Economy shrinks as government spending drops

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, suffering its first decline since the recession ended more than three years ago as businesses scaled back on restocking and government spending plunged.

Gross domestic product fell at a 0.1 percent annual rate after growing at a 3.1 percent clip in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.

That was the worst performance since the second quarter of 2009 and showed the economy entering the new year with no momentum, but economists cautioned against reading too much into the decline in output.

"You got a combination of inventories and defense which are taking more than 2 percentage points off the growth rate," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. "This is not an indicator of recession."

Still, the contraction, coming against a backdrop of tightening fiscal policy, could create an urgency for policymakers to deal with outstanding budget issues.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected output to increase at a 1.1 percent rate. None of the economists surveyed had predicted a contraction.

A pick-up in consumer spending and a rebound in business investment curbed the slide in output and offered some hope for the recovery, which will be severely tested as Washington tightens its belt.

A second report showed private employers stepped up hiring in January, suggesting an improvement in the labor market. An increase in job gains could help the economy to weather the headwinds in the first half of the year.

The ADP National Employment Report showed private payrolls rose 192,000 in January after increasing 185,000 in December.

U.S. Treasury debt prices rallied on the GDP number, while the dollar fell. Stock futures extended losses.

The data were published as officials at the Federal Reserve wrap-up a two-day meeting. The report will likely provide ammunition for officials at the U.S. central bank to stay on their ultra-accommodative policy stance.

Economists say a growth pace in excess of 3 percent would be needed over a sustained period to significantly lower high unemployment. The economy has struggled to hold above a 2 percent growth pace.

For the whole of 2012 the economy grew 2.2 percent.

The economy was slammed by a monster storm in late October, which caused extensive damage along the East Coast, which was expected to have cut around 0.5 percentage point off fourth-quarter growth.

The recovery also had to deal with uncertainty over the so-called fiscal cliff of scheduled tax hikes and budget cuts, which hurt confidence even though data suggests that households and businesses largely shrugged off the worries.

SOME BRIGHT SIGNS

Businesses, caught with too much inventory in their warehouses in the third quarter, slowed their stock building in the final three months of the year.

That slowdown sliced 1.27 percentage points from fourth-quarter GDP growth. That was the biggest drag in two years. Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a 1.1 percent rate, slowing from the third quarter's 2.4 percent.

Government spending tumbled at a 6.6 percent rate, as defense outlays plunged at a 22.2 percent pace, wiping out the previous quarter's gains. Government subtracted 1.33 percentage points form growth. The decline in defense spending was the largest since 1972.

Export weakness also weighed on growth. Exports have been hampered by a recession in Europe, a cooling Chinese economy and storm and strike-related port disruptions. Overall trade cut a quarter of a percentage point from GDP growth. Exports fell for the first time since the first quarter of 2009.

But not all the details in the report were bleak.

Importantly, consumer and business spending showed some strength, and income available to households after taxes and inflation increased substantially in the fourth quarter.

In addition, the saving rate increased to 4.7 percent from 3.6 percent in the third quarter, which should support future spending.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity, rose at a 2.2 percent rate, accelerating from the prior quarter's 1.6 percent growth pace.

Business investment rebounded after its first drop in 1-1/2 years in the prior quarter. The housing market was another bright spot. Residential construction grew at a 15.3 percent rate after notching a 13.5 percent growth pace in the third quarter.

Homebuilding added to growth last year for the first time since 2005.

(Additional reporting by Herb Lash and Leah Schnurr in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-growth-seen-braking-inventories-government-weigh-060305476--sector.html

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Chinese Connection Dub Embassy Waka Winter Classic

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In Vietnam, rage growing over loss of land rights

In this Jan. 18, 2013 photo, workers haul cement into a warehouse on disputed land in Kim Son village, Vietnam. Forced evictions are one of the main drivers of public anger against Vietnam's Communist leadership. Land disputes break out elsewhere in Asia, notably next door in China, but they have particular resonance in Vietnam, where wars and revolutions were fought in the name of the peasant class to secure collective ownership of the land. (AP Photo/Chris Brummitt)

In this Jan. 18, 2013 photo, workers haul cement into a warehouse on disputed land in Kim Son village, Vietnam. Forced evictions are one of the main drivers of public anger against Vietnam's Communist leadership. Land disputes break out elsewhere in Asia, notably next door in China, but they have particular resonance in Vietnam, where wars and revolutions were fought in the name of the peasant class to secure collective ownership of the land. (AP Photo/Chris Brummitt)

In this Jan. 18, 2013 photo, workers haul cement into a warehouse on disputed land in Kim Son village, Vietnam. Forced evictions are one of the main drivers of public anger against Vietnam's Communist leadership. Land disputes break out elsewhere in Asia, notably next door in China, but they have particular resonance in Vietnam, where wars and revolutions were fought in the name of the peasant class to secure collective ownership of the land. (AP Photo/Chris Brummitt)

KIM SON, Vietnam (AP) ? Faced with a group of farmers refusing to give up their land for a housing project, the Communist Party officials negotiating the deal devised a solution: They went to a bank, opened accounts in the names of the holdouts and deposited what they decided was fair compensation. Then they took the land.

The farmers, angry at the sum and now forced to compete for jobs in a stuttering economy, blocked the main road connecting the capital to the north of the country for one day in December. In a macabre gesture, some clambered into coffins. Police who came to break up the demonstration were pelted with rocks. Several people were arrested.

"This is an injustice," said Nguyen Duc Hung, a rice farmer forced to give up 2,000 square meters (215,000 square feet) of land he had worked for more than 15 years. "The compensation money will help us to survive for several years, but after that, how can we make our living?"

Forced confiscations of land are a major and growing source of public anger against Vietnam's authoritarian one-party government. They often go hand-in-hand with corruption; local Communist Party elites have a monopoly on land deals, and many are alleged to have used it to make themselves rich.

These issues unite rural and urban Vietnamese in a way that discontent over political oppression tends not to.

Land disputes break out elsewhere in Asia, notably next door in China, but they have particular resonance in Vietnam, where wars and revolutions were fought in the name of the peasant class to secure collective ownership of the land.

The farmers who blocked the road quoted the country's revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh, in the banners they posted at their camp. "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom," said one. "We would rather die than lose our land," said another.

The government recognizes that the anger coursing through the countryside threatens its legitimacy, and has pledged to revise land laws this year to make them more equitable.

But establishing clear property rights and enforcing laws to protect them comes with ideological complications in a country still publicly committed to state ownership of the land even as it embraces free-market capitalism.

Vietnam abandoned Soviet-style collective farming in the 1980s and began its embrace of capitalism. In 1993, it passed a revised land law that gave citizens the right to use land for 20 years, but stopped short of allowing private ownership. Local Communist party officials can forcibly acquire land, not just for public interest projects such as bridges and roads but also on behalf of private investors building housing estates and industrial and recreational facilities.

Complaints about corruption when rezoning agricultural land to accommodate expensive industrial plots are widespread. So are allegations that the government pays farmers one-tenth the market value of their land, or less.

"Compensation rates are very low and those who take the land profit greatly," said economist and former adviser to the prime minister Pham Chi Lan. "The land laws have many loopholes which have created fertile ground for those who, with the support of local governments, take the land from people for their personal benefit."

Small groups of farmers, many of them women, routinely demonstrate in Hanoi outside government buildings about forced confiscation of land. They welcome people taking photos of them or trying to talk, but security forces immediately shoo visitors away from the scene.

Disputes have been commonplace for years, but are increasing in frequency as farmers become more aware of their rights and economic development increases demand for industrial land. Many 20-year leases granted in 1993 are expiring this year, bringing fresh opportunities for rezoning of the land ? and more opportunity for conflict.

Government figures reported to parliament in November showed public complaints had risen to 4,200 in 2011, more than twice the total number of complaints received from 2005 to 2009. National assembly deputy Ho Thi Thuy acknowledged that corruption among local party officials was a problem.

"Some people have abused the state policies to profit illegally," she said, according to state-run media reports at the time.

The government has sought the assistance of the World Bank in revising the land law to reduce conflict. The World Bank and other outside institutions have called on the government to allow forced evictions only for works that benefit the public, not commercial projects, and to make the process more transparent and equitable.

Communist Party officials in Quang Ninh province, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Hanoi, allowed an Associated Press team to visit Kim Son village. The journalists were escorted by party officials in the village. They spoke to opponents in phone interviews

Officials insisted they had followed the rules when acquiring the land for the housing project, which they said is aimed at upgrading the small village to a township.

"We are working together to build a more prosperous Kim Son," said Vu Van Hoc, chairman of the local people's committee.

He said the project used land that had been owned by 852 families, and that less than 10 percent of them disagreed with the government's compensation rate of around $6 per square meter. He said just seven families were continuing to refuse the deal.

Villagers now allege the land has been resold for $310 per square meter. Hoc denied that, saying the land had yet to be sold.

He said he hoped that by depositing the money into bank accounts in the villagers' names, "the issue could be resolved." He dismissed the protest in late December as the work of "village extremists who had managed to persuade others" to join.

Video of the protest was recorded by people on their cellphones and posted on the Internet by dissident groups, which seek to capitalize on the public anger generated by the conflicts.

For two minutes, police cowered behind riot shields as young men hurled rocks and bits of concrete at them, but officers eventually regained control.

State media reported that 12 people were arrested. The police chief refused to identify them, or to say whether they were still in detention weeks later.

The local communist party bused in five villagers who had no complaints about the compensation package to speak to the visiting reporters and briefly showed them the land, on which a local company is already constructing roads and drainage. Unlike those protesting the compensation, the villagers appeared to have significant holdings elsewhere, or younger families with jobs.

Mac Thi Thuc, a 50-year-old who attendant the protest, and whose family is among the seven holdouts, said authorities cut off irrigation to her land in 2010, making it impossible to farm. She said the investors in housing scheme should have negotiated with her directly, not the government.

"Over the past two months, my husband and I have had no work," she said. "We have been trying to look for jobs, but no one hired us because we are old. We have no money and we are going hungry and we don't know how we can survive in the months ahead."

There is one potential source of funds: the money local officials deposited as compensation. Thuc says her family isn't touching it.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-31-Vietnam-Land%20Wars/id-426c8ff8349a40debd934a61e09d0d01

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Starting Small Is the Key to a Successful Remodeling Job | Home ...

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Remodeling any room of the house is not really all that difficult as long as you have the knowledge and experience of a professional on your side. There are far too many instances where people have decided to tackle what seemed like a rather simple remodeling job all on their own only to find out that they were in way over their heads. There is a simple reason why construction companies with years of experience are the best choice to handle any type of remodeling job no matter how big or small it may be. They simply know what they are doing. If you think you have what it takes to do a successful remodeling job, then go for it, but you have been warned!

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Start Small!

It does not matter if you have decided to do the remodeling job yourself, or if you have decided to hire a professional construction company to get the job done for you. The best thing to do, would be to start small. There are only a couple of rooms in your home that you could classify as small. Many people have a very small room where they keep their washing machine and their dryer, but why in the world would you want to remodel this room? This is one room that you really do not spend all that much time in anyways. The only other room in your house that is small would have to be the bathroom. This is a great place to start any remodel. They will give you a great idea of what is involved, and the expenses associated with a smaller remodeling job. This information might be exactly what you need to determine whether or not you want to move forward with other types of remodeling jobs in your home.

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Even though starting small is the best idea when it comes to remodeling, if you have no experience doing any sort of construction then you need to stay out of the bathroom. There is far too much plumbing in the bathroom to get involved in. This is one area where one simple mistake could wind up flooding your whole house and doing thousands of dollars? worth of damage, and that could end up being a little counterproductive. The whole idea is to make the house a little more livable and flooding the house will not be the slightest bit helpful.

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This means that you are going to need to locate a construction company to help you handle the remodeling job. Finding a company that handle this type of work can be pretty simple. You can just start searching on the Internet to help you find plenty of great results. You could start by searching for something like, ?bathroom remodeling Fairfax VA.? This should bring back plenty of great results. Once you have a list of results, you just need to determine which construction company is the best for the job. A quick look at their website should give you an idea of whether or not they are qualified for the job.

Source: http://www.oyeblikk.net/starting-small-is-the-key-to-a-successful-remodeling-job/

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The MileCards Travel Credit Card Calculator Finds the Best Travel Rewards Card for Your Needs

Putting all of your spending on one rewards card is the key to earning as many credit card rewards and travel points as you can. But which card is right for you? This calculator from MileCards compares the many travel credit cards based on your spending habits and the kinds of rewards you'd like.

Using the calculator is straightforward: Enter your typical monthly spending and choose whether you prefer redeeming rewards for flights (domestic or international), hotel stays, or gift cards.

MileCards displays the cash value of each card based on what you input as well as intro bonus point offers. The grid is broken up by the first year and ongoing years, to account for annual fees. To further refine the calculations based on your travel habits, you can enter at the bottom of the page cash values for plane tickets and how many miles you fly every year.

Although we've previously highlighted our favorite travel rewards cards, there's no one-size-fits-all card. This calculator can help you choose the travel card that will give you the most cash (or rewards) back.

Travel Credit Card Comparison Calculator | MileWise

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/CynAmrgHM-o/the-milecards-travel-credit-card-calculator-finds-the-best-travel-rewards-card-for-your-needs

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Rudy Gay Traded From Grizzlies To Raptors In Three-Team Deal: Report

Rudy Gay is on his way to Toronto in the latest and most dramatic move in the Memphis Grizzlies makeover, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The Grizzlies agreed to trade their star swingman to the Raptors on Wednesday, parting with the leading scorer on a team that has aspirations of making a run in the powerful Western Conference. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The Raptors gave up point guard Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis in the deal, and another person familiar with the negotiations said the Grizzlies were in discussion with the Detroit Pistons to swap Calderon for Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince.

The moves surprised many around the league, including Calderon.

"It's been my home for eight years," Calderon said in Atlanta, shortly before leaving the arena. "I've done everything possible for this team. It's tough. The fans have been with me since Day 1. It's tough."

Prince and Daye were both listed as inactive for the game against the Pacers in Indiana on Wednesday night, but a Pistons spokesman decline to comment.

Gay, averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, signed a five-year, $82 million maximum contract in July 2010 with Memphis. The 6-foot-8 small forward is due $16.5 million this season with $37 million more over the next two years. That's a big number for new owner Robert Pera, who took over the franchise last November and has quickly started addressing the team's salary situation.

Just over a week ago, the Grizzlies sent valuable reserve Marreese Speights and two other players to Cleveland in a move that cleared $6.4 million in salary and avoided a $4 million luxury tax hit this season. Team officials said that move put the Grizzlies in position not to have to make a move this season.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had been lobbying to keep his five starters together the rest of this season, but he apparently lost that fight. It's a significant move for a team that was fourth in the Western Conference and three games behind the third-place Clippers.

"Wow," Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley tweeted.

Trading away Gay also eases a luxury tax hit due next season, while concentrating the team around center Marc Gasol and All-Star forward Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies had their best playoff run in 2011 when they knocked off then-No. 1 seed San Antonio before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western semifinals ? all with Gay on the bench after needing season-ending shoulder surgery.

"Wow that was 1 crazy trade today," Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins tweeted. "Are you serious Rudy Gay is right there under KD, Lebron, Kobe, and Melo. (hashtag)badtrade."

They do run the risk of upsetting the chemistry on a tight-knit group, even if there were some questions of how Gay's scoring fit in with the ball-dominant frontcourt of Gasol and Randolph.

But there may be more deals like this one coming in the new NBA economy.

The collective bargaining agreement negotiated after last year's lockout makes the penalties for exceeding the salary cap far more punitive, and the system begins in earnest next season. Playing in a smaller market, the Grizzlies don't have the extra revenue from lavish television contracts like teams in Los Angeles or New York, which makes it that much more difficult to go over the cap. But even teams such as the Lakers and Bulls will likely have to be more responsible with their spending under the new deal, where repeat offenders are taxed at rates that multiply with each consecutive year they go over the cap.

All told, the Grizzlies will save nearly $40 million over the next three years after the two trades.

They'll get a hard-nosed defender in return in Prince, the 32-year-old forward who was the last holdover from the proud Pistons championship team in 2003-04. He is averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

Calderon joined the Raptors from Spain in 2005 and has been a fan favorite and trusted veteran on the team. He is averaging 11.1 points and 7.4 assists this season for the Raptors (16-29), who are desperately trying to scratch their way into the playoff picture. Toronto was in 11th place before the games were played Wednesday, but still only 2 1/2 games behind Philadelphia for the eight seed.

Calderon and Davis had both been starting for the Raptors, but they do have Kyle Lowry waiting in the wings at point guard and likely see Gay's scoring punch as the key to vaulting back into the discussion in a mediocre conference.

Coach Dwane Casey will have to deal with a bit of a log jam with Gay, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Landry Fields and Alan Anderson as wing players with similar skill sets. But getting a player with Gay's natural scoring talent, even at the expense of parting with a valued player like Calderon, proved too enticing to pass up.

"Hopefully this team is back to the playoffs as soon as possible," Calderon said.

___

AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tenn., Larry Lage in Detroit and freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/rudy-gay-traded-grizzlies-raptors-3-team-deal_n_2585617.html

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Five Problems That Keep Horse Owners Awake at Night | Boss Pet ...

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Five Problems That Keep Horse Owners Awake at Night

Do you often find yourself not being able to sleep at night? If you?re like many horse owners, you could be tossing and turning over common, but (mostly) fixable problems, like colic or stall casting. Knowing what to do in these situations should give you some peace of mind. And having an easy supplement to keep both horses and owners calm and healthy makes a difference too.

Let?s take a look at how to treat five sleep-stealing problems:

How Do I Prevent My Horse from Getting Colic?

If the word alone makes you cringe, you are in good company. Colic, as most horse owners know, can happen to any horse at any time, and for a wide variety of reasons. Colic is one of the biggest causes of horse death worldwide, even though the condition can often be remedied by home medical treatment. ?Horses are prone to colic because of the unique way their gastrointestinal organs are structured and operate. While avoiding changes in diet and routines and implementing preventative health programs may help prevent colic, it?s no guarantee. ?To boost your horse?s digestive health, add a bit of omega fish oil to your horse?s feed. The derivatives of the fish oil modulate acid secretion and enhances mucosal blood, all of which ensures a healthy stomach.

Should your horse contract colic, keep a cool head and take immediate action. Here?s what to do:

1. Call your local veterinarian.

2. Move your horse into a small area that is well bedded, allowing for close observation.

3. Remove all food from the area to prevent the horse from eating.

4. If you notice your horse rolling around, try to lightly walk him around to stop him from twisting his bowel. This will also help distract your horse from the pain.

How do I Fend Off Stall Casting?

Many owners are terrified that they?ll wake up one morning and find their horses lying down against a wall, making it impossible for them to get up on their own. While it?s less traumatic than a case of colic, stall casting can still be a scary situation for owners, and potentially dangerous for horses. Horses can injure themselves in a stall casting if their legs and head hit the side of the stall in panic. ?So what should you do? While your first instinct might be to move the horse, you could endanger yourself if your horse panics.

Here?s a recipe that should give you a dose of reassurance:

1. Go find assistance.

2. Before entering the stall, remember to talk to the horse so that he does not spook and injure himself further.

3. Move the front of the horse to the center of the stall by positioning yourself in the middle of his neck and pulling it back towards you. Never use the halter to move the horse; the pulling motion from the head can cause damage to the spine.

4. Once the horse has enough room to get his legs underneath him and stand up, move out of the stall and give him room. Once the horse is standing, calmly check for any injury and remove his halter to check for any signs of internal swelling to the head.

5. Two hours after the incident, go back and check on the wellness of your horse. By this time, any swelling and further injuries should have had time to set in. Also, be sure to evaluate your horse?s joints, since?they?ve?likely gotten stiff from not being able to move for long periods of time.

If you find your horse has stiff joints regularly, give your horse a dose of Omega- 3 fish oil every day. Omega-3 is a natural anti-inflammation agent, and will help improve agility and reduce joint pains.

Is My Horse Comfortable?

Here?s a good rule of thumb to put your angst at ease: If you are too hot, so is your horse. If you are cold, your horse may not be. ?Horses can adapt better to cold weather than hot weather. With their warm winter coats, horses have a natural insulator that also keeps them dry at the skin. In cold temperatures, horse owners tend to keep their horses locked up for most of the day. But, the more time your horse spends outside, the healthier he?ll stay.

Blankets can help keep your horses warm, especially if you keep your horses clipped. Most of the time, one blanket is sufficient, but you can check the temperature by sticking your hand underneath and seeing for yourself. ?Of course, one of the nicest things about horses is their ability to adapt. The more consistent you treat your horse, the more comfortable he will be.

Should I Turn Out My Horse?

Weather is a big factor for determining whether or not to turn out horses. Most horse owners believe that horses need to be turned out daily, so when the bad weather rolls around, owners often worry or are unsure of what to do. There are several factors to keep in mind when deciding to turn out your horse, no matter what the weather may be.

Keep your horse from becoming ?fresh? during bad weather spells by turning out your horse frequently for shorter time periods. If your horse has shelter to get under, let him out as long as it is not lightning. Your horse will get under the shelter if he?s uncomfortable, so you should also take your cues from his behavior.

What if I Forgot Something Important?

Even if?you?ve?figured out how to tackle those key horse-health questions, you may still feel some lingering angst. I bet?you?ve?woken up wondering, ?Did I latch the gate??

Forgetting to latch a gate or fill a water bucket are common mistakes. But fish oil has a solution for that too. You can try the ultra-fresh fish oil for humans. Omega-3 plays a vital role in brains functions, like memory, and helps insure proper growth and development. So, as you pour fish oil onto your horse?s feed, do yourself a favor and take a daily dose of your own fish oil.

Ta-ta to a good night?s rest!

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Article?graciously?shared & written by Haley Gray

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Source: http://blog.bosspetsupplies.com/archives/555

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The UP's most creative frame shop: Your family tree... On the wall

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Scientists unravel the mysteries of spider silk

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Scientists at Arizona State University are celebrating their recent success on the path to understanding what makes the fiber that spiders spin ? weight for weight - at least five times as strong as piano wire. They have found a way to obtain a wide variety of elastic properties of the silk of several intact spiders' webs using a sophisticated but non?invasive laser light scattering technique.

"Spider silk has a unique combination of mechanical strength and elasticity that make it one of the toughest materials we know," said Professor Jeffery Yarger of ASU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and lead researcher of the study. "This work represents the most complete understanding we have of the underlying mechanical properties of spider silks."

Spider silk is an exceptional biological polymer, related to collagen (the stuff of skin and bones) but much more complex in its structure. The ASU team of chemists is studying its molecular structure in an effort to produce materials ranging from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons.

The extensive array of elastic and mechanical properties of spider silks in situ, obtained by the ASU team, is the first of its kind and will greatly facilitate future modeling efforts aimed at understanding the interplay of the mechanical properties and the molecular structure of silk used to produce spider webs.

The team published their results in today's advanced online issue of Nature materials and their paper is titled "Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks."

"This information should help provide a blueprint for structural engineering of an abundant array of bio-inspired materials, such as precise materials engineering of synthetic fibers to create stronger, stretchier, and more elastic materials," explained Yarger.

Other members of Yarger's team, in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, included Kristie Koski, at the time a postdoctoral researcher and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and ASU undergraduate students Paul Akhenblit and Keri McKiernan.

The Brillouin light scattering technique used an extremely low power laser, less than 3.5 milliwatts, which is significantly less than the average laser pointer. Recording what happened to this laser beam as it passed through the intact spider webs enabled the researchers to spatially map the elastic stiffnesses of each web without deforming or disrupting it. This non-invasive, non-contact measurement produced findings showing variations among discrete fibers, junctions and glue spots.

Four different types of spider's webs were studied. They included Nephila clavipes (pictured), A. aurantia ("gilded silver face"-common to the contiguous United States), L. Hesperus the western black widow and P. viridans the green lynx spider, the only spider included that does not build a web for catching prey but has major silk elastic properties similar to those of the other species studied.

The group also investigated one of the most studied aspects of orb-weaving dragline spider silk, namely supercontraction, a property unique to silk. Spider silk takes up water when exposed to high humidity. Absorbed water leads to shrinkage in an unrestrained fiber up to 50 percent shrinkage with 100 percent humidity in N. clavipes silk.

Their results are consistent with the hypothesis that supercontraction helps the spider tailor the properties of the silk during spinning. This type of behavior, specifically adjusting mechanical properties by simply adjusting water content, is inspirational from a bio-inspired mechanical structure perspective.

"This study is unique in that we can extract all the elastic properties of spider silk that cannot and have not been measured with conventional testing," concluded Yarger.

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Arizona State University: http://asunews.asu.edu/

Thanks to Arizona State University for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126493/Scientists_unravel_the_mysteries_of_spider_silk

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Drug abuse: Emerging trends and exaggerations

By Rob Curran

News reports from around the globe have recently included both well known and emerging drugs for abuse, and unusual methods to absorb them. Some are implicated in so-called "zombie attacks." EMS responders must be aware of current trends in drug use and abuse so they can provide the best possible care.????

Bath salts
"Bath salts" are synthetic powders sold online and in drug paraphernalia stores under a variety of names, such as "Ivory Wave," "Purple Wave," "Red Dove," "Blue Silk," and? "Zoom."

These products often contain various amphetamine-like chemicals, typically administered orally, by inhalation, or by injection, with the worst outcomes apparently associated with snorting or intravenous administration. They can cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and suicidal ideation.

These drugs are made in a lab with constantly changing chemicals, with effects similar to combining the intake of amphetamine and cocaine which may last for days. While these substances have gained media notoriety by their supposed implication in bizarre crimes, often no such link exists.

Alcohol
Alcoholism is a significant health problem, especially for the younger population. According to the National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol, 5,000 people under age 21 die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings, and more than 190,000 people under age 21 visited an emergency room for alcohol-related injuries in 2008 alone.¹

Teens and those into their twenties are more prone to both binge drinking as well as "gimmick" drinking. One of these gimmicks popularized on YouTube is "vodka eyeballing."

In this activity, participants literally close their eyes around a bottle of vodka or a shot glass of vodka and try to "drink" the shot through their eyes. While some alcohol can be absorbed through the cells of the eye, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has warned, "eyeballing" can kill endothelial cells in deeper layers of the cornea. While seen on videos on the Internet and picked up as "news" by papers and websites, the American College of Emergency Physicians reports no evidence of this practice.²

Yet another reported gimmick is alcohol tamponing.? Reportedly, people soak tampons in high-alcohol content spirits and then insert them either into the vagina or rectum. Physiologically, alcohol would easily pass through the vaginal and anal tissues, but would also cause burning pain and potentially damage these delicate tissues. There are no case reports of this occurring, but online news outlets have repeated this as a fad. Both The American College of Emergency Medicine and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecology report no information on this issue.³

Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL)

AWOL is a process introduced first in Asia and Europe that allows people to take in liquor without actually consuming liquid. The machine is basically a nebulizer, similar to those used to administer albuterol. Possession of an AWOL device is illegal in many states. Vaporized alcohol theoretically enters the bloodstream faster and can have faster effects than traditional counterparts as it has not passed through the liver for primary detoxification. The vaporizers and the practice of vaporizing alcohol have been banned in many states and in sites throughout the world.⁴

Synthetic marijuana

While marijuana is steadily popular, and illegal, New York State recently took emergency action against "Mr. Nice Guy" ,"K2," "Spice", "Skunk" and "Zohai". The New York State Health Department banned the sale of synthetic marijuana products like those in March 2012.

These products contain dried, shredded plant material and presumably, chemical additives that are responsible for their psychoactive (mind-altering) effects commonly marketed as use for incense, but bought for their marijuana-like effect. Marketing labels often make unverified claims that Spice products contain up to 3.0 grams of a natural psychoactive material taken from a variety of plants.

While Spice products do contain dried plant material, chemical analyses of seized spice mixtures have revealed the presence of synthetic (or designer) cannabinoid compounds. These bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the body as THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive component of marijuana.

Evidence supports that these drugs bind to similar receptors as MDMA (Ecstasy) and dopamine. This year's Monitoring the Future survey captured the use of Spice among high school seniors for the first time. According to the results, almost 1 in 9 or 11.4% of high school seniors reported using "Spice" in the past year.^5,6

Prescription drugs

Prescription drug abuse in the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses, and most of these deaths were caused by prescription drugs.

Among the legal drugs, the most common drug categories involved were drugs acting on the central nervous system, especially opioid painkillers, and psychotherapeutic drugs, especially sedatives and antidepressants. Almost all prescription drugs involved in overdoses come from prescriptions originally; very few come from pharmacy theft.

Among the most popular drugs of abuse, fueling crime in many areas, are the ultrapotent opiods with names like percs (for Percodan, Percocet); juice (for Dilaudid); oxy, OC, hillbilly heroin (for OxyContin). In addition, Xanax sticks or bars remain abused.⁷

One in 5 U.S. high school students say they have taken a prescription drug without a doctor's prescription, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey asked if they'd ever taken a prescription drug such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, without a doctor's prescription.

Prescription drug abuse was most common among 12th grade students (26 percent) and lowest among 9th grade students (15 percent).^8,9

Summary

As long as humans act upon the nature of taking risks, abusing the use of medications and recreational drugs will continue. This means that EMS providers will have to assess for, and manage the effects of such misuse. Knowing about the current trends will maintain our readiness to respond.

References

1. "Alcohol Use and Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 28 Oct. 2011. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012, from? <http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm>.
2. Statement from the American Academy of Ophthalmology regarding "Vodka Eyeballing". American Academy of Ophthamology, 1 June 2010. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://www.aao.org/newsroom/release/20100601a.cfm>.?Office of Communications, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
3. "Vodka Tamponing." Message to the author. 6 May 2012. E-mail.
4. "Machines which dispense shots of oxygen and alcohol have been immobilised." Spain Review. 27 Aug. 2011. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012, from <http://www.spainreview.net/ index.php/2011/08/27/machines-which-dispense-shots-of-oxygen-and-alcohol-have-been-immobilised/>.
5. Mogul, Fred. "NY Makes 'Synthetic Marijuana' Illegal." WNYC News. New York Public Radio, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://www.wnyc.org/articles/ wnyc-news/2012/mar/29/ny-bans-sale-synthetic-marijuana/>.
6. "What is the 'Spice' Phenomenon?" Vol. 5.1. Pittsford Alliance for Substance Free Youth Summer 2011: 1-4. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://pittsfordalliance.org/Newsletter Summer2011.pdf>.
7. Policy Impact: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses. Rept. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 2011. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://www.cdc.gov/Home andRecreationalSafety/pdf/PolicyImpact-PrescriptionPainkillerOD.pdf>.
8. "CDC Newsroom Press Release." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 June 2010. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100 603.htm>.
9. "Monitoring the Future Survey, Overview of Findings 2011." National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. Retrieved Sept. 27, 2012 from <http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future/overview-findings-2011>.
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Source: http://www.ems1.com/ems-news/1398377-Drug-abuse-Emerging-trends-and-exaggerations/

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Celebrity Real Estate - Curbed National

Monday, January 28, 2013, by Sarah Firshein

Jude Law has put his brick Georgian house in London on the market for ?4,350,000 ($6.8M). The home has four floors and is stocked with a nice garden out back; inside, the actor has decorated rather cozily, with a leather Eames lounger, woven rugs, and lots of framed artwork. [The Real Estalker]

Source: http://curbed.com/archives/2013/01/28/celebrity-real-estate-164.php

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Team flag waves as 49ers arrive for Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Jim Harbaugh stepped to the podium, smirked a bit, and greeted his first news conference as a Super Bowl coach.

"We're super happy to be here," he said Sunday night as his NFC champion San Francisco 49ers arrived in the Big Easy for the big game.

"I think this team has the best focus on unity and winning I've ever been a part of."

Considering that Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback for 14 seasons and a successful college coach before joining the 49ers, he knows something about winning.

Under Harbaugh, San Francisco has been to two NFC title games and, now, to its first Super Bowl in 18 years. The Niners (13-4-1) will play Baltimore (13-6), coached by Harbaugh's older brother, John, in next Sunday's Super Bowl.

He is certain his team is ready for the task as the 49ers seek their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy; they are 5-0 in Super Bowls.

"These are uncharted waters for a rookie Super Bowl coach," Harbaugh said. "But that's exciting. It's a great thrill, and we have a desire to be in uncharted waters. We always strive for that kind of challenge."

Earlier in the evening, with a team flag waving from an open window of their chartered plane, the 49ers arrived in a businesslike manner. The players calmly walked off the airplane ? no video recorders or cameras, no waves to onlookers.

Most of the team's veteran players disembarked first, including center Jonathan Goodwin, who won a Super Bowl three years ago with the Saints.

"You get to go to the Super Bowl with your childhood team, so that's something special to me," he said. "So hopefully I can find a way to win the Super Bowl with my childhood team."

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, wearing a red wool cap sporting "49ers" on it, mouthed the words to a song on his headphones as he walked on the tarmac.

He seemed just as relaxed 90 minutes later as he met the media.

"Pressure comes from a lack of preparation," said Kaepernick, who took over as the starter when Alex Smith got a concussion in November and has been sensational in keeping the job. "This is not a pressure situation. It's a matter of going out and performing."

Harbaugh said the 49ers came to New Orleans on Sunday to simulate a normal week. He likened their trip to his strategy the last two seasons when the 49ers spent a week in Youngstown, Ohio, between Eastern games rather than return to the Bay Area.

He liked the way the players and coaches bonded during that experience.

"Same approach," Harbaugh said. "Enjoy the moment and the preparation. I think our team enjoys that the most: the meetings, the preparation and then, especially, the competition."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/team-flag-waves-49ers-arrive-super-bowl-035629899--nfl.html

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Lane Garrison Pleads No Contest in Battery Case

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/lane-garrison-pleads-no-contest-in-battery-case/

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Evolution of Business Presentation Technology: Conversation with ...

Jim Confalone is a partner and creative director with ProPoint Graphics and is responsible for production operations. With a background in fine arts, he got his start as a designer leading the graphics department at a boutique management consulting firm in Boston, Massachussetts. Prior to ProPoint, he also worked as a web, Flash, and graphic designer in the New York area. Mr. Confalone holds an MFA with Honors in Painting and Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA Summa Cum Laude in Fine Arts from Amherst College.

In this conversation, Jim talks about ProPoint's Evolution of Business Presentation Technology graphic.

Geetesh: Your Evolution of Business Presentation Technology infographic goes back 2 centuries ? how has presenting been the same during these two hundred years, and how has it been different?

Jim: The purpose of presentations hasn't changed -- they are still intended to inform, educate and persuade. What also hasn't changed is presenters' recognition of the importance of visuals to help them deliver powerful, engaging presentation, and also to help them communicate their message effectively.

Full graphic can be seen here.

Whether using a blackboard, magic lantern, or transparency projector, until recently the purpose of the delivery method has generally been to illustrate on large scale the core message of a presentation. What's really fascinating are the new opportunities afforded by the growth of multimedia, online and interactive tools. Instead of just throwing something on the wall, you can now directly involve your audience on a whole new level with things like supporting video or animation, online links to external sources, or real-time interactive polling. And whenever you can make a direct connection to your audience your job becomes a whole lot easier.

Geetesh: Tell us about this infographic ? why you created this, and was it fun creating this graphic?

Jim: Our interest in creating this infographic spawned from our desire to explore how we have arrived to where we are today. Presentations have become such an important business communication tool, we have so many options now, and have easier tools to use and access to them. We wanted to have a look back to see how our predecessors achieved their presentation goals.

Full graphic can be seen here.

We had a great time researching and putting the infographic together, especially for those of us who have actually had experience with some of these technologies that could easily be considered antiques. It's always fun to look back and appreciate how far we've come.

Geetesh: Although presentation technology has evolved to such a large extent, memory retention and concentration from the audience has reduced. What can presenters do to involve their audiences more?

Jim: Use engaging visuals that holds the interest of the audience and helps you communicate your message. Avoid using too much text -- if the audience has to read your presentation they will become bored and distracted. Limiting text on your slides will prevent you from using them as your script -- reading slides disengages you from the audience. Consider using multimedia to break up your presentation and show the audience something fresh to re-spark interest. Also, consider making your presentation interactive by having asking questions, using props (professional and relevant) and surveys.

See Also: ProPoint Graphics: Conversation with Jim Confalone

Categories: graphics, interviews, powerpoint

Source: http://blog.indezine.com/2013/01/evolution-of-business-presentation.html

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Anne Hathaway, Tommy Lee Jones win Screen Actors Guild awards

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Hathaway took home prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday, as Hollywood actors picked the best performances of 2012 in film and television on an evening that will likely define some of the top Oscar races next month.

Jones, 66, won the best supporting actor trophy for his turn as Thaddeus Stevens, the radical congressman in "Lincoln," beating strong competition from Robert De Niro's gruff father in "Silver Linings Playbook." The category is seen as one of the closest races at the Oscars on February 24.

Hathaway, 30, won her first SAG award for her supporting role as the tragic Fantine in musical "Les Miserables."

"I got my SAG card when I was 14 .. And I have loved every single minute of my life as an actor," said Hathaway, accepting the statuette.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) ceremony is among the most-watched during Hollywood's awards season because actors make up the largest voting bloc in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars. The SAG honors are chosen by about 100,000 actors working in the United States.

Lincoln," about U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery, French revolution musical "Les Miserables," and comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," about a bipolar man's unlikely romance, went into Sunday's show with four nominations apiece, including the top prize of best ensemble cast.

The cast of Iranian hostage drama "Argo" and British comedy "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," about a group of seniors who retire to a ramshackle hotel in India, received two nominations each.

Briton Daniel Day-Lewis is seen as a shoo-in for SAG's best actor prize after picking up a slew of awards already for his towering performance as Lincoln. Day-Lewis is also seen as a front-runner for a record third Oscar next month.

All eyes on Sunday are focused on the lead actress category, to be announced toward the end of the two-hour SAG ceremony, where award watchers say Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence are in a tight race.

Chastain won a Golden Globe this month for her role as a feisty CIA agent credited with tracking down Osama bin Laden in thriller "Zero Dark Thirty." Lawrence also took home a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy for her portrayal of a young widow in "Silver Linings Playbook."

Both SAG and the Academy Awards combine the drama and comedy categories, putting the two actresses in a head-to-head battle.

Strong performances by Bradley Cooper, Australian actress Jacki Weaver and comedian Chris Tucker could also help "Silver Linings Playbook" to win best ensemble cast on Sunday.

However, the SAG winner may not be an indicator of Oscar best picture success for the quirky romance, especially in a year where the race for the biggest Oscar prize is seen as wide open.

"Sometimes smaller indie films with great acting can win the big prize at SAG, but they don't have the technical credentials to win best picture at the Oscars," said Dave Karger, movie correspondent for Fandango.com.

In an indicator of movie industry sentiment, "Argo" won the Producers Guild Award in Los Angeles, beating "Lincoln," "Les Miserables," and "Silver Linings Playbook" which are all Academy Award best picture contenders.

SAG also presents awards for performances in TV dramas, comedies and mini-series. It will give a lifetime achievement award to actor Dick Van Dyke.

"Modern Family" won the best comedy cast ensemble award for the third time. Alec Baldwin won best TV comedy actor for the 8th time for his role as an egotistical executive in "30 Rock" and his co-star Tina Fey took the honors for TV comedy actress.

Drama ensemble acting nominees include the casts of "Boardwalk Empire," "Homeland," "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "Downton Abbey."

(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis, editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anne-hathaway-tommy-lee-jones-win-screen-actors-020458701.html

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Rockets hand Jazz worst home loss, 125-80

From left, Houston Rockets' Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino and Greg Smith celebrate a teammate's 3-pointer against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

From left, Houston Rockets' Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino and Greg Smith celebrate a teammate's 3-pointer against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) celebrates his 3-pointer in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. Harden had 25 points as the Rockets won 125-80. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) drives around Utah Jazz's Randy Foye (8) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Houston Rockets' James Harden, rear, shoots as Utah Jazz's Paul Millsap (24) defends during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah Jazz's Randy Foye (8) shoots as Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) defends during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? The Houston Rockets had plenty of trouble getting to Salt Lake City as a blizzard left them grounded for a while in western Colorado.

Once they arrived, they made the Jazz pay, rolling to a 125-80 victory on Monday night and handing Utah the most-lopsided home loss in franchise history.

"We could have had Michael Jordan in his prime with us tonight . and it wouldn't have mattered (the way we played)," Jazz center Al Jefferson lamented.

"It was like everything went wrong. They came ready to play. I don't know where our energy was."

The Rockets, after recently suffering through a seven-game slide, are out of that funk. They have now won three straight and four of their last five.

"That's the way we have to play," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "We have to play with pace. We have to move the ball. The ball can't get sticky. It's got to go from side to side. And guys just got to make plays."

James Harden continued to do most of the damage, scoring 25 points despite sitting the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the Rockets starters.

Harden, selected as an All-Star for the first time recently, has averaged 27.2 points in his last five games.

When he wasn't driving the lane, the Rockets were pouring in 3-pointers.

They hit 16 of 34 on the night to tie their season high for shots made beyond the arc.

But it was their pace that floored the Jazz, outscoring Utah 26-2 on the break.

"That's how we play," Harden said. "If you watch Rockets basketball, you know we get out in transition and we get some stops. We just try to do a good job of that for 48 minutes."

The Rockets held Utah to 39.5 percent shooting, and the Jazz made just 5 of 18 3-pointers.

Carlos Delfino and Marcus Morris each hit four 3-pointers alone for Houston and Omer Asik tied a career high with 19 rebounds.

Every Rockets player scored, including six in double figures, with Morris adding 16 and Delfino 14.

"It was just fun because everyone was getting involved," said Chandler Parsons, who added 12 points. "And it was right from the tip. We wanted to emphasize transition defense and taking care of the ball. We did those two things beautifully tonight and played unselfish. Everyone was just having fun out there and it's a lot more fun to play that way."

Houston led by 21 points in the second, by 35 in the third and kept pouring it on in the fourth.

The Rockets closed the third with three straight 3s ? two by Morris and one by Harden ? then saw Morris drain another 3 to open the fourth.

By then the fans were already booing and heading for the exits.

"We should have been booing ourselves," said Jefferson, who had 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

Randy Foye led Utah with 12 points.

Utah trailed by 50 points before a driving layup by Alec Burks and 3-pointer by rookie Kevin Murphy in the final 20 seconds.

Utah's previous most-lopsided loss at home was by 33 points to Milwaukee on Nov. 18, 1980. It was the fifth worst overall for the franchise.

"I don't think this ruins us," said Gordon Hayward, who did not play because of a sprained shoulder.

Still, the Jazz hardly looked like the team that had won nine of their previous 12.

They had been undefeated at home in January ? 6-0 ? with their last loss in Salt Lake City coming Dec. 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers in which they blew a 21-point lead.

Unlike the Jazz, the Rockets weren't about to blow this one.

"I think this is something we definitely needed," said guard Jeremy Lin, who took only five shots Monday but made all five to finish with 12 points.

It was a special trip for Lin, who arrived in Salt Lake City early enough Sunday night to slip in for the last screening of the documentary "Linsanity" during the Sundance Film Festival.

The movie premiered about a year after Lin began catapulting to worldwide stardom in New York. He was an afterthought only a month before, cut by the Rockets on Christmas Day and claimed by the Knicks off waivers.

If his rise to fame was crazy, so was Monday's game.

"It's a testament to how the ball moved tonight and how everyone was looking for everybody. When you have a team play like that, play so unselfishly, it's a beautiful thing to watch," Lin said.

NOTES: Eighty-nine-year-old Wataru Misaka, the first player of Asian descent to play in the NBA, was at Monday's game to watch Lin warm up. Misaka, once discriminated against because of his Japanese ancestry, recalled writing Lin a note of encouragement "when he was with Oakland back in the dark days when things didn't look too good for him. He didn't have all these fans at this time but he's made a lot of progress since then and I think he's in a much better place now." Misaka, who lives in nearby Bountiful, is a former point guard who played for the New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season and led the University of Utah to the 1944 NCAA championship. "He broke a lot of barriers and racial stereotypes," Lin told the Houston Chronicle of Misaka. "You have to pay respect to the people who came before you." Lin is the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-29-BKN-Rockets-Jazz/id-5d754b185a4a4b36adb11c8f211bb8ae

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Republicans blame message, not ideas, for failures

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Days after President Barack Obama's inauguration, Republican leaders said on Sunday their party needed to change the way it communicates, not its ideas, to win back the White House.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, appearing in his first live television interview since the November 6 election, said his party needs to demonstrate that Republican ideas can improve people's lives.

"We have to show our ideas are better at fighting poverty, how our ideas are better at solving healthcare, how our ideas are better at solving the problems people are experiencing in their daily lives," the Wisconsin congressman told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia, where Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigned aggressively and lost by 4 percentage points, said his party's message has failed to reach voters who don't pay close attention to politics.

"I think they don't understand the conservative message," McDonnell told CNN's "State of the Union."

McDonnell said the party should look away from Washington and toward the country's 30 Republican governors for lessons on how to gain voters' support.

Representative David Schweikert of Arizona said his party has failed to connect with many Americans.

"We are accountants," Schweikert said on ABC's "This Week," arguing that the Republican Party offers a more analytical approach to solving problems than Democrats. "Sometimes, though, being an accountant doesn't pull at the heart strings."

Republican leaders gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, last week to address the party's future. There, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a potential candidate for president in 2016, told his fellow Republicans to "stop being the stupid party" and reject anti-intellectual strands within the party.

In the 2012 campaign, Republicans struggled to attract support from single women, Hispanics and blacks. Some Republicans are looking to embrace immigration reform as a way to alter the party's image and welcome new voters.

"How can we be a party of growth, of opportunity, of free enterprise, of prosperity, but not be the party of immigration?" said Carlos Gutierrez, a former U.S. commerce secretary, on "State of the Union."

Highlighting a Florida Republican senator's approach to providing a path to citizen for undocumented immigrants, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told CBS's "Face the Nation:" "Republicans had better listen very carefully to Marco Rubio."

(Reporting By Samuel P. Jacobs; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-blame-message-not-ideas-failures-191051213.html

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Visionary Instruments intros the Robocaster MIDI hybrid guitar, we go ears-on (video)

Visionary instruments has been tinkering with the not-so-humble guitar for a long time now. The latest offering is the Robocaster MIDI guitar. As you can see from the picture above (or gallery below) the Robocaster offers some features you might not find on your average axe. Those arcade style buttons, the MPC style pad faders, touch-strips and digital whammy-bar send out MIDI data to the software of your choice. The set-up at NAMM had the Robocaster routing through Ableton Live, meaning that effects such as gating, filters -- or essentially anything -- can be lavished on your playing in real-time. The guitar is customized by hand, and make use of our good friend arduino. As Visionary Instruments has been modding guitars for a while, it's no surprise that the finish and build quality looked and felt excellent. The additional controls sit snug in the body, and are designed to be easily accessible while playing. The Robocaster, despite being hand-made, will be ready for ordering within a week or so with an estimated price somewhere around $2,799. That said, if orders or interest are sufficient, the could be scope for a full production run, coming in at a lower price. Want to make this happen? Check out the firm's website and get your order in. Just want to know how it sounds? Better get on the video after the break.

Gallery: Visionary Guitars Robocaster hands-on

Billy Steele contributed to this report.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/visionary-instruments-robocaster/

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How Social Media, Mobile Devices and the Cloud are Shaping the ...

< Back to Blog Home

We?ve been making lofty predictions about the ways in which social media, mobile, and the cloud are going to change the way businesses operate and interact with consumers for several years. And as more and more studies emerge analyzing both the current business landscape in regards to these trends, as well as predicting the future of the industry, these lofty predictions continue to ring true.

In the latest Salesforce ebook, ?Trends Shaping the Future of Business,? assessments on the way social, mobile and cloud solutions are shaping the way businesses and government will operate are interspersed with data-driven studies that back these assertions. Below are some of the ebook highlights:

• ?56% of CEOs use web sites and social media for customer relationships today compared to 70% of students who believe businesses should do so, according to a Global CEO Study conducted by IBM. Brian Solis of Altimeter Group notes, ?Social media represents the great bridging of customer expectations and business assumptions.?

• Mobile communication is a disruptive phenomenon on a global scale. Just three years ago, mobile traffic accounted for 1% of Internet traffic. Today, it?s 13% and by 2020 is expected to reach 127 exabytes, up 33% over the decade.

• By 2020, 20% of the population will be made up of the Millennial Generation, who will be spending more time working but less time in the traditional workplace. Their expectations will include having more feedback, responsibility, and involvement in decision making.

• Advances in technology will enable companies to do bigger and faster things with ?big data,? and by 2020 big data solutions will be the new norm. According to Peter Coffee, head of platform research at salesforce.com, ?By 2020, there will be 50 billion devices with Internet connections. Let?s not let them overwhelm us with raw data; rather, let?s filter that flow through social algorithms??

• The government is looking to use data as well. Data.gov, a government initiative, has a vision to become a repository of all the information the government collects that is not private or classified. Since the beginning of the decade, it has grown to over 250,000 datasets, being used to drive innovation and improve lives.

You can view the full ebook below!

Tags: cloud computing, ebooks, Future of business, mobile, Salesforce.com, social business, social media trends

Source: http://www.radian6.com/blog/2013/01/how-social-media-mobile-devices-and-the-cloud-are-shaping-the-future-of-business/

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Court says Obama appointments violate constitution

Richard Cordray stands left as President Barack Obama announces in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, that he will re-nominate Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a role that he has held for the last year under a recess appointment, and nominate Mary Joe White to lead the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Richard Cordray stands left as President Barack Obama announces in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, that he will re-nominate Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a role that he has held for the last year under a recess appointment, and nominate Mary Joe White to lead the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed the Senate last year to appoint three members of the National Labor Relations Board, a federal appeals court ruled Friday in a far-reaching decision that could severely limit a chief executive's powers to make recess appointments.

The decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit marked a victory for Republicans and business groups critical of the labor board. If it stands, it could invalidate hundreds of board decisions over the past year, including some that make it easier for unions to organize.

When Obama filled the vacancies on Jan. 4, 2012, Congress was on an extended holiday break. But GOP lawmakers gaveled in for a few minutes every three days just to prevent Obama from making recess appointments. The White House argued that the pro forma sessions ? some lasting less than a minute ? were a sham.

The court rejected that argument, but went even further, finding that under the Constitution, a recess occurs only during the breaks between formal year-long sessions of Congress, not just any informal break when lawmakers leave town. It also held that presidents can bypass the Senate only when administration vacancies occur during a recess.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration strongly disagrees with the decision and that the labor board would continue to conduct business as usual, despite calls by some Republicans for the board members to resign.

"The decision is novel and unprecedented," Carney said. "It contradicts 150 years of practice by Democratic and Republican administrations."

Under the court's decision, 285 recess appointments made by presidents between 1867 and 2004 would be invalid.

The Justice Department hinted that the administration would ask the Supreme Court to overturn the decision, which was rendered by three conservative judges appointed by Republican presidents. "We disagree with the court's ruling and believe that the president's recess appointments are constitutionally sound," the statement said.

The court acknowledged that the ruling conflicts with what some other federal appeals courts have held about when recess appointments are valid, which only added to the likelihood of an appeal to the high court.

"I think this is a very important decision about the separation of powers," said Carl Tobias, a constitutional law professor at Virginia's University of Richmond. "The court's reading has limited the president's ability to counter the obstruction of appointments by a minority in the Senate that has been pretty egregious in the Obama administration."

The ruling also threw into question the legitimacy of Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray's appointment, made on the same date, has been challenged in a separate case.

Carney insisted the court's ruling affects only a single case before the labor board and would have no bearing on Cordray's appointment. Obama on Thursday renominated Cordray for the job.

The case challenging the recess appointments was brought by Noel Canning, a Washington state bottling company that claimed an NLRB decision against it was not valid because the board members were not properly appointed. The D.C. Circuit panel agreed.

Obama made the recess appointments after Senate Republicans blocked his choices for an agency they contended was biased in favor of unions. Obama claims he acted properly because the Senate was away for the holidays on a 20-day recess. The Constitution allows for such appointments without Senate approval when Congress is in recess.

But during that time, GOP lawmakers argued, the Senate technically had stayed in session because it was gaveled in and out every few days for so-called pro forma sessions.

GOP lawmakers used the tactic ? as Democrats had done in the past ? specifically to prevent the president from using his recess power to install members to the labor board and the consumer board. They had also vigorously opposed the nomination of Cordray.

The three-judge panel flatly rejected arguments from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which claimed that the president has discretion to decide that the Senate is unavailable to perform its advice and consent function.

"Allowing the president to define the scope of his own appointment power would eviscerate the Constitution's separation of powers," Chief Judge David Sentelle wrote in the 46-page ruling. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

The court ruled that during one of those pro forma sessions on Jan. 3, 2012, the Senate officially convened its second session of the 112th Congress, as required by the Constitution.

Sentelle's opinion was joined by Judge Thomas Griffith, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush.

"With this ruling, the D.C. Circuit has soundly rejected the Obama administration's flimsy interpretation of the law, and (it) will go a long way toward restoring the constitutional separation of powers," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

GOP House Speaker John Boehner welcomed the ruling as "a victory for accountability in government."

If the ruling stands, it would invalidate more than 600 board decisions issued over the past year. It also would leave the five-member labor board with just one validly appointed member, effectively shutting it down. The board is allowed to issue decisions only when it has at least three sitting members.

Obama used the recess appointment to install Deputy Labor Secretary Sharon Block, union lawyer Richard Griffin and NLRB counsel Terence Flynn to fill vacancies on the labor board, giving it a full contingent for the first time in more than a year. Block and Griffin are Democrats, while Flynn is a Republican. Flynn stepped down from the board last year.

All three vacancies on the labor board had been open for months before Obama acted to fill them.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa called the ruling "a radical departure from precedent" and argued that Obama had no choice but to act.

"Throughout his presidency, Republicans have employed unprecedented partisan delay tactics and filibusters to prevent confirmation of nominees to lead the NLRB, thus crippling the board's legal authority to act," Harkin said.

If Obama's recess appointment of Cordray to the newly created consumer board is eventually ruled invalid, it could nullify all the regulations the consumer board has issued, many of which affect the mortgage business.

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Follow Sam Hananel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamHananelAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-25-Obama-Recess%20Appointments/id-0ddef8e066f84e06a514d7849005ce9d

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