Exxon cleans up Arkansas oil spill; Keystone plan assailed

(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil on Sunday continued cleanup of a pipeline spill that loosed thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude in Arkansas as opponents of oil sands development latched on to the incident to attack plans to build the Keystone XL line.

Exxon's Pegasus pipeline, which can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Pakota, Illinois to Nederland, Texas, was shut after the leak was discovered late Friday afternoon in a subdivision near the town of Mayflower. The leak forced the evacuation of 22 homes.

The company did not have an estimate for the restarting of the pipeline, which was carrying Canadian Wabasca Heavy crude at the time of the leak. An oil spill of more than 1,000 barrels into a Wisconsin field from an Enbridge (Toronto: ENB.TO - news) pipeline last summer kept that line shuttered for around 11 days.

The Arkansas spill drew fast reaction from opponents of the 800,000 bpd Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry heavy crude from Canada's tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast refining centre.

Environmentalists have expressed concerns about the impact of developing the oil sands and say the crude is more corrosive to pipelines than conventional oil. On Wednesday, a train carrying Canadian crude derailed in Minnesota, spilling 15,000 gallons of oil.

"Whether it's the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, or ... (the) mess in Arkansas, Americans are realizing that transporting large amounts of this corrosive and polluting fuel is a bad deal for American taxpayers and for our environment," said Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Supporters of Keystone XL and oil sands development say the vast Canadian reserves can help drive down fuel costs in the United States. A report from the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, put together by oil and gas consultancy Penspen, argued diluted bitumen is no more corrosive than other heavy crude.

CLEANUP

Exxon said that by 3 a.m. Saturday there was no additional oil spilling from the pipeline and that trucks had been brought in to assist with the cleanup. Images from local media showed crude oil snaking along a suburban street.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration were deployed to the scene.

"Cleanup efforts are progressing 24 hours a day," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers, who added the oil had not leaked into nearby Lake Conway.

"We were very fortunate that the local responders made sure the oil did not enter the water."

(Reporting by Matthew Robinson in New York and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exxon-shuts-oil-pipeline-major-005905765.html

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Iraq's Christians face hardship, but peaceful Easter also highlights promise

War and persecution by newly empowered Islamist forces drove Iraq's Christians away, halving the population of the once-thriving community. But a new Christian leader vows to rebuild.

By Jane Arraf,?Correspondent / March 31, 2013

A worshipper reaches to touch a crucifix during Easter mass at Virgin Mary Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday. The Chaldean Church is an Eastern Rite church affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Khalid Mohammed/AP

Enlarge

Iraqi Christians celebrated a largely peaceful Easter under heavy security as a newly-elected Catholic leader pledged to try to stop an exodus from the Middle East and rebuild the battered church community.

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Soldiers and federal policemen in armored vehicles were posted outside churches and security patrols were increased in Christian areas. Because of Baghdad?s fragile security, at many churches the main Easter service traditionally ending at dawn Sunday morning was held Saturday night.

Iraq?s Christian population, which was believed to top 1 million before the war, dropped to half that as Christians fled attacks on their neighborhoods and churches. Many of them have resettled in the west. Tens of thousands of Christians who went to neighboring Syria for safety or to apply for refugee status are just now beginning to return as fighting rages in that country.

On Sunday morning in Baghdad, church bells rang out as families with children dressed in new Easter clothing greeted each other on the steps in the spring sunshine. The?post-Saddam?Iraqi government has continued a decades-long tradition of granting Christian government workers a two-day holiday for Easter.

At the main Chaldean Catholic mass late last night, the new Chaldean patriarch, dressed in a red cape and gold-embroidered, stone-encrusted headdress celebrated Easter with a few hundred parishioners in a mass carried live on state television.?

Louis Raphael Sako was elected last month by a conference of bishops in Rome to head the Chaldean Catholic church, the largest of the Christian denominations in Iraq and Syria. The patriarch, whose official title is Patriarch of Babylon, is the most senior religious official of the church. It traces its roots back to Jesus's apostle St. Thomas,? who preached the gospel as he traveled through Iraq and Syria on his way to India.

Mr. Sako, who met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last week to urge him to meet with political opponents, called in his sermon yesterday for Iraqis to unite to help build prosperity and stability.

In an interview this week, Sako made clear that, after what he described as several years of stagnation, the church would focus on making it safe enough for Christians to remain in Iraq and on strengthening ties with the Muslim community.

?We must stay. This is our history. This is our patrimony. When we leave everything will leave with us,? says Sako. ?Other Iraqis are also persecuted, not only Christians, so there is a solidarity among us? They have to stay to struggle with the others.?

Christian exodus

More than 1,000 Christians have been killed in the past 10 years and 60 churches have been attacked since Saddam Hussein was toppled, according to Sako. Although that is only a fraction of the number of Muslim victims, it is a much larger percentage of the overall community.

In the worst of the attacks, gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic church during mass in 2010, killing 58 people, including priests. A group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.? The church has re-opened but is now hidden behind high concrete walls, guarded by soldiers, and closed to all but regular parishioners.

That attack and fragile security in Baghdad, Mosul, and other centers with large Christian communities, sparked a new exodus.?

A lack of priests has left only 18 Chaldean parishes, down from 30. In some areas where large numbers of Christians have been displaced and there are no priests, mass is held only once a month instead of daily or weekly.

The Chaldean population in Syria doubled to about 30,000?as Iraqi Christians fled there when it was safer. Some are now beginning to come back?as their country of refuge falls apart.

?Sako says emigration from Iraq mirrors the movement of?Christians from other countries, where the Arab Spring has toppled dictators, but?also removed much of the protection for Middle East Christians.?

?They are scared ? all Christians, not only Chaldeans,? says Sako. ?The Arab spring is not a spring. It has changed even in Egypt, in Tunisia, in Algeria, in Libya. Now the Islamists have the power ? the authority.?

?People are afraid of a kind of Islamic state as it was in the Seventh century where Christians would be considered a second class citizen...We want to keep?[Iraq's Christians]?? to convince them that they can stay here and to live a good life,? he says.?

Still 'more freedom' here

While some are still trying to leave Iraq, many of those who stayed form a tight-knit community,?remembering the diverse, more tolerant country that existed before the war and determined not to leave it.

?I will never leave Iraq. We have more freedom here than any other country in the region,? says a retired academic attending mass at St. Joseph?s last night. However, the woman said she did not want her name used because she lives in Mosul, the site of many of the attacks on priests and parishioners. Her sister and brother-in-law were wounded in the attack at Our Lady of Salvation and are still undergoing medical treatment in France.

At the Easter ceremony at St. Joseph?s, a female parishioner delivered the reading from the gospel while altar girls joined boys in the procession. Young women in tight jeans with long, flowing hair stood next to older women in black with lace scarves on their heads. ?

Sako ? who has studied Islam and speaks French, English, Italian, and German in addition to Arabic and the Aramaic spoken by most Chaldeans ? was known for building strong ties with Muslim religious and political officials when he was archbishop of Kirkuk before being elected patriarch.?

Kirkuk, in the middle of Iraq?s northern oil fields, is?disputed territory,?claimed by the central government, as well as Kurds and Turkmen.

He says Christians have been swept into the wider struggle for power in Iraq, which includes sectarian violence as well as conflict between the Kurdish and central governments.

?Shiites, Sunnis, Christians are also a victim of this conflict ? we don?t understand why they are attacking Christians because we don?t have any political ambition,? he says. ?We don?t want to set up a Christian regime in Iraq but there is a struggle between Shiite and Sunni ? and between the Kurds. The future is not known.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/d8V5hiIppFs/Iraq-s-Christians-face-hardship-but-peaceful-Easter-also-highlights-promise

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GWH News and Notes: March 30 Birthdays and Memoriams

March 30 Birthdays and Memoriams

Bill Alexander, Ron Garvin, Mike Rotunda, and Zach Gowen celebrate birthdays today. Terry McGinnis died at the age of 41 on this day in 1952, and Barney Tucker was 88 when he passed in 2008.

Source: http://www.gwhnews.com/2013/03/march-30-birthdays-and-memoriams.html

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Pope leads Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.

Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter's Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy.

Faithful had already filled the square hours before the Mass began in mid-morning, and throughout the service streams of people kept flocking there for his speech and blessing, traditionally delivered after the Mass from the central balcony of the basilica.

By mid-ceremony, some 250,000 people had turned out, the Vatican said.

Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith ? the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.

After heavy rain battered Rome during the night, more was forecast. But Sunday saw sunny skies alternate with clouds.

With Rome's chilly, rainy winter postponing the blossoming of many flowers until recently, the square was a welcome riot of floral color in the city. Sprays of yellow forsythia and daffodils and white lilies ? the colors of the Vatican flag ? dominated, but there were also bursts of lavender and pink, from potted azalea, rhododendron, wisteria and other plants.

Pope's Easter speech has been used by past pontiffs to reflect on the world's conflicts and ills.

Since Francis was elected pope on March 13, becoming the first Latin American and first Jesuit pontiff ever, he has put concern for the poor and others on the margins of society at the heart of his attention to set an example for his flock.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-leads-easter-mass-st-peters-square-085656305.html

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Where Have All The Physical QWERTYs Gone?

It?s approaching three years since I emailed and got a reply from the late Steve Jobs. The topic of my caffeine-fueled missive that sunny day in June 2010 was the industry?s move towards touch-based interfaces and, specifically, Apple?s one-size-fits-all approach regarding the iPhone?s lack of a physical QWERTY keyboard.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QkLshAsmXHU/

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NATO Strike Kills Child in Afghanistan (Voice Of America)

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Achebe's passing: Beginning of the end of an epoch in Africa writing

By NGUGI WA THIONG?O
I?first met Chinua Achebe in 1961 at Makerere, Kampala. His novel, Things Fall Apart, had come out two years before. I was then a second year student, the author of just one story, Mugumo, published in Penpoint, the literary magazine of the English Department. At my request, he looked at the story and made some encouraging remarks.

My next encounter was more dramatic, on my part at least, and would affect my life and literary career profoundly. It was at the now famous 1962 conference of writers of English expression.

Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

Achebe was among a long line of literary luminaries that included Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Eski?a Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane. The East African contingent consisted of Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, John Nagenda and I.

My invitation was on the strength of my short stories published in Penpoint and in Transition.

But what most attracted me was not my being invited there as ?writer? but the fact that I would be able to show Achebe the manuscript of my second novel, what would later become Weep Not, Child. It was very generous of him to agree to look at it because, as I would learn later, he was working on his novel, Arrow of God. Because of that and his involvement in the conference, he could not read the whole manuscript, but he read enough to give some useful suggestions.

More important, he talked about it to his publisher, William Heinemann, represented at the conference by June Milne, who expressed an interest in the work. Weep Not, Child would later be published by Heinemann and the paperback by Heinemann Education Publishers, the fourth in the now famous African Writers series of which Achebe was the Editorial Adviser.

I was working with the Nation newspapers when Weep Not, Child came out. It was April 1964, and Kenya was proud to have its first modern novel in English by a Kenyan African. ?Or so I thought, for the novel was well published in the Kenyan newspapers, the Sunday Nation even carrying my interview by de Villiers, one of its senior features writers.

Shaking hands with a hero

I assumed that every educated Kenyan would have heard about the novel. I was woken to reality when I entered a club, the most frequented by the new African elite at the time, who all greeted me as their Kenyan author of Things Fall Apart.

Years later, at Achebe?s 70th birthday celebrations at BardCollege attended by Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka among others, I told this story of how Achebe?s name had haunted my life. When Soyinka?s turn to speak came, he said I had taken the story from his mouth: He had been similarly mistaken for Achebe.

The fact is Achebe became synonymous with the Heinemann African Writers Series and African writing as a whole. There?s hardly any African writer of my generation who has not been mistaken for Achebe.

I have had a few of such encounters. The last such was in 2010 at the JomoKenyattaAirport. Mukoma, the author of Nairobi Heat, and I had been invited for the Kwani? festival whose theme was inter-generational dialogue. ?As he and I walked towards the?immigration desk, a man came towards me. His hands were literally trembling as he identified himself as a professor of literature from Zambia.

?Excuse me Mr Achebe, somebody pointed you out to me. I have long wanted to meet you.?

?No, no I am not the one,? I said, ?but here is Mr Achebe,? I added pointing at my son.

I thought the obvious youth of my son would tell him that I was being facetious. But no, our professor grabbed Mukoma?s hands grateful that he had at last shaken hands with his hero.

The case of mistaken identity as late as 2010 shows how Achebe had become a mythical figure, and rightly so. He was the single most important figure in the development of modern African literature as writer, editor and quite simply a human being.

His novel, Things Fall Apart, the most widely read novel in the history of African literature since its publication in 1958 became an inspiring model. As the general editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series, he had a hand in the emergence of many other writers and their publication.

As a person, he embodied wisdom that comes from a commitment to the middle way between extremes and, of course, courage in the face of personal tragedy!

Achebe bestrides generations and geographies

Every country in Africa claims him as their own. Some sayings in his novels are quoted frequently as proverbs that contain universal wisdom. His passing marks the beginning of the end of an epoch.

Ngugi wa Thiong?o is a creative writer and distinguished professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.

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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/achebes-passing-beginning-of-the-end-of-an-epoch-in-africa-writing/

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North Korea warns of 'state of war' with South

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea warned Seoul on Saturday that the Korean Peninsula was entering "a state of war" and threatened to shut down a border factory complex that's the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

Analysts say a full-scale conflict is extremely unlikely, noting that the Korean Peninsula has remained in a technical state of war for 60 years. But the North's continued threats toward Seoul and Washington, including a vow to launch a nuclear strike, have raised worries that a misjudgment between the sides could lead to a clash.

North Korea's threats are seen as efforts to provoke the new government in Seoul, led by President Park Geun-hye, to change its policies toward Pyongyang, and to win diplomatic talks with Washington that could get it more aid. North Korea's moves are also seen as ways to build domestic unity as young leader Kim Jong Un strengthens his military credentials.

On Thursday, U.S. military officials revealed that two B-2 stealth bombers dropped dummy munitions on an uninhabited South Korean island as part of annual defense drills that Pyongyang sees as rehearsals for invasion. Hours later, Kim ordered his generals to put rockets on standby and threatened to strike American targets if provoked.

North Korea said in a statement Saturday that it would deal with South Korea according to "wartime regulations" and would retaliate against any provocations by the United States and South Korea without notice.

"Now that the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK have entered into an actual military action, the inter-Korean relations have naturally entered the state of war," said the statement, which was carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Provocations "will not be limited to a local war, but develop into an all-out war, a nuclear war," the statement said.

Hours after the statement, Pyongyang threatened to shut down the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, expressing anger over media reports suggesting the complex remained open because it was a source of hard currency for the impoverished North.

"If the puppet group seeks to tarnish the image of the DPRK even a bit, while speaking of the zone whose operation has been barely maintained, we will shut down the zone without mercy," an identified spokesman for the North's office controlling Kaesong said in comments carried by KCNA.

South Korea's Unification Ministry responded by calling the North Korean threat "unhelpful" to the countries' already frayed relations and vowed to ensure the safety of hundreds of South Korean managers who cross the border to their jobs in Kaesong. It did not elaborate.

South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the country's military remains mindful of the possibility that increasing North Korean drills near the border could lead to an actual provocation.

"The series of North Korean threats ? announcing all-out war, scrapping the cease-fire agreement and the non-aggression agreement between the South and the North, cutting the military hotline, entering into combat posture No. 1 and entering a 'state of war' ? are unacceptable and harm the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," Kim said.

"We are maintaining full military readiness in order to protect our people's lives and security," he told reporters Saturday.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Naval skirmishes in the disputed waters off the Korean coast have led to bloody battles several times over the years.

But on the streets of Seoul on Saturday, South Koreans said they were not worried about an attack from North Korea.

"From other countries' point of view, it may seem like an extremely urgent situation," said Kang Tae-hwan, a private tutor. "But South Koreans don't seem to be that nervous because we've heard these threats from the North before."

The Kaesong industrial park, which is run with North Korean labor and South Korean know-how, has been operating normally, despite Pyongyang shutting down a communications channel typically used to coordinate travel by South Korean workers to and from the park just across the border in North Korea. The rivals are now coordinating the travel indirectly, through an office at Kaesong that has outside lines to South Korea.

North Korea has previously made such threats about Kaesong without acting on them, and recent weeks have seen a torrent of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang. North Korea is angry about the South Korea-U.S. military drills and new U.N. sanctions over its nuclear test last month.

Dozens of South Korean firms run factories in the border town of Kaesong. Using North Korea's cheap, efficient labor, the Kaesong complex produced $470 million worth of goods last year.

___

Follow Sam Kim at www.twitter.com/samkim_ap.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-warns-state-war-south-125535455.html

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Teachers' gestures boost math learning

Mar. 29, 2013 ? Students perform better when their instructors use hand gestures -- a simple teaching tool that could yield benefits in higher-level math such as algebra.

A study published in Child Development, the top-ranked educational psychology journal, provides some of the strongest evidence yet that gesturing may have a unique effect on learning. Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in other countries.

"Gesturing can be a very beneficial tool that is completely free and easily employed in classrooms," said Kimberly Fenn, study co-author and assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University. "And I think it can have long-lasting effects."

Fenn and Ryan Duffy of MSU and Susan Cook of the University of Iowa conducted an experiment with 184 second-, third- and fourth-graders in Michigan elementary classrooms.

Half ofthe students were shown videos of an instructor teaching math problems using only speech. The others were shown videos of the instructor teaching the same problems using both speech and gestures.

The problem involved mathematical equivalence (i.e., 4+5+7=__+7), which is known to be critical to later algebraic learning. In the speech-only videos, the instructor simply explains the problem. In the other videos, the instructor uses two hand gestures while speaking, using different hands to refer to the two sides of the equation.

Students who learned from the gesture videos performed better on a test given immediately afterward than those who learned from the speech-only video.

Another test was given 24 hours later, and the gesture students actually showed improvement in their performance while the speech-only students did not.

While previous research has shown the benefits of gestures in a one-on-one tutoring-style environment, the new study is the first to test the role of gestures in equivalence learning in a regular classroom.

The study also is the first to show that gestures can help students transfer learning to new contexts -- such as transferring the knowledge learned in an addition-based equation to a multiplication-based equation.

Fenn noted that U.S. students lag behind those in many other Western countries in math and have a particularly hard time mastering equivalence problems in early grades.

"So if we can help them grasp this foundational knowledge earlier," she said, "it will help them as they learn algebra and higher levels of mathematics."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Michigan State University.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Susan Wagner Cook, Ryan G. Duffy, Kimberly M. Fenn. Consolidation and Transfer of Learning After Observing Hand Gesture. Child Development, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12097

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/IO4pt2GHJqU/130329125105.htm

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SGN - Seattle Gay News - Page 7 - Huck won't have it - Former ...

by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

Less than 24 hours after being endorsed by RNC chair Reince Priebus as a potential Republican Party spokesperson on LGBT issues, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee threatened that he and his fellow evangelicals would 'take a walk' if the GOP supports marriage equality.

As a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, Huckabee won a reputation as a common-sense politician with a sense of humor and the ability to relate to rank-and-file voters.

'I always tell people: Listen to Governor Mike Huckabee,' Priebus said March 25, echoing the public perception of the former governor. 'I don't know anyone that talks about [same-sex marriage] any better.'

Huckabee's reputation was always at odds with his fundamentalist religious views, however, as he demonstrated in a NewsMax interview soon after Priebus's remarks. Asked about Republican Sen. Rob Portman's endorsement of marriage equality and the possibility that the GOP as a whole might also reverse course and accept same-sex marriage, Huckabee responded with a threat to withdraw from the party.

'They might [endorse same-sex marriage],' he said. 'And if they do, they're going to lose a large part of their base because evangelicals will take a walk.'

AN 'OBJECTIVE STANDARD'
'And it's not because there's an anti-homosexual mood, and nobody's homophobic that I know of, but many of us, and I consider myself included, base our standards not on the latest Washington Post poll, but on an objective standard, not a subjective standard,' Huckabee continued.

'I have great sympathy and extraordinary admiration for Senator Portman. I consider him a friend and I value his work in the Senate and think he's a great person. The mistake is that we sometimes base our public-policy decisions on how we feel, how we think, maybe even some personal experiences, and we don't regard a lot of these issues from the standpoint of an objective standard.

'Let me explain what I mean by that. If we have subjective standards, that means that we're willing to move our standards based on the prevailing whims of culture. Politicians have an obligation to be thermostats, not just thermometers. They're not simply to reflect the temperature of the room, or the culture, as it were. They're to set the standards for law, for what's right, for what's wrong, understanding that not everybody's going to agree with it.

'On this issue, I recognize the culture is moving away from the traditional standard, but it's almost like saying, well, we have a basketball team and nobody on the team can hit the goal that's 10 feet off the floor so we're going to lower the goal down to six feet and that way everybody can slam-dunk the ball.

'So the question is, have you have improved your basketball game? Or have you actually just changed the standard so it looks like you're doing better? And that's my concern.'

FIGHTING THE FUTURE
While these views might have come as a surprise to Reince Priebus, they should not surprise anyone who is familiar with Huckabee's record.

'I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman,' Huckabee wrote on his 2008 campaign website. 'As President, I will fight for passage of this amendment. My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman, for life.'

Huckabee has also opposed ENDA, DADT repeal, federal hate-crimes protections for LGBT people, and adoption rights for Gay and Lesbian couples.

If Huckabee's intransigent opposition to equality is typical of the evangelical wing of the Republican Party, and it probably is, the GOP will face huge obstacles trying to update its image and appeal to younger voters, who overwhelmingly accept Gay and Lesbian relationships.

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Source: http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews41_13/page7.cfm

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Art 7 Entertainment: About casino portals and gambling guides

Understanding how a casino portal works is not something that is ready knowledge for most online gamblers.

Gambling guides and casino portals are sometimes misunderstood. Many people do not realize it is these gambling websites which are very much responsible for the good things that happen in the world of online gambling because they are the ears and voices of the gaming community. Many times online casinos have reversed their decision to take an action which is not player-friendly because of the outcries of guides and portal owners who are almost all what is called "affiliates" in the industry.

As important as it is to know the affiliate is responsible for many of the good things in online gambling it is equally important to understand that nothing is ever taken away from the player by the existence of the affiliate. Some people think that because the affiliate makes a commission that they are costing the player something but it couldn't be further from the truth. Affiliates are like an extra padding of insurance that the player will be treated right. Just like there are bad casinos and good, so are there bad affiliates and good. The bad ones are those who will promote any online casino willing to pay them, the good ones step in on behalf of their players whenever a casino mistreats them. That being said, whether an affiliate costs the player any extra money is a separate issue from what casinos an affiliate chooses to list on their site or if they will step in on behalf of the player.

Affiliates are paid in several different ways which include a set amount for every visit sent to the casino website, a set amount for every player who signs up and plays for real money, a percentage of what that player loses, and there is even a payment model that depends largely on the player winning which is called "wagershare", a common practice in Las Vegas that happens with high rollers where someone who is a free-lance escort is paid in the same manner... which is a percentage on whatever amount is gambled. That is not on what is won or what is lost, but rather it is just like the way any casino, land or virtual, figures comp points. It is all figured on how many times you put money into the slot machine, or how many hands and at what stakes? in blackjack or one of the other table games. The more the player wins the more they are going to wager of course so this model is a favorite with most guides because they want to see the players win and its great when you can also profit from that excitement. In truth it all figures out to about the same whatever the model is based, although the residual incomes (the percentage of) are the fairest to all involved because the other models always end up with one side or the other coming out on the short end of the stick (that meaning the affiliate and the casino as this has no bearing on a player because if the affiliate wasn't to get paid what they do ... the money would go straight into the casino's advertising budget or their pocket but it doesn't go back to the player, just ask anybody who has ever signed up straight from a search engine, they get no more extras than anybody else, further is they have nobody to turn for help if they get cheated, whereas those who signed up through a guide can go back there and ask for intervention).

There are also gambling guides and casino portals that straight out sell advertising space and some that were created by the casinos they list. But no matter what the type, at no time does the affiliate ever cost the player anything. Besides being excellent places from which to choose a casino, these establishments often offer tips to help the player in both their game play and in their approach to online gambling as it is different than real life, most noticeably in the time delay of payments.

Source: http://art7entertainment.blogspot.com/2013/03/about-casino-portals-and-gambling-guides.html

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Cypriot banks reopen after 12 days -- but customers can only withdraw $383 each

After the banking system was shut down for nearly two weeks, Cyprus' banks finally reopened to long lines of people who faced limits as to how much they could withdraw. NBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Banks on the tax haven of Cyprus opened Thursday for the first time in 12 days amid the island's continuing financial crisis, but the country's financial controls could remain in place for another month.

Strict limits on the amount of money that could be withdrawn have been imposed ? people will be able to withdraw 300 euros ($383) a day and no checks will be cashed ? amid fears of a run on the banks.

Account holders showed up hours before the banks were due to open to get in line.

Early indications were that there was no mass rush to withdraw cash, with just 13 people waiting outside one large Bank of Cyprus branch on the island as it opened at noon local time (6 a.m. ET). They were surrounded by a scrum of journalists.

?We need only from you cooperation, understanding and please patience,? the manager of the branch said before opening.

However a small crowd of people did press against the doors of a branch of Laiki Bank, which is being liquidated. CNBC sources estimate those with more than 100,000 euros (about $128,000) in accounts in Laiki Bank could lose 40 to 70 percent of their deposits.

---

During the banking shutdown, people could only withdraw 100 euros (about $127) a day from the country's two biggest banks, using ATMs.?Most who lined up for the opening Thursday were elderly people and those without ATM cards.?

Deposits above 100,000 euros with the Bank of Cyprus will be frozen and 40 percent of each account will be converted into bank stock. Accounts in both banks with balances under 100,000 euros will be fully protected.

A previous proposal to take less from all bank accounts?was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament.

Later Thursday, the Cypriot foreign minister?Ioannis Kasoulides said curbs on money movement would remain in place longer than originally planned, "probably over a period of about a month," according to Reuters.

The country is seeking to meet the terms of a bailout from the European Union of 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) and, in order to raise enough funds to meet strict conditions imposed by the EU, it is preparing to take money from bank accounts.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso Cabrera reports on banks reopening in Cyprus and the limits they've imposed on depositors. The situation, she says, is calmer than expected.

Ahead of the banks? reopening, money was flown into the island and guards were seen delivering cash to banks in armored vehicles.

The banks were due to close at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

There was some relief on the island that the banks were finally opening again, but this was mixed with fear about what could happen.

'Slow death'
Yorgos Georgiou, who owns a dry cleaning business in Nicosia, told Reuters that "finally people's mood will be lifted and we can start to trust the system again."

But he added: "I'm worried about the poor kids working in the cashiers today, because people might vent their anger at them. You can't predict how people will react after so many days."

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old retiree, told Reuters that the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been "like a slow death."

"How can they tell you that you can't access your own money in the bank? It's our money, we are entitled to it,? he added.

The country?s president, Nicos Anastasiades, has described the bailout deal as ?painful? but essential.

However, Nobel laureate economist Christopher Pissarides said it was ?extremely unfair to the little guy.?

?For the first time in the euro zone, depositors are (being) asked to bail out failing banks," he said. "Now that used to be the case in the 1930s, especially United States (and) caused big bank runs. It has been decided since then that we shouldn?t allow that to happen again.?

As Cyprus celebrates its Independence Day, the ?government is defending the last-minute bailout deal it's negotiated with the European Union. This means shutting down the country's second biggest bank, with big savers facing ?losses. ?ITV's Emma Murphy reports.

Among other controls, the island's central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinize transactions over 200,000 euros on an individual basis, Reuters reported. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them. An earlier draft of the decree had put the figure at 3,000.

Reuters summed up the situation facing the island:

With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.?The bailout looks set to push Cyprus deeper into an economic slump, shrink the banking sector and cost thousands of jobs.

European leaders said the bailout deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro.

Many Cypriots say the deal was foisted upon them by Cyprus's partners in the 17-nation euro zone within the European Union, and some have taken to the streets to vent their frustration.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Katie Slaman, and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

Cypriots fear run on banks as branches prepare to reopen

Cypriots: Hope, but also fear they 'will be like slaves' to Russia

EU to Cypriots: Let us raid your savings or no bailout

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:52 AM EDT

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Bombs at five Iraqi Shi'ite mosques kill 19

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs hit five Shi'ite mosques in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk just after prayers on Friday, killing 19 worshippers and injuring another 130.

Ten years after the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraq is still grappling with political turmoil and Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda, who are stepping up attacks on Shi'ite targets and security forces.

Friday's blasts hit Shi'ite mosques in southeast and north Baghdad while another tore the front off a mosque in Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed city of Arabs, Kurds and Turkman 170 km (100 miles) north of the capital.

"We were listening to the cleric's speech when we heard a very strong explosion. Glass scattered everywhere and the roof partially collapsed," said Mohammed, a victim wounded in the Kirkuk blast, his shirt still covered in blood.

Police and health officials said the attacks in Baghdad killed 16. Three more died in Kirkuk, where the blast left a jumble of concrete wreckage in the mosque and on the street outside.

Attacks in Iraq are still less common than during the Sunni-Shi'ite slaughter that erupted at the height of the last war, when insurgents bombed the Shi'ite al-Askari shrine in Samarra in 2006, provoking a wave of retaliation by Shi'ite militias.

Al Qaeda's local wing, Islamic State of Iraq, has vowed to keep up attacks and security officials say insurgents are regrouping in the deserts of western Iraq, invigorated by the war Sunni rebels are waging in Syria over the border.

Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings and suicide attacks earlier this month that killed around 60 people on the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion.

Sunni Islamists see Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government as oppressors of the country's Sunni minority and are targeting Shi'ites to try to trigger the kind of inter-communal mayhem that killed thousands in 2006-7.

Washington has tied the militant al-Nusra Front fighting in Syria to al Qaeda's Iraqi branch and has designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

Iraq's government says it takes no sides in the Syrian war but its interests are often aligned with those of Shi'ite Iran. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday pressed Maliki to stop Iranian flights taking arms over Iraqi airspace to Syria.

(Reporting by Omar Mohammed and Baghdad newsroom; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bombs-kill-17-five-iraqi-shiite-mosques-120650239.html

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5 Handy Tools to Boost Productivity in Business - Small Businesses ...

Harsh economic times and general demands have many businesses working in overdrive. With meetings to organize, staff to accommodate, and customers to please, there just doesn?t seem to be enough time to get it all done. It can make for a frustrating environment, but thanks to technology, there are solutions.

The internet has brought us an abundance of tools that offer the ability to keep production moving. These five tools have the potential to come in handy in both the office and home setting.

1. Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk has a lot to offer business pros and homebodies alike. This app comes with several interesting perks, including the ability to:

• ?Share tasks
• ?Manage tasks offline
• ?Integrate with Google Calendar
• ?Receive notifications via email, IM, or text

At the basic level, Remember the Milk is great at creating lists that you can easily manage in a variety of unique ways. It?s all cloud-based, so you can pretty much access it at any time, on any device.

2. Google Drive

Although DropBox has been on top of the online file storage game for a while, Google Drive has proven to be a worthy alternative. Available for web use, Android, and even iOS, the service that started out as a glorified version of Google Docs has matured into a nice little tool all its own. In addition to storage, it serves up real-time updates, the ability to download documents, and full-on editing capabilities. Google Drive is also cloud driven, so you can access your data any time on a multitude of devices.

3. Objectiveli

Objectiveli is another utility that comes in handy for task management. This web-based tool provides you with a streamlined interface that allows you to track tasks, goals, and objectives in real-time. It helps teams and organizations stay focused by providing a centralized view of everything that has been assigned, thus minimizing the need for handwritten notes, spreadsheets, and internal email communications. Objectiveli is highly recommended for team orientated businesses, and individuals who want to see what?s ahead of them in big picture form.?

4. Rapportive

What we have here is a tool that enhances the power of your Gmail account. Rapportive delivers rich data about your contacts directly to your inbox. It pulls data about these contacts from a number of different sources, including Facebok, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Quora. So if it?s someone from LinkedIn, you would be able to see updates and other activity without actually visiting the site. ?Hence the name, this tool is all about getting to better know your contacts so you can form a ?rapport?.

Rapportive is a free tool available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Mailplane, and Safari. This one can be extremely handy for marketers scouting the web for leads, or the consumer who simply wants to know more about a company before doing business with them.

5. Pomio

Sales people, managers, programmers, and people all over the world are practicing the Pomodoro Technique, the time management method developed by Francisco Cirillo many years ago. Some say its overblown hogwash. Others swear by it. Lost? This five-step overview sums it up:

• ?Outline a specific task
• ?Set your timer to 25 minutes
• ?Work on the task for 25 minutes straight through?
• ?Break briefly for about three to five minutes
• Take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes between each set (every four 25-minute periods)

The concept is simple enough, but getting the most from it has proven challenging. That?s where tools like Pomio come in. Pomio is an iOS app that acts as a Pomodoro timer, but it does so much more. It fully supports task management by allowing you to enter specific objectives and properly time them to make sure you are doing the method correctly. With access to detailed analytics, you can find out where you?re excelling, and where you need improvements. This is a fun little tool that can actually help you get more done if you play fair.

Conclusion
Steady productivity is one of those intangible assets with value that simply can?t be measured. But as you know, keeping it a high level is a task in and of itself. With everything from social networks to reality shows in the mix, the potential for distraction is greater than ever. On the bright side, there are plenty of good productivity tools at your disposal. All you gotta do is find the right ones and use them.

Chiko Noguchi is a best practices activist and advocate for a leading provider of event marketing services.

Image courtesy John-Morgan

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Source: http://smallbusinessesdoitbetter.com/2013/03/5-handy-tools-to-boost-productivity-in-business/

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Confederate flag comes down at old N.C. capitol

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol last week to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being taken down after civil rights leaders raised concerns.

The decision was announced Friday evening, hours after the Associated Press published a story about the flag, which officials said was part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863. The flag had been planned to hang in the House chamber until April 2015, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of federal troops in Raleigh.

"This is a temporary exhibit in an historic site, but I've learned the governor's administration is going to use the old House chamber as working space," Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz said Friday night. "Given that information, this display will end this weekend rather than April of 2015."

Kim Genardo, the spokeswoman for Gov. Pat McCrory, said the exhibit that includes the Confederate battle flag will be relocated, possibly across the street to the N.C. Museum of History.

The decision was a quick about-face for the McCrory administration, which initially defended the display. Many people see the flag as a potent reminder of racial discrimination and bigotry.

State Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison had said Thursday the flag should be viewed in what he called the proper historical context.

"Our goal is not to create issues," said Hardison, a Civil War re-enactor and history buff. "Our goal is to help people understand issues of the past. ... If you refuse to put something that someone might object to or have a concern with in the exhibit, then you are basically censoring history."

North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber was shocked Friday when he was shown a photo of the flag by the AP.

"He is right that it has a historical context," Barber said. "But what is that history? The history of racism. The history of lynchings. The history of death. The history of slavery. If you say that shouldn't be offensive, then either you don't know the history, or you are denying the history."

Barber couldn't immediately be reached Friday night, after the decision to take down the flag.

Sessions of the General Assembly moved to a newer building a half-century ago, but the old Capitol building is still routinely used as a venue for official state government events. McCrory's office is on the first floor, as are the offices of his chief of staff and communications staff.

The Republican governor was in the House chamber where the Confederate flag hangs as recently as Thursday, when he presided over the swearing-in ceremony of his new Highway Patrol commander.

The presentation of the Confederate battle flag at state government buildings has long been an issue of debate throughout the South. For more than a decade, the NAACP has urged its members to boycott South Carolina because of that state's display of the flag on the State House grounds.

Prior to taking his current job in North Carolina in 2006, Hardison worked as director at the Mississippi home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which is operated as a museum and library owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group has led the fight in the South for the proud display of the Confederate flag, which it contends is a symbol of heritage, not hate.

Hardison said the battle flag was displayed with other flags described in the diary of a North Carolina woman who visited the Capitol in 1863. A large U.S. flag displayed in the Senate chamber is reminiscent of a trophy of war captured from Union troops at the Battle of Plymouth.

"I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to recreate this?" Hardison said. "I think we were all thinking along the same vein. ... The Capitol is both a working seat of government, in that the governor and his staff has his office there. But it is also a museum."

Hardison pointed out that the national flag used by the Confederate government, with its circle of white stars and red and white stripes, is still flown over the State Capitol dome each year on Confederate Memorial Day. The more familiar blood-red battle flag, featuring a blue "X'' studded with white stars, was used by the rebel military.

David Goldfield, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of the book "Still Fighting the Civil War," said the battle flag can hold starkly different meanings depending on a person's social perspective.

"The history of the Confederate battle flag, how it was designed and formulated, how it has been used through the years, clearly states that it is a flag of white supremacy," Goldfield said. "I know current Sons of Confederate Veterans would dispute that, saying 'Hey, I'm not a racist.' But the fact remains that the battle flag was used by a country that had as its foundation the protection and extension of human bondage."

___

Follow Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/confederate-flag-old-nc-capitol-coming-down-234855125.html

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Newtown gunman had access to huge weapons cache

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? When Adam Lanza walked out of his house for the last time, he left behind firearms and knives and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition ? taking only four guns. They would suffice.

He loaded the weapons into his car, drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, blasted his way into the building and within five minutes fired off 154 shots with a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle. Having murdered 20 first-graders and six educators, he killed himself with a final, single shot from a Glock handgun. He still had more than 100 rifle bullets at hand.

Warrants released Thursday provide the most insight to date into the world of the 20-year-old gunman, a recluse who played violent video games in a house packed with weaponry that was all too real. The inventory of items taken from the spacious, colonial-style home included books on autism, a vast array of weapon paraphernalia, and images of what appears to be a dead person covered with plastic and blood.

The weapons used in the shooting had all apparently been purchased by Lanza's mother, Nancy, with whom he lived, said prosecutor Stephen J. Sedensky III, in a statement accompanying the warrants.

She was found dead in her bed; Adam Lanza had shot her the morning of the massacre, Dec. 14. Authorities also found a holiday card from Nancy Lanza containing a check made out to her son for the purchase of yet another firearm.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy expressed incredulity over the access that the troubled young man had to a cache of weapons.

"There are parts of this story that are unfathomable," he said. "How anyone would have maintained that household that way is difficult to understand."

Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son Daniel was killed at Sandy Hook, said he was not surprised by anything revealed Thursday.

"Most of this is pretty high level stuff that we were aware of already and it just reminds me of what happened, that a gunman stormed his way into an elementary school and shot to death 26 people, 20 of which were first-grade boys and girls," Barden said.

The shooting elevated gun safety to the top of President Barack Obama's agenda; at an event in Washington on Thursday, joined by the families of four children killed at Sandy Hook, he urged lawmakers not to get "squishy" in the face of opposition to gun control.

"Shame on us if we've forgotten," Obama said. "I haven't forgotten those kids."

The debate has extended to Newtown, a rural community of 27,000 people in western Connecticut which is also home to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. A protest and counter-protest were scheduled outside the foundation's offices Thursday.

If it's possible to determine a motive for the massacre, there may be clues in Adam Lanza's journals, which state police seized from the house and turned over to the FBI for analysis. But authorities say that so far no conclusions have been reached. Sedensky estimated the investigation will be finished this summer.

At the Lanza house, investigators found books about autism and Asperger's syndrome, as well as one with tabbed pages entitled: "Train Your Brain to Get Happy." Adam Lanza was said to have been diagnosed with Asperger's.

But the warrants also reveal an intense interest in weaponry and violence.

A gun locker in Lanza's bedroom was open when police arrived at the house in the aftermath of the shootings, and there was no sign it had been broken into.

Investigators found a 7-foot pole with a blade on one side and a spear on another, a metal bayonet, three samurai swords, a .323-caliber bolt-action rifle, a .22-caliber Savage Mark II rifle and a .22-caliber Volcanic starter pistol. There was a military-style uniform in Lanza's bedroom; literature seized from the house included a news article on a 2008 shooting at Northern Illinois University and a National Rifle Association guide to pistol shooting.

In a duffel bag, investigators found ear and eye protection, binoculars, numerous paper targets and an NRA certificate that belonged to Adam Lanza. The NRA said Lanza was not a member.

An unnamed person told investigators that Lanza was an avid gamer who played "Call of Duty" and rarely left his home. The affidavit, which is partially blacked out, also has that person saying that Sandy Hook, the school Lanza attended as a child, was his "life."

On the day of the massacre, Lanza took two loaded handguns to the school along with the Bushmaster rifle. A fourth gun, a loaded 12-gauge Saiga shotgun, was found in the passenger compartment of his Honda Civic, along with 70 shotgun rounds.

Lanza went through six 30-round magazines for the Bushmaster, although half of them were not completely empty, and police said he had three other 30-round magazines in addition to one that was in the rifle.

A judge's order to seal the warrants expired on Wednesday, and a Danbury Superior Court judge granted a request by Sedensky to withhold some details. Sedensky asked to redact the name of a witness, saying the person's safety might be jeopardized if the name were disclosed. He also asked that the release not include other information such as telephone numbers, serial numbers on items found and a few paragraphs of an affidavit.

Malloy, a Democrat in his first term as governor, said the fact that Lanza left smaller magazines at the house should boost support for a state ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

"That somebody could get 154 shots off in less than five minutes, kill 20 children and six adults, is disturbing," Malloy said.

Connecticut House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., a Republican, said he expects the General Assembly will be ready to vote next week, possibly Wednesday, on a package addressing gun control and other issues raised by the shooting.

___

Associated Press writers John Christoffersen, Dave Collins and Susan Haigh in Hartford and John Christoffersen in New Haven contributed to this report. Melia reported from Hartford.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-gunman-had-access-huge-weapons-cache-201407746.html

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Berlin Wall falls for condos in pre-dawn operation

BERLIN (AP) ? Work crews backed by about 250 police removed parts of the Berlin Wall known as the East Side Gallery before dawn Wednesday to make way for an upscale building project, despite demands by protesters that the site be preserved.

Residents of the area expressed shock at the move, which followed several protests including one attended by American celebrity David Hasselhoff.

Police spokesman Alexander Toennies said there were no incidents as work began about 5 a.m. to remove four sections of the wall, each about 1.5 yards (1.2 meters) wide. That will make way for an access route to the planned high-rise luxury apartments along the nearby Spree River.

The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Construction workers removed a first piece earlier this month as part of a plan to make a road to a new luxury apartment complex . The public outcry brought a halt while local politicians and the investor said they were looking for a solution to keep the rest of the wall untouched.

The investor, Maik Uwe Hinkel, decided to remove four more 1.5-yard (1.2-meter) wide parts of the wall, according to Toennies.

"The constructor had the right to do this and he informed us a few days ago about his plans. Last night we were told that he wanted to remove the wall pieces early this morning," Toennies said.

Plans to remove part of the 1.3-kilometer (3/4-mile) stretch of wall sparked protests whose main message was that developers were sacrificing history for profit.

At least 136 people died trying to scale the wall that divided communist-run East Berlin from West Berlin. Over the years, the stretch has become a tourist attraction with colorful paintings decorating the old concrete tiles.

"I can't believe they came here in the dark in such a sneaky manner," said Kani Alavi, the head of the East Side Gallery's artists' group. "All they see is their money, they have no understanding for the historic relevance and art of this place."

By mid-morning the six-yard (meter) gap was covered by a wooden fence and protected by scores of police. Passers-by and a handful of protesters stared in disbelief.

Police officers guard a construction site and sections of the East Side Gallery, while parts of the former Berlin Wall are removed in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday March 27, 2013. Work crews backed by ... more? Police officers guard a construction site and sections of the East Side Gallery, while parts of the former Berlin Wall are removed in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday March 27, 2013. Work crews backed by about 250 police have removed portions of the Berlin Wall known as the East Side Gallery to make way for an upscale building project, despite demands by protesters that the site be preserved. Plans to remove part of the 1.3-kilometer (3/4-mile) stretch of wall sparked protests that developers were sacrificing history for profit. (AP Photo/dpa, Britta Pedersen) less? ?

"If you take these parts of the Wall away, you take away the soul of the city," said Ivan McClostney, 32, who moved here a year ago from Ireland. "This way, you make it like every other city. It's so sad."

In an emailed statement, Hinkel said the removal of parts of the wall was a temporary move to enable trucks to access the building site. He said after four weeks of fruitless negotiations with city officials and owners of adjacent property he was no longer willing to wait.

The East Side Gallery was recently restored at a cost of more than 2 million euros ($3 million) to the city. The wall section stood on the eastern side of the elaborate border strip built by communist East Germany after it sealed off West Berlin in 1961. At least 136 people died trying to scale the wall until it was opened on Nov. 9, 1989.

The stretch of wall was transformed into an open-air gallery months after the opening and is now covered in colorful murals painted by about 120 artists. They include the famous image of boxy East German Trabant car that appears to burst through the wall; and a fraternal communist kiss between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German boss Erich Honecker.

Not originally published in LIFE. A crowd of West Berlin residents watches as an East German policeman patrols the Berlin Wall in August 1961. (Paul Schutzer?Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pre-dawn-operation-removes-part-berlin-wall-120324155.html

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Anna Chlumsky: Pregnant with First Child!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/anna-chlumsky-pregnant-with-first-child/

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Study: Same-sex parents judged more harshly ? Binghamton ...

A new Binghamton University study suggests that gay parents are being judged more harshly than straight parents.

Members of the Interdisciplinary Research Group for the Study of Sexuality and Gender conducted a study of people?s reactions to the parenting behaviors of gay and straight parents. Their results showed a clear pattern of negative reactions from study participants toward a gay couple engaging in the same negative parenting behaviors as a straight couple.

Sean Massey and Ann Merriwether of Binghamton University and Justin Garcia of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University published the results of their study earlier this month in the?Journal of GLBT Family Studies.

?We noted that when parents displayed favorable parenting behaviors like comforting an upset child, gay and straight parents were judged in a similar, positive manner,? said Massey, a research associate professor of women, gender and sexuality studies. ??However, if parents got frustrated ? raised their voice or slapped their child on the hand ? the gay parents were judged more negatively than the straight parents.?

This marked difference in the study groups? reactions is significant, he said. While no parent is perfect, the researchers believe that holding gay parents to a different standard adds additional stress to the already stressful job of parenthood. It can also negatively affect their chances of adopting or becoming foster parents.

?We feel that it is very important for social workers and adoption counselors to be made aware of the effects of modern anti-gay prejudices and they need to educate themselves and develop policies that help protect against these potential biases,? Massey said.

There is a shortage of people stepping up to take in hundreds of thousands of children who are waiting for foster families or adoptions. The gay community could be a resource for many of these children, but this study indicates that if judged more harshly than their straight counterparts, gay parents are at a disadvantage.

?Raising awareness of these attitudes is a critical step in being able to utilize a potentially valuable pool of prospective adoptive and foster parents,? Massey?said, ?but it is also vital to improving the day-to-day lives of our families and our children.?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a policy statement supporting same-sex marriage and reiterating its support for the adoption of children by gay families. The researchers say that with strong support for gay marriage coming from the medical and psychological professional organizations, and with increasing support among the general public (58 percent of whom now support same-sex marriage), the next frontier for gay rights may be same-sex parenting.

Overt and hostile prejudice may indeed be diminishing, but Massey said biases continues to affect the lives of lesbians, gay men and their families. ?Prejudicial judgments, however subtle, that serve to limit access of these families to potential support and resources ultimately harm today?s youths,? he said.

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Source: http://discovere.binghamton.edu/news/gayparents-5200.html

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Verizon FiOS Is The Best Cable Bundle, Says Consumer Reports

Cable companies routinely score lower in customer satisfaction than almost any other consumer service, and a large part of that is the fact that most Americans can't choose their cable provider. But if you do have options, you should choose Verizon FiOS, according to a new report from Consumer Reports. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XZ1B0B4P8_0/verizon-fios-is-the-best-cable-bundle-says-consumer-reports

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