Is your business protected by insurance? - Vanguard

BY CYNTHIA MGBEOKWERE

As a business owner, you can?t personally control or eliminate every potential risk that threatens your livelihood. Business insurance can provide the protection against the risks of your business.

Unfortunately, insuring your business is not as simple as insuring your car. Because your business is unique, you?ll need to design a package of insurance that meets your business needs and provides the level of protection you are comfortable with. Your first decision is to decide which types of insurance your business needs.

What is business insurance?
Business Insurance, according to experts, is an extensive name for different coverage available to the business owner to protect against losses and to insure the long-lasting operation of the business.

Business insurance, they say, spreads and manages the risk among many business owners. Insurance companies take in premium payments from several covered businesses, invest those payments, and create a pool of money to pay out to a covered business if that business has a covered loss.

When you talk about business Insurance, many individual,organizations and business owner are reluctant about it. Majority of these business owners view insurance as unnecessary expenses. Business insurance is very important to a business owner. Therefore to protect a business from risks one needs an insurance cover.

According to the experts, the two reasons why every business needs insurance cover are:

1. Company Liability and Disaster:
As many organization and business owners regard business insurance as additional expense yet, is very important. When planing for the company?s monthly and annual budget, you have to budget for business insurance, as you don?t know the kind of problem or catastrophe that might strike your business or the natural disaster that will strike your business location which may lead to the collapse of your business. But with the help business insurance, you are assured that no matter what sort of calamity that be falls your business, you are covered with insurance.

Some of this natural disaster are: earthquake, hurricane. Sometime the business may close up due to the expensive loss, so no matter the size of your business make sure you get business interruption insurance. In some situation the company is held liable for any accident that happen in your place of business, it may be that a customer slips and fall inside your store/office, which might bring trouble to the business especially when the case moves to court, so it will be cool if you get business liability insurance to cover such accident.

2.Litigation and Thieves:
With no doubt companies and business are mainly target of thieves as some of the business equipment can be stolen and resold, so getting replacement insurance for your business it the best idea. In some business that are undergoing their equipment upgrades and may be building renovation are always a target of criminals and ill minded individuals but with the help of insurance, (replacement insurance) you will be remunerated for any loss as a result of theft.

And in some situation were your business is undergoing litigation problem which will give the owner the courage and peace of mind that his business is protected by business liability insurance, professional liability insurance and malpractice insurance. As a business owner you should be prepared as you will not know when someone will sue you. and in situation where you lose you may be ask to pay more than your business capacity. So the best tips to getting ready is to be insured with good and quality insurance company and always work with a good insurance broker

Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/04/is-your-business-protected-by-insurance/

catch me if you can delmon young arrested the raven the raven zerg rush david wilson playstation all stars battle royale

NIST tests in New York City suggest how to improve emergency ...

Radio communications can be unreliable in underground tunnels and other large, complicated structures, posing a safety hazard for emergency responders. New tests of wireless emergency safety equipment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have defined the challenges more precisely and suggest how emergency communications might be improved.

In a series of experiments conducted in New York City, an epicenter of underground tunnels and high-rise buildings, NIST researchers measured path loss, or reduced signal strength, which can occur when signals must travel through thick walls and dense material. NIST researchers also found that wireless emergency beacons could be unreliable beyond the street-level stairwell entrance to a four-level subway station, and that signal strength depended on the frequency used in the 100-story Empire State Building. The findings are detailed in a new report.*

"The systems we tested generally operated successfully as long as path loss did not exceed the threshold specified in standards just adopted in November," project leader Kate Remley says.** "But the path losses we measured throughout these structures were generally much higher than the threshold. This means that repeaters or other technology to rebroadcast signals should be used in these and other similar environments, and standards must be extended to these higher-loss cases."

The study is part of an ongoing NIST project, launched in 2008, supporting the development of performance metrics and laboratory tests for electronic safety equipment with two-way radio-frequency (RF) transmission capabilities. The New York tests focused on RF-based personal alert safety systems (RF-PASS), used by firefighters as distress beacons, but the test methods and path-loss results are applicable to other wireless devices such as handheld radios.

NIST researchers visited New York City in 2012 to evaluate emergency radio transmissions in challenging settings such as high-rise buildings and underground tunnels. NIST's Kate Remley and Galen Koepke setting up a base station outside the Empire State Building.

(Photo Credit: NIST)

NIST tested four commercial RF-PASS systems operating in three frequency bands: 450 megahertz (MHz), 902 to 928 MHz, and 2.4 gigahertz. Researchers measured whether a firefighter-down signal was received by a base station outside the subway or building, and whether a portable RF-PASS unit inside the structure received an evacuation signal from the base station, within 30 seconds, given a certain amount of path loss.

In the subway, communication was poor beyond the entrance unless a repeater was located underground on the pay-station floor. In that case signals could be sent between the street level and the first passenger platform, but not to or from the second passenger level farther below, suggesting the need for a multi-hop repeater relay system. In the Empire State Building, NIST researchers found that path losses increased with RF-PASS operating frequency, and that only one of four systems tested communicated successfully without repeaters over most of the building test locations.

NIST researchers visited New York City in 2012 to evaluate emergency radio transmissions in challenging settings such as high-rise buildings and underground tunnels. George Grammas (on left) of the Fire Department of New York, and NIST's Galen Koepke, Dennis Camell, and Bill Young, at the command post outside the West 4th Street subway station.

(Photo Credit: NIST)

Source: http://www.sciencecodex.com/nist_tests_in_new_york_city_suggest_how_to_improve_emergency_radio_communications-110643

Joy Behar Hangover 3 yvette prieto Red Widow MIRIAM MAKEBA history channel casey anthony

Changing face of Minneapolis is evident in caucus attendance (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/299521582?client_source=feed&format=rss

john derbyshire kinkade

News Summary: Retailers lead stock indexes higher

RETAIL POWER: Rite Aid, Ross Stores and other retailers surged Thursday after turning in better sales, leading major stock market indexes higher. The discount chain Ross Stores jumped 6 percent, the best gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

UNPLUGGED: Makers of computer hardware and software sank following a report that first-quarter shipments of PCs dropped 14 percent worldwide over the past year. Hewlett-Packard lost 6 percent and Microsoft lost 4 percent.

FINAL SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average gained 62.90 points to 14,865.14, up 0.4 percent. The S&P 500 rose 5.64 points, also 0.4 percent, to 1,593.37.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-retailers-lead-stock-210752126.html

Zero Dark Thirty

Actors, others gather at Chicago service for Ebert

CHICAGO (AP) ? Hollywood came to Chicago on Thursday as actors, directors, film critics and studio presidents honored late movie reviewer Roger Ebert in his hometown.

All of those who shared memories at the Chicago Theatre cheered Ebert as a champion of movies and a critic who used his influence to help filmmakers find audiences. He died April 4 at age 70 after a years-long battle with cancer.

Ebert worked at the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 40 years. The day before his death, he wrote in a post on his blog that he was taking a break from his schedule of almost-daily movie reviewing because the cancer had recurred.

He won national fame when he teamed with fellow film critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune in 1975 for a television show that had them each give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating to the latest releases.

Actors and Chicago natives John and Joan Cusack, who appeared together at Thursday's memorial called "Roger Ebert: A Celebration of Life," remembered Ebert as one of the city's icons. John Cusack said he and his sister, Joan, would watch Ebert and Siskel growing up.

"He was always supportive of artists. He always gave you a fair shake," John Cusack said. "Chicago's lost a great icon but he'll always be with us."

Joan Cusack read a letter from President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. The Obamas remembered Ebert as a "cultural leader."

Earlier, Todd McCarthy, film critic for publications like Variety, said a key to Ebert's success was that he was "a populist without prejudice."

"He was neither high-brow nor low-brow," McCarthy said. "In the world of film criticism for 46 years there was Roger Ebert and then there was the rest of us."

Ebert continued the movie review TV show with Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper after Siskel's death in 1999.

"I felt that as long as Roger was alive a little bit of Gene was, too," said Siskel's widow, Marlene Iglitzen Siskel, at the memorial. She said Ebert had an "unsurpassed body of work."

Ebert's widow, Chaz Ebert, also was to speak at the memorial. A choir opened the gathering by singing, "Roger Ebert, we will always love you."

The historic theater was a fitting place for the event. Ebert screened movies there for many years. And in 2005, the city unveiled a sidewalk medallion under the ornate marquee of the theater as a tribute to Ebert.

Next week, Ebert will be honored at Ebertfest, his annual film festival in Champaign.

He earned respect for championing small independent movies that he scouted out at film festivals while at the same time taking Hollywood's biggest names to task when they missed the mark.

Ebert was the first journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism and was the first critic to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

___

Online: http://www.rogerebert.com

___

Follow Caryn Rousseau on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/carynrousseau .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/actors-others-gather-chicago-ebert-004039277.html

ashley judd Alois Bell Donna Savattere deer antler spray Jason London coachella rick ross

To Chase Dropbox's Design Prowess, Google Drive Improves Its Layout For Shared Folders

For a service that provides file hosting, there are only so many ways to make it appealing to as many users as possible. There are integrations with other apps, seamless desktop and mobile experiences and, well, design. Dropbox has been the leader in that arena, providing an extremely clean and simple interface for its users. Its light blue and white design is a signature of the company, and Google Drive is clearly taking notice. Today, the team announced a bit of a visual refresh for shared folders, which was an absolutely ugly experience before today. In addition, you’ll be able to add shared items to your drive with a simple click: Over the next week, users who are invited to open a shared folder will notice a much improved visual layout of the folder?s contents. You can even click on an item to preview and flip between the content. Want to keep the shared folder? Use the ?Add to Drive? button on the top right to store it directly in your Drive for fast access across all devices. Here’s what it will look like once you get it: Drive, which was born of Google’s suite of services like Spreadsheet and Docs, has become one unified service to store all of your files. Sounds a lot like Dropbox’s offerings, except Dropbox doesn’t have the editing capabilities that Drive has. It’s a huge advantage. The other advantage is all of the mainstream at-home consumers that Google has access to, something that Dropbox hasn’t found its way to, as we pointed out in its Yahoo! partnership announcement this morning. If you’re familiar with Dropbox, here’s the light and breezy layout that you’ve grown accustomed to: Box wants to store all of the world’s enterprise files, which is also competitive with Google’s Business App version of Drive. Both Dropbox and Box have advantages, though, as they can find their way into other products, spreading their seeds into the work and life flows of people that Google can’t.. Amazon has gotten into the fray, too, hoping to be the chosen destination for everyone’s files. It’s one thing for Google to own search, email and video, but when you toss everyone’s personal and work files into the mix, that’s something that gets the competitive juices flowing. Its choice to start integrating and consumerizing all of its offerings was a smart one, spearheaded by CEO Larry Page.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rzMo21NkWYE/

Columbus Day 2012 carlina white Sam Champion Engaged Infield fly rule Taken 2 Venezuela Elections Skyfall

Signed Iconic Beatles Album Auctioned for $290,500

Beatles

A copy of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album autographed by all four band members has shattered expectations at auction.

The iconic album was sold Saturday for $290,500 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. It had been listed at $30,000 before the sale. The winning bidder was not identified, but The Associated Press reported the rare item had been sold to a person in the Midwest.

The autographs of the band members were obtained in 1967, the same year the record was issued, according to a letter of authenticity posted on Heritage Auctions' website.

PHOTOS: Expensive Items

Each of the Beatles signed next to his image on the inside spread of the album.

Beatles expert Perry Cox said the piece of memorabilia was "extraordinarily special."

"I consider this to be one of the top two items of Beatles memorabilia I've ever seen - the other being a signed copy of 'Meet the Beatles' [the band's second album released in the U.S.]," he said, according to Heritage Auctions' website.

The album was one of the big draws to Saturday's auctions, which included other entertainment and music memorabilia.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/signed-iconic-beatles-album-auctioned-290-500-190305593.html

allen iverson jr smith chris anderson rondo suspended bay bridge band of brothers presidents

It means Love: ????; Lu Gang Xiao Zhen

On Monday, after collecting my UOL "diploma" cert from RELC,?

I met up with Love for lunch!

I didn't feel like having any Japanese food so I suggested a place that I had been before at ION orchard,?

????

by The Asian Kitchen?

(can't really find their official website though)?

If I didn't remember wrongly, the open at 11.30am.

We came across their Lunch Set Menu priced at S$15.90++?

and decided to try it out.?

Here are the Peaktures;?

Nicely decorated place with dim?lighting;?

The set menu came with an appetizer, a main course, a drink and you could top up just?

S$2 for an additional dessert (which I think is quite worth).?

My Main Course

Mr Lim's Main Course

A generous portion for appetizer

Appetizer number 2

We had iced barley and iced lemon tea for drinks.?

We both agreed that the mango sago was yummier. :)?

For about S$21 per person, you get a 3 course Lunch plus drink which is quite filling for small to medium eaters. If you're looking for a more filling main course, avoid ordering the meesua and the eggy bowl as they're of smaller portions.?

Hope this helped to reduce your uncertainty and bounded rationality!?

(hahas, pardon me as exams are nearing, I was just trying to put what is in my brains to daily use)?

Source: http://carysdeology.blogspot.com/2013/03/lu-gang-xiao-zhen.html

2012 groundhog day

Eyewitness Confirms: Justin Bieber Spat at Neighbor!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/eyewitness-confirms-justin-bieber-spat-at-neighbor/

Chris Bosh wife josh duhamel josh smith presidents day mindy mccready mindy mccready downton abbey

The First 6 People Who'll Get Google Glass

Google's finally starting to reveal the winners of its #ifihadglass promotion, and surprise! You're not one of them. Not yet, anyway, unless you happen to be one of the following six golden ticket recipients. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qSmakt6Eqx8/here-are-6-people-wholl-get-google-glass-before-you

US weekly

You need to comment on Jim?s post! (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294522916?client_source=feed&format=rss

carlos pena amanda bynes arrested f 18 jet crash in virginia beach john tortorella nicki minaj beez in the trap video food network

Cyprus still locked in negotiations in last-ditch effort to avoid bankruptcy

Officials from the island nation are locked in late-night conversations with banking officials to head off default.

By Menelaos Hadjicostis,?The Associated Press / March 23, 2013

Cyprus officials and international representatives were caught up in tortuous negotiations late into the night Saturday as they sought to forge a plan to raise the money the island nation needs to qualify for a bailout package. Failure would mean Cyprus could declare bankruptcy in just three days and possibly have to exit the eurozone.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

It was not clear how far the two sides were getting: the information seeping out was conflicting.

Late in the evening, a finance ministry official said an accord was "very close," and would likely include a hefty tax of a fifth to a quarter of deposits over 100,000 euros at the country's troubled largest lender, Bank of Cyprus. But a banking official with knowledge of the talks said no deal was in the offing and wouldn't likely arrive before Sunday.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing and they were not authorized to release details.

Meanwhile, the state-run Cyprus News Agency quoted an anonymous top official as saying an agreement was not within sight because of the "rigid stance" by the representative of the International Monetary Fund.

Cyprus has been told it must raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) in order to secure 10 billion euros in rescue loans from other European countries that use the single currency, as well as from the IMF.

The IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission ? known as the troika ? will determine whether the plan that the Cypriots devise will meet the requirements for any international bailout package. Then, the plan is to be presented to the eurozone finance ministers for final approval.

The country's lawmakers soundly rejected an unpopular initial plan that would have seized up to 10 percent of people's bank accounts, and Cyprus is now seeking another way to raise the desperately needed money. But the idea of some sort of deposit grab returned to the fore after Cyprus' attempt to gain Russian financial aid failed.

According to a second finance ministry official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak about the negotiations, new laws may not be needed if negotiators opt for a "voluntary contribution" from Bank of Cyprus savings accounts above 100,000 euros, which is the insurance limit.

Another option being considered is smaller tax on all bank deposits above 100,000 euros.

The ECB has said it will stop providing emergency funding to Cyprus' banks after Monday if no new plan is in place. Without the ECB's support, Cypriot banks would collapse on Tuesday, pushing the country toward bankruptcy and a potential exit from the 17-nation bloc that uses the euro currency.

"We recognize the progress now being made by the Cypriot government toward a solution which can pave the way for an agreement on a financial assistance program for Cyprus," European monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels. "Intensive work and contacts will continue in the coming hours."

President Nicos Anastasiades was among those locked in the late-night talks at his presidential palace with the troika and others. A eurozone finance ministers meeting is due to be held in Brussels on Sunday evening. Anastasiades was also expected to fly there.

Cypriot banks have been shut this past week while the plan was being worked out, and are not due to reopen until Tuesday. Cash has been available through ATMs, but many run out quickly, and those machines for the troubled Laiki Bank are only dispensing 260 euros a day.

Cyprus took significant steps toward cementing a new plan Friday night, when its lawmakers approved nine bills, including three crucial ones that will restructure ailing banks, restrict financial transactions in emergencies and set up a "solidarity fund" that will act as the vehicle for raising funds from investments and contributions.

The bank restructuring will include the country's troubled second largest lender, Laiki, which suffered heavy losses after being exposed to toxic Greek debt.

Thousands of angry bank employees afraid of losing their jobs marched through the center of Nicosia to the Finance Ministry and Parliament, some with placards around their necks reading: "No to the bankruptcy of Cyprus."

"We are protesting for our jobs, and jobs of all in Cyprus," bank employee Zoei Koiachi said.

Worried about her job after 36 years at Laiki, Eleni Koutsourdou said lawmakers should have approved the initial plan for the 10 percent deposit grab for the sake of protecting the financial sector. "It's unfair. They pocketed everything and we end up paying for it," she said.

The restructuring of Laiki and the sale of the toxic-asset laden Greek branches of Cypriot banks is expected to cut the amount the country needs to raise to about 3 billion euros instead of 5.8 billion euros, officials have said. Bank of Cyprus, which was also exposed to Greek debt, might also be involved in the restructuring.

"We have to be clear to protect the financial system and for banks to open Tuesday with a clear picture," Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/X9Bgkx9UnrE/Cyprus-still-locked-in-negotiations-in-last-ditch-effort-to-avoid-bankruptcy

secret service prostitute rich ross april 20 secret service prostitution 4 20 george zimmerman sheree whitfield

The Edge: Can Anything Move Congress on Gun Control?

The Edge is National Journal's daily look at today in Washington -- and what's coming next. The email features analysis from NJ's top correspondents, the biggest stories of the day -- and always a few surprises. To subscribe, click here.

Can Anything Move Congress on Gun Control?

The rest of the country found out this week what Washington insiders have known for months: ?not even 20 dead children is enough to shift the debate over guns in America.?

When Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he wasn't including a ban on assault?weapons and high-capacity clips in the Senate?s gun bill, he was only saying out loud what aides had long whispered. The proposal, he said, "has less than 40 votes. That?s not 60.?

In other words, both Democrats and Republicans are unwilling to ban the kinds of guns that killed 28 people in Newtown and were discovered on Monday, along with plans to carry out a massacre, in a Florida college student's dorm room.

Innocents killed in schools, in a movie theater?even seeing one of their own shot in the head?has not been enough to change lawmakers? opinions on guns.?If gun control advocates want results, they?ll have to defeat their Congressional opponents at the ballot box.

It's the only language lawmakers seem to understand. ?

Chris Frates
cfrates@nationaljournal.com

TOP NEWS

MUCH FANFARE, LITTLE SUBSTANCE IN OBAMA?S ISRAEL VISIT. President Obama arrived in Israel today for a state visit meant to shore up strained relations and assure all that the U.S. and Israeli governments remain close, The New York Times reports. Obama has assured President Shimon Peres that Israel has ?no greater friend than the United States,? according to the Associated Press. Although he has mentioned the goal of lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Obama is not expected to offer any proposal for renewing negotiations. The Syrian civil war and Iran?s nuclear program will top the agenda. Read more?

REID, GOP REACH DEAL ON FUNDING VOTE. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced a deal today on amendments to a stopgap bill to fund the government past the end of March, The Hill reported. The Senate is expected to approve the continuing resolution as quickly as this afternoon, sending it to the House. It?s hoped the deal will avert weekend voting on the Democratic budget in the Senate. Read more

NO EVIDENCE YET OF CHEMICAL ATTACK IN SYRIA. U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that there is no evidence yet that chemical weapons were deployed in Syria, the Associated Press reports. Government and opposition sources have accused one another of deploying chemical weapons in Aleppo. Meanwhile, nine liberal members of Syria?s opposition have left the rebels? governing coalition in protest of the election of Ghassan Hitto, a former technology executive in Texas, as prime minister, according to Reuters. Hitto?s election was backed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Read more

• In a troubling turn for Syria, Sharia law has taken hold in areas of rebel control, The Washington Postreports.

SANFORD?S RUNOFF OPPONENT? TBD. Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford finished first on Tuesday in the GOP primary for the state's 1st Congressional District, but his political comeback isn't complete just yet. In the special election to replace Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sanford will face the second-place finisher in an April 2 runoff for the GOP nomination. It will still be a few days, however, before Sanford knows who his opponent is. Former Charleston County Councilman Curtis Bostic is slightly ahead of state Sen. Larry Grooms, 13 percent to 12 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. A recount is expected. Read more

GOP RESISTANCE TO IMMIGRATION REFORM CRUMBLES. Many are talking about the New York Times story today that begins as follows: ?Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation?s capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters?a shift that is providing strong momentum for an overhaul of immigration laws.? The story goes on to note recent comments from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urging a new way forward, but points out that lawmakers like Paul are being careful to avoid the perception that they support amnesty. Read more

IKE MEMORIAL HITS A SNAG. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has introduced a bill that would toss out world-renowned architect Frank Gehry?s design for a memorial to President Eisenhower and solicit new proposals, The Washington Post reports. Bishop, chair of a public-lands subcommittee, appears partial to Eisenhower family concerns about the suitability of the design. House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., is reportedly also investigating the memorial. Read more

AILES STANDS BY OBAMA ?LAZY? COMMENT. Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman, is standing by comments he made in a new book in which he described President Obama as ?lazy? and Vice President Joe Biden ?dumb as an ashtray.? Ailes said that he was saying it with a ?humorous overtone? but is not backing down from the assertions, which caused a stir. ?Are every one of those statements true? Yes,? Ailes says. ?Should I have said them? Well, that?s a debate.? Read more

NEW FLA. POLL SHOWS CRIST WITH BIG LEAD ON SCOTT. A Quinnipiac University poll released today has some good news for former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist should he decide to run against his successor in Florida. Crist, who switched his party registration late last year, leads GOP Gov. Rick Scott, 50 percent to 34 percent, in a potential general election matchup. Read more

WANT TO WIN YOUR NCAA POOL? IGNORE OBAMA?S BRACKET. Obama may be a big basketball fan, but that doesn?t mean you should look to his March Madness brackets for guidance. The bracketologist in chief has correctly picked only six of the last 20 Final Four entrants. Read more

** A message from API:?A tax on energy is a tax on everything. New energy industry taxes will cost jobs, undermine energy security and raise energy costs for everyone in this tough economy. Learn more at EnergyTomorrow.org?

TOMORROW

OBAMA TO MEET WITH PALESTINIAN LEADERS. The president continues his trip to the Holy Land on Thursday. He?ll deliver a keynote speech to Israeli university students in Jerusalem, then travel by helicopter to Ramallah, in the West Bank, to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayyyad. Read more

JEWELL VOTE TO COME THURSDAY. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote on Sally Jewell?s nomination to head the Interior Department on Thursday, The Hill reported. Though Jewell, the CEO of outdoors company REI, comes from a business background, Republican opposition could hold up her nomination. Ranking member Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has threatened to hold the nomination over Interior?s ruling on a construction project. Read more

HOUSE TO PROBE MILITARY SUICIDES. Suicide-prevention efforts in the military will be in the spotlight Thursday as a host of military leaders testify before the House Armed Services Committee. Read more

QUOTABLE

"Oh, no question, I would clean his clock.... Just one knock on the head. It's done." -- Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, on whether he would win a fight with current RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. He also referred to Priebus as ?numb nuts.? (Washington Examiner)

BEDTIME READING

IN 1991, NEW YORK WANTED HIS HEAD; IN 2013, HE?S FINALLY EXONERATED. In 1991, 40 detectives, ?led by the swaggering, cigar-chewing Detective Louis Scarcella,? charged David Ranta with the murder of a rabbi. The story was New York City tabloid fodder, and the whole city wanted justice for a rabbi shot in the head during a botched jewelry robbery. Ranta, an unemployed drug addict, was sentenced to 37.5 years in jail, where he remains to this day. ?[H]e is almost certainly not guilty,? write Michael Powell and Sharon Otterman in The New York Times. Over 22 years, each piece of evidence against Ranta has fallen away. His ?confession,? the ?witnesses,? all of it has been chalked up to bribery, police pressure, and pure mendacity. Thursday, Ranta might walk free. ?I?d lie there in the cell at night and I think: I?m the only one in the world who knows I?m innocent,? he said. ?I came in here as a 30-something with kids, a mother who was alive. This case killed my whole life.? Read more

* A message from API:?New energy industry taxes will cost jobs and raise energy costs for us all. More at EnergyTomorrow.org.

PLAY OF THE DAY

BIDEN TAKES OVER THE VATICAN. Jay Leno was up in arms Tuesday about all things economic, touching on the bailout in Cyprus, Serbian woman Bojana Danilovic?s rare brain condition and various government programs he has deemed wasteful. Late Night?s Jimmy Fallon mentioned Rand Paul?s political turn on immigration reform, but saved his best jokes for the strange-but-true photo of Joe Biden attending Pope Francis? first official mass. On CBS, David Letterman brought Biden into the Obama/Satan controversy from Monday and joked about the Republican leadership?s recent introspection. Watch it here

KEY INDICATOR

POLL: OBAMA SHOULD PUT MORE PRESSURE ON PALISTINIANS. Forty-eight percent of Americans think the president should put more pressure on Palestinians to compromise, as opposed to 25 percent who think Israelis should be pressured, according to a Gallup poll. The number who want Obama to pressure Palestinians has increased 10 percentage points in the last five years. A plurality of Americans still back an independent Palestinian state, but those numbers are down significantly from just a few years ago. Read more?

GET SMART

TRACKING OBAMA?S TRIP TO ISRAEL. Here are five sources to follow on Twitter to keep up with the president?s trip to the Holy Land.

• @JeffreyGoldberg: National Correspondent, The Atlantic. ?Whoa. Obama is quoting letters of Bibi's slain brother. This really is Operation Desert Schmooze.?
• @Ben Birnbaum: ?Contributor to The New Republic who focuses on Israel http://bit.ly/JIZWZq
• @972mag: A blog-based web magazine. ?Israel uproots tree planted by Obama.? http://bit.ly/ZL1In3
• @BarakRavid Diplomatic correspondent, Haaretz Newspaper: ?Obama calls Netanyahu Bibi again?
• @rudoren: Jodi Rudoren, Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times. ?Netanyahu: ?People should get to know Pres Obama the way I've gotten to know him;"

Subscribe to The EdgeSee The Edge Archive

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/edge-anything-move-congress-gun-control-163423376--politics.html

Melky Cabrera Mayim Bialik

Latest Chrome Experiment Turns Your Favorite Website Into a Playable Marble Madness Maze

If your favorite websites just aren't as captivating as they used to be, the latest Chrome experiment should breathe some life back into them. Just feed it a website and the World Wide Maze will automatically deconstruct and turn it into a 3D marble maze that can be controlled using your smartphone's accelerometer. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vVbif98sVok/latest-chrome-experiment-turns-your-favorite-website-into-a-playable-marble-madness-maze

derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart

Former voice of TV's Elmo faces abuse suit in Pa.

NEW YORK (AP) ? A man who initially recanted sex abuse allegations against the former puppeteer of the "Sesame Street" character Elmo has sued him, alleging the entertainer lured him into drug-fueled sex when he was 16.

"I was taken advantage of by someone a lot older, and manipulated," Sheldon Stephens, who's now 24, told a Manhattan news conference on Tuesday.

He said he had met puppeteer Kevin Clash at a networking event for models and actors, and was later brought by limousine from his home in Pennsylvania to a New York apartment. There, Stephens said, Clash smoked crystal meth while giving the teenager another recreational drug.

In a federal lawsuit filed Monday in Pennsylvania, Stephens accused the 52-year-old Clash of sexual battery for childhood sexual abuse; travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; and coercion and enticement to sexual activity. Stephens is asking for unspecified damages and coverage of his legal expenses.

Clash's attorney, Michael Berger, said in a statement Tuesday that his client denies any wrongdoing. He said Stephens already admitted he had had an adult consensual relationship with Clash.

Three other men also are suing Clash, alleging underage sex. Clash resigned from "Sesame Street" in November.

Stephens first made the allegations last year. His lawyer, Jeff Herman, said Stephens recanted over the possibility of a settlement, but none was ever reached. Herman said his client would not discuss details of any possible agreement.

Stephens said at the news conference that he was 22 when the relationship ended. He said he only took action after watching "Sesame Street" with his young nieces.

"When I started to realize my nieces were idolizing this character, it just disgusted me inside because I knew what had happened to me," Stephens said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-voice-tvs-elmo-faces-abuse-suit-pa-185037231.html

dancing with the stars lululemon cyprus cyprus lindsey vonn lindsey vonn lisa vanderpump

10 Things to Know for Friday

People watch Pope Francis on a giant monitor in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican, as he celebrates his inaugural Mass with cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, Thursday, March 14, 2013. As the 266th pope, Francis inherits a Catholic church in turmoil, beset by the clerical sex abuse scandal, internal divisions and dwindling numbers in parts of the world where Christianity had been strong for centuries. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

People watch Pope Francis on a giant monitor in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican, as he celebrates his inaugural Mass with cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, Thursday, March 14, 2013. As the 266th pope, Francis inherits a Catholic church in turmoil, beset by the clerical sex abuse scandal, internal divisions and dwindling numbers in parts of the world where Christianity had been strong for centuries. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

JK Shin, President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications for Samsung Electronics, presents the new Samsung Galaxy S 4 during the Samsung Unpacked event at Radio City Music Hall, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

FILE - This undated image made available by CERN shows a typical candidate event including two high-energy photons whose energy (depicted by red towers) is measured in the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter. The yellow lines are the measured tracks of other particles produced in the collision. The pale blue volume shows the CMS crystal calorimeter barrel. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, called CERN, says Thursday March 14, 2013 a look at all the data from 2012 shows that what they found last year was a version of what is popularly referred to as the "God particle." (AP Photo/CERN) EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT -

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. THERE'S GOOD NEWS...

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was often a star speaker about economic inequities. He also warned church leaders about drifting from core Catholic beliefs.

2. ...AND BAD NEWS

Human rights activists differ on how much responsibility Pope Francis personally deserves for the Argentine church's dark history of supporting a murderous dictatorship.

3. CAN WE CHARGE THEM A PENALTY?

The IRS says 660,000 refunds will be delayed by up to six weeks because of a software problem.

4. A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR...

Obama is signaling a willingness to adopt some modest steps on Medicare and Social Security. Democrats wince.

5. HOW BIG IS THE GALAXY (SCREEN)

The new version crams a 5-inch screen into body slightly smaller than the S III's.

6. WHICH SIDE OF THE POND PUTS DOWN THEIR CELLPHONES

A significantly higher percentage of U.S. drivers report phone use behind the wheel than drivers in Europe, the CDC finds.

7. OH MY GOD! PARTICLE

In what could go down as one of the great Eureka! moments in physics, scientists say they are confident they have found a Higgs boson.

8. WHEN TO EXPECT A FINANCAL FIX IN DETROIT

The newly appointed emergency manger says "we can get this done significantly shorter than 18 months."

9. WHY N.J.'S CHRISTIE IS ASKED TO APOLOGIZE

He referred to the state Assembly leader, Democratic Speaker Sheila Oliver, by her race and gender instead of her name.

10. LESS 'ANONYMOUS' NOW

A Reuters journalist is charged with conspiring with the hacking group to alter headlines of Los Angeles Times articles.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-14-10%20Things%20to%20Know-Friday/id-bb2268a2be1e413a9db6007b040192f3

tomb of the unknown soldier HMS Bounty dominion power Heather Clem Con Edison LaGuardia Airport weather radar

Free Web Hosting and Other Free Gear ? Hellofor facebook profiles ...

The most effective business online owners choose Bluehost as his or her internet hosting company. Bluehost features many different solutions along with comforts for nothing, as an alternative to getting a person for the children ala carte like hosts.

To obtain more facts, you could possibly just style into Google, but that would not be the quickest route to good results... For faster results, visit best domain provider domain name provider

It is vital that one measures up owners previous to choosing a distinct supplier. This is certainly a lot more important for someone that is completely new for this area and learn significantly about this kind of web repair shops. There are plenty of internet sites online that really evaluate this kind of serves and helps the person understand concerning what design will be the good for these individuals as far as the requirements and requirements are engaged.

For more opinions to find out a lot more methods on it you may also pay a visit to best domain hosting domain name providers

Have you been operating your site on the totally free profile for instance Doodlekit as well as Xanga? Think you're beginning to get frustrated by the products your blog site? Do you think you're starting to have green with envy together with the look connected with several of the various other websites available? Very well, we had arrived inside of a comparable problem. Discover exactly why most of us started out using free tumblr records, wait, how we ended up being building a self-hosted Hubpages site for BlueHost.

You could also checkout the main web page of and Help save Your Greenbacks go to web address registration best domain hosting

For more info regarding domain name search stop by www.unitagged.com/blog/28558/web-hosting-discount-vouchers-the-easiest-way-to-place-you-business-online/

Source: http://www.hellofour.com/blog/120385/free-web-hosting-and-other-free-gear/

black and tan dwight howard trade ncaa bracket 2012 2012 ncaa bracket john carlson greg smith catamount

Oh, snap! Best budget digital cameras

The Olympus VR-340 features 10x zoom.

By Kara Reinhardt, Cheapism.com

For years now consumers have been turning to smartphones instead of cameras to shoot and share good-enough-for-Facebook photos. For those who lack a fancy phone with a decent camera or still prefer a dedicated device, respected names such as Canon and Olympus make well-reviewed digital cameras for less than $100. The best budget models promise reliable image quality and include features such as 10x optical zoom. That?s something you won?t see in a smartphone camera.

Here are the top picks from Cheapism.com.

• The Canon PowerShot A3400 IS (starting at $89) is yet another excellent entrant from a brand that seems to consistently excel in the budget arena. This camera has a touchscreen LCD -- an unusual feature for this price range -- and reviewers say the controls are simple to navigate. (Where to buy)
• The Olympus VR-340 (starting at $89) boasts a 10x zoom lens in a category where 5x is the norm. The 3-inch LCD also has a higher resolution: 460K dots, compared with the standard 230K. Expert reviewers note the camera?s solid metal body and laud its overall quality. (Where to buy)
• The Canon PowerShot A2400 IS (starting at $88) earns plenty of praise for its performance. Experts point to the sharpness of the photos and outstanding color accuracy. On the features front, this model looks much like the A3400, but for a 2.7-inch LCD in place of a 3-inch touchscreen. (Where to buy)
• The Fujifilm FinePix T400 (starting at $89) stands out for its ease of use, according to expert reviews. Automatic settings on this and other point-and-shoot cameras take the guesswork out of shooting a portrait, sunset, sporting event, or any number of other scenes. This camera?s slim body houses a 10x zoom. (Where to buy)

In general budget cameras tend to struggle in low light, producing images marred by ?noise? or graininess and other distortions. In more favorable conditions, however, the best models continually turn out frame-worthy photos. The four cameras listed above can also record 720p HD video.

It would be remiss not to mention that these are all 16-megapixel cameras. High resolution does not necessarily make for high-quality images, however. In some cases the megapixel count may even be too high, as NBC News explains. Regardless, digital photos taken at 16MP will be plenty large enough to blow up to poster size and beyond. More megapixels may not translate to better pictures, but it certainly translates to larger image files. Luckily consumers can find high-capacity SD cards for less than $10.

One thing to check for as you compare the specs on digital cameras is an optical image stabilizer, which helps keep pictures taken in low light from turning out blurry. Low-cost models used to rely largely on digital machinations to produce sharp photos without a tripod, but now any camera you buy should have optical image stabilization built in.

More from Cheapism:

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/03/13/17238716-cheapism-best-budget-digital-cameras?lite

Macho Camacho Rise of the Guardians

Dating & Relationship Advice To My 13 Year Old Clutch Magazine

Sometimes I wish someone actually sat me down as a kid and talked to me about dating and relationships. ?I don?t ever recall talking to either parent about these subjects, but I did hear ?You better not come home knocked up?. So yeah, I knew not to get pregnant, but I didn?t actually know how one ?got pregnant?, if that makes any sense. Health classes were a joke in school. My girlfriends didn?t know anything either. And the little boys in middle school were perverts and spent their free time trying to touch on girl?s butts. The last boy who attempted to cop a feel in the 8th grade ended up with a black eye.

Instead, I learned everything I knew at the time from Judy Blume, Jackie Collins and Danielle Steele. Yeah, not quite the holy?grail?of learning, but it was all I had. Blume taught me about menstruation and innocent crushes. Collins and Steele taught me about lust, love and the dangers that could arise from both. ?Life taught me the rest. ?Now that I?m the parent of a teenager, I give him the advice I wish I would have received when I was his age.

Last week my 13-year-old son came into my room, laid next to me on my bed and ?placed his head on my shoulder. This is usually what he does when he wants something, so I was preparing myself for either of these questions:

• Can I have another dog?
• Can I get another gecko?
• There?s this new video game coming out?can you buy it?

I was preparing myself to say no to whatever request he was about to ask. To my surprise he asked for something else.

Dating advice.

Record scratches.

What?

Just last year girls were gross, rude and mean. Now he wants advice about dating them? ?To say I wasn?t prepared for that question was an understatement. ?I needed a few minutes to contemplate my answer, but with him, ?an answer needs to be supplied immediately. ?So I thought about it for all of 5 seconds. I thought about what I wanted to hear when I was his age, then I thought about what I learned and what I?m still learning along the way.

His question was about a friend he has a crush on. He didn?t know whether he should ask her ?out? or just remain friends. ?I?m not really sure what he meant by ?out?, because there?s not so much a 13 year can do besides the movies and the mall, but I didn?t bring up that issue. ?I asked him if there were any ?signs? that she may be interested in more than a friendship type of way, because sometimes people can misinterpret signals. I didn?t want him to answer the question, but to just think about it to himself and pay attention to their interactions at school. ?If he felt that there was something ?more? there, then maybe he should simply ask her to the movies and see what she says. ?But if she turns him down, don?t be disappointed because you can still be friends, without the whole dating aspect.

I think if kids are taught early that men and women can be platonic friends, there won?t be 50,000 blog posts 10 years from now with people asking ?Can Men & Women Really Just Be Friends??. Because we all know that horse has been beaten to death.

Last Friday I dropped my son off at his school?s 8th grade lock in, and he introduced me to his friend and her dad. ?I spoke to her father briefly and we shared a few laughs about raising teenagers. As the two kids ran into the school, they talked basketball and what movie they were seeing this weekend, I exchanged glances with her father and he summed it up appropriately, ?Those two are like peas in a pod. I hope they stay friends for a long time?.

Source: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2013/03/dating-relationship-advice-to-my-13-year-old/

hocus pocus hocus pocus mta schedule PECO Hurricane Sandy update ellen degeneres tomb of the unknown soldier

Man sought in 2 deaths captured in Ore. motel

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (AP) ? Police stormed a motel room in a seaside town Tuesday evening and captured a Washington state man suspected of killing his grandparents, ending a multistate search and a tense daylong standoff at the motel.

Officers found Michael Boysen lying on the floor on his back with apparently serious self-inflicted cuts, Lincoln City police Chief Keith Kilian said.

The 26-year-old man was flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.

Hospital spokeswoman Judy Pahl described his condition as critical shortly after he arrived late Tuesday night.

No officers were hurt in the standoff, which Kilian termed "very successful." Law enforcement officials in Washington state had described Boysen as extremely dangerous.

The bodies of Boysen's grandparents were found Saturday in their suburban Seattle home, a day after Boysen was released from prison and was greeted with a welcome home party. After those deaths were discovered, officials say they learned that Boysen had made threats against his relatives and law enforcement officials while behind bars.

Police spent much of Tuesday trying to persuade Boysen to surrender. After breaching the motel room door, they stormed in and captured him.

"We're certainly glad it's over and nobody else got hurt. We're glad they were able to take him into custody alive," King County Sheriff John Urquhart said in Seattle shortly after the capture.

During Tuesday's siege in the Oregon tourist town of Lincoln City, police pointed rifles at the motel, fired blasts from a water cannon to break the windows of Boysen's second-floor room and used a bullhorn to try to get him to give up. The Oregonian reports they also used tear gas.

Police used a robot equipped with a video camera and a microphone to communicate with him. The robot was sent onto a balcony outside the motel room. Police breached the door and were able to communicate with Boysen through the robot.

When Boysen didn't come out on his own, police went in after him.

"We tried to negotiate," Kilian said. "We saw an opening that didn't compromise the safety of our officers."

Boysen checked into the WestShore OceanFront Suites on Monday night under his own name but wasn't recognized until Tuesday morning, when a motel employee saw a television story about the case and called police, Kilian said.

Boysen made threats against members of his family and law enforcement while locked up, Washington state Corrections Department spokesman Chad Lewis said Tuesday. But police didn't learn of the threats until after the bodies of the grandparents were found and authorities had started looking for Boysen.

"Sources went to our staff at the Monroe Correctional Center and told us he had been threatening to do all this," Lewis said.

The information was passed on to King County deputies, and that's why Sheriff Urquhart called Boysen extremely dangerous at a Monday news conference. Investigators also determined that Boysen had been searching the Internet for gun shows.

Boysen just finished serving nine months in prison on a burglary conviction, Lewis said. He had no violent infractions in prison ? "nothing extraordinary," Lewis said.

He served a previous sentence between 2006 and February 2011 for four robbery convictions. Those convictions were related to an addiction to narcotic painkillers, Lewis said.

Boysen's grandparents picked him up from prison Friday and drove him to meet his probation officer and to get an identification card from the Department of Licensing. They held a welcome home party for him Friday night.

Boysen's mother discovered the bodies Saturday evening. She had been called by a family member who became concerned that the couple hadn't answered their door.

Authorities haven't said how they died.

The motive for the killings remains unknown, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said.

"Between the family and detectives we have no idea," she said. "It's just bizarre. The family loved and supported him the whole time he was in prison."

On Tuesday, the King County medical examiner's office identified the couple as Robert R. Taylor, 82, and Norma J. Taylor, 80. They died Saturday. The cause and manner of their deaths remains under investigation, the medical examiner said.

Urquhart said it was not known why Boysen fled to Oregon.

"We didn't know he had gone to Oregon, had no particular reason to look there."

King County sent two detectives to Oregon to talk with Boysen, Urquhart said. He'll have to go through extradition, then King County hopes to "get him back here for trial," the sheriff said Tuesday evening.

___

Associated Press writers Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore., and Doug Esser in Seattle contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-sought-2-deaths-captured-ore-motel-033619610.html

Honey Boo Boo pirate bay

Martian rock points to life-friendly conditions

According to NASA, powder from a rock found on Mars indicates the Red Planet may have been able to support microbes billions of years ago. NBC's Katie Wall reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Powder drilled out of a rock on Mars contains the best evidence yet that the Red Planet could have supported living microbes billions of years ago, the team behind NASA's Curiosity rover said Tuesday.

"I think this is probably the only definitively habitable environment that we have described and recorded," said David Blake, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center who is the principal investigator for Curiosity's CheMin lab.

The findings are in line with what the scientists hoped to find when they sent the 1-ton, six-wheeled laboratory to Mars' Gale Crater. "It wasn't serendipity that got us here. It was the result of planning," Caltech's John Grotzinger, the $2.5 billion mission's project scientist, told reporters at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Tuesday.

---

Serendipity did, however, play a part in being able to find the evidence so soon, he said. Curiosity's handlers had planned to have the rover head for a 3-mile-high (5-kilometer-high) mountain in the middle of the crater. But when the rover landed, the science team decided to send Curiosity on a detour to a geologically interesting area in the opposite direction, nicknamed Yellowknife Bay. Preliminary readings showed that the area had been a riverbed or lake bed in ancient times.

Last month, the rover finally got a chance to drill into a Martian rock that was named John Klein, after a member of the mission team who died in 2011. Curiosity fed tablespoons of the ground-up gray powder into its two onboard chemical labs: CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) and SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars). The results were announced at Tuesday's news briefing.

Scientists said the powder contained the elemental ingredients of life ? including sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen,?oxygen, phosphorus and carbon. More significantly, they found that clay minerals made up at least 20 percent of the sample. On Earth, these clays are produced when relatively fresh water reacts with igneous minerals such as olivine. The scientists also found calcium sulfate, which suggested that the water had a neutral or mildly alkaline balance.

Earlier NASA missions had found evidence that?salty, acidic water was once present on Mars, but that extreme environment would have been challenging for today's Earth-type organisms. Curiosity's chemical analysis produced a different result: The water that was available during the formation of the rock at Yellowknife Bay, billions of years ago, could have supported the kind of life commonly found on Earth.

"We have found a habitable environment which is so benign and supportive of life that probably if this water was around, and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it," Grotzinger said.

NASA / JPL-Caltech / Ames

A side-by-side comparison shows the X-ray diffraction patterns of two samples collected by Curiosity. The left side shows data from a sample collected from a drift of windblown dust, and the right side shows data from the powder drilled out of the John Klein rock. The John Klein readings show an abundance of phyllosilicate, a class of clay minerals called smectites that form by the action of relatively pure and neutral pH water on minerals.

NASA / JPL-Caltech / Cornell / MSSS

The left image shows Wopmay rock in Endurance Crater, as studied by NASA's Opportunity rover. The right image shows Sheepbed in Yellowknife Bay, as studied by Curiosity. Scientists say both rocks were formed in the presence of water, but the water at Wopnay was highly acidic and salty, while the water at Sheepbed had a more neutral pH and lower salinity.

The scientists said they were surprised to find a mixture of oxidized and non-oxidized chemicals, allowing for the type of chemistry that earthly microbes use to generate the energy they need for survival. This partial oxidation was first hinted at when the drill cuttings were revealed to be gray rather than red.

"The range of chemical ingredients we have identified in the sample is impressive, and it suggests pairings such as sulfates and sulfides that indicate a possible chemical energy source for microorganisms," SAM principal investigator Paul Mahaffy said in a NASA news release.

NASA said another drilled sample would be used to help confirm the chemical findings for several of the trace gases that were analyzed by the SAM instrument.

The current plan calls for Curiosity to conduct experiments in the Yellowknife Bay for weeks or months longer, and then begin a roughly 6-mile (10-kilometer) drive to the big mountain, known as Mount Sharp or Aeolis Mons. Scientists will look for further evidence of ancient organic chemistry hidden in the mountain's many layers of rock.

The primary aim of Curiosity's two-year primary mission is to find evidence of past habitability ? in particular,?organic carbon compounds that could have played a role in the chemistry of life billions of years ago. Grotzinger said Curiosity's scientists will focus on the systematic search for organic carbon now that they had "the issue of habitability in the bag."

NASA intends to follow up on Curiosity's findings with future Mars missions, including the $500 million MAVEN orbiter (due for launch this year), the $425 million InSight drill-equipped lander (set for 2016 launch) and another Curiosity-like rover that's scheduled to be sent out in 2020.?

Trace the Curiosity rover's journey to Mars and see the pictures that the six-wheeled robot has sent back from the Red Planet.

More about Mars:

---

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

This story was originally published on Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:48 PM EDT

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/12/17285137-nasa-says-mars-curiosity-rover-sees-traces-of-life-friendly-conditions-in-rock?lite

jason whitlock beach boys tony bennett joe walsh the civil wars duggar miscarriage roman holiday

Remarkable Creatures: Solving the Puzzles of Mimicry in Nature

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Analyzing the DNA of dangerous butterflies who copy other unpalatable species, scientists have found that some shared color-controlling genes, signaling past interbreeding.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/science/solving-the-puzzles-of-mimicry-in-nature.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

fun. hepatitis c symptoms david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron

Sandpiper Golf Homes for Sale - Lakeland FL 33809 | Lakeland ...

Sandpiper Golf Homes for Sale ? ?5962 Chickadee Drive Lakeland FL 33809

The Sandpiper Golf & Country Club is an active 55+ active adult community located just off North Socrum Loop in Lakeland FL. ?This 3 bedroom 2 bath home features 1828 sq.ft of living space with a great layout of split floor plan. Neutral colors throughout the home with ample room to strategically place your furniture.?Upon entering this well-maintained home that boasts a large family room and separate dining room which is great for entertaining or family gatherings.

Home for Sale ? Lakeland FL 33809

?

Sandpiper Golf Homes for Sale ? Lakeland FL

Overview Maps Photos Features Video Neighborhood

$140,000 Single Family Home Main Features 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms Interior: 1,828 sqft Lot: 5,400 sqft Location 5962 Chickadee Drive Lakeland, FL 33809 USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the ?Like? button below:

---

I hope you found this post useful! If you need help finding or selling your Lakeland, Florida home, please contact me at 863-619-6918. If you?re new to Lakeland, I?d especially like to extend a warm welcome. I value my clients and provide them with honest, reliable service. Allow me to introduce you to the Lakeland real estate landscape and all it has to offer.

By Petra Norris

Petra Norris has written 447 post in this blog.

I am foremost a mother, wife, grand-mother, arts lover, and my occupation involves helping sellers sell and help buyers help buyers buy their Lakeland FL homes. Over 15 years experience in residential real estate enjoying every minute of it even if it is difficult, such as short sales - love challenges the profession brings.

Source: http://www.lakelandfloridaliving.com/2013/03/09/sandpiper-golf-homes-for-sale-lakeland-fl-33809/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sandpiper-golf-homes-for-sale-lakeland-fl-33809

Dave Brubeck frankie muniz today show katt williams greg mcelroy new york post bob costas

Obama signs Violence Against Women Act

President Barack Obama on Thursday is set to sign legislation expanding the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to afford domestic violence protections to gay, lesbian and transgender victims as well as Native Americans and undocumented immigrants.

The existing VAWA law, first enacted in 1994 to aid victims of domestic violence, offers programs and services to survivors, the criminal justice system and the community. The law has established the federal prosecution of interstate crimes, identifies dating violence and stalking as crimes of domestic violence, offers federal funding for rape crisis centers and other provisions.

The bill, passed in Congress on Feb. 28, authorizes funding for more rape kits and a national registry of forensic evidence, strengthens trafficking statutes and makes other new provisions in addition to expanding coverage for more survivors. Men are covered under the law, but it's called the Violence Against Women Act because women are disproportionally victims in domestic violence.

"That is a big win for not just women but for families and for the American people. It?s a law that?s going to save lives and help more Americans live free from fear," Obama said following the bill's passage.

A House version of the bill, favored by some Republicans, did not contain expansions for additional survivors and other measures contained in the version crafted by the Democratic-controlled Senate, which both chambers ultimately approved.

Obama is set to sign the legislation into law at a ceremony in the Interior Department building at 1:55 p.m. ET.

The president will be joined by Vice President Joe Biden, who as a Delaware senator authored the original VAWA legislation in 1994. They will be joined by members of Congress, women?s organizations and advocates, law enforcement officials, tribal leaders and domestic violence survivors, according to the White House.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-sign-expanded-violence-against-women-act-151807346--politics.html

olympics chariots of fire nbc Medal Count Sam Mikulak London 2012 diving Tim Berners-Lee