Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dow Chemical to take charge of up to $1.1 billion

(Reuters) - Dow Chemical Co will take a fourth-quarter charge of as much as $1.1 billion related to last week's announcement that it will close 20 plants, write down the value of its lithium ion battery business and lay off thousands of workers.

Dow, the largest U.S. chemical maker, said the restructuring program - its second of 2012 - was necessary because of dropping demand for its plastics and other products.

Dow will record a charge of $900 million to $1.1 billion for the layoffs, plant closures, as well as a write-down of Dow-Kokam LLC, Dow's lithium ion battery joint venture with TK Advanced Battery LLC. The disclosure came as part of a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Before the filing, analysts had expected Dow to post a fourth-quarter net profit of about $429.3 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Roughly $400 million to $500 million of the charge will be in cash payments for severance and other items. The rest will be to write down the value of some projects, including the Dow Kokam venture.

DOW KOKAM

Dow owns 61 percent of the Dow Kokam joint venture and had originally hoped it would bolster the company's sales in the renewable energy market.

In 2009, Dow Kokam received a $161 million grant as part of an $2.4 billion Obama administration program designed to build up an advanced battery industry in the United States. The program's goal was to add green jobs and put one million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on American roads by 2015.

Dow Kokam, which received the third-largest grant under the program, said it would use the funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to build an 800,000 square foot lithium-ion battery plant in Midland, Michigan, that was expected to employ up to 800 people, according to its 2009 news release.

Dow Chemical Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said at the time that Dow Kokam was evidence of a "rebooting" of manufacturing in the United States. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden attended a groundbreaking for the plant.

The plant was designed to build up to 600 million watt hours a year, making enough batteries for 30,000 pure electric vehicles equipped with a 20 kilowatt hour battery.

But over the last three years, demand for lithium-ion batteries has fallen short of expectations and analysts are skeptical that Obama's goal can be reached by 2015. During the first nine months of the year, sales of plug-in cars totaled about 31,000. Two other recipients of the 2009 battery grants, A123 Systems Inc and EnerDel, have filed for bankruptcy.

It was not immediately clear if the Dow Kokam plant is still under construction. Dow Chemical spokeswoman Rebecca Bentley said the plant is producing battery parts, but referred additional questions to a Dow Kokam spokesman, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dow Kokam also produces battery parts in Ohio and France.

Dow Chemical, based in Midland, Michigan, also plans to lay off 3,000 workers in total, but the net job loss will be roughly 2,400 as the company plans to boost staff in growth areas.

Dow shares have dropped 15 percent in the past six months.

(Reporting By Ernest Scheyder in New York; additional reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in Detroit; Editing by Leslie Adler and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dow-chemical-sees-fourth-quarter-restructuring-charge-1-151053383--finance.html

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Straumann to cut jobs as Europe sales slow

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss dental implant maker Straumann said it would axe roughly 150 jobs to boost margins as it grapples with sluggish demand in Europe, its biggest market.

The euro zone debt crisis has battered sales of dental implants made by Straumann and its Swiss rival Nobel Biocare as cash-strapped Europeans, worried about the downturn, cut back on non-essential dental treatment.

Chief Executive Beat Spalinger said the company had decided to slash 150 jobs by the start of 2013 - roughly 6 percent of its global workforce - after operating margins fell below 15 percent in the first half of the year, a level he deemed "unacceptable".

The axe will fall on jobs at Straumann's headquarters in Basel as well as sales subsidiaries around the world while manufacturing will be spared, Spalinger said.

Third-quarter sales rose 4 percent to 156.8 million Swiss francs ($167.41 million), compared with an average estimate in a Reuters poll of 158 million.

The company said the cost cuts would improve annual operating profit by 35-40 million francs by 2014. It plans to book an exceptional charge of 15-20 million francs in 2012.

Sarasin analyst David Kaegi said investors would welcome the bigger-than-expected cost cuts, but cautioned there appeared no end in sight to the current slump in the dental market.

By 0811 GMT, Straumann's shares, which have shed almost 28 percent so far this year, were trading up 6.1 percent at 124.10 francs, outperforming a flat European healthcare sector index <.sxdp>.

Straumann, which makes more than half of its revenue in Europe, said sales in the region fell 2.5 percent in the third quarter to 82.3 million francs, hampered by austerity measures that weakened consumer confidence further.

In the worst affected markets of Spain and Italy, Spalinger said he did not expect any improvement in the near future.

The European sales decline was partly offset by North America and Asia Pacific where sales leapt 19 percent and 6 percent respectively buoyed by favourable currency effects.

Straumann also said it would increase its stake in Dental Wings, a maker of dental software and scanners, to 45 percent from 30 percent for an undisclosed sum. The move is part of a trend towards digital dentistry to optimise production.

The company confirmed its outlook for full-year sales to be at least in line with 2011 and for growth in the global tooth replacement market to remain flat at best over the full year.

($1=0.9366 Swiss francs)

(Editing by Mike Nesbit and David Cowell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/straumann-cut-jobs-europe-sales-slow-061659151--finance.html

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Professional Internet Hosting Company How It Differs From Low ...

To understand what an electronic mail internet hosting reseller is, the phrase reseller will need to earliest be outlined. A reseller is undoubtedly an entity, if someone or even an agency, that purchases items or expert services not for its private use or use, but for that intent of marketing it to many people. Quite simply, a reseller is simply a different expression for any retailer. A food market may be a reseller, getting yourself some services from a lot wholesalers and reselling it to finish customers or shoppers at retail expense. Resellers also make this happen inside of the web-based, retailing program, ebooks, plus a myriad other programs web. The reseller can be described as center guy. Reselling is usually a company in alone, marketing an item in an increased selling price for making an income.

When using the introduction and level of popularity for the online world, a wide range of corporations are actually conducting transactions via the internet, and there?s a consequent escalating desire for additional and a lot more webpages. These web pages cater to non-public and industry necessities, and providing there is certainly a have for online resources, there?ll become a would need for net internet hosting companies and expert services. So many of such online internet hosting products and services are wholesalers, but as inside actual society, there?s also suppliers in cyberspace.

E-mail internet hosting reseller business people are just one this kind of retailer, not of goods but of providers. They offer website internet hosting providers to minimal clients, finding them from wholesalers in bulk and in an affordable, and passing them to finish buyers in a marked-up level. This is often a straightforward and cheap strategy for producing commerce. It doesn?t ought the massive richesse necessary to obtain sizable servers or run them; it doesn?t need to have seriously certain technical data possibly. Once more, the e-mail internet hosting reseller is seen as a center male. All he must do will be to move on what he has ordered through the wholesaler.

At the same time, the e-mail internet hosting reseller must give you prospect guidance, and logic dictates that his supplier should be successful and give you the right companies. In any other case, the e-mail internet hosting reseller will burn his users fast because of to lousy program. It can be consequently reputable to possess an elementary doing work understanding of the programs and solutions that he delivers. And importantly also, he should have really good open up conversation while using wholesale company supplier.

If an individual desires to have this sort of reselling small business, know the ropes initial. Firstly and many importantly, have an interest in personal computers, within the web, in sitting down lengthy hrs before a display screen, as well as in the small business alone. Do not ever do anything at all, regardless of whether it will be for income, that is certainly not an curiosity or perhaps interest. In case the business venture can be an individual enthusiasm, then it gets participate in, not operate. Actively playing, or making the most of the task, can make it simple to do. It helps make the work interesting, additionally, the employee gets to be beneficial and economical at it, never ever counting the several hours.

Next, a particular needs to know the technicalities concerned during the corporation. Understand how to navigate throughout the standards in the business enterprise, this includes marketing, speaking with others, website conduite, the fundamental workings of electronic mail internet hosting, also, the like.

Upcoming is publicity on the employment. He ought to dedicate several hours and several hours for the job. This really is most likely on the list of primary areas. There exists no substitute for exertions. All of this, and possibly practically nothing else, is exactly what is required to be an e mail internet hosting reseller.

If you need increased facts around the topic, remember to browse to Low Cost Coupons And Promo Codes In Your Web Hosting Solutions because the stated piece would provide you with increased facts over the subject.

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50350 Cowens Road, Slip 29, Scappoose, OR 97056 Real Estate ...

Stephen FitzMaurice is a Top 10% Real Estate Agent in the U.S. Since 2003, he has worked in residential real estate in the Portland Oregon metro area. Currently he hangs his hat at Premiere Property Group, a local owned and operated Portland Real Estate Company.

Source: http://www.realestateagentpdx.com/50350-cowens-road-slip-29-scappoose-or-97056/3125/

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Focus on the Family Community: Finding Home: An Open Letter ...

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz made a habit of dispensing advice through the mouths of cartoon characters, especially the blanket-carrying Linus van Pelt.? GP2.jpg

?

Like any offering of counsel, some of it is to be heeded and some of it is not.

?

?There are three things you must never discuss with people,? the comic strip?s philosopher/theologian once said, ?religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.?

?

Since we regularly wade into the first two topics anyway, we might as well go for broke and address the latter.

?

Sort of.

?

The traditions surrounding October 31st conjure up many good memories for me. Over the years, my wife and I have chosen to allow our sons to engage in the innocent and harmless side of Halloween. They enjoy dressing up in positive-themed costumes (Captain America, for example) and going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

?

I understand that Halloween is a hot topic with many Christians, and understandably so. With its admittedly pagan and creepy origins, involving druids, ghosts and goblins, many choose to either ignore it altogether or amend it in order to have it better complement their convictions.

?

I take no issue with either side and respect the strongly held perspectives in both camps. Halloween5.jpg

?

Instead, I want to address the broader culture concerning the holiday.

?

Here are my thoughts:

?

Christian or not, it is high time to turn away from the dark, gory and horror-filled side of the holiday. It?s always been time, but the confluence of culture and recent current events raises this matter to a new level.

?

There is absolutely nothing entertaining or redeeming about hatchet wielding villains parading in costume or front-lawn displays featuring blood spattered body parts.

?

Some might suggest I need to lighten up and relax, to not take intended fantasy so seriously.?

?

?It is all just a joke,? they say. ?It isn?t real.?

?

Or is it?

?

Those people who press will have to forgive me. My family and I live, pray and play in Colorado. Just a few days ago police arrested a 17-year-old for murdering and dismembering a ten-year-old girl. Parts of her body were reportedly found in the murderer?s house.

?

How can hearts break in two at such horrific news ? and yet grow indifferent to the site of a ghoulish Halloween display just blocks away? Halloween77.jpg

?

There is nothing ?fun? about a sinister-looking character, strapped from head to toe with plastic automatic rifles, casing the streets ? even with a bag full of candy in hand on Halloween night.

?

You?ll remember that it was earlier this summer that a young man, who allegedly called himself the ?Joker,? burst into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and opened-fire, injuring over 50 people and killing 13.

?

It seems that life is increasingly imitating ?art? these days ? but it?s too-often the heinous kind, not the glorious or good.

?

Evil has been on the loose since the beginning of time, and dispensing with evil-themed Halloween traditions won?t change the reality of a broken world.

?

I get it.

?

But can?t we agree that it?s unwise and unhealthy to embrace wickedness in any fictitious form?

?

As a culture we can find common ground with parents of every creed concerning the need to lift up the good and turn away from macabre traditions.?

?

Follow me on Twitter @Dalyfocus

Follow me on Facebook

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Source: http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2012/10/30/an-open-letter-about-halloween

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Straumann to cut jobs as Europe sales slow

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Microsoft: Windows Phone to catch up in apps

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-windows-phone-catch-apps-190943695--finance.html

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Monday, October 29, 2012

Three homes under construction on acreage in Southwick on the ...

Southwick on the Lake, the planned rural living retreat in Stilwell, has three new homes under construction. The southernmost Johnson County Rodrock Development community is located just north of 199th Street and east of Mission Road on Canterbury Road, and features acreage home sites zoned for one or two horses.

Home prices for the community range from the upper $400,000s to $1 million. Home prices for the three new homes going up now range from the $500,000s to $600,000s.?Southwick on the Lake uniquely merges modern conveniences with time-gone-by lifestyle and recreational amenities,? said Darol Rodrock, founder and owner of Rodrock Development. ?Homebuyers seeking wide open spaces, refined amenities and small-town friendliness will find it here.?Five of Southwick on the Lake?s 34 home sites are already owner occupied. The natural 14-acre private community fishing lake is exclusively for homeowner use; some lakeside home sites are available. In addition to the three new homes going up, homebuyers may choose from Rodrock Development?s extensive portfolio of proven floor plans and builders. The community is also open to outside builders with developer approval. The three new homes under construction are slated to be move-in ready within 90 to 180 days. The two-story and 11/2-story plans feature uncommonly large mudrooms thoughtfully designed for the rigors of country living. Todd Hill Homes? Prairie-style two-story plan is situated on four acres. Features include four bedrooms, 41/2 bathrooms, first-floor office, first-floor sunroom, a front porch, and elaborate lanai and outdoor area. James Engle Custom Homes? 11/2-story plan, The Laurel II, is on a 2.91-acre site with mature trees. The four-bedroom, four-car garage home features a first-floor master and three upstairs bedrooms. Also included is a loft plus first- and second-floor laundry rooms.The Shelby, Estes Custom Homes? five-bedroom, 51/2 bathroom, 11/2-story plan, features two main-floor bedrooms including a generous first-floor master, an open loft and a four-car garage. This home is situated on a 31/2-acre site.A custom home for a private homeowner also is currently under way.According to Rodrock, the new custom-build community is the culmination of a decades-long dream. ?For more than 40 years I?ve enjoyed living in rural southern Johnson County, raising horses and fishing my own lake,? Rodrock said. ?As a new-home community developer, I long hoped that one day I would have the opportunity to offer homebuyers a similarly unique, yet affordable, rural lifestyle community option. I am excited to finally be able to say, ?this is it!???Since announcing the purchase of the Southwick on the Lake community the first of the year, Rodrock Development has upgraded common-area landscaping, which includes the planting of 200 4-inch caliper trees lining both sides of all major community roadways. Stone entrance monuments have been added to the walking trail around the lake. Two new lake fountains plus trail benches are being installed soon.Additional community amenities include paved roadways, nearby highway proximity and easy access to all points in the Kansas City area, and award-winning Blue Valley School District elementary, middle and high schools. The Blue Valley District consistently ranks as one of the highest performing in the nation. Stilwell Elementary School, ranked consistently in the top 5 percent of elementary schools in Kansas, is minutes away. The new Aubry Bend Middle School opened in August 2011. Blue Valley Southwest Senior High School opened in 2010.According to Tom Langhofer, general manager of Rodrock Development, the company?s purchase of the once financially distressed property is a reminder of the importance of checking out a community developer?s financial strength before investing in a property. ?For most of us, purchasing a home is the most significant financial decision we?ll ever make. Darol Rodrock brings a successful 35-year track record of value-added residential community development to the table and an absolute commitment to building communities of lasting value,? Langhofer said. ?Rodrock Development?s financial strength and stability is a comfort to homebuyers who are concerned about the long-term viability of their investment.? A well-known name in Johnson County real estate circles, Rodrock Development has created more than 70 successful new-home neighborhoods throughout the county.?More than 25,000 people in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee and Olathe come home to a Rodrock Development community every day,? Langhofer said. ?Over the years Darol has earned a stellar reputation as a Johnson County new-home community developer by consistently delivering on his promises,? he added. ?Southwick on the Lake is no exception. He has the drive and the fiscal strength to see it to completion.?Southwick on the Lake is marketed exclusively by Prudential Kansas City Real Estate. For information about the community?s rural lifestyle amenities and available home sites, builders and floor plans, contact community managers Lynne Matile or Sherri Hines at 913-378-2500, or visit the developer?s website at rodrock.com. Both Matile and Hines are experienced full-time real estate professionals especially well versed in the new-home buying and building process. Matile is also a life-long horse lover, 4H?er and former county extension agent, and has lived in rural southern Johnson County for 15 years.th Street, go east on 199th Street to Canterbury Street, (just east of Mission Road), north on Canterbury Street into the community.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/28/3884711/three-homes-under-construction.html

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Publisher: New Khaled Hosseini novel out May 21

NEW YORK (AP) ? Khaled Hosseini's next novel will be a journey across time and space.

The author of the million-sellers "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" has finished his third book, "And the Mountains Echoed." Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) and publisher of his first two novels, announced Monday that "And the Mountains Echoed" comes out May 21.

"I am forever drawn to family as a recurring central theme of my writing," Hosseini, the Afghan-born author and physician, said in a statement. "My earlier novels were at heart tales of fatherhood and motherhood. My new novel is a multi-generational family story as well, this time revolving around brothers and sisters, and the ways in which they love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other. I am thrilled at the chance to share this book with my readers."

Penguin President Susan Petersen Kennedy is one of the few people to have read the novel. She said during an interview Monday that "And the Mountains Echoed" would take place "in different parts of the world" and, as with his previous books, offers "such a clear experience and characters you can identify with even if their lives are very different from your own."

"He really opens you up to what it means to be human," she said.

Hosseini, 47, is one of the world's most popular authors, with his first two books selling more than 38 million copies. "The Kite Runner," his debut, came out in 2003 and became a word of mouth sensation and book club favorite in paperback, spending two years on The New York Times' best-seller list. He suffered no second novel jinx; "A Thousand Splendid Suns," a 2007 release, received strong reviews and topped the Times' hardcover list.

Both stories were set at least in part in Hosseini's native country.

Financial terms for his new book were not disclosed. Hosseini was represented by Robert Barnett and Deneen Howell of the Washington, D.C.-based Williams & Connolly, where clients range from President Barack Obama to Barbra Streisand.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/publisher-khaled-hosseini-novel-may-21-170452780.html

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Stealth Survival: The Well-Dressed Survivalist - Part One

Stealth Survival: The Well-Dressed Survivalist - Part One skip to main | skip to sidebar

The Well-Dressed Survivalist - Part One

Every well-dressed survivalist knows the importance of proper headwear. Whether it?s to conserve heat loss in the winter or to keep you from frying your brain in the summer, the proper headwear can make a big difference. There are numerous hats and caps that are available to provide the proper protection. It could be anything from a straw hat to a wool cap. The important thing to remember is that no well-dressed survivalist goes anywhere without some form of head covering for protection. A decent head cover can also provide the opportunity to carry some extra gear such as cordage or fishing gear for use in an emergency. Staying above the water line!

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Source: http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-well-dressed-survivalist-part-one.html

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Stephanie Shelton Explains Money in Harry Shearer Interview

Econintersect:? Professor Stephanie Kelton, an expert of the mechanics of modern money operations, has an exceptionally informative interview from Sunday 28 October 2012? keltonSMALLconducted by Harry Shearer on his show "Le Radio."

Kelton (pictured) explains why the talk about the U.S. going broke and loading grandchildren up with debt is all political verbiage without economic foundation.? At one point Kelton says that we will be burdening our grandchildren with a society that doesn't function if we continue to deny the need to provide investment in things like infrastructure and education with bogus arguments about not being able to afford it.

Follow up:

This interview is exceptionally well done - Kelton has a gift for logical explanation in straightforward terms.? Her students are very lucky.

Kelton is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri Kansas City.

Click on Listen to hear the interview:

kelton-interview-2012-oct-28

John Lounsbury

Source: http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2012/10/29/stephanie-shelton-explains-money-in-harry-shearer-interview

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The Science Behind Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is swinging in toward the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., packing winds of more than 75 miles per hour, heavy rains and storm surges that could reach 11 feet. Steve Inskeep speaks with NPR's Jon Hamilton about the science behind the storm.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/29/163845762/the-science-behind-hurricane-sandy?ft=1&f=1007

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renters insurance-Raleigh ? Breaking out the Windows - Like a ...

renters insurance Raleigh NC There are more drivers on the road every year. With the increasing number of vehicles on the road, accidents can happen. The difference between a small bother and large pain can be car insurance. So how do you know what insurance you need and how much to buy? Auto insurance protects you by covering the cost of damage caused to your car or someone else?s car and injury to other people, yourself, or passengers in your car, and certain other occurrences, such as theft. Your state or province certainly mandates some type of auto insurance. Without insurance, you run the risk of having to pay the total price of the harm you cause others. Liability: This kind of insurance can pay for the damage that you have caused. These damages may include personal injury, and property damage. Bodily injury damages can include medical expenses, and lost wages. Property damage includes damaged property or loss of use of property. If you are sued, liability insurance will pay for your court costs. Recommended, higher levels of insurance are available that cover more than the lower, state-mandated varieties. Personal Injury Protection: This type of insurance pays for hospital bills and other medical treatment for you or your passengers, regardless of who was at fault in the accident. It is sometimes referred to as no-fault coverage. State government typically sets minimum amounts. Medical Payments: Medical payment coverage is available in non-no-fault states; it pays despite who may have been at fault. All necessary medical or funeral expenses will be paid for under this insurance coverage. Collision: Damages that occur from a car accident will be paid for under this kind of insurance. Comprehensive: Applies if your car is stolen or damaged by something other than a collision, including weather damage or vandalism. Uninsured Motorist: Thousands of drivers are ignoring the law by driving a car without having the right amount of auto insurance. This type of coverage will protect you if one of these drivers hit you. Under-Insured Motorist: Many drivers have liability insurance that can?t cover all the expenses they are supposed to take care of. This type of insurance covers you from those drivers. Emergency road service, car rental, and other varieties of car insurance can also be purchased. Your auto insurance payments vary by company and will depend on several factors, such as: * Which policies you select * The type of the car you own * Your driving record * Your age, gender and marital status * The place where you live Many drivers don?t want to pay for auto insurance, but it is truly something you don?t want to live without. Evaluate your needs, do your research , and with the support of your insurance agency, choose the option that best suits you.

Source: http://breakingoutthewindows.com/renters-insurance-raleigh/

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Washington Woman Remembers George McGovern

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA) --?When George McGovern died Sunday morning at the age of 90, the country lost a lion of the political left. ?Longtime CBS News political analyst Dotty Lynch lost a friend.

A pollster with McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, Lynch and her husband, who also worked on the McGovern campaign, maintained a close relationship with the understated South Dakota senator over the following 40 years, seeing him most recently this summer for his 90th birthday celebration.

"He seemed good, a little bit more frail than the last time we had seen him but still traveling, going strong, making speeches, and very, very committed to a number of causes," Lynch said.

According to Lynch, George McGovern the person was exactly the same as George McGovern the politician: a kind and smart man with a wonderful sense of humor.

Lynch said Mcgovern's legacy would, of course, include his efforts on behalf of the nation's poor and hungry, but more broadly she thinks George McGovern will be accurately remembered as a man who picked himself up off the political mat after his landslide defeat to Richard Nixon, and made a difference.

"His legacy is going to stay and his memory is going to stay for a long time," Lynch said.

Funeral services for George McGovern will be held this Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A private burial will take place at a later date at Rock Creek Cemetery here in Washington.?

Source: http://capitolhill.wusa9.com/news/news/125814-washington-woman-remembers-george-mcgovern

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East & West Trademark Opposed ? Opposer Required to Post ...

East & West Import and Export LTD received a notice of allowance for?Israel trademark number 242256 for wholesale and retail marketing of food products; shops, supermarkets; network management and operation of all the above; all included in class 35 and for Providing food and beverages; all included in class 43.

East & West Shops LTD. filed an opposition to the trademark.

The applicants asked the Patent and Trademark Office to order the opposer to deposit NIS 100,000 with the patent office secretariat, to cover legal costs of the applicant in the event of the opposition failing. Both sides argued the strengths of their case and the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks ruled that depositing NIS 40,000 was reasonable in the circumstances.

?We find this an interesting approach. I don?t recall similar rulings but the request and decision are emminently reasonable. This seems like a good tactic to employ. The opposer is presumably able to file a request that applicant deposits costs as well. Both applicant and opposer are limited companies and collecting costs may not be easy for either side. In addition to seeing who wins, it will be interesting to see if the costs eventually requested and awarded are in the region of NIS 40,000 ($10,000).

The decision was made on 27th August 2012, but published on 9th?October.

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Source: http://blog.ipfactor.co.il/2012/10/21/east-west-trademark-opposed-opposer-required-to-post-security-for-legal-costs/

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Monday, October 22, 2012

Marble Provides An Elegant Contact Towards The Ambience And Is ...

Marble provides an elegant contact towards the ambience and is extremely useful with regard to residential or commercial purposes. Marbled is really flexible, stunning, and sturdy gemstone you can use purchase gw2 gold with regard to indoors flooring, walls, or even counter tops, though, it can be used in outside upon patios as well as water fountains. As soon as the marbled are put, they will depart outstanding impact. Marble is believed to be the best choice with regard to designing industrial or residential locations they will improve its worth and looks wonderful. Whilst putting in these floor tiles, one should ensure that they are set up utilizing suitable equipment and resources therefore the job is heading to be effectual and carried out securely. For setting up Marble flooring tiles 1 have to extremely first change the actual floor tile with the level of the floor. The installation of tile must be started with dry and clear surface or else, they will acquire free because of to the unevenness from the region. By using the creative skills, it?s feasible to create the cheap gw2 gold format in purchase that it may set up completely in the house. Usually use the correct spacers to ensure there is a right splitting up. When the tile is installed, depart it immediately so that they will consider in the hues as nicely as functions out powerful as well as sturdy. One can obtain this ability by comprehending the basics related with established up 1 just has keep to the basic and adhere to-up techniques which deliver excellent outcomes. For the set up, one should have the necessary resources as well as resources to validate the construction from the uncovered flooring. In purchase to have the ideal marble established up make certain the place is totally free of gw2 gold cost from the grime contaminants in order that it will not modify the integrity from the cement. It should be potent in purchase to hold the tiles with out breaking up into products. The ground should to be apparent and potent sufficient to ensure that 1 can scope the region which the Marble flooring tiles should to be established down completely. When the tiles tend to be cut correctly after that occupation is going to be simpler. Once all these things is completely arranged and taken therapy then one might proceed to lay out tiles in a trial operate to ensure that one can have an idea that how every factor matches the ground region. In the marketplace there are different kinds of kinds of Marbled flooring is certainly accessible in the market that are in addition provided at various amounts. 1 can choose primarily based on their personal pocket. Therefore, this outcome in the design possible via these flooring that leaves a great ever-long lasting influence. The author is an skilled Author and publisher with regard to Business Improvement. Go to at www.stoneasiacompany.com/ to know much more about Marble Flooring Tiles and Marble Flooring. Find out more From Brainwork

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Source: http://www.niutranslations.com/marble-provides-an-elegant-contact-towards-the-ambience-and-is-extremely-useful-with-regard-to-residential-or-commercial-purposes.html

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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Man Food by Mark Hix | Roast Game Birds | Style and Substance ...

Food & Drink

Cooking Sunday lunch? It?s that time of year when you can be a little more adventurous.?

?

You should allow a couple of?birds per person for a?really decadent gamey feast.

You can buy them trussed or tied, or just as they are, and?if you?re using snipe or?woodcock, the beak can be used to truss the birds through the legs for an even more dramatic presentation.

If your birds come with their?livers, these?can be quickly fried, chopped and spread onto toast. I?d also recommend serving a pan gravy or a jelly, such as cranberry, rowan, quince or?rose-hip.

Roast Game Birds (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

16 or so small oven-ready game birds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of fresh sage?leaves
A few knobs of butter,?softened
Pan gravy or a hedgerow jelly; bread?sauce,?to?serve

Directions:

1 | Preheat the oven to?230?C/gas mark 8.
2 | Season the birds inside and out and place the sage leaves in the cavities.
3 | Rub the breasts with the?softened butter.
4 | Place in one or two large roasting trays and roast for about 15 minutes, keeping them pink and basting with?the butter from time to?time. If you are cooking widgeon, allow an extra 10?minutes or so, as they tend to be twice the size.

?

October 21st, 2012

Source: http://www.esquire.co.uk/2012/10/man-food-by-mark-hix-roast-game-birds/

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Pregnant NYC woman slashed, stabbed to death

NEW YORK (AP) ? A pregnant mother of four killed in her New York City apartment the day before her wedding died from slash and stab wounds to her neck, authorities said Sunday.

The death Vindalee Smith, 38, was ruled a homicide, the city medical examiner's office said in releasing autopsy results. Her unborn child did not survive.

Smith was found on the floor of her home in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn on Saturday. Neighbors said she had moved into the area in recent weeks. Her other children are older and did not live with her.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry, and no weapon was recovered. Investigators were looking for a possible suspect and spoke to Smith's fiance as well as friends and family.

Smith had once feuded with a former neighbor who threatened to kill her, but it was months ago and the trouble had stopped when she moved to the new apartment, the Rev. Ferron Francis told the Daily News.

On Sunday, police tape blocked off the street to keep people away from the brownstone home.

Smith was a devout Seventh-day Adventist and attended New Dimension Church, about half a block from her residence.

The brutal, unexpected death "is tragic, it has broken our hearts," said Francis.

Smith had joined the church about three years ago, said Andrew Connor, a deacon at New Dimension.

"She was dedicated to her family," he said. "She was beautiful and this is very surreal."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-nyc-woman-slashed-stabbed-death-195656690.html

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Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel: Married!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/justin-timberlake-and-jessica-biel-married/

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Fatah fails to win strong nod in West Bank vote

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? Palestinians voted for local councils in dozens of West Bank towns Saturday, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement didn't get the sweeping endorsement they hoped for ? even as archrival Hamas boycotted the vote.

Turnout was just under 55 percent, reflecting voter apathy, and in several key towns, Fatah renegades won more council seats than candidates endorsed by Abbas' party, election officials said.

The toxic rivalry between Fatah and the Islamic militant Hamas also loomed large over the first Palestinian ballot in six years. The political rift, which broke open after Hamas seized Gaza from Abbas in 2007, made it unlikely Saturday's vote will be followed anytime soon by overdue elections for parliament and president.

Hamas prevented voting in the Gaza Strip and boycotted the contest in the West Bank, arguing that elections can only be held once Hamas and Fatah reconcile. "We ask to stop this disgrace," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, dismissing Saturday's vote as meaningless.

Saeb Erekat, a senior Abbas aide, countered that "Hamas cannot have a veto on democracy." Critics say the group banned voting in Gaza to prevent largely vanquished rivals, particularly from Fatah, from gaining a new foothold there.

The election was held at a time when Abbas' Palestinian Authority, a self-rule government in parts of the Israeli-controlled West Bank, is facing a slew of difficulties.

It is mired in a chronic cash crisis and has struggled to cover the government payroll. Efforts to heal the Palestinian political split have failed. And prospects are virtually nil for resuming meaningful talks with Israel on setting up a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the territories Israel captured in 1967.

"Fatah has been suffering two big crises, the failure of the peace process and the failure of the government to provide salaries and proper services," said analyst Bassem Zbaidi. "It resorted to the elections to get legitimacy, but the movement did not do well in the elections."

Some 505,000 voters were eligible to choose new councils in 93 towns and villages in the West Bank, picking from lists of candidates rather than individuals. In an additional 179 communities, residents reached power-sharing deals, many brokered by clan leaders, and decided to forgo elections.

In another 82 villages, there were no candidates, said election official Fareed Tomallah.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and closed 12 hours later.

With nearly all of the votes counted, the official Fatah list won 10 out of 15 seats in the West Bank's largest city, Hebron, election officials said. However, Fatah renegades did better than the movement's official candidates in the cities of Nablus and Ramallah, as well as the town of Jenin, the officials said.

Fatah, once the dominant Palestinian movement, has been plagued by infighting for years, and it was not unusual for those who failed to get on Fatah's official lists to compete against their party colleagues.

While Saturday's vote to some extent measures the standing of Fatah, clan loyalties also play a major role in local elections.

Some Palestinians said there was no point in voting. "People are crushed by heavy burdens," said Mohammed Nasser, a 25-year-old accountant in the city of Ramallah. "Would these elections solve our problems? Of course not."

Local council elections were last held in the West Bank and Gaza in several stages in 2004 and 2005, and Hamas won control of a number of main cities at the time. This was followed by presidential elections in January 2005, with Abbas chosen to replace Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who had died two months earlier. In January 2006, Hamas defeated Fatah by a large margin in parliamentary elections.

After the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the political rift became insurmountable. The rivals set up separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza, which are to make up the bulk of a Palestinian state, and failed to agree on terms for holding new elections.

Elected politicians in both camps have been losing support because they have overstayed their mandates.

"There is no leadership now, either in the West Bank or Gaza, that can claim legitimacy in any meaningful sense," said Khaled Elgindy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

At the same time, holding general elections in just the West Bank or Gaza was not seen as an option because it would cement the split.

In calling local elections in the West Bank, Fatah hoped to renew voter support, without appearing to harden the rift with Gaza. Abbas praised Saturday's vote as a "good beginning" and said he hoped local elections would be held soon in Gaza and east Jerusalem.

The West Bank voting was one of the few remaining options for Abbas, whose various strategies have run into dead ends.

"They are flailing in all directions," Nathan Brown, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank. "They can't go to the international community for financial support. They can't do (general) elections. They can't do reconciliation. So (they say) let's at least do municipal elections."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fatah-fails-win-strong-nod-west-bank-vote-222548671.html

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Blast halts Iran gas flow to Turkey, 28 troops wounded

ANKARA (Reuters) - Unidentified saboteurs have blown up a pipeline in eastern Turkey carrying Iranian natural gas, halting the flow of gas and wounding 28 soldiers in a passing military vehicle, Turkish officials said on Friday.

The overnight attack, less than a week after gas flow was restarted following a previous attack, prompted Russia's top natural gas producer Gazprom to increase its gas supplies to Turkey to offset the shortfall.

The blast occurred in the area of Eleskirt, a town in Agri province. It was not clear when gas flow through the pipeline would resume.

"Sabotage carried out late last night on the pipeline caused damage and triggered a fire. Twenty-eight soldiers on duty in the area were wounded," an official from the Agri governor's office told Reuters.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group has claimed responsibility for repeated attacks on pipelines in Turkey in its 28-year-old armed campaign for Kurdish self-governance, which has intensified over the last few months.

The soldiers were being treated in various local hospitals for minor injuries, burns and smoke inhalation, the official said, adding that the fire had been extinguished.

"Damage assessment will be conducted on the pipeline. After the extent of the damage is determined, we'll be able to say when the flow will resume," an energy official said.

Gas flow from Iran was halted on October 8 after an explosion in eastern Turkey, and resumed a week later.

Flows have also been halted several times on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline carrying crude oil to Turkey from Iraq in recent months due to suspected sabotage by the PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

After the latest blast, Gazprom's exporting arm, Gazprom Export, said the Turkish company Botas had requested an increase in the gas supply via the underwater Blue Stream pipeline to 48 million cubic metres a day.

"Gazprom Export approved the request," it said in an e-mailed statement.

Turkey is Gazprom's second-largest natural gas consumer after Germany.

(Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Writing by Seda Sezer and Daren Butler; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blast-halts-iran-gas-flow-turkey-28-troops-095810954.html

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Biden and Ryan Represent Different Generations of Catholics ...

Biden & Ryan 5

The past four years have witnessed a battle between different generations of Catholics in public life?Generation X Catholics have taken a very different path from Baby Boomer Catholics and those born before the boomers.

Generation X Catholics have emerged prominently in the Republican Party. Many who were mentioned this year on Mitt Romney?s vice-presidential short list were Gen X Catholics?Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, Kelly Ayotte and Marco Rubio.? They were given prominent spots at the Republican National Convention (Jindal could not attend because of Hurricane Isaac). They continue to elicit excitement as the ?future? of the Republican Party and conservatism in general.

The Democratic party has been led by outspoken Catholics of ?the silent generation? (those who preceded boomers by a few years)?Nancy Pelosi in the House and Joe Biden a heartbeat away from the presidency. Baby Boomer Catholic Kathleen Sebelius, born only six years after Nancy Pelosi, created an all-out fight with the Church through her decisions at the Department of Health and Human Services. And the candidates attracting attention in the Democratic party this season are individuals like Senate candidate Tim Kaine in Virginia, a baby boomer Catholic who was once a Jesuit missionary in Honduras.

These individuals may represent the last of an aging group because few prominent younger Catholics are emerging in Democratic party politics. In fact, if the 2010 elections were any indication, fewer and fewer successful Catholic candidates of any age group are seeking office on Democratic tickets. In 2010, 37 Roman Catholics were newly elected to Congress. Of those 37, only 3 were Democrats (all 3 were born in the 1950?s). The high number of Catholics who were elected to Congressional office that year chose to run as Republicans. Not one Generation X Catholic of that freshman class was a Democrat.

Generation X Catholics are steadfast in their defense of values that also correspond to the Church?s own positions on the dignity of life and the sanctity of traditional marriage. They place greater importance on the role of individual charity over government assistance. They have no memories of a parish community life in which the Murphy?s brought dinner over for the Dougherty family?s sick grandmother or bought a gift for the new baby in church because such a Catholic community had disappeared by the time they were born. As one parish priest I know put it, charity as an act of love had largely morphed into ?an act of mere administration.? They see the government?s role as too often replacing the community?s.

Many of the most prominent and powerful boomer and pre-boomer Catholics in public life openly advocate for issues that the Church considers ?intrinsically evil? while arguing that their ?social justice? positions make them Catholics in good standing. Yet their economic positions are areas which Church teaching leaves open for debate among Catholics of good conscience. With the leadership of Kathleen Sebelius, these generations of Catholics have now forced the American Church into a position where it must litigate with the U.S. government in order to win back its right to practice its faith freely.

For Catholic politicians of the boomer generation, John F. Kennedy?s 1960 speech to Protestant ministers in Houston was a moment over which they look back with pride. For churchgoing Catholics of Generation X, Kennedy?s apologia was an albatross around our necks. We came of age just as the most controversial and defining human rights issue in the U.S. became abortion.? If we spoke up or debated on it with an opinion that happened to dovetail with the same position of the Church, even if our arguments were based on reason alone, we were aggressively told that we had no right to publicly express our opinion on the matter under the old adage of ?imposing our morality.?

Catholics on college campuses in the late 1980?s and 90?s who entered into discussions in that dominantly left culture routinely found that opposing students or professors merely chastised their religion rather than addressed the subjects they wished to debate.? We were silenced on the basis of our religion alone.

Those who continued into public life after such trials by fire did so with spines of steel. There will be no speeches arguing for ?absolute? separation of Church and State from Catholic public figures of the new generation. This is not because Kennedy forged any path for them that left them freer to be a Catholic elected official (his long-term legacy may have made the way even harder), but because Catholics of Generation X were too bullied by the cultural left during the critical formative years of their political and social thought to cater to the left?s fears of their religion.

In many ways, the Democratic party left young committed Catholics who dreamed of a political future little choice after 1992. In that year, the Democratic party refused to allow pro-life Catholic Governor Bob Casey of Pennsylvania the opportunity to speak at the Democratic Convention even though he was a successful and powerful Democratic leader of a populous swing state. Most voters watching the convention would not have noticed this moment, but to a politically engaged pro-life Catholic still considering future party affiliation the message was clear: ?You have no future with us.? Not only will you not rise to prominence in our party, you may not even speak.? The long-term political consequences of that moment have never been fully analyzed.

Generation X Catholic politicians, of course, do not necessarily mirror Gen X Catholic voters. Catholics in the U.S. do not vote as one bloc, being neither firmly in the Republican or Democratic camps. However, those Catholics seeking political office are clearly moving further and further into a definite camp?the Republican Party.

Should this matter to either party? Yes, because Catholics as a group tend to attain political leadership and success far beyond their minority status in the United States. (Why this is is another topic for another time.) Sufficed it to say that it is not smart political strategy to spend twenty years pushing away a large minority group with such a strong tendency to both succeed at and influence American politics.

Future generations of aspiring Catholic politicians will likely be even less disposed to the Democrats. Obamacare in 2010 caused Congressman Bart Stupak and other pro-life Democrats to compromise their principles and the HHS mandate has left even liberal Catholics praying (and suing) for reprieve. There is little chance that young committed Catholics seeking public office in the future will see the Democratic Party as a possible home.

After this upcoming election, the Democratic party has no up-and-coming talent that excites their base the way the Republicans do.? Regardless of this election?s outcome, the fact is that by pushing away young Catholics and other traditional religious young people over the years, the Democrat party has ultimately pushed away future political stars.

Source: http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/biden-and-ryan-represent-different-generations-of-catholics

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