Saturday, December 31, 2011

Cincinnati Tornado: A Look Back

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of the tornado that
destroyed nearly all of Cincinnati.? On Saturday, be sure to watch
our special coverage of how the city has rebounded and rebuilt, 12
months later - and what's left to be done.

We'll check in with the Fire Department - volunteers and firefighters have spent countless hours rebuilding the station after it was demolished by the twister.

Earlier Reports:
Nat'l Weather Service: EF3 Tornado Hit Cincinnati - from Friday, December 31 2010

Hospital Donates to Town Destroyed by Tornado - from Monday, April 11 2011


Also during our Saturday newscast, we'll revisit some personal stories of loss from the New Year's Eve tornado to find out how families are doing heading into 2012.

Earlier Reports:
Survivors Speak about Deadly Cincinnati Storm - from Saturday, January 01 2011

Disaster Cuts Childhood Short -from Sunday, January 02 2011

More stories from Cincinnati over the last year, CLICK HERE.

Special "One Year Later" coverage starts Saturday at 6 on KNWA.

Source: http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news/?nxd_id=295817

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Ford : F-350 WE FINANCE!! 2007 FORD F-350 XLT TURBO DIESEL DUALLY LONG BED CD WE FINANCE

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Seller's Notes:

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Source: http://cars.i-newswire.com/car-detail/f-350/Ford-F-350-WE-FINANCE-2007-FORD-F-350-XLT-TURBO_360422397008.html

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Catch the first look at NeNe Leakes on 'Glee'

Adam Rose/FOX

Reality TV star NeNe Leakes stars as Coach Roz on "Glee."

By Ree Hines

The next episode of "Glee" promises more of the usual high school drama and song and dance fun that fans have come to expect, but it also features a "Glee" first: NeNe Leakes.

As announced last week, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" reality star will join the show as a recurring guest star. Now FOX has released the first photo showing Leakes in character. In the shot, Leakes, as swim coach Roz, faces off with Chord Overstreet's Sam.

Fans won't learn what the poolside hubbub is about until the episode airs Jan. 17.

Until then, Gleeks can enjoy this Leakes-free promo for the episode.

Those looking for other Leakes fixes in the new year will have plenty of opportunities to catch the frequent feuder on the small screen. In addition to her "Housewives" duties, she recently revealed that she'll also appear on BET's "The Game" and "Let's Stay Together."

Will you watch Leakes on "Glee" or any of her other upcoming TV spots? Tell us on our Facebook page.

Related content:

Also in the Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/29/9801360-catch-the-first-look-at-nene-leakes-on-glee

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Oil Prices Ready for Annual Gain in Spite of Slip Today

Excerpt from:??CFDs & Spread Bets
.
December 30, 2011

Spread bets and CFDs on oil prices

Oil prices are losing ground today, but it is quite likely that the commodity will close out the year with a gain. Risks to oil demand on a global scale are being considered as the eurozone's problems indicate slowing growth. Additionally, developments in Iran could affect global oil demand.

So, even though gold prices (equities are mixed) and the US dollar is lower, oil prices are struggling today. This is not a normal state of affairs, since oil normally moves in tandem with gold prices and inversely to the greenback.

For now, oil prices are weak. However, if the US economy shows recovery and picks up, that could mean better oil demand. And, of course, if Iran does disrupt supplies, it could mean higher prices due to increased scarcity. It looks to be an interesting few days for oil prices once the new year begins.

Topic Tags: ?CFDs, gold, Iran, oil prices, Spain, spread bets, spread betting, US dollar


Source: http://blog.gftuk.com/public/item/272432

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Conflict minerals crackdown backfiring in Congo: U.N. (Reuters)

KINSHASA (Reuters) ? A U.S. crackdown on so-called "conflict minerals" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has backfired by pushing trade deeper into the hands of criminals and smugglers, including at least one former rebel leader, a U.N. report said on Friday.

The finding underscores the difficulty faced by both the United States and Congo governments in choking off funding to eastern Congo's roving armed bands, believed responsible for thousands of rapes and killings of villagers.

In an effort to pressure Congo's rebels, the United States adopted a law last year requiring the Securities and Exchange Commission to write rules forcing companies to prove minerals they derived from Congo are "conflict free."

But the rules have not been finalized due to wide opposition from companies and industry groups, creating uncertainty that has led international trading firms to virtually stop all purchases from Congo.

"(This) has mainly led to a loss of production and increased criminality, which I think everyone would agree is not a great result," Gregory Salter, who worked as a consultant for the United Nations report, told Reuters.

Eight years after the official end of a war that killed more than five million people, Congo has struggled to tackle rebel groups and criminal elements within its own armed forces that haunt the densely forested east and enrich themselves on illegal mining.

Congo has some of the world's largest deposits of minerals including tin and coltan used in making cell phones and computers, but decades of conflict and corruption mean most of the population remains mired in poverty, a situation made worse by "conflict mineral" crackdown, the UN's Group of Experts report noted.

"This refusal (by international companies) to purchase untagged material left many exporters... bereft of their main, or only customers, and therefore incomes," the group stated. Congo exports dropped by around 90 percent following the decision by firms not to accept minerals from the region, mining officials told Reuters earlier this year

"(It) appears to have increased the need for fraudulent operators to seek or accept military assistance in their mineral smuggling operations," the report continued.

A former rebel, who is now a general in the Congolese army, is implicated in illegal mineral trafficking, the group said.

Bosco Ntaganda, who is subject to an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes, controls the supply of minerals from the Congolese city of Goma into neighboring Rwanda, which has seen a rise in smuggling in 2011, the report stated.

"The level of recorded domestic production of tin, tungsten and tantalum ores (in Rwanda) continues to be higher than industry analysts consider the real level of production to be... suggesting that material from the DRC is being smuggled into Rwanda, and then tagged as of Rwandan origin," the report said.

Mineral exports from Rwanda are expected to reach $150 million by the end of 2011, up from $118 million in the last financial year between July 2010 and July 2011.

Last month Rwanda returned more than 80 tonnes of minerals to Congo and Rwandan officials have told Reuters that the tagging system, which allows minerals to be traced back to their mine of origin, is working at "nearly 100 percent."

Congo's armed forces have faced repeated allegations of operating illegal mining rackets, and last year Congolese president Joseph Kabila suspended mining in the region for six months in an effort to demilitarize the industry.

Congolese Minister of Mines, Martin Kabwelulu, has dismissed accusations that the Congolese army were involved in illegal mining as "rumors" but said he backed the U.S. legislation to clean up the mining sector.

"For me the Dodd-Frank law is very good, because it stops the criminals from working," he told Reuters by text message.

(Writing by Richard Valdmanis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/wl_nm/us_congo_democratic_un

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Afghanistan, China sign first oil contract

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan's government signed a deal Wednesday with China's state-owned National Petroleum Corporation, allowing it to become the first foreign company to exploit the country's oil and natural gas reserves.

The contract, which covers the northeastern provinces of Sari Pul and Faryab, is the first of several such blocks to be put on the market in coming months, Afghan Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said during the signing ceremony.

Bidding information for blocks in neighboring Balkh province will be released at end of February, and for the western Herat province by next summer, he said.

The ministry listed the initial value of the project with CNPC as $700 million. But the total could be ten times greater if more reserves are found and developed, and if international oil prices remain at today's levels, Shahrani said.

The fuel pact allows the Chinese firm to research oil and natural gas blocks in Sari Pul and Faryab, an area known as the Amu Darya River Basin that was first explored by Soviet engineers in the 1960s. The Soviets estimated the reserves at about 87 million barrels, but both the Afghan and Chinese partners believe they will prove to be much larger.

CNPC will also build a refinery?Afghanistan's first?within the next three years, after the real size of the reserves is established with greater accuracy, said Lu Gong Xun, president of CNPC's international branch.

Shahrani said the deal calls for the Afghan government to receive 70 percent of the profits from the sale of the oil and natural gas. CNPC will also pay 15 percent in royalties, as well as corporate taxes and rent for the land used for its operations.

Afghanistan's army and police will set up special units to guard the project, Shahrani said.

The provinces of Sari Pul and Faryab are located hundreds of miles from the centers of fighting in the east and southeast and are considered relatively safe. As a result, the U.S.-led NATO force has already transferred or is turning over responsibility for security in large parts of the region to the Afghan army and police.

Surveys conducted by the Soviets have shown that Afghanistan sits on vast mineral wealth. Afghan and foreign companies already have shown interest, notably in its untapped copper, iron and oil deposits. But with poor infrastructure and security problems stemming from the 10-year war, most Western mining companies have shied away from firm commitments.

So far, companies from China?with which Afghanistan shares a small stretch of border in its east?have been in the forefront of investments in the nation.

Three years ago the China Metallurgical Construction Co. signed a contract to develop the Aynak copper mine in Logar province. Beijing's $3.5 billion stake in the mine is the largest foreign investment in Afghanistan so far.

___

Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9RTDB800&show_article=1

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Michele Bachmann Vows To Stay In GOP Race Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses 2012 Despite Setbacks

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Vowing to press ahead through the Iowa caucuses, Republican Michele Bachmann dismissed the notion Thursday that her presidential campaign was in disarray ? even as she lost another staff member.

Her comments came a day after a key supporter fled her campaign and she had to fend off other calls to leave the race for the GOP nomination. On Thursday, Wes Enos said he was leaving his job as Bachmann's political director, saying: "I am no longer serving in an official capacity with the campaign." He said he doesn't plan to work for or support another candidate and still plans to caucus for Bachmann.

Despite all that, the Minnesota congresswoman called her campaign organization "strong" and said her headquarters had received 150 calls of support after her Iowa campaign chairman, state Sen. Kent Sorenson, resigned and switched his allegiance to rival Ron Paul on Wednesday.

Sorenson made the switch a few hours after appearing with Bachmann. She alleges he was offered "a lot of money" to change sides, an inducement she said Sorenson had told her about during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

"I know what I was told in that conversation," Bachmann said.

The Paul campaign and Sorenson denied that money factored into the decision or that any such offer was made.

Sorenson told CNN on Thursday that he wanted to back a candidate who is in a position to keep Mitt Romney from winning Iowa. "It's unfortunate they're resorting to these type of tactics," Sorenson said. "But the fact of the matter is she wasn't going to win Iowa."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/michele-bachmann-iowa-caucuses-2012_n_1175379.html

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Iran Reacts To Sanctions Threat With One Of Its Own: Block Oil Exports Through Hormuz Strait

"If they [the west] impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the strait of Hormuz," the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iran's first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, as saying.

E.U. ministers said on December 1 that a decision on further sanctions would be taken no later than their January meeting. E.U. countries take 450,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil, about 18% of its exports.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, has warned against "emotionally charged actions" that might aggravate tension in the nuclear standoff with Iran.

Russia for its part has warned against "cranking up a spiral of tension", saying this would undermine the chances of Iran co-operating with efforts to ensure it does not build atomic bombs.

About a third of all sea-borne oil was shipped through the strait of Hormuz in 2009, and U.S. warships patrol the area to ensure safe passage.

Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq must slip through the strait, a four-mile wide shipping channel between Oman and Iran.

Some analysts say Iran would think hard about sealing off the strait as it could suffer just as much economically as western crude importers.

Industry sources said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf OPEC states were ready to replace Iranian oil if further sanctions halted Iranian crude exports to Europe.

Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi had said that Saudi Arabia had promised not to replace Iranian crude if sanctions were imposed.

"No promise was made to Iran, it's very unlikely that Saudi Arabia would not fill a demand gap if sanctions are placed," said an industry source familiar with the matter.

Gulf delegates from OPEC said an Iranian threat to close the strait would harm Tehran as well as the major regional producers that also use the world's most vital oil export channel.

"If the sanctions take place the price of oil in Europe would increase and Saudi and other Gulf countries would start selling there to fill the gap and also benefit from the higher price," said an industry source, who declined to be named.

Brent crude oil futures jumped nearly a dollar to over $109 a barrel after the Iranian threat, but a Gulf OPEC delegate said the effect could be temporary.

"For now, any move in the oil price is short-term, as I don't see Iran actually going ahead with the threat," said the delegate.

Intellpuke: You can read this Reuters article, in context here: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/27/iran-oil-exports-hormuz-sanctions

Source: http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Iran-Reacts-To-Sanctions-Threat-With-One-Of-Its-Own-Block-Oil-Exports-Through-Hormuz-Strait-33249.html

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Indie Box Office: Wim Wenders' "Pina" opens big (omg!)

Director Wim Wenders arrives during a red carpet of his movie "Pina" at the Rome Film Festival October 31, 2011. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Pina," Wim Wenders' 3D documentary about dancer-choreographer Pina Bausch, opened to an impressive $88,399 at three New York locations over the weekend, leading the specialty market.

The PG-rated movie, distributed by IFC films, had a per-location average of $29,466.

Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," struggled to attract moviegoers in its first days of release. Jolie wrote, directed and produced the R-rated love story set during the Bosnian war. Distributed by FilmDistrict, it opened at three locations and grossed $27,827 over the four-day holiday weekend -- a per-location average of $9,276.

"The film garnered great reviews and important editorial coverage for a recent war that was overlooked by many," Bob Berney, FilmDistrict's president, theatrical distribution, said in a statement. "Angelina has made a great directorial debut with this beautiful and brutal film that pulls no punches and features an amazing cast."

In its third week of release, Roman Polanski's R-rated "Carnage," from Sony Pictures Classics, expanded from five screens to seven, and grossed $88,216 -- a per-location average of $12,602. The movie has grossed $205,871 so far.

In wider release, Focus Features expanded "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" from 16 locations in its second week to 55 in its third. The R-rated movie, directed by Tomas Alfredson, grossed $1.2 million -- a $22,000 per-location average.

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," an adaptation of John le Carre's espionage novel set in Cold War Britain, stars John Hurt, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

"It's just really satisfying a whole lot of moviegoers, making it the most in-demand specialized release in the marketplace," Jack Foley, Focus's distribution chief, told TheWrap Monday.

"The Artist," nominated for six Golden Globes, jumped from 17 locations in its fourth weekend to 167 in its fifth, averaging a solid $8,395 per house. The movie, directed by Michel Hazanavicus, grossed $1.4 million over the long weekend. It now has a total of $2.9 million.

David Glasser, the chief operating officer of the Weinstein Company, which released "The Artist," told TheWrap Monday that the company is pursuing "a very slow, methodical rollout and allowing audiences to see and enjoy this really beautiful picture."

Like with the Weinstein Co.'s Academy Award-winning "The King's Speech," audiences for "The Artist" are getting younger as the film moves into more theaters.

The Weinstein Co.'s other movie now in release, "My Week With Marilyn," had a softer weekend, grossing $888,000 while expanding from 244 to 602 locations in its fifth weekend. Its per-location average was $1,475. The movie, which stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, has grossed $7.3 million so far.

Other holdovers include "Shame," Steve McQueen's NC-17 movie starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. Fox Searchlight's film, now in its fourth week of release, dropped by one location, from 51 to 50, and grossed $191,000 over the weekend -- a per-location average of $3,604. It now has grossed $1.6 million.

Sony Pictures Classics' "A Dangerous Method," increased from 17 locations to 58, and grossed $292,230 over the weekend -- a per-location average of $5,038. It has taken in $1.1 million since its November 23 release.

Fox Searchlight's other movie, Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," dropped from 878 locations to 813 in its sixth week of release, and grossed $3.4 million -- an average of $4,213 per location.

The R-rated movie, which earned George Clooney and director Alexander Payne Golden Globe nominations, has grossed $33.7 million in its six weeks.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_indie_box_office_wim_wenders_pina_opens_big004325299/44008621/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/indie-box-office-wim-wenders-pina-opens-big-004325299.html

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The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy (Mashable)

In 2011, online advertising has beaten out print and radio as the number two place ad dollars are spent. But how did it come to be that way? Four thousand years ago Ancient Egyptians invented advertising by carving public notices in steel. Fast forward to the present day, and in-text online ads, Facebook Like-driven campaigns and viral commercials, such as the Old Spice Guy, are common form. This illustrated timeline, created by Infolinks, takes a walk down advertising's memory lane.

[More from Mashable: Google Rolls Out Clever New Ad Featuring the Muppets [VIDEO]]

The evolution from steal to digital took many turns along its way, such as print fliers hoping to get young men to fight in the Revolutionary War, billboards spurred by the rise of automobiles, electric banner ads following the invention of the light bulb (Times Square's first went up in 1882) and direct marketing with the nascent postal service.

But we don't want to give everything away. Take a look at the graphic below. Do you think any of these older forms of advertising would be successful today? Let us know in the comments.

[More from Mashable: Chevrolet?s Super Bowl Ad Choice Will Be a Viral Video]

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20111226/tc_mashable/the_evolution_of_advertising_from_stone_carving_to_the_old_spice_guy

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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Forget about expensive NFL cable TV subscription packages, this guide will show you how to watch NFL football games online HD! With NFL preseason well underway it?s important that NFL football fans know how to tune into their favorite games, especially you fantasy football fanatics. Watch NFL games on your iPhone/iPad or your Android phone.

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Source: http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f8/here-hd-tvnew-orleans-vs-atlanta-live-stream-football-free-nfl-2011-week-16-game-vide-83538-new/

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Carol Channing's husband, Harry Kullijian, dies (AP)

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. ? Harry Kullijian, a former Northern California city councilman who married Broadway star Carol Channing some 70 years after the childhood sweethearts lost contact, has died on the eve of his 92nd birthday.

Kullijian collapsed at the couple's Rancho Mirage home after suffering an aneurysm, according to family spokesman Harlan Boll. He died Monday at a nearby hospital, Boll said.

Kullijian met Channing while attending middle school in San Francisco, where they dated for a few years before going off to college. The pair lost touch for decades ? as Channing became a musical theater hit with her Tony-winning role in "Hello, Dolly," while Kullijian went to war and then local politics. But they never forgot about each other.

In her 2000 memoir, "Just Lucky, I Guess," Channing reflected on her first love, saying the years spent with him were the happiest of her life.

"The leader of the school band was Harry Kullijian. I was so in love with Harry I couldn't stop hugging him," she wrote.

A mutual friend who read the book urged the recently-widowed Kullijian to call Channing. They got engaged two weeks after their reunion and married three months later, when Channing was 82 and Kullijian 83.

"We went on talking from the last conversation when we were 15 years old," Channing said of their first meeting in seven decades, in a 2003 interview on CNN's "Larry King Live." "We just picked up from that. The years between disappeared, just disappeared."

Born in Turlock, Kullijian settled in nearby Modesto after fighting in World War II and the Korean War and went into walnut farming and real estate. He served two terms on the Modesto City Council, and then spearheaded a local campaign against pornography.

After he married Channing, the couple formed the Channing-Kullijian Foundation to support arts education in schools, and he took over as her manager. The couple split their time between homes in Modesto and Rancho Mirage.

"We go to these celebrity events and, of course, everyone knows and loves Carol and wants to talk to her," Kullijian told The Modesto Bee in October. "Then they point to me and ask, `Who's he?' So I've adopted a new name: Who's he? It doesn't matter who I am; it only matters that I'm helping someone else."

Kullijian is survived by Channing; his two children with late wife Gerry Amos, John and Leslee; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_en_ot/us_obit_carol_channing_s_husband

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Noda?s ?Urgent? Task Is Tax Rise as Japan Debt Load Swells

December 25, 2011, 2:04 PM EST

By Andy Sharp and Toru Fujioka

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda?s next task is securing support for a higher sales tax after Japan?s budget for the next fiscal year showed a record dependence on borrowing to fund government spending.

The government will sell 44.2 trillion yen ($566 billion) of new bonds to fund 90.3 trillion yen of spending, raising the budget?s reliance on debt to an unprecedented 49 percent, a plan approved by the Cabinet in Tokyo on Dec. 24 showed. While spending will decrease for the first time in six years, Noda will delay funding the nation?s pension fund and will create a separate budget account to pay for earthquake reconstruction.

An aging population and two decades of low growth after an asset bubble popped in the early 1990s have left Japan with debt projected at a record 1 quadrillion yen this fiscal year. Noda faces opposition from the public and within his Democratic Party of Japan to increasing the levy even as Standard & Poor?s considers further cutting the nation?s credit rating, reduced in January to AA-.

?The government should hike the consumption tax rate and cut social security spending as soon as possible,? said Masaaki Kanno, chief economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a former Bank of Japan official. ?This is urgent. We do not have the luxury of losing any more time.?

About 53 percent of voters oppose an increase, with a third saying Noda should call an election before such legislation, news service Jiji Press said last week, citing a Dec. 9-12 survey of 2,000 people. The DPJ lost its majority in the upper house of the parliament last year after then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan campaigned on a pledge to cut spending and raise the 5 percent sales tax.

?Constituents? Purses?

DPJ lawmakers with weak electoral majorities may be ?tempted to vote for their constituents? purses? by opposing an increase, said Jun Okumura, a former Japanese trade ministry official and a consultant at the Eurasia Group risk consulting firm in Tokyo.

While Japan?s gross domestic product grew an annualized 5.6 percent in the three months ended September as demand picked up after the March 11 earthquake, the pace will probably slow. The median estimate of 11 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News is for growth of 0.42 percent this quarter. Of the 10 polled this month, five predict GDP will shrink.

Gains in the yen are weighing on growth by eroding exporters? profits, a factor cited by Moody?s Investors Service in cutting the rating outlook for Toyota Motor Corp. on Dec. 22. Europe?s debt crisis is reducing demand for the nation?s products, while earthquake reconstruction costs will swell spending. The yen traded at 78.09 per dollar on Dec. 23 after touching a post-World War II high of 75.35 on Oct. 31.

Sales Tax Plan

Noda?s party will today present a plan for raising the sales tax, lawmaker Shinichiro Furumoto said last week. The ruling coalition plans to raise the rate to 8 percent in October 2013 and 10 percent in 2015, Kyodo News reported Dec. 21, citing government sources.

The International Monetary Fund says a gradual increase to 15 percent ?could provide roughly half of the fiscal adjustment needed to put the public-debt ratio on a downward path.? Martin Schulz, a senior economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo, advocates boosting the tax to ?at least? 20 percent.

?Not Normal Times?

Former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa and Shizuka Kamei, the head of the People?s New Party, a coalition partner, aim to head off the move. Kamei said this month that ?we?re not in normal times, and it?s folly to be playing around with the tax system.?

So far, Japan?s debt burden hasn?t impeded the government?s ability to borrow, with 10-year bond yields poised to close below 1 percent for the first year since 2002.

Noda?s spending plan for the year starting April includes a 3.8 trillion yen special account for reconstruction spending.

Besides the consumption tax, a government panel proposes increasing the highest personal income tax rate to 45 percent from 40 percent by the middle of this decade.

?Japan?s government is proposing the right remedies for the country?s fiscal debt problems, but the speed is too slow and we can?t be confident that the measures will actually be implemented,? said Hitoshi Suzuki, a senior researcher of Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo.

Tokyo-based Ratings & Investment Information Inc. cut Japan?s rating for the first time on Dec. 21. S&P has a negative outlook for the nation and said last month that a downgrade may be getting closer after insufficient progress in tackling a public debt burden that is the world?s biggest.

Japan?s structural deficit ?is completely out of whack because of increasing social security demands and costs,? Schulz of Fujitsu said last week. ?If the government remains lazy in terms of hiking the consumption tax rate, it?s just a matter of time before the very obedient Japanese investors are no longer happy to finance the deficit.?

--With assistance from Mayumi Otsuma in Tokyo, Sophie Leung in Hong Kong and Paul Panckhurst in Beijing. Editor: Ken McCallum

To contact the reporters on this story: Andy Sharp in Tokyo at asharp5@bloomberg.net; Toru Fujioka in Tokyo at tfujioka1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Panckhurst at ppanckhurst@bloomberg.net

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-25/noda-s-urgent-task-is-tax-rise-as-japan-debt-load-swells.html

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Monday, December 26, 2011

The 6 Fattest Coaches in the NCAA and NFL

Andy Reid is flat out huge. While not big enough to take the crown as the fattest coach in football, he's certainly very close. Reid is a brilliant coach, and I think the future is bright in Philly despite a down year. Hopefully, Andy won't eat away his sorrows due to the team's poor play this season.?

To get an idea of how big Reid is, take a look at the above video. This is when Reid was 12 years old, competing against other 12-year-olds in the Punt, Pass and Kick competition in California. Just take a look and you'll know what I mean.?

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/997197-the-fattest-coaches-in-football

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University exceeds LEED Platinum for a long-term pay off

December 21, 2011

University exceeds LEED Platinum for a long-term pay off

Twenty years ago, or thereabouts, there was a television commercial singing the praises of a particular brand of motor oil. It involved a mechanic talking about how well the oil protected engine parts from wear. The oil cost a bit more, he said, but it was worth it, because it reduced the need for engine repairs in the future.

In the conclusion, he held up a can of the oil, saying: ?You can pay me now ? then, holding up a badly worn piston, ?. . . or you can pay me later.?

Korky Koroluk

Construction Corner

Korky Koroluk

I thought of that commercial while reading a news release from the University of British Columbia, singing the praises of the building erected as home for the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS).

The building, the release says, is North America?s ?greenest? building. It has all the features you would expect in such a building, but it does more. For example, instead of being a net-zero energy building, it generates enough energy to power itself as well as a neighbouring building.

It was built primarily of wood, which locks in more than 500 tonnes of carbon, offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions that resulted from other, non-renewable construction materials in the building, such as cement, steel and aluminum.

Funding the building was interesting.

The federal government gave $8.4 million and the provincial government $5.7 million. B.C. Hydro contributed $5 million, and $3.5 million came from Modern Green Development, China?s largest green real-estate developer.

Money also came from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, and Western Economic Diversification Canada. Two companies made sizeable in-kind contributions: Haworth Inc., for adaptable workspaces, and Honeywell for building controls and automation.

The building exceeds both LEED Platinum and Living Building standards.

And, at $37 million, it cost about 25 per cent more than an equivalent LEED Gold building, which is what UBC strives for in its other buildings.

The university figures it will recoup the extra cost in 25 years or less, through reduced operation, maintenance and energy costs. And, it figures it will reap significant cost savings over the building?s 100-year lifespan.

The university is a leader in planning for a low-carbon future, with impressive carbon-reduction targets.

It plans a 33-per cent reduction in institutional greenhouse gas emissions by 2015, a 67-per cent reduction by 2020, and 100 per cent by 2050.

It has four flagship projects, including the CIRS building, that make up the university?s transformation into a living laboratory, and which fall under the umbrella of the UBC Sustainability Initiative.

That group is headed by John Robinson, a professor in the university?s geography department, and its Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability.

?Unsustainable buildings are 100-year mistakes that affect us all, so accelerating the adoption of green building practices is crucial,? Robinson said in the news release.

?CIRS will serve as an agent of change, providing cities and builders a model to learn from, improve on and ultimately surpass.?

There are highly innovative projects built or under construction in other countries. Some could even be described as wildly innovative, and I?ll talk about them another time.

For now, though, the CIRS is at the pinnacle of sustainability in building design and construction, or so the university believes.

As such, it stands there, almost daring other designers and builders to do as well, or better.

Cost, of course, will be a factor, which means innovation must be applied to financing such buildings, not just designing and building them.

In a warming world, it is becoming increasingly evident that although there are extra costs involved in green construction, the long-term cost of doing nothing will be even higher. Like the guy in the motor oil commercial said, you can pay now, or pay later.

Korky Koroluk is a regular freelance contributor to the Journal of Commerce. Send comments or questions to editor@journalofcommerce.com.

Print | Email | Comment

Source: http://www.joconl.com/rss/id48069/steel

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

News Analysis: Oil Sands Pipeline Seems Likely to Endure

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Source: www.rssmix.com --- Saturday, December 24, 2011
A presidential vow to kill the pipeline if Congress rushes a decision will hardly be a death knell, officials say. ...

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2f93949b47fb120b54ecd9af558e155b

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End college football bowl madness!

End college football bowl madness!

Credit: AP

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2011, file photo, Arkansas' receiver Greg Childs (85) runs down field after a reception as Auburn cornerback Chris Davis (11) pursues during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark. Childs' senior season has gone anything but as planned. However, the Arkansas wide receiver hopes to end his career with one final big game when the Razorbacks play Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/April L. Brown, File)

(KMOV) -- When I was a teenager, New Years Day was bigger than Super Bowl Sunday, at least?for me. I still remember the excitement of watching the best college football teams play the biggest bowl games on that one day, virtually non-stop big time gridiron action from morning to late night. Heck, back then even the Gator Bowl was a big deal.

There won't be any college football bowl games on New Years Day this season. On January 2, you can watch Florida play Ohio State in the Gator Bowl.?Both teams have 6-6 records, which means one of them will wind up with a losing record. I realize those are two traditional powerhouse programs, but does anyone really believe they deserve to play in a bowl, much less that one?

Even more absurd is the lineup of bowl games on December 30 and 31. There are 8 teams with at least 6 losses playing in 9 bowl games on those days. UCLA, which plays in something called the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Christmas Eve, has a 6-7 record. It plays Illinois which has a 6-6 record. So, when that game is over the teams will have combined for 14 losses.

Last night, 7th ranked Boise State pounded Arizona State 56-24 in the MAACO Bowl. In the 4th quarter BSU lead by as much as 49-10. ASU finished the game with -11 yards rushing. It was clearly a mismatch. The loss gave Arizona State a 6-7 record for the season. But despite playing a game that shouldn't have been played, the conferences for those two teams will receive $1.1 million for their participation.

There are 35 bowl games this season. Overall, it's possible that as many as 9 of those teams could wind up with losing records.

I believe the current bowl system is corrupted by greed and a false sense of accomplishment. It should be an honor to play in a bowl. Now, in the case of many bowl games, it's just a series of meaningless contests that reward undeserving teams and create marketing opportunities for corporations. The postseason should be reserved for the best teams, not those with strong fan support, key demographics, and the potential to deliver big television ratings.

The major bowls used to be named Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton and Fiesta. Now, every bowl game has a major sponsor who often comes before the traditional name of the bowl, like the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. My personal favorite is the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl.?

Like President Obama, and perhaps you, I support a playoff system.?In my system, you would take at least the top 8 teams, based on a ranking system that includes losses, strength of schedule and other factors. The first round of games would be played 2 weeks after the end of the conference championship games. The 2 games in the second round would be played around Christmas. The national championship game would take place 2 weeks after that.

Clearly, this would create an uproar among the bowls, but?it would also give fans a much more exciting postseason, and crown an undisputed national champion. My 8 team playoff would cut bowl games from 35 to 15.

If you eliminate conference championship games, you could double the number of playoff teams to 16 by starting the postseason a week earlier. This would increase the number of playoff games to 23, and keep most of the current bowls as part of the playoffs. I actually prefer a 16 team playoff because it has the potential for more drama, and would provide a feel of "March Madness" in college football while still?making sure?that only the best teams?participate. Even with?16 teams,?every playoff "bowl game" would be?meaningful.

Frankly, I don't care that much if the playoff games are sponsored. I prefer to see the Gator Bowl without Taxslayer.com in front of it, but bowl sponsorships don't keep me awake at night. I think the most important games could still be played as "bowl games" like the Orange or Sugar. Perhaps, the earlier rounds could be hosted by smaller bowls like the Gator and the Sun.? The participating teams could be paid, but they would be paid more for each round of the playoffs. Of course, there's still room for bowl games that would not be part of the playoffs, though I doubt those games could be successful.

I don't claim to have all the answers, but?this bowl madness?needs to end.?

Source: http://www.kmov.com/community/blogs/reporters-blog/Bowl-Madness-136146883.html

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Japan emperor praises nation for tackling disaster (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's Emperor Akihito praised the compassion of a nation striving to overcome the earthquake and tsunami disasters, as he waved from his palace balcony to throngs of well-wishers for his 78th birthday Friday.

Akihito expressed gratitude to all who have worked in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which devastated northeastern Japan and left 20,000 people dead or missing. Those he thanked included military personnel, residents of northeastern Japan, volunteers, workers at a hobbled nuclear plant and overseas contributors to relief efforts.

"Looking back on this year, I must say this has been a truly distressing year, dominated by disasters," he said in a statement from the Imperial Household Agency.

"I feel that the Japanese people have come together as a nation to squarely face the disaster," said Akihito, smiling next to his wife, Empress Michiko, who was dressed in a pale beige dress.

He was accompanied by his two sons and their wives.

Akihito, the son of Hirohito ? who announced Japan's surrender after World War II ? said Japanese people have learned their lesson from history and have vowed never to go to war again. He urged everyone not to forget that lesson of peace, despite the passage of time.

Akihito was hospitalized last month for a fever and an infection, but appeared to be in good health. He said he felt better and thanked people for worrying about his health.

Akihito has three eligible male successors ? his two sons and a grandson.

Japan's emperor, revered as divine during the wartime years, now has a largely ceremonial function as a "symbol of the nation."

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_emperor

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Exclusive: China CIC sovereign fund to get $50 billion boost

BEIJING | Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:33pm EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's $410 billion sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp. CIC.UL is set to receive additional funding of up to $50 billion, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The new funding comes along with an agreement between relevant Chinese government agencies to give CIC new money to manage every year, the sources said.

The agreement would lay out a long-term framework under which CIC would be allocated money to manage from China's foreign exchange reserves, and would also chart the future of its domestic investment arm Central Huijin Investment, sources said.

"The final plan for capital injection will be unveiled shortly and it could be $50 billion," a source close to the matter said.

CIC declined to comment.

The cash injection follows in the wake of plans -- reported by Reuters earlier this month -- to create a new $300 billion vehicle that would be affiliated with China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), the part of the central bank in charge of the daily management of China's $3.2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves.

The additional funding would give succor to CIC, which operates independently of the central bank, which said in March that it had fully invested all its cash and would like the government to allocate it more money.

Chinese media have reported since late 2009 that CIC was seeking $100-$200 billion in new funding, but there have been no subsequent reports of progress.

CIC was set up in 2007 with the aim of earning higher returns for a slice of China's $3.2 trillion foreign exchange reserves, the largest in the world.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Nick Edwards)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/23/us-china-sovereign-idUSTRE7BM09A20111223?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=23&sp=true

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MIT's got a way of using encrypted data without decrypting it, next stop, traveling without moving

Excepting Jersey Shore participants, people generally value privacy and it's a bigger issue when so much data is stored online. Ethical data controllers will keep it encrypted, but much like leaving food in a fridge, you have to take it out if you wanna use it, which is when it's most at risk. A team from MIT, thinks it's found a solution: a database that allows you to ask it questions without taking it out of the fridge... wait, what? CryptDB works by turning data into "homomorphic" information: strings of numbers, which you can then calculate against one another to get the answers you require. The frankensoftware is comprised of other encryption services, layered like an onion -- but capable of switching between processes instantly. The project was funded by Google and Citigroup and has been so successful that DARPA might be rolling some tanks up Massachusetts Avenue to offer the team a $20 million bounty. Head on down to our source link to read the paper that's so complex it made our eyes go cross-eyed.

Continue reading MIT's got a way of using encrypted data without decrypting it, next stop, traveling without moving

MIT's got a way of using encrypted data without decrypting it, next stop, traveling without moving originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/23/mits-got-a-way-of-using-encrypted-data-without-decrypting-it-n/

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BYU football: Jake Heaps will transfer to Kansas

Provo ? Sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps? future is not at BYU anymore.

It?s at Kansas.

The former BYU quarterback announced Thursday that he is transferring to Kansas to play for former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who became the Jayhawks? new head coach earlier this year.

Weis and Heaps have been acquainted since Weis recruited Heaps out of Skyline High in Issaquah, Wash.

Heaps asked BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall for a scholarship release on Dec. 5, and visited Kansas? campus in Lawrence, Kan., last weekend.

Having just completed his sophomore season, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Heaps must sit out the 2012 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, beginning in 2013.

Earlier Thursday, Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist announced he is also transferring to Kansas. However, Crist will be able to play next season and has just one year of eligibility left. Heaps started BYU?s last 10 games as a freshman in 2010, and first five games in 2011 before being benched in favor of junior Riley Nelson. With Nelson injured, Heaps led the Cougars to a 42-7 win over New Mexico State on Nov. 29, but Nelson was given the starting job back two weeks later against Hawaii.

Mendenhall said Thursday that he granted Heaps the release and that he believes philosophically that any player who wants to transfer should be allowed to do so without penalty from the institution he is leaving.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/53170023-88/heaps-byu-kansas-transfer.html.csp

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UK: Analysis of activity in the energy markets 2011

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UK: Analysis of activity in the energy markets 2011

December 22, 2011 23:20

Source: Financial Services Authorty (UK)

For the tenth consecutive year, we (the FSA) have written to UK energy market brokers to ask for information about volumes and values in the gas, power, coal and emissions traded markets (?the market(s)?) they operate in. We aim to gather information on favoured routes to market and market size to help assess firms? potential market impacts. This information also helps to focus our efforts in identifying risks to the market through our market surveillance programmes.

Our analysis is for the 12 months of trading to 31 July 2011 (?this year?). We surveyed the same participants as last year (12 months of trading to 31 July 2010) and, because the analysis is focused on the UK energy broker market, we have not attempted to include any exchange-traded figures. Our analysis is based on data provided by respondents, which we collated without verification.

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Little girl who charmed Kate and William now cancer-free

Six-year-old cancer patient Diamond Marshall melted hearts around the world when she got her wish to meet the Duchess of Cambridge this past July. Now she?s received her ultimate wish: to be cancer-free.

?On Monday, they removed the last visible tumours so she is cancer-free,? her father Lyall Marshall said, noting that the little girl is now recovering from surgery at Alberta Children?s Hospital in Calgary. ?In her mind, getting better [means] going playing with your six-year-old buddies in the park, so she can?t wait to do that.?

More related to this story

Diamond captured international media attention when she hugged Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, on a Calgary tarmac during the her visit to Canada with Prince William last summer.

She had watched the royal couple?s wedding from a hospital bed, and had told The Children?s Wish Foundation that she wished to meet a princess. She evidently didn?t mind that the Duchess isn?t technically a princess. During the brief encounter, arranged by the charity, she was seen in her white dress, sprinting for the Duchess to give her a hug.

Diamond?s mother died in 2007 due to cancer. Diamond was initially diagnosed with stage four, or advanced, undifferentiated sarcoma. But Mr. Marshall said Thursday that a major operation in August revealed she actually had a rare, adrenal-type cancer instead.

Mr. Marshall said he believes the royal meeting gave his little girl a needed boost. ?I do feel that little hug sure as helped in the fight for her life.?

Diamond will need to undergo high-dose chemotherapy in January, but she is in good spirits, he said.

Jason Evanson, the Alberta and Northwest Territories chapter director for The Children?s Wish Foundation, said the charity has been following her condition closely. ?Diamond has been through an awful lot, and this news at this time of year couldn?t be better,? he said.

The royal couple is also cheered by the news. An e-mailed statement from a spokesman from St. James?s Palace said: ?We have passed the news to Their Royal Highnesses, who asked us to convey how pleased they are to hear the delightful news and their best wishes to Diamond and her family [at] this happy time.?

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/little-girl-who-charmed-kate-and-william-now-cancer-free/article2281081/?utm_medium=Feeds:%20RSS/Atom&utm_source=World&utm_content=2281081

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Climate change may bring big ecosystem shifts, NASA says

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2011) ? By 2100, global climate change will modify plant communities covering almost half of Earth's land surface and will drive the conversion of nearly 40 percent of land-based ecosystems from one major ecological community type -- such as forest, grassland or tundra -- toward another, according to a new NASA and university computer modeling study.

Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., investigated how Earth's plant life is likely to react over the next three centuries as Earth's climate changes in response to rising levels of human-produced greenhouse gases. Study results are published in the journal Climatic Change.

The model projections paint a portrait of increasing ecological change and stress in Earth's biosphere, with many plant and animal species facing increasing competition for survival, as well as significant species turnover, as some species invade areas occupied by other species. Most of Earth's land that is not covered by ice or desert is projected to undergo at least a 30 percent change in plant cover -- changes that will require humans and animals to adapt and often relocate.

In addition to altering plant communities, the study predicts climate change will disrupt the ecological balance between interdependent and often endangered plant and animal species, reduce biodiversity and adversely affect Earth's water, energy, carbon and other element cycles.

"For more than 25 years, scientists have warned of the dangers of human-induced climate change," said Jon Bergengren, a scientist who led the study while a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech. "Our study introduces a new view of climate change, exploring the ecological implications of a few degrees of global warming. While warnings of melting glaciers, rising sea levels and other environmental changes are illustrative and important, ultimately, it's the ecological consequences that matter most."

When faced with climate change, plant species often must "migrate" over multiple generations, as they can only survive, compete and reproduce within the range of climates to which they are evolutionarily and physiologically adapted. While Earth's plants and animals have evolved to migrate in response to seasonal environmental changes and to even larger transitions, such as the end of the last ice age, they often are not equipped to keep up with the rapidity of modern climate changes that are currently taking place. Human activities, such as agriculture and urbanization, are increasingly destroying Earth's natural habitats, and frequently block plants and animals from successfully migrating.

To study the sensitivity of Earth's ecological systems to climate change, the scientists used a computer model that predicts the type of plant community that is uniquely adapted to any climate on Earth. This model was used to simulate the future state of Earth's natural vegetation in harmony with climate projections from 10 different global climate simulations. These simulations are based on the intermediate greenhouse gas scenario in the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. That scenario assumes greenhouse gas levels will double by 2100 and then level off. The U.N. report's climate simulations predict a warmer and wetter Earth, with global temperature increases of 3.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 4 degrees Celsius) by 2100, about the same warming that occurred following the Last Glacial Maximum almost 20,000 years ago, except about 100 times faster. Under the scenario, some regions become wetter because of enhanced evaporation, while others become drier due to changes in atmospheric circulation.

The researchers found a shift of biomes, or major ecological community types, toward Earth's poles -- most dramatically in temperate grasslands and boreal forests -- and toward higher elevations. Ecologically sensitive "hotspots" -- areas projected to undergo the greatest degree of species turnover -- that were identified by the study include regions in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, eastern equatorial Africa, Madagascar, the Mediterranean region, southern South America, and North America's Great Lakes and Great Plains areas. The largest areas of ecological sensitivity and biome changes predicted for this century are, not surprisingly, found in areas with the most dramatic climate change: in the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, particularly along the northern and southern boundaries of boreal forests.

"Our study developed a simple, consistent and quantitative way to characterize the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, while assessing and comparing the implications of climate model projections," said JPL co-author Duane Waliser. "This new tool enables scientists to explore and understand interrelationships between Earth's ecosystems and climate and to identify regions projected to have the greatest degree of ecological sensitivity."

"In this study, we have developed and applied two new ecological sensitivity metrics -- analogs of climate sensitivity -- to investigate the potential degree of plant community changes over the next three centuries," said Bergengren. "The surprising degree of ecological sensitivity of Earth's ecosystems predicted by our research highlights the global imperative to accelerate progress toward preserving biodiversity by stabilizing Earth's climate."

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Jon C. Bergengren, Duane E. Waliser, Yuk L. Yung. Ecological sensitivity: a biospheric view of climate change. Climatic Change, 2011; 107 (3-4): 433 DOI: 10.1007/s10584-011-0065-1

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111218221321.htm

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The Painkiller That Saves Money But Costs Lives

I don't think I know anyone who takes pain drugs, so I have no personal
knowledge. However, I found a short article about Methadone on the Seattle
Times web site recently when I was looking at Google Health news. Even the
summary seemed obviously suspicious, so I looked at the article.

To me, that article and all the data to which the Slashdot story linked screamed incompetence or fraud. Now that I've read a little of the linked data, I realize the writers are at least partly incompetent. Possibly only whoever started them looking was engaged in fraud to sell more expensive drugs.

I just discovered that I'm not the only one who thinks that. [nwsource.com] Short quotes, read the full comments:

"It does not matter if you switch every body to oxycontin or oxycodone. These drugs are terrible at controlling pain and all are very dangerous."

"... I have an issue with how the Seattle Times is drawing a correlation between poverty and methadone poisoning...."

Possibly Methadone is more often given to people who have little education, and who are therefore more likely to overdose because they didn't understand the instructions, or because they have other issues that confuse them.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/m9r8mNet09k/the-painkiller-that-saves-money-but-costs-lives

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

NY ? Bollare Communications Accessories Internship

Bollare Communications Accessories Internship

Accessories Intern:

Bollare Communications is seeking a Spring 2011 Accessories Intern to join the New York team.

Applicants should have a strong interest in fashion/accessories and a big plus to have prior experience working with an agency.

You should be ready to start in early January and be available to work out of our NYC office 3-5 days per week.

All interested applicants please e-mail resumes AND a short cover letter to joey@bollare.com.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

? Assist account team with daily duties of account management and client servicing in timely and professional manner
? Assist with coordination of account press, mailings, distribution, and follow-up
? Facilitate the sending and tracking of client samples/loans
? Assist in coordination of all special events and press appointments
? Oversee account press ? scanning and servicing to client asap
? Oversee show room/product closet

Qualifications:

? Personable and proactive
? Strong interest in the fashion industry
? Excellent communication and writing skills
? Ability to handle a fast paced work environment
? Excellent organization skills / extremely detail-oriented
? Proficient in Word and Excel

About our company:
Bollare Communications is a full service public relations firm specializing
in accessories, beauty, fashion, lifestyle and special events in New York
and West Hollywood. For more information visit www.bollare.com

Source: http://dailyfashionjobs.com/index.php/5465/ny-bollare-communications-accessories-internship/

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