Tajik rebels surrender after threat of new assault

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Rebels facing off against government troops in Tajikistan's volatile east began laying down their weapons on Sunday after the authorities threatened to launch a new offensive to capture a former warlord accused of killing a local security chief.

President Inomali Rakhmon had called a ceasefire late last Tuesday after heavy fighting, promising to pardon anyone who disarmed while demanding that the rebels handed over Tolib Ayombekov, the former warlord, along with three fighters.

A senior Tajik security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Sunday that the rebels had started to surrender at about 0200 GMT, handing over "dozens of guns".

"We now hope that everything will end peacefully," he said.

Tajikistan's interior ministry confirmed the news in a statement, saying: "Members of illegal armed units in the Gorno-Badakhshan region have started turning in their arms ... Those laying down their weapons are immediately amnestied."

Rakhmon had sent troops into the area on Tuesday in pursuit of former opposition field commander Ayombekov, accusing him of killing Major-General Abdullo Nazarov, the head of the Gorno-Badakhshan branch of the GKNB, successor of the Soviet-era KGB, on July 21.

Officials said the heavy fighting that followed killed 17 troops, 30 rebels and one civilian, in violence that raised concerns about the stability of the majority Muslim nation.

On Saturday - after several days of talks - the authorities issued a final warning, telling the rebels they would launch a new large-scale military offensive against them unless they surrendered.

"MAIN THING IS THAT THIS NOW ENDS PEACEFULLY"

However, not all of the authorities' demands were met.

"At this stage, there is no talk about the surrender of Ayombekov and other rebels accused of killing Nazarov," the same security source told Reuters on Sunday. "Militants say they are in Afghanistan, and we also do not exclude this."

"The main thing is that this (stand-off) now ends peacefully, and we will return to Ayombekov's capture later."

After Nazarov was killed, the government sent helicopters, armored vehicles and thousands of troops into the area. Nazarov's agency had accused Ayombekov's gang of smuggling drugs, tobacco and precious stones.

Ayombekov, who fought against Rakhmon in a 1992-97 civil war before receiving a government job in the peace deal that ended the conflict, denied any involvement in Nazarov's killing.

Fearing possible infiltration of Taliban-linked fighters who support Ayombekov, Tajikistan closed all its border crossings with Afghanistan, only allowing trucks carrying cargo for NATO troops there to pass.

Some analysts said that the assault - the first military operation on such a scale in almost two years - was a show of force by Rakhmon, whose control over parts of the Central Asian state remains tenuous 15 years after the end of the civil war.

Separated from Afghanistan by the Pyandzh river, Gorno-Badakhshan is an autonomous region where the authority of the central government is particularly fragile. Most of its 250,000 inhabitants sided with the opposition during the civil war.

Tajikistan is the poorest of 15 former Soviet republics. Tens of thousands died in its civil war, in which Rakhmon's Moscow-backed troops fought a loosely aligned opposition that included many Islamist fighters.

Former imperial master Russia still has 6,000 troops stationed in Tajikistan, its largest military deployment abroad and one which is meant to act as a bulwark against the threat of Islamist violence spilling across the Afghan border when NATO pulls its troops out in 2014.

(Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tajik-rebels-surrender-threat-assault-071844560.html

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Sex Life of Diabetic Women May Suffer

FRIDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Sex is less satisfying for middle-aged and older women with diabetes than those without the disease, new research suggests.

The University of California, San Francisco, study of nearly 2,300 ethnically diverse women, aged 40 to 80, in California found that women with diabetes were just as interested and engaged in sexual activity as their healthy peers.

Women with diabetes, however, were much more likely to be less satisfied with sex. Low overall sexual satisfaction was 40 percent more likely to be reported by diabetic women who weren't taking insulin, and more than twice as likely to be reported by diabetic women taking insulin, compared with non-diabetic women.

The study also found that diabetic women receiving insulin treatment were more than twice as likely to have difficulty with lubrication and 80 percent more likely to have difficulty achieving orgasm.

The findings are published online in the August issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Diabetes is a recognized risk factor for erectile dysfunction in men, but there have been almost no data to indicate whether it also affects sexual function in women," study senior author Dr. Alison Huang, assistant professor in the UCSF department of medicine, said in a university news release.

Diabetes and its treatments can affect women's sexual function, the researchers said. They said doctors should consider assessing diabetic women for sexual problems, particularly those who take insulin.

Overall, nearly 64 percent of the women in the study reported some sexual activity in the past three months.

Nearly 11 percent (about 12.6 million) of women aged 20 and older in the United States have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The researchers didn't distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but they assumed most had type 2, based on age of diagnosis.

Although the study found an association between diabetes and less sexual pleasure, it did not show a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The American Diabetes Association has more about diabetes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sex-life-diabetic-women-may-suffer-200514394.html

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Things I've Learned in 11 Years of Marriage - The Rebel Chick

Today is my 11 year anniversary?

Honestly, sometimes it feels like we?ve been married forever and other days, it feels like I just met my husband last week.

While our marriage is not perfect by any means, it is pretty damn awesome and I am proud of what we?ve been able to accomplish together over the last decade. We?ve seen couples meet and break up, friends get married and divorced, and that we?ve somehow managed to not become one of those divorce statistics sometimes surprises me!

I?d be lying if I said that our marriage has never had problems. Anyone who?s been together for a lengthy amount of time knows that like all relationships, marriage is really hard work.

So, what?s my secret?

Sheer determination.?

No, seriously. When we?ve hit a rough patch, we didn?t give up. When my husband and I were at odds, grew bored, or just plain old got stuck in a rut, we didn?t accept it as the end of our relationship. We saw it as a phase in our relationship. When we took those marriage vows, we meant them, and we never lost sight of that commitment.

While there are many reasons why relationships don?t work out ? lying, cheating, addictions, betrayal ? those haven?t been our issues. We have faced the normal, everyday issues that I think are just as dangerous to a marriage, as they can lead the way to those issues.

I wanted to share a few of the lessons I?ve learned in these past 11 years of marriage?

1. Accept that people change over time.

It seems that I am always hearing people complain that their significant other has changed since they met, since they got married, since they had children, etc. I think it?s unrealistic to think that the person you marry will stay exactly the same for the rest of their lives. When I met my husband, he enjoyed going out, but as he?s gotten older, he no longer enjoys being a night owl. Sure, he does the occasional happy hour or birthday party ? but he?s really a bit of a homebody.

I had a hard time with it at first, but then I slowly got used to it. I still go out on occasion with the girls, but I learned to make peace with the fact that our partying life was over. Instead of fighting that change, when I saw that it wasn?t doing any good, I accepted it.

Now?when my friends call at 9 to ask me to come out with them, I laugh, because I?m already in my pajamas!

And I?ve changed as well ? probably even more than my husband! While I was once that workaholic who spent 50+ hours in the office, climbing the corporate ladder, I?m now a housewife ? and my husband completely supported that decision and happily absorbed 100% of the financial responsibility for our family.

2. Never take your significant other for granted.

It can be too easy to lose appreciation for someone when they?ve been around for a long time. I?ve heard the complaint so often: ?They take me for granted? and I?ve experienced that myself. It?s never fun to realize that the most important person in your life doesn?t appreciate your awesomeness.

How do you avoid that? Honestly, I?m not quite sure.

I think that you have to make a conscious decision to appreciate your significant other on a daily basis.

If you don?t think your spouse is doing anything fantastic for you, think again. Do they go to work every day to earn an income to support your family? Well, that?s pretty damn awesome. Does your spouse offer to make dinner when you?ve had a busy day? That?s pretty kick ass.

If you think your spouse doesn?t appreciate you, TELL THEM. About 5 years into our marriage, I felt unappreciated and taken for granted. We had long talks about it, and I realized that he DID appreciate me, he just felt that we were past the point that he needed to tell me. He thought I knew. I needed verbal affirmations to feel loved and appreciated and once I explained my feelings, he did a much better job of making me feel special and important on a regular basis. And honestly, I was guilty as well, he just wasn?t verbal about it. He made me realize that I was so busy feeling unappreciated that I stopped telling him how much I appreciated him.

3. Nothing is as important as communication.?

Honesty is the key to a successful marriage. I think honesty is the most important thing ? every problem can be avoided, or fixed, with honesty.?When we have had issues in our marriage, it was open and honest communication that has rectified the situation.

Around the 7 year mark, we went through that phase in our marriage where we began growing apart. We married at 23 and 24, and by the time we hit 30, we were different people. I felt it, he felt it, and for a while, neither of us wanted to address it. We pretended like it wasn?t happening, hoping that it would go away and that the situation would fix itself.

It didn?t.

Once we were honest and talked about how we felt, we realized that we needed a break. We needed to get away from our jobs, leave our daughter at home with grandma, and go off and reconnect. We took a week-long vacation in Western North Carolina ? in a remote area in the mountains with no one else around, no internet, no cell phone, no cable?and we just spent an entire week together.

If we had not been honest with each other about what was happening, our marriage would have been doomed.

4. Make time for each other.?

Once my husband and I took that vacation together, we realized that we hadn?t been spending any time together. We were always together, but never alone ? and this is a problem that most parents face.

We take regular vacations together now, aside from our family vacations. We do date nights without my daughter. When she goes off to visit her grandparents and aunts and uncles, we take full advantage of that time and go to the movies, go out to eat ? the point is, we do activities together. Just us, no friends, no coworkers, no family ? we just concentrate on each other.

If you aren?t able to have babysitters, go meet your spouse for lunch during the workday. Even if you can only manage it once a month, it will make a difference.

?

I realize that this isn?t your usual ?It?s my anniversary!!? blog post?but whenever I tell people how long I?ve been married, they are always shocked because frankly, most marriages don?t last this long anymore.

Do you have any pointers for couples on how to make their relationship last? I?d love to hear them!

Source: http://therebelchick.com/things-ive-learned-in-11-years-of-marriage/

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Snoring Is A Sign Your Body Is Crying For You To Lose Weight ...

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I went to New Orleans for hurricane relief work and had the opportunity to share a room with my friend Mike. We were both guys and he slept in his own bed and I slept in mine. We kept this routine for almost one month. I never realized just how loud my snoring was until he kept shoving me that I was so loud that he could not sleep. Every morning he would berate me for the repetitive, grueling sound effects that would emanate from the depths of my throat. I was oblivious to the nightly decimal busting snoring concert. It became so bad that he started to sleep in other workers room, on the floor! At first I thought it was humorous and now it has started to scare me. I am overweight and I have not done the things that I know I need to do and researching this article has pushed me over the edge of being inactive. I have added yet another item to the long list of reasons why it is important to be a healthy weight verses being obese.

This reason is not snoring, it is SLEEP APNEA. Snoring is a cry from your body for help. This cry is from your body that it is strangling for air. It is a respiratory disorder, a physical abnormality which is a significant problem for millions of people. All too often snoring is passed off as being nothing more than an irritation or a nuisance. Most people are unaware that damage to their health by not getting treated for snoring or sleep apnea. These problems are life threatening and can kill you if they go untreated. Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea. Snoring is defined as noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep. Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. Snoring is known to cause sleep deprivation and knock-on effects: daytime drowsiness, irritability, lack of focus, lack of interest in sex. Snoring is a common condition that can affect all people at any age, although it occurs more frequently in men and in people who are overweight.

Of course, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea-and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores-but snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is defined as the cessation of breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can be very serious. Sleep apnea is also associated with poorer survival in medical conditions, other than heart and circulation. Sleep apnea is more likely to occur in men than woman, and in people who are overweight or obese. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight test called polysomnogram.

I could fill this entire page with medical terms and phrases that explain sleep apnea but I will refrain. To put the explanation into simpler terms, you stop breathing while you are sleeping. Your body does not like this. As a result of not getting enough air you wake up. You do not wake up enough to even realize you are even awake. Even though you are not fully awake, your REM sleep has been disturbed and you do not get the benefit of being asleep! A dramatic representation of not getting REM sleep can be seen on the classic episode called Night Terrors from the Star Trek Next Generation Series. (Episode #417) You may hate the series, but the science of REM deprivation is not fiction.

So?Being overweight causes you to stop breathing while you sleep, which causes you to not be able to get a good nights sleep. I will not even begin to list all of the problems you can have by walking around your entire life exhausted. What I would like to list the remedies for sleep apnea.

o Laser assisted surgery uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP, a modification of the uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP procedure.

o Wearing an apparatus while you sleep. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine is used mainly by patients for the treatment of sleep apnea at home. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes narrow as the muscles relax naturally during sleep. This reduces oxygen in the blood and causes arousal from sleep. The CPAP machine stops this phenomenon by delivering a stream of compressed air via a nose or full-face mask and hose, splinting the airway (keeping it open under air pressure) so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible, reducing and/or preventing apnea.

o Lose weight.

Surgery? I don?t think so.

I have seen someone try to sleep with the CPAP and it is almost comical. You wear a mask over your face with a hose blowing compressed air into your nose. As I write this, I must laugh out loud from the memory of the Darth Vader look alike going to bed. Granted the machine may save your life but I think it is just easier to lose weight. If you lose the weight your whole body gets a better sleep.

There you go! Another reason to lose weight. What is it going to take for you to choose thin? The journey must begin, you know you must start. I wish you luck on your journey.

http://www.IChooseThin.com Keith Quackenbush is a graduate of St. John?s University, New York. He has spent considerable amount of time traveling throughout the world for the United States Government as a Marine Officer. He has spent considerable amount of time being educated in life through his very existence. Currently spends too many hours per week in big box retail management.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Quackenbush

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Source: http://howcanyouloseweighttoday.com/2012/07/27/snoring-is-a-sign-your-body-is-crying-for-you-to-lose-weight/

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NJ airport unveils virtual customer service rep

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Passengers at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport will always get a smile from this customer service representative. Just don't ask her to carry luggage.

That's because she's an avatar.

The Port Authority on Friday will unveil the computerized, hologram-like image named "Ava" in the international arrivals area in Terminal B. She's programmed to answer passengers' most frequently-asked questions.

The Port Authority is spending $180,000 to place the high-tech help at Newark, Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-07-27-Airport%20Avatar/id-807b4448b40c4643bf83356bcc0eb4de

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Best Civil War sites

Courtesy of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Gettysburg National Military Park frequently hosts "living history" weekends, when volunteers, in full costume, re-create skirmishes.

By Ann Shields, Travel + Leisure

No matter how compelling a Ken Burns documentary can be, nothing beats standing on a Civil War battlefield for bearing witness to those four bloody years.

Slideshow: See the best Civil War sites

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?Antietam?s the most evocative and scary battle site I?ve ever been to, and the only place I?ve ever felt a ?presence,?? says John Barton, a Virginia photographer and Civil War junkie. ?Much is the same as that day: there are still surrounding farms and unspoiled views of the Blue Ridge, so seeing the famous landmarks ? the Cornfield, the Sunken Road ? has a devastating power.?

Millions of Americans seek out that kind of visceral connection at Civil War sites annually, and the next few years are the time to visit as special events commemorate the conflict?s 150th anniversary. The National Park Service set up a?dedicated website?and launched a Twitter feed,?@CivilWarReportr, that tracks the war?s development (?June 27, 1862: Our line gives way! We flee for the bridges to our rear as the cavalry attempts to stop the advance and save our artillery?; ?July 7: A found newspaper reports the Federals have levied a tax on income above $600. Someone must pay for this war?).

For play-by-play commentary on the battlefield, you can hire an NPS-licensed guide at Gettysburg or Vicksburg to ride along for two-hour car tours. Parks also typically offer self-guided tours and orientation films and, on summer weekends, invite reenactors to stage skirmishes, decked out with muskets and wool uniforms. Check park websites to schedule your visit to coincide with the reenactments (or not ? a few lonesome hours spent walking the battlefields can be at least as instructive).

The savagery leading up to the war demands revisiting, too: the Slave Trail in Richmond, Va., goes past slave markets, burial grounds and the Devil?s Half-Acre, a jail for ?uncooperative? slaves (operated by a man married to a free African American wife!). In Harpers Ferry, W.V., the righteous anger of those who opposed slavery is palpable at John Brown?s Fort, where a band of abolitionists held federal troops at bay.

You don?t need to be a history buff to get caught up by these vivid stories. So whether you?re planning a road trip dedicated to the Civil War, or just detouring on the way elsewhere, be warned: you may be in for a lifelong obsession.

More from Travel + Leisure

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/12/12704942-best-civil-war-sites?lite

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Craftside: Recipe for chocolate pasta dough from the book Making ...

It's so fun to combine unexpected things. Such is the case today with this recipe for chocolate pasta dough from the book Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and More. Yummmmmm!

Click on this page from Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and More to enlarge and read the full recipe for making chocolate pasta dough.

If you like making all sorts of pretty and tasty pasta, then I bet you will love the Quarry book:

Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and More

by

Learn how to use the best ingredients and simple, classic techniques to make fresh, homemade pasta in your own kitchen. Calling for just the simplest ingredients and a handful of unique kitchen tools, making pasta at home has never been easier, more fun, or more delicious.

Aliza Green is an award-winning Philadelphia-based author. Visit her online at http://www.alizagreen.com.

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Source: http://craftside.typepad.com/craftside/2012/07/recipe-for-chocolate-pasta-dough-from-the-book-making-artisan-pasta.html

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Russell Pearce On Colorado Shootings: 'Had Someone Been Prepared And Armed, They Could Have Stopped This "Bad" Man'

Barack Obama

"Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado," President Obama said in a statement. "Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come."

Mitt Romney

"Ann and I are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people in Colorado and injured dozens more," Mitt Romney said in a statement. "We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice."

Michael Bloomberg

Sen. Robert Menendez

Louie Gohmert

Scott P. Brown

Jay Rockefeller

Reince Priebus

Jim Himes

Charles Rangel

Kevin McCarthy

Nancy Pelosi

Ed Perlmutter

Mark Udall

Speaker John Boehner

David Vitter

John McCain

Sherrod Brown

Allen West

Senator John Thune

Kelly Ayotte

Michael Bennet

"This was horrible, senseless and abhorrent act," Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Co.) said in a statement. "My family and I are shocked and deeply saddened this morning and our hearts are with the victims and their families. My staff and I are in contact with and offering our support to law enforcement and medical officials as they respond to the shooting."

"This is not only an act of extreme violence, it is also an act of depravity," Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) said.

Mike Huckabee

"Heartfelt prayers for the victims in Aurora, Colorado and all those impacted by this terrible tragedy," Mike Huckabee said in a statement on his Facebook page.

Rob Portman

JohnCornyn

Tim Kaine

"I am heartbroken and shocked by the horrific act of violence in Colorado," Tim Kaine said in a statement. "The thoughts of Anne and I are with the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless tragedy. We continue to pray for the recovery of those who have been wounded, and we offer our support to Governor Hickenlooper and the entire community of Aurora as they heal."

Mike Coffman

Nikki Haley

?"Michael Haley and I have the victims and their families of the Colorado massacre in our thoughts," South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said in a statement on Facebook. "Please join us in prayer for all those effected by this horrible senseless tragedy."

"I join in mourning the tragic loss of life in Colorado this morning. The families of the victims, the many injured, and all those in Aurora are in my thoughts and in my prayers," House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said in a statement Friday. "It is in times like these that Americans have always rallied together as one community and one family, and we do so again today. I commend the heroism of our first responders from local and federal law enforcement and area hospitals, who have done an outstanding job in the face of great difficulty. "As the people of Aurora find themselves facing their darkest hour, I hope they find comfort knowing that the memories of the lost will never fade, their community will remain strong, and that the nation stands united alongside them as their process of healing begins."

Mitch McConnell

"Elaine and I are heartbroken by the shootings in Aurora," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday in a statement. "This senseless massacre of so many innocent people gathered with friends and family in a movie theater reminds us not only of the great evil that exists in the hearts of some, but of the great and precious gift of life. I join all Americans today in prayer for the victims, their families and friends, and the wider Aurora community, and in heartfelt thanks to all the first responders who quickly responded at great risk to themselves. It is in moments like this that Americans have always drawn closer together and shown their great compassion and generosity to those touched by tragedy and loss. We hope that in the midst of the horror in Aurora, these qualities shine through once again and reach those who are suffering most. America is at prayer today for all who are affected by this tragedy."

MicheleBachmann

Chuck Schumer

Rep. Diana DeGette

Harry Reid

"The shooting in the Aurora movie theater is a national tragedy, and the victims of this cruel and violent act are in my thoughts," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement Friday. "Innocent people suffered a heartbreaking loss, but the victims and their families are not alone. Today, Americans take time to reflect on the value of life and the things that are most important to us, and mourn for those who lost what is most important to them. Everyone affected by this violent act will be in our hearts today, and for a long time to come."

Carolyn McCarthy

"The horrific nightmare of a mass shooting on innocent civilians in a crowded public place has, sadly, come true once again," said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), whose family was affected by a mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad before she was elected to Congress, in a statement Friday. "I mourn alongside the people of Aurora for the many killed and injured and the countless family and friends whose lives, as a result of the consequences of this event, will be negatively affected for decades to come. The shooter should be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But we as a nation should also not continue to ignore avenues to prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future."

Senator Dick Durbin

Condoleezza Rice

Jeff Flake

"This is a terrible tragedy for the families of the victims, the city of Aurora and our entire nation," Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren said in a statement Friday. "This senseless violence has no place in our society. As a mother and grandmother, I am truly saddened that so many of the victims were so young. Bruce and I send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their loved ones."

Gary Johnson

"The shooting in Aurora is a senseless tragedy and a despicable act," said Libertarian Party presidential candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson in a statement Friday. "Our thoughts go out to the victims, their families, and to the entire community as they deal with the shock and grief today brings. "

Joe Biden

"Jill and I were shocked to learn of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado this morning," Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday. "The reason this is so deeply felt by all Americans is that, but for the grace of God, the victims could have been any one of our children, in any one of our towns. It is every parent's worst nightmare to receive 'that phone call' and to sit by their child's bedside, praying. We know what it's like to wait and wonder and the helplessness a parent feels at this moment. Our hearts go out to each and every person who is suffering right now as a result of this terrible event. The prayers of an entire nation are with the victims and their families. We stand with the city of Aurora and the state of Colorado in mourning."

Newt Gingrich

Steve Israel

Mark Kelly

Gov. Buddy Roemer

Claire McCaskill

John Lewis

Rick Santorum

Sarah Palin

"Todd's and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the terrible tragedy in Colorado," Sarah Palin said Friday in a statement on Facebook. "Our family joins others in praying for everyone affected by the evil that inexplicably took innocent lives. We wish to remind all to hold loved ones tight."

ChuckGrassley

Paul LePage

"On behalf of all Mainers, our hearts go out to the people of Colorado affected by this senseless act of violence," Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) said in a statement Friday. "The perpetrator will be held responsible and justice will prevail. Meanwhile, as Coloradans grieve during this difficult time Ann and I will continue to keep the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers."

Ron Barber

"The people of Aurora have suffered an immense loss," said Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), who survived the 2011 shooting in Tucson, in a statement Friday. "We are tested in times like these and we must come together to support one another in the wake of tragedy. I know that Aurora and its residents will take solace in one another in the coming days and weeks. "My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones last night, each of those who were injured, the first responders and medical teams treating the victims, the law enforcement personnel and the entire community of Aurora. "All of Southern Arizona, and the nation, stands with you today."

Frank Lautenberg

"The shooting in Aurora is a horrific act of violence, and our thoughts go out to the innocent victims and their families," Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said in a statement released Friday. "Our hearts are filled with sadness for the 12 people killed and the dozens wounded in this senseless act," Lautenberg said. "We have to face the reality that these types of tragedies will continue to occur unless we do something about our nation's lax gun laws."

Steve King

Ra?l Grijalva

"My first thoughts are with the families of the people killed or injured in last night's terrible attack," Rep. Ra?l Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said in a statement Friday. "At such moments, words can offer little relief and comfort. I extend my sympathies and support to them nonetheless. There is very little most of us can do in the wake of such a tragedy, except hope the wounded recover and give the families time and space to grieve. We would be remiss if we did less. I only wish I were able to do more. "This is not the first time such a horrific crime has been visited on a peaceful community. Unfortunately, it may not be the last. When the time comes, we owe it not only to the dead and wounded but to our national community to have a conversation about violence and weapons that is respectful, honest and productive. That conversation should neither start too soon nor be postponed indefinitely. When we have it, and we will, we should be careful not to rely too much on clich?s. These attacks, like all violence, cause great pain, and that pain will not heal if we are not honest about it. "As much comfort, support and fellowship as I can offer to the people of Aurora, I humbly offer today. They have done nothing to bring this tragedy to their community. All we can do now is try to help them, and each other, bear the pain of it. Grieving is often long, but grief is not permanent. As a nation, our solemn duty is to help bring them through this period of grief and mourning without expectation, without excessive need for answers, and without judgment. If we take time, I believe we can do that much."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/22/russell-pearce-colorado-shootings_n_1693460.html

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Looking For Whitsundays Sailing Tours | Fashion and Lifestyle ...

When you are trying to break away from the routine 9-5 grind and have a holiday coming up you might consider looking at the various Whitsunday sailing tours. There are many great tours that are available and if you do some research on the opportunities you will be able to really have a great time without overspending.

Something that you should do is list all of the firms that are offering these sailing tours and visit their website. What you are looking for is information about the size of the tour groups and the list of activities. This is of particular importance since there are some packages that are geared towards the more adventurous personalities while others are intended for people who are more laid back.

You need to find out all you can about the company that is providing the tours to figure out which one is the best. It might be helpful to read over the testimonials that have been posted by other clients of the tour company. The feedback that is provided will really help you make a determination on who you should use. Since your holidays are precious you need to take proactive steps to ensure that the package you select is the best one for you and your needs.

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Source: http://123fashions.co.uk/travel-and-leisure/looking-for-whitsundays-sailing-tours/

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The Higgs boson and the future of science

Philip Anderson: Anderson first described the so-called Higgs mechanism and also fired the first modern salvo against strong reductionism (Image: Celeblist)

The discovery of the Higgs boson (or the ?Higgs-like particle? if you prefer) is without a doubt one of the signal scientific achievements of our time. It illustrates what sheer thought ? aided by data of course ? can reveal about the workings of the universe and it continues a trend that lists Descartes, Hume, Galileo and Newton among its illustrious forebears. From sliding objects down an incline to smashing atoms at almost the speed of light in a 27 kilometer tunnel, we have come a long way. Dissecting our origins and the universe around us scarcely gets any better than this.

Yet even as the exciting discovery was being announced, I could not help but think about what the Higgs does not do for us. It does not speed up the time needed to discover a new cancer drug. It does not help us understand consciousness. It does not tell us how life began or whether it exists elsewhere in the universe. It does not explain romantic love, how to design the best solar cell, why people have certain political preferences and how exactly to predict the effects of climate change. In fact we can safely predict that the discovery of the Higgs boson, as consciousness-elevating as it is, does not impact the daily work of 99% of all pure and applied scientists in the world.

I do not say all this to downplay the discovery of the particle which is an unparalleled triumph of human thought, hard work and experimental ingenuity. I also do not say this to make the obvious point that a discovery in one field of science does not automatically solve problems in other fields. Rather, I say this to probe the deeper reality beyond that point, to highlight the multifaceted nature of science and the sheer diversity of problems and phenomena that it presents to us at every level of inquiry. And I say this with a suspicion that the Higgs boson may be the most fitting tribute to the limitations of what has been the most potent philosophical instrument of scientific discovery ? reductionism.

In one sense the discovery of this fundamental component of matter can be seen as the culmination of reductionist thinking, accounting as it does for the very existence of mass. Reductionism is the great legacy of the twentieth century, a philosophy whose seeds were sown when Greek philosophers started mulling the nature of matter. The method is in fact quite intuitive; ever since they stepped down from the trees, human beings have tried to solve problems by breaking them down into simpler parts. In the twentieth century the fruits of reductionism have been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Reductionism is what told us that molecules are made of atoms, that the universe is expanding, that DNA is a double helix and that you can build lasers and computers. The reductionist ethic has given us quantum mechanics, relativity, quantum chemistry and molecular biology. Over the centuries it has been used by its countless practitioners as a fine scalpel which has laid bare the secrets of nature. In fact many of the questions answered using the reductionist method were construed as being amenable to this method even before their answers were provided; for instance, how do atoms combine to form molecules? What is the basic nature of the gene? What are atoms themselves made up of?

Yet as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, it is clear that reductionism as a principal weapon in our arsenal of discovery tools is no longer sufficient. Consider some of the most important questions facing modern science, almost all of which deal with complex, multifactorial systems. How did life on earth begin? How does biological matter evolve consciousness? What are dark matter and dark energy? How do societies cooperate to solve their most pressing problems? What are the properties of the global climate system? It is interesting to note at least one common feature among many of these problems; they result from the buildup rather than the breakdown of their operational entities. Their signature is collective emergence, the creation of attributes which are greater than the sum of their constituent parts. Whatever consciousness is for instance, it is definitely a result of neurons acting together in ways that are not obvious from their individual structures. Similarly, the origin of life can be traced back to molecular entities undergoing self-assembly and then replication and metabolism, a process that supersedes the chemical behavior of the isolated components. The puzzle of dark matter and dark energy also have as their salient feature the behavior of matter at large length and time scales. Studying cooperation in societies essentially involves studying group dynamics and evolutionary conflict. The key processes that operate in the existence of all these problems seem to almost intuitively involve the opposite of reduction; they all result from the agglomeration of molecules, matter, cells, bodies and human beings across a hierarchy of unique levels. In addition, and this is key, they involve the manifestation of unique principles emerging at every level that cannot be merely reduced to those at the underlying level.

The traditional picture of science asserts that X can be reduced to Y. Reality is more complicated (Image: P. W. Anderson, Science, 1972)

A classic example of emergence: The exact shape of a termite mound is not reducible to the actions of individual termites (Image: Wikipedia Commons)

This kind of emergence has long since been seen as key to the continued unraveling of scientific mysteries. While emergence had been implicitly appreciated by scientists for a long time, its modern salvo was undoubtedly a 1972 paper in Science by the Nobel Prize winning physicist Philip Anderson titled ?More is Different?, a title that has turned into a kind of clarion call for emergence enthusiasts. In his paper Anderson (who incidentally first came up with the so-called Higgs mechanism) argued that emergence was nothing exotic; for instance, a lump of salt has properties very different from those of its highly reactive components sodium and chlorine. A lump of gold evidences properties like color that don?t exist at the level of individual atoms. Anderson also appealed to the process of broken symmetry, invoked in all kinds of fundamental events ? including the existence of the Higgs boson ? as being instrumental for emergence. Since then, emergent phenomena have been invoked in hundreds of diverse cases, ranging from the construction of termite hills to the flight of birds. The development of chaos theory beginning in the 60s further illustrated how very simple systems could give rise to very complicated and counterintuitive patterns and behavior that are not obvious from the identities of the individual components.

Many scientists and philosophers have contributed to considered cirques of reductionism and an appreciation of emergence since Anderson wrote his paper. These thinkers make the point that not only does reductionism fail in practice (because of the sheer complexity of the systems it purports to explain), but it also fails in principle on a deeper level. In his book ?The Fabric of Reality? for instance, the Oxford physicist David Deutsch has made the compelling point that reductionism can never explain purpose; to drive home this point he asks us if it can account for the existence of a particular atom of copper on the tip of the nose of a statue of Winston Churchill in London. Deutsch?s answer is a clear no, since the fate of that atom was based on contingent, emergent phenomena, including war, leadership and adulation. Nothing about the structure of copper atoms allows us to directly predict that a particular atom will someday end up on the tip of that nose. Chance plays an outsized role in these developments and reductionism offers us little solace to understand such historical accidents.

Complexity theorist Stuart Kauffman who has written about the role of contingency as a powerful argument against strong reductionism (Image: Wikipedia Commons)

An even more forceful proponent of this contingency-based critique of reductionism is the complexity theorist Stuart Kauffman (supposedly an inspiration for the Jeff Goldblum character in ?Jurassic Park?) who has laid out his thoughts in two books. Just like Anderson, Kauffman does not deny the great value of reductionism in illuminating our world, but he also points out the factors that greatly limit its application. One of his favorite examples is the role of contingency in evolution and the object of his attention is the mammalian heart. Kauffman makes the case that no amount of reductionist analysis could explain tell you that the main function of the heart is to pump blood. Even in the unlikely case that you could predict the structure of hearts and the bodies that house them starting from the Higgs boson, such a deductive process could never tell you that of all the possible functions of the heart, the most important one is to pump blood. This is because the blood-pumping action of the heart is as much a result of historical contingency and the countless chance events that led to the evolution of the biosphere as it is of its bottom-up construction from atoms, molecules, cells and tissues. As another example, consider the alpha amino acids which make up all proteins on earth. These amino acids come in two potential varieties, left-handed and right-handed. With very few exceptions, all the functional amino acids that we know of are left handed, but there?s no reason to think that right handed amino acids wouldn?t have served life equally well. The question then is, why left-handed amino acids? Again, reductionism is silent on this question mainly because the original use of left-handed amino acids during the origin of life was to the best of our knowledge a matter of contingency. Now some form of reductionism may still explain the subsequent propagation of left-handed amino acids and their dominance in biological processes by resorting to molecular level arguments regarding chemical bonding and energetics, but this description will still leave the origins issue unresolved. Even something as fundamental as the structure and function of DNA ? which by all accounts was a triumph of reductionism ? is much better explained by principles of chemistry like electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding.

Life as we know it is based on left-handed amino acids. But there is no reason why right-handed amino acids could not sustain life (Image: Islamickorner)

Reductionism then falls woefully short when trying to explain two things; origins and purpose. And one can see that if it has problems even when dealing with left-handed amino acids and human hearts, it would be in much more dire straits when attempting to account for say kin selection or geopolitical conflict. The fact is that each of these phenomena are better explained by fundamental principles operating at their own levels. Chemistry has its covalent bonds and steric effects, geology has its weathering and tectonic shifts, neurology has its memory potentiation and plasticity and sociology has its conflict theory. And as far as we can tell, these sciences will continue to progress without needing the help of Higgs bosons and neutrinos. This also seems to make it unlikely that the discovery of a single elegant equation linking the four fundamental forces (the purported ?theory of everything?), while undoubtedly representing one of the greatest intellectual achievements of humanity, will give sociologists and economists little pause for thought, even as they continue to study the stock market and democracies using their own special toolkit of bedrock principles.

This rather gloomy view of reductionism may sound like science is at a dead end or at the very least has started collapsing under the weight of its own success. But such a view would be as misplaced as announcements about the ?end of science? which have surfaced every couple of years for the last two hundred years. Every time the end of science has been announced, science itself proved that claims of its demise were vastly exaggerated. Firstly, reductionism will always be alive and kicking since the general approach of studying anything by breaking it down into its constituents will continue to be enormously fruitful. But more importantly, it?s not so much the end of reductionism as the beginning of a more general paradigm that combines reductionism with new ways of thinking. The limitations of reductionism should be seen as a cause not for despair but for celebration since it means that we are now entering new, uncharted territory. There are still an untold number of deep mysteries that science has to solve, ranging from dark energy, consciousness and the origin of life to more supposedly pedestrian concerns like superconductivity, cancer drug discovery and the behavior of glasses. Many of these questions require interdisciplinary approaches which result in the crafting of fundamental principles that are unique to the problem statement. Such a meld will inherently involve reductionism only as one component.

Now there are some who may not consider these problems as ?fundamental? enough but that is because they would be peering through the lens of traditional twentieth century science. One of the sad casualties of the reductionist undertaking is a small group of people who think that cosmology and particle physics constitute the only things truly worth doing and the epitome of fundamental science; the rest is all detail that can be filled in by second-rate minds. This is in spite of the inconvenient fact that perhaps 80% of physicists are not concerned at all with fundamental questions. But you would be deluding yourself if you are thinking that turbulence in fluids is a second-rate problem (still unsolved) for second-rate minds, especially if you remember that Heisenberg thought that God would will be able to provide an explanation for quantum mechanics but not for turbulence. The fact is that ?pedestrian? concerns like superconductivity have engaged some of the best minds of the last fifty years without fully succumbing to them, and at their own levels they are as hard as the discovery of the Higgs boson or the accelerating universe. Exploring these worthy conundrums is every bit as exciting, deep and satisfying as any other endeavor in science. Those who are wondering what?s next should not worry; a sparkling journey lies ahead.

To guide us on this journey all we have to remember are the words of one of the twentieth century?s great reductionists and one of Peter Higgs?s heroes. Paul Dirac closed his famous text on quantum theory with stirrings that will hopefully be as great a portent for the emergent twenty-first century as they were for the reductionist twentieth: ?Some new principles are here needed?.

References:

1. P. W. Anderson, More is Different, Science, 1972, 177, 393

2. David Deutsch, ?The Fabric of Reality?, 2004

3. Stuart Kauffman, ?Reinventing the Sacred?, 2009; ?At Home in the Universe?, 1996

4. Terrence Deacon, ?Incomplete Nature?, 2011

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=da64ccfd3dbea5286ca2f4dd62ed28c2

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Understanding When To Contact Your Electrician Silverwater

In purchase to obtain all of their permits and qualifications, an electrical engineer must go through comprehensive exercising. Because of this exercising, an electrical engineer is properly accredited to provide you with a variety of electric services, such as full house rewires, creator set up and moving electric shops. When along with an innovative level of encounter, and a quality team to back it up, an electric having company can help any house, company, new development or house complicated increase the overall protection and function of the electric elements within. Although you can sustain, fix and diagnose some of your electric elements on your own, you should know when to your electrical engineer for their expert skills and encounter.

Depending on the size of your house, your electric program is probably easier than that of a large company developing or company. That does not, however, mean that it is any less essential. We depend on performing power every day, creating it extremely important that everything functions securely and effectively. If you have an issue with an element, the first step is to check your buster board. Believe it or not, turned breakers account for the majority of all personal electric problems. When you find yourself without power, by causing sure that none of your breakers have triggered. If this does not allow you to fix the problem, then it's probably time to your electrical engineer. Poorly managed and fixed electric cabling can lead to electric excitement and flame. As such, you should always have them managed by an established.

If you own a professional developing, it may be even more essential for you to depend on an electrical engineer for any and all of your electric needs. With regards to the function, professional structures require a more innovative electric program to be able to support the improved number of electric gadgets that are used in an office or company establishing. Whether you need to update or increase your electric system, or create room for more elements, your regional electrical engineer is more than happy to help. Rather than trying short-term repairs, such as using electrical cables, talk with a regional expert about expertly establishing up new electric shops or elements. Using electrical cables as a lasting solution is not only risky, but can be against many developing requirements. When it comes to electric protection, don't put your workers and customers at risk by grabbing cents.

Whether you need to have new shops set up, a board update, or a finish develop of your house, it is always in your best interest to seek the services of an electrical engineer. With regards to the opportunity of the job, there are many regional developing requirements and nationwide rules that need to be followed. By counting on an established, you can anticipate to obtain a safe, finish set up that will last for years to come. Furthermore, most electrical engineers will assurance their work. If in question, call your electrical engineer.

If you are having electrical trouble you need to hire a professional electrician to deal with the issue. It is strongly advised that you don't perform any electrical work on your own. If you live in Sydney then you need to look for[url=http://www.avidelectrical.com.au/] Electricians Sydney[/url].Finding[url=http://www.avidelectrical.com.au/electrical-contractors-sydney.html] Electrical Contractors Sydney[/url] is easy if you know where to look. http://www.avidelectrical.com.au/electrician-silverwater.html

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Technical Writing for Freshers | I d l e M u s i n g z

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

Source: http://idlemusingz.blogspot.com/2012/07/technical-writing-for-freshers.html

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The History Of Charitable Giving In The United States - Harta Bucuresti

Charity

Charitable giving is a practice that has existed for millennia. Most forms of charity are concerned with the provision of food, water, clothing, and shelter to the less fortunate. Caring for sick people, visiting those who are in jail, giving ransom money to release captives, and teaching orphans are also examples of charity work.

Charitable giving can be carried out directly or indirectly. Giving alms is an example of the former, while giving donations to a cancer research organization is an example of the latter. Today, charitable organizations do most of the philanthropic giving, often through the provision of financial aid. Charities include orphanages, food banks, religious orders dedicated to caring for the poor, hospitals, and several others. Many of these charities recruit volunteers who may not have the financial resources to directly care for the destitute and marginalized by themselves.

The United States has a long history of practicing philanthropy which many say dates back to the 16th century. Europeans that came to the United States introduced Christianity and many embraced these values. Parishes were constructed and these cared for the poor and illiterate, and the city governments that were set up during that time also opened specialized facilities, which were referred to as almshouses, to look after the dependent and the handicapped.

As the population grew in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially from immigration, the peoples concept of community changed. Although trade and commerce spurred numerous developments, it also inadvertently resulted to economic inequality. It also brought about epidemics like smallpox and other diseases. These changes forced 18th century Americans to rethink the Christian message of loving ones neighbor.

Concerned that these changes made Americans less charitable, Cotton Mather, a Minister based in Boston, published a widely read American classic, the Essay to Do Good where he advocated philanthropic benefaction as a way of life. Mathers teachings influenced Benjamin Franklin, who eventually established the Junto, which many consider as the earliest personal system of civic philanthropy in the USA.

In the nineteenth century, voluntary associations have become rather common, to the point that it pushed the government to define and regulate them, especially with regards to tax exemptions. In areas where tax laws favored private initiatives, charitable organizations flourished and where the laws were unfavorable them, they did not flourish. These days, the requisites and processes involved in organizing charitable institutions differ from one state to another.

To know about charities in the United States of America check this out

Charity ? country ? history ? Society ? US

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Does It Matter China Made the U.S. Olympic Uniforms? (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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How to use a Student Credit Card to Create Good Credit | personal ...

Credit for college students is a topic of much debate. There is concern among parents and experts that students can harm their credit score before even starting a good job if given access to credit. It is certainly possible, however, for a student to accomplish just the opposite by creating a good credit score early in life that can be built upon as one matures. Here are some ideas on just how to achieve that more positive goal.

Use just one single card. A student?s credit card should be used for emergencies while far from home and to establish some initial, positive credit. You don?t need more than one card to realize this objective.

Avoid carrying a balance forward. Pay off the entire amount every month. This will help the student to avoid fees and interest attached to carrying a balance forward. It will also teach them that a credit card does not represent ?extra money?, since this money will come due every month.

Check the offers of more than one card issuer. Marketing to students is a mainstay of the credit card business and the offers are rarely as good as they seem upon your first survey. Read the fine print in detail and shop for the best deal by comparison, not by offers of rewards or bonuses.

Read the application carefully. You should particularly examine the penalty for late payments and the interest charged should your payment come overdue.

Check every statement you get and place it in a file. Sometimes mistakes are made and you may have to refer to a previous statement to correct one.

Always protect your identity in association to your card. Identity theft is real and it can pose some troublesome problems if you?re affected by it.

Establishing and preserving good credit is work. If you like avoiding work, don?t get a credit card because you?ll only suffer for it. On the other hand, if you feel you are responsible and mature enough to follow the guidelines set out here, you deserve the benefit of establishing a good credit record as a student and a credit card is a logical way to get that good rating.

The idea of getting a new credit card is very exciting, when you are a student. But credit card is not just for spending. You can build up your credit with that. How to do that? Chintamani Abhyankar offers useful tips on strategies to create good credit history for students.

About the Author

Chintamani Abhyankar, is an expert in the field of finance and taxation for last 25 years. He has written many books explaining inside secrets of the magic world of finance. His famous eBook Stop donating your money to IRS which is now running in its second edition, provides intricate knowledge and tips on personal income tax.

Source: http://www.mosley2010.com/archives/525

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Green Dream Popsicle's! - The Philosophie

Green Dream Popsicle?s!

July 20th, 2012

This is a guest post from my wonderful friend and Green Dream Lovah- Lauren! She is a beautiful, inspiring, momma blogger over at Ginger is the New Pink! Go check out her page for more vegan recipes, blog posts and information on Crohn?s disease and how to LIVE and LOVE your life!

Green dream has been a part of my daily diet ever since I won a bag from Philosophie. I love adding the powder to my morning smoothies but I?m not the only fan in my house. My 20 month old helps slurp up my smoothies and also has been enjoying Green Dream in Popsicle?s! That?s right, I got cute BPA free molds and I blend it up with blueberries, strawberries, peaches or whatever fruit I have on hand. Then I sneak in other super foods like wheatgrass powder, chlorella tablets, goji berries, flax seed. After that, I add water and blend. You don?t need to measure. Just do as you would if you were making a smoothie. If there are leftovers, that?s a bonus, a smoothie for yourself! But in my case, my daughter always wants the leftovers and ends up drinking it while we wait for the pops to freeze!

Here is the loose recipe, adjust to the size pops you want!

• 1/4 cup of blueberries
• 1/4 cup strawberries
• 2 tbsp Green Dream Powder
• 1 tbsp wheatgrass powder (or any superfood you?d like)
• Water to thin

Blend all ingredients then pour into molds and freeze!

Enjoy!

Lauren Nastasi is a high raw vegan healing from Crohn?s Disease. She lives with her husband, daughter and their 2 pugs in New Jersey. She blogs about her journey at?Gingeristhenewpink.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.thephilosophie.com/green-dream-popsicles

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Massive spam botnet shut down, say experts

4 hrs.

Suzanne Choney

A major spam?botnet that inundated email inboxes around the world with emails promoting fake prescription drugs is gone. So says the security firm that helped kill it.

"The?Grum botnet?has finally been knocked down. All the known command and control (CnC) servers are dead, leaving their zombies orphaned," wrote?Atif Mushtaq of?FireEye Malware Intelligence Lab in California, referring to computers enslaved by hackers for malicious use. The security firm worked with The Spamhaus Project, computer experts and Internet service providers?around the world in the effort.

The botnet has been around for about four years, and "has lately been responsible for about 15 to 17 percent of all spam," Vincent Hanna of The Spamhaus Project, told NBC?News Thursday. The group is an international nonprofit organization, with offices in Geneva and London, that tracks spam operations and works with law enforcement agencies to identify "spam gangs" around the world.?

"On any given day more than 100,000 IP addresses would be used to send?out Grum-produced spam messages," Hanna said. "During one week, we would see about?half-a-million different IP addresses send Grum spam."

Getting rid of Grum involved an elaborate hide-and-seek game globally, from Panama to Russia and places inbetween during three days this week, according to Mushtaq, who shared the tale on FireEye's blog, saying in part:

With the shutdown of the Panamanian server, a complete segment was dead forever. This good news was soon followed by some bad news. After seeing the Panamanian server had been shut down, the bot herders moved quickly and started pointing the rest of the CnCs to new secondary servers in Ukraine.

Grum's takedown, he wrote, "resulted from the efforts of many individuals. This collaboration is sending a strong message to all the spammers":

Stop sending us spam. We don't need your cheap Viagra or fake Rolex. Do something else, work in a Subway or McDonald's, or sell hot?dogs, but don't send us spam.

David Harley,?ESET?security firm senior research fellow,?told NBC?News said that Grum's elimination "should certainly result in a?short-term reduction" of spam, but that he expects to see "other spammer networks" quickly work to fill the void.

"I can?t say how fast they can ramp up to meet demand: spam throughput depends on several factors, not least the volume of available zombies," he said. "That?s not really something I can predict. Major takedowns can have a perceptible impact for weeks, even months, but that doesn?t mean it will be the case here."

Hanna, of The Spamhaus Project, said?Grum "was definitely one of the bigger botnets out there ...?We're very glad with this at-least-for-now?victory over the?cyber?criminals. It shows that with cooperation, difficult things like?taking down a botnet can get done."

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

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/massive-spam-botnet-grum-shut-down-says-anti-malware-team-896313

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Bright Spot in the Small Business Credit Sector

Yes, I?ve read them.? The stories are everywhere.? The economy is struggling and so are small businesses.? Perhaps The Great Recession is over but the economy is soft to say the least.? Bank loans are tough to come by.? Non-bank finance lending is way down ? actually they are at their lowest levels since 1998 as Scott Shane reported here.

In fact, right now there is a lot of talk about Dr. Doom?s ?perfect storm scenario? that Nouriel Roubini says is beginning to play out.? Months ago, Roubini talked about the combination of stalling U.S. growth, debt troubles in Europe, the slowdown in several emerging markets (led by China), and military conflict in Iran causing a ?perfect storm? that would impact the global economy.

The recent reports of softer than expected job growth in the U.S. and the inflation report from China are fueling speculation that Roubini may once again be onto something.

We also know how important it is for small business owners to be able to access loans and lines of credit as they start, build, and grow their businesses.? Studies have shown that small business owners are hesitant to do things like hire additional employees and increase benefits to their employees when they cannot access capital.? They go into ?survival? mode and do not expand and grow because the risk is too great.

According to the Keybridge Research study, the impact of credit card usage and specifically business credit cards on small business growth is very real and quantifiable.? According to this study they found that for every $1,000 of credit card use for small business owners there is an average of $5,500 in increased firm revenue.? Additionally, from the years 2003 to 2008, they estimate that the expansion of credit card lending in the U.S. contributed to the creation of 1.6 million U.S. jobs.

Don?t underestimate the impact of these numbers ? credit card borrowing is by far the #1 source of financing for small business owners.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 79% of small business owners use credit cards to run their business.? It?s actually down from 2008 when that number was 85%.? So it?s not only true that credit cards are a vital part of the overall funding strategy for small business owners, but in some cases, it?s the only form of credit they really have.

That?s why the recent news about credit card delinquencies is a bright spot in an otherwise dim economic forecast for small business owners.? According to a recent Reuters report, credit card delinquencies are down significantly ? to the tune of being at low?s we haven?t seen in over 20 years. ?This is surprising since it?s previously been believed that there was a correlation between unemployment and credit card delinquencies.

Despite the unemployment numbers still not being very encouraging, the percentage of credit card delinquencies has continued to get lower and lower.? Unemployment was at 10.0% at its recession-peak in October 2009.? Through the first 6 months of 2012 the rate has bounced back and forth between 8.1% ? 8.3% so no real progress this year.

So what does all of this mean?? Well, I agree with the concerns shared by most about the state of small business today.? There are concerns galore.? However, with credit cards, we?re talking about the #1 form of financing that is used by nearly 4 out of 5 small business owners.

The banks are back to making nice profits in their credit card divisions and the write-offs are at historic lows so you?re going to see some slight adjustments made by lenders to extend more credit.? But here?s the key ? they are going to do it to the ?credit-worthy? consumers and small business owners.

Unfortunately the CARD Act has hurt small business owners so keep in mind that lenders are beginning to slowly get more generous with their credit lines on credit cards but you?ll still continue to see higher rates after the 0% introductory offers end.? Most of the people who seem to defend the CARD Act were the people who lobbied and pushed for it in the first place but here?s a good article from Forbes for those of you who aren?t clear on it?s negative impacts.

Fundamentally, the CARD Act brought regulation at a time when the market and our economy needed liquidity, the equivalent of going on a pasta diet when you need to reduce carbs!

Credit cards are a great financing tool for small business owners and sometimes it?s actually their only option.? I realize there?s an army of people out there who don?t like credit cards and that?s okay but they are like anything else ? they can be used the right way or the wrong way as you build your business.

Where else can you find low-cost financing (0% intro offers are as good as it get?s and there are millions who have maintained very reasonable interest rates on their credit cards despite what CARD Act proponents may claim), not need collateral, have quite reasonable monthly payments, along with flexibility of monthly payments that is invaluable to a small business owner who is managing cash flow?

We don?t have time here to talk about the involved process of choosing the correct small business credit card but it?s clear that the prospect of some very slight loosening of the underwriting criteria has already happened in the credit card space and with the state of the overall economy let?s celebrate a small victory that will have a very positive ripple effect for small businesses everywhere!

Perfect Storm Photo via Shutterstock

About Tom Gazaway

Tom Gazaway is President of Hawkeye Management, a firm that specializes in unsecured business credit lines for small business owners. Through their pre-qualification process and detailed analytics, they match small business owners with lenders who will issue business credit without collateral. Tom also blogs at The Small Business Lending Blog.

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Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/07/bright-spot-small-business-credit-sector.html

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Samsung camera lets you take self-shots with a gesture

1 hr.

Devin Coldewey

Samsung has introduced a new point-and-shoot camera called the MV900F that features a flip-up screen and the ability to zoom or capture shots by waving your hands around. It also has Wi-Fi built in so you can share from the camera directly to sites like Facebook and YouTube.

As phone cameras continue to overtake the once-ubiquitous digital point-and-shoot, companies like Samsung are always looking for new features to differentiate their devices. The latest innovation from Samsung is a touchscreen that flips up 180 degrees for easy framing of self-portraits. It's certainly a better solution than their ill-fated DualView cameras, which had a tiny secondary screen next to the lens.

The new MV900F also allows you to control the camera by moving your hands in certain ways: in a circle to control zoom, and up and down to fire the shutter (presumably after a short countdown).

It takes 16-megapixel pictures and 1080p video using a 5x zoom lens with an F/2.5 maximum aperture, meaning it can capture quite a bit of light in darker situations.

The camera should be available in August for $350.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/samsung-camera-lets-you-take-self-shots-gesture-894382

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