Israel attacks convoy near Syrian border - Reuters

As Israel is becoming increasingly worried about the fate of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, "Reuters" reports that Israeli aircraft have attacked a convoy allegedly transporting arms from Syria to Lebanon. An eye witness, a diplomat, said there was definitely a hit in the attack. The IDF spokesman declined to deny or confirm the report.

Earlier the Lebanese Army reported that the Israel Air Force (IAF) carried out sorties over south Lebanon yesterday and last night. The Lebanon media reports that at least seven IAF jets flew over coastal areas near Zidon. The Lebanese claim that, since Friday, IAF jets have repeatedly entered the country's air space, including over Baalbek near the Syrian border. The sources claim that the IAF conducted maneuvers for over nine hours.

Meanwhile, in Israel, rising fears that Syria's chemical weapons could end up in the hands of Hizbullah and other terrorist organization, Israel Postal Company Ltd. reports a three-fold rise in requests for gas masks at its distribution points nationwide. The number of gas masks distributed has risen from an average of 1,400 a day last week to over 4,000 gas masks distributed yesterday.

The Post Office has distributed 4.7 million gas masks to day. In the face of rising demand, it has asked the public to use call service, 171, to place orders for gas masks, which will be delivered by messenger to the callers' homes, instead of going to the distribution points.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 30, 2013

? Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013

Source: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000818276

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Flee 'safe' sovereign debt, says Hasenstab

The New York Stock Exchange is pictured after the Fed announced they will keep interest rates near zero on Thursday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Franklin Templeton asset manager Michael Hasenstab: get out of government debt now
• Hasenstab: rising interest rates mean losses for holders of long-dated debt
• Hasenstab: if not for Fed's bond-buying program, U.S. Treasury yields would be much higher

(Financial Times) -- The man who made some of the boldest contrarian bets in the bond market last year has a new message for investors: get out of supposedly safe government debt now, before it is too late.

"The downside of being early is very limited. You're not participating in any 11th-hour rallies, but it's not like you're losing money," says Michael Hasenstab, who oversees $175bn in bonds for Franklin Templeton, the Californian asset manager.

Rising interest rates mean losses for holders of long-dated debt, and he says that if it were not for the Federal Reserve's bond-buying programme, US Treasury yields would be "higher, meaningfully higher".

"The worst has happened and we haven't fallen into a deflation trap. As things either stabilise or get a little bit better, it's hard to imagine deflation coming out of nowhere." Without that, he says, "US 10-year yields below 2 per cent just don't seem consistent with the US economy."

Mr Hasenstab is anything but a bleating Cassandra. The softly spoken 39-year-old has the air of an academic, while he has built a remarkable investment record through a combination of patient optimism and almost preposterous confidence. Last year funds controlled by Mr Hasenstab practically cornered the market for Irish and Hungarian debt as part of aggressive bets that both countries would recover from the financial crisis.

On the risks to "safe" government debt, Mr Hasenstab is not forecasting when rates will rise. But he has adjusted the $66bn Templeton Global Bond Fund he manages in anticipation. For instance, in emerging markets such as South Korea he has been buying short-dated bonds paying 2.5 to 3 per cent, with the prospect of gains from currency movements over time.

"They have an interest rate advantage, so if we look out five years, the value of the Korean won relative to the value of the dollar will probably be higher because we're just flooding the world with dollars," he says.

So while the typical effective duration -- a measure of sensitivity to interest rates -- for global bond mutual funds run by peers is five or six years, his is less than two years.

Mr Hasenstab likens this to a previous bet on the Japanese yen, where Templeton was very early on its negative view of the currency. "It didn't work for years and then when it happens, it happens pretty big, pretty quickly. You can't come in after it starts happening."

Franklin recently became the largest private holder of Irish sovereign bonds with almost a tenth of the market, raising fears that prices would tumble as soon as he stopped buying. This month, however, Ireland sold ?2.5bn of five-year bonds paying 3.3 per cent, a sign of relative financial health. There was ?7bn worth of demand, with 90 per cent of the buyers coming from outside the US.

"This recent access to the market I think finally closed the door on a lot of the naysayers," says Mr Hasenstab.

Some investors are less sanguine. Myles Bradshaw, a portfolio manager at Pimco, says that Spanish bonds offer better value. "Getting the budget deficit down now depends on growth, but it's a small, open economy that needs global growth to pick up, and I can't really see that. So Ireland will need more austerity and I think that will be difficult to implement."

Mr Hasenstab says that his exposure to emerging markets means that he is already exposed to countries such as Spain and Italy, even if he does not own their bonds directly, due to the consequences of another crisis.

"If there's a tidal wave coming from a credit event in Italy, then it doesn't matter how great your thesis is on Malaysia, the ringgit's going to get blown up," he says.

But while Mr Hasenstab forecasts recession for Europe, he still thinks it will hold together, and is more upbeat about the global economy as the effects of quantitative easing by central banks in the developed world are exported to emerging markets.

Indeed, he remains patiently optimistic on one of the other great investment debates of the moment. "There's a lot of perma bears on China who believe that everything there is a Ponzi scheme and it's all artificial. I don't believe that."

He argues that overbuilding in China has helped the country avoid bottlenecks. "Brazil tops out at 4.5 per cent growth because they don't have the infrastructure, such as the roads, the rail systems necessary to grow faster without overheating.

"Were some developments, toll roads, or railroads built that shouldn't have been built? Sure, but I think that's not seeing the forest through the trees. Our sense is they will grow into that infrastructure over the next 10 years," he says.

That belief, he says, is a combination of the big macro themes, with the informed local knowledge behind such bets as Ireland, or Hungary when they are hated by the market. "Really, you can only do so much behind a Bloomberg screen."

? The Financial Times Limited 2013

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/business/us-hasenstab-government-bonds/index.html?eref=rss_latest

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10 surprising slow cooker holiday dishes - Mother Nature Network

10 surprising slow cooker holiday dishes

Individual desserts, rolls, warm punch, cheese cake and more can be made in your slow cooker this holiday season, freeing up your stove for other dishes ? and think of the time you'll save.

Tue, Dec 04 2012 at 2:14 PM

Most of know that slow cookers are great for soups, stews, chili and roasts, but they can do so much more. Take a look at this list of appetizers, main dishes, desserts and beverages that can all be made in a slow cooker. With the holidays coming up, cooking some foods in the slow cooker will come in handy because it frees up oven and burner space for other items you?ll need to prepare.

?

1. Individual Spiced Pear Bread Puddings ? These serving-sized desserts are built in one-cup mason jars and the mason jars are put into the slow cooker to cook. Bonus ? you can keep them warm in the slow cooker and pull them out hot and ready to serve for dessert.
2. Apple Butter Yeast Rolls ? As one commenter on this recipe said, ?Whoa! You can make rolls in a slow cooker?? Yes, you can.
3. Applesauce ? Cut up apples, peels, core and all, cook down in a slow cooker to make naturally sweet applesauce, or as my boys call it when I made it this way, awesomesauce.
4. Lasagna ? I hear there are some families that serve both turkey and lasagna for Christmas. This recipe could solve the problem of how to manage cooking them both at the same time.
5. Spinach Artichoke Dip ? This dip is easy to throw together a few hours before entertaining and then you can forget about it. It cooks while you?re preparing everything else.
6. Caramelized Onions ? I shared this method for caramelizing a bunch of onions at once in the slow cooker with you last year. My best tip, plug the slow cooker in on an outside porch if possible. It works really well, but it also stinks up the house. Don't know what to do with all those onions? I also did a round up of five holiday appetizers that use caramelized onions.
7. Slow Cooker Sour Cream Cheese Cake ? The steam that stays in the slow cooker the entire baking time creates a creamy, silky cheesecake.
8. Scarlet Wine Punch ? This warm punch both cooks and is served from the slow cooker. The warm setting keeps it just the right temperature and you don?t have to worry about keeping it on the stove unattended.
9. Hot Buttered Rum ? Another warm drink that stays warm in the slow cooker. The rum gets added after everything else cooks so the alcohol doesn?t cook away.
10. Natural Room Scents ? If you need to freshen the air up a bit in your home, try one of these combinations of natural ingredients that are heated in an open slow cooker. There?s one combination that uses pine needles, bay leaves and a few other ingredients that is perfect for the holiday season.

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Do you have a holiday dish that you cook in your slow cooker?

?

Other slow cooker recipes on MNN:

?

Source: http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/blogs/10-surprising-slow-cooker-holiday-dishes

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5 big losers in press freedom: Mali and ... Japan?

Each year, the World Press Freedom Index ranks the world?s nations ? 179 of them ? on how easy they make the work of journalists, scoring them in categories like media independence, the physical safety of reporters, free speech laws, and transparency. The resulting list reads much like a primer for understanding global conflict: Safe and prosperous countries like Finland and Norway do best, while war-torn dictatorships like Iran, Eritrea, and Syria are among the world?s worst spots to be not only a citizen, but a journalist as well.

But while the index suggests that press freedom is frequently a casualty of war ? take for instance Mali, which plummeted 74 spots on the list during the past year ? it also indicates that those wounds are not always fatal. This year saw massive growth in press freedom in several countries with bloody recent histories, including Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. These countries can serve as a bellwether for Middle Eastern and North African states struggling to remake themselves in the wake of the 2011 uprisings in that region, says Delphine Halgand, Washington director for the French NGO Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Fronti?res, or RSF), which released the index for 2012 today.

?In these Arab Spring countries we?re still waiting on the promise of new freedoms,? Ms. Halgand says. ?This is a really sensitive time for the future of the press there.?

RECOMMENDED: The five most dangerous countries for journalists

Elsewhere in the world, however, shifts in journalistic freedom have happened more quietly. Malawi, for instance, marched upward 71 places in a single year on the back of government reform there, while Japan dipped 31 spots based on the government?s handling of press coverage of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor disaster.

Here are five of the notable winners and losers on this year?s list.

#32: The United States

After tumbling 27 places in the rankings between 2011 and 2012, the United States recovered significant ground this year, rising 15 slots to 32nd. Last year?s downgrade was the result of police crackdown on reporters covering the Occupy Wall Street movement, which led to the imprisonment and beating of more than two dozen journalists, according to RSF. This was not the first time the American position in the ranking took a sudden nosedive ? the US fell 20 places between 2004 and 2005 at the height of government-media tensions over the war on terror. ?Even the US media climate reflects [political upheaval],? Halgand notes.

But just as the US began to right itself this year, Canada dropped 10 spots to 20th as a result of press difficulties in covering the widespread student protests there. But neither the US nor its northern neighbor came close to the press freedom enjoyed in the Western Hemisphere?s highest ranked nation, tiny Jamaica, which clocked in at 13th.

#53: Japan

Japan had Asia?s sharpest decline in the index, sliding from 22nd to 53rd place in the world. Despite a robust media climate overall in the country, RSF sounded alarm bells over an informal ban placed on independent coverage of subjects related to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011.

The organization reported that several freelance journalists who pushed back against the restrictions had been subject to ?censorship, police intimidation, and judicial harassment.? Japan?s media also suffered from a more general insularity, RSF reported, where elite press clubs made it difficult for non-members to gain access to crucial information and reporting opportunities.

#99: Mali

Last year was not kind to the Malian press corps. Early in the year, mutinying soldiers seized control of the capital, while in the country?s north, Tuareg separatists ? and later, Islamist rebel groups ? brought large swaths of territory under the rule of their own guns. Over the course of the year, news organizations in the north found themselves censored by rebel groups, several local and international journalists were assaulted in the capital, Bamako, and a large number of radio stations were forced off the air. Once ?the continent?s star performer in democracy and press freedom,? according to RSF, Mali plummeted 74 places on the Press Freedom Index in 2012 ? from 25th to 99th ? the single largest decline of any country in the world.

#151: Myanmar (Burma)

Although it remains in the dubious company of Iraq (#150), Russia (#148), and Mexico (#153), Myanmar is something of a success story for press freedom, says Halgand, of RSF. The country rose 18 spots this year and has made small but significant lurches toward a free media ? there are no longer any journalists in the country imprisoned for their work, for instance, and media outlets exiled by the former military dictatorship are slowly being allowed to return. Myanmar has also eliminated the policy of prior censorship, where media content was suppressed before its publication, and RSF researchers were able to return to the country in 2012 after several years of blacklisting, Halgand says.

?Burma should be highlighted because we are observing amazing improvement with no violence,? she adds. ?It shows us that democratization can happen without crisis.?

#176: Syria

The world?s deadliest country for journalists over the last year, Syria saw the killing of at least 17 professional journalists, 44 so-called citizen journalists ? amateurs responsible for the regular dissemination of media ?? and 4 media assistants in 2012. Prominent among them for many western observers were American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik, who died in February during the siege of the city of Homs.

The country as a whole has spent years in a near complete media blackout ? it ranked 173rd on the list even before its civil war began, in 2010. But the current conflict has made the sources of media oppression more diffuse, putting journalists in danger of being targeted not only by the government but by opposition groups as well.

?Pro [President Bashar Al-]Assad propaganda, the spread of false information, the hacking of email and social networking accounts, phishing etc ? a veritable information and disinformation war is being waged in Syria,? RSF wrote.

Related stories

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-big-losers-press-freedom-mali-japan-171700670.html

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Soccer-US fringe players fail to shine in Canada stalemate ? Yahoo! Sports

Soccer-US fringe players fail to shine in Canada stalemate
Yahoo! Sports
The U.S. travel to Honduras for the opening fixture of the six-team final round of regional qualifying on Feb. 6, so Klinsmann used Tuesday's friendly in Houston as a chance for new faces to force their way into his squad. The friendly against Canada at the ?
Listless US Squad Plays Canada to DrawNew York Times
US vs. Canada: Americans sluggish in 0-0 draw in World Cup prepSportingNews.com
US talent pool looks more like puddle in 0-0 drawSI.com
ESPN (blog)?-Washington Post (blog)?-Bloomberg
all 78 news articles??

Source: http://www.nature-help.com/news/soccer-us-fringe-players-fail-to-shine-in-canada-stalemate-yahoo-sports/

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Dr. Phil: Te'o was victim of girlfriend hoax

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) ? Dr. Phil McGraw says Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who masterminded the dead girlfriend hoax involving Manti Te'o, told him the Notre Dame linebacker was not involved in the scheme and that he ended up falling "deeply, romantically" in love with the football player.

McGraw spoke on the "Today" show Wednesday, previewing an interview he did with Tuiasosopo, a 22-year-old California man who created the fictional woman Te'o knew as Lennay Kekua. Tuiasosopo's interview with McGraw will air in two parts on the "Dr. Phil Show" starting Thursday.

Since the hoax was revealed earlier this month, Te'o has said the relationship with Kekua started online and eventually became serious, even though the two only talked on the phone and exchanged electronic messages, never meeting in person. Te'o said he was told of Kekua's "death" from leukemia just hours after his grandmother died in September.

McGraw said Tuiasosopo told him the voice of Kekua was his. Tuiasosopo and Te'o have each said that while the Kekua relationship went on for several years, there were times when they weren't in contact.

"There were many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up. But something would bring them back together whether it was something going on in his life, or in Lennay's life, in this case in my life," Tuiasosopo said.

Tuiasosopo said he wanted to end the relationship between Kekua and Te'o before he had to fake Kekua's death.

"I wanted to end it because everything I had gone through, I finally realized that I just had to move on with my life and I had to get me, Ronaiah, I had to start just living and let this go," Tuiasosopo said.

Te'o's publicist, Matthew Hiltzik, declined comment on behalf of Te'o and his family.

When the ruse was reported by Deadspin.com on Jan. 16, the report raised the questions about whether Te'o was involved. The story about how he played inspirationally after the deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother led to an outpouring of support from Notre Dame fans. It became the backdrop to Fighting Irish's undefeated regular season and run to the BCS championship game, where they lost to Alabama.

Te'o won seven national awards for his play and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He has denied any involvement from the beginning, and Notre Dame said an investigation of the player's claims backed up his story.

"The feelings, the pain, the sorrow, that was all real," Te'o told Katie Couric in an interview last week.

McGraw says "absolutely, unequivocally" Te'o had no role in creating the hoax.

Te'o said he first learned that something was amiss when Keuka called him on Dec. 6, and told him she had faked her death.

He told his parents about what had happened while home for Christmas break and called Notre Dame coaches on Dec. 26 to let them know. Notre Dame officials said that interviewed Te'o and retained Stroz Friedberg, a New York computer forensics firm to investigate the case. They learned on Jan. 3 that there were no records indicating Lennay Kekua existed.

McGraw said he spent hours with Tuiasosopo and his parents, saying he had a number of life experiences that "damaged this young man in some very serious ways."

McGraw said Tuiasosopo had feelings for Te'o.

"Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love," McGraw said.

McGraw said he asked Tuiasosopo if he is gay.

"He said, 'Well, when you put it that way, yes.' Then he caught himself and said, 'I am confused,'" McGraw said.

Te'o also was asked by Couric if he is gay. Te'o said "no" with a laugh. "Far from it. Faaaar from that," he said.

Te'o said in the interview with Couric that when Tuiasosopo tweeted him a direct message on Jan. 16 saying he had been behind the hoax. The message read: "I completely accept the consequences to the pain I've caused & it's important that you know the truth before anyone else."

Te'o told Couric that Tuiasosopo later called him and explained what he did.

"He didn't say why. He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people. Of being someone that he wasn't and trying to connect with somebody on a different level to help them out," Te'o said.

Te'o said he didn't say much to Tuiasosopo.

"I just found that everything that I believed to be my reality wasn't my reality at all," Te'o said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dr-phil-teo-victim-girlfriend-hoax-182800175--spt.html

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Taking the stairs, raking leaves may have same health benefits as a trip to the gym

Jan. 28, 2013 ? New research at Oregon State University suggests the health benefits of small amounts of activity -- even as small as one- and two-minute increments that add up to 30 minutes per day -- can be just as beneficial as longer bouts of physical exercise achieved by a trip to the gym.

The nationally representative study of more than 6,000 American adults shows that an active lifestyle approach, as opposed to structured exercise, may be just as beneficial in improving health outcomes, including preventing metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

"Our results suggest that engaging in an active lifestyle approach, compared to a structured exercise approach, may be just as beneficial in improving various health outcomes," said Paul Loprinzi, lead author of the study. "We encourage people to seek out opportunities to be active when the choice is available. For example, rather than sitting while talking on the phone, use this opportunity to get in some activity by pacing around while talking."

Perhaps just as importantly, the researchers found that 43 percent of those who participated in the "short bouts" of exercise met physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes day. In comparison, less than 10 percent of those in the longer exercise bouts met those federal guidelines for exercise.

Loprinzi, who is an assistant professor at Bellarmine University, conducted the research as a doctoral student working in the lab of Brad Cardinal at Oregon State University. Cardinal, a professor of exercise and sport science, is co-author of the study, which is in the current issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

"You hear that less than 10 percent of Americans exercise and it gives the perception that people are lazy," Cardinal said. "Our research shows that more than 40 percent of adults achieved the exercise guidelines, by making movement a way of life."

Cardinal, who has studied the "lifestyle exercise" model for more than 20 years, said one of the most common barriers people cite to getting enough exercise is lack of time. He said the results of this study are promising, and show that simply building movement into everyday activities can have meaningful health benefits.

"This is a more natural way to exercise, just to walk more and move around a bit more," Cardinal said. "We are designed by nature as beings who are supposed to move. People get it in their minds, if I don't get that 30 minutes, I might as well not exercise at all. Our results really challenge that perception and give people meaningful, realistic options for meeting the physical activity guidelines."

For example, Cardinal said instead of driving half a mile, try biking or walking the same distance; instead of using a riding lawn mower, use a push lawn mower. Instead of sitting through TV commercials, try doing some sit-ups, push-ups, or jumping jacks during the commercial breaks; and instead of sitting and being a spectator at a child's sporting event, try walking around during the halftime break.

The researchers said the participants in this study wore accelerometers, which is an objective tool to measure physical activity. Those who participated in the short bouts of activity could be moving as few as one or two minutes at a time. The people in the "short bouts" group had positive results in areas such as blood pressure, cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, and waist circumference.

For instance, the study showed those in the shorter exercise group who met physical activity guidelines had an 89 percent chance of not having metabolic syndrome, compared to 87 percent for those meeting guidelines using the structured exercise approach.

Loprinzi said the one area where small bursts of activity did not seem to equal the benefits of longer, sustained exercise was in Body Mass Index, or BMI. However, the researchers cautioned that these findings do not necessarily mean that short bouts of activity do not help with weight loss, especially since they did find a benefit on weight circumference.

"There are inherent limitations in BMI as a surrogate measure of fat and health in general," Cardinal said. "People can still be 'fit' and 'fat.'"

The researchers emphasized that for health benefits, people should seek out opportunities to be physically active.

"In our society, you will always be presented with things that entice you to sit or be less active because of technology, like using a leaf blower instead of a rake," Cardinal said. "Making physical activity a way of life is more cost-effective than an expensive gym membership. You may be more likely to stick with it, and over the long term, you'll be healthier, more mobile and just feel better all around."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oregon 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. Paul D. Loprinzi, Bradley J. Cardinal. Association Between Biologic Outcomes and Objectively Measured Physical Activity Accumulated in ?10-Minute Bouts and . American Journal of Health Promotion, 2013; 27 (3): 143 DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.110916-QUAN-348

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/living_well/~3/zjCO-5T8sq4/130129100118.htm

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Officials: S.Sudan, Sudan fail to agree in talks

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) ? South Sudan and Sudan have failed to reach an agreement on security arrangements and oil exports, officials said Saturday after several days of talks in Ethiopia's capital.

The two sides were in Addis Ababa negotiating the implementation of a safe demilitarized border zone, which called on both Juba and Khartoum to withdraw their armies at least 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the contested border region.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 after an independence vote under a 2005 peace treaty that ended decades of war but disputes remain over their common border and sharing of oil revenues.

A key sticking point has been the demilitarization of a contested 14-mile (23-kilometer)strip of land bordering Sudan's Darfur and South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal states.

"Each government has its own understanding of the scope of the 14-mile area," South Sudan's negotiating team said in a statement, which goes on to call Sudan's position "intractable."

Earlier this week, South Sudan's negotiating team claimed South Sudan had taken a step toward implementing the border security agreements by withdrawing its own forces from the disputed border.

However South Sudan's Military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said no such withdrawal has taken place.

"(As of) Yesterday (Friday) evening there was no order withdrawal that we have received from any source," said Aguer. "The negotiation is at the political level. We are at the operation level. So far nothing has reached the SPLA general headquarters."

The demilitarized border is the first in a series of issues that may eventually have led to the resumption of South Sudan's oil production and export through pipelines in Sudan. Juba shut down its production last January after accusing Sudan of stealing its oil before it reached export facilities in Port Sudan, on the Red Sea. The shutdown eventually led to open clashes between the two countries' armies and condemnation from the international community.

In September, the two sides signed an agreement on border security and oil production that was expected to end their disputes. But subsequent negotiations have shown both sides are unable to implement the agreements they previously signed. The latest round of talks started on Jan. 14.

According to the statement from the South Sudan negotiating team, Sudan has refused to export southern oil until the border security arrangements are fully implemented. This includes the deployment of more than 800 Ethiopian security forces along the border to monitor the agreement.

Sudan has also frequently accused South Sudan of supporting rebels in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. The rebel groups were part of South Sudan's army during its 21-year civil war with Khartoum. But since the South's independence it maintains it has cut off support for the rebel groups. Khartoum has insisted Juba must stop supporting the rebels before border security arrangements can be implemented. South Sudan however says Khartoum is trying to delay the negotiations by "imposing new conditions" not in previous agreements.

It is unclear when the two sides might meet again to break the nearly four months of deadlock. But according to South Sudan's negotiating team, any chance of implementing the September agreement "will require greater cooperation from Sudan."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-sudan-sudan-fail-agree-talks-131037737.html

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Cosmic Contacts with Pam Mahala World Astrologer 01/21 by Radio ...

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Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renford/2013/01/22/cosmic-contacts-with-pam-mahala-world-astrologer

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HSBC to pay $249M to end foreclosure reviews

18 hrs.

Aruna Viswanatha , Reuters

HSBC Holdings Plc agreed to pay $249 million to end a case-by-case review of past home foreclosures in the United States, bringing the total payout by banks to resolve related issues to $9.3 billion.

London-based HSBC agreed to pay $96 million to eligible borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure in 2009 and 2010, and provide $153 million in other assistance, including loan modifications and forgiveness.

HSBC said in a statement it was pleased to have reached the agreement and expects to record a pre-tax charge of $96 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 for the cash portion of the settlement. The bank said it expected to cover the loan assistance through existing reserves.

The settlement, with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board, is the 13th the agencies have reached this month.

They stem from reviews of individual loan files the regulators ordered in 2011 and 2012, after widespread mistakes were discovered in the way mortgage servicers had processed home seizures.

The reviews, initially expected to determine which borrowers were harmed and to compensate them based on their individual experiences, proved slow and expensive.

Ten banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, agreed to pay a total of $8.5 billion - some in cash, and the rest in loan assistance - to end the reviews last week.

On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley agreed to a similar $557 million deal.

Around 112,000 borrowers whose homes were in foreclosure with HSBC Bank and other HSBC subsidiaries will receive some cash, regulators said.

Regulators said last week the payouts will be based on whether a borrower falls into one of 11 categories. The categories include whether the person was eligible for protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, whether the borrower was not in default, or whether he or she was denied a loan modification.

The Fed and OCC are expected to reach similar agreements with other servicers that had been asked to conduct the reviews, including Ally Financial Inc, EverBank Financial Corp and OneWest Bank FSB.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/hsbc-pay-249-million-end-foreclosure-reviews-1B8039395

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Factbox: Reaction to Lance Armstrong's doping admission

(Reuters) - Reaction to Lance Armstrong's admission that he cheated his way to a record seven Tour de France titles with systematic use of banned, performance-enhancing drugs:

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC), in a statement:

"There can be no place for doping in sport and the IOC unreservedly condemns the actions of Lance Armstrong and all those who seek an unfair advantage against their fellow competitors by taking drugs.

"This is indeed a very sad day for sport but there is a positive side if these revelations can begin to draw a line under previous practices."

DAVID HOWMAN, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) director general, told Reuters:

"It seemed to us it was more of a convenient truth than a full display of what went on and that is really what we would ask him to do.

"First, it displays that talking to a talk show host is not a very effective way of getting the full information out because a talk show host doesn't have the full story.

"I think there were a lot of words put into his mouth, that's not the way you get full information."

TRAVIS TYGART, United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief, in a statement:

"His admission that he doped throughout his career is a small step in the right direction but if he is sincere in his desire to correct his past mistakes he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities."

PAT McQUAID, INTERNATIONAL CYCLING UNION (UCI) president, in a statement:

"The UCI welcomes Lance Armstrong's decision finally to come clean and to confess to using performance-enhancing drugs, in the first part of his interview with Oprah Winfrey.

"We note that Lance Armstrong expressed a wish to participate in a truth and reconciliation process, which we would welcome."

LIVESTRONG, cancer foundation set up by Armstrong, in a statement:

"We at the Livestrong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us.

"Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community."

CHRIS HOY, six-times Olympic cycling champion, told reporters:

"We've got to remember it's one man, it's one part of the sport, it's not the whole sport. The majority of cyclists, the huge majority of cyclists out there are clean.

"We are showing that we can win gold medals and you can be clean and be proud of your sport and show that not all cyclists are like Lance Armstrong."

DAVID MILLAR, British rider who served two-year doping ban, told a forum:

"I can't help but empathize with him even if it was Oprah and not a judge but sympathize is too strong a word ... He's got kids and they're going to have to go to school. A couple of years ago their dad was the best in the world and now he's a pariah."

CHRIS HORNER, Radioshack Leopard Trek rider, told reporters:

"The confession is difficult to deal with and stuff like that ... He has done, I guess, dark things with the sport but he has done a lot of very good things for the sport too."

GREG LEMOND, triple Tour de France winner, to Cyclingnews:

"If Armstrong had given Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton the same stuff he was taking, he would never have won - they would have beaten him."

JOERG JAKSCHE, German former rider who has admitted doping, told Sky Sports News:

"I didn't have the feeling that he was regretting that he doped, I had more of a feeling that he regretted that he came back (out of retirement) and it was the start of all his problems."

JAIMIE FULLER, founder of Change Cycling Now pressure group, told Reuters:

"There's a hell of a lot more that's needed beyond an interview with Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey. Having said that, he did make a couple of points that certainly are relevant and the main one is calling for a truth and reconciliation commission."

PIERRE BORDRY, former head of the French Anti-Doping Agency, told Reuters TV:

"He should have said more... What his admission lacks is precise information on the way he got supply, if people helped him."

PAUL KIMMAGE, former rider and journalist who spent many years trying to expose Armstrong, on RTE:

"I don't know whether he wants to leverage that (his admission of guilt) against something else, whether he's trying to cut a deal that would enable him to compete in triathlons and that.

"If he's genuine about it he'll be knocking on Travis Tygert's door today and saying 'Okay, I will testify under oath, I want to do this sport a service, I've caused it terrible damage'."

EMMA O'REILLY, Armstrong's former masseuse who was sued by the rider after speaking out about his doping, told British television channel ITV:

"I had only ever spoken about it because I hated seeing what some of the riders were going through, because not all the riders were as comfortable with cheating as Lance was.

"And you could see when he went over to the 'dark side' personalities change - and it was an awful shame."

JEFF TILLOTSON, lawyer for SCA Promotions which paid Armstrong $12 million in bonus money for Tour de France wins, told Reuters:

"Lance Armstrong's statements were jaw-dropping to my clients, because he basically admitted that everything he told us in his sworn deposition was untrue... He doesn't deserve, and is not entitled to, that money."

JONATHAN VAUGHTERS, former team mate of Armstrong, told Reuters in a text message:

"It was a good first step. I'm glad he said he would testify to truth and reconciliation."

MATT GITEAU, former Australia rugby player, on Twitter:

"I think I am still a fan of Lance Armstrong. Level playing field I believe in the Tour. They were all doing it, he just did it better."

PIERS MORGAN, talk show host and former newspaper editor, on Twitter:

"What a snivelling, lying, cheating little wretch @lancearmstrong revealed himself to be tonight. I hope he now just disappears."

NICOLE COOKE, British 2008 Olympic road race champion, told the BBC:

"Lance Armstrong was living in his own horrible world. He's got no morals and he's a disgusting human being. The sad thing is there were clean riders who had livelihoods and careers stolen from them by Lance and we're probably not going to see those people vindicated in any way through this."

BETSY ANDREU, wife of former Armstrong team mate Frankie and who had previously said she had heard the disgraced rider confess to doctors treating him for testicular cancer that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs, told CNN:

"He could have come clean, he owed it to me, he owed it to the sport that he destroyed. The hospital is where it all started. If he wants a shot of redemption here, he's dropping the ball."

DAVID WALSH, Sunday Times journalist and author who has battled to expose Armstrong's doping and who was sued by Armstrong, told the BBC:

"The Sunday Times will be looking for around $2 million back from Armstrong, he should pay that back now straight up, no questions, because the Sunday Times were the one newspaper at that time asking the right questions. The Sunday Times are saying now: 'Lance, you admit you doped, give us our money back, do the fair thing, if you don't do the fair thing we will go all the way to get our money back'."

PIERRE BALLESTER, co-author of "LA Confidential" with David Walsh, told Reuters TV:

"It is unimaginable to think that there was a generalized system of doping in his team without the help or involvement of other institutions or protagonists. So he benefited from protection. He didn't reveal them. I think that all this was negotiated ahead of this Hollywood show to protect his back and possibly to save his foundation."

BRIAN COOKSON, British Cycling president, told the BBC:

"I don't think he's sorry. I think he's just sorry he got caught."

STUART O'GRADY, former Tour de France stage winner, told reporters:

"Lance deceived everybody on the planet, us included. Obviously we all wanted to believe also he was winning the Tours clean. We are all athletes suffering through the mountains and you'd like to think that he was just training harder and working harder than we all were.

"But now it's all come out, (I am) deceived, annoyed, frustrated."

TONY DOYLE, British former cyclist, told the BBC:

"No one is more amazed or staggered with the revelations that have come out. I completely bought into the Lance Armstrong story, his story on how he overcame the cancer, and everything that went with that. I got to know Lance fairly well, and I'm amazed by the extent of deceit that's been going on."

ANDY PARKINSON, UK Anti-Doping CEO, told Sky Sports News:

"I've been in front of athletes who have been ashamed of what they have done in the past and this didn't ring in the same way to me. From what I can see this is an action that has been forced on him rather than he has come forward. The point he makes about winning the Tour de France you have to cheat is bemusing because he was the winner for seven years and of course you had to cheat because he was cheating."

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, tennis world number one, told reporters at the Australian Open:

"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this. He cheated the sport. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story. I think they should take all his titles away because it's not fair towards any sportsman, any athlete. It's just not the way to be successful. So I think he should suffer for his lies all these years."

(Compiled by Sonia Oxley; Editing by Mitch Phillips and Clare Fallon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-reaction-lance-armstrongs-doping-admission-102336425.html

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Ahead of the Bell: Research in Motion

NEW YORK (AP) -- Research in Motion's stock climbed more than 6 percent in premarket trading Friday as an analyst lifted the company's rating and price target on the promising potential of its new Blackberry 10 device.

Research in Motion Ltd. is expected to launch its Blackberry 10 smartphones later this month, hoping that it will make the struggling company more competitive with the likes of businesses such as Apple Inc.

Peter Misek of Jefferies said in a client note that developers are supporting the Blackberry 10 more than expected, with Research in Motion anticipating 70,000 apps available for the device at its launch.

The analyst said that there is also better-than-expected carrier support for the Blackberry 10, with carriers agreeing to volume commitments for the first two quarters after the launch. Misek said he's been surprised by the strong initial positive feedback from carriers, considering that the Blackberry 10 is two years late to market and Research in Motion's market share has dropped to 5 percent from 20 percent. The analyst believes carriers are interested in the Blackberry 10 because it is one of their last chances to avoid being locked into a long-term smartphone operating system duopoly with Apple and Android.

Misek raised Research in Motion to "Buy" from "Hold" and increased its price target to $19.50 from $13.

Shares of the company gained $1.01, or 6.8 percent, to $15.92 about 45 minutes ahead of the market open.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahead-bell-research-motion-122122133.html

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Great Weekend Weather for North Texas! Here?s your forecast.

BEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR SO FAR?

That is not saying a whole lot as we haven?t had very many weekends this year, but this one will be the best we have seen.? Lots of sunshine and high temperatures in the mid 60s each day!? It will be a bit cool in the mornings starting near 40 degrees each day.

A cold front arrives early Monday (MLK Day) morning.? No rain with this front, but it will be cooler and a bit breezy on Monday.? High temperatures for Monday will be in the upper 40s.

STATEWIDE FORECAST

SATURDAY

?

SUNDAY

?

MONDAY

?

ANOTHER FREEZE THIS MORNING?

This morning (Friday Jan. 18) we had another freeze at DFW.? The low temperature was 31 degrees.? This is the 20th freeze so far this winter.? All of last winter we only saw 14 freezes.

?

FORECAST:

TONIGHT:? Clear and cool.? Low of 39.? S 5-10 mph

TOMORROW:? Sunny and pleasant.? High of 66.? S 10-15 mph

TOMORROW NIGHT:? Mostly clear and cool.? Low of 40.? S 5-10 mph

SUNDAY:? Sunny and pleasant.? High of 65.? S 5-10 mph

MONDAY:? Mostly sunny and cooler.? Morning low of 38.? High of 47.? NE 5-15 mph

TUESDAY:? Mostly Sunny.? Morning low of 30.? High of 56.? S 5-15 mph

WEDNESDAY:? Partly sunny and warmer.? Morning low of 39.? High of 64.? S 10-20 mph

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/01/18/great-weekend-weather-for-north-texas-heres-your-forecast/

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Wholesale fruit business excels in retail | Sunshine Coast Daily

Topics:? buderim fruit and veg, wholesale fruit

Buderim Fruit and Veg employee Kelly Ade has proved excellent in customer service after the business was awarded Brisbane Produce Market Retailer of the Month for December 2012 Photo Emily Haynes / Buderim Chronicle Emily Haynes

WITH all the delicious fruit and vegetables you can think of and wonderfully helpful and friendly staff, you have to be at Buderim Fruit and Veg.

The business was named the Brisbane Produce Market Retailer of the Month for December, an award recognising excellence in customer service.

Despite the majority of the business revolving around wholesale, owners Murray and Simon Norton, a father and son duo, are also excelling on the retail side.

"Our business has always been more of an ethical than a financial thing," Simon said.

"The key is having a loyal customer base that knows its fruit and veg well.

"It's not unusual for customers to bring in recipes and ask for specific ingredients, and if it's not in the shop, we'll get it in for them.

"We also have a strong philosophy for providing only the freshest healthy products for our customers, so we ensure no high calorie processed products are available for purchase in our store."

Murray and Simon opened the store six years ago as a complementary addition to their wholesale business next door.

Winners of the Brisbane Produce Market Retailer of the Month award receive $2000 prize money to use for store promotions.

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Source: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/wholesale-fruit-business-excels-retail/1716475/

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The IPKat: A week of copyright in the news: a roadmap for the year ...

This Kat, dissatisfied with the scratchers commonly available, has developed the habit of sharpening his claws on some fresh newspapers, keeping a sharp eye out for IP articles, welcomed with a loud meow. In the past week, neighbours complained about an upsurge of feline sounds, whose origin has, so far, remained mysterious. Before unveiling the mystery, in his first post, this guest Kat would like to address his best greetings to the IPKat readers, with whom he looks forward to exchanging ideas, thoughts and reflections in the months ahead. The news that caught this Kat's attention, in the last seven days [perhaps ten, suggests Merpel], show that the role and extent of copyright law is still at the centre of a never-ending debate. The development of the information society, characterized by the possibility of a constant, almost instantaneous exchange of information, has certainly heightened the contrast between the needs to protect the contents? creators, to ensure the dissemination of their works and to allow widespread access to them. On January 12, several?sources?reported that Verizon, one of the largest ISPs in the US, was about to unveil the implementation of a 'six-strike' warning system, to detect and deter potential acts of infringement carried out through the online exchange of copyright protected material. The system, properly known as Copyright Alert System, was developed by the?Centre for Copyright Information, "a collaborative effort between U.S. content creators in the movie and music industries and leading IPSs to help educate the public and deter copyright infringement and offer information about legal content options and protecting personal computers from unintentional file sharing through P2P networks" [Merpel thought that underlying meaning was a concept reserved to poems and novels ...].

According to IBTimes, the six strike system works as follows. The first two warnings are delivered via email and automatic voicemail, notifying the user of the copyright owners? complaint and providing "a link to information on how to check if file sharing software is operating on [the] computer [and] where to find information on obtaining content legally". Strikes 3 and 4 redirect the user to a webpage where he/she can review the alerts, while viewing "a short video about copyright law and the consequences of copyright infringement": the user is then requested to acknowledge the receipt of the alerts (an action that doesn?t require admission of engaging in infringing activities, according to Verizon). Warnings 5 and 6 allow the alleged infringer to choose among three options (sanctions?): "agree to an immediate temporary (2 or 3 day) reduction in the speed of your Internet access service to 256kbps (a little faster than typical dial-up speed) [or] agree to the same temporary (2 or 3 day) speed reduction but delay it for a period of 14 days [or] ask for a review of the validity of [the] alerts by the American Arbitration Association". Similar systems have been introduced in a few other countries, including France and New Zealand, drawing severe criticism. This Kat?s recollection of the most critical issues concerning the ?graduated response' systems include: their compatibility with fundamental rights (see P. K. Yu, Intellectual Property and Human Rights in the Nonmultilateral Era), privacy and with the?TOS existing between the ISPs and the users; the lack of a judicial review before sanctions are administered; the inversion of the burden of proof; the impossibility of establishing the real user that committed the alleged infringement; the proportionality of fines and sanctions; the lack of any rules concerning the liability of ISPs and copyright owners for wrongly issued notices and the risk of false positives. Similar concerns, as readers recall, doomed the fate of ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), rejected by the European Parliament in July 2012. The Commission opted to ask the Court of Justice to issue an Opinion on the compatibility of ACTA with the EU Law, but later withdrew the question (the Commission explained that the withdrawal was a result of a "question" asked by the CJEU, but never disclosed the Court?s request - to dig deeper into the mystery, look here and here).

On the other hand, content creators argued that the graduated response system aimed at educating the user and enhancing his/her awareness towards copyright law and the consequences of infringements. Albeit one could point to the dissuasive scope of the system, rather than to the persuasive one, the first reports show that few strikes ended up in the courts. In the past three years, Hadopi (Haute Autorit? pour la diffusion des ?uvres et la protection des droits sur internet), the French governmental organization?deputed to the application of a three strike system, sent 1.15 million first warnings, 100,000 second warnings and 340 third warnings, according to sources. Only 14 cases have been further investigated and 2 people convicted, although only one received a 150 Euro fine. Economists noted, however, that the system seems to have caused an increase in the legal sale of multimedia content through iTunes France.

Meanwhile, in Milan, a court ordered Italian ISPs to block access to several websites which provided unauthorized streaming of live football events, licensed and broadcasted by the Italian TV network Mediaset. La Repubblica reported that the judge applied art. 171, c. 1, lett. a-bis, l. of Law 633/1941 (concerning the communication to the public, through a digital network, of works protected under IP law), stating that

"although football matches cannot be considered as an intellectual creation, their broadcasting, ... if characterized by a technical and creative contribution of the authors, is included within the works protected as intellectual creations".

Readers certainly remember the CJEU's ruling in Joined Cases C-403/08 (FAPL) and 429/08 (Karen Murphy), where the Court held that a "national legislation which prohibits the import, sale or use of foreign decoder cards is contrary to the freedom to provide services and cannot be justified either in light of the objective of protecting intellectual property rights or by the objective of encouraging the public to attend football stadiums", since "the Premier League matches ... cannot be considered to be an author?s own intellectual creation and, therefore, to be ?works? for the purposes of copyright in the European Union". The IPKat, as well as many commentators, expressed doubts as to the rightfulness of the conclusion reached by the Court. The Italian judge now seems to have claimed that the broadcasting feed, as the result of the technical and artistic work of a production team which manages, matches and mixes the images coming from several cameras, deserves to be considered as an intellectual creation, protected by IP law.

A journalist of the newspaper Corriere della sera immediately set to find out whether the court's order had succeeded in disrupting the unauthorized streaming of sport events in Italy [Merpel thinks that playing with colourful balls of wool is a much better pastime...]. Not surprisingly [indeed!], the journalist and his friend enjoyed an evening of free sport, without any disservice. On a more interesting note, the article observed that the streaming websites were filled with ads, concluding its remarks with a rhetorical question: "could it be that copyright owners are fighting the wrong enemy?"

The University of South Carolina provided an intriguing and timely?answer?to this question, analysing "the rise of ad-supported pirate networks". Relying on data provided by the?Google Transparency Report, the USC?s research evidenced that "in the last five years, a large number of new advertising networks now service the seemingly infinite advertising inventory of the broadband era [and that] much of that inventory sits on more than 150,000 pirate entertainment?sites". The study also recalled another recent report, ?The Six Business Models of Copyright Infringement?, funded by Google and the firm PRS for Music on Brands, which "investigated advertising networks and their support of the major pirate movie and music sites", finding that "advertising financed 86% of the P2P search sites that feature illegally distributed content". Researchers concluded that the findings "clearly indicate that many major brands are not aware that they are, in fact, the key source of funds for the piracy industry". This Kat was also puzzled by a couple of minor news. The first concerned the?Link?ping Computer Museum, which put on display the first?server of the notorious website The Pirate Bay, accompanied?by a label which celebrates "50 years of file-sharing". The second is the introduction of the?BBK BitTorrent Certified Box, a device that allows customers to view multimedia files stored on external USB disks or to directly stream content from bit-torrent files, via an online connection. This Kat doesn?t dare to predict the fate of such a device, which certainly lends itself to legit uses, as well as unlawful ones, but is unsure whether Merpel would agree [she whispered something about Betamax, secondary liability and similar things?]. However, he cannot help but think that a culture which openly rejects the copyright system runs the serious risk of hindering the widespread dissemination of culture and information, rather than helping it.

Turning to this last aspect, the Guardian commented on Amazon?s introduction of the new AutoRip service, which allows any customer, who recently purchased a music CD from the online retailer, to download or stream the songs in MP3 format. The report welcomed the service, but criticized its onerous terms of service. This Kat, who routinely wonders where he left his CDs, believes that the initiative, albeit improvable, could help offset the potential obsolesce of some media, enabling customers to continue enjoying the content purchased, in a different form [now, adds Merpel, if only something similar happened for my collection of the Aristocats, both in DVDs and printed books, I would gladly trade some milk for it?]. This news mainly summarizes some of the most controversial issues concerning copyright law that still await a clear, balanced answer, perhaps as soon as this year. This Kat endeavoured on an attempt to summarize some of the questions (but he is certain that readers could add many more questions to the list). Should copyright law focus on fighting the end users? infringing activities or the activities of those who help, support or facilitate them? Is it more efficient to sanction or educate? How can?fair dealing and fair pricing be conjugated? What is the effect of pricing strategies on piracy? What is the best way to protect authors' interests, without preventing widespread access to knowledge? A balanced answer to the last question appears to be fundamental to allow the development of our society and the creation of future intellectual works. In that regard, the death of 26 year old Aaron Swartz, best known for contributing to the creation of the RSS protocol and to the social-news site Reddit, is the latest news to report. In 2011, notes the?New York Times, Swartz was "indicted on federal charges of gaining illegal access to?JSTOR, a subscription-only service for distributing scientific and literary journals, and downloading 4.8 million articles and documents, nearly the entire library". He justified his actions with a manifesto, asserting that sharing information "[is] called stealing or piracy, as if sharing a wealth of knowledge were the moral equivalent of plundering a ship and murdering its crew [, but] sharing isn?t immoral ? it?s a moral imperative". "Only those blinded by greed", he added, "would refuse to let a friend make a copy". The manifesto referred mainly to out-of-copyright content, but also advocated the lawfulness of sharing scientific data, articles and information.

Although Swartz?s arguments raise several objections and appear not to take into account the importance of ensuring adequate remuneration to all those involved in the process of creating knowledge and protection to their creations, this Kat recognizes that his ideas strongly differed from those that inspire ad-supported streaming websites or services that blatantly offer, advertise and facilitate the illegal exchange of copyrighted content. If a lesson can be learnt from such a sad news, it is probably the necessity to enhance authors' and users' awareness of their reciprocal, interdependent roles and rights.

Source: http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-week-of-copyright-in-news-roadmap-for.html

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Attracting Venture Capital For New Businesses | Albanian Journalism

Venture capital investors invest capital into businesses. As opposed to regular investors, venture capital investors tend to invest in smaller less-established or struggling businesses. The goal for venture capitalists is to earn significant returns on their investments as opposed to small amounts of capital appreciation. Venture capital investors tend to be sophisticated accredited investors who have a significant amount of experience investing. Venture capitalists are also familiar with market and economic trends and business cycles and often have experience in a variety of industries.

Attracting venture capitalist investments is not always an easy task. There are several ways to go about attempting to obtain capital investments from these investors that can improve the likelihood of attracting these investors. Attending trade shows is one way to gain an audience with a venture capitalist. This can be done by having a booth at a trade show or looking for various conferences that appeal to venture capitalists. While at the trade show be sure that you have a product or professional business plan available to discuss with the venture capitalist.

While audited or reviewed financial statements provide some assurance regarding the quality of your financial data, it is not the end-all with venture capitalists. Venture capitalists are aware that your business may not be fully developed and they tend to buy into ideas as opposed to actual results. Start by outlining your business plan and the market for what you are intending to sell, as well as any competitive advantages you may have over your competition. Detail what your firm needs in terms of both financial resources as well as talent in order to achieve the business plan that you have outlined. Provide information regarding what you believe you will be able to offer to the venture capitalist in terms of financial compensation and control of the organization.

Many venture capitalists have significant amounts of business experience and do not want to accept a position as a passive investor. As such, they attempt to obtain partial control of a board of director seat to push their own agenda through. Be considerate of their concerns but be steadfast in your vision for the company. Detail where you want the company to be and how you will achieve it. Offer them the ability to provide assistance to help you financially and with their expertise. In addition, consider offering them an investment structure that provides some security in their investment, but with the ability to prosper if the business succeeds. An example of an investment structure that provides for this is through convertible preferred stock which offers preferential treatment in times of bankruptcy, but the ability to convert shares to common and prosper on capital appreciation.

Christopher Lee recommends reading Crescent Point Venture Capital for more information on private equity and fundraising.

Source: http://albanianjournalism.com/attracting-venture-capital-for-new-businesses/

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On the Market: Baseball star Barry Bonds might be...

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Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/01/17/on_the_market.php

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EPA changed course after oil company protested

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Source: http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=187076731&32=3796&7=195367&40=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20130116_ap_epachangedcourseafteroilcompanyprotested.html

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Q&A with Shelley Lindgren: Wine Director, Restaurateur & Author ...

Shelley Lindgren. Photo credit: Frankie Frankeny

Shelley Lindgren is a Bay Area success story: owner of the vastly popular A16 and SPQR restaurants, sommelier, wine director and cookbook author. A second A16 will open in Rockridge this year and Lindgren and owner Victoria Libin had this to share about the upcoming new outpost:

?We are very excited to announce the opening of A16 Rockridge, slated for early 2013 in the former Hudson restaurant space at 5356 College Avenue. We?d also like to officially welcome Rocky Maselli as the new A16 Rockridge Executive Chef? we are looking forward to seeing Rocky?s own interpretations of this cuisine, focusing on his family roots in Puglia, a coastal region of Italy. Guests can expect to see a menu with an emphasis on seafood as well as some southern Italian favorites including burrata, meatballs, and pizza. Shelley Lindgren?s role will include the creation of a Southern Italian-inspired wine program as well as collaboration on the launch of a cocktail program. The new cocktail menu will feature carefully crafted Italian aperitivos, amaros, and digestivos specially brought from Italy, including Rucolino ? a wild arugula amaro from Campania?s Island Ischia. The new space will feature an open kitchen with counter seating, bar seating as well as a private dining area. A16 Rockridge will work with San Francisco?s Cass Calder Smith of CCS Architecture to bring the vision for the location to life.?

Lindgren grew up in the North Bay and champions interesting and lesser known ?soulful? Southern Italian wines. She has worked as a wine educator and restaurant consultant and is married to Greg Lindgren, who is the co-owner of Rye, Rosewood, 15 Romolo, and Rye On the Road cocktail catering service in San Francisco.

Lindgren?s list of accomplishments is deep: a 2009 Gourmet magazine Educator Sommelier Award and the Golden Goblet by Women Chefs & Restaurateurs in the same year. She was voted the Best Wine Director by San Francisco Magazine, Best New Sommelier from Wine & Spirits, and made the cut for the Top Ten Sommeliers by Bloomberg Markets. Her first cookbook, A16 Food + Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2008) earned two IACP Cookbook Awards: Cookbook of the Year and The Julia Child Award. In 2010, Lindgren was awarded StarChefs.com?s San Francisco Bay Area Rising Star Restaurateur award. Bay Area Bites asked Lindgren about her her working life, accomplishments, latest SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine cookbook, and got the dish on her favorite wines and places to eat.

Bay Area Bites: How did the SPQR book project come about?

Lindgren: After collaborating on the A16 Food & Wine book together, Kate Leahy and I had been in touch with Ten Speed Press about tackling a companion project for SPQR. We landed on the conceit of Roman roads as a structural foundation and selected the main arteries of these ancient routes through central and northern Italy and organized the dishes and wines around them. In Italy, wine and food fits hand to glove and Chef Matthew Accarrino brought incredible knowledge on Italy, cooking, family heritage and a willingness to jump into research trips from the start. Soon we had a terrific way to tell the wonderful stories behind the food and wine of these regions. We just all wanted to do our best to not only translate our experience but also do justice to their greatness.

Bay Area Bites: Do you have any good stories from the book tour?

Lindgren: When Matthew and I have been together at book signings, often he?ll tell a story about a winery or winemaker we visited or I?ll remind him about a time we ate a particular dish or visited an artisan maker for prosciutto, cheese, vinegar, etc. Even though we had our own role in the book, they work complementary, very much how SPQR functions. It?s exciting to find wines that pair with his food and, between the book project and visiting winemakers, our entire team at SPQR has a plethora of stories and recommendations every night. We all have fun geeking out. And actually, just being there and spending so much time with the artisans was a remarkable experience for all of us. When you think about the traditions and the spirit of the people, not to mention the spectacular settings, the whole thing was magical. And the graciousness of our hosts all over the country, letting us into their homes and businesses to see their everyday lives and how they value and use these cherished traditions ? well, I?ll remember it forever. It also inspires me to come back and continue to raise our standards of hospitality.

Bay Area Bites: What are some of your favorite wines from the book?

Lindgren: I love to champion the lesser-known grapes because Italy is ripe with more than one can imagine. I love to hear things like a classic pairing for a particular Lambrusco is pumpkin, or to see wineries aging white wines for decades that still taste fresh. The focus on quality over quantity of Italian winemaking has elevated Italian wine so much in recent years and there is amazing pride in maintaining local tradition, which I admire. Italians don?t need much to live a very rich lifestyle. Drinking wine and having complementary meals is really a backbone of Italian living.

Bay Area Bites: What are you most passionate about for wine and food these days?

Lindgren: These days a lot of natural wines are increasingly blowing my mind. There?s Cantine Giardino, ?Paski,? Coda di Volpe that goes with a range of sweet and salty salads like chicory lettuce, roasted pear butter, almond, goat cheddar and pink pepper vinaigrette, or puntarelle lettuce, marinated anchovy, radish, egg and fried pork skin. It?s also great with many of Matthew?s pastas. One of the more classic pairings is an orange wine like the Rusticum with Matthew?s signature smoked fettuccine, sea urchin, smoked bacon, and soft quail egg. Grapes like pelaverga, tezzelenghe, gew?rztraminer, cesanese, and pigato are usually the kind of wines we?ll pair with dishes by the glass at SPQR. It?s a whole lot of fun.

Bay Area Bites: Who are your culinary and restaurant mentors?

Lindgren: Having spent the last 25 years in the Bay Area working in restaurants, I feel lucky to be inspired by so many people. Hubert Keller and the late Maurice Rouas took me under their wings at Fleur De Lys for most of the nineties. During that time, I honed my sommelier skills and realized I would be a restaurant professional as a career (I was about 25 when this decision was cemented). Then, Debbie Zachareas let me be a sommelier at Bacar and I learned a lot about managing as well, which proved invaluable as I kept studying wine, especially with my love of Italian wine. I was a real blank slate when starting to taste the wines of southern Italy and, fortunately, our timing with the opening A16 in 2004 was perfect when more and more gems from the Mezzogiorno were becoming available and in better quality. The south of Italy is paradise. Well actually, Italy is paradise.

Bay Area Bites: What are the best things about being a sommelier and restaurateur?

Lindgren: First of all, I love service. I love making people happy. But beyond that, I always envisioned a place where wine and food were in ideal balance with each other. Coming from fine dining, I really wanted to have elements of fine dining like the correct wine glass, the optimal temperature of wine, and friendly service that was professional yet fun, and I think we?ve achieved that. Whenever I walk into A16 or SPQR, I am excited to get to work and love seeing great teamwork and everyone?s true enthusiasm for food and wine. We are so lucky to work in the restaurant business in the Bay Area. There is always a process of evolution and adjustments to be made, which keeps us on our toes.

Bay Area Bites: And the worst?

Lindgren: Tough question because there?s plenty of ?grosser than gross? things to deal with whether it?s the plumbing needing to be fixed, etc? but, that?s part of the package deal. Restaurant work is not for the faint of heart. There is no resting on laurels. Every day we hit the restart button, and you need to work harder than the day before. Every person has their strength and weaknesses. When we first opened, I was definitely wearing too many hats and that was not sustainable. We learn as we grow and keep our chins up, even when there are difficult decisions to make sometimes.

Bay Area Bites: You are relatively young yet appear to be a success. What are the lessons you?ve learned on the way?

Lindgren: You grow a really thick skin in the restaurant business and learn how to prioritize and let a lot of things roll off your back. I have learned that if you work hard, love what you do, and keep forging ahead, you?ll succeed. Pretty soon it will be nine years since opening A16?s doors. That seems impossible.

It?s also important to understand that restaurants are a business and that there have to be checks and balances for the control of costs. Having a business partner like Victoria Libin and an amazing management team has been key. We?re able to focus on what we individually do best. One person cannot run a restaurant alone.

Bay Area Bites: Do you have any favorite Bay Area food/drink spots and if so what do you like to order when you go there?

Lindgren: I recently had a great meal at Kiss sushi. The junmai sake I had with the sashimi plate was heaven. Recently I had a great Campari drink at AQ. I always have fun going to the classics, like Zuni for chicken and oysters, Slanted Door for crab with cellophane noodles, and a good Veltliner from Prager or Jamek. I spend less time in bars now that I?m a mom but, being married to Greg, who is a partner in Rye, Rosewood, and 15 Romolo, I?m in on all the great innovations on that side of the business. I get to sneak into Nopa or Foreign Cinema, among others, every once in a while to say hello to friends and unwind with a glass of something.

Bay Area Bites: What are your wine recommendations for Valentine?s Day?

Lindgren: I like to think pink with bubbles offering a couple sparkling rose?s by the glass. Being still chilly this time of year, decadent, velvety reds like Mourv?dre from producers like Pignol from the Bandol area of Southern France, classic chocolate-covered cherry flavored often found in Sicily?s great Nero D?Avola grape such as Feudo Montoni?s Vrucara express a wonderful depth of fruit and less astringent tannins from the sun?s natural ripeness and withstanding the heat of the Mediterranean summers.

Related Information:

Twitter: @shelleylindgren, @mattaccarrino

A16
Address: Map
2355 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: (415) 771-2216
Twitter: @A16SF
Facebook: A16

SPQR
Address: Map
1911 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone: (415) 771-7779
Twitter: @SPQRfillmore
Facebook: SPQR

Recipe: Spaghetti with Shrimp and Tomato Passatina
From SPQR by Shelley Lindgren, Matthew Accarrino, and Kate Leahy (Ten Speed Press, October 2012)

serves 4 to 6

extra virgin olive oil
150 grams ? 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
12 grams ? 3 garlic cloves, minced
150 grams ? 1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
454 grams ? 1 pound shell-on raw baby shrimp
kosher salt and black pepper
a pinch of dried red pepper flakes
115 grams ? 1/2 cup white wine
240 grams ? 11/2 cups canned tomatoes
50 grams ? 4 breadsticks, like grissini, broken up
2 grams ? 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
340 grams ? 12 ounces fresh spaghetti or dried

Heat a thin film of olive oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and sweat until softened, 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sweat 1 to 2 minutes more until aromatic. Add the carrot and sweat until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn up the heat to medium-high, stir in the shrimp, and season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomato and return to a simmer. Pour in 1 cup of water, lower the heat, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp are soft enough to break up with a wooden spoon if pressed. Stir the broken grissini pieces into the pot, remove from the heat, and stir in the parsley.

Place a food mill fitted with a coarse plate over a clean pot. In batches, pass the shrimp and broth through the food mill. You will have a coarse paste. (If it?s too dry to go through the food mill, stir in more water). Taste the shrimp paste and season with salt and pepper.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti for 4 minutes if using fresh, and as directed on the package if using dry. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cup of pasta water, and return the spaghetti to the pasta pot.

Stir spoonfuls of the shrimp paste into the spaghetti until evenly coated, adding a few spoonfuls of water if the pasta looks dry, and simmer for one more minute before serving.

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Tags: a16, featured, shelley lindgren, spqr, tante marie

Category: bay area, chefs, cookbooks, food and drink, hospitality, local food businesses, restaurants, bars, cafes, san francisco, wine

Source: http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2013/01/15/qa-with-shelley-lindgren-wine-director-restaurateur-author/

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