UAW president calls Ryan comments on GM plant 'ludicrous'

Washington - United Auto Workers President Bob King blasted the comments of GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, who suggested that the Obama administration was to blame for closing an auto plant in 2008 - before he took office.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Budget Committee, suggested Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention that President Obama was to blame for General Motors closing its Janesville assembly plant in December 2008.

"A lot of guys I went to high school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: 'I believe that if our government is there to support you ? this plant will be here for another hundred years.' That's what he said in 2008," Ryan told delegates Wednesday night in Tampa. "Well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year.It is locked up and empty to this day.And that's how it is in so many towns today, where the recovery that was promised is nowhere in sight."

King called Ryan's comments "so ludicrous - you know the facts"

King noted that the plant closed when President George W. Bush was in office in 2008.

During last year's labor talks "we actually put Janesville on the idle list so if GM's market share goes back up, the market improves, the plant could reopen. If it wasn't for collective bargaining, there wouldn't even be that chance."

GM announced in June 2008 that it was closing the Janesville plant, citing slow demand for SUVs and high gas prices. GM shuttered the plant in December 2008 - while Bush was still in office.

Ryan - who represents Janesville in Congress -- wrote a letter to then GM CEO Rick Wagoner in June 2008 with the state's two U.S. senators asking GM to reconsider the decision. "Rather than closing the Janesville plant, a retooled Janesville plant can assist in GM's efforts to adapt to a changing marketing" Ryan and his colleagues wrote in a letter posted on his website.

King cited Republican opposition to the $85 billion auto bailout and noted that if Obama hadn't agreed to provide assistance and save GM, all of the Detroit automaker's plants would have closed.

GM has 43 U.S. plants total, including 12 assembly plants.

King, who's a strong supporter of Obama's and a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said Ryan's speech was not accurate. "It was not factual. It was a lot of misrepresentation."

King cited Ryan's budget plan that he feels would cut social services to many poor people and give additional tax credits to wealthy Americans.

"I join all of the faith community, all of the faith leaders in saying that the Ryan-Romney budget is anti-Christian, anti-moral," King said. "It's just so wrong. (Ryan) is the guy leading the charge to really harm the most vulnerable."

Romney has fiercely criticized the UAW and labor unions in general. He has argued that the Obama administration gave special treatment to union workers during the bailout, while treating creditors less generously.

Ryan also lobbied the Obama administration in May 2009 to provide billions of dollars in loans to Chrysler Group LLC to try to save the company's Kenosha engine plant using the $25 billion Energy Department retooling loan program. "We strongly encourage you to work with Chrysler to use this available funding to retool the Kenosha engine plant in order to produce the fuel efficient 'Phoenix' line of engines," Ryan and three Wisconsin colleagues wrote in a May 2009 letter to auto czar Steve Rattner.

Chrysler announced in May 2009 as part of its bankruptcy restructuring it would close the Kenosha plant. The plant closed in October 2010, with about 600 workers losing their jobs.

The facility - once part of American Motors run by Mitt Romney's father, George - had 14,000 workers at its peak.

On Wednesday night, Ryan didn't repeat an inaccurate claim he made in a campaign stop earlier this month that Obama "broke his promise" by failing to keep the plant open.

"I remember President Obama visiting it when he was first running, saying he'll keep that plant open," Ryan said at a campaign stop in Ohio this month. "One more broken promise. We used to build Tahoes and Suburbans. One of the reasons that plant got shut down was $4 gasoline. You see, this costs jobs. The president's terrible energy policies are costing us jobs."

In fact, Obama made no such promise and the plant halted production in December 2008, when President George W. Bush was in office.

GM cited the low demand for SUVs and high gas prices during the Bush administration as the reason for closing the plant, but Obama hadn't taken office.

Obama did speak at the plant in February 2008, and suggested that a government partnership with automakers could keep the plant open, but made no promises as Ryan suggested.

The Janesville plant, which once employed about 7,000 and had 2,400 workers when GM announced it would close, remains on standby. The plant opened in 1919.

In 2009, a few dozen workers continued after the last SUV rolled off the line at Janesville to make pickup trucks for Isuzu on a contract basis.

In June 2009, GM considered three sites to locate a small car: its Orion plant in Michigan; Janesville, Wis.; and a Spring Hill, Tenn., plant slated to close in November. GM picked Orion and later reopened Spring Hill.

Ryan broke with his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, by voting for a government bailout of GM and Chrysler LLC in December 2008 without a requirement that the automakers file for bankruptcy first, as Romney had insisted.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that Ryan's southern Wisconsin district lost four auto sector plants - including two Delphi Corp. plants between 2008 and 2010.

dshepardson@detnews.com

(202) 662-8735

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120830/AUTO01/208300452/1374/rss44

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President Benigno Aquino III receives a personalized Smart Gilas Pilipinas jerse...

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President Benigno Aquino III receives a personalized Smart Gilas Pilipinas jersey during the team's courtesy call in Malaca?ang on Thursday. The basketball team won the 34th William Jones Cup in Taiwan on Aug. 26.

Photo by Robert Vi?as.

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Today&#39;s NewsStand (August 10, 2012) | Iowa Hospital Association ...

by admin on Friday, August 10, 2012

Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.

Iowa News

Spencer Hospital earns Blue Zones certification
Spencer Hospital has earned certification from the Blue Zones Project, an initiative dedicated to improving public health. The designation gives the hospital the distinction of being the first certified worksite of the four Blue Zones demonstration sites in Iowa, said Alison Simpson, community program manager of the Spencer Blue Zones Project. Blue Zone initiatives aim to help people improve their health by making small changes at home, school, work, in social settings and in local policy that make healthful choices the easiest option. (Sioux City Journal)

Supervisors discuss county mental health
At Tuesday?s weekly meeting of the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors, the Board learned more about the State of Iowa?s redesign of its Mental Health system from Community Services Director Lisa Langlitz. Basically, the State is moving from a system of local (county) mental health services to a regional system. Unfortunately, said Langlitz, the Administrative Rules for operating the system have not yet been developed and released and the amount of funding is also an unknown, so she did not have much ?hard? information to provide at this time. (Cherokee Chronicle-Times)

West Burlington hospital begins rehab clinic expansion
Beginning Monday, Great River Health Systems will begin construction on a 40,000-square-foot expansion for the Center of Rehab and Clinics. The project is estimated to cost $10 million and is scheduled to be completed by September 2013. ?The purpose of the expansion is to provide the citizens of Burlington with the highest quality of physical therapy and to provide a state-of-the-art fitness center,? said Michael AbouAssaly, medical director of the Healthy Living Clinic at Great River Medical Center. The new rehabilitation and fitness area will feature an elevated walking track, a climbing wall and an expanded exercise area. (Burlington HawkEye)

Meet Kevin Carroll, executive director of behavioral health services
Kevin Carroll is responsible for all aspects of Iowa Health?s inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs, including 56 inpatient beds and the Powell Chemical Dependency Center at Iowa Lutheran Hospital and an outpatient psychiatry clinic in West Des Moines. Since moving back to Iowa eight years ago, he has worked as a counselor at Orchard Place and most recently worked at Broadlawns Medical Center, where he was manager of outpatient mental health and social services. (Des Moines Business Record)

National News

Health care law may cut down on excessive procedures
The 2010 health care law gives Medicare and Medicaid more authority to track and reject payments for medical procedures believed to be overused, such as those involving hospital giant HCA and its alleged overuse of stents in cardiac patients, records and interviews with health care experts show. HCA, a for-profit hospital chain with 163 hospitals, discovered that several of its cardiologists could not justify cardiac procedures they performed, according to a New York Times investigation this week. Insurers and the government then paid for those unnecessary procedures. (USA Today)

U.S. hospital companies seen under microscope as costs targeted
Investors in U.S. hospital companies can expect more scrutiny of billing practices and the medical need for expensive treatments as the federal government faces greater pressure to recoup billions in fraudulent claims, analysts said. HCA Holdings Inc., the largest for-profit hospital operator in the United States, said earlier this week that federal authorities were investigating whether heart procedures performed at some of its facilities were medically necessary. (Chicago Tribune)

Slideshow: 3 hospital ratings tools compared
The U.S. government posts data on readmissions, mortality, and other measures on its Hospital Compare site. That data may be used by others to build their own ranking systems. In June, the Leapfrog Group introduced ?Hospital Safety Score? which assigns letter grades based on safety metrics. In July, Consumer Reports? hospital safety ratings were rolled out. To see how top hospitals measured up across three ratings systems, we compare hospital safety scores from the Leapfrog Group and Consumer Reports alongside the overall rankings of U.S. News & World Report?s 17 top-rated hospitals. (HealthLeaders Media)

Medical ID theft: Double danger for doctors
When Anne Peters, MD, a Los Angeles-based internist, started receiving phone calls in 2006 from patients who were not hers about medical procedures she didn?t perform or even offer at her practice, she figured out pretty quickly that she had become a victim of medical identity theft. When Dr. Peters sought advice on how to resolve the situation, she not only came up empty-handed, but she soon started feeling like a criminal herself. She was visited by federal agents, she received notices from the Internal Revenue Service regarding back taxes on $750,000 she never earned, and she was even detained once at the airport for more than an hour when she returned from a trip abroad. (American Medical News)

Source: http://blog.iowahospital.org/2012/08/10/todays-newsstand-august-10-2012/

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Analysis: Discounts back after summer restaurant slump

(Reuters) - Restaurant discounts and special offers have returned after a recent sales cool-down at some of the nation's hottest chains, a trend that threatens to squeeze industry profits at a time when food costs are set to rise.

U.S. consumers ate fewer Big Macs at McDonald's Corp, skipped some caffeine runs to Starbucks Corp and passed on the occasional burrito at Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc - sending a shiver through the investment community that has grown used to those chains posting strong growth in the face of the nation's lackluster economic recovery.

McDonald's on Wednesday vowed to focus more on value after reporting flat sales at established restaurants around the world in July - its worst showing in more than nine years.

Starbucks and Chipotle's industry-leading same-restaurant sales growth decelerated last quarter, forcing both chains to make adjustments to reinforce their positions.

The world's biggest coffee chain last week brought back its morning "treat receipts" that give discounts to customers who return in the afternoon and is offering coupons for some products.

Chipotle said it would put the brakes on menu price hikes, even though its food costs are more vulnerable to volatility because its ability to lock in costs is hampered by its use of organic produce and antibiotic-free meats.

An early sign of the shift to keep customers coming back came in June, when Darden Restaurants Inc vowed to step up value-priced promotions aimed at boosting traffic to its Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains.

The measures show that the industry, which generally had been trying to wean diners off discounts, is again finding itself in a tough spot.

"It's not clear which is a greater risk to profits - slow (comparable sales) or discounting," Sanford C. Bernstein & Co analyst Sara Senatore said.

However, what is clear is the potential for profit shortfalls driven by efforts from industry leaders like McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle and Darden to bring in more customers with discounts or other deals.

"When that happens, it puts a world of hurt on everyone," said Bob Goldin, executive vice president at food industry consulting firm Technomic.

BACON SUNDAES AND BECKHAM A HIT

Warm weather gave the restaurant industry a nice boost early this year, raising optimism and prompting some chains to shift emphasis away from discounts and deals.

Privately held Subway was the best example of that move. After shaking up the industry during the dark days of the recession by offering its foot-long sandwiches for $5, Subway has limited which sandwiches will be sold for five bucks.

In addition, many restaurants seemed to have found their footing again after emerging from the profit-denting discounting in 2008 and 2009 - the height of the recession.

High-margin coffee drinks popularized by Starbucks are now being offered everywhere from fast-food outlets to convenience stores.

Chains like Burger King Worldwide and Yum Brands Inc's Taco Bell, recently revived growth by introducing new products and "me-too" menu items. For example, Burger King unveiled a decadent bacon sundae as well as "healthy" salads and fruit smoothies like those sold by McDonald's. Taco Bell had a big hit with its Doritos Locos Tacos and is now promoting new dishes that are similar to, but less expensive than, Chipotle's.

Celebrities also helped the chains get their respective grooves back: Sports star David Beckham pitches Burger King smoothies and Chef Lorena Garcia promotes the new Taco Bell "Cantina" menu she created.

The question is whether such improvements could be sustained as the fight for a share of diners' wallets heats up again.

NO MELT-DOWN PREDICTED

Experts believe the latest slowdown at restaurants will be short-lived.

The National Restaurant Association expects total restaurant industry sales to be up for the third consecutive year in 2012, boosted by traffic gains and higher prices, Hudson Riehle, the industry group's senior vice president of research, said.

"Total (U.S.) restaurant spending in the last couple months has been down a little bit. I think for the rest of the summer that's going to remain to be the case," Kurt Salmon restaurant strategist Todd Hooper said.

Still, Hooper expects sales to recover this autumn - provided the national economic recovery continues on its slow upward trend and that restaurants are able to pass through fewer price increases than grocery stores.

The United States is in the middle of its worst drought in more than a half-century. Restaurants are able to contract much of their food, which can protect them from the sorts of price spikes that show up in supermarket meat, dairy and produce aisles.

Starbucks, McDonald's, and to a certain extent Chipotle, remain among analysts' top picks in the newly uncertain environment. Still, they urged patience as shares in those well-funded and successful companies come off record highs under the weight of less-aggressive growth assumptions.

Meanwhile, Panera Bread Co - which was one of the few chains to report accelerating sales at established restaurants in the latest quarter - has picked up more fans.

"We continue to view Panera as a defensive pick in the restaurant sector," Miller Tabak & Co analyst Stephen Anderson said in a client note that echoed the sentiment of many of his peers, who say the rapidly expanding bakery-cafe chain has been less sensitive to economic downturns.

(Reporting By Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-discounts-back-summer-restaurant-slump-050319455--finance.html

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Tyler Wetherall: The Casas Of Cuba | Rumors and News.com

Eating a freshly made breakfast from antique porcelain plates beneath a teardrop chandelier in an old colonial house while being treated like an old family friend would be considered an experience possible in only hotels of the rarest kind. In Cuba, however, it?s practically normal.

Similar to a bed and breakfast, casa particulares were created in 1997 when the government changed the law to allow Cubans to rent out rooms in their homes to tourists as an additional source of income. All other forms of accommodation ? at least until the recent changes to the laws on private enterprise ? are owned by the government, and while some hotels are incredibly glamorous, you won?t get the experience of real Cuba that you have when living with a Cuban family.

Casas ? as they are shortened ? vary hugely. Some are very basic room and board. Others feel like you?ve returned to a long lost relative, and you eat with the family becoming part of their daily life. The minority are run more formally like mini-hotels. Whatever type of casa you want, you can probably track it down. Just remember to look for the official sign on the door ? two blue triangles on a white background ? which means the household pays an annual tax and possesses a license. Prices vary between $20 to $60 and normally include breakfast.

The prevalence of antiques is a happy accident, which some savvy casa owners have come to capitalize on, knowing it appeals greatly to outsiders. Due to the limitations on imported goods, there is a ?make do and mend? culture, and everything from crockery to cars are passed down through the generations. Even low income households are likely to have some interesting items whether it?s the 1950s china or turn-of-the-century kitchen fittings that, while common here, are a rare sight in the U.S.

In general, your casa family are your most valuable source of local information, who will warn you about the perils on the street and welcome you home after a long day exploring. Here I?ve highlighted three of my personal favourites in Havana.

1932

Visually stunning, historically fascinating and wonderfully welcoming, Casa 1932 is the sort of place every traveler hopes to end up in Cuba. Enter through the stained-glass doors, into this Art Deco haven, and then wander the rooms traveling in time through the objects around you. The leafy courtyard is an ode to ?50s Americana with old tin advertising signs on the walls, while the sumptuous dining room goes further back with art deco lamps, a table laid with 19th-century china and cabinets full of treasure, such as the gambling chips from the Havana?s last casino. While the house has been in owner and interior designer Luis Miguel?s family since 1932, hence the name and many antiques, he is a magpie for all things old, especially those with a story, and he?ll happily regale you with anecdotes about his collection. The breakfast is excellent, but it?s worth booking in for dinner one night. The chefs are incredibly skilled, and Luis makes the most charming host. The large bedrooms are all elegant, but the newest room, although the smallest, was my favourite for the attention to detail and atmosphere.
Casa 1932, Calle Campanario #63, e/ San Lazaro y Laguna, Centro Havana; +53 (7) 863 6203; Price per room: $30

Casa Habana

This casa has so much going for it. Occupying an early 19th-century townhouse with the decor to match, the central location couldn?t be better for exploring the cobbled streets of Havana Vieja with Plaza Cathedral and Plaza Vieja a hop and a skip away. The bedrooms have high ceilings, large windows with original green shutters overlooking the interior courtyard and are decoratively charming. But it?s the friendly vibe here that makes it stand out. The leafy roof terrace is a social hub, as guests enjoy a mojito from the bar while watching the sun set over the rooftops of the city.
Casa Habana, Calle Habana # 209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja; enovalh@yahoo.es; +53 (7) 861 0253; Price per room: $35

Julio y Elsa Roque

The home of this lovely couple is everything that is best about staying in casas. Their main room is overflowing with ethnic finds from around the globe, old photos of Cuba hang on the walls and the shelves are stacked with books and oddities. The kitchen has that cluttered bohemian feel of a lived in house that makes you feel instantly at ease, especially when sharing breakfast family style around the big table. The rooms are clean and simple, but you don?t come here that; you come for something more elusive. Julio and Elsa take care of their guests. They will sort out your taxis, reservations and any issues that come your way, but do it all with that easy charm that comes from genuine warmth.
Consulado #162, e/ Colon y Trocadero; julioroq@yahoo.com; +53 (7) 861 8027; Price per room: $30

Source: http://rumorsandnews.com/tyler-wetherall-the-casas-of-cuba/

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Foreign National Real Estate Investing in New Jersey | Northern ...

You are here: Home / Blog / A Message To Foreign Nationals Buying Investment Property In NY Metro Areas

As many of you know, I have a strong international following of real estate investors.? I love working with them and I love even more when I get to travel to their countries to speak to their principals, partners, and groups.? One day, I hope to see every country in the world!? In speaking with new investors all the time, one thing I feel I should address is the misconception of multi-family property values here in Northern New Jersey.? I don?t think there is a multi-family market in the country that is stronger then the NY Metro areas of Northern NJ.? I follow other good markets like Tampa, Florida whose vacancy rates are about 5% now, but NJ is still stronger with continuous rental rate increases.? I say NJ is stronger for one reason and this is because the income of the demographic of renters in the area has enough room for even MORE rental rate increases without crossing the threshold of unaffordability if you consider the 33% income to rent ratio.

In addition to rental rates rising, the local NY Metro job and income levels are improving which is resulting in lower Capitalization Rates on multi-family properties.? A year ago when a 9% Cap Rate was easy to find in Jersey City, we are now having difficulty finding quality 7.5% Cap Rate investments, a healthy sign for the market believe it or not.

Investors looking to buy multi-family property must lose the double digit Cap Rate mentality in Northern NJ.? Otherwise it will be very difficult to find a quality real estate broker / agent to work with you because us good ones know where the market is trading at and putting in effort to find that type of inventory that we know does not exist is a waste of their time and the investors time.

Popular multi-family markets that we service, we have analyzed recent sales and have listed the average Capitalization Rate and what you can expect to see for a quality deal in these areas.

Jersey City ? 7.5%

East Orange ? 8.0%

Newark ? 7.0%

Hoboken ? 4.9%

Bloomfield ? 6.8%

I?m not saying that stronger Cap Rates don?t exist at all, but I am saying that there is so much hyper-activity / demand for multi-family that most in this range are selling quickly.? If you are holding out for 10% Cap Rates like some of my investors, you will be sitting on that lonely fence for a long time.? Now is definately the time to buy and build your Cap Rate through annual rent increases and adding value to your asset.

Here is an interesting quote from Marcus & Millichap Commercial Advisors:

M & M?s Jersey office report laid this to continuing uncertainty in the residential for-sale market, stemming from overall economic uncertainty and the rising tide of home foreclosures in the state. After the hold on court foreclosure actions following the ?robo-mortgage-signing? scandal was lifted this year, foreclosure rates have risen sharply.
?
Under these conditions, landlords will have the leverage to continue boosting rental rates, which have already hit new highs in 2012. By year?s end, average asking rents will reach $1,366 a month, says the report. Effective rents will jump 4 % for the year to $1,311 a month. Last year, effective rents were up 2.3%.

Meanwhile, fierce investor competition for the best properties in areas closest to Manhattan will keep investor?s capitalization rates compressed near 5%. Competition in the north is increasing driving ?risk-tolerant? investors to older and distressed properties along train lines in Essex County, and smaller investors to central and South Jersey, M & M reported, saying the trend will continue.

If you are a looking for investment property information, please call Scott Allan at 877-688-7582 Direct or e-mail HERE.? Scott Allan is one of Northern NJ?s leading experts in Commercial Real Estate.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Source: http://www.newjerseyrealestateguys.com/blog/foreign-national-investment-property/

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Evidence further suggests extra-terrestrial origin of quasicrystals

ScienceDaily (Aug. 7, 2012) ? Results from an expedition to far eastern Russia that set out to find the origin of naturally occurring quasicrystals have provided convincing evidence that they arrived on Earth from outer space.

Writing in IOP Publishing's journal Reports on Progress in Physics, Paul J Steinhardt and Luca Bindi reveal that new, naturally occurring quasicrystal samples have been found in an environment that does not have the extreme terrestrial conditions needed to produce them, therefore strengthening the case that they were brought to Earth by a meteorite. Furthermore, their findings reveal that the samples of quasicrystals were brought to the area during the last glacial period, suggesting the meteorite was most likely to have hit Earth around 15 000 years ago.

"The fact that the expedition found more material in the same location that we had spent years to track down is a tremendous confirmation of the whole story, which is significant since the meteorite is of great interest because of its extraordinary age and contents," said Steinhardt.

In their report, Steinhardt and Bindi describe the expedition in which ten scientists, two drivers and a cook travelled 230 km into the Koryak Mountains of far eastern Russia to pan one and a half tons of sediment by hand, and survey local streams and mountains.

The group of researchers were on the look-out for naturally occurring quasicrystals -- a unique class of solids that were first synthesized in the laboratory by Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman in 1982. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2011 for this discovery.

The concept of quasicrystals was first introduced by Steinhardt and his student Dov Levine. Until their work, it had been believed that all solids, synthetic or natural, form ordinary crystals -- materials whose entire structure is made of a single-type cluster of atoms that repeat at regular intervals, joining together in much the same way as identical tiles in bathroom tiling.

It was also thought that crystals could only have two-, three-, four- and six-fold symmetries; however, Steinhardt and Levine found a new theoretical possibility, which they dubbed quasicrystals. A quasicrystal has two or more types of clusters that repeat at different intervals with an irrational ratio, which allows all the symmetries that were thought to be forbidden, such as five-fold symmetry, to be possible.

Since their discovery in the laboratory, researchers have created over one hundred artificial quasicrystals that have been used in a variety of applications, from non-stick frying pans and cutlery to ball bearings and razor blades.

Only one natural quasicrystal has been previously documented: a sample in the Museum of Natural History in Florence, Italy, that was located and identified by the two co-authors and their collaborators in 2009. They found the sample to have the symmetry of a soccer ball, with six axes of five-fold symmetry forbidden to ordinary crystals. This triggered a remarkable investigation to find the place where the sample came from, which, as Steinhardt states, involved secret diaries, smugglers, gold prospectors and bears.

Eventually, the researchers found the person, Valery Kryachko, who had removed the sample from a remote area of Chukotka in the Russian mountains back in 1979.

In the summer of 2010, the researchers' experiments indicated that the sample was meteoritic and had come from not just any type of meteorite, but a CV3 carbonaceous chondrite -- a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite formed at the beginning of the solar system.

"Now there was real motivation to turn this fantasy trip into a reality. It was a long shot, but if we could find even one sample there, it would prove the bizarre story we had put together beyond any shadow of doubt and provide new sources of material for studying this very strange meteorite that formed at the beginning of the solar system," Steinhardt continued.

Now that Steinhardt, Bindi and their expedition team have collected even more samples from the original site in Chukotka, there are a number of questions that can now be answered with further investigation.

"What does nature know that we don't? How did the quasicrystal form so perfectly inside a complex meteorite when we normally have to work hard in the laboratory to get anything as perfect? What other new phases can we find in this meteorite and what can they tell us about the early solar system?

"At the moment, we are at the tip of the iceberg," said Steinhardt.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ETzkbwTDftg/120809190727.htm

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Standard Chartered begins fighting back on Iran allegations

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Standard Chartered won some help from Britain's central bank governor on Wednesday in its fight against the New York banking regulator's allegations that it had hidden $250 billion of transactions with Iran.

The London-based bank lost more than a quarter of its market value in 24 hours after the New York State Department of Financial Services threatened late on Monday to cancel its state banking license, dubbing it a "rogue institution" for breaking U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Standard Chartered shares bounced 8.3 percent on Wednesday to 13.32 pounds, up from the 3-year low of 10.92 pounds they hit in the last two days, but still down 17 percent since the New York regulator made the allegations.

The bank's top executives were working on its defense strategy on Wednesday, having already contested the regulator's figures, saying only a tiny proportion of the Iran-related transactions - less than $14 million - were questionable under U.S. sanctions rules.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King drew unfavorable comparisons on Wednesday between this case and other U.S. action against British banks, such as the interest rate-manipulating investigation into Barclays PLC.

In the Barclays case, all regulators in Britain and the United States produced coordinated reports after the investigation was complete, he said, but in Standard Chartered's case, "one regulator but not the others has gone public while the investigation is still going on".

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the New York regulator Benjamin Lawsky had angered officials at the U.S. Treasury Department and Federal Reserve by going it alone.

"I think all the UK authorities would ask is that the various regulatory bodies that are investigating the particular case try to work together and refrain from making too many public statements until the investigation is completed," said King.

F-WORD RANT

On Monday Lawsky had reproduced what he said were quotes from an unidentified Standard Chartered executive in a conversation in 2006 that demonstrated the bank's "obvious contempt" for U.S. banking regulations.

"You f---ing Americans. Who are you to tell us, the rest of the world, that we're not going to deal with Iranians?" the quote read.

A source familiar with the situation said the bank's Group Finance Director Richard Meddings, one of five executive directors at the time, was the unnamed man.

Meddings did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

A spokesman for Standard Chartered in London said: "This is not a quote we recognize as coming from Richard or any other of our directors."

The bank emphasized that the remark was "something someone said had been said" and did not appear in any document.

The BoE's King said he did not share the view held by some that the move was part of a concerted U.S. effort to undermine London as a financial center, following the Barclays probe and a U.S. Senate panel report that criticized HSBC Holding's efforts to police suspect transactions.

One British lawmaker said the affair was part of a "political onslaught" in the United States against British banks.

"I think it's a concerted effort that's been organized at the top of the U.S. government. I think this is Washington trying to win a commercial battle to have trading from London shifted to New York," said John Mann, a member of parliament's finance committee, who also called for a parliamentary inquiry.

A British executive at an institution that ranks among the top 25 shareholders in Standard Chartered also said politics was motivating U.S. officials.

"Are we starting to see an anti-London bias in U.S. regulatory activities?" the executive asked. "Oh yes. Is there any subtle form of banking sector protectionism going on? Yes."

One of Standard Chartered's top 10 shareholders said it was surprising that the bank had been caught up in the scandal, given that the bank had reassured investors it was clean and had a "superior culture".

"I get the impression that they do think a lot about risk, or at least they communicate that to investors, and so it is quite interesting that they have tripped up on a risk thing. According to the DFS, they were undertaking such activities knowing what the risks were."

(Additional reporting by Sinead Cruise and Kelvin Soh; Writing by Will Waterman; Editing Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stanchart-begins-fightback-iran-allegations-125330634--sector.html

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WHO official: Ebola under control in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) ? Doctors were slow to respond to an outbreak of Ebola in Uganda because symptoms weren't always typical, but a World Health Organization official said Friday that authorities are halting the spread of the deadly disease.

Joaquim Saweka, the WHO representative in Uganda, told reporters in the capital Kampala that everyone known to have had contact with Ebola victims has been isolated. Ugandan health officials have created an "Ebola contact list" with names of people who had even the slightest contact with those who contracted Ebola. The list now bears 176 names.

"The structure put in place is more than adequate," Saweka said. "We are isolating the suspected or confirmed cases."

Ebola was confirmed in Uganda on July 28, several days after villagers were dying in a remote corner of western Uganda. Ugandan officials were slow to investigate possible Ebola because the victims did not show the usual symptoms, such as coughing blood. At least 16 Ugandans have died of the disease.

Delays in confirming Ebola allowed the disease to spread to more villages deep in the western district of Kibaale, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said.

"The doctors in Kibaale say the symptoms were a bit atypical of Ebola," Museveni said in a national address Monday. "They were not clearly like Ebola symptoms. Because of that delay, the sickness spread to another village."

Saweka said that organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are helping Ugandan officials to control the spread of Ebola.

This is the fourth outbreak of Ebola in Uganda since 2000, when the disease killed 224 people and left hundreds more traumatized in northern Uganda.

Ebola is highly infectious and kills quickly. The disease was first reported in 1976 in Congo and is named for the river where it was recognized, according to the CDC.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said in a statement on Wednesday that the first victim of the Ebola outbreak was a 3-month-old girl and that of the 65 people who attended her funeral, 15 later contracted the deadly disease.

Funerals in Uganda are typically elaborate affairs that draw huge crowds. Health officials have now taken on the task of safely burying the bodies of Ebola victims, Saweka said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-08-03-AF-Uganda-Ebola-Outbreak/id-d24b3b011557449fac2900ff99445761

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Amid Lawsuits From Publishers, Boundless Launches A Free, Open Alternative To Textbooks

Since it first appeared earlier this year, Boston-based educational startup Boundless has been on a mission to ensure that college students have a free alternative to the pricey and bulky world of physical textbooks. The startup believes that an oligopoly of textbook publishers has been driving up costs for years (as the four top publishers currently control the lion's share of the market) and so it set out to change that. Naturally, as a result, Boundless has found itself on the receiving end of litigation -- courtesy of three of those top textbook publishers. Yet, in spite of having to continue wading through legal quagmires, Boundless has pressed on. Today, the startup is officially coming out of private beta and launching to the world, which includes a brand new website, interface, additional content and subjects, as well as the launch of its new "Open Textbooks," which are now available in seven subjects and provide one of the first true free, open (and digital) alternatives to traditional textbooks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cerCsrIQz1Q/

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North Dakota Senator Joins Murkowski in Alaska Energy Tour

by Abby Hancock Channel 2 News

9:00 p.m. AKDT, August 5, 2012

Anchorage, AK?

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is on a two-day energy tour in Alaska with Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota).

On Sunday, they landed in Anchorage after touring various oil and natural gas activities on the North Slope. Among the places they visited were the abandoned legacy oil wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The U.S. Government drilled more than 100 wells there and left what Murkowski calls an environmental mess behind. She said on Sunday that it was a disgrace and after touring the wells, she is eager to return to Washington and shine a spotlight on the issue.

"When they just walk away from a mess and say we'll get to that later on, that's not responsible. That's not the same standard that they hold private operators to," said Sen. Murkowski.

The senator says she intends to have Interior Secretary Ken Salazar tour the legacy oil fields.

Source: http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-north-dakota-senator-joins-murkowski-in-alaska-energy-tour-20120805,0,1765549.story?track=rss

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Russian Blue - Pushkin - Medium - Adult - Male - Cat | New York ...

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Source: http://newyork.ebayclassifieds.com/cats-kittens/new-york/russian-blue-pushkin-medium-adult-male-cat/?ad=22269078

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A Lot Of Men And Women Are Making Good Cash On The Internet ...

When you really think of it, making money online is something that can have a tremendous impact depending on the situation.

These days you are going to discover that more and more men and women are turning to the Internet in an attempt to make money simply because times are tough for everybody. There are riches to be found online, but the fact they are buried is actually a problem. In order to begin making cash online it is going to be very important for you to gather all of the information you are able to find about Internet Advertising and marketing. There?s plenty of hype online, which far too many folks fall for. Just about anything that promises incredible wealth without even working is hype, and you shouldn?t pay attention to it.

Having said that you should comprehend that more folks are becoming millionaires online than anyone else who starts any other type of business. And if you?re one of the few people that get the right information and training you?ll also be able to make money on the web. Although it takes time to make cash on the web you are going to discover that there are a few suggestions which can help you speed up this process. Obviously you need to also remember that this is something that is going to take hard work and dedication in order for you to become profitable. Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, an internet business can be started up very fast, but it takes time to make it successful.

We trust what you have uncovered thus far on the subject of making money on the Internet, and additionally the details regarding Internet marketing, is going to be helpful to you. Please keep reading more below for extra info regarding this subject.

Finding a method that is profitable for you and sticking with that strategy will lead you to online success. Something you wanna avoid doing is leaping from one a income opportunity to another mainly because it takes time to start producing an income. One more thing individuals do is expand too quickly so make certain you?re proficient in the technique you are currently using before you expand. Needless to say, don?t forget about the training you are going to need in order to become profitable. Picture assembling a bicycle for the first time without any sort of directions, starting an online business without training is like that. Without carrying out a business plan for your web based business and learning the basic skills you?ll most likely not realize success. Although you can use just the basic information to be able to get started you are going to see that with advanced training you?ll be able to produce a larger income. So long as you continue to educate yourself on Internet Marketing your earnings will continue to grow as well.

There are some individuals out there who tell you that you don?t need a web site in order to produce an income, but in my experience a site is necessary. When you have your own website more folks will look to you as a professional instead of somebody who?s just trying to make a quick buck. You ought to also recognize that your website and domain name will in addition keep rising in value the longer you have them and advertise them. You can build your own site, so don?t fall for the individuals who tell you they will build your internet site for you. There are lots of free places, that will help you figure out how to build your own website.

There are a great amount of scams on the net, so make certain you do your research before starting your business. Take your time to find the correct business, simply because most men and women fail, and you don?t want to be one of them.

Tags: Marketing, online business, internet business

Source: http://product-launch-results.com/a-lot-of-men-and-women-are-making-good-cash-on-the-internet/

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Crip Walk Dance: Serena Williams Criticized Over Olympic Celebration

Serena Williams celebrated her Olympic tennis gold medal Saturday with a seemingly harmless dance move, but its origins have some people criticizing the star.

In a brief homage to her hometown of Compton, Calif., the 30-year-old busted out an impromptu crip walk, a dance move once popularized by gang members.

Check out Serena Williams' crip walk dance below:

 

Crip Walk Dance By Serena Williams

The move mostly passed by without incident, as Serena danced for about five seconds, and the crip walk dance dates back to her childhood, two decades ago.

Clearly, she was just having fun and basking in the Olympic moment, while perhaps giving a shout-out to the L.A.-area city of her humble beginnings.

Of all things to rip Serena Williams over, it's unclear how this even makes the list. Still, some critics act as if she crip walked all over Buckingham Palace.

Fox Sports wrote after the incident:

"There was Serena - the tennis legend, the winner of 14 individual Grand Slams, the best player of her generation, the American girl being crowned at the All-England Club as the queen of tennis - Crip-Walking all over the most lily-white place in the world."

"She didn't do it on purpose. It was a moment of unbridled joy. She pumped her fist, jumped up and down, looked into the crowd, then did her ill-timed dance."

"You couldn't help but shake your head. It was as if Serena just couldn't seem to avoid dipping into waters of controversy even as she'd ascended to the top of her sport."

In a word, chill.

Serena's done plenty over the years to warrant criticism, but give it a rest. It was just a fun moment, a little dance move, not a pro-gang political statement.

What's next, Andy Murray climbing into the player's box after his win Sunday being spun as a commentary on Scotland's movement for Independence?

You tell us: What do you think of Serena's crip walk?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/crip-walk-dance-serena-williams-criticized-for-olympic-celebrati/

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CMReport: Leading Episcopalian: Catholic Church a "Threat" http://t.co/sfndoUPs

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Source: http://twitter.com/CMReport/statuses/232269632403279872

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