Google launching same-day delivery service for online shoppers ...

MICHAEL LIEDTKE ? ? ? 1 day

Internet search leader Google is taking another step beyond information retrieval into grocery delivery.

The new service, called Google Shopping Express, will initially provide same-day delivery of food and other products bought online by a small group of consumers in San Francisco and suburbs located south of the city. The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., didn't say how many people will be part of the test.

If the pilot program goes well, Google plans to expand delivery service to other markets.

"We hope this will help users explore the benefits of a local, same-day delivery service, and help us kick the tires on the new service," Google said in a Thursday statement.

The delivery service is part of Google's effort to increase consumer reliance on the Internet, so it will have more opportunities to show online ads, which generate most of its revenue.

Google has learned that the more time people spend online, the more likely they are to use its dominant search engine or one of its other popular services, like its YouTube video site or Gmail, that include advertising.

The delivery service also could spur merchants to buy more online ads if Google's same-day delivery service encourages consumers to do more of their shopping online. Having to wait days or, in some cases, more than a week for the delivery of online orders ranks among the biggest drawbacks to Internet shopping.

It's a problem that Amazon.com and eBay, which operate the largest e-commerce sites, already have been trying to solve by offering same-day service in some U.S. markets. Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, also offers same-day delivery in five markets.

A mix of national, regional and neighborhood merchants are enlisting in Google Shopping Express. The best-known names on the list include Target and Walgreen. All the merchants in the Google program will sell certain items through a central website. Google has hired courier services to pick up the orders at the merchant stores and then deliver them to the customer's home or office.

Although the couriers will be working on a contract basis, they will be driving Google-branded vehicles and wearing company-issued uniforms.

It remains unclear whether Internet shopping and same-day delivery can be profitable. Online grocer Webvan collapsed in 2001, largely because it couldn't devise a pricing plan that would pay for the costs of same-day delivery without alienating shoppers unwilling to pay too much extra for the added convenience.

Google is still trying to figure out how much to charge for its same-day delivery service. For the six-month test period in the San Francisco area, consumers won't have to pay a surcharge. Google instead will receive a commission from participating merchants.

The expansion into same-day delivery comes at the same time that Google is preparing to close some of its older online services so it can devote more attention and money to other projects.

The realignment has irked some Google users. The biggest complaints have centered on Google Reader, which allows people to automatically receive headlines and links from their favorite sites, and iGoogle, which allows Web surfers to design a page consisting of the Google search engine surrounded set up other online features, such as local weather reports and stock market quotes.

Google Reader is scheduled to close in July and iGoogle will shut down in November.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/google-launching-same-day-delivery-service-online-shoppers-1C9143458

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Morocco's rebel rapper released from prison

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) ? A Moroccan rapper known for his protest songs said Friday after completing a yearlong prison sentence that he will be concentrating on his studies and improving his music and is unsure about further activism.

Mouad Beghouat's angry rap songs excoriating the gaps between rich and poor in Morocco provided the soundtrack to the North African kingdom's Arab Spring protest movement in 2011 that called for social justice and greater democracy.

But while Belghouat, known as El-Haqed or "the enraged," was in prison, the February 20 movement, as it was known, faded away as popular ire with the state was defused by a string of reforms promulgated by the king.

"I will concentrate more on my studies ? I have my high school exams to pass in June," said a pale, subdued 26-year-old Belghouat to journalists and activists, showing only occasional flashes of his trademark irreverent sense of humor. "I played around a lot before, and in prison I discovered the importance of reading more."

The rapper appeared in glasses, which supporters say he now needs because of how his health deteriorated in prison where he said he experienced harassment and even went on hunger strike at one point to protest conditions.

Belghouat was convicted in May for insulting a public official over his song "Dogs of the State," which was addressed to the police. An online video accompanying the song portrayed a police officer with a donkey's head prompting the lawsuit by authorities.

"You are paid to protect the citizens, not to steal their money," said one lyric. The song then asks the police to arrest the wealthy businessmen who have divided the country up for themselves.

Morocco, a popular tourist destination for Europeans, has one of the highest discrepancies between rich and poor in the Arab world, according to international development agencies.

"It was a huge relief when he was released," said Abdullah Abaakil, an activist with the February 20 movement that introduced the rapper at the news conference. He emphasized that Belghouat was key for the movement to reach out to young people, especially in the country's myriad slums. "He suffered for all of us... he more than did his part."

As the protests died away, dozens of activists from the February 20 movement have been arrested and imprisoned. A statement by 18 local non-governmental organizations in December said at least 58 activists were in prison.

Belghouat, who described in an Associated Press interview last year how he would go to poor neighborhoods to raise people's awareness about the injustices in the country, said that now he was unsure about further activism.

"I am just out of prison, and I'm still tired, so I need a bit of time to answer this question about how I will assess the situation of the February 20 in the country," he said, though he didn't rule out staying involved. "And if tomorrow there was a demonstration for February 20, I might well join, why not?"

___

Associated Press reporter Smail Bellaoualli contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moroccos-rebel-rapper-released-prison-184724070.html

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Pentagon civilians facing fewer furlough days

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As many as 700,000 civilian employees at the Defense Department will be furloughed for as long as 14 work days beginning in June, eight fewer days than originally anticipated after Congress gave military officials greater flexibility to apportion automatic budget cuts driving the layoffs.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described the reduction from 22 days to two weeks as "good news" during a Pentagon news conference Thursday.

Hagel also announced that President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove to take over as commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.

Furlough notices will be sent out in early May, and the furloughs will begin in June and last through September. Employees will be furloughed for one day in each of the last 14 weeks of the 2013 budget year.

The thorny issue of who will be exempt from the furloughs remains unresolved. Pentagon officials have estimated that at least 10 percent of the department's roughly 800,000 civilian workers will not face furloughs, but they have declined to identify them.

The Pentagon previously has said it will not furlough civilians in the war zone and in critical public safety jobs, or people whose jobs are not paid for through congressional funding. Also exempt are as many as 50,000 foreign nationals who work for the department but are covered by international agreements.

The automatic cuts took effect March 1, triggered by Congress' failure to trim the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over a decade. The Pentagon initially faced a $46 billion budget reduction through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, but Hagel said a new spending bill signed by Obama this week lowered the reduction by roughly $5 billion. That allows the military to start military construction projects and other programs that otherwise would have been delayed.

The furloughs are expected to save about $2.5 billion, Hagel said.

Before the bill was signed, civilians would have been required to take one day a week off without pay for 22 weeks ? a 20 percent pay cut for more than five months. The spending bill gave officials the leeway to lessen the salary cuts and spread money around to other key priorities, including training, maintenance and possible ship deployments.

As an example, the Navy had delayed refueling overhauls of two aircraft carriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Abraham Lincoln ? critical maintenance work that officials said would be a priority if additional funding became available.

Breedlove is the top Air Force commander in Europe. If he's confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first Air Force general to hold the top NATO job since Joseph Ralston served there from 2000-2003. Breedlove would succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has held the job since 2009.

Obama chose Breedlove after his first choice for the job, Marine Gen. John Allen, announced he would retire after 19 months commanding allied forces in Afghanistan because of his wife's health.

Hagel, who said he met with Breedlove on his way back from a recent trip to Afghanistan, urged the Senate to confirm him quickly.

"We need to get that position filled," he said.

Obama said Breedlove has "served with distinction in assignments at all levels of the U.S. Air Force and around the globe, from Washington to Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-civilians-facing-fewer-furlough-135336320.html

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Veterans fight changes to disability payments

In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this March 24, 2013 photo, veterans' liaison Marshall Archer, a former Marine Corps corporal, poses for a photo in Portland, Maine. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already.

Government benefits are adjusted according to inflation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation to calculate Social Security benefits. Benefits would still grow but at a slower rate.

Advocates for the nation's 22 million veterans fear that the alternative inflation measure would also apply to disability payments to nearly 4 million veterans as well as pension payments for an additional 500,000 low-income veterans and surviving families.

"I think veterans have already paid their fair share to support this nation," said the American Legion's Louis Celli. "They've paid it in lower wages while serving, they've paid it through their wounds and sacrifices on the battlefield and they're paying it now as they try to recover from those wounds."

Economists generally agree that projected long-term debt increases stemming largely from the growth in federal health care programs pose a threat to the country's economic competitiveness. Addressing the threat means difficult decisions for lawmakers and pain for many constituents in the decades ahead.

But the veterans' groups point out that their members bore the burden of a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past month, they've held news conferences on Capitol Hill and raised the issue in meetings with lawmakers and their staffs. They'll be closely watching the unveiling of the president's budget next month to see whether he continues to recommend the change.

Obama and others support changing the benefit calculations to a variation of the Consumer Price Index, a measure called "chained CPI." The conventional CPI measures changes in retail prices of a constant marketbasket of goods and services. Chained CPI considers changes in the quantity of goods purchased as well as the prices of those goods. If the price of steak goes up, for example, many consumers will buy more chicken, a cheaper alternative to steak, rather than buying less steak or going without meat.

Supporters argue that chained CPI is a truer indication of inflation because it measures changes in consumer behavior. It also tends to be less than the conventional CPI, which would impact how cost-of-living raises are computed.

Under the current inflation update, monthly disability and pension payments increased 1.7 percent this year. Under chained CPI, those payments would have increased 1.4 percent.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that moving to chained CPI would trim the deficit by nearly $340 billion over the next decade. About two-thirds of the deficit closing would come from less spending and the other third would come from additional revenue because of adjustments that tax brackets would undergo.

Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said she understands why veterans, senior citizens and others have come out against the change, but she believes it's necessary.

"We are in an era where benefits are going to be reduced and revenues are going to rise. There's just no way around that. We're on an unsustainable fiscal course," Sawhill said. "Dealing with it is going to be painful, and the American public has not yet accepted that. As long as every group keeps saying, 'I need a carve-out, I need an exception,' this is not going to work."

Sawhill argued that making changes now will actually make it easier for veterans in the long run.

"The longer we wait to make these changes, the worse the hole we'll be in and the more draconian the cuts will have to be," she said.

That's not the way Sen. Bernie Sanders sees it. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs said he recently warned Obama that every veterans group he knows of has come out strongly against changing the benefit calculations for disability benefits and pensions by using chained CPI.

"I don't believe the American people want to see our budget balanced on the backs of disabled veterans. It's especially absurd for the White House, which has been quite generous in terms of funding for the VA," said Sanders, I-Vt. "Why they now want to do this, I just don't understand."

Sanders succeeded in getting the Senate to approve an amendment last week against changing how the cost-of-living increases are calculated, but the vote was largely symbolic. Lawmakers would still have a decision to make if moving to chained CPI were to be included as part of a bargain on taxes and spending.

Sanders' counterpart on the House side, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, appears at least open to the idea of going to chained CPI.

"My first priority is ensuring that America's more than 20 million veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned, but with a national debt fast approaching $17 trillion, Washington's fiscal irresponsibility may threaten the very provision of veterans' benefits," Miller said. "Achieving a balanced budget and reducing our national debt will help us keep the promises America has made to those who have worn the uniform, and I am committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to do just that."

Marshall Archer, 30, a former Marine Corps corporal who served two stints in Iraq, has a unique perspective about the impact of slowing the growth of veterans' benefits. He collects disability payments to compensate him for damaged knees and shoulders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. He also works as a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, helping some 200 low-income veterans find housing.

Archer notes that on a personal level, the reduction in future disability payments would also be accompanied down the road by a smaller Social Security check when he retires. That means he would take a double hit to his income.

"We all volunteered to serve, so we all volunteered to sacrifice," he said. "I don't believe that you should ever ask those who have already volunteered to sacrifice to then sacrifice again."

That said, Archer indicated he would be willing to "chip in" if he believes that everyone is required to give as well.

He said he's more worried about the veterans he's trying to help find a place to sleep. About a third of his clients rely on VA pension payments averaging just over $1,000 a month. He said their VA pension allows them to pay rent, heat their home and buy groceries, but that's about it.

"This policy, if it ever went into effect, would actually place those already in poverty in even more poverty," Archer said.

The changes that would occur by using the slower inflation calculation seem modest at first. For a veteran with no dependents who has a 60 percent disability rating, the use of chained CPI this year would have lowered the veteran's monthly payments by $3 a month. Instead of getting $1,026 a month, the veteran would have received $1,023.

Raymond Kelly, legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars, acknowledged that veterans would see little change in their income during the first few years of the change. But even a $36 hit over the course of a year is "huge" for many of the disabled veterans living on the edge, he said.

The amount lost over time becomes more substantial as the years go by. Sanders said that a veteran with a 100 percent disability rating who begins getting payments at age 30 would see their annual payments trimmed by more than $2,300 a year when they turn 55.

.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Budget%20Battle-Veterans/id-b9c15cb1e32e4b0a8fbe3cc49bdeff51

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Rethinking economic growth, development and happiness | UWIRE

Posted on28 March 2013.

?Economic growth, which we have taken for granted for the past two centuries, can?t be taken for granted anymore,? assistant visiting professor of economics?Juan-Pedro Garces-Voisenat said. He ?began his talk on growth, development and happiness March 25 hosted by the Society of Economics Students, an organization founded last fall.

Garces-Voisenat centered his talk around a re-evaluation of the importance of economic growth as compared to development. Garces-Voisenat explained that the two terms, growth and development, normally linked, are actually quite different. According to Garces-Voisenat, economic growth deals with accumulating more goods and services ? more DVDs, more factories and more money. For Garces-Voisenat development is something more abstract and subjective. ?Development is about living a life of possibilities. It is not about riches anymore or having great infrastructure or beautiful buildings,? Garces-Voisenat said. ?Development is about being and doing rather than having.?

Photo courtesy of ITNnews

Garces-Voisenat began his talk by delving into economic history. He explained that for the first millennia A.D. economic growth was flat, and it was only at the end of the Middle Ages that growth began to take place in Europe, culminating in the two centuries of rapid growth from the 1800s to the present day. Garces-Voisenat tried to illustrate that economic growth is not a natural phenomenon and that we may be reaching a point where there is no more that we can get from accumulating more.

Waxing philosophical, Garces-Voisenat asked the small audience, ?If means don?t lead you to a life that is richer, what is the use of those means??

The United States and many other countries, he theorized, have reached a point where we have to change priorities and accept lower growth and focus instead on greater development. ?We are going to have to get used to the idea of growing at 0.5 percent. The important thing is not the things we have, but what we do,? Garces-Voisenat said. ?You can have development without growth. We can be happier and live fuller lives without having more material means.?

Garces-Voisenat cited many examples of countries that do not have high rates of economic growth, but which have a high level of happiness, including Sweden and even Cuba, much to the surprise of some audience members. Following the ideas of Indian economist Amartya Sen, Garces-Voisenat outlined a new model of development which focuses on the freedom and ability for people to pursue other activities besides buying and selling goods and services. Some of what was mentioned included non-traditional activities such as the freedom to sing, to act, to play and to speak publicly.

Senior Patrick Kayser felt that the talk brought up a great deal of interesting and surprising issues. ?I found the talk was interesting because we covered that growth and development are not the same thing, and that country?s happiness has a lot to do with development,? Kayser said.

Junior Stephen Schmitt, president of the Society of Economics Students, agreed. ?I really liked it because I think happiness and growth are really important because they can really shape how a country changes. I feel like as people?s views about what is important change, we may have to change our models and Dr. Garces-Voisenat touched on that,? Schmitt said.

Source: http://uwire.com/2013/03/28/rethinking-economic-growth-development-and-happiness-2/

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Creepy Critters In Sensitive Places: How Science Reporters Get Your Attention

We're not as daring as Magellan (who died) or Columbus (who went crazy) or Henry Hudson (who froze), but in our dainty little way, we take astonishing risks. Well, maybe not astonishing. Maybe just embarrassing.

Some of the best science reporters, like the best Vaudevillians, the best circus performers, the best teachers, are hungry for attention ? not for themselves (well, maybe a little), but for a way to seize your mind, to bring you to an idea, a creature, a puzzle. We are a strange bunch, shy, desperate, ferocious ? we want you to know what we know, meet who we've met.

Here's a perfect example. I've got this friend, Destin, who is not even a fully-employed science reporter (though he's about to be). By day, he tests rockets for the U.S. Defense Department in Huntsville, Ala., but the rest of the time he explores physics, biology and explodes things, blowing up anything and everything (while, of course, wearing safety glasses ? because, as I said, we may look crazy, but we're dainty on the inside). He does his reporting on his own YouTube channel, called Smarter Every Day. He's his own cameraman, reporter, narrator, money-raiser and nuisance to his long-suffering wife.

Doing What Must Be Done

Recently, he took himself on a trip to the Amazon rainforest, accompanied by a gang of, you should excuse the expression, "frat boy" types (scientists, I suppose), who took him to a hole, literally a hole in a mound of mud or dirt deep in the forest. In that hole, they knew, was a tailless whip scorpion, a big, scary, frightening-looking multi-legged beast who is clearly, VERY CLEARLY, making Destin extremely uncomfortable. Lots of people get the creeps near spiders, which is what these are (though six-legged, they've got two more limbs up front, making them "amblypygids," part of the spider family). But true to our code (Explore, Describe, Pee in Your Pants) Destin has his Encounter. Yes, his eyes are squinched shut, and he's barely breathing, but he's a Science Reporter, Doing What Must Be Done ... as you will see ... right here ...

By the way, (and this is why we don't belong with Columbus, Magellan or Henry Hudson), according to the scientists at The Wild Classroom, tailless whip scorpions "are completely harmless. They have no way of inflicting stings, or in any way hurting a human being. [They] do not have venom, and their formidable pedipalps [those claw-like limbs] are used solely for capturing small prey like tiny crickets crawling on tree trunks."

They don't even have tails. Tailless scorpions are like mouthless dragons. Very un-dangerous. Their Latin name, "amblypigid," means "blunt rump." So Destin was never in harm's way, not even slightly.

The Science Reporting Difference ...

But this is why we are different from those other show folks who make fiction TV and movies ? we show you the truth. Destin may be a coward, but he knows the animal is not his enemy. Heck, he even takes it home to its hole after their "date."

They didn't do that in the Harry Potter movies. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, features a tailless whip scorpion. Professor Mad-Eye Moody (the one with the magical eye) calls it "lethal" (hah!) and proceeds to torture the little guy until Hermione begs him to stop.

Dr. Moody may be a full professor at Hogwarts ? but he's no science reporter. We may not be pure-bred wizards, but we're made of truer stuff.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/03/28/175580837/six-legged-critters-in-dicey-places-what-science-reporters-do-to-get-your-attent?ft=1&f=1007

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ClickAfrica offers you the best online marketing solutions

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Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/clickafrica-offers-you-the-best-online-marketing-solutions

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Jon Hamm: Stop Talking About My Privates!

Jon Hamm is uncomfortable, and not because of his tight pants. The Mad Men actor, whose crotch has recently developed an Internet following of its own, told Rolling Stone that he isn't thrilled about the attention.

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AP Interview: Egypt says Iranian pose no risk

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's tourism minister said Thursday that allowing Iranian tourists to visit Egypt after being banned for more than three decades would pose no threat and could help shore up the nation's struggling tourism industry.

Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazoua's remarks, in an interview on Thursday with The Associated Press, come amid controversy over allowing Iranians to visit Egypt after decades of frozen diplomatic relations and suspicion ? especially among ultraconservatives ? that Iran aspires to spread its Shiite faith to the Sunni world.

Egypt, which is predominately Sunni, has been working to normalize relations with Iran, after a long freeze that began after Egypt signed its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and Iran underwent its Islamic revolution. Relations began to improve after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in the 2011 popular uprising.

Egypt's new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have exchanged visits, which have opened new avenues of cooperation between the former foes.

Zaazoua, who visited Tehran nearly a month ago and signed a memorandum of understanding to promote tourism, told the AP that Iranians were not going to visit Egypt to export an Islamic revolution. He said Iranian visitors, who would be restricted in their movements, would not be visiting religious sites.

"We have not received Iranians for 35 years," Zaazoua said in his office. "They are pure tourists. They are not coming to create a revolution as far as I am concerned."

"They are coming to visit tourist sites within Egypt," he said referring to the ancient cities of Luxor and Aswan. "They are coming for vacationing."

He said if problems surface, "we can stop it, as simple as that."

Egyptians have mixed feelings toward Iran. Some believe in Iranian plots aimed at destabilizing the country while others sympathize with Iran's Islamic revolution and admire Tehran's defiance of the United States.

Zaazoua's visit to Tehran sparked anger of ultraconservative Islamists like Al Nour party. The party issued a statement warning Morsi's government that opening the country up to Iranians risked plunging the country, which "enjoys a Sunni unity," into sectarian strife.

When Ahmadinejad visited Egypt on Feb. 5, he too got a cold shoulder from some. He was given a harsh reception by Egypt's top Sunni cleric of Al-Azhar and the Iranian leader was attacked by shoe-throwing Syrian protesters upset about Iran's alliance with the embattled Syrian regime.

A new understanding with Iran would be a shake-up for a region that has been split between Tehran's camp ? which includes Syria and Islamic militias Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza ? and a U.S.-backed group led by Saudi Arabia and rich Gulf nations. Further complicating relations, the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian enclave in the Gaza Strip, is a historical offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the dominant force in Egyptian politics since Morsi's election.

Zaazoua said preparations were under way to allow Iranian tourists to visit, but he declined to disclose a date.

Last week, Egypt's Foreign and Civil Aviation Ministry established regulations for Iranian tourists, mainly restricting the size and movement of the tourist groups.

Ali al-Ashri, an official with Egypt's Foreign Ministry, said Iranian tourists would only be allowed to visit certain sites, such as the ancient cities of Luxor and resort areas like Sharm el-Sheikh. Cairo was not on the list of places they would be allowed to visit, mainly because it is the site of shrines of revered Shiite figures.

The size of Iranian tourist groups would be limited to 100 persons and there would only be three travel agencies given permits to coordinate the Iranian visits. Flights would carry Iranians directly from Iran to their tourist destination, the civil aviation minister said.

"We don't want to create problems to our country or any other country, including Iran itself," Zaazoua said.

The Egyptian government is looking to boost the tourism business back to pre-revolution levels when 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2010. Continued unrest since the 2011 uprising have scared away tourists and investment. Last year, the number of tourists climbed to more than 10 million, but most tourists go to beach resorts along the Red Sea.

To assuage fears among some that Iranians would try to practice religious rituals in Egypt, Zaazoua emphasized that Iranian tourists would not be allowed to visit religious sites.

"I can't ignore countries like Iran," he said. "I am a technocrat. ... I am looking to just increase the share from international traffic of tourism in the world."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-egypt-says-iranian-pose-no-risk-175902740.html

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New DNA test identifies ingredients in foods

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Almost all foodstuffs contain the genetic material of those animal and plant species that were used in their preparation. Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs. For this, the researchers have adapted the latest techniques of DNA sequencing, which are otherwise currently employed in human genetics to unravel the genetic information of thousands of patients.

"The innovative aspect in comparison with conventional DNA detection methods such as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR for short, is that by means of bioinformatic analysis of all biological DNA data available worldwide we can identify the presence of material from species that we would not otherwise expect. And, using a simple digital method of counting short snippets of DNA, we will also probably be able to determine the relative incidence of individual species-related material more precisely than was previously the case," explained molecular geneticist Professor Dr. Thomas Hankeln, who developed the method in collaboration with bioinformaticist Professor Bertil Schmidt, Ph.D. and colleagues at the German and Swiss food control authorities.

In pilot studies, the researchers were able to use the new DNA method to detect the presence of a 1% content of horse meat in products and to determine the actual amount with a high level of precision. The Mainz researchers even found slight traces of the DNA of added mustard, lupin, and soy in a test sausage prepared for calibration purposes, something that could also be of interest with regard to allergy testing of foods.

Because of its potential, the method -- dubbed 'All-Food-Seq' by its developers -- has already attracted the attention of food inspection experts. "This method is very interesting in connection with efforts to promote the molecular traceability of food," said Hermann Broll of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin and Dr. Ren? K?ppel of the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory in Switzerland. The method developed by the Mainz scientists is thus to be validated in comparison with conventional detection techniques in the near future.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/d3cVK4GL0Ts/130327092739.htm

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Presidential Madness (Rounds 3 & 4): Secretary of war and defense

Our two-week contest to pick the best presidential Cabinet ever continues with two matchups involving the men who led America through war and peace.

Join Presidential Madness!

At Constitution Daily, madness in March doesn?t just apply to the NCAA?it?s also an awesome excuse to give the bracket treatment to the executive branch of government. This year, it?s all about the presidential Cabinet.

Get into Presidential Madness by downloading a bracket [PDF] and predicting who you think will make it to the finals as best Cabinet member of all time. Check in and vote each day at Constitution Daily for the latest round of polling.

Round 3: Secretary of war (pre-WWII)

The War Department predated the Constitution, and its leaders headed the Army and were third in line to the presidency. It was replaced by the Defense Department after World War II.

1. John C. Calhoun. Served 1817 ? 1825. As James Monroe?s secretary of war, Calhoun tried to modernize the military and expand its ability to function nationally.

2. Edwin Stanton. Served 1862 ? 1869. Stanton managed the Civil War effort for President Abraham Lincoln, and his later feud with Andrew Johnson led to Johnson?s impeachment.

3. William Howard Taft. Served 1904 ? 1908. Taft served President Theodore Roosevelt in important matters in Panama and the Philippines, and as a de facto vice president.

4. Henry Stimson. Served 1911 ? 1913, 1940?? 1945. Stimson had two tours at the War Department, including managing a 13-million-member military during World War II, and overseeing the atomic bomb program.

Pick your favorite in our polls below, and check back each day to see a new Presidential Madness vote!

Note: If you can?t see the poll above, use this link:? http://poll.fm/45wld

Round 4: Secretary of defense (post-WWII)

The Defense Department grew out of World War II; its leaders had to manage a complex, global military force.

1. Melvin Laird. Served 1969?? 1973. A former congressman, Laird served under Richard Nixon, supervised the winding down of the Vietnam War, and ended the draft.

2. Caspar Weinberger. Served 1981 ? 1987. Weinberger lead the Defense Department for Ronald Reagan and oversaw a massive effort to build up the military as the Soviet Union crumbled.

3. Donald Rumsfeld. Served 1975 ? 1977, 2001 ? 2006. He first led the military under Gerald Ford and returned to the Defense Department to head the post-9/11 efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

4. Robert Gates. Served 2006?? 2011. Having served under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Gates was known for his bipartisan leadership and broad government and academic background.

Note: If you can?t see the poll above, use this link:?http://poll.fm/45wli

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/presidential-madness-rounds-3-4-secretary-war-defense-102606637--politics.html

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Anderson Cooper not replacing Matt Lauer on "Today," NBC says

By Tim Kenneally

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Sorry, Anderson Cooper fans: NBC denies he's taking over for Matt Lauer on "Today."

In fact, according to "Today" executive producer Alex Wallace, NBC doesn't have plans to get rid of Lauer at all.

"We are not considering replacing Matt Lauer," Wallace said in a statement. "As we've said before, Matt is the best in the business. We want him in the 'Today' show anchor chair for many years to come."

The statement followed a Deadline Hollywood report that top NBC executives recently reached out to Cooper about replacing Lauer, but that Lauer objected and complained to Cooper.

Last April, Lauer signed a long-term contract to remain on "Today." (New York Magazine reports he negotiated a $25 million annual fee after threatening to jump ship to ABC.)

But that hasn't stopped speculation that Lauer is on his way out.

Cooper is in high demand as a theoretical replacement these days. Earlier this month, the New York Post reported that Cooper was in consideration to replace longtime "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek when he retires. (Interestingly, Lauer was also mentioned as a possible replacement for Trebek.)

However, a person close to Cooper told TheWrap that he was not approached about hosting the game show.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anderson-cooper-not-replacing-matt-lauer-today-nbc-222115058.html

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Court turns away class action against Comcast

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a class action lawsuit against cable provider Comcast Corp., in a decision that could make it harder to file those types of lawsuits in federal court.

The high court on Wednesday overturned a lower court decision to certify as a class customers who say the company's monopoly in parts of the Philadelphia area allowed it to raise prices unfairly.

Justice Antonin Scalia said in a 5-4 decision the customers need to be able to show that they can tie a single theory of how they were harmed to a specific calculation of damages for class certification. The Comcast subscribers had a model that would have shown damages, but it showed $875 million of damages done under four different theories.

Only one of their theories was accepted by the lower courts, so there is no showing of how much in damages was attributable to that theory, Scalia said.

"It is clear that, under the proper standard for evaluating certification, respondents' model falls far short of establishing that damages are capable of measurement on a classwide basis," said Scalia, who was joined in his opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the dissent jointly for themselves, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. In an unusual move, Breyer and Ginsburg read parts aloud in the courtroom.

First, they said that the court's majority rewrote the question being argued, meaning the issue was "infected by our misguided reformulation." They also said that Comcast had argued in lower courts that the other theories offered up by the Philadelphia area subscribers had no effect on prices, meaning that the damages from the model "must have stemmed exclusively" from the only theory accepted by the lower court.

Breyer and Ginsburg argued that the court's decision would not change class action lawsuit rules. "The court's ruling is good for this day and case only," Breyer and Ginsburg said in the opinion.

But others say this will make it more difficult to file class actions.

The court's decision "reinforces that courts can't rubber stamp proposed class actions without first taking a hard look at the plaintiffs' claims," said Kate Todd, a lawyer at the National Chamber Litigation Center. "The reality is that frivolous class actions impose unjustified litigation and settlement costs on businesses that are passed on to consumers. Today's decision is a victory in the effort to curb class action abuse."

Raul Zermeno, a lawyer with Fisher & Phillips, a labor and employment law firm that represents management, agreed. "The decision in Comcast v. Behrend will significantly impact the future of employment-related class-action lawsuits nationwide," Zermeno said. "The court held that a plaintiff must introduce evidentiary proof to show that the case is susceptible to awarding damages on a class-wide basis, before class-action status is granted."

The decision is the latest in several Supreme Court rulings on class action lawsuits, which increase pressure on businesses to settle suits because of the cost of defending them and the potential for very large judgments.

In 2011, the Supreme Court raised the bar for some class-action suits when it sided with Wal-Mart against up to 1.6 million of its female employees who complained of sex discrimination. In the Wal-Mart case, the court said there were too many women in too many jobs at the nation's largest private employer to wrap into one lawsuit.

The case is Comcast v. Behrend, 11-864.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-27-Supreme%20Court-Comcast/id-44757f7e21b54fceb82a16cacbf0afac

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Simpler Raises $1.2M From Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla To Make Employee Onboarding Paperless

Simpler, a new startup that wants to disrupt employee onboarding, is launching today and announcing $1.25 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, SV Angel, Data Collective, and Formation8.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5JT7IQ-AaZ8/

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2013=2003? (Unqualified Offerings)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294798033?client_source=feed&format=rss

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#CRE FW: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Sponsors ...

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Sponsors Honored at 2013 ENERGY STAR Awards
??
Thanks!
Curtis D. Harris, BS, CGREA, REB
Bachelor of Science in Real Estate, CSULA
State Certified General Appraiser
Real Estate Broker
ASTM E-2018 Commercial Real Estate Inspector
HUD 203k Consultant
HUD/FHA Real Estate Appraiser/Reviewer
FannieMae REO ConsultantCTAC LEED CertificationThe Harris Company, Forensic Appraisers and Real Estate Consultants
*PIRS/Harris Company and the Science of Real Estate-Partners*630 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 9A, Number 702
El Segundo, CA. 90245
310-337-1973 Office
310-251-3959 CellWebSite: http://www.harriscompanyrec.com Resume: http://www.harriscompanyrec.com/CURRICULUMVITAENAME2011a.pdfCommercial Appraiser Blog: http://harriscompanyrec.com/blog/The LOoP! a Google CSE: http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=000747579154309164948%3Annakvu69iqy We Make a Simple Pledge to

Communicate, in a timely fashion, each appraisal, analysis, and opinion without bias or partiality

Abstain from behavior that is deleterious to our clients, the appraisal profession, and the public

Hold paramount the confidential nature of the appraiser/consultant - client relationship

and

Comply with the requirements of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and the
Code of Professional Ethics of the National Society of Real Estate Appraisers
IT'S THE LAW- Statement 7: Prohibition Against Discrimination
State agencies should be aware that Title XI and the Agencies' regulations prohibit federally regulated financial institutions from excluding appraisers from consideration for an assignment by virtue of their membership, or lack of membership, in any appraisal organization. Federally regulated financial institutions should review the qualifications of appraisers to ensure that they are qualified for the assignment for which they are being considered. It is unacceptable to assume that an appraiser is qualified solely due to membership in, or designation from, an appraisal organization, or the lack thereof. The Agencies have determined that financial institutions' appraisal policies should not favor appraisers from one or more organizations or exclude individuals based on their lack of such membership. If a State agency learns that a certified or licensed appraiser allegedly has been a victim of such discrimination, the State agency should inform the Agency which has regulatory authority over the involved financial institution. INCLUDING THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE-MAICONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVILEGE NOTICE: This transmission and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee. The information contained in this transmission is confidential in nature and protected from further use or disclosure under U.S. Pub. L. 106-102, 113 U.S. Stat. 1338 (1999), and may be subject to consultant/appraiser-client or other legal privilege. Your use or disclosure of this information for any purpose other than that intended by its transmittal is strictly prohibited and may subject you to fines and/or penalties under federal and state law. If you are not the intended recipient of this transmission, please destroy all copies received and confirm destruction to the sender via return transmittal
?
From: DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [mailto:eere@service.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 1:39 PM
To: harris_curtis@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Sponsors Honored at 2013 ENERGY STAR Awards

?
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Sponsors Honored at 2013 ENERGY STAR AwardsThe U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will recognize a select group of manufacturers, retailers, public schools, hospitals, real estate companies, home builders and other organizations at the 2013 ENERGY STAR Awards for their contributions supporting energy efficiency activities during a ceremony on March 26, 2013. Of the 118 awards, 14 will be presented to sponsors of the Building Technologies Office?s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) program, a nationwide program administered by the Department in conjunction with EPA. The HPwES Program helps homeowners improve the comfort and energy efficiency of their homes through a whole-house approach, focusing on how different aspects of a home can work together to increase energy efficiency. Collectively, the 14 HPwES Sponsors have made significant strides in supporting residential energy efficiency activities by overseeing local program implementation and managing the performance of participating home improvement contractors to ensure that quality standards are met. The local programs deliver energy and cost savings to homeowners, engage specially trained home improvement contractor forces, and promote initiatives to inform homeowners of the benefits of energy efficient homes.The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award ceremony is hosted annually by EPA and the Department of Energy to honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to saving energy and protecting the environment through energy efficiency. HPwES Sponsors were honored in three award categories: Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence, Partner of the Year, and Award for Excellence.The 14 organizations recognized with this year?s Partner of the Year Awards support participating contractors that conducted thousands of energy assessments and completed nearly 40,000 home energy efficiency projects in 2012. The energy assessments and improvements help consumers to save on their utility bills and increase the comfort of their homes. HPwES Sponsors also led numerous workforce development and training activities for participating contractors contributing to a growing workforce of more skilled home improvement specialists.This year?s HPwES awardees include:Arizona Public Service, ArizonaAustin Energy, TexasThe Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund with United Illuminating and Connecticut Light & Power, ConnecticutConstellation Energy/Baltimore Gas & Electric Company, MarylandComEd, with Illinois Home Performance, IllinoisDominion East Ohio, OhioEntergy Texas, TexasFocus on Energy, WisconsinFSL Home Improvements, ArizonaLong Island Power Authority, New YorkNew Hampshire CORE Utilities, New HampshireNew York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New YorkPublic Service Company of Oklahoma, OklahomaSouth Carolina Electric & Gas, South CarolinaThere are currently 50 HPwES Sponsors nationwide, including utilities, states, municipalities, non-profit-organizations and financial institutions that promote energy efficient and renewable energy. Since 2002, HPwES Sponsors have helped homeowners complete more than 250,000 projects across the country.Want to receive HPwES Program Updates? Email homeperformance@energystar.gov and request to be added to our stakeholder list. To stay informed of Program and industry news, visit our News and Events webpage. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support@govdelivery.com.This service is provided to you at no charge by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Visit the Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov .

This email was sent to harris_curtis@sbcglobal.net on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ? 1000 Independence Ave., SW ? Washington DC 20585

Source: http://commercialappraiser.typepad.com/blog/2013/03/cre-fw-home-performance-with-energy-star-sponsors-honored-at-2013-energy-star-awards.html

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Pets information: Tips for Your Pet Birds First Month Home

by Stacy Richford

For any new pet moving to a new home can be a very traumatic experience and in some cases even more so for a pet bird. Many times if bird was hand fed as a baby it may have stronger attachments then other birds. However if you take the time setting up your birds new environment properly with some extra care, it will a bit easier for your pet bird to make the adjustment to it's new home.

One of the most important things you should first do when you bring your new bird home is to place its cage in an area that does not have an over abundance of activity or confusion. Even though we are trying to make sure our new friend doesn't feel like he is caught up in the middle of all the household action. We also want to make sure that he does not feel all alone by putting him in some unused room by him self. Ideally you want to find a spot in your home where he can still interact with you, but there won't be constant loud noises or lots of sudden movements that can continually startle him.

In situations where you already have another bird in your home, it would be best to segregate your new arrival for about thirty days. The reason you want to do this is to help ensure that if your new bird has an infectious disease, you won't infect your original bird. When creating a quarantine for your bird, it would be best to keep him on floor in a completely different room of the house. Also make sure to keep their food and water dishes apart and do not interchange them even after washing. If your home has a central air conditioning system, you may have difficulty being able to ensure a true quarantine. Since these kinds of air conditioning system employ air duct systems which carry the air from one room to other rooms in the house. Regardless it is still a good idea to quarantine the new bird than immediately putting exposing him to your original pet even if you have air ducts.

You should also make sure that any new bird you bring home is in good health. So be sure to take him to your local avian veterinarian for a general check up. Your veterinarian will be able to check and make sure that your new pet bird is free of any contagious diseases, worms or bacterial infections. This is even more important in cases were you have a hand fed baby bird, the reason being is that if the bird wasn't properly hand fed it is at a higher risk for having a bacterial infection.

When ever you bring a new bird home you should closely monitor their eating habits during their initial adjustment period. If you notice that your bird doesn't seem to be eating at all during the initial twenty four hours, you should try and offer him some spray millet. Spray millet is pretty much a dessert for birds. Another option is to offer him a whole grain cereal which may coax a frightened bird into eating. If you just brought home a newly weaned baby bird and he is not eating and is also making various squalling noises, your new bird may have regressed some and will need to be hand fed slightly longer. In these situations call your breeder for assistance.

If for some reason you cannot get in contact with your breeder, odds are you can buy some hand feeding formula from your local pet shop. To use the formula simply mix up a tiny quantity of the hand feeding formula until it reaches a consistency close to that of pudding. Then offer some of the mixture to your bird by putting some of the formula on a plastic spoon. If all is well he should eat it right off the spoon.

Lastly, you should not be afraid to interact with your new pet bird, just make sure you don't get out of hand and overdo it. At first you should only try to work with him for 10 minutes at a time and no more. If he continually flies away and you notice your self having to chase and catch him, Just put him away back in his cage for a bit until he starts to calm down. Every time you chase and catch your bird it cause him some stress, which is something we are trying to minimize for our new friend.

Source: http://petsknowledgeera.blogspot.com/2013/03/tips-for-your-pet-birds-first-month-home.html

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