Iowa leaders Romney, Paul leave stage to rivals

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., left, greets supporters during a campaign stop at the Black Bear Diner, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in Storm Lake, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., left, greets supporters during a campaign stop at the Black Bear Diner, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in Storm Lake, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listens at right as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a campaign appearance at a Hy-Vee grocery store, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, speaks during a campaign stop, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in Le Mars, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, right, makes remarks during a campaign stop on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in Marshalltown, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry gestures as he speaks during a campaign stop at the Fainting Goat in Waverly, Iowa, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? The two leading Republican presidential candidates in Iowa left the stage to their rivals to make their final pitches to voters just three days before the state's Republican caucus.

Mitt Romney was to campaign in New Hampshire on Saturday while Ron Paul was taking time off in his home state of Texas. Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry all remained in Iowa, touring the state as they worked to win over the many still-undecided conservative voters.

Romney and Paul are absent, but they're poised to do well here. Both are leading in polls and have the money and organization to turn supporters out to caucus Tuesday night.

But with just days until voters begin to select the GOP nominee, the other candidates are still fighting in a volatile race that's seen candidate after candidate rise only to quickly fall. The same polls suggest large numbers of Iowa Republicans could change their minds before the first test of the 2012 campaign.

Santorum is the latest to draw intense interest. He has been rising in polls and drawing larger and larger crowds in recent days. The once resurgent Gingrich has fallen behind as negative ads have battered him on the airwaves and in mailboxes.

Bachmann's campaign has struggled. She's lost key staffers and some activists have urged her to drop out of the race. Perry, meanwhile, has spent millions on TV ads and is continuing a bus tour that consumed much of December.

Romney will return to Iowa later Saturday and will hold events in the western part of the state in areas he won when he first ran for president four years ago.

On Friday, he focused on Paul ? his closest rival in recent polling ? calling the Texas congressman out of step with most Republicans.

"I don't think Ron Paul represents the mainstream of Republican thought with regards to issues, particularly in foreign policy," Romney told Fox News.

Paul planned to spend the weekend out of Iowa. Campaigning Friday, he said he would have trouble voting for any of his Republican rivals if they won the nomination.

"They all are part of the status quo," he said.

Gingrich, now struggling, has said he wouldn't vote for Paul.

The usually combative former House speaker made headlines Friday when he broke down and wept as he talked about his mother's end-of-life illnesses.

"I do policy much easier than I do personal," Gingrich told an audience of women as he tried to regain his composure. The tears flowed as he responded to questions about his mother from a pollster and longtime political ally.

"My whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing with the real problems of real people," he said, his face distorting as he began to cry. "And so it's not a theory. It's, in fact, my mother."

Kathleen "Kit" Gingrich died in 2003. She was 77.

Whatever the impact of Gingrich's tears on the race for the White House, the video clip seemed destined to be played repeatedly on television and the Internet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-31-GOP%20Campaign/id-bb04d25c21fa46fcba33b68c47acfbc8

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Breast cancer survivors benefit from practicing Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

Public release date: 29-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jesslyn Tenhouse
jtenhouse@mail.missouri.edu
573-882-6211
University of Missouri-Columbia

Survivors' psychological and physiological health improved after training

COLUMBIA, Mo. Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, University of Missouri researchers in the Sinclair School of Nursing say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being.

Yaowarat Matchim, a former nursing doctoral student; Jane Armer, professor of nursing; and Bob Stewart, professor emeritus of education and adjunct faculty in nursing, found that breast cancer survivors' health improved after they learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a type of mindfulness training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness.

"MBSR is another tool to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors," Armer said. "Patients often are given a variety of options to reduce stress, but they should choose what works for them according to their lifestyles and belief systems."

The MBSR program consists of group sessions throughout a period of eight to ten weeks. During the sessions, participants practice meditation skills, discuss how bodies respond to stress and learn coping techniques. The researchers found that survivors who learned MBSR lowered their blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. In addition, participants' mood improved, and their level of mindfulness increased after taking the class. Armer says, for best results, participants should continue MBSR after the class ends to maintain the positive effects.

"Mindfulness-based meditation, ideally, should be practiced every day or at least on a routine schedule," Armer said. "MBSR teaches patients new ways of thinking that will give them short- and long-term benefits."

Armer says the non-pharmaceutical approach works best as a complement to other treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

"Post diagnosis, breast cancer patients often feel like they have no control over their lives," Armer said. "Knowing that they can control somethingsuch as meditationand that it will improve their health, gives them hope that life will be normal again."

The study, "Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors," was published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.

###

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jesslyn Tenhouse
jtenhouse@mail.missouri.edu
573-882-6211
University of Missouri-Columbia

Survivors' psychological and physiological health improved after training

COLUMBIA, Mo. Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, University of Missouri researchers in the Sinclair School of Nursing say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being.

Yaowarat Matchim, a former nursing doctoral student; Jane Armer, professor of nursing; and Bob Stewart, professor emeritus of education and adjunct faculty in nursing, found that breast cancer survivors' health improved after they learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a type of mindfulness training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness.

"MBSR is another tool to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors," Armer said. "Patients often are given a variety of options to reduce stress, but they should choose what works for them according to their lifestyles and belief systems."

The MBSR program consists of group sessions throughout a period of eight to ten weeks. During the sessions, participants practice meditation skills, discuss how bodies respond to stress and learn coping techniques. The researchers found that survivors who learned MBSR lowered their blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. In addition, participants' mood improved, and their level of mindfulness increased after taking the class. Armer says, for best results, participants should continue MBSR after the class ends to maintain the positive effects.

"Mindfulness-based meditation, ideally, should be practiced every day or at least on a routine schedule," Armer said. "MBSR teaches patients new ways of thinking that will give them short- and long-term benefits."

Armer says the non-pharmaceutical approach works best as a complement to other treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

"Post diagnosis, breast cancer patients often feel like they have no control over their lives," Armer said. "Knowing that they can control somethingsuch as meditationand that it will improve their health, gives them hope that life will be normal again."

The study, "Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors," was published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/uom-bcs122911.php

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Video: Where?s the snow?

>>> we're back with a question many people are asking on this late december evening, where, oh, where is winter? usually this time of year we've had a big winter storm to tell you about, but not this year. in fact, records are being set this season for how little snow there's been. for some that's good news. for others cold comfort . more now from nbc's mike tiabbi.

>> reporter: at squall valley resort it's a brutal start to the season. only five of the trails have any snow at all.

>> we make the best of it with two runs we have.

>> reporter: while they're skatingiska skating and dining, it sure doesn't feel like winter.

>> it can turn on a dime.

>> reporter: it's not turning yet. from california and the pacific northwest , across the great lakes region and to the northeast, there's less than half the snow on the ground than there was last year with unusual jet stream patterns acting as blockers. the jet stream setup is different from last year. we don't get the cold air, so most of what's falling is rain and not snow. temperatures have been so unseasonably warm that more snow machines are sitting idle than grooming the slopes. it placing like usually snowbound boise the cabin feverish are hitting to the tee instead of planning to ski. in fact, the records unlike the snow are piling up. reno will have its first snow-less december since the late 19th century. new york only its third. on this day last year, in fact, new york was paralyzed by a blizzard. today hardly. in minneapolis last year the metrodome collapsed beneath a mountain of snow. today 37 and sunny. squaw valley last december? spectacular. this time last year on this very spot, the snowpack was so thick, about twice my height, if you were on one of those chair lifts your feet might have grazed the snow. on the flipside cities and states are saving millions on snow removal . in rochester, new york skiers are adapting.

>> epic, conditions. tons of powder.

>> where they're still waiting? hope and history.

>> all it takes is one four-foot snowfall, and everybody's memories whim be erased.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45809978/

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For Iraq war vets, no parade is imminent

Published: 12/28/11 @ 12:00

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Americans probably won?t be seeing a huge ticker-tape parade anytime soon for troops returning from Iraq, and it?s not clear if veterans of the nine-year campaign will ever enjoy the grand, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue homecoming that the nation?s fighting men and women received after World War II and the Gulf War.

Officials in New York and Washington say they?d be happy to help, but Pentagon officials say they haven?t been asked.

Most welcome-homes have been smaller-scale: hugs from families at military posts across the country, a somber commemoration by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

With tens of thousands of U.S. troops still fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan, anything that looks like a big victory celebration could be seen as unseemly and premature, some say.

?It?s going to be a bit awkward to be celebrating too much, given how much there is going on and how much there will be going on in Afghanistan,? said Don Mrozek, a military history professor at Kansas State University.

Two New York City councilmen, Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo, have called for a ticker-tape parade down the stretch of Broadway known as the Canyon of Heroes. A similar celebration after the Gulf War was paid for with more than $5.2 million in private donations, a model they would like to follow.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week that he was open to the idea but added, ?It?s a federal thing that we really don?t want to do without talking to Washington, and we?ll be doing that.?

The last combat troops in Iraq pulled out more than a week ago. About 91,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in Afghanistan, battling a Taliban insurgency and struggling to train Afghan forces to take over security.

Source: http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/dec/28/for-iraq-war-vets-no-parade-is-imminent/?mobile

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US criticises China, Japan on currencies

Home

Pakistan News.Net
Wednesday 28th December, 2011

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has criticized China and Japan for their currency exchange rate policies, while once again stopping short of labeling Beijing as a manipulator.

In its semi-annual currency report released Tuesday, the Treasury Department, criticized Japan's two latest currency interventions, while stating that China's moves to allow yuan to appreciate remains incomplete.

"China's longstanding pattern of reserve accumulation, the persistence of its current-account surplus and the incomplete appreciation, especially given rapid productivity growth in the traded-goods sector, indicate that the real exchange rate of the renminbi is persistently misaligned and remains substantially undervalued," the report said.

The Treasury Department said it would continue to press Beijing for greater exchange-rate flexibility, as well as level playing field for foreign companies.

There is mounting criticism of the trade advantage China has been garnering in global markets by keeping the yuan artificially low to boost exports.

A major US concern is the rising trade imbalance
with China.

The U.S. trade deficit with China reached o a record $273.1 billion in 2010 from about $226.9 billion in the previous year. This year, from January to October trade deficit with China is already around $245.5 billion.

"While China's real exchange rate has appreciated, the process of appreciation remains incomplete," the report points out.

The yuan has appreciated nearly 12 per cent against the U.S. dollar on an inflation-adjusted basis since June 2010.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics recently estimated the yuan was undervalued by 24 percent against the dollar, down from 28 percent earlier in the year. The change is due Beijing's policy of gradual currency appreciation and higher Chinese inflation, the think tank feels.

The report has also targeted Tokyo for its solo yen-selling interventions in August and October that followed a joint Group of 7 action in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

"The unilateral Japanese interventions were undertaken when exchange market conditions appeared to be operating in an orderly manner and volatility in the yen-dollar exchange rate was lower than, for example, the euro-dollar market," the report said.

In contrast to the post-earthquake joint G7 intervention in March, the United States did not support these interventions, the Treasury has pointed out, urging Tokyo to pursue reforms to revive its domestic economy rather than try to influence the exchange rate.

Japan has repeatedly said it would intervene to stop what it termed excess volatility.

On Sunday Japan and China had formalized a financial agreement for direct trading of their currencies, instead of using the dollar as intermediary. China is Japan's biggest trade partner with annual two-way trade of close to $350 billion, and as part of the agreement Japan will also apply to buy Chinese bonds next year.

Presenting the report to Congress on international economic and exchange rate policies, the Treasury has assured that it will
"closely monitor the pace of appreciation and press for policy changes that yield greater exchange rate flexibility, a level playing field, and a sustained shift to domestic demand-led growth."

The U.S. Senate this year passed a bill that would require the administration to slap penalties on Chinese imports if it fails to adopt market-based exchange rates. But due to lack of support in the lower chamber it is unlikely to become law.

Beijing has in the past warned the United States not to "politicize" the currency issue.

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Source: http://www.pakistannews.net/story/202190607

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The Note's Must-Reads for Monday, December 26, 2011 (ABC News)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/179194593?client_source=feed&format=rss

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High school sports: Boys, girls basketball rankings

Published: Monday, Dec. 26, 2011 10:10 p.m. MST

Boys basketball

Class 5A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Lone Peak. . .24-1

2. West Jordan. . .19-4

3. American Fork. . .20-5

4. Fremont. . .18-6

5. Davis. . .13-9

Class 4A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Sky View. . .16-7

2. Bountiful. . .20-6

3. Orem. . .7-15

4. Highland. . .22-3

5. Olympus. . .16-7

Class 3A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Desert Hills. . .21-4

2. Hurricane. . .15-7

3. Wasatch. . .23-2

4. Cedar. . .20-4

5. Payson. . .19-4

Class 2A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. South Sevier. . .24-1

2. Manti. . .9-12

3. Wasatch Academy. . .21-3

4. Millard. . .11-12

5. South Summit. . .20-5

Class 1A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Bryce Valley. . .18-6

2. Duchesne. . .11-11

3. Monticello. . .21-4

4. Layton Christian. . .6-16

5. Piute. . .19-7

Girls basketball

Class 5A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Syracuse. . .23-1

2. Alta. . .20-5

3. Lone Peak. . .19-3

4. Bingham. . .18-5

5. Fremont. . .18-6

Class 4A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Salem Hills. . .17-6

2. Mountain Crest. . .22-2

3. Timpanogos. . .14-7

4. Skyline. . .15-7

5. Cyprus. . .13-10

Class 3A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Snow Canyon. . .11-11. . .

2. Cedar. . .16-8

3. Morgan. . .19-5

4. Juan Diego. . .9-13

5. Carbon. . .20-2

Class 2A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Richfield. . .10-11

2. Enterprise. . .24-1

3. Emery. . .17-6

4. Beaver. . .18-6

5. Kanab. . .13-9

Class 1A

. . .10-11 Rec.

1. Bryce Valley. . .16-9

2. Rich. . .22-3

3. Monticello. . .14-9

4. Wayne. . .15-9

5. Milford. . .11-13

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700210280/High-school-sports-Boys-girls-basketball-rankings.html?s_cid=rss-38

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London subway strike delays Boxing Day shoppers (AP)

LONDON ? London's subway drivers have walked out over a pay dispute, causing trouble for thousands of shoppers out to take advantage of the traditional Boxing Day sales.

Transport for London has warned that shoppers seeking out bargains at the capital's shopping centers face "severe disruption." Several Underground lines have been suspended, and limited services are operating on the rest of the subway network.

The ASLEF union is staging the one-day strike to demand for extra pay for members working on the public holiday.

Despite the disruptions, large crowds of shoppers started flooding department stores in London and other British cities as soon as doors opened early Monday.

The union plans to stage three more strikes in January and February if the dispute is not resolved.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_subway_strike

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Yemen's Saleh vows to leave, troops kill 9 protesters

By Mohammed Ghobari

SANAA | Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:20pm EST

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday he would leave for the United States and give way to a successor, hours after his forces killed nine people demanding he be tried for killings over nearly a year of protests aimed at his ouster.

But Saleh, who agreed to step down last month under a deal cut by his wealthier neighbors who fear civil war in Yemen will affect them, did not say when he would depart and vowed to play a political role again, this time opposed to a new government.

The bloodshed and political uncertainty hinted at the chaos which oil giant Saudi Arabia and Saleh's former backers in Washington fear Yemen could slip into, giving the country's al Qaeda wing a foothold overlooking oil shipping routes.

Troops from units led by Saleh's son and nephew opened fire with guns, tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators who approached his compound in the capital Sanaa after marching for days from the southern city of Taiz, chanting "No to immunity!"

Mohammed al-Qubati, a doctor at a field hospital that has treated protesters during 11 months of mass demonstrations against Saleh, said some 90 people suffered gunshot wounds in addition to the nine killed. About 150 other people were wounded by tear gas canisters or incapacitated by gas, he said.

The marchers denounced the deal Saleh agreed last month giving him immunity from prosecution in exchange for handing power to his deputy, who is to work with an interim government including opposition parties before a February presidential election.

That plan, crafted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and mirrored in the terms of a U.N. Security Council resolution, has been bitterly denounced by youth protesters who demand Saleh face trial and his inner circle be banned from holding power.

"The blood of the martyrs has been sold for dollars," shouted protesters, before forces from the Republican Guard and Central Security Forces attacked on roads leading to Saleh's compound, which was surrounded by tanks and armored vehicles.

ACTIVISTS ROUNDED UP

Saleh, who repeatedly backed out of the Gulf plan to nudge him from power before a June assassination attempt forced him into hospital in Saudi Arabia, said he would both let Yemen's new government work, and oppose it.

"I will go to the United States. Not for treatment, because I'm fine, but to get away from attention, cameras, and allow the unity government to prepare properly for elections," he said, adding he would undergo some medical tests.

"I'll be there for several days, but I'll return because I won't leave my people and comrades who have been steadfast for 11 months," he said. "I'll withdraw from political work and go into the street as part of the opposition."

Alluding to the relationship of his poor, populous country to its resource-blessed neighbors, he said: "An unstable Yemen means an unstable region. So, protect the security, unity and stability of Yemen, neighbor states; its security is yours."

A Yemeni online publication quoted the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa, Gerald Feierstein, describing the march as a provocative act, during a meeting with Yemeni journalists. The ambassador could not immediately be released for comment.

As Saleh spoke, a member of the bloc of opposition parties that share the cabinet with members of Saleh's party said security forces had rounded up dozens of people including Samia al-Aghbari, an activist in the anti-Saleh protest movement.

Aghbari sent a text message saying: "The Republican Guard is taking me and (another activist); they are dragging us by our clothes and shooting in the air."

Saleh's General People's Congress party said on Thursday that the protest violated the terms of the transition pact, under which the government is to oversee disengagement of his forces from rebel army units and tribal militias with whom they have fought in Sanaa and elsewhere.

Their battles, which the youth protesters regard as an internecine conflict among a criminal elite, have left parts of the capital and Taiz, 200 km (125 miles) to the south, in ruins and deepened a humanitarian crisis in a country with multiple, overlapping regional conflicts.

U.S. DRONE STRIKE IN SOUTH

Those include fighting with militant Islamists in the south, where Islamists have seized much of the territory in one province and have significant influence in another.

Saleh's opponents have accused him of ceding ground to Islamists to bolster his claim that he alone can check the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda, which has planned abortive attacks abroad from Yemen.

A Yemeni security source said on Friday that a U.S. drone had killed a relative of the al Qaeda wing's leader in Abyan, the Islamist militant-held province where battles with government troops have cost at least 50 lives this week.

A CIA drone strike killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, earlier this year.

Fighting in Abyan has forced tens of thousands of people to flee the province, compounding the humanitarian crisis in a country where about half a million people are displaced and oil exports that fund imports of staple foodstuff have mostly ceased during the struggle over Saleh's fate.

Elsewhere in southern Yemen, gunmen killed a Briton of Yemeni origin and wounded a soldier accompanying him in an attack on an oil company vehicle that a local official blamed on highway robbers.

In the southern port city of Aden, a grenade blast, apparently the work of feuding gangs, killed one person and wounded five at a market late on Friday, a local official said.

Separatist sentiment is running high in the south, formerly a socialist republic that fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Additional reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf in Aden; Writing by Joseph Logan and Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/25/us-yemen-protest-idUSTRE7BN04Z20111225?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

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How Small Businesses Can Cope With Florida Workers' Comp Insurance Hikes

?In just a few days, workers' compensation insurance rates are set to increase in Florida by 8.9 percent. The insurance hike, which Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty approved in October, represents the second year in a row Florida has seen increases in workers' compensation insurance rates. While McCarty said the rate increase in Florida is necessary, this workers' comp insurance hike, coupled with a double digit unemployment rate in the state, could prove especially trying for small businesses in Florida.

"We had a roughly 8 percent increase last year and now our members are being asked to absorb another 8.9 percent increase," Bill Herrle, the National Federation of Independent Business Florida director, said. "That's a very substantial increase in the cost of labor over the course of two very difficult years for small employers."

Florida currently has a 10.0 percent unemployment rate, ranking in the top 10 for states with the highest levels of unemployment. While the workers' compensation insurance rates will be much lower than the levels they were in 2003 when Florida had the highest rates in the nation, Herrle claims the workers' comp insurance increase will have a hard-hitting impact on businesses trying to survive in the down economy.

"This increase might be justifiable in actuarial terms, but there's no doubt that it's going to dampen the demand for labor in a state where the labor market is already badly depressed," Herrle said.

With all of the changes coming up in the next year, small businesses don't have to suffer because of the rise in workers' comp insurance rates. Work Comp Specialists Agency, a Florida workers' comp insurance agency, can offer assistance to businesses that are looking?for ways to save on their bottom lines.

The insurance specialists working at Work Comp Specialists offer more than 70 years of combined experience, specializing only in workers' compensation for Florida. Led by Kevin Campbell, whose family has an 80 year history in sales, management, and insurance agency ownership, Work Comp Specialists offers locations in Panama City Beach, Tampa, and Gainesville, Florida. If you need to buy Florida work comp insurance but aren't sure of what kind of policy is right for your business, contact Work Comp Specialists for a quote today.

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662851031&f=378

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DomeSkin for iPhone 4/4S

Gadget Guide

DomeSkin offers more than just protection for your beloved iPhone. In addition to its durable casing, you can funk up and personalise the case with a range of unique designs and matching wallpaper for a 3D look and feel. The slim fit keeps your iPhone?s structure slim as Apple intended it, with a non-slip grip and scratch-resistant exterior.

RRP: US$19.99 + shipping
DomeSkin www.domeskin.com

See more gadgets ?

Source: http://www.macworld.com.au/gadget-guide/domeskin-for-iphone-44s-41067/

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State of the world: Global gender gap narrows

Part 5 of the surprisingly upbeat state of the world: Women's lot rises as the gender gap narrows worldwide.

Ten years ago, life was still hard for the women of Ijuhanyondo village in Tanzania.

Skip to next paragraph

"Women were very behind. They used to be only at home doing housework," a resident named Baruani told a World Bank researcher this year.

But much has changed in the intervening decade. Many Ijuhanyondo women now run their own business and have cash for themselves. In the old days men did not allow women to participate in politics; now females make up half the members of the street committee that runs the village.

Things are far from perfect ? most Ijuhanyondo homes do not have piped-in water. Men still get drunk and beat their wives. Parents still favor sons when it comes to passing along family possessions.

Overall, though, said a villager named Ag?netha, "we do not depend on men as it used to be."

As goes Ijuhanyondo, perhaps so goes the evolution of gender equality across the world. Things have changed for the better, particularly in developing nations, at a pace that would have been unthinkable as recently as the 1970s, according to a 2012 World Bank report on the subject.

"In four major areas ? women's rights, education, health, and labor force outcomes ? the gains in the second half of the 20th century were large and fast in many parts of the world," says the World Bank's "Gender Equality and Development" report.

Consider the gains made on formal rights and constitutional guarantees of equality. In 2003, the African Union adopted a protocol on women's rights, dubbed the "Maputo Protocol." Of the 53 African nations, 46 have now signed this protocol, which asserts women's rights to political participation and social equality, among other things. Thirty signees have ratified it.

In 1994 all Latin American nations signed an Organization of American States convention on the prevention of violence against women. Since then, 28 of these countries have passed their own laws establishing punishments for domestic abuse.

Today, Saudi Arabia remains the only nation that formally restricts women's right to vote. The Philippines has made sweeping legislative changes recognizing women's rights across a wide spectrum of law. Morocco overhauled its family code in 2004 to better recognize equality between the genders.

In education, the world has just about reached gender parity in primary school enrollment, according to the World Bank. Even those regions that lag in this area are making progress ? in sub-Saharan Africa, the girl-boy ratio in primary school was 91 to 100 in 2008, up from 85 to 100 in 1999. In secondary schools, girls outnumber boys in roughly one-third of developing nations. At the university level, more women than men are enrolled worldwide.

"This increase in female enrollment is consistent with an increasing demand for 'brain' rather than 'brawn' jobs in a globalizing world," notes the World Bank gender report.

As for health, the life expectancy for women has risen from 54 in 1960 to 71 in 2008. That's slightly more than it has gone up for men. Recent decades have also seen the fastest-ever decline in fertility, from 5 births per woman in 1960 to about 2.5 in 1980. This allows families to concentrate resources on fewer kids and gives women more opportunity to enter the workforce. Indeed, the gender gap in labor force participation has steadily narrowed. Between 1980 and 2008, the percentage of women working outside the home has risen from 50.2 to 51.8. The corresponding figure for men has fallen, from 82 percent to 77 percent.

Of course, there's still a long way to go in regard to gender equality. Worldwide, women still spend much more time on domestic work than men. They make less money than men for doing equivalent work. And in some nations, such as India and China, there is the problem of what the World Bank calls "girls missing at birth," a decline in female infants caused by parental preference for boys, the advent of gender-determining pre-natal medical tests, and access to abortion.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/mNChlOiJNn0/State-of-the-world-Global-gender-gap-narrows

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Our Strange Universe: Q&A With Nobel Prize Winner Brian Schmidt (SPACE.com)

This year, three astronomers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering a bizarre aspect of our universe that gave rise to the concept of dark energy.

In 1998, two teams independently discovered that the expansion of the universe was not slowing down or holding steady, as expected, but speeding up. One team was led by Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia and Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., and the other was led by Saul Perlmutter of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.

To explain this perplexing finding, astronomers conceived an entity called dark energy that's essentially counteracting the force of gravity to pull the universe apart.

SPACE.com spoke to Schmidt after his Nobel win to find out more about the weirdness of our universe, and what it feels like to win the world's most famous science award.

How did you find out you'd won the Nobel Prize?

Well you get a call, in my case, 15 minutes before the announcement. So at 8:30 on Tuesday night here in Australia, I received a call from a woman with an impeccable Swedish accent.

I have graduate students who like to play jokes on me, so I was thinking, wow, they did a pretty good job on this one. But they told me it was a very important phone call and they wanted to make sure it really was Brian Schmidt they were talking to, and then members of the committee come on and read their announcement, and congratulate you.

In my case, I'm a wine-maker, and they asked me about my 2011 vintage of wine, and then they asked me whether or not I'd be willing to go live at their announcement in seven or eight minutes to tell the world what I'd done.

How did you feel?

Well, I kind of went weak in the knees. And I got a little queasy, 'cause it's just so intense, it's so amazing. You're excited, but you're kind of scared at the same time.

How do you think the Nobel Prize will change your work? Will it bring more opportunities?

It certainly does that.

From my perspective, if you're in a country like Australia or the United States, it brings a huge responsibility to ensure that people understand why science is important to society. And Nobel Prizes are just such an amazing opportunity to highlight everything that science brings to our civilization, and how it's taken us to a level of prosperity that I think we all take for granted.

When you began this project back in 90s, did you ever think it might lead to a Nobel prize?

No. We wanted to do a big project, we wanted to measure the ultimate fate of the universe. [Images: Peering Back to the Big Bang]

Although that as a big project, it wasn't one that was going to win a Nobel Prize, no matter what we measured. But it was an important thing to measure, at least from an astronomy point of view, the future of the universe. Was it going to expand forever, or was it going to eventually halt in its expansion?

So, a fundamental question about the universe, but I have to admit the idea of winning a Nobel Prize about it just wasn't on the radar.

When you saw the first indications that the expansion of the universe was accelerating, how long did it take for you to believe your results?

Adam Riess sent me a preliminary preview at the end of 1997, and when I saw it I just assumed we made a mistake and it would go away.

So you know, after six weeks of plotting around, it was pretty clear that the result was not going to go away, and it just sort of slowly sunk in over a period of a couple of months. At some point it kind of sinks in and you're like, 'Oh, geeze. What are we going to do now? No one's going to believe this!' [Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Blowing Findings]

Was it gratifying that the other team led by Saul Perlmutter found the same thing?

I was surprised because one of the reasons I was so worried back in the end of 1997 was because preliminary results from the Supernova Cosmology Project were saying not that the universe was speeding up, but rather that the universe was slowing down and slowing down quickly.

And so it's one thing to have a crazy result, and it's another thing to completely disagree with the other team doing a very similar experiment. So yeah, it was a little reassuring to see that we were getting the same thing once we found out about each other's results.

Do you think dark energy is the explanation behind this acceleration?

It's definitely hard. We are guessing that the universe is filled with energy, that's our best guess.

We're getting the Nobel Prize, not for dark energy ? we're getting it for seeing the accelerated expansion of the universe. And so while I don?t think we're absolutely sure it's dark energy, I think that's the best explanation. But it could well be something even more exotic.

How do you think the universe will end?

The fate of the universe looks pretty bleak.

The universe is going to expand faster and faster over time and the reality that we see now will eventually fade away from view. It will be so far away that we won't be able to see its light anymore.

And so, while our own galaxy and a couple of other nearby galaxies will sort of merge together to form some super-galaxy, all the stars will eventually die because they run out of nuclear fuel, so we'll have a bunch of burned out embers surrounded by a sea of nothingness.

Do you find that depressing?

It's certainly sobering. It's certainly not the way I would have chosen for the universe to end. But, you know, the universe does what it wants, and I'm just here to figure out what it's doing. I can't judge it.

What inspired you to become an astronomer?

My father was a biologist. My parents had me when they were very young, so I remember my dad starting a PhD., and I remember my dad finishing a PhD. I remember having science around me from a very young age. I always wanted to be a scientist.

I became interested in astronomy when Comet West came by in 1975. That comet made me realize that the sky was interesting to look at. My dad bought me a very inexpensive telescope that I could look through.

You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.?Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom?and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20111226/sc_space/ourstrangeuniverseqawithnobelprizewinnerbrianschmidt

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Florida man arrested in Dothan robbery

The Dothan Police Department has made a felony arrest following a recent investigation of burglary. Police say Bobby Hussey was arrested for breaking into the office of Grace Applied Ministries, located in the 1500 block of Westgate Parkway, on December 18, 2011. Once inside the business, Hussey stole a cash box containing an undisclosed amount of U.S. Currency. Investigators say the case has now been closed following the arrest.

Bobby Hussey, white male, 36 years of age, of Marianna, Florida was arrested and charged with Third Degree Burglary with a $2,500 bond.

Source:? Dothan Police Department

Source: http://dothan.wsfa.com/news/crime/132460-florida-man-arrested-dothan-robbery

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11.12.27 16:00 Bereavement Support Group - Tuesday December 27, 2011 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm @ Christ Episcopal Church

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Source: http://www.calendarwiz.com/calendars/popup.php?op=view&id=44324022&crd=wmdt

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Steve Hughes was appointed as finance director

The Empire Building Society has chosen Steve Hughes as his deputy group finance director. Hughes will continue to ensure that the council approved the suggestion of commercial, strategic and financial strength. He will run the financial control, reporting and treasury functions.

Hughes will also offer commercial support for the Kingdom of the business units and make continuous improvement of key financial processes. Before him as finance director at Lloyds TSB General Insurance Limited for six years, where he occupies a prime position in the integration program to join Lloyds TSB with Halifax, after a merger of two companies in January 2009.

Hughes is a qualified accountant and has 20 years experience in the financial world, start building a career in automotive manufacturing company Schaeffler UK and Calsonic Kensei, near Swansea. He said that he was excited to be joining a business with a strong Welsh brand.

Mr Thomas said that Steve has considerable experience in the field of commercial finance and strategic, and he believes that the skills and expertise in this field could further help to support the financial strength of the Kingdom, provide assurance that we continue to provide members and customers secure our and the home for their savings to support increased regulation.

Source: http://www.meta4forexbroker.com/2011/12/steve-hughes-was-appointed-as-finance-director/

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Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will be addressing the AGM of PHD Chamber of Commerce as per the following schedule:

D.S. Malik	PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU
Addl. DG (M&C)????????	GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Tel:??? 23092200 (North Block)	SHASTRI BHAWAN
23389924 (PIB)???	NEW DELHI
9818048787	?
Fax:?? 23093210 (NB)	December 22, 2011

?

INVITATION

?Dear Sir/Madam,

?

????????????????????????????

Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will be addressing the AGM of PHD Chamber of Commerce as per the following schedule:

?

?

Date ??????????????????? :???????? December 23, 2011 (Friday)

?

Time ??????????????????? :???????? 10.45 p.m.

?????????????????????????????????????

Venue??????????????????? :?????? Hotel Le Meridian, New Delhi

?

?

????????? You are requested to depute your correspondents/ reporters/camerapersons/photographers for the coverage of the aforesaid event.

?

????????? With regards,

?????? Yours Sincerely,

?

?

?

(D.S. Malik)

?

1.?????????? DG (News), Doordarshan Kendra, New Delhi

2.?????????? DG (News), All India Radio, New Delhi

3.?????????? Director, Photo Division, New Delhi

4.?????????? PIB, Photo Unit

5.?????????? All Correspondents/Reporters/Photographers (Still)

6.?????????? All Channels and Wire Agencies

?

Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=79166

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Family Of Missing College Student Found Safe, Giving Reward To Police

The family of a 19-year-old college student who mysteriously disappeared a week ago says it will donate a $10,000 reward to police and charities.

Aisha Kahn disappeared while studying on the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Dozens of law enforcement officers and hundreds of volunteers searched for her after she left a message for her sister saying she was being harassed by a drunken man.

Her sister and a cousin went to the campus and found Kahn?s phone, book bag and iPod on a picnic table, but she was gone.

Five days later police announced they had located Kahn and there was no abduction.

Family members posted a statement Friday on Facebook thanking the public for its support but asking for privacy as they try to heal.

Source: http://salinapost.com/2011/12/24/family-of-kansas-college-student-that-went-missing-giving-reward-to-police/

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Mindy McCready's mom wants grandson back in Fla. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. ? The mother of country singer Mindy McCready wants her grandson back.

Gayle Inge and her husband, Michael Inge, said Thursday in a news release that their 5-year-old grandson Zander should be returned to them in Florida.

Under Florida law, Inge is Zander's legal guardian. In November, McCready took the boy out of Florida without the permission of Florida's courts. The singer and her son were found in Arkansas. McCready told The Associated Press that she took the boy because she feared he was being abused at her mother's home; Gayle Inge has denied the allegations.

Zander is currently in the custody of Arkansas child welfare authorities. The Inges say Arkansas shouldn't have jurisdiction over the case and that being away from his Florida family isn't in the boy's best interest.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_en_mu/us_people_mindy_mccready

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RareWildlifeGuy: RT @LifeListChase Japan Snow Monkey greeting for you: http://t.co/shhs9cIk

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