Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Critically endangered whales sing like birds; New recordings hint at rebound

ScienceDaily (July 31, 2012) ? When a University of Washington researcher listened to the audio picked up by a recording device that spent a year in the icy waters off the east coast of Greenland, she was stunned at what she heard: whales singing a remarkable variety of songs nearly constantly for five wintertime months.

Kate Stafford, an oceanographer with UW's Applied Physics Lab, set out to find if any endangered bowhead whales passed through the Fram Strait, an inhospitable, ice-covered stretch of sea between Greenland and the northern islands of Norway. Only around 40 sightings of bowhead whales, which were hunted almost to extinction, have been reported there since the 1970s.

Stafford and colleagues put two hydrophones, or underwater microphones, on moorings attached to the seafloor in Fram Strait, leaving them there for as long as the batteries would last: nearly a year. Since the population of bowhead whales likely to pass through was thought to number in the tens, they didn't anticipate much interesting data.

"We hoped to record a few little grunts and moans," Stafford said. "We were not expecting to get five months of straight singing."

Not only did they record singing nearly every hour of the day and night, they picked up more than 60 unique songs. A paper detailing their discoveries appears July 31 as the feature article in Endangered Species Research and is openly accessible online.

The variety of tunes was so surprising that the researchers compared the whales' song catalog to that of birds.

"Whether individual singers display one, multiple or even all call types, the size of the song repertoire for? bowheads in 2008-2009 is remarkable and more closely approaches that of songbirds than other? whales," they wrote in the report.

They have yet to learn why the whales sang so consistently last year.

Scientists believe that bowhead whale song comes from males during mating season. In most other kinds of whales, individuals either sing the same song their whole lives or all members of a population sing the season's same popular tune. If bowheads are like the former, that would mean more than 60 males were in the Fram Strait. If the population is evenly split between males and females, there could have been more than 100 whales -- far more than anyone thought comprised this population.

With further study, the scientists instead could discover that individual bowhead whales have a repertoire of songs that they sing during a season. That would be equally interesting because it would make the bowheads the only known whales to sing a variety of songs in the same season.

The findings also hint at the possibility of a rebound in bowhead whales.

"If this is a breeding ground, it would be spectacular," said Stafford. "For such a critically endangered species, it's really important to know that there's a reproductively active portion of the population."

In addition, since the whales are difficult to study given their year-round residence in the Arctic, virtually nothing was known about where they spend their winters. The research offers a clue about the whales' migration path.

Only a handful of bowhead whale populations remain. The largest historic population, which includes the individuals studied for this report, once possibly numbered more than 30,000 members but was hunted to near-extinction from the 1600s through the 1800s. Commercial whaling reduced bowhead whale populations in other regions as well; combined, the four remaining populations are thought to number fewer than 10,000 members.

Bowhead whales are massive creatures. They grow to over 60 feet long, may live to 200 years old and can weigh 200,000 pounds. They use their huge skulls to break through ice as thick as 1.5 feet.

Bowhead whale song is unique in that the whales appear to sing with "two voices," simultaneously producing high- and low-frequency sounds. The whales sometimes repeat the same tune for hours at a time.

Stafford and her colleagues deployed the two hydrophones 60 miles apart. They made 2,144 hours of simultaneous recordings from September 2008 through July 2009. In order to conserve battery power and take recordings for a longer period of time, the hydrophones worked for nine minutes out of every half hour.

The hydrophone in the west, covered in dense ice and in colder water, picked up far more singing than the one in the east, where there was spotty ice coverage and warmer water. The greatest frequency of song occurred in the darkest, coldest period.

"It's clear there's a habitat preference," Stafford said. The thick canopy of ice may provide better acoustics than the loose pack ice and therefore might be favored by singing whales, she said.

"As Arctic sea ice declines, there may be some places like this that are important to protect in order to preserve a breeding ground for the bowhead whales," Stafford said.

To answer new questions that the data opens up -- including how many whales make up this North Atlantic population -- Stafford hopes to do additional study.

Co-authors of the paper include Sue Moore and Catherine Berchok from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; ?ystein Wiig of the University of Oslo; Christian Lydersen, Edmond Hansen and Kit M. Kovacs from the Norwegian Polar Institute; and Dirk Kalmbach with the Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research in Germany. The research was funded by NOAA and supported by the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Alfred Wegener Institute.

Bowhead whale song 1: http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2012/07/feb09songs_47USE.mp3

Bowhead whale song 2: http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2012/07/feb09songs_47USE.mp3

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Nancy Gohring.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. KM Stafford, SE Moore, CL Berchok, ? Wiig, C Lydersen, E Hansen, D Kalmbach, KM Kovacs. Spitsbergen?s endangered bowhead whales sing through the polar night. Endangered Species Research, 2012; 18 (2): 95 DOI: 10.3354/esr00444

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120731123248.htm

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PGP creator aims to keep digital communications ... - VoIP News

PGP creator Phil Zimmermann has teamed up with fellow Silicon Valley pioneer Jon Callas and ex-Navy SEALs Mike Janke and Vic Hyder to develop a new secure email, text, voice and video communications package called Silent Circle

Being able to communicate without fear of prying eyes and ears intercepting could to the letter mean the difference between life and death for journalists uncovering corruption in high places, campaigners and activists trying to make the world a better place, or undercover agents engaged in covert operations. The creative force behind so then-known email encryption software PGP had just such folks in mind when developing his latest digital security product. Phil Zimmermann has created a new suite of high-end encrypted communication products that combine with a custom-made secure network to ensure that the sender and recipient(s) are the only people able to access email, voice, video and text comms routed through the Silent Circle system.

Silent Circle is described as a worldwide encryptions communications firm that delivers a comprehensive suite of high-end private encrypted communication services for email, mobile phone, text and video conferencing. Should the contingency arise to Zimmermann, the company's development team includes fellow Silicon Valley pioneer and co-founder of the PGP Corporation Jon Callas and two highly decorated Navy Sea, Air, and Land operatives in the shape of ex Commander Vic Hyder and former sniper and Special Ops comms expert Mike Janke.

The suite is made up of four products

The suite is made up of four products, the first of which is the "Silent Phone" app which allows iOS/Android smartphone users to make and receive encrypted voice and video calls via Silent Circle's custom-built HD Network named The Circle.

"We offer a secure calling plan to provide users the ability to send and receive calls to anyone outside of The Circle," Janke explained. "For calls made inside The Circle, we offer unlimited minutes in Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It's the only app that provides amazing encrypted video/voice call on 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi so users can conduct encrypted video conferences on their iPhones during traveling. The peer-to-peer encryption uses the ZRTP protocol invented by Phil Zimmermann. Keys are exchanged on the mobile devices themselves not on a server."

Next up is the email encryption application "Silent Mail" that makes use of Zimmerman's PGP innovation and PGP Universal Server innovation invented by Callas to provide secure email via SSL SMTP to a custom-built, proprietary network. Users will be allocated a special @SilentMail.com email account, which can be set up to work with existing email customers like Outlook and Mac Mail.

PGP encryption research is, clearly, already offered by Symantec however is aimed directly at enterprise. Silent Circle has been developed exactly with security conscious individuals, human rights groups, oppressed dissidents, NGOs, special operations units, small businesses and corporations in mind.

"Today, encryption provides safe harbors from liability and prosecution as so then as being a quasi-mandate. Breach disclosure laws provide safe harbors via encryption, and this near becomes a mandate for it. Similarly, during neither SOX nor HIPAA to tell the truth mandate encryption, the requirements that they place on organizations are easier to satisfy with encryption than with other solutions. Storage encryption is now a built-in feature of Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android. Communications encryption all in all lags in many areas, and it is these areas where Silent Circle focuses."

The Silent Eyes app

ZRTP research makes another appearance with the "Silent Eyes" app, a Mac/Windows VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) encryption client similar to Skype or iChat/FaceTime that offers "complete end-to-end encrypted video and voice services."

"In substance, we have created a closed-loop-system where the customer holds they encryption keys and we have no access," the company's CEO replied. "The world has accepted encryption and now relies on encryption for every facet of commerce, business and finance. Phil, Jon and I took all of the lessons learned from the past and present day law, to construct every facet of Silent Circle to be built upon protecting the users - even from a legal jurisdiction point of view."

Long time designing

"We spent a long time designing and building the network and the apps based upon lessons-learned from Phil's crypto-wars experience and from mine in the Special Operations world. During there was a lot of drama in the press at that time, the problems that dogged PGP were all related to either intellectual property, or export control. The world has changed with regards to both. Core cryptographic technologies are not inherently encumbered any more. Export control is no harder than doing one's taxes. Esther Dyson is famous for saying always make new mistakes. If we have problems, they'll be new ones, not the old ones."
"We have our fiber optic system, our entire equipment and our custom-built network in several locations in Canada. Canada has the most stringent privacy laws anywhere in the world, in this way giving Silent Circle users a progressive privacy-minded legal system with which to deal with, however laws change - we know that. So we built our system to ensure the individual devices holds the encryption keys. It forces the legal system of any country to work with the individual - not us."
"To boot, our custom-built PBX (Private -Automatic- Branch Exchange)'s are designed to allow voice and video to pass through, or rather than store anything. Any data we have, is completely encrypted and we don't hold the keys - the clients do."

Janke as well confirmed that "once data is deleted by a user, it is gone from our network as then simultaneously - we have no idea what the data is, at this stage encrypted from the users end." User activity logs are retained for 72 hours however only the date and time are recorded.

Janke revealed that Silent Circle will be available as three distinct packages. The full suite will include all four Silent Circle products, with free unlimited encrypted calls 3G/4G or Wi-Fi within "The Circle". Each user will be given a unequalled personal encrypted phone number. The cost for unlimited data and text will be US$20 per month.

The second package is the Secure Calling Program that will feature the "Silent Phone" app only, and will come with unlimited calling in U.S/Canada/PR to anyone in or out of our network for $39 per month.

Lastly, there will be a Bundled Program that includes all four encrypted products plus the secure unlimited calling plan for $55 per month.

Canada. Interesting problem. "Total Information Awareness" has some legal issues intercepting domestic communications, nevertheless as before long as they go overseas, everything is in a nutshell logged.

Source: http://www.allvoipnews.com/pgp-creator-aims-to-keep-digital-communications-st.html

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Two car bombs rip through public square in Baghdad

By Reuters

Two car bombs ripped into a busy intersection and a public square in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people a week after a wave of deadly bombings highlighted Iraq's struggle with militant groups.

Clouds of dark smoke rose above the center of the capital where the bombs exploded just minutes apart, leaving dead and wounded lying in the street and slumped inside a damaged minibus, witnesses and police said.

Violence in Iraq has coincided with intensifying bloodshed in neighboring Syria, where Iraqi officials warn some Sunni Muslim insurgents are heading, and with calls by al-Qaida's local Iraqi affiliate for a renewed campaign of attacks.

Three young men in blood-stained T-shirts searched for a friend near the wreckage of one of Tuesday's blasts in Baghdad and women in traditional abaya gowns screamed out the name of a missing relative, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

A wave of seemingly synchronized bomb and gun attacks swept Iraq on July 23. With at least 90 killed throughout the country, the death toll was the highest seen so far in 2012. NBC's Kristy Breetzke reports.

"We were in a patrol when we heard the first explosion. The second explosion hit another square, and we went to help... There was a minibus with six dead passengers inside it," said Ahmed Hassan, a police officer.


The explosions followed attacks and bombings in Baghdad and across the country on July 23 that killed more than 100 people in a coordinated surge of violence against mostly Shi'ite Muslim targets. An al-Qaida affiliate known as the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility.

Wave of attacks kills more than 100 across Iraq

Violence has eased since sectarian killings reached their height in 2006-2007 when tens of thousands of Sunnis and Shiites were slain.

But insurgents have carried out a major attack at least once a month since the last U.S. troops left Iraq in December, nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

US vets mix regret, detachment on Iraq violence

Al-Qaida often targets Shiite pilgrims or religious sites in an attempt to stir up sectarian tensions or to show that Iraq's armed forces are unable to protect civilians.

Last month was one of the bloodiest since the U.S. withdrawal, with at least 237 people killed and 603 wounded.

Iraq's violence often feeds into political tensions.

Full international coverage from NBCNews.com

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is fending off attempts by Sunni and Kurdish rivals to vote him out of office, threatening to scuttle a fragile power-sharing agreement.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/31/13054858-two-car-bombs-rip-through-public-square-in-baghdad?lite

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U.S., Germany confident on euro zone reforms: statement

MUNKMARSCH, Germany (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble expressed confidence on Monday in the ability of euro zone member states to implement reforms and achieve greater integration to overcome their debt crisis.

In a statement issued after talks on the German North Sea island of Sylt, where Schaeuble is holidaying, the two men commended the efforts of Ireland and Portugal to put their public finances on a more stable basis and also cited recent structural reforms by Spain and Italy.

"(The two men) emphasized the need for ongoing international cooperation and coordination to achieve sustainable public finances, reduce global macroeconomic imbalances, and restore growth," the statement also said.

(Reporting by Gernot Heller, writing by Gareth Jones)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-germany-confident-euro-zone-reforms-statement-150234438--business.html

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Beam available now in UK

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Updated 12:57 30 Jul 2012 by T3 Online

The Samsung Galaxy Beam is now available in UK stores. The South Korean firm's latest Android handset has the boon of an intergrated projector

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Following its unveiling at the Mobile World Congress in February, Samsung has revealed that the Samsung Galaxy Beam, a projector smartphone, is now available in the UK.

Despite being just 12.5mm thick, the innovative handset displays multimedia content onto flat surfaces, such as walls and ceilings, in high-definition.

With an 8-megapixel camera and 720p recording capabilities at 30fps, this summer?s holiday photographs and 720p videos can be shared instantly via the Beam?s unique built-in projector.

Its 4.0-inch display lets users watch the latest films and television programmes, wherever they are.

Another feature intended for shared entertainment experiences is Samsung?s dedicated Game Hub, which boasts over 1,000 games, from Paper Toss to Assassin?s Creed, ready to be downloaded and played on the device.

In addition, it is hoped that students and professionals will use the versatile pocket device for work purposes, particularly presentations.

Simon Stanford, Samsung UK?s vice president, said: ?It?s the kind of device you won?t find anywhere else ? a high definition projector within a standard sized smartphone ? and is great for people who want to watch movies, show photos to friends or need to give a presentation while they?re out and about.?

The Beam features the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, rather than the latest Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, and is powered by a 1.0GHz dual-core processor. For extended use, there is the 2000 mAh battery and 8GB of internal memory.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/670/f/8515/s/21dab620/l/0L0St30N0Cnews0Csamsung0Egalaxy0Ebeam0Eavailable0Enow0Ein0Euk/story01.htm

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Gooseneck Outdoor Lighting Best For Home Security And Curb ...

Gooseneck Lights,Gooseneck Lighting,G - Gooseneck Outdoor Lighting Best For Home Security And Curb Appeal   Gooseneck Lights,Gooseneck Lighting,G
by Noel Almirante
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Gooseneck Lights,Gooseneck Lighting,G More Details about Gooseneck Lights,Gooseneck Lighting,G here.

You have newly build fence in your home and you are happy with it. ?It is like protecting your home against trespasser or some people with bad intentions. ?It is like putting some extra security for your family. ?You know that this will lessen your worries and you can put at ease that even animals like dogs cannot go to your garden and destroy your nice landscape. ?It is also your way of telling people in your community that you value your privacy and the fence will protect it for you. ?Your fences being installed in just simple but will surely give you some safety in the long run.

Since you have your new fence, you also need proper lightings at night. ?It is very important to consider the lights in your surroundings if your concern is the safety of your family. ?You can use the gooseneck lighting because this will give a suitable amount of light during the night. ?You will soon realized the advantage in your part because you will easily see people that passes your property of you also be sure that if someone pays u a visit at night, you will easily recognized them because of the lights coming from the gooseneck lighting. Gooseneck lights is the best alternative for you because you will greatly enjoy the lights spread in the night. ?It will also add to the beauty of your fence since it has an elegant design to give a nice appearance. ?It is not just an ordinary lamp but it is design for the purpose of enhancing the appearance of your area. ?The designs are unique and the durability will last for a long time. ?Many may be thinking that it will be a waste of time buying it because you may change it every year but the gooseneck lights can sustain the test of time. The gooseneck outdoor lighting is design to resist the changing weather that is why, even it is expose to the sun and rain, it will not easily destroy or brittle. ?The materials are very tough that the money you spend in buying the product will not put into waste. ?It is also a better purchase on your end because you know that you will use it for long. ?The lights during the night are very important for the security of your property and family that is why it is better to install proper lighting. ?Your fences will be useless if you cannot see at night who will try to break in into your property.

For more information and resources on gooseneck outdoor lighting and sign hardware please visit blogs for architectural lighting and signs ideas.

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Inexpensive Largemouth bass Boat Insurance Prices

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Source: http://woman-quotes.com/inexpensive-largemouth-bass-boat-insurance-prices/

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Astros lose 11th straight

By KRISTIE RIEKEN

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:38 p.m. ET July 27, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) - When Drew Sutton reached third base in the ninth inning with the game tied, he told Pittsburgh third base coach Nick Leyva that Houston's Xavier Cedeno might bounce a curveball after seeing how much break it had on it earlier in the inning.

Cedeno did just that on the next pitch and Sutton was ready, dashing home on the wild pitch to propel the Pirates to a 6-5 win over the hapless Houston Astros on Friday night.

"When guys have big breaking balls like that sometimes they have the tendency to overthrow them in big situations and you've just got to take advantage," Sutton said. "In a close game like that it usually comes down to little stuff like that and I'm glad I thought about it, the pitch, before. I got a good break on it and it worked out."

The loss was Houston's 11th straight, tying the franchise record for most consecutive losses in a season. The Astros, who have baseball's worst record (34-67), last lost 11 straight in 1995. They have lost 24 of their last 26 games.

"We have to (be level-headed)," Houston's Chris Johnson said. "If you get down, it's just going to get worse."

The Astros led 5-4 entering the ninth inning before rookie Starling Marte's bases-loaded sacrifice fly tied it up, and the wild pitch got away from catcher Chris Snyder to allow Sutton to score and extend Houston's misery.

It was the third time in the last four games that Houston has lost after entering the ninth inning with a lead.

"Having the lead in three of the last four games is tough, there's no doubt," Astros manager Brad Mill said. "And it beats up on everybody, but these guys have been battling so well all the way through, and I'm sure they're going to come out tomorrow and do the same thing."

Tony Watson (5-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and Joel Hanrahan did the same in the ninth for his major league-leading 31st save.

Alex Presley hit a solo home run for Pittsburgh in the fourth and Michael McKenry, who finished with three hits, connected on a two-run shot in the fifth.

Johnson finished a single short of the cycle and Ben Francisco had a solo homer and drove in two runs for the Astros.

The game was tied at 4-all when Johnson tripled on a ball that rolled up the corner of Tal's Hill in center field with no outs in the seventh. J.D. Martinez's one-out grounder to left field sent Johnson home to put Houston on top.

Johnson doubled in the first inning and had a solo homer in the third before his seventh-inning triple. Johnson walked in the fifth inning, but struck out in his last at-bat in the eighth.

Rhiner Cruz (1-1) came in for Houston with one out in the ninth inning. McKenry singled before Cruz issued consecutive walks to load the bases for Marte's sacrifice fly off Cedeno.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle thought his team's work in the ninth inning showed maturity.

"Being focused, being ready (and) we took advantage of some opportunities," he said. "But the smart at-bats at the end paid us dividends and I'm not so sure that we would have executed as well early in the season in that type of game."

Houston starter Jordan Lyles allowed seven hits and four runs while tying a career-high with eight strikeouts in six-plus innings.

McKenry doubled to start the seventh inning and chase Lyles. McKenry advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before tying it at 4-4 on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Josh Harrison.

Pedro Alvarez singled to start the fifth before McKenry's shot to the Crawford Boxes in left field got the Pirates within 4-3.

Francisco hit the third straight single for the Astros in the second inning to drive in a run and put Houston up 1-0.

The Astros added a run in that inning when Justin Maxwell scored on Lyles' sacrifice bunt. The ball dribbled slightly down the right field line on the play and catcher McKenry came out to grab it. Maxwell evaded his tag and dove onto home plate to extend the lead to 2-0.

Johnson homered for the second straight game to leave Houston up 3-0 in the third inning.

The Pirates didn't get a hit until Presley's home run to right field with one out in the fourth inning made it 3-1.

Francisco's first home run as an Astro started Houston's fourth inning.

Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens yielded six hits and four runs with seven strikeouts in five innings. He allowed two home runs on Friday night after allowing just one in his previous eight starts this season.

The Astros had a chance to add to their lead when Karstens loaded the bases with three walks in the fifth inning, but he retired Francisco to escape the jam.

Astros reliever Wesley Wright had a busy eighth inning. He got the first out of the inning, before moving to right field while Wilton Lopez came on to pitch to Andrew McCutchen. Wright, who appeared in right field for the second time in his career, returned to the mound after a double by McCutchen and retired the next two batters to end the inning.

NOTES: The Pirates have homered in 17 straight road games, which is tied with Oakland for the longest streak in the majors. ... The Astros claimed RHP Chuckie Fick off waivers from St. Louis on Friday. ... Mike Scott, who won the Cy Young award with the Astros in 1986, threw out the first pitch on Friday night as part of the team's 50th anniversary celebration. ... Wandy Rodriguez, who was traded from the Astros to the Pirates on Tuesday, will start against his former team on Saturday in the third game of the four-game series.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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HBT: Already playing well, the Angels may not be any better after?acquiring former Cy Young winner?Zack Greinke from the Brewers.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48365562/ns/sports-baseball/

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Reduced Impact Cardiovascular For The Optimum Health and fitness

Many individuals say they would like to get into greater condition, but never use the methods to further improve their fitness. Like whatever else, you have to have the correct schooling to improve your individual health and fitness and get into much better shape. This post features a number of guidelines on how to increase your health and fitness and get healthy.

One simple (and expense-free of charge) form of workout you should do is pushups. Pushups are not too difficult to perform. You only location both of your hands on a lawn, spread out shoulder blades size aside, the two ft . on the floor, and force your whole body upwards and down. Pushups are a fantastic work out to your upper body and forearms.

Anyone who has achieved a plateau inside their exercise results should try changing their routines to add different types of training. Introducing amount of resistance function or span units might be best ways to jump start your exercise schedule. This way, it will be possible to acquire over the hump and initiate producing advancement yet again.

Getting in shape is not only about working out. To obtain the most from your coaching regimen, you need to enhance your way of life. This means you need to quit smoking, make far better dietary alternatives and be much more productive each and every day. A proper lifestyle will make working out much easier.

You should not think of fitness like a short term period in your lifetime. If you do it in this way you will swiftly lose determination the instant you reach your desired goals. Rather than period, you need to try to develop new lifestyle routines which will go on for your life-time.

Working out improves the o2 towards the mind. Reports have confirmed that incorporating a fitness program to the day-to-day routine will reduce the risk of getting dementia in around 60Per cent in more mature grown ups. Training emits protein that fortifies the brain?s neurons and cells which is directly linked to storage and discovering.

Drink green leaf tea to assist your self get far healthier. Studies show that green tea has components that enhance your metabolism. Other benefits of ingesting green leaf tea incorporate reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and it also may even have contra?cancer attributes on top of that. It is a simple and easy cost-effective approach to improve your diet.

It is crucial to obtain the proper advice when attempting to enhance your level of fitness. Bad info can be frustrating and may lead to injury. Use the physical fitness suggestions you possess just read to work on and also to satisfy your workout goals. This is an investment within you on your own, so get every piece of information you need to become successful.

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Source: http://blog.ilove3c.com/2012/07/28/reduced-impact-cardiovascular-for-the-optimum-health-and-fitness/

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Panasonic TC-L42ET5


Passive 3D is a convenient, inexpensive way to watch 3D movies on an HDTV. While active 3D often offers the better picture, passive 3D doesn't require expensive, battery-powered glasses. Each 3D technology comes with?trade-offs. The majority of the sets Panasonic sells are active 3D, but the company is joining Vizio and LG in the ranks of manufacturers offering passive 3D models. The ET5 series is the company's first passive 3D LED model, and at $1,099.99 (direct) for the 42-inch TC-L42ET5 version we tested, it's an affordable HDTV. But its picture quality doesn't measure up to Vizio's or LG's passive 3D screens, and doesn't come close to matching active 3D HDTVs. Still, the set's price and feature set helps make up for its picture failings, and if you want an affordable HDTV that does a lot, it's a solid choice.

Design
Very basic looking, the set's bezel is flat and plain, framed by clear acrylic edging to give it a little bit of flair. The base is black, rectangular, and sturdy, but doesn't turn or pivot in any direction. Power, Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down, and Menu buttons sit tucked just behind the right edge of the screen. On the opposite side, four HDMI inputs and two USB ports sit conveniently facing to the left. The remaining component and composite video (a pair of connectors that use an adapter), VGA, cable, Ethernet, and optical audio ports face down from a recessed portion of the back panel.

Panasonic TC-L42ET5 Remote

The 8.9-inch remote is large, backlit, and comfortable. The big buttons are easily identifiable, and the number pad, volume/channel controls, and navigation pad all feel different enough under your thumb that you can easily use the remote blindly. A dedicated Internet button accesses Viera Connect services and a 3D button summons 3D options, but the remote doesn't have dedicated Netflix or Skype buttons like Panasonic's connected Blu-ray players like the DMP-BDT220 ($114.99, 4 stars). Panasonic also offers a smartphone app that turns your iPhone or Android smartphone into a remote control. It also has touchpad and gamepad modes for browsing the Web and playing games on Viera Connect apps on the HDTV.

You can use built-in Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection to hook up the TV to the Internet and Panasonic's Viera Connect service. It comes with several apps and online services installed, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, and a Web browser. Web browsing is awkward with the remote, but you can use Panasonic's Viera Remote app to turn your iPhone or Android smartphone into a touchpad for better cursor control. You can download additional apps and services to the HDTV through the Viera Connect Market, which also lets you order physical products like optional gamepads and Webcams for use with certain apps.

Performance
We test HDTVs with DisplayMate test patterns, a Konica-Minolta CS-200 ChromaMeter, and Spectracal's CalMAN software. After?setting the color temperature to Warm and performing a?basic brightness and contrast calibration, the L42ET5 reached a peak brightness of 292.50 cd/m2?and a peak black level of 0.03 cd/m2, for an effective contrast ratio of 9,750:1. Colors were very accurate, with greens registering as just slightly warm. The chart below shows the screen's values compared with the CIE standards, represented respectively by the colored dots and boxes.

Despite good numbers, the L42ET5's picture has some quirks. Off-axis viewing distorts color, causing the picture to look pale and indistinct if you look at it from any view wider than about 45 degrees from the center. While the HDTV has a dark enhancement mode, we recommend turning it off and setting black levels to "light," because the mode severely clips shadow detail and makes very dark objects disappear. It showed no noticeable clipping in highlights, though.

I watched Piranha on Blu-ray on the L42ET5, and the picture was bright and colorful. The sunny, alcohol-fueled party segments were eye-catching and vivid, though skin tones looked slightly muted. Under the water, the picture wasn't quite as good, as the shadows and dark objects in the murk became muddled. Despite a good contrast ratio, the L42ET5 doesn't excel at shadow details.

Passive 3D
Unlike other Panasonic 3D HDTVs, the ET5 uses passive 3D instead of active 3D technology. This means it uses inexpensive filtered glasses instead of electronic shutter glasses, and comes with four pairs in the box. The 3D effect is very good if you look at it straight on, and even passable if you look at it from the sides. If you move higher or lower than the screen, however, crosstalk becomes heavy, making the picture look little different than if you weren't wearing glasses at all. I watched Sharks 3D on Blu-ray, and the schools of fish popped out of the dark blue of the ocean when I sat directly in front of the screen with my head at its level. When I stood up, the number of fish doubled and the picture gave me a headache. This can be a problem if you want to wall-mount the HDTV and sit on a couch to watch a 3D movie.

The L42ET5 doesn't have many energy saving settings, but it's still relatively efficient. A single Energy Saving mode slightly dims the screen but keeps it very watchable. With the mode turned off, the L42ET5 consumes an average of 82 watts under standard viewing conditions. With the mode turned on, that number drops to 70 watts.?

The Panasonic TC-L42ET5 is an inexpensive 3D HDTV with a good picture if you look at it straight on. While its passive 3D technology is convenient and economical with the included glasses, it suffers from distinct crosstalk and poor viewing angles. This means in a large group, a few viewers will be disappointed. For a budget 3D HDTV, the 55-inch Vizio M3D550KD ($1,429.99, 4 stars) remains our top pick. The 55-inch?Panasonic TC-P55ST50 ($1,699.99, 4 stars) is a larger, more expensive plasma screen that doesn't come with the active 3D glasses it needs to show 3D movies, but it offers a superior picture to Panasonic's passive LED screen. Even so, if you're on a budget and want a connected 3D TV, the ET5 is worth considering for its solid feature set and low price.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/v6NWTJp7JBU/0,2817,2407517,00.asp

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U.S. fears Syria preparing for massacre in Aleppo

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces renewed a ground and aerial bombardment of Aleppo on Friday, extending efforts to crush rebels in Syria's commercial capital in what the United States said it feared could become a massacre.

Insurgents targeted army roadblocks and security installations, with both sides avoiding close-quarters warfare in the city of 2.5 million people, Syria's biggest urban centre.

The U.S. State Department said credible reports of tank columns moving on Aleppo, along with air strikes by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, represented a serious escalation of Assad's efforts to crush a rebellion that began 16 months ago.

"This is the concern: that we will see a massacre in Aleppo, and that's what the regime appears to be lining up for," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Troops stationed on the outskirts of Aleppo unleashed barrages of heavy-caliber mortar rounds on the western neighborhoods of Saladin, al-Sukkari and al-Fardos, while Russian MI-25 helicopter gunships struck al-Sakhour in the east with rockets, several opposition activists in the city said.

RISING CASUALTIES

In the first reported casualty on Friday, a man of about 60 wearing a traditional white prayer outfit was killed near a park in Saladin. His body was placed in a mosque pending identification.

Thirty-four people were killed in Aleppo and its environs on Thursday, according to opposition activists keeping a tally of casualties in the northern city.

"The rebels have so far been nimble, and civilians have mostly been the victims of the bombardment," said activist Abu Mohammad al-Halabi, speaking by phone from the city.

"There is lots of internal displacement, and schools have been turned to makeshift shelters that are packed. One shell hitting a school will result in a catastrophe," he said.

"The regime is massing troops and tanks at the entrances of Aleppo, but it seems it is for now content with bombarding the city, with the rebels constantly on the move."

Majed al-Nour, another activist, said rebels attacked a security outpost in the neighborhood of Bustan al-Joz, which is close to the Aleppo city center, on Thursday.

"The rebels are present in the east and west of the city, and have a foothold in areas of the center. The regime forces control the entrances of Aleppo and the main thoroughfares and commercial streets and are bombarding the residential districts that fell into rebel hands," he said.

Nour said tens of thousands of people had fled Aleppo to nearby northern rural regions close to Turkey from which the Syrian army has withdrawn in recent weeks to focus on urban areas where relatively lightly armed rebels have hunkered down.

The heavy fighting around Aleppo follows an audacious bomb attack that killed four of Assad's closest lieutenants in Damascus on July 18 and led some analysts to speculate that the government's grip was slipping.

With U.N. Security Council resolutions for sanctions against Syria vetoed by Russia and China for a third time last week, the United States has said it is stepping up assistance to Syria's fractured opposition, although it remains limited to non-lethal supplies such as communications gear and medical equipment.

Reuters has learned that the White House has crafted a presidential directive, called a "finding," that would authorize greater covert assistance for the rebels, while still stopping short of arming them.

It is not clear whether President Barack Obama has signed the document, and U.S. officials declined to comment on the finding, which is a highly classified authorization for covert activity.

UNITING THE OPPOSITION

A Syrian parliamentarian representing the northern province of Aleppo said on Friday she had defected to Turkey, becoming the first member of the rubberstamp assembly elected in May and dominated by President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party to defect.

"I have crossed to Turkey and defected from this tyrannical regime ... because of the repression and savage torture against a nation demanding the minimum of rights," Ikhlas al-Badawi told Sky News Arabia.

One of the most senior figures to defect from Assad's inner circle, Brigadier General Manaf Tlas, put himself forward on Thursday as someone who could help unify the opposition inside and outside Syria on a plan for a transfer of power.

Tlas, speaking in a newspaper interview in the Saudi city of Jeddah, also said he was looking for support from Saudi Arabia and other powers. "I am discussing with ... people outside Syria to reach a consensus with those inside," Tlas told Thursday's edition of the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

Tlas went on to Turkey and met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey, a former ally of Assad and now one of his fiercest critics, has a heavy strategic stake in shaping any post-Assad leadership in neighboring Syria.

Tlas appeared briefly with Davutoglu at an official guest house, but made no statement.

Turkey closed its border posts with Syria on Wednesday to all traffic except Syrian refugees.

Russia, one of the few remaining allies of the authoritarian Assad whose family has run Syria for 42 years, said calls for him to quit power were hindering efforts to end the conflict.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such calls, led by the United States, Turkey and other Western and Arab nations, were fanning violence. He reiterated Moscow's contention that support for Syrian rebel groups was tantamount to backing terrorism.

Iran promised to stand by Syria, come what may.

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi told Iran's Press TV on Thursday that the Islamic Republic's support for Syria, its main Arab ally, was "unchangeable", countering suggestions that Iran could soften its backing for Assad.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Matt Spetalnick and Andrew Quinn in Washington; Writing by Will Waterman; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-fears-syria-preparing-massacre-aleppo-052845792.html

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Obama gets ahead of Romney on Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is reaffirming U.S. ties with Israel, upstaging Mitt Romney one day before the Republican challenger visits Jerusalem.

The White House says Obama will sign legislation Friday that expands military and civilian cooperation with Israel. The bill passed by voice vote in the House last week. The bill reiterates U.S. support for a negotiated two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Romney is a critic of Obama's policy toward Israel. He will arrive in Jerusalem on Saturday as part of an overseas trip that includes Britain and Poland.

The White House subtly injected itself into Romney's trip on Thursday after Romney caused a stir by calling London's problems with Olympics preparation "disconcerting." White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama "has the utmost confidence" in Britain's ability to host the games.

Obama planned to continue competing with Romney for attention during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, which Romney was scheduled to attend while in London.

The Obama campaign was airing an ad for American audiences during the opening ceremonies featuring Obama promoting his middle-class political pitch.

"I believe that the way you grow the economy is from the middle out," Obama says in the ad, echoing a standard campaign refrain. "I believe in fighting for the middle class because if they are prospering, all of us will prosper."

With the ad, Obama guarantees himself a presence during opening ceremonies despite the free media Romney might get by being there in person.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gets-ahead-romney-israel-074950071.html

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Friday, July 27, 2012

The Best Way To Increase By means of Self Improvement

Previous Post: How You Can Be Successful In A Tough Home Based Business World &nbsp Next Post: Advantageous Residence Basic Business Ideas Which Are Basic


One?s progression in a much better, more happy person is effectively attained by way of self help. Luckily, there are a number of easy tips and bits of suggestions for all those trying to go after self-help, a few of which are listed below in the following paragraphs. Self-help will guide you in the positive course.

The best way to self help your despression symptoms is usually to help other people by volunteering. Many those people who are frustrated find yourself sensing sorry for their own reasons, but financing an assisting hands will give you viewpoint on other peoples life although producing your very own life truly feel more accomplished. Also, it is a wonderful way to meet new people.

When aiming to produce on your own inside a far better way, you must aim to search for purity rather than eloquence. You would like to find out knowledge that is the 100 % pure reality. Try to steer clear of is situated that conceal them selves as facts by utilizing rather terms. Exploring the visible difference from a reality as well as a lay is important for private growth.

If you want to boost the tranquility and peacefulness in your life, it is important that you get rid of the mess within your online email email. When you have 1000s of email messages within your email, you may easily remove this all mess and lifestyle disappointment by clicking a basic switch.

Develop and consistently grow an optimistic mindset. Start with affirming your own idea in oneself, then enjoy the small accomplishments you will be making daily. Energy your want to become successful by creating a ?is capable of doing? mindset. Surrounds yourself with other individuals that practice good attitudes and establish a system of optimistic supporters.

Acquire a minimum of one phase everyday in the direction of reaching your ultimate goal. This task can be tiny, or big, yet it is needed to go on a move each day. Carrying this out helps to keep yourself on path, and allows you to remain targeted. In addition, it has got the necessary techniques attained which means that your final result is available nearer and much closer.

Try to maintain a positive outlook. An upbeat perspective are capable of doing magic for the disposition. Purposely try your hardest not to enable your self get also stressed, nervous, or discouraged - irrespective of what the issue. Just revealing yourself that issues is going to be fine can sometimes make you stay sensing upbeat long enough to be successful to make that true.

See, it wasn?t nearly as terrible as you may thought it would be. Contemplating how you can help your self stay a much better lifestyle. Daily life can get caught up in ruts and this could make residing it, so much harder. Do a favour and adhere to those previously mentioned ways to are living a more happy existence, towards you.

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Maui's Weekend: Augie T, The Producers, and Paia MusicFest ...

Augie T brings his hilarious local humor to the stage Saturday for a night of laugh-out-loud fun. Photo courtesy of MACC.

By Sonia Isotov

Shows

Kalama Brothers & Friends with Willie K. Friday, July 27, 7:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, McCoy Studio Theater.

The Kalama Brothers are Kai and Ryan Keau Kalama, who were raised in California, and perform a variety of music that embraces the music that their father and uncle performed as the original Kalama Brothers.

Their talents go beyond their singing voices as they play a variety of instruments to recreate cover songs that appeal to all ages. They also compose original songs with music that suits the ears and lyrics that bring the story home.

Kalama Brothers are touring Hawai?i to promote their new CD,?Keau?produced by Maui Tribe Records with ?Uncle? Willie K. Their hit single is ?Come Back to Hawaii.?

The Kalama Brothers are Kai and Ryan Keau Kalama. Photos courtesy of MACC.

The Kalama Brothers are Kai and Ryan Keau Kalama, who were raised in California, performing a variety of music and now embracing the music that their father and uncle performed as the original Kalama Brothers.

Tickets:?$20 (plus applicable fees). Preshow dinner is provided by Mulligen?s on the Blue. Tickets are available for purchase by calling the MACC Box Office at 242-SHOW or online at MauiArts.org.

Augie T?s Summer of LOL, Saturday 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, McCoy Studio Theater.

Hawaii?s popular comedian and on-air personality?Augie T?brings his hilarious local humor to the stage this summer for a night of laugh-out-loud fun. Special guest is?Brad Starks, an edgy stand-up comedian, video/film producer, social media guru and impressionist with an already-famous character, Bethesda Jackson.

Tickets: $20/standard, $35/premium with meet-and-greet after show (plus applicable fees). Preshow dinner provided by AK?s Caf? serving from 5:30 p.m. in the McCoy Courtyard. Tickets are available for purchase by calling the MACC Box Office at 242-SHOW or online at MauiArts.org.

The Producers. July 6 to July 29 at the Historic Iao Theatre in Wailuku.

Presented by Maui OnStage, The Producers, a musical by Mel Brooks, is based on Mel Brooks? 1968 film The Producers about Max Bialystock, a once great Broadway Producer grabs Leo Bloom, his accountant, and attempts to produce the biggest flop in history! ?Springtime for Hitler,? their masterpiece, turns out to be a smash hit, ruining all the plans they had for their success with a failure.

The production runs Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Paia Town Friday Party. Photo courtesy of PaiaTown.

Tickets: $17 to $28 available from the Maui OnStage box office at (808) 242-6969. The Historic Iao Theatre is located at 68 North Market Street in Wailuku.

Parties

July?s Paia Fourth Friday Town Party. Friday, July 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m in Paia.

This Friday, the Paia Town Music Fest will feature world famous DJs down the street from folk performs. Dance to experimental electronic only minutes away from a harp performance. Entertainment features fashion shows, fire dancing, drink and food specials, and celtic music, live art demonstrations, and more.

Charley?s will present DJ Sabo and?Sandwich Island Bass.?Tickets for this event are $15 in advance, $20 at the door (Portions of the proceeds benefit Town of Paia)

Tickets: Entry is free and a street festival atmosphere is enjoyed. Check out?www.paiamaui.com?or?www.facebook.com/paiatown?for up to the minute updates and schedules.

ArT=Mixx, Saturday, July 28, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Schaefer International Gallery and Pavilion/Courtyard.

Explore the?Schaefer International Gallery with the black and white themed affair. The event pays tribute to the early artistic media of op art and film noirPlay features performance art and a black and white costume contest, along with a preshow dinner by Three?s Bar & Grill and dancing to DJ Tunes.

The event pays tribute to the early artistic media of op art and film noir featuring video and performance art. Photo courtesy of MACC.

Tickets: Admission is free.

Community Events

Maui Mall Family Sundays, Sunday July 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Maui Mall in Kahului.

This free?monthly event includes educational-themed hands-on workshops,?activities, exhibits,?entertainment and games, Bingo, and prize giveaways. Each?month will follow a specific theme such as Science & Agriculture and?Language & Culture.?This month?s theme will be Music & Performing Arts.

Maui Mall will also award one iPad and iPod at each?event for the student drawing. As part of Maui Mall Family Sundays, Maui County teachers are encouraged to nominate one student per?month, even during the summer months, who stand out in academics and?character to be recognized and rewarded at?each Maui Mall Family Sundays event.

Select students will be presented with?Maui Mall gift certificates as well?as be entered to win an iPod or iPad.?Additionally, students who are chosen from April through November will?be re-entered?in a cumulative drawing for a chance to win a MacBook Pro at the Maui?Mall Family Sundays finale event on January 6, 2013.

Tickets: Admission is free. Student nomination forms and more?information can be found on the Family Sundays link at?www.MauiMall.com.

Related Stories:

Source: http://mauinow.com/2012/07/25/mauis-weekend-augie-t-the-producers-last-weekend-and-paia-musicfest/

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As economy falters, Washington fails to act

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

The economy's growth slowed in the second quarter, government data showed, as consumers, worried about jobs and wages, held back.

By John W. Schoen, NBC News

The economy is stumbling and there is little evidence that leaders in Washington are willing to act to get it moving smoothly again.

Fresh data confirmed Friday that the growth of gross domestic product slowed sharply in the past nine months.?The Commerce Department?s initial estimate pegged second-quarter growth?at a 1.5 percent annual rate, the weakest showing since the third quarter of last year.

The slowdown was brought into sharper relief following the government's?revision Friday to estimates for prior quarters. First-quarter growth was bumped up by a tenth percentage point to 2.0 percent and output for the fourth quarter was raised to a 4.1 percent rate from 3.0 percent.

The report prompted the White House to cut its growth forecast for 2012 and 2013. In its semi-annual budget review, the White House said it now expects gross domestic product to rise 2.3 percent this year and 2.7 percent again next year ? down from the 2.7 percent and 3.0 percent growth projections it made in February.

In June, the Federal Reserve lowered its prediction for growth in 2012 to 2.4 percent, a half percentage point weaker than its previous forecast in April.

The latest data show the biggest drag on growth is coming from consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity. After a spending perked up last year , driven by sales of cars and other long-lasting goods, spending grew by just ?1.5 percent rate, down from the 2.4 percent pace in the last quarter of 2011. That was the weakest showing in a year.?

A separate report Friday showed consumer sentiment tanked in July, falling to its lowest level of the year so far.

Consumers have reason to hunker down, following years of stagnant wages. Now, with the jobless rate stuck at painfully high levels, there is little news from Washington to boost confidence. As the economy continues to sputter, the Federal Reserve remains on the sidelines and Congress and the White House are stubbornly deadlocked over proposals to boost growth.

Hanging over all of this is the election in November. The economy's poor showing throws?a hurdle in front of President Barack Obama's campaign to keep his job. His Republican rival Mitt Romney, a former businessman turned politician, has made his financial acumen a central theme of his campaign.

The poor showing in the second quarter has raised hopes that the Fed will step in with another round of asset purchases known as quantitative easing. But most economists feel if the Fed acts at all, it won't be at its regularly scheduled meeting next week.

"This (economic data) is the sign that policymakers must act to provide more support to the economy if they want it to grow fast enough to start putting sustained downward pressure on today's still too-high unemployment rate," said Josh Bivens, research and policy director at the Economic Policy Institute.

That action doesn?t appear likely in the near term, especially on the fiscal front.

In the latest act in the ongoing congressional dog and pony show on the budget,?House Republicans agreed to a vote next week on a Senate-approved measure that would extend Bush-era tax cuts for households earning less than $250,000.

"If our Democrat colleagues want to offer the president's plan or the Senate Democrats' plan, we're more than happy to give them a vote," House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday.

But the Democratic bill almost certainly?will?fail in the Republican-controlled House, serving only to confirm that both sides are deeply deadlocked over the looming year-end tax increases and spending cuts put in place when Congress deadlocked a year ago over raising the government's legal borrowing limit.

Just as that standoff lasted until the nation was on the verge of a debt default, both sides are apparently committed to driving the government to the edge of a ruinous ?fiscal cliff? before acting. In the closing days of its current session, Congress will have to resolve the issue of expiring tax cuts and ?automatic? spending cuts that most economists believe would throw the U.S. economy into recession in a matter of months.

Spending cuts alone would result ?in an estimated 2 million lost jobs?next year?even as?the pace of hiring is already too slow to keep up with population growth.

With Congress and the White House deadlocked in partisan paralysis, the Fed is the economy?s last, best hope. With growth falling, speculation is rising over whether --?and when --?the central bank will begin pumping more cash into the financial system to spur more borrowing and spending by businesses and consumers.

'The Fed's concern and mandate is employment,? said Joseph Trevisani, chief market strategist at Worldwide Markets. ?Annualized GDP growth at 1.5 percent cannot begin to mend the unemployment picture. Mr. Bernanke and company have all the rationale they need to open the liquidity spigot.?

But Fed watchers say it?s unlikely that policy makers will announce any new moves to prod growth at next week?s regularly scheduled, two-day meeting. One reason is that?the latest data seem to bolster hopes that the economy may still dodge an outright recession. Friday?s GDP revisions, which included growth rates all the way back to 2009, tend to bolster that view.

The new figures show that the 2007 recession was not was deep as originally reported and that the recovery was not as strong. ??

Based on a review of additional data, including IRS tax returns, the government now believes gross domestic product grew by just 2.5 percent in the 12 months after the recession ended in June 2009, not the 3.3 percent rebound previously reported.

That means that since the recession ended, the economy has been growing at an average pace of 2.2 percent. In that light, the latest reading of 1.5 percent growth represents a somewhat milder slowdown from the longer-term trend. ?

Still, any reading of less than a 3 percent growth rate will be painful, because?anything less is too slow to bring down the unemployment rate. The economy needs to grow at a 2.0 to 2.5 percent pace just to keep the?unemployment rate stable.??Most Fed watchers believe that if sluggish growth persists, or worsens, the central bank likely will fire up its money pumps by the end of the year.

It remains to be seen, though, whether those moves will have much impact.

?Today?s (GDP) report may be enough to tip the balance of probability towards further monetary accommodation before the end of the year,? said Chris Jones, and economist at TD Economics. ?But will it give the real economy the boost it needs?? Probably not.?

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently conceded that the Fed's powers to revive growth are limited without help from Congress and the White House, which seems unlikely in an election year.

CNBC's Rick Santelli breaks down the latest economic data on the nation's gross domestic product, with Joel Naroff, Naroff Economic Advisors president.

More money and business news:

Source: http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/27/12991882-as-economy-falters-washington-fails-to-act?lite

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Sprint's iPhone gamble isn't paying off as 2012 Q2 figures reveal $629 million operating loss

Sprints iPhone gamble isnt paying off as 2012 Q2 figures reveal $14 billion loss

Sprint's second quarter figures have arrived, showing that the company's billion-dollar gamble on the iPhone isn't working right now. While it sold 1.5 million Apple-branded handsets in the three month period (40 percent to new and postpaid customers), it recorded an operating loss of $629 million and a colossal net loss of $1.4 billion -- compared to an operating loss of $255 million and a net loss of $863 million in the first quarter. Operating revenues of $8.8 billion improved on those in the first quarter by a single percent -- mostly due to higher service fees from its wireless offerings. It's also grown its cash reserves, up from $128 million last quarter to $267 million today, and can point to 442,000 postpaid and 141,000 new prepaid subscribers pushing the company's customer base up to 56 million nationwide -- mentioning that 60 percent of former Nextel users chose to remain with Sprint during the enforced change.

The figures reveal that Sprint's eating around $782 million due to the shutdown of the Nextel platform and a further $184 million to end leases on antenna sites for the moribund network. It's also having to take a hit of $204 million due to its investment into infrastructure partner Clearwire. It's affirmed its $1 billion lending facility, contingent upon purchasing gear from Ericsson to help build its LTE network, which it aims to have installed in 12,000 sites by the end of the year. Of course, that purchase was prompted by the collapse of Philip Falcone's doomed LightSquared project, which caused the Now Network to lose $66 million in cash and its childhood innocence when it comes to trusting other people.

Update: Dan Hesse has added that his company is working to take all 9,600 iDEN sites off air, well ahead of its planned deadline. Big Yellow also mentioned that it has no plans to adopt a shared data plan to follow AT&T and Verizon.

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Sprint's iPhone gamble isn't paying off as 2012 Q2 figures reveal $629 million operating loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/26/sprint-q2-2012/

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Showroom Floors in DFW - Sarche Concrete Design Introduces ...











Dallas, TX - Sarche Concrete Design introduces professional showroom floors in the DFW area. Owners needing professional showroom floors in the DFW area prefer Sarche Concrete Design. The company delivers professional showroom floors in the DFW area for organizations that appreciate exceptional service. For years Sarche Concrete Design has led the industry in customer service and meaningful solutions. Sarche Concrete Design is also known for proven garage floors. For more on professional showroom floors in the DFW area companies are invited to call 888-419-4559 or visit the Sarche Concrete Design web site at http://www.sarcheconcretedesign.com

The team at Sarche Concrete Design offers professional support for companies searching for high gloss concrete. Thousands of companies are choosing Sarche Concrete Design for quality polished concrete. Sarche Concrete Design has a reputation for some of the top polished concrete in the industry. Owners find quality polished concrete options and expert service from the Sarche Concrete Design team. Now contractors can get polished concrete they need. Sarche Concrete Design offers quality polished concrete for advanced finished concrete. Sarche Concrete Design pushes industry standards for professional high gloss concrete. Owners choose the Sarche Concrete Design team for professional high gloss concrete. The Sarche Concrete Design team offers years of experience with polished concrete and meeting polished concrete needs.

Sarche Concrete Design offers polished concrete. Sarche Concrete Design is known for quality polished concrete. Companies have an exciting option for advanced finished concrete. Sarche Concrete Design. No other supplier of high gloss concrete demands more of their team when it comes to experience and service. Polished Concrete makes a lot of sense for contractors The organization owners choose as their supplier has a direct impact on their results. Why not choose the best in the industry. Thousands of owners every year choose Sarche Concrete Design. Choosing Sarche Concrete Design gets you professional high gloss concrete and amazing service.

About Sarche Concrete Design and Advanced Showroom Floors In Dallas Sarche concrete design is at the forefront of concrete design. The focus is to provide timeless, beautifully crafted concrete while meeting the functional and practical demands of today. At home in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Chicago, Sarche Concrete Design is at the forefront of concrete design. The focus remains to provide timeless, beautifully crafted concrete while meeting the functional and practical demands of today. As Brian Sarche says, "Welcome to the world as seen through my eyes." You really don't know concrete until you visit the Sarche Concrete Design web site and view the gallery, proof that concrete is both practical and artistic. Sarche Concrete Design introduces professional high gloss concrete in the DFW area.

Media Contact: Brian Sarche 214-394-9370 bsarche@sbcglobal.net

Company Contact: Sarche Concrete Design 1499 Regal Row Suite 201 Dallas, TX 75247 Phone: 888-419-4559 bsarche@sbcglobal.net http://www.sarcheconcretedesign.com

NOTICE TO READERS: Provided by Sarche Concrete Design for news purposes only to announce products, events or services. This material was not prepared or distributed as an independent endorsement, testimonial or review and should not be read as such.

Keywords: professional, showroom floors, owners, Sarche Concrete Design, in the DFW area

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