Te'o fiasco reveals KU football coach Charlie Weis' true character

Did you hear what Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis had to say about the whole Manti Te'o mess?

Well, in case you missed it, here are Weis' comments:

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During the past couple of weeks, as the story about the Notre Dame linebacker and his relationship with a girlfriend who not only did not exist but also never actually died, spiraled into more strange territory by the minute, Weis has kept his name out of the circus.

It would've been real easy for the second-year KU coach to get involved. He knew Te'o well, recruited him to Notre Dame and developed a strong bond with his immediate family. With the Te'o story landing in places such as Good Morning America, CNN, and, of course, every sports blog and web site on the planet, Weis' name and perhaps even his current employer would have been plastered all over the place for days, perhaps even weeks, as the story grew into one of the most unreal, unbelievable and, frankly, uncomfortable stories in recent memory.

But rather than capitalize on the chance to jump back into the limelight for a while, Weis passed. At least publicly.

I've talked to more than one person with knowledge of the fact that Te'o has reached out to Weis for advice multiple times during the past couple of weeks.

To Weis' credit, he has taken and returned Te'o's calls and done everything he can to help the young man navigate his way through a tough situation. Even more to his credit, Weis hasn't called a press conference to tell the whole world about it.

Weis handled things the same way during the 2012 season when Notre Dame, and a roster that included several players Weis recruited, raced to an undefeated season and a berth in the national championship game. Weis did release a statement saying how happy he was for those players and the school, but did not take it further than that, despite the fact that he received dozens of requests for interviews on a weekly basis throughout various parts of the season.

I can only imagine who has asked and how many times they've called to get Weis' take on the Te'o fiasco.

After the initial flurry, I asked KU officials if Weis would be making any comments on the situation and was told that he would not because he wanted to be respectful of the fact that this is about Te'o and not about him.

It's refreshing to see a coach who is willing to lie low in today's world where coaches so often ? too often? ? jump at the chance to put a microphone in front of their face to gain visibility for their program and feed their own egos.

It would've been easy for Weis to do that, especially right now during this crucial time in recruiting. But he didn't. And I don't expect he ever will.

Source: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2013/jan/29/teo-fiasco-reveals-ku-football-coach-cha/

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Myanmar Troops Used Phosphorus on Protesters, Lawyers Say

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A munition normally used for warfare is said to have been used on Buddhist monks and villagers during a crackdown, according to a group investigating the incident. ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/world/asia/myanmar-troops-used-phosphorus-on-protesters-lawyers-say.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Israel conducts rare airstrike on Syria

BEIRUT (AP) ? Israel conducted a rare airstrike on a military target inside Syria near the border with Lebanon, foreign officials and Syrian state TV said Wednesday, amid fears President Bashar Assad's regime could provide powerful weapons to the Islamic militant group Hezbollah.

Regional security officials said Israel had been planning in the days leading up to the airstrike to hit a shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful military force and a sworn enemy of the Jewish state. Among Israeli officials' chief fears is that Assad will pass chemical weapons or sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah ? something that could change the balance of power in the region and greatly hinder Israel's ability to conduct air sorties in Lebanon.

The regional officials said the shipment Israel was planning to strike included Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which would be strategically "game-changing" in the hands of Hezbollah by enabling the group to carry out fiercer attacks on Israel and shoot down Israeli jets, helicopters and surveillance drones. A U.S. official said the strike hit a convoy of trucks but did not give an exact location.

The Syrian military confirmed the strike in a statement read aloud on state TV, but it said the jets bombed a military research center in the area of Jamraya, northwest of the capital, Damascus, and about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the border with Lebanon.

The statement said the center was responsible for "raising the level of resistance and self-defense" of Syria's military. It said the strike destroyed the center and a nearby building, killing two workers and wounding five others.

The Syrian army statement denied that the strike had targeted a convoy headed from Syria to Lebanon, instead portraying the strike as linked to the civil war pitting Assad's forces against rebels seeking to push him from power.

"This proves that Israel is the instigator, beneficiary and sometimes executor of the terrorist acts targeting Syria and its people," the statement said.

The Israeli military declined to comment, and the location could not be independently confirmed because of reporting restrictions in Syria.

Hezbollah has committed to Israel's destruction and has gone to war against the Jewish state in the past. Syria has long been among the militant group's most significant backers and is suspected of supplying with funding and arms, as well as a land corridor to Iran.

This strike also comes as Syria is enmeshed in a civil war. The rebels have seized a large swath of territory in the country's north and established footholds in a number of Damascus suburbs, though Assad's forces still control the city and much of the rest of the country.

While Assad's fall does not appear imminent, analysts worry he could grow desperate as his power wanes and seek to cause trouble elsewhere in the region through proxy groups like Hezbollah.

Syria's government portrays the crisis, which started with political protest in 2011 and has since become a civil war, as a foreign-backed conspiracy meant to destroy the country.

Top Israeli officials have recently expressed worries that Assad's regime could pass chemical weapons to Hezbollah or other militant groups.

President Barack Obama has called Syria's use of chemical weapons a "red line" whose crossing could prompt a tougher U.S. response, but U.S. officials say they are tracking Syria's chemical weapons and that they still appear to be under regime control.

The strike, carried out either late Tuesday or early Wednesday, appears to be the latest move in a long running race by Hezbollah to increase its military power while Israel seeks to limit it.

Israel suspects that Damascus obtained a battery of SA-17s from Russia after an alleged Israeli airstrike in 2007 that destroyed an unfinished Syrian nuclear reactor.

Earlier this week, Israel moved a battery of its new "Iron Dome" rocket defense system to the northern city of Haifa, which was battered by Hezbollah rocket fire in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli army called that move "routine."

The airstrike was the first inside Syria in more than five years. In September 2007, Israeli warplanes destroyed a site in Syria that the U.N. nuclear watchdog deemed likely to be a secretly built nuclear reactor. Syria has denied the claim, saying the building was a non-nuclear military site.

Syria allowed international inspectors to visit the bombed site in 2008 but it has refused to allow nuclear inspectors new access. This has heightened suspicions that Syria has something to hide, along with its decision to level the destroyed structure and later build over it.

Israeli warplanes flew over Assad's palace in 2006 after Syrian-backed militants in Gaza captured an Israeli soldier.

And in 2003, Israeli warplanes attacked a suspected militant training camp just north of the Syrian capital, in response to an Islamic JIhad suicide bombing in the city of Haifa that killed 21 Israelis.

Syria vowed to retaliate for both attacks, but never did.

The military in Lebanon, which also shares a border with Israel, said Wednesday that Israeli warplanes have sharply increased their activity over Lebanon in the past week, including at least 12 sorties in less than 24 hours in the country's south.

A senior Lebanese security official said no Israeli airstrikes occurred inside Lebanese territory. Asked whether it could have been along the border on the Syrian side, he said that that could not be confirmed as it was out of his area of operations.

A Lebanese army statement said the last of the sorties took place at 2 a.m. local time Wednesday. It said four warplanes which flew in over the southernmost coastal town of Naqoura and hovered for several hours over villages in southern Lebanon before leaving Lebanese airspace.

It said eight other warplanes conducted similar flights on Tuesday.

Another Lebanese security official said the flights were part of "increased activity" in the past week but did not elaborate. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the strike.

The U.N. Agency tasked with monitoring the Lebanon-Israeli border said in a statement Wednesday it had no information on any strikes near the Syria-Lebanon border. It did note, however, a "high number of Israeli overflights" on Tuesday.

"These air violations have continued on an almost daily basis," it said.

The area of Lebanon where the flights took place borders southern Syria.

Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace are not uncommon and Lebanese authorities routinely lodge complaints at the U.N. against the flights.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war, and Syria demands the area back as part of any peace deal. Despite hostility between the two countries, Syria has been careful to keep the border quiet since the 1973 Mideast war and has never retaliated to Israeli attacks since.

In May 2011, only two months after the uprising against Assad started, hundreds of Palestinians overran the tightly controlled Syria-Israeli frontier in a move widely thought to have been facilitated by the Assad regime, to divert the world's gaze from his growing troubles at home.

___

Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut, Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-conducts-rare-airstrike-syria-203500939.html

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It?s more fun in the provinces: Can UFL push its brand of football outside Metro Manila?

General Trias FC. AKTV/Isko Jose

As a new football fan, Maricar Topular, 22, first ignored General Trias International FC. The team from her hometown was composed entirely of South Korean students living General Trias who happened to play football.

But by the time the team crashed the quarterfinals of the United Football Cup, falling to eventual champion Stallion FC in a dramatic encounter, Topular had become a General Trias diehard.

?Hindi ko kilala yung players pero sobrang cheer ako and nung natalo sila, ambigat sa puso,? she said, adding that the squad carrying her province?s name made it easier for her to cheer for it.

?I can definitely identify with them kahit nga ?di sila Pinoy eh.?

Topular thinks it?s about time the UFL brought the country?s top football league to the provinces to make it more exciting ? not just for fans, but for players as well.

Since it was established in 2009, the UFL has catered mainly to fans in Metro Manila, where most of its players, teams, and sponsors are based.

But many fans feel there is an untapped market in the provinces that the league ought to look at. While football culture is fairly new for fans in basketball-crazy Manila, many regions around the country are hotbeds for the beautiful game.

In fact, prior to the entry of Azkals with foreign lineage, most members of the Philippine national men?s football team traced their roots to hotbeds such as Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo, Bacolod City, and Cebu, among other places.

Earlier this month, a provincial team from Bacolod advanced to the finals of the Philippine Football Federation-SMART National Club Championship, upsetting highly-touted teams from the UFL. The reigning UFL Cup champion Stallion has roots in Iloilo, while the league?s second division features the province-based Cebu Queen City United, whose players and officials fly to Manila regularly to compete in matches.

Home-and-away?

Philippine football legend Elmer Lacknet Bedia believes the UFL should explore expanding nationwide to be able to promote the sport further.

?I think it should be done by next year bringing UFL outside Manila,? said Bedia, a Barotac Nuevo native who now works with Team Philippines to the Homeless World Cup as a consultant.

?It should be done home-and-away basis or else, the UFL won?t get any farther.?

With football luring more supporters and the UFL having a television deal with sports channel AKTV, the strategy could work, according to Bedia.

?I suppose with the sponsorship of every club, they are ready 100 percent,? he said.

But having home-and-away format for matches could lead a logistical nightmare for the UFL, according to the league?s marketing manager Coco Torre.

?As you know, the Philippines may not have abundance in quality pitches,? he said. ?It will also be a challenge as the UFL is still a semi-pro league, meaning some players do still have their regular jobs. Perhaps a conflict on their personal schedules.?

PBA format

Sun.Star Cebu editor Mike Limpag, a longtime Philippine football observer who helped coin the ?Azkals? nickname for the national team, said that while a home-and-away format may not be ideal for the UFL, the league could look to the model used by the PBA to promote football throughout the country.

?The best way to bring the matches in the province, I think, would be to follow the PBA format. Have games in provinces where clubs have a strong following ? say Dondon Hontiveros? or June Mar Fajardo?s teams in Cebu matches,? said Limpag.

?For the UFL, the Stallions, Global, Kaya, and Loyola have great following in the Visayas. A game involving any of these clubs would be a hit.?

Limpag adds that the UFL could coordinate with local football associations for matches to be played during the popular festivals in the country. For example, a ?Sinulog Derby? between Cebu Queen City and another Division Two squad will be a big hit for Cebuanos during the festivities.

?One advantage of this is that the schedules of these festivals are fixed. Almost a year in advance, the UFL can negotiate early, or if it falls in the regular season, plan early which teams can play.?

Limpag believes that tapping the football market in the provinces will help sustain the league in the long run.

?The UFL is already the country?s premier league, and the UFL ? not the success of the Azkals in international campaigns ? will determine whether football in the Philippines [can thrive],? he said.

?It?s all about getting fans and, perhaps, sponsors, outside of Manila feel involved.?

In the works

Bringing UFL closer to people in the province is one of the objectives of the league in the near future, according to league president Randy Roxas.

?It?s definitely the direction the league wants to take. Having provincial games will help spur the growth of the league and the grassroots development program,? he said.

Torre said that the UFL are now working with AKTV for the possibility of having some games played in some provinces.

Stallion coach Ernie Nierras doesn?t see UFL matches outside Metro Manila anytime soon.

?At this time, I do not see that happening on a regular basis. I think the UFL will need to address certain things closer to home. Administrative improvements, officiating and venue upgrades, as well as logistical concerns with our schedules,? said Nierras.

?But these are signs of growth within the UFL.?

For a UFL follower like Topular, she hopes the league realizes its dream in playing more matches outside Metro Manila.

?Para ma-promote yung league, mas okay na may mga provincial games. It will definitely create awareness,? she said. ?Feel ko naman basta football-related, open-minded yung mga taga-province.?

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/its-more-fun-in-the-provinces-can-ufl-push-its-brand-of-football-outside-metro-manila

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Struggling RIM renames itself BlackBerry

6 hrs.

Euan Rocha , Reuters

Research In Motion Ltd is changing its name to BlackBerry, the company announced on Wednesday, in move to refresh its tarnished image as it begins marketing a re-engineered line of BlackBerry 10 smartphones.?

The announcement, made by Chief Executive Thorsten Heins as the company formally launched the BlackBerry 10, signals the company's hopes for a streamlined identity as it embarks on a make-or-break drive to regain lost ground in the smartphone market it once dominated.?

"BlackBerry is how we're known pretty much everywhere across the world other than North America, so we have an iconic global brand and when you have such a powerful brand, you want to make it central," said Frank Boulben, BlackBerry's chief marketing officer, in an interview.?

The switch underscores the close attention the company is paying to marketing as it launches a product considered crucial to its survival. In the past, it was roundly criticized for botching the launch of the PlayBook tablet and other devices.?

RIM's aging line-up of devices has competed poorly in recent years against the likes of Apple Inc's iPhone and Samsung's wide array of Galaxy devices.?

As the company counters with its new line, the name change will allow it to leverage the value of the BlackBerry brand - still a powerful asset in spite of RIM's fall from grace.?

"Previously we had Research In Motion, BlackBerry, Bold, Curve, Torch, PlayBook - and that dilutes the BlackBerry brand, which is a fantastic asset," Boulben said. "Moving to a branded house model allows us to focus our marketing on one name only."??

That could be crucial for the company, which has undergone a management overhaul changes and a major restructuring, leading up to the launch of its re-engineered line of devices on Wednesday.?

"We thought now was the perfect time to accompany that real change with symbolic change," said Boulben, adding that RIM will change its Nasdaq ticker to "BBRY" and its Toronto Stock Exchange ticker symbol to "BB" in a matter of days.?

The company will undergo a legal name change after its shareholders pass a resolution to that effect later this year, said a spokeswoman. Until then the company will do business as BlackBerry.?

Boulben said the company would have a focused marketing push behind the revamped smartphones - a stylish touch-screen device and a more traditional physical keyboard device that many of its die-hard fans adore.?

In keeping with its branding strategy, the new devices will also follow a simple naming structure, said Boulben.?

"We want our employees to say, 'I work for BlackBerry.' Our customers to say, 'I own a BlackBerry.' Our shareholders to say, 'I own BlackBerry stock,'" said Boulben. "We want to become what I'd call a branded house versus a house of brands."?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/struggling-rim-renames-itself-blackberry-1B8174276

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Microsoft's Newest Office Arrives - Business Insider

The Windows 8 version of Office is officially here.

It comes in two flavors: a cloud version that is delivered over the Internet, Office 365, and traditional software that runs on your PC, previously known as Office 15, now called Office 2013.

Both of these come in a few versions too. Office 365 University is for college students, faculty and staff. It will cost $79.99 for a four-year subscription, which Microsoft points out comes to $1.67 per month.

There's also the Office 365 Home Premium version, which is a single subscription meant to cover a family, or up to 5 users.?Microsoft previously announced that it will cost about $100 a year, or $8.33 per month.

The downloadable-software versions also come in different versions: Office Home & Student 2013, Office Home & Business 2013, and Office Professional 2013. Those will cost $139.99, $219.99, and $399.99, respectively.

If you need Office for more than one computer in the house, it's obviously less expensive, at least at first, to buy the cloud version for $99 a year than to buy Office 2013 for multiple computers.

While it's true that you can also get a scaled-down version of Office for free via?Microsoft's SkyDrive, these new versions of Office are set up to work with Windows 8 touch devices.

Google Apps, which competes most directly with Office 365, is free for schools. For?businesses, it costs $50 per user per year.

Microsoft is releasing new business versions of Office 365 for Windows 8 on February 27.?

Don't miss: How 15 Tech Tycoons Spend Their Fortunes

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsofts-office-15-office-365-2013-1

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Microsoft Office 2013, Office 365 Home Premium available now; 365 for business coming later

Until now, we've known almost all there is to know about Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365: we got hands-on with the new features last summer, and the company has even confirmed pricing. The only thing we weren't sure of was the exact on-sale date, but even that got leaked when a Canadian retailer put up a pre-order page indicating the two products would ship January 29th. Well, what do you know? Today is January 29th and sure enough, Office 2013 is on sale, along with the subscription service Office 365. To be clear, while every version of the boxed software is now out, 365 is only being offered to consumers; the business version will arrive later, on February 27th.

For now, Office 365 Home Premium is priced at $99.99 for an annual subscription, with licenses to install the suite on up to five PCs and Macs at once. There's also a "University" version for college students and faculty, which costs $79.99 for a four-year plan. Either way, the sub includes 20GB of SkyDrive storage, which is to say if you previously only had 7GB of space, your limit will now get bumped to 20 gigs. (In other words, people grandfathered into 25GB don't get an additional 20 gigabytes.) Of course, you can always deactivate a particular machine through Office.com if you need to free up a license. Naturally, too, as a part of the subscription you'll always have the most recent version. That means Office 2013 for Windows users; Office for Mac 2011 if you're on OS X. That last piece is a bit of a bummer, for sure, but for what it's worth Microsoft has said a new Mac product is in the works, and that subscribers will get it as part of a future software update.

If you'd rather buy the software outright, you can do that today too. At the low end, there's Office 2013 Home and Student 2013 ($139), which comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Home and Business adds Outlook for $219, while the top-of-the-line Professional package includes all of the above along with Access and Publisher for $399. Remember, though: these come with only one user license, and you don't get any complimentary cloud storage or upgrades to future versions. It's your money, obviously, but it seems clear to us that Microsoft has gone out of its way to make its Office 365 service the more attractive option. So, you might want to think long and hard about how much owning your software really means to you before going the old-fashioned route.

Show full PR text

Microsoft Releases Office 365 Home Premium
Jan. 29, 2013
New consumer cloud service works across devices to help busy people simplify their lives and get more done.

NEW YORK - Jan. 29, 2013 - Microsoft Corp. today announced worldwide availability of Office 365 Home Premium, a reinvention of the company's flagship Office product line for consumers. Office 365 Home Premium is a cloud service designed for busy households and people juggling ever-increasing work and family responsibilities. The new offering includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications; works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs; and comes with extra SkyDrive storage and Skype calling - all for US$99.99 for an annual subscription, the equivalent of US$8.34 per month.

"Today's launch of Office 365 Home Premium marks the next big step in Microsoft's transformation to a devices and services business," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "This is so much more than just another release of Office. This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love, together with impressive new cloud and social benefits."

Microsoft also announced it will now deliver many new features and services to the cloud first, transforming the company's traditional three-year release cycle. Now, new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they are ready, keeping subscribers always up to date while eliminating the hassles of upgrading.

"This is a major leap forward," said Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division. "People's needs change rapidly, and Office 365 Home Premium will change with them."

Simultaneously, Microsoft today released Office 365 University for college or university students, faculty and staff at a price of just US$79.99 for a four-year subscription - the equivalent of US$1.67 per month. Globally, the company also released updated versions of the traditional Office suite: Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013 and Office Professional 2013. Office 365 for businesses will be released globally with new capabilities on Feb. 27.

Time to Do the Things You Want

In a recent global survey,* nearly 60 percent of people said they don't have the time to do the things they want to do, and more than 80 percent said they could save one or more hours a day if they were better organized. Office 365 Home Premium is designed to help people be more productive from virtually anywhere and find the flexibility to do the things they want.

"Between kids and career, I'm never completely at home or completely at work - and thanks to technology, that suits me just fine," said Jen Singer, an author, blogger and mom of two teen boys. "With Office 365 Home Premium, I can work around my kids' schedules, so I can drive the soccer carpool, coordinate errands while at a doctor's office and still hit my deadlines at work. And, with one subscription for everyone in my family, it's an absolute steal."

To help people find more time to do the things they want, Microsoft is introducing Time to 365 (http://www.office.com/timeto365), a new crowd-sourced website where people can find and share tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration from around the world. Contributors include experts such as "techorating" pro Janna Robinson (http://www.jannarobinson.com) and everyday working parents who have found ways to simplify their lives. Tips on the site include, for example, an idea for organizing your grocery list with OneNote on your phone, a pointer on how to pick the right-sized TV for your living room, and ways to use Office applications to help plan a child's birthday party.

About Office 365 Home Premium

Office 365 Home Premium is available in 162 markets in 21 languages and includes the following:

o. The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access

o. One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and Office on Demand available from any Internet-connected PC**

o. An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account

o. 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world***

o. Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology

People can learn more about Office 365 Home Premium or try it free for 30 days at http://www.office.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Microsoft surveyed more than 10,000 people in over 20 countries.

** App availability varies by operating system, device and language.

*** Skype world minutes not available in all countries. Calls to select countries.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/microsoft-office-2013-office-365-home-premium-available-now/

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Giving Thanks - Chronicles of a Psychic Medium

Learning how to Write a Gratitude Journal and Actively Keeping one.

I am doing many new things this year to achieve optimal health and perfect health. One of my new endeavors is to start a Gratitude Journal and every day write about something I am grateful for.

In the February issue of Good Housekeeping Janice Kaplan wrote a great article about the words ?Thank you? and also how to Write a Gratitude Journal.

The following is directly quoted from her article and are not my words/phrases and the like- Reference below:

Giving Thanks

How to Keep a Gratitude Journal

by Robert Emmons

?People who document what they?re thankful for reap a host of health an emotional benefits. Get started with these tips from Robert Emmons, Ph.D., adapted from UC Berkeley?s Greater Good website:

1. Commit to Happiness: Journaling is more effective if you first make the conscious decision to become more fulfilled and more grateful, research suggests. ?motivation to become happier plays a role.? Emmons explains.

2. Go for Depth over Breadth: Elaborating in detail about a particular thing for which you?re grateful- e.g., how thankful you are for your husbands repair of that broken faucet- carries more benefits than listing many things.

3. Make it Personal: Focus on people you?re grateful for, not things. And try subtraction, not just addition: Reflect on what your life would be like without certain blessings rather than just tallying up the good stuff.

4. Savor Surprises: Record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude. For inspiration, search ?community gratitude journal? at greatergood.berkeley.edu.

Reference:?Kaplan, J. (2013, February). 2 little words.. can change your life. new research shows why gratitude is a crucial tool for health and happiness.?Good Housekeeping,?256(2), 93-98.

Reference: Emmons, R. (2013, February). Giving Thanks, How to Keep a Gratitude Journal. Good Housekeeping, 256(2), 98.

Categories: Gratitude Journaling 2013 | Permalink.

Author: JessicaCaracciolo

My name is Jessica Caracciolo. From the age of 7 I started seeing and hearing spirits. I would hear them walking around my room, and knew of the man's description that lived in the attic. Being afraid to go to sleep at night was a growing trend at that age until I started trying to communicate with them. I used to leave a composition notebook in my bathroom with questions for them and a pen inside, hoping in the morning that they had written back. Much to my dismay they didn't. However, I have grown a lot: Spiritually, Mentally, Emotionally and Physically and am now not just the spiritually gifted little girl that no one believed. I earned my Bachelors Degree in Psychology (Child Development, Research and Counseling) from Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA after needing surgery and having to transfer from Anna Maria College in Paxton MA. Health issues have been a long term battle for me, but being a medical intuitive it is easy to diagnose myself and make myself better, which I am greatly succeeding in these days. The best way to describe myself spiritually is that I am a person who is blessed with not only one spiritual gift but with almost all sensitivities. I am psychic (predict the future), medium (communicate with spirits), clairvoyant (clear seeing through third eye chakra), clairsentient (feel everything), empath (feel what others feel), clairalient (smelling), claircognizant (knowing), clairaudient (hearing), shaman, energy healer, Reiki practitioner, clairvoyant healer, aura healer, color healer, psychic surgeon, medical intuitive, paranormal investigator, intuitive counselor and intuitive. I predict, feel, and sense the weather and am starting to work with and research water. I am also considered an indigo child. Another way to describe myself would be extremely creative. I am a pianist, vocalist and a major craft artisan and artist. I feel my purpose in life is to use my spirituality, education and creativity to help others. If you want to communicate with me or receive a service please feel open to doing so. My goal is to offer affordable services and products so that anyone can receive guidance without having to redo their financial budget, especially with the insecurity in the economy.

Source: http://jessicacaracciolo.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/giving-thanks-how-to-keep-a-gratitude-journal-by-robert-emmons-janice-kaplan-from-good-housekeeping-magazine/

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Chris Brown investigated for possible assault

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) ? Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown is under investigation for an alleged assault in a West Hollywood parking lot, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said early Monday.

Deputies responding to a report of six men fighting Sunday night found the scene clear, but were told by witnesses that there had been a brief fight over a parking space.

"The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim," the department said in a statement released early Monday morning.

The "victim" wasn't identified but the celebrity website TMZ ? which first reported the fight outside the Westlake Recording Studio ? said it also involved Frank Ocean, one of the top nominees at Grammy Awards next month.

In a Twitter posting later, Ocean said he "got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys" and suffered a finger cut.

It wasn't Brown's first problem in the run-up to the Grammys. His attack on singer Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 awards event overshadowed the show.

Last June, he was injured in a brawl with members of hip-hop star Drake's entourage at a New York nightclub.

No arrests were made. Brown was gone by the time deputies arrived but the department said the investigation is ongoing and Brown would be contacted later.

Email messages to Ocean's publicist and Brown's lawyer were not immediately returned. A man answering the phone at the recording studio declined to comment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chris-brown-investigated-possible-assault-090656620.html

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Beijing rowing silver medalist Nethercott, 35, dies

LONDON (Reuters) - Acer Nethercott, who coxed the British men's eight team to an Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008, has died at the age of 35.

"It is very sad news," performance director David Tanner told British Rowing's official website http://www.britishrowing.org on Sunday.

"Acer was the top British cox of his time. He had an exceptional period with the GB rowing team."

The cause of death was not disclosed but media reports said Nethercott had been fighting brain cancer.

(Writing by Tony Jimenez; Editing by Sonia Oxley)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beijing-rowing-silver-medalist-nethercott-35-dies-222114104--oly.html

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Loss of Rondo for year hurts Celts playoff chances

Boston Celtics guard Courtney Lee, left, and forward Kevin Garnett (5) celebrate on the sideline after a score against the Miami Heat as forward Jeff Green (8) and guard Jason Terry (4) walk up during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. The Celtics won 100-98. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Celtics guard Courtney Lee, left, and forward Kevin Garnett (5) celebrate on the sideline after a score against the Miami Heat as forward Jeff Green (8) and guard Jason Terry (4) walk up during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. The Celtics won 100-98. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) looks for an opening past Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry (4) during overtime of an NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. The Celtics won 100-98 in double overtime. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green (8), left, looks for an opening around Miami Heat forward Shane Battier (31), right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game at the TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Miami Heat guard Ray Allen acknowledges people in the crowd during warmups before their NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. The Celtics won 100-98. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, left, and forward LeBron James (6), right, look on from the bench in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. The Celtics won 100-98. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON (AP) ? The Celtics' grip on the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference already was slipping.

Now they'll have to hang on without Rajon Rondo.

Boston's star point guard will miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Celtics won without him on Sunday, beating the Miami Heat 100-98 in double overtime.

But what will the Celtics (21-23) do without him for the remaining 38 games with just a 2?-game lead over the ninth-place Philadelphia 76ers?

"We'll see," coach Doc Rivers said. "Obviously, that's a blow. It's a huge blow for us."

Rondo had triple-doubles in his last two games, giving him five for the season. He brought the ball up, got it to the right people and even improved his weak shooting so much that his 48.4 field goal percentage was third best among NBA guards.

He was averaging career highs of 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds along with 11.1 assists this season. And he was chosen as the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game in Houston on Feb. 17.

Now he's done.

The club said he was hurt late in Friday night's 123-111 loss, also in double overtime, in Atlanta.

"We still like our chances in the Eastern Conference," said Paul Pierce, who had his own triple-double Sunday with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. "Responsibilities definitely go up when you have Rondo out of the game. (I'm) more of a facilitator. (I) have to (do) a little bit of everything for this ball club."

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 24 points and 11 rebounds and they responded well without Rondo. Their other guards ? Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry and Leandro Barbosa ? each played at least 25 minutes and combined for 35 points.

"New guys are going to get an opportunity now," Pierce said.

The Celtic's prospects were bleak even before Rivers learned about 25 minutes before the game that Rondo wouldn't play. They had lost six straight games, their longest slide in six seasons. The Heat had won their last four and had the best record in the East.

At first, Rondo thought he had a hamstring injury, Rivers said. Then he was ruled out of the game with what the team said was a hyperextended right knee. An MRI was done and Rivers learned about the ACL tear during the game.

"He's known to play through injuries," Pierce said. "If Rondo can suit up, he's going to suit up. So he didn't suit up today and we knew it wasn't good."

Rivers told his players of the severity of Rondo's injury after the game.

"Everyone was really happy for the win," Pierce said. "It brought a dark cloud in this room when you heard the news."

Even LeBron James, who led all scorers with 34 points, expressed sympathy.

"As much as I've been a rival with Boston over the years, I never want to see anyone go down," James said. "It's terrible."

James had a chance to put the Heat ahead after Pierce's 22-footer gave Boston a 99-98 lead with 31 seconds left in the second overtime. But James missed a 12-foot jumper with 6.8 seconds to go. Pierce got the rebound and was fouled.

He sank the first shot. Then, as a fan shouted "This one's for Rondo," he missed the second.

Miami had one last chance, but Shane Battier missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

"They defended that very well," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "There are about three different options to it, four different options to it. They defended each one of them."

The Heat also could have won in the first overtime, but Dwyane Wade, who had 17 points, missed a jumper as the buzzer sounded.

Boston could have avoided the first overtime when Pierce inbounded from behind his backboard to Terry with 2 seconds left. But Terry's shot from the top of the key was short. The Heat had tied it on a 3-pointer by James with 7 seconds remaining in regulation after Ray Allen missed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds to go.

This game was Allen's first in Boston since he left the Celtics after five seasons and signed as a free agent with Miami. He scored 21 points.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation when highlights of his career were shown on the video board above center court during a timeout with 5:33 left in the first quarter. At the Miami bench, he raised his left hand in recognition.

"When I saw it, just all those emotions came streaming back from all the great things we did here," Allen said. "I'll always be a Celtic in my mind."

Allen entered the game about a minute after the tribute and was booed when he touched the ball. The boos came down again when he took two free throws ? missing the first, making the second ? three minutes into the second quarter.

Now the Celtics have neither member of their starting backcourt from the past five seasons, Allen and Rondo.

Rondo's injury "puts this team and the rest of the guys in a position to be ready to step up," Pierce said. Sunday's win "was a perfect example. We showed we are capable."

NOTES: It was Miami's first game in Boston since it won Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals behind James' 45 points. ... James and Chris Bosh each had 16 rebounds for the Heat. ... The last time the Celtics played consecutive double-overtime games was on March 11 and 13, 1951.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-28-BKN-Heat-Celtics-Folo/id-5677ced27f69458d8595e30f0c0f426d

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Sarah Palin and the End of an Era

The news that Sarah Palin will no longer be a paid contributor to Fox News puts an exclamation point on the end of an era, or at least a chapter, in U.S. political history. She could land somewhere else, and she still has her Facebook friends, but it?s hard to imagine she?ll find a more visible or influential platform than Fox.

The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee has been fading from the scene for some time, as she inadvertently highlighted when she complained on Facebook during the Republican convention in August that the network had canceled her scheduled interviews that night. Her brother, Chuck Heath Jr., told Alan Colmes last week on Fox Radio that his sister is ?kind of laying low right now,? though he wouldn?t or couldn?t say when asked why.

Once the face of an energetic and politically potent Tea Party movement, Palin is leaving Fox at a time when polls show the Tea Party at an all-time low in both membership and favorability. Her departure also coincides with calls by some leading Republicans for their party to stop saying things that erode the GOP brand and turn off voters in droves.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said bluntly this week at a Republican National Committee meeting in Charlotte that the GOP needs to stop being ?the stupid party,? and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he agreed. The two were talking in particular about losing Senate candidates Todd Akin of Missouri and Richard Mourdock of Indiana, both of whom made inflammatory (and in Akin?s case, flagrantly ignorant) comments about rape.

But Palin, with her flamboyant rhetoric, has stoked her own disproportionate share of controversies. This is the woman who, after all, coined the term ?death panels? to describe discussions between patients and physicians about end-of-life treatment (killing a bipartisan proposal for Medicare to reimburse doctors for having those talks); who complained of a ?blood libel? against her by ?journalists and pundits? after the Tucson shooting rampage that injured Gabrielle Giffords (the phrase historically relates to the charge that Jews murder children to use their blood in religious rituals); and who last fall accused Obama of ?shuck and jive? in his statements on the killings of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Benghazi (a racist term dating from slavery days).

Former secretary of state Colin Powell ripped Palin, though not by name, for the shucking-and-jiving remark. He said that and a characterization of Obama as "lazy" (by former New Hampshire governor John Sununu, also not cited by name) played into negative stereotypes of blacks and laid bare a ?dark vein of intolerance? within some parts of the GOP.

Palin defended herself by noting other political figures have used the phrase, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and White House press secretary Jay Carney. That?s true, and it?s also true that outside of conservative media, Carney largely seems to have gotten a pass. But Cuomo was roundly criticized when he said it during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign (he was a Hillary Clinton supporter). In fact, during that bitter nomination contest, the media monitored every word from Clinton, her husband and her staff for evidence of racial politics. And we found a number of examples, some more valid than others.

The problem for Republicans is that Democrats nominated and elected a black president ? twice now ? while they are still trying to fight perceptions they are hostile to minorities and the policies they support. That makes comments like Palin?s particularly harmful.

The shuck-and-jive incident was one of many signs that Palin has not adapted to a changing political environment. Her Dec. 19 appearance on On The Recordwith Greta Van Susteren was like a time warp back to 2008. She still makes up words (?electioning?). She still repeats sentences and phrases, padding her answers with filler. She still talks in vague generalities, leaving one to wonder how much she really knows. At a time when some conservatives reportedly have concluded it?s time to challenge liberalism rather than keep trying to stoke hostility toward Obama himself, she still attacks Obama in highly personal terms (?Mr. Nobel-Peace-Prize- winning president of ours?). Her diction is still, shall we say, unusual (?I believe that it?s many, many things that he would say and do being deceptive?).

Palin also still says weirdly inexplicable things.

When she first heard that Obama had been named Time magazine?s 2012 Person of the Year, she said her reaction was ?What the heck has he done really? What has he done except drive us over a fiscal cliff? ? Other than that, really, what has he done to unify and make our nation a more perfect union? For the life of me I don?t know, Greta.?

Obama of course has done a lot of things, some of them very polarizing. Palin had an opportunity to invoke Obamacare, gays in the military or any number of moves to back up her point about Obama dividing the nation and, in the view of many, making it less rather than more perfect. It was left to Van Susteren to add a little heft to the discussion, noting that Obama would deserve the designation if it had been awarded for winning a very difficult reelection campaign with a broad swath of demographic groups.

The strangest thing Palin said during that interview was her argument as to why Time?s recognition of Obama was irrelevant. Pointing to herself in seeming disbelief, she said that ?yours truly? had made the magazine?s list of the most influential people in the nation and world, and ?that ought to tell you something right there about the credence that we should give Time magazine and their list of people.? A bemused Van Susteren replied, ?All right. Well. That?s an interesting concept.?

Fox hired Palin three years ago ? at a reported $1 million a year ? because, Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes told The Associated Press, ?she was hot and got ratings.? While the terms of her departure are not public, it appears Fox came to the same conclusion as Palin about her diminishing role on the national and world stage.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sarah-palin-end-era-092711493--politics.html

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Stan Musial remembered during funeral Mass

AAA??Jan. 26, 2013?3:24 PM ET
Stan Musial remembered during funeral Mass
By R.B. FALLSTROMBy R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer??

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial before the start of his funeral Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Stan Musial was remembered as a Hall of Famer on and off the field during a 2-hour funeral Mass.

Broadcaster Bob Costas, his voice cracking at times, pointed out during Saturday's lengthy tribute that in 92 years of life, Musial never let anyone down.

Among those in attendance were baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, former St. Louis standout Albert Pujols and Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter and Red Schoendienst.

The 90-year-old Schoendienst once roomed with Musial.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-26-Musial%20Funeral/id-0892ab1073084330a3ea396b660a0d36

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Police and protesters clash in Egypt, army sent to Suez

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian protesters scuffled with police in Cairo on Saturday and troops were deployed in Suez after nine people were shot dead in nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi, exposing deep rifts two years after Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

After a day of clashes on Friday, tension remained high with a court expected to rule later on Saturday in a case against suspects accused of involvement in a stadium disaster that killed 74 people. Fans have threatened violence if the court does not deliver the justice they seek.

Eight people including a policeman were shot dead in Suez, east of the capital, and another was shot and killed in Ismailia, another city on the Suez Canal, medics said, after a day when police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths.

Another 456 people were injured across Egypt, officials said, in Friday's unrest fuelled by anger at Mursi and his Islamist allies over what the protesters see as their betrayal of the revolution that erupted on January 25, 2011.

"We want to change the president and the government. We are tired of this regime. Nothing has changed," said Mahmoud Suleiman, 22, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, near where youths were still hurling stones at police on the other side of a concrete barrier early on Saturday morning.

The protests and violence have laid bare the divide between the Islamists and their secular rivals. The schism is hindering the efforts of Mursi, elected in June, to revive an economy in crisis and reverse a plunge in Egypt's currency by enticing back investors and tourists.

Protesters accuse Mursi and his Islamist allies of hijacking Egypt's revolution that ended 30 years of Mubarak's autocratic rule. Mursi's supporters say their critics are ignoring democratic principles after elections swept Islamists to office.

"The protests will continue until we realise all the demands of the revolution - bread, freedom and social justice," Ahmed Salama, 28, a protester camped out with dozens of others in Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the 2011 revolt.

The court hearing over the Port Said stadium disaster in February last year has fuelled concerns of more unrest.

Live images were shown from inside the court shortly before the session began. Some of those attending chanted for justice and held up pictures of those killed.

The court on the outskirts on Cairo, and in the same police compound where Mubarak was tried and jailed, is due to rule on Saturday in the cases brought against 73 people, 61 of whom are charged with murder in what was Egypt's worst stadium disaster.

However, the public prosecutor has said new evidence has emerged, meaning a verdict may be postponed.

PRESIDENT URGES CALM

Alongside the 61 charged with murder, another 12 defendants, including nine police officers, are accused of helping to cause the February 1, 2012, disaster at the end of a match between Cairo's Al Ahly and al-Masri, the local side.

Expecting a verdict, hardcore Al Ahly fans, known as ultras, have protested in Cairo over the last week, obstructing the transport network. The Port Said disaster triggered days of street battles near the Interior Ministry in Cairo last year.

In a statement in response to Friday's violence, Mursi said the state would not hesitate in "pursuing the criminals and delivering them to justice". He urged Egyptians to respect the principles of the revolution by expressing views peacefully.

The president was due to meet later on Saturday with the National Defence Council, which includes senior ministers and security officials, to discuss the violence and deaths as a result of the protests.

Troops were deployed in Suez after the head of the state security police in the city asked for reinforcements. The army distributed pamphlets to residents assuring them the deployment was temporary and meant to secure the city.

"We have asked the armed forces to send reinforcements on the ground until we pass this difficult period," Adel Refaat, head of state security in Suez, told state television.

Street battles erupted in cities including Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Port Said. Arsonists attacked at least two state-owned buildings. An office used by the Muslim Brotherhood's political party was also torched.

The Brotherhood decided against mobilising for the anniversary, wary of the scope for more conflict after December's violence, stoked by Mursi's decision to fast-track an Islamist-tinged constitution rejected by his opponents.

Inspired by the popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose that united Egyptians two years ago has given way to internal strife that already triggered bloody street battles last month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-protesters-clash-egypt-army-sent-suez-080919174.html

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The Race to Catalog Living Species Before They Go Extinct

Courtesy of M.J. Costello

The U.S. has spent several billion dollars looking for life on other planets. Shouldn?t we spend at least that much finding and identifying life on Earth?

That is the argument behind a taxonomy analysis by a trio of scientists in Science, published on January 25. They argue just $500 million to $1 billion a year could ensure that all species were described and catalogued within 50 years. New tools will help too: the genetic ?barcode of life? ensures that a species description is appropriate while expert-driven Catalogue of Life and an ambitious effort to inventory more than 200,000 marine species are succeeding. The Internet and smartphones are also aiding the cause.

Since the turn of the century, 17,500 species have been officially described per year?and the rate is increasing (largely because more people are looking from different parts of the world than previously).

There?s a lot of duplication, however. By the researchers own count, at least 20 percent of the 1.9 million species known to science are in fact not species at all, but ?synonyms??in other words, some species are named more than once. That brings the number down to 1.5 million identified species.

So what?s left? It?s hard to know how many species have gone unidentified. Based on an average of expert guesses, surveys and the like, these researchers suggest there are somewhere between 2 and 8 million species of animals, plants, microbes and fungi on the planet (some previous estimates went as high as 100 million.) That means if present trends of identification continue, the job of surveying all life could be done as soon as 2040.

The authors also argue for opening the field even wider to amateurs, as has been done for birds, butterflies, flowers, fish and mammals. For example, a one-month survey in New Caledonia gathered 127,652 specimens encompassing 2,738 species of mollusk?eight out of 10 of which were previously unknown. And that?s just mollusks. Think of the insects or, for that matter, archaea?the newest and possibly oldest domain of life. Of course, engaging the citizen scientist in searching for, say, nematodes, a microscopic worm, among other uncharismatic microfauna, will be challenging to say the least.

Courtesy of J. Dolan

The catalog of known species is already tilted in favor of popular species. Although species are ?as fundamental to biology as elements are to chemistry,? the search for species is uniquely susceptible to popularity. There are a lot more bird species than nematodes at present and, as a result, there are probably 10 times more vertebrate zoologists, say, than botanists or scientists specializing in the diverse array of invertebrates. That?s the exact opposite of how the numbers work for the planet?s biodiversity. Of course, with the challenges of climate change, habitat loss and other human impacts in the Anthropocene, the real goal may not be to know all species but to ensure that as many of them as possible survive.

?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=71cfb389c57431a29e51efd376e39b48

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Returning to the Garden | Raising a Family on a Budget

WW II poster promoting gardening (from the National Agricultural Library)

I grew up in a family that always had a huge garden.? I would come home from school and pick strawberries and then all summer there were tomatoes, peppers, beets, squash, beans?you name it!? So when my husband & I bought our house I wanted a garden.? The down side, I had a new baby, poor soil, and bit off way more than I could chew. ?Now here I am 5 years later, another baby on the way and trying to keep this year?s garden (the first attempt since the disaster 5 years ago) practical.

The garden that we plant, needs to produce enough for our family, with a little extra for sharing or canning, but not so much that we become overwhelmed. ?Even more so, it needs to remain small enough so that I do not lose my mind trying to maintain a garden while I?m 9 months pregnant and with a newborn at home.

We decided last August, when the big oak tree in our yard fell during a storm, that now that we have light in the yard, it would be ideal to put in a few fruit trees, so that is our big time/money investment for the garden this year. ?Following that, it is replacing a blueberry bush (or possibly 2) that were decimated during the same tree incident.

I am trying to be realistic and only plan 1 small vegetable garden, but it is really tough when I want to be able to grow all of the beautiful produce for making baby food, but the more I think about it, the more I come to terms with just how impractical that would be this year.

I like the concept of the Victory Gardens from the WWII era.

Encouraged by the federal government to supplement scarce fruit and vegetable supplies, Americans planted more than 20 million victory gardens. Those gardens produced an estimated 40% of all vegetables eaten nationally during the later war years.

The practice of growing a garden to supply most of one?s own fruit and vegetables is regaining popularity today. Reasons vary from wanting to eat more locally produced food, to environmental concerns, as well as wanting to save money in a difficult economy.

If I keep that as our focus, producing only what our family will consume, with a little extra to preserve, then that should help to keep me on track with the planning and implementation of this year?s garden.

I think I?ll return to the garden planner for a little longer, and will share my progress tomorrow.

Source: http://www.raisingafamilyonabudget.com/?p=8732

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Hubble finds appearances can be deceptive: Looking at the stars in NGC 411

Jan. 26, 2013 ? Globular clusters are roughly spherical collections of extremely old stars, and around 150 of them are scattered around our galaxy. Hubble is one of the best telescopes for studying these, as its extremely high resolution lets astronomers see individual stars, even in the crowded core. The clusters all look very similar, and in Hubble's images it can be quite hard to tell them apart -- and they all look much like NGC 411, pictured in a new image.

And yet appearances can be deceptive: NGC 411 is in fact not a globular cluster, and its stars are not old. It isn't even in the Milky Way. NGC 411 is classified as an open cluster located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small sister galaxy near our own. Less tightly bound than a globular cluster, the stars in open clusters tend to drift apart over time as they age, whereas globulars have survived for well over 10 billion years of galactic history. NGC 411 is a relative youngster -- not much more than a tenth of this age. Far from being a relic of the early years of the universe, the stars in NGC 411 are in fact a fraction of the age of the sun.

The stars in NGC 411 are all roughly the same age, having formed at one time from one cloud of gas. But they are not all the same size. Hubble's image shows a wide range of colors and brightness in the cluster's stars; these tell astronomers many facts about the stars, including their mass, temperature and evolutionary phase. Blue stars, for instance, have higher surface temperatures than red ones.

The image is a composite produced from ultraviolet, visible and infrared observations made by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. This filter set lets the telescope "see" colors slightly further beyond red and the violet ends of the spectrum.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/nCwqd3lMSz0/130126092923.htm

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Video Game Crafts 'N Gear #11: Giant Lego Bowser Mech ...

In this week?s?Video Game Crafts ?N Gear, Bowser gets a nasty makeover, we discover an adorable Pokemon house model and prepare to witness the most amazing Android modification ever!

Giant Lego Bowser Mech

Understandably, Bowser?s pretty sick of his countless defeats by Mario and his failed attempts at kidnapping Princess Peach. After over 30 years, you?d be pretty pissed too. The Koopa King has had enough, and has built a huge mech version of himself!

I?ll let Lego enthusiast and builder of this model Zane Houston fill you in on the?back-story:

Years of battling Mario and Luigi has taken its toll on Bowser; to compensate he constructed this giant mechanical version of himself to do his bidding. Equipped with razor-sharp claws, spikes, and a flamethrower powerful enough to scorch that mustachio right off your face. Stay in your pipe, puny plumber!

That?s pretty deadly, and a vast improvement on the huge Bowser robot from Super Mario Sunshine. Check out the various shots, and an animated GIF of the Bowser mech chomping away. Awesome!

[Source: Kotaku]

3D Pokemon House

Many Pokemon fans are incredibly attached to the original 151. Pokemon Red and Blue, the TV show and the trading cards created a strong bond with fans and the original era. Deviantart user Werbenjagermanjensen?is taking you back even further to the beginning, with his 3D model of your house in Pallet Town.

Out of sincere love for Pokemon Red and Blue, he created the iconic house pixel for pixel with perler beads. He even went as far as to recreate the classic monochrome colour style, using?grey, dark grey, black, and white beads. There?s even the little tufts of pixelated grass outside! I wonder if I could convince him to build me a real-sized version.

[Source: DeviantArt via Sprite Stitch]

Game Boy Android Gamepad Mod

The staple and most important origin of portable gaming, no one but a monster would take a classic Game Boy apart ? at least, for good reason. Thankfully, YouTube user Chad Boughton had a pretty good reason for disassembling his, and here?s the result!

Replacing the screen with a phone case, an Android phone takes the place of the once black and green screen. The lovely old Game Boy buttons couldn?t play anything higher than 8-bit, but now it can be used to play any retro game of your choice via ROMs and emulators. He even used the circuit from a Wii Remote to implement Bluetooth capabilities.

Chad has also kindly provided instructions, for you to make your own:?http://www.instructables.com/id/Game-Boy-Android-Gamepad/

?

To check out last week?s featured Crafts ?N Gear, here?s the link for?#10: Custom Nintendo Consoles, Shadow of the Colossus Hard Drive, Dead Space Cosplay. You can find all our?back episodes here.

If you?ve seen or made anything cool that you?d like to see featured, leave us a comment or?send me a tweet! You just might see your name credited next week.

Article from Gamersyndrome.com

Related posts:

1. Video Game Crafts ?N Gear #8: Tim Burton Pokemon, Super Mario Belt, Skyrim Keening Sword
2. Video Game Crafts ?N Gear #7: Minecraft Torch, Zelda Painted Shoes, Pokemon Toy Cars
3. Video Game Crafts ?N Gear #9: Half-Life 2 Gravity Gun, Majora?s Mask Backpack, Hungry Hungry Koopas
4. Video Game Crafts ?N Gear #6: Super Mario Christmas Tree Lights, Wooden Hylian Shield, Companion (Ice) Cubes
5. Video Game Crafts ?N Gear #4: Angry Birds Soda, NES Controller Shop Sign, Retro Cloud Strife Cosplay

About the Author

My name is Reece, and I'm an aspiring writer from England. I've been into gaming since I was about 4 years old, playing the Game Boy, PSOne and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis to you Americans!). Having these systems around during my youth lead to the greatest and most-anticipated Christmas ever - the year I got my N64! Open to any system and genre, I remain completely unbiased as a proud owner of a Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS. Come on Vita, give me more reasons to buy you too! My favourite games are Resident Evil 2, Zelda: The Wind Waker, Streets of Rage 2, Left 4 Dead, Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Yoshi's Island. I also write news for Explosion.com. You can catch me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReeceH92

Source: http://gamersyndrome.com/2013/video-games/video-game-crafts-n-gear-11-giant-lego-bowser-mech-pokemon-house-game-boy-android-gamepad-mod/

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Business Presentation Skills for 2013 ? Archimedes Consulting Blog

January 25th, 2013

1^st Impressions count

We all know that we make up our minds about people in seconds, but what causes us to do that? What mental processing is going on in our brains that cause such a swift and decisive reaction? The supercomputer, that is our?brain, is taking in visual and auditory inputs and is quickly deciding if what it sees ?adds up?. Does the visual appearance match the tone of voice? Does the tone of voice sound confident; does the body language match the confidence? If these things look positive and critical, if they add up, then we form a favourable first impression. So the best tip for creating positive first impressions in business is to project warm confidence and a great start on that is to smile even when you don?t feel like it! Your physiology can lead your emotions, so smiling can make you feel better as well as making you look positive and confident.

Standing out in a crowd

If you get off to a good start and create a strong first impression, how then do you capitalise on that? How do you set yourself apart from other people presenting, pitching, or interviewing that day?

Maya Angelou said, ?People will forget what you said, forget what you did; they will never forget how you made them feel?. To stand out in a crowd you need to connect with your audience on an emotional, as well as, a rational level. Many in business remain absolutely clinical in their presentations and lose the human appeal. So, in addition to the data, the argument, and the facts you are delivering don?t lose sight of what that actually means to your audience and look to make them feel good about their achievements or aspirations.

?Holding audience attention

21^st century business is suffering from a collective case of ADD (attention deficit disorder). In the fast pace of today?s business world people are finding it increasingly difficult to focus and concentrate for any length of time. How then do you deal with that when you?re tasked with delivering a 20 minute plus presentation?

In the immortal words of Bananarama (the original girl band!), ?It ain?t what you do, it?s the way that you do it?. Holding an audience?s attention is not really about what you?re saying it?s more about how you say it. Can you get your message across in an entertaining and engaging way rather than just downloading the bare facts onto your audience? For example, can you use relevant stories, jokes, or analogies that illustrate and dramatise your key points? In essence, the difference between a sound presenter and a great presenter is someone who gives at least as much attention to the HOW as the WHAT of their message.

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Source: http://blog.archimedesconsulting.co.uk/2013/01/business-presentation-skills-for-2013/

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