Body of pilot who fell 2,500 feet from plane found in Tennessee

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Search crews in rural Tennessee have found the body of a man who fell an estimated 2,500 feet to his death after the cockpit canopy of his airplane opened, officials said on Saturday.

"They found him in a tree line, not too far off the road," about a half-mile from a volunteer fire station, said Bob Gault, spokesman for the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.

Gault said he would have to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board completes an investigation before confirming reports that the man was not wearing his safety harness and that the plane had gone into a nosedive at the time of the accident late on Friday afternoon.

Emergency personnel from Bradley County as well as a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter were called into the search for the missing man after his co-pilot was able to fly the plane back to Collegedale Municipal Airport after the accident, according to Gault.

Local reports said that man who died was an experienced pilot who was being trained to fly the plane, which he had recently purchased.

Gault said the single-engine aircraft left Collegedale Municipal Airport just outside Chattanooga between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday. The flight path took them over southern Bradley County, a rural area with many farms and few communities.

"There were two pilots on board," Gault said. "At some point during their flight, the canopy on the aircraft malfunctioned and, as a result, one of the pilots was ejected."

Search efforts from the air and on the ground were unsuccessful Friday night and resumed on Saturday morning. Gault said the fact that the body was in a tree line probably kept it from being spotted from the air.

The names of the pilots involved have not been released. A worker at the airport who asked not to be identified said both men were experienced pilots and "real nice guys."

(Editing by Nick Carey and Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/body-pilot-fell-2-500-feet-plane-found-195402250.html

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Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany

BERLIN (AP) ? Justin Bieber had to leave a monkey in quarantine after landing in Germany last week without the necessary papers for the animal, an official said Saturday.

The 19-year-old singer arrived at Munich airport last Thursday. When he went through customs, he didn't have the documentation necessary to bring the capuchin monkey into the country, so the animal had to stay with authorities, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said.

Bieber performed in Munich on Thursday, beginning the latest leg of his European tour. He later tweeted: "Munich was a good time. And loud. The bus is headed to Vienna now. U coming?" He didn't mention the monkey.

The Canadian singer is giving several concerts in Austria and then in Germany over the next week.

Bieber had a trying stay in London recently. The star struggled with his breathing and fainted backstage at a show, was taken to a hospital and then was caught on camera clashing with a paparazzo. Days earlier, he was booed by his beloved fans when he showed up late to a concert.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/justin-biebers-monkey-quarantined-germany-115441678.html

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Following The Smart Money In Asia | Zero Hedge

Follow the money. It's a old saying in investing that's never made a lot of sense as it often means following the latest fad and ultimately buying high and?selling low.?So I'm going to?propose an amendment and urge you to?"follow the?smart?money".?By this?I mean that you should study what businessmen and investors with long, successful track records are doing with their money. And possibly invest alongside of them. Unlike most investors who feel they have to chase returns to get rich, these people are already wealthy and can pick and choose which asset classes to invest in. Given this freedom, they are often attracted to assets which offer value relative to other assets. It pays to know what these people are buying and selling.

Which brings me to an important development in Asia this year. It's become clear that many real estate investors in Hong Kong and Singapore are cashing out of property. These?investors are?among?Asia's wealthiest and they're starting to exit their favourite asset.?If this implies that?property in Hong Kong and Singapore is close to?peaking, as I suspect it does, then it has negative implications for the economies and stock markets?of both cities. On a longer time horizon though,?a?re-balancing away from property as the primary driver of wealth generation?could well prove beneficial.

Investors selling property assets

I've been hearing a lot of anecdotes about insiders selling out of real estate, especially in Hong Kong. So an article in The Wall Street Journal this week entitled "Big players cash out of Hong Kong property" naturally caught my eye.

The article points to a wave of property initial public offerings (IPOs) about to hit the market. The sellers include New World Development, a large conglomerate, which is hoping to raise US$1 billion in an offering of some of its hotels. Another big Hong Kong conglomerate, Hopewell Holdings, wants to raise up to US$800 million in an offering of some of its (unspecified) properties. Also, Great Eagle Holdings, owner of The Langham Hotel chain,?is hoping to?raise US$800 million from selling off hotels in Hong Kong.

It comes after Hong Kong residential property prices increased?120% over the past four years, while commercial property prices rose?90% during the same period. It also?follows the Hong Kong government introducing more draconian measures to limit property price rises. In February, the government increased stamp duty on residential property purchases by?2x to up to 8.5%.

Hong Kong isn't?alone in?witnessing an increasing number of real estate IPOs. Singapore has seen a similar pattern this year. There's more to come as Indonesian billionaires, the Riady family, is planning to raise US$800 million in an IPO of its Singapore hotels.

Similar to?Hong Kong, Singapore has struggled to bring property prices under control. Recently,?the government there introduced its seventh measure - including increased stamp duty and higher down payment requirements - in the past two years to curb price rises. Residential housing prices in Singapore have started to stabilise but they're still up 59% since bottoming in the second quarter of 2009.

Reasons for cashing out

It's not difficult to understand the motives behind the real estate investors who?are selling. The property bubbles in Hong Kong and Singapore have been fuelled by three factors:

1. Money printed in the West has found a home in tangible growth assets in Asia. This has been particularly the case for Hong Kong, which pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar. This has resulted in Hong Kong money market rates closely tracking those of the U.S. even when domestic conditions diverge.?This has meant?significantly negative real rates (interest rates well below?inflation), often a?central driver to?property bubbles.
2. Chinese growth has also aided the bubble. Chinese investors wanting to diversify their assets outside of?China have found their way to Hong Kong, Singapore and, of course, many other places.?
3. Governments, principally in Hong Kong, have been timid in addressing the price rises. Increasing social tensions, brought on by asset bubbles primarily benefiting the rich,?have forced them to?act more decisively.

The savvy real estate investors now cashing out know that the tailwinds which have driven property prices to their recent highs could easily turn in future. It's clear that governments in Hong Kong and Singapore are becoming more concerned with property price rises and are willing to act to curb them. Also, quantitative easing (QE) won't last forever. When?QE goes,?a key driving factor behind Asia's property bubble will disappear.?Finally, Chinese economic growth of +8% can't be counted on from?here on. Regular readers will know my bearish views on China's economy in the near-term. The wealth investors exiting property may?share the same concerns.

More?importantly, these investors?most probably realise that better value can be found elsewhere.?All segments of property in Hong Kong and Singapore are undoubtedly expensive. The Economist?magazine suggests they are the world's second and third most expensive residential property markets on a price-to-rent basis, 69% and 57% overvalued versus long-term averages respectively.?

In?Hong Kong, the average residential property rental yield is close to 3%. Effectively, you're paying?a 33x price-to-earnings ratio for Hong Kong?property. That compares to the 11x that you'll pay?for the average Hong Kong stock.

The investors exiting local property would also be able to see the much better rental yields offered outside of Asia,?in the likes of the U.S.. There, they can get yields of?+6% in a less frothy market and?where debt is still very cheap.?

Where they'll put their money

The obvious question is: where will the real estate investors put their excess cash? The obvious answer is that they may switch from expensive property segments into less expensive ones in their home countries. Thus in Hong Kong, residential property appears among the more expensive. A switch into commercial property may make sense, particularly as upcoming supply is relatively limited. This switch is what property experts such as Colliers are betting on. This theory has some credibility. After all, property investors know property and switching between different segments would be within their comfort zones.

But I think any switch would be limited. As mentioned earlier, much of the selling by real estate insiders is in commercial property. They're clearly not bullish on this segment either. Moreover, they'd know that if property rolls over on the residential side, it would impact the economy. Particularly in Hong Kong, where property contributes about 18% to GDP. Commercial property is very sensitive to economic conditions and would suffer if this scenario took place.

Another potential place to park the cash raised by real estate sales is?in the stock market. Morgan Stanley strategist, Jonathan Garner, has taken a slightly different angle to raise the possibility of the Hang Seng Index (Hong Kong's main stock index) reaching 50,000 by 2015 (it's currently 22,300). Garner suggests that the Hang Seng Index has significantly lagged Hong Kong residential property prices, when historically they've been closely correlated (unsurprising?given the importance of property to Hong Kong's economy). He argues the stock market is due to play catch up.

My problem with this argument is that stocks may not play catch up, but property prices could fall instead. This would, inturn,?heavily impact the stock market.

It depends on what you believe is more likely: a rise in stocks or a fall in property prices. My bet is on the latter and given the recent sales by real estate investors, they may well be in the same camp.

If not stocks or other property segments within their home countries, then where will the real estate investors put their money? I think overseas property markets are a fair bet.

My wife, who manages a portfolio?of hotel assets?for one of Australia's largest property developers, tells?me?that Singapore companies?have been large?investors in Australia of late.?Frasers Centrepoint is involved in building a massive US$2.1 billion mixed?use development near the main train station in Sydney's central business district. Recently, Ascendas?Group?bought a?US$572 million hotel fund?managed by Australia's Mirvac Group. Far East Orchard is forming JVs?to development its hotel business in Australia. And K-Reit has partnered with Mirvac in two office developments to date.

It's clear form this that the trend of?Asian?real estate investors looking overseas for better opportunities has already begun. Australia is attractive to some given the low cost of debt and decent yield on offer. I would expect the U.S. and other less bubbly markets than Australia to attract more attention from investors in future.

What if property's best days are behind it?

There's a larger question that probably hasn't been considered as much by the wealthy?Asian?property investors. And that is whether property in Hong Kong and Singapore may be close to?topping out not just for?a few years, but for a decade or more? Given the overvaluation of property in these markets, this possibility can't be ruled out.

The reason that I raise this is because it would have far-reaching consequences. Asians are known to have an abiding love for property. Many suggest that it's because property is tangible, unlike money that you put in the bank or into the stock market. I think that like the western world prior to 2008, property has realised incredible gains for investors in Hong Kong and Singapore over the past 40 years. And that's what they've fallen in love with.?

Consider that two-thirds of Hong Kong's 50 wealthiest people have made their money primarily in real estate. It's an extraordinary statistic.

No asset goes up forever though and property tends to move in very long cycles. What if we are close to the start of a major long-term downturn? (a downturn doesn't have to mean declining prices as even stable prices will result?large losses in inflation-adjusted terms). What if property isn't the key driver to wealth in the likes of Hong Kong anymore? And what if the two-thirds of Hong Kong's 50 wealthiest people from a real estate background, becomes one-third in ten year's time?

Many people in Hong Kong and Singapore could never imagine some of these things happening. But I'd suggest they're inevitable at some stage. It's a matter of when, not if.

Such an occurrence would have some significant silver linings though. There's little doubt that a declining or flat property market for a long period of time would have a significant impact on the economies of Hong Kong and Singapore. But I'd argue that it would be a healthy adjustment that may better balance their economies over time. Being over-reliant on one sector is never healthy.

Property's downfall may also prove beneficial to other asset classes, such?stocks and bonds. Knight Frank estimates that Asia's wealthiest have 31% of their net worth tied up in property, compared to 16% in Europe, for instance. And they only have 15% of their wealth in stocks. A long-term shift towards?stocks may make more sense, particularly when the economies of their home countries become less dependent on property asset appreciation.

Finally, less wealth coming from property would mean more wealth coming from other sectors. The wealthiest citizens may come more from manufacturing or other service industries. They're likely to be?less attracted to buying?property than the current batch of real estate investors. That could prove a boon for stocks and the still under-developed Asian bond markets.

This post was originally published at Asia Confidential: http://asiaconf.com

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-03-29/following-smart-money-asia

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Pa. couple deny mistreatment of Russian teen

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. (AP) ? A couple from the Philadelphia area say they are shocked and hurt by accusations of mistreatment by an adopted son who left and went back to Russia.

Alexander Abnosov, 18, who was renamed Joshua Salotti when he and another youth were adopted five years ago, told Russian state-controlled media that his adoptive family treated him badly and that he lived on the streets of Philadelphia and stole just to survive.

Russia's Channel 1 and Rossiya television reported this week that Abnosov had returned to the Volga river city of Cheboksary, where his 72-year-old grandmother lives. He complained to Rossiya that he fled home because of conflicts with his adoptive mother, who was "nagging at small things," and said he stayed on the streets for about three months.

"My reaction to that, it's very hurtful because we poured our lives into these boys," Abnosov's adoptive father, an emotional Steve Salotti, told a Philadelphia TV station.

He and Jackie Salotti of suburban Collegeville told WPVI-TV that they adopted the two 13-year-old boys in 2008 after raising three children of their own, and tried to raise them as typical American children, with fishing trips, barbecues, pets and Christmas presents.

All went well, they said, until Josh turned 18 and went on a trip back to Russia, where he was introduced to drugs and alcohol. They said they noticed a change in his behavior and established house rules including no drugs or alcohol, drug testing, no disrespectful talk to them or to teachers, counseling and a curfew.

Their other adopted son agreed to abide by the rules, the couple said, but Josh eventually left and went back to Russia, where he made public accusations of mistreatment.

"With the press pounding on the door and Russia putting these programs on the television, I just couldn't believe what I was hearing," Steve Salotti said.

The couple hired a lawyer to help them handle what is expected to become an international political firestorm between the U.S. and Russia.

Family attorney Charles Mandracchia said it was "outrageous" that his clients were "being made out as villains."

"Why the Russian government or the American government would allow this to happen is beyond me," he said.

The Kremlin has stoked anger in recent months over the treatment of Russian children adopted by Americans in order to justify its controversial ban on U.S. adoptions. The ban came in retaliation for a new U.S. law targeting alleged Russian human-rights violators.

"Russia's going to do what Russia's going to do," Jackie Salotti told the TV station.

But while the couple said they are angry and saddened by the rift between the two countries, "it doesn't change the fact that we're concerned about our son and what's happening to him in this," Steve Salotti said.

___

Information from: WPVI-TV, http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Russia-US%20Adoption/id-2e12466e88c04465a422bf5175afea12

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Cash shortage stretches to sea bed

29 March 2013 Last updated at 20:00 ET By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst

The government has admitted moving slowly to protect wildlife in the seas because of the cost.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said that in the current financial squeeze he could not designate as many areas for protection as he would like.

He said he was hoping to confirm the designation of the current tranche of 31 Marine Protected Zones under a consultation that ends on Sunday.

Environmentalists have accused the government of dragging its feet.

This is because 127 zones were originally nominated for protection after a compromise deal agreed with other users of the sea.

Jolyon Chesworth from the Wildlife Trusts said: "We are disappointed at the rate of progress. The government has an international obligation to protect wildlife in the seas.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

I want to do as many zones as we can for as little as we can?

End Quote Richard Benyon Environment minister

"The marine environment is not as obvious to people as it is when they see wildlife walking through a woodland or downland but it's just as important and equally worthy of protection.

"The 127 zones were only nominated after very long discussions with anglers, sailors and the fishing industry. We are now being asked to compromise on a compromise."

But Mr Benyon told the BBC that with cuts to the Defra budget, the cost of making scientific assessments and then developing rules for the use of different areas could not be dismissed.

"We are constrained by a hugely expensive process at a time when we have little money in government", he said.

"I want to do as many zones as we can for as little as we can. People have waited many years for this; we will designate the first tranche in September and will announce the next lot for consultation then."

Environmentalists are worried that the UK might slither back from its international commitment to create an ecologically coherent network of sites.

They are angry that several key sites have been left out of the first tranche on the grounds that insufficient evidence was supplied to justify them.

Sailors' fears

Mr Chesworth said that in his south of England region there was a cast-iron case for designating, among others, Bembridge Levels on the Isle of Wight - home of the stalked jellyfish and Poole Harbour - a key breeding ground for sea horses.

But both of these zones have been contested by sailors who fear that new rules will prevent them anchoring on sensitive sites. One boat owner on the Isle of Wight told Mr Benyon that the designations were "bonkers".

Boaters are the mainstay of the local economy and have lived in harmony with wildlife for decades, he said.

John Pockett from the Royal Yachting Association told the BBC: "We fear we won't be able to anchor our yachts; we fear we won't be able to train our next Ben Ainslie (the Olympian) because we won't be able to anchor marker boats."

Sailors are not the only ones protesting. In some areas fishing crews object to MPZs, even though they are supposed to provide a breeding ground for fish stocks to recover.

Conservationists warn that recently revealed chalk arches off the North Norfolk coast could be destroyed by one careless pass of a trawl net.

A further complication is the fact that UK jurisdiction ends six nautical miles from the shore, even though its responsibility for wildlife stretches further.

"It would be terrible to stop our own fishermen from exploiting a sensitive areas then allow boats of other nationalities to come in", Mr Benyon said. "We are trying to negotiate this with Brussels."

The proposals stem from the 2009 UK Marine Bill. If all the sites had been approved, just over a quarter of English waters would end up under some kind of protection. Currently, the total is way under 1%.

Globally just 0.6% of the world's oceans have been protected, compared to almost 13% of our planet's land area.

Marine author Callum Roberts told the BBC: "There's no way you'll have an effective network of marine-protected areas the way we are going. It's undermining trust."

But public sector cutbacks are a reality. And the government insists that the state of the economy will inevitably be felt on the sea bed, like everywhere else.

Follow Roger on Twitter

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21967189#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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North Korea readies rockets after U.S. show of force

By David Chance and Phil Stewart

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea put its missile units on standby on Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a midnight meeting of top generals and "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation", the official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said North Korea and the United States could only settle their differences by "physical means". The North has an arsenal of Soviet-era short-range Scud missiles that can hit South Korea but its longer-range Nodong and Musudan missiles, which could in theory hit U.S. Pacific bases, are untested.

China, the North's sole major ally, repeated its calls for restraint on the Korean peninsula at a regular Foreign Ministry briefing and made no criticism of the U.S. flights.

"We hope that relevant parties will work together in pushing for a turnaround of the tense situation," ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

Tension has been high since North Korea conducted a third nuclear weapons test in February in breach of U.N. sanctions and despite warnings from China for it not to do so.

Russia's foreign minister implicitly criticized the U.S. bomber flights.

"We are concerned that alongside the adequate, collective reaction of the U.N. Security Council, unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"The situation could simply get out of control, it is slipping toward the spiral of a vicious cycle," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow when asked about the situation.

He called for efforts to get stalled six-party talks on North Korea going again. The talks have involved the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

THREATS

On Thursday, the United States flew two radar-evading B-2 Spirit bombers on practice runs over South Korea, responding to a series of North Korean threats. They flew from the United States and back in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind, designed to show America's ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes "quickly and at will", the U.S. military said.

The news of Kim's response was unusually swift.

"He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA (Korean People's Army), ordering them to be on standby for fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea," KCNA said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported there had been additional troop and vehicle movements at the North's mid- and long-range missile sites, indicating they may be ready to fire.

It was impossible to verify the report which did not specify a time frame. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it was watching shorter-range Scud missile sites closely as well as Nodong and Musudan missile batteries.

The North has launched a daily barrage of threats since early this month when the United States and the South, allies in the 1950-53 Korean War, began regular military drills.

The South and the United States have said the drills are purely defensive and that no incident has taken place in the decades they have been conducted in various forms.

The United States also flew B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this week.

The North has put its military on highest readiness to fight what it says are hostile forces conducting war drills. Its young leader has previously given "final orders" for its military to wage revolutionary war with the South.

Despite the hostile rhetoric from the North, it has kept open a joint economic zone with the South which generates $2 billion a year in trade - money the impoverished state can ill-afford to lose.

"VERY DANGEROUS"

North Korea has cancelled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all communications hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea.

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.

"We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The U.S. military said that its B-2 bombers had flown more than 6,500 miles to stage a trial bombing raid from their bases in Missouri as part of the Foal Eagle war drills being held with South Korea.

The bombers dropped inert munitions on the Jik Do Range, in South Korea, and then returned to the continental United States in a single, continuous mission, the military said.

It was the first time B-2s flew round-trip from the mainland United States over South Korea and dropped inert munitions, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Victor Cha, a North Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the drill fitted within the context of ramped-up efforts by the Pentagon to deter the North from acting upon any of its threats.

Asked whether he thought the latest moves could further aggravate tension, Cha, a former White House official, said: "I don't think the situation can get any more aggravated than it already is."

South Korea denied suggestions that the bomber drills contained an implicit threat of attack on the North.

"There is no entity on the earth who will strike an attack on North Korea or expressed their wishes to do so," said a spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korea.

Few believe North Korea will risk starting a full-out war.

Still, Hagel, who on March 15 announced he was bolstering missile defenses over the growing North Korea threat, said all of the actions by the North had to be taken seriously.

"Their very provocative actions and belligerent tone, it has ratcheted up the danger and we have to understand that reality," Hagel said, renewing a warning that the U.S. military was ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington, Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing and Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-readies-rockets-u-flies-stealth-bombers-020309202.html

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Wells Fargo commits $850,000 to help launch Healthy Housing ...

Grants, volunteers to help National Center for Healthy Housing, Rebuilding Together effort

SAN FRANCISCO and COLUMBIA, MD ? March 29, 2013 ? (RealEstateRama) ? National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), a national nonprofit dedicated to creating safe and healthy homes for children and their families, and Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has committed up to $850,000 over three years to help launch the ?Healthy Housing Challenge.? This new initiative seeks to bring home improvement help to seniors, veterans and low-income families currently living in homes with potential safety and health threats. Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit dedicated to creating safe and healthy housing for America?s families, will lead the home improvement work on the 1,500 homes.

The Healthy Housing Challenge takes its inspiration from a recent federal government report ? Healthy Homes Strategy for Action ? that estimated more than 30 million homes have potential health threats that contribute to asthma and other respiratory diseases, carbon-monoxide poisoning, lung cancer, falls and burns. The Healthy Housing Challenge seeks to awaken homeowners, health care providers, and policymakers to the many low-cost ways to make homes healthier.

?This funding and volunteers from Wells Fargo will help us reach 1,500 families with life-saving upgrades to their homes,? said Rebecca Morley, National Center for Healthy Housing?s executive director. ?Millions of families across the country have both obvious and hidden hazards in their homes and homeowners often are unaware these problems can be solved through relatively simple fixes. This initiative will help us make repairs and raise awareness about the important connection between our homes and our health.?

?We are honored to work with NCHH and Rebuilding Together in this ground-breaking challenge that will deliver needed housing repairs for seniors, veterans, and families across the U.S.,? said Mike Rizer, Wells Fargo community relations director and a board member of NCHH. ?We hope others will join us in supporting the Healthy Housing Challenge and its efforts to help make safer homes.?

The $850,000 commitment includes a $1 for $1 match up to $250,000 for cash contributions made by other foundations, corporations and individuals to NCHH for the Healthy Housing Challenge. The $250,000 match is effective immediately and extends through September 2013. Funds raised will provide tools, training and technical assistance to launch the Challenge, which will enable 40 Rebuilding Together affiliates to enhance the health and safety of 1,500 low-income households over the next three years. The remaining $600,000 will support repairs on homes in Healthy Housing Challenge cities. Wells Fargo team members will also get involved by volunteering to help Rebuilding Together affiliates complete Healthy Housing Challenge home repairs such as adding hand rails, improving ventilation, correcting moisture problems, and fixing fire and electrical hazards.

The Challenge kicks off initially this Spring with Rebuilding Together affiliates in nine communities: Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church, VA; Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; Peninsula and Sacramento, CA; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA; Omaha NE; and Triangle, NC. The Challenge then plans to add additional affiliates across the country.

?The Healthy Housing Challenge will help transform our operations by increasing the level of service we can provide to homeowners across the country,? said John White, Rebuilding Together?s chief business officer. ?We know the need is there. With the training and resources provided by the Healthy Housing Challenge, we can ensure that families are safe and healthy in their homes.?

Recent health and safety repairs to a home in Falls Church, Va. eliminated a homeowner?s multiple trips to the emergency room for her grandson?s asthma, according to the National Center for Healthy Housing. The repairs also helped the homeowner save $100 a month on utility bills.

About the National Center for Healthy Housing

The National Center for Healthy Housing is the preeminent national nonprofit dedicated to creating safe and healthy housing for America?s families. It has trained over 35,000 individuals in lead-safe and healthy housing practices since 2005, and its research provides the scientific basis for major federal policies and programs. NCHH develops scientifically valid and practical strategies to make homes safe from hazards and to protect low-income families at highest risk. You can follow NCHH on Twitter @nchh or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/HealthyHousing. To see a video about NCHH visit http://vimeo.com/59202134

About Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together is a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home. Our focus provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes and community centers at no cost to service recipients. Our impact extends beyond the individuals served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the country. Our nearly 200 local affiliates complete 10,000 rebuild projects a year thanks to the efforts of about 200,000 volunteers from corporate partners, skilled trade professionals and everyday good citizens. Join us ? visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank?s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune?s 2012 rankings of America?s largest corporations. Wells Fargo?s vision is to satisfy all our customers? financial needs and help them succeed financially. Since its inception in 1993, the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has stewarded more than $200 million dollars and 4.6 million team member volunteer hours in support of creating affordable housing and community revitalization programs. Wells Fargo Housing Foundation?s Team Member Volunteer Program has mobilized more than 184,000 volunteers to build or refurbish nearly 5,000 homes in low-to-moderate income communities

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Source: http://www.realestaterama.com/2013/03/29/wells-fargo-commits-850000-to-help-launch-healthy-housing-challenge-effort-to-repair-1500-homes-with-safety-health-threats-2-ID019970.html

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BracketRacket: A quiz, a thought and Peeps

Welcome to BracketRacket, your one-stop shopping place for all things NCAA.

For our first Sweet 16 edition, we've got a geography quiz by Shockers and Explorers, a coach in rarified air, a former Ohio attorney general rooting for Michigan State and Jim Larranaga's thought for the day. All that and some Bracket Bits that include all of Dunk City's postseason dunks and, in honor of Easter, Peeps.

___

GEOGRAPHY QUIZ

Who says academics go by the wayside during the NCAA tournament?

La Salle and Wichita State took a geography quiz at the West Regional in Los Angeles, and the Shockers passed. Belying their name, the Explorers need to brush up a little.

Here's an excerpt of how it went from AP Sports Writer Beth Harris:

Question: Where is La Salle located?

Answer: "Philly, right? I believe it's Philly," Shockers guard Malcolm Armstead said.

Correct.

Question: Where is Wichita State located?

Answer: "What state is it in?" asked La Salle guard Ramon Galloway.

And it went downhill from there.

"I saw a store down here called Which Wich," Explorers guard Tyrone Garland offered, not-so-helpfully naming a national sandwich chain.

Guard Tyreek Duren pitched in: "Steve Zack said we passed the Wichita exit when we were going to the airport. He pointed it out and said, 'That's who we play.'"

Informed of their opponent's confusion, Shockers forward Cleanthony Early, of Middletown, N.Y., admitted he was initially stumped, too.

"I didn't know where Wichita was either before I went there," he said. "I had to do my research. When I first heard of it, I couldn't even pronounce it correctly."

After losing to the Shockers in the Sweet 16, the Explorers probably know a little bit more about Wichita as well.

___

ONE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

Forgive Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks if they have a bit of an inferiority complex this weekend.

And no, this isn't a gripe about the selection committee's seeding.

The Ducks, being covered at the Sweet 16 by AP National Writer Nancy Armour, are in the Midwest Regional semifinals with a veritable Who's Who of college hoops.

Their opponent, Louisville, is a two-time national champion and was in the Final Four last year. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino is a surefire Hall of Famer, with two NCAA titles, 660 wins ? and counting ? and a 49-18 record in March alone.

There's also Duke, which won its fourth national title two years ago and whose coach, Mike Krzyzewski, has more wins than anyone else in Division I. (Coach K has a side gig, too, leading the U.S. men to gold medals at the last two Olympics.)

And don't forget Michigan State, which may as well include the Final Four on its schedule for as many times as Tom Izzo and the Spartans wind up there.

"Fortunately, it's our team going out there," Altman said.

Altman is no slouch, either. Oregon is the third school he's taken to the NCAA tournament, and the Ducks have had 20-win seasons in each of his three years as head coach. But Oregon is not exactly a tournament mainstay; this is the Ducks' first appearance since 2008, and their first trip to the regional semifinals since 2007.

"All three of those programs, because of their coaches, have great records, great traditions," Altman said. "We're trying to build a tradition. We're trying to build something that consistently competes year in and year out. That's a big challenge for us."

___

FORCED TO CHOOSE

Richard Codray is the former Ohio attorney general and lives in Columbus, so he roots for Ohio State football.

He also went to Michigan State at the same time as Magic Johnson, so he pulls for Spartans basketball.

That left the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with a dilemma while filling out his NCAA tournament bracket. But it came down to picking a team ? he has the Buckeyes and Spartans reaching the Final Four ? Codray went with Michigan State.

"I always go with my heart," Codray told AP Business Writer Christina Rexrode.

Codray's roommate at Michigan State had a few classes with Magic and he saw firsthand the impact the oversized and gregarious point guard had on the school.

"It was really exciting and fun to watch," Codray said. "Of course he left after two years and went on to fame and fortune. The rest of us toiled for four years finding ourselves. He's a great personality, he just glows and picks everybody up around him."

___

HOLD THAT THOUGHT

During his Final Four run with George Mason, Miami coach Jim Larranaga became known for giving a "thought for the day" to his players.

He's carried on the practice with the Hurricanes, although it's hard to tell what effect it has, as AP Sports Writer Joseph White in Washington D.C. found out.

"Every day he gives us a thought, and something that sticks with us, and it's not something that's complicated," forward Julian Gamble said, "just something that's very simple and just to let you know that we have to enjoy these moments."

If that's the case, Gamble was asked, can he name a favorite "thought for the day?"

"Can't think of one. Know one?" he said, turning to teammate Shane Larkin.

"I can't think of one," Larkin said.

But Gamble made a nice recovery, saying: "The one for this game is keep 'em out of the paint and block out on rebounds, so that will be my favorite one for now."

Larranaga will have to come up with a new thought, one that will last the entire offseason, after the Hurricanes lost to Marquette in the Sweet 16.

Hopefully, it'll be one that sticks.

___

BRACKET BITS

That speck in the middle isn't a postage stamp. It's the court inside Cowboys Stadium for the Sweet 16: http://bit.ly/YGOWYA

Apparently the cordial feelings between Ohio State and Arizona aren't just between the coaches: http://bit.ly/10VBWPv

In honor of Easter, a bracket made out of Peeps: http://bit.ly/YGPJZm

Dunk City's dunks during the postseason, all of them: http://deadsp.in/XColZj

A couple of celeb sightings at Sweet 16 games: Drew Carey at Ohio State-Arizona in LA, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh at Syracuse-Indiana in DC.

___

STAT OF THE DAY

Dunk City is rattling the search engines along with rims.

According to Yahoo! Search, Florida Gulf Coast University is dominating as the most-searched team after becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16.

Searches for the Eagles spiked 3,367 percent this week and FGCU has gotten more searches than North Korea, Lindsay Lohan and Justin Bieber.

FGCU has been searched more than any of the remaining teams in the tournament, ahead of better-known schools such as Syracuse, Duke, Michigan and Kansas.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We're so used to people not giving us credit. ... That fuels our fire," Marquette's Vander Blue said after the Golden Eagles beat Miami to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003.

___

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

East Region

Marquette 71, Miami 61

Syracuse 61, Indiana 50

West Region

Ohio State 73, Arizona 70

Wichita State 72, La Salle 58

___

FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE

South Region

At Arlington, Texas

Kansas (31-5) vs. Michigan (28-7), 7:37 p.m.

Florida Gulf Coast (26-10) vs. Florida (28-7), 30 minutes following

Midwest Region

At Indianapolis

Louisville (31-5) vs. Oregon (28-8), 7:15 p.m.

Duke (29-5) vs. Michigan State (27-8), 30 minutes following

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bracketracket-quiz-thought-peeps-083117291--spt.html

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CloudMagic: All of your accounts in one place

So many accounts in so many places, and CloudMagic can help you search through every single one of them.

As much as we'd prefer to have all of our data, documents, conversations and contacts in a single service that makes it easy to find what you need, that just isn't going to happen. As new services come along, we all seem to follow a bit of a "junk drawer" mentality of just tossing accounts onto our phones that don't talk to each other.

CloudMagic is hoping to remedy this issue somewhat by linking every account to one app, and making the contents of each universally searchable. Hang along with us after the break and see how it pans out.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/68Oiu0z_MHo/story01.htm

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BlueLinx Successfully Completes $40 Million Rights Offering NYSE ...

ATLANTA, March 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC), a leading distributor of building products in North America, today announced the successful completion of its previously announced $40 million rights offering. The Company announced previously that it would use the net proceeds of the rights offering of approximately $38.7 million to reduce the outstanding balance of its U.S. revolving credit facility. Following the issuance of the newly subscribed shares, which is expected to occur on or about April 1, 2013, BlueLinx will have approximately 86,612,039 total shares outstanding. After giving effect to the offering, Cerberus ABP Investor LLC beneficially owns approximately 54.4% of BlueLinx' common stock.

Commenting on the announcement, BlueLinx President and CEO George Judd stated, "We are very pleased by the tremendous response to this rights offering by our existing stockholders. This is strong confirmation of their continued confidence in and support of our growth strategy. The new residential construction market and, to a lesser extent, the home improvement and remodeling market, are showing signs of significant improvement. I believe this highly successful offering underlines investor confidence in BlueLinx' ability to benefit from these improving conditions."

The Company conducted the rights offering because, as the housing market and general economic conditions continue to improve, the additional capital raised in the rights offering will allow the Company to participate more fully in these improving conditions. The Company's sales depend heavily on the strength of national and local new residential construction and home improvement and remodeling markets, which are showing signs of significant improvement. Moreover, the government's legislative and administrative measures aimed at restoring liquidity to the credit markets and providing relief to homeowners facing foreclosure are beginning to show positive results. The overall housing market and economy are also improving, which is expected to lead to a considerable increase in residential construction and, to a lesser extent, in home improvement activity. If the Company and its industry continue to recover from the historic housing market downturn, the Company expects its sales to improve and therefore its need for inventory and its accounts receivable to increase. This increase in working capital is expected to use some of the Company's current excess availability under its revolving credit facilities. While the Company believes that the amounts that are available from its revolving credit facilities and other sources are sufficient to fund its routine operations and capital requirements for at least the next 12 months, it conducted the rights offering to provide it with a stronger liquidity position and allow it to more fully participate in the improving housing market.

Extension to Credit Agreement Becomes Effective

Concurrent with the completion of the rights offering, the Company's previously announced amendment and extension to its $400 million U.S. revolving credit facility became effective. As a result of the amendment and extension, the Company's existing $400 million credit facility was increased by $22.5 million to $422.5 million and the maturity date was extended to April 15, 2016. Further details concerning the amendment are contained in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Wells Fargo Capital Finance acted as sole lead arranger for the transaction. The bank group also includes Regions Bank, Bank of America, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and TD Bank, N.A. ? ?

About BlueLinx Holdings Inc.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., operating through its wholly owned subsidiary BlueLinx Corporation, is a leading distributor of building products in North America. Employing approximately 1,900 people, BlueLinx offers greater than 10,000 products from over 750 suppliers to service approximately 11,500 customers nationwide, including dealers, industrial manufacturers, manufactured housing producers and home improvement retailers. The Company operates its distribution business from sales centers in Atlanta and Denver, and its network of approximately 55 distribution centers.?BlueLinx is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BXC.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to our outlook on the housing industry and the expected impact on the Company's sales.?All of these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by our management that, although believed by BlueLinx to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of BlueLinx' control that may cause its business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, among other things: changes in the supply and/or demand for products that it distributes, especially as a result of conditions in the residential housing market; general economic and business conditions in the United States; the activities of competitors; changes in significant operating expenses; changes in the availability of capital, including the availability of residential mortgages; the ability to identify acquisition opportunities and effectively and cost-efficiently integrate acquisitions; adverse weather patterns or conditions; acts of war or terrorist activities; variations in the performance of the financial markets; and other factors described under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 20, 2013 and in its other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BlueLinx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectation or otherwise, except as required by law.

Doug Goforth, CFO & Treasurer BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (770) 953-7505  Investor Relations: Maryon Davis, Director Finance & IR (770) 221-2666

Source: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/03/29/534844/10026802/en/BlueLinx-Successfully-Completes-40-Million-Rights-Offering.html

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Researchers Identify 'Haul' of New Genetic Markers for Cancer Risks

What is being hailed as major news in the genetic science community this week -- the identification of more than 80 genomes that raise a person's risk of different cancers -- may receive a lukewarm reception from the general public until the ramifications of such discoveries is evident.

Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study, COGS

Learning the causes of cancer can only mean positive things in the development of screening, treatment, and perhaps, one day, prevention of those cancers. A consortium of more than 160 EU-based research groups working together in the Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study, COGS, brought science and medicine one step closer to these positive outcomes with the discovery of more than 80 genome regions that can increase an individual's risk for prostate, breast and ovarian cancers, reported MedicalNewsToday.com .

The COGS research was submitted as 13 different scientific papers and published in five journals this week, including PLOS Genetics . (PLOS is the Public Library of Science , a non-profit and open access

group of scientific journals.)

COGS Research Team Members Weigh in on Genome Discovery Value

These discoveries, while important and providing potential for screening and treatment, represent 40 percent of the total genetic risk factors for the three types of cancer, according to the Telegraph . Even so, the discoveries are a "significant step forward" toward understanding inherited risk factors for breast, prostate and ovarian cancers.

Professor Ros Eeles of the Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research explained to the Telegraph that this discovery is hoped to leading to simple saliva testing for these risk factors that primary care physicians will be able to interpret within the next five years.

The researchers caution that although the discovery of these genomes is important, there is more work to be done, first in research, then in application of the findings.

Understanding the Genetic Science Hoopla Over New Genome Discoveries

To the layman, the science behind genetic discovery and its uses is mystifying until the scientific terms and methods are broken down into concepts that are readily understandable: The discovery of these genomes associated with increased cancer risks in individuals may lead to simplified genetic testing for those risks within the next five years and potentially new therapies to thwart those cancers.

Breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society , led to more than 39,000 deaths in 2011, most of those in women age 50 years and older. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 14,000 women died from ovarian cancer in 2009. The National Cancer Institute estimates that prostate cancer will lead to the deaths of nearly 30,000 men this year.

When improved genetic screening is available to identify the increased risks for these cancer types, imagine the possibilities of increased life spans and hope for thousands of men and women.

Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/researchers-identify-haul-genetic-markers-cancer-risks-191600999.html

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How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data?

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The proliferation of sensor-studded cellphones could lead to a wealth of data with socially useful applications ? in urban planning, epidemiology, operations research and emergency preparedness, among other things. Of course, before being released to researchers, the data would have to be stripped of identifying information. But how hard could it be to protect the identity of one unnamed cellphone user in a data set of hundreds of thousands or even millions?

According to a paper appearing this week in Scientific Reports, harder than you might think. Researchers at MIT and the Universit? Catholique de Louvain, in Belgium, analyzed data on 1.5 million cellphone users in a small European country over a span of 15 months and found that just four points of reference, with fairly low spatial and temporal resolution, was enough to uniquely identify 95 percent of them.

In other words, to extract the complete location information for a single person from an "anonymized" data set of more than a million people, all you would need to do is place him or her within a couple of hundred yards of a cellphone transmitter, sometime over the course of an hour, four times in one year. A few Twitter posts would probably provide all the information you needed, if they contained specific information about the person's whereabouts.

The first author on the paper is Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye, a graduate student in the research group of Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Science Sandy Pentland. He's joined by C?sar Hidalgo, an assistant professor of media arts and science; Vincent Blondel, a visiting professor at MIT and a professor of applied mathematics at Universit? Catholique; and Michel Verleysen, a professor of electrical engineering at Universit? Catholique.

Focusing the debate

Hidalgo's group specializes in applying the tools of statistical physics to a wide range of subjects, from communications networks to genetics to economics. In this case, he and de Montjoye were able to use those tools to uncover a simple mathematical relationship between the resolution of spatiotemporal data and the likelihood of identifying a member of a data set.

According to their formula, the probability of identifying someone goes down if the resolution of the measurements decreases, but less than you might think. Reporting the time of each measurement as imprecisely as sometime within a 15-hour span, or location as imprecisely as somewhere amid 15 adjacent cell towers, would still enable the unique identification of half the people in the sample data set.

But while its initial application may be discouraging, de Montjoye and Hidalgo hope that their formula will provide a way for researchers and policy analysts to reason more rigorously about the privacy safeguards that need to be put in place when they're working with aggregated location data.

"Both C?sar and I deeply believe that we all have a lot to gain from this data being used," de Montjoye says. "This formula is something that could be useful to help the debate and decide, OK, how do we balance things out, and how do we make it a fair deal for everyone to use this data?"

Everybody's different

In the data set that the researchers analyzed, the location of a cellphone was inferred solely from that of the cell tower it was connected to, and the time of the connection was given as falling within a one-hour interval. Each cellphone had a unique, randomly generated identifying number, so that its movement could be traced over time. But there was no information connecting that number to the phone's owner.

The researchers randomly selected a representative sampling from the set of 1.5 million cellphone traces and, for each trace, began choosing points at random. For 95 percent of the traces, just four randomly selected points was enough to distinguish them from all other traces in the database. In the worst (or, from another perspective, best) case, 11 measurements were necessary.

The researchers suspect that similar relationships might hold for other types of data. "I would not be surprised if a similar result ? maybe requiring more points ? would, for example, extend to web browsing," Hidalgo says. "The space of potential combinations is really large. When a person is, in some sense, being expressed in a space in which the total number of combinations is huge, the probability that two people would have the same exact trajectory ? whether it's walking or browsing ? is almost nil."

###

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice

Thanks to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 26 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127503/How_hard_is_it_to__de_anonymize__cellphone_data_

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91% The Gatekeepers

All Critics (70) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (6)

The film and its talking head participants paint the picture in both broad strokes and fine detail.

Whatever one's political stripe regarding Israel, it's hard to dispute the impressions and perspective of the film's six eyewitnesses.

The level of candor here may not satisfy hard-liners of either stripe, but it can help viewers begin to formulate new questions about the philosophical, strategic and moral challenges of conflict, in particular "wars on terror."

Ultimately the movie feels evasive, and its flashy, digitally animated re-creations of military surveillance footage unpleasantly evoke the Call of Duty video games.

It offers startlingly honest insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from some of those who called the shots.

As a political testament, the result is revealing and important.

Moreh gets some startling confessions and insights from each man but also misses the opportunity to truly challenge his subjects on their regard for democracy, basic human rights and their own accountability.

Director Dror Moreh doesn't rest on his scoop

A powerful look inside the Israeli defense establishment

A deadly serious and detailed examination of and meditation upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, The Gatekeepers makes no attempt to find a silver lining.

The rule of surveillance is to keep quiet and let others do the talking. The Oscar-nominated documentary The Gatekeepers flips the script, to astonishing effect, giving voice to the retired directors of Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency.

An up-close and personal look at the psychology of war -- their war and, by extension, all war.

A riveting firsthand account of how legitimate security concerns can lead to policies considered extreme and even immoral by the people administering them.

Extraordinary...not only an engrossing first-hand account of Israel's Palestinian policies over time, but one that may have lessons to teach both Israeli leaders and other nations confronting those they identify as terrorists.

Unprecedented and deeply unsettling, it offers little hope for a lasting peace in that war-torn region.

For its candor and impact, deserves to be seen and discussed.

An often remarkable Israeli documentary about Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gatekeepers_2012/

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PFT: Davis stays with Redskins on one-year deal

AP

Sometimes, wishes are quickly granted.? Sometimes, they already were.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu wants player input in rule changes.? But the players already have input.

?I do wish . . . that the NFL did have a voice from the players? side, whether it?s our players? union president, or team captains, or our executive committee on the players? side,? Polamalu said earlier today on ESPN.? ?Because we?re the guys that realize the risk, we?re the guys on the field.?

As MDS pointed out, the players have a voice in the rule-revising process.? Specifically, this year?s the rule changes were discussed with NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth, who worked with Lester Archambeaux, Charlie Batch, Ernie Conwell, Matt Hasselbeck, Brandon Moore, Jeff Saturday, Ben Watson, and Eric Winston in providing input to the Competition Committee.

Also, Will Montgomery of the Redskins presented video to the Competition Committee in connection with the rule that makes the snapper a defenseless player.

Former players also had a voice with the Player Safety Advisory panel, which includes John Madden, Ronnie Lott, Ernie Accorsi, Antonio Freeman, Patrick Kerney, Willie Lanier, Oliver Luck, Steve Mariucci, Anthony Munoz.

So, basically, Polamalu already got what he wanted, without finding a lamp or losing an eyelash.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/29/fred-davis-stays-with-redskins/related/

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Movie Review: ?Admission? Is An Entr?e To Entertainment | njtoday ...

3 popcorns

By Michael S. Goldberger,?film critic

Smarty pants me figured I had director Paul Weitz?s ?Admission? all figured out. She?s the uptight, overachieving admissions officer at Princeton who gave her baby up for adoption back in college. He?s the easygoing head of an alternative school, anxious to get a pet prodigy into Princeton. So of course we know how it plays out?right? Wrong!

Mr. Weitz, working from Karen Croner?s adaptation of Jean Hanff Korelitz?s sociologically astute novel, smartly leads us down the garden path. Making use of our preconceptions, he teaches us a thing or two about judging a book by its cover. The lead metaphor is then nicely enhanced, with a fine twist-finale alighting as the cherry on top.

Featuring solid performances all around, the she is Portia Nathan, portrayed by Tina Fey in a star turn that unfolds a thespic talent beyond her ability to make us laugh. While it?d be cinema sacrilege to compare her portrayal to Stanwyck?s ?Stella Dallas? (1937), either I?m a crybaby or her misplaced mom is awfully effective. Oh, she?s good and funny, too.

From the moment Paul Rudd?s nonconformist educator informs Portia that the genius in question is, alas, the prodigal adoptee, Miss Fey adroitly alternates between her profession?s two masks. And in the bargain, a whole panoply of conundrums, moral, emotional or both, are let loose for the characters to sort through and for us to mull.

Chief of course is the meditation on that greater love that no one hath like your Mom, even if it sometimes drives you nuts. This leads us to the story?s ethical question. Just what should be Portia?s stance as young Jeremiah Balakian goes through the admissions process? Bear in mind she?s bucking for the soon to be vacant dean of admissions spot.

Comically and curiously, the plot complicates the central predicament with a host of supporting characters and situations. Leading the parade of bittersweet whimsy is Portia?s single mom, a noted women?s rights activist who has never said die to her Hippy mantra. Exquisitely realized by Lily Tomlin, she lends a credible, historical quirk to the doings.

Playing semi-straight man and attracted opposite to Miss Fey?s personality in transition, and maybe not beyond an epiphany himself, Paul Rudd continues his stream of likeable characters. Revolting against his blueblood background, gin-drinking society mater et al, humanist John Pressman just can?t grow roots, much to the chagrin of his adopted son.

Acquired whilst John was doing good works in Africa, Nelson (Travaris Spears), who is quick to note he isn?t a wunderkind like Jeremiah, is fond of Portia because she?s ?so boring.? Meaning, by his definition, that she doesn?t suffer from Dad?s wanderlust and stays put. The conglomeration of interactions results in a monograph on parenthood.

Now, to temper these glowing effusions, it bears noting that more than one happenstance or serendipitous story construct smacks a tad contrived. But then again, going back to the positive side of the ledger, the characters are so enamoring that, just as with a good friend possessing obvious foibles, we issue dispensation in the cause of our own entertainment.

Plus, the subjects at hand, everyday things that have had us in a quandary at one time or another, are inherently provocative. Part satire, part deadly serious diatribe about the rigors of getting into the so-called ?right school,? it?s a good little chapter in the human comedy. And the pages about parenting are, at the very least, intelligently commiserative.

Akin to a champion sports team whose success is due in great part to its profusely stellar bench strength, Miss Tomlin?s pip of a supporting stint is accompanied by a host of complementing ancillaries. Nat Wolff sufficiently convinces us that he is the alternate school icon personified, while Travaris Spears, the kid in his shadow, is sweetly drawn.

Representing tradition, the establishment and a cold splash of the hard facts, Wallace Shawn is efficaciously dogmatic as Clarence, the little boss whose position Miss Fey?s go-getter hopes to one day assume. Whereas Gloria Reuben is also quite effective as Corinne, her equally ambitious rival for that esteemed post. The knives are sharpened.

But just in case these multifarious threads don?t constitute enough storyline or subtext, I refer you to the title?s other meaning. Proffering that there is the surface self, as well as the real deal one generally keeps close to the vest, we have the good fortune of meeting this film?s principals just as they are ripe to admit and therefore actualize their true ids.

Thus, there is created for our rationalizing pleasure a cathartic cleansing. Even if we secretly wish an entree to those strata of status and entitlement associated with places like Princeton, this acerbic dashing to the ground of stodgy old conventions, dramatized by folks with whom we can identify, makes it worth the price of ?Admission.?
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?Admission,? rated PG-13, is a Focus Features release directed by Paul Weitz and stars Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin. Running time: 107 minutes

Source: http://njtoday.net/2013/03/28/movie-review-admission-is-an-entree-to-entertainment/

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Inside Okla. clinic, a 'menace' to public health

TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? The crisp, stucco exterior of an Oklahoma dental clinic concealed what health inspectors say they found inside: rusty instruments used on patients with infectious diseases and a pattern of unsanitary practices that put thousands of people at risk for hepatitis and the virus that causes AIDS.

State and local health officials planned to mail notices Friday urging 7,000 patients of Dr. W. Scott Harrington to seek medical screenings for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Inspectors allege workers at his two clinics used dirty equipment and risked cross-contamination to the point that the state Dentistry Board branded Harrington a "menace to the public health."

"The office looked clean," said Joyce Baylor, who had a tooth pulled at Harrington's Tulsa office 1? years ago. In an interview, Baylor, 69, said she'll be tested next week to determine whether she contracted any infection.

"I'm sure he's not suffering financially that he can't afford instruments," Baylor said of Harrington.

Health officials opened their investigation after a patient with no known risk factors tested positive for both hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. After determining the "index patient" had a dental procedure about the likely time of exposure, investigators visited Harrington's office and found a number of unsafe practices, state epidemiologist Kristy Bradley said.

"I want to stress that this is not an outbreak. The investigation is still very much in its early stages," Bradley said.

Harrington voluntarily gave up his license, closed his offices in Tulsa and suburban Owasso, and is cooperating with investigators, said Kaitlin Snider, a spokeswoman for the Tulsa Health Department. He faces a hearing April 19, when his license could be permanently revoked.

"It's uncertain how long those practices have been in place," Snider said. "He's been practicing for 36 years."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is consulting on the case, and agency spokeswoman Abbigail Tumpey said such situations involving dental clinics are rare. Last year a Colorado oral surgeon was accused of reusing needles and syringes, prompting letters to 8,000 patients, Tumpey said. It wasn't clear whether anyone was actually infected.

"We've only had a handful of dental facilities where we've had notifications in the last decade," Tumpey said.

The Oklahoma Dentistry Board lodged a 17-count complaint against Harrington, saying he was a "menace to the public health by reasons of practicing dentistry in an unsafe or unsanitary manner." Among the claims was one detailing the use of rusty instruments in patients known to have infectious diseases.

"The CDC has determined that rusted instruments are porous and cannot be properly sterilized," the board said.

Health officials are sending letters to 7,000 known patients but cautioned that they don't know who visited his clinics before 2007. The letters urge the patients to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV ? viruses typically spread through intravenous drug use or unprotected sex, not occupational settings.

Harrington could not be reached for comment Thursday. A message at his Tulsa office said it was closed, and the doctor's answering service referred callers to the Tulsa Health Department. Phone numbers listed for Harrington were disconnected. A message left with Harrington's malpractice attorney in Tulsa, Jim Secrest II, was not immediately returned.

Harrington's Tulsa practice is in a tony part of town, on a row of some of the city's most upscale medical practices. The white-and-green stucco, two-story dental clinic has the doctor's name in letters on the facade.

According to the complaint, the clinic had varying cleaning procedures for its equipment, needles were re-inserted in drug vials after their initial use and the office had no written infection-protection procedure.

Harrington told officials he left questions about sterilization and drug procedures to his employees.

"They take care of that, I don't," the dentistry board quoted him as saying.

The doctor also is accused of letting his assistants perform tasks only a licensed dentist should have done, including administering IV sedation. Also, the complaint says the doctor's staff could not produce permits for the assistants when asked.

Susan Rogers, executive director of the state Dentistry Board, said that as an oral surgeon Harrington regularly did invasive procedures involving "pulling teeth, open wounds, open blood vessels." The board's complaint also noted Harrington and his staff told investigators a "high population of known infectious disease carrier patients" received dental care from him.

Despite the high-risk clientele, a device used to sterilize instruments wasn't being properly used and hadn't been tested in six years, the board complaint said. Tests are required monthly.

Also, a drug vial found at a clinic this year had an expiration date of 1993 and one assistant's drug log said morphine had been used in the clinic last year despite its not receiving any morphine shipments since 2009.

Officials said patients will be offered free medical testing at the Tulsa Health Department's North Regional Health and Wellness Center.

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Associated Press reporter Jeannie Nuss in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/inside-okla-clinic-menace-public-health-070118890.html

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