martinlukasesd

martinlukasesd

Abstinence-only education does not lead to abstinent behavior, UGA researchers find

Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Kathrin Stanger-Hall
lamyrids@gmail.com
706-542-1689
University of Georgia

States that prescribe abstinence-only sex education programs in public schools have significantly higher teenage pregnancy and birth rates than states with more comprehensive sex education programs, researchers from the University of Georgia have determined.

The researchers looked at teen pregnancy and birth data from 48 U.S. states to evaluate the effectiveness of those states' approaches to sex education, as prescribed by local laws and policies.

"Our analysis adds to the overwhelming evidence indicating that abstinence-only education does not reduce teen pregnancy rates," said Kathrin Stanger-Hall, assistant professor of plant biology and biological sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Hall is first author on the resulting paper, which has been published online in the journal PLoS ONE.

The study is the first large-scale evidence that the type of sex education provided in public schools has a significant effect on teen pregnancy rates, Hall said.

"This clearly shows that prescribed abstinence-only education in public schools does not lead to abstinent behavior," said David Hall, second author and assistant professor of genetics in the Franklin College. "It may even contribute to the high teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. compared to other industrialized countries."

Along with teen pregnancy rates and sex education methods, Hall and Stanger-Hall looked at the influence of socioeconomic status, education level, access to Medicaid waivers and ethnicity of each state's teen population.

Even when accounting for these factors, which could potentially impact teen pregnancy rates, the significant relationship between sex education methods and teen pregnancy remained: the more strongly abstinence education is emphasized in state laws and policies, the higher the average teenage pregnancy and birth rates.

"Because correlation does not imply causation, our analysis cannot demonstrate that emphasizing abstinence causes increased teen pregnancy. However, if abstinence education reduced teen pregnancy as proponents claim, the correlation would be in the opposite direction," said Stanger-Hall.

The paper indicates that states with the lowest teen pregnancy rates were those that prescribed comprehensive sex and/or HIV education, covering abstinence alongside proper contraception and condom use. States whose laws stressed the teaching of abstinence until marriage were significantly less successful in preventing teen pregnancies.

These results come at an important time for legislators. A new evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative was signed into federal law in December 2009 and awarded $114 million for implementation. However, federal abstinence-only funding was renewed for 2010 and beyond by including $250 million of mandatory abstinence-only funding as part of an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee's health-reform legislation.

With two types of federal funding programs available, legislators of individual states now have the opportunity to decide which type of sex education -- and which funding option -- to choose for their state and possibly reconsider their state's sex education policies for public schools, while pursuing the ultimate goal of reducing teen pregnancy rates.

Stanger-Hall and Hall conducted this large-scale analysis to provide scientific evidence to inform this decision.

"Advocates for continued abstinence-only education need to ask themselves: If teens don't learn about human reproduction, including safe sexual health practices to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as how to plan their reproductive adult life in school, then when should they learn it and from whom?" said Stanger-Hall.

###

The full article is available online at http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0024658;jsessionid=7E5D4CFA54B7D9BD98BC2432D43AD046.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Abstinence-only education does not lead to abstinent behavior, UGA researchers find Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kathrin Stanger-Hall
lamyrids@gmail.com
706-542-1689
University of Georgia

States that prescribe abstinence-only sex education programs in public schools have significantly higher teenage pregnancy and birth rates than states with more comprehensive sex education programs, researchers from the University of Georgia have determined.

The researchers looked at teen pregnancy and birth data from 48 U.S. states to evaluate the effectiveness of those states' approaches to sex education, as prescribed by local laws and policies.

"Our analysis adds to the overwhelming evidence indicating that abstinence-only education does not reduce teen pregnancy rates," said Kathrin Stanger-Hall, assistant professor of plant biology and biological sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Hall is first author on the resulting paper, which has been published online in the journal PLoS ONE.

The study is the first large-scale evidence that the type of sex education provided in public schools has a significant effect on teen pregnancy rates, Hall said.

"This clearly shows that prescribed abstinence-only education in public schools does not lead to abstinent behavior," said David Hall, second author and assistant professor of genetics in the Franklin College. "It may even contribute to the high teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. compared to other industrialized countries."

Along with teen pregnancy rates and sex education methods, Hall and Stanger-Hall looked at the influence of socioeconomic status, education level, access to Medicaid waivers and ethnicity of each state's teen population.

Even when accounting for these factors, which could potentially impact teen pregnancy rates, the significant relationship between sex education methods and teen pregnancy remained: the more strongly abstinence education is emphasized in state laws and policies, the higher the average teenage pregnancy and birth rates.

"Because correlation does not imply causation, our analysis cannot demonstrate that emphasizing abstinence causes increased teen pregnancy. However, if abstinence education reduced teen pregnancy as proponents claim, the correlation would be in the opposite direction," said Stanger-Hall.

The paper indicates that states with the lowest teen pregnancy rates were those that prescribed comprehensive sex and/or HIV education, covering abstinence alongside proper contraception and condom use. States whose laws stressed the teaching of abstinence until marriage were significantly less successful in preventing teen pregnancies.

These results come at an important time for legislators. A new evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative was signed into federal law in December 2009 and awarded $114 million for implementation. However, federal abstinence-only funding was renewed for 2010 and beyond by including $250 million of mandatory abstinence-only funding as part of an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee's health-reform legislation.

With two types of federal funding programs available, legislators of individual states now have the opportunity to decide which type of sex education -- and which funding option -- to choose for their state and possibly reconsider their state's sex education policies for public schools, while pursuing the ultimate goal of reducing teen pregnancy rates.

Stanger-Hall and Hall conducted this large-scale analysis to provide scientific evidence to inform this decision.

"Advocates for continued abstinence-only education need to ask themselves: If teens don't learn about human reproduction, including safe sexual health practices to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as how to plan their reproductive adult life in school, then when should they learn it and from whom?" said Stanger-Hall.

###

The full article is available online at http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0024658;jsessionid=7E5D4CFA54B7D9BD98BC2432D43AD046.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/uog-aed112911.php
michael lohan fiddler on the roof rally squirrel rally squirrel scumbag steve scumbag steve

martinlukasesd

Share With Friends:

|

| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/167480075?client_source=feed&format=rss

new iphone new iphone tmobile iphone van jones van jones dark energy

martinlukasesd

Getty Images

This was a depressing day for the Texans in many ways, with Matt Leinart possibly lost for the season.

Viewed in another light, Houston?s 20-13 win in Jacksonville was proof of how far this franchise has come. The Texans are now good enough to win on the road with their No. 3 quarterback, rookie T.J. Yates.

The Texans have had a lot of trouble beating the Jaguars in recent years. Things have changed. ?Here?s what else we learned:

1. Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert was pulled in the fourth quarter for Luke McCown, who immediately started to move the ball for Jacksonville. If anything, the change came too late.

Gabbert completed 13-of-29 passes for 136 yards and a pick. His play was worse than the numbers indicate.

The rookie has zero pocket presence. He feels pressure when it?s not there and takes too long to make decisions. The talent around Gabbert isn?t great and there were drops Sunday, but you can isolate Gabbert from that. He?s looked poor.

2. If the Jaguars want to win games, McCown is the better option. ?At 3-8, however, we expect them to continue to give the ball to the rookie.

3. The Texans offense couldn?t operate with Yates at quarterback. Don?t be surprised if recent veteran pickup Kellen Clemens starts next week. ?Yates finished 8-of-15 for 70 yards. ? Another veteran pickup is possible.

4. The Texans offense had 17 drives Sunday. That?s an insanely high amount. Of those 17 drives, only two went longer than four plays. ?Jacksonville did a nice job on Houston?s running game, holding them to 88 yards.

5. Houston has come a long way because their defense can carry them. The Jaguars? only touchdown came on a fumble returned for a score. ?Connor Barwin had four sacks in the game. J.J. Watt had two more. Wade Phillips has done a great job developing his young guys.

6. Where can the Texans go with Yates? ?The playoffs, at the least.

Houston is 8-3. ?The Titans are 6-5. ?We aren?t sure the Titans even get to eight wins.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/27/jets-and-bills-react-to-stevie-johnsons-celebration/related

brewers harbaugh the walking dead season 2 milwaukee brewers will power will power indy 500

martinlukasesd

Summary

Netflix offers an online flat rate DVD and Blu-ray rental by mail, as well as video streaming in the US. It is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. In 2009, Netflix offered a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD and had... More ?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-login-problems-2011-11

conjoined twins justin bieber paternity justin bieber paternity denver news kym johnson how old is justin bieber

martinlukasesd

Endless Cuteness: Kids and Pets (16 pics) - Izismile.com

Processing. Please wait...

Izismile.com ? Lifestyle ? Kids ? Endless Cuteness: Kids and Pets (16 pics)

These are very cute photos of children and pets. They show that the bond between animals and kids can be breathtaking to behold.

?

Loading...

Izismile community has 16621 members

JOIN US!

What's your favorite kind of post on Izi

Source: http://izismile.com/2011/11/21/endless_cuteness_kids_and_pets_16_pics.html

pacquiao marquez pacquiao marquez penn state game radiohead tour cbsnews ufc on fox fight card

martinlukasesd

News | Technology

Expensive batteries and limited recharging stations are the big impediments to making EVs cost-competitive with non-hybrid internal combustion vehicles, but new electricity pricing and distribution models may help break the logjam

By Larry Greenemeier ?| November 21, 2011

electric, charge, vehicle WHICH WAY TO CHARGE?: One model for recharging has private companies installing and owning individual battery recharging stations. Drivers could be charged on a per-use basis or via a monthly fee for access to the recharging network. Here a Reva i/G-Wiz is charged on a street in London. Image: Courtesy of Frankh, via Flickr

It's easy to knock electric vehicles (EVs): It takes too long to recharge the batteries and there are too few places to do it. And besides, who will pay for all the new recharging stations that would be needed if the cars catch on? The International Energy Agency?s most optimistic scenario puts (pdf) plug-in hybrids or EVs at 15 percent of all cars on the road by 2020; other projections predict a mere 3 percent.

The dubious outlook for EVs has much do to with uncertainty over what role utility companies should play in providing the electricity needed for large fleets of these vehicles. At a recent conference, however, industry analysts put several options on the table.

Utilizing utilities
One idea is for private companies to install and own individual battery recharging stations and charge drivers on a per-use basis, said Brett Perlman, president of utility industry management consulting firm Vector Solutions. Perlman, who served as commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas from 1999 to 2003, was one of several speakers November 15 at the "Electric Vehicles, Fact or Fiction?" forum in New York City, hosted by PA Consulting Group. Another approach would be for these vendors to create a network of recharging stations and charge drivers a monthly service fee for access (much like the mobile phone industry).

Perlman thinks utility companies should play a more active role, however. "We need a private utility infrastructure and a public charging infrastructure, something that regulators are starting to look at, starting with those in California," he said.

Texas is also experimenting with this model. NRG Energy's eVgo Complete charging program in Houston includes unlimited fueling services both from a home charging dock and across the NRG-owned eVgo public network for a fixed monthly price of $89. A progressive move on NRG's part, but one that could backfire if regulators decide down the road to limit the role of utilities in establishing a universal recharging scheme. "One of the greatest impediments to EVs is that much of the legislation defining how drivers and their vehicles interact with the grid will be decided on a state level," Perlman said. This means each state could develop its own approach to recharging, which could make life difficult for interstate drivers.

Better battery
The battery is at the heart of the issue, Hugh McDermott, global vice president of Better Place, said during the forum. The firm is building drive-through battery exchange stations that use robots to swap out depleted batteries for newly charged ones within minutes. The stations are not meant to serve as the primary source of recharging?that should be done at home overnight, McDermott said. Instead, these stations provide a way to recharge when a driver is unable to charge at home. Whereas today's high cost for batteries will come down over time, the price of oil will only grow more expensive, he added.

McDermott said that Better Place has gotten traction for its model in several countries, including China, Denmark and Israel. The firm will have 40 stations installed in Israel by the end of 2012, carrying a total inventory of 500 batteries. "In Israel a policy of oil independence is a national security imperative providing incentive to seek out alternatives to combustion automobiles," McDermott said. "The challenge in the U.S. is, it's like dealing with 50 different countries."

Comparing cost
The costs of owning an EV cannot yet compete with non-hybrid combustion-powered cars. Earlier this year a team of researchers led by Wally Tyner, a Purdue University agricultural economics professor, compared the economics of driving a Chevrolet Volt, a Toyota Prius and a Chevy Cobalt. The researchers determined that the Volt, a plug-in hybrid, would be less economical than the Toyota Prius, a hybrid that does not charge its battery through a plug, or the Chevrolet Cobalt, which has only an internal combustion engine.

When oil prices are high, the Prius would be the most economical, with the advantage going to the Cobalt when oil prices are low. Tyner said to make the Volt more economical than either the Prius or the Cobalt, oil prices would have to rise to between $171 and $254 per barrel, depending on the electricity pricing system used. This disparity is because the Volt has a higher purchase price and will cost more in electricity than gasoline over the life of the vehicle.

There was a bit of encouraging news for EVs at PA Consulting's forum. During the question-and-answer session, Michael Niggli, president and chief operating officer of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), reported that San Diego's EV and plug-in hybrid pilot program was progressing well. In fact, of the 850 cars involved, pure plug-in EVs like the Nissan Leaf outnumbered plug-in hybrids by a ratio of six to one, he said. This was likely due in part because San Diego was also one of the pilot cities where Nissan first released its all-electric Leaf. Niggli also pointed out that 85 percent of his SDG&E's EV and plug-in customers were recharging their vehicles during "super off-peak" hours (midnight to 6 A.M.), when rates are lowest.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=3d48482c180ac1685dbb7552db92560a

ny jets ny jets jets broncos nfl scores nfl scores thursday night football

martinlukasesd

LONDON (Reuters) ? More people than ever are living with the AIDS virus but this is largely due to better access to drugs that keep HIV patients alive and well for many years, the United Nations AIDS programme (UNAIDS) said on Monday.

In its annual report on the pandemic, UNAIDS said the number of people dying of the disease fell to 1.8 million in 2010, down from a peak of 2.2 million in the mid-2000s.

UNAIDS director Michel Sidibe said the past 12 months had been a "game-changing year" in the global AIDS fight.

Some 2.5 million deaths have been averted in poor and middle-income countries since 1995 due to AIDS drugs being introduced and access to them improving, according to UNAIDS.

Much of that success has come in the past two years as the numbers of people getting treatment has increased rapidly.

"We've never had a year when there has been so much science, so much leadership and such results in one year," Sidibe said in a telephone interview from UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva.

"Even in this time of public finance crises and uncertainty about funding, we're seeing results. We are seeing more countries than ever before (achieving) significant reductions in new infections and stabilizing their epidemics."

Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, more than 60 million people have been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. HIV can be controlled for many years with cocktails of drugs, but there is as yet no cure.

TREATMENT FOR PREVENTION

The UNAIDS report said 34 million people around the world had HIV in 2010, up from 33.3 million in 2009.

Among the most dramatic changes was the leap in the number of people getting treatment with AIDS drugs when they need it.

Of the 14.2 million people eligible for treatment in low- and middle-income countries, around 6.6 million, or 47 percent, are now receiving it, UNAIDS said, and 11 poor- and mid-income countries now have universal access to HIV treatment, with coverage of 80 percent or more.

This compares with 36 percent of the 15 million people needing treatment in 2009 who got AIDS drugs.

Major producers of HIV drugs include Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Improved access to drugs from these and other manufacturers means not only that fewer people are dying of AIDS each year, UNAIDS said, but also that the risk of new HIV infections is reduced.

A series of scientific studies have shown that getting timely treatment to those with HIV can substantially cut the number of people who become newly infected with the virus.

Sidibe said this was starting to show in new case numbers.

There were 2.7 million new HIV infections worldwide in 2010, 15 percent fewer than in 2001, and 21 percent below the number of new infections at the peak of the epidemic in 1997.

"The big point for us is the number of new infections --that's where you win against the epidemic," Sidibe said.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the growing number of averted AIDS deaths was important progress, but said the number of people on treatment needed to increase dramatically to reap the benefits of science showing treatment saves lives and prevents new infections.

"Never, in more than a decade of treating people living with HIV/AIDS, have we been at such a promising moment to really turn this epidemic around," said MSF's Tido von Schoen-Angerer.

"Governments in some of the hardest hit countries want to act on the science, seize this moment and reverse the AIDS epidemic. But this means nothing if there is no money to make it happen."

Despite progress on HIV treatment and prevention, sub-Saharan Africa is still by far the worst hit, accounting for 68 percent of all those living with HIV in 2010 despite its population accounting for only 12 percent of the global total.

Around 70 percent of new HIV infections in 2010, and almost half of all AIDS-related deaths, were in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sidibe said with many international donor countries struggling with slow economic growth and high debt, the global AIDS fight had to become even more focused on high impact interventions to deliver progress in the places worst hit.

"We need to maintain our investment, but ... in a smarter way. "Then we'll see a serious decline in the epidemic," he said.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/hl_nm/us_aids_global_unaids

danica patrick david garrard indy car kinder morgan zachary quinto zachary quinto

martinlukasesd

Getty Images

The Bills may be regretting the decision to give quarterback Ryan Fitzpatick a six-year, $59 million deal.

If they are, they can walk away from nearly $49 million of it after the season.

Per a league source, the Bills could trade or cut Fitzpatrick before the seventh day of the 2012 league year and owe him nothing further than the $3.22 million base salary he was already due to earn in 2011 and the $10 million signing bonus he was paid upon inking the new deal last month.

On the seventh day of the 2012 league year, the Bills owe Fitzpatrick a $5 million option bonus.? If they don?t exercise the option, Fitzpatrick?s base salary for 2012 would increase from $2.8 million to $7.8 million, and it would be fully guaranteed for injury only.

In 2013, Fitzpatrick has a $3 million roster bonus, which also is guaranteed for injury only, along with a base salary of $4.25 million, $3.2 million of which is guaranteed for injury only.

In 2014, there?s another $3 million roster bonus (non-guaranteed) and a non-guaranteed base salary of $4.35 million.

For 2015, 2016, and 2017 Fitzpatrick has non-guaranteed base salaries of $7.2 million, $8.75 million, and $9.45 million, respectively.

Though there?s no reason to believe ? yet ? that the Bills will move on, the point for now is that, if they choose to do so, they will avoid a bunch of money that either isn?t guaranteed at all, or that is guaranteed for injury only.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/21/report-adrian-peterson-has-high-ankle-sprain/related/

homeland andy rooney 60 minutes andre johnson andre johnson arrested development arrested development

martinlukasesd

Share With Friends:

|

| Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/163422509?client_source=feed&format=rss

neutrinos autumnal equinox rob bell regis philbin syracuse basketball

martinlukasesd

COMMENTARY | In politics, there is no such thing as coincidental timing. Over the last week, Iran has become more prevalent in the next as Israel may be preparing for a preemptive strike on the nation in the hopes of preventing Iran from creating a nuclear weapon. Today, there is word of a United Nations report that points out that Iran is very close to a nuclear weapon. I would say that these announcements were not coincidence

As someone who has followed and studied the machinations of politics for many years, I keep thinking that I have seen this before. I keep thinking that the accelerated talk about a nation getting closer to weapons of mass destruction followed by an extensive report supporting it has happened before. I remember now, that was what took is into Iraq.

Now, I am not attempting to discredit the report, or the thought that Iran could be close to creating a nuclear bomb. The issue is that we know that an eventual showdown with Iran is inevitable. It might happen next year; it might happen ten years down the road. The statements by Israel followed closely by a United Nations report on Iran make me believe that the showdown is being planned to happen sooner than later.

We know that Israel is already in, and Great Britain is leaning towards a strike at Iran soon as well. Where does that leave the U.S.? That leaves the government with the hard task of trying to tell the United States that it will be sending more troops back to the Middle East. Of course, since we are pulling troops out of the Middle East right now, we have extras to be sent to Iran.

What is interesting is that the sell on Iran is going to end up coming as we are getting closer to an election. If a win is quick and decisive, it benefits President Barack Obama. If the president sends us into battle again and it appears that it might be another long battle, the Republicans will benefit because of the "ill-thought-out idea of the president." Either way, we are going to be stuck with another battle on our hands. While we have no actual say in the sending of troops anywhere, it is time for the American people to get "justification" for possible military action in the near future. I guess it is time to "liberate" another country.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111115/pl_ac/10380073_iran_getting_nukes_the_hard_sell_to_send_troops_to_iran

wake forest day light savings time curmudgeon daylight savings time 2011 selena daylight savings

martinlukasesd

It's not every day that we get to write about advancements in battery technology -- much less one as potentially groundbreaking as what a group of engineers at Northwestern University claim to have pulled off. In fact, Professor Harold Kung and his team say they've successfully managed to increase both the charging capacity and speed of lithium ion batteries by a factor of ten. The key, according to Kung, is the movement of the lithium ions nestled between layers of graphene. The speed at which these ions move across a battery's graphene sheets is directly related to how fast a device can recharge. To speed up this process, Kung decided to poke millions of tiny, 10-20nm-sized holes into a mobile battery's graphene layers, thereby providing the ions with a "shortcut" to the next level. As a result, Kung's perforated batteries were able to charge ten times faster than traditional cells, going from zero to hero in 15 minutes.

Not satisfied with that achievement alone, Kung and his squad then set about increasing their battery's charging capacity, as well. Here, they increased the density of lithium ions by inserting small clusters of silicon between each graphene slice. This approach allows more ions to gather at the electrode and, by taking advantage of graphene's malleable properties, avoids some of the silicon expansion problems that have plagued previous attempts at capacity enhancement. The result? A battery that can run on a single charge for more than a week. "Now we almost have the best of both worlds," Kung said. "We have much higher energy density because of the silicon, and the sandwiching reduces the capacity loss caused by the silicon expanding and contracting. Even if the silicon clusters break up, the silicon won't be lost." There is, however, a downside, as both charging capacity and speed sharply fell off after 150 charges. But as Kung points out, the increase in charge retention would more than make up for this shortcoming. "Even after 150 charges, which would be one year or more of operation, the battery is still five times more effective than lithium-ion batteries on the market today," he told the BBC. For more technical details, hit up the links below.

Researchers increase charging capacity, speed of lithium ion batteries by a factor of ten originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

TechCrunch | source

Northwestern | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9aLGzDakIvA/

grimm jello shots tashard choice tashard choice amityville horror puss in boots

martinlukasesd

KIEV (Reuters) ? Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday rejected a move to downgrade the abuse-of-power offence under which former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been jailed, dealing a blow to prospects of an early release for the charismatic opposition leader.

The move, which killed off any immediate chance of a compromise being found to free Tymoshenko and put Ukraine's relations with the European Union back on track, deepened the gloom in her increasingly somber camp.

The outcome "left no doubt that the authorities intend to continue political repression," Andriy Kozhemyakin, a deputy of her BYuT party said.

The opposition leader was jailed for seven years last month for exceeding her powers as prime minister in forcing through a gas deal with Russia in 2009 which the present Ukrainian leadership says saddled the country with an exorbitant price for Russian gas.

She denies wrong-doing and says the trial is a vendetta against her by President Viktor Yanukovich who beat her for the presidency in a bitterly-fought run-off vote in February 2010.

The case has soured the ex-Soviet republic's relations with the EU weeks ahead of a summit in which the sides had planned to initial deals on political association and free trade.

The 27-member bloc sees Tymoshenko's prosecution as politically motivated and has warned Kiev the deals may not be signed if she remains in jail.

All the same, deputies from Yanukovich's Party of Regions, which dominates parliament, voted down a proposal by her allies to reclassify the abuse-of-power offence as a misdemeanor -- a move which would have led to her being freed from detention.

Only 147 deputies out of 438 supported the proposal when it went to the vote. A few other similar proposals were also turned down by the majority.

STALIN-ERA

Deputies from Tymoshenko's BYuT party walked out of the room after their defeat. Kozhemyakin said: "You (parliament) had a chance today to cancel the shameful Stalin-era (Criminal code) articles that were used against popular leaders in the previous decades."

Tymoshenko's lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko told Reuters this week she was pinning her hopes on foreign courts such as the European Court of Human Rights where she could apply after a local appeals court rules on her case.

Her supporters say the 50-year-old charismatic politician, known for her trademark peasant hair braid, stylish dressing and fiery public speaking, is in bad health and has been unable to walk for more than a week.

While she has been in police detention pending appeal against her conviction, prosecutors have continued to pile further charges on her. Last week she was further charged with tax evasion and theft dating back to the 1990s.

Tymoshenko's path crossed fatefully with that of Yanukovich when she helped lead the 2004 'Orange Revolution' street protests which doomed his first bid for the presidency.

Twice prime minister, she remains one of Ukraine's most popular politicians.

Tymoshenko's supporters say Yanukovich fears her as a political rival and is trying to eliminate her as a force in the run-up to the October 2012 parliamentary elections.

Yanukovich has styled the prosecution of Tymoshenko as part of a drive against malpractice and corruption in government.

(Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111115/wl_nm/us_ukraine_tymoshenko_parliament

ozzie guillen ozzie guillen kevin smith kevin smith washington monument demarcus ware terra nova

martinlukasesd

Zoe Saldana and her fiance, entrepreneur Keith Britton, have called it quits.

After more than a decade-long relationship, the "Avatar" and "Star Trek" beauty and her former beau "have amicably separated after 11 years," Saldana's rep said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Saturday.

PLAY IT NOW: Access Hollywood Live: Are Kids In Zoe Saldana?s Near Future?

In addition to their romantic ties, Saldana, 33, and Britton, 35, are also business partners, having co-founded My Fashion Date Base (a fashion website), and will continue to work together in that capacity.

"Saldana and Britton remain committed business partners as co-founders of fashion resource MyFDB.com. Respect of their privacy is appreciated during this time," the statement continued.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Sexy Sci-Fi Siren Zoe Saldana

While the "Colombiana" star has yet to make a direct statement regarding the split, on Friday she Tweeted, "'You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.' - Buddha."

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, the former couple announced their engagement in June 2010 after 10 years of dating.

At the time, the actress told Access that Britton was very supportive of her life in the Hollywood spotlight, and that she felt he was the only person who knew "the real Zoe."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Divorce! Break-Ups! Hollywood?s Most Famous Former Couples

"He's a very independent soul," she told Access' Shaun Robinson at the Women In Film 2010 Crystal + Lucy Awards. "He understands what I do, but this is not what he fell in love with and that's what I love."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Sexy Ladies Of Sci-Fi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_zoe_saldana_longtime_fiance_split214216519/43583168/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/zoe-saldana-longtime-fiance-split-214216519.html

redskins alex smith alex smith christine christine oyster festival

martinlukasesd

Bangkok residents, unfazed by the floods that have created water levels as high as three feet, kept their businesses and transportation open.?

? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.

Skip to next paragraph

Sitting on stools at a mobile eatery set up on the street, laborers and office workers slurped bowls of noodle soup. That?s a common sight around Bangkok ? except these locals were up to their knees in water.

Despite the deluge that has engulfed central Thailand and is threatening to submerge this thriving metropolis, life in Bangkok?s Chinatown went on pretty much as usual one recent morning.

Here, protected behind sandbags piled waist high, an apothecary was open for business. There, a lottery vendor plied her trade. Farther on, a woman was selling newly made wading boots for 150 baht ($5) a pair. Several gold shops, seafood restaurants, and convenience stores stayed open. Water in a 7-Eleven swirled ankle deep. An employee was shoveling some of it out the door with a plastic scoop.

Locals clearly are not going to let a natural disaster get in the way of earning a living. Most endured their plight with equanimity, flashing ready smiles. Children frolicked in streets transformed into pools as their elders went about their business wading in water, which was up to three feet deep in places.?

Even transport carried on. Overflowing sickly brown river water has slowed the city?s notorious traffic to a trickle, but buses continue to navigate their way through streets past locals bobbing in skiffs and inflatable dinghies.?

?People are concerned about the flood, sure,? noted Rungtip Chatadee, an office manager who was having breakfast at a waterlogged restaurant. ?But they try to look on the bright side and cope as best as they can.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/T0gTwIDWXJY/In-flooded-Bangkok-a-little-bit-of-water-can-t-stop-business

john edward psychic john edward psychic brandon marshall headless horseman headless horseman brandon lloyd brandon lloyd

martinlukasesd

by Sam Dean - Nov. 14, 2011Comments?(0)

If you cycled the clock back a few years, you would find lots of people still debating whether Linux had the potential to dominate as a desktop operating system. Fast-forward to today, and it's clear that Linux is in fact finding many of its biggest opportunities at the server level, in mobile devices, in embedded Linux deployments, and in other scenarios that lie outside the desktop computing arena. There are also more and more signs that the next frontier for Linux may be in cars, with big backers interested in the idea. And now, The Linux Foundation has announced its program for the first-ever Automotive Linux Summit taking place November 28, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan.

"Linux has a competitive advantage in the automotive industry due to its ability to support the long-term support needs of automakers," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation, in announcing the summit. "But we're at the very beginning of what Linux will do to revolutionize the way people interact with their cars. The Automotive Linux Summit will help advance that work."?

?Here are some of the speakers scheduled for the summit, and take note of the companies they represent:

1) Toyota's Ken-ichi Murata, project general manager, Electronics Development Division #1. Murata will present "Opening Up the Automotive Industry."?
2) Nissan's Toshiro Muramatsu and BMW's Head of Infotainment Architecture Design Graham Smethurst will join The Linux Foundation's Jim Zemlin and Toyota's Ken-ichi Murata for a closing panel on "How Can We Make It Happen?"?
3) Intel Japan's Director and Vice President Yoshie Munakata will address how shared technology will accelerate innovation in the automotive marketplace.?
4) Graham Smethurst, who is also president of the GENIVI Alliance, will share the organization's lessons learned with open source software.?
5) Linux kernel developer and SUSE's Greg Kroah-Hartman will present a history of the Linux kernel and the kernel community.?
6) Symbio's CTO of Device Creation, Juha-Matti Liukkonen, will talk about how next generation IVI systems are built.

?There are car makers and third-party organizations that have stayed steadily interested in Linux for automotive applications for years. For example, Toyota is an active member of The Linux Foundation. And, The Genivi Alliance is a non-profit industry consortium committed to driving the adoption of an In-Vehicle Infotainment open-source development platform. You can watch a video on The Genivi Alliance's work here.?

It's notable that The Linux Foundation's car summit is going on in Japan. Japanese and European car makers have thus far expressed more interest in open source in-car open source solutions than American car makers have. In all likelihood, though, all car makers will be warming up to open source platforms and applications for their products.

Share Your Comments

Source: http://ostatic.com/blog/the-automotive-linux-summit-marks-linuxs-bright-future-in-vehicles

weather houston weather houston michael lohan fiddler on the roof rally squirrel rally squirrel

martinlukasesd

PARIS (Reuters) ? Lawyers for disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn Friday urged French magistrates to speak to him as soon as possible about a prostitution scandal in which his name has figured, saying he was being "lynched" in the media while they delayed.

Strauss-Kahn was once favorite to become France's next president but saw his IMF career and electoral ambitions wrecked in May when he was arrested in New York and accused of attempting to rape a hotel maid.

The U.S. criminal charges were dropped and a sex assault complaint by a French writer was also dismissed, but his image has suffered serious damage.

According to media reports, his name has now surfaced in text messages unearthed in an investigation into a French prostitution ring, dubbed the Carlton Affair.

"From the moment his name appeared in the so-called Carlton Affair on October 9, Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he wanted to be heard as fast as possible by the magistrates leading the judicial inquiries," his lawyer, Frederique Baulieu, said.

"A month has passed without him being heard and the media lynching has snowballed during that time," she said in a statement.

The Carlton Affair started with the discovery earlier this year of a network that supplied prostitutes to clients of the luxury Carlton hotel in the northern city of Lille.

It quickly blew into a bigger affair with the arrest of a of eight people -- several Carlton managers, businessmen and a local police commissioner -- who are now under official inquiry on suspicion of organizing prostitution.

Among them is an executive from a public works company who told investigators he organized corporate hospitality events that included time with prostitutes and where Strauss-Kahn was present.

Further reports, including some centered on salacious SMS messages in the past two days, have intensified the pressure on Strauss-Kahn, prompting the decision to issue a public statement and against demand a hearing with investigators.

"I even wonder if all this is not politically motivated," his other lawyer, Henri Leclerc, told France Info radio. "Enough is enough. If Mr Strauss-Kahn is being accused of something let it be said."

Unlike organizing prostitution, availing of the services of a prostitute is not illegal in France. But the flow of revelations from the still-unfinished inquiry into the affair has done nothing for Strauss-Kahn's image.

The now-bearded and jobless Strauss-Kahn, along with former TV star wife Anne Sinclair, remain the subject of regular media coverage. In recent weeks stories have said his most faithful political allies are deserting a man once considered one of the world's most powerful.

(Reporting By Brian Love; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/wl_nm/us_france_strausskahn

gold rush alaska the addams family blue bloods temple grandin albert pujols texas rangers marie osmond

martinlukasesd

A traffic junction already in the 18th century, Potsdamer Platz became famous in the Golden 1920s, a metropolitan heart back then, with its grand luxury hotels like the Esplanade and artists' meeting points like Caf? Josty. It was a subject for painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and journalist and writer Kurt Tucholsky, who had more than one satirical say about the crowded place.

Masses of people crossed its streets in those times, many of them arriving at or departing from the railway station that connected the growing city with destinations near and far. Others came in search of entertainment. In the late 1920s, Haus Vaterland became the hot spot of amusement with its large cinema as well as its many theme restaurants and caf?s ranging from a Japanese tea house to Spanish bodega or Italian osteria.

After World War II, the place was nothing more than burned wasteland. It again became famous as a vast empty space after 1961, divided into an Eastern and a Western section by the Berlin Wall. It was here that film maker Wim Wenders shot the famous feature film "Wings of Desire" (Der Himmel ?ber Berlin).

Jump to our video of Potsdamer Platz

Then came 1989 and with the fall of the wall, Potsdamer Platz again changed its face. Having been a no man's land for many decades, the place returned to the middle of the soon-reunited city. But before the competition for the best rejuvenation plan opened, Potsdamer Platz went down in music history with a gigantic rock concert: Roger Waters' "The Wall" in 1990, still the only concert performed on one stage in two countries as the German reunification took place three months later.

Today, this is all history -- and it's not part of our short film and second contribution to "Berlin 01:30." However, some traces of the past can still be seen among the conglomerate of modern architecture by Renzo Piano, Arata Isozaki and Hans Kollhoff to name but a few of the starchitects that have reshaped Potsdamer Platz. But you have to take a close look not to miss them: some Berlin Wall pieces for example, the old Weinhaus Huth or a new caf? with the old name Josty.

Yet the most obvious first impression visitors have today is probably the same as they would've had 100 years ago: a busy place filled with shops, restaurants and hotels, crowded with people, cars, bicycles -- and sometimes even with animals, as Husky-drawn tours are offered! There are other options as well, like taking the elevator to the Panoramapunkt on top of the Kollhoff Tower. The building is more than 300 feet high and provides a great view on the urban scenery with the Berlin outskirts far away and the offices in the neighboring towers very close. It's a celebration for the filmmaker and it's a struggle as well: Just imagine carrying heavy tripods, a camera assistant suffering from vertigo and crowds of people sparring for the best vantage point on a platform that is just a small aisle with a tall balustrade.

Down on the ground, it's not about tourists but rather it's about colleagues. While flaneurs from all over the world stop when facing a camera, fellow film makers are not all that tender-footed when meeting each other. The best time of the year to provoke this effect is of course the Berlinale International Film Festival, when stars and starlets grace the place that is home to the event. It's the only season when nearly everyone in the city agrees that Potsdamer Platz is the place to be -- while for the rest of the year, there are controversies about whether it's too cool or not cool enough (or not in the right way), too crowded or to empty, too sober or not sober enough, too exclusive or too cheap.

There's just one way to find out the truth: finding one's own perspective. Ours is the film makers view since we never get tired of finding new angles, moods, seasons and encounters at this, the most urban place in the city, where we can have an espresso break in our favorite coffee shop and wait for the next best moment to catch.

Jump to our video of Potsdamer Platz

Information about Potsdamer Platz

Shopping: Besides Sony Center with its Sony Store, Potsdamer Platz Arcaden is the place's shopping area, with the usual range of stores for fashion, perfumes, electronics and jewelery. Moreover, construction for a huge new shopping center at the historical Wertheim-area that was once home to the famous Wertheim Kaufhaus at the near-by Leipziger Platz has already begun.

Eating out: There are plenty of opportunities around Potsdamer Platz, from international to local Berlin cuisine. Many caf?s and bars can be found as well. A special tip might be the many hotel bars and, for wine lovers, the Weinhaus Huth.

Entertainment and culture: There's mass entertainment and fine culture side by side, for example a casino, four cinemas (ranging from multiplex blockbuster places to the true institution Kino Arsenal), the art gallery Daimler Contemporary and a musical theatre. For cineastes, the place's high time of the year is Berlinale International Film Festival.

Cinemas and places all over the city are involved, but the heart and center is located here, with the Berlinale Festival Palace at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. Lots of journalists, critics, stars and producers -- in other words, the whole festival crowd -- packs restaurants, caf?s and hotel lobbies in the area. Throughout the year, there are other events taking place as well like concerts (some planned and some performed spontaneously) or the Festival of Lights in autumn.

Special tips: Watch out for the team of nice husky dogs for a guided tour. Another attraction is the Panoramapunkt on Kollhoff Tower with a panorama platform. There's a nice caf? with a great view as well.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arne-schmidt-and-claudia-hirschberger/berlin-place-to-be-potsdamer-platz_b_1087667.html

ron white ron white alcs alcs miguel cabrera pay it forward pay it forward

martinlukasesd

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, Commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Veteran?s Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Friday Nov. 11, 2011, (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A member of the National Honor Guard looks out from behind an American flag to listen to President Barack Obama as he speaks during a Veteran?s Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Veteran?s Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, Commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, left, places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Veteran?s Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) ? Heralding the end of one war and the drawdown of another, President Barack Obama observed Veterans Day on Friday by urging Americans to hire the thousands of servicemen and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, he called it "a time when America needs all hands on deck."

"The tide of war is receding," Obama said. "My fellow Americans, our troops are coming home."

He spoke on a chilly autumn morning to an audience of veterans and dignitaries in the cemetery's amphitheater shortly after placing a floral wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Following the ceremony, Obama left the White House for a flight to San Diego to join in a holiday basketball game aboard an aircraft carrier -- the start of a nine-day trip that includes an Asia-Pacific summit in Hawaii and stops in Australia and Indonesia.

Obama used his Arlington speech to mark the coming transition from a nation fighting multiple wars in the aftermath of Sept. 11 to one where reviving a struggling economy is the overriding focus.

Last month, Obama announced plans to withdraw the last U.S. troops from Iraq. Between that and Obama's commencement of a drawdown in Afghanistan, he said, for many military families, "this holiday season will be a season of homecomings."

And he urged Americans to greet the returning vets with jobs and offers of help. "Let us welcome them home as what they are: an integral, essential part of our American family," Obama said.

Obama spoke a day after the Senate passed his proposal to give companies tax credits for hiring jobless veterans. "Our economy needs their talents and specialized skills," he said.

Earlier, with the aid of an honor guard, Obama placed the wreath on a pedestal in front of the marble tomb, then stood with a hand over his heart as a bugler played "Taps." A bell tolled and flags fluttered.

First lady Michelle Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and other dignitaries watched from the side.

Obama's aircraft carrier visit is to the USS Carl Vinson, docked in San Diego. The first-ever Carrier Classic basketball game pits Michigan State against No. 1 North Carolina on board the ship. The ship is the same one from which Osama bin-Laden's remains were buried at sea following the raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaida's top leader.

In an essay in Friday's San Diego Union-Tribune, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill wrote that "because of the incredible courage of the 9-11 generation, the tide of war is receding and America is more secure than a decade ago."

"But as our service members return, many are discovering a new battlefield as they leave the military and search for civilian employment opportunities," they wrote.

Their article also made a pitch for the veterans' assistance the Senate approved on a 95-0 vote. The bill, expected to clear the House next week, also includes more counseling and job training for unemployed veterans and service members about to leave the military.

"We're taking steps to make the job search easier for veterans," the Bidens wrote.

On Thursday, Mrs. Obama announced that private companies have made new commitments to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses by 2014 as part of her Joining Forces initiative. That comes on top of the 16,000 veterans hired since the program was announced last April, and another 25,000 in hiring commitments announced earlier.

Unemployment is particularly high among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Labor Department estimates that 12.1 percent of veterans who served in the military since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were unemployed in October. That compares with the national rate of 9 percent.

Among veterans under the age of 24, the jobless rate was closer to 22 percent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-11-Obama-Veterans%20Day/id-76c0d45520194c64858de5e27f402694

lacuna paranormal activity 3 trailer paranormal activity 3 trailer oomph oomph cmj olin kreutz

martinlukasesd

Republic Wireless certainly garnered itself a lot of attention with the promise of unlimited everything for only $19 a month and no contract. The company keeps the price so low by using what it calls "hybrid calling" -- a fancy way of saying it relies almost entirely on WiFi and VoIP, only falling back on Sprint frequencies when you wander away from an 802.11 connection. The service may be billed as all-you-can-eat, the reality is a little more complex. While you're free to plow through as much data and as many minutes as you want over WiFi, there are "fair usage" limitations on your cellular footprint. ~~Specifically, if you cross a threshold of 550 minutes, 150 text messages or 300MB of data you may be asked to take your business elsewhere -- not exactly "unlimited" now is it.~~

Update: Republic Wireless issued a clarification on its Facebook page, explaining that you can in fact go over the 550 minute "example" above.

"People of the republic, we'd just like to clarify that 550 minutes, 150 texts, and 300 MB of data over 3G is just an example, not a limit. The more you offload to Wi-Fi, the more you can use. It's truly unlimited. We do have fair use guidelines and we encourage you to use Wi-Fi whenever possible."

Republic Wireless is only kinda, sorta unlimited, may ask you to take your business elsewhere (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

All Things D | source

Republic Wireless, Republic Wireless (Facebook) | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/11/republic-wireless-is-only-kinda-sorta-unlimited-may-ask-you-to/

nelson cruz nelson cruz michael young war of the worlds detroit lions donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb