San Francisco airport unveils yoga room for travelers (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Just cleared airport security and in need of a little deep breathing and stretching relaxation?

San Francisco Airport has opened what it calls a first of its kind yoga room, and while it's not quite a mountaintop in Tibet, airport officials say the low lights, and soothing blue walls aim to afford travelers, stressed out or sanguine, an oasis of calm in which to flex, twist and decompress.

"As far as we know it's the first (yoga room) at an airport anywhere in the world," said Michael C. McCarron, director of community affairs for the airport.

He said the idea for the room, in the newly refurbished Terminal 2, came from a passenger suggestion at an open house. It joins the Berman reflection room, a space intended for silence and meditation located before Terminal 2 security.

Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

The architects, Gensler Design, set the lights low and warm in contrast to the light, bright concourse, according to a statement, and a floating wall was constructed to symbolize "a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind. "

Large felt-constructed rocks will be installed in the Spring in a nod to the Zen gardens of Japan.

John Walsh, duty manager at San Francisco Airport, said the room is already attracting its share of travelling yogis, many equipped with their own props.

"I've seen people using it. They do yoga," Walsh said. "We have mats, but some people actually bring their own." There are also folding chairs, popular in many senior yoga sessions. So far there are no plans to hold classes.

Located just past security, it's a particular draw for people with time to kill before their flight, Walsh said.

Santa Monica-based yoga teacher Tamal Dodge believes the yoga room at the airport will be the first of many yoga spaces to be attached to airports and public transportation venues.

"How amazing will it be to stretch out and meditate before you get on a plane for a 12-hour flight," said Dodge, who is featured in the "Element: Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners" DVD.

"You are now given the opportunity to really relax and prepare your body for something as taxing as sitting in an airplane seat for hours on end," he said.

Airport yogis are directed to their room by the usual method-- the pictograph: this one of a figure seated in full lotus position.

(Reporting by Dorene Internicola; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/od_nm/us_fitness_yoga_airport

lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech blagojevich rod blagojevich rod blagojevich

Review: Odd experimentation reveals muddled result (AP)

"Purple Naked Ladies," The Internet (Odd Future)

The producer duo of Matt Martians and Syd Tha Kyd, of the group OFWGKTA, misses the mark with their new album "Purple Naked Ladies," a spacey foray into digital sounds that results in more confusion than clarity.

Since it was recorded on Odd Future's own label, the two artists, known together as The Internet, have obviously been given a wide berth to play around with sounds and schemes. And they do. To a fault. The digital soundscape quickly becomes muddy and the musical purpose lost.

Some songs like "Fastlane" offer a more traditional R&B approach. "Ode To A Dream" also promises something cohesive, with nice vocal features from Kilo Kish and Coco O. But the latter half of the song devolves into a swirl of reverse-played beats and tinny electronic drum hits. It's hard to image this as a radio staple, or even a playlist favorite.

On "Violet Nude Women," it often sounds like there are no fewer than six instrumental sounds vying for attention, each attempting to elbow the others out of the way and take prominence. The melody is light and playful, but it soon gets lost as disparate noises collide.

The Internet is essentially a proof of concept group. They are decent producers, but they'll need a star up front to truly shine.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "She Dgaf," is the lone plausible track for repeated play, curse words aside. It's got a nice hook and some semblance of a beat, something most other tracks on this album lack.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_en_mu/us_music_review_the_internet

david guetta david guetta work of art iphone update iphone update blackberry outage blackberry outage

Santorum: Daughter with pneumonia recovering

FILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds his daughter Isabella before announcing he is entering the Republican presidential race, on the steps of the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerset, Pa. Santorum canceled his morning campaign events, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, and planned to spend time with his hospitalized daughter, Bella. Isabella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds his daughter Isabella before announcing he is entering the Republican presidential race, on the steps of the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerset, Pa. Santorum canceled his morning campaign events, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, and planned to spend time with his hospitalized daughter, Bella. Isabella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Sharon Irwin, holds a sign during a prayer for Bella, daughter of Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum during a campaign rally in a hanger at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, where Santorum was scheduled to appear. Santorum is staying home in Philadelphia to be with 3-year-old Isabella, who is hospitalized. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Elizabeth Santorum, eldest daughter of Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, campaigns for her father in a hanger at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Santorum is staying home in Philadelphia to be with his 3-year-old hospitalized daughter Isabella. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Sunday his daughter Bella remains in the hospital with pneumonia but is recovering after a rough 36 hours.

Santorum spoke with Florida supporters by telephone from 3-year-old Bella's hospital room and said doctors hope she can go home in the next few days.

The former Pennsylvania senator also said, "We're going to get out on the campaign trail later tomorrow ... heading out to the Midwest, and start campaigning in the next states as we move this campaign forward."

Santorum aides did not immediately provide details, but his advisers are looking at upcoming contests in Missouri and Minnesota, as well as Arizona and Colorado.

"I feel very, very good about where we are and where the campaign is going," the candidate said.

But during the call with Florida voters, Santorum opened his remarks with his daughter, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn't expected to live past 12 months.

"She without a doubt has turned the corner," he said.

Santorum called his daughter's recovery a "miraculous turnaround" after an unexpected detour from the campaign just days before Tuesday's Florida primary.

Santorum got to his home in Virginia around midnight Friday for a quick break to do his taxes, but found his daughter "was not doing well."

"I was up with her a lot of the night," he said. "By the end of the day, it was really, really clear she was struggling."

Saturday evening, Santorum aides announced Bella had been admitted to the hospital and they canceled his morning interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" and church services in Miami. His aides later canceled his trip to Florida and instead sent his 20-year-old daughter to campaign for him.

Santorum described the situation as a "very, very tough night last night" but said by late Sunday Bella was "alert and back to her own beautiful, happy girl."

"It's been a very hectic 36 hours," Santorum said. "Life in the Santorum family has dramatically improved since the late afternoon."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-29-US-Santorum-Daughter/id-4fa95143835b4fa6adf271f7285502ed

arizona diamondbacks arizona diamondbacks alex rodriguez alicia witt alicia witt nobel peace prize verizon wireless

Democrats spend big in Ore. special election (AP)

PORTLAND, Ore. ? Determined not to lose another friendly district because of a sex scandal, Democrats and their allies have pumped more than $1 million into an Oregon special election race that has turned into a vicious exchange of attacks over the airwaves.

Voters are deciding who should replace former Rep. David Wu, a seven-term Democrat who resigned last year following a string of bizarre news stories that began with photos of the congressman wearing a tiger costume and ended with a young woman's accusation that he made an unwanted sexual advance.

Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return their ballots in the all-mail election.

Republican Rob Cornilles, a sports business consultant, has tried hard to extend the scandal that brought down Wu to the Democrat who wants to take his place, former state Sen. Suzanne Bonamici. She says the race is about the future, not about Wu.

Bonamici and independent groups that support her have gone after Cornilles for missing tax payments for his business and for inconsistent statements about the number of jobs his company has created.

Oregon's 1st Congressional District is the state's economic engine, encompassing downtown Portland and the fast-growing western suburbs that are home to the Silicon Forest high-tech hub and the global headquarters for athletic-wear giants Nike Inc. and Columbia Sportswear Company. It stretches across agricultural communities to the Pacific coast. Democrats have represented the district since 1975, and its voters overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama.

But Democrats do not want to see a repeat of what happened last year in a heavily Democratic New York district, when a Republican won a special election after Rep. Anthony Weiner acknowledged sending provocative text messages and resigned.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $1.3 million to boost Bonamici. Political committees for a union, abortion-rights groups and a super PAC allied with Democrats have also chipped in with their own mail or television ads.

Democrats insist they're not scared. They've likened their investment to an insurance policy to avoid any doubts about the party's strength that would inevitably follow a loss in a liberal state like Oregon. The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent just $85,000 on the race.

Cornilles, 47, is making his second bid for the seat after losing to Wu in 2010. He's centered his pitch on his experience running a sports-marketing firm, hoping to swing an upset with a relentless focus on jobs and a run toward the center. Unemployment in the Portland area dropped to 7.8 percent in November 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bonamici, 57, is mixing traditional Democratic themes of protecting Social Security and Medicare with a pledge to tackle the national debt by getting Washington's priorities in order.

Without reliable public polling it's anyone's guess how close the race will be.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_el_ho/us_oregon_congressional_election

r. kelly x factor finale pro bowl voting kindle fire update college board pasco county rooney mara

Obama pushes colleges to keep tuition under control (Reuters)

ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama, appearing before thousands of cheering students at the University of Michigan, touted his plan on Friday to reward colleges that keep their tuition under control with more federal aid as he makes school affordability a top election-year priority.

Obama, seeking to reform federal aid for students to pay spiraling college costs, unveiled fresh details of a proposal to make higher education affordable for more families that he first announced on Tuesday in his State of the Union address.

His plan is aimed at helping students pay for a higher education, which is seen as crucial for employment as the country is grappling with an 8.5 percent jobless rate. It also specifically targets the issue of income and access, a central focus of the November 6 presidential race that has zeroed in on the nation's widening wealth gap.

Obama's plan would have his administration redistribute campus-based aid, which is handled directly by schools, based on schools' performance: colleges that keep tuition costs in check and get students to graduate would get more money than other schools that do not.

"We're putting colleges on notice: you can't assume that you'll just jack up tuition every single year. If you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down," the Democratic president said at the speech that had all the trappings of a campaign event with striped bunting and a crowd-filled stage.

Obama couched his remarks in the broad populist themes of his re-election campaign - of sticking up for the middle class, rewarding companies for bringing jobs back home, and ensuring that the rich pay higher taxes.

"We should push colleges to do better. We should hold them accountable if they don't," he told a crowd of about 4,000 people.

Low-interest federal Perkins loans for poor students will also be expanded to $10 billion a year, the White House said in a statement. Another $1 billion grant will go to states that reform their higher education systems, it added.

Obama also called for a "college scorecard" that would give prospective students and families a uniform, easy-to-read look at information such as tuition and graduation rates across all universities -- just as labels on food packages offer a standard look at essential facts.

Other proposed changes would require congressional action, something many analysts and others see as unlikely in an election year.

Obama wants lawmakers to increase the number of work-study jobs over the next five years. He also has called on Congress to block an increase in interest rates on federal student loans set to take effect July 1, doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for about 7.4 million students with Stafford loans, low-interest loans directly from the Department of Education.

(Writing By Susan Heavey; additional reporting by Alister Bull in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/pl_nm/us_obama_education

lindsey vonn josef stalin kourtney and kim take new york anne hathaway nathan hale kohls coupons joe kapp

Geithner presses Europe to increase crisis firewall (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pressed Europe on Friday to boost its bailout fund resources, citing the euro zone debt crisis and oil prices as the two main factors influencing the pace of the United States' economic upturn.

The U.S. economy is growing at an annual rate of around 2-3 percent, Geither told the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that it still faces big challenges to repair damage wrought by the financial crisis.

Earlier on Friday, euro zone finance officials voiced optimism at the Forum that key building International Monetary Fund could help support Europe through its debt crisis if the euro zone boosts its bailout funds, or "firewall," he said.

"Our view is that the only way Europe is going to be successful in holding this together is for them to bring a stronger firewall and that is going to demand a bigger commitment," Geithner told the Forum.

"If Europe is able and willing to do that we believe the IMF is ready to play a constructive role," he added. "I think you'll see the IMF (be) very supportive in those efforts but not as a substitute for blocks to resolve the sovereign debt crisis (that) are gradually fitting into place.

The health of U.S. business was better than expected, Geithner said, dismissing the suggestion that tighter regulations were hampering growth.

"Profitability across the US economy is very high," he added. "What is holding the US economy back still is the aftershocks of the financial crisis and the fiscal pressure on governments."

Turning to Iran, he said Washington's drive to cut Iran's oil exports was getting excellent support from Europe and that there were positive signs from China too.

"Even over the last 6 months you're seeing a substantial intensification in (cutting) dependence on Iranian oil and my sense is also that China wants to be part of that effort because it is in China's interests not to see Iran undo the delicate balance in the Gulf," he added.

On his own future, Geithner reaffirmed that he would not expect to be asked to continue as Treasury chief if President Barack Obama wins re-election.

"Generally anybody who takes these jobs serves at the pleasure of the president," he said.

"When he asked me to stay when I thought it was the right time to leave, I agreed to stay and I agreed I would stay to the balance of this term. He accepted that aspiration of mine, and that's where it's going to come out, I think."

Geithner declined to say what he would do next: "That feels like a long way away."

(Reporting by Paul Carrel and Janet McBride; editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_davos_geithner

sherri shepherd sean avery east river east river harry shum jr workaholics workaholics

Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana celebrate at Sundance (AP)

PARK CITY, Utah ? Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana are in Park City to promote their film, "The Words," which is closing the Sundance Film Festival.

The two actors play a married couple in the film, which follows an aspiring writer who gains fame when he finds an old manuscript and passes it off as his own.

The pair avoided any appearance of their reported off-screen romance by staying apart from one another while posing for photos and giving interviews to support the film. Saldana did affectionately touch Cooper as they passed in a hallway, though.

"The Words" was among the first films acquired at Sundance. CBS Films is set to release it in the fall.

The drama, which also stars Dennis Quaid, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes and Olivia Wilde, premiered Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_en_ot/us_film_sundance_cooper_saldana

ibooks author what is sopa marianne gingrich gabrielle union emily maynard mark wahlberg merle haggard

The FTC's New Business Opportunity Rule and What It Means for You

?Make thousands stuffing envelopes!? Unique work at home business opportunity!?

It?s statements like these which often lead to bogus business opportunities that have spurred the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into taking action to protect people who think they?re buying a legitimate business. Called the Business Opportunity Rule, this new requirement states that any individual who sells a business opportunity to another is required to disclose more information than in the past.

A business opportunity is simply a comprehensive business investment that lets the buyer start a business immediately. It?s ?out of the box,? so to speak. It?s different from a franchise.? A franchise is a business opportunity, but not all?business opportunities?are franchises, says Joel Libava, author of Become a Franchise Owner.

?Sometimes, people confuse a franchise business opportunity with a business opportunity, or bizopp. The major differences include upfront costs, (which are almost always significantly lower with a bizopp) support, and? the rules. In a business opportunity, there aren?t that many rules to follow as an owner. Business opportunities are generally looser in nature; you buy the opportunity, learn how to run the business, and then you?re pretty much free to market it and run it as you wish.?

What?s Required if You SELL Business Opportunities to Others

Anyone selling a business opportunity or bizopp must now provide information on a one-page disclosure document (PDF file)?at least seven days before the buyer pays money or signs a document. The seller must state the following:

• Whether legal action has ever been taken against the seller
• Whether there is a cancellation or refund policy for the business transaction
• Any earnings claims that the buyer will earn a specific amount of money through the bizopp
• References for the seller

Because of the rising number of business opportunity scams over the past few years, the FTC wanted to step up the measures taken to ensure the safety of buyers.

If you?re selling a business opportunity, understand that this new rule is meant to help you and the buyer perform a smooth transaction. Here are some tips to minimize the stress on your end:

• Never make unsubstantiated claims. Be prepared to back up any income potential your business opportunity can provide.
• Offer a refund or cancellation policy. It?s good business. Outline what the stipulations are for the buyer to be able to cancel.
• Stay in contact with your buyers so you can use them for references down the road. Even if you don?t promise support in your contract, it?s good customer service to be available should your buyer have questions.

What You Need to Know if You Are BUYING a Business Opportunity

If you are buying or considering buying a business opportunity, then know that the Business Opportunity Rule is to designed to help protect you from potentially bogus deals. Armed with the information the seller is required to give you, you should be able to get a better sense of whether a deal is legitimate. If it?s not, you now have ammunition for legal proceedings.

Pay attention to the earnings claims. In the past, companies have claimed that you could retire off of what you make stuffing envelopes, or make thousands of dollars off a work from home opp. These claims must now be substantiated in writing, and the buyer must list how much other buyers have made, and where they were located (since results may vary depending on many factors).

?The revised Business Opportunity Rule is long overdue,? says Libava, ?The most positive change has to do with research. Business opportunity buyers will now have access to a list provided by the business opportunity seller of at least 10 people who have bought their business opportunity. And, if fewer than 10 people have bought the business opportunity, every person that?s bought it must be listed.?

Libava says that buyers should know that they will have to sign a document stating that the buyer can share their personal contact information with future buyers.

Here are more tips to ensure you find a trustworthy business opportunity from the Business Opportunity blog:

• Ensure that the seller has filled out the disclosure document thoroughly, and has provided supporting documents.
• Contact the references the seller lists and ask questions about their experiences with the business opportunity.
• Look for bizopps that illustrate how you?ll make the money, rather than drawing you in with promises of ?big financial rewards.

You can read the complete Business Opportunity Rule document on the FTC website. The Rule will go into effect March 1, 2012.

Envelopes Photo via Shutterstock

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/01/ftc-business-opportunity-rule-what-it-means.html

baltimore orioles rosh hashanah rosh hashanah amanda palmer listeria monocytogenes chipper jones chipper jones

Android tablets close in on Apple iPad market share

Like 0

Updated 08:29 27 Jan 2012 by Luke Johnson

Whilst the iPad is still the device of choice for many Google has seen its Android OS close the market share gap on the iOS machine

?

Despite continuing to dominate the tablet market Apple has seen fierce rival Google narrow the gap on its iPad devices and reduce its share of the? tablet scene thanks to a flurry of well received Android tablets.

As Android tablets continue to grow in potential and popularity new figures have revealed that despite record iPad sales Apple's share of the overall tablet market dropped from 68 to 58 per cent in the final quarter of 2011.

Bolstered by huge popularity of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet in the US and the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab range across the world the Android platform now controls 39 per cent of the tablet market as overall sales of the plus sized portable gadgets jumped from 10.7 to 26.8 million units year-on-year from Q4 2010 to Q4 2011.

"Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes," said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics.

"Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android's operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem."

Apple iPad 3 Rumours

One possible reason for the narrowing market share is the continually banded array of Apple iPad 3 release rumours suggesting a largely improved Apple tablet will hit stores in the coming March or April.

Touted as sporting a near identical form factor to its predecessor, the Apple iPad 2, the iPad 3 is said to be just 1mm thicker with the increased amount of internal space tipped to be taken up by a new quad-core processor, improved camera optics and a coveted Retina style HD display.

Whilst Apple has yet to acknowledge the existence of any potential iPad 3 device blog iLounge has claimed to have had hands-on time with the upcoming tablet posting a somewhat suspect hands-on Apple iPad 3 review.

Are there now Android tablets out there that can topple the mighty iPad or is Apple the only way to go if entering the tablet scene? Let us know via the comments box below.

Via: The Guardian
?

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/670/f/8515/s/1c2d237e/l/0L0St30N0Cnews0Candroid0Etablets0Eclose0Ein0Eon0Eipad0Emarket0Eshare/story01.htm

watch free movies online montreal canadiens montreal canadiens jason aldean new york time amish sonic the hedgehog

Life beyond Earth? Underwater caves in Bahamas could give clues, says Texas A&M marine expert

Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Keith Randall
keith-randall@tamu.edu
979-845-4644
Texas A&M University

GALVESTON, Jan. 26, 2012 Discoveries made in some underwater caves by Texas &M University at Galveston researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons.

Tom Iliffe, professor of marine biology at the Texas A&M-Galveston campus, and graduate student Brett Gonzalez of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., examined three "blue holes" in the Bahamas and found that layers of bacterial microbes exists in all three, but each cave had specialized forms of such life and at different depths, suggesting that microbial life in such caves is continually adapting to changes in available light, water chemistry and food sources. Their work, also done in conjunction with researchers from Penn State University, has been published in Hydrobiologia.

"Blue holes" are so named because from an aerial view, they appear circular in shape with different shades of blue in and around their entrances. There are estimated to be more than 1,000 such caves in the Bahamas, the largest concentration of blue holes in the world.

'We examined two caves on Abaco Island and one on Andros Island," Iliffe explains. "One on Abaco, at a depth of about 100 feet, had sheets of bacteria that were attached to the walls of the caves, almost one inch thick. Another cave on the same island had bacteria living within poisonous clouds of hydrogen sulfide at the boundary between fresh and salt water. These caves had different forms of bacteria, with the types and density changing as the light source from above grew dimmer and dimmer.

"In the cave on Andros, we expected to find something similar, but the hydrogen sulfide layer there contained different types of bacteria," he adds. "It shows that the caves tend to have life forms that adapt to that particular habitat, and we found that some types of the bacteria could live in environments where no other forms of life could survive. This research shows how these bacteria have evolved over millions of years and have found a way to live under these extreme conditions."

Iliffe says the microbes change where the salt water meets fresh water within the caves and use chemical energy to produce their food. They can survive in environments with very low amounts of oxygen and light.

There are tens of thousands of underwater caves scattered around the world, but less than 5 percent of these have ever been explored and scientifically investigated, Iliffe notes.

"These bacterial forms of life may be similar to microbes that existed on early Earth and thus provide a glimpse of how life evolved on this planet," he adds. "These caves are natural laboratories where we can study life existing under conditions analogous to what was present many millions of years ago.

"We know more about the far side of the moon than we do about these caves right here on Earth," he adds. "There is no telling what remains to be discovered in the many thousands of caves that no one has ever entered. If life exists elsewhere in our solar system, it most likely would be found in water-filled subterranean environments, perhaps equivalent to those we are studying in the Bahamas."

Over the past 30 years, Iliffe has discovered several hundred species of marine life, and has probably explored more underwater caves at least 1,500 than anyone in the world, examining such caves in Australia, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and North Atlantic regions of the world.

###

More can be learned from his website at http://www.cavebiology.com .

About Research at Texas A&M University: As one of the world's leading research institutions, Texas A&M is in the vanguard in making significant contributions to the storehouse of knowledge, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represents an annual investment of more than $630 million, which ranks third nationally for universities without a medical school, and underwrites approximately 3,500 sponsored projects. That research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting in many cases in economic benefits to the state, nation and world.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Keith Randall
keith-randall@tamu.edu
979-845-4644
Texas A&M University

GALVESTON, Jan. 26, 2012 Discoveries made in some underwater caves by Texas &M University at Galveston researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons.

Tom Iliffe, professor of marine biology at the Texas A&M-Galveston campus, and graduate student Brett Gonzalez of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., examined three "blue holes" in the Bahamas and found that layers of bacterial microbes exists in all three, but each cave had specialized forms of such life and at different depths, suggesting that microbial life in such caves is continually adapting to changes in available light, water chemistry and food sources. Their work, also done in conjunction with researchers from Penn State University, has been published in Hydrobiologia.

"Blue holes" are so named because from an aerial view, they appear circular in shape with different shades of blue in and around their entrances. There are estimated to be more than 1,000 such caves in the Bahamas, the largest concentration of blue holes in the world.

'We examined two caves on Abaco Island and one on Andros Island," Iliffe explains. "One on Abaco, at a depth of about 100 feet, had sheets of bacteria that were attached to the walls of the caves, almost one inch thick. Another cave on the same island had bacteria living within poisonous clouds of hydrogen sulfide at the boundary between fresh and salt water. These caves had different forms of bacteria, with the types and density changing as the light source from above grew dimmer and dimmer.

"In the cave on Andros, we expected to find something similar, but the hydrogen sulfide layer there contained different types of bacteria," he adds. "It shows that the caves tend to have life forms that adapt to that particular habitat, and we found that some types of the bacteria could live in environments where no other forms of life could survive. This research shows how these bacteria have evolved over millions of years and have found a way to live under these extreme conditions."

Iliffe says the microbes change where the salt water meets fresh water within the caves and use chemical energy to produce their food. They can survive in environments with very low amounts of oxygen and light.

There are tens of thousands of underwater caves scattered around the world, but less than 5 percent of these have ever been explored and scientifically investigated, Iliffe notes.

"These bacterial forms of life may be similar to microbes that existed on early Earth and thus provide a glimpse of how life evolved on this planet," he adds. "These caves are natural laboratories where we can study life existing under conditions analogous to what was present many millions of years ago.

"We know more about the far side of the moon than we do about these caves right here on Earth," he adds. "There is no telling what remains to be discovered in the many thousands of caves that no one has ever entered. If life exists elsewhere in our solar system, it most likely would be found in water-filled subterranean environments, perhaps equivalent to those we are studying in the Bahamas."

Over the past 30 years, Iliffe has discovered several hundred species of marine life, and has probably explored more underwater caves at least 1,500 than anyone in the world, examining such caves in Australia, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and North Atlantic regions of the world.

###

More can be learned from his website at http://www.cavebiology.com .

About Research at Texas A&M University: As one of the world's leading research institutions, Texas A&M is in the vanguard in making significant contributions to the storehouse of knowledge, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represents an annual investment of more than $630 million, which ranks third nationally for universities without a medical school, and underwrites approximately 3,500 sponsored projects. That research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting in many cases in economic benefits to the state, nation and world.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/tau-lbe012612.php

alcatraz kim richards scott walker recall cruise ship derek fisher martin luther king jr. john elway

'War Horse' star one of Hollywood's equine elite (AP)

ACTON, Calif. ? One star of Steven Spielberg's latest epic likes to end his work day by rolling around in the dirt, kicking his legs in the air and flaring his nostrils.

Finder, a 12-year-old thoroughbred, is among more than 150 equine performers featured in the Oscar-nominated "War Horse," and one of 14 who play the scene-stealing Joey. He lives on a ranch about 45 miles northeast of Hollywood with veteran horse trainer Bobby Lovgren, who oversaw all the equine action on "War Horse."

"Plowing, riding, chasing ? you name it, it's in there," said Lovgren, who calls "War Horse" "the biggest horse movie ever made." Lovgren is the prot?g? of legendary Hollywood horseman Glenn Randall, who trained Roy Rogers' Trigger.

Thanks to the enduring appeal of horses on screen, Lovgren, Finder and "War Horse" continue a longtime tradition of Hollywood horses that began with the earliest motion pictures.

"Bobby and his team literally performed miracles with the horses on this film," Spielberg said. "I wanted it to feel like the horses were performing their parts as much as (actors) Emily Watson or Peter Mullan, and that is what happened. There were times during production when the horses reacted in ways I had never imagined a horse could react. You just sit back and thank your lucky stars that these horses are so cognizant that they are able to give everything to a moment."

Those moments took months of training and a 22-member team of trainers, handlers and yes, equine makeup artists.

Set in England during World War I, "War Horse" centers on the enduring relationship between Joey and the farm boy who trained him. When Joey is sold to soldiers heading into battle, the horse begins a journey that brings him through various fighting factions and into the lives of soldiers and civilians who are moved by his strength and spirit.

The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including cinematography and best picture.

As the film's "horse master," Lovgren oversaw everything horse-related. His team prepared the equine actors for their various duties. Some became expert jumpers, others learned to stumble or feign a struggle. There were horses for riding and horses for pulling, and even stand-ins for the star horses while shots were being set. Lovgren's team was also responsible for teaching the actors how to ride and handle the animals.

"We all became incredibly attached to the horses," said cast member Patrick Kennedy. "Getting to know these horses and learning to ride them was the greatest privilege I've ever had."

None of the horses are credited by name in the film, and the filmmakers wouldn't say why. Lovgren said it's not uncommon: "Sometimes they'll put a few of the horses' names, but you know, realistically, it's very difficult to say that there was one hero Joey."

The trainer, whose many credits include last summer's "Cowboys & Aliens," typically spends about three months preparing his equine actors for a film shoot. He specializes in "liberty" work, meaning the horses are not restrained in any way and learn to respond to hand signals and body language.

The 46-year-old horseman grew up in an equestrian family in South Africa that runs a large jumping and dressage barn. Lovgren said he didn't much enjoy the public dealings that work required, so he headed to Hollywood to learn a new type of horse training. The 23 years he's spent working in movies prepared him for the challenges of "War Horse."

"All the scenes that we had to do had really all been done before in other films that I'd worked on, but never all in one. This took everything and put everything in one basket," he said. "I'm very proud of my other films, like `Zorro' and `Seabiscuit,' but it just has a little bit in there. The horse isn't the focal point. But in `War Horse' it is, and it's all the time."

Though Lovgren doesn't typically work with his own horses on set (he owns three, including Finder), he said he was lucky on this film that Finder was the right color. (Finder and the other horses playing Joey relied on makeup to make them look identical, with four white socks and a white star on their heads.)

Lovgren met Finder while working on "Seabiscuit" and loved him so much that he bought him. The thoroughbred is more expressive than most horses, Lovgren said, which makes him an ideal movie star.

Plus, he can play both genders. Finder played the mother in an early scene in the film showing the birth of Joey. That sequence and working with a foal was among the most difficult, Lovgren said. "They're very young, so you don't have much time to train them."

Almost everything in "War Horse" was shot with real horses, except for a few scenes that would have caused injury to the animals. Lovgren praised Spielberg's team for their respectful approach to the horses.

The toughest part of Lovgren's job isn't working with the animals, but communicating with filmmakers and other workers on set about what the horses need and what they can and can't do. Once filming begins, "it's more about communication skills than it is about training. That's something I've had to really learn," he said. "Obviously, I started working with animals because I don't work well with people (laughs), so that's been very important to learn to do that."

Watching Lovgren with Finder, it's easy to see the mutual love and respect between the two. Lovgren raises his arm and the powerful animal rears up. He makes a backward motion with a whip and the horse backs up. He strikes the whip on the ground and Finder bangs his hoof into the dirt. Lovgren throws a piece of wood two dozen yards away, and Finder runs to it and stands on his mark.

Lovgren doesn't train with treats, because "if you go on set and someone walks by with an apple, what's he going to do then?"

Instead, the animal's reward is "I leave him alone," Lovgren said. Still, Finder stands confidently by his side.

So with all the challenges of "War Horse," is it harder working with four-legged performers or two-legged Hollywood types?

"I'm not going to answer that!" Lovgren said with a smile. "We all know that answer, but I'm not going to answer that."

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy.

___

Online:

www.warhorsemovie.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_en_mo/us_film_hollywood_horses

chicago weather forecast robert kardashian one tree hill weather st louis faceoff kings island blake griffin

Netflix Q4 Earnings Beat The Street, But Next Quarter May Be A Different Story

Saying 2011 was a rocky road for Netflix would be an understatement, as it split its DVD and streaming offerings into two businesses, then reneged. They also hiked their prices, only to experience a veritable customer revolt, and CEO Reed Hastings was forced to publicly say that they'd made a huge mistake. Today, Netflix has released its fourth quarter earnings from 2011, and it looks like there's at least a sliver of good news, as the company beat Wall Street's forecasts of $0.54 a share and $857 million in revenues, rising instead to $0.73 per share and $876 million in revenues.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H69Ti8F9Dt8/

mortgage rates kirstie alley r.e.m. kindle library lending kindle library lending hp ceo hp ceo

Westfield Awarded $331M LAX Concessions Contract

brentwood.patch.com:

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners which oversees Los Angeles International Airport, voted unanimously today to approve a 17-year, $331 million contract for management of restaurants and shopping at two airport terminals and the Theme Building.

Read the whole story: brentwood.patch.com

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/westfield-awarded-331m-la_n_1229514.html

deep impact julia child bowl game schedule russell brand files for divorce katy perry and russell brand clippers katy perry divorce

Mitt Romney?s tax returns show more than $42 million income (The Ticket)

(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Mitt Romney paid $6.2 million in federal taxes over the last two years on income generated almost entirely on investments linked back to his days as a founder and partner in Bain Capital.

According to documents released by his campaign Tuesday, Romney earned $21.7 million in investments in 2010, and he will report another $20.9 million investment income in 2011.

In 2010, Romney paid $3 million in federal taxes but also gave about $3 million to charity?roughly half of that to the Mormon church?which lowered his effective tax rate to roughly 13.9 percent.

According to his 2011 tax return, which hasn't been filed yet, he'll pay $3.2 million in taxes with an effective tax rate of approximately 15.4 percent, according to his campaign. He gave $4 million to charity, including $2.6 million to the Mormon church.

The release comes after weeks of pressure from Romney's rivals for the candidate to release his financial information. After weeks of hedging, Romney finally agreed to release his tax information for the last two years. During Monday's presidential debate in Tampa, he pointedly declined to follow in the footsteps of his father, George Romney, who released 12 years of returns when he sought the presidency in 1964.

Romney said Monday there would be "no surprises" in his filings.

"I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more," Romney said during Monday's debate. "I don't think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes."

But in the process, he took a shot at rival Newt Gingrich's tax plan. Romney noted that his income is almost entirely derived through capital gains and noted that under Gingrich's proposal?which would eliminate taxes on capital gains?he would have paid no taxes.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

??Romney calls Gingrich an 'influence peddler" in debate

??Hacker infiltrates Twitter account of Chuck Grassley, PIPA sponsor and senator from Iowa

??Rand Paul blocked at airport after refusing TSA patdown

Want more of our best political stories? Visit?The Ticket or connect with us?on Facebook, follow us?on Twitter, or add us?on Tumblr.?Handy with a camera? Join our?Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20120124/el_yblog_theticket/mitt-romneys-tax-returns-show-more-than-43-million-income

gurney gurney clemency us supreme court cameron todd willingham death row naacp

Sony Xperia Ion pricing revealed?

Yup, it's another crumb of information making its way from the decidedly leaky ship that is Sony Mobile Communications -- as with all these, let's keep our tinfoil helmets set to skeptical. This time it looks like we've got rumored pricing for the Xperia Ion handset we played with at CES. A pre-order page has appeared at Negri Electronics that offers the handset for $569.50 unlocked. That sum of money will get you the AT&T-LTE phone with 16GB storage, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 4.6-inch 720 x 1280 display and, erm, Gingerbread (we know ICS is coming to this device, but perhaps not in time for launch). Still, if you're prepared to take the leap, head on down to the source link to mark your place at the front of the post-Ericsson queue.

Sony Xperia Ion pricing revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  Negri Electronics  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/sony-xperia-ion-pricing-rumor/

shannon brown utah jazz mike rowe pro bowl 2012 ron artest deion sanders shld

Blue Skies Are But a Dream - New RP Idea

Someone?s Journal
June 19th, 2453

It is odd. The past few days I have been hearing weird, echoing sounds whenever I am outside. Everyone else has been commenting on them as well. Police don't know what they are, and the military base near here has been sending jets into the sky almost non-stop. The sonic booms from their engines are shaking my house each time they pass overhead. I hate it. But, the sounds are oddly soothing. I wonder what they are?

June 21st, 2453

Its scary. The noises have become non-stop, and they are more eerie now. Deep, whistling sounds echo into the house through the closed windows and shake the glasses in the cupboards. Several plates have already been broken. Mom says that if they continue, we're going to move our stuff into the storm shelter.

July 4th, 2453

Mom's idea of moving into the storm shelter was a good idea. Not a day after we got most of our things settled, a storm hit and ruined our house. We're living off of canned food. The emergency organizations are offering shelter to those who don't have any and are providing food to those in need. Mom has already gathered several trunk loads. She seems to think this won't stop. My Daddy thinks otherwise. He's been sitting back, relaxing and reading his books. He is so cool and calm! He helps us, but I can hear Mom muttering under her breath sometimes about him not doing enough.

July 30th, 2453

She killed him. (-Tear Stains are present across the page. This is the only thing written across two pages.-)

August 7th, 2453

Mom killed Dad when he had his back turned... Buried the axe we were using to cut up trees into his back and then cut off his head. She doesn't know I saw. I am afraid. She has been slowly changing these past few days. Her eyes seem more yellow and her nails are definitely longer than ever before. She snaps at me at the smallest things and the meat we have managed to save isn't fully cooked anymore. My steak was almost all raw. I had to recook it myself over the fire. I burnt it, but it was better than what my mom gave me... I am worried? The Storms have started again and I can feel the ground beneath my feet shaking. Mom says an earthquake is taking place somewhere far away, but I am not too sure?

August 20th, 2453

Mom came home bloody. She was smiling though, dragging in what appeared to be a large black bag that was bleeding. I asked her what was in it but all she told me was that we wouldn't have to worry about anymore meat for a while. She said that the old man down the street went out and shot a few deer. I don't believe her, but I need to eat. We ran out of food about four days ago and I have been slowly getting hungrier and hungrier. Mom however seems to have food. I need to find it so I can eat as well as she is? Another storm came by earlier this morning. It picked up what was left of our house and threw it down the block. It did that with several houses. Less and less people are staying and are going into the city for refuge. Mom says they are stupid.

August 25th, 2453

I... Found out what was in the bag. (-Handwriting is shaky and uneven.)

Apparently, when Mom said the old man went out and shot some deer, she was lying. The Old Man was the one that was shot. He is missing an arm and a leg... I think mom has been feeding me his body. I have started to refuse to eat any meat and I think she's getting suspicious of me. She's been guarded in her actions and has been carrying that... axe. I've taken to carrying around my Daddy's knife. I've kept it sharp like he taught me to. I even practiced a bit with it! If Mom decides to hurt me... I will fight back.

September 14th, 2453

She did it... (The Handwriting is shakier than last time and blood drops and smears cover the page.)

She attacked me. It was after I confronted her.... (-A particularly large splatter of blood here.-)

She got me good... The axe is buried deep between my ribs. It hurts to move... Even to breath and everything feels all tingly... I can't see very well. I think am dying... And if I am, whoever finds this.. Please, remember me...

My name was Julia Anne Elderwood. I was in middle school. I was 11. (-The second 1 is scratched across the page until it ends.-)
Looking up from the journal and into the sky, the sirens in the distance from the military camp signaling another store, the sounds echoed eerily alongside them, warning any who knew, that another storm was coming. A quick look around proved uneventful besides the broken houses that laid about the neighborhood. The sturdier houses providing only a bit of shelter, their broken and collapsed roofs ruining them for any substantial shelter. The cellar at the edge of the clearing, the one the journal came from, was the best bet?
Rules:

1) No God Mode. Don?t take control of another person?s character, even if it is something minor. Collaboration posts are accepted and looked forward too, but they must be at least 400 words in length and have a list of all Characters, and who their played by, at the bottom of the post.
2) Each post must be a minimum of 150 words. This is an easy task, especially when others are posting this much as well. There is absolutely no reason for a post be under this.
3) Character Approval is required. During your registration for this RP, include a 200 word reply to the overview, not the actual RP. Most everyone will be accepted, but I want to make sure that your replies/posts are up to a standard.
4) Continuing from the rule above? Posts must be edited for grammar, spelling, and other such things. There is no reason to have spelling errors. There are plenty of spellchecker programs out there, and if your web browser doesn?t have one already installed on it, there are plugins for it. Use them.
5) This Roleplay WILL contain mature content at some point in time. If you are not old enough or mature enough, to read, or take part in this roleplay, do neither. If you start then end up deciding the situations are a bit too adult for you and leave, you?ll be creating a hole in the RP if we pull you in fully. Read through the whole RP before you post to decide.
6) When you start in the roleplay, you can only have a maximum of five items from a list below in the overview. Be aware that these items can dictate your posts for a while as they are what you will have on you when you first get into the roleplay. Your first post must contain a list of the five items you chose at the bottom.
Location: Large City placed between a desert and a mountain range with dense forest around it. The desert is about 40 miles to the west of the city, and the mountain range, about 40 miles east. A river starts in the mountain, runs through the city, and then out into the desert where it stops somewhere. Several smaller cities are in the desert and the forest, respectively, but they are rather small and contain no characters. All Characters must start out within the city, either on the out skirts, or in more inland. Main City Name: Ashwood City.

Time/Date: The Roleplay takes place in the future, but their technology isn?t that different. Day at the start of the RP is January 10th, 2454.
Technology: The Technology, despite being in the future, is the same as it is now. No big advancements in anything really. I just needed a different year for the RP in truth. However, most things where wiped out in the storms. With the storms and fallout, electromagnetic pulses and such ruined wires and most things. Working batteries, cellphones, computers, and electronics in general, including cars, are uncommon and when they are found, they are sought after. They are not rare, but not common. Working cellphones are only used to look at the time and day, or play some old games now though. All cell service has ceased due to all the wires being down. Since the electrical wires are down as well, no electricity flows to the houses. Chargers are made from what can be found, and a working hand, or modified bicycle with a charger hooked to its wheels is very valuable and can be used as a heavy bargaining chip.
The Groups: There are people in the city that are now parts of certain groups. There are several groups, and smaller ones are always popping up. The civilians in each part of the city under the rule of the certain group tend to give discounts, or be more willing to talk to or trade with those showing they follow the groups cause. The civilians are neutral however, and prefer not to use their powers. The two other Major groups are the Templar and Magi. The Templar are identified by the cross on their forehead. They forgo their powers and search for a way to remove the powers all together. They brand Magi and keep them under tight watch. Magi are those who embrace the power and are trying to find a way to reduce, or remove, the detrimental effects of using the powers. Magi are more likely to turn into mutants than the Templar who don?t use their powers unless in a dire situation, and even then, the repressed powers tend to explode out of the Templar when used, allowing the Templar a massive boost of power at the cost of their life most of the time.

Powers: During the storms, more than one chemical and nuclear plant around the world was damaged, causing fallout. The chemicals in the air made it toxic, but not enough so to cause death, only mutation. Everyone, even newborns, are now aligned to an element. The element is weak, only enough to augment things a bit if it isn?t trained. The powers will get stronger the more one trains with their power. The more someone does that however, the more they are poisoned until eventually they are mutated or die. Mutation is common and widespread amongst survivors. It isn?t odd to find someone with an odd hair color or eye color, or even an extra limb.
Powers, Continued:
The Elements:
-Fire ? High Offensive, Low Defensive, High Augmentation
-Wind ? High Offensive, Medium Defensive, High Augmentation
-Earth ? Low Offensive, High Defensive, Medium Augmentation
-Water ? Medium Offensive/Defensive, Low Augmentation
-Lightning ? High Offensive, Low Defensive, High Augmentation
Mixtures:
-Ice (Wind and Water) ? Medium Offensive, Medium Defensive, Medium Augmentation
-Magma (Fire and Earth) ? High Offensive, Low Defensive, High Augmentation(Very Short Periods of time)
-Metal (Lightning and Earth) ? Medium Offensive, VERY High Defensive, Low Augmentation
-Steam (Fire, Wind, Water) ? Low Offensive, Low Defensive, Low Augmentation
-Dust/Sand (Earth and Wind) ? High Offensive, Medium Defensive, Medium Augmentation
-Nature (Earth and Water) ? Low Offensive, Medium Defensive, Low Augmentation
Powers, Continued 2:
Everyone has access to one, and in rare cases, two or three elements but no more. Everyone however, can bend Light and Darkness to their will as well. Controlling these two elements is very hard and can take years of practice to even move them a little bit. Everyone also has access to the Life and Death elements. Bending Life, is more like healing. However, instead of healing, the caster is only taking the wound onto him or herself. Bending Death is causing diseases and reanimating corpses. Giving someone a disease causes the user to also get said disease. Reanimation costs the user a bit of his or her life-force, up to a maximum of four reanimations. Reanimated corpses have no mind and follow only the orders of those who rose them. Bending Life and Death is even more stressful and harder to control then Light and Darkness. Life, Death, Light and Darkness are all elements that everyone can use, but come at high costs and not everyone can use them all. Each person can only use one. If one uses life, he or she, cannot use death. Same with Light and Darkness. The thing that decides what a person can use is their actions towards others.

Starting Items ( 10 maximum): Be aware that each ? is ONE item, even if it has more than one in the ?list.?

-Matches(5) + Striker
-Knife + Sheath w/ Belt Loop (Six inches long, a bit dull)
- One Change of clothes. (Shirt, Undergarments, Pants, socks, Belt)
- Axe + Shovel (Both are handheld and are foldable at about the middle of the handle. The Axe is dull.)
-Flint
-Broken Cellphone, Laptop, or iPod
-Backpack
-Medicine (One bottle of Tylenol(25 Pills), One Bottle of Stomach/Heartburn Medicine(25 Pills), One Bottle of Anti-Depressants (10 pills), Three Bottles of Antibiotics (Your choosing))
-First-Aid Kit (An extensive kit that contains enough to do several minor surgeries or one major surgery. Most of the pills that where contained in the kit have been used or ruined however. It also contains a very small special blanket used to keep heat in, or out, depending, and three pills to put into water to help purify it. Also contains a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide.)
-Canteen (No Water) and One Can of Food (Your Choosing)
-Five Cans of Food and a half of loaf of bread. (Your Choosing. Each can is family sized so it is pretty decent
-Gun w/ 3 Bullets.
-Two Notebooks (One being a Sketchbook, the other being a Three-Subject Spiral Ring) + Two Unsharpened Pencils + One Pen.
-Two Books + One Book, if you decide to take a bible. Try to leave religion out of this RP though.
-Electric Hand Charger
-Lantern w/ 1 hour of gas in it
-Two Pint Bottles of 100 proof whisky. One 1/4th full, the other ? full.
-Left Over Fireworks. (Three Roman Candles, 2 ?Bomb? Shells, 1 Pack of Black Cat poppers (25))
-Bicycle (Broken, but can easily be fixed, only needs a chain and the tire pumped up)
-One Spoon, Fork, and Butter Knife
-Toolkit (Missing most everything but contains a few wrenches, a few different types of screwdrivers, a wire cutter, and a small magnet.)
-Two Newspapers, with about seven pages each.
-Rope (15 Feet) OR Steel Wire (20 Feet, 15 Gage)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/2ElijW8HPW0/viewtopic.php

gwar san diego weather tropic thunder justin bieber baby justin bieber baby credit unions tower heist reviews

Fed to Introduce Game Changing Communications Policies ...

Scottrade: $7 Online Trades. Real-Time Stock Quotes

The Federal Reserve plans to introduce changes to its communications policies to the public on Wednesday, making it easier for the central bank to move ahead with another round of asset purchases later this year by helping to explain the need for additional stimulus.

Hot Feature: The Mystery of Wall Street Pay

However, officials have said that it has no plans for further easing so long as the economy continues to recover. The Fed has lately been able to focus on communication in large part because it no longer must devote all of its energy to crisis management. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has waited five years to make these improvements.

Central to the new policies is the plan to publish the predictions of senior Fed officials about the level at which they intend to set short-term interest rates over the next three years, including when they expect to end their commitment to keep rates near zero.? The Fed also will describe the expectations for the management of the central bank?s investment portfolio.

After a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, which will begin Tuesday, the Fed will publish the first forecast, and may also publish a statement describing the its goals for the pace of inflation and level of unemployment, neither of which has ever been formalized.

By being more transparent, the Fed hopes to garner more public support for its policies. But several Fed officials have said they are hesitant to support new efforts to improve growth because they think monetary policy has exhausted most of its power since the last recession began. They have also expressed concern about inflation.

?Steady even if unspectacular growth accompanied by inflation in the neighborhood of 2 percent justifies some reluctance to change, in either direction, the F.O.M.C.?s accommodative policy,? said Dennis P. Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

However, the persistence of high unemployment requires that the Fed keep thinking about doing more, added Lockhart, though Fed officials have made clear that high unemployment in itself is insufficient cause for additional action, at least as long as inflation remains near 2 percent.

Don?t Miss: France, Germany Will Implement Basel III

To contact the reporter on this story: Emily Knapp at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com

Get Your FREE Special Report: 4 Things You Must Know About the US Economy Now!

You Can't Afford to Miss These New Articles:

Do You Want More Profits? Wall St. Cheat Sheet Premium newsletter subscribers have been crushing the markets with winning stock picks.

Click here now for your FREE trial to our acclaimed flagship newsletter:

Source: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/economy/fed-to-introduce-game-changing-communications-policies.html/

annie hall jon lester mitchel musso bad lip reading gilad shalit gilad shalit john edward psychic

Dow and S&P 500 post best week since Christmas (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks posted their best week since Christmas, even with a mixed finish on Friday after strong earnings from tech bellwethers IBM (IBM.N) and Intel (INTC.O) contrasted with Google's (GOOG.O) disappointing report.

The market heads into the most hectic week so far in this earnings season after a mixed start, with some worries over revenue and growth offset by sharp cost-cutting to protect the bottom line.

For the week, the Dow rose 2.4 percent and the S&P 500 gained 2 percent as investors showed some relief that earnings didn't reflect the worst elements that battered the market in the last year, especially given the problems in the euro zone that have been weighing on investor sentiment.

"For the time being, investors are pretty much taking earnings in stride. They knocked Google down this morning, but the general feeling in the marketplace is (stocks) are very undervalued at these levels, even given the marginal misses they're making in earnings," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont.

Indeed, investors in recent weeks have been heartened by improving economic data, even though progress has been uneven. Reflecting improved economic sentiment, the Dow Jones Transportation Average, an indicator of the economy's strength (.DJT) has gained about 2 percent in each of the last two weeks.

IBM (IBM.N) lifted the Dow a day after it offered a strong outlook and results from several big-tech names signaled they were shaking off nervousness about economic growth and boosting technology spending. IBM's stock rose 4.4 percent to $188.52.

On the flip side, Google Inc (GOOG.O) slid 8.4 percent to $585.99. The Internet search giant's quarterly profit and revenue missed expectations on declining search advertising rates.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) gained 96.50 points, or 0.76 percent, to 12,720.48 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) inched up just 0.88 of a point, or 0.07 percent, to 1,315.38. But the Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) dipped 1.63 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 2,786.70.

NASDAQ UP ALMOST 3 PCT FOR WEEK

For the week, the Nasdaq climbed 2.8 percent, making this its best week in seven.

General Electric Co (GE.N) was unchanged at $19.15 after the conglomerate's revenues missed consensus forecasts. Fellow Dow component American Express Co (AXP.N) fell 1.8 percent to $50.04 as it set aside more money to cover bad loans.

Intel Corp (INTC.O) rose 2.9 percent to $26.38, while Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) advanced 5.7 percent to $29.71. Both reported results late Thursday.

Still, in what could be seen as a more bearish sign for the earnings period, 60 percent of the S&P 500 companies that have reported results so far this earnings season have beaten profit expectations, below the 68 percent that beat estimates at this point in the reporting cycle for the third quarter and well below the 78 percent that exceeded estimates in the second quarter, according to Thomson Reuters data.

That's based on results from just 14 percent of the S&P 500 companies. But strategists say it could be a sign of what's in store for the rest of this earnings season and perhaps future quarters.

During the session, investors also kept an eye on Greece, where a bond-swap deal between the cash-strapped country and its private bondholders appeared to be close, according to sources. An agreement was deemed possible heading into the weekend. Creditors could lose up to 70 percent of the loans given to the fiscally troubled nation.

Hopes are an agreement would prevent the nation from spiraling into bankruptcy and bring some stability to the debt-strained euro zone.

Volume totaled about 7 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE Amex and the Nasdaq, above the daily average of 6.68 billion.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of not quite 3 to 2 while on the Nasdaq, about three stocks rose for every two that fell.

(Reporting By Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

tyler bray san antonio weather austin box austin box the academy is the academy is colorado avalanche

With Nasdaq soaring, is 2012 tech's breakout year? (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The stock market has had an impressive January. The staid companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average have gained 4 percent in three weeks, and the broader market has done even better.

But the Nasdaq composite ? a collection of technology stocks whose dot-com heyday was more than a decade ago ? has left them both in the dust.

That's no surprise when you consider tech stocks took a licking last year. Tech companies tend to carry more risk ? a problem for the Nasdaq during last year's market gyrations. As investors regain confidence in the economy, riskier plays are doing well.

But experts say the Nasdaq's gains reflect long-term currents that could lift tech stocks through 2012 and beyond. Many companies put off replacing worn-out technology during the recession. To compete and survive, they need to invest in tech.

There's also a growing global market for technology as more nations try to reduce labor costs by automating everything from factories to cash registers.

And the biggest tech companies face less competition these days when they try to acquire smaller companies. Many of their mid-sized rivals for those deals were weeded out after the dot-com bust and the financial crisis.

In the market for mergers and acquisitions, established players like IBM and Oracle can be picky about buying only those companies that will increase their earnings ? and probably their stock prices.

In other words, it's not all about Microsoft-style titans and trendy social media companies like LinkedIn and Zynga. The Nasdaq contains more than 3,000 companies, many of them relative startups compared with the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

For the year ? just 13 trading days old ? the Nasdaq composite is up 7 percent, compared with 4.6 percent for the S&P 500 and 4.1 percent for the Dow.

"It looks like it's going to be their year, or at least their month," says Michael Vogelzang, chief investment officer at Boston Advisors LLC.

The Nasdaq sank 1.8 percent last year, while the Dow rose 5.5 percent and the S&P was flat. That left tech stocks relatively cheap, giving them more space to rise as the broader market rallied. Oracle is up 11.9 percent this year, Microsoft 14.5 percent.

Vogelzang and others say the tech rally has further to go.

"If you want to make your company more productive, you have to turn to the world of technology for that," says Kim Caughey Forrest, senior analyst with Fort Pitt Capital Group.

She expects the S&P 500's tech sector to outperform the broader market because of strong demand from U.S. companies, developing nations such as China and even cash-strapped European governments. As China's banking system exploded to serve a growing middle class, banks there spent big on IBM technology, she noted.

"Nobody questions whether they need the latest and greatest technology anymore. They know they need to keep up their technology spending," says Eric Gebaide, managing director of Innovation Advisors, a tech-focused investment bank and strategic advisory firm.

Gebaide and others mentioned many companies' efforts to move their computing and data storage off-site ? trends known as "cloud computing" and "virtualization." Long-distance computing is cheaper, but it requires technology.

But why are tech stocks rallying now? The cloud computing transition has been under way for years, and spending by companies has driven much of the U.S. recovery since the economy emerged from recession in June 2009.

It's all about the investment cycle, says Jack Ablin, chief investment officer with Harris Private Bank. He says investors are finally willing to "flex their speculative muscles in a market that isn't falling apart in the way they feared last year."

Last year, some of the best-performing stocks were consumer staples and utilities ? lower-risk industries where demand is consistent even the economy is slow. This year, utilities in the S&P are down 3.7 percent, while tech companies are up 6 percent.

The move out of so-called defensive stocks, the ones you want to own in a slow economy, is a sign that investors are willing to embrace risk again.

"You're getting this big market rotation," Vogelzang says. "People made money last year in the boring, stable industries, and they're saying, `Hey, I better get on this economy train while I can.'"

Tech companies learned hard lessons from the dot-com bust of the early 2000s and the 2008 financial crisis, says Gebaide of Innovation Advisors. They hold more cash than most types of companies and carry less debt. That leaves them less vulnerable to bankruptcy or a loss of investor confidence.

Given its twice-stung discipline, tech is positioned to drive the economy ? "perhaps the best it has been as a sector in the past 20 years," Gebaide says.

The biggest threat to the industry, Gebaide says, is a slowdown in the early investment that helps startups grow into viable companies. Those early dollars used to offer massive returns to savvy investors when a good pick went public.

Today, the upside for venture capitalists is limited because far fewer companies are going public in big stock offerings. The bar is much higher after dot-com era debacles like Pets.com. Before underwriting a deal or buying chunks of stock, banks and investors want to see millions in annual revenue and established customer bases. It's tough for younger tech companies to meet those standards.

Peter Falvey, managing director of Morgan Keegan Technology Group, says there's plenty of capital, entrepreneurship and good ideas to keep companies' bottom lines ? and stock prices ? rising.

Falvey's group specializes in tech mergers and acquisitions ? the kinds of deals that allow IBM or Oracle to bring a small competitor's product to a wider audience and add to their own earnings. Last year was the best for M&A in his group's 11-year history, and this year's deal pipeline already is stronger than last year's was at this time, he says.

A company like IBM "has huge amounts of capital and a global customer base, plus complete hardware-software services," Falvey says. "Once you put a small company into that machine, IBM can do really well with it."

The industry's earlier downturns also helped big companies by weeding out smaller players. The number of publicly traded tech companies has decreased by a third since 2000, Gebaide says. Now the big dogs can pick and choose more carefully, acquiring only businesses that are almost certain to increase their profits.

To be sure, high-tech companies are higher-risk investments, and they could lose value quickly if the market tanks because of a debt catastrophe in Europe or something unforeseen.

"People love tech until we get an economic shock, or negative economic statistics start to come out," Vogelzang says. "Then all of a sudden, people will say, `Whoa, I need to go buy some utilities again."

But investors should take tech's success at this stage as a promising sign, says Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist with Schaeffer's Investment Research. He says higher-risk bets like tech stocks tend to rise as the market enters a phase of long-term growth.

Housing, tech and small-company stocks all have risen faster than broad indexes since October, Detrick says. Those sectors are sensitive to improving economic data, he says.

"When you start to see tech taking charge, that's definitely a potential step in the right direction for future gains, potentially for the whole year," Detrick says. "Those are the sectors you want to see lead a bull market."

___

Follow Daniel Wagner at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_bi_ge/us_wall_street_week_ahead

turducken power rangers jungle fury power rangers jungle fury ufc 139 fight card houston nutt houston nutt peter marshall