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53 senators urge approval of Keystone XL pipeline

WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than half the Senate on Wednesday urged quick approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ramping up pressure on President Barack Obama to move ahead with the project just days after he promised in his inaugural address to respond vigorously to the threat of climate change.

A letter signed by 53 senators said Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of a revised route through his state puts the long-delayed project squarely in the president's hands.

"We urge you to choose jobs, economic development and American energy security," the letter said, adding that the pipeline "has gone through the most exhaustive environmental scrutiny of any pipeline" in U.S. history. The $7 billion project would carry oil from Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

"There is no reason to deny or further delay this long-studied project," said the letter, which was initiated by Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., and signed by 44 Republicans and nine Democrats. Another Democrat, Jon Tester of Montana, supports the pipeline but did not sign the letter.

At a news conference Wednesday, senators said the pipeline should be a key part of Obama's "all of the above" energy policy, in which he has expressed support for a range of energy sources from oil and natural gas to wind, solar and coal.

The Obama administration has twice thwarted the 1,700-mile pipeline, which Calgary-based TransCanada first proposed in late 2008. The State Department delayed the project in late 2011 after environmental groups and others raised concerns about a proposed route through environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska.

Under pressure from congressional Republicans to make a decision on the pipeline, President Barack Obama blocked it in January 2012, saying his concerns about the Nebraska route had not been resolved. TransCanada submitted a new application last spring.

The State Department said Tuesday it does not expect to complete a review of the project before the end of March. The State Department has jurisdiction over the pipeline because it crosses a U.S. border.

The renewed focus on the pipeline comes as Obama pledged during his inaugural address to respond to the threat of global warming. Environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers argue that approving the pipeline would directly contradict that promise.

"If we are going to get serious about climate change, opening the spigot to a pipeline that will export up to 830,000 barrels of the dirtiest oil on the planet to foreign markets stands as a bad idea," said Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The pipeline would carry heavy oil derived from tar sands in western Canada. The heat-intensive process uses more energy than traditional oil, producing more heat-trapping gases that contribute to global warming.

Environmental groups have been pressuring Obama to reject the pipeline, citing the oil's high "carbon footprint." They also worry about a possible spill.

At a news conference Wednesday, senators from both parties said the Nebraska decision leaves Obama with no other choice but to approve the pipeline, which would carry up to 800,000 barrels of oil a day from tar sands in western Canada to refineries in Houston and other Texas ports. The pipeline also would travel though Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

"No more excuses. It's time to put people to work," Baucus said.

"Back home, we call this a no-brainer," added Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Hoeven, of North Dakota, said the tar sands oil will be produced whether or not the U.S. approves the project. "Our choice is, the oil comes to us or it's going to China," he said.

Nebraska's approval of the pipeline means all six states along the proposed route now support the project, said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Majorities in the House and Senate also have endorsed the pipeline. National polls repeatedly show a majority of Americans back the project.

Boehner said he recognizes the political pressure Obama faces from environmental groups and other opponents, but said "with our energy security at stake and many jobs in limbo, he should find a way to say yes."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday that the State Department was reviewing the project and he did not want to "get ahead of that process."

Once that review is completed, "we'll obviously address that issue," Carney said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State nominee John Kerry said he plans to divest holdings in dozens of companies in his family's vast financial portfolio to avoid conflicts of interest if he is confirmed by the Senate.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he would not take part in any decisions that could affect the companies he has holdings in until those investments are sold off. Among the investments are holdings in two Canadian companies, Suncor and Cenovus Energy Inc., both of which have publicly supported the Keystone XL pipeline. Kerry's investments are in family trusts.

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Braun contributed to this report.

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/53-senators-urge-approval-keystone-xl-pipeline-223955958--finance.html

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Social Media Sharing Icons Influence Web Designs | iPixel Creative ...

Last weekend I participated in my first hackathon ever. Do you know what hackathon is? It?s a 24-hours long marathon where people with money (investors) look for potentially successful development projects. So me and my friends had to build and to present a more or less ready-made project (both from development and business point of view), so that investors would want to spend their money on it. On one of the latest stages of the project development our developers and designers disputed a lot about social media icons to choose. Nobody wanted to give in. This argument gave me an idea to pay more attention to social media icons in web design. What can they look like? What are they really used for? Why do web developers doubt about them?

The Anatomy of Social Media Icons

Actually, social media icons are links which are illustrated with logos of social networks. That?s quite understandable.

Social media icons represent several different functions. Sometimes it?s a link to company profile page/account in a social network. Often you can see ?Follow us on ?? or ?Join us on ?? titles around them. In this case icons are placed at the top or bottom of web pages. They can be also placed in a sidebar. As a rule of thumb that they are visible within the entire website.

New York Times

Lucius

Also social networking icons can share specific website page?s content within users accounts in social networks. Such icons are always used by blogs and online stores. There are also two types of such icons:

• ordinary social media sharing icons;

47 Brand

• icons for social sharing counter buttons.

Design Web Kit

Frankly speaking, it took a lot of time to find a website with ordinary social media sharing buttons. It seems that both web developers and site visitors prefer counter buttons. But if you doubt that you can provide a good level of social engagement you shouldn?t use social sharing counter buttons. An article with a few or even zero shares/likes looks dull. People are inclined to share posts and goods with a large number of people who?ve already appreciated it (I mean the ones with many likes, tweets, shares, pins, etc.). So if the brand you?re working with is not popular on the web you should choose ordinary social media sharing icons. Later they can be changed to counter buttons.

Note: social media icons can be placed below the article title, under the main text or they can be arranged in a floating social media sharing bar in the left hand side of the page.

Search Engine Journal

You know, there are hundreds of social media plugins you can set up on your blog or website. There are some plugins which allow to choose small or big, colorful or monochrome icons. You should just watch over icons similarity: size and style does matter.

If you want to add counter buttons to your website or blog you can always use some of the following ?counter? generators:

Icons Relevance

When it comes to social engagement you should clearly understand subject areas of every single social network. For example entertainment social media icons don?t fit business websites (in most cases you don?t want to place Pin It button at a financial consultancy business website).

Architex

Better Homes and Gardens

Sometimes it happens that web developers apply icons of apps and services into designs forgetting that those ones are not social networks.

For sure, you may say that services which are presented on the pic above have some social component. But they are not social networks in a common understanding of this word and that?s why it?s a bad idea to mix them in web designs.

Personalized Social Media Icons

The majority of social media icons in web design look rather ordinary. It happens that web designers and site owners don?t pay attention to these small elements properly. But unique and interesting social media icons can bring you new customers and additional free advertising.

There are some examples of social media sharing icons integration in website designs.

Flint Boutique

Solid Soup

Wild Bill?s Soda

Flicka.cz

Be Social. But Not Too Much

It?s not a secret that the more social shares your website has the higher it is ranked in search engines and the more visibility it receives. As long as social media buttons are a kind of a magic wand some blog owners apply them excessively. Frankly speaking I?ve never seen common websites (not blogs) using a lot of social media buttons that?s why now I appeal to the bloggers ? don?t use too many social media sharing buttons.

Social Media Mess

The main reason why you shouldn?t use too many social media sharing buttons is human psychology. Nobody will share your post via all of his/her social media accounts. People will choose one or two of their favorite networks to bookmark your content. But when users see a grid of different social media icons it drives them into a low spirit. Why should they click all those buttons? An average user doesn?t even know what all those icons are used for. It?s irritating and people will more likely leave your site with no social interaction whatsoever.

Moreover, so many options to choose from can puzzle people with a question which button to click. On this stage people don?t want to think, they just want to click the button and to go further. Or more like it?s you who wants them to click these buttons.

The other reason is page load time. If you?re a web developer you probably know that you need JavaScript to make social media buttons work. The more buttons you paste on web pages, the more script pages need to load and the higher their loading time is. Site visitors and search engines like to see fast websites, so you shouldn?t disappoint them.

RSS Reader Icon

Let?s take a closer look at the RSS icon. This white and orange button allows users to stay up to date with the latest news and upcoming events of websites they are subscribed to. RSS feed presents a lot of information in a convenient user-friendly form. It can be edited and displayed by RSS feed aggregators (news reader, feed reader, news aggregators, RSS readers). People can?t share content via RSS ? it?s a one-side communication. So it is incorrect to place RSS icon among social media ones. You should better visually separate it from others. It?s also ok if you place the RSS icon the first or the last one.

Internet Cafe

Bartelme Design

Google+ Icon

You should also understand the difference between Google plus and Google +1 icons. The first one links to the company?s/website?s profile in the Google+ social network. The second icon is a counter button similar to ?Like? button on Facebook or ?Tweet It? on Twitter.

There is also another Google + button that you can find on the web.

It is an old Google + design that you shouldn?t use in your web projects these days. The red square with white ?g+? is a new standard to sign this network.

That?s pretty much all I wanted to tell you about social media icons for now. Probably you?ll never have a problem with integrating your social media contacts into your website design. But it can happen that this info will help you to create a more successful website. At least I hope so. Good luck!

About the Author:

Ann Davlin is a young inspired blogger who is always willing to try new things. She works at MotoCMS ? an advanced Flash CMS and website templates provider. And if you are a fan of web design (like Ann is) you can always follow her on Twitter (@SmilingAnny) or Google +

Source: http://www.ipixel.com.sg/blog/web-design/social-media-sharing-icons-influence-web-designs/

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New insight into graphene grain boundaries

Jan. 15, 2013 ? Using graphene -- either as an alternative to, or most likely as a complementary material with -- silicon, offers the promise of much faster future electronics, along with several other advantages over the commonly used semiconductor. However, creating the one-atom thick sheets of carbon known as graphene in a way that could be easily integrated into mass production methods has proven difficult.

When graphene is grown, lattices of the carbon grains are formed randomly, linked together at different angles of orientation in a hexagonal network. However, when those orientations become misaligned during the growth process, defects called grain boundaries (GBs) form. These boundaries scatter the flow of electrons in graphene, a fact that is detrimental to its successful electronic performance.

Beckman Institute researchers Joe Lyding and Eric Pop and their research groups have now given new insight into the electronics behavior of graphene with grain boundaries that could guide fabrication methods toward lessening their effect. The researchers grew polycrystalline graphene by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy for analysis, to examine at the atomic scale grain boundaries on a silicon wafer. They reported their results in the journal ACS Nano.

"We obtained information about electron scattering at the boundaries that shows it significantly limits the electronic performance compared to grain boundary free graphene," Lyding said. "Grain boundaries form during graphene growth by CVD, and, while there is much worldwide effort to minimize the occurrence of grain boundaries, they are a fact of life for now.

"For electronics you would want to be able to make it on a wafer scale. Boundary free graphene is a key goal. In the interim we have to live with the grain boundaries, so understanding them is what we're trying to do."

Lyding compared graphene lattices made with the CVD method to pieces of a cyclone fence.

"If you had two pieces of fence, and you laid them on the ground next to each other but they weren't perfectly aligned, then they wouldn't match," he said. "That's a grain boundary, where the lattice doesn't match."

The research involved Pop's group, led by Beckman Fellow Josh Wood, growing the graphene at the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, and transferring the thin films to a silicon (Si0₂) wafer. They then used the STM at Beckman developed by Lyding for analysis, led by first author Justin Koepke of Lyding's group.

Their analysis showed that when the electrons' itinerary takes them to a grain boundary, it is like, Lyding said, hitting a hill.

"The electrons hit this hill, they bounce off, they interfere with themselves and you actually see a standing wave pattern," he said. "It's a barrier so they have to go up and over that hill. Like anything else, that is going to slow them down. That's what Justin was able to measure with these spectroscopy measurements.

"Basically a grain boundary is a resistor in series with a conductor. That's always bad. It means it's going to take longer for an electron to get from point A to point B with some voltage applied."

Images from the STM reveal grain boundaries that suggest two pieces of cloth sewn together, Lyding said, by "a really bad tailor."

In the paper, the researchers were able to report on their analysis of the orientation angles between pieces of graphene as they grew together, and found "no preferential orientation angle between grains, and the GBs are continuous across graphene wrinkles and Si0₂ topography." They reported that analysis of those patterns "indicates that backscattering and intervalley scattering are the dominant mechanisms responsible for the mobility reduction in the presence of GBs in CVD-grown graphene."

Lyding said that the relationship between the orientation angle of the pieces of graphene and the wavelength of an electron impinges on the electron's movement at the grain boundary, leading to variations in their scattering.

"More scattering means that it is making it more difficult for an electron to move from one grain to the next," he said. "The more difficult you make that, the lower the quality of the electronic performance of any device made from that graphene."

The researchers work is aimed not just at understanding, but also at controlling grain boundaries. One of their findings -- that GBs are aperiodic -- replicated other work and could have implications for controlling them, as they wrote in the paper: "Combining the spectroscopic and scattering results suggest that GBs that are more periodic and well-ordered lead to reduced scattering from the GBs."

"I think if you have to live with grain boundaries you would like to be able to control exactly what their orientation is and choose an angle that minimizes the scattering," Lyding said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The original article was written by Steve McGaughey.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Justin C. Koepke, Joshua D. Wood, David Estrada, Zhun-Yong Ong, Kevin T. He, Eric Pop, Joseph W. Lyding. Atomic-Scale Evidence for Potential Barriers and Strong Carrier Scattering at Graphene Grain Boundaries: A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study. ACS Nano, 2013; : 130102155307004 DOI: 10.1021/nn302064p

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/matter_energy/technology/~3/yd9kNxdYMSw/130115111750.htm

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SOFIA spots recent starbursts in the Milky Way galaxy's center

Jan. 8, 2013 ? Researchers using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured new images of a ring of gas and dust seven light-years in diameter surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and of a neighboring cluster of extremely luminous young stars embedded in dust cocoons.

The images of our galaxy's circumnuclear ring (CNR) and its neighboring quintuplet cluster (QC) are the subjects of two posters presented this week during the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Long Beach, Calif. Ryan Lau of Cornell University and his collaborators studied the CNR. Matt Hankins of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway is lead author of the other paper, regarding the QC.

SOFIA is a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a telescope with an effective diameter of 100 inches (2.54 meters) to altitudes as high as 45,000 feet (13.7 kilometers).

The images were obtained during SOFIA flights in 2011 with the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) instrument built by a team with principal investigator Terry Herter of Cornell.

FORCAST offered astronomers the ability to see the CNR and QC regions and other exotic cosmic features whose light is obscured by water vapor in Earth's atmosphere and interstellar dust clouds in the mid-plane of the Milky Way. Neither ground-based observatories on tall mountain peaks nor NASA's orbiting Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes can see them.

The images may be seen by visiting: http://www.nasa.gov/sofia or http://www.sofia.usra.edu

Each image is a combination of multiple exposures at wavelengths of 20, 32, and 37 microns.

Figure 1a shows the CNR and Figure 2a shows the QC. The CNR and other exotic features revealed by SOFIA's FORCAST camera are invisible to Hubble's near-infrared camera, as shown for comparison in figures 1b and 2b. Figure 3 shows the two fields studied in these papers as square insets on a large-scale image of the galactic center made by the Spitzer Space Telescope at a wavelength of 8 microns.

"The focus of our study has been to determine the structure of the circumnuclear ring with the unprecedented precision possible with SOFIA" said Lau. "Using these data we can learn about the processes that accelerate and heat the ring."

The nucleus of the Milky Way is inhabited by a black hole with 4 million times the mass of the sun and is orbited by a large disk of gas and dust. The ring seen in Figure 1a is the inner edge of that disk. The galactic center also hosts several exceptionally large star clusters containing some of the most luminous young stars in the galaxy, one of which is the Quintuplet Cluster seen in Figure 2. The combination of SOFIA's airborne telescope with the FORCAST camera produced the sharpest images of those regions ever obtained at mid-infrared wavelengths, allowing discernment of new clues about what is happening near the central black hole.

"Something big happened in the Milky Way's center within the past 4 million to 6 million years which resulted in several bursts of star formation, creating the Quintuplet Cluster, the Central Cluster, and one other massive star cluster." said Hankins, lead author of the QC paper. "Many other galaxies also have so-called 'starbursts' in their central regions, some associated with central black holes, some not. The Milky Way's center is much nearer than other galaxies, making it easier for us to explore possible connections between the starbursts and the black hole."

SOFIA Chief Scientific Advisor Eric Becklin, who is working with the CNR group, determined the location of the galaxy's nucleus as a graduate student in the 1960s by laboriously scanning a single-pixel infrared detector to map the central region.

"The resolution and spatial coverage of these images is astounding, showing what modern infrared detector arrays can do when flown on SOFIA," Becklin said. "We hope to use these data to substantially advance our understanding of the environment near a supermassive black hole."

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center. SOFIA is based and managed at NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Md., and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart.

For information about SOFIA and its science mission, visit:

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA.

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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/~3/XIKnE45rSBU/130108185824.htm

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Video: Washington DC Inhibiting Economic Growth: Pro

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50385630/

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Sol Republic Master Tracks Headphones First Listen: A Noticeable Upgrade

Sol Republic's new Master Tracks headphones promise the big sound and distinctive style of fancy, fashionable headphones for a not-so fancy price. It's basically the same formula behind the company's successful $100 Tracks headphones applied to $200 step-up. And after trying out the new cans, we can say that they're absolutely better than the $100 model. We're still not convinced you should buy them—yet More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RSChqyvHLCE/sol-republic-master-tracks-headphones-first-listen-a-noticeable-upgrade

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State tax-cut plans tempered by caution in 2013

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Emboldened by big majorities and eager to lure businesses, Republican legislators and governors across the Midwest and South are planning to pursue hundreds of millions of dollars of tax cuts in the new year.

Oh yeah, they might raise some taxes, too.

In many states, the exuberance to cut taxes during the 2013 legislative session suddenly has been chilled by worry about the potential consequences. Cautious state officials are now talking about the need for "thoughtfulness," warning that they'll "have to see how their numbers work out" and suggesting that tax cuts in one area may need to be offset with increases in another.

The change in tune comes as Republicans struggle to balance a core belief in lower taxes and bold campaign promises against the practical need to pay their governments' bills. Political obstacles are less of a problem. A party that swept into power in many statehouses in the 2010 elections won even bigger majorities in 2012.

The case study for the new mood ? caution mixed with conflicting impulses ? is Kansas. The Republican-dominated state slashed income taxes in 2012, enough to save taxpayers a projected $4.5 billion over six years. Now it's facing a self-inflicted budget gap of roughly $300 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1 and wrestling with whether to cut services or extend a sales tax hike that is scheduled to expire. In neighboring Missouri, Republican supermajorities in the Legislature are under intense pressure to pass their own tax cuts out of fear that businesses and employees will flow across the border.

"We don't live in a vacuum. It is ever more pressing that we are responsive, because other states are being much more aggressive than the state of Missouri is," said incoming Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey. But he added: "This philosophy of, 'OK we'll cut the taxes and people will come' ? it takes a lot more thoughtfulness."

Tax code changes could be on the agenda in more states than usual in 2013 because more legislatures will be dominated by like-minded members. The number of states in which one party controls both chambers will be at its highest mark in decades, and half the state legislatures will have veto-proof majorities.

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington-based research group that advocates for a tax code that charges more to the wealthy than the poor, predicts that 2013 will be "a watershed year for tax reform." It says 15 states could enact major tax changes, including Republican-led legislatures in Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma and Democratic-led states such as California and Oregon.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, a Washington-based group of legislators and corporations that advocates for free-market policies, also expects more than a dozen states to take up tax code changes in 2013.

"Many states are looking at Kansas to replicate parts of what Gov. (Sam) Brownback did," said Jonathan Williams, ALEC's director of tax and fiscal policy.

Kansas is cutting its individual income tax rates ? lowering the top rate to 4.9 percent from 6.45 percent ? effective in 2013 while also increasing the standard deduction for households and exempting the owners of 191,000 businesses from income taxes.

Brownback originally proposed to offset the income tax cuts by eliminating a number of deductions, including those for charitable contributions and home mortgages, and extending a temporary sales tax increase that is due to expire this July. But legislators decided to keep the deductions and Brownback signed the tax cuts into law anyway. He acknowledged in a December interview that Kansas now faces some short-term budget problems, but he insists the tax cuts are worth it.

"Our region has lagged the South and the Southwest on growth." Brownback told the AP. " ...This is our discussion on how we catch up."

In December, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law phasing out property taxes on industrial equipment, eventually saving businesses $600 million a year. But it will come at a cost. Local governments will be allowed to levy special taxes to recoup some of the lost revenue. And the state promises to reimburse most of what police, firefighters and other local services would lose.

Lawmakers in other states are expressing greater caution heading into 2013.

Newly elected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence campaigned on a new 10 percent cut to the state's income tax rates. But Pence's fellow Republicans appear apprehensive about the roughly $500 million price tag. House Speaker Brian Bosma has cautioned that any tax cut must be "sustainable." Budget leaders have hedged on whether Pence's proposal has a shot at passing.

"I don't know if we've decided that yet, I think we'll have to see how their numbers work out," said Republican House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown.

Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has proposed reworking the tax code. But he, too, wants it to be "revenue neutral," so if rates are cut in one place, an exemption could be eliminated in another.

North Carolina Gov.-elect Pat McCrory, a Republican, wants to reduce income tax rates to the level of surrounding states such as South Carolina and Virginia. But the proposals under discussion would offset that lost revenue with extra sales taxes.

"We're talking about a revenue-neutral stream to government," said North Carolina Sen. Bob Rucho, a Republican. "This, we believe, will put North Carolina on the cutting edge of economies in the country."

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Mary Fallin hopes to win passage of an income tax cut that stalled in the Legislature last year, but said financial uncertainty in Washington may affect what she is able to propose.

In Missouri, the Senate leader said any income tax cut for individuals or businesses will likely need to be offset with other revenue increases or spending cuts. He cited the potential to collect taxes on Internet sales, sell a state-created workers' compensation firm or save money on prison costs through sentencing changes.

"We are going to be addressing the paid-for aspect of the income tax, such that we don't cut funding to public education nor do we cut higher education," Dempsey said.

____

Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La.; John Hanna in Topeka, Kan.; Tom LoBianco in Indianapolis; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/state-tax-cut-plans-tempered-195902813.html

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Canon's latest VIXIA camcorders stream and share with your mobile device

On the eve of CES, longtime optics heavyweight Canon announced four new camcorders for its VIXIA product line. The HF R42, R40 and R400 all feature a 53x advanced zoom, a DIGIC DV IV image processor and a 3.28-megapixel full HD CMOS image sensor. In addition, these movie-makers capture HD MP4s at up to 35Mbps and AVCHD progressive 60p recordings that tops out at 28Mbps. Moving things to the cloud, Canon's new HF R camcorders allow users to remotely browse and download files via the web. Further adding to its software suite, the company is introducing its CameraAccess app (Android and iOS) with video streaming, sharing and remote control for the HR40 and HR42. Available in March, Canon's new trio of HF R series camcorders are priced at $300 (R400), $400 (R40) and $500 (R42).

Rounding out today's announcement is the company's new flagship VIXIA HF G20, which packs 32GB of storage, a 10x optical zoom and a claimed 12 hours of full HD recording. Slated to release in February, Canon's new top-shelf video camera can be yours for around $1,100. This equipment may not take you on an unexpected journey to Erebor, however it should easily have enough firepower to spiff-up your YouTube videos. For a further look at Canon's new starting lineup, checkout the gallery below and the presser after the break.

Gallery: Canon HR F Camcorders

Continue reading Canon's latest VIXIA camcorders stream and share with your mobile device

Filed under: Cameras, Canon

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/canon-vixia-camcorders-ces-2013-hfg20/

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Fighting in Syria as world slams Assad speech

A Free Syrian Army fighter feeds a cat bread in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

A Free Syrian Army fighter feeds a cat bread in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

Syrian men leave the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad that began in March 2011, started with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)

A camouflaged convoy of Dutch military trucks carrying two batteries of Patriot missiles is lined up for a media opportunity before departing De Peel Air Base in Vreedepeel, southern Netherlands, Monday Jan. 7, 2013. A total of 12 Patriot missile launching systems from the Dutch military are on its way to help Turkey defend its border against Syrian rockets. The missile batteries are being shipped to Turkey and are scheduled to be fully operational by January 26th. (AP Photo/Mark D. Carlson)

A camouflage convoy of Dutch military trucks carrying two batteries of Patriot missiles is lined up for a media opportunity before departing De Peel Air Base in Vreedepeel, southern Netherlands, Monday Jan. 7, 2013. A total of 12 Patriot missile launching systems from the Dutch military are on its way to help Turkey defend its border against Syrian rockets. The missile batteries are being shipped to Turkey and are scheduled to be fully operational by January 26th. (AP Photo/Mark D. Carlson)

BEIRUT (AP) ? U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday expressed disappointment with Syrian President Bashar Assad for rejecting the most important elements of an international roadmap to end the country's civil war ? a political handover and establishment of a transitional governing body.

Assad in a rare speech Sunday outlined his own vision for ending the country's conflict with a plan that would keep him in power. He also dismissed any chance of dialogue with the armed opposition and called on Syrians to fight what he called "murderous criminals."

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Monday the secretary-general is disappointed that Assad's speech "does not contribute to a solution that could end the terrible suffering of the Syrian people." Nesirky said Ban and U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will continue to work for a political transition that leads to U.N.-organized elections.

The West, including the U.S. and Britain, denounced Assad's speech, which came amid stepped-up international efforts for a peaceful settlement to the Syrian conflict.

On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also criticized the Syrian leader's initiative. He accused Assad of "state terrorism" and called on him to relinquish power.

"There is one way out for Bashar and that is to respect the will of the people and do whatever is necessary," Erdogan said at a media conference while visiting Gabon. His remarks were broadcast by Turkish state TV Monday.

The violence on the ground, meanwhile, continued unabated.

Syria's state media said Monday that government troops repulsed a rebel attack on a police school in the northern city of Aleppo.

The official SANA news agency said regime forces killed and wounded members of a "terrorist group" in the fighting late Sunday, but did not provide a number. The government and the pro-regime media refer to the rebels seeking to topple Assad as terrorists.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial hub, has been a major front in the civil war since July, with battles often raging for control of military and security facilities such as the police school. Rebels have recently made gains around Aleppo, as well as in the east and in the capital Damascus, bringing the civil war closer to the seat of Assad's power.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels clashed with troops in the suburbs of Damascus, including in Daraya south of the capital. The Observatory said the army sent reinforcements there to join in an offensive aimed at dislodging rebels from the district, located just a few kilometers (miles) from a strategic military air base west of the capital.

Activists also reported shelling and fighting in southern Syria, as well as eastern and central Syria.

In his speech Sunday, his first public address in six months, Assad struck a defiant tone, ignoring international demands for him to step down and saying he is ready to hold a dialogue ? but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He also vowed to continue the battle "as long as there is one terrorist left."

He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow his regime first.

Syria's opposition rejected the proposal. Those fighting to topple the regime, including rebels on the ground, have repeatedly said they will accept nothing less than the president's departure, dismissing any kind of settlement that leaves him in the picture.

As expected, Assad's proposal did get support from close Syrian ally Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said it contains "solutions" to the conflict and outlines "a comprehensive political process which guarantees the presence of all voices in power." Salehi called on the international community to support Assad's initiative.

"All regional and international partners should help the immediate resolution of the crisis and prevent its spread to the region," Salehi said in a statement that was carried by the state-run IRNA news agency Monday.

Previous diplomatic initiatives have failed to stem the violence, which at times has spilled over into Syria's neighboring countries, including Turkey.

The Dutch military on Monday shipped Patriot missiles to Turkey, a fellow NATO member, after the alliance agreed in December to deploy the anti-missile systems along Turkey's southern border with Syria.

Once a close ally of Damascus, Ankara has turned into one of the Syrian regime's harshest critics since the uprising began. Turkey requested the missiles to boost its air defenses against possible spillover from Syria.

Violence has flared along the border in recent months, with Turkey firing artillery across the frontier to retaliate for Syrian shells hitting Turkish soil.

The two Dutch batteries are scheduled to be operational by the end of the month and will remain in Turkey for a year. They are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles. Two U.S. and two German batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

The Syria crisis began with peaceful protests in March 2011 but has since shifted into a civil war. At least 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to a recent U.N. estimate.

____

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-07-Syria/id-8f3ca981acfe4116bf65a49e409cd9b1

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This Wi-Fi Scale Is Basically a Helicopter Parent

Withings' other announcement today was an updated Wi-Fi scale that measures your heart rate, as well as the quality of the air in which you sleep and reside. A sensor on the scale probes the surrounding air every 30 minutes, a Withings spokesman tells us, and every morning when you jump on, it'll give you a measurement of the carbon dioxide levels in the air over the course of the last 24 hours. All of that info is fed back wirelessly to the Withings mobile app where it's parsed and digestible in some manner. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-7SyWBYL1-U/withings-smart-body-analyzer-ws+50-is-basically-a-helicopter-parent

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Anglo close to naming AngloGold's Cutifani as CEO

LONDON (Reuters) - Global miner Anglo American is close to appointing Australian Mark Cutifani, head of gold miner AngloGold Ashanti , as its new chief executive, two sources familiar with the situation said.

If the appointment is finalized, Cutifani will replace Cynthia Carroll in what analysts and investors see as one of the toughest jobs in the business, joining Anglo as it tackles restive unions in South Africa, restructures its platinum arm and tries to recover from delays that have driven up the cost of a flagship iron ore project in Brazil.

Carroll announced in October that she planned to step down after more than five years at the helm, under pressure from investors unhappy with Anglo's lagging share price and its dependence on strike-hit South Africa.

"There are other people still in the running, but (Cutifani) is further down the line," one of the sources said on Sunday. "Everyone is hopeful, but with a CEO leaving his current job it is complicated."

An announcement is expected by mid-January but could come sooner, the source said.

The charismatic, straight-talking Cutifani - a prominent figure in South African mining who has defended the country as an investment destination - had been named as one of a handful of potential candidates from the start of Anglo's search process last year.

His relative lack of experience in some of Anglo's major commodities and geographies like Brazil - key for the recovery of the group's share price - had prompted some analysts to question the potential move. But his South African credentials - he is also head of the country's Chamber of Mines - appear to have outweighed other shortcomings.

"The South African experience was the most important factor. Very few people have that stakeholder and government relations experience," the source said.

South Africa accounts for more than half Anglo's forecast earnings, and the miner faces another critical year there, wrestling uncompromising unions and preparing to overhaul its South Africa-focused, strike-battered platinum arm, Amplats . The platinum plan is set to be unveiled this month.

Cutifani, 54, has run AngloGold, created from Anglo American's gold assets, since 2007, and investors have welcomed his focus on improving returns. His appointment to AngloGold's top job was a surprise, when he was plucked from Canadian mining group Inco, now part of Brazil's Vale .

Should he be hired, Cutifani would become only the second non-South African and only the second outsider to head the group after New Jersey-born Carroll.

His appointment would signal South Africa's continued importance to Anglo American, but potentially also the group's willingness to consider options including a carve-out of some operations. As head of AngloGold, Cutifani has never ruled out a potential spin-off of the gold miner's South African operations.

Other candidates named by industry sources and analysts for Anglo's top job have included Rene Medori, Anglo's finance director, and Peter Whitcutt, the firm's director of strategy.

Along with Cutifani, ex-BHP Billiton chief financial officer Alex Vanselow and chief executive of Xstrata Mike Davis were named as external candidates tipped for the job.

Anglo American declined to comment. AngloGold could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes and Clara Ferreira-Marques; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anglo-close-hiring-rivals-ceo-top-job-sources-133329086--finance.html

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Roche chairman says Illumina bid off the table: paper

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche is no longer considering a bid for U.S. gene-sequencing company Illumina , Chairman Franz Humer was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview on Sunday.

"Illumina is definitely off the table. They were not willing to abandon the totally unrealistic price they were asking for. Roche does not do acquisitions that don't create value," he told Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung.

Roche walked away from a $6.8 billion bid for Illumina in April after shareholders blocked its move to gain seats on the U.S. firm's board, but a Swiss newspaper reported in December that Roche could submit a fresh bid.

"Illumina was a 'nice to have' and not a 'must have' for us. There are several alternatives to get hold of gene-sequencing technology. I'm not worried about that," he said, without giving more details.

Humer also said in the interview that Chief Executive Severin Schwan, who will stand for election to the board of directors this spring, would not succeed him as chairman.

"Severin Schwan is not going to be my successor," he said. "I do not know who is going to succeed me and when. I still feel young and fit and enjoy my work, but I'm not going to stay until I'm 73 like my predecessor," 66-year-old Humer said.

He also ruled out the possibility that Roche could return to a system whereby the same person serves as CEO and chairman, as Humer himself did for several years in the past.

Asked about the development of the company's dividends, Humer said: "Investors can expect rising dividends, although we are not aiming for a specific return ratio. At over 50 percent, it is already higher than the average."

(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/roche-chairman-says-illumina-bid-off-table-paper-100403678--finance.html

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Newspaper: Introduce to car audio/video system | Autocardvdgps ...

Car audio/video system which is named car AV, 12-volt,mobile audio and other terms are used to describe the video or?sound system fitted in an automobile. While 12-volt audio/video systems are also marketed, used or manufactured for marine,?buses and aviation.?We will introduce?on cars as the most common application.

From the earliest days of radio, enthusiasts had adapted domestic equipment to use in their cars. In the 1960s, tape players using reel to reel equipment, Compact Cassettes, and then 8-track cartridges were introduced for in-car use.

A stock car audio system refers to the OEM application that the vehicle?s manufacturer specified to be installed when the car was built. A large after market industry exists where the consumer can at their desire replace many or all components of the stock system.

In modern cars, the primary control device for an audio system is commonly referred to as a head unit, and is installed in the center of the dash panel between the driver and the passenger. In older vehicles that had audio components as an option, such devices were mounted externally to the top of or underneath the dash. Car speakers often use space-saving designs such as mounting a tweeter directly over a woofer or using non-circular cone shapes. Subwoofers are a specific type of loudspeaker for low frequency reproduction. Extremely loud sound systems in automobiles, which have been nicknamed ?boom cars?, may violate the noise ordinance of some municipalities.

Stock unit
A stock car audio system refers to the OEM application that the vehicle?s manufacturer specified to be installed when the car was built. A large after market industry exists where the consumer can at their desire replace many or all components of the stock system.

Speakers

A set of speaker drivers removed from a passenger vehicle.Car speakers are largely functionally identical to any other loudspeaker design with key components specialized for use in mobile environments, and generally serve an identical purpose. One major key design difference is mult-axial mounting of different types of loudspeakers in the same footprint, such as a tweeter directly mounted over a woofer. Another key difference is non-circular cone shapes, such as square, oval, or even triangular. Both of these features reflect a significant reduction in space and size that a speaker may occupy in a vehicle cabin.

Material construction may also include more exotic and hearty components more suitable to mobile use. Marine speakers may have plating for corrosion resistance. Cones may be coated with a substance to resist expansion and contraction under high vehicle cabin temperatures, known to reach 140 ?F (60 ?C) in the sun. Subwoofers may also be found in mobile audio applications where a cabin speaker may lack the desired low frequency response on its own.

Before stereo radio was introduced, the most common speaker location was in the middle of the dashboard pointing through perforations towards the front windshield. In most modern applications, speakers are mounted certain common locations including the front deck (or dash), the rear deck (or parcel shelf), the kick panel (located in the footwell below the A-pillar,) or the doors. In the case of subwoofers, mountings are usually under the seat or in the trunk. Each position has certain strengths and limitations from both a quality of sound, and a vehicle manufacturing perspective.

5.1 and even 7.1 channel surround sound systems, as well as THX II Certified, are now being integrated into some cars by both aftermarket enthusiasts and car manufacturers themselves. These systems include the full complement of front left, right and center speakers along with rear right and left surround speakers.

Amplifiers

A car audio amplifier.
Blaupunkt Class T amplifierBasically a mobile audio amplifier, a car ?amp? is a term used to refer to a dedicated electronic amplifier separated from the other components of the system. Though most head units have an amplifier, some do not, or lack the desired power or additional features (e.g., equalization controls or crossover systems). External amplification is available and most often used when existing amplification is insufficient. External amplifiers can be mounted in a different part of the car than the ?head unit?; in many cases, an additional amp is mounted in the trunk. This is usually the case when powering a subwoofer, where desired wattage may be several multiples more compared to other cabin speakers.

Though less common, OEM external amplification can be found in ?premium? audio packages, or in luxury cars. More common is aftermarket amplification installed later to satisfy the expansion of an existing system in some way. During operation, it is common for a vehicle?s charging system to fluctuate, so a regulated amplifier will maintain its power output regardless of voltage fluctuation. Amplifiers rated at 100 watts at 14.4 volts can not be regarded equal as to an amplifier that can maintain 100 watts at 12 volts. Outside of certain standards, it is not uncommon for manufacturers to list a 14.4 rating and not post a 12 volt value.

Head unit

A Panasonic single DIN head unit, combining radio, CD and MP3In modern cars, the primary control device for an audio system is commonly referred to as a head unit, and is installed in the center of the dash panel between the driver and the passenger. In older vehicles that had audio components as an option, such devices were mounted externally to the top of or underneath the dash.

The headunit itself is usually a multi-purpose device that houses multiple types of components in its housing. The most common components are a radio receiver/tuner usually with AM and FM bands, and a small amplifier for driving an audio signal to speakers. Other possible components include various media devices, such as (in older vehicles) a tape player (either 8-track or cassette), CD player, DVD player, Minidisc, USB flash memory, and even a hard disk drive typically used in notebook computing. Many head units also feature a DSP component, and equalization component (such as bass and treble controls), or a control interface for another feature on the car (such as a back-up/parking camera, navigation system, trip odometer, etc).

Due to auto manufacturing differences over the years, aftermarket headunit products are manufactured in multiple form factors. The primarily used size is mostly referred to by its legacy name of DIN, which refers to ISO 7736. DIN headunits come as single DIN or double DIN. A third less common standard is used mostly by Chrysler group and for a time Mitsubishi in their OEM devices.

Dampening

Sound deadening material is often used in the door cavities and boot/trunk area to dampen excess vibration of the panels in the car in response to loud subwoofer bass tones, especially the boot/trunk. The most common type of deadening is either butyl or rubberized asphalt, a product which has an adhesive quality and can be applied by simply pressing it into place with a roller and using a heat gun (or hair dryer). Other types of deadening can be sprayed on, but they are less common because of the additional installation difficulties.

Capacitors

A powerful after-market audio system installation in a ToyotaCapacitors are used to store energy for the amplifier to draw on demand. They come in many different sizes ranging from 0.5 farad to well over 100 farads and their intended function is to temporarily cover the short-burst electrical demands of a car audio system that have exceeded the general electrical capabilities of the vehicle. There is little evidence to suggest they impart any benefit to the system, however, due to their low energy storage (compared with the battery) and exponential nature of capacitor voltage decay.

Subwoofers

Subwoofers are a specific type of loudspeaker for low frequency reproduction. Mobile ?subs? are not very different from any other application of sub in terms of construction. However it is more common in aftermarket that visual aesthetics take on a more significant role in design than other types of sub drivers, including high contrast paint schemes, grill covers, translucent or refractive materials. Typical subwoofer drivers range in size from an 8? diameter to 10? or 12?; more rarely, some car audio system s may have 15?, 18?, 21?, 22?, 24? or even 32? subwoofers.

A subwoofer is used when existing low frequency production is unsatisfactory, either in frequency range or in volume. Design goals have led to subwoofer, both driver?s alone and whole packages, with some extreme difference from one another. Space conscious design has reduced some driver depth to 2? or less, or enclosure depth to 3?. Pure loudness through increasing sound pressure has led to some drivers with excursions as great as 4? and vented components to cool the ?motor? of the speaker. Quality and clarity has led to driver enclosures being tuned by construction to resonate or neutralize certain frequencies.

Source: http://www.autocardvdgps.com/blog/2013/01/introduce-to-car-audiovideo-system/

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Source: http://wilsonstewsart.blogspot.com/2013/01/introduce-to-car-audiovideo-system.html

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Source: http://luludyse.posterous.com/newspaper-introduce-to-car-audiovideo-system

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PINK rides again to fight breast cancer - Cabinet.com

News

Friday, January 4, 2013

By JON LAVOIE

Special to the Journal

HOLLIS ? The Merrimack Sno-Buds will join the Hollis Nor?Easters on the second annual snowmobile ride to benefit breast cancer research.

Two years ago, Sue Keough had an idea to encourage more women to ride in the town of Hollis. She put together a plan and organized an introductory trail ride for women in the area. Keough, the secretary for The Hollis Nor?Easters, enlisted the help of the club to groom and prepare for the ride. Many local women joined the ride ? more than expected ? and had a great time. Keough said the abundant interest by women could be put to good use in the future, and the ?PINK RIDE? was born.

The PINK RIDE is a snowmobile ride to raise money for breast cancer research. Keough discovered that her club?s local hospital, St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, had a breast care center and they were happy to help and pointed her in the right direction. From there, Keough did the rest with a little help from her friends. She put together an information sheet and a sponsor sheet. Her plan was to have her large following of female riders gather donations and sponsors, collect the donations, and give all proceeds to the hospital?s breast care center.

Little did Keough know that after all of her hard work and effort, that southern New Hampshire would have one of the worst snowfall total winters in history. In the days leading up to the PINK RIDE, there was literally no snow on the ground. The PINK RIDE seemed doomed. A benefit solely planned around a snowmobile ride, with no snow to ride on. But the good in people always seems to shine through in times of difficulty.

Keough put a twist on the ride name and decided to informally call it, ?The little PINK RIDE that could.? She announced that the ride would now be a walk.

The riders would instead walk the very route they were planning to ride, and much to her surprise, everyone joined her.

On the day of ?The little PINK RIDE that could,? each participant showed up at the PINK RIDE starting point, and a check for over $3,000 was handed to representatives from St. Joseph Hospital.

The ride/walk went as planned and the PINK RIDE was cemented as a mainstay in Hollis Nor?Easter lore.

This season?s PINK RIDE will take place Saturday, Feb. 9.

The ride leaves from Silver Lake State Park in Hollis and will feature a ride through a brand new trail cut by the Hollis Nor?Easters this past off season called the Vista Trail.

There is a lot of interest from neighboring clubs and club members to participate this year.

The Brookline Icebreakers, Merrimack Sno-Buds, and the Wilton Lyndeborough Winter Wanderers will join the cause and encourage their members to join, too.

The riders will be welcomed back from the ride with a large winter cookout at the park.

If you are not located in the area but are interested in donating to the PINK RIDE, you can do so through the Nor?Easters? website, www.noreasters.org/pink_ride.html. The link provides a Pay Pal, a secure way to donate directly to the cause.

For more information contact Sue Keough, Hollis Nor?Easters, at www.noreasters.org or email to skeough@bentleymnge group.com.

? Jon Lavoie,
member of the
Hollis Nor?Easters

Source: http://www.cabinet.com/merrimackjournal/merrimacknews/989099-308/pink-rides-again-to-fight-breast-cancer.html

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High School Basketball Star Must Tan to Treat Rare Disease

When the Shawnee High School basketball team is down on the scoreboard, players know to throw the ball to Josh Borelli. Borelli is not only the team's star player, but also the player most adept at overcoming adversity.

Borrelli, a senior at the Medford, N.J., school, has a condition called Mucha-Habermann, an extremely rare skin disorder that causes lesions to develop all over the body.

Borrelli developed the autoimmune disease out-of-the-blue in eighth grade.

"One day I woke up in the eighth grade and I had red lesions all over my body so I went to the doctors," he told ABC News. "It was the first or second case he's seen in his 40 year practice."

According to the NIH, Mucha-Habermann strikes males more often than females and occurs more frequently in children, specifically between the ages of five to 10. Borrelli's father told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was believed to be the only person in the country to have the disease at the time he was diagnosed.

"This disease is so rare that most dermatologists don't see it in their entire practice," Dr. Doris Day, clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Medical, who does not treat Borrelli, told ABC News. "It's something that we read about but don't see."

Borrelli's own case went into remission as he entered high school, only to return at the start of his senior season. This time, his doctor ordered a new treatment in addition to his prescribed medication: daily visits to the tanning salon.

"My dad went with me the first couple of times to the tanning salon because I was a bit nervous," he said of the first of his now-routine eight minutes per day in the tanning booth.

The treatment worked and Borrelli's skin is now smooth, although enhanced with a Coppertone complexion. Doctors say the ultraviolet technique is so effective that Borrelli cannot miss a single day of tanning, especially since the disease can resurface at any time and cause life-threatening complications in adults.

The treatment has not hurt his basketball game. He continues to average nearly 20 points per game and is just two points shy of scoring 1,000 points in his career.

"If anything it's probably helped," Borrelli said. "There's people out there worse off than I am so I'm real lucky."

Borrelli's year-round tan has even inspired his fans to create a tagline of their own, donning "Fear the Tan" t-shirts at the school's basketball games.

"It's a tough situation and it's been very challenging for him but I've seen him rise to the occasion," Borrelli's father, David Borrelli, told ABC News.

Also Read

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/high-school-basketball-star-must-tan-treat-rare-142443730--abc-news-health.html

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What Happened In Washington? Friday Q&A Series

Q.

What has changed now that Congress has averted the fiscal cliff?

A.

Now that the wrangling over the fiscal cliff is finally over, let?s sort out exactly what happened and how it will affect doctors and other highly paid professionals.? First of all, a big thank you to Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden, the only two of our national leaders who apparently still remember what the word compromise means- that no one gets everything they want.? They managed to pull together an agreement that was passed by 172/188 House Democrats, 85/236 House Republicans, 89/97 Senators (mostly those who want to run for president in 2016 voted against it), and 1 Democratic President.? That?s pretty darn good in my opinion.

For the typical doctor, this bill was a big winner with a few downsides that will increase your taxes a little bit.? Let?s look at the various parts.

Doc Fix Was Passed

I hated to see the Medicare ?Doc Fix? get tied up with the fiscal cliff bill, but since it was, that was the main reason I was happy to see the bill pass.? No 27% pay cut for docs taking Medicare.? That was the most important benefit in the bill to me.

Doctors Are No Longer ?Rich?

President Obama over the last year or so has somehow managed to define ?rich? as a taxable income over $200K/$250K (single/married).? That was revised in this bill to $400K/$450K.? While I don?t have exact figures, I would guess that means only 10% of doctors are ?rich? instead of perhaps 40%.? On a national basis, the rich are no longer the ?top 2%?, but rather the top 0.6%.? All marginal tax brackets stay the same until you hit $400K/$450K.? That should save a married doctor making $450K over $10K in taxes per year.? Capital gains and dividend taxes were increased, but again only for those with a taxable income over $400K/$450K, excluding most doctors and similar professionals.? To make things better, these tax brackets are now made permanent, which they never were under the ?Bush? tax cuts.

AMT Finally Indexed To Inflation

The AMT exemption was never properly indexed to inflation and thus every year has hit more and more Americans.? Doctors are especially hard hit, especially in high income tax states like New York and California.? For 2013 the exemptions are set at $50,600/$78,750 (single/married) and are now indexed to inflation.? I very much appreciate whoever slipped that one into the bill as it may keep me out of the AMT in the future, and it should lower the AMT for those who actually do get caught up in its net.

Social Security Funded Again

The employee portion of the Social Security tax was cut from 6.2% to 4.2% two years ago as an economic stimulus, then extended through 2012.? Now I liked the extra $2K in my pocket as much as the next guy, but the truth is this was a dumb idea.? We took a popular program that was already underfunded and instead of saving it by cutting benefits a little, we cut the existing funding for it.? That was idiotic in my opinion.? This was eliminated in the fiscal cliff deal, restoring funding for a good program.? This will raise everyone?s taxes ($1000 per year for a worker with a taxable income of $50K per year) and will raise taxes on most doctors by $2274 (double that if you?re in a two-doc family) but the truth is this tax increase actually needed to happen.

No Marriage Penalty

The ?married filing jointly? standard deduction, 10% bracket, and 15% bracket will continue to be double that of a single filer.? That?s good policy, especially for us married folk.

Estate Tax Exemption Remains High

The estate tax exemption will remain at $5 Million (actually $5.12 Million) per spouse and will be indexed to inflation going forward.? That will keep most doctors from ever paying estate taxes, which is a good thing.? For those few who do have to pay this tax, it was increased from 35% to 40%.? Good thing doctors aren?t rich any more.

Limited Deductions and Exemptions

Highly paid doctors will get hit with a bit of a stealth tax in that deductions and exemptions ($3800 for each dependent) will start getting limited at $250K/$300K.? The phase-out occurs over $100-200K, so it shouldn?t hit most doctors very hard at all, but many will pay at least a little more in taxes because of it.? I?m not entirely clear how this will be calculated, but I believe it will do something like reduce your deductions by 1/3-2/3ds of 3% of your income over $250K/$300K up to 80% of your deductions.? So if you?re married with a taxable income of $400K, you?ll lose maybe $2000 in deductions, for maybe $800 in additional taxes.? The exemption phase-out for a taxable income of $400K will probably cause an additional tax of about $1500 for you and each of your dependents.

Other Tax Breaks

Other tax breaks were also preserved, but most of them are aimed at lower earners and won?t affect highly paid professionals much.? These include the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, American opportunity tax credit, teacher credit, tuition credit, and tax-free short sale debt forgiveness.? State and local income taxes will continue to be deductible, and you will continue to be able to donate your IRA RMDs to charity without paying taxes on them.? Obamacare taxes, of course, weren?t affected by the bill.? That increases employee Medicare taxes by 0.9% on taxable income over $250K and capital gains taxes by 3.8% on investment income for those with taxable income over $250K.

Like everyone else in America, there were parts of this bill I didn?t like, but for doctors, there was far more right with this bill than wrong with it.

Source: http://whitecoatinvestor.com/what-happened-in-washington-friday-qa-series/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-happened-in-washington-friday-qa-series

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