Scott Kelley: Longest space station sojourn will be test for Mars mission

NASA astronaut Scott?Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station. The extended mission will help provide information about far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars.

By Marcia Dunn,?Associated Press / November 27, 2012

A former space shuttle commander whose twin brother is married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attempt the longest spaceflight ever by an American.

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NASA astronaut Scott?Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2015.

Both countries' space agencies announced the names of the two veteran spacefliers on Monday. The extended mission was approved almost two months ago to provide a medical foundation for future missions around the moon, as well as far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars.

Both men already have lived aboard the space station for six months. NASA wanted experienced space station astronauts to streamline the amount of training necessary for a one-year stint. Officials had said the list of candidates was very short. They will begin training next year.

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"Their skills and previous experience aboard the space station align with the mission's requirements," Bill Gerstenmaier, head of human exploration for NASA, said in a statement. "The one-year increment will expand the bounds of how we live and work in space and will increase our knowledge regarding the effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions beyond low-Earth orbit."

Kelly's identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, retired from the astronaut corps last year and moved to Tucson, Ariz., his wife's hometown. The former congresswoman was critically wounded in an assassination attempt in January 2011, while Scott?Kelly was living aboard the space station.

NASA said neither crew member was available Monday to comment and that news conferences would be held next week to outline the mission.

Astronauts normally spend about four to six months aboard the space station. The longest an American lived there was seven months, several years back.

Russia, though, will continue to hold the world space endurance record.

Four cosmonauts spent at least a year aboard the old Mir space station. A Russian physician, Valery Polyakov, logged nearly 15 continuous months there in the mid-1990s.

Boris Morukov, head of the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems, Russia's main space medicine research center, told the Interfax news agency that communications and food rations for Kelly and Kornienko may be limited during their yearlong mission to better simulate interplanetary travel.

Kelly and Kornienko will launch aboard a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan. Americans must buy seats on Russian spacecraft now that NASA's shuttles have retired to museums, until private U.S. companies have vessels capable of carrying human passengers. That's still four or five years off.

Kelly is a 48-year-old, divorced Navy captain with two daughters. Kornienko, 52, a rocket engineer, is married with a daughter.

"We have chosen the most responsible, skilled and enthusiastic crew members to expand space exploration, and we have full confidence in them," Russian Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said in the announcement.

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___

AP writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/RGoPQOyPKDA/Scott-Kelley-Longest-space-station-sojourn-will-be-test-for-Mars-mission

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The Reasons Why We Plan For Self Improvement - Inspirational Bites

Self Improvement is a journey that we can take throughout our lives in order to achieve happiness and become the best that we can be. It is something that can make us better persons and help us attain our dreams and aspirations. Self development is not something that can be reached by just doing small things. It involves positive changes, which would bring us closer and closer to the kind of life that we want to live. To do that, it is necessary for us to come up with a plan for self improvement, and it is best if we constantly remind ourselves of the reasons why we want to do that.

First and foremost, when it comes to building your plan for self improvement, it should be written down on a piece of paper or a journal. It should be done this way so that you can refer to it from time to time, and remind yourself of the things that you need to do in order to achieve the things that you long for. With that, it is also necessary to situate the plan where you can have easy access to it or to take a glance each day, so that you can continuously take steps that are indicated in it.

Coming up with a plan for self improvement is needed, since it would serve as your map in taking the right path towards success and happiness in life. It would also show you where you are now in terms of the goals that you want to reach. After coming up with a plan for self development you can have peace of mind, knowing that you have taken the first step in gaining control of your life. Aside from that, you would also feel good and motivated because you already have a clear idea of what steps you have to take so that you can reach your dreams.

Upon creating your plan, one of the things that you have to do is to identify your strengths and weaknesses. In doing this, you would be able to know yourself better and identify the things that you have to do to reach your full potential. When you know your strengths, it is very important that you take advantage of them and put them into good use as they give you the ability to achieve your goals. On the other hand, when you know your own weaknesses, then you can determine the things that you can do in order to overcome them or even make them your strengths.

Self-assessment is a big part of making your own self improvement plan, and by recalling your achievements as well as identifying your skills and talents, it would make you more confident in tackling any kind of obstacles that would come your way.

Self improvement can be achieved with careful planning, discipline, determination, perseverance, and hard work. Without a plan, you only have a vague idea on what steps you have to take in order to accomplish it. Moreover, planning is also the time when you identify your goals, and become more aware of where you are today in terms of achieving them.

Source: http://www.inspirationalbites.com/2012/11/27/the-reasons-why-we-plan-for-self-improvement/

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Source: http://johirkhan72.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-reasons-why-we-plan-for-self.html

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Forest City Ratner Moves Ahead with Modular Project | Daily ...

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> Business, Company News, Factory-Built Homes, Modular, News Item > Forest City Ratner Moves Ahead with Modular Project

Real Estate Weekly tells MHProNews groundbreaking for the first phase of developer Forest City Ratner Companies? (FCRC) Atlantic Yards modular project in Brooklyn will be held Dec. 18 with completion set for 2014. Built in partnership with Skanska USA, a Swedish modular firm, and designed by architectural firm ShoP, the 32-story building will have 363 living units, 181 of which will be for low-to-moderate income residents and 182 for market rate. There will be 150 studio apartments, 165 one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom units. The 125 unionized workers will be organized into a newly-formed Modular Division of the Building and Construction Trades Council, and will build the 930 modules in a 100,000 square foot facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. William Femming, president and CEO of Skanska USA Building, says, ?With this project and with our partnership with FCRC and the Construction Trades, we are also building a new industry that has potential to become New York City?s newest export, a product and process that can transform how construction is done in this century. We are proud to bring our expertise in prefabrication to the residential market for the first time in New York City.?

(Image credit: Real Estate Weekly?Forest Ratner Brooklyn project)

Categories: Business, Company News, Factory-Built Homes, Modular, News Item Tags: architectural firm, bedroom units, Brooklyn, brooklyn navy yard, CEO, city forest, construction trades council, fcrc, Forest City Ratner, forestA city ratner companies, groundbreaking, MHProNews, moderate income residents, New York City, prefabrication, residential market, Skanska, skanska usa building, square foot facility, studio apartments, time in new york

Source: http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/blogs/daily-business-news/forest-city-ratner-moves-ahead-with-modular-project/

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Appstore continues Amazon's bid for global dominance with expansion into Japan

Move over various European countries -- Japan's the latest region to receive Amazon's Android "Appstore" (no, that isn't a word). The store went live today in Japan, bringing with it all you've come to expect from Amazon's virtual mobile store: Angry Birds, Facebook, and much, much more. Also in-tow is Amazon's "Free App of the Day" initiative, and a variety of unique app selections from Japan-specific developers like Square Enix and NTT Docomo. The Japanese version of the Appstore features the same cross-device functionality found in other regions, meaning one app purchase suffices for all your Android devices. Amazon isn't saying if any major, expected apps are missing from the store, and our Japanese isn't so hot, so we'd appreciate you letting us know if you spot any major whiffs in the selection department.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Amazon

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Source: Amazon

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/diykKK019C8/

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Smoking causes 270,000 cancers yearly in Europe: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Across eight European and Scandinavian countries, 270,000 people are diagnosed every year with cancers caused by smoking, according to a new study.

"These results tell us that (the) contribution of tobacco smoking to cancer is substantial, and that, in spite of substantial efforts put forward to reduce smoking in European countries, the overwhelming importance of cigarette smoking on cancer risk is still of public health concern, and a priority from the point of view of prevention," said Dr. Antonio Agudo, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.

Smoking is known to be a major contributor to a variety of cancers, including lung, colon and bladder cancers.

Understanding just how great the burden of smoking is on cancer rates is important to developing prevention strategies, Agudo wrote in an email to Reuters Health.

He and his colleagues, as part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), gathered information on more than 440,000 residents of Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

One out of four men and one out of five women in the study currently smoked. A slightly larger proportion - about one of every three men and roughly one out of every four women - had smoked previously.

The researchers began tracking the participants, none of whom had been diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the study, between 1992 and 2000.

Over an average of 11 years of follow up, the team found that 14,563 people who were exposed to tobacco smoke developed a type of cancer that is considered to be fully or partly caused by tobacco exposure. This is equivalent to 270 diagnoses out of every 100,000 people.

Current smokers were 2.6 times as likely as never smokers to develop a tobacco-related cancer and ex-smokers had 1.5 times the risk.

Nearly 4,500 people were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, about 3,000 with lung cancer and 1,850 people developed lower urinary tract cancer.

Other types of tobacco-related cancers were less common, but included stomach, cervix, mouth, kidney, pancreas and a form of leukemia.

Although each of these cancers has been associated with smoking, not all of the cases were caused by it.

The researchers calculated the "attributable fraction," or the proportion of cancer cases likely to blame on cigarettes, and determined that overall 35 percent were caused by smoking.

For some types of cancers - such as lung and larynx - the vast majority, more than 80 percent, were caused by smoking, whereas a smaller portion of others, including kidney cancers (eight percent) and pancreas cancers (13 percent), were caused by smoking.

Agudo's study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, included only a sample - although a relatively young and healthy one - of the European population.

Across the eight countries with data available for both men and women, about 1.5 million new cancer cases are diagnosed each year - half of the tobacco related forms of cancer, according to the researchers.

Given the proportion of those attributable to smoking, the group calculated that 270,000 cancer cases each year in those countries are due to cigarettes.

The number "is not far from our expectations," said Agudo.

Dr. Prabhat Jha, a professor at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the study, said the findings are consistent with estimates of how many deaths are caused by smoking in Europe.

He added that the numbers could be underestimates, however.

Jha pointed out that the researchers found the risk of developing lung cancer among women to be about a third that of men, but that could be because the women were not followed long enough.

"The main reason might be that the full effects of smoking on cancer in the specific women studied in EPIC have not yet matured," he told Reuters Health in an email.

Jha noted that in wealthy countries, such as those in Europe in North America, the rates of smoking-related cancers and deaths have declined substantially, while cancer rates in China and India are rising.

Nevertheless, "this study should support greater EU efforts" to curb smoking, he said.

Agudo added, "our results come from a group of countries where efforts to reduce tobacco smoking are already in place since long ago. Thus we hope they can (be) useful as well to countries where the tobacco epidemic is still increasing to enhance efforts to face this serious health threat."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Ve0y5o Journal of Clinical Oncology, online November 19, 2012.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smoking-causes-270-000-cancers-yearly-europe-study-192744696.html

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Home Improvement Caddy: How to Choose the Right Air Conditioners

Air conditioning equipment is a must in many homes, especially those in warmer zones. Without it, summer temperatures simply be?come unbearable. When choosing it, there are several important factors to take into account.

The principle of air conditioning is exactly the same as the mechanism that makes a refrigera?tor work. The refrigerant liquid is pumped round a continuous closed-circuit loop through two sets of coils. First of all it enters the evaporator coil, where the liquid absorbs heat from the surrounding air and becomes a gas. It then passes through a compressor which turns the gas back into a liquid, and on to the condenser coil where it gives up its heat to the air again. For household air conditioning, the evaporator coil is situated indoors, where the cooling effect is required, and the condenser coil outdoors.

There are two main types of domestic air conditioning equipment. The first is the indi?vidual room unit; this has the evaporator and condenser coils fitted into a single casing, and is installed within a window opening or a hole cut in an exterior wall. The second has the coils housed in two separate enclosures, so that the noisy compressor/condenser section can be placed out of doors. Small split units of this type still cool just one room; larger versions can cool the whole house.

Some air conditioners can also be run in reverse to extract heat from the outside air and use it to heat the interior. They are known as reverse-cycle air conditioners or 'heat pumps'.

How big a unit?

The first step you have to take is to work out how much cooling capacity is needed. It's best to call in a professional to do this for you, but the calculation below will give you a rough guide. Measure the room, work out the floor area and then multiply the figure in sq ft by 24 to get the number of BTUs needed to cool it. As an example, you will need about 12,000 BTUs (equivalent to 1 ton of cooling capacity) for a room with a floor area of 500 sq ft. Other factors that must be taken into account include how well the house is insulated, how many windows and outside walls each room has, and where in the country you live.

Systems and components

Air conditioning can be provided by individual room air conditioners or by means of a whole-house system. This may be a combined unit like a large room unit, or else a split system. The latter has the evapor?ator coil unit positioned within the house - often in the roof space - and this distributes cooled air to every room in the house by means of ducting; the compressor/condenser coil is sited out of doors, and the two units are linked together by relatively unobtrusive pipework carrying the refrigerant. The combined 'single-package' unit is cheaper than the split system, but is of course much noisier.

With either system, the ducting is run either above the ceiling or below the floor to serve outlets in each room. The return flow of warm air to the evaporator coil unit is usually via a single inlet on the unit; small gaps beneath room doors throughout the house are usually adequ?ate to ensure a free flow of air back to the unit, to balance the amount of cooled air being delivered. Some systems have parallel return ducting running from each room to take warm air back to the coil unit.

This type of air conditioning can treat indi?vidual zones of the house at different times -living areas by day and bedrooms by night, for example. Electrically-operated dampers linked to a timer control switch the airflow between zones as required. The big advantage of this sort of installation is that the equipment can be smaller and cheaper than that needed for continuous whole-house treatment.

Somewhere between whole-house systems and individual room air conditioners come what are called multi-split systems. Here a number of fan coil (evaporator) units are linked to a single large condenser unit outside the house. Indi?vidual controls on each fan coil unit mean that the desired temperature in each room can be set to ensure optimum comfort coupled with economical use of electricity.

Linked systems of whatever type can provide all-year heating and cooling or just air condition?ing, but it can be difficult (and expensive) to have ducted systems installed in an existing house, and the equipment must be professional?ly installed. However, individual room units can be easily fitted by any competent handyman.

Source: http://www.homeimprovementcaddy.com/2012/11/how-to-choose-right-air-conditioners.html

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Family: NFL great Jack Pardee ill with cancer

HOUSTON (AP) ? The family of former Houston Oilers coach Jack Pardee says the NFL defensive great has been diagnosed with gall bladder cancer and has six to nine months to live.

Daughter Anne Pardee confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the cancer has spread to other organs and that her 76-year-old father plans to move to a Denver hospice. The College Football Hall of Fame inductee's wife, Phyllis, has been receiving care at the same center since having a stroke.

Anne Pardee said her father was in good spirits despite the diagnosis.

Jack Pardee was one of Texas A&M's "Junction Boys" who survived Bear Bryant's severe 1954 preseason training camp to play for the Aggies. He was an All-Pro linebacker who played for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Newsok/Sports/~3/9YSZnd8N0GY/468123

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The 2012 North Park Toyland Parade is For Kids of All Ages, Dec. 1

Unwrap some magic this holiday season with the festive fun of the 49th Annual North Park Toyland Parade & Holiday Fair. On Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, starting at 11 a.m., the historic neighborhood of North Park will warm up and delight with San Diego's most joyful parade.

Taking place in the middle of North Park on University Avenue between Utah and Iowa Streets, the Toyland Parade has marching bands, upbeat dance groups, cool vintage cars, beauty queens, city officials and more to get you into the holiday mood. And, of course, Santa Claus will be riding atop his merry red sleigh with bells ringing, to the excitement of the kids.

Read more about the 2012 North Park Toyland Parade here.

Read about the neighborhood of North Park in my article here.

Source: http://sandiego.about.com/b/2012/11/28/the-2012-north-park-toyland-parade-is-for-kids-of-all-ages-dec-1.htm

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Judy Kildow: End Federal Flood Insurance

Judy Kildow: End Federal Flood Insurance

Published on Nov 29, 2012 - 5:31:08 AM

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What is the LBMA? - Chicago Gold and Silver Investing Fan Blog

The LBMA is the London Bullion Markets Association. According to their website, this is what it is:

The LBMA is the international trade association that represents the market for gold and silver bullion, which is centred in London but has a global client base, including the majority of the central banks that hold gold, private sector investors, mining companies, producers, refiners and fabricators.? The current membership stands at 139 companies.?

The LBMA was formally incorporated in 1987 at the behest of the Bank of England, which was the bullion market's regulator at that time, to take over the roles previously played by two separate organisations, the London Gold Market and Silver Market, whose origins date?back to the mid-nineteenth century.??

The assaying capabilities of refiners on the Good Delivery List are periodically checked under the LBMA's Proactive Monitoring programme.

The ongoing work of the Association encompasses many areas, among them refining standards, trading documentation and the fostering of good trading practices.

In the refining industry, the LBMA Good Delivery List is widely recognized as?representing the de facto standard for the quality of gold and silver bars, in large part thanks to the stringent criteria that an applicant must satisfy?before being accredited. In?2004 the LBMA introduced a system of regular proactive monitoring?of refiners on the List, an important initiative which further enhanced the?reputation of the List and the refiners on it.? The List is used by many precious metals exchanges around the world to define in whole, or in part, the refiners whose gold and?silver bars are accepted in their own markets.?

Source: http://neilski.typepad.com/chicago_gold_and_silver_i/2012/11/what-is-the-lbma.html

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Rome Launches Wolf Logo To Brand Souvenirs

words by Carol King

New York City has ?The Big Apple? and now Rome has its official she-wolf thanks to an initiative by the city?s mayor, Gianni Alemanno.

In line with other brand-merchandising initiatives taken by major cities across the world, Rome has launched an official logo that will appear on souvenirs. The logo shows a sketch of a she-wolf standing on a capital above with the word ?Roma?. The design used won a competition to create a logo for the city that attracted more than 1,000 entries,

The she-wolf symbol has symbolised Rome since ancient times. It refers to the famous legend regarding the city?s origins, in which a she-wolf suckled the infant twins Romulus and Remus. Romulus went on to found the city on the Palatine Hill. The use of the capital in the logo is a reference to Rome?s capital-city status and to the topmost part of an architectural column as seen in the city?s many ancient ruins.

The symbol will appear on a range of products, from mugs to T-shirts, and the local council says 70% of the items bearing the logo will be made in Italy. In an effort to stave off counterfeit products, official souvenirs will bear a hologram for authentication purposes. As the master licensee of the brand, the council hopes to raise ?3.5 million from royalties on sales over the next five years for zero outlay.

The branded items come in two lines. The Top Line comprises products costing from ?29 to ?550, including T-shirts and jackets. The Tourist Line has items priced from ?3 to ?60, including badges, mouse mats and key rings. Branded editorial products such as calendars, maps and DVDs will also be available.

The first Tourist Line products will be available from November in outlets next to monuments, museums and tourist spots in Rome, as well as newsstands, and bookshops. Top Line items will be on sale from mid-January at 50 selected stores. The council is launching a website to sell the souvenirs online.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ItalyMagazine/~3/GJlcqyC5nJs/rome-launches-wolf-logo-brand-souvenirs

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Retail weighed down by bricks and mortar | Stuff.co.nz

To understand why the?retail?sector will continue to be such an investment minefield consider just two phrases: Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The latter, the mock tradition of buying stuff online when the boss isn't watching on the Monday after Thanksgiving, is emblematic of the forces challenging a?retail?industry much of which was built for a US-centred cars, parking lots and box store paradigm which makes less and less sense every day.

Black Friday began to be so called in the 1980s because it marks the kick-off of the holiday shopping season during which retailers are thought to move from the red ink of annual loss into the black of profit.

That such an insider term, the kind of language favoured by analysts and investors, came into general use says a lot about the age of consumption and speculation which began in the 1980s. After all why should a shopper, other than one who thinks we can all get rich by buying things and investing in?stocks, care about when a store moves to profitability?

But underlying the term Black Friday is a?business?model reality, which, once examined, poses real problems, especially given the impact of the internet. Physical stores are not simply a combination of assets, labour and merchandise, they are systems, ones with a lot of sunk costs.

Why after all do stores even stay open during slack periods if in fact they only are truly profitable during the holiday rush and other peak periods?

They do so because there are huge upfront costs to setting up a physical retail outlet and once you've made those investments in people, facilities and everything else, the economics dictate that you sweat those assets, work them as hard as possible in order to gain as much revenue as you can to recoup fixed costs.

Just as airplanes on the ground are hemorrhaging money for their owners, so are shuttered stores. And, to the extent that retail has an advantage over internet distribution, and there are real ones, it is in part speed and availability.

If JC Penney starts closing on Tuesdays, or in September, they are training their customers to use the internet, a bad thing for a retailer with a big physical investment.

As sales via the internet grow and steal market share from physical retailing those fixed costs will only hang more heavily on businesses with large existing retail networks.

A GROWING SHARE

Black Friday and Cyber Monday made quite a contrast this year, and the data clearly points to a growing market share for virtual retailing. While footfall on Black Friday rose by 3.5 per cent, according to ShopperTrak actual sales decreased by 1.8 per cent to US$11.2 billion ($13.7 billion).

This may in part reflect the way in which mobile internet access allows shoppers to use stores as display galleries, viewing merchandise in person but nabbing the lowest price available on the internet.

In contrast to the retail till shrinking, online sales surged 26 per cent to $1.04 billion, a record for the day. Tracker ComScore expects Cyber Monday online sales to hit a record of about US$1.5b.

And it is not just over the holidays that online growth is outpacing physical retail. Data from the Census Bureau shows that online sales rose 11.8 per cent this year through October, against a 5.5 per cent gain in physical retail sales.

With online comprising 8.6 per cent of all sales that's significant, but as the sector grows the pain for retailers will become more acute.

Forrester Research predicts that US consumers will increase online spending to US$1738 each by 2016, a 44 per cent increase over 2011. Some of that surely will come from a growing pie, but much will come out of physical retail's market share.

Physical shopping won't ever end, and will always probably comprise a majority of retail sales. But the journey from the current cost structure and approach to one which is profitable and sustainable will be difficult. Managing decline is never fun and investing in it, with the rare but inevitable value bargains excepted, is even worse.

The growth of "pop-up" stores, which open in empty retail space for a short time, is emblematic of the industry's attempt to get in front of this curve.

So too are companies such as Apple which have moved into vertical integration of distribution. If you both manufacture and distribute you can capture more of the profits, benefit from the exposure and?advertising?that a retail outlet represents and be in a better position to bear the fixed costs.

It works a lot better, though, if you can charge premium prices, as opposed to selling coats or books.

This is a big and long-running trend, and as such there will be huge variation of outcomes. Many will do well in physical retail but those who do will be beating the odds.

- James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

- Reuters

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/8008591/Retail-weighed-down-by-bricks-and-mortar

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Wedding: Cupcake Mountain

For our wedding, we decided to go the cupcake route instead of a traditional cake. Wedding cupcakes may not be as unique as they once were, but I've always viewed them as fun and lighthearted, which was the vibe we were going for. Plus my good friend and bridesmaid, Ella Golding, is a cupcake master, and can make a million vegan cupcakes in a hundred delicious flavors. Which she did. And delicious they were! (For more of Ella's gorgeous and delectable creations, check out her blog.) (And once again, all photos by my sister, Susan Hennessey. I know so many talented people!)

Although we were happy to feast on cupcakes, Ella wanted us to have something to cut in front of our guests, as well as something to freeze and eat on our one year anniversary. Thus, in addition to a mountain of cupcakes, Ella also made us a small, two-tiered wedding cake, which she decorated to look as if it were covered in lace (just like my dress!). She also built the cupcake stand from foam and cardboard and scraps of fabric the night before the wedding. It looked great, but was only somewhat stable. Luckily, it never tipped or crashed - not even when we cut the cake! - and all our desserts survived intact. (Well, until they were devoured by eager guests. Which is about how long desserts should survive.). To top it all off, she handcrafted each of the flowers on every single cupcake. Simply amazing.

(I should also note that in order to make all this cake magic happen, Ella and her ever-supportive and patient fiancee drove to Wilmington from New York three days early, pulled an all-nighter to finish everything, and then she served as a gorgeous bridesmaid while dancing her ass off at the reception. We're talking TRUE FRIEND.)

But enough about Ella. On to the cakes!

All the cupcakes were vegan, and only a few of the icings contained egg - everything was dairy free from start to finish. Flavors included: pumpkin chocolate chip; apple cider; red velvet; chocolate stout; and lemon meringue. I'm sure there were one or two others, but I can't remember them now. The pumpkin chocolate chip was my personal favorite.

A very special and public thank you to Ella for putting so much time and effort into our cupcakes and mini-cake. You're an amazing artist, a great baker, and a true professional (even if Seamus had frosting on his nose come morning). Every bite was sweeter because of the love and friendship you contributed, and we're forever grateful that you played such? a big and delicious role in our wedding. I love you!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/ryvJy/~3/4kXr-lo5WsE/wedding-cupcake-mountain.html

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Liz & Dick: The Lindsay Lohan Unintentional Comedy Hall of Fame Montage

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/11/liz-and-dick-the-lindsay-lohan-unintentional-comedy-hall-of-fame/

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AP Exclusive: Disney, Sears used factory in fire

A Disney brand sweater lays among equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

A Disney brand sweater lays among equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

Boxes of garments lay near equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory,on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

Walmart's Faded Glory label is seen on a piece of clothing laying among equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

A Disney brand sweater lays among the equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 people Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

A piece of clothing with a label referring to German brand KIK as the buyer lays among equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers Saturday at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, on the outskirts of Dhaha, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge. (AP Photo/Ashraful Alam Tito)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? Amid the ash, broken glass and melted sewing machines at what is left of the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, there are piles of blue, red and off-white children's shorts bearing Wal-Mart's Faded Glory brand. Shorts from hip-hop star Sean Combs' ENYCE label lay on the floor, along with a hooded Mickey Mouse sweatshirt from Disney.

An Associated Press reporter searching the Bangladesh factory Wednesday found these and other clothes, including sweaters from the French company Teddy Smith and the Scottish company Edinburgh Woollen Mill, among the equipment charred in the fire that killed 112 workers on Saturday. He also found entries in account books indicating that the factory took orders to produce clothes for Disney, Sears and other Western brands.

Garments and documents left behind in the factory show it was used by a host of major American and European retailers, though at least one of them ? Wal-Mart ? had been aware of safety problems. Wal-Mart blames a supplier for using Tazreen Fashions without its knowledge.

The fire has elevated awareness of something labor groups, retailers and governments have known for years: Bangladesh's fast-growing garment industry ? second only to China's in exports ? is rife with dangerous workplaces. More than 300 workers there have died in fires since 2006.

Police on Wednesday arrested three factory officials suspected of locking in the workers who died in Saturday's fire, the deadliest in the South Asian country's less than 35-year history of exporting clothing.

Local police chief Habibur Rahman said the three will be questioned amid reports that many workers trying to escape the blaze had been locked inside. He said the owner of the factory was not among those arrested.

The three officials were arrested Wednesday at their homes in Savar, the Dhaka suburb where the factory is located. Rahman did not identify the officials or give their job status.

About 1,400 workers worked at the plant, some 70 percent of them women. Most are from the north, the poorest region of Bangladesh.

Workers who survived the fire say exit doors were locked, and a fire official has said that far fewer people would have died if there had been even one emergency exit. Of the dead, 53 bodies were burned so badly they could not be identified; they were buried anonymously.

The fire started on the ground floor, where a factory worker named Nasima said stacks of yarn and clothes blocked part of the stairway.

Nasima, who uses only one name, and other workers said that when they tried to flee, managers told them to go back to their work stations, but they were ignored.

Dense smoke filled the stairway, making it hard to see, and when the lights went out the workers were left in total darkness. Another worker, Mohammad Rajib, said some people used their cellphones to light their way.

"Everyone was screaming for help," Nasima said. "Total chaos, panic and screaming. Everyone was trying to escape and come out. I was pulling the shirt of a man. I fainted and when I woke up I found myself lying on the road outside the factory.

"I don't know how I survived."

Rajib said the factory conducted a fire drill just three days before the fire broke out, but no one used the fire extinguishers. "Only a selected group of workers are trained to use the extinguishers. Others have no idea how to use them," he said.

The AP reporter who examined the factory Wednesday saw dozens of fire extinguishers with tags indicating they were inspected early this month. Many appeared unused.

Workers expressed support for the factory owner, Delwar Hossain. Rajib said he is "a gentle man" who heeded workers when they protested for more pay and against rough behavior by some managers.

"He took action and fired some of them," he said. "He did not sack any worker. He told us: 'You are my people. If you survive, I will survive.'"

Most the fire's devastation took place on the second and third floors. Sewing and embroidery machines and tables burned to ashes, ceiling fans melted and floor and wall tiles were broken, apparently because of excessive heat. Thick black ash covers everything in the upper floors of the eight-story building.

Much of the clothing on the lower floors was incinerated. Nightgowns, children's shorts, pants, jackets and sweat shirts were strewn about, piled up in some places, boxed in others. Cartons of kids' hooded sweaters, off-white with red and black print, were marked "Disney Pixar."

Among the Disney garments was a gray sweatshirt emblazoned with the image of Lightning McQueen, the star of Pixar's "Cars" movies.

A pair of blue ENYCE shorts was still on a sewing machine.

There were also at least four register books listing buyers including Wal-Mart, Disney, Sears and other companies. Also listed was Li & Fung, a Hong Kong-based buying house that is among the biggest suppliers of garment products from Bangladesh. Li & Fung issued a statement Monday saying it placed orders at the factory for just one company, Kids Headquarters, and that the value of those orders totaled just $111,000.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Interior Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir have said arson is suspected. Police say they have not ruled out sabotage.

Wal-Mart had received an audit deeming the factory "high risk" last year, said it had decided to stop doing business with Tazreen, but that a supplier subcontracted work to the factory anyway. Wal-Mart said it stopped working with that supplier on Monday.

Calls made to The Walt Disney Company and to Sears Holdings were not immediately returned.

Local TV reports said about 3,000 garment workers held protests over the fire Wednesday, blocking roads and throwing stones at some factories and vehicles. It was the third straight day of demonstrations.

Police used batons to disperse the protesters, but no injuries were immediately reported.

According to local television, most factories in the area closed after opening briefly because of the protests ? a common tactic to avoid violence.

___

Associated Press writer Farid Hossain contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-28-Bangladesh-Factory%20Fire/id-240f3356ee6e417fb1b71e82e5e7ffe3

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EU warns Georgia against political revenge on former officials

TBILISI (Reuters) - The European Union urged Georgia on Monday to avoid selective justice in the prosecution of former officials from the ousted government of President Mikheil Saakashvili's allies.

The detentions of former state officials since billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili led a coalition to victory over Saakashvili's long-ruling party in parliamentary elections last month has raised fears of a political witch-hunt.

More than 10 former senior officials - including a former interior minister and the army's acting chief-of-staff - have been arrested and charged with abuse of power, illegal confinement or illegally obtaining personal information.

"I've stressed that the European Union calls on all sides in Georgian politics to uphold European values of democracy, freedom and rule of law," said Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

"There should be no selective justice, no retribution against political rivals. Investigations into wrongdoings must be and must be seen to be impartial, transparent and in compliance with due process," she told a conference in the capital Tbilisi after meeting Prime Minister Ivanishvili and Saakashvili.

Washington has also urged cooperation between political rivals in the ex-Soviet republic, a route for Caspian Sea oil and gas exports to Europe and a focus of geopolitical rivalry between the West and Russia, which routed Georgian forces in a five-day war in August 2008.

Ashton also called for cooperation between Ivanishvili and Saakashvili during a difficult period of cohabitation with the president, who is due to remain in his post until an election next year. Saakashvili came to power in the peaceful 2003 Rose Revolution.

Georgia's top prosecutor said on Saturday that former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili could be questioned for alleged abuse of power in the period when he was the interior minister.

Russia increased its military presence in two Moscow-backed breakaway regions of Georgia it recognised as independent after the war, which followed tensions over Saakashvili's drive to bring the country of 4.5 million country into NATO.

Ashton said the European Union was committed to Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

(Editing by Gabriela Baczynska and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eu-warns-georgia-against-political-revenge-former-officials-173349879.html

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Redmond Spokesman Blog: St. Charles Redmond Starlight Holiday Parade

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Source: http://feeds.bendblogs.com/~r/bendblogs/~3/KPboyX5X-Fk/st-charles-redmond-starlight-holiday.html

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Single Tenant Net Lease Trader Joe's Sold at Record Cap Rate

Northbrook, IL, November 27, 2012 ?(PR.com)? The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm specializing in single tenant assets, has completed the sale of a single tenant Trader Joe?s in the Milwaukee MSA located at 2705 West Bluemound Road, Brookfield, Wisconsin for $4,782,609. The single tenant Trader Joe?s asset sold for a 5.75% cap rate, which is the lowest cap rate transaction for a freestanding Trader Joes in 2012.

Trader Joe?s is the sole occupant of the 12,500 square foot retail building that was developed in 2012 as an outparcel to a new Target. The property is located on a 1.80 acre parcel in Underwood Crossing; a newly constructed Target anchored shopping center in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The property is located along Bluemound Road, a primary east-west thoroughfare that experiences traffic volumes in excess of 41,000 vehicles per day. The regional trade area also features two regional malls, Brookfield Square Mall and Mayfair Mall, totaling over 2 million square feet featuring anchor tenants Macy?s, Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond and PetSmart. Brookfield is a well-populated area with approximately 250,000 people living within five miles of the subject property. Residents living within one mile of the subject property enjoy average household income in excess of $100,000.

Trader Joe?s is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores with over 375 locations in 31 states. The company is owned by a trust set up by Theo Albrecht, a founder of German grocery chain Aldi. The newly developed Trader Joe?s has a primary lease term of ten years.

Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of The Boulder Group represented the seller; a Midwest based private developer, in the transaction. The buyer was a California based private investment firm.

?Trader Joe?s is one of the only private companies that is able to achieve a cap rate below 6%, due to their unique business model and historically high gross sales per square foot,? said Randy Blankstein, President of The Boulder Group. Jimmy Goodman, Partner of The Boulder Group, added, ?Activity for this asset was above average as grocery related single tenant assets in major markets are in the greatest demand.?

About The Boulder Group

The Boulder Group is a boutique investment real estate service firm specializing in net lease properties. The firm provides a full range of brokerage, advisory, and financing services nationwide to a substantial and diversified client base, which includes high net worth individuals, developers, REITs, partnerships and institutional investment funds. Founded in 1997, the firm has arranged the acquisition and disposition of more than $1.4 billion of net lease real estate transactions through several real estate cycles. The Boulder Group is headquartered in suburban Chicago. The company?s website address is www.bouldergroup.com

Contact Information:
The Boulder Group
Randy Blankstein
847-562-8500
Contact via Email
www.bouldergroup.com

Click here to read the full story: Single Tenant Net Lease Trader Joe?s Sold at Record Cap Rate

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Source: http://money.rambergmedia.com/single-tenant-net-lease-trader-joes-sold-at-record-cap-rate/

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Private equity deals - Fortune Finance: Hedge Funds, Markets ...

Chassis Brakes International Group, a French portfolio company of?KPS Capital Partners, has acquired substantially all of the assets of?Autocast and Forge Pty Ltd., an Australian cast iron foundry for the automotive industry.?www.kpsfund.com

First Reserve Corp.?has agreed to acquire?Ameriforge Group Inc., a Houston, Texas?based maker of forged components, sub-systems and fully-integrated systems to markets like energy and transportation, from an affiliate of?TanglewoodInvestments Inc.?No financial terms were disclosed.www.ameri-forgegroup.com

The Gores Group?has acquired?DMN Ltd., a British provider of mobile communications network engineering support and staffing. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which was done in partnership with company founder David Matton.?www.gores.com

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.?is in talks to acquire Brazilian health insurance company?Golden Cross Planos de Sa?de?SA, according to Valor Econ?mico. The deal could be worth around $530 million, with Deutsche Bank managing the process.?www.goldencross.com.br

Lincolnshire Management?has acquired?National Pen Co., a San Diego?based provider of direct mail promotional pens and other products, from?Berwind Corp.?No financial terms were disclosed. Harris Williams & Co. managed the process.?www.nationalpen.com

Madison Dearborn Partners?has invested an undisclosed amount into?Aderant Holdings, an Atlanta?based maker ofbusiness management software for law and professional services. Existing Aderant shareholder Vista Equity Partners and company management will retain "significant ownership positions."?www.aderant.com

Mason Wells?has acquired?Whitehall Specialties Inc., a Whitehall, Wis.-based maker of custom imitation and processed cheese products. No financial terms were disclosed.www.whitehallspecialties.com

Monomoy Capital Partners?has acquired the assets of?MPI LLC, a Southfield, Mich.?based maker of metal components for powertrain systems, hydraulic systems and other safety-critical automotive and industrial applications. No financial terms were disclosed. The seller was?Revstone Industries LLC.www.mcpfunds.com

TPG Capital?has completed its previously-announced acquisition of?FleetPride, an aftermarket distributor of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts, from?Investcorp?and?Ridgemont Equity Partners. The deal was valued at more than $1 billion.?www.fleetpride.com

Versa Capital Management?has acquired Peterborough, N.H.-based outdoor retailer?Eastern Mountain Sports?from?J.H. Whitney & Co.?for an undisclosed amount.?www.ems.com

Sign up for Dan's daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers:?GetTermSheet.com

Source: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/27/private-equity-deals-249/

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Essential Guide on How to Take Care of Budgie Birds - a2z Pets Info

Are you excited that you have got your best budgie bird or planning to buy one but not sure how?to take care of budgie birds? Then you will find this article interesting and useful. You get to know everything you have to know about your budgie and take good care of them. This would require knowing some basic things about them such as their place of origin is Australia, and they live a life of the nomads searching for food, they live in flocks, they breed up to eight chicks and these parakeets have the ability to breed when there is abundant food and water.

How?to take care of budgie birds with proper diet and shelter

These budgie birds usually live on seeds and loves grasses, oats and other seeds. Grasses can be of Mitchell grasses, canary grasses and spinifex grass varieties. The seeds must be fully ripe and dried well like the ones you get in the pet shops. They are known to eat the charcoal to cure them of some illnesses and love big sources of water that they love to bathe with their flocks. Always make sure their cage is a comfortable and cosy one and place newspapers or paper towels as lining material and take care to change them regularly. Also include perches, safe toys, water dish, and food bowl and set the cage in a quiet and calm place.

Always ensure that you change the food and water daily in a clean dish and make it a point to include lot of vegetables and fruits such as apple pieces, cooked yam pieces, and also carrots. Let your budgie get accustomed to you and your home. Then slowly train him to perch on your hands using your finger. Slowly introduce to pellet type of food and replace it with seed diet for one time a day. Your budgie will slowly get trained to adjust to pellet diet. It might take about a week?s time or two for your budgie parakeet to get used to a pellet diet.

Know the symptoms of sickness in budgie birds

Always make sure your budgie bird gets a lot of company either through you if you are full time at home or buy him some friends to keep him company so that he will not get bored of being locked up each day. It is better to tame them as they make wonderful friends, who will climb up all over you, chew your book, have a look with whatever you do and try to have fun with them. This way these birds will stay friends with you while maintaining their friendship with one another. Also ensure that there are no hazards at you home that would harm your budgies such as a toilet, hot pot of boiling gravy, an open window or a piece of twine.

Another safety measure that you should consider on how?to take care of budgie birds to keep your budgie parakeets hale and healthy is to keep a close watch on them and look for signs of any illness or emergency. This will save your budgie from any disease immediately and save him of any dangerous situation. When you are looking for various signs such as hunch looking budgie with puffy feathers unusually than the sleeping time, diarrhoea, and a watery residue on the nose, eyes or beak and a sad look on his face sitting at the bottom of his cage are signs of illnesses and needs to be taken to the vet immediately.

Source: http://www.a2zpetsinfo.com/birds/how-to-take-care-of-budgie-birds.html

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Schapiro's exit leaves broker fiduciary plan up in air

(Reuters) - Mary Schapiro's exit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission means more uncertainty for Wall Street about a key reform that she championed: requiring securities brokers who give advice to clients to act in their clients' best interests.

The SEC's chairman has long made clear her support to require brokers to follow higher ethical guidelines with clients, known as a fiduciary standard. But Schapiro, appointed to head the agency in 2009, will likely leave with the proposal where it stands: stalled. Schapiro announced on Monday that she would step down from the agency on December 14.

"I have no doubt that Chairman Schapiro was quite sincere that she hoped to achieve this as one of the hallmarks of her tenure," said Barbara Roper, the director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group that supports the measure.

At issue are the varied rules that apply to different types of financial advisers. Financial advisers who register with the SEC must act as fiduciaries, or in their clients' best interests. But brokerage firm advisers, who register with the industry's private regulator, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, only have to suggest investments that are "suitable," based on factors such as a client's age and risk tolerance.

Brokers may earn more from some investment options they pitch to clients, something investor advocates say could motivate a broker to push a more lucrative product. Flat fees that investment advisers charge, along with the different rules they must follow, are more likely to prevent potential conflicts of interest, say investor advocates.

Schapiro has tried to change that, with no success.

In 2009, she raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest driven by certain broker compensation practices in a public letter to brokerage firm chief executives.

"Some types of enhanced compensation practices may lead registered representatives to believe that they must sell securities at a sufficiently high level to justify special arrangements that they have been given," she wrote. That could motivate brokers to sell unsuitable securities or make unnecessary trades to earn commissions.

But the discussion quickly died. While it is unclear why, the episode was a harbinger of Schapiro's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to push the proposal through. A study by the agency followed. The industry then complained about how a widespread fiduciary standard could affect their business practices. Meanwhile, the agency struggled with a wave of other rule proposals required by the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. Then, the presidential election cycle further delayed progress on the effort.

While the securities industry says it supports a change, it has been pushing for a standard that would accommodate certain business practices, such as selling securities branded with a brokerage's name. Typically, brokers are paid higher commissions and firms make more money by selling branded products.

Changing leadership at the agency could delay commission votes about major reforms, including the fiduciary proposal, until at least mid-2013, said a former SEC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of political sensitivities surrounding the issue.

There were already signs of delays, prior to Schapiro's announcement. Agency officials planned to request public comment about potential costs and benefits of a fiduciary rule in mid-2012. That request is "not currently scheduled," an SEC spokesman confirmed on Monday.

NO WORRIES

While investor advocates may be worried about the fiduciary plan, the securities industry - which can enjoy the status quo for a while longer - is not.

President Barack Obama's appointment of SEC Commissioner Elisse Walter to serve as chairman-designate - a role she can potentially hold through 2013 - is not likely change the course of the proposal, at least for the short term.

"We are at the point in regulation where details matter," said John Taft, head of RBC Wealth Management in the United States, a Royal Bank of Canada unit.

It is still not clear whether Obama will nominate Walter to serve permanently as chairman. Nonetheless, Walter, a former FINRA executive and official at both the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and SEC, could be an ideal choice to pick up where Schapiro leaves off.

What's more, the fiduciary proposal and other reforms are likely "part of the Obama administration's agenda," said Ken Bentsen, executive vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), a trade group. "Presumably, whoever they choose, their views will be consistent with those views," he said.

Opponents of a fiduciary standard for brokers made their presence known before Schapiro was appointed to the SEC. One draft of legislation that would later become the Dodd-Frank financial reform law included a provision that would have imposed such a standard on brokers. That idea was dropped after a lobbying push by financial advisers who also sell insurance.

The law only required the SEC to study issues stemming from the different regulations for advisers - allowing, but not requiring, the agency to make changes.

A 2010 SEC study, prompted by Dodd-Frank, recommended that brokers and advisers both be required to act in their clients' best interests. The study also concluded that many investors are confused about the differences between the two types of advisers.

Schapiro publicly declared her support for a fiduciary standard once again in October at SIFMA's annual meeting. She hoped to unveil the proposal in 2013, she said.

(Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn in New York; editing by Jennifer Merritt and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/schapiros-exit-leaves-broker-fiduciary-plan-air-222811962--sector.html

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US Patent Chief to Step Down - Ask Any Law Question for

By ASHBY JONES

U.S. patent chief David Kappos, who will step down in January, is leaving his successor a couple of gifts: an overhauled patent code and a somewhat smaller application backlog.

Mr. Kappos, 51 years old, took over as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2009. He will leave around the end of January, according to an email to employees Monday. He is widely credited for making the federal agency more efficient during his 3? year tenure and for helping put into place some of the biggest changes in decades to the system of granting patents.

The agency?s backlog of patent applications has fallen to about 605,000 from 750,000 at the end of 2008?despite the fact that applications are increasing by about 5% every year.

Mr. Kappos hasn?t announced any plans, a PTO spokesman said. Earlier, he worked at International Business Machines Corp. for 25 years, including as top patent attorney.

Teresa Stanek Rea, the patent office?s deputy director, will be its acting director until a permanent appointment is made. Before joining the agency as deputy director in 2011, Ms. Rea was a partner in law firm Crowell & Moring LLP?s Washington, D.C., office.

The America Invents Act of 2011, which Mr. Kappos helped guide through Congress, fundamentally changed how inventors and companies receive patents. The law has largely brought the U.S. in line with European and Asian countries, which award patents on a ?first to file? basis. Historically, the U.S. has awarded patents on a ?first to invent? basis, and the law was designed, in part, to eliminate costly legal disputes over who invented something.

Mr. Kappos was responsible for crafting a variety of rules to implement the act. He also hired dozens of new patent examiners at the patent office, based in Alexandria, Va., and helped set up the PTO?s first satellite offices, in Detroit, Denver, Dallas and San Jose, Calif., which are set to open next year.

The PTO is still often criticized for issuing too many patents, especially on software innovations. Critics say that too often such patents don?t break new ground and clog the courts with unnecessary lawsuits.

In a recent address at the Center for American Progress, Mr. Kappos pointed to provisions in the America Invents Act that he said would better enable patent examiners to reject unworthy software patents. He encouraged critics to give the new law a chance to work.

Mr. Kappos ?and his team have set the PTO on course to implement the key provisions of the Act, which will improve the patent system for decades to come,? said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D. Vt.), one of the bill?s co-sponsors.

In a statement Monday, Mr. Kappos, said: ?I believe we have made great progress in reducing the patent backlog, increasing operational efficiency, and exerting leadership in [intellectual property] policy domestically and internationally,? he said.

Write to Ashby Jones at ashby.jones@wsj.com

Source: http://justasklegal.com/u-s-patent-chief-to-step-down/7863/

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5 Smart Tips For Throwing A Family Holiday - Business Insider

A lot of preparation goes into throwing a holiday party in your home, especially when your family is invited.?

Here are five of the smartest party planning tips we've come across this holiday season.

• Mix and match your plates and silverware: Mixing and matching is in, according to The LA Times, so embrace it! If you don't have a full set of matching plates and glasses, don't stress. Just alternate settings by seat so the table seems balanced.?

• Make a signature holiday cocktail: Most people actually don't like having endless drink options at a party, according to Marie Claire. Guests will gladly try something new, especially when it's right in front of them. So skip the full bar, and stock up on wine, beer, and one premade cocktail.?

• When someone offers to bring something, say yes: Your family probably has a few signature favorites during the holidays. If Aunt Joan's homemade pumpkin pie is the best, let her bake it and bring it when she offers. It's a time-tested favorite, and cuts down on your prep time.

• Obey the one-bite rule: House Beautiful suggests keeping appetizers to the size of a single bite. That way guests will be able to keep their hands free and sample everything you serve.

  Don't forget to serve water: The last thing anyone wants is a drunken family holiday fight. Serving water to keep guests from getting too tipsy, suggests Apartment Therapy.

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Tags: Culture, Parties, Holiday Parties, Family | Get Alerts for these topics ?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/holiday-party-tips-2012-11

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Model sheds light on chemistry that sparked origin of life

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? The question of how life began on a molecular level has been a longstanding problem in science. However, recent mathematical research sheds light on a possible mechanism by which life may have gotten a foothold in the chemical soup that existed on the early Earth.

Researchers have proposed several competing theories for how life on Earth could have gotten its start, even before the first genes or living cells came to be. Despite differences between various proposed scenarios, one theme they all have in common is a network of molecules that have the ability to work together to jumpstart and speed up their own replication -- two necessary ingredients for life. However, many researchers find it hard to imagine how such a molecular network could have formed spontaneously -- with no precursors -- from the chemical environment of early Earth.

"Some say it's equivalent to a tornado blowing through a junkyard and assembling the random pieces of metal and plastic into a Boeing 747," said co-author Wim Hordijk, a visiting scientist at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina, and a participant in an astrobiology meeting held there last year.

In a previous study published in 2004, Hordijk and colleague Mike Steel of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand used a mathematical model of simple chemical reactions to show that such networks might form more easily than many researchers thought. Indeed, biochemists have recently created such networks in the lab.

In a new study published this year, Hordijk, Steel, and colleague Stuart Kauffman of the University of Vermont analyzed the structure of the networks in their mathematical models and found a plausible mechanism by which they could have evolved to produce the building blocks of life we know today, such as cell membranes or nucleic acids.

"It turns out that if you look at the structure of the networks of molecules [in our models], very often they're composed of smaller subsets of molecules with the same self-perpetuating capabilities," Hordijk explained.

By combining, splitting, and recombining to form new types of networks from their own subunits, the models indicate that these subsets of molecules could give rise to increasingly large and complex networks of chemical reactions, and, presumably, life.

"These results could have major consequences for how we think life may have originated from pure chemistry," Hordijk writes.

The study will appear in the December 2012 print issue of the journal Acta Biotheoretica.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Wim Hordijk, Mike Steel, Stuart Kauffman. The Structure of Autocatalytic Sets: Evolvability, Enablement, and Emergence. Acta Biotheoretica, 2012; 60 (4): 379 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-012-9165-1

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/Hu22FG6sTKg/121126131307.htm

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