Gold, Silver and Miners Remain Junk Grade Investments - The Gold ...

Since silver and gold topped in 2011 investors have been struggling with these positions hoping this cyclical bull market for metals continues. The simple truth is no one knows for sure if prices will continue and make new highs and those who say its a for sure thing we all know deep down is full of bull crap.

All investments move in cycles, waves or trends which ever you want to call it. The market has 4 simple yet distinct stages each require a completely different skill set and trading tactics to navigate.

Stage 1 ? After a period of decline a stock consolidates at a contracted price range as buyers step into the market and fight for control over the exhausted sellers. Price action is neutral as sellers exit their positions and buyers begin to accumulate the stock.

Stage 2 ? Upon gaining control of price movement, buyers overwhelm sellers and a stock enters a period of higher highs and higher lows. A bull market begins and the path of least resistance is higher. Traders should aggressively trade the long side, taking advantage of any pullback or dips in the stock?s price.

Stage 3 ? After a prolonged increase in share price the buyers now become exhausted and the sellers again move in. This period of consolidation and distribution produces neutral price action and precedes a decline in the stock?s price.

Stage 4 ? When the lows of Stage 3 are breached a stock enters a decline as sellers overwhelm buyers. A pattern of lower highs and lower lows emerges as a stock enters a bear market. A well-positioned trader would be aggressively trading the short side and taking advantage of the often quick declines in the stock?s price. More times than not all of stage 2 gains are given back in a short period of time. I do show some of my trade setups using these exact stages free here: https://stockcharts.com/public/1992897

Now that you know the stages and what it looks like its time to review the gold, silver and miners charts.

?

Gold Chart ? Weekly

Gold has been in a bull market for several years but is starting to show its age in terms of the size of the price patterns, volume levels and extreme bullish sentiment. Back in 2011 a week before price topped we exited precious metals because the short term charts and volume levels were warning of a sharp drop. Since then I have not done many trades in either gold or silver because I do not like shorting in bull markets. Waiting for a bullish setup/price pattern before getting involved is my focus.

Gold has pulled back with a bullish 5 wave correction the last 5 months and at key support. While the long term charts are pointing to higher gold prices you must be aware that if gold and silver start to breakdown things will likely get ugly quickly. To be honest I do not care which way it goes, I just want it to either rally from support here and make new highs or breakdown and crash. Both will be very profitable if traded properly.

?

Silver Chart ? Weekly

Silver has a very similar chart to that of its big sister (yellow gold).? This shiny metal has the energy of a 3 year old making it a very volatile investment. I have touched on the topic of gold and silver being so called safe havens and if you have been reading my work for a while you know that any investment that can move 18-45% in value within 1 month is NOT a safe haven.

While it has done well in the past decade and boosted a lot of retirement accounts the day will come with these things collapse and most people holding them will give back most if not all the gains they had simply because people get attached to large positions and most do not know when to just exit a position.

?

Gold Miners Chart ? Monthly

This chart gives me cold sweats because I know how many people own gold mining stocks and I know how fast these things can move. If the price closed below the green support line the bottom could fall out and be very painful for those who get paralyzed by denial and do nothing but watch their accounts lose value week after week.

?

Precious Metals Investing Conclusion:

In short, this report is to show you the very basics of how investments move in stages. It is also to show a warning that precious metals are technically very close to a major breakdown which the big money players are watching closely. This thinly traded sector can move extremely fast when everyone rushes for the door.

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying a crash is about to happen, actually it?s the opposite. All I am doing is planning the idea in your subconscious so that if prices continue to move lower you will remember that these price levels and take action with your investments. Remember, you can always buy the investment back at any time again if the outlook changes in a week, month or year.

Get My FREE Weekly Gold, Silver and Mining Reports and Trade with the Stages: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

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Posted 02-27-2013 8:46 PM by Chris Vermeulen

Source: http://www.investorsinsight.com/blogs/the_gold_and_oil_guy/archive/2013/02/27/gold-silver-and-miners-remain-junk-grade-investments.aspx

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ScienceDaily: Living Well News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/living_well/ Stories about health and wellness, lifestyle issues and trends, family concerns and other topics about everyday life.en-usWed, 27 Feb 2013 19:03:28 ESTWed, 27 Feb 2013 19:03:28 EST60http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/living_well/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183316.htm Praising children, especially those with low self-esteem, for their personal qualities rather than their efforts may make them feel more ashamed when they fail, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183316.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151258.htm Research indicates that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, well before adulthood. Three new studies investigate the cognitive, genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to mental health disorders in adolescence.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151258.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151254.htm A 98-year-old researcher argues that, contrary to decades of clinical assumptions and advice to patients, dietary cholesterol is good for your heart -- unless that cholesterol is unnaturally oxidized (by frying foods in reused oil, eating lots of polyunsaturated fats, or smoking).Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151254.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134342.htm Does your neighborhood really define health? Most of us make a choice between suburbs, countryside, or city and settle down. But others, particularly those living in poverty, don?t always get to make that choice ?- the choice that could actually determine our quality and length of life. So how does this choice affect our health?Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134342.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htm While water bottles may tout BPA-free labels and personal care products declare phthalates not among their ingredients, these assurances may not be enough. According to a new study, we may be exposed to these chemicals in our diet, even if our diet is organic and we prepare, cook, and store foods in non-plastic containers. Children may be most vulnerable.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227113100.htm New research is the first to systematically examine the role of trust in biasing memories of transgressions in romantic partnerships. People who are highly trusting tended to remember transgressions in a way that benefits the relationship, remembering partner transgressions as less severe than they originally reported. People low on trust demonstrated the opposite pattern, remembering partner transgressions as being more severe than how they originally reported.?Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227113100.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227113058.htm Researcher says terms such as "normal," "healthy" or "successful" aging can prejudice our views of seniors.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:30:30 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227113058.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102940.htm Most parents would agree that raising a generous child is an admirable goal -- but how, exactly, is that accomplished? New results shed light on how generosity and related behaviors -- such as kindness, caring and empathy -- develop, or don't develop, in children from 2 years old through adolescence.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102940.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102100.htm Same-sex couples who live together have worse health than married opposite-sex couples and similar health as opposite-sex couples who are living together (after adjusting for socioeconomic differences), according to a new study.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102100.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htm Older people who have low expectations for a satisfying future may be more likely to live longer, healthier lives than those who see brighter days ahead, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085840.htm Advertisers who put images of female celebrities and models next to their products spark scorn rather than shopping, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085840.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htm Pregnant women should avoid taking vitamin D supplements, new research suggests. Substitution appears to raise the risk of children developing a food allergy after birth.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085706.htm Same-sex cohabitors report worse health than people of the same socioeconomic status who are in heterosexual marriages, according to a new study, which may provide fuel for gay marriage proponents.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:57:57 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085706.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htm A study finds an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and adolescents who received the A/H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine (Pandemrix) during the pandemic in England.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141235.htm Fingers are one of the first body parts to suffer from the cold and popular fingerless texting gloves can lead to frostbite and in worst cases, amputation, says an expert.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141235.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101259.htm Orthopedic surgeon, spine specialist says excessive leaning head forward and down, while looking at a phone or other mobile device could result in what some people call ?text neck.?Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101259.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htm During sleep, our brains store what we have learned during the day a process even more effective in children than in adults, new research shows.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:11:11 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htm Results of a major study aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases show that such a diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162229.htm Giving back through volunteering is good for your heart, even at a young age, according to researchers.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162229.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153046.htm Targeting CPR education in high-risk neighborhoods could increase the number of bystanders giving CPR and decrease deaths from cardiac arrest, according to a new statement.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:30:30 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153046.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153029.htm The idea that boys are better at math and in competitions has persisted for a long time - primarily because of the competition format. A new study shows that competitions that extend beyond a single round result in parity between the sexes.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:30:30 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153029.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131541.htm A newly released international study reveals that the issue of climate change is not a priority for people in the United States and around the world. The surveys showed that when asked to rank priority worries, people were five times more likely to point to the economy over the environment.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131541.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htm People become more politically liberal immediately after practising a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers have found.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122047.htm New research highlights a memory strategy that may help people who suffer from depression in recalling positive day-to-day experiences.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122047.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112320.htm All employees are accountable for something, but very few fully understand exactly what they are accountable for, according to a new study.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112320.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092248.htm A new study suggests troubling perceptions exist when it comes to women involved in disputes at work.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092248.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092246.htm New research shows that most babies who are slow to put on weight in the first nine months of life have caught up to within the normal range by the age of 13, but remain lighter and shorter than many of their peers. There are significant differences in the pattern of "catchup," depending on the infant's age when the slow weight gain occurs.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092246.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083127.htm Parents know that one day they will have to talk to their children about drug use. The hardest part is to decide whether or not talking about ones own drug use will be useful in communicating an antidrug message. Recent research found that children whose parents did not disclose drug use, but delivered a strong antidrug message, were more likely to exhibit antidrug attitudes.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083127.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083125.htm In Jan. 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture passed a series of regulations designed to make school lunches more nutritious, which included requiring schools to increase whole grain offerings and making students select either a fruit or vegetable with their purchased lunch. However, children cannot be forced to eat these healthier lunches. In a new study, researchers determined that small, inexpensive changes to school cafeterias influenced the choice and consumption of healthier foods.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083125.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221194241.htm Virologists have discovered a new class of molecular compounds capable of killing the influenza virus. Working on the premise that too much of a good thing can be a killer, the scientists have advanced previous researchers' methods of manipulating an enzyme that is key to how influenza replicates and spreads. The new compounds will lead to a new generation of anti-influenza drugs that the virus' strains can't adapt to, and resist, as easily as they do Tamiflu.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221194241.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143946.htm Scientists have found compelling evidence that older adults can eliminate forgetfulness and perform as well as younger adults on memory tests. The cognitive boost comes from a surprising source -- a distraction learning strategy.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143946.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143912.htm Preliminary research findings suggest learning to use Facebook may help give adults older than 65 a cognitive boost. The study shows that seniors who learned to use Facebook saw improvements in their ability to continuously monitor and quickly add or delete the contents of their working memory.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143912.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221141604.htm Damage to muscles and the skeleton is the frequent consequence of carrying heavy backpacks and occupational gear on our backs. New research confirms that damage to the nerves that travel through the neck and shoulders is also a serious risk.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221141604.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221115801.htm New research suggests the growing number of workers who are single and without children have trouble finding the time or energy to participate in non-work interests, just like those with spouses and kids.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221115801.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104357.htm Feeling good about spending money on someone else rather than for personal benefit may be a universal response among people in both impoverished countries and rich nations, according to new research.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104357.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104157.htm An increasing number of people die from unintentional home injury, in large part due to accidental drug overdose, according to a new study.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104157.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221084618.htm Intense Facebook usage is found to have a positive effect on psychological well-being, according to a new study.?Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221084618.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221084602.htm Researchers have determined normative data for different exercises such as hopping or running. This enables parents and experts to gauge the motor skills of young children for the first time objectively and thus identify abnormalities at an early stage.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221084602.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220203711.htm Similar to talking about being fat, talking about being old is an important an indicator of body dissatisfaction, shows new research. Body dissatisfaction is known to be correlated with, and predictive of, physical and mental health problems including binge eating, emotional eating, stress, low self-esteem, depression, and use of unhealthy weight control behaviors. High levels of talking about weight and being fat, ?fat talk?, is known to be a good indicator of body dissatisfaction.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:37:37 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220203711.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220184955.htm Governments around the world should stop squandering resources fighting an "unwinnable war" against illegal drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Instead, they should use the cash to curb antibiotic misuse, which poses a far more serious threat to human health, claims a leading ethicist.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220184955.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220184949.htm Mosquitoes are able to ignore the smell of the insect repellent DEET within a few hours of being exposed to it, according to new research.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220184949.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163633.htm Gun violence in the United States can be substantially reduced if Congress expands requirements for background checks on retail gun sales to cover firearm transfers between private parties, a new report concludes.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:36:36 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163633.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163629.htm Bullied children grow into adults who are at increased risk of developing anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts, according to a new study.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:36:36 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163629.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163557.htm Workplace-based programs that include dietary advice coupled with behavioral counseling appear to be a promising approach for men and women with significant weight loss goals, based on the results of a pilot study. Employees enrolled in the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial lost on average, 18 pounds over a six-month period compared to a two pound weight gain in a control group.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163557.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220131744.htm Using your bicycle to commute to work has numerous health and environmental benefits. Yet, the largest Canadian study on cycling injuries suggests cyclists are at risk of injury due to the lack of cycling infrastructure in large urban centers.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220131744.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220131742.htm Resveratrol, a substance found in red grapes and red wine, may have the potential to protect against hearing and cognitive decline, according to a new study.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220131742.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220114337.htm In a discovery that could promise a quick fix to the common hangover, a team of engineers has identified a method for speeding up the body's reaction to the consumption of alcohol.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220114337.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113859.htm New research shows that people can recover from poor performance when rivals comment on their failures. The research shows that while criticism from team members sends individuals into downward performance spirals, external criticism can be a trigger that boosts performance as people try to prove the outsiders wrong.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113859.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113235.htm A new psychology study suggests the glue that cements the unique relationship between gay men and straight women is honest, unbiased relationship advice.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113235.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084703.htm Days after the initial announcement by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on the 15th January that horse and pig DNA were found in beef burgers, researchers conducted an online consumer study, as part of the EU-funded project FoodRisC. This study took place before the latest developments about the widespread presence of horsemeat in certain beef products within some European countries.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084703.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084701.htm New research shows that sleep-deprived people select greater portion sizes of energy-dense snacks and meals than they do after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people?s risk of becoming overweight in the long run.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084701.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084444.htm Bilingual children develop a better working memory ?- which holds, processes and updates information over short periods of time -? than monolingual children, according to new research. The working memory plays a major role in the execution of a wide range of activities, such as mental calculation (since we have to remember numbers and operate with them) or reading comprehension (given that it requires associating the successive concepts in a text).Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084444.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084442.htm Small but mighty Xenon flash for mobile phones - great shots in the dark soon to be a reality.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084442.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htm Adding movement to mental rehearsal can improve performance finds a new study. For high jumpers the study shows that dynamic imagery improves the number of successful attempts and the technical performance of jumps The technique of mental rehearsal is used to consolidate performance in many disciplines including music and sport. Motor imagery and physical practice use overlapping neural networks in the brain and the two together can improve performance as well as promoting recovery from injury.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htm Researchers believe they have discovered a biological marker of dyslexia, a disorder affecting up to one out of 10 children that makes learning to read difficult. The researchers found a systematic relationship between reading ability and the consistency with which the brain encodes sounds. The good news: Response consistency can be improved with auditory training.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172157.htm Researchers have identified a biological marker in the immune system that -- beginning at about age 22 -- predicts our ability to fight off the common cold. The study found that the length of telomeres -- protective cap-like protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes -- predicts resistance to upper respiratory infections in young and midlife adults.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172157.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161254.htm Would you prefer $120 today or $154 in one year? Your answer may depend on how powerful you feel, according to new research.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161254.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161246.htm Using a grown-up version of the rock-paper-scissors game, cognitive scientists offer a new theory of the group dynamics that arise in situations as varied as cycles of fashion, fluctuations of financial markets, eBay bidding wars and political campaign strategies. "People playing this kind of game subtly influence each other, converging on similar ways of reasoning over time. The natural analogy for the process is to a flock of birds veering in concert."Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161246.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htm Some infants raised in poverty exhibit physical traits that make them more vulnerable to poor care-giving, according to new research. The combination of physiological vulnerability and poor care-giving may lead these children to show increased problem behaviors later in childhood.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140250.htm Scientists have analyzed 60 years of Academy Awards acceptance speeches as part of a research project that focused on gratitude.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:02:02 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140250.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/living_well.xml

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Social Discovery App Sonar Gets New Investment From Bing Fund, Announces It Via Vine

Sonar, a social discovery service (and?TechCrunch Disrupt alumni)?which was among the top apps at last year's SXSW in Austin, is today announcing new investment from ?Bing Fund. This angel fund and incubator program from Microsoft was publicly revealed this summer, allowing Microsoft to partner with entrepreneurs, which can then receive subsidies to use Bing APIs in their applications, as well as access the technologies developed by Microsoft Research.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Pcarals3_rE/

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Snowstorm closes Kansas City airport, cuts power to 40,000

Another major snowstorm knocked out power from Texas to Missouri, and closed schools across the Midwest. The good news? It could alleviate drought conditions plaguing the region.

By Bill Draper,?AP / February 26, 2013

Amarillo, Texas emergency personnel assist a stranded motorist on the I-40 service road Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. A blizzard packing 50 mph wind gusts and more than 11 inches of snow closed Interstate 40 and many major highways in the Panhandle.

(AP Photo/The Amarillo Globe News,Michael Schumacher)

Enlarge

?The second major snowstorm in a week battered the nation's midsection Tuesday, dropping a half-foot or more of snow across Missouri and Kansas and cutting power to thousands. Gusting winds blew drifts more than 2 feet high and created treacherous driving conditions for those who dared the morning commute.

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About 40,000 people in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas awoke to no power as heavy, wet snow weighed on power lines. Kansas City, Mo., was in a state of emergency as blinding snowfall ? made worst by sustained gusts estimated at 30 mph or higher ? made car and truck traffic too dangerous. About 8 inches of new snow had fallen on parts of the Kansas City metro area as the sun rose Tuesday.

Flights in and out of Kansas City International Airport were canceled, schools, government offices and businesses across the region were closed. City buses were getting stuck.

Numerous accidents were reported in the area, and Mayor Sly James declared the emergency in an unwanted encore to a major snowstorm that dumped nearly a foot of snow on his city just five days earlier. He urged residents to stay home, given that the new storm was expected to dump nearly a foot of new snow on the city.

"This one has the potential to be quite serious," James said.

A strong low pressure system fueled the storm, which also included heavy rain and thunderstorms in eastern Oklahoma and Texas.

The storm knocked power out to thousands of homes in Texas and Oklahoma and was blamed for the death of a 21-year-old man whose SUV hit an icy patch on Interstate 70 in northwestern Kansas and overturned Monday. In Oklahoma, a person was killed after 15 inches of snow brought down part of a roof in the northwest town of Woodward.

In the Texas Panhandle, wind gusts up to 75 mph and heavy snow had made all roads impassable and created whiteout conditions, said Paul Braun, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation. A hurricane-force gust of 75 mph was recorded at the Amarillo, Texas, airport. The city saw the biggest snowfall total in Texas with 17 inches.

Motorists were stranded throughout the Texas Panhandle, with the NWS in Lubbock reporting as many as 100 vehicles at a standstill on Interstate 27.

Schools and major highways in the Texas Panhandle remained closed for a second day Tuesday. State officials said they hoped that stretches of Interstate 40 near the Oklahoma border, which have been closed since Monday morning, would reopen by Tuesday afternoon. Whiteout conditions further impeded efforts to clear roads of more than a foot of snow in western Oklahoma early Tuesday.

Texas Tech's men's basketball team stayed overnight at a hotel in Manhattan, Kan., after playing Kansas State on Monday night, rather try to drive back to Lubbock. Also late Monday, officials with Oklahoma State University announced it would be closed Tuesday due to the weather.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter Monday night in Woodward, Okla., for stranded travelers. It also told its volunteers and workers in Kansas City to be prepared to help in the case of power outages or large numbers of stranded travelers.

Area hospitals closed outpatient and urgent care centers, and the University of Missouri canceled classes for Tuesday. The Missouri Department of Transportation issued a "no travel" advisory asking people to stay off affected highways except in case of a dire emergency.

Meteorologist Mike Umscheid of the National Weather Service office in Dodge City, Kan., said this latest storm combined with the storm last week will help alleviate the drought conditions that have plagued farmers and ranchers across the Midwest, and could be especially helpful to the winter wheat crop planted last fall.

But getting two back-to-back storms of this magnitude doesn't mean the drought is finished.

"If we get one more storm like this with widespread 2 inches of moisture, we will continue to chip away at the drought, but to claim the drought is over or ending is way too premature," Umscheid said.

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Associated Press writers Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, Nomaan Merchant in Dallas, Jill Zeman Bleed and Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark., Daniel Holtmeyer in Oklahoma City, Steve Paulson in Denver, Paul Davenport in Albuquerque, N.M., and Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kan., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/akGrMeMvVgA/Snowstorm-closes-Kansas-City-airport-cuts-power-to-40-000

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HP Pavilion P7-1520t CTO

The HP Pavilion P7-1520t CTO (starts at $549.99, $679.99 direct as tested) is a Windows 8-equipped budget desktop that offers users solid performance alongside a decent feature set for an affordable price. It has a few shortcomings?including bloatware and a limited port selection?but one can hardly expect perfection at this price point.

Design and Features
The P7-1520t's low-key black matte-finished chassis 16.14 by 6.89 by 15.28 inches (HWD). Like the Acer Aspire AME600-UR378, a glossy black plastic face adorns the otherwise all-metal exterior, providing a modest dash of style while also housing a six-in-1 card reader (xD/Smart Media/Compact Flash/SD/MMC/Memory Stick) and a DVD burner. Beneath the DVD burner is an expansion bay that can accommodate a second optical drive, and further down you'll find a sliding panel that opens to reveal headphone and microphone jacks and a pair of USB 3.0 ports. Aside from a silver trim that lines the outer edges of the plastic face, the Pavilion P7-1520t has a minimalist design.

The P7-1520t does not come with a bundled with a monitor, but does bundle a wired mouse and keyboard, which bites into the limited number of available USB ports on the system. In addition to the two USB 3.0 ports on the system's front panel, the rear only houses four USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, and several audio outputs to accommodate front and side speakers as well as a subwoofer. With a grand total of six USB ports, the P7-1520t's port connectivity is on the low end of the spectrum, falling short of both the Gateway DX4870-UR11P (which has 12 ports) and Gateway DX4870-UR11 (which has eight ports). It's not a fatal flaw by any means, but if you're big on peripherals you may want to steer clear of this system.

There's moderate potential for expansion beneath the P7-1520t's hood. Inside, there's an available internal 3.5-inch bay for a second hard drive and a vacant 5.25-inch bay for adding an additional internal optical drive. Meanwhile, the Pavilion P7-1520t's 6GB of SDRAM is distributed in one 4GB memory module and one 2GB memory module that occupy both of the motherboard's DIMM sockets, so users looking to upgrade to the maximum 8GB RAM will have to ditch the 2GB module in order to do so. The motherboard also features three available PCIe x1 slots, though the system's 300W power supply limits your ability to add a second GPU to midrange graphics cards since they don't consume as much power as their more robust counterparts.

The Pavilion P7-1520t sports a spacious 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive, though users who prefer starting from a clean slate will first have to cut through a formidable amount of preloaded software. To be fair, this isn't much of a surprise for a system in this price range. That said, it still requires users to initially shovel through a pile of software ranging from bloatware (Windows Live Essentials, WildTangent games, desktop links to eBay, Netflix, and Skype), trialware (60-days of Norton Internet Security), and the occasional useful program (Office Starter 2010, CyberLink Media Suite). The P7-1520t comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Performance
Armed with a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3330 CPU and 6GB RAM, the P7-1520t churned out decent scores in our benchmark tests. Its PCMark 7 score of 3,445 easily outgunned the Dell XPS 8300 (X8300-4004NBK) (2,531 points) while coming within striking distance of the Core i7-equipped Gateway DX4870-UR11P (3,450 points) and didn't land too far from the class-leading Acer Aspire AME600-UR378 (3,917 points). While its Cinebench R11.5 score of 4.91 points landed at the bottom of the pack, it nonetheless nipped at the heels of both the Dell XPS 8300 (4.92 points) and Acer Aspire AM3970-UR11P (4.93 points).

The P7-1520t also demonstrated a modest capacity for multimedia creation. It completed our Handbrake video-encoding test in 42 seconds, only two seconds short of the Acer AME600-UR378 (42 seconds). Similarly, it wrapped up our Photoshop CS6 test in 3 minutes 55 seconds, a little over thirty seconds short of the Acer AME600-UR378 (3:32).

While the P7-1520t failed to crack the 30 frames-per-second (fps) playability barrier on our high-end gaming tests, its discrete 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630 GPU helped the system to lead the pack in terms of 3D rendering capabilities. Its scores in 3DMark11 (2,164 points in Entry-level settings; 397 points in Extreme-level settings) easily smoked the competitors, like the Acer AME600-UR378 (3,917 points and 1,478 points, respectively) and Gateway DX4870-UR11P (1,460 points in Entry-level settings).

The HP Pavilion P7-1520t CTO is a good choice for users on a tight budget that on the market for a Windows 8-equipped desktop with an affordable price tag. In addition to its solid performance, it also offers users a decent feature set and a discrete GPU. While it could have benefitted from a greater port selection, its shortcomings are forgivable at this price point. Users looking for a system with more robust processing power should check out the Gateway DX4870-UR11P, which offers a Core i7 processor for less than $200 extra. Overall, the HP Pavilion P7-1520t gives plenty of bang for the buck, and it's a solid choice for the budget-conscious.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Pavilion P7-1520t CTO with several other desktops side by side.

More desktop reviews:
??? HP Pavilion P7-1520t CTO
??? Maingear F131 Super Stock (GTX Titan)
??? Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan)
??? Zotac ZBox Nano AD12 Plus
??? HP Pavilion 20-b010z
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/168KQBX2gyk/0,2817,2416018,00.asp

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Cell discovery could hold key to causes of inherited diseases

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Fresh insights into the protective seal that surrounds the DNA of our cells could help develop treatments for inherited muscle, brain, bone and skin disorders.

Researchers have discovered that the proteins within this coating -- known as the nuclear envelope -- vary greatly between cells in different organs of the body.

This variation means that certain disease causing proteins will interact with the proteins in the protective seal to cause illness in some organs, but not others.

Until now scientists had thought that all proteins within the nuclear envelope were the same in every type of organ.

In particular the finding may provide insights into a rare muscle disease, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

This condition causes muscle wastage and heart problems, affects only muscles, even though it is caused by a defect in a nuclear envelope protein found in every cell in the body.

Scientists say that the envelope proteins they have identified as being specific to muscle may interact with the defective nuclear envelope protein that causes Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, to give rise to the disease.

In a similar way, this may help to explain other heritable diseases that only affect certain parts of the body despite the defective proteins being present in every cell. The study also identified nuclear envelope proteins specific to liver and blood.

Some of these also interact with proteins in all cells that are responsible for other nuclear envelope diseases, ranging from brain and fat to skin diseases, and so may help explain why things go wrong.

Dr Eric Schirmer, of the University of Edinburgh's Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, who led the study, said: "Nobody could have imagined what we found. The fact that most proteins in the nuclear envelope would be specific for certain tissue types is a very exciting development. This may finally enable us to understand this ever-growing spectrum of inherited diseases as well as new aspects of tissue-specific gene regulation."

The findings build on previous research that showed proteins in the nuclear envelope are linked to more than 20 heritable diseases.

The study, which was supported by the Wellcome Trust and conducted in collaboration with the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, is published in the journal Nucleus.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Edinburgh, 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. Nadia Korfali, Gavin S. Wilkie, Selene K. Swanson, Vlastimil Srsen, Jose de las Heras, Dzmitry G. Batrakou, Poonam Malik, Nikolaj Zuleger, Alastair R.W. Kerr, Laurence Florens, Eric C. Schirmer. The nuclear envelope proteome differs notably between tissues. Nucleus, 2012; 3 (6): 24 DOI: 10.4161/nucl.22257

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/r8kNvxe1h04/130226113830.htm

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Q&A: The science behind personal genetics testing

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) ? A growing number of universities are offering classes on personal genetics to educate students about a medical field that is becoming increasingly important as the price of genetic testing drops. Here's a look at the basics:

Q: What is genetic testing and genotyping?

A: A genetic test analyzes DNA to look for a specific gene to test for the presence of a condition, such as Huntington's disease. Genotyping goes far beyond that, analyzing several or even thousands of variants across an individual's full set of genes, known as the genome.

Q: How can you get such testing done?

A: Medical providers use the testing routinely. It helps them diagnose patients who have symptoms of a disease, screen newborn infants for disease risks, tell parents whether their unborn child will have a genetic condition, and determine the amount and type of medicine best suited for a patient.

But what is becoming more available and common is testing done by private companies marketing services directly to consumers, such as 23AndMe and AncestryDNA. These tests typically analyze thousands of different variants but do not look at the entire genome. The tests can cost $99 to more than $1,000, depending on the extent of testing done. 23AndMe and AncestryDNA require individuals to submit saliva samples, and initial results can be available within six weeks.

Q: What can the results show?

A: The results can show whether individuals are at increased risk for a range of diseases; whether they are a carrier for hundreds of genetic conditions; whether they are predisposed to have certain physical traits; where one's ancestors come from; how they may respond to certain drugs.

Q: What are some practical ways this can help?

A: The information can help diagnose potential health problems sooner. Individuals may be able to take steps to avoid behavior that may trigger health problems for which they know they're at risk. Couples who learn they are carriers for the same disease may conceive with egg or sperm donors to avoid passing it to children. Individuals may be able to identify and meet relatives they did not know.

Q: What are potential downsides?

A: Scientists caution that the tests can be misleading because many genetic discoveries have yet to be made, which means some results may falsely reassure or needlessly alarm people. But the tests can also deliver shocking information ? individuals can learn they are likely to develop diseases that have no cure, have siblings they never knew about, or that the man who raised them is not their father. There are also numerous ethical and privacy considerations. One's relatives do not need to give consent for the tests, even though they may learn distressing information. Companies ask for consent to use their customers' DNA in research, and there's always the risk of a privacy breach.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/q-science-behind-personal-genetics-testing-083647543.html

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SES New York Keynote Speaker Says Internet is TV's Best Friend ...

The Internet didn?t kill TV! According to Mike Proulx, the Internet has become TV?s best friend. Proulx will be the opening keynote speaker at SES New York 2013. The leading event for experienced marketing and advertising professionals will take place March 25-28, 2013, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Proulx is a Senior Vice President and the Director of Social Media at Hill Holliday, a renowned advertising agency based in Boston, where he leads a team with a focus on cross-channel integration, emerging and social media. He has spent the last 17 years working at various interactive, high-tech, and new media companies on the agency-side, client-side, and as an entrepreneur. He has spoken at dozens of events and has been widely featured in the press including The New York Times, Fast Company, TV Guide, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Mashable, BuzzFeed, and NPR.

Proulx conceived, produced, directed, and co-host the TVnext summit, which took place in early 2011 and 2012. He is the co-author of Social TV, a best-selling book from Wiley publishing that launched in February of 2012. He is also the host of the social TV web series, ?The Pulse on Lost Remote?. He holds a Master?s degree in Computer Information Systems from Bentley University and in 2012 was named the Ad Club?s Media All Star.

His opening keynote is titled, ?Social TV: How Marketers Can Reach and Engage Audiences by Connecting Television to the Web, Social Media, and Mobile.?

Search Engine Watch (SEW) asked Mike Proulx (MP) five questions about his upcoming keynote. Here are his answers:

SEW: How does the convergence of television with the web, social media, and mobile change our behaviors and shake up our long standing beliefs about TV?

MP: There are those who believe that television is a traditional medium with an impending death. The web, social media, and mobile have evolved TV into a multi-screen experience that transcends devices. Not only are we watching more television than ever before, we?re interacting with programming on the ?second screen? in ways that enrich storylines and bring us together to virtually co-view. The modern era of television is a new media that?s more social, more connected, and more portable?and because of this TV is more alive than it?s ever been.

SEW: How has social media created a new and powerful "backchannel" and why does this fuel the renaissance of live broadcasts?

MP: There are a ton of posts happening in social media about any given TV show as it airs. Since Twitter is open and public, it acts as television?s backchannel filled with real-time commentary and conversation ? And it?s not just about TV series but also TV commercials giving producers and marketers instant feedback about their content. Live television events are seeing some of the highest ratings in years and social media brings a level of community and connection to TV watching the likes of which the medium has never before experienced.

SEW: Can you give us some examples of how mobile devices allow us to watch and interact with television whenever and wherever we want?

MP: Tablets, smartphones, and laptops enable television?s portability but it?s apps like HBO Go, ABC Player, Xfinity Remote, and CNN that deliver ?TV? content via those devices. And in the 4G world of mobile, we can watch TV in places once inconceivable. My favorite spot? Laying out on the roof deck on a warm summer night with my iPad in hand streaming HBO?s The Newsroom.

SEW: Why would ?connected TVs? blend web and television content into a unified big screen experience that will bring us back into our living rooms?

MP: Apple TV, Roku, Boxee TV, Google TV, Samsung Smart TVs, etc. stream online video (that was once relegated to our computer screens) onto the ?big screen? of our living rooms. HD YouTube clips suddenly come to life in ways that are far more impactful and dynamic than tiny smartphone screens further blurring the lines of what?s ?TV.? While the notion of TV everywhere lets us watch TV at will regardless of our physical location, the increasingly seamless ability to channel streaming video through the TV set makes the living room that much more compelling.

SEW: With the television landscape changing, why should brands approach the medium once labeled ?traditional? as new media?

MP: TV has become mashed up with the Web, social media, and mobile. Television networks, providers, brands, and agencies must continue to unshackle themselves from dated business and advertising models and rediscover television as a new medium. This means planning television and digital together to tell stories across devices and engage viewers with TV experiences not just TV shows. The speed, scale, and degree of change that has and is happening create enormous opportunity for those brands who have the courage to innovate.

SES New York 2013 offers a variety of conference passes and on-site training. If you register by Thursday, March 7, 2013, you can save up to $600 on Platinum or All Access passes.

For more information, click on Rates and Registration Details. Group discounts for 4 or more pass holders from the same company are also available by contacting [email?protected] and are the best value for the lowest price possible.

I should disclose that SES New York is a client of my agency. But, trust me, TV is not dead yet.

---

Become an Expert Digital Marketer at SES New York
March 25-28, 2013: With dozens of sessions on Search, Social, Local and Mobile, you'll leave SES with everything and everyone you need to know. Hurry, early bird rates expire February 21. Register today!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2250850/SES-New-York-Keynote-Speaker-Says-Internet-is-TVs-Best-Friend

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Time to step in? U.S. weighs direct aid to Syrian rebels

PARIS (AP) ? The Obama administration, in coordination with some European allies, is for the first time considering supplying direct assistance to elements of the Free Syrian Army as they seek to ramp up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and end nearly two years of brutal and increasingly deadly violence.

Officials in the United States and Europe said Tuesday the administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide non-lethal assistance to carefully vetted fighters opposed to the Assad regime in addition to what it is already supplying to the political opposition. A decision is expected by Thursday when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will attend an international conference on Syria in Rome that leaders of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have been persuaded to attend, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the shift in strategy has not yet been finalized and still needs to be coordinated with European nations, notably Britain. They are eager to vastly increase the size and scope of assistance for Assad's foes.

Kerry, who was a cautious proponent of supplying arms to the rebels while he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been consulting with European leaders on how to step up pressure on Assad to leave power. The effort has been as a major focus of his first official trip abroad as America's top diplomat. On the first two stops on his hectic nine-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East, in London and Berlin, he has sought to assure the Syrian opposition that more help is on the way.

In London on Monday, he made a public appeal to opposition coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib not to boycott the Rome meeting as had been threatened and to attend the conference despite concerns among Assad foes that international community is not doing enough. Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden made private telephone calls to al-Khatib to make the same case.

"We are determined that the Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind, wondering where the support is, if it is coming," Kerry told reporters after meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Hague said that the deteriorating conditions in Syria, especially recent scud missile attacks on the city of Aleppo, were unacceptable and that the West's current position could not be sustained while an "appalling injustice" is being done to Syrian citizens.

"In the face of such murder and threat of instability, our policy cannot stay static as the weeks go by," Hague told reporters, standing beside Kerry. "We must significantly increase support for the Syrian opposition. We are preparing to do just that."

The officials in Washington and European capitals said the British are pushing proposals to provide military training, body armor and other technical support to members of the Free Syrian Army who have been determined not to have links to extremists. The officials said, however, that the U.S. was not yet ready to consider such action although Washington would not object if the Europeans moved ahead with the plans.

The Obama administration has been deeply concerned about military equipment falling into the hands of radical Islamists who have become a significant factor in the Syrian conflict and could then use that materiel for terrorist attacks or strikes on Israel.

The Italian government, which is hosting Thursday's conference, said on Monday that the Europeans would use the meeting "to urge the United States' greater flexibility on measures in favor of the opposition to the Assad regime."

"They will be asking, in particular, that 'non-lethal' aid be extended to include technical assistance and training so as to consolidate the coalition's efforts in the light of what emerged at the latest meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council," the foreign ministry said in a statement. In a recent meeting, European Union foreign ministers agreed that support to the rebels needed to be boosted.

Officials in Washington said the United States was leaning toward providing tens of millions of dollars more in non-lethal assistance to the opposition, including vetted members of the Free Syrian Army who had not been receiving direct U.S. assistance. So far, assistance has been limited to funding for communications and other logistical equipment, a formalized liaison office and an invitation to al-Khatib to visit the United States in the coming weeks.

The officials stressed, however, that the administration did not envision American military training for the rebels nor U.S. provision of combat items such as body armor that the British are advocating.

The officials said the U.S. is also looking at stepping up its civilian technical assistance devoted to rule of law, civil society and good governance, in order to prepare an eventual transition government to run the country once Assad leaves.

In Europe, meanwhile, Kerry on Tuesday visited Berlin where he met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time in his new post, spending more than an hour discussing the Syria conflict. Russia has been a strong supporter of Assad and has, along with China, repeatedly blocked efforts at the United Nations to impose global sanctions against the regime unless it stops the violence that has killed nearly 70,000 people.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the two met for an hour and 45 minutes, spending more than half that time on Syria in what she called a "really serious and hardworking session."

Kerry and Lavrov discussed how they could implement the so-called Geneva Agreement, which is designed to get the Syrian government and rebels to plan a transitional government for the time after Assad leaves office, Nuland said.

Lavrov told Russian news agencies that his talks with Kerry were "quite constructive." On Syria, he said the two reaffirmed their "intention to do all Russia and the U.S. can do. It's not that everything depends on us, but we shall do all we can to create conditions for the soonest start of a dialogue between the government and the opposition."

Syria's foreign minister was in Moscow on Monday and while there expressed a willingness to meet with opposition leaders.

The Syrian National Coalition is skeptical about outside help from the West and threatened to boycott the Rome meeting until a series of phone calls and meetings between Kerry and his ambassadors and Syrian opposition leaders repaired the schism. The council now says it will attend the meeting, but is hoping for more concrete offers of help, including military assistance.

___

Klapper contributed to this report from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-us-weighs-direct-aid-syrian-rebels-014311467--politics.html

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HBT: Aaron had big ideas in commissioner pitch

Yesterday I linked that story in which Ernie Banks talked about Hank Aaron ?applying? to be the commissioner of baseball once upon a time. Last night my friend Jess Lemont sent me a news article from 1983 with some details about it. ?Seems that was when he announced his desire to replace Bowie Kuhn, who had just recently announced his resignation under pressure from the owners.

Obviously Peter Ueberroth?got the job. He then proceeded to break the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the law with his collusion schemes. That ended up costing the players and the owners hundreds of millions of dollars which in turn led to double expansion in the 1990s to pay for it. ?Good going, Pete!

What might have happened if Aaron had gotten the job instead? My theory: the owners either would not have engaged in any greedy illegal schemes or else Aaron would have resigned in protest had they tried. ?Short of that, though there there?s at least some evidence to suggest that, if he were commissioner, he might not have taken too different a course than Bud Selig took when he got the job in the early 90s. From the article, Aaron?s response when asked what changes he might institute as?commissioner:

?A major one is Interleague play. We are denying fans of both leagues the opportunity to see outstanding players and teams.?

He added that he?d push for a uniform DH rule, though he doesn?t say if he?d prefer all DH or no DH. He also pushed for two-team expansion to get the leagues up to 14 teams each. Oh, and there?s this:

Aaron, currently the Braves? director of player development, said he is not anti-player, but he supports placing a salary cap on teams? payrolls.

He goes on to talk about how the Twins can?t compete without a salary cap because Calvin Griffiths doesn?t have the money to sign free agents. Never mind that, within eight years and a couple of months the Twins will have won two World Series. Whatever the case, this is on all fours with Selig?s talking points from 1994 through around 2002 or so, which led to the most destructive work stoppage in the sports? history and nearly led to another.

Notably, Selig ? a longtime close friend of Aaron ? led the search committee that ultimately settled on Ueberroth?over Aaron. He also promised Aaron the chance to talk to the committee. Given that they remain friends I?m guessing that it wasn?t him, but rather, other owners who ?laughed? at Aaron?s candidacy, as Banks said.

Neat stuff. Thanks Jess!

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/commissioner-hank-aaron-would-have-instituted-interleague-play-tried-to-impose-a-salary-cap/related/

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Prison Planet.com ? Household chemicals cause cancer, birth ...

J. D. Heyes
Natural News
Feb 26, 2013

A new landmark study by the?World Health Organization says a host of common, everyday household chemicals pose severe health problems including cancer, asthma, reduced fertility and even birth defects.

According to the study, WHO identified a number of ?synthetic chemicals? which the UN agency said had ?serious implications? for health, even going so far as to suggest that so-called ?gender-bending? compounds found in PVC flooring, kids? toys and even credit cards should be banned in order to protect future generations, recent reports detailing the findings said.

The study said more research was likely needed to flesh out the links between endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are found in a number of household chemicals, and ?specific diseases and disorders.?

?Reasonable to suspect? chemical substances are causing harm

WHO researchers said they have discovered links between EDCs and health issues including breast, prostate and thyroid cancers, testicular problems, developmental effects on children?s nervous systems, and attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity in kids.

Scientists at the UN agency also said it is ?reasonable to suspect? chemical substances called phthalates of disrupting female fertility, and also linked the substances to rising rates of childhood diseases such as leukemia.

Researchers labeled the study the most ?comprehensive? report on EDCs so far because it examined and evaluated several chemicals and related evidence rather than just focusing on a single element or compound. The?study is titled, ?State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.?

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

The findings also raised concerns over bispehnol A, a man-made compound found in many daily items such as tin cans and sunglasses. The substance is believed to interfere with the natural hormones that influence human development and growth.

WHO scientists also said there was ?very strong evidence? in animals that the substances can interfere with thyroid hormones; that could lead to brain damage, loss of intelligence, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Regarding the incidence of prostate?cancer, ?significant evidence? exists that suggests a link with agricultural pesticides, according to a team of international medical experts which examined the data. The UN agency also said wildlife was at risk.

?The diverse systems affected by endocrine-disrupting?chemicals likely include all hormonal systems and range from those controlling development and function of reproductive organs to the tissues and organs regulating metabolism and satiety,? the report said. ?Effects on these systems can lead to obesity, infertility or reduced fertility, learning and memory difficulties, adult-onset diabetes or cardiovascular disease, as well as a variety of other diseases.?

The same report, published 10 years ago, found only ?weak evidence? that said chemicals could affect human?health.

?The latest science shows that communities across the globe are being exposed to EDCs, and their associated risks,? said Dr. Maria Neira, WHO?s Director for Public Health and Environment. She said the agency ?will work with partners to establish research priorities to investigate links to EDCs and human health impacts in order to mitigate the risks,? adding: ?We all have a responsibility to protect future generations.?

?We urgently need more research?

The study backed similar warnings by the?European Environment Agency that were issued last year, warning items like cosmetics and medicines containing EDCs could be harmful to human health.

Earlier,?Natural News reported that EDCs identified in this study may have on the body?s hormone system may have ?significant health implications? for humans. (http://www.naturalnews.com)

According to a UN press release, the report ?calls for more research to understand fully the associations between endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) ? found in many household and industrial products ? and specific diseases and disorders.?

?We urgently need more research to obtain a fuller picture of the health and environment impacts of endocrine disruptors,? Neira said.

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://www.naturalnews.com

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Source: http://www.prisonplanet.com/household-chemicals-cause-cancer-birth-defects-wide-range-of-health-issues-who-study-admits.html

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Co-op Members Can Sign Up for OPALCO Broadband: Internet and ...

February 25th, 2013

OPALCO?s member engagement effort is just starting and there is plenty of time to ask questions and give feedback on the plan to bring much better Internet plus phone service to 90% of San Juan County. When you?re ready, you can go to www.opalco.com and sign up for broadband services. The Board of Directors has asked for pre-subscription commitments from more than half the membership before agreeing to move forward and build the system, in order to ensure the project will not become a financial burden on the co-op.

What would members who subscribe to OPALCO?s broadband services get? For a total of $90/month per residential household ? about what we?re all paying now ? members would get:

• Much better Internet service (10Mbps+ in rural areas, 50Mbps+ in population centers) designed to accomodate future expansion
• Unlimited local and national long distance phone service using your current phone number and existing phone (international plans also available)
• Wifi access in population centers and at ferry landings

Even if you don?t subscribe or use the Internet, the shared infrastructure will provide critical improvements to our quality of life in San Juan County. This system, because it combines fiber optic and wireless technologies, will:

• Support improvements to our electric system
• Improve public safety communication and service in emergency situations
• Invite cell phone companies to expand coverage in our county while minimizing the impact to our island character.

To learn more about OPALCO?s proposed plan, go to www.opalco.com. The results of OPALCO?s extensive feasibility study, a preliminary coverage map, frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms and links to relevant articles and reference sources are all contained on the website for easy access. In addition, a group of co-op members is now hosting a forum for discussion of the project at www.sjcbroadbandforum.org.

While our member engagement effort gets up to speed, OPALCO is attending community meetings to talk with members ? such as the Council Community Conversations around the county and the town meetings scheduled for Lopez. We are actively looking for opportunities to attend meetings on all of the islands; please invite us to yours.

Over the coming months, OPALCO will host a variety of public meetings and forums to discuss the project, answer questions and hear from members. We believe we have the fundamental building blocks of an excellent plan to build community strength and sustainability. Working together, we can refine the plan and create solutions that will meet our community needs now and into the future.

Please engage with us along the way: read up on the plan; talk with your neighbors; ask questions and share your ideas. And, when you?re ready, please go to www.opalco.com and sign up for broadband services. We need more than half of our members sign up in advance for the project to go forward.

Orcas Power & Light (OPALCO) was founded in 1937 to empower members to improve their quality of life in our rural communities. OPALCO serves about 11,000 member-owners on 20 islands in San Juan County.

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February 25th, 2013

Source: http://orcasissues.com/co-op-members-can-sign-up-for-opalco-broadband-internet-and-phone-service

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Uber recruiting San Franciscan drivers, no (official taxi) license needed

Taxi-hailing apps like Uber and its competitors have been hitting stop sign after speed bump in their journey to actually, you know, being able to operate. Uber even had to shut down a beta in the Big Apple before the authorities gave such services the green light (with various caveats), and earlier this month, a similar win was scored in California when officials lifted local restrictions. As a result of the Golden State's leniency, Uber has started its UBERx program in San Francisco to recruit drivers who don't possess a specific taxi or limo license. That means everyone and your neighbor Bob can potentially start exchanging rides for cash, and are being promised decent compensation, completely flexible working hours, and access to a large number of clients. Luckily for fare-payers, those that wish to repurpose their whip will have to pass several tests before ferrying passengers, including a "city knowledge exam," so hopefully you won't end up on Alcatraz when you just asked Bob for a lift to Chinatown.

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Uber

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/26/uberx-san-francisco/

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