Thursday, February 28, 2013

FortiVoice Phone Systems Improve Enterprise Communication ...

By Steven P. Garrison

The FortiVoice phone systems of today have evolved to send them soaring before their competition. Some phone systems function along with the digital PBX systems to provide better services to businesses. Common-sense will tell you it is always advisable to do web research to find the best phone system for your business communication needs. One of the greatest things business phone systems provide is freedom for your workers to go anywhere with no need to miss a business call.

FortiVoice phone systems along with other business phone systems come with a remote telephone unit connected to the office phone system. This permits upgrades and growth if necessary, customization of music on hold, voicemail notifications and plenty of other features that are proved beneficial to the business and its users.

Using FortiVoice phone systems could help you to save plenty of money compared to using other phone systems. Your phone bill might be lowered up to fifty percent! Except for this, the packages are designed so that the company that purchases this telephone system no longer wishes aid from an IT expert just to set up everything. Due to its simpleness, smaller enterprises are given the opportunity to have a classy communication system just like the big firms have.

Even smaller firms need to be outfitted with the newest technology, not only in communication services but with other business wants. The applying of the FortiVoice phone systems would help in making a business grow and become competitive in today's world. It increases productivity, improves shopper service and reinforces employee relations.

There are some suppliers who custom configure the FortiVoice phone systems before it is sent to the buyer. This would make it easy for the business to install the whole system and start using it. Communication with the employees and the buyers is critical in every business. A good communication system would make all of the difference.



About the Author:


We sell, install and provide support for FortiVoice, including the FortiVoice FVC-40 Phone Systems, FortiVoice FortiFone FON-350i Phones and FortiVoice Console Accessories. We offer free shipping and have a 30 Day Return Policy on systems.

Source: http://onlinescommunication.blogspot.com/2013/02/fortivoice-phone-systems-improve.html

Fiat CEO sees 50 percent chance of Chrysler IPO, prefers buyout

KOKOMO, Indiana (Reuters) - Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of both Fiat and its majority-owned Chrysler Group LLC unit, said he sees a 50 percent chance that Chrysler will go public but would prefer that it be fully merged with Fiat.

Fiat shares ownership in the smallest U.S. automaker with a retiree trust fund affiliated with the United Auto Workers labor union. Marchionne said he would prefer that Italian automaker Fiat buy the trust fund's holdings.

"My preference is to be one single company," Marchionne told reporters in Kokomo, Indiana, on Thursday. "We belong together."

Over the last four years, the two automakers have been blending their operations as Fiat has increased its stake in Chrysler, said Marchionne, who has been CEO of both companies since Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy in 2009.

Fiat, however, has been odds with the trust fund over Chrysler's worth. The fund is under pressure to squeeze as much value as possible from its Chrysler holding to pay for medical benefits.

Marchionne was speaking at a plant in Kokomo, Indiana, where Chrysler announced it would invest $374 million in four Indiana plants to support production of its more fuel-efficient eight- and nine-speed transmissions by the end of the year.

The move will create up to 1,250 jobs in Indiana, including as many as 850 jobs at the company's new Tipton Transmission Plant, Chrysler said on Thursday.

Chrysler is spending $162 million to make a nine-speed transmission at Tipton. Production at Tipton is expected to start in the first quarter of 2014.

About $212 million will be invested in the Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo Casting and Indiana Transmission I plants to make the eight- and nine-speed transmissions. The money will be used to install additional tooling and equipment needed to make Chrysler's eight- and nine-speed transmissions by the fourth quarter of 2013.

(Reporting By Bernie Woodall in Kokomo, Indiana; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Sofina Mirza-Reid and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chrysler-invest-374-million-indiana-plants-create-1-173104288--sector.html

joshua komisarjevsky barney frank barney frank kim richards robert hegyes mary louise parker mary louise parker

Get Your Work Done Everywhere With These 10 Very Useful Online ...

I?m not going to brag about how great is this website or that here you?ll find the best design related articles in the Galaxy.

No, here you find everything that we believe can make our life and our design experience more beautiful.

We are promoting the world pixel by pixel, so enjoy the ride and always love beautiful things.

Source: http://designsuperstars.net/get-your-work-done-everywhere-with-these-10-very-useful-online-web-development-tools/

droid 4 tom brady sister dad shoots daughters laptop brandon jennings the vow review luol deng culkin

Keisha Tennyson appointed Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Ga ...

Keisha Tennyson, left, with Tiffini Jones

Keisha Tennyson brings a wealth of fundraising, organizational and strategic communication experience to her new role as the donor development director of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?s (LLS) Georgia Chapter.

Prior to this appointment, Tennyson was the director of development with All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD), a 57-year-old nonprofit organization that provides family support, community engagement, and public policy and advocacy programs for individuals impacted by developmental disabilities in the Atlanta area and throughout the state of Georgia. The scope of Tennyson?s responsibilities included fund development efforts, strategic communications and volunteer initiatives. She was also the project director with Alexander Haas, a nonprofit fundraising consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia.

At the LLS, Tennyson replaces Maureen Davidson who has ascended to the role of deputy executive director for the same chapter.

?Keisha is a dynamic professional who will bring a great deal of development experience and energy to our organization,? says Kelly Dolan, Executive Director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?s Georgia Chapter, in a statement. ?We are thrilled to have Keisha with us and I am certain that with her help, we will continue to successfully fulfill our Mission which is to find cures for blood cancer and improve the quality of lives of our patients and their families.?

Kennyson procured her bachelor?s degree in business administration from Brenau University and also earned her business management degree from Macon State College.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ? (LLS) is the world?s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The mission of the LLS is to fund and find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin?s disease and myeloma. It also works to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Visit the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Georgia chapter by logging onto www.lls.org/ga.

Source: http://blackgossip.org/keisha-tennyson-appointed-leukemia-lymphoma-societys-ga-chapter-donor-development-director/

kurt warner missouri primary minnesota caucus knowshon moreno knowshon moreno sovereign citizen komen

Nuclear talks "useful", Western official says

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, was briefly hospitalized due to her bipolar disorder, the actress' spokeswoman said on Tuesday after video emerged of Fisher giving an unusual stage performance. The video came from a show Fisher gave aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean last week, according to celebrity website TMZ, which posted the clip. The clip shows Fisher, 56, singing "Skylark" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," at times appearing to struggle to remember the lyrics. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nuclear-talks-useful-western-official-says-160754143.html

Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock d t

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Dean Baker: Macho Men, Social Security, and the Chained CPI

In societies across the globe, men demonstrate their manhood in different ways. There are many wonderful tracts on the topic. However, in the culture of Washington, D.C., the best way to demonstrate your manhood is to express your willingness to cut Medicare and Social Security. There is no better way to be admitted into the club of the Very Serious People.

This is the reason that we saw White House spokesman Jay Carney tell a press conference last week that Barack Obama is a macho man. He told the reporters that President Obama is still willing to cut Social Security benefits by using the Chained CPI as the basis for the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). This willingness to cut the benefits of retirees establishes President Obama as a serious person in elite Washington circles.

While most of the D.C. insiders probably don't understand the Chained CPI, everyone else should recognize that this technical fix amounts to a serious cut in benefits. It reduces benefits compared with the current schedule by 0.3 percent annually. This adds up over time. After someone has been getting benefits for 10 years, the cut in annual benefits is 3 percent. After 20 years, people would be seeing a benefit that is 6 percent lower, and after 30 years their benefit would be reduced by 9 percent. (AARP has a nice calculator that shows how much retirees can expect to lose from the Chained CPI.)

We can debate whether the Chained CPI benefit cut should be viewed as "large," but there is no debate that Chained CPI cut is a bigger hit to the typical retiree than the ending of the Bush tax cuts were to the typical high-end earner. Social Security provides more than half of the income for almost 70 percent of retirees. This means that the 3 percent cut in Social Security benefits amounts to a reduction in their income of more than 1.5 percent.

By contrast, if a wealthy couple has an income of $500,000 a year. As a result of President Obama's tax increases, they would be paying an addition 3 percentage points in taxes, or $3,000, on the income above $400,000. That comes to just 0.6 percent of their income.

If the proponents of using the Chained CPI to cut Social Security want to claim that this cut is not a big deal then they must also believe that the tax increases on the wealthy were not a big deal. That's what the arithmetic says and there is no way around it.

The other fact that there is no way around is that they cannot claim that the cut is based on a desire to have a more accurate COLA. There are reasons for claiming that the Chained CPI provides a better measure of inflation for the population as a whole. But we know that the elderly have different consumption patterns from the overall population. Specifically, they consume more health care and housing and fewer new cars and computers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has an experimental elderly index that shows the current CPI actually understates the inflation rate experienced by the elderly. BLS also has done research that shows that the impact of substitution, the key issue with the chained CPI, varies for different demographic groups. This could mean, for example, that many people may have large opportunities to substitute to goods whose prices are rising more slowly. However, the elderly with a consumption basket that disproportionately consists of housing and medical expenses may have fewer opportunities for such substitutions.

While this research, as well as the experimental elderly index, is far from conclusive, there is an obvious solution to anyone genuinely concerned about accuracy: have BLS construct a full elderly index. But talk of a full elderly CPI is strictly verboten among the macho men in Washington, D.C. They want to cut Social Security, and they don't have time for no stinkin' research.

So there we have it, a Democratic president in the White House, along with the many of the top Democrats in Congress, who is willing to give seniors a larger hit to their income than he is to the income of the wealthy. It sure makes you admire their toughness.

Then we don't have to speculate on whether the CPI or Chained CPI is an accurate measure of their inflation rate.

?

Follow Dean Baker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DeanBaker13

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/macho-men-social-security_b_2762806.html

Three killed, seven injured in Swiss workplace shooting

ZURICH (Reuters) - Three people, including the suspected assailant, have been killed in a shooting at a factory near the Swiss city of Lucerne, police said on Wednesday.

Seven others were injured in the attack which happened just after 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) at a wood processing company in the town of Menznau, west of Lucerne, the police said in a statement.

Emergency services were at the scene and the area had been cordoned off. A news conference is due at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT).

Last month, a gunman killed three women and injured two men in the Swiss village of Daillon, stirring a debate about Switzerland's firearm laws that allow men to keep guns after their mandatory military service.

There is no national gun register but some estimates indicate that at least one in every three of Switzerland's 8 million inhabitants keeps a gun, many stored at home. Citizens outside the military can apply for a permit to purchase up to three weapons from the age of 18 in a country where sharp shooting and hunting are popular sports.

A shooting in the Zug regional parliament in 2001, in which 14 people were killed, prompted calls to tighten laws, but the majority of Swiss citizens rejected a proposal in 2011 for extra measures such as lock-ups for guns outside service periods.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-killed-seven-injured-shooting-swiss-factory-124134215.html

World powers and Iran end talks, sides to meet again

ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers ended two days of talks with Iran on Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough, and the two sides have agreed to meet at expert level in Istanbul next month and to hold further high-level negotiations in Kazakhstan in April.

At the talks that ended in the Kazakh city of Almaty, the six world powers - France, Germany, the United States, China Russia and Britain - offered to lift some sanctions if Iran scaled back nuclear activity the West fears could be used to build bombs. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Hopes of a significant easing of the deadlock in the decade-old dispute were dented when Russian media cited a source close to the talks as saying there had been no clear progress.

"So far there is no particular rapprochement. There is an impression that the atmosphere is not very good," Interfax news agency quoted the source as saying shortly before the talks ended.

Iran said the expert-level talks between the two sides would be held in Istanbul on March 18 and another round of political negotiations in Almaty on April 5-6.

Russia's negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, said the Istanbul meeting would take place on March 17-18 and gave the same dates as Iran of April 5-6 for the Almaty talks.

The meeting in Almaty that ended on Wednesday was the first between the world powers and Iran in eight months. Western officials described the first day of the talks as "useful". Iranian state television described the atmosphere in the discussions as "very serious".

The outcome will be closely watched in Israel, which has strongly hinted that it could attack Iran's nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Tehran's uranium enrichment program.

Iran says Israel's assumed nuclear arsenal is the main threat to peace and denies Western allegations it is seeking to develop the capability to make atomic bombs. It says it is only aiming to produce nuclear energy so that it can export more oil.

In their latest attempt to break years of stalemate in the dispute, the powers are offering Iran a relaxation of some of the sanctions that are taking a heavy toll on its economy.

Western officials have confirmed the offer includes some limited sanctions easing if Iran closes a underground site where it carries out its most controversial uranium enrichment work.

Diplomats had seen scant chances of a conclusive deal with Iran before a June presidential election - with the political elite preoccupied with domestic issues - but they had hoped to hold follow-up talks soon.

(Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Almaty, Zahra Hosseinian in Zurich, Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow, Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Marcus George in Dubai; Writing by Timothy Heritage and Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powers-wait-hear-iran-response-nuclear-offer-043022098.html

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Fiennes pulls out of Antarctica trek

Sir Ranulph's team mate Ian Prickett: "We could be in for a week, we could be in for another day"

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has pulled out of an expedition across Antarctica in winter because of severe frostbite.

The 68-year-old was injured after a fall while skiing during training at a base camp in Antarctica. He used his bare hands to fix a ski binding in temperatures around -30C.

His evacuation to South Africa is being hampered by blizzard conditions.

Sir Ranulph is said to be "gutted," but his five team-mates will still embark on the 2,000-mile (3,219km) trek.

Tony Medniuk from the 'Coldest Journey' expedition said Sir Ranulph had been due to lead the team from the front on skis, and had been practising his skiing in whiteout conditions when he fell.

"In seeking to reattach his binding he felt that he couldn't get it on and had to take his glove off in very cold conditions and exposed his hand to snow and as a consequence he has contracted frostbite," he told the BBC.

Continue reading the main story

Frostbite

  • Frostbite is damage to the skin and tissue due to exposure to freezing temperatures
  • It can affect any part of the body, but extremities like fingers, ears, the nose and toes, are particularly vulnerable
  • When it is cold the body diverts blood flow from the extremities to vital organs like the heart and lungs
  • As the blood is redirected, the extremities get colder and fluid in these tissues begin to freeze
  • Initially you may feel pins and needles and painful throbbing, but as the tissues freeze the area becomes numb
  • Ice crystals form, damaging cells, and the low blood flow starves the tissue of oxygen
  • If the blood flow is not restored soon enough the tissue will die and may need to be amputated
  • Almost all cases of frostbite can be prevented by wearing appropriate clothing and avoiding unnecessary exposure to cold

"After five years of preparation, a small slip like this and a few moments can undermine the most meticulous preparation," he added.

The team is attempting to evacuate Sir Ranulph by transporting him by skidoo to the Princess Elisabeth Station, about 70km away from his current position. From there he will be flown to Novo to get a connecting flight to Cape Town.

Blizzard conditions are currently making any evacuation impossible and Sir Ranulph will be unable to move until conditions ease.

The trek is known as The Coldest Journey on Earth. No human being has managed to walk across Antarctica in winter.

The team will face some of the toughest conditions on Earth - near permanent darkness and temperatures dropping close to -90C.

The expedition - from the Russian base of Novolazareskaya to the Ross Sea - is due to begin on 21 March, the start of winter, and is expected to take six months.

The journey is to benefit Seeing is Believing, a charity which tackles avoidable blindness.

Sir Ranulph's past feats include becoming the first person to reach both poles by surface means and the oldest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest, aged 65.

Guinness World Records describes him as the world's greatest living explorer.

This is not the first time the explorer has experienced frostbite. In 2000, he lost the fingers on his left hand during an unaided attempt to reach the North Pole.

When he returned to the UK, he was told he would have to wait several months before they could be amputated to allow the partially damaged tissue to heal. But he decided to do the job himself and carried out the amputations using a fretsaw.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21571870#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

LaGuardia Airport weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA Cnn Live Garcinia Cambogia

Surprise! Janet Jackson is Married!

Forget something borrowed, something blue -- these weddings were out of the blue! From Janet Jackson & Wissam Al Mana to Kate Winslet & Ned Rocknroll to Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds, check out the star nuptials that shocked us

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/surprising-celebrity-weddings/1-b-360908?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asurprising-celebrity-weddings-360908

jane fonda halle berry abc bradley cooper channing tatum Jennifer Aniston naomi watts

Build Your Own T-Shirt Folding Board With Cardboard and Duct Tape

Build Your Own T-Shirt Folding Board With Cardboard and Duct Tape

Employees at clothing stores use special boards to quickly and perfectly fold their merchandise, and you can create the same tool at home with some scrap cardboard and tape.

The video above will walk you through the simple process. It's similar to the clothes folding "machine" we mentioned long ago, but the design is far simpler. Once you're done, you'll be making crisp folds in mere seconds. Using this contraption probably isn't as fast as the Japanese two-second folding technique, but it's nice to have around for anyone else in your house who hasn't learned that trick.

Shirt Folding Board from Cardboard and Duct Tape | Instructables

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/QPve0GjHfjc/build-your-own-t+shirt-folding-board-with-cardboard-and-duct-tape

Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth, study finds

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.

Led by Michigan State University, the study found that low-birth-weight newborns were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with autism later in life if an ultrasound taken just after birth showed they had enlarged ventricles, cavities in the brain that store spinal fluid. The results appear in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"For many years there's been a lot of controversy about whether vaccinations or environmental factors influence the development of autism, and there's always the question of at what age a child begins to develop the disorder," said lead author Tammy Movsas, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at MSU and medical director of the Midland County Department of Public Health.

"What this study shows us is that an ultrasound scan within the first few days of life may already be able to detect brain abnormalities that indicate a higher risk of developing autism."

Movsas and colleagues reached that conclusion by analyzing data from a cohort of 1,105 low-birth-weight infants born in the mid-1980s. The babies had cranial ultrasounds just after birth so the researchers could look for relationships between brain abnormalities in infancy and health disorders that showed up later. Participants also were screened for autism when they were 16 years old, and a subset of them had a more rigorous test at 21, which turned up 14 positive diagnoses.

Ventricular enlargement is found more often in premature babies and may indicate loss of a type of brain tissue called white matter.

"This study suggests further research is needed to better understand what it is about loss of white matter that interferes with the neurological processes that determine autism," said co-author Nigel Paneth, an MSU epidemiologist who helped organize the cohort. "This is an important clue to the underlying brain issues in autism."

Prior studies have shown an increased rate of autism in low-birth-weight and premature babies, and earlier research by Movsas and Paneth found a modest increase in symptoms among autistic children born early or late.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Michigan State University.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Tammy Z. Movsas, Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin, Agnes H. Whitaker, Judith F. Feldman, John M. Lorenz, Steven J. Korzeniewski, Susan E. Levy, Nigel Paneth. Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Associated with Ventricular Enlargement in a Low Birth Weight Population. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.084

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/top_science/~3/CRxm3nh61Tc/130225112510.htm

Virgin and Boost add LTE handsets to their pre-paid rosters

Just because you don't have a contract tying you down doesn't mean you don't deserve LTE speeds, right? Boost and Virgin Mobile will be getting their very own 4G handsets, with help from Sprint's network. You can pick up Samsung's Galaxy Victory 4G LTE over on Virgin's site, starting today for $300 a pop (with more retailers getting in on the action in the middle of next month). Over on Boost, they've got HTC's One SV and the four-inch Boost Force, both dropping on March 7th. Those handsets will run you $300 and $200, respectively.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/virgin-boost-lte/

ASUS PadFone Infinity announced: 5-inch, 1080p display, Snapdragon 600 CPU and full HD tablet display (hands-on)

ASUS PadFone Infinity announced 5inch, 1080p display, Snapdragon 600 CPU and full HD tablet display

You may have heard a new PadFone was on the way -- it's not like ASUS has been dropping obvious hints or anything. In any case, surprise! ASUS just unveiled a new model, the PadFone Infinity. Like other PadFones, this is a handset that slips into a tablet-like dock, allowing you to make use of a bigger screen. This time, though, it ships with Android 4.2, and the display has grown from 4.7 inches to 5. The resolution is now 1080p (up from 720p), which comes out to 441 pixels per inch. Additionally, the tablet's 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, up from 1,280 x 800 in the last-gen model. It's plenty bright, too, at 400 nits, but that's a slight step down from the last-gen model, which lit up to 500 nits.

What's more, the phone's gotten an upgrade on the inside: it now packs a quad-core, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 chip with an Adreno 320 GPU, some of the freshest components Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. Also on-board, you get 2GB of RAM to help boost performance, with your choice of either 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. As far as connectivity, you're looking at EDGE, GPRS, GSM, WCDMA, LTE and DC-HSPA+, along with all the usual radios: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS and even GLONASS. According to an ASUS rep, the device uses a nano-SIM rather than micro-SIM. Around back, ASUS has added a 13-megapixel autofocusing camera with an LED flash, five-element, f/2.0 lens and burst shooting at eight fps. There's a front camera too, capped at 2MP, in case you want to do the occasional video chat. Meanwhile, a slightly bigger 2,400mAh battery promises up to 19 hours of 3G talk time, and up to 40 with the dock attached.

Like every other PadFone that's been released, this won't be available in the US, but the phone-and-dock combo will cost £799 / €999 when it goes on sale in Europe this April. The phone is also headed to Asia, though we don't have any more details. You'll also have your choice of colors, we hear: gray, gold and hot pink, if that's what you're into. Check out our hands-on gallery for a closer look.

Update: Hands-on photos and videos now added. You're welcome.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/eq_SZQW1QhY/

denver weather super bowl recipes planned parenthood kobayashi margaret sanger paul george eddie long

Monday, February 25, 2013

Crews search for family who abandoned sinking boat

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) ? Crews searched by sea and air and sought the public's help Monday as they ramped up their efforts to find a husband and wife and two young children who sent a series of distress calls to the Coast Guard the day before, saying their sailboat was sinking far off the Central California coast and they were fashioning a raft from a cooler and a life ring.

The unidentified family had been sailing a small vessel west of Monterey Bay, where strong winds, cold water and big swells made for perilous conditions. Forecasters had issued a weekend advisory warning boaters of rough seas in the area.

The group ? which included two children under 8 ? made its first distress call late Sunday afternoon, Coast Guard Lt. Heather Lampert said. Investigators used the boat's radio signal and radar to determine the call came from an area about 60 miles west of Monterey, she said.

The boaters reported that their 29-foot sailboat was taking on water and the electronics were failing.

An hour later, the family members reported they had to abandon the boat and were trying to make a life raft out of a cooler and life-preserver ring, Lampert said. The Coast Guard then lost radio contact.

The agency looked for the family through the night and on Monday, with help from the California Air National Guard.

The Coast Guard on Monday also released one of the family's recorded distress calls (http://bit.ly/W90cyv ), in hopes that it will lead to new information from the public that could help in the search. So far the agency has received no reports of missing persons in the case.

The agency believes the boat may have been called "Charmblow." In the crackling recording, a man's voice is heard saying, "Coast Guard, Coast Guard, we are abandoning ship. This is the (Charmblow), we are abandoning ship."

The agency has not identified the family, although investigators were able to determine from the broken distress calls that they were a husband and wife, their 4-year-old son and his cousin, Lampert said.

The family's location initially was reported farther north, but Lampert said investigators using the boat's radio signal and radar now believe the call came in west of Monterey Bay, which is about 100 miles south of San Francisco. The boat did not have a working GPS system.

The National Weather Service had issued an advisory throughout the weekend warning boaters of strong winds and rough seas around the San Francisco Bay Area. Water temperatures in the area typically are in the 40s and 50s, making long-term survival difficult.

Mariners "operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions," the advisory said.

Calls to harbors in California have failed to locate the boat, and database searches have come up empty too, Lampert said. The Coast Guard was expanding its search to Hawaii, the Seattle area and north into Canada.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crews-search-family-abandoned-sinking-boat-230734051.html

Fox News Live Obama 2016 Who Is Winning The Election 2012 Election Coverage 2012 the blaze Linda McMahon Voting Results 2012

Wife: NYC cannibal-plotter viewed disturbing porn

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Italians head to polls in crucial vote for euro zone

ROME (Reuters) - Italians began voting on Sunday in one of the most closely watched elections in years, with markets nervous about whether it will produce a strong government to pull Italy out of recession and help resolve the euro zone debt crisis.

A huge final rally by anti-establishment-comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo on Friday before a campaigning ban kicked in has highlighted public anger at traditional parties and added to uncertainty about the election outcome.

Voters started casting their ballots at 0700 GMT. Polling booths will remain open until 2100 GMT on Sunday and between 0600-1400 GMT on Monday. Exit polls will come out soon after voting ends and official results are expected by early Tuesday.

The election is being followed closely by financial markets with memories still fresh of the potentially catastrophic debt crisis that brought technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti to power more than a year ago.

Italy, the euro zone's third-largest economy, is stuck in deep recession, struggling under a public debt burden second only to Greece's in the 17-member currency bloc and with a public weary of more than a year of harsh austerity policies.

Final polls published two weeks ago showed center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani with a 5-point lead, but analysts disagree about whether he will be able to form a stable majority that can push though the economic reforms Italy needs.

Bersani is now thought to be just a few points ahead of center-right rival Silvio Berlusconi, the four-times prime minister who has promised tax refunds and staged a media blitz in an attempt to win back voters.

BERLUSCONI CRITICISM

Berlusconi hogged the headlines on Sunday after he broke the campaign silence the previous evening attack magistrates, saying they were "more dangerous than the Sicilian mafia" and had invented allegations he held sex parties to discredit him.

The 76-year-old billionaire, who faces several trials on charges ranging from fraud to sex with an underage prostitute, was criticized by his election rivals for making the comments after the campaigning ban had come into force.

While the center left is still expected to gain control of the lower house, thanks to rules that guarantee a strong majority to whichever party wins the most votes nationally, a much closer battle will be fought in the Senate, which any government also needs to control to be able to pass laws.

Seats in the upper house are awarded on a region-by-region basis, meaning that support in key regions can decisively influence the overall result.

Pollsters still believe the most likely outcome is a center-left government headed by Bersani and possibly backed by Monti, who is leading a centrist coalition.

But strong campaigning by Berlusconi and the fiery Grillo, who has drawn tens of thousands to his election rallies, have thrown the election wide open, causing concern that there may be no clear winner.

Surveys have shown up to 5 million voters are expected to make up their minds at the last minute, adding to uncertainty.

Italy's Interior Ministry urged some 47 million eligible voters to not let bad weather forecasts put them off, and said it was prepared to handle snowy conditions in some northern regions to ensure everyone had a chance to vote.

STAGNANT ECONOMY

Whatever government emerges from the vote will have the task of pulling Italy out of its longest recession for 20 years and reviving an economy largely stagnant for two decades.

The main danger for Italy and the euro zone is a weak government incapable of taking firm action, which would rattle investors and could ignite a new debt crisis.

Monti replaced Berlusconi in November 2011 after Italy came close to Greek-style financial meltdown while the center-right government was embroiled in scandals.

The former European Commissioner launched a tough program of spending cuts, tax hikes and pension reforms which won widespread international backing and helped restore Italy's credibility abroad after the scandals of the Berlusconi era.

Italy's borrowing costs have since fallen sharply after the European Central Bank pledged it was prepared to support countries undertaking reforms by buying unlimited quantities of their bonds on the markets.

But economic austerity has fuelled anger among Italians grappling with rising unemployment and shrinking disposable incomes, encouraging many to turn to Grillo, who has tapped into a national mood of disenchantment.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italians-head-polls-crucial-vote-euro-zone-000341345--business.html

josh duhamel josh smith presidents day mindy mccready mindy mccready downton abbey nba all star game

Southwest Florida shines in GDP report



JRL Ventures / Marine Concepts manufactures complex molds that other companies use to make boats rockets and helicopter trainers.

STAFF PHOTO / MIKE LANG

Published: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 2:31 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 2:31 p.m.

NEW: Southwest Florida shines in GDP report - It's dated, but it's happy.

Odds are we're doing even better now.

A report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, a division of the Commerce Department, shows that total goods and services produced in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota market during 2011 was $24.1 billion.

That is up 2.5 percent from 2010, but still short of the $24.4 billion generated in 2008, as Southwest Florida began its long slide into the Great Recession.

Charlotte County, with $3.3 billion in GDP during 2011, had an even stronger rebound from 2010 at 2.8 percent. That was still about $100 million shy of its 2008 performance.

Because of the lag in measuring these numbers the federal government likely will not have the region's 2012 performance until 2014.

But the numbers released on Friday are the most real-time of this broadest measure of economic performance.

Nationally, the average increase among all metros was 1.6 percent, the report shows, so this region was outperforming many.

The total GDP in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota made it the 88th largest metropolitan area out of the nation's 366. Charlotte's put it at No. 346.

Nearby Cape Coral-Fort Myers was 103rd with $20.3 billion and Naples 146th with $13.4 billion. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater was 24th with $116.2 billion. Other Florida metros: Jacksonville (47th, with $60.7 billion), Lakeland (123rd, with $16.8 billion), Miami (11th, with $263.4 billion) and Orlando (30th, with $102 billion).

GDP rose in 242 of those 366 metropolitan areas during 2011, with driven by professional and business services, durable-goods manufacturing and trade, the BEA said.

Of the 10 largest metros, the three with the fastest growth in 2011 were Houston-Sugar Land Baytown, Texas, (3.7 percent), Dallas-Fort Worth (3.1 percent) and San Francisco (2.6 percent). The 10 largest metros account for 38.1 percent of total metro GDP and averaged 2 percent growth in 2011.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130222/article/130229873

osama bin laden death spinal muscular atrophy brooklyn nets may day protests tony nominations 2012 facebook organ donor jessica simpson gives birth

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Former high school football coach charged in 1996 cold case murders of Tennessee women

A former high school football coach has been charged with the murders of two 18-year-old women found stabbed to death 17 years ago in Tennessee, authorities announced Thursday.

Patrick Lamonte Streater, who is currently serving time for robbery in a California prison, was formally indicted Wednesday in the deaths of Tiffany Campbell and Melissa Dawn Chilton.

The charge against Streater, 37, brings an end to the 17-year hunt for the women's killer. The two were found stabbed nearly 100 times in the back on Feb. 22, 1996, inside a business in Nashville called "Exotic Tan for Men." Investigators pursued several leads over the years, but no one was ever arrested. Authorities said Streater was dating Campbell at the time of the murders.

In a press release Thursday, the Nashville Police Department said "investigative work and interviews," as well as "scientific evidence," led to the charges against Streater, though it did not elaborate on what, specifically, cracked the case.?

"The indictment against Patrick Streater is the result of countless hours of detective work by Sgt. [Pat] Postiglione and his team," Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said in a statement. "They worked diligently to uncover new pieces of the investigative puzzle, as well as put into place those pieces developed by other officers over the past 17 years.?

"I know that Gail Chilton and Deborah Edmonds, the mothers of the victims, never lost hope. Neither did we," Anderson said.

The Tennessean newspaper reports that Streater was a track and football star at McGavock High School in 1996. He later became a football coach of Jesuit High School in Sacramento, Calif.

In 2002, Streater was arrested and charged in California with a string of violent robberies involving elderly women. He is currently serving a 12-year sentence.?

?

?

Source: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/lq-oYx5M2t4/

China abc glock earthquake msnbc meteor shower 121212 Concert

Obama Pressures Great Britain Not to Leave European Union

23 Feb 2013, 3:09 PM PDT post a comment

Yet with the EU?s stability already in question, foreign leaders have quickly moved to voice their opposition. Most notably, the Obama administration has said the UK?s continuing membership in the EU is "in the American interest."

Despite these objections, Britain is no longer convinced their best interests are being served by remaining in the union. Speaking exclusively to Breitbart News, Andrew Rosindell M.P. (Member of Parliament) noted every year membership in the EU costs the UK $250 billion, or 6,000 pounds per UK family.?

Of even greater concern is UK?s loss of sovereignty, with 75% of their regulations coming from unelected bureaucrats at the EU. British citizens are especially enraged by legislation such as the European Arrest Warrant--which ended their ancient right to habeas corpus.

Though personally opposed to a British departure, David Cameron is facing an electorate that is becoming increasingly skeptical of the EU. A recent survey by Populus for The Times?found 82% of UK citizens want a referendum on Britain?s membership in the EU.?

Despite years of parliamentary opposition, a national movement has emerged; to date, ninety members of parliament have signed ?The People?s Pledge: Campaign for an EU Referendum.?

Prime Minister Cameron?s views are now at odds with his own party?s. In 2010, much like the Tea Party wave that swept America, Eurosceptic candidates enjoyed massive success at the ballot box. Since then, Cameron?s Conservative party has faced an internal civil war between its pro-EU fraction and their Eurosceptic counterparts. Before his recent decision to allow a referendum, in a vote on a three line whip (where strictest party discipline is required), 81 Members of Parliament voted against the prime minister.

Younger voters who favor lower taxes and freer trade are pulling the Conservative party further to the right. Andrew Rosindell M.P. believes, ?Members of the Conservative Future (the youth wing of the Conservative Party) are overwhelming Eurosceptic and regularly advocate for reform of the EU.? They are quick to note three of the most prosperous nations per capita in Europe are Switzerland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. What is common to all three? Not one of them belongs to the European Union.

Further complicating matters is the emergence of the UK Independence Party and their promise to completely withdraw Britain from the EU. Momentum seems to be on their side, with the latest popular opinion poll showing them in third place--easily beating the Conservative party?s coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats. In the upcoming election, most experts believe the party will gain a majority of the UK?s representatives to the EU.

Conservative politicians are carefully watching the Independence Party?s popularity soar in unison with the public?s opposition to the EU. Many fear people will split their votes between the Independence and Conservative parties, allowing Labour to gain control of Parliament. Losing the next election is now a greater concern for the party than the repercussions of disagreeing with Cameron. Boris Johnson, mayor of London and prominent rival of Cameron?s, recently said, ?I don?t? think that leaving the EU is the end of the world.?

Still, the Independence Party isn?t convinced of their counterpart?s change of heart. To them, leaving the EU isn?t a means to electoral power, but rather the only hope of preserving the UK?s freedom and sovereignty. Lord Christopher Monckton, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher and immediate past deputy party leader, is especially concerned by Europe?s willingness to cede control to unelected supranational and increasingly global bodies.?

In an exclusive interview for Breitbart News, Monckton said, ?The EU is not subject to any jurisdiction at all. They are a law unto themselves. They are also beyond the reach of any electorate and those who are not subject to any law will tend to act lawlessly.?

It doesn?t matter if everyone agrees with Monckton or not, frustration with the EU has reached the point where politicians can no longer act oblivious.

Andrew Rosindell?s M.P. reflections perfectly capture the electorate?s mood, ?Our ancestors did not fight for to uphold the Union Flag and to defend our freedom and democracy, only for it to be slowly ebbed away by politicians and miscellaneous bureaucrats. I am constantly asked by my constituents on the streets and doorsteps of Romford why we have had no referendum on Britain?s relationship on the EU since 1975? I wonder why myself.?

Rather than supporting British sovereignty, however, the Obama administration has issued a soft threat--warning a departure from the EU would weaken London?s global standing and relationship with Washington.?

Speaking for the administration, Philip Gordon, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs stated, ?We welcome an outward-looking European Union with Britain in it. We benefit when the EU is unified, speaking with a single voice.?

In response, Lord Monckton reasoned, ?The main reason why Britain wants to leave the EU is precisely the centralization of its ?speaking voice? in the hands of unelected bureaucrats. The Obama administration's true reason for wanting to keep the UK imprisoned in the EU is that the EU is a totalitarian Socialist project that Obama favors." Monckton claims, "The EU is indeed anti-American, and was largely founded as a xenophobic attempt to rival the size and strength of the U.S.?

Is the EU actually anti-American? Many would argue the contrary, but what can?t be denied is the US?s recent trend of European style policies. The Obama administration has taken control of a substantial portion of the nation?s automotive industry, financial institutions, and health-care system. Most European nations took these same steps decades ago.?

The Obama administration has also heavily pushed for a ratification of the UN Conventions on the Right of Persons with Disabilities and the Law of the Sea. Both treaties would give international bureaucrats veto authority over US law. Critics believe, if passed, these measures would give the UN control over parental decision making for disabled children and force the US to comply with international carbon emission caps. Could US citizens one day lose their right to habeas corpus as their British counterparts already have?

Not surprisingly, the Obama administration?s favoritism of European style ?democracy? is producing many of the same results. Both continents are experiencing high unemployment and civil unrest, while the US dollar, like the euro, continues to lose value, resulting in rapid inflation.?

When Greece?s financial crisis began in 2009, their national debt to GDP ratio was 113.4%. In 2012, the US?s ratio surpassed 100% and continues to climb upwards. If this trend isn?t reversed quickly, the US cannot hope to avoid the same consequences.

Financially, the US cannot afford to follow the European Union?s example; however, Lord Monckton feels there is more at stake than a monetary crisis. ?The globalization of political power will be fatal to democracy. Where it is accompanied by the globalization of groupthink, the once-cheerful international market-place for competing ideas and ideologies will come to be replaced by a single party line (excitingly rebranded "consensus") that is intended to empower and enrich the global?classe politique?at the expense of the rest of us,? he claims.

America and the United Kingdom are facing many of the same issues. There is only one difference. The EU has already experienced ?solutions? similar to President Obama?s. Before the President follows the EU?s policies any further, he should first ask Britain why they want out.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigPeace/~3/uQV7fXOpz9Y/Obama-supports-EU-s-totalitarian-social-project

montrose marshawn lynch earthquake bay area clear channel drexel dale george will

Oscars have clear favorites, wild-card MacFarlane

A statue in the likeness of an Oscar award is displayed on the red carpet for the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

A statue in the likeness of an Oscar award is displayed on the red carpet for the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

People prepare the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre for the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Actor Hugh Jackman, right, attends rehearsals for the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

(AP) ? Some firsts and other rarities are possible at Sunday night's Academy Awards. But if the Oscars could be just a little less predictable, the show might really be one for the record books.

Ben Affleck's "Argo" looks like it will uniquely claim best picture without a directing nomination, while "Lincoln" filmmaker Steven Spielberg and star Daniel Day-Lewis are favored to join exclusive lists of three-time Oscar winners.

If some longshots came in, the night could produce two more three-time acting winners ? Sally Field from "Lincoln" and Robert De Niro for "Silver Linings Playbook."

We could also have the oldest or youngest acting winner ever ? 86-year-old "Amour" star Emmanuelle Riva and 9-year-old Quvenzhane (Kwa-VEHN-ja-nay) Wallis of "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

The ABC television broadcast itself could set some fresh highs or lows. Oscar overseers keep talking about pacing and trimming fat from a ceremony that's dragged on interminably, approaching four and a half hours one year. Can they keep it tight and lively enough that viewers don't think about gouging out their eyes around the three-hour mark?

And what about host Seth MacFarlane? He's a classy, low-key guy in person, with an old-fashioned Sinatra-style singing voice that he'll no doubt put to use in a show that's shaping up as a music-heavy, Broadway-style celebration of cinema.

Yet MacFarlane's career is built on pushing the envelope ? or crumpling it and tossing it in the trash ? as he's tested the boundaries of good taste with such brazen shows as his animated series "Family Guy" and last summer's obscenity-laden blockbuster "Ted," which earned him a songwriting Oscar nomination.

The result could be a fun night for younger, hipper TV audiences that Oscar organizers are courting but a crude awakening for traditionalists who like their Academy Awards to lean more toward the sacred than the profane. Or it could be that MacFarlane makes the most of the thankless task of shepherding the Oscars, striking a nice balance between respecting Hollywood and poking fun at it.

"I think a little bit of that injected into the mix will go a long way, but I do also have to be mindful, in this instance, of not losing the audience that's there every year," MacFarlane said. "It's a different audience from my own, but I do have to be respectful that they will be watching."

So maybe it's an Oscar show that's shaken, but not stirred up too much. That might suit one of the evening's special honorees, British super-spy James Bond, whose adventures will be the subject of a tribute to mark the 50th anniversary of his first big-screen outing in "Dr. No." Adele will perform her Oscar-nominated title tune to last year's Bond tale "Skyfall," while the show features Shirley Bassey, who sang the Bond theme songs for "Goldfinger," ''Diamonds Are Forever" and "Moonraker."

The show presents a salute to movie musicals of the last decade, with "Chicago" Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and "Dreamgirls" winner Jennifer Hudson joining "Les Miserables" cast members that include best-actor nominee Hugh Jackman, supporting-actress front-runner Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Helena Bonham Carter and Amanda Seyfried.

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have lined up a bubbly mix of young and old Hollywood as presenters, performers and special guests ? from Barbra Streisand, Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda to "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe, "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart, and Robert Downey Jr. and his superhero colleagues from "The Avengers."

Along with front-runners Day-Lewis as best actor for "Lincoln" and Hathaway as supporting actress for "Les Miserables," the other favorites are Jennifer Lawrence as best actress for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Tommy Lee Jones as supporting actor for "Lincoln."

Day-Lewis would be only the sixth performer to earn three or more Oscars and the first to win three times as best actor. "Lincoln" also could make Spielberg just the fourth filmmaker to win three or more directing trophies.

Affleck's thriller "Argo" is in line for best picture after winning practically every top prize at earlier honors. Hollywood was shocked that Affleck was snubbed for a directing nomination, possibly earning the film some sympathy votes, particularly from actors, who love it when one of their own succeeds behind the camera.

The story of how Hollywood, Canada and the CIA teamed up to rescue six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis, "Argo" would become just the fourth film in 85 years to claim the top prize without a best-directing nomination and the first since 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy."

The best-picture prize typically ends the Oscar show, but this time, MacFarlane and Kristin Chenoweth will perform a closing number on the Dolby Theatre stage that producers Zadan and Meron called a "'can't miss' moment."

Keeping the wraps on whatever surprises they have in store has been a chore for them and MacFarlane.

"It's been difficult. The press, as you know, is very nosy and sneaky. They're always sniffing around trying to get any advance notice," MacFarlane said. "It's like (expletive) Christmas. Wait till Christmas morning. Don't spoil the surprise."

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-24-Oscars/id-d4be6581f5914852846206b4077a70c4

april 17 boston marathon tu pac hologram shuttle pippa middleton space shuttle discovery spacex

UFC 157 picks from Kevin Iole, Maggie Hendricks and Cagereaders like you

After months of build-up, we're almost to the historic bout between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, which headlines UFC 157 in Anaheim. Here is how we think the fights will go. A big thank you to all the Cagereaders who contributed their picks.

Kevin Iole ?Ronda Rousey SUB1 Liz Carmouche: Scottie Bowman, the greatest hockey coach ever, always would say he'd stick with the hot hand. In this case, the hot hand is Rousey. She's got a far better athletic pedigree and she's looked unbeatable against elite competition in Kaufmann and Tate. First-round arm bar win for Rousey

Maggie Hendricks ? Ronda Rousey SUB1 Liz Carmouche: The thing about Rousey's armbar is that it's going to be unstoppable until someone stops it. Brilliant, right? Because of the move's unpredictability, it's equally difficult to predict who will be the one who can stop it.

Cagereader ? My pick: Ronda Rousey by first round armbar. Yes, again. I don't think anyone's got her figured out yet, and her aggression is too much to deal with for anyone at this point. -- Dan Butera

Cagereader ? Rousey. She has more to offer than Carmouche. I think it will be Rousey's longest fight ever since Carmouche is a scrappy chick. She definitely has her work cut out for her. -- Charlotte Petroskey

***

Kevin Iole ? Dan Henderson TKO2 Lyoto Machida: Henderson is going to grind on Machida and wear him down until he gets enough space to land his big right hand.

Maggie Hendricks ? Dan Henderson W3 Lyoto Machida: As Kevin Iole points out in his column, Machida is not the elusive fighter he once was. Henderson will wear him down and take the bout.

Cagereader ? I'll take Machida over Henderson. Machida's height, reach, and long torso is going to make it very hard for Hendo to impose his will. Throw in Machida's speed advantage, faster punches, better cardio, and youth, and this one could end up being lopsided. Dan Henderson, as always, does have a puncher's chance, but that is about it in my opinion. -- Buddy Kreutzer

***

Kevin Iole ? Urijah Faber SUB3 Ivan Menjivar: Faber hasn't fought like a star in a while and the pressure is on him to do so. He's primed for a good performance and I think he delivers it.

Maggie Hendricks ? Urijah Faber SUB2 Ivan Menjivar: Fighting in California, Faber should be able to get back on the winning track and outgrapple Menjivar for a win.

Cagereader ? Though both Faber and his opponent are very dynamic and multidimensional, predict the intense energy will lead to an unpredictable TKO with Faber winning! -- Ernie Brewer

***

Kevin Iole ? Josh Neer W3 Court McGee: This is a flip-a-coin match so I'm going to go with the guy with more experience.

Maggie Hendricks ? Court McGee W3 Josh Neer: Yep, pretty much what Kevin said, so my coin flipped to McGee.

Cagereader ? Hard not to like McGee's drop to 170. His smothering style should win the day. McGee by Decision. - John Wilcox

***

Kevin Iole ? Josh Koscheck W3 Robbie Lawler: Lawler is simply not the same fighter he once was. I think Koscheck wins a pretty wide decision here.

Maggie Hendricks ? Josh Koscheck W3 Robbie Lawler: Though Koscheck is coming off of a loss, Lawler hasn't done much to show he can stop Koscheck's wrestling or striking.

Cagereader ? I think Koscheck to beat Lawler. Kos will be desperate to get back into the win column and I see him wearing down Robbie with his outstanding wrestling ability and finishing him late on as Lawler tires. Koscheck by RNC round 3. - Craig Donaldson

Forgot to make your picks on Facebook in time for this post? That's OK. Post them here, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-157-picks-kevin-iole-maggie-hendricks-cagereaders-171043268--mma.html

colt mccoy arbor day mike adams janoris jenkins john edwards trial brandon weeden felicia day

The flu hit American workers hard in January

In a new study out Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control, the vaccine proved effective just over half of the time. And among seniors who are 65 years old and older, one of the most vulnerable populations, the vaccine only offered nine percent protection. NBC's Robert Bazell reports.

By Allison Linn, TODAY

That nasty flu season appears to have taken a toll on our productivity as well as our health.

More American workers called in sick in January than during any month in nearly five years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said this week.

Nearly 2.9 million full-time workers only worked part-time during the week in which they were surveyed because of illness, injury or medical appointment, the BLS said. Also,?more than 1.2 million people were off work for the whole week they were surveyed because they were sick, the BLS said.

That?s the highest level of people calling in sick since February?2008, when 1.3 million people missed a full week of work and 3.3 million full-time workers only worked part-time because of illness.

The BLS noted that more people typically call in sick during the winter months, when seasonal illnesses such as cold and the flu are common. But this year appears to have been especially hard on Americans, and on workers.

The flu season got off to an early and aggressive start, but the good news is that it appears to have peaked in late January, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Still, experts warn that the flu could continue to circulate for months.

In addition, other bugs, such as common colds and the stomach flu, can keep workers from heading into the office.

For many workers, getting sick can literally be costly. There is no federal requirement that companies provide paid sick leave, although companies who are subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act requires unpaid sick leave.

About 66 percent of workers have access to paid sick leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Full-time workers are much more likely than part-time workers to have paid sick leave, according to the BLS.

Have you had to call in sick yet this season?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/02/22/17047057-the-flu-hit-american-workers-hard-in-january?lite

amy schumer Prince Harry Vegas pictures Avril Lavigne Microsoft Tropical Storm Isaac amber portwood Phyllis Diller

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Oscar animators ready to be taken seriously

FILE - This publicity film image released by Disney shows Edgar "E" Gore, voiced by Atticus Shaffer in a scene from "Frankenweenie." The Disney film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category. The 85th Academy Awards are on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Disney, file)

FILE - This publicity film image released by Disney shows Edgar "E" Gore, voiced by Atticus Shaffer in a scene from "Frankenweenie." The Disney film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category. The 85th Academy Awards are on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Disney, file)

FILE - This publicity film image released by Focus Features shows characters, from left, Grandma Babcock, voiced by Elaine Stritch, Sandra Babcock, voiced by Leslie Mann, Perry Babcock, voiced by Jeff Garlin, Norman, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Courtney, voiced by Anna Kendrick, in the 3D stop-motion film, "ParaNorman." The Focus Features animated film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category. The 85th Academy Awards are on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Focus Features, File)

FILE - In this undated publicity film image released by Disney/Pixar, the character Merida, voiced by Kelly Macdonald, follows a Wisp in a scene from "Brave." The Disney/Pixar animated film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category. The 85th Academy Awards are on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Disney/Pixar, File)

FILE - This publicity film image released by Disney shows Ralph, left, voiced by John C. Reilly in a scene from "Wreck-It Ralph." The Disney animated film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category. The 85th Academy Awards are on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Disney, File)

(AP) ? In the animated feature film category at this year's Oscars, there's a film set in medieval Scotland, another that features old-school video game characters, one that relies heavily on dry British humor, while the other two take inspiration from the supernatural.

It's not exactly kid stuff ? and that's how the directors like it.

"I think this year with these films ? and so many more ? the envelope for animation is being pushed," said "Brave" director Mark Andrews at an Academy Awards event Thursday night honoring the animated feature film nominees. "We keep seeing more risky, deep films that we wouldn't have seen 10 years ago coming out. I wanna be one of those guys pushing it more and more and more because it's not only an awesome medium, but there's so many more stories that we can tell."

The Scotland-set "Brave," a darker fable from Pixar about a rebellious red-headed princess named Merida, will face off against four other animated films at Sunday's 85th annual Academy Awards. The category was first introduced at the 2002 ceremony, with "Shrek" winning the inaugural trophy.

Despite the less lighthearted tone of this year's animated nominees, none cracked the best picture category for a spot alongside the likes of "Argo," ''Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty." (Only three animated films have ever been nominated for best picture at the Oscars: "Beauty and the Beast," ''Up" and "Toy Story 3.")

"Edward Scissorhands" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" mastermind Tim Burton could take home his first-ever Oscar at the Dolby Theatre ceremony for "Frankenweenie," his black-and-white stop-motion film based on his 1984 live-action short film of the same name.

"Frankenweenie" is among three of the five Oscar nominated films this year that employ stop-motion, the intricate and time consuming animation method that use miniature sculptures and sets. Despite a strong stop-motion presence at this year's Oscars, Burton cited finances, not the omnipresence of computer animation, as the reason that more stop-motion films aren't produced.

"In the case of 'Frankenweenie,' it's not like it was a studio wish-list to-do: 'Let's make black-and-white stop-motion animation,'" said Burton. "You hope it can survive. We all love it."

The other stop-motion nominees are the English seafaring comedy "Pirates! Band of Misfits" from director Peter Lord and the undead tale "ParaNorman" from directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler.

"Wreck-It Ralph" director Rich Moore told the crowd at the motion picture academy's Beverly Hills headquarters that he never envisioned the video game adventure from Disney as a musical, but "Book of Mormon" co-writer Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez did create an original song for the film.

"It didn't work, so it's not in the movie," said Moore. "That's our process. We try lots of stuff. We throw it against the wall, and the stuff that sticks stays in the movie. It's a very organic process making films like this."

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-22-Oscar%20Countdown-Animation%20Nominees/id-43c37e6e85ac49f89e5aa7408183efce

usher James Holmes Minka Kelly sex tape Colorado shooting Colorado shooting victims aurora Angie Everhart

Newer Posts Older Posts Home