Responses, many angry, flood Ohio St after remarks

FILE-In this Friday, June 7, 2013 file photo, Ohio State University president Gordon Gee gives his retirement speech during the board of trustees meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Outraged priests. Furious alumni. Potential parents of future students. Supporters with money set aside in wills. All were among the dozens of people who wrote angry letters and emails to Ohio State University over remarks former president Gordon Gee made jabbing Roman Catholics, Notre Dame and Southeastern Conference schools, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE-In this Friday, June 7, 2013 file photo, Ohio State University president Gordon Gee gives his retirement speech during the board of trustees meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Outraged priests. Furious alumni. Potential parents of future students. Supporters with money set aside in wills. All were among the dozens of people who wrote angry letters and emails to Ohio State University over remarks former president Gordon Gee made jabbing Roman Catholics, Notre Dame and Southeastern Conference schools, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Joseph Nally was disappointed on three fronts by disparaging remarks made by Ohio State University's former president ? as a Roman Catholic, a graduate of Ohio State and a Notre Dame grad.

"Your President's recent remarks were disappointing ? and unacceptable," Nally, a Cleveland doctor, wrote in a scathing letter to Ohio State's trustee chairman on June 3.

In December comments first revealed in May by The Associated Press, ex-President Gordon Gee jabbed Roman Catholics, the University of Notre Dame and Southeastern Conference schools, among others.

Nally, a kidney disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic who graduated from Notre Dame in 1972 and from Ohio State's medical school in 1975, said in a phone interview Wednesday that Gee's comments "really tainted the university."

The university was flooded with angry emails and letters after Gee's remarks, many demanding his firing or resignation, according to documents obtained by the AP through an open records request.

"The Board should be asking, what would they have done if any other employee of the university made similar remarks about Jews, gays, impaired persons, obese persons, same sex couples or a racially insensitive remark?" Dennis Lyons wrote in a May 31 email.

Lyons told the AP in a follow-up email he was satisfied with Gee's retirement.

In Dec. 5 comments to the university Athletic Council, Gee criticized the negotiating tactics of Notre Dame administrators during discussions about joining the Big Ten, saying they weren't good partners. He jokingly said the school's priests were "holy on Sunday and they're holy hell on the rest of the week" and said, to laughter, "you just can't trust those damn Catholics."

On March 11, before the remarks became public, university trustees ordered Gee to begin apologizing and warned that future transgressions could lead to his dismissal.

Gee, 69, retired July 1, a decision he announced days after the AP first reported on the remarks.

"Dr. Gee was on vacation with his family and he returned and indicated he was making the decision to retire," Ohio State spokeswoman Gayle Saunders said Tuesday when asked for comment on the responses' impact on Gee's retirement.

Gee saw some of the emails when he returned and responded with further apologies, records show.

The university search committee held another meeting Wednesday to discuss Gee's replacement. A decision isn't expected for weeks or months.

Comments from people who heard of the remarks and sent unsolicited responses were overwhelmingly negative, including 187 emails and letters, according to the correspondence reviewed by the AP.

The Rev. Thomas Shuler, a Catholic priest in Lookout Mountain, Ga., was among at least five priests who wrote or emailed the university to demand something be done.

"I cannot recall in my lifetime (68 years old) such a blatant public display of ignorance and bigotry by an official ? academic and otherwise ? the rank and stature of your president," Shuler said in a May 30 email to university trustees.

A second category of responses involved comments from people who responded to a form letter apology that Gee emailed to the university community on May 31.

Of those, 225 were positive, with 21 negative, records show.

"C'mon President Gee you were hilarious," senior-to-be Mike Leone wrote on May 31. "I'm a church going catholic and was roaring when I heard your comments on the radio this morning."

Leone, 21, of Cleveland, told the AP on Tuesday he didn't feel as if Gee was attacking anyone and was sorry to see him go.

___

Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-07-31-Ohio%20State%20President/id-1afe402ff1704ab4ae202f60250233f3

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After working at a summer internship in Tel Aviv, Israel, Adam Remba decided to...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151589111510886&set=a.387211730885.167306.18214460885&type=1

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Be happy: Your genes may thank you for it

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Your state of mind -- that is, your happiness -- affects your genes, say scientists. In the first study of its kind, the researchers examined how positive psychology impacts human gene expression. What they found is that different types of happiness have surprisingly different effects on the human genome.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/R8VfJpsqv4I/130729192548.htm

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U.S. Senate panel approves bill to bolster FHA finances

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday approved a bipartisan bill aimed at bolstering the finances of the Federal Housing Administration, which may need to turn to taxpayers for a bailout later this year.

The Senate Banking Committee passed the FHA bill by a vote of 21 to 1. It was introduced by South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson, the committee's chairman, and Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, the top Republican.

The FHA, which insures about a third of U.S. mortgages, faces a projected shortfall of $16.3 billion due in part to defaults on mortgages it guaranteed from 2007 to 2009 as the housing bubble deflated.

It could be forced to turn to the Treasury Department for a bailout at the end of September.

"This bill will give the Federal Housing Administration the tools it needs to get back on track, so it can continue to help qualified borrowers realize the dream of homeownership and provide stability to the housing market in times of stress," Johnson said in a statement after the vote.

The legislation now goes to the full Senate for a vote, but that is not likely to occur until after a month-long recess that begins next week. It could come up for a vote on its own or be included in a broader housing finance reform package that lawmakers hope to craft soon.

The bill would require minimum annual mortgage insurance premiums; require FHA's parent agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to evaluate underwriting standards; and create new tools for punishing lenders who commit fraud.

Several changes to an initial draft bill Johnson and Crapo had introduced were incorporated in the legislation, including a plan to establish annual "stress tests" of the FHA, similar to the tests the Federal Reserve runs to gauge banks' health.

"The FHA is broke, plain and simple, and we absolutely have to get the taxpayers out of the bailout business," said Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican and the sponsor of the stress test provision.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its own FHA bill last month. Its version would give the agency new authority to tighten terms for reverse mortgages.

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-senate-panel-approves-bill-bolster-fha-finances-165631150.html

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Texas Lawmakers Are Too Busy Focusing On Abortion Restrictions To Get Anything Else Done

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

CREDIT: Alice Keeney/Associated Press

Just over an hour after Texas legislators concluded their second special session ? an extra lawmaking session they used to enact sweeping abortion restrictions ? Gov. Rick Perry (R) called them back for a third one. An outstanding highway funding bill is the only item on the agenda. ?When it comes to transportation, the stakes facing our state could not be higher,? the governor noted in a statement.

Perry cited that same transportation measure as one of the reasons he believed it was necessary to call the first special legislative session at the beginning of June. But instead of focusing on getting that done, the governor demonstrated a different set of priorities ? adding a slew of anti-abortion provisions that were unable to advance during the state?s regular session to the docket.

The focus on abortion restrictions sparked a national outcry. Thousands of grassroots protesters rallied at the state capitol, Democrats in the legislature successfully delayed a vote on the omnibus measure, and state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) ultimately ran out the clock with a dramatic 11-hour filibuster. But that didn?t deter the abortion opponents in the state. Perry simply called a second special session, and the GOP-controlled legislature made the abortion bill their top priority to ensure it wouldn?t be blocked again. They passed it in mid-July, about halfway through the second session, and Perry signed it into law shortly afterward.

That dogged focus on restricting reproductive rights means the Texas legislature must return for another month-long session to get back to that unfinished transportation initiative. Elected officials will continue to work until the end of August, despite the fact that the regular lawmaking session ended back in the middle of May. ?This third special session is an expression of failed leadership,? Davis tweeted on Tuesday.

Although Perry has indicated he would prefer to stick to the highway funding bill, that doesn?t guarantee lawmakers will stop filing abortion-related bills in the third special session. On the final day of the second session, state Sen. Eddie Lucio (D) ? the only Senate Democrat who supported the recently approved omnibus anti-abortion bill ? filed a measure to require women to complete a mandatory adoption certification course before they may seek an abortion. Lucio has suggested he will attempt to keep pushing that measure during the third session.

Source: http://thinkprogress.org.feedsportal.com/c/34726/f/638925/s/2f628564/sc/4/l/0Lthinkprogress0Borg0Chealth0C20A130C0A70C310C23871310Ctexas0Ethird0Especial0Esession0C/story01.htm

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Radio waves carry news of climate change - R&D Magazine

The ionosphere, one of the regions of the upper atmosphere, plays an important role in global communications. Ionized by solar radiation, this electricity-rich region is used for the transmission of long wave communications, such as radio waves. Now Prof. Colin Price of Tel Aviv University's Department of Geophysical, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, working alongside PhD candidate Israel Silber, has discovered that the radio waves reflecting back to Earth from the ionosphere offer valuable news on climate change as well.

Their research shows that the strength of radio signals on the ground is a reliable indicator of temperature change above. Price and his team used simple radio antennae on the ground to measure radio waves broadcast by navigational transmitters around the globe, then compared information on the strength of these radio signals with data on temperature fluctuations in the upper atmosphere. They discovered that climate change in the upper atmosphere?caused by an abundance of greenhouse gases?may lead to a greater absorption of radio waves. Weaker signals could therefore be indicative of greater climate change.

Detailed in the Journal of Geophysical Research, this simple, cost-effective measurement can be a valuable contribution to the ongoing effort to track climate change, says Price, adding to measurements of ground and lower atmospheric temperatures to create a more holistic picture.

Global warming, upper atmospheric cooling

On the Earth's surface and in the lower atmosphere, an increase of greenhouse gases has a warming effect, the gases acting as a "blanket" and keeping heat from escaping from the Earth into space. But these gases, including carbon dioxide, are increasing in the upper atmosphere as well, where they have a cooling effect.

When cooled, the ionosphere contracts and descends into the atmosphere to where air is denser?leading to a higher absorption of radio waves, Price explains. By examining satellite-gathered data on the temperature in the upper atmosphere and comparing results to measurements of radio wave amplitudes collected on the ground, the researchers were able to uncover a clear correlation, consistent over time. As the upper atmosphere gets colder, radio signals lose their strength.

While the sun is certainly the driving force behind changes in temperature in this region, it accounts for only 60 to 70% of temperature variations, says Price. The remaining variability could not be systematically measured until now. By adding measurements of radio waves taken on the ground to solar radiation estimates, researchers can now explain approximately 95 percent of temperature changes in the upper atmosphere.

Degrees of change

According to Prof. Price, this new technique will be a valuable addition to current methods of monitoring climate change, such as the measurement of ground temperatures. Without the need for expensive equipment like satellites, monitoring the upper atmosphere can be done inexpensively and continuously. And because temperatures in the upper atmosphere fluctuate more dramatically than those on the ground?for every one degree of warming in the lower atmosphere, there is a corresponding ten degree cooling in the upper atmosphere?changes are far easier to monitor.

Using this system might reveal more about the ionosphere than ever before. The region is notoriously difficult to monitor; there are no weather balloons or airplanes that can go high enough, and it is too low for orbiting satellites. But with this method, it could be possible to study long and short term changes in the ionosphere, such as the impact of solar storms or thunderstorms on the upper atmosphere.

Source: Tel Aviv Univ.

Source: http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/07/radio-waves-carry-news-climate-change

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Fox targets $1 billion for 'Simpsons' sale to cable, stations: source

(Reuters) - Twentieth Television, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, plans to market reruns of the Fox network's long-running animated comedy "The Simpsons" and is targeting a package of up to $1 billion, a person with knowledge of the plans said on Monday.

The studio first syndicated the show featuring Bart and Homer Simpson to TV stations in 1998. The new deal would license reruns to stations and cable channels at the same time, the person said.

Entering its 25th season, "The Simpsons" has 530 episodes, a number that will grow when its new license agreement starts. The show's creator Matt Groening would share in the proceeds.

News of the marketing effort was first reported in "TV Guide."

The company's fx cable channel is expected to have first claim to the show. Other potential buyers are Viacom, whose cable properties include Comedy Central and Nick at Nite, and Turner Broadcasting.

A Fox spokesman had no comment.

(Reporting By Ronald Grover)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fox-targets-1-billion-simpsons-sale-cable-stations-202138860.html

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Speculation about new Apple products kicks into overdrive

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Source: www.latimes.com --- Monday, July 29, 2013
Two developments stir anticipation that Apple is about to launch something big this fall. A cheaper iPhone is the most likely product, analysts say. For Apple Inc. fans and investors, the future can't get here fast enough. ? ? ? ? ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/latimes/business/~3/cy7pIDQ_Pw0/la-fi-apple-executive-20130730,0,3648211.story

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Obama?s corporate tax plan doesn?t win over GOP

President Barack Obama traveled to Tennessee on Tuesday to trumpet a new tax deal to try to break Washington?s gridlock, but South Carolina?s Republicans heard little they liked.

Obama visited a large Amazon.com plant in Chattanooga to discuss his proposal to cut corporate income tax rates.

That?s a step he had hesitated to do without other tax reform, but Obama said he would consider it in exchange for more government spending on job creation programs, such as manufacturing, infrastructure and community colleges.

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., said he was encouraged that Obama?s proposal recognizes that the nation?s corporate tax rate isn?t competitive with what other countries charge.

?But I don?t agree with his remedy,? Sanford said.

Sanford said Obama?s plan not only favors larger corporations over smaller businesses but also would increase spending to stimulate the economy, an idea he fought against as governor.

Sanford said Obama?s plan marks the opening salvo in a larger debate that?s coming regarding federal taxes. ?I think this is more about positioning in that debate than it is legislative movement,? he said.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said there?s no question that the nation?s tax system should become fairer and flatter so businesses can put folks back to work.

But Scott, R-S.C., said tax reform should involve lower rates for families, not just businesses.

?Unfortunately, the president?s most recent proposal is a familiar one ? higher taxes that make it harder for our economy to meet its potential,? he said. ?Once again, the president wants the government to pick winners and losers instead of getting out of the way and allowing our entrepreneurs and job creators to take risks, make investments, and grow.?

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., came to Obama?s side.

?The president is showing real leadership on getting this economy moving in a fair and balanced way,? Clyburn said. ?It is time for the Republicans to step up to the plate rather than constantly obstructing all of his efforts.?

Clyburn said addressing the nation?s economy and helping the middle class is going to require bipartisan cooperation, adding, ?Let?s get to work.?

The offer was immediately panned by other GOP lawmakers, who accused the president of repacking proposals he already supports and making no concessions to the opposing party.

Obama said ?serious people? in both parties should accept his deal.

?I?m willing to work with Republicans on reforming our corporate tax code, as long as we use the money from transitioning to a simpler tax system for a significant investment in creating middle-class jobs,? Obama said. ?That?s the deal.?

Administration officials cast the corporate tax proposal as the first new economic idea the president plans to offer in the coming months. With budget deadlines looming this fall, the White House is seeking to refocus Obama?s agenda on the economy in order to rally public support for his ideas and increase his leverage over the GOP.

Obama and Republicans have long supported changes to the corporate tax code, but they differ over key details, including the exact rate and what should be done with any revenue generated by the changes.

Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, one of a handful of GOP senators meeting regularly with the White House on budget issues, also lambasted the administration Tuesday for seeking to split corporate tax reform from individual rates.

?You can?t do that,? Isakson said. ?That?ll never fly.?

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has also been talking regularly with the White House, said, ?Everything should be negotiated, but certainly I?m not in support of it.?

The disagreement was even deeper from House Republican leadership, with Speaker John Boehner?s office accusing the White House of blindsiding lawmakers with the proposal. The White House said later that senior officials had tried to brief Boehner?s staff about the offer on Monday, but their phone calls were not returned until the next morning, after the proposal was detailed in media reports.

Like Republicans, the president has previously called for tax reform to be coupled with an individual tax overhaul. His new offer drops that proposal and calls only for lowering the corporate rate from 35 percent to 28 percent, with an even lower effective tax rate of 25 percent for manufacturers.

In exchange, Obama wants lawmakers to pour the revenue generated from the tax changes into job-creation programs, such as manufacturing, infrastructure or community colleges.

?If we?re going to give businesses a better deal, we?re going to give workers a better deal too,? Obama said.

Administration officials wouldn?t put a price tag on the proposal or say how much money should be spent on the jobs programs.

Officials said money to pay for the job-creation programs would come from a one-time revenue boost from measures such as changing depreciation rules or having a one-time fee on earnings held overseas.

The White House also said the president will continue to seek changes to the individual tax rate as part of a larger ?grand bargain? with the GOP. But with the prospects of such a deal growing increasingly slim, Obama advisers say they have opted to isolate an area of tax reform where they believe they have more agreement with Republicans.

When Obama first unveiled his corporate tax plan last year, congressional Republicans called for even deeper cuts for the business world. His campaign rival, Mitt Romney, wanted a 25 percent corporate tax rate.

The U.S. has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, but many businesses avoid the full cost by taking advantage of deductions, credits and exemptions that Obama wants to eliminate.

Obama wants to do away with corporate tax benefits like oil and natural gas industry subsidies, special breaks for the purchase of private jets and certain corporate tax shelters. He also wants to impose a minimum tax on foreign earnings, a move opposed by multinational corporations and perhaps the most contentious provision in the president?s plan.

The backdrop for Obama?s remarks Tuesday was an Amazon fulfillment center in Chattanooga, one of more than a dozen warehouses operated by the world?s largest online retailer.

The company announced Monday that it would add 7,000 new jobs, including 5,000 more at U.S. distribution centers that currently employ about 20,000 workers who pack and ship customer orders. Amazon.com has been spending heavily on order fulfillment to help its business grow.

The plant was the source of tax controversy when it opened; Amazon originally was granted an indefinite waiver on collecting sales tax in a deal to bring two distribution centers to Tennessee. The state?s retailers were outraged that they were put at a competitive disadvantage, and Amazon has agreed to start collecting Tennessee sales tax next year.

The White House said Obama wasn?t visiting Amazon because of the company?s position on taxes, but because it?s an example of a successful American business growing and creating more jobs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771.

Source: http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130730/PC16/130739952/obama-x2019-s-corporate-tax-plan-doesn-x2019-t-win-over-gop&source=RSS

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Military: Billions in US aid to Afghanistan at risk, report warns

KABUL ? Less than 18 months before all foreign combat troops are to leave Afghanistan, there are still billions of U.S. tax dollars at risk of being wasted ? or worse, funneled to insurgents and terrorists ? if the American government doesn?t do more to ensure reconstruction money is spent properly, according to a quarterly report from the top government watchdog agency in Afghanistan.

?There appears to be a growing gap between the policy objectives of Washington and the reality of achieving them in Afghanistan, especially when the government must hire and oversee contractors to perform its mission,? said Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko in a letter introducing the report.

The report reiterated that some U.S. contract money is going to insurgents and terrorists.

The inspector general recommended 43 companies and individuals be suspended or blocked from receiving government contracts because of ties to insurgents or terrorists but the Army rejected each suggestion, the report said.

?I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract,? Sopko said in his introduction letter. ?I feel such a position is not only legally wrong, it is contrary to good public policy and contrary to our national security goals in Afghanistan.?

Army spokesman Matthew Bourke said, ?Quite simply, the Army Procurement Fraud Branch did receive and review the 43 recommendations late last year, but the report did not include enough supporting evidence to initiate suspension and debarment under Federal Acquisition Regulations.?

In addition, the inspector general?s office announced it has launched an initiative to examine how money is spent on installation of the final turbine at the Kajaki Dam project. The turbine would provide power to perpetually electricity-starved Kandahar, the cradle of the Taliban and a strategic city for Afghanistan.

The effort to install a third turbine on the key hydroelectricity producer in the volatile province of Helmand has been in the works almost since the outset of the war in 2001 and is still not complete, despite the U.S. spending tens of millions of dollars on the project. It is often pointed to as one of the signature failures of America?s aid program in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, the U.S. abruptly dropped plans for the U.S. Agency for International Development to complete the work, deciding instead to give $75 million directly to Afghanistan?s national utility to finish the project.

?SIGAR?s prior work has raised concerns about the readiness of the Afghan government to handle direct assistance, which is why we remain concerned about the prospects of success at Kajaki,? Sopko said in his letter.

In a prepared statement, a USAID official said the Afghan national utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), has proved effective in managing its assets, pointing to a 67 percent increase in payment collection from 2010 to 2012.

?USAID conducted a rigorous financial management assessment of the organization and determined that DABS has the ability to effectively manage the Kajaki Dam project,? Gordon Weynand, acting assistant to the administrator in the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs, said in an emailed response to Stripes questions.

Among other findings highlighted in the report:

--?The Defense Department is moving forward with a $771.8 million purchase of aircraft the Afghan National Army cannot operate or maintain.

--?USAID?s main stabilization program has suffered from repeated delays and is failing to meet critical contract objectives.

--?Fuel destined for the U.S. military was illegally held at the border with Uzbekistan because of a dispute with the Afghan Ministry of Finance.

The inspector general?s office also announced the launch of the ?SIGAR High-Risk List,? which ?will call attention to programs, projects, and practices in Afghanistan that SIGAR finds especially vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse.?

druzin.heath@stripes.com
Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes

Source: http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/military-billions-in-us-aid-to-afghanistan-at-risk-report-warns-1.232841

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Afghanistan War: Troops risking their lives for a chance of normality

Afghanistan War: Troops risking their lives for a chance of normality

6:00pm Monday 29th July 2013 in News By Tom Jennings, covering Witney and West Oxfordshire. Call me on 01865 425403

Vehicles from Abingdon?s 3 Close Support Logistic Regiment in Afghanistan

ONE of the most dangerous jobs in Afghanistan at the moment is carried out by men and women from Abingdon-based 3 Logistic Support Regiment.

The regiment, which is known as 3 Close Support Logistic Regiment (CSLR) in Afghanistan, transports equipment and supplies in convoys of up to 100 heavily-armoured and armed vehicles back and forth between Camp Bastion and outlying bases.

Between April 1 and July 1 this year alone, personnel from 3 CSLR have travelled 121,705 miles ? equivalent to around the world five times ? to deliver equipment including 1.8m litres of bottled water and enough fuel to travel to the moon and back six times.

The convoys are led by three Mastiffs or Ridgebacks and backed by another two. The vehicles feature distinctive bars to protect from rocket attacks, a bomb-proof undercarriage and vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns that are accurate up to two kilometres.

But the job is nonetheless one of the most exposed and dangerous at present because UK infantry have handed over to the Afghan National Army and are no longer carrying out so many patrols.

The men and women from 3 CSLR told of being attacked by small arms fire, woken by rockets and hearing threats of suicide bombers over the radio, all while working in 50C or more in vehicles for days.

Commander follows dad?s footsteps

Lieutenant Sarah Dunn, 24, was brought up in Bloxham and has followed her father into the Army. She now commands a troop and is one of the few women in 3 CSLR.
The former Bloxham School student said: ?My father was in the forces and I always thought it would be an exciting job. I get to travel and I get the responsibility.
?I have 30 people in the camp to command and 16 vehicles that I have to maintain. I don?t know many other 24-year-olds who can say that.?
Lt Dunn is in charge of where the vehicles are, where they are going and what they are carrying. She also manages the drop-off when the vehicles arrive at their destination.
She added: ?Everyone?s got this sort of romantic idea of going to war. I?m almost glad I can go home and say I have experienced it, but then the other side is that people have died and it?s very serious.?
She has witnessed a fatal attack while monitoring overhead cameras and has come under rocket and small arms fire herself, but she said one of the biggest dangers was maintaining focus while working for hours at a time.
She said: ?We have had people go to sleep and go off the road and when you?re on top cover for 15 hours in the heat and you?re tired, that?s when people stop looking. That?s the hardest, to motivate yourself when you?re in the same state, and to motivate everyone else.?
But Lt Dunn also faces the challenge of being one of the few women working in 3 CSLR.
She said: ?Sometimes when you are working with the interpreters they make comments to the other lads asking if I?ve got a boyfriend, and one of the local shopkeepers wanted to buy me because he wanted to get back to the UK.
?But I don?t see anything different.
No-one is trying to prove themselves out here, we are just out doing a job like everyone else ? you?re either good or you?re not.?

Sense of humour is key but safety is paramount

Corporal Darran Price, 32, commands the vehicle second from the front of 3 CSLR?s huge convoys, but he cannot wait to return home to his wife and four children in Abingdon.
He said: ?We have a laugh on operations. It is a lot of fun ? the squaddie sense of humour ? but we get the job done and don?t want to let each other down.
?We are the main guys on the ground now because the infantry are in Forward Operating Bases.
?That?s why there has been a lot less causalities recently ? the Taliban don?t want to mess with a Mastiff. We do get pot shots but the boys have got bigger answers on these.
?We have had a few contacts where they have fired at us, otherwise they?ve put in IEDs (improvised explosive devices) knowing we?re going back that way.
?In Nad Ali (a district in Helmand province) there is always small arms fire, and we have had threats of suicide IEDs.?
Cpl Price, who is originally from Blackwood in South Wales, has a wife, Nikki, and four children, Shauna, 13, Ellie, 10, Kayden, six, and Rose, one.
He said: ?It gets hard, to be honest with you. I miss them a lot, I really do. When you come out to places like this it makes you think what you have really got back home and what life really means. I have got R&R (rest and recuperation) in two weeks and I can?t wait.
?We have just had the garden done at home and I?m going to sit in the garden and play with the kids, and then take Rose to the beach for the first time.?
But Cpl Price said he planned to stay in the Army for another nine years and, when asked if he ever felt like leaving, said: ?This is what I know. I joined up at 16 and it?s all I have ever done.?
Private Daniel Beesley, 20, joined the Army to make his father proud and is now a driver and gunner for 3 CSLR in Mastiffs or Ridgebacks.
He said: ?It?s very difficult at times, especially when you?re driving these at night because the visibility is not very good.
?The roads in Afghanistan are not like what they are in the UK.?
He said that during his first operation his vehicle almost ended up in the river after the back wheel skidded on mud as he tried to pass over a gap.
He said: ?We were near on 45 degrees.
We were looking towards the river alongside us and thinking that was a bit sketchy.?
But Pte Beesley said he felt safe within the vehicle, adding: ?As long as you?re in the vehicle and in your kit and seatbelt, nine times out of 10 you will be okay.
?They might blow up the vehicle but everyone inside should be okay.
?We?ve been shot at before and the rounds hit the vehicle but they don?t penetrate it.?
He added: ?I appreciate if people haven?t been out here before they don?t know what it is like and don?t understand it, but it?s one of those things.
?We don?t live in fear, we just go about our daily business.?
Pte Beesley, who is originally from Yorkshire, joined the Army four years ago, aged 16.
Asked why he had signed up, he said: ?My old man. He was a police officer for about 15 years.
?My brother went into the police, one of my sisters went into the Navy, and my dad, ever since I was young, thought I would suit the Army. It was his call.?
Asked if he had joined to make his father proud, he said: ?Yes.?
Lance Corporal Ian Hughes, 31, dedicates his time in the UK to fostering children with his wife, but in Afghanistan he commands the third vehicle leading the 3 CSLR convoys.
He described the operations as ?chatting sessions? of talking, taking the mickey out of each other and pulling pranks such as gluing money to the footwells of the vehicles. But he said during an incident the mood would change, adding: ?Everyone gets serious then.
?For instance, last time when we went out we saw an IED planted. We went out and blew it up ? that?s what we?re trained to do.?
He said the convoys were most frequently attacked by groups of young children throwing stones.
He said: ?These guys are extremely accurate. The kid looks seven years old but he can chuck it right into the turret.
?I think they think it?s a game. It makes a loud noise and they think it?s funny as hell. If you?re sat in the wagon you are laughing as well, but if you?re on top cover you?re ducking and diving.
?But it?s better that than them not being there. If they disappear, you tense up.
?If there?s no-one around the village or it?s quiet, that?s when you know something is planned or going to happen.?
L Cpl Hughes, who is originally from South Africa, has been fostering children with his wife, Fleur Hughes, in Abingdon for the past two years.
He said: ?It?s my contribution to living in the UK, but it has stopped for six months because I?m out here and she?s doing a music therapy degree.
?It?s rewarding to look after them and it takes your mind away from?working. When I get back we are going for long-term placement so we can start building that relationship. If it goes well then adoption might become available as well.?

Padre swaps his home church pulpit for the God quad

Padre Giles Allen, 43, is attached to Saints Peter and Paul?s Church in Wantage in the UK, but in Afghanistan he is the chaplain for 3 CSLR.

He said: ?The most important thing a padre does is pray for the troops.
?We still have our priestly discipline, morning and evening prayers every day and duties in the chapel, but on a nice, quiet week we spend most of our time visiting troops.
?At the moment it seems to be mostly family issues ? there are a number of people whose wives are pregnant so they are coping with that ? but at the beginning of the tour it was bereavement, people whose grandparents or parents had died.?
Padre Allen, who has been in the Territorial Army (TA) for five years and became a regular in October, volunteered to join troops in Afghanistan.
He said: ?If you had seen me when I was 20 years old I wouldn?t have dreamed I would be sitting here in uniform. I thought I would be a parish priest for the rest of my life.
?But I sincerely believe it?s divine intervention and inspiration. We think we are living in our comfortable little world, doing what God wants us to do, and then something comes into your mind and won?t go away.
?I really do think God has taken me out of my comfort zone.?
He added: ?It is a great privilege to be here. When you are in the barracks you are with soldiers Monday to Friday, 8am until 5pm, but out here you are living with them, eating with them, working with them. You see them in the highs and the lows.
?I suppose I do feel a bit responsible for them ? I love them, I care for them.
?Like any person, they make
you worried and you despair sometimes, but you are always concerned and thinking of them.?
Padre Allen, like other padres in theatre, has a quad bike to get around Camp Bastion ? dubbed a God Quad ? and hands out sweets donated by the Wantage congregation to the troops.
?It is amazing how a simple
little sweet will put a smile on faces.?
Padre Allen lives in Didcot when he is in the UK with his wife, Fiona, and their two children, Joe, 13, and Martha, four.

Source: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/10577570.Afghanistan_War__Troops_risking_their_lives_for__a_chance_of_normality/?ref=rss

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Pest control for ants - Home, Garden & Renovating - Essential Baby

Started by Charli73 , Today, 02:41 AM

4 replies to this topic

#1 Charli73

Posted Today, 02:41 AM

Hi
We have a bad ant problem they're under the house and come inside when it rains and we can't get great access to under the house.

Has anyone had success with a pest control company for any problems?
I'm being quoted $190 for them to simply spray inside but not keen on this given I have a crawling baby in the area and pets..

Anyone used a company for ant issues and did it work? Oh and yes any rid isn't working...

---

#2 LittleMissPink

Posted Today, 09:35 AM

We had a pest guy come who inserted special ant gel inside all the areas they could get in the house...weep holes, around taps, near window sills and door frames, and they would eat it and take it back to the nest. It was really effective. I don't know the name of the company as I rent, but Im sure you could ring around and ask different companies what they suggest?

---

#3 pium

Posted Today, 10:03 AM

We did - when we bought our house it was infested, they were in the walls and the roof. The place was swarming with ants! We had termite & ant treatment, which ended up costing us $1500. The ants are pretty much gone, although I have to be careful - they still have food scouts roaming and if I leave packets open or don't spot a spill they are back.

The pest control guy said that it would take a couple of goes to get rid of them, and I would see ants clustering when they got confused. I just kept wiping them up, had no food they could get to, and they gave me a can of insecticide with a long thin nozzle to squeeze into cracks, as they were behind built in furniture and skirting boards.

Good luck!

---

#4 Smoo

Posted Today, 11:50 AM

an accidental benefit of getting chickens has been every ant seems to have disappeared within a couple of months - we'd repeatedly tried to get rid of them previously too (inside and out)

---

#5 kelsie75

Posted Today, 12:29 PM

we have an ant problem too, especially if it's going to rain...??I find when they are bad, I use talcum powder, as they don't like walking over it, so i put it where they are coming inside (which is usually straight under our front door!!!)

---

---

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Source: http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/index.php?/topic/1103977-pest-control-for-ants/

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ACLU Wants Info on FBI Drones, Clintons Upset About Weiner Comparison, Sen. Cruz Says Some GOP Lawmakers Are Too Scared To Challenge Obamacare: P.M. Links

Youtube screenshot

• The ACLU is demanding that the FBI release information about its use of drones.

• The Clintons are upset about Anthony Weiner?s attempt to liken his latest set of transgressions, and his wife?s response, to their own experiences.

• Human rights activists want the United Nations to investigate the closing of 49 Chicago elementary schools, saying that the children?s human rights may have been violated.

Did you write about liberty between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013? Reason welcomes you to?enter this year?s Bastiat Prize for Journalism, with a total prize purse of $16,000.

Get Reason.com and Reason 24/7 content?widgets?for your websites.

Follow?Reason?and?Reason 24/7?on Twitter,?and like us on?Facebook.??You can also get the top stories mailed to you?sign up here.?Have a news tip??Send it to us!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reason/HitandRun/~3/eqtHeR1L5dg/aclu-wants-info-on-fbi-drones-clintons-u

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Spanish royals to attend Mass for train dead

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (AP) ? Spain's royal family and leading politicians are to attend a Mass in the Catholic pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela in homage to the 79 people killed in the country's worst rail accident in decades.

The Mass is taking place Monday, a day after the train's driver, Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide.

Judge Luis Alaez released Francisco Jose Garzon Amo without bail late Sunday but ordered him to appear before court once a week and not to leave Spain.

Garzon was driven from the court in a police car to an unknown location.

Garzon was driving the train carrying 218 passengers that hurtled off the tracks Wednesday while apparently travelling well over the 80-kph (50-mph) speed limit.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spanish-royals-attend-mass-train-dead-091832309.html

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API Management Platforms Focus On Helping Business Monetize APIs

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A new wave of business support services is emerging from API management platforms. Leading platforms are increasingly focused on offering services that help businesses develop and monetize their API products and ...

Source: http://blog.programmableweb.com/2013/07/29/api-management-platforms-focus-on-helping-business-monetize-apis/

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Official: Mercedes knows its buyers, designs golf cart of the future

The Mercedes-Benz Vision golf cart isn't a golf cart at all, it's an electric luxo-buggy that you can use on the greens and that should have its own model-line designation, like Tee-Class. The Germans gathered suggestions from around the world for the ideal golfer carrier, and the top poll findings are wrapped in a design language that the doodlers at the Advanced Design Center call "Sensual-Purity."

The doors can be clicked in or out. There are solar cells on the roof to charge the batteries. It's driven by a centre-mounted joystick so that the driver or passenger can take the helm. There's a head-up display, docking station and touch screen monitors for control of amenities like air conditioning, stereo and Bluetooth, weather updates and maps of the course layout. And a refrigerator and retractable lightning rod. And then there's the "fore button" ? press it and it tells the other nearby Vision golf carts to sound "a warning signal" about an errant shot.

Mercedes says of its creation, "Simplicity is the key." Obviously. You can read about the rest of its amenities in the press release below.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart: Mercedes-Benz designs visionary golf cart

Stuttgart, Jul 20, 2013 -- During this year's Open Championship, Mercedes-Benz presented the "Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart". Hundreds of golf as well as automobile fans took part in an international competition by submitting their ideas for a golf cart of the future. This invaluable input provided the basis for a visionary golf cart design study created by the Mercedes-Benz design department. As well as reflecting the innovative and forward-thinking ideas and wishes of golf players, the study includes the characteristics and technologies of a Mercedes-Benz.

"The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart has a refined, simplified yet functional shape that fits well into our 'Sensual-Purity' design philosophy. The flow shapes create a 'sculpture on wheels' impression", says Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design Daimler AG. "I was very inspired by the idea of designing a golf cart, giving it a new shape and new sorts of meaning. Why not treating a golf cart like a car, and making it a 'Golf Car'".

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz called upon golf and automobile fans from around the world to submit their ideas for a Mercedes-Benz golf cart of the future. So began the search to find the best, most unusual, most innovative and most promising concepts. A jury chaired by Gorden Wagener then selected the best entries from among all the submissions. The winners received an exclusive invitation as VIP guests to the Open Championship.

Building on the basis provided by these ideas and concepts, and due consideration to the Mercedes-Benz design strategy, the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, California, developed the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart. The cart combines the aspects of Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the functionality of a golf cart. The diamond grille, for instance, was incorporated to give the cart a modern face that is unmistakably a Mercedes-Benz.

The idea of the competition was enthusiastically taken up by golfers from all over the world like Japan, South Africa and Germany, as well as North- and South America. The most frequently mentioned ideas and requirements were then incorporated into the design study that has now been presented.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart and its innovative features
The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is electric driven, powered by a battery that is kept continuously charged by a solar module integrated into the roof. Manual charging, as for a conventional golf cart, is also possible. The vehicle is controlled in innovative and intuitive fashion via a joystick mounted on the centre console, so making it possible for either passenger to drive the golf cart.

"It has the latest in modern technology. Using touch screen monitors, virtually all aspects of the cart can be controlled without extra buttons. Simplicity is the key. Intuition and pure form can maybe best describe the cart", says Margarete Wies, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, California.

The centre console also incorporates a multimedia panel that includes a rotatable docking station for an iPad or iPhone and a USB interface. Various functions that are available in the golf cart can be controlled from here, for example vehicle functions such as loudspeakers or the air-conditioning system, the head-up display, the music system or communication with the clubhouse and other golf carts.

If so required the head-up display integrated into the windscreen can also be used, when the golf cart is stationary, to show the course layout, the current status of the game or weather information. The digital speedometer is placed beneath the windscreen. One wish that came up time and time again, irrespective of country or language, was the possibility of being able to use a telephone. The cart thus also features Bluetooth, so allowing telephone calls to be made via the loudspeaker system while on the move.

An important issue is connectivity. Due to the iPad/iPhone connection to the cart it is possible to communicate directly with the golf club, for example to order drinks or food for the halfway catering. Current weather data and rain radars are available at any time. Working people have the possibility to write e-mails. In addition, users can share the digital score card or even photos from the golf game directly on social media channels.

The so-called "fore button" can be used to quickly warn other players of a misplaced shot. Pressing this button sends a warning to all other golf carts within the danger zone so that they, too, can issue a warning signal.

The interior takes its cues from the design of a Mercedes-Benz car. The elegant and ergonomically shaped seats, for example, are heated as well as ventilated and can be adjusted electronically using the Mercedes-typical controls on the side of the seat. The AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, first introduced in 2011 in the new SLK Roadster, is also envisaged as a feature of the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart. AIRSCARF, as its name suggests, wraps the neck and shoulder area in warm air, so making it possible to drive the vehicle open, even in cooler weather. There is also an integrated air-conditioning system, so ensuring a pleasant ambience even on a very hot or cold day.

The optional lightweight doors are another special feature. A click-in function allows these to be very simply fitted if the weather is not so good, so providing protection against wind and rain. A retractable lightning rod is included for added safety in case storm clouds start to gather. In bright conditions the windscreen can be darkened at the touch of a button, while it also features windscreen wipers with rain sensors, thus ensuring that they activate as soon as it starts to rain. In addition, the space behind the seats is ideal for stowing umbrellas.

One very commonly expressed request from the international entrants to the competition was, quite simply, to have plenty of stowage space. The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart therefore includes a whole range of stowage facilities. As well as the trunk compartment underneath the stowage area for the two golf bags, there are two dashboard compartments. The centre console is also specially designed to accommodate golf balls and scorecards and have a sun glasses storage. There is a small fridge fitted beneath the centre console, while cup holders between the seats will keep drinks hot or cold. An illuminated vanity mirror was another request, from female participants in particular, and is located at eye-height for the drivers.

In addition to its use on the golf course, the golf cart is also able to run on normal roads. The designers have, for example, also included all the vital features such as indicators, headlamps and tail lights. Thanks to the LED headlamps, play can also continue when the light starts to fail, as they include a floodlight function.

Although the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is only a design study so far, there are no doubt many players who would like to see the cart become reality, bringing its fresh ideas and thus more fun, more innovation and more comfort to moving around on the golf course.

Source: http://ca.autoblog.com/2013/07/28/mercedes-designs-golf-cart-of-future-pics-photos/

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Hoosier Ryan Newman wins Brickyard 400 at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? A born and bred Hoosier, Ryan Newman spent his childhood racing everywhere from Anderson to Winchester and every short track he could find in a state mad about racing.

He graduated from Purdue and landed a summer job working in Jeff Gordon's old race shop in Pittsboro. One of the perks? He got to live in the shop and sleep alongside the cars.

And like many Indiana kids, he revered Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track he first visited in 1986 and later accidentally stumbled upon NASCAR's inaugural 1992 test while out buying tires with his mother.

A win at the famed Brickyard? That would be a dream come true for the South Bend native.

Newman made the boyhood dream a cool reality, taking the checkered flag Sunday to end a 49-race winless streak in front of his home state fans. His parents, who fueled his love of racing and took him to the 500 as a kid, joined him for his biggest win in Indiana.

Newman was as cool and collected in Victory Lane as he was on the track when he held off Jimmie Johnson. There were no tears, no quiver in his voice and no need to collect himself as Newman was strangely stoic.

"I don't show a lot of emotion, I think everybody knows that," said Newman, who likened the victory to his 2008 win at the Daytona 500. "I had the same emotion, the same thankfulness I did when I won the Daytona 500 because I feel everybody that has been a part of my racing career ? from people that bought my racing uniform, bought me a right rear tire, given us a credit card to get to some race track at some point in my career ? those are the people that helped me get to where I am today.

"To me, it's awesome to be here at Indy. It's awesome because it's my home state. I've raced go karts at pretty much every go kart track around here, been kicked out of half of them. Those are the things that make it special. I think about those things more than I carry the emotion on my cheeks."

So the emotion was seen in father Greg, who spotted for Newman on Sunday, and his mother, Diane.

Newman kept it together during his celebratory burnout and the drive to Victory Lane, a hallowed area that he twice had to ask his crew over the radio for directions how to get there. He took the customary ride in a convertible around the track with his wife and two young daughters, and happily bowed again and again to kiss the Yard of Bricks.

Sure, he smiled, and shared some tender hugs with one of his daughters. But that was the most anyone was getting out of Newman, who had admitted to getting emotional after winning the pole on Saturday but seemed almost numb following Sunday's win.

"I'm not sure (how I feel) at this point. I know it's an amazing feeling," he said. "I was more emotional yesterday after winning the pole than I was two laps after doing my donuts and everything else today. I'm not sure why. I took an emotional hit yesterday. Just an awesome day."

Newman beat Johnson twice on this Brickyard weekend, first when he set a NASCAR track record in knocking Johnson off the pole in qualifying, then Sunday with a fast final pit stop to snatch the win from the four-time Indianapolis winner.

The two were the class of the field ? they combined to lead 118 of the 160 laps ? but it was Johnson who dominated the race and appeared to be just a bit better. But Johnson pitted from the lead with 27 laps remaining and it was a slow final stop for the Hendrick Motorsports crew.

Newman pitted after that and took only two tires to move into the lead after the green-flag stops cycled through the field. The closest Johnson would get to him again was when he paid a congratulatory visit to Newman in Victory Lane.

The victory comes as Newman is looking for a job.

Stewart-Haas Racing has signed Kevin Harvick to join the team next season, and team co-owner Tony Stewart informed Newman two weeks ago he won't be brought back in 2014. It didn't change the post-race mood, as Stewart hustled to Victory Lane, lifted Newman from behind and the two shared a long embrace.

"He just had an awesome weekend," Stewart said. "I kept looking up the board and watching and I was scared to ask where he was at and how big of a lead he had. I didn't want to jinx him. Just really proud of him ? he's a great teammate and an even better friend."

Johnson, the Sprint Cup Series points leader who was hoping to tie Formula One's Michael Schumacher as the only five-time winners in Indy history, finished 2.657 seconds behind Newman in second.

"There's definitely disappointment there, but that's racing. It happens," Johnson said. "We win as a team, lose as a team. There's been some late race mistakes on my behalf that have taken race wins away from us. Granted, not a major event like this. We still ended up second.

"We have a lot to be proud of over the course of the weekend. We'll do the best to let it roll off our shoulders by tomorrow afternoon."

Kasey Kahne, Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, was third and Stewart was fourth as Chevrolet swept the top four spots. All four cars were also powered by Hendrick Motorsports.

"We had pretty good power all day long. There were a lot of scenarios where I noticed how good it was," Stewart said. "That's what you expect out of the Hendrick engine department. That's the standard that they set."

Matt Kenseth was fifth in a Toyota and followed by Hendrick's Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, as all four Hendrick entries landed inside the top seven. Earnhardt rallied from a loose wheel on the opening run of the race to grab his top-10 finish.

"I knew it was loose," said Earnhardt, adding it was a no-brainer to pit. "You have a wheel falling off, you have something serious happening. Come in, it's dangerous staying out there. You can hit the wall, or wreck something, or wreck some other people. I don't want to do that. It is a long race. We had an early chance to fix that, and that is fine. It gave us an opportunity to try some different strategies, and it worked out for us."

Joey Logano was eighth in a Ford, and followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Busch, who picked up his first career win at the Brickyard in Saturday's Nationwide Series race.

NASCAR's 20th running at the historic Brickyard wasn't the most exciting race ? there were three cautions, for stalled cars or debris, and no accidents or spins ? and the field spread out into single-file racing and passing wasn't easy. Montoya complained at one point over his radio that attempting to pass another car only cost him position on track.

"It's just Indy, it's always hard to pass," Kahne shrugged. "The competition's close, so you can get runs and then you can kill your run a little bit if that guy runs a certain part of the race track. So the guys that know where to put their car when a car being them is faster, it's tough to pass them."

The in-race intrigue came via varied strategies among the teams as they all tried different methods to steal a good finish in a race that logged as the fastest Brickyard in history at 2 hours, 36 minutes and 22 seconds.

"Overall I thought it was an exciting race," said Kenseth. "I thought there was a lot of different strategies there at the end and the two fastest cars ended up battling for the win. It wasn't any harder (to pass) than normal. It's just always hard to pass here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hoosier-ryan-newman-wins-brickyard-400-indy-201230519.html

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'Batman' Style: How We, Too, Can See With Sound

Researcher Ivan Dokmanic prepares to burst a balloon in the Lausanne Cathedral in Switzerland. By measuring the echoes made by the pop, he can calculate the shape of the room.

Dirk Schrader /Ivan Dokmanic

Researcher Ivan Dokmanic prepares to burst a balloon in the Lausanne Cathedral in Switzerland. By measuring the echoes made by the pop, he can calculate the shape of the room.

Dirk Schrader /Ivan Dokmanic

Birds do it. Bats do it. Now even educated people do it. Echolocation is the process used by certain animals to identify what lies ahead of them, by emitting sounds that bounce off objects.

Now a team of researchers has created an algorithm that could give the rest of us a chance to see with sound.

Lead study author Ivan Dokmanic of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Switzerland says the project started with a question: "Is it possible to just produce a sound and be like Batman or just hear the shape of the room?"

Dokmanic and his team made it happen.

First, they set up a few microphones around a room. Then, "hook these microphones up to an amplifier and a computer, produce some sound, and then just calculate the shape of the room based on the echoes that you receive from the walls in the room," Dokmanic tells NPR's Jacki Lyden.

So what's it good for?

For starters, it could be used in architectural acoustics. Say you're building a concert hall and you know just how you want it to sound, Dokmanic says. "Just plug this into our algorithm. And then this algorithm will produce the room that produces these echoes," he says.

The technology could also be used as an aid for blind people. Dokmanic says it could "give some kind of optic feedback maybe to the user saying, 'OK, the general form of the room is like this,' or, 'There are obstacles here and there.' "

It could also be used in audio forensics. A recording that captured the sound of a crime being committed could then be used to reconstruct the room, providing evidence to investigators.

But these applications are not available just yet. Dokmanic says he and his team are in the process of raising funds to expand the technology and hope to turn it into a smartphone app.

"I hope not too long ? but the realistic horizon is two years to get something that's really usable by everyone," he says.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/07/28/205201838/see-with-sound?ft=1&f=1007

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Best Social PPC Platforms for Your Business | HostGator Web ...

When it comes to PPC (Pay Per Click), there?s no doubt that the big search engines are great places to advertise. With Google now reaching at least 80 percent of all internet users, Google Adwords has become a powerful force in PPC advertising.

However, you can?t talk about PPC these days without giving at least a mention to social media. The larger social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have their own PPC programs that allow you to target your ads to a specific audience. Social networks collect plenty of demographic information from their users. This means that ? even when they?re not searching ? members can still see ads tailored to them and their interests.

?So the question then becomes: Which social network PPC program will serve your business best?

?

Things to Consider

As with any advertising campaign, your budget and target audience should be your main focus. It?s true that PPC costs much less than traditional advertising methods by comparison, but the daily costs can quickly add up and you?ll really feel it if your campaign isn?t getting the results you expect. Test and retest your chosen platform(s) before making any major financial commitment. Time spent on testing is well worth it in the long run.

Also, don?t advertise on any particular PPC platform just because everyone else is doing it. Find out where your demographic congregates and take your advertising dollars there.

?

Who Uses Social Media?

This is the first thing to consider when you?re thinking about going the social PPC route, as targeting the right demographic is crucial to the success of your PPC campaign. Though marketers and webmasters are singing the praises of social PPC, the truth is that not every business can benefit as much as the next when it comes to this advertising channel.

The following are a few of the different types of users you?ll find on social media networks:

• Age: According to data from the Pew Research Center, the age demographic with the largest social media usage rate is 18 to 29-year-olds (83%), followed by 30 to 49 year olds (73%). Not surprisingly, this age stratification has stayed constant since 2005, with the younger subset being the most frequent social media users.

• Education: The data shows that social media usage pretty much spans across all education levels, with 65% of users holding a college degree or higher, 69% of people with some college education, and 66% of participants with a high school education.

• Gender: Roughly 71% of women engage in social media, compared to 62% of men.

• Location: About 70% of people in urban areas use social media, 67% of people in suburban areas, and 61% of people who live in rural areas.

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Comparing PPC Programs

Facebook is probably the most widely used social PPC program, since it was the first one to make a huge splash on the social media scene (it?s also the most widely used social network by a landslide). With over 800 million users and a minimum daily budget of only $1, it?s a good choice for advertisers who want a wide reach on a budget. When advertising on Facebook, you can choose from the CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per mille, or cost per thousand views) methods of payment, though costs have been rising since last year for those paying by CPM.

Twitter is currently the biggest well-known micro blogging platform ? with 500 million registered users as of October 2012, they?re fast catching up to Facebook in terms of user base. Twitter offers both sponsored tweets and sponsored hashtags for advertisers, though advertising here is considerably more expensive than on the other platforms.

For this reason, you most often see sponsored content from big companies, media giants, and well-known celebs on Twitter. Because of its succinct nature, this platform is fast paced and suitable for promoting hot and trendy things that you want to quickly build a buzz around. Though this social network has a broad swathe of users, account holders tend to be young (with an average age of 18-29), African American (26%), and/or urban dwellers (72%).

LinkedIn is the place to advertise if you?re offering B2B or employment services and products. With its very specific demographic (professionals and job seekers), LinkedIn allows you to target business professionals in specific industries. Right now, the minimum budget is $10 a day, which could be well worth it if your audience is mostly found on LinkedIn.

At the end of the day, experience is a great indicator for future success. If you?re still unsure about which social PPC platform is right for your business, the best thing to do is test. Run test campaigns on the platforms you feel would best suit your needs, and see which ones you perform well on. Then, optimize those campaigns so that they perform even better. Social PPC popularity is showing no signs of slowing down, making now a great time to dig your business?s roots into the social PPC soil.

Source: http://blog.hostgator.com/2013/07/30/best-social-ppc-platforms-for-your-business/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-social-ppc-platforms-for-your-business

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