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Thursday, July 25, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
89% In the House
All Critics (73) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (8)
The film treats imagination-and talent-in certain hands as an almost mystical force.
Ozon and the script move a little too far afield and hold on a bit too long as the film approaches its end. Still, "In the House" has enough trippy truth to it to grab your interest and shake your mind.
It's fiction about life that becomes fiction that might be life - and the viewer happily dives in.
The expected punch line... never materializes, so I guess this must be a drama after all.
Savor In the House for its meta-exploration of adolescence, class resentment and suppressed desire, but don't expect much more.
The seductions of storytelling drive "In the House," a cleverly structured comic thriller rich with narrative trickery and macabre humor.
Has the slow-pulsing vertigo of a psychological thriller & the twists of an elaborate melodrama, but to reduce it to these labels is glib. Caustic & funny but never misanthropic. A study of the ways people actually live, rather than how we assume they do.
These characters are messed up and yet there I was, sitting in the back row of the cinema, with a smile on my face.
A cinematic bouquet of surprising left turns and addictive story hooks. Strongly recommended.
Provocative, playful, entertaining and audacious, In the House is a writer showing us the inner workings of writing, complete with its power to subvert, to imagine and to deceive
Occasionally too clever for its own good, the film may go one step too far, but Ozon manages the hybrid of genres beautifully and ultimately it is his superb cast that sells the nuances and the concept
A sly, stylish blend of melodrama and suspense that's also a cunning commentary on the seductiveness and danger inherent in storytelling itself.
Director/scriptwriter Francois Ozon knows his Hitchcock well. He employs him effectively, but the clutter is his own.
An almost perverse delight, an egghead thriller that slyly shell-games its truer purpose as an inquiry into the construction -- and deconstruction -- of fiction. Scratch deconstruction: Make that tear-the-house-down demolition.
It's partly real and partly a fable, full of events that might have happened or could never have happened, with intrigues that defy us to take them seriously.
In the House is a structurally solid thriller that is both inventive and absolutely seductive in nature.
Inviting photography and a relentless pace complement Claude's unfolding narrative, but the big thrills are in the deftly drawn characters...and the incisive satire...
A slick psychological thriller that veers into dark comedy the more absurd it gets, "In the House" demonstrates the dangers of addiction -- not to sex or drugs, but to story.
Captures why we do what we do, and the extent to which stories reflect both the writer and the reader.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_the_house_2013/
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Saturday, July 20, 2013
Fed rethinking move allowing banks to trade physical commodities
By David Sheppard and Josephine Mason
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is "reviewing" a landmark 2003 decision that first allowed regulated banks to trade in physical commodity markets, it said on Friday, a move that may send new shockwaves through Wall Street.
The one-sentence statement suggests the Fed is taking a much deeper, wide-ranging look at how banks operate in commodity markets than previously believed, amid intensifying scrutiny of everything from electricity trading to metals warehouses.
While the Fed has been debating for years whether to allow banks including Morgan Stanley
By referencing its initial decision a decade ago permitting Citigroup's Phibro unit to trade oil cargoes - setting a precedent for a dozen more banks that followed suit - the Federal Reserve has put in question a key profit center for Wall Street's top players, which have already seen multibillion-dollar commodity revenues shrink in the face of new regulations.
On Tuesday, the Senate Banking Committee is holding its first hearing on the issue, asking whether so-called "Too Big to Fail" banks should be taking on additional risks like moving tankers of crude oil or operating power plants.
Amid growing frustration in Washington over regulators' failure to push through new rules five years after the financial crisis, the Fed's widening area of enquiry came as a shock.
"They must be feeling some pressure on this issue if they've felt compelled to issue a public statement," said Saule Omarova, associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, who will appear at the hearing.
"Are they using this opportunity to in fact review the entire position of banks in physical commodity markets?"
The pressure may intensify as the U.S. power market regulator levies record fines over manipulating power markets. It levied a $453 million penalty against Barclays
"The Federal Reserve regularly monitors the commodity activities of supervised firms and is reviewing the 2003 determination that certain commodity activities are complementary to financial activities and thus permissible for bank holding companies," the Federal Reserve said, its first public statement since a 2012 Reuters report brought the issue to light. (Full story: http://link.reuters.com/xer86s).
A Federal Reserve spokesperson declined to elaborate or provide any details on the scale or timing of the review.
Spokespeople for Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley declined to comment on the Fed statement.
PHIBRO SET PRECEDENT
In 2003, the Federal Reserve issued a letter to Citigroup, which had been seeking permission to allow its Phibro unit - acquired in 1998 - to continue trading in physical energy markets. The Bank Holding Company Act (BHC Act) normally prohibits banks from engaging in non-financial activities, but Citi had argued that the activities should be allowed.
Regulated commercial banks had long been permitted to trade in commodity derivatives such as futures, but at the time did not enjoy the same freedom in physical markets, unlike investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
The Fed agreed with Citi, saying that trading in real commodities would allow the banks to "transact more efficiently with customers". It said the trading must be "complimentary" to their main activities, contribute to the public good and should not pose a "substantial risk" to the bank.
That decision, which came at the start of a decade-long boom in commodity trading, opened the door to a dozen more applications from global giants like Deutsche Bank and domestic players like Wells Fargo. With many of the permits, the Fed gave greater and greater leeway in what and how they could trade.
"Maybe the Fed can openly say we think these activities are systemically risky unless they're cut back but I don't know what's going through the Fed's head," said one commodity regulation expert who declined to be named. "This came out of the blue. This has taken everyone by surprise."
Since converting to bank holding companies at the height of the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have also been subject to the holding company rules.
But up until now, the Fed's focus was believed to be on their ownership of assets, a more clearly controversial issue.
Under the 1999 decision to repeal part of the Glass-Steagall Act, ending the forced separation of commercial and investment banking, any non-regulated bank that converted to holding company status after 1999 would be allowed to continue to own and invest in assets, as long as they held them prior to 1997. The banks have argued that their activities are "grandfathered" in, or that they are simply merchant banking investments.
It is not clear that argument will hold up under political pressure, which is intensifying ahead of a nominal September deadline for Goldman and Morgan to comply with the rules.
"Reviewing Wall Street's expansion into commercial activities is essential," Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, said in a statement. "Congress, regulators, and the public need to understand what has happened in the 14 years since the financial floodgates were opened, and reconsider what we want banks to do."
Large industrial consumers of aluminum have accused banks of boosting prices of the metal through their control of London Metal Exchange warehouses, which have been slow to deliver metal to customers, boosting premiums for physical metal and earning big profits on rent for storing the metal.
Four U.S. congressmen wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on June 27 expressing their concern about the issue, and asking for more information on the Fed's position.
Both Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan have explored selling their warehouse businesses they bought in 2010 in recent months, although it is not clear if that is because of increased regulatory pressure.
GETTING PHYSICAL
As commodity prices surged over the past decade, a host of global investment banks piled into the market, pressuring the former duopoly of Goldman and Morgan. At their peak in 2008 and 2009, revenues in the sector reached some $15 billion.
But pressures have mounted over the past few years as regulators crack down on proprietary trading, new capital measures limit trading books and bonus caps shrink.
Commodity revenue from the top investment banks fell to about $6 billion in 2012, consultants Coalition estimated.
While banks generate much of that revenue from trading derivatives - selling indexes to investors or hedging prices for an oil company - many have delved deeply into physical markets in order to get better information on markets, leverage their positions or offer more options to customers.
For instance, many banks are involved in "supply and offtake" arrangements with refineries, providing crude oil to the plant and then selling gasoline or diesel in the market.
The Federal Reserve has generally allowed banks to trade in most major physical commodity markets so long as there is a similar futures contract for the commodity, which means it is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Crude oil and gasoline, for instance, are allowed but iron ore is not.
Friday's statement calls that into question.
While some consumer groups have been critical of the sway that banks can exert on commodity markets by owning key pieces of infrastructure, it is unclear how many would support barring them from trading commercial markets entirely.
"I want them to have physical business because they play a positive role in the business on balance by providing financing," said one senior executive in the metals market who has been critical of the banks' warehouse ownership.
(Additional reporting by Jeanine Prezioso in New York; Editing by Jonathan Leff, Bob Burgdorfer and Peter Cooney)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-rethinking-move-allowing-banks-trade-physical-commodities-204643689.html
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The Open Golf 2013: Jordan Spieth and Players Who Will Continue to Shine
Jordan Spieth is only 19 years old, yet he's bettered most of the field at the 2013 British Open through two rounds of play.?
A player who wasn't even invited until last weekend, when he won the John Deere Classic, Spieth wasn't necessarily expected to be a contender at Muirfield. But entering the weekend, there are only 10 players in front of the former Texas Longhorn star, who is just four shots off the lead at one-over par.
Heading into Saturday, Miguel Angel Jimenez leads the field at three-under par, while Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and two others are in a tie for second place at two-under par.
Spieth isn't the only unexpected contender, either. There are a few players who have played better than most predicted they would, but not all will keep the momentum going over the course of the next couple of rounds.?
These players will continue to shine on Saturday, putting pressure on guys like Woods, Westwood and the rest of the world's top golfers contending for the Claret Jug in 2013.
?
Jordan Spieth (+1)
Photo Credit: d_daviss on Instagram
Through 14 holes on Friday, Spieth was one-under par. He was doing what he'd been doing since the start of play on Thursday, hitting greens with regularity and playing smart golf.?
Unfortunately, the final four holes drew blood, and Spieth went four-over par to end his round. The young golfer certainly wasn't alone, however. Those final holes have been killers for most of the field the past couple of days.?
Even after his disastrous finish, Spieth finished his second round having hit 80.56 percent of his greens in regulation?good for the No. 2 against the field.
He's just four strokes off the lead heading into the weekend and hasn't showed any inclination to fold under pressure thus far.?
?
Dustin Johnson (-2)
A player whose game has always been good enough to win a major championship, Dustin Johnson has battled through injuries for the past few years.?
After winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January, Johnson's game has been up and down since. He did manage to finish in 13th place at the Masters, but he really struggled at the U.S. Open and finished in 55th place with a score of 17-over par.?
Needless to say, Johnson wasn't a real hot name heading into the British Open.
But the power-hitting American golfer made some waves this week, and after two rounds he's just one shot off the lead. And as noted by Taylor Made Golf, Johnson has the right attitude to continue playing well:
Though hitting fairways has never been Johnson's strength, he's managing to hit greens at a high rate, finishing the first two rounds in a tie for fourth place with 28 GIR. His natural high, arcing approach shots are perfectly suited for landing softly on the rock-hard greens at Muirfield.?
If Johnson can get the hang of the speed of the greens and start making more putts, he'll be even more dangerous this weekend.?
?
Charl Schwartzel (+1)
Thursday wasn't a day Charl?Schwartzel would like to treasure in his heart forever.
In addition to the fact that he shot a four-over-par round of 75 that included two double bogeys, he made headlines after hurling his 6-iron in a surge of anger, snapping the club, as shown by Jamie Murray:
It would have been understandable if the South African had come out and had another bad round after so much frustration in Round 1, but he turned his fortunes around in impressive fashion.
Which player will shoot up the leaderboard on Saturday?
-
Jordan Spieth
-
Dustin Johnson
-
Charl Schwartzel
-
All of them
-
None of them
Which player will shoot up the leaderboard on Saturday?
Matching Westwood for the lowest round of the day at three-under par, Schwartzel dug deep and put together a nearly flawless round. He made four birdies on the day with just one bogey?one of the tidiest rounds by any player on Friday.?
Even more impressive than his actual score is the way Schwartzel got to it.
Through two days, he's struggling to hit fairways and greens, but Schwartzel's short game has been on fire. He's averaging just 1.53 putts per hole, which is more than two-tenths better than the field average.?
Look for more of the same on Saturday, as Schwartzel will continue moving up the leaderboard.?
?
Note: Stats courtesy of TheOpen.com.
Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78.?
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Friday, July 19, 2013
Earnings roundup: General Electric, Baker Hughes
Among the earnings stories for Friday, July 19, from AP Business News:
? General Electric Co. posted a slight gain in net income in the second quarter and said its U.S. operations are picking up steam. GE, based in Fairfield, Conn., has a broad view of the global economy because it sells a wide variety of industrial equipment and appliances around the world, including jet engines, medical diagnostic equipment, locomotives, washing machines, natural gas-fired turbines, and oil and gas drilling equipment.
? Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said that its second-quarter profit fell 45 percent as it cut operations in Brazil and Mexico.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/earnings-roundup-general-electric-baker-162804207.html
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MALAYSIA ? Legal comparison Church-government on the use of the word "Allah"; th...
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Source: http://www.facebook.com/news.va.en/posts/566476330083055
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Thursday, July 18, 2013
U.S. housing starts fall to ten-month low, weather blamed
By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts and permits for future home construction unexpectedly fell in June, but the decline in activity was likely to be short-lived against the backdrop of bullish sentiment among home builders.
The Commerce Department said on Wednesday housing starts dropped 9.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 836,000 units. That was the lowest level since August last year.
Economists, who had expected groundbreaking to rise to a 959,000-unit rate, shrugged off the decline and said wet weather in many parts of the country had dampened activity. They noted that much of the drop was in the volatile multifamily segment.
"It looks like it's weather-related," said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. "On the surface it doesn't look good, but we are confident that starts activity is still going to climb higher in the months to come."
Permits to build homes fell 7.5 percent last month to a 911,000-unit pace. Economist had expected permits to rise to a 1-million unit pace.
Though it was the second straight month of declines in permits, they remained ahead of starts. Economists said this, together with upbeat homebuilder confidence, suggested groundbreaking activity will bounce back in July and through the remainder of this year.
Sentiment among single-family home builders hit a 7-1/2 year high in July, a report showed on Monday, amid optimism over current and future home sales.
MORTGAGE RATES STILL LOW
There was little to suggest that a recent spike in mortgage rates was restraining home building activity, economists said, pointing to the improving builder confidence.
"New home supply and housing completions remain low, home prices are rising and, despite the recent rise, mortgage rates remain low," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. "To us, this all points to housing activity adding to growth in the second half of the year."
Housing's recovery is being aided by still-low mortgage rates engineered by the Federal Reserve's accommodative monetary policy and steady employment gains.
Mortgage rates increased in recent weeks after the Fed expressed its desire to start cutting back on its bond purchases later this year. The monthly $85 billion in bond purchases have been holding down interest rates.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the central bank still expected to start scaling back its massive asset purchase program later this year, but left open the option of changing that plan in either direction if the economic outlook shifted.
The U.S. stock market rose as Bernanke's comments led markets to believe the central bank's plans to pull its monetary stimulus were not set in stone. The U.S. dollar gained ground while Treasury securities prices slipped.
Bernanke offered an upbeat assessment of the housing market's prospects.
"Housing activity and prices seem likely to continue to recover, notwithstanding the recent increases in mortgage rates, but it will be important to monitor developments in this sector carefully," Bernanke told lawmakers.
Last month, groundbreaking for single-family homes, the largest segment of the market, slipped 0.8 percent to its lowest level since last November 2012. Starts for multi-family homes declined 26.2 percent to a 245,000-unit rate.
Starts were down in all four regions in June, with big declines in the Northeast, South and the Midwest.
Weak groundbreaking suggested a smaller boost to both second and third quarter gross domestic product from residential construction. Second-quarter GDP estimates are ranging between 0.5 percent and 1 percent.
The economy grew at a 1.8 percent annual pace in the first three months of the year.
Permits for multi-family homes fell 21.4 percent last month. But permits for single-family homes rose 0.6 percent to a their highest since May 2008.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Chizu Nomiyama)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/housing-starts-fall-ten-month-low-124046675.html
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Son of Jerry Sandusky seeks to have name changed
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) ? A son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is seeking to have his name changed more than a year after his adoptive father was convicted of child sexual abuse.
Matt Sandusky filed papers Tuesday in Centre County Court seeking to have the names of him and his family changed. Though the documents are sealed, they show he filed for a name change, along with his wife and four children.
Matt Sandusky had been expected to be a defense witness until the trial, when he told investigators that he also had been abused by Jerry Sandusky.
Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse. He is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence and maintains he was wrongfully convicted. He is pursuing appeals.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/son-jerry-sandusky-seeks-name-changed-111301137.html
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Passengers eye legal action against Boeing, Asiana over crash
By Jessica Dye
(Reuters) - Asiana Airlines Inc and Boeing Co are facing potential legal action by passengers who were on board a flight that crashed in San Francisco on July 6, killing three and injuring more than 180, according to U.S. court filings.
The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 had more than 300 passengers and crew members on board when it crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the causes of the crash.
A petition for discovery has been filed against Boeing in Chicago court, where the airplane manufacturer is headquartered. The petition begins the legal process against the maker of the Boeing 777, according to a statement from Ribbeck Law Chartered, a law firm representing the passengers.
The firm announced the petition, filed Monday, in a press release on Tuesday.
The passengers are seeking design, manufacturing and safety information, as well as maintenance records and other relevant evidence, in order to determine legal liability for the crash, according to their lawyers.
Similar requests may be filed against other companies, including Asiana Airlines and several unnamed makers of component parts, in the coming days, the law firm said.
A spokesman for Boeing declined to comment.
On Monday, South Korea-based Asiana Airlines was sued in federal court in California by a Korean woman, Younga Jun Machorro, and her son, who were passengers the Asiana Airlines flight.
The lawsuit alleged that the Asiana flight crew committed "an extensive litany of errors and omissions" and were improperly trained and supervised, causing the crash.
They are seeking at least $5 million in damages for "extreme bodily and mental injuries and economic damages" allegedly suffered as a result of the crash, according to the lawsuit.
A spokesman for Asiana Airlines declined to comment.
(Reporting by Jessica Dye in New York)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/passengers-eye-legal-action-against-boeing-asiana-over-005245702.html
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Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Today, Evernote for Android received an update that improves Reminders, allows annotations on PDFs a
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Hands on with Samsung?s 10-inch Galaxy Tab 3: Go for the Nexus 10
I had high hopes when Samsung?s first Android tablet powered by an Intel processor arrived on my doorstep. Alas, those hopes were quickly dashed not long after using the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 3. For $399, I had hoped for more; perhaps I?m spoiled by Google?s Nexus 10, which is the same price and much easier on the eye.
Too harsh? Maybe. And it doesn?t help Samsung that my eyes are used to higher resolution displays these days: The Nexus 10 uses a?2560 x 1600 display and my Chromebook Pixel is even higher at?2560 x 1700 pixels. The new Galaxy Tab 3 tops out at a lowly 1280 x 800 resolution making me feel like I?m looking at a screen from 2010, not from 2013.
Here?s the thing. Different people have unique requirements for their tablets but there?s one universal aspect that holds true: The screen of a tablet defines the device than any other component. I say that because the screen works for both input and output. It?s the most used hardware feature on a tablet because you stare at it non-stop and it?s how you interact with the apps on the device. For that reason, I?d strongly consider spending the same $399 on a Nexus 10 device; also built by Samsung, by the way.
Granted, if you take the Nexus 10 out of the equation, there are some nice features in the Galaxy Tab 3. Many are borrowed from the Samsung Galaxy S4 in fact. You get an IR blaster and Peel software to control your television set. The Smart Stay feature that keeps the screen on when it detects your face is here too. And the 16 GB of internal storage can easily be expanded via the microSD card slot.
Having seen Intel processors show great performance running Android in the past, I expected more from the Galaxy Tab 3, which uses Intel?s 1.6 GHz dual core Atom chip. I saw performance lags from time to time doing basic activities; just navigating the Google Play store, for example or playing games. I didn?t benchmark the device ? I?d rather do real-world testing ? but I didn?t find the general level of performance to be anything other than mediocre. I believe the issue is Samsung?s choice to use 1 GB of memory. By comparison, the Nexus 10 uses 2 GB of RAM with its 1.5 GHz?Exynos 5 Dual chip.
I don?t take many pictures with large tablets, but again, Samsung chose to go low-end: The rear camera on the Galaxy Tab 3 uses a 3 megapixel sensor and images are acceptable, not impressive. The 1.3 megapixel front facing camera works fine for video chatting, however. With the?6,800 mAh battery, the Galaxy Tab 3 ought to manage a solid 8 hours of battery life; I haven?t used it long enough to charge the battery multiple times yet to verify.
Android 4.2.2 is installed, so you do get a very current version of Google?s software. And although many folks are turned off by Samsung?s TouchWiz user interface, I don?t mind it. Having used many Samsung devices over the years, I?m simply used to it. If you have a Galaxy smartphone, you already know what to expect.
All in all, however, I can?t help but keep coming back to the Samsung-built Nexus 10 for the same amount of money. Even though the device is a year old, it offers far more bang-for-buck. And it will always get the latest Android software first directly from Google; with the Galaxy Tab 3, you?ll rely on Samsung?s schedule for updates.
As much as I wanted to like the Galaxy Tab 3, I just can?t, mainly because I don?t see a compelling reason to choose it over the Nexus 10. If you prefer TouchWiz and want to control your television from your tablet, then perhaps the Galaxy Tab 3 is worth the look. Otherwise, I?d likely pass unless Samsung drops the price by $50 or more.
Source: http://gigaom.com/2013/07/16/galaxy-tab-3-10-inch-vs-nexus-10/
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North Canton voters to decide if mayor should be full-time
Enough valid signatures have been turned in to get a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that would require a full-time mayor, the Stark County Board of Elections said.
A group led by former Councilman Chuck Osborne submitted 973 signatures. Board staff found that 952 of them were valid signatures of registered North Canton voters, well above the 746 legally required.
Council President Jon Snyder, Ward 4, says council will meet 5:30 p.m. Monday to vote to place the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot, as required by law.
(Council also will decide Monday evening whether to accept a fact finder?s report recommending how to resolve an impasse on wages between the city and the union for the city?s police officers, a unit of the Ohio Patrolmen?s Benevolent Association.)
If voters approve the mayoral amendment, the mayor would be required to ?devote his entire time and effort during regular business hours and all other times as are necessary to properly conduct the business of the city.? The mayor would not be allowed to hold another job during regular hours.
The current mayor, David Held, works weekdays as the executive director of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District.
Osborne said in May that the city needs a full-time mayor who can devote all their attention to city business and not juggle being mayor with another job. He said the amendment would not take effect until 2015.
The mayor now earns $15,000 a year. Council voted Monday to raise the mayor?s and council members? annual salaries by $2,400 effective Dec. 1. It would be up to council to set the salary for a full-time mayor.
Osborne, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003, has said he did not draft the amendment to make it easier for him to get the job.
?I?m never going to run again,? said Osborne, who was an at-large councilman from 2001 to 2003. ?I?m actually more effective passing my own laws ... (and) serving as a watchdog.?
Last year, he and his supporters collected enough signatures to place a proposed ordinance on the ballot that limited elected officials? health insurance benefits. Nearly 72 percent of voters approved it in November.
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Helmet water leak aborts spacewalk; astronaut OK
In this image from video made available by NASA, astronauts discuss the aborted spacewalk aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. A dangerous water leak in the helmet of Luca Parmitano, bottom center facing camera in white suit, drenched his eyes, nose and mouth, preventing him from hearing or speaking as what should have been a routine spacewalk came to an abrupt end. (AP Photo/NASA)
In this image from video made available by NASA, astronauts discuss the aborted spacewalk aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. A dangerous water leak in the helmet of Luca Parmitano, bottom center facing camera in white suit, drenched his eyes, nose and mouth, preventing him from hearing or speaking as what should have been a routine spacewalk came to an abrupt end. (AP Photo/NASA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? NASA aborted a spacewalk at the International Space Station on Tuesday because of a dangerous water leak in an astronaut's helmet that drenched his eyes, nose and mouth.
The leak was so bad that Luca Parmitano, Italy's first spacewalker, couldn't hear or speak as the spacewalk came to an abrupt end. He asked his spacewalking partner, Christopher Cassidy, for help getting back in.
"He looks miserable. But OK," Cassidy assured Mission Control in Houston.
The source of the leak wasn't immediately known but a possible culprit was the helmet drink bag that astronauts sip from during spacewalks, although Parmitano later reported the water had an odd taste. Water also is piped through the long underwear worn under a spacesuit, for cooling.
Parmitano reported, "It's a lot of water," before he could no longer talk.? His crewmates quickly yanked off his helmet, once he was back inside.
NASA seldom cuts a spacewalk short. Tuesday's problem left them with no choice. Parmitano could have choked on the floating water droplets in his helmet.
The trouble cropped up barely an hour into what was to be a six-hour spacewalk to perform cable work and other routine maintenance that had stacked up over the past couple years.
It was the astronauts' second spacewalk in eight days.
Parmitano startled everyone when he announced that he felt a lot of water on the back of his head.
At first, he thought it was sweat because of all his exertion on the job. But he was repeatedly assured it was not sweat. Cassidy said it might be water from his drink bag; it looked like a half-liter of water had leaked out.
The water eventually got into Parmitano's eyes. That's when NASA ordered the two men back inside. Then the water drenched his nose and mouth, and he had trouble hearing on the radio lines.
Cassidy quickly cleaned up the work site once Parmitano was back in the air lock, then joined him back in the space station.
The four astronauts who anxiously monitored the drama from inside hustled to remove Parmitano's helmet. They clustered around him, eight hands pulling off his helmet and using towels to mop his bald head. Balls of water floated away.
Parmitano looked relatively fine on NASA TV as he gestured with his hands to show his crewmates where the water had crept over his head.
Cassidy told Mission Control: "To him, the water clearly did not taste like our normal drinking water." A smiling Parmitano then chimed in: "Just so you know, I'm alive and I can answer those questions, too."
Mission Control praised the crew for its fast effort and promptly scheduled a radio hookup with flight surgeons on the ground. Engineers, meanwhile, scrambled to determine the source of the leak.
It was the fastest end to a spacewalk since 2004 when Russian and American spacewalkers were ordered back in by Mission Control outside Moscow because of spacesuit trouble. That spacewalk lasted a mere 14 minutes. Tuesday's spacewalk lasted one hour and 32 minutes.
This was the second spacewalk for Parmitano, 36, a former test pilot and Italian Air Force officer. He became the first Italian to conduct a spacewalk last Tuesday, more than a month after moving into the space station.
Cassidy, 43, a former Navy SEAL, is a veteran spacewalker midway through a six-month station stint.
___
Online:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
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Destination Poland | The Sauce | Bringing you the BPO news that ...
Posted on 16 July 2013.
By Luiza Oleszczuk.
Driving around Warsaw one can?t help noticing some traits of the old, post-soviet Poland ? gray buildings, so typical of Central and Eastern Europe; a few small dingy shops here and there. But enter any of the offices or look at the sparkling shopping centers dotted around the capital you can feel the air of modern Europe and globalised business.
There?s plenty of talk about outsourcing destinations like Chin, India, or the Philippines which has the tendency to overshadow other places, like those in Central and Eastern Europe.
And it would be a pity to bypass these newly advanced economies. Outsourcing business, knowledge and IT processes to that region can be cost-effective and sustainable, as my visit to Poland this June sufficiently confirmed.
During the 2008 ? 2009 financial meltdown that ended up halting GDP growth all over Europe, putting most EU countries in the red and seriously undermining the European banking system ? Poland was the only country in the EU with a growing GDP, which rose 1.8% in 2009, while the EU total economy contracted by 4.2% that year.
This third largest country in ?Emerging Europe? (6th largest in the EU) has survived the storm with stable, strong banks and economy, and a stable, responsive government. Four years later, the investment climate in the country remains attractive ? Poland, with a population of over 38.5 million, is currently the fastest growing economy in Europe. And it?s open for business.
According to the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, the GDP growth will continue in the coming years[1]. But those estimates are shared by large international think tanks, like Ernst&Young, IMF[2] and others. Ernst&Young[3] calls Poland ?One of the most successful CEE [Central and Eastern Europe] reformers? and points out the country is characterized by a ?robust supplier base? and ?people with engineering background.?
It?s good to also remember that Poland is the largest beneficiary of EU subsidies[4], after having joined the union in 2004.
?
For full story please visit?http://www.theoutsourcing-guide.com/article/destination-poland/
[1] ?Poland: A Place to Live and Work.? ? Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency
Source: http://thesauce.net.au/destination-poland/
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Canada Day celebrations pulled off thanks to many
Published: July 11, 2013 2:21 PM
The Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society wishes to thank the many people who contributed to a successful Canada Day 2013 celebration, which was relocated to the Collicutt Centre due to flooding at Bower Ponds.
This transition within a week?s notice presented challenges but they were overcome with assistance and support of many individuals, businesses and organizations.
We extend special appreciation to: Denis Delemont and Stan Krawiec of the Collicutt Centre and all their staff; Kristina Oberg of Culture Services, City of Red Deer; as well as John Harms and Jim White of Westerner Park and their staff.
We also want to thank our Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society member groups, staff and volunteers as well as the many sponsors, partners, community groups and performers who contributed to the festivities.
Sherry Scheunert, Canada Day Co-ordinator
Delores Coghill, Manager
Carroll Borg, President
Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society
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Monday, July 15, 2013
Australia election threatens shape of $34 billion broadband plan
By Jane Wardell
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The future of an ambitious project to connect almost all Australia's far-flung inhabitants to high-speed internet, the largest infrastructure enterprise in the country's history, is hanging on the outcome of an upcoming federal election.
The Labor government and conservative Liberal-led opposition have vastly differing plans for the A$37.4 billion ($34.2 billion) National Broadband Network (NBN), potentially hurting some business stakeholders and opening the door to others, including China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.
"It will be a significant shift, we are talking about completely changing the idea of the rollout," Melbourne-based RMIT University electrical engineering expert Mark Gregory said about a possible Liberal-led coalition election victory.
"There will still be activity, but there will definitely be winners and losers."
A national high-speed network is central to Australia's plans to become one of the world's leading "digital economies" as it seeks alternative drivers of growth to replace a fading mining investment boom.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Labor government has promised to deliver Internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to 93 percent of premises by 2021 using fiber-optic cables, with the remaining remote locations served by satellite and fixed wireless.
The planned network, which takes the fiber-optic cable direct to households and businesses, would be one of the most advanced in the world.
But just three years in, the 10-year project is plagued by problems, including delays that led the government-owned NBN Co to seize back control of construction in the Northern Territory from Syntheo, a joint venture of Lend Lease Corp Ltd and specialist construction firm Service Stream Ltd.
NBN Co's chief executive Mike Quigley quit last week after the interim targets for the number of premises connected in the rollout were lowered three times.
The government has promised to connect 8.5 million premises to the network by 2021. By June this year, just 163,500 had been hooked up, less than half the downwardly revised interim target.
The delays have opened the door for Rudd's challenger, Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott, to lambast the project as too expensive and unnecessarily complex.
Abbott instead promises a A$30 billion fiber-to-the-node network. Under this plan, high-speed fiber would be laid to streetside "nodes" but the final connection to homes and businesses would rely on Telstra Corp Ltd's ageing copper wires, with much slower download speeds than fiber.
The Liberal Party says this would provide 25 Mbps minimum by 2016 and 50 Mbps for the "vast majority of households" by 2019.
Abbott argues that is "more than enough for the average household", dismissing critics' warnings it would leave Australia with an outdated network that would only be as good as its weakest, copper links. The opposition would also use satellite and fixed wireless for remote locations.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
Rudd has until the end of November to hold an election and the NBN is shaping up as a key battleground. Opinion polls show Labor and the Liberal-led coalition running neck-and-neck.
Should the coalition win office, Shenzhen-based Huawei, which Labor has banned from bidding on any NBN contracts because of cyber security concerns, could be one of the big winners.
Coalition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has said a coalition government would take another look at advice from spy agency ASIO that led to the ban on the private Chinese company.
"Huawei has a fiber-to-the-node solution and I imagine they are in there giving Turnbull as much guidance as possible," Gregory said.
Huawei declined requests for comment.
Any entry by Huawei into the bidding for future work could take business from current lead contractor, France's Alcatel-Lucent SA.
Another potential winner from the coalition's plan is leading telecommunications firm Telstra, as the speedier rollout would mean quicker payments for the switchover of customers from its copper network.
Deutsche Bank analysis suggests Telstra will retain its broadband market share of around 47 percent, instead of a slide to 35 percent under Labor's project.
Telstra would also keep its hybrid fiber coaxial cable for Pay TV delivery as a competitor to the NBN, a scenario that does not sit well with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd's Australian unit, Optus.
The coalition plan could also marginally reduce business for Silcar, the 50:50 venture between Germany's Siemens AG and Leighton Holdings Ltd's Thiess, which is focused on fiber optics.
But if Rudd pulls off a victory, it will be business as usual to a certain extent for current contractors.
Still, Service Stream is likely to exit after confirming its foray into the project had left it with "material losses."
(Editing by Stephen Coates)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australia-election-threatens-shape-34-billion-broadband-plan-210800867.html
Perry defends strict abortion law in Texas
The bill placing new curbs on abortion that passed the Texas legislature last week isn't anti-women, Gov. Rick Perry argued Sunday.
The contentious bill, which was filibustered last month by state Sen. Wendy Davis, bans abortions past 20 weeks of gestation, among several other provisions. It was approved by the Texas House on Wednesday, and the Senate voted Friday to send the bill to Perry.
The governor, a Republican who supports the legislation and is expected to sign it into law this week, said Sunday 20 weeks is a reasonable period of time for a woman to decide on ending her pregnancy.
"Most people, I think, in this country, and in Texas certainly, believe that six months is too late to be deciding whether or not these babies should be aborted or not, and we put the limit at five months in this bill," Perry told chief political correspondent Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union."
The bill also mandates that abortion clinics become ambulatory surgical centers, tightens usage guidelines for the drug RU486, and requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic at which they're providing such services.
Critics of the measure say it would shut down most abortion clinics in Texas -- denying access to many in rural communities -- and force women to seek dangerous back-alley abortions.
In an op-ed on CNN.com last week, Davis wrote the new law would close 90 percent of abortion clinics in Texas, an assertion Perry contested Sunday.
"I don't agree with her premise, and I don't agree with her numbers. And I think history will prove that she is wrong by asserting that," he said, adding later that Texas had "put some substantial amount of money into women's health programs over the course of the last two years, partly because the Obama administration pulled our funding to the state of Texas because they disagreed with Texas restrictions on these abortions."
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Phone Community :: 373-0865-5547 :: Phone Numbers Comments And Complaints
351-684-3119
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Source: http://www.trackphoneinfo.com/get_location.php?a=373-0865
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LEGION BASEBALL: Pine Grove wins Schuylkill-Berks Legion North title
PINE GROVE - Marcus Brown didn't play much during the high school season.
A sophomore at Pine Grove this past spring, Brown played in only nine games for the Cardinals, and had just four official at-bats.
The Legion season, however, has been a different story. He's played left field, right field, catcher, where ever he's been needed.
The designated hitter Saturday night, Brown had a starring role as the Grovers captured the Schuylkill-Berks Legion League North Division championship with a 7-3 victory over Valley View at Stump Stadium.
Brown had a pair of clutch RBI singles as Pine Grove (17-3-1) advanced to the best-of-3 league championship series against South Division champion Oley/Topton. Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Stump Stadium.
"Marcus has been battling and working hard. He's taken advantage of his opportunities," Pine Grove coach Frank D'Agostino III said. "He's been hitting hard line drives in key spots. He came through tonight."
Brown's two hits came in the fourth and fifth innings, when Pine Grove collected five of its six hits and tallied all seven of its runs.
Trailing 1-0, Pine Grove scored five runs in the fourth inning, knocking out Valley View starter Travis Crider.
Steve Zimmerman opened the frame with a leadoff walk and Brandon Scheibley singled to put runners on the corners. Brown followed with a single to left to tie it.
"My coach came up and said 'I might have to squeeze you here.' I'm not that great at bunting, so I figured I had to get a base hit or I would have to bunt, and that
wouldn't have been pretty," Brown said. "I waited back on a fastball and took it to left field."
Valley View skipper Derek Masser pulled Crider at that point, bringing in hard-throwing right-hander Hunter Bordner. Bordner fanned Josh Scheibley for the second out, and appeared out of the jam when Wade Bressler hit a grounder toward second.
Brown's hustle from first to second base, however, forced Valley View's second baseman to bobble the ball and hurry his throw to second, which was dropped. If Brown doesn't hustle, the inning would have been over.
"Throughout high school and Legion, all of our coaches teach us to hustle through," Brown said. "I got a good jump and figured there's always chance he'll bobble it, always a chance there will be an overthrow. I just wanted to get to second as fast as I could. When I slid in and saw he dropped the ball, it was a sigh of relief."
The error seemed to rattle Valley View, as Bordner proceeded to walk Nick Cataldo to give Pine Grove a 2-1 lead. Jed Blankenhorn followed with a blooper to short right field that scored Brown and Bressler.
When the throw from right field sailed past the catcher, Cataldo scored to give the Grovers a 5-1 cushion.
"I was trying to put the bat on the ball and put the ball in play," Blankenhorn said. "The bases were loaded and I was just trying to drive everybody in."
The West Enders (10-11) sliced the Pine Grove lead to 5-2 with an unearned run in the top of the fifth, but Pine Grove took advantage of two more Valley View errors to score a pair of runs in the bottom half.
Brown delivered a bases-loaded RBI single through a drawn-in infield for the first run, while Josh Scheibley made it 7-2 with a sacrifice fly.
"We needed something to push us through the end of the game," Brown said. "Bordner is a really good pitcher, and I saw the fastball coming in on the inside and took it that way."
The five-run cushion was plenty for Pine Grove starter Jared McCabe, who allowed just four hits, walked four and struck out five in a complete-game effort.
McCabe started a key 1-2-3 double play to get out of a second-inning jam, and was able to mix his curveball with a fastball that seemed to have more pop on it than usual. Of the three runs McCabe allowed, only one was earned.
"I had a lot of soreness in my back during the high school season, some chronic pain," McCabe said. "Tonight I felt 100 percent, and I think that's what really helped me. I had a good confidence tonight and I felt I had a little extra speed on my pitches.
"These guys are good hitters, and it takes good pitching to stop these guys."
Legion Prep Pottsville 3 Conrad Weiser 2
ROBESONIA - Corey Holobetz scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh on a bases loaded walk to back up a complete game by Josh Melochick in Pottsville's victory.
Holobetz's walk came during a 12-pitch at-bat. Brent Gauntlett added a two-run single for Pottsville.
Melochick allowed three hits and struck out four in his seven innings.
Game Summary
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
The 5 Intimacy Stages Of A Relationship | World of Psychology
This guest article from?YourTango was written by Zoe Hicks.
I want to preface this by saying that although there are no typical couples, there do tend to be?intimacy?stages in a relationship. Within the grief process, according to the?K?bler-Ross model, we have denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
These stages do not always happen in this particular order. We may have anger, then denial, then acceptance, then bargaining, and then depression ? then circling back around to acceptance. Grief and intimacy seem to be made of the same fabric ? the intensity, the dullness, the gains, and the loss all mirror one another.
So without further ado, I bring you my five stages of intimacy in a relationship.
The 5 Stages of Intimacy
1. Infatuation.
?OMG, I just met the?love?of my life.? ?He is perfect. I want to marry him.? ?I can?t believe we have so much in common.? ?He is great in bed.? ?I cannot?wait?to see him again.? ?Oh I should eat something. I am going to vomit.?
Oh, the sweet, syrupy stage of infatuation. It?s so wonderful and so difficult to resist. Hormones and logic rarely coincide, so we find ourselves doing things like checking email 12-24 times an hour, not eating, going to get our nails done at midnight, buying pajamas to match our bedsheets?
Infatuation makes your dopamine levels soar, producing a full-body euphoria that causes humans to seek out?sex?again and again. To wit,?brain scan studies?show that the brain duringorgasm?is 95 percent the same as the brain on heroin. Your brain cannot, biologically, maintain the high of infatuation: You will fry.
The infatuation will ebb and flow at different points.?The sex will not always be that good ? it may get better, or it may get worse. But all those lovely feelings of that first initial swim in the cool crisp pond of falling in love: How many movies could we watch about that? Billions. It?s pure poetry. Love magnified; a revisit to the warm womb of security. Then, the negotiation between security and autonomy, that life-long struggle, crawls in and we begin to land.
2. Landing.
The landing from that fantastic flight can be the scariest part. We see things a lot more clearly. There is a great article?along the lines of, ?The day you wake up and say you have married the wrong person is the day that your marriage truly begins.? Meaning, this is the day where the veil of infatuation has lifted and the 20/20 vision of everyday living comes in. ?Wow, she is neurotic.? ?OMG, he tells the worst jokes.? ?I didn?t think about him at all yesterday. I hope we are okay.?
The landing can be light and sweet, or rocky and discombobulating. But eventually the clock strikes midnight and Cinderella must run home before the stage coach becomes a pumpkin and her dress returns to rags. Landing! Oy, so bittersweet.
3. Burying.
This stage happens when all the to-do lists of life come toppling into the relationship and before you know it, conversations are focused on things like who?s doing the laundry, your boss, or the crazy mother-in-law. During the burying stage, other things ? like, oh, life ? begin to encroach on your beautiful oasis of a relationship.
Burying is not always bad; it?s a sign that the relationship is real and weaves into your everyday existence. The important thing to remember here is to ?unbury? yourselves. Take tango lessons, go relive your?first date, go have?sex?in public, buy some sex toys, tie yourselves up to bedposts, grab the whips ? Do something that allows real life to take a break and the gentle, sweet intimacy to resurface, bringing us to the next stage.
4. Resurfacing.
Resurfacing is the stage where you turn to your partner, and say to yourself, ?Wow. I forgot how hot he is,? or ?She is stunning,? or ?I?lovehim so much.? Resurfacing is the resolution of a relationship: ?She is a mixed bag, but so am I.? ?He sits on the toilet for an hour reading comics, but I pluck my chin hairs.? And you start thinking things like: ?I can?t wait for our next date.? ?I can?t believe I have such a sweet person in my life, who always has my back.?
It can be triggered by a massive problem that you two resolved, a great date, an especially good night of sex, almost losing the other person, or good?couples?therapy. Anything can jolt us awake; maybe a death in the family or even a birth. And then we hit the last stage.
5. Love.
This is what it?s really all about, right? The part where we look across the dinner table, fight over the remote, or go on a great trip to Chinatown and think ? ?Oh, I have it really good.? ?I am blessed.? ?I love him/her more than I could ever imagine.? Here, the sex is (usually) better than it has ever been. True love blossoms around year five. The rest is a rotation ? sometimes rapid and sometimes slow ? of the other stages.
?
Contributed by YourTango.com, an online magazine dedicated to love, life and relationships. From dating to marriage, parenting to empty-nest, relationship challenges to relationship success, YourTango is at the center of the conversations that are closest to our over 7 million readers' hearts. With daily contributions from our Experts, we have a little something for everyone looking to create healthier lives. We're excited to offer our contributions to the PsychCentral community, and invite you to visit us on YourTango.com.Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by YourTango Experts (or subscribe to their feed).
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 10 Jul 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference
Experts, Y. (2013). The 5 Stages of Intimacy in a Relationship. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 14, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/07/13/the-5-stages-of-intimacy-in-a-relationship/
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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/07/13/the-5-stages-of-intimacy-in-a-relationship/
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Japan's claims to islands strain ties with South Korea
The annual report, the first issued under hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December, also criticised China for having taken coercive action in a dispute with Japan over a group of islands claimed by both countries.
Japan's repeated claim to Dokdo amounts to abandoning normal relations with South Korea, which regained its independence from Tokyo's colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territories, including the rocky islets in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It comes in the context of Japan's distorted perception of its pre-1945 wartime history, which has hampered tripartite cooperation with South Korea and China to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia.
The prospect of such collaboration will be further darkened if Abe attempts to use his expected win in a key election set for July 21 to advance his nationalist agenda such as revising the pacifist constitution, boosting the military and reassessing Japan's wartime history. His conservative ruling bloc is forecast to secure a majority in the upper house, giving him control over both chambers of the legislature.
Abe's anachronistic course would further alienate his nation from its two neighbouring countries, which have recently accelerated efforts to strengthen their partnership, forming a concerted stance against Japan over historical and territorial issues. In a joint statement issued after their summit in Beijing last month, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed concern over the unstable regional situation, in which they noted confrontation and distrust had deepened over historical matters.
Despite its recent moves to increase pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme, China has still put priority on convening multilateral talks to discuss the matter, while South Korea has stood with the US and Japan in demanding Pyongyang take sincere steps toward denuclearisation before coming to the negotiating table. At this junction, Seoul seems to face a delicate strategic choice on how to build a network of effective coordination for resolving the North Korean nuclear problem. Pyongyang has recently tried to disrupt the international sanctions regime by showing enthusiasm for returning to the six-party talks, which also involves Russia, and resuming dialogue with Seoul.
In this regard, Seoul officials may need to be cautioned against shifting too hastily the weight of security cooperation to China from Japan, which would also put the US in an awkward position. Cooperation with Tokyo would also be essential to consolidating the framework for regional peace and stability.
But Japan's repeated moves deviating from correct historical perceptions, including its latest territorial claim to Dokdo, leave South Korea with little room for striking a strategic balance between its two neighbouring powers.
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Saturday, July 13, 2013
Mini-Vacation Financials: Madison, WI for a Wedding
We traveled to Madison, WI from July 4 to July 7 for a wedding and to see some friends.? This trip was very different from the ones we usually take (like our recent trip to Boston) and really made me appreciate both styles of travel. ?I really liked downtown Madison, probably mostly because it?s summer ? great weather and not so many college kids!
?
Usually when we travel for events like weddings we couch-surf and try to minimize our cash expenditures as much as possible.? We love to stay with friends and family because that means we get more time to see them, but it?s also a bit exhausting to be ?on? nearly all the time and to try to be a good guest.? We also generally rely on local friends for driving transportation, which is great for us but means there is a lot of coordination and planning and dependence.? Our hosts often spot us our treat us to meals as well, which saves us a lot of money on food.
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This time around we had a rental car, stayed in a hotel, and went out for every meal.? We slept as late as we wanted and basically went wherever we wanted to whenever.? It was awesome to have so much freedom to be spontaneous!? But because we weren?t pushing ourselves, we didn?t do as much during this trip as we might have if we were staying with friends.
?
The price is a big, big difference, though.? We spent a lot more money on this trip than a typical one, even though Madison isn?t an expensive place to visit.? Transportation was the huge category, as you?ll see.? Paying for all of the aspects of the trip made us enormously appreciative of the ways our friends and family often help us eliminate expenses, sometimes at cost to themselves.? So thank you, everyone!
?
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Transportation ($989.85)
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This was by far the most expensive category.? Not only did we have to fly but our rental car was crazy expensive.
?
Flight
?
We used our normal methods for buying flights, but we waited a bit longer than usual and only booked about 5 weeks in advance.? We were having trouble deciding whether to fly directly to Madison or to go to another somewhat nearby airport and drive in.? We ultimately decided to fly to Chicago and rent a car to drive to Madison because: 1) there were a lot more flight options to get to Chicago and the flights to Madison weren?t at very convenient times and 2) we thought we could use our few hours passing through Chicago to see some friends.
?
Car
?
We also booked the rental car through Priceline and we got the cheapest car we could.? We noticed, though, that booking it at Midway was about $5-10/day more expensive than at O?Hare!? This was the biggest surprise expense.
?
Since we drove up from Chicago we also paid for gas and tolls, plus we paid for parking at RDU and several times in Madison.
?
Lodging ($149.16)
?
Kyle and I booked our hotel through Priceline ? we didn?t bid but we got one of their promotional deals. ?We normally would go for a cheap motel like Motel 6, but because Madison is so inexpensive we decided to splurge for a three-star hotel.? We thought it would be awesome to have an exercise room and pool available to us ? but of course we didn?t use them even once!? We definitely could have gotten by with a smaller/cheaper room but it wasn?t very much money overall.
?
The one little downside here was that we didn?t realize until we arrived that we hadn?t specified what size bed we wanted, and our room had two full beds instead of one queen or king as we usually get.
(simultaneously)
me: It won?t be too bad to share a full?
Kyle: I get my own bed!
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?
Entertainment
?
We spent no money on entertainment and yet had a wonderful time!? Of course we had wedding activities and seeing friends, which took up a good chunk of time, but we also went to the zoo, the Terrace (twice), the State Capitol, and the farmer?s market and we watched some fireworks for the 4th.? That?s quite a lot, actually!
?
?
Food ($130.24)
?
For eating out for every meal, we actually didn?t spend as much on food as I expected, probably because we only ate about twice per day (plus snacks for Kyle).
?
Thursday
breakfast: at home, before our flight
lunch: from a co-op (bought by our friend)
snack: brats, ice cream
dinner: at an Afghan restaurant with our friend
?
Friday
brunch: Chinese take-out in our hotel room while watching Wimbledon 
!!!!!
dinner: wedding event
dessert: gelato
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?
Saturday
brunch: from the farmer?s market with vouchers given to us by the bride and groom
dinner: wedding
?
?
Sunday
brunch: at a restaurant that overlooked an airport
snack: hot chocolate (bought by our friend)
dinner: pizza with Cash Rebel
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That?s right!? We met up with Ross from Cash Rebel in Chicago.? We actually talked about normal-people stuff for almost the whole meal, not so much PF or blogging.? Surprisingly, Kyle and Ross did most of the talking!? It was wonderful to meet him after being friends on the internet for many months. ?I think it?s very different meeting in person than just getting to know someone online.? If any local people or visiting bloggers want to meet us we are certainly open to it!
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Our total expenditure on this trip was $1,269.25.? I can?t believe we spent 80% just on transportation! ?We actually didn?t budget this trip at all (gasp!) so we didn?t have a good idea when we RSVP?d of how much we would spend. ?We basically had the big expenses we paid in advance (flights, hotel, rental car) and then the small discretionary stuff once we got there (car incidentals, food). ?We didn?t try to keep our spending down but just naturally didn?t do anything?extravagant.
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Do you prefer to stay with family/friends or in a hotel when you travel?? Have you ever chosen to fly to a major city and drive to your destination to make a compound trip? ?Have you met other bloggers?
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EvolvingPersonalFinance/~3/nSyiOUP5MBw/
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