chilton lyrical: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

The Secret World of Home Haunters | Vancouver Weekly

The America Scream - A Netflix Review

Halloween has always been one of my favourite holidays. As a child, my sister and I would join forces with the girl across the street, and the three of us, with our fathers in tow, would traverse the dark and chilled neighbourhood. Pumpkin smoke, dressing up, spooky noises, candy overloads, I loved it all. But the thing I loved the most was being terrified of the brown house halfway down the block. This house went to town adding black lights, cobwebs and to top it off, a figure that would haunt my nightmares for years to come: an enormous Frankenstein?s monster figurine that stood guard by the door. It?s ghastly groans were enough to stop me from climbing the stairs; all I could do was look in horror, deciding that the candy wasn?t worth it. Looking back, this house wasn?t anything like some of the haunted houses I?ve seen since, but it went above and beyond what was in my neighbourhood, and made an impact such that I can remember it now, over 20 years later. Evidently people like this are known as ?home haunters?, a term I recently picked up watching The American Scream. Directed by Michael Paul Stephenson, infamous for his lead role in the film Troll 2, The American Scream is a documentary that follows three families of home haunters as they prepare for Halloween in the suburb of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. All three groups have their own different family dynamics and ideas of what makes a scary Halloween display. Their bonds with family and community, and their passions for their craft make this film a very enjoyable experience.

We are first introduced to Victor Bariteau, a systems administrator whose favourite holiday is Halloween. He spends the entire year building new props for his haunted house and dreams of going pro. Although his family supports his ambitions, his oldest daughter is the only one who comes close to her father?s passion. Tina, Victor?s wife, pitches in to make costumes and help with preparations, but she seems exasperated with his hobby, which is slowly growing to consume all available space in their small home. Victor?s dedication to his work is notable, and he is always trying to outdo himself, building up his props each year. He looks to expand his knowledge by listening to Hauntcast (?radio for haunters and Halloween fanatics?) and going to Hauntcon, a convention for home haunters who are looking to up their game by attending panels and workshops lead by pros and purchasing new props on the trade floor. In this way, Victor stands in stark contrast to the other two families featured in the film. Unlike them, Victor seems to be gaining a lot more personally by growing his passion, rather than doing it mainly to bond with his family.

We are also introduced to Manny Souza, and Rick and Matthew Broeder, all of whom live in the neighbourhood. Manny is a family man whose Halloween attraction is an intricate collection of creepy found objects. His children love helping set up, and his wife is sure to get friends and family involved. Manny admits that family is everything to him, and he?ll keep doing the haunted house for as long as he can because it gives him more time to bond with his children. This is the same for Rick and Matt Broeder, a father and son duo who spend large amounts of time with each other. Matt admits that his father is his best friend, and the two bond together building props for their haunted house. Matt, an award-winning amateur clown who proudly displays his trophies and plaques, also find home haunting an excellent artistic outlet. What Rick and Matthew may lack in artistry they make up for in ridiculous banter that gave this film a comedic edge.

The American Scream is wonderfully constructed. We meet not just the haunters but their families too. The film relies on interviews with family members to open a window into personal histories and of course, everyone?s opinion about their haunted house. The film is very entertaining but at other times it?s sad. Neither Manny nor Rick is in very good health, though thankfully they both have their family to support them. Victor too seems to be so focused on his dreams that he ignores all else around him, losing himself in his craft and burning himself out. His family is very understanding, but the film portrays them as ignoring their own needs and desires.

Many people write off Halloween as a children?s holiday, but these home haunters believe that it?s a time to bring people together. I felt all warm and fuzzy watching this movie, something that?s perhaps unexpected for a film titled The American Scream. This is a documentary with heart that peers into its subject?s successes, failures, troubles and most importantly their connections with their family and the greater community.

Source: http://www.vancouverweekly.com/the-secret-world-of-home-haunters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-secret-world-of-home-haunters

old navy walmart black friday walmart black friday Target Black Friday PacSun apple store bestbuy

To boost revenues, the taxman cometh ? in Afghanistan

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Najib Ullah Latify, the owner of factory High Standard Pipe explains about their factory in Kabul March 17, 2013. High Standard Pipe employs 850 people and supplies pipes for projects providing clean water all over Afghanistan. Picture taken on March 17, 2013.

By Katharine Houreld, Reuters

KABUL ? One of Afghanistan's most surprising success stories lies tucked away on a potholed street notorious for suicide bombings and lined with rusting construction equipment.

The work of the country's top tax collector is more inspiring than the view from his office in Kabul. Taxes and customs raised $1.64 billion last financial year, a 14-fold increase on 10 years ago. That means, now, the government can pay just over half of its recurrent costs such as salaries.

Thanks to tougher enforcement procedures, Afghanistan's tax to GDP ratio today stands above 11 percent - ahead of neighboring Pakistan's dismal 9 percent.

Increasing revenues is vital as donors begin reducing aid ahead of the 2014 drawdown of NATO troops, who have provided the backbone for security since U.S. forces invaded after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

By the end of this year the United States alone will have spent $100 billion on Afghan reconstruction. But future pledges are a fraction of that.

"We are largely dependent on international aid. We would like to be independent," said Abdurrahman Mujahid, the new head of the revenue department. "I would like a sustainable Afghanistan for all the children."

Despite rising revenues, the government will rely heavily on donors for years to come. Taxes, customs and mining revenue will only meet $2.5 billion out of a $7 billion budget this year.

Most of the revenue comes from large corporate taxpayers, who complain their payments have not improved power cuts, potholed roads or security.

Corporations pay a flat tax of 20 percent - the same rate for an individual earning over $2,000 a month.

But unlike developed countries where personal income tax generates a sizeable chunk of revenue, most Afghans scoff at the idea of giving the government some of their meager earnings.

The average annual income, in a country ranked one of the world's poorest, is just $470, according to the World Bank. Those making less than $100 a month don't have to pay tax.

"It's not a good government," said moneychanger Abdurrahman Arif, 28, as he held a wad of soiled notes and scanned for customers. "I don't pay tax. The rich people don't and the government should go to them before they come to me."

Afghanistan has a similar problem to neighboring Pakistan - the very wealthy don't pay their share, and weak institutions often have little way of forcing them.

Authorities admit that taxing the rich isn't easy in a country where the powerful often command militias. But Mujahid promises tax evaders will "be introduced to the law enforcement agencies".

SUBSTANTIAL ACHIEVEMENT

Much of Afghanistan's money is in an undocumented black economy. Corruption is endemic and the country produces 90 percent of the world's opium. Billions of dollars in cash leave the country every year in suitcases.

The security situation is discouraging. Taliban and other militias have made gains in many areas as foreign combat forces wind down their missions.

But some Afghans still manage to make money. Many businesses are fuelled by the aid dollars that have poured into the country over the last decade. Luxury supermarkets, travel agencies and stationery shops crowd the capital's streets.

A U.S. embassy official in Kabul commended Afghanistan's ability to raise tax revenues.

"It's a pretty substantial achievement," the official said, but noted the nation still faced a large funding gap, partly because of its huge security bill.

"It's going to continue being a problem until they can get revenues from the extractive industry, and that's going to take some time," the official said, referring to Afghanistan's rich but undeveloped mineral deposits.

Donors currently pay for just under half Afghanistan's operating costs - mostly government salaries - and more than three-quarters of all development projects like roads, dams and electricity equipment.

Rampant corruption means this money is often stolen, angering donors, fuelling anti-government rage and keeping aid from some of the world's neediest families.

Donors hope that if Afghans foot more of the bill for public services they may become less tolerant of graft from their leaders.

PUGNACIOUS PREDECESSOR

Mujahid, the new head of the revenue department, has large shoes to fill. His predecessor Ahmad Shah Zamanzai oversaw much of the department's growth and didn't shrink from confrontation.

When a vice-president refused to pay tax on income from renting out houses he owned, Zamanzai threatened to leak it to the press. Elections were approaching. The vice president paid up.

Under Zamanzai, the tax department jailed more than 20 tax evaders, froze bank accounts, slapped on travel bans and shuttered the premises of businesses that refused to pay.

In one showdown, he took on the glitzy wedding halls that have mushroomed up in the capital. When the 60 or so venues refused to pay their dues, he had police padlock a dozen of the biggest until the rest fell into line.

Zamanzai was appointed head of the state-run Pashtany Bank as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle this month. His first task, he said, would be to use skills honed in the tax department to extract overdue loan repayments from powerful Afghans.

But the tough tax enforcement has angered some businessmen.

Najib Ullah Latify's spotless factory, full of humming machinery and rows of workers in blue overalls and yellow hard hats, stands a few minutes drive from the tax office. High Standard Pipe employs 850 people and supplies pipes for projects providing clean water all over Afghanistan.

Latify said he'd expand but harassment from the tax man was hurting his business.

In recent years, he says, he's been repeatedly overcharged by the tax office and promised refunds have not been credited. Officials frequently offer to slash his tax bill in return for bribes, he added. When he refuses, he says, officials disrupt his imports and suspend his license.

"I don't know what to do, I have shouted everywhere that they are ruining my business," he said.

"I don't mind paying taxes. Even if 60 percent of it is spent on drinking and shopping and trips for (politicians') wives, maybe 40 percent will go to schools or hospitals. But they must tax me correctly."

The new tax chief, Mujahid, was not familiar with Vitaly's case, but promised to investigate. More than 10 tax collectors - whose basic salaries start at $180 a month - have been fired for corruption in the last two years.

"Corruption is a part of public life in Afghanistan," said Mujahid. "We have the aim to make this department corruption-free."

This year he's planning to finish computerizing tax records, usher through a law on Value Added Tax, and strengthen collection in the provinces - more than 90 percent of government taxes currently come from the capital.

"There's a lot of achievements, but for sure we have problems, and the biggest problem is corruption," he said.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a300022/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C310C17540A3390Eto0Eboost0Erevenues0Ethe0Etaxman0Ecometh0Ein0Eafghanistan0Dlite/story01.htm

The Following Anna Burns Welker Martin Luther King, Jr. Mlk Quotes Elder Scrolls Online joe biden michelle obama

What to Know In Obtaining the Best Lawyer Services In Las Vegas ...

Known to be the Sin City, Las Vegas proves that whilst it is viewed as as such it can still stand up against crimes. Las Vegas police is one particular of the most productive and productive police forces in the US. Its legal branch which involves the judicial method is amongst the elite in the nation. Not to mention the finest attorney services in Las Vegas that is expanded to numerous discipline of law.

These services and the greatest lawyers in the city is 1 element that tends to make up its complete government structure with concentrate on the welfare of the individuals. The span of the issues that the law sector of Las Vegas tackles largely extends to auto accidents, insurance coverage, divorce, corporate crimes and harassments, compensation, employment, taxation, bankruptcy, and other criminal situations.

Just as from other states and cities, lawyers in Vegas and the services they offer you is typically restricted to only one particular specialization. From the given circumstances above, there are particular lawyers who truly concentrate their practice. But there are also lawyers who practice in other fields but only as a secondary counsel or an equivalent service.

Right here are some of the popular legal services that are provided in Vegas:

Bankruptcy it is fairly a lot apparent why this specific problem is renowned in Vegas. Companies in the city are exposed to a extremely tight competition and because of this, owners may fail to handle well their organization and file bankruptcy to the government.

Divorce the Sin City is exactly where a single can have a fact and thrilling marriage and is also the spot exactly where most divorces often likely to occur. Again, the cause behind this is superficial.

Taxation employment and enterprise boosts in Vegas nonetheless when individuals are faced with higher-demanding way of life, problems pertaining to taxation might arise.

These famous issues and numerous other individuals ought to be the first factor that need to be understood prior to deciding to get a assist from a Vegas lawyer or their services. Lawyer services in Las Vegas are quite simple to access. Most of the legal companies that offer lawyer representation and consultations have their own internet sites exactly where 1 can use to transact. Other than this, they also have their strategic offices within the city.

An additional way to consider in locating the greatest lawyer in Vegas is by indicates of random scouting. Usually, greatest attorneys do no longer need to have ads and colorful web site get in touch with indicators. Their names are usually noticed and written in the day-to-day news. But, anticipate that these front liner lawyers will quote greater fees from consumers.

There are also greatest lawyers that chose to be off the limelight and they can be found by way of individual referencing. For instance, if your buddy had a case which is exact same as what you are dealing now, you can simply ask the name of the lawyer who represented him/her and then try contacting the lawyer.

The background of the lawyer is also essential. Initial, you can know the practice background of the lawyer by indicates of contacting the firm he is connected to. The firm could not always tell all factors regarding the lawyer so you can have a private investigation at Vegas public cases. You can uncover a number of attorneys there which you can choose from.

All these things when completed accordingly can aid you find finest attorney services in Las Vegas. The only thing that you required is a little of patience and modest quantity of resources to find the correct lawyer who can represent you very best.HUDSON LAW OFFICE

1315 N. SHARTEL AVENUE

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73103

(405) 788-3849

recommended reading Note : Theres often an Excellent Tax Attorney in Michigan to the Rescue

Did you like this article? Share it below!

Source: http://www.tradefinancebank.com/what-to-know-in-obtaining-the-best-lawyer-services-in-las-vegas/

Russian meteor Meteor Hits Russia Dorner Manifesto Valentines Day Quotes nerlens noel Mark Balelo Anne Stringfield

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Veterans fight changes to disability payments

In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this March 24, 2013 photo, veterans' liaison Marshall Archer, a former Marine Corps corporal, poses for a photo in Portland, Maine. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already.

Government benefits are adjusted according to inflation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation to calculate Social Security benefits. Benefits would still grow but at a slower rate.

Advocates for the nation's 22 million veterans fear that the alternative inflation measure would also apply to disability payments to nearly 4 million veterans as well as pension payments for an additional 500,000 low-income veterans and surviving families.

"I think veterans have already paid their fair share to support this nation," said the American Legion's Louis Celli. "They've paid it in lower wages while serving, they've paid it through their wounds and sacrifices on the battlefield and they're paying it now as they try to recover from those wounds."

Economists generally agree that projected long-term debt increases stemming largely from the growth in federal health care programs pose a threat to the country's economic competitiveness. Addressing the threat means difficult decisions for lawmakers and pain for many constituents in the decades ahead.

But the veterans' groups point out that their members bore the burden of a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past month, they've held news conferences on Capitol Hill and raised the issue in meetings with lawmakers and their staffs. They'll be closely watching the unveiling of the president's budget next month to see whether he continues to recommend the change.

Obama and others support changing the benefit calculations to a variation of the Consumer Price Index, a measure called "chained CPI." The conventional CPI measures changes in retail prices of a constant marketbasket of goods and services. Chained CPI considers changes in the quantity of goods purchased as well as the prices of those goods. If the price of steak goes up, for example, many consumers will buy more chicken, a cheaper alternative to steak, rather than buying less steak or going without meat.

Supporters argue that chained CPI is a truer indication of inflation because it measures changes in consumer behavior. It also tends to be less than the conventional CPI, which would impact how cost-of-living raises are computed.

Under the current inflation update, monthly disability and pension payments increased 1.7 percent this year. Under chained CPI, those payments would have increased 1.4 percent.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that moving to chained CPI would trim the deficit by nearly $340 billion over the next decade. About two-thirds of the deficit closing would come from less spending and the other third would come from additional revenue because of adjustments that tax brackets would undergo.

Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said she understands why veterans, senior citizens and others have come out against the change, but she believes it's necessary.

"We are in an era where benefits are going to be reduced and revenues are going to rise. There's just no way around that. We're on an unsustainable fiscal course," Sawhill said. "Dealing with it is going to be painful, and the American public has not yet accepted that. As long as every group keeps saying, 'I need a carve-out, I need an exception,' this is not going to work."

Sawhill argued that making changes now will actually make it easier for veterans in the long run.

"The longer we wait to make these changes, the worse the hole we'll be in and the more draconian the cuts will have to be," she said.

That's not the way Sen. Bernie Sanders sees it. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs said he recently warned Obama that every veterans group he knows of has come out strongly against changing the benefit calculations for disability benefits and pensions by using chained CPI.

"I don't believe the American people want to see our budget balanced on the backs of disabled veterans. It's especially absurd for the White House, which has been quite generous in terms of funding for the VA," said Sanders, I-Vt. "Why they now want to do this, I just don't understand."

Sanders succeeded in getting the Senate to approve an amendment last week against changing how the cost-of-living increases are calculated, but the vote was largely symbolic. Lawmakers would still have a decision to make if moving to chained CPI were to be included as part of a bargain on taxes and spending.

Sanders' counterpart on the House side, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, appears at least open to the idea of going to chained CPI.

"My first priority is ensuring that America's more than 20 million veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned, but with a national debt fast approaching $17 trillion, Washington's fiscal irresponsibility may threaten the very provision of veterans' benefits," Miller said. "Achieving a balanced budget and reducing our national debt will help us keep the promises America has made to those who have worn the uniform, and I am committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to do just that."

Marshall Archer, 30, a former Marine Corps corporal who served two stints in Iraq, has a unique perspective about the impact of slowing the growth of veterans' benefits. He collects disability payments to compensate him for damaged knees and shoulders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. He also works as a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, helping some 200 low-income veterans find housing.

Archer notes that on a personal level, the reduction in future disability payments would also be accompanied down the road by a smaller Social Security check when he retires. That means he would take a double hit to his income.

"We all volunteered to serve, so we all volunteered to sacrifice," he said. "I don't believe that you should ever ask those who have already volunteered to sacrifice to then sacrifice again."

That said, Archer indicated he would be willing to "chip in" if he believes that everyone is required to give as well.

He said he's more worried about the veterans he's trying to help find a place to sleep. About a third of his clients rely on VA pension payments averaging just over $1,000 a month. He said their VA pension allows them to pay rent, heat their home and buy groceries, but that's about it.

"This policy, if it ever went into effect, would actually place those already in poverty in even more poverty," Archer said.

The changes that would occur by using the slower inflation calculation seem modest at first. For a veteran with no dependents who has a 60 percent disability rating, the use of chained CPI this year would have lowered the veteran's monthly payments by $3 a month. Instead of getting $1,026 a month, the veteran would have received $1,023.

Raymond Kelly, legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars, acknowledged that veterans would see little change in their income during the first few years of the change. But even a $36 hit over the course of a year is "huge" for many of the disabled veterans living on the edge, he said.

The amount lost over time becomes more substantial as the years go by. Sanders said that a veteran with a 100 percent disability rating who begins getting payments at age 30 would see their annual payments trimmed by more than $2,300 a year when they turn 55.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-30-Budget%20Battle-Veterans/id-b9c15cb1e32e4b0a8fbe3cc49bdeff51

Stacy Dash Amber Tamblyn Lilit Avagyan Nashville TV Show VP debate drew brees drew brees

GWH News and Notes: March 30 Birthdays and Memoriams

March 30 Birthdays and Memoriams

Bill Alexander, Ron Garvin, Mike Rotunda, and Zach Gowen celebrate birthdays today. Terry McGinnis died at the age of 41 on this day in 1952, and Barney Tucker was 88 when he passed in 2008.

Source: http://www.gwhnews.com/2013/03/march-30-birthdays-and-memoriams.html

nbc news pi day Samsung Galaxy S4 St Francis Anquan Boldin Pope Benedict Jesuits

(Home Improvement) Reducing the noise from opening, closing, and ...

Yesterday, 01:46 PM ? #6

Master Member

Join Date: Feb 2012

Posts: 4,619

Also, what can be done to reduce the noise from the impact of the door closing, and the door mechanism slotting in into its position ?I don't understand.....Cannot picture it....how is that achievable..?

Source: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/home-improvement-reducing-noise-opening-closing-locking-door-4156925.html

oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista university of kentucky oakland news alec baldwin

Friday, March 29, 2013

Americans back preparation for extreme weather and sea-level rise

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Images told the story: lower Manhattan in darkness, coastal communities washed away, cars floating in muck. Superstorm Sandy, a harbinger of future extreme weather intensified by climate change, caught the country off guard in October.

Unprepared for the flooding and high winds that ensued, the East Coast suffered more than $70 billion in property damage and more than 100 deaths.

Will Americans prepare and invest now to minimize the impact of disasters such as Sandy, or deal with storms and rising sea levels after they occur?

A new survey commissioned by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Center for Ocean Solutions finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans want to prepare in order to minimize the damage likely to be caused by global warming-induced sea-level rise and storms.

A majority also wants people whose properties and businesses are located in hazard areas to foot the bill for this preparation, not the government. Eighty-two percent of the Americans surveyed said that people and organizations should prepare for the damage likely to be caused by sea-level rise and storms, rather than simply deal with the damage after it happens.

Among the most popular policy solutions identified in the survey are stronger building codes for new structures along the coast to minimize damage (favored by 62 percent) and preventing new buildings from being built near the coast (supported by 51 percent).

"People support preventive action," said survey director Jon Krosnick, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and professor of communication, "and few people believe these preparations will harm the economy or eliminate jobs. In fact, more people believe that preparation efforts will help the economy and create jobs around the U.S., in their state and in their town than think these efforts will harm the economy and result in fewer jobs in those areas. But people want coastal homeowners and businesses that locate in high-risk areas to pay for these measures."

The challenges posed by rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms will only intensify as more Americans build along the coasts. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released March 25 predicts that already crowded U.S. coastlines will become home to an additional 11 million people by 2020.

Survey questions were formulated to assess participants' beliefs about climate change and gather opinions about the impact of climate change, sea-level rise and storms on communities, the economy and jobs.

The survey also gauged public support for specific coastal adaptation strategies and how to pay for them. "People are least supportive of policies that try to hold back Mother Nature," Krosnick said. "They think it makes more sense to recognize risk and reduce exposure."

Among the survey's respondents, 48 percent favor sand dune restoration and 33 percent favor efforts to maintain beaches with sand replenishment, while 37 percent support relocating structures away from the coast and 33 percent support constructing sea walls.

Eighty-two percent of the survey's respondents believe that Earth's temperature has been rising over the last 100 years. However, even a majority of those who doubt the existence of climate change favor adaptation measures (60 percent).

"The question is, how does public support for preparation translate to action?" asked Meg Caldwell, executive director of the Center for Ocean Solutions. "Our impulse is to try to move quickly to put communities back together the way they were after devastation. But that impulse often leads to doubling down on high-risk investments, such as rebuilding in areas likely to experience severe impacts. To move toward long-term resiliency for coastal communities, we need to seize opportunities to apply new thinking, new standards and long-term solutions."

Krosnick presented the survey results this morning at a policy briefing hosted by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The survey was conducted via the Internet with a nationally representative probability sample of 1,174 American adults, 18 and older, conducted by GfK Custom Research March 3-18, 2013. The survey was administrated in both English and Spanish. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/vifyDohQlys/130329090624.htm

oscars red carpet jennifer lopez wardrobe malfunction hugo hugo nfl combine 84th annual academy awards beginners

Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers

By Alistair Barr and Jessica Wohl

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is considering a radical plan to have store customers deliver packages to online buyers, a new twist on speedier delivery services that the company hopes will enable it to better compete with Amazon.com Inc.

Tapping customers to deliver goods would put the world's largest retailer squarely in middle of a new phenomenon sometimes known as "crowd-sourcing," or the "sharing economy."

A plethora of start-ups now help people make money by renting out a spare room, a car, or even a cocktail dress, and Wal-Mart would in effect be inviting people to rent out space in their vehicle and their willingness to deliver packages to others.

Such an effort would, however, face numerous legal, regulatory and privacy obstacles, and Wal-Mart executives said it was at an early planning stage.

Wal-Mart is making a big push to ship online orders directly from stores, hoping to cut transportation costs and gain an edge over Amazon and other online retailers, which have no physical store locations. Wal-Mart does this at 25 stores currently, but plans to double that to 50 this year and could expand the program to hundreds of stores in the future.

Wal-Mart currently uses carriers like FedEx Corp for delivery from stores - or, in the case of a same-day delivery service called Walmart To Go that is being tested in five metro areas, its own delivery trucks.

"I see a path to where this is crowd-sourced," Joel Anderson, chief executive of Walmart.com in the United States, said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Wal-Mart has millions of customers visiting its stores each week. Some of these shoppers could tell the retailer where they live and sign up to drop off packages for online customers who live on their route back home, Anderson explained.

Wal-Mart would offer a discount on the customers' shopping bill, effectively covering the cost of their gas in return for the delivery of packages, he added.

"This is at the brain-storming stage, but it's possible in a year or two," said Jeff McAllister, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. innovations.

Indeed, the likelihood of this being broadly adopted across the company's network of more than 4,000 stores in the United States is low, according to Matt Nemer, a retail analyst at Wells Fargo Securities.

"I'm sure it will be a test in some stores," he added. "But they may only keep it for metro markets and for higher-priced items."

LEGAL BOUNDARIES

Start-ups such as TaskRabbit and Fiverr already let individuals rent out their time and expertise to companies and people looking for small jobs to be completed.

Zipments was founded in 2010 as a crowd-sourced delivery network that allowed anyone over 18 years old with a vehicle, a text-enabled phone, and a PayPal account to bid on courier services for local businesses.

Such online match-making businesses often push legal boundaries - and a Wal-Mart crowd-sourced delivery program would be no different, according to Nemer.

Online packages delivered by customers may never reach their destination, either through theft or fraud, the analyst said.

Such a crowd-sourced delivery service may not be as reliable as FedEx or United Parcel Service, which have insured drivers, he added.

"You are comfortable with a FedEx or UPS truck in your driveway, but what about a stranger knocking on your door?" Nemer said.

ZIPMENTS EVOLVES

While Zipments started out with a pure crowd-sourcing approach, the company now does more screening of drivers before allowing them to be part of its delivery network, Chief Executive and co-Founder Garrick Pohl said in an interview. It now serves big cities including New York and Chicago.

Theft, fraud and late deliveries have never been a problem, but insurance and licenses were an obstacle, Pohl explained.

Drivers often need personal liability insurance to cover package delivery activities. Cargo insurance is also needed. Zipments self-insures this risk up to $250, but the firm encourages its couriers to buy additional coverage for higher-value packages, Pohl said.

In some areas, like downtown Chicago, people also need a courier license to deliver things, he added.

"Zipments now helps people get all these things set up before allowing them to deliver goods," Pohl said.

Still, he said the issues are not insurmountable, citing pizza restaurants, which have used part-time drivers to deliver pies for years.

"It's a great solution for large retailers like Wal-Mart," Pohl said. "We'd like to see them move quicker, but it's great that they are considering it."

Zipments is trying to provide such services to retailers, although Pohl declined to say which companies the start-up is talking to about this.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr and Jessica Wohl; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Martin Howell and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-wal-mart-may-customers-deliver-packages-online-050124872--sector.html

steve jobs fbi safehouse brown recluse brown recluse front door alyssa bustamante protandim

Reader recommendation: Branch Rickey

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change...

Nabil Laoudji?s Mantle Project got supporters of the tea party and the ?Occupy? movement to talk onstage about what shaped their views.

Rewriting the story of polarized debate: He got Tea Party and Occupy to talk

Nabil Laoudji's Mantle Project puts citizens on stage to tell stories of the experiences that led them to their positions on tough issues. That's how he got members of the Tea Party and Occupy movement to speak on the same stage in a civil ? and entertaining ? exchange.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/t3QAl2siqgo/Reader-recommendation-Branch-Rickey

pga tour bioshock infinite smokey robinson smokey robinson kellie pickler USA VS Mexico Alexis DeJoria

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Same-sex couple leaves the US because of DOMA

>>> let me bring in brandon pearlburg. an american living in london with his foreign-born partner. the couple had to move in order to stay together because of doma . thank you for joining me.

>> thank you.

>> first of all, what is your impression of today. with the excerpts and analysis coming out regarding justices and their comments, brandon ?

>> well, i don't want it make any predecks, but we know every time in our country's history that there's been an expansion of civil rights , that has been a good thing for the population as a whole, and those have been moments that we look back upon with tremendous national pride . so i guess i would say i'm cautiously opt moistic that this is going to to be another one of those moments.

>> you mentioned national pride . you are an american citizen . you love this country. as i read, nearly seven years ago you decided you could no longer live here based on love, if you will. tell me a little bit about what happened and how you made this decision to leave your home and go to london .

>> well, what happened for me was that in the fall of 2011 , i had been with my same sex british partner for just about seven years then. we've been together another year now. and he was living in the states with me pursuant to an employer sponsored visa. but those visas have expiration date . the way you stay in the country is with a green card . he wasn't going to to get a green ward from his employer. doma made it so he wouldn't have a green card through me. so i had to make the decision whether or not i would live my life in the country that i love or move to england and live with the person that i love. i chose the latter. january of last year we moved to the uk. while i don't regret that decision at all, this has been the most difficult and humbling period of my entire life.

>> as i understand it, you left your law firm , rented out your place, said good-bye to all of your friend and family and you end up there in london . and yours is not a situation where you're in a bubble. there are others, and in fact, profiled in a new york times article not very long ago that how many americans have done the same thing. forced to leave the united states as a result of doma .

>> and we're the lucky ones tp there are so many people who don't have england or canada or holland or country like that to o go to. and families are split apart. and you can imagine if there are children involved, that what that means. and financially, what that means. i add career i was forced to leave. i was finally getting to the place in my adult hood where i was reaching professional success and i a i arrived here. for 11 months i couldn't find work. i went on interview after interview after interview but i lacked london experience. so i was pushed down to the bottom of the ladder unfairly. this is what doma maept for me.

>> if doma is struck down, will that mean you and your partner would be married in new york, for example, and move back here?

>> you know, that's a difficult question for me to answer. obviously, there's a lot that goes into uprooting, both ways you go across the atlantic. that's a decision my partner and i would have to take after reflecting a lot. but you can't just snap your fingers and get your life back. this wasn't a blip. this was a major, major hardship and sacrifice that i've had to endure and that so many other people have had to endure.

>> brandon , thank you so much for coming on to dois cuss your life and as you point out would be make this major life decision as a result of the defensive marriage act . thank you for your time. we will keep up-to-date with you.

>> thank you.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35198/f/654708/s/2a100046/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51351342/story01.htm

stephen colbert new madrid fault rihanna and chris brown affirmative action helicon zac efron and taylor swift real housewives of orange county

Man pleads not guilty to extorting A&M professor

HOUSTON (AP) ? James Arnt Aune was regarded as a fine scholar, mentor and friend by students and his fellow professors at Texas A&M University, where he headed the school's Department of Communication.

But Aune, who jumped to his death from the roof of a campus parking garage in January, battled depression in recent years. He struggled with the administrative duties of being a department head, and he was badly shaken by his 2007 battle with prostate cancer, which he survived but which forced him to face his own mortality, his widow said.

"He never really came all the way back," Miriam Aune said of his surviving cancer.

He began drinking heavily, and in December he started a sexually explicit online relationship with what he thought was an underage girl, according to prosecutors. He was soon contacted by a man purporting to be her outraged father, who threatened to expose Aune unless he paid him $5,000.

Aune paid the man $1,500, but he didn't know if he could come up with the rest, authorities say. He confessed to his wife, who pledged to stand by him, but about a week later, the 59-year-old Aune jumped to his death after sending a final text: "Killing myself now. And u will be prosecuted for black mail."

The man who got that text, according to prosecutors, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Houston federal courtroom to an extortion charge. The 37-year-old Metairie, La., resident was ordered to remain in jail without bail, and his trial is scheduled for May 28. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail. His court-appointed attorney, Marjorie Meyers, declined to comment about the case.

Authorities allege that Aune was one of many victims of a scheme in which the man used his daughter to lure men into sexually explicit online relationships and later blackmailed them. The Associated Press isn't naming the man to protect the identity of his daughter.

In the criminal complaint, prosecutors contend that the man's daughter told authorities in Louisiana in 2011 that her father took naked photos and videos of her and used them "to scam men" through MocoSpace, a social networking website mainly for mobile devices.

On the site, "she would meet men, get their phone numbers and send them pictures and videos then (her father) would call them and say how she was his daughter and how she would need counseling and they had to pay for it."

At the time of that 2011 interview, her father was facing two counts of oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated incest. The charges were dropped in February 2012 due to a lack of corroborating evidence, said Rachael Domiano, a spokeswoman for the 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office in Louisiana.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday declined to comment about certain details of the alleged scheme, and it wasn't clear from the criminal complaint if prosecutors believe the defendant's daughter actually interacted with Aune, or if her image was used to allegedly dupe him.

Miriam Aune, 56, told The Associated Press that investigators told her that the defendant was the person who communicated with her husband and other men, pretending to be his daughter. She said her husband told her he began the online chats sometime in December and that by the third or fourth day after the chats began, the defendant reached out to him asking for money.

According to court records, undated texts show Aune scrambling to put money on prepaid credit cards for the defendant and asking for his forgiveness, saying "I am very sorry. It was a weak moment."

A week before his suicide, James Aune confessed to his wife. Miriam Aune said her husband never told her why he did it.

She pledged her support for him, but said he became despondent after his confession.

"I was just telling him there was nothing that we couldn't get through. We have two autistic children we have raised to adulthood. We've been through rough stuff. I thought we could get through this," Miriam Aune said.

According to a criminal complaint, the defendant continued bombarding Aune with profanity laced emails, texts and voicemails, including a Jan. 7 email in which he warned Aune that he had until noon the next day to pay or else "the police, your place of employment, students, ALL OVER THE INTERNET ...ALL OF THEM will be able to see your conversations, texts, pictures you sent ...."

On Jan. 8 at 9:21 a.m., the defendant texted, "3 more hours. If i don't hear from you the calls start," according the criminal complaint by FBI agent Nikki Allen.

At 10:29 a.m., Aune replied, "Killing myself now And u will be prosecuted for black mail."

He jumped from the parking garage roof about a minute later, shocking the A&M campus, which is about 100 miles northwest of Houston.

Miriam Aune doesn't excuse her husband's actions. She said it was his decision to go online and begin the conversations.

"It just shows you anybody can slip off the path. I know a lot of people are very surprised by this. He was very human with flaws, just like all of us," she said.

But she said it saddens her to know that some people will only remember her husband for what happened at the end of his life.

"To him, being a professor, it was a sacred duty to him. And he cared so much about his students," she said as she cried. "The people who know him, who loved him, they are not going to feel any differently about him."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-pleads-not-guilty-extorting-m-professor-004902354.html

Alison Pill gizmodo cnet britney spears sprint Sam Bacile At&t Wireless

Living large: Palm Springs estate for sale

Erika Riggs , Zillow ? ? ? 5 hrs.

2399 Southridge Dr, Palm Springs, Calif.
For sale: $9.555 million

If you're unable to part with $50 million for Bob Hope's John Lautner-designed estate, how about another Palm Springs residence with its own significant architecture just a few houses away?

This modern home is located in prestigious Southridge, a gated enclave of 23 properties including former homes of actors Steve McQueen and William Holden, in addition to Hope's iconic home.

Designed by Edward Gedding, who worked with many high-profile clients in the 1970s and '80s, the residence sits on 2.25 acres and, like Hope's home, centers around a circular skylight.

The current owner picked up the home in 2002 and began a complete renovation, virtually redoing all the surfaces in the home, explains listing agent Bill Taylor of Saxony Real Estate.

"He didn?t remodel the exterior; it's so classic," Taylor said. "He really enhanced the interior to today?s standards."

The homeowner's renovation included opening up the floor plan, adding a bar and pool table area, as well as enhancing the sitting area. He also added a whopping 40 tons of Idaho quartz to the already 660 tons present throughout the structure.

The end result is something Taylor believes can't really be duplicated.

"The views and the quality, the finishes ... the location of the home: There's just nothing like it," he said. "The homeowner has great taste in what he does. You couldn't replicate the value."

A monthly payment on the home would be $34,376, calculated with today's mortgage rates and assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

Related content from Zillow:

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a0cb743/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cliving0Elarge0Epalm0Esprings0Eestate0Esale0E1C90A850A91/story01.htm

halo 4 jewel san francisco earthquake san francisco earthquake terminator salvation terminator salvation deron williams

Fewer children mean longer life?

Mar. 27, 2013 ? New research into ageing processes, based on modern genetic techniques, confirms theoretical expectations about the correlation between reproduction and lifespan. Studies of birds reveal that those that have offspring later in life and have fewer broods live longer. And the decisive factor is telomeres, shows research from The University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes. The length of telomeres influences how long an individual lives. Telomeres start off at a certain length, become shorter each time a cell divides, decline as the years pass by until the telomeres can no longer protect the chromosomes, and the cell dies. But the length of telomeres varies significantly among individuals of the same age. This is partly due to the length of the telomeres that has been inherited from the parents, and partly due to the amount of stress an individual is exposed to.

?This is important, not least for our own species, as we are all having to deal with increased stress,? says Angela Pauliny, Researcher from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.

Researchers have studied barnacle geese, which are long-lived birds, the oldest in the study being 22 years old. The results show that geese, compared to short-lived bird species, have a better ability to preserve the length of their telomeres. The explanation is probably that species with a longer lifespan invest more in maintaining bodily functions than, for example, reproduction.

?There is a clear correlation between reproduction and ageing in the animal world. Take elephants, which have a long lifespan but few offspring, while mice, for example, live for a short time but produce a lot of offspring each time they try,? says Angela Pauliny.

The geese studied by researchers varied in age, from very young birds to extremely old ones. Each bird was measured twice, two years apart. One striking result was that the change in telomere length varied according to gender.

?The study revealed that telomeres were best-preserved in males. Among barnacle geese, the telomeres thus shorten more quickly in females, which in birds is the sex with two different gender chromosomes. Interestingly, it is the exactl opposite in humans,? says Angela Pauliny.

The journal BMC Evolutionary Biology has classified the research article ?Telomere dynamics in a long-lived bird, the barnacle goose? as ?Highly Accessed?.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Gothenburg, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Angela Pauliny, Kjell Larsson, Donald Blomqvist. Telomere dynamics in a long-lived bird, the barnacle goose. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2012; 12 (1): 257 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-257

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/wo_0G9jQGjg/130327103045.htm

Melissa Rycroft mega millions Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Sasha McHale Boy Meets World elizabeth taylor cam newton

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Scientists confirm first 2-headed bull shark

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark.

The study, led by Michigan State University and appearing in the Journal of Fish Biology, confirmed the specimen, found in the Gulf of Mexico April 7, 2011, was a single shark with two heads, rather than conjoined twins.

There have been other species of sharks, such as blue sharks and tope sharks, born with two heads. This is the first record of dicephalia in a bull shark, said Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, who confirmed the discovery with colleagues at the Florida Keys Community College.

"This is certainly one of those interesting and rarely detected phenomena," Wagner said. "It's good that we have this documented as part of the world's natural history, but we'd certainly have to find many more before we could draw any conclusions about what caused this."

The difficulty of finding such oddities is due, in part, to creatures with abnormalities dying shortly after birth. In this instance, a fisherman found the two-headed shark when he opened the uterus of an adult shark. The two-headed shark died shortly thereafter and had little, if any, chance to survive in the wild, Wagner added.

"You'll see many more cases of two-headed lizards and snakes," he said. "That's because those organisms are often bred in captivity, and the breeders are more likely to observe the anomalies."

The shark was brought to the marine science department at Florida Keys Community College. From there, it was transported to Michigan State's campus for further examination.

Wagner and his team were able to detail the discovery with magnetic resonance imaging. Without damaging the unique specimen, the MRIs revealed two distinct heads, hearts and stomachs with the remainder of the body joining together in back half of the animal to form a single tail.

As part of the published brief, Wagner noted that some may want to attribute the deformed shark to exposure to pollutants.

"Given the timing of the shark's discovery with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, I could see how some people may want to jump to conclusions," Wagner said. "Making that leap is unwarranted. We simply have no evidence to support that cause or any other."

###

Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu

Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 158 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127462/Scientists_confirm_first___headed_bull_shark

tony nominations dark knight trailer dallas mavericks washington capitals delmon young amare stoudemire tallest building in the world

Mozilla partners with Epic Games to bring Unreal Engine 3 to the web

Building on its recent advancements in JavaScript optimization, Mozilla has announced a partnership with Epic Games that will bring the Unreal Engine 3 to Firefox. Unlike the ill-fated InstantAction, this gives developers the opportunity to port high-end titles to the web without the use of plugins. Hardly content with enhancing desktop browser-based games, Mozilla is aiming to bring this experience to mobile devices -- but it's stopping short of providing any details beyond that. The company notes that it's currently working with major developers such as EA, ZeptoLab and Disney to bring optimizations to their existing titles. Mum's the word on when 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand will get the chance to soak browsers everywhere, but you can catch a video preview of something slightly less spectacular just after the break.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Comments

Source: Mozilla

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/mozilla-epic-games-unreal-engine-3/

road house occupy oakland occupy oakland morgellons disease arik armstead sag awards red carpet torrey pines

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Scientists confirm first two-headed bull shark

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark.The study, led by Michigan State University and appearing in the Journal of Fish Biology, confirmed the specimen, found in the Gulf of Mexico April 7, 2011, was a single shark with two heads, rather than conjoined twins.

?There have been other species of sharks, such as blue sharks and tope sharks, born with two heads. This is the first record of dicephalia in a bull shark, said Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, who confirmed the discovery with colleagues at the Florida Keys Community College.

"You'll see many more cases of two-headed lizards and snakes," he said. "That's because those organisms are often bred in captivity, and the breeders are more likely to observe the anomalies."

The shark was brought to the marine science department at Florida Keys Community College. From there, it was transported to Michigan State's campus for further examination.

As part of the published brief, Wagner noted that some may want to attribute the deformed shark to exposure to pollutants.

Wagner's research is supported in part by MSU AgBioResearch.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Michigan State University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

C. M. Wagner, P. H. Rice, A. P. Pease. First record of dicephalia in a bull sharkCarcharhinus leucas(Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) foetus from the Gulf of Mexico, U.S.A.. Journal of Fish Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12064

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/b0jOdWohmWQ/130325184016.htm

encyclopedia brittanica nfl free agency jonbenet ramsey jason campbell doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston

Chimps, gorillas, other apes struggling to survive

BANGKOK (AP) ? The multibillion-dollar trade in illegal wildlife ? clandestine trafficking that has driven iconic creatures like the tiger to near-extinction ? is also threatening the survival of great apes, a new U.N. report says.

Endangered chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos are disappearing from the wild in frightening numbers, as private owners pay top dollar for exotic pets, while disreputable zoos, amusement parks and traveling circuses clamor for smuggled primates to entertain audiences.

More than 22,000 great apes are estimated to have been traded illegally over a seven-year period ending in 2011. That's about 3,000 a year; more than half are chimpanzees, the U.N. report said.

"These great apes make up an important part of our natural heritage. But as with all things of value, great apes are used by man for commercial profit and the illegal trafficking of the species constitutes a serious threat to their existence," Henri Djombo, a government minister from the Republic of Congo, was quoted as saying.

The U.N. report paints a dire picture of the fight to protect vulnerable and dwindling flora and fauna from organized criminal networks that often have the upper hand.

Apes are hunted in their own habitats, which are concentrated in central and western Africa, by sophisticated smugglers who transport them on private cargo planes using small airstrips in the African bush. Their destination is usually the Middle East and Asia.

In countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, great apes are purchased to display as show pieces in private gardens and menageries.

In Asia, the animals are typically destined for public zoos and amusement parks. China is a main destination for gorillas and chimpanzees. Thailand and Cambodia have recorded cases of orangutans being used for entertainment in "clumsy boxing matches," the report said.

Lax enforcement and corruption make it easy to smuggle the animals through African cities like Nairobi, Kenya, and Khartoum, Sudan, which are trafficking hubs. Bangkok, the Thai capital, is a major hub for the orangutan trade.

Conditions are usually brutal. In February 2005, customs officials at the Nairobi airport seized a large crate that had arrived from Egypt. The crate held six chimpanzees and four monkeys, stuffed into tiny compartments. The crate had been refused at the airport in Cairo, a well-known trafficking hub for shipment to the Middle East, and returned to Kenya. One chimp died of hunger and thirst.

The proliferation of logging and mining camps throughout Africa has also increased the demand for primate meat. Adults and juveniles are killed for consumption, and their orphans are captured to sell into the live trade. Villagers also pluck primates out of rural areas to sell in the cities.

Humans also have been encroaching upon and destroying the primates' natural habitats, destroying their forest homes to build infrastructure and for other purposes. That forces the animals to move into greater proximity and conflict with people.

Sometimes animals are even the victims of war.

Arrests are rare largely because authorities in Africa, where most great apes originate, do not have the policing resources to cope with the criminal poaching networks. Corruption is rampant and those in authority sometimes are among those dealing in the illegal trade. Between 2005 and 2011, only 27 arrests were made in Africa and Asia.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the trade of animals and plants to ensure their survival. Under the agreement, trade in great apes caught in the wild is illegal. But traffickers often get around that by falsely declaring animals as bred in captivity.

The orangutan is the only great ape found in Asia. One species, the Sumatran orangutan, is critically endangered, with its population having dropped by 80 percent over the last 75 years. Their numbers are in great peril due to the pace of land clearance and forest destruction for industrial or agricultural use.

The report estimates that nearly all of the orangutan's natural habitat will be disturbed or destroyed by the year 2030.

"There are no wild spaces left for them," said Douglas Cress, a co-author of the report and head of a U.N. sponsored program that works for the survival of great apes. "There'll be nothing left at this rate. It's down to the bone. If it disappears, they go, too."

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chimps-gorillas-other-apes-struggling-survive-051137577.html

Louisville football Fidelity pnc Charlie Strong Calendar 2013 john boehner HGTV Dream Home 2013

Moen retirees to lose health care insurance - The Chronicle-Telegram

LORAIN ? Judy Starcovic was one of nearly 230 Moen Inc. retirees who opened letters last week informing them their company-provided health care insurance will end as of Jan. 1, 2014.

?I was there 35 years and they told me I had health care with them,? Starcovic, 71, said Monday.

The letter, which was signed by Moen President David Lingafelter, informed retirees that as of Jan. 1, Moen will no longer offer health care insurance to approximately 440 retirees in the U.S., including the almost 230 who live in Northeast Ohio and the rest of the state, according to Robyn Hill, Moen vice president of human resources.

Hill cited the cost of insurance, coupled with adapting the company?s health care to conform to changes mandated by the health care reform bill for its current workers as the reason for the change. Those moves include extending the coverage to age 26 for dependents and paying 100 percent coverage for birth control.

Moen also eliminated two of three insurance plans offered to employees in favor of a higher deductible insurance plan, Hill said.

The firm employs approximately 1,800 workers across the U.S., including about 650 in Northeast Ohio.

Starcovic said she had talked with a few fellow retirees of the well-known faucet manufacturer, which had an Elyria facility on Foster Avenue until it closed in 2008. The company has been headquartered in North Olmsted since 1994.

?Everybody is mad and upset,? Starcovic said.

Starcovic, who retired in 2006, worked in a variety of jobs during her 35 years with the company. Those jobs ranged from making faucets and packing them for shipment, to working as a janitor and in shipping.

Moen is not the first company to drop health insurance coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees.

In 1993, 40 percent of employers with 500 or more workers offered coverage, but that number had fallen to 16 percent by 2011, according to a website operated by Kaiser Health News.

Moen retirees had been covered by a number of different insurers in the past several years, but those changes did not hurt benefits, according to Starcovic.

?It?s always been pretty good coverage, with very good prescription benefits, too,? she said.

Starcovic has been paying $29 a month for her insurance through deductions from her pension checks, but now she?s worried about how much new insurance from a carrier not affiliated with the company is going to cost her.

She and other retirees received with the letter booklets detailing Extend Health, a nationwide company offering some 4,000 different plans from about 80 insurance carriers to about 500,000 retirees, according to www.kaiserhealthnews.org.

Starcovic has diabetes, which means she takes prescription medication, some of which currently cost her only $4 or $7 for a 90-day supply.

?The older you get, the more medication you need,? Starcovic said.

Hill declined to provide figures on what retirees might expect to pay for insurance obtained through Extend Health.

?There are so many variables such as a person?s health, medications they take, what doctors they see and how often, and income,? Hill said.

Moen hopes retirees will be ready to choose and enroll in a supplemental health care insurance plan by October during an open enrollment period.

?We don?t want people to buy insurance they might not need, nor do we want them to short-change themselves and not get enough coverage,? Hill said.

Moen will not offer money to help retirees pay for health care insurance, as some companies do.

?That is why we wanted to give people as much notice as we could,? Hill said.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

Source: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/03/26/moen-retirees-to-lose-health-care-insurance/

walking dead The Pope bruno mars the Grammys 2013 State of the Union 2013 katy perry Rihanna

Sunday, March 31, 2013

The America Scream - A Netflix Review

Related Posts:

Saturday, March 30, 2013

March 30 Birthdays and Memoriams

Friday, March 29, 2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Tuesday, March 26, 2013