Pressed by EU, Berlusconi reaches pension deal (AP)

MILAN ? Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi averted a government collapse and reached a deal with allies on emergency growth measures in time for an EU summit on saving the euro before political tensions erupted in a fist fight in parliament.

Berlusconi and Northern League leader Umberto Bossi reached a compromise on raising Italy's retirement age in late-night parliament talks Tuesday ? a point of disagreement that had threatened Berlusconi's leadership. His majority in parliament needs the support of the Northern League.

A fist fight in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday when League lawmakers briefly came to blows with colleagues loyal to a former Berlusconi ally Gianfranco Fini, the Chamber president who broke with the governing coalition early in its term. Scuffles are not rare in Italy's parliament.

League deputies were incensed when Fini, on a TV talk show, mentioned that Bossi's wife, took early retirement from a teaching job when she was 39.

Berlusconi will deliver a letter detailing the emergency measures to an EU summit. A spokesman said the contents are reserved for summit leaders, but Italian media reported the measures include new infrastructure spending, with a push for more private investment for strategic projects, the privatization of public entities and property and simplifying rules for companies.

Changes to Italy's pension scheme had become a major sticking point, with Bossi's party refusing to risk alienating its constituency of workers from the productive north.

Under the overnight deal, Italy will gradually raise the pension age for all workers to 67 by 2025, bringing it in line with European trends. Currently, Italian men retire at 65 along with women in the public sector but some women in the private sector retire earlier.

The 15-page letter also reportedly contains details of the euro54 billion ($75 billion) in austerity measures passed by lawmakers last month to balance Italy's budget by 2013.

The European Union had asked for measures, with a clear calendar for implementation, to promote growth, raise the pension age and simplify civil legal proceedings to encourage foreign investment

Outgoing Bank of Italy governor Mario Draghi called the letter of intent "an important step ... but now it's time to implement the measures swiftly and concretely." Draghi, who takes over helm of the European Central Bank on Nov. 1, also urged Berlusconi's government to quickly activate the spending cuts and new taxes approved last month.

In Brussels, a spokesman for the European commission, Olivier Bailly, said the EU was "confident" it would have the letter by the end of the day.

Italy is seen as the next country at risk in the widening sovereign debt crisis, but with euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) in public debt, an Italian default would be disastrous for the global economy. The European Central Bank for months has been buying billions in Italian bonds to help keep borrowing costs down.

Nonetheless, Italy saw borrowing costs on short-term bonds spike Wednesday. The Italian Treasury sold euro8.5 billion ($11.83 billion) in six-month bonds at 3.53 percent, up sharply from last month's 3.071 percent, its highest level in three years. Yields on two-year bonds rose to 4.628 percent from 4.511.

A Berlusconi spokesman, meanwhile, brushed off reports that Berlusconi was preparing to resign. The left-leaning La Repubblica newspaper, one of Berlusconi's staunchest critics, reported that he had threatened to resign if no deal could be reached with the Northern League, which was persisting in its resistance to raising the retirement age.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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US government seeks $70M from African official

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The son of Equatorial Guinea's president plundered his country's natural resources through corruption, spending more than $70 million in looted profits on a Malibu mansion, a Gulfstream jet and Michael Jackson memorabilia, the U.S. government said.

In what appeared to be a concerted action, France last month seized 11 luxury sports cars belonging to Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, a government minister in the West African country and heir-apparent to the presidency. And a Spanish investigative judge has been asked to seize properties in Madrid and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands owned by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, his sons and some ministers, acting on a case brought by the Pro-Human Rights Association of Spain.

Teodorin Obiang, who is in his early 40s, used his position to siphon millions of dollars for his own personal use, U.S. authorities said in two civil forfeiture complaints filed in the District Court in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The complaints say Obiang's assets can be forfeited because he engaged in misappropriation and theft of public funds for his benefit.

The U.S. government is seeking to recover $70 million in stolen funds from Obiang for "the benefit of the people of the country from which it was taken."

"We are sending the message loud and clear: The United States will not be a hiding place for the ill-gotten riches of the world's corrupt leaders," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer.

An email message left for Purificacion Angue Ondo, Equatorial Guinea's ambassador to the U.S., was not immediately returned. President Obiang has denied charges of corruption in the past. Teodorin Obiang told a South African court in 2005, in a dispute about two Cape Town mansions valued at $4 million, that he earned $4,000 a month as a minister but that in his country it is legal for companies owned by ministers to bid for government contracts with foreign groups and receive "a percentage of the total contract."

U.S. authorities believe Teodorin Obiang amassed more than $100 million through various schemes while he served as the country's forestry minister. His current government salary is about $6,800 a month, according to court documents.

The U.S. action follows years of investigations including a Justice Department and Immigration and Customs Department probe that showed Obiang transferred about $75 million into U.S. banks between 2005 and 2007, and indicated U.S. banks had not shown due diligence.

This came after the Obiang fortunes helped bring down the once-venerable Riggs Bank in 2004, when a U.S. Senate Committee investigation found the bank had "turned a blind eye" to evidence it was handling proceeds of foreign corruption in deposits of some $700 million deposited by its biggest customers ? Equatorial Guinea government entities, senior officials and Obiang family members. One bank official gave evidence that more than a million dollars was brought to the bank in one instance in cash enfolded in plastic wrap.

Some $26.5 million of that was transferred in suspicious transactions to Banco Santander in Spain, and used to buy properties being investigated there.

The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations last year found that powerful Equatorial Guinea officials and their families used attorneys, real estate agents and lobbyists to circumvent anti-corruption laws.

Human rights groups including the Global Witness and the Open Society Justice Initiative for years have been asking the United States to deny visas to the Obiang family and seize their property under U.S. laws against unjust or illicit enrichment.

It was unclear why the action suddenly was being taken. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, Laura Sweeney, declined to comment "at this time" in an email response to questions. Ken Hurwitz, senior legal officer at the New York-based Open Society Justice Initiative, said he had heard reports that the Malibu property was being put up for sale.

Equatorial Guinea was a backwater until American energy company Exxon Mobil discovered oil and gas there in 1994. U.S. companies continue to dominate the industry there but face growing competition. Most oil from the country, which produces billions of dollars in annual revenue, is exported to the United States.

Despite its newfound wealth, life for the vast majority of the country's 680,000 people remains a struggle and the majority live below the poverty line with tens of thousands having no access to electricity or clean water, according to U.N. and World Bank figures.

Earlier this year, Global Witness reported that Teodorin Obiang had commissioned plans to build a superyacht costing $380 million ? nearly three times what the country spends on health and education each year.

U.S. authorities said Teodorin Obiang spent $30 million on a Malibu mansion, $38.5 million on a Gulfstream jet and about $3.2 million on Michael Jackson memorabilia, including a crystal-covered glove from the "Bad" tour and a basketball signed by the singer and former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan.

Among the other items purchased by Obiang, according to federal officials, was a 2011 Ferrari automobile valued at more than $530,000. Obiang also stored 24 luxury cars worth nearly $10 million at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and shipped them to France. Among the supercars seized in France last month are Maseratis, two limited edition Bugatti Veyrons, Maseratis, Ferraris, Porsches and Rolls Royces.

Obiang would give various stories to banks that questioned where he had received large sums of cash from, authorities said. When Obiang opened an account at a California bank in 2007, he claimed that he acquired money from a family inheritance and from trading expensive and custom automobiles, court documents show.

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Associated Press writer Michelle Faul contributed to this report from Johannesburg.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-26-US-Equatorial-Guinea-Corruption/id-7e5ba1ba517841c88ae96d3004fe4a9a

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Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!

Don't know about you, but we certainly can't get enough of last week's blockbusters double-billing of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And if you haven't caught up with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, well, time's a wasting! We break it all down in handy recorded form.

The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that really matters, and explain what's just a bunch of hype. Plus, we answer your e-mails and voicemails. You don't want to miss it. Check out the Android Central Podcast.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ayNFHroPIZ8/android-podcast-reminder

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Used Automotive Loans ? Sale Digital Camera Blog

Wish to buy an used automotive but just don?t have the funds sat in your bank account? If that?s the case, why not contemplate taking out one of the many used automotive loans obtainable on the loans market.

Used automotive loans are specifically designed by loans corporations to supply used car buyers with a competitive finance arrangement by way of which to buy an used car. Flexible loans terms are available from used car loans firms, as well as low APR offers appropriate for used car purchases. Used car loans of as much as ?20,000 may be organized on an unsecured foundation, with loans firms providing larger loans amounts if safety is supplied.

Advance plan your used car loans

When buying an used automotive it pays to do some advance planning and organize your used automobile mortgage forward of the search for an used car. There are numerous loans companies on the market providing loans for used automotive purchases, so it makes sense to buy round to get the very best loans deals for purchasing an used car. Search for automotive loans which are versatile to your needs and offer a low APR, so your month-to-month used automotive repayments on any loans taken out will not be sky-high.

As with all forms of loans, you need to first determine how a lot you may afford to borrow on loans to purchase an used car. Loans calculators are available on the Web and can be used to calculate mortgage and repayment amounts in accordance with different APRs. It is important to consider different financial commitments too, including other loans, when calculating the loans quantity that you would be able to comfortably borrow to purchase an used car.

Should you intend to purchase your used car from an used car trader where they provide car loans / finance for their used cars, then do make sure that the loans deal you signal as much as is healthier than the loans deal that the used automotive dealer can offer. The APR fee is the vital thing here. On car loans tailor-made for used automotive purchases the APR fee ? i.e. the speed of interest you may pay on high of the used automotive buy price ? could be as low as 6%. Finance loans offers through used automotive merchants may have a higher APR, so pushing the whole cost of buying an used car as much as an unacceptable price.

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Source: http://saledigitalcamera.net/used-automotive-loans

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FEMA: Apply for Assistance Even if You Have Insurance

Release Date: October 24, 2011
Release Number: 4028-040

??More Information on Massachusetts?Tropical Storm Irene

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Disaster assistance programs may provide grants for damage and losses not covered by insurance. That is why insured individuals in Berkshire and Franklin counties affected by Tropical Storm Irene from August 27-29 are urged by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply for assistance.

?We want everyone who is eligible for assistance to receive help as soon as possible,? said Federal Coordinating Officer Mark H. Landry ?Even if you are insured, don?t miss out on possible disaster recovery funds. Register now and we?ll let you know if you qualify for one or more of the disaster programs that are helping individuals and business owners recover.?

Disaster assistance can include grants to help pay for:

• Temporary housing, emergency home repairs and rental assistance
• Medical, dental and funeral expenses
• Repairing wells and septic tanks
• Essential personal property
• Transportation

In addition, low-interest disaster loans are available from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners and renters as well as for business owners.

?Call to register with FEMA now,? said State Coordinating Officer Kurt Schwartz. ?Then re-contact FEMA, even after the application deadline, when you receive your insurance settlement to update your information.?

By law, FEMA cannot duplicate what insurance already covers, and it cannot pay deductibles. If, however, a settlement does not cover all eligible losses, disaster assistance may be available to cover the difference.? Applicants will be asked to submit proof of the insurance settlement.

Applicants can call the FEMA toll-free registration number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for individuals with a speech or hearing disability. Lines are open from

7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.? Residents also can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or on a smartphone and other mobile devices at m.fema.gov 24 hours a day.

FEMA?s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 24-Oct-2011 17:06:25

Source: http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=58995

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Iran: Finance Minister Summoned For Questioning

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Iran's Parliament officially announced a motion on Sunday to impeach the Minister of Finance in connection with the $3-billion bank fraud that came to li.

Source: http://www.eurasiareview.com/23102011-iran-finance-minister-summoned-for-questioning/

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Moderates stall rise of Swiss nationalists (AP)

BERN, Switzerland ? Swiss voters backed moderate forces in their general election in which nationalists failed in their effort to break through the 30 percent barrier with a campaign heavy on anti-immigrant sentiment.

The nationalist Swiss People's Party, or SVP, was projected to take 25.9 percent of the vote for the lower house, a drop of 3 percent from four years ago, according to public television station SF's latest projections early Monday morning.

On the left, the Greens also sustained a surprising setback, taking 7.9 percent of the vote, a drop of 1.7 percent from four years ago. The SVP and Greens were each projected to lose seven seats in Switzerland's lower chamber, the 200-seat National Council.

"We didn't achieve our election goal," People's Party president Toni Brunner conceded as results from Sunday's voting trickled in.

His party diminishment reverses 20 years of steady growth in parliamentary elections that are held every four years. It drew 11 percent of the vote in 1987, but captured as much as 28.9 percent in 2007.

During that time, support had eroded for two major center-right parties, the Free Democratic Party and Christian Democratic People's Party, from a combined 42.5 percent in 1987 down to 30.3 percent in 2007.

Now, two of the SVP's small centrist competitors are rebounding ? at its expense.

The SVP's rise was stalled by the Conservative Democratic Party whose members split from the SVP in 2007, and the centrist Green Liberal Party, which picks up 9 seats in the National Council successfully riding a wave of anti-nuclear sentiment following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant in March.

Both those centrist parties are expected to receive more than 5 percent of the vote for the National Council. Voters are also deciding on 45 of 46 seats for the upper house, or Council of States.

Barely one of every two eligible Swiss voters typically exercise their privilege. Estimated turnout for Sunday's general election remained virtually unchanged at 48.9 percent, slightly up from 48.2 percent in 2007.

The panoply of political parties in Switzerland makes for intense haggling after every election, however, as each group demands fair representation in the country's cross-party government.

The result is a unique "magic formula," designed to condense complex electoral results into a seven-member Cabinet capable of governing by consensus in spite of sometimes widely differing views.

Despite its worse-than-expected result, the People's Party retains the biggest share of the vote and immediately laid claim to two seats in the Cabinet, whose ministers run federal agencies and take turns as president for a year.

The party has built up a strong base of voters with campaigns warning of immigrants spoiling an Alpine nation that's been an oasis of relative stability within stormy Europe.

In its campaign, the SVP accused foreigners of driving up Switzerland's crime rate, and called for those convicted of crimes to be deported. It also wants to reintroduce quotas on immigration from the 27 countries of the European Union, of which Switzerland isn't a member, illustrating the point with striking posters of black boots stomping on the Swiss flag with the message "Stop Mass Immigration."

The number of foreigners living in Switzerland rose almost 3 percent to 1.7 million over the past year ? mostly Italians, Germans, Portuguese and Serbs. Switzerland, along with Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, has one of the highest proportions of foreign inhabitants in Europe.

They account for one of every five of the country's nearly 7.9 million permanent residents, and mostly live in the large cities of Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Bern.

Many foreigners who work in Switzerland come for jobs for which they're considered highly qualified, but that hasn't stopped the Swiss from worrying that the influx of outsiders in their midst is spurring a rise in crime, house prices and joblessness.

For some voters, however, the People's Party's relentless focus on foreigners went too far.

Pushing a stroller in the capital Bern with his twin 1-year-old sons ? half Swiss, half Sri Lankan ? architect Timo Odoni pointed to one of the nationalists' posters.

"I just can't stand how they do their posters because it reminds me of 60 years before, in Germany, a little bit. And we have to do something about it," Odoni said.

"I certainly will vote the green and left parties," he said. "We have no problem with immigration, really. We have other problems, but not this problem."

___

Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Geneva.

___

Follow John Heilprin at http://www.twitter.com/JohnHeilprin

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111023/ap_on_re_eu/eu_switzerland_election

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Video: Check out amazing Pacific Northwest animals!

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29054368/vp/44990049#44990049

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First abortion, now 9-9-9. Is Herman Cain waffling?

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was forced to defend comments on abortion that angered conservatives. Now, he's introducing exceptions to his 9-9-9 tax plan. This week, at least, Herman Cain appears to be struggling in the spotlight.

Herman Cain is having one of the more improbable presidential campaigns in American history. Or at least of this cycle.

Skip to next paragraph

Once seen as a long-shot novelty act, the former pizza magnate is now getting the scrutiny of a front-runner, forcing him to tweak his 9-9-9 plan, reassure conservatives on abortion, and add staff. At least his fundraising has picked up, his campaign reports.

Speaking Friday morning in a run-down neighborhood in Detroit, Mr. Cain reacted to bipartisan criticism of his 9-9-9 plan ? catchy for its simplicity ? and made it a bit less simple. He would now allow some deductions, and set up ?opportunity zones? to attract business investment in depressed neighborhoods. He suggested eliminating the minimum wage in struggling areas to boost employment.

At Tuesday?s debate in Las Vegas, 9-9-9 came under fierce attack from the other Republicans on stage, with data showing it would raise taxes for most Americans, in particular low-income people and the middle class. Cain?s original plan would eliminate all current taxes, including on capital gains, and replace them with a 9 percent tax on personal income, a 9 percent national sales tax, and a 9 percent business tax.

?When I look at this building behind me, I see opportunity ? if we get capital gains out of the way,? Cain said after his speech in Detroit, according to the Associated Press.

?Because taxes and regulations have gotten so bad, people with money don?t want to take risks,? he added.

Cain also told reporters that the new elements he discussed on Friday were not a change. ?We didn?t want to put it all out there at once,? he said.

The day before, Cain tried to put out the firestorm over views on abortion he had articulated Wednesday on CNN. He said he opposed abortion but added that ?it?s not the government?s role or anybody else?s role to make that decision.?

?It ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make,? Cain said.

Again, Cain faced criticism. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum called Cain?s comment the ?quintessential pro-choice position on abortion.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/uCxPmLjvlY4/First-abortion-now-9-9-9.-Is-Herman-Cain-waffling

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U.S. and N.Korea to meet, analysts skeptical on progress (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States and North Korea will meet on Monday and Tuesday in Geneva, the U.S. State Department said, but analysts were skeptical wider talks on ending the North's nuclear programs will resume any time soon.

The State Department stressed that it was looking for "seriousness of purpose" on the part of North Korea about curbing its nuclear ambitions and that it wanted Pyongyang to take steps to demonstrate this before any broader talks.

While State Department spokesman Mark Toner declined to lay these out, analysts cite three: improving North and South Korean relations; freezing North Korea's nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon, and a moratorium on its nuclear and long-range missile tests.

"This is a continuation of the exploratory meetings to determine if North Korea is prepared to fulfill its commitments under the 2005 joint statement of the six-party talks and its ... international obligations as well as take concrete steps toward denuclearization," Toner told reporters.

The United States and North Korea last held such talks in late July.

Under the September 2005 deal, the North agreed to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for economic and diplomatic incentives to be provided by other parties in the so-called six-party talks -- China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. That agreement has since unraveled.

In an interview with Russian state news agency Itar-Tass, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il repeated his readiness to return to stalled nuclear talks "without any preconditions" -- a sign it will be difficult to get him to take steps before any eventual resumption of six-party talks.

A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested the U.S. desire for fresh bilateral talks was almost a stalling tactic designed to keep the North from provocations such as attacks on the South or additional nuclear or missile tests.

"Our concern is that if we don't engage that could result in miscalculations by the North Koreans as we've seen in the past," said the official. "Sometimes when engagement has been broken off it causes them to lash out in dangerous and unsettling ways."

"It's an exploratory phase and frankly it's a management strategy," the official added.

DAVIES TO SUCCEED BOSWORTH

The North has twice conducted nuclear tests and its nuclear expertise is seen by Washington as a direct threat to U.S. allies South Korea and Japan as well as to the security of the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Jack Pritchard, a former U.S. negotiator with North Korea now at the Korea Economic Institute, said the two sides seemed to be inching toward six-party talks but saw little chance of success should they resume, saying North Korea's succession issues preclude progress.

"The North Koreans are in absolutely no position to provide any elements of compromise or creativity at this point," he said. "Maybe X number of year down the road, but that's not in the cards right now."

With North Korea's Kim Jong-il preparing to be replaced by his son Kim Jong-un, there is unlikely to be consensus within its leadership on making any concessions to the United States.

In another succession, the State Department said veteran diplomat Glyn Davies, currently ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Commission in Vienna, will replace Stephen Bosworth, the part-time U.S. envoy for North Korea policy.

Bosworth, who has carried out his North Korea assignment while remaining dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, will lead the inter-agency U.S. delegation to the Geneva talks and then step down.

Davies will accompany him to those talks.

Obama came into office looking to pick up talks with the North on carrying out a 2005 multilateral aid-for-disarmament agreement.

However, after North Korea's second nuclear test took place in 2009, the Obama administration's enthusiasm for talks appeared to wane and it has adopted what is widely seen as a policy of "strategic patience" -- waiting to see if Pyongyang might be willing to come back to the negotiating table.

(Editing by Sandra Maler and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111019/pl_nm/us_korea_north_usa

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Sister Wives Speak Out: We Are Not a Cult!

Kody Brown and his four wives are no strangers to being under the gun.

Often forced to defend their controversial religious beliefs, the stars of TLC's Sister Wives have been called everything from a harem to a cult in recent months.

It's part of what caused them to relocate to Nevada, where their lifestyle (apparently) will be subjected to less scrutiny. Still, they want to set the record straight.

They were questioned recently by an Episcopal minister who asked if they shared the same beliefs as other Fundamentalist Mormons who live on compounds.

“That is absolutely not part of our faith,” Kody Brown says, as part of a scene that will air this Sunday night on an all-new episode of the TLC reality show.

“It comes from a desire to have community and it is because you’re different. Most Fundamentalist Mormons are vastly different; they have very different beliefs."

“They believe in arranged marriages,” he says, adding that in their family, Brown and his quartet of spouses do not believe in arranged marriages, “Not at all.”

Kody’s wife Christine said, “It was refreshing to have someone be open about our beliefs because so many people in so many religions consider us a cult.”

Sister Wives:

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/sister-wives-speak-out-we-are-not-a-cult/

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Eurozone awaits crucial reports on Greek debt (AP)

BRUSSELS ? A European Union official says the bloc's executive Commission is expected to send on Thursday its reports on Greece's implementation of its bailout program and the ability of the country to repay its massive debts.

The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because the reports are confidential at the moment.

The so-called troika report and the European Commission's assessment of the sustainability of Greece's debt will form the basis for discussions of the country's future at crucial meetings of European finance ministers and leaders this weekend.

Stock markets fell Thursday on concerns that banks and private investors will be forced to take huge losses on Greek bonds and doubts about the eurozone's ability to withstand the ensuing market turmoil.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111020/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Testing micro-electronic stimulators for spinal cord injuries

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2011) ? A new wireless device to help victims of spinal cord injury is receiving attention in the research community. Mesut Sahin, PhD, associate professor, in the department of biomedical engineering at NJIT, recently has published and presented news of his findings to develop micro-electrical stimulators for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

The work, now in its third year of support from a four-year, $1.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, has resulted in the development and testing of a technology known by its acronym, FLAMES (floating light activated micro-electrical stimulators). The technology, really a tiny semiconductor device, will eventually enable people with spinal cord injuries to restore some of the motor functions that are lost due to injury. Energized by an infrared light beam through an optical fiber located just outside the spinal cord these micro-stimulators will activate the nerves in the spinal cord below the point of injury and thus allow the use of the muscles that were once paralyzed.

This past September, The Journal of Neural Engineering published the first testing in animals. "Our in vivo tests suggest that the FLAMES can be used for intraspinal micro-stimulation even for the deepest implant locations in the rat spinal cord," said Sahin.

"The power required to generate a threshold arm movement was investigated as the laser source was moved away from the micro-stimulator. The results indicate that the photon density does not decrease substantially for horizontal displacements of the source that are in the same order as the beam radius. This gives confidence that the stimulation threshold may not be very sensitive to small displacement of the spinal cord relative to the spine-mounted optical power source." Sahin spoke about this work at the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Boston, also in September of 2011.

FLAMES is a semiconductor device that is remotely controlled by an optical fiber attached to a low power near-infrared laser. The device is implanted into the spinal cord, and is then allowed to float in the tissue. There are no attached wires. A patient pushes a button on the external unit to activate the laser, the laser then activates the FLAMES device.

"The unique aspect of the project is that the implanted stimulators are very small, in the sub-millimeter range," Sahin said. "A key benefit is that since our device is wireless, the connections can't deteriorate over time plus, the implant causes minimal reaction in the tissue which is a common problem with similar wired devices."

The electrical activation of the central and peripheral nervous system has been investigated for treatment of neural disorders for many decades and a number of devices have already successfully moved into the clinical phase, such as cochlear implants and pain management via spinal cord stimulation. Others are on the way, such as micro stimulation of the spinal cord to restore locomotion, micro stimulation of the cochlear nucleus, midbrain, or auditory cortex to better restore hearing and stimulation of the visual cortex in the blind subject. All of them, however, are wired, unlike FLAMES, which is not.

Selim Unlu, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University, is working with Sahin. "We hope that once FLAMES advances to the clinical stage, patients paralyzed by spinal injury will be able to regain vital functions," Sahin said.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ammar Abdo, Mesut Sahin, David S Freedman, Elif Cevik, Philipp S Spuhler, M Selim Unlu. Floating light-activated microelectrical stimulators tested in the rat spinal cord. Journal of Neural Engineering, 2011; 8 (5): 056012 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/8/5/056012

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017133804.htm

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Howard Fineman: Herman Cain, Barack Obama The Real Winners Of Las Vegas Debate

WASHINGTON -- The winners of Tuesday night's GOP debate: Herman Cain and President Obama.

With the devastating accuracy of a CIA drone, the Republican candidates zeroed in on their own party's chances with exchanges that played right into Democrats' hands on a series of issues, from immigration to taxes.

And while Mitt Romney and Rick Perry behaved like petulant, name-calling schoolboys, Herman Cain weathered a half-hour assault on his 999 plan, with which CNN began the debate.

Attempting to out-do each other in their antagonism to undocumented immigrants, the GOP candidates honed in on the toughest possible sanctions and military measures for 15 minutes before someone thought to mention that the party had respect for legal immigration -- and for the Hispanic community.

They missed chance after chance to discuss anything specific about how they would help create jobs -- the country's number one concern.

They mentioned cutting aid to Israel, which was exactly what Obama needed to help him shore up support among Jewish voters.

And they sparred for half an hour about Cain's tax plan, which would add a national sales tax and, according to Republicans themselves, be a regressive tax that would hit the poor hardest.

All of that is good news to a beleaguered Obama, whose reelection strategy relies on harnessing support from his base, attracting Hispanic voters and winning back independents who tend to eschew candidates with extreme positions.

Meanwhile, Cain outshone the two nominal frontrunners -- Perry and Romney -- by acting the role of statesman and never losing his cool. Now safely ensconced at or near the top of the polls, Cain is growing in confidence and command on the stage, even if the numbers of his tax plan don't add up.

Perry and Romney sniped at each other in a way that did neither of them any good. Newt Gingrich was his usual hectoring, lecturing self, vowing to win the presidency by challenging Obama to 21 hours of debates. Michele Bachmann, desperate to regain some momentum, practically shouted throughout the debate. Ron Paul was Ron Paul.

In this environment, Rick Santorum sounded almost mild and reasonable, which gives you an idea of what kind of a night it was -- for Barack Obama and Herman Cain.

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Follow Howard Fineman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/howardfineman

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-fineman/herman-cain-barack-obama-_b_1018848.html

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How can you Find some sort of Automotive Repair center You Will ...

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Source: http://www.talking2ourselves.com/how-can-you-find-some-sort-of-automotive-repair-center-you-will-be-able-to-trust/

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The People Versus the Powerful (TIME)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/148847758?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Robert Pagliarini: 10 Ways to Become More Resilient

How much better would your life be if you were unbreakable? If you knew that no matter what happened that you would survive and persevere -- and that maybe you'd even come out a little better? We cannot escape pain, difficulty, failure, tragedy and heartache. Sooner or later it will find us despite our best efforts to protect ourselves. Instead of trying to bob and weave what life throws at us, I'd rather have the comfort of knowing that I can take life's best shot and be able to get back up and move forward. To me, that's empowerment. Having that kind of personal fortitude and resilience is a game changer. Instead of being dogged by fear and uncertainty, you will have inner peace and confidence that you will survive.

The American Psychological Association (APA) focused their research on resilience after the tragic events of 9/11. Resilience, according to the APA, is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and from sources of stress such as work pressures, health, family or relationship problems. They found that a resilient person is not only able to handle the crisis of the moment more effectively, but that they are also able to recover and get back on their feet more quickly.

According to the APA, you can create more personal resilience with these ten tips:

1. Make connections. Personal resilience doesn't mean it's all up to you. Having good relationships with close family members, friends or others is critical to resilience and well-being. When tragedy strikes, the worst thing you can do is avoid friends and loved ones. Start cultivating your relationships today, so when you need support, you have a whole network of people to help.

2. Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. Don't fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking, which says that everything is either perfect or terrible. There are always shades of gray. Focus less on the past and more on the future you want. Also, look for exceptions. In Solution Focused Therapy, exceptions are those times when the problem is gone or at least not as bad. Are there times in the current crisis your problems don't feel so insurmountable?

3. Accept that change is a part of living. Know that whatever you're going through others have experienced before. You are not alone -- change, in whatever form, is a natural part of life.

4. Move toward your goals. When the present is difficult, focus on a better future. What do you want your life to be? What goals do you have that you can start moving toward?

5. Take decisive actions. Avoid checking out by taking whatever control you have over your situation and doing something (however small) about it.

6. Look for opportunities for self-discovery. One of my favorite sayings is "Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn." Tragedy and pain can be an opportunity to re-evaluate your life -- where you've been and where you want to go. Ask yourself the tough questions and look for ways to grow.

7. Nurture a positive view of yourself. Be careful how you talk to yourself. Don't accept blame when it isn't warranted. Focus on your strengths and abilities to get you through.

8. Keep things in perspective. When something bad happens, it can color all aspects of our life. Your job is to put it into perspective. Don't let one bad event taint your view of the other areas in your life.

9. Maintain a hopeful outlook. While easier said than done, just watch how you explain or think about your situation. As ancient Greek philosopher said, "People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them." When possible, take the more positive and optimistic view.

10. Take care of yourself. Do what you can to sleep well and eat well. Try to get some exercise and do things you enjoy. If you feel like nothing is enjoyable, do things that make you feel less horrible. In short, be nice to yourself.

Being unbreakable doesn't mean that you can't cry or need to act tough or mask your feelings by putting on a happy face. Being unbreakable means you give yourself the freedom to break, knowing you have the tools to put yourself back together again.

Are you ready to create more money, time, energy, and passion in your life? Learn how to live your best life now with these free resources: Get the "Achieving Peak Performance" ebook and video now! (free for a limited time)

You can also join a community of passionate people at Richer Life who want to achieve more in life and at work. With your free membership, you can participate in conversations I have with experts, celebrities, authors and thought leaders that are laser-focused on practical ways to drive more money, motivation and meaning into your life. Take the first step toward creating a better life by joining Richer Life for free now!

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Follow Robert Pagliarini on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rpagliarini

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-pagliarini/resilience-tips_b_936368.html

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UK Defense Secretary quits over "adviser" scandal (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? British Defense Secretary Liam Fox resigned on Friday over his friendship with a businessman who posed as his adviser, jolting Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government and potentially slowing down efforts to reform the military.

Cameron named Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, generally seen as a safe pair of hands, as the new defense secretary. Hammond is considered to be on the right of the governing Conservative Party, but not to the same extent as Fox, around whom many ministers had rallied before his resignation.

Fox, 50, who oversaw Britain's military operations in Afghanistan and Libya, admitted he had allowed the lines between his personal and professional life to blur.

The British media have in the last week been awash with stories about the relationship between Fox and his former flatmate and best man, Adam Werritty, 34, who met often with Fox at the defense ministry and on his official trips abroad.

"I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred," Fox said in a resignation letter to Cameron.

"The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this."

The loss of Fox amid accusations of impropriety could open Cameron up to allegations of sleaze, a failing that helped doom the last Conservative-led government in a 1997 election, relegating the party to opposition for the next 13 years.

Cameron can ill-afford the government's authority to be compromised as it pushes through the toughest austerity measures in a generation to tackle a big budget deficit. The integrity of parliament itself has only recently recovered from an expenses scandal that saw several legislators prosecuted.

However, pending any further revelations about Fox's conduct, his departure is not seen as a fatal blow.

"It's a setback for the government but not destabilizing ... This is embarrassing for the government, it doesn't help their reputation, but it's not a fundamental game changer," said Wyn Grant, politics professor at the University of Warwick.

BACKBENCH RIVAL?

Cameron had given Fox, 50, his support pending the findings of an inquiry, due within days, into whether he had broken ministerial rules by allowing Werritty to benefit financially from their friendship or have access to classified information.

In a letter, Cameron said he was "very sorry" to see Fox go, and praised the "superb job" he had done.

"He did a good job at the Ministry of Defense clearing up the mess left by the last government and giving good leadership to that department particularly while we have been in action in Libya and also in Afghanistan as well," Cameron told reporters.

With Fox no longer defense minister, relations with Cameron may not be so cordial in future.

Fox challenged Cameron for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2005, and the prime minister now faces the prospect of a powerful and charismatic rival on his party's back-benches.

Fox is the flag bearer for the Conservatives' vocal right-wing and could become a source of friction for Cameron, who is already under attack from right-wingers who accuse him of ceding too much ground to the center-left Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives' junior partners in coalition rule.

"While he (Fox) may not have credibility as a leadership contender, he could undermine David Cameron from the back benches," said Steven Fielding, director of the Center for British Politics at Nottingham University.

Potential unrest among Cameron's restive right-wing colleagues over Fox's departure is likely to be assuaged by the fact that Fox chose to step down without apparent pressure from the prime minister, who had allowed an unusually long time for an investigation to look into Fox's conduct.

"I think Cameron will be OK on this. He's not been seen to force him out. He's given him enough time to explain himself .... I don't think anyone in the Conservative Party will think Cameron acted badly or have the knives out for him," said Tim Bale, politics professor at Sussex University and author of a book on the Conservatives.

Defense INDUSTRY

Fox's successor would have to implement a radical and difficult plan to slim down and reconfigure the military, as well as manage the eventual return of British troops from Afghanistan and take decisive action during future conflicts.

The government last year announced an eight percent cut in real terms to the 34 billion pound ($53.7 billion) defense budget over four years, and many of the initiatives Fox outlined to reduce costs have yet to be implemented.

Other government departments received cuts of up to 20 percent, and the defense ministry's more lenient treatment was seen partly as a result of Fox winning a fierce and public spat with the treasury (finance ministry).

"Keeping a handle on the budget, particularly the equipment budget, requires constant political care and attention .... You need strong leadership and willingness to take hard decisions which will offend people," said Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute defense think-tank in London.

"The danger is that if there isn't strong pressure from the secretary of state to keep the defense budget under control, then that role will devolve back to the treasury," he said, adding that would lead to confusion on procurement.

Defense firms are already in the throes of trying to readjust to new procurement policies introduced under Fox, including a "name and shame" initiative for defense firms who do not stick to time and cost constraints, and a push for firms to develop less specialized, more exportable hardware.

"As far as the defense industry is concerned, what we really want is to have a degree of consistency," said Hugh Toler of Allocate Software, which has a defense division.

(Additional reporting by Tim Castle, Matt Falloon and Adrian Croft, Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111014/wl_nm/us_britain_defence_fox

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BlackBerrys buzz back to life after long outage

In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, a Blackberry subscriber holds a Research in Motion Blackberry in Ottawa. BlackBerry services buzzed back to life across the world Thursday, Oct. 13, after a three-day outage that interrupted email messages and Internet services for millions of customers.(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, a Blackberry subscriber holds a Research in Motion Blackberry in Ottawa. BlackBerry services buzzed back to life across the world Thursday, Oct. 13, after a three-day outage that interrupted email messages and Internet services for millions of customers.(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)

A Blackberry user reads a story about a Blackberry outage that is affecting millions of users of the smartphone that has now spread to North America Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, in Montreal. Sporadic outages of BlackBerry messaging and email service spread to the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, as problems stretched into the third day for Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson) THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Research in Motion's (RIM) United Kingdom managing director, Stephen Bates, speaks to media outside the headquarters of RIM who invented the BlackBerry in Slough, England, Wednesday Oct. 12, 2011. Sporadic outages of BlackBerry messaging and email service spread to the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, as problems stretched into the third day for Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. (AP Photo/PA, Steve Parsons) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

The headquarters of RIM who invented the BlackBerry in Slough, England, Wednesday Oct. 12, 2011. Sporadic outages of BlackBerry messaging and email service spread to the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, as problems stretched into the third day for Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. (AP Photo/PA, Steve Parsons) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

NEW YORK (AP) ? BlackBerrys across the world buzzed back to life Thursday, leaving customers outraged and threatening to cost the granddaddy of all smartphones more business when it's already struggling to keep up in a crowded marketplace.

The three-day blackout interrupted email and Internet services for tens of millions of frustrated users and inflicted more damage on an already tarnished brand.

"I've been a pretty big BlackBerry advocate," said Kate Jacobson, a student at Michigan State University. "But I'm done playing these games with you, BlackBerry."

After using a BlackBerry for three years, she said the outage was the "last straw." On Thursday, she got an iPhone.

Her unhappiness was shared by users across several continents. BlackBerrys in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa had been without email or chat messages since Monday.

In the U.S. and Canada, the outage was shorter, starting Wednesday. But many, perhaps most, of the world's 70 million BlackBerry users were affected.

"When I woke up in the morning and had zero emails, I was like, 'That's impossible,'" Jacobson said. She had already endured problems with her BlackBerry Curve turning off at the wrong moments. It didn't play videos well, either.

Research In Motion Ltd., which makes the phones and handles email traffic to them, said the system was steadily processing a vast backlog of stalled messages.

The company's two CEOs apologized profusely. It was a break from the past, when outages of BlackBerry service merited only terse statements from the company.

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie said they had not made plans yet to compensate customers, but they were turning their attention to that question.

"Our priority right up until this moment (has been) making sure the system's up and running," Balsillie said. "We're going to fully commit to win that trust back."

It will take more than an apology to win back some Blackberry users. But RIM's latest fiasco is unlikely to result in a mass exodus of its corporate and government clients.

BlackBerrys, like other imperfect business technologies, are deeply entrenched in commercial settings, and getting rid of them represents time and money that companies may be reluctant to give up.

Indeed, RIM may experience a slower, more subtle migration from its smartphone. Two types of people have kept the BlackBerry from sinking further into the oblivion of once-iconic but forgotten gadgets: corporate IT managers and aspiring young people in developing countries like India. Countries outside North America account for 54 percent of RIM's revenue.

For big companies, BlackBerrys are still the gold standard in security. But employees keep chipping away at the power of IT managers by bringing in their own phones and tablets ? iPhones, iPads or devices powered by Google's Android software? and demanding to get their work email on them, said Ahmed Datoo, vice president of Zenprise Inc., which helps companies manage their cellphone fleets.

With each instance, the BlackBerry's position in its core market is undermined.

In the April-to-June period of 2010, 19 percent of the smartphones sold in the world were BlackBerrys, while a nearly equal number, 18 percent, were from a variety of brands that use Google Inc.'s Android software, according to research firm Gartner Inc.

In the same three-month period this year, 12 percent of smartphones were BlackBerrys, while Android phones zoomed to 43 percent, outselling BlackBerrys more than three to one.

BlackBerry phones have not kept pace with the iPhone and its imitators, said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee.

A recently launched update of the flagship "Bold" model with the signature BlackBerry keyboard is selling well, he said, but an all-touchscreen model isn't. It just doesn't match up to the iPhone and Android phones.

"If someone really wanted a full touchscreen experience, why would they buy that? You have much better alternatives out there," Wu said.

RIM launched a tablet computer, the PlayBook, this year. But like other iPad wannabes, it's been a dud.

In the developing world, the low-end BlackBerry Curve has been the first smartphone for many. It works well on relatively slow cellular networks, which means carriers are happy to push it, knowing that it won't overwhelm them, said analyst Matthew Robison at Wunderlich Securities.

But that's being threatened now that even Third World phone companies are upgrading their cellular networks to broadband speeds. That means Web browsing and multimedia will be sexy new applications ? things the Curve does not do well compared with inexpensive touchscreen phones.

"I think it will be tougher for RIM to compete for the emerging-markets consumer," Robison said. That, he thinks, is a bigger challenge for the company than the outage.

And in North America, the "brand damage is already done," Robison said. RIM's inability to keep up with the times means BlackBerrys could soon be quaint reminders of that early flush of excitement about reading email on the go.

The outage started when a crucial traffic-routing computer in BlackBerry's European network failed. A backup also failed.

Although the underlying issues were quickly repaired, the system had built up a backlog of emails and messages that needed to be released.

Meanwhile, messages destined for the affected countries were piling up at BlackBerry data centers in the rest of the world, slowing service everywhere. Then the outage spread to the U.S. and Canada.

Among smartphones, BlackBerrys are uniquely tied to their manufacturers.

BlackBerrys get their email through RIM's centralized setup, allowing the company to offer a high level of security that appeals to corporate IT managers. But when something goes wrong, it affects millions of people at the same time. Blackouts are not localized to one company or one carrier, as other outages are.

Such a widespread, highly visible failure could threaten RIM stock. But investors have taken the outage in stride. The stock is down less than 1 percent since Friday's close.

That's because RIM's stock is already so beaten down by other bad news. It's lost 83 percent of its value from its peak three years ago ? the time it's taken for BlackBerrys to go from hot items and status symbols to near-has-beens.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-10-13-BlackBerry-Problems/id-48f105b0f1b34d26b9b4426210df498a

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Ancient art supplies found in South African cave (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Researchers in South Africa have discovered what may have been the world's earliest artist's studio. A 100,000-year-old workshop used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre has been discovered in Blombos Cave on the rugged southern coast near Cape Town. At the same site, scientists have found some of the earliest sharp stone tools, as well as evidence of fishing.

The latest find is reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science. It includes pieces of ochre, grinding bowls, shells for storage and bone and charcoal to mix with the pigment.

Lead researcher Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway, said the find represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human mental processes.

The ochre could have been used for painting, decoration and skin protection, according to the researchers.

The discovery shows that even at that time "humans had the conceptual ability to source, combine and store substances that were then possibly used to enhance their social practices."

Two separate tool kits for working ochre were found at the site, the researchers said.

Henshilwood, who is also affiliated with the South Africa's University of Witwatersrand, said in a statement that researchers believe that pieces of ochre were rubbed on rock to make a fine red powder, and that was mixed with crushed bone, charcoal, stone chips and a liquid. The mixture was put into abalone shells and stirred with a bone.

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Online:

Journal: http://www.sciencemag.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111013/ap_on_sc/us_sci_earliest_artists

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Notre Dame F Abromaitis will miss 1st 4 games (AP)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ? Notre Dame forward Tim Abromaitis will miss the first four games of the regular season because he played in two exhibition contests three years ago before sitting out the rest of the year.

The 6-foot-8 senior averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Irish last season. He has already graduated and last year worked on his MBA.

The problem dates to his sophomore year, when he played in two exhibition games at the beginning of the 2008-09 season. Abromaitis sat out the rest of that regular season to preserve an extra year of eligibility.

But the NCAA only allows freshmen to sit out exhibition games and retain a year of eligibility. So Abromaitis technically used a season of eligibility when he participated in the exhibition games.

"It has been do so dragged out. Like coach said, this happened three years ago, so I have been waiting for it to come," Abromaitis said Tuesday. "It is kind of unfortunate but I am glad to be back for the fifth year and I will be ready to go when the season opens."

Coach Mike Brey blamed himself for misunderstanding the rule. He reported the mistake to the school's compliance office during the 2008-09 season.

"It was a misinterpretation totally on my part and so we knew that if he came back as a fifth year, we were going to deal with this," Brey said. "Tim knew this, his family knew this. I have apologized to them but we first had to find out if he was coming back for a fifth year and I knew we were going to have to pay the piper."

The school said Abromaitis' fifth year of eligibility was preserved for this season because of an NCAA waiver that considered the coaching staff's misunderstanding of the rule ? and on the condition that he sit out those four games.

Abromaitis will miss games against Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 12), Detroit (Nov. 14), Sam Houston State (Nov. 16) and Delaware State (Nov. 18).

His first game back would be against Missouri at the CBE Classic on Nov. 21.

Abromaitis said it never crossed his mind not to come back to play.

"I don't blame anyone for anything. It is something I would rather not deal with but that is the way it works sometimes," he said. "I'm going to enjoy this season as much as I can. Once these four games are up, I think it is an opportunity to get our team stronger and hopefully have a real good year after that."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111011/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_notre_dame_abromaitis

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Gadgetbox - How to find lost pets and luggage with QR codes

Dynotag

By John Cook, GeekWire

QR codes are becoming an increasingly popular way to get information on places or products in the real world, including restaurants, historical landmarks and more. They're showing up in magazines, letting people scan the code with a mobile phone to get more info on a product.

But even?though an estimated 14 million Americans scanned a QR code?last June, the technology has yet to go mainstream. A technology startup by the name of?Dynotag?is hoping to change that, making it simple for the layperson to set up a QR tag and place it on a variety of personal products and belongings ??including luggage, a pet?s collar or device.?

?We started with a simple question: ?Why can?t someone quickly create a tag linked to online content they create??? said Dynotag CEO?Murat Divringi, a software engineer who previously worked at CacheFlow and Emulex Network Systems.

Divringi, a Seattle-area technology investor, is bankrolling the startup himself. Dynotag currently has two full time staffers, plus a network of contractors working on the project.

Dynotag

Dynotags are free to create and use, with the links in the QR code taking users to a variety of content forms, including Facebook pages, online coupons, video messages, etc. In the case of a pet's collar, for example, a QR code can lead to a page with info on returning the pet.

The company is also offering premium tags for $4.99 or 20 tags for $49.99. Those tags include additional customization, more storage, PIN numbers and the ability to receive a notification when someone actually reads the tag.

Dynotag isn't alone. We?ve seen a number of startups look to capitalize on the growth of QR codes, including mobile app Pirq and business review site Judy?s Book. Seattle?s?PetHub.com also uses QR codes?to help track down lost dogs and cats.

John Cook of GeekWire can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.

Also on GeekWire

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Source: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/11/8273830-how-to-find-lost-pets-and-luggage-with-qr-codes

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Yes, you are spending more time at the office

By Allison Linn

If it seems like you?re spending more time working since the recession began, two things: You likely aren?t imagining it, and you likely aren?t alone.

A new survey of more than 300 companies in the United States and Canada finds that nearly two-thirds of employers say their workers have been asked to put in more hours than normal over the past three years.

Psychotherapist Robi Ludwig and psychologist Jeff Gardere talk about when your partner's job takes priority over marriage, which happens increasingly in this economy, and how to strike an appropriate balance.

About half expect the longer hours to continue for the next three years as well, according to the survey from professional services company Towers Watson.

Senior and middle managers were the most likely to say they were working more, according to a separate Towers Watson survey of employees.

Not only are people working more, many also are taking less time off. Nearly one-third of employers also said their workers have been taking less vacation or personal time in the last three years.?

Your bosses may be asking you to do more, but chances are they recognize it?s tough on you. A little more than half of U.S. employers, and a little less than half of the Canadian employers, said they knew the changes they made were hurting their employees? ability to have a healthy work/life balance.

Still, Towers Watson noted that companies may be underestimating the effect work-related stress and poor work/life balance will have on their ability to keep their best workers. That?s something many employers haven?t had to worry much about through the weak economy, but that may become a bigger issue as the economy improves.

Related:

You're working harder, they're making money

Job-hopping could cost you, if you're American

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Are you putting in more work hours than three years ago?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8257111-yes-you-are-spending-more-time-at-the-office

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Good Basic Questions When Hiring A Real Estate Professional

by Spike Stetson on October 11, 2011

When you?re searching for the home of your dreams or selling property hiring the right realtor can make all of the difference. Experienced real estate agents that are dedicated to their clientele will work with you till you are totally satisfied with the result. Hiring the wrong realtor on the other hand can be expensive and time-consuming. Selecting your real estate agent isn?t a decision that you should regard lightly. Whether you are buying, leasing or selling there are 1 or 2 questions you should generally ask prior to hiring a realtor for your requirements.

How long have you been a real estate agent?

Even though it may appear inappropriate there isn?t anything wrong with asking realtors about their employment histories. It?ll give you a better idea about the sort of experience they may have and whether or not they would be a fit for your needs. Don?t assume that older agents have been in the business for a long time. Many realtors begin their careers late in life. Also, don?t assume that realtors with little experience will not be well placed to help you. Ask them about training or other skills they can offer in the place of practical experience. Sometimes new realtors can even be a smarter choice because they are able to spend a little more time working with you than realtors who have a lot of regular clients. Newer realtors are also eager to prove that they can achieve success in the Scottsdale real estate business so they?ll do their best to offer you what you need.

Do you have references or referrals?

Ask them for a list of buyers who were pleased with their work. Most realtors have a list of references available to show their possible customers that they have a established track record of client satisfaction. Ask if you can call some of the clients on the list if you have got any additional questions.

What can you do for me?

One of the most significant questions you must ask is how different realtors will help you achieve your goals. Ask what techniques they plan to use to get you the results that you want. If you are selling your home then ask what kind of advertising they plan on doing to sell it as quick as possible. If you are looking to buy a home ask how many properties they can show you and whether or not they are in your price range. Realtors should know their plan right after you describe what kind of services you are looking for so they should not have any problem talking about their strategies.

Why should I hire you?

Ask for qualifications that set them aside from their competitors. There are many different real estate agencies you can choose from. Knowing the variances between all of them will help you to decide which one you?re feeling comfortable with the most.

Remember that you?re hiring somebody to perform a job and you should interview them to make sure you find the best fit. Most real estate agents will not have an issue answering any of your questions and if they do that implies they aren?t a good fit for you. Reliable realtors will always give you as much information as you ask for.

Denny Lansing is a real estate professional and works primarily in the Arizona golf course homes market. Learn more about golf neighborhoods like DC Ranch.

Tagged as: buying a home, home buying, Real Esate, selling a home

Source: http://real-estate--investing.com/real-estate-investing/good-basic-questions-when-hiring-a-real-estate-professional/

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