Thursday, August 16, 2012

Charter Fitness Hosts St. Jude Fitness Challenge to Benefit Critically ...

CHICAGO, Aug. 16, 2012 // PRNewswire // -- Charter Fitness is hosting the St. Jude Fitness Challenge from August 6th through September 28th, 2012 at participating club locations. The eight-week event challenges Charter Fitness members to reach their fitness goals while helping raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to find new treatments for children with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Charter Fitness members can set their goals for weight loss, time worked-out, miles ran or walked or weight lifted over the eight-week period. Friends and family can monitor the member's progress on-line and pledge a monetary donation for each fitness milestone reached.

"Charter Fitness' St. Jude Fitness Challenge is a great way to help our community while helping yourself achieve your fitness goals. It's win-win for everyone," said Dan Collins, Director of Sales, Charter Fitness.

Register for the St. Jude Fitness Challenge online at http://www.charterfitness.com/stjude. The total amount of money raised to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will be revealed on September 29th, 2012.

Charter Fitness Franchising LLC was recently approved to franchise its Charter Fitness Health Club brand nationally. The Company recently converted 38 Cardinal Fitness locations in Chicago, downstate Illinois and Northwest Indiana to the Charter Fitness brand, increasing the number of clubs to over 40 in five states. It is now the largest health club business in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area, and expects to hire 200 employees over the coming months.

About Charter Fitness Franchising LLC

Based in Orland Park, IL, Charter Fitness Franchising LLC is a health club franchise with over 40 locations in five states. Charter Fitness health clubs offer members a clean, comfortable and convenient workout experience with best-in-class fitness equipment for as low as $10 per month. Charter Fitness strongly believes in community involvement and is a member of the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). http://www.CharterFitness.com

SOURCE Charter Fitness

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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20120816_charter_fitness_hosts_st_jude_fitness_challenge_to.html

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Google Maps updates streetview for New Orleans, reminds us the jazz plays on

Google Maps updates street view for New Orleans, shows us the jazz plays on

In many ways, Google's Streetview is a document. A snapshot in time. Usually, this amounts to pictures of a sunny clear day in downtown Localsville, but it can also be a reminder of times less bright. Since Hurricane Katrina, the city has been working hard to rebuild neighborhoods and communities, and better prepare itself for the future. Today -- via Google's Lat Long Blog -- Mayor Mitch Landrieu proudly announced that Streetview has been updated to reflect those efforts, and show New Orleans in that familiar, sunny way. Whether it's Congo Square ("the birthplace of jazz"), the city's parks, or more recent features and attractions, Landrieu proudly extends an invite to all of us to come take a look, enjoy the virtual tour, and "whet our appetite." We say put the Gumbo on.

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Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2012) ? Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Dr. Michel Kahaleh often threads a tiny microscope into the narrow bile ducts that connect the liver to the small intestine to hunt for cancer. He also uses the device to minutely explore the pancreatic duct as one of a few doctors in the country to use such technology in this way.

But because these devices are comparatively new, Dr. Kahaleh, chief of endoscopy at the Center for Advanced Digestive Care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, suspected that the specialists who are beginning to use them may be interpreting what they see in different ways.

That's exactly what he and his research team discovered, when they sent six different specialists at five different medical institutions recorded videos taken by a probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) deep inside 25 patients with abnormally narrowed bile ducts.

The study, published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences, demonstrates there was "poor" to "fair" agreement on the clinical significance of what the physicians were viewing in the videos -- whether what they saw represented cancer, simple inflammation, or a benign condition.

"That means physicians need to come up with a standard way of interpreting what the videos reveal in order to properly use this "amazing technology," says senior author Dr. Kahaleh, who is also medical director of the Pancreas Program at Weill Cornell. "We can see detail that was just unimaginable a decade ago -- this breakthrough is born for the bile duct and those tiny tubes and complicated organ structures that no one has ever been able to visualize before," he says. "And when physicians are certain of what they are seeing, we will be able to greatly improve patient treatment, avoiding unnecessary surgery whenever possible."

The Need to Know What You See

The human bile duct transports bile, secreted by the liver to aid in the process of digestion, to the small intestine. But inflammatory disease, the passing of gallstones or a tumor can cause the bile duct to constrict, resulting in a blockage that can lead to jaundice, cirrhosis, and other conditions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved pCLE diagnostic systems for use in the bile duct and pancreas two years ago. The pCLE is a mini microscopic probe that is threaded inside a larger "spy glass" probe. The pCLE can then image blood vessels, mucosal structures and epithelial tissue in real-time, broadcasting these images on a large monitor for physicians to examine.

But the vast majority of institutions may still use a rather hit-or-miss technique to determine if a bile duct is cancerous. The traditional technique is to thread a probe inside the duct to where it is abnormally narrowed and then to use a small brush or tiny forceps to gather some cells that can then be biopsied in a lab."But we still miss 20-30 percent of bile duct cancer or other tumors in this way, and that is unacceptable," Dr. Kahaleh says.

If a tumor is found in the bile duct, it can be removed, and a replacement can be fashioned out of the bowel. "It's a big operation, and you want to make sure it is necessary," says Dr. Kahaleh. "If there is any way to prevent surgery that would be a phenomenal advance for patient care."

In this study, the six gastroenterologists trained in using bile duct pCLE were asked to analyze seven variables seen in the 30-second to 1-minute video clips, and diagnose whether the bile duct was cancerous or not. (Only the study coordinator knew the results in advance due to confirmation from tissue biopsies after surgery, or other evidence of malignancy.)

Diagnostic agreement between the specialists was poor to fair, depending on the variable, as was the final diagnosis.

"It is clear physicians need a standard by which to understand what they see, which will also need to involve more training," says Dr. Kahaleh. "This is increasingly important, as these minimally invasive systems are proposed for use in diagnosing other health issues in the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcerative colitis and Barrett's esophagus."

"We can now see inside these tiny organs, but we just need to know exactly what we are looking at," he adds.

The study's co-authors include Dr. Jayant P. Talreja, Dr. Mihir R. Bakhru, and Dr. Bryan G. Sauer, from the University of Virginia; Dr. Amrita Sethi, from Columbia University Medical Center; Dr, Priya A. Jamidar and Dr. Uzma D. Siddiqui, from Yale University; Dr. Satish K. Singh from Boston University School of Medicine; Dr. Richard S. Kwon from the University of Michigan; Dr. Mandeep Sawhney from BIDMC in Boston; and Dr. Monica Gaidhane and Pam Kline from Weill Cornell Medical College.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Jayant P. Talreja, Amrita Sethi, Priya A. Jamidar, Satish K. Singh, Richard S. Kwon, Uzma D. Siddiqui, Mandeep Sawhney, Mihir R. Bakhru, Monica Gaidhane, Pam Kline, Bryan G. Sauer, Michel Kahaleh. Interpretation of Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy of Indeterminate Biliary Strictures: Is There Any Interobserver Agreement? Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s10620-012-2338-6

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/79owf6eMIWY/120814213250.htm

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Romney blocks media from Ryan's 1st Vegas funder

Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. pauses during a campaign rally in Lakewood, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. pauses during a campaign rally in Lakewood, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

(AP) ? Mitt Romney's campaign is blocking reporters from covering GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's first meeting with donors in Las Vegas.

Tuesday night's event at The Venetian hotel is expected to draw casino owner and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.

The decision to block access marks an apparent break from rules previously established by Romney's campaign.

Reporters usually are allowed to cover President Barack Obama's fundraisers held in public venues.

A Romney aide who was not authorized to speak for the record said the event is closed to the media because it is a "finance meeting" instead of a fundraiser. The aide said fewer than 40 people will attend, which is usually the threshold for access.

Ryan attended two Denver-area fundraisers on Monday night where media coverage also was prohibited.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-08-14-Ryan-Fundraiser/id-234c76349af5440e9a8a951f98fbbe92

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The TK Advisor -TK Financial Group Ottawa Blog about Life ...

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On a need bases this person is underinsured for : disability protection , life protection and critical illness protection .
The individual has a young family and a substantial mortgage . The investment advisor at the bank suggested a " corporate estate bond " which involves obtaining a permanent life policy inside a corporation and the cash values in the policy accumulate on a tax deferred basis . This structure is perfect for a individual who has cash flow , manageable debt with no or small mortgage but it is not for everyone . Before you proceed to acquire these great products look at your big picture planning .
Permanent life insurance product is NOT for every individual or corporation however , in the right situation it is a fabulous alternate investment option to accumulate wealth .
Clearly stay away from people that only see a sale at the end of their "pitch " without regard for your specific situation .
Work with a planner and there are many good ones out there who focus on you first !

Source: http://www.tkadvisor.com/2012/08/whole-life-and-universal-life-are-a-excellent-but.html

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Ministry of Finance experts multinational families turn to levy a tax ...

In addition, the higher the degree of tax progressivity of the tax base will be to shrink tax revenues will be reduced. This also makes the tax regulation weakening. Proportional to the size of the regulatory function of the tax is to raise its income tax into the scale the less, whether a tax progressivity of how high its regulatory function will be very weak. The process of tax the regulatory function resides in a tax to raise revenue, the regulatory function of the tax is ?gross?,louboutin, then the function of a tax to raise revenue is the ?skin? the skin, hair adhere to From the revenue function to talk about a tax adjustment function, it is just an illusion. Single tariff from strengthening the revenue function to start to enhance the regulatory function of the tax. Single rate appears to reduce the regulatory function of the theoretical, but actually enhance it; progressive tax rate appears to enhance the regulatory function of the theoretical, but in fact actually weakened. This is the dialectics of tax regulation.

From the general reason, the circumstances and conditions of the tax law is the more complex, they can call the ?edge ball? will be more. Conditions such as pre-tax deduction is not entirely different in practice, for the gray area, there may be room for planning; progressive tax rates, taxable income of one dollar and less a dollar, its adaptation to the tax rate is very different,air jordan pas cher, people will always trying to rely on to low-end tax rate. As a result, taxpayers to implement the ?tax planning? space generated, and that the tax law more complex, and space planning. In other words, the tax law more complex, more vulnerabilities will be drilling.

Third, the flat tax is a better choice

One comes to a tax, it seems natural and progressive tax rates, even summed up the principle of ?progressive taxation?. Progressive rates to produce perhaps the distribution of income to a growing gap between social reality linked to. However, the actual effect has not been implemented progressive tax rates make distribution to narrow the gap, on the contrary, the distribution gap is still widening. The United States is one of the most typical case. The reason, in fact, from its own progressive tax rates to make the tax system becomes complicated leaving tax adjustment function compromised. Moreover, the progressive tax rate on the impact of tax system complexity is the progressive tax system is always on the basis of the complex becomes more complex. The tax system more complex, and its regulatory function is more difficult to play.

In advocating family levy a tax fairer view, the OECD countries, this change seems to be incredible. In fact, from the turn to the individual as a unit, the family as the taxable unit is the pursuit of fairness, but another perspective of the fair.

Family and marriage naturally dynamic observation of all households through marriage or dissolution. Thus, a tax levied family,polo ralph lauren, is bound and marriage closely linked. From a sociological point of view,burberry, a tax system should not marriage ?bonus? or ?punishment? effect, but should follow the principle of ?marriage neutral?, otherwise, a tax system may have unpredictable negative effects on society . Some OECD countries have changed according to personal taxation, but also want to reduce a tax on non-neutral marriage. If other conditions remain unchanged, according to family tax than the tax on personal tax burden is heavier in the following cases: both spouses have income, the consolidated tax make applicable tax rates rise. This will no doubt marriage a ?punishment?,ralph lauren, thus encouraging marriage, cohabitation and marriage, divorce, or choose a man to seek tax avoidance. In Western countries, the social context, such a negative incentive to be more and more attention. This may be a number of OECD countries to turn to an important reason to levy a tax on an individual unit. It is necessary to achieve equitable tax burden between families, but also take into account the principle of ?marriage neutral? to prevent the tax system to produce against social risks, which in fact can not be done, unless we give up the progressive tax rate.

The tax controversies (eg, household levy or press personal levying better Breakdown of levy or levy China?s tax burden is too heavy Why our tax adjustment function play out Of why the tax misery index ranked second in the world ) result from the progressive tax rate. If changed to a single rate, these problems will be solved, many so-called problem of tax reform in China would not exist.

Since the 1970s, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia and other countries land one after another into the individual for the taxable entity from the family as a taxable entity, has been more than the OECD countries, half to reach 17 a. There are a number of countries in between, formal family tax essentially tend to be taxed according to their individual France, for example, family income, aggregate income, broken down into a number of share to Tandao every family member, personal share of the calculation of tax payable, tax payable then the family members combined, is the family tax payable. Germany, Ireland is also a similar approach, merger spouse income to calculate the total household income, and then divided by the two draw their respective spouses taxable income, each calculation of tax payable in accordance with the tax rates of the corresponding grade together is the family should be borne taxes.

Look at our Hong Kong SAR, in fact, a single tax structure. Although there is no implementation of a progressive tax, the rich Hong Kong is still the main tax of the tax, the richest 8 percent of the people bear a tax burden, about 60% of wage earners do not have to pay taxes for the salaries and wages. This also shows that to abandon the progressive tax is not necessarily the poor to pay higher taxes, the amount of pay principle can still follow.

Second, over half of OECD countries levy a tax shift imposed by family according to their individual

Complex tax system will not only bring huge social costs, and will greatly increase the uncertainty of the effective implementation of tax law, which requires strong tax collection and the ability to match. Otherwise, like high-rise building on the beach, the risk is obvious. Can make this look well-designed tax system in name only, distorted in practice, may also be due to the above reasons make the fair tax only, but in fact is not fair. Even in the high level of tax law, the collection and management ability of the U.S., has also had this problem. For example, U.S. tax law, the rich donated artwork can be tax deductible, while art prices identified as having a lot of flexibility, some rich people have used this provision to paying less tax. For middle-income class, but no such tax avoidance opportunities.

Generally speaking, the space the size of tax avoidance and tax system complexity is proportional to; the size of the capacity of tax avoidance, the taxpayer?s income level is proportional to the space of complex tax system, tax avoidance would most likely be the rich take advantage of. This causes progressive tax nominal into a regressive, or at least reach the tax law, the progressivity. Complicated tax system will lead to avoidance of competition, and strengthen tax avoidance motive, the majority of the taxpayer?s mind involuntarily directed to the avoidance up, not only the vertical equity (income a lot to pay tax, income tax Shaoshao) greatly reduced, but also make horizontal equity ( the same income tax) is difficult to achieve. At the same time the result is the loss of tax revenue, a tax to raise fiscal revenue function is impaired, and regulate the distribution function will thus significantly weakened.

In the case of an increasingly competitive global economy, low tax rates enhance the country?s competitiveness, especially in competition to attract human capital, the single tax can not be underestimated. Unfair on the grounds incurred against a flat tax in some countries, but did not appear from a single tax return to the case of a progressive tax, contrary to the implementation of the single tax list is getting longer and longer. Practice has proved that a simple, transparent flat tax can be compatible with the fairness and efficiency.
?s most complex personal income tax system. The only U.S. federal income tax law, there are four volumes of 6439, 480 kinds of tax returns. Version of the 1994 United States federal tax laws, Chapter 205, 1564, kid number printed in two volumes, more than 1400 pages. Matching 1994 federal tariff, a total of five volumes, the first four volumes on the tax rules of the federal income tax 6400. U.S. Internal Revenue Service is responsible for the management of the federal income tax, issue 480 kinds of tax forms, this issue forms to fill in the guide books, three volumes,air jordan, each volume has one foot thick. Internal Revenue Service annually to more than 100 million taxpayers sent about 80 billion in the form and fill out the manual, these forms and instructions an a connection up to 28 laps around the earth. Form 1040 for each taxpayer must fill in many forms, is very tedious and complicated, someone spotted the opportunity to write a how to fill out this form in order to obtain relief Dictionary Dictionary directory only double up to 19 page shows that the dictionary of the big.

The reason is simple. Faced with complex tax system to produce huge tax planning space, stimulate the strong motive of tax avoidance, tax avoidance ability is proportional to income, thus offsetting part of the regulatory function of a progressive tax. The actual process of progressive tax with the theoretical calculation of a progressive tax is completely different,abercrombie pas cher, because theoretically progressive tax adjustment function ignored the motive of the taxpayer?s tax avoidance, tax evasion and avoidance.

This can be used two examples to illustrate. Look at the situation in Russia. Before 2001, Russia introduced a 12%, 20% and 30% in third gear progressive rates, but serious loss of tax revenue. Not difficult to imagine, the implementation of the Russian shock therapy, social order and the rule of law in taxation environment is relatively poor, tax evasion is a common phenomenon. Russia introduced a single tax rate of 13 percent in 2001, six years from 2001 to 2007, the tax evasion phenomenon is greatly reduced, a tax revenue has tripled,polo ralph lauren pas cher, and can be described as the rapid growth. Statutory tax burden reduced by Russia?s ranking in the Forbes Global Tax Misery Index, a tax becomes not unacceptable, recognition has been improved for the majority of people. During this period, Russia?s GDP average annual real growth over 6%,louboutin pas cher, the economic prosperity of the entire tax base which continues to expand. Low tax rates to stimulate the tax base to expand, this is the important reason for a lower tax rate but an increase of tax revenue. The low tax rate would be able to get more tax revenue, indicating that more important than the rate of tax base.

In many OECD countries, tax reform, changes in the unit of assessment is of concern. Family tax or personal tax, which is a progressive tax rates lead to out of trouble. Levy a tax to the family as the unit was once a common practice in developed Western countries. In theory, a family levy can fully consider the differences of each family, the implementation of the tax deduction and tax incentives, the fairness of the tax burden between families. The family is the basic unit of society, support for the elderly, raising future generations, is the basic functions of the family, between families tax burden is fair and fair is more important than the tax burden between individual workers. Therefore, long-term household levy a tax to be regarded as the best choice. Many OECD countries to break the old system, steering a tax levied on an individual unit.

The flat tax proposed by the Americans Hall and Labrador Ziska 1981. The basic idea is to simplify the tax system, prominent feature is the implementation of a single tax rate, the abolition of the usual progressive rates. The Single Tax is the tax reform is envisaged that the complex tax system in the United States due to the complex interests of the game, the idea did not bear fruit in the United States, but have been implemented in other countries and regions. From the trend shown by the data, more and more countries and regions to implement a single tax rate. To 2009, 27 countries and territories to implement a single tax rate. Countries and regions in the implementation of a single tax rate generally lowered tax rates, the overall statutory tax burden decreased, but the tax revenue but an increase. This is not just dilute the avoidance motivation, reduce the loss of tax revenue and, more importantly, low tax rates to stimulate the economy, but also to legalize the shadow economy, thus expanding the tax base, resulting in revenue growth.

The complexity of U.S. tax has embarked on a path of no return. From 2001 to 2008, the tax code to modify the 3250 in 2008 alone, there are 500 amendments have been to reach 3.7 million words, but in 2005 is 2.1 million words, in 2001 1.395 million words, tax law since 1975, number of words has been to expand threefold. The face of overly complex tax code, even if he wanted to honestly pay taxes, often because the understanding of errors and incorrect declaration or to pay a, or pay less to be punished. From thought-avoidance,louboutin, always able to find tax loopholes. Therefore, tax declaration, 82 percent of the people to pay for it, of which 60% of people need to hire professionals proxy reporting, 22% of people need to purchase tax software to help the tax calculation. Tax planning in the United States into a high-income occupations, there are at least 50 million people relied on to eat, in addition to tax, over one hundred million taxpayers a year for the industry contribution of $ 35 billion.

From the eighties of the last century, the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the state has taken a variety of tax reform measures, such as reducing tax rates, the highest marginal rate of tax is generally reduced, not only to reduce the wage income tax rate, but also reducing the dividend and capital gains tax rate; reducing tax rates while broadening the tax base, the original fringe benefits excluded from outside the tax base, and unemployment benefits included in the taxable income range,burberry pas cher, and reduce the deduction of preference erosion; reduce The rate of grade,abercrombie france, the majority of countries reduced to 3-5 file the United States, France, 6 files, but the overall trend is that fewer and fewer grade progressive tax rates, some countries into a file taxes, the implementation of a single tax rate, such as Iceland. polo ralph lauren

Source: http://www.sparrows.org/ministry-of-finance-experts-multinational-families-turn-to-levy-a-tax-based-on-i/

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Family: Texas shootout gunman had mental illness

This undated photo provided by the City of College Station, Texas shows Thomas Caffall. Caffall, 43, has been identified by authorities as the shooter who opened fire from inside his home in College Station as he was being served an eviction notice, killing Brazos County constable Brian Bachmann and another man, on Monday, Aug. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/City of College Station)

This undated photo provided by the City of College Station, Texas shows Thomas Caffall. Caffall, 43, has been identified by authorities as the shooter who opened fire from inside his home in College Station as he was being served an eviction notice, killing Brazos County constable Brian Bachmann and another man, on Monday, Aug. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/City of College Station)

Police officials take measurements at a house Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 in College Station, Texas, the day after a deadly shooting. Police said 35-year-old Thomas Alton Caffall III had "long guns and pistols" in his home when Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann showed up to deliver an eviction notice. Bachmann was fatally wounded as he approached the home and a bystander died in the shootout. Caffall died at a hospital. (AP Photo/Bryan-College Station Eagle, Dave McDermand)

In this Aug. 13, 2012 photo provided by Rigo Cisneros, an officer takes cover, center, behind a vehicle during a shooting at a house in College Station, Texas, near Texas A&M University. Brazos County constable Brian Bachmann, a veteran of 19 years, was making what was supposed to be a routine house call to serve an eviction notice at the property when the recipient, Thomas Alton Caffall, opened fire and shots were exchanged. Bachmann, Caffall and another man were killed by the gunfire. (AP Photo/Rigo Cisneros)

This undated photo provided by his election campaign shows constable Brian Bachmann, who was shot and killed while serving an eviction notice near Texas A&M University on Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Bryan-College Station Eagle)

In this Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 photo, Texas A&M chief of police Elmer Schneider, right, gives his wife Dee Ann a flame from his candle during the candlight vigil on the Texas A&M campus in College Station, Texas. Police said Tuesday that 35-year-old Thomas Alton Caffall III had "long guns and pistols" in his home when Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann showed up to deliver an eviction notice. Officials say Bachmann was fatally wounded as he approached the home and a bystander died in the shootout. Caffall died at a hospital. (AP Photo/Bryan-College Station Eagle, Dave McDermand)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) ? In the months leading up to Monday's shootout near Texas A&M University that killed three, gunman Thomas Alton Caffall III had cut off contact with his family, even though his mother was seriously ill.

Caffall's family said the 35-year-old told them he had his own issues, an unspecified mental illness they declined to comment on.

On Monday, Caffall opened fire on a law enforcement officer who was trying to serve him with a court summons for being two months behind on rent. The officer was killed.

Police said officers shot and killed Caffall during the 30-minute shootout. A bystander also died and four others were wounded; police did not say whose gunfire struck them.

"It breaks our hearts his illness led to this," Caffall's family said in a statement released through an attorney.

Authorities continued their investigation Tuesday, saying Caffall was in possession of multiple weapons and fired numerous times.

W. Tyler Moore, the family's attorney, had known Caffall since he was 4 years old.

"He wasn't the same kid that he used to be, let's just say that," Moore said. "He was sweet, very bright, good sense of humor, just a good kid, a sweet kid."

Moore said the Caffall he used to know may have surfaced when, just before dying, Caffall offered an apology to the officer he had fatally shot.

College Station Police Chief Jeff Capps said Tuesday that Caffall had "some long guns and pistols" in his home, but would not give details and did not say whether the weapons had been obtained legally.

"The crime scene is still being processed," Capps said.

Capps said he wasn't aware of any previous law enforcement contact with the gunman.

Just after noon Monday, College Station police fielded frantic 911 calls about gunfire in the neighborhood near the university's football stadium. Responding officers found Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann, 41, shot on the lawn of the house.

"Either upon approach to the house or shortly after, it appears he was shot by the suspect," Capps said Tuesday.

Bachmann had volunteered to deliver a notice for Caffall to appear in court on Aug. 23 because he was at least two months behind paying his rent, owing $1,250, said Michael McCleary, a justice of the peace in Brazos County.

"Another deputy was planning on taking the (notice), but Brian grabbed it from him and said, 'I'll take it.' He enjoyed doing it," McCleary said.

Before Caffall was taken from the scene, Rigo Cisneros, a neighbor and former medic, treated him.

"I started identifying his wounds and at that point he asked me to apologize to the officer he had shot," said Cisneros, 40.

The former medic said he has not put any thought into whether Caffall was being sincere.

"My only thought was with the officers that were wounded and killed. I could care less if I ever knew (Caffall's) name," Cisneros said.

Officials at Texas A&M, the 50,000-student school that dominates the city 100 miles northwest of Houston, said Caffall was neither a student nor school employee.

College Station resident Chris Northcliff was at least 100 yards away from the shootout when he was mortally wounded. Police confirmed his age Tuesday as 51; earlier, they said he was 43.

Robby Bounds, Northcliff's brother-in-law, said Northcliff was checking on a rental property he owned when he was shot.

"He was a very creative, very kind man," Bounds said of the married father of two children. "Everybody is still kind of shell-shocked. It's one of those things you hear about on TV and never expect to happen."

Houston resident Barbara Holdsworth, 51, was wounded in the shoulder Monday, and listed in serious condition Tuesday.

College Station Police Officer Justin Oehlke was treated for a gunshot wound in the calf and was in stable condition, police spokeswoman Rhonda Seaton said. Two other officers ? Brad Smith and Phil Dorsett ? were treated for "shrapnel injuries" and released, Seaton said.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a database of slain law enforcement officers, Bachmann is the first Brazos County constable killed in the line of duty since Randall Millican was gunned down in December 1889. Millican held the post in the same county precinct.

Former President George H.W. Bush, whose presidential library is on the A&M campus, offered his condolences Tuesday, saying, "While we cannot understand the senselessness that led to this shocking series of events, we do know that the Bryan-College Station community ? which is like a home for us ? will come together to comfort and, just as importantly, to persevere."

___

Lozano reported from Houston

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-14-Texas%20AandM-Shooter/id-a59f87edf072456c98d34f66ee43ba06

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That VideoGame Blog Steam receives update, "Game Hubs" ? That ...

Aug. 13th, 2012 - by - More on: Steam

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Valve has announced today that Steam will be receiving a major update. The update will encourage the creation of gaming communities by giving every game a ?Game Hub? where players can share screenshots and videos as well as start discussions.

?The New Steam Community is all about showing off the best content that gamers have created,? says Emily Kent at Valve. ?With over 89 million screenshots, videos, Steam Workshop maps, levels, mods, and items, plus news articles and product updates, the community has created an unbelievable wealth of content around their favorite games.?

Sounds like a good idea to me. Giving gamers another outlet to discuss and share their favorite gaming moments via Steam will make things easier for those looking for a gaming community.

Check out the Steam official website at?http://store.steampowered.com/ for more news on the new update.


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Source: http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2012/08/13/steam-receives-update-game-hubs/

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Robot to be large enough to walk over cars

6 hrs.

Wait until you see the view from this driver's seat.?

Researchers have begun building a drivable robot named Stompy that will have six legs and will be large enough to walk over cars. Moreover, they want to make it possible for robotics hobbyists to make one for themselves.

Besides the "wow" factor, the creation of Stompy is meant to make it technically possible and affordable for groups of non-experts to build giant robots,?according to Stompy's Kickstarter page. Its designers say they will hand out their diagrams.?

"The bigger goal is to encourage others to start building things on this scale and to enable people to build robots like this," said James Whong, one of Stompy's lead engineers. Whong is also a professional robotics researcher, although Stompy is not a project of his company or of any of his colleagues'.?

As the first of Stompy's legs is being welded together, Whong and his team are in the process of raising $65,000 for the steel and electronics that would finish the project. Those who donate $300 or more will get to ride in Stompy when it's finished, estimated to be next May, the team says. As of this writing, Stompy's builders were $3,005 from their goal.

When finished, Stompy will weigh two tons and will have a chassis with two seats, for a driver and a friend. It will run on a 135-horsepower engine that powers hydraulic legs that work much the same way forklifts or backhoes do.?

The machine monster is designed to be 10 to 100 times cheaper to build than comparable professional?robots, and its creators have promised that once they have their first design up and running, they'll release their diagrams, class lectures, computer codes and other materials for free.?Stompy's lead engineers are all Boston-area roboticists who have worked on projects such as robotic arms or U.S.?military-commissioned all-terrain bots. They unveiled their plans in the spring, when they started an adult-education class in Somerville, Mass., on the topic of building large robots.?

So far, the class has created the designs for low-cost, computer-controlled legs; a computer program to test Stompy virtually; and a full-size version of Stompy's engine. Team members started work on assembling and welding a full-size leg Aug. 12. [10 Animal-Inspired Robots]

The class's latest blog post shows one small way they're making Stompy and Stompy-like robots easier for non-experts to assemble. The metal pieces of one of the robot's thighs have tabs to hold the pieces together before welding.?

"Having the tabs makes assembly roughly a bajillion (technical term) times easier," M@ Dunlap, one of the students, wrote. "It's like assembling something from Ikea."?

To keep costs down, the team plans to use surplus hydraulic parts from companies that supply parts for backhoes and bulldozers, Whong told InnovationNewsDaily. Another major money-saver is the fact that everyone is donating his time to the project, instead of commanding the usual engineer salaries. "Right now, this is a labor of love and a passion-based project," Whong said.

If Stompy is funded and completed and its plans are released, people wouldn't necessarily need a background in robotics to make another Stompy, Whong said. However, "from a safety standpoint, some experience with heavy machinery is a must. These are very, very powerful actuators and can be extremely dangerous."

He's eager to see that Stompy isn't alone. "We want to see more big robots like this."

Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 InnovationNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/robot-stompy-be-large-enough-walk-over-cars-940004

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Monday, August 13, 2012

Pattinson returns to spotlight on 'The Daily Show'

FILE, In this Nov. 18, 2011 file photo, British actor Robert Pattinson arrives at a film premiere of "Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1" in Berlin. Pattinson has been out of sight since learning last month that his girlfriend and "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart had an affair with a married movie director. He is set to appear Monday night on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." It's a gentle re-entry into the media machine leading up to Friday's opening of his new movie "Cosmopolis." (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

FILE, In this Nov. 18, 2011 file photo, British actor Robert Pattinson arrives at a film premiere of "Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1" in Berlin. Pattinson has been out of sight since learning last month that his girlfriend and "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart had an affair with a married movie director. He is set to appear Monday night on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." It's a gentle re-entry into the media machine leading up to Friday's opening of his new movie "Cosmopolis." (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

(AP) ? Robert Pattinson has decided to come back ? to the spotlight, that is.

The 26-year-old actor has been out of sight since learning last month that his girlfriend and "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart had an affair with a married movie director. A tabloid printed photos of the illicit dalliance, breaking the hearts of "Twilight" fans worldwide and prompting Stewart and the director to issue public apologies to their loved ones.

But Pattinson can't lay low forever ? he has a film to promote ? so he's set to appear Monday night on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart. It's a gentle, if obligatory, re-entry into the media machine leading up to Friday's opening of "Cosmopolis," the David Cronenberg drama starring the "Twilight" heartthrob.

Work obligations often force celebrities out of hiding after challenging personal situations, but choosing how and where to make a comeback is often a carefully calculated move.

"There's no one show that's the right answer for everyone," said veteran publicist Howard Bragman, now vice chairman of Reputation.com. "The right answer is the one where you think you're going to get the most respect, the fairest hearing and the best presentation ? and potentially where you've had the best relationships in the past."

When Pattinson chatted with Stewart in 2010, the comedian invited him to return, saying, "You are making me cooler."

Fred Willard also opted for a comic comeback recently, appearing on Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" show, where he joked about his arrest for lewd conduct nine days earlier.

"For some people, it's 'Oprah,'" Bragman said. "For others, it's 'Good Morning America.'"

Pattinson is set to appear on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.

Other celebrities eschew Hollywood's glare completely during times of crisis. Sylvester Stallone has so far skipped promotions for his latest film, "The Expendables 2," after his son's unexpected death last month. Demi Moore also avoided interviews about her directorial contributions to "Five" when rumors simmered about then-husband Ashton Kutcher's infidelity.

John Travolta hasn't given any probing interviews since his image was rocked by accusations of sexual impropriety with massage therapists, but the actor very publicly kissed wife Kelly Preston at the premiere of his latest film, "Savages," last month and has appeared at other Hollywood functions.

Bragman said, "the real secret is being prepared."

"Every actor has the right to talk about what he wants to talk about and not talk about something he doesn't want to talk about... You have to handle (such questions) with dignity and class and respect for the journalist doing their job," he said, adding, "Don't expect Robert on 'The Daily Show' or 'Good Morning America' to bare his soul."

___

Online:

www.thedailyshow.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-13-People-Robert%20Pattinson/id-75f201f9bdf04db8bd07f81fc0950c59

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FinEdChat: Check Your Personal Finance IQ in 60 Seconds

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Source: http://finedchat.blogspot.com/2012/08/check-your-personal-finance-iq-in-60.html

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HBT: Mariners end Weaver's home dominance

Jesus Montero took the normally unbeatable Jered Weaver deep twice Sunday as the Mariners topped the Angels in Anaheim 4-1.

Weaver entered the day having won nine straight starts. He was 8-0 with a 0.92 ERA at home this year and 15-1 with a 2.13 ERA overall. His only previous defeat came in Texas back on May 13.

True to form, Montero had his big game after getting the start at catcher. He?s hit .316/.353/.513 with eight homers in 40 games as a catcher this year, compared to .243/.288/.344 with four homers in 58 games as a designated hitter.

Montero?s struggles as a designated hitter have to be of some concern to the Mariners, given that he also hasn?t shown much to suggest that he belongs behind the plate for the long haul. ?The team made University of Florida catcher Mike Zunino the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, and he could be ready to start in the majors as soon as 2014. The Mariners may want to think about trying Montero at first base next year. Justin Smoak isn?t looking like much of a road block there.

As for Weaver, he came up one win shy of matching Chuck Finley?s Angels recover for consecutive starts won. He?s still right there with Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young race, though. The two are tied for the AL lead with 15 wins. Weaver tops the circuit with a 2.22 ERA, while Verlander is second at 2.46. Verlander, however, has a huge lead in innings (175 2/3 to 138) and also ranks first in the AL in strikeouts with 174 (Weaver has 106).

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/12/mariners-end-jered-weavers-long-winning-streak/related/

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

Women make mark on the Olympics like never before

Women made their mark on the Olympics like never before in London, the first Games ever to feature women in all 204 national teams and all 26 sports.

The participation of the first women athletes from the conservative Islamic nations of Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Qatar was widely seen as a breakthrough for the Olympic movement, while nations that have long nurtured women's sports reaped a golden reward.

Judoka Wojdan Shaherkani, who took the mat after a flap over whether she would be able to compete in a hijab, admitted she felt overwhelmed by the attention focused on her as the first Saudi woman to compete in the Games.

She was out of her depth, losing in just 82 seconds, but said the whole experience had her looking ahead to Rio in 2016.

"I think that because of my participation in this Olympic Games, other Saudi women will participate in other competitions in the future," she said.

Sarah Attar, too, was never going to be a contender, but after limping home a distant last in her 800m heat the US-born runner called it the "hugest honor to be here to represent the women of Saudi Arabia".

"It is a historic moment. I hope it will make a difference," she said.

It remains to be seen if the participation of competitors like Shaherkani and Attar will have a lasting impact within Saudi Arabia.

But the International Olympic Committee's avowed commitment to gender equality took an unequivocal step forward as women's events were added in boxing for the first time.

"I think the women's performances were magnificent," Wu Ching-Kuo, head of amateur boxing's global governing body said in urging the expansion of the women's tournament beyond the three categories contested in London.

"We have to have more, and we have four years to achieve that."

Three of the five biggest delegations, the United States, China and Russia, brought more women athletes than men, and the women came through in a big way.

US women won 29 of America's medals-table-leading 46 golds, while female competitors accounted for 20 of China's 38.

US Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun traced the success of US women directly back to legislation in the early 1970s that prevented publicly funded schools and universities from discriminating on the basis of gender -- thus making sports more available to girls and women.

"Title IX (legislation) really gave the US a head start in having a national commitment to make sure that young women are getting an opportunity to be involved in sport," Blackmun said.

"The rest of the world is clearly doing the same thing, so we are glad we got ahead of the curve."

For the women Olympians, just as for men, the Games are all about challenge and achievement, and they have little time for those who still tend to focus more on their looks than their skills.

"I think that our society puts a lot onto women, how they look and what they wear or how they dress, and I think that being a strong female competitor is the best thing we can do to fight that," said US judoka Kayla Harrison.

"It doesn't matter what you look like when you've just won the gold medal -- you just won the gold medal."

Harrison defeated Briton Gemma Gibbons for her judo gold, both finalists having found an empowering outlet in sport after turmoil in their personal lives.

Gibbons, 25, lost her mother to leukemia in 2004 while 22-year-old Harrison was the victim of sexual assault as a teenager.

"To be able to say I'm a strong, confident young woman and I'm an Olympic champion feels great," Harrison said. "I hope we have a million little girls inspired by that."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/women-mark-olympics-never-190225955--oly.html

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A Leading Health Insurer in Michigan Selects MetricStream for ...

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 7, 2012 ? /PRNewswire/ ? MetricStream, the market leader in enterprise-wide Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) solutions, today announced that a leading health insurer has selected MetricStream to implement an integrated GRC solution which will align with the unified GRC strategy of the company and enable proactive management of its regulatory compliance, risk management and IT governance goals.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has changed the way health plan providers conduct their business. Already highly regulated by state and federal guidelines, payers will now have their entire book of business regulated by the federal government. Mitigating risks of non-compliance with evolving regulations is a top priority in the industry today and is driving the adoption of GRC solutions.

The health insurer is among several other regional health insurance providers that have partnered with MetricStream to effectively respond to rapidly changing regulatory and market requirements. Headquartered in Michigan, the company provides health benefits to millions of members.

Being cognizant of the importance of an integrated GRC technology framework, the company conducted comprehensive assessments of hand-picked vendors.#xA0; MetricStream was found to fully meet the companys business requirements, with solutions that are closely aligned to industry standards.#xA0; Other factors influencing the selection were MetricStreams holistic approach to GRC and its domain expertise in healthcare.#xA0; Additionally, MetricStream received excellent feedback from the health insurers industry peers who have successfully leveraged the MetricStream GRC solution to achieve their goals.

MetricStream will enable the health insurer to proactively meet compliance goals, successfully manage changes in industry regulations, and better align its GRC programs with its business strategy.

MetricStreams integrated GRC solution will replace a number of shared drives, stand-alone software applications, internal systems and manual processes, enabling various departments in the company to adopt an integrated and unified approach to enterprise-wide GRC management.

MetricStream will support the health insurer in automating the complete range of GRC processes. The solution will also help enhance compliance with a multitude of regulatory requirements such as CMS Medicare and Medicaid requirements, OIG mandates, HIPAA, FDA, PCI and ISO 27001. Robust incident tracking and reporting capabilities will help the company manage HIPAA Privacy and Security compliance breaches as well as fraud, waste and abuse.

The solution will enable the company to proactively embed risk management in the enterprise, thereby meeting evolving regulatory and rating agency requirements. It will also help increase risk management effectiveness and efficiency and offer the flexibility to adopt any of the standard risk management frameworks.

Integration with threat and vulnerability systems such as Qualys, nCircle and Nessus will enable the company to quickly identify and report vulnerabilities affecting business-critical assets and map security issues to business applications. The company will also be able to aggregate and rollup risk information across the enterprise for proactive mitigation and assured compliance with IT standards and regulations for data governance, security and privacy.

The alignment of GRC with business strategy will result in improved business performance for the health insurer. This approach will integrate enterprise GRC and IT governance on a common enterprise-wide platform, enabling accurate correlation of IT, security and business risks.

About MetricStream

MetricStream is a market leader in enterprise-wide Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) and Quality Management Solutions for global corporations. MetricStream solutions are used by leading corporations such as UBS, PG, Constellation Energy, Pfizer, Philips, BAE Systems, SanDisk, Cummins and Sonic Automotive in diverse industries such as Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy and Utilities, Food, Retail, CPG, Government and Manufacturing to manage their risk management, quality processes, regulatory and industry-mandated compliance and corporate governance initiatives, as well as several million compliance professionals worldwide via the www.ComplianceOnline.com portal. MetricStream is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and can be reached at www.metricstream.com.

Media contact:

Mr. Vinay Bapna pr@metricstream.com 650-620-2955

This press release was issued through eReleases#xAE; Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com. #xA0;

SOURCE MetricStream

Source: http://www.9tharkansas.org/2012/08/12/a-leading-health-insurer-in-michigan-selects-metricstream-for-integrated/

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TechCrunch Makers: Inside The Thermovape Factory

photo-4It's not often you get to interview a nuclear engineer and a physician who run a tiny vaporizer factory out of an oversized garage outside of San Francisco so today is your lucky day. Two weeks ago we spent some time with the guys from Themovape, a homegrown, self-funded hardware company that just happens to produce some of the coolest and most effective vaporizers I've seen. For the uninitiated, the product is called the Thermo Essence Thermovape, a smoking cessation tool and "botanical vaporizer." It's designed for vaporizing the essentials out of botanicals like pot and tobacco as well as and oils. It's not smoking - the convection vaporizer pulls everything important out of the materials, leaving behind desiccated leaves.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gj3q9hMDiU8/

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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Car Insurance Quotes And The Gender Difference | News and Society

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Source: http://royevan.typepad.com/blog/2012/08/car-insurance-quotes-and-the-gender-difference-news-and-society.html

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Guest Review and Preview: BBQ Weekend at Hilton Orlando Bonnet ...

Courtesy of Andy Jackson from Eating (and Drinking) Around the World, we have a review of last year?s Barbecue Weekends at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. This year?s BBQ weekend begins August 10th! Get details here!

The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek resort, located in the middle of Disney World property, offered up a couple of food-related events during the summer of 2011. As part of their ?SummerBlast!? promotion the hotel hosted a weekend devoted to Cupcakes, and followed that up with two weekends of Barbecue festivities.

So with the 2012 BBQ Weekend about to begin, I thought it was time to look back at the events from 2011.

Atmosphere

I?d heard a lot of positive things about this resort (as well as the adjoining Waldorf Astoria), and especially its restaurants (I believe a certain Ms. Wolfe is a big fan?), so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check it out. The resort is located smack-dab inside of Disney property, even though it is not a Disney-owned or run hotel.

The weekend was advertised as featuring cooking demos, cook-offs between the chefs of the various restaurants on the property, a Barbecue buffet, and a beer sampling. Most of the restaurants at the Hilton were also featuring special BBQ items on their menus while all the bars were offering themed drinks during the weekend. In addition there were to be BBQ-themed kids activities such as the ?Squeaky Pig Toss? and the ?Pigs in a Blanket Relay.?

BBQ Demonstrations

As we entered the lobby we were greeted with a display designed to resemble an outdoor seating area nearby a grill while yet another sign welcomed us to the Barbecue Weekends.

Welcome!

Barbecue Eats

We settled into our room and then headed back to the lobby area where the tasting for the Baked Beans Cook-Off was underway.

The cook-off between several of the chefs of the restaurants was going on that afternoon between 4 and 8 PM, so we had ample opportunity to sample the offerings. A wide variety of styles were demonstrated between the chefs, and most were quite good.

The chefs and their assistants actually seemed quite enthusiastic and really proud of their concoctions. Saturday?s sampling would take place between noon and 2 PM, and the winner would be announced shortly thereafter.

Baked Beans Cook Off

Patrons were asked to mark ballots and vote for their favorites. Bonnie favored the ?Safari? beans by Chef Olivier of the Harvest Bistro Restaurant. They featured a variety of beans and ?avored with duck con?t ? it was a delicious and unique take on baked beans.

I was torn between that and the more traditional BBQ-side style of the ?Honey Barbeque Smoked Beans with Beef Brisket? presented by Chef Arias of La Luce. The latter (not surprisingly) wound up being the popular winner.

Bean Competition

On Saturday, after our brunch of fries with parmesan and truf?e oil from the pool bar, we made our way to the lobby for the ?rst barbecue demo of the day.

This weekend?s chef du jour was Howie ?Bulldog? Kleinberg from Miami where he presides over Bulldog BBQ. He was also a ?nalist on the third season of Top Chef.

Bulldog at Barbecue Weekends

The demo area was set up in the large, open lobby area. A stage with workstation and a large mirror above was in place with about ?fty seats set up. We arrived about 15 minutes early and took our seats with just a few others.

Chef Kleinberg was milling around and answered some questions while we waited. The introduction for another event was being given over the speakers so we and Chef Kleinberg (okay, his nickname is Bulldog, and he looks like a Bulldog, so we?ll just call him Bulldog from now on), semi-patiently waited for the intro for the other event to be over before the cooking demo could begin?

Ribs

Clad in a black tee-shirt emblazoned with the words ?nice rack? (I?m just assuming it means rack of ribs?), Bulldog covered a few basics of low-and-slow cooking and the types of meats and sauces used at his restaurant.

Following some Q & A from the group in attendance, the chef started slicing and serving plates of delicious ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. The servings were generous and the smoked meats were all tender and very tasty ? pretty impressive especially considering he had them prepared ahead at his restaurant and reheated here in steam trays.

As I consider myself somewhat of a barbecue snob, I was quite impressed with the skill of the Bulldog. We came to the conclusion that a trip down to Miami would sometime be in order.

Brisket

That being said, the ?demo? itself was a bit lacking in ?demo?? the chef covered some very basic info, but a more specific, detailed demonstration on how to smoke and serve a dish would have been more useful to anyone other than the total neophyte. The best info imparted came from the answers he gave to the questions posed by a
couple of knowledgeable audience members.

Brisket And Pork at Barbecue Weekends

With our bellies near busting, we waddled down to the pool level to check out what was being offered at the ?The Smokin? Hot BBQ Buffet.? Ribs, brisket, and grilled burgers shared the stage with some not-so-barbecue items (seafood paella?).

Overall it looked pretty good, even though we didn?t sample anything (stuffed from the Bulldog?s samples, we weren?t exactly dying to dine at the time).

Nearby was the ?Beer-B-Q? Station with samples of three brews from the Florida Beer Company. The samples were ice cold with a nice description of each style, but with the exploding number of breweries in the state of Florida it would have been much more interesting to have multiple companies involved for a true sampling of what the state has to offer in the art of beer-making.

Beer Sign at Barbecue Weekends

Beers at Barbeque Weekends

Deciding that more free barbecue samples from Chef Kleinberg would be a good idea, we also attended the second demo by the Bulldog.

He was a bit more at ease during the late afternoon session and, taking a smart cue from the earlier session, there were a couple of ?plants? in the audience asking in-depth questions for him to answer. Once again we stuffed ourselves with the samples (not surprisingly, the word had spread after the ?rst session and there was quite a line this time around for the meaty edibles).

Afterwards I decided to sample one of the specialty drinks of the weekend. Three summery/BBQ-inspired adult beverages were being served at all of the bars around the property: BBQ Bloody Mary (with Heinz BBQ sauce!); Raspberry Sweet Tea (with Tea-?avored Vodka and Chambord); and my choice, the Southern Watermelon Lemonade (with Vodka-infused Watermelon and Midori). It was a pretty-darn-tasty concoction ? refreshing and with all that watermelon it had to be healthy? right?

Cocktail Menu

Stuffed to the proverbial gills from the day?s samples, we couldn?t force ourselves to dine at the buffet as planned. So we called an end to the Barbecue Weekend part of our weekend and once again made our way to Epcot to ?nish off the evening.

Overall

So how was the event? Overall it was fun, and a nice addition to a weekend stay at a very nice resort. There were some problems with the locations of the events (especially the food demo) and overall a lack of real ?meat? to the activities? if the good folks at the Bonnet Creek Hilton can address these issues and up the informational value of the events this could be a weekend that would be worth planning a trip around.

This year there will be a single BBQ weekend (August 10-12, 2012), and it?s actually headlined by weenies? ?Smokin? Hot Dogs & BBQ Weekend? is the title, with their website describing it as: ?featuring the smokin? Hot BBQ and a selection of mind-blowing gourmet hot dog treats!?

We?ll be there to check it out, and eventually I?ll give a report on the 2012 event over at Eating (and Drinking) around the World. If you?re staying in the Orlando area, or if you?re a local, it won?t cost you more than the parking fee to check it out, so maybe we?ll see you there!

Have you attended a special event at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek? Let us know in the comments.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Source: http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/08/10/guest-review-and-preview-bbq-weekend-at-hilton-orlando-bonnet-creek/

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Friday, August 10, 2012

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Another WW II Bomb Found in Montenegro :: Balkan Insight

The Montenegrin Department for Emergency Situations said that the swimmers reported that they found an explosive device at a depth of three metres in the Moraca River in the centre of the capital, Podgorica.

The bomb, weighing around one hundred kilograms, is believed to date from the Second World War.

Radomir Scepanovic, the Chief of the Operations Sector at the Emergency Management Department, said it is assumed that it was a plane bomb.

Scepanovic said that police have secured the section of the Moraca where the bomb was found, and divers are supposed to determine what exactly it is and whether it is possible to remove the bomb.

Last Wednesday, swimmers in the Podgorica suburb of Rogami found an unexploded mine on the Zeta River beach and informed the police.

According to the Podgorica media, the bombs date from World War II, and over 90 per cent of them are still active.

Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/another-ww-ii-bomb-found-in-montenegro

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Deaf man gets hearing aid, asks, ?What I should listen to next??

(artofthestory.com)

Austin Chapman says he was "born profoundly deaf" and has "never understood" music--or the people moved by it.

"My whole life I've seen hearing people make a fool of themselves singing their favorite song or gyrating on the dance floor," Chapman, a 21-year-old filmmaker, wrote in a post on his studio's blog. "I've also seen hearing people moved to tears by a single song."

"[It] was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around," he continued. "All music sounded like trash through my hearing aids."

But that changed earlier this week, Chapman says, when he tried a new pair of hearing aids for the first time in years:

I sat in the doctor's office frozen as a cacophony of sounds attacked me. The whir of the computer, the hum of the AC, the clacking of the keyboard, and when my best friend walked in I couldn't believe that he had a slight rasp to his voice. He joked that it was time to cut back on the cigarettes.

That night, a group of Chapman's close friends "jump-started" his musical education" with a crash-course: Mozart, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Sigur Ros, Elvis and Radiohead.

When Mozart's "Lacrimosa" came on, I was blown away by the beauty of it. At one point of the song, it sounded like angels singing and I suddenly realized that this was the first time I was able to appreciate music. Tears rolled down my face and I tried to hide it. But when I looked over I saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the car.

I finally understood the power of music.

The cover of Radiohead's "OK Computer" (Radiohead)

Chapman said he then did the "only sensible thing," and went on an aural binge.

"I honestly never thought I would really be able to hear my own soundtracks because I have accepted my deafness, I have always been and still am grateful for all I've been blessed with so it was never a big deal to me," he wrote. "Now ... I'm overwhelmed and beyond grateful."

Chapman posted his story on Reddit, asking for suggestions of what songs he should listen to next. He's received more than 14,000 responses recommending AC/DC to Vampire Weekend and everything in between.

The most popular comment, he noted, isn't a song but rather a suggestion to listen to the music from the beginnings of its origins. It reads:

This is like introducing an Alien to the music of Earth. I wouldn't know where to start. Once you're through your kick on Classical, I might start with music from the 50's and progress through each decade. You can really see the growth of modern music like that.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Chapman replied. "I'm going to start with the earliest written form of music ... Guillaume de Machaut's 'Agnus Dei,'" a song composed sometime between 1313 and 1365.

But if you were thinking you might turn Chapman into a Chopin--or Metallica--fan, think again.

"Silence is still my favorite sound," he wrote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/deaf-man-hears-music-first-time-143827917.html

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Mobile Computing Options Today in America TV | Today in America ...

Posted in August 8, 2012 ? 5:24 pmh.harryt mobile-computing-today-in-america-tv

Explore mobile computing on Today in America TV

Mobile computing options are a hot trend in the computer technology field. More and more businesses are designing mobile platform versions of their websites for customers viewing their company page from their cell phones and tablet computers.

Crime Scene Investigation Today in America TV

Popular insurance companies offer their clients a method of using their cell phone to take photos of the crime scene after getting into a car accident. The customers upload the pictures to the company website and let them file an insurance claim directly from the scene of the accident.

Today in America TV is an educational television program produced in Coral Springs, Florida. Film crews travel the world to shoot segments focusing on innovative corporations and people whom are highlighted on the featured guest segment of the show.

Computer Technology on Today in America with Terry Bradshaw

Series of interest to the computer enthusiast includes Best of Breed Software and Information Technology and Enterprise Solutions. The Mobile Workforce Solutions program examines the latest devices, such as tablet computers and smart phones, used to take work from the office out into the field. More people are working from home, or telecommuting, these days than ever before.

Visit the official homepage of Today in America TV, todayinamericatv.com, for added details on each episode of the program.

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Source: http://todayinamericawithterrybradshawnews.tv/2012/08/mobile-computing-options-today-in-america-tv/

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