Senate rejects bid to trim Superstorm Sandy bill

Producers of Katie Holmes's Broadway play Dead Accounts, a dark family comedy by Theresa Rebeck, have announced that the show will be closing nearly two months early, wrapping up on January 6 instead of the planned February 24. Obviously the press release about the matter doesn't mention any reasons, but we can assume the show is closing because of poor ticket sales. January is a notoriously difficult frozen tundra for many a Broadway show to traverse, and Dead Accounts just didn't have it. So the cast is being spared the agony of trying. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-rejects-bid-trim-superstorm-sandy-bill-234125760.html

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CSN: No RG3, no prob ? 'Skins tied for East lead

CLEVELAND?No one was quite sure how the injury to Robert Griffin III would affect Washington?s postseason push.

Well, in the end, it didn?t hurt at all. Rookie backup Kirk Cousins stepped in Sunday, passed for 329 yards and two touchdowns, and the Redskins won for the fifth straight week, defeating the Browns, 38-21, at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The streak is the Redskins' longest since 2005 and it puts them in control of their own destiny with NFC East games remaining against the Eagles and Cowboys. The Browns, meantime, suffered their first loss in four contests.

Cousins completed 26 of his 37 pass attempts in his first NFL start.

He also shook off a shaky first quarter.

On the Redskins? second possession, Cousins? third pass attempt of the afternoon sailed off target, got tipped and wound up in the hands of T.J. Ward. The Browns safety returned the ball to Washington?s six-yard line.

A play later, Trent Richardson scored to put Cleveland ahead 7-0 and break Jim Brown?s franchise record for touchdowns by a rookie with his 10th.

Cousins, though, settled down in a first half marked by little continuity as the teams combined to convert 4 for 15 on third downs. But after back-to-back three and outs, Cousins fired a perfectly placed pass into triple coverage. Leonard Hankerson hauled in the toss and scored a 54-yard touchdown to knot the score 7-7.

After Kai Forbath connected on his 15th?consecutive field goal, the Browns pulled ahead 14-10 on Richard?s second touchdown of the half.

The Redskins, however, scored the next 21 points to seize control of the contest.

Linebackers Rob Jackson and London Fletcher each picked off Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden (21 of 35 for 244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) in a season half that saw the visitors pull away and Cleveland Browns Stadium empty out early in the fourth quarter.

Jackson?s third quarterback interception set up the Redskins at the Browns? 15-yard line. Three plays later, Alfred Morris scored from three yards out to put the Redskins ahead for good, 17-14.

Hankerson?s second touchdown of the game ? and third of the season ? put the Redskins ahead 24-14.

Fletcher?s interception ? his fourth of the season ? set up another touchdown early in the fourth. Playing in his record 238th?consecutive game, the 37-year-old linebacker equaled his career high for interceptions (2000, 2006).

Although a 69-yard touchdown reception by Travis Benjamin gave the Browns hope at 31-21, the Browns hope was fleeting. Morris? second touchdown made it 38-21 with 5:00 left to play.?

Source: http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/talk/instant-analysis-redskins-38-browns-21

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uftarfuri: Anxiety Panic Attacks | Health & Fitness ...

Anxiety panic attacks are a result of anxious thinking which is learned behaviour. An anxious person has usually suffered from different levels of anxiety for years and an increase in anxious thinking results in a full blown panic attack. Once the initial attack has been experienced the fear of more attacks holds the problem in place.

It is possible to overcome anxious behaviour, to learn to recognise it when it begins and to use strategies to change the thinking patterns before the problem turns into panic. Hypnosis can help because it re-trains the mind and your therapist should teach you strategies to use at home both between sessions and after therapy has finished.

Finding out how the mind works, (Metaphysics) and applying various, easy to learn and apply techniques can lift you out of the anxious behaviour and into a new way of being. You may have learned anxious behaviour as a child from the adults who raised you but you can choose to change that behaviour at any time you choose.

Anxiety Panic Attacks
Anxiety panic attacks are not usually brought on by what happens but by what you make of what has happened. They are often a result of 'what if's' which is the fear that something bad may happen. The constant worrying creates fear and anxiety and when that reaches a certain level the panic attack occurs.
A panic attack is a natural result of fear. Your body is displaying the normal 'fight or flight' response that can, in situations of real danger, save your life. Your body is working completely normally in the situation.

The trouble is that the majority of people who have this problem or any problem come to that matter don't know how to overcome it or let it go. They end up doing all the things that make the problem worse, holding it in position for many years in some instances.

Overcoming Anxiety Panic Attacks
Overcoming the problem, any problem, is easier than most people would believe. Instead of focusing on the problem, instead of trying to get rid of it, fighting it, hating it or being angry with it turn away from it and focus on what you want instead. It makes sense that you cannot get rid of a problem while you focus on it because whatever you focus on increases.

Instead of fighting anxiety panic attacks let go and choose again. Think about what would be the opposite to panic attack for you (it will be different for everyone). The opposite could be to trust that all will be well, to be relaxed, to be calm, cool and collected to be happy, healthy, abundant or safe.

When you've chosen what you would prefer instead say it. Say it out loud or in your head, make a jingle out of it and sing it to a popular or favorite tune. Use the following affirmation daily and as often as possible, "Every day, in every way I'm getting better and better and better." In this way you trancend the problem (get over it).

Keep going, don't stop at the first hurdle, all new habits have to be repeated over and over before they become our new reality. You didn't learn to drive by having one lesson and this new behaviour won't be installed with one or two repetitions. It is however guaranteed that if you persist you will very soon find a positive change in affairs.

To your amazing success

Christine Wesson

Hi, my name is Christine Wesson. I'm a professional therapist and I've been studying the mind for over ten years. I have helped many people to overcome phobias, panic attacks and general anxiety. The techniques used are simple and effective and there really is no need to suffer any longer. If you have any of these problems and you would like to make the rest of your life the best of your life try clicking this link right now.

http://www.makingpositivechanges.co.uk/

Source: http://healthandfitness5.blogspot.com/2012/12/anxiety-panic-attacks_14.html

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Source: http://uftarfuri.blogspot.com/2012/12/anxiety-panic-attacks-health-fitness.html

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Food & Drink Innovation Network ? NEW BOTTLE DESIGN FOR ...

December 17th, 2012

Halewood International has unveiled a new design for Crabbie?s Green Ginger Wine, to coincide with its pre-Christmas ?Make Time for Tradition? campaign.

The new bottle aims to re-energise the brand and create greater shelf stand out and attract new customers.

The ?Make Time for Tradition? campaign, which runs until the end of January 2013, will aim to emphasise the brand?s heritage, reinforcing Crabbie?s position as a premium branded Ginger Wine.

Activity will target the On and Off Trade and involve Off Shelf promotions across the grocery channel including reward card initiatives to drive sales.

The new bottle aims to re-energise the brand

A national consumer press campaign featuring recipe ideas and serve suggestions is supporting the campaign, along with interactive online competitions and sampling for over 100,000 people at the Good Food Shows.

Crabbie?s Green Ginger Wine continues to be the most drunk Ginger Wine in the UK, with a customer base of 1.4 million.

In the Take Home channel, Crabbie?s Green Ginger Wine has doubled its volume over the last 12 months and, as part of the wider Crabbie?s portfolio, is benefiting from the TV support for Crabbie?s Alcoholic Ginger Beer in the run up to Christmas.

Al Cross, Marketing Controller at Halewood International, said:

?Heritage is one of the underlining factors of the Crabbie?s brand and this, combined with the quality and versatility of Crabbie?s Green Ginger Wine, is what has made the product so successful since its launch two years ago.

?General awareness for the Crabbie?s brand has increased through multichannel media activity and has reminded shoppers of the original product and why they first bought into the brand, whilst also attracting a new consumer following.

?Crabbie?s Green Ginger Wine?s packaging design underlines a significant step change for the brand, and also reflects the product range?s strong identity, reaching out to this new audience of consumers?.

Related posts:

1. CRABBIE?S LAUNCHES SPICED GINGER MULLED WINE FOR CHRISTMAS
2. CRABBIE?S LAUNCHED GINGER SAUCE
3. JOHN CRABBIE SOFT DRINKS RELEASED IN TWO NEW FLAVOURS
4. CRABBIE?S LAUNCHES NEW SPICED ORANGE VARIETY
5. NEW CRABBIE?S BLACK GINGER BEER
6. CRABBIE?S GINGER BEER NOW AVAILABLE IN CANS
7. JOHN CRABBIE?S LAUNCHES NEW GINGER MIXERS
8. CRABBIE?S RELEASES LATEST TV CAMPAIGN

Source: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2012/12/new-bottle-design-for-crabbies-green-ginger-wine/

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T-Mobile planning to move entirely to Value Plans in 2013

T-Mobile's not skimping on the big announcements at its Capital Market Days conference: it's now declared that it plans to move entirely to its Value Plans in 2013. The carrier's current rate offering nets you a lower monthly tariff in exchange for an omitted device subsidy -- in other words, bring your own phone, and you'll pay less for service. The new strategy would make the company's voice and data lineup more competitive, particularly for subscribers who don't mind paying full sticker price for their handsets, bringing over an unlocked device from another carrier or financing your new phone for twenty months. (This may very well be a key strategy when it comes to its newfound relationship with Apple.) This likely won't be as drastic a move as it sounds, as the company briefly mentioned at today's conference that nearly 80 percent of all postpaid activations utilize the Value Plans already. During this afternoon's presentation, the company used the term "Un-carrier" to describe its new direction -- considering that Deutsche Telekom's Capital Market Days programming runs through tomorrow in Bonn, this move could turn out to be but one piece of T-Mobile's overall marketing plan for 2013.

Filed under: Mobile

Comments

Via: Sascha Segan (Twitter)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/06/t-mobile-value-plans/

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Gabby Giffords' brother-in-law to spend year in orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? A former space shuttle commander whose twin brother is married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attempt the longest spaceflight ever by an American.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2015.

Both countries' space agencies announced the names of the two veteran spacefliers on Monday. The extended mission was approved almost two months ago to provide a medical foundation for future missions around the moon, as well as far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars.

Both men already have lived aboard the space station for six months. NASA wanted experienced space station astronauts to streamline the amount of training necessary for a one-year stint. Officials had said the list of candidates was very short. They will begin training next year.

"Their skills and previous experience aboard the space station align with the mission's requirements," Bill Gerstenmaier, head of human exploration for NASA, said in a statement. "The one-year increment will expand the bounds of how we live and work in space and will increase our knowledge regarding the effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions beyond low-Earth orbit."

Kelly's identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, retired from the astronaut corps last year and moved to Tucson, Ariz., his wife's hometown. The former congresswoman was critically wounded in an assassination attempt in January 2011, while Scott Kelly was living aboard the space station.

Astronauts normally spend about four to six months aboard the space station. The longest an American lived there was seven months, several years back.

Russia, though, will continue to hold the world space endurance record.

Three cosmonauts spent at least a year aboard the old Mir space station. A Russian physician, Valery Polyakov, logged nearly 15 continuous months there in the mid-1990s.

Boris Morukov, head of the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems, Russia's main space medicine research center, told the Interfax news agency that communications and food rations for Kelly and Kornienko may be limited during their yearlong mission to better simulate interplanetary travel.

Kelly and Kornienko will launch aboard a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan. Americans must buy seats on Russian spacecraft now that NASA's shuttles have retired to museums, until private U.S. companies have vessels capable of carrying human passengers. That's still four or five years off.

Kelly is a 48-year-old, divorced Navy captain with two daughters. Kornienko, 52, a rocket engineer, is married with a daughter.

"We have chosen the most responsible, skilled and enthusiastic crew members to expand space exploration, and we have full confidence in them," Russian Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said in the announcement.

___

AP writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-twin-astronaut-russian-spend-orbit-171859046.html

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TWU chancellor/president Ann Stuart announces retirement

Texas Woman?s University Chancellor and President Ann Stuart announced today at the TWU Board of Regents meeting that she will be retiring.

Stuart, who has been the chancellor and president of TWU since 1999, agreed to remain in her role until a successor is named.

?Her exceptional leadership has helped TWU become a stronger and smarter university that is well prepared for the challenges of tomorrow,? Mike McCullough, chair of the TWU board of regents, said in a prepared statement Friday.

In his statement, McCullough noted that under Stuart?s leadership, enrollment has grown 85 percent and more than 20,000 students graduated.

The university has raised $220 million dollars for scholarships, facilities and faculty development during Stuart?s tenure, he wrote.

During her time at TWU, Stuart established the Ann Stuart and Ray R. Poliakoff Celebration of Science, a series to promote and celebrate science. She also established the Chancellor?s Alumni Excellence Award and the Ann Stuart and Ray R. Poliakoff Endowed Scholarships for undergraduate students.

Sue Bancroft, vice chair of the TWU Board of regents, will lead the search for a new chancellor and president, the announcement stated.

?I know the other members of the Board of Regents join me in thanking Dr. Stuart for her stellar leadership and unwavering devotion to TWU,? McCullough wrote in his statement. ?She will be a hard act to follow.?

RACHEL MEHLHAFF can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is rmehlhaff@dentonrc.com.

Source: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20121116-twu-chancellorpresident-ann-stuart-announces-retirement.ece

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Director Lou Ye: I want to make films in China for Chinese people

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Increase Your Creativity: Work in Other Mediums | Self improvement ...

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As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

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Source: http://sandtrrrodney5.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/increase-your-creativity-work-in-other-mediums-self-improvement.html

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American Airlines to continue reducing flights in November

6 hrs.

AP staff , AP

American Airlines says it will cut passenger-carrying capacity by 1 percent in the first half of November as it tries to recover from widespread delays and a spike in?cancellations.

American said Thursday that the pullback will give it more time to return to normal operations without affecting holiday travel.

Delays and?cancellations?soared in September, which American blamed on a work slowdown by some pilots. The pilots' union denied the charge.

Although American has boosted its on-time arrivals from September's 59-percent mark, flight-tracking service FlightStats.com says American still trailed other large U.S. airlines in delays on Wednesday.

American cut capacity in September and October by up to 2 percent. Airlines reduce capacity by eliminating flights or using smaller planes.

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

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/american-airlines-continue-reducing-flights-november-1C6412547

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War zones, body language off-camera at debates

Vice President Joe Biden, center, and his wife Jill Biden, meet with Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, his wife Janna Ryan, left, and son Charlie Ryan, center, on stage after the vice presidential debate, at Centre College in Danville, Ky., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Vice President Joe Biden, center, and his wife Jill Biden, meet with Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, his wife Janna Ryan, left, and son Charlie Ryan, center, on stage after the vice presidential debate, at Centre College in Danville, Ky., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin participate in the vice presidential debate at Centre College, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Danville, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and wife Janna Ryan talk to Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden after the vice presidential debate at Centre College, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Danville, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? Most voters watching the debate from home didn't get to see what happened before and after Vice President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Paul Ryan went on stage Thursday. Even then, some exchanges were lost in broadcast.

Here's what those voters missed:

___

BEFORE THE DEBATE

In the minutes leading up to the debate, moderator Martha Raddatz took her seat with her back to the audience. She joked that she is used to reporting from war zones, a place where she seldom turns her back on anyone.

After a few awkward moments of silence, she spun around in her chair and tried to warm up the crowd. "Anybody have any questions?" she asked to laughter.

Several times, Raddatz turned and looked to the balcony, where TV networks filmed pre-debate coverage. Most correspondents were quiet, but the voice of Fox News Channel's Bret Baier boomed throughout the hall.

When the debate was about to begin, Baer again introduced himself to viewers just tuning in. Raddatz pointedly turned around ? to more laughter from the crowd.

___

IN ROMNEY'S SUITE

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took in the first and only vice presidential debate from his hotel suite in Asheville, N.C., surrounded by campaign aides and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.

On the television, as Biden answered Raddatz's first question about Libya, Romney turned to his left and asked his aides: "Will Paul attack on this?"

Romney, in a white shirt and tie, otherwise sat with his hands on his knees and watched the flat-screen TV.

Asked to make a prediction on Ryan's responses, Romney said simply: "I think Paul will do great."

___

BODY LANGUAGE

Between answers, Biden clutched his hands impatiently. At other times, he jotted points on a notepad.

Ryan listened and kept his hands folded from across the table, occasionally scribbling notes on full-size sheets of copy paper.

But when Ryan made statements that annoyed Biden, the vice president repeatedly stretched his left arm across the table toward Ryan ? coming close to covering Ryan's notes.

___

TWITTER REPONSE

Twitter commentators focused for much of the first half of the debate on Biden's demeanor ? Democrats called it a smile while Republicans called it a smirk.

Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush's political director, tweeted: "Biden doing best imitation of Al Gore 00. Snickers, grimaces, and exaggerated gestures."

At one point, New York Times columnist Nickolas Kristof posted, "Biden is pretty good at being sarcastic and lacerating, without coming across as nasty."

___

AFTER THE DEBATE

At the end, Ryan's family jumped onto the stage, led by his daughter, to greet Ryan. His two sons, wife and mother also joined the congressman.

Ryan then took his family across the stage, as if to meet the Bidens. The vice president lingered with Ryan's mother, Betty, and wife, Janna.

After the candidates left the stage, Biden aide Sam Myers went on stage to collect Biden's notes.

But while the adults chatted, Ryan's younger son sat down in Ryan's chair. He then skipped off stage.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-11-Debate-What%20You%20Didn't%20See/id-3e32ea6f2776432081ac57d9e77bf92f

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Grow your own home with ancient and modern tech

Tiffany O'Callaghan, CultureLab editor

(Image: DPA/Press Association Images)

An architect and designer with a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mitchell Joachim is the founder of the non-profit green design group Terreform and a leader in the "urbaneering" movement, which invites communities to participate in urban design projects. His latest project is a collaboration between architects and biologists to construct a biosynthetic seat. New Scientist talked to him about experimenting with synthetic biology, his controversial "meat house" project and whether one day we'll be able to grow our own homes - and villages.

What is an example of a successful urbaneering project?
One of the earlier ones, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, was really successful. This was 300 acres [120 hectares] of urban space along the waterfront of New York that had been more or less inactive. We had? people involved in that neighbourhood and adjacent neighbourhoods, and a lot of architects and urban designers and planners discussing what we could do. Now we're turning the project into a space for clean tech and innovation.

How can we create the ideal city?
First and foremost you need to have the idea of what the ideal living space or urban environment might be - a picture of that utopic or semi-utopic space. I like to use the analogy of going to the gym. If you go to the gym and your goal is, "I want to look just like David Beckham," then that drives you to do certain things. You may never look like Beckham, but it is a goal. Cities need the same thing. They need a vision and a plan for their ideal physique.

(Image: Mitchell Joachim, Lara Greden and Javier Arbona)

Your green project, Fab Tree Hab, is the idea for a house grown and constructed from living trees. What gave you the idea?
MIT was getting involved in solving the energy crisis. Buildings are certainly an enormous suck on the grid. In the architecture department we thought, well, even cutting down trees to bring them to a place to be built into something is a waste of energy. Let's just try growing them on site. We found technology that is 2500 years old, pleaching. We focused on that technology and combined it with our knowledge of 3D computation, building out complex geometries, to produce scaffolds that would nudge nature into a usable volume. We tried to be 100 per cent self-reliant - a home that was not efficient, and not zero, but really a positive contribution.

Do you think this is the future? Will we grow our own homes?
Well, yes, but I don't see it being universal. I think it will be one of many choices. This is the most extreme green version that I could possibly have thought of, but there will be many other solutions. I also understand the various problems with something like this. With any experimental house, there are various problems and this one requires understanding the field of botany and biology more than the typical architect, carpenter or developers would normally have to.

What is the synthetic biology seat you have been working on?
For the Genetic Generation Seat, or Gen2Seat, we've produced a new biopolymer. We took the base form of reishi mushrooms and combined it with cellulose made by acetobacter bacteria. Then my colleagues Oliver Medvedik and Ellen Jorgensen genetically expressed chitin [the chemical that makes insects' shells hard, among other things] inside the acetobacter to give it some level of waterproofing and hardness. All three of these elements combined to be a new biopolymer.

Another collaboration of yours that has got a lot of attention is the "meat house". What did that idea spring from?
The meat project was looking at tissue engineering and exploring some of the possibilities with regenerative medicine on what could happen with form - shapes and industrially designed objects - with those same techniques. There was an awful lot of rejection in the beginning. One research scientist that learned of the project was slightly upset, he said it was for cancer research, for people who need to replace a certain organ, and this use was demeaning.

But if we didn't put out the meat house, or in vitro meat habitat, as a kind of question on what else can we do with this particular subset of science, everything else would have been harder. The project attracted so many people, who thought, "Wow, we can hack tissue, what else can synthetic biology do?"

Sounds like it raised some questions
We still have very little understanding of how we can tweak form or shape at the genetic level. We certainly haven't unlocked those secrets. There have been some successes with small adjustments, but you can't look at a person's hand and say, "I know how that hand got to be that shape, I know how the geometry was determined and the volume was determined. I knew which genetic switch did that, what sequence caused it." I think this is where architects can absolutely get married to biologists. Once we know what creates shape, what the extents and limitations of form are, that becomes really exciting. It might not happen in my lifetime; maybe it is for the next generation.

What will we be able to do with this understanding?
Find the real extended phenotype of people. Birds have nests that seem to be inherent. I think there must be some kind of extended phenotype for humans. People probably have, inherently inside them the perfect psychological space that can be grown or developed at multiple levels. Maybe it's a womb or some kind of variant on a womb, something that's safe and performs or adapts to our needs. Right now I would say that is the big thesis question.

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Small Business Hope for Romney and Ryan | US Daily Review

By US Daily Review.

Wave Accounting?(Wave), the creators of small business accounting and payroll software, today announced the results of its small business opinion poll on the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election. Wave polled the U.S.-based portion of the company?s more than 300,000 customers regarding their opinions on the candidates? potential impact on small business.

Key findings include:

• On the question, ?Who is better for small businesses,? 53% of respondents chose?Romney/Ryan, 39% chose Obama/Biden.
• Reducing government red tape is the number one issue for Republican voting respondents, with an overwhelming 90% citing this issue as ?crucial.?
• Among voters intending to vote Democrat, the most important issue is improving health care options for small businesses (77% called it ?crucial.?)
• Size matters: Support for?Romney/Ryan grows as company size grows. 47% of companies with 6-9 employees say they are definitely voting?Romney/Ryan, vs. 45% among companies with 2-5 employees, and 43% among one-person businesses.
• Support for the GOP ticket is strongest in the South where 57% of businesses favor?Romney/Ryan.

?These insights represent the real opinions of real small businesses in America,? said?Kirk Simpson, CEO of Wave Accounting.

Recent ?small business? surveys have included opinions from companies with hundreds of employees and many millions in revenue. Because Wave specializes in online solutions for real small businesses with 9 employees or less, the company can access key insights from a unique and significant segment of the market.

?This group makes up 95% of businesses in the U.S., yet their voices are badly underrepresented in media and politics,? said Simpson. ?Their opinions and needs are interesting, in some cases unexpected, and deserve to be heard.?

The complete?Wave Small Business Opinions Report ? 2012 U.S. Presidential Election?is available at?www.waveaccounting.com/election2012.

?

Source: http://usdailyreview.com/small-business-hope-for-romney-and-ryan

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Teen boy, Pa. Hershey school settle AIDS bias case

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) ? A 14-year-old boy and his mother will receive $700,000 from the settlement of an AIDS discrimination lawsuit against a private boarding school that refused to enroll him because he's HIV-positive.

The settlement was announced Wednesday by the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and the Milton Hershey School, which is financed by a trust that holds the controlling interest in The Hershey Co. candy manufacturer. The settlement is subject to court approval.

The school, for poor and socially disadvantaged students, also must pay $15,000 in civil penalties and provide HIV training for students and staff members.

The Philadelphia-based AIDS Law Project sued the school in federal court last year after it refused to enroll the boy, an honor roll student from the Philadelphia area, on the grounds that he would be a threat to other students' health and safety.

The school initially defended its decision, saying it was difficult but appropriate under the circumstances.

"In order to protect our children in this unique environment," the school said in December after the lawsuit was filed, "we cannot accommodate the needs of students with chronic communicable diseases that pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others."

The boy's attorney countered that he required no special accommodations and controlled his HIV with medication that wouldn't affect his school schedule.

"This young man is a motivated, intelligent kid who poses no health risk to other students but is being denied an educational opportunity because of ignorance and fear about HIV and AIDS," attorney Ronda Goldfein said then.

In August, the school reversed its policy and announced it would treat applicants with HIV the same as others.

The school, which has about 1,850 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, also offered to admit the boy, identified in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Abraham Smith, but he and his mother decided he would seek other educational opportunities instead.

The school was founded in 1909 by chocolate maker Milton Hershey, whose company's products include Hershey's Kisses and Kit Kat. It's financed by the Milton Hershey School Trust and educates poor and socially disadvantaged students for free.

The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which says it provides medical care to people with HIV and AIDS all over the world and contributed money to the boy's cause, welcomed news of the settlement.

"No doubt, advocacy aided this young man's quest for justice," foundation president Michael Weinstein said in a statement.

Around Easter, the foundation staged protests in San Francisco, New York City and Hershey, calling for a boycott of Hershey's candy and asking the public to send the company a message: "No Kisses for Hershey."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teen-boy-pa-hershey-school-settle-aids-bias-233820346.html

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Human stem cells restore hearing in gerbil study

This undated photo provided by Nature shows cells in the cochlea of deaf gerbils. The yellow ones are nerve cells derived from human embryonic cells. These cells improved the hearing of the gerbils, in an experiment that may someday help human patients. Results of the work, done in gerbils, were reported online Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 in the journal Nature by a team led by Dr. Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield in England. (AP Photo/Nature, University of Sheffield, Marcelo Rivolta)

This undated photo provided by Nature shows cells in the cochlea of deaf gerbils. The yellow ones are nerve cells derived from human embryonic cells. These cells improved the hearing of the gerbils, in an experiment that may someday help human patients. Results of the work, done in gerbils, were reported online Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 in the journal Nature by a team led by Dr. Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield in England. (AP Photo/Nature, University of Sheffield, Marcelo Rivolta)

NEW YORK (AP) ? For the first time, scientists have improved hearing in deaf animals by using human embryonic stem cells, an encouraging step for someday treating people with certain hearing disorders.

"It's a dynamite study (and) a significant leap forward," said one expert familiar with the work, Dr. Lawrence Lustig of the University of California, San Francisco.

The experiment involved an uncommon form of deafness, one that affects fewer than 1 percent to perhaps 15 percent of hearing-impaired people. And the treatment wouldn't necessarily apply to all cases of that disorder. Scientists hope the approach can be expanded to help with more common forms of deafness. But in any case, it will be years before human patients might benefit.

Results of the work, done in gerbils, were reported online Wednesday in the journal Nature by a team led by Dr. Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield in England.

To make the gerbils deaf in one ear, scientists killed nerve cells that transmit information from the ear to the brain. The experiment was aimed at replacing those cells.

Human embryonic stem cells can be manipulated to produce any type of cell. Using them is controversial because they are initially obtained by destroying embryos. Once recovered, stem cells can be grown and maintained in a lab and the experiment used cells from lab cultures.

The stem cells were used to make immature nerve cells. Those were then transplanted into the deaf ears of 18 gerbils.

Ten weeks later, the rodents' hearing ability had improved by an average of 46 percent, with recovery ranging from modest to almost complete, the researchers reported.

And how did they know the gerbils could hear in their deafened ears? They measured hearing ability by recording the response of the brain stem to sound.

The gerbils were kept on medication to avoid rejecting the human cells, much like people who get transplants of human organs, Rivolta said. But that might not be necessary if the procedure proceeds to people, he said. Scientists may be able to work with stem cells that closely match a patient, or even use a different technology to make the transplanted cells from a patient's own tissue, he said.

Rivolta's team also reported making immature versions of a second kind of inner-ear cell. Transplants of those cells might be able to treat far more cases of hearing loss. But the team has not yet tested these in animals, Rivolta said.

Yehoash Raphael of the University of Michigan, who didn't participate in the work, said it's possible the stem cell transplants worked by stimulating the gerbils' own few remaining nerve cells, rather than creating new ones. But either way, "this is a big step forward in use of stem cells for treating deafness," he said.

___

Online:

Nature: http://www.nature.com

___

Malcolm Ritter can be followed at http://twitter.com/malcolmritter

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-09-12-US-SCI-Stem-Cells-Deafness/id-79c1f82ae98240d49d8e33485cde5f30

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Why Apple Made Three iPhone 5 Models and What That Means For You

Apple is finally making the iPhone compatible with LTE networks. But it's not all good news. Due to 4G fragmentation, Apple has had to make three different iPhone models. What does this mean for you?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/lKLP1UBnhMo/

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Audience Says Apple is 'Unlikely' to Use Its Technology in the New iPhone

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Audience has announced that it's unlikely that Apple will use its technology in the next generation iPhone tanking its stock by over 50% in after hours trading.

Here's the announcement:

-
Audience sells processors and licenses its processor IP to Apple Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries (collectively, OEM) for inclusion in the OEM's mobile phones pursuant to a Master Development and Supply Agreement (MDSA). Pursuant to a statement of work under the MDSA, amended in March 2012, Audience developed and licensed a new generation of processor IP for use in the OEM's devices. However, the OEM is not obligated to use Audience's processor IP.

Audience now believes that it is unlikely that the OEM will enable Audience's processor IP in its next generation mobile phone. Audience is not aware of any intended changes by this OEM to its use of Audience's processors or processor IP in prior generations of the OEM's mobile phones.

Audience recognizes royalty revenue from the license of its processor IP one quarter in arrears of the sale of the device, when it has received a royalty report from its OEM. As a result, Audience does not expect any impact on its business outlook for the third fiscal quarter from the situation described above. The revenue and net income impact of the OEM's next generation mobile phone would first affect Audience's financial results one quarter after the OEM commences end customer sales of its mobile phones.
-

Read More [via Seth]

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Follow @iClarified The iClarified Newsletter is sent once a day and includes any news or tutorials posted in the last 24 hours. To signup for the Newsletter click here. Make sure you choose "Yes" to be added to our Mailing List.

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Indoor Grill Master

Do try this at home.

Photo by iStockphoto.

Summer can be a depressing time for food-loving apartment dwellers like me. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, cooking magazines arrive offering ?Juicy Grilling Secrets? and ?55 Ways To Spice Up Your Grill,? while most Food Network programming feels like an anthropological documentary about suburban charcoal-worshipping rituals. My heart sinks a little when an otherwise appealing recipe from the newspaper contains some combination of the words build, fire, ash, and coals.

To be clear, I enjoy a flame-kissed hunk of protein as much as the next meat eater, but due to the nature of city living, I have very few options when it comes to grilling outdoors. I have neither the stomach nor the competitive nature to duke it out with my neighbors over the squalid public grills in the park. And before you suggest a portable Weber on the fire escape, know that the Fire Department once gave my building a citation for the three small herb plants that were cheerfully growing out there?that trauma killed my dreams of grilling as quickly as it killed my basil.

But as these last weeks of summer fade into autumn, I?m determined to do what some have called pointless or even impossible: to translate the rugged mystique of grilling for the climate-controlled certainty of the indoors. And I?m here to report that it can be done. As long as you are willing to leave silly notions of manliness, rusticity, and campfire nostalgia?in a word, the aura of grilling?on the stoop, the flavor will be happy to come on in. (I?ve never had much of a taste for aura anyway.)

First, you need the right equipment. As anyone who has conducted Google research on this issue will know, indoor grill can mean many different things. The one thing it doesn?t mean, of course, is bringing an outdoor charcoal or gas grill into the living room?you shouldn?t do that, ever. But the range of grill technology that won?t asphyxiate your family and burn your building down is still broad: There are George Foreman-type contact grills, special appliances called ?open? or ?freestanding? grills that sit on your countertop, fancy versions built right into your cooktop, and Space Age devices meant to mimic rotisseries and smokers. Even using the open flame of your oven?s broiler kind of counts as grilling?it?s the same concept, just upside-down. ?

But the best (and most common) type of indoor grill is the hearty, old-fashioned grill pan. This dependable cast-iron skillet (or griddle) is ridged to mimic the grill-marking power of its outdoor cousins, but it?s unfussy enough to only require one or two burners on your stovetop. Grills pans are also relatively cheap (a decent model will set you back between $40 and $80), easy to store in a tiny apartment kitchen, simple to clean, and capable of grilling far more than the occasional panini. (I?m looking at you, Foreman.)

And real, honest-to-God grilling is what we want, after all?a cooking technique more extreme than the ho-hum pan frying or oven baking with which we usually treat a chicken breast. Food scientists define grilling as cooking food relatively quickly with intense, dry, and direct heat (usually from below, necessitating a flip halfway through) and very little additional fat (whether oil or butter). The most noticeable characteristic distinguishing grilled meats and vegetables from foods cooked differently is the crispy crust that forms due to the ?Maillard reaction,? a process in which amino acids react with sugars to produce browning and a bevy of wonderful and not entirely understood flavor compounds. Grill pans are very good at producing this reaction (as long as you preheat them long enough), whereas contact grills and similarly enclosed contraptions often end up steaming the food in its own juices rather than grilling it. Moreover, many specialized machines don?t allow for much in the way of temperature control, which makes it difficult to transition from searing a piece of meat over high heat to cooking it through over mellower heat (or vice versa). Not so with grill pans, which are limited only by the thermal nuance of your burners.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=46e4f5572e254c11d62b79c1f4a0a2a7

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Dozens feared dead in Guinea boat accident

CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least eight people were confirmed to have drowned and dozens more were feared dead after a boat carrying about 45 passengers capsized off the Guinean capital Conakry on Friday evening, authorities said.

"We do not know yet the total number of deaths, but of the more than 45 passengers on board, there have been only a few survivors," said port official Fanyewa Soumah.

The motorized wooden boat was ferrying passengers from Conakry to an island off the West African coast. Soumah said it was not clear why it had capsized.

Mohamed Awada, director of a hospital in Conakry, said eight bodies had been recovered so far, including that of an infant.

Accidents on overcrowded and poorly maintained boats are common in the region. At least 30 people drowned in July after a boat from Guinea capsized off Sierra Leone in bad weather.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dozens-feared-dead-guinea-boat-accident-211307682.html

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L.E.N.S.(Lifestyle, Events, News, and Society)blogs: Disney On Ice ...

Araneta Center

invites you to the grandest spectacle on ice this Christmas

with Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes!

Enter a world of wonder where heroes and hearts prevail...

Join Ariel as she yearns to explore the world above the waves

and Prince Eric breaks Ursula?s slithering spell to reclaim his one true love.

See Prince Philip defeat the evil Maleficent as she transforms herself into a fire-breathing dragon

in a race against time to rescue Sleeping Beauty?s Aurora.

Be there to discover a whole new world with Jasmine and Aladdin.

And, watch in awe as the dreams of Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, and Tiana all come true.

High flying jumps, daring acrobatics, breathtaking skating

and lovable Disney friends are just a wish away!

There?s even a special appearance by Disney?s newest princess, Rapunzel.

See Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes

from December 25 to January 3

at the Smart Araneta Coliseum!

Source: http://mvlnunez.blogspot.com/2012/08/disney-on-ice-presents-princesses-heroes.html

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Home Improvement | Kitchen remodeling with the worktops from ...

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Source: http://www.bharatbhasha.net/home_improvement.php/392170

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Flags to fly at half-staff for Neil Armstrong

The astronaut who became the first man to walk on the moon has died at the age of 82. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports on tributes for him and the legacy he left behind.

By Alan Boyle

U.S. flags will be flying at half-staff around the world "as a mark of respect for the memory of Neil Armstrong," the first man to walk on the moon, President Barack Obama proclaimed today.

The half-staff tribute will take place on the day of Armstrong's burial and last until sunset. Exactly when will that be? Friday is the likeliest day ??but the plans for memorials are still taking shape, two days after Armstrong died of complications from heart surgery at the age of 82.

---

Today, NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs tweeted that a private, family memorial service would take place on Friday in Cincinnati, near the Armstrong family home in Indian Hill, Ohio. The Associated Press also said services would be held Friday. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who's a friend of the family, is due to give the eulogy, AP reported.

NASA Headquarters in Washington said that the details for the private as well as public memorial services were still in flux. "No details yet for a public memorial," Jacobs wrote.

Meanwhile, formal and informal memorials to the first moonwalker are proliferating. The Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, where Armstrong was born, is planning a memorial tribute on Wednesday night.

NASA has set up a "Share Your Thoughts" website where condolences can be left. There's also a "Wink at the Moon Night" website, sparked by the Armstrong family's request to look at the moon, "think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." The website is part of a campaign to make Aug. 25, the date of Armstrong's death, an annual Wink at the Moon Night.

Photoillustration by Jason Major via Twitter

NBC News' Cape Canaveral correspondent, Jay Barbree, told me in an email that the thought behind the request for winks was clear: "The family means that's where he'll be ??on the moon."

As I gave a wink last Saturday night, it struck me that the moon was already flying at half-staff, just one day after its first-quarter phase. Friday's full moon will be the second full moon of the month, and thus will mark a rare "blue moon." Armstrong's passing will surely make this moon as blue as it can be.

Tributes are continuing to stream in from VIPs. Here are a few that have crossed our desk since Saturday:

Robert Zubrin, president, Mars Society: "Neil Armstrong was a patriot and a pioneer. ?In every way he was an exemplar of the great human spirit which seeks to go where no one has gone, to know what has never been known, to do what has never been done.? His?life's story?calls to all of us to rise to our own higher natures, just as his immortal words when first setting foot on our neighbor world challenge us.? Will the Apollo 11 mission ultimately be remembered as a 'giant leap for mankind,' the first step in opening an infinite frontier?? Or will it recede into history as merely a grand stunt that led nowhere?? The answer to that question is up to us.? Let us therefore reflect on this great and good man's life, and resolve to?find and summon to action?the Neil Armstrong within?ourselves, so that he, and the nation that dared with him, did not dare in vain."

Frank DiBello, president, Space Florida: "Although Neil Armstrong had grown disillusioned with the debate, uncertainty and acrimony in Washington surrounding the post-shuttle direction of NASA, he remained a passionate and compelling advocate of the human exploration of space. We owe it to his memory to continue that quest. Indeed, our memory of this grand achievement is our collective heritage, and is our single most enduring symbol of American exceptionalism."

Bill Nye (the Science Guy), CEO, Planetary Society: "For people everywhere, Neil Armstrong was a hero, I think, not just because he did his dangerous job successfully, but because he was so matter-of-fact about his profession. It was a day at his office. We all owe him a debt. Just think how the word would be different, if he had crashed on the moon, or not managed to return from the moon, or missed the Earth on his way back. None of us would think of our place in the cosmos, our place in space differently.?Neil Armstrong raised the expectations, the hopes and dreams, of every human on Earth. Thanks to him, we all believe that humans can achieve great things -- that we can learn about our place among the stars -- that we can all reach up and out -- that we can fly, and change the world. It turns out, yours was a pretty big step after all. Thank you, sir." [Full statement]

Hugh Downs, former host of ABC's "20/20" and chairman of the National Space Society's Board of Governors:?"News of Neil Armstrong's passing is so shocking that there is no way it can be absorbed right away as reality. His position in history is deeper than that of any known discoverer or explorer in the history of this planet. As the first human to land on any world outside the Earth, and probably the first living creature of any sort to come from the Earth and reach the Moon, his legacy will be safe as long as intelligent life survives in this corner of the cosmos." [Full statement]

Neil deGrasse Tyson, director, Hayden Planetarium, via Twitter: "'Men Walk On Moon'?? The only positive event in the last 50 years for which everyone remembers where they were when it happened. ... Farewell, my friend. And now, perhaps more than ever, I bid you godspeed. ... The first crewed spacecraft to Mars should be named the 'Armstrong.' That works on so many levels."

Win McNamee / Getty Images

A tribute to Ohio-born astronaut Neil Armstrong is displayed on stage at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Sunday. The tribute was created during the run-up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

More about Neil Armstrong's life and legacy:

---

When Neil Armstrong had his heart surgery earlier this month, we collected get-well wishes and passed them along to the family via NBC's Jay Barbree. I can't promise that we'll be able to do likewise this time around, but please feel free to leave your condolences as comments below.

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/27/13508020-memorials-to-neil-armstrong-taking-shape-flags-to-fly-at-half-staff?lite

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