Washington braces for whirlwind week

By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News

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A vote on President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Defense Department, Supreme Court arguments about the future of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and?the expected onset of automatic spending cuts known as the "sequester" mean the nation's capital is bracing for a politically consequential week ahead.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discusses how the looming spending cuts will affect air travel and calls on Congress to act.

After a weeklong recess, Congress returns to Washington with a full agenda of business that needs handling. Topping that list is an item which lawmakers are arguably unlikely to resolve over the course of the week: the sequester, about $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to begin taking effect on Friday, the first day of March.

Lawmakers left town before the President's Day holiday no closer to resolving the sequester, the second part of the so-called "fiscal cliff," which was delayed for two months by the New Year's Day deal on taxes.

Last week's recess was more full of posturing and blame-placing by Obama and Republicans in Congress ? who each blame the other for the sequester's creation ??than any substantive progress toward a deal to address the cuts, which both sides agree would be perilous.

"So now Republicans in Congress face a simple choice: Are they willing to compromise to protect vital investments in education and health care and national security and all the jobs that depend on them?" Obama said last Tuesday at the White House. "Or would they rather put hundreds of thousands of jobs and our entire economy at risk just to protect a few special-interest tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations? That's the choice."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, responded in the pages of the 'Wall Street Journal': "The president's sequester is the wrong way to reduce the deficit, but it is here to stay until Washington Democrats get serious about cutting spending."?

The administration has been warning of the potential consequences to the spending cuts, including military readiness and even delays and inconveniences in air travel.

Related:?Why Obama has the PR upper hand in sequestration battle

"We're not making this up in order to put pain on the American people," outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We are required to cut a billion dollars and we are going to do that unless Congress gets together and works together and compromises on this."?

Former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr.; Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan; Host of NPR's Morning Edition, Steve Inskeep; CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and Jim Cramer weigh in on how the looming budget cuts could be avoided with better leadership.

With both sides still so far apart, an agreement to delay or soften the blow of the automatic cuts before Friday seems unlikely.

That legislative showdown would normally suffice to consume all the political oxygen in Washington. But this week also features several other major events worth noting.

One such item is another holdover from before recess. The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on final confirmation for former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., to become the next defense secretary. The vote follows tenacious efforts by some Republican senators to block their former colleague from joining the Obama administration.

Senate Democrats had hoped to formally vote to confirm Hagel before last week's recess, but Senate Republicans ??even some GOP senators who said they'll support final confirmation for Hagel ??joined together to sustain a filibuster, and delay the confirmation vote until this week. For their part, Democrats decried the filibuster as unprecedented against a Pentagon chief's nomination.

Former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr.; Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan; Host of NPR's Morning Edition, Steve Inskeep; CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and Jim Cramer discuss what happens if Washington can't agree on an alternative plan.

Still, Hagel appears to be headed toward confirmation. Some of his most vociferous critics?? Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., among them ? said they would support moving toward a final vote on confirmation, which would only require a simple majority of the Senate's support. Even still, several GOP senators have said they intend to support Hagel, which only boosts his prospects for confirmation, barring some sort of development.

Hagel isn't the only member of Obama's prospective national security team left hanging over the recess.

After facing a grilling earlier this month before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John O. Brennan's nomination to become the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency faces an uncertain future. Senators are looking for more information about the Obama administration's secretive drone strikes program ??and Brennan's role in crafting that strategy ??before moving forward with his nomination.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has threatened to filibuster Brennan's nomination before the whole Senate until he's received a satisfactory answer. The concerns about Brennan aren't isolated to Republicans, either; Democrats like Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon have voiced similar misgivings about the secretive use of drone strikes to target suspected terrorists and the process behind them.

Joshua Roberts / Reuters file photo

Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

Also this week, the Supreme Court will hear potentially consequential oral arguments challenging a section of the historic Voting Right Acts. The justices will hear a challenge to a section of the law requiring nine states with a history of racial discrimination to seek Justice Department approval for any change in their voting procedures before those changes can take effect.

Obama, speaking Thursday in a radio interview, sought to calm fears that African American or other minority voters would face greater challenges to voting if the Supreme Court were to strike down that section of the law.

"I know in the past some folks have worried that if the Supreme Court strikes down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, they're going to lose their right to vote. That?s not the case," Obama said on "The Black Eagle" radio show. "People will still have the same rights not to be discriminated against when it comes to voting, you just won't have this mechanism, this tool, that allows you to kind of stay ahead of certain practices."

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/25/17058501-from-sequester-to-hagel-and-voting-rights-washington-braces-for-whirlwind-week?lite

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Iran nuclear talks: Will hints of sanctions relief yield progress?

Iran and six world powers have today broken an eight-month dry spell, sitting down to top-level negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, despite low expectations and much to do.

Iran is being presented with a "real and serious and substantive" revised proposal to curb its nuclear advances, say diplomats of the so-called P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany).

While the updated offer is expected for the first time to include modest relief from sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy, it also requires Iran to take substantial first steps to halt the most prized and sensitive elements of its nuclear program. Iran rejected that offer last spring.

Both sides accuse each other of being unwilling to engage in a balanced, step-by-step, and reciprocal process, and of making unreasonable demands. That tension ? and fear of being portrayed as a "loser" in any deal ? has complicated past chances to move forward.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about Iran? Take our quiz to find out.

?The onus is very much on the Iranians,? said Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads negotiations for the P5+1, as talks were under way.

?Iran needs to understand that there is an urgent need to make concrete and tangible progress," Mr. Mann said, speaking earlier. While the "good and updated offer" is "responsive to Iranian ideas," he added, it is "based upon what we put on the table before."

Iranian sources said they had also prepared their own counterproposal, and had several different versions ready to fit what the P5+1 laid down.

?It?s something that will balance their [P5+1] offer,? said an Iranian source close to the talks.

The two-day negotiations in the snowy and fogbound Central Asian city of Almaty, Kazakhstan, come as Iran has stepped up its rhetorical defiance of the process.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 16 was dismissive of diplomacy conducted while Iran is being targeted by ever-increasing sanctions, and has been stung by a covert war that has included assassinations of Iran's nuclear scientists and malicious computer viruses.

"Negotiations mean that we should accept what they say and surrender so that they lift the sanctions," said Mr. Khamenei, according to a transcript published on his website. "If the Iranian nation wanted to surrender, they would not have carried out a revolution" in 1979, which toppled the pro-West Shah.

Iran could be a "reasonable" partner in talks, Khamenei said, "if the Americans show that they will not bully us anymore, if they show that they will not commit evil deeds, if they show that they will not say and do irrational things, if they show that they will respect the rights of the Iranian nation...."

In Almaty, the Iranian source said: "Things will not get worse for us; we are already subjected to the hardest sanctions but have been able to overcome these problems."

WHAT'S ON THE TABLE

The key issues on the table in Almaty mirror those at three previous rounds of talks that failed to yield a breakthrough last spring in Istanbul, Baghdad, and Moscow.

The P5+1 demands that Iran permanently halt all enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity ? a medium level used to fuel a research reactor in Tehran, but which is just a few technical steps away from the 90 percent that can be used for weapons.

The P5+1 also wants Iran to close a deeply buried enrichment facility at Fordow ? which is currently under UN inspection, but also largely impregnable to Israeli and US air attack ? and to remove it from Iran.

"We are trying to outline as well a pathway for sanctions relief," a senior US official said on the eve of the talks. "All things are possible. All of the objectives that Iran seeks to meet can be met."

PICK UP THE TEMPO

The "real message" of the Almaty meeting, says the US diplomat, "is for Iran to understand and to appreciate that there is a path forward for them to get the relief they're seeking and to have a peaceful nuclear program.?

The US wants to create "momentum to these talks" and will pursue a quicker tempo of meetings, adds the diplomat, including perhaps a technical meeting in the coming three weeks, before Iran's long Nowruz New Year holiday.

Iran, for its part, demands that its "right" to enrich uranium be recognized, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also wants far-ranging sanctions, whose targets have included critical oil exports and central bank transactions, to be lifted in exchange for Iranian concessions.

Iranian officials have indicated for a year that they may be willing to give up the 20-percent work. An Iranian diplomat told the Monitor that was explicitly put to the P5+1 for the first time last July, during technical talks in Istanbul.

But Iranian politicians in recent weeks have also stated that they will "never" close Fordow. And a letter signed by 250 Iranian parliamentarians on Sunday called on Russia and China "not to follow the US's illogical demands" in talks. The MPs asked the US and P5+1 to "accept the nuclear realities" because "Iran's nuclear train within peaceful goals will never stop."

Iran over the weekend announced that it had plans to build 16 more nuclear reactors ? in addition to the delay-plagued Bushehr reactor recently completed by Russia. It also announced that more discoveries of natural uranium have allowed it to nearly triple estimates of its reserves.

A Feb. 21 report by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted that Iran had increased the number of installed centrifuges by nearly 25 percent in the previous three months, to 12,669, and had begun to install a newer, more efficient model.

The IAEA also noted, however, that Iran had resumed conversion of its 20 percent stockpile to an oxide form for nuclear fuel, rendering it much more difficult to be used in any push for a nuclear weapon.

PUTTING MORE ON THE TABLE FOR NEGOTIATIONS

"There's no question ... that some of this [Iranian] action is also to put more chips on the table in a negotiation, and it meets both [Iran's] desire to move their program forward as well as to be in a stronger negotiating position," says the US official.

If Iran does not accede to P5+1 demands, "there will be continued pressure and continued sanctions enforcement," the US diplomat adds. "It's an ongoing process of additional designations, additional closing of loopholes. There are other areas where pressure can be put on."

The diplomat says the revised deal includes "some steps in the sanctions arena, perhaps not in the fundamental ways ... that Iran is looking for."

That might include recently imposed restrictions on Iranian dealings in gold and precious metals ? the latest measure imposed by the US on Feb. 6 ? to skirt restrictions for oil purchases.

Iranian officials have said already that would not be enough. A further factor that may make a deal for Iran less likely are presidential elections in June ? the first since weeks of violence followed the last contested presidential vote in 2009.

"If they want constructive negotiations, it's better this time they come with a new strategy and credible proposals," Iran's nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said over the weekend. He added that the new offer should be one that "lacks the previous mistakes."

HOW MUCH LEEWAY?

As the talks began, it was not clear how much leeway Western officials might have to ease sanctions ? which also include four sets imposed by the UN Security Council ? as a lever in the talks.

Though imposed over the years primarily to change Iran's nuclear calculus, sanctions have yet to do so, and removing them will not be such an easy incentive to offer, states a report released on Monday by the International Crisis Group (ICG).

"Sanctions have become so extensive and so intricately woven that it will be hard to offer significant, concrete relief [to Iran] short of a major ? and improbable ? turnaround in major aspects of the Islamic Republic's domestic and foreign policies," reports the ICG. "Reaching the threshold for removing US sanctions in particular is hard to imagine."

In his Feb. 16 speech, Khamenei said any promise to lift sanctions "is a lie ... to make the people of Iran eager to negotiate."

Iran's top authority also repeated that Iran is not pursuing an atomic bomb.

"We do not want to build nuclear weapons and this is not because this will upset America, rather it is because of our beliefs," said Khamenei, adding that it was a "crime against humanity" to manufacture them: "This is our belief. It has nothing to do with you [Americans]."

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about Iran? Take our quiz to find out.

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-nuclear-talks-hints-sanctions-relief-yield-progress-150624177.html

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Kerry opens first official overseas trip in London

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, walks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague as they leave Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Kerry has kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, walks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague as they leave Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Kerry has kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waves to the media as he leaves Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Kerry kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with British Foreign Secretary William Hague as they leave Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Kerry kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, is greeted British Foreign Secretary William Hague before their meeting at Lancaster House in London on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, during Kerry?s first official trip overseas as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

The table is set for a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague at Lancaster House in London on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, during Kerry?s first official trip overseas as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

LONDON (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting Monday with British leaders in London, the first leg of a hectic nine-country dash through Europe and the Middle East.

Kerry's first diplomatic meeting abroad came with British Prime Minister David Cameron, where they discussed the prospects of a free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union and the importance of the Middle East peace process.

Cameron's spokesman, Jean-Christophe Gray, said the prime minister and Kerry also "reiterated their shared determination to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran" ahead of talks between world leaders and Tehran in Almaty, Kazakhstan, this week.

The two also spoke about the challenges posed by fragile states such as Syria, Libya and Egypt, the spokesman added.

Later, Kerry is expected to discuss the Falkland Islands with U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague before flying to Germany for meetings in Berlin.

Kerry arrived on London late Sunday as the Obama administration launched a frantic effort to try to salvage a Syrian opposition conference that Kerry plans to attend this week in Rome. Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott the meeting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-25-Kerry/id-18a4e5e848d241e3bd54e4a04b90c8c2

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Police: Man shot to death at community center

Last Updated: Sunday, February 24, 2013, 8:41 AM
ORLANDO --?

An argument at an Orange County community center ends with a man dead.

The shooting happened at the Rosemont Community Center in Pine Hills on Saturday. Orlando police said the victim, Sir'Rakeem A. Cooper got into a fight with someone inside and was shot. When officers arrived, they found Cooper lying on the ground near the intersection of Cherokee Rose Drive and Neponset Avenue.

Cooper was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators currently don?t have a suspect.

If anyone has any information related to this incident, please call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS. Anyone with information is eligible for a cash reward up to $5,000.

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Source: http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/2/24/police_man_shot_to_d/?cid=rss

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Oscars to movie stars: Please tweet during the awards

Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

. As part of its push to attract younger viewers to the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is working to make the show a two-screen experience by offering new camera perspectives and interactive features on its website. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

By Sandy Cohen, Associated Press

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is encouraging celebrities to tweet during the Oscars.

The film organization has expanded its digital outreach for the 85th Academy Awards with a new feature that lets stars to snap photos of themselves backstage during Sunday's ceremony and instantly post them online.

What Twitter calls a "Magic Mirror" will take photo-booth-style pictures of participating stars in the green room and send them out on the academy's official Twitter account. Organizers expect multiple celebrity mash-ups.

The backstage green room is a private place for stars to hang out before taking the stage and is typically closed to press and photographers.

The Magic Mirror is "giving access to fans at home a part of the show they never got to experience before," Twitter spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo said Friday.

A new video-on-demand/instant replay feature also being introduced Sunday will allow Oscar fans to view show highlights online moments after they happen and share them with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Dozens of clips from the red carpet and the awards telecast will be available on the official Oscar website beyond Sunday's ceremony.

Oscar.com also offers other behind-the-scenes interactive features, including various backstage camera perspectives and a new live blog that aggregates the show's presence across social media. It will track the traffic on whatever makes a splash, like Angelina Jolie's right leg did last year.

The academy wants to make its second-screen experience just as rich as its primary one.

"Social media is now mainstream," said Christina Kounelias, chief marketing officer for the academy.

"We're not doing social media to reach out to young kids," said the academy's digital media director, Josh Spector. "We're doing it to connect with all Oscar fans."

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen on Twitte.

More from TODAY and the Oscars:

Studios and promoters spend millions of dollars in the push to Oscar gold, and industry analysts say spending connected to this year's awards is higher than ever, especially when it comes to best picture. NBC's Diana Alvear reports.

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Source: http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2013/02/24/17076052-oscars-to-movie-stars-please-tweet-during-the-awards?lite

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Relativity Moves 'Turkeys' Up a Year; Amy Poehler Joins Voice Cast (Exclusive)

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Relativity Media has moved up its animated film "Turkeys" by a year and will release it November 1, multiple individuals close to the project told TheWrap. In addition, Amy Poehler has joined the voice cast for the film, which Relativity and Reel FX are co-producing and co-financing, TheWrap has learned.

The movie had been scheduled to debut November 14, 2014, but Relativity and Reel FX made the aggressive scheduling move based on early footage, according to two of those individuals. Development on the project began in June 2009 and physical production began in January 2011.

Poehler, who joins Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, will voice the female lead.

Executives at the studio met about the film this week, weighing the challenges the move will pose to the filmmaking, marketing, sponsorship and merchandising teams with the opportunity to seize this Thanksgiving's family market.

DreamWorks Animation recently moved "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" from November 1 to March 2014, opening the door for kid-friendly fare before the November 22 opening of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Most of the other movies scheduled for October and November will cater to more mature audiences, spanning genres like science fiction ("Gravity," "Ender's Game"), horror ("Paranormal Activity 5," "Carrie") and action ("Malavita," "Thor: The Dark World").

Jeffrey Katzenberg's animation house has released a movie in the fall for eight of the last nine years, but its new distribution partner, Fox, moved "Peabody" to March, a month when the studio has had prior success with the "Ice Age" franchise.

DreamWorks Animation had a costly miss last November with "Rise of the Guardians," which grossed $301 million at the box office - a healthy sum, but not enough to cover costs. The company is expected to take a hefty write-down as a result in its upcoming fourth quarter earnings.

Reel FX, the Dallas-based animation and visual effects studio behind "Turkeys," actually sold "Guardians" to DWA five years ago.

"Turkeys" features the voices of Wilson and Harrelson as two spunky birds that take a time machine back to the first Thanksgiving. They want to expunge turkeys from Thanksgiving's culinary tradition. Lesley Nicol of "Downton Abbey," George Takei of "Star Trek" fame, Keith David and Colm Meaney have also been cast. Dan Fogler was already lending his voice.

Jimmy Hayward is directing the film from a script by Craig Mazin, David I. Stern, John J. Strauss.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/relativity-moves-turkeys-amy-poehler-joins-voice-cast-010436508.html

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College students to spend spring break with Horry County's Habitat for Humanity

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) ?Students will be volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Horry County during their spring breaks.

The Collegiate Challenge, Habitat's national alternative break program, has 36 students participating this year.

Visiting from Eastern Kentucky University, Vanderbilt University and Alfred State College during the weeks of March 4-23, the students will help revitalize homes for families who've been in the Habitat for Humanity program for quite some time.

Gail Olive, the Executive Director for Horry County's Habitat for Humanity, says she looks forward to hosting the student volunteers once again.

"Collegiate Challenge provides the students with an opportunity to help build affordable housing in the area," Olive said. "The work they will do during their spring break will have a lasting impact in our community."

The sponsor for the program this year is Ripley's Aquarium, and several local restaurants, churches, and organizations are helping the cause by donating meals to the Collegiate Challenge volunteers. T-Bonz will be providing a lunch each week, while Mellow Mushroom has agreed to donate a dinner.

For more information, visit Habitatmb.org.

If you would like to be a part in hosting and welcoming these students to the community, please send an email to volunteer@habitatmb.org.

Copyright 2013 WMBF News. All rights reserved.

Source: http://myrtlebeach.wmbfnews.com/news/news/50727-college-students-spend-spring-break-horry-countys-habitat-humanity

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The Definitive Pittsburgh Steelers Guide to the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine

Though the Steelers are likely set at the safety position in terms of starters in 2013, with Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark reprising their roles, that doesn't mean they're set when it comes to depth.

Both Will Allen and Ryan Mundy are unrestricted free agents and represent the best of their safety depth?okay, "best" might be a stretch when it comes to Mundy?which will require the team to make an addition at the position in the draft.

What the Steelers need is someone who can contribute in nickel and dime situations right away (as well as on special teams) but who could blossom into a starter to replace Clark and/or Polamalu in as little as a year's time.

Luckily for the Steelers, this year's safety class is deep and talented, so they won't need to spend their first round pick on someone who can provide them with that kind of profile.

One option is Jonathan Cyprien from Florida International. As a small-school prospect, Cyprien has the opportunity to increase his draft stock while getting some close attention by scouts from around the league.

Cyprien should already be on the Steelers' radar, however, based on his Senior Bowl performance, which featured both hard-hitting,?run-stopping plays and solid coverage skills.

Cyprien's stock could rise enough that he could become a second-round pick for the right team, and the Steelers could certainly make that move; however, he could end up being a high-value third- or fourth-round selection as well.

The combine will give the Steelers a close enough look at Cyprien to help figure out just what he'd be worth for them.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1539950-the-definitive-pittsburgh-steelers-guide-to-the-2013-nfl-scouting-combine

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Video: Car bomb rocks Damascus near ruling party HQ

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50892325/

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5 Antique Skeleton Key Lot Vintage Metal Key Rusty Ornate Gothic Old Industrial for Altered Art Steampunk DIY Jewelry Wedding by KeyLimeSupplies

This listing for for five (5) antique skeleton keys perfect for your DIY jewelry projects, steampunk or gothic home decor, wedding decor, altered art, or whatever you can imagine!

This particular batch of rusty vintage metal keys came to me very rusty -- these old skeleton keys have been cleaned with a mild, all-natural rust remover. They still have bits of rust, for that lovely aged patina that old metal gets, but removing the rust allows the natural details to peek through.

I'm not sure of the exact age of these vintage metal keys or the exact metal content -- if it helps, these keys are magnetic. I believe them to be cast iron, but I'm no expert so I could be wrong!

Some keys have words etched into the top of the skeleton key or bent tabs at the part that enters the locket.

The antique skeleton keys measure between 1.5 inches (40 mm) - 3.5 inches (85 mm).

You will get five (5) randomly selected keys. You will NOT receive a matching set of 5 skeleton keys, but I may be able to find you a close-to-matching set if you convo me before your purchase.

Different quantities are available:
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Combined shipping is available on all items.

(If you prefer very rusty keys -- I will be listing those uncleaned, as-found keys soon -- convo me if you don't see them available).

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/124394309/5-antique-skeleton-key-lot-vintage-metal

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NASA and JPL contribute to European Jupiter mission

Feb. 21, 2013 ? NASA has selected key contributions to a 2022 European Space Agency (ESA) mission that will study Jupiter and three of its largest moons in unprecedented detail. The moons are thought to harbor vast water oceans beneath their icy surfaces.

NASA's contribution will consist of one U.S.-led science instrument and hardware for two European instruments to fly on ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission. Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will be the U.S. lead for the Radar for Icy Moon Exploration experiment. The radar experiment's principal investigator is Lorenzo Bruzzone of Universita degli Studi di Trento in Italy.

Under the lead of Bruzzone and the Italian Space Agency, JPL will provide the transmitter and receiver hardware for a radar sounder designed to penetrate the icy crust of Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto to a depth of about 5 miles (9 kilometers). This will allow scientists to see for the first time the underground structure of these tectonically complex and unique icy worlds.

JUICE will carry 11 experiments developed by scientific teams from 15 European countries, the United States and Japan.

The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for three years and travel past Callisto and Europa multiple times, then orbit Ganymede, a moon larger than the planet Mercury. JUICE will conduct the first thorough exploration of Jupiter since NASA's Galileo mission from 1989-2003.

By studying the Jupiter system, JUICE will look to learn more about the formation and evolution of potentially habitable worlds in our solar system and beyond.

"NASA is thrilled to collaborate with ESA on this exciting mission to explore Jupiter and its icy moons," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "Working together with ESA and our other international partners is key to enabling future scientific progress in our quest to understand the cosmos."

The solar-powered spacecraft will carry cameras and spectrometers, a laser altimeter and an ice-penetrating radar instrument. The mission also will carry a magnetometer, plasma and particle monitors, and radio science hardware. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the Jupiter system in 2030.

"The selection of JUICE's instruments is a key milestone in ESA's flagship mission to the outer solar system, which represents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase leading European technological and scientific expertise," said Alvaro Gimenez Canete, ESA's director of science and robotic exploration.

NASA invited researchers in 2012 to submit proposals for NASA-provided instruments for the mission. Nine were reviewed, with one selected to fly. NASA agreed to provide critical hardware for two of the 10 selected European-led instruments. NASA's total contribution to the JUICE mission is $100 million for design, development and operation of the instruments through 2033.

In addition to the radar team and instrument, the NASA contributions are:

-- Ultraviolet Spectrometer: The principal investigator is Randy Gladstone of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. This spectrometer will acquire images to explore the surfaces and atmospheres of Jupiter's icy moons and how they interact with the Jupiter environment. The instrument also will determine how Jupiter's upper atmosphere interacts with its lower atmosphere below, and the ionosphere and magnetosphere above. The instrument will provide images of the aurora on Jupiter and Ganymede.

-- Particle Environment Package: The principal investigator is Stas Barabash of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics. The U.S. lead is Pontus Brandt of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. Under the lead of Barabash and the Swedish National Space Board, APL will provide instruments to this suite to measure the neutral material and plasma that are accelerated and heated to extreme levels in Jupiter's fierce and complex magnetic environment.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate conducts a wide variety of research and scientific exploration programs for Earth studies, space weather, the solar system and the universe. The New Frontiers Program Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will manage the NASA contributions. JUICE is the first large-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Program.

For more information on NASA planetary programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov .

For more information about the JUICE mission, visit: http://sci.esa.int/juice .

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/vfUjp6hAClM/130221214216.htm

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Canada broadcasts its appeal to Japan

New drama series and experiential summer campaign bring Canadian adventures to Japanese TV.

2013-02-21 ? /travelprnews.com/ ??Canada has what it takes to be big in Japan. The Canadian Tourism Commission(CTC) joined hands with Canadian industry partners to help Imagica BS return to these shores to film a new three-part drama series for Japanese TV in Yukon, which started airing today (Feb. 21).

The docu-drama, entitled ?Friends of Yukon,? stars popular Japanese leading man Yukiyoshi Ozawa, who plays an author seeking motivation for his next book. Ozawa travels to the Yukon to visit a friend, who introduces him to a series of unique Yukon personalities. They introduce him in turn to the history and stories of the Yukon, which re-energize Ozawa and inspire his next novel.

?Friends of Yukon? follows the success last year of BS Imagica?s first Canada project with CTC, ?Love?so do I,? which was filmed in Alberta. Japanese consumers can learn more about the docu-drama via a microsite. Other content on the site includes info on the Yukon, a link to CTC?s Japanese consumer website and a special Yukon tour package from JTB World Vacations.

Before the first episode hit Japanese screens, a press event introduced the lead actors to media, who told of their experiences filming in Yukon. The docu-drama will also air on BS Imagica?s partner network SkyPerfect TV March 1 as a three-hour special and on the new smartphone network, NOTTV.

This week also saw the main launch of CTC-Japan?s summer campaign, which features the Signature Experiences Collection^? (SEC) and targets Explorer Quotient^? traveller types Free Spirits and Cultural History Buffs. As well as experiential packages promoted online through CTC?s consumer website, TV also has a starring role in the campaign, including ?Friends of Yukon? and a rescreening of ?Love?so do I.?

Completing a top TV trio, BS Fuji starts an eight-part series on Canada on March 1 that focuses on trips in British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Prince Edward Island. The summer campaign isn?t confined to traditional media; a strong social-media component got Canada underway at the start of February.

###

Yukiyoshi Ozawa, left, out and about in Yukon.

Source: http://travelprnews.com/canada-broadcasts-its-appeal-to-japan-652134567/travel-press-release/2013/02/21/

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The California tax that terrifies tech

By Omar Akhtar, reporter

FORTUNE -- Entrepreneurs and investors in California can expect to receive a rude shock in the mail if they sold their company in the last four years. Not only did the state's Franchise Tax Board?(FTB) eliminate a tax break on capital gains for small business owners and investors, it announced the tax would be reinstated retroactively. This means those who benefitted from the break can expect a bill for unpaid taxes, plus interest, stretching all the way back to 2008.

Since 1993, California entrepreneurs and early-stage investors have enjoyed a partial state income tax exclusion on sales of stock of a "qualified" small business. This was an incentive for people to start and keep businesses in California. If they sold their company, they would only have to pay half of the regular state tax rate on what they gained -- about 4.5% instead of 9%. That could include founders of companies such as Instagram and Yelp (YELP).

The FTB announced its decision last December, and the ruling went into effect earlier this year. Now, not only will stockholders have to pay the full tax rate on capital gains, which has risen to about 13%, but they'll also be billed retroactively for 50% of the taxes they excluded. The FTB says this will affect over 2,500 people and bring in about $120 million in revenue.

Not surprisingly, the changes have led to concern among entrepreneurs.

"A lot of people who are going to be very affected don't even know about it," says Brian Overstreet, entrepreneur and co-founder of AdverseEvents, a pharmaceutical data firm. "This is going to affect our decision to keep jobs and businesses in California." Overstreet had previously co-founded Sagient Research Systems, a company he sold last year. As a result of the transaction he says he will personally have to pay an additional six-figure amount in taxes and interest.

MORE:?Mobile growth is about to be staggering

Ironically, it was the actions of a small business owner that led to the change. An Orange County businessman named Frank Cutler sued the FTB after being denied the tax break because less than 80% of his business was based in California, one of the incentive's caveats. The California Court of Appeals sided with Cutler and struck down the provision, saying it was discriminatory. In response, the Franchise Tax Board decided to eliminate the incentive entirely.

Overstreet and a group of California entrepreneurs have formed a group dubbed California Business Defense to fight the ruling, saying the FTB's actions were too broad. They argue it could have struck down the 80% rule instead of the entire tax break. "The FTB had more than one choice to make here, and our position is that there were other precedents available, which they did not follow," says Overstreet. "The wheels are going too fast, the process needs to slow down so that cooler heads can prevail."

Denise Azimi, a representative for the FTB, said it had no choice but to remove the entire benefit. "The benefit would have to be allowed regardless of where the business was located," wrote Azimi in an email. "While treating all taxpayers the same would cure the discrimination cited by the court, it conflicts with both the letter of the qualified small business stock law and its underlying legislative intent."

Ethan Anderson, co-founder and CEO of startup MyTime, says the FTB's actions will make entrepreneurs think twice about setting up a business in the state. "You can't really plan for the future when the rules of the game are changing retroactively," says Anderson. "You feel insecure investing in the state, why would you take that additional risk when they've set a precedent now showing that anything could happen anytime?"

MORE:?4 features the PlayStation 4 absolutely must have

Texas governor Rick Perry

Anderson says the ruling felt like "a slap in the face," especially since entrepreneurs like him have helped drive much of the state's economy. "Who else is creating the jobs? Why would they hurt us like this?" asks Anderson. "The next time I start a business, it most probably won't be in California."

It might just be in Texas. Anderson says he already knew of at least one California entrepreneur who had bought a house there to establish out-of-state residency. The Lone Star state is home to Austin, one of?the fastest growing tech hubs in the country. Unlike other hubs like New York and Boston, it offers lower taxes, less regulation, and relatively inexpensive real estate.

California's discontent hasn't gone unnoticed by Texas governor Rick Perry, who visited the state earlier this month in an effort to lure businesses to Texas. "Building a business is tough. But I hear building a business in California is next to impossible," Perry says in a radio ad that accompanied his tour in California. "See why our low taxes, sensible regulations, and fair legal system are just the thing to get your business moving to Texas."

Chairman of the Austin Technology Council Joel Trammell says that in the wake of the recent income tax hikes and elimination of tax breaks in California, he fields calls every week from entrepreneurs and investors who have either decided to move or are exploring the option of setting up in Austin. "All the major companies have a presence in Austin, so it's pretty easy for people to switch," says Trammell.

Apple (AAPL) and Samsung have both recently pledged to expand their presence in Austin while other companies are changing their structure to take advantage of the state. "A lot of companies will set up their headquarters or non-technical staff here while maintaining the rest of the business in California," says Trammell. Of course, both companies have a massive presence in the Golden state, not to mention other tech giants that call the Bay Area home, from Oracle (ORCL) to Facebook (FB).

MORE:?Apple chairman talks life after Steve

When the time came for him to set up his third company, Xeris Pharmaceuticals in 2010, serial entrepreneur John Kinzell decided he had had enough of California, despite living there for almost 25 years. He launched the company in Austin instead and says a lot of people followed him. "It's hard to swing a cat around without hitting someone from California who's moved here or is at least looking," says Kinzell. "We have more companies here than talent, so they're having to pull a lot from California."

He says it's unlikely he or fellow entrepreneurs will ever move back. "It's just become a very unfriendly state to run a company," says Kinzell. "Once that sort of bleed starts, it gets hard to reverse it."

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/magazines_fortune/~3/2M8U1FbU1cA/

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NKorea to allow mobile Internet for foreigners

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea will soon allow foreigners to tweet, Skype and surf the Internet from their cellphones, iPads and other mobile devices in its second relaxation of controls on communications in recent weeks.

However, North Korean citizens will not have access to the mobile Internet service to be offered by provider Koryolink within the next week.

Koryolink, a joint venture between Korea Post & Telecommunications Corporation and Egypt's Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding SAE, informed foreign residents in Pyongyang on Friday that it will launch a third generation, or 3G, mobile Internet service no later than March 1.

The announcement comes just weeks after North Korea began allowing foreigners to bring their own cellphones into the country.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-21-NKorea-Mobile%20Internet/id-199a157841204ddf9dee404ea639d732

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HP ????????????? Android-???????? ? ?????? ??? ... - Ferra.ru

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Source: http://forums.ferra.ru/index.php?showtopic=54506

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Facebook bests German watchdog in real names court tiff

After a German privacy watchdog ordered Facebook to allow the use of fake usernames "immediately," an appeals court has said nein. While the protection body in the tiny state of Schleswig-Holstein argued that Facebook's ban on pseudonyms breached the nation's privacy laws, an administrative court in the region ruled that those laws don't apply to the company, since its European HQ is located in less-stringent Ireland. Facebook argued that requiring the use of real names protects its users, but the regulator said it'll appeal the decision all the same -- thus prolonging the social network's long-running German headache.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

Comments

Via: Techmeme

Source: Associated Press

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/15/facebook-bests-german-watchdog-in-real-names-court-tiff/

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Phillip Phillips' Mother: Arrested for DUI

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/phillip-phillips-mother-arrested-for-dui/

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Astronaut Comforter ? "Be the first in the galaxy!"

? Just 1 in 8 women consider themselves attractive | Home | Whom do you want to meet today? Get connected (that'll be $3,000) ?

February 13, 2013

Astronaut Comforter ? "Be the first in the galaxy!"

Makes being first in line at the Apple Store for an iWatch seem positively trivial, what?

As a child of the space race (I was 9 when?Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957) I would've given anything to have this bedding at the time.

Of course, such an acquisition would've meant having access to a working time machine.

From the website:

............................

Let the countdown begin.

Underneath these sheets you will dream far beyond the stars.

Because the astronaut suit that's on there is real.

It's not from the costume shop around the corner, but from the Space Expo Museum in Holland.

So lie down, close your eyes, and feel gravity decrease instantly.

Houston, we have lift-off!

............................

?59.95 (includes helmet-pillowcase).

February 13, 2013 at 12:01 PM | Permalink

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The Car Addict Autoblog: Formfreu.de at the Museo Nazionale de'll ...

Hey Guys

If you are one of the lucky ones following my Blog already for a while you might have noticed that I'm really into Classics. Isn't it hearwarming when a real Classic drives clattering by, your whole world stands still for a second, you're just standing there, your mouth opens more and more and you admire the outstanding Design and Class?

...You're not like this? Anyway, Classic Cars are definitely Cool! Telling stories of the Past, even when just standing on four small tires in a Museum. Well, time to tell you about a "Definitely need to go there one Day"-Museum located in the Automotive Heart of Italy - Torino.

Where Fiat has still it's Headquarter the italian national automotive museum "MUSEO NAZIONALE DELL?AUTOMOBILE DI TORINO" re-opend it's doors last year after a renovation. Formfreu.de went on Time Travel to Torino. Here some of their awesome Shots to Appetize you.
If you're planning a longer trip to Italy, make sure to check out my 12 Auto Museums in Italy-List.

You find their full Report, don't hesitate to go to: MUSEO NAZIONALE DELL?AUTOMOBILE DI TORINO(german).

To visit the Museums Website, wander over to: Museo Auto.

Lisa

Source: http://www.the-car-addict.com/2013/02/Formfreu-at-the-Museo-Nazionale-dell-Automobile-in-Torino.html

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Personal finance: Are credit card surcharges fair... | Stuff.co.nz

It's been three years since credit card surcharging was introduced in New Zealand.

The original idea was to let businesses pass on the costs of accepting credit cards, theoretically lowering prices for everyone paying by other means.

But the murkiness around the whole affair, with retailers closely guarding the exact amount they pay in merchant fees, means it's impossible to know if the surcharges are fair or not.

No-one directly regulates surcharges, although the Commerce Commission is currently conducting a survey examining the effects of the new regime.

Last week the consumer watchdog also renewed its probe into Air New Zealand, after receiving more complaints about its surcharges potentially breaching the Fair Trading Act.

A spokesperson said she wasn't aware of any other companies currently under investigation.

But there are plenty of others who deserve a second look.

Here we name some potential offenders and offer tips on avoiding the surcharge - where it's possible to do so.

AIRLINES

Air New Zealand has repeatedly claimed that it costs it more to accept credit card payments than it actually recovers in fees. After being investigated once last year, the regulator's second probe will make a judgement on this.

The national carrier charges a range of flat fees per person per flight, depending on the destination.

A one-way ticket to Melbourne currently being promoted is on offer for the bargain $149. But what you don't see in the glossy headline price is the $6 processing fee, which adds another 4 per cent.

For context, most retailers pay merchant fees on credit card payments in the vicinity of 1-2 per cent.

At budget airline Jetstar, the extra charges don't pop up until the sixth step in the booking process, by which point you've already had to fend off endless attempts to sell you more.

On one of its $49 "hot fares" from Christchurch to Auckland, Jetstar hammers you with a $5 fee at the last minute - or a monstrous 10 per cent on the advertised price.

Avoid it:

Airlines top the list not just because of the fee itself, but because there's effectively no way to get around it. The single questionable option is internet banking gateway POLi, which banks have urged customers to avoid because of potential security risks.

This lack of viable alternatives makes the 'surcharge' one that should just be clearly factored into advertised ticket prices.

TICKETS

The Aussie duopoly of Ticketmaster and Ticketek are acting in a similar way to the airlines when it comes to surcharges. It's not just the the egregious booking fees, which again escape the advertised prices, but a juicy credit card surcharge slapped on top of each ticket.

Ticketmaster charges a processing fee of up to 2.3 per cent, while Ticketek charges 2.45 per cent to 2.6 per cent depending on card type.

Fancy buying tickets? from Ticketek for the upcoming Garbage concert?

After adding the surcharge and an outrageous $5 simply to have a PDF ticket emailed to you - the cheapest option by far - $86.20 has become $93.31.

Avoid it:

The fee doesn't apply when you purchase tickets using cash at outlets or box offices.

The problem is, there aren't that many outlets around and they usually only have a limited number of tickets available.

Finally, Ticketmaster has the audacity to charge an extra $2 for every ticket purchased from a physical outlet as well.

PARKING

The parking meters and machines operated by Wilson Parking and Tournament Parking charge a flat 50c fee for credit card transactions.

By doing some basic maths, we can guess the companies are probably making a killing on the surcharges.

A 50c fee on a cheap $2 parking ticket equates to a whopping 25 per cent surcharge.

Even assuming the companies are paying out 2 per cent in expenses, the average ticket sold would have to be $25 to justify the 50c fee.

Avoid it:

Pay with cash where possible.

TAXIS

Cab companies tend to charge a flat fee for processing electronic payments. At Co-op Taxis it's $2.30, and $2 at Corporate Cabs.

Taxis have to invest in the portable card-reading technology, so it might seem reasonable to pass on the costs.

But on a quick $10 taxi ride, that's a huge 20 per cent markup for the unwary traveller.

Avoid it:

The only way you can do so is to try and remember to pay cash, because Eftpos usually incurs the surcharge too.

RATES AND FINES

Even local government is getting in on the act.

Tauranga City Council charges a 1.3 per cent credit card fee for fines and rates payments, but claims it does not receive any part of the surcharge.

Auckland Council charges an "online convenience fee" of 2 per cent, with a minimum payment of $2.50.

It also claims it does not receive any part of this fee, even going to the lengths of having it appear as a separate transaction on your credit card statement.

While this may be true, you'd hope a large organisation would have the heft to negotiate a lower merchant fee to pass on to ratepayers.

Avoid it:

The good news is local government is happy to take your money in whatever form they can. Fines can be paid in person at most NZ Post shops, over internet banking or over the phone, and rates can also be paid by setting up a direct debit.

HOTELS

Accommodation providers have taken to the surcharges too, but they've mostly made the sensible choice of charging a percentage rather than a flat fee.

SkyCity Hotel and Sudima Hotel both charge 1.5 per cent, which seems reasonable.

Others may be higher, so make sure you check before making a booking.

Avoid it:

Although you need a credit card to reserve the room, you can pay the final bill with alternative means - eftpos, cash, or a cleared cheque.

SCRAP THE SURCHARGE?

One of the main arguments in favour of surcharging is that otherwise people who pay by cash or eftpos are subsidising credit card users.

The idea is that it adds an element of user-pays to the shopping experience.

Under this logic, if petrol stations offer restroom facilities but you don't choose to use them, you should be up in arms about subsidising every other customer who does so.

Retailers need to simply factor the costs of accepting credit cards into their prices as a standard cost of business, or not accept them at all.

More importantly, it's unfair to be able to pass on the costs of one form of payment, but not another.

Think of a Wilson Parking meter. Every coin fed through the slot has to be manually collected, counted, stored, transported, and deposited, with all the attached security and risk of theft.

Meanwhile, every card pushed into the slot sends electronic money into Wilson Parking's coffers in the blink of an eye.

And yet no retailer would ever dare introduce a cash surcharge, because cash handling is accepted as a normal cost of business.

Over the ditch, aggressive credit card surcharging since a 2003 law change has prompted the Reserve Bank of Australia to introduce caps this year.

Until surcharges here are capped or repealed, the only thing consumers can do is avoid paying them wherever possible.

Where else have you spotted unfair credit card surcharges? Name and shame in the comments below.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Comments

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8297641/Credit-card-surcharges-fair-or-foul

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What heals traumatized kids? Answers are lacking

CHICAGO (AP) ? Shootings and other traumatic events involving children are not rare events, but there's a startling lack of scientific evidence on the best ways to help young survivors and witnesses heal, a government-funded analysis found.

School-based counseling treatments showed the most promise, but there's no hard proof that anxiety drugs or other medication work and far more research is needed to provide solid answers, say the authors who reviewed 25 studies. Their report was sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

According to research cited in the report, about two-thirds of U.S. children and teens younger than 18 will experience at least one traumatic event, including shootings and other violence, car crashes and weather disasters. That includes survivors and witnesses of trauma. Most will not suffer any long-term psychological problems, but about 13 percent will develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress, including anxiety, behavior difficulties and other problems related to the event.

The report's conclusions don't mean that no treatment works. It's just that no one knows which treatments are best, or if certain ones work better for some children but not others.

"Our findings serve as a call to action," the researchers wrote in their analysis, published online Monday by the journal Pediatrics.

"This is a very important topic, just in light of recent events," said lead author Valerie Forman-Hoffman, a researcher at RTI International, a North Carolina-based nonprofit research group.

She has two young children and said the results suggest that it's likely one of them will experience some kind of trauma before reaching adulthood. "As a parent I want to know what works best," the researcher said.

Besides the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, other recent tragedies involving young survivors or witnesses include the fatal shooting last month of a 15-year-old Chicago girl gunned down in front of a group of friends; Superstorm Sandy in October; and the 2011 Joplin, Mo., tornado, whose survivors include students whose high school was destroyed.

Some may do fine with no treatment; others will need some sort of counseling to help them cope.

Studying which treatments are most effective is difficult because so many things affect how a child or teen will fare emotionally after a traumatic event, said Dr. Denise Dowd, an emergency physician and research director at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo., who wrote a Pediatrics editorial.

One of the most important factors is how the child's parents handle the aftermath, Dowd said.

"If the parent is freaking out" and has difficulty controlling emotions, kids will have a tougher time dealing with trauma. Traumatized kids need to feel like they're in a safe and stable environment, and if their parents have trouble coping, "it's going to be very difficult for the kid," she said.

The researchers analyzed 25 studies of treatments that included anti-anxiety and depression drugs, school-based counseling, and various types of psychotherapy. The strongest evidence favored school-based treatments involving cognitive behavior therapy, which helps patients find ways to cope with disturbing thoughts and emotions, sometimes including talking repeatedly about their trauma.

This treatment worked better than nothing, but more research is needed comparing it with alternatives, the report says.

"We really don't have a gold standard treatment right now," said William Copeland, a psychologist and researcher at Duke University Medical Center who was not involved in the report. A lot of doctors and therapists may be "patching together a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and that might not add up to the most effective treatment for any given child," he said.

___

Online:

Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heals-traumatized-kids-answers-lacking-052658324.html

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GOP congressman invites Ted Nugent to Obama speech

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Republican congressman says he's invited rocker Ted Nugent, who has referred to President Barack Obama's administration as "evil, America-hating," to the State of the Union address.

Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas said Monday on his website that Nugent will be his guest for the president's speech Tuesday night. Stockman has talked of impeaching Obama over his gun control proposals.

In a speech to the National Rifle Association during the 2012 campaign, Nugent said that if Obama were re-elected, the longtime gun-control opponent would either be "dead or in jail."

Nugent's remarks led to meetings with representatives of the Secret Service.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-congressman-invites-ted-nugent-obama-speech-213845020.html

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The BlackBerry Z10 is now available in the UK, Canada, and UAE. To celebrate thi...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/N4BBcom/posts/10152162458056988

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This Song Will Blow Your Mind Today

You have to watch Beck sing Bowie's Sound and Vision together with director Chris Milk and 167 musicians, including a couple of choirs that will give you goosebumps. It's a masterpiece. Remember to experience it till the very end. You will not regret it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oZoWz3lfHWw/this-song-will-blow-your-mind-today

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Mother superior role for Huppert in Berlin film

BERLIN (AP) ? A new adaptation of writer Denis Diderot's 18th-century novel "The Nun" is making its debut at the Berlin film festival, featuring French star Isabelle Huppert as a convent's mother superior.

The movie, directed by Guillaume Nicloux, is one of 19 competing for the Berlin festival's top Golden Bear honor.

The story centers on a young woman, played by Belgian actress Pauline Etienne, forced by her family to enter a convent, where she suffers harassment.

Huppert's long list of credits includes "The Piano Player" and "Madame Bovary." She said ahead of the new film's premiere Sunday that her latest role offered the challenge of avoiding caricature.

"It was very easy to go behind the caricature," she said. "She's a superior mother, but she has nothing superior."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-10-Berlin%20Film%20Festival/id-ba6e2ba2c5224df6885b9df51ffc5eb9

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