Texas politician proposes Longhorns-Aggies rivalry become legal ...

One state representative in Texas would like to impose sanctions on Texas and Texas A&M if they don't participate in an annual rivalry game.

There has been plenty of drama surrounding the rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M since conference realignment began, with the Aggies searching for a place where they no longer had to play second-fiddle to the behemoth in Austin. The two schools broke their longstanding rivalry when Texas A&M moved to the SEC, but at least one politician is trying to make it state law for the two football teams to meet annually.

Rep. Ryan Guillen of Texas House District 31, which extends from just south of San Antonio to parts of the Mexico border, has filed House Bill 778, which would impose scholarship restrictions on the two universities if they refuse to participate in the rivalry game, according to the Daily Texan. Guillen, who was born in College Station and attended Texas A&M, believes the game is an important part of Texas tradition, putting it alongside some of the state's most well-known institutions:

"This game is as much a Texas tradition as cowboy boots and barbecue," Guillen, Texas A&M alumnus, told The Texas Tribune. "The purpose of the bill is to put the eyes of Texas upon our two greatest universities to restore this sacred Texas tradition."

Calling a football game "sacred" may seem a bit over-the-top, but this is Texas after all. It's unclear whether Guillen is just a rabid fan and alum, or if he is doing this for a little positive political attention. Most likely its a combination of both, with an emphasis on the latter.

As an Aggie fan, he may just be regretting a missed opportunity for his team to beat up on the Longhorns in 2012. Texas finished 9-4, but struggled to compete with the Big 12's top teams. Texas A&M went 11-2, with a win at Alabama and a blowout victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

The Longhorns have dominated the all-time series, winning 73 of the 118 matchups. They won the last meeting between the two schools in 2011, 27-25, at Kyle Field.

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Source: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/1/29/3928070/texas-am-rivalry-law

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Boeing's earnings, outlook overshadowed by 787 unknowns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just over a month ago, Boeing was flying high.

Its airplane factories were humming and speeding up production. Its defense business had just been restructured to deal with dwindling budgets in the United States and Europe. The company was confident enough to increase its dividend and resume buying back shares.

Perhaps best of all, Boeing was shortly to reclaim the title of world's biggest plane maker, snatching back an honor that its arch rival Airbus had held for a decade.

But with its new 787 Dreamliner still grounded by two battery failures on the eve of its 2012 earnings release, the Chicago-based aerospace and defense giant is in no position to rest on laurels.

Analysts and investors are likely to grill Chief Executive Jim McNerney about the costs of fixing the 787 when the company reports earnings on Wednesday.

Those costs are unknown but mounting daily as airlines are barred from using the high-tech plane. Boeing is still building five Dreamliners a month but isn't delivering them to customers. With each of them carrying a list price of $207 million, they quickly become an expensive pile of jets outside Boeing's factories in Everett, Washington and North Charleston, South Carolina.

That is why Wall Street is looking for guidance from McNerney about how painful the grounding is getting.

"For now, we know there have been costs," said Howard Rubel, an analyst at Jefferies Group. "While the cause of the event is still not clear, a host of possible items have been eliminated." Those include excessive voltage reaching the batter and obvious anomalies in the battery construction.

A one-month delay in 787 deliveries could cost $1.2 billion in revenue this year, said Zafar Khan, an analyst at Society Generale. He has a "sell" rating on the stock.

OTHER CHALLENGES

Analysts say that most of Boeing's businesses remain unaffected by the 787 problems. It is still producing huge numbers of planes, will enjoy strong cash flow this year as it delivers those jets, and has orders to last another seven years at current production rates.

But a strike by Boeing's engineers' union - the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) - remains a risk in February and could halt the company's FAA review since engineers are crucial to understanding the plane's intricacies.

A strike by engineers also could severely slow or halt deliveries. During a 40-day SPEEA strike in 2000, the company delivered just 19 planes.

Contract talks now hinge on Boeing's efforts to eliminate a defined benefit pension plan for new hires, an attempt to reduce pension expense that Boeing said would reach $2.5 billion in 2012 and that analysts' estimate will total $1.8 billion in 2013.

The pension cost is affected by interest rate assumptions and market dynamics, things Boeing can't control. So some on Wall Street focus on the company's operating earnings, which largely factor out pension costs.

Analysts have trimming their estimates for Boeing's fourth-quarter earnings to $1.19 a share on revenue of $22.35 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Perhaps more telling: some analysts say their estimates for 2013 have dimmed and at least three have cut their ratings on the stock; the shares have lagged broader indexes this year.

On the upside, Boeing is targeting more defense sales to Asia, as other defense companies are doing, to stabilize the 40 percent of revenue coming from that side of the company and stave off the effects of U.S. budget sequestration.

"We expect flat-to-declining revenues" for Boeing's defense and space business in the medium term, Khan at Society Generale wrote in a note to clients.

Some analysts say the 787 problems appear to be relatively easy to fix, perhaps by swapping in a different battery type.

But even so, Boeing still faces a longer-term review of its design, manufacturing and assembly processes by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA has not set a time frame for its wide-ranging investigation, which is aimed at dealing with an assortment of problems with the new jet. An electrical fault caused an emergency landing by a United Airlines plane on December 4, the same day that the FAA ordered inspections of fuel lines because of leaks.

A few weeks later, a 787 in Boston spilled about 40 gallons of fuel on the tarmac as it taxied for take-off. Then a plane in Japan had fuel leaks. Another had brake problems and a third had a cracked cockpit windscreen.

Such events are usually considered ordinary, but coming in quick succession, they cast a pall over the Dreamliner.

(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Ed Tobin and Steve Orlofsky.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boeings-earnings-outlook-overshadowed-787-unknowns-181306005--finance.html

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Sotology ? Auto Insurance Basics

The amount of drivers on the road increases each year. This could lead to an increased likelihood of a car accident for you and your family. If you get in a car wreck, the auto insurance you own can make a big difference in how much you have to pay. So how can you figure out what insurance you need and how much you should buy? Required coverage varies by state/province but usually includes the following: Liability: Pays for the expenses you have caused to others in a car collision, including injury and property damage. It also covers your defense and court costs if you are sued. Local laws usually mandate minimum amounts of liability insurance, but higher amounts are available and usually recommended. Personal Injury Protection: Personal injury insurance is mandated in some states and is optional in others. Sometimes referred to as no-fault coverage, this pays the medical treatment for you or your passengers regardless of who was at fault. It may also cover lost earnings, service replacement and funeral expenses. The minimum amount of this insurance is typically set by local government. Medical Payments: This type of coverage can be purchased in states that are not considered no-fault and will pay regardless of who is responsible for an accident. If this type of coverage is purchased, the insured person will receive coverage for all types of medical and funeral expenses. Collision: This pays for damages to your vehicle caused by an accident. Comprehensive: Cover your vehicle from all non-collision damages by purchasing this type of coverage. This may include protection from burglary, vandalism, and weather damage. Uninsured Motorist: If you are in an accident with an uninsured driver, this type of insurance will make sure you are covered. Under-Insured Motorist: Similar to uninsured motorist protection, this kind of insurance protects you against people driving without sufficient insurance coverage. Other types of coverage, like car rental, are also available. Homeowners Insurance Mississauga ON

Source: http://www.sotology.com/auto-insurance-basics/

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Senseless, Defenseless Squirrel Slaughter In Holley, New York | A ...

?Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.?
(James Anthony Froude)

?They walk amongst us.? The misguided, the anthropocentric, the insufferably insecure and therefore immeasurably cruel.? But while one of the last places one would expect to find them is in a firehouse, it has come to light that just such evil lurks inside the fire hall in Holley, New York; a tiny village located west of Rochester, not far from the cold winds and waters of Lake Ontario whose apparent pasttime during these long winter months is inbreeding.

On February 16th, these so-called lifesavers are?holding a fundraiser in which the goal is to head out into the winter woods and blast as many squirrels as possible out of existence.??Ticket purchasers may enter as many as?five squirrels for the weigh-in at the end of the day and there are prizes for?the most weight murdered, as well as other drawings, including?raffling off some pretty nice guns.? Not only is this slaughter needless and senseless, all of?it disturbingly includes and?encourages?participation by children.

An enormous outcry is now taking shape.? There is a page on Facebook against it and a petition at change.org.? The following is my own letter to the mayor of Holley, a copy of which is also going to both the governor and head of wildlife of the state of New York.

Mayor John W. Kenney Jr.
Village of Holley
72 Public Sq
Holley, NY 14470

Dear Mayor Kenney,

?I write you today as a concerned citizen.? Not of Holley, New York but simply of the United States, a country that currently finds itself in the midst of an extremely divisive political climate in which our very foundation finds itself under attack.

?It is no secret that I am a Constitutional conservative and support the 2^nd Amendment as it is intended.? But this also means I am pro-life.? That means ALL life and when I was notified that your local fire department hosts a fundraiser that sends children out with guns to slaughter squirrels, well, frankly, I couldn?t quite get my head around how that puts any ?fun? in ?fundraiser?.? As a state-permitted wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in tree squirrels, while my job is saving the lives of orphaned, abandoned and injured wildlife, I also understand the need for and the role of wildlife management and have reconciled with hunting both for that purpose and for sustenance when these activities are performed cleanly and humanely.? As both a wildlife rehabilitator and president of our state wildlife rehabilitation organization I work closely with my own state?s Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, as well with as our Natural Resources Commission so therefore I am familiar with the delicateness often required to balance conflicting interests.? In my inner circle I count a former California Fish & Wildlife USDA large predator nuisance control expert, as well as a former City of Detroit firefighter now working down in North Carolina.

?It is from this perspective that I must state this fire department fundraiser is simply wrong ? on multiple levels.

?First of all, your own state laws clearly state that ?Minors under the age of 12 may not obtain a hunting license or hunt wildlife.?? Yet the Holley Fire Department is including a ?14 years and under? category.? While your state laws do provide for children ages 12-15 to hunt (only) small game, there are multiple requirements:

??Youth must have completed a course in Hunter Education.

?Youth must have a Junior Hunting license.

?12-13 year old youth must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or a person who is 21 years or older and is designated in writing on the Mentored Youth Hunter and Trapper Permission Form (PDF) (24 KB). Adult mentor must have a license to hunt small game.

?14-15 year old youth must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or a person who is 18 years or older and is designated in writing on the Mentored Youth Hunter and Trapper Permission Form (PDF) (24 KB). Adult mentor must have a license to hunt small game.

Exactly how are these requirements being met for the fundraiser?? A mere disclaimer on the website saying ?All NYS hunting and licensing rules are to be followed? means nothing without enforcement.? How are you to determine if the so-called ?winner? is a legal winner?? Frankly, you can?t.

?Second, the current political foray attempting to curb our Second Amendment right has been spurred on by so-called mass murders committed by what are essentially children.? Please take a good look at this sad list:

• Eric Harris (17), first on Zoloft then Luvox, and Dylan Klebold (18) killed 12 students and 1 teacher, and wounded 23 others, before killing themselves during the Columbine school shooting in Littleton, Colorado. (Klebold?s medical records have never been made available to the public.)
• Jeff Weise (16) had been prescribed 60 mg/day of Prozac (three times the average starting dose for adults) when he shot his grandfather, his grandfather?s girlfriend and many fellow students at Red Lake, Minnesota. He then shot himself. Ten dead, 12 wounded.
• Cory Baadsgaard (16) Wahluke High School, Washington, was on Paxil (which caused him to have hallucinations) when he took a rifle to his high school and held 23 classmates hostage. He has no memory of the event.
• Chris Fetters (13) killed his favorite aunt while taking Prozac.
• Christopher Pittman (12) murdered both his grandparents while taking Zoloft.
  Mathew Miller (13) hung himself in his bedroom closet after taking Zoloft for 6 days.
• Kip Kinkel (15), on Prozac and Ritalin, shot his parents while they slept then went to school and opened fire killing 2 classmates and injuring 22 shortly after beginning Prozac treatment.
• Luke Woodham (16), on Prozac, killed his mother and then killed two students, wounding six others.
• A boy in Pocatello, Idaho had a Zoloft-induced seizure in 1998 that caused an armed standoff at his school.
• Michael Carneal (14), on Ritalin, opened fire on students at a high school prayer meeting in West Paducah, Kentucky. Three teenagers were killed, 5 others were wounded.
• A young man in Huntsville, Alabama went psychotic while on Ritalin, chopping up his parents with an ax and also killing one sibling and almost murdering another.
• Andrew Golden (11), and Mitchell Johnson (14), both on Ritalin, shot 15 people, killing 4 students, 1 teacher, and wounding 10 others.
• TJ Solomon, (15), a high school student in Conyers, Georgia on Ritalin, opened fire on and wounded 6 of his class mates.
• Rod Mathews (14) beat a classmate to death with a bat while on Ritalin.
• James Wilson (19), from Breenwood, South Carolina, on various psychiatric drugs, took a .22 caliber revolver into an elementary school killing 2 young girls, and wounding 7 other children and 2 teachers.
• Elizabeth Bush (13) was responsible for a school shooting in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 2001 while on Paxil.
• Jason Hoffman (18), taking Effexor and Celexa, was responsible for a school shooting in 2001 that injured 5 people in El Cajon, California.
• Jarred Viktor (15), after five days on Paxil he stabbed his grandmother 61 times.
  Chris Shanahan (15) while on Paxil, walked up and shot a woman in the back of the head with his rifle during a robbery attempt in Rigby, Idaho, killing her.
• Jeff Franklin (17), taking Prozac, Ritalin and Klonopin, killed his parents in Huntsville, Alabama in 1998 as they came home from work using a sledge hammer, hatchet, butcher knife and mechanic?s file; he then attacked his 6-year old and 9-year old brothers and 12-year old sister and left them to bleed to death.
• Kevin Rider (14), was withdrawing from Prozac when he died from a gunshot wound to his head. Initially it was ruled a suicide, but two years later, the investigation into his death was opened as a possible homicide. The prime suspect, also age 14, had been taking Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants.
• Alex Kim (13) hung himself shortly after his Lexapro prescription had been doubled.
• Billy Willkomm, an accomplished wrestler and a University of Florida student, was prescribed Prozac at the age of 17. His family found him dead of suicide ? hanging from a tall ladder at the family?s Gulf Shore Boulevard home in July 2002.
• Kara Jaye Anne Fuller-Otter (12) was on Paxil when she hung herself from a hook in her closet. Kara?s parents said ??. the damn doctor wouldn?t take her off it and I asked him to when we went in on the second visit. I told him I thought she was having some sort of reaction to Paxil?.?
• Gareth Christian, Vancouver (18) was on Paxil when he committed suicide in 2002.? His father could not accept his son?s death and later killed himself.
• Julie Woodward (17) was on Zoloft when she hung herself in her family?s detached garage.
• Matthew Miller was 13 when he saw a psychiatrist because he was having difficulty at school. The psychiatrist gave him samples of Zoloft. Seven days later his mother found him dead, hanging by a belt from a laundry hook in his closet.
• Kurt Danysh (18) killed his father with a shotgun while on Prozac. He is now behind prison bars, and writes letters, trying to warn the world that SSRI drugs can kill.
• Hammad Memon (15) shot and killed another student at Discovery Middle School in Huntsville, Alabama in 2010. ?He had been diagnosed with ADHD and depression and was taking Zoloft and ?other drugs for the conditions.?
• Matti Saari, a 22-year-old culinary student, shot and killed 9 students and a teacher, and wounded another student in 2008 before killing himself. Saari was taking an SSRI and a benzodiazapine.
• Steven Kazmierczak (27) shot and killed five people and wounded 21 others before killing himself in a Northern Illinois University auditorium. According to his girlfriend, he had recently been taking Prozac, Xanax and Ambien. Toxicology results showed that he still had trace amounts of Xanax in his system.
• Finnish gunman Pekka-Eric Auvinen (18) had been taking antidepressants before he killed eight people and wounded a dozen more at Jokela High School ? then he committed suicide.
• Asa Coon from Cleveland (14) shot and wounded four before taking his own life. Court records show Coon was on Trazodone.
• Jon Romano (16) on medication for depression, fired a shotgun in Columbia High School, East Greenbush, New York in 2004, wounding a teacher.
• Adam Peter Lanza (20), killed 26 and wounded 2 in Newtown Connecticut; allegedly autisitic, no records of medication have yet been released.?

?This is horrible, incomplete yet still much too long.? Now ask yourself this:? exactly how many of the children being taken out to indiscriminately slaughter another sentient creature simply for the sake of so-called ?sport? in the guise of a fundraiser are taking some kind of psychotropic drug (or drugs)?? Truth is you have no way to know this due to medical privacy laws.? Then ask yourself how many of them are allowed to spend a large part of their time playing violent video games, too?? Again, you can have no idea.? The only honest answer is that another Sandy Hook incident is merely a matter of when, not if ? and it is being actively encouraged by your fire department?s fundraiser.

?Last but certainly not least, there are those oft-inconvenient moral implications.? Whether you believe in God, Buddha, Mohammed, plain old garden-variety karma or the Great Pumpkin, premeditated, deliberate cruelty is never condoned.? If we are to be truly considered ?enlightened? as a species, it behooves us to teach our children by our words and most importantly by our deeds that life is sacred and is never to be taken without very good reason.? Certainly those first responders in the Holley or any other fire department believe this and they walk the talk every time the alarm sounds.? How many photos have been circulated about a brave, kind firefighter carrying someone?s beloved animal out of a burning building?? Such is the ?picture worth a thousand words? of selfless compassion and mercy.? Why then ? and how then ? can those who willingly risk their lives to save lives even consider, let alone condone, plan and actively encourage the needless, senseless taking of lives that is your so-called ?Squirrel Slam???

?For those of us most familiar with those furry denizens of the trees, it is not merely a matter of the taking of a few squirrel lives that causes our disgust and outcry but the exponential amount of suffering that inevitably follows.? Of all the mammals, the squirrel is an amazing survivor and, notwithstanding countless bad shots that send a wounded squirrel off to suffer and eventually die a slow, painful death from infection, every single nursing mother coldly blasted into the fur-filled hereafter leaves behind babies who will, unlike their helpless human infant counterparts, do whatever they can to find her.? If they do not succumb to the cold and exhaustion from calling for their mother, even naked, blind and deaf neonates will make their way out of their nest in order to seek out their life-giver.? Inevitably they fall and the lucky ones end up in hands like mine that become their foster mother and provide them with a second chance to live as Nature intended.? The unlucky are killed by predators but the most unlucky of all die an excruciating death from exposure ? starvation, dehydration and hypothermia ? with each second of their final moments filled with fear.

?If you would not throw your own child down a well in the middle of winter and walk away to let them die a slow, painful death; if you would not throw your cat or dog down a well in the middle of winter and walk away to let them die a slow, painful death, then why in the world would you set out to cause essentially the same horror to any other living creature??

?If your answer is you simply did not know or understand, you may be forgiven.? But with knowledge comes responsibility, so I am asking that you please shut down this fundraiser.? There are many other ways in which to raise money; there are a myriad of things to do to raise money that will also teach children a proper respect for life and the responsible use of firearms.

Thank you,
PJ. Garner

?CC:? NY Governor Andrew Cuomo
????????? NY DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens

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Source: http://squirreltale.com/2013/01/27/senseless-defenseless-squirrel-slaughter-in-holley-new-york/

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'Hansel & Gretel' nabs $19M, No. 1 at box office

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" cooked up $19 million in its opening weekend.

Paramount's R-rated action film update on the classic fairytale topped the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Hansel & Gretel" features Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as grown-up renditions of the title characters battling witches with crossbows.

Don Harris, Paramount's president of distribution, blamed icy weather on the East Coast for the film's not-so-bewitching debut.

"We got dinged a little bit with the weather on Friday, but overall we're pleased," said Harris, who added that "Hansel & Gretel" performed solidly internationally, earning $25 million overseas.

Other films opening over the weekend in the U.S. and Canada didn't fare as well. The crime thriller "Parker," starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, debuted in fifth place with $7 million, while Relativity Media's raunchy ensemble comedy "Movie 43" opened in the seventh spot with $5 million.

Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted that it was the first time box-office grosses were down over last year after four up weekends.

Universal's supernatural horror film "Mama" starring Jessica Chastain dropped to second place with $12.8 million in its second weekend.

Several best-picture Academy Awards contenders continued to benefit from Oscar buzz, as well as the motion picture academy's decision to move up this year's nomination announcement, giving nominees more time in theaters between the Jan. 10 nominations unveiling and the Feb. 24 ceremony.

"Having an Oscar nomination is like holding a lottery ticket," said Dergarabedian. "It could pay off on Oscar night, but it's already paying big dividends now. All this time between the Oscar nominations and the telecast is prime time for these movies to capitalize on their higher profile."

"Silver Linings Playbook," which is up for eight Academy Awards, came in third place over the weekend with $10 million. The film starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is in its 11th weekend of release and earned $3 million overseas.

"Zero Dark Thirty," the Osama bin Laden manhunt drama also starring Chastain, dropped to fourth place with $9.8 million. It's competing in five categories at the Academy Awards and nabbed $3.6 million internationally.

"Django Unchained," which is nominated for five Oscars, took in $5 million in sixth place, and the musical "Les Miserables," which is up for eight Academy Awards, earned $3.9 million in the 10th position. It was the fifth weekend for both films. "Django" topped the international chart with $47.9 million in 65 total territories.

___

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters," $19 million ($25 million international).

2. "Mama," $12.8 million.

3. "Silver Linings Playbook," $10 million ($3 million international).

4. "Zero Dark Thirty," $9.8 million ($3.6 million international).

5. "Parker," $7 million.

6. "Django Unchained," $5 million ($42.9 million international).

7. "Movie 43," $5 million ($2.8 million international).

8. "Gangster Squad,"$4.2 million ($6.8 million international).

9. "Broken City," $4 million ($500,000 international).

10. "Les Miserables," $3.9 million ($14 million international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "Django Unchained," $42.9 million.

2. "Skyfall," $35.4 million.

3. "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters," $25 million.

4. "Life of Pi," $17.5 million.

5. "Les Miserables," $14 million.

6. "Lincoln," $10.7 million.

7. "Miracle in Cell No. 7," $9.7 million.

8. "The Impossible," $7.2 million.

9. "Gangster Squad," $6.8 million.

10. "Wreck-It Ralph," $5.9 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

___

Follow Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hansel-gretel-nabs-19m-no-1-box-office-183721129.html

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Education of Business Online from NCSU How Is Email Marketing ...

By admin | Published January 27, 2013

Email marketing is a promotional tool used for online marketing of the business. According to research and study, researchers have found that it has become one of the most popular and easy to use marketing tool. Above all, its use is cost effective and can get easily fit into the budget of a marketer. Let?s see how it is an affordable means to reach out a customer.

Many marketers indulge in aggressive and robust marketing or advertising of their products and services. They strive hard to promote their companies through all sorts of media. Main media are print, broadcast as well as Internet. Prior to Internet, print and broadcast were broadly used by the entrepreneurs striving to compete with and outshine each other. The print form includes newspaper, pamphlets, brochures, magazines or journals. This consumes massive amount of money and a lot of time and other resources of a marketer. If you are advertising your product through radio or airing the same on a television channel, it requires manpower to create a promotional ad, time as well as money.

The net result of promotions through print and broadcast media is that it is uncertain whether you have reached your target customer. Your target audience may not have turned on the radio, watching the television channel or read the newspaper the day your advertisement was being aired or printed. When Internet marketing came into existence the marketers started turning to the World Wide Web for promotion. One of the major factors for turning to this medium was that the marketers found it inexpensive.

Email marketing is one such promotional tactics used by the advertisers to advertise their products or services. The essence is that one can create an ad or a newsletter, fetch for a potential customer and reach out to him. It has an assurance that a customer has received the mail. Avoid using promotional words as they can trap you in the snare of Spam. Create informative content that your reader would like to read. A marketer simply needs an opt-in list and an Internet connection in the marketing campaign. In this way, you can reach out your customers cost-effectively and easily.

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Source: http://www.graspncsu.com/2013/01/how-is-email-marketing-cost-effective/

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New music review: Chansons, Jill Barber (Outside Music) | Montreal ...

Jill Barber?s nod to classic chansons, both French and quebecoises, is so evocative at points that it almost amounts to a case of aural false memory. The Vancouver-based chanteuse wasn?t yet born when these songs first appeared in the `30s, `40s and `50s, nor were many of us ? and yet the sense of place and time on this disc is so strong that you could swear you were once in this imagined grainy, black and white footage.

Wisely opting for stripped-down chamber-jazz arrangements, Barber, an avowed francophile, approaches material associated with Piaf, Gainsbourg, Salvador and others with reverence, but retains enough sexy playfulness and gentle self-awareness to make them her own.

Whether she?s surrendering to the moody Melancolie, turning the heat up a notch in Je cherche un homme or reclaiming the anti-war evergreen Quand les hommes vivront d?amour, Barber proves herself an interpreter worthy of this daunting material.

Rating: ****

Podworthy: Sous le ciel de Paris

Chansons will be available Jan. 29. Here?s a sneak peek, with Quand les hommes vivront d?amour:

Bernard Perusse

Twitter: @bernieperusse

Source: http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/01/27/new-music-review-chansons-jill-barber-outside-music/

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Shawn Ryan Shares His Thoughts Jezebel's 'Female TV Writers ...

In January alone, TV will have lost, to cancellation or we?ve-been-on-for-7-seasons, three of its most powerful and talented minds in Tina Fey, Dana Fox, and Nahnatchka Khan. This is a bummer for two reasons, 1) 30 Rock, Ben and Kate, and Don?t Trust are excellent, and 2) the trio listed above are all female, and despite infuriating troll arguments to the contrary, there aren?t enough women TV writers. Jezebel?s Laura Beck wrote an article about this yesterday entitled ?The Sh*t My Dad Says Guy Gets Another Sitcom, But Where Are All the Women Writers?? which made some very good points, but, on top of the misplaced targeting of Justin Halpern, a producer for Cougar Town ??a show led by two strong women with multiple female writers ? also explained the issue, but offered few solutions.

I don?t doubt that Halpern might be a swell guy, but his shows are indicative of the type of ideas that are often given initial opportunities (and second chances) in the TV industry. A white guy telling his story is agonizingly familiar territory, and yet it?s awarded a rich pilot production commitment from a major studio. When I hear news like this, I can?t help but think about all the challenging, unique, and better ideas that are passed over for the same old shit ? and I bet a lot of them come from women.

Yes, there are exceptions, not every show on TV is about a white dude, or run by a white dude, but there aren?t nearly as many women writing shows as there are men. A 2012 Center for Study of Women in TV and Film study found that 68% of all TV shows don?t even have one female writer on staff. (Via)

But enough about what us dumb bloggers think about the issue ? let?s hear from The Shield and Terriers creator Shawn Ryan, who shared his thoughts on the article. Start reading from the bottom because I?m lazy.

Here?s what Chitra Elizabeth Sampath, a writer for Southland, had to say about the study:

So what did we learn? Well: there should be more females writing for TV shows, but it?s slowly getting better. There are women on the writing staffs for Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Community, Happy Endings, The League, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, Bob?s Burgers, Archer, and a bunch of our other favorites series ? hell, even Louie, which I?d argue is TV?s most ?male? show. Also, don?t quite bunk studies.

My solution to the issue: give me a show, some network, and I?ll hire ONLY female writers. Deal, AMC?

(Via Jezebel) (Via Shawn Ryan)

Source: http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/01/terriers-creator-shawn-ryan-responds-to-where-are-all-the-female-tv-writers-article/

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The Line Starts Here? - Firefly Marketing & PR

It can be difficult to compete in a world where the playing field is the Internet; especially when it seems like every company is using the same marketing strategies to grow.

While social media and website content with an SEO emphasis still hold a great deal of value in building your brand awareness, the business leaders who first seek to understand their clients and how these tools best serve them will succeed in the long run.

Social Media

Beginning a conversation on social media about your brand is the easy part. ?However, there?s more to constructing a successful?marketing strategy?than just stirring up news about your business using Facebook and Twitter. ?Once you begin that conversation, keep it going. ?Monitor what others are saying about your brand on social networking sites. ?Engage your customers and potential customers in conversation. ?Get feedback. ?Never be satisfied with simply making blanket statements about your products. ?Encouraging this type of discussion will help you learn more about your customers, position you as the expert in your field and add a great deal of credibility to your brand.

Website Content

All too often, businesses are in a hurry to get a website up, so they throw a couple of pages together and move on with their next project. ?Many of those businesses neglect their ?About Us? page. ?Unfortunately, this can be detrimental to the success of your business. ?The?About Us??page is one of the most visited pages on your site when you have new visitors. ?Your potential customers want to know about you and what makes you different. ?They want to feel like they know you before they give you their business. ?If you can entertain them a bit or offer them a story about how you achieved your success, you increase your chances of turning that visitor into a customer.

Incorporating even one of these tips into the way you do business can change things more than you can imagine. ?If you need some help getting started,?contact us?today. ?Together, we can put together a marketing plan that will revitalize your business and optimize your revenue.

Source: http://www.soarwithfirefly.com/the-line-starts-here/

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Burkina Faso beats Ethiopia 4-0 in African Cup

Associated Press Sports

updated 3:16 p.m. ET Jan. 25, 2013

Adds quotes, detail. With AP Photos.

Associated Press

NELSPRUIT, South Africa (AP) -Alain Traore scored two goals Friday to help 10-man Burkina Faso take control of Group C with a 4-0 victory over Ethiopia in the African Cup of Nations.

Traore netted in the 34th and 74th minutes at the Mbombela Stadium to become the leading scorer in the tournament with three, and ensure that goalkeeper Abdoulaye Soulama's red card ultimately had no effect on the game.

Soulama was sent off with Burkina Faso leading 1-0 with half an hour remaining for handling the ball outside the area.

But Ethiopia was unable to capitalize, and Djakaridja Kone and Jonathan Pitroipa rounded off the scoring for Burkina Faso to put it top of its group with four points.

Ethiopia made four changes from the team that drew 1-1 with Zambia as it tried to counter the Burkinabes physical presence with pace.

The tactic nearly paid dividends in the opening minutes of the game when Salahdin Said's crafty backheel put Shimelese Bikele through on goal, only for his effort to hit the upright.

Burkina Faso grew in stature, and after Wilfried Sanou had a goal ruled out for offside, Traore gave it a deserved lead.

Although Ethiopia defender Degu Debebe was able to clear an initial attack off the line, the Ethiopian defense rushed out and allowed Charles Kabore to send a ball over the top for Traore to open the scoring.

The diminutive Ethiopians continued to struggle with the raw power of their opponents, and made two injury-enforced substitutions before halftime.

They were handed an unexpected advantage in the second half when Soulama snatched a relatively harmless ball from outside his penalty area and was shown a straight red card.

But as Ethiopia pressed forward, Burkina Faso was able to hit on the break and Traore rifled home his second from 30 yards out.

"The game did not go according to plan," Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw said. "In the second half we tried to manage it, but there were unnecessary goals from Burkina Faso and that totally destroyed our emotions."

Kone and Pitroipa completed the rout as Ethiopia fell apart, giving Burkina Faso its first win at the African Cup in 15 years.

"We can say it was a very crazy game, and certainly in the beginning we were lucky with the ball hitting the post," Burkina Faso coach Paul Put said.

"But when we scored the goal you saw Burkina Faso was released to play the game. And I think when we were down to 10 men we kept very disciplined and we scored another three goals so I'm very happy."

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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More newsAmr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Death toll from Port Said rising

PST: An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced to death 21 people found guilty of involvement in the Port Said soccer stadium disaster in which 74 people died last year. Ensuing protests have resulted in more deaths.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50590756/ns/sports-soccer/

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Management Consultants Can Save the World

Is good management undervalued?

Photograph by Mediaphotos/iStockphoto.

The global elite have again descended on Davos for their yearly pundit-fest. Prognostications have been made, as have commitments to save the world, end poverty, and clean up the environment. But with a minimum ?entry cost of $19,000?not to mention the inflated prices for food and accommodation?the resort is filled with rich businesspeople and executives with giant carbon footprints and little firsthand knowledge of poverty.

What they do know well is how to manage companies effectively. And that?s what they should talk about. Because management, despite its horrid reputation, has the power to transform the world. By exporting better management to the rest of the world, we could raise standards of living dramatically and really make the world a better place.

How can management be the world?s salvation? Let?s consider the facts. First, better management produces more efficient companies that boost economic output, which may ultimately translate into higher incomes and wealth for the world?s poor.

Need proof? A recent experiment by World Bank and Stanford researchers, described in greater detail in a prior Slate column, illustrates the dramatic impact of management ?technology? on the way companies are run. In partnership with the consulting firm Accenture, the researchers randomly assigned a management makeover to a handful of Indian textile firms, while at the same time following a set of control textile factories to benchmark the effects of good management.

Out of chaos, order arose: Supply closets were no longer strewn about with yarn, factory floors were cleaned up, inventory and control processes improved production line efficiency. The benefits of good management were such that Accenture?s services?which were provided to the companies for free as part of the experiment?would have paid for themselves through greater profitability within a year: The researchers estimated a profit increase of more than $300,000 annually as a result of management improvements, as compared with the $250,000 market price of the consulting services they received.

What brought about these changes? Exactly the sorts of things that the managers of Davos are good at: designing incentives, ensuring clear and well-defined assignments of tasks and responsibilities, putting in place protocols to manage and track inventory and production. These are not new ideas. They have been the standard protocols of much-maligned managers since they first appeared on the scene with the advent of transcontinental railroad. It?s just that management, despite its age, is not evenly distributed around the world.

And while you might balk at the idea that what worked for Indian textile factories will work elsewhere, the truth is that much of the world is, by the researchers? definition, poorly managed. Together with economists at the London School of Economics and Harvard, they have surveyed management practices around the globe. While India?s managers held the bottom ranking, those from China, Brazil, Greece, and Argentina weren?t that far ahead of them. (The researchers? data are available at worldmanagementsurvey.org.) There are spectacularly well-managed firms in all of these countries?the China Telecoms and Tatas of the world?but the average firm has a lot to gain from some managerial guidance and expertise. (The countries with the leading management practices are, unsurprisingly, the United States and Japan.)

This is not just about increased efficiency in the private sector, as important as that may be. While nonprofit firms and governments clearly face different management challenges than private firms, the evidence suggests that sectors like education and health care could also benefit from better management. The global management survey has also analyzed the link between management quality and organizational success in these areas, and found that better management is associated with, among other things, higher student test scores, better heart-attack survival rates, and shorter patient wait times. Yes, it?s the hospital manager, at least as much as the heart surgeon, who will save your life.

If the purpose of Davos is for the rich and famous to gather for esoteric yet superficial discussion, to make business deals, and to bask in their own splendor, then maybe they?ve got the model just about right. But if the World Economic Forum, which organizes the Davos event, wants to make good on its mission of ?improving the state of the world,? it would do well to focus their mountaintop discussions on how to export what they really know: their management skills. Better management stands a far greater likelihood of making the world wealthier and healthier.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=ac0a4b6937146df13cf36aa18b3695f2

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pretending to be in a relationship to look more attractive - Love and ...

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

Source: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt222047.html

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Court: Obama appointments are unconstitutional

Richard Cordray stands left as President Barack Obama announces in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, that he will re-nominate Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a role that he has held for the last year under a recess appointment, and nominate Mary Joe White to lead the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Richard Cordray stands left as President Barack Obama announces in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, that he will re-nominate Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a role that he has held for the last year under a recess appointment, and nominate Mary Joe White to lead the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In an embarrassing setback for President Barack Obama, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that he violated the Constitution in making recess appointments last year, a decision that would severely curtail the president's ability to bypass the Senate to fill administration vacancies.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said Obama did not have the power to make three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board because the Senate was officially in session ? and not in recess ? at the time. If the decision stands, it could invalidate hundreds of board decisions made over the past year.

The court said the president could only fill vacancies with the recess appointment procedure if the openings arise when the Senate is in an official recess, which it defined as the once-a-year break between sessions of Congress.

The White House had no immediate comment but is expected to appeal the decision. The same issue is currently before several other federal appeals courts.

The ruling also threw into question Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray's appointment, also made on Jan. 4, 2012, has been challenged in a separate case.

The court's decision is a victory for Republicans and business groups that have been attacking the labor board for issuing a series of decisions and rules that make it easier for the nation's labor unions to organize new members.

"With this ruling, the D.C. Circuit has soundly rejected the Obama administration's flimsy interpretation of the law, and (it) will go a long way toward restoring the constitutional separation of powers," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

GOP House Speaker John Boehner welcomed the ruling as "a victory for accountability in government."

Obama made the recess appointments after Senate Republicans blocked his choices for an agency they contended was biased in favor of unions. Obama claims he acted properly because the Senate was away for the holidays on a 20-day recess. The Constitution allows for such appointments without Senate approval when Congress is in recess.

But during that time, GOP lawmakers argued, the Senate technically had stayed in session because it was gaveled in and out every few days for so-called pro forma sessions.

GOP lawmakers used the tactic ? as Democrats had done in the past ? specifically to prevent the president from using his recess power to install members to the labor board and the consumer board. They had also vigorously opposed the nomination of Cordray. The White House argued that the pro forma sessions ? some lasting less than a minute ? were a sham.

The three-judge panel, all appointed by Republican presidents, ruled that during one of those pro forma sessions on Jan. 3, the Senate officially convened its second session of the 112th Congress, as required by the Constitution.

"Either the Senate is in session or it is in recess," Chief Judge David Sentelle wrote in the 46-page ruling. "If it has broken for three days within an ongoing session, it is not in 'the Recess' described in the Constitution."

Simply taking a break of an evening or a weekend during a regular working session cannot count, he said. Sentelle said that otherwise "the president could make appointments any time the Senate so much as broke for lunch."

The judge flatly rejected arguments from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which claimed the president has discretion to decide that the Senate is unavailable to perform its advice and consent function.

"Allowing the president to define the scope of his own appointment power would eviscerate the Constitution's separation of powers," Sentelle wrote.

Sentelle was joined in the ruling by Judge Thomas Griffith, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush.

"I think this is a very important decision about the separation of powers," said Carl Tobias, a constitutional law professor at the Virginia's University of Richmond. "The court's reading has limited the president's ability to counter the obstruction of appointments by a minority in the Senate that has been pretty egregious in the Obama administration."

If the ruling stands, it means that hundreds of decisions issued by the board over more than a year would be invalid. It also would leave the five-member labor board with just one validly appointed member, effectively shutting it down. The board is allowed to issue decisions only when it has at least three sitting members.

Obama used the recess appointment to install Deputy Labor Secretary Sharon Block, union lawyer Richard Griffin and NLRB counsel Terence Flynn to fill vacancies on the labor board, giving it a full contingent for the first time in more than a year. Block and Griffin are Democrats, while Flynn is a Republican. Flynn stepped down from the board last year.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, urged the NLRB to continue conducting business until the Supreme Court rules on the issue.

"Today's circuit court decision is not only a radical departure from precedent, it ignores the fact that President Obama had no choice but to act," Harkin said. "Throughout his presidency, Republicans have employed unprecedented partisan delay tactics and filibusters to prevent confirmation of nominees to lead the NLRB, thus crippling the Board's legal authority to act."

If Obama's recess appointment of Cordray to the newly created consumer board is also ruled invalid, all the regulations the consumer board has issued, many of which remake the mortgage business, could be nullified.

___

Follow Sam Hananel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamHananelAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-25-Obama-Recess%20Appointments/id-5bd472d61d1c465a99a245690d349ab9

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Debt ceiling: With debate on hold, where is US economy headed now?

With the debt ceiling's threat no longer imminent, the US economy appears to be stuck in neutral, waiting to be pushed forward or back. Here are head winds and tail winds competing for influence.

By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / January 24, 2013

The US flag flies next to the Capitol building in Washington. Congress and the Obama administration appear poised to halt their haggling over raising the national debt ceiling, at least for a few months.

Alex Brandon/AP/File

Enlarge

Like a sailboat caught in the doldrums, the US economy in 2013 is looking for a puff of wind to get it moving again.

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Seemingly every bit of positive economic news is offset by some that is negative:

Tax rates for most everyone who works are up, now that the payroll tax cut has expired, but then so is the housing market. Consumer confidence is down, but a leading cause for that dip has expired with the resolution, however much criticized, of the crisis over the "fiscal cliff." Job creation is uninspiring, but corporations are loaded with cash.

While the US economic ship is in calm waters for now, the most visible clouds on the horizon are angry and dark and coming from Washington, in the form of the debate over raising the federal debt ceiling.?House Republicans passed a bill Tuesday suspending the debt ceiling for three months to facilitate negotiations over the federal budget, but the measure, which is also expected to pass the Senate, does not bridge the gap on spending issues and may serve only to forestall the battle.

Exactly how perilous is that D.C. drama over the debt ceiling to the nation's economic health? The nerve-racking brinkmanship on the issue in the summer of 2011 was enough to spook Wall Street and lower the US debt rating.

And if the word "recession" isn't on the lips of most economists, some trace a path in that direction if the debt-ceiling issue isn't resolved.

But more on that later. First, let's take a look at why the economy is stuck in neutral, or as John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, N.C., terms it, why "we are entering a slow-motion situation."

How slow? Mr. Silvia estimates the gross domestic product will increase at a 1.4 percent rate in the first quarter before showing some improvement, ending the year growing at a 2.4 percent annual rate. In other words, the economy may not be much different than last year.

Here are some of the head winds and tail winds the 2013 economy is facing:

HEAD WINDS

The debt-ceiling battle

President Obama wants Congress to authorize an increase that will allow the government to pay its bills for several years. Republicans, while temporarily waiving a demand that increases in the debt ceiling be matched dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts, still hope to use the issue as leverage in negotiations over the federal budget.

How damaging could the battle be?

In mid-January, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in a letter to Congress, said the government had, since the beginning of the year, been juggling accounts to meet its debt obligations and pay for such things as Social Security checks, veterans' benefits, and money owed to contractors.

"Even a temporary default with a brief interruption in payments that Congress subsequently restores would be terribly damaging," Mr. Geithner warned.

With the imminent threat of default removed for now, the next potential challenge to the economy could come from sequestration, the across-the-board automatic government spending cuts that were the price of the last fight over the debt ceiling. To avoid sequestration, Congress must find a way to either add revenues or reduce spending by $85 billion by March 1. Then, by March 27, Congress has to pass a continuing resolution to fund government operations.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/fNKS0MumbZo/Debt-ceiling-With-debate-on-hold-where-is-US-economy-headed-now

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Bright comet ISON could sizzle ? or fizzle

The newly discovered Comet ISON is just a faint speck in the sky right now, but later this year, when it flies closer to the sun, it could shine as bright as the moon and may even be visible in broad daylight, scientists say.

"Comet ISON is a sungrazer," comet-tracker Karl Battams of the U.S. Naval Research Lab said in a NASA statement. "The orbit of the comet will bring it very close to the sun, which we know can be a spectacular thing."

That apparition, if Comet ISON delivers on its promise, is expected to peak in late November. While some astronomers a have touted ISON as a potential "Comet of the Century," there is still some uncertainty on how bright the object will actually become, according to scientists with NASA and other observatories.

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Officially known as C/2012 S1 (ISON), Comet ISON is currently near the orbit of Jupiter, though astronomers say it is already quite bright for an object so far away. Its exceptional glow suggests that it has a fairly large nucleus in the 0.6- to 6-mile (1- to 10-kilometer) range, estimated astronomer Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory, according to NASA. [Photos of Comet ISON in Night Sky]

Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok discovered the comet in September 2012 using a 15.7-inch (0.4-meter) reflecting telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON), near Kislovodsk. They predicted that at its closest point to the sun, which occurs on Nov. 28, 2013, the comet will come within 800,000 miles (1.2 million km) of the sun's surface and could transform into a dazzling night sky object with a long, dusty tail.

But that's only if the Comet ISON manages to survive its fiery flyby ? it could be destroyed by tidal forces or solar radiation as it approaches the sun, scientists say.

"I'm old enough to remember the last 'Comet of the Century,'" said Don Yeomans of NASA Near-Earth Object Program. Yeomans was referring to a distant comet named Kohoutek that promised to put on such a show in 1973, but turned out to be a bust. "It fizzled. Comets are notoriously unpredictable."

Knight, however, noted that an object smaller than C/2012 S1, Comet Lovejoy, put on a stunning display after it soared through the sun's atmosphere in 2011 and emerged intact on the other side.

"Comet ISON is probably at least twice as big as Comet Lovejoy and will pass a bit farther from the sun's surface" Knight said. "This would seem to favor Comet ISON surviving and ultimately putting on a good show."

Another possibility, astronomers said, is that Comet ISON could break apart, which could give it an appearance akin to a cosmic string of pearls when viewed through a telescope. Yeomans assured that such a scenario would not pose a threat to Earth.

"Comet ISON is not on a collision course," he said. "If it breaks up, the fragments would continue along the same safe trajectory as the original comet."

Editor's note: If you have an amazing picture of Comet ISON or any other night sky view that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Follow SPACE.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebookandGoogle+.

? 2013 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50579678/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Panetta says women in combat is a strength

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Allowing women to serve in combat roles will strengthen the U.S. military's ability to win wars, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday, shortly before his official announcement of the landmark change.

"Our military is more capable, and our force is more powerful, when we use all of the great diverse strengths of the American people," Panetta said at a Pentagon ceremony in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr.

"Every person in today's military has made a solemn commitment to fight and, if necessary, to die, for our nation's defense," he said. "We owe it to them to allow them to pursue every avenue of military service for which they are fully prepared and qualified. Their career success and their specific opportunities should be based solely on their ability to successfully carry out an assigned mission. Everyone deserves that chance."

The decision to lift the ban on women serving in combat presents a daunting challenge to top military leaders who now will have to decide which, if any, jobs they believe should be open only to men.

Panetta planned to announce at a Pentagon news conference that more than 230,000 battlefront posts ? many in Army and Marine infantry units and in potentially elite commando jobs ? are now open to women. It will be up to the military service chiefs to recommend and defend whether women should be excluded from any of those more demanding and deadly positions, such as Navy SEALs or the Army's Delta Force.

The historic change, which was recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.

The change won't take place overnight: Service chiefs will have to develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions, a senior military official said. Some jobs may open as soon as this year, while assessments for others, such as special operations forces, may take longer. The services will have until January 2016 to make a case to that some positions should remain closed to women.

Officials briefed The Associated Press on the changes Wednesday on condition of anonymity so they could speak ahead of the official announcement.

There long has been opposition to putting women in combat, based on questions of whether they have the necessary strength and stamina for certain jobs, or whether their presence might hurt unit cohesion.

But as news of Panetta's expected order got out, many members of Congress, including the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced their support.

"It reflects the reality of 21st century military operations," Levin said.

Objections were few. Jerry Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council, called the move "another social experiment" that will place unnecessary burdens on military commanders.

"While their focus must remain on winning the battles and protecting their troops, they will now have the distraction of having to provide some separation of the genders during fast-moving and deadly situations," said Boykin, a retired Army lieutenant general. He noted that small units often are in sustained combat for extended periods of time under primal living conditions with no privacy.

Panetta's move comes in his final weeks as Pentagon chief and just days after President Barack Obama's inaugural speech in which he spoke passionately about equal rights for all. The new order expands the department's action of nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army.

In addition to questions of strength and performance, there also have been suggestions that the American public would not tolerate large numbers of women being killed in war.

Under the 1994 Pentagon policy, women were prohibited from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops split into several battalions of about 800 soldiers each. Historically, brigades were based farther from the front lines, and they often included top command and support staff.

The necessities of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, propelled women into jobs as medics, military police and intelligence officers that were sometimes attached ? but not formally assigned ? to battalions. So while a woman couldn't be assigned as an infantryman in a battalion going out on patrol, she could fly the helicopter supporting the unit, or move in to provide medical aid if troops were injured.

And these conflicts, where battlefield lines are blurred and insurgents can lurk around every corner, have made it almost impossible to keep women clear of combat.

Still, as recent surveys and experiences have shown, it will not be an easy transition. When the Marine Corps sought women to go through its tough infantry course last year, two volunteered and both failed to complete the course. And there may not be a wide clamoring from women for the more intense, dangerous and difficult jobs, including some infantry and commando positions.

Two lawsuits were filed last year challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat, adding pressure on officials to overturn the policy. And the military services have been studying the issue and surveying their forces to determine how it may affect performance and morale.

The Joint Chiefs have been meeting regularly on the matter and they unanimously agreed to send the recommendation to Panetta earlier this month.

A senior military official familiar with the discussions said the chiefs laid out three main principles to guide them as they move through the process. Those were to maintain America's effective fighting force, preserve military readiness and develop a process that would give all service members the best chance to succeed.

Women comprise about 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel. More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or to jobs in neighboring nations in support of the wars. Of the more than 6,600 U.S. service members who have been killed, 152 have been women.

The senior military official said the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15.

___

AP National Security Writer Robert Burns and AP Broadcast reporter Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-says-women-combat-strength-150027932--politics.html

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Oxygen chamber can boost brain repair years after stroke or trauma

Jan. 23, 2013 ? Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Current therapy and rehab programs aim to help patients heal, but they often have limited success.

Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged -- even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Dr. Efrati and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) -- sessions in high pressure chambers that contain oxygen-rich air -- which increases oxygen levels in the body tenfold.

Analysis of brain imaging showed significantly increased neuronal activity after a two-month period of HBOT treatment compared to control periods of non-treatment, reported Dr. Efrati in PLoS ONE. Patients experienced improvements such as a reversal of paralysis, increased sensation, and renewed use of language. These changes can make a world of difference in daily life, helping patients recover their independence and complete tasks such as bathing, cooking, climbing stairs, or reading a book.

Oxygen breathes new life into neurons

According to Dr. Efrati, there are several degrees of brain injury. Neurons impacted by metabolic dysfunction have the energy to stay alive, but not enough to fire electric signals, he explains. HBOT aims to increase the supply of energy to these cells.

The brain consumes 20 percent of the body's oxygen, but that is only enough oxygen to operate five to ten percent of neurons at any one time. The regeneration process requires much more energy. The tenfold increase in oxygen levels during HBOT treatment supplies the necessary energy for rebuilding neuronal connections and stimulating inactive neurons to facilitate the healing process, explains Dr. Efrati.

For their study, the researchers sought post stroke patients whose condition was no longer improving. To assess the potential impact of HBOT treatment, the anatomical features and functionality of the brain were evaluated using a combination of CT scans to identify necrotic tissue, and SPECT scans to determine the metabolic activity level of the neurons surrounding damaged areas.

Seventy-four participants spanning 6 to 36 months post-stroke were divided into two groups. The first treatment group received HBOT from the beginning of the study, and the second received no treatment for two months, then received a two-month period of HBOT treatment. Treatment consisted of 40 two-hour sessions five times weekly in high pressure chambers containing oxygen-rich air. The results indicate that HBOT treatment can lead to significant improvement in brain function in post stroke patients even at chronically late stages, helping neurons strengthen and build new connections in damaged regions.

A potential avenue for prevention

Although the study focuses on patients only through three years post-stroke, Dr. Efrati has seen similar improvement in patients whose brain injuries occurred up to 20 years before, belying the concept that the brain has a limited window for growth and change. "The findings challenge the leading paradigm since they demonstrate beyond any doubt that neuroplasticity can still be activated for months and years after acute brain injury, thus revealing that many aspects of the brain remain plastic into adulthood," says Prof. Ben-Jacob.

This study also "opens the gate into a new territory of treatment," adds Dr. Efrati. The researchers are currently conducting a study on the benefits of HBOT for those with traumatic brain injury. This treatment also has potential as an anti-aging therapy, applicable in other disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia at their early stages.

"It is now understood that many brain disorders are related to inefficient energy supply to the brain," explains Dr. Efrati. "HBOT treatment could right such metabolic abnormalities before the onset of full dementia, where there is still potential for recovery."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University.

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. Shai Efrati, Gregori Fishlev, Yair Bechor, Olga Volkov, Jacob Bergan, Kostantin Kliakhandler, Izhak Kamiager, Nachum Gal, Mony Friedman, Eshel Ben-Jacob, Haim Golan. Hyperbaric Oxygen Induces Late Neuroplasticity in Post Stroke Patients - Randomized, Prospective Trial. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (1): e53716 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053716

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/~3/26cdKWsBxnU/130123144218.htm

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