apple App Store.

By Electronista Staff

Source: http://feeds.smartphonemag.com/~r/iPhoneLife_News/~3/3kPsJXWNjKI/story01.htm

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A-Rod denies PED use report; MLB investigates

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez takes batting practice before Game 4 of the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers, in Detroit. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez takes batting practice before Game 4 of the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers, in Detroit. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2012 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez prepares to hit in the sixth inning during Game 4 of the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

This undated booking photo provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department, on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013, shows Anthony Bosch. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. The Miami New Times said in a story on Tuesday that it had obtained files through an employee at a recently closed clinic called Biogenesis. The report said that the notes of clinic chief Bosch list the players' names and the substances they received, including human growth hormone and steroids. (AP Photo/Miami-Dade Police Department)

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2012, file photo, Oakland Athletics starter Bartolo Colon tosses the ball after Chicago White Sox's Gordon Beckham hit a two-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Chicago. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link Alex Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. The Miami New Times said in a story Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, that it had obtained files through an employee at a recently closed clinic called Biogenesis. Other players named by the publication as appearing in the records include Colon, Melky Cabrera, Gio Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - In this June 12, 2012, file photo, Texas Rangers' Nelson Cruz breaks his bat while hitting a double during the second inning of their baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif. Major League Baseball says it is "extremely disappointed" about a new report that says records from an anti-aging clinic in the Miami area link Alex Rodriguez and other players to the purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. The Miami New Times said in a story Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, that it had obtained files through an employee at a recently closed clinic called Biogenesis. Other players named by the publication as appearing in the records include Cruz, Melky Cabrera, Gio Gonzalez and Bartolo Colon. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez denied a newspaper report that accused him of buying human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances from a Miami-area clinic.

The Miami New Times, an alternative weekly, reported Tuesday that it obtained records detailing purchases by Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Gio Gonzalez, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz and Yasmani Grandal from a clinic called Biogenesis, run by Anthony Bosch. The paper also posted copies of what it said were Bosch's handwritten records, obtained through a former Biogenesis employee.

Rodriguez admitted four years ago that he used PEDs from 2001-03. Cabrera, Colon and Grandal were suspended for 50 games each last year by MLB following tests for elevated testosterone.

"We are always extremely disappointed to learn of potential links between players and the use of performance-enhancing substances," MLB said in a statement. "Only law enforcement officials have the capacity to reach those outside the game who are involved in the distribution of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. ... We are in the midst of an active investigation and are gathering and reviewing information."

A baseball official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, said Monday that MLB did not have any documentation regarding the allegations. If MLB does obtain evidence, the players could be subject to discipline. First offenses result in a 50-game suspension and second infractions in 100-game penalties. A third violation results in a lifetime ban.

Rodriguez is sidelined for at least the first half of the season after hip surgery Jan. 16. A 50-game suspension would cost him $7.65 million of his $28 million salary.

"The news report about a purported relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch are not true," Rodriguez said in a statement issued by a publicist. "He was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. The purported documents referenced in the story ? at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez ? are not legitimate."

Jay Reisinger, a lawyer who has presented Rodriguez in recent years, said the three-time AL MVP had retained Roy Black, an attorney from Rodriguez's hometown of Miami. Black's clients have included Rush Limbaugh and William Kennedy Smith.

Rodriguez spent years denying he used PEDs before Sports Illustrated reported in February 2009 that he tested positive for two steroids in MLB's anonymous survey while with the Texas Rangers in 2003. Two days later, he admitted in an ESPN interview that he used PEDs over a three-year period. He has denied using PEDs after 2003.

If the new allegations were true, the Yankees would face high hurdles to get out of the final five years of Rodriguez's contract, which call for him to receive $114 million. Because management and the players' union have a joint drug agreement, an arbitrator could determine that any action taken by the team amounted to multiple punishments for the same offense.

The Yankees said "this matter is now in the hands of the commissioner's office" and said they will not comment further until MLB's investigation ends.

Gonzalez posted on his Twitter feed: "I've never used performance enhancing drugs of any kind and I never will, I've never met or spoken with tony Bosch or used any substance provided by him. anything said to the contrary is a lie."

Colon was not issuing a statement, agent Adam Katz said through spokeswoman Lisa Cohen. Sam and Seth Levinson, the agents for Cabrera and Cruz, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Cruz and Gonzalez had not previously been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Cruz's team, the Texas Rangers, said it notified MLB last week after being contacted by the New Times.

The New Times report said it obtained notes by Bosch listing the players' names and the substances they received. Several unidentified employees and clients confirmed to the publication that the clinic distributed the substances, the paper said. The employees said that Bosch bragged of supplying drugs to professional athletes but they never saw the sports stars in the office.

Rodriguez appears 16 times in the documents it received, the paper said, either as "Alex Rodriguez," ''Alex Rod" or the nickname "Cacique," a pre-Columbian Caribbean chief. The paper said the records list that Rodriguez paid for HGH; testosterone cream; IGF-1, a substance banned by baseball that stimulates insulin production; and GHRP, which releases growth hormones.

Rodriguez's cousin, Yuri Sucart, also is listed as having purchased HGH. Sucart was banned from the Yankees clubhouse, charter flights, bus and other team-related activities by MLB in 2009 after Rodriguez said Sucart obtained and injected PEDs for him.

Also listed among the records, according to the New Times, are tennis player Wayne Odesnik, Cuban boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa and Jimmy Goins, the strength and conditioning coach of the University of Miami baseball team.

Mia Ro, a spokeswoman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami, said she could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation in Bosch or the clinic.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-29-MLB-Drug%20Investigation/id-850bdca282564cb69512f7ff55c8ff71

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Slow-release 'jelly' delivers drugs better

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Duke University biomedical engineers have developed a new delivery system that overcomes the shortcomings of a promising class of peptide drugs -- very small proteins -- for treating diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

There are more than 40 peptide drugs approved for use in humans and more than 650 are being tested in clinical studies. One example is the hormone insulin, a peptide that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body and is used as a drug to treat diabetes.

Despite their effectiveness, peptide drugs cannot achieve their full potential for a number of reasons. They are rapidly degraded in the blood stream and they are cleared rapidly from the body, which requires multiple, frequent injections. Because of this, peptide concentrations in the blood can rise precipitously just after injection and fall dramatically soon thereafter, causing unwanted side effects for patients.

One popular method to solve this problem involves loading peptide drugs into polymer microspheres that are injected under the skin and slowly degrade to release the peptide drug. Microsphere-release technology has proven useful, but has many issues related to its manufacture and ease of patient use, the researchers said.

"We wanted to know if we could create a system that does what the polymer microspheres do, but gets rid of the microspheres and is more patient-friendly," said Ashutosh Chilkoti, Theo Pilkington professor of biomedical engineering in Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

The new approach involves making a "fusion protein" that consists of multiple copies of a peptide drug fused to a polymer which is sensitive to body heat. The fusion molecule is a liquid in a syringe but transforms into a "jelly" when injected under the skin. Enzymes in the skin then attack the injected drug depot and liberate copies of the peptide, providing a constant and controllable release of the drug over time.

Miriam Amiram, former Chilkoti graduate student and first author on the paper, dubbed the new delivery system POD, for protease-operated depot.

In the latest experiments, published on-line in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers fused glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that regulates the release of insulin, with a genetically engineered heat-sensitive polymer to create the POD.

"Remarkably, a single injection of the GLP-1 POD was able to reduce blood glucose levels in mice for up to five days, which is 120 times longer than an injection of the peptide alone," Chilkoti said. "For a patient with type 2 diabetes, it would be much more desirable to inject such a drug once a week or once a month rather than once or twice a day.

"Additionally, this approach avoids the peaks and valleys of drug concentrations that these patients often experience," Chilkoti said.

Unlike peptide-loaded microspheres, PODs are also easy to manufacture, because the peptide drug and the heat-sensitive polymer are all made of amino acids. They can be built as one long stretch of amino acids by engineered bacteria.

"This new delivery system provides the first entirely genetically encoded alternative to peptide drug encapsulation for sustained delivery of peptide drugs," Chilkoti said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Miriam Amiram, Kelli M. Luginbuhl, Xinghai Li, Mark N. Feinglos, and Ashutosh Chilkoti. Injectable protease-operated depots of glucagon-like peptide-1 provide extended and tunable glucose control. PNAS, January 28, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1214518110

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ClVrXej8tIo/130128151919.htm

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Ongoing promotion of your website ? Scott Moffatt

Rarely will a?website?generate traffic just by being on?the?internet. To succeed the?website?needs to be integrated into?your?overall marketing and promotions and the process of getting good search rankings requires effort over a period of time. Here are some basic steps you can take to help increase?your?website?s profile.

Business communications

• Tell people directly/word-of-mouth
• Send out an email to all?your?current customers and?contacts?letting them know you have a new?website
• Include?your?web address on email footers
• Include?your?web and email address on business stationery as well as on-hold messages

Social media?

• Establish a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Google + ?but only if you intend to use them and integrate into your overall online strategy
• When including a post on the website share this to Facebook and Twitter

?Search and search marketing

• Get a Google Places listing as well as Bing and Yahoo local listings (I am looking into whether you currently have this ? not sure that you do but will let you know for sure)
• Consider Google Adwords (paid advertising appearing at top and side of Google search results) for short?targeted?campaigns that help boostyour?profile

Traditional media and advertising

• Include?your?web and email address on print media advertising
• Any news that goes through traditional media should also appear on?your?site ? local news, reviews

Online services

• Create listings on general business directory websites e.g. TrueLocal, Hotfrog, Yellow Pages and be sure to include?your?web address
• Get listed in trade-specific directories
• Include?reciprocal?links to and from other websites ? e.g. trade sites, suppliers, contractors etc.

New content

• Keep the new content coming ? Have a strategy for ongoing maintenance and publishing new content ? news items, new pages, more detail, freebies
• If you like making videos upload some?business?related videos to?your?YouTube channel with links back to?your?site

Source: http://scottmoffatt.com.au/ongoing-promotion-of-your-website/

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Rick Ross Shooting: Who Tried to Off the Rapper?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/rick-ross-shooting-who-tried-to-off-the-rapper/

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'Hansel & Gretel' Tops Box Office With Modest $19 Million

Ensemble comedy 'Movie 43' flops, collecting just $5 million during its first weekend.
By Ryan J. Downey

Jeremy Renner in "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700866/hansel-and-gretel-box-office-weekend.jhtml

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Several Australian towns flooded, 4 people killed

People use umbrellas to fend off the rain as they walk through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

People use umbrellas to fend off the rain as they walk through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

In this image made with a slow shutter speed, a man uses an umbrella to fend off the rain as he walks on a street in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

A man use an umbrella to fend off the rain as he walks through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) ? Thousands of Australians huddled in shelters Tuesday as torrential rains flooded cities and towns in the northeast, killing four people and prompting around 1,000 helicopter evacuations.

With floodwaters expected to peak in most of the worst-hit areas later Tuesday, officials were rushing to move those in the highest-risk areas to safety.

In the hard-hit city of Bundaberg, 385 kilometers (240 miles) north of Brisbane, rescue crews plucked 1,000 people to safety after the river that runs through town broke its banks, sending fast-moving, muddy water pouring into streets and homes. Around 1,500 residents fled to evacuation centers, while patients at the local hospital were being airlifted to Brisbane as a precaution.

"Listen to the roar of the water ? that's not helicopters," Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said. "You see a lot of locations where there are literally sort of rapids. There's white water out there, so it is very dangerous."

Queensland residents and officials were being particularly cautious, after floodwaters from heavy rain in late 2010 and early 2011 left much of the state under water in the worst flooding Australia had seen in decades. The 2010-2011 floods killed 35 people, damaged or destroyed 30,000 homes and businesses and left Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, under water for days.

The current flood crisis was not as severe, though some areas in northern New South Wales were hit by more than half a meter (about 20 inches) of rain, State Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Steve Pearce said. Four people have died, including a 3-year-old boy who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane.

"We're expecting flash flooding, we're expecting trees to be brought down, wires to be brought down by these winds," Pearce said. "We're expecting a very challenging 24 hours in front of us."

In the New South Wales city of Grafton, 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Sydney, 2,500 people were ordered to leave their homes as the Clarence River continued to rise.

"We are in a dangerous situation that requires a timely response and I think the best thing to do is to evacuate," said Richie Williamson, the mayor of Clarence Valley Council.

The flooding was caused by the remnants of a tropical cyclone that also caused severe weather including tornadoes and created sea foam that came ashore on the Queensland coast. The foam covered roads in places, causing traffic to be diverted. Elsewhere, beach-goers waded into the bubbles to pose for photographs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-28-Australia-Flood/id-1b7bb0d919954c00a9345b1f8bc30fc9

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Video: Protesters march in D.C. for end to gun violence

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50597582/

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Video: Mom speaks out after putting 7-year-old on diet

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50597628/

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Hackers take over sentencing commission website

This screen shot shows the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission after it was hijacked by the hacker-activist group Anonymous, early Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed." (AP Photo)

This screen shot shows the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission after it was hijacked by the hacker-activist group Anonymous, early Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed." (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The hacker-activist group Anonymous says it hijacked the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The FBI is investigating.

The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday and replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed."

The hackers say they've infiltrated several government computer systems and copied secret information that they now threaten to make public.

Family and friends of Swartz, who helped create Reddit and RSS, say he killed himself after he was hounded by federal prosecutors. Officials say he helped post millions of court documents for free online and that he illegally downloaded millions of academic articles from an online clearinghouse.

The FBI's Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, said in a statement that "we were aware as soon as it happened and are handling it as a criminal investigation. We are always concerned when someone illegally accesses another person's or government agency's network."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-26-Commission%20Website%20Hacked/id-f42f432efbaf45548fe63f8144f08374

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Your Three Investing Opponents | The Big Picture

Your Three Investing Opponents
By Barry Ritholtz
?Tough Year!?

?

We hear that around the office nearly every day ? from professional traders to money managers to even the ?most-hedged? of the hedge fund community. This year?s markets have perplexed the best of them. Each week brings another event that sets up some confusing crosscurrent: call them reversals or head fakes or bear traps or (my personal favorite) the ?fake-out break-out? ? this volatile, trendless market has been unkind to Wall Street pros and Main Street investors alike.
Indeed, buy & hold investors have had more ups and downs this year than your average rollercoaster. The third and fourth quarters alone had more than a dozen market swings, ranging from 5 percent to more than 20 percent. Despite all of that action, the S&P 500 is essentially unchanged year-to-date. It doesn?t take much to push portfolios into the red these days.

Three Opponents in Investing
With markets more challenging than ever, individual investors need to understand exactly whom they are going up against when they step onto the field of battle. You have three opponents to consider whenever you invest.
The first is Mr. Market himself. He is, as Benjamin Graham described him, your eternal partner in investing. He is a patient if somewhat bipolar fellow. Subject to wild mood swings, he is always willing to offer you a bid or an ask. If you are a buyer, he is a seller ? and vice versa. But do not mistake this for generosity: he is your opponent. He likes to make you look a fool. Sell him shares at a nice profit, and he happily takes their prices so much higher you are embarrassed to even mention them again. Buy something from him on the cheap, and he will show you exactly what cheap is. And perhaps most frustrating of all, Mr. Market has no ego ? he does not care about being right or wrong; he only exists to separate the rubes from their money.
Yes, Mr. Market is a difficult opponent. But your next rivals are nearly as tough: they are everyone else buying or selling stocks.
Recall what Charles Ellis said when he was overseeing the $15-billion endowment fund at Yale University:
?Watch a pro football game, and it?s obvious the guys on the field are far faster, stronger and more willing to bear and inflict pain than you are. Surely you would say, ?I don?t want to play against those guys!?
?Well, 90% of stock market volume is done by institutions, and half of that is done by the world?s 50 largest investment firms, deeply committed, vastly well prepared ? the smartest sons of bitches in the world working their tails off all day long. You know what? I don?t want to play against those guys either.?
Ellis lays out the brutal truth: investing is a rough and tumble business. It doesn?t matter where these traders work ? they may be on prop desks, mutual funds, hedge funds, or HFT shops ? they employ an array of professional staff and technological tools to give themselves a significant edge. With billions at risk, they deploy anything that gives them even a slight advantage.

These are who individuals are doing battle with. Armed only with a PC, an internet connection, and CNBC muted in the background, investors face daunting odds. They are at a tactical disadvantage, outmanned and outgunned.
We Have Met the Enemy and They Is Us
That is even before we meet your third opponent, perhaps the most difficult one to conquer of all: You.
You are your own third opponent. And, you may be the opponent you understand the least of all three. It is more than time constraints, lack of discipline, and asymmetrical information that challenges you. The biggest disadvantage you have is that melon perched atop your 3rd opponent?s neck. It is your big ole brain, and unless you do something about it, it is going to lose all of your money for you.
See it? There. Sitting right behind your eyes and between your ears. That ?thing? you hardly pay any attention to. You just assume it knows what it?s doing, works properly, doesn?t make too many mistakes. I hate to disabuse you of those lovely notions; but no, sorry, it does not work nearly as well as you assume. At least, not when it comes to investing. The wiring is an historical remnant, hardly functional for modern living. It is overrun with desires, emotions, and blind spots. Its capacity for cognitive error is nearly endless. It was originally developed for entirely other purposes than risk assessment in capital markets. Indeed, when it comes to money, the way most investors use those 100 billion neurons or so of grey matter, they might as well not even bother using their brains at all.
Let me give you an example. Think of any year from 1990-2005. Off of the top of your head, take a guess how well your portfolio did that year. Write it down ? this is important (that big dumb brain of yours cannot be trusted to be honest with itself). Now, pull your statement from that year and calculate your gains or losses.
How?d you do? Was the reality as good as you remembered? This is a phenomenon called selective retention. When it comes to details like this, you actually remember what you want to, not what factually occurred. Try it again. Only this time, do it for this year ? 2011. Write it down. Go pull up your YTD performance online. We?ll wait.
Well, how did you do? Not nearly as well as you imagined, right? Welcome to the human race.
This sort of error is much more commonplace than you might imagine. If we ask any group of automobile owners how good their driving skills are, about 80% will say ?Above average.? The same applies to how well we evaluate our own investing skills. Most of us think we are above average, and nearly all of us believe we are better than we actually are.
(Me personally, I am not an above-average driver. This is despite having taken numerous high-performance driving courses and spending a lot of time on various race tracks. I know this is true because my wife reminds me of it constantly.) [JM here ? I am also in the bottom 25%, as my kids constantly remind me!])
As it turns out, there is a simple reason for this. The worse we are at any specific skill set, the harder it is for us to evaluate our own competency at it. This is called the Dunning?Kruger effect. This precise sort of cognitive deficit means that areas we are least skilled at ? let?s use investing decisions as an example ? also means we lack the ability to identify any investing shortcomings. As it turns out, the same skill set needed to be an outstanding investor is also necessary to have ?metacognition? ? the ability to objectively evaluate one?s own abilities. (This is also true in all other professions.)
Unlike Garrison Keillor?s Lake Wobegon, where all of the children are above average, the bell curve in investing is quite damning. By definition, all investors cannot be above average. Indeed, the odds are high that, like most investors, you will underperform the broad market this year. But it is more than just this year ? ?underperformance? is not merely a 2011 phenomenon. The statistics suggest that 4 out of 5 of you underperformed last year, and the same number will underperform next year, too.
Underperformance is not a disease suffered only by retail investors ? the pros succumb as well. In fact, about 4 out of 5 mutual fund managers underperform their benchmarks every year. These managers engage in many of the same errors that Main Street investors make. They overtrade, they engage in ?groupthink,? they freeze up, some have been even known to sell in a panic. (Do any of these sound familiar to you?)
These kinds of errors seem to be hardwired in us. Humans have evolved to survive in competitive conditions. We developed instincts and survival skills, and passed those on to our descendants. The genetic makeup of our species contains all sorts of elements that were honed over millions of years to give us an edge in surviving long enough to procreate and pass our genes along to our progeny. Our automatic reactions in times of panic are a result of that development arc.
This leads to a variety of problems when it comes to investing in equities: our instincts often betray us. To do well in the capital markets requires developing skills that very often are the opposite of what our survival instincts are telling us. Our emotions compound the problem, often compelling us to make changes at the worst possible times. The panic selling at market lows and greedy chasing as we head into tops are a reflection of these factors.
The sort of grinding market we had in 2011 only exacerbates investor aggravation, and therefore increases poor decision making. Facts and logic go out the window, and thinking gets replaced with naked emotions. We get annoyed, angry, frightened, frustrated ? and that does not help returns. Indeed, our evolutionary ?flight or fight? response developed for a reason ? it helped keep us alive out on the savannah. But the adrenaline necessary to fight a Cro-Magnon or flee from a sabre-toothed tiger does not help us in the capital markets. Indeed, study after study suggests our own wetware works against us; the emotions that helped keep us alive on the plains now hinder our investment performance.
The problem, as it turns out, lies primarily in those large mammalian brains of ours. Our wiring evolved for a specific set of survival challenges, most of which no longer exist. We have cognitive deficits that are by-products of that. Much of our decision making comes with cognitive errors ?secretly? built in. We are often unaware we even have these (for lack of a better word) defects. These cognitive foibles are one of the main reasons that, when it comes to investing, we humans just ain?t built for it.
We Are Tool Makers
But we are not helpless. These large mammalian brains of ours can do a whole lot more than merely overreact to stimulus. We think up new ideas, ponder new tools, and create new technologies. Indeed, our ability to innovate is one of the factors that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.
As investors, we can use our big brains to compensate for our known limitations. This means creating tools to help us make better decisions. When battling Mr. Market ? as tough as any Cro-Magnon or sabre-toothed tiger ? it helps to be able to make informed decisions coolly and objectively. If we can manage our emotions and prevent them from causing us to make decisions out of panic or greed, then our investing results will improve dramatically.
So stop being your own third opponent. Jiu jitsu yourself, and learn how to outwit your evolutionary legacy. Use that big ole melon for a change. You just might see some improvement in your portfolio performance.
Individual Investors Have Certain Advantages Over Institutions
One final thought. Smaller investors do not realize that they possess quite a few strategic advantages ? if only they would take advantage of them. Consider these small-investor pluses:
? No benchmark to meet quarterly (or monthly), so you can have longer-term time horizons and different goals
? You can enter or exit a position without impacting markets.
? There is no public scrutiny of your holdings and no disclosures required, so you don?t have to worry about someone taking your ideas.
? You don?t have to limit yourself to just the largest stocks or worry about position size (this is huge).
? Cost structure, fees, and taxes are within your control.
? You can reverse errors without professional consequences ? you don?t get fired for admitting a mistake.
? You can have longer-term time horizons and different goals.
And with those thoughts, good luck and good trading in 2012!

Source: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2013/01/your-three-investing-opponents-2/

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Family Politics | A Crystal Facade

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Source: http://acrystalfacade.blogspot.com/2013/01/family-politics.html

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BlackBerry Z10 priced at ?480 sim-free by purported Carphone Warehouse database leak (update)

With all the BlackBerry 10 leaks as of late, it seems inevitable that pricing info would get ousted in the lead up to January 30th. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, it appears that the sim-free version of RIM's Z10 will cost UKers a cool £480 at Carphone Warehouse (for perspective, a 16GB iPhone 5 would run you just roughly £30 more). The leak comes from what's said to be a snapshot of the company's internal database, listing the white variant. The attached BLAZ10WHI model number also syncs up nicely with the previous slip from the retailer. At this rate, not much is going to be left to the imagination when RIM officially unveils its devices come Monday -- who likes surprises anyway, right?

Update: We've updated the post to reflect that the phone was touted to us as "sim-free," specifically.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OemOQSQYWUU/

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AT&T revenue, subscriber growth beats estimates

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc's fourth-quarter revenue rose faster than expected and the telephone company promised more growth this year even if the economy does not improve.

Along with growth from its existing business, Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said on Thursday that AT&T is also eyeing overseas opportunities. He said the idea would be to profit from wireless expansion in countries where services are not yet as advanced as in the United States.

"The question is if there are opportunities for us to participate in that growth around the world" Stephenson said on a conference all with analysts. "There's just a lot of different ways to think about it. There's a lot of options."

Stephenson declined to say if it could involve overseas acquisitions in response to a question about a recent report that it was considering overseas transactions. Instead, he listed options such as international roaming deals for AT&T customers traveling overseas and the possibility for overseas expansion of a home security business AT&T is developing.

AT&T, the No. 2 U.S. mobile service provider, posted stronger than expected fourth quarter subscriber growth but this also put pressure on its wireless profit margin as it spends heavily on every new subscriber it signs up.

It added 780,000 mobile subscribers in the quarter compared with the average expectation for 699,200 from 10 analysts, with the lowest estimate at 475,000 and the majority of estimates at 700,000 or higher.

While the company's sale of 8.6 million Apple Inc iPhones in the quarter helped subscriber numbers it hurt profits as AT&T pays Apple a big subsidy for every iPhone it sells so it can offer discounts to customers who commit to contracts.

AT&T's wireless service profit margin based on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization was 29.1 percent, compared with the average expectation for 31.29 percent from ten analysts contacted by Reuters.

Stephenson said he would keep a close watch on a strategy outlined by smaller rival T-Mobile USA to offer smartphone installment plans under which consumers would pay for their smartphones gradually. If it followed this plan it would mean that AT&T would not have to pay a big upfront subsidy.

"That's something we've looked at on several occasions. I kind of like that idea," Stephenson said. "Its something we're going to be watching."

AT&T forecast earnings per share growth in the upper-single digit percentage range or higher and revenue growth exceeding 2 percent for 2013 based on strength in wireless and its wireline consumer business.

"Guidance was good but not dramatically good," said Hudson Square Research analyst Todd Rethemeier.

AT&T's fourth quarter loss was $3.86 billion or 68 cents per share, compared with a loss of $6.68 billion or $1.12 per share in the year-ago quarter when it took big charges including the break-up fee for its failed purchase of T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom unit.

Revenue rose to $32.58 billion from $32.5 billion and compared with Wall Street expectations for $32.2 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

While AT&T's wireless subscriber growth was better than expected it was slower than bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, which reported subscriber additions of 2.1 million on Tuesday.

Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider, does not report its results until February 7.

AT&T shares were largely unchanged in late trade after closing at $33.75 in the regular New York Stock Exchange session.

(Additional reporting by Nicole Leske; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/t-posts-loss-subscriber-growth-beats-analyst-estimates-211351048--sector.html

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Whispers in the Loggia

Keeping with decades-long Vatican custom, this feast of St Francis de Sales ? patron of writers and journalists ? yet again brings the release of the papal message for World Communications Day, this year's focus on the theme Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.

Tied into the Year of Faith, this year's message is just the latest edition of the Communications Day text to shirk attention to older forms of media in favor of the products of the digital revolution.

Its theme always announced on late September's feast of the archangels, the WCD ? the lone observance called for by the Fathers of Vatican II ? will be marked on May 12th; the day always falls on the Sunday before Pentecost (now the transferred Ascension Day in most of the global church) as a link with Jesus' last command to "Go and teach all nations."

Here, the English text of B16's message.

*?? *?? *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As the 2013 World Communications Day draws near, I would like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital social networks which are helping to create a new "agora", an open public square in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being.

These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate which, if conducted respectfully and with concern for privacy, responsibility and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family. The exchange of information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and connections facilitate communion. If the networks are called to realize this great potential, the people involved in them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves.

The development of social networks calls for commitment: people are engaged in building relationships and making friends, in looking for answers to their questions and being entertained, but also in finding intellectual stimulation and sharing knowledge and know-how. The networks are increasingly becoming part of the very fabric of society, inasmuch as they bring people together on the basis of these fundamental needs. Social networks are thus nourished by aspirations rooted in the human heart.

The culture of social networks and the changes in the means and styles of communication pose demanding challenges to those who want to speak about truth and values. Often, as is also the case with other means of social communication, the significance and effectiveness of the various forms of expression appear to be determined more by their popularity than by their intrinsic importance and value. Popularity, for its part, is often linked to celebrity or to strategies of persuasion rather than to the logic of argumentation. At times the gentle voice of reason can be overwhelmed by the din of excessive information and it fails to attract attention which is given instead to those who express themselves in a more persuasive manner. The social media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate forms of discourse and expression which appeal to the noblest aspirations of those engaged in the communication process. Dialogue and debate can also flourish and grow when we converse with and take seriously people whose ideas are different from our own. "Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful" (Address at the Meeting with the World of Culture, B?lem, Lisbon, 12 May 2010).

The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly inclusive: thus they will benefit from the full participation of believers who desire to share the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which his teaching promotes. Believers are increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this existential space is important. The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.

The ability to employ the new languages is required, not just to keep up with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite richness of the Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the minds and hearts of all. In the digital environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds. Effective communication, as in the parables of Jesus, must involve the imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to invite to an encounter with the mystery of God?s love. Besides, we know that Christian tradition has always been rich in signs and symbols: I think for example of the Cross, icons, images of the Virgin Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures in our churches. A significant part of mankind?s artistic heritage has been created by artists and musicians who sought to express the truths of the faith.

In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus. This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith, but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate "choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically" (Message for the 2011 World Communications Day). A particularly significant way of offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence. The growing dialogue in social networks about faith and belief confirms the importance and relevance of religion in public debate and in the life of society.

For those who have accepted the gift of faith with an open heart, the most radical response to mankind?s questions about love, truth and the meaning of life ? questions certainly not absent from social networks ? are found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is natural for those who have faith to desire to share it, respectfully and tactfully, with those they meet in the digital forum. Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share the Gospel bring forth good fruit, it is always because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God?s work must always be greater than any confidence we place in human means. In the digital environment, too, where it is easy for heated and divisive voices to be raised and where sensationalism can at times prevail, we are called to attentive discernment. Let us recall in this regard that Elijah recognized the voice of God not in the great and strong wind, not in the earthquake or the fire, but in "a still, small voice" (1 Kg 19:11-12). We need to trust in the fact that the basic human desire to love and to be loved, and to find meaning and truth ? a desire which God himself has placed in the heart of every man and woman ? keeps our contemporaries ever open to what Blessed Cardinal Newman called the "kindly light" of faith.

Social networks, as well as being a means of evangelization, can also be a factor in human development. As an example, in some geographical and cultural contexts where Christians feel isolated, social networks can reinforce their sense of real unity with the worldwide community of believers. The networks facilitate the sharing of spiritual and liturgical resources, helping people to pray with a greater sense of closeness to those who share the same faith. An authentic and interactive engagement with the questions and the doubts of those who are distant from the faith should make us feel the need to nourish, by prayer and reflection, our faith in the presence of God as well as our practical charity: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1).

In the digital world there are social networks which offer our contemporaries opportunities for prayer, meditation and sharing the word of God. But these networks can also open the door to other dimensions of faith. Many people are actually discovering, precisely thanks to a contact initially made online, the importance of direct encounters, experiences of community and even pilgrimage, elements which are always important in the journey of faith. In our effort to make the Gospel present in the digital world, we can invite people to come together for prayer or liturgical celebrations in specific places such as churches and chapels. There should be no lack of coherence or unity in the expression of our faith and witness to the Gospel in whatever reality we are called to live, whether physical or digital. When we are present to others, in any way at all, we are called to make known the love of God to the furthest ends of the earth.

I pray that God?s Spirit will accompany you and enlighten you always, and I cordially impart my blessing to all of you, that you may be true heralds and witnesses of the Gospel. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15).

???????????? From the Vatican, 24 January 2013, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales.

?BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

-30-

Source: http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2013/01/keeping-with-decades-long-vatican.html

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Team Building Made Fun - M3 Group

Posted January 25, 2013, by Kyle

When is the last time you went bowling with your coworkers? Or played a round of Apples to Apples together??

These may not seem like the most productive things to do during a work day, but the truth is they are a very important part of being successful, because both are great team building exercises that improve teamwork.

Teamwork is an essential part of a company and necessary for work to be accomplished quickly and efficiently. It keeps stress to a minimum in the workplace if everybody is on the same page and working together.

Team building can be a fun way to improve on trust and working more efficiently together. There?s nothing more frustrating than a team that doesn?t work well together.

The type of team building that should be done is dependent on the company. For M3 Group, creative activities tend to be best, because of the creative nature of branding. We might play some Pictionary or do some sort exercise involving creativity and teamwork.

A good team building exercise should draw on the strengths of everyone in the team or teams. Sometimes a good team building activity is something fun that brings the whole team together like bowling or Apples to Apples.

If you need help with making your team stronger, reach out to M3 Group. We have plenty of ideas to strengthen your team, thanks to our new Training and Professional Development department, that can get your crew working together (and having fun!) in no time.

Source: http://www.m3group.biz/blog/team-building-made-fun

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Extinction rates not as bad as feared ... for now

Jan. 24, 2013 ? Concerns that many animals are becoming extinct, before scientists even have time to identify them, are greatly overstated according Griffith University researcher, Professor Nigel Stork. Professor Stork has taken part in an international study, the findings of which have been detailed in "Can we name Earth's species before they go extinct?" published in the journal Science.

Deputy Head of the Griffith School of Environment, Professor Stork said a number of misconceptions have fueled these fears, and there is no evidence that extinction rates are as high as some have feared.

"Surprisingly, few species have gone extinct, to our knowledge. Of course, there will have been some species which have disappeared without being recorded, but not many we think," Professor Stork said.

Professor Stork said part of the problem is that there is an inflated sense of just how many animals exist and therefore how big the task to record them.

"Modern estimates of the number of eukaryotic species have ranged up to 100 million, but we have estimated that there are around 5 million species on the planet (plus or minus 3 million)."

And there are more scientists than ever working on the task. This contrary to a common belief that we are losing taxonomists, the scientists who identify species.

"While this is the case in the developed world where governments are reducing funding, in developing nations the number of taxonomists is actually on the rise.

"World-wide there are now two to three times as many taxonomist describing species as there were 20 years ago."

Even so, Professor Stork says the scale of the global taxonomic challenge is not to be underestimated.

"The task of identifying and naming all existing species of animals is still daunting, as there is much work to be done."

Other good news for the preservation of species is that conservation efforts in the past few years have done a good job in protecting some key areas of rich biodiversity.

But the reprieve may be short-lived.

"Climate change will dramatically change species survival rates, particularly when you factor in other drivers such as overhunting and habitat loss," Professor Stork said.

"At this stage we have no way of knowing by how much extinction rates may escalate.

"But once global warming exceeds the 2 degree barrier, we can expect to see the scale of loss many people already believe is happening. Higher temperature rises coupled with other environmental impacts will lead to mass extinctions"

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Griffith University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. M. J. Costello, R. M. May, N. E. Stork. Can We Name Earth's Species Before They Go Extinct? Science, 2013; 339 (6118): 413 DOI: 10.1126/science.1230318

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/EBBVJHsYPw4/130124150806.htm

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Fairfax County Public Schools Opening 2 Hours Late - Centreville ...

Fairfax County Public Schools are opening on a two-hour delay this morning due to snow that fell overnight.

According to the FCPS website this morning:?

• Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.?
• Afternoon preschool (special education) classes start on their regular schedule.
• Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
• Morning field trips are canceled.
• SACC centers will be open by 7:15 a.m.?
• Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled.
• Adult and community education classes will start on time.

Federal employees have the option for unscheduled telework or unscheduled leave today.

Falls Church City Public Schools are operating on a normal schedule, according to the school district's twitter account.?

Snow showers began after midnight Thursday and continued on and off throughout the night. The sun is expected to peek out by 10 a.m. with temperatures rising to 29 this afternoon. Winds will come from the northwest, bringing the wind chill down into the teens all day.

Check here for?winter weather driving tips?before you hit the roads this morning.

Source: http://centreville.patch.com/articles/fairfax-county-public-schools-opening-2-hours-late

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Top white-collar crime prosecutor to lead SEC

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2002 file photo, Mary Jo White, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. A White House official says President Barack Obama on Thursday will nominate White as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2002 file photo, Mary Jo White, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. A White House official says President Barack Obama on Thursday will nominate White as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Mary Joe White in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, after announcing that he will nominate White to lead the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), and re-nominate Richard Cordray, to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a role that he has held for the last year under a recess appointment. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney who built a reputation prosecuting white-collar criminals, terrorists and mobsters, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency has a lead role in implementing changes on Wall Street.

Obama also named Richard Cordray to stay on as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The president used a recess appointment last year to bypass congressional opposition and install the former Ohio attorney general as head of the bureau. That appointment expires at the end of this year.

White spent nearly a decade as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, handling an array of white-collar crimes and complex securities and financial fraud cases. She brought down mobster John Gotti and won convictions in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Obama said that experience makes White well-suited to implement legislation he championed to change the behavior on Wall Street.

"I'd say that's a pretty good run. You don't want to mess with Mary Jo," Obama said at the White House. "As one former SEC chairman said, Mary Jo does not intimidate easily, and that's important because she has a big job ahead of her."

If confirmed by the Senate, White would take over the SEC from Elisse Walter, who is serving out the rest of former SEC chairwoman Mary Schapiro's term. Schapiro resigned in December.

In 2000, White led the criminal prosecution of more than 100 people ? including members of all five New York crime families ? accused of strong-arming brokers and manipulating prices of penny stocks. At the time the action was called one of the biggest crackdowns on securities fraud in U.S. history.

White's office also won a record $606 million in restitution from the securities arm of the Republic New York Corp. bank in 2001. That year, the bank pleaded guilty to conspiring with an investment adviser to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in losses from Japanese investors.

Cordray has run the consumer bureau since last year. Senate Republicans had opposed Cordray, as well as the concept of the consumer bureau.

Before she was elected to the Senate last fall, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., conceived of the idea of a consumer protection bureau. Obama considered naming her as commissioner, but her nomination would likely have run into deep opposition on Capitol Hill.

White, 65, heads the litigation department at law firm Debevoise & Plimpton.

She was the first woman to hold the position of U.S. attorney in Manhattan, one of the most prestigious positions in federal law enforcement. During her tenure from 1993 to 2002, White won convictions of white-collar criminals, drug traffickers and international terrorists. The most notable conviction was Ramzi Yousef, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

She led the prosecution of Gotti when she was acting U.S. attorney in Brooklyn in 1992. Gotti died in prison in 2002.

If confirmed by the Senate, White would be the first prosecutor to head the 79-year-old SEC. Most SEC chairmen have come from Wall Street or the ranks of private securities lawyers. The choice of White is likely intended to bolster the agency's enforcement profile in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

White's background differs sharply from that of Schapiro, who guided the agency in the four years after the crisis. Schapiro worked at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the securities industry's self-policing organization. Some consumer advocates have said Schapiro's experience as CEO of FINRA made her more likely to seek compromise and less likely to aggressively pursue misconduct.

During Shapiro's tenure, the SEC reached major settlements with the biggest banks on Wall Street, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citibank. But critics said the penalties were small compared with the banks' revenues. And they complained that no senior executives were held accountable.

White would be expected to give high priority to expanding the enforcement efforts.

At the same time, much of the pressing work facing the agency involves writing new rules. The SEC is seeking stricter rules for money-market mutual funds and must get into shape the so-called Volcker Rule, which would bar banks from making certain trades for their own profit.

As head of litigators at Debevoise & Plimpton, White has represented a number of financial institutions likely to have crossed swords with the SEC in enforcement cases. Her clients also included former Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, whom she represented in a 2010 civil lawsuit by then-New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo accusing Lewis of misleading shareholders in the bank's merger with Merrill Lynch.

White also represented the largest U.S. hospital chain, HCA, in the insider-trading investigations by the SEC and the Justice Department of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., whose family owned HCA. The investigations were closed in 2007 with no charges filed against Frist.

___

Associated Press writers Marcy Gordon in Washington and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-24-Obama-SEC/id-1831c41ad15d407da9102e956846b47f

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