Back in June, Nokia splashed out on a big chunk of Scalado's imaging business, and now we're seeing the first fruits of that costly union. The handset maker has re-launched and re-branded Scalado Photobeamer as, you guessed it -- Nokia PhotoBeamer. Aside from the name change, it's the same QR code-based seamless picture service we've seen before, albeit with a Windows Phone 8 twist. It works over WiFi or cellular data and is currently available from the Windows Phone Store -- although it looks like it's exclusive to just the Lumia 820 and 920 for now.
QUITO (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suffering from a chronic lung ailment that could worsen at any time and is being checked regularly by doctors, the Andean country's ambassador to Britain said on Wednesday.
Assange, 41, whose website angered the United States by releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables, has been holed up inside Ecuador's embassy in London since June to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations. Assange has denied any wrongdoing.
"He has a chronic lung complaint that could get worse any time. The Ecuadorean state is covering Mr Assange's medical costs and we have arranged for regular doctor visits to check on his health," Ambassador Ana Alban told a local TV network during a visit to Quito.
British authorities say Assange will be arrested if he sets foot outside the embassy. The building, located just behind London's famed Harrods department store, is under constant police surveillance.
Ecuador said last month it is worried about Assange's health and asked Britain to guarantee him safe passage to hospital from the embassy if he needs medical treatment.
That would allow him to return to the embassy after treatment with refugee status.
Assange took refuge in the embassy after running out of legal options to avoid being sent to Sweden. Ecuador granted him asylum in August and said it shared his fears that he could be sent from Sweden to the United States to face charges over WikiLeaks' activities.
U.S. and European government sources say the United States has issued no criminal charges against him, nor launched any attempts to extradite Assange.
Assange is said to be living a cramped life inside the modest diplomatic mission. He eats mostly take-out food and uses a treadmill to burn off energy and a vitamin D lamp to make up for the lack of sunlight.
On Tuesday, the Australian former computer hacker accused "hard-right" U.S. politicians of pressing European credit card firms to block more than $50 million (31.2 million pounds) in donations to WikiLeaks, and said that had forced the website to reduce the volume of documents it posted online.
Speaking to reporters in the embassy's gilt-corniced conference room, Assange said his stay there had been "difficult in many ways" and that any resolution of the standoff would be "a matter of diplomacy."
He refused to comment on his health or how long he may have to stay in the embassy, declaring those subjects "off-topic."
In late August, Assange said he expected to wait six months to a year for a deal that would allow him to leave the embassy.
Self defense products like stun guns and pepper sprays and a foundation in self-defense techniques are the best ways to protect yourself against an assault. Read on to learn more.
Source:Self-Defense ? The Best Ways To Protect Yourself
Related Reading:
Common-Sense & Self-DefenceCommon-Sense & Self-Defence?Strategies & Techniques that Work!
Common-Sense and Self-Defence is an e-book designed to help women avoid the trauma of a sexual assault or rape. Simple, Powerful & Effective!
It is a handbook of Common-Sense and Self-Defence techniques that can be used effectively by females of all ages.
We do not propose to have an answer for every conceivable situation that may occur.
Every would-be assailant, every potential victim, and every environment where an attack takes place contains its own set of unique situational advantages and disadvantages.
However, we suggest that by adapting some Common-Sense Techniques into her life, and by becoming aware of her mental and physical potential, a women can, in many cases, protect herself from sexual assault and rape.
In this book, we have set forth some easy to follow guidelines that when adapted into her individual lifestyle, will help a woman completely avoid the possibility of an assault.
We realize though, that women are assaulted even under the most cautious of conditions, and it is for these situations that we offer Self-Defence alternatives.
The SAS Self-Defense Handbook
Essential self-defense training from the elite British SAS.
Barry Davies is one of the most widely respected experts on the techniques and training of the elite British Special Air Service (SAS). In The SAS Self-Defense Handbook, Davies reveals the self-defense techniques of the SAS. The handbook is fully illustrated with nearly 130 photographs and illustrations that explain how to properly use your body and use everyday objects such as desktop items and cigarette lighters to protect yourself. Learn how to avoid physical attacks from humans and animals, and handle those confrontations that cannot be avoided. 83 color and 39 black-and-white illustrationsPractical Psychic Self Defense Handbook, The: A Survival GuideIs everything that goes on in your mind really you? Perhaps not, says Australian psychic researcher Robert Bruce. Drawing on more than two decades of firsthand research and experience, Bruce reports that our minds are subject to influences from many unseen spiritual sources. Some of these can influence how we think, feel, act, and even how our bodies function. They can make us unhappy, irritable, confused, sick, unstable, even crazy. This is why we need practical tools and countermeasures for psychic self-defense, all of which Bruce provides.
This is the ultimate guide to combating the influences of earthbound spirits, deranged ghosts, astral snakes and spiders, demonic spirits, and poltergeists. This is a highly anecdotal and comprehensive practical guide to the dark side of the psychic universe.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. General Assembly committee on Tuesday condemned Syria and Iran for widespread human rights abuses, but both Damascus and Tehran dismissed the separate votes as politically motivated.
The draft resolution on Syria, which was co-sponsored by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Britain, France and other Arab and Western states, received 132 votes in favor - 10 more than a similar resolution last year received - along with 12 against and 35 abstentions.
The resolution on Iran, which was drafted by Canada and co-sponsored by other Western countries, received 83 votes in favor, 31 against and 68 abstentions.
The increased number of yes votes for both resolutions shows waning support for Tehran and Damascus in New York, envoys said.
Both resolutions were passed by the 193-nation assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on human rights, and will be put to formal votes next month at plenary sessions of the General Assembly. They are both expected to pass with similar margins.
Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari dismissed the resolution against his country as an attempt by "Western states to interfere, and we condemn this."
He also accused Qatar, which has supported the rebels seeking to toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the 20-month-old insurgency, of aiding and abetting Israel against the Palestinians.
Ja'afari repeated Syria's oft-stated accusation that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya and Turkey have been arming and financially supporting the rebels, an allegation all have denied.
Western diplomats in New York, however, say privately that the Saudis and Qataris are almost certainly aiding the rebels, and possibly other countries as well.
Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee dismissed the resolution against Tehran as based on unconfirmed allegations and an attempt to meddle in the internal affairs of Iran.
The Syria resolution said the U.N. assembly "strongly condemns the continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities and the Government-controlled 'shabiha' militia."
It blamed the Syrian government and allied forces for "the use of heavy weapons, aerial bombardments and force against civilians, massacres, arbitrary executions, extrajudicial killings, the killing and persecution of protesters, human rights defenders and journalists, (and) arbitrary detention."
'CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY'
It also condemned "any human rights abuses by armed opposition groups," though the principal target of condemnation was clearly the government, not the rebels.
The resolution recalled U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay's repeated suggestion that "crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed" in Syria. It called for "accountability" for those guilty of human rights abuses.
The resolution on Iran voiced "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran relating to, inter alia, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations."
It also criticized the "continuing alarming high frequency of the carrying-out of the death penalty (in Iran) in the absence of internationally recognized safeguards, including an increase in the number of public executions."
The resolution also condemned the "increased persecution and human rights violations against persons belonging to unrecognized religious minorities, particularly members of the Baha'i faith and their defenders."
The U.N. special rapporteur for Iran said last month that members of the Baha'i community were the most persecuted Iranian religious minority.
Such resolutions on Iran, North Korea and Myanmar - and, since last year, Syria - have become an annual ritual.
The resolution on Iran received more yes votes than a year ago, when a similar text was approved with 80 in favor, 44 against and 57 abstentions.
Last year's Syria resolution received 122 votes in favor, 13 against and 41 abstentions.
Earlier on Tuesday the committee adopted a resolution that condemned human rights abuses in North Korea.
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
In the first systemic review of evidence assessing complications following total joint arthroplasty, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were found to have an increased risk for hip dislocation after hip replacement surgery compared to those with osteoarthritis (OA). Study findings published online in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also indicate that RA patients have a higher infection risk following total knee replacement than patients with OA.
The ACR reports that OAthe most common form of arthritisaffects 27 million Americans 25 years of age and older, and another 1.3 million adults are living with RA. Previous studies show that one of the most effective treatment options for end-stage arthritis of the hip or knee is total joint replacement. Experts suggest that success with this intervention is evident given the increasing rates of joint replacements. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 676,000 total knee replacements and 327,000 total hip replacements were performed in the U.S. in 2009.
"Joint arthroplasty is successful in relieving the pain and disability caused by hip or knee arthritis," said lead author Dr. Bheeshma Ravi from the University of Toronto and Women's College Research Institute (WCRI) in Canada. "While complication rates are low there are some cases with serious consequences that include infection, joint dislocation, blood clots and even death."
To explore this important issue, Dr. Ravi and colleagues conducted a systemic review of the literature to assess complication risk in OA and RA patients following joint replacement surgery. Evidence from January 1990 to December 2011 was evaluated and 40 studies were included in the analysis. The study population included patients aged 18 years or older who had hip or knee replacements and excluded patients who had replacement surgery due to a fracture or cancer. Studies that involved 200 joints or more were incorporated in the current analysis.
Analysis shows RA patients had a higher risk of dislocation following hip replacement surgery than patients with OA. RA patients who had total knee replacements were also at higher risk of infection compared to those with OA. The team found no difference in revision rate, 90-day mortality or blood clot risk between the two patient groups. Dr. Ravi concludes, "Additional studies to confirm our findings are necessary and further investigation of possible reasons for differences in joint replacement complication rates between RA and OA patients is needed."
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Comparing Complications following Total Joint Arthroplasty for Rheumatoid Arthritis versus Osteoarthritis." Bheeshma Ravi, Benjamin Escott, Prakesh S Shah, Richard Jenkinson, Jas Chahal, Earl Bogoch, Hans Kreder, Gillian Hawker. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: November 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.37690).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.37690
Author Contact: Media wishing to speak with Dr. Ravi may contact Magda Stec with Women's College Hospital at magda.stec@wchospital.ca or at 416-323-6400 ext. 3210.
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
In the first systemic review of evidence assessing complications following total joint arthroplasty, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were found to have an increased risk for hip dislocation after hip replacement surgery compared to those with osteoarthritis (OA). Study findings published online in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also indicate that RA patients have a higher infection risk following total knee replacement than patients with OA.
The ACR reports that OAthe most common form of arthritisaffects 27 million Americans 25 years of age and older, and another 1.3 million adults are living with RA. Previous studies show that one of the most effective treatment options for end-stage arthritis of the hip or knee is total joint replacement. Experts suggest that success with this intervention is evident given the increasing rates of joint replacements. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 676,000 total knee replacements and 327,000 total hip replacements were performed in the U.S. in 2009.
"Joint arthroplasty is successful in relieving the pain and disability caused by hip or knee arthritis," said lead author Dr. Bheeshma Ravi from the University of Toronto and Women's College Research Institute (WCRI) in Canada. "While complication rates are low there are some cases with serious consequences that include infection, joint dislocation, blood clots and even death."
To explore this important issue, Dr. Ravi and colleagues conducted a systemic review of the literature to assess complication risk in OA and RA patients following joint replacement surgery. Evidence from January 1990 to December 2011 was evaluated and 40 studies were included in the analysis. The study population included patients aged 18 years or older who had hip or knee replacements and excluded patients who had replacement surgery due to a fracture or cancer. Studies that involved 200 joints or more were incorporated in the current analysis.
Analysis shows RA patients had a higher risk of dislocation following hip replacement surgery than patients with OA. RA patients who had total knee replacements were also at higher risk of infection compared to those with OA. The team found no difference in revision rate, 90-day mortality or blood clot risk between the two patient groups. Dr. Ravi concludes, "Additional studies to confirm our findings are necessary and further investigation of possible reasons for differences in joint replacement complication rates between RA and OA patients is needed."
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Comparing Complications following Total Joint Arthroplasty for Rheumatoid Arthritis versus Osteoarthritis." Bheeshma Ravi, Benjamin Escott, Prakesh S Shah, Richard Jenkinson, Jas Chahal, Earl Bogoch, Hans Kreder, Gillian Hawker. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: November 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.37690).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.37690
Author Contact: Media wishing to speak with Dr. Ravi may contact Magda Stec with Women's College Hospital at magda.stec@wchospital.ca or at 416-323-6400 ext. 3210.
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Yesterday I waxed lyrical about the quality of pork products from Beechcroft Direct, so I am pleased to report that tonight I am noshing on their sausage. A hearty meal of sausage and mash can cheer even miserable swine (as I?ve been recently), particularly when the sausage are the mega-beezer Old English types made from Oxford Sandy and Black pigs. We shall eat well.
The perennial question, what to drink, remains. I initially thought something Cornas-like, but then I remembered I?m a flash git who likes Burgundy ? Premier Cru Nuits it is! Chevillon are without a doubt one of the hot producers of Nuits, although no longer my favourite after Freddie Mugnier?s brilliance with Clos de la Marechale. 2001 is an attractive vintage that I rather like so the portents are good for dinner-time drinking.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Pruliers 2001, Chevillon
This nose is a reminder of why Burgundy is the best red wine in the world. It?s got everything: polished fruit, rich earthiness, svelte elegance? and incredible complexity. If that doesn?t sound really good then it?s you with the problem, not me or the wine. There are hints of maturity on the nose, but it?s pretty lively. This is a highly attractive stage to drink Burgundy ? youthful enough to have energy and fruit yet mature enough to be soft and yielding. I thought this would be good but this smells fuck-arsing wizard. The palate has rigorous Nuits tannins that are just softening with age, a good tang of acidity and really lovely, lively fruit. It?s definitely got earthy complexity and by cracky do those flavours persist. Yeah, there are shades of rigour, but this is really just one super-attractive love bunny. If you put lipstick and a g-string on this bottle you?d get into any club with it on your arm. Thank arse I didn?t piss around with any Cornas; I may have the best Cornas the world can offer, but this is bloody sexy Burgundy man! Who knows when the best time to drink this will be, apart from over dinner with the object of your heart?s desires. This will do it for us with quality sossis and mash. What a wine?
Presumably you think this wine is now impossible to get and vastly expensive if you find it. Well, I was given it as a gift from someone who got it from The Wine Society and it cost them the princely sum of ?35. Powerfully mind-altering drugs or really filthily kinky prostitutes are more expensive and far less enjoyable. Go now, and buy?
Besides its reputation for being ?cold?, what else do you know about our 49th State? Alaska has an abundance of things to do and see, whether you are a first time vacationer or a returning travelerThere is no other place like Alaska for traveling and exploringAlaska is 586,000 square miles. With an area that big, think about the possibilities. Here are just a few of the attractions that are available and are sure to whet your appetite for adventure. Wildlife viewing, helicopter tours, and train rides are very popular. You can also relax on a bus tour into Denali State Park, watch a totem pole being carved, or try your luck at catching one of Alaska?s world famous King Salmon. It would take (2) lifetimes to experience everything Alaska has to offer. With its vast wilderness, Alaska provides opportunities for viewing wildlife either up close or from far away, in its natural habitat. For example, Alaska holds the distinction of having the largest Eagle population in the world. Whether you are a nature lover or not, just seeeing these magnificent birds soar throught the air is enough to take your breath away. With a wilderness area that is 2 1/2 times the size of the state of Texas, you can be guaranteed excellent photo opportunities. It?s hard to believe that Alaska has the largest temperate rain forest in the United States. Take the time to walk in it and discover this incredible gift. Indescribable adventures await you whereever your journey takes you in Alaska. Every ?ice-blue? glacier and historic waterfront town calls for you to jump in to explore and discover its uniqueness and beauty. Give yourself the freedom to answer this ?call of the wild?. In every city from Anchorage to Fairbanks and beyond, there?s plenty to do and see. One of the ways to see this beautiful state is to cruise the Inner Passage. Taking one of the cruise ships is a simple way to get your feet wet and explore the state. You have the security of knowing that your basic needs like food, transportation, and your lodging is handled while you have the freedom of choosing any number of activities. Depending on the town you stop in, you can choose to go whale watching, or take a helicopter trip and walk on a glacier. You can ride the White Pass Railroad or pan for gold. You can even take a Jeep tour on a logging trail and top it off with a salmon bake. Also, every town appears to have their own special and historical events happening on a regular basis and you definitely want to catch these, as well. There are also many fascinating museums and remember to save time to see the stunning Aurora Borealis, especially if you go in the fall. Alaska seems to have it all. From world famous Parks & Preserves to Volcanos. From Historical & Annual Events and everything in between. With such variety, it?s surprising that anyone would look anywhere but north when vacation time comes. Alaska is a great American Vacation destination that you will want to experience for yourself at least once in your lifetime.
Watch videos related to Alaska Cruise Or Land Tour For A Vacation That War
The French R?sistance has had a great influence on literature, particularly in FranceA famous example is the poem "Strophes pour se souvenir", which was written by the communist academic Louis Aragon in 1955 to commemorate the heroism of the Manouchian Group, whose 23 members were shot by the NazisThe R?sistance is also portrayed in Jean Renoir's wartime This Land is Mine (1943), which was produced in the USAIn the immediate post-war years, French cinema produced a number of films that portrayed a France broadly present in the R?sistance.[188][189] The 1946 La Bataille du rail depicted the courageous efforts of French railway workers to sabotage German reinforcement trains,[190] and in the same year Le P?re tranquille told the story of a quiet insurance agent secretly involved in the bombing of a factory.[190] Collaborators were hatefully presented as a rare minority, as played by Pierre Brewer in J?richo (1946) or Serge Reggiani in Les Portes de la nuit (1946), and movements such as the Milice were rarely evokedIn the 1950s, a less heroic interpretation of the R?sistance to the occupation gradually began to emerge.[190] In Claude Autant-Lara's La Travers?e de Paris (1956), the portrayal of the city's black market and general mediocrity revealed the reality of war-profiteering during the occupation.[191] In the same year, Robert Bresson presented A Man Escaped, in which an imprisoned R?sistance activist works with a reformed collaborator inmate to escape.[192] A ...
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The Holland America Line is a British-American owned cruise lineIt was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company (Dutch: Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij), a sh..Holland America Line - Wiki Article - wikiplays.org Original @ http All Information Derived from Wikipedia using Creative Commons License: en.wikipedia.org Author: Jan van Beers jr(1852 -- 1927) Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United StatesAuthor: Welkinridge Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States.
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goo.gl We would like to thank all our fans and The Father for propelling this video to almost 4 million views in only 18 months, making this video the most heavily viewed Independently Produced Religious Music Video in the world! We would also like to publicly thank the following folks who have worked with us to make this a reality: Technical Support: Bradley Myer Photography: Sherry LAldrich CD package Layout and Design: Sherry LAldrich CD Graphics: Sherry LAldrich and Marie Brandt Marketing and Promotions: Marie Brandt Photographers Assistant: Charles Aldrich Secretary and Treasurer: Marie Brandt CPA and Financial Counsel: Tracy Corta at "Jordan & Company" All the great folks at Disc Makers, particularly, Chad Fondren: Product Specialist Gaye Feightner: Product Specialist--Graphics Christina Tapia: Project Manager-Foundry Angela Seltzer: Product Specialist Additional Printing Supervisor: Kathy Eby at Lithos Printing Website Development and Maintenance: Poop Dog Website Graphics Design: Marie Brandt "Rule of Man" Music Video Graphics Design: Marie Brandt US Retail Storefronts: Rich Graves at Budget Tapes and Records, Pocatello Idaho Susan Leak at Renagades Music and Bonanza Music Store Posters and Promotional Graphics Design: Marie Brandt and Sherry LAldrich Contract Law and Legal Counsel: William Faler at "Faler Law" Director of Marketing & Publicity: Marie Brandt at BrandtMorainPR Additional Publicity: Susan Leak, Karen Plant, Kjelene Bertrand, Patricia Mostyn ...
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Vote for TYT every day at www.podcastawards.com (through 11/30/09) & www.mashable.com (through 12/13/09) For more details visit www.TheYoungTurks.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com
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Property taxes will drop by 1.57 percent in the 2013 budget proposed for the Village of Union Grove.
Expenses will rise slightly (1/10 of a percent), while the tax rate will increase by 34 cents, or just over 5 percent.
Also, adding to that budgetary mix of numbers is an overall drop in assessed property valuations of nearly 10 percent.
The village?s 2013 budget proposal will be presented for a vote by electors at a public hearing being held Monday, Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m., at the village municipal center.
The tax rate proposed for 2013 is $6.92 per $1,000 assessed valuation, up 5.17 percent from the $6.58 paid in the 2012 budget.
In 2013, the owner of a village home assessed at $200,000 will pay $1,384 in local property taxes. Under the 2012 budget, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 paid $1,316.
But assessed valuations of properties in the village have dropped overall by about $25 million, or nearly 10 percent, since the 2012 budget was prepared.
Hypothetically, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 in 2012 (but now assessed 10 percent lower at $180,000) will need to pay $1,246 in local taxes in 2013.
As is usual, this year?s budgeting process had to deal with new and different challenges that arose.
?As we start each budget, our first goal is to attempt to not spend more than the previous year?s budget,? explained Village Trustee Gordon Svendsen, who chairs the village board?s Administration/Finance Committee.
But accomplishing that goal can often be difficult, he added, as different issues arise that have to be handled in the new budget being prepared.
? For 2013, the village?s contract with the Racine County Sheriff?s Department will increase, Svendsen noted, and Graham Public Library needs additional funding from the village due to new state legislation.
? Expenses are budgeted at $3.629 million, up $3,887 (0.1 percent) from expenses in the 2012 budget of $3.625 million.
? No changes to employee wages or village board member salaries are contemplated at the current time, Svendsen noted.
? Several large items are budgeted in the Capital fund for 2013, including $7,000 for a security gate at the Public Works building to deter thefts of waste oil, and an additional $5,000 for park improvements that have not yet been designated.
? The library budget is proposed to rise by $4,000 in 2013, with Parks and Recreation holding steady.
In comparison, the village?s 2012 budget carried a property tax levy hike of 9 percent, made necessary by borrowing for street projects and improvements needed at the Department of Public Works building.
Svendsen noted that state statutes require that the village provide many mandated services. Also, each year community members come forward to offer suggestions they wish to have included in the budget.
As a result, it can often be difficult to maintain budgeted expenses at the same level seen a year earlier.
?I am pleased to say that the Village again has been able to stay within its budget and will not be spending more than last year?s budget,? he said.
The full budget proposal for 2013 is available for inspection at the Village Clerk?s office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Property taxes will drop by 1.57 percent in the 2013 budget proposed for the Village of Union Grove.
Expenses will rise slightly (1/10 of a percent), while the tax rate will increase by 34 cents, or just over 5 percent.
Also, adding to that budgetary mix of numbers is an overall drop in assessed property valuations of nearly 10 percent.
The village?s 2013 budget proposal will be presented for a vote by electors at a public hearing being held Monday, Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m., at the village municipal center.
The tax rate proposed for 2013 is $6.92 per $1,000 assessed valuation, up 5.17 percent from the $6.58 paid in the 2012 budget.
In 2013, the owner of a village home assessed at $200,000 will pay $1,384 in local property taxes. Under the 2012 budget, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 paid $1,316.
But assessed valuations of properties in the village have dropped overall by about $25 million, or nearly 10 percent, since the 2012 budget was prepared.
Hypothetically, the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 in 2012 (but now assessed 10 percent lower at $180,000) will need to pay $1,246 in local taxes in 2013.
As is usual, this year?s budgeting process had to deal with new and different challenges that arose.
?As we start each budget, our first goal is to attempt to not spend more than the previous year?s budget,? explained Village Trustee Gordon Svendsen, who chairs the village board?s Administration/Finance Committee.
But accomplishing that goal can often be difficult, he added, as different issues arise that have to be handled in the new budget being prepared.
? For 2013, the village?s contract with the Racine County Sheriff?s Department will increase, Svendsen noted, and Graham Public Library needs additional funding from the village due to new state legislation.
? Expenses are budgeted at $3.629 million, up $3,887 (0.1 percent) from expenses in the 2012 budget of $3.625 million.
? No changes to employee wages or village board member salaries are contemplated at the current time, Svendsen noted.
? Several large items are budgeted in the Capital fund for 2013, including $7,000 for a security gate at the Public Works building to deter thefts of waste oil, and an additional $5,000 for park improvements that have not yet been designated.
? The library budget is proposed to rise by $4,000 in 2013, with Parks and Recreation holding steady.
In comparison, the village?s 2012 budget carried a property tax levy hike of 9 percent, made necessary by borrowing for street projects and improvements needed at the Department of Public Works building.
Svendsen noted that state statutes require that the village provide many mandated services. Also, each year community members come forward to offer suggestions they wish to have included in the budget.
As a result, it can often be difficult to maintain budgeted expenses at the same level seen a year earlier.
?I am pleased to say that the Village again has been able to stay within its budget and will not be spending more than last year?s budget,? he said.
The full budget proposal for 2013 is available for inspection at the Village Clerk?s office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) ? An Orange County jury Monday returned guilty verdicts for four people for their roles in a $154 million insurance fraud scheme.
KNX 1070?s Vytas Safronikas reports the defendants were accused of recruiting nearly 3,000 people nationwide to participate in unneeded medical tests in order to defraud insurance companies.
The alleged scheme revolved around employees and affiliates of Unity Outpatient Surgery Center in Buena Park, including the facility?s office manager, 66-year-old Rosalinda Rodriguez Landon; suspended attorney Roy Chester Dickson, 64; accountant Andrew Robert Harnen, 58; and administrator Dee Francis, 62.
The 24 guilty verdicts were reached last week, but Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals delayed the readings until after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Deputy District Attorney Bill Overtoom said the defendants created shell corporations to avoid paying as much as $9.3 million in taxes.
Landon?s attorney, Roger Sheaks, said his client acted in good faith and did not intend to skirt any tax liability.
?There?s a provision in the law for a good faith defense in this case, and I believe the evidence supported that,? Sheaks said.
Francis is accused of failing to report $3.55 million in income, while Harnen did not report $4.97 million, according to Overtoom. Dickson was accused of not reporting $489,000.
A second phase of the case is expected to go to trial sometime next year.
(?2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
Microsoft is targeting the growing mobile workforce with a 15% hike in license fees directed primarily at companies that have employees who use smartphone and other mobile devices in their work.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Online sales jumped during the first hours of Cyber Monday suggesting strong growth from earlier in the holiday shopping season continues, according to data from International Business Machines Corp.
Online sales were up 24.1 percent as of 12:00pm EST on Cyber Monday, compared to the same period a year earlier, said IBM, which tracks transaction data from 500 U.S. retail websites. In 2011, the early Cyber Monday year-over-year growth was 15 percent, IBM noted.
Strong online sales growth on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sparked concern that shoppers may just be buying earlier, threatening revenue later in the season.
"So far that is not the case," said Jay Henderson, Strategy Director, IBM Smarter Commerce. "Extending the shopping season has really just fueled additional online spending rather than cannibalizing days later in the season."
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, conference flags are displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar. As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas rich Qatar for annual talks on curbing climate change, one of the main challenges will be raising hundreds of billions of dollars to help poor nations adapt to a warming world that may damage their health, agriculture and economies. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, conference flags are displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar. As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas rich Qatar for annual talks on curbing climate change, one of the main challenges will be raising hundreds of billions of dollars to help poor nations adapt to a warming world that may damage their health, agriculture and economies. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal, File)
In this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012 photo, a conference flags is displayed ahead of the Doha Climate Change Conference, in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012. The eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) will take place from Monday, Nov. 26 to Friday, Dec. 6, 2012.(AP Photo/Osama Faisal)
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas-rich Qatar for annual talks starting Monday on slowing global warming, one of the main challenges will be raising climate aid for poor countries at a time when budgets are strained by financial turmoil.
Rich countries have delivered nearly $30 billion in grants and loans promised in 2009, but those commitments expire this year. And a Green Climate Fund designed to channel up to $100 billion annually to poor countries has yet to begin operating.
Borrowing a buzzword from the U.S. budget debate, Tim Gore of the British charity Oxfam said developing countries, including island nations for whom rising sea levels pose a threat to their existence, stand before a "climate fiscal cliff."
"So what we need for those countries in the next two weeks are firm commitments from rich countries to keep giving money to help them to adapt to climate change," he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Creating a structure for climate financing has so far been one of the few tangible outcomes of the two-decade-old U.N. climate talks, which have failed in their main purpose: reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases that scientists say are warming the planet, melting ice caps, glaciers and permafrost, shifting weather patterns and raising sea levels.
The only binding treaty to limit such emissions, the Kyoto Protocol, expires this year, so agreeing on an extension is seen as the most urgent task by environment ministers and climate officials meeting in the Qatari capital.
However, only the European Union and a few other countries are willing to join a second commitment period with new emissions targets. And the EU's chief negotiator, Artur Runge-Metzger, admitted that such a small group is not going to make a big difference in the fight against climate change.
"I think we cover at most 14 percent of global emissions," he said.
The U.S. rejected Kyoto because it didn't cover rapidly growing economies such as China and India. Some hope for stronger commitments from U.S. delegates in Doha as work begins on drafting a new global treaty that would also apply to developing countries including China, the world's top carbon emitter. That treaty is supposed to be adopted in 2015 and take effect five years later.
Climate financing is a side issue but a controversial one that often deepens the rich-poor divide that has hampered the U.N. climate talks since their launch in 1992. Critics of the U.N. process see the climate negotiations as a cover for attempts to redistribute wealth.
Runge-Metzger said the EU is prepared to continue supporting poorer nations in converting to cleaner energy sources and in adapting to a shifting climate, despite the debt crisis roiling Europe. But he couldn't promise that the EU would present any new pledges in Doha and said developing countries must present detailed "bankable programs" before they can expect any money.
Sometimes, developing countries seem to be saying, "OK give us a blank check," he told AP.
Climate aid activists bristled at that statement, saying many developing countries have already indicated what type of programs and projects need funding.
"They need the financial and technical support from the EU and others. Yet they continue to promise 'jam tomorrow' whilst millions suffer today," said Meena Raman of the Third World Network, a nonprofit group.
Countries agreed in Copenhagen in 2009 to set up the Green Climate Fund with the aim of raising $100 billion annually by 2020. They also pledged to raise $30 billion in "fast-start" climate financing by 2012.
While that short-term goal has nearly been met by countries including the EU, Japan, Australia and the U.S., Oxfam estimates that only one-third of it was new money; the rest was previously pledged aid money repackaged as climate financing. Oxfam also found that more than half of the financing was in the form of loans rather than grants, and that financing levels are set to fall in 2013 as rich countries rein in aid budgets amid debt problems and financial instability.
Meanwhile, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere keeps going up. It has jumped 20 percent since 2000, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, according to a U.N. report released last week.
A recent projection by the World Bank showed temperatures are on track to increase by up to 4 degrees C (7.2 F) this century, compared with pre-industrial times, overshooting the 2-degree target on which the U.N. talks are based.
Investing in preventative, data-driven early childhood education is the most cost-effective way to grow the nation?s economy, a Nobel Laureate in economics said Thursday evening.
?It?s more important than ever before to have an empirically grounded public policy,? said James J. Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago.
Heckman delivered the keynote address titled ?Building a Productive Workforce and Strengthening the Economy from Birth? to about 275 residents at Unity Temple in Oak Park. He spoke at the invitation of the Collaboration for Early Childhood Education, a public-private partnership made up of more than 40 local agencies.
An expert in the economics of human development, Heckman said politicians who set public policy for the past 50 years have been misguided in their efforts to address social problems one at a time, rather than holistically.
?Fragmented solutions don?t work, and the problems need to be addressed at the core level,? he said.
Armed with statistics looking at income, educational attainment and the role of parents, Heckman said the gap in socially relevant skills between the advantaged and the disadvantaged ?opens up very early in the lives of children.? Attempts to close the gap through anti-poverty initiatives, programs to improve cognition or book learning, and crime interventions haven?t been as successful and have even led to declines in some indicators, such as high school graduation rates.
The skills that need to be developed, Heckman said, are softer skills, such as perseverance, attention, self-discipline, motivation and self-confidence. Investing in programs that develop these skills, he added, would be socially fair, promote equal opportunity and have a greater return on investment.
?It sounds soft and fuzzy, but we have research that these skills are important and can be produced,? he said.
In fact, the annual rate of return on a proper investment in early childhood education would be between 6 percent and 10 percent, much higher than the 0 percent return of a training program such as Job Corps, he said.
?It?s cheaper and more effective to give the kids money and put it in a passbook account than to reduce classroom size by five students,? he said.
But the family ? particularly the mother ? most influences the outcome of the child, Heckman insisted.
?Any policy investing in children should be investing in families,? he said.
Heckman praised Oak Park and its residents for thinking beyond the usual solutions and trying to think outside the box with initiatives such as the collaborative, which has a goal of spending $1.5 million to bolster early childhood programs. However, Heckman said he feared that even $280 spent on each of the 5,400 pre-school-age children living in Oak Park might not be enough.
During opening comments, Village President David Pope noted that early childhood education could be crucial to reducing Oak Park?s expenditures. Of the police department?s $18 million budget, about 75 percent, or $14 million, is spent on interaction with youth, he said.
?We have a huge challenge in Oak Park with the children who come into our schools with the kind of deficits many of them face,? he said.
so many murders happen in the streets of las vegas and the crime lab needs some new blood to handle it all
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It was the summer of 1946. Hunny Feller and her identical twin sister, Bunny, were waitresses at a hotel. ANOTHER set of identical twins, Elliot and Danny Reiken (RYE-kin), worked as musicians in a band there.
At StoryCorps, Hunny and Elliot remembered what happened when the twins... met the twins.
Hunny Reiken: I have a twin sister, Bunny. And you have a twin brother, Danny. When we met we were 16 and a half, and we were waitresses in a hotel. You and Danny were musicians in a band. And we thought you were handsome, which you still are.
Elliot Reiken: At first, you and your sister couldn't tell us apart and we couldn't tell you two apart. Remember how you decided on which one you were going with?
Hunny: We said, "With whomever we walk." So I asked, "What's your name?" And you told me, "Elliot." And for the next few days I'd always ask, "Elliot?" Within a few weeks, I knew Elliot. I never went over to Danny thinking it was you. And lo and behold, those were the ones we ended up with. I walked with you; I married you. Bunny walked with Danny; she married Danny. Lucky us, because I don't think it would've worked the other way.
You were tall. You were handsome. And to me, being a musician made you glamorous and sexy, automatically. You took me out for my 17th birthday. We saw Oklahoma! on Broadway. I had never dated anyone else, but from then on I knew I loved you, and there was no chance of separating us.
Elliot: We didn't skip a beat. Right from the summer romance into the winter, and on and on.
Hunny: We were married at Temple Beth El in Borough Park, Brooklyn. You and I were married the same day as Bunny and Danny -- that was quite a big affair. We had a double wedding. And it was two brides, two grooms, one set of parents for each.
Bunny and I had identical gowns. The flowers were identical.
Elliot: We both went on our honeymoon by train to Miami Beach. But we went on different trains and to different hotels, so that people wouldn't stare at us.
What did you think about marrying me so many years ago? Did you think it would turn out this many years?
Hunny: I never thought anybody lasts this many years! To me divorce was not a foreign word, because if you remember, Elliot, my mother was a divorced woman when she was in her thirties. But I was sure you were the right one. And you know what? I was right. You are the right one for me.
I like the way you kiss. You bowled me over 60-some-odd years ago with your way of kissing, and the way you hold me when we dance. You're not a fantastic dancer, but you hold me fantastically, and I feel it. It's genuine.
Elliot: You've told me that many times, but it still makes me feel great.
Hunny: There are times we can be so annoyed at each other, Elliot, and we yell at each other. But when push comes to shove, we let it go, and we're back to our normal selves, because being unhappy is part of being happy.
When two people get married, they say two people become one. No, I don't agree. Two people should remain two people but walk side by side. I've not become Elliot. Elliot has not become Hunny. We remain Hunny and Elliot. And to me, that's important.
Elliot: You made my life complete. And I hope we'll go on for another 50 years.
Hunny: I'll take five good ones. Five good ones, and I'll say, "Thank you, God!"
Below, a photo of the Reikens on their wedding day, and in 2010.
The Reikens live in Brooklyn, in the same house they bought with their twins over 50 years ago. Hunny's sister, Bunny, still lives upstairs. Reprinted with permission from StoryCorps. Read more love stories in "All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps."
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Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
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Microsoft is targeting the growing mobile workforce with a 15% hike in license fees directed primarily at companies that have employees who use smartphone and other mobile devices in their work.
