We've all been there: arrive in a grubby public rest room, realise there's nowhere to hang anything, and be faced by the grim experience of dropping your possessions to the grimy floor. This folding hook could save you from that fate.
Designed by Bjorn Bye, the Hook concept is a credit card-sized piece of plastic which folds in a Z-shape to fit between door and frame. When temporarily installed it acts as a hook, sturdy enough to hang 11 pounds of clothes and whatever other crap you have.
Measuring 54 x 84 x 1.5mm, it's designed to slide into your wallet so you can easily carry it with you. If you're interested, the project is currently seeking funding on Indigogo. [Hook]
GOLDEN SPRING, St Andrew:"I FEEL good! I am happy because I just finished my house and I really needed a stove," Angella Allen told The Gleaner, having taken the top prize in the Nestl? Community Fest raffle held at the Golden Spring Community Centre, St Andrew, last Saturday.
Even though she had arrived home quite some time before, with no intention of heading back out, upon getting the phone call, Allen gladly left her mother in charge of the small shop she operates in New Garden, a community near to Golden Spring, and chartered a taxi to take her back to the venue she had left hours before.
The caller wanted to know if she could get back to the community centre before 8 o'clock, intimating that her small gamble in the day might have paid off in a big way.
As the vehicle zipped along the road, she recalled how the emcee had kept stressing that by purchasing at least $500 worth of Nestl? products, one would get a chance to enter the Nestl? Community Fest raffle. The prizes were a pressure cooker, a microwave oven, and the really big one, a four-burner gas stove, but Allen knew she had no chance of winning anything. So with nothing to lose, she bought six cans of Suppligen for the shop, hung around and chatted with friends for a while before heading back to relieve her mother.
Back at the venue, Allen quickly identified herself, and upon being called on stage, just couldn't believe when DJ Sparks advised her that she had, in fact, won a four-burner gas stove. Not until it was in her house and she was checking out the stove with her mother and son did it really sink in.
Pointing to the timing of the win, just after the completion of her house and now looking to furnish it, the shopkeeper related that having heard about the community fest well in advance, she had planned to visit but could not stay long to really enjoy the event because Saturday was usually one of the more brisk business days.
The short visit paid off, however, and she is looking forward to the next Nestl? promotion and will most definitely be there.
knowledge of cooking
Allen was just one of many winners on a day when residents of New Garden, Golden Spring, Boon Hall, Stony Hill, Lawrence Tavern, Temple Hall, Glengoffe, Unity, Border, and Mount James turned out for the culmination of Nestl?'s Knock at Your Gate competition.
Residents competed in netball, football, basketball, sprint races, dominoes, and arm wrestling, among other events. The MAGGI Mobile proved a big hit with householders who were impressive with their knowledge of cooking and nutrition, for which they won Nestl? products.
Stephen Summers, sales manager at Nestl? Jamaica, attributed the mobile's growing popularity to the fact that many times, participants surprised themselves upon recognising how much they actually knew about the different food groups and other aspects of proper meal preparation.
The knowledge exchange, he explained, was in keeping with the company's islandwide promotion aimed at creating shared values by educating customers about proper nutrition, health, and wellness. He said it was important that Jamaicans be able to make informed decisions in respect of how their hard-earned cash was spent in order to ensure they got maximum value.
Have you ever wondered how your individual strength stacks up against the most powerful guys in college football?
Yeah, those dudes are studs. But come on man, you go to the gym and lift three times a week; you can?t be too far off the pace, right?
Well, before you and/or the luminary from the local LA Fitness decide it?s time to walk on at Alabama, take a look at the following stats.
The numbers compare the elite lifters in college ball to the average stats pumped out by guys who didn?t fax anything in on signing day.
The lifting data for the ?average gym guy? comes from the individual exercise tables on exrx.net. ?
The stats for college football?s elite come via Bruce Feldman?s 2013 Freaks List on cbssports.com and The 10 Strongest College Football Players for 2011 on muscleprodigy.com.
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Bench Press
Though guys like ex-Alabama RB Trent Richardson and ex-Georgia Tech LB Julian Burnett benched over 450 pounds while collegians, there are three beasts in recent memory who cleared over 500 pounds.
Travis Frederick?a center who went to Dallas in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft?bench pressed 500 pounds while former-Michigan DL Mike Martin lifted 505 pounds.
At the upper echelon is ex-Crimson Tide DT Josh Chapman who benched a whopping 580 pounds at Alabama. ?
DT Josh Chapman benched 580 pounds while at Alabama.
Comparing this to our average gym guy, a 200-pound man who is classified as ?novice? lifter?as per exrx.com someone who has ?trained regularly for several months??can bench press 175 pounds.
A same-sized ?intermediate? lifter?someone who has ?trained regularly for a couple of years??can bench 214 pounds.
Finally, an ?advanced? male?who has worked out for ?multiple years??can bench 290.
This puts average guy 200 to 300 pounds behind the pace of elite college football guy.
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Squat
Leading the way in the squat are senior Arkansas State DT Ryan Carrethers who squatted 664 pounds and junior Arizona State OLB Carl Bradford who posted a 641-pound lift.
Beyond the current crop of studs is ex-Wisconsin OL Travis Frederick who reportedly broke a school record by managing a beastly 770-pound squat.
Center Travis Frederick set a record while at Wisconsin by squatting 770 pounds.
Comparing this to the lifting laymen, a 200-pound novice level male can squat 230 pounds, an intermediate level lifter can squat 285 pounds and an advanced guy can pull 390 pounds.
This puts the gym guy?s best numbers nearly 400 pounds shy of Frederick?s eye-popping record.
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Power Clean
Leading the way in the power clean is former Georgia Tech LB Julian Burnett with a 350-pound lift and Arizona State?s Carl Bradford who posted a 385-pound pull.
Even higher, at the 400-pound level in the power clean, is super-strong Arkansas State lineman Ryan Carrethers.
Arkansas State DT Ryan Carrethers power cleaned 400 pounds.
For the gym guy a novice level lifter can power clean 165 pounds, an intermediate lifter can manage 205 pounds and an advanced lifter can pull 280.
This puts the LA Fitness stud 120 pounds behind the college football stud.
The FT report explains that, according to sources, Apple has been aggressively hiring staff to work on the much-rumored smartwatch, to add to the "several dozen" already actively working on the project. The newspaper even goes on to warm that Cook and co could yet still scrap the project.
Duh. Of course they could: Apple famously ditches ideas that don't work. Besides, any technology company worth its salt pours time, money and effort into research and ideas; just because they hit the rumor mill doesn't mean you'll necessarily ever be able to buy 'em.
Interestingly, the newspaper does say that, if the project goes ahead, sources tell it that a watch definitely wouldn't be ready for retail until the second half of 2014?which, rightly, tramples all over those rumors from earlier this year. If that's correct, it'll be interesting to see if any other manufacturers?Google, Samsung, Pebble, whoever?can take advantage of the lag over the next twelve months. [FT via MacRumors]
Syria's raging civil war has seen neighbors flooded with refugees. Egypt has become the latest regional country to take steps to limit refugee access.
By Tom A. Peter,?Correspondent / July 14, 2013
The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan this April. Syria's refugee crisis has grown substantially since.
Michael Maure/French Army
Enlarge
Nearly a third of Syria's 21 million people are now a refugee or displaced within their own country. That staggering number has begun to overwhelm neighboring countries and international organizations say some states are beginning to severely restrict the inflow of Syrians fleeing the conflict.
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Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that Syrians flying into Egypt are now being turned away. Prior to President Mohamed Morsi being deposed Egypt was allowing visa-free arrival for Syrians fleeing the conflict, and aid workers in Cairo estimate there are about 300,000 Syrians in the country now. Egypt's current military rulers began requiring visas for Syrian nationals shortly after removing Morsi from power on July 3, even though the Egyptian embassy in Syria reportedly lacks the capacity to issue them at the present time.
Egypt's policy shift follows Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan who have all sought to limit the refugee inflow. The changes have resulted in thousands of Syrian refugees stuck in border regions where they remain unsafe and sometimes beyond the reach of adequate humanitarian assistance. That has left many international organizations in a difficult position: They acknowledge the strain the refugee population has put on host countries but still want Jordan and other nations to keep their borders open.
?We are absolutely commending these governments for having been so generous. We do understand that they?re worried about having so many Syrians on their soil, but if people are on the other side of the border unable to escape...?the most humane thing a country can do when people are fleeing for their lives is to keep the borders open," says Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for UNHCR.
There are more than 1.75 million Syrian refugees who have registered or are awaiting registration with the UN ? more than 20 times the number of refugees from the same time last year. Another 4.25 million people are displaced inside Syria and there are 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria.
In Lebanon, which maintains one of the most open borders with Syria, the government estimates that the number Syrian refugees it hosts is equivalent to a quarter of its entire population.
Aside from straining resources, there are also concerns that Syrian refugees will bring political problems.
Iraq?s most recent war has ended, but sectarian tensions remain and a number of Iraqi Sunnis hope the Syrian uprising will cross the border and help them overthrow their Shiite-dominated government. In Jordan, more than half of the country is of Palestinian origin and the government is not eager to absorb Syria?s Palestinian population.
In Jordan, the number of refugees crossing the border has fallen from 2,000-3,000 per day to 600-700 per day and Iraq has closed its borders to incoming refugees, except for special cases. ?Basically the government is citing security concerns and fear of spill over of the Syrian conflict into Iraq as the main reason,? says Natalia Prokopchuk, a reporting officer for the UNHCR in Baghdad.
The increased difficulty faced by many fleeing refugees has caused the number of displaced people living in camps along the border inside Syria to swell. While safer than many parts of Syria, border areas do not offer complete security and the humanitarian situation there is often dire.
?These areas are subject to aerial attacks by the Syrian government and refugees are not secure from fighting,? says Lama Fakih, a Syria and Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch.
In just two years, the war inside Syria has claimed more than 93,000 lives and attempts to end the war through diplomacy have failed. International organizations say that humanitarian need inside Syria surpasses the aid available.
"While the [International Rescue Committee] commends Syria?s neighbors for maintaining an open borders policy, we are increasingly concerned about reports of Syrians having difficulty entering Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. The international community should strongly encourage hosting governments and the Syrian regime to respect the right of all refugees fleeing Syria to ?seek and enjoy asylum? and discourage policies ? including the closure of borders ? that prevent civilians from leaving Syria,? says Ned Colt, regional communications manager for the International Rescue Committee.
You won?t hardly need a good research to spot a cheap Android smartphone. Seriously, they are so abundant that you can pinpoint one even with our eyes closed. In the past, such low price tag would mean a very cheap set of hardware but ever since Nexus 7 is released there is a good indicator that devices with good hardware are no longer only exclusive to deep-pocketed consumers.
Following reports that she's left the Church of Scientology, longtime member Leah Remini has released a statement that expresses gratitude for the support she's received, but makes no mention of the religious organization.
"I wish to share my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming positive response I have received from the media, my colleagues and fans from around the world," the statement reads. "I am truly grateful and thankful for all your support."
If Remini has left Scientology, she wouldn't be the first famous name to do so in recent years.
Filmmaker Paul Haggis left the Church of Scientology in 2009.
In an interview with "Rock Center's" Harry Smith, Haggis explained his reasons for making the break.
"I was ashamed of my own my stupidity, of how I could have been purposely blind for so many years," he said.
As for Remini, in light of the reports, one of her recent tweets seems to point to a possible change of faith.
On Wednesday, one day before reports of her break from Scientology circulated, she retweeted a spiritual quote from Desmond Tutu.
NBC News reached out to the Church of Scientology about Remini's reported departure. In response, the organization said, "The Church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no further comment."
VILSECK, Germany -- With several battalions recently transitioning to USAG Grafenwoehr, many military children are faced with the stress of leaving old friends and starting fresh at a new school.
Luckily, the United Service Organization teamed up with Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation to bring the fun, refreshing Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families Show at the Memorial Fitness Center Rose Barracks, here, July 9 and 10. More than 1,800 community members attended the four shows, making Sesame St. the talk of the town.
The 30-minute singing and dancing extravaganza featured well known Sesame Street characters such as Cookie Monster, Grover and Elmo. Also joining the cast was a special character named Katie, a daughter of military parents created exclusively for this tour.
The performance showcased the power of friendship as Katie opened up about her fears of starting over and meeting new people. As Elmo and the other Sesame Street friends danced and sang their way through the colorful musical, Katie realized change can be good and she became more excited about her new home.
For the newly arrived children as well as the ones heading off to new duty stations, the performance was a fun way to celebrate the unfamiliar with a bit of hope and a lot of fun.
King of Queens actress Leah Remini has left the Church of Scientology after more than 30 years of membership, becoming one of the most high-profile members to quit.
Remini joined the church along with her mother in the 1970s, and had been one of its most high-profile and outspoken defenders.
The actress, best known for playing Carrie Heffernan in the CBS sitcom King of Queens, as well as roles in Friends, Cheers and the Will Ferrell movie Old School, issued a statement following the comments that appeared in the New York Post on Thursday.
It read: ?I wish to share my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming positive response I have received from the media, my colleagues, and fans from around the world. I am truly grateful and thankful for all your support.?
A Hollywood Reporter investigation suggested Remini has recently been tweeting about a change in spiritual direction for months, including references to praying as a Catholic on 24 June.
And the New York Post?s source, who said Remini?s statement should be read as confirmation she has left the Church of Scientology, added that the move came as a result of ?years of interrogations? and attempted ?thought modification?.
Remini was reportedly criticised for questioning the church?s leader David Miscavige, during a dinner at the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the former another high-profile church member.
Despite apparently attaining the high church position of ?Operating Thetan Level Five? after her decades of membership, when asking about Miscavige?s wife the actress was told ?You don?t have the [bleeping] rank to ask about Shelly?.
This was according to a blog by ex-Scientology member Mike Rinder, who said Miscavige's wife has not been seen in public for six years.
Remini's representatives would not comment directly on the New York Post article, and a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology issued a statement saying they ?respect the privacy of parishioners? and would not comment on individuals.
Remini, 43, has spoken publicly in the past about being a member of the Church of Scientology, which was founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and boasts members including Cruise and fellow Hollywood actor John Travolta.
In an April 2001 interview with CNN, Remini said she ?finds solace in her steadfast practice of Scientology,? and defended the religion saying: ?If somebody is going to get turned off about something because of what they read or heard, then that person's not smart enough to even enter a church.?
Other high-profile former Scientology members include director Paul Haggis, who spoke out in detail about his experiences in a New Yorker article in February 2011.
Chances are, your organization is hiring more employees than it has in years. The improving economy has prompted businesses of all sizes to stop? layoffs and cancel hiring freezes.
At the same time, many of your employees may be ready to move on. Some feel more confident about their ability to find better jobs elsewhere. Retirement-age staffers may have restarted plans to wrap up their careers.
That new optimism means your organization has an opportunity to bolster your workforce.
But going on a relative hiring binge is not without challenges. Research shows that even with a willing pool of job applicants, many companies are having a hard time filling vacancies with employees who have the specific skills they need.
As you transition into hiring mode, consider these trends and insights from hiring managers who have weighed in with pollsters and researchers:
Promote from within
Before looking far afield for candidates, take stock of your existing talent. It can be significantly less expensive to promote a current employee than to hire an outsider. In 2012, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that employers typically pay external hires 18% more than those promoted from within.
In addition, outside hires received lower marks in performance reviews for their first two years on the job. Existing employees already know your organization?s culture, customers, hierarchy, products and politics?so they?re more productive from day one.
Interview remotely
Hiring pros are split on the value of using online chats, Skype and mobile apps to conduct interviews. Even so, it?s becoming more common.
Preliminary interviews?conducted to narrow down a long list of candidates whose r?sum?s made the first cut?lend themselves to phone and Internet conversations. Just as with ?live? interviews, you should carefully document your questions and candidates? responses.
Of course, for most positions, you?ll eventually need to meet candidates face-to-face before sealing the deal.
Screen everybody
Highly publicized incidents of workplace violence have made it more routine?and more critical?for organizations to screen prospective employees to ensure they are not going to expose staff and clients to harm.
The Hanover Insurance Group has issued tips for hiring pros:
Screen even if you or another employee already knows the applicant, and even if the candidate will fill an executive-level spot.
Conduct background checks early in the screening process to weed out job-seekers who are not suitable for your organization.
Require all candidates who fill out applications to read the organization?s policies on abuse, neglect and employee conduct?and sign a statement saying they understand the rules.
Ask open-ended questions during the interview, and have more than one person talk with every applicant.
Check references?orally rather than in writing?before extending a job offer.
Address job security
Despite an overall increase in employee confidence, don?t be surprised if the job applicant sitting across from you during an interview seems worried. The new Harris Poll ?Jobs and Benefits Security Index? says more than half of American workers fret over the security of their income, benefits and ability to find work. Older workers and those with household incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 are most concerned, the poll notes.
A survey by financial news organization TheStreet confirms that insight, noting that 44% of Americans are still worried about losing their jobs.
Get ready to negotiate
With business on the rebound, candidates expect salary flexibility?and know how to leverage their side of the negotiation. Top-notch job candidates typically apply for positions with several organizations and will use job offers from other companies to wrangle higher pay from you.
Your competitors understand this. Six in 10 execs say they?re willing to negotiate starting salaries, notes a survey by The Creative Group. If they have narrowed their choice down to one outstanding professional, they?ll sweeten the deal if the candidate asks.
Even in a hurry, hire carefully
Tempted to fill an immediate staffing need by hiring someone you haven?t met, whose references you haven?t checked or who has not thoroughly impressed you? Don?t!
Two-thirds of U.S. companies responding to a CareerBuilder survey said they had made a bad hire last year?at an average cost of more than $50,000. ?When you add up missed sales opportunities, strained client and employee relations, potential legal issues and resources to hire and train candidates, the cost can be considerable,? explains CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson.
The smarter route, he advises: Take your time to assess whether a candidate is the best fit for the job and the company culture before extending an offer.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? This time when the Texas Senate takes up tough new abortion restrictions, the chamber's top Republican is determined not to let anything ? or anyone ? derail a vote.
The Senate's leader, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, has scheduled a vote for Friday on the same restrictions on when, where and how women may obtain abortions in Texas that failed to become law after a Democratic filibuster and raucous protesters were able to run out the clock on an earlier special session.
Hundreds of activists from both sides of the debate lined the state Capitol's halls more than four hours before the Senate debate was scheduled to begin Friday. They were met by dozens of extra police officers guarding the gallery and holding down the hallways. For those who break the rules, the Texas Constitution gives Dewhurst the authority to jail them for up to 48 hours, no court necessary.
"We're going to have strict enforcement. If there are any demonstrations, we are going to clear the gallery," Dewhurst said Thursday. "I hope we don't get to that point but if we do, we do. This is a democracy and we will not be interrupted from doing the people's work by an unruly mob."
Some arrived as early as 4:30 a.m. Friday and the crowds continued to line up at the security station to get in the building, with many sitting on the steps and some carrying folding camping chairs ? despite signs at the Capitol barring camping equipment. As has been the case for the last two weeks, anti-abortion activists wore blue and abortion rights activists wore orange, with the latter dominant among the early crowd.
Among the first two in line were anti-abortion activist Johanna McCrary of Conroe and abortion rights activist Kristi Lara of Dallas. Both of them came to the Capitol after the June 25 filibuster and have been in Austin for more than a week. More than 5,000 people swarmed the Capitol last week to oppose the bill.
"This is a civil rights issue," Lara said, comparing the efforts of abortion rights activists to demonstrations during the civil rights era.
"We will not give up the rights our mothers and grandmothers fought for," said Lara, who was wearing an orange dress with a white sash that read "Vote for Women" and had a plastic speculum, a gynecological instrument, hanging from her neck.
Every person who enters the gallery will be issued a copy of the "rules of decorum" that stipulate there can be no demonstrations or attempts to disrupt the chamber's work. Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Rick DeLeon also said Friday that no props ? including speculums and coat hangers ? will be allowed into the Senate gallery, per decorum rules.
McCrary, who was confident the bill will pass, said she hopes there won't be a similar outburst to the one that disrupted the previous Senate vote.
"This is America, have respect and reverence for the law. I was appalled," she said. McCrary wore an American flag vest with a sticker that read "Unborn Babies Feel Pain."
Despite the women's disagreement, both said activists had been well behaved with each other.
For Dewhurst, who lost control of the Senate to what he called an "unruly mob" during a debate on abortion two weeks ago, his political survival relies on passing House Bill 2. Once considered a formidable politician, Dewhurst bid goodbye to his Senate colleagues in 2011, expecting to easily win a U.S. Senate seat. But tea party favorite Ted Cruz painted him as a moderate, and now he has three challengers in the Republican primary.
As for the GOP, the restrictions are a top priority for the Christian conservative voters who make a majority of Texas Republican voters and want abortions banned. Democrats, however, see in the protests as an opportunity that could help them break a 20-year losing streak for statewide office.
The measures under consideration Friday mirror restrictions passed in Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, Wisconsin and Arizona, but passing them in the nation's second-most populous state would be a major victory for the anti-abortion movement.
The Texas bill would require doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, allow abortions only in surgical centers, limit where and when women may take abortion-inducing pills, and ban abortions after 20 weeks. Only five out of 42 existing abortion clinics in Texas meet the requirements to be a surgical center, and clinic owners say they can't afford to upgrade or relocate their facilities.
Republicans insist the restrictions would guarantee better health care for women and fetuses. But critics see it as a way of regulating all Texas abortion clinics out of business.
Democrats successfully defeated the bill in the regular legislative session. During the first special session, the Senate didn't take up the bill until the final day. That allowed Fort Worth Sen. Wendy Davis to use a filibuster to delay a vote. When Republicans rushed to try to pass the bill in the session's final 15 minutes, angry protesters began shouting and screaming from the gallery. Dewhurst could only watch with frustration as a half-dozen state troopers tried to remove more than 400 people.
This time, though, Dewhurst has scheduled a vote early enough in the session that Republicans have plenty of time to pass the restrictions. Democrats see no way of stopping the bill from reaching Republican Gov. Rick Perry, for whom it is a top priority.
"We do not have the numbers to stop it," said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.
But Democrats hope that Republicans will have hurt themselves in the long term, that they have overreached in trying to appease their Christian conservative base and alienated suburban women, a constituency that helped President Barack Obama win re-election. Democrats have helped organize the recent protests and top lawmakers have toured the state as part of Planned Parenthood's Stand With Texas Women campaign to raise awareness about the new law.
Republicans, though, insist they are on solid ground.
The one thing both sides can agree on is that abortion-rights groups will file a federal lawsuit as soon as Perry signs the bill into law. Judges elsewhere have stopped enforcement of similar laws while they work their way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
___
Associated Press writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report. Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cltomlinson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of Secretary of State John Kerry who suffered a seizure on Sunday, has been transferred to a Boston rehabilitation hospital after doctors said her conditions had further improved, the State Department said on Thursday.
Heinz Kerry, 74, was rushed to a hospital on Nantucket island off mainland Massachusetts on Sunday and flown to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was treated for seizure-like symptoms.
"Her condition has been upgraded from 'fair' to 'good,' allowing her move today from Massachusetts General Hospital to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston for the next phase of her recovery," said Glen Johnson, a department official who acts as Kerry's personal spokesman.
Johnson confirmed that Heinz Kerry had suffered a seizure but said doctors were still trying to determine the cause. Doctors had earlier ruled out a stroke, heart attack or a brain tumor.
"Mrs. Heinz Kerry's time at Spaulding will focus on completing her recovery and ensuring the quickest possible return to her family and civic life," Johnson said.
Kerry attended the opening ceremony of U.S-China talks in Washington on Wednesday but returned immediately to Boston. During his remarks at the ceremony, he choked up as he spoke about his wife's illness and remarked on the outpouring of support.
Johnson said Kerry will split his time between Boston and Washington and resume his official travel schedule soon. Since his appointment in February as Washington's top diplomat, Kerry has maintained a busy travel schedule, dealing with Syria's civil war and trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Heinz Kerry chairs the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. She was born in Mozambique and was married to Republican Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz III, an heir to the Heinz food fortune, until his death in a helicopter crash in 1991.
She married Kerry in 1995 while he was a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Philip Barbara)
[GALLERIES REMEZCLA]BY Afroxander | PUBLISHED: Wednesday, July 10th, 2013
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Mexico and Panama went toe-to-toe on the Rose Bowl field in Pasadena for the opening day of CONCACAF Gold Cup matches this summer. The game saw Panama take a historic 2 ? 1 win over Mexico, a team whose coach, Jose Manuel ?Chepo? De La Torre,? has failed to produce enough positive results this year. The game?s result prompted more cries of ?Fuera Chepo? from Mexico?s fans.
This being f?tbol, it was one hell of a fiesta hours before the game even started. Fans arrived as early as 11am to celebrate the occasion with El Tri supporters outnumbering fans of La Marea Roja nearly 10 to 1. Scores of families chilled in the parking areas grilling tacos de asada and knocking back some chelas while others killed time in the official pre-game area filled with games, food, and more.
The half-time show was quite the spectacle too, as boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya presented nearly 600 mariachis who entered the field. Which explains why I saw a Mariachi Registration booth outside the stadium (I was kind of hoping this was just a standard way to support the team?):
Their goal? To break the world record for largest mariachi serenade! Joining the mariachis was 11 year-old Sebastian De La Cruz who sang the national anthem at two Spurs/Heat NBA playoff games recently. He led the serenade with his renditions of ?Cielito Lindo? and ?La Negra.?
And, again, with this being f?tbol, there were not one but TWO pitch invaders and not one but TWO instances of fans getting into putasos towards the end of the match. ?Es que esos babosos ya entran borrachos,? as my mom explained it.
At least no one got shanked/decapitated, like the gruesome events in Brazil last weekend :(
Statistical data on campaign financing in the 2012 elections has been added to multiyear charts and information covering the last 30 years in an updated reference guide for congressional watchers.
Vital Statistics on Congress?has been updated by Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and Tom Mann of Brookings, in collaboration with Michael Malbin of the Campaign Finance Institute. View the chapter summaries?here.
Chapter 3: Campaign Finance in Congressional Elections charts how much money successful congressional candidates spend to win a seat in the Senate or the House. The data was collected by?Michael Malbin?and his team at the?Campaign Finance Institute. Data include the cost of winning an election by election cycle, how much incumbents spent on their re-election campaigns, and total funds raised by national party committees. The chapter may be downloaded in PDF or Excel formats.
To search detailed money-in-politics databases, visit Political MoneyLine.
The contribution of the Greenland ice sheet to sea-level rise will continue to increasePublic release date: 10-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Paul Seagrove psea@bas.ac.uk 44-012-232-21414 British Antarctic Survey
New research has shown surface ice melt will be the dominant process controlling ice-loss from Greenland. As outlet glaciers retreat inland the other process, iceberg production, remains important but will not grow as rapidly.
The Greenland ice sheet is often considered an important potential contributor to future global sea-level rise over the next century or longer. In total, it contains an amount of ice that would lead to a rise of global sea level by more than seven metres, if completely melted.
Changes in its total mass are governed by two main processes - fluctuations in melting and snowfall on its surface, and changes to the number of icebergs released from a large number of outlet glaciers into the ocean.
The ice loss from the ice sheet has been increasing over the last decade, with half of it attributed to changes in surface conditions with the remainder due to increased iceberg calving the process by which ice detaches from the glacier to become an iceberg.
Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, funded by ice2sea, a European Union project, tackled the question of how both processes will evolve and interact in the future. This was done with a computer model, which projects the future ice sheet evolution with high accuracy using the latest available techniques and input data.
They devised a method to generalize projections made in earlier research which concerned just four of Greenland's outlet glaciers. By doing so they could apply the earlier findings to all calving glaciers around the Greenland ice sheet. Their results indicate a total sea-level contribution from the Greenland ice sheet for an average warming scenario after 100 and 200 years of 7 and 21 cm, respectively.
The balance between the two processes by which ice is lost is, however, changing considerably in the future so that iceberg calving may only account for between 6 % and 18 % of the sea-level contribution after 200 years. This is important, because variations in outlet glacier dynamics have often been suspected to have the potential for very large sea-level contributions.
Lead author Dr Heiko Goelzer, of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, says,
"Our research has shown that the balance between the two most important mass loss processes will change considerably in the future so that changes in iceberg calving only account for a small percentage of the sea-level contribution after 200 years with the large remainder due to changes in surface conditions."
The limited importance of outlet glacier dynamics in the future is the result of their retreat back onto land and of strongly increasing surface melting under global warming, which removes ice before it can reach the marine margin.
Ice2sea coordinator Professor David Vaughan, of the British Antarctic Survey says,
"This scenario is no reason to be complacent. The reason the significance of calving glaciers reduces compared to surface melting is, so much ice will be lost in coming decades that many glaciers currently sitting in fjords will retreat inland to where they are no longer affected by warming seas around Greenland."
###
The paper Sensitivity of Greenland ice sheet projections to model formulations by Dr Heiko Goelzer et al is published on Wednesday (10.07.2013) online by the Journal of Glaciology. A copy of the paper is available on request.
To request an interview with Dr Heiko Goelzer email Dr Goelzer directly:
heiko.goelzer@vub.ac.be.
To request an interview with Professor David Vaughan please contact Paul Seagrove at the British Antarctic Survey Communications Office, Cambridge. Tel: +44 (0)1223 221414 Email: psea@bas.ac.uk.
Notes to editors:
Ice2sea brings together the EU's scientific and operational expertise from 24 leading institutions across Europe and beyond. Improved projections of the contribution of ice to sea-level rise produced by this major programme funded by the European Commission's Framework 7 Programme (grant agreement 226375) will inform the fifth IPCC report (due in 2013). In 2007, the fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted ice-sheets as the most significant remaining uncertainty in projections of sea-level rise.
The research was also supported by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office within its Research Programme on Science for a Sustainable Development under contract SD/CS/06A (iCLIPS).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The contribution of the Greenland ice sheet to sea-level rise will continue to increasePublic release date: 10-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Paul Seagrove psea@bas.ac.uk 44-012-232-21414 British Antarctic Survey
New research has shown surface ice melt will be the dominant process controlling ice-loss from Greenland. As outlet glaciers retreat inland the other process, iceberg production, remains important but will not grow as rapidly.
The Greenland ice sheet is often considered an important potential contributor to future global sea-level rise over the next century or longer. In total, it contains an amount of ice that would lead to a rise of global sea level by more than seven metres, if completely melted.
Changes in its total mass are governed by two main processes - fluctuations in melting and snowfall on its surface, and changes to the number of icebergs released from a large number of outlet glaciers into the ocean.
The ice loss from the ice sheet has been increasing over the last decade, with half of it attributed to changes in surface conditions with the remainder due to increased iceberg calving the process by which ice detaches from the glacier to become an iceberg.
Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, funded by ice2sea, a European Union project, tackled the question of how both processes will evolve and interact in the future. This was done with a computer model, which projects the future ice sheet evolution with high accuracy using the latest available techniques and input data.
They devised a method to generalize projections made in earlier research which concerned just four of Greenland's outlet glaciers. By doing so they could apply the earlier findings to all calving glaciers around the Greenland ice sheet. Their results indicate a total sea-level contribution from the Greenland ice sheet for an average warming scenario after 100 and 200 years of 7 and 21 cm, respectively.
The balance between the two processes by which ice is lost is, however, changing considerably in the future so that iceberg calving may only account for between 6 % and 18 % of the sea-level contribution after 200 years. This is important, because variations in outlet glacier dynamics have often been suspected to have the potential for very large sea-level contributions.
Lead author Dr Heiko Goelzer, of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, says,
"Our research has shown that the balance between the two most important mass loss processes will change considerably in the future so that changes in iceberg calving only account for a small percentage of the sea-level contribution after 200 years with the large remainder due to changes in surface conditions."
The limited importance of outlet glacier dynamics in the future is the result of their retreat back onto land and of strongly increasing surface melting under global warming, which removes ice before it can reach the marine margin.
Ice2sea coordinator Professor David Vaughan, of the British Antarctic Survey says,
"This scenario is no reason to be complacent. The reason the significance of calving glaciers reduces compared to surface melting is, so much ice will be lost in coming decades that many glaciers currently sitting in fjords will retreat inland to where they are no longer affected by warming seas around Greenland."
###
The paper Sensitivity of Greenland ice sheet projections to model formulations by Dr Heiko Goelzer et al is published on Wednesday (10.07.2013) online by the Journal of Glaciology. A copy of the paper is available on request.
To request an interview with Dr Heiko Goelzer email Dr Goelzer directly:
heiko.goelzer@vub.ac.be.
To request an interview with Professor David Vaughan please contact Paul Seagrove at the British Antarctic Survey Communications Office, Cambridge. Tel: +44 (0)1223 221414 Email: psea@bas.ac.uk.
Notes to editors:
Ice2sea brings together the EU's scientific and operational expertise from 24 leading institutions across Europe and beyond. Improved projections of the contribution of ice to sea-level rise produced by this major programme funded by the European Commission's Framework 7 Programme (grant agreement 226375) will inform the fifth IPCC report (due in 2013). In 2007, the fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted ice-sheets as the most significant remaining uncertainty in projections of sea-level rise.
The research was also supported by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office within its Research Programme on Science for a Sustainable Development under contract SD/CS/06A (iCLIPS).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Beauty brand Dove is often celebrated for its body positive advertising. But in a post first published on The Conversation,?Meredith Nash argues that coming from Unilever, the company behind weight loss and skin lightening products, the marketing cynicism shows through.
Why do women hate to have their picture taken? That?s the question Dove, the global beauty brand, asks in its latest advertisement. The video ? see below ? is part of Dove?s campaign for ?real beauty?, a range of marketing activities that reflect Dove?s philosophy that ?real? beauty for women is ?inclusive, attainable and rooted in taking good care of one?s self?.
Since 2004, Dove?s advertisements for personal care products have been designed to arouse women?s emotions against dominant notions of beauty that are premised on thinness, whiteness and perfection. The ads regularly feature ?real? women and girls of varying ages and body shapes.
Understandably, Dove?s campaign has been very popular with female consumers. Every time a new video ad is released my Facebook and Twitter feeds become filled with (mostly female) friends remarking on how wonderful it is to see a company with a conscience.
Dove?s most recent ad Camera Shy, which won a Cannes Gold Lion film award last month.
Body image insecurities
Women in the West often have deeply troubled relationships with their bodies, starting from a very early age. Women also tend to be more critical of their bodies than men.
A recent study revealed that body image is one of the top three concerns of Australian girls between the ages of 15 and 19. Of the 8,000 girls surveyed in the study, 43% said they were concerned about how they looked.
According to Eating Disorders Victoria, low self-esteem and poor body image increase the chances that a person will develop an eating disorder. Currently, 90% of Australian eating disorder sufferers are girls and women. Similar trends around poor body image are also seen in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Dove positions itself as a feminist role model. Andrew Teman
Feminist activists such as Jean Kilbourne have argued that the endless stream of media images and advertisements featuring ultra-thin, tall, and perfect looking models in popular culture has contributed to this culture of negative female body image.
Given these trends, Dove?s question about why women avoid cameras cleverly taps into women?s emotions of bodily self-hatred. The brand positions itself in a ?feminist? role ? as an advocate for women ? committed to social change.
But before we heap more praise on Dove for sparking a world-wide movement of female body confidence, we need to cast a more critical eye on the notion of ?real beauty? and Dove?s position as a brand manufactured by a multinational corporation.
What?s the problem?
In spite of its (very effective) emotive appeal to female consumers to challenge beauty norms, paradoxically, Dove?s ?real beauty? advertisements capitalise on women embracing cultural beauty standards. Dove?s marketing strategy is premised on the same idea that advertisers have been selling women for decades ? that what is most important about women is how they look.
The campaign is troubling because Dove asks women to accept the myth that there is such a thing as ?real beauty? and that achieving it is important for women. However, women can only achieve self-acceptance and a positive body image as consumers of Dove products.
In this way, Dove places the responsibility for becoming a ?real beauty? back on to girls and women. Rather than being a genuine advocate for social change (the goal of feminism broadly), Dove?s advertisements evince a post-feminist sensibility. Post-feminism refers to an ?undoing? of second-wave feminist gains (women working in paid jobs, securing reproductive rights, participating in higher education, and so on).
Post-feminism is aligned closely with consumerism ? women supposedly become ?empowered? when they make purchases. It is tied to women?s individual gains ? detached from the institutional change that has been central in feminist movements.
Dove does not seek to create awareness of the fact that body image and rising rates of eating disorders throughout the West are social issues that are intimately linked with the beauty industry.
In contrast, as long as women are convinced that ?real beauty? is important, Dove is able to distance itself from its position as a producer of oppressive bodily ideals. Dove is owned and manufactured by Unilever, a multinational company. A post-feminist sensibility aligns with Unilever?s corporate interests ? the company profits enormously from women participating in Dove?s branding strategy.
Another Unilever product. Flickr/escalepade
Ironically, Dove?s feel-good, body positive messages draw our attention away from Unilever?s other brands including Slim Fast (for weight loss) and Fair & Lovely (skin lightening cream).
So before you go and re-post the new Dove video on your Facebook page and share it with your friends, remember this: feminism is about social change and Unilever is not a genuine advocate for women. The Real Beauty campaign is nothing more than a cleverly disguised ploy to sell women more products that they don?t need.
Don?t buy into it.
This article was originally published at The Conversation.?Meredith Nash is a?lecturer?in?sociology?at the University of Tasmania. Read the original article.
Earlier this summer, the Novartis case pitted advocates of intellectual property rights for global pharmaceutical firms operating in India against those championing for more affordable drugs for patients in the developing world. Moreover, the recent and high-profile Ranbaxy case with the Federal Drug Administration raises questions about the safety and quality of Indian generics, even as some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) champion generics as the best way to ensure that patients in poor countries get access to life-saving drugs at affordable prices.
At this conference, leading business sector, think-tank, and NGO representatives will examine the Indian pharmaceutical issue from the medical, business, and development perspectives.
If you are unable to attend, we welcome you to watch the event live on this page. Full video will be posted within 24 hours.
Agenda
9:45 AM Registration
10:00 AM Panel I: Economics and Intellectual Property Law Panelists: Roger Bate, AEI Diane Farrell, U.S.-India Business Council Arvind Subramanian, Peterson Institute for International Economics Moderator: Sadanand Dhume, AEI
1:00 PM Panel II: Medicine Quality and Access Panelists: Gregg Alton, Gilead Sciences Inc. Roger Bate, AEI Douglas Keene, Management Sciences for Health Andreas Seiter, World Bank
Moderator: Aparna Mathur, AEI
2:30 PM Adjournment
Event Contact Information
For more information, please contact Hao Fu at hao.fu@aei.org, 202.862.5214.
Media Contact Information
For media inquiries, please contact MediaServices@aei.org, 202.862.5829.
During today?s WPC 2013 Event, Kevin Turner, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft, boasted about their achievements in the security department and compared the number of vulnerabilities versus Google and Mozilla.
The slide above is pretty self explanatory but if you are wondering where they got these statistics from, it?s from Secunia?s Vulnerability Review 2013 report, which can be requested in the following page.
Considering that Microsoft is so much bigger in scale than Mozilla and Google, it?s a pretty significant achievement if you ask us.
About (Author Profile)
Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism career back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.
David Icke examines many aspects of the global conspiracy and connects all the dots. The picture that appears is astounding. A must-read.
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Freedom or Fascism
David Icke presents 15 years of research into the Global Elite, The Shadow Government, The Global Conspiracy and the cosmically and spiritually asleep human race. Get the 3-disc DVD.
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The Oxford Union
In this two-hour DVD filmed at the Oxford Union, David encapsulates humanity's plight and how to secure our freedom. Find out what is really happening in your world, and why.
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Beyond The Cutting Edge
David presents a 7 hour DVD of extraordinary dot-connecting, presenting his big answers to the big questions. Who are we? Where are we? What are we doing here?
Even if you are remotely interested in motorsports, you will no doubt have heard the name Bluebird and the land and water speed records associated with it and which span several decades.
While the company continues to build speed racers, Don Wales, grandson of founder Sir Malcolm Campbell and nephew of Donald Campbell, is now venturing into new territory with the announcement of the presentation of a limited production electric sports car and a new electric racecar.
Set to be revealed in the flesh at England's Sustainable MotoExpo on September 28, the Bluebird DC50 electric sports car will be produced in 50 units to commemorate the 50th anniversary in 2014 of Donald Campbell's land and water speed records.
It comes with an electric drivetrain that promises to deliver up to 360bhp and "acceleration to match a Porsche". The two-door model will feature electrically operated 'scissor' doors, will offer a driving range of up to 200 miles (320km), depending on specifications, and will be available exclusively in a Bluebird hue.
The other model to be launched simultaneously at the UK event in Beaulieu will be the Bluebird GTL electric racecar, which the company says was designed to latest technical regulations for the forthcoming FIA Formula E series that kicks off in 2014.
The current employment situation is still struggling, meaning there is intense competition for relatively few jobs?which means employers are re??jecting a greater number of applicants than usual.
How you reject applicants can mean the difference between applicants still having a positive impression of your organization, versus coming away with hurt feelings or even giving them incentive to take you to court on discrimination claims.
Rejecting interviewees
A well-crafted rejection letter is the safest route for external candidates who were interviewed?it assures them that they were seriously considered for the position and it keeps you from having to verbally explain, in detail, why you rejected them.
In crafting the letter, it?s generally best to give a neutral and nonspecific reason for the rejection.?After all, no employment law requires you to tell employees the reason why they weren?t hired, and you don?t want to get pulled into a debate over your reasons.
Here is some sample language you might want to consider using or building upon for your rejection letter:
Thank you for your interest in our organization. We have reviewed your background and experience, and although your qualifications are excellent, we have decided another candidate more closely fits the position?s requirements at this time.
It was a pleasure meeting you during your interview. We wish you the best of luck in your job search.
If you believe that applicants could qualify for other positions in your company, you might also encourage them to apply again in the future. (But don?t encourage them unless you truly want them to do so!)
Also, try to personalize the rejection letter, at least marginally.?Use the candidate?s name, the name of the position, and refer to something you?d discussed during the interview.
This will go a long way in making him feel appreciated rather than passed over.
Never provide inaccurate, misleading, or conflicting reasons for an applicant?s rejection, as these can come back to haunt you; judges and juries often look askance at employers that do this, viewing it as pretext for discrimination.
You may consider contacting the rejected candidate by phone to notify him of your decision. Many job ?hunters appreciate learning their fate as soon as possible so they can continue their searches. Your phone call should be concise and brief.
Immediate no?s
For applicants who never even make it to the interview stage?those whom you reject based on their initial job application/cover letter/r?sum??consider sending out a form letter or email, thanking them for applying and stating that ?other candidates more closely fit the position?s requirements.?
For r?sum?s/applications that arrive unsolicited, have a form letter or email ready stating that no appropriate positions are available at this time.
Why bother doing any of this? Aside from being good business etiquette, a quick response can help prevent applicants from calling again and again to ask whether you received their materials and whether they are still being considered for the position.
It also presents your organization in a good light; let?s face it, because of the avalanche of applications they receive, most employers nowadays send no re??sponse whatsoever to applicants they?re not seriously considering, so offering applicants some sort of closure sets you apart from other employers.
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We've all been there: arrive in a grubby public rest room, realise there's nowhere to hang anything, and be faced by the grim experience of dropping your possessions to the grimy floor. This folding hook could save you from that fate.
Chances are, your organization is hiring more employees than it has in years. The improving economy has prompted businesses of all sizes to stop? layoffs and cancel hiring freezes.
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Public release date: 10-Jul-2013
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Beauty brand Dove is often celebrated for its body positive advertising. But in a post first published on The Conversation,?Meredith Nash argues that coming from Unilever, the company behind weight loss and skin lightening products, the marketing cynicism shows through.
David Icke examines many aspects of the global conspiracy and connects all the dots. The picture that appears is astounding. A must-read. 
David Icke presents 15 years of research into the Global Elite, The Shadow Government, The Global Conspiracy and the cosmically and spiritually asleep human race. Get the 3-disc DVD. 
In this two-hour DVD filmed at the Oxford Union, David encapsulates humanity's plight and how to secure our freedom. Find out what is really happening in your world, and why. 
David presents a 7 hour DVD of extraordinary dot-connecting, presenting his big answers to the big questions. Who are we? Where are we? What are we doing here?
The current employment situation is still struggling, meaning there is intense competition for relatively few jobs?which means employers are re??jecting a greater number of applicants than usual.