Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Top 10 Greatest Moments of This 47-Second-Long Video of Newt Gingrich Wearing Google Glasses at the Zoo

Like many well-behaved young boys and girls all over America, Newt Gingrich was taken to the zoo last week. The occasional presidential contender and serial adulterer wore new-fangled Google Glass for his big trip, suggesting he has likely overcome the very technophobia that inspired his last appearance on this site, a similarly inscrutable video in which he begged viewers to help him rename cell phones. (Joke?s on us, though: who doesn?t now refer to his cell phone as a ?handheld computer that allows people to have, in their hand, literally the potential to have a dramatic revolution?? As in: ?Hey, man, can I borrow your handheld computer that allows people to have, in their hand, literally the potential to have a dramatic revolution to check my Facebook??)

This most recent video, starring an old man pointing at animals, is a lot better than the cell phone one. We?ve ranked its top moments below.

10. 0:09: Gingrich says hello to a bird. ?Hello Bebe.?
9. 0:24: Gingrich?s stumpy fingers eclipse a fourth of the screen.
8. 0:42: A still photograph of Gingrich, a bird facing away from him, and two women. Gingrich?s enormous head in the Google Glasses looks like a cupcake with vanilla frosting.
7. 0:06: Gingrich is shown a painting by a bird and wants to know who it?s ?by.? (Fingers crossed its a Squak Rothko, avian abstract expressionist.)
6. 0:07: Gingrich meets the painter. Spoiler alert: it?s the bird immediately to his and the painting?s right.
5. 0:39: Gingrich is introduced to a giraffe named Vivian. ?O.K.,? he says.
4. 0:40: Apparently none of the giraffe footage is usable, because the creatures are only shown walking away from the former Speaker.
3. 0:19: The bird raises its hand to its mouth as if to remove the peanut Gingrich just fed it.
2. 0:20: The camera cuts away before the bird is shown removing the peanut Gingrich just fed it.
1. 0:01: Gingrich goes, ?O.K., Glass.?

Source: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/07/the-top-10-greatest-moments-of-this-47-second-long-video-of-newt-gingrich-wearing-google-glasses-at-the-zoo

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On rooftops, a rival for utilities

energy

58 minutes ago

Panels in the Deer Valley section of Phoenix. Utilities say the subsidies given to solar-minded homeowners are too generous.

Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Panels in the Deer Valley section of Phoenix. Utilities say the subsidies given to solar-minded homeowners are too generous.

For years, power companies have watched warily as solar panels have sprouted across the nation?s rooftops. Now, in almost panicked tones, they are fighting hard to slow the spread.

Alarmed by what they say has become an existential threat to their business, utility companies are moving to roll back government incentives aimed at promoting solar energy and other renewable sources of power. At stake, the companies say, is nothing less than the future of the American electricity industry.

According to the Energy Information Administration, rooftop solar electricity ? the economics of which often depend on government incentives and mandates ? accounts for less than a quarter of 1 percent of the nation?s power generation.

And yet, to hear executives tell it, such power sources could ultimately threaten traditional utilities? ability to maintain the nation?s grid.

?We did not get in front of this disruption,? Clark Gellings, a fellow at the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit arm of the industry, said during a panel discussion at the annual utility convention last month. ?It may be too late.?

Advocates of renewable energy ? not least solar industry executives who stand to get rich from the transformation ? say such statements are wildly overblown. For now, they say, the government needs to help make the economics of renewable power work for ordinary Americans. Without incentives, the young industry might wither ? and with it, their own potential profits.

The battle is playing out among energy executives, lawmakers and regulators across the country.

In Arizona, for example, the country?s second-largest solar market, the state?s largest utility is pressuring the Arizona Corporation Commission, which sets utility rates, to reconsider a generous residential credit and impose new fees on customers, months after the agency eliminated a commercial solar incentive. In North Carolina, Duke Energy is pushing to institute a new set of charges for solar customers as well.

Nowhere, though, is the battle more heated than in California, home to the nation?s largest solar market and some of the most aggressive subsidies. The outcome has the potential to set the course for solar and other renewable energies for decades to come.

At the heart of the fight is a credit system called net metering, which pays residential and commercial customers for excess renewable energy they sell back to utilities. Currently, 43 states, the District of Columbia and four territories offer a form of the incentive, according to the Energy Department.

Some keep the credit in line with the wholesale prices that utilities pay large power producers, which can be a few cents a kilowatt-hour. But in California, those payments are among the most generous because they are tied to the daytime retail rates customers pay for electricity, which include utility costs for maintaining the grid.

California?s three major utilities estimate that by the time the subsidy program fills up under its current limits, they could have to make up almost $1.4 billion a year in revenue lost to solar customers, and shift that burden to roughly 7.6 million nonsolar customers ? an extra $185 a year if evenly spread. Some studies cited by solar advocates have shown, though, that the credit system can result in a net savings for the utilities.

Utilities in California have appealed to lawmakers and regulators to reduce the credits and limit the number of people who can participate. It has been an uphill fight.

About a year ago, the utilities pushed regulators to keep the amount of rooftop solar that would qualify for the net metering program at a low level; instead, regulators effectively raised it. Still, the utilities won a concession from the Legislature, which ordered the California Public Utilities Commission to conduct a study to determine the costs and benefits of rooftop solar to both customers and the power grid with an eye toward retooling the policy.

Edward Randolph, director of the commission?s energy division, said that the study, due in the fall, was a step toward figuring out how to make the economics work for customers who want to install solar systems as well as for the nonsolar customers and the utilities. The commission wants to ensure, he said, that, ?we aren?t creating a system that 15 years from now has the utility going, ?We don?t have customers anymore but we still have an obligation to provide a distribution system ? how do we do that?? ?

The struggle over the California incentives is only the most recent and visible dust-up as many utilities cling to their established business, and its centralized distribution of energy, until they can figure out a new way to make money. It is a question the Obama administration is grappling with as well as it promotes the integration of more renewable energy into the grid.

Utility executives have watched disruptive technologies cause businesses in other industries to founder ? just as cellphones upended the traditional land-based telephone business, producing many a management shake-up ? and they want to stay ahead of a fundamental shift in the way electricity is bought, sold and delivered.

?I see an opportunity for us to recreate ourselves, just like the telecommunications industry did,? Michael W. Yackira, chief executive of NV Energy, a Nevada utility, and chairman of the industry group the Edison Electric Institute, said at the group?s convention.

The fight in California has become increasingly public, with the two sides releasing reports and counter-reports. A group of fast-growing young companies that install rooftop systems, including SolarCity, Sungevity, Sunrun and Verengo, recently formed their own lobbying group, the Alliance for Solar Choice, to battle efforts to weaken the subsidies and credit systems.

They have good reason. In California, as intended, net metering has proved a strong draw for customers. From 2010 to 2012, the amount of solar installed each year has increased by 160 percent, almost doubling the amount of electricity that rooftop systems can make, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. With federal tax credits and a rebate program for installation costs under the California Solar Initiative phasing out, determining how much to pay customers has become even more critical.

?Net metering right now is the only way for customers to get value for their rooftop solar systems,? said Adam Browning, executive director of the advocacy group Vote Solar.

Mr. Browning and other proponents say that solar customers deserve fair payment not only for the electricity they transmit but for the value that smaller, more dispersed power generators give to utilities. Making more power closer to where it is used, advocates say, can reduce stress on the grid and make it more reliable, as well as save utilities from having to build and maintain more infrastructure and large, centralized generators.

But utility executives say that when solar customers no longer pay for electricity, they also stop paying for the grid, shifting those costs to other customers. Utilities generally make their profits by making investments in infrastructure and designing customer rates to earn that money back with a guaranteed return, set on average at about 10 percent.

?If the costs to maintain the grid are not being borne by some customers, then other customers have to bear a bigger and bigger portion,? said Steve Malnight, a vice president at Pacific Gas and Electric. ?As those costs get shifted, that leads to higher and higher rates for customers who don?t take advantage of solar.?

Utility executives call this a ?death spiral.? As utilities put a heavier burden on fewer customers, it increases the appeal for them to turn their roofs over to solar panels.

A handful of utilities have taken a different approach and are instead getting into the business of developing rooftop systems themselves. Dominion, for example, is running a pilot program in Virginia in which it leases roof space from commercial customers and installs its own panels to study the benefits of a decentralized generation.

Last month, Clean Power Finance, a San Francisco-based start-up that provides financial services and software to the rooftop solar industry, announced that it had backing from Duke Energy and other utilities, including Edison International. And in May, NextEra Energy Resources bought Smart Energy Capital, a commercial solar developer.

But those are exceptions.

?The next six to 12 months are the watershed moment for distributed energy in this country,? said Edward Fenster, a chief executive of Sunrun, adding that if their side prevailed in California and Arizona, it would dissuade utilities with net metering programs elsewhere from undoing them. ?If we don?t succeed, the opposite will be the case and in two years we?ll be fighting 41 of these battles.?

This story was originally published on July 29, 2013 in The New York Times under the headline, "On rooftops, a rival for utilities."

Copyright ? 2013 The New York Times

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2f4d8660/sc/31/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Crooftops0Erival0Eutilities0E6C10A784196/story01.htm

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Saturday, July 27, 2013

How Brands Use Trademark Law to Gain Competitive Advantage ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Trademarks provide the exclusive right to promote goods and services under distinguishable words, phrases, symbols, designs or a combination thereof. Rooted in consumer protection law, a trademark is legally a source ...

Source: http://bhbaipblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/how-brands-use-trademark-law-to-gain-competitive-advantage-online/

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Apple iPhone 5 64gb....$350.00====Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500...$300.00

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.crvownersclub.com --- Saturday, July 27, 2013
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Source: http://www.crvownersclub.com/forums/20-mobile-electronics/22219-apple-iphone-5-64gb-350-00-samsung-galaxy-s4-i9500-300-00-a.html

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Real estate investment firms acquire four office buildings at The ...

A privately owned international real estate investment firm has acquired four office buildings at The Gateway near downtown Salt Lake City. Courtesy The Boyer Company

A privately owned international real estate investment firm has acquired four office buildings at The Gateway near downtown Salt Lake City.

Hines, which maintains its European headquarters in London and its U.S. headquarters in Houston, said it purchased the four office buildings in partnership with a real estate fund managed by the Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management.

Hines/Oaktree?s new buildings at The Gateway:

One Gateway, a seven-story structure at 90 S. 400 West encompassing 161,704 square-feet and built in 2002.

Three Gateway, a six-story property at 440 W. 200 South, with 114,197 square-feet, built in 2001.

Five Gateway, at 178 S. Rio Grande, with four stories and 64,279 square-feet, built in 2001.

Six Gateway, 460 W. 50 North, five stores and 100,528 square-feet, built in 2012.

The four properties, which were acquired from The Boyer Co., contain a total of 440,708-square-feet of office space.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Hines previously purchased the Kearns Building on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City, in 1988.

"Hines entered Salt Lake City in 1988, and we remain focused on growing our portfolio," said Dusty Harris, a Hines? managing director who heads the company?s Utah development and investment office.

The acquisition announced this week is the second joint purchase by Hines/Oaktree in Utah. Last year, the two companies joined together to buy the South Towne Corporate Center, a two-building 248,352-square-foot office complex in Sandy.

Harris described the four Gateway buildings as best-in-class assets in the healthy downtown periphery market.

The buildings are 91 percent leased with tenants including Barrick Gold, the Bureau of Land Management, The Salt Lake Tribune, Sungard Financial and Ernst & Young, according to Hines.

The properties, Harris said, ``have proven to be resilient though a difficult economic recession." And their future value has been strengthened, he said, by the new FrontRunner and TRAX airport lines.

story continues below

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/56643814-79/gateway-hines-buildings-office.html.csp

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Does California cop who pepper-sprayed Occupy protesters deserve compensation for str

Police see a lot of ugly things and it wears on them. Historically, they've been reluctant to seek help in dealing with the stresses of their job. However, things are changing as the law-enforcement culture becomes more accepting of officers ? Continue reading ->

More...

From Yahoo Health.

Source: http://forums.psychcentral.com/news-headlines/290959-does-california-cop-who-pepper-sprayed-occupy-protesters-deserve-compensation-str.html

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Dolphins Get Pretty Excited Watching Humans Do Flips, Too

Dolphins have always amazed us with their amazing acrobatic skills, so it’s nice to know that we can return the gesture! Gymnast Bonnie Anna showed off a few of her tumbling moves in front of a dolphin tank in Tampa Bay, and one dolphin was really impressed. Check it out below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/video-human-does-flips-dolphin/1-a-542589?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Avideo-human-does-flips-dolphin-542589

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bringing NY's beauty to baseball fans

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151788162183834&id=74268723833

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Rig blowout: Gulf of Mexico natural gas well catches fire

A rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and continued to burn Wednesday. No injuries have been reported, and officials stress the rig blowout wouldn't be close to as damaging as the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

By Kevin McGill,?Associated Press / July 24, 2013

Natural gas spews from the Hercules 265 drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, Tuesday. No injuries were reported in the rig blowout and there was no fire as of Tuesday evening at the site, about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement/AP

Enlarge

An out-of-control natural gas well off the Louisiana coast continued to burn Wednesday after it caught fire following a blowout that prompted the evacuation of 44 workers, authorities said.

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Meanwhile, officials stressed that Tuesday's blowout wouldn't be close to as damaging as the 2010 BP oil spill, in which an oilrig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and eventually spewing millions of gallons of oil into the?Gulf?of Mexico.

No injuries were reported as a result of Tuesday night's fire, Eileen Angelico, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, told The Associated Press.

She said it wasn't known what caused the gas to ignite. It also wasn't clear early Wednesday how and when crews would attempt to extinguish the blaze. BSEE said earlier Tuesday that a firefighting vessel with water and foam capabilities had been dispatched to the scene.

Wild Well Control Inc. was hired to try to bring the well under control. Angelico said Wild Well personnel approached the well earlier Tuesday night, before the fire, but they determined it was unsafe to get closer when they were about 200 feet (60 meters) away from it.

The gas blowout was reported Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard kept nautical traffic out of an area within 500 meters (500 yards) of the site throughout the day. The Federal Aviation Administration restricted aircraft up to 2,000 feet (600 meters) above the area.

BSEE said inspectors flying over the site soon after the blowout saw a light sheen covering an area about a half-mile by 50 feet (15 meters). However, it was dissipating quickly.

Earlier this month, a gas well off the Louisiana coast flowed for several days before being sealed.

Chris Roberts, a member of the Jefferson Parish Council in south Louisiana, said the travel restrictions might pose an inconvenience for participants in an upcoming deep sea fishing tournament.

"It could change some plans as to where some people plan to fish," he said.

Tuesday's blowout occurred near an unmanned offshore gas platform that was not currently producing natural gas, said Angelico. The workers were aboard a portable drilling?rigknown as a jackup?rig, owned by Hercules Offshore Inc., which was a contractor for exploration and production company Walter Oil & Gas Corp.

Walter Oil & Gas reported to the BSEE that the?rig?was completing a "sidetrack well" ? a means of re-entering the original well bore, Angelico said.

The purpose of the sidetrack well in this instance was not immediately clear. A spokesman for the corporation did not have the information Tuesday night. Industry websites say sidetrack wells are sometimes drilled to remedy a problem with the existing well bore.

"It's a way to overcome an engineering problem with the original well," Ken Medlock, an energy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute said. "They're not drilled all the time, but it's not new."

___

Associated Press writer Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston contributed to this story.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/OHE4reEXIxo/Rig-blowout-Gulf-of-Mexico-natural-gas-well-catches-fire

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Jimmy Fallon: Daughter's Name Revealed as Part Of His Monologue On 'Late Night' (VIDEO)

On "Late Night," Jimmy Fallon had to talk about some big baby news that broke in the media, and it wasn't the royal baby. He revealed the name of his own new baby girl.

?Welcome to Late Night, I?m your host, Da-da,? he joked to open the show. "Her name is Winnie Rose Fallon and she?s so cute. I?m giving you all the details. She?s 5 lbs, 9 ounces. I got down to the ounce -- that?s how I weigh myself as well.?

Fallon said that he and his wife, Nancy, are so happy. In fact, Fallon hasn't even taken off his hospital bracelet yet. But perhaps the most surprising thing about his big news was that it was such big news. His wife, Nancy, gave birth on Tuesday morning. Prior to that, it hadn't even been reported that the two were expecting.

Maybe because the media was so busy following the royal pregnancy. Little Prince George was born on Monday, so Fallon said they were going to have to set up a playdate.

Fallon met his wife, a producer, back in 2007 on the set of "Fever Pitch." He's 38-years old, Nancy is 46, and this is their first child together. Nancy is one of Drew Barrymore's best friends, so it's probably more likely that baby Winnie will be having playdates with Barrymore's daughter, Olive.

Olive will probably be thrilled. After all, as Barrymore pointed out recently on "Late Night," Olive absolutey loves Fallon. "She gets like very, coquettish deer eyes with him," Barrymore said.

Catch the proud new papa every weeknight at 12:37 a.m. ET on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/jimmy-fallon-daughters-name-monologue-video_n_3650717.html

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Jimmy Fallon, Nancy Juvonen Welcome Baby Girl!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/jimmy-fallon-nancy-juvonen-welcome-baby-girl/

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Oil little changed as market eyes supply data

(AP) ? The price of oil was little changed Tuesday as the market awaits the latest data on U.S. crude oil and gasoline supplies.

By early afternoon in New York, benchmark crude for September delivery was down 5 cents at $106.89 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The government's weekly report on America's inventories of crude is expected to show another drop in supplies. Falling supplies helped propel the price of oil to a 16-month high before the price dropped by $1.14 a barrel Monday.

A survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos., shows analysts expect a decline in crude oil inventories of 2.6 million barrels for the week ended July 19. That would bring the four-week drop to nearly 30 million barrels.

The American Petroleum Institute will release its report on oil stocks later Tuesday, while the report from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration ? the market benchmark ? will be out on Wednesday.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of gasoline held steady at $3.67. That's up 10 cents from a month ago and 20 cents higher than at this time last year.

Brent crude, traded on the ICE Futures exchange in London, was up 24 cents at $108.39 a barrel.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $3.07 a gallon.

? Heating oil was flat at $3.07 a gallon.

? Natural gas gained 6 cents to $3.74 per 1,000 cubic feet.

_____

AP Writer Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-07-23-Oil-Prices/id-1c899c245cd2453f818204325261b26a

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Dell shareholders convene again to vote on founder's buyout offer

By Poornima Gupta

ROUND ROCK, Texas (Reuters) - Dell Inc shareholders converge on Texas on Wednesday to vote on CEO Michael Dell's $24.4 billion buyout offer for the company after a previous meeting was pushed back a week in the hope of convincing dubious investors to accept the deal.

A meeting called last week at Dell's headquarters on the outskirts of Austin was adjourned within minutes after the company founder and his private equity partner, Silver Lake, failed to secure enough votes to take the No.3 PC maker private.

Unless it is postponed again, Wednesday's vote could decide the fate of the struggling company. Founder Michael Dell wants to take it private, arguing that a painful restructuring can best be performed away from Wall Street's scrutiny.

In the week leading up to Wednesday's meeting, Michael Dell, his advisers and proxy solicitors reached out to investors big and small to secure whatever votes they could get, according to investors who have knowledge of the meetings and calls.

A crucial player was T.Rowe Price - a major shareholder with some 71 million shares according to latest public filings - which remained opposed, even as other institutional investors such as BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard switched sides at the last minute.

One Dell shareholder told Reuters many investors feel the current offer of $13.65 a share is inadequate, but are leery of waiting for another buyer given the company's rapidly deteriorating prospects, or of letting the stock tank if the deal falls through.

It is "the best of all evils," the source said on condition of anonymity.

A ROCK, AND A HARD PLACE

Investors remain divided over Dell's prospects. Some are ready to cash out of a company increasingly vulnerable to a crumbling PC market. The company created by Dell in his dorm room in 1984, and which rapidly grew into a global market leader renowned for innovation, is a now shadow of its former self.

Others, led by billionaire Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management, are convinced the company can transform itself into a dominant provider of business computing services.

In a last-ditch attempt to torpedo Michael Dell, Icahn and Southeastern called a special board committee that was set up to consider the his buyout offer "unconscionable," saying it would cut off shareholders from the company's future. Icahn also accused the company of resorting to "scare tactics" by disclosing bad news and dismal forecasts. Dell reported a 79 percent drop in profit in its latest quarterly report.

However, one source close to the buyout group warned that Dell shares would tank if the deal falls through.

"The longer there is uncertainty, the worse it is for shareholders," said the source, who ask not to be named because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim and Nadia Damouni in New York. Writing by Edwin Chan. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dell-shareholders-convene-again-vote-founders-buyout-offer-050403699.html

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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park (The FIRM) Names Ken Grammer Managing Director

Grammer Will Oversee Continued Expansion of Facilities & Curriculum

STARKE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park (The FIRM) announces that Ken Grammer has joined the company as managing director. Grammer comes to The FIRM from VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) where he served as its driver?s club director. Grammer will oversee the day-to-day operation of The FIRM while expanding both its motorsport and military training business units.

?Ken?s background in motorsports complements our long-term goal of making The FIRM the most exciting multi-purpose motorsport facility in the southeast.?

Grammer will manage enhancements to The FIRM?s?450 acre facility in?north central Florida, including ongoing improvements to its?road course, gravel and dirt motorsport trails, off-road tracks and courses and its?classrooms, tuning shop, private garages?and firing ranges. Used for both public and private special events, The FIRM is one of the most challenging and diverse motorsports parks in the country. Grammer will supervise the expansion of The FIRM?s?road course and redevelop The FIRM?s driver?s club, while continuing to expand The FIRM?s off-road and defensive driving programs.

?We are excited to have Ken join The FIRM,? said Robert Bunn, President and General Counsel of The FIRM. ?Ken?s background in motorsports complements our long-term goal of making The FIRM the most exciting multi-purpose motorsport facility in the southeast.?

?I am very pleased to be joining The FIRM,? Grammer said. ?I see The FIRM as a fantastic pencil drawing that is ready to have the final color applied. I find the prospect of helping build The FIRM into a premier southeast motorsports destination very exciting.?

In addition to his work with VIR, Grammer has competed in several club and professional sports car race series, served as the director of operations for SCCA Pro Racing and managed championship winning race teams in SCCA, NASA and Grand-Am. In 2008, Grammer served as the first managing director of New Jersey Motorsports Park. Grammer has also promoted and managed major motorsports events throughout North America and served as race director for several professional race series. Prior to his career in motorsports, Grammer worked for 20 years in the computer software industry.

About The FIRM

The Florida International Rally and Motorsport Park?(The FIRM) is located in Starke, Florida and is the most unique, diverse and challenging action and motorsports facility in Florida. Offering professional rally-based driver training, security training, track rentals and full-service special events. For more information, visit?www.gorally.com or www.facebook.com/MotorsportHeaven.

Source: http://feeds.businesswire.com/click.phdo?i=74776c266321368cf59bb70a6d166c42

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Naples man accused of keeping Florida woman as sex slave

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Source: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130722/NEWS01/307220053/1168/RSS

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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Dozens of NJ firefighters overcome as killer heat wave nears an end

Julio Cortez / AP

A Jersey City firefighter sits at the bottom of the stairs of a building adjacent to a building where firefighters battled a four-alarm fire, on Friday, in Jersey City, N.J.

By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News

Fifty firefighters were overcome by high temperatures Friday while battling a huge blaze in New Jersey, officials said, amid a heat wave suspected in the deaths of at least a dozen people across the country this week.

Firefighter after firefighter wilted under heavy gear in temperatures that soared near 100 degrees as they battled the blaze, which was tearing through several buildings ? including three homes ? early Friday afternoon, NBC New York reported.

Twenty-three firefighters were transported to hospitals with heat-related conditions, emergency management officials told NBC New York. Twenty-seven more firefighters were treated on the scene for heat exhaustion.


Two other firefighters were taken to the hospital with back and ankle injuries. All 52 firefighters were reported as stable.

The fire erupted as temperatures soared into the upper 90s across the Northeast and to near-record highs across much of the rest of the country. New York City (100); Newark, N.J. (100); Boston (99); and Islip, N.Y. (93), all set or tied records Friday.

Power crews rushed to repair problems in the searing sun while firefighters battled blazes in the scorching heat that has lingered over the East Coast for days. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

"The cities have excessive heat warnings in effect. ... Some people don't have air conditioning, so that's going to be an issue, especially for the elderly and younger children, as well," said Michael Palmer, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, who called conditions "dangerous."

The extreme heat has been blamed for at least a dozen deaths:

  • A 2-year-old boy found dead in the trunk of a car in Wisconsin likely died of hyperthermia, or a spike in his body temperature, an autopsy showed. The boy, Isaiah Theis of Centuria, was found in the trunk of a locked car outside his home late Wednesday.
  • Also in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office was investigating three other suspected heat-related deaths, NBC station WTMJ of Milwaukee reported: that of a 71-year-old man found in his home, which was sealed with no fans or air conditioning running; that of a 79-year-old man found in his home, which was likewise sealed and uncooled; and that of a 44-year-old man who died at a hospital after having been found unresponsive in an alley with a body temperature of 108 degrees.
  • At least five people have died because of the heat this week in Maryland, authorities told NBC station WBAL of Baltimore: a middle-age man in Howard County, a toddler in Baltimore County, two women older than 65 in Wicomico County and a man older than 65 in Baltimore County.
  • Near Mayslick, Ky., Roy Allen Bishop, 78, an Alzheimer's patient, wandered off from his home and was found dead about 9 p.m. ET Tuesday from heat exhaustion, Mason County coroner's officials told NBC station WLEX of Lexington.
  • A 57-year-old man in Philadelphia who had an air conditioner that wasn't operating died from chronic obstructive lung disease and heat exposure, city officials told NBC Philadelphia.
  • Christopher J. Todd, 30, of Rochester, N.Y., died Wednesday after having hiked about 4 miles to the summit of Mount Whiteface in the White Mountains, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said. The department said the cause of death hadn't yet been determined, but it cautioned hikers to stay well hydrated while outdoors.

Relief is in sight, however, with cool breezes from the north expected to blast a dome of high pressure that has parked itself over the Ohio Valley, causing the near-record highs.

But the break will come at a price, as severe thunderstorms and hail sweep in late Friday. The National Weather Service said the storms could break over areas of the Midwest, the Great Lakes region, New York State and parts of New England on Friday afternoon and into the evening, bringing strong winds.

"We'll see a line of storms that will produce some winds that could gust at least 60 miles per hour, we could see some golf ball-size hail in spots," Palmer said.

The worst of the storms ? including damaging straight-line winds, hail and perhaps a tornado ? will come in Michigan, eastern Wisconsin, northeast Illinois, far northern Indiana and Upstate New York.

Electricity use soared to an all-time high in New York City as the work week closed out, provider Con Edison announced, with a service peak of 13,214 megawatts about 2 p.m. ET. The previous record was 13,189 megawatts on July 22, 2011, according to the company.

The heat wave has flummoxed meteorologists, because it has moved backward across America, something that rarely happens.

Normally, U.S. weather systems move west to east. The western Atlantic high-pressure system behind the hot dry weather started moving east to west last week and by Tuesday was centered over lower Michigan, said Jon Gottschalck, operations chief at the National Weather Service's prediction branch.

"It's definitely unusual and going the wrong way," Gottschalck said Thursday. "This is pretty rare."

Henry Austin and Matthew DeLuca of NBC News contributed to this report.

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Low-Cost iPhone Rumors: 'iPhone Lite' Code Names Leaked for Two Versions of Low-Budget Variant of Apple Inc. Smartphone [Report]

By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com | First Posted: Jul 19, 2013 09:38 PM EDT

A visitor tries out an iPhone at an Apple store in Beijing April 2, 2013. (Photo : Reuters)

A report from China has claimed Apple is working on two low-cost variants of the iPhone.

According to images spotted on Weibo, Phone Arena?reported the two iPhones are likely set for different markets and have distinct features.

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Follow the latest Tech news on Twitter: @LatinosPostTech

The two iPhones, dubbed as "iPhone Zenvo" and "iPhone Zagato/Bertone," have 4-inch screens but different processor and wireless connectivity options.

The "iPhone Zenvo," considered as the more affordable of the two, has 1GB of RAM and utilizes the "HP5 dual-core processor" by Samsung. The device also supports FDD 4G connectivity and Bluetooth version 4.0

In regards to the "iPhone Zagato/Bertone," the smartphone is likely to support China's local LTE standard. The "Zagato/Bertone" supports TDD 4G LTE and a "H6P" processor.

The latest speculation comes as Latinos Post reported?on images alleging to be the low-cost iPhone were spotted on Twitter. Posted by Sonny Dickson, various images showed various colored cases for the iPhone in blue, green, red, white, and yellow variants.

The cases' bright colors are similar to a report by MacOtakara, which claimed that Apple decided to produce covers with color saturation similar to the iPhone bumpers?the Cupertino-based company currently sells online. The report noted, however, that the covers for the low-cost iPhone would be black, blue, orange, pink, and white.

Apple has not issued a comment on the low-cost iPhone rumors, therefore, the report from China should be taken with caution.

? 2013 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: http://www.latinospost.com/articles/24036/20130719/low-cost-iphone-rumors-lite-code-names-leaked-two-versions.htm

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Union Pacific Train Derails in North Texas | 1 Hurt

Aledo, Texas-- A freight train derailment in North Texas has left a Union Pacific Railroad worker hurt and nine cars and locomotives off the tracks.

A Union Pacific spokesman says the derailment happened before dawn Thursday near Aledo. The area is about 15 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

Mark Davis says two locomotives and seven cars derailed. Davis says six cars were empty and the seventh carried a bulk load of cement that did not spill.

Davis says the 46-car train bound from Tucson, Ariz., to Dallas was pulling out of a side track onto the main line when the derailment happened.

Davis says a crew member was transported to a hospital with unknown injuries. Further details on the person weren't immediately available.

Source: http://www.1011now.com/news/headlines/Union-Pacific-Train-Derails-in-North-Texas--1-Hurt-215979281.html

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Houston American Energy makes management changes

Houston American Energy Corp. announced the resignation of James "Jay" Jacobs as Chief Financial Officer, effective July 19, 2013. The company also announced that it would not be renewing the employment agreement of Kenneth Jeffers, and that Mr. Jeffers' position as Senior Vice President of Exploration would terminate on August 13, 2013.

Mr. Jacobs indicated that he had been offered, and accepted, a position as Vice President ? Corporate and Business Development at a larger oil and gas company.

John F. Terwilliger, Chairman and CEO of Houston American Energy, stated, "We are sorry to see Jay leave but excited for him and his new opportunity and wish him well. He has been a valuable member of our team and we will miss him." Mr. Terwilliger added, "While we continue to look at opportunities to continue to utilize Ken's expertise and services, Ken came to Houston American with a focus on our CPO 4 block. With the termination of our interest in the block, we have determined to eliminate that position for the time being. As with Jay, we appreciate Ken's service to the company and wish him well in the future."

Tags: Houston American Energy Corp.

Source: http://www.scandoil.com/moxie-bm2/news/houston-american-energy-makes-management-changes.shtml

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Wonder won't sing in Fla. after Zimmerman verdict

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stevie Wonder says he won't perform in Florida and other states with a "stand your ground" law.

In a video posted on YouTube, the 63-year-old singer said at a concert in Quebec City, Canada, on Sunday "that until the 'stand your ground' law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again."

Wonder added: "Wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world."

The "stand your ground" law allows people to use deadly force if they believe their life is in danger.

George Zimmerman shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a February 2012 confrontation in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman said he fired his gun in self-defense.

A six-member jury acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges on Saturday.

Wonder's representative said the singer had no further comment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wonder-wont-sing-fla-zimmerman-verdict-173204108.html

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AG strongly criticizes stand-your-ground laws (The Arizona Republic)

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Senate confirms Cordray as consumer bureau chief

By Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Tuesday confirmed a director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ending a nearly two-year standoff in Congress and putting the new agency on sounder legal footing.

Democrats overcame long-held Republican objections to approve Richard Cordray's nomination to head the bureau, which was created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.

Bureau advocates and consumer law experts said Senate confirmation clears up a number of questions, including Cordray's legal status as the temporary bureau director and the agency's authority to oversee certain financial sectors such as debt collection.

"There is no doubt that the consumer agency will survive beyond the crib," Senator Elizabeth Warren told reporters earlier on Tuesday. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, set up the consumer bureau before running for the Senate last year.

The consumer bureau, which opened in 2011 and oversees mortgages, credit cards and other consumer-oriented financial products, had been a source of controversy since its creation.

Opponents said it has too much authority over a wide array of financial products. Others said it should be run by a bipartisan board rather than by a single director and funded through the congressional appropriations process instead of the Federal Reserve.

In the face of fierce Republican resistance about the agency's structure, President Barack Obama in early 2012 installed Cordray as director through a controversial "recess appointment" maneuver.

Experts said they do not expect the existence of a confirmed director will unleash a much more aggressive posture from the already active agency.

So far, financial industry representatives have said the bureau has not been as overbearing as they feared, noting the CFPB has communicated with them about new regulations and has been open to suggestions about how to improve its rules.

"At the same time, removing the big legal threat that a lack of a confirmed director created...over their heads I think gives them greater confidence, particularly in the nonbank marketplace," said Ed Mierzwinski of US PIRG, a consumer advocacy group.

Critics of the agency had argued that Dodd-Frank appeared to require that the CFPB have a confirmed director before it could exercise its authority outside of responsibilities explicitly mentioned in the law. Those areas include debt collection and credit reporting agencies.

Larry Platt, a partner at K&L Gates law firm in Washington, said the financial services industry has been acting under the assumption that the bureau's rules would stand, so it would not be rattled by Cordray's confirmation.

"The industry itself had to pretend that none of this was happening," Platt said. "It's not as if any industry participant could refuse to follow new guidance simply because they thought the guidance was illegitimate."

In its first two years, the agency has passed rules to make mortgage applications easier to understand and lending less risky, warned auto lenders on discriminatory rates, and has hinted at a crackdown on the payday lending industry.

It has also issued a number of enforcement actions, with a particular focus on credit card companies for deceptive marketing.

"Today's action brings added certainty to the industries we oversee and reinforces our responsibility to stand on the side of consumers and see that they are treated fairly in the financial marketplace," Cordray said in a statement.

LEGAL CHALLENGE, COMPROMISE

The confusion surrounding Cordray's position as director stemmed from the recess appointment move, with Republicans arguing the Senate was not truly on a recess, and therefore appointments made at that time were illegitimate.

Legal challenges to other recess appointments made by Obama had raised questions of whether Cordray's standing could come under scrutiny.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 66-34 to confirm Cordray, with 12 Republicans voting in favor of his nomination.

Earlier in the day, Democrats had threatened to change Senate rules for confirmations unless they got enough Republican votes to pass the 60-vote threshold to avert a filibuster on Cordray and other long-stalled nominations made by Obama. ID:nL1N0FM0RQ]

"This is a watchdog of Wall Street for the American consumer. That's the vote that we just had," Senator Harry Reid, the top Democrat, said after the Senate voted to close debate and move to a final decision. He also called Cordray a "very, very brilliant man."

Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said some of his concerns were relieved after Cordray agreed to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, even though the consumer bureau's funding mechanism would not change.

Portman also said he would introduce a bill to create a separate inspector general at the bureau in an effort to boost oversight. Currently, the agency is overseen by the Federal Reserve's inspector general.

Warren and another Senate Democrat said they would not oppose Portman's effort but would block any moves to weaken the agency.

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson, additional reporting by Richard Cowan and David Lawder; Editing by Karey Van Hall, Gerald E. McCormick, Andre Grenon, Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-clears-hurdle-move-ahead-cordray-confirmation-154259557.html

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Monday, July 15, 2013

Third of UK private housing off-limits for poorer families - report

LONDON (Reuters) - Private rental homes are too expensive for lower-income families in one third of Britain, with 1.3 million families incurring unaffordable housing costs, a report released on Monday shows.

Low to middle income families are increasingly turning to the private rental sector, as they are unable to pay for deposits to buy their own home or cannot access social housing, the report by the Resolution Foundation think tank said.

A typical lower-income couple with one child and net income of 22,000 pounds ($33,300) is unable to rent a two-bedroom home for 35 percent or less of their income - a widely accepted definition of affordability - in one third of local authority areas across Britain, the report said.

(Reporting By Max de Haldevang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/third-uk-private-housing-off-limits-poorer-families-125328653.html

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Sunday, July 14, 2013

'Pacific Rim' director Guillermo Del Toro discusses his favorite monster movies

'Pacific Rim' director Del Toro was behind the Oscar-nominated film 'Pan's Labyrinth.' 'Pacific Rim' hit theaters July 12.

By Jake Coyle,?Associated Press / July 13, 2013

'Pacific Rim' is directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/AP

Enlarge

The appeal of "Pacific?Rim" isn't complicated.

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Like the kind of boyhood fantasy that delights in flying men and relishes dreams of dinosaurs, "Pacific?Rim," the latest film from director Guillermo Del Toro, is predicated on the simple, childlike thrill of seeing big ol' robots and big ol' monsters slug it out.

But while summer spectacles have grown ever larger in recent years, the monster movie ? the original city-smashing genre ? has mostly ceded the multiplexes to superheroes and more apocalyptic disaster films. But 14 years after Roland Emmerich's forgettable "Godzilla" remake, Del Toro's "Pacific?Rim" constitutes a large-scale attempt to bring Japan's beloved Kaiju movies ? their monster films, of which Ishiro Honda's 1954 "Godzilla" is the most famous ? to American shores.

"Monsters have always spoken to a part of me that is really, really essential," Del Toro, the Mexican director of the Oscar-nominated "Pan's Labyrinth," said in a recent interview. "All of my life, I felt out of place. The tragedy of every monster in every movie is that they are out of place. That's the essential plight of monsters."

In the 3-D "Pacific?Rim," which Warner Bros. will release on July 12, the 25-story-high Kaiju emanate (as is tradition) from the sea one by one, each uniquely grotesque beasts. To combat these monsters and defend the coastlines of the Pacific, equally giant robots called Jaegers are built, each controlled by two brain-connected pilots.

Since he was a child, Del Toro has compulsively drawn monsters, beginning with sketches of the Creature from "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and the Phantom from "Phantom of the Opera." He's still an obsessive drawer (he has a book of drawings for every movie he makes), but creating the creatures and robots of "Pacific?Rim" meant working in an entirely different scale.

While the Kaiju films of Toho studios were a formative influence on Del Toro, he boxed up his DVDs before starting work on "Pacific?Rim," intent on making a movie that wasn't a mere homage. Instead, he took inspiration less from Japanese monster films than paintings like Goya's "The Colossus" (which depicts a passing muscular giant, with fists raised, surrounded by clouds) and George Bellows' visceral boxing paintings of hulking combatants.

"I wanted to bring the awe and spectacle of when you watch something so big that the scale is inhuman," says Del Toro. "I kept thinking of the Goya painting because it seemed detached from ethical judgment. It's so beyond human. It's like watching a tornado and a hurricane clash."

Del Toro speaks majestically about monsters and robots, which might sound comical if he wasn't so earnestly heartfelt. With "Pacific?Rim," he sought the operatic grandeur of Goya and Bellows, attempting to capture what he calls "a beautiful monster pageantry." Battles would take place in the middle of the sea, with swirling storms and torrents of water.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ETqkPCUt91A/Pacific-Rim-director-Guillermo-Del-Toro-discusses-his-favorite-monster-movies

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Iran says investors should not pass up oil investment

Big News Network.com Saturday 13th July, 2013

Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has urged foreign oil traders and investors not to lose the opportunity of making investments in Iran's lucrative oil and gas industry.

At an international conference, hosted by the Munich Security Conference Foundation, he met with Iranian and German oil managers and economic activists to outline the potential for investors in the Islamic Republic's oil, gas and energy sectors.

"Although sanctions have created some problems for Iran, they have failed to stop the development of the nation's oil industry," he said.

Qasemi told the conference: "Despite the West's unjust sanctions, Iran's oil industry has followed its development trend well, and we are going to achieve complete self-sufficiency in various upstream, midstream and downstream industries by seizing the opportunities that the West's sanctions have created for us."

He called on foreign economic enterprises to seize the opportunity to become involved in various sectors of Iran's oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

At the beginning of 2012, the United States and the European Union imposed fresh sanctions on Iran's oil and financial sectors aimed at preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

The sanctions came into force in early summer 2012.

The sanctions were imposed based on accusations that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran has rejected the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

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    Two women killed, man wounded in attack at San Francisco jewelry market

    By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Two women were killed and a man was wounded in an attack at a store in a busy San Francisco jewelry market Friday, authorities said. Police arrested a blood-covered man who they said twice opened fire on officers.

    Officers initially responded to reports that multiple people had been shot at the GiftCenter & JewelryMart in the city's South of Market district about 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) and encountered a man running out of the store.

    San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said the man, who was covered in blood, opened fire on the officers. He then fled to a nearby restaurant, where he opened fire on a second group of officers before he apparently ran out of ammunition, at which point he surrendered.

    The man had a revolver and an "edge weapon" ? described as a folding knife ? when he was taken into custody. He was being treated for superficial wounds, Suhr said.?

    It wasn't clear whether the blood that covered him was from his wounds or from the victims, Suhr said..

    Inside the market, police found the bodies of two women and a man who had been wounded in the lobby of one of its many jewelry stores. The cause of their wounds hadn't been determined, Suhr said, and no further information about them was immediately available.

    Suhr said the male victim was stable at a hospital.

    Suhr said police believed there was only the one suspect, but he said officers were scouring the area "out of an abundance of caution." He asked people in the area to stay indoors and shelter in place for the time being.

    The block where the shootings occurred is lined with jewelry stores and is near the Concourse Exhibition Center, a venue for large conventions and trade shows. No events were taking place there Friday, according to the site's event calendar.?

    Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com

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    National Portrait Gallery, London

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    Source: www.behance.net --- Friday, July 12, 2013
    Lighting Design for the extension to the National Portrait Gallery, London ...

    Source: http://architectureserved.com/gallery/National-Portrait-Gallery-London/8333947

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    Saturday, July 13, 2013

    True, Blue Planet Found Orbiting Nearby Star

    Move over, Earth. There's another blue planet in town ? or at least in our corner of the Milky Way.

    Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope deduced for the first time the atmospheric hue of a planet outside our own solar system ? and it turns out to be a "deep cobalt blue."

    But the similarities between HD 189733b, as the alien world is unpoetically known, and Earth, pretty much end there: While oceans of liquid water give our world its azure tint, that's unlikely the case with HD 189733b, which orbits a star just 63 light years away from us.

    The planet in question is what's known as a "hot Jupiter" ? a term that describes both its large mass and nearness to its parent star. Nature elaborates, describing the weather on HD 189733b as extremely hot and windy, with occasional glass rain:

    "Although the planet seems to be the shade of a deep ocean, it is unlikely to host liquid water. The exoplanet is a giant ball of gas, similar to Jupiter, and was previously often painted brown and red in artists' impressions.

    "The blue color may come from clouds laden with reflective particles that contain silicon ? essentially raindrops of molten glass. Evidence for this idea dates to 2007, when Hubble observed the planet passing in front of its star. Light from the star seemed to be passing through a haze of particles."

    But Hubble's optical resolution isn't good enough to actually "see" the planet. Instead, astronomers analyzed spectroscopically the light from the parent star and the planet together (during an eclipse from our vantage point), then measured it again when the planet was behind the star. The observation from the star minus the planet was less blue, indicating that is the color of the planet itself. According to Nature:

    "During the eclipse, the amount of observed blue light decreased, whereas other colours remained unaffected. This indicated that the light reflected by the planet's atmosphere, blocked by the star in the eclipse, is blue. ...

    " 'This is the first time this has been done for optical wavelengths,' said Alan Boss, an astrophysicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC. 'It's a technical tour de force.' The amount of visible light bouncing off a planet is typically small compared to light fluctuations in a star, making planets difficult to distinguish. Fortunately, HD 189733 b is large relative to other exoplanets ? and well illuminated."

    Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/07/11/201154940/true-blue-planet-found-orbiting-nearby-star?ft=1&f=1007

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    Friday, July 12, 2013

    Planning Your Financial Check Up - Online Banking

    Planning Your Financial Check Up

    Posted by Joseph Scorzo on Wed, Jul 10, 2013 @ 03:00 PM

    ?

    Anytime is an ideal time to take some time and review your finances.? Some time spent can help you reach your financial objectives faster, perhaps save some taxes and give you some financial peace of mind.? Here are some areas to consider:

    stethascope

    Insurance*

    • Have you chosen deductibles that provide lower premiums with an acceptable level of risk?
    • Do you have an umbrella liability policy for potential large damages?

    Our experienced insurance representatives work with one goal in mind: to satisfy the needs of every customer. We take the time to review all of your individual insurance coverage and advise you toward making an educated decision that will protect your future.

    *Insurance products are not guaranteed by Standard Bank and Trust Co., are not a deposit of Standard Bank and Trust Co., are not FDIC-insured, are not insured by any federal government agency, and may lose value.

    Mortgage

    • Could you reduce your monthly mortgage payments by refinancing your mortgage?

    Home Ownership is the American Dream...and yet it can be a complicated process.? Our Mortgage Consultants will help with one of the largest purchases you will ever make, one of the easiest purchases you ever make. We will guide you through the purchasing or refinancing process and find the best rate available for you.

    Retirement planning

    • Have you calculated your retirement income and asset needs??
    • Are you taking full advantage of your employer?s 401(k) plan or other retirement plan?
    • Are you going to make an IRA contribution?? If so, make it before April 15th and it counts as a contribution of the previous year.
    • Should you consider converting your IRA to a Roth IRA?
    • Do you have enough life insurance including cheaper term insurance?
    • ?Have you considered a life insurance trust to keep insurance proceeds out of your estate?

    Our Wealth Management Team has the expertise to provide a customized plan that includes individualized strategies, from investment management and estate planning to trust administration.

    Taking control of your financial future is an on-going process that requires some time and effort.? Just like your physical health, ignoring symptoms can often lead to larger problems down the road, so do yourself a favor and set aside some time for a financial check up at least once every six months.?

    ?

    Source: http://blog.standardbanks.com/bid/99949/Planning-Your-Financial-Check-Up

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    Wednesday, July 10, 2013

    Immigration, student loans top congressional plans

    WASHINGTON (AP) ? Congress returned Monday to potentially incendiary fights over nominations, unresolved disputes over student loans and the farm bill, and the uncertainty of whether lawmakers have the political will to rewrite the nation's immigration laws.

    The cooperation evident in the Senate last month with passage of a bipartisan immigration bill could be wiped out immediately if Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., frustrated with GOP delaying tactics on judges and nominations, tries to change the Senate rules by scrapping the current three-fifths majority for a simple majority.

    Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has indicated it's a decision Reid could regret if the GOP seizes Senate control in next year's elections.

    "Once the Senate definitively breaks the rules to change the rules, the pressure to respond in kind will be irresistible to future majorities," McConnell said last month, looking ahead to 2014 when Democrats have to defend 21 seats to the GOP's 14.

    McConnell envisioned a long list of reversals from the Democratic agenda, from repealing President Barack Obama's health care law to shipping radioactive nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain in Reid's home state of Nevada.

    Recently elected Democrats have clamored for changes in Senate rules as Obama has faced Republican resistance to his nominations.

    Two Cabinet-rank choices ? Tom Perez as labor secretary and Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency ? could be approved by the Senate this month after a loud debate over administration policies.

    The GOP also has challenged Obama's three judicial nominees to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as they've tried to eliminate the vacancies. The Senate scheduled a vote late Monday on a less contentious nomination ? Gregory Phillips to serve as U.S. circuit judge for the 10th Circuit.

    Reid had served notice in April that the Democratic majority could change the Senate rules on "any given day," and he was willing to do so if necessary.

    In the Republican-controlled House, courteous behavior, even within the GOP ranks, has barely been perceptible with the ignominious failure of the farm bill. Some collaboration will be necessary if the House is to move ahead on immigration legislation this month.

    Conservatives from safe, gerrymandered House districts have rebuffed appeals from some national Republicans who argue that embracing immigration overhaul will boost the party's political standing with an increasingly diverse electorate, especially in the 2016 presidential election. The conservatives strongly oppose any legislation offering legalization to immigrants living here illegally.

    Reflecting the will of the rank and file, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and other Republicans have said the comprehensive Senate immigration bill that couples the promise of citizenship for those living here unlawfully with increased border security is a nonstarter in the House.

    Republicans were assessing the views of their constituents during the weeklong July Fourth break and planned to discuss their next steps at a private meeting Wednesday.

    Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Republicans would be hashing out "two key hot spots" in the meeting: the pathway to citizenship and health care.

    "We need to be the party of solutions and not always obstructing. And, so, I think there's an effort here that we have a broken immigration system. We need to fix this immigration system," McCaul said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," predicting that the full House could take up immigration as early as this month and representatives from both chambers could be working to resolve differences in the House and Senate versions late this year or early next.

    The House Judiciary Committee has adopted a piecemeal approach, approving a series of bills, none with a path to citizenship that Obama and Democrats are seeking. Democrats hope the single-issue bills get them to a conference with the Senate, where the prospects for a far-reaching overhaul improve.

    "I think what you're finding is that there will be a compromise, a smart compromise," Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., said Sunday, also on CBS. "You have to be smart. You have to be tough. But you have to be fair. And if you can do that, you'll have a full fix."

    A more pressing concern for some lawmakers was the fate of the five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill.

    In a surprise last month, the House rejected the bill as 62 Republicans voted no after Boehner had urged support for the measure.

    House conservatives wanted cuts deeper than $2 billion annually, or about 3 percent, in the almost $80 billion-a-year food stamp program while Democrats were furious with a last-minute amendment that would have added additional work requirements to food stamps, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

    Reid has made it clear that an extension of the current farm law, passed in 2008, is unlikely as he presses the House to pass the Senate version of the bill. That leaves Boehner to figure out the next step before the current policy expires Sept. 30.

    Some conservatives are pushing Boehner to split the bill in half and bring up separate bills ? one dealing with farm programs and one that would set policy for food stamps.

    Congress also must figure out what to do about interest rates on college student loans, which doubled from 3.4 percent last Monday because of partisan wrangling in the Senate.

    Lawmakers promised to restore lower rates when they return this week, both retroactively and before students start signing loan documents later this summer. For now, the rate stands at 6.8 percent, which is higher than most loans available from private lenders.

    Congress faces political and economic fights over the budget, with the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and Congress plodding through spending bills with no sign they will be done on time. The House is set to vote this week on the spending bill for the Energy Department.

    In a memo last week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said the House would consider three energy bills and five spending bills this month.

    In addition to legislation to keep the government running, Congress probably will have to vote on whether to raise the nation's borrowing authority, a politically fraught vote that roiled the markets in August 2009.

    The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a confirmation hearing Tuesday on Obama's choice of James Comey to serve as FBI director. If confirmed by the Senate, Comey, a top Bush administration lawyer best known for defiantly refusing to go along with White House demands on warrantless wiretapping nearly a decade ago, would replace Robert Mueller.

    The administration's recently disclosed surveillance programs are likely topics for Comey's hearing.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immigration-student-loans-top-congressional-plans-151535124.html

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