Stocks surge, Dow nears record high

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Dow came within 60 points of its all-time high Wednesday after rising sharply for a second straight day.

The market surged following more evidence that the Fed will keep interest rates low, housing will keep recovering and shoppers aren't pulling back on spending, though they're paying more in Social Security taxes this year.

The gains were broad: Twenty-nine of 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average rose. All 10 industries in the Standard and Poor's 500 index climbed.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 175.24 points, or 1.2 percent, to 14,075.37. The index is now 89 points from its record close of 14,164.53 reached in October 2007. The index rose steadily from the opening bell, then peaked near the record at 3:26 p.m. Eastern Time, before easing slightly in the last half hour of trade.

The Dow has surged 290 points in the past two days, erasing its drop of 216 points Monday when inconclusive results from an election in Italy renewed worries that Europe's fiscal crisis could flare up again.

"The market psychology has clearly shifted. It's no longer sell the rally, it's buy the dips," said Dan Veru, chief investment officer of Palisade Capital Management. "The economic data continues to be strong."

The Standard and Poor's 500 index gained 19.05 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,515.99. The Nasdaq composite rose 32.61 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,162.26. The index is 6.5 percent higher for the year, and is about 3.1 percent short of its record close of 1,565.

Investors were also encouraged Wednesday that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stood behind the central bank's low-interest-rate policies as he faced the House Financial Services Committee. His comments dissipated worries about the bank's resolve to keep up the program. Those worries sprang up last week when minutes from the bank's last policy meeting revealed disagreement among Fed officials.

Also, the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes rose in January from December to the highest level in almost three years. The report continued a string of positive housing news. Sales of new homes jumped 16 percent last month to the highest level since July 2008, the government reported Tuesday.

Home builder stocks rose for the second day in a row. PulteGroup climbed 25 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $19.30, after rising 5.7 percent the day before.

"Some encouraging news for the bulls has been the housing data that has come out over the past couple of days," said Todd Salamone, director of research at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

The analyst said he remained "extremely bullish," on stocks in the medium and long-term, but cautioned that a pullback may lie ahead in coming days after the year's strong gains.

Stocks have surged since the start of the year. The Dow is up 7.4 percent and the S&P 500 has climbed 6.3 percent.

But rising even more is the Dow Jones transportation average, which is up 13 percent for the year to 5,989.37. Airlines like Delta and Alaska Air are powering the gains.

"If the economy is doing well you've got to be moving stuff around," said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategists at Federated Investors. "You've got to be moving people on airplanes, you've got to be moving cargo with trains or trucks, or UPS."

Discount retailers rose Wednesday. Dollar Tree jumped $4.31, or 11 percent, to $45.39 after reporting a 22 percent profit increase. Dollar General rose $1.61, or 3.6 percent, to $46.56. Family Dollar Stores rose $1.39, or 2.5 percent, to $57.68.

Earnings for S&P 500 companies will climb 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter, the third straight quarter of growth, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose two basis points to 1.90 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves;

? Retailer J.C. Penney fell $3.07, or 15 percent, to $18.09 after the market closed following a much a quarterly loss that was much larger than expected.

? Priceline.com rose $17.42, or 2.6 percent, to $695.91 after reporting that its net income jumped in the fourth quarter as bookings grew.

? First Solar plunged $4.32, or 13.8 percent, to $27.04 after the company posted disappointing sales for the fourth quarter and gave a weak early outlook for the year.

? Target fell 93 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $63.12 after the No. 2 discount chain's quarterly income fell 2 percent as it dealt with intense competition during the holiday shopping season.

? DreamWorks Animation fell 30 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $16.31 after posting a loss of $82.7 million. The company booked a write-off on its November release "Rise of the Guardians" and on an upcoming movie that needs to be reworked.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-surge-housing-dow-nears-record-220328561--finance.html

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MWC 2013: LG Launches LG WCP-300 World's Smallest Wireless ...

LG has announced the LG WCP-300 world?s smallest wireless charger at MWC. It is only 6.9cm in diameter and company claims it is designed with portability in mind.

It uses a standard 5-pin micro USB charger to bring juice to the wireless pad. LG is calling the wireless charger the WCP-300 and it is compatible with the Nexus 4. The pad has also been Qi certified by the Wireless Power Consortium, which means that it will work properly.

?With the WCP-300, LG was able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster.? said Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

?Wireless charging is the holy grail of smartphone user convenience,? Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company said in a press release.

?With the WCP-300, LG was able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster,? he added.

LG is committed to offering consumers a better mobile user experience by introducing smartphones with more advanced wireless charging technologies in the global market.

Press Release:

LG INTRODUCES WORLD?S SMALLEST WIRELESS CHARGER
LG?s Thin and Sleek Wireless Charger Delivers Maximum Charging Performance and User Convenience

BARCELONA, Feb. 26, 2013 ? LG Electronics (LG) today introduced the world?s smallest wireless charger at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. At only 6.9cm in diameter, the WCP-300 is designed with portability in mind. Despite its di-minutive size, the charging area is 1.7 times wider than that of LG?s previous generation wireless charger. The new model is compatible with a standard 5-pin micro-USB charger, providing the highest level of charging performance and user convenience.

The WCP-300 employs electromagnetic induction technology and is Qi certified by the Wireless Power Consortium. Electromagnetic induction produces a magnetic field that in turn generates an electric current to charge the batteries in devices placed on the charging pad. Certification ensures that the WCP-300 is compatible with all smart-phones that support the Qi standard.

?Wireless charging is the holy grail of smartphone user convenience,? said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. ?With the WCP-300, LG was able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster.?

In the US market, both the LG Spectrum 2 and Nexus 4 feature built-in support for wireless charging right out of the box, eliminating the need to purchase separate covers. LG believes that built-in support for upcoming smartphones will be the most critical development in making wireless charging the industry standard going forward.

LG is committed to offering consumers a better mobile user experience by introducing smartphones with more advanced wireless charging technologies in the global market.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 93,000 people working in over 120 operations around the world. With 2012 global sales of USD 45.22 billion (KRW 50.96 trillion), LG comprises four business units ? Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning & Energy Solution ? and is one of the world?s leading producers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. LG Electronics is a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For more news and information on LG Electronics, please visit www.LGnewsroom.com.

Source: http://cellphonequick.com/lg-wcp-300-worlds-smallest-wireless-charger/

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The Paleo Diet and the Case for Primal Living - MensJournal.com

Photograph by Bartholomew Cooke

Perhaps you've heard of the paleo movement ? eating and exercising as our ancient forefathers did ? and dismissed it as a fad, a farce, a caveman version of the Atkins diet. But over the past few years, the philosophy has exploded from obscure scientific theory into one of the biggest trends in wellness, influencing everything from medicine to running shoes to the latest thinking on how we should eat and move to stay lean and healthy.

Many experts now believe that Western civilization's skyrocketing rates of degenerative disease ? diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's, to name a few ? stem from our adoption of a diet high in processed foods, exacerbated by our sedentary lifestyles. In 1985, a pair of researchers published a provocative paper leveraging the fact that, while the human species has existed for about 2 million years, grain production is only 12,000 years old, and the rise of processed foods ? new to humans on an evolutionary scale ? mirrors our uptick of weight gain and chronic disease. Cavemen didn't suffer from most of these diseases, primarily because their diet consisted mostly of meat, vegetables, and some fruit. They rarely died of heart attack or stroke, but from old age, viruses, or calamity like extreme weather. Today, those who still eat a traditional diet, like the Arctic Inuit and Kenyan Maasai, are virtually immune to these diseases too.

After 1985, the paleo movement started collecting members slowly but steadily, until it exploded about two years ago, launching a bevy of self-help books, snack foods like jerky and coconut chips, and the Paleo Physicians Network, with more than 2,000 members and a mission to educate doctors about treating patients based on our evolutionary nature. Crossfit, the minimalist fitness craze, has adopted paleo as its unofficial nutrition mantra ? no carbs, lots of meat and vegetables. "It's about getting complete and total control over your health," says Mark Sisson, author of 'The Primal Blueprint.' "It's about having more energy at 50 than you did at 35. It's so empowering that followers become the biggest proselytizers. Everybody wants to know how they lost their 70 pounds."

More profoundly, the human genome has remained relatively stable since our hunter-gatherer days, while our diets have changed drastically. We now eat massive amounts of sugar, which triggers our bodies to store fat. Most processed foods are made from sugar, grains, and industrial vegetable oils high in trans fats, which the National Academy of Sciences declared unsafe in food in any amount. Most of what we eat is grown with pesticides, linked to cancer, birth defects, and brain disorders, and treated with carcinogenic preservatives.

As we subsist on more sugar, grains, and chemicals, we move less and spend more time hunched over steering wheels, computer screens, and smartphones. Those who exercise often jump on a treadmill or weight machine, training their bodies and isolating muscles in unnatural ways. Few of us have the muscle mass, lung capacity, or reaction time to sprint up uneven hills, duck branches, hop boulders, and pull ourselves up a ledge to avoid a bear. But that's how the paleo crowd thinks we should move.

Of course, paleo has its detractors. 'US News and World Report' cited it as the worst of 24 popular diets, based largely on the notion that "duplicating such a regimen in modern times would be difficult." They also noted that the benefits of the paleo diet are largely unstudied, a point the paleo community contends. But last summer, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health helped mute the debate when it found a paleo-style diet, high in fat and low in carbs, to be the most effective for weight loss.

If you're health conscious, there's a good chance you've already adopted some of the paleo approach. For example, paleo followers have long supported barefoot running as a way to strengthen muscles in the feet. High-intensity training, TRX suspension straps, and extreme races like Tough Mudder and Spartan Race are all paleo-approved. And limiting carbs to load up on grass-fed meat and organic produce is key to living primal. Ready to go full steam? Here are five steps to adopt the paleo approach:

Eat Like a Caveman
One of the most prominent voices in the paleo movement is journalist and author Gary Taubes, who argues that it's not calories alone that cause weight gain, but sugar and refined carbs, which spike our blood sugar and trigger the hormone insulin, telling our bodies to store energy as fat. When we eat cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and pasta for dinner ? supplemented by soda, chips, and fries ? these processed foods cause larger waistlines and diabetes, heart disease, and possibly even cancer over time. While medical experts used to think eating fat made people fat, "it has been clear for some time, from multiple trials, that the percent of calories from fat in the diet has minimal relation to weight gain or obesity," says Dr. Walter Willett, of the Harvard School of Public Health. Instead, says Willett, low-fat, high-carb foods, once believed to aid heart health and weight loss, are the real problem. Eating more healthy fat and fewer foods that spike insulin is the first step to primal eating. Second is to avoid industrial oils like soy and corn, rich in trans fat and inflammation-causing omega-6s. When you eliminate sugar, refined carbs, and industrial oils, you essentially eliminate all fast and convenience foods.

Move Like a Hunter:
Movement in the Paleolithic era was never prescribed: The body adapted to challenges at hand, whether running from a predator, hauling a carcass, or building a shelter. We were always on the go, often at maximum output for short times. "Our caveman ancestor wouldn't have run every day because that's stupid," says Sisson, a former marathoner. Another proponent of paleo fitness is Erwan Le Corre, a 41-year-old Frenchman who founded MovNat, fitness that focuses on natural human movement. You can see him on YouTube running barefoot through the desert, rolling through brush, hurtling over rock ledges, and swimming downstream while pushing a 500-pound log. Le Corre calls this the workout the world forgot. "Modern lives are so separated from nature and what is natural that a system like MovNat is not only refreshing, it's also powerfully effective at connecting people with their bodies," he says. MovNat has thousands of followers, including members of the Special Forces.

Avoid Daily Toxins:
There are toxins everywhere in our daily environment, and some of them, like pollutants in the air, can't be avoided. But others can. Since tap water can be contaminated with pollutants like arsenic and pharmaceuticals, read your local water reports and filter if necessary, and try to avoid drinking water out of plastic bottles. Eat organic foods when possible, buy food in bulk or glass, and use natural cleaners, detergents, and skin products.

Limit Modern Stressors:
Our ancient ancestors had plenty of stress, whether hunting for food or keeping warm and dry in inclement weather, but it may not compare with the stress we've created in modern-day life. One of the biggest forms of modern stress? Sitting for most of the day, which takes a toll on our muscular and cardiovascular health. Fight it by using a stand-up desk or taking a walk every hour. Forgo the drudgery of soulless cardio equipment with TVs and muscle-isolating Cybex machines for activities that reinforce pleasure, whether it's forcing your body to move in unexpected ways by playing tennis or helping your muscles adapt to uneven surfaces by hiking. Choose outdoor exercise to get sun and vitamin D, which increases levels of relaxing serotonin. Never underestimate the power of play ? but know it's also important to prioritize sleep over staying up late to work on your iPad or surf the Web.

Adopt a Primal Attitude:
Primal living is more than a diet or new way of working out ? it's a lifestyle. Once you eat and move in a way that's optimal for your body's design, you never go back. And there's a mind-set that goes along with that. Sisson believes it's important to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, whether that's building a tree house for your kids or learning to surf. Filter out negative, sensationalized news, and nurture small social networks rather than trying to collect 1,000 friends on Facebook. Most important, learn to unplug and recharge in the digital age of evolution.

See also:
? Seven Rules for Eating Paleo
? Five Primal Workouts to Reboot Your Fitness

Source: http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/the-paleo-diet-and-the-case-for-primal-living-20130226

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Tycoon wants to send married couple on Mars flyby

A drawing provided by Inspiration Mars shows an artist?s conception of a spacecraft envisioned by the private group, which wants to send a married couple on a mission to fly by the red planet and zip back home, beginning in 2018. The nonprofit ?Inspiration Mars? will get initial money from multimillionaire Dennis Tito, the first space tourist. Outsiders put the price tag at more than $1 billion. The mission, announced Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, would last more than 16 months. (AP Photo/Inspiration Mars)

A drawing provided by Inspiration Mars shows an artist?s conception of a spacecraft envisioned by the private group, which wants to send a married couple on a mission to fly by the red planet and zip back home, beginning in 2018. The nonprofit ?Inspiration Mars? will get initial money from multimillionaire Dennis Tito, the first space tourist. Outsiders put the price tag at more than $1 billion. The mission, announced Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, would last more than 16 months. (AP Photo/Inspiration Mars)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? It's a road trip that could test the best of marriages: Mars.

A tycoon announced plans Wednesday to send a middle-aged couple on a privately built spaceship to slingshot around the red planet and come back home, hopefully with their bodies and marriage in one piece after 501 days of no-escape togetherness in a cramped capsule half the size of an RV.

Under the audacious but bare-bones plan, the spacecraft would blast off less than five years from now and pass within 100 miles of the Martian surface. The cost was not disclosed, but outsiders put it at more than $1 billion.

The team of space veterans behind the project hasn't quite figured out the technical details of the rocket they will use or the capsule the husband-and-wife astronauts will live in during the 16-month voyage. But they know it will be an adventure not for the weak of body or heart.

"This is not going to be an easy mission," chief technical officer and potential crew member Taber MacCallum said. "We called it the Lewis and Clark trip to Mars."

The trying circumstances include: no showers, limits on toilet paper and clothing, drinking water made from the crew members' recycled urine and sweat, and almost no privacy. But the flight also comes with never-before-seen views of Mars. And there's ample time for zero-gravity sex in space, something NASA doesn't like to talk about.

As for why a man and a woman will be selected, "this is very symbolic and we really need it to represent humanity," MacCallum said.

He said if it is a man and a woman on such a long, close-quarters voyage, it makes sense for them to be married so that they can give each other the emotional support they will probably need when they look out the window and see Earth get smaller and more distant: "If that's not scary, I don't know what is."

The private, nonprofit project, called Inspiration Mars, will get initial money from NASA engineer-turned-multimillionaire investment consultant Dennis Tito, the first space tourist. The organizers hope to raise the rest through donations, advertising and media partnerships.

NASA, which has talked about sending astronauts to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s, will not be involved in this project. Instead, its backers intend to use a ship built by other aerospace companies, employing an austere design that could take people to Mars for a fraction of what it would cost the space agency to do with robots, officials said.

Even though some of the hardware hasn't even been built, Tito said he is confident everything will come together by 2018 with no test flights.

It will be a stripped-down mission when it comes to automation and complexity, meaning the couple will have to fix things on the fly like TV's MacGyver and do more piloting than on NASA vehicles, said chief medical officer Jonathan Clark.

The flight is timed to take advantage of the once-in-a-generation close approach of the two planets' orbits. The timeline calls for launch on Jan. 5, 2018, the Mars flyby on Aug. 20, 2018, and a return to Earth on May 21, 2019.

It involves huge risk, more than a government agency like NASA would normally permit, officials concede. For example, the spaceship will fly during a period when galactic cosmic rays will be high because of the sunspot cycle. That will increase the crew's cancer risk by about 3 percent, which is more than on any NASA mission, Clark said.

The ship would also re-enter Earth's atmosphere at twice the speed of ordinary space capsules, something Tito said still needs to be worked out.

"Life is risky," said Clark, a former NASA flight surgeon whose astronaut wife died in the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident. "Anything that's worth it is worth putting it all at stake for."

What may be most at stake is the crew members' marriage. The couple will be selected within a year.

MacCallum and his wife, Jane Poynter, hope to be picked. They were a couple when they participated in Biosphere 2, a sort of giant terrarium that was supposed to replicate a mission on another planet. Poynter said it was such a fraught experience psychologically that some participants wouldn't talk to each other for most of the two years.

But MacCallum said it brought him and Poynter closer together. He said the right couple going to Mars, if screened and counseled ahead of time, would come back with a stronger marriage.

Poynter said the husband and wife need to be even-tempered. Clark said they should be post-childbearing age because of exposure to radiation. Poynter is 50, MacCallum 48.

For the 30 years NASA has been flying men and women, it has avoided the question of sex in space. MacCallum said it will happen: "It's a man and wife. Private time. Let your imagination run wild."

In a statement, NASA spokesman David Steitz said the venture validates President Barack Obama's decision to rely more on private sector ingenuity to explore space, and is "a testament to the audacity of America's commercial aerospace industry and the adventurous spirit of America's citizen-explorers."

He said "NASA will continue discussions with Inspiration Mars to see how the agency might collaborate on mutually beneficial activities."

Stanford University professor Scott Hubbard, NASA's former Mars mission chief, said the team's technical paper outlining the flight is "long on inspiration, short on technical details. What is there is correct."

Other outside experts praised the expertise of the team but worried about the lack of testing.

Former astronaut and current MIT aerospace engineering professor Jeff Hoffman said: "Since they don't plan to land on Mars, it's really a question of keeping people alive for 501 days in space, which is not an impossible task."

___

Online:

Inspiration Mars: http://www.inspirationmars.com

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-27-Humans%20to%20Mars/id-5448c1229eac4c53bfb1915ea7338d06

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Calif. female lawmakers condemn Oscar host

Host Seth MacFarlane, right, and actress Kristin Chenoweth perform a song dedicated to the "losers" during the finale of the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Host Seth MacFarlane, right, and actress Kristin Chenoweth perform a song dedicated to the "losers" during the finale of the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? Two female California state lawmakers have condemned Oscar host Seth MacFarlane's comments during Sunday's awards presentation as degrading toward women and asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to use better judgment in the future.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, both Democrats who lead the Legislature's women's caucus, sent a letter to Academy President Hawk Koch on Tuesday, requesting that the organization disavow MacFarlane's behavior.

They objected to the comedian's focus on the physical appearance of several actresses and quips about nude scenes.

"Furthermore, there was a disturbing theme about violence against women being acceptable and funny," the lawmakers wrote. "From topical jabs about domestic violence to singing about 'boobs' during a film's rape scene, Seth MacFarlane crossed the line from humor to misogyny."

MacFarlane's performance has drawn multiple critics since Sunday's show. Blogs compiled highlights of his punch lines, which included a song that referenced leading ladies who have bared their breasts on film that were accompanied by reaction shots from those actresses.

He also made light of a domestic violence incident between rapper Chris Brown and singer Rihanna, and joked about the heavy accents of several Latina actresses.

"On Oscar night, when Hollywood seeks to honor its best, Seth MacFarlane's monologue reduced our finest female actresses to caricatures and stereotypes, degrading women as a whole and the filmmaking industry itself," the letter stated.

Lowenthal and Jackson, both Democrats, asked Koch to respond. Academy spokeswoman Toni Thompson had no immediate comment.

In their letter, the lawmakers noted the Violence Against Women Act currently under debate in Congress and a resolution that the Legislature passed supporting the act's reauthorization. Better judgment is needed in the academy's future decisions regarding its awards show hosts and their material, they said.

"This should be a celebration of artists in the filmmaking industry, not an offensive display of disrespect toward women that sets the fight for gender equality, dignity, and respect back decades," they wrote.

A repeat hosting performance by MacFarlane doesn't look likely. Asked Tuesday on Twitter if he would host the Oscars again, he replied, "No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-27-Oscars-Female%20Lawmakers/id-b430058479694daa9aed51687affa3e5

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Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in an exam room at the hospital in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in an exam room at the hospital in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in her office in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, a cancer specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, poses in her office in Seattle. Johnson is the lead author of a new study that shows that advanced breast cancer cases have increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests, raising many questions about possible reasons even as the disease remains uncommon in women younger than 40. Johnson herself was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, 17 years ago. Unlike women in the study, Johnson?s cancer was caught early. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.

The results are potentially worrisome because young women's tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women's, and they're much less likely to get routine screening for the disease.

Still, that doesn't explain why there'd be an increase in advanced cases and the researchers and other experts say more work is needed to find answers.

It's likely that the increase has more than one cause, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, the study's lead author and medical director of a teen and young adult cancer program at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"The change might be due to some sort of modifiable risk factor, like a lifestyle change" or exposure to some sort of cancer-linked substance, she said.

Johnson said the results translate to about 250 advanced cases diagnosed in women younger than 40 in the mid-1970s versus more than 800 in 2009. During those years, the number of women nationwide in that age range went from about 22 million to closer to 30 million ? an increase that explains part of the study trend "but definitely not all of it," Johnson said.

Other experts said women delaying pregnancy might be a factor, partly because getting pregnant at an older age might cause an already growing tumor to spread more quickly in response to pregnancy hormones.

Obesity and having at least a drink or two daily have both been linked with breast cancer but research is inconclusive on other possible risk factors, including tobacco and chemicals in the environment. Whether any of these explains the slight increase in advanced disease in young women is unknown.

There was no increase in cancer at other stages in young women. There also was no increase in advanced disease among women older than 40.

Overall U.S. breast cancer rates have mostly fallen in more recent years, although there are signs they may have plateaued.

Some 17 years ago, Johnson was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, and that influenced her career choice to focus on the disease in younger women.

"Young women and their doctors need to understand that it can happen in young women," and get checked if symptoms appear, said Johnson, now 44. "People shouldn't just watch and wait."

The authors reviewed a U.S. government database of cancer cases from 1976 to 2009. They found that among women aged 25 to 39, breast cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body ? advanced disease ? increased from between 1 and 2 cases per 100,000 women to about 3 cases per 100,000 during that time span.

The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

About one in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, but only 1 in 173 will develop it by age 40. Risks increase with age and certain gene variations can raise the odds.

Routine screening with mammograms is recommended for older women but not those younger than 40.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer, said the results support anecdotal reports but that there's no reason to start screening all younger women since breast cancer is still so uncommon for them.

He said the study "is solid and interesting and certainly does raise questions as to why this is being observed." One of the most likely reasons is probably related to changes in childbearing practices, he said, adding that the trend "is clearly something to be followed."

Dr. Ann Partridge, chair of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on breast cancer in young women, agreed but said it's also possible that doctors look harder for advanced disease in younger women than in older patients. More research is needed to make sure the phenomenon is real, said Partridge, director of the breast cancer center at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The study shouldn't cause alarm, she said. Still, Partridge said young women should be familiar with their breasts and see the doctor if they notice any lumps or other changes.

Software engineer Stephanie Carson discovered a large breast tumor that had already spread to her lungs; that diagnosis in 2003 was a huge shock.

"I was so clueless," she said. "I was just 29 and that was the last thing on my mind."

Carson, who lives near St. Louis, had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments and she frequently has to try new drugs to keep the cancer at bay.

Because most breast cancer is diagnosed in early stages, there's a misconception that women are treated, and then get on with their lives, Carson said. She and her husband had to abandon hopes of having children, and she's on medical leave from her job.

"It changed the complete course of my life," she said. "But it's still a good life."

____

Online:

JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/index.htm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-02-26-Breast%20Cancer-Young%20Women/id-356d2232f600473f90de590061d43d38

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Polk Audio UltraFocus 6000

Despite the popularity of noise canceling headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 15, in-canal noise canceling earphones remain a rare alternative. The reason seems simple: The circuitry and battery compartment for noise cancellation has to go somewhere, and unfortunately, as with the $149.95 (list) Polk Audio UltraFocus 6000, it's awkwardly placed along the cable, requiring a shirt clip for mobile use. Thus far, the only earphones to actually fit the circuitry inside the earpieces themselves are the Sony XBA-NC85D, an overpriced underperformer. The UltraFocus 6000 provides deep bass response and powerful, distortion-free audio performance, as well as top-notch noise cancellation, but if the shirt clip compartment is a dealbreaker, check out some on-ear headphone alternatives.

Design
The circuitry may exist outside the earpieces, but even so, the UltraFocus 6000 still has bulky earpieces compared with many of today's streamlined earphone options. Regardless, the black, rubberized plastic design is lightweight and quite secure.?The aforementioned battery/circuitry compartment is located along the thick, linguini-esque cable, more or less midway down, so that it can be clipped either to a shirt, a belt, or a pants pocket.

In addition to the Power switch, the Ultrafocus 6000 features a sound attenuator switch, which lowers sound sources by 10 decibels?useful for airplanes, which often have louder outputs. There's also a push-to-hear ambient control, so you can hear your surroundings clearly without removing the earphones. Unfortunately, the UltraFocus 6000 does not output audio in passive mode. You must use the battery, and the noise cancellation, to listen to music.

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 6000 is also offered, perplexingly for the same price, as the Polk Audio UltraFocus 6000i, which features inline mobile phone controls and a microphone. If you're looking to use it with your iOS device, make sure you buy the version with "i" appended to its name. We tested the version without controls, but this review should serve as an evaluation of both.

With seven included ear tip pairs?some are the typical silicon shape, some are flange-shaped, some are foam?there is quite a variety to choose from, which bolsters the already secure-fitting design of the 6000 even more.

One AAA battery is included with the UltraFocus 6000; Polk Audio estimates the battery life for the earphones at roughly 30 hours. It would have been nice to see a rechargeable option here, but we've thus far seen only one rechargeable in-ear pair, the Sony XBA-NC85D. Also included: a Nokia device adapter, an airline jack adapter, and a rigid zip-up protective case.

Performance
The UltraFocus 6000 has no issues with deep bass frequencies. At high volumes, it churns out sub-bass content with some serious power. Even songs with particularly challenging sub-bass frequencies, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," are delivered distortion-free, all the way up to maximum (and unsafe, by the way) listening levels.

There's a significant boost to both low and high frequencies. On Bill Callahan's "Drover," his vocals sound a bit overshadowed by the intense lower frequencies, however?the treble boost doesn't quite bring out enough of the edge in his baritone vocal delivery, and the mix ends up sounding a bit muffled.

The higher frequencies also feel a bit dialed back on Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild." Vocals are delivered with enough clarity, but the intense kick drum loop is missing the hi-mid grit that it usually packs, detracting from the power of the mix a bit.

The UltraFocus 6000's sound signature fares better on classical tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," lending enough edge to the higher register strings to balance out the enhanced resonance of the lower register strings. Things are not muddy here, and never approach overly bright or harsh. It's a boosted, but balanced, sound.

There's a dirty little secret about active noise cancellation and in-ear earphones that's rarely acknowledged: Passive noise cancellation?using ear plugs, for instance?works just as well, if not better, and it's far less expensive. This is particularly relevant here because I'd venture that roughly 80 percent (conservative guess) of in-canal earphones achieve a significant level of ambient noise reduction just by sealing off your ear canal. Are they as effective as earplugs? No, but they come pretty close.

In other words, in-ear noise canceling pairs have less work to do than headphones, because they already block out so much of the sound. The UltraFocus 6000 is nonetheless armed with some solid noise cancellation technology. Turn the system on, and wide swaths of ambient sound are drastically dampened. Unlike many on-ear pairs that use less-than-top-of-the-line circuitry, the UltraFocus 6000 seems to avoid producing much high frequency hiss. But these earphones already reduce much of a room's noise just by sitting in your ears.

Thus, the obvious question: If in-ear noise cancellation is so much easier to pull off, and as the UltraFocus 6000 demonstrates, also less expensive (compared to, say, the Bose QuietComfort 15), why are there so few in-ear options compared to on-ear options? And the answer, I believe, is the dreaded battery compartment/circuitry box. The bulk of the inline compartment, and its weight, makes the shirt clip a necessity. There's no way around it: It's annoying.

Other in-ear options, like the Phiaton PS 20 NC, exist, and yes, it features the cumbersome shirt-clip compartment as well. But unlike the UltraFocus 6000, the PS 20 NC can output audio in passive mode, which is a huge advantage. If you dread the clip as I do, you'll need to go the on-ear headphone route, as we don't highly recommend Sony's ground-breaking?but very overpriced?in-ear, external compartment-free option, the aforementioned XBA-NC85D. If excellent noise cancellation is your main priority, the Bose QuietComfort 15 is a tried and true winner. If better music performance is your priority, consider the AKG K 490 NC, which also features solid noise cancellation, as well as Polk Audio's own Ultrafocus 8000.

But, in the in-canal noise canceling realm, the UltraFocus 6000 is a solid contender, armed with quality noise cancellation circuitry and distortion-free audio performance. If solid, in-ear noise cancellation is what you're looking for, the UltraFocus 6000, though far from flawless, is worth your consideration.

More Headphone Reviews:
??? Polk Audio UltraFocus 6000
??? Skullcandy Hesh 2
??? RHA MA150
??? Audio Technica ATH-ANC9 QuietPoint
??? Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/JXhatHCOdO8/0,2817,2415607,00.asp

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United Nations Environment Program (25.02.13) - France-Diplomatie

France welcomes the decisions adopted by the first universal session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program, which ended on February 22 in Nairobi (Kenya).

These decisions translate into concrete terms the commitment made at the Rio+20 Summit to strengthen and raise the profile of the United Nations Environment Program within the UN system, championed in particular by France, the EU, the African Union and numerous Asian and Latin American countries.

The proposal to rename the former governing council ?UN Environment Assembly? reflects the determination to ensure that the UN Environment Program serves as the body that will provide leadership and coordination within the UN system.

The goal is also to make the environmental pillar of the UN a model of democracy and openness to civil society by ensuring that it is fully involved in the development of policies and the conduct of various levels of discussions.

These decisions mark a major step toward the eventual creation of a world environment organization, which remains France?s ultimate objective.

Source: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/global-issues/sustainable-development-1097/events-2130/article/united-nations-environment-program

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Savers Tax Credit ? IRS Form 8880 | invest right, live right

This week I have been updating some training materials that I use for corporate clients to help educate employees about their 401(k). During 2006, there was a tiny tax code update as a part of the Pension Protection Act that many people are unaware of, and I think it is helpful to get younger people excited about saving for retirement. Starting early is a critical factor when it comes to saving for retirement, and I am passionate about helping younger people make great financial decisions. Please share with any children, grandchildren, friends etc who might benefit. Here is a quick summary:
?You must be at least 18, not enrolled as a full-time student at any time during the year, and not claimed as a dependent on another person?s tax return
?Eligible Plans ? IRA?s, Roth IRA?s, 401(k)?s, 403(b)?s, and 457 plans.
?Adjusted Gross Income Limitations ? must fall below income limits for 2012 of $28,750, head of household filers of $43,125 and joint filers of $57,500.

The credit can be as much as $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for joint filers, and is in addition to any deduction that may be available. The IRS Form 8880 can be found here: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8880.pdf. As always, consult a tax professional to see how this may applies as every one?s situation is unique and different.

? 2012 Pawleys Investment Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Source: http://investrightliveright.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/savers-tax-credit-form-8880/

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General mechanism that accelerates tumor development discovered

Feb. 24, 2013 ? Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division and growth. In order to identify new therapeutic targets through which to tackle the disease, scientists seek to clarify the mechanisms that control the expression of genes that favor the development of tumors, in processes such as uncontrolled cell division. Nature has just published a paper by the lab headed by Ra?l M?ndez, ICREA professor at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). The study describes a mechanism controlled by the CPEB1 protein that affects more than 200 genes related to cell proliferation and tumor progression. The mechanism, which was discovered using Hodgkin lymphoma cells, has been proposed as a general regulatory system that enhances the spread of cancer.

The researchers describe that CPEB1 shortens a highly specific region of RNAs (RNAs are the molecules that carry gene information for protein synthesis). This region holds most of the signals that determine whether an RNA molecule is made into a protein or not. "CPEB1 "takes off the brakes" for hundreds of RNAs that stimulate cell desdifferentiation and proliferation, allowing them to be made into proteins; however, in addition to removing the brakes in the nucleus, this protein accompanies RNA to the cytoplasm, where it speeds up the production of these proteins," explains the senior author of the paper Ra?l M?ndez, head of the "Translational control of cell cycle and differentiation" group at IRB Barcelona.

Ra?l M?ndez is an expert on the CPBE protein family, a type of RNA-binding protein that has a positive and crucial role in early embryo development. "CPEB proteins are necessary during development and also during tissue regeneration via stem cells in adults, but if the programme governed by CPEBs is continually switched on, cells divide when they are not supposed to and form a tumor," explains M?ndez. The CPEB family comprises four proteins, which compensate each other's normal function but which have specific activities in diseased states. "This finding is positive from a therapeutic viewpoint because it means that if you remove CPEB1 from healthy cells, its function can be taken over by any other CPEB protein. In contrast, in tumors only CPEB1 has the capacity to shorten these regions, thus affecting only tumor cells," states Italian researcher Felice Alessio Bava, first author of the paper, and post-doctoral fellow with M?ndez's group who, this year, has obtained his doctorate degree through the "la Caixa" International Fellowship Programme. This study provides further evidence of the potential of CPEB proteins as therapeutic targets. In 2011, in a study published in Nature Medicine, M?ndez identified that CPEB4 "switches on" hundreds of genes linked to tumor growth. This new study explains that the overexpression of CPEB4 in tumors is because CPEB1 has also "released its brakes." "The fact that these proteins control each other is also advantageous from a therapeutic point of view," asserts M?ndez, "because partial inhibition, by a drug, would be amplified, thus allowing tumor cell reprogramming. The amplification should make it easier to find a viable compound."

The lab has developed a system to screen therapeutic molecules for a drug that can inhibit the action of CPEB in tumors while having few secondary effects on healthy cells. "There is no drug currently available that influences the regulation of gene expression at this level. Our findings open up a pioneering therapeutic window. We are optimistic about the potential of CPEB proteins as targets," says M?ndez.

The action of CPEB proteins should be considered in the design of other therapeutic strategies

The study published in Nature includes a meticulous genomic analysis of RNA molecules that are processed in different ways depending on whether CPBE1 is present. The study provides a list of between 200 and 300 of such genes, that is to say, those that would have the region holding regulatory signals removed. This is precisely the region where microRNAs -- small molecules regulating the translation of this RNA to protein -- bind. "Many antitumor therapies attempt to interfere with microRNA binding, but we have now revealed that CPEB proteins remove these regions beforehand. The pharmaceutical companies that are developing such compounds will be able to predict whether their targets are suitable approaches or not," explains the scientist.

The study has involved the collaboration of the group led by Juan Valc?rcel at the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), an expert in RNA nuclear processing, and that of Roderic Guig?, an expert in biostatistics and also at CRG. This study received funding from the Consolider RNAreg consortium of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competition and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona).

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Felice-Alessio Bava, Carolina Eliscovich, Pedro G. Ferreira, Belen Mi?ana, Claudia Ben-Dov, Roderic Guig?, Juan Valc?rcel, Ra?l M?ndez. CPEB1 coordinates alternative 3?-UTR formation with translational regulation. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature11901

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/6AD_azErazs/130224142827.htm

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City proposes bike parking alternatives (Offthekuff)

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Kidnapped Austrian says his captives demand ransom

CAIRO (AP) ? An Austrian man held hostage in Yemen for two months has appealed to his government to save his life, saying his captors would kill him in a week if their ransom demand was not met. The Austrian Foreign Ministry said a government crisis cell met Sunday to discuss the case.

Dominik Neubauer, who was kidnapped with a Finnish couple on Dec. 21, said in a video posted on the Internet Saturday and monitored in Cairo, that he was kidnapped by a Yemeni tribe "which is asking for some money." He spoke on the video with a rifle pointed at his head.

He did not say how much.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss said Neubauer had been studying Arabic in Yemen. "We consider it (the video) to be authentic," he said. "This is the first proof of life."

Weiss said Austrian authorities were in contact with their Finnish counterparts.

On the video, Neubauer, seen wearing a black shirt and sporting a thick brown beard and mustache, spoke first in English and then in German. He identified himself, the date of his capture and appealed to the Yemeni and the Austrian governments and the European Union to pay his abductors the ransom.

Tears streamed down his face as he addressed his relatives in German, saying "Mum, dad, Lukas, Angela, I love you more than anything. So far I'm in good health."

Kidnaping foreigners is not uncommon in Yemen, an impoverished Arab nation. Almost all of the kidnappings are carried out by tribesmen who use the captives as bargaining chips to force authorities to provide their areas with services and jobs. They mostly end with the release of the hostages unharmed.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kidnapped-austrian-says-captives-demand-ransom-155950048.html

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Senate to vote on moving ahead on Hagel nod

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama's contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight.

Twelve days after Republicans stalled the nomination, the Senate was slated to vote Tuesday on proceeding with the Hagel selection after GOP lawmakers signaled late Monday they would end their delaying tactics. If Hagel gets the necessary votes, it would just be a matter of time for a simple up-or-down vote, although Republicans could insist on the maximum 30 hours of debate before a final vote.

If confirmed, Hagel would succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and join Obama's retooled national security team just days before automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the Pentagon.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he was optimistic about the vote's outcome and said it was critical for the Senate to act quickly.

"Given sequestration, it's really important that we have a secretary of defense who is in place when that hits, if it hits," Levin told reporters Monday. "I want to still say 'if' because I'm a perennial optimist."

Hagel's nomination bitterly split the Senate, with Republicans turning on their former GOP colleague and Democrats standing by Obama's nominee.

The president got no points with the GOP for tapping the former two-term senator and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran. Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel over his past statements and votes. They argued that he was too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., clashed with his onetime friend over his opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 at a point when the war seemed in danger of being lost. Hagel, who voted to authorize military force in Iraq, later opposed the conflict, comparing it to Vietnam and arguing that it shifted the focus from Afghanistan.

McCain called Hagel unqualified for the Pentagon job even though he once described him as fit for a Cabinet post.

Republicans also challenged Hagel about a May 2012 study that he co-authored for the advocacy group Global Zero, which called for an 80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and the eventual elimination of all the world's nuclear arms.

The group argued that with the Cold War over, the United States can reduce its total nuclear arsenal to 900 without sacrificing security. Currently, the U.S. and Russia have about 5,000 warheads each, either deployed or in reserve. Both countries are on track to reduce their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by 2018, the number set in the New START treaty that the Senate ratified in December 2010.

In an echo of the 2012 presidential campaign, Hagel faced an onslaught of criticism by well-funded, Republican-leaning outside groups that labeled the former senator "anti-Israel" and pressured senators to oppose the nomination. The groups ran television and print ads criticizing Hagel.

Opponents were particularly incensed by Hagel's use of the term "Jewish lobby" to refer to pro-Israel groups. He apologized, saying he should have used another term and should not have said those groups have intimidated members of the Senate into favoring actions contrary to U.S. interests.

The nominee spent weeks reaching out to members of the Senate, meeting individually with lawmakers to address their concerns and seeking to reassure them about his policies.

Hagel's halting and inconsistent performance during some eight hours of testimony at this confirmation hearing last month undercut his cause, but it wasn't a fatal blow.

There was no erosion in Democratic support for the president's choice and Hagel had the backing of three Republicans ? Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Richard Shelby of Alabama. Other Republicans were reluctant to block a president's Cabinet choice from getting an up-or-down vote, fearing the precedent.

Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate, more than enough to confirm Hagel on a majority vote.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-26-US-Hagel/id-671af6ea3c324a4fad22ca7f01134d2e

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Generate Competitive Search Engine Optimization Campaigns With ...

Mistakes Are Costing You! Learn To Stop?Making ALL 189 Of Them!

Struggling With WordPress? 100+ Step-By-Step Videos Now Available!

Posted by Administrator on Feb 25, 2013 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

SEO is the best way to establish your business online. The higher your search rankings, the more traffic you will receive. Here are some tips to get started, and to improve your site?s ranking.

Blogging is a great way to add more keyword rich content to your site, and improve your search engine ranking. You will see an increase in traffic to your site.

Using free local listings to promote your business, as it is a great way to get your name out there. Free listings at these sites will generate more traffic and recognition for your site. The value of free advertising should never be overlooked.

TIP! It is extremely important to keep your content fresh and update it consistently. People won?t want to visit your website if you simply present the same old information indefinitely.

If you decide to hire a company to do your site?s search engine optimization, conduct plenty of research before hiring a solid SEO company. There are plenty of internet marketing ?experts? and SEO ?gurus? around who will happily charge huge fees for sub-par work. Look into past clients of these potential partners, read up on testimonials and vet their knowledge against what others say online. You will be thankful you did.

Consider advertising products through podcasting. Podcasting is a great audio or video medium to provide your customers with relevant and topical information. This format has become increasingly popular in modern times. Just be sure to properly tag your podcasts, so that they also get a good ranking in related searches.

Providing a site map is an important way to help search engines spider your website and increase your incoming traffic. This results in the pages being linked together. An easy to use site will get more traffic.

TIP! Include transcripts of any streaming media like audio or video on your site in order to help the search engines rank your content. These transcripts will help search engines better place your website in relevant searches.

Create original content frequently, and publish it to your site. Set a goal for yourself, whether it be one story a week or one per day. Search engines take frequency of updating into account when they determine site rankings. Sites with a regular stream of new content garner higher page rankings.

It is important that links in your website and incoming links all include keyword phrases. ? as anchor text. Avoiding this will help ensure search engines see your links as relevant to your keywords, and then they will rank your site higher. Go through your website periodically to ensure that internal links are keyword links also.

Sharing a proxy with a site that is flagged or banned is not a good idea. If you unknowingly share a proxy with spammers and/or banned sites, it will have a negative impact on your search engine ratings, and you may have trouble getting good traffic.

TIP! Web analytics is a fantastic tool for tracking the impact that changes are having on your site and it should be in place before beginning any SEO. You should buy an analytics software and utilize it so you can tell what tactics work and what tactics are not working.

Site maps help search engines catalog your pages more effectively. A site map can help a search engine find pages on your site more easily. Site maps improve search engine results, regardless of the size of your website.

In order to generate more hits from search engines, try using longer or plural form of your keywords. Keyword stemming is a strategy that some search engines use. If you choose a keyword that has other possible endings, such as ?accountant,? the search engines might not include your site in results for the terms ?accounting? or ?accountants?. Use keyword stemming as an advantage over your competition. Use longer forms of your keyword as well as the main keyword.

TIP! Every page in your website needs to be easy to read. Adding interactive functions to your website, like allowing users to change the font to their preferred size, can help to build your online reputation.

Search engine spiders do not understand URLs in the same way people do. You want to remember this when you create your URLs. References to page numbers and sessions will only confuse the spider. Search engines spiders have a difficult time navigating dynamic URLs, and as a result, may not index your site correctly. The best way to avoid this problem is by converting dynamic web addresses to static URLs that include your main keyword instead.

Adding a site map to you site is vital to any SEO process. It makes it much easier for the search engine?s spiders to crawl through your website?s information. A huge site might require more than a single map. A good rule of thumb is to not have lots of links on each site map.

While these tips on SEO are useful now, remember that the algorithms for search engines are always changing. It is therefore important to stay up-to-date on the newest developments in search engine optimization. You have to keep applying new techniques to maintain your rank.

TIP! Search engine optimization, or SEO, can be viewed as a specialized type of marketing strategy. With search engine optimization, you tweak the content of your site to meet the desired criteria of popular search engines like Google or Yahoo.

Are you ready to have success in the home based business industry and build it on autopilot? Click below to register for free today. See how it works here. Also check out our team benefits here

Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/generate-competitive-search-engine-optimization-campaigns-with-these-suggestions/

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PFT: Mathieu ready to get back on field

Getty Images

If the Ravens want to make Joe Flacco the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and if Flacco is satisfied to barely clear the bar set last year by Saints quarterback Drew Brees, there?s a quick and easy way to get this contract done.

Using Brees? 2012 contract as the starting point, Flacco would get a $40 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $5 million in 2013, and base salaries of $10 million in 2014, $13 million in 2015, $15 million in 2016, and $18 million in 2017.

Under the rules of signing-bonus proration, $8 million would be applied to each year?s salary cap.? That would result in a cap number of $13 million in 2013, $18 million in 2014, $21 million in 2015, $23 million in 2016, and $26 million in 2017.

It equates to a five-year payout of $101 million ? $1 million better than Brees and, for now, making Flacco the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

The two sides would have to decide whether and to what extent the money due beyond 2013 would be guaranteed, for injury only or fully.? Last year, Brees received $40 million in the first year, with $20 million guaranteed for injury only in future years.? (The injury guarantees eventually convert to full guarantees.)

The cap number in the final year would be a potential problem for the Ravens, since Flacco presumably would have one more long-term contract left before retirement.? Specifically, the $26 million cap number in 2017 would translate to a franchise tag of $31.2 million in 2018.? Thus, it would make more sense for the Ravens to tack on a sixth year at a base salary of, say, $21 million.

This would keep the average north of $20 million per year and it would give the Ravens a more manageable franchise number of $25.2 million for 2019.

Is it really that simple?? Yes, it is.? Which means that it likely won?t happen this way.

Even though it could be worked out in a matter of hours.? Or, if both sides are truly motivated, a matter of minutes.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/mathieu-my-best-friend-right-now-is-honesty/related/

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Increase Your Home's Value With These Tips

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Ida

You can increase the value of your home and change the way it looks. Reading this article should teach you how to go about planning your own remodeling project.

TIP! If your window blinds look torn or battered, replacing these can add to the appearance of your home. The sun, pets and general wear and tear can make your blinds look dull.

Motion detector lights are a good option to consider if you are planning to install exterior lights on your property. Motion detector lights add security to your property. You will also see lower electric bills.

TIP! You can easily make your own window screen replacement if you are not able to find one in the right size. All window sizes can be cut via frame kits and then you just have use cording to actual attach the screen.

Flooring replacement can be very expensive. One inexpensive and simple option is to remove your existing flooring, and then add a stain in the color of your choice to the concrete below. The stain makes the concrete have a new industrial look that can match any decor.

TIP! It?s imperative that your contractor knows up front how much money you have to work with for home improvement projects. Honesty will ensure he is more inclined to stay on budget.

Maintaining a home improvement budgets goes a long way toward maintaining or increasing the value of your home, so aim for setting money aside as a budget for handing any repairs or upgrades. Set aside a specific amount of money to do home repairs and maintenance. If money is left over at the year?s end, it can go toward more home improvement work in the days to come.

TIP! Prior to doing any interior painting, take a damp cloth and wipe away dirt and dust from the wall surfaces. That helps the paint to stick to the walls that much more, and will help you avoid the hassle of frequent touch-ups or more coats of paint.

Staining the floors of your basement makes for an easy facelift. It can make the space look fresh and updated without the headache and costs associated with a replacement floor. A stained floor is also more durable and easy to clean. Search for stains that can add some extra shine and luster to your floors. An upgraded stain can give your basement a richer feel for less money than installing a new floor.

TIP! If you?ve recently had new carpeting or flooring installed, you can extend its great looks for years by establishing a rule banning the wearing of shoes. Make sure there are places to store shoes and offer slippers at the entrances so that everyone feels comfortable removing their shoes.

When doing home improvements on your own, consider purchasing high quality supplies and tools. It may seem more costly at first, but you will be happy you made the choice when the tools are still working at the end of your project. The better quality a product is, the longer it will last. Even though some quality tools can be a bit expensive, they save you a lot of money in the long run.

TIP! Are you trying to sell your home? Projects around the home can easily increase your home?s worth. One very easy home improvement that adds value to your home is replacing old kitchen appliances with new ones.

Now that you have read the above article, you should realize that you can succeed at dramatically renovating your home. Use the advice shared in this article, put it to practice and live in a home you are proud of.

Source: http://nyubi.info/uncategorized/increase-your-homes-value-with-these-tips/

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McCain: Obama should have Camp David budget summit

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obama should invite lawmakers to Camp David or the White House to hammer out a last-minute deal to avert deep budget cuts set to start taking effect at week's end.

The Arizona Republican says Obama should be talking with lawmakers instead of demonizing them over the looming across-the-board cuts in domestic and defense spending.

McCain calls the Pentagon cuts "unconscionable" and says military leaders are already warning they would be devastating.

McCain, the 2008 GOP president nominee, says it's time for Obama to show leadership and call lawmakers either to Camp David or to the White House for a budget summit.

McCain appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-24-US-Budget-Battle-McCain/id-6fefe922ab8f4d4da2b2c87a0896e01a

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?Top GOP Voter ID Crusader Loses Virginia Election Panel Post?

Big Money Lost, But Don't Be Relieved, CNN Opinion, Nov. 9, 2012

A Better Way to Vote: Nationalize Oversight and Control, NY Times, "Room for Debate" blog, Nov. 9, 2012

Election Day Dispatches Entry 5: Black Panthers, Navy Seals, and Mysterious Voting Machines, Slate, Nov. 6, 2012

Behind the Voting Wars, A Clash of Philosophies, Sacramento Bee, Nov. 4, 2012

How Many More Near-Election Disasters Before Congress Wakes Up?, The Daily Beast, Oct. 30, 2012

Will Bush v. Gore Save Barack Obama? If Obama Narrowly Wins Ohio, He Can Thank Scalia and the Court's Conservatives, Slate, Oct. 26, 2012

Will Voter Suppression and Dirty Tricks Swing the Election?, Salon, Oct. 22, 2012

Is the Supreme Court About to Swing Another Presidential Election? If the Court Cuts Early Voting in Ohio, It Could Be a Difference Maker in the Buckeye State, Slate, Oct. 15, 2012

Election Truthers: Will Republicans Accept an Obama Election Victory?, Slate, Oct. 9, 2012

Wrong Number: The Crucial Ohio Voting Battle You Haven't Heard About, Slate, Oct. 1, 2012

Litigating the Vote, National Law Journal, Aug. 27, 2012

Military Voters as Political Pawns, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 19, 2012

Tweeting the Next Election Meltdown: If the Next Presidential Election Goes into Overtime, Heaven Help Us. It?s Gonna Get Ugly, Slate, Aug. 14, 2012

A Detente Before the Election, New York Times, August 5, 2012

Worse Than Watergate: The New Campaign Finance Order Puts the Corruption of the 1970s to Shame, Slate, July 19, 2012

Has SCOTUS OK'd Campaign Dirty Tricks?, Politico, July 10, 2012

End the Voting Wars: Take our elections out of the hands of the partisan and the incompetent, Slate, June 13, 2012

Citizens: Speech, No Consequences, Politico, May 31, 2012

Is Campaign Disclosure Heading Back to the Supreme Court? Don?t expect to see Karl Rove?s Rolodex just yet, Slate, May 16, 2012

Unleash the Hounds Why Justice Souter should publish his secret dissent in Citizens United, Slate, May 16, 2012

Why Washington Can?t Be Fixed; And is about to get a lot worse, Slate, May 9, 2012

Let John Edwards Go! Edwards may be a liar and a philanderer, but his conviction will do more harm than good, Slate, April 23, 2012

The Real Loser of the Scott Walker Recall? The State of Wisconsin, The New Republic, April 13, 2012

A Court of Radicals: If the justices strike down Obamacare, it may have grave political implications for the court itself, Slate, March 30, 2012

Of Super PACs and Corruption, Politico, March 22, 2012

Texas Voter ID Law May Be Headed to the Supreme Court, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mar. 13, 2012

?The Numbers Don?t Lie: If you aren?t sure Citizens United gave rise to the Super PACs, just follow the money, Slate, Mar. 9, 2012

Stephen Colbert: Presidential Kingmaker?, Politico, Mar. 5 2012

Occupy the Super PACs; Justice Ginsburg knows the Citizens United decision was a mistake. Now she appears to be ready to speak truth to power, Slate, Feb. 20, 2012

Kill the Caucuses! Maine, Nevada, and Iowa were embarrassing. It?s time to make primaries the rule, Slate, Feb. 15, 2012

The Biggest Danger of Super PACs, CNN Politics, Jan. 9, 2012

This Case is a Trojan Horse, New York Times "Room for Debate" blog, Jan. 6, 2012 (forum on Bluman v. FEC)

Holder's Voting Rights Gamble: The Supreme Court's Voter ID Showdown, Slate, Dec. 30, 2011

Will Foreigners Decide the 2012 Election? The Extreme Unintended Consequences of Citizens United, The New Republic (online), Dec. 6, 2011

Disenfranchise No More, New York Times, Nov. 17, 2011

A Democracy Deficit at Americans Elect?, Politico, Nov. 9, 2011

Super-Soft Money: How Justice Kennedy paved the way for ?SuperPACS? and the return of soft money, Slate, Oct. 25, 2012

The Arizona Campaign Finance Law: The Surprisingly Good News in the Supreme Court?s New Decision, The New Republic (online), June 27, 2011

New York City as a Model?, New York Times Room for Debate, June 27, 2011

A Cover-Up, Not a Crime. Why the Case Against John Edwards May Be Hard to Prove, Slate, Jun. 3, 2011

Wisconsin Court Election Courts Disaster, Politico, Apr. 11, 2011

Rich Candidate Expected to Win Again, Slate, Mar. 25, 2011

Health Care and the Voting Rights Act, Politico, Feb. 4, 2011

The FEC is as Good as Dead, Slate, Jan. 25, 2011

Let Rahm Run!, Slate, Jan. 24, 2011

Lobbypalooza,The American Interest, Jan-Feb. 2011(with Ellen P. Aprill)

Election Hangover: The Real Legacy of Bush v. Gore, Slate, Dec. 3, 2010

Alaska's Big Spelling Test: How strong is Joe Miller's argument against the Leeza Markovsky vote?, Slate, Nov. 11, 2010

Kirk Offers Hope vs. Secret Donors, Politico, November 5, 2010

Evil Men in Black Robes: Slate's Judicial Election Campaign Ad Spooktackular!, Slate, October 26, 2010 (with Dahlia Lithwick)

Show Me the Donors: What's the point of disclosing campaign donations? Let's review, Slate, October 14, 2010

Un-American Influence: Could Foreign Spending on Elections Really Be Legal?, Slate, October 11, 2010

Toppled Castle: The real loser in the Tea Party wins is election reform, Slate, Sept. 16, 2010

Citizens United: What the Court Did--and Why, American Interest, July/August 2010

The Big Ban Theory: Does Elena Kagan Want to Ban Books? No, and She Might Even Be a Free Speech Zealot", Slate, May 24, 2010

Crush Democracy But Save the Kittens: Justice Alito's Double Standard for the First Amendment, Slate, Apr. 30, 2010

Some Skepticism About the "Separable Preferences" Approach to the Single Subject Rule: A Comment on Cooter & Gilbert, Columbia Law Review Sidebar, Apr. 19, 2010

Scalia's Retirement Party: Looking ahead to a conservative vacancy can help the Democrats at the polls, Slate, Apr. 12, 2010

Hushed Money: Could Karl Rove's New 527 Avoid Campaign-Finance Disclosure Requirements?, Slate, Apr. 6, 2010

Money Grubbers: The Supreme Court Kills Campaign Finance Reform, Slate, Jan. 21, 2010

Bad News for Judicial Elections, N.Y. Times "Room for Debate" Blog, Jan., 21, 2010

Read more opeds from 2006-2009

Source: http://electionlawblog.org/?p=47627

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