Saturday, March 31, 2012

Afghan massacre: Bales case echoes for vets on hotline

Combat veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts share their experiences with PTSD, and their reaction to reports that Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly gunned down 17 Afghan civilians. Msnbc.com's Kari Huus reports.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

LOS ANGELES ? The young men who answer the phones at the National Veterans Foundation's?hotline for troubled veterans speak with an authority that comes from having faced down the same demons that plague their callers.

All are combat veterans, having served up to four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all have struggled with either PTSD or traumatic brain injury ? the signature wounds of these conflicts ? or both.


For them, the story of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians during his fourth combat deployment, triggers mixed emotions ? horror over the senseless rampage but also empathy for a soldier who, in their view, apparently was pushed beyond?the breaking point.?But their more immediate concern is the impact it may have on the troubled voices on the other end of the phone lines they answer each day.

"One of the biggest issues we have ? is the vets don?t get the jobs," said Apolonio Munoz III, 28, an Army veteran deployed during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 who works for the hotline while pursuing a social work degree. "[Employers] think they are whack-jobs and they?re all going to be cold-blooded killers, they?re going to come in and shoot up the place, which is not the situation."

Munoz and several other former soldiers who answer the hotline agreed to share with msnbc.com their thoughts on PTSD, the stresses of war and the news that Bales ? a 38-year-old soldier with a clean military record ? allegedly crept into an Afghan village at night on March 11 and slaughtered Afghan civilians, including women and children.

Their comments will likely presage parts of Bales' trial, in which the cumulative effects of combat deployments and the degree to which PTSD and TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be linked to violence will almost certainly play a role.

Bales, who has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder along with other charges, suffered a brain injury in Iraq but was not diagnosed as suffering from PTSD. His defense is expected to argue, however, that he suffered "diminished capacity" as a result of the injury and possibly undiagnosed PTSD. Bales, who is being held in detention at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has not yet entered a plea to the charges, but his civilian defense attorney, John Henry Browne, has indicated he expects to mount a vigorous defense based in part on his client?s mental state.

How staff Sgt. Bales lawyers are fighting for his life

Many experts also expect the defense to produce expert witnesses to testify about the effects on mental health of repeat combat deployments. But just as with PTSD and TBI, the record is incomplete, as the Iraq and Afghan conflicts mark the first time the U.S. has cycled soldiers in and out of combat so many times.

The latter issue resonates loudly with the former soldiers who answer the hot line.

"It?s an absolute tragedy, and it never should have happened," Cameron White, 31, who served two tours of duty in Iraq with the Marines before leaving the military and becoming a college student and anti-war activist, said of the massacre in Kandahar province. He said he believes the killing were "a byproduct of a failed policy that continues to put traumatized troops out on the battlefield when they shouldn?t be there."

'Yes, I killed Iraqis'
White said that his experiences in Iraq led him to believe that not even the most hardened soldier is immune to meltdown amid the repeated stresses of combat.

James Cheng / msnbc.com

Left to right, Rich Rudnick, Wendell Guillermo and Apolonio E. Mu?oz III work at the National Veterans Foundation in Los Angeles.

"I think when you say ? 'that?s not me' or ?that would never happen to me,' I think anybody that says that is just lying to themselves," he said. "? Something like that could happen to any one of us."

Another hot line operator, Freddy Cordova, 29, who served four tours in Iraq from 2003 to 2008, said the mental health evaluations he received between deployments were cursory at best.

In an evaluation after his first deployment, Cordova said he answered 'yes' to most of the combat-related questions: "Yes, I saw dead people. Yes, I saw dead Americans. Yes, I fired my weapon. Yes, I killed Iraqis. Yes, I killed the enemy."?

"I didn?t report that I was a threat to others, but I put that I would like to speak to somebody," he said. "What did the Army turn around to do? They just overlook it. Four months later, I?m in Iraq again."

Floyd "Shad" Meshad, founder and president of the National Veterans Foundation and a psychiatric social worker with 40 years' experience working with combat veterans, said he has repeatedly seen the effects to overexposure to the horrors of war.

"We know that soldiers, when they have seen too much combat, they will either implode ? in suicide ? or explode," he said. "The military just continues to send people back into combat like they were rifles, just kind of cleans them up and sends them back in. ? I don?t want to say that everybody flips out like this, but a significant number do."

James Cheng / msnbc.com

Floyd 'Shad' Meshad, founder and president of the nonprofit National Veterans Foundation.

Meshad started his career as an Army mental health officer in Vietnam and was instrumental in developing a national network of community-based Veteran Centers, offering counseling, referrals and readjustment assistance, beginning in the 1970s. He has served as an expert witness in about a dozen trials for veterans facing the death penalty, he said, and appeared in court for hundreds of others facing?lesser charges.

When?Bales was identified as the suspect in the Afghan killings, Meshad rushed the soldier's?defense team an advance copy of a new book published by NVF, "Attorney's Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court."

But he said he fears that politics -- including the need to appease the Afghan government -- may outweigh the role of mental health factors in the court's ruling on the Afghanistan slayings.

"They are going to cook Bales," he predicted.

But even the mention of PTSD and Bales in the same sentence worries Matthew Friedman, executive director of the National Center for PTSD under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"It will be a terrible thing if people with PTSD were painted with a Sgt. Bales paintbrush. It?s just not appropriate," said Friedman, who has been involved in research and treatment of PTSD for 35 years and is also a professor of psychiatry, toxicology and pharmacology at Dartmouth Medical School. "There is evidence that some people with PTSD may exhibit irritable or aggressive behavior at times. There?s no evidence that this kind of indiscriminate violence is a symptom of PTSD."

And he said that Bales? history before joining the military ? which included financial fraud and an assault case in Washington state ? signaled that he was a troubled individual.

Referrals and suicide intervention
The veterans working the NVF hot line have what most experts consider textbook cases of PTSD. They have struggled with anxiety, anger and hyper-vigilance brought home from the combat zone. For some, visiting a shopping mall is a daunting experience, as they find themselves constantly scanning for potential threats. Even as these men recover and pursue civilian jobs and studies, some yell in their sleep, dream about explosions or are startled by?loud noises or a glimpse of trash along the road that looks like an IED.

Most of the time, experts say, the damage from repeated exposure to combat plays out in insidious ways. It contributes to divorce and substance abuse, and takes a toll on the mental health of children. According to the Center for New American Security, 18 vets commit suicide every day.

The NVF hotline has been fielding between 11,000 and 12,000 calls a year over the last several years. Four or five a month come from veterans, or even soldiers still in service, who are dangerously depressed and threatening suicide, Meshad said.

Most others are from frustrated veterans and family members who need help navigating the complex VA benefits process, in need of legal assistance, substance abuse treatment or job training. NVF employees pride themselves in walking them?through every step,?and then following through if they encounter problems.

Each week, NVF staff does rounds in a van to check in on homeless veterans ? mostly older Vietnam era veterans who tend to cluster together in encampments after losing jobs and families to mental illness and addiction.

To these young veterans serving at NVF, the weekly workload highlights the need for more attention to the mental health of soldiers. In the case of the massacre in Afghanistan, they suggest, responsibility for that mental health lies with more than one individual.

"My reaction to Sergeant Bales ? was shock," said Jose Castro, an Army veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. "But, you know, when certain things are ignored about an individual soldier? and people are ? forced into situations that that aren?t healthy ? (that) ultimately can lead to something like this. It?s bound to happen."

"What do you expect for a guy who?s been deployed four times? Losing buddies, getting hurt, being in firefights and so forth," agreed Army veteran Wendell Guillermo, 26.? "And whether or not the military wants to acknowledge it? ? there is a breaking point."

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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Are you self employed and looking for health insurance? | Get Smart ...

Earlier this week we mentioned a new resource for self-employed people: TheSelfEmployed.com, hosted by USA Today columnist and small business expert, Steve Strauss. eHealthInsurance is sponsoring the Insurance tab there.

We got involved with TheSelfEmployed.com because newly self-employed people don?t always know where to turn for help and answers when it comes to health insurance.

Consider Sam, for example. ?Sam? posted a question on Yahoo Answers last week. He?s self employed and looking for health insurance that will cover both his wife and himself. They?re in their fifties and relatively healthy. What are their coverage options?

The eHealthInsurance reply was voted Best Answer:

Depending on how the rules work in your state, you may be eligible for a small business health insurance plan or an individual and family plan. The primary difference is that when purchasing the former you cannot be turned down based on your medical history. With an individual or family policy, you may be declined due to pre-existing conditions ? in most states.

That said, there are a lot of individual and family options to choose from. I?d recommend working with a licensed agent online or in your area. It doesn?t cost anything extra and can help you get quick quotes from multiple insurance companies at once. Then you can compare plans to find out which ones best suit your needs.

If you want to learn more, take a look at the health insurance buyer?s guide that we published just for self-employed persons and small business owners. It?s full of great info and tips.

You can also find some good self-employment resources online at TheSelfEmployed.com.

Best wishes.

Image by Flickr user DorkyMum

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Iraq anti-Qaeda fighter killed with wife, son

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Home Improvements ? No Loan Required | Articles Fancy

There are lots of ways to spruce up your home without asking for assistance from your local banker. Most people believe that in order to fix up their home, they will need to borrow money to do it; there are other ways. There are tons of improvements you can do that will cost very little. You do not need to spend a lot of money and time to manage a few small home improvements that will make a big difference. The following are a few instances of home facelifts that are within your budget.

Give your walls a good scrub. Most people do not think about washing their walls on a regular basis. After awhile, your walls will slowly build up a layer of grime that will give it a dirty look. The best way to wash your walls is to dilute some ammonia and then start scrubbing your walls. You should start the project on the upper parts of the walls and work your way to the bottom. It is indescribable what a difference a good wall scrubbing will make. Just make sure to wear thick rubber gloves so that you protect yourself from the cleaning solution and be sure to open the windows so that the room has proper ventilation.

For just a little bit of money, you can actually make your house look better by adding new blinds. Self installation of blinds is actually not that difficult ? just purchase some at a home improvement store and install them yourself. Just go to your home improvement store, pick up your blinds (and get a screwdriver and drill if you don?t have one) and start your project whenever you want. Once your project is completed, you will see how much better the rooms appear and you will have spent very little money.

Getting new appliances is another option. Home appliances are one of the easiest ways that you can improve your home?s appearance; go to a home improvement store and get what is on sale today. Insurance policies and warranties come with brand-new appliances which makes it worthwhile to make the investment. You can even get free delivery and installation depending upon the appliance that you buy. It is possible to improve the interior of your home by replacing things like a sink or a refrigerator during You will save energy when you use new appliances which makes it a great decision to replace them in the first place.

Most times, you will not need to take out a loan to give your home a bit of a facelift. You can save a bunch of money in the long run when you are observant of the various tasks around the house that can be taken care of by yourself, instead of hiring the job out. If you decide to start a project that might be a little more than you think you can handle; do not hesitate to contact a specialist. Have a good time and enjoy.

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Frequent Signs of Breast Cancer by ezineArticlesNow.com

The don?t have of knowledge tends to make cancer treatments hard because the disease should go unseen till this reaches an superior period. When breast cancer methods are completed at initial phases of the cancer, the probabilities of total cure less difficult higher. Below are a few of the signs in which one probably know of:

* Mounds ? Breast cancer doctors say that will although lumps are generally the most popular and also acknowledged signs of breast cancer, females usually don?t succeed to recognize these. A large is actually a kind of thickening one may feel around the breast as well as in the underarm. They?re extremely small, pea-sized and are generally pain-free. Nevertheless one may sense several ache as well as irritability. This kind of mounds can be easily noticed through a mammogram.

* Alter in breasts size- Alterations in breast size is an additional symptom of cancer. Whether or not the breasts size will improve or perhaps decrease will differ from ladies to women. A number of girls knowledge an enhance in their busts dimensions and a few other people find their particular busts measurement minimizing. This variation is often not really obvious till the size changed a good deal.

* Change in color along with texture- Breast cancer may in addition cause an alter in color along with texture of the chest. One may observe a marble-like area below the skin. A few regions of the busts may perhaps fluctuate drastically from the areas of the chest. The skin of the chest may in addition turn pink or red in color. In circumstance of scarring, the skin may additionally actually change orange. A few cancers can?t be noticed or even experienced. In this sort of situations, indent or even flattening of breasts will be a positive symptom.

* Modifications in nipple- One of the earliest signs of breast cancer is the fact that one may discover some modifications in his or her nipples. The areola may get pushed back to the inside high may always be a dimpled appear. Presently there may also be soreness along with moderate pain together with redness of the nipple. Paget?s disease, a local can be recognized by signs and symptoms like itchiness, scaling of the breast along with ulceration. Launch of obvious fluid or perhaps body can also be a frequent sign of breast cancer.

Cancer doctors say the factors for this kind of disease are many and also varied. Way of life and environment factors are usually two primary aspects in which enjoy a huge position. Heavy consumption of alcohol and also red meats, lustrous breasts and being overweight along with air pollution, as well as food toxins increases the chance of cancer. Aside from these types of, loved ones history can also be essential.

For more info, visit breast cancer as well as breast cancer symptoms


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Divorce And Domestic Violence: Is Domestic Violence Entirely ...

The time period domestic violence is usually subject to many misunderstandings. Because of from the dearth of clarity of what the phrase actually indicates that, some victims are misled inside their search and attempt to very own their abuser delivered to justice. As a result it is really important to perceive the all aspects coated by domestic violence.
Civil harassment refers into a state of affairs when one particular person annoys, harasses, injures, or threatens yet another human being. You will find many types of civil harassment, domestic violence staying one of those groups. But, domestic violence conditions are incredibly exclusive and vary from civil harassment conditions on account of in the backlink concerning the aggressor along with the abuser, and as a result of on the diverse sorts of domestic violence.
1st, domestic violence is different from other sorts of civil harassment due to existing romance between the sufferer and his/her aggressor. A civil harassment case will be thought-about a domestic violence circumstance should the 2 events are at present married now or were previously married to at least just one yet another, or if the events share a blood partnership, or even the two parties are or have been residing with each other, or if the 2 parties use a small child in typical. If a scenario isn?t going to meet this criterion, it could not be thought-about as a straightforward civil harassment case. Extra, numerous periods the injury caused by one human being from the opposite is usually larger than in other sorts of civil harassment due to of the interpersonal relationships involved.
Domestic violence handles a huge array of abuses. This thought is just not only restrained to true bodily abuse, but it really will on top of that covers any kind of psychological abuse, threatening phone calls, disturbances at the spot of employment on the victim, stalking. Courts several occasions just take under consideration any forms of dominance and handle more than the sufferer. As a result of of this diversity, treatments to halt or prevent supplemental domestic violence might be unique than remedies utilized inside of a civil harassment circumstance.
Domestic violence is pervasive and has plagued lots of layers on the society. Some reports reveal that there?s fully no correlation concerning education and learning level and domestic violence. There may be conjointly no correlation with race or faith.
It is important to learn the way to spot a circumstance of domestic violence. If you suspect you are a sufferer of civil harassment or domestic violence you?d be smart to check with an attorney inside your space to assist you understand the place you stand legally and what your authorized decisions are with regard for the guidelines within your area?Kobe Shoes relating to ?Foamposites 2012 domestic violence and civil harassment.

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Richard (RJ) Eskow: The Bowles-Simpson Medicine Show Is Back in Town

When millions of dollars are being pumped into Washington by anti-government and anti-tax ideologues, you're bound to find Democrats willing to play along. And when your Washington press corps can't be bothered to get even the smallest details right -- well, that must mean the Bowles-Simpson Medicine Show is back in town.

It's here, folks. Journalists are still cooing over a failed proposal they're calling "moderate" and "centrist," based on the radical and unpopular plan put forward by two individuals named Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles.

Another budget, one that's both economically sound and more politically popular, was summarily dismissed by the same media as "partisan" and extreme.

All the News That Fits

Republican Steve LaTourette and Democrat Jim Cooper introduced a proposal based on the Bowles-Simpson assault on the middle class. It was promptly celebrated by the press as the "responsible" deficit-cutting alternative to the radical right-wing Ryan budget -- even though it's not responsible and doesn't cut the deficit (not that deficits should be our national obsessions during this time of crisis).

By contrast, the budget proposed by the Congressional Budget Caucus did reduce the deficit, and in a way that suited the preferences of most voters -- Republican as well as Democratic, Tea Party as well as Occupiers.

It was promptly dismissed by both journalists and the Washington elite.

Accuracy Optional

Your press corps can't even get the most basic details right: The Deficit Commission headed by Simpson and Bowles failed to agree on a set of recommendations. So Simpson and Bowles put out their own personal plan, based on ideas developed at the behest of anti-government ideologues like billionaire Pete Peterson.

Their ideas were rejected by members of the Deficit Commission, but a lot of journalists covering the budget don't seem to know that. Take a look:

Associated Press, March 28: "The bipartisan measure, patterned on a plan by President Barack Obama's 2010 deficit commission ... "

Alan Fram, Businessweek, March 29: "The measure was modeled roughly on a package produced by Obama's deficit-reduction commission."

Erik Wasson, The Hill, March 29: " a bipartisan budget plan based on the approach of President Obama's fiscal commission ..."

Andrew Taylor, Associated Press, March : "The bipartisan measure rejected Wednesday was patterned on a plan by President Barack Obama's 2010 deficit commission ..."

Ed O'Keefe, Washington Post, March 27: "... the House could vote this week for the first time on a bipartisan deficit-cutting plan, modeled on the suggestions of a presidential commission ... "

There's more, but you get the idea.

Why does this matter? Because it tells you whether what you're reading was written by a journalist who cares about the facts and gets them right. And it matters because the myth-makers and propagandists pushing the anti-government austerity agenda want Americans to believe that this controversial and radical proposal represents the consensus view of a bipartisan commission -- and mainstream political opinion.

It does neither.

A Radical Plan

Bloomberg's Mr. Fram compounds his errors in the typical fashion by saying that the LaTourette/Cooper bill, based on Bowles-Simpson, was a "compromise, bipartisan deficit-cutting plan by moderates of both parties that mingled tax increases with spending cuts."

Like Mr. Fram, a great many journalists have been trained or programmed into calling the Bowles-Simpson policy package "bipartisan" and "moderate." The Post's pre-vote headline even read "bipartisan bill appears headed for defeat" -- a defeat that, as Ezra Klein satisfyingly points out, was truly bipartisan.

Moderate? Make no mistake: This is a radical plan that sharply cuts financial security for the elderly, guts other vital government programs, and -- perhaps most radically of all -- lowers taxes on the wealthy while raising them for everyone else. It's even more radical than the Bowles-Simpson proposal. As Michael Linden and James Horney both noted, it takes Bowles-Simpson's already-unacceptable 2:1 ratio of spending cuts to tax increases and hikes it to 7:1.

Those two self-promoting reprobates, Bowles and Simpson, were nevertheless happy to endorse anything with their names on it -- even if that meant omitting the fact that this proposal was even more right-wing.

(Daniel Marans has more on the radicalism of the Bowles-Simpson plan here.)

Outside the Political Mainstream

The Bowles-Simpson plan is enormously unpopular among voters across the political spectrum. Members of all political parties and people across the political spectrum -- including 76 percent of Tea Partiers -- oppose cutting Medicare or Social Security to balance the budget. That hasn't changed in the two years since Simpson and Bowles introduced their own plan and only six percent of the electorate shared their priorities.

Voters also strongly prefer the exact opposite to the tax policy proposed here. They want tax hikes for millionaires to cover shortfalls in entitlements and other government programs that benefit the middle class.

Tax Hikes for the 99%, Tax Cuts for the 1%

Instead the LaTourette/Cooper proposal, like Bowles-Simpson, eliminates "tax breaks." One of the biggest "breaks" is the home mortgage deduction. Without it millions of additional homeowners would go into foreclosure, and the already-struggled middle class would be devastated once again. LaTourette and Cooper also explicitly planned to tax employer health insurance, leaving millions of working Americans even harder-hit over medical costs.

At the same time the wealthiest among us would have enjoyed a tax cut -- of somewhere between 23 and 29 percent. That means somewhere between 17 to 34 percent less than they're paying with their Bush tax cuts! Sure, those deductions might be eliminated for them, too -- but most of these deductions affect a much smaller percentage of their income.

The LaTourette/Cooper proposal compounded this tax assault on the middle class by linking tax bracket changes to the so-called "chained CPI," meaning that people who aren't already in the top bracket will find themselves moving up -- and being taxed at a higher rate -- much more quickly.

The Pitchman's Secret

The plan radically restructures Social Security and cuts benefits for middle-class varieties in a number of ways (including the "chained CPI" trick). It also raises the retirement age even more than the currently scheduled increases would do.

It's not surprising that the radical far-right Concord Coalition endorsed the bill, since it is as extremist as the Coalition itself -- and as far out of the political mainstream. And it's equally unsurprising that the nonpartisan Americans for Tax Reform rejected it, noting that it represents a radical blend of tax increass and benefit cuts for the middle class in order to bestow further privilege on the wealthiest among us.

Meanwhile the House Progressive Caucus budget, which includes all the provisions that most voters want -- and which most savvy economists agree would be wise. Predictably, it wasn't described by a single media outlet as "moderate," "sensible," "politically popular" or "pragmatic."

Nothing ever changes down at the Medicine Show. As soon as one pitch ends, another begins. So this ain't over, folks, because every good medicine-show pitchman knows: You gotta keep on offering the crowd that "grand bargain" until you wear 'em down and they buy it.

_______________

Richard (RJ) Eskow, a consultant and writer (and former insurance/finance executive), is a Senior Fellow with the Campaign for America's Future and the host of The Breakdown, broadcast Saturdays nights from 7-9 p.m. on WeAct Radio, AM 1480 in Washington, D.C.

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Follow Richard (RJ) Eskow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rjeskow

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/bowles-simpson-rejected_b_1390019.html

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'True Story' Movie -- New Regency To Finance Film About Disgraced ...

Mike Fleming

James Franco True StoryJonah Hill True StoryEXCLUSIVE: New Regency has made a deal to fully finance True Story. That is the Rupert Goold-directed adaptation of a memoir by Michael Finkel, a disgraced New York Times journalist who discovered that an accused murderer had stolen his identity. Once caught, the fugitive would only talk to the journalist. Jonah Hill is playing Finkel and James Franco is set to play Christian Longo, who was captured in Mexico after rising near the top of the FBI Ten Most Wanted List for allegedly killing his family. Production will begin in July and Fox will distribute. Dave Kajganich wrote the script.

True Story MoviePlan B?s Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt will produce with New Regency. It?s a fascinating and bizarre true story. Finkel was a writer at The New York Times Magazine in 2002 when he learned of Longo?s capture and that the accused killer had taken the journo?s name. The very next day, the real Finkel was fired by Times editors, right after they ran an editor?s note declaring that he had falsified parts of an investigative article. His career seemingly over, Finkel was given a shot at some redemption when Longo declared that Finkel was the only journalist he would talk to. That led to a surreal relationship with the accused murderer, who was trying to declare his innocence. Unraveling the mystery was a chance for Finkel to salvage something of his career.

The deal gives the reconstituted New Regency another star-driven project. Among other projects, the producer-financier teamed with Paramount has closed its deal with Russell Crowe to star in Darren Aronofsky?s Noah for a July 23 start and Regency also has Pitt committed to star in The Gray Man, the James Gray-directed adaptation of the Mark Greaney thriller novel that is expected to start production later this year or early next.

Get the latest Industry news sent straight to your Wall.

Source: http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/new-regency-to-finance-true-story-with-jonah-hill-and-james-franco/

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Hosting Points, Starting A Website | The Web Hosting Web site, just ...

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1 important element to be aware of we have found, the main process will be you?re going to get precisely what you pay for! Reasonably a lot of amazing properties ship to suprisingly low costs will surely appear too good actually, and they will need a ton of investigation just before even thinking about looking for them.

Thus, it?s commended that you just conduct a lot more examination on these internet hosting companies and understand much more regarding their distinct services and particularly their client and technical support. This could be quickly achieved by doing internet search engine investigation along with by using the various web page hosting connected community forums and requesting a number of specifics about they all.

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Currently, a concise statement with regards to those who find themselves associated with internet marketing ? you may be having specific demands which a very few website hosting companies probably will not enable. Several web site hosts won ever before enable a number of special texts for being applied for their world wide web servers, this means you ought to validate regardless of whether these kinds of pieces of software could be stepped on online website hosting organization hosting server prior to buying an online web hosting service offer at their store.

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Source: http://webhosting2000.net/hosting-points-starting-a-website/73/

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Schools, jobs seen key to prevent repeat of English riots

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Goldman weighs leadership change, strikes union deal

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"Dancing With the Stars" results show down, CBS wins night

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dancing-stars-results-show-down-cbs-wins-night-173445522.html

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Syria accepts UN envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-accepts-un-envoy-kofi-annans-peace-plan-102534209.html

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Android Central weekly photo contest: Flowers

Flowers, Blaze 4G

It's springtime here at the Android Central offices, that means longer days, warmer temps, and a nice change in the scenery. Winter has past, and things are looking mighty floral. And let's be honest, everyone can see the beauty in a flower -- even a neckbeard. I know I can't be the only one, so I want to see who is with me. Grab your phone or tablet, and snap me a picture of some flowers from your yard or garden. Or even your coffee table -- we won't discriminate against flowers of the silk variety. Will pick out the best one, and send the winner a case of their choice from ShopAndroid. The rules are simple:

  • Use an Android device to take the picture.
  • Send it to pics@androidcentral.com, along with a name we can use and the model of Android you used to take it. We like knowing this kind of stuff.
  • If you send in more than one, or send me a link instead of an attachment, your entry gets filed in the trash folder, so don't do it. I hate it when I have to do that.
  • Get me the pictures before the end of the night on Friday.

The rain took my cherry blossoms. Console me with something beautiful from your neck of the woods.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/7oWm93CteYc/story01.htm

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Microchipped school uniforms notify parents when kids skip school

The future of truancy?

In Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil, 20,000 grade school students have recently started wearing uniforms embedded with GPS chips similar to those used in pet trackers. The chips automatically send parents a text message as soon as their children enter the school grounds, or if their children are late for more than 20 minutes.

The microchip is embedded either under the school's coat of arms or in one of the sleeves. According to the city's education secretary Coriolano Moraes, the local government decided to launch the project because parents "would always be surprised when told of the number times their children skipped class."

Vitoria da Conquista's government has spent $670,000 designing and manufacturing shirts for the first 20,000 students. City officials plan to make more so that all 43,000 public school students in the city from ages 4 to 14 can use the high-tech shirts in 2013.

[Image credit: William Murphy]

(Source)

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/microchipped-school-uniforms-notify-parents-kids-skip-school-180844977.html

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HTC Signs Patent Deal With Intertrust, Takes 20% In SyncTV Subsidiary For Streaming Services

htc-logoAnother development in the evolving mobile patent game: HTC today becomes the latest Android handset maker to join forces with Intertrust Technologies Corporation to license the company's patents, largely around digital rights management. Others that have agreements with Intertrust include Samsung, Motorola and Huawei. At the same time, HTC has taken a 20 percent stake in SyncTV, a subsidiary of Intertrust, for an undisclosed value. SyncTV is a cloud-based video service that works on a number of platforms, including Android, Windows Phone, Xbox, iOS and Internet-enabled televisions.

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

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

AP Enterprise: Vegas rail: a gamble or good thing?

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (AP) ? On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

Privately held DesertXpress is on the verge of landing a $4.9 billion loan from the Obama administration to build the 150 mph train, which could be a lifeline for a region devastated by the housing crash or a crap shoot for taxpayers weary of Washington spending.

The vast park-and-ride project hinges on the untested idea that car-loving Californians will drive about 100 miles from the Los Angeles area, pull off busy Interstate 15 and board a train for the final leg to the famous Strip.

Planners imagine that millions of travelers a year will one day flock to a station outside down-on-its-luck Victorville, a small city where shuttered storefronts pock the historic downtown.

An alliance of business and political rainmakers from The Strip to Capitol Hill is backing the project that could become the first high-speed system to break ground under President Barack Obama's push to modernize the U.S. rail network ? and give the Democratic president's re-election prospects a lift in battleground Nevada.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has publicly blessed the train ? it means jobs, he says ? and it's cleared several regulatory hurdles in Washington.

Yet even as the Federal Railroad Administration considers awarding what would be, by far, the largest loan of its type, its own research warns it's difficult to predict how many people will ride the train, a critical measure of financial survival, an Associated Press review found.

There are other skeptics, as well.

"It's insanity," says Thomas Finkbiner of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver. "People won't drive to a train to go someplace. If you are going to drive, why not drive all the way and leave when you want?"

Construction cost projections have soared to as much as $6.5 billion, not including interest on the loan. Some fear taxpayer subsidies are inevitable.

Reid and other supporters point to research that shows 80,000 new jobs, but FRA documents show virtually all those would be temporary ? no more than 722 would be permanent.

Victorville Mayor Ryan McEachron envisions a bustling transportation oasis with a hotel, restaurants, maybe even homes, on the proposed station site. He believes drivers can be enticed out of their cars, even in a region where the notion of rail travel can seem as distant as a New York subway.

The company is "going to have to market and market hard in order to get the ridership they need to support paying back the loan," the mayor says. "I think you can change the thinking."

Along with Reid, the president's most influential Democratic ally in Congress, the plan is being advanced by casino developer and contractor Anthony Marnell II, whose credits include building the Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas and who heads Marnell Companies, the majority shareholder in DesertXpress; project consultant Sig Rogich, a Republican adviser to two presidential campaigns who founded Nevada's most influential lobbying and advertising company; and Canadian transportation giant Bombardier, a DesertXpress strategic adviser that wants to supply its rail cars.

A decision on the loan is not expected until mid-year, but the company has spent some $30 million sharpening its plan and refining ridership projections. Rising gas prices and increasing traffic congestion could help ticket sales, and the company is touting reduced air pollution from fewer cars on the road.

"It's Victorville that makes the project work," says chief executive Andrew Mack.

Far from being a train from nowhere, company planners see the struggling city of 115,000, once a stop on storied Route 66, as a collection point for millions of drivers heading north to Las Vegas. Bringing the line deeper into the populous Los Angeles area would raise formidable challenges, Mack said, from crossing numerous freeways to finding space for track.

The lot now stippled with spindly creosote bushes has room for 15,000 parking spaces. Bags would be checked through to hotel rooms. At peak hours, trains would depart every 20 minutes. Mack says an average round-trip fare could be as low as $75, though documents estimate $100.

Mack says the train will deliver convenience ? and for a price, luxury ? that studies show passengers want.

DesertXpress officials once boasted they would build the line with private dollars, but they now plan to rely on FRA financing to cover the bulk of the cost. Mack didn't directly answer if the company turned to the FRA because private investors were unwilling to take the risk, but said the loan terms are attractive.

"When somebody comes and tells me I will build a system that pays for itself, I'm suspicious," said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, which questioned ridership potential in a report last year. "There is no high-speed rail system in the world that operates without subsidies."

The company is still arranging as much as $1.6 billion needed to cover its share of the construction bill for the roughly 200-mile line. Investments could hinge on the loan approval, which requires the company to convince the FRA that taxpayers won't get stiffed. In a worst-case scenario, the train would become government property if the company fails.

The low-interest loan would be about three times the combined amount the FRA loaned 32 other projects through the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program since its inception in 2002.

If successful, the train could be a forerunner in a national high-speed rail network, while bringing a rich return for investors and delivering visitors to Vegas. It would also give Nevada residents an option to Southern California, albeit many miles from tourist hotspots like Hollywood or the beaches.

The company is seeking funds at a time when a proposed high-speed train running from San Francisco to Southern California has been questioned because of ballooning costs and fear it will sap taxpayer dollars.

Early company research projected the train would lure away nearly one in four car, bus and airline travelers, initially about 4 million people annually. The company now pegs first-year ridership at about 3 million, but that projection was trimmed to 2.5 million by government analysts who urged more study.

The risks are summarized in a 2007 study commissioned by ACS Infrastructure North America, a division of a global construction company that DesertXpress says is seeking a role in the project, that found most travelers were "broadly happy" going to Las Vegas by car or airline. While most travelers would be open to riding a train, the report warned the company would need to lure riders with pampering.

On clear roads, the 270-mile drive from downtown Los Angeles to Las Vegas takes about four hours. Planners say the train ride from Victorville to Las Vegas would take about 80 minutes, but it's debatable how much time would be saved after parking, boarding the train and reaching a Las Vegas hotel.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas can be booked for under $100.

The dream of uniting Southern California and Las Vegas by high-speed rail has been discussed for decades. In the mid-1980s, Las Vegas officials predicted a line would be running by 2000. DesertXpress, which would roughly parallel Interstate-15 on a pair of new tracks, has predicted for several years that it would soon break ground.

Reid initially backed a rival project that planned to use magnetic power to reach Orange County, but he jumped trains shortly after Rogich became co-chair of Republicans for Reid, a Nevada group with ties to the gambling industry that helped Reid win re-election in 2010.

The senator's office disputes any connection between his flip and Rogich's involvement in the campaign. Spokeswoman Kristen Orthman says Reid's decision was based on the viability of DesertXpress, while the magnetically powered project languished.

Marnell, another member of Republicans for Reid, is president of one of several companies under the DesertXpress corporate banner. He and his son, M Resort, Spa and Casino President Anthony Marnell III, are also investors.

Federal records show the elder Marnell has donated at least $15,000 to political committees connected to Reid since 2010, including a $5,000 donation in May to the senator's Searchlight Leadership Fund.

According to federal records, the company has spent at least $270,000 since 2006 lobbying at the House, Senate and federal offices.

Other investors include North Dakota businessman Gary Tharaldson, who donated $10,000 to a Reid committee in March, and transportation expert Tom Stone, who organized DesertXpress with partner Mack in 2005.

Nevada records show DesertXpress HRS Corp., headed by the elder Marnell with his son as a director, was authorized to issue 25,000 shares of stock. DesertXpress declined to say who held those shares, if issued, and in what amounts.

Not everyone in the high desert is on board with the project.

Thirty miles northeast of Victorville on I-15, officials in Barstow fear they'll lose 2,300 jobs. The impact will be "unsustainable," Mayor Joe Gomez wrote to LaHood in October 2010, according to a letter released under a public records request.

To appease those concerns, McEachron said the station's proposed location was moved about halfway to Barstow. The patch of vacant land is so remote the city would have to annex it.

___

Follow Michael R. Blood at http://twitter.com/MichaelRBloodAP .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-enterprise-vegas-rail-gamble-good-thing-164704788.html

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