Henderson Writers' Group Weekly News: Jan 28th Meeting Report

We enjoyed a nice meeting this last Monday. Thirty five met to hear and critique seven readers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Would you like to volunteer for our conference? We are looking for a few more volunteers, if you are interested please contact Jay.

Next week author Maxwell Alexander Drake will be speaking at our meeting at Albertsons. He writes science-fiction and fantasy and has also taught classes in creative writing.

BRAGS:

Congratulations to Pat Kranish on having a review of a movie published on the gypsy chronicles.

UPCOMING MEETINGS:

Our next weekly meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on February 4th at the Albertsons at the corner of Horizon and College in Henderson. For more information see the calendar at the group's website.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:

"A child of an alcoholic has a full time job just staying alive long enough to get a life"

-from "Alabama Blue" by Toni Pacini

WRITING TIP by Jo Wilkins:

Each character in your story should speak differently. We all speak with unique inflections, using specific words or phrases to express ourselves, your characters should too. If you write about an isolated society, remember it would develop a language all of its own.?

As an example, watch the Star Trek: Next Generation episode entitled Nemesis. The writers did a wonderful job using ordinary, recognizable words and phrases to create an entirely different slant on the English language.

ARTICLE:? Our article this week contains a poem, and is a testament to the healing power of writing. It comes from group member Andres Fragoso Jr.

Listen to me when I cry?

I'm not asking for your opinion or advice?

I'm asking for your shoulder where I can cry?

I'm only asking for a little of your time.?

Listen to me when I am depressed?

To yell at me: "Get over it!" does not help me?

I do not get sick at will. I did not choose to be ill?

I'm asking for your understanding.?

Listen to me when I have fears and tears?

To tell me: "It's all in your head," does not encourage me?

Yes it is in my head, that's why it's a mental illness?

I have no control of these fears or shedding tears.?

Listen to me when I'm in agony?

Telling me: "You want attention," does not comfort me?

I'm not five years old and don't need you to scold me?

I need you to comprehend my agonizing pain.?

Listen to me when I am depressed?

I'm not asking for attention and it's not always in my head?

My illness is real. Real to me, I feel it every day after day?

Why do you undermine my pain??

Listen to me when I cry?

It hurts me when you don't listen and ignore my pain?

I am your son, your brother, your nephew?

I am your cousin, your blood and your friend.

Writing is my Pandora Box. When I open it up and write I do not know now what hopes come out. Writing is cathartic to me. It helps me let out my frustrations and alleviates my pain. My illness, bi-polar, is a chemical in-balance in the brain.

When I first was diagnosed with bi-polar, the first four or five years flew by without a peaceful moment. I do not remember much about those years, only that I was asleep most of the time, lethargic, forgetful, asleep most of the time (did I say that already? I forgot), suicidal, manic, depressed and I forgot what else. It was a dark time.

In the interim, I went to therapy and fortunately, I got something good out of it, Journaling, and poetry. I wrote my feelings, my fears, my desires, and above all, how I wanted to kill myself contrasting it with how I wanted to live.

After a while, I started to feel and currently feel that I had just woken up. I tasted everything for the first time. I saw things in a new way. Life is good. It was a re-birthing for me. I could not keep Hope bottled up, I let it out.

I found a web site that members would critique your poems. They wanted to publish a few of my poems. I submitted my first poem, ?My Vanessa, My Butterfly.? A poem dedicated to my sister who never gave up on me.

Someone had mentioned to combine my stories and publish them. I did. I combined the best ones, created new ones, dedicated a few, and published them. My first book of poetry is full of errors, bad grammar, and frightening poems. I kept it that way and hope that people would see the underlying illness in those poems. They are raw, passionate, and truthful.

??They are my feelings, my thoughts, and my sufferings and I need to declare them so that I can be free. Free from being hidden from the world just because half of you can?t deal with the reality of having someone in your life who is gay, bi-polar, artistic, eccentric and, for that matter, NORMAL. . .?

I look forward to being read by you.

Thank you.?

Source: http://hendersonwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2013/01/jan-28th-meeting-report.html

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Accelerating neutral atoms on a table top

Jan. 27, 2013 ? Charged particle accelerators have become crucially important to modern day life, be it in health care for cancer treatment or for answering important fundamental scientific questions like the existence of the HIGGS boson, the so called 'God particle'.

In a simple picture, charged particles like electrons and protons are accelerated between two end plates across which an electrical voltage is applied. High energies need high voltages (millions and billions of volts) and long acceleration paths in giant sized machines -- for instance the trillion volt machine called the 'large hadron collider' (LHC) which discovered the Higgs boson, circles over 27 km underground in Geneva! A new concept for a compact accelerator was discovered in the last decade using high powered, short pulses of laser light.

Alternating large electric fields of the light can be transformed in plasmas to create quasi static fields that can produce hundreds of millions volt accelerating voltages just over millimeter lengths on a table top!

How do we accelerate neutral particles -- i.e. particles that cannot be energized by electrical voltages? And do it over millimeters rather than hundreds of meters and moreover using lasers? Research at Ultra Short Pulse High Intensity Lab in TIFR has now found a novel scheme that can do precisely this. The concept uses the ability of powerful lasers to strip nearly 8 electrons per atom in a nano sized, cooled aggregate of argon atoms- a nano piece of ice. A 40,000 atom cluster of argon is charged to 320,000 by a laser that lasts only a 100 billionth of a millionth of a second. Such a super highly charged ice piece explodes soon after, accelerating the charged atoms (Ions) to a million electron volts of energy. The TIFR research now found that all the expelled electrons can be put back into the charged ion that has been accelerated so that it now reverts to being a neutral atom but at high energies. To top it all, this process is nearly 100% efficient at neutralizing the speeding ions and converting them to fast atoms.

Accelerated neutral atoms are very important for many applications. Unaffected by electric or magnetic fields, they penetrate deeper in solids than electrons/ions and thereby create high finesse microstructures for novel electronics and optical devices. Fast atoms are used both as diagnostics and heating sources in Tokomak machines like the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in France, that are being developed to create sustained thermo-nuclear fusion. The TIFR scheme can produce a point source of fast neutral atoms close to the location of an intended application.

This certainly shows that staying neutral under extreme provocation has its advantages.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/k-thzKvbSYA/130127134204.htm

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California School Converts Strip Mall Into Rec Center | Earthtechling

When California Baptist University (CBU) decided it needed to expand its athletic and recreational facilities back in 2005, it could have set about demolishing nearby structures near its Riverside, Calif., campus and started from scratch. Instead, the private Christian college saved money and the use of raw materials by renovating an adjacent shopping center into a flexible multifunction facility.

This month, the university?s plans paid off with the grand re-opening of the more than 40,000-square-foot structure. Designed by KTGY Group, the two-story CBU Recreation Center represents Phase I of a major redevelopment of what used to be called Lancer Plaza, a former shopping center.

Image via California Baptist University

The chief environmental attribute of the refurbished facility will be its flexibility. In one building, CBU now now offer its 6,000 students a changeable court space that allows for two intramural basketball courts, a collegiate basketball court or three volleyball courts.

In addition, the space includes a rock-climbing wall, lounge areas, three racquetball courts, a weight room, fitness rooms, men?s and women?s locker rooms, and a cheerleading practice space. To further maximize the square footage of the converted building, the rec center includes a rooftop with soccer field and a running track.

Artist?s drawing of the new CBU Recreation Center. Image via California Baptist University.

These rooftop fields can?t be considered a ?green roof,? since the university is using artificial turf for the playing surfaces. However, because of the stormwater management systems and extra support needed to bear the weight of the athletes, the roof will have some similar thermal characteristics of a truly green roof, such as keeping the building cool and reducing its carbon footprint, said KTGY?s chairman Stan Braden.

CBU is not quite done with its renovation and expansion plans. Now that Phase I is finished, school officials will focus on Phase II, which will include the construction of a new 3,500-seat sports and events arena next to the rec center, as well as a student bookstore.

Source: http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/01/california-school-converts-strip-mall-into-rec-center/

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Japan?s greenest industries: cars, booze and electronics?

By Ken Y-N ( January 24, 2013 at 00:26) ? Filed under Polls, Society

MM Research Institute recently published a survey conducted in conjunction with goo Research, their fifth regular survey into consumer opinions on environmental measures, a survey that always leaves me scratching my head at the results.

Demographics

Over the 7th and 8th of January 2013 1,159 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.3% of the sample were male, 19.2% between 18 and 29 years old, 19.3% in their thirties, 20.5% in their forties, 20.4% in their fifties, and 20.6% aged sixty or older.

The nuclear-related questions are interesting, especially the separation of it from environmental issues; I have no idea why they would do that, but I would have liked to have seen a lot more detail on people?s views.

Here?s my favourite corporate advert promoting environmental stuff:

Research results

First of all there was a summary of interest in environmental problems; 69.2% said they were interested in such, a figure that has slowly decreasing every time the survey has been conducted ? the first time the survey was conducted, in October 2008, it was at 86.0%. Similarly, disinterest has risen from an initial 6.0% to now 13.0%. Note that the report says that the Fukushima nuclear disaster is not counted as an environmental problem with respect to this problem.

Furthermore there was another question ?Do you think that the problem of radiation from nuclear power stations is more important that the CO2 problem??, 48.1% strongly argeed. When asked ?Due to the nuclear power problem, and thermal power station CO2 emissions increasing for a time, has your awareness of environmental issues decreased??, 32.3% strongly agreed. Finally for this theme, when asked ?Is economic recovery more important than environmental issues??, 37.1% strongly agreed.

Q1: Which companies do you think are putting most effort into environmental measures? (Sample size=1,159, up to five companies, top ten)

Rank	?	Votes	Percentage
1	Toyota	287	24.8%
2	Suntory (beverages)	180	15.5%
3	Panasonic	87	7.5%
4	Aeon (supermarket)	70	6.0%
5	Nissan	69	6.0%
6	Hitachi	50	4.3%
7	Japan Tobacco (cancer sticks)	35	3.0%
8	Sharp	33	2.8%
9	Asahi Beer (beer)	31	2.7%
10	Honda	30	2.6%

Finally there was a question about Smart Houses. 451 people answered (presumably those familiar with the term), and selected the company they expected the most from regarding Smart Houses. Top was Sekusui House with 24.2%, Daiwa House was second with 13.5%, Panasonic third with 12.0%, Sekusui Chemicals fourth, and Toyota Home fifth.

Read more on: environment,mmri

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WhatJapanThinks/~3/mms84Q_2Bu8/

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Sacramento mayor says won't give up fight for basketball's Kings

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A day after the announcement of a binding agreement that would move basketball's Sacramento Kings to Seattle, the mayor of Sacramento said he was still fighting for the team and warned Seattle fans not to celebrate just yet.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said he had lined up 19 local investors to chip in $1 million each toward a counteroffer and was in negotiations with several big-money equity investors who were considering an ownership role in the team.

"I want to caution the folks in Seattle, don't celebrate too early," Johnson, a former star for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns, told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We have something that's ours. We want to keep it and we're going to do everything we can to make Sacramento the final resting place of the Sacramento Kings," he said.

A investment group in Washington state led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen announced a binding agreement on Monday to buy a controlling interest in the Kings and move the team to Seattle, which is still pining over the loss of its SuperSonics in 2008.

The National Basketball Association confirmed that a deal had been reached, but the terms were not disclosed. The NBA must approve any such agreement and that could take several months.

Hansen's group, which includes Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, has city approval to build a new $490 million arena near the waterfront south of downtown Seattle, although that plan still faces opposition from the city's port authority.

Several reports put the value of the deal at about $340 million, but neither of the negotiating parties nor the NBA would comment on details.

Johnson has previously said that NBA Commissioner David Stern had given him consent to submit a counterproposal that would keep the Kings in Sacramento and suggested on Tuesday that the offer still stands.

"I have a commitment from Commissioner Stern that we'd be able to share a compelling case for why a team should stay," he said.

Speaking to more than 100 people at Sacramento City Hall and flanked by most of the members of the city council in front of a banner that read "Playing to Win," Johnson said the 19 local investors had come forward in the space of less than a week.

He said he was also in talks with several equity investors he referred to as "whales."

"This was the first step because we wanted our community to be leading the way," he said. "For us to rally at the speed that we did says an awful lot. We are making great progress on the whales. We believe there are people who are going to invest in Sacramento."

Johnson declined to identify any of the big-money investors but said he may identify them by the end of the week and was expecting to deliver a counter-proposal to the NBA by March 1.

Sports network ESPN has reported on its website that the Kings have been valued at $525 million.

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sacramento-mayor-says-wont-fight-basketballs-kings-021111164--nba.html

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California Hosts Free Personal Finance Seminar For Seniors

Seniors in the Los Angeles area will soon have an opportunity to hear from some of the region?s top retirement advisors at an event hosted by a local non-profit organization.

As reported in the Camarillo Acorn newspaper, the Conejo/Las Virgenes Future Foundation will host the ninth annual Senior Congress in the city of Thousand Oaks, and the event?s aim is to equip seniors with the knowledge and ability to save and invest for their retirement years.

?While seniors are concerned about how long they will survive on the money (e.g., pensions, Social Security, investments), they are not always knowledgeable enough to make all the right choices for the future,? Karen Malatesta, executive director of Las Virgenes Future Foundation, told the newspaper.

A panel of 10 personal finance experts will present on Wednesday, February 6 at a local Catholic church.

One of the topics to be discussed will be jobs for seniors, and how changes in the United States economy have affected the landscape for older workers.

Other areas that will be discussed include Social Security, how retired Baby Boomers can live frugally, as well as affordable travel ideas and even a session on estate planning and bequest giving.

There is no charge for admission. For more information, visit clvff.org.

Retirement Communities near You Other Locations?

• Holley Court Terrace provides a full range of choices for today?s seniors. Choosing a senior living community represents a lifestyle choice and we understand ...

• Step into a Sunrise Assisted Living community and you can't help but feel at home. We stop at nothing to make your experience warm and inviting, from our ...

• Our community is located in the heart of historic Oak Park, just around the corner from RUSH Oak Park Hospital and is convenient to shops, galleries and ...

• Welcome to Emeritus at Villa de Anza!! A place to call home - many do. Emeritus at Villa de Anza offers a home like setting and cheerful smiles ...

• Presbyterian Homes is an independent, not-for-profit organization providing quality residential communities, health care programs, and services for older ...

• So many things have gone into making you the person you are. Retirement is hardly the time to give them up. That sentiment inspired Sedgebrook to create ...

• The Seasons at Glenview Place provides a full range of choices for today?s seniors. Choosing a senior living community represents a lifestyle choice ...

• Discover our beautifully landscaped courtyard and gardens, enjoy our fine cuisine or join in an activity or social group. At Brighton Gardens, we have ...

• Since the first Sunrise community opened in 1981, the Sunrise operating philosophy has been to provide services and care to seniors following Sunrise's ...

• Villas at Ashland Farm, an Epcon Community, is located on the north side of Champaign, IL and offers maintenance-free luxury ranch homes surrounded by ...

Search for a Retirement Community

Source: http://www.retirementhomes.com/library/california-hosts-free-personal-finance-seminar-for-seniors/

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Get Fit in the Office: Stop Wrist Pain when Typing | Milk Delivery Blog ...

Having horrible wrist pain at the end of a long day typing away on your computer can feel like the worst thing, especially when you realise it could easily turn into something like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or RSI. That?s why we at Get The Milk don?t think office fitness is just down to your weight or?dietary?habits ? it?s also about your health. Read up on our great tips on how to?alleviate and combat wrist pain.

One of the?simplest?methods is just not to be typing all day long. Take a break every hour to stop typing and elevate your wrist above the normal typing position to decrease any swelling or tension.

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Make sure your chair or desk is positioned at the right height so that your forearms are level with your elbows and your wrists should not rest on the keyboard in an arched or bent position.

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• Use an Ergonomic Keyboard

An ergonomic keyboard allows for natural elevation of the wrists and makes typing and keeping your arms in an adequate position much easier ? they are also fairly inexpensive.

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There are several types of wrist support that can be used ? many ergonomic keyboards have them?integrated as well as many cheap mousemats however you could also use a wrist brace ? easily obtainable at a chemist ? that would provide much more support for worsening pain.

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If it?s unbearable pain, go to your local GP immediately. They will be able to easily prescribe medication or therapy that will ?alleviate?your condition ? especially as a frequent typer you have a higher risk of developing or already having RSI or Carpal Tunnel.

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Let us know in the comments if these tips have helped make your wrist ache at work any better but always remember that if in doubt, always see a doctor!

?

Charlotte Willis

Charlotte is a video-game obsessed journalist and university student who has spent all of her part-time working life in offices to deplete that student debt (and for dresses and shoes, of course.)

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Source: http://blog.milkdelivery.co.uk/2013/01/22/get-fit-in-the-office-stop-wrist-pain-when-typing/

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HELP ARTICAL: Civilizations such as the visual arts -

Since long people live, the aesthetic beauty of life he had observed. Across it at the age of innate and used it to create and change, seems to be proven. Even a cave man to reproduce his vision and story through the stonewalls.

All art is communication outlets such as art, such as illustration, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design or film production through his / her vision of the artist created

We can see that art is a natural landscape by the artist over a period of time used is a powerful tool. Seems to us that we put it in our own nuances and character at the same time you want to change back to

The formation of such a qualitative bonsai art, or the next, the beautiful hybrid rose to creating a Life Visual Arts include drawing, painting, sculpture and limited does not. We start with vintage roses are very colorful and now we literally are a variety of sizes, colors and scents of hundreds of different types of roses.

Dance, figure skating, gymnastics, ballet, and the act will be considered a visual art form.
Something that you basically never tried before, or taking a piece of the life and work on their character, change or add the new. Thats the imagination!

Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau), in the 20th century alone, we name a few of Pop Art, has created a new form of art, ethnic art. The subject matter of art is literally no ceiling on creativity really amazing interesting is what makes this subject so vast a bite.

Long as man exists, we ... You can find a way to create new and exciting things. Natural for it to do so after all!

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Source: http://easyarticles.blogspot.com/2013/01/civilizations-such-as-visual-arts.html

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psychology heartbeat: Education & Reference 2020: The Art of War ...

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Source: http://kaatun88.blogspot.com/2013/01/psychology-heartbeat-education.html

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MasterCard opens EMV tech to US debit networks, hopes to spur adoption

After almost sixteen years of trying to encourage EMV adoption in the US, MasterCard has hit upon a potential reason why it's not catching on: its closed, proprietary standard. But that's changing today, with the financial giant announcing it's making some of its circuit card tech open to other US debit networks instead of waiting on them to come up with their own solution. An alternative to magnetic strips, EMV claims to provide more secure payments thanks to the use of cryptographic algorithms and user-specific PINs, but hasn't captured much interest outside of Europe and Asia. Perhaps in opening the standard, MasterCard and crew will spur its adoption stateside and thus garner more EMV followers. Of course, it has to catch on before NFC replaces cards entirely, rendering the issue moot.

Show full PR text

MasterCard Strengthens Commitment to Make U.S. EMV Migration Easier

Opens Proprietary, Market-Ready Debit Solution to Speed Industry Adoption

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MasterCard today announced it is making some of the company's proprietary technology solutions available to other U.S. debit networks. This decision was made to provide an option to support debit EMV transactions and reinforce the company's continued support of the U.S. migration to the EMV standard.

"By making our EMV solution available today, debit networks, merchants, acquirers and processors can take advantage of a market-ready solution currently in place. This will allow financial institutions to begin issuing EMV cards across their portfolios immediately, rather than waiting for a new solution to be developed."
In opening this technology standard, MasterCard will allow acquirers to brand transactions originating from the Maestro AID (application identifier) for all debit networks within the United States.

"We felt it was important to take this step for the greater good of the future of U.S. payments," said Chris McWilton, president, North America, MasterCard. "By making our EMV solution available today, debit networks, merchants, acquirers and processors can take advantage of a market-ready solution currently in place. This will allow financial institutions to begin issuing EMV cards across their portfolios immediately, rather than waiting for a new solution to be developed."

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of decisions by MasterCard to advance the future of electronic payments in the U.S. With the availability of this technology, issuers will be able to simplify their EMV implementation and enabling chip entry with potentially lower costs. At the same time, as merchants and their acquirers map out their terminal plans, they will be able to further optimize their investments, simplify their certification processes and choose their routing of debit transactions.

"We have spoken extensively with the EMV Migration Forum and other groups about the need to cooperate and find a common way to support debit transactions," said Jane Cloninger, director, Edgar, Dunn & Company. "Based on our experience around the globe, this announcement is a good step to continue the momentum of the U.S. market's migration toward EMV. We applaud MasterCard for taking a leadership position in this turning point for the industry."

Additional details around the implementation of the Maestro AID will be made available to all parties involved in the coming weeks.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Source: MasterCard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/20/mastercard-opens-emv/

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Smart TV's ? Using Your TV's Browser to Shop Online

Smart TV viewers are cutting the cord on traditional television and moving swiftly to embrace the next generation of entertainment sources. Nearly 160 million homes worldwide were expected to have at least one smart TV by the end of 2012, according to the market strategy firm The Diffusion Group. By 2017, look for that number to triple.
Household entertainment sources are entering a world of "always on" connectivity, as viewers drop traditional cable subscription models. Streaming channels and networks that are accessible on tablets, laptops, mobile devices and even desktop PCs, all within the same household, are becoming an increasingly common scenario. Increasingly, Smart TVs are integrating Internet services directly into the hardware, rather than relying on set-top boxes such as those provided by companies like Apple, Google and Roku.

This could have a strong impact on how we watch programming, how we buy over the Internet and the next steps in ecommerce.

Dramatic Rise of the Smart TV

Viewers started changing their cable TV watching habits in early 2011. By the end of that year, media industry watchgroup PaidContent.org reported that over a million individuals had cut the cord with cable and satellite TV providers in place of streaming services such as Netflix and using the Web as a primary source of entertainment.

The early set-top boxes included many features now present in smart TVs. Today, Slingbox and others advertise their devices on radio, the Internet and via mobile ads. Users are more open to adopting streaming technologies. Netflix and Hulu are seen as being among the pioneers of streaming media for the television and other screens. Though set-top boxes and smart TVs currently co-exist, it?s more apparent at 2012's end that these boxes will fall out of favor, as televisions are replaced during the regular shopping cycle and during major holiday sales events.

Embracing Ecommerce through the Remote

The use of the Internet on a smart TV brings ecommerce to the living room. Shopping via TV is nothing new. Consumers have been buying products offered via late-night infomercials and home-shopping networks since the 1980s. They will have even more ability for online shopping through TV, as large brands will offer buying applications (along with the ability to access any website using the remote).

Three major models of income streams are expected to make up most of the low-hanging fruit for smart TV manufacturers, content providers and online businesses. These include:

• App sales
• Content revenue sharing
• Advertising

As a vehicle for delivering content and marketing messages, smart TVs grow to become an ever-increasing battleground for online retailers seeking entry into the living room. The glaring difference of smart TVs and traditional TV setups is the introduction of apps and content revenue sharing. People can shop via the Web from their smart TVs, and it becomes a marketplace for businesses rather than a marketing channel.

Fewer Ads, More Media

One of the benefits to viewers for streaming TV is the noticeable lack of advertising content to support the programming. For years, consumers have gotten network TV for "free," supported by advertising. Cable TV introduced subscription services to viewers, and today, streaming TV viewers are willing to spend under $10 a month with services like Netflix for streaming content without ads.

Adding Value to the Living Room Centerpiece

Today's manufactured smart TVs come packed with Web-enabled features that seem to do everything. They make even three-year-old TV models look antiquated by comparison. It's the same way that our smartphones make those old flip-top cell phones look like antiques as well.
Today's smart TVs have ...

• the ability to stream movies, music, and shows on demand
• specialized applications for entertainment and learning
• full integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter to keep up with feeds
• the latest news, weather, and financial data

On a hardware level, smart TVs let users access the Internet regularly. As consumers upgrade their new television sets, manufacturers continue to pour added features into the smart TVs. Internet usage will grow and numbers of online shoppers buying via their smart TVs are expected to increase.

Entertainment Demands by the Numbers

Today, nearly 900 million homes worldwide subscribe to pay-TV, according to eCommerce Times. Moving those subscribers to new streaming entertainment options is in the line of sight for manufacturers and programmers alike.

Consumers are already viewing content and shopping over the Web via their phones, tablets and computer screens?how quickly will they be wiling to upgrade their TV sets? That's a big question mark for those covering the industry.

Consumers have voiced their "must haves" about the needs and wants built into smart TVs, according to Statista.com. They include smart TV staples like Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Pandora and ESPN.

Applications for smart TVs reflect directly on the most popular websites on the Web. This makes it easy to understand how a smart TV may integrate into the household, because it would provide the same entertainment found through different platforms.

A Shift in Strategy

The introduction of smart television sets into the household and their dramatic adoption by consumers represents a new paradigm. Businesses will gain a new of opportunity to compete for consumer dollars without the traditional, obtrusive method of advertising and aggressive marketing. And consumers will be more in control of the messages they take in. No longer will commercials be blaring away in the background of a home.

Content becomes a vehicle for businesses to share their messages and deliver a higher level of satisfaction and value rather than disrupting the entertainment of its users. The non-passive ability to interact with TV programs, browse movie databases for information, and use applications turns the smart TV into a valuable commodity for both consumer and producer.

The trends and predictions show great favor in the adoption of these smart TVs. Look for 2013 to be a breakout year for the rise of smart TVs in the home, and the future of commerce taking a dramatic shift forward in the near future.

Author Bio:?
Murray Lunn is a freelance writer specialized in content marketing for online businesses; his work includes business blogging, product development, and brand development.

Source: http://www.e-junkie.info/2013/01/smart-tvs-using-your-tvs-browser-to.html

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California schools asked to put moratorium on controversial bonds

Two high-ranking state officials Thursday called on school districts across California to impose a moratorium on costly capital appreciation bonds while changes are considered to limit their use.

Bill Lockyer, state treasurer, and Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, sent letters to education officials asking them to avoid using the sometimes risky bonds until the governor and Legislature can weigh proposals to restrict the method of finance, which can carry enormous debt payments.

"We believe your district and every other district in the state should impose a moratorium," the letter states. "If reforms are enacted, subsequent capital appreciation bond deals can be conducted in compliance with the new statutory requirements."

So-called CABs with maturities of 25 to 40 years have become a highly controversial way to fund school construction because they result in debt payments that are many times the principal.

According to a Times analysis, at least 200 school districts in California have borrowed billions of dollars using the long-term notes, which have saddled them with staggering debts that will eventually have to be paid off by district property owners who are assessed a tax per bond issue.

Nearly 70% of the money borrowed involves extended 30- to 40-year notes, which will cost taxpayers $13.1 billion, or about 6.6 times the amount borrowed on average.

Unlike conventional shorter-term bonds that require payments to begin immediately, long-term capital appreciation notes let districts postpone the start of payments for decades. The lengthy delays can increase the debt payments to as much as 20 times the amount borrowed.

In San Diego County, the Poway Unified School District issued $105 million in long-term capital appreciation bonds to complete a school rebuilding program. By the maturity date of 2051, the notes will cost district property owners almost $1 billion in principal and interest ? more than $9 for every $1 borrowed.

"Our problem is with the way these deals are structured," said Paul Hefner, a spokesman for Torlakson. "We are concerned about bonds with debt payments that are way out of proportion to what taxpayers are getting" for their money.

Lockyer and county treasurers across the state are now developing a variety of proposals for legislation that could be introduced later this year. Among other things, officials are considering limiting bond maturities to no more than 25 years, allowing districts to refinance on better terms and having the process overseen by outside government agencies.

Assembly members Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) and Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) plan to sponsor the legislation. Gov. Jerry Brown also has expressed an interest in pursuing changes.

Tom Duffy, the chief lobbyist for the California Assn. for Adequate School Housing, which represents districts statewide, said local education officials need to consider the moratorium request, but they also need to look at serving students with the bond issues that have been passed, and they need to deliver on promises made to their communities.

Jeff Vaca, deputy executive director of governmental relations for the California Assn. of School Business Officials, said it would be difficult to comment on the proposed moratorium because he did not know where school districts were in their financial planning for pending capital improvement projects. The association represents district business managers.

Vaca added that schools are going to be cautious and more transparent about their bond issues because of the scrutiny capital appreciation notes are receiving from the public and elected officials.

Vaca and Duffy said the changes that might come out of the Legislature should not take a cookie-cutter approach to school finance or restrict the flexibility of districts to pay for new construction.

Though more costly than conventional notes, school district officials have said long-term capital appreciation bonds have been an effective way to finance capital improvement projects during the tough economy and still comply with statutory limits on property taxes that can be imposed per bond measure.

Members of the California Assn. of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors, which is also proposing legislation to restrict the use of long-term capital appreciation bonds, said they generally support the call for a moratorium.

"I think Treasurer Lockyer shows great wisdom and leadership in asking school districts to observe a moratorium on these questionable financings," said George Putris, the treasurer-tax collector for Santa Clara County and chairman of the association's legislative committee.

Siskiyou County Treasurer-Tax Collector Wayne Hammar, the group's president, however, cautioned that capital appreciation bonds with maturities of less than 25 years and lower debt payments can still be a responsible way to fund school improvements.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/latimes/news/local/~3/of-uPm24IjE/story01.htm

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Crystal Vision Life Uses State-of-the-art Methodology to Transform ...

Phoenix, AZ ( Freeprnow ) January 11, 2013 - Crystal Vision Life helps people to mange relationships, career, health, fitness, and well-being in a successful way. It uses state-of-the-art methodology and multiple techniques including hypnosis, NLP, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to help clients truly achieve the freedom and success that they are seeking.

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Source: http://www.freeprnow.com/pr/crystal-vision-life-uses-state-of-the-art-methodology-to-transform-peoples-life

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Cycling union urges Armstrong to testify following Oprah interview

Associated Press

Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:10 AM

Updated today at 7:11 AM

AIGLE, Switzerland -- Cycling?s governing body is urging Lance Armstrong to testify before its independent commission on doping.

The International Cycling Union, or UCI, says it is aware of media reports that Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday.

The federation says ?if these reports are true, we would strongly urge Lance Armstrong to testify to the independent commission established to investigate the allegations made against the UCI in the recent USADA reasoned decision on Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service team.?

The UCI says it won?t make any further statement until it has seen the interview, which is to be broadcast on Thursday night.

The UCI recently set up an independent panel to look into claims that it covered up suspicious samples from Armstrong, accepted financial donations from him and helped him avoid detection in doping tests.

Source: http://www.khou.com/news/Cycling-union-urges-Armstrong-to-testify-following-Oprah-interview-reports-186927041.html

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Why Obama's Gamble on the Debt Ceiling Depends on the GOP Being More Sane Than It Is

A week before his inaugural, President Obama says he won?t negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt limit.?

At an unexpected news conference on Monday he said he won?t trade cuts in government spending in exchange for raising the borrowing limit.?

?If the goal is to make sure that we are being responsible about our debt and our deficit - if that?s the conversation we?re having, I?m happy to have that conversation,? Obama said. ?What I will not do is to have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the American people.?

Well and good. But what, exactly, is the President?s strategy when the debt ceiling has to be raised, if the GOP hasn?t relented?

He?s ruled out an end-run around the GOP.?

The White House said over the weekend that the President won?t rely on the Fourteenth Amendment, which arguably gives him authority to raise the debt ceiling on his own.?

And his Treasury Department has nixed the idea of issuing a $1 trillion platinum coin that could be deposited with the Fed, instantly creating more money to pay the nation?s bills.

In a pinch, the Treasury could issue IOUs to the nation?s creditors ? guarantees they?ll be paid eventually. But there?s no indication that?s Obama?s game plan, either.?

So it must be that he?s counting on public pressure ? especially from the GOP?s patrons on Wall Street and big business ? to force Republicans into submission.?

That?s probably the reason for the unexpected news conference, coming at least a month before the nation is likely to have difficulty paying its bills.

The timing may be right. President is riding a wave of post-election popularity. Gallup shows him with a 56 percent approval rating, the highest in three years.?

By contrast, Republicans are in the pits. John Boehner has a 21% approval and 60% disapproval. And Mitch McConnell?s approval is at 24%. Not even GOP voters seem to like Republican lawmakers in Washington, with 25% approving and 61% disapproving.?

And Americans remember the summer of 2011 when the GOP held hostage the debt ceiling, bringing the nation close to a default and resulting in a credit-rating downgrade and financial turmoil that slowed the recovery. The haggling hurt the GOP more than it did Democrats or the President.?

But Obama?s strategy depends on there being enough sane voices left in the GOP to influence others. That?s far from clear.?

Just moments after the President?s Tuesday news conference, McConnell called on the President to get ?serious about spending,? adding that ?the debt limit is the perfect time for it.? ?And Boehner said ?the American people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time.?

The 2012 election has shaken the GOP, as have the post-fiscal cliff polls. Yet, as I?ve noted before, the Republican Party may not care what a majority of Americans thinks. The survival of most Republican members of Congress depends on primary victories, not general elections ? and their likely primary competitors are more to the right than they are.?

Source: http://robertreich.org/post/40545259057

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Multiscreen Ownership Is A Myth, Says Gartner, As Worldwide Q4 PC Shipments Drop 5% To 90.3M Units, HP Edges Out Lenovo For No.1

If the huge profusion of mobile handsets, phablets and tablets on display at CES weren't enough of an indicator, we now have some numbers from Gartner that spell out how the PC industry continues to decline in the face of smaller, cheaper, more portable, and more popular computing devices like tablets. Total worldwide PC shipments for Q4 totalled 90.3 million units, a decline of 4.9% over Q4 2011's 95 million units, according to preliminary figures out today from the analyst group. Other key points: HP has regained its lead over Lenovo, with 14.6 million PCs shipped, giving it a 16.2% share of the market. And Windows 8 has so far had very little impact on things.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/eSNZ-Hb902k/

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Startrek007 commented on Kyle Hilliard's post about The ESA Concludes Its Violent Video Game Discussion With Vice President Joe Biden .

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Source: http://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIReiner/activities/default.aspx?ActivityMessageID=668123a1-8844-4553-ba47-ec72fe0c19b5

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Killer whales trapped in Quebec sea ice

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, killer whales surface through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, killer whales surface through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, a killer whale surfaces through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen trapped orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, killer whales surface through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen trapped orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, people watch as a killer whale surfaces through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, a killer whale surfaces through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen trapped orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse) MANDATORY CREDIT

MONTREAL (AP) ? A community in Quebec's Far North is calling for outside help to free about a dozen killer whales trapped under a vast stretch of sea ice.

Locals in Inukjuak said the mammals have gathered around a single hole in the ice ? slightly bigger than a pickup truck ? in a desperate bid to get oxygen.

Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help them find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation.

"Fisheries and Oceans Canada is assessing the situation and are exploring every possible option, but will only be in a position to determine what ? if anything ? can be done once our specialists arrive on site," spokesman Frank Stanek said in a statement.

A hunter first spotted the pod of about a dozen trapped whales Tuesday at the hole, which is on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay. Inukjuak is about 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) north of Montreal.

Dozens of villagers made the one-hour snowmobile ride Tuesday to see the unusual spectacle. They snapped photos and shot video footage of the killer whales surfacing in the opening ? and even thrusting themselves skyward while gasping for air.

One woman who made the journey to the gap in the ice said even a curious polar bear approached the hole amid the commotion. Siasie Kasudluak said the bear was shot by a local hunter for its meat.

The trapped orcas appeared to be in distress, but locals were ill-equipped to help out.

Kasudluak said the hole appeared to be shrinking in the freezing temperatures. Inukpuk believes the sudden drop in temperature recently caught the orcas off guard, leaving them boxed in under the ice.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-01-09-CN-Canada-Trapped-Killer-Whales/id-5b0c12b4582b423aa42e33526160e39e

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Real Estate Buying Advice And Tips Here - Maynas Eric

Do you know everything about real estate? Because the real estate market is constantly changing, there is always something new to learn. The following article will give you the information you need when buying real estate.

Be sure to look for a good neighborhood if you plan on opening your own business. If you have a bad location, you will have a smaller customer base. Talk to a professional to find the best locations.

When purchasing a home, it is imperative to have a thorough understanding of the terms of a mortgage loan. To keep confusion to a minimum, you should have a solid grasp of how the term of your loan will affect the amount you pay each month and its impact on the amount of interest you will ultimately pay.

TIP! Try to have a good sized down payment saved up before purchasing your home. If you do not have the down payment, you will pay private mortgage insurance (PMI).

Pay close attention to pre-foreclosures. If you find that you have a lot of time to put into finding a property that you can invest in, pre-foreclosure homes might be something that you want to consider. Pre-foreclosure properties are ones where the owners of them have risk of losing their home because of delinquency. You can obtain a list of potential pre-foreclosures from any lender, or you can advertise that you buy homes for cash. No matter how you find the property, speak with the owners to understand the amount they owe, and be prepared to pay them at least a few thousand over that amount. If there is a good bit of equity already, you can do well this way.

You should put off a home purchase if you have any uncertainty about your current job or employment outlook. You commit yourself to a monthly payment for the duration of your mortgage, once your signature is on that dotted line. In case of an interruption in your job, you will need to have a few moths of payments saved up.

When you?re committed to purchasing a property, be realistic and patient about your available opportunities. It takes a while to find the right property for your goals and strategy.

TIP! There are many calculators available online to help you figure out how much you can afford to pay for a new house. These calculators allow you to enter many aspects of your financial situation for analysis.

Don?t start looking for a home before you?re pre qualified. You don?t want to end up coming across the house of your dreams to be told that you can?t get a large enough loan to buy it. Another reason to pre-qualify is that the loan approval process can be lengthy, so it?s best to be ready.

Do research on the types and sizes of houses in close proximity to the neighborhood you are considering. This is important, because you do not necessarily want to purchase the biggest and the best house in that neighborhood. The reasoning behind this is that you?ll never recoup the value of that house because the smaller houses within the neighborhood will potentially drag down the value of the grandest home in that area.

TIP! Get a checklist from your realtor. Realtors usually have a list that you can go over to ensure that you take care of all necessary things when you are looking for a home and trying to finalize the mortgage.

You should have a fund for unexpected costs that present themselves during the buying of property. The closing costs can usually be calculated by adding the real estate taxes, points and down payment together. The closing costs can often include extra charges like improvement bonds, school taxes, and other local charges.

Make sure you stay connected with other investors like yourself. Properties are available all the time. Most of the time properties aren?t ideal for everyone. It?s a great method to find a diamond in the rough that others haven?t found.

It?s a good idea to find a real estate agent who has lived in or near the area you are considering, so don?t be afraid to ask them. If your agent is not familiar with the area, they won?t be able to inform you about many things you may want to know. Ideally, look for an agent who has lived in the area for at least 10 years.

TIP! You need to see your credit report prior to looking for a new home. Immediately report any mistakes on your credit report, and contact the reporting agency and creditor to have inaccurate information removed.

Whenever you invest in real estate, always be mindful of your end goals. You will need to decide if your goals are long term or short term. If you are not completely satisfied with the property you are going to purchase, walk away and look for another. Most property owners don?t enure their needs are handled, and they lose out on an investment.

You should have developed knowledge from this article?s information to assist you in buying real estate. You may even end up trading favors with someone you have helped succeed.

Join me on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/maynaseric

Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/real-estate-buying-advice-and-tips-here-3

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Libya authorities search for key security official

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? A security official in the Libyan city of Benghazi says police are searching for a senior official who was abducted while investigating the recent assassination of the city's police chief.

The official said Saturday that Lt. Col. Abdel-Salam al-Mahdawi was abducted from a Benghazi street late Wednesday when assailants pulled him from a vehicle. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Al-Mahdawi heads Benghazi's criminal investigations unit tasked with looking into the November killing of National Security chief Col. Farag el-Dersi in the city.

Security has deteriorated over the past year in Benghazi, the birthplace of the revolt that unseated longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. An attack in September on the U.S. consulate there killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libya-authorities-search-key-security-official-160307253.html

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Idaho senator pleads guilty to DWI charge in Va.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) ? Idaho Republican Sen. Michael Crapo pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of driving while intoxicated and then apologized for his actions and asked forgiveness from his constituents.

Crapo said nothing during a very brief trial in Alexandria General District Court, where he pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a $250 fine, complete an alcohol safety program and agreed to a 12-month suspension of his driver's license. The sentence is typical for first-time drunken-driving offenders in Virginia, where the crime is classified as a misdemeanor.

Outside court, though, Crapo gave an apologetic statement where he acknowledged that he been drinking alcohol on occasion for the past year or so, in violation of the tenets of his Mormon faith.

Crapo said he had been drinking vodka and tonic at his Washington home on the night of Dec. 22, became restless, couldn't sleep and went out for a drive.

He had been driving for about 30 minutes when he realized he was in no condition to drive and started to return home, he said. It was then that he ran a red light and was pulled over in the D.C. suburb of Alexandria, in the early morning hours of Dec. 23.

Crapo registered a blood alcohol level of 0.11 after his arrest, police said, above the legal limit of 0.08. No mention of his blood alcohol level was made at Friday's trial, but a secondary test performed after Crapo was brought to the jailhouse registered at 0.14, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the arrest. The official wasn't authorized to release information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I am grateful, truly grateful, that no one was injured," Crapo said.

Crapo said he was not with anyone at the time, was not going to see anyone and was not coming or going from seeing anybody.

His arrest stunned colleagues and constituents alike, not only because of his squeaky-clean image but also because he had said he doesn't drink, in accordance with his church's practices.

He said Friday that the night of his arrest was the first time he had ever driven drunk but that he has, in the past year or so, been drinking alcohol on occasion. He apologized for that.

"As a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have endeavored all my life to be an outstanding member" of the church, Crapo said. "I will carry through on appropriate measures for forgiveness and repentance in my church."

Crapo said he felt like he owed people a full explanation of his behavior and took questions outside the courthouse.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of failing to obey a traffic signal.

As long as he remains on good behavior, Crapo won't have to serve a 180-day suspended jail sentence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-senator-pleads-guilty-dwi-charge-va-153608150--politics.html

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Too-Skinny Model Ban Takes Effect in Israel, Sparks Controversy

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/too-skinny-model-ban-takes-effect-in-israel-sparks-controversy/

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Basque separatists Batasuna say they are closing down

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - Batasuna, regarded by Spain as the political wing of ETA rebels, said it was closing down on Thursday, two months after a legal party calling for independence for the Basque Country finished second in regional elections.

Batasuna, which made the announcement at a press conference in Bayonne, France, where it is legal, said it wanted to clear the way for Basque separatists operating within the political system. The party had been outlawed by Spain in 2003 for links to ETA, which it denied.

"We have to recognize that the political phase during which we created Batasuna has now come to an end. With that political phase now closed, it would appear that Batasuna's time is also over," party member Jean-Claude Aguerre told reporters.

ETA announced an end in 2011 to four decades of violent struggle for independence that had left more than 800 people dead. The Basque separatist vote has migrated to pro-independence party Bildu, which won 21 out of 75 seats in the Basque parliament in an election in October.

Batasuna, founded in 2001 by members of an earlier banned separatist party, wanted independence for seven traditionally Basque provinces in northern Spain and southwest France.

ETA began its violent campaign in Spain under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco,. when Basque language and culture were suppressed. Spain's Basque Country now has a high degree of economic and political autonomy from the rest of the country.

(Reporting By Claude Canellas; Writing By Vicky Buffery; Editing by Paul Day and Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/basque-separatists-batasuna-closing-down-194152167.html

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Markets rally after US 'fiscal cliff' deal

In this Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, photo, a trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. World markets registered relief Wednesday Jan. 2, 2013 over the U.S. congressional vote to stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In this Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, photo, a trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. World markets registered relief Wednesday Jan. 2, 2013 over the U.S. congressional vote to stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A Filipino trader blows a horn during the first day of trading at Philippine Stock Exchange at the financial district of Makati, south of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday Jan. 2, 2013. Stock markets in Asia registered relief Wednesday over the U.S. congressional vote to stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The ?fiscal cliff? compromise, for all its chaos and controversy, was enough to send the stock market shooting higher Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The ?fiscal cliff? compromise, for all its chaos and controversy, was enough to send the stock market shooting higher Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The ?fiscal cliff? compromise, for all its chaos and controversy, was enough to send the stock market shooting higher Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

LONDON (AP) ? Markets breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday after U.S. lawmakers reached a budget agreement that will stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession.

Stocks around the world started 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed the vote in the House of Representatives that made sure the U.S. does not go over the so-called "fiscal cliff." Though longer-term fiscal problems remain and President Barack Obama will likely face more battles with the Republican-dominated House, investors were relieved that the biggest near-term stumbling block to the world economy has been cleared.

"The degree to which the U.S. fiscal cliff was causing investors to repress risk appetite is all too clear on the first trading day of 2013," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average spiked around 250 points, or 1.9 percent, to 13,349, while the broader S&P 500 index rose 1.9 percent too to 1,453.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 2.2 percent to 6,027.37, its first foray above the 6,000 mark since July 2011. The CAC-40 in France rose 2.6 percent to 3,733.93 while Germany's DAX ended 2.2 percent higher at 7,778.68.

Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its best finish in 19 months while South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,031.10. Japanese and Chinese markets were closed for public holidays.

The bill that Congress approved calls for higher taxes on income over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, a victory for Obama. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent, up from the current 35 percent. It also delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts that had been set to start affecting the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week.

If lawmakers had not agreed by the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline on the new budget measures, more than $500 billion in tax increases would have hit the economy in 2013 alone. Government spending worth $109 billion would have been cut from the military and domestic spending programs.

Though fears over an imminent fall off the "fiscal cliff" have eased, investors still have a host of issues to worry about. The next possible point of contention will be in two months' time, when U.S. politicians will debate the debt ceiling and spending cuts that did not make it into the latest deal.

"No agreement would mean a technical default on U.S. debt in March," said Michael Ingram, market analyst at BGC Brokers. "The U.S. bond market would go into cardiac arrest."

Investors will also keep a close watch on any response from the credit rating agencies. After a fight in Congress to raise the debt limit in 2011, Standard & Poor's lowered the U.S. government's AAA bond rating, citing the lack of a credible plan to reduce the federal government's debt. It also voiced its concerns about the "effectiveness, stability and predictability of American policymaking."

Meanwhile, investors will be monitoring the state of the global economic recovery and Europe's ongoing battle to contain its 3-year debt crisis.

A better than expected monthly U.S. manufacturing survey from the Institute for Supply Management reinforced the underlying optimism in the markets, especially as investors shift their focus to Friday's payrolls report for December.

The ISM's index of manufacturing activity rose to 50.7 in December from 49.5 in the previous month. The rise was slightly more than expected in the markets and took the measure above the 50 threshold that indicates expansion.

"Nothing to dent the positive risk start to the year here," said Alan Ruskin, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.

While the evidence points to continued economic growth in the U.S., figures elsewhere highlighted the scale of the downturn in the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro.

The manufacturing purchasing managers' index ? a gauge of business activity published by data provider Markit ? showed the eurozone's industrial sector remained mired in recession in December. The index fell to 46.1 from 46.3 the previous month. Anything below 50 indicates a contraction in activity.

How the European economy fares over the coming months will likely hinge on developments in the debt crisis. In the last few months of 2012, tensions eased largely in the wake of the announcement of a new bond-buying plan from the European Central Bank.

That has shored up the euro, which on Wednesday was down 0.1 percent at $1.3192, having earlier traded as much as 0.5 percent higher on the day.

Oil prices pushed higher, with the benchmark New York contract up $1.26 at $92.96 a barrel.

____

Sampson contributed from Bangkok.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-02-World%20Markets/id-9ace542999f6482e9c9eb3d92b0e8caa

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