The Weekly Good: Gurbaksh Chahal, BeProud.org And Putting An End To Hate
Sometimes, it's not political powerhouses who have the power to change the world, sometimes it's true-blue entrepreneurs who live to solve problems. One such person is Gurbaksh Chahal, who has launched BeProud.org, launched after the shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August 2012, with some pretty impressive backers. The point of the multi-million dollar campaign is to put an end to hatred, and to encourage self-pride. Using the web to help bring attention to this is a fantastic idea. I had a chance to chat with Chahal on his background and the future of the BeProud initiative.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea has replaced its defense minister with a hardline military commander believed responsible for deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010, diplomats in Pyongyang said Thursday. It is the latest in a series of high-profile appointments leader Kim Jong Un has made since he took power nearly a year ago.
Diplomats in Pyongyang told the Associated Press that they were informed that Kim Jong Gak had been replaced as armed forces minister by Kim Kyok Sik, commander of the battalions linked to two deadly attacks in 2010 blamed on North Korea.
The diplomats declined to be named, saying they had not been cleared to discuss the matter with the media.
South Korean officials said they also received similar information about the North Korean personnel changes but gave no further details. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing government protocol.
The move comes amid speculation that North Korea may be preparing a long-range rocket launch. An April launch that broke apart after liftoff drew U.N. condemnation and deepened animosity between the Koreas. North Korea says its launches are meant to put a satellite into orbit.
Analysts say Kim Jong Un aims to use the personnel change to bolster his grip on the 1.2 million-member military, which forms the backbone of his rule over the country.
Kim Jong Un is trying to put his stamp on the military by building loyalty with troops and also by creating tension among generals through personnel changes, said Baek Seung-joo, an analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul.
The appointment of a hawkish general could also mean North Korea wants to show a tough face to Washington and Seoul, said analyst Hong Hyun-ik at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.
The new defense minister, Kim Kyok Sik, formerly served as North Korea's military chief and as commander of the units blamed in the 2010 attacks. North Korea acknowledges an artillery bombardment of a South Korean island that killed four South Koreans but denies any role in an explosion that sank a South Korean warship that year, killing 46.
Kim is North Korea's third defense minister since Kim Jong Un took power after his father Kim Jong Il's death in December.
Previous defense chief Kim Jong Gak had been considered a trusted aide of Kim Jong Un. He was made a vice marshal in February and appointed defense minister in April. He was also one of seven men accompanying Kim Jong Un as he walked alongside a limousine bearing Kim Jong Il's coffin during his December funeral.
It's not the first time Kim Jong Un has made high-level personnel appointments.
In July, Kim dismissed military chief Ri Yong Ho, who was seen as one of his key mentors, and named little-known vice marshal Hyon Yong Chol as his new General Staff chief.
In April, Kim also reshuffled top Workers' Party posts by taking on top party posts held by his father and giving other high-level posts to close associates.
In recent months, North Korea has also reshuffled top Cabinet members such as the ministers of sports, electronics industry and agriculture, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.
__
Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee and Sam Kim contributed to this report from Seoul.
Wholesale Cell Phone Accessories For Resellers & Storefront Owners
Cell phones have really grown up from the bare bones telecommunication devices that they used to be a couple decades back, to the very advanced mobile technology we have today. The present generation of phones are capable of being used for multi-tasking and performing tasks that were unimagineable in the past. Plus cell phone accessories have advanced right along with the cellular phone that are sold by the various mobile phone accessory companies that take mobile communication, & entertainment to new unprecedented heights.
Accessories for brands like the Apple iphone, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG are in such demand these days, research shows that the sales volume of accessories actually outstrips the sales of mobile phones nowadays. Plus accessories can be of various types. While some of them are manufactured for the business user, some cell phone accessories are mainly used by the upwardly mobile urban population as a lifestyle statement.
The sales of accessories have soared in recent years, because inexpensive accessories have become widely available. As a matter of fact, most cell phone users buy more than one accessory for a single phone. Some of the most in demand cell phone accessories are Bluetooth headsets, pouches, skins, data cables, memory cards, batteries, mp3 accessories and many more.
People have different attitudes towards accessories. While batteries and chargers are essential for everybody, fancy covers or keypads do not contribute in any way to enhance the handset?s usability. However the accessories like data cables and external memory aid the work of very busy professionals having a hectic schedule.
However one should buy wholesale cell phone accessories from a reliable and reputed company to ensure the quality and durability of the products. If one is not too sure about a wholesale company he can count on then a good idea would be to try a few suppliers out to see what they have to offer . Once you find a one stop shopping solution for high quality cellular phone accessories, develop a good working relationship with them to ensure the best pricing possible.
MyCoolCell is a wholesale supplier of cell phone accessories providing retail storefront owners, resellers, and carriers exclusive pricing and discounts. Thousands of accessories are in available such as MyBat Cell Phone Skins batteries, MyBat car chargers, headsets, covers, faceplates, novelty items, and more. For all your cellular phone accessory needs please visit: MyCoolCell.
Home Truths ? Self assessment of property tax won't be ...
irishtimes.com - Posted: November 29, 2012 @ 12:48 pm
Edel Morgan
Will detective work be required to establish values?
There are no houses on the market in the housing estate where I live? . When I key in the name of? my road? on? the property price register I find that there has been one? transaction? in the past 11 months where a house sold for ?190,000 but they give no details as to whether the house has the same number of bedrooms as mine, what the condition of the house is or if it? has a? large back garden.? However two houses around the corner sold in September, one for ?230,000 and one for ?265,000. Again the register provides no detail as to the finer points of these houses. So if I have to? self-assess the value of my house for the property tax,? is it up to me to scope these houses out, quiz the owners? or the neighbours as to the number of bedrooms and compare and contrast them to my own? Well I have a life? as it happens and won?t be doing any of these things.
In theory self assessment of the property tax sounds so simple. It is speculated that the value of the home will go up in bands of ?50,000 and it will be calculated by self-assessment. Householders will pay the rate attached to the nearest ?50,000 band, so a house worth ?220,000 will pay the rate for all houses between ?200,000 and ?250,000 of ?500. The bands go up in ?50,000s . However, anyone who knows anything about property knows it won?t be that straightforward. There are all sorts of anomalies and grey areas that will make it difficult for homeowners to know how much their house is worth.
Say for example you live on a road or in a development where there haven?t been any houses sold in recent months or even years? How do you even begin to value your property?? Or you live in an area where there have been a few sporadic sales but there has been no consistency in terms of the selling prices. This could happen where there are different house types on a road or where there?s been a receiver/bank sale and a? property sold for a rock bottom price. An estate agent told me yesterday that he sold a five bed house in a well regarded development in Dublin 9 for ?170,000. Obviously the vendor wanted a quick sale because this is way below what the house is worth, even in the current market. But if , for example, this was the only recent sale in the development at the time of self assessment for the property tax, would other residents in the area be well within their rights to value their houses in the ?150,000-?200,000 price band also?
There are warnings of penalties for not paying the right amount but in this confused market, it might be hard to prove that a homeowner has under-declared . Another factor, particularly in Dublin, is that there are so few houses on the market so there will be many areas where a clear valuation is not easily deduced. There?s still? an element of trial and error with? the asking prices that estate agents affix to properties,? the property price register is still in its infancy and there has been a dearth of transactions. It has been suggested that homeowners may have to have their homes professionally valued and if that is the case,? it will be interesting to see how even a valuer would go about determining how much a property is worth in many areas where there have been no recent transactions. And if homeowners will be able to appeal if they don?t agree with the valuation or if the valuation turns out to be incorrect in the light of subsequent transactions?.whatever happens it is bound to be tricky.
A Halt To The Culture Of Eating Out? Not In Inverness!
With the recent news reports of the number of unemployed people throughout the UK dropping, it may have acted as a kick in the teeth for the Scottish, who are still in the slump of employment opportunities.
As Christmas draws ever closer, the purse strings seem to be doing likewise as we all watch the pennies carefully during weekly food shops, Christmas present buying and general expenditure. Local businesses in retail, luxury items, the leisure industry and even restaurants and eateries have predicted a fall in sales.
Partially this can be put down to research which indicates that our spending, specifically in regards to eating out, is directly proportional to how we perceive the economy as a whole, as well as our own financial well being. Which is perhaps an obvious statement. However, in the last couple of years we have been in the throws of full-blown recession, whereas 2012 has seen, generally, a slight improvement in the economy and production throughout the UK, so why is it that statistically?we have reduced our ?eat out? rate from 2011?
Possibly a worrying prospect for the Restaurant industry here in the highlands. But having said this, I know that personally I would rather cut down on the luxury food items I have at home and save to go out once a month, to give myself the treat of well-managed finances and that sense of luxury on a semi-regular basis. And here-in lies the hope of the restaurant business.
Throughout Inverness and the surrounding areas a surge of incredibly good deals, special meal offers and freebies have cropped up within the last few months to tickle our taste buds and lore us into the Restaurants, bars and pubs.
Meals out that are affordable, value for money and accessible to the general public.
Just a short snippet of what?s currently on offer:-
Steak and Wine Nights for just ?9.99 per person at No. 27, Inverness on Mondays and The Room in Inverness on Thursdays!
2 for 1 Tapas at Bar One, Inverness on Mondays.
2 for 1 Meal Offer at The Mallard, Dingwall Mondays-Thursdays.
3 courses for ?9.95 on Sunday Carvary at The National Hotel, ???
Kids Eat Free at the Clachnahrry Inn, Inverness.
And it?s not just for evening meals, all these deals are with lunch menu?s:-
Free tea or coffee with any cake at Glenmoriston Arms Hotel, Glenmoriston.
Free cake with any meal at Taste of Joy, Inverness.
2 Course Business Lunch for ?7.95 at Rajah Indian Restaurant, Inverness.
Eating out is surprisingly inexpensive at present, and the deals just keep coming! Have a browse through an extensive list of eating offers in Inverness.
Not only does eating out encourage and support the local Restaurant businesses across the highlands but it also celebrates the diversity of cuisine available. And what better time to do so than on the back of National Eating Out Week ? celebrated 18th - 24th November!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 at 2:43 pm and is filed under Eating Out In Inverness, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
North Korea joke slips over China's Great Firewall
How did a spoof article about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un being the sexiest man alive end up as a real news item in China? Turns out it was a case of telephone, or Chinese whispers, in the digital age.
Hong Kong media picked up the piece by U.S. satirical website The Onion a week ago while explaining to readers in Chinese that it was a farce. But from there, it jumped over the Great Firewall and landed into the official, irony-free Chinese media.
When Hong Kong's Phoenix TV website, ifeng.com, ran its story on its fashion channel on Nov. 21, the story's second paragraph clearly stated: "The Onion is a satirical news organization."
But, when state-run Yangtse.com picked up the Phoenix piece a few hours later, it had morphed into straight news. The piece never mentioned that the original was a joke, instead plucking comical reader comments attached to the Phoenix story and running those.
"A man with so much fat on the face, and the double chin, and the excessively white skin. And they call him the sexiest. They do deserve the name Onion. I can't help but shed sad tears."
The editor cited for the story, Yang Fang, could not immediately be reached - and two employees who answered the phone at the Nanjing media outlet said Wednesday they weren't even sure if Yang still worked there.
Five days after the Yangste piece, Beijing's Guangming Daily website took the story for a spin, trimming its length and citing Yangtse.com as its source. The Guangming piece was still online Wednesday and the story's editor told The Associated Press that she had not realized it was a joke until the AP called.
The editor, Wang Miaomiao, said she wasn't worried about the gaffe.
"Even if it was satire, the report itself was true. The content is not made up. Also, we have to go through a procedure to take something down from the website," Wang said. "In addition, it is not a fabricated report, and it does not jeopardize society."
The story next made it to the flagship paper of the Communist Party, the People's Daily, on Tuesday along with a significant upgrade: a 55-photo slideshow of Kim. An editor at the People's Daily website who refused to give his name said the story was picked up from the Guangming Daily site, running on three channels in Chinese and English.
Upon realizing it was a spoof, the People's Daily decided to take down their versions on Wednesday. But not before The Onion updated their original piece with a link to the People's Daily and a shout-out: "For more coverage on The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive 2012, Kim Jong-Un, please visit our friends at the People's Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc."
"Exemplary reportage, comrades," The Onion wrote.
It is not the first time China's heavily censored media have fallen for a fictional report by the just-for-laughs The Onion.
In 2002, the Beijing Evening News, one of the capital's biggest tabloids at the time, published as news the fictional account that the U.S. Congress wanted a new building and that it might leave Washington. The Onion article was a spoof of the way sports teams threaten to leave cities in order to get new stadiums.
Jeremy Goldkorn, director of Danwei.com, a firm that researches Chinese media and Internet, said that one of the peculiarities of the Chinese news business is that stories can be freely shared by any other media outlet in their entirety, or edited, as long as the original source is credited somewhere on the page.
"It does mean that stuff gets circulated a lot more widely because you don't have intellectual property restrictions on articles that you would in the U.S. for example," he said. "So when you mix that up with this culture of no fact-checking and not really having a news editor whose main job is seeking truth, then what you get is The Onion being taken seriously in the People's Daily."
---
Associated Press researchers Zhao Liang and Yu Bing contributed to this report.
Follow Alexa Olesen on Twitter at twitter.com/alobeijing
Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store
The Bing Translator app has been helping Windows Phone users avoid cross-cultural mishaps since April of last year, adding augmented reality and offline capability along the way. Naturally, Microsoft has updated this utility for Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Translator supports six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and features a new "lens" for translating text via a smartphone's camera. The app is available as a free download in the Store. Head past the break to see it in action.
Gatekeepers Workshop 1: Enhancing Our Community through Inclusion (Community)
In fall 2009, the Office of the Provost began to offer Gatekeepers Workshops in partnership with the Wake Forest Professional Development Center.? A ?gatekeeper? is any member of the Wake Forest community who represents the University through his or her interaction with students, faculty, staff, and other constituents.? These workshops are intended to engage ?gatekeepers? through training, networking, and skill building opportunities on a range of topics that are relevant to the Wake Forest community and it?s Strategic Plan.?
The first workshop, ?Enhancing Our Community through Inclusion,? supports Wake Forest?s strategic priority to, ?Create a richer sense of community throughout the University.?? As we become a more culturally diverse community with students, faculty, and staff representing different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, it is essential that members of our campus community engage in ongoing opportunities for training, development, and collaboration that will enable us to build and maintain more effective interpersonal and professional relationships both on and off campus.?
?The workshop will engage faculty and staffgatekeepers in dialogue and activities that will:?
Emphasize the definition and value of diversity and inclusion
Enhance participant?s knowledge and understanding of cultural similarities, differences, and perceptions
Provide tools for building and maintaining a more diverse and inclusive workplace.?
Kentucky study finds common drug increases deaths in atrial fibrillation patients
Kentucky study finds common drug increases deaths in atrial fibrillation patientsPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jodi Whitaker jodi.whitaker@uky.edu 859-257-5307 University of Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 27, 2012) -- Digoxin, a drug widely used to treat heart disease, increases the possibility of death when used by patients with a common heart rhythm problem ? atrial fibrillation (AF), according to new study findings by University of Kentucky researchers. The results have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, and raises serious concerns about the expansive use of this long-standing heart medication in patients with AF.
UK researchers led by Dr. Samy Claude Elayi, associate professor of medicine at UK HealthCare's Gill Heart Institute, analyzed data from 4,060 AF patients enrolled in the landmark Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) trial. This analysis was intended to determine the relationship between digoxin and deaths in this group of patients with atrial fibrillation, and whether digoxin was directly responsible for some deaths.
"These findings raise important concerns about the safety of digoxin, one of the oldest and most controversial heart drugs," said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "Although considered obsolete by some authorities, digoxin is still widely used. A thorough review by the FDA is warranted to determine whether regulatory action is needed, including stronger warnings about the use of digoxin in patients with atrial fibrillation. "
Digoxin is extracted from the foxglove plant and it helps the heart beat more strongly, and at a slower heart rate. It is commonly used in AF patients and in patients with heart failure. However, it can be problematic to use successfully as there is a narrow dose range at which it is effective, and beyond which it can be dangerous.
Though digoxin has been used by physicians treating AF for decades, until now, there has been limited evidence demonstrating the effect of digoxin in patients with this condition. "Digoxin in AF patients has hardly been studied," said Elayi. "The main prospective randomised controlled trials available with digoxin were performed in patients with heart failure and sinus rhythm, and routinely excluded AF patients."
The results of the analysis found that digoxin was associated with a 41 percent increase in deaths from any cause after controlling for other medications and risk factors. An increase in deaths occurred regardless of gender or the presence or absence of underlying heart failure. Digoxin was also associated with a 35 percent increase in deaths from cardiovascular causes, and a 61 percent increase in deaths from arrhythmias or problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
"Within five years of use, one additional AF patient out of six taking digoxin ? compared to those not on digoxin in the AFFIRM trial? will die from any cause," Elayi said. "One additional patient out of eight will die from cardiovascular causes, and one additional patient out of 16 will die from arrhythmias.
"This study calls into question the widespread use of digoxin in patients with AF, particularly when used for controlling AF rate in a similar way as in the AFFIRM trial," Elayi said. "These findings suggest that physicians should try to control a patient's heart rate by using alternatives such as beta-blockers or calcium blockers ,as a first line treatment.
"If digoxin is used, prescribers should use a low dose with careful clinical follow up, evaluate potential drug interactions when starting new medications, and monitor digoxin levels."
In addition, patients should also be aware of potential toxicity and see their physicians immediately in specific clinical situations, he said. For instance, if they experience increasing nausea, vomiting, palpitations or syncope, as those may precede arrhythmic death, Elayi added.
The researchers say that the mechanism by which digoxin increases deaths among patients is unclear. Deaths from classic cardiovascular causes - whether or not they are due to arrhythmia - can partly but not entirely explain it. This suggests there must be some additional mechanism that remains to be identified, said Elayi.
"Our study underscores the importance of reassessing the role of digoxin in the contemporary management of AF in patients with or without HF," concluded the authors in their paper.
"There is a need for further studies of the drug's use, particularly in systolic heart failure patients and AF patients that would, in theory, benefit the most from digoxin."
###
Media Contact: Jodi Whitaker at (859) 257-5307
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Kentucky study finds common drug increases deaths in atrial fibrillation patientsPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jodi Whitaker jodi.whitaker@uky.edu 859-257-5307 University of Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 27, 2012) -- Digoxin, a drug widely used to treat heart disease, increases the possibility of death when used by patients with a common heart rhythm problem ? atrial fibrillation (AF), according to new study findings by University of Kentucky researchers. The results have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, and raises serious concerns about the expansive use of this long-standing heart medication in patients with AF.
UK researchers led by Dr. Samy Claude Elayi, associate professor of medicine at UK HealthCare's Gill Heart Institute, analyzed data from 4,060 AF patients enrolled in the landmark Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) trial. This analysis was intended to determine the relationship between digoxin and deaths in this group of patients with atrial fibrillation, and whether digoxin was directly responsible for some deaths.
"These findings raise important concerns about the safety of digoxin, one of the oldest and most controversial heart drugs," said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "Although considered obsolete by some authorities, digoxin is still widely used. A thorough review by the FDA is warranted to determine whether regulatory action is needed, including stronger warnings about the use of digoxin in patients with atrial fibrillation. "
Digoxin is extracted from the foxglove plant and it helps the heart beat more strongly, and at a slower heart rate. It is commonly used in AF patients and in patients with heart failure. However, it can be problematic to use successfully as there is a narrow dose range at which it is effective, and beyond which it can be dangerous.
Though digoxin has been used by physicians treating AF for decades, until now, there has been limited evidence demonstrating the effect of digoxin in patients with this condition. "Digoxin in AF patients has hardly been studied," said Elayi. "The main prospective randomised controlled trials available with digoxin were performed in patients with heart failure and sinus rhythm, and routinely excluded AF patients."
The results of the analysis found that digoxin was associated with a 41 percent increase in deaths from any cause after controlling for other medications and risk factors. An increase in deaths occurred regardless of gender or the presence or absence of underlying heart failure. Digoxin was also associated with a 35 percent increase in deaths from cardiovascular causes, and a 61 percent increase in deaths from arrhythmias or problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
"Within five years of use, one additional AF patient out of six taking digoxin ? compared to those not on digoxin in the AFFIRM trial? will die from any cause," Elayi said. "One additional patient out of eight will die from cardiovascular causes, and one additional patient out of 16 will die from arrhythmias.
"This study calls into question the widespread use of digoxin in patients with AF, particularly when used for controlling AF rate in a similar way as in the AFFIRM trial," Elayi said. "These findings suggest that physicians should try to control a patient's heart rate by using alternatives such as beta-blockers or calcium blockers ,as a first line treatment.
"If digoxin is used, prescribers should use a low dose with careful clinical follow up, evaluate potential drug interactions when starting new medications, and monitor digoxin levels."
In addition, patients should also be aware of potential toxicity and see their physicians immediately in specific clinical situations, he said. For instance, if they experience increasing nausea, vomiting, palpitations or syncope, as those may precede arrhythmic death, Elayi added.
The researchers say that the mechanism by which digoxin increases deaths among patients is unclear. Deaths from classic cardiovascular causes - whether or not they are due to arrhythmia - can partly but not entirely explain it. This suggests there must be some additional mechanism that remains to be identified, said Elayi.
"Our study underscores the importance of reassessing the role of digoxin in the contemporary management of AF in patients with or without HF," concluded the authors in their paper.
"There is a need for further studies of the drug's use, particularly in systolic heart failure patients and AF patients that would, in theory, benefit the most from digoxin."
###
Media Contact: Jodi Whitaker at (859) 257-5307
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Lindsay Lohan Gets Slammed by Critics for 'Liz & Dick'
Sunday's New York Times ran a story on "exuberant pans," which are critical reviews "so energetically negative that they seem to achieve liftoff." This weekend, Lindsay Lohan has been on the receiving end of several such pans.
Acer C7 Chromebook review: Chrome OS on the cheap, but at what cost?
It's been just over a month since Google unveiled its gorgeous and affordable $249 Samsung Chromebook only to surprise us days later with an even cheaper system, the $199 Acer C7 Chromebook. At first glance, these two laptops are very similar, both in purpose (cloud-based computing on a budget) and in specs (11.6-inch display, dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM), but there are significant differences under the hood. Samsung's offering achieves its svelte form factor, 6.5-hour battery life and attractive price via a fully integrated and fanless ARM-based design while Acer takes a more conservative approach -- cramming standard off-the-shelf components like a 2.5-inch hard drive, small-outline memory module, mini-PCIe WiFi card, and Intel Celeron processor into a traditional netbook-like chassis. Does being $50 cheaper make up for the C7's lack of sex appeal and short 4-hour battery life? What other compromises in performance and build quality (if any) were made to achieve this lower cost? Most importantly, which budget Chromebook is right for you? Find out after the break.
Last day for Charles Gaulin exhibit! ? Quinebaug Valley Council for ...
Today is a beautiful Sunday in Southbridge. I hope everyone out there had a very Happy Thanksgiving and a not-too stressful Black Friday.
I?m down here at the Arts Center for the last day of the Charles Gaulin exhibition, open today, November 25th from 12-4pm. Charles has many beautiful paintings of landscapes and buildings from the Quinebaug Valley area, both in watercolor and oil. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at the show, and if you are in the area, I urge you to come on down and visit. Here is my list of reasons to pop by and see the artwork:
Charles is here! You get to meet the artist and get the scoop on his work.
If you are still holiday shopping, the artwork here is lovely and would make a great gift.
If you are sick of holiday shopping, you can come see the artwork and relax.
Buying art from the Arts Center is a great way to shop local, and supports both the QVCAH mission and a local artist.
Enjoying art is life-enriching free entertainment.
Unlike crowded malls, the Arts Center is quiet and peaceful.
If you haven?t seen this show yet, today is the last day, so come on in!
That?s a few reasons anyway! The QVCAH will be open until 4pm today. Hope to see you!
Choose for Shower, Bath, or Sink Refinishing for Reasonable ...
Re-doing your bathroom is a superb way to brighten and increase the value of your home, however installing completely new bathtub, shower, as well as sink fittings can be excessively expensive. Learn how a professional Bathroom Design Sydney will help you get a new bathroom for less through refacing or reglazing your bathrooms fixtures instead of replacing all of them.
Your bathroom is probably the most essential room in your home. As a result, its performance is essential; however so is it?s aesthetic worth. When it?s here we are at a bathroom redesigning project, the idea of replacing your whole tub, bath, or kitchen sink can be challenging, both energetically as well as financially. The good thing is, though, there is a viable option to replacing these types of expensive bathroom fixtures. Rather than getting brand new ones, you can ask a Bathroom Design Sydney in order to resurface your overall fixtures. Ablation will save you period, money, and, and will get you back to making use of your improved bathroom in hardly any time whatsoever.
No matter how nicely or how frequently you thoroughly clean, the unfortunate truth is which, over time, your bathrooms will start to display its age. Surface finishes fade as well as wear down, and designs simply alter as the years move. What was stunning and stylish when you bought your home or even property should not be present anymore. It?s not easy to justify a complete gutting and changing process, although, if it?s only the top coating of your bathroom fixtures which are no longer appealing. That?s where a shower remodeling as well as resurfacing expert comes in. Rather than taking out all your bathroom fittings, he or she can merely replace or even re-do the surface coating. This means that you will not have to pay to achieve the old bathtub or bathroom removed as well as new ones place in, not to mention investing
who knows just how long without a operating bathroom whilst all of the redesigning is completed. In case your bathroom remodeling service provider deems your bathrooms a solid prospect for ablation, you will be able in order to save an incredible period of time, money, as well as trouble.
With regards to remodeling bathrooms, you may want to deal with one or even many of the subsequent fixtures:
Bath tubs
Tile
Counter tops
Shower booths
Shower cookware
Tub and bath surrounds
Whilst resurfacing can function slightly in a different way depending on the bathroom fixture under consideration, the basic procedure remains the exact same. Your ablation professional may clean and put together the surface, after that apply a number of coats of the epoxy paint primer, followed by the use of the final complete of your choice. This method works to redesign
Bathroom supplies including:
Ceramic
Fiberglass
Classy marble
Polymer
Laminate
Formica
Besides refacing your bathroom fittings liven up the entire space, however it allows you to transform it in a fraction from the cost of substitute. You can pick the color as well as the texture of the new areas so that you obtain a totally new, vibrant look and keep the structure of the bathroom undamaged.
Resurfacing is definitely an affordable, effective, and effective option to replacing your overall bathtub, bathroom, sink, or even tile. If you prefer a new look for the tub, counter top, or other bathroom fixture, contact your local ablation professional these days.
U.S. boxer Hector Macho Camacho dies | Online News
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) ? Three-time world boxing champion Hector ?Macho? Camacho died on Saturday, four days after he was shot in the face in a drive-by shooting, doctors said. He was 50.
Camacho was pronounced dead after being taken off life support following a second heart attack early Saturday morning, Rio Piedras Medical Director Ernesto Torres told reporters.
Puerto Rico officials planned a public wake for the boxer at the Department of Sports & Recreation headquarters in San Juan, but details were pending.
The former U.S. boxing champ had been declared brain dead on Thursday after he was shot on Tuesday while sitting in a car with a friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, 49, outside a liquor store in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon, Camacho?s birthplace.
Two gunmen opened fire on the car, killing the driver, Mojica Moreno, and hitting Camacho in the jaw. The bullet fractured two vertebrae and lodged in his shoulder, damaging the arteries that carried blood to the brain, doctors said.
Police found nine small bags of cocaine in the driver?s pockets and one open in the car.
The shooting is under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Camacho, a left-handed fighter who grew up in New York?s Spanish Harlem neighborhood, had a record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts. His three-decade career featured fights with a ?who?s who? of boxing and a flamboyant style that included entering the ring in an outfit based on the Puerto Rican flag.
Camacho?s body was taken to the hospital?s pathology section and brought to the Institute of Forensic Sciences as required by law, Torres told reporters.
El Nuevo Dia newspaper reported the family planned a funeral in New York, where Camacho grew up.
Family members had debated removing him from life support, with some members including his son Hector ?Machito? Camacho holding out hope for his recovery.
On Friday evening, his mother Maria Matias acknowledged during a brief talk with reporters at the medical center that that ?God has taken him? and indicated that she was waiting for the arrival of Camacho?s other children to Puerto Rico before disconnecting him.
Some family members had discussed organ donation, but Torres said too much time had passed from when the former fighter was declared brain dead on Thursday morning to donate his organs now.
Camacho Jr. lamented the crime and violence confronting Puerto Rico. ?You have to stop the violence and the drugs. Rap singers have to stop glorifying violence. This is for the youth. All the street promises them now is death, drugs, and jail.?
(Reporting by Reuters in San Juan; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Sandra Maler and Vicki Allen)
Leading Chicago Home Improvement Firm Assures High Quality ...
Glencoe, IL (freepressreleases ) November 22, 2012 ? The Chicago residents in need of quality home improvement need not look further- Chicago Renovation Development, the leading Chicago based remodeling company has assured to provide top notch home improvement services. The company is providing extensive range of home remodeling works across Chicago suburbs & neighborhood areas.
Chicago Renovation Development is founded in the year 1999 by Brad Ashman who comes with a profound experience in the construction industry. The firm specializes in Chicago bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling & home remodeling works. ?We are your one-stop home remodeling solution in Chicago with our ethical, client-oriented and high quality services. We assure you of a trusted and seasoned service always. It?s our trustworthiness that has earned us a very loyal client base over the years?, stated the spokesperson, adding that they have been engaged in the home improvement works for more than 25 years.
The seasoned Chicago remodeling company is ready to work on any kind of home remodeling works including a makeover or additions in every sphere of home such as kitchen, bathroom, basements, decks, windows, flooring and roofing in addition to the Chicago kitchen remodeling and bath improvement services. Commenting about their workforce, Ashman?s manager said that the company is backed by a fantastic pool of highly seasoned & talented craftsmen who are really passionate and have been involved in remodeling services for a prolonged span.
?We always allow the clients in stating their specifications freely to attain a perfect understanding of the client?s typical considerations regarding the home improvement work he is planning for- we make sure to understand your concerns so that we can come up with your desired services on our part?, the manager added. He further assured that they are always upbeat in their approach and in case of any unforeseen and unexpected remodeling surprises the clients would be asked for the most reasonable rates only.
The leading Chicago home remodeling agency is also engaged in commercial remodeling works and they have been called for historical renovations a number of times as well.
To know further about Chicago Renovation Development, log on to http://www.chicagorenovation.com/.
Leptospires in wildlife from Trinidad and Grenada | Natural Sciences ...
Everard, C. O. R.; Fraser Chanpong, G. M.; Bhagwandin, L. J.; Race, M. W.; James, A. C., 1983: Leptospires in wildlife from Trinidad and Grenada. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 19(3): 192-199
Related posts:
Rabies virus and antibody in bats in Grenada and Trinidad Price, J. L.; Everard, C. O. R., 1977: Rabies virus and antibody in bats in Grenada and Trinidad. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 13(2): 131-134...
Epidemiology of mongoose rabies in Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Baer, G. M.; James, A., 1974: Epidemiology of mongoose rabies in Grenada. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 10(3): 190-196...
Leptospirosis in Trinidad and Grenada, with special reference to the mongoose Everard, C. O. R.; Green, A. E.; Glosser, J. W., 1976: Leptospirosis in Trinidad and Grenada, with special reference to the mongoose. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 70(1): 57-61...
Studies on leptospirosis in farmstock and wildlife in Kerala. Isolation of leptospires from divergent classes of animal hosts with an outline of cultural procedures Adinarayanan, N.; James, P. C., 1980: Studies on leptospirosis in farmstock and wildlife in Kerala. Isolation of leptospires from divergent classes of animal hosts with an outline of cultural procedures. Indian Veterinary Journal 57(6): 496-500...
Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes ? formal and nonformal ? in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago Anonymous, 1978: Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes ? formal and nonformal ? in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes formal and nonformal in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago: 95...
Rabies serum neutralizing antibody in mongooses from Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Baer, G. M.; Alls, M. E.; Moore, S. A., 1981: Rabies serum neutralizing antibody in mongooses from Grenada. Transactions of the Royal Society Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 75(5): 654-666...
Creation and dynamics of an extracorporeal population of leptospires in wildlife foci of leptospirosis Litvin, V. Yu; Golubev, M. V., 1982: Creation and dynamics of an extracorporeal population of leptospires in wildlife foci of leptospirosis. Zhurnal Mikrobiologii Epidemiologii i Immunobiologii (3): 32-35...
Rabies in Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Murray, D.; Gilbert, P. K., 1972: Rabies in Grenada. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 66(6): 878-888...
Endoparasites of some amphibia, reptiles and small mammals from Trinidad Everard, C. O. R., 1975: Endoparasites of some amphibia, reptiles and small mammals from Trinidad. Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists? Club: 72-79...
An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs. Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production Regis, V., 1975: An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs. Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production. An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production: xiii+97...
Agriculture was once a core industry in the former Yugoslavia. But corruption and mismanagement turned the region's one-time breadbasket into a 'small war zone.'
By Ana Benacic,?Balkan Investigative Reporting Network / November 22, 2012
All the assets of the Retkovci farm, including these buildings in the nearby village of Vodjinci, have been lost.
Ana Benacic
Enlarge
Beyond the long grass lies a runway where the planes no longer land. It was owned by the villagers here, along with the farm and the fields.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
The crop-dusters flew away when the farm went bust. In the following years, the villagers? shares in their business also vanished, seemingly into thin air.
For Ivan Zivkovic, who worked at the farm, the disused airstrip is a neglected piece of an unsolved puzzle. ?We never found out who owns it now, or what they paid for it,? he says. ?There is no trace of the money.?
The collapse of his farm is part of an even larger puzzle ? the catastrophic decline of agriculture in the breadbasket regions of the former Yugoslavia. Food imports and prices are rising in countries that once fed themselves comfortably.
In the lush plains of Serbia, farmers are getting poorer, while their children migrate to the cities for work. In Croatia, agriculture today accounts for three percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to almost 20 percent two decades ago.
Trade liberalization and the current economic crisis bear some of the blame, as do the conflicts that tore the former Yugoslavia apart. But across the region, experts say it is corruption and mismanagement that have brought agriculture to its knees.
No soldiers traded gunfire over Mr. Zivkovic?s farm in eastern Croatia. Instead, its workers spent the 1990s fighting businessmen and lawyers for their tractors and orchards ? the spoils of a privatization deal gone wrong.
?It was like a small war zone,? says Marko Tominac, an insolvency manager who tried to settle the farm?s accounts among Zivkovic and his colleagues. ?Everybody was screaming that everybody else was getting the bigger part ? including the workers.?
The privatizations of the last two decades were largely ? but not universally ? disastrous. A handful of the region?s largest collective farms have changed ownership and remained productive.
But most of the small and medium-sized concerns did not survive the transition from socialism. They were treated as the low-hanging fruit of the privatization boom ? bought cheap, stripped bare, and discarded ? by men who had little interest in agriculture.
In Serbia, alleged drug baron Darko Saric funded the purchase of Mitrosrem, a collective farm now hovering on the brink of bankruptcy. Mr. Saric denies the charges against him and is on the run from the law.?In Slovenia, agriculture?s contribution to the GDP has shrunk to a quarter of what it was 20 years ago. The country?s privatization was ?tycoon-oriented, wild, and idiotic,? according to Ales Kuhar, an associate professor in food economics at Ljubljana University.
In Croatia, where privatization is commonly referred to as ?legalized theft,? a state audit published evidence of hundreds of bad deals from the previous decade. The audit was completed in 2004, and the statute of limitations relating to the deals has since been removed, allowing any privatizations from that period to be investigated.
However, prosecutors say they are only investigating 31 people at the moment, and have yet to file any indictments. The country?s judiciary is routinely singled out for criticism by the European Union, which Croatia is scheduled to join next year.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? A hungry mantis shrimp may be the last thing that a passing fish sees before it is snatched from the water by the predator. Maya deVries from the University of California, Berkeley, says 'Spearer mantis shrimps stay in their sandy burrows and they wait for a fast-moving prey item to come by, but then they come out of nowhere and grab the prey with their long skinny appendages.' However, little was know about how these vicious predators unleash their lightning-fast attacks.
According to deVries, the spearing shrimp are closely related to smasher mantis shrimps, which pulverise the shells of crustaceans and molluscs with a single explosive blow from their mighty claws. Having decided to find out how the crustaceans unleash their deadly assaults, deVries says, 'We thought that the spearers would be just as fast -- if not faster -- than the smashers because they have a smaller time window in which to capture their prey.' deVries and her colleagues publish their discovery that Lysiosquillina maculata spearer mantis shrimps power their mighty spears with muscle alone while smaller Alachosquilla vicina spearer mantis shrimps use a more conventional catapult mechanism in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
Working with her PhD advisor, Sheila Patek, deVries took a short trip along the corridor to Roy Caldwell's lab to film some of his L. maculata mantis shrimps. Coaxing the nocturnal lobster-sized crustaceans to assault frozen prawns, deVries recalls that the animals were reluctant to attack; 'They probably didn't like the bright lights', she says. However, when the duo analysed the speed of the strikes, they were surprised that the spearer's harpoon speed was much slower than that of their smashing cousin's. Explaining that smashers can unleash strikes at speeds ranging from 10 to 23m/s, the duo were taken aback that L. maculata could only muster 2 m/s.
Smasher mantis shrimp store catapult energy in skeletal springs that they unleash during a deadly assault; therefore deVries analysed the trajectories of several L. maculata claws in action, and realised that the hefty crustaceans were not using the same mechanism. 'The spear has all the same components [as the smashers]', explains deVries, but she adds that the shape of some of the structures are subtly different and the spring did not deform to store energy prior to an attack -- possibly because it is too stiff -- preventing L. maculata from firing a ballistic attack. 'If the L. maculata movement is similar to other ambush predators that have muscle-driven strikes, it is possible that these guys are creating strikes with muscle movement', says deVries.
Next, deVries and Patek tested the reactions of another, smaller mantis shrimp, Alachosquilla vicina, to find out whether all spearing mantis shrimps have opted for muscle-powered strikes. Elizabeth Murphy filmed the animals snapping up brine shrimp however, it was obvious that the diminutive crustaceans were using a spring-loaded catapult to spear their nimble prey. The team could clearly see energy-storing deformations in the spring structure before the mantis shrimp unfurled their deadly assaults at 6m/s.
But the team were still puzzled by L. maculata's sluggish performance. Maybe the lab-based animals had become too unfit to produce explosive attacks? Traveling to Australia to film L. maculata hunting in the wild, the team were relieved to see that the animals' reactions were well within the range of speeds that they had measured in the lab. Adult L. maculata use muscle-powered attacks all the time.
Having confirmed that it is possible for the large shrimp to produce lightening-fast strikes without using a spring mechanism, deVries says 'We're trying to get more L. maculata in the lab to look at the complete size range in one species to see how the strike scales and to find out if there is a size threshold above which you can't have a spring-loaded strike anymore.'
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 The Journal of Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. The original article was written by Kathryn Knight.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
deVries, M. S., Murphy, E. A. K. and Patek, S. N. Strike mechanics of an ambush predator: the spearing mantis shrimp. J. Exp. Biol, 215, 4374-4384; 2012 (in press)
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.
Payday loans are short-term unsecured loans lent against the ?next paycheck? of an individual. By bypassing the credit check procedure, payday loans are a lot easier to score, but also come with instant repayment terms. All you need to qualify for a payday loan is a steady job that guarantees your income for the next few weeks or months. Payday loans are targeted at unprecedented expenses like medical emergencies, and should not be confused with consumer finance. Owing to their increasing popularity, payday loans have garnered much attention in the media, but it is important to learn all the facts before you form an opinion.
What People Are Saying About Payday Loans vs. the Truth
A simple Google search will tell you that payday loans are the center of much contention in the media. Stories of people will thousands of pounds of debt, interest swindlers, and fraud payday companies have spread like wildfire. While these stories are factually correct, they frame payday loans in a negative light in order to create sensation. Payday loans are not harmful ? as long as you remain responsible.
With a payday loan, as with any form of easy money, there is always the alluring risk of biting off more than you can chew. If you start treating payday loans as means to shop, party, pay bills or spend unnecessarily, you are inviting a miasma of recurring debt. Interest rates can be as high as 400% a year! So, obviously, these loans aren?t meant to be taken out for a year at all. The mantra is simple ? take a payday loan only IF you can repay it on your next payday! Newspapers aren?t lying. Payday traps are genuinely out there, but you can avoid them if plan your finances wisely.
Old v. New Methods of Payday Lending Payday loans have come under the limelight lately because the entire process has been digitized and loans are now provided through websites. This has widened the reach of payday loans multifold and the application is a lot more convenient for loan seekers. Instead of visiting payday lender outlets, applicants send all their documents via email or fax, and are explained the terms of agreement online. In turn, they receive the money via direct deposit and have multiple methods of returning it too. This is comforting for lenders too, as they can set up an electronic withdrawal of funds from the debtor?s account on his/her payday.
Ind. justices weigh largest school voucher program
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Indiana Supreme Court justices weighing the legality of the nation's largest school voucher program made clear during a packed hearing Wednesday that the program's fate may rest on whether it primarily benefits students' parents or the religious institutions that run private schools.
The five justices prodded lawyers for both sides on the vouchers' consequences as they heard a constitutional challenge to the 2011 law under which more than 9,000 students have switched from public to private schools with help from state funds. The program was pushed by Gov. Mitch Daniels and is considered a model of conservative Republicans' approach to overhauling education.
Solicitor General Thomas Fisher, defending the law, said the vouchers allow parents to send their children to private schools they otherwise couldn't afford. He said parents, not the state, decide which schools receive public voucher money.
"Any money that ends up in the coffers of religious institutions is there at the discretion of the parent," Fisher said during the hour-long hearing.
But John West, the Washington attorney handling the court challenge pressed by the Indiana State Teachers Association, said that virtually all of the voucher money goes to schools whose primary purpose is to promote the teachings of their affiliated churches.
"Here, the state is directly paying for the teaching of religion," West said. "Many of these schools describe themselves as ministries of the churches they're affiliated with," he added.
The Indiana case is being closely watched because the vouchers are available to middle class students. Voucher programs in other states are generally limited to low-income students or those in failing schools. Conservative Republicans say the vouchers offer families more choices and will boost education by giving public schools greater incentive to improve. Critics contend the vouchers could cripple public schools by diverting desperately needed funds.
In considering the law, "The problem for me is 'the benefit of,'" said Indiana Chief Justice Brent Dickson, referring the wording of the state constitution, which precludes spending state funds for the benefit of religious institutions. Dickson and other justices repeatedly probed the nuances of that phrase's meaning ? including whether it applied to other government services or to state scholarships that help students attend church-affiliated universities like Notre Dame.
"Why is that permissible, and this is not?" Dickson asked. He also noted that in 1851, when the constitution was ratified, most of the state's schools were private and "the Bible was the textbook."
West argued that in those other cases, the state wasn't directly funding religious activity.
Justice Stephen David focused on whether the state will have shifted to a religious education system if the vouchers drain much of the resources from public schools.
"What if 97 percent of kids end up going to religious schools?" he asked Fisher. "That is altering the state of education."
"You still have decisions being made by the parents," Fisher insisted. He also said the question was hypothetical.
However, Fort Wayne Community Schools Board President Mark GiaQuinta said after the hearing that school vouchers already had damaged the state's largest public school district.
"We have lost $7 million of our budget to vouchers," he told reporters. The district's 2013 budget is $279 million.
The number of students using the vouchers has increased since the law went into effect. The system was championed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. But Bennett's Democratic opponent, Glenda Ritz, defeated him in the Nov. 6 election after arguing that the vouchers and other changes were damaging education in Indiana.
_____
Follow Charles Wilson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlesDWilson
Sometimes, it's not political powerhouses who have the power to change the world, sometimes it's true-blue entrepreneurs who live to solve problems. One such person is Gurbaksh Chahal, who has launched BeProud.org, launched after the shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August 2012, with some pretty impressive backers. The point of the multi-million dollar campaign is to put an end to hatred, and to encourage self-pride. Using the web to help bring attention to this is a fantastic idea. I had a chance to chat with Chahal on his background and the future of the BeProud initiative.
With the recent news reports of the number of unemployed people throughout the UK dropping, it may have acted as a kick in the teeth for the Scottish, who are still in the slump of employment opportunities.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
Share ] 
Re-doing your bathroom is a superb way to brighten and increase the value of your home, however installing completely new bathtub, shower, as well as sink fittings can be excessively expensive. Learn how a professional Bathroom Design Sydney will help you get a new bathroom for less through refacing or reglazing your bathrooms fixtures instead of replacing all of them.
