SPORTS: Men?s squash falls to Rochester

By Macy Ferguson

Published on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Big Green men?s squash team put up a good fight against the University of Rochester squad on Jan. 27 at the Lyman Squash Center in Rochester, N.Y. Though the Yellowjackets (8-5, 4-0 Liberty League) came out on top with a final score of 4-5, the Big Green men (5-5, 1-2 Ivy League) were happy with the overall quality of the match.

?We went out and tried our best and actually had a very good day,? head coach Hansi Wiens said.

The No. 8 Big Green knew beforehand that the No. 5 Yellowjackets was the dominant opponent.

?We were the underdogs and didn?t expect to win,? Kyle Martino ?16 said.

Martino contributed to the men?s score, beating Rochester senior Oscar Lopez 3-1.

Martino attributes his win to his ability to outlast his opponent on the court, and said he has focused on conditioning and building endurance.

?It was a combination of just focusing on what I needed to do and applying my training,? Martino said.

The Yellowjackets were ahead throughout the match, but the Big Green made sure the win did not come easily.

?Unfortunately we couldn?t pull off the win, but it was cool to see us get so close to beating a higher-ranked team,? co-captain Chris Hanson ?13 said.

Hanson put up points for the Big Green by defeating his opponent, senior Andres Duany, 3-1. Though Hanson lost his first game, he overtook Duany in the remaining three and clinched the win.

?My opponent made some mistakes at critical moments,? Hanson said. ?But I went out with the right game plan and executed it.?

The top eight nationally ranked squash teams are all positioned quite close, so each match carries different expectations of play, Wiens said.

?The closer and closer to higher ranked teams, it more so just depends on the day?s playing,? Wiens said.

Because the Big Green was already ranked below the Yellowjackets, the match?s outcome did not alter Dartmouth?s ranking.

?They?re all very tough players so the close match was a testament to how hard we?ve been working,? Hanson said.

Hanson said he tries to encourage his teammates throughout the match.

?It?s tough trying to watch your teammates play while trying to prepare for your own match,? Hanson said.

Wiens encouraged his team to fight with all their strength and to make the Yellowjackets work as hard as they possibly could.

?I tell my players to be proud to be on the court and keep your chin up,? Wiens said.

Wiens started preparing for the team?s matches next weekend against Cornell University and Columbia University on the bus ride back from Rochester, and spoke to the players about their individual matches and what they need to improve.

?We lost 5-4, but it looks like we?re on the right track,? Wiens said.

The Big Green will concentrate on their mental game and focus on endurance, rather than each individual point. To prepare for upcoming matches against No. 6 Cornell (11-2, 2-1 Ivy League) and No. 10 Columbia (6-5, 1-2 Ivy League), players will watch recordings of the Rochester match.

Martino said he wants to work on technical aspects, such as knowing where to be and how to move on the court more efficiently.

?I?m going to remind the guys over and over to put in hard work and trust in that,? Hanson said.

Although Cornell will be a tough opponent, the men look forward to playing the Big Red. They expect Columbia will be less of a challenge, for Dartmouth has consistently beat them in past years.

?They have some strong players, but I believe we?re stronger,? Wiens said.

The Big Green seeks to move up in the rankings after next weekend?s matches, Martino said.

If Dartmouth can overcome the Big Red, the men?s team may move up to a seventh-place ranking. The team aims to stay in the top eight to ensure a place at the College Squash Association?s National Championships.

?We?re pretty much set in the top eight,? Hanson said.

The Big Green will play Cornell at 12 p.m. on Saturday and Columbia at 12 p.m. on Sunday at the Berry Squash Center.

?It?s going to be our big weekend at home so it would be great to see a lot of support from our fans here,? Hanson said.

Source: http://thedartmouth.com/2013/01/30/sports/squash/

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Managing Anxiety By Accepting Your Brain's Alarm System | Your ...

By Bob Livingstone

There have been dramatic studies about the science of the brain, how it works and how we can deal with our emotional pain in new ways. There have been many articles and books written in the last few years about the different parts of the brain, how they function, and how they can heal emotional anguish.

This article will focus on the workings of the part of the brain called the amygdala. I am concentrating on this part of the brain because it has a huge impact on our emotional lives.

The amygdala is a necessary part of our brain that has kept us safe throughout history. It becomes activated when you are in real danger. It triggers the fight or flight response. If you see a wild dog running towards you, your amygdala will mobilize and you will take whatever action is necessary to protect yourself.

Without the amygdala, we would not be able to prepare for peril, so it is a necessary part of our being. However, sometimes the amygdala can become over active due to situations that create post-traumatic stress syndrome. (PTSD)

The amygdala plays a part in the creation and storage of memories associated with emotional events. The amygdala also plays a role in the formation of many fear responses including freezing, rapid heartbeat, increased respiration and stress hormone response.

If you are a victim of child abuse, if your parents had a hostile divorce, if someone close died when you were young, if you were a soldier in a war zone, or if you had physical health problems; you may be suffering from PTSD.

In the original trauma, the normal and natural fight flight response kicks in, the amygdala immediately decides it is a dangerous situation that must be reacted to in that way; and that is a normal body response to danger.

In the original trauma, the normal and natural fight flight response kicks in, the amygdala immediately decides it is a dangerous situation that must be reacted to in that way; and that is a normal body response to danger. The higher functions of the brain located in the frontal lobe allows us to sort our experience, compare and contrast, make meaning out of what is going on and finding a safe resolution. These higher functions vanish during the original trauma; making it impossible to create any kind of logical strategy for dealing with this emotional disturbance. They go offline because protecting a real threat to the body overrules any other brain task.

Sometimes the amygdala can misinterpret body sensations. Jane can be thinking about the possibility about being rejected by her boyfriend and her abandonment issues get triggered. The amygdala is sensing that her life is being threatened when in essence she is not in danger, but panicking because she has strong, negative feelings and memories of being abandoned by someone she truly loved. This panic is wrongly identified as the possibility of grave physical harm by the amygdala, so its forces rev up.

Around four years ago, I had a number of health issues happen one right after the other: I had the H. Pylori stomach virus that felt like rats were fighting for control over my stomach which led to acid reflux. I remember lying on the floor feeling without energy as the country celebrated the inauguration of the first African-American president. A couple of months later, the electrical system in my heart wore out which resulted in the installation of a heart pacemaker. Then I had surgery to remove a seven millimeter kidney stone that became infected. This followed with intermittent back and other muscle pain.

My amygdala kicks in when I experience any body sensation that reminds me of the electrical system of my heart giving out or kidney stones floating in painful areas. I could be feeling winded when I exercise or heartburn or any other sensation that seems out of the ordinary. I feel the sensation and then thoughts about my possible demise enter and panic sets in like an unwanted visitor.

I also can be triggered by any incoming body sensation that I feel may lead to my death-even though there are no conscious thoughts that I am going to die, but the amygdala is getting the message that I am in danger and it sounds the alarm that is experienced as intense fear in my body. I feel so overwhelmed when this occurs and don?t know what to do. The panic can last a few minutes or can be intermittent over the course of a day.

This feeling of impending death is experienced at the same time as the memory of suddenly and without any warning, passing out while I was on my five mile run.

I realize that this hyperactive amygdala had its origins when my father died suddenly when I was fifteen years old. My innocence was instantly shattered and I was abruptly pushed into a world of having no father and no means to deal with such a loss.

I have felt shame about this fear/amygdala sensation being activated for most of my life. I always believed the fear was my fault and experienced humiliation since I?ve had no success in warding it off.

Now I know that the amygdala becomes active whenever it senses danger. I have had no control over that process when it does give out its warnings. A huge part of my emotional healing is about learning to accept that the amygdala will do its thing no matter what. Sometimes I will not be able to respond to the trigger immediately and the sirens from that part of my brain will ring with danger and a call to be ever vigilant.

When I was younger, I perceived the amygdala to be the critical parent inside me and now I am aware that I have mislabeled this part. We all have different parts of us inside that may include the child, teenager, calming mother or raging father. The amygdala is not in this category at all. It is part of your brain that is designed to keep you safe by alerting you to danger.

Example of how this all works: First you notice a physical sensation like heartburn and as soon as you feel it, you tell yourself that this feeling is not dangerous, that it is only heartburn and not a heart attack or heart failure. You will have to practice this; it won?t be natural to you at first, but after repeating this process several times, it will begin to become second nature. You then tell yourself to take some deep breaths and feel yourself relax. If you are focusing on your breathing, it is difficult to concentrate on anything else like fear.

It is important to realize that hardly any time elapses between the moment you are triggered and the amygdala can be deactivated. The amygdala, at the moment you are triggered is like a pot of water that is only simmering now, but will be boiling over soon if you don?t interrupt its process. Therefore, you don?t have much time to intervene and the trick is to identify what is happening quickly and calm yourself so the amygdala doesn?t sense danger and therefore doesn?t sound its full alarm.

Let?s revisit the case of Jane from earlier. When she was a small child, her father, who she loved very much, one day decided to leave his family without any notice or conveyed reason. Now, whenever she thinks about being abandoned, which she does often, she has the memory of her father leaving and then gets triggered. Shortly after she is triggered, the amygdala kicks in because it senses danger and possible catastrophe. Her past memory falsely interpreted that she is in danger now/in the present.

Jane can then feel out of sorts and very anxious the rest of the day until the amygdala senses that the danger has passed.

She can learn to identify when she feels triggered. She learns that it commences with an anxious feeling followed by her childhood memory of dad leaving. This self-awareness is a cue that the trigger-amygdala activation is about to begin. At this moment she tells herself that she can take care of herself no matter what, that she can tolerate being alone and that she doesn?t need to give this trigger any more energy. She chooses to focus on something else such as work or guitar lessons.

The amygdala will not sense any danger and therefore will not get charged up.

If the amygdala has been activated and you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, hopeless, distressed, and/or confused; healthy distraction is a great technique to use.

If the amygdala has been activated and you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, hopeless, distressed, and/or confused; healthy distraction is a great technique to use. In the midst of these intense negative feelings, you can give yourself permission to distract yourself from the fear by concentrating on something else. You may choose to focus on a work related activity, exercise or a walk on the beach. This diversion from the fear will cause the amygdala to shut down its warning system because it will no longer feel that you are at risk for demise.

One form of healthy distraction for me is to get angry at this sense of overwhelm and by telling myself how sick I am of having to deal with bone aching anxiety. The amygdala may have felt that my anger signified that I was in control and therefore no danger was on the horizon.

It is very important to understand that mastering the process above is far from an easy endeavor. It takes lots of practice and patience. It takes many instances of trial and error. You may find that one or more of these techniques presented here is effective or you may discover something that works for you that no one else has discovered. Sometimes no matter how good you are at these techniques, the amygdala is going to get fired up and you will be overwhelmed. It is possible to reduce the frequency of these incidents though and you need to be a warrior to reach your goals. Go for it!

Psychotherapy Techniques that may help you: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness.

Other techniques that may help: Meditation, Breathing Exercises, Relaxation Skill Training, and other Stress Reduction Programs

Medication prescribed by a psychiatrist may be helpful as well as certain herbs and supplements recommended by alternative healers.

I do recommend that you do your own research for all these helpful possibilities.

- Special Thanks to Kathy Carlson MFT and Sharon Kman MFT for assisting with this article.

- Bob Livingstone is the author the critically acclaimed Unchain the Pain: How to be Your Own Therapist, Norlights Press 2011, The Body Mind Soul Solution: Healing Emotional Pain through Exercise, Pegasus Books, 2007 and Redemption of the Shattered: A Teenager?s Healing Journey through Sandtray Therapy, Booklocker 2002. He is a psychotherapist, licensed clinical social worker in private practice in The San Francisco Bay Area and has nearly twenty five years experience working with adults, adolescents and children.

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=12124

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Report: Jobless paying needless bank fees

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Jobless Americans are paying millions in unnecessary fees to collect unemployment benefits because of state policies encouraging them to get the money through bank-issued payment cards, according to a new report from a consumer group.

People are using the fee-heavy cards instead of getting their payments deposited directly to their bank accounts. That's because states issue bank cards automatically, require complicated paperwork or phone calls to set up direct deposit and fail to explain the card fees, according to a report issued Tuesday by the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit group that seeks to protect low-income Americans from unfair financial-services products. An early copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press.

Until the past decade, states distributed unemployment compensation by mailing out paper checks. Some also allowed direct deposit. The system worked well for people who had bank accounts and could deposit the check without paying a fee.

It also cost states millions of dollars each year to print and mail the checks.

Banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America Corp. seized on government payments as a business opportunity. They pitched card programs to states as a win-win: States would save millions in overhead costs because the cards would be issued for free. And people without bank accounts would avoid the big fees charged by storefront check cashers.

However, most of the people being hit with fees already have bank accounts. The bank-state partnerships effectively shifted the cost of distributing payments from governments to individuals. The money needed to cover those costs is deducted from people's unemployment benefits in the form of fees.

Consumer advocates like NCLC are focused on ensuring access to the direct-deposit option so that people can avoid the card fees.

The trouble, the new report says, is that many states make it difficult for people to sign up for direct deposit. The rate of people using direct deposit ranges from a national high of 82 percent in Minnesota to a low of 16 percent in Arizona, the report says.

Minnesota offers direct deposit to people when they apply for benefits, and allows them to change their payment method online or over the phone, the report says.

In Arizona, by contrast, people are automatically enrolled in the card program. After they receive the card, they must find a paper form, fill it out, and submit it by mail. There is no way to change payment methods online or over the phone.

"The difference in direct-deposit rates among states seems primarily due to how hard or easy the state makes it for workers to choose direct deposit," the report says.

In five states ? California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland and Nevada ? unemployed people aren't offered direct deposit at all. The report says that setup is illegal under a federal law that bars states from requiring benefits recipients to open an account at a particular bank.

The federal government recommended in 2009 that people with bank accounts receive payments via direct deposit. Nearly four years later, the report says, "there is no excuse for any state not to be offering direct deposit as the first choice for payment of unemployment benefits."

Banks make more money when more people use the cards. In the past, some of their deals with states prevented states from offering direct deposit, or required states to promote the card program as a first option.

To cover the cost of issuing cards and running the programs, banks charge a plethora of fees, including charges for balance inquiries, phone calls to customer support, leaving an account inactive for a period of months, or making a purchase using a personal identification number.

Many states have eliminated some fees and improved consumer protections in the two years since NCLC published its first comprehensive review of state unemployment payments. Banks no longer charge overdraft fees, which skimmed up to $20 from the benefits of card users whose spending exceeded the balance on the card.

Pennsylvania was singled out for praise in the report. Residents of that state will save $5.2 million in card fees each year because the state switched to a lower-fee card offered by JPMorgan.

JPMorgan declined to comment. US Bancorp and Bank of America did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In part because of the recent improvements, the report says, prepaid cards often are the best option for people who don't have bank accounts. Those people would often pay even bigger fees to storefront check cashing services.

"A well-designed prepaid card is safer, cheaper and more convenient than paying to cash a paper check," said Lauren Saunders, one of the report's authors, in a prepared statement. But she said "it is no substitute for direct deposit to an account of your own choosing."

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-states-force-jobless-pay-needless-fees-075501034.html

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Lawmaker looks outside VA to fill mental care gap

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Veterans who have trouble getting timely mental health care from Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics should also have access to thousands of health care providers who care for military personnel and their families, says the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

The proposal by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., borrows from the playbook of Republican Mitt Romney, who raised the idea of tapping into the military's Tricare network of doctors during the course of the presidential campaign.

"We can double overnight the number of providers for those who are in need," Miller said in an interview. "Eighteen veterans a day commit suicide in this country. Nobody thinks that is acceptable."

The VA has beefed up its mental health staff over the years to try to keep up with the needs of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, but a critical inspector general's report last year found that about half of those seeking care for the first time waited about 50 days before getting a full evaluation. The VA had been reporting that the vast majority of those patients were getting care within 14 days.

Shortly before that report was released, the VA announced it would be adding 1,900 mental health professionals to its staff. VA officials said the department has made good progress on the hires, but they couldn't provide specific numbers yet.

Miller says tapping into Tricare's network of psychologists and psychiatrists would allow many veterans to get care closer to home, particularly those who live in rural communities. He doesn't have an estimated price tag yet, but says that whatever it is, that's part of the cost of war. His proposed expansion would only apply to mental health care.

Still, even a modest increase in spending could make Miller's proposal a tough sell at a time when Congress is focused on cutting the federal debt and dealing with the threat of across-the-board spending cuts to defense and discretionary programs.

Asked about Miller's proposal, VA spokesman Josh Taylor said the department is "committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive care directly to veterans, instead of leaving veterans to navigate complex, unconnected providers who might not be experts in veterans' unique healthcare needs."

Miller acknowledged that veterans groups are traditionally wary of relying on health professionals outside the VA system because they view it as the first step to tearing it down. The congressman said he agrees veterans get excellent care from the VA ? when they can access it.

"We simply want to expand a very capable system," Miller said.

In some instances, the VA already contracts with local doctors in rural settings to treat VA patients, but that represents a tiny fraction of the patient visits that occur each year. The number of veterans getting mental health treatment from the VA has been steadily rising: from 927,052 in 2006 to more than 1.3 million in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

Nearly 22 million veterans live in the United States, but fewer than half are enrolled in the VA system. It's generally reserved for those who have a disability or illness stemming from their service. Also, all returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible for VA care during their first five years back from deployment.

The Tricare program serves those currently in the military, their families and those who retire from the military. The two health systems are quite different. The doctors at VA-run facilities are government employees paid a fixed salary for the work they do. Doctors in Tricare agree to participate in a managed care program and are reimbursed at a rate set by the insurer. Under Miller's proposal, the VA would pay that rate without additional costs to the veteran.

Days after Romney proposed giving veterans access to Tricare for mental health treatment, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that requires the VA to set up a minimum of 15 pilot projects focused on contracting with local providers to meet the mental health needs of veterans.

Miller's proposal is more sweeping. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said he's open to the idea.

"While we must do everything that we can to greatly expand the VA's mental health capabilities, I am open to exploring options outside of the VA for contracting services with public and private mental health providers, including Tricare," Sanders said.

Veterans groups are noncommittal at this early stage. They traditionally prefer beefing up the VA's capacity rather than going outside the system.

"It's a fantastic system," Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans for Foreign Wars, said of the VA. "For contracted-out care, we will only concede to that for extremely rural areas, or for specialized care, when that type of care is not readily available at the VA."

With that caveat, Davis said the suggestion is worth a look.

Dr. James Tuorila, a clinical psychologist in St. Cloud, Minn., who also advises the VFW on mental health issues, said he's afraid many of the doctors who see Tricare patients still don't have the specialized training the VA offers its psychiatrists and psychologists for treating such illnesses as post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Being a veteran myself, there was an affinity to working with other veterans. The VA needs to step up on training and on offering internships so it can hire more of these professional veterans in the mental health area," Tuorila said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmaker-looks-outside-va-fill-mental-care-gap-081418255--politics.html

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Pfizer Q4 net jumps on sale of nutrition business

Pfizer Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit more than quadrupled, despite competition from generic drugs hurting sales of Lipitor and other medicines, because of a $4.8 billion gain from selling its nutrition business. The drugmaker's profit and sales both beat Wall Street expectations.

The world's biggest drugmaker said Tuesday that its net income was $6.32 billion, or 85 cents per share, up from $1.44 billion, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding the windfall from selling its nutrition business to Nestle SA for $11.5 billion on Nov. 30, and a total of $888 million for restructuring, legal and other one-time items, the Viagra maker would have had a profit of $3.51 billion, or 47 cents per share. That's 3 cents more than analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting.

In early trading, the New York-based company's shares rose 26 cents, or 1 percent, to $27.10.

Revenue fell 7 percent to $15.1 billion, mainly due to generic competition to cholesterol blockbuster Lipitor. Analysts expected $14.35 billion.

"Overall, a good quarter driven by the revenue beat," BernsteinResearch analyst Dr. Timothy Anderson wrote to investors, calling Pfizer's 2013 financial forecast "a bit underwhelming."

Pfizer said it expects 2013 earnings per share of $2.20 to $2.30, excluding one-time items, and revenue of $56.2 billion to $58.2 billion. Analysts are expecting $2.28 per share and revenue of $57.55 billion.

Lipitor, which had reigned as the world's top-selling drug ever for nearly a decade, got U.S. generic competition in December 2011 and now has generic rivals in many major markets. The pill had been bringing Pfizer nearly $11 billion a year before then, down from its peak of $13 billion a year.

In the fourth quarter, Lipitor sales plunged 91 percent in the U.S. and 71 percent worldwide, to $584 million. A dozen other medicines also had lower sales due to generic competition.

Altogether, generic competition reduced prescription drug revenue by more than $2.1 billion. Unfavorable currency exchange rates lopped off another 2 percent, or $271 million.

However, several key newer drugs had double-digit sales increases, including fibromyalgia and pain treatment Lyrica, at $1.13 billion, painkiller Celebrex at $750 million, and the Prevnar 13 vaccine against meningitis and other pneumococcal infections, at $993 million. Viagra was up 6 percent at $553 million.

Altogether, Pfizer's prescription drug revenue fell 9 percent in the quarter, to $12.89 billion. The division was led by sales of primary-care medicines, which totaled $3.83 billion. Still, that was down 29 percent as Lipitor's sales in the two biggest markets, the U.S. and Japan, where shifted into the established products category. That segment, which markets off-patent drugs still popular in many countries, posted a 3 percent rise in revenue, to $2.37 billion.

Specialty products, such as Enbrel for psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, and hemophilia treatments Refacto AF and Benefix, had revenue dip 4 percent, to a combined $3.67 billion. Sales in emerging markets such as China and India jumped 17 percent, to $2.65 billion, while sales of cancer drugs, a newer focus for Pfizer, rose 9 percent to $370 million.

The animal health business saw revenue increase 6 percent, to $1.17 billion. Pfizer is set to sell about a 20 percent share in the business, called Zoetis, in an initial public offering on Friday.

The consumer health business saw revenue jump 16 percent, to $936 million, due to strong growth of Advil pain reliever and Centrum vitamins.

He said Pfizer will soon launch two new medicines, rheumatoid arthritis treatment Xeljanz and ? with partner Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. ? potential blockbuster Eliquis, for preventing heart attacks and dangerous clots in patients with the irregular heartbeat atrial fibrillation. CEO Ian Read said Pfizer's mid- to late-stage drug pipeline "continues to strengthen with key potential opportunities," including drugs for advanced breast cancer and three other types of cancer, one for high cholesterol and a meningococcal B vaccine for adolescents and young adults.

For the full year, net income was $14.57 billion, or $1.94 per share. That was down from $10.01 billion, or $1.27 per share, in 2011. Revenue totaled $58.99 billion, down 10 percent from $65.26 billion in 2011, before generic competition slashed sales of Lipitor and schizophrenia drug Geodon.

___

Linda A. Johnson can be followed at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pfizer-q4-net-jumps-sale-nutrition-business-122409461--finance.html

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Allison Williams Watches 'Girls' Sex Scenes with Dad

Allison Williams is more than just one of the stars of the Golden Globe-winning HBO series Girls. She's also the daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, who is a self-proclaimed fan of her series.

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India cuts key interest rate by quarter point

NEW DELHI (AP) ? India's central bank cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 7.75 percent Tuesday, aiming to boost flagging growth in Asia's third-largest economy.

The Reserve Bank of India also lowered its cash reserve ratio for banks by a quarter point to 4 percent, which means commercial banks can lend more.

India's economic growth has slowed for several quarters amid high inflation and delays to economic reforms that chilled investment.

The central bank cut its economic growth forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2013 to 5.5 percent from 5.8 percent.

It said the lower cash reserve ratio would release an extra 180 billion rupees ($3.3 billion) into the banking system.

The RBI has held off cutting rates at previous monetary policy meetings because of high inflation. Its last rate cut was in April 2012.

In its latest monetary policy review, the bank said headline inflation had peaked and with a decline in prices of non-food manufactured products, it was likely that inflation would stabilize at its current levels in the coming year.

"This provides space, albeit limited, for monetary policy to give greater emphasis to growth risks," it said.

The bank said it expected the interest rate cut to encourage investment and support growth.

Steps taken by the government including liberalization of foreign investment in retail, aviation, broadcasting and insurance should help return the economy to a higher growth trajectory, the RBI said.

Analysts cautioned that with India scheduled to hold general elections in 2014, there was a likelihood of further government sops leading to increased inflation and spending blowouts.

Abheek Barua, chief economist at HDFC Bank, said the funding situation of banks is very tight and there is a limit to which they could pass on the central bank's lower interest rate.

"The cut in the cash reserve ratio helps the situation only at the margins. Coupled with policy rate cuts, we might see small changes in consumer borrowing costs over the next few months," he said. "Nothing dramatic will happen unless the RBI follows through with a series of cuts and adds more liquidity to the system."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-cuts-key-interest-rate-quarter-point-073259610--finance.html

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Immigration reform: a bid to attract workers who will boost the economy

Immigration reform is foremost a social issue, but it has big economic implications. Exhibit A is a measure that, looking forward, aims to attract immigrants whose skills mesh with the US needs.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / January 29, 2013

President Obama shakes hands after speaking about immigration at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Enlarge

As a bipartisan group of US senators and President Obama lead a push to enact sweeping immigration reform this year, they are boosting the idea with a rationale that is economic as well as social.

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Reform isn?t just about reuniting families, better securing the border, or dealing pragmatically with immigrants who have been in the country for years but lack legal status, they say. It?s also, importantly, about helping the US economy continue to prosper in the years ahead.

It?s an argument that many economists support.?

In fact, some policy experts say that welcoming more immigrants with advanced degrees ranks high on the list of ways to boost long-term job creation.

"Improving the system regulating high-skilled immigration needs to be a key focus of any immigration reform bill," economist Robert Atkinson said Tuesday, in a statement released by the research group he heads, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) in Washington. "We cannot continue to fall behind other nations in attracting the highly skilled individuals to our shores.?

Separately from the broad immigration-reform proposals, a bipartisan group of senators led by Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah and Amy Klobuchar (D) of Minnesota introduced an Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 bill Tuesday, designed to boost the number of high-skill foreign workers.

This bill seeks to grant green cards to more holders of advanced science and engineering degrees. It would also nearly double the limit on so-called H-1B visas, allowing some 115,000 foreigners to hold jobs at US high-tech firms ? a cap that would adjust up or down based on economic conditions. Critics of the H-1B program see it as a gift of lower-wage labor to private industry, and say US workers could do those jobs.

?Neither Mr. Obama nor the so-called ?gang of eight? senators has crafted a detailed legislative proposal for more comprehensive reform. But both call for extending an immigration welcome mat to more highly trained people from other nations.

?Intel was started with the help of an immigrant who studied here and then stayed here,? the president told an audience in at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas on Tuesday. ?Instagram was started with the help of an immigrant who studied here and then stayed here. Right now, in one of those classrooms, there?s a student wrestling with how to turn their big idea, their Intel or Instagram, into a big business.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UgTZ8pKs3c4/Immigration-reform-a-bid-to-attract-workers-who-will-boost-the-economy

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Lucasfilm Kills 3D Star Wars Re-Releases After Realizing It's Horrible and Everyone Hates It

What's worse than the Star Wars prequels? The Star Wars prequels ramrodded in your face with an extra dimension. Lucasfilm was planning on subjecting idiots with loose wallets to re-released 3D Young Anakin, but Disney says no more bullshit. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zUC7iyFyRYE/lucasfilm-kills-3d-star-wars-prequels-after-realizing-its-horrible-and-everyone-hates-it

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ImmunoGen slides as analyst cuts rating

NEW YORK (AP) -- ImmunoGen slipped 3 percent in Monday trading as Oppenheimer lowered its rating on the cancer drug developer, noting rapid gains in the company's share price over the last few months.

THE SPARK: Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Boris Peaker downgraded the stock to "Perform" from "Outperform." For about two weeks ImmunoGen shares have been trading above his price target of $14.

Peaker said the company's current stock price already reflects marketing approval and a successful launch for T-DM1, a cancer drug ImmunoGen helped develop. He said Wall Street will soon turn its attention to another experimental ImmunoGen drug, the experimental cancer treatment IMGN901. At this point it's difficult to tell how valuable that drug might be or how well it works, Peaker wrote.

THE BIG PICTURE: ImmunoGen and Swiss drugmaker Roche are developing T-DM1 as a treatment for breast cancer and other types of cancer. The drug combines the main ingredient in Roche's drug Herceptin a second drug and a chemical that keeps the drugs linked until they reach a cancer cell. The Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to make a decision on the use of T-DM1 in breast cancer by Feb. 26.

Roche is preparing to start other studies of T-DM1 as a breast cancer treatment and hopes to file for approval of T-DM1 as a treatment for gastric cancer in 2015.

The Waltham, Mass., company is developing IMGN901 on its own. In the second half of the year, ImmunoGen expects to report data from a mid-stage clinical trial of the drug as a treatment for small cell lung cancer. It is also studying IMGN901 as a treatment for multiple myeloma.

ImmunoGen Inc. does not have any approved drugs. It expects to report clinical trial data from its three most advanced drugs in 2013 and said it will begin human trials of a fourth drug.

SHARE ACTION: ImmunoGen shares fell 45 cents to $14.59 in afternoon trading. The stock is up 20 percent over the last month and was trading at its highest price in about four months. Shares of ImmunoGen have traded between $10.85 and $18.10 in the last year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immunogen-slides-analyst-cuts-rating-195229454.html

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Obama-Clinton 60 Minutes Interview: Former Rivals Reflect, Exchange Praise

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/obama-clinton-60-minutes-interview-former-rivals-reflect-exchang/

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Report: Japan plans world's first broadcast in ultra-HD TV in 2014

1 day

Osamu Tsukimori , Reuters

TOKYO???The Japanese government is set to launch the world's first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, roughly two years ahead of schedule, to help stir demand for ultra high-definition televisions, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday without citing sources.

The service will begin from communications satellites, followed by satellite broadcasting and ground digital broadcasting, the report said.

The 4K TVs, which boast four times the resolution of current high-definition TVs, are now on sale by Japanese makers including Sony, Panasonic and Sharp. Other manufacturers include South Korea's LG Electronics.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had aimed to kick-start the 4K TV service in 2016. That has been brought forward to July 2014, when the final match of the 2014 football World Cup is set to take place in Brazil, the Asahi report said.

In Japan, the development of super high-definition 8K TVs is in progress, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications plans to launch the test 8K TV broadcast in 2016, two years ahead of schedule, it said.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/japan-reportedly-targets-2014-worlds-first-ultra-high-def-4k-1C8135106

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Euro, shares stall as investors turn cautious

LONDON (Reuters) - Rallies in European shares and the single currency stalled on Monday after strong gains last week as investors awaited confirmation that financial market conditions and the outlook for the euro area have improved.

Investor sentiment rose strongly on Friday after data showed European banks would repay more than expected of the emergency loans they borrowed from the European Central Bank (ECB) and that business sentiment in Germany was improving sharply.

A solid start to the corporate earnings season has also helped send many equity indexes to pre-financial crisis highs, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index closing last week at its highest level in over five years.

In the equity markets Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 index <.fteu3> shed 0.1 percent in early trade to 1,173.87 points, leveling off near its highest level for almost two years, though traders said there was still strong underlying demand.

"All European benchmarks are at their 2012-2013 highs. Every time there's even a slight pull-back, the buying pressure comes in," Aurel BGC chartist Gerard Sagnier said.

The market's cautious mood on Monday also followed a weaker session in Asia, where falls in technology companies saw the MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> drop 0.4 percent.

The euro held near an 11-month high against the dollar $1.3440

Meanwhile, German government bond futures, a key gauge of investor sentiment, continued to ease, slipping a further 7 ticks to 142.40 on Monday, and gold is languishing near a two-week low as hopes for an economic recovery worldwide dampen the metal's appeal as a safe haven.

Investors are keenly awaiting the ECB's monthly data on bank lending to companies and consumers, due later, for confirmation that growth is returning to the economy. Italy will also provide a test of investor sentiment when it auctions almost 7 billion euros ($9.4 billion) of 2-year and 5-year bonds.

However, the main focus for investors this week will be on the U.S., where the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, and where the nonfarm payrolls report is due out on Friday.

Oil prices were being held in check by the events coming up in the U.S., with Brent crude unchanged at $113.28 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose 17 cents to $96.05 after seven straight weekly gains - the longest such streak since early 2009.

($1 = 0.7421 euros)

(Reporting by Richard Hubbard; Editing by Will Waterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nikkei-rises-yen-extends-loss-lows-011704703--finance.html

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Tiger Woods in control at Torrey Pines

Everything became perfectly clear Sunday at Torrey Pines. Tiger Woods was on his game and headed toward yet another win.

Woods seized control in the fog-delayed Farmers Insurance Open with a strong driving performance that carried him to a 3-under 69 and a four-shot lead after the third round. Even when he got a little wild off the tee late in chilly afternoon of the fourth round, he still made birdies to stretch his lead to six shots when play was suspended by darkness.

Woods had 11 holes left to play when the round resumes Monday.

"It was a long day ... and I played well today," Woods said. "Overall, I'm very pleased that I was able to build on my lead."

Thick fog washed out all of Saturday, forcing players to go from sunrise to sunset Sunday. They finished the third round, took about 30 minutes for lunch and went right back onto the golf course. CBS Sports wants to televise the conclusion ? no surprise with Woods in the lead ? so the round will not resume until 2 p.m. EST.

Woods was at 17-under par for the tournament.

Defending champion Brandt Snedeker was 4 under through 13 holes of the final round and he was not making up much ground on Woods. Snedeker was at 11 under, along with Nick Watney, who was through eight holes.

Woods finished 54 holes at 14-under 202 and was four shots ahead of Canadian rookie Brad Fritsch. It was the 16th time in his PGA Tour career that Woods had a 54-hole lead of at least four shots.

If that wasn't enough to make the outcome look inevitable, everything was going his way in the final hour.

His tee shot was so far left on No. 2 that the ball finished in the first cut of rough in the sixth fairway. He still saved par. Woods made a birdie putt of about 10 feet on No. 3, and then wound up well right of the cart path and blocked by a tree on the fourth hole. He carved a punch shot around the tree, safely in front of the green, and his chip banged into the pin and dropped for birdie.

Two holes later, from a mangled lie in the right rough, he smashed a 5-wood that ran onto the green and set up a two-putt birdie.

Snedeker was seven shots behind after three rounds, the same deficit he faced a year ago. Only now he's trying to chase down Woods, already a seven-time winner at Torrey Pines with a daunting record from in front. Woods is 38-2 on the PGA Tour when he has the outright lead going into the last round.

"I've got to make some more birdies," Snedeker said. "I've got a long way to go. I've got a guy at the top of the leaderboard that doesn't like giving up leads, so I have to go catch him. I did a great job today of staying patient and playing good golf."

Woods didn't bother wearing red Sunday, knowing the tournament wouldn't end until the next day.

In some respects, though, it had the feeling of being over. Fritsch birdied the last hole of the third round for a 70 to finish on 206. Erik Compton finished birdie-eagle for a 71 and was alone in third through 54 holes, five shots behind. When someone asked him about chasing Woods, Compton started laughing.

"I'm trying to chase myself," he said.

Woods has won seven times at Torrey Pines as a pro, including a U.S. Open, and another win Monday would give him the most wins on any course. He also has seven wins at Bay Hill and Firestone. Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times, but only four times on one course.

Woods attributed his lead to "the whole package."

"I've driven the ball well, I've hit my irons well, and I've chipped and putted well," he said. "Well, I've hit good putts. They all haven't gone in."

Woods had superb control of his tee shots and was rarely out of position on a day that began under a light drizzle and soon gave way to patchy clouds and clear views of the Pacific surf below the bluffs.

Starting with a two-shot lead, he stretched that quickly with a tap-in birdie on the second hole and a beautiful tee shot to a left pin on the downhill par 3 to about 4 feet. The South Course played even longer with the soft conditions, and only seven players broke 70. Aaron Baddeley had the lowest score of the round with a 68.

Woods managed to stretch his lead with pars, though he was always on the attack because of his position in the fairway.

He missed a downhill birdie putt from 4 feet on the par-5 ninth, and then came back with a wedge that landed near the hole at No. 10 and spun back next to the cup before it settled 4 feet away for a birdie putt that he made.

He led by as many as six strokes in the third round until Fritsch birdied the last hole and Woods, playing in the group behind, ran into trouble. His tee shot rolled up near the lip of the bunker, and he advanced it 70 yards into deep rough. He swung hard through the thick, wet grass into a greenside bunker, and then missed his 8-foot par putt.

Still, it was an ominous sign.

One week after he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi ? thanks to a two-shot penalty he received after his round for taking relief from an embedded lie on the fifth hole when the rules didn't allow for it ? he looked as good as ever.

"As I said, I didn't play that poorly," Woods said of his short week in the Middle East. "I played well enough to be there on the weekend, and could have gotten two more rounds competitively, but I didn't really play poorly. I thought I did a lot of good things. Just wanted to continue that this week, and I have."

Woods has a 49-4 record on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and it's even more daunting when the lead is his alone. The only two players to come from behind to beat him over the final 18 holes were Ed Fiori in the Quad City Classic in 1996 when Woods was a 20-year-old rookie, and Y.E. Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship a Hazeltine.

In worldwide events, Thomas Bjorn (Dubai), Lee Westwood (Germany) and Graeme McDowell (Chevron World Challenge) have made up deficits against him on the last day.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tiger-woods-control-torrey-pines-011416076--spt.html

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Crucial, long-overdue BlackBerry makeover arrives

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2008, file photo, the logo on a BlackBerry smartphone is shows in Bochum, Germany. The maker of the BlackBerry smartphone is promising a speedy browser, a superb typing experience and the ability to keep work and personal identities separate on the same phone, the fruit of a crucial, long-overdue makeover for the Canadian company. (AP Photo/dapd, Volker Hartmann)

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2008, file photo, the logo on a BlackBerry smartphone is shows in Bochum, Germany. The maker of the BlackBerry smartphone is promising a speedy browser, a superb typing experience and the ability to keep work and personal identities separate on the same phone, the fruit of a crucial, long-overdue makeover for the Canadian company. (AP Photo/dapd, Volker Hartmann)

TORONTO (AP) ? The maker of the BlackBerry smartphone is promising a speedier device, a superb typing experience and the ability to keep work and personal identities separate on the same phone. It's the fruit of a crucial, long-overdue makeover for the Canadian company.

Thorsten Heins, chief executive of Research In Motion Ltd., will show off the first phone with the new BlackBerry 10 system in New York on Wednesday. A marketing campaign that includes a Super Bowl ad will accompany the long-anticipated debut. Repeated delays have left the once-pioneering BlackBerry an afterthought in the shadow of Apple's trend-setting iPhone and Google's Android-driven devices.

Now, there's some optimism. Previews of the software have gotten favorable reviews on blogs. Financial analysts are starting to see some slight room for a comeback. RIM's stock has nearly tripled to $16.18 from a nine-year low in September, though it's still nearly 90 percent below its 2008 peak of $147.

Most analysts consider a BlackBerry 10 success to be crucial for the company's long-term viability.

"The old models are becoming obsolete quickly," BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis said. "There is still a big user base but it's going to rotate off. The question is: Where do they rotate to?"

The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, has been the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people. Corporate information-technology managers like the phones because they're relatively secure and easy to manage. Many employees loved them because of physical keyboards that were easier to type on than the touch-screen iPhone. President Barack Obama couldn't bear to part with it when he took office. Oprah Winfrey declared it one of her "favorite things." People got so addicted that the device was nicknamed "the CrackBerry."

The BlackBerry began to cross over to consumers. But when the iPhone came out in 2007, it showed that phones can do much more than email and phone calls. They can play games, music and movies. Android came along to offer even more choices. Though IT managers still love BlackBerrys, employees were bringing their own devices to the workplace ? a trend Heins acknowledged RIM was slow to adapt to.

Suddenly, the BlackBerry looked ancient.

Even as BlackBerry sales continued to grow in many parts of the world, many BlackBerry users in North America switched to iPhones and Android devices. BlackBerry's worldwide subscriber based peaked at 80 million in the quarter that ended Sept. 1, before dropping to 79 million in the most-recent quarter. In the U.S., according to research firm IDC, shipments of BlackBerry phones plummeted from 46 percent of the market in 2008 to 2 percent in 2012. Most phones in use today are either iPhones or Android devices.

RIM promised a new system to catch up, using technology it got through its 2010 purchase of QNX Software Systems. RIM initially said BlackBerry 10 would come by early 2012, but then the company changed that to late 2012. A few months later, that date was pushed further, to early 2013, missing the lucrative holiday season. The holdup helped wipe out more than $70 billion in shareholder wealth and 5,000 jobs.

Although executives have been providing a glimpse at some of BlackBerry 10's new features for months, Heins will finally showcase a complete system at Wednesday's event. Devices will go on sale soon after that. Prices have not yet been announced.

RIM redesigned the system to embrace the multimedia, apps and touch-screen experience prevalent today.

"Historically there have been areas that have not been our strongest points," Rick Costanzo, RIM's executive vice president of global sales, said in an interview. "Not only have we caught up, but we may even be better than some of the competition now."

Costanzo said "no one else can touch" what RIM's new system offers.

The new operating system promises better multitasking than either the iPhone or Android. Simply swipe a finger across the phone's display screen to switch to another program.

All emails and notifications from such applications as Twitter and Facebook go to the BlackBerry Hub, a nerve center accessible with a finger swipe even if you have another application open. One can peek into it and open an email, or return to the previous application without opening the email.

"You are not going in and out of applications; you're flowing through applications with one simple gesture of your finger," Costanzo said. "You can leave applications running. You can effortlessly flow between them. So that's completely unique to us."

That said, multitasking will still be limited. If you're watching a video, it will still run while you check for email. But it will pause if you decide to open an email and resume when you are done.

The BlackBerry's touch-screen keyboard promises to learn a user's writing style and suggest words and phrases to complete, going beyond typo corrections offered by rivals. See the one you want, and flick it up to the message area. Costanzo said that "BlackBerry offers the best keyboard, period."

Gus Papageorgiou, a Scotiabank financial analyst who has tried it out, agreed with that assessment and said the keyboard even learns and adjusts to your thumb placements.

The first BlackBerry 10 phone will have only a touch screen. RIM has said it will release a version with a physical keyboard soon after that. That's an area RIM has excelled at, and it's one reason many BlackBerry users have remained loyal despite temptations to switch.

Another distinguishing feature will be the BlackBerry Balance, which allows two personas on the same device. Businesses can keep their data secure without forcing employees to get a second device for personal use. For instance, IT managers can prevent personal apps from running inside corporate firewalls, but those managers won't have access to personal data on the device.

With Balance, "you can just switch from work to personal mode," Papageorgiou said. "I think that is something that will attract a lot of people."

RIM is also claiming that the BlackBerry 10's browser will be speedy, even faster than browsers for laptop and desktop computers. According to Papageorgiou, early, independent tests between the BlackBerry 10 and the iPhone support that claim.

Regardless of BlackBerry 10's advances, though, the new system will face a key shortcoming: It won't have as many apps written by outside companies and individuals as the iPhone and Android. RIM has said it plans to launch BlackBerry 10 with more than 70,000 apps, including those developed for RIM's PlayBook tablet, first released in 2011. Even so, that's just a tenth of what the iPhone and Android offer. Papageorgiou said the initial group will include the most popular ones such as Twitter and Facebook. But RIM will have to persuade others to make a BlackBerry version, when they are already struggling to keep up with both the iPhone and Android.

Like many analysts, Papageorgiou recently upgraded RIM's stock, but cautioned that longtime BlackBerry users will have to get used to a whole new operating system.

He said RIM can be successful if about a third of current subscribers upgrade and if the company can get 4 million new users overseas, especially in countries where the BlackBerry has remained popular. IDC said smartphone shipments grew 44 percent in 2012. If those trends continue, it will be possible for the BlackBerry to grow even if iPhone and Android users don't switch.

"This doesn't have to be the best smartphone on the planet to be a success for RIM," he said. "I think the big question though is, if it fails, is it just too late? Are the other two ecosystems just so advanced that no one can catch up? That's a big risk."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-01-28-RIM-BlackBerry%20Makeover/id-e7e664c4eb2c450e88dd96b8eb747e4b

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Matt Damon Kidnaps Jimmy Kimmel, Takes Over Talk Show

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/matt-damon-kidnaps-jimmy-kimmel-takes-over-talk-show/

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State Department pick Kerry draws praise, outlines policy at hearing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry urged Congress to fix the U.S. economy to ensure the country's role as a world leader and pledged to keep pressure on Iran at a Senate hearing on Thursday that left little doubt he will win easy confirmation as secretary of state.

The five-term U.S. senator and Vietnam War veteran said the "first priority" in protecting his credibility as a diplomat was the country's ability to get its fiscal house in order.

"Foreign policy is economic policy," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he has chaired for the last four years. "It is urgent that we show people in the rest of the world that we can get our business done in an effective and timely way."

President Barack Obama nominated Kerry last month to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of the most popular and visible members of his Cabinet.

The Massachusetts senator was praised by Republicans as well his fellow Democrats during the 3-1/2 hour hearing. Republicans in particular said they appreciated his calls for fiscal order.

"I look at you, in being nominated for this, as someone who has almost led their entire life, if you will, for this moment, being able to serve in this capacity," said Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the panel.

"For a moment I was wishing you had been nominated for secretary of the treasury," Corker quipped.

"You will need no introduction to the world's political and military leaders, and will begin - on Day One - fully conversant not only with the intricacies of U.S. policy, but with an understanding of the nuanced approach necessary," said Senator Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat presiding over the hearing for the committee.

Menendez told Reuters he expects the committee to vote to confirm Kerry by Tuesday - possibly as soon as Monday - with a vote by the full Senate soon afterward.

WILL CONTAIN IRAN

Kerry stressed his commitment to Obama's policy of seeking a diplomatic solution to persuade Iran to give up its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Tehran says its program is solely for peaceful purposes.

"He (Obama) and I prefer a diplomatic resolution to this challenge and I will work to give diplomacy every effort to succeed," Kerry said. "But no one should mistake our resolve to reduce the nuclear threat."

Kerry said "everybody's very hopeful that we can make some progress on the diplomatic front now" and that Obama had made clear his willingness to have direct negotiations with Iran if need be.

Critics have said Kerry failed to seek tougher sanctions to discourage the Islamic Republic from pursuing its nuclear program.

Kerry told Menendez, an ardent advocate of tighter sanctions, he was "totally" committed to enforcing them.

Kerry also said during the hearing that he will push for a revival of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, suggesting the United States could consider a new peace initiative despite the failure of Obama's first-term efforts.

"We need to try to find a way forward, and I happen to believe that there is a way forward. But I also believe that if we can't be successful, the door, window ... to the possibility of a two-state solution could shut on everybody, and that would be disastrous in my judgment," he said.

BANTER AND PRAISE

Kerry was greeted with backslaps as he arrived for his hearing and bantered easily with senators, wryly noting his role reversal after spending 29 years sitting up on the dais and questioning witnesses.

"I don't want this to affect your opening questions, but let me say I have never seen a more distinguished and better-looking group of public officials in my life," he said, to laughter.

Several senators said they were certain of his confirmation. Menendez said he felt the committee members were satisfied.

One note of discord came when a protester dressed in pink shouted "we need peace with Iran. ... I am tired of my friends dying" before being removed by police.

Kerry visited Damascus repeatedly before the outbreak of Syria's devastating civil war and was a proponent of U.S. re-engagement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Kerry said there was a moment where Assad, impelled partly by his desire to find jobs for his "burgeoning" youthful population, had an interest in improving relations with the United States, but that he missed the opportunity.

"He has made a set of judgments that are inexcusable, that are reprehensible and I think is not long for remaining as the head of state in Syria," Kerry said.

The Yale-educated son of a foreign service officer, Kerry, 69, has long specialized in foreign affairs. In the 1960s, he differed from some of his well-heeled peers by enlisting in the U.S. Navy and serving two tours of duty in Vietnam.

He broke from - and enraged - the military establishment by becoming a prominent anti-war demonstrator after returning home. Bitter personal attacks over that role helped cost him the presidency in 2004 when he lost to Republican George W. Bush.

Kerry, who first testified before the committee in 1971 to express his opposition to the Vietnam War, choked up when recalling his father's service as a career diplomat.

"If you confirm me, I would take office as secretary proud that the Senate is in my blood - but equally proud that so, too, is the foreign service," he said.

(Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Warren Strobel and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smooth-sailing-seen-ahead-kerry-state-department-pick-060504627.html

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County Track and Field Championships | Glen Burnie Sports ...

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Source: http://glenburnie.patch.com/events/county-track-and-field-championships

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Origin for Mac enters open Alpha, testers gifted with free copy of Bookworm

Is your MacBook Pro pulling double duty as a gaming machine? EA wants your attention -- it's launching the Mac Alpha of Origin, its digital distribution service. EA is hoping to have the service ready by March, when it will release SimCity for PC and Mac, successively. For now, though, the client is limited -- barring testers from visiting the Origin store, and instead inviting them to launch Bookworm from the client, a puzzle game that's free for users who install the Alpha. The company promises a more complete catalog of EA and partner games when the client officially launches, but didn't drop any specific titles. The service still has some catching up to do, compared to its closest competitor -- but better late than never, right?

Filed under: Gaming

Comments

Via: MacRumors

Source: Origin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/origin-for-mac-enters-open-alpha/

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New Mexico Bill Would Make Abortion After Rape ... - Business Insider

A Republican state lawmaker in New Mexico has proposed a bill outlawing abortion in cases of rape, arguing that to conduct a termination would amount to "tampering with evidence" of a crime.

The draft legislation proposed by Cathrynn Brown would legally require victims of rape to carry their pregnancies to term so that the baby could be used as evidence during a sexual assault trial.

And a woman who terminated her pregnancy following an alleged rape would face being charged with a third-degree felony.

"Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime," said the bill.

The woman could be jailed for up to three years if found guilty, according to the draft law, proposed on Wednesday.

Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, a non-profit group which opposes the bill, said it went against the aims of justice.

"In addition to being blatantly unconstitutional, the bill turns victims of rape and incest, who have just been through a horrible sexual assault, into felons and forces them to become incubators of evidence for the state.

"According to Republican philosophy, victims who are ?legitimately raped' will now have to carry the fetus to term in order to prove their case," he added.

Davis was referring to remarks by Missouri Republican Todd Akin, who sparked a furor last August when he said that "if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

That comment embarrassed Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney -- as did a remark by Richard Mourdock of Indiana, who said "even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape it is something that God intended to happen."

Romney lost to President Barack Obama on November 6.

The New Mexico bill has little chance of becoming law because Democrats control both houses of the southwestern US state's legislature, but it will nevertheless have to be considered by elected representatives.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-bill-would-make-an-abortion-after-rape-a-felony-2013-1

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Video: UBS' Axel Weber: Financial Industry Faces Many Challenges

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Retail Industry "Rock Star" Signed for Retail Conference - Grocery ...

The first of several dynamic General Session speakers has been confirmed for the upcoming 2013 Retail Marketing and Merchandising Conference, sponsored by NARMS, to be held in April at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. Lily Lev-Glick, principle of the cutting-edge Shopper Sense, is recognized as one of the most effective strategists in the field of shopper behavior, purchase motivations and how retail environments impact decision-making.

She has presented at many industry events, including the Shopper Insights Conference, The In-Store Marketing Summit, Shopper Marketing Expo, Category Management Conference, POPAI Masters Program and Global Shop. In addition, she is a featured author in the soon-to-be-released book, ?The Power of Point-Of-Purchase Advertising: Marketing at Retail? and has served as an industry expert for a variety of trade and business media.

Lev-Glick will lead the General Session topic on Monday, April 29, called ?Busting the Barriers: Understanding Today? Shoppers for Success with Tomorrow?s Retail Marketing and Merchandising Programs.? With the convergence of social media, economic uncertainty and a growing generation of shoppers empowered by mobile devices, the profile of today?s shopper is changing at breakneck speed. Through case studies, extensive research, and real-world examples, attendees of this session will gain insight into the complexity of the contemporary shopper. They will walk away with an understanding of the shopper decision-making process and how to optimize the store with these trends in mind.

In the afternoon, Lev-Glick will present a breakout session, entitled ?Creating Solutions to the Challenges of Today?s Complex Retail Landscape? to enable attendees to brainstorm and formulate concrete solutions to common problems at retail by using information and insights gained during the general session. Through vigorous involvement and a dynamic exchange of ideas, participants will drill down into various priority issues.

Source: http://www.groceryheadquarters.com/2013/01/retail-industry-rock-star-signed-for-retail-conference/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=retail-industry-rock-star-signed-for-retail-conference

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