Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.rssmicro.com/rss.web?q=Google
dos santos snl boxing news boxing andy dalton miami marlins waterboarding
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Greek feud: 2 rival leaders share common bond (AP)
In an old black-and-white photograph, one wore long hair and a rakish mustache, the other thick-rimmed glasses.
Children of pedigree, they shared an undergraduate dorm at an American university. Forty years later, as political rivals at the height of the Greek crisis, George Papandreou ? until recently prime minister ? and Antonis Samaras symbolize the split personality of a nation with roots in left and right, chaos and greatness.
The sparring between the leaders of Greece's two main political parties is over for now. But the forces they represent will clash in elections as early as February, shaping the next chapter of a society on Europe's edge whose strife has an outsized impact on continental union, as well as the global economy.
The left-leaning Papandreou and the conservative Samaras are the yin and yang of modern Greece, heirs to historical divisions and symbols of interlocking currents of reform and tradition.
An acquaintance from their college days suggests that even amid public animosities, the two remain bound together by shared private history.
"Let's face it, power is a delirium. It's something that can make you turn on your friends," said Philip Tsiaras, who knew Papandreou and Samaras at Amherst College in Massachusetts in the early 1970s.
"In close quarters, with no one in the room and just the two of them, with no microphones or taping, I think you would hear a very different conversation."
The old photograph of the two adversaries, taken by Tsiaras' brother Alexander in 1973 at the Tsiaras home in New Hampshire, hints at the forces that shape Greece even today, and the way that history and family shadow the individual efforts of those at the nation's helm.
Papandreou sits with hands clasped, hair unruly. Samaras stands, clean-shaven, in a turtleneck sweater. Tsiaras, now an artist based in New York City, and Stefanos Manouilidis, now an insurance broker, are also in the photo. No one smiles. The poses are formal, the lighting is studio-quality.
At the time, Greece was under military rule, and the elite united in opposition and exile, despite ideological differences that are playing out today. Tsiaras said Papandreou and Samaras were not "bosom buddies," but they were thrown together in a tight-knit expatriate group. Papandreou, at home in the freewheeling spirit of the time, was "more American" and less politically ambitious than the straight-laced Samaras.
Yet Papandreou did not resist the dynastic pull. His grandfather had been prime minister; his father would become prime minister at the head of PASOK, a party with socialist roots. The young Papandreou's rise was steady and seemingly inevitable. He held various Cabinet posts in the 1980s and 1990s, became leader of PASOK in 2004 and led the party to victory in general elections in 2009.
Samaras' father, by contrast, was a heart surgeon. He did have relatives in politics, but none at the highest levels of goverment. His great-grandmother, writer Penelope Delta, killed herself when German troops entered Athens in World War II.
He later joined the conservative New Democracy party, which came to power after the junta's fall. Early in the current crisis, Samaras took a nationalist stand, but his agreement to join a coalition government signaled support for the bailout path, or what might be called a "pro-Europe" position.
That recent shift in direction reflects Samaras' delicate efforts to cater to all constituencies while retaining the loyalties of his camp. It is a more nuanced approach than in the past. In the early 1990s, Samaras formed his own party, hastening the collapse of the government he once supported. But he spent many years on the political fringes and eventually returned to the New Democracy fold.
"If you're in a Greek party, you are locked for life in that party. You have a stamp on your head, you might as well wear it," said Tsiaras, who recalled how Samaras mused in sophomore year about who would be in his Cabinet if he became prime minister.
New Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, a former central banker and deputy head of the European Central Bank, is seen as departing from this partisan script.
Surveys indicate he is popular, but an early test comes Dec. 1 when Greek unions stage a 24-hour general strike to protest salary cuts and tax hikes required in exchange for international rescue loans.
Greece has a storied history of factionalism. The Western-backed government fought a civil war with communists after World War II. Foreign aid helped feuding groups in the 1820s war for independence from Ottoman rule. Theodoros Kolokotronis, a brigand whose military exploits at the time made him a national hero, had the measure of his countrymen in this passage from his memoirs:
"If Wellington had given me an army of forty thousand, I could have governed it; but if five hundred Greeks had been given to him to lead, he could not have governed them for an hour. Every Greek had his caprices and his hobby, and to get any service out of them, one had to be menaced and another to be cajoled, according to the nature of the man."
Bickering in the Greek parliament has vexed international lenders who want unity of purpose from Greece, where many chafe at foreign directives and doubt the benefits of harsh bailout terms. Papandreou's declaration that he would put Greece's new debt deal to a referendum triggered a domestic backlash that led to his Nov. 11 resignation. A caretaker administration took over.
On Wednesday, Samaras, a possible candidate for the prime minister's post, reversed course and told European leaders in writing that he would back the debt deal. The pledge underscored Samaras' awkward position: He has sought to distance himself from the unpopular austerity measures that helped oust Papandreou, but recognizes that Greece has little option but to accept the harsh terms of its creditors.
The coalition government, a compromise reached by the two men, must present a compelling "narrative" that convinces Greeks that their leaders are acting in their best interests, not those of their power blocs, and that long-term sacrifice will indeed reap dividends, said Louka Katseli, a former Cabinet minister in Papandreou's government.
"The simplistic view that a coalition government will solve everything is an illusion," Katseli said. "If we simply rest with the idea that, 'OK, the two largest parties are working together is the end of the story,' I think it will prove a worse outcome than what we had before."
The idea that Greeks, masters of Mediterranean-style expressiveness, must communicate better finds proof in the utterances of its politicians, who veer between soaring, and it must be said, long-winded, appeals to patriotism, snide digs at opponents and occasional rebukes aimed at the outside world.
In the uproar over the referendum proposal, Papandreou delivered this brain-teaser.
"I heard that yesterday our partners expressed surprise," he said in reference to European shock at his plan. "I do not understand why they were surprised. I simply do not understand why there was any surprise at all. I was surprised that there was any surprise."
jennifer nicole lee chris harris peter schiff matt holliday project runway winner project runway winner hunter s thompson
PFT: Romo, Cowboys know how to escape
Getty ImagesIn the past, when Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has supplied his version of an on-field incident that resulted in a penalty or a fine, he seemed persuasive.
After Thursday?s Haynesworthy performance against the Packers, Suh?s effort to talk his way out of trouble comes off as pathetic.
?What I did was remove myself from the situation the best way that I felt in me being held down in the situation that I was in,? Suh said, via NFL.com.? ?My intentions were not to kick anybody, as I did not.? [I was] removing myself, as you see, I?m walking away from the situation.? And with that I apologize to my teammates, and my fans and my coaches for putting myself to be in position to be misinterpreted and taken out of the game.?
It gets better.? Or, for Suh, worse.
?I was on top of a guy being pulled down and trying to get up off the ground, which is why you see me pushing his helmet down,? Suh said.? ?As I?m getting up, I?m getting pushed so I?m getting myself unbalanced. . . .? With that a lot of people are going to interpret it as or create their own storylines, . . . but I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did.?
What Suh did requires no interpretation.? He aggressively pushed the head of Evan Dietrich-Smith into the ground, and Suh stomped on Dietrich-Smith?s arm as Suh started to walk away.
?I understand in this world because of the type of player and type of person I am, all eyes are on me,? Suh said.? ?So why would I do something to jeopardize myself, jeopardize my team, first and foremost?? I don?t do bad things.? I have no intentions to hurt someone.? If I want to hurt him, I?m going to hit his quarterback as I did throughout that game.?
He needs to quit while he?s not ahead.
?If I see a guy stepping on somebody I feel like they?re going to lean into it and forcefully step on that person or stand over that person,? Suh said.? ?I?m going in the opposite direction to where he?s at.?
It?s an amazingly flimsy, and perhaps delusional, effort to explain what was obvious to anyone with eyes.? Apart from the ultimate penalty that will be imposed on Suh by the league office ? and plenty of people believe a suspension is coming ? Suh needs to be concerned about the impact of his behavior and his lame explanation of it on his marketability.? From Subway to Chrysler to any other company that has chosen to give Suh a lot of money to endorse its products, that money could be drying up, quickly.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/24/romo-cowboys-know-how-to-escape/related
kohls jcpenney black friday violence black friday violence il postino il postino online black friday deals
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Japanese PM Noda to support Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid
TOKYO (AP) ? The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee says Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has agreed to be a top adviser to a panel supporting Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said Thursday that Noda was asked to assume the post and for the government to give its full support to the bid.
Noda accepted the request and was quoted by Takeda as saying, "Let us do our best to make this bid a success," Kyodo new agency reported.
Tokyo, which campaigned for the 2016 Olympics but lost out to Rio de Janeiro, is up against Doha, Qatar; Istanbul, Turkey; Madrid; and Rome. The IOC will select the host city in September 2013.
The panel will support Tokyo's 2020 bid committee, which is headed by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara.
In its bid to land the 2016 Games, Tokyo had an estimated $176 million budget but the bid suffered from a lack of public support and was eliminated in the second round of voting.
Tokyo is promoting its 2020 bid to be a symbol of Japan's recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing on Japan's northeast coast.
The JOC has said if Tokyo wins the right to host the 2020 games, regions affected by the earthquake, tsunami and the ensuing nuclear crises, could host some events such as soccer.
Associated Presskim kardashian ghost hunters honda generator honda generator cc sabathia ruth madoff ruth madoff
Friday, November 25, 2011
Matthew L. Skinner: Mark 13:24-37: Advent -- One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas
Here comes Black Friday, even earlier than usual. Bell-ringers are appearing outside stores. Advertisers are shifting the consumerism-as-therapy machine into high gear. And Christians say: This is a good time to think about the world falling apart.
We're not trying to be morose. We're starting Advent.
The season of Advent (four Sundays preceding Christmas) traditionally begins, not with backward-looking remembrances of circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth, but with eerie images of cosmic mutations and grand promises of a future in which Jesus plays -- to put it mildly -- a noticeable role. Don't wear the tacky Christmas sweater just yet; track shoes and a hazmat suit may capture the mood better.
Advent's watchwords are preparation and waiting. It's about looking outward and ahead. It's time for Christians to declare that God's previous incursion into human affairs through Jesus Christ is not the end of the story but the foundation for a future hope of God bringing ultimate promises to fruition.
Advent Is About Preparing To Recognize Jesus
It's really a shame how passages such as Mark 13:24-37 have been arrogated by the "Left Behind" camp and others who view the Bible as an encrypted map of the future, leaked by God to code-breakers, who derive from it a deity who's itching to snuff out the multitudes. Instead, this passage orients us to the future in a very different way, and for different ends.
Jesus' instruction here is part of a much longer speech. Notice the words "after that suffering": He has just described a situation of awful destruction, persecution and sacrilege. The themes and imagery make this speech similar to other literature of the time, literature meant to interpret current events and political circumstances.
What great devastation is he talking about? He's not predicting the Greek economic mess or the Indianapolis Colts' current season; his words must have resonated with those who knew (firsthand or from reports) of the siege of Jerusalem, which effectively ended the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 C.E. The first readers of the Gospel according to Mark likely read it as the fumes of ruin -- and failed promises -- still hovered in the air. The war had been a time when many Jews (including some who were Christian) expected divine intervention, believing God was ushering in a new order.
Jesus deliberately separates his description of the war from his statements about his future reappearance. His point? The war -- and perhaps every other war to be waged -- will not be the occasion by which God's intentions come to fullness.
Why was the war a false sign of God's activity? Perhaps the war's end, another decisive Roman victory, indicated as much. But I think it's the means of the war that's the problem. Jesus will not exercise power like the world's rulers and would-be rulers do. He won't be changing the world with conventional tools and tactics.
False signs remain everywhere; they are events and trends we rely upon to inform our ultimate hopes or fears. Consider Iran joining "the nuclear club," the death of Osama bin Laden, the recommendations of the congressional supercommittee or the outcomes of the Arab Spring.
Important stuff, those things. But we Christians are still waiting and watching. We suspect God has other ways.
It's not that we don't find hope (or worry) in certain large-scale political developments. We do. Still, if we expect our pet political and social causes get to be identified (exclusively) as God's causes, we're mistaken. If the change we seek for the world embraces new forms of dominance over others, then we've missed the point. Those revolutions will not be theologized. Jesus' speech instructs us to direct our vision elsewhere to find signs of God's presence.
The outcome is not just about waiting for another physical appearance of Jesus in the future, although some Christians put great stock in that hope. I think it's also (and more fruitfully) about patiently and watchfully training our attention on where Christ might be manifested today. And so in Advent we ask where Christ and his message are apparent within -- and outside! -- of Christian communities. Where are God's desires becoming actualized? We may be surprised.
Consider the unfolding Occupy movements. Is God at work through all their aspects? Probably not. But do they manifest God's activity in some aspects? People of faith are keenly attentive.
WATCH Faith Leaders Respond to Eviction From Zuccotti Park
Advent Is Dangerous
The impulses behind Advent should alarm those who are overly enamored with the current system (who probably number more than 1 percent), as well as any others who are overly confident in their ability to engineer what's best for the world.
Advent expresses the insistence that all is not right in our societies. That's a dangerous expression. Stoking hopes for a new world order, for justice really to be for all, usually implies that old systems, governments and loyalties aren't what they're cracked up to be.
Notice: The transformation anticipated in Mark 13:24-37 is such a monumental and all-encompassing upheaval, its description must resort to symbolism. The symbolism is unnerving, even though it was familiar to ancient audiences. It suggests that, in the face of the God's desires coming to full fruition, every other power (symbolized by sun, moon and stars) receives notice and sees its light go out. No aspect of human existence goes untransformed when God enters in for good.
The claims of Advent should rattle all who benefit from exploitative and domineering forms of power. This means a lot of us, of course.
Advent Is Busier Than It Looks
Waiting and watching for Jesus in our midst is not about passivity. His words in this passage commend readiness and alertness, not patient inactivity.
Everything I learned about waiting I learned as a kid waiting to be picked up by my mother. Whether I was at school or soccer practice, I couldn't stand it when she was late. Today, I could use a cellphone to find out where she is. Then, I had to cope by doing all I could to lessen the distance or the time between me and her, wherever she was. I walked to the corner in the direction from which she would drive. I squinted, looking for the right car color or headlight tint. All my senses were fixed on the road.
That's the kind of waiting this passage has in mind, an active waiting that has come to know full well that the one who is coming is recognizable, even before fully arriving.
Jesus' message about his appearance encourages advocacy, not idleness. Expectancy means looking alertly for opportunities to come alongside Christ and embody Christ's purposes in the present, as well as in the future. We expect he's all around us.
For us living north of the equator, it makes sense that Advent coincides with winter's dimmest and longest nights. We light candles, whose tiny, pathetic flames stand defiantly against the night. They say: No matter how much waiting -- and working -- lies between now and the dawn, we are not giving up hope.
Editor's Note: ON Scripture is a series of Christian scripture commentaries produced in collaboration with Odyssey Networks. Each week pastors from around the country will approach the lectionary text of the week through the lens of current events, providing a religious voice that is both pastoral and prophetic.
?
?
?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-l-skinner/mark-13-danger-of-advent_b_1106409.html
october 28 2011 october 28 2011 jenelle evans jenelle evans miami hurricanes vlad the impaler steven tyler
Family: US student arrested in Egypt called home (AP)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. ? One of the three American college students arrested during demonstrations in Egypt called home Wednesday and said he was being treated relatively well under the circumstances but denied doing anything wrong during a protest in Cairo, his family said.
The three students attend American University in Cairo, and a spokeswoman for the school said Wednesday that they were questioned by Egyptian authorities around midnight Cairo time. The school said an embassy lawyer was present for the questioning and that the U.S. consul general also spoke with the students, reporting that they are in good health and being treated well.
An Egyptian official has said the three were arrested on the roof of a university building where they were throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters near Tahrir Square. They were questioned again later Wednesday, one of the students' mothers said, and the families do not expect to hear anything more until early next week.
Joy Sweeny said that she had a 90-second conversation with her 19-year-old son Derrik Sweeny at about 6:30 a.m. while he was using the phone of the consul general. She said he told her he had been fed and wasn't being tortured, and that he insisted that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"That was just a blessing to hear his voice," she said.
"I said, `Did you throw anything off a roof?' And he said `No, I didn't.' And then I said, `Did you do anything else?' He said, `No, none of us did.'"
His father, Kevin Sweeney, said the phone call Wednesday offered some relief and that his son's assertion that they did nothing wrong made him more comfortable that his son would be released.
Derrik Sweeney, a Georgetown University student, was arrested along with Luke Gates, a 21-year-old Indiana University student from Bloomington, Ind., and Gregory Porter, a 19-year-old Drexel University student from Glenside, Pa.
In Philadelphia, Drexel University spokeswoman Niki Gianakaris said in a statement that three other Drexel students are in the same study abroad program, and they remain safe.
The parents of Sweeney and Gates said that they have been in Cairo since August, studying Arabic.
Kevin Sweeney said that his son was scheduled to return home on Dec. 22. Sweeney said he hoped his son might be released in a few days and then would return home without completing the semester.
"My wishes are that he get on a plane," his father said, but added that he respected if his son decided to stay and finish the semester.
Derrik Sweeney was born in Chicago and lived in Los Angeles before the family moved to Jefferson City, Mo., roughly when he was in fifth grade. Sweeney's family says he is a principled person who stands up for his beliefs but has been a peacemaker among quarreling family members.
Earlier this year, he interned for with Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Missouri Republican. However, in high school, he volunteered for President Barack Obama's campaign. Kevin Sweeney said Wednesday his son is has become particularly concerned about economic issues and the national debt.
___
Associated Press writer Patrick Walters in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
nor easter nor easter st.louis cardinals st.louis cardinals drag me to hell alot alot
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Oregon governor says will allow no more executions (Reuters)
PORTLAND, Ore (Reuters) ? Oregon's Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber said on Tuesday he will allow no further executions in the state while he is in office, and that he considered the death penalty morally wrong.
The move effectively halts the scheduled execution of convicted killer Gary Haugen, who had waived his appeals and was scheduled to die by lethal injection on December 6.
"It is time for Oregon to consider a different approach," Kitzhaber said in a statement. "I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer; and I will not allow further executions while I am governor."
Oregon has carried out two executions in the last 49 years, both during Kitzhaber's first administration as governor, the statement said.
Kitzhaber said allowing those executions to go forward was "the most agonizing and difficult decisions I have made as governor" and that he has "revisited and questioned" the decisions over and over since then.
"I do not believe that those executions made us safer and certainly they do not make us nobler as a society," Kitzhaber said. "And I simply cannot participate once again in something I believe to be morally wrong."
After leaving office in 2003, Kitzhaber was elected to a nonconsecutive third term last year and took office again in January.
Sixteen states and District of Columbia have no death penalty and there has been a gradual trend away from capital punishment in the United States with the number of executions falling slightly in recent years.
Illinois governor Pat Quinn in March signed a law abolishing the death penalty.
There have been 43 executions so far this year in the United States compared with 46 in all of 2010.
(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)
kelly cutrone kelly cutrone bill buckner dancing with the stars 2011 christmas island antonio gates antonio gates
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
J. Lo car ad fakes her drive through the Bronx (Reuters)
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) ? Jennifer Lopez boasts in a new ad for Fiat that while others see the Bronx as just "streets," she sees her hometown as "a playground."
But the Bronx is a playground she couldn't find time to visit for a shoot -- so her return to the old neighborhood was faked, The Smoking Gun reports.
The site said in a scathing piece that a body double filled in for "Jenny from the block" during location shooting in the Bronx, New York City's poorest borough, while Lopez was filmed inside a Fiat 500 in Los Angeles.
That kind of fakery is typical in all productions, where a certain amount of sleight of hand is to be expected in the service of budgeting and timing.
But in the case of the Bronx ad, in which Lopez -- whose songs include "I'm Real" -- lords her supposed street credibility over viewers, it's pointedly ironic.
"This is my world. This place inspires me," Lopez says in a voiceover. "To be tougher, to stay sharper, to think faster."
"They may be just streets to you," she adds. "But to me they're a playground."
Fiat was far from forthcoming about the deception, saying in a press release that the ad features Lopez "driving a Fiat 500 Cabrio as she travels through the streets of Manhattan to the Bronx where she grew up."
Representatives for Lopez and Chrysler, which produces the Fiat, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The ad -- similar to Eminem's Super Bowl ad for Chrysler, in which he drove through the gritty streets of Detroit -- won widespread media attention, including by the Wall Street Journal, TSG notes.
In its most entertaining bits, the story points out that the faux-Lopez drives through a funhouse of stereotypes, from a boy drumming on a pail to kids playing in open fire hydrant spray to girls double-dutching.
"It is such a breathtaking assemblage of hoary urban clich?s, it's a wonder that Lopez & Co. forgot to include a shot of some grizzled pensioners playing dominoes or a Puerto Rican enjoying some shaved ice," it said.
You can see the ad here: http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/j-lo-car-ad-fakes-her-drive-through-bronx-video-33024
premier fitness dan uggla john wayne gacy top chef just desserts jamarcus russell sister wives st louis weather
Fujitsu Arrows Kiss F-03D ladyphone tells you sit up straight, eat your greens
Here in the US, a ladyphone is bit of a hard sell as we saw with the HTC Rhyme but in Japan it's a different story. Fujitsu is trying to woo girls with the Arrows Kiss F-03D, which comes with apps designed to get users into shape -- or bully them to tears. Beauty Body Clinic monitors your posture and orders you to stand up straighter, Sukkiri Alarm wakes you when it thinks you're ready and Karada Life is a pedometer app offering "health maintenance" advice -- probably suggesting a salad the next time you're at KFC. If that hasn't put you off, you'll want to know it's running a single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255, a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display and an 8.1 megapixel camera 'round back. If you can stand the nannying, you'll also notice it can handle OneSeg broadcasts, mobile wallet payments and the Okudake-Juden wireless charging system. It'll make its way into the purses of unsuspecting NTT DoCoMo victims customers at an as-yet-unspecified price on November 25th.
Continue reading Fujitsu Arrows Kiss F-03D ladyphone tells you sit up straight, eat your greens
Filed under: Cellphones
Fujitsu Arrows Kiss F-03D ladyphone tells you sit up straight, eat your greens originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
Far East Gizmos | 
Fujitsu | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/22/fujitsu-arrows-kiss-f-03d-ladyphone-tells-you-sit-up-straight-e/
raiders news raiders news ice cream sandwich android ice cream sandwich android harry belafonte harry belafonte batman arkham city
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
102,000 cupcakes! Small bakery burned by Groupon
LONDON?? A bakery owner was forced to make 102,000 cupcakes after being swamped by customers taking up her cut-price Groupon offer, according to reports Tuesday.
Rachel Brown offered a 75 percent discount on 12 cupcakes, which normally cost $40 (?26), the BBC reported.
However, Brown under-estimated the popularity of the deal and was unable to cope when 8,500 people signed up for the $10 (?6.50) bargain.
Video: Who gets the real deal with Groupon? (on this page)-
Only on msnbc.com
- Updated 114 minutes ago 11/22/2011 11:59:48 AM +00:00 Chat live with Chinese activist Ai Weiwei at 9 a.m. ET
- US retirement out of reach, couple heads to Panama
- Updated 69 minutes ago 11/22/2011 12:44:45 PM +00:00 Former Sandusky mentee: He was ?clingy?
- Updated 88 minutes ago 11/22/2011 12:25:40 PM +00:00 Office holiday parties 2011: Tamer, less booze
- Charla Nash reveals ?beautiful? new face
- How Huguette Clark's millions were spent
- GIs reward their best friends, the dogs of war
Brown's Need a Cake bakery, which employs eight staff in Reading, U.K., had to bring in temporary workers through an employment agency to fulfil the orders, at a cost of $19,500 (?12,500) ? wiping out her profits for the year.
She also lost between $2.90 (?2.50) and $4.70 (?3) on each batch she sold, the BBC reported.
"Without doubt, it was my worst ever business decision," she told the BBC. "We had thousands of orders pouring in that really we hadn't expected to have. A much larger company would have difficulty coping."
Story: Groupon raises $700 million in massive IPOChicago-based Groupon sells Internet coupons for everything from spa treatments to cosmetic surgery.
Firms sign up in the hope of getting new repeat customers out of the initial deal or selling additional goods to shoppers during their first visit.
Groupon went public earlier this month at $20 a share, valuing the business at $13 billion ? the highest since Google's IPO in 2004.
Story: Groupon shares surge but concerns lingerBrown, who has run the business for 25 years, was quoted in the Daily Telegraph saying: "We take pride in making cakes of exceptional quality but I had to bring in agency staff on top of my usual staff, who had nowhere near the same skills. I was very worried about standards dropping and hated the thought of letting anybody down.
"My poor staff were having to slog away at all hours ? one of them even came in at 3 a.m. because she couldn't sleep for worry," she told the newspaper. "We are still working to make up the lost money and will not be doing this again."
Heather Dickinson, international communications director for Groupon, told the BBC there was no limit to the number of vouchers that could be sold.
"We approach each business with a tailored, individual approach based on the prior history of similar deals," she said, adding the company had been in "constant contact" with Need a Cake.
? 2011 msnbc.com Reprints
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45398235/ns/world_news-europe/
apple news apple iphone apple iphone chris christie cnet tampa bay rays netanyahu
Monday, November 21, 2011
Video: Mystery at Heath Bar Farm, Part 6
Dateline NBC
'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/45358686#45358686
coco rocha al sharpton izon heart attack grill gaddafi dead steve wynn lytro camera
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Syrian army shells villages after defectors attack
AMMAN?? Syrian troops shelled two northern villages on Thursday after an attack by army defectors on forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, local activists said, in an escalation of a military campaign to crush protests and a nascent armed insurgency.
-
Only on msnbc.com
- Updated 25 minutes ago 11/18/2011 12:41:15 PM +00:00 Boatman: Wagner responsible for Wood?s death
- Facebook user or not, you're being tracked
- Mentoring program aims to reduce drop-out rates
- Berlusconi?s next act: Love song CD
- The economy may be killing your sex life
- Comic book characters and games collide
- Fighting ?virtual? threats to London Olympics
Eight villagers were injured when tank shells and heavy mortars fell for three hours on Tal Minnij and Maarshamsheh and surrounding farmland, the activists said.
Army defectors had earlier attacked a building housing security forces near army depots in the Wadi al-Deif area on the edge of the town of Maarat al-Numaan, 180 miles north of Damascus, they said.
Until now, Syrian troops have mostly been using heavy machineguns and anti-aircraft guns, employed as a ground weapon, on restless cities and towns to try to put down an eight-month uprising against Assad's rule.
The shelling followed a call by the uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the leader to step down quickly to stop the country from spiraling into civil war.
"He has to go, but without leaving the country," Rifaat al-Assad told LCI television. He isn't responsible, it's a historical accumulation of many things, and I'd like him to convince himself to step down."
Rifaat al-Assad is a former military commander, widely held responsible for crushing an Islamist uprising in 1982 against then president Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, in which many thousands were killed.
Rifaat turned against the government in the 1980s and now lives in exile. Earlier this year, his son and Bashar's cousin Ribal, who lives in exile in London, urged the Syrian leader to attempt a rapprochement with opponents to avoid civil war and an outbreak of regional conflict.
On Thursday, Ribal told BBC radio the government just wanted to cling to power. "They don't want any dialogue, they are ready to do whatever," he said.
Story: Russia warns Syria is close to 'real civil war'He called for the opposition to be united, to include all the country's different ethnic groups, sects and religions, as part of a process toward a peaceful transition. This could allow his cousin to "get out, if somebody could give him refuge," he said.
"I have been talking to people in the military and in the military secret service lately in Syria who also are tired and are against what is happening," he said. "They are tired of the violence that's being used against people."
Western countries are piling pressure on Bashar al-Assad to halt the violent crackdown on protesters against his government, which has cost more than 3,500 lives by a U.N. count, since demonstrations began in March.
The Arab League has suspended Syria and given it until the end of the week to comply with an Arab peace plan to end the bloodshed.
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45346881/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
mountain west mountain west rickross rickross uganda rick ross black hawk down
How Legionnaires' bacteria proliferate, cause disease
ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2011) ? A University of Louisville scientist has determined for the first time how the bacterium that causes Legionnaires' disease manipulates our cells to generate the amino acids it needs to grow and cause infection and inflammation in the lungs.
The results are published online on Nov. 17 in Science.
Yousef Abu Kwaik, Ph.D., the Bumgardner Endowed Professor in Molecular Pathogenesis of Microbial Infections at UofL, and his team believe their work could help lead to development of new antibiotics and vaccines.
"It is possible that the process we have identified presents a great target for new research in antibiotic and vaccine candidates, not only for Legionnaires' disease but in other bacteria that cause illness," he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection caused by the bacterium called Legionella. The bacterium got its name in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion suffered from an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown causes that was later determined to be caused by the bacterium. Each year, between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease in the U.S. There is no vaccine currently available for it.
For two years, the researchers examined Legionella which is an intracellular bacterium that exists in amoebae in the water systems; it is transmitted to humans through inhalation of water droplets. Cooling towers and whirlpools are the major sources of transmission. The bacterium uses the amoeba's cellular process to "tag" proteins, causing them to degrade into their basic elements of amino acids. These amino acids are used by the bacteria as the main source of energy to grow and cause disease.
"The bacteria live on an 'Atkins diet' of low carbs and high protein, and they trick the host cell to provide that specialized diet," Abu Kwaik said.
The same process occurs in a host -- animal or human -- who inhales the bacterium and is diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease. However, the bacteria do not tag the proteins, but rather trick the host into tagging the proteins for degradation to generate the amino acids.
In the laboratory, Abu Kwaik and his team saw that by inactivating the bacterial virulence factor responsible for tricking the cell into tagging proteins for degradation in mice models, the pulmonary disease was totally prevented. This was totally due to disabling the bacteria from generating amino acids, he said.
The process was then reversed, and the disease became evident when the mice, infected by the disabled bacteria, were injected with amino acids to compensate for the inability of the altered bacteria.
"Bacteria need to live on high protein and amino acids as sources of nutrition and energy in order to replicate in a host. This is what causes pulmonary disease," Abu Kwaik said. "No one has known how they generate sufficient sources of nutrients from the host to proliferate. Our work is the first to identify this process for any bacteria that cause disease."
He added that the type of host infected does not appear to affect the process. "Whether in a single-cell amoeba or a multi-cellular mammal, Legionella seems to know what to do; the process is the same, and is highly conserved through evolution. By interfering with the bacterium's sources of nutrients, we can stop it from thriving and causing disease."
Examining nutrient sources for organisms with the goal of stopping them from acquiring nutrients is a relatively new arena of basic research that deserves further study, he said. "We went after the basics -- the food and energy source -- which are prerequisite for the bacteria to grow and cause disease. It is not a process that is well understood yet, but by first discovering how an organism gets nutrients by tricking the host into degrading proteins, and then interfering with that process, we can, in effect, starve it to death and prevent or treat the disease."
Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Louisville.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Christopher T. D. Price, Tasneem Al-Quadan, Marina Santic, Ilan Rosenshine, and Yousef Abu Kwaik. Host Proteasomal Degradation Generates Amino Acids Essential for Intracellular Bacterial Growth. Science, 17 November 2011 DOI: 10.1126/science.1212868
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/~3/DdNv42Jw8vk/111117163701.htm
heather locklear bob costas krzyzewski patti labelle childish gambino chris hansen sandusky interview with bob costas
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Italy's Monti to lay out reform plans ahead of vote (Reuters)
ROME (Reuters) ? Prime Minister Mario Monti is expected to outline austerity measures aimed at restoring confidence in Italy's strained public finances on Thursday when he goes before the Senate to seek a vote of confidence in his new government.
The former European Commissioner, who took office on Wednesday, will present his program in the Senate at around 1200 GMT before a confidence vote in the evening. He will seek a separate vote of confidence in the lower house on Friday.
With Italy at the heart of the euro zone debt crisis, the measures he announces are unlikely to be enough on their own to rebuild shattered market confidence.
But they will be vital to restoring credibility with international partners who had long lost patience with the repeatedly unfulfilled promises of Monti's flamboyant predecessor Silvio Berlusconi.
Monti took the key economy and finance portfolio himself and appointed Corrado Passera, chief executive of Intesa Sanpaolo, one of Italy's big two banks, as industry minister in an unelected cabinet which contained no politicians.
He gave nothing away when asked about his program on Wednesday, but the broad thrust of the measures is expected to match closely reform demands made by European authorities to Berlusconi's center-right government.
Reforming a system that allows many Italians to claim a pension before the age of standard retirement age of 65 and loosening hiring and firing rules that protect some workers but discourage job creation are among possible measures.
There has also been speculation about a wealth tax on privately held assets, possibly including first homes, a measure that has been strongly opposed by Berlusconi's center-right party but which unions and the left have urged repeatedly.
Monti said on Wednesday he was confident his new government would help restore confidence to panicked financial markets but the task he faces was underlined by the continued surge in Italian bond yields.
Yields on 10-year bonds were over 7 percent, near the levels that forced Greece and Ireland to seek an international bailout, which would overwhelm the euro zone's current financial defenses if it were needed by Italy, the bloc's third largest economy.
WELCOME
The appointment of Monti, a sober and reserved economist and tough negotiator with a decade of experience as European Commissioner, was greeted with palpable relief by foreign leaders exasperated by the scandal-plagued Berlusconi.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the appointment and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would meet Monti as soon as possible.
Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the euro zone finance ministers group, who said he was particularly pleased that the prime minister had taken the finance portfolio himself and said Monti was "the man for the situation".
"The rapid and implementation of all the measures voted recently by the Italian parliament must be a priority to return the country to the path of political credibility," he said in a statement.
The growing threat that Italy's stagnant economy will slip into recession next year will make it increasingly difficult to keep control of its huge public debt, which amounts to 120 percent of gross domestic product, the second highest in the euro zone behind Greece.
International authorities including the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have kept up pressure on Italy to cut its debt and reform its economy but Monti will need the backing of parliament.
Monti has said he wants to serve until the next scheduled elections in 2013 but the refusal of the main parties to allow politicians to join his cabinet could make it harder to gain popular support for measures designed by unelected technocrats.
(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones, John O'Donnell in Brussels and Alexandria Sage in Paris; editing by Andrew Roche)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111116/wl_nm/us_italy
nome alaska alaska map bil keane storm in alaska storm in alaska asteroid eric johnson
Friday, November 18, 2011
A win for Romney in New Hampshire is absolute must (Reuters)
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) ? For Mitt Romney, winning New Hampshire is an absolute must if he is to earn the Republican nomination to run for U.S. president in 2012.
As his rivals criss-cross Iowa, Romney is spending a long weekend at events in New Hampshire, trying to build on his lead in the northeastern state ahead of the country's first primary election contest on January 10.
He worked the crowd on Friday at a Union Leader-Salvation Army Santa Fund luncheon. Then he told businesspeople at a forum at a Manchester law firm that government under Democratic President Barack Obama has grown too large and is a burden on the weak U.S. economy.
"You have an important role to play," Romney told them. "You'll be having a big say in the nomination of our candidate for president. I hope you choose me but, if you don't, choose someone who can win."
He faces a simple reality in New Hampshire: Anything less than an outright victory will be a severe setback to his hopes of challenging Obama in the November 2012 election.
Romney is competing on familiar turf since he was governor of neighboring Massachusetts.
"If he doesn't win New Hampshire, he can't win the nomination," said Andy Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.
A poll by Magellan Strategies published on Friday said rival Newt Gingrich was gaining in New Hampshire. It had Romney at 29 percent and Gingrich at 27 percent.
The poll suggests a tightening from a big lead Romney has enjoyed for weeks. Romney's New Hampshire campaign director, Jason McBride, said internal polling showed he still has a commanding lead.
Still, Romney has some work to do to close the deal in New Hampshire, such as with John Marino, 79, who was at the Union Leader-Salvation Army event.
"I haven't really made up my mind," said Marino, an independent-leaning Republican. "Romney's a very bright guy. I like Romney but I'm not totally convinced that he's the right man for the job."
But Republican Valerie Earnshaw was convinced, believing Romney's business background would help him as president.
"He knows that, he understands that," she said.
Romney is wary of the social conservatives who dominate Iowa politics and who burned him in 2008 by picking Mike Huckabee over him despite the millions of dollars his campaign spent there.
His low-key approach to Iowa carries some risks. The winner of Iowa's caucuses on January 3 stands to gain important momentum going into New Hampshire a week later, possibly enough to compete with Romney in the state.
For instance, a victory by Gingrich in Iowa and a strong second place finish in New Hampshire could propel him in South Carolina on January 21 - a state where Gingrich's conservative views might have more appeal.
This or other potential outcomes are not lost on Romney's advisers, who are keeping a close eye on Iowa polls.
Romney is among the top candidates in Iowa with an under-the-radar approach and, if it looks like he could seal a high finish or even squeak out a victory in the state, he could step up his efforts in the month before the caucuses.
IOWA VISIT
Romney will be in Iowa on Wednesday and will make other visits in December to test the mood.
But he is skipping two opportunities to reach out to Iowa conservatives this weekend, choosing a New Hampshire town hall meeting in Peterborough instead of a Des Moines forum of conservative activists and a birthday party for Iowa's Republican governor, Terry Branstad.
"You could label it a mistake to skip the governor's birthday party," groused a prominent Iowa Republican activist.
Romney has yet to go up with any TV ads in New Hampshire but he has not needed to as yet.
Since losing the state to the ultimate Republican nominee John McCain in 2008, he has put time and attention into New Hampshire and amassed a strong list of endorsements, led by former Governor John Sununu and former Senator Judd Gregg. He has kept in touch with his 2008 backers and expanded the list.
Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the state's Republican Party, switched off his car radio, broadcasting an interview with Romney rival Jon Huntsman, to take a call on his cell phone about the race.
"To actually catch Romney and defeat him in New Hampshire, I just don't see it," he said. "I don't see any candidate capable of putting together the effort that will catch Romney and defeat him. I think it's a wide-open race for second."
While Gingrich, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is on a roll now that Herman Cain and Rick Perry have faded, New Hampshire Republicans are keeping an eye on Huntsman to see if he can make a move.
The Romney team expects the race to tighten as undecided New Hampshire Republicans choose sides but it is just not clear who will benefit - Gingrich, Huntsman, Ron Paul or somebody else.
"The best way to describe the Romney campaign in New Hampshire is that we're running like we're 15 points behind," said a senior Romney adviser.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
kim zolciak kim zolciak jerry sandusky interview white house shooting internet censorship sveum benetton ads
Belkin's Live Action camera accessories should be in the middle of your picture, lyin' in the reeds
Belkin is making it easier for you to turn your iPhone into a real camera. The LiveAction Camera Grip is made of rich corinthian leather soft touch plastic and connects to your iPhone 4, 4S or iPod touch via the dock port. It sits on the heel of the phone with separate shutter release and video / stills buttons for easy snapping. On the bottom is a standard size tripod mount for when you need a mechanically steady hand. At the same time, you can grab the LiveAction remote -- a Bluetooth control that can shoot pictures from up to 30m, saving you the ten-second-timer-dash. If the surface won't hold your phone neatly, you also get a detachable prop. Undecided buyers should check out the press release after the break; those who believe in love at first sight just need to know both are available from mid December and will set you back $50 each.
Belkin's Live Action camera accessories should be in the middle of your picture, lyin' in the reeds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkSlashGear | Belkin | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/16/belkins-live-action-camera-accessories-should-be-in-the-middle/
mark rothko mark rothko wiccan pumpkin carvings mcrib pumpkin seeds mark herzlich
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Russia begins deporting Tajiks amid diplomatic row (AP)
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan ? Russia began deporting Tajik migrants Tuesday, the first in a wave of expulsions in apparent retaliation for the jailing of a Russian pilot in the Central Asian nation, officials in Tajikistan said.
The spat threatens to imperil the livelihood of thousands of Tajik laborers and stir discontent in a country struggling to protect its border with Afghanistan. The former Soviet nation's economy relies heavily on the remittances provided by the many hundreds of thousands of Tajiks working in Russia.
Over the past year, Moscow has been attempting to strong-arm Tajikistan into permitting Russian border troops to resume patrols of the rugged 1,350-kilometer (840-mile) frontier with Afghanistan.
Tajik authorities have responded testily to such overtures, which they view as an attempt by the Kremlin to dilute their country's sovereignty. Russia, meanwhile, grumbles that Tajik troops are not up to stemming the huge flow of heroin streaming north from Afghanistan.
This latest tit-for-tat dispute will likely undermine efforts to deepen cooperation on enhancing regional security.
Tajikistan's migration service said 11 Tajiks were set to fly out from Moscow on Tuesday after authorities ruled they had violated migration rules. They were among about 300 Tajiks detained in recent days.
Vladimir Lobanov, acting head of a detention center in Moscow, confirmed that some of the detained Tajiks have been deported and preparations were being made to deport the others.
The detentions immediately followed the convictions last week of pilots Vladimir Sadovnichy and Estonian citizen Alexei Rudenko, who were arrested in Tajikistan in March after landing two cargo planes for refueling while flying from Afghanistan to Moscow.
A Tajik court found them guilty of illegally flying into Tajikistan and smuggling aircraft parts, and sentenced them to 8 1/2 years in prison. Their two An-72 aircraft were seized.
The case has provoked a xenophobia-tinged uproar in Russia.
"The decision to deport several hundred Tajik migrants is an utterly inept and illegal move," said Arkady Dubnov, who writes on Central Asia affairs for Russian daily newspaper Moskovskiye Novosti. "This looks like an attempt to appeal to chauvinistic sentiments" ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections in December.
President Dmitry Medvedev has denied the deportation of Tajik workers is linked to the pilots' conviction, but has hinted at more possible expulsions. Russian chief sanitary inspector Gennady Onishchenko on Monday proposed banning Tajik migrants because he said they are often carriers of tuberculosis and AIDS.
Tajikistan, a mountainous largely Muslim nation of 7 million people that won independence in 1991, has been battling to restore its economy since a brutal civil war in the 1990s that claimed more than 60,000 lives. The World Bank says about half of Tajikistan's people live in poverty.
The anemic pace of recovery has over the years generated a vast exodus of workers, likely counting more than 1 million ? most now living in Russia.
Karomat Sharipov, who represents Tajik migrant workers in Moscow, said he worried that if the dispute was not resolved as many as 1 million citizens of Tajikistan and also Uzbekistan could be sent home to uncertain futures. He warned that some could turn to terrorism.
"In three months they won't have flour, sugar or butter," Sharipov said at a news conference in Moscow. "They will go to the mountains. They will go and join the Taliban."
While no big economic prize, Tajikistan holds strategic importance for Russia.
Russia's 201st Motorized Rifle Division, comprising roughly 7,500 servicemen, is based in three garrisons in Tajikistan, and the Russian military also has a space-tracking facility in the Pamir mountains.
In March, Medvedev announced that a deal is be signed in 2012 for Russia to extend the presence of those troops by 49 more years.
Souring ties could derail that plan. Some fear an escalation in the row could compel Russia to adopt even more punitive measures, such as increasing fuel export duties or limiting the flow of cash transfers.
___
Leonard reported from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Associated Press writers Sofia Javed and Varya Kudryavtseva in Moscow contributed to this report.
vikings bears packers cleveland browns michael vick kenny britt matt hughes matt hughes
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Veganism has some stylish new spokespeople: Celebs (AP)
NEW YORK ? Walk into Pure Food and Wine on Manhattan's chic Irving Place and back into its spacious, luxurious garden, and you might spot actress Katie Holmes. Or Alec Baldwin and his new girlfriend, whom he met at the restaurant.
Or football player Tom Brady. Or radio host Howard Stern. Or Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, who've made a number of visits together, enjoying the sweet corn and cashew tamales with portabella or a mint sundae for dessert. Or any number of Wall Street moguls.
It could be any trendy New York eatery, but Pure serves only vegan and raw food, with nary an egg nor an oven in sight. Its upscale clientele is a mix of vegans, vegetarians and just plain foodies, but clearly a sign of how the image of veganism has changed in recent years.
Call them the big-time vegans: The celebrity standard-bearers for a vegan lifestyle aren't just wispy young actresses. They include talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, along with wife Portia de Rossi. (Or Oprah Winfrey, who isn't vegan but led her staff on a public 21-day vegan cleanse.) Or men like Ozzy Osbourne and Russell Brand, who in recent weeks both declared themselves vegans. Athletes like Carl Lewis and Mike Tyson. Even NFL player Tony Gonzalez, tight end for the Atlanta Falcons and 245-plus pounds ? attributes his longevity to a largely vegan diet.
And then there are the moguls, like billionaire publisher, real estate developer and recent avowed vegan Mort Zuckerman, and Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, who's hired a vegan chef and put vegan options in all his resort restaurants. Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, also has spoken of his veganism.
Of all the high-profile vegans, though, Clinton is the biggest "catch." Advocates were thrilled and stunned when he talked about it on CNN last year, telling host Wolf Blitzer that his impressive, 24-pound weight loss was due to a largely plant-based diet ? a regime he believes will prolong his life.
"I fell off my chair when I heard him talking about his almond milk smoothie," says prominent vegan chef and cookbook author Tal Ronnen, who has worked with celebrities like Winfrey and DeGeneres, and is a collaborating chef for Wynn's two Las Vegas resorts. "Someone like Bill Clinton who grew up on southern comfort food talking about his vegan diet ? it shows how things are changing."
The question is, of course, how much those changes have influenced ordinary Americans. "All the exposure is absolutely having an influence," says advocate Joseph Connelly, editor and publisher of VegNews. "People can pronounce the word `vegan' now! Five, 10 years ago they couldn't. It's nothing but positive."
But what about hard numbers? The Vegetarian Resource Group, a nonprofit education and advocacy group, does polling on the issue that indicates veganism in America is either remaining steady or, more likely, slowly rising.
The group says its latest figures show that about 5 percent of American adults are vegetarians ? saying they never eat meat, fish, seafood or poultry ? and that half of these vegetarians are also vegan, meaning they don't eat dairy or eggs, either. (Strict vegans also don't eat honey.)
In addition, the proportion of vegans to vegetarians seems to be going up, says Charles Stahler, co-director of the group.
"It seems to all add up," Stahler says. "It comes from different angles ? the public campaigns of animal rights groups, the emergence of the health rationale, the environmental movement." There is also the issue of supply ? more vegan options available in supermarkets all the time.
"There are a lot of ways that people come to it," says Ronnen, the vegan chef, who catered DeGeneres and de Rossi's wedding and supervised Winfrey's cleanse. "But I've been doing this a long time and I have never seen such a shift.
"It's no longer seen as a diet of hummus and alfalfa sprouts on some really dry healthy bread," he says. "It's not hippies preaching peace and love. Now, you have a crossover of mainstream business people and good-looking celebrities."
De Rossi certainly falls into that latter category. The actress has written about her struggles with eating disorders. Now, she says, she wants people to know about the vegan lifestyle she's adopted with DeGeneres, her wife of three years, one they've chosen out of concern for animal welfare.
In an interview, De Rossi said she had been essentially vegan when she met DeGeneres, who was a fan of meat, especially burgers. De Rossi went back to meat, but later, together, they became vegans.
"It took a couple years, but we realized we didn't feel comfortable ethically eating meat," de Rossi says. "For animal lovers, something kind of clicks. But it doesn't really matter how you get to it, as long as you believe in why you chose a vegan diet."
De Rossi is encouraged that prominent figures like Wynn and Clinton are throwing their weight ? even 24 pounds less of it, in Clinton's case ? behind veganism.
"I think men in particular are taking note of Steve Wynn and Bill Clinton," she says. "They're really powerful men that people want to emulate." As for entertainment figures like herself, "we can do our part too," the actress says. "The more we can demystify the word `vegan,' the better." She notes that all cooking segments on Degeneres' show are vegan.
But what about the cost argument ? that shifting to a vegan diet is expensive and time-consuming, and often simply untenable for average Americans who, unlike stars and billionaire moguls, don't have their own private chefs?
"I get some of that," acknowledges de Rossi. "But look at the diet. Foods like beans and rice are staple foods in so many cultures. And there's so much you can buy in supermarkets now. Being vegan is not an exclusive thing. I think for people to say, `Well, it's fine for you' ? that's kind of an excuse."
De Rossi and DeGeneres, in fact, are becoming restaurateurs: They've invested in a vegan chain, The Veggie Grill, and may be investing in a standalone vegan restaurant as well, according to a spokesman.
They could probably take advice from Sarma Melngailis, owner of Pure, who co-founded it in the summer of 2004.
"It's all so much more mainstream now than seven years ago," Melngailis says. "We've moved away from that crunchy image. You won't see that here."
What you will see are diners eating a raw lasagna made with zucchini, heirloom tomatoes and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta, or squash blossoms filled with a spiced cashew "cheese" ? both dishes bearing a high-end $24 price tag. Or sipping cocktails made with fresh organic juices, like a mojito with mint, lime juice and sake.
Melngailis, who also owns the One Lucky Duck retail store and online business, specializing in vegan snacks, feels that the more adaptable veganism is, essentially, the more people will accept it.
"A lot of people associate veganism with judgment, and I don't like that," she says. "Our goal is to encourage a shift. It's not black and white. It's gray."
The role of a (mostly) vegan like Clinton is crucial, she says. "It legitimizes it a lot. I like to point it out all the time when people are skeptical about veganism ? Clinton's a smart man."
The former president pleased advocates for veganism once again when he was asked recently, rather too bluntly in their view, whether it simply "sucked" to be vegan.
No, Clinton told Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" show: "I'd like to have as many good days as possible, and this seems to be the best way to get it," he said.
That's not why Daelyn Fortney is a vegan. The mom from Greenville, S.C. ? and editor of the vegan and vegetarian website ThisDishIsVeg ? is focused on animal ethics. But she's delighted that people like the former president are giving veganism a fresh and powerful face.
"That's probably going to be the way it'll move to a lot more people," Fortney says. "It's always fantastic when a cause gets a name like that behind it."
But she adds a note of caution about the big-time vegans.
"I hope they stick with it!" Fortney says. "It could do damage on the other end if they don't."
lord monckton andy kaufman october 21 2011 ohio ohio john beck john beck
HIV infection risk rises as austerity bites: EU (Reuters)
LISBON (Reuters) ? Austerity measures brought in to tackle Europe's economic crisis may cause a rise in drug-related HIV infections as stretched health services struggle to cope, the EU's narcotics agency said on Tuesday.
Greece, which is facing huge cutbacks, reported a large outbreak of HIV infections among drug users in July, the Lisbon-based agency said in its yearly report.
New infections were also reported in Bulgaria, Estonia and Lithuania, it added.
"Across Europe drug services are under pressure, and HIV prevention is not always given the policy priority it once had," said Wolfgang Gotz, director of the agency, known by its acronym EMCDDA.
"In some (EU) member states, we are witnessing an exceptional set of circumstances that create a perfect storm for causing the rapid spread of drug-related HIV infections within vulnerable communities."
Gotz said Europe had made strong progress in recent years to prevent the spread of HIV among drug users, but there was a risk that could be reversed.
Use of cocaine may have peaked in Europe as cash-strapped users struggled to pay for their habit, the report added.
"The financial burden associated with regular cocaine use may make it a less attractive option in countries where austerity is now the order of the day," said Gotz.
An estimated 4 million Europeans used the drug last year, making it the region's most popular illegal stimulant.
The volume of cocaine seizures and the purity of the drug had fallen sharply in recent years from a peak in 2006, the agency said.
(Reporting By Axel Bugge; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
ed reed teresa giudice red ribbon week much ado about nothing sean hayes ndamukong suh ndamukong suh
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)