garrettmisti: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Kanas jobless rate holds steady in February

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Op-ed: Blocking used games unlikely to kill the console game ...

Since rumors first surfaced yesterday that Sony may be planning to effectively block used games from working on the follow-up to the PlayStation 3 (following similar rumors about Microsoft's next system that leaked earlier in the year), I've been hearing some gamers and industry watchers suggest that such a move would be market suicide for any console maker foolish enough to go through with it. Despite publishers agitating for an aggressive stance against what's seen as a revenue-draining scourge, console makers that actually took steps to block used games would face a consumer backlash and reduction in demand that ...

Read the full story at Ars Technica

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News and Society Blog-Environmental Info: Can Agroforestry Save ...

Forestry funds have traditionally focused their resources on afforestation and reforestation as well as the production of timber and timber products. It isn't so common for forestry funds to choose projects that, besides trees, also incorporate crops. That can soon change, as there is a new investment opportunity, which may just be gaining momentum.

Starbucks, the largest U.S. coffee chain, announced last week that climate change could severely affect the world's coffee supply and, thus, put your morning caffeine fix in jeopardy. In an interview for The Guardian, Starbucks sustainability director Jim Hanna said: "What we are really seeing as a company as we look 10, 20, 30 years down the road - if conditions continue as they are - is a potentially significant risk to our supply chain, which is the Arabica coffee bean."

Hanna further explains that hurricanes, resistant pests, mudslides and soil erosion are causing significant decreases in crop harvest in coffee farms across Central America, where most of Starbucks' crop suppliers are located.

Unfortunately, Starbucks aren't the only ones, who are seeing the alarming trend regarding the future of the drinkable black gold and one of the world's most traded commodities. According to the Smithsonian, a study based on 7,000 farmers in Mexico and Central America predicts that global warming trends will shrink coffee supply by as much as 30 per cent by 2050.

There is, however, a simple solution, which, if not reverse, may at least slow down theeffects of climate change on world coffee supplies, and that solution is agroforestry. The method of agroforestry combines crop planting with species of trees, which mutually help each other grow, especially in severe environmental circumstances.

Agroforestry isn't a new phenomenon on coffee plantations. A report by the U.S. nonprofit and independent research organisation Resources for the Future, claims that, in 1998, 95 per cent of El Salvador's coffee was shade grown. And the benefits of shade-grown coffee seem to be pretty promising.

During research conducted in Sumatra, the World Agroforestry Centre observed that, while coffee does not have to be grown inside a forest, shading the bushes with trees protects coffee plants against too much sun. In full sunlight, the Centre claims, coffee plants get exhausted by their rapid bean production, while in the shade, they produce their fruit more gradually. At the same time, the lifespan of the bush is extended, prompting it to produce more coffee in the long run.

Moreover, the slower ripening of berries caused by tree shading is found to have positive influence on the flavour of coffee. There is also reduced weed pressure in coffee agroforestry plantations, because coffee is more shade tolerant than weeds are.

Trees are known to protect the topsoil and to facilitate the formation of soil organic matter. Certain leguminous tree species enrich the soil with nitrogen by obtaining it from the air and making it available in the soil. Coffee plants then use the nitrogen to grow and mature. Shading also provides for what the Centre calls "microclimate" similar to that of the forest, reducing the risks of disease and insect attacks.

Another report by The American Phytopathological Society explains that agroforestry systems "could also modify pests and disease incidence compared with monospecific plantations."

Probably the most comprehensive research was conducted by experts from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. By reviewing more than 50 studies on shade-grown coffee farms in regions ranging from Central and South America to Indonesia over the past 15 years, experts concluded that shade-grown coffee production had significant advantage to sun-grown coffee farms. Here are some key findings:

? Agroforestry increases soil carbon, soil nitrogen and enzyme activity - all essential for soil fertility and plant health. Nitrogen-fixing trees in shade-grown coffee can put up to 100 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year into the soil, potentially reducing the amount of fertilizer a farmer would have to apply by 25 to 30 per cent.

? In Venezuela, sun coffee systems suffered twice the soil loss from erosion compared to shaded systems.

? In Nicaragua, the carbon content in the soil (an indicator of soil fertility) of shaded coffee was found to be 18 per cent higher than that found in coffee with little or no shade.

? Soil moisture in sun coffee farms is 42 per cent lower compared to coffee farms that have leafy foliage as canopy.

? Agroforestry creates a hospitable environment for richer biodiversity, including bird species. A study in Guatemala found that birds can reduce herbivorous insect presence on coffee from 64 to 80 per cent, and excluding birds from coffee plants resulted in greater insect damage to coffee leaves.

? In a study in Jamaica, researcher excluded birds and saw a 70 per cent increase in the proportion of coffee fruits infested with the Coffee Berry Borer, coffee's most damaging insect pest.

Considering the above findings, why aren't more forestry funds investing in agroforestry coffee plantations? These mixed systems have all the benefits of forests in terms of land value, timber production and carbon sequestration, but they also incorporate the added financial benefits that come from growing coffee.

As most forestry funds have come to learn by now, project diversification in terms of geographic location and types of species planted is important for mitigating the risks associated with investing in forestry. Adding coffee crops to already existing forests, or vise versa will not only contribute to reducing investment risks. It might just be the solution to saving your steaming cup of coffee.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

Source: http://newsandsocietyblog-environmentalinfo.blogspot.com/2012/03/can-agroforestry-save-your-cup-of.html

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Free Online Gaming ? The Best Way To Play Online Games ...

The computer games business is literally a multi-billion greenback business. There are variety of game makers that earn huge profits by targeting laptop game players all round the world. countless gaming fans pay huge amounts of cash to shop for and play their favorites games. However, there are several exciting games which will truly be played for free of charge over the web. Free on-line gaming provides you the chance to play extraordinarily attention-grabbing and exciting games for free of charge on-line while not having to download them onto your laptop. All that you just want may be a net browser to play the sport. you do not want any special software as of these games is played at intervals the net browser setting.

Bubble hassle a pair of

Bubble hassle a pair of is an underwater on-line game where you?re needed to pop bubbles within the water to attain most points. you?ll play the sport in 2 ways that. you?ll either play with speed in mind, otherwise you will play with a goal to attain as several points as potential. you?ll shoot a bubble and split it into 2 and then shoot it another time till it eventually goes to the surface and pops. after you play for speed, you?ll try ?combos? whenever you?ll. however after you play for amassing points, you wish to ignore combos and select points.

All we?d like is brain

This game involves killing zombies employing a form of completely different ways. These ugly zombies are interested in smelly brains, that you?ll use to lure them into a entice. Once they fall for your tricks, you?ll eliminate them with a fireplace gun or with bullets. It does not matter what ways you utilize within the game. the most goal is to kill all the zombies as quickly as potential.

Bomb It 2

The original Bomb game was an especially well-liked on-line game. Bomb It a pair of is its sequel that includes a form of new worlds with new opponents. Your job is to destroy them by dropping bombs over them. you?ll conjointly play the sport at the side of a fan. The arrows keys are used to maneuver Bomberman, and also the spacebar is employed to drop the bomb. There are special tricks that you just will use to power up the sport.

Tropical Fish Shop: Annabel?s journey

In this game, Annabel is an employee in a very fish store. You goal is to assist her realize exotic ocean creatures by combing the beach to search out them. She has to stock the shop with numerous varieties of creatures. during this game, you?ll explore completely different colourful sandy beaches and participate in diving contests.

These are some of the exciting games that you just will play on-line for free of charge using your net browser. while not spending any cash, you?ll have prime notch entertainment which will keep you busy for hours.

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Pioneering Local News Website Purchased By San Francisco PR ...

New SF Sentinel "Pro-Gay, Pro-Business"; PR Ownership Not Clear

pat.murphy.jpg

Political and media junkies will with varying levels of fondness* recall the San Francisco Sentinel. First an LGBT weekly and then a Tenderloin neighborhood paper, the Sentinel was in its latest iteration one of the city's very first online-only newspapers, and was known as much for dapper editor-and-publisher Pat Murphy's spats-and-cane presence about City Hall and town as it was for its often controversial editorial slants (pro-business, anti-Chris Daly, possibly a pay-to-play political committee, and once accused of accepting money from Chevron in exchange for favorable articles.

Founding editor of local city blog SFist, Jackson West, recalls that back in the mid 00's, The Sentinel was "considered worthy of gossip, sometimes scurrilously so, by his peers in and around City Hall. And in a business where any attention is good attention, it all counts."

But things of late have been quiet over at www.sanfranciscosentinel.com. Illness laid Murphy low a few years back, leading him to pass the reins to his fine arts correspondent, and to finally sell off the publication last month to a public relations firm.

Phil Siegel, of MediaWorks SF, purchased the rights to the Sentinel in February for an undisclosed sum, he told the Appeal in a recent telephone interview. Why buy a new site that some may call a dormant political blog?

"It has a loyal readership, and hasn't been used to its maximum extent over the past year," said Siegel, noting that it went about six months without regular publishing.

Under Siegel, a PR professional for 30 years with clients ranging from the AIDS Quilt to San Francisco International Airport, the Sentinel "will continue to be a pro-gay, pro-business publication" with a special focus on the arts.

"It won't be much on the hard news side," said Siegel, who noted that press releases from Mayor Ed Lee as well as the America's Cup Event Authority and SF Chamber of Commerce will likely find their way to the site, along with news of museum exhibits, society events, and theater openings. Such news is often overlooked by local media, Siegel said, so the Sentinel would be a natural home for such otherwise-lost news releases.

The plan is to post about once a day in the beginning, and "feel our way around from there," Siegel said. "But entertainment-oriented is how [the Sentinel] has been, and that's how it's going to stay," Siegel said.

Efforts to contact Murphy -- who of late has changed his cell phone number and locked down his Facebook account -- were not successful.

Few would argue that San Francisco is exactly media-rich, so another voice can't be a bad thing. Or can it?

"It is ethically dubious for a PR firm to own a news source without a clear general statement to the world, 'This is what we're doing, and why we're doing it,'" said J. Michael Robertson, a journalism professor at the University of San Francisco, where he teaches an ethics class.

For example, whenever NBC reported on issues pertaining to then-parent company General Electric, a program would contain a disclaimer. "The key would be transparency," Robertson said.

There's not yet a clear mission statement on the Sentinel's homepage, nor is there an About page that lists its current owner.

Though to his credit, Siegel was more than forthcoming about his involvment with the Sentinel. "I've been in the PR business for 30-plus years and I understand what's news and what's not news," he said.

"Does it blur the line too much? Well, I think the line has been moving for a while."

This is true, and could even be part of a trend, Robertson muses. "You do need new, creative ways of sourcing the news," he said. "You just need to do it in a way that your credibility isn't questioned."

Which, for advertising nonprofits and museum openings, shouldn't be that hard. So welcome back, Sentinel.

*NOTE: Your correspondent contributed photos to the old Sentinel off-and-on for a number of years, and still considers Murphy a friend. Call us, Pat!

Photo of Murphy: Roshani Dhungana, via SF Weekly

Want more news, sent to your inbox every day? Then how about subscribing to our email newsletter? Here's why we think you should. Come on, give it a try.

Source: http://sfappeal.com/news/2012/03/pioneering-local-news-website-purchased-by-san-francisco-pr-firm.php

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Physicists explain the collective motion of particles called fermions

Public release date: 29-Mar-2012
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Contact: Charlotte Hsu
chsu22@buffalo.edu
716-645-4655
University at Buffalo

Fermions exhibit collective behavior in unexpected situations, according to new research in Nature

Some people like company. Others prefer to be alone. The same holds true for the particles that constitute the matter around us: Some, called bosons, like to act in unison with others. Others, called fermions, have a mind of their own.

Different as they are, both species can show "collective" behavior -- an effect similar to the wave at a baseball game, where all spectators carry out the same motion regardless of whether they like each other.

Scientists generally believed that such collective behavior, while commonplace for bosons, only appeared in fermions moving in unison at very long wavelengths. Now, however, collective behavior has been discovered at short wavelengths in one Fermi system, helium-3.

A team led by Professor Eckhard Krotscheck -- a physicist who recently joined the University at Buffalo from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria -- predicted the existence of the behavior using theoretical tools. Independently, but practically at the same time, a French team observed the collective behavior.

A paper detailing both the theoretical and experimental discoveries appears today in the journal Nature.

Krotscheck said the scientists' success in developing accurate theoretical predictions lay, in part, in the fact that they focused on mathematical tools instead of trying to reproduce experiments.

"Knowing how nature ticks at a microscopic scale, we set out to develop a robust theory that was capable of dealing with a wide range of situations and systems," Krotscheck said. "We demanded that our mathematical description is accurate for both fermions and bosons, in different dimensions, and for both coherent and incoherent excitations. Only after we were done, we looked at experiments."

Krotscheck's colleagues on the study include Henri Godfrin, Matthias Meschke and Ahmad Sultan of the Institut Nel, CNRS, and Universit Joseph Fourier in France; Hans-Jochen Lauter of the Institut Laue-Langevin in France and Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Helga Bohm and Martin Panholzer of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Johannes Kepler University in Austria. Meschke also belongs to the Low Temperature Laboratory of Aalto University in Finland.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Physicists explain the collective motion of particles called fermions

Public release date: 29-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Charlotte Hsu
chsu22@buffalo.edu
716-645-4655
University at Buffalo

Fermions exhibit collective behavior in unexpected situations, according to new research in Nature

A paper detailing both the theoretical and experimental discoveries appears today in the journal Nature.

Krotscheck said the scientists' success in developing accurate theoretical predictions lay, in part, in the fact that they focused on mathematical tools instead of trying to reproduce experiments.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/uab-pet032912.php

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LRA rebels attacks on the rise in central Africa: UNHCR

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lra-rebels-attacks-rise-central-africa-unhcr-170332752.html

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Internet Business Advertising ? 8 User Friendly Tips for Advertising ...

March 29th, 2012 by admin Leave a reply ?

Internet business advertising in ezines is something you may want to consider if you have an Internet business that needs traffic and sales. In this article let?s take a look at a few tips you can follow when making a decision about doing this form of advertising.

1. There are many different types of ezines so you want to be sure and target the ezines that relate to the theme of your product. This is very easy to do as you can Google search the words that relate to your theme plus the word ezines. For example you could Google search the words ?cooking ezines? and then look at the results that come up.

2. If you are unsure about your budget you could start by placing a classified ad for less money and then work your way up to more expensive ads. Most ezines offer top sponsor ads, and even solo ads that you can send out to their subscriber base.

3. Ezine advertising allows you to get your message online very quickly. If you compare this to off line methods such as direct mail, or even newspaper ads, you can be online promoting a product in an ezine often times much sooner.

4. There are services such as HBAds that make it easy for you to promote your ads through them and they will place it in multiple ezines for you. This is a quick way to get your message online in several ezines while only doing the work one time.

5. Ezine advertising can be a way for you to build your own list. You can give away valuable reports in the ads and send your subscribers to a landing page where they then subscribe to receive your product and be on your mailing list. This type of internet business advertising works because you already know they are the type of people who will subscribe to things.

6. It is a good idea to subscribe to the ezines you are going to advertise in. This allows you to view your competitor ads which can give you ideas for ads in the future of your own.

This will allow you to see when your ad runs. It also allows you to receive useful information from the ezine itself.

These are six user friendly internet business advertising tips for advertising in ezines. Ezine advertising is an inexpensive way to get your message online and do it quickly. It also allows you to build a consistent message to other peoples list if you do not have a mailing list of your own.

Watch the video related to business advertising

Source: http://cfpnyc.com/internet-business-advertising-8-user-friendly-tips-for-advertising-in-ezines-2.html

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Home Equity Loans and Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC ...

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Of the three basic needs of humans?food, shelter, and clothing?it is only the second that gives us access to easy cash through home equity. Aside from the sense of accomplishment that comes with being able to call a home your own, equity is the reason why it?s better to buy a home through a mortgage loan than renting forever.

Home equity loans allow you to borrow money by tapping in to the equity of your home. This is also known as a second mortgage and is usually used to finance home repairs, children?s college tuition, or pay off large medical bills. It is also used by those who want to pay off staggering credit card debt. The reason for this is because although the interest rate is usually higher than that of first mortgages, it is lower than that of unsecured loans like credit cards. Another reason why a home equity loan appeals to many borrowers is that the interest charges up to $100,000 can be taken as an itemized deduction in your federal income tax returns.

In a home equity loan, the bank usually allows you to borrow up to 80 percent of the equity of your home. Some lenders even grant a loan up to 125 percent of the value of the home. However, this requires higher fees and interest rates. To illustrate how much you can borrow in this kind of arrangement, let?s consider a hypothetical situation where you have taken a $200,000 mortgage for your home and paid $20,000 downpayment. At this point, your equity is equal to the downpayment of your home which is $20,000.

After five years, the value of your home is appraised at $300,000 and you have slashed down the principal further by paying another $20,000. So at this stage, the principal balance on your mortgage is $160,000 ($180,000 remaining balance after the downpayment minus the $20,000 additional payment on the balance). Your equity now is the present appraised value of your home ($300,000) minus the remaining balance ($160,000). Thus, your equity is $140,000.

If you wanted to borrow $40,000 from your equity for a medical emergency, then you will have to see if that falls within the 80 percent limits of your equity. So your combined mortgage balance should you go through with this loan becomes the original balance ($160,000) plus the home equity loan you wish to take ($40,000). The total then is $200,000 which is less than 80 percent of the current value of your home, making your intended $40,000 home equity loan possible, provided that you meet the lender?s other requirements.

There are two kinds of home equity loans: 1) Fixed Rate Home Equity Loans and 2) Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC). While both have differences which we will discuss below, they are similar in the sense that the terms usually range from5to 15 years. They also have to be repaid in full in the event that the property in which they are borrowed against gets sold.

A fixed rate loan is a home equity loan that gives a lump-sum amount to the borrower. This must be paid back over a period of time at a pre-agreed rate of interest which will remain the same over the life of the loan. The interest begins right after the money is released by the bank.

A HELOC is a newer type of home equity loan which works in a similar manner as that of other types of personal loans. Some HELOC lenders even provide their borrowers with a credit card. In this home equity loan, the borrowers are pre-approved for a particular spending limit, allowing them to withdraw money when they need it. The payments per month are varied since the HELOC is tied to the current interest rate. Like a fixed rate loan, the amount must be repaid once the term of the loan expires.

Home Equity Loans and Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Explained (4 part series)

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Tagged with: College Tuition ? Credit Card Debt ? Downpayment ? Equity Line Of Credit ? Federal Income Tax ? Federal Income Tax Returns ? Food Shelter ? Heloc ? Home Equity Line ? Home Equity Line Of Credit ? Home Equity Loan ? Home Equity Loans ? Home Repairs ? Hypothetical Situation ? Income Tax Returns ? Itemized Deduction ? Principal Balance ? S College ? Second Mortgage ? Unsecured Loans

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

US orders for long-lasting goods rise 2.2 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. companies ordered more long-lasting goods last month, showing businesses are willing to buy equipment and machinery even after an investment tax credit was halved.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for durable goods rose 2.2 percent in February after a steep drop in January. Greater demand for machinery, computers, autos and aircraft drove much of the increase.

Orders for so-called "core" capital goods, a good measure of business investment plans, rose 1.2 percent. Demand for these goods fell in January by the most in a year, after the full tax credit expired.

A durable good is expected to last at least three years. Orders can fluctuate sharply from month to month. Still, orders have been steadily rising since the recession ended nearly three years ago.

In February, durable goods orders totaled $211.8 billion, 42 percent above the recession low. Orders remain roughly 14 percent below their peak in December 2007.

The increase in February disappointed some economists, who had hoped to see a bigger gain in orders. Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, noted that orders for commercial aircraft were much smaller than expected.

"Otherwise, the orders data were encouraging," Ashworth wrote in a note to clients. Excluding airplanes and other transportation equipment, orders rose at a 1.6 percent pace, close to economists' forecasts.

Last year, businesses could reduce their taxable profits by an amount equal to the cost of a major investment. That credit fueled a jump in orders for industrial machinery, computers and other capital goods. Spending on core capital goods surged nearly 3 percent to an all-time high in December.

The credit this year lets companies write off only half the cost. Many economists believe that change was a big reason for the January drop off in durable goods and core capital goods.

Shipments of core capital goods rose in February. But they are still below December's total. As a result, business investment in equipment and software isn't much higher than it was in the final three months of last year, Ashworth noted. That's a big reason economists expect economic growth to slow to about a 2 percent annual pace in the current quarter, down from 3 percent in the final three months of last year.

Still, business investment is expected to stay strong this year. Surveys show that business spending should increase in the April-June quarter, Ashworth said. Many companies delayed upgrading their facilities during the recession and are starting to catch up.

A vibrant manufacturing sector has helped drive the best job growth in two years. The economy has added an average of 245,000 jobs per month since December, which has lowered the unemployment rate to 8.3 percent. Manufacturers have added an average of 37,000 jobs per month during that time.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-03-28-Durable%20Goods/id-9552fcb1e2324461bac980d8cfb8a734

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New ancestor grasped at walking

Foot fossils unveil a species that lived near Lucy?s kind

Web edition : 2:28 pm

An ancient member of the human evolutionary family has put what?s left of a weird, gorillalike foot forward to show that upright walking evolved along different paths in East Africa.

A 3.4 million-year-old partial fossil foot unearthed in Ethiopia comes from a previously unknown hominid species that deftly climbed trees but walked clumsily, say anthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and his colleagues. Their report appears in the March 29 Nature.

To the scientists? surprise, this creature lived at the same time and in the same region as Australopithecus afarensis, a hominid species best known for a partial skeleton dubbed Lucy. Another recent fossil discovery in Ethiopia suggests that Lucy?s kind walked much as people do today (SN: 7/17/10, p. 5).

?For the first time, we have evidence of another hominid lineage that lived at the same time as Lucy,? says anthropologist and study coauthor Bruce Latimer of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. ?This new find has a grasping big toe and no arch, suggesting [the species] couldn?t walk great distances and spent a lot of time in the trees.?

Lucy?s flat-footed compatriot adds to limited evidence that some hominids retained feet designed for adept tree climbing several million years after the origin of an upright gait, writes Harvard University anthropologist Daniel Lieberman in a comment published in the same issue of Nature.

Armed with only eight toe bones, Haile-Selassie?s team doesn?t have enough skeletal evidence to assign a species name to the new find. But this mysterious hominid?s foot shares more in common with 4.4 million-year-old Ardipithecus ramidus, largely known from a partial skeleton nicknamed Ardi (SN: 1/16/10, p. 22), than with Lucy?s crowd.

Ardipithecus evolved into an initial Australopithecus species by 4.1 million years ago, paving the way for Lucy and her kin (SN: 4/15/06, p. 227). Haile-Selassie?s discovery may come from a hardy Ardipithecus lineage that managed to survive near A. afarensis for hundreds of thousands of years before dying out, comments anthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy of Kent State University in Ohio.

As in gorillas, Ardi and the newly discovered hominid possessed short, curving big toes capable of grasping against the second toe. Other toe bones from Ardi and the new discovery formed joints that enabled a two-legged stride.

The newly found fossils include an unusually long bone from the fourth toe that unexpectedly resembles corresponding toe bones of monkeys. No such fourth-toe bones have been found for Ardi?s and Lucy?s species.

An Ardipithecus species might have lived alongside A. afarensis in East Africa, but the evolutionary identity of the new foot fossils can?t be determined, remarks anthropologist Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley, who led excavations and analyses of Ardi?s remains.

?Haile-Selassie?s discovery highlights our lack of knowledge about hominid feet,? White says.

Found in: Anthropology and Humans

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339522/title/New_ancestor_grasped_at_walking

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Annan says Syria accepts peace plan, fighting enters Lebanon

BEIJING/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria has accepted a ceasefire and peace plan drawn up by U.N. and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, his spokesman said on Tuesday, even as Syrian troops thrust into Lebanon to battle rebels who had taken refuge there.

Annan conceded he faced a "long and difficult task" in ending the fighting, as rebel group leaders meeting in Turkey weighed how to unite their fractured movement and boost foreign backing for a year-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

On a visit to Beijing, Annan told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that global cooperation with China and other countries was the only way to defuse the conflict, whose sectarian dimensions have raised fear it could spread and destabilise the wider region.

"I indicated that I had received a response from the Syrian government and will be making it public today, which is positive, and we hope to work with them to translate it into action," Annan told reporters after meeting Wen.

Annan's spokesman confirmed the Damascus had accepted the six-point peace plan, which the U.N. Security Council has endorsed and Annan called an "important initial step".

Annan said it dealt with "political discussions, withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from population centres, humanitarian assistance being allowed in unimpeded, release of prisoners, freedom of movement and access for journalists to go in and out.

"We've had very good discussions about the situation in Syria and they (China) have offered their full support," he said. "They're going to work with me and the other members of the Council to ensure that the six-point plan is implemented.

"So we will need to see how we move ahead and implement this agreement that they have accepted," said Annan.

The former U.N. secretary general, who flew to China from Russia, was trying to persuade Assad's two most powerful allies to help advance his proposal which, crucially, does not insist on Assad stepping down right now - unlike previous plans which Moscow and Beijing vetoed at the Security Council. Arab leaders were expected to endorse it later this week at a Baghdad summit.

Annan appealed for Beijing's support and advice, according to a pool report. "And I know you've already been helpful but this is going to be a long difficult task and I am sure that together we can make a difference," Annan told Wen.

BORDER INCURSION

Underlining his uphill challenge, Syrian troops advanced into north Lebanon, destroying farm building and clashing with Syrian rebels holed up there, residents said.

They said Syrian forces crossed a few hundred metres into Lebanese territory. A security source in Beirut said clashes had taken place near the poorly marked border but did not confirm Syrian troops had entered Lebanon.

Shells hit north Lebanon last week and residents say Syrian troops have briefly crossed the frontier while pursuing fleeing rebels in recent months.

"More than 35 Syrian soldiers came across the border and started to destroy houses," said Abu Ahmed, 63, a resident of the mainly Sunni Muslim rural mountain area of al-Qaa.

Another resident said that the soldiers, some travelling in armoured personnel vehicles, fired rocket-propelled grenades and exchanged heavy machinegun fire with rebels. He said soldiers destroyed one house with a bulldozer.

The Lebanese army blocked off the area, where hundreds of Syrian refugees -- some of them active members of the rebel Free Syrian Army -- have fled a year-long revolt by mostly Sunni Muslim Syrians against Assad, a member of his country's Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Residents said the Syrian troops remained 200-500 metres inside Lebanese territory.

The United Nations says more than 8,000 people have been killed in Syria's upheaval over the past year. Syrian authorities blame foreign-backed terrorists for the violence and say 3,000 soldiers and police have been killed.

Western and Arab governments which would be glad to see Assad ousted are wary of what might replace the 40-year-old family dynasty and its ruthless but predictable police state.

Security appears to be fraying in many parts of Syria despite repeated army offensives to regain rebellious territory. Activists said the government was struggling to hold such areas for long, with rebels swiftly re-emerging, as they have in Homs.

RUSSIAN, CHINESE VETOES

Russia and China have hitherto shielded Assad from Security Council condemnation by vetoing two Western-backed resolutions over the bloodshed, but approved a Security Council statement this week endorsing Annan's mission.

Shifting from its initial unqualified backing of Damascus, Russia has given Annan's proposal its full backing and said it could be Assad's "last chance" to avoid a protracted and bloody civil war.

Russia's only naval base outside the former Soviet Union is on the Mediterranean coast of Moscow's longtime ally, Syria.

Wen told Annan that "the efforts to seek a solution to the Syrian crisis are at a critical juncture. We do believe that your mediation efforts will lead to progress in seeking a solution to the Syrian issue".

Western and Arab leaders are due to meet in Istanbul on April 1 to discuss a political transition and the Arab League and Turkey were pressing various wings of the Syrian opposition gathered in the city to try to unite.

MORE SHOOTING, SHELLING

Opposition activists reported several civilian casualties in shooting late Monday and overnight in the cities of Idlib and Homs, in fighting between government forces and rebels.

Video posted on the internet by activists showed thick black smoke and blazing buildings in a district of Homs. There were wounded and bleeding men and women lying in a street.

In northern Lebanon, residents said Syrian troops pursuing rebels crossed the border and opened fire on farm buildings.

About 300 Syrian opposition representatives from various gathered near Istanbul at the invitation of Turkey and Qatar, which holds the rotating chair of the Arab League.

Burhan Ghalioun, president of the Syrian National Council, wants factions to take a "national oath" pledging a democratic state and national reconciliation once Assad is removed.

A draft declaration said the new Syria will be "civic, democratic and totally free", with a new constitution.

Some leading dissidents recently quit the SNC, dismayed both by Ghalioun's leadership and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which draws support from Syria's Sunni majority.

The opposition has so far rejected Assad's calls for dialogue saying it was too late. The crackdown has angered Arab countries including former allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which favour arming the rebels.

SECOND "FRIENDS OF SYRIA" CONFERENCE

Their foreign ministers are due to meet on Sunday in Turkey for a second "Friends of Syria" conference, hoping to persuade Assad to withdraw the army from the cities, let humanitarian aid into the country, and allow a political transition.

Arab leaders will support a Syrian-led transfer of power, Iraq's foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Monday.

"There has to be a political solution, fundamental constitutional and political changes for transfer of power in Syria but through a Syrian-led process," Zebari said. "We are not in a position to dictate to the Syrians what of kind of president, what kind of leader they should have."

Assad has used the army to crush protests against his 12-year rule but his ruling Alawite Muslim minority and its allies still have substantial popular support in the country.

Annan had said on Monday that Assad's government could not resist the "winds of transformation", but it was too early to introduce any timeline for a peaceful solution.

"It is not practical to put forth timetables and timelines when you haven't got agreement from the parties," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/annan-says-syria-accepts-peace-plan-fighting-enters-113951124.html

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Monday, March 26, 2012

3 Reasons for Building a List - IdeaMarketers.com

by TJ Philpott
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Reasons for Building a List More Details about Reasons for Building a List here.

Building a list is a recommended and commonly accepted practice used by many who have intentions of developing a profitable business on the internet! Collecting email addresses of those who visit your site allows you direct access to them thereby helping you to be more effective marketing any goods or services you have to offer! Of course understanding the reasoning behind why you build a list in the first place will help you make much better use of it!

Let's review the basic strategy behind collecting contact information of site visitors and the reasoning as to why it makes you more effective marketing your products!

You Have Peoples Attention

By virtue of people opting in you now having their email address and magical things can now happen! First and foremost is to give people something they find of use to keep them 'subscribed' and therefore reading more of your messages! This is step one and as simple as it may seem it is the most IMPORTANT stage in developing a relationship and hence a responsive list! With trust and credibility 'incredible' things can and will happen! Now you have the attention of people which if cultivated properly can make you very effective marketing your business!

You Can Direct Their Focus

Offering people what they want or need helps to build their loyalty towards you and increases their attention span when you speak! If they're listening to what you say you can direct their attention to what you offer but only if done correctly! It is this ability to redirect their focus that you are striving to achieve and it is what will make yours a very profitable business when working online!

You Can Repeat This Process

Provided you don't 'abused' the "right of contact' your list members have granted you the process of building a relationship, maintaining trust and NOT force feeding any offers can be easily duplicated time and again! Increasing your ability to be more effective marketing products is HUGE in terms of cost efficiency and decreasing efforts! These two factors ALONE will give any aspiring entrepreneur more motivation to continue where others decided to quit and walk away! Care must be taken however to avoid the temptation of getting greedy and smothering people with offers! Remember, when you build a list, nurturing relationships will be an ongoing responsibility you'll need to undertake or this strategy will NOT be effective!

Building a list is one of the best ways to develop a profitable business when working online! Gaining a better understanding of the 'philosophy' however behind why you want to build a list in the first place will help you get better results! The 3 points discussed above hopefully help explain that the basic premise when collecting the contact information of others is to get their attention and 'channel' their focus! In no way should you consider this strategy as a license to 'spam' people with your advertising efforts but rather as a means to 'subtly' gain their attention and trust! When done correctly you will find that when you do make offers, you will likely be more effective marketing to these people!

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. To learn more about building a list along with the best way to use it and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques for your online marketing needs simply visit:http://blogbrawn.com/

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