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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50323703/
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Look out world, there's another Kardashian on the way.
Kim Kardashian is pregnant with her first child, her rep confirmed to Just Jared.
The 32-year-old's boyfriend Kanye West announced the big news in a big way -- right in the middle of his concert at Revel in Atlantic City on Dec. 30. The 35-year-old rapper told the crowd to "stop the music and make noise for my baby mama," referring to Kardashian, who was in the audience.
The couple first starting dating in April and things got serious pretty quickly, despite the fact that Kardashian is in the middle of a messy divorce from Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries.
Rumors that the reality star was pregnant began this past week, when MediaTakeOut reported that she had been spotted leaving an OB-GYN?s office, followed by reports she was being treated for acute morning sickness.
Kim's sisters Khloe and Kendall also confirmed the good news via Twitter.
"KIMYE!!!!! ... Keeping secrets is hard with so many family members! Especially when you are so freaking excited!!!!! LOVE is everything!!!!," Khloe wrote on early Monday morning, while Kendall added:
Congrats to the happy couple!
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West talk from their courtside seats before the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Kim Kardashian (L) and Kanye West attend the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Kim Kardashian (L) and Kanye West attend the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West watch the video board from their courtside seats as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Kim Kardashian (L) and Kanye West attend the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 04: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West leave the Valentino Haute-Couture Show as part of Paris Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2012/2013 at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on July 4, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 04: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Valentino Haute-Couture show as part of Paris Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2012/13 at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on July 4, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: TV Personality Kim Kardashian and Rapper Kanye West attend Louise Goldin Spring 2013 at Milk Studios on September 12, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Television perosnality Kim Kardashian (L) and vocalist Kanye West attend the Marchesa spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal on September 12, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 04: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Valentino Haute-Couture show as part of Paris Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2012/13 at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on July 4, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) TV Personality Kim Kardashian, Rapper Kanye West and Derek Blasberg attend Louise Goldin Spring 2013 at Milk Studios on September 12, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Angel Ball 2012 at Cirpiani Wall Street on October 22, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Mack/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Angel Ball 2012 at Cirpiani Wall Street on October 22, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Mack/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the NBA game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers defeated the Nuggets 112-100. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the NBA game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers defeated the Nuggets 112-100. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
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In today?s tough economy, it is easy to run into financial difficulty. Ultimately, everybody has to make dramatic changes to their budget due to higher costs. Tough financial problems is one of the primary reasons to get a payday loan. The advice from this article can help you decide that for yourself, though.
Before applying for a payday loan, investigate the full range of other financing options that are available. You will be better off borrowing money from family, or getting a loan with a bank. A credit card may even be something that would benefit you more. The fees associated with these choices are usually a lot less than using a payday loan.
For the most part, it?s very easy to land a payday loan. That said, they cost a lot. Ask family and friends if they can loan you the money, rather than using a payday loan. Help from friends can be a real lifeline and save you a pretty penny.
Payday advances may charge large fees and high interest rates, but they can also overdraft your account. A returned check or insufficient funds fee can compound the cost of an expensive payday loan even more.
You should seek alternate borrowing options before seeking payday cash advances. Even credit card cash advances generally only cost about $15 + 20% APR for $500, compared to $75 up front for a payday loan. You should also try borrowing money from friends and family.
When you decide you must have a payday loan for the purpose of meeting an emergency need, you should simultaneously resolve to devise a good, working budget. Getting your debt spiraling out of control is easy to do if you aren?t careful. Budgeting is an excellent way of ensuring this does not happen.
Always consider the APR of a payday loan before choosing one. This factor is most important since it determines how much interest you will pay.
Think twice before refinancing a payday loan. Lots of people put themselves in debt through constant refinancing. When the interest on a loan drags on, more money is owed over the original loan cost, which can cause further debt. If you are unable to make payments, then talk with your lender about making alternate arrangements.
Make a list of questions before comparing and contrasting different payday loan companies. It does not matter how trivial the question may be, it is important that you understand all the steps necessary prior to committing to it. Make sure you ask all the questions you feel you should ask to prevent any unexpected surprises.
Make certain to choose a reputable payday loan company. Many companies existing are really just scam operations. You need to avoid companies like this at all costs. If you can?t find any positive feedback from satisfied customers of a particular lender posted online, steer well clear of them.
Don?t use payday loans unless you absolutely need them. If you don?t absolutely have to get something, refrain from buying it. Don?t get a payday loan to purchase an optional item such as a new outfit, item of furniture or weekend getaway! You are simply throwing your money away. Keep in mind that payday loans must be paid back soon.
Always determine the rate for your loan before you fill out any payday application. A lot of payday loan companies ask you to complete the application before they tell you what the rates are, but you can be responsible for that even if you end up not agreeing.
For many, cash advances might be the only option to get out of financial emergencies. You should understand what the options are right now and in the future when thinking about getting payday loan. With any luck, the decisions you make now will help you get your financial footing going forward.
So, you want to learn about finance news today? You have thankfully found the best article. Here, you can find exactly what you desire to know. Do more research on the subject of finance news today, and give yourself enough time to complete your education.
Source: http://personalbudgetreport.com/2012/12/29/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-payday-loan/
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Posted on December 30, 2012 by dufttuey508 in Internet
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday urged dock workers, port owners and shippers to resolve a labor dispute that threatens to deteriorate into a strike that could affect 15 ports on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
"Federal mediators are assisting with the negotiations, and we continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the parties to continue their work at the negotiating table to get a deal done as quickly as possible," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said.
Dock workers, port operators and shippers face a deadline on Saturday for resolving the dispute.
The International Longshoremen's Association, the union representing the dock workers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, a group of shippers and port operators, are deadlocked over an employment contract that expired at the end of September but has been extended. The union has said that if the contract expires without a resolution, it could call a strike a day later.
The White House had no comment on whether the president would consider invoking federal law to impose a cooling off period. Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, asked President Obama to invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which allows the president to prevent or interrupt a work stoppage.
The law calls for an 80-day cooling off period and mediation.
(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-urges-parties-dock-dispute-come-terms-151859923.html
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SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - At least five people were killed in two drone strikes in south Yemen on Monday in what security and local officials said were attacks on suspected al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
Improving stability and security in Yemen is a priority for the United States and its Gulf Arab allies because of its strategic position next to the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and shipping lanes, and because it is home to one of the most active wings of al Qaeda.
Monday's strikes were the first in almost two months by pilotless aircraft against suspected al Qaeda men in Yemen, an impoverished country of mountains and desert on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
The United States has escalated its use of drones against al Qaeda in Yemen, where the group exploited mass anti-government unrest last year to seize swathes of territory in the south before being driven out by a military offensive in June.
The officials said the first drone strike hit a vehicle in a town in al-Bayda province, killing at least two suspected al Qaeda militants. One of those killed in the attack was a Jordanian citizen, a local official and a resident said.
Family members of the other man, a Yemeni called Abdul Raouf Naseeb, confirmed he was one of those killed.
A Yemeni al Qaeda militant of that name narrowly escaped a U.S. drone strike in November 2002 that killed several al Qaeda operatives including Qaed Salim Sinan al Harithi, an alleged plotter behind the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen in October 2000 in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed.
In the second drone strike on Monday, at least three people riding two motorcycles and carrying pistols were killed by a missile in Hadramout province, a security official said, adding that they were suspected members of al Qaeda.
Residents said the Hadramout attack happened on the outskirts of the coastal town of al-Sheher. The residents said a fourth person was wounded in the strike.
The U.S.-backed military offensive drove the militants out of areas they seized in the south but has not prevented them from launching attacks that have dealt damaging blows to the army and security apparatus.
Naseeb had fled to al-Bayda from Lawdar province during a U.S.-backed military offensive in Lawdar earlier in 2012.
(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari and Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing by Rania El Gamal and Mahmoud Habboush; Editing by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-drone-strikes-kill-five-yemen-officials-183413352.html
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I first moved to DC on Halloween, 2002.? I had made a wreath of maple leaves in a leather braid, and I wore them on my head like a champion wears a laurel.? That bus ride was shrouded in fog, and I was starting a new life in a new place.? The country was dark, the trees stripped bare, and there are no lights on the highway, but your headlights.? That night I felt like I was on a journey.
Every time that I have taken that 14 hour bus ride since, I have felt like there is purpose in the trip.? A wedding, a funeral, a birth, a funeral, a wedding.? Each time is packaged as an experience of life changing moments in my family.? And this time is no different.?
I come back to Cincinnati now because of the death of my grandfather (paternal side).? In a month that was filled with family calamity, this was a death that was really unexpected.? Approaching his 80's, if not already in his 80's, he had lived a decently long life.? Unlike my father's extremely premature passing which happened at 47.?
So as I sat on this bus trip yesterday, my brain was filled with thoughts of death.? The countryside, dark, bare, and foreboding kind of amplified these feelings.? As someone who is 36, I know that death is something that is looming.? Sure, it could happen, theoretically, at any time.? But my expectation of living a regular life is now bracketed by the ages of men in my family who have passed.? 47.? 80.? There's a window.? Sure, I may live to be a hundred.? But there is a fear, and a growing fear about these ages.? I should put it out of my mind, because no one can ever know when they will die.? But I can't really help myself.
On the third leg of this trip (DC - PGH, PGH - COL, COL - CIN) I was in a window seat and a father with his little blonde son sat next to me.? Wrangling the child proved a difficult task and he got on last.? I looked at this tow-headed child in his camouflaged winter coat, and his blue collar father with his plastic/foam baseball cap, I was struck by the fact that this scene could just as easily have been one in my life.? I was a flaxen blonde child, and my dad was a lot like this one.? He held and kissed his son, and put him to sleep in the dark while he texted back and forth with someone.? The child rolled his head, and kept falling asleep on my bicep.? The father would shuffle the child around and eventually the boy would roll back onto me.? I didn't mind.? But it did kindle a little spark about family.
I have actively resisted building a family (nuclear family) of my own.? Not just because I'm queer, but because I've always felt like I would not be able to provide for a stable family life.? In my brain I've always told myself that I would want to be able to provide for every need.? This is of course absurd, because the goal post keeps moving.? And now I wonder if I would ever want to have a family at all.? People tell me I would be a great father, and I probably would.? But I have put it aside.? Maybe for now, maybe forever.? I don't know.?
Of my generation of cousins (there are a few younger) all five of us are now married.? And with marriage comes expectations, whether you're gay or not.? And in moments when I look at death I think about generation.? Will I ever raise a child?? Will that child love me?? Who will care for me when I grow old?? Who will be there to find me when I die?? Who will mourn my loss, and arrange my funeral?? I know there are many friends who may step up, but no matter how distant the blood bond, there is something that calls us back to each other.? These rituals of birth, adulthood, and death call us back to each other.?
I am very far flung from my family.? They have all settled and stayed pretty close to where we call grew up.? But I have wanderlust.? Much like Bilbo Baggins I have to get up and go on an adventure every once in a while.? I love being a homebody, but I get itchy.? I've lived from coast to coast. I've flown half way around the world.? And while I may feel comfortable in different cities, I've lost something like a sense of home.? My childhood home is gone.? Foreclosure has taken a memory.? My grandparents have begun passing over.? My generation has spread themselves further.? And my hometown has less and less of a reason for me to come back.?
And now I mourn that loss as well.
There used to be a moment, where I would crest a hill, and see a certain wall and know that I was close to home.? That moment, that landmark, stuck with me. Another moment was when we would turn a curve on 475 and I would get a peak of the skyscrapers in Cincinnati breaking through the tree line.? My heart would swell, and I would feel "home."? I never felt that feeling in Seattle.? I don't know why, but it always felt transient.? Like a place I was at to accomplish something, but not a home.? I get that feeling in DC, when I see the capitol dome or the Washington monument while driving back from MD or VA.? But that wall.? I will probably never see that wall again, because there is less purpose to take me there.? That home is gone for me.? And I feel like I've lost a piece of myself, my history.?
So, coming "home" isn't coming home any more.? An anchor has been lifted, and I've lost some of my moorings.? And with each loss in the family, I drift ever further and further away.?
Source: http://fritterfae.livejournal.com/965034.html
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WASHINGTON (AP) ?
House Speaker John Boehner says he's still open to talks with President Barack Obama on avoiding the double economic hit of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts but he needs Obama to compromise more.
Boehner spoke to reporters Friday morning, hours after his rank-and-file Republicans handed him a bitter defeat. Boehner was forced to pull his bill to raise taxes on millionaires because he didn't have the votes for passage.
He said he didn't know how the so-called "fiscal cliff" would be avoided. Said Boehner: "How we get there, God only knows."
Boehner expressed no concern about his standing as speaker.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/zRKJ9EeYkZk/story01.htm
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Dec. 20, 2012 ? Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a new approach to alter the function of RNA in living cells by designing molecules that recognize and disable RNA targets. As a proof of principle, in the new study the team designed a molecule that disabled the RNA causing myotonic dystrophy.
The study, published online ahead of print on December 20, 2012 by the journal Angewandte Chemie, reports the creation of small molecules that recognize disease-associated RNAs, targeting them for destruction. Since small molecules are cell-permeable, the approach could have benefits over traditional methods of targeting RNAs for degradation, such as antisense or RNA interference (RNAi).
"We're excited about these results," said Matthew Disney, an associate professor at TSRI who pioneered the research. "This approach may allow for the inactivation of many cellular RNAs by small molecules and potentially lead the way to a whole range of novel therapeutics."
It's well known that gene expression can be controlled by triggering the degradation of messenger RNA -- the blueprint for the production of proteins. This is accomplished through the recruitment of compounds that cleave or split the molecule. While several compounds can induce RNA cleavage in vitro, this has not been accomplished efficiently in living cells -- until now.
In the new study, Disney and Research Associate Lirui Guan attached a rationally designed small molecule that targets the RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy type 1 with a molecule that produces hydroxyl radicals. Upon the small molecule's recognition of the target, a hydroxyl radical was released that cleaved the disease-associated RNA, alleviating the disease-associated defects. Disney noted that, despite the compound's producing a highly reactive species, the compounds are non-toxic at relatively effective doses.
The team accomplished this feat through what Disney calls a bottom-up approach to targeting RNA.
"We first identified the preferred RNA structural elements or motifs that bind to small molecules," he said. "Then we looked at these elements in RNAs that cause disease and designed a binding molecule with increased affinity and specificity for those elements."
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 involves a type of RNA defect known as a "triplet repeat," a series of three nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individual's genetic code, resulting in a number of protein splicing abnormalities. Symptoms of this variable disease can include wasting of the muscles and other muscle problems, cataracts, heart defects and hormone changes.
The applications for this new approach could include cancer treatment in conjunction with other therapies, Disney said. The approach could also be used to create chemical probes of RNA function or to develop tools to probe RNA structure -- provided, of course, that the RNA-binding preferences of the small molecules involved were well defined.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/DqkLxDECeew/121220154637.htm
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Bebeto Matthews / AP
"Sandy Claus" Michael Sciaraffo makes a toy delivery to a home in the Bell Harbor neighborhood of New York on Dec. 18, 2012. Using Facebook, Sciaraffo started a charitable enterprise to collect and personally deliver toys to children affected by Superstorm Sandy.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
Sciaraffo, a political consultant who has worked for Hillary Clinton and City Hall, sits at his workstation in Brooklyn as he takes a phone request for a toy on Dec. 18, 2012.
The Associated Press reports ??From his toy-cluttered Brooklyn apartment, the man in the red suit was making his list and checking it twice. But he made no distinction between naughty or nice: Every child on it would receive a gift from this Santa Claus.
Related: 'Stars of hope' brighten Breezy Point
For the children whose toys floated away during Superstorm Sandy, Michael Sciaraffo is playing the role of a real-life Saint Nick. Every afternoon and night, he stuffs his red sack to the brim with presents and heads out to storm-ravaged homes, personally delivering new toys to awestruck little kids whose play rooms were destroyed by floodwaters.?
Bebeto Matthews / AP
Elizabeth Sampol holds her daughter, Ella, 14 months, as she receives a toy from Michael Sciaraffo in the Belle Harbor section of Queens on Dec. 18, 2012.
The charitable enterprise grew out of a Sandy donation outreach effort that Sciaraffo had been spearheading for weeks in the wake of the storm, drumming up donations of clothing and food through Facebook. As the holidays approached, he realized that lots of children would be without their toys this year. Read the full story.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
Ella Sampol looks at her present as her mother Elizabeth and Michael Sciaraffo look on, on Dec. 18, 2012.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
A rainbow appears as Michael Sciaraffo leaves the home of Ella Sampol in Belle Harbor, Queens on Dec. 18, 2012. "You don't see that every day," Sciaraffo said, grinning as his beard slipped down his face a little. "Amazing."
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Last year we accurately predicted the rise of food cleanses, fitness nightlife, and better-for-you vacations. (See for yourself.)
For 2013, we came up with these 14 trends by obsessively reporting on the health and fitness scene in NYC?and beyond. We interviewed experts and influencers, but ultimately we followed our gut on what we're all going to be talking about next year.
So what?s coming in fitness and wellness? A focus on high-intensity interval training, green juice replacing coffee, a cultural shift in yoga, and a new-found love for facial oils. Check out all 14 trends now...
?
Source: http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/12/20/wellgoods-14-fitness-and-wellness-trends-of-2013/
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Solving a centuries-old murder mystery, researchers say Egyptian King Ramses III's throat was likely slit by conspirators in his harem.
Moreover, the body of the pharaoh's traitorous son, Prince Pentawere, may have finally been found.
Scholars have long been puzzled about the death of Ramses III, believed to have ruled from about 1186 B.C. to 1155 B.C. during Egypt's 20th dynasty. While ancient papyrus court documents show that members of the king's harem plotted to kill him as part of a palace coup, it has remained unclear whether the assassination scheme was successful.
Researchers revisited the mummy of Ramses III looking for answers. Their computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a serious wound in his throat. (Horus was the patron god of kings in ancient Egypt.)
"The large and deep cut wound in his neck must have been caused by a sharp knife or other blade," the team wrote in a paper on their findings, published in the British Medical Journal on Monday. They added that the cut, which severed his trachea, esophagus and large blood vessels, would have killed him instantly. [ See Images of Ramses III Mummy & Scans ]
The researchers also found an amulet bearing the eye of Horus lodged in the mummy's throat and think it served as a lucky charm.
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"Most probably, the ancient Egyptian embalmers tried to restore the wound during mummification by inserting the amulet (generally used for healing purposes) and by covering the neck with a collar of thick linen layers," the researchers wrote.
The conspiracy against Ramses III is believed to have been led by one of his wives, secondary queen Tiye, and Prince Pentawere, their son. Ancient texts suggest Pentawere was found guilty at trial, and then took his own life, but his body has never been definitively identified.
The researchers of the new study also examined a mummy suspected to be Pentawere, dubbed "unknown man E."
A genetic analysis of this mummy showed he shared the same paternal lineage as Ramses III, "strongly suggesting that they were father and son," noted the researchers.
Because of his contorted expression, some scientists have speculated that unknown man E was poisoned or buried alive. The new analysis did not provide a more conclusive cause of death, but they did find that his lungs were overinflated, which could be a sign of death by suffocation or strangulation, perhaps consistent with a suicide.
Man E was also buried in goat skin, a material regarded as ritually impure in ancient Egypt. This might be interpreted as evidence for a punishment in the form of a non-royal burial procedure, the researchers said, concluding that man E is a "good candidate" for Pentawere.
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50241855/ns/technology_and_science-science/
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Jim Ettelson has joined the Philadelphia office of Baltimore-based Offit Kurman, where he will head up the firm?s real estate practice.
Ettelson had spent the past seven years at Thorp Reed & Armstrong and has joined Offit Kurman as a principal.
Ettelson?s practice will focus on transactional corporate business and real estate law, ranging from business organization and counseling, equity and debt finance negotiation, lease/sale negotiation and agreement preparation to land use and zoning issues.
?Jim Ettelson has represented some of the largest real estate entities not just in Philadelphia, but in states throughout the nation,? Offit Kurman Managing Principal Ted Offit said in a statement. ?Among his clients have been one of the largest consumer products companies in the United States, a major real estate and shopping center development company, a leading local health care system and an important local university,? among others.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ettelson was the chief executive officer of a men?s clothing manufacturing firm in Philadelphia. Then, in the mid-1980s, he became executive vice president of Piedmont Industries.
Between 1993 and 2005, Ettelson was re-elected to three four-year terms as a Lower Merion Township commissioner. Ettelson currently serves as an adjunct professor in the management department of the Erivan K. Haub School of Business at St. Joseph?s University.
Source: http://thelegalintelligencer.typepad.com/tli/2012/12/offit-kurman-expands-real-estate-practice-.html
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday ordered a worldwide review of hiring practices at all U.S. military day care centers after the Army revealed that it discovered problems with security background checks of workers at a Washington-area center.
Shortly after the Army said it was launching an investigation of hiring practices at its 283 day care centers worldwide, Panetta's press secretary, George Little, issued a statement saying Panetta supports the review.
Little said Panetta has directed each of the military services to conduct similar reviews. The actions stem from the Sept. 26 arrests of two Army employees accused of assaulting children at a Fort Myer, Va., day care center. But the problem there apparently is much deeper; indications are that at least 30 workers at the Fort Myer facility have histories that call into question their suitability to care for children, two officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into worker backgrounds at Fort Myer is not completed.
"Military children are precious members of our Defense Department family," Panetta said. "As a department, protecting our service members and their families is paramount."
After the Fort Myer arrests, the Army replaced the day care center's management team and found what the Army called "derogatory information" in the background of an unspecified number of other employees there.
Army officials did not reveal the derogatory information.
In addition, Fort Myer began a review of the background files of about two dozen other day care workers to determine whether they should be fired, the Army said. That review apparently is ongoing.
"The safety of the children under our care is our most important responsibility," said Col. Fern Sumpter, the Fort Myer commander. "The quality of their care and safety has been and will continue to be our most important priority."
Sumpter said the day care center was closed "out of an abundance of caution" and the children moved to a separate day care center at Fort Myer. A Fort Myer spokeswoman, Mary Ann Hodges, said the center was closed on Dec. 13.
Of the two Fort Myer day care workers who were arrested, one faces five counts of assault and the other faces four counts of assault, according to the Army.
Based on the findings at Fort Myer, Army Secretary John McHugh said Tuesday he ordered an Army-wide review of hiring practices and management at every day care center.
"These initial findings are not only troubling, they are unacceptable, and we will make certain that adequate policies and procedures are in place, and that they are strictly followed and fully enforced," McHugh said.
___
Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Continue reading The Daily Roundup for 12.18.2012
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/the-daily-roundup-for-12-18-2012/
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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Laws allowing limited access to abortion will be introduced in Ireland, the only EU member state that bans the procedure, following the death of a woman who was refused a termination, the government said on Tuesday.
The death last month of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar, who was denied an abortion of her dying fetus and later died of blood poisoning, shocked the predominantly Roman Catholic country and spurred the government to act on an issue it had delayed for decades.
Abortion was banned in all circumstances by a constitutional amendment in 1983, but when challenged by a 14-year-old rape victim in the so-called "X-case" nine years later, the Supreme Court ruled a termination was permitted when the woman's life was at risk, including from suicide.
Successive governments sidestepped the politically divisive issue of clarifying the circumstances under which the mother's life could be judged to be at risk. Some members of the ruling Fine Gael party have indicated that they may not be able to back the new legislation.
"The drafting of legislation, supported by regulations, will be within the parameters of Article 40.3.3 of the constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the X case," the government said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The legislation should provide the clarity and certainty in relation to the process of deciding when a termination of pregnancy is permissible, that is where there is a real and substantial risk to the life, as opposed to the health, of the woman."
The death of Halapannavar, an Indian living in Ireland, highlighted the lack of clarity in Irish law that leaves doctors in a legally risky position and re-ignited the abortion debate, leading to large protests by both pro-choice and pro-life groups outside parliament and around the country.
The European Court of Human Rights said in 2010 that Ireland must clarify its law, a ruling which led to the commissioning of an experts' report which said a woman was still only lawfully entitled to an abortion when there was a real and substantial risk to her life.
Members of Prime Minister Enda Kenny's conservative Fine Gael party, including minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, have expressed particular misgivings that the inclusion of suicide in any new legislation could lead to abortion on demand.
There was no specific reference to the risk of suicide as grounds for an abortion in the government's statement which said further decisions would be made at a later stage relating to "policy matters that will inform the drafting of the legislation"
Kenny has said that he expects the government to vote as one on the issue, meaning that any defectors could be expelled from his party.
While this would be unlikely to threaten the government's large majority, it would be a blow after the junior coalition Labour Party, which has campaigned for a clarification of the country's abortion rules, expelled its fifth member in less than two years last week for voting against budget cuts.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Michael Roddy)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ireland-revamp-abortion-laws-womans-death-174805915.html
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? The question surfaces each time a mass murder unfolds: Will this one change the political calculus in Washington against tougher gun control?
The answer, after the Virginia Tech killings, the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords, the Colorado movie-theater attack, the Wisconsin Sikh temple shootings, and more: No.
But now?
The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the bloodiest attack against youngsters in the nation's history, stands as a possible tipping point after Washington's decade-long aversion even to talking about stricter gun laws.
So it seems in the stunned aftermath, judging from President Barack Obama's body language as much as his statement. "We have been through this too many times," said the famously composed president, this time moved to tears. "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
It remains to be seen whether Sandy Hook will break the usual cycle of universal shock fading into political reality. That reality is based on a combination of powerful gun lobbying and public opinion, which has shifted against tougher gun control and stayed that way. However lawmakers react this time, it's the president's call whether the issue fades again or takes its place alongside the legacy-shaping initiatives of his time, with all the peril that could mean for his party.
With the murder rate less than half what it was two decades ago, and violent crime down even more in that time, gun control has declined as a political issue.
But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a gun control advocate, heard the familiar in Obama's initial response, despite the striking emotion.
"Not enough," Bloomberg said of Obama's words. "We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership ? not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today."
The Newtown shooter brought three guns into the school, and the weapons were registered to his slain mother, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss information with reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols, and a .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle were found in the school after the attack, and a fourth weapon was recovered outside.
One certainty in the weeks to come is that both parties in Washington will carefully watch public opinion on gun control and the Second Amendment, and whether any impact lasts.
Opposition to stricter laws has proved resilient. Firearms are in one-third or more of households and suspicion runs deep of an overbearing government whenever it proposes expanding federal authority. The argument of gun-rights advocates that firearm ownership is a bedrock freedom as well as a necessary option for self-defense has proved persuasive enough to dampen political enthusiasm for substantial change.
In July, a gunman opened fire on Aurora, Colo., theatergoers watching the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people. The next month, an Associated Press-National Constitution Center poll found that 49 percent of Americans felt laws limiting gun ownership infringe on the right to bear arms, while only 43 percent said such laws do not infringe on those rights.
By many measures, Americans have changed on the question since the 1990s, when people favored gun control over gun rights ? by a 2-to-1 margin in polling after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. In a Gallup poll last year, 55 percent said gun laws should stay the same or be more lenient, while 43 percent wanted them toughened.
None of this is lost on Washington, where most Democrats long ago abandoned their advocacy of gun control, convinced that it is a losing issue for them. Obama has proposed reinstituting a federal ban on military-style assault weapons that lapsed years ago, but he's put no weight behind it, while signing laws letting people carry concealed weapons in national parks and in checked bags on Amtrak trains.
After the movie-theater attack, Obama declared "we should leave no stone unturned" to keep young people safe in a speech indicating he would challenge Congress to act on gun control. That expectation lasted for one day. The White House swiftly clarified that Obama would not propose stiffer gun laws this election year and favored more effective enforcement of existing law ? a position hardly distinguishable from that of his Republican rival, Mitt Romney.
Likewise, early last year, Obama weighed in on guns after an assailant killed six people and wounded 13, shooting then-Rep. Giffords in the head outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. The president called for "sound and effective steps" in gun laws as part of a "new discussion on how we can keep America safe for all our people." He soon went back to silence on the topic and gun-control advocates waited in vain for the steps.
With his last presidential campaign behind him, Obama is freer to take up contentious matters that he wouldn't touch when he was an incumbent seeking re-election. Odds are favorable that he will have at least one vacancy to fill on a Supreme Court now closely divided on gun cases.
The Aurora attack happened in the heat of the campaign, when Democrats wanted no trouble from gun owners. In its first official response to the killings, Obama's White House pledged to protect fundamental gun rights. Obama and his spokesmen never failed to couple his wish for "common-sense measures" with his devotion to the Second Amendment.
But after the massacre of children Friday, Obama spoke mainly of the anguish, and the need for action, and not at all about the right to bear arms.
By the standards of gun-control politics, that alone was a crack in the status quo.
___
Associated Press writer Matt Apuzzo in Newtown, Conn., contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/could-shooting-gun-control-tipping-point-140902422--politics.html
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In this photo taken Oct 23, 2012, a disabled man passes a Bancaixa regional savings bank that is now part of Spanish banking giant Bankia in La Vall D'Uixo, near Valencia, Spain. Thousands of townspeople and nearly a million across Spain followed bank manager's advice and invested their life savings in the bank's stocks. Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In this photo taken Oct 23, 2012, a disabled man passes a Bancaixa regional savings bank that is now part of Spanish banking giant Bankia in La Vall D'Uixo, near Valencia, Spain. Thousands of townspeople and nearly a million across Spain followed bank manager's advice and invested their life savings in the bank's stocks. Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In this photo taken Oct 23, 2012, a man, a bearer of stock shares from Bankia, speaks during a meeting of the ApacBank association, which represents hundreds of Bankia clients who have had their money frozen, in La Vall D'Uixo, near Valencia, Spain.Thousands of townspeople and nearly a million across Spain followed bank manager's advice and invested their life savings in the bank's stocks. Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In this photo taken Oct 22, 2012, Felix Valls, bearer of stock shares from Bankia, left, Ricard Torres, president of the ApacBank association, which represents hundreds of Bankia clients who have had their money frozen, right, and Salvador Sastre, Apacbank spokesperson center, during a meeting in Valencia, Spain. Valls followed the bank manager's advice and invested his entire savings in the bank?s stocks, he did it without thinking. It was a simple question of loyalty. After all, how could he doubt the local bank that opened an account for him just after he was born in 1935 with a gift of 5 pesetas, a small fortune in those days, as a sign of respect to his parents, who were life-long customers? Now the 77-year-old Valls feels betrayed as he finds himself locked out of touching his hard-earned money. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In this photo taken Oct 23, 2012, a man, a bearer of stock shares from Bankia, cries during during a meeting of the ApacBank association, which represents hundreds of Bankia clients who have had their money frozen, in La Vall D'Uixo, near Valencia, Spain. Thousands of townspeople and nearly a million across Spain followed bank manager's advice and invested their life savings in the bank's stocks. Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In this photo taken Oct 23, 2012. Salvador Sastre, spokesperson from the Apacbank which represents hundreds of Bankia clients who have had their money frozen, right, speaks with bearers of stock shares from Bankia during a meeting of the ApacBank association in La Vall D'Uixo, near Valencia, Spain. Thousands of townspeople and nearly a million across Spain followed bank manager's advice and invested their life savings in the bank's stocks. Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
LA VALL D'UIXO, Spain (AP) ? When Felix Valls followed his bank manager's advice and invested his entire savings in the bank's stocks, he did it without thinking.
It was a simple question of loyalty.
After all, how could he doubt the local bank that opened an account for him just after he was born in 1935 with a gift of 5 pesetas, a small fortune in those days, as a sign of respect to his parents, who were life-long customers? Now the 77-year-old Valls feels betrayed as he finds himself locked out of his hard-earned money.
"I don't understand what's going on," he said. "The only thing I want is for them to return what is mine."
His plight is shared by thousands of his fellow townspeople and nearly a million across Spain: Lured by the family-like ties nurtured between bankers and customers, they poured their life's savings into higher-yielding financial instruments recommended by the people managing their money. When boom turned to catastrophic bust, they found the stock they had acquired had become all but worthless.
Once-lifelong friendships have turned to enmity, as victims cry treachery. In some towns, angry customers have burst into bank branches with shotguns and yelled death threats. Despair has set in as many of the victims are elderly people who were depending on the money to fund their last years.
In towns like La Vall D'Uixo, bank employees and customers would often have close relationships, sometimes going out to have coffee and other times finding themselves sitting together at school plays.
But those times are over.
Jose Romero has spent nearly four decades working at Bancaja, a regional savings bank that is now part of Spanish banking giant Bankia. He said relationships with clients have recently become very tense and sometimes have hovered on the verge of violence.
"The client trusts the brand, but the employee even more," Romero said. "But when you touch their money, people change radically. We've seen death threats, insults, people who come in with shotguns."
Romero heads a Bancaja union and he has seen an increase in the number of complaints from employees who feel they can't go out on the street because they are scared.
Spain's Confederation of Savings Banks declined to comment on gun incidents at bank branches and said all investors in the bank stock had to authorize purchases by signing contracts containing "brief and non-technical language" about the risks they were agreeing to take on. The confederation added in a statement that investments in "preferred stock" were sound when introduced but their value was hurt by market conditions and Spain's deteriorating economy.
Preferred stock entitles the holder to a fixed-rate dividend, paid before any payouts are distributed to holders of ordinary shares- common stock. Holders of such preferred stock also rank higher than ordinary shareholders in receiving proceeds from the liquidation of assets if a company goes into court protection.
Romero, like most of his colleagues, sold preferred stock in his bank and believed at the time that he was promoting a good product. They were first offered at the end of the 1990s at a time of economic boom and many people benefited from the returns. The problems started when people started signing up between 2007 and 2009, just as the bubble was bursting.
"There was a market that worked at the time and had good returns," he said. "But the crisis came suddenly and it all collapsed."
The country's financial crisis has already yielded many dark milestones, including 25 percent unemployment and home foreclosures on an unprecedented scale. Add to that the scandal of up to 1 million Spaniards whose money is frozen or have been lost after banks allegedly mis-sold them complicated financial products.
The crisis has hit especially hard in La Vall D'Uixo, about an hour's drive north of the eastern city of Valencia.
Some of the town's residents have been denied access to investments that represent their life savings, while others have simply found their nest egg has become worthless because of the collapse of share prices. Up to 1,500 families in the town of 34,000 have been affected. They say they are victims of banks that sold them products that promised generous dividends, but have delivered financial ruin at the height of the crisis.
Vincente Porcar is fighting for ?70,000 (about $90,000) that his 78-year-old mother, Francisca Molina, inherited when her husband died. Molina said that rather than offering something ultra-safe like a savings account or a certificate of deposit scheme, their local bank offered them preferred stock in the bank and made it seem like they had a fixed rate with no risk attached.
So, she signed up for them and watched the money grow.
But there was a catch.
"We wanted to buy a house and when we went to ask the bank for the money," Porcar said, "they told us we couldn't touch it."
That's because while the preferred stock offered a high 7 percent return, they never expire; therefore, to get rid of them, there must be another buyer. Spain's dismal economy has sent the value of the shares plummeting, meaning there's nobody willing to take the shares off the townspeople's hands ? effectively leaving them in limbo. Not only that, banks faced with toxic loans and near-worthless property on their books, can no longer make good on their promise of high returns.
The majority of those affected are small investors like Porcar's family, not bankers or hedge funds.
Now, Spain's government is cracking down on the selling of financial products, but it won't guarantee that the nearly 1 million cash-strapped Spanish investors will get all their money back. On the other hand, the banks that sold them are the same ones that are benefiting from a ?100 billion (about $130 billion) lifeline from the 17-nation eurozone.
The European Union recently announced that nationalized Spanish banks that need such funds from Brussels should convert preferred stock into more liquid common stock with a discount of around 40 percent, which would mean huge losses for thousands of savers.
Most Spaniards have traditionally stayed away from investing in stocks or mutual funds to build savings for the future. Instead, they have invested in real estate and relied on the advice of managers at "cajas," the equivalent of local savings and loans banks, which have virtually disappeared in the U.S.
Many Spaniards like Valls and Porcar have joined associations that are suing the banks. One of them is called Apacbank, which represents hundreds of Bankia clients who have had their money frozen. Apacbank says many investors signed legal documents thinking that there was no risk and believing the word of their local bank.
"The majority of them have subscribed to 'preferential shares' not thinking in a million years that it was a financial product with this risk attached," Apacbank spokesman Salvador Sastre said. "They are victims, and the banks knew that they were committing a massive scam."
Preferential shares are legal in Spain and other countries in the world. But Spain's banking system has been especially decimated ? causing a complete collapse of the market in these shares.
Most people affected in Spain are over 60 and are small investors concentrated in towns throughout Spain where there are few banks and practically all belong to savings banks.
It's been a big blow to this formerly prosperous town just inland from the Mediterranean. La Vall D'Uixo was once famous in Spain for its Calzados Segarra factory, which exclusively produced boots and other footwear for the country's armed forces starting in the early 20th century. But the factory shut down in the early 1980s, leaving the town to subsist on small industry like agriculture ? primarily orange plantations ? and ceramics.
Empty, derelict warehouses from the factory are the first thing to greet visitors to the town. But even more depressing is hearing the stories of people like Porcar and Valls, who were banking on preferential shares as a financial cushion during hard times.
"I just want to recover my money," said Valls, who depends on a small pension plan. "I still can't understand how a scam like this can be permitted."
Porcar darkly hints at more drastic measures.
"I'm ready to go to jail," 41-year-old said. "Nobody messes with my mother's money."
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