Sunday, March 31, 2013

Diggins leads Notre Dame past Kansas, 93-63

Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner (15) passes the ball to Kansas guard Angel Goodrich, left, as Notre Dame forward Ariel Braker (44) pressures during the first half a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner (15) passes the ball to Kansas guard Angel Goodrich, left, as Notre Dame forward Ariel Braker (44) pressures during the first half a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner (15) tries to fend off Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa (11) during the first half a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

Kansas forward Carolyn Davis, left, and Notre Dame forward Ariel Braker (44) battle for a rebound during the first half of a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday March 31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw reacts during the first half of a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday March 31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson directs her team during the first half of a regional semi-final of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) ? Skylar Diggins was already having such a great day, her coach figured she might as well make it historic.

The Notre Dame point guard scored 22 of her 27 points by halftime Sunday and became the school's career scoring leader, leading the top-seeded Fighting Irish to a 93-63 victory against Kansas in the semifinals of the Norfolk Regional.

Coach Muffet McGraw had forgotten all about Diggins' pursuit of the school scoring mark until the game was well in hand. When she asked, she was told the senior was just two points away from passing assistant coach Beth Cunningham.

"I told her, 'You're coming out in 30 seconds. You might as well get one more,'" McGraw said she told Diggins.

Moments later, with 7:48 to play, the lefthander in her trademark white headband swished a 12-foot jumper.

"Coach told me to score two more. I didn't really know why, but I was like, 'OK,'" Diggins said.

It was that kind of the day for Diggins, who heard talk beforehand that the Norfolk Regional was full of great point guards, and quickly showed she might not have a peer, especially at this time of year with the stakes so high.

"We play in games that are so much like Sweet 16 or Elite Eight kind of caliber games in our conference," she said. "That helps all of us."

So does having a leader that makes it all look so easy. Diggins added nine assists and three steals, scored nine straight during a 16-2 first-half run that put the Irish (34-1) ahead to stay, and six more to cap a 10-2 run into halftime.

"She's what everyone says," Kansas point guard Angel Goodrich, who finished with seven points and 13 assists, said. "She's the whole package. She can create for herself and she can create for her teammates."

The victory was the 29th in a row for Notre Dame, and left the Irish one victory shy of a third consecutive trip to the Final Four. They have lost in the title game each of the last two years.

Carolyn Davis led the upstart Jayhawks (20-14) with 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting, but the second No. 12 seed ever to get this far in the women's tournament since the seeding format began in 1994 didn't stick around long.

Notre Dame led 40-27 at halftime and started the second half with a 22-9 run.

"We definitely let them play comfortable and confident," Jayhawks coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "I was disappointed our defensive effort wasn't better."

Goodrich's head-to-head duel with Diggins never materialized. When Goodrich, like Diggins a senior, finally scored with 5:48 left in the first half, Diggins already had 16 points and her team was about to make another run before halftime.

It came in the final 4:30 of the half, a 10-2 burst capped by two 3-pointers by Diggins.

"When she starts hitting the 3, you're in trouble," McGraw said.

Natalie Achonwa added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Notre Dame, Jewell Loyd scored 15 and Kayla McBride 13 as the Fighting Irish shot 54.4 percent from the field, making 37 of 69 attempts.

Monica Engelman added 10 points for Kansas, but on just 4 of 16 shooting.

The Irish trailed 15-11 when Loyd made a 3-pointer with 14:37 to go and then Diggins took over. She hit a 16-footer, a 17-footer, a 3-pointer and then had a steal and layup, making it 23-15. After Davis' stickback for the Jayhawks, Ariel Braker scored inside and Diggins did, too, posting up Goodrich.

The 16-2 run gave the Fighting Irish a 27-17 lead, and the spread stayed about the same until late in the half when Diggins hit a 3-pointer, then followed a turnover with another 3 from the right side.

___

Follow Hank on twitter at: http://twitter.com/hankkurzjr

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-31-BKW-NCAA-Kansas-Notre-Dame/id-06e3a6e91bb54b648251cf29a5f9170e

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Social Media Welcome To Reality On-line | Destination Raleigh

Posted on Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Although other people may possibly believe you are merely enjoying the several aspects of social networking, the truth of your interest might likely be tinged with a organization concentrate.

What that doesnt imply is that you post simply to leave a traceab?

The use of social media encompasses a broad range of on the internet media sorts. Whilst some might only assume of a social network like MySpace there are truly several social media formats that include substantial advertising and marketing prospective for on the web business.

Although other individuals might think you are simply enjoying the a number of aspects of social networking, the truth of your interest might probably be tinged with a enterprise concentrate.

What that doesnt mean is that you post merely to leave a traceable link back to your business web site. Individuals who go to any social media site see by way of posts that are overtly geared toward marketing and advertising. In several situations social media buyers view this as spam even if the social network owners do not. In the end, you can shed credibility of you dont operate as a meaningful contributor in a social media environment.

Social media can be presented in a lot of various types. Lets take a peak at a handful of of them.

YouTube and other equivalent video sites These movies can be funny, severe, off the cuff and sometimes political in nature. You can show your organization in a humorous light and let folks to be curious about you and your organization.

MySpace and other social networks This form of social media is well-known since it draws with each other numerous elements of social marketing and advertising and makes them accessible to the masses of individuals that may possibly view social networking as an on-line version of reality television.

Blogs This is a form of social media if only since it does allow interactive exchanges amongst the blogger and the reader.

Forums This can permit you to have an person voice willing to discuss topics of interest to the majority. As with all social media you can provide a link to your website. If you are viewed as a trusted source you will likely locate forum members following you to your internet site to learn far more.

Podcasting This is an audio stream that can let a visitor to hear a private message from you. This can have a pronounced effect in social advertising.

This isnt an exhaustive list, but it does supply something for you to consider as an addition to other advertising methods you may possibly have in place. Social media permits you to take your message to the individuals and have enjoyable even though you share your message.

I cant anxiety enough how important it is to be real. The complete Internet community has a low tolerance for supposed spam so make positive you dont use social media as basically one more type of on the internet marketing.

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Source: http://www.destinationraleigh.com/uncategorized/social-media-welcome-to-reality-on-line/

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Palestinian leader clamps down on critics

HUSSAN, West Bank (AP) ? Mahmoud Abbas' government in the West Bank is getting tougher with critics, interrogating, prosecuting and even jailing several journalists and bloggers in recent months for allegedly "defaming" the Western-backed Palestinian leader.

Rights activists say the legal hassles are meant to silence dissent and that the campaign is intensifying despite promises to the contrary by Abbas. Targets of the crackdown include supporters of Abbas' political rival ? the Islamic militant Hamas ? and political independents who have written about alleged nepotism and abuse of power in Abbas' Palestinian Authority.

Abbas' aides insist the Palestinian leader opposes any curb on expression. They blame overzealous prosecutors and security officials, but government critics say Abbas could easily halt the clampdown.

"It's a good cop, bad cop routine. The bad cops are the security services, and the good cop is the benevolent president," said Diana Buttu, a former Palestinian Authority insider. They want to send a chilling message, she said, "and it works."

Abbas' foreign backers, who view him as key to delivering any future peace deal with Israel and maintaining quiet in the West Bank, have said little in public about the issue. Instead, during a visit to the West Bank in late March, President Barack Obama showered Abbas and his security forces with praise for their efforts to prevent militant attacks on Israel.

The new tactic of taking journalists and bloggers to court has invited speculation about timing and motive.

Some say Abbas and his inner circle are lashing out at critics because they feel increasingly vulnerable politically. Others suggest the 78-year-old Abbas is either an old-school Arab politician not used to criticism or an out-of-touch leader getting bad advice.

"It's a weak authority and that's why it's doing this," said Shahwan Jabareen, who heads the human rights group Al-Haq. "They fear the criticism is growing ? that they will lose the (Palestinian) authority ? and they are trying to keep it by acting like this."

Such insecurities are rooted in the political split of 2007, when Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Abbas.

Since then, Hamas has been going after sympathizers of Abbas' Fatah movement in Gaza, while Abbas' security forces have tried to dismantle the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank to prevent a similar takeover there.

Reconciliation efforts have failed, and both sides are entrenched in their respective territories.

The split has prevented new elections, meaning Abbas has already overstayed his term as president by four years, weakening his claim to lead. His troubles are compounded by a cash crisis in his foreign aid-dependent government and lack of progress toward his main objective of negotiating terms of a Palestinian state with Israel.

There have been waves of crackdowns on political rivals, particularly Hamas, since the Palestinian Authority was established two decades ago, as part of interim peace deals with Israel.

However, Palestinian journalists say they are increasingly being targeted.

"I think it is getting worse, although we are getting very rosy promises" from the president's office, said Nabhan Khraishi, a spokesman for the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, a union with hundreds of members.

Ahead of Obama's March 21 meeting with Abbas, 18 Palestinian journalists were told that they would not be allowed to enter the president's compound to cover the event. Veteran reporters were among those denied accreditation apparently for being perceived as politically hostile to the Palestinian Authority.

Khraishi said that in talks with the journalists' union, political advisers and security officials blamed each other for banning an unprecedented number of journalists from covering Obama.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, an Abbas adviser who dealt with the issue, did not return phone messages Sunday.

Two recent court rulings have drawn more attention to the clampdown on free speech.

On Thursday, an appeals court in the West Bank upheld a one-year prison term for Mamdooh Hamamreh for "defaming" Abbas. Hamamreh allegedly posted a photo montage on his Facebook page in September 2010 that showed Abbas next to that of a TV villain. A caption read: "They're alike in all ways." The villain in the TV drama collaborated with French colonial rule in Syria.

Hamamreh, a Hamas activist in his college years, denies having posted the photos. He said he spent 53 days in interrogation, missing the birth of his son and was banned from seeing his lawyer for the first 20 days.

After his release on bail, his trial and an appeal dragged on for more than two years. Abbas pardoned him hours after the appeals court decision Thursday, and Hamamreh was released later that day.

Nimer Hamad, an Abbas adviser, said the Palestinian leader hadn't pushed for Hamamreh to be prosecuted. "This young man did not deserve such a sentence," Hamad said. "The freedom and right of expression is guaranteed to all people and the president is keen on protecting freedom of expression."

Hamamreh said he believes the main point was to deter him and others from speaking out, and that he will stay clear of any potential trouble in his work.

"I now censor myself regarding anything I say," the 29-year-old said Saturday, surrounded by well-wishers at his family home in the village of Hussan, near Bethlehem. "It's the one thing they (the authorities) succeeded in doing, which is intimidation."

On the same day as Hamamreh's verdict, another court in the northern town of Salfit sentenced a blogger, Anas Ismail, to six months for "liking" three Facebook posts critical of the Ministry of Telecommunications and the minister himself.

Ismail, 30, said he was jailed for 17 days of interrogation in February and convicted and sentenced Thursday for "insulting a minister." The judge allowed him to appeal immediately, meaning he is staying out of prison for now.

He later posted on his Facebook page: "For a 'tag,' you get one year. For a 'like,' you get six months, for a 'share' you get a suspended sentence. A comment invites the biggest disaster."

A Palestinian advocacy group, MADA, said it counted 238 violations of the rights of Palestinian journalists last year, including detentions, travel bans and the closing of media outlets. MADA said that of those, 70 percent, or 164, were committed by Israel and the rest in equal measure by the two rival Palestinian governments.

Last year, 12 journalists were detained by Palestinian security forces, up from five in 2011, while 13 were summoned for questioning, the group said. Overall, there was a drop in Palestinian and a rise in Israeli violations, the group said.

Jihad Harb, an independent Palestinian commentator, said dragging journalists to court for defaming the president and the government is a relatively new tactic.

Harb himself was summoned to the prosecutor's office in Ramallah in November, three months after writing about he claimed was nepotism in filling senior public service positions. Harb said he is still waiting to hear how the case against him, on possible defamation charges, will proceed.

"The biggest loser is the president, Mahmoud Abbas, and his image in the world," said Harb.

Another journalist, Yousef Shayeb, said he was jailed for interrogation for eight days, after writing in a Jordanian newspaper last year about alleged abuse of power in the PLO embassy in Paris. He said he faces a civil suit by the Palestinian foreign minister and two top embassy officials who have dismissed Shayeb's allegations as baseless.

Buttu, a former legal adviser in the Palestinian Authority, said it's unclear to what extent Abbas is involved in the clampdown or is being pushed by those around him.

"Part of it is that they fear they have lost their grip on Palestinian society," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-leader-clamps-down-critics-183110334.html

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'Nasty piece of work': Cloud over London's 'sunshine' mayor Boris Johnson

Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images, file

London mayor Boris Johnson (right) and Irvine Sellar, developer of the new skyscraper The Shard, cut a ribbon.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

LONDON -- He is the goofy London mayor whose jovial self-deprecation and quick intellect have rescued him from a string of political missteps and personal indignities. But floppy-haired Boris Johnson?s happy-go-lucky reputation took a battering this week, just as he revealed his ambition to one day become Britain?s prime minister.

New York-born Johnson -- memorably caught on camera dangling from a broken zip-wire during the London Olympics?-- was accused of being a ?nasty piece of work? in a train-wreck television interview that surfaced a darker side to his persona.

The mayor was asked about a number of embarrassing episodes in his past including being fired from his former job as a reporter with The Times newspaper for making up a quote, losing his opposition cabinet role after lying to his Conservative party leader about an affair and the accusation that he agreed to provide a reporter?s address to his friend, a convicted fraudster, so the journalist could be beaten up.

There were no new revelations in Sunday?s interview, which was hardly in the mold of Frost vs Nixon. But the feline approach of BBC presenter Eddie Mair exposed a testy, evasive side to Johnson that observers say has undermined his affable public image.

?What?s remarkable is not that the interview happened but the fact that it hasn?t happened before,? said Johnson?s biographer, Sonia Purnell.

?He has always used his jovial fellow act and has never really been challenged like that in an interview until now.

?It is true that he is very charismatic, very clever and engaging. But there is a dark side to his character. He has a ferocious temper and he bears grudges.?

The clash was in stark contrast to Johnson?s winning encounter on ?Late Show with David Letterman? last year, when he entertained the studio audience and shrugged the gibe that he cut his own hair.

It has sparked a debate in Britain about whether the mayor, a keen cyclist and classical scholar whose full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson -- can still be taken seriously as a contender to replace David Cameron as prime minister and leader of his Conservative party.

Mair teased Johnson about his repeated refusal to admit that he harbors ambitions to replace Cameron, with whom he has a mild personal rivalry that dates back to their shared time at Eton, Britain?s most elite private school.

Jan Kruger / Getty Images, file

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson warm up for a tennis match during the London Olympics.

?What should viewers make of your inability to give a straight answer to a straight question?" asked Mair, adding: ?You?re a nasty piece of work, aren?t you??

An online Guardian newspaper poll found 62 percent of its readers thought Johnson could no longer be considered a candidate for Britain?s top job. The interview ?was inevitably described as a car crash, but in the case of Johnson, it was more of a bicycle crash: spokes all over the road, wheels mangled and a reputation badly dented,? wrote the newspaper?s veteran political editor, Patrick Wintour.

Purnell added: ?I think it left a tidemark in people?s minds about Boris?s character.?

However, conservative commentator Toby Young said Johnson?s leadership prospects remain unchanged. ?It's an elementary rule of politics that if you have any skeletons lurking in your closet that are likely to make an appearance during an election campaign, better to get them out in the open now,? he wrote in the Daily Telegraph. ?Not only will it rob them of their bad juju, it will enable his supporters to claim -- yet again -- that he's popular?in spite of?his character flaws, not because the public isn't aware of them.?

Matthew Norman, in The Independent, asked: ?Boris would be a disastrous PM. So why do I quite like the idea?? He wrote: ?Life for diarists and political pundits would improve immeasurably, which strikes me as a very reasonable price to pay for the national shame of having Boris Johnson as prime minister.?

Johnson, 48, has long been a grassroots favorite to lead the Conservatives if Cameron stood down or lost office. However, to be prime minister he would first need to stand again for election to the House of Commons, which he quit in 2008 to run to be mayor of London. He is currently serving his second four-year term and has remained coy about whether he will quit early and return to parliament.

London mayor Boris Johnson attempts to make a dramatic entrance at an Olympic party?but gets stranded on a zip wire instead. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

His mix of conservative economics and liberal social values -- he supports gay marriage and an amnesty for immigrants -- helped secure his election in a city long dominated by left-of-center politics, but it may not sit well with the U.K.-wide Conservative party.

His personal morality may also hinder his progress: He has acknowledged a number of affairs and has been likened to Italy?s serial philanderer and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi by satirical magazine editor Ian Hislop.

Then there is Johnson?s apparent lack of attention to detail. Purnell, who worked alongside him in the Brussels bureau of the Daily Telegraph, said: ?Some of the things he wrote were on the limits of the truth. He was, at best, creative.?

Max Hastings, a former editor of Johnson's during his time as a journalist, described Johnson as "utterly chaotic,"?adding: "Supposing he became prime minister, the idea of Boris Johnson's finger on the nuclear button ... one day he would get it mixed up with the one to call the maid."

However, there remains a lot of affection for a man whose unvarnished approach is a breath of political fresh air.

?He is a sunshine politician and people like that,? said Ross Lydall, chief news correspondent of London?s Evening Standard newspaper, which supports Johnson.

?The way he has improved life for cyclists in London is remarkable -- as a cyclist myself, it certainly puts a smile on my face. He represents a sense of optimism compared to the old, miserable municipal politics of London.?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a274445/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C30A0C1750A23550Enasty0Epiece0Eof0Ework0Ecloud0Eover0Elondons0Esunshine0Emayor0Eboris0Ejohnson0Dlite/story01.htm

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

BroadBand Nation: FreedomFire Communications.....Real Choices ...

At first glance, choosing a telecommunications service may seem like an afterthought to businesses and consumers alike. Typically, this decision is made by simply using the same service of the previous office or home occupants. Does it make sense to risk all channels of communication on what worked for a previous home or office? Michael Lemm and FreedomFire Communications are matching customers with ideal telecommunications packages, all for free!

Personal History

Michael Lemm proudly served in the United States Navy prior to starting his company. His military experience and being able to travel the world exposed him to the global demand for Telecom and IT technology services. This also afforded him the opportunity of professional networking amongst individuals and businesses around the world. One particular relationship led to mutually exploring opportunities for putting the experience and knowledge gained to good use. This resulted in a friendship and partnership that's covered 10 years and is still going strong.

Company History

In 1998, while still on active duty, Michael started FreedomFire Communications. Due to the demands of the military, he was only able to work on his business part-time. The first few years, he described, were a ?learning and gradual growth experience.? But today, they are doing business all around the world. For example FreedomFire Communications has done business throughout the United States from coast to coast, Australia, Hong Kong, and even Africa.

Services They Provide

FreedomFire Communications offers diversity, variety, and cost efficiency for voice, data, and internet services.

* From choices of "Best Rate" phone service, cellular phones, calling cards, high speed internet, bundled phone/internet/TV, international (GSM) mobile phones, and SIM cards. Re-direct toll free 800 service, web hosting, website development, audio/video conferencing, broadband phone (VoIP phone), video-surveillance security systems, satellite TV, and computer hardware/software. See FreedomFire Communications

* Business VoIP, IP PBX, and complete dedicated voice/data network support for - T1, bonded T1, fractional/full DS3, OC3, OC12, OC48, OC192, MPLS, GigE, Ethernet from 5mb to multi-GB, point-to-point, and MUCH more. See DS3 Bandwidth

In other words, through their affiliation as agents for about 30 top tier and first tier telecom carriers (voice/data networks), plus their affiliation with over 3000 VAR partners, and their association with 100s of specialty Telecom and IT providers, FreedomFire can offer the customer virtually anything in terms of circuits, products, solutions, hardware and software relating to telecom. There is no other Master Agency on the planet with such diverse offerings. Additionally, they offer a $500 Low Price Guarantee on any of the voice/data circuits (sic T1, DS3, OCx) from any of the carriers they represent.

Bottom line, they can provide telecommunications circuits for anyone, anwhere on the planet.

Their Customers

Everyone, residential and business, is a potential customer for FreedomFire Communications. Michael has worked with consumers, small businesses and large businesses. Residential and small businesses are more likely to benefit from the product/service portfolio on FreedomFire Communications. While medium to large businesses are more likely to benefit from the voice/data network solutions offered through DS3 Bandwidth.

For the business customer, they do not "sell" but offer education and consulting at no charge. They take the time to understand what the business customer wants to accomplish and what problems they are trying to solve in terms of their telecom requirements. Then they EDUCATE the customer via their many years of telecom experience to suggest and recommend products and services that will meet those needs, both today and as the business grows.

Since they represent almost 30 first tier and top tier carriers for telecom, they are totally unbiased in their recommendations and focus on the most cost-effective solution for the customer.

Why is FreedomFire Communications Successful?

Their business success primarily stems from being based on offering choices. In contrast to their competitors who often present just one option, most every service/product type they offer lists a number of potential vendors to choose from for the best match. They also offer a wide variety of products/services tailored to the needs of their customers. For example our cell phone section shows all types (including smart phones), all plans (including family plans), all providers, and even accessories and ringtones.

In addition, they employ cutting edge technology to show comparisons of providers, rates/plans, etc. by specific location on our websites. "Best rate calculators" are available for most every product/service (see landline phone or VoIP phones on as examples). The real time quote capability available thru OC3 Bandwidth is patented too. No other competitor does real time bandwidth quotes.

Through their global networking connections, FreedomFire Communications is able to stay intimately in tune with vendor deals and specials that others do not know about. Their vendor relationships provide this inside knowledge and ability to offer savings others cannot. Often, as in the case of voice/data networks, this means the inside sales staff of the provider themselves. These central relationships ensure they stay abreast of what is new in the Telecom industry and what is most in demand by their potential market. This enables them the opportunity of constant innovation by adding or deleting products/services as the industry advances.

Most importantly, is customer service. For network solutions (e.g. bonded T1, MPLS) they do not stop when the ink is dry but stay on top of it throughout the life of the contract. Based on the volume of business with their carriers, they have a direct line into senior management. Allowing them to make things happen for the customer and ensure things do not fall through the cracks. They keep in contact with their customers to monitor how things are going, to be around when their business is growing, and to keep them updated as they are nearing contract expiration. It?s all about customer service.

Customers Should Know...

Essentially, Michael Lemm operates as a Master Agent with associations and relationships with a number of providers/vendors in the Telecommunication industry. This allows him to function in an unbiased manner and always search for, find, and offer what best suits the client, not what makes him the most commission. This approach creates trust and credibility with customer and provider/vendor alike.

They put themselves in the position of being a partner with the customer so that the most cost-effective options can be suggested, quoted, and even explain why something is most cost effective. Most customers appreciate this perspective instead of just trying to be sold to.

They don?t just ?sell? products and services, but feel very strongly about ?giving.? So they also publish two blogs sharing resources, tips, insights and news they feel their customers could benefit from. One focused on the Broadband Nation ? and the other on Small Business Resources .

Labels: Data Network, DS3 Bandwidth, FreedomFire Communications, Internet Services, Telecom Agent, Telecommunications, Voice Network

Source: http://broadband-nation.blogspot.com/2013/03/freedomfire-communicationsreal-choices.html

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Marijuana tax touted as budgetary benefit to US and states. Really?

Marijuana tax could be a new source of revenue for strapped states, and the federal government, too, say two congressmen who have proposed such legislation. But the scale of any tax benefit is hotly disputed.

By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / March 29, 2013

A grow house in Denver shows a marijuana plant ready to be harvested, in January. Rep. Jared Polis (D) of Colorado, who introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act last month, told Politico Thursday that his state could see as much as $100 million a year from a federal marijuana tax.

Ed Andrieski/AP

Enlarge

A federal marijuana tax could potentially pump millions of dollars into struggling state economies, say two US congressmen who have introduced legislation that would create such a tax and also protect state regulation policies.

Skip to next paragraph Allison Terry

Allison Terry works on national news desk for the Christian Science Monitor. She previously worked on the cover page desk and contributes to the culture section of the Monitor.

Recent posts

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Rep. Jared Polis (D) of Colorado, who introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act last month, told Politico Thursday that his state could see as much as $100 million a year from a federal marijuana tax, which could make a ?substantial dent in needed school improvements, particularly in poorer districts.?

Representative Polis joins fellow Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who has introduced the Marijuana Tax Equity Act, which would create a $50 excise tax on each ounce of marijuana sold.?

The two bills would help balance the federal and state budgets, the congressmen say, by reducing how much the Drug Enforcement Agency spends on fighting the war on drugs and also adding revenue that would help reduce the budget deficit.

?It is billions of dollars we spend to arrest [660,000] people a year for something that half of Americans think should be legal,? Representative Blumenauer told Fox News last month. He said the legislation would result in about $100 billion in savings and new revenue over the next decade.

But there's disagreement among policymakers and economists about just how much revenue a federal marijuana tax would raise.

If marijuana were taxed in the same way as alcohol and tobacco, estimates for new tax revenue would be closer to $6.4 billion ? $4.3 billion for federal coffers and $2.1 billion for the states ? not the hundreds of millions others have estimated, Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron, a scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute, told Politico Thursday.?

?This is not a cash cow that can solve anyone?s fiscal problems,? Mr. Miron said. ?There is a lot of exaggeration about how big the revenue can be.?

Another factor is that nationwide legalization would reduce the cost of marijuana, noted?Rosalie Liccardo Pacula of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, according to the Politico report. She expects prices in Colorado and Washington, where voters last fall opted to legalize possession, to drop by 70 to 85 percent ? and thus the value of any taxes levied on marijuana consumption would also drop.

Claims that legalizing marijuana would benefit states and the US economy are not new.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/PFzM1E0TsAs/Marijuana-tax-touted-as-budgetary-benefit-to-US-and-states.-Really

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Soft-Boiled Science: Egg-cellently Cooked Eggs

Cooking up science: How do you boil the perfect egg? Use science to help--and learn about proteins in the process Image: George Resteck

Key concepts
Food science
Proteins
Heat
Eggs

Introduction
Have you ever been in such a rush in the morning that you barely had time for breakfast? Eggs can be a good breakfast choice because they can be cooked quickly and in many different ways. Eggs have been eaten for thousands of years, all over the world. Hard-boiled eggs are commonly used for dying Easter eggs, but a soft-boiled egg can make a yummy breakfast or snack. How does different exposure to heat at different times change the way an egg cooks? In this activity you'll determine the best recipe for producing consistent, soft-boiled eggs that will get your day off to a great start no matter what time of year!

Background
The typical egg packs a big punch in a small package. One large egg has about 75 calories, many essential nutrients, lots of high-quality protein, various vitamins, multiple minerals, choline, folate and riboflavin. Eggs can help you maintain muscle strength as well as promote a healthy brain and eye function. The yolk contains the fat of the egg, most of the vitamins and minerals, and about half of the protein. The albumen (egg white) is mostly water (about 90 percent) and protein (about 10 percent).

There are several methods for preparing eggs. They can be scrambled, poached, fried, pickled, hard-boiled and soft-boiled. In a raw egg the proteins in the egg are folded and curled up tight. But when you cook an egg, the heat causes its proteins to uncurl so that they interact with one another, forming a network of connected proteins. In a soft-boiled egg the white is firm but the yolk is between runny and solid?in other words, the yolk should be viscous, or thickened and sticky.?

Materials
? Three raw eggs
? Pot with lid
? Ice cubes
? Water
? Large bowl
? Stove top (adult supervision is recommended while using the stove and handling any hot items)
? Slotted spoon
? Timer
? Plates

Preparation
? If the eggs are being stored in the refrigerator, take them out and let them warm to room temperature. This may take about an hour.
? Remember to always wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling uncooked eggs because they can carry salmonella. For this same reason, it is not recommended that you eat any uncooked eggs you prepare in this activity.
? Gently place an egg in a pot and add water. Fill the pot so that the egg is covered by about an inch of water.
? Put several ice cubes in a large bowl and fill it with enough water to cover an egg. This will be your ice water bath. If many of the ice cubes melt during the activity, add new ones to the bowl.

Procedure
? Place the pot of water with the egg in it on the stove top, put the lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil. (Please have adult supervision when operating the stove and handling hot items.)
? Once the water is vigorously boiling, let the egg cook for five minutes. Keep the lid on the pot during this time.
? After boiling for five minutes, carefully remove the egg using the slotted spoon and place it into the ice water bath.
? Let the egg sit in the bath for one minute, then remove the egg, peel it and place it on a plate.
? Observe the egg. Is the white firm or watery? How thick is the solid white? Is the yolk slimy, viscous or hard? Overall, does it seem like the egg is soft-boiled?
? Bring the water in the pot back up to a vigorous boil and use the slotted spoon to carefully place a new raw egg into the boiling water. Let the egg boil for five minutes (with the lid on the pot).
? After five minutes, carefully remove the egg and place it into the ice water bath. Let the egg sit there for one minute, then remove it, peel it and place it on a plate.
? Observe the egg. Is the white firm or watery? How thick is the solid white? Is the yolk slimy, viscous or hard? Overall, does it seem like the egg is soft-boiled?
? Bring the water in the pot back up to a vigorous boil and carefully place a new raw egg into the boiling water. Once the egg is submerged, turn off the stove and move the pot to a cool burner. Let the egg steep in the just-boiled water for five minutes. Leave the lid off the pot while the egg steeps.
? After five minutes, carefully remove the egg and place it into the ice water bath. Let the egg sit for one minute, then remove it, peel it and place it on a plate.
? Observe the egg. Is the white firm or watery? How thick is the solid white? Is the yolk slimy, viscous or hard? Overall, does it seem like the egg is soft-boiled?
? Which cooking method seemed to lead to the best soft-boiled egg: bringing the egg and water up to a boil together, just cooking the egg in already boiling water or steeping the egg in just-boiled water? If they showed similar results, which method seemed to use less energy?
? Extra: Eggs come in different sizes. You could try three different sizes of eggs with the method that worked best for you in this activity. Does the size of the egg affect how well the best soft-boiling recipe works?
? Extra: You could try this activity again but increase or decrease the amount of time that the egg is in hot water. Can you perfect the soft-boiling recipe?


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=d84f9f03806f7bd7487e361a4edd56fd

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Instant View: S&P 500 ends at new closing high

(Reuters) - The S&P 500 index posted a new closing high on Thursday, surpassing the previous record of 1565.15 set in October 2007, as investors continued a strong run that has seen the index rise nearly 10 percent in the first three months of the year.

COMMENTS:

BRIAN JACOBSEN, CHIEF PORTFOLIO STRATEGIST, INVESTMENTS GROUP, WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT IN MENOMONEE FALLS, WISCONSIN:

"I don't get too excited about new highs. It used to be the norm for the market to hit new highs. On an inflation adjusted basis, we'd have to get over 1720 to get to the October 2007 highs. We'd have to get to 2000 to get to the 2000 highs. Corporate profits are at record highs, so it seems only fitting that stocks should be at all-time highs.

"We may not have seen all the fallout from the crisis in Cyprus. I fear it could be used as a political foil if the Italians need to go back to the polls. If the Five Star Movement makes an even better showing the second time at the polls, that could trigger a new round of market turmoil."

TIM GHRISKEY, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, SOLARIS GROUP, BEDFORD HILLS, NEW YORK:

"It's certainly good, it means we've been in a strong recovery stock market. The rally we've had since mid-November has been driven by improving macroeconomic fundamentals, and a slowly but surely improving economy.

"There are a lot of computer-driven asset allocation programs that look at recent price trends and allocate toward the strongest asset class. So we expect those asset allocation programs come Monday morning to at least give us an initial boost toward increased cash flows into equities. Likely that positive influence lasts for several days."

CHRIS RUPKEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF FINANCIAL ECONOMIST, BANK OF TOKYO/MITSUBISHI UFJ, NEW YORK:

"The Great Recession is over and now that the financial market turbulence is over, the broader stock market is back at an all-time record close. This sorry chapter in U.S. history is now behind us and good riddance. The stock market is the most leading of leading indicators and it is telling us the economic outlook in 2013 is going to be better than the doubters would have you believe."

QUINCY KROSBY, MARKET STRATEGIST, PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

"It will go into the history books, but the key is whether we'll see any follow-through. It's important because the S&P is a broader index than the Dow and is more representative of the economy, although it doesn't have the same cachet for retail investors.

"If we get a correction, it will come from either the credit markets and Europe, a geopolitical event, or that revenue growth is waning. Then again, the sorts of things that used to cause pullbacks don't seem to bother people right now, and that is a little disconcerting. Ultimately, the market should reflect corporate earnings today and in the near future, and some of what we've heard suggests things are not stellar there."

MICHAEL MULLANEY, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER AT FIDUCIARY TRUST CO IN BOSTON:

"This is overdue. We knew it was going to come, and the only thing that prevented it from happening sooner is the tech sector. Obviously Apple hasn't performed well this year, and that held back the S&P 500 at large in a way that obviously didn't impact the Dow. It is nice to be at a new record, but we don't know how long we'll be at these levels. There could be a soft quarter ahead of us, and it wouldn't be surprising to see us consolidate. We hope the market will be higher than where it now at year end, we still think that we're in the early stages of a great rotation into stocks."

MICHAEL WOOLFOLK, SENIOR CURRENCY STRATEGIST, BNY MELLON, NEW YORK:

"It's confirmation that the risk rally is going to continue this year, despite negative developments overseas. We feel we're in phase one of a great rotation, which involves cash coming off the sidelines and into equities. Toward the end of the year and in 2014, it will start to come from bond selling. We won't see that until inflation emerges, though. So we see the equities rally continuing and think there will be very little collateral damage form the crisis in Cyprus. It could even be a net benefit, as we may see capital flight from Europe to the U.S."

BRUCE MCCAIN, CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST AT KEY PRIVATE BANK IN CLEVELAND, OHIO:

"This is a very appropriate punctuation for a great quarter that saw a lot of last year's anxieties recede. However, this could be the start to a more realistic look at the problems that still haven't gone away. Some degree of caution is probably still merited, with the problems in Cyprus probably only the beginning to what we could see in coming months.

"On an inflation-adjusted basis, we're not back to where we were. We're not really back until we eclipse that inflation-adjusted level."

(Americas Economics and Markets Desk; +1-646 223-6300)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/instant-view-p-500-ends-closing-high-202702906--sector.html

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Picking apart photosynthesis: New insights could lead to better catalysts for water splitting

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory believe they can now explain one of the remaining mysteries of photosynthesis, the chemical process by which plants convert sunlight into usable energy and generate the oxygen that we breathe. The finding suggests a new way of approaching the design of catalysts that drive the water-splitting reactions of artificial photosynthesis.

"If we want to make systems that can do artificial photosynthesis, it's important that we understand how the system found in nature functions," says Theodor Agapie, an assistant professor of chemistry at Caltech and principal investigator on a paper in the journal Nature Chemistry that describes the new results.

One of the key pieces of biological machinery that enables photosynthesis is a conglomeration of proteins and pigments known as photosystem II. Within that system lies a small cluster of atoms, called the oxygen-evolving complex, where water molecules are split and molecular oxygen is made. Although this oxygen-producing process has been studied extensively, the role that various parts of the cluster play has remained unclear.

The oxygen-evolving complex performs a reaction that requires the transfer of electrons, making it an example of what is known as a redox, or oxidation-reduction, reaction. The cluster can be described as a "mixed-metal cluster" because in addition to oxygen, it includes two types of metals -- one that is redox active, or capable of participating in the transfer of electrons (in this case, manganese), and one that is redox inactive (calcium).

"Since calcium is redox inactive, people have long wondered what role it might play in this cluster," Agapie says.

It has been difficult to solve that mystery in large part because the oxygen-evolving complex is just a cog in the much larger machine that is photosystem II; it is hard to study the smaller piece because there is so much going on with the whole. To get around this, Agapie's graduate student Emily Tsui prepared a series of compounds that are structurally related to the oxygen-evolving complex. She built upon an organic scaffold in a stepwise fashion, first adding three manganese centers and then attaching a fourth metal. By varying that fourth metal to be calcium and then different redox-inactive metals, such as strontium, sodium, yttrium, and zinc, Tsui was able to compare the effects of the metals on the chemical properties of the compound.

"When making mixed-metal clusters, researchers usually mix simple chemical precursors and hope the metals will self-assemble in desired structures," Tsui says. "That makes it hard to control the product. By preparing these clusters in a much more methodical way, we've been able to get just the right structures."

It turns out that the redox-inactive metals affect the way electrons are transferred in such systems. To make molecular oxygen, the manganese atoms must activate the oxygen atoms connected to the metals in the complex. In order to do that, the manganese atoms must first transfer away several electrons. Redox-inactive metals that tug more strongly on the electrons of the oxygen atoms make it more difficult for manganese to do this. But calcium does not draw electrons strongly toward itself. Therefore, it allows the manganese atoms to transfer away electrons and activate the oxygen atoms that go on to make molecular oxygen.

A number of the catalysts that are currently being developed to drive artificial photosynthesis are mixed-metal oxide catalysts. It has again been unclear what role the redox-inactive metals in these mixed catalysts play. The new findings suggest that the redox-inactive metals affect the way the electrons are transferred. "If you pick the right redox-inactive metal, you can tune the reduction potential to bring the reaction to the range where it is favorable," Agapie says. "That means we now have a more rational way of thinking about how to design these sorts of catalysts because we know how much the redox-inactive metal affects the redox chemistry."

The paper in Nature Chemistry is titled "Redox-inactive metals modulate the reduction potential in heterometallic manganese-oxido clusters." Along with Agapie and Tsui, Rosalie Tran and Junko Yano of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are also coauthors. The work was supported by the Searle Scholars Program, an NSF CAREER award, and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. X-ray spectroscopy work was supported by the NIH and the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Synchrotron facilities were provided by the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, operated by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by California Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Kimm Fesenmaier.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Emily Y. Tsui, Rosalie Tran, Junko Yano, Theodor Agapie. Redox-inactive metals modulate the reduction potential in heterometallic manganese?oxido clusters. Nature Chemistry, 2013; 5 (4): 293 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1578

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/zABlV4-Gj0A/130329125305.htm

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Swarming robots could be the servants of the future

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Swarms of robots acting together to carry out jobs could provide new opportunities for humans to harness the power of machines.

Researchers in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics, jointly established by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, have been working to program a group of 40 robots, and say the ability to control robot swarms could prove hugely beneficial in a range of contexts, from military to medical.

The researchers have demonstrated that the swarm can carry out simple fetching and carrying tasks, by grouping around an object and working together to push it across a surface.

The robots can also group themselves together into a single cluster after being scattered across a room, and organize themselves by order of priority.

Dr Roderich Gross, head of the Natural Robotics Lab, in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield, says swarming robots could have important roles to play in the future of micromedicine, as 'nanobots' are developed for non-invasive treatment of humans. On a larger scale, they could play a part in military, or search and rescue operations, acting together in areas where it would be too dangerous or impractical for humans to go. In industry too, robot swarms could be put to use, improving manufacturing processes and workplace safety.

The programming that the University of Sheffield team has developed to control the robots is deceptively simple. For example, if the robots are being asked to group together, each robot only needs to be able to work out if there is another robot in front of it. If there is, it turns on the spot; if there isn't, it moves in a wider circle until it finds one.

Dr Gross said: "We are developing Artificial Intelligence to control robots in a variety of ways. The key is to work out what is the minimum amount of information needed by the robot to accomplish its task. That's important because it means the robot may not need any memory, and possibly not even a processing unit, so this technology could work for nanoscale robots, for example in medical applications."

This research is funded by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. Additional support has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e12RicAy1Q

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Sheffield, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/t0u6bm1TWas/130328125325.htm

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Cigarette labels may educate about bladder cancer

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Graphic warning labels on packs of cigarettes may convince some people that smoking ups the risk of bladder cancer, says a new study from Canada.

A survey of 291 people at doctors' offices in Toronto found less than half knew that smoking cigarettes is tied to an increased risk of bladder cancer, but three quarters said a graphic warning label would help raise awareness.

"Clearly patients do understand the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but we found in this little survey that only about 45 percent knew there was any risk of cigarette smoking associated with bladder cancer," said Dr. Robert Stewart, the study's senior author from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in U.S. men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 72,570 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2013 and 15,210 will die from it.

The researchers say that past research had suggested between 30 percent and 50 percent of all bladder cancers are caused by cigarette smoking.

In Canada, cigarette and little cigar manufacturers have to cover 75 percent of their product's packages with warnings that include graphic images of people with various cancers and conditions linked to smoking.

For the new study, published in The Journal of Urology, the researchers surveyed patients at a urology office and a family practice at St. Michael's Hospital between January and February 2011. Of 300 people who were given a survey, 291 returned them. About half were current or former smokers.

Overall, less than half knew a person's risk of bladder cancer was linked to smoking, compared to 98 percent who knew of a link between smoking and lung cancer.

After seeing a mock warning label that featured a graphic picture of a malignant bladder tumor, about 58 percent said it had changed their opinions on smoking and bladder cancer.

That meant the people were probably more convinced of the association - not that they would quit smoking, but about 75 percent thought the label would help get the message across, Stewart said.

LABELS AND CESSATION

He added that it's important to get people to quit smoking, because a person's risk of cancer will continue to fall over time.

According to the researchers, the risk of bladder cancer falls by about 40 percent about one to four years after a person quits smoking, and is back to average risk about 20 to 30 years after quitting.

"As time accumulates, the risks do fall off," Stewart said.

As of June 2012, cigarette manufacturers are required to display a number of new graphic warning labels on the packs of cigarettes they cell in Canada, according to Health Canada, the agency that regulates tobacco sales.

One of the labels warns buyers that "cigarettes cause bladder cancer," and features a picture of bloody urine, which is a symptom of the cancer.

A comment from Health Canada on how it selects which warnings to include on packaging could not be provided by deadline.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would require similar labels on the cigarette packs it regulates, but recently abandoned that plan after legal challenges (see Reuters story of March 19, 2013 here: http://reut.rs/14yZgWD.)

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/ZZRSyY The Journal of Urology, online March 7, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cigarette-labels-may-educate-bladder-cancer-202919286.html

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Presidential Madness (Rounds 3 & 4): Secretary of war and defense

United_States_Department_of_Defense_Seal.svgOur two-week contest to pick the best presidential Cabinet ever continues with two matchups involving the men who led America through war and peace.

Join Presidential Madness!

At Constitution Daily, madness in March doesn?t just apply to the NCAA?it?s also an awesome excuse to give the bracket treatment to the executive branch of government. This year, it?s all about the presidential Cabinet.

Get into Presidential Madness by downloading a bracket [PDF] and predicting who you think will make it to the finals as best Cabinet member of all time. Check in and vote each day at Constitution Daily for the latest round of polling.

Round 3: Secretary of war (pre-WWII)

The War Department predated the Constitution, and its leaders headed the Army and were third in line to the presidency. It was replaced by the Defense Department after World War II.

1. John C. Calhoun. Served 1817 ? 1825. As James Monroe?s secretary of war, Calhoun tried to modernize the military and expand its ability to function nationally.

2. Edwin Stanton. Served 1862 ? 1869. Stanton managed the Civil War effort for President Abraham Lincoln, and his later feud with Andrew Johnson led to Johnson?s impeachment.

3. William Howard Taft. Served 1904 ? 1908. Taft served President Theodore Roosevelt in important matters in Panama and the Philippines, and as a de facto vice president.

4. Henry Stimson. Served 1911 ? 1913, 1940?? 1945. Stimson had two tours at the War Department, including managing a 13-million-member military during World War II, and overseeing the atomic bomb program.

Pick your favorite in our polls below, and check back each day to see a new Presidential Madness vote!

Note: If you can?t see the poll above, use this link:? http://poll.fm/45wld

Round 4: Secretary of defense (post-WWII)

The Defense Department grew out of World War II; its leaders had to manage a complex, global military force.

1. Melvin Laird. Served 1969?? 1973. A former congressman, Laird served under Richard Nixon, supervised the winding down of the Vietnam War, and ended the draft.

2. Caspar Weinberger. Served 1981 ? 1987. Weinberger lead the Defense Department for Ronald Reagan and oversaw a massive effort to build up the military as the Soviet Union crumbled.

3. Donald Rumsfeld. Served 1975 ? 1977, 2001 ? 2006. He first led the military under Gerald Ford and returned to the Defense Department to head the post-9/11 efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

4. Robert Gates. Served 2006?? 2011. Having served under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Gates was known for his bipartisan leadership and broad government and academic background.

Note: If you can?t see the poll above, use this link:?http://poll.fm/45wli

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/presidential-madness-rounds-3-4-secretary-war-defense-102606637--politics.html

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Measuring the magnetism of antimatter

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

In a breakthrough that could one day yield important clues about the nature of matter itself, a team of Harvard scientists have succeeding in measuring the magnetic charge of single particles of matter and antimatter more accurately than ever before.

As described in a March 25 paper in Physical Review Letters, the ATRAP team, led by Gerald Gabrielse, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics, and including post-doctoral fellows Stephan Ettenauer and Eric Tardiff and graduate students Jack DiSciacca, Mason Marshall, Kathryn Marable and Rita Kalra was able to capture individual protons and antiprotons in a "trap" created by electric and magnetic fields. By precisely measuring the oscillations of each particle, the team was able to measure the magnetism of a proton more than 1,000 times more accurately than an antiproton had been measured before. Similar tests with antiprotons produced a 680-fold increase in accuracy in the size of the magnet in an antiproton.

"That is a spectacular jump in precision for any fundamental quality," Gabrielse said, of the antiproton measurements. "That's a leap that we don't often see in physics, at least not in a single step."

Such measurements, Gabrielse said, could one day help scientists answer a question that seems more suited for the philosophy classroom than the physics lab ? why are we here?

"One of the great mysteries in physics is why our universe is made of matter," he said. "According to our theories, the same amount of matter and antimatter was produced during the Big Bang. When matter and antimatter meet, they are annihilated. As the universe cools down, the big mystery is: Why didn't all the matter find the antimatter and annihilate all of both? There's a lot of matter and no antimatter left, and we don't know why."

Making precise measurements of protons and antiprotons, Gabrielse explained, could begin to answer those questions by potentially shedding new light on whether the CPT (Charge conjugation, Parity transformation, Time reversal) theorem is correct. An outgrowth of the standard model of particle physics, CPT states that the protons and antiprotons should be virtually identical ? with the same magnitude of charge and mass ? yet should have opposite charges.

Though earlier experiments, which measured the charge-to-mass ratio of protons and antiprotons, verified the predictions of CPT, Gabrielse said further investigation is needed because the standard model does not account for all forces, such as gravity, in the universe.

"What we wanted to do with these experiments was to say, 'Let's take a simple system ? a single proton and a single antiproton ? and let's compare their predicted relationships, and see if our predictions are correct," Gabrielse said. "Ultimately, whatever we learn might give us some insight into how to explain this mystery."

While researchers were able to capture and measure protons with relative ease, antiprotons are only produced by high-energy collisions that take place at the extensive tunnels of the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Gabrielse said, leaving researchers facing a difficult choice.

"Last year, we published a report showing that we could measure a proton much more accurately than ever before," Gabrielese said. "Once we had done that, however, we had to make a decision ? did we want to take the risk of moving our people and our entire apparatus ? crates and crates of electronics and a very delicate trap apparatus ? to CERN and try to do the same thing with antiprotons? Antiprotons would only be available till mid-December and then not again for a year and a half.

"We decided to give it a shot, and by George, we pulled it off," he continued. "Ultimately, we argued that we should attempt it, because even if we failed, that failure would teach us something." In what Gabrielse described as a "gutsy" choice, graduate student Jack DiSciacca agreed to use this attempt to conclude his thesis research, and new graduate students Marshall and Marable signed on to help.

Though their results still fit within the predictions made by the standard model, Gabrielse said being able to more accurately measure the characteristics of both matter and antimatter may yet help shed new light on how the universe works.

"What's also very exciting about this breakthrough is that it now prepares us to continue down this road," he said. "I'm confident that, given this start, we're going to be able to increase the accuracy of these measurements by another factor of 1,000, or even 10,000."

###

Harvard University: http://www.harvard.edu

Thanks to Harvard University 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/127457/Measuring_the_magnetism_of_antimatter

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Your Dermatologist's Guide to Playing Holi! - Health Me Up

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Your Dermatologist?s Guide to Playing Holi!


Holi, the festival of colors, is one of the most enjoyable times of the year. But, rarely do we recognize the havoc that Holi can play on the skin! Read below for your dermatologist recommended advice for having gorgeous skin throughout your Holi celebration!?

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Traditionally, natural powders derived from sandalwood, turmeric and flowers were used to celebrate Holi. However, ever since artificial colors were developed and found to be significantly cheaper than the natural sources, these new types of colors have begun dominating the market in India. These Holi colors are a risk all by themselves as many of them contain artificial ingredients that can causes severe skin allergies. Ingredients such as prussian blue and gentian violet are known causes of dermatitis (skin irritation or inflammation).

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In fact, it is these very artificial colors that also often take a long time to come off, making those allergic rashes last longer than they should. Furthermore, many of these colors can cause eye puffiness and irritation, and even carry a risk of temporary blindness! To prevent these side effects, look for natural vegetable derived colors from a reputable store. These herbal colors should be hypoallergenic and easier to wash off. Also, make sure you check the ingredient list to ensure they are as natural as they appear!?

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Now, it is nearly impossible to control everyone who brings color to a Holi party. So, to prevent side effects in case of any exposure to those artificial colors, it helps to take some precautions. To help ensure that the colors do not block the pores or get embedded into the skin, apply a strong cream such as cold cream or petroleum jelly before playing Holi. These creams will act as a barrier between your skin and the colors andwill ensure a stronger protection from those skin-irritating powders. And, for an added benefit, it will also help make them easier to remove later on!

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However, even with our precautions, removing Holi colors can be a skin irritating issue on its own. Many people end up scrubbing their skin raw to get rid of those pesky colors! But, roughly handling your skin will only make it sensitive and irritated. For the face especially, avoid scrubs. They are not very effective and will only cause trauma. Use gentler cleansers no more than a few times a day and stay away from strong detergents or soap. They will only serve to irritate the epidermal barrier, making your skin dry and irritated. For stubborn color, using oil can often be very helpful as some colors are especially soluble in oil. You can apply oil to the skin and massage it for a few minutes. Then, using a gentle cleanser, wash the oil and the color away!?

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Finally, it is important to remember that Holi powders are not the only risk you can encounter at a Holi festival! The sun is a big factor in how your skin will react; so don?t forget your sunblock! Spending all day in the sun is not healthy for the skin and can manifest as tanning, pigmentation, redness or even sun allergy! Wear a water-resistant sunblock with at least SPF30++ for UVA and UVB protection to help protect your skin. And don?t forget to reapply every 3-4 hours!?

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Data Credit: The author, Dr. Kiran Lohia, MD is a Columbia University graduate and a United States trained M.D., specializing in Dermatology. Dr. Lohia is considered an expert authority on dermatology and skin care.

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Related Article: 20 Skin Care and Hair Care Tips for Holi

*Images courtesy: ? Reuters

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previous next '; $("#SiteLoginDiv").html(statusLoginStr); $("#SiteLoginDiv").show(); $("#CommonLoginDiv").hide(); //-To Show the Twitter Post Box T("#maincommentdivfortweeter").tweetBox({ height: 100, width: 600, defaultContent: "http://toi.in/oX9kqY", onTweet : function (data){ //--------------Function to Post data to the insert2dbfile var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); var comment_text = data.replace("http://toi.in/oX9kqY",""); var comment_parentid = $("#comment_parentid").val(); var content_id = $("#content_id").val(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'twitter','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'screenName':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep Healthmeup a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1","whichflag":whihcflag},function(data){ $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+20366).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+20366).html(''); $('#comment_'+20366).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } }); } }); //$("#login-logout").append('Sign out of Twitter'); $("#signout").bind("click", function () { twttr.anywhere.signOut(); $("#first_name").val(''); $("#userscreenname").val(''); $("#userprofilelink").val(''); $("#userprofileimage").val(''); $("#loginusertypeid").val(''); window.location.reload(); }); $("#logindiv").hide(); }else{ T("#twitter-connect-placeholder").connectButton({ authComplete: function(user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully setQuestion(); window.location.reload(); } }); /*document.getElementById("twitter-connect-placeholder").onclick = function () { T.signIn();}; T.bind("authComplete", function (e, user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully window.location.reload(); });*/ //$("#logindiv").show(); $("#maincommentdiv").show(); //$("#facebooktwitteruserdetails").hide(); $("#maincommentdivfortweeter").hide(); }; }); });//------------Document Ready //-------------------FAcebook User Starts var badword=0; function postthecomment1(){ var comment_text = jQuery.trim($("#comment_text").val()); var comment_parentid = jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var content_id = jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); $("#showerrorComment").hide(); $("#commentBoxRes").hide(); if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; $("#showerrorComment").html(errmsg); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; return false; } if($("#whichusertype").val()=='1'){ var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var screenName = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); } var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'facebook','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'username':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ badword=1; $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1"},function(data){ //alert(data); $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); //$("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+20366).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+20366).html(''); $('#comment_'+20366).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Skincare: Your Dermatologist?s Guide to Playing Holi!"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/skincare-your-dermatologists-guide-to-playing-holi/20366"; var story_section ="News"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/1/1"; var author_name = "HealthMeUp"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/healthmeup/185"; var posteddate = "Mar 27th 2013 at 6:30AM" var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/content/2013/Mar/hairholicoversg_100x75.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate} ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'luxpresso', 'href':'http://luxpresso.com/'}]; // FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); }); } }); }else{ var username= jQuery.trim($("#Username").val()); var useremailid= jQuery.trim($("#Useremail").val()); var comment_parentid=jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var userpassword=jQuery.trim($("#Password").val()); var content_id=jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag =jQuery.trim($("#whichcontype").val()); var flag = 0; if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var username = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var username = $("#Username").val(); } if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; }else if(username=="" || useremailid==""){ errmsg = "Please login to comment."; flag=1; }else if (userpassword == "" || userpassword == "Password"){ errmsg = "Please Enter Password"; $('#Password').focus(); flag=1; } if(flag==0){ //alert("asda"); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'normaluser','EmailId':useremailid,'whihcflag':whihcflag,'Username':username,"userpassword":userpassword,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid,'comment_text':comment_text,'screenName':screenName},function(data){ //alert(trim(data)); if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); $("#showerrorComment").show(); }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ //alert("dsf") $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('

Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!

'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1"},function(data){ //alert(data); $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); $("#commentBoxRes").html('

Thanks for posting the comments.

'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; // $("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+20366).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+20366).html(''); $('#comment_'+20366).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); del_cook('keepComment'); }); }else{ $("#showerrorComment").html(errmsg); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; } } } function posttofacebook(comment_text){ var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Skincare: Your Dermatologist?s Guide to Playing Holi!"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/skincare-your-dermatologists-guide-to-playing-holi/20366"; var story_section ="News"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/1/1"; var author_name = "HealthMeUp"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/healthmeup/185"; var posteddate = "Mar 27th 2013 at 6:30AM"; var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/content/2013/Mar/hairholicoversg_100x75.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate } ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'Healthmeup', 'href':'http://healthmeup.com/'}]; //FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); } function clearText(field){ if (field.defaultValue == field.value) field.value = ''; else if (field.value == '') field.value = field.defaultValue; } function del_cook(name){ //alert('deleted'); var expdate = new Date(); expdate.setTime(expdate.getTime() - 1); document.cookie = name += "=; expires=" + expdate.toGMTString(); } window.setTimeout(function() { // This will execute 0.5s after the page loads // and it will execute only once if(readCookie('focus_comment')) { $(window).bind('load', function() { $('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: $('#landcomment').offset().top }, 'fast'); $("#comment_text").focus(); Set_Cookie("focus_comment",'1', "-1"); $("#login_thank_u").html('Thank you for logging in. Please go ahead and submit your comment'); $("#login_thank_u").show(); $("#login_thank_u").fadeOut(10000); }); } }, 500);

Post comment as Anonymous

Source: http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/skincare-your-dermatologists-guide-to-playing-holi/20366

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