Real Estate Weekly - 11/30/12 | Maryland Daily Record

NAIOP Maryland schedules holiday luncheon

NAIOP Maryland, a trade organization representing the commercial real estate industry in Maryland, will hold its annual holiday luncheon on Dec. 13 at the BWI Marriott Hotel, 1743 W. Nursery Road, in Linthicum, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature a re-enactment of the iconic ?Hollywood Squares? television show. In this NAIOP Maryland version, nine different commercial real estate professionals will participate in the tic-tac-toe themed program. Jim Caronna, principal of NAI KLNB, will play the role of host and moderator. Advance reservations are required to attend; call 443-986-9429 or visit www.naiopmd.org/. NAIOP Maryland is requesting donations to benefit Paul?s Place, an organization that provides clothing, food and services to residents in the Pigtown area of Baltimore. The wish list of items includes men?s, women?s and children?s winter clothing, as well as coats, books and blankets.

Forrester Construction does Supreme Court work

Rockville-based Forrester Construction Co., which has been selected to do major marble and bronze restoration work on the west fa?ade of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, is using employing replica scrim and new marble laser cleaning techniques. The company said it believes this is the first time both techniques have been used in Washington. With project completion slated for November 2013, Forrester is working closely with the court docket to ensure minimal disruption of proceedings during the process. The work will preserve historic elements of the fa?ade and extend the life of the landmark building.

Bozzuto elected to board of Baltimore Community Foundation

Thomas S. Bozzuto

The Baltimore Community Foundation has elected Thomas S. Bozzuto, chairman and CEO of The Bozzuto Group of Greenbelt, to its board of trustees. Bozzuto has also joined BCF?s Neighborhoods Committee. Bozzuto is a co-founder of The Bozzuto Group, a group of real estate service companies that since 1988 has built and managed nearly 50,000 residential units for people of all income levels. Before starting The Bozzuto Group, Bozzuto spent 13 years as a mid-Atlantic regional partner at Oxford Development Corp. He also worked for the James W. Rouse Mortgage Co. and, prior to that, at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ?Tom Bozzuto?s wealth of knowledge in real estate development and his deep caring for this community will be a tremendous asset to our board ? in particular to our work to help Baltimore neighborhoods become and remain safe, vibrant, clean and green,? said BCF Chair Raymond L. Bank. ?I?m delighted to welcome him as a trustee of BCF.?

Host, Hyatt complete joint venture accord

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., of Bethesda, a lodging real estate investment trust that owns upscale and luxury full-service hotel properties, said it completed a joint venture agreement with an affiliate of Hyatt Hotels Corp. to develop, sell and operate a 131-unit vacation ownership project adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. Construction has begun and the project is expected to open in late 2014. Host also announced that it has closed on the sale of its 94.8 percent interest in the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel, receiving a total of approximately $32.4 million.

DiamondRock amends senior credit facility

DiamondRock Hospitality Co., of Bethesda, a real estate investment trust that owns upscale and luxury hotels, said it successfully amended and restated its $200 million senior unsecured credit facility. The amended facility pricing grid has been significantly reduced and the credit line matures in January 2018, inclusive of a one-year extension option, subject to customary conditions. The new pricing grid represents a 50 to 75 basis point reduction from the previous pricing grid. The amended facility also includes an accordion feature to expand up to $400 million, subject to lender consent. The company currently has $105 million in outstanding borrowings under the facility.

Continental Realty highly rated for customer service performance

Sixteen local apartment communities owned and managed by Baltimore-based Continental Realty Corp., have been recognized for outstanding customer service performance and methods. Awards were selected based on satisfaction survey results from hundreds of thousands of apartment residents nationwide that were tabulated by Satisfacts Research LLC, a third-party rating company that administers and manages the review process. Six of the properties are in Baltimore: Brook View, Cross Country Manor, Hunting Hills, Mallow Hill, Kenilworth at Hazelwood and Windridge. Eight are in Baltimore County: Kenilworth at Charles, McDonogh Township, Padonia Village, Stevenson Lane, Mt. Ridge, Doncaster Village, Rock Glen and Kenilworth at Perring Park. Two others in Annapolis, Westwinds and The Reserve at Quiet, were also selected.

Arbors apartment community recognized for design features

The Arbors at Baltimore Crossroads, a 365-unit luxury apartment development near White Marsh, was cited as the ?Best Design and Architecture for a Multi-Family Community? recently at the 2012 Great American Living (GALA) Grand Awards, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Building Association, the Washington Metropolitan Sales and Marketing Council and the Maryland National Capitol Building Industry Association. Developed by Bethesda-based Somerset Construction Co., the approximately year-old development contains an array of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) features, including energy-efficient heating, ventilating and air-conditioning and hot water systems; low-flow plumbing fixtures; Energy Star appliances that significantly reduce monthly water, gas and electric usage; and air filtration systems.

Providence Center starts rehab of training center in Arnold

Providence Center, a Glen Burnie-based nonprofit organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities, received a $500,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation to help pay for extensive renovation of the Jean Bradbury Building in Arnold, the oldest of the nonprofit?s five program sites. Providence officials held a ceremony at the building on Wednesday to mark the start of the modernization, which is expected to take about a year to complete. The ceremony also marked the end of Providence?s first-ever capital campaign, in which more than 400 individuals, foundations and businesses donated more than $2.1 million for the building?s renovation. BuilderGuru Contracting of Millersville and Gardiner and Gardiner Contracting of Crofton are overseeing the rehab work. The nonprofit organization operates five facilities which provide medical supervision and care, psychological assistance, life-skills training, vocational training and job placement as well as retirement services to clients throughout Anne Arundel County.

A.G. acts against unlicensed contractors

The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General said it issued a cease and desist order against two unlicensed home improvement contractors in Calvert County for failing to perform services for which consumers had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. The division alleges that Christopher Manion, of Huntingtown, and Albert Styles, of North Beach, sold and provided home improvement services without the required state licenses. In addition to the cease and desist order, Manion and Styles were ordered to reimburse more than $420,300 to nine known victims, and possibly others, who paid for services that were not rendered.

Maryland sustainable communities designated

The Maryland departments of Planning, and Housing and Community Development, have designated 11 sustainable communities under the state?s 2-year-old Sustainable Communities Act. Sustainable communities are municipalities or counties that have a specific local area needing revitalization, and which have created a comprehensive strategy to encourage and guide local investment in accordance with principles of smart growth. Newly designated are the city of Baltimore, and Brunswick, College Park, Denton, Elkton, Ellicott City, Frostburg, Hughesville, Mount Airy, Ridgley and Sykesville. Designated communities are eligible to receive benefits, such as state tax credits, to promote job creation and historic preservation.

Natural foods company to expand on Shore

Protenergy Natural Foods Corp., an Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer of natural foods and beverage products, has purchased the 67-acre site and 200,000 square-foot building that it currently leases in Cambridge. Gov. Martin O?Malley announced that Protenergy plans to hire up to 100 new full-time workers by April 2013, and an additional 27 employees over the next five years to augment its current 53-person work force. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development provided a state-backed loan guarantee on a $3.6 million bank loan, and has approved a $250,000 conditional loan though its Economic Development Assistance Fund program. Protenergy?s investment in the project will be approximately $20.3 million.

Office building in Windsor Mill area sold

Cassidy Turley, a Baltimore-based commercial real estate services provider, brokered the sale of an 80,398-square-foot, single-story office building at 7210 Ambassador Road, in Baltimore County. The sale price was $14,450,000. The Windsor Mill-area building is 98 percent leased by the U.S. General Services Administration, and is occupied by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. The purchaser was the Massachusetts-based Government Properties Income Trust. Cassidy Turley?s Jonathan Carpenter and James Wellschlager represented the seller, a partnership between Woodlawn-based CSG Partners and Blue Vista Capital of Chicago. ?The property garnered strong interest from specialty investment vehicles focused on the acquisition of GSA-leased commercial assets,? Carpenter said.

Air Force picks EA for site cleanup work

EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc., of Hunt Valley, an interdisciplinary environmental services firm, has been awarded a performance-based remediation task order at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Under the task order, EA and its partner firms will provide remediation services at 40 sites located at Hill AFB and Little Mountain Test Annex, Utah, in order to accelerate site closures and substantially reduce long-term Air Force liabilities. The initial award amount is for approximately $16.8 million, with possible options over an 8-year period of performance that could bring the total value to about $71 million.

Source: http://thedailyrecord.com/2012/11/30/real-estate-weekly-113012/

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Sugar Plums! The Pope Did Not Cancel Christmas!

Did you hear? Did you hear? I'll tell you everything, my dears. The pope didn't cancel Christmas after all!?

RELATED: BBC and TMZ: Separated at Tweet

Roughly one week ago, you were probably thought the Pope was a big, mean, grinchity old Grinch. What, with his green, wrinkly face, and all that snarling he does. "I hate that annoying Cindy Lou Who," he said during his weekly speech once. And don't forget the news?stories that?disparaged?the Pope's name because, they explain, in the Pope's new book he says Jesus was never born in a manger, and instead it was probably a cave. Jesus was born in a cramped, cold, dark cave and not a small, adorable, romantic and cozy manger. In case you don't know, people love mangers. On top of all that, some writers just made up that he disapproved of caroling, too! People love caroling, too. So, it was bad for the Pope. People weren't happy with him. Not one person was one bit happy with Mr. Benedict. He was not getting any of Gladys' fudge, that's for sure.?

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But, as Reuters' Phillip Pullella explained today, none of that is true. The thing the people writing those stories failed to do was keep reading the Pope's book. Like, past the line where he said the thing about the cave.?"What some neglected was that just a few sentences down, the pope states that even today, 'No representation of the crib is complete without the ox and the ass,'" Pullella tells us. The Pope actually approves of your traditional mangers, complete with your donkeys, and your oxes, and your three kings, and your Mother Marys, and whatever else people put in manger scenes theses days.?"The tradition of the ass and ox came from reflecting on parts of the Old and New Testaments. Christian iconography then adopted the motif early in Church history to show that even animals knew Jesus was the son of God," Pellula says. Oh, well, sorry Mr. Benedict.?

RELATED: The Pope's Whistle-Blowing Ex-Butler Is Going on Trial

And the whole thing about him hating caroling wasn't true, either. The Pope loves caroling, obviously, because he is a human with a real human heart and emotions and feelings. ?It even says so, in his book, on the record. It says that he approves of caroling, because angels spoke in song.?Only a real Grinch would hate caroling. Gladys is making a special batch of fudge right away.

RELATED: Mistletoe Has Gone Missing

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-plums-pope-did-not-cancel-christmas-024535336.html

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Les Miles and LSU agree to raise, extension

LSU coach Les Miles watches during NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. LSU won 20-13. (AP Photo/David Quinn)

LSU coach Les Miles watches during NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. LSU won 20-13. (AP Photo/David Quinn)

LSU head coach Les Miles calls out to in the second half of their NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. LSU won 41-35. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Les Miles has a new seven-year contract at LSU that also will result in a pay raise for one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Tigers' football program.

"I'm a LSU head coach and will be a LSU head coach for as long as I can be," Miles said Wednesday. "Hopefully, we'll look up seven years from now and I'll be looking for another seven-year extension."

The new contract runs through 2019, which amounts to a two-year extension. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said financial details were still being worked out and will be released after LSU plays in a still-undecided bowl game to close out this season.

A person familiar with the contract said that Miles' new annual pay would be in the range of $4.3 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details of Miles' deal were not released.

Miles' previous contract paid about $3.75 million annually through 2017. He has not received a raise since 2008, after LSU's last national title, though he has since received an extension and raises for assistants.

"It is not all about winning championships," Alleva said. "It's about being in the hunt to win championships. "Les Miles is one of the premier coaches in the country and has LSU in contention for championships year in and year out. Only two coaches in the 119-year history of LSU football have coached as many years at this school and only one has won more games."

Miles has an 85-20 record since arriving at LSU in 2005 with two Southeastern Conference titles, the one national title and two BCS championship game appearances. Only Charles McClendon won more games as Tigers coach (137). The victory over Arkansas last Friday clinched Miles' fifth 10-win season at LSU.

"The coaching business is a competitive one and it is important to compensate our coach for his accomplishments and his worth," Alleva said. "(Miles) has continued to keep LSU on the national stage. Coach made a commitment to LSU and LSU made a commitment to coach."

Miles said Arkansas representatives reached out to him in a preliminary way, but he also said reports of a five-year, $27.5 million offer to take over the Razorbacks program were "not true."

"I have great respect for the AD (Jeff Long), a college friend of mine," Miles said. "My talks were very preliminary. They fell far short of being serious. I can tell you that this Miles family is awfully comfortable in southern Louisiana. I think home is what we call this place."

Alleva said LSU already planned to offer Miles an enhanced contract after this season, but decided to close the deal now to snuff out speculation that Miles could be lured elsewhere.

"Speculation about other job opportunities accelerated our process a little," Alleva said. "I think we have accomplished the important step of securing Les Miles as our head coach for the long-term good of the program."

In the short-term, Miles has given his team two weeks off.

The Tigers will find out their bowl destination Sunday with the Capital One Bowl, the Cotton Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Bowl being the leaders. LSU will begin bowl practice after fall exams end Dec. 8.

"We look forward to playing in a quality bowl game," Miles said. "We should add two starters (linebacker Kwon Alexander and guard Josh Williford). We should be healthy. I think we'll fill the bowl arena. There is speculation as to which bowl. I know LSU will be in attendance and that will be enough."

LSU's 21-17 loss to Alabama, for all practical purposes, ended its opportunity to repeat as SEC champion. With a loss at Florida, the Tigers finished with a 10-2 record. LSU posted that mark even though six projected starters missed all or most of the season.

"I would never take 10-2 as a final" record, Miles said. "But, as this year played out, I think this team improved. Three games into (the season), the team changed numbers. We had key players not there. Guys stepped in and played big. This team fought like hell and fought adversity."

___

Bryan Lazare contributed to this story from Baton Rouge, La.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-28-T25-LSU-Miles/id-1ac1b19f12b34b5faacbb8fadfc1575e

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Something You Should Consider In Choosing A Muay Thai Gym In ...

Muay Thai is a combat sport originating from Thailand that uses stand-up striking and various clinching techniques. It is also known as "The Art of Eight Limbs" since Muay Thai fighters are capable of using both their shins, knees, elbows and fists to defend and attack their opponents. Unlike boxing, it allows for strikes below the beltline excluding the groin. Now, Singapore people who want to learn Muay Thai will likely choose a Muay Thai Gym In Singapore to get the best training.

There are a lot of things you should consider carefully before you actually choose a good muay thai gym in singapore. Here are some beneficial guidelines as follows:

To begin with, you must take where you live into consideration. It is really inconvenient if your living location is too far away from the gym. If you can arrive at the gym in a short time after work, you will have more time to spend in training.

And then, pay attention to the charge for the training. This is really an item you should pay more attention to if you want to choose a muay thai gym in singapore. Not every Muay Thai gym that charges high prices for their training service can provide high quality service, but you can face minimum risk by choosing one that offers relatively high charges. There is a saying famous around the world, "no good cheap goods".

Furthermore, the Language the Instructor speaks can make a difference. Many gyms will employ native thai fighters who come specifically from Thailand to teach you how to perform Muay Thai. If you can understand Thai, this is a good thing. If not, it can be terrible. Imagine that your instructor teaches you how to kick by speaking a language you can't understand, how can you learn Muay Thai Well? It is really a frustrating experience for both you and your instructor. If your instructor can communicate with you well, you can learn Muay Thai well and feel happy in the course of training. Why not look for one that speaks your language?

At last, try a trial class. Some gyms even provide a free first class for you to let you know their service quality. You should never be hasty to choose a muay thai gym in singapore if you don't know whether it is your best choice. By going for a trial class, you are supposed to get the answer.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Something-You-Should-Consider-In-Choosing-A-Muay-Thai-Gym-In-Singapore/4293892

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Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider: Washington's Fiscal Cliff Dance

If you thought this week would be filled with closed door negotiating sessions involving leaders in Congress and President Obama over the fiscal cliff, that's not the recipe for success being utilized in Washington, D.C.

Instead, both parties are jacking up their public relations efforts, and trying their best to maneuver their opponents into a political corner.

On and off the Senate floor again on Tuesday, both sides took pot shots at each other; the two Senate leaders once more exchanged bitter lines over both the fiscal cliff and efforts by Democrats to limit the filibuster.

Meanwhile, there were no hints in the hallways of Capitol Hill that any headway was being made behind the scenes on a fiscal cliff tax and budget deal.

At the White House Press Briefing on Tuesday, reporters repeatedly asked spokesman Jay Carney if there would be a meeting scheduled this week between the President and Congressional leaders - Carney sidestepped the answer as he outlined an active next three days for Mr. Obama.

Q Last question, this is on the fiscal cliff. ?You have the President hopping on Air Force One this week and going outside the Philadelphia area to rally public support for his position on the fiscal cliff. ?We have Speaker Boehner announcing today that in the coming days and weeks Republican members will hold events and visit local small businesses. ? You were in a position just now when Dan asked about this to provide no details about any upcoming meetings with the leadership. ? If we look back to November 16 when the leaders were here, Minority Leader Pelosi spoke about projecting confidence to consumers and the markets in the short term by having on the President?s desk a blueprint for action by the week after Thanksgiving and potentially something for him to sign by Christmas. ? None of that appears to be in the cards, and as we see the President now getting on his airplane and the members drumming up going over the -- it seems like they?ve abandoned each other, and what I?m saying is it seems like these talks have effectively broken down. Am I wrong about that?

MR. CARNEY: I think you?re wrong. Again, the President spoke with Speaker of the House Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Reid over the weekend. Our team is continuing discussions with their congressional counterparts on this matter and it is entirely appropriate, I would say, both for the President and for leaders in Congress, to have this discussion not just among themselves, but with the American people. And that?s what the President is doing. That?s why he?s meeting with business leaders -- I assume you wouldn?t -- or critics would not suggest that as a mistake -- or meeting with civic leaders or labor leaders, because everyone the President is meeting with has both I think useful ideas and a substantial stake in the outcome of these negotiations because it is vitally important that we take action to ensure that, for example, middle-class Americans don't see their taxes go up by an average of $2,200 next year.

There?s no reason for that to happen because as you know Democrats and Republicans alike believe those tax rates should not go up. So let?s act on what we agree on. Let?s demonstrate to the American people that Washington can function; that when everyone agrees on something, we can actually act on it; and then continue to debate whether or not it is the right policy to extend low tax rates for those making more than $250,000 and millionaires and billionaires who make substantially more than that.

Q So why not stay in town and just hammer it out and get a deal done? Why is everyone jumping on their airplane for photo ops outside the Beltway?

MR. CARNEY: Well, again, that I find disparaging when you suggest that talking to the American people about their --

Q Didn't they speak in this election? Didn't we hear from them? Didn't they --

MR. CARNEY: The conversation continues, James. I mean I think it?s very important to continue that conversation with the American people both for the President and for members of Congress, and it?s important to continue that conversation with business leaders and with small business leaders and with civic leaders and labor leaders because everybody has a stake in this; and with ordinary middle-class Americans, with whom the President will be meeting tomorrow.

So it certainly doesn't prevent and won?t prevent work continuing to be done on the various ideas that people have about how to bring about the policy that we need to ensure that we don't go off the fiscal cliff, and more broadly that we deal with our fiscal challenges.

Q But, Jay, isn?t everybody just killing time --

MR. CARNEY: No.

Q -- until the deadline comes? I mean it just seems like everybody is just --

MR. CARNEY: It doesn't feel like killing time to me, Chuck.

Q Everybody is just killing time until the final week -- and the jet fumes from National Airport. (Laughter.) People get out of school, and the holidays come, and then everybody will actually sit down and hammer this out.

MR. CARNEY: Well, look, here?s a fact, the President has on the table a proposal that reduces the deficit by $4 trillion; that does it -- does so in balanced way; that includes substantial cuts to discretionary nondefense spending -- over $1 trillion; that includes revenue and includes $340 billion in savings from our health care entitlement programs. That is substance. So he has not waited for people to start smelling the jet fumes at National Airport. He has actively put forward a plan that --

Q Is Geithner at Boehner?s office today?

MR. CARNEY: I don't know of Secretary Geithner?s precise whereabouts, but I can -- at this moment. He was here earlier this morning. I can tell you that members of the President?s team are continuing to work on this issue as are members of Congress?s team and the congressional leaders? team. So it does not I think make a lot of sense to simply say, never mind, the American people and business leaders and small business leaders and civic leaders and labor -- cut them out of the process and stop the conversation with them. The President thinks that's a big mistake.

Julianna.

Q Wouldn?t it send a signal to the American people and to markets that -- to see the President meeting here with congressional leadership? That would be a signal that Washington can function.

MR. CARNEY: The signal that Washington can function is the result. Only inside the Beltway do people think that sitting in a room for a photo spray will solve, necessarily, problems. The work has to be done, and that work is being done. And everybody needs, as the President said, to agree to the principle that compromise will require tough choices by each side. And the President is willing to do that and has demonstrated his willingness to do that.

I would remind you that when it comes to entitlement reform savings that Republicans spent two election cycles, hundreds of millions of dollars beating the stuffing out of Democrats and the President for the $716 billion in savings that was achieved out of health care entitlements through the Affordable Care Act; savings which contribute to the fact, as the Congressional Budget Office, has made clear and independent economists have made clear that the Affordable Care Act reduces the deficit in the first decade and reduces it by more than $1 trillion in the second decade. So beyond the President has put forward in his budget an additional $340 billion in savings from health care programs.

So let?s then back up and say who is serious? Who has been -- who has demonstrated his willingness to make tough choices and suffer the consequences politically of doing so because they're the right things to do for the economy?

Q So you think if there had been progress since that November 16th meeting, there wouldn?t be a meeting -- another meeting this week, the following --

MR. CARNEY: I haven?t said there won?t be a meeting this week. I said I don't have a scheduling update for you.

Q So there is still the possibility of a meeting this week with the President and the congressional --

MR. CARNEY: I think -- I just don't have a scheduling update for you.

?

Source: http://www.boortz.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2012/nov/27/washingtons-fiscal-cliff-dance/

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Rhino killings for horns rapidly rise in S. Africa

VAALKOP DAM NATURE RESERVE, South Africa (AP) ? By the time ranchers found the rhinoceros calf wandering alone in this idyllic setting of scrub brush and acacia, the nature reserve had become yet another blood-soaked crime scene in South Africa's losing battle against poachers.

Hunters killed eight rhinos at the private Finfoot Game Reserve inside the Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve this month with single rifle shots that pierced their hearts and lungs. The poachers' objective: the rhinos' horns, cut away with knives and popped off the dead animals' snouts for buyers in Asia who pay the U.S. street value of cocaine for a material they believe cures diseases.

That insatiable demand for horns has sparked the worst recorded year of rhino poaching in South Africa in decades, with at least 588 rhinos killed so far, their carcasses rotting in private farms and national parks. Without drastic change, experts warn that soon the number of rhinos killed will outpace the number of the calves born ? putting the entire population at risk in a nation that is the last bastion for the prehistoric-looking animals.

"This is a full-on bush war we are fighting," said Marc Lappeman, who runs the Finfoot reserve with his father Miles and has begun armed vigilante patrols to protect the remaining rhinos there. "We here are willing to die for these animals."

Unchecked hunting nearly killed off all the rhinos in southern Africa at the beginning of the 1900s. Conservationists in the 1960s airlifted rhinos to different parts of South Africa to spread them out. That helped the population grow to the point that South Africa is now home to some 20,000 rhinos ? 90 percent of all rhinos in Africa.

From the 1990s to 2007, rhino poachings in South Africa averaged about 15 a year, according to a recent report by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. In 2008, however, poachers killed 83 rhinos and by 2009, the number hit 122, the report says.

The killings grew exponentially after that: 333 in 2010, 448 in 2011 and as of Tuesday, at least 588 rhino killed this year alone, according to South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs.

"That the year-on-year rhino poaching losses have continued to grow in the face of heightened awareness, constant media attention and concerted law enforcement effort is testament to just how pervasive and gripping the rhino crisis in South Africa has become," TRAFFIC wrote in its August report. "If poaching continues to increase annually as it has done since 2007, then eventually deaths will exceed births and rhino numbers in South Africa will start to fall."

Most of the killings, according to government statistics, occur in South Africa's massive Kruger National Park, covering 19,400 square kilometers (7,500 square miles) in the country's northeast abutting its borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. There, the impoverished slip across the park's borders, largely from Mozambique, to kill and dehorn rhino, earning the equivalent of months' wages in a single night of hunting. South Africa has deployed soldiers in the park with dogs to sniff out poachers, but their small force can't sufficiently cover a park that's roughly the same size as New Jersey.

The horns are sold by criminal gangs and smuggled into Asia. While poachers have been shot dead and hundreds of suspects arrested this year, the rhino killings continue unstopped largely because the trade is transnational and worth millions of dollars, said Julian Rademeyer, a journalist in South Africa who wrote "Killing for Profit," a book on rhino poaching that came out this month.

"The problem with law enforcement strategies is they end where our border ends," Rademeyer said.

And law enforcement can't always be trusted in South Africa, where corruption eats away at the nation. There have been several cases of rangers assigned to guard parks being arrested for aiding poachers.

With both South Africa and Swaziland allowing rhino to be hunted legally, criminal gangs have obtained hunting licenses under false pretenses. Gangs have hired prostitutes and the poor from Asia and Eastern Europe to pose as big game hunters with licenses to kill a single rhino apiece, Rademeyer said. Their "trophies" end up shipped back to Asia, where the horns are removed and sold.

Rhino horn is made of keratin, a tough protein found in human fingernails. Doctors have repeatedly said the material has no medical value. In Asia, however, demand for rhino horn has jumped dramatically. Experts blame it partly on a widespread rumor in Vietnam that rhino horn cures cancer, though some elite Vietnamese grind up horn and take it as a hangover cure or as a fever reducer.

The ever-increasing demand saw Vietnamese poachers kill the last of Vietnam's rare Javan rhinoceros last year for its horn. The World Wildlife Fund ranked Vietnam as the worst country for wildlife crime in Asia and Africa in July. The country is seen as having lax laws on importing horns. Diplomats at the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa's capital Pretoria have also been linked to trafficking. Earlier this month, a South African court sentenced a Thai national to 40 years in prison for selling rhino horns.

With high-level officials involved and a strong demand, Rademeyer said poaching "will probably get a lot worse before it gets any better."

Rhino poachers have gone beyond Kruger and are targeting private farms and reserves. Poachers likely watched the Finfoot Game Reserve, which breeds rhino for game viewing, for days, Lappeman said. Workers caught a man in ragged clothes lurking around the park with more than 1,000 rand ($115) in crisp hundred rand bills and a new mobile phone in his pocket around the time of the killings, Lappeman said.

The poachers fired on the rhino far from the game lodge, probably moving methodically closer as no one came to investigate the shots, he said. Lappeman said he and his father only found the dead rhinos the day after seeing the lost calf.

One wounded mother rhino walked all the way to the property's edge, finally dying on a dirt road to be found first thing that morning.

"She had physically come to the road to die, to say, 'I'm dying, come fetch my calf,'" Lappeman said.

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-11-28-South%20Africa-Rhino%20Killings/id-abccbea79c5e46b4a1a747f7a15f8568

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Disconnect grows on tax increases (Star Tribune)

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Obama speaks to Boehner, Reid on fiscal cliff (Washington Bureau)

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johir.khan: orpitasingh: Horse Racing History | recreation and sports

The sport of horse racing goes back a long, long way. It goes back to circa 4,500 BC when nomadic Central Asian tribes domesticated horses for the first time. Ever after, horse-racing has reigned supreme as a sport fit for Kings.

From the beginning of recorded history, horse racing has been depicted as an organised and popular sport common to all of the world's major civilizations. The Olympic Games of ancient Greece featured events involving both mounted and chariot racing. The sport was then taken up by the Romans. Mounted and chariot horse racing became major areas of enterprise in Roman Empire days; these events were the product of breeding programs with imported bloodlines and extensive training programs. Horseracing had all elements of legalized betting like bookies, proper racing tracks, hit tips, scandals and, red hot entertainment and excitement. Horse racing saw a decline that coincided with the Roman Empire's decline. It began to pick up speed once more once mankind was well into a more modern era.

Horse racing took a professional turn as long ago as the twelfth century, when English Crusader knights came back in the company of Arab horses. This set off a trend that lasted for the forthcoming period of hundreds of years: more and more Arab stallions were imported for crossing with English mares. The ensuing offspring were a real mix of speed and endurance. These cross bred horses were the forefathers of today's horse racing breeds.

As quantum technological jumps in transport and other fields of human concern took place in the 19th century and later , thousands of people became hooked on watching horse races and gambling on racing horses. Horseracing started to get intensive coverage in distinguished newspapers, and gambling volumes consistently increased. The arrival of organised on-site bookmakers brought along a complete sea change. Random and sometimes illegal, sometimes unethical practices led to a moderately successful Jockey Club effort to establish really high standards of order, discipline and integrity that ensured the sport's continued well being.

All around the world, attendance at race courses has been shooting up right into the early part of this century. There had been a decline in attendance during the 1970s and 1980s. The technology wonder of online web wagering has influenced horse racing in ways never conceived of earlier. Online betting has drawn a completely new generation of spectators and betters to the Game of Kings; they prefer to conduct all of their activities in front of their computers and TV sets. The facility to bet and earn cash legally from the result of horse races has been a core part of this sport's appeal and a major factor behind its survival as a sport with a presence.

Source: http://recreationsportsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://powersalfred56.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/horse-racing-history-recreation-and-sports-blog-updates.html

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Source: http://orpitasingh.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history-recreation-and.html

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Source: http://johirkhan72.blogspot.com/2012/11/orpitasingh-horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://seanwood76.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/johirkhan-orpitasingh-horse-racing-history-recreation-and-sports.html

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Source: http://justincamp3658.blogspot.com/2012/11/johirkhan-orpitasingh-horse-racing.html

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PST: Will Saturday be Donovan's farewell match?

By this time we should be used to Landon Donovan hinting that he?s not coming back.

But it?s still rings the news bell. And as the time for Donovan?s critical choice draws closer, each comment along these lines takes on additional weight.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, here?s what Donovan had to say ? the latest indication that Saturday?s match at the Home Depot Center may, indeed, be his final match for the Galaxy or in general:

I?m going to take as much time as I need and decide if and when I?m ready to come back. I can?t put a time frame on that. If it takes two weeks and I?m ready to go again or two months or a year or two years.

?Or never. I don?t know.

? ? I?m aware of what I?m feeling, what I?m going through. And if I wake up one day and I say ?you know what? I?m going to come back and play,? then I?ll be here within an hour. If that doesn?t happen, if I wake up and I say ?you know what? That?s enough,? then I?ll let the people know who need to know and I?ll get on with my life.?

Here?s the issue with that, however: On the one hand, Donovan has earned the right to take his time in this critical matter. The U.S. national team?s all-time leading scorer has given so to the game and to MLS.

But the Los Angeles Galaxy is on a different timetable. While coach Bruce Arena and officials from the AEG ownership group would surely like to provide Donovan all the time he needs, they may not have that luxury. The transfer window opens in January.

There is already one DP hole to fill, the one now belonging to David Beckham. If L.A. has two DP slots, it could certainly affect the club?s strategic thinking on how best to use those assets.

Having two holes means the Galaxy could use one on a marquee man (Frank Lampard, anyone?) and one on a mid-level man who checks the boxes in competitive matters but isn?t a marketing force.

Or, as we mentioned yesterday, Donovan?s decision could create DP ripples that make their way out to Omar Gonzalez. The price on keeping that 24-year-old defensive force will surely keep rising.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/26/the-tricky-timing-on-landon-donovans-looming-decision/related/

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Wall Street falls on caution after rally, retail drags

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks eased on Monday as a mixed start to the holiday shopping season, caution over Greek aid talks and budget discussions in Washington gave investors reason to pause after Wall Street posted its best week in over five months.

While holiday shopping appeared to be off to a good start, analysts cautioned against reading too much into one weekend's numbers. Retailers need to sustain the initial burst through the November-December holiday season, which can account for a third of annual sales and 40 to 50 percent of profits for the year.

Shares in department store operator Macy's Inc , which offered consumers deep discounts on Black Friday, fell 3.6 percent to $40.22. The SPDR S&P retail exchange-traded fund fell 1.3 percent to $62.39.

"The underwhelming performance of retailers in general is hurting the market," said Michael James, a senior trader at Wedbush Morgan in Los Angeles. "Retail is certainly seeing a mixed bag."

Investors continued to chew over two of the greatest overhangs for markets. Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund will seek to unfreeze the second bailout package for Greece on Monday. At the same time, U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the past 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts schedule to start in January.

"Friday was a big day in the stock market," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Group in Bedford Hills, New York. "So it's not surprising at all to see some profit-taking on that."

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 88.58 points, or 0.68 percent, to 12,921.10. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 8.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,400.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 5.84 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,961.01.

Total spending for the Black Friday long weekend rose 12.8 percent from last year, to $59.1 billion, from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. That pace was down from the prior year's 16.4 percent increase.

Black Friday's online sales topped $1 billion for the first time ever as more consumers used the Internet do their early holiday shopping, comScore Inc said on Sunday.

Major indexes ended last week with gains of 3 to 4 percent, recovering some of their losses following an 8 percent correction since September. The Dow and S&P 500 both closed above key technical levels for the first time since November 6, which could provide additional support. The Dow ended above 13,000, while the S&P broke above 1,400.

In company news, shares of Knight Capital Group Inc jumped 10.4 percent to $2.75. A source familiar with the matter on Saturday said the company is in talks about possibly selling its market-making operation, its largest and most profitable business, but it is not known if a deal will happen. Knight's chief executive, in an internal memo, said the company currently is in talks with at least two firms on the possible sale of its largest business unit, but would only pursue a deal if it created value for its shareholders and clients.

Qatar has cashed in its remaining warrants in Britain's Barclays Plc , a move that should yield a $280 million profit. The warrants have not yet been converted, but conversion would dilute the holding of shares by other investors. U.S.-listed shares of Barclays fell 5.6 percent to $15.37.

Apple Inc has asked a federal court to add six more products to its patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co , including the Samsung Galaxy Note II, in the latest move in an ongoing legal war between the two companies. Apple shares were up 1.7 percent at $581.

(Additional reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti; Editing by Kenneth Barry and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-falls-caution-rally-retail-drags-172151300--finance.html

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'Twilight' Helps Box Office Break Thanksgiving Weekend Record

'Breaking Dawn' was the #1 movie for a second weekend in a row, with 'Skyfall' at #2.
By Ryan J. Downey

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "Breaking Dawn" part 2
Photo: Summit

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1697872/twilight-thanksgiving-weekend-box-office-record.jhtml

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Marketing on the Internet | Business Online at Home - my blog!

Book Description
Taking the fear out of chainsaws by emphasizing safe handling practices, this resource aims to put raw power in the hands of everyday yardworkers. With step-by-step color photographs throughout, 12 of the most common household chainsaw operations?such as cutting firewood, taking down small trees, trimming branches, grooming hedges, and making lumber?are tackled with expert advice and sure-handed guidance. With an additional section devoted to chainsaw types, potential buyers can also assess which size and type of chainsaw best meets their needs. Also included is an appendix that has useful technical information and identifies the parts of a chainsaw and how each functions.

Review

?lots of healthy attention given to safety. There are also excellent photos of the wrong ways to use the saw. Highly recommended. ? Library Journal

The conversational tone and thorough illustrations clearly outline a step-by-step approach for many chainsaw-related-chores around the farm ? even stacking firewood and milling lumber ? with safetly emphasized throughout. If you?ve never operated a chainsaw before or want to brush up on your operating skills, this book is worth adding to your library. ? Hobby Farms Magazine

Homeowner?s Complete Guide to the Chainsaw, by Brian J. Ruth and Jen W. Ruth, is an instructional manual that shows readers how to safely and confidently handle trimming branches and felling trees to splitting and stacking wood. ? Woodshop News

As an operator of chain saws for 30 years, this is the most complete all-around book on the chain saw that I have read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has operated a chain saw or is thinking of operating a chain saw.- Mike Sullivan, 5-Time World Hot Saw Champion, Arborist, Logger, and Home Owner

?one of the finest tool manuals that I have ever come across. So, if you are planning to cut down some trees or limb the branches with your chain saw, don?t even pull that cord until you read this book.- Graham McCulloch, Shortcuts.ns.ca

Everything is illustrated and clearly written so you can see immediately what you should be doing. ? Woodworking Plans and Projects Magazine
About the Author
Brian J. Ruth is the owner of Masters of the Chainsaw, a talent agency with offices in the United States and Japan that has placed more than 60 professional performance chainsaw artists at more than 1,200 events worldwide. He is a former tree surgeon and has been featured on the CBS Early Morning Show and ESPN?s Play of the Week. He lives in Lehighton, Pennsylvania.

Excellent overview of chainsaw safety and use ? including felling large trees,
This book provides an excellent overview of how to choose, maintain and utilize a chainsaw in a safe and responsible manner. I was a little skeptical initially, because I wondered if it was primarily a safety manual that avoided semi-professional advice. Since the focus is on a potentially very dangerous piece of outdoor power equipment I wondered if the book was directed soley at the newbie user, which I am not. Despite my initial misgivings, I consider consistent responsible use and safety my top priority and further advice, pictures and suggestions are very welcome. This is a great book. I have read through some other books and guides on chainsaw use, and this is the best one I?ve seen. If you are new to using a chainsaw, this is essential reading. If you have been using a chainsaw for a while, but do not consider yourself an expert at felling larger trees (or perhaps even if you do) ? this book has some great instructions and photographs regarding proper use of equipment (including wedges, pull cables, etc). The chainsaw care instructions are very useful too. While the text instructions provide a great narrative, the best part of this book are its extremely well done photos. In many cases the photos are step-by-step, bright, clear and just very well done. They are also fairly generic and applicable to most brands. This author even talks briefly about a few other types of related equipment (like pole saws), but the focus here is squarely on chainsaws ? so do not expect other outdoor cutting equipment to get the same lavish treatment.

I have heard others, including at least one dealer, be downright irresponsible in their cutting advice. Always err on the side of safety and never think using a chainsaw is about trying to look like a tough guy, ignoring critical steps or skirting safety measures. This book covers most of the bases very well, in an extremely digestible manner. Very highly recommended.

Essential starter book for new chainsaw users
Excellent and well-illustrated book on the fundamentals of safety equipment, safe operation, cutting techniques, and maintenance. Very readable and approachable book for beginners ? and good reminders for the experienced. As a complete beginner, I did find that the chapter on chain sharpening could have been more clear (perhaps with a link to a movie on the author?s website, where he could show you live how to do it). Fortunately, I found a former arborist to show me. (It is much simpler than it looks.) That said, there is much good in this book ? and anyone new to chainsawing will benefit from reading this before using a chainsaw for the first time ? and have it handy on the first several days of chainsawing. Think of the price of this book. Think of the price of good protective clothing and gear. Think of the price of taking your time and doing it right. Now think of the price of a visit to the emergency room when you didn?t think of the other things first. The author is diligent throughout the book on safety. Take the time to treat every caution with the importance it deserves. For the safety reminders alone, this book could easily pay for itself hundreds of times over. Now take the book out there with you and enjoy a hard day?s work in the fresh air.
Homeowner?s Complete Guide to the Chainsaw: A Chainsaw Pro Shows You How to Safely and Confidently Handle Everything from Trimming Branches and Felling Trees to Splitting and Stacking Wood

Source: http://iblog.at/terryfernandes/?p=7094

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Washington women top Seattle 77-75 in OT

by Associated Press

KING5.com

Posted on November 14, 2012 at 11:37 PM

SEATTLE? -- Kristi Kingma scored 22 points and Jazmine Davis had 21, including a key three-point play late in overtime, and Washington defeated Seattle 77-75 Wednesday night.

Davis' basket and free throw with 16 seconds to play in overtime gave the Huskies (2-0) a 77-73 lead.

Talia Walton added 15 points and four blocked shots, and Mercedes Wetmore scored 12 for Washington.

Kacie Powell led Seattle (0-2) with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Ashley Ward scored 17 for the Redhawks and Sylvia Shepherd added 14 points.

Seattle outrebounded the Huskies 59-36, with Shepherd and Brenda Adhiambo each getting 10 boards for the Redhawks.

?

Source: http://www.king5.com/sports/Washington-women-top-Seattle-77-75-in-OT-179431511.html

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'Fiscal cliff': With cuts of $4 billion looming, educators sound alarm

Educators are turning up alarm bells they?ve been sounding since last spring about how students could be harmed if Congress doesn?t act to steer away from the ?fiscal cliff.?

If lawmakers can?t make a deal, ?sequestration? ? automatic cuts to the federal budget ? would begin to kick in at the beginning of 2013. Education would take a hit of about 8 percent, or at least $4 billion a year, according to various government estimates.

?These cuts to our schools would be devastating and of course would impact student achievement,? said Deborah Rigsby, director of federal legislation for the National School Boards Association (NSBA), in a press call Wednesday. ?[They] would result in increased class sizes ... the elimination of after-school and summer-school programs, a narrowing of the curriculum, the closing of school libraries, and more.?

RECOMMENED: 'Fiscal cliff'? 'Sequester'? Your guide to Congress's code language.

Not everyone sees a sky-is-falling scenario, however. Many schools receive only about 10 percent of their funding from the federal government. Cuts to that could hurt, but they would be just a further indication that there?s ?a need for schools to do more with less,? says Michael Petrilli, an education expert and executive vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington. ?If there?s been any doubt that we?re in a new era of constrained resources, people have got to get with the program.?

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress in July that ?the sequestration will put at risk all that we've accomplished in education and weaken programs that help children, serve families, [and] send young people and adults to college.?

According to Secretary Duncan, some examples of what the cuts would mean:

• At least $1.1 billion of Title I funding would be lost, affecting approximately 1.8 million disadvantaged students.
• Special-education funding would be cut by $900 million.
• About 100,000 low-income children would not have access to early education through Head Start.

At least 48,000 jobs could be lost because of such cuts, according to an October analysis by House Democrats.

Most of the impact wouldn?t be felt in schools until the beginning of the next school year, since funding for this year has already been distributed. However, because of the way some funding is structured, school districts with high numbers of military children and American Indian students would face cuts immediately in January.

School administrators have been actively lobbying on Capitol Hill for a solution that would preserve education funding.

Because the districts with more low-income children rely more heavily on federal education dollars, the across-the-board sequestration cuts ?would make the gap wider between the haves and the have-nots,? says Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

About 57 percent of districts say they?d have to cut jobs, and 55 to 70 percent would have to reduce class sizes, cut academic programs, and trim staff development if dealing with the federal cuts, according to an AASA survey earlier this year.

One administrator from Georgia noted in the AASA survey that at stake is a six-year effort in that person?s district to narrow achievement gaps and bring graduation rates up 35 percent among students who are mostly low-income. ?Our students and teachers are beginning to believe we can achieve at a high level; however, my greatest fear is that with these additional funding cuts our supports will disappear,? wrote the administrator, who was not named. ?It will take more time and consistent resources to break the generational cycle of poverty and low academic expectations in our community.?

California would take a particularly big hit, said Jill Wynns, president of the California School Boards Association, in the NSBA?s press call Wednesday. In a state where 1 out of 8 US public-school students live, she noted, more than 20 percent of state support has been cut since 2007-08, causing districts to scale back programs for the highest-need students.

?If sequestration occurs, our state will lose $387 million.... So federal cuts ... on top of that will just devastate these programs,? she said.

Ms. Wynns urged people to realize that ?this is not abstract? but affects individual children. The budget cuts wouldn?t be saving money, she said, but ?disinvesting in our future.?

President Obama made comments earlier this week indicating he would continue to push for a solution that protects investments in education as he negotiates with Republicans in Congress.

?I strongly suspect that education will come out fine,? says Mr. Petrilli of Fordham. Even Republicans ?are loath to cut it because they know it?s popular,? he says.

But Mr. Domenech of AASA says assurances that sequestration ?is not going to happen? aren?t very comforting until something concrete is announced. If lawmakers simply cobble together a temporary solution ? say, averting the cuts for a year ? ?the issue will still be hanging over everybody?s head,? he says.

RECOMMENDED: 'Fiscal cliff'? 'Sequester'? Your guide to Congress's code language.

Related stories

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fiscal-cliff-cuts-4-billion-looming-educators-sound-223233912.html

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Android market share spikes to more than 72 percent in third quarter

News

Smartphone and tablet buyers snapped up Android products five times more often than they chose Apple iOS devices during the third quarter, according to a new study from Gartner Research.

The 122 million Android devices sold in the quarter represent 72 percent of worldwide mobile sales. By comparison, just 115 million devices in total were sold during the same time period in 2011. It?s also a roughly 100 percent increase over Android?s year-on-year figures.

Despite an overall year-on-year decrease in total mobile sales, smartphones increased their share of the larger market to nearly 40 percent. In terms of smartphone manufacturers, Samsung and Apple remained the clear top two, together accounting for 46 percent of the market. Samsung in particular had a good quarter, selling 55 million smartphones to Apple?s 23.5 million.

Apple is likely to see a dramatic gain in the fourth quarter, however, as sales of new iPhones and iPads?released late in the third quarter ? begin to take off ahead of the holidays. Gartner says Apple?s fourth quarter is traditionally its strongest.

Different markets reacted differently to trends in mobile sales, according to Anshul Gupta, Gartner?s principal research analyst.

?In China, sales of mobile phones grew driven by sales of smartphones, while demand of feature phones remained weak. In mature markets, we finally saw replacement sales pick up with the launch of new devices in the quarter,? he said in a statement.

Among other platforms, Research In Motion lost overall market share but climbed back into third place behind iOS and Android after Symbian slid precipitously and Windows Phone continued to be mired in the single digits, the researchers said.

Source: http://www.macworld.com.au/news/android-market-share-spikes-to-more-than-72-percent-in-third-quarter-79652/

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Vicious dogs kill pet goats causing heartbreak for pensioner | Fraser ...

Tags:? dundowran pensioner, pack of dogs, pet goats killed

Tina Johnson holds one of the surviving kids after a pack of dogs strayed onto her property, killing a number of goats in Dundowran. Mitch Crawley

A DUNDOWRAN widow has described having to bury a number of beloved pets as heartbreaking after wandering dogs strayed into her property and butchered her pet goats.

In what was the second such attack on the property - the last being four years prior - Tina Johnson, 69, was yesterday questioning the value of keeping pets after such a horrific event.

"You've got to have some sort of pet but the heartbreak's just not worth it," a distraught Ms Johnson said.

The pensioner, who has spent her entire life on the land, suggested that despite experiencing similar trauma previously, it was not getting any easier to deal with such incidents.

She said yesterday's assault, as well as leaving her shocked, had left her concerned that the dogs responsible could soon go after a child.

Ms Johnson lives within walking distance of Yarrilee State School and said such an attack would hit the tight-knit community hard.

---

Source: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/vicious-dogs-cause-heartbreak-for-pensioner/1621052/

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Oklahoma Insurance Department Warns Against Medicare Scam ...

OKLAHOMA CITY -

Officials have a warning about a new phone scam being reported all over the state. The Oklahoma Insurance Department says it's getting complaints about people claiming to be from Medicare to get money and personal information.

It's a big problem especially right now because it's time for Medicare enrollment, and more than 600,000 Oklahomans qualify.

The people behind the calls are telling seniors they need new Medicare ID cards, but the Oklahoma Insurance Department says it's all a scam.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department gets a lot of calls this time of year to its Medicare Assistance Program..

"Unfortunately, we're also getting calls from beneficiaries who are hearing from unscrupulous individuals who are wanting to convince them that Medicare is sending out new Medicare ID cards," Medicare Assistance Director Ray Walker said.

Walker says thieves are calling seniors and asking for their Medicare number or bank account information to get a new, plastic Medicare ID card.

"Unfortunately, we have Medicare beneficiaries who are doing that, and it's a scam," Walker said.

Walker says a Medicare card is just as good to a thief as your credit card.

"They can take that and generate medical claims to Medicare to be processed, and before you know it, thousands and thousands of dollars in medical claims have been sent to Medicare to processed," Walker said.

The Insurance Department want to remind seniors that Medicare won't call and ask for your personal information.

Also, be aware that information you do provide over the phone could be brokered to telemarketers through third parties, and never pay for services in advance.

The Insurance Department relies on beneficiaries to fight Medicare fraud.

If you get one of these calls, try to get as much information from the so-called company calling you, so you can report it.

Medicare fraud is a $60 billion a year industry.

To report a scam to the insurance department, call 1-800-763-2828.

Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/20088660/oklahoma-insurance-department-warns-against-medicare-scam

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SHOOT: Lance Armstrong's response to doping allegations

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Source: http://www.nickvanderleek.com/2012/11/lance-armstrongs-response-to-doping.html

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Tech's New Most Meaningless Spec: PPI

HTC's new Droid DNA smartphone has plenty of qualities that make it intriguing. It has a quad-core Snapdragon chipset. It crams a 5-inch display in a body nearly the size of a One X or Galaxy S III. Its Super LCD 3 technology trumps the Super LCD 2 that made the HTC 8x display so lovely. By all accounts it's a wonderful device. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/d6sMzAztQH8/techs-new-most-meaningless-spec-ppi

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What Obama's Re-Election Means for Caregivers

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue

By Sherri Snelling

In the next four years, the country's 65 million family caregivers must speak out for the policies they need

After a long, hard campaign, Barack Obama has won a second term as president. On Tuesday night, many pundits told us this election season marked a turning point for the nation, with results reflecting a new recognition of the needs of a changing America. I hope part of that change includes a new respect for the value of family caregivers. The White House, Congress and all sectors of society should increase their support for these caregivers, who represent 80 percent of the nation?s long-term care workforce.

We have 65 million caregivers in this country -- 1 in 3 households. Approximately 66 percent of those caregivers are women who spend an average 20 hours a week caring for an older or ill loved one or for sons or daughters wounded in military service. An additional 24 million Americans are living in the Sandwich Generation, simultaneously caring for young children and an aging parent. And 7 out of 10 caregivers juggle these family responsibilities along with full- or part-time jobs.

(MORE: Employers Must Do More to Support Caregiving Workers)

President Obama and the rest of our elected representatives work for us -- we the people, we the caregivers. November is National Family Caregiver Month, the ideal time for us to find our voice. In the next four years, caregivers should:

1. Speak up. Caregivers need to identify themselves. Collectively we need to develop the mentality that to get attention in Washington, we have to be seen as a deserving force. AARP and the Ad Council have kicked off a three-year public service announcement campaign to help caregivers self-identify. The Family Caregiver Alliance's updates on pending legislation can help you understand what officials are doing to support caregivers.


2. Demand support on the job. With the economy in a still-too-slow recovery, caregivers need to hang onto, or find, a job. This is a challenge because caregivers already have a job ? caring for a loved one. We need to speak up at work to get employers to provide support that helps both their caregiving workers and their bottom line, through improved health care costs and increased productivity. The Family and Work Institute reports that 77 percent of employers now offer flex time, up from 66 percent in 2005. Ask your employer if this or other benefits for caregivers are available for you.


3. Come together as neighbors, friends and communities to help one another. There are numerous ways to help caregivers shoulder the burden. Lotsa Helping Hands, which powers online volunteer communities to support caregivers, has launched its Year of Helping Hands campaign to build momentum among volunteers and the caregivers who need their support.

(MORE: How Online Volunteers Support Caregivers)

The President's Caregiving Record So Far

Obama knows firsthand the needs of caregivers. He assisted his aging grandparents, who helped raise him, and his mother, whom he lost to ovarian and uterine cancer. Since the president took office in 2009, he has ushered in several legislative milestones related to caregiving:

• The National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. In May, the president authorized100 million in the fiscal year 2013 budget to support the National Plan to Address Alzheimer?s Disease, which was signed into law in 2011. The plan's five goals include caregiver support and the development, by 2025, of effective prevention and treatment approaches for Alzheimer?s and related dementias.

• The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. The act calls for caregiver support programs to be administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including a toll-free national caregiver support line, local caregiver support coordinators in each VA medical center and better respite care benefits and stipends for veterans' caregivers.

• The White House Middle Class Task Force Report 2010. This report called for a102.5 million Caregiver Initiative to support programs that provide caregivers temporary respite care, counseling, training, referrals to critical services, transportation help, adult day care and in-home services, like aides to help seniors bathe and cook. Such help eases the burden for family members and helps seniors stay in their homes.

(MORE: The U.S. vs. Alzheimer's: The Fight Heats Up)

Despite the strong legislative support the president has shown for caregivers, he did not directly address their needs in his campaign stump speeches. But his staff did respond to my request for a statement:

America?s family caregivers provide extraordinary care and bring a unique perspective to the health care system. The number of home health workers and family caregivers has grown significantly over the last four years, and this administration is committed to supporting them. Last year, the Obama administration worked with national caregiver organizations and associations to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the president?s FY2013 budget calls for continued funding of this vital program. The Affordable Care Act also took major steps forward to help people in need of long-term care stay in their homes and communities -- rather than in an institution -- through initiatives like expanding the Money Follows the Person program and establishing the Balancing Incentives program. These programs fund the home and community based services that family caregivers need to support their loved ones.

I encourage every caregiver to speak up now, and let policymakers hear your voice demanding the support and programs so critical to long-term care in this country. Perhaps we need to launch our own party to get attention, like the Australians who founded that country?s Carers Alliance Party.

On Tuesday, you voted in an election. Today, vote with your voice to ensure that caregivers win the support they need in the future.

Read more on Next Avenue

Matching the Right Services With a Person's Needs
What New Websites Can Tell Us About Nursing Homes
What Lies Ahead for the Nation of Caregivers?

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/caregiver-support-obama_n_2102804.html

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