11-year-old accused in Maine baby death arraigned

SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) ? The youngest person to be charged with homicide in Maine in at least 30 years bit her nails and looked down during her first court appearance Monday.

The girl was charged at age 10 with juvenile manslaughter over the summer in the death of 3-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway, who was staying overnight in the girl's home in Fairfield in the care of the girl's mother.

The girl, now 11, entered a plea of "no answer" in District Court in Skowhegan. Her only other choices in Maine's juvenile system were "admission" and "denial." Maine District Court Judge Charles LaVerdiere ordered a competency evaluation for her.

The girl, who had her hair pulled back and wore glasses, looked down most of the time during the hearing, twiddled her fingers and occasionally bit her nails. When asked if she understood the conditions of release, she simply nodded.

The girl's mother called police early on July 8 to report that the infant was not breathing, authorities said. The infant, who was reportedly fussy, was sleeping in a portable crib in the 10-year-old's bedroom that night, said the infant's mother, Nicole "Nicki" Greenaway of Clinton.

The state hasn't released the cause of death, but Greenaway was told that her daughter ingested medication and was suffocated.

"They both need to go to jail," Greenaway told WZON radio before the hearing got under way Monday. "The need to wake up every morning and look at those bars and realize what they did."

Greenaway didn't talk to reporters after the hearing.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which removed the young suspect from the home, faulted the baby sitter for leaving the infant in the room with the girl. In a letter, an agency case worker said the 10-year-old had a behavior disorder that made her unsuitable for caring for the infant.

The Associated Press generally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes.

The state opted not to try the girl as an adult. If convicted as a juvenile, the maximum penalty is incarceration until age 21.

The girl's lawyer, John Martin, said he felt the manslaughter charge was "too harsh" given the girl's young age. The girl has been removed from her mother's care, but Martin declined to say where she was living.

LaVerdiere issued a special order warning that no recording device of any type was allowed in the courtroom Monday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-22-Baby%20Death-Youngster%20Charged/id-18516fbdd8bd48a4978bbf5f7732f05f

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Fishy physics: Adaptation lets silvery fish reflect light without polarization, may help them evade predators

ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2012) ? Silvery fish such as herring, sardine and sprat have evolved special skin that gets around a basic law of physics, according to new research from the University of Bristol published Oct. 21 in Nature Photonics.

Reflective surfaces polarize light, a phenomenon that fishermen or photographers overcome by using polarizing sunglasses or polarizing filters to cut our reflective glare. However, PhD student Tom Jordan and his supervisors Professor Julian Partridge and Dr Nicholas Roberts in Bristol's School of Biological Sciences found that these silvery fish have overcome this basic law of reflection -- an adaptation that may help them evade predators.

Previously, it was thought that the fish's skin -- which contains "multilayer" arrangements of reflective guanine crystals -- would fully polarize light when reflected. As the light becomes polarized, there should be a drop in reflectivity.

The Bristol researchers found that the skin of sardines and herring contain not one but two types of guanine crystal -- each with different optical properties. By mixing these two types, the fish's skin doesn't polarize the reflected light and maintains its high reflectivity.

Dr Roberts said: "We believe these species of fish have evolved this particular multilayer structure to help conceal them from predators, such as dolphin and tuna. These fish have found a way to maximize their reflectivity over all angles they are viewed from. This helps the fish best match the light environment of the open ocean, making them less likely to be seen."

As a result of this ability, the skin of silvery fish could hold the key to better optical devices. Tom Jordan said: "Many modern day optical devices such as LED lights and low loss optical fibres use these non-polarizing types of reflectors to improve efficiency. However, these human-made reflectors currently require the use of materials with specific optical properties that are not always ideal. The mechanism that has evolved in fish overcomes this current design limitation and provides a new way to manufacture these non-polarizing reflectors."

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Journal Reference:

1. T. M. Jordan, J. C. Partridge, N. W. Roberts. Non-polarizing broadband multilayer reflectors in fish. Nature Photonics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.260

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/7_bS-SJCv4w/121021133911.htm

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Which Makes Our blood Cholesterol High? - Health and fitness

Posted by Diana on October 21st, 2012 09:09 PM | Cardio??
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Reducing the amount titled saturated fat and cholesterol you chew is a very important step in reducing your blood cholesterol levels. Weight. Excess weight tends to increase your LDL-cholesterol level. If you are overweight easing have a high LDL-cholesterol level, losing weight may help you lower absolute. concatenation loss besides helps ~ off lower triglycerides and amend HDL. Physical activity/exercise. habitual physical activity may abase LDL-cholesterol pacification raise HDL-cholesterol levels. Age and gender. Before menopause, women in most cases bring forth substance cholesterol levels which are lower than those aristocratic men the same duration of existence. As women and the human race get older, their being cholesterol levels rise until about to years of age. in women, menopause often causes an increase apocalyptic their LDL-cholesterol and a decrease in their HDL ? cholesterol level, assuagement after cut age of , women over and over be seized of higher total cholesterol levels than men of form exactly the same age. Alcohol. Alcohol intake increases HDL-cholesterol blunt end does not depress LDL-cholesterol. Doctors don?t observe against decided on the supposition that highly rectified spirit besides reduces formal breeding venture of heart disease. Drinking too thick alcohol can damage the liver easing heart muscle, coax ~ off high race pressure, and raise triglycerides. to the degree that titled the risks, glowing beverages should not countenance used as a way to prevent heart disease. Stress. Stress from one side of to the other the long term has been shown apocalyptic manifold studies to improve blood cholesterol levels. 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Source: http://www.womenfavor.com/cardio/which-makes-our-blood-cholesterol-high.html

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'Poop Transplants' May Combat Bacterial Infections

"Poop transplants" are an effective way to treat people with one type of intestinal bacteria infection, a new study shows.?

Researchers transplanted fecal matter from healthy people into the colons of people infected with the notoriously hard-to-treat Clostridium difficile bacteria, which causes severe, watery diarrhea. The researchers found that 46 out of 49 patients got better within a week of the treatment.

The transplant works because stool from healthy people, when mixed with warm water and delivered via a tube into patients' colons, helps re-establish the normal balance of bacteria in the intestine.

"C. diff is a serious infection???people die from this. With this treatment, the cure rate is close to 100 percent," said study researcher Dr. Mayur Ramesh, an infectious disease physician at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Among the 46 patients for whom the transplant was successful, four experienced a recurrence of their infection during the follow-up period. By contrast, studies have shown that infections recur in 25 to 30 percent of patients who receive the standard treatment for C. diff, which is a course of antibiotics, Ramesh said.

As of three months after the treatment, the patients had developed no complications or side effects as the result of their transplants, the researchers reported today at an infectious diseases research meeting in San Diego.

C. diff infections are linked to 14,000 deaths in the U.S. yearly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People at highest risk for the infection are older adults and those who take antibiotics. It's believed that antibiotics may disrupt the normal balance of bacteria species in the intestine, giving C. diff bacteria a chance to thrive.?

Patients with C. diff infections are typically treated with the antibiotics metronidazole or vancomycin; however, these drugs don't work for everyone, the researchers said. In severe cases, patients may need surgery to remove the infected parts of their intestines.

In the study, researchers looked at patients whose average age was 65 and who were treated with fecal matter transplants over a two-year period at the study?s hospital. In most cases, the donor was the spouse or child of a patient, but in some cases, siblings, parents, or unrelated people donated fecal matter.

The patients were not much bothered by the possible ick factor of the treatment, Ramesh told MyHealthNewsDaily. "These patients, they suffer so much from their symptoms," he said. "When I tell them about this treatment, they say, 'wow, that makes sense, go ahead and do it.'"

No patients declined the treatment, he said.?

Other studies have found a similarly high percentage of C. diff patients can be treated successfully with fecal tranplants. However, the new research differed from previous studies because about a third of the patients had severe C. diff infections. "These are the patients who may die, or need to have a section of their colon removed," Ramesh said. Other studies have focused on patients with recurring, but not severe infections, he said.?

Four patients in the study died, including three whose C. diff infection had been successfully treated with the transplant. The deaths were unrelated to C. diff, the researchers said; all had cancer before starting the treatment.?

While this study and others suggest that fecal matter transplants are effective, randomized controlled trials are considered the "gold standard" of evidence in medicine.

One such trial was recently approved to begin in the U.S. In that study, patients will be randomized into two groups: in one, patients will receive fecal matter from healthy donors, while in the control group, patients? own fecal matter will be transplanted back into them, according to an article published in September in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Pass it on: Fecal matter transplants may be an effective way to treat C. diff infections.

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Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/poop-transplants-may-combat-bacterial-infections-130609662.html

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CC Auto 2030: Time For Your Prediction For The ... - Curbside Classic

? Posted on October 20, 2012

We?ve seen Mercedes? attempt to predict the car of the future, so how about we take a shot at it? Our time frame is a we bit shorter: 2030, as Auto 2032 just doesn?t have much of a ring to it. But what difference is two years going to make? It seems like automotive time is slowing down more and more. If you think I?m suggesting the car of 2030 will look quite a bit more familiar than this one, the answer is yes.

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Since 2001, Toyota has been feeding us the same basic Camry, now in its third refresh. Maybe this will be the final Camry platform? Just extrapolate its daring progress in the past eleven years forward, and by 2030, it should look something like the bottom one, which Toyota showed at the Detroit Auto Show this year, dubbed the NS4. Welcome to the future! They should have painted it beige, though.

It?s not so bad looking, actually. And with its plug-in Hybrid Synergy Drive, what else is there to predict? The future is here, maybe with a few more design tweaks. Or am I too getting too jaded? Your turn:

Source: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-auto-2030-time-for-your-prediction-of-the-car-of-the-future/

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Romney now up by one in New Hampshire and Iowa - Riehl World ...

Ohio is the key to Romney?s first path to 271. NH and IA figure into his primary alternate path. Nothing wrong with locking up both, of course.

The rest via?Poll: at ?Hot Air.

Yes, yes, I know, this comes from Kos?s pollster. What can I say? If the left can cling bitterly to Rasmussen as a bulwark against terrible numbers from Gallup, I can cling to this.

RCP?s average already had New Hampshire within a point so the new PPP number there isn?t news. The Iowa number is. This is the first poll in a month showing Romney ahead in the state, notwithstanding his blockbuster debate two weeks ago. NBC?s poll last night, in fact, had O up by eight points in Iowa, a ridiculous figure given that Obama?s worried enough to have campaigned there just two days ago but consistent with the CW that it?s his state to lose.

Source: http://riehlworldview.com/2012/10/romney-now-up-by-one-in-new-hampshire-and-iowa.html

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Employee files FMLA suit? - Business Management Daily

Employees have no more than three years following an alleged FMLA violation to file an FMLA-interference lawsuit. And that?s only if the employer?s violation was ?willful.? In most cases, they have just two years to get that lawsuit going.

That?s still longer than employees have to file most other federal employment discrimination claims, such as those under Title VII.

Recent case: Paul sued United Airlines in March 2011 for allegedly having illegally denied him FMLA leave in 2007. More than three years had passed before he filed his lawsuit.

The court quickly threw out his claim, citing the three-year deadline, even though Paul argued that United Airlines had again violated the FMLA later. He had wanted to connect the violations and go back further. He didn?t get that opportunity. (Simkus v. United Air Lines, No. 11-C-2165, ND IL, 2012)

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SF Pet Owner Joins Movement Against Allegedly Toxic Pet Treats At ...

A San Francisco pet owner has joined a national drive urging major store chains to ban Chinese-made pet treats campaigners hold responsible for the deaths of hundreds of dogs, a claim the company disputes and federal officials have yet to confirm.

The campaign, started on the online advocacy platform Change.org, is asking top retailers such as Safeway, Walmart, Walgreens, and Costco to stop selling Waggin' Train brand white chicken jerky treats, which one San Francisco pet owner says nearly killed her dog.

Dana Moskowitz of San Francisco, among more than 60,000 people Change.org said has signed petitions favoring the ban, said she witnessed her dog, Bella, almost die of kidney failure after she fed it Waggin' Train jerky she bought at a Safeway store.

"After nearly losing my dog, I am shocked and outraged that Waggin' Train jerky treats are still on the shelves and putting more dogs' lives at risk every single day," Moskovitz said. "It is simply horrific."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that since early 2011, consumers reported 2,200 cases of pets that became ill after eating the increasingly-popular chicken jerky treats and 361 reports of pets that died from them.

However, the FDA, which began its investigation into Chinese chicken jerky treats back in 2007, has been unable to conclude that the treats were responsible.

"After increased complaints began in 2011, the FDA conducted five plant inspections in China during March and April 2012," the FDA said in a Sept. 14 statement on its website.

"Although the FDA has been actively investigating the reports of illnesses, no definitive cause has been determined."

The FDA did issue a warning to pet owners "to stop feeding the jerky pet treat product" if their pets show signs of poor health such as "decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea and increased water consumption and/or increased urination."

Change.org senior campaigner Stephanie Feldstein agreed that the FDA has not ordered a recall of the jerky treats, but she pointed to the agency's warnings about the product and that its investigation into the product's maker in China, for the St. Louis-based Nestle Purina PetCare Co., remains open.

Feldstein said the signers of Change.org's petition simply want major retailers that sell the treats to voluntarily halt sales, specifically the Waggin' Train brand, in the wake of so many reports of pets getting sick after eating them.

The petition effort was started by Rita Desollar, an Illinois woman who said her dog died a week after eating two pieces of Waggin' Train chicken jerky, Feldstein said.

"We are saying that many consumers, like Rita, have been coming to Change.org supporting our petition and asking stores like Safeway, Walgreens and Costco and companies like Nestle Purina to stop selling the treats while safety issues are being straightened out," she said.

Keith Shopp, spokesman for Nestle Purina PetCare Co., said the company has no plans to voluntarily remove its chicken jerky treats from store shelves and that the FDA has not tied the products to pet sickness or death.

"The FDA has extensively tested our chicken jerky treats and has not found any contaminants or any purported cause of the pet illnesses," Shopp said, adding that other things consumed by sickened pets may be to blame.

Shopp said that pet owners should follow the company's directions for feeding the treats, which emphasize limited portions of one piece per day for small dogs, up to two for small-medium dogs, three for medium and four for large dogs.

Last month, the FDA reported that U.S. imports of pet food from China had skyrocketed over the last decade, from under a half million pounds in 2001 to 86 million pounds in 2011.

In China, most people prefer to eat dark chicken meat, which has created a surplus of white meat and led to the increase in dog treats made with white meat there, the FDA said.

"Pet treats, including jerky pet treats, are currently considered the fastest growing segment in the pet food market," the FDA said.

Jeff Burbank, Bay City News

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Source: http://sfappeal.com/news/2012/10/sf-pet-owner-joins-movement-against-allegedly-toxic-pet-treats-at-walgreens-safeway-costco.php

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Race tightens for Obama, Romney ahead of final debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The race between President Barack Obama and rival Mitt Romney has tightened in the days before their final televised debate, with the Republican closing the gap on Obama's slight but steady lead in a Reuters/Ipsos online poll.

Data from the daily tracking poll released on Saturday showed the Democratic incumbent with a small lead over the former Massachusetts governor, but the margin has narrowed from Friday and from results earlier in the week.

Forty-six percent of likely voters said they would vote for Obama in the November 6 election, while 45 percent said they would back Romney.

On Friday, Obama was ahead by three percentage points at 46 percent compared to 43 percent for Romney.

"Our numbers have shown ... Obama fairly steadily ahead by three points over the last couple of days and today's data does show a tightening in those numbers," Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.

"It's very much neck and neck. I anticipate actually that we're going to see these numbers neck and neck all the way to Election Day."

Romney got a big boost from his strong performance in the first debate on October 3 with Obama, who was widely judged to have given a passive, lackluster performance.

The president charged back with a sharper appearance in their second debate on October 16, comforting frustrated Democrats. While opinion polls showed most viewers thought Obama won that debate, Clark said he did not, in the end, get a noticeable bounce in the polls as a result.

"I wouldn't say that we saw a second-debate bounce for either candidate," she said, while predicting that the third and final debate on Monday would not affect the race dramatically unless one of the candidates made a significant gaffe.

The final debate focuses on foreign policy. Obama is spending the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland to prepare, and Romney is doing the same in Florida, a battleground state where the debate will be held.

Though national polls give a sense of the mood of the electorate, the winner of the White House race will be determined by electoral votes from a handful of states such as Ohio and Florida that swing, historically, between voting for Republicans and Democrats in presidential elections.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls on Saturday showed Obama ahead in Ohio by 2.5 percentage points and Romney ahead in Florida by 2.1 percentage points.

The precision of Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.0 percentage points for likely voters.

(Editing By Alistair Bell and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/race-tightens-obama-romney-ahead-final-debate-181223322.html

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Timing of First Sex Has Far-Reaching Relationship Effects | Psych ...

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 18, 2012

Research looking at how the timing of sexual initiation in adolescence impacts adult romantic ties finds that having sex later may lead to better relationships.

In a new study, Dr. Paige Harden, a psychological scientist, investigated how the timing of sexual initiation in adolescence influences romantic outcomes ? such as whether people get married or live with their partners, how many romantic partners they?ve had, and whether they?re satisfied with their relationship ? later in adulthood.

To answer this question, Harden and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin used data from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to look at 1659 same-sex sibling pairs who were followed from adolescence (around 16) to young adulthood (around 29).

Each sibling was classified as having an Early (younger than 15), On-Time (age 15-19), or Late (older than 19) first experience with sexual intercourse.

Harden?s findings are reported in a new research article published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

As expected, later timing of first sexual experience was associated with higher educational attainment and higher household income in adulthood when compared with the Early and On-Time groups.

Individuals who had a later first sexual experience were also less likely to be married and they had fewer romantic partners in adulthood.

Among the participants who were married or living with a partner, later sexual initiation was associated with significantly lower levels of relationship dissatisfaction in adulthood.

Researchers found that these associations with a later sex experience were not changed when genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Furthermore, the associations could not be explained by differences in adult educational attainment, income, or religiousness, or by adolescent differences in dating involvement, body mass index, or attractiveness.

Experts believe the results suggest that the timing of first experience with sexual intercourse predicts the quality and stability of romantic relationships in young adulthood.

Although investigators have often focused on the consequences of early sexual activity, the Early and On-Time participants in this study were largely indistinguishable.

Researchers say the data suggests early initiation is not a ?risk? factor so much as late initiation is a ?protective? factor in shaping romantic outcomes.

According to Harden, there are several possible mechanisms that might explain this relationship.

It?s possible, for example, that people who have their first sexual encounter later also have certain characteristics (e.g., secure attachment style) that have downstream effects on both sexual delay and on relationship quality.

They could be pickier in choosing romantic and sexual partners, resulting in a reluctance to enter into intimate relationships unless they are very satisfying.

It?s also possible, however, that people who have their first sexual encounter later have different experiences, avoiding early encounters with relational aggression or victimization that would otherwise have detrimental effects on later romantic outcomes.

Finally, Harden said that it?s possible that ?individuals who first navigate intimate relationships in young adulthood, after they have accrued cognitive and emotional maturity, may learn more effective relationship skills than individuals who first learn scripts for intimate relationships while they are still teenagers.?

Experts say that additional research is needed to help to tease apart which of these mechanisms may actually be at work in driving the association between timing of first sexual intercourse and later romantic outcomes.

Prior studies by Harden and her colleagues have provided evidence that earlier sexual intercourse isn?t always associated with negative outcomes.

For example, using the same sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, she found that teenagers who experienced their first sexual intercourse earlier, particularly those who had sex in a romantic dating relationship, had lower levels of delinquent behavior problems.

She said, ?We are just beginning to understand how adolescents? sexual experiences influence their future development and relationships.?

Source: Association for Psychological Science

Intimate teenagers photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Timing of First Sex Has Far-Reaching Relationship Effects. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 19, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/18/timing-of-first-sex-has-far-reaching-relationship-effects/46256.html

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/18/timing-of-first-sex-has-far-reaching-relationship-effects/46256.html

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Judge: Cheerleaders' Christian banners OK for now

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott vows to fight for cheerleaders banned from using Bible verses on football banners. KXAN's Ignacio Garcia reports.

By Kari Huus, NBC News

A judge ruled Thursday that a group of cheerleaders fighting for the right to display biblical-themed banners during high school football games in their small Texas community could continue to do so, at least until the battle goes to court next June.

The cheerleaders in Kountze prompted a complaint to the school district in September when they rolled out banners with scriptural references, such as "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me," and "But thanks be to God which gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

A letter of complaint from the nonprofit Freedom from Religion Foundation?prompted Kountze Independent School District Superintendent Keven Weldon to bar the religious banners.

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The foundation argued that when the religious sentiments are displayed by cheerleaders in school uniforms before large groups of students at official school functions, the banners violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

"It is not a personal opinion of mine," Weldon told the Houston Chronicle after making his initial decision. "My personal convictions are that I am a Christian as well. But I'm also a state employee and Kountze (school district) representative. And I was advised that that such a practice (religious signs) would be in direct violation of United States Supreme Court decisions."

But parents and attorneys for the girls, supported by the nonprofit law firm, the Liberty Institute, filed a lawsuit arguing that the scriptural banners should be allowed as constitutionally guaranteed free speech. The judge granted a temporary injunction on enforcement of the ban.

On Thursday, District Judge Steve Thomas extended that injunction until a trial scheduled for June 24.

The cheerleaders gained heavyweight support Wednesday when Texas Governor Rick Perry and State Attorney General Greg Abbot made high-profile endorsements of the religious messages.

"We will not allow atheist groups from outside of the state of Texas to come into the state, to use menacing and misleading intimidation tactics, to try to bully schools to bow down at the altar of secular beliefs," Abbot said in a statement Wednesday.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, which is a national group based in Madison, Wis., said that it did not expect a favorable ruling on the case in Texas courts, and that it hoped to take the case to federal court.

"If the school district drops this, what we would like to do is sue the school district, but we have to have a plaintiff," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Madison, Wis.-based organization.

But she said that finding someone to be named in the lawsuit in Kountze, a predominantly conservative Christian community with a population of about 2,100, is a challenge.

"People who are in the community are afraid to come out of the closet," said Gaylor. "Our complainant is not able to be the plaintiff for that reason."

A Facebook page supporting the cheerleaders had more than 48,300 members on Thursday.

"Our little town is sticking together and standing behind our kids!!!" the?introduction to the page states.?"Someone has tried to prevent our cheerleaders from ...using religious scriptures on their run-through signs at the football games. This was all led by our children, and they made the decision to give the glory to God this year. We, as a community, will stand up for our kids and make sure they do not lose their voice and their rights in this."

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/18/14539901-texas-cheerleaders-can-keep-christian-banners-for-now-judge-rules?lite

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Sources: Review finds no proof that firm spied for China

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A White House-ordered review of security risks posed by suppliers to U.S. telecommunications companies found no clear evidence that Huawei Technologies Ltd had spied for China, two people familiar with the probe told Reuters.

Instead, those leading the 18-month review concluded early this year that relying on Huawei, the world's second-largest maker of networking gear, was risky for other reasons, such as the presence of vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

These previously unreported findings support parts of a landmark U.S. congressional report last week that warned against allowing Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE Corp to supply critical telecom infrastructure.

But they may douse speculation that Huawei has been caught spying for China.

Some questions remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear if security vulnerabilities found in Huawei equipment were placed there deliberately. It is also not clear whether any critical new intelligence emerged after the inquiry ended.

"The White House has not conducted any classified inquiry that resulted in clearing any telecom equipment supplier," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. She also noted that Huawei had been barred from participating in an emergency network for first responders a year ago "due to U.S. government national security concerns".

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry called for a "level playing field" for Chinese companies in overseas business.

"As far as the report cited is concerned, it proves again that allegations against Huawei are unfounded," said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, when asked to comment on an earlier version of this story.

CLASSIFIED INQUIRY

At the White House's direction, according to people familiar with the matter, intelligence agencies and other departments conducted the largely classified inquiry, delving into reports of suspicious activity and asking detailed questions of nearly 1,000 telecom equipment buyers.

"We knew certain parts of government really wanted" evidence of active spying, said one of the people, who requested anonymity. "We would have found it if it were there."

A spokesman for Huawei said the company was not familiar with the review but it was not surprised that no evidence of Huawei espionage was found.

Last week's report from the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee noted the potential for spying through Huawei gear installed to manage traffic on wireless networks. The committee also criticized Huawei's leadership for failing to provide details about its relationships with Chinese government agencies.

Huawei, whose chief executive officer, Ren Zhengfei, founded it 25 years ago after he was laid off by the Chinese army, has rejected the House report as unfair and inaccurate. China's Commerce Ministry has also called the accusations "groundless".

"Huawei is a $32 billion independent multinational that would not jeopardize its success or the integrity of its customers' networks for any government or third party. Ever," the company's U.S. spokesman, Bill Plummer, said on Wednesday.

ZTE said it had never encountered an instance of its equipment causing security problems in the countries in which it operates.

"We believe our equipment is safe," said spokesman David Dai Shu. "ZTE recognizes and fully respects the obligation to protect national security of all countries in which ZTE's equipments are deployed."

The House Intelligence Committee's report did not present concrete evidence that either Huawei or ZTE has stolen U.S. data, although it said a classified annex provided "significantly more information adding to the committee's concerns" about the risk to the United States.

Speculation has swirled about the contents of the secret annex, and both committee Chairman Mike Rogers and some intelligence officials have hinted at evidence that Huawei has participated in espionage.

Rogers, the report's lead author, stoked concerns by saying some customers had seen routers sending off "very valuable data" to China.

But in the one case a committee staff member pointed out to Reuters, the victim - Leap Wireless International Inc - said that while some of its computers were infected with viruses earlier this year, an investigation found no evidence that the infection was deliberate or that confidential data had been stolen.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Pressed about why the White House review and unclassified version of the House Intelligence Committee report had not turned up a "smoking gun", two officials familiar with intelligence assessments said U.S. agencies were most concerned about the capability for future spying or sabotage.

Similarly, Chris Johnson, a former CIA analyst on China, said he had been told that the White House review had come up empty on past malicious acts. Nonetheless, officials emerged from the review with "a general sense of foreboding" about what would happen if China asked Huawei for assistance in gathering intelligence from U.S. customers, he said.

"If the Chinese government approached them, why would they say no, given their system?" Johnson said.

Preventing state spying through technology is a high priority for U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which is lobbying for legislation to raise private-sector security standards and readying a more limited executive order along those lines.

Reuters interviews with more than a dozen current and former U.S. government officials and contractors found nearly unanimous agreement that Huawei's equipment poses risks: The company could send software updates that siphon off vast amounts of communications data or shut them down in times of conflict.

More than anything else, cyber experts complained about what they said was poor programming that left Huawei equipment more open than that of rivals to hacking by government agents or third parties.

"We found it riddled with holes," said one of the people familiar with the White House review.

At a conference in Kuala Lumpur last week, Felix Lindner, a leading expert in network equipment security, said he had discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Huawei's routers.

"I'd say it was five times easier to find one in a Huawei router than in a Cisco one," Lindner said.

Lindner, who spent months investigating Huawei code, said the vulnerabilities appeared to be the result of sloppy coding and poor procedures, rather than any deliberate attempt at espionage. Huawei is looking into his findings, he said.

Some in the U.S. government, however, have said the alleged poor security practices at Huawei could be a deliberate cover for future attacks.

One computer scientist, who helped conduct classified U.S. government research on Huawei routers and switches four to six years ago, told Reuters that he had found "back doors" that his team believed were inserted with care.

He said these back doors could enable attackers to install malicious software that would make critical government networks inoperable, allow hackers to gain entry into highly classified systems and enable them to spy on all traffic. He requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the research.

Huawei has denied the existence of these back doors. Plummer also noted that any vendor's gear could be targeted by hackers, and the company would address any vulnerabilities it finds.

The United States' closest allies have rendered a split verdict on Huawei. Earlier this year, Australia barred Huawei from becoming a contractor on the country's National Broadband Network, and Canada said last week that Huawei could not bid to help build a secure national network. In Britain, however, a spokesman for the Cabinet Office said Huawei's products were fully vetted and did not represent a security concern.

Dutch Ruppersberger, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and co-author of the report, told Reuters that the burden of proof had been on Huawei and ZTE, which cited Chinese government restrictions in limiting their responses.

"China has the means, opportunity, and motive to use telecommunications companies for malicious purposes," Ruppersberger said.

Republican Rogers' staff did not respond to questions about the contents of the classified annex or the White House review.

(Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Franciso, Jim Finkle in Boston, and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Additional reporting by Paul Eckert and Jim Wolf in Washington and Jeremy Wagstaff in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Tiffany Wu, Lisa Von Ahn and Alex Richardson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-ordered-review-found-no-evidence-huawei-024257532--finance.html

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Decreased gene activity is likely involved in childhood risk for anxiety and depression

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) ? Decreased activity of a group of genes may explain why in young children the "fear center" of the anxious brain can't learn to distinguish real threats from the imaginary, according to a new University of Wisconsin study.

The study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lays out evidence that young primates with highly anxious temperaments have decreased activity of specific genes within the amygdala, the brain's fear center. The authors hypothesize that this may result in over activity of the brain circuit that leads to higher risk for developing disabling anxiety and depression.

This may be particularly important since the genes involved play a major role in forming the brain connections needed for learning about fears. While all children have fears and anxieties, the authors suggest that children with low levels of activity of these genes develop anxious dispositions because they fail to learn to cope by overcoming their early childhood fears.

"Working with my close collaborator and graduate student, Drew Fox, we focused on understanding the function of genes that promote learning and plasticity in the amygdala," says Dr. Ned H. Kalin, chair of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who led the research. "We found reduced activity in key genes that could impair the ability to sculpt the brain, resulting in a failure to develop the capacity to discriminate between real and imaginary fears."

Kalin says the study helps support the need for early intervention in children identified as excessively shy and anxious. It may also point a way to better treatments aimed at decreasing the likelihood of children developing more severe psychiatric problems. Anxiety in children is quite common and can lead to anxiety and depression in adolescence and often precedes anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse in adults.

Most small children go through a phase when they're frightened of many things, including monsters or new social situations, Kalin says, but their maturing brains soon learn to distinguish real threats from the imaginary. But some children do not adapt, generalize their fears to numerous situations, and may later develop serious anxiety and mood disorders. These children tend to be more sensitive to stress, produce more stress hormones and have heightened nervous-system activity.

Kalin, Fox and co-authors wondered whether some differences in the developing amygdala prevent it from learning how to regulate and adapt to anxiety. Kalin's earlier work identified a subset of young monkeys, similar to extremely shy children, with an inherited anxious disposition. Using brain imaging, the authors showed that high levels of amygdala activity predicted trait-like anxiety in anxious young primates. Like their stable and enduring anxious dispositions, these individuals also had chronically elevated levels of amygdala activity.

"We believe that this pinpoints a critical region in the brain that determines an individual's level of trait anxiety,'' Kalin explains.

In examining a specific part of the amygdala, the central nucleus, the researchers analyzed gene expression, which reflects both environmental and inherited influences. Within the central nucleus of the amygdala the authors found that anxious individuals tended to have decreased expression of a gene called neurotrophic tyrosine kinase, receptor, type 3 (NTRK3). Low levels of this gene that encodes for a brain cell surface receptor may be why the amygdala of an anxious monkey or child is chronically overactive and unable to overcome anxiety and fears.

"This is the first demonstration that the early risk to develop anxiety and depression may be related to the underactivity of particular genes in the developing primate amygdala,'' Kalin says. "These findings have provided the basis for our hypothesis that can explain the early childhood risk to develop anxiety and depression. It also suggests some creative ways to help children with extreme anxiety by developing new treatments focused on increasing the activity of specific genes involved in facilitating the brain development that underlies fear learning and coping."

Lead author on the paper was Kalin's graduate student Andrew Fox. Other authors include Dr. Jonathan Oler, Steven Shelton, Dr. Steven Nanda, Dr. Richard Davidson and Dr. Patrick Roseboom, all of the University of Wisconsin.

The work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the UW HealthEmotions Research Institute.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison, via Newswise.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. A. S. Fox, J. A. Oler, S. E. Shelton, S. A. Nanda, R. J. Davidson, P. H. Roseboom, N. H. Kalin. Central amygdala nucleus (Ce) gene expression linked to increased trait-like Ce metabolism and anxious temperament in young primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1206723109

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/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/ceu23AH94Qc/121018102754.htm

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Seo Optimization Businesses Best Power Online

If youll be asked What is the little known secrets about the SEO? Can you give some?
Would you have something to answer?

Well, if you want to see more traffic to your website for more potential clients and business you need to learn more different about SEO optimization. Hordes of SEO companies are providing SEO optimization services to give businesses a power online.

The fact that you have a website means that you already have some understanding of the influence on business on the internet isnt as simple as that. Cause reaching the best positions on Google couldnt be done easily as there are many methods and strategies that should be considered.

If you really want your business page to be truly optimized and get to that coveted first page, the charm with the SEO is to work with the professional SEO Company. There are several SEO companies. However you might find the top shot SEO companies impressive with their big portfolios and large scale clients. You have to remember that for your site to take off and get traffic you need to work with professionals that give you the attention that you deserve. The best service would always come from people who are genuinely interested in your success and who tend to show loyalty to smaller websites. So think about this when you start looking into affordable SEO optimization.

Additionally, you shouldnt only work with the professionals, never overlooked the SEO optimization services to choose. Majority of reputed search engine optimization companies offer a wide gamut of services to clients. But the needs of your company are unique and it is important to know the most appropriate SEO techniques and work towards achieving them. Because a particular strategy is successful for one product, it may not necessarily be the right strategy to identify SEO techniques that work. Definitely the services of SEO experts are invaluable.

Search optimization services is an on-going process so these techniques and strategies used need time before they bring results. Most of the time, those techniques will need to be fine-tuned, while others need to be changed altogether. The secret of the SEO is the continuous collaboration and monitoring as well as the commitment to make changes as and when necessitated. Likewise, business owners should understand the fluctuating nature of SEO. Merely because a website ranks at the top search engine listings for a while, theres no guarantee that it will continue to dominate the next week or the next month. Your competition is always making changes and search engine algorithms are changing rapidly to provide web visitors the best surfing experience which is only from your website.

Successful and ethical SEO optimization partner can help business carries out a successful campaign for as long as the business is online. However it is required that the company has sufficient exposure in the niche and makes use of white hat SEO practices to achieve your business goals.

All of business owners wanted a cheap SEO service, minimized in price but maximized in results. Infinity Web Solutions located in the Philippines provides infinite traffic and consistent presence of your business in the World Wide Web. Their virtual assistants are your online business partner to guarantee you target your business goals in the least measure of time, with the cost-effective solutions. The Search Engine Optimization services they provide are tailored to meet your requirements for a low fee. They have developed an optimization plan strategically in SEO to keep up with the changes in the industry.

Are you ready to optimized your business and be no. 1 in Google page? Browse through packages of Infinity Web Solutions to get infinite results in your business today at http://infinity-web-solutions.com/search-engine-optimization-seo/

About the Author:
Are you ready to optimized your business and be no. 1 in Google page? Browse through packages of Infinity Web Solutions to get infinite results in your business today at http://infinity-web-solutions.com/search-engine-optimization-seo/

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/-Seo-Optimization-----Businesses-Best-Power-Online/4210820

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DIY Paint Project Ideas | 10List.com

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By Katie Kretschmer for Home Rehab Online

It?s always good to have a little paint left over from a recent paint project for just-in-case touch-ups. But when you have a bulk of leftover paint to spare, why not put it to good use and spruce up your home with some color? These five easy paint project ideas (plus some bonus inspiration) will give your leftover paint some purpose ? and give a room a fresh look to boot. (One gallon = 4 quarts or 8 pints.)

Photo:Susan Seubert/
YOLO Colorhouse

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No. 1: Use a full gallon of leftover paint to ?
Create an interesting wainscoting effect by painting the lower half of the wall around a room with a contrasting or complementary hue. Use painter?s tape to make a clean line, or use a rag or dry brush to blur the edges between the two colors for a funkier, more artistic finish.

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Photo: Glidden

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No. 2: Use a couple of quarts of paint to ?
Rehab old wooden or metal furniture. Keep an eye out for wood rockers, kitchen chairs, vintage bureaus, washstands or small tables at flea markets and yard sales. With a fresh coat of paint, these pieces can be a simple way to add personality to a room.

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No. 3: Use a quart of paint to ?
Paint the inside of a cabinet, armoire, closet or even drawers for an unexpected pop of color when the doors are opened. Bonus: Using a light color makes it easier to see into the back corners.

Photo:YOLO Colorhouse

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No. 4: Use a pint or two of paint to ?
With painter?s tape and a ruler, create a graphic mural of squares, rectangles or triangles. Also try painting square wood panels to add a pop art element to any room.

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Photo: YOLO Colorhouse

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No. 5: Use remnants of leftover paint to ?
Unleash your inner artist. Use the remnants of a can of paint to make a few bold strokes on craft paper or poster board. Or try your hand at spin art using a spin art machine. Sign and frame!

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Want more fun DIY paint project ideas? Try these! If you have ?

A gallon of paint:

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• Paint an accent wall to act as a focal point for a room or define a space.

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• Brighten a narrow or dark hallway with a vivid hue.

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A quart or two of paint:

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• Paint a 4-inch-wide chair rail around a room to create an accent. (The rule of thumb is to paint it about one-third of the way up from the floor.)

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• Paint a faux headboard for your bed. Keep it simple with a rectangular shape, or add drama with an elegant arched top.

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A pint or two of leftover paint:

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• Paint the inside of a metal medicine cabinet with a bright, cheery hue.

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• Paint just the drawer facades of a bureau for an unexpected pop.

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• Paint the edges of a bookcase to add definition and make a bold, visual pattern.

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• Create a simple stencil to make a frame around an inset shelf or niche.

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• Freshen up the frame of an old mirror.

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• Coat the inside of clear glass bottles, vases or jars with paint to make glossy, colorful decorative accessories.

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Like this article? Get more by following us @DIYHomeRehab or friending us on Facebook at Home-Rehab.

Check out below for a related video from our sponsor:

If you?d like to see more how to videos, check out our sponsor video section here.

Katie Kretschmer is a writer and editor whose
work touches all areas of style ? from fashion, art and design to crafts,
decorating and DIY.

Source: http://www.tenlist.com/bloghouse/diy-paint-project-ideas/

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?My 3 Things? ? Readers lists of 3 | The Survival Mom?

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
- Dale Carnegie -

It?s no use worrying about something unless you are taking some sort of action to solve the problem, and that is so very true of being prepared. There?s always something to worry about and storm clouds abound, literally and figuratively, so what have you done to prepare?

image by CarbonNYC

Last month readers submitted their own lists of the 3 most important things they have done to be better prepared. Three of those lists were chosen at random to win prizes, but each and every person is a winner in the game of survival, simply by taking action so they and their loved ones are prepared.

Here are just a few of the entries. I hope they inspire you and give you fresh ideas!

?My husband and I are unable to just go out and purchase large amounts of food at a time for our storage, I mean even $10-$15 too much on groceries or gas can throw us in to a snowball in the bank account. So in order to help us in whatever way we can, I do whatever I can to learn a new skill and perfect it then move on, so I?ve learned to Garden (in a confined area like my porch & back yard), can that food and put it up, I?m now working on making doughs and breads from scratch. This has been challenging because for some reason it seems to be my Achilles heel, & due to our financial situation we put up water recycling plastic bottles 2 liter bottles getting them from wherever I can my friends, my mom etc. There?s no shame in asking for things that can be reused in a survival scenario. The only shame would be to say we don?t have the money and to do nothing at all should there be an event that would require it.?

?1) Learned to Garden. My gardening experience was at zero 3 years ago. This year I had more fresh produce that I knew what to do with, despite the drought my area suffered. 2) Purchased a Big Berkey system to go along with my water storage system, as well as everyday use. 3) Put together 72-hour kits for each vehicle. This was a HUGE priority to me due to being the caretaker of my family of 5 as well as the extremely varied weather conditions in my area.?

?1. Water- my partner and I tend to drink a lot of gallon iced tea. I save every one and wash it out then fill it with water. We store them in our spare closet as an emergency supply so that we will have a water source in case anything happens. 2. Self sufficiency books- I have started a collection of self sufficiency books, everything from knitting to herbal medicine. In the chance that something long term were to occur they could be very useful to learn skills that will aid in ones survival during long term emergency situations. 3. Staying physically fit- We have both quit smoking and have a regular exercise routines to help us stay in good physical shape. We also make it a practice to go on long walks with backups filled with common household items in preparation of an emergency situation that would require us to leave home on foot.?

?The most important things I?ve done towards prepping are: 1 Organizing a rain water collection system, 2 Getting one of my daughters interested in prepping. Although I?m helping her financially, at least she?s on board and I no longer need to store as much stuff for her and her family. 3 Getting her kids, age 6 and 4, interested in gardening. Next year they want a plot of their own to grow stuff instead of just helping me and are going to have their own wormery.?

?1. My wife and I joined the city CERT group several years ago and using our ham radio licenses and equipment are part of a team that will be the eyes and ears of the cities Emergency Operations Center when other means of communications are out. 2. We have one each 5000 watt and 1000 watt generators along with sufficient fuel to keep them running part of each day for several weeks, that will keep our refrigerator and freezer cold enough to preserve our perishable food supply. We also keep our pantry full. 3. We have a 30? class C motorhome which we travel in for extended periods. Our last trip was 82 days and 10,000 miles. We keep it stocked with non-perishable food, 55 gallons of fuel and 40 gallons of water. It is also our ham radio communications station and can be operated in support of our CERT program.?

?Pay down debt, networking with like minded people, growing and canning food.?

?1. Hardened my house with security doors and inside burglar bars. 2. Bought a gun and took NRA shooting lessons. 3. Took classes on canning, simple home repairs, and making herbal medicines.?

?1) We uprooted and moved to a safer location. We were a couple blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and we made a move to an area that is safer and has water on property. It was hard to leave family and friends but we knew we needed to be as safe and self-sustainable as we could so we made the move. Best decision! 2) Educating ourselves. My husband and I now are constantly reading books and blogs (like yours! love!) and learning so much daily. 3) Learned to Can and Continue our Food Storage (and of course water storage too!)?

?1)Have own garden/green house and chickens, pigs, 2) have wood cook stove and working on the final stages of off the gird electricity3)Tried to make our family unit stronger so that we are better equipped to handle the situation at hand.?

?1. Learn the true meaning of improvise, adapt, and overcome. 2. Store water, water, water, and water. Water trumps food, and food trumps cool backpacks full of junk that you have no idea how to use. 3. Learn a new skill every month, and put it into everyday use. Prepping is not about the what-if?s, it is a lifestyle.?

?The first thing I?ve done to prepare my family for disaster is assemble an ICE box (In Case of Emergency box). It has the basic survival essentials, plus many things needed for a long-term crisis, such as fishing kit, water purification, etc. The second thing I?ve done is research substantially on the subject. I?ve heard it said you can have all the best gear in the world, but it doesn?t matter if you don?t know what to do with it. My last preparation item for this list is spreading the word. It may not seem like much, but the more I discuss disaster scenarios with my family (no matter how paranoid it may make me seem!), the more likely they?ll remember when it matters. So, in conclusion, my three important things I?ve done to compare is: assemble gear, attain knowledge, and build a support system.?

?1. Expanded my garden to include fruit and nuts & began canning. 2. Spoke with my neighbors and we have a plan to help each other out, including a plan to stay, relocate locally for temporary purposes, as well as a long-term bug out. 3) Took a few NRA classes and learned how to shoot a rifle, shotgun, and handgun & practice at the range.?

?1. Realized that being prepared doesn?t mean being negative. 2. Not only slowly bought the food, but continued to inventory it, making sure that things about to expire soon were either used up or sent to charity. 3. Prepped for the pets as well as the humans.?

?1. Most importantly, I became aware of the NEED to be prepared after a week long power outage showed us how woefully unprepared we were! 2. Began our supplies of food storage ? we are currently OK for 3 months. 3. Began learning the skills necessary to produce and store food when storage supplies are gone ? gardening, canning, fermenting, and dehydrating so far.?

?1. Strengthened my marriage. It is the foundation of our family. 2. Got out of debt. It freed the resources for everything else. 3. Got in shape. I don?t know what the SHTF may look like, but I know this is the body I?m taking in to it.?

?1. Prayed for guidance 2. Convinced my husband to join the preparedness/self-reliance movement 3. Researching and stocking up essential elements of our daily survival, including food, water, hygiene products, etc.?

?Set up a 3 day pack for each of us, updated our first aid kit, printed out important docs and laminated them for each of us.?

?1. We?ve worked hard to stock up a year?s worth of food, including prepackaged dehydrated or freeze-dried food, plus bagging up beans, rice, and pasta in mylar bags ourselves; 2. We?ve diversified our wealth, to include tangibles like food and homegoods, as well as precious metals, and of course cash; and 3. We?re constantly amassing as much information as possible that would be helpful in a down-grid situation. (You should see my survival notebooks!)?

?1. Read, knowledge is power, learn all you can about various topics (purifying water, foraging, preserving foods, etc.) 2. Do, put your knowledge to use, it?s all well and good to know the theory of using a bow drill to make fire but can you actually do it when your life depends on it? Practice your skills. 3. Plan for alternatives. Plan A didn?t work out? What?s plan B?and C?and D? What if the gear you were relying on to get you through (food, water, shelter) were destroyed in flood, fire or other disaster? Do your plans fall apart or can you adapt them??

?1. To pray that I remain calm, confident, and focused even in the face of everything happening in our country and the world. 2. I have spent a great deal of time trying to think through every scenario and to plan thoroughly for them. 3. I have stored (and continue to store) as much water and food as I possibly can to see us through to the other side of a disaster.?

?Purchased my first conceal carry weapon, a raspberry pink Taurus .380, traded a snowplow (we have another one) for a travel trailer, (another place to live that can be moved if necassary), walking 2 miles a day.?

?1. Took an Edible Plants of Louisiana class (which included a book and recipes!) 2. Inspired a couple of friends/family to consider preparedness actions 3. Made plans to help my neighbors (though they don?t know it): extra seeds, water collection (blow up swimming pools!), plans to protect our street.?

?Learned to use a firearm safely and with confidence, converted my husband into a prepper and lost 15 lbs. in order to be healthier for when and if hard times come.?

?1. I took control of my finances: built a small emergency fund, paid off debt, purchased adequate insurance. 2. Married a like-minded person! He hadn?t thought about preparedness, but he is open-minded, and enthusiastic now. 3. Cultivated hobbies of self-sufficiency: baking my own bread, gardening, brewing kombucha? the sky?s the limit when it comes to what I can learn (and have fun doing it!). ?

?1) Keep a pantry?it?s not as deep as I want, but we don?t have to order takeout anymore 2) Read?news, how-tos, pioneer stories?there?s a lot of free information out there 3) Keep my eyes open?in all circumstances, making myself and my babies a less likely target.?

?quit smoking!! (member me? 102 days without a cigarette so far! ))))), started excersizing and stopped drinking soda/caffeine, and began prepping in 2008!!! best things I have EVER done outside of having my daughter, lol Thank you SM! I?m so grateful for your blog! xoxo?

?1. Learn ? Learn to garden, learn to can, learn to wash clothes outside, learn to mend,learn to build, learn to learn. 2. Pay attention ? to your surroundings, to world events , to loval events, to each other. 3. Don?t waste ? things serve a purpose but usually they can serve multiple purposes ? use them for things they weren?t intended for. Peel labels off glass jars and re-use. Re-use old clothes to stuff pillow, make quilts, make new clothes, re-use leftovers for another meal, don?t throw anything away that isn?t truly trash!?

I have to stop myself here! Wish there was space for ALL the great lists!

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? 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Source: http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/10/12/my-3-things-giveaway/

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Bieber publicist: Stolen laptop tweet not a hoax

SEATTLE (AP) ? Was pop star Justin Bieber's laptop actually stolen during a show in Washington state?

Bieber tweeted to his nearly 29 million followers he and his tour manager were victimized during the show Tuesday night at the Tacoma Dome. But questions were raised Friday about the authenticity of Bieber's claim.

Another Twitter user alluded to having the laptop and footage of the pop star. The account, though, linked to Bieber's new music video, which starts with text saying personal footage was stolen and uploaded "illegally."

That prompted suspicions the supposed theft was a hoax meant to hype the new music video, which was released Friday.

But Bieber's publicist Melissa Victor says the theft report is true.

"Be very clear, the laptop was indeed stolen in Tacoma. That was NOT a hoax," Victor wrote in an email to the Associated Press.

She did not immediately reply to questions about the release of the music video or whether the Twitter account claiming to have footage of the pop start was connected to publicity. The Twitter user, (at)gexwy, did not respond to a message from The Associated Press.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said a report was filed online Wednesday, but he doesn't foresee police officers spending much time investigating.

"A lot of people got played," Fulghum said. "It became a big media frenzy, so I guess that was the idea."

But Fulghum did acknowledge the pop star's laptop could have been stolen.

The Tacoma News Tribune reported Friday that Tacoma officials reviewed surveillance video of the room where Bieber's property was allegedly taken, but could not make a determination there was a theft.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bieber-publicist-stolen-laptop-tweet-not-hoax-191002413.html

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Post-Doc Position at Crawford School | European Society for ...

Post-Doc Position at Crawford School, ANU: Climate Change and Energy Economics

We are looking for a post-doc with computable general equilibrium and/or macro-economic modeling experience to work with on our Australian Research Council funded project ?Energy Transitions: Past, Present, and Future? at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University in Canberra. Details of the position are here:? http://jobs.anu.edu.au/PositionDetail.aspx?p=2943

The higher stated salary is the rate of pay for a candidate with a completed PhD.

Please contact David Stern (david.stern@anu.edu.au) if you have any questions about the position, project, working at ANU etc. before applying.

(information from: http://www.isecoeco.org)

This entry was posted in Jobs and tagged Students. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.euroecolecon.org/post-doc-position-at-crawford-school/

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The new U.S. visa rush: Build a charter school, get a green card

(Reuters) - It's been a turbulent period for charter schools in the United States, with financial analysts raising concerns about their stability and regulators in several states shutting down schools for poor performance.

The volatility has made it tough for startup schools to get financing.

But an unlikely source of new capital has emerged to fill the gap: foreign investors.

Wealthy individuals from as far away as China, Nigeria, Russia and Australia are spending tens of millions of dollars to build classrooms, libraries, basketball courts and science labs for American charter schools.

In Buffalo, New York, foreign funds paid for the Health Sciences Charter School to renovate a 19th-century orphanage into modern classrooms and computer labs. In Florence, Arizona, overseas investment is expected to finance a sixth campus for the booming chain of American Leadership Academy charter schools.

And in Florida, state business development officials say foreign investment in charter schools is poised to triple next year, to $90 million.

The reason? Under a federal program known as EB-5, wealthy foreigners can in effect buy U.S. immigration visas for themselves and their families by investing at least $500,000 in certain development projects. In the past two decades, much of the investment has gone into commercial real-estate projects, like luxury hotels, ski resorts and even gas stations.

Lately, however, enterprising brokers have seen a golden opportunity to match cash-starved charter schools with cash-flush foreigners in investment deals that benefit both.

"The demand is massive - massive - on the school side," said Greg Wing, an investment advisor. "On the investor side, it's massive, too."

Two years ago, Wing set up a venture called the Education Fund of America specifically to connect international investors with charter schools. He is currently arranging EB-5 funding for 11 schools across North Carolina, Utah and Arizona and says he has four more deals in the works.

And that's just the start, Wing says: "It's going to be explosive."

CREDIT CRUNCH

The charter school movement is somewhat controversial. Critics - led by teachers' unions - contend they divert much-needed funds from traditional public schools. Still, they have proved quite popular and now educate more than 2 million children in the United States.

Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run, sometimes by for-profit companies. They receive taxpayer dollars to educate each child who enrolls. Yet in most states, they get little or no public money to build classrooms, libraries and other facilities.

Well-established and successful chains of charter schools, such as KIPP, Green Dot or Achievement First, receive hefty support from philanthropic foundations and private donors. The chains can also tap into financing provided by an array of for-profit and non-profit investment funds created for that purpose.

But the charter school movement also includes hundreds of small, one-of-a-kind schools, often started by parents seeking a different educational environment for their children. Those mom-and-pop startups have always had a hard time securing funding to build their schools. Many have had to make do with makeshift classrooms in strip malls or church basements.

And lately, experts say, the credit crunch has worsened.

"It's a hard go," said Eric Hall, an attorney in Colorado Springs who advises charter school boards.

Last month, Fitch Ratings warned it was likely to downgrade bonds backed by charter schools because the sector is volatile and the schools are highly leveraged. Such risks mean charter-school debt is typically considered speculative, rather than investment grade, said Eric Kim, a director at Fitch Ratings.

Meanwhile, the IRS has signaled it plans closer scrutiny of charter schools' tax-exempt status if they rely on for-profit management companies to provide their classroom space and run their academic programs, Hall said. He sent his clients a long memo this summer warning that the stepped-up IRS oversight could put some at "significant risk."

If that weren't enough to make investors wary, several well-known charter schools have run into significant legal and fiscal hurdles in recent months.

Missouri regulators shut down six campuses run by Imagine Schools, one of the nation's largest for-profit charter chains, because of poor academic performance. A judge in California ruled that Aspire Public Schools, a large non-profit chain, hadn't secured the proper approval for six of its schools and would have to get permission from local boards of education to continue running them. Local officials yanked the charter of a high-achieving middle school in Georgia over concerns about mismanagement.

All told, about 15 percent of the 6,700 charter schools that have been launched in the United States in the past two decades have since closed, primarily because of financial troubles, according to the Center for Education Reform, which supports charter schools.

This fall alone, more than 150 established charter schools didn't open their doors to students.

Such volatility "will spook people, no doubt about it," said David Brain, chief executive officer of Entertainment Properties Trust, which has historically owned movie theaters but branched out to invest in charter schools, including the six that were shuttered in St. Louis.

Brain said the closures did not affect his company's bottom line and he remains convinced charter schools are a profitable sector. But even he's not ready to start backing untested startup schools.

Charter school administrators say they know that wariness all too well.

"Until you get that charter renewal that says you're doing good things" - typically after five years in operation - "banks won't even talk to you," said Hank Stopinski, principal of the Health Sciences Charter School in Buffalo. Without foreign investment, he said, "we would not have been able to do this project."

RECESSION-PROOF

The EB-5 program has drawn sharp criticism in the past. Some immigrant investors have lost both their money and their shot at U.S. citizenship when their American partners proved inept or corrupt. In the United States, critics have questioned the value of trading visas for scattershot investment. (http://link.reuters.com/cem33t)

Yet interest is surging. In the first nine months of this year, the government approved 3,000 petitions from foreigners seeking to participate in the program - nearly twice as many as were approved all last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Charter schools have become particularly trendy because they are pitched as recession-proof.

An investor forum in China last spring, for instance, touted U.S. charter schools as a nearly fool-proof investment because they can count on a steady stream of government funding to stay afloat, according to a transcript posted on a Chinese website.

Arizona educator Holly Johnson, who runs three charter schools and plans to open a fourth next year, said she couldn't believe how easy it was to secure $4.5 million in funding from abroad.

"We didn't have to do anything at all," she said, other than open her schools to potential investors. They didn't ask many questions, she said. Their concern was more basic: "They wanted to come over and make sure it was real."

INNER SATISFACTION

Eager to join the rush, Ali Faisal devoted a day this week to touring charter schools in Arizona.

Faisal, 37, is a Pakistani citizen who now lives in Calgary, Canada. He runs a technology consulting business that works with oil and gas companies and says he is eager to expand to the United States. He figures the best way to do that is to get a green card.

And the best way to do that, he said, is the EB-5 program.

Participants can get a temporary visa by investing $500,000 to $1 million in a federally approved business. If the business creates or preserves at least 10 jobs in two years, the investor and his immediate family are eligible for permanent residency in the United States.

"It's a much easier path," Faisal said.

He decided to put his money in a charter school, he said, because that way he felt he'd be serving society as well as helping himself. The schools he saw impressed him with their rigorous science curriculum and he said he hoped his investment would help nurture a new generation of American entrepreneurs.

"Investing in some type of hotel," Faisal said, "will not give me that inner satisfaction."

(Reporting by Stephanie Simon in Denver; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Dilts in New York and Melanie Lee in Beijing; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Claudia Parsons)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-visa-rush-build-charter-school-green-card-050337247--sector.html

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