Monday, December 31, 2012

Serena Williams opens season with comfortable win

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) ? Serena Williams joked that since the calendar still read 2012, she needed to maintain this year's dominant form.

The 15-time Grand Slam champion opened her 2013 season Sunday, and Williams needed less than an hour to beat fellow American Varvara Lepchenko 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Brisbane International.

Williams won 31 of her last 32 matches during the 2012 season, including titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the U.S. Open and the WTA Championships. She was 58-4 overall.

"Tomorrow is the last day of the year, so technically I still had my 2012 rep on the line," she said. "I really needed to win today so I could finish the year with still just the four losses. So that was important for me."

The third-ranked Williams didn't show any signs of the minor surgery on her big toes that forced her to withdraw from an exhibition in Thailand. She moved freely throughout the match against the 21st-ranked Lepchenko.

Williams saved five break points in the first game as she adjusted to a strong breeze.

"I was a little nervous, but I was completely fine," Williams said. "The doctor said I would be fine. I was excited to get an early start, so just in case I did have any pain, I could have tomorrow off. But everything was fine."

Williams said she didn't believe in New Year's resolutions. Goals are a different story, and she's aiming to sweep the major tournaments.

She held all four Grand Slam championships at one point, winning the 2003 Australian Open after claiming the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in 2002. But she's never completed a season slam.

"I think for me, absolutely," she said of whether it was possible in 2013. "I think maybe whoever wins the Australian Open will have that same thought. I think there is no way that Victoria (Azarenka) or Maria (Sharapova) or maybe some other players don't feel the same way. So I think I definitely feel that way."

And if that doesn't happen, she plans to give herself a few more years to attempt it. Her experience at the London Olympics made her want to keep playing until the 2016 Games in Rio.

Eight of the top 10 women are entered in the Brisbane International, with Azarenka and Sharapova getting byes in the first round.

Sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova beat Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 6-4 and will next meet Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

In other matches, Australian wild card Jarmila Gajdosova beat 16th-ranked Roberta Vinci 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to set up a second-round match against Sharapova. Urszula Radwanska of Poland beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 2-6, 6-0, 6-2, and Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova had a 7-5, 6-2 win over Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain.

Australia's Samantha Stosur was headlining the night session Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/serena-williams-opens-season-comfortable-win-144618436--spt.html

Election 2012 map Election Results Map Early voting results BBC Dick Morris Daily Show provisional ballot

Ford Lions Report airs Sunday at 11am

The Lions are playing for pride as they face their familiar NFC North foes the Chicago Bears in the season finale and the Ford Lions Report Live team will get you ready for today's matchup at Ford Field.

This game has already generated a lot of trash talk, with Lawrence Jackson and?Joique?Bell tweeting leading up to the game.

Jackson tweeted : Hate is such a strong?word...but?today it's?fitting...-cough- Jay Cutler -cough-?Bears...Ford?Field stand up for us 1 more time...#Win #LJSP

Bell tweeted : #GameTime... Been a lot talk both ways... #StrapUp!!!

Tom Leyden, Herman Moore and Rob Rubick are all on hand as the show kicks off at 11am on 7 as well as the Detroit Lions Television Network throughout the state of Michigan.

Matt Shepard and Tony Ortiz will be on the field, taking a look at the quarterback matchup between Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler and bringing you the latest headlines in the final minutes before the game.

David Solano and Brad Galli?also give you some fantasy football pointers, telling you who has to play this week and who you should bench.

Tom, Rob and Herman will take you around the NFC North and as the show wraps up, they'll give you their fearless predictions for Sunday's game.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/sports/football/lions/ford-lions-report-live-gets-you-set-for-sundays-season-finale-against-chicago

baa dodgers triple play samoyed kenny powers kenny powers carl hagelin triple play

Rockets' Royce White To Finally Begin Rookie Campaign in NBA D-League?

Though his rookie campaign has already been one filled with turbulent twists and turns, the Rockets' Royce White is finally ready to hit the hardwood. His road back will reportedly begin with a stint in the D-League as member of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Despite being one of the top prospects in this past summer's NBA rookie draft, Royce White's stock dipped due to concern over his existing anxiety disorder. Would the talented forward be able to cope with the travel requirements and everyday grind of The Association?

With many teams unsure, the Rockets swooped in to snatch White up with the sixteenth overall selection in the draft. But although he has all the potential in the world, the forward has yet to hit the hardwood this season.

He and the Rockets have reportedly been at odds over the last couple of months with regard to dealing with his disorder. It's taken a while for the two sides to agree upon what the best plan of action will be to ensure a seamless transition into the NBA.

After working out at the team's training facility on his own over the last week or so, White finally appears ready to the hardwood, albeit it won't be an NBA one just yet. The forward is set to begin his journey in the D-League, and is scheduled to be in uniform for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers' contest later Sunday.

Such a step is a huge one in the right direction for White. After originally being assigned to the D-League last month (though he never went on to appear in a game), it's likely that his NBA journey would have begun in the minors either way.

In the early goings of the season, the Rockets have been among the most efficient and frequent utilizers of its NBADL affiliate. The likes of Scott Machado, Donatas Montiejunas, and Terrence Jones have all donned D-League uniforms thus far. All three have played well, and have subsequently been sent up and down between Houston and Rio Grande Valley, depending on the Rockets' game/practice schedule and such.

But their respective assignments have been anything but demotions. Earlier this month, Rockets' Vice President Gersson Rosas told RidiculousUpside.com in an exclusive interview that not only had the team already seen progress from the young guns, but that they also felt as though spending time in the minors was simply an essential and routine part of each rookie's development. Citing Houston's deep roster, the executive said because of their existing talent, that the Rockets have the flexibility to send each prospect down in order to give them closer attention (and more playing time, of course) in the D-League.

And now it's White's turn to put his immense amount of promise on display a bit. A self-proclaimed point-forward, the 6'8" rookie likes to get his teammates involved. There's no doubt he can score, but White's key contributions come when he isn't putting the ball in the basket. In addition to being a big man with steady court vision, the forward can also rebound the ball well and has sound fundamentals on the defensive end.

With the D-League dedicated to developing the ultimate complementary player(s) for NBA squads, White's skill set will be put to use on the perfect stage. After watching his fellow rookies previously thrive while donning Viper uniforms, he should look forward to the chance to finally strut his stuff.

The rookie's recent NBADL assignment is reportedly the first step in what will be a multi-week process in integrating him back as a regular member of the Houston Rockets. Whereas Machado is using his time in the minors to better understand how to run an offense, and both Montiejunas and Jones continue to adjust to the big league game from college/international ball, respectively, White may be closer than most think.

If he's able to find a rhythm and get his footing right, White's versatile talents may make it easier for him to fit right into Coach Kevin Mchale's system. The rookie just needs to begin his journey by simply showing the team his potential is not only still existent, but is also able to be translated to the NBA game.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2012/12/30/3816960/rockets-royce-white-to-finally-begin-rookie-campaign-in-nba-d-league

david crowder band natalie wood van halen annalynne mccord billy the kid neville neville

The answer to your desperate request of Help me sleep! How to take ...

?

Stress is one of the most popular things you will find in people?s lives and it is also one of the main causes that can keep you from sleeping. The less time you spend sleeping, the more stress you will accumulate and it will be a lot harder to get back on track. The shout of ?help me sleep!? will become more often verbalized and, without the right advice, the problem will be difficult to solve. This is why we came up with solutions for you: a website where you will learn how to get over insomnia fast and easy.

?

Stress can come from work or from issues you have with money or in any other aspect of your life. The more you think of the things you are worried about, the less time you will allow your mind to rest and this is how you allow the state of insomnia to be a part of your life. Even if they may seem like an answer, pills are not able to solve this issue.

?

The issues you have to face need to be solved in order to get over this state. If you need to finish a project at work, if you have issues in your marriage, if you let all the other things in your life take over, you first need to take care of it so you can be sure you are on the right track. This is the first thing you need to think of so you can fight insomnia.

?

If this is the start, you also need to know how to go on in order to learn how to sleep better at night. One battle may be won, but the war is still in play and you need to know what the aspects you need to take care of are to make it a lot better. This is why you need to think of all the things you do before you go to bed and think of adding a few more.

?

Stop thinking about your sleep deprivation and try to relax. When I wanted someone to help me sleep, I was advised to take a hot shower as this can be helpful. In fact this is what is recommended as a first advice in teaching you how to sleep better. This will allow the body to relax and it will show you the way to a better state of mind. After it you do not have to watch TV, because it brings you back to the original state of mind, but instead you can try a warm glass of milk or some chamomile tea to relax.

?

If you clear your mind of all the things you are worried about and if you try these things in order to ready your body for sleep, you can be sure it will be a lot easier to get the rest you need for the next day. If you want to learn a few more tips and tricks that will teach you how to sleep better at night, you can turn to the web in order to find all the answers you need. The site of helpmesleep.us is the place where you will find a lot of articles to help with this issue. I know it is always there to help me sleep!

?

?

If you have trouble with insomnia and desperately want someone to answer your desperate call of help me sleep !, then do visit our website and lean about how to sleep better at night. This is the place where you will find out a lot of things you did not know until now, tips and tricks that will guide you in getting more rest.

?

Source: http://articlepdq.com/health-fitness/alternative-medicine/the-answer-to-your-desperate-request-of-help-me-sleep-how-to-take-care-of-insomnia/

vernal equinox mr rogers jamie lee curtis spring equinox audacious pollen count mexico city

Sheamus Talks Ending The Undertaker's Streak, Relationship with Regal, Troops and More

Sheamus recently spoke to Jonathan McLarty of The Flagship for an interview. Here are a few highlights.

Highlights from recent visit with the troops in Norfolk: We had a great time with them, actually. We got to hang out and play dodge ball with some of the groups. We got to walk around the USS Boise (SSN 764) submarine, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) aircraft carrier and the USS Porter (DDG 78). It?s amazing to meet all of these Sailors ? to see how young and enthusiastic they are, how much they love serving their country and how much they love their job. They take great passion and pride in serving their country. It?s really great to see.

Who Sheamus looked up to as a kid growing up: : I was really a big fan of WWE as a kid. I used to love watching ?Mr. Perfect? (Curt Hennig), ?The Million Dollar Man? Ted DiBiase, ?Macho Man? Randy Savage and Bret Hart. I?ve always been a fan of numerous Superstars and have taken inspiration from different guys in different ways, but those are really the four I loved watching as a kid.

Relationship with William Regal: One of the first guys to really text me or call me up was William Regal. He offered to help me and have me travel with him. We have the same sense of humor, same pop culture background. We got on right away from the start. He?s been a great help to me by watching my matches and critiquing them. There have been others like Triple H ? Arn Anderson as well. I?m always motivated to pick the brain of people who have been so successful. Great number of minds and talents in WWE and they?re all at your disposal. It?s definitely helped me to progress faster than I would have on my own. ? It?s about drive ? never be happy with what you do. You can?t rest on your laurels because you?re only as good as your last match. There are a lot of hungry Superstars ready to come in here and want to knock you off your spot.

Future goals in wrestling: Foremost, I want to win the World Heavyweight Championship back from The Big Show. I will get that opportunity in Richmond at SmackDown TV. I would love to do a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker. I don?t know how many Mania matches he has left in him, but I would love to be the guy who breaks that streak.

Favorite ice cream: I am a big ice cream fan, so this will be hard one. Birthday cake ice cream is my favorite. The first time I came over to the states, I was 18 and had never heard of Ben & Jerry?s. I was training at the time and I remember looking at the ?Chunky Monkey? carton where it said ?Fat Content per Ice Cream Tub = 16 grams.? I thought, ?Hey, there?s only 16 g of fat in this tub!? So, after a few weeks of eating Ben & Jerry?s, I realized it was 16 g of fat per serving. There were about six servings in one tub and I was eating 100 grams of fat every couple of days. I was wondering why I wasn?t losing any weight!

EXCLUSIVE: Who is Up or Down This Week -- Predicting Everyone's Direction Heading Into Next Week

Source: http://www.ringsidenews.com/article/6351/sheamus-talks-ending-the-undertaker-039-s-streak-relationship-with-regal-tr/

alex smith alex smith robert deniro mexico news the talented mr ripley weather new orleans orcl

Australia condemns Japan for resuming whale hunt

SYDNEY Australia's environment minister Tony Burke has condemned the Japanese government for reportedly dispatching its whaling fleet for another expedition season in the Southern Ocean, describing Japan's claims that its whaling program is for scientific research as "a joke."

The Australian government has been a long-time critic of the activities of Japan's whaling fleet in regional waters, and initiated legal proceedings against Japan's whaling program in the International Court of Justice in May 2010.

Burke told reporters in Sydney on Saturday that he did not expect a response from the ICJ until "sometime next year," but called on Japan to respect a moratorium on whaling in the Southern Ocean.

"In the interim it is open to Japan any day of the year to take the same action that the rest of the world has taken and that is to observe a moratorium in the Southern Ocean. That is to accept that commercial whaling is wrong and 'scientific whaling' is a joke," he said.

"We cannot continue to have a situation where everybody knows it's nothing to do with science and yet, with a nod and a wink, Japanese fleets travel from one side of the globe to the other to engage in this, and to break the moratorium year after year," Burke added.

On Friday Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that three whaling vessels had left the western Japanese port of Shimonoseki.

Australia's opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt has publicly said that should his Liberal Party coalition win government at the 2013 federal election, they would consider sending an Australian customs vessel to monitor the annual whale hunt.

Japan's previous annual whaling expeditions to the Southern Ocean have resulted in violent clashes between Japanese boats and vessels from the Sea Shepherd conservation group, drawing condemnation from Australian and New Zealand authorities.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsWebMD/~3/X-aTf5h4eoY/

joe philbin miss america pageant 2012 shipwreck jose aldo vs chad mendes lana del rey john 3 16 alex smith 49ers

Sunday, December 30, 2012

IFC provides $30m loan to support cross-border trade in Africa, Middle East

You Are Here: Home ? Africa/International ? IFC provides $30m loan to support cross-border trade in Africa, Middle East

Page last updated at Saturday, December 29, 2012 16:16 PM //

ifcThe International Finance Corporation (IFC) is providing a $30 million loan to Malta-based FIMBank to support cross-border trade in the Middle East and Africa, the World Bank Group member announced December 26, 2012.

According to the IFC, the loan will help FIMBank offer trade financing to companies that import and export food, consumer goods, and machinery.

?The loan is designed to boost trade between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, supporting economic development,? it said.

?Expanding trade finance is a key element of IFC?s strategy in the region,? said Aftab Ahmed, IFC Financial Markets Director for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The IFC says the loan is part of its effort to support trade finance in the Middle East and Africa, which will help promote private sector development.

The IFC has been a shareholder in FIMBank since 2005.

By Ekow Quandzie

Comments

Source: http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2012/12/29/ifc-provides-30m-loan-to-support-cross-border-trade-in-africa-middle-east/

bubba watson recent earthquakes fbi most wanted list stuttering james van der beek dyngus day indonesia quake

U.S. Debt Now over 72% of GDP (We're BROKE FOLKS)

The Congressional Budget Office predicted 10 years ago that the U.S. national debt in 2012 would be approximately 7.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a measurement of the value of a nation?s total output of goods and services.

However, two wars, a recession, economic downturns, and unchecked government spending have changed things significantly. Quite simply, U.S. debt as a percentage of GDP is much, much more than 7.4 percent.

Here?s the CBO?s 10-year budget forecast from 2002 (courtesy AEI?s James Pethokoukis):

Depressing: The CBOs 2002 Prediction of National Debt as a Share of GD

And here?s what actually happened:

Depressing: The CBOs 2002 Prediction of National Debt as a Share of GD

?Instead of publicly-held debt as a share of GDP being a microscopic 7.4% this year, it was closer to 74% ? or 72.8% to be specific (as of the August update from the CBO),? Pethokoukis explains.

Yes, our national debt as a share of GDP is approximately 74 percent. This is absolutely unsustainable.

?In 2007 ? the Great Recession is officially dated as starting in December of that year ? the debt-GDP ratio was 37%,? Pethokoukis adds. ?So a doubling of debt due to the Great Slump ? the recession and its slow-growth aftermath.?

Speaking of a ?doubling of debt,? we know we included this clip in another article this morning, but perhaps it?s worth repeating. Here?s Texas congressman Ron Paul explaining how Washington?s failure to address its spending problem has put us down the path of ?no return?:

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Source: http://teapartyorg.ning.com/xn/detail/4301673%3ABlogPost%3A1201659

attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream stephen colbert new madrid fault rihanna and chris brown affirmative action

Fukushima 'unprecedented challenge': new Japan PM

The No. 3 reactor building at Fukushima pictured in May this year. The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is unlike anything humanity has ever undertaken, Japan's prime minister said on Saturday during a tour of the plant.

The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is unlike anything humanity has ever undertaken, Japan's prime minister said on Saturday during a tour of the plant.

"The massive work toward decommissioning is an unprecedented challenge in human history," the newly-elected Shinzo Abe said. "Success in the decommissioning will lead to the reconstruction of Fukushima and Japan."

Abe was at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi just days after being sworn in following the electoral triumph of his pro-business Liberal Democratic Party.

The prime minister's trip to the still-ruined site, on which he was accompanied by an AFP journalist, is part of a push by his administration to put a lid on the crisis.

Observers widely expect Japan to restart its nuclear programme on the LDP's watch, despite public concerns that the party was partially responsible for the extent of the catastrophe because of a culture of complicity during its more than five-decade rule.

His government said Thursday it would review a pledge by the previous administration to scrap nuclear power within three decades and would give the green light to power plants deemed safe by regulators.

The rear of the No. 4 reactor building at Fukushima, pictured on May 26, 2012
Enlarge

The rear of the No. 4 reactor building at Fukushima, pictured in May this year. The massive work toward decommissioning Fukushima is an unprecedented challenge in human history, newly-elected Shinzo Abe said on Saturday. "Success in the decommissioning will lead to the reconstruction of Fukushima and Japan."

Experts have warned, however,that a number of reactors are sitting above what could be still-active faults in the earth's crust, making them vulnerable to quakes.

Underlining Japan's sometimes precarious position at the meeting point of continental plates, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit off the Fukushima coast mid afternoon, US geologists said.

A spokesman for plant operator TEPCO said no abnormalities were reported.

Japan's entire stable of 50 reactors was shuttered for inspections in the aftermath of the March 2011 disaster at Fukushima, where a tsunami swamped cooling systems, sparking meltdowns.

Japan's new PM Shinzo Abe (C) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ota, on December 29, 2012
Enlarge

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) inspects the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) emergency operation center inside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ota, on December 29, 2012. The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is an "unprecedented challenge," Abe told workers during a tour of the plant.

The reactors at the plant raged out of control for months after the initial catastrophe, spewing radiation over a wide area and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Abe's visit comes around a year after experts said they had brought the wrecked units under control. However, melted fuel remains inside their cores and their full decommissioning and cleaning-up is expected to take decades.

Dressed in a protective suit and wearing a face mask, Abe was taken by bus to see two of the damaged reactors.

He thanked workers for their efforts at a time when many Japanese are celebrating New Year with family.

"Decommissioning work is hard work, but it is progressing. We owe it all to you," he told them.

The disaster at Fukushima was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Efforts to clean up the site in Ukraine are continuing, more than a quarter of a century after a reactor exploded.

Before Fukushima, Japan had relied on nuclear power for around a third of its electricity and there was little debate about its merits.

Japan's new PM Shinzo Abe addresses workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power, on December 29, 2012
Enlarge

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses workers at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) emergency operation center inside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ota, on December 29, 2012. The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is an 'unprecedented challenge,' Abe told workers during a tour of the plant.

The meltdowns generated fierce opposition nationwide, sending tens of thousands of people onto the streets.

Critics said lax oversight by regulators, who appeared to have the interests of power companies at heart, had exacerbated the impact of the accident.

Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) admitted earlier this year that it had not carried out upgrade and repair work at the site because it wanted to avoid alarming people.

The strong vein of anti-atomic sentiment did not translate into success at the ballot box earlier this month for parties championing an end to nuclear power.

Abe's LDP won a healthy majority, despite being widely viewed as the most pro-nuclear option on offer.

Speaking to press in Kawauchi, a city to which residents have been allowed to return because of falling levels of radiation, Abe was guarded on the future of nuclear power.

He said he wanted "a responsible energy policy" and pledged to boost alternative energy and renewables as his government worked out the best energy mix for Japan.

(c) 2012 AFP

Source: http://phys.org/news275987142.html

giuliana rancic giuliana rancic elie wiesel temptations work hard play hard tim ferriss wmt

Proud to be a Buckeye: A Look at Fanaticism in Ohio State Football

Urban Meyer

Photo: Jay LaPrete, Associated Press / SF

On this hour, we'll talk about the tradition and fanaticism of Ohio State football.

11:00

Buckeye football fans are proud, that we all know. But what?s behind the fanaticism and historic traditions of The Ohio State University? On this hour, we?ll talk about Ohio State football just in time for the school?s 100th Homecoming Game this Saturday.

Guests

  • Bob Hunter (author and sports columnist for the Columbus Dispatch)

Learn More

Click here for more information on Bob Hunter?s new book Saint Woody: The History and Fanaticism of Ohio State Football.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllSidesWithAnnFisher/~3/MAPITVoawvo/

audacious pollen count mexico city first day of spring mexico earthquake aziz ansari aziz ansari

What does California's new law mean for our dress and grooming ...

Q. We would like to enforce a strict dress and grooming code in our company. Are we required to exempt from our policy employees whose faiths call for them to dress or groom in a specific way?

A. You might be. In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1964, the Religious Freedom Act of 2012, which amends Section 12926 of the California Government Code. The new law, which will take effect Jan. 1, expands the definition of ?religious creed? to include religious dress and grooming practices as part of an individual?s religious observance or belief.

?Religious dress practice? will be construed broadly to include ?wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or face covering, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of the observance by an individual of his or her religious creed.? Religious grooming practice includes all forms of head, facial, and body hair mandated by a religious creed.

Employers have been required to reasonably accommodate employees? religious beliefs or observances unless the accommodation would be an undue hardship on the conduct of the employer?s business. ?

Under AB 1964, for an employer to show it is unable to reasonably accommodate the religious belief or observance without undue hardship, it must demonstrate that it has explored any available reasonable means of accommodating the religious belief or observance, such as excusing the person from the duties that conflict with his or her religious belief or permitting those duties to be performed at another time or by another person. Requiring the individual to be segregated from the public or other employees would not be considered reasonable.

In light of the new heightened standards, carefully consider each request for religious accommodation.

Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!

Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...

We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.

" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33871/what-does-californias-new-law-mean-for-our-dress-and-grooming-policy "

Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33871/what-does-californias-new-law-mean-for-our-dress-and-grooming-policy

santorum new hampshire debate rupaul meet the press steelers vs broncos chris herren jay z

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Forest Canopy Color Reveals CO2 Uptake

60-Second Science

Tree leaf colors provide a good proxy for its photosynthetic productivity, indicating how much carbon dioxide the tree is sequestering. Karen Hopkin reports

More 60-Second Science

When autumn rolls around, the leaf peepers come out in force. Armed with digital cameras, they record the most spectacular displays of fall foliage. Well according to a study in the journal Functional Ecology [Toshie Mizunuma et al., The relationship between carbon dioxide uptake and canopy colour from two camera systems in a deciduous forest in southern England], those images may be more than just pretty pictures. They may represent a new way to monitor climate change.

Trees take carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere and convert it into biomass. By sopping up CO2 they help to stabilize the climate. But at the same time, they?re also affected by climate, for example, budding earlier in the season as global temperatures rise.

To understand how all this balances out, ecologists monitor how forests take up CO2. It?s a costly business that involves using a network of 500 instrument towers worldwide. So researchers got to wondering whether there might be an easier way to keep an eye on photosynthesis. And they found that digital cameras do the trick.

Analyzing two years? worth of snaps taken every half hour in a forest in southern England, the researchers discovered that a tree?s leafy colors provide a good proxy for its photosynthetic productivity. So next time you go for a walk in the woods, take only photos. And leave only data points.

?Karen Hopkin

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9e6ee577cbd0b3769d381c6a28042949

david bowie Eric Idle rory mcilroy Fatboy Slim Rio de Janeiro Shark Week London 2012 closing ceremony

how to Implement a Virtual Machine (VM) of Windows on Linux platform

Here is a good step-by-step tutorial (for Windows XP, but I'm sure you can figure out how to do other versions too).

for the user it should look alike windows but actually performing his applications on linux platform

There are actually many versions of Linux that do look or can look very familiar to Windows users. And many windows applications can run in Wine. The KDE-based distributions (with Plasma desktop) can actually be customized to look almost identical to any version of Windows (from win95 to win7) or any version of Mac OSX, at least, on the surface (look and feel of the desktop). So, I think that what corresponds better to the description of "looks like Windows but is Linux" are one those Windows-looking Linux distributions, not Windows running in a VM inside Linux. The added bonus is that you don't have to pay for all the software that you would normally use in Windows (unless it is specialized software, most of which are also available for Linux nowadays).

mike_2000_17

21st Century Viking

2,776 posts since Jul 2010

Reputation Points: 1,856

Solved Threads: 581

Skill Endorsements: 31

?

Source: http://www.daniweb.com/hardware-and-software/linux-and-unix/threads/444217/how-to-implement-a-virtual-machine-vm-of-windows-on-linux-platform

acc tournament big ten tournament big east tournament 2012 solar storm solar flares spanx aurora borealis

Texas Tech rallies to beat Minnesota 34-31

HOUSTON (AP) ? Texas Tech has had a difficult month since coach Tommy Tuberville left abruptly for the job at Cincinnati.

The struggles continued on Friday night, and the Red Raiders trailed Minnesota by a touchdown with just more than a minute left in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

That was when seniors D.J. Johnson and Seth Doege came through with big plays to help Texas Tech to a 34-31 win.

After Doege connected with Eric Ward on a 35-yard scoring play to pull the Red Raiders even at 31 with just more than a minute remaining, Johnson returned an interception 39 yards and Ryan Bustin made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give the Red Raiders the win.

"We've overcome a lot of adversity," Johnson said. "To end my last play like that is a blessing."

Michael Carter intercepted two of Doege's passes in the fourth quarter before the tying score, but Minnesota couldn't convert either of the turnovers into points.

"Things weren't always going our way ... but we kept fighting and put ourselves in a position to win the game," Doege said.

The Red Raiders (8-5) got their third straight bowl victory to end their trying season on a high note.

Texas Tech has hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace Tuberville, but interim coach Chris Thomsen led the team against Minnesota (6-7). Kingsbury was at the game, watching from a suite.

Doege threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in front of a crowd that included 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell and former Tech coach Spike Dykes.

"More than anything I credit those players," Thomsen said of Johnson and Doege. "They really held it together ... to get to make those plays after they struggled. They kept their poise and confidence and continued to stay in there and battle."

Philip Nelson threw for 138 yards and two scores for the Gophers, who were in a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

"I think our kids played hard tonight; they played their guts out, and I appreciate that," Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said. "We just couldn't make a play at a critical time."

The Red Raiders returned to a bowl after having their 18-season bowl streak snapped last year.

A 1-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Drew Goodger gave Minnesota a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech led 24-17 at halftime, but couldn't do anything offensively in the second half until the last couple of minutes. It was an ugly game for the Red Raiders, who had 13 penalties for 135 yards and lost the tight end Jace Amaro when he was ejected for throwing a punch.

Jakeem Grant ran for what was initially ruled a touchdown for Tech late in the third quarter. Amaro threw a punch at Derrick Wells in the end zone on the play and was ejected.

After the penalty, the play was reviewed and overturned. Doege threw an incomplete pass before Tech made a 32-yard field goal. But the Red Raiders had a false start penalty on the play and had to kick again and this time the Gophers blocked it.

Nelson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Devin Crawford-Tufts, who was left uncovered in the end zone, to tie it 24-all early in the third quarter.

Donnell Kirkwood scored on a 3-yard run to leave Minnesota up 17-14 early in the second quarter.

Texas Tech had a first-and-goal at the Minnesota 2 after a pass-interference call on the Gophers. But Texas Tech had to settle for a field goal after a rush for a 3-yard loss and two penalties.

Minnesota's next drive started out well before turning ugly. The Gophers had made two first downs before MarQueis Gray was sacked for a loss of 7 yards. Kirkwood ran for 17 yards on the next play, but Minnesota received two 15-yard penalties on the play, one for a personal foul on lineman Zac Epping, to make it second-and-42. Epping received a second personal foul penalty on the next play to bring up third-and-49.

"We just made some errors that I wish we hadn't made," Kill said.

Christian Eldred shanked the punt, giving Texas Tech the ball at the Minnesota 42.

The Red Raiders capitalized on their great field position when Doege spun away from a defender in the backfield and leaped over another Gopher near the goal line on a 4-yard touchdown run. Tech converted a fourth-and-6 play on that drive, and led 24-17 at halftime.

Minnesota's Rodrick Williams Jr. scored on a 2-yard run to give the Gophers a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.

Doege lost his helmet on a 5-yard scramble on Tech's next drive and had to go out for one play. He was replaced by Michael Brewer, who found Derreck Edwards for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Red Raiders a 14-10 lead.

Minnesota's Troy Stoudermire returned the opening kickoff 26 yards to break the NCAA record for career kickoff return yards. He finished the game with 111 yards to push his total to 3,615.

The Gophers ended that drive with a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

Texas Tech's Grant returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to put Texas Tech up 7-3.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-tech-rallies-beat-minnesota-34-31-060522585--spt.html

mega millions numbers the fray seahawks new uniforms 2012 tornadoes in dallas anchorman 2 kentucky basketball oaksterdam

PR Snapshots: Black PR Society Conference

?
?
5W Public Relations
?
?
Advertise With O'Dwyer's
?
?

O'Dwyer's PR Magazine
?
O'Dwyer's December Entertainment & Sports PR Magazine

Dec. '12 Entertainment & Sports PR Magazine

O'Dwyer's magazine, now in its 26th year, is the #1 publication for PR and marketing communications pros.

?
Subscribe to O'Dwyer's Magazine
?
2013 Editorial Calendar:
January, PR Buyer's Guide/Crisis Comms.
February, Environmental PR & Public Affairs
March, Food & Beverage PR
April, Broadcast Media Services & Social Media PR
May, PR Firm Rankings
June, Multicultural/Diversity & Int'l PR
July, Travel & Tourism PR
August, Financial PR/IR & Prof. Svcs. PR
September, Beauty & Fashion PR
October, Healthcare & Medical PR
November: Technology PR
December: Entertainment & Sports PR
?
Each month a different area of PR is examined and firms with strengths in the focus area are profiled.
?
Submit Profile for O'Dwyer's Magazine
?
SplashLab Social
?
Communicator Awards
?
?
?

PR Firm Rankings
?
Top PR Firms - 2012 Rankings:
1. Edelman, NY - $604,740,732
2. APCO Worldwide, D.C. - $120,701,000
3. Waggener Edstrom, Wash. - $115,832,000
4. Ruder Finn, NY - $81,281,000
5. WCG, San Fran. - $47,577,000
6. MWW Group, NJ - $38,626,000
7. ICR, CT - 32,030,483
8. Qorvis Communications, DC - $29,500,000
9. DKC PR, New York - $26,800,000
10. Finn Partners, New York - $23,618,000
?
Full Ranking of Top PR Firms and Agencies
?
Become an O'Dwyer's Ranked PR Firm
?
Top PR Firms By Specialty:
?
Top PR Firms By Location:
?

?

?

?

?

?
5W Public Relations
?

NEED HELP? john@odwyerpr.com

Subscribe to O'Dwyer's website | Editorial Contacts | Order O'Dwyer Publications | Advertising Info | Contact O'Dwyer's | Terms and Conditions

Copyright ? 1998-2012 J.R. O'Dwyer Company, Inc.
271 Madison Ave., #600, New York, NY 10016; Tel: 212/679-2471 or Toll Free: 866/395-7710

Source: http://www.odwyerpr.com/blog/index.php?/archives/5607-PR-Snapshots-Black-PR-Society-Conference.html

bulls california earthquake california earthquake tyson chandler tyson chandler stephen hill draft tracker

4 charged in synthetic drug overdoses in ND, Minn.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) ? Federal prosecutors in North Dakota have charged four men with conspiring to import and sell controlled substances used to make synthetic hallucinogenic drugs, including drugs made by a self-described "hobby chemist" from Grand Forks that killed two teens and led to several overdoses in the area.

In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors describe Charles Carlton, a 28-year-old man from Katy, Texas, as the "leader, organizer, manager and supervisor" of a conspiracy to import controlled substances from Asia and Europe and resell them over the Internet to domestic buyers.

Prosecutors say Carlton imported hallucinogenic chemicals from China, the U.K., Austria, Poland, Greece, Spain, and Canada through a business he used, Motion Resources LLC, which were then distributed throughout the U.S. They say Carlton and the other defendants had the imports sent to various addresses throughout the country in an attempt to evade law enforcement.

Among those who bought chemicals from the company was Andrew Spofford, who was one of a dozen people from the Grand Forks area charged in the investigation into the June drug deaths of Christian Bjerk, 18, of Grand Forks, and Elijah Stai, 17, of Park Rapids, Minn.

Spofford, who described himself to police as a "hobby chemist," pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in serious bodily injury and death ? a charge brought against all four of those named in the new indictment. Spofford also admitted to dealing cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy, and delivering a drug meant to counteract effects of the hallucinogens that did not have instructions for use.

Carlton and Byron Landry, 27, of Kiln, Miss., each face two conspiracy to distribute counts, and 25-year-old John Polinski, of Houston, and 27-year-old Ryan Lane, of East Grand Forks, Minn., face one count each. In addition, Carlton, Landry and Polinksi, are each charged with a count of conspiracy to introduce a misbranded drug into interstate commerce.

Authorities are also demanding that Carlton turn over $385,000 in alleged drug sale proceeds.

The four defendants have yet to appear in federal court in North Dakota.

Bjerk and Stai died within a week of each other in June after ingesting the hallucinogens. Stai is believed to have ingested powder that was mixed with melted chocolate, cooled and eaten like candy, police said.

Other people reportedly required medical treatment from the batch of synthetic drugs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Myers said earlier that one juvenile who took the drugs was hospitalized in intensive care "for quite some time."

Timothy Purdon, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota, said he couldn't comment specifically on the indictment because it's an open case.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/4-charged-synthetic-drug-overdoses-nd-minn-185946754.html

bruce irvin charlie st cloud celtics nba playoffs rosario dawson young jeezy world wildlife fund

New class of malaria drugs using essential calcium enzyme developed

Dec. 27, 2012 ? Calpain, a calcium-regulated enzyme, is essential to a host of cellular processes, but can cause severe problems in its overactivated state. It has been implicated as a factor in muscular dystrophy, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. As such, finding and exploiting calpain inhibitors is an important area of research.

A team from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the University of California at San Francisco and the Department of Biochemistry and Protein Function Discovery at Queen's University, has developed a unique approach to calpain inhibition by mimicking a natural reaction with a synthesized molecule. The work was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

One of calpain's less beneficial functions is that it eases the ability for cellular invaders such as the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is responsible for malaria, to exit their hosts and infect other cells. It is this property that caught the attention of Doron Greenbaum, PhD, assistant professor in of Pharmacology, whose laboratory studies how malaria spreads.

"We have an interest in this protein because it's important for Plasmodium development," he explains. "We initially found that calpain played a role in parasites being able to get out of their host cell, so we became interested in inhibitor development for human calpains."

Greenbaum and his collaborators examined the crystal structure of calpastatin, a natural calpain inhibitor, for clues. "We decided to take a different tack on inhibitor development, which has traditionally been designing small peptide-like inhibitors that fit across an enzyme's active site," Greenbaum says. Studying the configuration of how calpastatin bound to the active site of the calpain complex, "we found that there was a small alpha-helix that fit into the active site of the calpain enzyme."

Researchers have never before used an alpha-helix structure to inhibit a protease. "Traditionally people thought that alpha-helices normally make horrible inhibitors because it was thought that proteases don't like to bind to them preferring to bind motifs called a beta-sheet," Greenbaum notes. The research team created a peptide with an alpha-helical shape that would fit into the active site of the calpain protease.

The team set out to find a way to stabilize the helix by modifying it with a cross-linking peptide. They screened twenty-four commercially available crosslinkers, identifying five that succeeded in stabilizing the helix. They selected one in particular -- dibromo-m-xylene c15 -- and used it to mimic a protein-protein interaction between calpain and calpastatin. By binding to the active site and thus blocking it, the synthesized molecule inhibits the calpain enzyme from binding with other molecules that permit it to wreak its damaging effects.

"It's the first example of an alpha-helical inhibitor of any protease," Greenbaum says. "Previously no one's ever tried using an alpha-helical motif. It opens up a new way of inhibiting proteases." Aside from being a good inhibitor, the stabilized alpha-helical molecule is also highly specific for calpains, while ignoring other, similar-shaped proteases, thus hopefully downplaying potential side effects if used in humans.

Greenbaum and his collaborators are building upon this initial success to expand the basic concept to a wide range of protease molecules. "The next step is to show how this concept can be generalized to multiple classes of proteases, many of which are pharmaceutically of great interest," he explains. "It's not a single-hit wonder."

The extension of the technique to stabilize the alpha-helix shape in enzymes to other proteins could eventually lead to practical drug therapies for a wide range of diseases, predict the researchers.

This work was supported by funding from the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute; the National Institutes of Health (1R01AI09727301A1; 5T32GM071339; and GM54616); the Canadian Institutes for Health Research; and an R.J. Wilson Fellowship.

Co-authors are Hyunil Jo, Nataline Meinhardt, Yibing Wu, Swapnil Kulkarni, Xiaozhen Hu, Kristin E. Low, Peter L. Davies, and William F. DeGrado.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Hyunil Jo, Nataline Meinhardt, Yibing Wu, Swapnil Kulkarni, Xiaozhen Hu, Kristin E. Low, Peter L. Davies, William F. DeGrado, Doron C. Greenbaum. Development of ?-Helical Calpain Probes by Mimicking a Natural Protein?Protein Interaction. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2012; 134 (42): 17704 DOI: 10.1021/ja307599z

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/most_popular/~3/USYm4lfCvzQ/121227142953.htm

breaking news whitney houston carmen whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll i will always love you whitney cummings maine caucus

Friday, December 28, 2012

Video: Second-term challenges ahead for Obama

Will Kate Winslet become Kate Rocknroll?

So everyone knows women don't have to change their names when they get married, but come on, Kate Winslet, don't you want to be "Kate Rocknroll"? Winslet's wedding earlier this month was a surprise, but more surprising to many was the name of her groom: Ned Rocknroll.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50307348/

tupelo honey limp bizkit stations of the cross nike foamposite galaxy bill maher seabiscuit dingo

Apple Exploring Alternative Wind Power Technology And Motion-Control Mac Mice

Image (1) wind_turbine.jpg for post 111007Apple's patent filings today reveal one concept outside their usual product-focused applications, detailing a method for?harnessing?wind power in a manner different from that employed in traditional turbines. Electricity gathered from a wind turbine would be converted to heat energy and stored in a "low-heat capacity fluid" in Apple's patent, allowing it to be tapped on an as-needed basis whenever the wind dies down.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4SRtNPBDE6s/

Beach Volleyball Olympics 2012 Jessica Ennis Oscar Pistorius Aliya Mustafina Kirk Urso London 2012 Javelin roger federer

Westbrook rallies Thunder past Mavericks 111-105

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Kevin Durant scored 40 points while Russell Westbrook added eight of his 16 points in overtime to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Dallas 111-105 on Thursday night for their 11th straight win at home.

Serge Ibaka added 19 points and matched his season high with 17 rebounds as Oklahoma City charged back from 10 points down in the final 7:17 of regulation and found a way to win after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Darren Collison scored a season-best 32 points for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki scored nine points in his second game back after offseason knee surgery, showing some rust down the stretch.

Westbrook turned the game around with six straight points after the Mavs had gone up 104-101 on Chris Kaman's bucket inside midway through overtime. Westbrook had a layup, hit a jumper over Nowitzki and then made a leaping steal of an O.J. Mayo pass that led to a fast-break layup. The sequence left Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shaking his head in his seat near the team's bench.

Mayo was fouled on Dallas' next possession while shooting a 3-pointer, but he missed the first two foul shots with 33 seconds left as the sold-out Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd roared louder with each miss.

Westbrook hit two free throws after that to put it away ? this time for good.

Collison came up with a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it to overtime after Dallas had given up the lead for the first time since the opening 4 minutes.

Shawn Marion inbounded from the sideline with 2.2 seconds left, collected a deflected pass and headed toward the lane before kicking the ball out to Collison, who caught the ball in mid-air and heaved it toward the basket for the tying 3 from the right wing.

Replays showed he released the shot with one-tenth of a second left on the clock.

Still working his way back into shape, Nowitzki proved to be a liability during Oklahoma City's 17-6 fourth-quarter comeback. He sagged off of Durant far enough that the three-time NBA scoring champion could drill a 3-pointer from the left wing, then was trailing a play when O.J. Mayo backed into him and lost the ball to set up Durant's fast-break dunk and three-point play.

Durant's right-handed hook shot from the right block gave Oklahoma City its first lead since the opening 4 minutes at 96-95 with 1:57 to play.

Oklahoma City came up empty on three chances to extend the lead ? after back-to-back offensive rebounds by Ibaka ? but Durant hit a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds left after Westbrook stole the ball from Mayo and dove to cover it while calling timeout.

In overtime, Carlisle pulled Nowitzki in favor of Marion for defense at one point.

Kaman ended up with 17 poitns and Marion chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who were swept on a treacherous three-game road trip that featured stops at West contenders Memphis, San Antonio and Oklahoma City despite getting Nowitzki back. Dallas has lost seven of eight.

Dallas had been 11-1 this season when leading at the beginning of the fourth quarter and 11-2 after holding a 10-point lead or larger. Mayo, who had been averaging 20.6 points, scored only four and has 29 total over the last four games.

Oklahoma City had won 12 in a row before losing back-to-back games at Minnesota and Miami.

The franchises have grown quite familiar over the past two seasons, with each team taking a turn knocking the other out of the playoffs ? in addition to their proximity along Interstate 35 and a handful of preseason matchups to go with the usual regular-season meetings. Dallas eliminated Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals before winning the NBA title in 2011 and the Thunder swept the Mavs in the first round last season.

Other than Nowitzki and coach Rick Carlisle, there aren't many remnants of those Dallas teams left. An offseason overhaul left Marion, Vince Carter, Brandan Wright and Rodrigue Beaubois as the only Mavericks remaining from those clashes.

Collison scored 14 points with a blend of 3-pointers, layups, a jumper and a pair of free throws as Dallas got out to a 29-19 first-quarter lead. Dominique Jones drove for right-handed power slam against 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet and Jae Crowder converted a four-point play as the Mavs fought of an Oklahoma City comeback to lead 43-32.

The Thunder wiped nearly all of the deficit away, limiting Dallas to just one bucket over the final 6 minutes of the first half to draw within 45-43 after Ibaka missed a pair of free throws, then came soaring in to dunk the rebound off of Durant's second-chance jumper.

The Mavericks responded right away after their 11-point advantage had been erased, getting a pair of layups from Collison during a string of 10 straight points early in the third quarter. Kaman's jumper from the right side made it 55-45 with 9:05 left in the period.

Notes: Beaubois, a reserve guard for the Mavericks, did not play because of an illness. Carlisle said he hoped to have Beaubois back for Friday's home game against Denver. ... Reggie Jackson took Eric Maynor's minutes as Westbrook's backup at point guard for the second straight game. ... Durant remained first among Western Conference frontcourt players in NBA All-Star balloting returns announced Thursday. Westbrook stayed in fifth among guards. Nowitzki, who has made 11 straight All-Star games, was 13th in the frontcourt. ... Ibaka had a double-double by halftime for the first time in his career.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/westbrook-rallies-thunder-past-mavericks-111-105-041241047--spt.html

denver post dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer Jon Lord Colorado shootings dark knight rises

Caribbean Beauties: Two New Orchid Species Found

One of the world's newest orchid species is also its most delicate, with tiny white flowers smaller than a dime. Yet the flower finds its home amid boulders near the banks of rushing streams in Cuba's remote eastern mountains.

The orchid is one of two new species identified by botanists in Cuba, a hotbed for orchids ? the largest and most diverse plant family in the world. The islands of the Caribbean have more the 25,000 species of orchids tucked into their forests and rivers.

The new species was named Tetramicra riparia, a nod to its discovery along stony streams in the mountains of Baracoa, one of the rainiest and least explored areas in Cuba, ?ngel Vale, a researcher at the University of Vigo in Spain, said in a statement. The plant has an unusually broad, sturdy base: Its pedicel is almost four times as large as its column, Vale and his co-authors report.

The second new orchid, from the western tip of the island, dwarfs its neighbor in size. The flower's showy purple and green petals are similar to a daffodil in appearance, spreading more than 2.5 inches (7 centimeters), with up to 20 blooms on one plant.

Like many orchids, the flower, dubbed Encyclia navarroi, is epiphytic, meaning it grows on other plants for support, but not for nutrients. Along the western coast, the species preferred to perch on plumeria and ficus, the researchers discovered.

Both new species are deceit pollinators, Vale said, enticing bees to spread their pollen without a reward. "Contrary to most plants, many orchids do not produce nectar or other substances to compensate insects and birds that visit them," he said.

Vale and his colleagues are studying orchids throughout the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico) to reconstruct their evolutionary history and analyze the effect of pollinators in their development. One of the mysteries they aim to solve is whether deceit orchids have greater diversity than other nectar-producing species.

"Despite the fact that T. riparia's flowers have a complete central petal, just like other species that make up a subgenre endemic to Cuba; the way they grow is very similar to a more widespread group that seems to have diverged on the neighboring island of Hispaniola," Vale said. "Our work provides molecular evidence of the greater relationship of T. riparia with these species on the neighboring island."

The findings were detailed in the October 2012 issue of the journal Systematic Botany and the April 2012 issue of the journal Annales Botanici Fennici.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/caribbean-beauties-two-orchid-species-found-194619344.html

blake griffin dunk florida primary full force odd fellows eli whitney blake griffin dunk on kendrick perkins kendrick perkins

Baseball Softball Registration - Oakland Recreation

FORM BEING TESTED ? DO NOT USE THIS FORM RIGHT NOW ? THIS FORM IS BEING TESTED ? DO NOT USE THIS FORM

cforms contact form by delicious:days

BE SURE TO CHECK ?EMAIL ME THIS FORM TO PRINT OUT? and then include the print out ? SIGNED- with your check.

Baseball:
Kindergarten: $58; 1st/2nd grade: $68; 3rd-6th grade: $78; 7th-9th grade: $108

Softball: 1st/2nd grade: $68; 3rd-9th grade $86

Please make all checks out to the Borough of Oakland.

Source: http://oaklandrec.org/blog/2012/12/baseball-softball-registration/

ncaa basketball oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista

Thursday, December 27, 2012

KOL's Nathan Followill, Jessie Baylin welcome baby

FILE - This Feb. 12, 2012 file photo shows Jessie Baylin with her husband Nathan Followill of the band Kings of Leon at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Followill and Baylin welcomed a baby girl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - This Feb. 12, 2012 file photo shows Jessie Baylin with her husband Nathan Followill of the band Kings of Leon at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Followill and Baylin welcomed a baby girl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

(AP) ? The Kings of Leon family has just gotten bigger.

Drummer Nathan Followill and his wife, singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin, welcomed a baby girl on Wednesday. It's the first baby for the couple and the third for the Followill family band. Nathan Followill's brother Caleb and cousin Matthew also have children.

A spokesman says Violet Marlowe Followill was born at 4:01 p.m. in Nashville. She was 7 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.

The baby comes before what promises to be a busy 2013 for Kings of Leon. The Nashville, Tenn.-based band has been working on new music for an album that's expected to be released next year. Baylin released her third album, "Little Spark," earlier this year.

The couple has been married since 2009.

___

Online:

http://kingsofleon.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-27-People-Kings%20of%20Leon/id-0601d12d624946fe87f9324a09cc8673

presidents george washington russell westbrook horsetail falls ice t downton abbey new york knicks

Eating asparagus may prevent a hangover, study suggests

Dec. 26, 2012 ? Drinking to ring in the New Year may leave many suffering with the dreaded hangover. According to a 2009 study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells against toxins.

Researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in Korea analyzed the components of young asparagus shoots and leaves to compare their biochemical effects on human and rat liver cells. "The amino acid and mineral contents were found to be much higher in the leaves than the shoots," says lead researcher B.Y. Kim.

Chronic alcohol use causes oxidative stress on the liver as well as unpleasant physical effects associated with a hangover. "Cellular toxicities were significantly alleviated in response to treatment with the extracts of asparagus leaves and shoots," says Kim. "These results provide evidence of how the biological functions of asparagus can help alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells."

Asparagus officinalis is a common vegetable that is widely consumed worldwide and has long been used as an herbal medicine due to its anticancer effects. It also has antifungal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. B.-Y. Kim, Z.-G. Cui, S.-R. Lee, S.-J. Kim, H.-K. Kang, Y.-K. Lee, D.-B. Park. Effects of?Asparagus officinalis?Extracts on Liver Cell Toxicity and Ethanol Metabolism. Journal of Food Science, 2009; 74 (7): H204 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01263.x

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/~3/WHW_RR0aDoQ/121226101227.htm

What Is Labor Day jersey shore Pasquale Rotella Michael Clark Duncan michael jackson courtney stodden Ncaa Football Scores

Self Improvement Techniques: A Guide To A Better Life - Health Care

Most people wish they had a slightly different life. For some, the shows itself in their personal life whereas with others, they prefer to concentrate on improving their professional careers. Anyone intrigued by the idea of self improvement will find the insights of this article quite useful.

Come up with a little pep talk for yourself. Write a list of each of your good points and attributes on an index card. Take it with you everywhere you go, and go over each quality when you feel the need. Another great idea is to recite the list while filming yourself, so that you can view the footage regularly. Is there a benefit?

Speaking to a therapist or religious official can really help you out. Not only have they been trained to deal in personal growth, their experience in these issues is what makes them a good choice to speak with. They?ll eagerly listen, analyze what?s going on and help you find enlightenment. Talking these issues through with someone who is a professional will help you be healthier and happier in the long term.

Understand that there is a divide between where you are and where you wish to go. This is the best way to be able to set a course of direction to get there. If you do not know this, you are not ready to begin personal development.

Read literature that is focused on self improvement. A good book can provide you with the information that you need to get started on your journey toward a new you. Pick out a book that has gotten good reviews because there are some books about self improvement that are not written very well.

When trying to achieve personal development, failures can dampen and hurt an individual?s ego and self esteem. Approach your failures as opportunities to learn. Failure helps you figure out what you are good at and what needs improvement. When you look at it that way, failure should inspire pride in your ability to discover a new piece in your puzzle.

To keep from saying something you may regret later, count from one to ten before speaking. This gives you time to get your emotions under control. Take a cleansing breath and focus on something positive. Picture yourself remaining calm and saying only what you will not regret.

If you hope to advance your state of knowledge regarding self improvement, it can help to show a little humility. As you acknowledge that you are small and insignificant in this universe, the more that you realize your lack of knowledge. Once you absorb this fact, you will have a desire for further knowledge and understanding.

Make the important aspects of your life the focus of how you live. You will have much more inner peace if you just choose to focus on things that matter to you.

For many, there is a vague feeling of discontentment and an urge to facilitate change, but they lack the knowledge needed to begin. While a great result is only going to be achieved by you putting in the effort, here are some handy hints to get you on the road to success. Stay motivated by keeping these tips in mind at all times.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

Source: http://www.healthcarecenteradvice.com/2012/12/24/self-improvement-techniques-a-guide-to-a-better-life-2/

brady quinn bloom box fat tuesday obama sweet home chicago accenture match play george washington carver king cake

Source: http://romeokolodz.posterous.com/self-improvement-techniques-a-guide-to-a-bett

Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012 Tom Daley

Source: http://arebeba.posterous.com/self-improvement-techniques-a-guide-to-a-bett

greg mortenson jim marshall died 2013 toyota avalon the secret life of bees full moon aubrey o day masters live

Wordpress Web Development | Wordpress Development India ...

Hiring an world-class wordpress development company for your business website

The business argument is changing at a fast pace. Gone are the days when business was all about files, contracts and in-house meetings. Today, businesses have gone online to begin a better communication with their target audience. With the extensive acceptance of the online business trend, the need of own a individual web space has also increased. This has bring more and more business owners to knock the doors of website development firms for increasing an successful web presence for them. The web development trend has picked up and numerous websites are now stream online, acting as the online emblem of businesses worldwide.

If you are also planning to launch your business portal, then the first requisite is to choose a appropriate development portal. Presently, the web arena is stocked with several content management systems (CMS) that are behind numerous websites. Of all these CMS, WordPress has emerged as the undisputed leader. WordPress, with its feature-rich edge, is providing a cordial user-experience to millions international. Choosing WordPress for your next development endeavor can be a smart move, especially if you are looking to develop a content-driven portal.

WordPress development is best handle by professionals, so it is desirable to outsource your development requirements to a WordPress development company. There are several firms that offer development of WordPress websites as a part of their service portfolio. You should, however, be very careful while finalizing on a firm. There are few things that you must keep in mind while select a development service provider.

The grown-up the Wine the Better It Tastes:
Experience Matters: If you go by the saying, you will understand how very important it is for your development partner to be experienced. Always go for a firm that has proven expertise in the ground of web development. An experienced service provider will only deploy confirmed methodologies and best practices while developing your portal.

Right Technology ensure forceful Edge: The technologies used by the development firm also play a pivotal in decisive its worth. If a company is using out dated technology which is not well-matched with present web standards, your website may have to bear the losses. So make sure that the web services partner you are choosing is equipped au courant development tools and is aware of latest technology updates. This will give you an edge over your competitors.


Portfolio Mirrors the Work Quality: The work portfolio of a firm showcases its blueprint and development capabilities. So, checking a company's portfolio is an intelligent move. This will give you a fair idea about the quality of its work and also a sneak peek into its past development ventures.

Value for Money: analyze cost parameter is also essential. Conduct a thorough research upon the cost involved in WordPress development and compare it with the price quoted by the service provider you have shortlisted. This will assist you in getting a fair deal and your chances of getting low-priced prices are significantly high. Also check whether they have included after sales support services in their package or not. At times, firms don't include the charges of hosting and maintenance services in their initial package but bill you for them later. To ensure that you are not over-billed, discuss all the cost parameters before finalizing the work contract.

An experienced and capable web development partner ensures that you get a strong head start in your online venture. Take the aforementioned pointers into consideration and choose the apt Word Press development company that will assist you augment in the online business arena. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-style-parent:""; line-heigh t:115%; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:" Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNew Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}

Source: http://www.shvoong.com/internet-and-technologies/business-economy/2345352-wordpress-web-development-wordpress-development/

clay aiken zambrano orange bowl tim howard goal ben gibbard nfl playoff schedule tim howard scores