Thursday, December 6, 2012

How Computer Math Games Can Help Children Achieve Common ...

Now more than ever children are excited to use technology to learn. In fact, most don't even know they are learning when they are engaged in games designed specifically for educational use. Interactive games played on the computer can keep children entertained and teach them important concepts at the same time. These activities can help children learn math essentials and achieve common core standards. This article will discuss how computer math games accomplish these goals.

Attention Getter

When children start kindergarten, they may not have the longest attention span. Sitting for long periods of time can be next to impossible for young children unless they are engaged in a fun activity. This requires the teacher to think of different ways to teach the same thing and adjust the lessons for the needs of each child in the classroom.

When a child is able to use the teachings from the classroom and engage in math games on the computer, ideas and lessons are reinforced in a fun and rewarding way. This can help the child to be more fluent in mathematics while deepening his understanding at the same time.

Concrete Learning

Before a child learns the concept of thinking abstractly, she needs to have experience with the concrete. This builds a strong foundation for her future learning of difficult concepts. There are many learning tools that a student can handle and manipulate to learn more about math. These items include number lines, hundreds charts and math racks. Children are able to use these hands-on learning tools to count and group items in various ways.

These same concrete concepts can be accessed through games played on the computer. Often the manipulatives used in the classroom are the same as those that appear on the screen. Offering the same materials in different formats can be a great way for children to learn and reinforce the lessons taught.

Practice Makes Perfect

A child is more likely to engage in an activity that is fun and entertaining. Games on the computer fit both these criteria. Children enjoy the instant feedback on how they are doing and can learn more quickly how to correct a mistake. A variety of different activities keeps the child interested and wanting to learn more. As the child engages in games on the computer, he is reinforcing concepts learned in the classroom and practicing his math skills without even realizing it.

It has long been established that children learn best by playing. Engaging in appropriate mathematical computer games can help children build their math skills and meet common core standards.

It has long been established that children learn best by playing. Engaging in appropriate mathematical computer games can help children build their math essentials and meet common core standards.

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/how-computer-math-games-can-help-children-achieve-common-core-standards-306009

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Forrest Griffin latest UFC 155er to fall to injury

The hits just keep on comin'. UFC president Dana White tweeted today that Forrest Griffin injured his knee.

Griffin was scheduled to fight Phil Davis at UFC 155 at the end of the month. Originally, he was supposed to fight Chael Sonnen, but Sonnen was then matched up with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for a bout after their stints coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter." Davis stepped in, but now Griffin is apparently out.

UFC 155 is headlined by heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos' rematch with former champ Cain Velasquez. The card took a hit recently when Chris Weidman was forced out of his bout with Tim Boetsch because of injury. But strong cards being decimated by injuries for has been par for the course for the UFC in 2012.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/forrest-griffin-latest-ufc-155er-fall-injury-195759043--mma.html

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Shutterfly


I've ordered photo prints and designed custom wall calendars with Shutterfly before, but two or three years had passed since I last used the service. When I logged in again recently, I was reminded of all the features I found so satisfying then?and now. Shutterfly delivers high-quality finished products, although you'll pay a dollar or two more for it than you might on other sites, like Snapfish and Zazzle. But Shutterfly is the best make-your-own service you'll find for photo products, and thus, our Editors' Choice.

The only service I've encountered that matches Shutterfly's excellence and ease-of-use is Mixbook, but Shutterfly's final products are ever so slightly higher in quality.

Sizes, Styles, and Price
To test Shutterfly, I designed a custom photo wall calendar, a typical?dare I say requisite?annual gift among my family members. Shutterfly's options are a 12-month calendar ($21.99) and an 18-month calendar ($26.99), both of which measure 11 by 8 inches. If those dimensions strike you as too small, you might find Mixbook's 14 by 11-inch ($34.99) or 12 by 12 square ($29.99) calendars more to your liking. On CafePress, the only option is 11 by 8.5 inches, although it's available as either a 12-month ($19.99) or 18-month ($24.99) calendars.

Price-wise, Shutterfly defines the high end of the range for 11 by 8 calendars, although it's only a few dollars more than the lowest priced option I've seen over on Zazzle ($17.95).

Because CafePress and Zazzle both target the small business market, you can nab a better deal when you buy in bulk with those services. And both those services have a huge catalog of customizable products, and are more known for things like t-shirts and baseball caps. If you just need one or two paper items, though, stick with Shutterfly or Mixbook. Mixbook only has photobooks, calendars, and cards, while Shutterfly does offer quite a few more items, like mugs, blankets, mouse pads, and canvas prints. Shutterfly's templates have as much style and variety as Mixbook's, and both services let you further customize the templates, page-by-page.

Online Design Tools
When I started my 2013 calendar project, I logged into Shutterfly and found all the images I had used previously still stored in the system. Shutterfly lets you organize images, too, into folders and projects.

I started my project by choosing a template from the several dozen that Shutterfly provides. The selection varies from cutesy to chic, and I had a hard time choosing among three templates that had the smart and sharp look I wanted. One slightly confusing thing about the templates is you won't see a full bleed (that is, photo that takes up the entire page) option, but it does exist. Within any template, you can always choose how many photos to place on each page, and the single image option has a sub-option to place the image across the entire page. Second to that is a "classic white" template, which puts your images on a plain white background.

Shutterfly gives you insight at every step about how your finished project will look. Preview a template for a calendar, and you'll see a thumbnail for all 12 or 18 months' pages on the far right side of the screen. When you're nearly finished with a project, Shutterfly forces you to preview it one final time to check for typos or other problems, and it even flags your attention if it finds an image that might not print correctly or text that doesn't fit into its box.

The editor itself is straightforward. As mentioned, you can choose how many images to place on a page, and also select how they'll be displayed: centered, tiled, tilted, staggered, etc. Some of these sub-templates leave room for text in case you want to add a caption or quote.

You can choose on which month to start a calendar, tick off which holidays you'd like to see displayed, pen in family birthdays and events, and even add a custom image to a day?like grandma and grandpa's photo for their anniversary.

Shutterfly, like Mixbook, handles image uploading with aplomb. Both sites offer bulk uploading that worked well when I used them.

If you don't have photos you want to use on hand, Mixbook can pull them from Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, PhotoBucket, Picasa, and SmugMug, but Shutterfly only connects to Facebook and Picasa. It does, however, have some integration with other software, including Adobe Photoshop and Apple iPhoto, that speeds up photo importing, too.

Once you choose the images you want for your project, they appear in a bin at the bottom of the design workspace. A checkmark icon appears on each one after you place it in your project, helping you keep track of which images have or have not been used.

My personal favorite feature in Shutterfly is the preview. Because I have a professional background working in print media, I know all too well how easy it is to overlook an error before sending a page to press. Text and images get cut off, typos appear seemingly out of nowhere?it happens. Shutterfly, however, lets you know when it might happen by flagging for your attention any possible errors it finds in a mandatory preview step. Ultimately, it's up to you to correct the problems, but it's always helpful to have a second source of quality control.

Excellent Quality, Slightly Higher Prices
You can rely on Shutterfly for excellent quality photo products, from wall calendars to custom greeting cards and stationary, although the prices may be a dollar or two more than you'll see on other services. Shutterfly is easily our Editors' Choice for making customized photo products. For any items you can't find on Shutterfly, try CafePress or Zazzle, which boast much bigger catalogs of goods.

More Personal and Home Software Reviews:
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/FiCHkrL2xAQ/0,2817,2412723,00.asp

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Mario Lopez Wedding: Photos From The 'Extra' Host's Wedding To Courtney Mazza (PHOTOS)

Mario Lopez wed longtime love Courtney Mazza on Dec. 1 in a gorgeous Mexican wedding.

Mazza donned two custom Ines DiSanto gowns, one as she walked down the aisle to meet Lopez, and the other to dance the night away. The couple's daughter, 2-year-old Gia, acted as flower girl for Mom and Dad.

Click through the slideshow below to see photos from the couple's destination wedding.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Weddings on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/mario-lopez-wedding_n_2248094.html

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Branding Sustainability: A Whole New Ball Game. | Sustainable ...

I cut my advertising teeth in a world where massive campaigns were created to trumpet innovations that were usually incremental, or insignificant. While it was terrific fun for me as a creative director, I believe in hindsight our clients would?ve been better served diverting ad funds into r&d. Designer Yves Behar captured the sentiment succinctly: ?Advertising is the price companies pay for being unoriginal.?

Fast forward to today. Technology has dramatically accelerated the pace of innovation. Sustainability has become a design filter, pushing new materials and engineering to the forefront. Original, better products are everywhere.

But what about advertising?

It seems ?small innovation, big campaign? brands are waning. Our growing unease at hyperconsumption (partially fueled by a growing awareness of climate change) is making us cynical about the status quo. Social media has turned us into a world of investigative journalists, decrying brands that don?t ?get? the new world.

One would think brands with innovation and sustainability built in would be trumpeting from the hilltops. Not so.

Adidas. Big Ideas, Softly Spoken.

Alexis Olans is Senior Global Program Manager of Innovation for Adidas? Better Place sustainability program.

She?s speaking this year at Sustainable Brands? inaugural London conference, exploring the culture shift that?s changing the way we think about sustainable innovation.??

Core to her topic is a new paradigm for communicating the brand of sustainability.

In conversation, she points to events like the London Olympics as a massive celebration of sustainability. ?A few years ago, sustainability had a crunchy Granola feel.? says Olans. ?Today, thanks to events like the Olympics, people simply accept sustainability as a better way forward.?

Adidas, a major player at the Games, reaped the rewards not just in profile, but in new partnerships and thinking. ?The Olympics enabled us to do a lot of cross brand learning, sharing ideas with companies in completely different sectors like packaging.? says Olans.

But how does Adidas communicate sustainability outside the context of massive events? Olans paints a much subtler, perhaps even contradictory picture.

?At Adidas, we see sustainability as simply the right thing to do, not something to lever to our brand?s advantage.? Olans understands how this approach can create an uncomfortable brand tension. ?Before London, we didn?t even talk about our sustainability. In fact, consumers had a hard time accessing information on our sustainability credentials.?

Wouldn?t celebrating Adidas impressive sustainability achievements help the brand? ?Certainly, but Olans says her company?s culture is one of actions, not words. ?We?ve committed to sustainability, but we know there?s still much more to do.? What?s more, she believes overusing sustainability in communication can create a cynical backlash in consumers.

Performance First, Sustainability A Close Second

That said, Olans sees a new way for brands to communicate sustainability.

With 60 major apparel and footwear manufacturers, retailers and suppliers, Adidas joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. Although the Coalition?s mandate is to measure and standardize the environmental and social impacts of clothing, it is also standardizing the language surrounding sustainability.

?It?s in our best interest to create a common language, with hard measures behind any claims.? says Olans. ?That way, the industry can single out imposters, and begin to market sustainability in a credible, authentic way.?

Olans agrees that sustainability marketing is a real need. ?Consumers still want performance first. But more and more, they?re looking for clothing with sustainability built in.?

It?s still early days, but Olans feels hopeful. Progress is palpable. And by keeping communication reserved, she believes brands will win the trust of skittish consumers.

Lessons For Marketers

Sustainability is an important part of brands that want to futureproof themselves.? So how can you incorporate your brand?s sustainable attributes into the sell?

  1. Talk softly ? Consumers have never been more wary of overpromising. Even worse, sustainability is a motherhood issue ? overpromise / underdeliver, and you?ll create a very nasty, very public reaction.
  2. Back the claims ? Standardized claims backed by real meaures are still a work in progress. But chances are, there?s an industry group working on the problem in your sector. Do a little homework to see how your claims measure up before you plaster them on your packaging.
  3. Don?t try to cheat ? There is no shortage of greenwash-busting in the media. I was just asked to weigh in on a show exposing offenders, and was surprised at the extent of cheating in claims.? If it sounds good, but has no substantiation, don?t do it. The PR nightmare isn?t worth it.

Authored by:

Marc Stoiber

Marc Stoiber is a creative director, entrepreneur, green brand specialist and writer. He works with clients to build resilient, futureproof brands. Marc's leadership positions have included VP of Green Innovation at Maddock Douglas, President and Founder of Change Advertising, National Creative Director of Grey Canada and Creative Director of DDB Toronto. He has helped two ad agencies rise ...

See complete profile

Source: http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/marcstoiber/69286/branding-sustainability-whole-new-ball-game

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Suicide blast hits US-Afghan base; 10 Afghans hurt

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle near the gate of a U.S.-Afghan combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, wounding 10 Afghan soldiers, officials said.

The blast in Paktiya province's Zurmat district shattered windows on village homes three kilometers (nearly 2 miles) away but no one was killed in the attack, said provincial government spokesman Rohullah Samon.

He said it appeared the bomber detonated his car before reaching the actual gate of the camp. Many of the injured soldiers were in rooms inside the base that collapsed from the force of the explosion, Samon added.

There were no casualties among international forces at Combat Outpost Zurmat, said NATO forces spokesman Maj. Adam Wojack. He said the bombing was followed by indirect fire by mortars or rockets aimed at the base.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack and said that insurgents had breached the outpost's perimeter defenses.

Wojack said he had no reports of attackers on foot and that the outpost was secured soon after the blast.

The attack appeared to be in keeping with a gradual switch in Taliban tactics to increasingly target Afghan security forces as the international coalition continues the drawdown until a planned withdrawal of combat troops in 2014.

According to latest NATO statistics, the Afghan army has grown to 184,676 soldiers, and the country's police force now numbers 146,339 officers. The security forces are just short of the planned 352,000 troops.

NATO still has 104,000 troops ? 68,000 of them Americans ? in Afghanistan, down from nearly 140,000 last year.

However, the number of Afghans leaving the army has remained stubbornly high, with 27 percent of troops either deserting or not re-enlisting despite the higher salaries offered. And though the number of volunteers is still high, the army needs to train about 50,000 recruits each year just to compensate for the loss.

___

Associated Press Writer Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report from Kabul.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-blast-hits-us-afghan-10-afghans-hurt-082315171.html

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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

R. Kelly's 'Trapped In the Closet' Episodes Teased In New Trailer

Twenty additional chapters of R&B drama will debut on IFC November 23.
By Nadeska Alexis


R. Kelly in "Trapped In The Closet"
Photo: IFC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695705/r-kelly-trapped-in-the-closet-trailer.jhtml

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Is a Store a Person? ? The Business Ethics Blog

Contrary to what many claim to believe, the union representing workers at Zellers stores in Calgary, Alberta, believe that corporations (or businesses more generally) are in fact persons, morally and legally. At least, that?s what seems to be implied by the position they are taking.

Here?s the background, for those who don?t already know. Zellers is Canada?s second-largest chain of discout stores. The well-known American chain, Target, has acquired the leases on 189 Zellers locations (about 3/4 of the total). So, over the next couple of years, Zellers signs will be taken down, and Zellers merchandise will disappear, to be replaced by Target signs and merchandise.

But what about the employees? Not surprisingly, they will be laid off by Zellers. Target, apparently, will welcome applications from the former Zellers employees, but with no guarantee, for example, that their years of service for Zellers will count for anything. They will, in other words, be brand new employees as far as Target is concerned.

But wait, says the union representing those employees. You mean that a worker with 20 years experience could conceivably leave Zellers one day, return (to the same building) the next morning to her new job at Target, and find she?s being paid like she?s got zero experience? So much for being loyal to loyal employees!

But notice what this line of reasoning assumes. It assumes that a store ? indeed, a physical location ? is something that can have responsibilities. The sign can change; the merchandise can change; even the ownership can change. But the store where you?ve worked the last 20 years is still, on some level, the same store. Or so the theory goes.

And the theory is not without some basis in law. In at least some jurisdictions, union representation, for example, carries over to the new owners when a business is sold. You can?t sell your business and thereby simply void the contract with the union representing your employees. (You can imagine the alternative: two brothers could ?sell? their company back and forth to each other every 6 months just to neuter the union. It?s probably in the public interest to keep that loophole closed.)

But the present case isn?t quite like that. Target isn?t buying the Zellers stores lock, stock, and barrel. They?re simply taking over the buildings. So the transfer is unlikely to fall under the principle that a pre-existing collective agreement ?goes with the business.? So for the union to assert that Target has responsibilities to the employees-formerly-known-as-Zellers-employees requires an especially strong version of the corporate ?personhood? thesis, according to which corporations are to be treated as individual entities, under the law, for purposes of contracting, land ownership, and so on.

I doubt the union?s argument here can be made to hold water, though I would be interested to hear if readers think differently.

My main point, here, is just to point out the presuppositions of the union?s position, especially given that it presupposes a point of view that is rejected (albeit wrong-headedly) by so many.

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Source: http://businessethicsblog.com/2012/10/16/is-a-store-a-person/

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Serbian Prosecutors Seize Ex-Minister's Passport :: Balkan Insight

The passport of Oliver Dulic, the former minister for environment and spatial planning, was sent to Belgrade?s High Court on Sunday to prevent him from leaving the country.

?The court has yet to decide whether Dulic, a member of the opposition Democratic Party, can travel as planned to Canada on October 20 as part of a parliamentary delegation.

Parliament has already revoked Dulic?s immunity from prosecution. ?

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Dulic abused his position by illegally issuing permits to a Slovenian company to lay optical cable along Serbian roads.

Nebojsa Janjic, Dulic?s associate in the ministry, and Zoran Drobnjak, director of the public company Roads of Serbia are also under investigation.

The prosecutor's office proposed an indictment against Dulic, Janjic and Drobnjak in the High Court in Belgrade on October 12.

The prosecution did not ask for Dulic to be detained during the investigation.

Dulic has denied all the allegations. If found guilty he faces a sentence of between six months and five years in prison.

The police and the prosecutor?s office are still investigating whether the case involves corruption and whether the indictment will be expanded.

Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbian-prosecution-confiscates-ex-minister-s-passport

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UK signs deal on Scotland independence referendum

By Peter Jeary, NBC News

LONDON -- British?Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond signed a deal Monday agreeing the date and wording of a referendum that will ask Scottish voters whether they want to remain in the 305-year-old union with England.

The agreement -- which stipulates that?Scotland will decide on the matter no later than fall 2014 --?comes after months of delicate negotiations between the?British government in London and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.


Under the terms of the agreement, the referendum should ?deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result that everyone will respect.?

"This marks the beginning of an important chapter in Scotland's story and allows the real debate to begin," Cameron said in comments prepared for delivery and released by his office in advance.

'Biggest opportunity'
Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was closely involved in the backroom negotiations that led to the referendum agreement, called it ?the biggest opportunity the people of Scotland have had for 300 years to determine the kind of nation we all wish to live in.?

The timing of the referendum appears to be a victory for Salmond, whose Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for decades for the right of Scots to determine the country?s destiny for themselves.

With recent opinion polls showing only around 30 percent of Scots supporting independence, Cameron is believed to have favored an earlier vote.

The prime minister has publicly opposed a break-up of the union, arguing that countries are "stronger together".

But Cameron has been under increasing pressure to bring forward legislation after the SNP made significant gains in Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011, taking full control of Scotland's devolved government after gaining power through a coalition in 2007.

A remarkable, and rapid, transformation has shifted Scotland?s political terrain since the first devolved parliament was established in 1999.

The SNP, frequently campaigning on a ticket of an independent Scotland, has seen its fortunes improve at the expense of mainstream parties affiliated to London's Westminster parliament.

Complete Europe coverage on NBCNews.com

Behind the SNP?s rhetoric is the belief that independence will make Scotland more successful.

The SNP points to successful countries like Sweden and Norway, which function well as smaller states.

In its publicity material, the SNP claims: ?We will be able to address the priorities of people in Scotland, from better state pensions to universal free childcare. Scotland could do even more to lead the world in areas like renewable energy and tackling climate change, and play our part in creating a more peaceful and stable world.?

Funding the plan
But these bold aspirations require the financial capacity to deliver them.

London argues that an independent Scotland, which has a huge government sector, would struggle to balance the books. The bulk of Scotland's current funding comes from an annual $48 billion grant from the U.K. government.

The most contentious issue -- one likely to dominate debate in the run-up to the referendum -- is the ownership of an estimated 20 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves that lie beneath the British part of the North Sea.

Complete World news coverage on NBCNews.com

Scotland has long laid claim to the tax revenues of the fossil fuels that flow ashore and?many analysts believe the pro-independence campaign will need to deliver the money in order to deliver its policies.

For now, the next step will be for the Scottish Parliament to bring legislation to allow the referendum to take place.?In that, there will be a world of detail for both sides to chew over, including the wording of the referendum question, the right of younger people to vote and how the campaign will be financed.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/15/14452943-uks-cameron-signs-deal-on-scotland-independence-referendum?lite

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Monday, October 15, 2012

PFT: Dez Bryant must 'step up and be a man'

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Yeah, that stuff Aaron Rodgers was saying the other day about his own play not being up to par?

Never mind.

Rodgers was back to MVP Rodgers, and he dragged the Packers back to looking like champions along with him.

He was laser-sharp while carving up the Texans 42-24 Sunday night, completing 24-of-37 passes for 338 yards and six touchdowns, the same amount the Texans had allowed in their 5-0 start.

And it wasn?t as if Rodgers stood back with clean pockets all day.

He stood in and took shots and delivered passes, he scrambled for first downs and more when plays broke down. He read through progressions, and found guys who weren?t the first choice.

In short, he was Rodgers again.

And as long as that?s the case, the 3-3 Packers are as good if not better than any team in the NFL.

Here?s another thing: They?re without their best wideout in Greg Jennings, although Jordy Nelson is quickly making that a debate. And a guy with bad hands (James Jones) has caught multiple touchdowns in three straight games.

Those things don?t happen in a vacuum, or with anything short of the best quarterback in the game throwing it to them.

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

1. The Texans didn?t look like the undefeated team that really hadn?t been pushed.

Or maybe they did.

The Texans were able to beat five teams by an average of 15.2 points per game coming into this one, and it might not be an accident that all five were AFC teams.?In fact, the toughest of the lot might have been the Jets game, and the Jets can play a physical style you see more often in the other conference.

But from Connor Barwin trying to play buck-buck like Fat Albert on a field goal, to Danieal Manning trying to punch out from the bottom of a pile, the Texans played without much composure, which doesn?t bode well for the games that matter in January, when somebody else might punch back.

2. It?s not exactly breaking news to say that J.J. Watt is having a phenomenal year.

But with two more sacks, pushing him to 9.5 in six games, it becomes more amazing with each passing week.

A 3-4 defensive end is simply not supposed to do be able to do this. The job description, as originally written, doesn?t come close to what Watt is capable of doing. Ends in the 3-4 are supposed to contain the run, be solid and clog lanes for outside linebackers to make the glory plays.

It?s not like a receiver leading the league in rushing, but it?s at least the equivalent of a tight end leading the league in receiving yards, and speaks to his singular talent.

3. The Packers can?t keep inside linebackers healthy, but that doesn?t cover up the fact that one of them is playing very well.

Desmond Bishop was lost for the year with a preseason hamstring, and his replacement D.J. Smith left the game with a knee injury after a suspect block by Texans left tackle Duane Brown.

But the other Packers inside linebacker, A.J. Hawk, has been more than just solid of late, playing very well against the run.?The Packers (who were also missing nose tackle B.J. Raji) held Texans running back Arian Foster to 22 yards on 13 carries in the first half, when the run game was a viable option.

Hawk has taken a lot of criticism, and it?s easy to make a case that he?s overpaid. But he?s played well when the Packers needed him most.

4. One other quick note on the Brown hit on Smith.

The Texans have now ceded the moral high ground, and can no longer complain about linebacker Brian Cushing?s season-ending injury from a block of similar intent by Jets guard Matt Slauson.

You can?t have it both ways, fellas.

A wise man told me once there?s a difference between innocent and righteous. Just because it wasn?t flagged doesn?t make it right.

5. The Texans spent a lot of money ($48.75 million for five years) on cornerback Johnathan Joseph, and they?re? not getting a return on their investment lately.

There was no injury reported during the game, but he came out for a few plays for backup Alan Ball.

The Texans struggled last week in the secondary against the Jets, and if they were playing a team with actual receivers (and more of a quarterback), it might have cost them then.

It caught up with them Sunday night.

Joseph is a good cover player, but his two-week lapse is noticeable, and something they can?t afford.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/14/cary-williams-dez-bryant-needs-to-step-up-and-be-a-man/related

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Hasselback Potatoes | Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

Hey this is vegetarian

These are so good you could eat them as a main course. And so hearty, you probably should. Add more cheese, if you need. We barely resisted the urge to top with bacon.

Hasselback Potatoes

  • 3 medium to large russet potatoes
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Swiss cheese
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • salt/pepper to taste

Heat oven to 450. Wash potatoes and put on a cutting board. Place chopsticks on either side of the potatoes and then cut thin slices down the length of the potato, almost all the way through. The chopsticks should prevent you from slicing all the way through. Rinse the potatoes again, making sure to get in the cracks. Pat dry. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Rub another tablespoon on each potato, forcing some oil into the slices. Roast the potatoes until tender, about 40-45 minutes. In a small bowl, mix cheese, about a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and breadcrumbs. When potatoes are done, push the filling into the top of each potato. Return to oven to melt cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley when done. Serve hot.

This blog attempts to collect some of the things I try to create with food and booze. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail. My hope is to entertain and maybe help people think a little harder about what they decide to eat and drink.

Source: http://rufusguide.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/hasselback-potatoes/

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95% Searching for Sugar Man

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (5)

The search for a long-lost pop icon has an unexpected payoff.

[A] moving, lyrical account ...

Director Malik Bendjelloul's engaging, cleverly structured documentary about the legendary folk singer Rodriguez is shaped like a mystery.

If you like music, a good mystery or, better yet, a combination of both, you won't be disappointed.

An electrifying illustration of music's power to inspire and change lives on both sides of the footlights.

Submitted for your approval: one Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American singer/songwriter whom Rod Serling would surely embrace, in or out of the Twilight Zone.

There's a fascinating story in the rise and fall of singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, "the Latin Bob Dylan," and it's too bad that the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" doesn't tell enough of it.

A soulful, lip-tremblingly joyous movie that's one of the more affecting experiences I've had in a cinema this year.

Engrossing even when it's a little unfocused.

One of the most bizarre pop music documentaries ever...a singularly fascinating true-life tale that many of its participants still find difficult to believe.

...it isn't merely the content that makes Searching for Sugar Man so affecting: it's the way that Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul sets up the story and peels away the mystery of Rodriguez, one layer at time.

A mystery as compelling as any fictional detective story.

The first half of this film is mysterious whereas the second half is wonderfully inspiring. It's proof that truth really is stranger than fiction.

This is a fine documentary; insightful and entertaining with a genteel approach to uncovering a figure so close to the hearts of an unexpected fan base.

A celebration of an artist and the power of art to transcend time and place

Much credit to director Malik Bendjelloul for surprising this cynical and desensitised film watcher.

For those familiar with the story of Rodriguez, this engaging documentary on his substantial success in South Africa will prove both illuminating and bemusing.

I was instantly hooked by this unique documentary...If you are a traveller on the road of life, don't miss this unforgettable treasure of a film

This is not only the best documentary I've seen this year, it's one that shows other documentaries how to do it.

Searching for Sugar Man reminds us that a wise man knows lasting riches are never the result of record sales.

Searching for Sugar Man" is a saga about the power of music, living life on one's own terms and the joy of second chances.

Two fans, Stephen Segerman and Craig Bertholomew, made it their business to find out exactly what happened to the singer Rodriguez. And, "Searching for Sugar Man" is the fruits of their labor. The fruit is tasting pretty sweet.

It starts as a bittersweet parable about the cruelty of commerce, but the wonder of "Searching for Sugar Man" will not soon slip away.

More Critic Reviews

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

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Sunday, October 14, 2012

HRW: Syria using cluster bombs

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Syrian government forces appear to have recently made use of cluster bombs, weapons banned by most countries because of the danger they pose to civilians, a New York-based rights watchdog said Sunday.

Human Rights Watch said in a report that Syrian activists posted at least 18 videos on Oct. 9-12 showing remnants of the bombs in or near several towns, which included the central city of Homs, the northern cities of Idlib and Aleppo, the countryside in Latakia, and the Eastern Ghouta district near the capital Damascus. Many were on a north-south highway that has been the scene of fighting in recent days.

Cluster bombs are of particular concern because they scatter small bomblets over a wide area. Many bomblets do not immediately explode, posing a threat to civilians for long afterward.

Human Rights Watch said the munitions in the video were Soviet-made. Before its collapse, the Soviet Union was a major arms supplier to Syria.

It is nearly impossible to independently verify such reports in Syria, where journalists' movement is restricted and the government keeps a tight-lid on news related to the revolt, which it blames on a foreign conspiracy.

"Syria's disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping these deadly cluster bombs into populated areas," said Steve Goose, the group's arms director.

He said cluster bombs "have been comprehensively banned by most nations, and Syria should immediately stop all use of these indiscriminate weapons that continue to kill and maim for years."

The report said the cluster bomb canisters and submunitions displayed in the videos "all show damage and wear patterns produced by being mounted on and dropped from an aircraft." Some residents confirmed in interviews that helicopters dropped cluster bombs near their homes on October 9, the group said.

The group did not have information if the munitions had caused any casualties casualties.

Human Rights Watch "is deeply concerned by the risks posed by the unexploded submunitions to the civilian population, as men and even children can be seen in the videos handling the unexploded submunitions in life-threatening ways," according to the report.

HRW said it had confirmed that the fragments shown in the videos were RBK-250 series cluster bomb canisters and AO-1SCh fragmentation bomblets.

The military publisher Jane's Information Group lists Syria as possessing Soviet-made RBK-250 cluster bombs, the report said. It said there was no information available on Syria's acquisition of the weapons.

Human Rights Watch had previously reported cluster bomb remnants found in Homs and nearby Hama this summer.

More than 32,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt against President Bashar Assad erupted 19 months ago. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the fighting between the rebels and the army, which has been using missiles, tanks and warplanes in strikes that devastated whole neighborhoods.

Earlier Sunday, Syrian gunmen fired on a bus transporting workers to a blanket factory, killing four and wounding eight others, a Syrian official said. He said the attack happened at the entrance of Homs. He gave no other details and spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to make press statements.

The Syrian state news agency said a suicide bomber crashed an explosives-laden sedan into a coffee shop at a Damascus residential neighborhood, causing damage but no fatalities.

SANA said the explosion took place at dawn on the capital's Mazzeh highway. An Associated Press reporter at the site says the blast destroyed a balcony and ripped off a building facade.

Hours afterward, a second blast rocked the same area, seriously wounding a journalist, the agency said. It said an unidentified armed group detonated an improvised explosive device attached to the car of the journalist, Ayman Youssef Wannous, who works for a private Syrian magazine.

In neighboring Jordan, Syrian refugee Mustafa Ali Kassim, 24, died of shrapnel wounds inflicted when the Syrian army opened fire at his group of 229 Syrian refugees while crossing a border fence into Jordan before dawn Sunday, said Syrian refugee camp spokesman Anmar Hmoud.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hrw-syria-using-cluster-bombs-101006360.html

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Oracle upgrades its Business Accelerators for Oracle's JD Edwards ...

CBR Staff Writer Published 12 October 2012

The new business flows and modules available in Oracle Business Accelerators for Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne will help midsize businesses adopt tier-1 ERP

Oracle has expanded availability of its Business Accelerators for Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and new Oracle Business Accelerators for the Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering and Construction industries.

With Business Accelerators for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, Oracle Accelerate will offer midsized companies with an approach to implement JD Edwards EnterpriseOne as part of their Oracle Accelerate applications.

The Business Accelerators, which are available through Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) and in some locations of Oracle Consulting, are cloud-based rapid implementation tools to enable customers to run Oracle Applications quickly and reliably.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is an integrated applications suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that combines business value, standards-based technology and industry experience into a business application with a low total cost of ownership.

The Business Accelerators for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne includes 25 business flows across 12 modules including Financials, Procurement, Order Management, Inventory Management, and Manufacturing and Maintenance.

Expense Management enables businesses to manage and audit employee expense reports, while the Customer Self-Service supports the administration and approval of customer disputes.

Capital Asset Management helps maintain and service equipment, reduce downtime and repair costs, increase productivity and improve product quality.

The Oracle Business Accelerator for Industrial Manufacturing is optimised with key business flows, suitable for industrial manufacturing organsations looking to optimise supply-chain performance.

Oracle Business Accelerator for Engineering and Construction is designed with vital business flows for project-centric engineering and construction firms looking to improve financial management, and reduce project risk and complexity.

Source: http://enterpriseapplications.cbronline.com/news/oracle-upgrades-its-business-accelerators-for-oracles-jd-edwards-enterpriseone-121012

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Health supplements shop now goes online

Today we all have busy day-to-day schedules. The quality of products available in the market is deteriorating. It is very difficult to maintain one?s health and physique. There are so many people who do not maintain a balanced diet. They don?t even exercise regularly. Their intake of junk food is always high. They enjoy eating food with lots of spice as well. Due to professional commitments, they travel a lot. Again there is a change of place, different food and no proper timings of sleeping. Thanks to this horrible lifestyle that people lead today, people start facing the worst of their health in their early thirties itself.? Their body hardly has any nutrition. By nutrition we mean the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins that are required for the body to sustain everyday life. Those who take care of diet lose their health to passive smoking or drinking. To cope up with the problems that our body is bound to face it becomes very necessary for us to take health supplements for our food. Health supplements are those which supply the essential nutrients for our body. These supplements can be easily bought online through nutritional food supplements shops that are available these days.

Get this right. Health supplements are for maintaining our health and are not substitutes for food. Under your dietician?s or doctor?s supervision these supplements can be taken in the required quantity regularly in order to maintain a healthy body. The different kinds of health supplements available today include protein supplements, vitamin supplements, Vitamin D supplements and many others. These health supplements are the most commonly available supplements in any nutritional food supplements store that is available on the web.

These health supplements even have added advantages that include assistance to build one?s body; gain or lose weight as well.

The health supplements can be seen online with the product details and the price as well. They can be easily purchased online through a simple payment procedure. The nutritional food supplements shop online allows us to glance at the product benefits easily. It is always better to take these health supplements only if the body needs it. Taking excess of them can prove to be harmful. One can also enjoy the benefit of comparing the price and quality of the health supplements by researching about the different products available.

In fact these online nutritional food supplements shop provide discounts too. One can save a lot and even enjoy the benefit of the product being delivered to your doorstep. The customer service is also very helpful in case of any doubts. However, one needs to consider the side-effects of the products properly before buying. That is why a doctor?s supervision is necessary.

Sitting in the comfort of home and purchasing health supplements from the nutritional food supplements shop online is a real boon. One can gift vouchers to friends too.? This is the future of health and nutrition. You have to see it, buy it and use it to believe it.

?

Source: http://supplement.ezinemark.com/health-supplements-shop-now-goes-online-7d37e91dd57a.html

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Willie's Ways: Former Third World drummer works on documentary ...

WILLIE Stewart, former Third World drummer, is in the final stages of his upcoming documentary Rhythms of Africa, which stresses the importance of keeping music in schools.

The drummer, who is now based in South Florida and was in the island recently, said he spoke with local drummers for the documentary that he has been working on for almost eight months

?They are taking music out of most school curricula now. It is my belief that a whole child need all the other curriculum and music as well,? Stewart told Jamaica Observer.

The former reggae band member is carrying out his mandate of keeping youth in touch with music through his non-profit organisation, Embrace Music Foundation (EMF), which conducts workshops in schools and communities.

Explaining the term ?embrace? Stewart said it is all about restoring, preserving and fortifying the impact of music education, appreciation and amplifying its role in the development of children and family.

Stewart believes that music has become vulnerable by the school curricula and through this documentary he hopes to make a difference by uniting children with musicians, instruction and the local business community in an effort to keep the arts alive.

He dreams of seeing youngsters having a great appreciation for music.

The documentary, which is being executively directed by Vivienne Casce of Steady Image and produced by Adrian Allen, will show the musical journey from Africa to Brazil, into Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, and America.

Stewart says he expects the documentary to be completed in the next two months.

UK-born Stewart started his career in the early 1970s as a member of the popular Inner Circle band, then toured with Byron Lee (his older brother) and the Dragonaires.

He then joined Third World in the mid 1970s, playing on the band?s landmark albums such as 96 Degrees in the Shade and Journey to Addis, as well as the hit songs Now That we Found Love and Try Jah Love.

Jamaica Observer

?

Source: http://caribwall.com/willies-ways-former-third-world-drummer-works-on-documentary/

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Actor, TV host Gary Collins dead at 74

By NBC News

David Livingston / Getty Images file

Actor Gary Collins, shown in 2010.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Gary Collins,?actor, TV?host and former master of ceremonies for the Miss America Pageant,?died Saturday of natural causes at the age of 74, Harrison County, Miss.,?Chief Deputy Coroner Brian Switzer told NBC News.

Collins, a resident of Biloxi,?died?just before 1 a.m.?after he was brought to Biloxi Regional Medical Center,?Switzer said.

During the 1980s, Collins hosted the Miss America pageant and TV's "Hour Magazine."


As an actor he appeared in numerous movies and TV shows dating back to the 1960s. He was a cast member of the series "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" in the 1960s, and the star of the series "The Sixth Sense" in the 1970s. He also?appeared on "Charlie's Angels," "The Love Boat," and "Fantasy Island."

In 1967, he married actress Mary Ann Mobley,?who was crowned?Miss America in 1959. They co-hosted the 1989 Miss America pageant.?They separated last year.

Collins is survived by his three children -- one with?Mobley, and two from a previous marriage.

Collins?in January?2011?was arrested after walking out of Jazzeppi's restaurant in Biloxi without paying his $60?bill, according to media reports at the time. The Biloxi-based Sun Herald reported?Collins paid a $500 fine two weeks after the incident and did not appear in court.

He?was arrested on?driving-under-the-influence charges in California in 2007, 2008 and 2009, People magazine reported.??In 2007, The 2007 incident resulted in Collins being?sentenced to four days in jail as the result of a car wreck, Reuters recounted. Police blamed that accident on the driver of the other car, though Collins pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge.

NBC News' Jim Gold contributed to this story.

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/13/14418921-actor-tv-host-gary-collins-dead-at-74?lite

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Obama campaign asks Supreme Court to allow early voting in Ohio (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/255182217?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Friday, October 12, 2012

Avira Internet Security 2013 v13.0.0.2693 Free Downloads - Flmsdown

Worried about viruses and phishing?

Bothered by spam?The antivirus module in Internet Security 2013 is now enhanced by the Avira Protection Cloud, which links the virus scanner to the very latest threat information. Antispam and an advanced phishing filter proactively blocks even the craftiest email scams and spam, while a two-way personal firewall ensures optimum data privacy and protection from hackers.

Supervise your kids online while respecting their privacy.

Internet Security includes enhanced web and social network parental controls that let you manage web use without having to look over your child's shoulder. The popular Safe Browsing feature filters undesirable or malicious content and even allows you to set time limits on your kids' surfing sessions.

What's new in Version 2013?

Staying safe online isn't merely about shielding your PC. It's about being in control of your security and privacy, no matter how, when and where you connect. That's why the new version of Avira is designed to revolve around you, protecting your PC, your smartphone and your web privacy. Extend security to every facet of your online life. Enhancements in Version 2013 include:
- Browser Tracking Blocker new
Stops over 600 companies from recording your web activities
- Protection Cloud new
Real-time malware classification and extremely fast system scanning
- Website Safety Advisor new
Security ratings in your search results-know before you go!
- Advanced AntiPhishing new
Proactive protection from the craftiest email scams
- Security for Android new
Lost phone recovery, privacy protection and call/SMS blocking
- Social Network Protection new
Intelligent parental controls for Facebook and other social sites

Advantages

PC PROTECTION
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- AntiAd/Spyware: Shuts out online spies and annoying adware
- newProtection Cloud: Ultrafast scanning and immediate online identification of new malware
- newNetwork Drives: Malware scanning for shared folders
- Rootkit Protection: Traps hidden malware that conventional antivirus doesn't find
- ProActive: Halts undiscovered threats by tracking their behavior
- AHeAD Technology: Inspects unfamiliar code for suspicious signs
- AntiBot: Blocks hackers' attempts to take over your computer
- Backup System: Safeguards your data in case of an accident, hardware failure or theft

INTERNET PROTECTION
- Browser Tracking Blocker: Stops web trackers from recording your activities. This feature is part of the Avira SearchFree Toolbar (included).
- Website Safety Advisor: Rates the safety of all sites in your search results*
- Advanced Web Protection: Intercepts malicious websites before they load
- Advanced AntiPhishing: Proactively protects you against email scams
- Mail Protection: Keeps infected emails at a safe distance from your inbox
- FireWall: Forms a protective seal against intrusions (essential for wi-fi)
- AntiSpam: Weeds out annoying, offensive junk email
- AntiDrive-by: Blocks unwanted software downloads while you surf

CHILD PROTECTION
- Social Networks: Extends parental supervision to Facebook and other social media
- Safe Browsing: Advanced parental controls for blocking inappropriate websites and limiting the time your child spends online

MOBILE PROTECTION
- Security for Android: Missing phone recovery, privacy protection, unwanted call/SMS blocking and more

REPAIR
- Quick Removal: Eliminates viruses in one click
- Generic Repair: Removes all traces of a malware infection automatically
- Rescue System: Jumpstarts your PC in an emergency

EXTRAS
- Live Support: Unlimited access to friendly, knowledgeable Avira security specialists
- Game Mode: Suspends unnecessary notifications during games and movies
- Netbook Support: Fast performance even on compact machines
- Express Installation: Skips the boring Q&A to launch your protection fast

Download Avira Internet Security 2013 if you:

- Stream or download movies and TV
- Play computer games, especially with online partners
- Connect to wi-fi networks
- Access your bank accounts or investments on the web
- Shop in online stores or place bids at auction sites
- Make online phone calls, instant message or social networks
- Share your computer with your partner or family members
- Store your irreplaceable photos, music and videos on your PC
- Want to be sure your children are safe online

System Requirements

- Windows: Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Vista SP1 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows XP SP2 (64-bit)
- RAM: Min. 1024 MB RAM (Windows Vista, Windows 7), Min. 512 MB RAM (Windows XP)
- HDD: Min. 150 MB available disk space (additional temporary and quarantine space needed)

Installation

Install the program and activate it with one of the given license files.


Extabit:
http://extabit.com/file/29fq4kflu8939/Avira.Internet.Security.2013.v13.0.0.2693.part1.rar
http://extabit.com/file/29fq4khglsiph/Avira.Internet.Security.2013.v13.0.0.2693.part2.rar

Uploaded:
http://uploaded.net/file/7znp04kd/Avira.Internet.Security.2013.v13.0.0.2693.part1.rar
http://uploaded.net/file/c9cecqzl/Avira.Internet.Security.2013.v13.0.0.2693.part2.rar

Lumfile:
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http://lumfile.com/benxrcacwvqf/Avira.Internet.Security.2013.v13.0.0.2693.part2.rar.html

Links are Interchangeable - No Password

Source: http://flmsdown.net/software/1375501-avira-internet-security-2013-v13002693.html

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NewsDaily: Land developer, IRS head for U.S. Tax Court on ...

Land developer, IRS head for U.S. Tax Court on accounting fight


By Patrick Temple-WestPosted 2012/10/11 at 8:03 am EDT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2012 (Reuters) ? In a tax fight that could jolt the real estate business, Howard Hughes Corp is challenging the U.S. Internal Revenue Service over a $144.1 million tax bill stemming from land sales at Summerlin, an enormous planned community in southern Nevada.

The dispute centers on an accounting practice - known as the "completed contract method" - that the IRS has scrutinized for years. A Tax Court trial is scheduled for November 5 in Las Vegas.

The IRS contends, according to court records, that Howard Hughes improperly deferred taxes on income from sales of residential lots at Summerlin, which sprawls across 35 square miles on the western fringe of Las Vegas.

The company should pay taxes as it books the lot sales and not wait until the project is nearly finished, the IRS said.

But Howard Hughes says its use of the method is permissible under an IRS exemption for home construction, and that developers pay up-front costs and do not know their ultimate taxable gains until a project is almost finished.

Both the company and the IRS declined to comment.

Dallas-based Howard Hughes is a spinoff from General Growth Properties. Though Howard Hughes is the company in court, General Growth is liable for tax payments if the IRS wins, according to the spinoff agreement.

General Growth declined to comment.

Activist investor William Ackman is chairman of Howard Hughes. Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square Capital Management LP, owned 3.6 million Howard Hughes shares as of June 30.

The IRS said in September 2009 that companies using the completed contract accounting method to defer income from land sales for years, or even a decade or more, could trigger an audit.

The IRS has other Tax Court challenges pending with property developers over the completed contract method, or CCM.

"Taxpayers' misuse of the CCM is a growing trend within the residential construction industry," the IRS said in a September 2009 internal memo, one of several posted on the IRS website.

HIGH STAKES FOR INDUSTRY

An IRS win in Tax Court could mean property developers would need to pay taxes on a "percentage-of-completion" accounting method, a less-favorable approach for businesses.

The IRS is "taking a pretty hard-line position, saying that you just are not entitled to the completed-contract method," said David Auclair, principal at accounting firm Grant Thornton.

"This is a big issue for land developers and commercial real estate," he said.

Homebuilders also use the completed contract method. In July, California-based Shea Homes LP went to trial with the IRS over this issue.

The company could owe up to $61 million in federal and state taxes, Shea said in Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Wilkes Graham, senior vice president at Compass Point Research & Trading LLC, said a court loss for Howard Hughes and General Growth would not deal a blow to their shareholders.

But, he said, the challenge to the accounting method will be watched by other companies.

"It's a bigger deal overall," he said. For companies using the completed contract method, "those entities would be at risk" if the IRS wins, he said.

Howard Hughes got a tax bill in February 2011 for allegedly under-paying taxes in 2007 and 2008 on Summerlin, a project that the company does not expect to sell out until 2039.

Hurt by the recent financial crisis, Summerlin's acreage sales are starting to recover this year. The development's land covers an area half the size of the District of Columbia.

As a developer, Howard Hughes builds the infrastructure at Summerlin - roads, sewer and water, electricity. The company makes money when it sells developed properties to home builders.

A Tax Court loss by Howard Hughes would hurt the development industry just as it is starting to recover.

Developers beginning new projects may need to pay taxes sooner, adding an up-front cost for the businesses, said Richard Shavell, a vice chairman at the Associated Builders and Contractors, an industry group. "If the IRS wins, they could cause a lot of uncertainty," he said.

(Reporting by Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Dan Grebler)

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Source: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/bre89a0o6-us-usa-tax-irs-dispute/

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Scientists build the most complex synthetic biology circuit yet

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be achieved in such circuits has been limited by a critical bottleneck: the difficulty in assembling genetic components that don't interfere with each other.

Unlike electronic circuits on a silicon chip, biological circuits inside a cell cannot be physically isolated from one another. "The cell is sort of a burrito. It has everything mixed together," says Christopher Voigt, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT.

Because all the cellular machinery for reading genes and synthesizing proteins is jumbled together, researchers have to be careful that proteins that control one part of their synthetic circuit don't hinder other parts of the circuit.

Voigt and his students have now developed circuit components that don't interfere with one another, allowing them to produce the most complex synthetic circuit ever built. The circuit, described in the October 11 issue of Nature, integrates four sensors for different molecules. Such circuits could be used in cells to precisely monitor their environments and respond appropriately.

"It's incredibly complex, stitching together all these pieces," says Voigt, who is co-director of the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT. Larger circuits would require computer programs that Voigt and his students are now developing, which should allow them to combine hundreds of circuits in new and useful ways.

Lead author of the paper is MIT postdoc Tae Seok Moon. Other authors are MIT postdoc Chunbo Lou and Alvin Tamsir, a graduate student at the University of California at San Francisco.

Expanding the possibilities

Previously, Voigt has designed bacteria that can respond to light and capture photographic images, and others that can detect low oxygen levels and high cell density ? both conditions often found in tumors. However, no matter the end result, most of his projects, and those of other synthetic biologists, use a small handful of known genetic parts. "We were just repackaging the same circuits over and over again," Voigt says.

To expand the number of possible circuits, the researchers needed components that would not interfere with each other. They started out by studying the bacterium that causes salmonella, which has a cellular pathway that controls the injection of proteins into human cells. "It's a very tightly regulated circuit, which is what makes it a good synthetic circuit," Voigt says.

The pathway consists of three components: an activator, a promoter and a chaperone. A promoter is a region of DNA where proteins bind to initiate transcription of a gene. An activator is one such protein. Some activators also require a chaperone protein before they can bind to DNA to initiate transcription.

The researchers found 60 different versions of this pathway in other species of bacteria, and found that most of the proteins involved in each were different enough that they did not interfere with one another. However, there was a small amount of crosstalk between a few of the circuit components, so the researchers used an approach called directed evolution to reduce it. Directed evolution is a trial-and-error process that involves mutating a gene to create thousands of similar variants, then testing them for the desired trait. The best candidates are mutated and screened again, until the optimal gene is created.

Layered circuits

To design synthetic circuits so they can be layered together, their inputs and outputs must mesh. With an electrical circuit, the inputs and outputs are always electricity. With these biological circuits, the inputs and outputs are proteins that control the next circuit (either activators or chaperones).

These components could be useful for creating circuits that can sense a variety of environmental conditions. "If a cell needs to find the right microenvironment ? glucose, pH, temperature and osmolarity [solute concentration] ? individually they're not very specific, but getting all four of those things really narrows it down," Voigt says.

The researchers are now applying this work to create a sensor that will allow yeast in an industrial fermenter to monitor their own environment and adjust their output accordingly.

###

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

Thanks to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124351/Scientists_build_the_most_complex_synthetic_biology_circuit_yet

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Bounce, skid, wobble: How Huygens landed on Titan

ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2012) ? The European Space Agency's Huygens probe, ferried to Saturn's moon Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, bounced, slid and wobbled its way to rest in the 10 seconds after touching down on Titan in January 2005, a new analysis reveals. The moon's surface is more complex than previously thought.

Scientists reconstructed the chain of events by analyzing data from a variety of instruments that were active during the impact, in particular changes in the acceleration. The instrument data were compared with results from computer simulations and a drop test using a model of Huygens designed to replicate the landing.

The analysis reveals that, on first contact with Titan's surface, Huygens made a dent 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) deep, before bouncing out onto a flat surface. The Huygens probe, which had a mass of about 400 pounds (200 kilograms), hit the ground with an impact speed that was similar to dropping a ball on Earth from a height of about 3 feet (one meter). The probe, tilted by about 10 degrees in the direction of motion, then slid 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 centimeters) across the surface. It slowed due to friction with the surface and, upon coming to its final resting place, wobbled back and forth five times. Each wobble was about half as large as the previous one. Huygens' sensors continued to detect small vibrations for another two seconds, until motion subsided nearly 10 seconds after touchdown.

"A spike in the acceleration data suggests that during the first wobble, the probe likely encountered a pebble protruding by around an inch [2 centimeters] from the surface of Titan, and may have even pushed it into the ground, suggesting that the surface had a consistency of soft, damp sand," said Stefan Schr?der of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, lead author of the paper reporting the results in the journal Planetary and Space Science.

Previous work measured the firmness of Titan's surface during the Huygens impact. Those results found the surface to be quite soft. The new work goes one step farther to demonstrate that if something put little pressure on the surface, the surface was hard, but if an object put more pressure on the surface, it sank in significantly.

"It is like snow that has been frozen on top," said Erich Karkoschka, a co-author at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "If you walk carefully, you can walk as on a solid surface, but if you step on the snow a little too hard, you break in very deeply."

Had the probe impacted a wet, mud-like substance, its instruments would have recorded a "splat" with no further indication of bouncing or sliding. The surface must have therefore been soft enough to allow the probe to make a sizeable depression, but hard enough to support Huygens rocking back and forth.

"We also see in the Huygens landing data evidence of a 'fluffy' dust-like material -- most likely organic aerosols that are known to drizzle out of the Titan atmosphere -- being thrown up into the atmosphere and suspended there for around four seconds after the impact," said Schr?der.

Since the dust was easily lifted, it was most likely dry, suggesting that there had not been any rain of liquid ethane or methane for some time prior to the landing.

"This study takes us back to the historical moment of Huygens touching down on the most remote alien world ever visited by a landing probe," added ESA's Cassini-Huygens project scientist, Nicolas Altobelli. "Huygens data, even years after mission completion, are providing us with a new dynamical 'feeling' for these crucial first seconds of landing."

A new animation of the landing can be seen here: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJP13S18H_index_0.html.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

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