douche hangman: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Toshiba Portege Z835-P370

If you're shopping for an ultrabook, you've got to at least consider Toshiba. Four months after its introduction, the company's Portege Z830/835 remains the lightest in its class at 2.5 pounds (versus 2.9 to 3.3 pounds for most rivals), with the best collection of ports?including Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, and a memory-card reader?that some ultrabooks leave out or delegate to dongles, as does the Dell XPS 13 ($999.99 direct, 4 stars).

We've tested two versions of the Toshiba already, the thrifty but sluggish Intel Core i3-powered Portege Z835-P330 ($799.99 list, 3.5 stars) and the fast but pricey Core i7-based model Z830-S8302 ($1,429 list, 3.5 stars). Now we're looking at the middle or Core i5 model, the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370 ($1,049.99 list)?and at the risk of sounding Goldilocksian, it's our favorite of the three.

Design
The super-skinny (0.6 by 12.4 by 8.9 inches, HWD) Z835-P370 gets its light weight from a magnesium alloy chassis that makes its base surprisingly sturdy?unlike its vanishingly thin screen, which flirts with the F word (flimsy) if you grasp its corners and wiggle them. In its favor, however, our test unit's screen hinge didn't get the shakes during typing as our Toshiba Z830-S8302's did.

The 13.3-inch display has the same mediocre 1,366 by 768 resolution as every ultrabook we've seen, excepting the 1,600-by-900-pixel Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 ($1,049 list, 4 stars) and HP Envy 14 Spectre ($1,399.99 direct, 4 stars). It's nicely bright, with sharp text and colors despite narrowish viewing angles; between the screen and the LED-backlit keyboard, we had no trouble working through a long evening in a less-than-brightly-lit room.

Besides the backlight (which by default turns off after 15 seconds of inactivity, though you can switch it permanently on or off), the keyboard offers an admirable layout, with dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys instead of doubling up these functions on the cursor arrows. We didn't test Toshiba's claim of its spill resistance, but we soon grew accustomed to its firm, somewhat shallow typing feel. Speaking of dedicated, the Toshiba's touchpad has two chrome mouse buttons instead of the mere clicky corners in fashion nowadays; their slightly stiff operation is a contrast to the pad's smooth gliding and tapping.

Features
The Z835-P370 does not have the Intel Smart Connect technology that the HP Envy 14 Spectre and Dell XPS 13 can tap into to update Microsoft Outlook and other Internet applications while the system sleeps (though one of its USB 2.0 ports can charge handheld devices while the system sleeps). But it has other wireless capabilities including Wi-Fi, WiDi or Wireless Display, and Bluetooth.

While the Toshiba ultrabook has no optical drive, we've already mentioned its impressive array of ports. Microphone and headphone jacks and an SD card slot are found on the left side of the chassis, with a USB 3.0 port on the right. Two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port for modern monitors, and a VGA port for older displays or projectors are at the rear.

The Portege's 128GB solid-state drive has 77GB of free space out of the box, the rest occupied by everything from a system recovery partition to a measly 30-day trial of Norton Internet Security to Google Chrome and a slew of Toshiba-brand utilities. As expected, the SSD makes the little laptop a lot perkier than a hard-drive-based system, booting in 26 seconds and resuming from sleep in 3 seconds by our stopwatch.

Performance
The Z835-P370's one-year warranty doesn't stand out from its competitors. Nor does its Intel Core i5-2467M processor, the same 1.6GHz dual-core, four-thread chip found in a handful of popular ultrabooks including the Dell XPS 13 and our Editors' Choice HP Folio 13 ($1,048.99 direct, 4 stars). Its 6GB of standard RAM tops the 4GB usually found in the $1,000-street-price segment, but didn't bring the performance boost we hoped to see in our benchmark tests.

The Z835-P370's PCMark 7 score of 3,122 was within the margin of error of the HP Folio 13's 3,146, a step behind the Dell's 3,535. It posted solid times in our Handbrake and Photoshop CS5 multimedia tests (2 minutes 30 seconds and 5 minutes 18 seconds, respectively). As with other ultrabooks, its Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics put the kibosh on any idea of serious gaming, falling short of 19 frames per second in both Lost Planet 2 and Crysis.

With a rundown time of 7 hours 21 minutes, the Z835-P370's 47Wh battery nearly tied those of the HP Folio 13 (7:33) and the Core i3 Portege Z835-P330 (7:35) and bested that of the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,299 direct, 4 stars) (5:46). The larger 58Wh battery of the HP Envy 14 Spectre, however, remains our ultrabook champion at 8 hours 4 minutes.

Its more comfortable keyboard and elegant design touches narrowly keep the HP Folio 13 as our category Editors' Choice, but we're impressed by the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370. With the same light weight and high connectivity plus the best price/performance ratio of Toshiba's ultrabook trio, it'll never be a briefcase burden.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE:
Compare the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370 with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Sony VAIO VPC-EH35FM/B
??? Alienware M18x
??? MSI GT783-625US
??? HP Envy 14 Spectre
??? Asus N53SM-DS71
?? more

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The Reggio Emilia Approach to Education - Child and Family ...

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Friday, March 30, 2012

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a disorder of the joints. It is the inflammation of one or more of the joints. The two most common type of arthritis include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The disease gets worse with age and is mostly common in people above the age of 50 years.
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Osteoarthritis is usually caused by normal wear and tear of the joint, infection of the joint, or age whereas rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. Other types of arthritis can be caused by uric acid crystals, infections or even an underlying disease such as psoriasis or lupus. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Treatment of the disorder may vary according to the type of arthritis. The main objective of the treatment is to manage the symptoms and help in improving the quality of life of people suffering from arthritis

Symptoms of arthritis-
No matter what is the diagnosis, dealing with the arthritis symptoms can be frustrating and terribly uncomfortable.

Discover ways to cope with arthritis pain, fatigue and inflammation, while keeping up-to-date on the latest breakthroughs in arthritis diagnosis and treatments.
Arthritis causes joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement. Symptoms can include:
o Joint pain
o Joint swelling
o Reduced ability to move the joint
o Redness of the skin around a joint
o Stiffness, especially in the morning
o Warmth around a joint
o Range of motion reduces

Causes of arthritis-
The major cause of the pain associated with arthritis is by damage of the joints. Joints are made up of the following parts:
o Cartilage: It is a hard, but slick, coating on the ends of bones.

Cartilage allows bones of the joint to slide smoothly over each other.
o Joint capsule: Joint capsule is a tough membrane encloses all the joint parts.
o Synovium: Synovium is a thin membrane lines the joint capsule and secretes synovial fluid. It lubricates the joint and nourishes the cartilage.

Damage to the joints
The two main type of arthritis damage the joints in the following ways.
o Osteoarthritis- In osteoarthritis, wear-and-tear damage to cartilage can result in bone grinding directly on bone. This can cause pain and restricts the movement. This wear and tear can occur over many years, or it can be hastened by a joint injury or infection.
o Rheumatoid arthritis- In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system attacks joints and inflames the synovium. This causes swelling, redness and pain. The disease can eventually destroy cartilage and bone within the joint over the time.

Source: http://health.ezinemark.com/what-is-arthritis-7d35218d0dea.html

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Videos take artistic look at frontiers of science

An animation by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio tracks global ocean currents.

By Alan Boyle

Do science and art mix? They certainly do in a couple of computer-generated visualizations that show how Earth's oceans flow and how our universe grew up.

The "Perpetual Ocean" animation was created by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, and tracks ocean surface currents around the world from June 2005 through December 2007. It was created using a high-resolution computer model that translates whatever satellite and ground-based readings are available into a global, full-ocean depiction of ocean and sea-ice circulation. The model is called ECCO2, which stands for Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II. ECCO2 is used for quantifying the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle and for other scientific applications as well. Plus, it's just a darn cool video.

The funny thing is that the video was done almost a year ago. "This visualization was created as a last-minute entry for the SIGGRAPH 2011 computer animation festival; however, it was not accepted," the studio said in its database description. Despite that initial dose of rejection, "Perpetual Ocean" has gone on to become viral in the past week, probably because it has just been uploaded to NASA Goddard's popular Flickr site.

This year's deadline for SIGGRAPH 2012 submissions is April 9?? and I'm betting that, this time, NASA isn't waiting until the last minute.

Stanford University, meanwhile, has just put out a video that highlights visualizations created at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, or KIPAC.

Dramatic 3-D videos, created from actual data at SLAC's Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, show the origins of the universe.

Researchers at the Visualization Lab use supercomputers to produce computer simulations showing the birth of the first stars, the spread of the cosmic web, the blast of a supernova and other astrophysical wonders.

"Creating these animations is a real joy these days, because computers and software are so much more powerful today," Stanford physics professor Tom Abel, the head of KIPAC's computational physics department, said in a Stanford news release. "Not long ago, it took us weeks to produce a single animation. Now we can do one in an afternoon."

Take a look at KIPAC's image and photo gallery, and whenever you can, go full-screen with the video.

More science you can watch:

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/28/10909814-visualize-the-seas-and-space

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How quantum physics could make 'The Matrix' more efficient

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Researchers have discovered a new way in which computers based on quantum physics could beat the performance of classical computers. The work, by researchers based in Singapore and the UK, implies that a Matrix-like simulation of reality would require less memory on a quantum computer than on a classical computer. It also hints at a way to investigate whether a deeper theory lies beneath quantum theory. The finding is published 27 March in Nature Communications.

The finding emerges from fundamental consideration of how much information is needed to predict the future. Mile Gu, Elisabeth Rieper and Vlatko Vedral at the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National Univesity of Singapore, with Karoline Wiesner from the University of Bristol, UK, considered the simulation of "stochastic" processes, where there are several possible outcomes to a given procedure, each occurring with a calculable probability. Many phenomena, from stock market movements to the diffusion of gases, can be modelled as stochastic processes.

The details of how to simulate such processes have long occupied researchers. The minimum amount of information required to simulate a given stochastic process is a significant topic of study in the field of complexity theory, where it is known in scientific literature as statistical complexity.

Researchers know how to calculate the amount of information transferred inherently in any stochastic process. Theoretically, this sets the lowest amount of information needed to simulate the process. In reality, however, classical simulations of stochastic processes require more storage than this.

Gu, Wiesner, Rieper and Vedral, who is also affiliated with the University of Oxford, UK, showed that quantum simulators need to store less information than the optimal classical simulators. That is because quantum simulations can encode information about the probabilities in a "superposition", where one quantum bit of information can represent more than one classical bit.

What surprised the researchers is that the quantum simulations are still not as efficient as they could be: they still have to store more information than the process would seem to need.

That suggests quantum theory might not yet be optimized. "What's fascinating to us is that there is still a gap. It makes you think, maybe here's a way of thinking about a theory beyond quantum physics," says Vedral.

###

For further details, see "Quantum mechanics can reduce the complexity of classical models"]Nature Communications, 3, 762 (2012). http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n3/full/ncomms1761.html

A preprint is available at arXiv:1102.1994 http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.1994

Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore: http://www.quantumlah.org

Thanks to Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 56 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/118824/How_quantum_physics_could_make__The_Matrix__more_efficient

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"A Better You" Your Full week program to self-improvement | Faith ...

There are many ways to get rid of your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it would get. But whatever, we should all attempt to avoid lose our own sense of self.

So what manages to do it take to be a slash above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and also improve on that should be more than enough for a week.

A person. Know your purpose
Are you wandering through everyday living with little guidance ? hoping you?ll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify yourself purpose or vision statement and you will have your own personal unique compass that will lead you to your truth south every time.

This may appear tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a great or even dead end. There is however always that tiny loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

A pair of. Know your principles
What do you benefit most? Make a list of your respective top 5 values. Some situations are security, independence, family, spiritual progress, learning. As you arranged your goals intended for 2005 ? check your goals against your own values. If the goal doesn?t align utilizing any of your top five attitudes ? you may want to reevaluate it or modify it.

The number need not discourage you, as an alternative it should motivate you to perform more than you can ever desired.

3. Know the needs you have
Unmet needs can keep via living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be appropriate, to be in control, to get loved? There are so many folks that lived their life without realizing its dreams and most of which end up being stressed or maybe depressed for that matter. Listing your top a number of needs and get these folks met before it?s too late!

3. Know your hobbies and interests
You know who you are and also what you truly appreciate in life. Obstacles such as doubt and insufficient enthusiasm will only prevent you, but will not derail your chance in becoming the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honour the people who has influenced you to become the rather person you wanted to become.

5. Live internally
Increase your awareness of the inner wisdom through regularly reflecting without moaning. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet a person?s distracted mind. For many of us city slickers it?s hard to be able to even find the peace and quiet we want even in your own home. In my case My partner and i often just sit down in a dimly lit place and play many classical music. There is certainly sound, yes, yet music does soothe the savage beast.

7. Honor your advantages
What are your favourable traits? What special talents do you have? Listing three ? dwi stuck, ask individuals closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, beneficial with your hands? Locate ways to express the authentic self through your strengths. You can raise your self-confidence when you can share whatever you know to many others.

7. Serve other folks
When you live legitimately, you may find that you cultivate an interconnected sensation of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of one?s talents to the world you deal with, you give back in provider what you came to share with others -your spirit ? your essence. The rewards for spreading your gift utilizing those close to you should indeed be rewarding, much more whether or not it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done in their eyes.
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Self-improvement is polar ft80 indeed one type of perform that is worth it. It should not always be within the confines of an office, or maybe in the a number of corners of your own bedroom. The difference lies inside of ourselves and how a lot we want to change bose quietcomfort 3 for your better.

Source: http://faithquestions.org/a-better-you-your-full-week-program-to-self-improvement/

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Satellite photos show N.Korea launch work 'underway'

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Pacquiao focuses on fight, not tax

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pacquiao-focuses-fight-not-tax-151642269.html

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Wanted Keeping U.S. Debut Album 'Upbeat'

New single, 'Chasing the Sun,' is in 'same vein as 'Glad You Came,' ' Tom Parker tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway

The Wanted
Photo: MTV News

The Wanted will officially drop their U.S. debut album next month. They've been busy in the studio working on tracks to follow up their smash single, "Glad You Came." And with so much enthusiasm coursing through America for boy bands, the guys are looking forward to launching this next phase in their careers.

"You know, I think from the start when we were in the U.K. we got our first single, which was 'All Time Low,' and it set itself up," Tom Parker told MTV News about the band's control over their music. "And we all agree on a certain sound and 'Glad You Came' was probably as [far as] we went in terms of difference in sound, but we all kind of come to an agreement to keep it upbeat, usually."

Parker adds that when they do stray from that sound it doesn't always work out. "We did a ballad and it wasn't that great, if I'm honest with you," he said. "We've got a new one called 'Chasing the Sun,' which is gonna go out to radio soon, so look out for it. It's in the same vein as 'Glad You Came'; it's upbeat."

Now that they are knee-deep in getting their U.S. debut together, Jay McGuiness explains that despite the size of the group, the guys make decisions pretty easily. "We're all pretty laid-back in coming to a decision that we all agree with," he said. "We're not gonna lie: Two years ago we were bitches to the record label, but now we've grown enough. We know what we're doing now. We're enjoying ourselves."

And that means that they are aiming to make something that will get American audiences pumped. Siva Kaneswaran added, "To be in the U.S. is amazing, but just as long as we go out there and be ourselves and the U.S. takes us as we are, we're just coming over here to have a laugh."

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681727/the-wanted-us-album.jhtml

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Sony Vegas Pro v11.0.510 32 bit (patch keygen DI) [ChingLiu] Video Tut.

RE: Sony Vegas Pro v11.0.510 32 bit (patch keygen DI) [ChingLiu] Video Tut. Seems good enough.

The software itself though, just blah. It seems they just changed the whole layout of this new version and made it more complicated and put less options. Especially the render options. I see no real advantage over this from Sony Vegas 10.

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Source: https://forum.suprbay.org/showthread.php?tid=117765

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Groups seek to force EPA to act on power plants

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/groups-seek-force-epa-act-power-plants-195812125.html

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Friday, March 23, 2012

romereports: Remember that you can follow the Pope's trip to Mexico and Cuba from the ROME REPORTS' special site!! http://t.co/GStljjXv

Twitter / ROME REPORTS: Remember that you can foll ...

Remember that you can follow the Pope's trip to Mexico and Cuba from the ROME REPORTS' special site!! il y a environ 24 heures via web

Source: http://twitter.com/romereports/statuses/182869850794897408

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Slideshow: What home buyers can get for $300,000

Editor's Note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.

Click to view the image,
or use the buttons above to navigate away.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46823755/displaymode/1247/beginSlide/1/beginChapter/1/beginTab/1/

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Throwing Out the Window My ?Parenting Theories? | Mommy Blogs ...

As a young woman and counselor, I had many theories on ?raising kids,? prior to having them.? One of them was if I saw a kid whining at the grocery store and?having a tantrum because he didn?t get what he wanted I would?think (insert smart alecky voice)??Maybe at home he gets what ever he wants and that is why he is having a tantrum right now.?That is why it?s important to set boundaries at home and have consequences for tantrums and whining.?

Some?of these theories came from mere?observation, some were experiences from working with inner city kids and?most were straight out of books.???Little did I?know what I had coming my way.?? After 8 years of marriage, we have a house full of boys!??Three strong and courageous little men that constantly?remind me how little I know about parenting even after reading all those amazing books on ?Child Rearing.?

My first born didn?t really challenge any of my theories, he was straight out of the text kind of kid, ?if you do this?. your child will do this?.?? And the expert advice worked, exactly as I read it in the books.? A dream come true for?a first time mommy. He was very much a happy little?toddler ready to please those around him.? And he still lights up the room when he smiles with that twinkle in his eyes, it brings joy to all.? He has challenged us in a different way though, he has a lot of anxiety and we are learning and?he is learning healthy coping strategies.? It has been quite the journey.? He used to chew up the collar on his shirts til they literally were all stretched out and it looked like I sent him to school with a ?check out my chest hair? shirt.

My second born, Aiden?his name means feisty and passionate.? Needless to say, he?has been a totally different?story than our first born.? He is a lover and our little feisty fighter.? He knows exactly what he wants, he stands up for himself and he speaks his little heart when he is hurt.? He is only 4.? He hugs us fiercely and loves us passionately.? He has challenged all of our discipline, obedience, consequence theories from the very start.? As a toddler, I remember one night when we were saying our prayers it was his turn and he said ?No pray.?? So we asked him to just try to and he didn?t hesitate and he began his prayer??Jesus, I no pray. Thank you fer, mommy and daddy. I no pray????Oh my, I laughed so hard.

Our third born, well he is only 15 months so we are still discovering his little personality.? He?fills my day with?sunshine, kisses and?stinky diapers. He is a content and happy baby for the most part.??He?is quite expressive see for yourself in the picture above.? This was all in a matter of 5 minutes while I was feeding him dinner.?Yes, just in case you are?wondering, that is food hanging off his lip in the second row picture. ?He definitely keeps us laughing.

As you find yourself overwhelmed because your theories and practices aren?t working seek Him for wisdom and remember as parents we are students.? Each child is uniquely and wonderfully made!? Their little personalities sometimes require tailored consequences and practices.? My potty training worked amazing with one of our boys but it was a disaster for our other son.? I am realizing that I really need to become a student of my children, constantly learning and figuring out how to raise them.? Also, that I need to spend a lot of time in prayer, on my knees praying for each of them and for us as we raise them.? Thankfully, as they grow their?moods become more stable unlike our little guy.?But sometimes?it?s just a bad day or hour?and no matter how many?different?ways you try to get your kid to eat their brocolli it?s not going to happen so try again?at another time.? Yes, I am all about standing firm on your rules but sometimes we need to pick our battles.

These little men,?are my sunshine and I can?t imagine my life without each of their little personalities.??My conclusion from all this rambling is that I actually need to?throw out the window??my?ideas on how?I would apply these theories?on raising my kids?and not so much the theory itself.? Though I would add there are definitely many child rearing theories out there that you do need to throw out the window.? Forget that you desperately spent countless hours after dark reading that?Compliant Baby in?5 Days?book, trying to glean some insight?on how to get your baby to sleep through the night and feed himself . Just be rid yourself of this bad advice,?for example,??don?t?hold your baby too much because they will get use to it.?

What are some interesting (crazy)?parenting theories you have heard and have chosen to ignore?

This entry was posted on Friday, March 23rd, 2012 at 8:06 am and is filed under Motherhood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://www.justmommies.com/blog/2012/03/throwing-out-the-window-my-%E2%80%9Cparenting-theories%E2%80%9D/

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Look like a celebrity: H&M launching eco-friendly fashion line favored by the stars

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/look-celebrity-h-m-launching-eco-friendly-fashion-111225396.html

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Emerging Market Exposure By Investing Locally - Stock Analysis ...

With the U.S. economy experiencing two quarters of slowing growth, it's no wonder why investors have become enamored with emerging markets. After all, these nation's feature all the right components - such as double-digit growth rates, exploding populations and vast natural resources - to make them ideal investments for the upcoming decades. Nonetheless, recent accounting and corporate governance issues, high inflation rates, political conflicts and other risks have many investors feeling anxious about direct investment in these markets. For these investors, all is not lost. Plenty of emerging market exposure can be had in your own back yard. (If you are interested in emerging markets, see Re-Evaluating Emerging Markets.)

Investopedia Markets: Explore the best one-stop source for financial news, quotes and insights.

Thinking Locally
For long-term portfolio growth, exposure to developing economies is key. However, gaining that exposure is now easier than just buying a fund like the PowerShares India (NYSE:PIN). As the planet's economy grows ever more interconnected, companies from various developed countries have increasingly looked beyond their own mature economies for bigger growth opportunities abroad. Currently, just over 25% of sales within the S&P 500 now come from these faster-growing emerging markets. That number is growing each quarter and is one of main reasons for the recent double-digit profit growth despite the slowing GDP growth in the United States.

As well as being cheaper on a price-to-earnings metric, developed market stocks benefiting from global growth tend to be lower volatility and are more liquid than those in emerging markets. For example, the total market cap of consumer companies in emerging markets is around $500 billion. This compares to the $4.7 trillion market cap for consumer corporations based in the developed world. In addition, U.S. companies must comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and often have longer operating histories. (To help you with investing, read Equity Valuation In Emerging Markets.)

Bring on the Blue Chips
With the S&P 500 trading at price-to-earnings ratio still lower than its average, now could be a great time to add some domestic emerging market exposure. Many of the firms that have significant and growing presence in emerging markets are large, steady blue chips. For example, Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) has almost a 90% hold on the South African soft-drink market. By digging a little deeper into a firm's financial statements and focusing on strong brands, we can find some great investments. Here are some of the top domestic picks to play emerging market growth.

There's no doubt about it, citizens in Asia love to gamble and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) could be one of the best ways to tap that love affair. With properties in both Singapore and China's Macau casino region, Sands has seen more than 83% of revenue coming from these properties during the first six months of 2011. The company invested nearly $14 billion into Asia in 2011 and is the only operator that will introduce a new hotel into the Macau market during the next two years. Similarly, Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq:WYNN) has hitched its fortunes to China as well.

With infrastructure spending on the rise for much of the emerging world, firms that provide these products will continue see gains. More than 64% of sales come from outside of North America for dump truck and construction equipment maker Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT). The company saw sales throughout 2011 grow by 39% in Asia and 56% in Latin America. Mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global (Nasdaq:JOYG) has also seen its international star shine.

Finally, emerging market consumers have a growing appetite for American-style fast food. Both Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) and McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) have seen their emerging market sales explode over the last few years and coffee giant Starbucks (Nasdaq:SBUX) has plans triple its store count in mainland China to 1,500 locations by 2015.

The Bottom Line
Emerging markets undoubtedly will be the growth engines of the future. For investors, playing that growth doesn't necessary mean direct investment. Some of the best opportunities are in domestic large-cap blue chips with ever-increasing exposure. The previous picks along with consumer products company Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) are ideal choices. (For more, check out The Risks Of Investing In Emerging Markets.)

Use the Investopedia Stock Simulator to trade the stocks mentioned in this stock analysis, risk free!

Source: http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Emerging-Market-Exposure-By-Investing-Locally-KO-LVS-CAT-MCD-SBUX-YUM0321.aspx

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Kathy Bates to guest star on 'Men' as Charlie Harper

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kathy-bates-guest-star-men-charlie-harper-033511786.html

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Remodeling your home flooring guide | TrickyPup.com

Overtime, the flooring in your house has to be remodeled. This is because the flooring goes through wear due to the amount of people walking on it and putting it through stress. The flooring at home should be safe and comfortable for everyone. People should feel safe after they walk on your home flooring.

There are numerous types of flooring that?s available today. The three common varieties used are hardwood or wood, laminate and tile. Selecting the most appropriate flooring to match the rest of your home design is the greatest way to go about it. Additionally, there are many people who are looking towards eco friendly option flooring for example the, bamboo flooring.

The more common kinds of flooring is the laminante flooring wich may be used in many different rooms in the home. In this, there are multiple layers of flooring. The laminate layers underneath aid in controlling humidity and isolate sounds. The very best layers act as a protection to the bottom layers. Laminant flooring comes in many beautiful designs. If it is compared with linoleum or carpet put on the floor, there will be no problem of marks, like burn marks on to the ground. They can also be quite eco friendly.

Wooden floors add beauty to a home, whether it is hard wood or wooden. Hardwood floors can be very cozy. Hardwood is also very comfortable to steer on. Hardwood flooring can last for many years and is very durable.

Tile flooring is often the most preferred choice with regards to home flooring. It gives an elegant look and the finish is smooth. The bathroom and the home is where you?ll most often find the tile flooring. You?ll find different types of tile flooring such as granite and ceramic. This is not only easy to install and maintain but can also be Eco friendly and hygienic. Such flooring can last for a lifetime. Tile is very good in a humid climate and yes it does not retain moisture or experience water damages.

About the most trend today is obtain a flooring that is either pale or light colored. Make certain you follow up with a regular maintenance schedule as this is required to keep up with a good flooring. Another thing that you can look into are the wood grain ceramic tiles that is much easier to maintain and can provide wooden texture. Even bamboo and cork has been used for flooring.

For many homes, the kitchen is often the center of it all. If you are remodeling your home flooring, make sure that you put lots of thought and consideration in it. Make sure that the flooring which you choose is easy to clean and is durable and clean. Depending on what it is that you want on your kitchen flooring, you can find many different types of flooring like tiles, hardwood, and concrete. Also consider exploring different kitchen flooring options by visiting your local home improvement kitchen showrooms.

You must carefully choose the type of flooring that you are going to use for your home kitchen. Also keep in mind that they flooring should go through plenty of wear and tear.

Because the kitchen at home can really enhance its value, you wish to carefully invest in it to improve your home appeal and value.

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Lorrie Wetzler
Earnestine Gunia

Carpet vs Hardwood and Laminate Flooring
Remodeling your kitchen is still among the best investments a homeowner tend to make to their home. In considering recent data, a well-planned kitchen update may well recoup concerning 80% to 90% on the investment inside first year or two. This does not include an individual can sense associated with well-being together with overall enjoyment you, the homeowner, can get from walking into your newly newly designed kitchen. Since the counters are several components within a kitchen, selecting the top that best suits your requirements and fits your kitchen d?? cor is usually key to making a good tone investment. There are many counter prime surfaces on the market today and reviewing all of the choices affordable is vital in selecting the best surface and surfaces for a personal make use of and enjoyment.
Unusual Hardwood Flooring and then the Environment
Easy No Loan Home Improvements ? Do-It-Yourself For Little Or No Cost
Vinyl Flooring Options

Source: http://trickypup.com/2012/03/remodeling-your-home-flooring-guide/

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Three Major Online Dating Sites Agree to Screen for Predators

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-major-online-dating-sites-agree-screen-predators-232206770.html

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series Test Drive

On Sale Date: May

Price: $32,000?$35,000 (est)

Competitors: Nissan Frontier Pro4-X, Chevrolet Colorado Z71

Powertrain: 4.0-liter V-6, 236 hp; 266 lb-ft (sport mode)

Estimated Fuel Economy (city/highway): 16/21

What's New: Toyota has had a capable and popular TRD off-road package on its Tacoma pickups since 1998. The grouping of parts, developed by the team at Toyota Racing Development (TRD) includes one essential component for slow-speed four-wheeling: a selectable locking rear differential. With it, the TRD package has made the Tacoma a solid four-wheeler. But according to Zach Zwillinger, product development engineer for TRD, Tacoma owners have been yearning for something more extreme. And the company had yet to develop a truck specifically aimed at West Coast Baja racing enthusiasts. "They were asking for a lifted Tacoma," Zwillinger says. But sliding a taller, special-edition pickup truck under the noses of the Toyota executives preoccupied with government safety regulations is a challenging task. Nevertheless in the fall of 2010, TRD began work on the project that would become the 2012 TRD T/X Baja Series.

The Tacoma Baja Series is available only as a V-6 4WD Access Cab or Double Cab short bed, and only in red or black. You can choose between a six-speed manual or the five-speed automatic. It's tempting to describe this truck as Toyota's answer to the Ford Raptor, but that's not quite accurate. The Baja simply isn't that radical?think of this truck largely as a well-executed off-road suspension package.

The Baja Series receives a 1.75-inch lift upfront thanks to TRD springs wrapped around Bilstein shocks. The shocks are based on Bilstein's high-end 9100 Series dampers and use a 60-mm piston (compared with 32 mm for the stock Tacoma 4x4). The new front suspension increases wheel travel from 8 inches to 9.25 inches. It turns out the limiting factor for more suspension movement is the upper ball joint, and finding a better one would have cost too much time and money, according to the team. "We built this system so it could grow with the customer," Zwillinger says. So an owner could, for example, buy a pair of aftermarket upper A-arms that allow even more front-wheel travel, and then have the Bilsteins modified to match. The front bump stops are slightly shorter to allow for the increase in jounce (compression) travel.

In the rear, the TRD team selected the three-leaf (plus one overload leaf) spring pack used in Tacoma towing packages, which provides a 10-mm increase in rear ride height. The damping comes form Bilstein 5160 remote reservoir shocks that have been custom-valved. The team did much of the suspension testing and tuning at the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) in California and had Bilstein's shock-tuning truck on hand to make on-demand adjustments to the valving. "We did at least three or four rebuilds on the rear shocks before we got it correct," says Zwillinger, "but basically we dialed-in the lightest tuning possible that would meet our durability requirements". The rear suspension package increases wheel travel from 8.5 inches to 10 inches?mostly in rebound (droop) travel. And to allow for the increase, the rear brake lines have been lengthened slightly with a bracket.

Aside from the radical graphics package and TRD wheels wrapped with BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, the Tacoma Baja gets a slight bump in power from a TRD cat-back exhaust system. Engineers say the increase is slightly less than 10 hp.

Tech Tidbit:The 3-inch-diameter front coil springs are manufactured by Eibach for TRD. They are off-the-shelf race units rated at 650 lb/in. That's slightly softer than the stock springs.

Driving Character: Lifted pickup trucks tend to ride more harshly than their stock counterparts. The taller springs and higher spring rates, combined with off-road shocks that are way too stiff, make life unpleasant. But the Baja wears such a mild suspension lift and is tuned so well that it's only a bit firmer than stock. In fact, the sport packages offered on cars these days tend to ride rougher than this truck does. You feel a little more road texture in the Baja than you might in a stock truck. But at higher speeds, the Baja's suspension really smooths out the road. And this is true off-road as well.

We drove the Baja up to the Hungry Valley SVRA, about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles, for a day of four-wheeling. Hungry Valley has a mix of slow and high-speed terrain. Early in the day we locked the Baja in low range, engaged the rear locking diff, and walked the truck up a few difficult rutted hill climbs. No doubt the extra wheel travel helped us out on these ascents, but on this type of trail, the rear locker and the aggressive all-terrain tires are the biggest traction aid. On the way down, you simply disengage the locker and let the hill descent control modulate the brakes for you. On higher-speed washboard roads, the Bilsteins really keep the back of the truck from hopping around. It stays planted and feels like it's following the terrain rather than skittering around like most empty pickups do.

In sandy washes, where you need to slide the truck and maintain some wheelspeed, the electronic aids are best left in the off position. The Baja truck soaks up this rough, higher-speed whoops with ease?and much improved over any basic Tacoma. But make no mistake: You are limited in speed, depending on the size of the "whoops" on the trail?an extra inch or so of wheel travel doesn't instantly turn this Tacoma into a Trophy Truck. And we did notice quite a bit of steering wheel movement as the front suspension cycled through its range of motion. Perhaps a steering stabilizer shock would diminish this effect. The Baja package does offer the driver a large safety net when hitting dusty roads and rutted washes. The suspension tuning keeps the tires on the ground. Instead of pogoing the front end as many stock trucks do, you can push the Baja a little harder and it will take the punishment.

Favorite Detail: Factory wheels typically aren't the most attractive designs. Even the Tacoma's lineup of 4x4 wheels are a little boring. But these TRD wheels (in a special finish just for the Baja) work. We even like the simulated beadlock rim, a nod to the real Baja race machines.

Driver's Grievance: As good as the Baja is at handling higher-speed off-road terrain, for low-speed four-wheeling we'd like to see a front locking differential or a limited slip added. Ford recently included this (a Torsen model) in its Raptor. And Toyota could add this feature without affecting the on-road manners of the truck.

The Bottom Line: The Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series is an impressive package, and it adds about $4300 to the price of a TRD Tacoma. Toyota says it will build only 750 of them for the 2012 model year. Why so few? Toyota is essentially capacity constrained. The Baja trucks begin as regular production Tacomas 4x4s that are completed on the assembly line at the San Antonio plant. The trucks are then driven a short distance within the plant complex to Toyota Logistical Services, where a small team turns the production Tacomas into Bajas by hand. It's clear that if the package becomes popular, it will return for 2013. We hear some colors might be added, as well as some unique interior details such as a special doorsill plate or shift knob. Could a more radical package come down the line? Judging by the enthusiasm within TRD, it's certainly a possibility.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/reviews/drives/2012-toyota-tacoma-trd-tx-baja-series-test-drive-7455307?src=rss

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Iraqi Kurd leader denounces Baghdad 'power grab'

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The president of Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region threatened Tuesday to pull support from the nation's already wobbly coalition government, criticizing the central government for a power grab he denounced as ideological terrorism.

Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani stopped short of directly saying he would declare independence for the three-province Kurdish region from the that makes up Iraq's north. But he called political agreements between the region and Baghdad "meaningless" and said he was willing to put a decision to his people "in order not to blame us in the future."

The speech signaled a sharp deterioration in Iraq's already shaky political alignment. Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki kept his job only with Kurdish support after his party fell short of a majority in the 2010 parliamentary elections.

It came a week before an Arab summit is set to convene in Baghdad, already shaken by a wave of deadly attacks by militants.

"It is time to say that enough is enough, because Iraq is headed toward an abyss, and a small group of people are about to pull Iraq into a dictatorship," Barzani said in a speech that his aides billed as a major announcement. He delivered it on the occasion of Nowruz, the Kurdish and Iranian new year.

He said Iraq is facing "a serious crisis, and this situation absolutely is not acceptable to us."

Baghdad has been arguing for months with Kurdish leaders over whether Exxon Mobil Corp. should be allowed to develop lucrative oil fields in the north without the central government's approval.

Iraq's Oil Ministry last week said Exxon agreed to shelve its plans to avoid being blacklisted from other oil deals in Iraq until the country passes its oil law, which could take months at least, if not years. A spokesman for the Kurdish region denied that Exxon has frozen its plans, and Exxon officials have not commented.

Barzani accused Baghdad of pressuring oil companies against working in the north. "They in Baghdad get mad whenever any corporation come to the region to sign contracts," he said.

Barzani's heated complaints come the week before top Arab leaders are to meet in Baghdad in what the government hopes will showcase Iraq's move toward stability and national unity after years of sectarian fighting. The Kurdish president predicted that Iraq will not resolve any of its political feuding until after the Arab League summit ends March 29.

Sami al-Askeri, a close Shiite aide to al-Maliki, called the speech "unjustified" and said Barzani was just jealous he does not have a role to play in the summit.

"It comes in a period that we should have harmony, because we are close to the Arab League summit," al-Askeri said in an interview about Barzani's speech. "He wants to make a crisis, not to solve the situation."

It's not the first time in recent months that Iraq's government has been on the brink of falling apart. In December, the Sunni-dominated Iraqiya block walked out of parliament and the Cabinet in protest after the government issued an arrest warrant against Vice President Tariff al-Hashemi on terrorism charges he says are politically motivated. The boycott brought government work to a standstill until Iraqiya returned in February.

Talks to enact a power-sharing agreement between Iraqiya and al-Maliki's coalition have limped along without resolution for more than a year.

___

Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-kurd-leader-denounces-baghdad-power-grab-203227738.html

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