Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/03/is-tmobile-iphone-a-deal/
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Is the T-Mobile iPhone a Good Deal?
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Uncovering Africa's oldest known penguins
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Africa isn't the kind of place you might expect to find penguins. But one species lives along Africa's southern coast today, and newly found fossils confirm that as many as four penguin species coexisted on the continent in the past. Exactly why African penguin diversity plummeted to the one species that lives there today is still a mystery, but changing sea levels may be to blame, the researchers say.
The fossil findings, described in the March 26 issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, represent the oldest evidence of these iconic tuxedo-clad seabirds in Africa, predating previously described fossils by 5 to 7 million years.
Co-authors Daniel Thomas of the National Museum of Natural History and Dan Ksepka of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center happened upon the 10-12 million year old specimens in late 2010, while sifting through rock and sediment excavated from an industrial steel plant near Cape Town, South Africa.
Jumbled together with shark teeth and other fossils were 17 bone fragments that the researchers recognized as pieces of backbones, breastbones, wings and legs from several extinct species of penguins.
Based on their bones, these species spanned nearly the full size spectrum for penguins living today, ranging from a runty pint-sized penguin that stood just about a foot tall (0.3 m), to a towering species closer to three feet (0.9 m).
Only one penguin species lives in Africa today ? the black-footed penguin, or Spheniscus demersus, also known as the jackass penguin for its loud donkey-like braying call. Exactly when penguin diversity in Africa started to plummet, and why, is still unclear.
Gaps in the fossil record make it difficult to determine whether the extinctions were sudden or gradual. "[Because we have fossils from only two time periods,] it's like seeing two frames of a movie," said co-author Daniel Ksepka. "We have a frame at five million years ago, and a frame at 10-12 million years ago, but there's missing footage in between."
Humans probably aren't to blame, the researchers say, because by the time early modern humans arrived in South Africa, all but one of the continent's penguins had already died out.
A more likely possibility is that rising and falling sea levels did them in by wiping out safe nesting sites.
Although penguins spend most of their lives swimming in the ocean, they rely on offshore islands near the coast to build their nests and raise their young. Land surface reconstructions suggest that five million years ago ? when at least four penguin species still called Africa home ? sea level on the South African coast was as much as 90 meters higher than it is today, swamping low-lying areas and turning the region into a network of islands. More islands meant more beaches where penguins could breed while staying safe from mainland predators.
But sea levels in the region are lower today. Once-isolated islands have been reconnected to the continent by newly exposed land bridges, which may have wiped out beach nesting sites and provided access to predators.
Although humans didn't do previous penguins in Africa in, we'll play a key role in shaping the fate of the one species that remains, the researchers add.
Numbers of black-footed penguins have declined by 80% in the last 50 years, and in 2010 the species was classified as endangered. The drop is largely due to oil spills and overfishing of sardines and anchovies ? the black-footed penguin's favorite food.
"There's only one species left today, and it's up to us to keep it safe," Thomas said.
###
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent): http://www.nescent.org
Thanks to National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) 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.
This press release has been viewed 27 time(s).
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127480/Uncovering_Africa_s_oldest_known_penguins
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The Duggars Are Considering Adoption - How Many Kids Is Too ...
Michelle Duggar says she and husband Jim Bob Duggar would consider adopting a child.
Great, you say. Get kids out of orphanages and foster care. Give kids a loving family and home to call their own. No more children lost in the system.
Then you remember: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are already parents to nineteen children. And you remember all the questions, judgments, and accusations surrounding their?fecundity.
From?Newsday.com
From Hollywoodlife.com
And from Twitter, where complex ethical deliberations, moral judgments, and political debate can be condensed to the handy-dandy 140 character size.
Or maybe not.
In any case, I?m on the side of Michelle Duggar on this one.
No, I don?t agree with all the teachings of her faith. But disagreement is a problem I have with plenty of religious teachings- teachings which are used to justify everything from assault on women to discrimination against gays to out-and-out war.
But are we going to start dealing out Permission To Procreate cards only to the people who we think should have them based upon our agreement with their beliefs ?- whether that?s ?belief? in a particular God or political philosophy or that family?s dedication to successful economic fortitude or environmental righteousness? Personally, I?m not sure how many Uterus Is GO! cards I could hand over based my perfect approval. Maybe I?d give one to Brangelina. I?d still have to think on that one. ?I have questions about their number of plane flights per year.
And speaking of environmental asceticism, I do question the impact of large families on the overall environment. There?s a heck-a-lot of resources needed to keep a family that size up and running each day. Here?s what Michelle Duggar has to say about over population:
Ehhrrrm. Okay, hold up there, Michelle. I?m on your side here with buying used and repairing instead of replacing, but your opening volley of ?the entire population of the world?could fit in the city limits of Jacksonville,? misses the point of sustainability.
Zero Population advocates recommend a replacement rate of population growth, i.e. number of folks dying equals the number of people born. That?s simplifying, but in developed countries, ?zero population growth? means 2 kids per woman (well?2.1 kids per woman. I always wonder how that .1 kid figures in when calculating half-time soccer snacks.)
In other words, I have three kids. One of them needs to get shipped off to Denmark or Japan where low birth rate is too low?say experts, and the diminishing workforce will have scary negative economic consequences. However, the Duggars recently returned from a trip to China and Japan, so who knows. Maybe one or two of the kids accidentally got left behind. Population redistribution solved.
The Duggars back when there were only 17 kids. Or what they?d look like today with two Duggars helping out the needed population boom in Denmark.
But remember, we?re not talking about Michelle and Jim Bob popping out another bio-kid. We?re talking about the Duggars putting their money where someone else?s mouth is and adopting a child who doesn?t currently have a family home. We?re talking about an established family of loving parents and healthy, seemingly happy kids taking a homeless child under their roof.
Yeah, I know?don?t Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have too many kids already? How can they ever give another kid ?the attention he or she needs with so many other kids demanding love and attention?
It?s hard not to think of my own struggle with New Mommy Guilt, even when I went off to work and the ?babysitter? I was leaving my newborn with was my own husband. I later did a lot of needless psychological and emotional gymnastics to convince myself that leaving my firstborn with an experienced and caring professional childcare expert wasn?t neglect.
With my second child, I wondered where I?d find the time to pay attention to all the needs of another little human.
By my third child, the question had been answered: I?m the parent and no one can replace me. Quality time and quantity time were both important. But seeing my son born into a family of two older, loving siblings who were also capable of teaching and being playmates and guardians was only a good thing. The overall love was multiplied, ?not diminished.
Agree or disagree with Michelle Duggar?s religion or politics or philosophies as you will. It?s hard to deny that a child adopted into that home would be brought into a home filled with a lot of love and caring and good things. Whether the good things outweigh someone?s definition of bad? I?m uncomfortable with making that judgment.
Read More Do You Watch Too Much TLC?
source, source
Source: http://www.mamapop.com/2013/03/the-duggars-are-considering-adoption.html
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Dell drama takes new twist with 2 new buyout bids
SAN FRANCISCO?? The two new suitors pursuing Dell have a message for Wall Street: Don't allow Michael Dell to hoard potential gains from the PC maker's expansion into more profitable technology products and services.
Competing bidders Carl Icahn and the Blackstone Group LP are wooing Dell shareholders with an offer of a little more money today coupled with the possibility of even bigger returns if the struggling personal computer maker can pull off the turnaround envisioned by its CEO and founder, Michael Dell and a group of investors led by Silver Lake Partners.
The new bidders are also making a statement by proposing to maintain Dell Inc.'s status as a publicly traded company.
The long-awaited challenge to Michael Dell and Silver Lake began to unfold Monday with the announcement that Icahn, a billionaire investor with a long history of corporate confrontation, and the Blackstone, a major buyout firm, had submitted separate alternatives in an attempt to scuttle a $24.4 billion sales agreement that has been in place since Feb. 5.
If completed, the original deal would end Dell's 25-year history as a publicly traded company, leaving it entirely owned by Michael Dell, Silver Lake and a handful of other investors. The new bidders are taking advantage of a 45-day window that had been left open for better offers.
Although the details are still sketchy, both Icahn and Blackstone are offering to buy a portion of Dell Inc.'s outstanding stock at prices higher than the $13.65 per share that Michael Dell and Silver Lake have proposed to pay. Icahn is offering $15 per share for up to 58 percent of the company's existing stock while Blackstone will ante up more than $14.25 per share in cash or stock for an unspecified number of shares.
"We intend to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be," said Alex Mandl, the chairman of a four-person board committee overseeing the sale of the Round Rock, Texas company. For now, the committee is still recommending the deal put forth by Michael Dell and Silver Lake, though they are acknowledging the new offers could end up being more lucrative.
Dell's stock gained 37 cents, or 2.6 percent, to close Monday at $14.51. The shares have been trading above $14 most of this month, signaling that most investors expected alternative bids to emerge.
Monday's developments heighten the uncertainty surrounding Dell, the world's third largest PC maker behind Hewlett-Packard Co. and Lenovo Group. Dell's cloudy future could rattle some corporate customers who may be more willing to do business with HP, Lenovo or other rivals. It also threatens to distract Dell's 111,000 workers at a critical time.
The bidding battle also could culminate in the departure of Michael Dell, who founded the company bearing his name in 1984 while still a teenager attending the University of Texas.
In a statement, Dell's special committee said Michael Dell is willing to work with other parties besides Silver Lake.
Getting Dell's cooperation will be crucial for either Icahn or Blackstone if they hope to gain control of the company, predicted analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy.
"It would be naive to move forward without Michael Dell," Moorhead said. "He is the glue the keeps the place together."
Other analysts fault Michael Dell for not reacting more swiftly to a computing shift unleashed by the 2007 introduction of Apple Inc.'s iPhone and the 2010 release of Apple's iPad. Those products ushered in an era of powerful and elegantly designed mobile devices that are causing consumers and companies to spend less on PCs. The upheaval is crimping Dell's earnings and has left its stock well below its price of $24 when Michael Dell returned for his second stint as CEO in early 2007.
Michael Dell, who would contribute about $4.5 billion in cash and stock to finance his preferred deal, believes he will be in a better position to overhaul the company if he doesn't have to worry about catering to Wall Street's fixation on short-term earnings and revenue growth.
Icahn, Blackstone and other current Dell shareholders also believe the company can bounce back. They just don't want to see Dell sold at a perceived discount that would deny existing shareholders the benefits of a potential comeback.
Under Icahn's proposal, his group would spend more than $15.6 billion to buy 1.04 billion shares of Dell stock, leaving about 900 million of the existing shares still on the market. If Icahn didn't spend all the money earmarked for buying 58 percent of the outstanding stock, the remaining amount would be distributed in the form of a special dividend. Icahn said he and his affiliates currently own about $1 billion worth of Dell's stock.
Blackstone's proposal doesn't spell out how much money it would spend to buy Dell's existing stock, nor does it estimate how much stock would remain trading on the Nasdaq exchange. The New York firm said it hopes to team up with Michael Dell and also hopes to work with other major company shareholders, including Southeastern Asset Management and the T. Rowe Price Group. Both of those shareholders, who combined own nearly 13 percent of Dell's stock, oppose the offer currently backed by Michael Dell.
In a letter to Dell's special committee, Blackstone predicted its bid would be more "compelling" than the deal proposed by Michael Dell and Silver Lake.
If the deal with Michael Dell and Silver Lake falls apart, they would be owed a $180 million breakup fee.
The flexibility of the two new bids appeals to Bill Nygren, manager of the Oakmark Fund and affiliates, which owns about 25 million shares of Dell stock.
"Given the wide range of estimated values for Dell shares, if all else is nearly equal, we believe a proposal is superior if it allows investors who want to remain invested in Dell the opportunity to do so," Nygren said.
Dell shareholders who choose to retain some of the company's stock will be assuming the risk that things could get even worse if the turnaround plan flops and the sales in the slumping PC market deteriorate even more.
Although Dell has expanded into business software, technology consulting services and storage products, about 70 percent of its revenue remains tied to PCs and peripheral products, estimated Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. That's one of the main reasons Dell's stock price had slipped below $10 before talk of a buyout began swirling earlier this year.
"What is going on now is quite good for Dell shareholders," Wu said. "It's a bit like a bailout."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/29f715a1/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cid0C51316464/story01.htm
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Self Improvement | What Makes Me Unique? Five Areas to Explore ...
By Tracy Warren ?
Understanding what makes you unique is an incredibly valuable thing to know that will help you on your journey to being authentically who you are and making a difference for others. To understand more about what makes you so unique, I invite you to take an adventurous journey to know yourself. There are many places on your journey where you will want to stop and explore. These places are your self-awareness destinations and will help you to know more about where you are going. As you continue along this journey, you will begin to experience an increased sense of meaning and purpose in your life along with a greater appreciation of yourself for the incredibly unique person that you are.
Here are five areas to explore on your self-discovery journey to uncovering your uniqueness.
1. Gifts and Talents ? We all have unique gifts and talents. A lot of these we were born with and others we developed. To know your gifts and special talents you need to look at what you do well. Ask yourself, ?What is that I can do easily that others find difficult?? Your gifts and talents will come so natural to you and sometimes this is why we don?t recognize them. Pay attention to what others tell you that you do well. Notice what they compliment you on and you will soon start to recognize and claim your gifts and talents.
2. Values ? Our values are the things in our life that are most important to us. Values represent what we stand for and what matters to us; they are the principles by which you live your life. To determine your values look at where you spend most of your time and what you spend your money on. What do these things represent to you? Our values present themselves when we are faced with tough decisions. Think about a decision you recently made when you had to choose between one thing or the other. Why did you make that decision? What value did that decision represent?
3. Passions ? You know your passions when you know what you LOVE. What brings you joy just thinking about it? What do you love to spend your time doing? Look at your book collection and see what most the books you love to read are about. Also feel into what makes you come most alive? Your passions invigorate you with feelings of excitement and joy.
4. Life Experiences ? You have a unique life experiences that contribute to you being the incredible individual that you are. Look back at your life from where you grew up to the people you have met and the places you have gone and all that you have experienced, and see that all those events have been part of your unique life path.
5. Special Knowledge ? There are some things that you have a greater insight to than others. What have you studied for a long time? What about any training? This knowledge is part of unique gift you bring to the world.
The journey to discover your uniqueness will open you to a new awareness of yourself. When you have a clear picture of what makes you unique then you can better understand how you can contribute to others around you. You begin to understand your unique place in the world and your purpose is revealed.
Tracy Warren helps heart-centered professionals to know and express their unique essence and make a meaningful contribution through their work. Find out more about how to discover your uniqueness and create a fulfilling life?s work that expresses your soul at: http://www.soulality.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Warren
http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Makes-Me-Unique?-Five-Areas-to-Explore&id=3817206
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Israeli military responds to fire from Syria
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's military says its forces responded to fire from Syria, shooting toward a target across the border.
The military says its soldiers were on routine patrol in the Golan Heights Sunday when they were fired upon. The military did not say what ammunition was fired on either side.
A military spokesman says the soldiers responded with "accurate fire toward the Syrian post from which they were fired upon." He could not say whether regular Syrian forces or rebels fired. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Syrian rebels have been moving on and capturing Syrian territory at the foot of the Golan over the past week. Israel captured the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
When Gay Couples Get Married, Are They Monogamous ...
As I stood in my underwear and a headpiece made from stockings, ?Betty,? a six-foot drag queen with a red bob that matched her thigh-high boots, spent two hours grooming me into the sparkliest Cleopatra-clone possible. And then I got up on stage at Lucky Cheng?s cabaret in New York City, and officiated the marriage of Eduardo Chan and Israel Hornedo.
Chan and Hornedo had contacted me the month prior after reading a story I?d written about wanting to oversee same-sex marriages once they were legal in New York. As soon as I agreed to marry them, the couple began planning their big day.
The event was laced with standard wedding components: emotional toasts, embarrassing stories told by tipsy friends, cake-cutting and first dances. But there were also penis-shaped balloons, transvestite servers and outrageously dirty jokes.
After the last tequila shots had been downed, I wondered whether Chan and Hornedo?s union would mimic their ceremony in all of its unique glory, or whether they would live by traditional doctrines of marriage?namely, monogamy.
Straight people interested in family building are encouraged by society to find love, marry (especially if they?re knocked up already), cohabitate, reproduce, and strive to be faithful for all eternity. But such a relationship blueprint?which, for most straight people, has been ingrained since childhood?does not exist for gays and lesbians.
Now that nine U.S. states have legalized same-sex marriage, President Obama has evolved?into an overt supporter of LGBT rights, and Bill Clinton has renounced the infamous Defense of Marriage Act, matrimony is getting a much-needed overhaul. Still, we?re left with a question: because same-sex marriage has been forbidden for so long, there are no established social norms defining it. So as the institution widely considered the cornerstone of American family life evolves, are same-sex couples adopting monogamy, or are they creating their own rules?
The rules varied from: ?If you bring him home and he?s cute, you have to let me join,? to ?You can fuck whomever you want, but you can?t take him to dinner,? to ?The Sauna Clause: Sex at the gym doesn?t count.?
Though I reached out to equal numbers of lesbian and gay couples, nearly all of those willing to speak to me about their sex lives were men. Of the gay men I interviewed, all of them considered non-monogamy and monogamy equally valid relationship constructs, no matter which one they followed.
Theo Bleckmann,?a 46-year-old New York musician who married his partner of seven years on Valentine?s Day at the Empire State Building (in case you think it couldn?t get any awesomer, Joan Rivers officiated), says that he and his partner are ?of course? monogamous. But while most of the gay couples Bleckmann knows are also sexually exclusive, he thinks that ?gay couples overall figure out the parameters of their sexual boundaries and behavior as they see fit, a lot more so than married straight couples.?
Chan and Hornedo, still happily married, believe monogamy is ?the only healthy channel for a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship.? But they are quick to add that they ?are open-minded? about it.
Lanz Lowan, who has an M.S. in psychology and serves on the faculty at Stanford?s business school, has been in a relationship with Blake Spears, the founder of Insight Healthcare, for 37 years. Both in their 60s, the two have been non-monogamous since six-months into their relationship. Inspired by their experience, Lowan and Spears even conducted a study in 2010: ?Beyond Monogamy: Lessons from Long-term Male Couples in Non-Monogamous Relationships.??The two interviewed 86 couples (roughly half were married) over the course of four years about their sexual exclusivity, and concluded that ?sanctioned outside-sex is a sustainable and satisfying possibility.?
But what does an open gay marriage look like, and how?does it work?
For Lowan and Spears, non-monogamy has taken different shapes over the years. ?Sometimes, we?ve been involved with an outside partner together, sometimes only separately.? And while some of their additional partners have been strangers encountered at bathhouses, they?ve also incorporated friends. No matter what, Lowan and Spears emphasize that they?ve maintained a strong sex life with each other at all times.
Among other couples they interviewed, the rules varied from: ?If you bring him home and he?s cute, you have to let me join,? to ?You can fuck whomever you want, but you can?t take him to dinner,? to ?The Sauna Clause: Sex at the gym doesn?t count.?
Lowan and Spears think that male biology is partly responsible for the success of an open gay marriage. ?Men have a prehistoric proclivity toward procreation with multiple partners,? says Spears. ?So you have two people coming from the same evolutionary path. I believe that men, together, are somewhat better equipped to handle non-monogamy.?
This is consistent with the findings of Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D. and James Witte, Ph.D. who collected data from 100,000 respondents for their book?The Normal Bar: The Surprising Secrets of Happy Couples and What They Reveal About Creating a New Normal in Your Relationship.?They report:
?About half of all gay male couples in America allow infidelity based on the rules the couple negotiates together. While this is incomprehensible to many people in heterosexual and lesbian relationships?many of these couples seem to be able to maintain long-term, highly committed, and happy relationships without being monogamous.?
But while maleness may enable non-monogamous marriage?and facilitate the explosive popularity of the all-male location-based social network/ hook-up forum that is Grindr?it may not be the most defining element of these relationships. The rules governing non-monogamy vary widely, but Lowan and Spears point to two common factors in those that thrive: honesty and communication. ?If a couple is willing to be forthright and to problem-solve as needed, non-monogamy isn?t by nature de-stabilizing.?
Of course, communication means talking ? hashing out the rules, each person?s boundaries, and how to navigate the looming threat of jealousy. For instance, one Beyond Monogamy participant, Mitch, agreed with partner Steven never to say, ?I love you? to anyone else. Whenever Mitch or Steven senses that the other is too infatuated with an outsider, they have a conversation about it. The clearer and more extensive the set of rules (about when and how to approach alternate sex partners, which sex acts are permissible, how threesomes are orchestrated, etc.), the easier it is to protect your relationship.
And as it happens, gays may be better positioned to master the communication skills required for healthy non-monogamy than their straight peers, precisely because they haven?t grown up with hardened social paradigms.
According to gay issues specialist Phil Socci, LCSW,?because most gay people haven?t grown up with ideas of what gay relationship ?should? look like, they?re forced ?to learn from the ground up.? This learning curve means constant questioning, just as the process of coming to terms with being gay tends to. The rewards of reflection can be elevated self-awareness and, by extension, better skills with self-expression. ?There is a different level of comfort in gay relationships in terms of communicating what they want?especially sexually,? says Socci.
For now, maybe the question isn?t whether gay couples are choosing to model their marriages as straights do, but whether the same-sex community stands to lose anything as their way of life is normalized.
?A case could be made that a life that has some kind of a resistance is a life more examined,? he says.
Lisa Sherman, Executive Vice President and General Manager at LOGO?who speaks from her own experience as a lesbian and from her network?s audience?asserts that the lack of rights granted to same-sex couples forces them to approach a relationship more thoughtfully than their straight counterparts. Because everything (finances, healthcare, childrearing, etc.) becomes more complicated for couples with fewer freedoms, ?you have to be so much more thoughtful about how you go about the relationship,? Sherman says. ?As a result, the intention is so much more specific and clear and it is much more intentional.?
For now, maybe the question isn?t whether gay couples are choosing to model their marriages as straights do, but whether the same-sex community stands to lose anything as their way of life is normalized.
Already, we know that growing numbers of same-sex couples are dealing with divorce, just one of the relationship issues that impacts heterosexuals. It could be that gays and lesbians are destined to join the throngs fielding?when-the-hell-are-you-going-
Most importantly, it could be that the mindful communication so many gays and lesbians have come to embrace?a consequence of existing outside the bounds of established norms for so long?evaporates in the face of widespread acceptance. ?That?s something to worry about down the line. But as it stands, straight couples have plenty to learn from gays about what makes a marriage, or any longterm relationship, truly work.
Source: http://www.howaboutwe.com/date-report/when-gay-couples-get-married-are-they-monogamous/
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Biological tooth replacement -- a step closer
Monday, March 11, 2013
Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at King's College London and published in the Journal of Dental Research.
Research towards achieving the aim of producing bioengineered teeth ? bioteeth ? has largely focussed on the generation of immature teeth (teeth primordia) that mimic those in the embryo that can be transplanted as small cell 'pellets' into the adult jaw to develop into functional teeth.
Remarkably, despite the very different environments, embryonic teeth primordia can develop normally in the adult mouth and thus if suitable cells can be identified that can be combined in such a way to produce an immature tooth, there is a realistic prospect bioteeth can become a clinical reality. Subsequent studies have largely focussed on the use of embryonic cells and although it is clear that embryonic tooth primordia cells can readily form immature teeth following dissociation into single cell populations and subsequent recombination, such cell sources are impractical to use in a general therapy.
Professor Sharpe says: 'What is required is the identification of adult sources of human epithelial and mesenchymal cells that can be obtained in sufficient numbers to make biotooth formation a viable alternative to dental implants.'
In this new work, the researchers isolated adult human gum tissue from patients at the Dental Institute at King's College London, grew more of it in the lab, and then combined it with the cells of mice that form teeth. By transplanting this combination of cells into mice the researchers were able to grow hybrid human/mouse teeth containing dentine and enamel, as well as viable roots.
Professor Sharpe concludes: 'Epithelial cells derived from adult human gum tissue are capable of responding to tooth inducing signals from embryonic tooth mesenchyme in an appropriate way to contribute to tooth crown and root formation and give rise to relevant differentiated cell types, following in vitro culture.
'These easily accessible epithelial cells are thus a realistic source for consideration in human biotooth formation. The next major challenge is to identify a way to culture adult human mesenchymal cells to be tooth-inducing, as at the moment we can only make embryonic mesenchymal cells do this.'
###
King's College London: http://www.kcl.ac.uk
Thanks to King's College London 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.
This press release has been viewed 16 time(s).
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127227/Biological_tooth_replacement____a_step_closer
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Monday, March 11, 2013
Oops! Video-game image of Syria used in TV news segment
A Danish television channel has admitted it mistakenly used an image from a computer game to illustrate a news report about Syria.
TV2 Head of News Jacob Nybroe said Sunday the picture that was used as a backdrop behind news anchor Cecilie Beck on Feb. 26 came from Ubisoft's adventure game "Assassin's Creed."
He says he learned about the mistake this week, following speculation about the origin of the image on social media sites.
One of the TV channel's employees had found the image online and thought it was a photo of Damascus' skyline. (You can see the original, with a Ubisoft copyright notice, here, as ITV points out.)
Nybroe says it was a terrible mistake and a "reminder to us all of the importance of verifying the sources of pictures."
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/oops-video-game-image-syria-used-tv-news-segment-1C8781256
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Saturday, March 9, 2013
Kenya presidential candidate hovers around 50 pct
Supporters of Raila Odinga wait in groups in Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Kenya as the result of the Kenya Election are expected to be announced today, Friday, March 8, 2013. A final result was expected Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Supporters of Raila Odinga wait in groups in Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Kenya as the result of the Kenya Election are expected to be announced today, Friday, March 8, 2013. A final result was expected Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Kenyan women wearing headscarfs reading "Women for Peace", march in the streets of Nairobi as the result of the Kenya Election is expected to be announced today, Friday, March 8, 2013. A final result was expected Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
An armed Kenyan riot police officer enters a roadside kiosk in Nairolbi, as the result of the Kenya Election are expected to be announced today, Friday March 8, 2013. A final result was expected Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Supporters of Raila Odinga wait in Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Kenya, as the result of the Kenya Election are expected to be announced today, Friday, March 8, 2013. A final result was expected Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Riot police stop cars to check as they patrol a street in Nairobi, Kenya Friday, March 8, 2013. The leading candidate in the race for Kenya's president is hovering around the 50 percent mark as ballots are counted on what officials say is the last day of the count. The election commission said it expected to have final results by the end of Friday, though observers said it was still possible the count would go into the weekend. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenya faced a photo finish in its race for president on Friday as the last ballots were counted. The leading candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, saw his percentage yo-yo around the crucial 50 percent mark, as officials told The Associated Press it appeared likely Kenyatta could win a majority.
The latest vote tally showed Kenyatta, the deputy prime minister, with 49.87 percent of the vote. A little more than 80 percent of voting locations had been tabulated. Earlier, Kenyatta briefly broke above 50 percent before the election commission gave another of its frequent updates.
Electoral expert Tom Wolf, a research analyst with the polling firm Ipsos Synovate, told The Associated Press that the outstanding votes coming in from Kenya's Rift Valley are a "very abundant vote basket" for Kenyatta. His running mate, William Ruto, is from the Rift.
"On a scale of zero to 10, it seems to be about a seven or eight that he'll probably just get over" the 50 percent mark, said Wolf. "I would be a little bit more surprised if he didn't get over 50 than if he did, but neither one on the face of it would be a complete surprise."
The 50 percent mark is important for Kenyatta to avoid a runoff with the other top candidate, Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
A Western election observer said the international community was forming a consensus around the belief that Kenyatta was likely to win outright. The observer spoke on condition he wasn't identified talking about internal diplomatic discussions.
There was also a belief that Odinga was not likely to protest the vote in a manner that would increase the chances of violence, the observer said, but rather honor his pledge to respect the result and petition the courts with any grievances.
The election commission announced late Friday afternoon it intended to finish the counting process by the end of the day, but as dark descended on Nairobi, some observers wondered if the election commission would really announce the results at night, when security forces would face a more difficult challenge containing any outbreaks of violence.
Kenya's capital, Nairobi, has been sleepy since Monday's vote for president, the country's first election since its 2007 vote sparked tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. But groups of security forces in riot gear took to the streets Friday in regions of the city that could turn tumultuous after results are announced.
The prime minister's supporters took to the streets after Odinga in 2007 said he had been cheated. In Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum and a bastion of Odinga support, many believe this year's results have been rigged as well.
"If you look at the way the tallying is being done there is rigging," said Isiah Omondi, 27. "If Uhuru wins and wins fairly, we don't have a problem with him. He can be our president. But not like this."
A Kenyatta win could have far-reaching consequences with Western relations. The son of Kenya's founding father, Kenyatta faces charges at the International Criminal Court for his role in directing some of the 2007 postelection violence.
The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta is to win, as have several European countries. Britain, which ruled Kenya up until the early 1960s, has said they would only have essential contact with a President Kenyatta.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is larger than any American mission in Africa, underscoring Kenya's strong role in U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. also has military forces stationed here near the border with Somalia. Kenya, the lynchpin of East Africa's economy, plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants.
Kenyatta's ICC trial is set to begin in July and could take years, meaning that if he wins he may have to rule Kenya from The Hague for the first half of his presidency. Another option is, as president, to decide not to go. But that decision would trigger an international arrest warrant and spark even more damaging effects for Kenya's standing with the West.
Kenyatta has promised to report to The Hague even if he wins the presidency. The ICC on Friday delayed the trial of Kenyatta's running mate, Ruto, until late May.
A pre-election voter survey from Ipsos showed Odinga getting 44.4 percent and Kenyatta getting 44.8 percent. That left 8 percent for the other six candidates and 2 percent for the undecided. Wolf said Kenyatta clearly won over some of that 10 percent to rise to the 50 percent mark. The third place presidential candidate had been predicted to get 5 percent but instead got only about 3 percent.
In order to win outright, Kenyatta must not only more than 50 percent of the vote but also must garner at least 25 percent of the vote in 24 out of Kenya's 47 provinces. Wolf said he thinks both candidates have achieved that threshold but hasn't seen the numbers. Because of the way the election commission announced results that was difficult to immediately determine.
Whether or not Kenyatta finishes with over half of the votes, most observers expected legal challenges to be launched after a myriad of failures in the systems Kenya's electoral commission set up.
The first problems were evident right as the voting began early Monday. An electronic voter ID system intended to prevent fraud failed across the country for lack of electricity in some cases and overheating computers in others. Vote officials instead used manual voter rolls.
After the polls closed, results were to be sent electronically to Nairobi, where officials would quickly tabulate a preliminary vote count in order to maximize transparency after rigging accusations following the 2007 vote. But that system failed too. Election officials have indicated that computer servers overloaded but have yet to fully explain the problem.
On Tuesday, as the early count system was still being used, election results showed more than 330,000 rejected ballots, an unusually high number. But after the count resumed with the arrival in Nairobi of manual tallies, the number of rejected ballots were greatly reduced, and the election commission on Thursday gave the head-scratching explanation that the computer was mistakenly multiplying the number of rejected ballots by a factor of eight.
Odinga's camp on Thursday said some votes had been doctored and called for a halt to the tallying process. It said the tallying process "lacked integrity." A day earlier, Kenyatta's camp accused the British high commissioner of meddling in the election and asked aloud why there were an unusually high number of British troops in the country.
The election commission has denied any of the results have been altered.
There were fears going into the election that the violence that rocked Kenya five years ago would return. A separatist group on the coast launched attacks on Monday that ended in the deaths of 19 people, but the vote and its aftermath has otherwise been largely peaceful.
However, it's the announcement of results that could stir protests, especially if the supporters of either Odinga or Kenyatta feel robbed. Diplomats say that the public reaction to an election loss by the losing candidate will set the tone for whether violence breaks out.
The political battle between the families of Kenyatta and Odinga goes back to the 1960s and to the two candidates' fathers. Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya's first president after the end of British colonial rule. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga served as the country's first vice president then. The two later had a falling out.
If a runoff is declared, it would be most likely held in late April, depending on how long legal challenges take.
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Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza and Tom Odula contributed to this report.
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Look who shows up among top Obama bundlers
By Michael Beckel, The Center for Public Integrity
President Barack Obama prides himself on rejecting donations from registered lobbyists, but a newly released list of campaign fundraisers is peppered with leaders from companies and law firms that lobby the federal government.
New bundlers, whose names were released this week, include Anthony Welters, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group, and Qualcomm co-founder and former chairman Irwin Jacobs and his wife Joan.
Each raised at least $500,000 for the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that includes Obama?s presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and party committees in several battleground states.
The exact amounts are unknown. The campaign only divulges bundlers? fundraising activity in broad ranges, with a top category of ?more than $500,000.?
Qualcomm has spent at least $6 million each year since 2007 on federally reportable lobbying efforts, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. UnitedHealth spent at least $2.5 million annually in the same period.
None of these individuals were bundlers for Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. However, Welters? wife, Beatrice, raised between $200,000 and $500,000 for Obama?s 2008 presidential campaign.
Bundlers are elite political fundraisers who turn to relatives, friends and business associates to raise large sums and deliver the funds in a ?bundle? to the candidate. They are often given perks and special access ? both on the campaign trail and once politicians are elected.
Beatrice Welters was one of about two dozen bundlers who were named ambassadors during the president?s first term. Welters was appointed to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, a post from which she resigned last November.
There?s nothing illegal about registered lobbyists contributing to a presidential campaign, as long as those donations are reported. But Obama?s campaign went further and voluntarily rejected such contributions. Still, some of his bundlers lead or work for law firms that also provide government lobbying services, although they are not lobbyists themselves.
Other newly disclosed bundlers include:
- Andy Sandler, the chairman and executive partner at BuckleySandler, which provides legal counsel and lobbying services for the financial services industry. He bundled between $50,000 and $100,000. Records indicate that his firm?s several recent lobbying clients have included the California-based East West Bank, Virginia-based Genworth Financial and the Electronic Signature and Records Association.
- Walter White, a London-based partner at the multinational legal powerhouse McGuireWoods, who bundled between $50,000 and $100,000. White is the head of McGuireWoods? emerging markets transactions practice, according to his official bio. McGuireWoods? current lobbying clients in the United States include Alpha Natural Resources, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Duke Energy, Progress Energy and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), according to federal records.
- Jim Black, a Germany-based partner at the law firm White & Case, who bundled between $100,000 and $200,000. Black specializes in equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, according to his official company bio. Domestically, White & Case?s several lobbying clients include the National Association of Publicly Traded Partnerships.?
- Rick Mayo-Smith, the managing director of Indochina Land, who bundled between $100,000 and $200,000. Indochina Land is the real estate division of Indochina Capital Corp., one of Vietnam's leading financial services groups.
The White House directed inquiries to Katie Hogan, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign and Obama?s new nonprofit advocacy group, Organizing for Action. Hogan did not respond to requests for comment.
Overall, the Obama campaign reaped financial riches from 769 bundlers, who collectively raised more than $186 million. Twenty-eight of these bundlers moved into higher dollar categories during the fourth quarter of 2012, the new disclosure reveals.
Another newly listed Obama campaign bundler is Imad Husain, Obama's freshman-year roommate at Occidental College, who is now a banker in Boston. Husain raised between $50,000 and $100,000, according to the campaign.
Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images file
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in 2010.
Hollywood is also represented among Obama?s newly identified top fundraisers, with super couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith collecting more than $500,000. While hardly a professional lobbyist, Pinkett Smith last year pressed lawmakers to take a stand against human trafficking and forced labor, testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations with her husband present.
They join the ranks of previously identified bundlers such as pop star Gwen Stefani and Warner Brothers CEO and Chairman Barry Meyer.
Mitt Romney?s presidential campaign did not volunteer bundler information, releasing only the names of registered federal lobbyists who bundled, as federal law compelled it to do. Nearly six dozen lobbyists collectively raised more than $17 million for the Republican?s unsuccessful presidential bid, as the Center for Public Integrity previously reported.
While Obama is safely in the White House for another four years, his chase for cash may not be over.
These elite moneymen and women could be tapped to fundraise for Obama?s presidential library, and are already being pursued by Organizing for Action, which is promoting the president?s legislative agenda over the next four years.
Organizing for Action will host a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., next week where a minimum contribution of $50,000 is required to attend, Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.
Obama?s nonprofit group will, on a quarterly basis, voluntarily disclose the names and donation amounts of contributors giving $250 or more, Organizing for America National Chairman Jim Messina wrote Thursday in an opinion piece posted on CNN.com.
The group, to date, has not revealed any donors.
The Center for Public Integrity is a non-profit, independent, investigative news outlet.? For more of its stories go to publicintegrity.org.
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Fiery funeral for Venezuela's Chavez
In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kisses the flag-draped coffin of late Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during the funeral ceremony at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office)
In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kisses the flag-draped coffin of late Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during the funeral ceremony at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office)
In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Latin American and Caribbean leaders stand around the flag-draped coffin of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez during the funeral ceremony at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. Front row, from left to right are Colombia's President Jose Manuel Santos, Guatemala's President Otto Perez Molina, Guyana's President Donald Ramotar, and Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. On the other side of the casket are, from right, Guatemala's President Otto Perez Molina, Haiti's President Michel Martelly and Honduras' President Porfirio Lobo. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office)
A screen showing a video image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez plays in front of the site where Chavez's funeral ceremony will take place as people gather outside the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. Friday's funeral promises to be a final turn on the world stage for Chavez after 14 years in power, though in some ways the former paratrooper is not going anywhere: Venezuela announced Thursday that it would embalm his body and put it on permanent display. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A girl dressed in Chavez military fatigues, including his trademark red beret, salutes to the camera as she lines up with others outside the military academy where the funeral ceremony for Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez will take place in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. Friday's funeral promises to be a final turn on the world stage for Chavez after 14 years in power, though in some ways the former paratrooper is not going anywhere: Venezuela announced Thursday that it would embalm his body and put it on permanent display. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Supporters of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez shout slogans as they line up outside the military academy where a funeral ceremony will take place for him in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2013. At right, a Chavez supporter holds up a doll in his likeness. Friday's funeral promises to be a final turn on the world stage for Chavez after 14 years in power, though in some ways the former paratrooper is not going anywhere: Venezuela announced Thursday that it would embalm his body and put it on permanent display. Chavez died on March 5 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. He was 58. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? President Hugo Chavez was lauded as a modern-day reincarnation of Latin American liberator Simon Bolivar and a disciple of Cuba's Fidel Castro at a fiery, foot-stomping state funeral Friday as presidents, princes and left-wing glitterati looked on.
Chavez's hand-picked successor emotionally eulogized the fallen leader at the military academy where the funeral was held, his voice booming over Chavez's flag-draped casket as he pledged eternal loyalty in a ceremony that at times smacked of a political rally.
"Here we are, Comandante, your men, on their feet," Nicolas Maduro shouted, government officials rising behind him. "All your men and women ... loyal until beyond death."
"Chavez Lives!" he declared. "Mission Accomplished!"
But all was not peace and harmony in a country deeply divided by Chavez's 14 years in power.
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles called Maduro a bald-faced liar and accused him of using the funeral to campaign for president. The opposition said it would boycott Maduro's swearing-in later Friday at the National Assembly, calling it unconstitutional, and Capriles spoke condescendingly of Maduro, calling him "boy."
Capriles, who is likely to face Maduro in a special presidential election that is supposed to be called within 30 days of Chavez's death, said the opposition had asked to attend Chavez's funeral, but was told "better that you don't come."
The funeral began with Venezuela's national youth orchestra singing the national anthem, led by famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel. A government-allied congressman later belted out cowboy songs from Chavez's native Barinas state.
The streets outside the military academy took on a carnival atmosphere, with military bands launching into marches and an expanse of supporters wearing the red of Chavez's socialist party. Street vendors sold paper replicas of the presidential sash, which many people in the line slipped over their shoulder.
Throngs watched the ceremony on huge monitors under the blazing sun, while a line to see Chavez's body stretched 1 ? miles (2 kilometers) but was halted as the funeral got under way.
In the funeral hall, more than 30 political leaders including Cuba's Raul Castro, Spanish Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon, and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood at attention before Chavez's flag-draped coffin, which was closed for the ceremony.
Maduro said that no Venezuelan leader, even Bolivar, who died in exile, faced and overcame such treachery and opposition as Chavez, who succumbed to cancer on Tuesday, at the age of 58
"Here you are, unconquered, pure, transparent, unique, true and always alive," Maduro shouted as many in attendance cried. "Comandante, they couldn't defeat you and they will never, ever defeat us."
Despite the blustery language of his speech and the expulsion on Tuesday of two U.S. military attaches on suspicion of spying, Maduro made a point of welcoming the U.S. delegation led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, and former Rep. William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts. Chavez often railed against America even as he sold the country billions of dollars in oil each year.
State Department officials have voiced hope that Maduro will prove a more pragmatic leader than the often bombastic Chavez, assuming he wins a full term.
Television cameras captured Hollywood star Sean Penn in attendance at the funeral, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson preached rapprochement between his country and Venezuela.
"We pray to God today that you will heal the breach between the U.S. and Venezuela," Jackson said.
But U.S. enemies such as Castro and Ahmadinejad also won loud applause.
"It is a great pain for us because we have lost a friend," Ahmadinejad said upon his arrival at the airport the night before. "I feel like I have lost myself, but I am sure that he still lives. Chavez will never die. His spirit and soul live on in each of our hearts."
Maduro announced Thursday that the government would embalm Chavez's body and put it on permanent display, a decision that touched off strong passions on both sides.
Most of the normally traffic-choked streets of Caracas were empty, with schools and many businesses shuttered. The government also prohibited alcohol sales.
Venezuelans watched the funeral from cafes, with many saying they were flattered to be the subject of the world's attention.
"If my Comandante was such a divisive man who fought with everyone and with other countries, wouldn't he be alone (at his funeral)?" asked Argenis Urbina, a 51-year-old bookseller who was riveted to the coverage on TV.
Others said they were put off by what they saw as an excess of pomp, particularly the plan to put Chavez's body on display.
"He was a president, and I would say not a good one. Not a hero," said Gloria Ocampos, a retired office manager. "He should be buried, just like any other president. They are treating him like he was the father of the country ... It's crazy."
Some 300 people also watched the funeral on screens set up in the Simon Bolivar plaza in Chavez's plains hometown of Sabaneta, where people had laid out flowers, candles and photos of the late leader.
Chavez was particularly beloved by the poor, whose lot he championed. But critics say he left his successors a monumental task, with annual inflation of more than 20 percent and public debt that quadrupled to more than $100 billion. Crime is endemic and Chavez's chaotic management style has been blamed for a breakdown in infrastructure, particularly in the key oil industry.
The government gave national and international media no direct access to the funeral, a measure of the strict control with which Chavez and his followers have ruled the country for years. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua appealed to local media not to publish critical political analyses "which could be a provocation for a pained people."
___
Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo, Christopher Toothaker and Paul Haven in Caracas contributed to this report.
___
Vivian Sequera on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VivianSequera
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Interior Design and Decorating for home improvement | Local ...
To improve the look of a house one should take the help of professional interior designers and decorators.
Interior decoration is considered as a process for decorating a building. This type of decoration is generally done by professionals such as interior decorators. Objective of this type of job is to improve the look of a house and make it aesthetically pleasing. Interior decoration generally reflects the taste and the personality of the house owner. Interior decorators will ideally help the house owner to choose the perfect color scheme for the house. They will even guide the owners about various furniture and decorating accessories which can be purchased to enhance the look of the interiors.
How to choose best interior decorator
While choosing a reputed interior decorator one should consider few important factors.
- Trust Factor:-
One such factor is the trust. One should always look for decorators whom they can rely on for any type of interior decoration. These decorators will help their clients to choose proper furniture decoration and colors to decorate different rooms. Though all the buying and shop hopping is done by the decorators, if the clients express their wish to accompany them in the process, they willingly comply and ensure that their clients can get some of the best deals. A trusted decorator will ideally handle purchasing of goods and also take care of installation of various decorating items.
Work Experience Factor:-
Another important thing that one should consider while choosing an interior decorator is the experience of these decorators. To gather information about their experience one can easily look for their previously completed projects. From these projects clients can get a good idea about the modus operandi of these decorators and also about their understanding of colors and designs as that is what eventually brings out the desired effect that you want to see in your home.
Manpower Factor:-
Most of these interior decorators have trained teams to handle big and medium size projects. Time taken to complete any project depends on the manpower that these decorators have.
Cost Factor:-
Cost is another important factor that one should consider while choosing these decorators. Some of these decorators charge on hourly basis, while others might have fixed rates for a particular type of project. The fees of these decorators also depend upon credibility and current brand position.
Take a demo tour of your home
Most of these interior designers use modern tools and technologies for decorating rooms. One such important tool is the remodeling software and the design software of homes. With the help of such software one can take a demo virtual tour of the home to see how these decorators would work on the interiors and change the look of the rooms. One can even choose and change colors and furniture during such a virtual tour.
To renovate the interior of a house it is important that only the best interior decorators are entrusted with the responsibility. But before choosing any such decorator one should remember few important points like their reliability, cost associated with their services and the years of experience that they have. Being clear about the time line required to complete the project is another vital aspect.
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Source: http://dialb2c.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/interior-design-and-decorating-for-home-improvement/
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Prudential reveals DIY investors overlook tax and charges at the ...
Almost a third (31 per cent) of DIY investors aren't aware that the way they buy financial products - direct from a provider or from a platform or fund supermarket - can impact the cost of their investment, according to new research from Prudential*.
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The findings suggest that many DIY investors, who self-select the majority of their investments, are failing to consider important taxes and charges when making investment decisions. Almost half (44 per cent) admit they don't know which wrapper product would be most appropriate for their circumstances, a further 37 per cent aren?t sure how to avoid tax traps, and a fifth (19 per cent) aren't confident they'll keep under their annual Capital Gains Tax (CGT) threshold.
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When questioned about DIY investments that fail to perform as expected, more than a fifth (21 per cent) cite a lack of clarity around product or fund charges as the main reason for the underperformance.
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Using the CGT threshold correctly helps investors maximise returns in a tax-efficient way. However, despite most DIY investors (81 per cent) saying they understand CGT, only 28 per cent know the allowance is ?10,600 for 2012/13, with 13 per cent overestimating it.
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While wealthy DIY investors, those with over ?250,000 invested, are more likely to know the CGT limit, over half (56 per cent) of them still don't know the exact figure, showing they?re unlikely to be maximising the tax-efficiency of their returns. Furthermore, just 7 per cent of DIY investors claim to use their capital gains tax allowance each year, rising to 15 per cent for high net worth investors.
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Matthew Stephens, tax expert at Prudential, commented: "Investing in a tax-efficient way is not something that happens automatically. Investors can save substantial amounts by maximising exemptions and limits, using ISAs and the CGT annual exemption, for example, as well as other tax-efficient investments. But this can be complicated and will usually be more successfully achieved with advice from a professional financial adviser.
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"Investing without advice from an expert may be cheaper initially. However, without a clear understanding of all the relevant considerations, it could be very costly in the long-run.
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"Many DIY investors say they?re confident about making financial decisions on their own, but our research highlights a worrying lack of understanding. We can't stress enough that it's vital to understand clearly the costs/charges, risks and tax implications applying to an investment, before making a commitment."
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Prudential's survey reveals that 73 per cent of DIY investors prefer to buy direct from a provider, 12 per cent from fund supermarkets and 10 per cent from platforms. People with smaller investments (less than ?10,000 invested in total) are more likely to buy direct, while high net worth investors are twice as likely to buy via a fund platform, with 20 per cent doing this.
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Notes to editors
*Survey conducted by Opinium Research amongst 1,074 UK DIY investors from 4-11 February 2013.
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About Prudential:
"Prudential" is a trading name of The Prudential Assurance Company Limited, Prudential Unit Trusts Limited and Prudential Distribution Limited. This name is also used by other companies within the Prudential Group which, between them, provide a range of financial services that incorporate retirement planning, investment planning, life assurance, pensions and savings.
PR Contact
Neema Patel,
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020 3480 6006,
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Source: http://en.brinkwire.com/4225
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Former inmate caught sneaking back into NYC jails
NEW YORK (AP) ? Most people who've done time in jail can't wait to get away. But this week, New York City authorities accused one former inmate of sneaking back in.
Yonkers resident Matthew Matagrano, 36, was arraigned in Manhattan on Saturday on charges that he impersonated a Department of Correction investigator.
Officials say that for at least a week, Matagrano used phony credentials to get into multiple city lockups, including Rikers Island and the Manhattan Detention Center, where he mingled with inmates for hours.
Investigators said the case was still unfolding, but some of the allegations were detailed in a criminal complaint describing Matagrano's entry into the Manhattan jail on Thursday.
It said that when questioned, Matagrano had admitted to arriving at the jail at around 3:30 p.m. and gaining entry by showing a gold shield and saying he was an investigator from the department's intelligence unit.
According to the complaint, he stayed until 11 p.m., giving cigarettes to inmates and smoking with them in a common area. He is also charged with stealing a radio from an office while inside.
Surveillance cameras recorded video of Matagrano during the visit, the complaint said.
It wasn't clear if or when Matagrano would face similar charges for entry into other city jails. A spokesman for the Bronx district attorney, which often handles cases related to crimes committed on Rikers Island, said Saturday that he had no information on the case.
Matagrano has a rap sheet that includes a conviction for sodomy and sexual abuse. He's on the state's sex offender registry.
It's not clear why he wanted to get into jails, but he had previously been caught posing as a Board of Education worker to enter two schools and rifle through student files. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in connection with that case.
His court-appointed lawyer, Andrej Bajuk, couldn't immediately be reached by phone for comment. No one responded to a message left at the public defender's office that handled his arraignment.
Department of Correction spokespeople did not immediately return phone messages Saturday.
A judge set bail at $50,000 for Matagrano. He also faces charges of burglary, possession of forged instruments, larceny and promoting prison contraband. He is due back in court Wednesday.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-con-accused-sneaking-back-nyc-jails-210149555.html
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