Tuesday, April 30, 2013

NBA Star Jason Collins Comes Out As Gay (VIDEO)

NBA Star Jason Collins Comes Out As Gay (VIDEO)

Sports Illustrated Jason collinsNBA star Jason Collins, the 34-year-old basketball player who is a free agent for the Washington Wizards, has came out as gay in a revealing interview with Sports Illustrated. The initial reports came from the National Football League, as a number of straight players said that they would support a teammate if they revealed they ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/04/nba-star-jason-collins-comes-out-as-gay-video/

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Libya to help ease Egypt crisis with $1.2 bln oil deal

By Jessica Donati and Ghaith Shennib

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will soon start shipping oil to neighbouring Egypt on soft credit terms, two senior Libyan officials said, as Cairo struggles to pay for energy imports and avoid fuel shortages.

The officials told Reuters that Tripoli would supply Cairo with $1.2 billion worth of crude at world prices but on interest free credit for a year, with the first cargo expected to arrive next month.

Egypt has slid into economic crisis since president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown two years ago. Most international companies have reduced oil product supplies to the country fearing non-payments, as the government tries to curb soaring energy subsidy costs which swallow up a fifth of its budget.

Libya plans to ship one to two cargoes a month for refining in Egypt under a deal that involves 12 million barrels of crude over 12 months, the oil industry officials said.

With foreign currency reserves running low, Egypt has not bought any crude on the open market since January. In rough terms the Libyan deal would be worth slightly more than half its 2012 imports, which the central bank put at $2 billion.

"Their situation is very bad, and if necessary they can take up to a year to pay (for each delivery)," said one of the Libyan officials.

Libyan authorities themselves face a daily struggle to keep services running and take control of a country awash with weapons looted from the arsenal of Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled in 2011.

But the official said Libya could not shy away from helping an important trading partner. "If you are a good neighbour and something is wrong with your neighbour, you will not feel comfortable with yourself. It's human nature," he said.

Cairo has so far failed to agree a $4.8 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund and has sought help from energy producing countries in the region and beyond.

Tripoli has already deposited $2 billion at the Egyptian central bank and Qatar has announced $8 billion in loans, grants and other deposits since Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was elected last June.

WORLD PRICES

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declined immediate comments on the details of the deal, although one of the oil industry officials said it would supply Sirteca, the cheapest of all the country's grades. "Shipments will be sold at world prices," said the second Libyan official.

An official at the Egyptian oil ministry confirmed some of the deal's terms. "(It will be) one million barrels a month and deferred payment for 12 months without interest starting from the first half of May, God willing," the official told Reuters.

However, the official maintained that the two sides were still discussing the kind of crude oil to be supplied and how long the shipments would last. The Libyan officials said that if the first cargo was sent next month as planned, they would last until April 2014.

The Libyan deal should ease the problems of Egypt, which owes at least $5 billion to oil companies, half of it overdue.

Cairo aims to raise prices of subsidised energy gradually, bringing them close to world levels in four years, to reduce the burden on its huge budget deficit. In the short term, it wants to avoid arousing more social unrest by ensuring energy supplies during the approaching summer when energy consumption peaks.

Libya has already shown willingness to step back into its old role as North Africa's version of a Gulf petro-state by using cash to open doors.

Libya's new rulers authorised a payment of almost $200 million to Mauritania after it extradited Gaddafi's former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi last year, although they later denied there was a quid pro quo.

Diplomats and analysts have also suggested Libya's growing support may help persuade Egypt to hand over Gaddafi's cousin Ahmed Gaddaf Alddam, who was arrested in Cairo in March.

Egypt sent two other ex-Gaddafi officials to Libya last month but barred the extradition of Gaddaf Alddam, who is claiming Egyptian citizenship. Libya is appealing the Egyptian court ruling.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libya-help-ease-egypt-crisis-1-2-bln-124645011.html

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The Guru's Guide to List Building | Home Based Business and Make ...

Guru Marketer Exposes

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RE: List Building 101!
Dear Struggling Marketer,

If you are reading this right now I can only assume you are interested in learning how to build a list in order for your business to grow and start producing some results with dollar signs at the end.

While building your list is crucial to the success of your business, it?s also a pain in the tail if you don?t know what to do in order for it to work to your advantage.

There are tons of marketers out there with great sites and great stuff to offer, but they just don?t have anyone to present it to. Time and time again I have seen people come and go. They finally just give up because they think it?s just impossible and there is simply no hope for them in the business.

I?m talking about some real talented people who would?ve made it if they would have taken more time to learn list building strategies to get their business on the right track.

You can have the greatest content on the web today and you can have the best graphics that money can buy, but as I said before without a base of clients no one?s ever going to know about it.

I guarantee you pretty graphics isn?t going to have people flooding into your site via Google. If that was the case everyone would?ve had this figured out long ago!

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Look, I know it can seem frustrating and confusing on how to go about building your list. Don?t feel alone. Every marketer deals with this issue.

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There were times I struggled to make ends meet and even considered going back to a 9-5 job because my head was about in the give up barrel.

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This video guide shows you step-by-step instructions on how to build your list of customers with tested and proven results that are highly recommended for any marketer wanting to be successful. I?ll take you through the hard parts and show you what to do and how to do it! I?m not leaving anything out as I show you how to set up a squeeze page, set up email services, and many ways to drive traffic to your site!

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I?ll be showing you the entire process of setting up a squeeze page in order to start building a list.

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We?ll go through the process of signing up for services like Aweber and you?ll get guided through the process of getting your opt-in box set up and working.

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You?re taken through the steps of setting up your download page for your free giveaway.

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You?ll learn how article marketing works to help drive traffic back to your squeeze page. I?ll actually show you how to put out the articles and little things you can do to??? boost their attention.

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You get a bird?s eye view as you practically watch over my shoulder and learn the process in an easy-to-follow manner.

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Let me say this, it?s obvious that value dripping off this offer, but there are some other things that are obvious as well.

It?s obvious that if you don?t take action now and put forth the first foot to make the step of learning about list building, you?re never going to find out and you will never succeed. Point blank.

If you want your business successful you got to learn this stuff. I wish I could tell you another way, but there isn?t one. This is it and you have to learn. There is no easy way, let?s face it, but there is a right way and I?m going to show you.

Now, there are tons of products available on the market today that claim to offer step-by -step instructions and then you find yourself with a something that only explains the steps and doesn?t really ?show? you how too? making it as useless as a car with no wheels.

Now, you could go out and pay for training one on one, but get ready to drop some cash?I mean a lot! Some advisers charge $200 dollars and more per hour for their two cents. And then you got to figure out if you are going to pay someone to create your sites for you once you learn all this stuff. Get ready to spend hundreds and even thousands if you take that option.

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Now, I know what you?re guessing this video course has got to have a hefty price tag. Well I did take into consideration what it does cost in the real world for all of what I am offering.

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There are a ton of people who have had success using these same methods I am offering to teach you?including myself.

However, I know making decisions sometimes can leave you wondering what the pros and cons are and if this is right for you.

Well, I am so confident in this product that if for any reason whatsoever if you feel like this has not made an impact on your life, change the way you do list building, and you feel this course hasn?t help you? I will simply give you your money back! No questions ask.

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I?m sure you would agree that for the small price I am asking for this I?m giving you the chance to get this at a ridiculous rate, but with this guarantee included, some would say I?m down right insane!

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Look, putting this off is not something you want to do. Hoping things are going to change for the better sounds good and all, but the reality is that?s not going to happen.

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Look at it this way, if you had a chunk of solid gold in your hand?Would you throw it away? Of course not! So why would you throw away this opportunity you have today?

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Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/hbbpartners/blog/the-gurus-guide-to-list-building/

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Obama jokes about aging during 2nd term

President Barack Obama speaks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama speaks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Michael Douglas poses for a photo during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama talks with Michael Clemente, Executive Vice President of Fox News, the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama looks to the podium during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

First lady Michelle Obama, right, and late-night television host Conan O'Brien attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama joked Saturday that the years are catching up to him and he's not "the strapping young Muslim socialist" he used to be.

Obama poked fun at himself as well as some of his political adversaries during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner attended by politicians, members of the media and Hollywood celebrities.

Entering to the rap track "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled, Obama joked about how re-election would allow him to unleash a radical agenda. But then he showed a picture of himself golfing on a mock magazine cover of "Senior Leisure."

"I'm not the strapping young Muslim Socialist that I used to be," the president remarked, and then recounted his recent 2-for-22 basketball shooting performance at the White House Easter Egg hunt.

But Obama's most dramatic shift for the next four years appeared to be aesthetic. He presented a montage of shots featuring him with bangs similar to those sometimes sported by his wife.

"So we borrowed one of Michelle's tricks," Obama said. "I thought this looked pretty good, but no bounce."

Obama closed by noting the nation's recent tragedies in Massachusetts and Texas, praising Americans of all stripes from first responders to local journalists for serving the public good.

Saturday night's banquet not far from the White House attracted the usual assortment of stars from Hollywood and beyond. Actors Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Claire Danes, who play government characters on series, were among the attendees, as was Korean entertainer Psy. Several Cabinet members, governors and members of Congress were present.

And despite coming at a somber time, nearly two weeks after the deadly Boston Marathon bombing and 10 days after a devastating fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, the president and political allies and rivals alike took the opportunity to enjoy some humor. Late-night talk-show host Conan O'Brien headlined the event.

Some of Obama's jokes came at his Republican rivals' expense. He asked that the GOP's minority outreach begin with him as a "trial run" and said he'd take his recent charm offensive with Republicans on the road, including events with conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Michele Bachmann.

"In fact, I'm taking my charm offensive on the road -- a Texas barbeque with Ted Cruz, a Kentucky bluegrass concert with Rand Paul, and a book-burning with Michele Bachmann," Obama joked.

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson would have had better success getting Obama out of office if he simply offered the president $100 million to drop out of last year's race, Obama quipped.

And on the 2016 election, the president noted in self-referential irony that potential Republican candidate Sen. Marco Rubio wasn't qualified because he hasn't even served a full term in the Senate. Obama served less than four years of his six-year Senate term before he was elected president in 2008.

"I mean, the guy has not even finished a single term in the Senate and he thinks he's ready to be President," Obama joked.

The gala also was an opportunity for six journalists, including Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace, to be honored for their coverage of the presidency and national issues.

The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza won the Aldo Beckman Award, which recognizes excellence in the coverage of the presidency.

Pace won the Merriman Smith Award for a print journalist for coverage on deadline.

ABC's Terry Moran was the winner of the broadcast Merriman Smith Award for deadline reporting.

Reporters Jim Morris, Chris Hamby and Ronnie Greene of the Center for Public Integrity won the Edgar A. Poe Award for coverage of issues of national significance.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-28-Obama-Correspondents/id-09d4febe6e4d4128a38db58294475600

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Qatar: Nude statues returned to Greece

Qatar: Nude statues lent by Greece, didn't go on display as part of a history of the Olympics. Greece took the male nude statues back.

By Nicholas Paphitis,?Associated Press / April 27, 2013

Greece has pulled two ancient statues of nude males from an Olympic exhibition in Doha after Qatari authorities insisted on veiling them.

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A Culture Ministry official says exhibition organizers wanted to avoid scandalizing female visitors.

Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras, who visited the Muslim country last month for the exhibition opening, objected, saying the works should be displayed as they were or shipped home.

So the statues were returned to Athens last week, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record.

Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.

The statues date to the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. They were among nearly 600 antiquities brought from Greece for the "Olympics - Past and Present" exhibition.

?For the first time, an exhibition showcases the cultural history of the ancient and modern Olympics on such a scale, not to mention a special section on Qatar?s participation in the world-class event,? said Dr. Christian Wacker, Director of the Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum. ?ExxonMobil has shown its dedication to sports in Qatar in various local events and we welcome the opportunity to cooperate with such a committed partner.?

Of course, the Qatar isn't the only place where nude statues are objectionable. According to The Daily Mail, a 40-foot statue of Vivienne Westwood was banned from a "Punk: Chaos to Couture" exhibit scheduled to open May 6 at London't Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/0YalK0DAyxQ/Qatar-Nude-statues-returned-to-Greece

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Link between school climate and violence confirmed

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Schools may be a step closer towards the development of effective strategies to prevent violent behaviour. New research from the University of Luxembourg shows that there is a direct link between school climate and school violence.

School violence is a very important social issue world-wide. It poses a significant threat to the health, achievement, and well-being of students. Although the most highly publicised incidents involve serious physical violence, less serious forms of physical aggression and psychological violence (including harassment, bullying, and relational aggression) present far more prevalent and persistent problems.

During the last twenty years there has been extensive research on identifying risk factors of school violence. Especially the concept of school climate has received increased attention. Most importantly, the social climate in class and in school is assumed to have a significant effect on the prevalence of violence in schools. But, the lack of clear definitions and empirically validated measures of school climate has resulted in a multitude of findings that are often difficult to interpret.

Professor Georges Steffgen and his team of researchers from the University of Luxembourg?s Integrative Research Unit on Social and Individual Development (INSIDE) analysed the statistical results of a collection of empirical research studies, to find out if a relevant effect size could be detected between the relationship of school climate and school violence.

The meta-analysis of 36 independent studies reporting a relationship between school climate and school violence, showed a moderate negative relationship between students? perception of school climate and violence. Students? characteristics such as age, and gender, as well as school size and school grade do not influence this relationship.

The results, published in the April edition of the prestigious international review journal ?Aggression and Violent Behaviour? show that there is a relationship between school climate and violence. The analysis concludes that changes in the school environment can reduce the appearance of violent behaviour.

Professor Steffgen who is head of the University of Luxembourg?s research group ?Health promotion and aggression prevention? said:

?The research shows that implementing school educational and social functions do play a role, overturning the idea that violent perpetrators are themselves all alone responsible for school violence. Thus, it is recommended that future prevention programmes should consider both individual and environmental factors of school violence. ?

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universit? du Luxembourg, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Georges Steffgen, Sophie Recchia, Wolfgang Viechtbauer. The link between school climate and violence in school: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2013; 18 (2): 300 DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2012.12.001

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_health/~3/R48Jh-uyVK4/130425091450.htm

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Senate passes bill to ease FAA furloughs

WASHINGTON (AP) ? With flight delays mounting, the Senate approved hurry-up legislation Thursday night to end air traffic controller furloughs blamed for inconveniencing large numbers of travelers.

A House vote on the measure was expected as early as Friday, with lawmakers eager to embark on a weeklong vacation.

Under the legislation, the Federal Aviation Administration would gain authority to transfer up to $253 million from accounts that are flush into other programs, to "prevent reduced operations and staffing" through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.

In addition to restoring full staffing by controllers, Senate officials said the available funds should be ample enough to prevent the closure of small airport towers around the country. The FAA has said it will shut the facilities as it makes its share of $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts that took effect last month at numerous government agencies.

The Senate acted as the FAA said there had been at least 863 flights delayed on Wednesday "attributable to staffing reductions resulting from the furlough."

There was no immediate reaction at the White House, although administration officials participated in the negotiations that led to the deal and evidently registered no objections.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a key participant in the talks, said the legislation would "prevent what otherwise would have been intolerable delays in the air travel system, inconveniencing travelers and hurting the economy."

Senate approval followed several hours of pressure-filled, closed-door negotiations, and came after most senators had departed the Capitol on the assumption that the talks had fallen short.

Officials said a small group of senators insisted on a last-ditch effort at an agreement before Congress adjourned for a vacation that could have become politically problematic if the flight delays continued.

"I want to do it right now. There are other senators you'd have to ask what the hang-up is," Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said at a point when it appeared no compromise would emerge.

For the White House and Senate Democrats, the discussions on legislation relating to one relatively small slice of the $85 billion in spending cuts marked a shift in position in a long-running struggle with Republicans over budget issues. Similarly, the turn of events marked at least modest vindication of a decision by the House GOP last winter to finesse some budget struggles in order to focus public attention on the across-the-board cuts in hopes they would gain leverage over President Barack Obama.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents FAA employees, reported a number of incidents it said were due to the furloughs.

In one case, it said several flights headed for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York were diverted on Wednesday when a piece of equipment failed. "While the policy for this equipment is immediate restoral, due to sequestration and furloughs it was changed to next-day restoral," the union said.

It added it was "learning of additional impacts nationwide, including open watches, increased restoration times, delays resulting from insufficient funding for parts and equipment, modernization delays, missed or deferred preventative maintenance, and reduced redundancy."

The airlines, too, were pressing Congress to restore the FAA to full staffing.

In an interview Wednesday, Robert Isom, chief operations officer of US Airways, likened the furloughs to a "wildcat regulatory action."

He added, "In the airline business, you try to eliminate uncertainty. Some factors you can't control, like weather. It (the FAA issue) is worse than the weather."

In a shift, first the White House and then senior Democratic lawmakers have signaled a willingness in the past two days to support legislation that alleviates the budget crunch at the FAA, while leaving the balance of the $85 billion to remain in effect.

Obama favors a comprehensive agreement that replaces the entire $85 billion in across-the-board cuts as part of a broader deficit-reduction deal that includes higher taxes and spending cuts.

One Senate Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, noted that without the type of comprehensive deficit deal that Obama favors, a bill that eases the spending crunch at the FAA would inevitably be followed by other single-issue measures. She listed funding at the National Institutes of Health as one example, and cuts that cause furloughs of civilians who work at military hospitals as a second.

At the same time, Democratic aides said resolve had crumbled under the weight of widespread delays for the traveling public and pressure from the airlines.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., involved in the discussions, said the issue was big enough so "most people want to find a solution as long as it doesn't spend any more money."

Officials estimate it would cost slightly more than $200 million to restore air traffic controllers to full staffing, and another $50 million to keep open smaller air traffic towers around the country that the FAA has proposed closing.

Across the Capitol, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said, "We're willing to look at what the Senate's going to propose."

He said he believes the FAA has the authority it needs under existing law to shift funds and end the furloughs of air traffic controllers, and any legislation should be "very, very limited" and direct the agency to use the flexibility it already has.

In a reflection of the political undercurrents, another House Republican, Rep. James Lankford of Oklahoma, said FAA employees "are being used as pawns by this (Obama) administration to be able to implement the maximum amount of pain on the American people when it does not have to be this way."

The White House and congressional Democrats vociferously dispute such claims.

___

Associated Press writers Joan Lowy, Henry C. Jackson and Alan Fram in Washington and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-passes-bill-ease-faa-furloughs-005441034--politics.html

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