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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The ASUS Padfone Is as Confused as Its Name Suggests [Phones]
Monday, February 27, 2012
health insurance . Health insurers dictate city and state markets
If a person endure with Alabama, scope keep on being that a particular obtain your flexibility coverage shut off Blue Cross moreover Blue Shield of Alabama, which tire 93 portion of the health-insurance market under the state.If one particular get by beneath Wichita, Kan., a person almost definitely acquire health proper protection certainly off desirable Health Systems, which has 81 % of that city?s market.Those beneath Florida carry out a smart danger of their self-reliance security honest out of Blue Cross in addition Blue Protect of Florida, which controls 40 amount of the state?s market.And within Orlando, your independence security violent comes nicely United Healthcare, which has 45 fraction of the market.That type of industry domination tropical island frequent using the health-insurance market ? also that?s bad connected with consumers, jesus may render stuck paying second premiums because of the dearth of competition, according in opposition to a teen investigation john p by theAmerican Medical Association.In the study, AMA researchers discovered that 99 portion of overall flexibility insurance markets beneath the U.S.are ?highly concentrated.
? And with 48 share of the nation?s cities, at minimal wheel insurer run an operate supply of 50 fraction or more.?The operate convenience of self-sufficiency insurers places physicians also potential customers at a key disadvantage,? said Dr.Cecil Wilson, AMA president.?When insurers win a market, office staff devote superior diversity insurance premiums than they should, in addition physicians stay made closer to allowed unfair purchase lingo furthermore corporate policies, which undermines the physician role as victim advocate.?The researchers learnt 2008 enrollment beneath liberty routine service organizations (HMOs) and common assistance organizations (PPOs) shut off 359 metropolitan areas discovered within 46 states.They came across that within 60 percentage of the cities studied, the dual largest insurers held a double business supply of 70 share or greater.On a giant scale, those same commerce shares played from according to 24 states.However, as soon as it comes toward purchasing freedom insurance, Floridians might reside a new huge rinse off than those under leftover states.
?In a say wish Florida, 1 extremely experience towards feel at local markets and whether there?s dominance as a result of car tire or dual health plans,? said Bill Donelan, University of Miami?s vice president for scientific administration.In the Orlando-Kissimmee area, the narrative saw that United Healthcare tropical isle the notable player below the HMO-PPO market, in a 45 proportion deal share.Aetna was the second-place carrier, according when it comes to the study, less than 23 % of the market.The South Florida health-insurance trade is the greater part ferocious sector below the state, experts say.The research came across that, in the Fort Lauderdale area, United Healthcare was the buy and sell master according to bottom 28 % of the HMO-PPO market, however Aetna was beneath top place, beneath 24 percent of the market.?In Florida, there?s remark a notable player,? said Jon Urbanek, vice inventor of great deals a sign Blue Cross-Blue Protect of Florida.?There keep on being states where carriers undertake cleansed of 60, 70, 80 portion market share.That?s comment the universe we bear here.
?Urbanek rumours the AMA?s list that shows BCBS less than a 40 percent business stock options statewide.His report suggests that his company has a 31 percent trade stock all the way through the state.Pocketbook issueIn markets where there isn?t much competition, clientele often come near the inference ? under their pocketbooks.Having lone strain or two prime insurers below a commerce will probably enter insurance quote payment stay on superior than under left over cities, Donelan said.?That?s roll of the items the united states government independence regulations that passed tried in the direction of address,? Donelan said.By asking for insures towards waste products 80 near 85 portion of each and every quote into the future health-care costs, he said the health-care overhaul aim for companies that win a market as well as fee unwanted premiums.The AMA remote island distressed approximately health-insurance mergers and also consolidations that may well reduce the wide variety of cover carriers unvarying more.But standard without mergers, there be some cities and states that keep on being and so dominated because of strain or of them insurers that no teen companies will go through the market, Donelan said.
Although Florida has actually been a brutal health-insurance market, there continue some troublesome signs, said Becky Cherney of the Florida Health Care Coalition.A decade ago, if wheel of the huge employers beneath her company asked associated with bids ahead of time it truly is health proper protection plan, seven or eight safeguards organizations would respond.?Now, you only give double or three,? she said.The AMA as well designated that, after the big coverage businesses prevail a market, infirmary have fresh bargaining usefulness underneath the insurers.That?s rather sincere involving infirmary below vibrant ingestion ? also explanation proceed through came across that just about half of the nation?s facility perspire less than practice according to five or fewer doctors.But Cherney notes that autonomy cover organizations aren?t the only ones on the way to blame regarding spiraling costs.?Last period across negotiations according to United Healthcare, Florida Hospital officials said they fancied having parity ? relevancy they dreamed every thing security organizations closer to dedicate the same level about every procedure.Well, if an endure parity, it wouldn?t subject if just one had 50 defense organizations or exhaust [in a market],? Cherney said.
Source: [Los Angeles Times] .
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Tagged as: health insurance, health insurance companies, health insurance texas
Source: http://articlethecw.info/health-insurance-health-insurers-dictate-city-and-state-markets/
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
Humane society saves 30 sick cats | Pet Pro Plus
MENANDS ? The kitten room at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society has a distinctive sound echoing off the walls ? the tiny ?choos? of cats sneezing.
That is because the shelter has taken in 30 sick cats from deplorable conditions discovered last week at the Wyoming County SPCA in western New York.
The cats were some of more than 400 that were running around in urine and feces at the Attica shelter, which is also reportedly under investigation by the State Police and the Wyoming County District Attorney?s Office for possible misuse of grants and charitable funds. Other cats were taken from another Wyoming County SPCA site in Clarence, Erie County.
Last Wednesday, workers donned chemical suits to enter the shelter, and the cats and their health status were evaluated in a tent set up outside as a staging area.
Mohawk Hudson got the felines on Friday thanks to an Erie County SPCA volunteer who delivered them in his SUV. All of the animals, a mix of adult cats 2 to 5 years old, are suffering from upper respiratory infections and are temporarily being boarded where kittens are kept in the spring. Five arrived with their eyes and noses sealed shut with mucus, but were separated from the rest and are doing much better, said Tina Murray, director of operations and cruelty investigator for the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
The other rescued cats have been spread among shelters and nonprofit organizations throughout New York.
Murray said some of the cats could be available for adoption in the next couple of days. Mohawk Hudson will inform the public on its Facebook page when the cats are ready to leave and will post photos and descriptions on the the agency?s website when they can be adopted.
lstanforth [at] timesunion [dot] com ? 518-454-5697
Adoption updates
For updates on when the rescued cats are available for adoption, go to http://www.facebook.com/mohawkhumane or http://www.mohawkhumane.org.
Source: http://www.petproplus.com/2012/02/24/humane-society-saves-30-sick-cats/
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D?banj to Perform Alongside Drake, Nicki Minaj in London Festival: http://www.th...
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Saturday, February 25, 2012
USDA to help thousands of rural homeowners
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) ? Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit Florida on Friday to discuss a United States Department of Agriculture pilot loan program that could help tens of thousands of rural homeowners in 19 states.
The program, which was first announced Feb. 1, allows underwater homeowners in rural areas to refinance their homes with lower interest rates, similar to a program President Barack Obama announced earlier this month ? although as Vilsack points out, the USDA's program does not rely on the approval of Congress.
"We've already obligated this money," Vilsack said.
To be eligible for the USDA program, homeowners must have either a direct loan with the USDA or a USDA guarantee on a commercial bank mortgage.
Officials say the new program will cut through red tape normally seen with bank refinancing and save borrowers hundreds of dollars a month. To be eligible, borrowers must have made their mortgage payments on time for 12 consecutive months. There are more than 20,000 borrowers eligible in Florida and some 237,000 nationwide, according to the USDA, all in rural areas.
"We're trying to make this as easy as possible," Vilsack said.
He said that if more underwater loans are refinanced, then fewer homeowners will face foreclosure.
"This will preserve not only an opportunity for these families to save a little money, but it will preserve the value of neighborhoods, also," he said.
Under the new pilot program, a homeowner could knock three or four percentage points off their mortgage interest rates if they refinance ? and they wouldn't have to go through an appraisal, inspection or credit report.
Similar to the federal Housing and Urban Development, the USDA does make and guarantee home loans, only for those living in rural areas. Vilsack said the agency has facilitated about 465,000 home loans nationwide.
In contrast, Obama's housing proposal faces a major hurdle in Congress. The program would cost between $5 billion and $10 billion, depending on participation, and the administration proposes to pay for it with a fee on large banks.
On Friday in Orlando, Vilsack will also announce that the USDA is accepting applications from lenders to help finance the construction, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable multi-family rental housing for rural residents. The USDA also has money available to help low income residents secure affordable rental housing.
___
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush .
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How To Balance Your Mind, Body & Spirit With Healthy Habits
In Today?s issue, I cover what it means to have nutrition not just in our business lives but also our personal lives.
By Radiant Design
Having a healthy balanced diet means more than getting your daily vitamins and exercise. Did you know that the .milk % in most food groups today is under 6 percent? And that?s just for processed foods. You need to have an equal share of spiritual nourishment, in order to maintain a truly healthy lifestyle. Living off raw foods and vegetables will start to feel draining, unless you truly alter your own beliefs.
Being available to your friends through community empowerment programs is simply not enough. We need to be proactive, not reactive. Hunger for certain foods is not healthy, because it takes us away from the place that empowers us the most. The .milk of our own awakening fills us with such gratitude for life, that each of us couldn?t imagine living without beauty.
When we get so busy and distracted from life, that beauty can no longer be felt which breaks our holistic balance. Everything has a purpose, from a rose to a divine painting that is etched with winsor pilates and beautiful embroideries. It takes a certain amount of emotional connection to these energy fields, so that we may actually breath in that experience of life.
As we do our ab exercises with ball or simply breathe in the experience of life through yoga, it is vital that we appreciate all that life has given us. Through this, a new design takes shape which is beyond our wildest dreams. You need to be open to the nature of beauty?s design to feel health wellness at home.
Is the beauty around you speaking a message for your life?
You may see the pack design of your software is honorable and perfect, or the backyard is priceless with winsor pilates and decorations. Yet unless this extent genuinely feels existing, with a perceive of vocation empowerment and consummation, then its ease meet another plundered cloth. Pass your lifespan be nurtured by your base, through that change of exemplar.
If it?s not quite there yet, how might you bring that beauty design into your own sanctuary?
Breathe in beauty and let it truly guide you, both your health and holistic well being depend on it. Through our webinars you will experience a profound degree of radiance that you have not felt before, and we truly encourage you to learn more as I love doing them. It is so important we give nourishment both within and without, as nothing is more important for our vitality. I drink at least three shakes a day of my special mix, the ingredients of life should be done the same way.
Go to the site and discover how to enrich your soul today.
Every week we have a live recording. Our Webinar is still running, so head there right now and catch an excerpt!
http://radiantdesignliving.com
You can join anytime for less than thirty each month, and I promise to make every minute worth the while.
Sincerely
Radiant Design Living
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Friday, February 24, 2012
High noon in Oxford: Dawkins vs the archbishop (Reuters)
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
Novartis seeks predictable interpretation of law in high octane Indian ...
22 February 2012 14:43
The crucial Indian patent case concerning Novartis? anticancer Glivec (imatinib mesylate) and its rejection due to Section 3(d), a controversial provision in India?s patent law, comes up for hearing next week, amid hope and concern for the parties involved.
The case is set to be heard on 28 February, before the Supreme Court, with NGOs and health activists claiming that a Novartis win would cut off Indian supplies not just within the country but also across much of the developing world.
The stakes are high for Novartis too and perhaps much of Big Pharma. Glivec is patented in about 40 countries including China and Taiwan. Asked how important a favourable ruling for Novartis would be in terms of its overall India outlook, and as an opportunity barometer, Ranjit Shahani, vice chairman and managing director of Novartis India told?Scrip?that the ruling is important for ?all innovators, national and global?, having a presence or wanting to have a presence in India.
?This is about safeguarding incentives for better medicines so that patients? needs will be met in future. As a manufacturer of generics, Novartis understands and recognises the contribution of generics once drug patents expire; our concern is with the non-recognition of intellectual property rights that ultimately help sustain and advance pharmaceutical R&D,? he said, adding that India is a formidable world power with international rights and obligations.
Mr Shahani said that patents provide an incentive to the pharmaceutical industry to invest in the development of new medicines to treat diseases that are currently untreatable or incurable, and provide options when patients develop resistance to older drugs. Novartis has, however, all along stressed that generic versions of Glivec would remain on the Indian market regardless of the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court, since Indian law allows generics launched before January 2005 [when India implemented a product patent regime] to stay on the market.
The company also said that generics alone will not solve the issue of access and that even its critics recognise that generic versions of Glivec are not the solution for the poor in India, with the real barriers to access in India being issues such as lack of diagnosis, infrastructure and distribution.?Dr Paul Herrling, Head of Corporate Research at Novartis, dismisses the argument that a win at the Supreme Court for the company would result in patients losing access to Glivec. ?More than 95% of all patients diagnosed with CML in India receive their medicine free of charge through the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP). Whether we win or lose that will be maintained? he told?Scrip.
The drug is used to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).While imatinib mesylate is sold by Novartis in India for Rs.1,20,000 ($2,400) per patient per month, Indian generic companies sell generic versions for Rs. 8,000 ? 10,000 ($160 ? 200) per patient per month.
?The poor cannot even afford the generic versions, which would be allowed to be sold even if the patent was granted, and so we have to find more innovative ways of getting the drug to those patients. Our fundamental position is that we always try to find ways of getting life-saving drugs to patients who cannot afford them. These include public-private partnerships, tiered pricing arrangements and shared contribution models in addition to donation programs.,? he added.
Activists and NGOs, though, will have none of that. They argue that Novartis is attempting to get the legal framework for examining patent applications in India relaxed. If Novartis wins this case, it will affect not only the examination of patent applications related to imatinib and its improved formulations, but also, critically, all other essential and life saving drugs, including those for AIDS and TB treatment, Leena Menghaney, India manager of the M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) Access Campaign, said.
?By taking this to the highest court in India, it means that the manner in which section 3(d) ? the clause against evergreening ? is interpreted will be applied across the four patent offices in the country,? Ms Menghaney added. A Novartis win, NGOs claim, will put pressure on Indian patent offices to grant other patent applications on improvements of drugs which are currently off-patent in India.
India?s Intellectual Property Appellate Board had earlier rejected Novartis? patent application for Glivec on the grounds that the product did not meet the criteria set under Section 3(d) of India?s Patent Act. This section broadly deals with incremental inventions that are not patentable unless they show improved efficacy or unless a known process results in a new product or employs at least one new reactant.
Predictability
Novartis, which had earlier claimed that the current case does not challenge Section 3(d), says that it needs a ?predictable? interpretation of section 3(d). It, however believes that section 3(d), intended as a hurdle for evergreening, was ?never? applicable to Glivec.
Novartis claims that the patent that was granted on the pure molecule should have no bearing on the application for the patent covering the salt as the original was never sold as a drug.
Mr Shahani explained that for any industry and for any law, interpretation must be predictable in that it is not left to ?subjective? interpretation. ?This gains importance for all technology innovators including the pharmaceutical industry. We are seeking clarity on whether we can rely on patents in India and whether we as a research-based organisation can continue to invest in the development of better medicines for India. The case is now before the Supreme Court and it is expected that the decision of the Court will be made by applying universally accepted principles of law without prejudice to any party,? he said.
NGOs claim it?s the generic industry that?s threatened by litigation, which affects predictability of generic production, instead. They claim that for Novartis and many other pharmaceutical companies patents are not synonymous with innovation and are also used very often to legally ?fence in or block? generic competitors. They also claim that the interpretation of the definition of ?efficacy? [under Section 3d] is central to this case and to the future of India?s role as pharmacy of the developing world.
Dr Herrling thinks the biggest losers, should the Supreme Court uphold the findings of the previous courts, will be India?s burgeoning innovator pharmaceutical companies and Indian patients who might find access to life-saving medicines more difficult.?Novartis? special leave petition before the Supreme Court of India challenging the decision of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, which turned down its appeal for a patent on the beta-crystalline form of imatinib mesylate, and related petitions, was originally scheduled to be heard on 29 November 2011, but is now set to be heard on 28 February. Activist groups claim that the Attorney General of India, Goolam E Vahanvati, is expected to represent the government, with Novartis being represented by T R Andhyarujina and Gopal Subramaniam, senior counsels. Mr Subramaniam is a former Solicitor General of India.
The attorney general?s appointment comes after NGOs and health activists had been pressing for the appointment of the ?senior-most? legal advisor to the government of India to take on the line up of ?very senior and very expensive lawyers? that Novartis had appointed to the case that involves complex patentability issue. A confirmation on the attorney general?s appointment could not immediately be got.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
11 children removed from Texas home in abuse case
A rusty chair and some toys sit outside a Dayton, Texas, house Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, where 11 children, some of them reportedly found in restraints, where removed by children's protective services last month. Texas authorities said Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, that they removed 11 children last month from the home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
A rusty chair and some toys sit outside a Dayton, Texas, house Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, where 11 children, some of them reportedly found in restraints, where removed by children's protective services last month. Texas authorities said Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, that they removed 11 children last month from the home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Wayne Hardin leans on his fence and talks about the house next door in Dayton, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. Eleven children, some of them reportedly found in restraints, were removed from the house by children's protective services last month. Texas authorities said Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, that they removed 11 children last month from the home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Three unidentified women leave a house where 11 children, some of them reportedly found in restraints, where removed by children's protective services last month, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 in Dayton, Texas. Texas authorities said Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, that they removed 11 children last month from the home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
DAYTON, Texas (AP) ? Texas authorities said Tuesday they removed 11 children from a crowded home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds.
Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home in Dayton, about 30 miles northeast of Houston, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, she said.
The children ranged in age from 5 months to 11 years. Three who were age 5 or older had not been enrolled in school, Carter said.
The children were removed after authorities found two 2-year-old children tied to a bed during a January visit to the home, according to a court document.
A legally blind, 5-year-old girl "was in a restraint on a filthy mattress, and appeared to be in a daze," the document said. One child had a black eye and knocked-out tooth.
The adults told investigators they tied the children when they slept or took a nap during the day "for safety," the document said. An investigator noted that none of the adults said they saw anything wrong with the arrangement.
Two of the children had what authorities feared was pneumonia and were taken to a children's hospital. All have since been placed in foster homes, Carter said.
The case is still under investigation, and Dayton Police Sgt. Doug O'Quinn said officials are looking into criminal charges. Liberty County District Attorney Mike Little said his office would present a case to a grand jury next month, but he declined to discuss possible suspects or charges.
"Our primary concern was to make sure that the children were stable and safe," Carter said.
The home with a "No Trespassing" sign out front is in a subdivision near land used for farming and ranching. A tricycle and other toys were in the backyard Tuesday, and several cars were parked outside.
People leaving the home declined to talk to media assembled outside, and other residents and their relatives declined to comment or didn't respond to phone messages.
One person in Texas' online sex offender registry listed the house as his address. Mark E. Marsh III was convicted in Michigan 15 years ago of criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl. He did not have a working phone number listed.
Neighbor Wayne Hardin said he never saw the youngest children and had no idea so many people were living in the house. Though he often saw eight or more cars parked outside, Hardin said he was told the residents had a big family.
"I was shocked," said Hardin, who had called police about loud music blaring from the house. "We didn't have a clue."
Along with the children, two teenage runaways with a stolen car were at the home, authorities said. The boys, both 16, admitted running away from foster homes, smoking marijuana and driving a car they knew was stolen, authorities said.
Carter said the home was not registered as a foster home or day care.
___
Merchant reported from Dallas.
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Personal Finance Software To Meet Any Need Naples G4
An Evaluation of the Winning Personal Finance Software
An increased control of your finances as well as making your life easier are two of the benefits to having personal finance software. These software will also allow you to set up automatic transactions and calculations so you no longer need to do them week by week. To help you make this decision this article will help you find a personal finance software that fits your need.
You should always consider how safe your personal information is when using personal finance software. Security is especially important if you?re using a web based service, as your information is then online. When registering for one of these services, always create a new and complicated password. If the program is not online but one you download, you have more privacy but then you have to be extra careful to have copies of your important data. It?s risky to have crucial information on your computer without any backup. Thumb drives or other backup devices can be used to make sure you don?t lose any vital data. The above really only just starts to scratch the surface of what is offered concerning personal injury attorney michigan. What I have found is it really just depends on your goals and needs as it relates to your particular situation. The most innocuous details can sometimes hold the most crucial keys as well as the greatest power. The best strategy is to try to envision the effects each point could have on you. The remainder of this article will provide you with a few more very hot ideas about this.
The Mvelopes Personal budgeting System is great for the user who wants an online application that they can access anywhere. More than other popular personal finance systems, this focuses on budgeting and helping you to reduce your expenses. By identifying all of your financial transactions Mvelopes helps you to determine where you can save money. If you are looking for a software whose main focus is managing your budget then this web based tool is for you. If you are looking for more in depth features you may need to look into Quicken or Microsoft Money.
Gnu Cash is a free alternative in an open source platform which can of course be used for personal accounting as well as business accounting. If you have a home or small business, this program can be very useful at helping you keep track of projects and customers.
Don?t let the business features dissuade you, this program is also setup to manage the personal budget too. This program is compatible with Microsoft Money as well as Quicken allowing you to import data into Gnu Cash from other programs. Think twice about this program if you are looking for something you can use right out of the box. You will have to take some time to learn how to use the features available. Personal finance software come in an array of appearances, to online services to phone apps. A high number of these programs are incredibly powerful and effective if you take the time to get to know each of its characteristics. The programs we?ve discussed in this article are ones you may find useful, but you should look into a variety of them to find the one that has everything you need. Personal finance software can help you to comprehend your finances more, and this can relieve a lot of stress. The good Kimberli J Bomia is an exceptional author.
Source: http://www.g4naples.org/personal-finance-software-to-meet-any-need/
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Listing of the week: Mary Kay's pink mansion
Zillow
Mary Kay's former home is painted a soft pink
By Erika Riggs, Zillow
Mary Kay Mansion
8915 Douglas Ave, Dallas TX
For sale: $3.3 million
The former home of the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics is exactly the color you would expect: A soft shade of light pink. Mary Kay pink, to be exact.
Mary Kay Ash's stucco mansion was built in 1984 by Dallas Design Group and served as the businesswoman's home and headquarters for entertaining Mary Kay consultants until 2000. Although Mary Kay did not design the home, touches of the makeup icon are inherent in many of the home's features, according to listing agent Karen Luter.
Like, for instance, the solid pink quartz toilet and bath.
The beauty-product queen's former home is back on the Dallas real estate market for $3.3 million. Mary Kay sold the home in 2000 in her efforts to downsize, and now the current owner, a Dallas physician, is following suit and hoping to move to the San Juan Islands. What's unusual, notes Luter, is that both Mary Kay and the physician are successful entrepreneurs.
"It's interesting that it [the home] was purchased by Mary Kay, who was a self-made woman, and it was sold to another self-made woman from humble beginnings," said Luter.
Ideally, the next owner would follow the trend, but if the buyer happens to be a self-made man, Luter says she won't discriminate.
Despite its pink-hued exterior, the interior of Mary Kay's home has an elegance that belies the outside.
The home is built on a grand scale, with 40-foot-high ceilings and a foyer that includes busts of famous composers inserted in the ceiling. Highly detailed paneling and moldings appear throughout the house, as well as enormous floor-to-ceiling, beveled glass windows that look out to the terraced gardens.
Situated on an acre of land in the high-end Dallas neighborhood of Old Preston Hollow, the grounds of Mary Kay's home were designed to mimic the San Simeon estate, William Hearst's famous home in California.
The former Mary Kay home was redone by the current owner: New flooring, paint, updated kitchen and geothermal system for heating and cooling.
Mary Kay Cosmetics was founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963. Frustrated when her employer promoted the man she trained rather than her, Mary Kay quit to write a book to help women succeed in business. Out of her research, she realized she had a business plan that would work for her makeup company. She began giving out pink Cadillacs to her top Mary Kay sellers in 1969.
In an age when many women were not encouraged to work outside the home, Mary Kay's company was a significant opportunity. Luter shared an anecdote from one of the woman who worked with Mary Kay in the company's early days:
"Mary Kay told them (the consultants) to work really hard all day and then get home and saut? some onions in a skillet. As the fragrance fills the house, your husbands will think you've been cooking all day."
According to Zillow's affordability calculator, a monthly payment on the pink manse would run about $12,150, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year-mortgage.
Zillow
The main doors open up to a marble foyer and grand staircase.
Zillow
The kitchen has been completely updated.
Zillow
The grounds and lavish pool were mirrored after the Hearst estate in California.
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See more photos of the Mary Kay mansion on Zillow.
Discover more real estate eye candy on the Zillow blog.
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Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10427496-listing-of-the-week-mary-kays-pink-mansion
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NuSTAR Mated to its Rocket
ScienceDaily (Feb. 19, 2012) ? NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) was mated, or attached, to its Pegasus XL rocket Feb. 17, 2012 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California. The mission's launch is now scheduled for no earlier than March 21 to allow the launch vehicle team an additional week to complete necessary engineering reviews. After the reviews, the team will begin final preparations for the rocket's delivery to the launch site at Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific.
NuSTAR will probe the hottest, densest and most energetic objects in space, including black holes and the remnants of exploded stars. It will be the first space telescope to capture sharp images in high-energy X-rays, giving astronomers a new tool for understanding the extreme side of our universe.
NuSTAR is a Small Explorer mission led by the California Institute of Technology and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, both in Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The spacecraft was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Va. Its instrument was built by a consortium including Caltech; JPL; Columbia University, New York; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; the Danish Technical University in Denmark; the University of California, Berkeley; and ATK Aerospace Systems, Goleta, Calif. NuSTAR will be operated by UC Berkeley, with the Italian Space Agency providing its equatorial ground station located at Malindi, Kenya. The mission's outreach program is based at Sonoma State University, Calif. NASA's Explorer Program is managed by Goddard. JPL is managed by Caltech for NASA.
For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar and http://www.nustar.caltech.edu/ .
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/AUQgrs4O3q0/120219185817.htm
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Monday, February 20, 2012
America's College Town: home of Aerosmith, the chocolate chip ...
There are many major US cities that are home to dozens of colleges and universities, but do you know what city is known as ?America?s College Town??
Hint: it?s also known as ?Beantown.?
That?s right?Boston!
So, it?s no wonder that Boston University ranks no. 1 on College Prowler?s ?Best Proximity to Other Schools? ranking, since Boston is a city filled with colleges and students (more than 34 colleges and other institutions?of higher education call Beantown home).
Here are 5 reasons why Boston is a great city for education:
1. It?s a walking city. According to Walk Score, Boston ranks no. 3 in the nation in terms of its walkability (behind New York and San Francisco). Living in a walkable city makes it easy for students to commute to classes (and it?s cheaper!).
2. Boston is a ?first? city. It was home of the first subway, police department, US mail route, library, and public park. The city is ripe for creative minds.
3. Classical music mecca. ?The Mozart Effect? claims that people who listen to classical music are smarter. If that?s the case, then Bostonians have another leg up on the rest of the nation, as the city was ranked no. 3 for its classical music options in Travel and Leisure Magazine?s annual ?America?s Favorite Cities? survey (bonus: it also ranked no. 3 for intelligence).
4. People like to read. Nearby Cambridge (home of Harvard) has been ranked as the no. 1 most literate city in the United States by Good Magazine.
5. The city is steeped in history. Everywhere you go, there is something to learn about, from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the pub that was based on NBC?s ?Cheers? (Bull & Finch).
And Boston University students seem to agree!
[OOC] Dark Guild Descution Thread
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Guilds of Zorgoth?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.Spelling's for suckers!
lol, sorry I had to
Anywhoo, I claim this discussion thread in the name of "HHH" (Dark Guild 1). Abandon all sanity yee who enter here!
First order of business, GUILD HISTORY!
What I mean by this is that I would like to work up a little background on not only the guild itself but its guildmembers. Stuff like how they joined, what there reputation is with the other guild members is, how much they love and respect their awesome and amazing guild master......
So lets get some discussion going! (all two of us -_-)
The guild has been around since it's founding 2 years ago by no other than The Shrouded Spellsetter himself! What this means is that we are a realitivly new guild (dark guild) on the block. Our members shall consist of the guildmaster himself and three others, NO MORE! (well maybe some more later on [BUT NO NPC's!]). In a later post I shall lay out some information on our Guild-House.
Also! Note that all (important) guild information will ultimately be placed into "The Shrouded Spellsetter"s Profile under Guild! But feel free to put some of your character's information pertaining to the guild in their profile!
Lastly! The guild name is currently "HHH" (for the story pertaining to the acronym, check the regular OOC), but it is subject to change if someone presents me with a better one! (until the start of the RP, or at least our start)
That is all ladies and gentlemen .......Archlkan......
*edit* I meant to put out some of the general history I had come up with....MB, I'll do it now.....
So, we are two years old, we are located in a medium sized town in Fein (neutrality is best when you want to play both sides) near the border (but we still like to get around). Up until now we have mostly been doing low ranking jobs for shady merchants (like sabotaging warehouses! Or scaring competitors! We once changed some labels on in-transit goods! Whoo!), slowly making a name for our-selfs (Cuz Black is a freakin' good PR guy {he bribes people alot [and is riding on his legacy]}). We have yet to do anything big (like an assassination or kidnapping), but all good things come in time! In fact, Black has just finished coming up with a job that will us put on the map of some very influential people in both Elden and Torin! (not to mention secure a crap-ton of gold)
So, thar's some information for yall, feel free to present some of your own origin's with "HHH" and discussion shall ensue!
- MaxStokes
- Member for 1 years
He who has no sanity (Maybe a little.), has entered 'HHH' domain! It is I,
So, now to ponder up an amazing joining story for Loke, and how he totally hates reveres Black. (Or maybe just think he's awesome and all that jazz.) I could easily say he'd join for the evulz, or 'fun' in this case. But we want an epic tale of how each member came to be, and has earned his/her respect in HHH, therefore; Beer drinking contest. Money, and the fun you'll have teaching people to stop being an ass, and be civilized instead? (Not that what 'HHH' is doing is civilized...)
Okay, this is going to need some work. But really, how else would you figure a guy like Loke joining a Guild? Other then for fun, I mean.
that aside, I'd like to know what we did with those labels? Change the name; cucumbers, to 'Goblin willies'? *ahem* I'll ponder some more about Loke's joining, but he'd probably have joined when the guild was but a few weeks/months old. Hell, maybe he'd even be as awesome as to have met Black even before the guild was, well.. made. But that seems very unlikely. I'll leave you with this for now, and will inform you 'bout Loke's joining whenever I have a solid idea.
-
Archlkan - Member for 1 years
Post a reply
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
JOLT Digest - Harvard Journal of Law & Technology
Source: http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/copyright/online-music-and-video-streaming-update
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Choose Travel Agents in India | Business Travel Tours
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Source: http://www.businesstraveltours.com/choose-travel-agents-in-india.html
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Saturday, February 18, 2012
Essential Home Improvement Tips And Remodeling Ideas | Articles ...
The house enhancement procedure can possibly be considered a massive advantage to your way of life or perhaps a significant irritant in your pocketbook. These guidelines ought to provide you with some self-confidence to consider on new jobs. You may make each and every task successful by utilizing useful guidance such as these ideas.
In case you are considering performing house enhancements ensure that your possible companies possess the appropriate condition licensing like Kitchen Remodel San Diego. These details is offered on your own state?s established web site. You may also location a telephone contact towards the condition division that takes care of these issues. Unlicensed companies are generally undesirable at their task and dropped their permit, or aren?t actual companies whatsoever. When the task is a lot more then you can certainly handle, contact inside a expert. Experts, like architects and companies, are known as experts for any cause. Their function could be complex, as well as their degree of ability continues to be created via some time and coaching. You might be tempted to provide a far more challenging job a shot, but allowing an expert get it done is the only method to make sure that it becomes done correctly the very first time.
If you are changing the exterior siding on your own house ,stucco is an excellent option. Stucco is an easy, age group-aged procedure, but demands some knowledge of program and unique varieties to keep it in position, so you might want to employ a expert. Stucco has always been well-known simply because its gorgeous look is long-lasting. New paneling can significantly alter the look of your house. Including sections can easily make a significant enhancement to your rooms without having costing a great deal. Should you ever get fed up with the appearance, the sections are really easy to get lower and usually do not result in significant harm to the wall structure beneath.
Consider whether you desire your protection alarm system set up when you are displaying your house. When the around region in which your home is situated is not really secure, you may want to come with an alarm system if you are not in your own home. Re-caulking house windows might be a good idea for redecorating since it helps you save cash because you can steer clear of long term problems. Additionally, it decreases electric bills. This stops drafts, reduces possible mold development, and decreases your home heating expenses. Make use of a chisel to eliminated aged, damaged caulking and implement refreshing caulk.
Redecorating is, as you might concur after looking at this short article, a really broad area, although not an overcomplicated a single. It takes lots of study and function, but it will likely be worthwhile in the long run to assist improve your house. By simply following the above mentioned ideas, you happen to be on the right path to effectively finishing tasks.
Read more
useful articles on San Diego Kitchen
and Kitchen
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Source: http://www.articleseffect.com/essential-home-improvement-tips-and-remodeling-ideas.html
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Friday, February 17, 2012
New App ? Ghost Hunter ? Paranormal Activity Detector for iPad ...
Rating: N/A / Artist: ofijo / Version: N/A
Is there a paranormal activity in your house? Are there any ghosts that took residence in your apartment? What are they saying, what do they want? You can easily get answers to all these questions with the Ghost Hunter ? Paranormal Activity Detector! Based on real ghost detecting techniques it interprets your device?s signals and warns you about nearby ghost activity. Features: ? Readout graph plotting ? Text display ? EMF meter gauge ? Detection event indicators ? Sensitivity adjustment?
more details
Source: http://www.iosnoops.com/2012/02/15/new-app-ghost-hunter-paranormal-activity-detector-for-ipad/
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Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff with West (Reuters)
TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran proclaimed advances in nuclear know-how on Wednesday, including new centrifuges able to enrich uranium much faster, a move that may hasten a drift towards confrontation with the West over suspicions it is seeking the means to make atomic bombs.
Tehran's resolve to pursue a nuclear program showed no sign of wavering despite Western sanctions inflicting increasing damage on its oil-based economy.
"The era of bullying nations has passed. The arrogant powers cannot monopolize nuclear technology. They tried to prevent us by issuing sanctions and resolutions but failed," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a live television broadcast.
"Our nuclear path will continue."
However, Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam television said the government had handed a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressing readiness to "hold new talks over its nuclear program in a constructive way."
An Ashton spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the letter, saying she was evaluating it and would consult with the United States, Russia, China and other partners among the big powers.
Iran has long refused to negotiate curbs on its nuclear program, saying it is intended to produce electricity for booming domestic demand and for other civilian uses.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail.
Washington however played down Iran's latest announcement, saying its reported advances were "not terribly new and not terribly impressive."
"We frankly don't see a lot new here. This is not big news. In fact it seems to have been hyped," a State Department spokeswoman said.
IRAN DENIES BANNING OIL EXPORTS TO EU
Iran's Oil Ministry denied a state media report that it had cut off oil exports to six European Union states.
"We deny this report ... If such a decision is made, it will be announced by Iran's Supreme National Security Council," a spokesman for the ministry told Reuters.
Iran's English language Press TV said Tehran had halted oil deliveries to France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Netherlands and Spain -- its biggest EU customers -- in retaliation for an EU ban on Iranian crude due to take effect in July.
The Islamic Republic is the world's No. 5 oil exporter, with 2.6 million barrels going abroad daily, and the EU consumes around a fifth of those volumes.
With Western sanctions now spreading to block Iran's oil exports and central bank financing of trade, Tehran has been resorting to barter to import staples like rice, cooking oil and tea, commodities traders say.
The most recent talks between world powers and Iran failed in January 2011 because of Tehran's unwillingness to discuss transparent limits on enrichment, as demanded by several U.N. Security Council resolutions passed since 2006.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Map of Iranian oil industry: http://link.reuters.com/nuh45s
Crude imports from Iran: http://link.reuters.com/dab65s
Iran oil exports: http://link.reuters.com/pyw35s
Iran exports to Europe: http://link.reuters.com/dax35s
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NEW GENERATION OF CENTRIFUGE
The nuclear achievements proclaimed by Tehran involved a new line of uranium enrichment centrifuge and the loading of its first domestically produced batch of fuel into a research reactor that is expected to soon run out of imported stocks.
Tehran has for some years been developing and testing new generations of centrifuges to replace its outdated, erratic "P-1" model. In January it said it had successfully manufactured and tested its own fuel rods for use in nuclear power plants.
Ahmadinejad said the "fourth generation" of centrifuge would be able to refine uranium three times as fast as previously.
If Iran eventually succeeded in introducing modern centrifuges for production, it could significantly shorten the time needed to stockpile enriched uranium, which can generate electricity or, if refined much more, nuclear explosions.
Last year, Iran installed two newer models for large scale testing at a research site near the central town of Natanz.
But it remains unclear whether Tehran, under increasingly strict trade sanctions, has the means and components to make the more sophisticated machines in industrial quantity.
"We have seen this before. We have seen these announcements and these grand unveilings and it turns out that there was less there than meets the eye. I suspect this is the same case," said Shannon Kile at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
However, Ahmadinejad said Iran had significantly increased the number of centrifuges at its main enrichment site at Natanz, saying there were now 9,000 such machines installed there.
In its last report on Iran, in November, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were 8,000 installed centrifuges at Natanz, of which up to 6,200 were operating.
MAJOR THREAT, FRANCE SAYS
France said Tehran's latest moves again demonstrated that it would rather ignore international obligations than cooperate.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said: "(This) does not give any confidence that Iran is ready to engage meaningfully on the international community's well-founded concerns about its nuclear program. Until it does so we'll only increase peaceful and legitimate pressure on Iran to return to negotiations."
Russia said global powers must work harder to coax concessions from Iran, warning that Tehran's willingness to compromise was waning as it makes progress toward the potential capability of building nuclear warheads.
Making a case for a renewed dialogue, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said U.N. sanctions and additional measures introduced by Western nations had had "zero" effect on its nuclear program.
Iran has threatened retaliation for any attack or effective ban on its oil exports, suggesting it could seal off the main Gulf export shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, used by a third of the world's crude oil tankers.
NEW FUEL FOR RESEARCH REACTOR
State television aired live footage of Ahmadinejad loading Iranian-made fuel rods into the Tehran Research Reactor and called this "a sign of Iranian scientists' achievements."
The Tehran reactor produces radio isotopes for medical use and agriculture. Iran says it was forced to manufacture its own fuel for the Tehran reactor after failing to agree terms for a deal to obtain it from the West.
In 2010, Iran alarmed the West by starting to enrich uranium to a fissile purity of 20 percent for the stated purpose of reprocessing into special fuel for the Tehran reactor.
In boosting enrichment up from the 3.5 percent level suitable for powering civilian nuclear plants, Iran moved significantly closer to the 90 percent threshold suitable for the fissile core of a nuclear warhead.
Analysts remained doubtful that Iran would be able to operate the research reactor with its own special fuel.
"As usual, the announcement surely is exaggerated. Producing the fuel plates ... is not so hard. But the plates have to be tested for a considerable period before they can be used safely in the reactor," said Mark Fitzpatrick of London's International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"If Iran is really running the reactor with untested fuel plates, then my advice to the residents surrounding the building would be to move somewhere else. It will be unsafe."
Spent fuel can be reprocessed into plutonium, the alternative key ingredient in atomic bombs. But Western worries about Iran's nuclear program have focused on its enrichment program, which has accumulated enough material for up to several bombs, in the view of nuclear proliferation experts.
Analysts say the fuel rod development itself will not put Iran any closer to producing nuclear weapons, but could be a way of telling Tehran's adversaries that time is running out if they want to find a negotiated solution to the dispute.
Iran appears to have overcome one serious recent obstacle to nuclear development by succeeding in neutralizing and purging the "Stuxnet" computer virus from its nuclear machinery, European and U.S. officials and private experts told Reuters. Many believe Israeli operators planted the virus.
(Additional reporting by Mitra Amiri, Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran, Fredrik Dahl in Vienna, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Adrian Croft in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120215/wl_nm/us_iran
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Leaked: Conservative Group Plans Anti-Climate Education Program (LiveScience.com)
Leaked documents from the free-market conservative organization The Heartland Institute reveal a plan to create school educational materials that contradict the established science on climate change.
The documents, leaked by an anonymous donor and released on DeSmogBlog, include the organization's 2012 fundraising plan. It lists Heartland Institute donors, from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation (established by Koch Industries billionaire Charles G. Koch), to Philip Morris parent company Altria, to software giant Microsoft and pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.
The climate change education project is funded so far by an anonymous donor who has given $13 million to the Institute over the past five years. Proposed by policy analyst David Wojick, who holds a doctorate in epistemology and has worked for coal and electricity generation companies, the project would create education "modules" written to meet curriculum guidelines for every grade level.
"Many people lament the absence of educational material suitable for K-12 students on global warming that isn't alarmist or overtly political," the report reads. "Heartland has tried to make material available to teachers, but has had only limited success."
Funding skepticism
Heartland focuses on free-market issues across the board, including promoting charter schools, lobbying for business-friendly finance, insurance and real estate rules and promoting prescription drug availability before full Food and Drug Administration testing.
In the area of climate change, the leaked documents revealed that the group funds vocal climate skeptics, including Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change founder Craig Idso ($11,600 per month), physicist Fred Singer ($5,000 plus expenses per month), and New Zealand geologist Robert Carter ($1,667 per month). They've also pledged $90,000 to skeptical meteorologist Anthony Watts, who blogs at WattsUpWithThat.com.
The documents also reveal a communications strategy aimed at "keep[ing] opposing voices out" of publications such as Forbes Magazine, where the audience is "reliably anti-climate."
On the education front, Wojick would be paid $5,000 per module, or $25,000 per quarter, according to the report's tentative estimates, to produce the Heartland climate curricula. The Institute's anonymous donor has pledged $100,000 to the project, which the Institute hopes to match from other donors.
Each module would inject skepticism into the scientific consensus on climate change. Example statements in the report include: "Whether humans are changing the climate is a major scientific controversy;" "Models are used to explore various hypotheses about how climate works. Their reliability is controversial;" and "Whether CO2 [carbon dioxide] is a pollutant is controversial." The modules would also teach that the idea of carbon dioxide as a pollutant is "controversial," arguing that carbon dioxide is crucial to life on Earth and that natural emissions are 20 times those of human emissions.
Creating controversy
In fact, while some of these statements may be politically controversial, they are not particularly scientifically controversial. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 Fourth Assessment Report, which synthesizes global scientific findings about climate change, states: "Since the start of the industrial era (about 1750), the overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming influence. The human impact on climate during this era greatly exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such as solar changes and volcanic eruptions."
Likewise, while models cannot represent the climate system perfectly (thus the uncertainly in how much the Earth will warm for a given amount of emissions), climate simulations are checked and re-checked against real-world observations and are an established tool in understanding the atmosphere.
And while carbon dioxide is crucial for plant life, the carbon balance on Earth is a delicate cycle, with oceans and land able to absorb only so much CO2. Humans do emit only a fraction of the 750 gigatons of CO2 that move through the atmosphere each year, but small changes in the total amount can overwhelm so-called carbon "sinks" such as the ocean, resulting in important, and cumulative, changes in the atmosphere. [10 Ways the Weather Changed History]
"These documents are breathtaking, and they reveal what many of us have long suspected: That there is a campaign afoot by groups directly funded by the fossil fuel industry and right-wing foundations such as Koch Industries to mislead the public about climate change," Pennsylvania State University climatologist Michael Mann wrote in an email to LiveScience.
Other donors giving more than $10,000 a year to the Institute include Allied World Assurance Company, Amgen, USA, AT&T, Bayer Corporation, Comcast Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline and General Motors. Links to all documents can be found at DeSmogBlog.
You can follow LiveScience?senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience?and on Facebook.
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