jinkari: মার্চ 2013

রবিবার, ৩১ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Little Cyprus thumbs its nose at EU 'bullies'

Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man walks past graffiti in capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Greek Cypriot soldier walks at the old town of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man with shopping bags and a tourist pass at the old city the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Private security officers stand at a main door of a bank as people wait outside of a cooperative bank in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? The moment word broke that Cypriot lawmakers in Parliament had voted down a bailout deal that would have raided everyone's savings to prop up a collapsing banking sector, a huge cheer rose up from hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside that echoed through the building's corridors.

Many relished it as a kind of David-against-Goliath moment ? a country of barely a million people standing up to the will of Europe's behemoths who wanted it to swallow a very bitter pill to fix its broken-down economy.

"Shame on Europe for trying to snatch people's savings. It's a mistaken decision that will have repercussions on other economies and banking systems," said protester Panayiotis Violettis. "People have stopped trusting the EU which should be our protector."

Fighting back is not a new experience for Cypriots. From the 1950s guerrilla war against British rule to Greek Cypriots' defiant refusal in 2004 to accept a U.N.-backed peace plan to reunite the island, they are used to holding their own against big opponents.

Just as quickly as Cyprus' euro area partners decided that a deposit grab was the only way out, so Cypriots decided their tiny island was ground zero in Europe's new financial scorched earth policy and that it had to be resisted at all costs.

"Better die on your feet than live on your knees," one placard among the throngs of protesters read. Another said: "It starts with us, it ends with you" as a warning to other Europeans that their savings were no longer safe.

Politicians seized on the public mood. "This is another form of colonization," Greens lawmaker Giorgos Perdikis spouted in Parliament. "We won't allow passage of something that essentially subjugates the Cypriot people for many, many generations.

"Unfortunately, instead of support and solidarity, our partners offered blackmail and bitterness," said Parliamentary Speaker Yiannakis Omirou. The indignant leader of the country's Orthodox Christian Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, added: "This isn't the Europe that we believed in when we joined. We believed we would receive some kind of help, some support."

The country's foreign minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, even acknowledged that Cypriot negotiators had contemplated exiting the euro instead of accepting their euro area partners' terms.

In the end, Cyprus accepted a deal that would safeguard small savers but where depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the country's two most troubled banks would lose a big chunk of their money.

Nonetheless, Europe was stunned at the sheer brazenness. How could a pipsqueak country on Europe's fringes thumb its nose to continental juggernauts Germany and France and dare to turn down a deal meant to save it from economic chaos?

It's not the first time the country has pushed back in defiance, even against what many would consider as insurmountable odds. The island's majority Greek Cypriots fought former colonial ruler Britain to a draw in a four-year guerrilla campaign in the 1950s that aimed for union with Greece. That conflict ended in the country's independence in 1960.

Just 14 years later, a Turkish invasion prompted by an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece resulted in the island's division into an internationally recognized, Greek-speaking south and a breakaway, Turkish-speaking north.

The invasion and its fallout remains an existential matter in the minds of Cypriots and it still informs many of the political and economic decisions the country and its people make.

"Greek Cypriots lost nearly everything during the 1974 invasion," said University of Cyprus History Professor Petros Papapolyviou. "So they reason, what else do we have to lose? Why accept another injustice?"

In 2004, Greek Cypriots again defied international expectations when they voted down a United Nations-backed reunification plan they believed was unfairly weighted against them.

A few days later, the island joined the European Union and some EU leaders were left fuming at what they saw as Greek Cypriot deceit for promising to sign up to a peace deal in exchange for EU membership.

Nearly a decade later and European acrimony at the Cypriot "no" hasn't entirely dissipated. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble told the Sunday edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that "Cyprus was admitted to the EU in hopes that the plan of then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to overcome the (island's) divide would be honored."

"I interpret (that) as indicating a sense of vindictiveness rather than rational, result-oriented thinking." said University of Cyprus Associate Professor Yiannis Papadakis.

Were the tough bailout terms some sort of belated punishment? Whether that's true or not, such notions only feed a Cypriot proclivity for conspiracy theories. As in other small, insular societies, threats ? real or imagined ? sharpen a sense of collective victimhood.

Papadakis said Cypriots see their political culture as underpinned by personal relationships. Hence their reference to "friends" instead of "allies," which implies a more pragmatic relationship.

"That's why Greek Cypriots often complain of a 'betrayal from our friends'," he said. But it's wrong for the EU to foist all the blame on Cypriots when things go awry, Papadakis added.

"I believe that the rest of the EU has made a large share of mistakes during this arduous process."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-Defiant%20Cyprus/id-754f946538bb4441803bc67a2ee5b359

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Lloyds' lending to manufacturers to top one billion pounds

By Matt Scuffham

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retail bank Lloyds said on Monday it was on course to beat its own target of lending 1 billion pounds to UK manufacturers before September 2013.

Lloyds, which is 39 percent owned by the British government, said it had lent 700 million pounds to manufacturers in the past six months, following the launch of its 'Manufacturing Commitment' last September.

"We have already seen a great appetite from manufacturing businesses that want to invest and expand even in these uncertain times," David Oldfield, head of SME and mid-market banking at Lloyds, said in a statement.

Lloyds is using the Bank of England's flagship Funding for Lending (FLS) scheme to offer firms a 1 percent reduction in the interest rate for new business loans. The offer applies for the full term of the loan and to businesses of all sizes.

The scheme was launched by the central bank and finance ministry last June to aid growth by offering banks cheap funds if they stepped up lending to home-buyers and small and medium-sized businesses.

However, it has failed to stop an overall decline in bank loans. Although banks and building societies have drawn down almost 14 billion pounds of cheap central bank funds, net lending has gone into reverse. In the last three months of 2012, Lloyds' cumulative net lending fell by 3.1 billion pounds.

Like other British banks, Lloyds is under pressure from parliamentarians to increase lending but faces a difficult juggling act as it must also strengthen its financial position to meet tougher demands from regulators.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lloyds-lending-manufacturers-top-one-billion-pounds-230644017--finance.html

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From Dallas to Damascus: The Texas 'straight shooter' who could replace Syria's Assad

Ozan Kose / AFP - Getty Images

Ghassan Hitto, speaking to reporters after his March 18 election as Syria's interim prime minister.

By Ayman Mohyeldin and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

He is a ?straight shooter? from Texas who worked as a telecoms executive until November. But Ghassan Hitto now finds himself the presumptive caretaker-leader of Syria as world powers plot the end of Bashar Assad?s crumbling regime.

The American citizen, born in Syria, is the new prime minister of the opposition?s interim government ? the apparatus that the international community hopes will seal the end of Assad?s rule.

Friends describe Hitto, 50, as ?sincere? and ?practical,? but the charismatic technocrat will need all the charm he can muster to unify Syria?s fragmented opposition.

His rapid rise has prompted questions about how the deadly conflict should end and has cast a light on infighting, fueled by regional countries purportedly supporting certain opposition figures.

The Free Syrian Army, one of the key rebel groups fighting Assad?s forces on the ground inside Syria, responded to Hitto?s appointment in Istanbul on March 18 by refusing to recognize his authority.

?The situation there is so dire, I?m afraid for him,? said Mustafa Carroll,?who worked alongside Hitto in Texas as a volunteer at Muslim advocacy groups. ?It?s a big responsibility and it?s very complicated.?

?He?s a straight shooter, very sincere, very well-regarded and a very active community person,? said Carroll, who is director of the Houston chapter of the Council for American-Islamic Relations.

Seen as Muslim Brotherhood's pick
Hitto, a father of four, lived in the U.S. for three decades, most recently on the outskirts of Dallas working as director of operations for telecoms supplier Inovar, where co-worker?Arshad Syed remembers him as "honest" and "personable."

He left Syria in the early 1980s and received an MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University on top of a degree in computer science and mathematics from Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Strongly active in community groups, he was a member of the board of directors at the private Islamic school Bright Horizons Academy, in Garland, Texas, where his wife Suzanne still teaches English.

In November, he made the decision to get involved in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces -- the international grouping that seeks to end Syria?s civil war on the condition that Assad is removed from power.

A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

?Like a lot of people living away, he just wanted to help his homeland,? said Carroll.

Hitto?s wife did not return calls, but the academy issued a statement describing him as ?a practical man with great management experience.?

It said: ?He was always open minded and open to debate. He conducted himself with the highest honesty and integrity. His talent for bringing people together for the common good will be missed in our community.?

Hitto, a respected technocrat but an inexperienced politician, won the overwhelming number of votes from those who cast a ballot -- other possible candidates that included a former Syrian regime official -- but some members of the Coalition boycotted the vote in protest at the process.

Not everyone was convinced the opposition needed an interim government, seeing it as yet another organization that could compete for control of a post-Assad Syria.

Official spokesman Walid al-Bunni walked out of the vote in protest and Moaz al-Khatib, president of the Coalition, resigned and had to be persuaded back on board just in time for the Arab Summit in Doha, which began Tuesday.

?Hitto?s whole role has been undermined from the start,? said Christopher Phillips, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at U.K. think tank, Chatham House.

?He?s very much the Muslim Brotherhood?s man, and is seen as such. There was a lot of pressure to get an interim opposition leader in place ahead of the Doha talks, but the way in which it was done, and the choice of very much the man that Qatar and Turkey wanted, has infuriated and alienated just about every key player in the process.?

Represents 'the some of the some'
Salman Shaik, director of the Brookings Center in Doha, said many Syrians "still regard the appointment of Hitto with suspicion." Even if Assad is toppled from power, Hitto is by no means certain of the authority he needs to implement free and fair elections.

?The huge elephant in the room is that there is no guarantee that, if and when the Assad regime falls, that any of the groups fighting in Syria will gather around this official opposition,? said Phillips. ?There are huge uncertainties in all of this.?

Abdulrahman al-Rashed, commentator and general manager of the Al Arabiya news channel, wrote: ?I am confident that Mr. Hitto is a respectable person and that he cares about Syria. But during this difficult time, we want a person who represents everyone and not only some Syrians. Some members of the Syrian coalition decided to choose Hitto but the coalition itself only represents some Syrians. Therefore, Hitto represents the some of the some!?

Yasser Tabarra, the Chicago-based legal adviser to the Coalition, says the interim government will focus on managing the 60 to 70 percent of the country that is liberated and controlled by opposition rebels.

The government would coordinate local management efforts, including establishing law and order, and delivering basic goods and services, Tabarra said.

Two key stumbling blocks remain: whether the Coalition should enter into any form of negotiations with the regime while Assad is still in power, and whether Hitto, an ethnic Kurd viewed as the Muslim Brotherhood's favored candidate, can unite the ideological differences between its liberal and Islamist members.

In his task, Hitto at least has the backing of the U.S.

?This is an individual who, out of concern for the Syrian people, left a very successful life in Texas to go and work on humanitarian relief for the people of his home country,? said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland after Hitto?s election.

?We?re very hopeful that his election will foster unity and cohesion among the opposition.?

NBC News' Becky Bratu contributed to this report.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2a8a9d/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C30A0C1750A0A980A0Efrom0Edallas0Eto0Edamascus0Ethe0Etexas0Estraight0Eshooter0Ewho0Ecould0Ereplace0Esyrias0Eassad0Dlite/story01.htm

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Multi-toxin biotech crops not silver bullets, scientists warn

Mar. 29, 2013 ? The popular new strategy of planting genetically engineered crops that make two or more toxins to fend off insect pests rests on assumptions that don't always apply, UA researchers have discovered. Their study helps explain why one major pest is evolving resistance much faster than predicted and offers ideas for more sustainable pest control.

A strategy widely used to prevent pests from quickly adapting to crop-protecting toxins may fail in some cases unless better preventive actions are taken, suggests new research by University of Arizona entomologists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Corn and cotton have been genetically modified to produce pest-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short. Compared with typical insecticide sprays, the Bt toxins produced by genetically engineered crops are much safer for people and the environment, explained Yves Carri?re, a professor of entomology in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who led the study.

Although Bt crops have helped to reduce insecticide sprays, boost crop yields and increase farmer profits, their benefits will be short-lived if pests adapt rapidly, said Bruce Tabashnik, a co-author of the study and head of the UA department of entomology. "Our goal is to understand how insects evolve resistance so we can develop and implement more sustainable, environmentally friendly pest management," he said. Tabashnik and Carri?re are both members of the UA's BIO5 Institute.

Bt crops were first grown widely in 1996, and several pests have already become resistant to plants that produce a single Bt toxin. To thwart further evolution of pest resistance to Bt crops, farmers have recently shifted to the "pyramid" strategy: each plant produces two or more toxins that kill the same pest. As reported in the study, the pyramid strategy has been adopted extensively, with two-toxin Bt cotton completely replacing one-toxin Bt cotton since 2011 in the U.S.

Most scientists agree that two-toxin plants will be more durable than one-toxin plants. The extent of the advantage of the pyramid strategy, however, rests on assumptions that are not always met, the study reports. Using lab experiments, computer simulations and analysis of published experimental data, the new results help explain why one major pest has started to become resistant faster than anticipated.

"The pyramid strategy has been touted mostly on the basis of simulation models," said Carri?re. "We tested the underlying assumptions of the models in lab experiments with a major pest of corn and cotton. The results provide empirical data that can help to improve the models and make the crops more durable."

One critical assumption of the pyramid strategy is that the crops provide redundant killing, Carri?re explained. "Redundant killing can be achieved by plants producing two toxins that act in different ways to kill the same pest," he said, "so, if an individual pest has resistance to one toxin, the other toxin will kill it."

In the real world, things are a bit more complicated, Carri?re's team found out. Thierry Br?vault, a visiting scientist from France, led the lab experiments at the UA. His home institution, the Center for Agricultural Research for Development, or CIRAD, is keenly interested in factors that could affect pest resistance to Bt crops in Africa.

"We obviously can't release resistant insects into the field, so we breed them in the lab and bring in the crop plants to do feeding experiments," Carri?re said. For their experiments, the group collected cotton bollworm -- also known as corn earworm or Helicoverpa zea -, a species of moth that is a major agricultural pest, and selected it for resistance against one of the Bt toxins, Cry1Ac.

As expected, the resistant caterpillars survived after munching on cotton plants producing only that toxin. The surprise came when Carri?re's team put them on pyramided Bt cotton containing Cry2Ab in addition to Cry1Ac.

If the assumption of redundant killing is correct, caterpillars resistant to the first toxin should survive on one-toxin plants, but not on two-toxin plants, because the second toxin should kill them, Carri?re explained.

"But on the two-toxin plants, the caterpillars selected for resistance to one toxin survived significantly better than caterpillars from a susceptible strain."

These findings show that the crucial assumption of redundant killing does not apply in this case and may also explain the reports indicating some field populations of cotton bollworm rapidly evolved resistance to both toxins.

Moreover, the team's analysis of published data from eight species of pests reveals that some degree of cross-resistance between Cry1 and Cry2 toxins occurred in 19 of 21 experiments. Contradicting the concept of redundant killing, cross-resistance means that selection with one toxin increases resistance to the other toxin.

According to the study's authors, even low levels of cross-resistance can reduce redundant killing and undermine the pyramid strategy. Carri?re explained that this is especially problematic with cotton bollworm and some other pests that are not highly susceptible to Bt toxins to begin with.

The team found violations of other assumptions required for optimal success of the pyramid strategy. In particular, inheritance of resistance to plants producing only Bt toxin Cry1Ac was dominant, which is expected to reduce the ability of refuges to delay resistance.

Refuges consist of standard plants that do not make Bt toxins and thus allow survival of susceptible pests. Under ideal conditions, inheritance of resistance is not dominant and the susceptible pests emerging from refuges greatly outnumber the resistant pests. If so, the matings between two resistant pests needed to produce resistant offspring are unlikely. But if inheritance of resistance is dominant, as seen with cotton bollworm, matings between a resistant moth and a susceptible moth can produce resistant offspring, which hastens resistance.

According to Tabashnik, overly optimistic assumptions have led the EPA to greatly reduce requirements for planting refuges to slow evolution of pest resistance to two-toxin Bt crops.

The new results should come as a wakeup call to consider larger refuges to push resistance further into the future, Carri?re pointed out. "Our simulations tell us that with 10 percent of acreage set aside for refuges, resistance evolves quite fast, but if you put 30 or 40 percent aside, you can substantially delay it."

"Our main message is to be more cautious, especially with a pest like the cotton bollworm," Carri?re said. "We need more empirical data to refine our simulation models, optimize our strategies and really know how much refuge area is required. Meanwhile, let's not assume that the pyramid strategy is a silver bullet."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Arizona. The original article was written by Daniel Stolte.

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

Journal Reference:

T. Brevault, S. Heuberger, M. Zhang, C. Ellers-Kirk, X. Ni, L. Masson, X. Li, B. E. Tabashnik, Y. Carriere. Potential shortfall of pyramided transgenic cotton for insect resistance management. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216719110

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/wYWT6YRzi0Y/130330130838.htm

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Obama attending Syracuse-Marquette basketball game

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is attending one of this weekend's big college basketball games.

The president is at Washington's Verizon Center to watch Syracuse and Marquette play for a berth in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament.

Earlier Saturday, Obama played golf for the first time since automatic spending cuts known as the sequester went into effect on March 1.

Some conservatives have called on Obama to give up golf since popular public tours of the White House have been canceled because of the budget cuts. The White House has said the tours were canceled to keep Secret Service agents from being furloughed because of the spending reductions.

Obama played on the course at Andrews Air Force Base with a friend, Marty Nesbitt, and two White House aides.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-attending-syracuse-marquette-basketball-game-205918618--politics.html

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Verlander, Tigers agree to $180M, 7-year deal

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws the ball during a baseball spring training workout in Lakeland, Fla. Verlander has agreed to a five-year contract covering 2015-19. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo,?Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander (35) is drenched with sparkling wine by teammates at the end of Game 5 of the American League division baseball series in Oakland, Calif. Verlander has agreed to a five-year contract covering 2015-19. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE - This is a 2013 file photo showing pitcher Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. Verlander, the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, has agreed to a five-year contract covering 2015-19. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander poses with Rocky, a 4-week-old Bengal tiger from the Dade City Wild Things Zoo, before an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, March 29, 2013 in Lakeland, Fla. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) ? Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander agreed Friday to a $180 million, seven-year contract, topping Felix Hernandez for the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history.

"I love this city & the fans," Verlander tweeted. "Couldn't be more excited to spend my career here! We're going to bring a World Series to Detroit!!!"

The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner had been signed through 2014 under an $80 million, five-year contract paying him $20 million in each of the next two seasons.

The new deal keeps those salaries and adds $140 million in guaranteed money: $28 million each season from 2015-19. It includes a $22 million option for 2020 that would become guaranteed if he finishes among the top five in 2019 Cy Young voting. The deal could be worth $202 million over eight seasons.

Verlander's agreement topped the record for pitchers set when Hernandez and Seattle agreed in February to a $175 million, seven-year contract.

Considered an elite pitcher since winning the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year award, the 30-year-old right-hander is 124-65 with a 3.40 ERA in eight major league seasons with two no-hitters. He was 24-5 two years ago, becoming the first starting pitcher to sweep Cy Young and MVP since Boston's Roger Clemens in 1986.

Verlander also has compiled a 19-win season and two each of 18 and 17. He led the big leagues in strikeouts and innings in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-29-BBA-Tigers-Verlander/id-999e7c23741f40478f56ba8484b4b82f

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The Very Best New Home Improvement Tips | Kitchen Remodeling ...

How a person takes care of their home shows the type of person he is. Paying close attention to every detail and not making mistakes helps make home improvements so popular. To avoid intimidation, read this article in full.

Painting? Make sure to put drop cloths on the floor. People rarely recognize how hard it is to remove dry paint from carpet and other flooring. Putting a covering down is a simple, fast way to make a huge difference.

If you are putting cabinetry in your kitchen, pull out a level. Begin at the highest point of the kitchen and make a benchmark line where those cabinets will be placed. This will ensure they are level during installation.

It?s vital to have a good drill when you are doing home improvements. With a good drill, you can pre-drill a variety of surfaces to make installing screws easier. You can also screw in screws easily and quickly. The drill should be cordless and battery powered and come with a variety of attachments and differently sized bits.

TIP! Arrange garage items in plastic boxes to keep organized. Label all plastic organizers for stacking.

Don?t throw out your bedroom doors just because they?re dirty. Remove the door from its frame, then sand it down until you expose bare wood. Get some oil-based paint and apply with a roller. Change to more modern doorknobs, too.

Check out your deck come spring. There could be rotting wood that needs to be fixed. Taking time to perform this safety inspection will help you prevent mishaps during the summer months.

If you put a particular water heater blanket on the tank-style water heater you own, you can help it to work better. The blanket holds heat into the water heater so that it doesn?t have to work so hard to keep water warm.

Installing smoke alarms in your home and checking them regularly can significantly lower your homeowners? insurance premiums. The effect is more pronounced with older houses, because insurance companies assume ? rightly ? that more modern homes are built with more fire-resistant materials. And of course, besides saving you a few bucks, smoke alarms might just save your life.

TIP! Ceramic tiles can really lose luster over time. They can even look grungy.

Keep your air conditioning filters clean. If the filter gets clogged up, the air conditioning unit will have to work harder to cool your house, using up more energy. Additionally, it may cause the AC to run for extended and unnecessary periods of time. Really look towards changing out the filter once every month.

If hiring home improvement professionals, be certain the companies you are considering are legitimate. If it does all it?s business by phone, it probably isn?t a very reputable company. Choose a company with a great reputation.

When a contractor comes out to assess problems and begin work, a contract should be written. If you have a clear contract, you won?t be taken advantage of or surprised with unexpected charges. If you don?t have a contract in hand, you might end up a very dissatisfied consumer with little to no recourse.

An inside home improvement project may seem bothersome to those that dwell in the home. To do this effectively, do the tasks when nobody is around. This will minimize the amount of stress for everyone involved.

TIP! A very quick walk around your home once a month will indicate small and effective home improvements that you can make easily. Air leaks would be an example of this.

Home improvement can be challenging. This doesn?t necessarily mean it?s only for professionals. Anyone can have fun with them, no matter what their skill level. No matter what your level of skill, the tips below can be a big help.

Source: http://kitchenremodelingmichigan.com/home-improvement/the-very-best-new-home-improvement-tips/

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Sand From Fracking Could Pose Lung Disease Risk To Workers

A worker stands on top of a storage bin on July 27, 2011, at a drilling operation in Claysville, Pa. The dust is from powder mixed with water for hydraulic fracturing.

Keith Srakocic/AP

A worker stands on top of a storage bin on July 27, 2011, at a drilling operation in Claysville, Pa. The dust is from powder mixed with water for hydraulic fracturing.

Keith Srakocic/AP

When workplace safety expert Eric Esswein got a chance to see fracking in action not too long ago, what he noticed was all the dust.

It was coming off big machines used to haul around huge loads of sand. The sand is a critical part of the hydraulic fracturing method of oil and gas extraction. After workers drill down into rock, they create fractures in that rock by pumping in a mixture of water, chemicals and sand. The sand keeps the cracks propped open so that oil and gas are released.

But sand is basically silica ? and breathing in silica is one of the oldest known workplace dangers. Inside the lungs, exposure to the tiny particles has been shown to sometimes lead to serious diseases like silicosis and cancer.

Traditionally, silica exposure has been associated with jobs like mining, manufacturing and construction. But, as Esswein, a researcher with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and other safety experts have started to realize, some workers in the newly burgeoning fracking industry may be at risk, too, because of their exposure to silica dust.

"When sand was handled ? that is, when it was transported by machines on site, or whenever these machines that move sand were refilled ? dust, visible dust was created," Esswein says.

Dust blows off a pile of fracking sand at a mine near Chippewa Falls, Wis., on Dec. 15, 2011. Some of the air samples the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health experts collected at fracking sites had such high levels of silica that the respirators typically worn by workers wouldn't offer enough protection, according to NIOSH standards.

Steve Karnowski/AP

He was visiting fracking sites because he wanted to study the potential chemical hazards for oil and gas workers, and he initially figured he and his colleagues would probably assess workers' exposures to chemicals like drilling fluids. But when he saw the plumes of dust coming off the sand-handling machines and surrounding workers, he realized it could be a real hazard. The government has long set limits on how much workers can inhale.

"Knowing what I know about silica and respirable dust, that was the particular chemical that we chose to look at," Esswein says.

He and his colleagues visited 11 fracking sites in five states: Arkansas, Colorado, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. At every site, the researchers found high levels of silica in the air. It turned out that 79 percent of the collected samples exceeded the recommended exposure limit set by Esswein's agency.

There were some controls in place, says Esswein, who notes that "at every site that we went to, workers wore respirators."

But about one-third of the air samples they collected had such high levels of silica, the type of respirators typically worn wouldn't offer enough protection.

These unexpected findings have come just as federal safety officials are trying to set stricter controls on silica for all industries. Some proposed new rules have been under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget for more than two years.

Peg Seminario, director of safety and health with the AFL-CIO, a group of unions that has been pushing for stronger silica regulation, says the situation with fracking is a wake-up call.

"Hopefully it will give some impetus for the need for the silica regulation ? that there is a whole other population at risk and those numbers are potentially growing," says Seminario.

A local contractor closes the valve on his tanker truck on July 27, 2011, after watering the roads to help keep down dust at a hydraulic fracturing operation in Claysville, Pa.

Keith Srakocic/AP

A local contractor closes the valve on his tanker truck on July 27, 2011, after watering the roads to help keep down dust at a hydraulic fracturing operation in Claysville, Pa.

Keith Srakocic/AP

Workplace inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration wouldn't have been aware of this potential risk for fracking workers before this recent study because, unless they receive a complaint or there's an accident, they generally don't see the process of hydraulic fracturing. That part of setting up a well happens quickly ? and once a well is up and running, contractors move on to the next one.

Government officials and the fracking industry say they're now working together to reduce workers' exposures. They started with quick fixes, like putting up warning signs and simply closing hatches on sand-moving machines.

Some oil and gas companies are also testing new technologies. Tim Hicks, a safety expert with Encana Corp., says they've been trying vacuum systems that attach to sand-moving machines and suck up the dust.

The results so far are encouraging, Hicks says, but his company is still testing to see how much of a reduction in airborne silica is reasonably achievable.

"We'd like to envision a site that, you know, we could handle sand and sequester it all, and perhaps someday not need to use respirators," says Hicks.

He says he's not sure whether that goal is possible, or how long it would take to get to that point. "But I can say that at the rate we're going," Hicks says, "we're much more likely to hit that [target] than we were prior to this issue being recognized."

Hicks says he has only been working in this part of the oil and gas business for a few years and couldn't speculate as to why the industry didn't recognize this potential health risk earlier. People, he says, seemed to think the dust was basically just dirt.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/28/175042708/Sand-From-Fracking-Operations-Poses-Silicosis-Risk?ft=1&f=1007

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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.

The environment minister Richard Benyon said that in the current financial squeeze he cannot 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

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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How to Color Match Your Foundation to Skin Color ... - jackie's bazaar

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Many women have a difficult time finding the perfect shade of foundation to match their skin tone. It can seem like a daunting task given the wide selection of colors available. However, knowing a few key pieces of information before making a trip to the beauty store can help with correctly color matching foundation to skin color.

Source:How to Color Match Your Foundation to Skin Color

Where Did Our Love Go: Love & Relationships in the African ...

Gil Robertson, a well-known author and journalist with strong ties to the Cascade area and the greater Atlanta community, has just released his 3^rd anthology, ?Where Did Our Love Go: Love & Relationships in the African American Community.??

"The book focuses on the indelible quest for LOVE and how more of us can find sustainable, healthy partnership in our lives," says Gil Robertson, who was able to acquire roughly 25 essays on love from powerful xouples and individuals throughout the city of Atlanta and the nation.

The attached video is part 1 of a 3-part series that Cascade Patch is doing on black love and in particular, the new book "Where Did Our Love Go."? In the video Amy Keith and Ed Garnes discuss their contributions to the book and some of the over-arching issues the book tackles such as marriage, divorce, and being single.

In part 1 of this video, Ed Garnes a professor at Spelman College and Founder of From Afros to Shelltoes, said that in his essay he discusses, "black male vulnerability and how do we as brothers, develop the capacity to love." For Garnes this is a personal subject that he and his father both had to work on before he could create space in his heart to actually love and be loved.

On the other hand, Amy Elisa Keith the Lifestyle Editor at Ebony Magazine, says that she wrote her essay based on her family experiences growing up.? Her essay is titled, Not by Sight, and Amy told Cascade Patch that it, "delves into the fact that I have never seen a succesful black marriage."? Not that Amy doesn't believe in marriage, because the truth is that she does, and is in a committed relationship.? Instead, her essay is a truthful look into her own life growing up, and the fact that she never saw a "good" marriage and cannot rely on that going forward nor let it be used as an excuse.

Gil Robertson, the Editor of this new book has amazingly put together a great selection of people to share their thoughts on all the facets of African-American relationships, in an attempt to start a real discussion so that future generations can begin to heal themselves and love again the way generations in the past did.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 of this video, in which Ed Garnes and Amy Keith discuss more on this topic and share invaluable tips of how to love in the black community.

You can purchase the book at most large retailers and online at Amazon.? You can also follow the discussion on Twitter, @WhereDidRLoveGo, and on Facebook at BlackLoveIsForever.

Source: http://cascade.patch.com/articles/where-did-our-love-go-love-relationships-in-the-african-american-community

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Deal may mean immigration breakthrough

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big business and labor have struck a deal on a new low-skilled worker program, removing the biggest hurdle to completion of sweeping immigration legislation allowing 11 million illegal immigrants eventual U.S. citizenship, labor and Senate officials said Saturday.

The agreement was reached in a phone call late Friday night with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who's been mediating the dispute.

The deal resolves disagreements over wages for the new workers and which industries would be included. Those disputes had led talks to break down a week ago, throwing into doubt whether Schumer and seven other senators crafting a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill would be able to complete their work as planned.

The deal must still be signed off on by the other senators working with Schumer, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, but that's expected to happen, according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity. With the agreement in place, the senators are expected to unveil their legislation the week of April 8. Their measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the nation's faltering immigration system in more than two decades.

"The strength of the consensus across America for just reform has afforded us the momentum needed to forge an agreement in principle to develop a new type of employer visa system," Trumka said in a statement late Saturday. "We expect that this new program, which benefits not just business, but everyone, will promote long overdue reforms by raising the bar for existing programs."

Schumer said: "This issue has always been the dealbreaker on immigration reform, but not this time."

The AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, longtime antagonists over temporary worker programs, had been fighting over wages for tens of thousands of low-skilled workers who would be brought in under the new program to fill jobs in construction, hotels and resorts, nursing homes and restaurants, and other industries.

Under the agreement, a new "W'' visa program would go into effect beginning April 1, 2015, according to an AFL-CIO fact sheet.

In year one of the program, 20,000 workers would be allowed in; in year two, 35,000; in year three, 55,000; and in year four, 75,000. Ultimately the program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market. One-third of all visas in any year would go to businesses with under 25 workers.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap if they can show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the following year's cap.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency after a year, and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Business has sought temporary worker programs in a quest for a cheaper workforce, but labor has opposed the programs because of concerns over working conditions and the effect on jobs and wages for U.S. workers. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration overhaul in 2007, which the AFL-CIO opposed partly because of temporary worker provisions, and the flare-up earlier this month sparked concerns that the same thing would happen this time around. Agreement between the two traditional foes is one of many indications that immigration reform has its best chance in years in Congress this year.

After apparent miscommunications earlier this month between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce on the wage issue, the deal resolves it in a way both sides are comfortable with, officials said.

Workers would earn actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

There also had been disagreement on how to handle the construction industry, which unions argue is different from other industries in the new program because it can be more seasonal in nature and includes a number of higher-skilled trades. The official said the resolution will cap at 15,000 a year the number of visas that can be sought by the construction industry.

Schumer called White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Saturday to inform him of the deal, the person with knowledge of the talks said. The three principals in the talks ? Trumka, Donohue and Schumer ? agreed they should meet for dinner soon to celebrate, the person said.

However, in a sign of the delicate and uncertain negotiations still ahead, Rubio sent a letter Saturday to Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., calling for a deliberate hearing process on the new legislation and cautioning against a "rush to legislate." Rubio and a number of other Republicans are striking a tricky balance as they simultaneously court conservative and Hispanic voters on the immigration issue.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-labor-deal-worker-program-004114076--finance.html

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Same Sex Marriage before the US Supreme Court - The People's Law

Redbox I want to begin this piece by plainly stating that I stand in support of same sex marriage and in opposition to any law or practice that discriminates against anyone based upon their race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

This week the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal statute that limits the federal government?s recognition of marriage to one man and one woman.? The petitioners in the case argue that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it denies same sex partners equal protection under the law and infringes upon the fundamental civil right to marriage.?? After witnessing two days of legal oral argument many court watchers are predicting that the Defense of Marriage Act will be found unconstitutional, not on equal protection grounds, but on the basis of the 10^th Amendment by finding that it intrudes too far upon the ability of the individual states to legislate marriage within their borders.? Such a ruling would allow the Supreme Court to avoid deciding the issue of Constitutional protections for same sex relationships.? It is a time-honored tradition by the Supreme Court that if it can avoid deciding an issue, it will.

A decision based upon 10^th Amendment grounds would basically toss the issue back to each state to decide. It would continue the status quo of relationships that have the force of law in one state but are completely disregarded in another. The ruling may also allow same sex marriages to be recognized for the tax purposes and federal benefits, even when that marriage is not recognized by a particular state.? This outcome could become even more complicated in situations where a state administers a federal program such as social security disability claims. ??In theory I think that the full faith and credit clause contained in Article 4, section 1 of the Constitution obligates states to recognize all legal marriages in the state where the marriage took place.? Thus, even a state that refuses to legalize same sex marriages might be required to recognize a same sex marriage performed in another state.? However, I suspect that the reality will be that states where same sex marriages are not legal will continue to refuse to recognize those marriages.

If, as many expect, this issue is returned to the States, I do not expect Florida to take a leadership role in the legalization of same sex marriage.?? Historically, Florida has brought up the rear regarding issues of civil and human rights.?? Our schools were among the last in the nation to desegregate.? We lead the nation when it comes to incarcerating children in adult prison, often sending more children to prison than all other states in the nation combined. ??Married women in Florida were denied the right to contract until 1943.? In 2008 the Florida Constitution was amended to limit the State?s recognition of marriage to one man and one woman.?? Not only does this amendment preclude the State of Florida from giving legal status to same sex marriage, it also serves to preclude recognition of civil unions or any equivalent to marriage.

During the oral arguments Justice Scalia, as is his habit, drew the argument back to the founding fathers and their vision of the nation.? For Justice Scalia the Constitution appears to be constrained by an 18^th century world-view of morality and justice.? However, we live in a complex technological society that could hardly have been envisioned by our founding fathers.? Our experiences over the 225 years since our Constitution was first ratified have deepened our understanding of justice and human rights.? This growth and change is reflected in our Constitution with the addition of amendments such as the 14^th Amendment containing the Equal Protection Clause, which was added in 1868, following the civil war.? It was under the equal protection clause that the US Supreme Court decided the case of Loving vs. Virginia in which the Court ruled that restricting marriage based upon racial classifications violated the equal protection clause of the 14^th Amendment, thus making laws restricting inter-racial marriages unconstitutional.

One does need to be concerned that, if the Supreme Court rules only on 10^th Amendment grounds, the Court could be opening the door to weakening the decision in Loving vs. Virginia.? It is important to note that the State of Virginia raised the 10^th Amendment argument in defense of its law against inter-racial marriage. The Court rejected this argument by finding that the right to marry is a fundamental civil right and that a state cannot deprive a person of such a right absent due process and a compelling state interest.? However, the Court now finds that it should defer to the individual states based upon 10^th Amendment grounds, one has to wonder if states could return to outlawing inter-racial marriages?

It is important to keep all this in perspective.? Social change is often an erratic and conflicted process.? When I was a child growing up in the 1970?s the very idea of same-sex marriage being legal in our state or country was almost inconceivable.? Today that has changed and homophobia is no longer widely tolerated in our society.? Hopefully, one day soon all people in our State and throughout our nation can have the right to have legal recognition of their relationships and families.

About Law Office of David H. Abrams

David H. Abrams allies himself with individuals and families in order to create opportunities for access to social and economic justice through the transparent, ethical, and analytical practice of bankruptcy, consumer rights, and social security disability law. David has gained reputation as a leader in the practice of bankruptcy law (Chapter 7 and 13), Social Security Disability law, guardianship and Elder care law, debt relief, and consumer protection law through diligent work, scholarship, and constant innovation. He is a frequent and sought after speaker on issues of law as it applies to the economic lives of individuals and families. He possesses an uncompromising commitment to helping his clients navigate the challenges and transitions en route to new beginnings. David will seek to make himself your most valuable advocate by providing exemplary and affordable legal counsel and advocacy. He has followed his heart and principles in creating a culture of empathy, courtesy, and integrity. Call him today to find out how he may be able help, as the first consultation is always free. Phone: 850.224.7653 http://dhabramslaw.com/

Source: http://bigbendbankruptcy.com/2013/03/29/same-sex-marriage-before-the-us-supreme-court/

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Review: Finding Nemo 3D - John Lowdon-NEC - Chronicle Live

28 Mar 2013 14:23

Finding Nemo returns to cinemas in 3D format with an added depth of vision that looks stunning

Finding Nemo 3D

*****

Ten years after it was first released, Pixar?s hugely-entertaining comedy swims back into cinemas in the 3D format? ?? and it is still the cinematic catch of the day.

Eye-popping visuals and a superb script, crammed to the gills with laugh-out-loud gags, combine to stunning effect in this wildly inventive fable set beneath the ocean waves.

The conversion to 3D has been lovingly overseen by Pixar supremo John Lasseter and the underwater environments look stunning with the added depth of vision.

You can almost feel fish swimming around you as the camera glides along coral reefs or sinks into the blue beyond and a forest of deadly jellyfish.

Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) is a neurotic clownfish who has never recovered emotionally from a barracuda attack which claimed the lives of his wife and all but one of his unborn children.

When his one surviving son? Nemo (Alexander Gould), is plucked from the Great Barrier Reef by a diver and rehoused in a fish tank in a dentist?s waiting room, Marlin embarks on an epic adventure to bring the youngster home.

The clownfish is aided by a friendly blue tang called Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who suffers from short-term memory loss, travelling through shark-infested waters to be reunited with his boy.

Meanwhile, Nemo hatches a daring escape from the crowded aquarium with the help of the other residents, including a Moorish Idol called Gill (Willem Dafoe), a hygiene-obsessed shrimp called Jacques (Joe Ranft) and a starfish called Peach (Allison Janney).

Finding Nemo is still computer-animated perfection.

Brooks plays his compulsive-obsessive father with sensitivity and dry wit, such as when he frets that none of his children will like him and his wife replies: ?Marlin, there are 400 eggs, I?m pretty sure one of them will like you.?

The rapport between Marlin and Dory is wonderful.

DeGeneres is a hoot as the comic sidekick, repeatedly forgetting who Marlin is and swimming to the surreal conclusion: ?Are ... are you my conscience??

There are dozens of memorable supporting characters, including a surfer dude turtle and a trio of sharks keen to embrace vegetarianism.

?I am a nice, friendly shark,? they chant, ?Not a fish-eating monster. Fish are our friends, not food.?

A great white called Bruce (Barry Humphries) soon changes his tuna when he scents Marlin?s blood.

The animation is jaw-dropping.

Sly visual jokes and rich detail are crammed into every water-logged frame, including a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the dentist?s office.

Before the main feature, there is an uproariously funny new Toy Story short called Partysaurus Rex in which the fun-loving green plastic dinosaur helps a gang of bath toys to stage a rave in a bubble bath.

Pixar certainly knows how to spoil us.

Source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/film-tv/review-finding-nemo-3d-2062622

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China: No signs of life in mine landslide

BEIJING (AP) ? No signs of life have been detected at a gold mining site in a mountainous area of Tibet more than 24 hours after a massive landslide buried 83 workers, Chinese state media said Saturday.

The state-run China Central Television said more than 2,000 rescuers have been dispatched to Lhasa's Maizhokunggar county to search for the buried.

About 2 million cubic meters (2.6 million cubic yards) of mud, rock and debris swept through the area as the workers were resting and covered an area measuring around 4 square kilometers (1.5 square miles), CCTV said.

The miners worked for a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corp., a state-owned enterprise and the country's largest gold producer. A woman who answered the call at its Beijing headquarters Saturday said she could not provide any information.

The disaster is likely to inflame critics of Chinese rule in Tibet who say Beijing's interests are driven by the region's mineral wealth and strategic position and come at the expense of the region's delicate ecosystem and Tibetans' Buddhist culture and traditional way of life.

The reports said at least two of the buried workers were Tibetan while most of the workers were believed to be ethnic Han Chinese, a reflection of how such large projects often create an influx of the majority ethnic group into the region.

The more than 2,000 police, firefighters, soldiers and medics deployed to the site, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Lhasa, the regional capital, conducted searches armed with devices to detect signs of life and accompanied by sniffer dogs, reports said.

Around 30 excavators were also digging away at the site late Friday as temperatures fell to just below freezing.

The reports said the landslide was caused by a "natural disaster" but did not provide specifics. It was unclear why the first news reports of the landslide came out several hours after it occurred.

China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang ordered authorities to "spare no efforts" in their rescue work, Xinhua said.

Doctors at the local county hospital said they had been told to prepare to receive survivors but none had arrived. "We were ordered to make all efforts to receive the injured," said a doctor who gave only her surname, Ge, in the hospital's emergency section.

On Saturday morning, a hospital staff member who gave her surname of Wu said it had received no one from the landslide, dead or alive.

The Chinese government has been encouraging development of mining and other industries in long-isolated Tibet as a way to promote its economic growth and raise living standards. The region has abundant deposits of copper, chromium, bauxite and other precious minerals and metals and is one of fast-growing China's last frontiers.

Tibet remains among China's poorest regions despite producing a large share of its minerals. A key source of anti-Chinese anger is complaints by local residents that they get little of the wealth extracted by government companies, most of which flows to distant Beijing.

In 2008, unhappiness with Chinese rule spilled over into deadly riots that engulfed Lhasa and an anti-government uprising that swept many Tibetan communities. To quell the unrest, Beijing poured security forces into Tibetan areas and has kept them there since, giving the western China region the feel of a military garrison and further alienating many Tibetans.

In recent years, more than 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest the stifling security presence and call for greater religious freedom.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-landslide-buries-83-tibet-gold-mine-area-153622033.html

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95% West of Memphis

All Critics (106) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (5)

A real-life horror story, made no less shocking by the familiarity of its early scenes.

While the "Paradise Lost" films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle, "West of Memphis" has the luxury of at least partial closure.

A true-crime story that begins with a notorious murder case and grows into a chilling indictment of the American justice system.

And justice for all? Hardly.

It tells the story of a terrible crime compounded by a grave injustice that's been remedied, but only in part, so it's impossible to have a single or simple response to the movie.

What sets this film apart from previous efforts to document the story is that Jackson and Walsh financed a private investigative team with legal and forensic experts who re-examined old evidence, conducted new interviews and found new witnesses.

The film is so utterly transfixing you won't believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll.

We feel like we're watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie.

I would have preferred Jackson's clinically-presented project display a bit more reverence for the three young lives that were brutally taken some twenty years ago.

Moving and gruesome, West of Memphis is an eloquent disquisition on the banality of evil.

"West of Memphis" re-examines evidence and retells the story in a methodical and procedural fashion in which even the false steps lead somewhere.

More a recap and appendix to the Paradise Lost trilogy... one can't help but feel that the celebrities involved needed this document of their efforts to appease their vanity.

The case is more intriguing than the film about it.

Isn't unnecessary, but it's often superfluous.

The film suggests these powerless, poorly educated young men were scapegoated because they would be missed by nobody of importance -- the justice system equivalent of the cannon fodder recruited from the same socioeconomic straits.

It's nice to have all the twists and turns of the iconic case contained tidily in one well-crafted film, although there are no real revelations here.

"West of Memphis" becomes a greatest-hits concert of prosecutorial misconduct, and you'll agree when the film asserts that prosecutors knew they had the wrong guys.

Incredibly, after three documentaries on the subject, there are still things to reveal about the West Memphis Three.

"West of Memphis" does nothing to displace its predecessor films as masterpieces of investigative filmmaking, but complements them as a riveting capstone to an epic and tragic tale.

West of Memphis is the real vindication - even if it is incomplete.

In the end it won't matter if this is the fourth movie about the same subject; you can never learn its lessons often enough.

West of Memphis caps off the Paradise Lost/West Memphis Three saga with a line up full of perpetrators including the media, the West Memphis PD, the legal establishment and suspect gift wrapped with a smoking gun.

Injustice in West Memphis, Arkansas

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

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Finding Nemo 3D