Horse a hidden ingredient in many European foods

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2013 file photo, a customer takes a pack of frozen beef Hachis Parmentier from a freezer in a supermarket in Nice, southeastern France. The Europe-wide uproar over fraudulently labeled horse meat, sold as beef, has exposed the labyrinthine path of companies and countries across the continent that meat for prepared dishes takes before it reaches that microwave. But the back story reveals a France as dependent on factory food as other nations, and a people increasingly torn between their heritage and their hectic lives. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2013 file photo, a customer takes a pack of frozen beef Hachis Parmentier from a freezer in a supermarket in Nice, southeastern France. The Europe-wide uproar over fraudulently labeled horse meat, sold as beef, has exposed the labyrinthine path of companies and countries across the continent that meat for prepared dishes takes before it reaches that microwave. But the back story reveals a France as dependent on factory food as other nations, and a people increasingly torn between their heritage and their hectic lives. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)

FILE - In this April 27, 2006 file photo, an exterior view of the Ikea furniture store in Duisburg, western Germany. The Czech veterinary authority said Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 it detected horse meat in meat balls labeled as beef and pork imported to the country by Sweden's furniture retailer giant Ikea. The State Veterinary Administration says the one-kilogram packs of the frozen meat balls were made in Sweden to be sold in Ikea's furniture stores that also offer typical Swedish food. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

Spain's agriculture minister Miguel Arias Canete, left, talks with British Secretary of State for the Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs Owen William Paterson, during the EU agriculture ministers council at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. The European Union's agriculture ministers gathered in Brussels Monday to discuss the widening scandal's fallout, with some member states pressing for tougher rules to regain consumer confidence. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

Advertising for Ikea meat balls at the parking area at an Ikea store in Malmo Sweden Monday Feb. 25, 2012. Furniture retailer Ikea says it has halted all sales of meat balls in Sweden after Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. (AP Photo/Johannes Cleris) SWEDEN OUT

Advertising billboards for Ikea meat balls are taken down from a parking at the Ikea store in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday, Feb. 25, 2012. Swedish furniture giant Ikea was drawn into Europe's widening food labeling scandal Monday as authorities in the Czech Republic said they had detected horse meat in frozen meatballs labeled as beef and pork and sold in 13 countries across the continent. (AP Photo/Jessica Gow) SWEDEN OUT

DUBLIN (AP) ? So hungry you could eat a horse? Chances are, if you've regularly consumed processed-meat products in Europe, you already have.

Since Ireland published surprise DNA results on Jan. 15 showing that a third of frozen "beef" burgers in Ireland contained at least a trace of horse, food scientists in more than a dozen countries have found the animal trotting into products where it was never meant to roam.

Daily revelations from an ever-increasing menu of supermarket, catering and restaurant goods have taught the world one lesson: When minced up with other meat or slathered with spices, consumers cannot tell equine from bovine in the food chain.

MEATBALLS

Well, IKEA never did call them beef balls. The Swedish furniture giant has discovered that its signature cafeteria dish ? spiced meatballs of mixed beef and pork ? also might contain horse. Ikea said Monday it has suspended all meatball sales in Sweden and plans to withdraw stocks of frozen "Kottbullar" meatballs traced to a specific production batch from stores in 13 other nations: Belgium, Britain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain. The IKEA meatball controversy, like the other suspect products below, has yet to leap the Atlantic.

BURGERS

This is the product that started the January stampede to Europe's DNA labs. Irish authorities doing a random quality check were shocked to find horse meat in frozen burgers produced for five Irish and British supermarkets, and eventually traced the source to Poland. The Irish producers' top two customers ? Burger King's British, Irish and Danish restaurants and the British supermarket chain Tesco ? quickly took their business elsewhere.

PIZZA

There's something rotten in Denmark, but it's not the meat itself. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration says a product enigmatically described as "pizza meat" and sold by the Harby Slagtehus meat wholesaler contains cow, pig and horse. The company insists that its customers in pizzerias across Denmark knew the topping contained horse, even if that little fact was nowhere on the ingredients list. Government vets don't believe a word of that.

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Better make that "bolo-neighs." Many of Europe's leading makers of microwaveable frozen foods ? including Birds Eye of Britain, Nestle of Switzerland, and Findus of France ? found that some suppliers had mixed horse into the ground beef used for Europe's most ubiquitous pasta sauce.

PASTA

Not to beat a dead horse, but Europe's food-testing labs are indicating that any factory-made pasta product containing "beef" sauce or filling might be horse in drag. Among those caught at the DNA finish line are the frozen "beef" lasagnas of Birds Eye; Nestle's Buitoni brand of ravioli in Italy and fusilli in Spain; and Combino-branded tortelloni and penne in Austria. France's Comigel blamed the discovery of up to 100 percent horse in its "beef" lasagnas ? sold under other brand names, including Findus and Tesco ? on a complex supply chain stretching from its Luxembourg factory back via Dutch and Cypriot middlemen to Romania horse butchers.

PASTRIES

Thank goodness there's no such thing (yet) as a beef doughnut. In Spain, Nestle's recall of products includes meat-filled, semicircular pastries called empanadas.

PIES

You might be surprised to find horse meat hiding under a frilly layer of potato. British-style cottage pies, with gravy, beef and carrots under the smashed spuds, have been withdrawn from scores of school cafeterias in England, Wales and Scotland after DNA tests found horse meat inside. France made similar discoveries in its potato-topped pie called hachis Parmentier.

VEGETABLES

Mom might tell you to eat your vegetables, but the Nestle product recall in Spain included meat-stuffed peppers.

KEBABS

Once you've blended a handful of meats, does one more really matter? The Austrians found horse in kebab meat produced by a Vienna firm, Lilla Gastronomie, that was supposed to contain a blend of only beef, pork and turkey.

SAUSAGES

Fry 'er up: Despite sausages' worldwide reputation as a favored destination for mystery meat, only Austria has found equine DNA hiding in sausages, in two brands made by Josef Freitag, aka "Joe Friday."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-25-Europe-Hidden%20Horse%20Meat/id-4172612b7d4542e6a7d449219db3f332

darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise white house easter egg roll 2012 andy cohen andy cohen

Tesco says to close depot, relocate workers

It began as a seemingly awkward Jack Nicholson introduction of the very long list on nominees, but the Best Picture denouement?at a very long Oscars ceremony on Sunday turned into a surprise appearance by Michelle Obama, via satellite from the Governors' Ball in Washington, D.C.?where earlier she had sat next to Chris Christie?to introduce and announce the winner,?Argo.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tesco-says-close-depot-relocate-workers-182713989--finance.html

minecraft Ben Wilson Latest Presidential Polls trump presidential debate debate marco scutaro

Analysis: Obama, GOP see no need to stop the cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unlike in earlier rounds of budget brinkmanship, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans both seem content to fight out their latest showdown on the current terrain, let across-the-board spending cuts take effect on March 1 and allow them to stay in place for weeks if not much longer.

This time, there is no market-rattling threat of a government default to force the two sides to compromise, no federal shutdown on the short-term horizon and no year-end deadline for preventing a tax increase for every working American.

The rhetoric is reminiscent, for sure.

"So far at least, the ideas that the Republicans have proposed ask nothing of the wealthiest Americans or the biggest corporations," Obama said this week as he campaigned to pin the blame for any negative effects on his political opponents. "So the burden is all on the first responders, or seniors or middle class families," he said in comments similar in tone to his re-election campaign.

Republicans, standing on political ground of their own choosing, responded sharply to the president's fresh demand for higher taxes.

"Spending is the problem, spending must be the focus," said House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, while Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declared, "There won't be any easy off-ramps on this one. The days of 11th hour negotiations are over."

A crisis atmosphere could yet develop this spring, when hundreds of thousands or even millions of threatened government furloughs begin to take effect and the spending cuts begin to bite. Already, Republicans are considering legislation to give the administration greater flexibility in making the cuts, a step that could minimize the impact on the public. It's a step the White House says it opposes, although the depth of that conviction has yet to be tested.

At heart, the standoff is yet another indication of the political resistance to a compromise curbing the growth of Medicare, Medicaid and possibly Social Security, a step that both Obama and Republicans say is essential to restoring the nation's fiscal health. It is the last major remaining challenge in divided government's struggle, now in its third year, to reduce deficits by $4 trillion or more over a decade.

Counting the across-the-board cuts now beginning to command the nation's attention - at a 10-year cost of $1.2 trillion - the president and Congress have racked up more than $3.6 trillion in savings. Much came from spending, although legislation that Republicans let pass at year's end raised taxes on the wealthy to generate an estimated $600 billion for the Treasury over a decade.

The so-called sequester now approaching was never supposed to happen. It was designed as an unpalatable fallback, to take effect only in case a congressional super-committee failed to come up with $1 trillion or more in savings from benefit programs.

Now, more than a year later, Republicans are fond of saying that the idea itself originated at the White House.

That skips lightly over the fact that their own votes helped enact it into law.

Also that they decided a month ago that it marked the moment of most leverage in their struggle to maneuver Obama and Democrats into curtailing benefit programs. To accomplish that objective, they already have raised the debt limit without winning any cuts in exchange, a step they once vowed not to take. And within two weeks, they are likely to launch legislation making sure the government operates without interruption when current funding authority runs out for most agencies on March 27.

Republicans aren't the only ones partial to verbal sleights of hand.

In a letter to lawmakers earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sounded a series of alarms. The spending cuts "could compromise" the health of more than 373,000 mentally ill or emotionally disturbed individuals, "could slow efforts to improve" health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives, she wrote, and admissions to inpatient addiction facilities "could be reduced."

Could or could not. Soon or later. Nothing pinned down.

The administration hopes to win over the public and bring Republican lawmakers to heel, and it dispatched Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the White House briefing room on Friday.

"Come to the table and start talking" to find a way to avert the cuts, the former GOP lawmaker urged members of his own Republican Party.

Peppered with skeptical questions, LaHood directed reporters to his department's website, with a listing of more than 300 air traffic facilities where overnight shifts could be eliminated or perhaps closed entirely.

Asked if his office was receiving unhappy calls from the public, he got to the political point.

"My phones will ring from members of Congress (asking) `why is my control tower being closed?'" he said.

---

EDITOR'S NOTE - David Espo is AP's chief congressional correspondent.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BUDGET_BATTLE_ANALYSIS?SITE=INELK&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Paige Butcher David Petraeus Petraeus Mia Love wall street journal us map Electoral Map

South Africa destroy Pakistan with as innings victory to complete a series whitewash

By Mike Dawes

PUBLISHED: 11:53 EST, 24 February 2013 | UPDATED: 11:53 EST, 24 February 2013

South Africa today won the third Test against Pakistan by an innings and 18 runs to complete a 3-0 series clean sweep.

The Proteas had won each of the first two Tests with a day to spare and went one better at Centurion, wrapping up the tourists' second innings for 235 on the third evening.

Dale Steyn took four for 80 in the second innings while Kyle Abbott took nine wickets on his Test debut.

Key moment: South Africa celebrating the key wicket of Younis Khan

Posing with the trophy: South Africa re-affirmed their status as the No.1 Test team

Half-century partnerships between Azhar Ali and Imran Farhat and the unlikely pairing of Saeed Ajmal and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed were in vain as Pakistan managed only a minor improvement on their first-innings capitulation to 156 all out.

The visitors began the third day on 14 for one, with Azhar and Younus Khan at the crease, having followed on 253 runs behind.

However, the partnership was broken on 38 by Steyn, with Younus edging to captain Graeme Smith at first slip on 11.

Howzat! Alviro Petersen, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers have a huge appeal for LBW against Saeed Ajmal

Azhar and Farhat patiently negotiated the remaining overs before lunch but after their partnership reached 54, a mix-up as they turned for a second run saw Azhar sent back by his partner and run out for 27 as Steyn fizzed in a powerful throw and AB de Villiers demolished the stumps.

Farhat followed for 43, slashing a short ball from Kyle Abbott to De Villiers, as the rot set in.

Misbah-ul-Haq (five) offered another easy catch to the wicketkeeper with a thin edge off Rory Kleinveldt and Asad Shafiq (six) then popped a leading edge off the same bowler straight to Vernon Philander at wide mid-off, with Pakistan still 139 behind.

Two reviews then went in the batsmen's favour, Ajmal successfully overturning an lbw decision as Hawk-Eye showed Robin Peterson's delivery was bouncing over the top, before South Africa failed to have Sarfraz caught at slip.

Defence: Pakistan's Azhar Ali showed some resistance to put some fight into their performance

Ajmal paddled Peterson neatly over De Villiers' head for two and lofted the next ball down the ground for six as the pair offered some overdue resistance with a stand of 62 by tea.

The interval arrived with Sarfraz unbeaten on 30 and Ajmal on 27, but the latter added only an additional boundary in taking the partnership to 69 before being dismissed lbw by Steyn, with DRS this time unable to save him.

Again, the departure of one set batsman was swiftly followed by another. Sarfraz had advanced to 40 from 45 balls before slashing Steyn to third man, where Dean Elgar took a very well judged catch.

Bails flying: De Villiers runs out Ali for 27 runs and end Pakistan's hoes of survival

Ehsan Adil hit two boundaries before becoming Abbott's ninth victim of the match, caught at mid-on for 12.

Rahat Ali hit five boundaries, two of them edged off Steyn in an over that also saw him successfully overturn a bat-pad decision against him, but was trapped lbw by Peterson to end the match.

Abbott's match figures of nine for 68 were the third best ever by a Proteas debutant, bettered only by Alf Hall and Sydney Burke who took 11 wickets apiece.

The two teams will now contest two Twenty20 internationals, next Friday and Sunday, followed by five one-day internationals.

?

?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dailymail/sport/~3/_1uQJSwhJsc/South-Africa-destroy-Pakistan-innings-victory-complete-series-whitewash.html

hepatitis c symptoms david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream

Panthers coach Kevin Dineen angry over penalty that helped lead to the Penguins' win

PITTSBURGH -- If Kevin Dineen believes his team has been wronged by the officials, they certainly hear about it.

On Friday night, Dineen eventually threw up his hands in disgust after Florida's Tomas Kopecky was charged for slashing Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in the third period of a tie game.

The ensuing power play led to Pittsburgh scoring the winning goal in a 3-1 victory over the Panthers at Consol Center.

Kopecky had charged out the box, but the Penguins were still cycling the puck around the Florida zone when Matt Niskanen zipped a 65-foot shot that flew past Jacob Markstrom's glove with 12:11 left.

Despite having time to cool off, it was obvious Dineen was still fuming afterward.

Dineen was upset with Kopecky being penalized for what Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz wasn't when he jabbed the puck past Jacob Markstrom in the second. Kopecky was trying to get a puck past Fleury - just as Kunitz did to put the Penguins on the board.

Dineen was also mad there was no call when James Neal jumped Erik Gudbranson after he checked Evgeni Malkin at the end of the ice. Malkin fell and slammed his head into the boards and stayed face down on the ice for a few scary moments. Gudbranson wasn't penalized for what looked like a clean hit.

"It's frustrating, certainly when the game was decided on the tempo and that penalty was big at the end," Dineen said, "especially since there was a non-call for us when a guy attacks Gudbranson after a clean hit. And then they score a goal when they whack at our goalie three times.

"Our guy goes down, and he doesn't blow the whistle. It's a tough one to take, but that's the nature of it. You have to understand where your place is and just go out and play the game."

The Panthers believed they deserved a better fate than Friday's regulation loss as they played good defense and had decent offensive chances. Still, the loss was Florida's sixth in the past seven games with the Panthers now coming home for three games.

Markstrom, making his first NHL start this season, faced a barrage of shots from a rested and loaded Pittsburgh team ready to put Wednesday's wild loss to the Flyers behind them.

The Penguins came in looking to score a bushel of goals yet found the 6-6 Markstrom hogging the net and denying them for much of the night.

Pittsburgh took aim at Markstrom 60 times on Friday night with 40 on goal. Florida blocked 10 shots and the Penguins fired 10 off course.

"I've been looking forward to this all year," said Markstrom, recalled from the minors Wednesday. "I was just excited to play a game, and the fans were awesome here. I felt like I got into the game really quickly. They threw a lot of pucks from all different areas. It was a fun game to play in, too bad we didn't win."

Pittsburgh's first goal came when Kunitz jabbed the puck away two minutes after defenseman Mike Weaver gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead with a long slap shot.

The Penguins made it 3-1 with 4:45 left when Dustin Jeffrey knocked in an odd-angle pass across the goal from Matt Cooke.

Malkin remained face down on the ice for a few moments after he banged his head into the boards after Gudbranson sent him sprawling. Malkin, whose condition was not disclosed by the Penguins, eventually got up and skated off on his own.

Gudbranson said he expected retaliation from the Penguins after he saw the reigning league MVP go into the boards and not get up.

"I just finished my check," Gudbranson said afterward. "You never want to see a guy go down, and he is in a vulnerable position. But you can't pass up a hit like that. You never know, he could go around the net and he could get a back-door pass. It's unfortunate he got hurt on the play, but it's one I would take every time."

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/23/3249168/panthers-coach-kevin-dineen-angry.html

haywire dog the bounty hunter tacoma narrows bridge open marriage department of justice doj dept of justice

Manti Te'o Effect at the NFL Combine

Latest Headlines

Father of Pistorius' girlfriend speaks out

The father of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend has told a South African ...

Blackhawks set NHL record with win over Sharks

The Chicago Blackhawks made NHL history Friday night, becoming the first team ...

Rays play double-header to open Spring games

The Rays will play a pair of split-squad games Saturday, to kick off the ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wtsp/video/~3/408luVZ230E/default.aspx

jay z and beyonce baby cpac powell the last lecture kim jong un josh powell madonna halftime show

Osborne says AAA downgrade is reminder of debt problems

Approximately 150 federal and state law enforcement agents launched a massive raid on one of the biggest?perpetrators?of government fraud in America: The Scooter Store. Yes, that's right. The nation's largest provider of single-person electric vehicles and power chairs is the target of a federal investigation, probably because many of the people who ride around their "personal mobility?devices" don't actually need them.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/osborne-says-aaa-downgrade-reminder-debt-problems-221715863--finance.html

prince harry hunger games Joey Kovar Expendables 2 Pussy Riot National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards

Siberian Caves Reveal Advancing Permafrost Thaw

Melting of significant portions of Arctic permafrost could accelerate climate change into a catastrophe

By David Biello

PERMAFROST CAVE: The frost crystals at the entrance to the Ledyanaya Lenskaya cave in Russia denote the region's permafrost, which has been in place for roughly 400,000 years, according to the cave's speleothems. Image: Vladimir V Alexioglo

Permafrost is not so permanent. Across the Arctic, swathes of once-frozen-solid ground have begun to thaw. If the records preserved in Siberian caves are accurate, much more of the region could melt if temperatures continue to warm.

Geoscientist Anton Vaks of the University of Oxford led an international team of experts?including the Arabica Caving Club in Irkutsk?in sampling the spindly cave growths known as stalagmites and stalactites across Siberia and down into the Gobi Desert of China. Taking samples of such speleothems from six caves, the researchers then reconstructed the last roughly 500,000 years of climate via the decay of radioactive particles in the stone. When the ground is frozen above a cave no water seeps into it, making such formations "relicts from warmer periods before permafrost formed," the researchers wrote in a study published online in Science on 21 February.

The details of the study reveal that conditions were warm enough even in Siberia for these mineral deposits to form roughly 400,000 years ago, when the global average temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than present. It also suggests that there was no permafrost in the Lena River region at that time, because enough water seeped into the northernmost cave to enable roughly eight centimeters of growth in the formations.

That was, in fact, the last time the formations in the Ledyanaya Lenskaya Cave grew, although other caves further south showed multiple periods of growth coinciding with other warmer periods. "That boundary area of continuous permafrost starts to degrade when the mean global temperature is 1.5 degrees C higher than present," Vaks explains. "Such a warming is a threshold after which continuous permafrost zone starts to be vulnerable to global warming."

Since Vaks's present is the "preindustrial late Holocene," that means the planet is already more than halfway there, having experienced 0.8 degree C warming to date. Such a thaw is no small matter, given that permafrost covers nearly a quarter of the land in the Northern Hemisphere and holds roughly 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon?or roughly twice as much carbon as is currently trapping heat in the atmosphere. Much of that carbon would end up in the atmosphere if the permafrost was to thaw further.

That may not have occurred during the warm period 400,000 years ago, known as Marine Isotope Stage 11 to scientists, which featured elements such as boreal forest on Greenland and higher sea levels. "The thawing was probably very brief because the layer deposited in the northernmost cave stalactite was relatively thin," Vaks says?too thin in fact to determine how long the warm period lasted. "We don't see any extraordinary increase in atmospheric CO2 or methane during MIS-11." And the Gobi Desert might benefit, enjoying wetter conditions in the future if the record in these caves is accurate.

It's not clear how far north such thawing might extend if global average temperatures continue to warm until they match those from long ago. "Now we are looking for caves with speleothems in northern Siberia to answer this question," Vaks notes, adding that the northernmost cave is already much warmer than in the late 18th century based on historical reports. But it is clear that global climates not much warmer than present are enough to thaw even more permafrost?as far north as 60 degrees latitude.

"The potential impact of these results extends to global policy: these results indicate the potential release of large amounts of carbon from thawed permafrost even if we attain the 2 degree [C] warming target under negotiation," says Kevin Schaefer, a scientist at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, who has also studied permafrost but was not involved in this effort. "Permafrost thaws slowly and the carbon will be released into the atmosphere over two to three centuries."

Already, such thawing Arctic ice?whether underground or at sea?has further opened up the territory to exploration for resources, particularly oil. At the same time, the big thaw will make getting the oil out more expensive?billions of dollars in infrastructure investments in pipelines, roads and the like will be damaged as the ground shifts beneath them.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=75b0b23a0e0873b5cf673e9feac202e3

London 2012 Slalom Canoe Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones Aly Raisman Marvin Hamlisch Megan Rossee

Gold And Silver Are 'Not' Selling Off (Yet) | Zero Hedge

It's that time of day. Commodities exchanges are opening. And yet, today has a different feel to it. For some strange indiscernible reason, the incessant offer on gold and silver that appears every morning for most of the recent weeks has yet to appear. Did the central bankers get busted? Are too many people aware of the manipulation? Did a 3% drop in China spook them back at the margin? Who knows - its early yet...

?

?

Chart: Bloomberg

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (5 votes)

Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-02-21/gold-and-silver-are-not-selling-yet

no child left behind no child left behind neurofibromatosis steve jobs fbi file suge knight obama birth control mortgage settlement

Details of one of Margaery?s wedding gowns

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://agameofclothes.tumblr.com/post/43130286864

michael beasley jermaine jones hbo luck unc asheville stephen jackson nba trade deadline ncaa tournament

A dozen red roses may not be as welcome as washing the dishes on Valentine's Day

Feb. 14, 2013 ? ???As audiences chuckle at films such as new romantic comedy "I Give It A Year," researchers at The Open University have been looking at what keeps couples together after the flurry of Valentine's Day romance is over.

Interim findings from a major two-year study called Enduring Love? Couple Relationships in the 21^st Century, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council reveal how -- in difficult economic times and with constant reminders of high divorce rates -- couples are working hard at their relationships to avoid them falling apart.

Simple acts of kindness ranging from taking out the bins and bringing cups of tea in bed to telling someone they look good naked are cited by the 4,000+ adults in the UK who took part in the Enduring Love? online survey.

Report authors Dr Jacqui Gabb, Dr Janet Fink and Dr Martina Klett-Davies said they were delighted at the high numbers completing the survey -- which asked a range of questions about couple relationships.

The results showed a whole host of ways that participants described how their partner makes them feel appreciated and loved, with simply saying "thank you" and thoughtful gestures being prized most highly. Participants also noted plenty of irritations they felt in their relationships. Niggles, such as snoring, noisy eating and stacking the dishwasher badly might lead one to think a Valentine's card would definitely be ripped up, yet these were all part and parcel of on-going 21^st century relationships.

Among the findings, the survey revealed that non-heterosexual parents do more relationship maintenance than their heterosexual counterparts and indeed, lesbian and gay participants were shown to be more positive and happier with their relationship and with their partner in general. There were, however, no significant differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual participants in their happiness with life.

Mothers are more negative about relationship quality, relationship with partner, relationship maintenance and happiness with relationship/partner than childless women. However, mothers are significantly happier with life that any other group, indicating that children could perhaps be the primary source of happiness for women.

Mothers are also almost twice more likely than fathers to say that their child/ren are the most important person in their life. Fathers are much more likely than mothers to value their partners as the most important person.

The survey also revealed how sharing values, a faith, beliefs or interests with a partner is very highly regarded and participants expressed disappointment when the everyday experiences of life could not be shared.

"Holding things in common was seen by participants as a key "connector" in the couple relationship," said Dr Janet Fink, co-lead researcher on the Enduring Love? project.

"And it was clear that long-term relationships appear to endure through a blend of practical and emotional labour," she added.

In addition, the survey asked whether a stressful situation (experienced in the last two years) -- such as a house move, bereavement or redundancy -- may have impacted adversely on their relationship. In fact responses from participants showed the opposite and suggest that both parents and childless couples might pull together through such difficult life events.

"The more events participants reported, the higher their scores on our three measures of relationship quality, partner relationship and relationship maintenance," said Dr Jacqui Gabb, co-lead researcher on the project.

The study -- which is currently just over the halfway point -- involves two levels of research, gleaned firstly from an online quantitative survey, completed by 4,212 adults' long-term relationships in the UK (reported here). This is complemented by a second strand of qualitative research undertaken with 50 couples, aged between 18 and 65, with children and without. The overall aim is to develop a picture of what a 21^st century long-term relationship looks like and to examine the emotional and practical work that couples do to sustain their relationship.

The study finishes in September 2013, and findings from the qualitative research will be available from Spring 2014, culminating in a final report and book. It is hoped the study will be used to inform and influence relationship support services and relationship education in contemporary Britain.

Dr Martina Klett-Davies, OU Research Associate on the project comments: "The level of interest in this survey did take us by surprise, but reflects the fascination with the topic of relationships and in "self-help" culture."

"We found that whilst participants do appear to seek help with their relationship -- whether that is from friends and relations or other professional sources, they are also employing their own "methods" to keep their relationship on track."

The report's authors plan to continue analysing the data from the Enduring Love? survey to extend knowledge of how enduring relationships are lived and felt by people at different times in their life.

To advance the study even more, the research team are undertaking a poll, which they hope will have widespread participation from around the UK and which will ask people to rate the top 10 statements given by the survey respondents to three key questions: What does your partner do for you that makes you feel appreciated? What do you like best in your relationship? What do you like least in your relationship? To take part here and use the link on the right: http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/enduringlove/

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Open University, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

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/~3/O9Sx0AdggMQ/130213214620.htm

lytro camera andrew brietbart branson mo monkees songs rail gun harrisburg top chef texas

WASHINGTON- Billionaire Warren Buffett's investment powerhouse Berkshire Hathawa...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/posts/10151251893645168

full moon aubrey o day masters live johan santana viktor bout ncaa hockey role models

Obama's cybersecurity order explained

Suzanne Choney , NBC News ? ? ? 1 hr.

The president's executive order on cybersecurity is being praised by many because it says that ? in the event of a digital breach that could affect the nation's telecommunications, electrical, water, utility and other key infrastructure operations ? government agencies must share data with private industry as soon as they can.

Previously, government agencies were encouraged to do so, but this order on improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity requires it.

"Our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems," President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address Tuesday. "We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy."

'Near real-time sharing'
The order can broken down into two components. First, it expands what have been considered "voluntary" efforts to share information by federal agencies when there's been a breach or hack, to doing so in "near real-time sharing of cyber-threat information to assist participating critical infrastructure companies," such as utilities or telecommunications companies "in their cyber-protection efforts."

"The order says there shall be no cult of secrecy regarding security threats," Bart A. Lazar, data privacy and security attorney with Seyfarth Shaw LLC, told NBC News Wednesday.

"So, for example, if the federal government discovers, or becomes aware, that U.S. government facilities and computer systems are being hacked, or (there are) attempted hacks, in a particular way, they should let private industry members of the nation's critical infrastructure know so they can defend themselves properly."

A recent "zombie alert" practical joke highlights the importance of the systematic cooperation, says James Barnett, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former chief of public safety and homeland security for the Federal Communications Commission. Hackers cracked the Emergency Alert System in Montana, warning citizens of attacking zombie hordes. Though it was not an act of terrorism, the false message, which spread to other states, demonstrates a real risk.

"Somebody hacked in and did a very good job of making it sound real," Barnett told NBC News. "The problem was bad computer hygiene. [Admins] didn't change the passwords, so it was easy for someone to break into it."

Better, stronger securitystandards
The second initiative in the president's mandate directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, to work with "critical infrastructure stakeholders" for the "development of a framework of cybersecurity practices to reduce cyber-risks to critical infrastructure."

The first thing NIST will take on will be gathering information from organizations on "their current risk management practices," including " standards, guidelines and best practices; and other industry practices," the agency said in a release Wednesday.

NIST will hold workshops "over the next several months to collect additional input and will complete the framework within one year."

What it doesn't mean
The executive order doesn't mean you'll personally be getting an alert when a government website has been hacked or information stolen from it.

"For the average American, some of this will run in the background," said Barnett, who is now with the Venable law firm, which specializes in intellectual property and regulatory affairs.

Evidence of a security breach "might show up as their computer running slow. Or maybe an individual gets contacted by their bank saying 'We need to send you a new debit or credit card because this one's been breached,'" he said.

The president's order also does not mandate companies that operate the nation's infrastructure to participate in kind by reporting breaches to the federal government. That issue is a contentious one, because it raises privacy concerns.

"The executive order certainly does not exclude a flow of information the other way, although it seems to maintain it as a voluntary thing," Jeffrey Hermes, director of the Digital Media Law project at the Harvard-based Berkman Center for Internet & Society, told NBC News.

Some legislation required
Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the U.S. Cyber Command, told reporters Wednesday that he considers the executive order "only a down payment on what we need to address the threat," and that it's "not a substitute for legislation."

But which legislation? Perhaps it's the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), re-introduced Wednesday by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., but that may not pass easily.

According to a press release announcing the bill, the legislation aims to:

• "Allow the Federal government to provide classified cyber threat information to the private sector to help American companies better protect themselves from advanced cyber threats;
  
• "Empower American businesses to share cyber threat information with others in the private sector and enable the private sector to share information with the government on a purely voluntary basis, all while providing strong protections for privacy and civil liberties;
  
• "Provides (sic) liability protection for companies acting in good faith to protect their own networks or share threat information."
  

Yet while the bill does seem to share certain goals outlined in the president's mandate, CISPA was shot down previously over privacy concerns, and is likely to meet fierce opposition again.

"CISPA once again allows companies to share sensitive and personal American Internet data with the government, including the National Security Agency and other military agencies," said American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel Michelle Richardson, whose group nevertheless praises the president's executive order.

While it's perhaps easy for a president to mandate that government agencies report problems for the benefit of companies, the notion that companies should report problems for the benefit of the government comes with far more challenges and concerns.

Check out Technology, GadgetBox, DigitalLife and InGame on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/new-rules-cybersecurity-obamas-executive-order-explained-1C8349895

nikki minaj album of the year grammy red carpet grammy award winners the band perry grammy awards whitney houston autopsy

Live blogging the State of the Union address (for a while, at least) (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/284435523?client_source=feed&format=rss

washington nationals Gary Collins bus driver uppercut Argo Alex Karras BCS Rankings 2012 vampire diaries

Cristiano Ronaldo, UEFA gift to provide Afghans with limbs: ICRC

GENEVA (Reuters) - Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is donating 100,000 euros ($134,600) on behalf of UEFA to help rehabilitate Afghans who have lost limbs, mostly landmine victims, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.

It is the second time that the Real Madrid and Portugal forward - who has featured a record seven times in the uefa.com user's poll for Team of the Year - has contributed to the ICRC's network of seven orthopedic centers in Afghanistan, it said.

"For me it's a great honor to be able to help others, and it makes me extremely happy to do so," said Ronaldo, who is to present the check before kick-off in Madrid on Wednesday night ahead of the Champion's League match against his former team Manchester United.

On behalf of UEFA, he donated a similar amount in 2008 to the ICRC, which has helped more than 90,000 mine victims and other disabled people in the war-torn country since 1988.

Argentina and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, who won his fourth successive Ballon d'Or last month, edging out Ronaldo, as well as Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol have also donated their UEFA awards to the ICRC program.

($1 = 0.7427 euros)

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cristiano-ronaldo-uefa-gift-afghans-limbs-icrc-185009828--sow.html

NASA Robert Bork instagram mark sanchez christina aguilera Mayan End Of The World Olivia Black

Lightning Strikes Nine Students in South Africa

Nine school children -- three of them in critical conditions -- were in hospital in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning after being hit by lightning in two separate incidents, provincial authorities said.

These included four girls from Protea Glen Secondary School and five boys from King Edward VII School (KES), Gauteng education department spokesman Charles Phahlane said.

The Soweto girls, all aged 16, were struck on Monday while on their way home from school.

"One of them is in a critical condition and three are stable."

At KES, nine boys were struck by lightning on Tuesday.

Four of them had already been discharged. A fifth boy was expected to be discharged on Wednesday, said Netcare 911 group manager Mande Toubkin.

Two of the boys remained in critical conditions.

Phahlane said the boys, aged between 16 and 18, were pulling the covers over a cricket pitch when a bolt of lightning struck the field.

On Wednesday, KES spokeswoman Lisa Slooten said the school would not comment and referred media inquiries to Phahlane.

On Tuesday the school posted updates on Twitter as news broke of the accident. It said the nine boys struck by lightning were all members of the school's first cricket team.

In an interview with Eyewitness News, Mike Russell, a trained paramedic, said he went to fetch his son when the lightning struck.

"The storm came up pretty quickly."

He noticed a security guard having problems with his cellphone and when he turned around he saw the boys lying on the ground. Russell said he performed CPR on two boys who were more badly injured than the others.

"The children were moved from the field," he said.

Copyright 2013 South African Press Association (SAPA)All Rights Reserved

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EMSfeed/~3/BkTVighHVgk/lightning-strikes-nine-students-in-south-africa

amber portwood Phyllis Diller Darla Moore newsweek Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building

GOP senator says she'll oppose Hagel confirmation

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo, former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Obama's choice for defense secretary, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. said Friday he will press ahead with a vote on Hagel?s nomination to be defense secretary, rejecting Republicans demands for more financial information from President Barack Obama?s choice as setting an unprecedented new standard. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo, former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Obama's choice for defense secretary, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. said Friday he will press ahead with a vote on Hagel?s nomination to be defense secretary, rejecting Republicans demands for more financial information from President Barack Obama?s choice as setting an unprecedented new standard. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A moderate Republican senator said Wednesday she'll oppose the confirmation of Chuck Hagel to become President Barack Obama's secretary of defense, while other GOP senators signaled they may delay a floor vote on the nomination unless the White House provides more information about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, had been viewed as a possible supporter of Hagel, but she said Wednesday that his views on the most critical threats facing the United States are "unsettling."

In a four-page statement, Collins said Hagel was unwilling to ask the European Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 2006, and he has been hesitant to back the use of all non-military options, such as unilateral sanctions, to pressure Iran into ceasing its nuclear program.

As Collins voiced her opposition, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., set the stage on Wednesday for a full Senate vote on Hagel's nomination. Reid filed a motion to limit debate and force a vote, which is expected to be held on Friday. Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate and have the numbers to confirm Hagel on a majority vote, but would need the support of five Republicans to clear the way for an up-or-down vote on Hagel.

A bitterly divided Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday voted to approve Hagel by a 14-11 vote, with all the panel's Democrats backing him to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The committee's Republicans were unified in their opposition to their onetime colleague, a former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran.

"I am unable to support Senator Hagel to be the next secretary of defense because I do not believe his past positions, votes, and statements match the challenges of our time, and his presentations at his (confirmation) hearing did nothing to ease my doubts," Collins said. "I regret having to reach that conclusion given our personal relationship and my admiration for Senator Hagel's military service. But I have concluded that he is not well-suited for the tremendous challenges our country faces during this dangerous era in our history."

Collins said she would not join in a filibuster to block a final vote.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Wednesday that he would vote against ending debate on Hagel's nomination to be defense secretary because he wants more information on Obama's actions on the night of the Sept. 11 raid on the mission in Benghazi. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in the Sept. 11 raid.

Graham, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., wrote to Obama on Tuesday and asked whether he spoke to any Libyan government official during the assault.

"There seems to not be much interest to hold this president accountable for a national security breakdown that led to the first ambassador being killed in the line of duty in over 30 years," Graham said. "No, the debate on Chuck Hagel is not over. It has not been serious. We don't have the information we need. And I'm going to fight the idea of jamming somebody through until we get answers about what the president did personally when it came to the Benghazi debacle."

McCain declined to say Wednesday whether he would try to filibuster or delay Hagel's confirmation if Obama did not provide an answer. "My position right now is I want an answer to the question," he said.

After the committee vote, McCain said he did not want a filibuster of Hagel's nomination. "We have not filibustered a Cabinet appointee in the past and I believe that we should move forward with his nomination, bring it to the floor and vote up or down," he said.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he's confident the White House will supply the information and that Hagel will be confirmed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-13-US-Hagel/id-1e3d9caebc994e1b8ccbf12a3bcdffa6

october baby sugarland 16 and pregnant ludwig mies van der rohe jamie lynn sigler mega millions jackpot black panther party

What can the ipad do that other cheaper tablets can?t?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IpadAppsAndNews/~3/4nXvq3InzGU/what-can-the-ipad-do-that-other-cheaper-tablets-cant.html

brazil usps Dick Van Dyke anne hathaway pro bowl victoria azarenka Royal Rumble 2013

10 Things to Know for Tuesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Tuesday:

1. BENEDICT'S AMBITIOUS AGENDA LARGELY UNFULFILLED

In many ways, the pope's nearly eight-year tenure fell far short, says AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll.

2. WHERE THE NEXT POPE MIGHT COME FROM

Many in the church believe Latin America ? with some 40 percent of the world's Catholics ? deserves one of its own at the helm.

3. MONEY STILL A KEY WORRY

Most voters want Obama to talk about the economy during Tuesday's State of the Union address, a poll shows.

4. FOR US, THE BEGINNING OF THE END IN AFGHANISTAN

The American withdrawal from Afghanistan gets under way in earnest, with a convoy of shipping containers leaving the country.

5. SYRIA'S REBELS SOLIDIFY THEIR POSITION

By capturing the nation's largest dam, the opposition now controls much of the water flow in the country's north and east.

6. 'OUTNUMBERED, OUTGUNNED AND ALMOST OVERRUN'

Obama bestows the nation's highest award for military valor on former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, who helped successfully defend an Army outpost against hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

7. HOW THE COST OF A HIP REPLACEMENT VARIES

Depending on the hospital, the surgery can run anywhere from $11,000 to nearly $126,000, researchers find.

8. PENTAGON CONSIDERS DIALING BACK ON DRONES

Any cuts in the program, though, wouldn't affect strikes against terror suspects.

9. WHY YOUR WHISKEY IS GETTING WEAKER

Maker's Mark is watering down its bourbon ? a way, it says, to keep up with increasing demand.

10. WHAT WESTMINSTER WON'T TOLERATE: PERFORMANCE-ENHANCED DOGS

That means no cosmetic surgery and no steroids. "It goes against the spirit of showing dogs," club President Sean McCarthy says.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-tuesday-103642113.html

Chi Magazine Kate Middleton Nude Photos glee glee boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live

Minute Ready to Serve Rice Review ? Here and There ? A New ...

Today?s world is a busy world?so much to do and so little time. Accordingly whenever when I find a quality product that can save me hours and minutes, into my shopping cart it goes. Minute Rice has been a kitchen staple most of my life while life. Mm mother used it; I use it. It?s good food that cooks quicker than regular rice which takes 20-60 minutes.

Since the 40?s Minute Rice has expanded its line to include boxed instant rice, then Minute Ready to Serve Rice, then NEW Minute Steamers, a product so popular that a supermarket I frequent can?t keep it on its freezer shelves.

I personally prefer stocking on the 60 second microwave cups. Varieties include whole grain brown, brown and wild, multi-grain medley, white, chicken, italian, spanish, yellow, pilaf and jasmine. Their 3 P?s (portability, portion control, preparation ease) make them a healthy carb choice PLUS every one of them is gluten free?something extremely important to this grandma whose grandson has celiac. Having Minute Ready to Serve Rice in my cupboard insures my grandson a meal suited to his dietary needs. How hard is it to add it in to meat and veggies?

My favorite is brown and wild with meat meals; second choice is spanish with fishy ones; third choice italian with poultry. I admit this cook takes some liberties like adding in fresh bits of onion, egg, or cheese.

Available nationwide in most supermarkets and grocery stores, I can afford to stock up on Minute Rice ready to Serve since its two cups retail for about $1.99.

Minute Rice is also on Facebook and Twitter.

The product featured was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This post has not been monetarily compensated. Please note that any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

Posted in: Reviews.
Tagged: Food ? Minute Rice

Source: http://hereandthere.us/index.php/2013/minute-ready-to-serve-rice-review/

kim mulkey sarah palin today show dallas tornado video 1940 census instagram for android dallas news dallas fort worth

Evidence Taken from Dorner Family Home in La - KTLA 5

LA PALMA, Calif. ? Investigators Friday afternoon scoured the Orange County home where fugitive Christopher Dorner had lived with his mother, removing brown paper bags holding evidence gathered by law enforcement officers.

Authorities said they examined computers during the afternoon search of the La Palma home believed to be Dorner?s last known address.

Lt. Bill Whalen of the Irvine Police Department said that investigators ?exercised every presumable precaution? as they entered the home, in case it had been booby trapped, or if Dorner were there.

Dorner?s mother and a sister were home at the time of the search, authorities said. They remained in the house during the search, and authorities said they cooperated with police.

Whalen said the evidence taken would be reviewed more closely, but said he could not comment on what was collected.

The home ? a small gray ranch house wedged into an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood ? is owned by Dorner?s mother.

U.S. Marshals carrying M4 assault rifles stood outside as investigators worked inside the home. The search last for more than three hours.

A scrum of media watched the house during the search, with some people driving past

to take photos of the house with their cellphones and neighbors stepping outside to take a look.

?So much for the quiet neighborhood,? one resident said.

Dorner is wanted in connection with a double homicide in Irvine on Sunday and the shooting of three police officers, one fatally, in Riverside County on Thursday.

Authorities described him as ?armed and extremely dangerous,? and alerts about him were issued across California and in Nevada as federal, state and local authorities intensified their search.

After a burned-out truck belonging to Dorner was found in Big Bear on Thursday morning, the manhunt shifted to the mountain town.

Los Angeles Times

Source: http://ktla.com/2013/02/08/evidence-taken-from-dorner-family-home-in-la-palma/

Marcus Lattimore news 12 world series Natina Reed giants Sandy Hurricane flight tracker

NYC, New England brace for up to 2 feet of snow

This image made available by NOAA shows storm systems over the eastern half of the United States on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 at 11:15 EST. A blizzard of potentially historic proportions threatened to strike the Northeast with a vengeance Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 with 1 to 2 feet of snow feared along the densely populated Interstate 95 corridor from the New York City area to Boston and beyond. (AP Photo/NOAA)

This image made available by NOAA shows storm systems over the eastern half of the United States on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 at 11:15 EST. A blizzard of potentially historic proportions threatened to strike the Northeast with a vengeance Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 with 1 to 2 feet of snow feared along the densely populated Interstate 95 corridor from the New York City area to Boston and beyond. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Chris Oppenberg of Andover Small Engine Service assembles a home generator for a customer in Andover, Mass., Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast. The National Weather Service calls for up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-area region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Municipal trucks fill up with salt, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 in Portsmouth, N.H. as the Northeast prepares for a snowstorm later this week. The National Weather Service says the snow will start falling Thursday night, with the heaviest snowfall Friday afternoon and night. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Kelly Pomerleau of Andover Small Engine Service repairs a snow blower for a customer in Andover, Mass., Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast. The National Weather Service calls for up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-area region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

A pair of storms will combine off the Northeast coast, bringing heavy snow and strong winds throughout New England. Another storm will move into the West, bringing rain and high elevation snow from California through the Great Basin.

BOSTON (AP) ? A storm poised to dump up to 2 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday could be one for the record books, forecasters warned, as residents scurried to stock up on food and water and road crews readied salt and sand.

Before the first snowflake had fallen, Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other New England cities canceled school Friday, and airlines scratched more than 2,600 flights through Saturday, with the disruptions from the blizzard certain to ripple across the U.S.

"This one doesn't come along every day. This is going to be a dangerous winter storm," said Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. "Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don't plan on leaving."

The snow is expected to start Friday morning, with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.

Boston could get more than 2 feet of snow, while New York City was expecting 10 to 12 inches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 4 to 6 inches.

"We hope forecasts are exaggerating the amount of snow, but you never can tell," Bloomberg said, adding that at least the bad weather is arriving on a weekend, when the traffic is lighter and snowplows can clean up the streets more easily.

Amtrak said its Northeast trains will stop running Friday afternoon. The organizers of New York's Fashion Week ? a closely watched series of fashion shows held under a big tent ? said they will have extra crews to help with snow removal and will turn up the heat and add an extra layer to the venue.

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Conn., and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.

In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history, and perhaps even break Boston's record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, forecasters said. The last major snowfall in southern New England was well over a year ago ? the Halloween storm of 2011.

Dunham said southern New England has seen less than half its normal snowfall this season, but "we're going to catch up in a heck of a hurry." He added: "Everybody's going to get plastered with snow."

Diane Lopes was among the shoppers who packed a supermarket Thursday in the coastal fishing city of Gloucester, Mass. She said she went to a different grocery earlier in the day but it was too crowded. Lopes said she has strep throat and normally wouldn't leave the house but had to stock up on basic foods ? "and lots of wine."

She chuckled at the excitement the storm was creating in a place where snow is routine.

"Why are us New Englanders so crazy, right?" she said.

At a Shaw's supermarket in Belmont, Mass., Susan Lichtenstein stocked up, with memories of a 1978 blizzard on her mind. "This is panic shopping, so bread, milk, a snow shovel in case our snow shovel breaks," she said.

In New Hampshire, Dartmouth College student Evan Diamond and other members of the ski team were getting ready for races at the Ivy League school's winter carnival.

"We're pretty excited about it because this has been an unusual winter for us," he said. "We've been going back and forth between having really solid cold snaps and then the rain washing everything away."

But he said the snow might be too much of a good thing this weekend: "For skiing, we like to have a nice hard surface, so it will be kind of tough to get the hill ready."

The governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts ordered nonessential state workers to stay home Friday and urged travelers to stay home.

Terrance Rodriguez, a doorman at a luxury apartment complex in Boston, took the forecast in stride.

"It's just another day in Boston. It's to be expected. We're in a town where it's going to snow," he said. "It's like doomsday prep. It doesn't need to be. People just take it to the extreme."

___

Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Lyme, N.H., Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vt., Jay Lindsay in Gloucester, Mass., and Denise Lavoie, Rodrique Ngowi and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-08-Northeast%20Snow/id-d9290b69a31749feb42182f695d8f9e6

joe paterno memorial service taco bell breakfast menu ener1 national chocolate cake day epstein joshua komisarjevsky barney frank

Brent rises towards $118 on strong China data, Iran worries

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent futures rose towards $118 per barrel on Friday, heading for a fourth weekly gain as robust trade data from China bolstered the outlook for demand, while escalating tensions in the Middle East stoked concerns over supply.

China's January exports and imports outpaced forecasts in a Reuters poll, adding to evidence of a rebound in the world's second-biggest oil consumer, although analysts are cautious after the economy last year grew at its slowest pace since 1999.

Numbers showing China's crude oil imports rose to their third highest daily rate on record in January also buoyed prices.

Fiery rhetoric by Iran's supreme leader rejecting a U.S. offer for bilateral talks added to concern that the biggest risk factor for oil markets won't be resolved soon.

Front-month Brent futures rose 58 cents per barrel to $117.82 at 0410 GMT. U.S. crude added 31 cents to $96.15, but is still heading for its first loss in nine weeks.

"We have been seeing strong economic numbers ... (and this trend) is going to underpin the oil markets for some time," said Ben le Brun, market analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.

"It does not look like the tensions with Iran are going to dissipate anytime soon. They are going to be bubbling under the surface, which will keep a floor under the oil price."

Currently U.S.-Iran contact is limited to talks between Tehran and a so-called P5+1 group of powers on Iran's disputed nuclear programme which are to resume on February 26 in Kazakhstan.

Adding to supply concerns is the instability in Tunisia, located between major oil producers Algeria and Libya, where the assassination of an opposition leader this week led to street riots and violence.

CHINA REBOUND

China's strong trade data for January, the first hard economic numbers of the year, showed a surge in exports and imports that was not solely explained by the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday and confirmed the rebound in the world's second-biggest economy.

Exports grew 25 percent, far outpacing analyst expectations of a 17 percent rise, while its imports jumped nearly 29 percent, faster than the 23 percent increase expected in a Reuters poll.

"The numbers are stronger than expected, which is an encouraging sign," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. "(But) we will need to wait until March to start getting a better sense of the medium-term trend on China."

China's crude oil imports in January rose 7.4 percent from a year ago to 5.92 million barrels per day, the third highest daily rate on record, official data showed, as refineries ramped up production ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brent-rises-towards-118-strong-china-data-iran-060500781--finance.html

helicon zac efron and taylor swift real housewives of orange county bloom energy franklin graham jambalaya taylor swift and zac efron

Edison rejects Sen. Boxer's claim about San Onofre generators

Southern California Edison, the operator of the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant, pushed back against two federal lawmakers who said that the utility company was aware of defects in the plant's replacement steam generators before they were installed.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week saying that a leaked report from steam generator manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries showed that Edison and Mitsubishi knew of problems with the design.

Boxer and Markey, citing a report that has not been made public, said the utility giant and the manufacturer "rejected enhanced safety modifications and avoided triggering a more rigorous license amendment and safety review process."

Edison responded Thursday by denying the allegations and saying the lawmakers had taken "selective comments" from a lengthy report:

"It is simply not accurate to suggest, as the letter does, that when they were installed SCE and MHI were aware of serious problems with the design of San Onofre nuclear plant's steam generators," the company wrote in a statement.

"Indeed, MHI, the manufacturer of the steam generators, warranted the steam generators to be free from defects for 20 years after installation. SCE would never, and did not, install steam generators that it believed would not perform safely."

Neither the lawmakers nor Mitsubishi and Edison have elaborated on what changes the companies chose not to make.

The plant has been shut down for just over a year because of unusual wear on steam generator tubes that carry radioactive water. One tube leaked in January 2012, releasing a small amount of radioactive steam.

Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric ? which owns a 20% share in the plant ? spent a combined $771 million replacing the steam generators, which ratepayers are now repaying.

Representatives of both companies, as well as of several consultants involved in the investigation of San Onofre's problems, gave a briefing Thursday to the five-member governing board of the NRC.

The meeting, scheduled before Boxer and Markey's letter, was the first time since the plant's shutdown that the full commission has questioned Edison and Mitsubishi. But the discussion steered clear of the allegations in the letter and focused on the technical causes of the tube wear.

Steam generator tube degradation has long been an issue in the nuclear industry, although it has become less prevalent since the majority of plants switched to a more corrosion-resistant tube material. In 1976, there were 28 forced outages at U.S. nuclear plants because of tube leaks, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. Before the leak at San Onofre, there had been no such incidents in six years.

An NRC investigation concluded that Mitsubishi's computer code failed to predict thermal-hydraulic conditions ? high-velocity, dry steam flowing around the tubes ? that caused the tubes to vibrate excessively and rub against each other and against support structures.

The phenomenon, known as fluid elastic instability, has occurred at other plants, but the tubes at San Onofre showed a new pattern of vibration, leading to rapid wear in one of the plant's two reactor units.

Edison is proposing to restart the other unit ? which had less-severe damage because of differences in the support structures ? at partial power. The NRC has not made a decision on that plan.

Dan Hirsch, a lecturer at UC Santa Cruz, was the lone critic of the nuclear industry who made a presentation at the meeting. Hirsch and his students put together a report showing that both units at San Onofre had more worn tubes than all but one other similar plant in the U.S. with recently replaced steam generators.

"San Onofre in just one or two years has experienced more damage than most steam generators do in decades," Hirsch said.

Ken Karwoski, a senior advisor with the NRC's division of engineering, said the depth of the wear determines the safety significance, not the number of tubes with wear. Unit 2, which is proposed for restart, had nearly as many tubes with wear as the other unit ? about 1,600 and 1,800, respectively ? but the wear in Unit 2 was shallower.

The NRC has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the status of its San Onofre review Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Capo Beach Church in Capistrano Beach.

abby.sewell@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/-xamTEFWr1A/la-me-0208-san-onofre-20130208,0,463264.story

Cut for Bieber AJ McCarron Johnny Manziel ups Aj Mccarron Girlfriend linkedin linkedin