Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year?s Eve Stories

New Year’s Eve Stories

Justin Bieber newsBrad Pitt Buys Angelina Jolie Sex Tape? [The Frisky] Justin Bieber Adds Two New Tracks to Album [HollyWire] Bai Ling Tries the Bumble Bee Look [Right Celebrity] Janet Jackson Stuns in Holiday Card [The Celebrity Cafe] Rita Ora Flaunts Abs [The Blemish] Kanye West Not Attending Grammys? [The Huffington Post] Kate Middleton The Next Queen? ...

New Year’s Eve Stories Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/12/new-years-eve-stories/

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Police: Missing Ga. boys located in Texas, father held

By The Associated Press

AP

This photo provided Thursday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, shows Henry and Ben Cleary of Roswell, Ga.

ATLANTA -?Police said two young boys from Georgia who were reported missing this week were found safe in Texas on Saturday and their father is in custody and facing charges.?

Brothers Ben and Henry Cleary -- ages nine and seven -- were visiting with their father, Daniel Cleary, of Roswell, and were supposed to return home Wednesday. An Amber Alert was issued Thursday.?

Roswell Police Lt. James H. McGee said that the 46-year-old Daniel Cleary was taken into custody Saturday evening in Austin, Texas.?

"We have recovered the kids," McGee told The Associated Press. "They were with him and they were OK."?

Austin police said a citizen had recognized the boys from the alert and notified police at 5:11 p.m. CDT that they were at a hotel.?

Officers "observed the suspect and the two boys, and recovered the two boys and took the suspect into custody," Austin police Lt. James Nisula.?

The children's mother, Theresa Nash, spoke to the boys by phone and was on the way to get them.?

More stories in US news

She told FOX 5 Atlanta they were "battling each other on their IPads and planning Henry's birthday party."?

Nash had told WGCL-TV in Atlanta she was concerned because Daniel Cleary had purchased a firearm about a month ago, was under stress and drinking.?

AP

The sons of Daniel Cleary, 46, were reported missing in metro Atlanta on Thursday when they did not return home from a visit with their father. The two were supposed to return Wednesday to their mother, who is divorced from Cleary, police said. An Amber Alert was issued on Thursday afternoon.

Police said they did not know if Daniel Cleary was in possession of a firearm when he was taken into custody.?

McGee said authorities will arrange for Daniel Cleary's extradition to Georgia. He faces a charge of interstate interference with custody, a felony. McGee said police will discuss with prosecutors whether other charges will be brought.?

Police on Friday had released surveillance footage showing the two missing boys at a Walmart in Tennessee on Dec. 23 and 24 with their father. Though initial reports were that the Walmart was in Jackson, McGee said it was in fact in Chattanooga.?

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? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/30/16246244-police-missing-ga-boys-located-in-texas-father-held?lite

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

PFT: Broncos get No. 1 seed? |? CSN: Pats No. 2

Dallas Cowboys v Washington RedskinsGetty Images

For most of the year, Redskins running back Alfred Morris was the other rookie, if that.

Sunday night, he put his name up with John Riggins, or at least Timmy Smith.

Morris ran 33 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns, in the Redskins 28-18 win over the Cowboys. With their seventh straight win, the Redskins advance to the playoffs as the NFC East champion, and will host the Seahawks next Sunday.

The Cowboys? season ends with an 8-8 record.

And it ended thanks in large part to the sixth-rounder from Florida Atlantic.

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was obviously ailing (and threw for only 100 yards), so it was on Morris to carry the load offensively.

He did that, and then some, controlling the game from the inside out, even though the Cowboys knew what was coming. It?s the kind of performance that sets up an old school duel with Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch next week.

But even before the playoffs start, it was the kind of game that made Morris part of a rich history of runners.

Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football:

1. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had thrown three interceptions in his previous eight games.

His three picks Sunday night will continue to define him, such that the definition changed.

It?s a shame, because he had played so well the last month, and been so good in fourth quarters.

But he may never be able to escape the fact that when it?s time for a play to be made, he ends up making it for the other team. Defensive end Jason Hatcher tried to take him off the hook with a ridiculous penalty at a ridiculous time (the first of the night for the Cowboys), but Romo will remain the focus, as he should.

2. Between the evaluation of Mike Shanahan or the budding genius of his son Kyle drawing up plays for the offense, it?s been easy to miss to work done by Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

Keep in mind, this is a coach that lost his best pass-rusher in Brian Orakpo along with defensive end Adam Carriker two games into the season.

He?s built the thing around London Fletcher, who has battled injuries all year and wasn?t the fastest to begin with. But Haslett dialed up pressure, and it got home enough to keep the Cowboys off-balance.

It?s not an easy thing he?s done, but the Redskins have responded on that side of the ball. They?re not great, but they?ve been good enough, long enough.

3. That said, the Cowboys were running out of numbers and nametags on defense.

They entered the night with a one-armed DeMarcus Ware, then outside linebacker Anthony Spencer went down with an injury in the third quarter, though he?d come back.

They had put inside linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter on injured reserve previously, and lost nose tackle Jay Ratliff to a groin injury.

That many losses to the front seven finally became more than they could bear.

4. The converse of the Cowboys injury plagued defense is the Redskins offensive line, which has been greater than the sum of its parts all year.

Left tackle Trent Williams has first-round pedigree. But left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Tyler Polumbus are the kind of guys you fill in the blanks with.

For the Redskins, they?re a foundation.

Polumbus missed one game with a concussion, otherwise the group has been intact all season. Rookie Josh LeRibeus replaced Lichtensteiger briefly in the third quarter, but they finished the game the way they?ve played the second half of the season.

Together.

5. DeAngelo Hall gave Dez Bryant the ?Back up off me bro? treatment for most of the night.

The Redskins cornerback, who has traditionally been more talk than walk in his career, kept the clamps on the Cowboys star wideout most of the evening.

Bryant finished with four catches for 71 yards?before leaving with an injury, but wasn?t a factor, which your best player needs to be in this type of game.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/30/broncos-earn-home-field-advantage-chiefs-earn-first-overall-pick/related/

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A traveling pastor brings together the Columbia Chinese Christian Church. http:/...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaMissourian/posts/316636331780741

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Tigers making comeback in Asia

Camera trap images reveal tiger numbers rebounding across Asia, especially in southwestern India, where young tigers are leaving protected reserves due to population pressure, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The WCS attributes the rise in different tiger groups to better law enforcement and protection of additional habitat. For example, a notorious poaching ring was busted in Thailand last year, and the gang leaders have been given prison sentences of up to five years ? the most severe punishments for wildlife poaching in Thailand's history, the conservation group said in a statement.

Tiger numbers have been rising steadily in Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary since 2007, with a record 50-plus tigers counted last year, the WCS said. The sanctuary is part of the country's Western Forest Complex. This core spans 7,000 square miles (18,000 square kilometers) and is home to an estimated 125 to 175 tigers.

In India's mountainous landscape of Nagarahole and Bandipur national parks, tigers have reached saturation levels, with more than 600 individuals caught on camera trap photos in the past decade. Young tigers are leaving the parks along protected corridors and entering a landscape with a population of a million people, the group said. [In Images: Tigers Rebound in Asia]

Conservationists also worked with government officials in Russia to create additional protected areas for tigers. The country declared a new corridor, called the Central Ussuri Wildlife Refuge, on Oct. 18. The refuge links the Sikhote-Alin tiger population in Russia ? the main group of endangered Amur tigers? with tiger habitat in China's Heilongjiang Province in the Wandashan Mountains. The refuge ensures that tigers can move across the border between Russia and China in this region.

An estimated 3,200 tigers are living in the wild, with only 2,500 breeding adult pairs, according to TRAFFIC, a monitoring group funded by the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Tigers have lost 93 percent of their historical range, which once sprawled across Asia from Turkey to Russia and south to Bali, according to the group.

"Tigers are clearly fighting for their very existence, but it's important to know that there is hope. Victories like these give us the resolve to continue to battle for these magnificent big cats," Cristi?n Samper, WCS president, said in a statement.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2012 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tigers-making-comeback-asia-144611814.html

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Gateway to Baseball Heaven - Dec 31,2012

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    On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

  • MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

  • Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

  • Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

  • The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

  • Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

  • Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

  • Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

  • Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

  • Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

  • Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

  • Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

  • The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

  • Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

  • Seasoned entertainment reporter Robin Milling gets up close and personal with the world's most compelling celebs. From Michael Douglas to Katie Holmes to Kevin Kline to Ashley Judd to America Ferrera, she sits down in person each week with each and every A-lister.

  • Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

  • Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seamheads/2012/12/31/gateway-to-baseball-heaven

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    Sales Consulting, Training and Coaching: Sales Success and More ...

    ?

    What is price elasticity and how does it work?

    What is price elasticity and how does it work?

    I have a client who wants to increase their profitability by selling at higher prices.? Their challenge is simple; how much can they increase the price, what effects will a price increase have on their volumes and where is optimum profitability found?

    What is price elasticity?

    The concept of price elasticity is a measure of how the sales volume will change in relation to a change in the selling price.? So as you reduce the price, theoretically the sales volume will go up.? And as you increase the price, the sales volume will reduce.

    The interesting bit is that the changes are usually not linear.? So if you half the price, you won?t double the volume.? Or double the price, you won?t half the volume.

    The effect of this is that at some point there will be an optimum combination of price and volume that creates the greatest profitability.? And it is that combination my client is seeking.

    An example

    My client is selling a software product with a licence fee price of $750.? At this price, they sell an average of 40 licences a month.

    They plan to increase the price initially to $800, and expect a minor change in the volume to an average of 38 licences a month.

    If the thinking is correct, the new price/volume combination will increase profitability by $400/month.? Here?s how:

    • Current situation:? 40 licences/month at $750 each generates total revenue of $30,000
    • New situation:? 38 licences/month at $800 each generates total revenue of $30,400
    • All other factors unchanged

    If the thinking is wrong, and the volume actually reduces to 37, then profitability will be reduced by $400.? Or if the volume remains unchanged at 40, the profitability will be increased by $2,000.

    Testing

    You might be wondering where the idea of a volume reduction from 40 to 38 came from.? Is it just an assumption, or is there some basis for the theory?

    In this case there is a basis of theory.? To test the idea, the company did a simple A/B test in which it emailed an offer to a segment of its existing mailing list.? The offer went in two forms where the only variation was the price.? In 50% of the emails it was the current $750, in the other 50% the price was the increased $800.? The response rate of the two was then compared to come up with the volume of the reduction.

    Here?s what to do next

    If you?re interested in how this could help you, or feel I may be able to help you with some of the challenges you?re facing, please get in touch for an informal discussion.

    There?s no commitment, we?ll just discuss your situation to see if working together might be a good fit. ?Contact me?now.

    Best regards

    Source: http://www.salessuccessandmore.com/what-is-price-elasticity-and-how-can-it-increase-your-profitability

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    Worst Listing Photos 2012: The Best of the Bad ... - AOL Real Estate


    One thing we learned in 2012? Some people have no idea how to create home listings properly.

    We've seen some of the most disgusting listing photos this year, from bloody bathtubs to frying pans with rotting food still in them. And why would these photos be included in a home listing in the first place? Beats us. We're just the messengers.

    We've also seen funny listing photos, scary ones and just plain bad ones. Click through the gallery below to see our best of the worst in real estate listing photos this year. (Hope you're not eating right now.)

    Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/12/28/worst-listing-photos-2012-the-best-of-the-bad-this-year/

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    ?Fiscal cliff?: Will Wall Street light a fire under Congress?

    So far at least, many on Wall Street seem to think that no matter what happens over the next few days with the fiscal cliff, Congress will still come through early in the new year.

    By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / December 27, 2012

    Trader Warren Meyers uses his handheld device as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Dec. 21. Though stocks were slightly down before Christmas, there has been no mass panic on Wall Street, even as the fiscal cliff looms closer.

    Richard Drew/AP

    Enlarge

    When it comes to the ?fiscal cliff,? Wall Street has yet to hit the panic button ? although some politicians might wish it would.

    Skip to next paragraph

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    Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, practically begged for a sharp sell-off on Wall Street to get Congress to make a deal.

    ?If we get pistol-whipped by the market, if it punishes us for our failure to act, it might be the only thing that gets us to act,? he told CNBC.

    It wouldn?t be the first time a sell-off on Wall Street prompted Congress to do something. Back in October 2008, an initial failure by Congress to help the banking industry caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall 30 percent, or about 3,000 points, in two weeks.

    That hasn?t happened so far this time. Yes, in the past four trading sessions, the market has declined modestly. But since President Obama?s reelection, the Dow is off only about 130 points, or about 1 percent.

    On Thursday, the Dow had a roller-coaster day, at one point falling nearly 140 points before recouping most of its losses when reports circulated the House would return on Sunday. At 4 p.m., the average was down only about 19 points.

    What?s going on?

    Wall Street?s shrug is partly related to its feeling that no matter what happens over the next few days, Congress will still come through early in the new year.

    ?It makes no difference whether it?s next week or on Jan. 4, when there is a new House of Representatives,? says David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors in Vineland, N.J. ?They will reach a deal because they have to reach a deal.?

    Pete Davis of Davis Capital Investment Ideas, who advises many Wall Street clients about Congress?s actions, says many of his clients think as Mr. Kotok does ? that Congress will act early in 2013.

    However, ?I keep telling them that is not my view,? he says. ?They will reach agreement, but not before a fair amount of damage.?

    Still, some on Wall Street think Congress doesn?t have to act right away.

    Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yH6r_90XVds/Fiscal-cliff-Will-Wall-Street-light-a-fire-under-Congress

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    Friday, December 28, 2012

    Simple Abundance Exercises Can Change Your Mindset

    Article title: Simple Abundance Exercises Can Change Your Mindset
    Article Category: Self-Improvement

    5 free summer clipart illustration of a happy smiling sun Simple Abundance Exercises Can Change Your Mindset

    When you feel more prosperous, you will lead life of improved health, happiness and prosperity. However, when most of us think about our finances, most of the time we don?t have thoughts of prosperity.
    Continue reading this article?

    Source: http://www.medicalguide.pro/3210/simple-abundance-exercises-can-change-your-mindset-4.html

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    Source: http://kaokely.posterous.com/simple-abundance-exercises-can-change-your-mi

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    Source: http://skysportsanswers.falyorumlari.com/773/simple-abundance-exercises-can-change-your-mindset-kaokelys/

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    Source: http://capitalization-frugality.blogspot.com/2012/12/simple-abundance-exercises-can-change.html

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    Source: http://caramelize-paten.blogspot.com/2012/12/health-and-fitness-back-pain-some-clues.html

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    LG?s latest projector system is powered by freaking lasers

    1 hr.

    Until now, all consumer front projector systems?produced light using lamps or in rare cases LEDs. The new?LG HECTO FP system, on the other hand, uses lasers for illumination instead. Yes, lasers.

    As LG announced on Wednesday, the new projector system uses lasers and a Texas Instruments DLP chip to form images. Typical home front projectors require around a 9 to 12 foot distance from the lens to a 100-inch screen. The LG HECTO requires only a 22-inch throw to fill the screen and can be placed on the floor or the mounted to the ceiling.

    The LG HECTO Laser Projection TV will be sold as a complete system with a 100-Inch diagonal screen, a built-in ATSC TV tuner, HDMI switching and a Wi-Fi connection for streaming video.

    Specifications include a rated 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1080p resolution, 3 HDMI inputs, an optical audio input, RS-232 interface. Audio is produced by two 10W built-in speakers. The projector measures 5.7-inches high. The HECTO Laser projector does not have 3-D capability. LG has not? provided a brightness rating, a key specification. (Lasers offer the promise of very high intensity using low power.)

    The screen is a fixed design and unlike theater screens its surface is black not white. LG claims the system will render a vivid, high contrast crisp image, even in lighter viewing environments.

    The Laser TV supports LG's Smart TV platform and will stream movies via Netflix?and?YouTube as well as other services and?apps via its built-in Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection. The HECTO also includes LG's latest Magic Remote control.

    LG claims its laser based illumination system has a lifespan of up to 25,000 hours, which is 5 times or more the life of traditional mercury-based lamps.

    The LG HECTO Laser projector will be demonstrated at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show early next month. We expect pricing and availability to be announced at the show.

    Have a question for the HD Guru? Send an?email.

    More?from HD Guru:

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/lgs-latest-projector-system-powered-freaking-lasers-1C7660219

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    Thursday, December 27, 2012

    Amy D. Waterman, Ph.D.: The Beginning

    I first started coming to Pasadena, California to decorate the Donate Life Rose Parade Float in December, 2009. I was tired and in pain. My husband had left me in November, asking for a divorce. I didn't bother to get a tree. I didn't want to open the red and green tubs filled with stockings, snow globes and red velvet tablecloths. I couldn't fake the holiday spirit -- I was nowhere near it.

    Seeing my sadness, a friend of mine responsible for decorating and launching a float about organ and tissue donation in the Rose Parade saw an opportunity. "Come out to Pasadena and help us decorate our float," he said. "I don't know how, but I promise it will help you." So I flew out, arrived on a sunny, Southern California day, and was given a sky blue Donate Life volunteer t-shirt to wear. I put it on gratefully, happy to be an anonymous volunteer instead of Amy Waterman, whose life had just combusted around her.

    One of the lead event coordinators put me to work in a hotel ballroom. I lined up nametags in alphabetical order, laid out individual tissue packs onto the tables, and checked in all the people that we were there to honor. They looked pretty ordinary to me -- a group of people like those you might see if you got on a bus. They were from everywhere, of all ages and ethnicities. Some were frail, walking with canes or in wheelchairs. There were a few children. These were the Donate Life float riders and their families, the two dozen people representing the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are touched every year by the cause of organ and tissue donation. On New Year's Day, they would ride the float waving to the world, inspiring up to 40 million people.

    After dinner, each float rider stood up and told their story. I met a 12-year old girl who received a heart transplant 11 days after her birth. One gentle man, Manuel Salazar, had been electrocuted in a work accident, where his arms and legs were completely burned off. He shared about receiving bone grafts so that he could maneuver his wheelchair without assistance. Other family members shared about the moment where, in an instant, they lost someone they loved in a car accident or to a shooting or brain aneurism. One woman, Carolyn Bryant, died while nine months pregnant. Thirteen years later, her son Carter, delivered by C-section one day before her death, would be riding the Donate Life float in her honor, sitting beside the recipient of his mother's liver, Tyla Newbold.

    The room was deeply quiet that night as one by one, stories were shared. We cried, as a community, for what was lost and what was gained. At the end of the evening, each rider signed commemorative Rose Parade posters so that each rider could take one home to frame. Manuel signed each copy with a Sharpie marker held in his mouth.

    The 2010 Donate Life float featured a phoenix, rising majestically from the ashes. Ringing its neck were floral pictures of those who had donated organs, tissues and bone in their passing. That year, in between my volunteer duties, I would stop and look up at the phoenix rising triumphantly above me in the air. Early on the morning of January 1, I helped the float riders get seated underneath its wings. As they buckled in, I said, "We love you." "We love you, too," many of the riders said back to me. And then they were off for their ride of a lifetime -- a five-mile journey down Colorado Boulevard, smiling and waving in front of 800,000 parade spectators and tens of millions more watching on television.

    Afterwards, I went home to St. Louis. I signed the divorce paperwork, figured out how to unstop a toilet, and kept writing papers towards achieving tenure at my university. Thinking of the people I had met at on the float, I could keep living if they could. It was just a divorce.

    This week, I will be back in Pasadena to help launch the 2013 Donate Life float, themed, "Journeys of the Heart." One thousand people touched by our cause will place tens of thousands of roses, mums and orchids on the float. A new class of 32 float riders, 72 floragraph families and 3000 individually dedicated roses will represent organ and tissue donors and recipients nationally. Our float's central image, two intertwined hearts, will stand above us: a beacon of what is good and hopeful about humanity. We begin again, as we must, standing strong against pain, loss and resignation.

    Watch the Rose Parade at 8 a.m. PST on January 1, 2013 to experience Donate Life's "Journeys of the Heart."

    ?

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-d-waterman-phd/donate-a-life_b_2362253.html

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    Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    Pope's Christmas message says hope mustn't die in Syria, Nigeria

    VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict used his Christmas message to the world on Tuesday to say people should never lose hope for peace, even in conflict-riven Syria and in Nigeria where he spoke of "terrorism" against Christians.

    Marking the eighth Christmas season of his pontificate, the 85-year-old read his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message to tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square and to millions of others watching around the world.

    Delivering Christmas greetings in 65 languages, Benedict used the Biblical analogy of the "good soil" to underscore his view that the hope represented by Christmas should never die, even in the most dire situations.

    "This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations," he said.

    In his virtual tour of the some of the world's trouble spots, he reserved his toughest words for Syria, Nigeria and Mali.

    "Yes, may peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims," he said.

    "Once again I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict."

    The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics also condemned conflicts in Mali and Nigeria, two countries where Islamist groups have waged violent campaigns.

    "May the birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and that of concord in Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians," he said.

    CHURCH BOMBINGS

    In Nigeria, the Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose sharia law in the north of the country, targeting a number of churches.

    In Mali, a mix of Islamists with links to al Qaeda have occupied the country's north since April, destroying much of the region's religious heritage. They have also carried out amputations to help impose strict Islamic law on a population that has practised a more moderate form of Islam for centuries.

    Benedict also held out a Christmas olive branch to the new government in China, asking is members to "esteem the contributions of religions". China does not allow its Catholics to recognise the pope's authority, forcing them to be members of a parallel state-backed Church.

    Late on Monday night, Benedict presided over a Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter's Basilica, where he urged people to find room for God in their fast-paced lives filled with the latest technological gadgets.

    "Do we have time and space for him? Do we not actually turn away God himself? We begin to do so when we have no time for him," he said.

    "The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full," he said.

    He said societies had reached the point where many people's thinking processes did not leave any room even for the existence of God.

    "There is no room for him. Not even in our feelings and desires is there any room for him. We want ourselves. We want what we can seize hold of, we want happiness that is within our reach, we want our plans and purposes to succeed. We are so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God."

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/popes-christmas-message-says-hope-mustnt-die-syria-114938082.html

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    Apple granted design patent for fourth-gen iPod touch, reminds us of the shorter, plumper past

    Image

    Merry Christmas! The USPTO is celebrating in a big way, with the copyright stamp making some pretty big rounds today. First up is a design patent for an iPod touch, which Cupertino filed back in August of 2011. It looks to be the fourth-gen model from 2010, especially given that the patent focuses on the very rounded edges. This iPod touch was the first version to include both front- and rear-facing cameras, and in any case, the design is miles thicker and shorter than this year's touch. As Patently Apple points out, this document also happens to be one of the last to list Steve Jobs as an inventor.

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    Via: Patently Apple

    Source: USPTO

    Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/25/apple-design-patent-fourth-gen-ipod-touch/

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    2012: The Year in TV Moments

    Still from Nashville Season 1, Episode 2 with Connie Britton and Charles Esten.

    Still from Nashville Season 1, Episode 2 with Connie Britton and Charles Esten.

    NBC, Oct. 17, 10:50 p.m. ET

    In the closing minutes of the second episode of Nashville, fortysomething country star Rayna James and her bandleader/ex-boyfriend Deacon Claybourne perform a quiet duet. ?No One Will Ever Love You? is a song they wrote together two decades back, young and in love. Romantic sparks still clearly crackle between them. But these days Rayna's married to another dude and raising two daughters. Meanwhile, Deacon (whose demons drove Rayna off all those years ago) works hard to stay sober?and even harder to keep his feelings for Rayna under wraps.

    The song itself is downright mean. "Don't you try to tell me that you're wanted," sings Rayna, "that you're needed. 'Cause it's not true." She sits close to Deacon on the stage of the cozy Bluebird Cafe, staring into his eyes as he strums his guitar. When she reaches the chorus, it seems almost impossibly cruel?until a redeeming twist of a kicker. "I know why you're lonely. It's time you knew it, too. No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you ... like I do."

    When it's over, an overcome Rayna tells Deacon she wishes they'd never played it. She runs home to assure her husband that she loves him. But she seems not quite able to convince herself.

    I confess I swooned a little, watching from my couch. For one thing, this tune is gorgeous. Written by Steve McEwan and John Paul White, it's proof that TV musicals needn't fall back on stale covers and cheesy staging. (I'm reluctantly peeking at you through my fingers, Glee and Smash.) Here we have a boutique-quality original track, performed in a wholly believable context, that manages to advance the emotional arc of the show.

    Most of all, though, I love that these are grown-ups dealing with grown-up shizz. Nashville's far from perfect?its politics plot is a dud and the travails of its younger characters are a mixed bag. But every time I get frustrated with it, Rayna and Deacon reappear with one of these soul-aching moments. Worn denim, weathered faces, paths not taken. Connie Britton with that faraway gaze and that wistful smile. Set it all to song and I'm done. I'm ready to book the next flight, buy a front-yoke shirt with snaps, and belly up to the bar at the Bluebird.

    Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=811c81663d8958252a6c9b13b5265b2e

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    Tuesday, December 25, 2012

    Syria Rebel Gains Expand In North

    BEIRUT -- Syrian rebels fully captured a northern town near the Turkish border on Tuesday after weeks of heavy fighting and attacked a regime air base in a neighboring province, activists said.

    The air base is in Aleppo province, where opposition fighters have already captured three other large military bases in recent months. Rebels have also laid siege to the international airport in the city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital, and launched an offensive on the police academy near the city.

    With steady rebel gains across the north, President Bashar Assad's regime is having increasing difficulty sending supplies by land to Aleppo province, especially after rebels cut a major thoroughfare from Damascus. It is just another sign that the opposition is consolidating its grip across large swathes of territory in northern Syria near the Turkish border.

    In his traditional Christmas address, Pope Benedict XVI decried the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria, where anti-regime activists estimate more than 40,000 have died in fighting since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule began in March 2011.

    In another blow to the regime, activists said that Mohammed Adnan Arabo, a member of Syria's parliament has left the country and joined the opposition. Ahmad Ramadan, an executive council member of the opposition Syrian National Council group, and other activists said Arabo arrived in Turkey on Tuesday.

    He said the regime's hold on power is deteriorating and rebels are besieging military bases for weeks until they either take over or negotiate with local army commanders to surrender. He added that some regime forces are being diverted to the capital to fight there.

    "The regime cannot protect its bases and also cannot send forces to support troops under siege," he said.

    Over the weeks, rebels fighting to overthrow Assad have also been able to take the battles into the capital Damascus, Assad's seat of power, where the southern neighborhoods are witnessing almost daily clashes between troops and rebels.

    The big successes began in mid-November, when rebels captured Aleppo's Regiment 46, a large military base, carting off tanks, armored vehicles and truck-loads of munitions. Three weeks later, they captured the Sheik Suleiman base near the provincial capital of Aleppo and days later they took an infantry base in the city.

    Last week, they captured an army technical regiment near Damascus' international airport but were pushed back in a counter attack. The army command said in a statement that the regiment's commander was killed in the battle.

    The rebels have also brought the battle to areas around Damascus international airport where some flights were cancelled earlier this month because of the intensity of the fighting.

    One of the biggest blows came in Damascus on Dec. 12 when a suicide attacker blew his vehicle outside the Interior Ministry, killing five and wounding many, including Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar. The government denied at first that al-Shaar had been wounded until it got out when he was brought last week to a Beirut hospital for treatment.

    It was the second injury the minister suffered after being wounded in a July 17, bomb inside a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus that killed four top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister.

    The rebel takeover of Harem, a town of 20,000 in northern Idlib province, was the latest in a string of recent rebel successes.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels captured Harem in the early hours of Tuesday. Mohammed Kanaan, an Idlib-based activist, said the last post to be taken was the historic citadel, which overlooked the town. The army had turned the citadel into a military post.

    "Harem is fully liberated now," Kanaan said via Skype. He added that as the rebels pounded army posts and checkpoints in Harem, the troops withdrew to the citadel that later fell in the hands of rebels.

    Rami-Abdul-Rahman, who heads to Observatory, said nearly 30 soldiers and pro-government gunmen surrendered late Monday. He added that rebels set free all gunmen at the age of 16 or less and referred others to local tribunals.

    "Harem was very important because it is one of the towns that was loyal to the regime," Abdul-Rahman said by telephone about the town that is nearly a mile from the Turkish border.

    In Aleppo province, which neighbors Idlib, local activist Mohammed Saeed said rebels attacked the air base in the town of Mannagh near the Turkish border. He said it is one of four air bases in the province, adding that rebels also attacked the police academy near the city of Aleppo.

    Regime forces have been using helicopters to carry supplies to besieged areas and to attack rebel positions.

    The regime has had increasing difficulty sending supplies by land to Aleppo province after rebels captured in October the strategic town Maaret al-Numan. The town is on the highway that links Damascus with Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a major battleground in the civil war since July.

    "Airplanes and helicopters are the only way to send supplies since the Free Syrian Army controls the land," Saeed said. He added that rebels are also laying a siege to Aleppo's international airport known as Nairab and threatening to shoot down military or civilians planes using it.

    In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, opposition gunmen ambushed the head of military intelligence in the area and seriously wounded him. He later died of his wounds, the Observatory said.

    Elsewhere in Syria, the Observatory reported violence in areas including the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, the southern area of Quneitra on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Height and the southern region of Daraa.

    In Israel, top officials said they cannot corroborate Syrian activists' claims that the regime has used chemical weapons against its citizens.

    Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio that Israel has "no confirmation or proof" the regime has employed such weapons in the civil war. He says Israel is "monitoring the situation with concern."

    Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad told Israel Radio that Syria was closely guarding its chemical weapons stockpiles.

    On Monday, the Observatory quoted activists in the central city of Homs as saying that six rebels died in two neighborhoods the day before after inhaling white smoke that came out of shells fired by government troops in the area. Amateur videos released by activists showed men in hospital beds suffering breathing problems as doctors placed oxygen masks over their faces.

    Also on HuffPost:

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/25/syria-rebel-gains_n_2363117.html

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    thriftymommastips: When Christmas Means Heartache #OHIP4IVF ...

    This Christmas Eve thriftymommastips.com post is for all those who wait. For those waiting to adopt. For those waiting to conceive. For those waiting to go through IVF, in vitro fertilization. For those trying desperately to save the money to be able to afford IVF. For the kids too in foster homes waiting for families. Waiting is the hardest state.

    When everyone is busy reflecting on the past, or casting an eye on the coming year, I think it is important to note the people in waiting. This Christmas, while you celebrate with family and friends take a minute to think about those who are waiting. In a perfect world all families would be healthy, every child would have a home and every parent that desired, and had ability to be a parent would be just that. Family is the reason for the season and while happiness and joy should be the standard, I know firsthand that many struggling with infertility, and many waiting to adopt, will spend a part of their holidays struggling. Many will put on a brave face at family events and then go home to cry in private. Surrounded by visions of family, pregnant relatives and sometimes even well meaning family members who ask inappropriate questions, their holidays will be emotional and difficult. I have never been good at waiting. One particular Christmas 12 years ago when everyone in our inner circle of friends and family was either pregnant or enjoying their young families, sticks out as the hardest holiday ever. We were married nine years by that time and we were waiting. Waiting to see if we would still by some fluke or minor miracle magically conceive a child. And we were waiting to adopt, waiting for the call that seemed it might never come. Everyone around us was expecting. And when everyone around you is expecting and you are not, well you notice it even more. Waiting is the hardest state.

    There is a picture in one of my old photo albums still floating around my house. It looks like this: My husband, myself, two cats and a Christmas tree. I suppose now 12 years later, I can see what is good within the picture if I break the pieces apart. Nice house, nice tree, decent clothing. Two skinny people who were young and fairly attractive. And the intangibles only I can see: a good marriage, a decent new house, good jobs. I was skinnier then, I had fewer grey hairs and more disposable income. We bought nice clothes when we wanted to, and we took trips when we felt like it. What you can't see in the picture is the space that infertility takes, the energy, the exhaustion, the emotional upheaval, the financial toll. And the anxiety of adoption. The fact that nobody, from the federal government on down to provincial governments, has ever taken adoption as equal to giving birth. From the leave that is given to birth families, we are shortchanged, as are our children. Did you know adoptive families don't get the same time for maternity and parental leave as everyone else does? This despite the fact that our children often come to us with special needs, or trauma. Despite the fact that in reality our children need more, not less time to bond with their new families. Did you know too that the cost of?IVF - in vitro fertilization is not covered by the Ontario health care system unless you have both tubes fully blocked, which is the case in a very small percentage of infertile couples? And did you know that despite the recommendations made three years ago in the Expert Panel Report on Infertility and Adoption, none of that has been implemented for infertile couples. And while the Ontario government started to implement a few of the adoption recommendations, they missed the mark entirely on adoption subsidy. The Ontario government implemented adoption subsidy for children who are adopted as sibling groups together at once and for children adopted over 10 years old. That was what they call an example of a policy that benefits no one. In practice in Ontario in any given year at most 16 kids over 10 are adopted.

    Here is the reality of adoption: 25 % of our children struggle with lifelong mental health issues. Most struggle with grief and loss. As many as 80 % of our children adopted from foster care have special needs. They need extra care and where they were once Crown wards it is incumbent on government to provide the best possible outcome for our kids. That saves money as more children move into permanent homes and leave foster care. Funding IVF saves money (when a single embryo is transferred and a maximum of three rounds) for those who require this procedure. Right now we have people transferring multiple embryos in an attempt to increase their chances because they have remortgaged their homes to try to have a baby. In reality we know now that single embryo transfer provides the best chance of conception. Multiple embryos transferred lead to risky multiple births and potential maternal health risks as well. Health care costs spiral when that happens. Funding IVF saves money. None of this is brain surgery. Saving money and building healthy families should be the goal of each and every political party in Canada.

    Over the years, when we were childless, I buried myself at holiday time in work. I volunteered, many years, to work the Christmas Day shift. It was extra money and I could attempt to avoid the family questions or discomfort. No doubt many of the people I know who are still waiting will do the same. My heart goes out to them. This year in 2013 as we head towards another election in this province my wish is for all those who wait. Now is the time to hold Ontario party leaders accountable. Now is the time to dictate what we don't want to wait for anymore.

    Let's take this year 2013 to make change happen. Rally together as infertility and adoption communities to make change for all Ontario families. Waiting is not good enough. Families should not have to wait. Children should not have to wait.

    Let's take this year to make it known we don't wish to wait any longer. Happy New Year! Make it count.

    To find out more visit our adoption page at http://www.canadiancoalitionof adoptive families.ca/
    or visit http://www.conceivabledreams.org/

    And to get involved or for support follow the #ohip4ivf movement on twitter.
    Follow http://www.twitter.com/ohip4ivf/
    Follow also http://www.facebook.com/conceivabledreams/

    I?am a member of the Conceivable Dreams Blog Team. I believe strongly in this issue. I receive compensation as community manager for this group. My opinion is all my own.

    Source: http://www.thriftymommastips.com/2012/12/when-christmas-means-heartache-ohip4ivf.html

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    International search announced for ex-Rector Elshad Abdullayev's ...

    International search is announced for Sevinj Babayeva appearing in scandalous video shared by ex-rector of shut down Azerbaijan International University, Interpol website reported on Tuesday.

    No information is provided concerning law enforcement agencies announcing international search for her and criminal case under which she is wanted.

    The video with former Azerbaijani University rector Elshad Abdullayev and MP Gular Ahmadova was spread by online media outlets on September 25. Abdullayev gave a large sum of money to Gular Ahmadova to become elected as a member of parliament. The Baku City Prosecutor's Office has filed a criminal case under Article 178.3.2 of the Criminal Code in this regard. An investigation is underway.

    Source: http://en.trend.az/news/society/2102788.html

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    How Much Did You Save and Earn This Year? - Budgeting and ...

    Happy holidays! As we approach the final week of the year, take a moment to look back on all the cost-cutting and income-producing measures you took this year.

    Did you switch to a more suitable insurance premium? Did you switch to mutual funds or index funds with lower fees? Did you start using CFL bulbs? Did you downgrade your cable package, or start cooking more meals at home? Add up the cumulative savings. It may amount to more than you think.

    Similarly, look at all the ways you earned side income. Did you do freelance or consulting work on the side? Did you babysit or do home-repair jobs? Add up you earnings, even if it "only" amounted to an extra $50 or $100 a month. Then combine that number with the amount you saved. What an impact!

    Did you not make any major savings or earnings this year? Start looking to ways you can improve your bottom line next year.

    Read more: Five Ways to Cut Costs Without Changing Your Lifestyle

    Source: http://budgeting.about.com/b/2012/12/23/how-much-did-you-save-and-earn-this-year.htm

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