Stock futures gain as investors anticipate fresh Fed stimulus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock futures rose on Wednesday, setting Wall Street up for a sixth day of gains, as investors anticipated the U.S. Federal Reserve will announce a fresh stimulus plan to support the economy at the end of a two-day monetary policy meeting.

The Fed is expected to unveil a new round of bond buying later on Wednesday to boost a fragile economic recovery threatened by political wrangling over the government's budget. The monetary policy committee's decision is expected around 12:30 p.m. ET.

"I think the market has already discounted that the Fed is going to announce more stimulus, so what's more important is what Chairman Bernanke says, which may give us clues on economic activity going forward," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York.

"We might see a bit of selloff after Bernanke's comments, but we've been up for five straight days, so that shouldn't be surprising."

Negotiations intensified to avert the "fiscal cliff" - tax hikes and spending cuts that kick in early in 2013 - ahead of a year-end deadline as President Barack Obama and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner spoke by phone on Tuesday after exchanging new proposals.

BlackRock, one of the world's biggest asset managers, expects the S&P 500 to scale new heights in 2013, with the broad measure of U.S. stocks reaching 1,600 by the end of the year. That's a gain of more than 12 percent from current levels and would surpass the index's previous peak of 1,576.09 set in 2007.

On the macroeconomic front, import and export price data is due at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists in a Reuters survey expect import prices edged down by 0.5 percent last month, while export prices remained flat.

S&P 500 futures rose 3.7 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 22 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 7.75 points.

India's government announced an inquiry into lobbying practices by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Wednesday after a report that the giant retailer had pressed U.S. lawmakers to help gain access to foreign markets.

Costco Wholesale Corp posted a 30 percent rise in quarterly profit, beating expectations, as the largest U.S. warehouse club chain saw sales rise and got a lift from higher membership fees.

Sprint Nextel Corp is in talks with Intel Corp and Comcast Corp to buy out their stakes in the U.S. wireless provider Clearwire Corp , two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, led by technology companies. The S&P 500 closed at its highest since Election Day on November 6.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-edge-higher-focus-fed-110708542--finance.html

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Justice Scalia Defends His Legal Writing While Speaking at Princeton

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The legal writings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had to be defended on Monday because some people find them anti-gay and offensive, according to a report in the Associated Press. Scalia was speaking at Princeton University when he was asked by a gay student why he compares laws that ban sodomy with the laws that ban murder and bestiality.

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?I don?t think it?s necessary, but I think it?s effective,? Scalia said in response. Scalia also said that legislatures are allowed to ban what they think is immoral. Scalia has been speaking across the country in an effort to promote his book, ?Reading Law.?

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Those in attendance who came to hear Scalia speak about his book applauded his comments while other clapped for the question raised by the student, Duncan Hosie.

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?It?s a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the `reduction to the absurd,?? Scalia told Hosie. ?If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things??

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Scalia noted that he was not comparing murder with sodomy but was trying to draw a parallel between the two. He said, ?I?m surprised you aren?t persuaded.?

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After the event, Hosie said that he was not persuaded by the answer from Scalia but instead he thinks that Scalia?s writings ?dehumanize? gays. Scalia make some wisecracks during his speech when talking about the Constitution.

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?It isn?t a living document,? Scalia said. ?It?s dead, dead, dead, dead. My Constitution is a very flexible one,? he said. ?There?s nothing in there about abortion. It?s up to the citizens. ? The same with the death penalty.?

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Source: http://www.jdjournal.com/2012/12/12/justice-scalia-defends-his-legal-writing-while-speaking-at-princeton/

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Michael Jordan's New Mansion: Straight BALLER

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/michael-jordans-new-mansion-straight-baller/

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Wife of former US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says she's not interested in running for his seat (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Gaza perfume sales soar with rocket name

GAZA (Reuters) - Sales of a citrus-scented perfume marketed in Gaza have soared since it was named in honor of the rockets that Palestinians shot at Israel during a war last month, the manufacturer said.

"M-75" perfume, which comes in men's and women's fragrances, is named for the missiles Hamas Islamist militants shot at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in an eight-day conflict that killed more than 170 Palestinians and six Israelis, ending with an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Although both sides proclaimed victory, and Israel said it had halted rocket fire at its towns, many in Gaza take pride in militants having shot a rocket as far as Tel Aviv, the longest-range aerial strike by the Palestinians so far.

"I hope the smell is strong enough for them to whiff in Tel Aviv and remind the Jews of the Palestinian victory," Ahmed Hassan, a customer from neighboring Egypt, said as he bought 30 vials of the perfume as souvenirs in a Gaza City shop.

Rajaey Odwan, director of Gaza's Continental Style perfume company which markets imported fragrances and local knockoffs, said he thought he'd give customers a chance to smell victory and "turn it into a perfume".

He sells the 60 ml (2 oz) black-and-green bottles made of orange, lemon and other herbal scents collected in Gaza, for about $13 apiece.

"Sales have gone through the roof," he said.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gaza-perfume-sales-soar-rocket-name-214159748.html

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PM Note: Too Fat, Too Old, Too Bald? Nah!, Jerry Brown Treated for Prostate Cancer, Still 'Far Apart' on 'Cliff'

Chris Christie to Barbara Walters - "I didn't help (Obama) win. I was Doing my job." http://abcn.ws/QVEdHi

Watch Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012? tonight at 9:30 P.M. ET on the ABC Television Network.

Would Hillary Clinton Be Too Old? - "I am, thankfully, knock on wood, not only healthy, but have incredible stamina and energy," she told Walters. "I just want to see what else is out there. I've been doing, you know, this, this incredibly important and, and satisfying work here in Washington, as I say, for twenty years, I want to get out and spend some time looking at what else I can do to contribute." http://abcn.ws/W6vilt

Would Chris Christie Be Too Heavy? - "That's ridiculous," Christie told Walters. "I don't know what the basis for that is? I've done this job pretty well, and I think people watched me for the last number of weeks and Hurricane Sandy doing 18-hour days and getting right back up the next day and still being just as effective in the job. So I don't really think that would be a problem." http://abcn.ws/QVEdHi

Would Marco Rubio Be Too Bald? - " #Esquire report on having less hair than I once did is sadly true. But good news is I am still in upper 2% in Senate. http://soc.li/8aubTIS " he tweetedto his followers.

Since We're Talking About Rubio's Hair, What About Clinton's? From Dana Hughes report - "It's longer than it has been previously, and that, Clinton told Walters, is by design. "I do not travel with any hairdresser, or anybody, to help me do that, and I'm not very competent myself. I've been admitting that for years, which should be obvious to everyone," Clinton joked. "And so it became simpler to just grow it so that I can pull it back, and I can stick rollers in," said Clinton calling the conversation "girl talk" between her and Walters.

Rather than being annoyed by all the talk about her hair and appearance Clinton said she finds it amusing. "It's fascinating to me how people are so curious about it. Because after a while, it just got to be really burdensome to try to find a hairdresser in some city, somewhere, oftentimes not being able to speak English, that at least I could communicate with," she told Walters. "So, I said enough, we're just going to try to go with as simple as possible." http://abcn.ws/W6vilt

Roundup -

California Gov. Jerry Brown Undergoing Treatment for Prostate Cancer - KGO report - http://bit.ly/XUmvXS

No Interest Rate Hike 'Til Unemployment Reaches 6.5 Percent - http://abcn.ws/SVIhqS

Penn. Gov Latest to Reject Obamacare Health Exchange - http://abcn.ws/SVsDvE

Intern to Sen. Bob Menendez was undocumented immigrant, sex offender - http://abcn.ws/SS635L

'Far Apart' on 'Fiscal Cliff' - Boehner held a press Conference, Obama didn't, the two sides have been trading proposals, but they seem remarkably like the proposals each side has already rejected. Boehner said they're "far apart." John Parkinson's full report - http://abcn.ws/U7WpLs

Tapper Seeks Fact from Carney, Gets Magic Beans - Again -

TAPPER: "A White House official told me that in his counteroffer yesterday, Speaker Boehner asked for - one of - part of his proposal was a permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts for the top-two brackets - for all the Bush tax cuts, but including the top-two brackets. The House speaker's office disputes that; I was hoping that you could shed some light on the - on what exactly John Boehner in his counterproposal suggested should happen?"

CARNEY: "I'm not going to get into the details of the proposals that have gone back and forth. But I can say that - because it has been public in the positions that the speaker has put forward, that, you know, we do not accept the position that was outlined in the letter that the speaker sent previously that Bush tax cuts for the top earners can be extended.

The president has made clear: He will not support legislation that hands another tax cut to the wealthiest 2 percent of American earners. We can't afford it. It is bad economic policy. And the result of pursuing that policy would mean added burdens to the middle class, added burdens to seniors, added burdens to families with children who have disabilities. That's unacceptable to the president ? To say that we can somehow magically achieve significant revenue on the order that we need for that balanced deficit reduction package simply by closing loopholes that they will not name or capping deductions what they - that they will not specify sometime in the future. That is - you know, those magic beans are just beans, and that fairy dust is just dust. It is not serious. And the president will not sign an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest."

At a briefing on Tuesday, Dec. 4, Carney called the GOP's plans for the fiscal cliff "magic beans and fairy dust." http://abcn.ws/128TNTp

Kristof Welfare Column Turns Heads, Sparks Debate - From Sarah Parnass - New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, the journalist who champions human rights around the world, wants the government to stop giving welfare checks to poverty-stricken children with disabilities. It's a stance that inspired solidarity with conservatives and fiery criticism from liberals, not Kristof's usual reception. http://abcn.ws/U8MLbl

AG Holder was also asked what steps the Justice Department was taking in response to the recent state laws in Washington and Colorado to legalize marijuana.

"We are looking at those two initiatives those two statutes and trying to determine exactly how we will respond and expect we will be doing so relatively quickly. There are a number of issues that have to be considered among them the impact that drug usage has on young people, we have treaty obligations with nations outside the United States, there are a whole variety of things that have to go into the determination that we are in the process of making." Holder said.

In reference to the treaty obligations the Mexican government has been upset over the two state laws in light of the massive drug wars that have killed about 60,000 people in Mexico.

Sandy Relief Bill Released - "The Disaster Assistance Supplemental provides $60.4 billion in discretionary funding. The emergency spending contained in this bill is equal to the President's request, and contains no earmarks. A summary of the legislation is provided below. The complete text of the Supplemental can be found here."

GOP pollsters - "The Republican 'Brand Needs Substantial Resuscitation ' Among Latino Voters" - From Univision's Emily DeRuy - http://abcn.ws/TVd4ov

Syria Launches Scuds at Rebels - http://abcn.ws/UUrTHP (Martinez)

U.S. Recognized Syrian Opposition, But Declares Some Rebels Terrorists - Alex Marquart and Dana Hughes report - The designation of the Syrian rebel group al-Nusrah Front as a terrorist organization at the same time the United States is formally recognizing Syria's Opposition Coalition is not a coincidence. The Obama administration wants to send a clear a message that while it supports Syria's Opposition Coalition to lead Syria's democratic transition if or when the Assad regime falls, there is no place for extremism in the country's future? In practical terms the designation means that Syrian opposition leaders will not be able to work with al-Nusrah and still receive U.S. support. The administration's announcement also served to "out" the group to Syrians who may be sympathetic, said the officials. "It means that as al-Nusrah Front tries to wrap itself in the legitimacy of the opposition that does reflect the Syrian's people desires, we have called them out, and for those who are seeking to support the legitimate opposition of the Syrian people, we have drawn a bright line," said an official. http://abcn.ws/SRlSJX

Is American Detained in North Korea? - State Department Vague - http://abcn.ws/Sdvulm (Hughes and Parnass)

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pm-note-too-fat-too-old-too-bald-232918762--abc-news-politics.html

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Secrets of gentle touch revealed

Monday, December 10, 2012

Stroke the soft body of a newborn fruit fly larva ever-so-gently with a freshly plucked eyelash, and it will respond to the tickle by altering its movement?an observation that has helped scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) uncover the molecular basis of gentle touch, one of the most fundamental but least well understood of our senses.

Our ability to sense gentle touch is known to develop early and to remain ever-present in our lives, from the first loving caresses our mothers lavish on us as newborns to the fading tingle we feel as our lives slip away. But until now, scientists have not known exactly how humans and other organisms perceive such sensations.

In an article published online this week in the journal Nature, the UCSF team has identified the exact subset of nerve cells responsible for communicating gentle touch to the brains of Drosophila larvae?called class III neurons. They also uncovered a particular protein called NOMPC, which is found abundantly at the spiky ends of the nerves and appears to be critical for sensing gentle touch in flies.

Without this key molecule, the team discovered, flies are insensitive to any amount of eyelash stroking, and if NOMPC is inserted into neurons that cannot sense gentle touch, those neurons gain the ability to do so.

"NOMPC is sufficient to confer sensitivity to gentle touch," said Yuh Nung Jan, PhD, a professor of physiology, biochemistry and biophysics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at UCSF. Jan led the study with his wife Lily Jan, PhD, who is also a UCSF professor and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

The work sheds light on a poorly understood yet fundamental sense through which humans experience the world and derive pleasure and comfort.

Jan added that while the new work reveals much, many unanswered questions remain, including the exact mechanism through which NOMPC detects mechanical force and the identity of the analogous human molecules that confer gentle touch sensitivity in people.

The discovery is a good example of basic brain research paving the way toward answering such questions. UCSF is a world leader in the neurosciences, carrying out research that spans the spectrum from fundamental questions of how the brain works to the clinical development of new drugs and precision tools to address brain diseases; educating the next generation of neuroscientists, neurologists and neurosurgeons; and offering excellent patient care for neurological diseases.

Why is Touch Still Such a Mystery?

Though it is fundamental to our experience of the world, our sense of gentle touch has been the least well understood of our senses scientifically, because, unlike with vision or taste, scientists have not known the identity of the molecules that mediate it.

Scientists generally feel that, like those other senses, the sense of touch is governed by peripheral nerve fibers stretching from the spine to nerve endings all over the body. Special molecules in these nerve endings detect the mechanical movement of the skin surrounding them when it is touched, and they respond by opening and allowing ions to rush in. The nerve cell registers this response, and if the signal is strong enough, it will fire, signaling the gentle touch to the brain.

What has been missing from the picture, however, are the details of this process. The new finding is a milestone in that it defines the exact nerves and uncovers the identity of the NOMPC channel, one of the major molecular players involved?at least in flies.

Jan and his colleagues made this discovery through an unusual route. They were looking at the basic physiology of the developing fruit fly, examining how class III neurons develop in larvae. They noticed that when these cells developed in the insects, their nerve endings would always become branches into spiky "dendrites."

Wanting to know what these neurons are responsible for, they examined them closely and found the protein NOMPC was abundant at the spiky ends. They then examined a fly genetically engineered to have a non-functioning form of NOMPC and showed that it was insensitive to gentle touch. They also showed that they could induce touch sensitivity in neurons that do not normally respond to gentle touch by inserting copies of the NOMPC protein into them.

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University of California - San Francisco: http://www.ucsf.edu

Thanks to University of California - San Francisco for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125829/Secrets_of_gentle_touch_revealed

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upstart dotting: 10 Must Have Survival & Preparedness Books ...

Here is a list of 10 great Survival and Preparedness books

SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere

A new and fully updated edition of the original, bestselling survival handbook. Written by ex-SAS survival expert John ?Lofty? Wiseman, this book provides the most reliable, authoritative and respected survival information on the market. The original survival handbook ? the choice of both survival expert and novice, this book is the international bestseller which in the 20 years since it was first published has been often imitated but never bettered. John ?Lofty? Wiseman served in the SAS for 26 years: his knowledge, experience and skills are unrivalled in survival circles. He is the first and best expert on survival instruction ? in any situation. In this fully updated edition, Lofty imparts his much sought-after survival experience, knowledge and timeless techniques ? preparing you for anything, anywhere in the world. Updated contents include: Be prepared ? The latest, most resilient, resourceful and eco-friendly must-have kit On the move ? Up-to-date navigation technologies such as GPS are discussed and explained Health ? The body?s physiology explained: how to maximise survival when injured or in any climate, on land or at sea. Disaster Survival- Increasingly-changing environmental conditions are addressed: what to do in the face of flash flooding or fast-spreading fire Fear Management ? How to react, keep calm, and manage hostile environments and survival situation Navigation ? Skills, technologies and techniques to use when making your way through unfamiliar terrain Also featuring new case studies and survival scenarios, designed to offer fascinating insight into other people?s survival experiences and to force you to think about what you would do in their position.
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The Ultimate Guide to U.S. Army Survival Skills, Tactics, and Techniques

Here for the first time in one place is everything you will ever need to know in order to survive just about any difficult or dangerous situation. Drawing from dozens of the U.S. Army?s official field manuals, editor Jay McCullough has culled a thousand pages of the most useful and curious tidbits for the would-be soldier, historian, movie-maker, writer, or survivalist?including techniques on first aid; survival in the hottest or coldest of climates; finding or building life-saving shelters; surviving nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks; physical and mental fitness, and how to find food and water anywhere, anytime. With hundreds of photographs and illustrations showing everything from edible plants to rare skin diseases of the jungle, every page reveals how useful Army knowledge can be.
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The Prepper?s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

BE PREPARED
BE SAFE

From California earthquakes and Rocky Mountain wildfires to Midwest floods and Atlantic hurricanes, you can?t escape that inevitable day when catastrophe strikes your home town ? but you can be prepared! Offering a simple DIY approach, this book breaks down the vital steps you should take into 101 quick, smart and inexpensive projects, some examples: #6 Make a Master List of Passwords, #16 Calculate How Much Water You Need, #33 Start a Food Storage Plan for $5 a Week, #60 Make a Safe from a Hollowed-out Book, #77 Assemble an Inexpensive First Aid kit, #89 Learn to Cook Without Electricity and #94 Pack a Bug-out Bag
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When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes

Survival expert Cody Lundin?s new book, When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes is what every family needs to prepare and educate themselves about survival psychology and the skills necessary to negotiate a disaster whether you are at home, in the office, or in your car. This is not your father?s scout manual or a sterile FEMA handout. It entertains as it informs, describing how to maximize a survival mind-set necessary for self-reliance. According to the book, living through an emergency scenario is 90 percent psychology, and 10 percent methodology and gear. Relevant quotes and tips are placed throughout the pages to help readers remember important survival strategies while under stress and anxiety. Lundin also addresses basic first aid and hygiene skills and makes recommendations for survival kit items for the home, office, and car. Watch naturalist Cody Lundin in ?Dual Survival? on The Discovery Channel as he uses many of the same skills and techniques taught in his books. When All Hell Breaks Loose provides solutions on how to survive a catastrophe.
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Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 2nd Edition

This handbook will help you to establish a practical disaster preparedness plan for your entire family. The 2ND EDITION has been expanded to include discussions of long-term food storage options, firearm selection and handling, disaster preparedness networks, radiological emergencies, our country?s impending financial collapse, and much more. Steps are also provided to help you prepare for the five deadliest types of natural disasters: earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis. This new larger 8? x 10? format includes easy-to-copy worksheets to help organize your family?s preparedness plans. Additional information is presented for the elderly, those with children, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and pet owners. Every topic is well researched with over 280 references cited.
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Strategic Relocation ? North American Guide to Safe Places

What if: a labor crisis halts the inflow of food and business goods? Will your community provide the basic necessities of life? an economic crisis that threatens your pensions, investments and other so-called ?guaranteed? income? a major earthquake or other natural disaster suddenly upsets the natural social order for months at a time? Could you get out of harm?s way if massive social unrest erupts in the wake of a crisis? an emergency clogs the area?s freeways? Do you have contingency plans to exit the area? the ?unthinkable? happens: nuclear war? Or have you thought about the potential of a major terrorist attack on a U.S. city with chemical or biological weapons? It?s easy to dismiss these threats during times of peace and prosperity, but they are real. Not only that, but the probability of such events coming to pass increases every year. Strategic Relocation: North American Guide to Safe Places is an in-depth analysis of North America?s safest places to live. This book will help you look ahead for potential threats that most other people fail to see or choose to ignore. It contains a complete discussion of the strategies and relocation contingencies that will help you avoid or mitigate each of the major modern threats, from national disasters to economic collapse to nuclear war.
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How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times

Global financial collapse, a terrorist attack, a natural catastrophe-all it takes is one event to disrupt our way of life. We could find ourselves facing myriad serious problems from massive unemployment to a food shortage to an infrastructure failure that cuts off our power or water supply. If something terrible happens, we won?t be able to rely on the government or our communities. We?ll have to take care of ourselves. In How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It, James Rawles, founder of SurvivalBlog.com, clearly explains everything you need to know to protect yourself and your family in the event of a disaster-from radical currency devaluation to a nuclear threat to a hurricane. Rawles shares essential tactics and techniques for surviving completely on your own, including how much food is enough, how to filter rainwater, how to protect your money, which seeds to buy for your garden, why goats are a smart choice for livestock, and how to secure your home. It?s the ultimate guide to total preparedness and self-reliance in a time of need.
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Medicine for the Outdoors: The Essential Guide to Emergency Medical Procedures and First Aid, 5e (Medicine for the Outdoors: The Essential Guide to First Aid &)

Named a top 10 medical title in 2009 by the Wall Street Journal.

Since 1986, Medicine for the Outdoors has been hailed as the definitive take-along manual on the subject. Packed with step-by-step instructions, how-to explanations, and practical approaches to outdoor and wilderness emergencies, it tells you the best ways to respond to just about any medical problem when help is miles or days away. Author Paul S. Auerbach, MD, MS, FACEP, FAWM, is recognized as one of the world?s leading authorities on wilderness medicine. This 5th edition features major updates to bring you the latest on emerging infectious diseases?the most current drug and dosage information?an increased emphasis on making do with the materials at hand?and much more. Logically organized, easy to reference, and simple to understand, Medicine for the Outdoors may literally save your life. When you?re venturing into mountains, deserts, forests, jungles, or out to sea, it belongs in your duffel or backpack!
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Prepper?s Instruction Manual: 50 Steps to Prepare for any Disaster

If your community was hit with a major disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, hurricane, or radiological release, how would you handle it? Would you be forced to fall into line with hundreds of thousands of others who are so woefully unprepared? Or do you possess the knowledge and supplies to adapt and survive? Do you have a carefully stocked pantry, a method to retrieve and purify water, a source for generating electricity, and the means to protect your family from desperate criminals? In short, are you a prepper? This book contains fifty of the most important steps that individuals and families can take to prepare for a wide range of disasters. Each step is complete, clearly described, and actionable. Together, they cover every aspect of disaster preparedness, including assessing the threats, making a plan, storing food, shoring up your home, administering first aid, creating a safe room, gathering important papers, learning to shoot, generating electricity, keeping warm, and much more. Recent events have reminded us that our world is a dangerous place, whether it is a deadly tsunami, a nuclear meltdown, or a stock market collapse. Our lifestyle and even our very existence is forever uncertain. Join the quickly growing community of individuals and families determined to stand ready. Become a prepper!
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The Forager?s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

A practical guide to all aspects of edible wild plants: finding and identifying them, their seasons of harvest, and their methods of collection and preparation. Each plant is discussed in great detail and accompanied by excellent color photographs. Includes an index, illustrated glossary, bibliography, and harvest calendar. The perfect guide for all experience levels.

Source: http://prepforshtf.com/10-survival-preparedness-books/

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2012 Slammy Awards to air live on Raw on Dec. 17; WWE Universe to pick the winners!

The 2012 Slammy Awards will air LIVE on the Dec. 17 edition of Raw at 8/7 CT on USA Network. And?for the first time, you will determine the winner of each "Slammy"!

All voting will take place exclusively via the WWE App and WWE's second screen experience, "WWE Active."

GET THE WWE APP!
DOWNLOAD ON THE APP STORE |?DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
DOWNLOAD ON AMAZON | WHAT'S NEW IN THE WWE APP?

2012 SLAMMY AWARD VOTING CATEGORIES
- Superstar of the Year
- Breakout Star of the Year
- Trending Now Award ? (Hashtag of the Year)
- Comeback of the Year
- Kiss of the Year
- "Tell me I did NOT just see that" ? (The Most Shocking Moment of the Year)
- LOL Moment of the Year
- Match of the Year

WHO SHOULD BE NOMINATED?
Post your thoughts in the comments section below on whom you think should be nominated for each Slammy Award category.

Or sound off about the #SlammyAwards on Twitter using these hashtags: Superstar of the Year (#WWESuperstar2012); Breakout Star of the Year (#WWEBreakout); Trending Now (#WWETrendOfYear); Comeback of the Year (#WWEComeback); Kiss of the Year (#WWEKiss); "Tell me I did NOT just see that" (#WWEMostShocking); LOL Moment of the Year (#WWELOL); Match of the Year (#WWEMatchOfYear).

Stay with WWE.com for more on the 2012 Slammy Awards, airing Dec. 17 at 8/7 CT on USA Network.

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-12-10/2012-slammy-awards-announced

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Students try to make recycling fashionable

As one model powdered her face with some last-minute blush and another frantically tried to perfect her catwalk strut, a thin girl donning a tight, black trash bag started to panic backstage.

Mariah Reyes, one of the student designers, rushed over to comfort her jittery classmate.

"Four-second inhale, four-second exhale," Reyes said. "Remember, you look fabulous."

The Franklin High School sophomore had started counting the days until her school's Eco-Friendly Fashion Show weeks before it happened. Not only would it help raise awareness about one of her passions ? recycling ? but it would let her showcase some of her clothing designs.

There was Plastic Tactic, the short, puffy dress made entirely of Fresh & Easy grocery bags; Eco Paperlicious, a longer, pleated dress made of strips of newspaper; and Checkerbox Beauty, a form-fitting, strapless dress made of red-and-white checkered school snack boxes.

The school's Dream Project Club ? a group dedicated to finding solutions for global problems ? held the fashion show recently to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and to raise money for Superstorm Sandy victims. They asked each attendee to donate a dollar and made about $120.

In early 2008, riding the high of President Obama's first campaign, freshman health and life skills teacher Melinda Conde started searching for a way to facilitate change in the classroom. About this time, she met Kelly Sullivan Walden, the daughter of a teacher, who had created the kind of program Conde wanted to try.

After attending a United Nations conference six years ago, Walden designed a project that asks students to envision themselves as ambassadors tackling global issues.

The program, dubbed the Dream Project, focuses on eight goals the U.N. is striving to achieve by 2015. They include eradicating extreme hunger, promoting gender equality and ensuring environmental sustainability.

Celerity Educational Group, which operates eight charter schools in the area, adapted Walden's program into a curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade.

At Franklin, Conde intertwines elements of the program into her freshman health lessons and leads the school's Dream Project Club, which started after a group of sophomores wanted a venue to continue working toward the goals they had set during her class.

Sophomore club member Remmy Seleuco, for example, is always on the lookout for ways to recycle.

When she overheard her younger brother mention throwing away a box of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, she stepped in. "I said, 'Hold up. Whoa,' " she recalled, through a proud smirk.

She salvaged the cards, taped several strips of them together into a corset and combined them with a puffy skirt made of a trash bag, which her friend modeled at the fashion show.

The small club is working to inform the student body.

At a recent club meeting, for example, members cut up strips of paper with facts to tack up around campus the week before the show. One read: "Most families throw away about 40 kg of plastic a year."

As Reyes glued together loops of magazine strips that would create a chain to decorate the sides of the runway, the club's vice president divvied up who would bring snacks to the show.

"What do you guys think about drinks?" Jenny Huang asked. "Just water?"

A girl in the front row shook her head and interjected: "If we do that, you can't do bottles."

Several students nodded in agreement.

"Instead of handing out water bottles, cause that's not very eco-friendly," Huang said, "we could get a metal canteen and fill up cups."

They ended up serving soy milk, a blended rice drink and almond milk ? all in cups, of course ? with seaweed and cupcakes.

Before the show, in the dimly lit locker room next to the auxiliary gym, Reyes began to stress. "Where are my models?" she asked.

A doe-eyed brunet rushed over. Reyes hugged Pamela Molina and then helped her into Plastic Tactic ? the dress made of grocery bags.

"Can you breathe?" Reyes asked, as she cinched the red ribbon holding the bags together around Molina's waist.

Molina nodded and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She twirled around and the plastic bags wafted up from her waist.

"I think I found my winter formal dress," she said, through a smile.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/VqkdmV6l6Uk/la-me-fashion-show-20121210,0,3074461.story

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Loss for overmatched BJ Penn doesn?t take away from career

B.J. Penn will turn 34 on Thursday. The man who is nicknamed "Prodigy" and "Baby Jay" is up against his mid-30s. In his loss to Rory MacDonald, he looked downright ... old.

Gone was the man who frantically paced while waiting to fight Diego Sanchez before the fifth round of their championship bout. The Penn who choked out Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver was nowhere to be found. The "Prodigy" who burst onto the MMA scene in 2001 by with three straight knockout wins was not in the Octagon.

Instead, it was a Penn who looked overmatched and small next to the young and strong MacDonald, who represents the next wave of MMA. Unlike most of the fighters in the UFC, MacDonald didn't start with one discipline -- like wrestling, jiu-jitsu or kickboxing -- and then add in others to try MMA. MacDonald trained in mixed martial arts since he was 14. MacDonald looked like the next big thing. Penn looked like an also-ran.

But this is the way things go in combat sports. Fighters always think they have one more win in them. Heading into Saturday night, Penn was 1-3-1 in his last five bouts. Still, fighters are convinced they're just one good punch away from staging a comeback. Against MacDonald, if that was true, Penn couldn't find that punch.

[Also: Benson Henderson beats up on Nate Diaz, retains lightweight title]

Penn, a legend in MMA whose first fight was at UFC 31 in 2001, had no answers for MacDonald. Penn was wobbled by a left late in the first round. He survived just to take such a beating in the second round that the fight doctor came in between the second and third to check and see if Penn could continue.

In the third round, MacDonald continued to land strikes, but added taunting to his arsenal. He dropped his hands and made faces at Penn, which the crowd in Seattle didn't appreciate. After the bout, MacDonald said he Penn was his hero, but he had to treat him like every opponent.

"Like I said to BJ after the fight, he was the one guy I really really looked up to growing up. He's a hero to me," MacDonald said to UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

During the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said he would like to see Penn retire. After his showing on Saturday night, it's likely White isn't alone in these wishes. While Penn's had a rough showing of late, the disappointing end to his career doesn't take away what he did throughout it. If, like all legends, he fades away, his career will be remembered for the brilliance at its height, not the fizzling at the end.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
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? Johhny Manziel takes the Heisman: Pat Forde says why (video)
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? Y! Finance: Obama expedites 'pay-as-you-earn' program for student loans

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/loss-overmatched-bj-penn-doesn-t-away-career-052339973--mma.html

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Video: DNA mapping for cancer patients in England

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50149276/

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Things You Can Be Successful At; Website Marketing - Businesses

Today, Website marketing is an incredibly important tactic for your online business. Promoting your business online is critical to success these days. This can be the perfect time for you to start with Web marketing! The following advice will assist you in your Internet promotion campaign.

Are you searching for a way to do Internet marketing? If your customers have a viable reason to give their email, they will. This in turn will grow your email list. Offer freebies or contests, and they will be much more likely to provide you with their contact information. If they are going to get something for free, the customer is more likely to hand over their email.

Follow up with communication between you and your customers. To see how your products are being perceived, try to get your customers to complete surveys.

TIP! Internet marketing can reach beyond the Internet. For example, you can invite your advertisers and customers to an event you are hosting.

You must determine what audience you want to reach; then you must figure out how to go about attracting that audience to your website. When you have a target audience in mind, deciding on content becomes much simpler.

Although you should feature current headlines, try to make yours stand out from the rest. These should showcase what you?re offering on sale in a catchy manner. You can do without the headline and just use a graphic of the product you wish to sale. The idea is to relay a message in an impactful way while still remaining professional.

The word ?limited? is a good way to get people to think they are getting something that is only available for a short time. Many consumers have turned to online retailers because they are looking for products that are not offered in local stores. They are looking for unique, special products. Limited edition products make people want to buy them to be unique, and they also prompt people to buy now, as there are only so many available.

TIP! Be sensitive to how customers are reacting to your marketing materials so that you can better target future efforts. After you have launched your online promotion event, keep track of the way people are responding to it on forums and blogs.

By now you can see why Affiliate marketing is essential for your business. There are also so many ways to approach this. There is a ton of information on how to start enjoying the benefits of it too. This article presents the best tips and techniques to help you get started and be successful with an Internet promotion campaign.

Source: http://elektrotehnickifakultet.com/things-you-can-be-successful-at-website-marketing.html

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Broadening Your Business With Social Media | Netbizjourney ...

Are you looking for an effective way to promote your company on the internet to help create more sales and grow your business? If so, then you should definitely consider implementing social media as a marketing tool.

With the prevalent use of the internet and the increased need for easy access to online information, it has become crucial for an entrepreneur to at least create a website for his or her company. Enhancing a company?s social media presence can also be a powerful marketing tool.

When utilized effectively, social media can have an effective influence over customers. There are millions of individuals who go online everyday and go to different social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Their primary goal is to remain in touch with their friends, family and other social groups by communicating with them in a number of ways.

However, the main purpose is often to share their experiences and get recommendations from their peers. This sharing of information and recommendations is what makes social media such a powerful tool for having information about your company be shared quickly, easily and effectively.

With social media, news and information is shared so quickly that it will typically go viral within an extremely short time. Viral marketing is simply the process of developing a buzz about your company or item that grabs the attention of a large number of individuals and develops a strong interest in your company or product. This is usually an extremely efficient way to increase the traffic to your online website rapidly.

Here are just a few of the perks to be gained as a result of using social media.

Greater awareness of your company or products- This will help build credibility for your company and can also help to establish trust and rapport with your prospective customers.

Improved search engine rankings ? It is becoming more and more evident that search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and others are putting more and more focus on social media activity in their web page ranking factors. As a result of the back links that can be produced using social media marketing, this can also have a huge impact on your website?s ranking position in the search engine result pages.

More sales, income and profits ? This can be one of the biggest reasons for using social media. As a result of getting better search engine rankings, you will be receiving a larger amount of free search engine traffic.

These are just of few of the many benefits that become available to your company as a result of using social media. It is important to mention that to get the best results, market research should be done first to find out which approach might work best to get the fastest results. A planned and on-going approach should be used so that you will be able to get lasting results.

By following these rules, you will certainly be able to maximize your companies investment of both resources and time to get the very best results in the least amount of time.

To learn more about social media marketing, click here.

Source: http://netbizjourney.com/2012/broadening-your-business-with-social-media/

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Breast cancer drug cuts death rates by a third

When used in combination with chemotherapy and another drug called Herceptin, Perjeta significantly cut death rates over a three-year period.

Among those with advanced breast cancer, the chance of dying over that timeframe dropped from 50 to 33 per cent - a relative reduction of a third - according to results presented at the San Antonio breast cancer conference in Texas.

Both Herceptin and Perjeta are only suitable for women with a HER2-positive breast cancer, which accounts for up to a quarter of cases. They both work by blocking signals that HER ?receptors? send out to make cells divide uncontrollably.

Dr David Miles, a consultant oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood, Middlesex, said: ?These results are really impressive, they show a rare magnitude of survival benefit for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients.?

Both treatment regimes in side effects including hair loss, lowered immunity, and diarrhoea. Those taking Perjeta as well were more likely to suffer from diarrhoea.

Dr Rachel Greig, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: ?This is very promising data and good news for treatment of this type of advanced breast cancer.

?Although it is not a cure it can help women survive longer and significantly extend the time a patient is able to control the growth of their disease. We hope it can be made available to UK patients as soon as possible.?

Fiona Hazell, of the Breast Cancer Campaign, said: "We welcome these findings as one of the major advances we?ve seen for women with advanced HER2 positive breast cancer since Herceptin.

"Being able to significantly extend the lives of more women and stop cancer returning for longer is brilliant news."

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/2662d587/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Chealthnews0C9730A250A0CBreast0Ecancer0Edrug0Ecuts0Edeath0Erates0Eby0Ea0Ethird0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Terror Fight Shifts to Africa

Source: WSJ

Military counterterrorism officials are seeking more capability to pursue extremist groups in Africa and elsewhere that they believe threaten the U.S., and the Obama administration is considering asking Congress to approve expanded authority to do it.

The move, according to administration and congressional officials, would be aimed at allowing U.S. military operations in Mali, Nigeria, Libya and possibly other countries where militants have loose or nonexistent ties to al Qaeda's Pakistan headquarters. Depending on the request, congressional authorization could cover the use of armed drones and special operations teams across a region larger than Iraq and Afghanistan combined, the officials said.

(snip)

Some U.S. officials argue that the existing authority is sufficient, especially if the administration works through African forces and regional governments?as it says it would prefer. But others say new authority is needed if officials decide they need to do more to pressure militant groups. The debate is going on both within the administration and the Pentagon, where officials remain divided over whether more direct action against militant groups in Africa will be needed.

(snip)

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM originally known as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, once resisted ties to al Qaeda. New leaders changed the name and embraced al Qaeda, but experts don't believe it takes its directions. There are also other groups in Mali, such as the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, which experts said have only indirect ties to the al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323316804578163724113421726.html

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Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014329467

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Chinese insurer PICC rises on Hong Kong debut

Chinese insurer PICC rises on Hong Kong debut

The state-owned company opened up 3.16 percent at HK$3.59 ($0.46), compared with its offering price of HK$3.48. The stock surged as much as 7.76 percent to HK$3.75 in early trading amid a broadly positive market.

"I think the stock price today reflects the investors' expectation and confidence," PICC chairman Wu Yan told reporters after hitting the gong to mark the beginning of the firm's trade.

Wu called the listing a "milestone development" for the 63-year-old firm, a pioneer in China's insurance industry, which he said has transformed into one of the world's fastest-growing insurance companies today.

"The successful listing... also injects new energy into Hong Kong's equity market," he added at the listing ceremony, which was also attended by Hong Kong's finance minister John Tsang.

The Beijing-based People's Insurance Company of China's offering, the world's fifth largest this year, comes as Hong Kong has endured a slow year for initial public offerings (IPOs) owing to concerns about the outlook in China and globally.

Selling at the top end of its price range would have seen PICC, China's fourth largest insurer, raise up to $3.6 billion.

Analysts said there was nothing to cheer despite PICC's positive debut.

"I don't think it's a surprise," investment bank Core Pacific-Yamaichi research manager Olive Xia told AFP.

"The IPO price is relatively low and it was priced at the low end of the (HK$3.42-HK$4.03) price range so there are already upside potentials for the share price to rise after its debut."

The Shanghai-based analyst said the latest share sale is also unlikely to see the return of the once red-hot IPO market in Hong Kong, which was the world's biggest destination for new listings in the past three years.

"Major fundraising will be relatively low compared to previous years.

"But there are opportunities for companies in China still because the economy is still undergoing micro-restructuring, so companies in booming industry (would want) to raise fund in the Hong Kong market," Xia said.

Figures show Hong Kong has only raised about $10.16 billion from new listings so far this year, a plunge of 66 percent from the same period last year, according to data provider Dealogic, which tracks IPOs in major markets.

This placed the Hong Kong bourse as the fourth-largest IPO market this year, after New York, Nasdaq and the Tokyo stock exchanges, Dealogic data showed.

PICC has secured 17 so-called cornerstone investors ahead of its listing and has committed to investing a total of $1.82 billion.

These include the US-based insurance giant American International Group and China Life Insurance, China's biggest life insurer by premiums.

Cornerstone investors are given the option to buy vast portions of stock in an IPO if they agree to hold the shares for a certain amount of time.

PICC has said it intends to use the net proceeds from the share sale to strengthen "the company's capital base to support its business growth".

Founded in 1949, PICC was the first nationwide insurance company in China, which today has 130 million individual insurance customers and about 2.4 million institutional clients.

Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=251277801

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How common 'cat parasite' gets into human brain and influences human behavior

ScienceDaily (Dec. 6, 2012) ? Toxoplasma is a common 'cat parasite', and has previously been in the spotlight owing to its observed effect on risk-taking and other human behaviours. To some extent, it has also been associated with mental illness. A study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now demonstrates for the first time how the parasite enters the brain to influence its host.

"We believe that this knowledge may be important for the further understanding of complex interactions in some major public health issues, that modern science still hasn't been able to explain fully," says Antonio Barragan, researcher at the Center for Infectious Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control. "At the same time, it's important to emphasize that humans have lived with this parasite for many millennia, so today's carriers of Toxoplasma need not be particularly worried."

The current study, which is published in the scientific journal PLoS Pathogens, was led by Dr Barragan and conducted together with researchers at Uppsala University.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the extremely common Toxoplasma gondii parasite. Between 30 and 50 per cent of the global population is thought to be infected, and an estimated twenty per cent or so of people in Sweden. The infection is also found in animals, especially domestic cats. People contract the parasite mostly by eating the poorly cooked flesh of infected animals or through contact with cat faeces. The infection causes mild flu-like symptoms in adults and otherwise healthy people before entering a chronic and dormant phase, which has previously been regarded as symptom-free. It is, however, known that toxoplasmosis in the brain can be fatal in people with depleted immune defence and in fetuses, which can be infected through the mother. Because of this risk, pregnant women are recommended to avoid contact with cat litter trays.

A number of studies have been presented in recent years showing that the toxoplasmosis parasite affects its host even during the dormant phase. It has, for example, already been observed that rats become unafraid of cats and even attracted by their scent, which makes them easy prey. This has been interpreted as the parasite assuring its survival and propagation, since the consumed rat then infects the cat, which through its faces can infect the food that other rats might then proceed to eat. A number of studies also confirm that mental diseases like schizophrenia, depression and anxiety syndrome are more common in people with toxoplasmosis, while others suggest that toxoplasmosis can influence how extroverted, aggressive or risk-inclined an individual's behaviour is.

"We've not looked at behavioural changes in people infected with toxoplasma, as that's been dealt with by previous studies," says Dr Barragan. "Instead, we've shown for the first time how the parasite behaves in the body of its host, by which I mean how it enters the brain and manipulates the host by taking over one of the brain's neurotransmitters."

In one laboratory experiment, human dendritic cells were infected with toxoplasma. After infection, the cells, which are a key component of the immune defence, started secreting the signal substance GABA. In another experiment on live mice, the team was able to trace the movement of infected dendritic cells in the body after introducing the parasite into the brain, from where it spread and continued to affect the GABA system.

GABA is a signal substance that, amongst other effects, inhibits the sensation of fear and anxiety. Disturbances of the GABA system are seen in people with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar diseases, anxiety syndrome and other mental diseases.

"For toxoplasma to make cells in the immune defence secrete GABA was as surprising as it was unexpected, and is very clever of the parasite," says Dr Barragan. "It would now be worth studying the links that exist between toxoplasmosis, the GABA systems and major public health threats."

The study was financed with a grant from the Swedish Research Council.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karolinska Institutet.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Jonas M. Fuks, Romanico B. G. Arrighi, Jessica M. Weidner, Suresh Kumar Mendu, Zhe Jin, Robert P. A. Wallin, Bence Rethi, Bryndis Birnir, Antonio Barragan. GABAergic Signaling Is Linked to a Hypermigratory Phenotype in Dendritic Cells Infected by Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathogens, 2012; 8 (12): e1003051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003051

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/most_popular/~3/AaGhuoZ_9mU/121206203240.htm

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Thorium Fuel Has Proliferation Risk

Still seems lower than the traditional route. And (FTA) instead of using a special facility to directly bombard/convert the thorium into fissible U233 in a short time, they just let the stuff sit for a month and decay into U233 naturally. And the article states that using the wait-to-decay method, theres also fewer/less radiotoxic byproduct, so it seems like a cheaper/safer method to start with.

They still turn it into U233, the bomb stuff. just a difference in timescale, facility and method. So there was always a weapon risk.

the whole "low prolfieration" thing just came from theoretically being able to spot the facilities doing the converting...though I think leaving the stuff sitting around and waiting for it to decay would also be theoretically somewhat simple to detect.

All in all, it seems like waiting for it to decay naturally is better, unless the ratio of fissible material is significantly worse, sufficient to outweigh the fewer toxic byproducts thing..

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/jsVvsZHeFgU/story01.htm

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Mayor Booker: Food stamp living is hard (CNN)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/268961885?client_source=feed&format=rss

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U.S. multinationals fear fallout from U.S.- China audit row

SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A dispute between U.S. and Chinese regulators over access to corporate audit documents is casting a lengthening shadow over U.S. stock markets, with some major U.S. firms now concerned that they could be drawn into a potential accounting crisis.

The dispute centers on Beijing's refusal to give U.S. regulators access to audit records for nine U.S.-listed Chinese companies, a standoff that has so far focused minds only on the implications for the future of U.S.-traded Chinese stocks.

However, accounting experts say the issue has the potential to not only force Chinese firms to de-list from U.S. markets, it could also put U.S.-based firms with big Chinese businesses in a position where they have difficulty producing audited accounts.

"The potential consequences of failure to find common ground are almost too frightening to contemplate," said Thomas Shoesmith, a partner at Pillsbury law firm in a note to clients.

This week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged the Chinese affiliates of five of the world's biggest audit firms with violating U.S. securities law, raising fears that it could go on to apply its ultimate penalty - banning the affiliates from working on audits of U.S.-listed companies.

"If these five accounting firms are barred from practicing before the SEC, it seems certain that companies with major Chinese operations will find it difficult or impossible to find accountants," Shoesmith said.

U.S. firms with major Chinese businesses include fast food group Yum Brands Inc, tech firm Qualcomm and construction equipment maker Caterpillar. Some have begun to show concern about the possible impact of the dispute.

"It would impact us and any other U.S. company with significant operations in China," said Yum spokesman Jonathan Blum.

"Essentially, there would be no auditors in China that the U.S. government would recognize. It will require a diplomatic resolution, I believe, and we are monitoring the situation."

Caterpillar also appeared anxious for a settlement.

"As this issue revolves around differences between U.S. and Chinese regulators, Caterpillar hopes each side can work to resolve this issue while demonstrating mutual respect and understanding for the laws and regulations of each country," the company said in an emailed response to questions.

Multinationals operating in China commonly use Chinese affiliates of the so-called Big Four audit firms - Deloitte, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Ernst & Young - to audit their Chinese business divisions.

These four dominate world auditing to an extent that U.S. firms would have trouble finding alternative auditors for their Chinese businesses if the affiliates of all four were barred.

HARDBALL

In China, the affiliates say they are prevented by state secrecy laws from releasing audit papers to U.S. regulators.

Washington's reach is also hampered by the structure of the auditing groups themselves, which are set up as global networks of legally separate, national affiliates aimed at insulating the groups from difficulties felt in specific jurisdictions.

The standoff is seen as a test of China's ability and willingness to comply with international capital-market norms as it takes on the role of global economic superpower. At the same time, U.S. regulators are in largely uncharted waters, with little experience in dealing with foreign defiance.

The SEC began proceedings on Monday against the Chinese affiliates of the Big Four as well as second-tier audit firm BDO. The charges centre on the affiliates' refusal to turn over to U.S. authorities the paperwork from audits of nine U.S.-listed Chinese companies suspected of possible wrong-doing.

Months of talks between the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and U.S. regulators have failed to reach a solution, and lawyers struggle to see a way forward.

"The CSRC won't back down on the State Secrecy Law," said James Zimmerman, a lawyer in Beijing at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

"If the SEC and CSRC are unable to find common ground and reach a consensus, China can expect that the U.S. will stall or refuse to cooperate in other ways in the future. Then it becomes tit for tat," he added.

The SEC and CSRC both signed a 2002 memorandum of understanding to exchange information to help each other enforce their laws, but the agreement is not legally binding.

Under rules set by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the U.S. audit industry watchdog, an audit firm needs to be registered with the watchdog if it looks over more than 20 percent of a company's consolidated assets or revenue.

Yum, Qualcomm and chip-maker Advanced Micro Devices are among U.S. firms that draw more than a fifth of their revenues from China.

If diplomacy fails, accounting experts say the SEC may have no choice but to stop the Chinese affiliates from auditing U.S.-listed firms. Then, the PCAOB could move to de-register them.

If that happens, multinational companies (MNC) might struggle to file their financial accounts.

"That could lead to the inability of the U.S. (auditing) firm to sign off on the audit of the MNC, since it has no way to audit the China operations," wrote Paul Gillis, a professor at Peking University on his China Accounting Blog.

One way around the problem would be to split the audit among several firms, so that no one auditor is playing "a substantial role", Gillis added, noting that only auditors playing a substantial role would need to be registered with the PCAOB.

But he said that solution would be expensive and likely to reduce audit quality.

A WAY FORWARD?

Most analysts remain optimistic a solution will be reached before the SEC deploys these sanctions, but papers filed this week by the SEC in a court case against Deloitte Touche Tohmatstu CPA Ltd suggest a solution is still some way off.

The SEC wants documents related to Deloitte's audit of Chinese software firm Longtop Technologies, which delisted in the United States after an accounting scandal.

"In short, the CSRC remains unwilling or unable to provide the SEC with meaningful assistance in its enforcement investigations," the papers said.

The CSRC has not commented on the issue since the SEC charged the Chinese auditing affiliates, but it indicated recently that both sides were trying to reach a solution.

"Audit papers are very important to maintain market integrity and the CSRC is ready to cooperate with other jurisdictions on this issue," CSRC director general of international affairs Tong Daochi said at a Thomson Reuters regulation conference last week.

"We have engaged with the SEC, SFC (Hong Kong's regulator) and PCAOB on audit working papers and we are making progress and I think we should be able to work out a way to get them out."

(Reporting by Rachel Armstrong and Dena Aubin; Additional reporting by Ernest Scheyder in NEW YORK, Vikram Subheadar in HONG KONG, Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Quinn in WASHINGTON, and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-multinationals-fear-fallout-u-china-audit-row-051630267--sector.html

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Competitive Online Advantage with Website Promotion's ... - InfoLink IT

Your products or services are way better than your competitors in the industry you operate within. At least you know that. But why is it that your sales are not going up and your business growing? Sometimes, it?s not just about the product or service that you need to focus on. You have to think out of the box to reach your target market and if you haven?t tried online marketing yet .Website Promotion are Internet marketing experts and they are here ready to help you with all the above.

Website Promotions team of Internet Experts are rated as some of the best?web design experts?a professional IT company?that can help solve all your online needs with effective website design, marketing and search engine optimisation. With more consumers doing shopping and online purchases without the hassle of going to the local shopping mall spending excess time?and money?on petrol. The Internet has become a shoppers mecca.

If you are serious about?doing?business online or gaining more exposure online then speak with some real Internet professionals these guys?will be creating that ideal website for your business. The right web design, the right content all user friendly married together with real SEO services. Getting?your business to the top of the search engine rankings so that?potential?customers need not view or open a competitor?s websites. The only thing that you, as a business owner, need focus on is the quality of your product and services as well as adapting with the needs of the market. Internet Experts will take care of the job in marketing your product online.

So free yourself from the stress and hassle of online marketing if you are not a techie person yourself! Call Internet Experts today at 1300 663 664, check the best?SEO Packages?that best suits your business, visit their website and see your business and your profit grow.

Source: http://www.infolinkit.com.au/marketing-tips/competitive-online-advantage-with-website-promotions-seo-experts/

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