Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Religious freedom in Egypt "quite tenuous": Clinton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Religious freedom in Egypt appears to be "quite tenuous" and its government has failed to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of sectarian violence, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday.

Clinton made the comment as the State Department released a report that found a marked deterioration in religious freedom in China, where official interference with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries may have contributed to a dozen self-immolations.

In its annual International Religious Freedom Report for 2011, the State Department also said it discerned a rise in global anti-Semitism as well as the increased use of anti-blasphemy laws to restrict the rights of religious minorities.

The report gave particular attention to countries where last year's "Arab Spring" of popular protests unseated authoritarian rulers such as former Egyptian president and long-time U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak.

"I am concerned that respect for religious freedom is ... quite tenuous" in Egypt, Clinton said in response to a question after she gave a speech at a Washington think tank, saying sectarian violence had increased since Mubarak's downfall but the authorities had been inconsistent in prosecuting it.

"That then sends a message to the minority community in particular, but to the larger community, that there's not going to be any consequences," she said.

Clinton got a first-hand taste of the bitterness of many Egyptian Christians at this year's election of Islamist Mohammed Mursi as president of the country, with protests by angry Copts, among others, outside her Cairo hotel.

Unknown protesters also pelted her motorcade with tomatoes, shoes and water bottles in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The report covers 2011 and therefore does not assess the authorities' performance since Mursi's election brought an Islamist to power in the Arab world's most-populous nation.

'EGREGIOUS SITUATION' IN IRAN

The report said it had documented the Egyptian government's "failure to curb rising violence against Coptic Christians and its involvement in violent attacks," citing an October 9, 2011 incident in which security forces attacked Cairo demonstrators.

The report said 25 people were killed and 350 injured, most of them Coptic Christians. "To date, government officials have not been held accountable for their actions and there were indications in early 2012 of mounting Coptic emigration," it said.

The report said conditions worsened in Iran, where it cited state "imprisonment, harassment, intimidation and discrimination based on religious beliefs," as well as in Pakistan, where "abuses continued under the blasphemy law."

The State Department also cited "a marked deterioration" in official respect for and protection of religious freedom in China, including greater restrictions on religious practice especially in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries.

"Official interference in the practice of these religious traditions exacerbated grievances and contributed to at least 12 self-immolations by Tibetans in 2011," the report said.

In Iran, with which the United States has had acrimonious relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, religious freedom "deteriorated further from an already egregious situation," the State Department said.

It cited the restoration of 20-year sentences for seven Bahais charged with spying for and collaborating with Israel as well as the imprisonment of Yousof Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor sentenced to death for apostasy.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/religious-freedom-egypt-quite-tenuous-clinton-210311451.html

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?Pets?: The Inherent Problems of Domestication | Animal Rights: The ...

As a practical matter, there is simply no way to have an institution of ?pet? ownership that is consistent with a sound theory of animal rights. ?Pets? are property and, as such, their valuation will ultimately be a matter of what their ?owners? decide.

But you might ask: ?What if it were possible? If, as a hypothetical matter, we changed the legal status of dogs and cats so that they were no longer property and they had a legal status closer to that of human children, would our continued production of dogs and cats (or other nonhumans) and our keeping of ?pets? be morally justified??

My answer to this purely hypothetical question is ?no.? We cannot justify the perpetuation of domestication for the purpose of keeping ?pets.?

Domesticated animals are dependent on us for everything that is important in their lives: when and whether they eat or drink, when and where they sleep or relieve themselves, whether they get any affection or exercise, etc. Although one could say the same thing about human children, the overwhelming number of human children mature to become autonomous, independent beings.

Domestic animals are neither a real or full part of our world or of the nonhuman world. They exist forever in a netherworld of vulnerability, dependent on us for everything and at risk of harm from an environment that they do not really understand. We have bred them to be compliant and servile, or to have characteristics that are actually harmful to them but are pleasing to us. We may make them happy in one sense, but the relationship can never be ?natural? or ?normal.? They do not belong stuck in our world irrespective of how well we treat them.

We cannot justify such an institution, even if it looked very different from the situation that now exists. My partner and I live with five rescued dogs, including dogs who had health problems when we adopted them. We love them very much and try very hard to provide them the best of care and treatment. (And before anyone asks, all seven of us are vegans!) You would probably not find two people on the planet who enjoy living with dogs more than we do.

And we both encourage anyone who can to adopt or foster as many animals (of whatever species) they can responsibly have.

But if there were two dogs left in the universe and it were up to us as to whether they were allowed to breed so that we could continue to live with dogs, and even if we could guarantee that all dogs would have homes as loving as the one that we provide, we would not hesitate for a second to bring the whole institution of ?pet? ownership to an end.

We regard the dogs who live with us as refugees of sorts, and although we enjoy caring for them, it is clear that humans have no business continuing to bring these creatures into a world in which they simply do not fit.

I understand that many people will be bewildered by my argument about the
inherent problems with domestication. But that is because we live in a world in which we kill and eat 56 billion animals a year (not counting fish) and where our best justification for that practice is that we enjoy the taste of animal flesh and animal products. Most of you who are reading this right now are probably not vegans. As long as you think it is acceptable to kill and eat animals, the more abstract argument about domesticating animals to use as ?pets? is not likely to resonate. I understand that.

So take a few minutes to read some of the many other essays on this site that discuss veganism, such as Why Veganism Must Be the Baseline.

And then reconsider the issue of ?pets.? I also discuss the issue of ?pets? in two podcasts: Commentary #2: ?Pets? and Commentary #4: Follow-Up to ?Pets? Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats.

*****

If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it?s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it?s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence to yourself.

If you are able to adopt or foster any nonhuman animals, please do. Domestication is morally wrong but they are here now and they need our care. Their lives are as important to them as our lives are to us.

The World is Vegan! If you want it.

Gary L. Francione
Professor, Rutgers University

?2012 Gary L. Francione

Related posts:

  1. The Four Problems of Animal Welfare: In a Nutshell

Source: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/pets-the-inherent-problems-of-domestication/

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Wife comes home from rehab this week.. Nervous! - SoberRecovery ...

I had a lot of fear and anxiety about my exRAH coming home from rehab, also.
It's a fair feeling to have. So much uncertainty

My advice is to get VERY clear about your boundaries. Make a list. One for you, one for you/kids.
If she HAD to go due to a (very dangerous) mishap, she may not have been able to reap much benefit from it. In other words, addicts need to choose to go for help.
Thats not a maxim across the board, but, boudaries are my best advice.

I had clear boundaries, had written them in a letter. I read him the letter at the last visit before he came home.
One by one, the boundaries were altered, and crossed.
All I can say, from my experience, is make the clear boundaries and stick to them, and even know what your plan is if they are not respected. If you make a boundary and she crosses it, and you do not follow through on the plan, she will just do it again.

My list was like this: One column Unacceptable Behavior.
Next column: Consequences of the Behavior.

One of my boundaries was about sharing responsibilities.
Another was about not going to old haunts/bars.
I bent on both. Things spiralled far out of control.

He wanted to be able to go to bars, see old friends.
He did it. It was on my list, but I did not follow through, and he saw this as a sign that my list meant nothing.

So, I remade the list, and I re established the rules of being involved with me and our son.
After a while, it became clear he was unable OR unwilling(doesnt matter...) to follow the basic rules of family living. I put him out, and then we tried again six months later.

Had to put him out again, because he was unable to take part. Sober. Still sober, still unable to take part.

My H acted like an entitled teenager ,he played on my sympathy, manipulated my desire to have an intact healthy family.
Before I knew it, it was all on his terms again.

he is still sober. We are separated. Sobriety is not a magic pill.
There are issues to deal with after, and they are for the adult addict to figure out, but you should definitely be clear on your boundaries for your emotional health and sanity and for the safety and sanity of your child/ren

Source: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/friends-family-alcoholics/263976-wife-comes-home-rehab-week-nervous.html

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Even More Alternatives to Mint: 5 Great Pieces of Budgeting ...

When it comes to free budget software, options abound. While Mint.com certainly holds the popularity trophy, alternatives to Mint are out there. Here are even more alternatives to add to Jessica?s list of Mint alternatives already published on the DailyPerk.

5 More Mint Alternatives You?ll Love

1. YNAB (You Need a Budget)

Budget software doesn?t get much better than YNAB. No, it?s not free, but it?s worth it. Based on sound budgeting principles, YNAB will encourage you to give every dollar a job, save for a rainy day, roll with the punches by making a flexible budget, and finally,?live on last month?s income.

The user interface is absolutely beautiful, with everything you need to budget within one window. YNAB is similar to Yodlee in that it provides powerful reporting tools ? amateur accountants rejoice!

YNAB costs $60 and is available for the Mac or PC.

2. Adaptu

One great web-based alternative to Mint is Adaptu. Adaptu offers many of the same types of money management tools you?d find on Mint. It even allows you to snap photos of rewards and insurance cards with your smartphone to lighten your wallet!

Adaptu give you a complete picture of your financial situation, including your investment accounts. If you?re looking for comprehensive budgeting software, Adaptu is a wonderful choice.

Adaptu is a free budget software and can be viewed through any web browser on the Mac or PC.

3. MoneyWell

Everyone knows that the envelope budgeting system helps people save money ? it?s why PerkStreet is currently testing a virtual envelopes system with select customers in hopes of rolling it out to everyone. But what if you?re not a PerkStreet customer? ?MoneyWell?also offers an envelopes-like system. With MoneyWell, you?ll be able to make a prioritized budget and fill virtual buckets with money you?ve earned. Spend money out of these buckets, but be careful not to deplete your buckets before next month begins!

MoneyWell is a desktop application that?s also available on the iPhone. It syncs nicely with its desktop version via Dropbox. The ability to manually enter transactions instead of linking with your bank account (although you can do that, too) makes MoneyWell an attractive alternative to Mint.

MoneyWell is available on the Mac through the Mac App Store for $49.99.

4. Money

Simply called ?Money,? this budgeting software allows you to monitor your money using easy-to-view Budget Monitor bars ? much like Mint.com. You?ll also get advanced reporting (including 13 types of reports) and investment tracking. Money comes in iPhone and iPad flavors as well, so you?re up to date wherever you go.

The user interface is easy to navigate, but isn?t quite as polished as YNAB or MoneyWell. Still, it gets the job done with some powerful features. (The reports genuinely rock).

Money is available on the Mac through the Mac App Store for $38.99.

5. Mvelopes

Like MoneyWell, Mvelopes?helps customers use the ?envelope budgeting? method that PerkStreet?s new software is being based on, and like PerkStreet?s, it exists online-only, instead of through a downloaded desktop program. You?ll be able to access your budget anytime, anywhere from home, work, or your mobile phone with Mvelopes.

There?s nothing visually spectacular about this program ? just straightforward budgeting here. For those who aren?t looking for all the bells and whistles, Mvelopes just might be the ticket.

You can get started with Mvelopes free of charge and decide later to upgrade to a premium version if you wish. It works on a Mac or PC through your favorite web browser (which must have Adobe Flash installed).

Overwhelmed? You can make a budget, really!

If you haven?t been able to stick with a budget, you?re certainly not alone. Making a budget and maintaining it over the long term is certainly difficult. While budgeting software can help you accomplish your financial goals, it doesn?t work unless you understand how to make a budget in the first place. If you need help, be sure to check out:

  • How to Make a Budget ? A lengthy article I wrote for my own blog on the topic, where you?ll learn how to create a prioritized spending plan, spend this month?s income next month (to create a financial buffer), and set up a bill reminder system.
  • PerkStreet StreetSense ? I collaborated with PerkStreet to build a StreetSense course on budgeting. Sign up for that, and I?ll help you build a budget that sticks by sending you lessons on how to do it well. Finish the course and you?ll finish your budget.

Can you think of any more alternatives to Mint? List your favorite budgeting software programs in the comments below! (And stay tuned for more on PerkStreet?s intergrated Envelopes software!)

Source: http://dailyperk.perkstreet.com/even-more-alternatives-to-mint-5-great-pieces-of-budgeting-software/

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Clinton's key role at Democratic convention

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Former President Bill Clinton will have a marquee role in this summer's Democratic National Convention, where he will make a forceful case for President Barack Obama's re-election and his economic vision for the country, several Obama campaign and Democratic party officials said Sunday.

The move gives the Obama campaign an opportunity to take advantage of the former president's immense popularity and remind voters that a Democrat was in the White House the last time the American economy was thriving.

Obama personally asked Clinton to speak at the convention and place Obama's name in nomination, and Clinton enthusiastically accepted, officials said. Clinton speaks regularly to Obama and to campaign officials about strategy.

Clinton's prominent role at the convention will also allow Democrats to embrace party unity in a way that is impossible for Republican rival Mitt Romney.

George W. Bush, the last Republican to hold the White House, remains politically toxic in some circles. While Bush has endorsed Romney, he is not involved in his campaign and has said he does not plan to attend the GOP convention.

Clinton will speak in prime-time at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 5, the night before Obama formally accepts the party nomination. While the number two on the ticket often speaks that night, the Obama campaign has instead decided that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will speak on the same night.

Biden will introduce Obama on Sept. 6 before more than 70,000 people expected to fill an outdoor stadium in Charlotte, and millions more on television.

The vice president's speech will focus on outlining many of the challenges the White House has faced over the past four years and the decisions Obama made to address them, officials said.

"To us it's about deploying our assets in the most effective way," Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod said. "To have President Clinton on Wednesday night laying out the choice facing voters, and then having Vice President Biden speak right before the president in prime time on Thursday, giving a testimony to the decisions the president has made, the character of his leadership and the battle to rebuild the middle class that's so central to our message."

Clinton's role at the convention was to be formally announced Monday. It was first reported by The New York Times.

Clinton spoke at the 2008 convention, part of a healing process for the Democratic party following the heated primary battle between Obama and the former president's wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Since then, the ties between Obama and Bill Clinton have strengthened significantly. Obama has called on the former president for advice several times during his term and the two have appeared together this year at campaign fundraisers for Obama's re-election bid.

___

Associated Press writer Beth Fouhy in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-key-role-clinton-dem-convention-020230097.html

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IndieLondon: Ellie Goulding announces new album, Halcyon - Your ...

ELLIE Goulding has announced details of her eagerly awaited new album Halcyon, which will be released on October 8th on Polydor Records.

It will be preceded by lead single Anything Could Happen on September 30, 2012.

Halcyon is the follow-up to Ellie Goulding?s hugely successful debut album Lights which was released in 2010 and has gone on to sell one and a half million copies and generate five million single sales worldwide.

Ellie says of the LP: ?This album for me is a journey from dark into light from confusion to understanding. I didn?t set out to write a break-up record but I think it became one.?

The Hereford-born singer songwriter first came to prominence when she topped the BBC Sound of 2010 Poll and was simultaneously awarded the Brits Critics Choice Award.

She is the only artist other than Adele to have received both accolades.

All the tracks on Halcyon were written and co-produced by Ellie Goulding and the majority were recorded in a converted barn in Ellie Goulding?s hometown in the Hay Valley with producer Jim Elliot (Kylie/Ladyhawke).

Fans got a taste of the new album earlier this month when Ellie Goulding posted a free download of new track Hanging On?featuring Tinie Tempah. The volume of fans rushing to hear the track caused Soundcloud to crash.

Hanging On was the number one most blogged and played track on Hypemachine that week and has had over one million total plays/views on Youtube and Soundcloud already. You can view the video below?

Source: http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Music-Review/ellie-goulding-announces-new-album-halcyon

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

News about News about Life and Society issue #1 | Blog4.RapiChat ...

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Source: http://blog4.rapichat.com/2012/07/28/news-about-news-about-life-and-society-issue-1-408/

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Penn State president says school covered for lawsuits

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pennsylvania State University has enough insurance coverage to deal with lawsuits that might result from its child sexual abuse scandal, President Rodney Erickson said.

The school wants to settle any lawsuits "as quickly as possible," Erickson reaffirmed in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" program that airs on Sunday.

A summary of his remarks was posted on Saturday on the program's website.

He was quoted as saying the school was "adequately covered" against lawsuits that might arise. Jerry Sandusky, a retired assistant football coach, was convicted last month of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, including at Penn State facilities, in one of the worst scandals in college sports.

The university is involved in a legal battle with its main liability insurer, Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association Insurance Co, over who should have to pay for any civil suits in the Sandusky scandal. It also owns its own insurer, Nittany Insurance Co of Vermont.

Lawyers for one of the key victims in the Sandusky case said this week he was suing the university for contributing to the abuse.

Sandusky's 2001 sexual assault of the man, known as Victim 2, in a locker room shower was at the heart of the scandal that engulfed Penn State. He was one of two victims not to testify at the trial.

The case against Sandusky, who faces a prison term of up to 373 years when he is sentenced, rocked the storied Penn State football program and tarnished the legacy of the late Joe Paterno, the team's longtime coach.

An independent investigation commissioned by Penn State and released two weeks ago concluded that Penn State officials were alerted to Sandusky's abuse, did nothing to stop it and decided against reporting it to authorities.

Erickson said in a Washington Post opinion piece on Saturday that he did not suggest the NCAA sanctions imposed last week and did not take the repercussions lightly.

But the sanctions - a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl game ban, reduced football scholarships and the forfeiture of 112 wins - were preferable to "the alternative" of a multi-year ban on football, he said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/penn-state-president-says-school-covered-lawsuits-023122126--nfl.html

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Credit Suisse scales back Mideast private banking research: sources

DUBAI (Reuters) - Credit Suisse has moved the head of its Middle East private banking equity research division to Geneva, two sources told Reuters on Sunday, the latest European bank to scale back research roles in the region.

Kamran Butt will support private banking sales in Switzerland with market research after spending six years in Dubai, two people familiar with the matter said.

"Other analysts from outside the Middle East will be covering the local market here," one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is not public, said.

Credit Suisse could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Swiss bank unveiled measures this month to boost its capital base in response to criticism from the central bank, and also announced new cost cuts, including at the investment bank, although some analysts have called for even more radical steps.

Leading global investment banks have been cutting research staff in the Middle East to save costs amid tough global conditions and a dearth of work in the region.

In the past year, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank have cut top equity research jobs while Japan's largest bank Nomura has shut down its research department, sources told Reuters.

Middle East private banking staffing is down about 30 percent in the last two years due to redundancies and relocating staff to other regions, the second source said.

In February, sources said HSBC was significantly scaling down its private banking operations in the Middle East. Europe's biggest lender moved its top private banker in the region to London.

The Middle East and Africa wealth management sector grew 8.6 percent in 2010 and overall assets under management could grow to $6.7 trillion by 2015 helped by high oil prices, a study by the Boston Consulting Group in June last year showed.

The region's private banking sector has several pure-play private banks like Julius Baer and Sarasin Alpen, competing with diversified banks such as, J.P. Morgan Chase and UBS .

(Additional reporting by Mirna Sleiman; Editing by Amran Abocar)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/credit-suisse-scales-back-mideast-private-banking-research-094336822--finance.html

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Increase Your Pay Per Click Traffic In Seven Steps ? NUVE

Increasing pay per click traffic is a common dilemma that most internet marketers encounter these days. There are many reasons to this. For one, it is not as easy as following the procedures that will get you started with this type of advertising. More so, the information that the world wide web hold about its effective practice is very few. Shared in this article are a few insights that can help you achieve this undertaking for the benefit of your business.

Define Goals ? Besides improving your online visibility, what are the goals you intend to achieve with this kind of advertisement? Make a detail list of them. They could be things you can achieve on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Arrange them according to urgency.

Research ? Upsurge of pay per click traffic or even its mere presence does not automatically happen upon creating your own account. It takes a series of research and experimentation as well. What do you need to research about? Everything about your target customers ? their behavior, interests, needs and way of thinking. All these will assist you in improving your product or service to best suit the needs of your patrons. Additionally, such information will help you arrive at the right keywords for your business.

Keyword Research ? Keywords give structure to your marketing campaign.They serve as your guide in creating sales messages that can increase your pay per click traffic by heaps. Study in depth the things that your prospect clients care about ? something that bothers them and/or interests them. Through this, you can make intelligent guesses on the exact search terms your market uses to hunt for information or solution they need online. List these terms down and use a keyword search tool which can analyze the competitiveness of these terms.

Fashion Fitting Advertisements ? As mentioned above, this can be achieved with the use of appropriate search terms. This is key if you are after gaining a significant increase in your profit for a specific period of time. This what every online marketing business does to make the most out of their promotional efforts. Keep in mind that your adverts should be sharp or direct to the point at all times. They too must be short so as not to bore readers.

Plan Your Budget ? Depending on your finances, decide on the amount you are willing to pay for this advert campaign, specifically for every click. It may just sound a few cents, but if you put all the clicks together they can cost you big money. This is especially true when you are clueless of what you are doing.

Mention Your Locality ? Mentioning your locality is key when you are after getting benefits from a refined research. In fact, this works for both sides ? prospect customers get to reach you easily and your website gets increased views and possible sales rate.

Monitor Your Ads ? Are your keywords helping you in your pursuit for an increased pay per click traffic? If not, there could need a replacement or a rearrangement to fit your advert campaign. Check too if they are causing you much expenses than gains.

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Source: http://nuve.com.au/ppc/increase-your-pay-per-click-traffic-in-seven-steps/

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Domestic Medium Hair - Dancer - Large - Adult - Male - Cat Alexandria

Domestic Medium Hair - Dancer - Large - Adult - Male - Cat

Can I dance right out of the shelter and into your home? I'm Dancer, and I am a delicate boy with a lovely personality. Once you come visit me, I will not let you leave. I love giving head-butts, and making air biscuits (as you can see in my picture). I also have this funny habit where I drool a little when I am REALLY happy....It's just one of my ways that I express how much I love you! I hope I sound like a nice boy for your home. Please don't let my age scare you off--I still have lots of love to give.

***My front paws are declawed***

CHARACTERISTICS:
Breed: Domestic Medium Hair
Size: Large
Petfinder ID: 23374457

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Pet has been spayed/neutered

CONTACT:
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria | Alexandria, VA | 703-746-4774

For additional information, reply to this ad or see: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=23374457

Brought to you by Petfinder.com

Source: http://washingtondc.ebayclassifieds.com/cats-kittens/alexandria/domestic-medium-hair-dancer-large-adult-male-cat/?ad=21806554

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Increase Your Home-based Business Achievement With This ...

There have been multiform home enterprises which the singular can pick, as well as lots of graphic motivations people confirm to proceed an classification during home. No have the difference which online commercial operation we name we will need the little discipline to assistance we duty as the most appropriate association owners we competence be. Pursuing these pointers we will notice your tiny commercial operation grow by jumps as well as bounds.

Get ready to go any singular day which you?re caring for your home-based business. You do not have to put upon the suit, though classification bland is starting to do. That includes boots or boots! You?ll comprehend which simply being ready to go scrupulously as well as looking glorious can assistance we feel improved about yourself, as well as you?ll give the distant some-more consultant support of thoughts divided inside your emails as well as upon the telephone.

Upon carrying the recognized site, we competence need to emanate an email comment or dual which for which domain name. It can positively assistance we marketplace your association as well as have the some-more dilettante earthy coming in the business. It will additionally benefaction we with the singular some-more device to have operate of when arranging your organization.

Figure out where we will be working. You know we competence be operative during home, however it is similarly critical to have certain your own home has sufficient space which we can lift out your tasks. You should be unsentimental in regards to the place which you?ll need or you?ll spin out disappointed. For instance, if we have been the chateau baker, have certain your home is large enough! Should we commercial operation bureau work, we need the quiet, nicely-lit up as well as comfy place, with room for the large work table as well as submitting cabinets.

Open the code latest association bank checking comment for your own home commercial operation venture. Ensure which any as well as any sire of commercial operation increase as well as price functions by this accounts. Submit an focus for the credit label which we simply will operate usually for commercial operation purposes, such as equipment as well as shipping. Keep extensive notices about large losses as well as any bills which indispensable to be paid with in isolation resources.

When determining in between home formed commercial operation opportunities, gaunt in the citation of tips which we have been ardent about. Using the dollars competence be appealing, though those who do this often get burnt out especially since they have no adore for the work. Choose your home commercial operation with unrestrained in your mind. The volume of income will follow.

Spend distributed taxation. For the home commercial operation owner, it is essentially distant improved bombard out your income taxes 4x per year. Except when we will wish jar when it?s taxation time, hit the inner income use as well as set up up the amends procedure. Not only have been we right away obliged for unchanging tax, we should compensate out self-work income tax.

Be certain we arrangement buyers starting to your web site only where they have been means to squeeze your goods. If their purchased in shops, be certain we settle what shops your products or services have been sole in. This will expected rise indebtedness as well as certitude inside of the commercial operation eyeballs for we as well as your business.

When we have only review through, we could be in effect with the home-based business. By following the ideas progressing mentioned, we will be means to knowledge the really successful home formed business. There have been countless actions to take which will assistance your commercial operation be most most some-more successful as well as run softer.

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Source: http://www.europeanbracelets.org/increase-your-home-based-business-achievement-with-this-particular-fantastic-guidance/

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Aquiring the fax that can assist you information m

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Source: http://chanceuprighttiffanyblog.bloggd.org/2012/07/26/aquiring-the-fax-that-can-assist-you-information-m/

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Despite Lack of Rent Growth, Large Warehouse Portfolios Attract ...

Institutions Opt For Large Transactions to Increase Efficiency As Warehouse Investments Take Center Stage

With demand for U.S. industrial space rebounding and still relatively little new supply on the horizon, institutional investors are once again out scouring the market for warehouse portfolios, prompting heated bidding for larger and pricier transactions.

Institutional funds such as Blackstone Group LP and AEW Capital Management, private REITs and equity firms such as Industrial Income Trust, Verde Realty and Cole Capital have been the most active buyers of industrial real estate so far in 2012. THe lack of available high quality core properties is causing capital to flow into stronger secondary markets such as Phoenix, Houston and Portland, according to information poresented during CoStar?s Second Quarter Industrial Review and Outlook this week.

Returns on warehouse and distribution property investments have exceeded its office and retail counterparts in recent quarters, although the relatively small average deal size of between $10 million and $25 million commanded by even top-grade warehouse properties often deters institutional investors from dealing for individual properties since they face more competition from prospective buyers.

The largest industrial property transaction of the first quarter was a portfolio purchased by Verde Realty from AEW Capital for $290 million. However, three deals in a single week early in the second quarter eclipsed that amount, led by Blackstone?s massive $770 million purchase of 65 assets across nine states totaling 16.6 million square feet from Australia-based Dexus Property Group.

"The portfolio premium is back in the market," after large trades all but disappeared from the market during the recession, said Rene Circ, director of industrial research for CoStar's Property and Portfolio Research (PPR). "The story from this quarter is that industrial is back on investors' radar. These portfolios are trading because the large institutions want to play a lot of capital at a time. Paying $10 million (to buy) one building at a time is way too inefficient for them."

And stronger trading activity may prompt some opportunistic investors to attempt to "roll up" their own portfolios in hopes of selling it and capturing the premium that buyers are willing to pay, added PPR Senior Economist Shaw Lupton.

Along with low U.S. interest rates and an increasing demand for well-located logistics property by companies reconfiguring their supply chains, part of the reason for the uptick in investment sale volume is the continued strength of warehouse fundamentals, which rebounded from a relatively soft first quarter.

The U.S. industrial market posted 35.5 million square feet of total positive net absorption in the most recent quarter - well above the historical average of 21 million square feet -- with 142 markets showing positive absorption, the most since demand began to rebound in 2010.

The national vacancy fell to 9.2% in the second quarter, down 30 basis points from the first three months and 92 bps lower than a year ago. Despite the higher absorption, lower vacancy and very little new construction, asking rents remained flat for the quarter in most markets.

"It?s still a market that?s getting better, but there?s still too much space available, that explains why rents are still not coming back," Circ said. "We?re not expecting a huge increase in demand for industrial real estate. Given the miniscule amount of new construction, vacancies will continue to trend downward, and it?s very easy and quick to build warehouses, so it?s almost certain more building will occur."

"I can see a scenario in the next quarter before the election where only the companies that have to pull trigger will do so."

However, on the investment side, foreign capital continues to see upside in North American logistics and industrial property, as evidenced by the recent entry into the market by Australian CRE investor and developer Goodman Group, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

Goodman Group expects to invest $1.5 billion in the sector across North America, mainly in new developments, through an agreement with Irvine-based Birtcher Development.

Jones Lang LaSalle, which acted as strategic advisor on the Goodman-Birtcher agreement, views the influx of foreign capital to the U.S. industrial market as one of the key trends driving the resurgence of the sector.

The venture will focus on the West Coast logistics hubs of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, and East Coast markets including New York, New Jersey and Central Pennsylvania.

"With favorable market conditions, increasing demand and a lack of large facilities in A+ locations, the time was right for Goodman Group to move into the U.S. industrial real estate market," according to Tim O?Rourke, executive vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle.

Source: http://www.costar.com/News/Article/Despite-Lack-of-Rent-Growth-Large-Warehouse-Portfolios-Attract-Renewed-Investor-Interest/140126?ref=/News/Article/Despite-Lack-of-Rent-Growth-Large-Warehouse-Portfolios-Attract-Renewed-Investor-Interest/140126&src=rss

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NKorea confirms leader Kim Jong Un is married

FILE - In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a balcony at the end of a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square. North Korea said its new, young leader Kim is married, announcing it for the first time in a brief and routine state TV report Wednesday evening, July 25, 2012 that ends weeks of speculation about a beautiful woman who accompanied him to recent public events. Kim toured an amusement park with his "wife, comrade Ri Sol Ju" on Tuesday, while a crowd cheered for the leader, the speaker said without giving any more details about Ri, including how long they had been married. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a balcony at the end of a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square. North Korea said its new, young leader Kim is married, announcing it for the first time in a brief and routine state TV report Wednesday evening, July 25, 2012 that ends weeks of speculation about a beautiful woman who accompanied him to recent public events. Kim toured an amusement park with his "wife, comrade Ri Sol Ju" on Tuesday, while a crowd cheered for the leader, the speaker said without giving any more details about Ri, including how long they had been married. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)

(AP) ? North Korea's new, young leader Kim Jong Un is married, state TV reported Wednesday for the first time in a brief and otherwise routine announcement that ends weeks of speculation about a beautiful woman who has accompanied him to recent public events.

Kim toured an amusement park with his "wife, comrade Ri Sol Ju" on Tuesday, while a crowd cheered for the leader, the news anchor said without giving any more details about Ri, including how long they had been married. The couple smiled broadly at each other as they walked through Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, at one point watching a dolphin show. Kim also smiled and leaned slightly toward her as the two gazed ahead in the same direction. In another scene, Ri quietly looked down at her husband as Kim sat a bench and spoke to officials.

Kim's several public appearances with the woman, and Wednesday's almost off-hand announcement that he is married, are a striking contrast to the style of his father, Kim Jong Il, whose 17-year rule was known for its secrecy. The elder Kim's companions and children weren't discussed ? including Kim Jong Un, who was virtually unknown before his formal introduction to the world in late 2010.

"Kim Jong Un is breaking with his father's secrecy-shrouded leadership," said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Kyungnam University. "The revelation of his wife is a sign that Kim wants to show a more open leadership."

Ahn Chan-il, a political scientist at the World Institute for North Korea Studies in South Korea, said the revelation of Kim's wife suggests the North Korean leader is inching toward a "more Western-style" leadership. He said it also leads ordinary North Koreans to feel their new ruler is not someone eccentric or far from social norms.

The new leader's style is considered more similar to his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, who built homes, parks and schools and was often shown alongside his wife, Kim Jong Suk, and with children in his arms.

There have been other changes. In the seven months Kim Jong Un has ruled since his father's death in December, the 20-something leader has promoted younger generals and officials and, most recently, dismissed former military chief Ri Yong Ho, once seen as a key mentor during Kim's rise to power.

South Korean media have closely followed the bits and pieces North Korean media have released about Kim Jong Un's companion, including scenes of them at a concert where Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters appeared and at tours of various North Korean sites.

While the woman hasn't been identified until now, media and analysts in the South were quick to guess that she was his wife.

During his tour of the amusement park, Kim enjoyed a show by dolphins, visited a mini golf course and a wading pool and checked out courts for basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball, said the official Korean Central News Agency, which made no mention of the wife. She was seen in pictures released by North Korea walking next to Kim and attending the dolphin show.

The speculation about Kim Jong Un's private life has coincided with high tension on the Korean Peninsula following a North Korean long-range rocket launch in April and repeated threats by Pyongyang to attack the South.

The United States and its allies have long pushed North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but international atomic disarmament talks have been stalled since late 2008. North Korea, meanwhile, also struggles to feed its people. A recent U.N. report said two-thirds of its 24 million people face chronic food shortages, and access to clean water, regular electricity and medicine is still remote for most of those living in the underdeveloped countryside. A U.S.-based rights group also estimates tens of thousands of prisoners remain held in Soviet-style penal camps.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-25-NKorea/id-f85391c2536f4f76bf11e5df82f26448

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Lilly beats second quarter profit view

(Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co's quarterly earnings beat Wall Street expectations, helped by surging growth of its Cymbalta depression treatment, and the company raised its 2012 profit outlook, due to the favorable impact of a stronger dollar.

Other drugmakers, by contrast, have been badly hurt by the stronger dollar in the second quarter -- including rival Johnson & Johnson, which cut its full-year profit view because of its drag on overseas sales.

Lilly, which faces one of the industry's biggest patent cliffs, on Wednesday it earned $924 million, or 83 cents per share, in the second quarter. That compared with $1.2 billion, or $1.07 per share in the year-earlier period.

Excluding special items, the company earned 83 cents per share. Analysts, on average, expected 77 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Global sales of $5.6 billion were in line with Wall Street expectations of $5.59 billion.

The company said it will continue with cost-cutting programs as it grapples with generic competition for its Zyprexa schizophrenia drug and expected generic rivals late next year for Cymbalta.

Lilly said it now expects full-year 2012 earnings of $3.30 to $3.40 per share, excluding special items. It had previously forecast earnings of $3.15 to $3.30 per share.

(Reporting By Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lilly-beats-second-quarter-profit-view-105128578--finance.html

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Myths and Facts about Weight Loss

Hands up, if you want all your health and fitness knowledge at the same time, same place, and in about 30 minutes?

Well, I thought so ? hence I was privileged enough to do a radio interview with 90.5 Alive FM where I try to address (almost) every fitness and nutrition dilemma you might have.

The four-part iTunes podcast chat with Mary Bacon from Lifestyle Today is available for free download below.

Whether it?s organic food, best hour to train in the day or drinking wine four nights a week ? download the podcasts on your iPods and hear me talk about all things fitness-related.


A Masterchef lifestyle

First off, we start discussing the lifestyle of one of my celebrity clients, who is most famous for his love for food. Seems ironic, because we are indeed talking about staying healthy and fit, so food-tasting at fancy restaurants, every evening, isn?t the ideal condition. But in this first podcast, I talk about how Matt Preston stays disciplined and sticks to his workout regimen.
PODCAST LINK - part 1


Want to lose weight, run and sweat

Moving on to talk about training, if your goal is to lose weight. I religiously abide by the motto of training before breakfast, as you?d know if you?re part of my monthly Crack of Arse challenge. If shedding body weight or fat is your aim, then my rule is simple to follow ? three high-calorie burning session (around 500-700 calories per session) and two muscle-strengthening workouts, a week.
I talk about this phenomenon of losing weight in detail in part two of this podcast, along with answering the age-old question of calories in drinks.
Also, if you want to know how French women drink wine every night and still stay lean, hear this podcast.
PODCAST LINK ? part 2


The Fat Debate

When you?re losing weight, the body doesn?t know the difference between good and bad fats, unfortunately. The butt, in particular, doesn?t understand the difference. Nasty fella! He likes to embrace every kind of fat that the body consumes.

So the question is how much avocado should you eat at one go? Is organic the way to go? And what are my thoughts on the gluten-free hype? I discuss it all in the third part of my podcast interview.
Extra tip:
The best possible bread you can have is, stone-ground, multigrain or sourdough. A way to test good quality bread is to put a small piece on your tongue and if it dissolves quickly, then the bread is bad for you. The more you need to chew the bread, the better it is for you.
PODCAST LINK ? part 3


Importance of Strength Training

The new revelation of micro training is taking the attention away from gym goers who just like to pump weights. Nothing wrong with that, but boxing classes and Crossfit sessions are adding more mobility and competitive spirit into fitness routines.
In this final segment, I talk about why I love strength work and how corporate workers can get the best out of their workouts.
PODCAST LINK - part 4

Do you have any questions for me? Any burning fitness or health related question? Ask below?

Tagged As: Facts, Lifestyle Today, Loss, Mary Bacon, Myths, Radio interview, Weight

Source: http://www.ameliaburton.com.au/2012/07/myths-and-facts-about-weight-loss.html

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Is your business worth financing? | BusinessTrade.org

Approaching a venture capital fund for financing can be tricky choice. Here are six questions that can give you the information you need to make an informed decision.
Venture capitalists (VC) scout around the world looking for entrepreneurs with good business ideas that are likely to succeed. Here are a few things to consider if ever pitching your business idea to a venture capital fund manager.
1. Is it demand driven?
Ask yourself if your business service/product is driven by demand. In other words, will your business idea be able to make money? VC Fund managers only bet their money on businesses that hold a promise of being able to make sales, which translates into big profits.
2. Can your idea succeed in the long term?
Consider whether your business is sustainable for the future. For some sectors, like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), things change very fast.? A mobile or internet innovation may appear to be a lucrative idea, until the product becomes obsolete with the invention of a more advanced application. Venture capitalists are willing to invest in businesses, but before they do, they want to be guaranteed that your business idea will not be outdone by someone else in the next few months.
3. Will it be open for expansion?
Can the idea be replicated in other countries? Fund managers look for businesses that can be scaled across Africa or other parts of the world. With the possibility of increased competition and growing regional integration, venture capitalists say businesses that can be operational in several countries are open to a wider market and promise more profits.
4. Are you a determined entrepreneur?
Venture capitalists look for ambitious and determined entrepreneurs who are passionate about their ideas. Pim de Wit, a representative from Africa Media Venture Fund, explains, ?We prefer working with entrepreneurs who are stubborn enough to defend their business ideas but still open minded enough to listen, learn and incorporate our ideas.?
5. Have you projected its profitability?
Determine how long it will take for your business to become profitable. Remember, venture capitalists really invest to make profits. When pitching, show them how you intend to make a profit, and how you intend to double that profit with their added investment. You need to expressly pitch the appeal to work with you in business.
6. Do you know the future strategy?
Most venture capitalists plan to leave after about five years. When pitching, you need to map out an exit plan. Examine whether you think opportunities might arise through a sale to a big corporation or a sale of shares at the capital markets. Point it out to them that you expect the business idea to be attractive to foreign market too. This offers fund managers the opportunity to plan their future strategy.

Source: http://www.businesstrade.org/business-finance-advice/2012/07/25/is-your-business-worth-financing-2/

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International audition: Romney faces high stakes

LONDON (AP) ? Mitt Romney ? a one-term governor untested on the world's political stage ? faces high stakes in the coming week during visits to England, Israel and Poland. It's a trip that amounts to an international audition.

The Republican presidential candidate is seeking to persuade voters back home to elect him their leader in a complex, dangerous world. And his trip will invite comparisons to Barack Obama's successful overseas 2008 tour before he won the White House.

Romney, whose decades in private business gave him ample exposure to international affairs, hopes to prove that he is no novice on foreign policy. At the same time he'll be highlighting a key part of his resume ? the successful Salt Lake City Olympics he managed ? with a visit to the opening days of the London Games. He's also planned a series of meetings ? and photo events ? with political leaders in the three countries he's visiting in hopes of projecting an image of leadership.

His itinerary is limited to a few tightly controlled appearances in countries that are close allies of the United States, suggesting that Romney knows there are risks as well as potential benefits to his trip.

Romney will be visiting two countries in Europe, a region he's spent most of his campaign criticizing. Beyond that, he's certain to face pressure to outline where he stands on such weighty matters as missile defense, Afghanistan troop levels, violence raging in Syria, the nuclear threat from Iran and the Middle East peace process, putting him on the spot to add details to a foreign policy vision that so far has been short on them.

He also faces the tricky task of contrasting himself with Obama while staying true to his promise not to openly assail the president while on foreign soil, honoring longstanding tradition that American politicians don't criticize their government while abroad. Drawing implicit contrasts with the president also could be difficult because Romney has so far not outlined sharp foreign policy differences with his Democratic opponent.

"I don't want to be in any way critical of the president or to be fashioning foreign policy departure from the president, while I'm on foreign soil," Romney told NBC News during a Wednesday interview in London when asked about how he would help Israel as president. "But I can tell you that, that with regards to any nation that, that feels its security is at risk that they should have a firm conviction that America is securely behind them."

The sheer logistics of putting together an overseas political trip could stress a campaign still trying to transition from the primary season and struggling to compete against Obama's battle-tested re-election machine. Anything short of flawlessness could raise questions about whether Romney and his team are ready to go head-to-head against Obama this fall, whether they're "ready for prime time."

The trip also will keep Romney off the campaign trail for a full week as Obama hammers him in states essential to winning the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory this fall. There are signs that Romney may have been gaining some traction after a month of being on the receiving end of Democratic attacks by assailing the president over a remark about business owners. Obama has spent the past few days on the defensive.

Plus, the campaign's focus on foreign policy for the week takes the spotlight away from the central argument for Romney's candidacy ? that Obama is hurting the economy and the Republican's business experience makes him best able to spark job creation ? and puts attention on a Romney weakness.

Republican presidential candidates traditionally have had an advantage over their Democratic opponents on foreign policy and national security. But an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday shows that Americans, by a 10-point margin, trust Obama as commander in chief over Romney.

Just over 100 days until the election, polls show the race close, and Democrats and Republicans agree that it's likely to remain so heading into the fall. In tight races, anything can tip the balance ? a foreign trip included.

Four years ago, Obama was a first-term senator when he spent part of the 2008 summer traveling to war zones, the Middle East and several European countries. The high-profile trip intended to burnish his foreign policy credentials culminated with a speech to hundreds of thousands of people outside the Victory Column in Berlin. The rock-star reception he received was intense. So was the wall-to-wall media coverage back home.

"The American people knew exactly where Barack Obama stood on all the major foreign policy issues of the day" after his trip, former Obama adviser Robert Gibbs said. "The question I think for Governor Romney is whether this trip will be similarly substantive, and live up to the bar that was set in 2008, or whether this is one long photo-op and fundraising tour."

Romney's campaign dismisses any comparison, saying Romney's goal is to listen and not give speeches like Obama's Berlin address.

"This trip is an opportunity for the governor to listen and learn, to visit countries that share common values, common interests," said Lanhee Chen, Romney's policy director.

Romney, to be sure, is slated to give a speech in Poland and perhaps one in Israel. But even Republican allies say it's impossible that Romney will generate nearly as much interest as Obama did. Romney also plans a series of interviews while overseas.

There were hiccups before Romney arrived Wednesday in London.

Earlier this week in California, Romney met with Australia's foreign minister, Bob Carr, and later told donors that Carr sees an "America in decline." A day later, the Australians issued a statement clarifying Carr's comments and insisting that he did not intend to criticize the U.S.

Romney also has faced criticism in the Jewish press ahead of his Israel trip for scheduling a fundraiser on Tisha B'Av, a Jewish fasting day that commemorates the destruction of two temples in Jerusalem. Advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervened and insisted the timing of the fundraiser was Netanyahu's decision. Romney aides say the candidate has accepted an invitation to break the fast at a traditional Jewish meal with Netanyahu and his wife.

And as Romney flew to London, the Daily Telegraph newspaper published a story quoting an unnamed campaign adviser saying Romney believes the U.S. relationship with Britain is special because of shared "Anglo Saxon heritage" and that the White House doesn't appreciate that shared history.

Romney quickly distanced himself from any such view. "I don't agree with whoever that advisor might be," Romney told NBC News. "But do agree that we have a very common bond between ourselves and Great Britain."

Obama dispatched Vice President Joe Biden and top strategist David Axelrod to criticize Romney.

Said Biden: "The comments reported this morning are a disturbing start to a trip designed to demonstrate Governor Romney's readiness to represent the United States on the world's stage."

Romney faces more challenges as he meets with leaders in Britain and Poland and particularly Israel, where he'll face questions about how he would handle one of America' s most pressing national security concerns: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Romney will meet with Netanyahu and with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, though he won't spend time with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Romney advisers are mum on whether he plans to go to the West Bank to meet Fayyad or whether he will hold the meeting in Israel, a decision that could be viewed as a snub to the Palestinian Authority.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/international-audition-romney-faces-high-stakes-212953399.html

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Baristing: Muffin Anxiety

You can see it in how they stand, how they purse their lips and avoid your eyes. There is consternation written on their face, guilt about ordering what they want. Watch a customer eye a muffin, a starchy wad of forbidden fruit, delicious, decadent, but no, so much sugar, so much fat. They glance back and forth, say that they shouldn't, hoping you'll coax them one way or another. And you stand there, neutral.

This will probably not come as a surprise to anyone that knows me at all, but to others, perhaps this needs to be made clear: I am a bit of a health and fitness nut. I have very definitive opinions on how food quality fits in to that picture. However, despite that, my role at the coffee bar is not as a personal trainer or weight loss coach. I'll answer questions about ingredients honestly and clearly, but won't offer an opinion. It's simply not my place.

And yet I don't think that knowledge would help those customers. Paradoxically, we're a society that provides access to nearly endless decadence, and yet values abstinence from those things. Our hypothetical customer may want a mocha and a scone, but will abstain simply to show that they can.

We see this in a group setting. The faces and apprehensions are more exaggerated, as are the claims of how bad they want this particular food item, and how much they love it, but they can't, just can't, and so they won't. People want you, and everyone else, to know how bad they want the muffin, and thus how impressive it is that they can resist. It's flexing your willpower, not unlike the guy who makes love to his own image in the weight room mirror.

To be sure, this is a first world problem, and decadence in itself. To have the ability to decline calorie dense food is a luxury, and moreover, a suggestion of willpower. The resolute person is thin, because they're strong enough to make it so. This, of course, is a trait to be sought, and so we do.

Of course, I say all of this as a skinny guy, and not by accident. My friends are well aware that there are many things I won't eat, so they stopped offering me hot wings a long time ago. So I am not, in any way, criticizing the pursuit of health. Our bodies are all we really own, and there is nothing more important than what we do with them, and what we choose to fuel them with. It can be a decision fraught with guilt, with media pressure and personal values all coalescing. It can be complicated, and I get that.

But while it can be all of those things, it most certainly needn't be public drama. Order the latte with skim, soy, whole, whatever. Have the muffin or don't. Have whatever you want for whatever reasons you want.

And then, having what you want, relax. The freedom of choice is a beautiful thing. That we have everything from espresso to Coke to mochas to orange juice to plain black coffee is a beautiful thing. That the hardest decision you have to make in a given day is whether or not to eat a muffin is a beautiful thing. That you can basically eat or drink whatever you want is an unbelievable luxury, one the vast majority of humanity will never know. So at the very least, enjoy it. Guilt is not delicious.

Source: http://baristing.blogspot.com/2012/07/muffin-anxiety.html

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Romney: Obama 'diminished leadership' around the world

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/romney-obama-diminished-american-leadership-around-world-195201821.html

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