China wins 2nd straight Olympic gold in gymnastics

LONDON (AP) ? No doubt about it, China is still No. 1 in men's gymnastics.

No. 2 took a little longer to figure out.

The Chinese won their second straight Olympic title and third in four games Monday, finishing with a score of 275.997 points.

Britain was initially announced as the silver medalist, setting off raucous celebrations at the O2 Arena. But Japan filed an inquiry over the score of three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura on pommel horse, the team's last routine. After judges spent about five minutes reviewing it, his score was revised and Japan was awarded the silver and Britain was bumped down to bronze.

The crowd booed, but any medal is a cause for celebration for the British men, who hadn't won one in a century.

The Americans, hoping for their first Olympic title since 1984 after finishing first in qualifying, finished fifth.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-wins-2nd-straight-olympic-gold-gymnastics-182417406--oly.html

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Archives ? Deconstructing Riding ? Horse Listening

Deconstructing Riding

When we sit back to ponder for a moment, we make connections and come to new realizations that were perhaps not clearly evident before.?In our quest for riding ?perfection? (we all know there is no such thing!), we find ourselves analyzing, critiquing, and elaborating on various topics ranging from the riding experience. Please read through these musings and (as always) feel free to add your experiences and thoughts in the comments sections.

Ride Backwards, But Ride Effectively!?Although the rider had developed the correct ?look?, the horse was telling a different story.

How Do You Know Your Horse Is Using His Back??In the long run, our primary motivation for self-improvement in riding is for the sake of the horse?s health. We want horses that live well, staying strong and vigorous long into their old age.

Frame, Round or Collection??Do you know the difference, and in a pinch, would you be able to identify it in a moving horse?

Take the Credit, Bad AND Good:?In our quest for?balance?(not just on the kind on the back of the horse), it is essential for us to look at our achievements from both angles.

Doing It Because It Makes You Feel Good:?Have you ever done something around/with/for your horses in a ?feel-good? way for YOU?

Ten Habits of Competent Riders: This is our most popular post by far.?What do great riders have in common that makes them appealing to watch, steadily develop their riding skills and become role models for others to aspire to emulate?

The Dynamic Dependency of Horseback Riding: Why is it that riding can become so difficult at times? In riding, nothing can be done in isolation.

When Do You Start Riding Your Horse??This question was being posed to me by a?very respected and horse-wise mentor one day long ago, early in my riding development.

How To Be An Active Horseback Rider (a.k.a. Riding With Intention):?What do you do when your ride isn?t going as planned? How do you respond when your horse scoots out from under you, spooks at the horse-killing object, or flat out ignores you?

When ?Good Enough? Just Isn?t Good Enough In Horseback Riding:?We come up with all sorts of excuses to explain why we don?t want to or can?t get past the problem.

Too Good to be True? Finding Your Horse?s ?Happy Place?:?Did you know that through riding, you can help your horse achieve a happy, content outlook on life? Sounds ridiculously far-fetched? Too good to be true?

Stepping ?Forward? in Horse Riding:?The term ?forward? is used liberally in horse riding but is often misunderstood.

A Cautionary Horse Tale: Once you decide to ride horses, you put into place a domino effect of consequences, which will occur whether you are conscious of them or not. It?s like a rule of nature.

The Truth About Balance:?We all strive for balance ? in our position, our seat, our movement with the horse.

Blueprinting ? the Good, the Bad and the Ugly:?Blueprinting, in the riding sense, refers to the?muscle memory?that is developed in both the horse are rider.?Going on ?autopilot? when riding horses can be a good thing? or not!

Muscle Memory Matters in Horse Riding: Many small muscle contractions act within split-seconds in order for us to keep ourselves in the saddle and moving in tandem with the horse. Anyone who has ridden for even a short time can attest to the development of ?muscle memory?.

How Do You Develop ?Feel? in Horseback Riding? ?Developing ?feel? in horseback riding doesn?t have to be an impossible dream!?If you can ride with feel, you will be able to respond immediately to your horse?s needs.

What you Ought to Know About Instant Gratification in Horse Riding: There is no such thing!

Quit To Persevere:?Quitting isn?t always a bad thing in horse riding ? sometimes, it may just be the ticket!

In the Beginning (riding): Part I ? What to expect when you first start riding.

Riding (with a capital R): Part II ? When riding becomes more than just riding.

On Enjoying the Path:?I can hear you now ? you?re groaning? the path?? How can ?the path? be fulfilling?

It?s All About Listening: Where it all began for this blog.

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Source: http://frwdnrnd.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/archives-deconstructing-riding/

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Great Food & Friends ? A Great Start To The Weekend - Blogs

22 Jul 2012

by anthonypeoples in Uncategorized

It?s no secret that I love going out to eat.? However, we?ve really cut back on it because it?s expensive and when you?re watching what you eat, the calories can really sneak up on you in restaurants and buffets, even when you make healthy or, what appears to be, healthier choices.

We also love to cook and entertain.? Since Ray and I have been together, we?ve socialized the most with our friends Tim and Sandy in East Davenport.? We were recently over their house and Tim is a great cook.? Sandy lets him handle the kitchen and she socializes with us.? I love it.

So, Friday night, we had Tim and Sandy over for dinner and we invited another couple, Kai and Jenni, who were just engaged.? Congratulations!

It was a very nice evening with great conversation, wine, cordials, and fantastic food.? Yes, my blog today is about the food.

Ray was in charge of most of the meal.? He made sweet & tangy boneless bar-b-q ribs, cheesy potatoes, cheesy bread, and a new salad called ?stacked summer vegetable salad? from a recipe we found in ?Better Homes and Gardens?.

I was in charge of appetizer and dessert. We?ve been craving a Shrimp Ceviche that I make that is spectacular!? Here?s the ?making of? picture and the final product.

That is a recipe that I?ve made many times, so I knew that it would be tasty and it would turn out perfectly.

For dessert, it was a totally different story.? Since I subscribe to many recipe sites that send me daily recipes, I was going to be adventurous and make one I?ve never made.? It was a white chocolate raspberry cake that you make in the crock pot.? Easy enough, right?

So far, so good.? Right after we enjoyed appetizers and drinks and were getting ready to served the salad, Ray asked me, ?did you turn you cake on ?warm???? I replied ?no? with a baffled look on my face and I walked over to the crock pot and sure enough, it was on ?warm? and had been since I started it at 4 p.m.

Now, call me crazy, but wouldn?t you think the cooking options would go warm, low, and high, from left to right on the dial?? I did and I still do.? However, on this crock pot, the options left to right were low, high, and warm.? When I put the cake on, I just turned the knob to the right and assumed I was cooking it on high.? Luckily, since the cooking time (on high) was 2-3 hours for the recipe, I turned it up from warm to high during salad and dinner, and the disaster of having no dessert was averted.? It was very tasty.

And, while Tim & Sandy brought a great red wine and a bottle of ChocoVine Whipped (which we opened and sampled after dessert), Kai and Jenni brought us a bouquet of flowers with spatulas mixed in with the flowers since this was our first dinner party cooked in the new kitchen.

And, Miss ABBA was part of the celebration, too.? I cut the colorful flowers out of her tomato, pepper, and flower memorial garden.?? (The green Kermit mums were leftover from the Fourth of July).

I love to cook and I love to entertain.? I don?t know exactly when our next? dinner party will be or what we?ll serve, but I?m thinking cheesecake.

As you may remember, I blogged before about needing to learn how to make cheesecake.? Two Christmases ago, I asked Santa for a cheesecake pan and I got five spring-form cheesecake pans!? And, in the almost two years since, I?ve made no cheesecakes.? It?s about time.

Needless to say that my theory about healthy eating at home was blown this weekend.? Ray and I have both put on pounds from the wine and great food, but as Mr. Food, the television chef says, ?ooh, it?s so good?.

Anthony

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Source: http://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/great-food-friends-a-great-start-to-the-weekend/

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bhatnaturally: 11 iPad Apps on Sale http://t.co/R4LQ0rxb

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Source: http://twitter.com/bhatnaturally/statuses/224478969792172032

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#1: Awning lights Parade O' Penguins

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Source: http://evernano.com/1-awning-lights-parade-o-penguins/

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A muddled outlook for Olympics-ready London

LONDON --

The best view of London's Olympic Park is from the picture windows at the top floor of the John Lewis department store in the vast Westfield Stratford mall five miles east of the Tower of London.

It's not the London tourists usually see. Westfield Stratford is an upscale American-style mall, and the sleek Olympic Park structures have nothing of the historic patina of the Tower of London or the Houses of Parliament.

This is a reminder that most Brits, like most Europeans, live not in tourist-thronged historic centers but in far-flung suburbs. They live in freestanding houses, drive cars most places and shop at malls, like most Americans.

Only they aren't shopping quite as they used to. John Lewis, like other London stores, is full of "sale" signs and deep discounts. Britain is at the brink of recession and trembling lest the collapse of the euro plunge its European trading partners into economic chaos.

Its political leaders don't seem to know quite what to do. David Cameron and George Osborne, prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer since the May 2010 election, approached office with assumptions that, like those of Barack Obama, have proved unfounded.

Obama assumed that economic distress would make Americans more supportive of, or amenable to, big government programs like his stimulus package and Obamacare. That proved wrong, and he's struggling to find a plausible re-election theme.

When Cameron and Osborne became leaders of the Conservative Party in 2005, they assumed that Britain's decade-long economic boom would continue to provide government with lots of revenue and that British voters wouldn't stomach serious cuts in public spending.

But recession hit before the election, and the Conservatives fell short of a majority in the House of Commons and in response formed a coalition government with the leftish Liberal Democrats.

The coalition is producing thoughtful reforms in education and welfare, but polls show the Lib Dems losing support because of their alliance with the Tories and the Conservatives running well behind the opposition Labor Party.

The coalition has significantly cut government spending, but has kept in place most of the tax increases pushed through by Labor's Gordon Brown when he was chancellor in Tony Blair's government and then prime minister from 2007 to 2010. It is scaling back only slightly the 50 percent top income tax rate that Brown imposed after the financial crisis of 2008.

But it has only started to reverse Brown's steady expansion of the public sector that created jobs for thousands of coordinators, facilitators and liaisons. Some of them may have improved the operations of government. But one suspects that the public would be able to get on fine without most of them.

At least Britain is not imitating the "austerity" policies of most European governments, which consist more of tax increases than spending cuts. But they have not embraced the deep spending cuts that Canada and Sweden made in the 1990s, which helped them to weather the international recession much better than other advanced nations.

British politics was roiled this week by the coalition's proposals, pushed by the Lib Dems, to make the House of Lords an elective chamber, filled by politicians elected for single 15-year terms. A large enough number of Conservative backbenchers defied party whips that coalition leaders had to withdraw a procedural motion necessary to pass the plan.

The current House of Lords, under Blair's 1999 reforms, is made up of distinguished members who can amend and delay legislation but do not threaten the primacy of the elected House of Commons.

The Lib Dems hoped that an elective upper chamber, chosen by proportional representation, would give them a perpetual veto on public policy despite the fact that they are heavily outvoted by the two major parties.

No one thinks the Lib Dems dare to bring down the government and force an election. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee last month was a British triumph, and the Olympics look likely to be another. But the coalition government seems to be just muddling through.

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/jul/14/naopino2-a-muddled-outlook-for-olympics-ready-lond-ar-431369/

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A Food And Drink Category Has Now Been Added To The App Store

July 13, 2012

A new category has officially been added to Apple?s App Store: Food and Drink. The newest addition is loaded with almost 3000 food and drink related apps.

While the category doesn?t include things like dining, shopping, or coupons, it has apps about drinks, recipes, cooking and more. There are also apps dedicated to specific restaurants like Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Fridays, and more. The Food and Drink category also has apps to help users find restaurants and bars close by. Some apps even help with calculating tips or learning new drinking games.

Check out the new Food and Drink category on the Apple website and see which apps meet your food and drink needs!

Source: SlashGear and Apple
Image Credit: 9to5Mac

Source: http://www.macgasm.net/2012/07/13/new-food-and-drink-category-comes-to-app-store/

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Local students attend Health Career Camp at Southern Utah University

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December 7, 2010 Approximately how many Emery County Progress articles per day do you view or read online? Provide us with feedback by visiting our community forums, by email, or by calling us at 435-381-2431.

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Source: http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=12791

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'My Last Desire is to See India Win Olympic Gold in Athletics'

Legendary athlete Milkha Singh still feels the pain of missing out of an Olympic medal five decades ago and says his one last dream is to see an Indian win an Olympic gold in athletics.

"My last desire before I leave this world is that I want an Indian boy or a girl win an Olympic gold medal for the country and for my sake. I failed to win it in Rome Olympics in 1960," 'Flying Sikh' Milkha told PTI in an interview today.

"After 2-3 years, I may be no more. Just a few days back my dear friend Dara Singh, who was like a brother to me, passed away. Whether I will live for next few years more, it is up to God. I want to see an Indian win an Olympic gold in athletics," said the 82-year-old.

Milkha had clocked 45.60 seconds in 1960 Rome Olympics 400m race to finish fourth in a photo finish, beaten by Malcolm Spence of South Africa for the bronze.

Milkha, who won gold in 1958 and 1962 Asian Games and is also the only Indian man to win an individual athletics gold in the Commonwealth Games, said the fact that no Indian has ever won an Olympic medal in athletics saddens him.

"Athletics is considered number one sport in the world, be it Olympics, Commonwealth or Asian Games. But since India gained Independence, only five reached the finals in athletics event and all failed to win a medal, myself including. Others were Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (1964), Shri Ram Singh (1976), PT Usha (1984) and Anju George. I feel ashamed that after 1947 we produced a number of athletes, but failed to win any medal," said Milkha.

Milkha knows that it would be a big ask for the current Indian athletes to win a medal in athletics in the upcoming London Olympics.

"Although it is my last desire that we should fetch a gold, but I know in reality it will be no less than a miracle if we do it in London. I have some hope from Krishna Poonia and she may get a bronze. She won a gold in the Delhi Commonwealth Games," he said.

? Copyright PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of any PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without their prior written consent.

Source: http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?768822

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Are drive-up liquor stores legal in Washington? | Seattle's Big Blog ...

Washingtonians were excited last month to finally be able to buy vodka or whiskey at the grocery store.? But that?s nothing compared to some states, where stores can sell booze through a fast-food style drive-through window.

At least 23 states allow drive-up or drive-through liquor sales, according to a 2004 study cited this week in USA Today. As the newspaper reports, ?concern about possible resulting drunken driving crashes and deaths is prompting efforts to outlaw drive-up liquor stores.?

From the story:

In Louisiana, drivers can ?buy ready-to-drink frozen alcoholic drinks ? made with rum, vodka, tequila or other alcohol with concentrations as high as 190-proof ? from their cars without breaking the state?s open container law. A violation only occurs if the driver or a passenger removes the lid on the drink, puts a straw through the lid hole or removes part or all of the contents, state law says.?

The story reports on a fatal drunken driving case in Gregg County, Texas, where, before the crash, the already-drunk driver drove through ?Don?s Fly-Thru Beer Barn? and bought a 30-pack of beer for the second time that day without ever leaving his truck.?

In Washington, the Liquor Control Board prohibits the selling or serving of liquor ?by means of drive-in or by curb service.? So, even after Initiative 1183 abolished state-run liquor stores, none of the new private retailers will feature drive-up windows.

?This rule has been in place for a long time,? Liquor Control Board spokesman Brian Smith said in an email.

?My understanding is that it is because the retail clerk is responsible for not selling liquor to minors or intoxicated patrons.? Having someone sitting in a car outside the window would make it more difficult to tell if the person was drunk,? he said.

Most large chains have been approved for sales, while smaller stores are awaiting approval.

Costco: Get ready for booze in the land of bulk and meatball samples. The warehouse giant will stock 70 kinds of spirits and 6 in-house labels, including popular Kirkland Signature vodka. Prices will be cheaper than the state's, with a difference ranging from 10 to 15 percent less to mere pennies, said Costco executive vice-president John McKay.

QFC: What's on your list today? Oh, wait, wrong slogan. Try this: "You know it's going to be good." Come Friday, that water in the background will be replaced with something harder. (seattlepi.com)

Safeway: Might we see a Safeway Select tequila? Don't know yet; this scrim has been hiding spirits at local Safeways for days. (seattlepi.com )

AmazonFresh: Nice. Spirits delivered to your door. If only a bartender came with it. The local groceries deliverer has applied for a spirits license, but it was listed as pending as of Tuesday. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

BevMo!: Thousands of wines, spirits and beers! And half-yard beer glasses you never knew you needed! The exclamation point is part of the name of this California-based liquor superstore, which requested five licenses in Washington, including one in Northgate. Photo: Monica's Dad via Creative Commons Flickr.

Ralph's Grocery & Deli: Booze in Belltown, anyone? This longtime corner grocery is known for its upscale foods and local wines. And giant grape-orange-and-cheese wall art. Photo: Google Street View.

Wine World & Spirits: This locally owned Seattle shop added "& Spirits" to its name, to reflect the 2,000 spirits it plans to stock with its 8,000 wines. It also plans to carry every spirit distilled in Washington. (Nityia Przewlocki / nityia@design.com)

Whole Foods: Will the booze here be organic, sustainable and pricey? Only if it matches the food. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Chew-n-Butts: This Cle Elum smoke shop is nowhere near Seattle, but we had to include it for its no-nonsense name. Maybe it will change it to Chew-n-Butts-n-Booze. (Getty Images)

Cost Plus: Wicker furniture and booze in one stop. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Trader Joe's: This California-based chain has applied for 11 licenses, but a quick check of a Seattle store found no impending sign of liquor - yet. "Vodka of the Gods" is TJ's well-known, in-house brand. Photo: seattlepi.com.

High-end grocery Metropolitan Market has planned a party Thursday night to celebrate its first liquor sales beginning at midnight. (Scott Eklund / Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Ken's QA: A popular Queen Anne store, Ken's QA (also known as Ken's Market) is one of about 130 stores under 10,000 square feet that has applied for a spirits license. These stores are waiting for the state to figure out what "trade area" means before their applications are reviewed. Photo: Google Street View.

Target: What better place to pick up a mop, lamp, towels and bottle of booze. And shampoo, aspirin and ... oh, look! Popcorn! Photo: kevin dooley via Creative Commons Flickr.

Fred Meyer: Will liquor make this store chain truly "one-stop shopping?" Photo: bill_malatinsky. ( )

Walgreens: Perfect for prescriptions and booze. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Uwajimaya: All your favorite Asian foods and liquor. (Yes, we know this is Chinese, not Japanese, calligraphy; it's from a New Year's event at the store). (KAREN DUCEY / Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Full Throttle Bottles: This specialty beer and wine shop in Georgetown wants to sell spirits, but it's only 2,100 square feet. Small, yes. But think of the power of fancy-pants beer meeting fancy-pants bourbon. Photo: pondskipper via Creative Commons Flickr.

Red Apple (logo via Red Apple Markets site)

Viet Wah will be the place for gailan, durian, pickled fish, giant rice bags and gin. (ChinaFotoPress / Getty Images)

Pete's Super Market: This small Eastlake grocery (7,350 square feet) doesn't look like much. But that's from the outside. Inside, a great wine selection awaits. Photo: Google Street View.

Thriftway (PHIL H. WEBBER / Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Pioneer Square Market: Because Seattle's original downtown needs its own place to buy booze, no? The application for the store - only 7,000 square feet - is on hold, until the state figures out the phrase "trade area." The store is at 109 Occidental Ave S. (Gilbert W. Arias/Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Lower Queen Anne liquor store: Now a moment to observe job losses in a tough economy and 331 shuttered state-run stores, which will all close Thursday night. Many will reopen under private management. But their small size makes survival uncertain. (seattlepi.com)

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/07/11/are-drive-up-liquor-stores-legal-in-washington/

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Drop the 'i' word? Debating the term 'illegal immigrant'

colorlines.com

"Drop the i-word" is a campaign to stop using the word "illegal" in the immigration discussion.

By Miranda Leitsinger, msnbc.com

Whenever I write stories about illegal immigrants, I receive complaints that I should ?drop the ?i? word? (which is also the name of a campaign to end the use of the term ?illegal? when referring to illegal immigrants).

In the interest of bringing this debate into the open, we solicited a few short opinion pieces from leading voices on immigration issues. We also asked the co-editor of the AP Stylebook, a key arbiter of word usage for journalists, to share his thoughts.

And we hope you weigh in in the comment section, too. What?s your take on the phrase ?illegal immigrant??

Word games
By Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that supports tighter immigration controls:

Courtesy of Mark Krikorian

Mark Krikorian is the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.

"When the facts are against you, argue the law. When the law is against you, argue the facts. When both the law and the facts are against you, pound on the table."

This rule of thumb for lawyers has been adopted by the pro-illegal immigration crowd. The facts are against them: 11 million illegal aliens cause a host of serious problems for job seekers, for taxpayers, for public order, for national security.

Likewise, the law is against them. There's no question that immigration laws are legitimate and that every illegal immigrant knows perfectly well that he is breaking American law.

What's left? Pound on the table, demanding that illegal aliens be referred to in ways that obscure their illegality, such as "undocumented worker" or simply "immigrant." "Unauthorized worker" is less deceitful, but still evades the basic fact of illegality.

The most accurate label for non-citizens who are in the United States without permission is "illegal alien." It is used repeatedly in statutes, judicial rulings, and executive orders and captures the essence of the person's situation: an alien is defined in the U.S. Code as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States," and their presence here is illegal, i.e., in violation of the law.

"Illegal immigrant" is less precise: "immigrant" has the specific legal meaning of a foreigner who has been granted lawful permanent residence (a green card). But in common usage "immigrant" means any foreigner living here, so "illegal immigrant" is less formal, but still accurate.

Why terminology about the immigrant matters
By Kevin R. Johnson, a Mexican-American who is dean of the UC Davis School of Law and Mabie Apallas professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies:

Courtesy of UC Davis

Kevin R. Johnson is a Mexican-American who is the dean of the UC Davis School of Law, and Mabie Apallas professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies.

A little over a generation ago, the popular press, and people in polite company, referred to African Americans as Negroes.?Times have changed and the media now refers to African Americans. The ?science? of racial categories changed and social sensibilities did too.

A modern terminological debate, also with civil rights implications, has perplexed many:?how should the press refer to noncitizens without proper authorization under the U.S. immigration laws?

Advocates of greater immigration enforcement and tighter immigration laws generally support the use of terms such as ?illegal aliens,? ?illegal immigrants?, or simply ?illegals.??(There are other pejorative terms used by partisans in the immigration debate, such as ?anchor babies,? but let us leave those labels aside for now).?These are loaded terms that are, for the most part, nowhere to be found in the comprehensive federal immigration law, the Immigration & Nationality Act. I say loaded because these terms equate the unauthorized immigrant with a criminal when the person may not have committed a crime at all.?Still, the reference to ?illegal? instantly suggests that the person is undeserving of sympathy but in fact deserves punishment. Not surprisingly, advocates who favor harsh treatment for immigrants support the use of terms and rhetoric that support their restrictionist positions.

The ?illegal? terminology obscures an even more troubling characteristic. Somewhere around 60-70 percent of today?s unauthorized immigrants are from Mexico and Central America. ?Illegal aliens? in many instances can serve as a kind of racial code for Latinos. People can speak of wanting to remove ?illegal aliens? from the country with legitimacy while they could not argue for the removal of all Latinos.

A responsible and independent media should want to avoid using terms supporting one side in the culture wars, especially when those terms mask racial animus. There are readily available neutral synonyms for ?illegals,? such as undocumented immigrant and unauthorized immigrant, which do not carry discriminatory baggage.

Guidance for journalists
By David Minthorn, deputy standards editor of The Associated Press:

Courtesy of David Minthorn

David Minthorn is the deputy standards editor of The Associated Press.

The Associated Press recognizes that immigration may involve complex and emotional issues. Accordingly, AP newswriting emphasizes the use of precise, balanced and neutral terms.

To describe individuals who may be living in a country without authorization, The AP Stylebook rules out using "illegal alien" and "illegals" in AP news reports. The language may be unnecessarily harsh as generic description.

The Stylebook also rules out using the term "undocumented" on our own in immigration contexts. This description may tend to minimize what could be a matter of civil or criminal law, such as evading border controls or residing without legal permission. "Undocumented" also suggests that the problem is a minor one of missing paperwork, when the people involved are in jeopardy of arrest, deportation or other sanctions.

Instead, AP provides for a variety of different terms for people alleged to be violating immigration law. One option for AP reporters is "illegal immigrant," a term added to the Stylebook in 2004.

As the Stylebook entry (below) indicates, other terms are acceptable, including "living in the country without legal permission," depending on the specific situation. AP does not insist on "illegal immigrant" as the only acceptable term.

illegal immigrant: Used to describe someone who has entered a country illegally or who resides in a country in violation of civil or criminal law. Acceptable variations include living in the country without legal permission. Use of these terms, as with any terms implying illegalities, must be based on reliable information about a person's true status. Unless quoting someone, AP does not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegals or the term undocumented.

Related stories from msnbc.com and NBC News:
?California bar: Illegal immigrant should get law license
Can an illegal immigrant become a lawyer?
Obama administration won't seek deportation of young illegal immigrants
Skepticism, joy among illegal immigrants over Obama decision
Obama immigration order poses dilemma for eligible illegal immigrants

?

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/11/12664426-drop-the-i-word-debating-the-term-illegal-immigrant?lite

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Goldman scales down prime brokerage business in Japan: sources

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/goldman-scales-down-prime-brokerage-business-japan-sources-113136895--sector.html

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Patients avoid disagreeing with doctor, may ignore advice

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/patients-avoid-disagreeing-doctor-may-ignore-advice-060256500.html

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Kendra Wilkinson Defends Jessica Simpson Figure: Leave Her Alone!

Let's face it: Jessica Simpson has seen slimmer days.

But the singer does have a valid, adorable excuse. His name is Maxwell Drew Johnson.

And Kendra Wilkinson is simply aghast that folks are giving Simpson a hard time for not yet having lost all the weight she gained carrying her son to term.

"That just breaks my heart," Wilkinson tells Yahoo! OMG of the criticism leveled at Simpson's figure. "I feel for her. I was in the same boat. People just need to mind their own business. That's a woman who just gave birth.

""Her first priority right now is her child. Her first priority is not losing the weight. You should be proud of her for that. A lot of people just dump their kids off at nannies and lose the weight overnight. We should all be proud of her for being real and taking control and making priorities."

That may be the most intelligent thing Kendra has ever said.

Simpson, meanwhile, is profiting mightily off her body. She recently signed a $4 million deal with Weight Watchers.

[Photos: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/kendra-wilkinson-defends-jessica-simpson-figure-leave-her-alone/

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Clinton chides Vietnam on protecting human rights

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she supports Vietnam's work to help resolve issues in the disputed South China Sea but believes the communist country needs to do more to protect human rights.

Following a meeting with Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Tuesday, Clinton said she remains particularly concerned about the lack of online freedom, along with the jailing of journalists, bloggers, lawyers and dissidents for peaceful expression.

Vietnam maintains only lawbreakers are imprisoned.

Clinton also said she hopes progress is made this week at a regional meeting in Cambodia toward establishing a code of conduct to help resolve disputes peacefully in the South China Sea where tensions have recently flared.

China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other neighbors have overlapping claims in the sea, including islands that straddle important shipping lanes and are believed rich in oil and natural gas reserves. The U.S. has said maintaining peace and freedom of navigation is in its national interest.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-10-Vietnam-Clinton/id-33073ab2bc1147468251d805ef3960d0

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No matter the drilling method, natural gas is a much-needed tool to battle global warming

ScienceDaily (July 10, 2012) ? No matter how you drill it, using natural gas as an energy source is a smart move in the battle against global climate change and a good transition step on the road toward low-carbon energy from wind, solar and nuclear power.

That is the conclusion of a new study by Cornell Professor Lawrence M. Cathles, published in the most recent edition of the peer-reviewed journal Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems. Cathles, a faculty member in Cornell's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, reviewed the most recent government and industry data on natural gas "leakage rates" during extraction, as well as recently developed climate models.

He concluded that no matter the time-frame considered, substituting natural gas energy for all coal and some oil production provides about 40 percent of the global warming benefit that a complete switch to low-carbon sources would deliver.

"From a greenhouse point of view, it would be better to replace coal electrical facilities with nuclear plants, wind farms and solar panels, but replacing them with natural gas stations will be faster, cheaper and achieve 40 percent of the low-carbon-fast benefit," Cathles writes in the study. "Gas is a natural transition fuel that could represent the biggest stabilization wedge available to us."

Cathles study, "Assessing the Greenhouse Impact of Natural Gas," includes additional findings about expanding the use of natural gas as an energy source, and the climate impact of "unconventional" gas drilling methods, including hydraulic fracturing in shale formations. They include:

• Although a more rapid transition to natural gas from coal and some oil produces a greater overall benefit for climate change, the 40-percent of low-carbon energy benefit remains no matter how quickly the transition is made, and no matter the effect of ocean modulation or other climate regulating forces.
• Although some critics of natural gas as a transition fuel have cited leakage rates as high as 8 percent or more of total production during drilling -- particularly hydraulic fracturing extraction -- more recent industry data and a critical examination of Environmental Protection Agency data supports leakage rates closer to 1.5 percent for both conventional and hydrofractured wells.
• Even at higher leakage rates, using natural gas as a transition to low-carbon energy sources is still a better policy than "business as usual" with coal and oil, due to the different rates of decay (and hence long-term global warming effect) of CO₂ released in greater amounts by burning coal and oil and any methane released during natural gas extraction.
• Using natural gas as a transition fuel supports the push to low-carbon sources by providing the "surge capacity" when needed, or a buffer when solar and wind production wanes.

"The most important message of the calculations reported here is that substituting natural gas for coal and oil is a significant way to reduce greenhouse forcing, regardless of how long the substitution takes," Cathles writes. "A faster transition to low-carbon energy sources would decrease greenhouse warming further, but the substitution of natural gas for other fossil fuels is equally beneficial in percentage terms no matter how fast the transition."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cornell 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. L. M. Cathles. Assessing the greenhouse impact of natural gas. Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems, 2012

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120710132957.htm

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92% Safety Not Guaranteed

A man puts a classified ad in the newspaper asking for an unusual companion. No, it's not some weird sex thing. Kenneth (Mark Duplass) intends t travel back in time to correct a few regrets. He's looking for a partner, though he specifies his traveling companion must bring his or her own weapons and that safety is not guaranteed. This quirky ad grabs the attention of Jeff (New Girl's Jake Johnson), an egotistical writer for a Seattle magazine. He takes long a pair of interns, the surly Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and the nerdy Arnau (Karan Soni). Together, the gang heads out of town to seek out Kenneth and determine whether or not he is for real. However, Jeff's real intention for this "work vacation" was to travel back to his hometown and try and score with Liz (Jenica Bergere), an old high school flame he is horrified to discover has... aged. Darius is the only one who can get close to Kenneth, but what starts as an opportune assignment into investigating a weirdo becomes something more. The guy, sweet if a little off, may be on to something... big, and Darius may be falling for him despite her own misgivings. Safety Not Guaranteed is a modest film but does it sneak up on you and deliver an emotional wallop. I'm a romantic at heart, and so I'm generally affected by seeing two lonely people find their special something in the world reserved for them, and it's even more affecting when these people are oddballs, and thus it's even more resonant and meaningful for them to find that connection so elusive before. At its heart, Safety Not Guaranteed is a quirky yet naturally developing love story, and those are my favorite kind. I found my heart melting every time Darius couldn't help herself and smiled. Perhaps it's because Darius is our outside heroine or that Plaza is best known for her stone-faced deadpans on TV's Parks and Recreation, but every one of those smiles felt so richly earned and rewarding. These aren't the typical rom-com characters that are going to lapse into great speeches about love at key clich?d moments; while dabbling in some fantastical elements, Safety Not Guaranteed exists in our own recognizable world. And with that established, the unguarded moments of genuine happiness for characters we care about translates into a surprisingly touching experience. My heart felt so full at different points, melting and swelling and doing other non-medically accurate things. I honestly had tears in my eyes at different points. By the perfect end, I was so hopeful and overjoyed and left the theater soaring on my good vibes. I can't guarantee everyone will find the same level of engagement in the romantic relationship, but I believe that the movie is inspired, clever, and authentic enough to deliver a crowd-pleasing finish. It's earnest without being hokey. I'm trying to tiptoe around spoilers, though for those critical readers out there I'm sure you can infer a thing or two about the end of the film given my positive, beaming response. I'm sure my reaction would have been quite different if, say, Darius and Kenneth died in a horrible fireball because he was criminally insane from the start. All I'll say is pay attention to certain discrepancies and see if they might prove to be a conversation-starter when you leave the theater. Have I mentioned how truly funny this movie is? I've been talking all about the "rom" portion of the equation, but Safety not Guaranteed is a consistently funny movie, with a few big laughs. Thankfully the movie's sharp sense of comedy is more than everyone simply derisively laughing at the nutball. To be sure, Kenneth provides plenty of comedy in his super serious demeanor, and the movie doesn't overplay the idea that he may be mentally unbalanced. The jokes come from the character interaction more than any contrived set piece, and the pleasure is in watching conflicting personalities bounce off one another. Every character contributes nicely to the comedic rhythms of this picture, adding a line here, a reaction there, to assemble one very funny movie. In movies where one character enters a relationship under initial false pretenses, usually you just keep waiting for that particular shoe to drop. You wait for the truth to come out and then deception reconciliation dominates the third act. Thankfully, the movie speeds over this narrative trap and gets us to the good stuff. We don't need an entire act for people to be contrite and prove their love when what we see onscreen is obvious enough. What elevated Safety Not Guaranteed for me was that beyond the oddball romance, there's careful and compassionate attention played to a slew of supporting characters. Now with a scant 80-minute running time, and the attention-grabber of a guy who thinks he can travel through time, naturally the supporting characters have minimized roles, but what I enjoyed was that they were not just relegated as stock players. The film has two stock roles, Nerd and Jerk, and fleshes them out further (though, to be assured, those are still defining characteristics). Arnau is a guy who is convinced any interaction with girls will ultimately lead to personal embarrassment. He's only focused on the future and what he needs to get there, barely living in the present. It's nice to watch him grow some confidence, albeit a small amount, and find some degree or enjoyment. And then there's self-described asshole Jeff, who only submitted the story so he could come back and bang his old high school girlfriend. Some will find Jeff's minimal personal growth to be disappointing and stagnate, but I thought anything substantial for this character over a three-day period of time would be unrealistic. Jeff is chasing his past memories, a faded time that had so much possibility when he was a stud in high school. The movie explores this notion of returning to a period of innocence as well. Going back to a time before overwrought cynicism, before settling, before compromising, before life became work, it's something of a wish that the characters seem to be chasing. Jeff realizes how truly empty his life is, yet he's probably set in his ways to alter his path, which is a shame because Liz certainly seems like a lovely, caring, and capable romantic opportunity. Hey, she bakes, too (Bergere is great and easy to fall for). The unlikely friendship that emerges between Jeff and Arnau is also quite enjoyable and disarmingly sweet. I also need to single out the score from first time composer Ryan Miller, the lead singer and guitarist for one of my favorite alternative rock bands, Guster. The music has a lilting, dreamy quality to it but then follows a steady melodic rock path, reminiscent of the melancholic score for Little Miss Sunshine. The strumming guitars, plinging pianos, and swelling violins come together in harmony with little sci-fi touches. The score gives the film another sense of enchantment. I've been listening to "Big Machine," the song Kenneth plays for Darius, on a loop for over an hour, if that gives you any indication on how much I enjoyed the original tune. The fact that "Big Machine" plays over the end credits when the movie meets its perfect end has got to account for some of my positive association. I think Miller has a bright future in crafting film scores. Plaza deserves to break out in a big way after this film. She's the heart of the movie and deeply vulnerable, covering it up with nonchalant cynicism. Darius is well within her surly comfort range so it's no surprise that she excels with the hipster character, but the moments of dramatic weight are not given flippant treatment. Duplass (TV's The League) just about everywhere in 2012, delivers a committed performance, though it seems mostly committed to the goofiness of his character. Yet when Duplass is able to show you some of the edge to his character, that's when the performance walks a line between dangerous and exciting. The movie hinges on the two actors working together and they have good chemistry; the goofball and the cynic. It's so nice to discover a movie that lifts your spirits, that touches your heart without reaching for the treacle, and delivers a funny experience without compromising its modest aims and modest tone. Safety Not Guaranteed obviously plays a deliberate dance with the audience, vacillating between moments that make Kenneth seem crazy and moments that make you question whether he's legit. The movie reminded me in a lot of ways with the underrated 2000 flick Happy Accidents, which featured Vincent D'Onofrio as a romantic suitor who also might be a time traveler or just plain nuts. Safety Not Guaranteed is a charming movie that seems to work a spell on you while watching; you get so invested in watching lonely people find meaningful human connections that you are compelling the movie to end under some happy scenario. Director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly deserve to make waves in Hollywood with what they're able to accomplish with a tidy budget and some clever yet earnest writing. This beguiling love story is all about stretching out of your comfort zone and taking a plunge into the unknown. Just like Kenneth, we're all looking for a partner worthy of that plunge (not necessarily a romantic partner, mind you). Take the plunge and go see Safety Not Guaranteed, one of the best movies of the year. Not bad for a movie potentially based upon an Internet meme, huh? Nate's Grade: A

July 2, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/safety_not_guaranteed/

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Baseball cards in attic might fetch millions

Ohio man discovers invaluable cards of legends Cobb, Young and Wagner

By JOHN SEEWER

updated 3:21 p.m. ET July 10, 2012

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Karl Kissner picked up a soot-covered cardboard box that had been under a wooden dollhouse in his grandfather's attic. Taking a look inside, he saw hundreds of baseball cards bundled with twine. They were smaller than the ones he was used to seeing.

But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.

Then he put the box on a dresser and went back to digging through the attic.

It wasn't until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery worth perhaps millions.

The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. Up to now, the few known to exist were in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.

"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic," Kissner said.

Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never again see something this impressive.

"Every future find will ultimately be compared to this," said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.

The best of the bunch - 37 cards - are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.

Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.

"We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said. "They remained there frozen in time."

After Hench and his wife died, two of his daughters lived in the house. Jean Hench kept the house until she died last October, leaving everything inside to her 20 nieces and nephews. Kissner, 51, is the youngest and was put in charge of the estate. His aunt was a pack rat, and the house was filled with three generations of stuff.

They found calendars from the meat market, turn-of-the-century dresses, a steamer trunk from Germany and a dresser with Grandma's clothes neatly folded in the drawers.

Months went by before they even got to the attic. On Feb. 29, Kissner's cousin Karla Hench pulled out the dirty green box with metal clips at the corners and lifted the lid.

Not knowing whether the cards were valuable, the two cousins put the box aside. But Kissner decided to do a little research. The cards were at his office in the restaurant he owns when he realized they might have something. He immediately took them across the street and put them in a bank vault.

Still not knowing whether the cards were real, they sent eight to expert Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, which recently sold the baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series for $418,000.

Calderon said his first words were "Oh, my God."

"I was in complete awe," he said. "You just don't see them this nice."

The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.

The experts at Heritage Auctions checked out the family's background, the age of the home and the history of the meat market. They looked at the cards and how they were printed.

"Everything lines up," said Chris Ivy, the company's director of sports auctions.

They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.

The company grades cards on a 1-to-10 scale based of their condition. Up to now, the highest grade it had ever given a Ty Cobb card from the E98 series was a 7. Sixteen Cobbs found in the Ohio attic were graded a 9 - almost perfect. A Honus Wagner was judged a 10, a first for the series.

Retired vintage sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: "This is probably the most interesting find I've heard of."

In a measure of what baseball cards can be worth, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks paid a record $2.8 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner. Another version of the card brought $1.2 million in April.

Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the cards over the next two of three years through auctions and private sales so that it doesn't flood the market. In all, they could bring $2 million or $3 million, Ivy said.

The Hench family is evenly dividing the cards and the money among the 20 cousins named in their aunt's will. All but a few have decided to sell their share.

"These cards need to be with those people who appreciate and enjoy them," Kissner said.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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