Breathing Life into a Forgotten Family Heirloom - Old Town Home

This is the story of a chair. It's not just any chair, it's a special chair. No, it won't fly us around the room, it won't grant us wishes, and it won't run errands or do chores for us, no matter how nicely we ask. But if it won't do any of that, then how is it special? Well, this chair is a time machine of sorts. The chair I'm speaking of is Wendy's great grandfather's rectory chair.

As children of families with deep heritage and histories, we both know stories and have knowledge of our lineage. Neither of us are from any sort of famous, powerful, or particularly wealthy families, and both of our families represent an eclectic mix of hard working individuals. The various sides of our families' roots in the United States were?established?anywhere from the industrial revolution to the Revolutionary War, all depending on the branch of our respective trees. But no matter the situation, each of our families came here with little, in hopes of providing more for their loved ones. For this very reason, antiques, keepsakes, and heirloom pieces passed from generation to generation are rare and treasured.

As a young girl, Wendy remembers this old, dirty, and wobbly chair sitting in her parents' basement. As the story goes, this chair once sat in a church rectory, and somehow ended up in her great grandfather's possession. Dark and splintered wood, worn with age and use, faded and torn fabric seat, and tattered burlap seat straps did little to tell the story of the possibly rich history the chair possesses. Instead, its current condition acted as more of a footnote to its largely unknown legend.

As a child, Wendy was unaware of the chair's eventual meaning to her. She always knew it was her great grandfather's chair, but figured it was a lost cause from a furniture or seating standpoint and was only being held onto for some sentimental purposes.

As we grew older and began to build an appreciation for our families' history, we both started searching for items that can hold a special meaning in our lives, and in the history of our families. At one point, Wendy asked her parents if they had any plans for the abandoned chair in their basement, and if they didn't, could we have it??Wendy's parents generously gifted the worn and tired chair and wished us luck.

We received the chair in 2004 and began work on it almost immediately. We had hoped to salvage it in some way, but were unsure given the tough shape much of the wood was in. Dry, cracked, splintered, and wobbly, the chair had seen better days.?While working on nail removal, one of the pegs slipped from the chair's arm revealing a completely failed glue joint. This joint failure explained the wobbly nature of the chair's structure.?We knew we'd need to do a little bit more aggressive of chair surgery if we were going to be able to use the piece for its intended purpose.

After we completely disassembled the chair, we were able to begin working on the chair in earnest.?Though we had every intention to restore the chair to its former glory, we had little?know how?at the time. Still newlyweds and with a "new" very old house, we had a project list longer than we could fathom and few specialized tools (such as cabinet clamps) that would be necessary. We had gotten off to a decent?start, but we put the project off to the side, where it sat for an additional eight years.

As luck would have it, our kitchen/sun porch "rethink" rolled around this summer. Knowing we'd need additional seating, Wendy raised the idea of using her great grandfather's chair for the room. She was hopeful we could work it in, but figured it would be more of a decorative element than functional. It's old wobble was so severe, she assumed we wouldn't be able to use it as viable seating.?After disassembling the chair, we were left with four pieces that needed a complete sanding and prep.

I did the majority of the remaining sanding using my Fein Multimaster oscillating tool and sanding pads I had cut to a more manageable size.?I found using the oscillating tool to be a bit slower, but it allowed me to get into the detail areas of the chair. I also found it was much less likely to leave those tiny little swirl marks you often see with an orbital sander.

After a few more hours the chair's sanding was complete. I went over the whole chair with 220 grit paper and "00" steel wool, we were ready for reassembly.

I've had an internal struggle over sanding this chair for quite some time. I mentioned in a prior post that my inexperience in what we're doing really showed when we were given the chair. Back in 2004 I was sanding everything raw, caulking gaps all over the place, and pocket hole screwing?everything?to death. I didn't yet have an appreciation for the patina and character that comes with "old."?Once I started to gain this appreciation, I began to regret my decision to take off all of the chair's original finish. Perhaps there was something I could have done to better preserve the chair's character?

Through much soul searching I came to a final conclusion. (Can you tell I take this chair seriously?) I determined that, if I had it to do over again I would not have sanded the chair so?aggressively. But what's done is done, and I know better for the next time, I just need to be sure I put as much effort into making this chair exactly what it should be with what I have to work with.

With the chair ready to assembly, I broke out my various cabinet clamps. These clamps were absolutely necessary in ensuring my ability to assemble the chair the way it once was and should always be.

I painted wood glue on the various dowels of the chair and also applied glue on the surfaces that accept the dowels.

Painting on the glue rather than just slopping it into place allows the joint to be securely made without having glue squeeze out all over the place.?Once all of the glue was applied, I made the necessary connections and clamped the whole chair back together.

The rear of the chair has two steel slot head screws that were the final pieces I had to insert. Once in place, I was able to take a step back at the famed chair finally reassembled.

After allowing several hours of dry time I removed the clamps and inspected the work. The chair was secure and sturdy. Even without a seat I could tell it would be plenty sturdy to act as actual seating. I brought the chair into the sun porch to see how it might eventually look in the space. It was nearly perfect.

I surprised Wendy by completing the chair assembly and putting it in place and I can't tell you how happy she was when she arrived home and saw it. She danced around and gave me a huge hug. We had longed talked about getting this chair back in place and it was finally becoming a reality.

We still have a fair amount of work left before we can call the project done. We need to stain the chair as well as install jute webbing, a burlap cover, and a seat cushion, but we can see the whole thing taking shape. We're planning to stain it a very dark brown a little later this week. We'll be sure to update you on progress.

What do you think of our sentimental heirloom and its placement in our sun porch? Do you have a piece of furniture in your home, that has been passed down from generation to generation? Maybe a family heirloom that you've worked to restore? If so, we'd love to hear all about it.

Source: http://www.oldtownhome.com/2012/11/27/Breathing-Life-into-a-Forgotten-Family-Heirloom/index.aspx

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15 strange (but true) WWE facts

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/classics/wwe-strange-but-true-facts

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University of Maryland School of Medicine, NIH study pinpoints brain area's role in learning

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

Contact: Karen Robinson
karobinson@som.umaryland.edu
410-706-7590
University of Maryland Medical Center

Study on orbitofrontal cortex's possible role in conditions such as drug addiction published in the journal Science

An area of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for decisions made on the spur of the moment, but not those made based on prior experience or habit, according to a new basic science study from substance abuse researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Scientists had previously believed that the area of the brain was responsible for both types of behavior and decision-making. The distinction is critical to understanding the neurobiology of decision-making, particularly with regard to substance abuse. The study was published online in the journal Science.

Scientists have assumed that the orbitofrontal cortex plays a role in "value-based" decision-making, when a person compares options and weights consequences and rewards to choose best alternative. The Science study shows that this area of the brain is involved in decision-making only when the value must be inferred or computed rapidly or hastily. If the value has been "cached" or pre-computed, like a habit, then the orbitofrontal cortex is not necessary.

The same is true for learning if a person infers an outcome but it does not happen, the resulting error can drive learning. The study shows that the orbitofrontal cortex is necessary for the inferred value that is used for this type of learning.

"Our research showed that damage to the orbitofrontal cortex may decrease a person's ability to use prior experience to make good decisions on the fly," says lead author Joshua Jones, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a research scientist at NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health. "The person isn't able to consider the whole continuum of the decision the mind's map of how choices play out further down the road. Instead, the person is going to regress to habitual behavior, gravitating toward the choice that provides the most value in its immediate reward."

The study enhances scientists' understanding of how the brain works in healthy and unhealthy individuals, according to the researchers.

"This discovery has general implications in understanding how the brain processes information to help us make good decisions and to learn from our mistakes," says senior author Geoffrey Schoenbaum, M.D., Ph.D., adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and senior investigator and chief of the Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch at NIDA. "Understanding more about the orbitofrontal cortex also is important for understanding disorders such as addiction that seem to involve maladaptive decision-making and learning. Cocaine in particular seems to have long-lasting effects on the orbitofrontal cortex. One aspect of this work, which we are pursuing, is that perhaps some of the problems that characterize addiction are the result of drug-induced changes in this area of the brain."

The scientists are continuing their research, examining the specific coding of the neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex during this process, as well as the effects that drugs of abuse have upon this area of the brain.

"Drug addiction is marked by severe deficits in judgment and bad decision-making on the part of the addict," says Dr. Jones. "We believe that drugs, particularly cocaine, affect the orbitofrontal cortex. They coerce the system and hijack decision-making."

The researchers examined the orbitofrontal cortex's role in value-guided behavior. The brain assigns two different types of values to behaviors and choices. Cached value is a value that is learned during prior experience. Inferred value happens on the spur of the moment, considering the entire model of rewards and consequences.

"Cached value is stored during prior experience, says Dr. Jones. "For example, you learn your route home on your commute through experience the habit of how you get home. You turn right, go left, make another right. Inferred values, however, are based on estimating goals and values on the fly using your knowledge of the entire structure of the environment. For example, instead of just habitually going home on your usual route, you have the full map in your mind of all the roads that you use. You can adjust your route, making different turns, depending on the time of day or the amount of traffic. These inferred decisions are adaptive much more flexible based on the situation."

The scientists used a rat model for their research, disabling the orbitofrontal cortex and measuring the difference in behavior that resulted. Further study using the same rat model work not reported in this paper has shown that cocaine use mimics this damage to the orbitofrontal cortex.

Further study of this neurobiological mechanism is needed, and the results have not been replicated in humans, but certainly the research is promising, says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Our goal here at the School of Medicine is to make groundbreaking discoveries in the laboratory that can be translated into new treatments and new hope for patients and their families," says Dean Reece. "We are hopeful that research tells us more about the basic mechanisms in the brain will translate to new techniques in neurobiology and in treating devastating conditions such as drug addiction."

###

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, and the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. www.medschool.umaryland.edu.

---

[ | 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-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen Robinson
karobinson@som.umaryland.edu
410-706-7590
University of Maryland Medical Center

Study on orbitofrontal cortex's possible role in conditions such as drug addiction published in the journal Science

An area of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for decisions made on the spur of the moment, but not those made based on prior experience or habit, according to a new basic science study from substance abuse researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Scientists had previously believed that the area of the brain was responsible for both types of behavior and decision-making. The distinction is critical to understanding the neurobiology of decision-making, particularly with regard to substance abuse. The study was published online in the journal Science.

Scientists have assumed that the orbitofrontal cortex plays a role in "value-based" decision-making, when a person compares options and weights consequences and rewards to choose best alternative. The Science study shows that this area of the brain is involved in decision-making only when the value must be inferred or computed rapidly or hastily. If the value has been "cached" or pre-computed, like a habit, then the orbitofrontal cortex is not necessary.

The same is true for learning if a person infers an outcome but it does not happen, the resulting error can drive learning. The study shows that the orbitofrontal cortex is necessary for the inferred value that is used for this type of learning.

"Our research showed that damage to the orbitofrontal cortex may decrease a person's ability to use prior experience to make good decisions on the fly," says lead author Joshua Jones, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a research scientist at NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health. "The person isn't able to consider the whole continuum of the decision the mind's map of how choices play out further down the road. Instead, the person is going to regress to habitual behavior, gravitating toward the choice that provides the most value in its immediate reward."

The study enhances scientists' understanding of how the brain works in healthy and unhealthy individuals, according to the researchers.

"This discovery has general implications in understanding how the brain processes information to help us make good decisions and to learn from our mistakes," says senior author Geoffrey Schoenbaum, M.D., Ph.D., adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and senior investigator and chief of the Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch at NIDA. "Understanding more about the orbitofrontal cortex also is important for understanding disorders such as addiction that seem to involve maladaptive decision-making and learning. Cocaine in particular seems to have long-lasting effects on the orbitofrontal cortex. One aspect of this work, which we are pursuing, is that perhaps some of the problems that characterize addiction are the result of drug-induced changes in this area of the brain."

The scientists are continuing their research, examining the specific coding of the neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex during this process, as well as the effects that drugs of abuse have upon this area of the brain.

"Drug addiction is marked by severe deficits in judgment and bad decision-making on the part of the addict," says Dr. Jones. "We believe that drugs, particularly cocaine, affect the orbitofrontal cortex. They coerce the system and hijack decision-making."

The researchers examined the orbitofrontal cortex's role in value-guided behavior. The brain assigns two different types of values to behaviors and choices. Cached value is a value that is learned during prior experience. Inferred value happens on the spur of the moment, considering the entire model of rewards and consequences.

"Cached value is stored during prior experience, says Dr. Jones. "For example, you learn your route home on your commute through experience the habit of how you get home. You turn right, go left, make another right. Inferred values, however, are based on estimating goals and values on the fly using your knowledge of the entire structure of the environment. For example, instead of just habitually going home on your usual route, you have the full map in your mind of all the roads that you use. You can adjust your route, making different turns, depending on the time of day or the amount of traffic. These inferred decisions are adaptive much more flexible based on the situation."

The scientists used a rat model for their research, disabling the orbitofrontal cortex and measuring the difference in behavior that resulted. Further study using the same rat model work not reported in this paper has shown that cocaine use mimics this damage to the orbitofrontal cortex.

Further study of this neurobiological mechanism is needed, and the results have not been replicated in humans, but certainly the research is promising, says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Our goal here at the School of Medicine is to make groundbreaking discoveries in the laboratory that can be translated into new treatments and new hope for patients and their families," says Dean Reece. "We are hopeful that research tells us more about the basic mechanisms in the brain will translate to new techniques in neurobiology and in treating devastating conditions such as drug addiction."

###

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, and the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. www.medschool.umaryland.edu.

---

[ | 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/2012-11/uomm-uom112612.php

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?Human error? cited in huge strip club blast

Jessica Hill / AP

Inspectors stand in debris Saturday at the site of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening.

By NBC News staff and news services

A powerful natural gas explosion that leveled a strip club, damaged 41 other buildings and injured about 20 people in Springfield, Mass., was triggered when a utility worker accidentally punctured a pipe, authorities announced on Sunday.

"Human error ... is what the cause of the explosion was," Massachusetts Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said at an afternoon news conference.

---

Officials said a worker for Columbia Gas Co., responding to a call Friday evening about a gas odor in a building on Worthington Street in the city?s entertainment district, was using a metal probe to try to find the leak. He accidentally punctured an underground pipeline, causing gas to rush out, and an unknown spark triggered the powerful explosion.

The blast flattened Scores Gentlemen's Club, heavily damaged a day care center, shattered windows and scattered debris over several blocks. Scores and other area buildings had been evacuated before the blast,?according to The Republican newspaper.

Some officials called it a miracle that no one was killed.

Most of the injured were part of a group of gas workers, firefighters and police officers who ducked for cover behind a utility truck just before the blast. Part of the neighborhood already had been evacuated because of reports of a gas leak and odor.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

Preliminary reports showed the blast damaged a total of 42 buildings housing 115 residential units. Three buildings were immediately condemned, and 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe, according to The Associated Press.

Roughly 20 people were injured. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.

Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not near the blast site.

The city has been rebuilding from damage caused by a tornado in June 2011.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More content from NBCNews.com:

Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/25/15431811-human-error-blamed-for-gas-explosion-that-damaged-more-than-40-buildings-in-springfield-mass?lite

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makaskarler: World Racquetball News: no 1 racquetball player in ...

Donna Ryder from Newport, Co. Mayo, is a Sports Scholarship student at IT Sligo and is currently ranked the no 1 racquetball player in Europe. She was conferred with a Bachelor of Business in Recreation and Leisure at the 2012 IT Sligo Conferring.
Mayo graduates were among more than 1,800 graduates conferred at IT Sligo at its annual Conferring Ceremonies last week. President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott, said encouraged the graduates to be entrepreneurial in their outlook.
She quoted the President of the USA Barak Obama who said that ?focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it?s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realise your true potential.?

Source: http://mauro-racquetball.blogspot.com/2012/11/no-1-racquetball-player-in-europe.html

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Source: http://makaskarler.blogspot.com/2012/11/world-racquetball-news-no-1-racquetball.html

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Source: http://mcmillan5061.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/makaskarler-world-racquetball-news-no-1-racquetball-player-in.html

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Weight loss motivation advice | Visual.ly

L.A. Bariatrics, the surgical weight loss clinic at Marina Del Rey Hospital, released their latest infographic to serve as a source of inspiration for people embarking on a weight loss journey or seeking motivation to lose weight, stay on healthy diets and exercise plans, by gathering and presenting advices from people who are a true inspiration through their weight loss achievements and dedication to a healthy lifestyle. L.A. Bariatrics hopes that through this infographic, people struggling with obesity will find motivation to lose weight and start leading a healthy lifestyle.

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Show More

Source: http://visual.ly/weight-loss-motivation-advice

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legitimate beatify: [HD] Home Improvement Star Trek Home Theater ...

Scratch built wooden home theater for his wife (Yeah, right!) This four-minute video shows the final result of the building upgrade your home theater with the Star Trek Enterprise Bridge colors (see Building slideshow video link below). Inspired (and copy) of ?home theater Bridge? Gary Reighn. I use the Optoma DLP projector with 1080p TX1080 to 120 ?screen. LCARS display runs from Dell. 7.1 audio sound system. Lighting is controlled by the X-10. The four network interface device to your home network. Sony Blu-ray is used for media WDTV Live (Western Digital) is used to connect to 1TB and 5TB hard drive media server streaming from the Internet and home networking. It was a project completed 10 weeks of thanksgiving 2010th Phase 1

[HD] Home Improvement Star Trek Home Theater ? Final Project Video

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Comments are currently closed.

Source: http://alsdiary.thecommentatorblogs.com/hd-home-improvement-star-trek-home-theater-final-project-video/

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Source: http://weasel-britte.blogspot.com/2012/11/hd-home-improvement-star-trek-home.html

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Source: http://rercasrom.posterous.com/hd-home-improvement-star-trek-home-theater-fi

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Source: http://legitimate-beatify.blogspot.com/2012/11/hd-home-improvement-star-trek-home.html

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Not for All the Tea in China...Black Friday Shopping!

Not for All the Tea in China- Black Friday Shopping!

When I was a little girl, it was a time when a sale was a sale. ?In fact, if I
recall, the ?real? sale began the day after Christmas. ??Friday?s were known for no meat (if you were Catholic), not for ?Black Friday.? ?

On December 26, my aunt and mother would pile my cousins and me into the car and head to downtown Houston and to Foley?s..... a 9 story department store in the middle of downtown. ?I can remember just about every square inch of it, from the basement up every escalator to the 9th floor. ?
?

Our target- ? price wrapping paper, ornaments and Christmas cards. ?This was the one time of year when these things went on sale.
?

Fast forward to today.... everything?s on sale all year long somewhere!
?

Some workers are protesting having to work these extra hours to maximize a store?s exposure for Black Friday....others say they should be happy they have a job.
?

I?m on the fence on that one but I do know that I?m not heading into that mess known as Black Friday. ?I wish the retailers well but I?ve been on the front lines of shopping.
?

I want a real sale if I?m to head out at midnight for something... or fight the post Thanksgiving crowds packed with excess energy having spent the previous day indulging in Thanksgiving treats and 8 hours of football.

What about you?

Who?s heading out for Black Friday?

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?

?

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

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?

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3528207/not-for-all-the-tea-in-china-black-friday-shopping-

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Circus owner found guilty of elephant cruelty

LONDON (Reuters) - A British circus owner was given a conditional discharge on Friday for causing unnecessary suffering to an Asian elephant by keeping her chained up and allowing a handler to beat her.

Bobby Roberts, 69, was convicted of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Northampton Crown Court heard that Anne, an arthritic, 58-year-old elephant was kept tethered to the ground by one front leg and one back leg at all times.

Roberts failed to give Anne her arthritis medicine and to prevent a handler from repeatedly beating the animal. Roberts told the court he would never have condoned the beatings.

Secret film of the beatings taken by rights group Animal Defenders International (ADI) formed a key part of the prosecution case.

Roberts's wife Moira, 75, was cleared of the same three charges following a five-day trial. Both she and her husband had denied the charges.

The Press Association reported that District Judge David Chinnery told Bobby Roberts he recognised that he had not directly inflicted the suffering, adding that he had cared for animals "for the greater part of your 70 years without criticism from any quarter.

"No cruelty was administered by your own hand. The chaining I regard as serious but the real cruelty it seems to me was inflicted by your groom, a man whom you had entrusted with the care of Anne, behind your back and without your knowledge."

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued a statement after the verdict.

"Today should serve as a warning that those who mistreat animals can expect to face prosecution," it said.

But ADI was disappointed with the sentence.

"Despite the considerable suffering caused to Anne the elephant, the sentencing meted out to Mr Roberts is derisory and provides no faith that the Animal Welfare Act can protect animals in circuses," ADI Chief Executive Jan Creamer said in a statement.

In April 2011, as a result of the secret filming, Anne was taken away from the Super Circus in Polebrook, Northamptonshire owned by Roberts, and re-homed at a safari park.

She was born in the wild in Sri Lanka in 1954, the ADI website said. In 2001 her offspring Janie and Beverly died suddenly, leaving Anne alone, the website added.

(Reporting By Dasha Afanasieva, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/circus-owner-found-guilty-elephant-cruelty-173005826.html

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Is there a rising tide of irrationality?

Link Information - Click to View

Is there a rising tide of irrationality?
Despite claims that pseudoscientific views are on the rise, history shows that belief in things like astrology or the paranormal have always been with us and are likely to remain

Source: TheGuardian
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 10:36am
Views: 16

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125401/Is_there_a_rising_tide_of_irrationality_

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Photos: Formal Opening Of Noble Automotive | Bernews.com

Minister of Education Dame Jennifer Smith formally opened the Noble Automotive at mechanic facility at the CedarBridge Academy on Monday [Nov 19]. A?partnership exists between CedarBridge Academy and Noble Automotive where over the next three years, the organisation will work with the school to advance its motor mechanics and electrical engineering programme.

Click to enlarge photos:

Read More About: Cedarbridge Academy, Jennifer Smith

Category: All, Photos

Source: http://bernews.com/2012/11/photos-formal-opening-of-noble-automotive/

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With Google's Former Identity Director As CTO And $2M In New ...

Identity verification startup Trulioo is launching its first product today ? Profile Plus, a service that analyzes Facebook profiles and determines whether they?re likely to be spoof accounts.

The company has had a busy few months, and in conjunction with the Profile Plus launch, it?s also announcing that it has raised $2 million in seed funding from Blumberg Capital and hired Andrew Nash as its CTO. Nash?s most recent job was as the director of Internet identity products at Google, and he first joined Trulioo as an advisor before coming on full-time in August.

Co-founder and CEO Stephen Ufford told me that Trulioo started in 2009 as a background-check service for dating sites, but it has evolved into something much more ambitious. To use the company?s tagline, it aims to be ?the identity bureau? of the Internet. Ufford has a background in this area, having founded three other credit and identity startups in the past decade, and also worked for Canada?s credit bureau.

For the most part, online identity verification services currently use some form of knowledge-based authentication ? at its most basic level, that means the ?what was the name of your first pet?? questions that you?ve probably had to answer once in a while. (There are, of course, more sophisticated variations on the concept.). The problem, Ufford said, is that knowledge-based authentication is ?high friction? and has major issues with data coverage.

He argued that Trulioo will offer a different approach, ?trying to get a better understanding of who you are at a lower cost.? With Profile Plus, for example, the company isn?t determining whether you really are who you say you are, but instead whether you?re a ?wet carbon lifeform? instead of a machine. More specifically, when a business signs up for Profile Plus, Trulioo looks at all of the accounts that have connected through Facebook Connect, and it estimates the likelihood that those accounts belong to real people. After all, businesses probably don?t want to waste time and money on marketing and outreach to fake accounts.

You can test out the Profile Plus algorithm for yourself here. After analyzing my Facebook account, Profile Plus said that I?m probably a real person ? much to my relief ? and estimated that it would have at least 5,000 hours to ?spoof? my account. (Unfortunately I don?t run any spoof accounts that I could test as a counterexample.)

Next, Ufford plans to launch a product called Social Verify, which will look at social data to assess whether the registration information that a user provides is likely to be correct. As the company releases more products, Ufford said he wants them to be completely transparent and optional for consumers ? you don?t have to share any information you don?t want to, but it might be worth it, because you can benefit when companies and other people know that ?you are a real person and not a machine.?

Trulioo - The Identity Bureau. Providing websites with the ability to verify over 1.3 billion identities in 186 countries and 30 languages.

? Learn more

Blumberg Capital is a classic, early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in innovative and disruptive Digital and Social Media, SaaS/Technology Enabled Services, Mobile Technology and Internet companies. We strive to collaborate with exceptionally talented entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas and scalable business models to drive innovation and economic growth. Blumberg Capital initially seeks to invest between $250,000 and $2,500,000 dollars and is a lifecycle investor. We structure syndicates with other like-minded groups to increase reach and reduce risk for...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/20/trulioo-profile-plus/

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Help Put the ?Giving? - Americas Best Agents

Thanksgiving Day brings families and friends together in a celebration of gratitude and thanks. However, it is also a time for reflection and for giving back to your community and to those less fortunate. Whether it is a result of the economy, a natural disaster such as Hurricane Sandy or other mitigating factors, millions across the United States could use a little help around this Holiday season.

Thankfully there are plenty of church programs, non-profits and other organizations that are dedicated to helping those less fortunate ? not just during the holidays, but during the whole year round.

Here are six of them, with links to ways you can help:

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross provides disaster relief and countless other services that depend largely on a vast network of volunteers. You can assist the American Red Cross simply by making a financial contribution, but there are plenty of other ways to provide, including volunteer work, donating blood and even teaching others.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity believes that every man, woman and child deserves housing that is both safe and affordable. The non-profit group has built thousands of simple and sustainable homes for low-income families around the world thanks to countless of volunteers who volunteer their time and expertise to Habitat builds. A quick and easy way to help is to participate in the Realtor.com Building Hope Challenge in support of Habitat for Humanity.

Meals On Wheels

The oldest and largest national origination dedicated to assisting local, community-based seniors, Meals On Wheels has made delivering daily meals directly to Golden Ager?s its mission ? deliveries that wouldn?t be made without strong network of 5,000-plus community programs and countless, countless volunteers.

St. Vincent de Paul

An international non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the poor, St. Vincent de Paul provides community assistance in the form of services including clothing, feeding and sheltering the less fortunate. Most Saint Vincent de Paul chapters are comprised of and maintained by a staff that is 100% volunteers.

Feeding America

Feeding America is a network of food banks whose mission is to feed America?s hungry and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Feeding America supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 90,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes.

No Kid Hungry

Like Meals On Wheels aims to end senior hunger, No Kid Hungry is a non-profit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. The organization not only connects kids to nutrition programs, it also teaches families how to cook healthy, low-cost meals for their children.

Realtor.com is proud to be a supporter of Habitat for Humanity?s BUiLD program. Join our Building Hope Challenge to stand with us in contributing to the success of BUiLD.

The post Help Put the ?Giving? in Thanksgiving With These Amazing Charities appeared first on REALTOR.com? Blog.

Source: http://americasbestagents.net/blog/help-put-the-%E2%80%9Cgiving%E2%80%9D-in-thanksgiving-with-these-amazing-charities/

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Oil up to above $87 after Tel Aviv bus explosion

The price of oil rebounded slightly to above $87 a barrel on Wednesday after an explosion injured 10 people on a bus in Tel Aviv, a development that has the potential to seriously complicate diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Islamic militant group Hamas.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for January delivery was up 68 cents to $87.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Tuesday, the contract fell $2.53 to finish at $86.75 on signs that a deal between the two warring sides might be close.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other world diplomats were shuttling between Jerusalem, the West Bank and Cairo, trying to piece together a truce that would satisfy the two foes after a week of fighting.

Those efforts could be imperiled by an explosion on a bus in Tel Aviv, Israel's second-largest city, which injured 10 people.

Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland said the lack of a cease-fire which seemed nearer on Tuesday means the market "needs to reconsider having some geopolitical premium for the long weekend."

U.S. markets will be closed Thursday and close early on Friday because of Thanksgiving.

The possibility of a disruption in oil supplies when violence in the Middle East spikes often translates into higher crude prices, but ample inventories of crude and refined products as well as the European Union's delay in approving more bailout funds for Greece have kept a lid on prices.

Analysts at CME Group say they expect this week's inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration to show "another build in crude oil supplies in the range of 750,000 to 1.0 million barrels."

Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of oil, was up $1.02 to $110.85 a barrel in London.

Other energy futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

? Heating oil rose 3.2 cents to $3.0803 a gallon.

? Wholesale gasoline added 2.15 cents to $2.7099 per gallon.

? Natural gas fell 3.9 cents to $3.793 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-21-Oil%20Prices/id-dc94fbad8c61473588b68bb33120b103

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Scientists discover ways to optimize light sources for vision

Monday, November 19, 2012

Vision researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery into the optimization of light sources to human vision. By tuning lighting devices to work more efficiently with the human brain the researchers believe billions of dollars in energy costs could be saved.

The research was conducted by Stephen Macknik, PhD, of Barrow's Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, and Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, of Barrow's Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience. The study is published Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper, titled "Optimizing the temporal dynamics of light to human perception," is believed to be the first attempt to tune light-emitting devices to the optimal temporal dynamics of the human visual system.

The discovery concerns the way humans perceive temporal modulations of light. For example, most light-emitting devices, such as light bulbs, video monitors and televisions, flicker. Faster flicker rates result in reduced perception of flicker, which is more comfortable to viewers. In studying this phenomenon in the brain, the researchers discovered that there is a range of flicker dynamics of light that optimizes the perceived brightness of the light without increasing power.

"We found a temporal sweet spot in visual perception that can be exploited to obtain significant savings by redesigning light emitting devices to flicker with optimal dynamics to activate visual system neurons in the human brain," says Dr. Macknik.

The researchers estimate that if every light-emitting device in the U.S. ? from light bulbs to cell phones ? operated at optimal efficiency for the human visual system, it could result in billions of dollars of savings in electricity and power.

To come to their conclusion, the researchers conducted experiments into two contradictory theories of temporal visual perception, or how bright a light appears. Bloch's Law states that the perceived contrast of a visual stimulus increases with its duration, but eventually plateaus at approximately 100 milliseconds. For example, a 5-millisecond flash will appear half as bright as a 10-millisecond flash, but a 200-millisecond flash will be just as bright as one of 400 milliseconds. The Broca-Sulzer Effect, on the other hand, states that perceived contrast increases with duration initially, but then peaks and falls again.

The researchers discovered that the discrepancy between Bloch's Law and the Broca-Sulzer Effect is caused by an intrinsic bias among experiment subjects, leading to dramatically skewed data. By improving their experimental design to overcome this bias, something that has never been before reported or intentionally controlled for, the results demonstrated that temporal vision actually follows the Broca-Sulzer Effect.

"Researchers have been studying temporal vision for more than 125 years, but because ours is the first experiment of its kind to control for all known forms of criteria, it is the first to accurately measure the role of temporal dynamics in brightness perception," says Dr. Macknik. "Thus, the power savings are ripe for the picking because we can adjust our lighting to flicker to take advantage of this peak in perception."

###

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center: http://www.stjosephs-phx.org

Thanks to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125318/Scientists_discover_ways_to_optimize_light_sources_for_vision

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Dhanin, Charoen 'eyeing insurance investments' - The Nation

Home ? business ? Dhanin, Charoen 'eyeing insurance investments'

BILLIONAIRES' MOVES

Achara Pongvuthitham,
Chamnan Noisamran
The Nation November 21, 2012 1:00 am

Dhanin Chearavanont looks to be interested in taking a stake in Ping An Insurance Group, China's second-largest insurer, while Charoen Sirivadhanabhaki is showing an interest in taking over ING Group's life-insurance business in Thailand.

Shanghai Securities News reported that HSBC might sell its 15.57-per-cent stake in Ping An to CP Group for 74 billion Hong Kong dollars (Bt293 billion).

A source at CP Group, which was quoted by the newspaper as the potential bidder, said the bid could have been a personal attempt by Dhanin, if it is not from one of the group's more than 100 associated companies in China. Dhanin is chairman and chief executive officer of CP Group.

The group, known in China as the Chia Tai Group, was the first multinational enterprise to invest in that country's agribusiness, back in 1979. Its business there involves mainly animal feed, retail (Lotus Supercentres), automotive- and motorcycle-parts manufacturing, plastics, and media and entertainment.

The conglomerate briefly stepped into life-insurance business in Thailand, through a stake in what was then Ayudhya Allianz CP Life (now Allianz Ayudhya). The holding was divested last May.

Despite the group's opting out of the insurance business in Thailand, "Khun Dhanin may have a different view towards the insurance-industry outlook in China", the source said.

HSBC on Monday informed the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong that it "has from time to time received approaches regarding its shareholding and confirms that it is in discussions which may or may not lead to the sale of the shares. A further announcement will be made if or when appropriate."

According to Bloomberg, a deal would be the largest transaction globally for insurance assets in two years. HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver, under pressure to revive profitability, has already sold assets, including some insurance operations in Asia.

"HSBC group will be more devoted to the commercial banking business, rather than insurance," after a sale, Wilson Li, a Shenzhen-based analyst at Guotai Junan Securities, wrote yesterday in a note to clients.

The bank may use the proceeds to "invest more heavily in HSBC China to secure its position as the leading foreign bank in China", he said.

Ping An Insurance Group was ranked 100th in Forbes' "Global 2000" league table this year, 242nd in Fortune magazine's "Global 500 Leading Companies" and No 1 among China's non-state-owned enterprises.

The group was ranked 78th in WPP Millward Brown's "BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands".

Ping An has about 490,000 life-insurance sales agents and 175,136 full-time employees. It provides comprehensive products and services in insurance, banking and investment under a unified brand through multiple channels and networks to more than 74 million individual and corporate customers.

Ping An posted 22.58 billion yuan (Bt111 billion) in net profit on top of income of 272.2 billion yuan last year.

CHAROEN'S EXPANSION GOAL

In Thailand, liquor tycoon Charoen is expanding his life-insurance business.

According to his son-in-law, Chotiphat Bijananda, who is the executive chairman of Southeast Insurance, the group has approached Hong Kong-based Pacific Century Group (PCG) for either a takeover of ING Life Assurance or equity participation.

PCG recently bought the life-insurance company from ING, which is divesting Asian business in a bid to return bail-out money to the Dutch government.

ING Life Assurance would open ways for Southeast Insurance's sales of policies through TMB Bank's network, Chotiphat said.

Charoen's group failed in its bid for Thanachart Life Assurance, which was recently sold to Prudential Life Assurance for Bt17.5 billion.

Thailand's life-insurance penetration rate is low, providing opportunity for growth, Chotiphat said.

"We haven't yet appointed a financial adviser. We proposed three options to PCG just a few weeks ago. There has been no response yet. When we have a response, we will know where the deal will lead to and then we will appoint a financial adviser," he said.

Southeast Insurance proposed three alternatives: acquisition of all shares in ING Life Assurance, partial acquisition, and a joint venture. Chotiphat said pricing should be the key to encourage PCG to sell all the shares. However, Southeast Insurance is also ready to embrace the options of a partial sale or joint venture.

All life-insurance companies in Thailand have foreign partners, except for Southeast Insurance. Partnering with Southeast Insurance would mean a bigger market share for a foreign player, he added.

Asked how much a deal would cost, he merely said: "It should not pose much trouble to Khun Charoen."

Latest stories in this category

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Dhanin-Charoen-eyeing-insurance-investments-30194744.html

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Finding A Good Lawyer To Help You With Your Bankruptcy Claim ...

TIP! Determine the type of bankruptcy that is best for you and your situation. You have different types of bankruptcy to choose from.

Simply mentioning the word bankruptcy can cause people to become nervous and worried. Increasing debt, along with being unable to support a family can be an actual nightmare for some. The following advice will greatly help you if bankruptcy is a fear of yours.

TIP! After you go through bankruptcy you will need to rebuild your credit. One way to do this is through a new line of credit.

If creditors or harassing you, take advantage of the automatic stay bankruptcy provides to immediately stop the harassment. Being unable to support yourself and pay your bills is never a good feeling. Bankruptcy protection may be the best tool to prevent stress as you deal with your finances.

TIP! If you intend to file bankruptcy soon, you may want to discontinue paying all debts. Find out from a bankruptcy attorney what a court needs to see as a cut off date for the last time you pay anyone you owe money to.

Talk with your lawyer about getting lower payments for any car you wish to keep. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is one of the most common and effective. In order for this to succeed, you must have bought your car in excess of 910 days before filing, have a higher interest loan for it as well as a consistent work history.

TIP! Being with the people who you love should be still be a top priority. The process of bankruptcy can prove particularly brutal.

When it gets time to think about bankruptcy, avoid using your retirement or savings to pay off the creditors or even make attempts to settle the debt. Leave your retirement accounts untouched unless there is absolutely no other alternative. If you do have to dig into your savings, make sure that you leave enough to sustain you and your family for a couple of months.

TIP! Don?t fear reminding your attorney of any specific details of your case. Don?t assume that he will remember something you told him weeks ago.

Carefully pick the lawyer you will use when filing for bankruptcy. You do not want to hire someone who is new to the field of bankruptcy. Ascertain that your choice of attorney is an experienced, properly licensed one. The Internet could be a great help in checking the disciplinary record of a particular lawyer, as well as his background and client ratings.

TIP! Speak to a bankruptcy attorney about what new laws may be going into effect before your bankruptcy filing. Bankruptcy laws are always changing, and you need to be aware of any changes so your bankruptcy can be properly filed.

A useful piece of advice is to diligently pay all bills every month, and try to pay more than minimum amounts due whenever possible. The biggest mistake people make is that they pay the smallest amount due and their debt never goes away.

TIP! Try to get a referral from a trusted source before choosing an attorney to handle your bankruptcy and make sure they have no issues with the state bar or the better business bureau. This type of legislation is popular for the inexperienced.

Do not feel free to start running up credit card bills immediately before you file. You may be tempted to start buying a lot of things, but the courts may not really like this. Practice sound financial management to the greatest degree that you can. Now is the best time to begin displaying smart financial behavior.

TIP! If you are considering filing for bankruptcy you definitely need to hire an attorney. Bankruptcy can be highly confusing and stressful, and you need an unbiased partner who can help simplify the process.

Know and understand the difference between filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy versus Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Research both types of bankruptcy online, and weigh the positives and negatives each would offer you. If something doesn?t make sense to you, go over it with your lawyer prior to choosing which one to file.

TIP! You should not let your bankruptcy lawyer take complete charge of your case. It?s true that your attorney knows the ins and outs of bankruptcy, but staying informed about the progress of your case is a good idea.

Don?t file for bankruptcy if it is not completely necessary. Consider whether debt consolidation may be a more viable alternative. Bankruptcy cases are long, anxiety-filled experiences. It will certainly affect the credit rating that you have in the future. Thus, you must make certain that bankruptcy really is the only viable solution to your problems.

TIP! Know that ultimately, bankruptcy could get you a higher credit score than to keep making late payments or missing payments altogether. Of course, bankruptcy hurts your credit for up to ten years, but you can begin to re-build your credit immediately.

Always make your loved ones a priority. Filing for bankruptcy is a difficult process. Not only is the process long, but it can be stressful, and many people feel ashamed when they do it. Lots of people think they need to hide from everyone until this is all done. But, keeping to yourself is likely to cause even greater sadness and despair. It?s imperative that you spend as much time with loved ones as you can, even in the midst of your financial dilemma.

TIP! Bankruptcy is a difficult and stressful process, and you will need all the help you can get. One way to help reduce is this stress is to hire a reliable attorney.

People who say that bankruptcy is a scary experience aren?t exaggerating. Don?t let your fear take over. You now have the knowledge necessary to overcome the fear. Using the personal bankruptcy advice in this article can help improve your financial situation

Source: http://www.sibensiben.com/long-island-injury-lawyer-blog/uncategorized/finding-a-good-lawyer-to-help-you-with-your-bankruptcy-claim-5-2

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A fiery debate on the regulation of social casino games | VentureBeat

Real-money online-gambling companies have to abide by strict regulations that stop them from milking every last penny from gambling addicts who can?t afford to pay. But makers of social casino games (such as Zynga Poker on Facebook) are under no such restrictions. Should they be?

That was one of the topics debated at the Social Gambling Conference in London on Friday. The discussion put the real-money online-gambling companies at odds with the makers of non-gambling social casino titles, where users pay for virtual goods (such as poker chips) but are not allowed to cash out their winnings.

The panel, moderated by Stuart Tilly, director of a new group dubbed the Social Gaming Association, produced some fireworks at the first-time summit?in London on Friday. Tilly?s group is a new association representing the non-gambling social-casino-game companies.

Jez San, president and founder of real-money gambling firm PKR, said he does not believe that gambling regulators should force social-casino-game enterprises to comply with responsible-gaming regulations.

But San (pictured above in blue on the far left), who spent two decades in the non-gambling video-game business and participated in the real-money gambling industry for the last six years, said that the social-casino-game industry should voluntarily submit itself to its own self-regulation.

?I don?t believe social games should be regulated. But I do believe the providers of the social games should take a more responsible attitude than they are currently taking,? San said.

He said the most important thing is that the social-gaming outfits should allow individuals to impose their own limitations on how much money they can spend in a month. The people behind real-money online gambling experiences must currently do so in order to show they are taking responsibility for the possibility that addicted players might overspend.

San said that he doesn?t want to see a newspaper like the (tabloid) Daily Mail write a profile of a single mother who lost all of her money playing casino-like social pastimes on Facebook. If the industry doesn?t impose its own regulations, it will inevitably face more strict government regulation in the future. If social-game companies (such as Zynga) do not self-regulate, they could make the whole industry look bad when the inevitable addiction problems surface.

?We don?t want to be profiled as having ruined someone?s life or bankrupted a single mother who can?t pay the bills,? San said. ?We act in a very responsible manner. We don?t allow minors to play, and we don?t allow the vulnerable to play. The social gaming world doesn?t acknowledge such problems and would like to put its head in the sand and pretend that it?s a free world and people can spend whatever they want.?

Andrew Hughes (pictured left), chief executive of social-casino-title firm AbZorba Games, was on the other side of the discourse.

?There is a lot of debate still to be had,? he said. ?I don?t think regulation should happen now. It?s too confusing ? First, it is entertainment. You do not have to play. About 98 percent of my gamers never pay a single cent. They can earn chips looking at advertisements. Nobody can take the monetary value out of our game.?

Consumers can self-regulate now, and Hughes said voluntary self-regulation is fine. So in that sense, he agreed with San. But he would not grant that the social-game companies try to get people addicted. He noted that, among paying players of social casino titles, only 7 percent of them ever buy anything.

San said that average revenue per paying person is misleading, given that a small amount of gamers account for a large amount of sales. Hughes returned to the fact that it is clear in his releases that the play is just for fun.

San added, many of the social-game firms will not impose limits because ?their job is to find whales? (people who spend a lot of money on social casino efforts, sort of like high rollers in Las Vegas) and then get them addicted.

?Can we keep it to social gaming,? Hughes asked. ?We are not talking about social gambling. Social gaming is about a free experience.?

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/19/a-fiery-discussion-should-social-casino-games-regulate-themselves-to-head-off-anti-addiction-regulation/

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Broken Congress: What would Lincoln do? (CNN)

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NIKE SNOWBOARDING DROPS 'CHAPTER 2' - Newsflash ...

The Nike Snowboarding Project is back! Chapter 2 was launched last week and is the second of three short snowboarding films Nike will release this winter. The latest installment was filmed, edited and directed by legendary snowboarding film maker Brad Kremer, and captures some incredible moments?on the slopes at Silvretta Montafon in Austria. Watch it below, and don't miss the bumbling authorities stacking it and the end.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDRPiKqKgb0[/youtube]

Source: http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/newsflash/Nike-Snowboarding-Drops-chapter-2/

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Afghan president: US violating?

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Source: www.wpri.com --- Sunday, November 18, 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghanistan's President says U.S. forces are continuing to capture and hold Afghans in violation of an agreement signed between the two countries. ...

Source: http://www.dpp/news/world_news/Afghan-president-US-violating-detainee-pact_84722463

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Slippery track surface in Austin due to ?sweating? oil

Slippery track surface in Austin due to ?sweating? oil (1h ago from YallaF1.com / 175 Views / Comments)

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Copywriting Jobs: Where to Find Them

Avoid Any Outsourcing Sites and Job Boards Which Promote Low Rates

I was reading an article the other day promoting a new job board which boasted that it offered copywriting jobs which pay $20 an hour. I laughed. No self-respecting copywriter would consider such pathetic rates.?

via www.angelabooth.biz

I wrote this article a couple of years ago. The advice is still excellent.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AngelaBoothsWritingBlog/~3/1mUXByVl3j0/copywriting-jobs-where-to-find-them.html

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Iran delays planned start-up of Arak nuclear reactor

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has postponed until 2014 the planned start-up of a research reactor which Western experts say could potentially offer the Islamic Republic a second route to produce material for a nuclear bomb, a U.N. report showed.

Tehran has continued to install cooling and moderator circuit piping in the heavy water plant near the town of Arak. Nuclear analysts say this type of reactor could yield plutonium for nuclear arms if the spent fuel is reprocessed, something Iran has said it has no intention of doing.

But the country has now delayed the planned timetable for bringing Arak on line by about half a year from the third quarter of 2013, according to the latest U.N. information in a confidential report submitted to member states late on Friday.

"Iran stated that the operation of the IR-40 reactor was now expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said. It gave no reason for the postponement.

The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, said it was questionable whether Iran would be able to meet this new target date as well, in view of "significant delays and impeded access to necessary materials".

The West's worries about Iran are focused largely on underground uranium enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordow, but experts say Arak is also a possible proliferation concern.

Iran, rejecting Western allegations it seeks to develop a capability to assemble atomic arms, says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that the reactor will produce isotopes for medical and agricultural use.

Israel, believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state, sees Iran's nuclear program as a serious danger and has threatened to attack its atomic sites if diplomacy fails to resolve the decade-old dispute.

If it does, the nuclear sites at Natanz, Fordow and Arak in central Iran are likely to be among the targets.

NO REPROCESSING PLANS

Friday's quarterly IAEA report showed Iran pressing ahead with expanding its uranium enrichment program in defiance of tightening Western sanctions.

Enriched uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants, Iran's stated aim, but also provide the explosive core of a nuclear weapon if refined much further. Making plutonium from spent fuel is a second way of obtaining potential bomb material.

In August, German prosecutors said police had arrested four men suspected of delivering valves for the heavy-water reactor, breaking an embargo on such exports to Iran.

If operated optimally, the heavy-water plant would produce about 9 kilograms of plutonium annually, or enough for about two nuclear bombs each year, according to the Institute for Science and International Security, a U.S.-based think-tank.

"Before it could use any of the plutonium in a nuclear weapon, however, it would first have to separate the plutonium from the irradiated fuel," it added on its web site.

Iran has announced it has no plans to reprocess the spent fuel, the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank said in a report last year.

But Mark Fitzpatrick, director of its non-proliferation and disarmament program, has said that "similarly sized reactors ostensibly built for research" have been used by India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan to make plutonium for weapons.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-delays-planned-start-arak-nuclear-reactor-095713702.html

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