Sunday, March 31, 2013

Navy IDs SEAL killed in Ariz. parachuting accident

(AP) ? Brett D. Shadle always had wanted to be a member of the Navy's most elite special forces unit. A year after enlisting, he made it happen and went on to become a highly decorated member of the Navy's famed SEAL Team 6.

U.S. military officials confirmed Saturday that Shadle, a 31-year-old special warfare operator chief, died Thursday when he and another SEAL collided in midair during a parachute training exercise over the rugged desert of southern Arizona.

Shadle was taken to University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where he was pronounced dead. The other SEAL ? an unidentified E-6 petty officer first class ? remained in stable condition Saturday at the Tucson hospital.

Military officials said the accident was under investigation. Shadle and a fellow SEAL were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon, said U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw. The SEALs collided in midair and landed in separate areas.

Family members said Shadle, of Elizabethville, Pa., was stationed in Virginia. He was married and had a 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

His uncle, Donald Shadle, 67, of Elizabethville, expressed disbelief, saying his nephew had been on many overseas missions only to come back and get killed during a training exercise.

"He was always a good kid, and he always wanted to be a Navy SEAL and that's what he did," Donald Shadle said.

Shadle enlisted in the Navy in July 2000. The following year, he completed his SEAL training and was assigned to his first unit in early 2002.

Navy officials said Shadle had earned multiple Bronze Star medals with Valor and several service ribbons. While details about his deployments were secret, officials confirmed he had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Navy's SEAL Team 6 gained international attention when it was revealed that members of the top secret unit had carried out a raid in Pakistan in 2011 in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Bin Laden became the most wanted man in the world after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.

Team 6 was hit hard later that year when 22 SEALs from the special unit were killed when the helicopter they were riding in was apparently hit by an insurgent's rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan. None of those killed was part of the bin Laden raid, but their deaths marked the nation's single deadliest day of the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Special Operations Command has a parachute testing and training facility at the Pinal Airpark northeast of Tucson, McGraw said. Training programs are operated there year-round.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer ordered flags lowered to half-staff until sundown Saturday.

"His death illustrates once again the daily risks our service members face at home and abroad, whether in combat or training," she said. "I ask that Arizonans join me in praying for Chief Shadle's friends, family and fellow service members, including the second SEAL injured during Thursday's tragic accident."

___

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., and Ron Todt in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Special%20Forces-Parachute%20Accident/id-8bcd85997e944b8c91c58a3713cfcfb3

kurt warner missouri primary minnesota caucus knowshon moreno knowshon moreno sovereign citizen komen

Friday, March 29, 2013

'The Biggest Loser' Winner Danni On How She Really Lost The Weight

  • Clara BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/i-lost-weight-clara-osborn_n_2765912.html" target="_blank">Read Clara's story here.</a>

  • Clara AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/i-lost-weight-clara-osborn_n_2765912.html" target="_blank">Read Clara's story here.</a>

  • Lee BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/i-lost-weight-dr-lee-coleman-jr_n_2765622.html" target="_blank">Read Lee's story here.</a>

  • Lee AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/i-lost-weight-dr-lee-coleman-jr_n_2765622.html" target="_blank">Read Lee's story here.</a>

  • Debbie BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/i-lost-weight-debbie-lazinsky_n_2768877.html" target="_blank">Read Debbie's story here.</a>

  • Debbie AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/i-lost-weight-debbie-lazinsky_n_2768877.html" target="_blank">Read Debbie's story here.</a>

  • Tanee BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/i-lost-weight-tanee-janusz_n_2725616.html" target="_blank">Read Tanee's story here.</a>

  • Tanee AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/i-lost-weight-tanee-janusz_n_2725616.html" target="_blank">Read Tanee's story here.</a>

  • Toni BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/i-lost-weight-toni-hone_n_2717734.html" target="_blank">Read Toni's story here.</a>

  • Toni AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/i-lost-weight-toni-hone_n_2717734.html" target="_blank">Read Toni's story here.</a>

  • Madiha BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/i-lost-weight-madiha-tariq_n_2718255.html">Read Madiha's story here.</a>

  • Madiha AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/i-lost-weight-madiha-tariq_n_2718255.html">Read Madiha's story here.</a>

  • DJ BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/i-lost-weight-dj-foodie-williams_n_2719171.html">Read DJ's story here.</a>

  • DJ AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/i-lost-weight-dj-foodie-williams_n_2719171.html">Read DJ's story here.</a>

  • Kim BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/i-lost-weight-kim-fraley_n_2618297.html">Read Kim's story here.</a>

  • Kim AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/i-lost-weight-kim-fraley_n_2618297.html">Read Kim's story here.</a>

  • Rosemarie BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/i-lost-weight-rosemarie-hernandez-jeanpierre_n_2623316.html">Read Rosemarie's story here.</a>

  • Rosemarie AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/i-lost-weight-rosemarie-hernandez-jeanpierre_n_2623316.html">Read Rosemarie's story here.</a>

  • Brian BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/i-lost-weight-brian-fregeau_n_2662927.html">Read Brian's story here.</a>

  • Brian AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/i-lost-weight-brian-fregeau_n_2662927.html">Read Brian's story here.</a>

  • Debbie BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/i-lost-weight-debbie-shafer_n_2670149.html">Read Debbie's story here.</a>

  • Debbie AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/i-lost-weight-debbie-shafer_n_2670149.html">Read Debbie's story here.</a>

  • Jessica BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/i-lost-weight-jessica-williams_n_2662812.html">Read Jessica's story here.</a>

  • Jessica AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/i-lost-weight-jessica-williams_n_2662812.html">Read Jessica's story here.</a>

  • Andrea BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/i-lost-weight-andrea_n_2639936.html">Read Andrea's story here.</a>

  • Andrea AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/i-lost-weight-andrea_n_2639936.html">Read Andrea's story here.</a>

  • Brian BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/18/i-lost-weight-brian-beck_n_2639791.html">Read Brian's story here.</a>

  • Brian AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/18/i-lost-weight-brian-beck_n_2639791.html">Read Brian's story here.</a>

  • Heather BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/i-lost-weight-heather-fearneyhough_n_2594013.html">Read Heather's story here.</a>

  • Heather AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/i-lost-weight-heather-fearneyhough_n_2594013.html">Read Heather's story here.</a>

  • Jarvis BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/i-lost-weight-jarvis-googoo_n_2625688.html">Read Jarvis's story here.</a>

  • Jarvis AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/i-lost-weight-jarvis-googoo_n_2625688.html">Read Jarvis's story here.</a>

  • Lori And Ed BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/i-lost-weight-lori-ed-olson_n_2585619.html">Read Lori and Ed's story here.</a>

  • Lori And Ed AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/i-lost-weight-lori-ed-olson_n_2585619.html">Read Lori and Ed's story here.</a>

  • Tricia BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/i-lost-weight-tricia-baker_n_2567788.html">Read Tricia's story here.</a>

  • Tricia AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/i-lost-weight-tricia-baker_n_2567788.html">Read Tricia's story here.</a>

  • Zachary BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/i-lost-weight-zachary_n_2582585.html">Read Zachary's story here.</a>

  • Zachary AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/i-lost-weight-zachary_n_2582585.html">Read Zachary's story here.</a>

  • Jessica BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/06/i-lost-weight-jessica-pancheri_n_2583074.html">Read Jessica's story here.</a>

  • Jessica AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/06/i-lost-weight-jessica-pancheri_n_2583074.html">Read Jessica's story here.</a>

  • Ana BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/i-lost-weight-ana-guerrero_n_2568918.html">Read Ana's story here.</a>

  • Ana AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/i-lost-weight-ana-guerrero_n_2568918.html">Read Ana's story here.</a>

  • Cristina BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/i-lost-weight-cristina-hanganu-bresch_n_2488557.html">Read Cristina's story here.</a>

  • Cristina AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/i-lost-weight-cristina-hanganu-bresch_n_2488557.html">Read Cristina's story here.</a>

  • Sara BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/i-lost-weight-sara-bown_n_2488390.html">Read Sara's story here.</a>

  • Sara AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/i-lost-weight-sara-bown_n_2488390.html">Read Sara's story here.</a>

  • Katie BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/i-lost-weight-katie-regan_n_2488078.html">Read Katie's story here.</a>

  • Katie AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/i-lost-weight-katie-regan_n_2488078.html">Read Katie's story here.</a>

  • Jen BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/i-lost-weight-jen-hamel_n_2526563.html">Read Jen's story here.</a>

  • Jen AFTER

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/i-lost-weight-jen-hamel_n_2526563.html">Read Jen's story here.</a>

  • Dannii BEFORE

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/i-lost-weight-dannii-martin_n_2459151.html">Read Dannii's story here.</a>

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/biggest-loser-winner-danni-weight-loss_n_2927270.html

    Election Results Map Early voting results BBC Dick Morris Daily Show provisional ballot npr

    Saturday, March 23, 2013

    Biology Teacher, Newbury - Newbury - South East, Berkshire


    Biology Teacher, Newbury
    ?95 ? ?120 Per Day

    A Secondary School in Newbury is looking for a Biology Teacher. As a good OFSTED school, which is a vibrant learning environment in which all students receive the support and encouragement they need to become successful, confident and mature young people. This School has an excellent reputation and a strong presence in the local community making it a popular choice with parents and local Teachers. You will be joining a committed and enthusiastic team and will be expected to take an active interest in the aims of the school and in pupil progression. This is a friendly academy, with a firm commitment to providing professional development opportunities for their staff and a passionate belief that every student in their school matters. The management team successfully direct professional development for the teachers and targeted support for the pupils.

    This is a great opportunity to join this school and become part of its? exceptional team initially on a day to day basis with a view to enjoying a long-term opportunity. Capita are looking for exceptional candidates for this role in order to meet our total commitment to our schools and the children they support.

    To become part of the Capita supply team at this lovely School you will be:-

    ? Prepared to commit to this fabulous supply opportunity initially on a day to day basis with a view to more long-term opportunities
    ? QTS or NQT or have the equivalent overseas qualification
    ? Able to demonstrate excellent classroom management skills
    ? Able to implement positive teaching methods to raise levels of attainment
    ? Able to plan engaging and interesting lessons
    ? Inspirational and creative Biology Teacher.

    At Capita we take our responsibilities to you seriously, our aim is to ensure you are well supported and rewarded for your efforts, even if it is just to say ?thank you? for a job well done.

    As part of the Capita team you will benefit from:-

    ? The support of a dedicated Secondary Consultant
    ? Good rates of pay and the ability to participate in our tax efficiency scheme
    ? Excellent opportunities for CPD
    ? The opportunity to join our Team-Teach training scheme as applicable

    Source: http://www.jobs.co.uk/jobs/Biology-Teacher-Newbury-448028.htm

    pau gasol marlins park marbury v. madison 2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles

    Friday, March 22, 2013

    100 Top Public Speaking Tips | The Master List

    Post image for 100 Top Public Speaking Tips: Master List

    Public Speaking Tip 1:?Lose that Scorecard in Your Mind

    Don?t aspire to public speaking perfection. It?ll trip you up ? plus, there?s no such thing!

    Public Speaking Tip 2:?Give a Small ?Speech? Every Day

    The line between public speaking and regular talk is thinner than you think. In fact, you can practice public speaking (and increase your skills) during regular conversations ? and no one will ever know!

    Public Speaking Tip 3: Make Public Speaking Practice a Game

    Public speaking is part of everyday life ? and you can make public speaking practice part of your daily life, by playing this game.

    Public Speaking Tip 4: Writing ?Rules? Aren?t for Public Speaking

    The rules for writing that you may have learned in high school are rarely right for public speaking. Instead, write to speak in a way that reflects your natural conversation style.

    Public Speaking Tip 5: Be Yourself

    No one else can tell your story, or speak from your heart, as you can. That?s why the most powerful public speaking always comes from people who are being themselves.

    Public Speaking Tip 6: You WILL Make Mistakes

    Every public speaker makes mistakes! If you hate that reality (and even if you don?t), here are some strategies to quickly recover from the inevitable imperfections.

    Public Speaking Tip 7: Forget About Words

    Words have their place in public speaking, but it?s a much smaller place than most people assume. So instead of worrying about individual word choices, focus on your ideas and your connection with the audience.

    Public Speaking Tip 8: Start By Telling Yourself the Truth

    Public Speaking Tip 8: Tell Truth ? It isn?t always possible to tell ?the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? at work. But if you start by being honest with yourself, it?s easier to find a compromise you can live with.

    Public Speaking Tip 9: Embrace the Stress

    What, besides experience, is the biggest difference between veteran and newbie public speakers? Both groups experience stress, nerves, even fear; but the veterans aren?t thrown by those feelings ? and you don?t have to be, either.

    Public Speaking Tip 10: For Public Speaking Phobia, Get Help

    Is your fear of public speaking a ?phobia?? Or is it in the the mild-to-heavy anxiety range that most of us feel when we make a presentation? Find out how fear differs from phobia, and what to do if you have the latter.

    Public Speaking Tip 11: Get the Facts Before You Agree to Speak

    When someone asks you to give a speech, don?t let your delight (or dismay) distract you from asking some basic questions about your speech, your audience, and the event. Now, before you?ve said yes, is the best time to find out what you?re really getting into!

    Public Speaking Tip 12: Listen to Your Audience (Part 1)

    Great public speaking isn?t just ? or even primarily ? about what you say. Your ability to LISTEN is equally important. Here are some tips for listening better to become a better public speaker.

    Public Speaking Tip 13: Listen to Your Audience (Part 2)

    Listening to one person can be hard work ? and listening to an AUDIENCE can really seem daunting. But if you stop, look, and focus on their cues, you?ll find that the mood of your audience isn?t all that hard to ?hear.?

    ***

    Source: http://speakupforsuccess.com/6999/100-top-public-speaking-tips/

    chris brown hillary clinton apple stock Pro Bowl 2013 ariana grande Kick Ass Torrents jamarcus russell

    Alexis Bledel & Vincent Kartheiser Are Engaged!

    Alexis Bledel and Vincent Kartheiser are getting married! See more stars who are planning to tie the knot.

    Source: http://www.ivillage.com/engaged-celebrities-they-put-ring-it/1-b-277661?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aengaged-celebrities-they-put-ring-it-277661

    John Orozco Garrett Reid shawn johnson Tony Sly Lauren Perdue tagged Heptathlon

    PFT: Osi likely headed to Falcons or 'Phins

    McKayAP

    Plenty of fans think that the move to make pro football safer comes from a desire to protect the coffers against future litigation filed by the players of today.

    Falcons president Rich McKay, who chairs the league?s Competition Committee, addressed that concern during a Thursday visit to Pro Football Talk.

    ?Absolutely not,? McKay said, ?it?s about protecting the players.? I?ve been on the Committee for 20 years and it?s never been a discussion in our room of, ?Well we?re worried about a litigation about this or a litigation about a knee injury.?? We?re worried about player safety and I think one of the great things about the league is it?s been a focus of ours for a long time and there?s such a long process that goes into it.

    ?People think that, well, there?s a Competition Committee, they take guys, and they come up with these rules. There?s such a long process. This is a rule we?ve actually talked about for a couple of years with the [NFL] Players Association, with the Head, Neck, and Spine Committee, with Coach Madden?s subcommittee, all of those things.? So the reasoning behind these rules is, number one, the short-term health and safety of the players and, number two, the long-term health and safety of our players.?

    McKay has no concern regarding the potential impact of enhanced safety rules on the long-term welfare of the game. At some point, could another league that promises ?old-school? football with big hits and players willing to take the risks emerge to threaten the NFL?

    ?No, I don?t think so, Mike, and I?ll tell you why,? McKay said. ?It doesn?t mean that there couldn?t be another league; obviously there could be at any time.? But remember what football is.? Football is the ultimate team sport and it begins at a very young age and we?re the leaders of that sport and we take the responsibility for that.? So if we ever get the mindset that, hey, we have to leave this game as tough as it is and in some way we don?t encourage younger players to play our game then be assured of this, in time it will affect our game.? It will have an effect and that?s something that we can never forget and that?s why we always say when we pass rule changes, we?re passing it hoping to force it all the way down to the littlest guys playing our game and so that everybody understands how safe our game can be.

    ?So the fact that somebody may decide to play ultimate football or ultimate whatever, fine for them.? But in our game we?re always going to look out for the entire game, that starts from the little guys playing football, high school football, college football, and us because what?s made us great is that entire feeder system of that chain has made our game as great as it is.?

    It?s a responsible and prudent approach, but the resistance from players and criticism from fans suggests that, eventually, a league that plays football ?the way it used to be played? could pose a threat to the NFL?s future.? Then again, if parents view the game as unacceptably dangerous, the supply of football players eventually will be choked off.

    Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/21/falcons-dolphins-provide-likely-landing-spot-for-umenyiora/related/

    Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game john lennon leann rimes pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha Butch Jones

    Thursday, March 21, 2013

    Nigeria c.bank holds rate at 12 pct despite lower inflation

    ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's central bank kept rates on hold at 12 percent for a ninth time in a row, citing concerns over ongoing external price pressures, despite the headline inflation rate being within the bank's target band.

    Increasing macroeconomic stability in Africa's second biggest economy, including a more stable naira currency, is drawing in foreign investors, but many are still wary of excessive government spending and widespread corruption.

    Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi said on Tuesday that while Nigeria had achieved "a reasonable degree of moderation" with consumer prices, this was largely to do with cuts to the fuel subsidy no longer feeding through to higher prices, adding that there was still an upside risk to inflation.

    The bank's decision was a 9-3 majority, Sanusi said. Most analysts had expected the bank to keep rates on hold.

    The bank also held the cash reserve requirement at 12 percent, and the liquidity ratio at 30 percent.

    Nigerian consumer inflation rose to 9.5 percent in February, from 9 percent in January, the statistics bureau said on Saturday, but it was within the central bank's single digit target for a second month in a row.

    "The sharp drop in inflation in early 2013, compared with early 2012, is largely to do with the base effect of the partial removal of the fuel subsidy," Sanusi said, and therefore did not necessarily reflect a sustainable downward trend.

    President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to remove Nigeria's blanket motor fuel subsidy in January 2012, and although mass protests forced him to partly reinstate it, he was able to increase fuel prices by around 50 percent.

    The central bank has come under increasing pressure from business lobbies to cut rates to stimulate the economy.

    "The committee carefully weighed the action of relaxing monetary policy, noting that reversing the current trend of monetary policy might have signalled a preference for a higher inflation rate," Sanusi said.

    "There is still an upside risk to inflation in the near to medium term ... while equity prices have been trending upwards."

    The corridor for borrowing and lending to the bank was kept at 200 basis points around the base rate.

    A shock fall in the naira last week prompted the bank to intervene on Friday to support it by selling dollars. Sanusi only noted that the naira remained within the target range of 3 naira plus or minus 155 to the dollar.

    But analysts suspected last week's fall in the local unit may have sealed the decision to hold rather than cut rates.

    "In this context, reducing policy rates would have been counterproductive with the potential to lead to further naira weakness," said Standard Bank's Samir Gadio.

    Sanusi told Reuters last month that the bank would not be pressured into cutting rates anytime soon, because it "cannot take stability for granted."

    The bank has kept rates on hold since November after six successive hikes last year - including a 275 basis point rise in October to 12 percent - to ward off speculation against the naira. The currency rose 1.8 percent against the dollar in 2012.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-cbank-holds-rates-12-pct-9th-time-134817500--business.html

    bone cancer hossa the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw alec

    Wednesday, March 20, 2013

    How scientists decide when spring has sprung

    National Weather Service

    We experience seasons because Earth rotates on an axis that's tilted in its orbit. The 23.5-degree tilt causes different hemispheres to be at different angles to the sun at different times of year. During winter, the energy from the sun must travel through more atmosphere to reach the poles. Also, a given amount of the sun's energy is spread over a larger area.The seasonal turning points are listed for the Northern Hemisphere.

    By Paige Williams, NBC News

    The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear ? and quite often, the moods we are in. The seasons officially change once again on Wednesday, with?spring beginning in the Northern Hemisphere and?autumn starting in the south.

    What is it that causes the change?

    The ability to predict the seasons ? by tracking the rising and setting points of the sun throughout the year ? was key to survival in ancient times. The Babylonians, the Maya and other cultures developed complex systems for monitoring seasonal shifts. But it took centuries more to unravel the science behind the seasons.


    Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) radically changed our understanding of astronomy when he proposed that the sun, not Earth, was the center of the solar system. This led to our modern understanding of the relationship between the sun and Earth.

    We now know that Earth orbits the sun elliptically and, at the same time, spins on an axis that is tilted relative to its plane of orbit. This means that different hemispheres are exposed to different amounts of sunlight throughout the year. Because the sun is our source of light, energy and heat, the changing intensity and concentration of its rays give rise to the seasons of spring and summer, fall and winter.

    Solstices and equinoxes
    The seasons are marked by solstices and equinoxes ? astronomical terms that relate to Earth?s tilt.

    The solstices mark the points at which the poles are tilted at their maximum toward or away from the sun. This is when the difference between the daylight hours and the nighttime hours is most acute. The solstices occur each year on June 20 or 21 and Dec. 21 or 22, and represent the official start of the summer and winter seasons.

    NASA / EUMETSAT

    These views of Earth from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager on EUMETSAT's Meteosat-9 satellite shows the terminator line on Dec. 21, 2010 (upper left), March 20, 2011 (upper right), June 21, 2011 (lower left) and Sept. 20, 2010 (lower right). The sequence illustrates how Earth's northern half receives more sunlight in June, while the southern half gets more light in December.

    The vernal equinox and autumnal equinox herald the beginning of spring and fall, respectively. At these times of the year, the sun appears to be directly over Earth?s equator, and the lengths of the day and the night are equal over most of the planet.

    On March 20 or 21 of each year, the Northern Hemisphere reaches the vernal equinox and enjoys the signs of spring. At the same time, the winds turn colder in the Southern Hemisphere as the autumnal equinox sets in. The year's other equinox occurs on Sept. 22 or 23, when summer fades to fall in the north, and winter?s chill starts giving way to spring in the south.

    From year to year, there is always some variability in the equinoxes and solstices because of the way Earth's changing tilt matches up with its orbit around the sun. This year, the precise moment of the March equinox comes at 7:02 a.m. ET Dec. 21. That's the moment when the sun is exactly overhead, as seen from the point on Earth's equator directly facing the sun at that time.

    Wednesday?is thus the day that comes the closest to offering equal amounts of sunlight and darkness all over the globe ? at least until the September equinox.??

    Effect on climate
    Here?s how the seasonal change affects the weather: Around the time of the June solstice, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun and the Northern Hemisphere is starting to enjoy summer. The density of the solar radiation is higher because it's coming from directly overhead ? in other words, the sun's rays are concentrated over a smaller surface area. The days are longer, too, meaning that more radiation is absorbed in northern climes during the 24-hour cycle. Another factor that may come into play is that the radiation takes a somewhat shorter path through the energy-absorbing atmosphere before striking the earth.

    At the same time that the Northern Hemisphere is entering summer, the South Pole is tilted away from the sun, and the Southern Hemisphere is starting to feel the cold of winter. The sun?s glancing rays are spread over a greater surface area and must travel through more of the atmosphere before reaching the earth. There are also fewer hours of daylight in a 24-hour period.

    The situations are reversed in December, when it?s the Southern Hemisphere that basks in the most direct rays of the sun, while the Northern Hemisphere receives less dense solar radiation for shorter periods of time.

    Although the solstices represent the pinnacles of summer and winter with respect to the intensity of the sun?s rays, they do not usually represent the year's warmest or coldest days. This is because temperature depends not only on the amount of heat the atmosphere receives from the sun, but also on the amount of heat it loses due to the absorption of this heat by the ground and ocean.

    It is not until the ground and oceans absorb enough heat to reach equilibrium with the temperature of the atmosphere that we feel the coldest days of winter or hottest days of summer.

    More about spring:

    This is an updated version of an article originally published in March 1999.

    ?

    Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/19/17377359-spring-has-sprung-scientifically-speaking?lite

    renee zellweger catherine zeta jones charlize theron barbra streisand barbra streisand hugh jackman Aly Raisman

    Monday, March 18, 2013

    Stocks poised for more gains as economy picks up

    NEW YORK - Major U.S. stock indexes have never been higher - and yet that's hardly scaring people.

    Stocks have soared in 2013, with the Dow climbing almost 11 percent to hit a series of new all-time highs while the S&P 500 has jumped 9.4 percent, falling just short of its all-time closing high after rising for 10 of the past 11 weeks. And yet, analysts for the most part see equities as fairly cheap.

    The rally has slowed, however. In the last eight trading sessions, the S&P 500 has managed a daily gain of more than 0.5 percent just once. Questions remain about the potential impact of U.S. budget negotiations or the Federal Reserve's plans in continuing its massive monetary stimulus. The Fed meets this week.

    Taken on its own, analysts see potential for more gains in the U.S. stock market, based on metrics like earnings prospects and valuation. The forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio for the S&P 500 is currently 13.5, which is about 9 percent less than the October 2007 ratio of 14.8 when the S&P last hit a record.

    "This shows that stocks are cheaper than they were at the time of the last high, and at the same time, alternative assets like bonds are much more expensive," said Paul Zemsky, head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management in New York, who helps oversee $170 billion. "We are at record levels, but you need to look at stocks in the right context, and in that context, they're not expensive at all."

    The S&P 500's earnings yield - a reverse of the P/E ratio - currently stands at 7.1 percent, compared with 6.41 percent for the BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index. That's an anomaly in the markets - the earnings yield has generally been lower than a benchmark junk-bond yield because it measures the risk of owning the highest-quality stocks versus the expected return on the lowest-quality bonds.

    The current P/E ratio is also below the historic average of 14.8, according to Thomson Reuters data dating back to 1968. The S&P 500 would need to rise to about 1,647 to become in line with the historic average - about 5.6 percent above current levels, according to Standard & Poor's.

    Interest rates remain near record lows while dividends are growing, another way that stocks are outshining bonds.

    In the most recent quarter, the average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies was 2.19 percent, more than the 1.89 percent yield in the fourth quarter of 2007, the period of the last market peak, according to Standard & Poor's. In 2012, 403 S&P 500 components paid a dividend, the highest number since 1998.

    In contrast, the 10-year U.S. Treasury note currently yields 2 percent, so the dividend yield on the S&P 500 would pay more than the bond, without even factoring in potential price growth.

    The S&P 500 is also trading well below its intrinsic value, another metric of earnings-based valuation that estimates where a security should trade, based on its expected growth trajectory over the next decade or more.

    The index is seen as having a price to intrinsic value ratio of 0.85, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine, which means it would have to rise 15 percent to be in line with its earnings growth trajectory. More than two-thirds of companies are below their intrinsic value, including some of the biggest.

    Apple Inc., which has tumbled 16.6 percent this year, is 28.2 percent under its intrinsic value, based on its Friday closing price, while Exxon Mobil Corp. is 23.3 percent under and Bank of America Corp. is 53.3 percent under its intrinsic value.

    Other companies show signs of being overbought. Google Inc., which has jumped about 15 percent so far this year, is about 16 percent higher than intrinsic valuation. Amazon.com Inc. is 85 percent above its intrinsic valuation of $39.17.

    "You need to be selective. While on the whole, we're in a constructive market supported by dividends and earnings, some companies have probably seen peak levels already," said John Carey, portfolio manager at Pioneer Investment Management in Boston, which has about $200 billion in assets.

    The market's gains this year have come on accommodative monetary policy from the Federal Reserve and strong corporate results, two factors that investors don't see going away any time soon.

    The Federal Reserve's interest-rate-setting committee meets next week. Despite calls from some of the board's more hawkish members to reduce asset purchases, the Fed is expected to continue on its current path.

    Recent data - ranging from retail sales and manufacturing to employment - has shown the economy is picking up some momentum. But the high U.S. unemployment rate of 7.7 percent gives the policy committee room to keep buying $85 billion a month in bonds to keep interest rates low.

    And while the stock market's two previous peaks were followed by recessions stemming from the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2000 and the 2008 credit crisis, there is no apparent equivalent today.

    "I don't see anything that looks like a speculative bubble, and there's no sign of the euphoria that marks the end of a bull market," said Ken Fisher, who oversees $46 billion at Fisher Investments in Woodside, Calif.

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wall-street-poised-more-gains-economy-gains-steam-1C8901507

    giants vs 49ers sf 49ers joe paterno died 49ers game steven tyler national anthem paterno newt gingrich

    [iPad] Getting iPad3 to read exfat SD card?

    I just ordered a class 10 128gb card but it only supports exfat to take full advantage of the storage.

    I am now reading online that iPad can only support up to 32gb cards and cannot read exfat. Is there a jailbreak workaround to this?

    I got it for such a great deal, if my iPad won't read it, I still might hold onto it for my T2i SLR (what do you think?)

    Anyways, thanks.

    Source: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1558133&goto=newpost

    wes welker finish line Conclave tmz Sizzurp the bachelor earthquake

    Sunday, March 17, 2013

    Insert Coin semifinalist: Observos environmental monitoring sensors hands-on (video)

    Insert Coin finalist Observos remote monitoring sensors handson video

    We first heard about Observos a month ago when it became a participant in our Insert Coin semifinals, but it wasn't until the Hexagonal Research product showed up at Engadget Expand that we were able to see working models of its environmentally aware sensors. Each sensor, which is shaped like a hexagon and is about twice as thick as a hockey puck, is capable of monitoring the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure of virtually any object you can think of. For indoor sensors, a small screen on top displays the desired information of the item you're monitoring, but there's no need to keep a close eye on it -- the information can be relayed to a web interface by communicating wirelessly with a base station hooked into your router. (Outdoor sensors are more rugged to handle external weather conditions and don't have a display screen.

    You can program the setup to alert you via email or text if something is awry, regardless of where you are, and you'll be able to monitor everything directly from your smartphone; in the future, Observos hopes to expand into a control network that would give you the ability to make changes to environmental conditions remotely. In other words, if your plants get low on moisture, you'd be able to program a flow valve to open automatically.

    While the company's Expand booth featured only six sensors, up to 40 could be used simultaneously. The Observos team plans to launch its Kickstarter campaign this coming Monday, and backers can grab one indoor sensor and base station together for $175, with the price going up as more sensors are added; outdoor sensors will be a bit more spendy as well. A hacker's board will also be available at $75 for anyone who just wants to tinker around with the goods. Check out our video and full image gallery below for another look.

    Filed under: , ,

    Comments

    Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/16/insert-coin-finalist-observos-environmental-monitoring-sensors/

    slow jam the news madden cover obama slow jams the news metta world peace ron artest gladys knight private practice

    Born in war and poverty, youth don't abandon Iraq

    BAGHDAD (AP) ? The 21-year-old college student in Baghdad lost her father during the Iraq War to gunmen from a rival Muslim sect. Now she dreams of an Iraq where all people can "enjoy stable life and security."

    The young bus driver from a former al-Qaida stronghold had to drop out of school to help support his family. He struggles to make ends meet but longs to resume his education.

    The teenager from the northern Kurdish region works in his father's barber shop when he's not in class. He looks forward to making a lot of money in Iraq ? but only if the government can capitalize on its oil trade and foreign investments.

    As part of Iraq's growing youth population ? which accounts for about 60 percent of the nation's people ? all three say they are impatient at best about where their country is headed. The U.S.-led invasion of March 20, 2003, promised better lives for Iraqis after three decades of war, dictatorship and sanctions. Ten years later, the county is mired in widespread instability and political corruption.

    Nevertheless, interviews and discussions across the country with more than a dozen Iraqi teenagers and young adults reveal a resiliency and refusal to abandon hope. Deadly violence is common, jobs are scarce and education is a luxury, but they say they are unwilling to give up on Iraq. Moreover, a government survey shows that 80 percent of young Iraqis don't want to move to another country.

    "I want my country to be better, and I want my people to enjoy stable life and security, and for Iraq to be like a Western country," said Shahad Abdul-Amir Abbas, whose father was killed in 2005 in the widespread sectarian fighting that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war.

    Abbas, a Shiite who attends college in Baghdad, wants to find a good-paying job and to marry, but thinks "my personal ambitions will not come true unless my country gets rid of all the security, political and economic problems."

    An estimated 18 million people of Iraq's population of 30 million are younger than 25, according to data provided by the CIA and the United Nations. By comparison, Americans of that same age group make up about one-third of the U.S. population. Contraceptives are limited in Iraq, and an estimated 20 percent of girls ages 15 to 19 are married, according to the U.N.

    The fate of Iraq's youth is a top concern for the U.N. envoy in Baghdad, especially as there are few ? if any ? obvious successors to the nation's aging political leaders. As the upcoming generation looks to the future, the decisions they make today ? pursuing education, finding jobs, whether or whom to marry, and even to stay or leave the country ? will help determine whether and how quickly Iraq is able to achieve peace and prosperity.

    A 2009 study by the Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sport reveals a decidedly traditional worldview among the nation's young people. The survey of 6,492 households across Iraq, focusing in large part on 15,087 people ages 10 to 30, concluded that 60 percent of the country's youth are generally optimistic about the future, especially teenage girls. The study was the first of its kind in Iraq, according to the U.N.

    However, the study also found that nearly 40 percent refuse to talk to people deemed different than them. Slightly more than half ? 52 percent ? do not have friends from different religions or sects. And more than 90 percent believe women must have the approval of their husbands or families before they are allowed to work outside the home.

    The survey has not been updated since 2009. It is currently being used to develop a national youth strategy, Iraqi government officials said.

    U.N. envoy Martin Kobler said teenage and young Iraqi adults generally remain isolated from other religious sects. But a group of several dozen Iraqi youths he recently took on a series of field trips to different mosques and shrines indicated a curiosity and willingness to learn.

    "They asked all kinds of questions ? they just do not know about the other denominations," Kobler said in an interview Thursday. "And on one occasion, they interrupted the sheik, saying they don't want to hear about sectarian attitudes. They said, 'We want to hear about jobs, and about our future in Iraq ? not sectarianism.'"

    "The young people who have tolerance today will be adults with tolerance tomorrow," Kobler said. "But young people with limited views and sectarianism today will have those views tomorrow. It's very important that this country stays together. Everything that works to separate the country along sectarian lines is not conducive to an atmosphere where everybody is an Iraqi."

    Abdul-Wadoud Fawzi, a 25-year-old Sunni, struggles to be optimistic. He is a native of Fallujah, the former al-Qaida stronghold in Iraq's west that has been a recent hotspot of anti-government protests. Each weekday morning, Fawzi drives a minibus of students to Anbar University in the city of Ramadi, about 45 minutes away. He had to drop out of school to help support his family, earning $300 a month as a driver.

    "Studying might provide me with a better life and future," he said. "My hopes are similar to the hopes of all Iraqis ? to live a peaceful and dignified life away from violence and war miseries. The country is getting worse, as long as justice is absent in Iraq, and it will not get better until we get rid of the unjust government."

    The ministry study says nearly all youth ? 92 percent ? receive some formal schooling but that there's a high drop-out rate. In 2009, the study estimated that fewer than half of Iraqis between the ages of 15 and 24 were still in school, with more males than females enrolled.

    Government officials have tried to help young people mostly by creating sports clubs, offering computer training and opening fine arts centers. The Youth and Sport ministry has an annual $840 million budget but no authority to create jobs.

    Unemployment remains high among young Iraqis. Only 46 percent of people aged 25 to 30 had jobs in 2009, the government study showed. That's compared to 81 percent of working Americans of the same age last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Some of the best jobs in Iraq are with the government, where a midlevel worker makes about $600 a month. Those jobs aren't easy to get.

    In the southern port city of Basra, Akram Hashim, 25, is earning pocket change at a photography store even though he's been trained in computer science. He says he does not have the political connections necessary to be given public work.

    "A stable government job to help my family is what is needed," said Hashim, a Shiite who lives with his wife and daughter in his parents' home with six other relatives. "It is very hard to get a good job."

    How does he see his country's future? "It could get worse," he said gloomily.

    Basra is surrounded by some of the world's most lucrative oil fields, which are being mined for foreign investors. Yet Hashim's desire for a government job reflects a deep-seated reluctance among many Iraqis to wean themselves off reliable employment. Kobler said that is rooted in part by security fears: If the violence continues, fewer foreign investors will come to Iraq, and jobs could dry up.

    A notable exception is in the self-rule Kurdish region in Iraq's north. The region is generally more stable and financially well-off than the rest of Iraq, largely because it was not under Saddam Hussein's control in 2003 and was spared the violence, military and political chaos in the years after the U.S.-led occupation.

    Alan Fatih Kareem, 18, a Kurdish high school student who works in his father's barber shop in the regional capital of Irbil, says new foreign investment and influences have given him a taste of the West and, generally, should bode well for Iraq's future.

    "Iraq and Kurdistan are making remarkable progress in terms of development, construction and mixing with foreigners," Kareem said. "I'm looking forward. I don't know what will happen in the future, but I'm sure Iraq will change for the better."

    The youth study shows that more than half of young adults own cell phones, which were nonexistent in Iraq 10 years ago. It also found that more than four out of five young Iraqis have no desire to leave their homeland, despite its many problems.

    But Iraq's leaders cannot afford to let security threats and bleak economic opportunities go unchecked, Kobler said. "My impression is (Iraqi youth) want to stay," he said. "But if framework conditions are as they are, then they will want to leave."

    In the holy Shiite city of Najaf, Intithar Hussein has put faith in her up-and-coming generation. She is a satellite television reporter in a country where, according to the study, only a 52 percent majority of young men believe women should work. She does not care.

    "The important thing is to have the smile of victory on your face when you achieve what you work hard to do," said Hussein, 22. "The size of corruption and destruction is big, but the well-doing hands of Iraqis who are working to draw a shining future are many."

    ___

    Lara Jakes was a correspondent and chief of bureau in Baghdad from 2009 to 2012 and is now an AP national security writer in Washington. In Iraq, AP journalists Sameer N. Yacoub, Hadi Mizban, Karim Kadim, Alaa al-Marjani, Cerwan Aziz and Nabil al-Jurani contributed to this report.

    Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/larajakesAP

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/born-war-poverty-youth-dont-abandon-iraq-063536091.html

    UFC 150 Caster Semenya Medal Count 2012 Olympics victoria beckham London 2012 rhythmic gymnastics Meteor Shower August 2012 jessie j

    Import Smartphone Photos Faster on your Mac with Preview

    Import Smartphone Photos Faster on your Mac with Preview Even with Photo Stream, iPhoto can be too slow and bloated to be your primary means of importing photos to your Mac, but Preview has a little-known feature that can access your smartphone's photos quickly.

    To try out the feature, connect your smartphone via USB (Android users will need to enable PTP over USB connections), open Preview, and hit File > Import From (your device's name). This will bring up a grid of files that you can drag and drop anywhere on your Mac, or open directly in Preview. This isn't a groundbreaking feature by any means; it's functionally pretty similar to OS X's built-in Image Capture utility. Even so, it's extremely convenient if you don't want to futz with file directories and just need to quickly view and crop a photo or two with Preview's built-in tools.

    Need that iPhone or Android photo fast? Import quickly to Mac with built-in Preview | CNET

    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/IgXv_AYNYKs/quickly-import-smartphone-photos-on-your-mac-with-preview

    seattle seahawks new uniforms wisconsin recall wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres texas news kim mulkey

    Thursday, March 14, 2013

    Pope Francis breaks barrier as first Jesuit pontiff

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is both the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit pope.

    By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News

    Pope Francis is unique not just for being the first Latin American pope. He's also the first Jesuit pope, possibly signaling a renewed emphasis on traditional Catholic theology by the church.

    The Society of Jesus, as the Jesuits are formally known, observes a vow of poverty, and as archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was known for his accessibility and simplicity, said Michael Sheeran, president-elect of the American Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

    "Pope Francis took the bus to work every day," Sheeran said in a live online discussion of Bergoglio's election. "He sold the cardinal's residence and lived in a small apartment where he cooked for himself."


    But that simplicity hides a steely determination to advance Jesuit principles, especially on the importance of traditional Catholic teachings and protection of the poor and the oppressed, Sheeran said.?

    That determination emerged during Bergoglio's service as the top Jesuit leader of Argentina beginning in 1973, Sheeran said, noting, "He was a tough guy who made sure his men toed the mark."

    "I think you'll find a man who is conservative theologically but very strong on matters of social justice," Sheeran said.

    George Weigel, a senior fellow at the nonprofit Ethics and Public Policy Center who is a Vatican analyst for NBC News, agreed that the choice of Bergoglio "speaks to the church's commitment to the poor of the world and compassion in a world that often needs a lot of healing."

    At the same time, "this is a John Paul II guy," Weigel said, referring to Pope John Paul II, who elevated Bergoglio to archbishop in 1998 and cardinal in 2001. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, "he tried to call that community back to orthodoxy," Weigel said.

    The new pope has been a vocal opponent of abortion and especially of same-sex marriage, saying in 2010 that its role was to "seriously injure the family." He said the practice deprived children of "the human growth that God wanted them given by a father and a mother."

    That position drew a rebuke from Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who called Bergoglio a relic of "medieval times and the Inquisition."

    Ultimate redemption for Jesuits
    The Society of Jesus is the largest religious order of men in the Catholic Church, according to church statistics, and the largest single order of Catholic priests. But there has never before been a Jesuit pope, reflecting both the order's own reluctance to get deeply involved in church politics and its history as a polarizing force within Catholicism.

    NBC News Special Report: The Vatican crowd cheers as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is blessed and elevated to Pope Francis, successor to Pope Benedict XVI, on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

    "I'm amazed (Francis) was selected," Sheeran said, because "the Jesuits steer clear of getting high-ranking jobs like this."

    The society was founded in Rome in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier as a movement devoted to living in the imitation of Jesus.?

    From the beginning, the Jesuits have been aggressively evangelistic; they were the shock troops in the church's resistance to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and among the first missionaries to set up shop in such far-flung locales as India, Asia, and Central and South America, the Catholic Encyclopedia records.

    That activism earned the society reputation for political scheming by the 1760s, leading to its official suppression by Pope Clement XIV in 1773. Expulsion of the order quickly followed across much of the Catholic world, from France and Portugal to as far away as the Philippines.

    "It thereby contributed to the polarization and politicization of the European public sphere in the age of enlightenment," Christine Vogel, a historian at the University of Rostock in Germany, wrote in a 2010 examination of the suppression.

    The order remained in the wilderness for 41 years before Pope Pius VII restoring its recognition after the Napoleonic Wars wound down in 1814.

    In the modern era, the Jesuits have focused on social justice and education, having founded scores of prominent colleges ?around the world, including 28 in the U.S., among them Georgetown in Washington, Boston College, Fordham in New York, Holy Cross in Massachusetts, Marquette in Michigan and Loyola in New Orleans.

    That's in keeping with Pope Francis' own background ? like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Bergoglio is an academic as well as a priest.

    Before he became a bishop in 1992, Bergoglio earned a doctorate in theology in Freiburg, Germany. He returned to Argentina and was a theology instructor at and later rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel in Buenos Aires.

    Related:

    Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17300861-pope-francis-breaks-another-barrier-as-first-jesuit-pontiff?lite

    gran torino gloria steinem war of the worlds rock and roll hall of fame severe weather wichita brian wilson

    Wednesday, March 13, 2013

    Dayton&#39;s sales tax reversal allows businesses to focus on defeating ...

    Gov. Mark Dayton abandoned his business-services tax proposal less than a week before hundreds of Chamber of Commerce members will descend on the State Capitol for some straight talk with their legislators.

    On Wednesday, about 700 to 800 Minnesota Chamber members will listen to the DFL governor at a luncheon speech in downtown St. Paul. Then they'll take buses up the hill for some candid conversations with lawmakers about how the governor's budget affects them and their companies.

    If Dayton had held fast to extending the sales tax to services such as legal and advertising, there's no doubt that the Chamber's 20th Annual Business Day at the Capitol would have been used to pillory that proposal.

    By taking that much-maligned services tax off the table, Minnesota's governor is clearing the path for his business critics to channel their energy to try to block Dayton's attempt to raise income taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans.

    "We don't have to have all of these tax discussions," David Olson, Minnesota Chamber president, said in a MinnPost interview. "There is very little spending reform in the budget." He wants to see more attention paid to controlling government spending.


    The Chamber has been fighting Dayton's campaign to create a fourth income tax tier, which would raise tax rates on single residents earning more than $150,000 in taxable income and on married couples with taxable incomes above $250,000.

    Minnesota legislators are expected to get an earful from business owners and operators on Wednesday because many Minnesota companies flow their business income through their personal income taxes.

    Since the DFL governor dropped the business-services tax idea on Friday morning, Olson acknowledged that action elevates business concerns over the income tax hike, minimum wage boost and energy costs.

    "In all of my years in this business, I've never heard more outrage on an issue than the business-to-business tax issue," Olson said.

    The Chamber leader said that Dayton's decision to scuttle the tax idea demonstrates that "he cares about Minnesota jobs." After the business-services tax idea was unveiled, some company leaders talked about relocating their businesses.? "[Dayton] finally realized that this would have a dramatically negative impact," Olson said.

    By killing off the business-services tax idea in early March, Dayton also has positioned himself to challenge the business community to work with him in redesigning government services to make them more efficient and effective.

    During his Wednesday speech to the Chamber, the governor can highlight the fact that he listened to the business community and responded to their concerns. But he also can seek a reciprocal relationship and ask business people to devise solutions, not simply oppose tax and spending levels.

    The desire for a give-and-take exchange was evident in an e-mail that Kathy Tunheim, Dayton's senior advisor on business and jobs, sent to business leaders on Friday afternoon.

    Dayton announced that he was dropping the business-services tax during an appearance at the TwinWest Chamber. In the aftermath of that decision, Tunheim wrote that the governor's "fundamental commitment" on the state's overall finances remains the same.

    "The budget for the next biennium must be honest -- no gimmicks -- and must begin the process of restoring Minnesotans' confidence that we can and will make important investments to ensure the state's long-term competitiveness," Tunheim wrote.

    The latest revenue forecast shows that the governor and legislators are facing a projected deficit of $627 million for the next biennium, which is down from an earlier estimate of a $1.1 billion revenue shortfall.

    The Chamber contends the elected leaders should take a "revenue-neutral" approach when devising their tax reforms.

    The business group also favors setting statewide spending priorities? and identifying "measurable outcomes." The governor's budget is moving in the direction of focusing on results or outcomes.

    Olson said there is still time during this legislative session to craft reforms for the delivery of government services. He cited health care as an area where the state can do more to "provide better care more efficiently."

    Tunheim highlighted some common ground with business. She wrote: "Even as business people shared with us their concerns about the sales tax expansion, almost everyone also applauded the decision to invest in early childhood, in post-secondary education and in economic development tools designed to ensure growth in good jobs for Minnesotans."

    Dialogue between the Dayton administration and the business community will continue. It will be particularly spirited on Wednesday when business people from all corners of? Minnesota converge on St. Paul.

    Fedor can be reached at lfedor@minnpost.com.

    Source: http://www.minnpost.com/business/2013/03/daytons-sales-tax-reversal-allows-businesses-focus-defeating-income-tax-hike

    the fray national anthem dallas tornado ncaa basketball oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys

    Tuesday, March 12, 2013

    Women&#39;s basketball involved in breast cancer awareness ...

    CSUN?s Women?s basketball team has worn pink uniforms at some of their games as part of Play 4Kay, an initiative that aims to raise nationwide awareness for breast cancer.

    Play 4Kay is a foundation created in memory and honor of Kay Yow, a head coach for women?s basketball at the University of North Carolina who lost her life to breast cancer in January 2009.

    The Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer research ?on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.?

    ?Cancer is a disease that has affected a lot of people,? said Jason Flowers, CSUN women?s basketball head coach. ?I do not know anybody who has not been affect by it, so we are trying to build up (breast cancer awareness) so we can make it a big deal to donate money to the foundation.?

    The Play 4Kay foundation has nationwide participation from other women?s collegiate basketball teams. Since its creation in 2007, the initiative has raised more than $2 million in its Kay Yow Cancer Fund, according to play4kay.org.

    CSUN women?s basketball team began to take part in the foundation when the team wore its pink uniform for a home game on Feb. 16 against UC Davis. The choice to join the initiative by Flowers was made because of the nationwide participation from different women?s college basketball programs.

    ?It?s a chance (for students and athletes) to be involved in a cause that is bigger than them,? said Erin Kiser, assistant athletic director for marketing at CSUN. ?And it also shows young kids that (the women?s basketball team) gets involved in something that is bigger than the community.?

    According to Kiser, it is hard to estimate the amount of money the women?s basketball program has raised since joining the breast cancer awareness foundation.

    ?We cannot put an exact figure on how much we raised because each of our sports programs has their own breast cancer awareness foundations,? said Kiser. ?For women?s basketball we work with Tau Omega Rho fraternity and also get donations through the food we sell at our concession stands for the women?s basketball game. This makes it hard get an estimation on how much we have raised because of the multiple entities we work with (for the breast cancer awareness foundation).?

    Tau Omega Rho has been involved with the university?s athletics department for the past year and a half. The fraternity established last year an annual week long event known as Race to the Top, which is also a charity that raises money for breast cancer research. In its first year. The event raised $3,500 in less than a week and was held the last spring.

    Several other CSUN sports programs such as men?s and women?s soccer, softball, baseball, men?s and women?s volleyball, and men?s basketball are also involved in various breast cancer awareness foundations.

    At the home game against UC Davis, Tau Omega Rho fraternity collected over $100 in donations from attendees.

    ?It?s one of the best things out there because breast cancer hits home for everyone,? said Joshua Lin, president of the Tau Omega Rho fraternity. ?And to know donations are going to breast cancer research makes it better knowing it?s going to a good cause.?

    Source: http://sundial.csun.edu/2013/03/womens-basketball-involved-in-breast-cancer-awareness-foundation/

    Sahara Davenport Resident Evil 6 arnold schwarzenegger revenge revenge adam shulman adam shulman

    Vatican jamming devices block cardinals' phones

    Joe Raedle / Getty Images

    Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet makes his way to Vatican City on Monday. Security is tight ahead of the papal conclave, which is due to begin Tuesday.

    By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

    ROME ? Jamming devices to halt communication were installed at the Vatican on Monday, as part of a security lockdown ahead of the papal conclave.

    The behind-the-scenes ballot process is supposed to remain a secret, but modern technology left Roman Catholic Church officials taking no chances.


    Staff working alongside the cardinals voting inside the Sistine Chapel must swear an oath of secrecy.

    "I expect they?ll be on a total lockdown," NBC News' Vatican analyst George Weigel said. "Security is tight. It?s got to be."

    Jamming devices will be used at the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican and the nearby guest residences at Santa Marta where cardinals will sleep during the conclave, officials told reporters on Friday.

    After a weekend celebrating mass at their assigned parishes across Rome, all 115 cardinals are preparing to file into the Sistine Chapel tomorrow to begin the selection of the next pope. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

    The move will ensure cardinals cannot communicate with the outside world or use social media. It will also prevent hidden microphones from picking up the discussions.

    Any cardinals or Vatican workers ?- such as those serving food in Santa Marta ? breaching the code face excommunication from the church.

    "Even who said, 'pass the salt' is a secret," wrote Sister Mary Ann Walsh, media relations director for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a blog post. "In this electronic age, I worry some cardinals may go into iPad and Twitter withdrawal."

    To prevent any contact with the outside world, cardinals will also be taken the 750 yards from Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel by bus.

    "The Vatican highly prizes the traditional Conclave secrecy ? even more so after the leaks scandal that have plagued it in the past months," said Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent for Religion News Service. "Most of the jamming measures were already in use in 2005, but of course, back then there were no smartphones and iPads. While cardinals will probably take their commitment to secrecy seriously, some of them are avid [Tweeters] and bloggers, and they might risk going into internet withdrawal if the conclave drags on too long."

    Weigel added: "It would be difficult for anyone to use a cellphone, even out of sight. With 115 cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, space is tight and it would be obvious if anyone was checking their phone."

    /

    The pope delivers his final audience in St. Peter's Square as he prepares to stand down.

    Related:?

    'The will of God is not entirely clear': Cardinal hints at tough task facing church

    Are cardinals electing the last pope? If you believe Nostradamus ...

    Full coverage of the papal abdication from NBC News

    Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/11/17268346-total-lockdown-vatican-preps-security-for-papal-conclave?lite

    Argo bonnaroo robin roberts Ashley Morrison El Chapo Guzman ufc Christmas Abbott

    Monday, March 11, 2013

    Hoping Not To Be Crowded Out At SXSW, Swarmly Brings Its ?Waze For People' To Android

    unnamedIt's debatable whether or not SXSW is still a good place to launch your new hot SoLoMo app, not least because you'll likely get crowded out by all the other hopefuls, but that isn't stopping Swarmly from giving it a shot. The app, which quietly debuted on iOS last September, focuses on mainly anonymous, aggregate location data to create something akin to Waze's crowdsourced traffic data but for people. Today, an updated Swarmly lands on Android just in time to help SXSW attendees find where the action's at.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/i_SLPtpp7Uw/

    Superdome Iron Man 3 Trailer Super Bowl 2013 Ray Rice sodastream dan marino godaddy

    Sunday, March 10, 2013

    Holly Madison Names Newborn Daughter Rainbow Aurora

    Holly Madison Names Newborn Daughter Rainbow Aurora

    Holly Madison & Pasquale RotellaHolly Madison has chosen a unique but beautiful name for her baby girl. It’s definitely colorful! The 33-year-old former Playboy model and her boyfriend, Pasquale Rotella, 38, have named their daughter Rainbow Aurora Rotella. Holly, who used to be Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner’s main girlfriend and was seen on “Girls Next Door”, welcomed her first ...

    Holly Madison Names Newborn Daughter Rainbow Aurora Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

    Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/holly-madison-names-newborn-daughter-rainbow-aurora/

    tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church world trade center

    India: Leopards in the backyard

    Mar. 8, 2013 ? A new camera-trapping study in India has revealed that leopards can occur at high densities in densely-populated and heavily-modified agricultural environments. Despite the high density of leopards there are no reports of human fatalities in the study area.

    The results from this study challenge the popular misperception that large carnivores require wilderness areas to survive. On one hand this greatly expands the area of interface between humans and leopards which will require a proactive approach to dealing with potential conflicts on a large scale. However, on the other hand it opens up many new areas for conservation, greatly increasing the chances of maintaining the connectivity which is so important to maintain viable populations in the long term.

    The conservation of large carnivores like wolves, bears, tigers and lions is always a challenging task in our modern and crowded world. Humans have modified and fragmented habitats and often experience a diversity of conflicts with large predatory neighbours.

    There is currently a major debate going on among conservationists about how to best go about achieving large carnivore conservation. Alternatives range from a focus on fencing carnivores into protected areas to allowing them to reoccupy shared landscapes where they must coexist with human activities. At least part of this discussion depends on determining to what extent the species can tolerate living in human-dominated landscapes.

    In order to investigate this a team of researchers from Norway (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and Norwegian University for Life Sciences) and India (Wildlife Conservation Society -- India) conducted a camera-trapping study around the town of Akole in western India.

    The landscape is heavily dominated by people (350 people per km2), virtually all habitat is converted to agriculture (mainly sugar cane), and there are no wild prey species bigger than hares in the landscape. There were no forests or protected areas close to the study area.

    Despite this extent of human dominance of the landscape, the study revealed a very high density of both leopards and stripped hyenas (5 adults per 100 km2). In addition to these large carnivores the studied revealed the presence of a range of smaller predators, including rusty spotted cats, small Indian civet, Indian fox, jungle cat, jackals and mongooses.

    The leopards were photographed very close to houses at night, and even seen in the middle of the town. Despite this very high density of leopards, there were no reports of any people being seriously injured in living memory, although the leopards were living on a diet of domestic dogs and livestock which was a source of some conflict.

    The results from this study challenge the popular misperception that large carnivores require wilderness areas to survive. On one hand greatly expands the area of interface between humans and leopards which will require a proactive approach to dealing with potential conflicts on a large scale. However, on the other hand it opens up many new areas for conservation, greatly increasing the chances of maintaining the connectivity which is so important to maintain viable populations in the long term.

    Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

    Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, via AlphaGalileo.

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


    Journal Reference:

    1. Vidya Athreya, Morten Odden, John D. C. Linnell, Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Ullas Karanth. Big Cats in Our Backyards: Persistence of Large Carnivores in a Human Dominated Landscape in India. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e57872 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057872

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

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

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/3lX6kPPQKAs/130308093806.htm

    megga millions what is autism the giver march 30 rimm pauly d project adrienne rich