Leadership expansion at Tribal DDB and RAPP India

Saugata Bagchi and Bijoe George, vice-presidents at Tribal DDB Mudra and RAPP India, respectively, will have expanded roles.

In a bid to strengthen and grow its operations in the South, Tribal DDB and RAPP India have expanded the leadership roles. Saugata Bagchi, vice-president, Tribal DDB, will take on additional charge of the West and South operations. Similarly, RAPP India vice-president Bijoe George will look after the West and South operations of the agency.

George will, however, continue to lead the HP business, a key client of RAPP India. The additional roles will be effective from this month. Both will continue to report to Tribal DDB and RAPP India president, Venkat Mallik.

Bagchi says that the agency has a strong presence in the western market and with improved digital skill sets, it will now focus on the development and growth plan for its southern operations, being serviced by its Bengaluru office. "Our focus was to build the agency in Mumbai last year. Although we had operations in Bengaluru, it was in the back of our mind. This year onwards, we intend to grow the southern market," he adds.

George says that given RAPP's legacy in the data analytic space, combined with its media-neutral offering, clients across verticals will find its proposition a compelling one.

Mallik says, "The new structure with expanded roles for Bijoe and Saugata will help us leverage their skills better and build on the progress we made in 2012. This year should see us deepening our capabilities and delivering higher quality business and creative solutions for our clients."

RAPP and Tribal DDB are part of the DDB Mudra Group and the Omnicom Group Worldwide.

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Source: http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?sid=36616_Leadership+expansion+at+Tribal+DDB+and+RAPP+India&lt=rss

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CIA nominee had knowledge of 'enhanced interrogation techniques'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Brennan, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the CIA, had detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" on captured terrorism suspects during an earlier stint as a top spy agency official, according to multiple sources familiar with official records.

Those records, the sources said, show that Brennan was a regular recipient of CIA message traffic about controversial aspects of the agency's counter-terrorism program after September 2001, including the use of "waterboarding."

How deeply involved Brennan was in the program, and whether he vigorously objected to it at the time, as he has said he did, are likely to be central questions lawmakers raise at his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing, scheduled for February 7.

After Brennan temporarily left government service in 2005, he publicly disavowed waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning, and other physically painful techniques that are often described as torture.

The official records, which include raw CIA operational message traffic that remains classified, are silent on whether he opposed the techniques while at the spy agency, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Brennan served as deputy executive director of the agency beginning in 2001.

Some former officials familiar with deliberations about the program said they don't recall Brennan voicing objections to the use of harsh interrogation techniques.

But other former officials say Brennan was among agency officials who were uncomfortable with the use of physically coercive tactics, despite the legal opinions that supported their use. He expressed concern, according to these officials, that if details of the program became public, it would be CIA officers who would face criticism, rather than the politicians and lawyers who approved them.

"If John says he expressed reservations about some techniques, I believe him because he's an honest guy," said John McLaughlin, who was deputy CIA director at the time.

"Mr. Brennan had significant concerns and personal objections to many elements of the EIT (enhanced interrogation techniques) program while it was under way," a senior administration official said in response to Reuters' inquiries. "He voiced those objections privately with colleagues at the agency."

The question of whether and to what extent Brennan raised objections will be a focus of his confirmation hearing for Republican and Democratic senators alike.

"I have many questions and concerns about his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency, especially what role he played in the so-called enhanced interrogation programs while serving at the CIA during the last administration," Senator John McCain, who was tortured during captivity in North Vietnam, said recently.

KNOWLEDGE, BUT NOT RESPONSIBILITY

Under the CIA program, which largely ended before Obama took office, captured militants were detained and interrogated in a network of secret CIA prisons. Sometimes, they were delivered to foreign governments through an extralegal process called "extraordinary rendition."

Three high-ranking al Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, were waterboarded.

Because he was a regular recipient of operational traffic related to the interrogation and detention program, Brennan's name appears in a secret draft of a 6,000-page Senate Intelligence Committee investigative report on the program, sources familiar with that report said. They added, however, that he was cited in passing, not as a significant supervisor or manager of the program.

Brennan, who is now Obama's White House counter-terrorism adviser, played no role in the program's "creation, execution or oversight," the senior Obama administration official said.

"(Brennan) was on hundreds if not thousands of messages a day regarding many different issues but his primary responsibility was ... helping manage the day-to-day running of the agency, to include support, logistics, IT, budget, personnel resources, facilities, IG (Inspector General) recommendations, and the like."

SECOND TRY FOR CIA

This is the second time that Obama has sought to nominate Brennan to head the spy agency, and the second time that questions have arisen about his involvement in enhanced interrogation tactics when he was a CIA official during the administration of former President George W. Bush.

Brennan's candidacy for the top CIA job was derailed over the issue when he was an early front-runner for it after Obama's 2008 election victory.

Brennan withdrew his name from consideration at that time and, in a letter to President-elect Obama, said he had been a "strong opponent" of Bush-era policies, including the Iraq war and coercive interrogation techniques.

Brennan instead became Obama's White House counter-terrorism adviser. Obama issued an executive order banning the techniques shortly after taking office.

Barring unexpected revelations, most political handicappers believe Brennan will be confirmed as CIA director this time.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing By Warren Strobel and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-cia-nominee-had-detailed-knowledge-enhanced-interrogation-061332270.html

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Animal shelters are real winners of 'Puppy Bowl'

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? There will be a winner and a loser every Super Bowl Sunday. But at the "Puppy Bowl," it's always a win for animal shelters.

The show provides national exposure to the shelters across the country that provide the puppy athletes and the kittens that star in the halftime show, and introduces viewers to the different breeds and animals that need homes, animal workers say. Many shelters see bumps in visits from viewers who are inspired to adopt a pet.

"It raises awareness for our shelter and others that take part," said Madeline Bernstein, president and CEO of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. "It shows dogs in a happy, playful, fun way, which makes people think, 'Gee, I could play with a dog too.' You hope it will also stimulate adoptions, and if not, at least a positive attitude toward dogs, rather than they are just hairy and smelly."

The "Puppy Bowl," an annual two-hour TV special that mimics a football game with canine players, made its debut eight years ago on The Animal Planet. Dogs score touchdowns on a 10-by-19-foot gridiron carpet when they cross the goal line with a toy. There is a Most Valuable Pup award, a water bowl cam, a new lipstick cam (it's in the lips of the toys), slow-motion cameras, hedgehog referees, a puppy hot tub and a blimp with a crew of hamsters. Bios on each puppy player flash across the screen during close-ups of the action, letting viewers know how to find each animal for adoption.

Most of the puppies, however, are usually adopted by airtime since the show is filmed months ahead, said executive producer Melinda Toporoff, who is working on her fifth "Puppy Bowl." But Bernstein said the point is to show that animals just like the ones on the show can be found at any shelter at any time.

"A lot of people have come in during the last year and said, 'I want a dog just like Fumble,'" she said, referring to spcaLA's player entry in "Puppy Bowl VIII" who earned the game's Most Valuable Pup crown.

About 300 puppies and kittens have been featured on "Puppy Bowl" over the last decade, according to Petfinder.com, the country's largest online pet adoption database that helps cast the show's animal stars.

"Shelters and rescues are at capacity, and pet adoption is the responsible way to add to your family," said Sara Kent, who oversees outreach to the 14,000 shelters and rescues that Petfinder works with.

The inaugural "Puppy Bowl," which was promoted as an alternative to the Super Bowl, had 22 puppies and was watched by nearly 6 million viewers. Nearly 9 million tuned in last year and another 1.4 million watched via video streams, Toporoff said. "Puppy Bowl IX" will feature 84 animals, including 21 kittens from a New York shelter for the halftime show, and 63 puppies from 23 shelters.

Only four of the puppies have yet to find new homes, Toporoff said. They include Tyson, Daphne and Sacha ? three pit bull mixes from the Pitter Patter Animal Rescue in Silver Lake, Wis., ? and Jenny, a terrier mix from the Pitty Love Rescue in Rochester, N.Y.

"I don't know if there's any bigger forum for getting something out on adoption. We make sure the message gets out there. We make clear that these dogs need homes and that all animals have come to us during the adoption process," Toporoff said.

Fumble, last year's MVP winner, was adopted before the show aired. Michael Wright, of New York, said he found out about Fumble's participation toward the end of the adoption process. He planned to watch this year's show to catch any flashbacks of last year's MVP playing his heart out.

"I'm not really a fan of football," he said, adding that he has renamed Fumble to Toby. "He fits the name Toby. He is so cute. I like the name Fumble, but I pictured someone dropping the ball. He wasn't a Fumble," Wright said.

Each year, recruiting for the show is a logistical challenge for Kent and her crew of 80-plus. This year's show was particularly worrisome because taping was scheduled for October 2012 ? just after Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast.

"We worried about the puppies, kittens and hedgehogs that may have been directly impacted or unable to travel due to Sandy," Kent said.

The New York studio where the game was supposed to be taped lost power, but the taping couldn't be postponed for too long given how quickly puppies grow. Another studio further uptown that had both power and space was found, and "amazingly, the crew was able to reschedule the shoot for only a week later and all the animals were still able to attend," Kent said.

Bernstein said they try to find rambunctious, energetic puppies to enter in the bowl though even if a dog falls asleep on its way to the end zone, it can be funny. Puppies chosen for the show have to be between 10 and 15 weeks old, healthy and sturdy enough to be on the field with playmates. All breeds are considered because "we try to reflect what's out there in the adoption world. A lot of those breeds are mixed," Toporoff said.

Producers also were trying to find ways to incorporate older animals into the show, since shelters have more trouble finding homes for them than they do puppies and kittens, Toporoff said.

As with all reality TV shows, the behind-the-scenes casting can lead to problems. Viewers often come in seeking a dog just like one on the show, and "then the lawyer brain kicks in, and you have to make sure you let everybody know not every dog plays football," said Bernstein, who is also an attorney. "People will adopt the kind of dog they see in the movie and they'll expect their Dalmatian to know how to use a word processor and not understand that was a cartoon."

"Some dogs like to play more than others. But don't come in thinking every Chihuahua can play football," she said.

The "Puppy Bowl" airs on Feb. 3 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in all time zones and will keep repeating until 3 a.m. The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. PT.

___

Online:

http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl

http://www.spcaLA.com

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24414038 (Tyson)

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24413997 (Daphne)

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24413979 (Sacha)

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24393351 (Jenny)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/animal-shelters-real-winners-puppy-bowl-104232910.html

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Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Hydrogen sulfide* (H₂S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explores the compound's plethora of potential anti-aging pathways.

"H₂S has been gaining increasing attention as an important endogenous signaling molecule because of its significant effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems," the team writes. The evidence is mounting, they note, that hydrogen sulfide slows aging by inhibiting free-radical reactions, by activating SIRT1, an enzyme believed to be a regulator of lifespan, and probably through its interactions with a gene, klotho, which appears to have its own market basket of anti-aging activity.

Hydrogen sulfide is produced within the human body, and has a variety of important physiological effects. For example, it relaxes the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells, which is important to maintaining clean arteries as one ages, says first author Zhi-Sheng Jiang, of the University of South China, Hunan. It functions as an antioxidant. And it inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory factors, all of which "imply an important role in aging and age-associated diseases," according to the paper. For example, mice lacking CSE, the gene for an enzyme involved in producing H₂S, manifest extensive, premature arteriosclerosis, an inevitable consequence of aging, says Jiang.

The gene, klotho, which appears to be upregulated by hydrogen sulfide, is thought to extend lifespan via a number of different pathways, some of which promote production of endogenous antioxidants, according to the report. Produced in the kidneys, it has direct angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibiting activity; that is, it's an ACE inhibitor, just like certain drugs that mitigate high blood pressure. Not surprisingly, plasma H₂S declines with age, and is lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in those with normal blood pressure. More generally, a lack of H₂S is implicated in cardiovascular disease.

A decline in H₂S is also thought to undermine neurological health. Endogenous H₂S has been found wanting in an animal model of Parkinson's disease, and is found to be depressed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. There are even suggestions, mostly in animal models, but also in human studies, that H₂S may be protective against cancer, according to the report.

"Data available so far strongly suggest that H₂S may become the next potent agent for preventing and ameliorating the symptoms of aging and age-associated diseases," concludes Jiang. In the future, he says, people may take H₂S via food, or as an anti-aging supplement.

* Hydrogen sulfide (British English: hydrogen sulphide) is the chemical compound with the formula H₂S. It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas that gives off the odor of rotten eggs.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Y. Zhang, Z.-H. Tang, Z. Ren, S.-L. Qu, M.-H. Liu, L.-S. Liu, Z.-S. Jiang. Hydrogen Sulfide: Next Potent Preventive and Therapeutic Agent in Aging and Age-associated Diseases. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/MCB.01215-12

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/jEAT1lRShRo/130129121945.htm

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The Simplest Makeover of All ? Paint - Aussie Blog

If you are preparing to sell, or have just bought a dated place in need of a makeover, painting is the simplest way to breathe new life into a room and even make it look bigger or smaller.

Handyman Magazine has kindly given us permission to share an excerpt of painting tips from its February issue.

Following the Trends

?It appears homeowners are getting bored with neutrals,? says interior designer and TV host Shaynna Blaze.

?The minimalist style has been prevalent for the last decade but now it?s about character and personality.?

During her 20 years in interior design Shaynna has redecorated many homes and says that while
a lot of people still play it safe with whites and neutrals, she believes a real connection to a space is forged when colour is introduced.

?Richness is the key word at the moment. Jewel hues with amazing depth are popular, particularly in sunburst colours such as tangerine orange and beautiful honeysuckle pink,? she says.

?At the same time peacock blues are also in demand, ranging from turquoise to emerald.?

A Simple Equation

Too many different colours can overwhelm so as a general rule the dominant colour should take
up 60% of the space, an intermediate colour another 30% and an accent colour the remaining 10%.

?I suggest taking the colour cues from an accessory,? says Shaynna.

?Also take into account the mood you wish to create. These two factors can make selecting the right palette pretty straightforward.?

Setting the Scene

Colour choice sets the ambience of the room so take time to consider the atmosphere you want to create.

White is seen as peaceful and feels airy but black is considered overwhelming and depressing.

Strong colours like red, yellow and violet are thought to raise energy and heighten emotions. The colours of nature, such as greens, blues and earthy neutrals, are perceived to be the most calming and restful.

Shaynna emphasises that a heavy-handed approach with strong colour is likely to backfire.

?It?s not about dramatic feature walls and challenging the senses, it?s about using beautiful colour in ways you?re comfortable with and can live with for at least five years until the next paint job is needed.?

Handyman Magazine is available via subscription or from Bunnings outlets.

To subscribe to Handyman, call 1300 138 900 or go to handyman.net.au

Source: http://blog.aussie.com.au/simplest-makeover-paint/

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Gulf Finance launches Gulf Finance Medical Leasing ...

Gulf Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of SHUAA Capital, is launching a new specialist division called Gulf Finance Medical Leasing (GFML) that will offer operating leases for medical equipment to the UAE healthcare sector. The equipment can be leased on a monthly fee basis usually for three years at which juncture it can be returned, purchased or upgraded for new equipment. GFML is the first business of its type in the GCC and is planning to address significant market opportunities across the region.

Source: http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=node/4528

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They're back: J. C. Penney adds sales

NEW YORK (AP) ? J.C. Penney is bringing back sales.

The struggling department store chain this week will begin adding back some of the hundreds of sales it ditched last year in hopes of luring shoppers who were turned off when the discounts disappeared.

Penney also plans to add price tags or signs for more than half of its merchandise to show customers how much they're saving by shopping at the mid-priced chain ? a strategy used by a few other retailers such as home decor chain Crate and Barrel and the company that owns TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls. For store branded items such as Arizona, Penney will show comparison prices from competitors.

The moves are a departure for Penney on the eve of the one-year anniversary when it vowed to almost completely get rid of the sales that Americans covet but that cut into a store's profits. The idea was to offer everyday low prices that customers could count on rather than the nearly 600 fleeting discounts, coupons and sales it once offered.

The bold plan has been closely watched by others in the retail industry, which is notorious for offering deep discounts to draw shoppers. But so far the experiment has served as a cautionary tale of how difficult it is to change shoppers' habits: Penney next month is expected to report its fourth consecutive quarter of big sales drops and profit losses. After losing more than half of its value, Penney stock is trading at around $18. And the company's credit ratings are in junk status.

CEO Ron Johnson, who rolled out the pricing plan shortly after taking the top job in November 2011, told The Associated Press last week that the latest moves are not a "deviation" from his strategy but rather an "evolution."

"Our sales have gone backward a little more than we expected, but that doesn't change the vision or the strategy," says Johnson, who previously masterminded Apple Inc.'s retail stores and Target Corp.'s cheap chic fashion strategy. "We made changes and we learned an incredible amount. That is what's informing our tactics as we go forward."

But critics say that Johnson is backpedaling. Walter Loeb, a New York-based retail consultant, says Johnson "is now realizing that he has to be more promotional to attract shoppers."

The pricing strategy has been a key part of Johnson's plan to reinvent Penney from the ground up. The plan includes adding hip new brands such as Joe Fresh and replacing racks of clothing with small shops-within-stores by 2015. But this isn't the first time the pricing strategy has been tweaked.

When it was rolled out in February 2012, the plan entailed permanently slashing prices on everything in the store by 40 percent. Instead of the 600 or so sales and coupons it used to offer, Penney decided to have just 12 monthlong sales events on some merchandise. And there would be periodic clearance events throughout the year.

But the new pricing plan wasn't well received on Wall Street or Main Street, so six months after launching it, Johnson ditched the monthlong sales, saying that they were too confusing to shoppers. Johnson says Penney has learned that people don't shop on a monthly basis, but rather they buy when they need something for say, back-to-school or during the winter holidays. And during those times, he says, they're looking for even more value.

"I still believe that the customer knows the right price, but they want help," he says.

Penney declined to say how many sales events it will offer going forward, citing competitive reasons. But the company says the figure will be well below the nearly 600 that it used to offer. The company says the discounts will vary depending on the sale. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 14, for instance, shoppers will get 20 percent off some jewelry for Valentine's Day. One example: half carat diamond heart pendants on sale for $96, below Penny's everyday price of $120.

Penney says the decision to add tags or signs on much of its merchandise that shows the "manufacturer's suggested retail price" alongside Penney's "everyday" price was a result of his realization that shoppers want a reference price to consider. National brands were also asking Penney to show the suggested price to shoppers, he says. Penney began showing the suggested manufacturer's price on Izod men's merchandise last fall, and was encouraged by the response.

Burt Flickinger, a retail consultant, says the move could help Penney because manufacturers' suggested retail prices can be as much as 40 percent higher than what retailers wind up charging. The practice is common in the home appliance industry, but spotty in the department-store industry because stores generally hike prices up even more to give shoppers the illusion of a big discount, he says.

"The strategy will be helpful for shoppers to understand lower prices," Flickinger says. "At the same time, it will be tough to get consumers back in the store from competitors."

But Craig Johnson, another retail consultant, says adding the suggested manufacturer's price is just a gimmick. "The objective of this exercise is to maximize the perceived value for the purchase," he says.

Johnson says Penney will submit supporting data to its legal team for approval before it advertises its price on branded merchandise, using certain criteria. For example, they'll make sure the fabric used is of the same quality as its rivals. For jewelry, Penney is using the International Gemological Institute, a third-party appraiser.

"There are no makeup prices here," Johnson says. "It's all about trying to communicate what it's worth to the customer."

Penney will not show comparison prices for merchandise that is part of exclusive partnerships with brands such as Nicole Miller and Mango, however. The company says it's difficult to offer such references.

To promote the strategy, Penney on Wednesday will begin airing TV, print and digital ads. One TV ad compares a $9 polo shirt under its store brand Arizona with $19 "elsewhere." ''Two polos, same color, same vibrant, same details, same swing, same swagger, different prices," the ad says.

Going forward, Johnson reiterated that he expects Penney to return to growth sometime in 2013. That would be a welcome change for Penney, which has had steep sales and profit losses since the new strategy was launched.

For the first nine months of its current fiscal year, Penney lost $433 million, or $1.98 per share compared with a loss of $65 million, or 30 cents per share in the year-ago period. Total sales dropped 23.1 percent to $9.1 billion.

Analysts expect Penney to post a loss of 17 cents on sales of $4.22 billion for the fourth quarter. They expect the company's annual sales to fall by 23 percent, or nearly $4 billion, to $13.3 billion for the latest year. Revenue at stores opened at least a year ? a measure of a retailer's health ? are expected to drop 25 percent, in line with the third quarter, according to analyst polled by research firm FactSet.

"A year ago, we were launching a major transformation and didn't know what to expect," he says. "Today, I know what happened. Our team has a year's worth of history. This is going to be a great year because the new JCP is coming to life for customers."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/theyre-back-j-c-penney-adds-sales-183322766--finance.html

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About Santa Clara Car Repair Services

If you have been having problems with who to trust your automobile repair with, a solution has hereby come. It is indeed true that most of the car repair service providers are never reliable. There are many in town and sometimes it becomes difficult for one to choose on whom to do repairs on his or her car. You surely can?t afford to have your long term investment receive poor services in the name of repairs. Santa Clara Auto Repair is therefore a dealership to trust. It is a reputable car repair service provider and if it has done good job for others, you are not an exception as you too can have the best work done for you.

In most cases, poor services are encountered due to lack of professionalism in the work done. Some people overlook some tasks and therefore they believe professionalism is not much needed in carrying out of some services. However, this is not the case as car repair services can only be best done with the help of professionals and this is what Santa Clara Auto Repair does. It has a team of professionals, who are knowledgeable enough to handle all your repair needs in the most professional ways. However much critical your car condition may seem, they have all the skills needed to have your normal car functioning restored. They carry out quality work, which also is done within the shortest time possible.

Its reputation has grown all over and any person, who has ever tried their services, bears a testimony on how professionalism was portrayed and how amazing the results were. They can also carry out extra activities on your car which necessarily won?t cost you. They mind about their customers and therefore their satisfaction is what gives them the zeal to go ahead with their undying spirit of providing only but the best.

Santa Clara Auto Repair is located on the highway and therefore whenever need arises, you can always stop by. With Santa Clara, all your needs will be met and low cost will be incurred. Make a wise decision and share with your fellow car owners the happiness they have always had.

Source: http://www.orquestacarusso.com/automotive-and-hobbies-for-men/about-santa-clara-car-repair-services/

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Bankruptcy Halts Reverse Mortgage Payments | Bankrate.com

Dear Real Estate Adviser,
I have a reverse mortgage and have filed for bankruptcy. My lender has since stopped making monthly payments to me -- money that was providing me with basic living needs. There's no clause pertaining to this in my loan documents as far as I can tell. My attorney said he's never handled a bankruptcy with a reverse mortgage. What are my options? Would a reaffirmation agreement work? Can they call the note?
-- Ellen B.

Dear Ellen,
Those crucial payments to you have stopped because borrowers aren't allowed to access funds, with some exceptions, from their reverse mortgages during bankruptcy proceedings. Filers, not surprisingly, aren't supposed to take on any new debt under bankruptcy. However, the bankruptcy court or the trustee monitoring the proceedings can approve your request for continued funds through a "reaffirmation agreement" that you mentioned, so by all means give that a try posthaste.

And no, the lender typically can't call the loan due because a reverse mortgage is generally treated like any other debt belonging to the bankruptcy filer. However, some reverse mortgages do contain a provision saying the balance owed on the home does come due upon filing, though bankruptcy courts tend to not allow this given the consumer-oriented bent of bankruptcy protection.

For those reasons and many others, it's important that you have effective, experienced representation. In fact, the time to thoroughly discuss the issues at hand with a competent legal professional is before the filing to avoid any of the unwelcome surprises you're now encountering. Here's hoping your attorney has since gotten up to speed on the reverse mortgage in a bankruptcy or you've secured alternative counsel.

Because state bankruptcy laws vary and there are several different types of reverse mortgages and bankruptcies, it's hard to tell you exactly what's going to happen next and when. It may have been advantageous to wait to file so the reverse mortgage could eat away more equity; there's a means test in Chapter 7 bankruptcy to determine eligibility and sometimes a reverse mortgage can be raising more income than is allowable under that Chapter 7 umbrella.

A reverse mortgage, for the sake of edification, allows people at least 62 years old to tap into the equity in their homes tax-free, either in the form of a set monthly dollar amount or a line of credit. Most reverse mortgages are backed by the Federal Housing Administration. The loans can be handy for many cash-strapped seniors, but they do come with some caveats and financial baggage.

Reverse mortgages typically have high origination fees and require additional insurance and new appraisals. Plus, their cash distributions can adversely affect long-term government health care assistance for lower-income persons -- and some forms of bankruptcy protection as earlier noted. Once a borrower dies or departs the home permanently, homes with such mortgages can be repossessed by the lender if the mortgage is more than the home is worth.

So, tread cautiously before taking on a reverse mortgage or filing a bankruptcy with one. Suddenly finding yourself with no home to leave to heirs or no income for basic living needs, sadly, can be one of the dire consequences of poor or misinformed planning. Good luck.

Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/bankruptcy-halts-reverse-mortgage-payments.aspx

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Don't lose your shirt over Miley's Cosmo cover

By Us Weekly

Miley Cyrus seems to have her lost her shirt for the March cover of Cosmopolitan. No stranger to baring skin, the 20-year-old former child star steams up the women's magazine's upcoming issue, ditching a shirt (and bra) as she models a white blazer and low-slung white pants.

Cosmopolitan

PHOTOS: Miley's hair evolution

In her extended interview with Cosmopolitan -- writer Kyle Buchanan notes her iPhone features pictures of fianc? Liam Hemsworth, her dogs and screenshots from Lindsay Lohan's disastrous "Liz and Dick" movie -- Cyrus opines on what she's happiest about her life right now. "Number one is my relationship with Liam. That's what I feel the most confident in because you never know," says the former Hannah Montana star, whose new film "So Undercover" debuts on DVD next month, and who is also working on a much-anticipated new album.

PHOTOS: Miley and Liam's love story

Set to wed "Hunger Games" star Hemsworth, 23, at a to-be-determined date, she admits to that she's still overwhelmed by her man's, er, hunkiness. "I'll literally look at him and be like 'You are hot, dear god!'" she says of the Australian actor. "The other day, I turned on the pool heater and it was steaming, and he walked outside and took off his clothes and jumped in the pool. I was like, "I'm gonna faint -- the hottest guy of my life is in a steaming pool. This looks like a Playgirl shoot."

PHOTOS: Miley's skimpiest outfits

The "Can't Be Tamed" singer also reveals that she has few regrets about her sometimes rocky transition from Disney star to extremely provocative singer-actress. "Some of the worst things that have happened in my career, like things getting leaked, have actually been what's best for me, because people knew when I was on [Hannah Montana] that I was really growing up. I never faked anything," she says.

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/01/26/16714534-miley-cyrus-goes-nearly-topless-for-cosmopolitan-cover?lite

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26/444 Healing from Infidelity: Play and the Message of the Affair

Chili hasn't been with us for a couple years now but I still love this pic.

Most relationships begin with a lot of play. Couples truly enjoy one another in an atmosphere of fun. Ann and I had lost that. In trying to be a good Christian man I decided that our spare time would be family time. This sounded good to me. The decision left a deep part of my wife neglected. We didn't have fun time together alone.

Our relationship had become dull. We were busy doing lots of good, kind meaningful activities. We had fun with others and fun with our kids. Together we paid bills, taught Sunday school, fed the dog, watched TV etc. Part of Ann's affair and most affairs is recapturing fun, a sense of life, even if it is outside what one knows to be true and right. The intoxication of feeling alive again overshadows all else. Ann desired for that feeling of life again in our marriage.

Her desire was good. The direction she chose to pursue it wasn't. ?

Before we figured out how to bring that back into our relationship, or maybe even know that we needed to, another man showed up with time to give and enjoyed fun times with Ann. Making it through an affair involves understanding the message it was sending about the marriage. I resisted wanting to use 'the messages of the affair' for a while. I had a choice of whether to learn from the most painful experience of my life or to stay resentful.

It wasn't a linear process but eventually I chose to learn. Ann and I recaptured a sense of play in the midst of doing all the day to day of life. We like to be goofy together. We tickle. We joke. We laugh at ourselves. We flirt. I like flirting with her. And we like to be silly with our dog Chili by putting brightly colored ribbons on his head.

Source: http://www.marriagesrestored.com/marriages/2013/01/26444-healing-from-infidelity-play.html

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Egypt's leader declares emergency after clashes

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi declared a month-long state of emergency in three cities along the Suez Canal where dozens of people have been killed over the past four days in protests his allies say are designed to overthrow him.

Seven people were shot dead and hundreds were injured in Port Said on Sunday during the funerals of 33 people killed there when locals angered by a court decision went on the rampage as anti-government protests spread around the country.

A total of 49 people have been killed since Thursday and Mursi's opponents, who accuse his Islamist Muslim Brotherhood of betraying the revolution that ousted long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, have called for more demonstrations on Monday.

"Down, down Mursi, down down the regime that killed and tortured us!" people in Port Said chanted as the coffins of those killed on Saturday were carried through the streets.

Mursi, who was elected in June, is trying to fix a beleaguered economy and cool tempers before a parliamentary poll in the next few months which is supposed to cement Egypt's transition to democracy. Repeated eruptions of violence have weighed heavily on the Egyptian pound.

In a televised address, he said a nightly curfew would be introduced in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, starting Monday.

Several hundred people protested in Ismailia, Suez and Port Said after the announcement, in which Mursi also called for a dialogue with top politicians. Activists in the three cities vowed to defy the curfew in protest at the decision.

"The protection of the nation is the responsibility of everyone. We will confront any threat to its security with force and firmness within the remit of the law," he said, offering condolences to families of the victims.

In Cairo the newly appointed Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim was ejected from the funeral of one of the police officers who died during Saturday's clashes in Port Said, according to witnesses and police sources.

A police officer at the funeral said many of his colleagues blame the interior minister for the deaths of at least two policemen during Saturday's clashes as he did not allow the police there to carry weapons and were only given teargas bombs.

SECURITY MEASURES

The violence has exposed a deep rift in the nation. Liberals and other opponents accuse Mursi of failing to deliver on economic promises and say he has not lived up to pledges to represent all Egyptians. His backers say the opposition is seeking to topple Egypt's first freely elected leader.

Distancing itself from the latest flare-ups, the opposition National Salvation Front said Mursi should have acted far sooner to impose extra security measures that would end the violence.

"Of course we feel the president is missing the real problem on the ground which is his own polices," spokesman Khaled Dawoud told Reuters. "His call to implement emergency law was an expected move given what is going on, namely thuggery and criminal actions."

The Front, formed late last year when Mursi provoked protests and violence by expanding his powers and driving through an Islamist-tinged constitution, has threatened to boycott the parliamentary poll and call for more protests if its demands are not met, including for an early presidential vote.

State television said seven people died from gunshot wounds in Port Said on Sunday. Port Said's head of hospitals, Abdel Rahman Farag, told Reuters more than 400 people had suffered from teargas inhalation, while 38 were wounded by gunshots.

Gunshots had killed many of the 33 who died on Saturday when residents rioted after a court sentenced 21 people, mostly from the Mediterranean port, to death for their role in deadly soccer violence at a stadium there last year.

A military source said many people in Port Said, which lies next to the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula, possess guns because they do not trust the authorities to protect them. However it was not clear who was behind the deaths and injuries.

In Cairo, police fired teargas at dozens at protesters throwing stones and petrol bombs in a fourth day of clashes over what demonstrators there and in other cities say is a power grab by Islamists two years after Mubarak was overthrown.

In Ismailia city, which lies on the Suez Canal between the cities of Suez and Port Said, police also fired teargas at protesters attacking a police station with petrol bombs and stones, according to witnesses and a security source there.

"KNEE-JERK REACTION"

Most of the deaths since Thursday were in Port Said and Suez, both cities where the army has now been deployed.

Heba Morayef of Human Rights Watch in Cairo said a state of emergency reintroduced laws that gave police sweeping powers of arrest "purely because (people) look suspicious".

"It is a classic knee-jerk reaction to think the emergency law will help bring security," she said. "It gives so much discretion to the Ministry of Interior that it ends up causing more abuse which in turn causes more anger."

The opposition Popular Current and other groups have called for more protests on Monday to mark what was one of the bloodiest days of the 2011 uprising.

Anti-Mursi protesters who have been camped out in Tahrir Square for weeks also demonstrated against Mursi's move to impose a state of emergency, reviving memories of Mubarak's era when emergency codes were in place for three decades and used to crush dissent and detain people without charge.

Protesters say Mursi has betrayed the revolution's aims.

"None of the revolution's goals have been realized," said Mohamed Sami, a protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the uprising that erupted on January 25, 2011 and toppled Mubarak 18 days later.

"Prices are going up. The blood of Egyptians is being spilt in the streets because of neglect and corruption and because the Muslim Brotherhood is ruling Egypt for their own interests."

Clashes also erupted in other streets near the square. The U.S. and British embassies, both close to Tahrir, said they were closed for public business on Sunday, normally a working day.

The army, Egypt's interim ruler until Mursi's election, was sent back onto the streets to restore order in Port Said and Suez, which both lie on the Suez canal. In Suez, at least eight people were killed in clashes with police.

Many ordinary Egyptians are frustrated by the violence that have hurt the economy and their livelihoods.

"They are not revolutionaries protesting," said taxi driver Kamal Hassan, 30, referring to those gathered in Tahrir. "They are thugs destroying the country."

(Additional reporting by Shaimaa Fayed in Cairo and Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/riots-over-egyptian-death-sentences-kill-least-32-005245042.html

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Friar accused of abuse in 2 states kills self

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? A Franciscan friar accused of sexually abusing students at Catholic high schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania killed himself at a western Pennsylvania monastery, police said Saturday.

Brother Stephen Baker, 62, was found dead of self-inflicted wounds at the St. Bernardine Monastery in Hollidaysburg on Saturday morning, Blair Township Police Chief Roger White told the Associated Press. He declined to specify the type of wounds or say whether a note was found.

Baker was named in legal settlements last week involving 11 men who alleged that he sexually abused them at a Catholic high school in northeast Ohio three decades ago. The undisclosed financial settlements announced Jan. 16 involved his contact with students at John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, Ohio from 1986-90.

The Youngstown diocese previously said it was unaware of the allegations until nearly 20 years after the alleged abuse.

"Let us continue to pray for all victims of abuse, for Brother Baker's family and the repose of his soul," Youngstown Bishop George Murray said in a statement Saturday.

After the settlements were announced, the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese in central Pennsylvania said it received complaints in 2011 of possible abuse by Baker at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Bishop McCort High School hired an attorney to investigate after several former students alleged they were molested by Baker in the 1990s. Attorney Susan Williams said three former students had talked to her in detail about the alleged abuse.

Baker taught and coached at John F. Kennedy High School in the late 1980's and early 1990's and was at Bishop McCort from 1992-2000.

Bishop Mark Bartchak of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese said in a statement that he was saddened by the news of Baker's death, but declined further comment citing pending legal action involving the diocese.

A message left for Father Patrick Quinn, the head of Baker's order, the Third Order Regular Franciscans, was not immediately returned.

Judy Jones, assistant Midwest director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the organization still hopes people who know about other abuse allegations against Baker will continue to come forward.

"We feel sad for Br. Baker's family but even sadder for the dozens of boys who Baker assaulted," she said in a statement.

___

Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/friar-accused-abuse-2-states-kills-self-212548348.html

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Aluminum Windows at the Core of it All - Business - Industrial ...

We have been doing our best to cover everything known to man about the inside and outside of the replacement window manufacturing industryIt is great to see all your smiling faces back again! Sure, we can't really see your faces, or really know that you are there at all; but if you are reading this, then we assume you do exist, as should you. We also assume you are looking to broaden your grasp on the intricacies of aluminum windows, vinyl windows, patio doors, and or storm doors. If these assumptions are fair and correct, then welcome! If they are not fair and correct, welcome as well. We have been doing our best to cover everything known to man about the inside and outside of the replacement window manufacturing industry, and we think we're doing a pretty good job at it so far.

We have covered and plumbed the vast expanses of window manufacturing knowledge, and we are only now just finishing up with the letter c in our chronological expedition into the heart of the window manufacturing world. Last month we covered convection, conduction, condensation and a host of other very important terms beginning with the letter c. Along the way, we explored how these terms interact and interplay with the ever-important issue of energy efficiency. To sum up that whole realm of discussion; condensation, conduction, convection, and just about every other term beginning with the letter c has an important relation to the energy efficiency picture. The same can be said for just about any letter of the alphabet: so without further ado, we give you the letter "d," our next area of focus. This letter has a lot in store for the window manufacturing world. We are on a course to gain much from a thorough look at this letter and its associated terms. The vinyl window and aluminum window manufacturing industry couldn't do without it and neither could we.

This measure is a standardized quality rating describing a window's ability to do just as the name implies, resist condensation. This is something that every window should perform well in if you hope maintain an energy efficient home environment. And this, the maintenance of energy efficiency, is the real goal of vinyl windows and aluminum windows. There is little wiggle room when it comes to the measure of a window's quality and effectiveness. But we digress. To get back to the CRF rating, it would be good to point out that the standard is based on the AAMA standard and helps consumers find quality vinyl windows and aluminum windows. As a general rule of thumb with this measure, the higher the condensation resistance factor, the less like it is that condensation will occur. This is a good indicator of the quality of a window and can be a reliable gauge of a good window.

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Source: http://cguemquestao.blogspot.com/2013/01/aluminum-windows-at-core-of-it-all.html

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Mistle thrushes 'missing' from UK

25 January 2013 Last updated at 00:01 By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature

Mistle thrushes have disappeared from UK gardens at a "staggering" rate, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Results from the charity's annual survey suggest the birds are seen in fewer than half the number of gardens they were 10 years ago.

Population estimates published at the end of last year confirm there are now just 170,000 breeding pairs.

The warning comes on the eve of the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

Experts compare the decline to that of the closely related song thrush.

Both thrush species have become rarer sights in UK gardens, with populations falling by more than half since the 1970s, according to the ongoing Breeding Bird Survey carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and partners.

But the continuing trend of decline among mistle thrushes is a key concern.

"If you look at the decline in the short term, from 1995 to 2010, we see that mistle thrushes have declined by 28%," said the RSPB's Graham Madge.

Over the same period, the song thrush, which has been recognised as a species of serious conservation concern, increased by 13%, according to figures from the The State of UK Birds report jointly published last November by the RSPB, BTO and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

"We've still got a lot to learn about why the [mistle thrush] is declining," said Mr Madge.

"It's reaching rates where as a community we should begin to develop some concerns because its population does seem to be haemorrhaging from our gardens, woodlands and countryside."

He described reports from the annual Big Garden Birdwatch as "startling".

"Over the last six or seven years of Big Garden Birdwatch, the participants have been telling us that mistle thrushes have been declining - even over that short period."

The survey, described as the largest citizen science project in the world, sees volunteers count the bird visitors to their garden for an hour over the last weekend in January.

Mr Madge describes the "snapshot" of UK bird populations provided by the survey as an "effective early warning system" to highlight future trends.

Mistle thrushes are named for their fondness for berries, particularly those of the mistletoe plant.

Continue reading the main story

How to spot a mistle thrush

• Listen out for their distinctive rattling call
• They are a cold, grey brown whereas song thrushes are a warm, earthy brown
• Spots are "scaly" and join up unlike the perfect round spots of the song thrush
• You can see white tips to the feathers of a mistle thrush flying away from you
• Song thrushes are blackbird sized; mistle thrushes are 10-15% bigger

The birds sing throughout the winter to defend territories that are rich in fruit, making their song the easiest way to recognise them.

"It's a species that very often people will mistake for a song thrush. They're both medium sized, brown and white birds with large spots," said Mr Madge.

"But mistle thrushes are great characters and they will very often give their presence away by their call."

The birds are early nesters and their mournful songs can be heard in February. They are also known as stormcocks due to country legends that the birds are the last to be heard before a storm.

"It's not particularly a bird that has come up on the radar of declining species. That's not out of lack of concern for the mistle thrush but it's an indication that so many other birds are also declining," said Mr Madge.

The RSPB's 2012 survey recorded the lowest number of starlings in UK gardens for 30 years. Conservationists suggested that a decline in traditional pastures and modern building design have restricted feeding and nesting areas for the birds.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch survey runs from Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 January 2013. BBC Nature is streaming live webcams of UK garden bird action, helpful identification guides and expert analysis across the weekend.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21143664

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Pope on social networking: the virtual is real

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI put Catholic Church leaders on notice Thursday, saying social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter aren't a virtual world they can ignore, but rather a very real world they must engage if they want to spread the faith to the next generation.

The 85-year-old Benedict, who tweets in nine languages, used his annual message on social communications to stress the potential of social media for the church as it struggles to keep followers and attract new ones amid religious apathy, competition from other churches and scandals that have driven the faithful away.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Vatican's communications office, cited a 2012 study commissioned by U.S. bishops that found that 53 percent of Americans were unaware of any significant presence of the Catholic Church online.

Other studies, Celli said, made clear that the "millennial generation" of people born after 1982 use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube far more than their parents as primary sources of information, entertainment and sharing political views and community issues.

"The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young," Benedict said in his message. "Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there."

Benedict himself still writes longhand but he is a superstar online, with 2.5 million Twitter followers, nearly 11,000 of them following his Latin tweets alone.

And under his pontificate, the Holy See has greatly increased its presence online, with YouTube channels, papal Apps and an online news portal www.news.va that gathers all Vatican information in one place.

Celli acknowledged that much of the pope's message this year repeated exhortations from previous years about the need for respectful dialogue online, for users to present themselves authentically and to listen, not just preach.

"At first look it could sound like reheated soup," Celli conceded. But he said that sometimes, messages need repeating. "I don't want to make any particular revelations here, but don't believe that everything that is said is absorbed at the ecclesial level."

Celli noted, for example, that at a recent Vatican meeting of the world's bishops on spreading the faith, the recommendations for the church's social communications strategy "could have been written 30 years ago."

"That means that he who is intervening doesn't have the perception of what is happening today, in the sphere of social networking," Celli said. "That's a problem for us."

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-social-networking-virtual-real-110705994.html

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Investing Blog Roundup: What Happens to Spending Over Time?

Disclaimer: By using this site, you explicitly agree to its Terms of Use and agree not to hold Simple Subjects, LLC or any of its members liable in any way for damages arising from decisions you make based on the information made available on this site. I am not a financial or investment advisor, and the information on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

Copyright 2013 Simple Subjects, LLC - All rights reserved. To be clear: This means that, aside from small quotations, the material on this site may not be republished elsewhere without my express permission. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Source: http://www.obliviousinvestor.com/investing-blog-roundup-what-happens-to-spending-over-time/

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Climate change beliefs of independent voters shift with the weather

Jan. 24, 2013 ? There's a well-known saying in New England that if you don't like the weather here, wait a minute. When it comes to independent voters, those weather changes can just as quickly shift beliefs about climate change.

New research from the University of New Hampshire finds that the climate change beliefs of independent voters are dramatically swayed by short-term weather conditions. The research was conducted by Lawrence Hamilton, professor of sociology and senior fellow at the Carsey Institute, and Mary Stampone, assistant professor of geography and the New Hampshire state climatologist.

"We find that over 10 surveys, Republicans and Democrats remain far apart and firm in their beliefs about climate change. Independents fall in between these extremes, but their beliefs appear weakly held -- literally blowing in the wind. Interviewed on unseasonably warm days, independents tend to agree with the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. On unseasonably cool days, they tend not to," Hamilton and Stampone say.

Hamilton and Stampone used statewide data from about 5,000 random-sample telephone interviews conducted on 99 days over two and a half years (2010 to 2012) by the Granite State Poll. They combined the survey data with temperature and precipitation indicators derived from New Hampshire's U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) station records. Survey respondents were asked whether they thought climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. Alternatively, respondents could state that climate change is not happening, or that it is happening but mainly for natural reasons.

Unseasonably warm or cool temperatures on the interview day and previous day seemed to shift the odds of respondents believing that humans are changing the climate. However, when researchers broke these responses down by political affiliation (Democrat, Republican or independent), they found that temperature had a substantial effect on climate change views mainly among independent voters.

"Independent voters were less likely to believe that climate change was caused by humans on unseasonably cool days and more likely to believe that climate change was caused by humans on unseasonably warm days. The shift was dramatic. On the coolest days, belief in human-caused climate change dropped below 40 percent among independents. On the hottest days, it increased above 70 percent," Hamilton says.

New Hampshire's self-identified independents generally resemble their counterparts on a nationwide survey that asked the same questions, according to the researchers. Independents comprise 18 percent of the New Hampshire estimation sample, compared with 17 percent nationally. They are similar with respect to education, but slightly older, and more balanced with respect to gender.

In conducting their analysis, the researchers took into account other factors such as education, age, and sex. They also made adjustments for the seasons, and for random variation between surveys that might be caused by nontemperature events.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of New Hampshire.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Lawrence C. Hamilton, Mary D. Stampone. Blowin? in the wind: Short-term weather and belief in anthropogenic climate change. Weather, Climate, and Society, 2013; : 130123150419007 DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-12-00048.1

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/K-Bq4iUbYhA/130124122934.htm

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Gun control: Focus on manufacturers, not just buyers, study shows

Jan. 23, 2013 ? As the gun control debate continues, Kevin D. Bradford, an associate professional specialist in marketing at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, says the focus should be on those who distribute guns, not solely on those who buy them.

Bradford and a team of researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind study on the ways guns move from legal channels into the hands of criminals. In "Counter-marketing in the Courts: The Case of Marketing Channels and Firearms Diversion," published in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, they examined 28,000 pages of court documents, looking at what kinds of guns were used in violent crimes and what kinds of safeguards specific gun manufacturers had in place for distribution.

"The gun industry is cloaked in secrecy," Bradford says. "We found that 1 percent of gun dealers are responsible for 45 to 60 percent of guns involved in crimes. These dealers divert new guns intended for responsible owners to those that gun restrictions are meant to keep away from the weapons."

Safeguards are reasonable and popular policies, such as background checks, for shipping dangerous things. Bradford says, shockingly, there are numerous gun manufacturers that do not require their collaborators to safeguard. His research found a negative relationship between implementing safeguards and guns being used in crimes.

"That's pretty significant," Bradford says. "The problem lies in where new guns are sent by manufacturers. We looked at the top manufacturers, which accounted for 97 percent of all gun sales in the United States. A lot of them are not safeguarding their distribution channels. They're not making sure the dealers are doing the things necessary so that their guns stay out of criminals' hands."

Bradford says more vigilance over gun distribution could help curb gun violence.

"When manufacturers implement safeguards in their distribution channels, their guns are not used as often in crime," he says. "If those marketing principles were put in place, dealers would be more discouraged from selling guns to the wrong people. This isn't about keeping law-abiding citizens from having guns, (but) simply ensuring that the right process is being followed from the very beginning.

"If we can hold Hasbro accountable for choking hazards for children, it seems reasonable that we should be able to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their intermediaries who distribute to criminals," Bradford says. "Nobody seems to want the government involved in gun control, and the government doesn't have enough feet on the ground for the job anyway, so why not get manufacturers involved? They should be held accountable."

Bradford teaches and does research on significant issues within the marketing system and its relationship to society.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Notre Dame. The original article was written by Shannon Chapla.

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/fYa2dw556ew/130123144317.htm

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WATCH: Heidi Klum Teaches Jay Leno How To Table Dance

Jay Leno was treated to a show that he almost certainly wasn't expecting when Heidi Klum stopped by The Tonight Show. When he asked her about a reported table-dancing stint at a Golden Globes afterparty, she decided to show Leno just what table dancing is all about. Watch here:

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/heidi-klum-teaches-jay-leno-how-table-dance/1-a-517451?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aheidi-klum-teaches-jay-leno-how-table-dance-517451

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Women have caught up to men on lung cancer risk

FILE - In this July 20, 2006 file photo, a woman smokes a cigarette during a break from work in downtown Chicago. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine's issue coming out Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, finds that women who smoke today have a much greater risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago compared to those who never smoked. That is partly because they are starting younger and smoking more than women used to. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this July 20, 2006 file photo, a woman smokes a cigarette during a break from work in downtown Chicago. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine's issue coming out Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, finds that women who smoke today have a much greater risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago compared to those who never smoked. That is partly because they are starting younger and smoking more than women used to. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Graphic shows 25-year-old smokers??? probabilities of reaching ages 30???80 based on gender

Smoke like a man, die like a man.

U.S. women who smoke today have a much greater risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago, partly because they are starting younger and smoking more ? that is, they are lighting up like men, new research shows.

Women also have caught up with men in their risk of dying from smoking-related illnesses. Lung cancer risk leveled off in the 1980s for men but is still rising for women.

"It's a massive failure in prevention," said one study leader, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society. And it's likely to repeat itself in places like China and Indonesia where smoking is growing, he said. About 1.3 billion people worldwide smoke.

The research is in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. It is one of the most comprehensive looks ever at long-term trends in the effects of smoking and includes the first generation of U.S. women who started early in life and continued for decades, long enough for health effects to show up.

The U.S. has more than 35 million smokers ? about 20 percent of men and 18 percent of women. The percentage of people who smoke is far lower than it used to be; rates peaked around 1960 in men and two decades later in women.

Researchers wanted to know if smoking is still as deadly as it was in the 1980s, given that cigarettes have changed (less tar), many smokers have quit, and treatments for many smoking-related diseases have improved.

They also wanted to know more about smoking and women. The famous surgeon general's report in 1964 said smoking could cause lung cancer in men, but evidence was lacking in women at the time since relatively few of them had smoked long enough.

One study, led by Dr. Prabhat Jha of the Center for Global Health Research in Toronto, looked at about 217,000 Americans in federal health surveys between 1997 and 2004.

A second study, led by Thun, tracked smoking-related deaths through three periods ? 1959-65, 1982-88 and 2000-10 ? using seven large population health surveys covering more than 2.2 million people.

Among the findings:

? The risk of dying of lung cancer was more than 25 times higher for female smokers in recent years than for women who never smoked. In the 1960s, it was only three times higher. One reason: After World War II, women started taking up the habit at a younger age and began smoking more.

?A person who never smoked was about twice as likely as a current smoker to live to age 80. For women, the chances of surviving that long were 70 percent for those who never smoked and 38 percent for smokers. In men, the numbers were 61 percent and 26 percent.

?Smokers in the U.S. are three times more likely to die between ages 25 and 79 than non-smokers are. About 60 percent of those deaths are attributable to smoking.

?Women are far less likely to quit smoking than men are. Among people 65 to 69, the ratio of former to current smokers is 4-to-1 for men and 2-to-1 for women.

?Smoking shaves more than 10 years off the average life span, but quitting at any age buys time. Quitting by age 40 avoids nearly all the excess risk of death from smoking. Men and women who quit when they were 25 to 34 years old gained 10 years; stopping at ages 35 to 44 gained 9 years; at ages 45 to 54, six years; at ages 55 to 64, four years.

?The risk of dying from other lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis is rising in men and women, and the rise in men is a surprise because their lung cancer risk leveled off in 1980s.

Changes in cigarettes since the 1960s are a "plausible explanation" for the rise in non-cancer lung deaths, researchers write. Most smokers switched to cigarettes that were lower in tar and nicotine as measured by tests with machines, "but smokers inhaled more deeply to get the nicotine they were used to," Thun said. Deeper inhalation is consistent with the kind of lung damage seen in the illnesses that are rising, he said.

Scientists have made scant progress against lung cancer compared with other forms of the disease, and it remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. More than 160,000 people die of it in the U.S. each year.

The federal government, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the cancer society and several universities paid for the new studies. Thun testified against tobacco companies in class-action lawsuits challenging the supposed benefits of cigarettes with reduced tar and nicotine, but he donated his payment to the cancer society.

Smoking needs more attention as a health hazard, Dr. Steven A. Schroeder of the University of California, San Francisco, wrote in a commentary in the journal.

"More women die of lung cancer than of breast cancer. But there is no 'race for the cure' for lung cancer, no brown ribbon" or high-profile advocacy groups for lung cancer, he wrote.

Kathy DeJoseph, 62, of suburban Atlanta, finally quit smoking after 40 years ? to qualify for lung cancer surgery last year.

"I tried everything that came along, I just never could do it," even while having chemotherapy, she said.

It's a powerful addiction, she said: "I still every day have to resist wanting to go buy a pack."

___

Online:

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/tobacco/smoking and http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/lung

Medical journal: http://www.nejm.org

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-23-Women%20Smoking/id-b665cab741074ffaafb061bd49638d14

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