San Francisco airport unveils yoga room for travelers (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Just cleared airport security and in need of a little deep breathing and stretching relaxation?

San Francisco Airport has opened what it calls a first of its kind yoga room, and while it's not quite a mountaintop in Tibet, airport officials say the low lights, and soothing blue walls aim to afford travelers, stressed out or sanguine, an oasis of calm in which to flex, twist and decompress.

"As far as we know it's the first (yoga room) at an airport anywhere in the world," said Michael C. McCarron, director of community affairs for the airport.

He said the idea for the room, in the newly refurbished Terminal 2, came from a passenger suggestion at an open house. It joins the Berman reflection room, a space intended for silence and meditation located before Terminal 2 security.

Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

The architects, Gensler Design, set the lights low and warm in contrast to the light, bright concourse, according to a statement, and a floating wall was constructed to symbolize "a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind. "

Large felt-constructed rocks will be installed in the Spring in a nod to the Zen gardens of Japan.

John Walsh, duty manager at San Francisco Airport, said the room is already attracting its share of travelling yogis, many equipped with their own props.

"I've seen people using it. They do yoga," Walsh said. "We have mats, but some people actually bring their own." There are also folding chairs, popular in many senior yoga sessions. So far there are no plans to hold classes.

Located just past security, it's a particular draw for people with time to kill before their flight, Walsh said.

Santa Monica-based yoga teacher Tamal Dodge believes the yoga room at the airport will be the first of many yoga spaces to be attached to airports and public transportation venues.

"How amazing will it be to stretch out and meditate before you get on a plane for a 12-hour flight," said Dodge, who is featured in the "Element: Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners" DVD.

"You are now given the opportunity to really relax and prepare your body for something as taxing as sitting in an airplane seat for hours on end," he said.

Airport yogis are directed to their room by the usual method-- the pictograph: this one of a figure seated in full lotus position.

(Reporting by Dorene Internicola; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/od_nm/us_fitness_yoga_airport

jill biden jill biden al mvp ama awards 2011 ama awards 2011 uekman uekman

Official: South Sudan cattle raid leaves 70 dead (AP)

JUBA, South Sudan ? An official in South Sudan says more than 70 people were killed in a recent cattle raid.

Interior Minister Alison Manani Magaya said Monday that a Nuer tribe from Unity state attacked a Dinka community in neighboring Warrap state Saturday. He says 70 people were wounded and attackers took more than 4,000 cattle.

The Warrap attack is the latest in a series of cattle raids since December. Ongoing raids between Nuer, Murle and Dinka communities have killed hundreds. The United Nations estimates over 120,000 people have been affected in Jonglei state alone.

Magaya said authorities had not found any links connecting the attacks in Warrap to violence in Jonglei.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July and is struggling to contain internal violence that has plagued the region for years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_af/af_south_sudan_violence

mona simpson mona simpson grady sizemore grady sizemore samhain great pumpkin charlie brown the strangers

T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything

While beans were vaguely spilled ahead of its official launch, T-Mobile UK today unveiled its latest attempt to differentiate itself from the competitive world of British carriers with a new no-holds-barred tariff. From the network that previously nixed its fair use policy around this time last year, the Full Monty offers up truly -- yes, truly; we checked -- unlimited data alongside unlimited cross network calls and text messages. While the entry-level £36 contract limits calls to 2,000 per month, unlimited calling starts at £41 per month, reaching the dizzying heights of £61 if you're shopping for the latest iPhone. New phones will similarly be absorbed into what is now T-Mob's premier contract. It'll join mobile carrier Three, which was previously the only other major operator to offer unlimited data. Alongside the above package, which includes tethering, T-Mobile phones will also nab access to BT Openzone, the UK's largest WiFi hotspot network.

When the Fully Monty launches on February 1st, it'll be accompanied by a new Android and iOS app that adds one-click connectivity to those WiFi networks. The deal isn't available SIM-only, although T-Mobile UK's Head of Propositions, Ben Fritsch, told us that the new deal is pitched at users looking to take the smartphone plunge. Its existing collection of tariffs will also see a similar refresh -- but there's no details on those just yet. American readers can gaze with envy at the full release below.

Update: Electricpig reports that there may be traffic control in effect if users (somehow) hit above 80GB.

Gallery: T-Mobile launches Full Monty tariff

Continue reading T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything

T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  T-Mobile UK  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/t7na8l9T4Ck/

weather gina carano al green at last burger king delivery etta james at last john king

Driving America: Exhibit explores car culture

The automobile gave rise to new roadside industries in America, such as the motor inn.

By Dan Carney, msnbc.com contributor

Industrial cities such as?Detroit may not be typical vacation destinations, but that doesn?t mean there aren?t worthwhile places to visit.?Think of Cleveland?s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

So, quick: What do you know about Detroit??They make cars, right??That?s why the city?s nickname is Motown and the basketball team is called the Pistons. It turns out that you don?t have to go on a tour of a car factory or watch a car-themed sports team for entertainment when in Detroit.?You can always go to a museum.? About cars.

Actually The Henry Ford?museum is about Americana, but considering the museum?s namesake founder and its location in Dearborn, Mich., the Detroit suburb where Ford?s world headquarters is located, it is no surprise that the museum?s signature exhibit is of cars.

A freshly revamped 80,000-square-foot exhibit, ?Driving America? opened to the public Sunday. While the museum?s previous automotive exhibits were presented from the perspective of the people in Detroit who designed and built cars, (they show other things too, including an upcoming visit by the touring ?Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit,? which arrives March 31), this exhibit is designed from the perspective of the general population, explained Bob Casey, automotive curator.

That means looking at the car?s impact on society, with the rise of previously non-existent traffic laws, taxes on gasoline, roadside industries to support drivers and a rise in consumer interest in safety.

The Henry Ford

The "Driving America" exhibit features a 1949 Airstream Trailwind travel trailer and a 1959 Volkswagen Westfalia camper.

Courtesy The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford integrated 18 touchscreen kiosks into the "Driving America" exhibit

Of course there is plenty of Detroit iron to see, along with cars from other places. The car on display that probably summarizes the change in public attitudes toward personal mechanized transportation is the locomotive-like Roper, of 1865.

When Sylvester Roper built a series of steam-powered, self-propelled carriages and motorcycles in the middle of the 19th century, the cars were regarded as curiosities, which people would pay to see drive around at the fair but had no interest in owning.

But near the turn of the century, opinion had changed, so when the Duryea car appeared in 1896, there was a public frenzy of interest in buying cars that launched the industry.? ?By 1896 there was a huge change in the public?s attitude,? Casey said.

This change drove the car?s influence on society through the 20th century, as illustrated by the roadside diner and Texaco gas station exhibits.? Some of these influences have waxed and waned, as shown by a ?talk like a trucker? demonstration.? No, it's not a lesson in cursing cars that cut you off in traffic, but a primer on citizens band, or CB radio, slang of the 1970s.

But the cars themselves are the real reason people go to a car museum.? Casey said that visitors most often ask the whereabouts of the ?65 Mustang.? His personal favorite is the 1906 Locomobile that won the famous Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island in 1908, because he recalls reading about that car in a book when he was in junior high school, he said.

I was irresistibly attracted to the 1935 Miller Indy Car, for its amazing technology from eight decades ago.? But the best part is that with 130 vehicles and 60 display cases, ?Driving America? is likely to have your favorite, too.

If that isn?t enough, the museum has an Imax theater and is co-located with Greenfield Village, Ford?s re-creation of an American town in the 19th century.? And if you are really hoping to get a little grease under your fingernails, there is the option of going on a tour of Ford?s Rouge factory, which once made the Model T and now makes Ford F-150 pickups.

If you go
Admission: adults, $17; seniors, $15; children 5-12, $12.50; children 4 and under, free.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

More on Itineraries

?

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252895-driving-america-museum-exhibit-explores-cars-impact

miss america pageant 2012 jose aldo vs chad mendes lana del rey shipwreck john 3 16 alex smith 49ers broncos

Etta James remembered as triumphant trailblazer

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Donto James, son singer Etta James speaks at his mother's funeral, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Christina Aguilera performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Christina Aguilera performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

GARDENA, California (AP) ? Rhythm & blues legend Etta James was remembered at a service Saturday attended by hundreds of friends, family and fans as a woman who triumphed against all odds to break down cultural and musical barriers in a style that was unfailingly honest.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, eulogized James in a rousing speech, describing her remarkable rise from poverty and pain to become a woman whose music became an enduring anthem for weddings and commercials.

Perhaps most famously, President Barack Obama and the first lady shared their first inaugural ball dance to a version of the song sung by Beyonce, who portrayed James in the film "Cadillac Records." Sharpton on Saturday opened his remarks by reading a statement from the president.

"Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and her contributions to our nation's musical heritage," Obama's statement read.

The Grammy-winning singer died Jan. 20 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She had retreated from public life in recent years, but on Saturday her legacy was on display as mourners of all ages and races converged on the City of Refuge church in Gardena, south of downtown Los Angeles.

Among the stars performing tributes to James were Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, who told the gathering that she has included "At Last" in every concert she's performed as a tribute to her musical inspiration.

Wonder performed three songs, including "Shelter In the Rain" and a harmonica solo. James' rose-draped casket was on display, surrounded by wreaths and floral arrangements and pictures of the singer.

Sharpton, who met James when he was an up-and-coming preacher, credited her with helping break down racial barriers through her music.

"She was able to get us on the same rhythms and humming the same ballads and understanding each other's melodies way before we could even use the same hotels," Sharpton said, referring to the era when racial segregation was the law in many U.S. states.

He said James' fame and influence would have been unthinkable to a woman with James' background ? growing up in a broken home during segregation and at times battling her own demons.

"The genius of Etta James is she flipped the script," Sharpton said, alluding to her struggles with addiction, which she eventually overcame.

"She waited until she turned her pain into power," he said, adding that it turned her story away from being a tragic one into one of triumph.

"You beat 'em Etta," Sharpton said in concluding his eulogy. "At last. At last. At last!"

The assembly roared to their feet, and would again stand to applaud performances by Wonder and Aguilera, who filled the sanctuary with their voices.

"Out of all the singers that I've ever heard, she was the one that cut right to my soul and spoke to me," Aguilera said before her performance.

Throughout the service, a portrait of James as a woman who beat the odds in pursuit of her dreams repeatedly emerged.

"Etta is special to me and for me, because she represents the life, the triumphs, the tribulations of a lot of black women all over this world," said U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, a California Democrat.

"It does not matter who sang 'At Last' before or after Etta. It does not matter when it was sung, or where it was sung. 'At Last' was branded by Etta, the raunchy diva ? that's her signature and we will always remember her."

James won four Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honor, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. In her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate, soulful singing voice.

She scored her first hit when she was just a teenager with the suggestive "Roll With Me, Henry," which had to be changed to "The Wallflower" in order to get airplay. Her 1967 album, "Tell Mama," became one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, a mix of rock and gospel music.

She rebounded from a heroin addiction to see her career surge after performing the national anthem at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She won her first Grammy Award a decade later, and two more in 2003 and 2004.

James is survived by her husband of 42 years, Artis Mills, and two sons, Donto and Sametto James.

"Mom, I love you," Donto James said during brief remarks. "When I get to the gates, can you please be there for me?"

___

Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-28-Etta%20James-Funeral/id-1d902050374c4cecb43a8f6b2fda27db

is jon bon jovi dead jon bon jovi jon bon jovi kim jong il died warren hellman survivor south pacific survivor south pacific

Romney, Gingrich focus on Hispanic voters in Fla. (AP)

DORAL, Fla. ? Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney urged conservatives to back off aggressive anti-immigration policies as the Republican presidential candidates vied for Hispanic votes Friday, a day marked by heightened tensions entering the final weekend before Florida's primary.

"I'm very concerned about those who are already here illegally and how we deal with those 11 million or so," Romney said. "My heart goes out to that group of people. ... We're not going to go around and round people up in buses and ship them home."

The compassionate approach, like Gingrich's calls for politically practical reform, was aimed at improving the Republican Party's tarnished reputation among Hispanics. Both men delivered speeches Friday to the same group of Hispanic leaders gathered in Miami but avoided ? at least briefly ? criticizing each other in what now looks like a two-man race for the nomination.

Any calls for temperance on immigration didn't apply to personal attacks elsewhere.

The former House speaker released a new television ad in Florida using former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to question Romney's integrity. "If a man's dishonest to get a job, he'll be dishonest on the job," Huckabee says in the ad.

However, Huckabee said he didn't approve of his appearance in the ad and had been quoted out of context. Reiterating his stand against making a primary endorsement, he wrote on his PAC website: "My hope is to defeat Barack Obama and win majorities in both the House and Senate, not to attack any of the presidential candidates who might be our nominee."

Romney flashed a newfound confidence as he campaigned the day after delivering a strong debate performance. "I've had the fun of two debates where I had to stand up and battle, and battling was fun and battling was won," he told cheering supporters gathered at Cape Canaveral.

He later likened Gingrich's complaints to "Goldilocks," the fairy tale character who complained of the temperature of her porridge.

Tensions boiled over between the Gingrich and Romney representatives at a stop in Delray Beach. Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond confronted Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is among several high-profile Romney surrogates tailing the former House speaker.

Surrounded by reporters and cameras, Hammond goaded Chaffetz for employing a tactic that even 2008 presidential nominee John McCain has called into question. McCain is a Romney backer who on Friday said he would discourage that type of infiltration.

"What you're saying is you're disregarding the advice of one your top endorsers?" Hammond asked Chaffetz.

"Speaker Gingrich has routinely said he would follow the president from place to place. We think it's a good idea," Chaffetz responded, referring to Gingrich's threat, if he wins the GOP nomination, to follow President Barack Obama from city to city to get the last word.

The outburst overshadowed a detailed discussion about immigration, in which the rivals called for democracy in Cuba and across Latin America, touching a theme that caused clashes between the GOP front-runners at Thursday night's debate in Jacksonville.

Immigration is a flashpoint issue in Florida for the GOP candidates, who are trying to strike a balance between sounding compassionate toward immigrants and firm about stemming the tide of illegal workers. The state has roughly 1.5 million Hispanic voters.

Gingrich pushed for a measured approach to revising the nation's immigration laws, "because any bill you write that is comprehensive has too many enemies." The former House speaker says he wants stricter border control, faster deportation proceedings and a guest-worker program for certain immigrants.

If elected, Gingrich said he would bring to bear "the moral force of an American president who is serious about intending to free the people of Cuba and willingness to intimidate those who are the oppressors and say to them, `You will be held accountable.'"

Romney said the United States needs to work harder to promote democracy across Latin America and elsewhere. He compared it to selling soda: "We convince people around the world to buy a brown, caramel-colored water called Coca-Cola and to pay like a half day's wage for it. And they'll buy it. It's unbelievable. We're able to convince people of things that sometimes you scratch your head. ... And yet democracy, we don't sell that so well."

Military dictatorships allied with the United States ruled much of South America in the 1970s, but most nations returned to democracy in the 1980s.

Romney also pledged to appoint a Latin American envoy and to create a task force to focus on drug trafficking and other issues.

Hours after the speech, Romney also won the coveted endorsement of Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, who joined Romney at an Orlando campaign stop late in the day. Romney and Gingrich said earlier that Puerto Rico should be granted statehood if local voters approve a looming referendum.

Opinion polls show a close race, with a slight advantage for Romney. Two other contenders, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, were far behind.

Paul has already made clear his intention to skip Florida in favor of smaller states that cost less to campaign in. On Friday, he began a two-day visit to snowy Maine.

Santorum, who had been campaigning aggressively here, conceded that he's better off at home, sitting at his kitchen table Saturday doing his taxes instead of campaigning in a state where he can't keep up with the GOP front-runners.

Outside advisers were urging him to pack up completely and not spend another minute in Florida, where he is cruising toward a third straight loss.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

the island mcdonalds beating dreamcatcher georgia tech big east expansion big east expansion google buzz

Automotive and Diagnostic Tools Funding

Automotive tools are exceptionally specialized in nature. A number of a time a particular automotive resource serves only a single intent. Hence it?s critical to possess a set of automotive tools to prevent any interruptions while in the business. Then again the automotive resource set is extremely overpriced. From time to time, the price of this resource is more compared to the value of vehicle that requires repair. At times the price of resource set could very well be a lot more compared to the vehicle needs to be fixed. Therefore automotive resource financing is becoming critical presently.

There can be some reputable financing organisations have an know-how in financing automotive tools. You could search for their benefit by submitting an online software provided by them. They ensure very quickly approval of this quantity required to accumulate automotive resource set.

Automotive tools financing is normally offered beneath many methods. Automotive Air compressor is a single between them which assists in acquiring the tools which prices 1000s of dollars. There can be many different types of compressors like compact air compressor, piston compressor, single stage compressor, two stage compressor and so on. Caused by automotive resource financing it?s potential for almost all organisations to accumulate any of this aforementioned different types of air compressors.

Automotive hand resource financing is required to keep prepared a well-equipped set of hand tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, clamps, sockets, installer or remover equipments and many others. These tools are indispensable for operating an automotive repairing business. Getting any one of them is inexpensive to all. But keeping a set of this sort of tools is absolutely overpriced and for that reason the need for automotive hand resource financing is important.

Welder financing is still an additional class of automotive resource financing. A high quality welder is essential for your automotive business. There can be some precise welders like arc welder, stick welder, TIG welder, and MIG welder and so on. They are really critical to use heat in the presented location. The refined nature of this welders raises their price tags and that?s why automotive repair business customers go for automotive resource financing to accumulate them.

Automotive waste and recycling tools are required by a number of organisations for disposing the hazardous wastes in the safer way. In truth several stores unearth it lucrative to recycle the wastes. Hence this sort of equipments are getting to be critical in an automotive repair stores. They are really exceptionally overpriced and being a final result of which automotive resource financing is required to accumulate these equipments.

Brake lathe is still necessary tools in any automotive repair stores. They allow you to labor on all kinds of brakes. You may require a mixture of brake lathe, hefty duty brake lathe or automotive brake lathe based upon the type of your online business. Then again any kind of brake lathe is overpriced instead of potential in the attain of all. Therefore brake lathe financing is important.

The automotive marketplace has undergone a lot of modifications while in the previous hundred decades. Holding your self up-to-date of this modifications and applying the newest tools can help improve your revenues. While critical, this tools is very overpriced and so seeking the benefit of a financing corporation is required. Some real financing organisations provide you with aid to accumulate automotive tools with no any webtrotteurs disheartening processes.

Source: http://baseballclick.com/automotive-and-diagnostic-tools-funding/1438/

sandusky interview with bob costas live oak mark kelly mark kelly jeff goldblum uc berkeley ohio state basketball

iPhone 5 said to get 4-inch screen, new design

The iPhone 5 will get a larger screen and a new shape, according to a new report.?

Last fall, the tech press ? and we include ourselves in this category ? got extremely jazzed up about the imminent arrival of the iPhone 5, which many bloggers thought would be thinner and faster and flatter than all other iPhones that had come before. Of course, what Apple actually unveiled was the iPhone 4S, essentially an internally bulked-up version of the iPhone 4, with a better camera and the Siri voice-activated personal assistant.?

Skip to next paragraph

Have no fear! An Apple iPhone 5 is actually on the way, according to the tech site 9 to 5 Mac, which cites a source at Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer that provides many Apple parts.?

"The?iPhone 5, as it is currently being called, is now gearing for production," writes Seth Weintraub of 9 to 5 Mac. "The source said various sample devices are also floating around (they vary slightly from one another), so it is impossible to tell which one will be the final."

Still, Weintraub says that all of the sample devices have a few things in common. For one, they all have different body shapes than the current iPhone ? although none of the samples are teardrop shaped, as had been previously rumored. And all of the devices have screens larger than 4 inches, up from the current 3.5-inch display. Finally, Weintraub notes, none of the samples are in final form.?

In other words, things can change, and they probably will. Apple is known for throwing out finished prototypes because they weren't perfect.

For what it's worth, the rumors floated by 9 to 5 Mac don't seem that outlandish to us. After issuing two phones with identical boxy curves, and identical 3.5-inch displays, Apple is due for a shake-up. And a screen size shake-up is a good way to do that, especially considering the recent arrival of some tremendously large smartphone displays, like the 4.65-inch monster screen on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.?

Up, up, and away.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/AUVSYPMYFo4/iPhone-5-said-to-get-4-inch-screen-new-design

jeremy london butterball turkey fryer butterball turkey fryer yale harvard dan henderson oregon ducks oregon ducks

Gulf Coast Supply + Manufacturing Opens Metal Roofing Facility in Florida

By Joel Scanlon

The new 7,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility presents the Treasure Coast customers with its innovative products and services, benefiting several contractors, architects, and proprietors of the locality.

So far, the company has served the Southeast customers with its quality metal roofing systems. This expansion is one of the major objectives for Gulf Coast Supply to be a pioneer in the metal roofing industry, according to Jonathan Sherrill, the company?s Vice President.

The Stuart facility is located proximal to Florida?s Turnpike and Interstate 95 and provides seamless delivery service to the major areas of Florida. The Stuart plant is a centerpiece that symbolically promotes the Gulf Coast Supply?s metal building offerings to the public.

Sherrill further said that Gulf Coast Supply, besides serving the regions of Florida, has proven to be the ideal metal roofing manufacturer benefiting the architects, homeowners, and contractors across South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and the Caribbean.

Last year, the annual FRSA Roofing and Sheet Metal Expo showcased the innovative products of Gulf Coast Supply with its new company logo that strengthens the company?s branding. Gulf Coast Supply furthermore established another new facility at 14480 NW US Highway 441, Alachua, FL, 32615.

Headquartered at Horseshoe Beach, Gulf Coast Supply?s staff members working at Stuart and Alachua locations are intended in presenting the customers with product knowledge and seamless, dedicated customer service.

Source: http://www.gulfcoastsupply.com/

Posted 25th January 2012

Source: http://www.azobuild.com/news.asp?newsID=14850

adventureland sean hannity kroy biermann nene leakes danny woodhead aaron hernandez aaron hernandez

Obama to Republicans: Game on (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama delivered an election-year broadside to Republicans: Game on.

The GOP, from Congress to the campaign trail, signaled it's ready for the fight.

In his third State of the Union address, Obama issued a populist call for income equality that echoed the Occupy Wall Street movement. He challenged GOP lawmakers to work with him or move aside so he could use the power of the presidency to produce results for an electorate uncertain whether he deserves another term.

Facing a deeply divided Congress, Obama appealed for lawmakers to send him legislation on immigration, clean energy and housing, knowing full well the election-year prospects are bleak but aware that polls show that the independent voters who lifted him to the presidency crave bipartisanship.

"I intend to fight obstruction with action," Obama told a packed chamber and tens of millions of Americans watching in prime time. House Republicans greeted his words with stony silence.

The Democratic president's vision of an activist government broke sharply with Republican demands for less government intervention to allow free enterprise. The stark differences will be evident in the White House's dealings with Congress and in the presidential campaign over the next 10 months.

In the Republican response to the president's address, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who once considered a White House bid, railed against the "extremism" of an administration that stifles economic growth.

"No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant effort to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others," Daniels said, speaking from Indianapolis. "As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat."

Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday the protracted policy fight with Republicans is "not about bad guys and good guys," but centers on how best to keep the middle class growing in America.

The administration has worked hard to strike deals with congressional Republicans on a wide array of issues, he said, including steps to rein in the mounting federal deficit. But Biden added that time after time in talks he held with congressional figures in both parties, he was told little could be accomplished because of the wall of opposition from 86 conservative House Republicans.

"It's like the tail is wagging the dog," the vice president said.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., called the differences between the parties "stark" and said he thought little could be accomplished on the federal debt until the two sides come to grips with the skyrocketing costs of health care and the Medicare program.

"I don't think anyone wants to pay higher taxes," Cantor said. And he said Washington needs to "get out of the mindset" that the country's problems can be solved with new programs and accept that small business "is the backbone" of the economy.

In his speech, Obama said getting a fair shot for all Americans is "the defining issue of our time." He described an economy on the rebound from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with more than 3 million jobs created in the last 22 months and U.S. manufacturers hiring. Although unemployment is high at 8.5 percent, home sales and corporate earnings have increased, among other positive economic signs.

Republicans say the president's policies have undermined the economy.

Obama "had the opportunity and the responsibility to level with the American people, admit that the policies of the past three years have delivered an underwhelming record of economic growth and job creation, and show an interest in changing direction and uniting, not dividing the nation," said Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., head of the Republican Policy Committee. "The president failed to meet that responsibility."

There were brief moments of bipartisanship. Republicans and Democrats sat together, continuing a practice begun last year. The arrival of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt, elicited sustained applause and cheering, with chants of "Gabby, Gabby." Republican Rep. Jeff Flake escorted her into the chamber and Obama greeted her with a hug.

The president received loud applause from both sides when he said: "I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more."

But all that belied a fierce divide.

Obama ticked off items on a hefty agenda that he wants from Congress ? a path to citizenship for children who come to the United States with their undocumented parents if they complete college, tax credits for clean energy, elimination of red tape for Americans refinancing their mortgages, a measure that bans insider trading by lawmakers and a payroll tax cut.

Political reality suggests it was largely wishful thinking on Obama's part. The payroll tax cut and must-do spending bill are the most likely legislative items to survive the election year.

But Obama's far-reaching list and the hour-plus speech offered a unique opportunity to contrast his record with congressional Republicans and his top presidential rivals, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

"Anyone who tells you America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about," Obama said ? a clear response to the White House hopefuls who have pummeled him for months.

In an attack on the nation's growing income gap, Obama called for a new minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million. Many millionaires ? including Romney ? pay a rate less than that because they get most of their income from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.

"Now you can call this class warfare all you want," Obama said. "But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense."

Obama calls this the "Buffett rule," named for billionaire Warren Buffett, who has said it's unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Emphasizing the point, Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, attended the address in first lady Michelle Obama's box.

Obama made his appeal on the same day that Romney released some of his tax returns, showing he made more than $20 million in a single year and paid around 14 percent in taxes, largely because his wealth came from investments.

In advance of Obama's speech, Romney said, "Tonight will mark another chapter in the misguided policies of the last three years ? and the failed leadership of one man."

Obama highlighted his national security successes ? the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the diminished strength of al-Qaida and the demise of Moammar Gadhafi. In hailing the men and women of the military, the commander in chief contrasted their cooperation and dedication with the divisions and acrimony in Washington.

"At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations," Obama said. "They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example."

Obama leaves Washington for a three-day tour of five states crucial to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy; and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.

He also addresses a conference of House Democrats focused on their own re-election in Cambridge, Md., on Friday.

Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.

Biden was interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America," NBC's "Today" show and "CBS This Morning." Cantor appeared on CBS and MSNBC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_state_of_the_union

vanessa paradis when will ios 5 be released when will ios 5 be released ipod nano watch ipod nano watch dancing with the stars elimination dancing with the stars elimination

Cluttered cubicle may make you more organized

Anthony D'Ambrosio

A messy desks may lead to clearer, more organized thinking, a new study shows

By Linda Carroll , msnbc.com contributor

Attention bosses who harass employees to clean up their cluttered cubicles:?As it turns out, messy desks may lead to clearer, more organized thinking, a new study shows.

And this effect may not just be limited to the worker with the messy desk. The study results suggest that the mess-effect may impact all those sitting near the clutter, says Jia Liu, a researcher at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Conventional wisdom is that a messy desk leads to a messy mind, Liu says. But sometimes the mess sparks a desire for simplicity, making people to think in a more organized fashion, she adds.

Liu and her colleagues ran a series of experiments to determine how people react to clutter, according to the report published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

In one experiment, 49 college students were asked to sit at a cluttered cubicle, a tidy cubicle, or one that was in-between.?

After sitting at the desk, the volunteers were asked to rate on a scale of one to nine how well a series of statements fit them: ?It upsets me to go into complicated situations,? ?I would like to simplify my life as much as I can,? ?I would like to keep things simple,? and ?I am bothered by complicated things.?

Next the volunteers were given a test in which they needed to sort 33 products into groups ? the volunteers had to come up with an organizing principle themselves.

When the results were in, it was clear that people sitting at messy desks came up with much simpler organizing principles. They were also the ones who scored high on questions like, ?I would like to simplify my life as much as I can.??

Liu and her colleagues concluded: ?Opposite to conventional wisdom, we found that participants working at a messy desk displayed simpler cognitions. This is because messiness induces a need for simplicity.?

The study suggests that someone else?s mess might do just as well to spark a need for simplicity. ?Other people?s messy desks may indeed help us to organize things simply, as in our experiment the mess was not generated by the participants,? Liu says. ?They were placed in a messy environment.?

Does that mean bosses should maybe encourage employees to be messy?

Not so fast, Liu says.

?We?d be careful with making recommendations,? she explained. ?One reason is that simplification is not always desirable. In addition, we suspect that extreme mess certainly impairs efficiency.??

?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10216893-cluttered-cubicle-may-make-you-more-organized

acl doc martin doc martin ohio state university ohio state university hennessy hennessy

The Culture Gabfest, ?Sh*t Tuskegee Airmen Say? Edition

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner are joined by Slate?s Bryan Curtis to discuss Curtis? New York Times Magazine profile of George Lucas, whose latest film Red Tails, about the Tuskegee airmen in World War II, opened last week. Next, they consider the pros and cons of the collaborative vs. solitary workplace. For their final segment, it?s ?sh*t Gabfesters say? as the new YouTube meme gets thoroughly dissected.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=0e78b1f6e18ed89d355836018d157afb

britney spears engaged craig smith craig smith eat to live eat to live ron paul money bomb ron paul money bomb

Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seize Libyan town

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) ? Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seized control of a Libyan city and raised the ousted regime's green flag, an official and military commanders said Tuesday, in the most serious revolt yet against the country's government.

The retaking of Bani Walid highlights the vulnerability of Libya's new leaders, who have faced mounting criticism as they struggle to unify the oil-rich North African nations and build state institutions from scratch three months after Gadhafi was captured and killed.

The seizure also appeared to be the first major, organized operation by armed remnants of Gadhafi's regime, adding to the security woes of the ruling National Transitional Council. The council has so far made little progress in unifying armed forces. Instead it is left reliant on multiple "revolutionary brigades," militias made up of citizens-turned-fighters, usually all from a specific city or even neighborhood.

The militias were created during the months of civil war against Gadhafi's forces last year and when the war ended in October, the various brigades remain in control of security affairs of each city they liberated. Though loyal to the NTC, they have also feuded among themselves and acted on their own initiative, and the council has been unable to control them.

Hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gadhafi's forces battled for eight hours in Bani Walid with the local revolutionary brigade, known as the May 28 Brigade, which was eventually driven out, said Mubarak al-Fatmani, the head of Bani Walid local council. The Gadhafi loyalists then raised the green flag over buildings in the western city.

On Monday's attack, he said four revolutionary fighters were killed and 25 others were wounded.

The revolutionary brigade had kept only a superficial control over the mountain city, a longtime Gadhafi stronghold which was one of the last to fall to NTC rule late last year.

"The only link between Bani Walid and the revolution was May 28, now it is gone and 99 percent of Bani Walid people are Gadhafi loyalists," said the head of Bani Walid's military council, Abdullah al-Khazmi, confirming the fall of the city. He spoke to The Associated Press at a position on the eastern outskirts of Bani Walid, where hundreds of pro-NTC reinforcements from Benghazi were deployed, with convoys of cars mounted with machine guns.

A top commander of a revolutionary brigade in Bani Walid, Ali al-Fatmani, who was present in Benghazi during the attack, says he has lost contact with other fighters in the town.

The three officials said the attackers belong to Brigade 93, a militia newly created by Gadhafi loyalists who reassembled after the fall of the regime. The fighters, flush with cash and heavy weaponry including incendiary bombs, have been increasing in power in the city, they said.

A month ago, Gadhafi loyalists attacked another revolutionary brigade from Tripoli that entered Bani Walid, killing 13, said al-Fatmani.

"The council (NTC) did absolutely nothing," said al-Fatmani, the local council chief, who resigned from his post to protest the NTC's failure to investigate the ambush. He still holds his position, since his resignation has not yet been accepted.

The revolt has underlined the weakness and what is seen as reluctance of the NTC in delivering and meeting promises. Protests have surged in recent weeks, with people demanding that the interim leaders deliver on promises of transparency and compensation for those injured in the fighting.

On Sunday, the head of the NTC Mustafa Abdul-Jalil suspended the Benghazi representatives on the council after protests in the city accusing the body of corruption and for not moving forward on reforms. The second top official in the NTC has also resigned. Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, was where the movement that toppled Gadhafi began and it served as the capital of the movement until Gadhafi's fall.

Bani Walid, located in the mountains 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, was one of the last Gadhafi strongholds to fall to revolutionary forces amid a monthslong civil war. It held out for weeks after the fall of the regime, with loyalist fighters dug into its formidable terrain of valleys and crevasses.

Gadhafi's son and longtime heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, was long believed to have been hiding in the town. Seif al-Islam, who has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, was captured in November by fighters from the town of Zintan in Libya's western mountains, who continue to hold him.

The main tribe in Bani Walid is a branch of the Warfala tribal confederation, which stretches around the country with around 1 million members. The Bani Walid branch was one of the most privileged under Gadhafi, who gave them top positions and used their fighters to try to crush protesters in the early months of last year's uprising against his rule.

Such has left the tribe with deep mistrust and enmities with the rest of the cities, especially those whose residents have suffered the most during the uprising.

The fighters who rose up in Bani Walid on Monday belong to Brigade 93, a militia created by Gadhafi loyalists who reassembled after the fall of the regime in August, said al-Khazmi and the local council chief.

The brigade is named after a famous coup against Gadhafi in 1993 by members of the Warfala tribe. Gadhafi ordered executions and arrests of all the military officers involved in the coup, except for a few. Among those spared was Salem al-Aawar, who is believed to have helped the regime uncover the plot and who is believed to head Brigade 93, said al-Khazmi.

The Britain's Foreign Office said that tension is not between pro-Gadhafi loyalists but between tribal leaders and the National Transitional Council.

"This follows increased tensions in this area in recent weeks with local tribal leaders," a ministry spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity. "These events underline the importance of an inclusive political process, which the Libyans are working hard to take forward together with rebuilding Libya," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-Libya/id-5e04fe0a21cb4d87b6a8d3277b1e5d54

android ice cream sandwich shia labeouf teleprompter ashley greene mukesh ambani mukesh ambani bob harper

Demi Lovato Takes Twitter Break

Say farewell to Demi Lovato, fans. You might not be seeing her for awhile. In the Twitterverse, that is.

The singer has taken a break from the social networking service, posting two messages last night, the first of which was a mysterious reference that likely led to the second:

Lovato made news a couple weeks ago when she addressed recent struggles and actually took issue with God in a series of Tweets.

Since then, she's reportedly split with Wilmer Valderrama and struggled through a People's Choice Awards performance. So maybe it's a good call for Demi to relax a bit, take some time to herself and recharge.

As always, we wish her the best.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/demi-lovato-takes-twitter-break/

cruise ship italy patriots broncos game gisele bundchen saints willis mcgahee willis mcgahee new orleans saints

Dave Johnson: To Get Our Economy Back Hold Cheaters, Fraudsters And Exploiters Accountable

The spiral-to-the-bottom and inequality we are suffering is not an inevitable result of globalization, it is what happens when we don't hold cheaters and exploiters accountable and stop them. This is not just about Wall Street, it is the story of what has happened to our wages and benefits, jobs, factories, companies, industries, economy and democracy in the last 30-or-so years.

Cheaters, Fraudsters and Exploiters

If cheaters and exploiters are not held accountable and fraudsters are not prosecuted, then the advantages this brings them forces honest players out. We're all waiting to see if there is a deal in the works that lets big banksters off the hook for mortgage fraud and other (uninvestigated) crimes, making their shareholders pay fines for them instead. But that story of the 1%'s fraud and cheating and the consequences to the 99% are not what I am writing about here. This post is about how letting 1%er cheaters, fraudsters and exploiters off the hook has hurt America's manufacturing and trade.

Apple Can't Make It Here

Recent news stories about Apple hilight how we allowed our thriving, high-paying manufacturing sector to erode, with the result that our middle class is in decline. Apple used to proudly make their computers in the United States, but now everything is made in Asia. The NY Times' Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher, in How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work describe how China's massive government subsidies and exploitation of workers mean "Those jobs aren't coming back."

The Entire Supply Chain Is Over There

China has done what it needs to do to bring factories, which bring supply chains, which bring industries. The NYT story describes what it means to have an entire supply chain located where the factories are,

When an Apple team visited, the Chinese plant's owners were already constructing a new wing. "This is in case you give us the contract," the manager said, according to a former Apple executive. The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory. It had a warehouse filled with glass samples available to Apple, free of charge. The owners made engineers available at almost no cost. They had built on-site dormitories so employees would be available 24 hours a day.

The Chinese plant got the job.

"The entire supply chain is in China now," said another former high-ranking Apple executive. "You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That's the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours."

Subsidies are often a violation of trade rules. Even so, as the article says, "The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory." So, of course, "the Chinese plant got the job." Meanwhile, our own country has resisted having an "industrial policy" to keep our industries and foster new ones. This is finally changing, but good efforts like "Buy American" and President Obama's green energy policies are fought tooth-and-nail.

Exploited Workers

Another key part of China's advantage is the ability to exploit workers and get away with it -- which lets Apple get away with it, too. And when Apple sees violations, it doesn't stop them.

One former executive described how the company relied upon a Chinese factory to revamp iPhone manufacturing just weeks before the device was due on shelves. Apple had redesigned the iPhone's screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.

A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company's dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.

"The speed and flexibility is breathtaking," the executive said. "There's no American plant that can match that."

Later in the story,

The first truckloads of cut glass arrived at Foxconn City in the dead of night, according to the former Apple executive. That's when managers woke thousands of workers, who crawled into their uniforms -- white and black shirts for men, red for women -- and quickly lined up to assemble, by hand, the phones.

... The company disputed some details of the former Apple executive's account, and wrote that a midnight shift, such as the one described, was impossible "because we have strict regulations regarding the working hours of our employees based on their designated shifts, and every employee has computerized timecards that would bar them from working at any facility at a time outside of their approved shift." The company said that all shifts began at either 7 a.m. or 7 p.m., and that employees receive at least 12 hours' notice of any schedule changes.

Foxconn employees, in interviews, have challenged those assertions.

Apple Audits Its Suppliers, Finds Many Violations

Earlier this month Apple released a report describing the practices of its suppliers. NY Times: Apple Lists Its Suppliers for 1st Time,

Apple said audits revealed that 93 supplier facilities had records indicating that over half of workers exceeded a 60-hour weekly working limit. Apple said 108 facilities did not pay proper overtime as required by law. In 15 facilities, Apple found foreign contract workers who had paid excessive recruitment fees to labor agencies.

And though Apple said it mandated changes at those suppliers, and some showed improvements, in aggregate, many types of lapses remained at general levels that have persisted for years.

William K Black, writing in Apple's Foreign Suppliers Demonstrate Widespread Scamming and Horrific Abuse of Employees at AlterNet, looked at Apple's report. Black writes that the audit of suppliers, "shows that anti-employee control fraud is the norm."

Black says that two things stand out in the report,

First, Apple rarely terminates suppliers for defrauding their employees - even when the frauds endanger the lives and health of the workers and the community - and even where Apple knows that the supplier repeatedly lies to Apple about these fraudulent and lethal practices. Second, it appears unlikely in the extreme that Apple makes criminal referrals on its suppliers even when they commit anti-employee control frauds as a routine practice, even when the frauds endanger the worker's and the public's health, and even when the supplier repeatedly lies to Apple about the frauds. Apple's report, therefore, understates substantially the actual incidence of fraud by the 156 suppliers (accounting for 97% of its payments to suppliers).

As Black wrote, "Apple knows that the supplier repeatedly lies to Apple about these fraudulent and lethal practices" and "...it appears unlikely in the extreme that Apple makes criminal referrals on its suppliers" Apple doesn't stop these violations. They get too much of a competitive advantage out of it.

This Is Fraud

When you buy a product you assume that it is on the shelf at the cost you are asked to pay because laws and regulations were followed and standards were met. So you buy the one that has the right quality at the right price. But what if a product has a low cost as the result of cheating, exploitation and violations of environmental, labor and trade laws? What if there is a lie at the root of the transaction you are engaged in?

China's massive investment in capturing entire industries -- a violation of trade laws -- means that many of the components of the high-tech manufacturing supply chain have migrated out of the US to that country. And China's non-democracy political system means that workers have few, if any rights, and often the rights they have are not enforced. Black says American companies taking advantage of this are engaging in "a form of control fraud (fraud in which the head of a company subverts it for personal gain)."

Anti-employee control frauds most commonly fall into four broad, but not mutually exclusive, categories - illegal work conditions due to violation of safety rules, violation of child labor laws, failure to pay employees' wages and benefits, and frauds based on goods and loans provided by the employer to the employee that lock the employee into quasi-slavery.

Allowing Fraud Drives Legitimate Businesses Out Of Existence

The key point Black makes is that allowing cheating, fraud and exploitation to continue brings them advantages that drive legitimate businesses out,

George Akerlof, in his famous article on markets for "lemons" (largely describing anti-customer control fraud), explained the perverse "Gresham's" dynamic in 1970: "[D]ishonest dealings tend to drive honest dealings out of the market. The cost of dishonesty, therefore, lies not only in the amount by which the purchaser is cheated; the cost also must include the loss incurred from driving legitimate business out of existence."

A Criminogenic Environment

Specifically, what this means to companies that try to compete with companies like Apple,

Anti-employee control fraud creates real economic profits for the firm and can massively increase the controlling officers' wealth. Honest firm normally cannot compete with anti-employee control frauds, so bad ethics drives good ethics out of the markets. Companies like Apple and its counterparts create this criminogenic environment by selecting least-cost - criminal - suppliers who offer components at prices that honest firms cannot match. Effectively, they hang out a sign - only the fraudulent need apply to be suppliers

When we let companies get away with building products in places that violate trade rules, allow environmental degradation, exploit workers, cut corners on safety, use cheap components and ingredients, these companies get cost advantages that force honest companies out of business. This is the story of our economy. This is why our middle class is engaged in a race to the bottom.

Should Companies Like This Exist In The US?

Robwert Cruickshank puts two and two together, in a must-read post, Thinking Differently About Apple and 21st Century Society. He writes,

In the last year or two, it's become increasingly clear that the way Apple makes its products is deeply flawed. Working conditions at the factory which makes most of their products - Foxconn in Shenzhen, China - are so appalling that workers engaged in a rash of suicides in 2010 to ameliorate their own suffering. Earlier this year workers threatened mass suicide over pay and working conditions. And of course, there's the fact that Apple makes these products overseas rather than in the United States, where unemployment remains at some of the highest levels we've seen since the Great Depression.

Cruickshank asks if companies with this attitude should be allowed to continue to do business? He writes that Apple has,

...a narrow focus on their products and their profits, and disdain wider concerns for the good of society. When an unnamed Apple executive was asked about their role in addressing America's economic problems, their response was revealing:

They say Apple's success has benefited the economy by empowering entrepreneurs and creating jobs at companies like cellular providers and businesses shipping Apple products. And, ultimately, they say curing unemployment is not their job.

"We sell iPhones in over a hundred countries," a current Apple executive said. "We don't have an obligation to solve America's problems. Our only obligation is making the best product possible."

That quote is perhaps the best encapsulation of the pathologies of the modern American corporation. In fact, Apple does have an obligation to solve America's problems. Everyone who lives in this country has that obligation. And corporations have that obligation too. If they don't want to help make things better, then they shouldn't exist.

Then he gets to the wider point,

The notion that companies exist only to generate profit or build a specific few set of products is corrosive. Those profits and products serve the rest of society. And as a part of that society, companies and their executives exist to make that society a better place. If they are engaged in a set of practices that make society worse off, then those actions are indefensible and need to be changed.

For the last 30 years, American businesses have been devoted to a single-minded pursuit of maximizing short-term profits. Unsurprisingly, this has had profound ripple effects throughout the rest of society. The economy became focused on those profits, and so with it followed politics, culture, and our values as a civilization.

By now it should be clear to everybody that while this works well for the small elite that has hoarded all these profits - the so-called "1%" - it has utterly failed to provide a happy and fulfilled life for everyone else.

Here I quote Cruickshank quoting Black, who is looking at Apple's report of its suppliers, with "overwork and other forms of employment fraud being rampant."

As William K. Black explains at Alternet, this is a good example of what may be a widespread tolerance for fraud in the global economy:

These frauds take place abroad, but they harm employees at home. Mitt Romney explains that Bain had to slash wages and pensions to save firms located in the U.S. who had to meet competition from foreign anti-employee control frauds. The damage from foreign anti-employee control frauds drives the domestic attack on U.S. manufacturing wages. Bad ethics increasingly drive good ethics out of the markets and manufacturing jobs out of the U.S. and into more fraud-friendly nations.

"These Frauds Take Place Abroad But They Harm Employees At Home"

Once again, for emphasis, "these frauds take place abroad, but they harm employees at home."

If we want the downward slide to stop we have to decide to hold the cheaters, exploiters and fraudsters accountable for their actions. At home the efforts by the giant corporations to keep the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from doing their jobs, enforcing the rules and holding them accountable further show how this is affecting us all. Abroad we have to demand enforcement of labor and trade rules so companies like Apple can not gain advantages that put more ethical and honest companies out of business. We certainly should not be letting products made there have cost advantages here and stiff tariffs can fix that. Letting companies get away with this makes democracy a competitive disadvantage.

We have to get mad and hold the cheaters, fraudsters and exploiters accountable.

This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.

Sign up here for the CAF daily summary.

?

Follow Dave Johnson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dcjohnson

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/to-get-our-economy-back-h_b_1224889.html

being human chicago news chicago news golden girls robert e lee dez bryant aaliyah

Study finds new genetic loci associated with menopause onset

Monday, January 23, 2012

An international team of researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and other institutions has uncovered 13 genetic loci, linked to immune function and DNA repair, that are factors in the age of onset of menopause.

Menopause -- the cessation of reproductive function of the ovaries -- is a major hormonal change that affects most women when they are in their early 50s. Most prior studies of the age of onset of menopause have focused on genes from the estrogen-production pathway or vascular components.

In the new study, published online Jan. 22 in Nature Genetics, a research team led by Kathryn Lunetta, professor of biostatistics at the BU School of Public Health, and Joanne Murabito, associate professor of medicine at the BU School of Medicine, identified 13 novel loci associated with menopause onset, while confirming four previously established loci. Most of the 17 loci are associated with genes related to DNA damage repair or auto-immune disease; others are linked to hormonal regulation.

"Our findings demonstrate the role of genes which regulate DNA repair and immune function, as well as genes affecting neuroendocrine pathways of ovarian function in regulating age at menopause, indicating the process of aging is involved in both somatic and germ line aging" the authors said.

Lunetta said the new findings "bring us closer to understanding the genetic basis for the timing of menopause. They may also provide clues to the genetic basis of early onset or premature menopause and reduced fertility.

"We hope that as a better understanding of the biologic effects of these menopause-related variants are uncovered, we will gain new insights into the connections between menopause and cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and other traits related to aging, and that this will provide avenues for prevention and treatment of these conditions," she said.

According to Murabito, director of the research clinic at the Framingham Heart Study, "It will be important to determine if a genetic variant that directly influences age at menopause also increases risk for later life health conditions, such as breast cancer."

The authors said they expected further research to identify "a substantial number of additional common variants" that impact age of menopause, and that many of them will be located in genes identified in their study. The study examined more than 50,000 women of European descent who had experienced menopause between the ages of 40 and 60.

The research team noted that a large-scale study of menopause onset in African-American women is underway, which will help to determine whether the genetic variations that affect menopause onset in African-American women are similar or substantially different for women of primarily European descent.

Besides Lunetta and Murabito, senior authors on the study include: Anna Murray, a senior lecturer in genetics at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter (UK); and Jenny A. Visser, a scientist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (Netherlands).

###

Boston University Medical Center: http://www.bmc.org

Thanks to Boston University Medical Center for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 18 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116942/Study_finds_new_genetic_loci_associated_with_menopause_onset

uc berkeley ohio state basketball annie annie zuccotti park leymah gbowee hunger games trailer

Colbert: 'Herman Cain is me' (Politico)

CHARLESTON, S.C. ? If Herman Cain could attract the crowd that came to see Stephen Colbert here, he might still be running for president.

But the former pizza executive didn?t seem to mind playing second fiddle before the hundreds of students and onlookers that packed into a college courtyard to watch the Comedy Central star turned faux presidential candidate lampoon the political process.

Continue Reading

Scenes ahead of Colbert rally

Even if the joke appeared to be on Cain.

The event had all the trappings of a real political rally: A peppy marching band, a large ?Vote Cain? banner as the backdrop and a stirring rendition of the ?Star-Spangled Banner.?

Yet it was clear the man at Colbert?s side was not the star attraction.

?Before I introduce the man, we?re all gathered here to see introduce me,? Colbert said to laughs during his seven-minute introduction of Cain, which was not surprisingly peppered with jokes about the ex-candidate. ?Herman Cain is an outsider. In fact, he is such an outsider he?s not even running for president anymore.?

?I want you to vote for Herman Cain, because Herman Cain is me,? Colbert said to hoots and hollers. ?We both flout convention when it comes to things like taxes and debt and how many Ubekis there are in Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan.?

With Colbert?s urging, Cain received a rousing welcome to the stage, where a gospel choir stood to greet him.

?Mr. Colbert could not get on the ballot. I could not get off the ballot,? he said, explaining how the two personalities came together for the event.

But it was apparent that the further Cain dove into his message ? that Washington is broken and only people from the outside can steer it back on track ? the more he lost the electricity in an audience that came primarily for Colbert.

When he leveled his common charge that ?Washington is broken,? a smattering of students shouted back ?occupy.?

As Cain meandered through his decision to endorse ?the people? rather than a particular candidate and plugged his website, someone yelled, ?bring back Colbert!?

A final gratuitous reference to his 9-9-9 plan prompted a student to chide, ?stop it.?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71735_html/44248821/SIG=11m42f029/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71735.html

giuliana rancic the cabin in the woods the cabin in the woods trace adkins the darkest hour the darkest hour neverland

A year later, Egypt activists seek more revolution

In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 photo, a man stands next to an impromptu video presentation in the Zamalek neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, as part of the "Liars" campaign _ "Kazeboon" in Arabic. Hundreds of impromptu street shows highlighting military abuses have been put on around the country in past weeks, sometimes more than 10 a day. Egypt is nearing the first anniversary of the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and activists are trying to garner public support to reinvigorate the revolution, now to pressure the ruling military and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 photo, a man stands next to an impromptu video presentation in the Zamalek neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, as part of the "Liars" campaign _ "Kazeboon" in Arabic. Hundreds of impromptu street shows highlighting military abuses have been put on around the country in past weeks, sometimes more than 10 a day. Egypt is nearing the first anniversary of the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and activists are trying to garner public support to reinvigorate the revolution, now to pressure the ruling military and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 photo, Egyptians gather in the Zamalek neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, to watch videos of violations by Egyptian military as part of the "Liars" campaign _ "Kazeboon" in Arabic. Hundreds of impromptu street shows highlighting military abuses have been put on around the country in past weeks, sometimes more than 10 a day. Egypt is nearing the first anniversary of the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and activists are trying to garner public support to reinvigorate the revolution, now to pressure the ruling military and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A woman holds a placard that reads, in Arabic, "if it wasn't for the revolution, the National Democratic Party would still be there," during a protest in the Shubra neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, nearly a year after the 18-day uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt is nearing the first anniversary of the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and activists are trying to garner public support to reinvigorate the revolution, now to pressure the ruling military and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 photo, Egyptian artists post an art piece made by Sad Panda, unseen, on a wall in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt is nearing the first anniversary of the start of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and activists are trying to garner public support to reinvigorate the revolution, now to pressure the ruling military and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

CAIRO (AP) ? A crowd of anti-military activists suddenly converged on a bustling Cairo boulevard, erecting makeshift screens and showing videos of soldiers beating protesters, dragging women on the ground, partially stripping one and stomping on her chest. Their message: The generals ruling Egypt have to go.

The activists who led the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year have been holding hundreds of so-called flash mobs around the country, in a campaign they call "Liars." By showing people recent abuses by the military, they say they have injected new public support for their demand that the generals quickly surrender power.

But it also raises questions.

"What do they want?" one passer-by, Mohammed Ali, asked at one such gathering this week.

"Even if (the military) are liars... we are going to get power transferred to civilians in six months. That is not bad," the 30-year-old said. "It doesn't deserve all this noise. Let's wait and see."

Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the start of the 18-day wave of protests that toppled Mubarak. Activists are trying to turn public discontent over lack of change into support for continuing revolutionary protests. But they face the task of explaining to Egyptians who are sick of turmoil: Revolution for what?

The revolution's second year, the activists say, must pressure both the ruling military, which they maintain is as authoritarian as Mubarak, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which dominates the new parliament and which they fear is allying itself with the generals.

The anniversary shows the tensions. Each of the country's power brokers has its own plans to mark the day, underlining the stark differences over the very meaning of the revolution and raising the potential for a clash. State and pro-military media blare warnings that the protesters aim to "burn the country," raising concerns over a crackdown.

The activists are organizing new nationwide protests for the occasion. Thousands rallied in Tahrir Square on Friday, kicking off what they say will be several days of demonstrations, including Monday when parliament convenes and on the Wednesday anniversary.

The military has put together its own elaborate Jan. 25 celebrations, declaring the day a national holiday. It plans a nationwide air show, including flyovers by warplanes that it boasts will be bigger than those it holds for anniversaries of the 1952 coup that first brought the generals to the helm of Egyptian politics. Other planes will drop gift coupons to the public. Officers will be decorated for their role helping the anti-Mubarak protests.

The military's message is that it supported the anti-Mubarak uprising, but the time for revolution is over.

"Stability is the first goal," said Maj. General Ismail Etman, a member of the military council that took power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 fall. "If there is tension between the people and the armed forces, it must be removed ... We want the big family to enjoy love and stability."

For the activists and many others in Egypt, the army celebrations aim to co-opt their movement.

"We are not going down to celebrate, we are going to finish our revolution," activist Ahmed Imam said at a news conference by youth movements this week. "We will not celebrate while the blood of martyrs is shed without retribution. ... We will not celebrate, because they are liars."

Critics say the military is keeping the status quo with a slight reshuffle of the cards but with the same authoritarianism and abuses by security forces, if not worse. They point to almost 100 protesters killed in military crackdowns since Mubarak's fall, some run over by armored vehicles. Nearly 12,000 civilians have been tried by military tribunals, and female protesters have been subjected to humiliating "virginity tests."

They say the revolution's vision of "freedom, social justice and dignity" has been aborted in favor of an emerging ruling coalition between the Islamists and the military.

The difficulty for the activists is that a transition plan is in place, set by the generals and backed by the Brotherhood.

The military promises to transfer power to an elected civilian president by the end of June. Before that, a constitution is to be written by a committee chosen by the Islamist-controlled parliament while the generals are still in charge.

Brotherhood officials deny any alliance with the military. They say they want the army to step down, but maintain parliament not protests can ensure they do so. They warn protesters endanger the process by creating turmoil.

Ahmed Abou Baraka, a leading Brotherhood member, said the revolution against Mubarak aimed "to grant the people sovereignty and build a state based on the rule of law."

Protests must be "within the law and ...uphold the higher interests of the state," he said.

The "Liars" campaign ? "Kazeboon" in Arabic ? has been a new way for revolutionaries to reach out to a skeptical public.

Hundreds of impromptu street shows highlighting military abuses have been put on around the country in past weeks, sometimes more than 10 a day. The campaign has mobilized thousands of volunteers, a sign of the activists' increasing reach, said Rasha Azab, an organizer.

"Kazeboon is a bridge between the street and the square ... They are now seeing that Tahrir is no longer the only expression of the revolution," she said. "They cornered us in the square. Now there are 50 squares."

Many of the gatherings have been harassed by hecklers the activists believe are hired. At this week's flash mob in Cairo's Mohandessin district, young men tried to disrupt the show. One shouted that the screen and video projectors had to be packed up in five minutes. Across the street, another yelled, "Down with revolution."

Still, the activists' plan for the future remains hazy. They want the military to step aside, but are divided about whether it should hand executive powers to the parliament, a president or to a council of civilians.

Some fear handing power to the parliament would further strengthen the Brotherhood.

"We would replace a tyrant with no popularity and a corrupt majority, with a tyrant supported by religious legitimacy and an organized majority," said Abdel-Gelil el-Sharnoubi, a former Brotherhood member who since last year's revolution has become a fervent opponent.

Ahmed Maher, of the April 6 activist movement, counters that it is the best tactic to draw the Brotherhood away from the military.

"They are civilians. We will argue with them, negotiate, fight, whatever," said Maher. "But with the military council, they will drive over us with armored vehicles."

Despite disagreements, the activists' main intention remains to use street pressure for the long haul.

"It is hard ... (but) we are creating a new country, we are creating the future," said Lobna Darwish, an activist with Mosireen, a media collective that produces most Kazeboon videos. "It is not even a choice ? when you see people die ... you feel this is a commitment to go on."

At the Kazeboon rally, Mostafa Abou-el-Wafa parked his motorcycle and joined the crowd. He intends to attend the activists' anniversary rallies, his first ever protest.

Nothing has changed under the military, the 26-year-old delivery man said, pointing to a recent bribe he had to pay to get his motorcycle licensed.

"The military council has no shame," he said. "I will go with what these people are saying."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-20-ML-Egypt-Revolution's-Second-Year/id-1a92bdcf769c4ba598cb1c592553d594

music awards 2011 music awards 2011 jill biden jill biden al mvp ama awards 2011 ama awards 2011