In 2012 race, GOP candidates rely less on fill-ins (AP)

MANCHESTER, N.H. ? At Mitt Romney's New Hampshire headquarters, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie played a time-worn shtick for the cameras, picking up a telephone alongside volunteers who were dialing undecided voters on behalf of the candidate they support.

Christie actually called Romney and the two chatted about an upcoming debate.

"Be yourself," Christie advised, as he accomplished what he needed to while a dozen reporters watched: He generated positive media attention for a candidate who was elsewhere at the time.

When they can't be in New Hampshire, Iowa and other early voting states, presidential hopefuls traditionally have sent others in their stead.

But this campaign season, surrogates such as Christie have been scarce, in large part because the field of candidates was so slow to develop. Christie, for example, thought of jumping in until October.

"In the past, you would have had full campaign staffs for all the candidates six to eight months out at least, and some campaigns here are still just starting to put boots on the ground," said South Carolina political consultant Luke Byars.

He said aside from the candidates' wives and adult children, no stand-ins have spoken in his state, though he expects activity will pick up.

"I still think that's going to happen, it's just a question of time," he said. "It takes resources and staff to make that happen."

In Iowa, Rick Perry's wife, Anita, has campaigned and one of Romney's sons Josh, filled in for his father this month at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan dinner in Des Moines. But that's nothing compared with 2008, when Romney's five sons traveled the country in a Winnebago that became known as the "Five Brothers Bus," while Josh Romney drove through all 99 Iowa counties.

New Hampshire has seen a bit more activity beyond politicians' family members. In addition to Christie making pitches for Romney, former Homeland Security Secretary and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge has campaigned for Jon Huntsman. But otherwise traffic has been light.

Tom Rath, a veteran New Hampshire political operative who has advised Romney's presidential campaigns in 2008 and this year, said surrogates are of limited use in states where voters are accustomed to close encounters with the candidates.

"Frankly, New Hampshire doesn't take kindly to surrogates. We like the candidate. We're spoiled. We see the candidate a lot. We expect to see the candidate. So you have to be very careful," he said. "You can't do them a lot here."

He does consider Christie the ideal type of surrogate, someone who can bring independent validation of a candidate's message and explain clearly how he came to his endorsement.

That's exactly what Christie did recently when he attended an evening house party for more than 100 people in Nashua. He emphasized what he said were Romney's strengths, criticized Obama and described why he decided to back Romney. He threw in the requisite local references, praising former Gov. John H. Sununu and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, though he mispronounced the latter's last name (AY'-aht).

He finished with a blunt line that drew laughter.

"If there are any of you here tonight who are not yet committed, you better be committed by the time I come back the next time," he said. "I've been real nice to you tonight, and I will not be the next time if you are still on the fence."

In the audience, Paul Laflamme of Nashua said he remained undecided but enjoyed hearing from Christie.

"I wouldn't make a decision. I wouldn't commit, without meeting the candidate themselves," he said. "However, Gov. Christie is incredibly smart, someone whose opinion I would respect and take into consideration. And hearing what his thought process was very helpful."

Laflamme said he's looking to be inspired by a candidate. Romney is his second choice, but he doesn't have a first one yet.

"Gov. Christie definitely made sense. He talked about not necessarily agreeing with somebody 100 percent of the time but finding the person who's the right person to be president at this time, and that very well could be Gov. Romney," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111127/ap_on_go_ot/us_sending_surrogates

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Paul McCartney's 2011 Tour 'On The Run' Begins In Bologna, Italy (PHOTOS)

Sir Paul McCartney is back to where he's always belonged: on the stage, rockin' it.

The former Beatle and Rock N' Roll Hall of Famer made the first stop on the European leg of his "On the Run" tour in Bologna, Italy on Saturday, thrilling fans with hits new and old. The tour was announced following his October marriage to Nancy Shevell; an 11-stop event, it follows his summer "On the Run" concerts at stadiums across America and a stop earlier in November to perform at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.

The tour will continue on through most of December, touching down on Paris, Russia and London before finishing in his hometown of Liverpool.

There's no set list available for Saturday's gig in Bologna yet, but you can check out a review and recap of his show in Abu Dhabi by clicking here.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/paul-mccartneys-2011-tour_n_1114886.html

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Thousands rally in Egypt on "last chance Friday" (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Thousands of Egyptians demanding an end to military rule converged on Cairo's Tahrir square on Friday in what activists say will be the biggest day yet of protests in a week of violence that has seen at least 41 people killed.

The generals who have governed Egypt since people power toppled President Hosni Mubarak on February 11 are facing a major challenge to their authority.

Activists who accuse them of trying to cling to power have once again turned Tahrir into a center of mass demonstrations, producing scenes similar to the uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Since last Saturday, streets near Tahrir have become battle zones with stone-throwing protesters fought police firing tear gas, pellets and rubber bullets, although a truce on Thursday calmed the violence in the past 24 hours.

Activists sought to bring a million people into the streets of the capital on what they have dubbed "the Friday of the last chance." The weekly Muslim prayer day has traditionally produced the biggest demonstrations of the Arab Spring revolts sweeping across the Middle East.

There was still no official confirmation early on Friday of state media reports overnight that the ruling military council had appointed Kamal Ganzouri, who served as prime minister under Mubarak from 1996-99, to head an interim cabinet. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government resigned this week.

The military rulers say they will transfer power to civilians, but the process should not be rushed to avoid chaos.

Washington, long a bedrock supporter of Egypt's military, called on the generals on Friday to step aside "as soon as possible" and give real power to the new cabinet "immediately."

"Full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

"The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately."

Ahmed Mohey el-Din, 27, a dentist, who was among the crowds in Tahrir Square, said: "We came to voice our refusal of the military council's maneuvers and to stress our demands for handing power to a civilian presidential council and a national salvation government with full powers."

"Numbers will increase after prayers as we expect marches from several districts to join the protesters in the square."

Mohamed Abdel Kerim, a university student, said talk of appointing Ganzouri, 78, as prime minister was a tactic intended to divide protesters. "We don't want anyone from the old regime and we want complete powers for the new government," he said.

Informal debate among protesters about who should head the next cabinet threw up three "acceptable" names: leftwinger Hamdeen Sabahi, Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Futuh, or former U.N. nuclear watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei, protesters said.

"There is consensus in Tahrir on the choice of Sabahi, Aboul Futuh and ElBaradei as the three most suitable politicians and technocrats to form a government," said one protester, Amr Salah. "There is considerable rejection of Ganzouri in Tahrir."

Activists set up checkpoints at entrances to the square, searching people arriving and checking identity cards.

"We've had enough of government controlled by the military," read a huge banner tied between two lamp posts. Several hundred young men marched around waving Egyptian flags and chanting "Down, down with military rule" and "Down, down with the field marshal," a reference to army chief Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.

FRUSTRATION WITH ARMY

The army, once hailed for its role in easing Mubarak from power, has come under increasing fire for dragging out a handover to civilian rule, even as Egypt's economy falters.

This week it promised to accelerate the timetable for a transfer of power to a civilian president and again pledged that parliamentary elections will start on Monday, as planned.

The United States and European nations, alarmed at the violence of the past few days, have urged Egypt to proceed with what has been billed as its first free vote in decades.

The army and the Muslim Brotherhood, which expects to do well in the election, say it must go ahead, but many protesters do not trust the military to oversee a clean vote. Some scorn the Brotherhood for its focus on gaining seats in parliament.

The group organised a protest last Friday against army efforts to shape a new constitution, but left Tahrir as protests widened. It held a separate rally this Friday at al-Azhar mosque for the "liberation" of Jerusalem from Israeli control.

The Health Ministry said 41 people had died in the violence, state television reported. More than 2,000 people were also wounded in the unrest in Cairo and several other cities.

The army council said on Thursday it was trying to prevent more bloodshed. In an unusual apology, it offered compensation to families of the dead and a swift enquiry into the unrest.

The latest upheaval makes it even harder to dig the economy out of a crisis whose first victims are the millions of poor Egyptians whose frustration spurred the revolt against Mubarak.

Egypt's central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates on Thursday for the first time in more than two years, after depleting its foreign reserves trying to defend a local currency weakened by the political chaos.

In fresh blows to confidence, the Egyptian pound weakened to more than six to the dollar for the first time since January 2005, and Standard & Poor's cut Egypt's credit rating.

The economic woes may argue in favor of Ganzouri, whose government virtually balanced the budget, cut inflation, held the exchange rate stable and maintained healthy foreign currency reserves during his time in office from 1996 to 1999.

He introduced some economic liberalisation measures and many Egyptians viewed him as an official who was not tainted by corruption. But his record serving under Mubarak could stir opposition from those demanding a clean break with the past.

Some Facebook activists derided the choice of a Mubarak-era man to steer the country into a new era, listing four ancient pharaohs as useful alternatives if Ganzouri turns the job down.

"Tutankhamun is more suitable because he is from the youth," one said, referring to the boy king of ancient Egypt.

(Additional reporting by Shaimaa Fayed, Edmund Blair, Ali Abd El-Ati and Patrick Werr; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Peter Graff)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/wl_nm/us_egypt_protests

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Mars Science Laboratory: NASA launches most capable and robust rover to Red Planet

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2011) ? NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 10:02 a.m. EST (7:02 a.m. PST).

"We are very excited about sending the world's most advanced scientific laboratory to Mars," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "MSL will tell us critical things we need to know about Mars, and while it advances science, we'll be working on the capabilities for a human mission to the Red Planet and to other destinations where we've never been."

The mission will pioneer precision landing technology and a sky-crane touchdown to place Curiosity near the foot of a mountain inside Gale Crater on Aug. 6, 2012. During a nearly two-year prime mission after landing, the rover will investigate whether the region has ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life.

"The launch vehicle has given us a great injection into our trajectory, and we're on our way to Mars," said Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager Peter Theisinger of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The spacecraft is in communication, thermally stable and power positive."

The Atlas V initially lofted the spacecraft into Earth orbit and then, with a second burst from the vehicle's upper stage, pushed it out of Earth orbit into a 352-million-mile (567-million-kilometer) journey to Mars.

"Our first trajectory correction maneuver will be in about two weeks," Theisinger said. "We'll do instrument checkouts in the next several weeks and continue with thorough preparations for the landing on Mars and operations on the surface."

Curiosity's ambitious science goals are among the mission's many differences from earlier Mars rovers. It will use a drill and scoop at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into analytical laboratory instruments inside the rover. Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science-instrument payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Some of the tools are the first of their kind on Mars, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking the elemental composition of rocks from a distance, and an X-ray diffraction instrument for definitive identification of minerals in powdered samples.

To haul and wield its science payload, Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity. Because of its one-ton mass, Curiosity is too heavy to employ airbags to cushion its landing as previous Mars rovers could. Part of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is a rocket-powered descent stage that will lower the rover on tethers as the rocket engines control the speed of descent.

The mission's landing site offers Curiosity access for driving to layers of the mountain inside Gale Crater. Observations from orbit have identified clay and sulfate minerals in the lower layers, indicating a wet history.

Precision landing maneuvers as the spacecraft flies through the Martian atmosphere before opening its parachute make Gale a safe target for the first time. This innovation shrinks the target area to less than one-fourth the size of earlier Mars landing targets. Without it, rough terrain at the edges of Curiosity's target would make the site unacceptably hazardous.

The innovations for landing a heavier spacecraft with greater precision are steps in technology development for human Mars missions. In addition, Curiosity carries an instrument for monitoring the natural radiation environment on Mars, important information for designing human Mars missions that protect astronauts' health.

The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida managed the launch. NASA's Space Network provided space communication services for the launch vehicle. NASA's Deep Space Network will provide spacecraft acquisition and mission communication.

For more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

For more information about the Deep Space Network, visit: http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn .

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111126155300.htm

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QPAD MK-85 gaming keyboard brings NKRO, Cherry MX switches, devilish red backlights

N-key rollover (NKRO) is the gaming equivalent of musical polyphony, except it's less about creating beautiful harmonies and more about meleeing that camper in the corner while taking evasive maneuvers, reloading your AK, barking orders at your unit, checking the map, calling in a chopper and emailing the office -- all at precisely the same time. If that sounds beautiful to you, then you might consider picking up QPAD's new MK-85 mechanical gaming keyboard, which delivers full NKRO, USB and audio hub functionality and individual blood-red LED backlights over a single USB cable. It also has non-tactile, non-audible Cherry MX Red switches and, of course, plenty of programmable keys. The MK-85 will be available from December priced at €149 ($200). Alternatively, you can opt for a stripped-down MK-50 for €80 ($106), which plays the same core melody but without some of the trills.

QPAD MK-85 gaming keyboard brings NKRO, Cherry MX switches, devilish red backlights originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers surprised to find fatty liver disease poses no excess risk for death

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition associated with obesity and heart disease long thought to undermine health and longevity. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests the condition does not affect survival.

A report on the study was published online last week in BMJ, the British medical journal.

"Physicians have considered fatty liver disease a really worrisome risk factor for cardiovascular disease," says study leader Mariana Lazo, M.D., Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research. "Our data analysis shows this doesn't appear to be the case. We were surprised to say the least because we expected to learn by how much non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increased the risk of death and instead found the answer was not at all."

Using health information collected from 11,371 Americans between 1994 and 1998 and followed for up to 18 years as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), the researchers checked liver enzyme levels and ultrasound tests for evidence of NAFLD, and ultimately looked at death rates associated with NAFLD. The participants ranged in age from 20 to 74 during the data collection years. Because the ultrasounds were originally taken to assess gallbladder health, Lazo and colleagues from Johns Hopkins looked at each recording to determine the presence of fat in each person's liver. People whose livers are 5 percent fat or more are considered to have NAFLD.

The Johns Hopkins team found no increase in mortality among those with NAFLD, which was identified in approximately 20 percent of the NHANES participants. At the end of the follow-up period, mortality from all causes was 22 percent, or 1,836 individuals. Cardiovascular disease was the cause of death for 716 participants, cancer for 480 and liver disease for 44.

Although the researchers found no increase in deaths, Lazo says further study is needed to determine whether more advanced NAFLD has serious long-term consequences for the liver, a vital organ that turns what we eat and drink into nutrients and filters harmful substances from the blood.

NAFLD, which some researchers have called the nation's next epidemic, is characterized by the liver's inability to break down fats and fatty build up in the organ. Found in roughly one in three Americans, it is most prevalent in those who are obese, and those with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The spectrum of disease ranges from simple fat build-up to inflammation to the scarring and poor liver function that characterize cirrhosis. Chronic liver disease has long been associated with long-term alcohol consumption, but as the name suggests, NAFLD is found in those who are not heavy drinkers.

"We don't yet know why mortality is not affected or whether there might be some actual protective effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease," she says, "but it looks like the liver's ability to accumulate fat may somehow shield the body from the detrimental effects of other health problems such as obesity and diabetes," she says.

There is no treatment for NAFLD, other than lifestyle changes, including weight loss, and only a liver biopsy can determine how serious NAFLD is. Lazo says she hopes new methods are developed that more easily identify more advanced stages of NAFLD, which may not be harmless.

Still, she says, her research suggests that with respect to long-term survival of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, "it may not matter if you have the disease or not."

###

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Thanks to Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115458/Researchers_surprised_to_find_fatty_liver_disease_poses_no_excess_risk_for_death

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Merkel sets conditions for Greek bailout loans (AP)

BERLIN ? Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted Wednesday that Greece can only receive its next vital batch of bailout loans if Greek coalition parties commit in writing to a separate international aid package, ensuring support for painful austerity measures tied to the money.

Greece desperately needs an euro8 billion ($10.8 billion) installment from its euro110 billion bailout agreed on in May 2010. Without it, Greece will default before Christmas and be unable to pay salaries and pensions.

But, the leader of Europe's biggest economy said she must see written commitments on a new forthcoming aid package from the Greek government and the main coalition parties ? the majority socialists and the conservatives ? before releasing the funds.

"The Greek question is still unresolved because we do not yet have the preconditions to pay out the next installment," Merkel told Parliament in Berlin.

The conservatives under their leader Antonis Samaras have balked at signing off on the package, insisting their support for the interim government should be enough.

Greece is negotiating to receive a second international bailout, worth euro130 billion ($175 billion). It includes provisions for banks and other private holders of Greek bonds to write off 50 percent of their Greek debt holdings, potentially cutting the country's debt by euro100 billion.

Samaras has long opposed many aspects of Greece's severe austerity program, including that of new taxes. He has advocated cutting taxes instead of increasing them, saying this would help stimulate growth to pull the country out of recession.

Merkel did not single out Samaras, saying it is "required that we do not only have the signature of Greece's Prime Minister, but also the signatures of the parties supporting the government in Greece," she told lawmakers.

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos' new government was appointed earlier this month after political turmoil led to the resignation of the Socialist prime minister George Papandreou. Papademos is a former central banker and deputy head of the European Central Bank.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs meetings of the 17-nation eurozone's finance ministers, has said the disbursement of the next installment ? the sixth from the initial bailout ? would be discussed at the ministers' next meeting on Nov. 29.

European leaders began asking for written commitments amid anger over Papandreou's sudden decision to put Greece's new debt deal to a referendum, which eventually led to his resignation days later.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_greece_financial_crisis

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[OOC] The Fall of Light

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Jack Winters

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this seems quite interesting. I'd like to be a part of this. while I can't guarantee a post a day (I'll try)... latest I'll have a post every 2-3 days. Would that be alright?

souloe

Member for 3 years

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I believe I'm going to submit a character! ^^ I wanted to ask a question first though..
Is it okay if my character is blind? :o

YoshiFTW

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This is interesting, I may have to do a character for this. Give it a good mix of something :)

Corvan

Member for 4 years

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Jackson doctor trial judge says no more tests (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? A judge on Monday rejected a request for additional tests on a bottle of the anesthetic propofol deemed responsible for Michael Jackson's death.

Attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted on November 1 of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of the singer, asked for tests on the vial of propofol that was found in Jackson's bedroom on the morning he died.

But judge Michael Pastor said Murray's defense team had months to ask for the tests and should have done so during the six week trial. Jackson, 50, was ruled to have died on June 25, 2009 from a propofol overdose and a combination of sedatives.

"You're not involved in fishing, you're involved in foraging," Pastor told the lawyers on Monday.

Murray admitted giving Jackson a dose of propofol -- normally used to sedate patients before surgery -- as a sleep aid. But his attorneys argued during the Los Angeles trial that Jackson gave himself an extra fatal dose when Murray was out of the room.

Defense attorneys said on Monday they wanted the new tests to confirm or disprove the prosecution theory that Murray hooked Jackson up to a IV drip of propofol and left the room.

Murray is in jail awaiting sentencing on November 29 and could face up to four years in prison.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/music_nm/us_michaeljackson

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Lern2Play

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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/lern2play

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Finance: Transparency, accountability still to be valued | Business 380

I ?decided it would be a good idea to visit Wall Street. I wanted to see firsthand what the hullabaloo was about.

Leaving the Brooks Brothers behind, my apparel de guerre allowed me to freely move through the streets, receiving invitations to the General Assembly Meeting at Washington Square Park. It was a relief to be counted among the
99 percent!

The 1 percent apparently were huddled in their clubs, waiting for the storm to pass.

Tim Terry

Zuccotti Park was occupied, and even the right of sanctuary at Trinity Church was questionable for them.

Standing in the relative quiet of Trinity, I reflected on the financial mess that has given rise to this movement. Nine years ago the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) promised to reform Wall Street.

The question as to its effectiveness is a matter of much discussion. What is not up for debate is the disenfranchisement felt by millions.

To their way of thinking, Wall Street has been engaged in high-stakes shenanigans and the 99 percent are paying the price.

Perception is a funny thing. There are undoubtedly abuses, but the economic crisis is a creature of its own making.

The economy is a mess, and it will take time to make it right. The new normal may not look normal to many, especially investors.
And guess what ? the promise of financial reform introduced by SOX appears to be empty.

Not surprisingly, many of the titans of Wall Street are viewing this as an opportunity to dismantle or at least dismember SOX.

The conventional argument goes like this: It is a financial burden which is creating a lack of competitiveness for U.S. companies at a time when they need to have everything going for them.

These are the same folk who are advocating allowing tax-planning profits parked offshore to be repatriated with little or no taxes.

Investors: caveat emptor! Those of us who have good memories of the financial shenanigans that gave rise to SOX are loath to consider any changes that alter better transparency and accountability.

While this Act certainly put a burden on public companies, it also raised the ante for CEOs and CFOs by requiring them to certify and approve the integrity of their company?s financial reports on a quarterly basis.

This is a big deal because they must now take personal responsibility for accurate financial reports. As these reports are the lifeblood of our financial exchanges, their integrity is critical to our capital system.

As someone who has been advising investors for more than 30 years, I tend to look at life before and after SOX.

Prior to 2002 some of us were skeptical of the financial reporting. We knew many companies routinely ?groomed? earnings to meet Wall Street expectations.

The challenge was to identify that stock before it found its way into our portfolios.

That said, even the most cynical among us was shocked to learn a CPA by the name of Scotty Sullivan had engineered an $11 billion dollar financial fraud at WorldCom. The quick additions of Enron and Tyco to the list created a tidal wave of reform that resulted in a near unanimous vote by the Senate and House to usher in SOX?s passage.

Observing the proceedings in Zuccotti Park, I thought it remarkable, in the face of these protests, that pressure is mounting to repeal the provisions of SOX requiring executives to swear to the accuracy of their financial reports.

I was drawn back to Euripides? line from Hippolytus: ?My tongue swore, but my mind was still unpledged.? How little human nature has changed since 428 BC.

Source: http://business380.com/2011/11/20/finance-transparency-accountability-still-to-be-valued/

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(Founder Stories) Mick Mountz, Kiva Systems: ?We Have Been Growing At Over 100% A Year?

After electronically ordering a shredder for your files following a pivot and a case of bottled water to wash away lessons learned, you may have set in motion one of?Mick Mountz's?Roomba?like robots to fetch the items for you in a warehouse that uses his?Kiva Systems?technology. The interconnected hardware and software package is designed to streamline the process of picking, packing and shipping e-commerce products for delivery. A former?Webvan?employee, Mountz saw an opening to create efficiency after noticing warehouses were geared towards transporting bulk items of similar products to retail stores, but not designed "to get one red, one green and one blue in a box."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0TY8oqfDtb8/

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Ohio mom charged in death of 28-pound teen girl

CINCINNATI?? A mother and three nurses were charged Thursday in the death of the woman's 14-year-old daughter, who had cerebral palsy and weighed 28 pounds, a prosecutor said.

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A Montgomery County grand jury in Dayton indicted the mother and a nurse on involuntary manslaughter charges. Two other nurses were indicted on charges of failing to report child abuse or neglect. All are being held in the county jail.

"This is a tragic and sad case wherein four adults were responsible for the care of this 14-year-old special-needs girl, and they all utterly ignored and failed to do so." Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck Jr. said in a statement.

"The conduct of these four defendants transcends all bounds of human decency," he said.

Heck said that the girl undoubtedly would still be alive "if just one of these defendants had acted responsibly."

Makayla Norman died March 1 from nutritional and medical neglect complicated by her chronic condition, the county coroner's office ruled.

"She was the worst malnourished child this office has ever seen," Ken Betz, director of the coroner's office, said Thursday.

Authorities have said that the teen died minutes after paramedics rushed her to a hospital.

The victim had numerous bed sores and showed other signs of neglect, and the prosecutor described the home as vile and filthy.

The girl's mother, Angela Norman, also was indicted on a felony count and a misdemeanor count of endangering children. No attorney was listed for Norman, whose age was listed as 42 in jail records.

Mollie E. Parsons, 41, of Dayton, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, failing to provide for a functionally impaired person and tampering with records. Kathryn Williams, 42, of Englewood, and Mary K. Kilby, 63, of Miamisburg, were each charged with failing to provide for a functionally impaired person and failing to report child abuse or neglect. No attorneys were listed for them.

The teen was confined to her home and was supposed to be cared for by her mother and Parsons, a licensed practical nurse whose job was to administer care for the girl six days a week, according to the prosecutor.

Williams and Kilby are registered nurses, the prosecutor's office said. Williams was paid to supervise Parsons and visit and inspect the living conditions and do a physical assessment of the girl every 30 to 60 days. Kilby was scheduled to visit every six months to also check on conditions of the home and assess the girl's health, needs and care, the statement said.

Children's services had a referral on the family in September 2009, but it was unable to substantiate any allegations, Ann Stevens, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services, said Thursday.

Stevens said she could not provide any additional information because of confidentiality requirements, but she said the department would have assisted the police and the prosecutor's office in their investigation of the girl's death.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45340696/ns/us_news/

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Streaming Movie of the Night: Cropsey [Video]

Tonight's streaming pick is a rarity: a movie that's both scary and real. Cropsey is a documentary about a murderous urban legend that's not quiiiiiiite so much of a legend. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kOdkZ_Xl8qE/streaming-movie-of-the-night-cropsey

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Sprint first to offer wireless emergency alerts

Sprint/FEMA/FCC

By Suzanne Choney

Sprint will start allowing free, wireless emergency alerts?? text messages from the National Weather Service, state and local emergency operations center, even the President?? becoming the first U.S. carrier to do so.

By the end of the year, Sprint will test the alerts in New York City, in conjunction with the city's Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We look forward to testing this critical service in a city that is the epicenter of our nation?s financial, media and fashion markets," said Steve Elfman, Sprint president of network operations and wholesale, in a press release.

"During the next year, Sprint will continue working with FEMA, DHS, and numerous state and local emergency agencies to successfully make the alerts available nationwide," the company said.

The alerts are part of the federal Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), a major components of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) system being developed by FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission.

The text alerts could be issued for a wide range of emergencies, from those that are weather-related in your area (tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires), to warning students on a campus that may have just been put on lockdown because of a threat.

Other examples cited by Sprint:

An emergency message could be targeted to cell phones at a stadium event, informing attendees of where to go or what direction to drive following a nearby highway accident or chemical spill.

If a suspicious package were reported in an airport, shopping mall or office complex, thousands could receive messages to move to a certain area until the threat was removed.

"Wireless users can opt out of all message types with the exception of presidential alerts," Sprint said.

For now, several, but not all, Sprint devices will be able to get the alerts; the iPhone is not on the list, but among the phones that are: the HTC Evo Design 4G, HTC Evo 3D, Samsung Galaxy S^{II and the Epic4G Touch.}

The alerts are "delivered at no charge to the customer and have a distinctive vibration cadence and audio tone similar to what is heard for emergency alerts on broadcast television and radio," Sprint said.

Testing, it is hoped, will go better than last week's national exercise by FEMA of the Emergency Alert System on TV and radio, when some reported hearing a Lady Gaga song played through the test period.

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/16/8839515-sprint-first-carrier-to-offer-wireless-emergency-alerts

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FCC Fridays: November 18, 2011

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones

• LG MS840 (MetroPCS LTE)
• Nokia Asha 201 RM-800
• Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830I
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus SCH-I515 (Verizon LTE)
• Samsung Omnia W GT-I8350T (AT&T 3G bands)
• Samsung Wave Y GT-S5380B
• Samsung Wave Y GT-S5380L

Tablets and peripherals

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (AT&T 3G bands)
• TCL OpenPad MR2857
• Viewsonic VS14406
• ZTE MF660 USB data stick

FCC Fridays: November 18, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/18/fcc-fridays-november-18-2011/

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Andrea Bocelli Expecting A Daughter With Fiance

Andrea Bocelli Expecting A Daughter With Fiance

Opera star Andrea Bocelli is going to be a father for the third time. Bocelli, the popular blind opera star, and his partner Veronica Berti [...]

Andrea Bocelli Expecting A Daughter With Fiance Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/xc0cDJ3R5CU/

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International Space Station gets 3 new tenants (AP)

MOSCOW ? The International Space Station got three new crewmembers Wednesday, temporarily doubling in crew size with the arrival of a Russian Soyuz capsule.

The Soyuz TMA-22 delivered NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russians Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, who blasted off from Kazakhstan on Monday. They moved onto the station about two hours after their capsule successfully docked.

The three newcomers were greeted with hugs and handshakes from American Michael Fossum, Russian Sergey Volkov and Japanese Satoshi Furukawa who have been at the station since June and are due to return to Earth next week.

The 39-year-old Shkaplerov and 42-year-old Ivanishin are making their first flights into space. Burbank, 50, who will take over command of the space station, is a veteran of 12-day shuttle missions in 2000 and 2006. The three men are to remain aboard the space station until March.

Officials at Russia's Mission Control outside Moscow and the cosmonauts' families radioed congratulations to the crew.

The mission's launch had been delayed for two months because of the crash of an unmanned Progress cargo ship in August. That failed launch raised doubts about future missions to the station, because the rocket the crashed ship used had the same upper stage as the booster rockets carrying Soyuz ships into orbit. The delay cut the crew numbers to three. Another launch next month will take the station back to its normal six-person crew.

William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, said in a televised news briefing shortly after the docking that "the Russian team did the tremendous job of getting the launch and the docking ready."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111116/ap_on_sc/sci_space_station

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9-year-old survives almost 2 days in car wreck

COVE CITY, N.C.?? A 9-year-old North Carolina girl pinned in a wrecked car for almost two days ate Pop-Tarts and Gatorade to help her survive the single-car crash that killed her father, police and relatives said on Monday.

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Jordan Landon of Cove City was airlifted to a hospital Sunday night after rescue teams cut her out of the 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that had been upside down in a culvert since Friday night, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said. Killed was 39-year-old Douglas Landon, police said.

Sgt. David Clifton called the girl "heroic" and said she was able to stay calm despite being trapped in the dark and cold. He said the girl was talkative and she was expected to fully recover.

Clifton said a person walking by saw the car off the state highway and called 911 late Sunday afternoon, more than 40 hours after the pair was believed to have crashed on their way to a store. Temperatures at night had dropped into the 30s in the area in eastern North Carolina.

Police said the speedometer on the car was stuck at more than 100 mph. Douglas Landon's employer and friend, Butch Morse, said he found hard to believe Landon was going that fast.

"He wasn't speeding, there is no way in God's green earth he was speeding," Morse told WCTI-TV.

In his final moments, a family friend said Landon was trying to protect his daughter.

"He was curled up in a ball with his arm right across his chest and his other arm pushed out across Jordan. He was trying to hold her and trying to keep her protected, he was a good father," Kevin Brinson told the TV station.

Her mother, Claudette Leohmann, said Jordan was recovering but was very upset about the loss of her father, who was Leohmann's longtime boyfriend.

A call by The Associated Press to the local highway patrol station went unanswered Monday night.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45300614/ns/us_news-life/

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An era of technology-based communications and its implications ...

We live in an era of technology-based communications with social media, internet and texting. The world has kept changing and it will continue to change. I still remember how dramatic it was when CDs came out in the world when I was a teen. I saw some adults insisting on using a record player and feeling sentimental about it. It was one of the big innovations I remember in my life.

My parents brought some CDs home and they were Top Gun and Over the Top. I still remember that. My dad put them in a CD player and we stood around it waiting for the sound to come out. When we heard the introduction of Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins, we looked at each other and we all said, ?Ohhhhhh, the sound quality is phenomenal!? It was pure sound without the scratchy noise you could hear from records. Also, I liked the shiny surface of CDs; they looked so modernized.

Often I think about implications of internet, social media, and texting. Many things are one-click away and it takes less efforts. In a real world, you can not avoid things you don?t like. For example, in school you may meet someone who you don?t like. You have choices: learning how to get along well with the person or having issues with him/her. You have to figure it out. It?s the same for work. That?s the main reason why I send my children to school. I hear some disturbing stories on news and sometimes I think, ?What a world are we living in?? Of course, I hope that nothing horrible happens to them. But I want them to step out of their comfort zone which is home for them and to learn how to avoid danger, how to deal with the others, and how to be independent on their own.

On the other hand, with social media?such as Facebook, you can choose to stay in your world. Maybe you are having a bad day or you are upset with your husband?s work. So, you decide to broadcast how upset you are, how sad you are, or how unfortunate you are on Facebook. People including those who you have met maybe 3 times in your life tell you that they are sorry for you, life is not fair, and life is hard. So, you get satisfaction because you feel like your opinions are validated. However, the pitfall of this is that it keeps you in your own little world. Because you are satisfied, you stop seeking solutions for your core issues (if you need one). You sit in front of your computer and hear what you want to hear. That?s it. You don?t step out of your comfort zone to do something about it.?Another issue with Facebooking is that words seem to weigh less there. Without looking at the person?s face you are communicating with, it?s easier to say things that you don?t mean or it?s easier to say mean things.

By needoptic

When my children get a birthday party invitation from their classmates, we often have choices to RSVP by either e-mail or phone. When I have to reply ?no?, I find it easier to do that via e-mail rather than making a phone call. You know why? It takes less efforts. I don?t have to pick up a phone and try to have a little conversation with the parent that I never met. See, it?s easy. Depending on topics, I don?t neglect making efforts to pick up a phone and to have an actual conversation, though. For example, we got invited to a Thanksgiving dinner by our wonderful neighbor. However, we had to decline because we had another plan. Before I called her, I felt really bad about turning it down. I could have just texted her. But, my relationship with her is very important for me, so I picked up the phone and called.

But, I admit sometimes it?s better if you communicate via e-mail, Facebook, or texting under some circumstances. When my friends had a baby, the last thing I wanted to do was to wake her or her baby up by calling. Or I don?t like to interrupt what my friends are doing with trivial things. So, with those cases, I prefer texting, e-mailing or Facebooking.

I am not complaining about these trends. I know we can?t go back to the old days and we don?t need to. Rather I want to use it in a smart way because it will be the center of my children?s social life. And, I acknowledge the benefits I get from them as having families and friends all over the world. It?s the best way to keep in touch with those who live far away from you. For me, social media?is the way to keep in touch with the others but I don?t need hundreds of ?friends?. I keep in my mind that I don?t throw out words lightly and I don?t get caught up with trivia going on in cyberspace. We can definitely maximize the benefits of social media?by knowing how to use them.

Source: http://www.eastmeetswestblog.com/2011/11/15/an-era-of-technology-based-communications-and-its-implications/

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