'Moral realism' may lead to better moral behavior

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013
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Contact: Patti Delaney
patricia.delaney@bc.edu
Boston College

New report by Boston College researchers

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. Getting people to think about morality as a matter of objective facts rather than subjective preferences may lead to improved moral behavior, Boston College researchers report in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In two experiments, one conducted in-person and the other online, participants were primed to consider a belief in either moral realism (the notion that morals are like facts) or moral antirealism (the belief that morals reflect people's preferences) during a solicitation for a charitable donation. In both experiments, those primed with moral realism pledged to give more money to the charity than those primed with antirealism or those not primed at all.

"There is significant debate about whether morals are processed more like objective facts, like mathematical truths, or more like subjective preferences similar to whether vanilla or chocolate tastes better," said lead researcher Liane Young, assistant professor of psychology at Boston College. "We wanted to explore the impact of these different meta-ethical views on actual behavior."

Ideas have previously been advanced on the subject, but Young and her former research assistant A.J. Durwin, now a law student at Hofstra University, are the first to directly investigate the question.

In one experiment, a street canvasser attempted to solicit donations from passersby for a charity that aids impoverished children. Participants in one set were asked a leading question to prime a belief in moral realism: "Do you agree that some things are just morally right or wrong, good or bad, wherever you happen to be from in the world?" Those in a second set were asked a question to prime belief in moral antirealism: "Do you agree that our morals and values are shaped by our culture and upbringing, so there are no absolute right answers to any moral questions?" Participants in a control set were not asked any priming question.

In this experiment, participants primed with realism were twice as likely to be donors, compared to those primed with antirealism or not primed at all.

A second experiment, conducted online, yielded similar results. Participants asked to donate money to a charity of their choice who were primed with realism reported being willing to give more than those primed with antirealism or not primed at all.

"Priming participants to consider the notion that morals are like facts increased decisions to donate in both experiments, revealing the potential impact of meta-ethical views on everyday decision-making," said Young. "Simply asking participants to consider moral values, as we did with the antirealism prime, did not produce an effect," she said, "so priming morality in general may not necessarily lead to better behavior. Considering the existence of non-negotiable moral facts may have raised the stakes and motivated participants to behave better."

Since "real" moral stakes may be accompanied by "real" consequences whether good (e.g., helping others, enhanced self-esteem) or bad (e.g., retribution), priming a belief in moral realism may in fact prompt people to behave better, in line with their existing moral beliefs, the researchers say.

The researchers note that priming a belief in moral realism may enhance moral behavior under certain conditions such as when the right thing to do is relatively unambiguous (e.g., it is good to be generous). A different outcome could be possible when subjects are faced with more controversial moral issues, they say.

Liane Young's research frequently focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of moral judgment and behavior. In 2012, she was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and was named a Dana Neuroscience Scholar by the Dana Foundation, which also awarded her a three-year grant to support her study of brain activity and moral decision-making in individuals with autism, a project that will provide a valuable research opportunity for BC undergraduates. In addition, she received the 2011 Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Social Neuroscience from the Society for Social Neuroscience, among other honors.

Her research on attributions of responsibility to groups (e.g., corporations) versus members of groups was published in the journal Psychological Science in 2012; she is also co-author of a study of moral judgments in adults with autism that was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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The study, "Moral Realism as Moral Motivation: The Impact of Meta-Ethics on Everyday Decision-Making," was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. It appears in the March 2013 print edition of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.11.013.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Patti Delaney
patricia.delaney@bc.edu
Boston College

New report by Boston College researchers

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. Getting people to think about morality as a matter of objective facts rather than subjective preferences may lead to improved moral behavior, Boston College researchers report in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In two experiments, one conducted in-person and the other online, participants were primed to consider a belief in either moral realism (the notion that morals are like facts) or moral antirealism (the belief that morals reflect people's preferences) during a solicitation for a charitable donation. In both experiments, those primed with moral realism pledged to give more money to the charity than those primed with antirealism or those not primed at all.

"There is significant debate about whether morals are processed more like objective facts, like mathematical truths, or more like subjective preferences similar to whether vanilla or chocolate tastes better," said lead researcher Liane Young, assistant professor of psychology at Boston College. "We wanted to explore the impact of these different meta-ethical views on actual behavior."

Ideas have previously been advanced on the subject, but Young and her former research assistant A.J. Durwin, now a law student at Hofstra University, are the first to directly investigate the question.

In one experiment, a street canvasser attempted to solicit donations from passersby for a charity that aids impoverished children. Participants in one set were asked a leading question to prime a belief in moral realism: "Do you agree that some things are just morally right or wrong, good or bad, wherever you happen to be from in the world?" Those in a second set were asked a question to prime belief in moral antirealism: "Do you agree that our morals and values are shaped by our culture and upbringing, so there are no absolute right answers to any moral questions?" Participants in a control set were not asked any priming question.

In this experiment, participants primed with realism were twice as likely to be donors, compared to those primed with antirealism or not primed at all.

A second experiment, conducted online, yielded similar results. Participants asked to donate money to a charity of their choice who were primed with realism reported being willing to give more than those primed with antirealism or not primed at all.

"Priming participants to consider the notion that morals are like facts increased decisions to donate in both experiments, revealing the potential impact of meta-ethical views on everyday decision-making," said Young. "Simply asking participants to consider moral values, as we did with the antirealism prime, did not produce an effect," she said, "so priming morality in general may not necessarily lead to better behavior. Considering the existence of non-negotiable moral facts may have raised the stakes and motivated participants to behave better."

Since "real" moral stakes may be accompanied by "real" consequences whether good (e.g., helping others, enhanced self-esteem) or bad (e.g., retribution), priming a belief in moral realism may in fact prompt people to behave better, in line with their existing moral beliefs, the researchers say.

The researchers note that priming a belief in moral realism may enhance moral behavior under certain conditions such as when the right thing to do is relatively unambiguous (e.g., it is good to be generous). A different outcome could be possible when subjects are faced with more controversial moral issues, they say.

Liane Young's research frequently focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of moral judgment and behavior. In 2012, she was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and was named a Dana Neuroscience Scholar by the Dana Foundation, which also awarded her a three-year grant to support her study of brain activity and moral decision-making in individuals with autism, a project that will provide a valuable research opportunity for BC undergraduates. In addition, she received the 2011 Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Social Neuroscience from the Society for Social Neuroscience, among other honors.

Her research on attributions of responsibility to groups (e.g., corporations) versus members of groups was published in the journal Psychological Science in 2012; she is also co-author of a study of moral judgments in adults with autism that was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

###

The study, "Moral Realism as Moral Motivation: The Impact of Meta-Ethics on Everyday Decision-Making," was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. It appears in the March 2013 print edition of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.11.013.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/bc-rm012913.php

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Brent crude holds steady above $113 on positive US data

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady above $113 on Tuesday on hopes that economic growth might be picking up in the world's largest oil consumer after a gauge of planned U.S. business spending rose in December, adding to recent positive global economic data.

But traders remained cautious ahead of a U.S. monetary policy meeting and economic reports out of the United States and China this week.

Brent crude edged up 8 cents to $113.56 a barrel by 0238 GMT, while U.S. crude rose 19 cents to $96.63.

Markets were waiting for trading cues from the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday and payroll data due on Friday, said Tetsu Emori, a commodities fund manager at Astmax Investments in Tokyo.

"I don't think there's much downside risk," he said. "I think economic data out of the United States has improved, so i don't think there are any negative factors in the market."

Risk appetite has been improving after a raft of positive global economic data.

The Commerce Department said on Monday that orders for non-defence capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for investment plans, edged up 0.2 percent last month.

Many economists expected businesses to invest more timidly late last year because of uncertainty over government spending cuts and tax increases that had been due to kick in this month. Congress ultimately struck a last-minute deal to avoid or delay most of the austerity measures.

Despite the uncertainty, Monday's data pointed to growing economic momentum as companies sensed improved consumer demand.

The Federal Reserve, whose policy-setting panel concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday, has said it expects to keep short-term interest rates exceptionally low to help support the economy.

U.S. nonfarm payroll figures due on Friday are likely to show the jobless rate unchanged in January and that the U.S. economy created 155,000 jobs, economists polled by Reuters say.

MIDDLE EAST TENSION

Persisting tension in the Middle East and Africa also supported oil. Iran said on Monday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.

Suspected Islamist militants attacked an oil pipeline in northern Algeria, killing two guards and wounding seven other people, a security source told Reuters.

In Egypt, thousands of protesters ignored a curfew to take to the streets in cities along the Suez canal, defying a state of emergency imposed by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to end days of violence that has killed at least 51 people.

Overall, the world oil market should remain well supplied in 2013 and OPEC does not need to trim back its oil output, Secretary-General Abdullah al-Badri said.

GASOLINE PRICES HIGHER

Gasoline hit a near three-month high following news that an oil refinery in the U.S. northeast region will close, which could boost oil demand.

The loss of the plant, the latest in the region to fall victim to poor profits, tightened the supply outlook for the Northeast, which is likely to have to rely more on imports and supplies from the Gulf Coast, according to analysts.

"As US refiners typically build up stocks over spring to meet peak summer demand, the closure of this refinery is supporting ideas that the supply of gasoline in the summer could tighten," ANZ analysts said in a note on Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brent-crude-holds-steady-above-113-positive-us-051807144--finance.html

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Venezuela prison riot kills 61, government mum

URIBANA, Venezuela (Reuters) - A prison riot in southwestern Venezuela killed 61 people, a hospital official said on Sunday, although the government has refused to give an official death toll in the bloody standoff that highlighted chaos in the country's jails.

The violence took place on Friday at the Uribana jail near the city of Barquisimeto. Relatives who gathered outside the jail fumed at the lack of information from authorities who have started transferring prisoners to other facilities but have not confirmed how many were killed.

The rioting took place at a time when cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez remains in Cuba receiving treatment and with Vice President Nicolas Maduro - the notional head of state - visiting the socialist leader in Havana and then traveling to a summit in Chile.

The riot was the fourth high-profile conflict in 18 months in a prison system that houses three times the number of inmates it was designed to hold. Critics say it is controlled by gangs with ready access to machine guns and even hand grenades.

"We're suffering here, and the government is saying nothing," said Josefina Ramirez, 36, whose 25-year-old husband was inside. "We want Chavez to come here to give us news. We want an answer."

Chavez has not been seen or heard from in 45 days, which has spurred criticism from opposition leaders that the country is effectively without a president. Allies insist he is fully carrying out duties.

Ruy Medina, director of the Barquisimeto Central Hospital, put the death toll at 61.

A hand-written list posted on a barbed wire fence outside the Uribana jail listed 20 dead and 104 injured. Outside the nearby morgue, where hearses lined up on Saturday to collect bodies, a similar list showed 24 dead.

It was not known who posted the lists. A prisons ministry official did not respond to requests for comment. Amid the silence, rumors circulated among family members at the prison gates that the death toll had reached as high as 400.

'BUNCH OF DEAD PEOPLE'

"There's a bunch of dead people tossed on the ground in there, the government doesn't want to take them out to avoid showing the reality," said Veronica Chavez, whose husband told her he was being transferred to another prison but did not know which. She called the list outside the prison "a lie."

Maduro vowed a full investigation of the incident in pre-dawn comments on Saturday just after arriving back in Venezuela from Havana. Within hours, he left to meet with Latin American and European dignitaries at a summit in Chile.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff scrapped her agenda at that summit and returned home after a nightclub fire killed at least 232 people.

Prisons Minister Iris Varela in a news conference said the riot was triggered by reports in the opposition media about plans to search the prison to remove weapons. "It seems as though their thirst for blood and terrible things will never be quenched," she said, referring to media.

Varela said reports had exaggerated the number of dead by including prisoners whose bodies showed signs they died several days before the incident - comments that critics seized as further evidence of the cruelty of the penitentiary system.

"They're not dogs, they're not animals, they're people like us," said Angelia Ibarra, 42, seeking information about her 25-year-old son inside. "The true animals are the government people."

Venezuelan jails have been increasingly in the headlines because of repeated shootouts and riots as well as conditions that are both outrageously cruel and downright surreal.

Inmates refusing to be transferred out of a Caracas prison battled security forces in May for days as smoke rose above the compound and shots rang out. Chavez later said he called from Cuba, where he was receiving medical treatment, and spoke with one of the inmates to help negotiate an end to the standoff.

Local media last year published a story about a nightclub called Disco Tokio that held a Mother's Day party that featured musical groups flown in from Colombia and Puerto Rico. The club was located inside the Tocoron jail.

An online animated series about jail violence called "Jail or Hell," produced by a former inmate, has drawn a following among Venezuelans captivated by the chaos of the prisons.

(Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-prison-riot-kills-61-government-mum-193314251.html

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Elephants find sanctuary in Kenya amid rampant poaching

Workers at a Kenyan sanctuary for elephants who have lost their mothers, many through rampant poaching, talk about how they care for one of Africa's most endangered species. By NBC's William Angelucci.

By Ron Allen, Correspondent, NBC News

Kenyan police announced on Jan. 15 they had seized the biggest haul ever of smuggled elephant ivory. Two tons of ivory valued at around $1.5 million was stuffed in a container at the port of Mombasa.

"This is a big catch, the biggest ever single seizure of ivory at the port of Mombasa," Kiberenge Seroney, the port's police officer in charge of criminal investigations, told Reuters.

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"We fail to understand where one gathers the courage to park such enormous quantities of ivory, hoping that they can slip through our security systems."

Earlier in the month, poachers killed a family of 11 elephants in the single biggest slaughter of the animals on record in the east African country.

The harrowing news prompted NBC News cameraman William Angelucci to pull out a video he had filmed at a unique elephant orphanage in the country.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has been trying to save African elephants since the 1970s. It takes in young elephants that have been orphaned by the slaughter of their mothers and fathers for their tusks. The staff essentially become surrogate parents, feeding the youngsters by hand. As they grow older, for some elephants, humans are the only "parents" they've known.

So far, more than 80 elephants have been reintroduced to the wild after reaching an age between eight to 10 years old. That, however, doesn't end the relationship. The trust?s handlers say many of the animals "keep in touch," and even have brought their own young to visit their human families.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related content:

'A big catch': Record two tons of ivory seized in Kenya

Elephants slaughtered, orphan found in latest Africa poaching

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/25/16699075-orphaned-elephants-find-sanctuary-in-kenya-amid-rampant-poaching?lite

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Death penalty for 21 for Egypt soccer violence

CAIRO (AP) ? An Egyptian court sentenced 21 people to death on charges related to one of the world's deadliest incidents of soccer violence, which killed 74 mostly teenage fans of Egypt's most popular sports club last year.

The verdict comes after a day of clashes between security forces and protesters opposed to Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi that left seven dead.

Fans of al-Ahly, whose stands were attacked by rival club Al-Masry in the Feb. 1 incident in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, had promised more violence if the accused did not receive death sentences.

Families of the victims shouted "Allahu Akbar!," or God is great, after the judge read out his verdict. One man fainted, while others wailed and cried in disbelief as they carried pictures of the young men killed in the soccer riot.

Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid said in his statement read live on state TV that he would announce the verdict for the remaining 52 defendants on March 9.

Among those on trial are nine security officials.

Many Ultras, or die-hard soccer fans, have taken a leading role in protests over the past two years. Both Al-Ahly Ultras and Al-Masry Ultras widely believe that ex-members of the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak helped instigate the attack, and that the police at the very least were responsible for gross negligence.

It is not clear what kind of evidence, if any, was presented to the court to back up claims that the attack had been orchestrated by regime officials.

As is customary in Egypt, the death sentences will be sent to the nation's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for approval, though the court has final say on the matter.

All of the defendants ? who were not present in the courtroom Saturday for security reasons ? have the right to appeal the verdict.

The melee was the world's deadliest soccer violence in 15 years.

In the days leading up to the verdict, Al-Ahly fans warned of bloodshed and "retribution" if death sentences were not handed down. Hundreds of Al-Ahly fans gathered outside the Cairo sports club in anticipation of the verdict, chanting against the police and the government.

"The police are thugs!" yelled relatives of the deceased inside the courtroom before the judge took the bench.

The violence began after the Port Said home team won the Feb. 1 match, 3-1. Al-Masry fans stormed the pitch after the game ended, attacking Cairo's Al-Ahly fans.

Authorities shut off the stadium lights, plunging it into darkness. In the exit corridor, the fleeing crowd pressed against a chained gate until it broke open. Many were crushed under the crowd of people trying to flee.

Survivors of the riot described a nightmarish scene in the stadium. Police stood by doing nothing, they said, as fans of Al-Masry attacked supporters of the top Cairo club stabbing them and throwing them off bleachers.

Al-Ahly survivors said supporters of Al-Masry carved the words "Port Said" into their bodies and undressed them while beating them with iron bars.

While there has long been bad blood between the two rival teams, many blamed police for failing to perform usual searches for weapons at the stadium.

The soccer fans, known as Ultras, are among Egypt's rowdiest and are proud of their hatred for the police, who were the backbone of Mubarak's authoritarian rule. The Ultras then directed their chants against the military rulers who took over after Mubarak's ouster in 2011 until Morsi came to power in elections last June.

The Ultras from Egypt's sports clubs were engaged in deadly clashes with police near the Interior Ministry headquarters in Cairo that killed 42 people less than three months before the soccer melee in Port Said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/death-penalty-21-egypt-soccer-violence-091706473.html

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Dot Earth Blog: Weaker Global Warming Seen in Study Promoted by Norway's Research Council

Purveyors of climate doubt have seized on a news release from the Research Council of Norway with this provocative title: ?Global warming less extreme than feared?? The release describes new research finding that global warming from the buildup of greenhouse gases will be on the low end of the persistently wide spread of projections by other research groups. (There?s a presentation describing the work below.)

This may well end up being the case (I?d give it higher than even odds; even so, that doen?t justify an ?all clear? alert). But this particular analysis has, as yet, not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. This means that although the release comes from a prestigious government science agency, the work needs a publicity before publication caution label. I created one just for this purpose (above) and will use it when needed.

This is hardly the first instance of a promotion-before-review approach to climate discourse. For instance, Richard Muller?s Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project took this path (one of that group?s five papers has finally made it into a journal). (This phenomenon is not limited to climate science, of course; here?s an example related to the fight over gas drilling.)

Earlier today I sent the following query to the Research Council of Norway and I?ll update this post when I hear more:?

With some urgency I?m trying to get some clarity on the status of the climate sensitivity analysis that the Research Council promoted yesterday. Is it published in a peer-reviewed journal? The only relevant study I could find was published last year (see below).

Perhaps it?s more like a U.S. National Academy report? If so, please describe the level of peer review. The work is being?aggressively disseminated?by bloggers and news outlets that focus on any research casting doubt on the importance of greenhouse-driven warming.

Thanks for any input clarifying the status of the research and explaining why it was released now if it?s?not yet accepted for publication?

I included a link to a presentation on the paper (which you can read below) and to this relevant paper from last year:

Bayesian estimation of climate sensitivity based on a simple climate model fitted to observations of hemispheric temperatures and global ocean heat content

Magne Aldrin,?Marit Holden,?Peter Guttorp,?Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Gunnar Myhre,?Terje Koren Berntsen

Here?s a presentation about the new analysis of global warming (the closest thing I?ve seen to the paper itself):

Norwegian Study Finds Limited Warming from Doubled Greenhouse Gases by Andrew Revkin

Finally, for those who want to dig in a bit, here?s a comment I received from Reto Knutti, a Swiss climate scientist, after I sent the Norwegian release and presentation around:

As you said, Aldrin et al. (DOI: 10.1002/env.2140) is published, whereas Skeie et al. is not yet as far as I know. But here are some thoughts that are largely independent of this paper to put these types of studies in context.

If you look at the Fig. 3a in our review (red lines at the top) you see that many previous estimates based on the observed warming/ocean heat uptake had a tendency to peak at values below 3?C (that review is from 2008). The Norwegian study is just another one of these studies looking at the global energy budget. The first ones go back more than a decade, so the idea is hardly new. The idea is always the same: if you assume a distribution for the observed warming, the ocean heat uptake, and the radiative forcing, then you can derive a distribution for climate sensitivity.

What is obvious is that including the data of the past few years pushes the estimates of climate sensitivity downward, because there was little warming over the past decade despite a larger greenhouse gas forcing. Also in some datasets the ocean warming in the top 700 meters is rather small, with very small uncertainties (Levitus GRL 2012), pushing the sensitivity down further. However, in my view one should be careful in over interpreting these results for several reasons:

a) the uncertainties in the assumed radiative forcings are still very large. Recently, Solomon et al. Science (2010, 2011) raised questions about the stratospheric water vapor and aerosol, and just days ago there was another paper arguing for a larger effect of black carbon (http://www.agu.org/news/press/pr_archives/2013/2013-01.shtml, a massive 280 pages?).

b) Results are sensitive to the data used, as shown by Libardoni and Forest DOI: 10.1029/2011GL049431 and others, and particularly sensitive to how the last decade of data is treated. Very different methods (detection attribution optimal fingerprint) have also shown that the last decade makes a difference (Gillett et al. 2011, doi:10.1029/2011GL050226).

c) The uncertainties in the ocean heat uptake may be underestimated by Levitus, and there are additional uncertainties regarding the role of deep ocean heat uptake (Meehl et al. 2011 Nature Climate Change).

Even though we have many of these studies (and I am responsible for a couple of them) I?m getting more and more nervous about them, because they are so sensitive to the climate model, the prior distributions, the forcing, the ocean data, the error model, etc. The reason for this, to a large extent, is that the data constraint is weak, so the outcome (posterior) is dominated by what you put in (prior).

It is important to note that the IPCC assessment of climate sensitivity is based on many lines of evidence (see Fig. 3 in our 2008 review for an overview). The observed energy budget is just one of them. The latest paleoclimate synthesis (Rohling et al. Nature 2012) supports the ?likely 2-4.5?C?, and all GCMs have sensitivities in the range 2-5?C, the mean in CMIP5 is above 3?C, and once you start evaluating models with observations that tends to get pushed upward (Fasullo and Trenberth, Science 2012).

Finally, note that the effect of the last few years of data is smaller on the transient climate response than on climate sensitivity. It?s the transient climate response (TCR) that determines the 21st century warming and peak warming.

Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/weaker-global-warming-seen-in-study-promoted-by-norways-research-council/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Exclusive: Goldman finds a way past Volcker with new credit fund

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group is looking to raise up to $600 million from its wealthy customers for a publicly traded credit fund that will provide loans to mid-sized companies - believed to be the first fund of its kind for the Wall Street bank.

The new fund, in which Goldman could invest another $150 million of its own money, is being structured as a business development company, an investment vehicle that is specifically exempt from the so-called Volcker Rule that puts limits on some activities by Wall Street firms.

A January marketing brochure for the fund, reviewed by Reuters, said the fund will provide loans to "underserved middle market public and private companies" that commercial banks have largely refrained lending to since the financial crisis began.

The fund is a way for Goldman to keep a hand in the credit business despite new constraints on trading credit products that are expected to come with the finalization of the Volcker Rule. The rule that would ban proprietary trading carries exemptions in its current form for lending and small business development.

A spokesman for Goldman's asset management group, which is sponsoring the Goldman Sachs Liberty Harbor Capital fund, declined to comment.

The fund's portfolio, valued at around $50 million, already includes an average stake of about $8.5 million in six companies, with a weighted average yield of roughly 11 percent, according to the brochure. The investments are in both senior secured loans and unsecured high-yield debt.

The new fund comes at a time that Wall Street firms are looking to find new ways to entice their best brokerage customers into new products. While business development companies are not a new innovation, the Goldman fund could be a sign of things to comes from Wall Street firms as they adjust to prospect of lesser trading dollars because of the Volcker rule.

The Volcker rule is named after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

The rule, which is still being hashed out by regulators, would limit the kind of activities Wall Street banks can engage in, including capping the amount of money firms like Goldman can invest in their own hedge funds and private equity funds and preventing them from trading certain kinds of financial products for their own accounts.

Changes banks including Goldman have made in anticipation of the Volcker Rule's prop-trading ban have already altered the competitive landscape noticeably in the credit space. Last fall a managing director at the private equity firm Blackstone Group took a jab at Goldman and other Wall Street banks, thanking Volcker for taking away its largest competitor in the credit space.

And while it is unlikely that funds that extend loans to businesses will be impacted by the Volcker rule, Goldman is one of several Wall Street firms that has lobbied regulators to make clear that loans made by credit funds are no different from traditional bank loans.

Jaret Seiberg, senior policy analyst at Guggenheim Partners, said it would make sense for Wall Street's biggest banks to follow Goldman's lead.

"Lending is outside the scope of the Volcker Rule, so investing in loans seems like a smart strategy going forward," Seiberg said.

In its current form, the Volcker Rule also exempts investments that are designed primarily to help develop small businesses and, as the rule puts it, "promote the public welfare."

"'We like small business,' is the historical background," said Rick Carnell, a professor at Fordham Law School who focuses on regulation. "Banking law contains various exemptions for financing small business which go back decades."

The managers of the Goldman fund are the same group of portfolio managers that have oversee group of credit hedge funds for Goldman's asset management group, some of which also make business loans.

The Liberty Harbor group is led by Gregg Felton, who joined Goldman in 2006 for the now defunct hedge fund Amaranth Advisors.

Business development companies function much like real estate investment trusts and pay out 90 percent of the ordinary income they generate by way of dividends. Publicly traded business development companies provide an opportunity for investors to easily move in and out of the fund by buying or selling shares.

According to the marketing materials, if Goldman takes the fund public, it expects to do so by July 1, 2015.

As opposed to a traditional credit fund, business development companies offer investors greater transparency into investments because the funds must comply with all Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory filing requirements.

(Reporting by Matthew Goldstein and Emily Flitter; Editing by Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-goldman-finds-way-past-volcker-credit-fund-210416659--sector.html

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Ace Daily Photo 1.24. 2013 The Lexington Tattoo Project | Ace Weekly

Ace Daily Photo
1.23.2013

The Lexington Tattoo Project: The Secret Identity

The Lexington Tattoo Project is a community art initiative from Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova in the form of a poem to Lexington written?as permanent tattoos?on the bodies of Lexington.? They are taking photographs of each tattoo and will use these photographs to create a video that animates the poem?read by its author, Bianca Spriggs.

Today, project sponsor Nick Kouns went under the needle at Charmed Life under Robert?s expert ink, for The Secret Identity.

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Letter from the Poet, Bianca Spriggs

Dear Tattoo-Happy Lexingtonians:

Thank you for wanting to put my words on your body. This is the largest collaborative work I?ve ever had the pleasure of participating in, so I am raising the proverbial roof right now in your honor. I figured a few of you might be interested in how I wrote this poem. I rarely reveal the slight of hand that is involved with penning a piece, but for you, anything. So, for those who are interested in my process, behold:

First, the form. This type of poem is my favorite to tackle (only the best for y?all) called a contrapuntal. It is actually three poems in one. Here?s how you read a contrapuntal. You start with the left side as its own complete standalone poem (in this case, a narrative poem, or a poem that tells a story). Then, you read the right side as its own poem (in this case, a list poem, or a poem that sounds like what it is: a list). Then you read both sides from left to right and a third poem floats to the surface which could not have existed without its disparate parts. For those of you who are hardcore grammarians, you can relax. The third poem cares nothing for your earthly rules of punctuation. This is THEE universe we?re talking about here. Take the day off and enjoy my mad stream-of-cosmos skills.

As for the content, at its core, this is a love poem to, about, and for our city. I wanted to capture a bit of recklessness and headiness and heightened sensation and euphoria, the trappings of true love, but also work in some of the complexities that reveal themselves in any relationship as people grow together. Over the past few months, I?ve been using social media and personal interviews to figure out the best beloved locations and sentiments about our city. So, the narrative portion is all about name-dropping some of the more recognized spots in Lexington. Alas, if I had included everyone?s, well, we?d never be done with this project, so I included those which were mentioned the most. For the list poem, these were actual responses when I asked folks to fill in the blank: Lexington is the ____________ of the Universe.

Ultimately, this piece truly is written by you. I just did a little re-arranging here and there.

Live long and prosper,
Bianca

p.s. For you newbies?yes. Tattoos hurt. But like my good friend ?Cowboy? Dave, the steadfast bartender at Lynagh?s has been known to say, ?If it didn?t hurt, it didn?t happen.? Kinda like love. And poetry.

Source: http://www.aceweekly.com/2013/01/ace-daily-photo-1-24-2013-the-lexington-tattoo-project/

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Biometrics using internal body parts: Knobbly knees in competition with fingerprints

Jan. 23, 2013 ? Forget digital fingerprints, iris recognition and voice identification, the next big thing in biometrics could be your knobbly knees. Just as a fingerprints and other body parts are unique to us as individuals and so can be used to prove who we are, so too are our kneecaps. Computer scientist Lior Shamir of Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan, has now demonstrated how a knee scan could be used to single us out.

The approach based on MRI could be used to quickly register and identify people in a moving queue as they approach passport control at airports for instance or as they walk through the entrance to an office block or other building.

Shamir has tested the approach and achieved accuracy of around 93 percent, this coupled with other factors such as possession of the correct passport, being in the right place at the right time or tied to other biometrics such as iris recognition and signature analysis could be used to prevent deception and fraud. Contact lenses can be used to dupe iris recognition systems, passports can be forged.

"Deceptive manipulation requires an invasive and complicated medical procedure, and therefore it is more resistant to spoofing compared to methods such as face, fingerprints, or iris," Shamir points out. It would be almost impossible to fake one's internal body parts including the kneecaps. Of course, kneecaps are a renowned target of irreversible and deleterious adjustment in the criminal world, but even then shattered kneecaps are likely to be unique to the victim in any case.

MRI scanning avoids health risk of scanning with ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, it would also avoid some of the privacy issues that have arisen with terahertz scanners that can "see" beneath a person's clothing, whereas MRI goes more than skin deep. There is a distinct problem with the implementation of MRI scanning in a security setting in that MRI scanners are very large machines and take a long time to acquire an image of even a small body part such as the kneecap. However, developments in MRI technology are fast moving and it is likely that within the medium term more portable and faster equipment will emerge that could fulfill the security role.

"Further studies will develop the concept of internal biometrics, and will lead to automatic identification methods that are highly resistant to spoofing," concludes Shamir.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Inderscience Publishers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Lior Shamir. MRI-based knee image for personal identification. International Journal of Biometrics, 2013 (in press)

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/PPfSEJGTR4k/130123115352.htm

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Dayton budget would boost spending and increase high-income taxes

Gov. Mark Dayton outlined his ?Budget for a Better Minnesota? plan?[PDF] Tuesday, recommending substantial tax changes, including the promised higher income taxes on top income-earners, property tax relief and lower?? but broader?? sales tax.

Dayton proposed spending $37.9 billion in the next biennium, an increase of 7.6 percent over the current biennium. He also called for $3.6 billion in tax increases, $1.4 billion in property tax relief and $1 billion in new spending, plus $225 million in spending cuts.

Included in the budget ?package? [PDF] ? which also fills in a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit ? are:

• An income tax hike on the top 2 percent of Minnesotans ? couples with taxable income of $250,000 or more ? totaling $1.1 billion. (Individuals with taxable income of more than $150,000 also would be affected.)
• A broadening of the sales tax base to include clothing costing more than $100 and online goods and services, with a reduction of the rate from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent, resulting in $2.1 billion in new revenue.
• Property tax relief of up to $500 per family, totaling a $1.4 billion reduction.
• A 94-cent tax increase for tobacco, totaling $370 million.
• A $300 million increase in K-12 education funding, $240 million in new money for higher education and $120 million for Local Government Aid and County Program Aid.

?Some will say we spend too much in this budget, and some will say we don?t spend enough,? Dayton said. ?To those who claim this spending is too high, I challenge you to say exactly where more cuts should be made. And to those who say we need to spend more, I challenge you to say exactly where the money should come from.?

Expenditure growth in Governor's proposal over current biennium

Source: Minnesota Management & Budget

*Debt service and all other areas (capital projects) growth distorted by use use of tobacco/appropriation bonds in FY 2012-13 budget solution

The governor said his budget plan will end the ?fiscal games, accounting gimmicks, payment delays and other financial manipulations? of the last decade.

Dayton?s proposal marks the starting point for legislative negotiations over the state?s two-year budget. Legislative committees are scheduled to begin picking through the specifics of the proposal on Wednesday. Last week, lawmakers started considering tax changes that they expected would be included in Dayton?s larger package.

Although the governor enjoys friendly majorities in the House and Senate for the first time in two decades, political and geographic considerations all but ensure a messy path toward a finished budget deal.

Republicans are poised to oppose DFL-backed tax increases, and the governor himself has rejected some plans ? such as a proposed gas tax hike to fund Minnesota?s ailing roads and bridges.

Revenue growth in Governor's proposal over current biennium

Source: Minnesota Management & Budget

Some of the key seats DFLers picked up in November to regain control of the Legislature are occupied by suburbanites who may be reluctant to support some of Dayton?s tax proposals.

Lawmakers may also face difficulty selling the expanded sales tax to businesses and Minnesotans who are accustomed to the exemptions on clothes and services. Expanding state taxes to online purchases may face an easier path because it has business community support and has been framed as a fairness issue for local businesses.

On top of the medley of tax increases and spending cuts, herding 201 lawmakers toward a final product will pose logistical challenges. The DFL lawmakers in charge of legislative policy areas ? from Health and Human Services to the powerful Senate Finance Committee ? have significantly more experience than the governor in state budgeting, a departure from the relatively fresh class of GOP lawmakers that took over last session.

Legislative priorities ? highlighted in some of the first bills of the session ? range from paying back the school shift to property tax relief. Dayton?s proposal doesn?t include funding to pay back the shift.

DFL lawmakers complained during the governor?s first budget negotiations ? which came in the midst of the painful 2011 government shutdown ? that Dayton ignored the minority caucuses when he struck a controversial deal with Republicans to solve the state?s then-$5 billion shortfall and end the government shutdown.

It?s unclear how the governor and the newly graduated DFL leaders will grow into their fresh negotiating roles ? though Dayton, House Speaker Paul Thissen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk have said they got to know each other well during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, which they?ve stressed will come in handy.

House and Senate Democrats and Republicans are offering their early reactions to the governor?s Tuesday afternoon.

Bakk has said Dayton enjoys an advantage in the budgeting process because he has direct access to the state agencies. Lawmakers mostly spent the first two weeks of session reviewing the November budget forecast and getting acquainted with their committees? budget sectors while Dayton put the finishing touches on his proposal.

Despite the governor?s exhaustive budget planning, drastic fluctuations in the national economy could mean the package lawmakers ultimately pass closer to May will look a lot different than the one unveiled today.

State finance officials said the November economic forecast, which helped shape the governor?s budget proposal, was one of the shakiest projections they had ever seen.

?In my tenure here, I cannot remember a forecast with so much uncertainty built in,? Bakk told reporters after it was released in early December.

Uncertainty over the fiscal cliff crisis and other federal budget negotiations led state officials in December to conclude that the next economic forecast ? set for release on Feb. 28 ? would be key in budget decisions.

But with the national uncertainty delayed rather than solved, the February forecast might not provide the clarity that lawmakers are counting on.

Current projections indicate the state will have roughly $35.8 billion to spend over the next two years, but the forecast shows $36.9 billion in revenue needed to maintain current funding levels.

?The future really is at stake,? Dayton said in explaining why he wants to boost spending to $37.9 billion.

Source: http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2013/01/dayton-budget-would-boost-spending-and-increase-high-income-taxes

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Betelgeuse braces for a collision

Jan. 22, 2013 ? Multiple arcs are revealed around Betelgeuse, the nearest red supergiant star to Earth, in a new image from ESA's Herschel space observatory. The star and its arc-shaped shields could collide with an intriguing dusty 'wall' in 5000 years.

Betelgeuse rides on the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter. It can easily be seen with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere winter night sky as the orange-red star above and to the left of Orion's famous three-star belt.

Roughly 1000 times the diameter of our Sun and shining 100 000 times more brightly, Betelgeuse's impressive statistics come with a cost. For this star is likely on its way to a spectacular supernova explosion, having already swelled into a red supergiant and shed a significant fraction of its outer layers.

The new far-infrared view from Herschel shows how the star's winds are crashing against the surrounding interstellar medium, creating a bow shock as the star moves through space at speeds of around 30 km/s.

A series of broken, dusty arcs ahead of the star's direction of motion testify to a turbulent history of mass loss.

Closer to the star itself, an inner envelope of material shows a pronounced asymmetric structure. Large convective cells in the star's outer atmosphere have likely resulted in localised, clumpy ejections of dusty debris at different stages in the past.

An intriguing linear structure is also seen further away from the star, beyond the dusty arcs. While some earlier theories proposed that this bar was a result of material ejected during a previous stage of stellar evolution, analysis of the new image suggests that it is either a linear filament linked to the Galaxy's magnetic field, or the edge of a nearby interstellar cloud that is being illuminated by Betelgeuse.

If the bar is a completely separate object, then taking into account the motion of Betelgeuse and its arcs and the separation between them and the bar, the outermost arc will collide with the bar in just 5000 years, with the red supergiant star itself hitting the bar roughly 12 500 years later.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Space Agency.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. L. Decin, N. L. J. Cox, P. Royer, A. J. Van Marle, B. Vandenbussche, D. Ladjal, F. Kerschbaum, R. Ottensamer, M. J. Barlow, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, H. L. Gomez, M. A. T. Groenewegen, T. Lim, B. M. Swinyard, C. Waelkens, A. G. G. M. Tielens. The enigmatic nature of the circumstellar envelope and bow shock surrounding Betelgeuse as revealed byHerschel. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012; 548: A113 DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219792

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/f3XG5-qt5T4/130122105615.htm

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Letter Of Credit Financing Explained Without All The Technical Bang ...

Today?s topic is Letter Of Credit financing without all the technical?jargon!

Find out what it is, how it works and more importantly what the requirements are.

Click below to find out exactly why you would use a letter of credit.

Watch the video and/or read the transcript below.

?

About the author

Julia is AR Cash Flows Sales and Marketing Manager, with a background in Advertising; she joined the team in 2011. Along with managing the sales department, she's is in charge of implementing all aspects of Marketing. With a passion for all things social, Julia is keen to keep you updated with the latest and greatest from the AR Cash Flow HQ. Need to ask Julia a question? email her at julia@arcashflow.com.au or leave a comment below.subscribing to my RSS feed. View all my articles.

Source: http://www.arcashflow.com.au/letter-credit-financing-explained-technical-bang/9212

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NFL looking into Brady's slide vs Ravens

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks up at the scoreboard during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks up at the scoreboard during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The NFL is looking into Tom Brady's leg-up slide that hit Ravens safety Ed Reed in the AFC championship game.

League spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday "any play of that nature is routinely reviewed."

Brady could be subject to a fine if the league believes he violated any player safety rules.

During the final minute of the first half, Brady slid at the end of an impromptu run. The quarterback's upraised leg hit the onrushing Reed, who temporarily limped away. Reed was not injured.

Reed says Brady attempted to apologize this week for the slide.

"He actually reached out to me, texted me," Reed told WJZ-FM in Baltimore. "I tried to text him back, but the message exploded after 12 seconds, so I had to call him. ... He's just apologized and what not. But I told him, 'You know, it's good, man.'"

Reed did not believe Brady was trying to hurt him.

"I know he's a great player," Reed said. "I respect Brady and his game for all it stands for, and I know he's not a dirty player. And emotions get going in the game."

Ravens safety Bernard Pollard said Monday that Brady should be disciplined by the NFL, which levies fines on defensive players for helmet-to-helmet hits.

"If you want to keep this going in the right direction, everyone should be penalized for their actions," Pollard said, adding Brady "knew what he was doing.

"It has to go both ways. Hopefully the NFL will do something about it. If they don't, that's fine. If they do, then that's fine."

Baltimore beat New England 28-13 for the AFC championship Sunday.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-22-FBN-NFL-Brady's-Slide/id-5ea67f832bc9437ba84715517410d39b

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Viessmann European Research Centre ? Call for Papers ? 2013 ...

The Chinese Economists Society (CES) calls for paper submissions for its 2013? CES China Conference, to be held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, JUNE 8-9 (Friday through Sunday), 2013. The local host for the conference is Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. The theme of the conference is ?The Chinese Financial System in Transition: Reforms, Policies, and Practices?. The conference consists of keynote and invited talks, roundtable forums, and parallel sessions. Arrival and registration of participants will take place on June 7. All speeches and sessions will be held June 8-9, and June 10 is reserved for post conference activities such as continuing education programs or sightseeing.

CES invites both CES and non- CES members to present papers and/or to propose organized sessions at the 2013 Conference. All fields of specialization within economics will be considered. Papers focusing on the Chinese economy and on the proposed conference theme will be given preference. The paper submission deadline is February 1^st, 2013.

PAPER SUBMISSIONS?

Individual paper submissions in English should at least include a title, an abstract of no more than 400 words and JEL code(s) with keywords. Those who submit a full paper together with an abstract will be considered with priority. All papers should be submitted via CES website at www.china-ces.org. You may submit only ONE paper. If you have a second paper to submit, it must be submitted and (if accepted) presented by your co-author. You will receive a notification by e-mail once your paper is accepted (or rejected) by March 15^th, 2013. Individual paper submission in Chinese should follow the guideline at the Chinese conference website at [http://riem.swufe.edu.cn].

ORGANIZED SESSIONS?

If you would like to organize one or more sessions on a specific topic and have speakers/presenters lined up, please contact Professor Tony Fang, CES President, for approval at Tfang06@gmail.com by January 15^th, 2013. The organized session should consist of 3 to 4 names of session presenters and their e-mails. Please note that papers included in the session must still go through the regular paper submission process through the CES website. However, the ?Comments? section of the form should make reference to the special session (e.g.? ?This paper is part of a special session on Urbanization organized by Prof. So and So). The applicable submission deadline is also February 1^st, 2013.?

INVITED SPEAKERS?

A partial list of confirmed international keynote and invited speakers includes:

Professor Christopher Pissarides, London School of Economics (2010 Nobel Laureate in Economics)

Professor James Mirrlees (Chinese University of Hong Kong and Cambridge University, 1996 Nobel Laureate in Economics)

Dr. Justin Yifu Lin (Peking University)

Professor Richard Freeman (Harvard University and NBER)

?

For more details please click here

?

Source: http://viessmanncentre.ca/call-for-papers-2013-ces-china-conference/

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Most Expensive and Least Expensive Homes in Alameda, From AOL ...

One of the most expensive homes for sale right now in Alameda is a 2,300-square-foot home that's been on the market for just over a week.

The four bedroom, three bathroom house at 2111 Mosley Avenue is listed at just under $700,000.

The least expensive house listed on the AOL real estate site is a one bedroom, one bathroom condominium 37330 Spruce Terrace. It's listed at $110,000.

RELATED

Bay Area Home Sales, Prices Surging?(SFGate, Jan. 16, 2013)

Source: http://alameda.patch.com/articles/most-expensive-and-least-expensive-homes-in-alameda

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Live SmackDown 700 Results: Jan. 18, 2013

SAN ANTONIO ? The landmark 700th episode of SmackDown started and ended with a bang, as the WWE Universe joined new World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio in a fiesta before the Mexican Superstar joined forces with Sheamus to defeat Big Show & Dolph Ziggler in an epic tag team match that left The World?s Largest Athlete all wet.

(PHOTOS)

One week after his World Heavyweight Championship victory over Big Show in an unforgettable Last Man Standing Match, Alberto Del Rio threw a fiesta for the ages. With the ring adorned in decorations and accompanied by the sounds of a Mariachi band, Del Rio welcomed the San Antonio crowd to ?Fiesta Del Rio?!

Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee and Big E Langston soon crashed the party, and using Big E as leverage, The Showoff threatened to cash in his Money in the Bank contract right then and there. A furiously silent Big Show arrived on the scene, tipping the scales even further against the Mexican Superstar ? just nine days before his World Title rematch at the Royal Rumble.

But Sheamus quickly evened the odds, and putting aside their differences, The Celtic Warrior congratulated Del Rio on his title victory, shaking his former rival?s hand and offering his services as the ?bouncer? for Del Rio?sfiesta.

Before things got out of hand, General Manager Booker T joined the party by making a mega match for the night ? Big Show & Dolph Ziggler against Del Rio & Sheamus!

Ordering the opposition out of the ring, Booker answered Del Rio?s call for a Spinaroonie, and with a reluctant jig from The Celtic Warrior, the party was officially underway.

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-01-18/live-results

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Violent J dispels skin cancer rumor | Faygoluvers

Violent J dispels skin cancer rumor

Friday 18th January, 2013 by ScottieD | 6 Comments

Juggalos and Juggalettes, I can?t even begin to count the number of emails that I received about this story when it first trolled its way onto the ?net. ?The?fake story?says that?Violent J has been diagnosed with skin cancer after years of wearing face paint. ?Unfortunately, a TON of Juggalos bought the hoax. ?We got countless emails from concerned Juggalos and Juggalettes asking about its validity, and why they haven?t actually come out and made it public yet. ?We chose NOT to post the story because we didn?t want to bring any attention to a website that was so ridiculous. ?Just read the article, its tone, and the other articles on the site. ?At any rate, the?Insane Clown Posse have addressed it via their twitter (@ICP):

So that?s the story! ?Violent J does NOT have skin cancer, and you don?t have to worry about it! ?Spread the REAL word about it y?all!

Contributors:

Websites:

Source: http://www.faygoluvers.net/v5/2013/01/violent-j-dispels-skin-cancer-rumor/

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Guidelines Intended for Promoting Plastic Surgery | Health and Fitness

The result-driven cosmetic treatments marketing plan should include the aim involving supplying relevant, and helpful details on approaching individuals to help them in making the appropriate decisions. In the present technically innovative world, numerous advertising techniques are available for the surgical treatment training, and it should choose the one which fits the training. Cosmetic plastic surgery marketing techniques may include affordable and non-monetary kinds of marketing techniques.

Those who have less monetary means, will pick the one that will cost less but still provide the result that you need. A more costly marketing can be chosen by those who can afford and want to get involved in electronic media ads and printing to market their services. Both offline and online promotion techniques are vital to succeed in the plastic surgery industry. Below are some helpful ideas and suggestions that can help you greatly in making your plastic surgery services a successful one:

Since a new aesthetic doctor, marketing a web based profile together with a new service could indicate that the majority of people usually are simple and easily within reach. As soon as a new guest will come in to your site, this site level of quality not to mention content and articles must always be reassuring to be able to encourage all the customer at going over to your own medical clinic. The web page layout as well as written content may always be classified and reassuring, whenever a new guest chooses for consultation all the facilities should be designed for examination. These internet websites must always be made when doing business with specialized service planning firms, primarily people that will get a great detailed knowledge when it comes to developing health-related sites. Applying 'before' plus 'after' images definitely will remain a powerful supplemental edge.

Your website is nothing if it is not optimized. An effective SEO marketing technique needs more work to be able to become visible on the net. Fresh SEO strategies like link building, articles, keyword research, blogs, directory submission, meta tags and others should be considered. This technique will attract your targeted visitors of localized possible patients to your plastic surgery site.

Social networking systems certainly are a craze nowadays. Make use of social network sites such as Social networks, Facebook and also LinkedIn to draw on an array of individuals. The largest reward an individual obtains is you can get connected to new and old individuals and remain hooked up. You actually may tackle their own concerns separately and even in complete confidence. Losing your web page weblink upon social network information may effortlessly lead a person's specific target audience home web page. Furthermore, you'll be able to efficiently utilize social networking in promoting ones plastic cosmetic surgery services and products.

Some associated a new generally successful, never-ending and also established approaches so that you can carry back in brand-new clients can be by way of personal references simply by content clients. In order to make sure clients do not abandon your current process, you should take care of these people very well, and also provide such as very much attention plus enjoyment seeing that, that you also can provide good service. Answer immediately towards their particular concerns prior to the right procedure. On top of that, spot a number of praise relating to medical patients whom convey testimonials and referrals.

Source: http://healthandfitnessabdussalamblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/guidelines-intended-for-promoting.html

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How to Teleport a Technology Writer - Industry Writers ...

Have you ever noticed how finding freelance technology writers is a lot like understanding that black monolith that floats through the storyline in Stanley Kubrick?s science fiction masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey? It?s difficult, but not impossible; after the second or third viewing of 2001, you might conclude the black monolith is the catalyst for evolution or mankind?s fear of the unknown, and after you tap into a couple of content writing services, chances are you?ll find that elusive tech writer, too.

The question, however, is why is it so difficult to find technology writers. Most everyone loves modern gadgets and devices, and writers are no exception, especially if they?re making a living writing web content. However, despite ubiquitous iPhones, tablets, and gaming systems, the nuts and bolts of how these gadgets work is something else entirely. From social media and cloud computing to software and coding, you might think that a writer who spends his or her days plugged into The Mainframe would know how every platform and level of that mainframe operates, but this is not the case at all. So how do you teleport a technology writer to work on your project?

Tech Speak and Mind Bending Jargon

Many writers shy away from picking up technology articles because of the mind bending jargon. Tech speak creates a lack of confidence in many writers, and this lack of confidence makes it easy for writers to boycott working on all technology articles. There are numerous writers out there who are competent and knowledgeable about technology, but they lack the confidence to take the job. In other words, unless you?re expecting the haute couture of tech articles (and maybe you want a blog that?s akin to a Wired or 21st Century cover story) take the extraneous jargon out of the instructions and replace it with layman?s terms; if not, you run the risk of having your order languish in the queue for an eternity. When you speak tech speak to a writer, you may as well be speaking in tongues.

There?s a Starman Waiting in the Clouds

Of course, there?s another reason many writers avoid technology articles. They can be dry, tedious, and repetitive to write, and when you couple that with spools of hi-tech and confusing terminology, many writers would rather watch paint dry that tackle a tech assignment. Instead of taking a nuts and bolts, workmanlike approach to your technology order, why not post the order with more emphasis on creativity and flair? Writers might be more willing to pick up the assignment, and readers, depending on the audience, might be more enthusiastic to read something like the following:

2001: A Space Odyssey: 5 Reasons Why the Black Monolith IS Technology

or

There?s a Starman Waiting in the Clouds: What Cloud Computing Can Do for You

Damon H is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.

Source: http://www.writeraccess.com/blog/how-to-teleport-a-technology-writer/

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Why the Patriots' no-huddle works so well against NFL defenses

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

Source: http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2013/1/16/3883814/why-the-patriots-no-huddle-works-so-well-against-nfl-defenses

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#1: Goals And How To Stick With Them All Year | Small Business ...

With the new year, our podcast is revived and have every intention of keeping it going through the year (and beyond). That?s the important thing isn?t it? Setting goals and wanting something for the new year is one thing. Taking action on it and keeping on doing it for the whole year is a whole other thing. What better way than to kick off our podcast talking just about that?

Join me (Lynette Chandler), Melissa Ingold of SpecialReportsClub.com and Kelly McCausey from SoloSmarts.com as we casually chat about:

• Our direction for 2013 and how they come to be
• Why you need a WHY and how it should change over time
• How growth doesn?t always equal doing more
• Branding consistently across your sites
• Content Curation ? this is awesome. We spent a bit of time on this but packed great tips into just a few minutes
• Ways to keep your why, words and overall goals in front of you all year

Mentioned Resources

Mastermind group for women ? SoloMasterminds

Kelly McCausey?s Smart Podcasting Skills

Source: http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/5455/goals-sticking-all-year/

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Riffing On the Tradition: Blues In the Air | NolaVie - Life and Culture ...

When I first came here in the mid '90s, a fellow California ex-pat, bassist Matt Perrine, gave me a two-page list of work contacts. One of them ended up helping me with a full season of Carnival work. It was, I felt, the tail end of an era.

There were a couple of balls with original tableaux music and elegant sets by Henri Schindler instead of the Blaine Kern stuff, even some parties and parades that actually used New Orleans music. But, within two years, most Mardi Gras gigs found me playing more tambourine or cowbell than saxophone or clarinet because, after all, who needs 14 horns playing the background riffs for "Soulman"?

At any rate, in the upcoming 2013 Super Bowl & Mardi Gras season, whether you?re among those who have been asked by one of the NFL sponsors to dress down and pretend to be street musicians, or if you're smart and promoting good non-Downtown shows for our locals wanting to avoid the French Quarter nightmare, suck as much money out of the 1 million visiting "big-ass beer" drinkers as you can.

The end. Next item of business:

It?s time to start moving swiftly toward making the most out of the festival season, when visitors will actually be coming for our music. To this end, the music community needs to know about some recent developments at Sweet Home New Orleans. For those of you who are not aware of an important shift in the organization's focus, you can read about it on its website. In a nutshell, they are seeing the rise of digital distribution outlets and the decline of the? ?record label? paradigm as a potential boon for new, much-needed revenue streams. The evolving organization is much more about developing economic sustainability and infrastructure.

Because its staff knows that more thorough education for self-promotion and protection of our work is badly needed, Sweet Home?s new ?Economic Empowerment Education Program? is currently accepting applications from New Orleans musicians for two highly competitive courses on the subjects of accessing the many available revenue streams that many of us are missing and training in the art of fan-based funding. The deadline to apply for these highly competitive, bi-weekly courses taught by leaders and innovators within the music industry is Thursday (Jan 17). Don?t miss out on this huge opportunity. Your songs won?t register themselves or get into films or TV automatically. And if you?re a fan, please share it with your favorite musicians who you think might benefit from this.

The Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MACCNO) is continuing efforts to arm the cultural workforce with information about getting along with City Hall. They will do a teach-in on the tedious subject of zoning this Wednesday (Jan. 16) at noon. This is a very open group and for all culture-workers, including musicians, street artists, venue operators, Mardi Gras Indians and Social Aid & Pleasure Club members. And it?s the best way to keep an eye on news such as this ?fine print? from the Superbowl Permit Guide:

?Mayoralty Permit from the Bureau of Revenue is required for the following categories of vendors: Artists and others conducting business or promoting themselves or their art in the City of New Orleans including live entertainment (live music, DJ?s, music ensembles, etc); Street entertainers...?

Do we know for sure if this really means street performers will have to be permitted? No, but? participating in MACCNO and being a part of the dialogue that shapes our culture is the best way to stay informed on these issues.

I think this relates to the most important thing to remember: Cultural expressions are, and have always been, constructed by discourse within the community about its needs and aspirations. Furthermore, the expression in our work feeds the soul of our unique community, and this is why we need to have a stake in determining how it develops.

Thank you Sweet Home & MACCNO for helping.

Evan Christopher is a noted member of the New Orleans music community and a founding member of Nola Art House Music. Click?here?for his holiday performance schedule. He writes ?Riffing on the Tradition? for?NolaVie.

Source: http://nolavie.com/2013/01/riffing-on-the-tradition-blues-in-the-air-57570.html

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