Movie Reviews: 'Promised Land' Spotlights Social Issues - Oconee ...

A pair of corporate representatives, Steve Butler (Matt Damon) and Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), arrive in a struggling farming community, intending to sell the locals on the idea of drilling for natural gas on their land. Initially, the local folks embrace the idea....all but a respected teacher, Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook). Others join in his objections, including environmental activist Dustin (John Krasinski) and local teacher Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt), who help rally the community against the drilling.?

Here's what the critics are saying:

Director Gus Van Sant has the challenging task of taking the divisive, high-tech practice of fracking and trying to make it not just human but cinematic. Working from a script by co-stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers, he succeeds in fits and starts. The impoverished small town that's the tale's setting, a place in need of the kind of economic rejuvenation that extracting natural gas could provide, is full of folksy folks whose interactions with the main characters don't always ring true. ?Promised Land? has its heart on its sleeve and its pro-environment message is quite clear, but it's in the looser and more ambiguous places that the film actually works.--Christy Lemire, Associated Press

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A social-issue drama handled in a very human way, ?Promised Land? presents its environmental concerns in a clear, upfront manner but hits some narrative and character bumps in the second half that weaken the impact of this fundamentally gentle, sympathetic work. Collaborating on a screenplay for director Gus Van Sant for the third time, after ?Good Will Hunting? and ?Gerry,? Matt Damon stars as a natural gas company rep who encounters more resistance than he bargained for when trying to buy up drilling rights on struggling farmers? land. This is something of a Frank Capra story preoccupied with the idea of what the United States used to be or is supposed to be, but the film isn?t quite rich or full-bodied enough to entirely pay off. Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

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Promised Land, which comes out nationwide January 4, follows Steve Butler and Sue Thomason (played by Damon and the always amazing Frances McDormand), two city slickers who come into the rural town of McKinley to buy up drilling rights for their company. At first, the locals seem to bite, but then at a town meeting a curmudgeonly schoolteacher confronts them over what he deems misleading practices.
All going as planned, right? Not exactly: Just as you think you know the way this movie is going to unfold, environmental activist and friendly bro Dustin Noble (played by our NYLON Guys cover star John Krasinski) shows up in town. And the thing is, though you're supposed to like this anti-fracking activist?you don't.
And that's just the beginning of the surprising twists and turns this film makes. Does it ever convince me that fracking is a necessary evil or the key to revitalizing rural America? No--but it also made me question my assumptions about who the good and bad guys are in this debate. And for the final 20 minutes alone, it's worth the price of admission. Rebecca Willa Davis, Nylon Magazine

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One of several ways this well-meaning picture falls short is in trying to sell a personal-salvation story as a salve to the conundrum it presents. As it unfolds on screen, it doesn't wash. When Damon's character jokes with DeWitt's Alice because despite the fact that she's got 80 acres of land, all she's growing is in a small garden in her yard, she tells him that the garden is for the benefit of her students. How so, Butler asks. "I'm teaching them how to take care of something," Alice replies, and as good and unaffected as Damon and DeWitt are in their roles, both of them might as well be wearing neon signs reading "FORESHADOWING" above their brows. And while the movie is potentially bracing in its assertion, in the tradition of such classic paranoid thrillers as "The Parallax View," that the lengths that a corporation will go to get its way can be sufficiently extreme to be almost beyond our ken, the demonstration of this assertion is more than a little on the pat side. Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies

"Promised Land" is rated R and runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. Check out show times at Beechwood Cinemas 11 and Carmike Cinema 12.

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Source: http://oconee.patch.com/articles/movie-reviews-promised-land-spotlights-social-issues

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Report: Syrian troops repulse rebels in Aleppo

A Free Syrian Army fighter feeds a cat bread in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

A Free Syrian Army fighter feeds a cat bread in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

Syrian men leave the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's state media said Monday that government troops repulsed a rebel attack on a police school in the northern city of Aleppo, one day after President Bashar Assad called on Syrians to fight an opposition that he characterized as religious extremists.

SANA news agency said members of the "terrorist group" were killed and wounded in the late Sunday battle but did not specify the number. The government and the pro-regime media refer to rebels as terrorists.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a former commercial hub, has been a major front in the civil war since July, with battles often raging for control of military and security facilities such as the police school. Rebels have recently made significant advances there, in the east, and in the capital Damascus, bringing the civil war closer to the seat of Assad's power.

In his speech Sunday, Assad laid out terms for a peace plan but dismissed any chance of dialogue with "murderous criminals" who he said were responsible for nearly two years of violence. Nearly 60,000 people have died, according to a recent United Nations estimate.

Assad appeared confident and relaxed in a one-hour speech ? his first public address in six months. He struck a defiant tone, ignoring international demands for him to step down and saying he is ready to hold a dialogue ? but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He also vowed to continue the battle "as long as there is one terrorist left."

He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow his regime first.

Syria's opposition swiftly rejected the proposal. Those fighting to topple the regime, including rebels on the ground, have repeatedly said they will accept nothing less than the president's departure, dismissing any kind of settlement that leaves him in the picture.

The West, including the U.S. and Britain that have called on Assad to step down denounced the speech that came amid stepped-up international efforts for a peaceful way out of the Syrian conflict.

The foreign minister of Iran, one of Syria's closest allies, hailed Assad's initiative. Ali Akbar Salehi said it contains "solutions" to the conflict and outlines "a comprehensive political process which guarantees the presence of all voices in power." Salehi called on the international community to support Assad's plan to end the war in Syria.

"All regional and international partners should help the immediate resolution of the crisis and prevent its spread to the region," Salehi said in a statement that was carried by the state-run IRNA news agency Monday.

Previous diplomatic initiatives have failed to stem the bloodshed.

Syria conflict began as peaceful protests after the uprising against Assad authoritarian rule erupted in March 2011. It morphed into civil war after a brutal government crackdown on dissent. The conflict has increasingly taken sectarian overtones in the past year, with predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels fighting the ruling regime that is dominated by Alawites, an offshoot group of Shiite Islam.

Fighting continued unabated the day after Assad's address of the nation.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels clashed with troops in the suburbs of Damascus, including in Daraya south of the capital. They said the army sent new reinforcements there to join in an offensive aimed at dislodging rebels from the district, located just a few kilometers (miles) from a strategic military air base west of the capital, the Observatory said.

The towns and cities around Damascus have seen relentless fighting in the past weeks, as rebels try to push through the government's heavy defenses in the capital. The regime has responded with withering counterattacks including barrages by artillery and warplanes. The Observatory also reported clashes in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, in the central region of Homs and in the southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising in March 2011.

There were no reports on casualties in Monday's fighting. At least 80 people were killed in violence nationwide the day before, according to The Observatory's tally. The group relies on reports from activists on the ground.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-07-Syria/id-2b6700f69f4d4ab8888e51c93d6e26fa

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German racism made the transition racial hatred to religious enmity ...

?It?s no longer ?the Turks? but ?the Muslims?,? Wilhelm Heitmeyer, head of the institute for research of interdisciplinary conflict and violence at Bielefeld University told the?Neue Osnabr?cker Zeitung?on Monday. Research has led him to be concerned general xenophobia had given way to a growing rejection of Islam in Germany.

His theory is not new ? a study from M?nster university found that in 2010, 66 percent of western Germans and 74 percent of eastern Germans had a negative attitude towards Muslims.

And a more recent study from the Allensbach Institute suggested that this had not changed over the past two years, as only 22 percent of Germans asked said they agreed with Germany?s ex-President Christian Wulff?s statement that Islam, like Christianity, was a part of Germany.

Heitmeyer also found that Islamophobia seemed to exist not only in the far-right, but was also present in more left-leaning and centrist circles. The sentiment was identifiable throughout the country, from the highest echelons of society to the lowest.

Neo-Nazi expert from D?sseldorf technical university Alexander H?usler told the newspaper that while discriminating against an entire ethnicity was a taboo, religion-based racism was generally considered to be exercising freedom of opinion.

?Criticism of Islam or Muslims appear acceptable, because it is not seen as classically racist,? said H?usler.

German Muslims have too voiced concern about growing anti-Islamic sentiment. Head of the Central Council for Muslims in Germany Aiman Mazyek told theNeue Osnabr?cker Zeitung?that police and intelligence officials still refuse to acknowledge violent attacks towards Muslims independently, instead grouping it generally with xenophobia.

?By doing this, hostility against Islam is being blurred out,? said Mazyek. He added that the government should publish a yearly racism report.

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Source: http://www.nationalturk.com/en/german-racism-made-the-transition-racial-hatred-to-religious-enmity-eu-news-31698

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Are you living close to 'cancer generator'?

Many people are concerned about devices that generate RF radiation, such as cell phones, but now looming as a possible health threat are the related cell towers and Wi-Fi antennas that broadcast the signals.

There is a growing body of evidence the concerns may be valid.

In 2004, a study was conducted in Germany titled ?The Influence of Being Physically Near to a Cell Phone Transmission Mast on the Incidence of Cancer.? The study was conducted on behalf of the president of the Bundesamt f?r Strahlenschutz, the German governmental department for protection against electromagnetic radiation.

The research team, led by Horst Eger, conducted the study to determine whether people living close to cell phone antennas were exposed to a heightened risk of developing malignant tumors.

The independent research team studied the case histories of 1,000 patients between the years 1994 and 2004. The participants were then classified into groups: those living 100, 200, 300 and 400 meters from the cell phone base station and a control group living beyond 400 meters.

The peer-reviewed study found significant relationships between exposure levels and symptoms. The study concluded that ?the proportion of newly developing cancer cases was significantly higher among those patients who had lived during the past 10 years at a distance of up to 400 meters (1,300 feet) from the cellular transmitter site, which has been in operation since 1993, compared to those patients living further away, and that the patients fell ill on average eight years earlier.?

Read the startling report, ?Is your beloved cell phone killing you??

The study went on to conclude that between 1999-2004, after five years? operation of the transmitter, residents inside the 400-meter radius of a cell tower were three times more likely to develop cancer than those that lived outside of the evaluated transmission area.

Eger?s study was not the only one that showed a correlation between health problems and RF radiation.

Another study by J.J. Santini and others with the INSA de Lyon engineering institute in Lyon, France, titled ?Survey Study of People Living in the Vicinity of Cellular Phone Base Stations,? offered other evidence of the link between cell tower transmissions and health problems.

The study theorized that chronic exposure to high frequency electric and magnetic field (EMF) radiation and microwaves can cause adverse health risks, including headaches, fatigue and memory loss.

It gives credence to the fact that the ?non specific health symptoms? (NSHS) reported by people close to cell phone towers are real. The study states that the increase in reported NSHS seems to agree with findings from a 1996 Australian report that indicated that at 200 meters from a base station, some people exposed in their homes are complaining of chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances.

The study also gives credence to a Spanish preliminary study from the University of Val?ncia which showed that people living within 500 feet of cellular phone base stations experienced symptoms of irritability, headaches, nausea and sleep disturbances as compared to those that lived at a distance greater than 800 feet.

In the range of 600 to 900 feet, the Santini study indicated that the primary symptom exhibited was fatigue. The study also indicated that women experienced ill effects more often than men.

In December 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AAP, backed U.S. House Bill 6358, the Cell Phone Right to Know Act. The bill under consideration would ?examine, label and communicate adverse human biological effects associated with exposure to electromagnetic fields from cell phones and other wireless devices.?

The AAP, a non-profit professional organization of 60,000 pediatric physicians and health care professionals, is concerned that children are especially vulnerable to the effects of cell phone radiation. They believe that differences in bone density and the amount of fluid in a child?s brain compared to an adult?s brain make them more susceptible to RF energy deeper than adults.

The AAP has noted that the Federal Communications Commission has not revised its cell phone standards since 1996 and that the current standards are only based on the heat emitted by the phones. AAP members have raised the concern that that long-term RF energy exposure at current allowable levels may cause specific types of cancer, including glioma, tumors that start in the brain and spine, and meningioma, tumors in the central nervous systems.

In an interview with a Canadian press agency, Frank Clegg, the former president of Microsoft Canada, said the federal government has a duty to inform Canadians about safety concerns related to wireless technology.

?We have a responsibility as adults, as parents, as legislators to inform people so they can make intelligent decisions.?

Clegg, an icon in Canada?s technology sector, is now leading an organization called Citizens for Safe Technology. The organization is dedicated to disseminating information about communication technology, including cell towers, cellular phones and Wi-Fi.

Clegg believes that the Canadian government is not sharing enough information on the potential hazards of communication technology.

In 2011, the World Health Organization?s International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that RF radiation is possibly carcinogenic. The agency cited mounting concerns about the use of wireless communication devices and noted that the number of mobile phone subscriptions has been estimated at 5 billion worldwide.

Electric and magnetic fields, or EMFs, are pervasive. While the human body is bombarded with them from natural sources as well as man-made ones, the body reacts differently to man-made sources.

There are recommended steps that can be taken to reduce exposure.

A good first step is to determine the location of cell towers through antennasearch.com.

To find out the amount of EMF radiation at a location, a qualified technician can be consulted or an EMF meter can be used. A good one can be obtained for approximately $100.

Cordless devices such as cell phones, cordless phones and wireless monitors all produce EMF. If one is concerned about EMF or has ?electromagnetic sensitivity,? limiting or avoiding the use of RF devices has been found to give relief.

Shielding an entire home is not feasible for most people. A survey of a home, however, can reveal any ?hot spots? that could be shielded. What constitutes a high RF reading can be very subjective, but some sources suggest that a reading of 0.02V/m is a good threshold limit.

Some have found it helpful to remove any metals from beds, such as metal springs that may attack or amplify electromagnetic fields. Positioning a bed in such a way that the head is at least three to six feet away from electrical outlets also has been found to be helpful.

In addition, an EMF Faraday canopy can be installed over a bed. The canopy looks like a mosquito net, and it can be very effective, blocking 99 percent of the radiation. To increase protection for an entire room, a shielding paint can be applied to the walls. Some people looking for a very low cost solution have used aluminum foil secured with wallpaper paste.

Read the startling report ?Is your beloved cell phone killing you??

Source: http://mobile.wnd.com/2013/01/are-you-living-close-to-cancer-generator/

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Tricky Business ? Domain Offered For Sale | MustReads.Info

Finding a good domain for sale could be a little challenging. There are some names that are much better than others and I?m not discussing whether or not they are ?cool?. I suggest some names simply work better for driving traffic than others. For many online businesses purchasing an existing domain that someone else has already purchased could make a great deal of sense.

For one thing, there is an increasing trend to purchase domain and ?park? them until they could be offered or made use of. This is called ?turning? and it?s an excellent way to earn money online. Domain are like online real estate and possessing a lot of them can be very rewarding. A growing number of individuals are turning domain names, getting the name then reversing and selling it for a profit. , if you cannot find the ideal domain name for your company it may be possible to discover an existing name and buy it directly from the owner.

Flippa.com and GoDaddy.com are 2 of the most well known, you can do a search to find more sites or you can ask around for other concepts. Go to online forums on domain name turning and discover out what the forum members have to say about various services.

When purchasing anything in an auction setting it can be tough to be right where you have to be when you require to exist. For this reason it?s most likely a good idea to thoroughly have a look at the details section of whatever domain turning website you are preparing on using and acquaint yourself with the process prior to you leap in with both feet. Discovering things like when the gaining bidder needs to make repayment, exactly how repayment is made, when the auction will be done and whether there is a ?get now? option are all great things to know before the auction.

If you simply can?t get the domain you desire in a.com you could have best of luck making use of a.net or.org. There is a lot of debate going on now about which domain extension is best and if you could get the.com variation you most likely should. But, relying on exactly how you intend on advertising your website, you?ll probably have just as much luck with some other extension, assuming you have an actually good domain to start with.

If you are visiting promote your website exclusively online, where individuals only need to click on a link to be taken your website, the fact is that they aren?t likely to even pay any type of attention to your domain name anyhow so the sort of extension you have isn?t really as essential.

Even though the internet is getting more and more competitive and packed, it?s still feasible to find excellent domain names. If you need to check out a site that has a domain name for sale and buy your new domain at auction, go for it. Getting the right domain name is vital enough to take the time and do it right.

For the majority of on-line businesses purchasing an existing domain name that somebody else has currently bought could make a whole lot of sense.

More and more individuals are turning domain names, buying the name and then turning around and selling it for a revenue. If you cannot find the perfect domain name for your company it may be possible to find an existing name and buy it directly from the owner.

If you have to see a website that has a domain name for sale and buy your new domain at auction, go for it.

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Source: http://www.mustreads.info/tricky-business-domain-offered-for-sale/

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Here Comes The Student Loan Bailout | Zero Hedge

2012 is the year the student loan bubble finally popped. While on one hand the relentlessly rising total Federal student debt crossed $956 billion as of September 30, and was growing at a pace that will have put it over $1 trillion by the end of 2012, the one data point confirming the size, severity and ultimately bursting of this latest debt bubble was the disclosure in late November by the Fed that the percentage of 90+ day delinquent loans soared from under 9% to 11% in one quarter.

Which is why we were not surprised to learn that the Federal government has now delivered yet another bailout program: this time focusing not on banks, or homeowners who bought McMansions and decided to not pay their mortgage, but on those millions of Americans, aged 18 to 80, that are drowning in student debt - debt, incidentally, which has been used to pay for drugs, motorcycles, games, tattoos, not to mention countless iProducts. Which also means that since there is no free lunch, all that will happen is that even more Federal Debt will be tacked on to replace discharged student debt loans, up to the total $1 trillion which will promptly soar far higher as more Americans take advantage of this latest government handout. But when the US will already have $22 trillion in debt this time in four years, who really is counting? After all, "it is only fair" that the taxpayer funded "free for all" bonanza must go on.

The latest debt bailout, not surprisingly is not titled "Yet another taxpayer funded bailout for those who bought things they can't afford on credit" as that would not be very politically prudent, especially for those politicians who still have taxpaying citizens as their voters. Instead, its name is the much more PC: "Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan." Alas, it really should be called the former, because what it does is it incentivizes Americans to borrow even more Federal student loans, well aware that there will now always be a cap on the associated monthly interest payment which will never leave a mark regardless what the full underlying loan notional is. It also provides for full debt discharge should the borrowers end up with cushy Federal jobs - because the one thing the US government needs afford is more debt-saddled government workers.

What is the "Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan"? The WSJ explains:

A new federal program should make it easier for some recent college graduates to keep their student-loan payments manageable.

The new option, known as the "Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan," lets eligible borrowers sharply lower their monthly loan payments and qualify for loan forgiveness quicker than they might otherwise.

"It's a very good safety net for students who borrow too much," says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of the financial-aid site FinAid.org. "If your debt exceeds your annual income, you will probably benefit."

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Pay as You Earn, which took effect on Dec. 21, "is designed to help offset the effects of the recession for student borrowers most likely to take a hit in this tough job market," says Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access and Success, which has pushed for the creation of income-based repayment plans.

Which in the New Normal, means everyone with a student loan will benefit. It also means, that courtesy of knowing this safety net is there, more and more people will take advantage of the government's latest generosity with other taxpayer's money.

What are the terms of this new bailout?

The new program comes at a time when rising student-loan balances?amid a still shaky job market?have weighed heavily on many families.

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Typically, federal student loans must be repaid within 10 years. At current interest rates, that can work out to a monthly payment of roughly $300 for a borrower with $26,000 in debt.

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Pay as You Earn, by contrast, limits student-loan payments to 10% of "discretionary income" as defined by government formulas. Borrowers who make regular payments could have the remaining unpaid amounts forgiven after 20 years.

So much for student debt being non-dischargeable: borrow hundreds of thousands, but make your monthly payment of a hundred or so bucks, and in 20 years you will be debt free, courtesy of US taxpayers. Actually, scratch that: one doesn't even have to make a payment!

In some cases, borrowers with low incomes could be required to make a zero-dollar payment and would still be considered current on their loan. Monthly payments can increase or decrease each year based on the borrower's income and family size.

For those who think getting full debt forgiveness in 20 years is far too long, why there's a loophole for that too: just go "work" for Uncle Sam:

Borrowers with public-service jobs may qualify for loan forgiveness after just 10 years.

As for eligibility "constraints":

To be eligible for the program, borrowers must have taken out their first federal student loan after Sept. 30, 2007, and received at least one federal student loan after Sept. 30, 2011. Borrowers also must meet eligibility cutoffs based on the size of their debt, their discretionary income and family size.

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The U.S. Department of Education's Pay As You Earn calculator, available at studentaid.gov, can help you determine if you qualify. Borrowers can apply for the program online or by contacting the loan servicer that collects their payments on behalf of the federal government.

In other words, virtually all people who were responsible for the diagonal take off in the Federal student loan total in the current depression are now eligible for what will eventually be full debt discharge.

So let's get this straight:

1. go to some "everyone who applies is admitted" community college
2. take on the biggest Federal loan one can get
3. use the proceeds for everything besides the tuition (of course)
4. be unable to find a job after graduation (naturally)
5. plead poverty, accusing evil employers who don't hire those who majored in Foosball, and make "zero" payments while remaining in "compliance"
6. get a job working for the government, wait ten years, and have the entire loan magically disappear.

And there it is: incentives for the common, and very much broke, man in the New Normal.

If there is anyone out there who thinks this will not result in a "charge it" feeding frenzy and that the Federal student loan total will not go absolutely parabolic going forward, please raise your hand.

Of course, what is not discussed, is who is on the other side of all those forgiven loans. And the answer, dear taxpaying US readers, is starting at you in the mirror. Because all the Federal government will do is transfer the unfunded obligation, which has already been used to satisfy the purchase of goods and services, from one individual to the whole group.

But when one is dealing with the government of a country that is no longer even fit to be defined as "banana", what is adding one more trillion between already insolvent counterparties.

Finally, yes, this means the Fed just tacked on one more year of QE to its $1 trillion/year in US debt monetization, which also means the Fed's balance sheet will now also be used for to fund student loan forgiveness, among so many other things.

Insolvent students of the world, unite!

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-01-05/here-comes-student-loan-bailout

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Apple now selling refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display beginning at $1,869

We can't say we're exactly surprised to see Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro show up on the company's "Certified Refurbished" online store -- still, it's good news for folks looking to save a little cash while getting a taste of Retina MBP straight from the source. Currently, Apple is only offering the 15-inch model (with a 2.3GHz, quad-core i7 CPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD) for $1,869, making it about $330 less than its non-refurbished counterpart -- of course, that premium price tag also includes the accustomed one-year manufacturer's warranty, which is a good security blanket to have when shelling out this much capital. As is usually the case with Cupertino's rejuvenated goods, though, supplies may be somewhat limited, so now could be a great time to jump on the MacBook Pro with Retina display bandwagon.

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Apple

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/05/apple-refurbished-macbook-pro-with-retina-display/

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Communication is Aid: Old and New Technologies Make Aid More ...

Communication can and should be seen as aid. People rely on communication to find out what?s happening, where to go for assistance and who to call for help. Research and projects, such as infoasaid, give evidence that communication is crucial to survival and recovery. In fact, the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network positions two-way communication with affected people at the heart of resilience-building, preparedness and response.

If communication is aid, what does that mean in practice? And how do we get better at doing it? These are some of the questions that participants of the ?Communication is Aid: Humanitarian, Media and Technology Collaboration? event*, held in Nairobi on December 6, tried to answer.

In her opening remarks, Gabriella Waaijman, Officer in Charge of UNOCHA Eastern Africa, explained, ?Gone are the days when humanitarian agencies can provide assistance without asking what the needs are in the communities where they are working.??There is no doubt in my mind that we need to listen to communities because they are the only ones who know what?s happening on the ground and can suggest what would improve their day-to-day lives. We need to empower them with the tools to communicate their needs to us, and we need to effectively respond. Modern development requires two-way communication and listening.

Are we there yet? That?s for debate, but we are certainly getting closer. Adeso is implementing a USAID project in northern Kenya, working with pastoral and transitional communities to reduce hunger and poverty, increase social stability, and build strong foundations for economic growth and environmental resilience, and we are looking at ways to use communication to enhance these objectives.?USAID also helped jumpstart SokoShambani, a free SMS platform that allows small-scale potato farmers in Kenya to connect directly with buyers. ?It takes the farmer to the market, and the market to the farm,? as Stephen Kimiri of ZEVAN explains.

Shujaaz.FM main character DJ Boyie pirates airtime to talk about what's important to Kenyan youth. Photo credit: Riccardo Gangale/USAID.

Other examples include the Praekelt Foundation?s?development of the Young Africa Live mobile platform that provides young people in Africa with?information about HIV/AIDS and other sexual health issues.?Since 2009, the platform has been used by more than a million people in South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. The Danish Refugee Council has for its part adapted the Ushahidi platform ? a free and open source software for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping that was first used following Kenya?s disputed 2007 elections to collect eyewitness reports of violence and place them on a?Google Maps?? to monitor humanitarian aid in?Somalia. Through this system, DRC?s beneficiaries can use their mobile phone to provide feedback on the aid they received from DRC, and make complaints.

So, how do we use the right technologies in the right context? As Rob Burnet from Well Told Story underlined, ?Push won?t work ? it must be pull.? We need to understand our audience and really listen to what they want. For example, USAID invested in Well Told Story?s innovative Shujaaz.FM multi-media project aimed to engage Kenya?s youth in promoting peace for the March 2013 elections. The project includes fictional Kenyan youth who grapple with real social and political challenges in a monthly comic book and through daily radio spots. The project gained popularity and 20,000 Kenyan youth now interact with the characters on Facebook.

Humanitarian and development players can learn a lot from private sector entities who are developing new technological solutions to address some the challenges faced when delivering aid. At the same time, we must keep in mind that while technology is part of the solution, it is not the solution in and of itself. It needs to be used in the right context, by the right people and for the right audience. Improving how we communicate will therefore require resources, training and commitment. My hope is that we continue to seek modern communication methods to provide more opportunities for learning, exchange and future collaborations for all audiences around the globe.

*Adeso and UNOCHA Eastern Africa jointly organized this one-day event, in partnership with the CDAC Network and Internews, and with financial support from BBC Media Action and Microsoft. Presentations and video from the event will be available on the Adeso website in the coming weeks, and in the meantime, have a look at this Storify.

Source: http://blog.usaid.gov/2013/01/communication-is-aid-old-and-new-technologies-make-aid-more-effective/

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Rethinking bacterial persistence

Friday, January 4, 2013

It's often difficult to completely eliminate a bacterial infection with antibiotics; part of the population usually manages to survive. We've known about this phenomenon for quite some time, dating back nearly to the discovery of penicillin. For more than 50 years, scientists have believed that the resistant bacteria were individuals that had stopped growing and dividing.

Up to now, in fact, it hasn't been possible to track the growth of cells before and after their exposure to antibiotics, which makes any analysis of the phenomenon quite imprecise. "Using microfluidics, we can now observe every bacterium individually, instead of having to count a population," says John McKinney, director of EPFL's Microbiology and Microsystems Laboratory (LMIC).

Active survivors

This new tool has revealed quite a few surprises. "We thought that surviving bacteria made up a fixed population that stopped dividing, but instead we found that some of them continued to divide and others died. The persistent population is thus very dynamic, and the cells that constitute it are constantly changing ? even though the total number of cells remains the same. Because they're dividing, the bacteria can mutate and thus develop resistance in the presence of the antibiotic," explains LMIC scientist Neeraj Dhar.

This point is extremely important. "We were able to eliminate a purely genetic explanation of the phenomenon," continues Dhar. In other words, "a population of genetically identical bacteria consists of individuals with widely varying behavior. Some of them can adapt to stressors that they have not previously encountered, thanks to the selection of persistent individuals. This could lead to a revision of the entire theory of adaptation," says McKinney.

Intermittent efficiency

The EPFL scientists were particularly interested in a relative of the tuberculosis bacterium. Their observations enabled them to formally challenge the argument that persistent bacteria are those that have stopped growing and dividing. "We were able to reveal the role of an enzyme whose presence is necessary in order for the antibiotic to work, and show that the bacilli produced this enzyme in a pulsatile and random manner," explains Dhar. "Our measurements showed that bacterial death correlated more closely with the expression of this enzyme than with their growth factor." The research is being published this week in Science magazine.

These conclusions could mark the beginning of a new theory of bacterial resistance, or perhaps even introduce a new view of how such resistance evolves. Further research is being done using other microorganisms, such as tuberculosis and E. colibacteria. The persistence of some cancer cells to treatment could also be studied in a different manner. "It's a new approach for trying to figure out why some infections are so difficult to eliminate. The techniques we've developed for this study are now also being used to develop new antibiotics, in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies," says McKinney, adding that "it is the microengineering expertise at EPFL that has enabled us to create these innovative tools and open up new avenues for investigation."

###

Ecole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne: http://www.epfl.ch/index.en.html

Thanks to Ecole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne 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/126133/Rethinking_bacterial_persistence_

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US service firms grow by most in 10 months

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A gauge of U.S. service firms' activity expanded in December by the most in nearly a year, driven by a jump in new orders and hiring.

The Institute for Supply Management said Friday that its index of non-manufacturing activity rose to 56.1 in December from 54.7 in November. That's the highest level since February and above the 12-month average of 54.7. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.

A measure of new orders rose to the highest level since February, suggesting that consumers and companies kept spending even as the country moved closer to the fiscal cliff.

An index of employment rose strongly. That conflicted with a Labor Department report Friday that said the economy added just 109,000 service jobs last month, the fewest since June. One key difference between the two reports is the government doesn't include construction in service jobs. That would have boosted the December total by 30,000.

The ISM report measures service growth in industries that cover 90 percent of the work force, including retail, construction, health care and financial services. The trade group of purchasing managers conducts surveys of business activity and other research.

Many analysts had expected service growth to soften last month as Americans fretted about looming tax increases and spending cuts that were due to take effect at the beginning of the year.

Congress and the White House reached a deal this week to avert the tax increases, but delayed tougher decisions about spending cuts for another two months.

The solid increase in December suggests the tense negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff did not slow growth at service companies. A separate ISM survey of manufacturing activity showed only a slight gain last month.

"The service sector appeared to have felt the concerns over the drawn-out negotiations over the 'fiscal cliff' less than manufacturing," said Terry Sheehan, an analyst with Stone & McCarthy Research.

Companies saw a "year-end surge" in orders, in the words of one executive surveyed by the ISM.

Services have been a key source of job growth this year, creating about 90 percent of the net jobs added since January. For all of 2012, the economy added 1.69 million service jobs, about the same as 2011. Many of the new jobs are in low-paying retail and restaurant industries.

The overall economy grew at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2012, up from 1.3 percent in the April-June period.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-04-Economy-Services/id-84c3748799e34f91b860f4e4a7c2bad7

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We're live from CES 2013 in Las Vegas!

The Las Vegas Convention Center's expansive exhibition space may not be open for another five days, but we're already on site, gearing up for the CES madness to come and setting up shop in our temporary headquarters -- that beautiful trailer just above. Sure, we have a pretty good idea of which new mobile gadgets we might see -- and what products not to expect -- and it's pretty much a given that Windows 8 will be just about everywhere, but as always the show is bound to bring some surprises. For now, though, we'll all have to sit tight as thousands of exhibitors put the final lavish touches on their enormous booths. In the meantime, get a taste of the pre-show scene at the LVCC in the gallery just below.

Gallery: We're live from CES 2013!

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/03/were-live-from-ces-2013/

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North Carolina Motor Vehicle Repair Act | Collins Law Firm ...

A visit to an auto repair shop can be intimidating. Especially when you need work done on your car and you aren?t sure what exactly needs to be done or how much it is going to cost. In order to avoid an unpleasant experience, it?s always a good idea to ask friends and family to refer you to a mechanic they have used and trust. Check to see that the mechanic is ASE (National Institute for Automotive Excellence) certified and that a sign is posted explaining your rights under the North Carolina law. Familiarizing yourself with the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Repair Act in advance may also help to avoid problems with a shop after work has been done on your car.

North Carolina?s Motor Vehicle Repair Act (G.S. 20-354) protects consumers when auto repairs cost more than $350. Here?s how the law works:

??? ?The repair shop should give you a written estimate and ask you to sign an authorization for the repair. If the car is dropped off by someone else or at a time when the shop is closed, the estimate and authorization can be agreed to orally.
??? ?When you authorize the repair, you have the right to request that you get back or examine any of your car?s old parts.
??? ?The repair shop must notify you of any storage charges you?ll owe if you don?t pick up the car once the repair is completed.
??? ?The repair shop may not exceed the cost you authorized by more than 10 percent without first getting your permission.
??? ?If the problem is unknown, the repair shop must tell you how much it will cost to diagnose the problem. Once they?ve diagnosed the problem, the shop must contact you with an estimate and to get authorization to do the work.
??? ?The repair shop must provide you with a detailed invoice that itemizes charges for labor and parts and identifies all parts as new, used, or reconditioned.
??? ?Keep in mind that repair shops have flexibility in marking up the charge for parts and that you must pay for authorized repairs even if they do not solve the problem.
??? ?The Motor Vehicle Repair Act does not apply if your insurance company is paying for the repairs, or to agricultural equipment and vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

Knowing your rights under the Motor Vehicle Repair Act may help avoid a headache during or after a future trip to the mechanic. If you feel as if your rights under this act have been violated by a mechanic or auto repair shop, or if you have legal concerns about any area of law in which we practice, contact us at (910) 793-9000 for a confidential legal consultation.

By Lauren Seidel, Paralegal

This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2013 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Legal Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.attydc.com/blog/2013/01/04/north-carolina-motor-vehicle-repair-act/

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Top Asthma Advice For Easier Breathing Everyday - Health Care

Your lungs are an essential organ, and if they?re impacted by an asthma condition, it can significantly affect your way of life. However, don?t think that asthma means the active part of your life is over. There are effective treatment and prevention methods for this condition. Read the good advice in this article, and learn how to make life with asthma doable.

Do you know what type of asthma you have? Before you can develop a self-care plan for your asthma symptoms, you need to know the specific cause of your symptoms. If you have exercised-induced asthma, for example, you?ll want to bring your inhaler with you to the gym or other locations where you might be involved in physical activity. You can actually start preventing asthma attacks if you are aware and mindful of any patterns that your symptoms present.

Know what your triggers are to safeguard yourself against asthma. Write down anything that triggers an asthma attack, then share what you?ve written with your asthma specialist. Once you know your triggers, you can avoid and eliminate them as much as possible.

If you are going on a plane trip with asthma medications, make sure to bring your written prescription along with you. Having proof in writing from a doctor that states the item is a medical necessity can eliminate security hassles.

If you have hay fever or a cold, chances are your asthma treatment will be increased. Many illnesses have side effects that could cause your asthma to flare up so badly that you need to have an increase in treatment. Your doctor may choose to also add an additional treatment until the illness gets better.

If you have a child with asthma who is under the age of five, watch for signs of an attack that require a trip to the emergency room. These signs include: having difficulty when speaking because air intake is insufficient, sucking in the stomach in an attempt to breathe and gasping for air. When a child shows any of these symptoms, they need medical care right away.

It?s vital that you have a plan for handling asthma attacks. This is essential. If you are prepared for an attack, you are in a better position to deal with it quickly.

If asthma is something you suffer from, do not smoke or spend time around smokers, much less any source of vapors and fumes. You must abstain from using any tobacco products. Also, when job hunting, you need to take into consideration whether or not you will be exposed to anything detrimental to your condition while on the job.

If you have asthma, you must know how to use your inhaler properly. You need to know that you can?t lightly inhale as you just spray it inside your mouth. Every single time that you spray the inhaler into your mouth, you must, for a couple of seconds, breathe deeply. Proper techniques with your inhaler will keep your symptoms from increasing out of control.

A yearly flu shot is necessary if you suffer from asthma. A yearly vaccination will help minimize the number of infections your children have to deal with.

When pollen counts begin to rise, then anyone who suffers from asthma should just stay inside as much as they can. While asthma and allergies are separate illnesses, you?ll find that the triggers for one tend to be mirrored in the other. Now that you have information on local air quality in most areas, people who suffer from asthma will be able to decrease outdoor activities if there is potential irritants in the air.

If you have asthma, it is vital for you to always carry a rescue inhaler with you. If you need it, the inhaler will temporarily give you quick relief from your symptoms. Talk to your doctor about having more than one inhaler. Carry one in your pocketbook, backpack, coat pocket, your work desk or any other place you can think of where you might need one.

Asthma is tough to deal with. There are ways to make your life easier though. This article will help you to better deal with your asthma. Speaking with a doctor is beneficial as well. Medications and new techniques are in development all the time, and before long asthma will be something we can handle with ease.

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Source: http://www.healthcarecenteradvice.com/2013/01/04/top-asthma-advice-for-easier-breathing-everyday/

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Morning Coffee, Day-Trading Watchlist for 1.3 - Wall Street ...

From: SharePlanner - 9:41am - January 3, 2013

Wall Street Nole's Morning Stocks to Watch for Day-Trading ? "Oh, the best part of waking up..." ? Happy New Year form the SharePlanner trading community. I hope it's prosperous and successful for all.? Is the Fiscal CLiff mess behind us? Maybe, many issues still linger. My only concern is that we can get back to trading. In weeks to come I need the market to get back to normal because despite the massive gap up yesterday we are still ?intra day range bounc making trading very difficult.? ? ? Check out some of today's highly anticipated stocks to day-trade while you have your morning coffee.? ?Morning Coffee - Day-Trading Watch-List 1 $FDO - Huge gap down to the 58's this morning as earnings took a hit from reduced margins. We have traded this stock before and it will be in play today. Don't forget either about the $DLTR and DG. 2 $TGT- Despite the massive Retailer sell o...

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Source: http://ewallstreeter.com/morning-coffee-day-trading-watchlist-for-3982/

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WWE Main Event results: Two champions face major challenges in the New Year

Antonio Cesaro vs. The Great Khali - United States Championship Match: WWE Main Event, Jan. 2, 2013A special look at Antonio Cesaro: WWE Main Event, Jan. 2, 2013Wade Barrett competes in a Gauntet Match: WWE Main Event, Jan. 2, 2012Natalya and Hornswoggle wish The Great Khali good luck: WWE Main Event, Jan 2. 2013Wade Barrett issues an open challenge to any WWE Superstar to compete in a Gauntlet Match: WWE Main Event, Jan. 2, 2012Sgt. Slaughter vs. Antonio Cesaro - Champion's Choice U.S. Championship Match: Raw, Dec. 31, 2012

RICHMOND, Va. ?The new year kicked off with an action-packed episode of WWE Main Event. On the second day of 2013, Antonio Cesaro faced a massive challenge and defended the United States Title against The Great Khali. Also, new Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett battled a number of Superstars in a Gauntlet Match intended to send a message to former champion Kofi Kingston ? who will face Barrett for the title in a championship rematch on SmackDown.

United States Champion Antonio Cesaro def. The Great Khali (PHOTOS | WATCH)

Each week on WWE Main Event, the WWE Universe is typically shown a highlight reel of the Superstars competing in the week?s featured contest. This week, however, United States Champion Antonio Cesaro took issue with the production values of his video package and unsurprisingly blamed the standards of American television. WWE Main Event commentator and WWE Superstar The Miz interrupted the Swiss-born Superstar?s rant, clearly annoyed with the U.S. Champion?s constant berating of America. The Awesome One told off the United States Champion, explaining The Swiss Superman could easily self-deport himself back to this homeland. Before their heated exchange could go any further, Michael Cole settled the animosity, reminding the United States Champion of the daunting task ahead of him: former World Heavyweight Champion, The Great Khali.

The Punjabi Playboy successfully won a 20-Man Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royal on the final WWE Main Event in 2012 to secure an opportunity for the United States Championship. Before the match, the Indian Superstar ensured the WWE Universe in Richmond was firmly in his corner by chanting ?USA!? before making his way to the squared circle flanked by a smitten Natalya and ?Baby New Year? Hornswoggle.

Certainly The Swiss Superman?s most giant challenge to date, The Great Khali immediately used his size and strength to gain an early advantage over the U.S. Champion. The Punjabi giant sent Cesaro reeling after giant slaps to the chest and quickly knocking the Swiss Superstar to the outside. In the early moments of the battle, it seemed as though The Great Khali would simply dominate his opponent as he delivered crushing blows with Hornswoggle and Natalya providing encouragement and distractions. As The Punjabi Playboy stalked Cesaro to the outside, however, he lifted one leg over the top and The Swiss Superman pounced, using the ropes to strike at Khali?s leg, driving him back to the mat.

The crafty maneuver was exactly what the United States Champion needed to recalibrate his strategy against his gigantic challenger. With The Great Khali in his most vulnerable position, Cesaro targeted the Punjabi?s leg and knee, using a variety of aggressive strikes and technical holds. Each time the massive fists of the Indian-born Superstar tried to fight off the champion, Cesaro refocused his efforts on Khali?s legs.

As a former World Heavyweight Champion who has battled the likes of Batista and John Cena, The Great Khali displayed his resilience and made it back to his feet. Unfortunately, The Punjabi Playboy?s second wind wasn?t enough to slow down Antonio Cesaro?s quickness and agility. Nearly as soon as Khali was back on his feet, the United States Champion managed to send him crashing back to the mat with a flying uppercut. The Swiss Superman then seized the opportunity to execute his most impressive Neutralizer to date, picking up and planting The Great Khali ? seemingly with ease ? and securing the victory.

Following the contest, Matt Striker interviewed the victorious champion, who clarified he does not have a disdain for the United States, but is superior to the citizens of America. Cesaro then focused his attention to The Miz and the two Superstars again exchanged heated words ? further stirring the pot that seems ready to boil over.

WWE?s Dr. Michael Sampson Touted that CM Punk is medically cleared to defend the WWE Championship against Ryback in a TLC Match on Raw. (WATCH)

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwemainevent/2013-01-02/results

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