Protesters try to storm Lebanese government HQ

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Students, profs. debate effects of debt forgiveness | The Daily Free ...

While a report by the New America Foundation said the intended changes to President Barack Obama?s administration?s student debt-relief plan might not benefit all borrowers, a number of Boston University students and professors said they still believe the plan will be effective.

Borrowers pay 15 percent of their discretionary income and the remaining balance with accrued interest is forgiven after 25 years of payment. The Obama administration aims to change this policy to ask for 10 percent of the borrower?s discretionary income and forgive balances after 20 years.

However, Alex Holt, co-author of the report released Tuesday, ?Safety Net or Windfall?? said the Income-Based Repayment plan disproportionately helps some borrowers when he studied what happens to a borrower during the entire repayment period.

?If this new policy goes into effect, it will disproportionally help high-income borrowers, people who are making a lot of money,? Holt, a Federal Education Budget Project program associate, said. ?Our question is, ?Is that the best way to appropriate federal funds?? Should federal funds be going to the wealthiest earners in the country, or should it be going to borrowers who are struggling the most.?

The report offers recommendations to alter the policy to redistribute the relief to those who need it.

?We?re trying to take what we think is the intent of the law, which is to help struggling borrowers,? Holt said. ?We want to keep those policies in place to help those struggling borrowers, but we want to make sure people who can pay back their loans in full, do.?

Holt used the example of an attorney making $200,000 a year. After the attorney is out of school and working for 25 years, he or she might have $100,000 left to pay back. At that point, the debt is forgiven even though he or she could potentially pay it back, Holt said.

?It hurts the taxpayer because they are basically subsidizing wealthy people,? he said.

The Obama administration?s new plan will benefit anyone with a student loan, no matter the size of the loan, said School of Management Professor Mark Williams.

Williams said focusing on the size of the loan is missing the point of the financial relief plan.

?College students when they get out, they?re not going to be strapped,? Williams said. ?Instead of having a 15-percent requirement of their income going to pay the student loan, 5 percent more is going to be available for other things.?

The distribution is not as disproportionate as the report claims, he said. The high-income borrowers will pay more in taxes because they are making more and, in a sense, they will be paying back for that advantage.

Williams said the plan gives an incentive for more students to continue to graduate school.

?The positive is this is a greater incentive for students to want to go to graduate school,? he said. ?If they go to graduate school, they make more money. If they make more money, more debt to get to this higher income producing status will be extinguished.?

Cathie Jo Martin, a political science professor, said this distribution of wealth is not different from what often happens to lower-income classes.

?The use of the tax code to achieve social purposes in America has resulted in many benefits being distributed to the upper-income and middle-income classes,? Martin said.

She said the Obama administration is attempting to give lower-income students the opportunity to loan access.

?Obama is trying to reform the system of Pell grant so that more lower-income students can have access,? Martin said. ?I think he has expanded access.?

College of General Studies sophomore Arlene Garcia said the plan is beneficial as long as everyone gets an equal opportunity to have the same assistance.

?But I don?t think they should penalize people for earning more money,? Garcia said.

Garcia said it would not be fair for the government to ask high-income borrowers to pay their loans in entirety when others get their balances forgiven.

?It being ?forgiven? doesn?t really mean that it?s forgiven,? said Alex Keiser, an SMG junior. ?Somebody still has to pay the bill, which means then it?s just the taxpayers or someone else and, I kind of disagree with that.?

Keiser said people should be responsible for their own expenses, despite their financial background.

?We should be focusing on decreasing the prices of schools rather than trying to help people pay for them,? said Lejla Huskic, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore. ?It?s putting a band-aid on the wound before disinfecting. [It] won?t do anything but trap the disease, and it?ll burst eventually.?

People who have the means should continue to pay their loan bill, she said.

?You should pay a larger percentage based on how much money you make,? Huskic said. ?This way, regardless of class, you?re able to pay what you can afford.?

Source: http://dailyfreepress.com/2012/10/22/students-profs-debate-effects-of-debt-forgiveness/

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Lebanon protesters try to storm government palace

BEIRUT (AP) ? The funeral for Lebanon's slain intelligence chief descended into chaos Sunday as soldiers fired tear gas at protesters who tried to storm the government palace, directing their rage at a leadership they consider puppets of a murderous Syrian regime.

The assassination of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan in a massive car bomb Friday threatens to shatter the fragile political balance in Lebanon, a country plagued by decades of strife ? much of it linked to political and military domination by Damascus.

"The Sunni blood is boiling!" the crowd chanted as hundreds of people clashed with security forces. More than 100 protesters broke through a police cordon of concertina wire and metal gates, putting them within 50 yards (meters) of the entrance to the palace.

Authorities responded with tear gas and several officers fired machine guns and rifles in the air. One plain clothes guard pulled a pistol from his belt and fired over protesters' heads. Then a roar of automatic gunfire erupted, sending the protesters scattering for cover.

It was unclear if the guards fired live bullets or blanks, but no protesters were reported injured by gunfire. Several were overcome by tear gas, and the government's media office said 15 guards were injured.

The killing of al-Hassan has laid bare some of Lebanon's most intractable issues: the country's dark history of sectarian divisions, its links to the powerful regime in Damascus and the role of Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group that dominates Lebanon's government and is Syria's closest ally.

Many fear the crisis could lead to the kind of street protests and violence that have been the scourge of this Arab country of 4 million people for years, including a devastating 1975-1990 civil war and sectarian battles between Sunnis and Shiites in 2008.

Al-Hassan, 47, was a powerful opponent of Syria in Lebanon. He headed an investigation over the summer that led to the arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha, one of Syria's most loyal allies in Lebanon.

He also led the inquiry that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Al-Hassan was buried near Hariri in Beirut's central Martyrs Square, where thousands of people gathered earlier Sunday for the funeral. TV footage showed al-Hassan's wife Anna, his young sons Majd and Mazen, and his parents shedding tears near his coffin.

There were significant parallels between the life and death of Hariri and al-Hassan ? both powerful Sunni figures struck down by car bombs at a time when they were seen to be opposing Syria. Syria denies any role in either killing.

Hariri's death sparked massive street protests in Lebanon that forced Damascus to withdraw its tens of thousands of troops from the country. Al-Hassan's killing, seven years later, has not had such a galvanizing effect: Turnout at his funeral fell well short of expectations, suggesting the country's anti-Syria bloc is rudderless.

Friday's killing also exacerbated sectarian tensions, which already were enflamed over the crisis in Syria. Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims have backed Syria's mainly Sunni rebels, while Shiite Muslims have tended to back Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it was likely that Assad's government had a hand in Friday's assassination. Fabius told Europe-1 radio that while it was not fully clear who was behind the attack, it was "probable" that Syria played a role.

"Everything suggests that it's an extension of the Syrian tragedy," he said.

Security officials have said seven others were killed in the car bomb, including al-Hassan's bodyguard. But Lebanon's National News Agency said on Sunday that the final toll death toll was three: al-Hassan, his bodyguard and a civilian woman.

The discrepancy could not immediately be explained, though authorities said earlier that the death toll was determined based on body parts found at the blast site.

Al-Hassan knew his life was in danger because of his position as head of the intelligence division of Lebanon's domestic security forces, a role he took over in 2006. Mindful of the country's history of political assassinations, he moved his family to Paris.

A highly secretive man who traveled under tight security, few Lebanese even knew what he looked like until recent years. He was believed to keep a room at police headquarters to limit his travel through the streets of Beirut.

In the wake of Friday's killing, dozens of anti-Syria protesters erected tents in central Beirut, saying they would not leave until Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government resigns. Mikati's government is dominated by Hezbollah and its allies.

"The Syrian regime started a war against us and we will fight this battle until the end," said Anthony Labaki, a 24-year-old physiotherapist.

On Sunday, thousands of people mourned al-Hassan in a subdued gathering in downtown Beirut.

But the mood quickly changed: A Sunni cleric, Osama Rifai, gave a fiery speech, telling the crowd to "take out their swords" and not "be like women." Lebanese journalist Nadim Qutaish also called on mourners to "storm the government headquarters!"

The comments were carried live on TV, and more than 1,000 people marched the quarter mile from the funeral site to the stately, hilltop government palace. Several hundred clashed with security forces, first tearing down metal barricades and hitting the guards with the sticks from their flags and placards.

After about an hour of clashes, more guards arrived, along with scores of commandos in helmets and camouflage, carrying long sticks. Standing shoulder to shoulder across the road, they blocked the protesters from advancing further.

"Lebanon is in the eye of the storm," said Fawaz A. Gerges, head of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "The fact that the protesters came close to storming the parliament shows how deep the crisis of the state is and how weak the leadership has become."

Prime Minister Mikati has said he offered to resign after the bombing, but President Michel Suleiman asked him to stay to prevent a power vacuum.

State Minister Ahmad Karami, a close aide to Mikati, told Lebanon's LBC TV that the prime minister "is not clinging to the post, but he will not resign under pressure or for the sake of chaos taking place in the country."

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. notes "the importance of political leaders working together at this sensitive time to ensure that calm prevails and that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice."

Unrest also broke out elsewhere in Lebanon. Protesters blocked major roads in Beirut and in the north with rows of burning tires, and briefly closed the country's main highway to the south, the national news agency said.

Clashes erupted in the northern city of Tripoli, with residents of two neighborhoods that support opposite sides in Syria's civil war exchanging gunfire.

Syria's three-decade hold on Lebanon began to slip in 2005, after Hariri's assassination. Still, for years after Syrian troops pulled out, there were attacks on anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon without any trials for those responsible. Assad has managed to maintain his influence through Hezbollah and other allies.

That's what made al-Hassan's recent investigations so extraordinary.

Al-Hassan's work led to the arrest of Samaha, who is accused of plotting a wave of attacks in Lebanon at Syria's behest. The case was an embarrassing blow to Syria ? which has long acted with impunity in Lebanon.

Syrian Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, one of Assad's most senior aides, was indicted in absentia in the August sweep.

As the flag-draped coffins of al-Hassan and his bodyguard were carried through Beirut on Sunday, some Lebanese said they wanted to show defiance in the face of so much terror.

"We came for Lebanon's future," said mourner Rama Fakhouri, an interior designer. "And to show that we will not be scared."

___

AP writers Bassem Mroue and Barbara Surk contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebanon-protesters-try-storm-government-palace-201905284.html

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Cost-free MULTILEVEL MARKETING Plans Part 1 Internet marketing ...

There?s nothing worse than getting to the end of the month and discovering that you have spent more money on your MLM than you?ve actually made. That?s why it?s extremely essential that you learn some free MLM marketing strategies before you spend yourself out associated with business. MLM is an ever-changing industry and thanks to the internet, there is more free of charge MLM marketing strategies than ever before.

In Part 1 of the article, I want to share with you the best free MLM marketing strategies which you can use to build your business online. Let?s get started?

Free MLM Marketing Strategies For Internet marketing

One of the most popular free MLM marketing strategies needs to be BLOGGING. Owning your own blog allows you to do, say and write whatever you want, without anybody restricting your content. A blog is basically the ?HUB? or ?nerve centre? of the business and is a place where one can promote your business, affiliate products, videos, articles and anything else that you do online.

The best thing about blogs is that people trust them much more than they trust advertisements simply because they have more of the ?word of mouth? kind of appeal. Blogs also give you a chance to promote YOU. This is a company where people join people, not companies or products, so it?s extremely essential that you brand yourself as a person of knowledge and worth. A blog will permit you to do just that.

The best platform with regard to blogging is WordPress and when you purchase your website name (about $12 annually) and hosting (about $5 per month), blogging is practically free of charge.

The next best free MLM marketing strategies are VIDEO and Article promotion. For video marketing, you need little greater than a topic and a video camera (you can also use a webcam, digital camera that includes a record function or perhaps a camera phone if that?s all you?ve got). All you have to do is make a brief recording of yourself speaking on a certain topic (Example: your business, marketing strategies, tips, tutorials or trainings, products you promote, etc) and at the conclusion, direct people back towards the applicable website (either your blog, company site, capture page or what perhaps you have). Now all there?s left to complete is upload your video to YouTube and various other videos sites around the web.

Article marketing is simply the same concept, except you?re creating articles rather than videos and submitting these phones article directories instead of video sites.

Now I want to talk about one of the most popular things in free MLM marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA. Sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have completely changed the world and the way we communicate with one another. They have also changed the way we can build an MLM online businesses.

If you acknowledge the truth that there are over six hundred MILLION active users upon Facebook alone, you will realise that marketing your company on social networking sites is certainly beneficial to your company.

With this amount of traffic, it is very simple to source people as potential prospects for your business. What you have to remember though, is that network marketing is all about building relationships and helping people. This means that ?spamming? your own opportunity on yours along with other peoples walls is a big ?no-no?. Instead, try easing it in to the conversation naturally.

Here?s a good strategy that you can use on Facebook immediately. Try finding a few individuals who you know but haven?t spoken to in a little while. ?Add? them as a friend and start a conversation together. Try saying something like, ?Hey first name. Long time no observe, how have you been?

This will lead to them telling you how they?re and usually asking you the way you are going, to which you may reply, ?Not much, just making money as well as travelling the world? (or even something along those lines but only when it?s true), then change the topic immediately. This kind of remark will drive them insane with curiosity and since you just moved on as well as didn?t really say other things, they will find it hard not to ask what you?re performing. You now have an open to share your opportunity together and potentially have an old friend taking a look at your business. It can?t get any easier than that.

Free marketing strategies

Source: http://cannabismrsacure.letstalkaboutpot.com/cost-free-multilevel-marketing-plans-part-1-internet-marketing/

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State Health Officials Confirm First Seasonal Flu Cases - Lutherville ...

Four Baltimore-area children are the first confirmed cases of seasonal influenza, according to state health officials.

The four children, who are not being identified, are said to be doing well though one was hospitalized, according to a statement released Friday by the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The first confirmed case in 2011 was reported on December 30, health officials said.

"Flu is here earlier this year than last year, and we are seeing two different flu strains,? Frances Phillips, deputy secretary of Public Health Services, said in the statement. ?This really stresses the importance of getting the flu vaccine, and getting it as soon as possible. Fortunately, there is plenty of vaccine to go around.?

Influenza spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing and direct contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces or objects. Symptoms usually begin one to four days after being exposed to the virus, and include fever, body aches, fatigue, coughing, and sore throat, according to state health officials, according to the release.

Yearly vaccinations are important because the strains of influenza that circulate change over time.

State health officials recommend the following people be vaccinated:?

• Children 6 months to 18 years of age.
• Persons 50 years of age and older.
• Pregnant women.
• Persons of any age with chronic medical conditions.
• Persons undergoing therapy, or with a condition that may weaken their immune systems.
• Persons caring for someone in these groups should also be vaccinated to avoid spreading the disease to them including healthcare workers, household contacts of individuals at risk for complications from the flu, and daycare or school workers.?

The heatlh department release offered the following tips to people who believe they have the flu.

• Contact your healthcare provider for management of flu symptoms or treatment of any complications.
• Get rest and drink plenty of fluids.
• Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wash your hands often.
• Avoid crowded places like shopping malls or public transportation.

State health officials also urge people to "avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals or other settings where people with other conditions may get your flu and be affected severely. Stay home from work or school whenever possible to avoid spreading the flu to your friends and coworkers."

Weekly updates on influenza activity in the state can be found on the state health department website.

The state has also set-up an internet-based influenza tracking survey to monitor influenza-like illnesses in people "who may not seek medical care," according to the release.

Residents can participate in the influenza survey by signing up on the department website.

Source: http://timonium.patch.com/articles/state-health-officials-confirm-first-seasonal-flu-cases

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When Life Gives you Lemons

A Little Girl and the family who grives for her.

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?When Life Gives you Lemons?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
When Life Gives you Lemons"

A lemonade stand sits on the corner abandoned and unused, ants cover its counter searching for remains of the sweet nectar that once flowed so sweet here. Spiders make their homes below the sign that reads ?Lemonade 25 Cents?. The little occupant of this stand is nowhere to be found, nor is anyone else for that matter. The Suburban Street it sits on is full echoes of a happier time, a time when a little girl would sit on the corner selling her lemonade to neighbors and would hardly ever ask for the twenty-five cents.

Amelia Peterson was six years and two months old, she loved swinging from the lemonade tree in her front yard in the spring and picking the lemons in the fall. She always made fresh lemonade with her mother every weekend in the fall, and was very proud of the stand her father built for her. The past year Amelia started first grade, she thought she was too old for training wheels anymore and begged her father to take them off her beloved bike.

After a long Struggle with himself her father at last gave in and promised to take of the training wheels after work that day. Little did he know it would be too late?

Amelia wanted to ride to a friend?s house, but she didn?t want to ride there with the little training wheels still attached, so she snuck her sister?s bike out and tried to ride it. Her little feet barely touching the peddle she made it to the rode where ?Crash!? the sound of car brake echoed across the neighborhood.

The Rim of the bike spun on the pavement, and a small lemon rolled of the stand in front of the house as Amelia lay in the street. The Driver fled the scene before anyone could read his plates, and Amelia?s mother clutched her baby girl till the ambience arrived, but it was all too late to do anything else for little Amelia.

That was nearly a year ago, and nothing has been the same since. Amelia?s mother never leaves the house anymore, and her father never comes home. Rumors have started that he is having an affair, and that she hardly eats. As for Amelia?s sister, people are starting to notice the once happy popular girl is growing invisible. Can this family overcome this guilt or will it take over their lives.

Any infomation give about backstory can be changed to fit a person's own vews.

Forget~Me~Not

Member for 3 years

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Financial Compliance Specialist - HigherEdJobs

The Pathology Department is seeking a 3P2 Financial Compliance Specialist (FCS) to join the Finance Team reporting to the Associate DFA of Finance. The selected candidate will manage, train and oversee compliance for all sponsored and non-sponsored account reconciliations, Travel card administration, P-card administration, IOU and ITS for the entire department of Pathology.

The FCS will also be responsible for non-sponsored financial support for multiple Faculty/Clinical Educators/Instructors. Responsibilities to include financial analysis, complex projection spreadsheets, online approvals of Requisitions, IOU reimbursements and P-card transactions. The FCS will investigate, analyze, develop, and improve models for budgeting and forecasting.

This position will oversee and manage a Financial Administrator who reconciles and approves department financial transactions in the Oracle Financial system. The FCS will also provide high level projections and develop ad hoc reporting strategies for the Associate DFA of Finance. The FCS will be expected to work independently and identify issues of potential compliance vulnerability in the department and provide solutions with a suggested action plan to the Associate DFA of Finance.

Required knowledge and experience:
The candidate should be proactive and able to work independently using initiative, judgment and discretion in resolving problems. He/she must have excellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written) to interact with a large group of diverse individuals, must also have strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines. The ideal individual will enjoy a fast-paced environment with changing priorities, be adept at making independent decisions, and encompass the ability to effectively communicate decisions and rationale as needed.

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business Administration or a related field
• 2-3 years experience dealing with financial Audits, either auditing businesses directly, or providing financial information to auditors
• 2-3 years experience with financial reconciliations
• Must have understanding of accounting policies, practices and systems, and demonstrated strong mathematical skills
• Projections analysis and forecasting
• Budget reporting and variance analysis
• Experience approving financial transactions and creating journals
• Must be comfortable training staff and providing difficult feedback if needed
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Superior problem solving and organizational skills
• Ability to balance workload for a large volume of tasks
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite systems (Intermediate/Advanced)

Desired knowledge and experience:

• Advanced degree in Finance, Business Administration or a related field
• Experience with Stanford accounting systems
• Experience working with integrated systems in multiple financial management environments and multiple aspects of business
• NIH pre and post award preparation, budgeting analysis, sponsored project projections and reconciliation

Desired Work Schedule: Preference will be given to qualified candidates that can work the following schedule: Tuesday to Friday, 4/10 work week and specific core work hours

An Equal Opportunity Employer, we value the diversity of our employees.

Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175683013

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As others skimp, rich splurge on holiday gifts

Scrooge-like spending patterns for the holidays appear to be a thing of the past for wealthy Americans, who are preparing to open their wallets this year after sitting on piles of cash.

The richest Americans, those in the top 10 percent, or with more than $100,000 in discretionary income, are predicted to spend more this holiday season than the remaining 90 percent of the country's population, according to a quarterly survey by American Express released on Thursday.

While most Americans will spend less on gifts this year, the top 10 percent raise their gift spending by 21.9 percent, to $19.2 billion, up from $15.7 billion in 2011. That compares with a projected drop in overall gift spending of 3.4 percent, to $66.3 billion, from $66.6 billion last year, according to the American Express 2012 Survey of Affluence and Wealth in America.

The spending by the wealthiest 10 percent will account for 29 percent of total spending on gifts.

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The rise is explained by the fact that wealthy Americans are sitting on huge piles of savings, said Jim Taylor, vice chairman of the Harrison Group, which conducted the study. Top earners are saving at a high rate - 61 percent of those in the top 1 percent are saving at least 25 percent of their income yearly. But for Americans outside the top 10 percent, only 14 percent are able to save at such an aggressive rate.

"If the floodgates open, it will lead to a capital boom," Taylor said.

The moneyed will also spend differently - shelling out for high-end luxury items, shunning gift cards and spending quite a bit on themselves, American Express said.

The study, conducted in September, surveyed 832 people with household incomes of more than $138,000 and discretionary income over $100,000.

There are other signs, however, that Americans overall are starting to spend more. While the American Express study only surveyed gift spending, an annual forecast by the National Retail Federation's forecast that looked more broadly at holiday spending - including decorations, greeting cards, holiday foods, flowers and other items, as well as gifts - saw a rise of 1.2 percent, to $749.51 per consumer, up from $740.57 last year.

The richest 10 percent may have more money, but in at least one way they are just like other Americans: they want gift cards. Some 60 percent of Americans desire gift cards, according to the NRF. However, the spouses or partners of the wealthy are not planning on getting them what they want, according to American Express.

Of the 34 percent of women who want a gift card to a specific retailer, only 11 percent of their spouses or partners plan on giving that as a gift. For the 18 percent of men who want a gift certificate to a restaurant, only 5 percent of their partners are likely to be wrapping that up.

"Nobody is going to give somebody a gift card for $5,000 rather than getting them that new bracelet. It's not quite the same emotional impact," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a New Canaan, Connecticut-based company that analyzes retail trends.

Because of the disparity between what respondents want and what they're likely to get, the richest Americans plan to do a lot of shopping for themselves for the holidays - 46 percent of women in the wealthiest 10 percent say they will buy for themselves, and 27 percent of men, said the Harrison Group's Taylor.

Clothing, accessories and jewelry are among the top items women will be buying for themselves. Men will snap up clothing, fine liquor and gourmet foods.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49467493/ns/today-money/

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Fossil Scars Capture Dinosaur Head-Butts

The way dome-skulled dinosaurs bashed heads may help tease apart juveniles from adults or one species from another

By Matt Kaplan

Pachycephalosaur wyomingens Image: Flickr/red_tzar

By Matt Kaplan of Nature magazine

Raleigh, North Carolina?With domed heads and thick, bony skull protuberances, pachycephalosaurids are well known by seven-year-olds and paleontologists alike. The dinosaurs are thought to have used their thick domes to headbutt each other, perhaps as part of courtship behavior. But whereas children recreating these vicious displays simply ram plastic models of the animals together in a straight line, a study now suggests that pachycephalosaurs may have bashed one another in a number of different ways.

The work, presented this week at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, started with just one pachycephalosaur fossil. ?We were looking at a dome and noticed these lesions that looked like they were from injuries,? explains Joseph Peterson, a paleontologist at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. He wondered whether the fossilized injury was one of a kind ? or whether such lesions were common. To find out, Peterson and his colleague Collin Dischler started examining more domes.

Together, they were able to look at 102 domes from fossil collections around the world. Of these, 23 had lesions. Fascinated by the presence of so many injuries, Peterson and Dischler produced a three-dimensional computer model of a pachycephalosaur skull and mapped injuries onto it.

They noted that the shape of the dome differed from fossil to fossil, and that the placement of the injuries depended on the shape of the skull. Skulls with low domes tended to have injuries at the front, whereas skulls with higher domes had lesions evenly distributed between the front and back.

Living proof
The finding hinted that the pachycephalosaurs with differently shaped skulls were bumping heads in different ways. To find out what those ways were, the researchers considered the butting of sheep, goats and bison.

?The lesions we were seeing were strikingly similar to those that we often see on the skulls of modern mammals that ram heads,? says Peterson.

The team found that bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) charge each other head on; that mountain goats (Oreamos americanus) bump one another in the flanks; and that bison (Bison bison) wrestle with their horns. On the basis of these examples, Peterson and Dischler speculate that the high-domed pachycephalosaurs with parietal injuries were side-bumping like mountain goats, and that the frontal injuries are indicative of bison-like wrestling.

?It could be that we are seeing two different species bashing in different ways, but it could also be a single dinosaur species where juveniles and adults exhibit different bashing behaviors,? says Andrew Farke, a paleontologist at the Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, California.

Bone to pick
Some paleontologists disagree that pachycephalosaurs rammed one another at all, and there is much skepticism over whether the lesions really are ?butt prints?.

?It is an intriguing study but after examining one of these ?injuries? I found it hard to rule out the possibility that this might have simply been the skull being chipped after death,? says Bruce Rothschild, a palaeo-osteopathologist at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Farke is confident that the debate will soon be resolved. ?A look at skull bone microstructure should determine if the lesion sites actually suffered trauma,? he says.

Whatever the outcome, seven-year-olds will undoubtedly keep on bashing.

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on October 19, 2012.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a2693912c7bbe89b4b7e9da4ac1a61f4

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Boca Raton Home Staging -Nudge Your Buyer's Imagination!

Boca Raton Home Staging- Nudge Your Buyer?s Imagination!

Selling your home in Boca Raton? ?Home Staging can help nudge your buyer?s imagination. ?Consider this ...80% of the general population needs help visualizing a space. ??

Take a look:

1.??You can remember picking out the wallpaper for your home when you moved in 10 years ago. You were so excited about the new look!

All your buyer will see is a dated bathroom or kitchen and how much it will cost them to remove or paint over the wallpaper.

?2.?You?re working from home now so the dining room table is perfect for spreading out your files and drawings.

The Buyer sees a table covered with paper and ?files ...doesn?t exactly inspire a holiday family dinner.

?

3. Your son is away at college so you?re using his room to store boxes and extra furniture. ?But you ?know the room is large enough to fit a queen sized bed.

The buyer pokes his head in, sees a cluttered room, then ?walks on.

4. ?Since the kids are grown and gone, you never use the pool area anymore. You?ve been storing your ladder, lawn mower, and gardening supplies there and threw out your lawn furniture.

This is the first home with a pool for this buyer. They want the full spa/tropical retreat effect. ?All they see is a pool.

You?re already living in your home....You know what you like about it. ?But you?re going to have to help your buyer see this.

Want to sell your home in Boca Raton? ??Help nudge their imagination with our Home Staging Consultation!

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3482419/boca-raton-home-staging-nudge-your-buyer-s-imagination-

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Libya: Militiaman denies role in Benghazi attack

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Boy Scouts brace for release of internal child sex abuse files

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of pages of internal files from the Boy Scouts of America detailing cases of suspected or confirmed child molestation by Scout leaders and adult volunteers spanning two decades were due to be released on Thursday as part of a civil judgment against the organization.

The 1,247 files - known internally as the "confidential" or "ineligible volunteer" files - reveal in often disturbing language thousands of incidents in which young Scouts were sexually abused by adult leaders between 1965 and 1985, according to lawyers familiar with the documents.

Since at least 1919, the Boy Scouts, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has maintained the file to prevent suspected pedophiles from re-entering its ranks in other cities and states.

Police were involved in nearly two-thirds of the 1965-1985 cases, according to a recently released Boy Scouts report. But in scores of cases around the nation, local Scout leaders urged confessed or suspected pedophiles to quietly resign and did not notify authorities.

In other cases, pedophiles were allowed to return to the organization after being treated by psychiatrists. In a number of those cases, according to Boy Scouts officials and plaintiff attorneys, the men went on to molest more young Scouts.

Boy Scouts of America President Wayne Perry said in a statement late Wednesday that "there have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate and wrong."

Perry added that "while it's difficult to understand or explain individuals' actions from many decades ago, Scouting is a leader among youth-serving organizations in preventing child abuse."

The files set to be released on Thursday played a key evidentiary role in a 2010 civil case in which an Oregon jury found the organization liable for $18.5 million for failing to protect a Scout from a pedophile in the 1980s.

An Oregon circuit judge ordered the files released. The state's highest court upheld that order in June, over objections by the Boy Scouts. A similar court fight is unfolding in Texas over Boy Scouts files created from 1985 to 2010.

The older files will be released electronically in searchable database form by an Oregon law firm that represented the plaintiff in the Oregon case, said plaintiff attorney Paul Mones.

Some will show cases in which the Boy Scouts was prevented by its own attorneys from formally expelling adult leaders accused of abuse unless they were convicted in court.

The organization currently requires even suspected cases of child molestation to be reported immediately to authorities, conducts criminal background checks on adult applicants and prohibits one-on-one contact between an adult and a young Scout. The Boy Scouts also trains volunteers and Scout leaders to spot signs of abuse.

(Reporting By Chris Francescani; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boy-scouts-brace-release-internal-child-sex-abuse-151655873.html

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The Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario Awards Harris ...

Highlights:
? System will support the regional police service, municipal fire services, emergency staff and utilities personnel.
? Will provide the highest quality coverage, system reliability and state of the art capabilities.
? Contract includes portable and mobile radio models, as well as dispatch consoles.

MELBOURNE, Fla. & DURHAM, ONTARIO, Canada ? Those who depend on mission-critical communication in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario will soon have a modern, interoperable radio network based on state-of-the-art voice and data communication standards.

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The Regional Municipality of Durham has awarded Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) a $24 million contract to design, deploy and maintain the Next Generation Interoperable Communications Platform, a Project 25 (P25) Phase 2 simulcast radio system for reliable voice and data communications to public safety and public works users throughout the region?s 2,500 square kilometres.

?Because our legacy radio system is nearing the end of its usable life, we are ready to implement a system that will give all of our public safety and support users the latest in communication standards and features,? said Superintendent Joseph Maiorano, Project Leader for the Regional Municipality of Durham. ?Our careful and exhaustive selection process pointed to Harris because they are able to provide our various users with the best mix of capabilities, as well as the coverage, reliability and flexibility needed to serve Durham?s 640,000 residents.?

The 19-site, 700 MHz P25 Phase 2 simulcast system will enable interoperable communications across the Region?s various agencies and for Durham-based users with neighboring public safety agencies. The contract includes Harris XG-25P and XG-75 portable radios, XG-25M and M7300 mobile radios, VRS7010 vehicular repeaters, MASTR? V base stations and C3 MaestroIP Dispatch Consoles.

?Our Harris P25 Phase 2 simulcast system is the ideal answer for the Regional Municipality of Durham,? said Steve Marschilok, president, Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications. ?This new system fully meets their voice and data requirements, adds additional coverage, and gives them a robust solution for interoperable communications with neighbors and key utility partners.?

Harris will directly support and maintain the system locally within the Regional Municipality of Durham, extending the growing Harris presence throughout Canada.
The Harris P25 Phase 2 system is part of the VIDA? network, a unified Internet Protocol-based voice and data communication system based on APCO P25 industry standards. VIDA delivers full IP management features, including interoperability without intervention of console operators, IP consoles, and other benefits inherent in open IP architecture systems.

Keeping the Region?s future requirements in mind, the Harris P25 Phase 2 system can accommodate transit and utility users such as Ontario Power Generation. Harris? VIDA? network can also be efficiently adapted to support communicating over Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks or for the use of Inter-RF Sub-System Interface (ISSI) technology for unit roaming with surrounding P25 radio systems.

In public safety and professional communications Harris is a leading supplier of assured communications? systems and equipment for public safety, federal, utility, commercial and transportation markets ? with products ranging from the most advanced IP voice and data networks, to next-generation, secure public safety-grade LTE (Long-Term Evolution) solutions for voice, video and data applications, to industry leading multiband, multimode radios. Harris has more than 80 years of experience in public safety and professional communications and supports over 500 systems around the world.

Source: http://aerospace.firetrench.com/2012/10/the-regional-municipality-of-durham-ontario-awards-harris-corporation-24-million-to-modernize-emergency-communications/

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Antidepressants linked to increased risk of stroke, but risk is low, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) ? Research shows that use of popular antidepressants is linked to an increased risk of some strokes caused by bleeding in the brain, but that the risk is low, according to a multi-study analysis published in the October 17, 2012, online issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

For the research, scientists analyzed all of the studies that have looked at antidepressant use and stroke, which included 16 studies with more than 500,000 total participants. They found that people taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are the most commonly used antidepressants, were 50 percent more likely to have an intracranial hemorrhage than those not taking the antidepressants and about 40 percent more likely to have an intracerebral hemorrhage.

But study author Daniel G. Hackam, MD, PhD, FRCPC, of Western University in London, Ontario, said the findings should be viewed with caution. "Because these types of strokes are very rare, the actual increased risk for the average person is very low," he said.

An estimated 24.6 of these strokes occur per 100,000 people per year. According to the research, the use of SSRIs would increase the risk by one additional stroke per 10,000 people per year.

"Overall, these results should not deter anyone from taking an SSRI when it is needed," Hackam said. "In general these drugs are safe, and obviously there are risks to having depression go untreated. But doctors might consider other types of antidepressants for people who already have risk factors for these types of strokes, such as those taking blood thinners, people who have had similar strokes already or those with severe alcohol abuse."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Daniel G. Hackam, Marko Mrkobrada. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and brain hemorrhage: A meta-analysis. Neurology, 2012; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318271f848

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/H10pG2LoGgI/121017160827.htm

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Dem convention used corporate cash, despite pledge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? Last month's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte relied on at least $5 million in corporate donations, despite repeated pledges by top party officials to only use money raised from small, individual donors.

Reports filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission show the convention's host committee raised $24 million from individual donors, well short of its $36.7 million fundraising goal.

To help make up for the shortfall, committee officials spent $5 million from corporate donors to rent the basketball arena used to hold the convention. They spent nearly $8 million more from a line of credit provided by Duke Energy, the nation's largest electricity provider.

Top Democrats, including party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, had pledged prior to the 2012 convention not to use money from corporations, lobbyists or political action committees.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dem-convention-used-corporate-cash-despite-pledge-223344243--election.html

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Here come the Windows 8 PCs

16 hrs.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

Windows 8 is just around the corner, but if you want to get the most out of it, you'll probably want a touch-capable PC. Sure, you could go with?Microsoft's own?Surface tablets, but Sony, Dell and other makers of traditional PCs might have something to say about that. Their latest crop of PCs were built with the new Windows in mind, and they're all about giving you the convenience of a tablet without losing the power of a laptop.

All the major brands are embracing Windows 8's touch-focused interface with designs that range from straight-up tablets to convertible Ultrabooks (for our purposes, thin and light PCs that don't compromise on specs) to all-in-one PCs with touchscreens. Here are a few you'll be able to choose from:

Dell?has its head-turning XPS 12 Convertible (shown up top), which lets the screen spin on a frame to make it into either a laptop or tablet, depending on the situation. The 12.5-in. screen is 1080p and it's got a decent Core i5 processor and plenty of RAM. At $1,200 and up it's something of a luxury item, though.

Dell's main ultrabook offering, the XPS 13, was recently updated with a new?Intel Ivy Bridge processor. The design might not be as striking as the XPS 12, but it's aluminum and carbon fiber, so it'll be light and strong. It's still not a budget option, though, at $1,000 to start.

Sony?takes a different approach to the convertible, with a sliding design that, according to various hands-on previews, is more solid than it looks (and the 11.6-in. 1080p screens should be very?sharp). The Vaio Duo 11 also recently had an update to the latest line of Intel processors, though you may want to upgrade from the default Core i3. And the fact is that this experimental?form factor isn't for everyone, so be sure to try it before you buy it. Sony's convertible starts just below Dell's, at $1,100.

In addition to sleek notebooks, Sony also has an interesting in-betweener called the Tap20. Its 20-in. screen, propped up on its kickstand, could be a serviceable desktop but also small enough to carry elsewhere or?use as a portable device, for watching a movie in bed or the like (though at 11 pounds you may not want it on your lap). Unfortunately,?it's a bit lacking inside: A slow 5400RPM hard drive and low-voltage mobile CPU mean it probably won't be your main?PC ? but it may excel as a living room or kitchen accessory.

Acer has upgraded much of its laptop line with touchscreens, and its flagship S7 series also has a Gorilla Glass top ? which is good if it stays intact, but as the iPhone has shown, even Gorilla Glass can be broken. The 13-in. and 15-in. versions (both 1080p) have hot specs, but they aren't cheap, at $1,200 and $1,400. If you don't mind an extra millimeter or two of thickness, the S5 series might present a better value.

Then there are the W700 and W510 (above), a pair of tablets that are intended to live a double life with docks that make them more like full-fledged computers. The W700 slots into a cradle that will charge it and add USB ports, and the W510 clicks into the top of a keyboard dock. They've both got mid-range specs, and mid-range prices: The W700 will be $800, and the W510 $700.

Lenovo takes a more laptop-centric approach; its IdeaPad Yoga looks like a normal thin laptop but?exhibits its flexibility by allowing the screen to tilt so far back that it becomes the front. There are 11-in. and 13-in. versions, at $800 and $1,100 respectively.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Twist is also a touchscreen?permanently attached to a keyboard, but as the name suggests, the screen swivels around and lays down flat on the keyboard, as other ThinkPads have done before. This 12.5-in. version starts at $850, which gives you a little room to upgrade before you hit that critical thousand dollar mark.

Asus and Samsung are both bringing 4G LTE-connected tablets to AT&T, both of which can be combined with a keyboard for that laptop-esque experience. The VivoTab RT from Asus is similar to?Microsoft's?first Surface tablet in that it?runs Windows RT, the version of the?OS made for mobile?ARM processors. At $600, it's a more budget option, with a lower-resolution (1366x768) 10.1-inch screen, a powerful but aging processor, and only 2GB of RAM.

The Samsung ATIV line starts with the Tab, then as you add more features, the SmartPC and SmartPC Pro. The Tab is similar to the Asus device above: It runs Windows 8 RT and has a 10.1-inch screen and modest ARM processor. The SmartPC, true to its name, runs the full PC version of Windows 8, and gains a bigger screen, 1.5GHz Intel processor and a few other features. The Pro version ups the resolution to 1080p and makes more storage and faster processors available.

Where is perennial PC market leader?HP?in this roundup? As it turns out, they're mostly avoiding this first phase of exotic Windows 8 PCs. Their only real contribution is the business-oriented ElitePad 600, which doesn't really compare favorably with anything listed here.

Lastly, you could do a lot worse than Microsoft's sleek, internally?designed Surface?devices. The great looks, unobtrusive kickstand and sweet Touch Cover?keyboard are extremely tempting, although at the moment we only know the pricing and availability for the lower-end ARM-based Surface?RT model.?It starts at $500 for the 32GB version, but you have to pay $100?extra to get it bundled with that very?necessary keyboard. The Pro version of the Surface, due in three months, will be more expensive but very capable, likely comparable to most machines above.?Pricing for that?should be announced in the next week or so.

Most of these devices aren't set for release until Oct. 26, so look for reviews around then. Prices may change as well, and of course Black Friday is just around the corner, so it may be worth waiting a month?to see if your favorite electronics retailer puts a few of these on sale.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/here-come-windows-8-pcs-1C6437794

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