Blog Archive ? Improbable (Impossible?) Relationships in Historical ...

I?ve heard a lot of critical murmurings about historical romances (The Duchess Hunt included) that dismiss the theme of dukes (and other lords and ladies) marrying far below their station. While many readers seem to adore the Cinderella trope, to some readers, it is unrealistic to the point of being annoying. Even ridiculous.

I?ve been thinking about this a lot (mostly at about 3 am in the morning!). To me Cinderella romances hold a strong appeal (both as a reader and a writer). But, truly, is it unrealistic for a duke to marry the gardener?s daughter? Is it impossible?

I?m the first to admit that in my writing I add a very healthy dose of fantasy to my history. I have a deep-rooted mad love for the fairy-tale fantasy?I have ever since I was a little girl (Have I told you how many times I was a princess for Halloween? My mom was so tired of my endless crowns and pink dresses!).

I also love the themes and conflicts of people marrying people who are different than they are?whether it?s a difference in race, religion, or class. I love exploring what can happen when two such people meet and fall in love and the struggles they face in their search for a happily ever after. I think one of the reasons I love these themes is because I myself, married someone of a different race, class, and religion than myself. It is a fascinating conflict to me, because it is so very personal to me.

Obviously, this is also a huge theme and conflict in The Duchess Hunt. The Duke of Trent is looking for the woman who will be his duchess. It doesn?t even cross his mind that Sarah, the gardener?s daughter, might be a candidate for such a position. Why? Because even though the duke is a man of high moral standards who always strives to do what?s right, he?s also a man of his time. In the Duke of Trent?s world, men don?t marry servants. It?s not even within the realm of possibility. It?s not something he?d even consider. Ever.

Through the course of the book, however, the duke changes. He learns that not only is Sarah a potential candidate for his duchess, but a candidate who far exceeds the qualities of any of the candidates society deems worthy of him. This is the duke?s character arc?how he changes in the course of the book. He starts off the book, very subtly, as a classist, someone who?very subtly?considers himself superior to people in Sarah?s position. He is never cruel to Sarah. He never openly demeans her and always respects her. But since birth, it has been ingrained in him that people of her ilk are not worthy of lifelong relationships with people of his. They are not worthy of marriage to someone like him. That ingrained classist in him is slowly desiccated as he learns how perfect for him Sarah is. And when the light bulb goes off, completely burning away the rest of his prejudice, then we get to see a duke who has finally risen above the inherent classism of the society he was born into. A duke who actually deserves Sarah.

Improbable? Yes, definitely. Unfortunately, most people?most dukes?of the time were far too prejudiced and entrenched in their classist society to even consider a person like Sarah as a lifelong partner. But I?m okay with that. I write fiction, after all, and writing the improbable is my job. I love realistic historicals?I love history books?but I write the fairy tales.

So a duke/servant marriage is surely improbable. But impossible? Nah. As I?ve pointed out often on this blog over the years, the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Last night, in the middle of the night, I started thinking of all the true historical relationships I?ve read about that break the mold. Stay tuned, because over the next few days, I?m going to try to share some of them here.

So what do you think? Do improbable duke/servant relationships (and the like) in romances rub you the wrong way, or do you love the fairy tale aspect of these relationships? And this not only applies to historical romance but romance in general. (Think of all the popular stories out right now about 20-something self-made billionaires out there with all kinds of time to woo the simple, middle-class girl next door. I admit I love these stories too!)

And can you think of any real-life historical relationships that broke the mold?

Source: http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/2013/08/04/improbable-impossible-relationships-in-historical-romance/

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San Leon Energy announces commencement of Rogity-1 well vertical fracture

San Leon is pleased to announce that United Oilfield Services ("UOS") yesterday completed its first vertical fracture stage in the Rogity-1 well on the Braniewo S Concession (the "Concession") in Poland's northern Baltic Basin. This first stage was performed in the oil-bearing, tight Cambrian quartzite sandstones at the bottom of the well as part of a three stage vertical hydraulic Fracture Stimulation Programme (the "Programme"). Temporary production tubing is being run to facilitate a short-term flow test and build-up test over the next four weeks to test the Cambrian.

The objective of this first fracture is to understand the frackability and production potential of the tight Cambrian sandstones. It is anticipated that any future development would be with multi-staged fracked long offset horizontals. San Leon has mapped a large Cambrian structure at the Rogity-1 well, which the Company is analysing as a sweet spot for oil production via natural fractures.

This is the first frack of a three stage Programme in the Rogity-1 well as part of the recently signed farm-out agreement ("FOA") with Wisent Oil & Gas plc ("Wisent"), under which Wisent will fully fund the costs of the Programme and any subsequent testing in the well. The Programme is designed to test the prospective interval from the bottom of the well up.

The primary target of the Programme is focused on the shale oil potential of the lower Silurian. The second and third stages, which will be performed concurrently, are designed to test the shale oil potential of the lower Silurian. Based upon the detailed core and petrophysical analyses, the prospective interval in the lower Silurian is estimated to be up to 100 meters thick. It is expected that the two fracks within the lower Silurian will be executed over a three day timeframe followed by approximately four weeks of flow testing and data gathering. Timing of these fracks will be based upon completion of testing and data acquisition of the Cambrian.

Following completion of the Programme, Wisent will have the option to fully fund the drilling, completion and testing of a multi-staged, horizontal fractured well on the Concession. The well will include a horizontal section of not less than 800 metres and a minimum of six fracture stages. Under the terms of the FOA, Wisent has the option to elect to earn a 45% working interest by drilling the horizontal well by 31 January 2014, or such later date as San Leon and Wisent may mutually agree (the horizontal well has to be spudded by 01 May 2014). Wisent has the option, subject to the conditions of the FOA, to become operator of the Concession.

San Leon currently holds a 100% interest in the Concession.

The Rogity-1 well, which was drilled to a depth of 2,788 meters, encountered continuous gas shows with liquid hydrocarbons over more than 500 meters of the Lower Silurian, Ordovician, and Middle Cambrian sections. The richness of the gas shows is consistent with a wet gas/oil bearing system, confirming the Company's regional model of the eastern side of the basin being in the oil window. Wisent is focussed on the shale oil potential in Poland's Baltic Basin holding four exploration concessions adjacent to the Concession, where it has drilled one vertical well and one horizontal well to test the potential of the lower Silurian and Cambrian.

Executive Chairman, Oisin Fanning commented:

"We are excited to have executed the FOA with Wisent and look forward to working with them on the proving the liquids potential of the lower Silurian in Braniewo S concession. The primary target for this vertical fracture stimulation programme is the lower Silurian shale oil potential which has huge upside reserve potential across the eastern Baltic Basin. The secondary target in the deeper Cambrian for tight oil brings further upside to the Basin. This fracture programme is our second test of the Lower Paleozoic in the Baltic Basin this year following the fracture of Lewino 1G2 in our Gdansk W Concession at the beginning of July.

We look forward to updating the market with results from both wells as results become available"

Source: http://www.oilvoice.com/n/San_Leon_Energy_announces_commencement_of_Rogity1_well_vertical_fracture/0888369752eb.aspx

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WTI Crude Oil: "Past those speed bumps now we're looking at 109.32 110.18" says Carl Larry

WTI Crude Oil: "Past those speed bumps, now we're looking at 109.32, 110.18" says Carl Larry

By Carl Larry
Oh boysie. That escalated pretty quickly and we have the RSI up above 64 to prove it. This still gives us a lot of room to take it up a notch but it?s a matter of wait and see. Nonetheless, we think that we?re at a point of make or break. The near term resistance flirts with resistance at 10806 with 10882 right above. Past those speed bumps and we?re looking more seriously at 10932, 11018. The support numbers have room to hold down to 10732, 10648 and 10531. The front spread caught our bid yesterday and sees resistance at 104, 112 and 121. The support returns to 91, 82 and 76. Flat price gets sold early, but rally to close.

Gasoline: We?re moving on to RBU3. RB is trying to get serious about moving back up. We see resistance holding at 30335, 30430 and 30624. The support numbers look to hold 30100, 29933 and 29756. The front spread trying hard to hold support at 1440, 1392, 1360. Resistance returns to 1480, 1531 and 1570. The RBCL has support to 1861, 1822. The resistance here looks up to 1918, 1961.

Distillate: We?re following HOU3 now. HO wants higher, but getting stalled here. We see resistance at 31047, 31193 and 31358. The support numbers fall back on 30877, 30746 and 30515. The front spread seems to be stuck in a range here with ?10, +00 on the upside and ?25, -40 below. Going to take some doing to break that out. The HOCL looks for support at 2204, 2177. Resistance above at 2240, 2283.

Trends are only for the affected: Overnight is taking a break from the move on the 10min chart yesterday. We are playing in a range of 10730 to 10830. It?s not as strong as one would think considering the rally the past few days, but we?re definitely getting ready for something bigger. The 60min chart broke the downtrend and is at best looking to consolidation here. We believe that we?ll need solid trade above 10875 now to initiate any uptrend and down will have to break back under 10680.

Fundy you should mention: Want to grab a coffee at 8:25am this morning? Come on...Econo-heads rejoice! Not only is today the first Friday of the month, we get to dress to impress. We had ADP payrolls at 200K, Jobless Claims under 330K and Big Ben and the Fedettes keep mum on QE tapering, let?s make it a party. We?ll be glued to the tape at 8:30am (176K, 7.5%) to see how this plays out. Not to be left out, we also have Consumer Income and Spending (0.4; 0.4) at 8:30am EST too. Later in the morning we?ll watch for Factory Orders (2.3) at 10:00am?if anyone is still around.

Sorry, I am just physically attracted: To me, it?s not that Marathon Galveston Bay (565K), or Texas City...whatever you want to call it, had is-sues yesterday, it?s the fact that they have displaced their foreign sweet barrels. After Marathon?s earnings report yesterday, we learned that they are bringing in domestic barrels and left out the imports. We knew that imports of crude into the USG have dropped, but now we?re seeing the who and the why. We?re seeing a fundamental change in what is exactly a ?foreign barrel?. We have enough light, sweet and now it?s more about the medium and heavy. A good sign for Mexico and even better if Canada can get more down here via Keystone. Not so good for the Saudis still trying to find their sweets a home.

(The author is associated with Oiloutlooks)

Source: http://www.commodityonline.com/futures-trading/technical/WTI-Crude-Oil%3A-Past-those-speed-bumps-now-were-looking-at-109.32-110.18-says-Carl-Larry-31180.html

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Great getaways: The life aquatic in the Maldives, grape escape in Burguny, a really wild show in Africa, and fly and flop to the Greek islands

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Source: www.independent.co.uk --- Saturday, August 03, 2013
The life aquatic ? ? ? ? ...

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China bans New Zealand milk powder imports on botulism scare: NZ trade min

By Naomi Tajitsu

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - China has halted imports of all milk powder from New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand's trade minister said on Sunday, after bacteria that can cause botulism found in some dairy products raised food safety concerns that threatened its $9.4 billion annual dairy trade.

Global dairy giant Fonterra identified eight companies to which it had sold contaminated New Zealand-made whey protein concentrate, exported to China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia and used in products including infant milk powder.

Nearly 90 percent of China's $1.9 billion in milk powder imports last year originated in New Zealand and economists said a prolonged ban could produce a shortage of dairy products in China, including foreign-branded infant formula.

Australia was caught up in the ban after some of the contaminated whey protein concentrate was exported there before being sent on to China and elsewhere.

"The authorities in China, in my opinion absolutely appropriately, have stopped all imports of New Zealand milk powders from Australia and New Zealand," New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser told Television New Zealand.

While there was no official word of a ban from Chinese authorities, China's consumer watchdog named four companies that had imported potentially contaminated products from Fonterra.

In a statement on its website, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine identified the companies as Dumex Baby Food Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of France's Danone, two subsidiaries of Wahaha Group, one of the largest beverage manufacturers in China, and the state-owned Shanghai Sugar, Tobacco and Alcohol company.

Fonterra, a big supplier of wholesale dairy ingredients to multinational food and beverage companies, also said that Coca Cola's Chinese subsidiary and animal feed companies in New Zealand and Australia had also been affected.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), in an announcement on its website, said it had told representatives from Hangzhou Wahaha, Dumex and Coca Cola China to stop sales of potentially contaminated products and recall any outstanding product lines with possible contamination as soon as possible.

Some of China's biggest food and beverage firms are said to be customers of Fonterra.

Fonterra is a major supplier of bulk milk powder products used in infant formula in China but it had stayed out of the branded space after Chinese dairy company Sanlu, in which it had held a large stake, was found to have added melamine - often used in plastics - to bulk up formulas in 2008.

More than six children died in the industry-wide scandal and hundreds became ill. Foreign-branded infant formula has since become a prized commodity in China.

The latest scare coincided with global dairy prices hovering near record highs as supply struggles to keep up with growing demand from emerging countries. A ban on New Zealand products was seen pushing overall prices higher in the near term.

Economists said domestically produced Chinese dairy supplies were at low levels and Beijing's ban on imports from New Zealand and Australia would tighten supplies on the consumer market.

"Domestic production in China has been fairly weak, so potentially there could be a shortage of product for a while," ANZ economist Con Williams told Reuters. He said China would in the meantime likely turn to the United States and Europe.

BANS, RECALLS

Other countries also were reportedly halting imports and ordering recalls of New Zealand-made dairy products.

Russia suspended imports and circulation of Fonterra products, ITAR-TASS news agency said on Saturday, quoting consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor. Media reports said Thailand had ordered a recall of Fonterra products imported since May.

In New Zealand, Nutricia, a division of Danone, recalled some types of infant formulas sold under the Karicare brand.

The bacteria behind the latest scare, Clostridium Botulinum, is often found in soil. The Fonterra case was caused by a dirty pipe at a processing plant.

It can cause botulism, a potentially fatal disease that affects the muscles and can cause respiratory problems. Infant botulism can attack the intestinal system.

This is the second contamination issue involving Fonterra this year. In January, it found traces of dicyandiamde, a potentially toxic chemical, in some of its products.

China has started to tighten dairy import regulations to improve overall food safety. Beijing has introduced regulations restricting the operations of smaller infant formula brands.

Williams at ANZ said it would be a major concern if more countries banned New Zealand dairy imports as dairy accounts for roughly 25 percent of exports - NZ$12 billion in the past year.

Federated Farmers Dairy Chairman Willy Leferink told Reuters he was "extremely concerned" about the impact on the industry.

"Food safety is paramount to New Zealand so this is the last thing anybody wants," he said.

($1 = 1.2767 New Zealand dollars)

(Additional reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney and Pete Sweeney in Shanghai; Editing by Paul Tait and Ron Popeski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-bans-zealand-milk-powder-imports-botulism-scare-041143310.html

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Washington, D.C. Weather Forecast: Quick hit of damp and dreary

Have the umbrella handy today with showers and a few thunderstorms at times.

This Afternoon:

Cloudy with Showers and T-Storms at times

Highs: Low 80s

Rain: 80%

Tonight:

Evening Showers, then Clearing overnight

Lows: Mid-Upper 60s

Rain: 30%

Friday:

Mostly Sunny

Highs: Mid 80s

Wind: NW 10

We woke up to some wet weather this morning with showers bringing about 1/4-1/3 of an inch of rainfall.?

Rainfall Totals as of 9a.m.

?
It will be a cloudy day with a break in the wet weather midday.??

A Cloudy Look at Arlington, VA

An approaching cold front will trigger more showers this afternoon along with some embedded thunderstorms.? Heavy downpours will be possible.? The cold front slides east tonight and skies will gradually clear by Friday morning.? High pressure takes over to end the week with sunshine and highs in the mid 80s.? Another weaker front arrives on Saturday.? A few late day showers or thunderstorms will be possible, but the majority of the weekend will remain dry.? Overall, we are starting August on a cool note.

?

Source: http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2013/08/washington-d-c-weather-forecast-quick-hit-of-damp-and-dreary-19492.html

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Atlantic City online gambling law getting minor tuneup - NorthJersey ...

State Senator James Whelan, D-Atlantic ? a former mayor of Atlantic City ? has introduced a bill this week that would modestly amend the new internet gaming bill signed into law by Governor Christie this year.

The concluding statement of the new bill notes:

?Existing law provides that equipment used in connection with the conduct of Internet gaming at Atlantic City casinos must be located at those casinos. This bill would permit such equipment to also be located at a facility in Atlantic City, other than a casino, that is secure, inaccessible to the public, and specifically designed to house that equipment, and where the equipment must be under the complete control of the casino licensee or its Internet gaming affiliate.?

This looks like a ?housekeeping? bill that has cropped up as casinos are in the midst of figuring out how much space they need for various infrastructure. The point of the ?in Atlantic City? sections were to avoid running afoul of the state Constitution, which does not permit most gambling outside of Atlantic City.

After some back-and-forth, Christie went along with the concept that while people would be able to play online games from all over the state, that would be kosher as long as the wager had to be finalized by equipment in Atlantic City.

Since this bill doesn?t really change that, expect it to be approved by the legislature and signed by Christie. The state officials are basically off until Labor Day, but the online gambling isn?t expected to begin before late November, so there?s no big time crunch here.

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Source: http://blog.northjersey.com/meadowlandsmatters/6377/atlantic-city-online-gambling-law-getting-minor-tuneup/

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Orlando police officer shot last week during a traffic stop in Washington Shores...

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9 Successful Strategies For Developing Robust Web Portal ...

Are you doing business on the Internet? It is essential to have web portal for successful online business to communicate with customer. However, having simple portal results into failure of business so, we are going to provide successful strategies to develop robust web portal.

A new horizon has been opened up by the web portal development for many online merchants. No doubt, about 95% of businesses- are connected with internet. As internet becomes the main mode of bringing business for the customers, it enhances the popularity of web portals in the current market.

Having just a web portal is not thing; you have to create feature-rich and effective portal that brings business for you. If you don?t have any idea about how to create best web portal, here are some tips.

Sketch the right plan:
If you have sketched a proper plan of your portal, you will get a fully organized portal with essential functionality that you are looking for. If you haven?t, it cannot be accepted by users.

Make It Simple:
Users don?t have to time to understand your portal first before accessing it. There are various classes of visitors come at your place, some are smart while some doesn?t understand everything easily.

Looking to the type of people you want to target for your business, create web portal accordingly. Moreover, your portal?s popularity will decrease if it contains complex and confusing features

Choose proper structure for your User Interface:
While developing portal, it is must to work on effective user interface. If your portal doesn?t have, it creates trouble for users to manage your portal on various browsers with different options. Having discomfort in accessing will create loss of customers.

Place Administration features:
Having robust administration features is one of the important things you should have taken into consideration. It is must to have a well-developed back end for your portal with all essential features and functionalities.

Safe and Secure Log-in Process:
Members only log-in in your portal, if they find it safe. One should also have to take care of member login area from visitor?s view-point. Moreover, you also make sure to have secure web portal that provides easy and safe online fund transfers and payment gateways.

Reorganize The Options:
Giving different choices to your customer is smart way to grab attraction from them. However, you have to avoid putting all the features in one basket as it seems to difficult and clumsy to manage. It is advisable to manage properly with grouping them well.

Maintain Communication:
Creating a web portal is must nowadays, but it is also compulsory to stay connected with customers through 24*7 chat service. You can also serve your customer through mail or chat service and solve their queries.

Social Media Option:
The whole world is adopting social media functionality to spread popularity of business. If you also want to make your portal popular, then give them sharing option to your visitors. It may also bring business through social networks and other websites.

Create Portal Interactive:
Creating portal interactive is advisable and it is done through by offering option of comment. With this comment section, you will get an idea about what to improve in your portal. Additional, you can also add discussion forums linked to your portals.

Portals can be created for various purposes like for entertainment, job, classified, matrimony, E-commerce and so on. However, if you want to create a successfully portal it is must to consider above given secret tips and implement it while web portal development process.

One should have to develop web portal concerning your business requirements. If you are finding difficulty to manage your portal or don?t have an idea about how to create, visit here.

Source Link

Source: http://www.creativetimes.co.uk/news/9-successful-strategies-for-developing-robust-web-portal

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Rea praises London despite Leeds loss and says, ?we have got to finish the season strongly?

London Broncos coach Tony Rea. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/PA

Friday, August 2, 2013
12:21 AM

London coach Tony Rea hailed his side despite a 30-18 defeat to Leeds Rhinos as they restored some pride following a humiliating Challenge Cup exit against Wigan.

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The capital club slumped to a record 70-0 semi-final thrashing at the weekend so finding a fourth victory of the Super League campaign was always going to be a tall order, no least against the champions on the occasion of Kevin Sinfield?s 500th appearance.

But after the Rhinos surged into a 12-0 lead early on, the contest then swung to and fro with both sides enjoying waves of pressure.

Leeds scored two tries in the opening 15 minutes, Jamie Peacock and Ben Jones-Bishop crossing, but London hit back with a try through Luke Dorn and then came close to drawing level as they got on the front foot.

Leeds held firm and moved into an 18-6 interval lead when Alex Foster romped home.

Into the second half and it was two tries apiece, Dan Sarginson and Ben Fisher on target for the hosts, only for Paul McShane?s close range double midway through the half to seal the two points.

The reverse leaves London rooted to the bottom of the league with three games to go but Rea hopes it can push his men on to a morale-boosting finish to the campaign.

?It has been an emotionally draining week so I was really pleased with the effort,? the coach said.

?There is no hiding from the fact that we are really hurting as a club, so to produce a performance like that shows character.

?We have just got to stick together and stay strong as a group.

?It is going to be tough for us, but we have got to try and finish the season strongly - that is very important to us.?

And former London coach Brian McDermott, now in charge of Leeds, believed his old club deserved some of the plaudits, admitting his side had not had things their own way.

He said: ?People thought this was going to be easy after what happened to London against Wigan, but that was exactly the game I thought it would be.

?I thought we were in control for the majority of the game, but we were never able to shrug them off.

?It was a fair contest at times and I think London deserve a lot of credit for the way they defended.

?In fact, I thought it was a good game overall in the hottest conditions I have ever encountered, either as a player or coach.?

Source: http://www.london24.com/rea_praises_london_despite_leeds_loss_and_says_we_have_got_to_finish_the_season_strongly_1_2312653

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Man accused of crimes at home, church

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (WIVB) - A man is accused of entering a home and a church without permission and is now facing charges. The Chautauqua County Sheriff?s Office says 24-year-old Joshua Huntress allegedly entered both locations, on Meadow Road, around 10:30 p.m. Monday night.

Huntress allegedly stole prescription medication from the home and then entered the church, where he allegedly became involved in an altercation with a victim there. Huntress is charged with second-degree burglary, petit larceny, second-degree harassment and trespass. He was taken to Chautauqua County Jail.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wivb_local/~3/dWj_Yq4laDs/man-accused-of-crimes-at-home-church

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5 smart reactions to the Bradley Manning verdict

The polarizing secret-spiller faces up to 136 years in prison after being found guilty of 20 crimes. What does it mean for transparency, Obama, and journalism?

This week, a military judge found Pfc. Bradley Manning guilty of 20 crimes, including several violations of the Espionage Act, for his role in leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. Manning was acquitted on the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, which means he will avoid a sentence of life in prison without parole. He could still, however, face up to 136 years in prison.

The case has sharply divided the country. Some people argue that Manning endangered lives by leaking classified information about the U.S. military during wartime. His proponents insist that Manning performed a valuable public service by shedding light on the government's secret actions, likening him to Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam war.

Here are some of the smartest takes, from both sides, on the wider implications of the Manning verdict.

Manning's acquittal on aiding the enemy charges was a small victory for freedom of the press, argues The New Yorker's Amy Davidson:

The charge was always a stretch; the best precedent the government could come up with was a hundred and fifty years old, a case that arose in the context of the Union occupation of the Confederate-leaning city of Alexandria. As I wrote earlier, the dubious legal logic behind the charge was that giving information to a non-enemy reporter that an undesirable person might eventually read, and be glad to see, amounted to being in league with the enemy ? something that could apply to the work of any number of investigative reporters. (The prosecution acknowledged that its arguments applied as much to the Times as to WikiLeaks.) There are necessary secrets; it is always the case, in a functioning democracy, that the government also tries to declare unnecessary ones, out of embarrassment or expediency, and that the press tries to keep it from doing so. The Obama Administration has been disrupting that balance with a series of leak investigations. The acquittal was a small push back. [The New Yorker]

But the case still has hugely negative implications for journalism and WikiLeaks, writes The Guardian's Dan Gilmor:

By finding Manning guilty of five counts of espionage, the judge endorsed the government's other radical theories, and left the journalism organization that initially passed along the leaks to the public, WikiLeaks, no less vulnerable than it had been before the case started. Anyone who thinks Julian Assange isn't still a target of the U.S. government hasn't been paying attention; if the U.S. can pry him loose from Ecuador's embassy in London and extradite him, you can be certain that he'll face charges, too, and the Manning verdict will be vital to that case ? The overwhelmingly torpid coverage of this trial by traditional media has been yet another scandal for the legacy press, which still can't seem to wrap its collective brain around the importance of the case, and especially its wider context. National security journalist Jeremy Scahill summed it up after the verdict when he told Democracy Now: "We're in a moment when journalism is being criminalized." [The Guardian]

The verdict is bad news for Edward Snowden, writes Foreign Policy's Elias Groll, and makes his decision to seek asylum abroad look "all the more prescient":

In explaining his decision to flee the United States, Snowden has explained that the treatment of Manning, who has been held in solitary confinement and, on several occasions, stripped of his clothing, served as an example of the treatment he was likely to face for leaking sensitive National Security Agency documents. Now Snowden has seen Manning not only roughed up by his military captors but also convicted under the full weight of espionage charges ? Like Manning, Snowden argues that his decision to put classified documents in the public domain was done out of a desire to expose wrongdoing at the highest level of the government. But as Tuesday's verdict in the Manning trial illustrates, that argument is no defense in the face of espionage charges, which the Obama administration has relied on heavily in its efforts to crack down on national security leaks. For the administration's critics, the idea that providing information to journalists amounts to espionage is ludicrous on its face. But as the Manning verdict shows, it's a line of reasoning that holds up well in a court room. [Foreign Policy]

In the end, the presiding judge, Colonel Denise Lind, made the right call, says Paul M. Barrett of Bloomberg Businessweek:

The Manning verdict bears the strong imprint of common sense. Lind rejected the government's contention that, by dint of his training in intelligence, Manning knew his disclosures of documents and videos related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would likely come to the attention of al Qaeda. On the other hand, Lind found that Manning should have known that his actions could harm the U.S., even if that was not his goal ? The judge intended to deter future Bradley Mannings from breaking the law and taking it upon themselves to decide which military secrets deserve exposure. At the same time, Lind made an implicit distinction between a leaker and a direct instrument of the nation's enemies. In so doing, she ensured that Manning's admitted misconduct will be punished, without making him into more of the martyr his supporters see him as. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

But the Obama administration's unprecedented use of the Espionage Act remains hugely problematic, writes the editorial board of The New York Times:

There is no question that Private Manning broke laws. In February he pleaded guilty to 10 of the less serious charges against him, which exposed him to up to 20 years in prison. But prosecutors continued to press the more serious charges, which included violations of the Espionage Act, a 1917 law that has become the Obama administration's hobbyhorse to go after government workers whose actions look nothing like spying. Under President Obama, the government has brought espionage charges more than twice as often under that particular law as all previous administrations combined ... Americans accept that material must be classified in the interest of national security. But that acceptance is severely tested when the government classifies more than 92 million documents in a year. [The New York Times]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-smart-reactions-bradley-manning-verdict-111500016.html

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Azusa High School wrestling coach accused of sending explicit messages to minor

AZUSA - The varsity wrestling coach for Azusa High School has been charged with allegedly sending explicit text messages to a minor, police said Tuesday.

Azusa police arrested 31-year-old Brent Monacelli of Azusa on July 20 on a warrant.

Sgt. Tim Harrington said the District Attorney's Office filed one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to conduct certain acts and a misdemeanor count of child annoying against Monacelli and issued a warrant for his arrest on July 15.

The investigation started May 4 when the minor told police about getting the messages, according to Harrington. He wouldn't say the age and gender of the minor or how the minor met the coach.

He said the victim isn't related to Monacelli.

Monacelli, who is out on bail, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday night. The two phone numbers listed under his name in public records are no longer in service.

Officials with the DA's Office said Monacelli will be arraigned Oct. 4 at Pomona Superior Court.

Source: http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_23762013/azusa-high-school-wrestling-coach-accused-sending-explicit?source=rss_viewed

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Luddites! Nick Clegg mocks Tory right-wingers resisting green energy boost

Conservative right-wingers resisting moves to boost green energy were mocked as "Luddites" today by Nick Clegg as he sought to stress policy differences between the Liberal Democrats and their Coalition partners.

The Deputy Prime Minister will underline the point with a visit today to an offshore wind farm accompanied by Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

Mr Clegg, who said the Conservatives had abandoned the "very pro-green" language they used before the election, said the Coalition had achieved record-breaking levels of investment in renewable energy.

"We have huge natural resources which allow us to lead in the global race to become the cutting-edge green economy in the world," he said.

"Not everybody agrees, of course. The Industrial Revolution had its Luddites and we have sceptics who still insist that if you are pro-Green you are somehow anti-growth. I could not disagree more."

In his regular monthly press conference, Mr Clegg admitted the Government was unlikely to keep its promise to introduce exit checks at every port and airport by 2015.

He said he was concerned over a lack of urgency by the Home Office over the project and disclosed he asked Liberal Democrat minister David Laws to put on pressure to the department to achieve the goal.

"I'm not going to pretend to you that exit checks will be restored in full, according to the Home Office's present plans, by the end of this Parliament," he said.

Mr Clegg was later contradicted by the Home Office, which insisted the Government would deliver on the commitment.

The Deputy Prime Minister also confirmed the Government would review the widespread use of zero-hour contracts by employers, as reported by the Independent in June.

"There can be a really worrying level of insecurity if you are an individual employed on a zero-hour contract," he said.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3498/s/2f655f3f/sc/25/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cuk0Cpolitics0Cluddites0Enick0Eclegg0Emocks0Etory0Erightwingers0Eresisting0Egreen0Eenergy0Eboost0E8740A5870Bhtml/story01.htm

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We?ve just been having a twitter chat with cheeky chap of comedy Mark Watson who...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/edbookfest/posts/635232923174110

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Fed Low Interest Rate Policies Helped Commercial Real Estate ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]... real indices (office in white, apartments in yellow and the composite commercial index in green). Commercial property values bottomed out at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, depending on the property type. ... And if I overlay The Fed Funds Target Rate (purple), we see a clear relationship between Fed policy and a commercial real estate recovery (in terms of price). fedcrereits. This contrasts with the lack of house price recovery until March 2012. csfedfunds.

Source: http://confoundedinterest.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/fed-low-interest-rate-policies-helped-commercial-real-estate-more-than-housing/

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Father of Talia Castellano seeks cure for cancer

The beauty tutorials have stopped, but for the father of Talia Castellano, the work has just begun.

Marc Winthrop, who lost his 13-year-old daughter to two separate types of cancer last month, has taken his grief at losing Talia and poured it into carrying out her dream of one day finding a cure for pediatric forms of cancer.

Winthrop, who lives in New York with his wife Susan, told the Daily News that one of his biggest goals is to get significant money to scientists conducting cancer research.

"The biggest thing I've done is pulled together parent groups and made very significant grants to Memorial Sloane-Kettering for Neuroblastoma," he said.

The dedicated father is part of a group called Band of Parents, a volunteer-based organization with the goal of funding new therapies for the fairly rare type of cancer.

RELATED: YOUTUBE TEEN STAR TALIA DIES FROM CANCER

Now that Talia's gone, Winthrop says one of his own pet projects will be getting world-class care for all children, regardless of their parents' insurance statuses or income.

"With Neuroblastoma, if you're not at a major cancer center and something goes wrong, your survival rate really drops dramatically, and that's not fair to kids."

Their current research grant is $2 million.

Winthrop told the News that Talia's last weeks were difficult, not only for the beauty blogger, but for the entire family as well. It was important for the smiling teen to go in peace, surrounded by family.

"Her death was very hard and very sad," Winthrop said. He was in the hospital room when the brave teenager drew her last breath.

RELATED: FANS COMPLETE TALIA JOY CASTELLANO'S BUCKET LIST

He described her as looking "calm and relaxed" in her final minutes.

The family also held a private ceremony for her at a New York City synagogue last week.

His family sat Shiva for Talia after her passing, watching her many YouTube tutorials and looking at pictures of the beautiful bald girl with the bright eyes.

Still, the success holds little meaning for Winthrop. "She made her mark, and she made a difference in this world, but it doesn't change the fact that she's gone.

"I'd give it all back to have her back again."

To donate to Talia's memory, please visit Band of Parents.

bstebner@nydailynews.com

Source: http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/NydnRss/~3/Y1Apih5p4KE/story01.htm

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What's Keeping Women From Getting Presidential Buzz? Hillary Clinton

Dean Genth knew he was making mischief when he invited Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota ?to keynote the North Iowa Democrats' 10th?annual Wing Ding fundraiser. He thought of her as a neighbor from the state next door and an inspiring example for Iowa, which has yet to elect a woman to the Senate or the House. But a second-term senator whose name is showing up with increasing frequency on lists of 2016 presidential prospects, speaking at a high-profile political event only about 2.5 years before the Iowa caucuses that launch the nomination race?well, he says, he wasn't surprised when his press release "kicked up a little bit of a dust storm."

If you're thinking, why Amy Klobuchar, the real question should be, why not? The same goes for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. All three have suddenly become staples of Democratic buzz and short lists, right along with Hillary Rodham Clinton. And while they may not be making as many headlines as Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, or Ted Cruz, they have the records and resumes to be taken just as seriously.

The three hot Republican prospects all are first-term senators elected in 2010 or, in Cruz's case, 2012. By contrast, Klobuchar and Gillibrand were first elected to Congress in 2006 (Klobuchar to the Senate, Gillibrand to the House, before she was named to succeed Clinton in January 2009). Warren was already a national figure when she was elected last year. Yet until recently, the Democratic names in heavy circulation as potential alternatives to Clinton were Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Everyone knows the old joke about every senator looking in the mirror and seeing a president, and pollssuggest Americans are more than ready for a woman president. So why didn't Gillibrand, Warren, and Klobuchar emerge sooner? It would be easy to blame sexism, but there are plenty of reasons unrelated to their gender. First off, they aren't governors, a CEO-type leadership position that is a frequent rung on the ladder to the White House (four of the six most recent presidents were governors). And they don't tend toward flashy gestures, like Paul's attention-grabbing filibuster protesting President Obama's drone policy. Nor do they bring ethnic or racial diversity to the presidential mix in the way of Obama in 2008. The GOP has a wealth of such prospects for 2016, including Rubio, Cruz, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, the only female Republican who gets routine mentions.

And then, of course, there's Clinton, who will be receiving an award at the Wing Ding next month but has not said yet whether she will attend. Her commanding position in the field, as a former first lady, senator, secretary of State, and near-nominee in 2008, has kept the spotlight off other female prospects.

"It has nothing to do with them, their qualifications, or their ability to mount a real campaign. It has more to do with insider perceptions and the strength of Hillary Clinton," says Democratic strategist Jeff Liszt, who polled for the Madam President project sponsored by EMILY's List. "People have been so focused on Hillary."

That's different from the wide-open field on the GOP side. "You see a lot of folks newer to the political scene who are getting a lot of attention because there's no one big heavyweight there. Anybody who even thinks about booking a flight to Iowa, people immediately assume they are running for president," says Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson. She adds that if you're a Democrat with presidential aspirations, "you have to be pretty open about what your ambitions are" or risk being ignored amid the Hillary hoopla.

There are at least two blogs devoted entirely to the 2016 presidential race (yes, already) and all three women have made it onto their lists of possibles. The analysts who run the blogs, Dave Catanese at TheRun2016.com and Christian Heinze atprez16.com, say their choices are educated guesses based on research and signals from the politicians themselves. Klobuchar and Gillibrand are frequent guests on cable shows, for instance. All three women were on the Madam President list compiled by EMILY's List in May. And while Klobuchar's visit with Iowans at the Democratic convention last year could be interpreted as a neighborly gesture, that doesn't explain her meeting with delegates from the early primary state of South Carolina.

As for substance, Klobuchar won national awards for fighting crime, making drunk driving a felony, and improving school safety during two terms as Hennepin County attorney (which includes Minneapolis). In the Senate, she has championed consumer protection and promoted bipartisanship; she says she has introduced two-thirds of her bills with Republicans. "Her leadership style is different from Ted Cruz or Rand Paul. I don't think that's a liability, I think that's an asset," says Liszt.

Like Rubio, who was central to the formulation and passage of comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, Gillibrand has been a pioneer on transparency (the first senator, she says, to post her official public schedule, personal financial disclosure, federal earmark requests, and annual tax returns online). She was in the forefront of efforts to repeal the military's don't ask, don't tell policy and now is leading a drive to remove sexual-assault cases from the military chain of command. She has bucked senior Democrats with her proposal to have such allegations handled by a separate prosecutor's office, and is close to securing majority support.

Warren, a former Harvard professor, oversaw the Troubled Asset Relief Program, known as the bank bailout, conceived and proposed a consumer financial protection agency, saw it enacted into law in 2010, and got it off the ground. Then, having been deemed too controversial to head the new bureau, she headed home to run for the Senate. Warren has a strong liberal populist base and a broad national fundraising network, and in her first six months has gone her own way on issues such as bank regulation and student loans. That's created some headaches for her party, but she's a piker compared to the confrontational Cruz.

Catanese says there's space for up to three female candidates if Clinton decides not to run. "There's such a strong desire for a woman to be president in many Democratic constituencies, that I believe the pressure on Gillibrand and Klobuchar to run would be enormous if Hillary doesn't," he says. "Elizabeth Warren has the most hearts and minds on the left, but she's a freshman and may not be interested in the huge leap."

Klobuchar has the least national presence of the trio. Heinze offered this rationale for including her on his list: "She's a relatively pragmatic female from a Midwestern state who's a very good politician and gets along with everybody. If Hillary doesn't run and Democrats want to nominate a woman, Klobuchar would seem to be a more electable general-election candidate than someone like Elizabeth Warren."

She would also be valuable on any ticket in the role for which she jokes that Minnesota is best known: producing vice presidents. A popular female senator from a swing state?it's practically a no-brainer, especially if she has already shown an interest in national office and the ability to handle the pressure that comes with it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whats-keeping-women-getting-presidential-buzz-hillary-clinton-090113687.html

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MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | Which Debt ...

You?ve just come into a little bit of money and you have decided that you want to pay off one or more of your debts.

The problem is this?you?re not sure which one to pay off first.

Conventional wisdom tells you that you should choose the debt with the highest interest rate because it?s the most expensive to service.

But, you also know that you?ll soon be in the market for a new car or a new home and your FICO credit score needs to be in tiptop shape.

Is there a ?best? debt to pay off first in order to get the most credit score value?

The answer is yes, you can leverage your payoff to a better FICO or VantageScore credit score.

Here are your options and their pros and cons.

Installment Debt

An installment debt has a fixed payment for a fixed period of time. And, an asset normally secures the debt.

Your auto loan is an example of an installment loan. Mortgages, home equity loans, student loans, boat loans, and unsecured personal loans are also common examples of installment loans.

Because most installment loans are collateralized they pose less of a risk to the lender because if you default they?ll simply repossess the car or home or boat or motorcycle, sell it at auction and cover some or all of the loan balance.

I realize that there are some installment loans that are not secured (like student loans and unsecured personal loans).

Still, student loans pose much less risk to the borrower than you would think because of the difficulty of getting out of paying it.

Don?t believe me?

Here?s what FICO says about the risk posed by student loan debt.

?It?s important to understand that while student loan debt can factor into the FICO? Score, revolving debt (like credit cards) has a larger influence. That?s because we?ve found that revolving type indebtedness?has a stronger statistical correlation with future borrower performance than installment loan indebtedness.?

And here?s what Sarah Davies, VantageScore Solutions? Senior Vice President for Analytics, Product Management and Research, says about the risk posed by installment debt rather than revolving credit card debt.

?Generally speaking, paying down credit card debt can be more beneficial to a consumer?s credit score than paying down an installment loan because it reduces the total amount a consumer owes as well as the percentage of credit used, thereby increasing the amount of credit available to that consumer.?

You also have to consider the fact that many installment debts have a tax benefit in the form of deductible interest.

So, even if your paying 6% in interest?you?re really not because the interest is being offset to some extent by the tax deduction.

Because of all of this the initial impact of installment debt to your FICO scores is minimal. And, because the initial impact is minimal any benefit from paying off the debt is also going to be minimal.

Don?t get me wrong, it?s great to not have any installment debt but don?t expect your scores to shoot through the roof when it has been paid off.

Revolving Debt

Revolving accounts allow you to pay some or all of the amount each month rather than a fixed amount. And, you have access to the line of credit even after the balance has been paid.

Credit cards are the most common type of revolving debt but home equity lines of credit (aka ?HELOCs?) will also fall into this group.

Credit card debt is much more indicative of future credit risk.

First off it?s unsecured, which means the lender cannot come take something back if you stop making your payments.

You won?t lose your house or your car by defaulting on your credit card, which normally places your credit card payment lower on the priority list if you lose a job.

Further, credit card debt is normally much more expensive than any other debt mentioned in this article.

The average interest rate on a credit card is around 15% while rates on auto loans, mortgages and student loans are near or below 5%.

Because of these reasons taking on credit card debt is much more damaging to your credit scores. That?s the bad news.

The good news is that you can really improve your scores very quickly by paying down your credit card debt. It?s by far the most actionable way to improve your credit scores.

So while it?s nice to not have a car payment, it?ll be much nicer to not have a credit card payment. Choose wisely.

John Ulzheimer?is the President of Consumer Education at?SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for?Mint.com, and a contributor for the?National Foundation for Credit Counseling.? He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit.?Follow John on Twitter.

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Source: https://www.mint.com/blog/goals/which-debt-should-i-pay-off-first-0713/

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Bridal Beauty: 7 Gradual Tanners to Consider on Your Wedding Day

When fake tan meets the seams of a white wedding dress, it can make for a very tacky affair. Add to that a good chance you'll look too tanned against your groom, and not the least bit like yourself. While some say a spray will take more kilos off your already primed bridal body, we say go the safe route and use a gradual tan in the weeks leading up to your big day. Try a few out over the months proceeding, and make sure you photograph yourself a few days into the process to see which shade you like the best. Take notes on the application process, colour, scent and longevity. We've done some of the hard work for you, here's seven of our favourites.

Source: http://www.bellasugar.com.au/Best-Gradual-Tanner-Use-Your-Wedding-31043796

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Home Improvement With A Pocketful Of Tips | floorkitchenbath.com

TIP! Porches need repainting at times. You should use a high quality exterior paint.

Home improvement is something that is very popular among many homeowners. Upgrading a home, renovating it, or even putting an addition on it can make it more livable, more beautiful, and add to its value. As a homeowner, you undoubtedly know that there?s always a good reason for taking on a new home improvement project. This article provides information to help you decide what improvements are the most profitable and the easiest to finish.

TIP! Before painting, cover outlet covers with some aluminum foil. It is far easier to use aluminum foil than tape, and your covers will be shielded from possible splatters.

Make the most of fans during the summer period. Ceiling fans help circulate air, which will help in cooling the room. Room fans and ceiling fans will reduce your home?s energy consumption when compared with air conditioner use. This means lower utility bills for you.

TIP! If your wall has holes in it from pictures, spackle them. You can buy spackle at any home improvement store.

Never waste your money on materials that do not meet quality standards or pose a risk to yourself and your family. If you put down new flooring, it can be expensive and a price comparison is helpful in these instances. Shop at discount home supply stores and find stores that offer bargains.

TIP! When it comes time to purchase furnishings, shy away from living room pieces that have active patterns in the upholstery. Buying items with floral print, geometric shapes and patterns can pre-determine what your home decor must look like.

Utilize old soda plastic bottles as storage vessels in the kitchen. You can see what?s inside, be it salt or beans. You can keep them in the freezer, refrigerator or on your shelf. Just open and pour when you need to use the contents.

TIP! You can use hot glue to attach hardware such as bolts, nuts and screws to storage containers. Even with the best organization, it can be difficult to find a particular piece of hardware.

If you are doing any home improvements in your kitchen, ensure you shut off the gas in your home before you begin. It is also important to exercise extreme care in these circumstances. You do not want to start a fire or get hurt during the course of your project.

TIP! Safety must be your number one priority when you undertake home improvement projects. Risk is always involved in improvement projects to some degree, so make sure you understand how to use your power tools safely and never be afraid to ask someone for help if you are confused.

Ask for references from any contractor you hire. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You should probably search their background very thoroughly, and ensure that others who have worked with them are happy with their work.

TIP! Install a shower if you don?t already have one on the premises. Not only are showers more accessible than bathtubs, you can also save much more water by using them, especially if your family is large.

Use a floor lamp in place of table lamps to free up space on your end tables and night stands. Floor lamps could be moved around, on the other hand, table lamps use a lot of table space. Pick a lamp you like the design of.

TIP! If you think the front of your home lacks style or character, think about buying a pergola and installing it. This is popular and gives your home a natural look.

Before painting your home?s walls, thoroughly clean them. That helps the paint to stick to the walls that much more, and will help you avoid the hassle of frequent touch-ups or more coats of paint.

TIP! Add fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit to your kitchen. Your kitchen will come to life with a beautiful flower arrangement or a generous bowl of fresh fruit.

It?s important to keep your contractors on a reasonable timeline. A contractor may have his own reasons for rushing a project. Some contractors work as quickly as they can so they can start working on something else. On the other hand, they may stay late and charge you overtime unnecessarily.

TIP! When people look at homes, the number of bathrooms plays a major role in determining how they feel about the house. Bathrooms contribute to property value.

One of the most cost efficient improvements that you can make in your home is replacing old leaky windows with well insulated new ones. Those who install this type of window will be handsomely rewarded.

TIP! Making your tile floors a source of heat is easier and less expensive than you might think. If you are considering replacing existing floors with tile anyway, ask about putting in radiant heat.

Maintaining your flexibility is quite important when you?re doing home improvement work. Sometimes, you will realize that a job will take more time than anticipated. Although it?s important to set a budget for home improvement work, you should also be prepared for surprise expenses. Flexibility is key to dealing with these issues as they arise.

TIP! How will you clean up? Home improvement projects which involves demolition will produce debris. To ensure this debris doesn?t impede your work, decide how you?re going to discard it before even beginning the project.

If you loathe cleaning out the gutters on your house, try putting in screens to protect them. Water will drain from your gutters when they are unobstructed by leaves and debris. Also, these screens and guards can help you when you are cleaning the exterior of your home.

TIP! You must not rush through demolition before you start your renovation. You might be tempted to pull out existing fixtures quickly so you can get to the installation of new ones.

Home improvement projects are quite popular for many reasons. There is always something that could use some fixing in a home. Find great ways to improve your home by implementing the tips mentioned in this article.

Source: http://www.floorkitchenbath.com/home-improvement-with-a-pocketful-of-tips-2/

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Mexico's navy vice admiral killed in ambush, authorities say

MORELIA (Mexico): A Mexican vice admiral was killed on Sunday in an ambush on a rural road in the western state of Michoacan, where the president has sent military forces to regain control of areas dominated by waring drug gangs.

Assailants armed with high-caliber rifles killed Vice Admiral Carlos Salazar, who commanded the naval base at the Pacific beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, along with another officer, the navy said in a statement.

The men were attacked after they were diverted onto a country road from a major highway running between the state capital of Michoacan and Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state that is home to Puerto Vallarta.

Local media reported a group of demonstrators had blocked the highway. Michoacan has seen a surge of protests and armed vigilante groups that have risen up this year, claiming authorities are failing to stop gang violence and extortion.

President Enrique Pena Nieto admitted late Thursday that organized crime controlled areas of Michoacan, but he pledged to restore order in the same state were his predecessor Felipe Calderon launched his military campaign against drug gangs.

Hundreds of federal troops have poured into Michoacan since last week, joining forces that Pena Nieto has deployed there. In May, he put a general in charge of all police and military operations in the state.

Pena Nieto took office in December promising to reduce violent crime after Calderon spent six years struggling to contain rampant drug-related violence that has claimed more than 70,000 lives since 2007.

Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/c/33039/f/533965/s/2f446541/sc/8/l/0Ltimesofindia0Bindiatimes0N0Cworld0Crest0Eof0Eworld0CMexicos0Enavy0Evice0Eadmiral0Ekilled0Ein0Eambush0Eauthorities0Esay0Carticleshow0C214413790Bcms/story01.htm

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Princesses in north India win a king's fortune

NEW DELHI -- It has all the makings of a best-selling novel. An Indian maharaja crowned as a toddler and rich beyond imagination falls into a deep depression in old age after losing his only son.

After his own death a few months later, his daughters, the princesses, don't get the palaces, gold and vast lands they claim as their birthright. Instead, they are given a few dollars a month from palace officials they accuse of scheming to usurp the royal billions with a forged will. The fight rages for decades.

On Saturday, an Indian court brought this chapter to a close, ruling that the will of Maharaja Harinder Singh Brar of Faridkot was fabricated.

His daughters will now inherit the estimated $4 billion estate, instead of a trust run by his former servants and palace officials.

Chief judicial magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma, in the northern city of Chandigarh, finally gave his ruling on the case filed by the maharaja's eldest daughter, Amrit Kaur, in 1992, a court official said Monday. The court official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Faridkot riches were legend in India's Punjab state.

The estate includes a 350-year-old fort, palaces and forests lands in Faridkot, a mansion surrounded by acres of land in the heart of India's capital New Delhi and similar properties spread across four states. There is also a stable of 18 cars including a Rolls Royce, a Daimler and a Bentley, all in running condition.

In addition, there is an aerodrome in Faridkot, spread over 200 acres, which is being used by the Punjab state administration and the army.

And more than 10 billion rupees ($170 million) worth of gold, jewelry studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds.

Brar himself was a boy-king who grew up amid the final gasps of India's royal families. He was crowned maharaja of the tiny kingdom of Faridkot in western Punjab ? the last maharaja it would turn out ? at the age of three, upon his father's death.

After India won independence from Britain in 1947, Faridkot and hundreds of other small kingdoms were absorbed into the country, royal titles and power were abolished and the royal families were given a fixed salary from the Indian government. That payment, the "privy purse," was abolished in 1971.

Some royals slipped into penury, some converted their former palaces into luxury hotels to provide them an income.

A few, like Brar, held onto their enormously profitable real estate and continued to live a rarefied life.

But in 1981, Brar's only son, Tikka Harmohinder Singh, was killed in a road accident and he tumbled into a deep depression. It was then, his three daughters' argued, that his trusted aides connived to deprive his family of their fortune. They set up the Meharawal Khewaji Trust, naming all the maharaja's servants, officials and lawyers as trustees.

A short time after Brar's death in 1989, a will leaving all his wealth to the trust became public. The two younger princesses, Deepinder Kaur and Maheepinder Kaur, were given monthly salaries of $20 and $18 respectively. Brar's wife, mother and oldest daughter ? the presumed heir ? were cut off without a penny.

The trust told the court that Amrit Kaur had been shunned by her father for marrying against his wishes.

Kaur told the court that her father had never made a will and that she had remained with him till his death.

In the two decades that it has taken for the court to give its ruling, much has changed. The value of the estates has increased manifold. The New Delhi properties alone are worth about $350 million. One of his daughters, Maheepinder Kaur, died. Amrit and Deepinder are in their 80s.

The family's lawyer, Vikas Jain, told India's Financial Express newspaper that some of the fortune had been squandered away during the long case.

The trust is weighing a challenge to the Chandigarh court order in a higher court, news reports said Monday.

"The will was real and it was not forged. The trust, after going through the order in detail, could challenge it in an upper court," Ranjit Singh, a lawyer for the trust, was quoted as telling The Times of India newspaper.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/29/3528744/princesses-in-north-india-win.html

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U.S. coach Klinsmann banned for Gold Cup final

Jurgen Klinsmann was ejected in the 87th minute of Team USA's 3-1 semifinal victory over Honduras.

Nicholas Kamm /Getty Images

CHICAGO (AP) -- The U.S. soccer team will be missing a key figure for the Gold Cup final against Panama on Sunday: their coach.

Jurgen Klinsmann was suspended for one game Friday by CONCACAF's disciplinary committee, the result of his ejection in the 87th minute of a 3-1 victory over Honduras in the semifinals Wednesday. Klinsmann was dismissed "for showing dissent towards the referee by throwing the ball in a violent manner," the disciplinary committee found, and said FIFA rules require anyone ejected from a match to be suspended for the following game.

The decision cannot be appealed.

"I don't think it changes too much," U.S. captain DaMarcus Beasley said Friday. "It's always good to have him on the bench, but he'll give his wisdom before the game ... make sure we get off on the right foot. But it's not going to be the same not seeing his face on the sideline, giving us instructions when we need it and being the enthusiastic person that he is on the bench. Especially, when we score or he needs to tell us something if we need to change something."

Klinsmann was irate Wednesday after the referee failed to issue cards on a series of hard fouls against the Americans. He could be seen yelling and gesturing angrily in the direction of the referee, and was told to leave the field after he slammed a ball into the ground.

Klinsmann later apologized, saying he acted out of frustration.

"I was talking to the ref as well. There weren't any cards," Beasley said. "I got hit three, four times in somewhat the same sequence, and they didn't call anything but a foul. So I could understand his frustration. I was frustrated."

The Americans are seeking their fifth Gold Cup title. They also are looking to extend their record 10-game winning streak in all matches.

"This is what he lives and dies for," Eddie Johnson said. "This is the opportunity that American soccer has been wanting, to have a coach with such experience, who's played at the highest level and played on big teams and managed big players, to be in this position to help us get to where we're trying to go in American soccer."

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/si_soccer/~3/cSFgRczNt7o/

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Syrian troops capture historic mosque in central city of Homs amid fierce government offensive

DAMASCUS, Syria ? Syrian government forces captured a historic mosque in the central city of Homs on Saturday, expelling rebel forces who had been in control of the 13th century landmark for more than a year and dealing a symbolic blow to opposition forces.

State-run news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that troops took control of the Khalid Ibn al-Walid Mosque in the heavily disputed northern neighborhood of Khaldiyeh.

Syrian TV aired a report Saturday night with footage from inside the mosque, showing heavy damage and the tomb's dome knocked out. The footage showed debris strewn on the floor and a portion of the mosque appeared to have been burned.

The mosque, famous for its nine domes and two minarets, has been a symbol for rebels in the city that is known as "the capital of the revolution." On Monday, government troops shelled the mosque, damaging the tomb of Ibn al-Walid, a revered figure in Islam.

After capturing the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanon border last month, government troops launched an offensive on rebel-held areas in Homs, Syria's third largest city, late in June. They have been pushing into Khaldiyeh and other neighborhoods in the Old City that have been under opposition control since 2011.

A Homs-based activist who identified himself only by his nickname, Abu Bilal, for fear of government reprisals, said troops entered the mosque area from the east. He said regime forces now control more than 60 percent of Khaldiyeh.

"There are very fast developments in Khaldiyeh," Abu Bilal told The Associated Press via Skype. He said he had no further details from local rebel commanders.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy fighting around the mosque, saying the government troops are backed by members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group.

A journalist embedded with Syrian troops told the AP that a reporter for Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam television station was wounded near the mosque. A sniper's bullet struck the thigh of journalist Roa al-Ali, the journalist said, asking his name not be made public as he wasn't authorized to give information to other media outlets.

On top of its symbolic value, Homs is also a geographic lynchpin in Syria. The main highway from Damascus to the north as well as the coastal region, which is a stronghold of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, runs through Homs. Both rebels and the regime place a high strategic value on the city.

And although Assad's forces have been on the offensive in recent months, activists say the regime wants to capture the entirety of Homs to include it in a potential future Alawite state ? stretching from Homs to the coast ? where Assad could make his last stand if the civil war swings against him.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/world/217217651.html

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