chambermaid codded: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Prehistoric warming linked to CO2

A study of 20,000- to 10,000-year-old?Antarctic ice indicates that a rise in temperatures was driven by natural carbon dioxide emissions. ??

By Tia Ghose,?LiveScience Staff Writer / February 28, 2013

A section of an Antarctic ice core shown under polarized light reveals the individual ice crystals.

Fr?d?ric Parrenin

Enlarge

Rising carbon dioxide levels may have caused Antarctic warming in the past, new research strongly suggests.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The findings, published today (Feb. 28) in the journal Science, just add to the body of evidence that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions will lead to?climate change.

"It's new evidence from the past of the strong role of CO2 [carbon dioxide] in climate variation," said study co-author Fr?d?ric Parrenin, a climate scientist at the CNRS in France.

Past data

Eons of the Earth's climate history are revealed deep within ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. The?Antarctic ice?traps gas bubbles from the climate that can reveal what the ancient atmosphere looked like, while the ice itself can reveal historical temperatures.

But gas bubbles from a given period get buried deeper than ice of the same period, making it hard to tie past temperatures with atmospheric changes.

In the past, scientists using older techniques found that increases in carbon dioxide happened after global warming, not the reverse. [Images of Melt: Earth's Vanishing Ice]

Past link

But Parrenin and his colleagues wondered whether that was actually the case. To answer that question, the team looked at five ice cores that had been drilled from?Antarctica?over the last 30 years.

They focused on ice from 20,000 to 10,000 years ago, which encompassed the last period when the planet warmed naturally and glaciers melted.

The team measured the concentration of nitrogen-15 isotopes, or atoms of the same element with different weights, at different depths throughout the?ice cores. They compared the depth of that isotope with the ice composition for all the cores to determine the distance between ice bubbles and ice from the same period.

Global warming

The team found that global warming and a carbon dioxide increase happened at virtually the same time ? between 18,000 and 11,000 years ago.

"It makes it possible that CO2 was the cause ? at least partly ? of the temperature increase during the courses of the last glaciation," Parrenin told LiveScience.

And if increased carbon dioxide could lead to?rising temperatures?in the past, it also can in the present day, he said.

The findings may deflate some?climate skeptics, who used the poor dating of ice cores to question the link between carbon dioxide and warming, said Robert Mulvaney, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, who was not involved in the study.

It also confirmed the view of most climate scientists that in the past, rising temperatures and carbon dioxide were locked in a feedback loop, where high temperatures led to more carbon dioxide being released from the deep oceans, which increased temperatures further, Mulvaney said.

But because predictions of future warming are based on recent carbon dioxide and temperature data, not historical models, "it hasn't really changed anything about our understanding of how climate change will change our modern environment." Mulvaney told LiveScience.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter?@tiaghose?or LiveScience?@livescience. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/FiFotxCyB74/Prehistoric-warming-linked-to-CO2

joe avezzano kanye west theraflu joey votto the masters live mega millions winner holy thursday chris stewart

Grandparenting in Interfaith Families | Network Blog ? InterfaithFamily

Are you a Jewish grandparent navigating your relationship with your child, their partner, and your grandchild? Grandma Are you the adult, sandwiched between your parent and your young child, respecting the one who raised you and hoping they will respect your choices in raising your own family? I am curious what works (and what doesn?t work). Please comment below and join me as we start a dialogue about the role of grandparents!

I believe step one should be to have a conversation. The grandparent should sit down with their adult child and discuss how each sees the other?s role. Share thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. Respect each other. Recognize that this can be easier said than done!

But then what? Grandparents: what do you do (have you done) that has worked really well? What didn?t work so well that you would do differently next time? Children, what have your parents done that worked (or didn?t)? What do you wish they would do?

I have five ideas to get us started; I?m interested to hear if you think these will be well received. Grandparents

Celebrate a Jewish holiday with the other grandparents. For example, invite them to the Passover seder (along with your child?s family). Include them in your religious/cultural celebrations. Help them better understand Judaism and its rich traditions.
Ask your child if they need support, resources, or guidance from you. Offer to assist them in the choices that they make. Being active in the Jewish community can be expensive; if you are in a position to help, offer to pay for religious school or summer camp (if your assistance would be appreciated).
Offer to babysit, but make sure you?re transparent with your plans. Tell your child that you?d like to invite your grandchildren over for dinner on Friday night, light Shabbat candles, say the blessings, and enjoy a wonderful meal together. Attain quality time with your grandchildren and give their parents the night off for their own quality time together!
Be visible in your grandchild?s life. Visit often if you can. Use modern technology like Skype to see and talk to your family if they live far away (or even if they are around the corner).
Keep the dialogue open.

What would you like to add to this list?

Comments

Note: All comments on InterfaithFamily are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed.
Click here to comment using your InterfaithFamily Network login.

[ View our Privacy Policy ]

Source: http://www.interfaithfamily.com/blog/iff/grandparenting/grandparenting-in-interfaith-families/

prince harry hunger games Joey Kovar Expendables 2 Pussy Riot National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards

Three More Children Placed For Adoption - Family Care Society

Since Christmas 2012 Family Care have placed three more children in two new adoptive families throughout Northern Ireland.

A little boy aged 3 has a new family in County Down. He is settling in well and looking forward to beginning Nursery School at Easter. His new mum and dad were approved as adopters late last year and are thrilled to have been placed with him.

Two little boys have also found a family of their own in County Armagh and are making great progress. Their new mum and dad were approved to adopt either a single child or a group of two siblings, and they are delighted that they are able to provide a new home which will keep the brothers together.

The?family?s are supported?by their own?Social Worker from Family Care?who will continue?to support both new families and will be?on hand to offer advice and to answer any questions which either the new parents or the children may have. Family Care?will?continue to?be there for the families through the Court process until the final Adoption Order is granted and will be offering ongoing Post Adoption support for as long as we are needed.

These three children are very happy in their new families and will have the stability, care and attention which has been sadly lacking in their young lives. There are many other children just like them who are still in foster care and are waiting for new ?forever families? of their own. Some are single children while others have a brother or sister whom they need to live with.

If you are thinking of adopting or would like some more information, please get in touch with us and help to change a child?s life forever.

Source: http://familycaresociety.co.uk/three-more-children-placed-for-adoption/

Texas A&m cotton bowl Fiscal cliff deal kathy griffin jadeveon clowney orange bowl Rose Parade 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Film of Austrian girl's hostage ordeal premieres

Austrian Natascha Kampusch poses for photographers before the premiere of the film "3096 Days" in Vienna, Austria, Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The film tells the story of Kampusch who was abducted as a schoolgirl and held prisoner in a cellar for almost nine years. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Director Sherry Hormann poses for photographers before the premiere of the film "3096 Days" in Vienna, Austria, Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The film tells the story of Natascha Kampusch who was abducted as a schoolgirl and held prisoner in a cellar for almost nine years. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

British actress Antonia Campbell-Hughes, and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt, right, pose for photographers before the premiere of the film "3096 Days" in Vienna, Austria, Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The film tells the story of Natascha Kampusch who was abducted as a schoolgirl and held prisoner in a cellar for almost nine years. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

VIENNA (AP) ? The story of Natascha Kampusch, who grew from a 10-year old to a young woman as a captive of a sadistic abductor, is now a movie.

The film depicting her more than eight-year long ordeal premiered late Monday in Vienna. Titled "3096 Days," the English-language film is based on Kampusch's biography.

Thure Lindhardt, who played abductor Wolfgang Priklopil, says the role was "challenging," while Campbell-Hughes describes her portrayal of Kampusch as "a very great responsibility."

Prominent Austrians in the audience came away impressed. Former Interior Minister Karl Blecha said the film succeeded in depicting the horrors of Kampusch's torment.

Kampusch was snatched off a Vienna street when she was 10 and held prisoner until she fled in August 2006. Priklopil committed suicide within hours of her escape.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-EU-Austria-Hostage-Girl/id-cea4efa655034fb9930f50ebfdd02ae1

Caleb Moore House of Cards Warm Bodies Colin Kaepernick cbs sports 30 rock Chris Culliver

Pain can be a relief

Feb. 26, 2013 ? When something causes less pain than expected it is even possible for it to feel pleasant, a new study reveals. These findings may one day play a key role in treating pain and substance abuse.

If you accidently kick your toe against a doorframe you are probably going to find it very painful. As a purely intellectual experiment, imagine purposefully kicking a doorframe hard enough to potentially break your toe. When it turns out your toe has been battered but not broken, the pain may be interpreted more as a relief.

"It is not hard to understand that pain can be interpreted as less severe when an individual is aware that it could have been much more painful. Less expected, however, is the discovery that pain may be experienced as pleasant if something worse has been avoided," explains Siri Leknes, Research Fellow at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo.

The lesser of two evils

When working as a research fellow at Oxford University, Dr Leknes became curious about what can be called the "it could have been worse" phenomenon. How is the experience of pain affected by a feeling of relief from realising that it was not as bad as expected?

Dr Leknes recruited 16 healthy subjects who prepared themselves for a painful experience. They were repeatedly exposed to heat of varying intensity applied to their arm for four seconds.

The experiments were carried out in two different contexts: in the first, the heat was either not painful or only moderately painful -- about the same as firmly holding a coffee cup that is slightly too hot. In the second, the heat was either moderately or intensely painful. In this context, moderate pain was the lesser of two evils.

The research subjects reported how they interpreted the pain. In addition, while they were exposed to the stimuli their brain activity was measured by MRI.

Comforting pain

"As expected, the intense heat triggered negative feelings among all subjects whereas the non-painful heat produced positive reactions," explains Siri Leknes.

What intrigued the researchers was the subjects' response to moderate pain. In the experiments where moderate pain was the worst alternative, the pain felt was unpleasant. In the instances where it was the best alternative, the subjects experienced the moderate pain as positive -- even comforting.

"The likely explanation is that the subjects were prepared for the worst and thus felt relieved when they realised the pain was not going to be as bad as they had feared," states Dr Leknes.

"In other words, a sense of relief can be powerful enough to turn such an obviously negative experience as pain into a sensation that is comforting or even enjoyable."

The MRI examinations revealed that the brain changed how it processed moderate pain according to the context and what the alternative was. When the pain was comforting, there was more activity in the areas of the brain associated with pleasure and pain relief and less activity in the areas associated with pain.

A future in treating pain?

Dr Leknes believes that the study illustrates that exposure to one and the same stimulus is interpreted very differently among individuals and that the experience is connected to expectation and context. Some individuals like the burning sensation of eating chili peppers, for example, while others enjoy sadomasochistic sex.

Also, envisioning that an even worse alternative exists than what is actually experienced may even help a person to interpret involuntary pain as something agreeable.

Nevertheless, Dr Leknes points out, pain is generally a highly unpleasant experience and current pain alleviation treatments are inadequate for many people.

"That is why it is so important to find out how and to what degree the brain can control pain on its own. We are currently carrying out basic research, but we hope that this knowledge will one day be applied to develop improved methods for treating pain," she says.

Would it always be advisable then for a doctor to inform a patient that a procedure or treatment is going to be very painful?

"In some situations this may be a good approach, but not always," replies Dr Leknes. "Doctors observe that their patients react very differently to the information they are given; certain patients are likely to experience a genuine sense of relief if they prepare for the worst only to find it not so bad after all, whereas others prefer to avoid worrying beforehand and want to know as little as possible about what they will be undergoing," she explains.

Substance abuse -- from pleasure to relief

The study has been partially funded under the Programme on Alcohol and Drug Research (RUSMIDDEL) at the Research Council of Norway. "Relief is also likely a vital factor in substance abuse," asserts Dr Leknes.

"Over time, the effect of alcohol and drugs will change from triggering feelings of pleasure to primarily alleviating the discomfort of addiction. The brain's regulatory processes change, causing substance abusers to experience a shift; at some point, they use alcohol and drugs in order to achieve a neutral state and avoid feeling awful," explains Dr Leknes.

"By studying relief in order to understand how this process works, we can come up with new ideas for treating substance dependence more effectively. From our pain research, we know that the relief mechanisms in the brains of patients with chronic pain become disrupted. This may be something shared by patients suffering from pain and alcohol and drug addiction alike," she concludes.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Research Council of Norway.

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

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/lgn5R2v6_NI/130226081021.htm

Outback Bowl Carly Rae Jepsen dallas cowboys Rose Bowl 2013 kim kardashian anderson cooper kim kardashian pregnant

Group: Syrian regime missiles kill 140 in Aleppo

BEIRUT (AP) ? At least 141 people, half of them children, were killed when the Syrian military fired at least four missiles into the northern city of Aleppo last week, Human Rights Watch confirmed Tuesday after a researcher visited the area.

The international rights group said the strikes hit residential areas and called them an "escalation of unlawful attacks against Syria's civilian population."

Aleppo, Syria's largest city, has been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the civil war pitting President Bashar Assad's regime against rebels fighting to oust him.

Rebels quickly seized several neighborhoods in an offensive on the city in July, but the government still controls some districts and the battle has developed into a bloody stalemate, with heavy street fighting that has ruined neighborhoods and forced thousands to flee.

A Human Rights Watch researcher who visited Aleppo last week to inspect the targeted sites, said up to 20 buildings were destroyed in each area hit by a missile. There were no signs of any military targets in the residential districts, located in rebel-held parts of Aleppo, said Ole Solvang, the HRW's researcher.

"Just when you think things can't get any worse, the Syrian government finds ways to escalate its killing tactics," Solvang said.

Human rights watch said 71 children were among the 141 people killed in the four missile strikes on three opposition-controlled neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo. It listed the names of the targeted neighborhoods as Jabal Badro, Tariq al-Bab and Ard al-Hamra. The fourth strike documented by the group was in Tel Rifat, north of Aleppo.

"The extent of the damage from a single strike, the lack of (military) aircraft in the area at the time, and reports of ballistic missiles being launched from a military base near Damascus overwhelmingly suggest that government forces struck these areas with ballistic missiles," the report said.

Syrian anti-regime activists first reported the attacks last week, saying they involved ground-to-ground missiles, and killed dozens of people. The reports could not be independently confirmed because Syrian authorities severely restrict access to media.

Human Rights Watch said it compiled a list of those killed in the missile strikes from cemetery burial records, interviews with relatives and neighbors, and information from the Aleppo Media Center and the Violations Documentation Center, a network of local activists.

The rebels control large swaths of land in northeastern Syria. In recent weeks, Assad's regime has lost control of several sites with key infrastructure in that part of the country, including a hydroelectric dam, a major oil field and two army bases along the road linking Aleppo with the airport to its east.

A key focus for the rebels in the Aleppo area is to capture the city's international airport, which the opposition fighters have been attacking for weeks.

Opposition forces have also been hitting the heart of Damascus with occasional mortars shells or bombings, posing a stiff challenge to the regime in its seat of power.

U.S. and NATO officials have previously said that Syria has a significant ballistic missile capability and is believed to have a few hundred missiles with a range of some 700 kilometers (440 miles) that could hit targets deep inside Turkey, a NATO member and one of the harshest critics of the Assad regime.

NATO has in recent weeks deployed Patriot missile systems along Turkey's border with Syria.

The missile attacks have outraged the leaders of the exiled opposition who have accused their Western backers of indifference to the suffering of the Syrian people.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/group-syrian-regime-missiles-kill-140-aleppo-052548844.html

world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta kashi neil diamond orange crush harden

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Bernanke signals continued support for low rates

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Ben Bernanke sent a message Tuesday to Congress: The Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment.

The Fed chairman acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he expressed confidence that such risks pose little threat now.

Delivering the Fed's semiannual monetary report to Congress, Bernanke sought to minimize concerns that the central bank's easy-money policies might cause runaway inflation later or dangerous bubbles in assets like stocks. He sought to reassure sometimes-skeptical senators that the Fed is monitoring potential threats and can defuse them before they hurt the economy.

Several Fed policymakers said at their most recent meeting that the Fed might have to scale back its bond purchases because of the risks. Those comments, contained in minutes released last week, fanned speculation that the Fed might soon allow long-term borrowing rates to rise. Stock prices fell sharply.

But Bernanke gave no signal that the Fed might shift away from its low-interest-rate policy. He said its aggressive program to buy $85 billion a month in Treasurys and mortgage bonds had kept borrowing costs low. And that, in turn, has helped strengthen sectors such as housing and autos, he said.

On budget policy, Bernanke urged Congress to replace the automatic spending cuts due to start Friday with more gradual reductions in budget deficits in the short run. He noted that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the automatic spending cuts that take effect Friday would shave growth by 0.6 percentage point this year.

"Congress and the administration should consider replacing the sharp, front-loaded spending cuts required by the sequestration with policies that reduce the federal deficit more gradually in the near term but more substantially in the longer run," Bernanke said.

Economists said Bernanke made clear the Fed has no plans to scale back its pace of bond purchases.

"That policy will continue to be supportive for growth, with no sign of imminent plans to scale down (the bond purchases) and certainly no plans to remove accommodation for a very long time," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.

Addressing concerns that the bond purchases, which have pushed the Fed's balance sheet to a record high above $3 trillion, could trigger high inflation, Bernanke said:

"Inflation is currently subdued and inflation expectations appear well-anchored. We do not see the potential costs of the increased risk-taking in some financial markets as outweighing the benefits of promoting a stronger economic recovery and more-rapid job creation."

He said that over the past six months, the economy has grown moderately but unevenly. Bernanke said the pause in growth seen in the final three months of 2012 "does not appear to be a stalling-out of the recovery." He said growth appears to have picked up in the past two months.

Shortly before the Fed chairman spoke, several reports pointed to surprising economic strength: Americans' confidence in the economy rebounded this month, new-home sales jumped in January to the highest level since 2008, home prices rose at a healthy pace in December compared with a year ago and profits of U.S. banks jumped last quarter to the highest level in six years.

Bernanke was asked whether the Fed's bond buying could push its balance sheet to $4 trillion. He said that it has no target for how much in bonds it plans to buy.

He noted that the Fed's balance sheet is less than that of the Bank of Japan, which has battled for more than two decades to strengthen the sluggish Japanese economy.

Asked about possible threats to the U.S. economy from Europe's financial crisis, including new fears about Italy, Bernanke said that the exposure of American banks to Italy's debt was small.

He said a bigger threat could emerge if investors grew worried that the debt crisis might suddenly be worsening. He doesn't foresee such a threat, Bernanke said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bernanke-signals-continued-support-low-rates-150033072--finance.html

sons of anarchy adriana lima victoria secret fashion show SEC Championship Rick Majerus Cotto vs Trout Robin Givens

Barnes & Noble dispatches Nook Bluetooth speaker through FCC

Barnes & Noble and its Nook may be the subject of many a rumor of late, but that's not stopping the tablet-maker from its business -- which now includes Bluetooth speakers, apparently. We just spotted this previously unseen bad boy lurking in the FCC's antechambers packing the 2.4GHz Bluetooth bands and a rechargeable battery. That'd give some portable audio accompaniment to your Nook HD or other Bluetooth device (like the iPhone and iPod it was also tested with), though we're not sure how B&N's planning to market it. There's now a listing sans photos or other info parked on its site (see MC link), so you might soon be able to read yourself to sleep with that free book.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless

Comments

Source: FCC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Lbn03XtZOaQ/

breeders cup Mitch Lucker Red Cross CMA Awards 2012 election day Electoral College map nyc marathon

App.net goes gratis, announces invitation-only free accounts

Since its inception, App.net has been working hard to improve its growing platform, giving all of its paid users a 10GB bucket of cloud storage and opening up its File API so devs could use the data stored there. Today, folks wanting in on the fledgling social platform can do so without paying the $36 annual fee -- provided you can score an invite from a paying member. And, there's something in it for paid accounts who refer folks. Both the inviter and invitee get an extra 100 MB of storage (up to 2GB) if the invitee subsequently follows 5 people and authorizes a third-party app.

Should you be lucky enough to score an invite, you won't have the same level of access as your paid brethren, however. Free accounts can only follow up to 40 users -- paid accounts have no such restriction -- and get a 500MB cloud locker. Also, while paid accounts can upload 100MB files, gratis accounts are limited to 10MB uploads.

We got to speak with Dalton Caldwell, CEO of App.net about the shift to a freemium model and he told us that the move has been in the works for some time. The reason it took awhile to do so is that App.net wanted to ensure that it had a market for its paid services and that it had enough of an app ecosystem to make App.net appealing to free users as well. Caldwell also informed us that in order to keep the number of free accounts manageable, paid members will get a limited number of invites to start -- with more invites appearing as the company finds it prudent to do so.

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Source: App.net blog

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/wTXwYamiP00/

Life of Pi QuvenzhanÃ© Wallis Jodi Arias Michelle Obama Oscars Wissam Al Mana mediterranean diet dancing with the stars

Benchmarks Are In: Nvidia's Tegra 4 Really Cooks

When Nvida announced the Tegra 4 back at CES, they laid down the claim it was the world's fastest mobile processor. Now, at Mobile World Congress, the benchmarks are coming in and there's no questioning it. The Tegra 4 is a total speed demon. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lT34GW_JeWA/benchmarks-are-in-nvidias-tegra-4-really-cooks

Kinesio tape randy travis Allyson Felix Kourtney Kardashian Baby Girl Ashton Eaton London 2012 basketball London 2012 Slalom Canoe

Monday, February 25, 2013

Singer Morrissey says no to Kimmel, 'Duck Dynasty'

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The TV series "Duck Dynasty" is coming between Morrissey and Jimmy Kimmel.

The singer and animal rights activist says he canceled his appearance Tuesday on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" because "Duck Dynasty" cast members will be on the talk show.

Morrissey says he can't perform on a show with what he called people who "amount to animal serial killers."

A&E's "Duck Dynasty" reality show follows a Louisiana family with a business selling duck calls and decoys.

A&E did not immediately respond to requests for comment from it and the Robertson family.

A person familiar with the Kimmel show's plans confirmed that Morrissey was to appear. The person lacked authority to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The person says Morrissey's performance will be rescheduled.

ABC says the Churchill band will perform Tuesday on Kimmel's show but declined comment on the switch.

___

Reach AP Television Writer Lynn Elber at http://www.twitter.com/lynnelber .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/singer-morrissey-says-no-kimmel-duck-dynasty-022936792.html

cesar chavez day raspberry ketone ron burgundy millennial media nit championship transcendentalism bells palsy

Protest votes add to uncertainty in close Italy election

ROME (Reuters) - Polls in Italy opened for the second day of voting on Monday in one of the most closely watched and unpredictable elections in years, with a surge in protest votes fuelling fears of an unclear outcome that could hamper economic reform.

A bitter campaign, fought largely over economic issues, has been closely watched by financial markets, still wary after the debt crisis that took the whole euro zone close to disaster and brought technocrat prime minister Mario Monti to office in 2011.

For the euro zone, the stakes are high. Italy is the third largest economy in the 17-member bloc and the prospect of political stalemate could reawaken the threat of dangerous market instability.

Opinion polls give the centre-left coalition led by the veteran former Industry Minister Pier Luigi Bersani a narrow lead but the race has been thrown open by the prospect of a huge protest vote against austerity policies imposed by Monti and rage at a wave of corporate and political scandals.

Voting ends at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Monday, with the first exit polls due shortly afterwards. Projections based on the vote count will be issued through the afternoon and the final result should be known late on Monday or early Tuesday.

The result is likely to be the most fragmented in decades, with the old left-right division disrupted up by the rise of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo and the decision of outgoing prime minister Mario Monti to run at the head of a centrist bloc.

Grillo has electrified the race with a furious campaign against corruption and privilege in the elite.

"It will be a vote of protest, maybe of revolt," said a front page editorial in Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest newspaper, on Monday.

After the first day of voting on Sunday about 54 percent of voters had cast their ballots, a sharp fall on the level of 62.5 percent seen at the same stage in the last election in 2008.

Bad weather hampered the turnout in Italy's first post-war election to be held in winter.

Luigi Bartoletti, a 57-year-old salesman from Rome said he had voted for the 5-Star movement.

"But unfortunately I don't believe there will be a stable government," he said. "The hope is that by voting for these people, even if they're inexperienced, there may be at least some checks on the management of public affairs."

The 5-Star Movement, heavily backed by a frustrated younger generation increasingly shut out of full-time jobs, has polled strongly and some believe it could challenge former premier Silvio Berlusconi's PDL party as Italy's second largest political force.

"Come on, it isn't over yet," was Monday's front page headline in Il Giornale daily, owned by Berlusconi's brother, a call to arms to voters not to give up.

The 76 year-old Berlusconi has campaigned fiercely at the head of a centre-right coalition, pledging sweeping tax cuts and echoing Grillo's attacks on Monti, Germany and the euro in a media blitz that has halved the lead of the centre-left since the start of the year.

Support for Monti's centrist coalition meanwhile has faded and he appears set to trail well behind the main parties.

SENATE RACE

Whatever government emerges will inherit an economy that has been largely stagnant for much of the past two decades and problems ranging from record youth unemployment to a dysfunctional justice system and a bloated public sector.

At the same time, the credibility of the political system has been hit by corruption scandals and criminal investigations affecting state-controlled defense group Finmeccanica and Italy's third-largest bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

Despite the opinion polls suggesting the centre-left is leading, it is far from clear that Bersani will be able to control both houses of parliament and form a stable government capable of lasting a full five-year term.

Italy's electoral laws guarantee a strong majority in the lower house to the party or coalition that wins the biggest share of the overall national vote.

However the Senate, elected on a region-by-region basis, is more complicated and the result could turn on a handful of regions where results are too close to call, including Lombardy in the rich industrial north and the southern island of Sicily.

Many politicians and analysts believe Bersani and Monti will end up in an alliance after the vote, despite a number of spiky exchanges during the campaign and Monti's insistence that he will not join forces with Bersani's leftist allies.

For his part, Bersani, who has pledged to maintain the broad reform course set by Monti while doing more to help growth, says he would seek support from other parties and would be ready to offer the former European Commissioner a job in his government.

But there is no guarantee that it would be possible to form a stable alliance that would also include far-left partners or trade unions that have fiercely opposed key reforms by the Monti government including attempts to ease hiring and firing rules.

After repeated rounds of tax hikes and spending cuts, sliding wages and declining standards of living, Italians are increasingly weary of the austerity medicine prescribed by Monti to prevent Italy's huge public debt from sliding out of control.

(Additional reporting by Stefano Bernabei and Gavin Jones; Editing by Stephen Powell and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/protest-votes-add-uncertainty-close-italy-election-070325879.html

j crew san francisco 49ers san francisco 49ers stan musial Mega 49ers lance armstrong

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Indie Spirit Awards 2013: 'Silver Linings Playbook' vs. 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' (PHOTOS)

Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence accepts the award for best female lead for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Helen Hunt

Actress Helen Hunt accepts the award for best supporting female for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Matthew McConaughey

Actor Matthew McConaughey accepts the award for best supporting male for "Magic Mike," at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper

Actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence attend the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

David O. Russell

Director David O. Russell poses backstage with the awards for best director and best screenplay for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

John Hawkes

Actpr John Hawkes poses backstage with the award for best male lead for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonathan Gordon

Actor Bradley Cooper, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and producer Jonathan Gordon accept the award for best feature for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Ellen Page

Ellen Page speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Salma Hayek, John Hawkes

Actress Salma Hayek, left, presents John Hawkes with the award for best male lead for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

John Hawkes

Actor John Hawkes accepts the award for best male lead for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jason Schwartzman

Actor Jason Schwartzman speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

John Hawkes

Actor John Hawkes accepts the award for best male lead for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Amy Poehler, Bryan Cranston

Amy Poehler, left, and Bryan Cranston speak onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Sofia Coppola, Sophie Savides

Sofia Coppola, right, presents Sophie Savides with the Special Distinction award at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson

Presenters Aubrey Plaza, left, and Jake Johnson speak onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Paul Rudd

Actor Paul Rudd presents the award for best screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Paul Rudd, David O. Russell

Actor Paul Rudd presents director David O. Russell with the award for best screenplay for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Fred Armisen, Kyle MacLachlan, Helen Hunt

Actors Kyle MacLachlan, left, and Fred Armisen, center, present Helen Hunt with the award for best supporting female for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

David O. Russell

Director David O. Russell accepts the award for best director for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence reacts after winning the award for best female lead for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. At left is director David O. Russell and co-star Bradley Cooper is at right.(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence

Actor Jeremy Renner, left, presents actress Jennifer Lawrence with the award for best female lead for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jeremy Renner

Actor Jeremy Renner presents the award for best female lead at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Helen Hunt

Actress Helen Hunt accepts the award for best supporting female for "The Sessions" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. At center is her co-star from the film, John Hawkes. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Dave Grohl

Presenter Dave Grohl presents the award for best documentary at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Quvenzhane Wallis

Actress Quvenzhan? Wallis speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Chris Tucker

Actor Chris Tucker speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Laura Dern

Actress Laura Dern speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Michael Haneke

Director Michael Haneke accepts the award for best international film for "Amour" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Common, Zoe Saldana

Common, left, and actress Zoe Saldana present the John Cassavetes award at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Michael Haneke

Director Michael Haneke poses backstage with the award for best international film for "Amour" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey poses backstage with the award for best supporting male for "Magic Mike" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Stephen Chbosky

Director Stephen Chbosky accepts the award for best first feature for "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Rashida Jones, Matthew McConaughey

Actors Rashida Jones, left, and Jason Bateman present actor Matthew McConaughey, right, the award for best supporting male for "Magic Mike" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Stephen Chbosky

Director Stephen Chbosky, poses backstage with the award for best first feature for "Perks of Being a Wallflower" at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Derek Connolly

Derek Connolly accepts the best first screenplay award at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Kerry Washington

Actress Kerry Washington presents the best first screenplay award at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Andy Samberg

Host Andy Samberg speaks onstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Daniel Radcliffe

Actor Daniel Radcliffe arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Paul Rudd

Actor Paul Rudd arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Aubrey Plaza

Actress Aubrey Plaza arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Rashida Jones

Actress Rashida Jones arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Ellen Page

Actress Ellen Page arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jack Black

Actor Jack Black arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Salma Hayek

Actress Salma Hayek arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Helen Hunt

Actress Helen Hunt arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nina Dobrev

Actress Nina Dobrev arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Sofia Coppola

Filmmaker Sofia Coppola arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Bruce Willis

Actor Bruce Willis arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Michael Haneke

Filmmaker Michael Haneke arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/23/indie-spirit-awards-2013-silver-linings-playbook_n_2751423.html

real housewives of beverly hills Pink Floyd 12 12 12 Concert miley cyrus miley cyrus amazing race Cam Cameron

Cider is the apple of the alcoholic drink sector's eye, but can move beyond its core market, reports Mintel

Source: Mintel Oxygen Reports

Cider is the apple of the alcoholic drink sector's eye, but can move beyond its core market, reports Mintel

Region: UK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 2013

Cider is the apple of the alcoholic drink sector's eye, but can move beyond its core market, reports Mintel

With lager companies now also looking to capitalise on the growth in the UK cider market, it seems that the nation?s desire for this fruity drink shows no signs of losing fizz just yet. Indeed, according to new research from Mintel, three in five adults (60%) now drink cider, significantly up from the previous year?s total of 47%. This progress means that in 2012, a greater share of adults drank cider than spirits (57%).

Indeed, cider is even closing in on beer in terms of usage, a market which has struggled to retain its base of drinkers in recent years, standing at 70% in 2012. While its recent successes have helped a number of cider producers to grow rapidly, Mintel research shows that the market?s future prospects could be equally positive as, even among cider drinkers, 23% state that it does not always occur to them to drink it. Further boosting the visibility of the drink in the on- and off-trade could therefore reap spectacular rewards for operators.

Chris Wisson, Senior Drinks Analyst at Mintel said:

?Cider continues to stand out as one of the star performers among alcoholic drinks markets. Usage has flourished in recent years as the market has improved its image, with strong growth at the premium tier. The market has also performed well on the back of its accessibility, with its accessible flavour profiles helping to attract new users such as women and 18-34 year-olds. While many drinks markets are struggling to grow in real terms and are also hampered by the government?s tax escalator, cider is one of the anomalous success stories which is also showing underlying volume growth.?

Cider is in fact one of the few success stories in the alcoholic drinks landscape, achieving steady growth despite the economic downturn. Over the last five years sales of cider have increased by 32% to reach ?2.7 billion in 2012, up from ?1.8 billion in 2007 and with sales increasing 5% in the last year alone. Meanwhile volume sales have posted slower growth, although the market still managed overall growth of 18% between 2007 and 2012.

The success of cider looks set to continue in the coming years, with new producers continuing to build momentum and with strong consumer demand leading to a better range of ciders in both the on- and off-trade sales channels. Over the next five years, Mintel forecasts that the market will reach sales of ?3.7 billion, driven partly by duty increases but also growing user numbers.

Apple pips pear to the post

While apple remains the nation?s favourite flavour of cider, drunk by 47% of adults, there are striking signs of growth coming from the pear and flavoured segments. Pear has grown to be a firm favourite amongst cider drinkers, and is drunk by almost four in ten (37%) adults, buoyed by the entry of brands such as Strongbow and Stella Cidre into the segment. Meanwhile, almost a quarter (24%) of Brits have drunk any other type of fruit-flavoured cider, with flavours in this adventurous segment ranging from cloudberry to toffee apple.

?Pear cider is now a highly profitable segment of the market and one which producers should almost be prioritising on a par with apple cider. While apple continues to drive most of the sales, pear can also be an effective gateway into the market, with a particular appeal to female drinkers. However, pear is still underperforming in terms of appealing to older drinkers and operators may be well served in highlighting features such as a British heritage and ingredient quality to appeal to these more traditional cider drinkers.? Chris continues.

While the cider market continues to make great strides, there are still a number of challenges for producers to overcome. Many of these relate to its image as amongst lager, wine and RTD drinkers, just 8% think that cider is sophisticated while 14% think that it is worth paying more for, both of which are significantly behind associations with wine.

?While cider enjoys a range of positive associations among drinkers, such as being refreshing, natural and suitable for men and women, sophistication is an area where there is significant room for improvement. The cider market has improved its image greatly over the past decade and should continue working to evolve away from unfavourable historical associations such as those with underage and binge drinking, and towards being a sophisticated drink to be seen with.? Chris concludes.

For more information, please contact Sian Brenchley, Monica Trombini or Amanda Lintott
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7600 5703 Email: press@mintel.com

Please note that this service is for journalists only. For all other requests please contact the sales team at info@mintel.com.

Source: http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/press-releases/1052/cider-is-the-apple-of-the-alcoholic-drink-sectors-eye-but-can-move-beyond-its-core-market-reports-mintel

Jason London coachella rick ross tiger woods lakers Real Madrid iOS 6.1

Ex-Canada ambassador slighted by Affleck's "Argo"

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012 file photo, former Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and his wife Pat, pose for photographers at the premiere of the film Argo in Washington. Taylor, Canada's former ambassador in Iran, who protected Americans at great personal risk during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, says if "Argo" wins the Oscar for best picture on Sunday there would be something wrong with director Ben Affleck if he didn't mention Canada, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 photo, Ben Affleck, nominated for best picture for "Argo," arrives at the 85th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Like almost every awards season, earlier honors have established clear favorites for the top prizes at Sunday's Oscars, where Ben Affleck's CIA thriller ?Argo? is expected to take home the best-picture trophy. The 85th Academy Awards are in Los Angeles on Feb. 24. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - This publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows John Goodman, left, Alan Arkin, center, and actor-director Ben Affleck in a scene from "Argo." The film has dominated the awards picture with wins at the Golden Globes and ceremonies held by the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America. "Argo" now is poised to do what only four movies have managed before at the Oscars: win best picture without a nomination for its director. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Claire Folger, File)

TORONTO (AP) ? The former Canadian ambassador to Iran who protected Americans at great personal risk during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis says it will reflect poorly on Ben Affleck if he doesn't say a few words about Canada's role should the director's film "Argo" win the Oscar for best picture Sunday.

But Ken Taylor ? who said he feels slighted by the movie because it makes Canada look like a meek observer to CIA heroics in the rescue of six U.S. Embassy staff members caught in the crisis ? is not expecting it.

"I would hope he would. If he doesn't then it's a further reflection," Taylor told The Associated Press. But the 78-year-old Taylor added that given what's happened in the last few months, "I'm not necessarily anticipating anything."

Taylor kept the Americans hidden at his residence and the home of his deputy, John Sheardown, in Tehran and facilitated their escape by arranging plane tickets and persuading the Ottawa government to issue fake passports. He also agreed to go along with the CIA's film production cover story to get the Americans out of Iran.

Taylor became a hero in Canada and the United States afterward. He felt the role that he and other Canadians played in helping the Americans to freedom was minimized in "Argo."

"In general it makes it seem like the Canadians were just along for the ride. The Canadians were brave. Period," Taylor said.

Affleck's thriller is widely expected to win the best-picture trophy. Two other high-profile best-picture nominees this year, Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," have also been criticized for their portrayal of some factual issues.

Affleck said in a statement Friday night that he thought his issue with Taylor had been resolved.

"I admire Ken very much for his role in rescuing the six houseguests. I consider him a hero.?In light of my many conversations as well as a change to an end card that Ken requested I am surprised that Ken continues to take issue with the film," Affleck said in the statement. "I spoke to him recently when he asked me to narrate a documentary he is prominently featured in and yet he didn't mention any lingering concerns.?I agreed to do it and I look forward to seeing Ken at the recording."

Taylor told the AP on Saturday that he would take the "high road" upon hearing what Affleck said in the statement. He said it was news to him that Affleck had agreed to narrate the documentary and looked forward to working on it with him.

He added that he had sent Affleck an email on Saturday, saying he was pleased to hear that "Argo" has received international acclaim even though the debate still continues about the role Canada played. In the email, he said the dispute doesn't reflect on Affleck's skills as a director and wished him luck on Sunday.

"I'm not conceding anything," Taylor told the AP. "What I said is still valid. It's time to move on. I've registered it now for six months and President Jimmy Carter's remarks back it. There's nothing more a Canadian can say after the president says it."

Carter appeared on CNN on Thursday night and said "90 percent of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian," but the film "gives almost full credit to the American CIA."

Carter also called "Argo" a complete distortion of what happened when he accepted an honorary degree from Queen's University in Canada in November.

"I saw the movie Argo recently and I was taken aback by its distortion of what happened because almost everything that was heroic, or courageous or innovative was done by Canada and not the United States," Carter said.

Taylor said there would be no movie without the Canadians.

"We took the six in without being asked so it starts there," Taylor said. "And the fact that we got them out with some help from the CIA then that's where the story loses itself. I think Jimmy Carter has it about right, it was 90 percent Canada, 10 percent the CIA."

He said CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Affleck in the film, was only in Iran for a day and a half.

The movie also makes no mention of Sheardown, the First Secretary at the embassy. Taylor said it was Sheardown who took the first call from the American diplomats who had evaded capture when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in November 1979, and agreed right away to take the Americans in. Sheardown died on Dec. 30, and his wife, Zena, called the movie disappointing.

"It was frustrating," Zena Sheardown said about "Argo" in an interview with The Associated Press after her husband's death. "It would have been nice if the story was told correctly because basically, if the Canadians weren't there to help, who knows what would have happened to those Americans."

Friends of Taylor were outraged last September when "Argo" debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The original postscript of the movie said that Taylor received 112 citations and awards for his work in freeing the hostages and suggested Taylor didn't deserve them because the movie ends with the CIA deciding to let Canada have the credit for helping the Americans escape.

Taylor called the postscript lines "disgraceful and insulting" and said it would have caused outrage in Canada if the lines were not changed. Affleck flew Taylor to Los Angeles after the Toronto debut and allowed him to insert a postscript that gave Canada some credit.

Taylor called it a good movie and said he's not rooting against it, but said it is far from accurate.

"He's a good director. It's got momentum. There's nothing much right from Day 1 I could do about the movie. I changed a line at the end because the caption at the end was disgraceful. It's like Tiananmen Square, you are sitting in front of a big tank," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-23-Canada-Argo%20Slight/id-00c57a73dd84449c9cc6e0b6299a162f

awakenings phantom of the opera agoraphobia andrew lloyd webber obscura grok cirque du freak

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Modded Nexus 7 shows why some phone and tablet loudspeakers are better than others (video)

We never used to take the speakers in phones or tablets very seriously. Frankly, we're not sure manufacturers did either. But the old assumption that tiny = tinny is starting to seem a bit unfair. Last year, Dutch chip-maker NXP released a new type of mobile audio component -- the TFA9887 -- that allowed a mobile device to monitor its speaker system in real-time in order to max out volume without risking damage to the driver. Although NXP is way too modest to confirm it, we happen to know that this chip made its way into a number of HTC devices, including the new One, One X+ and 8X, where it's been described as "feedback" speaker technology.

The extra voltage delivered to speakers by this generation of component hasn't been especially wild -- just a couple of volts above the industry norm of around 3V. But what you're about to hear after the break is the next-gen TFA9890, which is expected to appear in devices around the middle of this year, and which racks things all the way up to 9.5V. This promises to be a much more audible leap relative to traditional no-feedback speaker systems, and you should be able to spot the difference for yourself after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aXmDDh_Pf0g/

purim acc tournament big ten tournament big east tournament 2012 solar storm solar flares spanx

Architects Take on Fashion: Regent Street Windows Project 2013

22 Feb, 2013 13:20 CET

From 15 April to 6 May, Regent Street London W1 will be showcasing a number of inspiring architectural installations created by cutting edge architects in partnership with RIBA

(Royal Institute of British Architects). Now in its fourth year, the Regent Street Windows Project matches a diverse range of RIBA architects with international fashion brands to create innovative window displays.

This initiative is in line with The Crown Estate?s ?750m investment plan to maintain Regent Street as one of the leading shopping destinations in the world. As part of this long-term strategy, Regent Street has recently seen the revival of iconic landmarks in the area balancing original architecture with contemporary restoration. This restoration of vast architectural buildings has recently welcomed to the street the largest Burberry in the world, restaurants Brasserie Z?del and MASH and the re-opening of Caf? Royal after being restored to its former golden-age glory.

Brands participating in the Regent Street Windows Project 2013 include: Topshop working with NEON, Esprit working with naganJohnson architects, Jack Spade working with Carl Turner Architects, Ferrari Store working with Gensler, Karen Millen with Mamou-Mani and Moss Bros with AY Architects.

Annie Walker, Director of the Regent Street Association, said: ?The RIBA Regent Street Project, now in its fourth year, is getting more and more recognition. Each time I look forward to seeing the designs and marvel at the result of the collaboration between the architects and the retailers; it definitely adds to the visitor experience.?

regentstreetonline.com???????????????

twitter.com/regentstonline ?????

facebook.com/RegentStreetOfficial

youtube.com/regentstreettv

For further information and images please contact Lucia Ruz and Verity Ramsay. Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 9601 Email: ? or ?

Notes to Editors

Concept images showcasing the designs of the installations will be available for press use from 4 March.

Photographs of the completed installations will be available from 16 April.

A viral film of last year?s Regent Street Windows Project 2012 can be seen on the Regent Street YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCHRx7wiKME

For more information about RIBA London, please contact Antonia Faust in RIBA London on 020 7307 3624 or email ?

Regent Street Windows Project is an initiative of RIBA London and Regent Street, London W1. The project started in 2010 as part of the London Festival of Architecture and is now established as a stand-alone annual event.

RIBA London supports RIBA membership in the capital by providing high quality support services, organising regular activities and training. It seeks to increase the political and professional influence of the RIBA in London and work to raise public awareness of architecture as a profession. It encourages improvement in the built environment by delivering cultural activities and by encouraging architectural debate in the public arena.

regentstreetonline.com???????????????

twitter.com/regentstonline ?????

facebook.com/RegentStreetOfficial

youtube.com/regentstreettv

For further information and images please contact Lucia Ruz and Verity Ramsay. Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 9601 Email: ? or ?

For further information please contact Verity Ramsay or Susie Howard

T: 44 (0)20 7287 9601 ? ? ? ?

Email: ??or Email:?

Sister, a creative multi-platform communications agency that strategically integrates public relations with marketing, advertising, social media, digital design, web development and film production.

In our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment, please consider whether you need to print out this information.
?
This communication and all information contained are confidential and may be legally privileged. The content is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and others authorised to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient it is hereby brought to your notice that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or dissemination, or alternatively the taking of any action in reliance on it, is strictly prohibited and may constitute grounds for legal action, either civil or criminal.

Source: http://news.cision.com/sister/r/architects-take-on-fashion--regent-street-windows-project-2013,c9374447

jessica chastain hugh jackman Amy Poehler Australian Open Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland