Despite falls, Wagner edges Gold for national figure skating crown

Flawed, but still first.

Ashley Wagner became the first woman since Michelle Kwan in 2005 to win back-to-back titles in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, managing to hold off up-and-comer Gracie Gold despite three major mistakes Saturday night.

Wagner was subdued as she waited for her marks, surely thinking she'd blown her chance to repeat. When her score was announced and she saw she was still in first, a look of shock crossed her face.

Wagner finished with 188.84 points, about two ahead of Gold. Gold won the free skate ? posting the second-highest score ever at the U.S. meet, no less. But the 17-year-old had too much ground to make up after a dismal performance Thursday night in the short program left her in ninth place, more than 13 points behind Wagner.

Earlier Saturday, Olympic silver medalists and 2011 world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their fifth straight dance title, matching a U.S. record. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir won the pairs title.

There is something about defending the title that brings out the worst in the American women. Since 1990, Kwan is the only other woman to win consecutive titles (granted, she did win eight straight). Six women have won the last seven crowns, and the reigning champion has almost always had a total meltdown. Rachael Flatt is the only defending champ who even managed to stay on the podium the next year.

AP

Meryl Davis, right, and Charlie White compete in the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Close

Wagner, though, seems to be made of different stuff. She's been rock solid since moving to California to train with John Nicks in the summer of 2011. She won the U.S. title last year, had the best finish by an American at worlds since 2007 and won the silver medal last month in the Grand Prix final.

And she sure looked loose as she came out from the dressing rooms, clapping along with the crowd to Agnes Zawadzki's "Rhapsody in Blue" music. Her opening triple flip-double toe loop-double toe combination was gorgeous, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd. She also did a triple loop in and out of a spread eagle ? incredibly difficult.

But she didn't have her usual fire, almost as if she was skating not to lose rather than skating to win. And then came the falls. She was off-balance in the air on the lutz, and couldn't right herself in time to save it. With the triple loop only seconds later, she didn't have time to regroup. She pulled herself together only to two-foot her last jump, the triple flip.

At 21, Wagner is a far more complete skater than Gold, and that's what made the difference. Skating to "Samson and Delilah," Wagner told a story while Gold just skated and jumped.

With blonde good looks and a made-for-the Olympics name, Gold has all the makings of that "next big thing" the United States has been craving. That she can skate only fueled the hype, and some were ready to put her on the Sochi medals stand after she won the U.S. junior title last year and finished second in the junior world championships.

But she's been wildly inconsistent this year, winning the silver medal at Cup of Russia after falling apart at Skate Canada. After botching her short program Thursday, she needed a dazzling performance just to have a chance at one of the spots on the world championships team. She came through, posting a 132.49 that was the second-highest score for a free skate at nationals. Sasha Cohen scored 134.03 in 2006, the year she won her only U.S. title.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/playing-safe-abbott-leads-us-championships-18320754

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A Commercial Business Loan In Canada . Business Loans ? Want ...

A commercial business loan in Canada. The ability to successfully achieve the financing the Canadian business owner or manager needs clearly eliminates a lot of the worrying around your busines success.

In the case of Canada we're in a lot better shape these days than we were a few years ago. Even start ups seem to be able to get financed again!

In Canada those loans are going to come from Canadian commercial banks or non regulated commercial and alternative lenders. When we say non regulated basically we are saying ' they are not banks!"...simple as that.

Its commercial business loans that solve both survival and growth needs. Those loans cover equipment, real estate, working capital, and even acquisitions. What's important is to start the whole process even a bit before you need the financing - searching for financing in crisis mode is highly NOT recommended. That pretty well goes for line of credit facilities, which in many cases are what the business owner/manager still associates with a ' loan '.

That does though bring us to the point that it's important to understand that there is a huge difference in either term loans as opposed to monetizing current assets for cash flow - it the ' business line of credit'. It's therefore important to think of your business loans in terms of strategically acquiring financing.

So what can in fact term business loans be used for in Canada? A variety of assets can be financed- up to and including the corporate jet. (Well we can dream can't we?!) . But typical assets financed under loans include computers, telecom assets, software, machinery, equipment, and even leasehold improvements. A great tip we can offer clients is that leaseholds up to 350,000.00 can in fact be financed at great rates, terms and structures under the Govt. SBL Business loan. Check out this loan program if you have revenues under 5 Million dollars per annum, which is the revenue cap of companies allowed to apply under the program.

At the outset of a business loan have a strong sense of the term of the loan. That is going to play into the lenders cash flow analysis, and at the same time you want to be able to match the term of the loan with the useful economic life of the asset. That same tip goes for lease financing those assets also by the way.

Bridge loans are offered by alternative and other lenders as a way of acquiring assets you normally might not be able to finance through a bank. In some cases you might even be exploring a sale leaseback to generate cash flow out of assets already owned. When it makes sense, key word ' makes sense '! that's a great way to generate cash flow. Remember also that you will need to have a strong sense of market and liquidation value when it comes to financing pre- owned or used assets. That's a critical part of the lender equation.

One final tip we always talk to clients about is the concept of ' matching'. Simply speaking it means ensuring that you financing long term assets with long term financing vehicles such as a business loan. To put it more simply, don't finance that corporate jet out of the line of credit

In Canada business loans come from banks, leasing companies and asset based lenders. Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with you commercial business loan needs.

About the Author:
Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com
Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 10 years - has completed in excess of 85 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing. Info re: Canadian business financing & contact:
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/commercial-business-loan-loans-canada.html

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-Commercial-Business-Loan-In--Canada---Business-Loans---Want-To-Get-Rid-Of-Financing-Worries--/4401977

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9/11 remains dominant political theme for US

By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News

The attack of Sept. 11, 2001, has been so pervasive a theme in American politics in the years since that at times we scarcely notice its influence even though it explains so much of what came after that day.

Gary Cameron / Reuters

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) questions Senator John Kerry (Not Pictured) during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Kerry's nomination to be secretary of state, on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 24, 2013.

Sometimes almost forgotten, 9/11 is an experience some Americans may recall only when they travel and must undergo screening from a select few of the army of 45,000 screeners that was created by the actions of 19 suicidal hijackers.

So it was remarkable that three times in the space of two Senate hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, the 9/11 attack percolated through the discussion.

Testifying Thursday morning at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be secretary of state, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., voiced his regret that one effect of that fateful day has been to make people abroad see American policy simply in terms of killing individual al Qaida leaders and pre-empting terrorist threats.

America?s foreign policy must not be ?defined by drones and deployments alone,? Kerry warned. ?We cannot allow the extraordinary good we do to save and change lives to be eclipsed entirely by the (counterterrorism) role we have had to play since September 11th, a role that was thrust upon us.?

A day before, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her testimony about the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, used the 2001 attack to make the case for continued robust American involvement in North Africa.

She warned of the risks of a 9/11-style attack from the group Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

?People say to me all the time, well, AQIM hasn't attacked the United States. Well, before 9/11, 2001, we hadn't been attacked on our homeland since, I guess, the War of 1812 and Pearl Harbor. So you can't say, well, because they haven't done something they're not going to do it,? she said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Mali's "progress on democracy" was disrupted by the Kaddafi-supported militant and al-Qaeda loyalists, warning that we must not let the region become a haven for terrorists.

But a bit later Clinton came under assault from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who used 9/11 as his rhetorical theme.

?Ultimately with your leaving (the State Department), you accept the culpability for the worst tragedy since 9/11, and I really mean that,? Paul told Clinton. Democrats on the committee recoiled in anger at what they saw as a cheap exploitation of 9/11.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Clinton, ?I think if some people on this committee want to call the tragedy in Benghazi the worst since 9/11, it misunderstands the nature of 4,000 Americans-plus lost over 10 years of war in Iraq, fought under false pretenses. It was fought under false pretenses, but it was also fought, I think, because we had a misunderstanding of what we could do and what we could manage in that region for what was under our control.?

Murphy, first elected to the House in 2006 as part of the voter backlash against the Iraq war, didn?t mention that Clinton herself, serving in the Senate in 2002, voted for the congressional resolution authorizing President George W. Bush to invade Iraq.

Her vote was one liability during her bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination ? a liability which Barack Obama, a state senator when Congress voted on the Iraq invasion, didn?t have.

The 9/11 attack created the political environment which made possible, and perhaps even inevitable, the congressional vote authorizing Bush to use military force against Iraq.

In his Oct. 7, 2002, speech making the case for using force, Bush repeatedly invoked 9/11. To those American who wondered ?why do we need to confront it (the threat of Saddam Hussein) now?? Bush said, ?There?s a reason. We have experienced the horror of Sept. 11. We have seen that those who hate America are willing to crash airplanes into buildings full of innocent people.? And America?s enemies would be eager ?to use a biological or chemical, or a nuclear weapon.?

Four days later, the Senate voted for the Iraq war authorization, with Kerry, Clinton and then-Sen. Joe Biden among the 77 voting for it.

Just as Murphy had argued at Wednesday?s Senate hearing that Iraq was ?fought under false pretenses,? so, too, Democrats back in 2004 argued that Kerry, Clinton, Biden, then-Sen. Chuck Hagel and the other members of Congress who?d voted for the Iraq war resolution had been deceived.

But some antiwar Democrats argued that ? deception or not ? their party could never beat Bush in 2004 with a candidate who was compromised by having voted for the Iraq war resolution.

It?s impossible to know the answer to that question ? would Howard Dean or Sen. Bob Graham (who voted ?no? on the Iraq war resolution) have defeated Bush in 2004?

We do know that Bush held his party?s 2004 convention in New York City, a target of the 9/11 attack and defeated Kerry in the election.

His second term was an unhappy one for many reasons, but it was Bush ? not Kerry ? who got to the fill the next two vacancies on the Supreme Court.

And 9/11?s effect is also still directly felt in the current wrestling over fiscal policy. As Obama and congressional leaders try to figure out how to pay for ever-growing entitlement programs and reduce budget deficits, Republicans in Congress, but many Democrats, too, are reluctant to significantly reduce a $630 billion Defense Department budget that grew massively in the years after Sept. 11, 2001.

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/26/16698169-kerry-clinton-paul-remind-americans-why-911-remains-dominant-political-theme?lite

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French, Mali forces retake airport in city of Gao

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a Malian army armored vehicle used by islamist rebels stands charred. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a Malian army armored vehicle used by islamist rebels stands charred. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a videographer films Malian soldiers walking through the rubbles of a former army based leveled during fighting with islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

in this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako Saturday , Jan. 26, 2013, an ammunition belt lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by Islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a charred flack jacket lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a jacket lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

KONNA, Mali (AP) ? French and Malian troops regained control of the airport and bridge of the crucial, northern city of Gao on Saturday, marking their biggest advance yet in their bid to oust al-Qaida-linked extremists who have controlled northern Mali for months, military officials said.

The move comes just two weeks after France launched its military offensive in support of the shaky, central government of this former French colony. It is unclear what kind of resistance French and Malian troops will face in the coming days.

The French military said in a statement on its website that their special forces, which had stormed in by land and by air, had come under fire from "several terrorist elements" that were later "destroyed."

In a later press release entitled "French and Malian troops liberate Gao" the French ministry of defense said they were bringing back the town's mayor, Sadou Diallo, who had fled to the Malian capital of Bamako far to the west.

However, a city official interviewed by telephone by The Associated Press said coalition forces so far only controlled the airport, the bridge and surrounding neighborhoods.

And in Paris, a defense ministry official clarified that the city had not been fully liberated, and that the process of freeing Gao was continuing.

Both officials spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Swooping in under the cover of darkness, the French and Malian forces faced sporadic "acts of harassment" during the day, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French military spokesman in Paris. He had no immediate estimate on casualties.

Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, was seized by a mixture of al-Qaida-linked fighters more than nine months ago, and the battle to retake the city is expected to be tough.

The rebel group that turned Gao into a replica of Afghanistan under the Taliban has close ties to Moktar Belmoktar, the Algerian national who has long operated in Mali and who last week claimed responsibility for the terror attack on a BP-operated natural gas plant in Algeria.

His fighters are believed to include Algerians, Egyptians, Mauritanians, Libyans, Tunisians, Pakistanis and even Afghans.

The French assault began with the capture of the airport, a strategic landing strip that opens the way for easier sorties all over northern Mali.

The further capture of a major bridge leading into the town means that the jihadists "saw their means of transport and their logistics sites destroyed," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

The operation in Gao comes at the same time as airstrikes in the two other provincial capitals held by the extremists ? the cities of Timbuktu and Kidal, which like Gao fell to the rebels last April, during the chaotic aftermath of a coup in the distant capital. Nearly 30 bombs have been fired from fighter jets over the past two days, said France's military in a communique.

The simultaneous aerial attacks also come at the same time that ground troops are carrying out a pincer movement, with French and African land forces heading to Gao from Niger, where Chad has sent a battalion.

The Pentagon said late Saturday that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has told Le Drian the U.S. will aid the French military with aerial refueling missions.

U.S. aerial refueling planes would be a boost to air support for French ground forces as they enter areas of Mali that are controlled by al-Qaida-linked extremists.

The U.S. was already helping France by transporting French troops and equipment to the West African nation.

French and Malian forces are also heading to Timbuktu, via the central corridor that leads straight north from the central Malian city of Segou, via the recently recaptured town of Diabaly.

In an interview Saturday, Col. Shehu Usman Abdulkadir told The Associated Press that the African force will be expanded from an anticipated 3,200 troops to some 5,700 ? which does not include the 2,200 soldiers promised by Chad.

Most analysts had said the earlier figure was far too small to confront the Islamists given the vast territory they hold ? an area larger than Afghanistan.

"Because they've seen that the area itself, northern Mali is too large for that number of troops so there was a need to increase the number and that's why we arrived at 5700," said Abdulkadir, the force commander. "I believe that as time goes on it may be necessary to increase the strength again. Because France pulls out we definitely must have to increase the strength."

Since France began its military operation, the Islamists have retreated from three small towns in central Mali: Diabaly, Konna and Douentza.

For the first time on Saturday, Malian authorities opened the town of Konna to reporters. Although in most places Malians have applauded the arrival of the French, the town of Konna, built around a single, hard-top road, provides a counterweight and reveals the human toll of the operation.

Konna's mayor had earlier said that 11 civilians were killed during the airstrikes. Among them were four relatives of Souleymane Maiga, a young, 20-something man who ran for cover on Jan. 11, the first day of the airstrikes.

He hid between two mud walls separating his compound from that of his neighbor. His aunt, and the four children, including several young girls that were with her, abandoned the pot on an open flame where they were preparing the midday meal and ran inside the house.

French combat helicopters, looking for rebels, strafed the buildings made of nothing more than mud mixed with straw.

"The women were preparing food right here in the shade of this tree, when we heard the noise made by the aircraft. I ran and threw myself between the two walls over there," said Maiga. "After it was over, I went to the house, and when I opened the door, I saw that they were dead. Of the five people inside, only one survived. A toddler. The bodies were one on top of the other. The toddler was crying. The bullets had pierced the door. I tried to find their pulses, but they were gone. I realized it was over. I picked up the child and took him to a relative's house in town."

The zinc door of the modest house is pockmarked by bullet holes, some several inches wide. If you close it behind you, they let in jets of light, which illuminate the unlit interior. The can of tomato paste that the women had just opened in order to make a sauce served over rice, still sits where they left it. It had been partially opened, and now the tomato paste inside has spoiled.

___

Larson reported from Sevare, Mali. Jamey Keaten in Dakar, Senegal; Baba Ahmed in Konna, Mali; and Robbie Corey-Boulet in Abidjan, Ivory Coast contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-26-Mali%20Fighting/id-df1d891002474225afea599264061992

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NATO missile defense battery in Turkey operational

BRUSSELS (AP) ? The first of six Patriot missile batteries being deployed to Turkey to protect against attack from Syria was declared operational and placed under NATO command, the international organization said Saturday.

The battery, provided by the Netherlands, is meant to protect the city of Adana by shooting down missiles that could come over the Syrian border. Turkey has become a harsh critic of the regime in Syria, where a vicious civil war has left at least 60,000 people dead.

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are providing two batteries each of the latest version of the U.S.-made Patriots. The other five Patriot batteries are expected to be in place and operational in the coming days in Adana, Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

"This is a clear demonstration of the agility and flexibility of NATO forces and of our willingness to defend Allies who face threats in an unstable world," Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, said in a statement.

NATO reiterated Saturday that the Patriots are for defensive purposes only. Syria has not fired any of its surface-to-surface missiles at Turkey during its nearly two-year civil war and its government has described the NATO deployment as a provocation.

NATO also deployed Patriot batteries to Turkey during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq 10 years ago. They were never used and were withdrawn a few months later.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-missile-defense-battery-turkey-operational-130210789.html

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Academy turned $51 million profit on 2012 Oscars

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Last year's Oscars turned a tidy $51.2 million profit, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed in its annual report issued Thursday.

AMPAS said it brought in $103.3 million in total revenue for 2012 and its net assets stand at $299.5 million, an increase of $10 million over 2011 and $41 million from 2010. Almost $90 million of the revenue came from the Oscars and related events. Last year's Academy Awards cost roughly $38 million to produce.

Expenses in 2012 rose to $88.6 million from $74.5 million the previous year. The biggest increase came in the museum development category, where outlays rose from $2.3 million in 2011 to $4.9 million in 2012.

The Academy last year embarked on a $250 million capital campaign to support its planned Academy Museum. The museum will be located adjacent to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, and is slated to open in 2016.

"We have recently passed several major milestones for our museum," Academy President Hawk Koch said in a letter to members accompanying the annual report, "a project that will bring together many of our efforts under one roof."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/academy-turned-51-million-profit-2012-oscars-204905073.html

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North Korea makes furious threat to the South

? A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

North Korea today issued yet another verbal volley in response to the United Nations? condemnation of the launching of a satellite late last year, this time directing its threats at South Korea.

Pyongyang?s sharp words have exasperated the international community ? even China, its most critical ally, which voiced its frustration in an editorial today after backing punitive UN measures against the North earlier this week.

Pyongyang warned Seoul that if it signed on to the series of fresh international sanctions against the North, it would retaliate.

"Sanctions mean a war and a declaration of war against us,? the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said today, according to Reuters. "If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the UN 'sanctions,' the DPRK will take strong physical counter-measures against it.?

RECOMMENDED: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?

Earlier this week, the UN Security Council members unanimously condemned Pyongyang?s rocket launch in December and expanded current sanctions. The US followed up with sanctions of its own yesterday, prompting North Korea to threaten additional rocket launches and nuclear tests against the US, its ?sworn enemy.?

Whether there is any substance to these threats is unclear. As The Wall Street Journal notes, ?North Korea often threatens the South with attack without following through with action.?

But South Korean defense ministry officials said this week that they believe the North could follow through with its threat to detonate a nuclear explosive at any time, and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that even if there are no signs that a test is forthcoming, "They have the capability, frankly, to conduct these tests in a way that make it very difficult to determine whether or not they are doing it,? according to The Wall Street Journal.

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The Christian Science Monitor?s Peter Grier writes that US officials seem torn over how seriously to take the North?s threats. Mr. Panetta said earlier this month, referring to a North Korean satellite launch in December, that ?North Korea just fired a missile. It?s an intercontinental ballistic missile, for God sakes. That means they have the capability to strike the United States.? His predecessor, Secretary Robert Gates, warned the North could reach the US with a missile by 2015 or 2016.

But, Mr. Grier also writes, ?North Korean officials have long talked with bellicosity unmatched in geostrategic circles.?

Some say that when it comes to their nuclear missile programs, this chest thumping is largely a bluff ? pro wrestling drama translated for an international stage.

Their past missile tests have been maximized to give the appearance of performance, and they have never exploded an actual nuclear warhead design, according to RAND analyst Markus Schiller.

Thus concerns about their missile tests are overblown, wrote Mr. Schiller in a lengthy 2012 report on North Korea?s missile programs.

?Every launch further depletes the limited North Korean arsenals, and North Korea gains no real experience from these events. Since the purpose of the launches seems to be political, the United States and other nations should downplay or even ignore them,? he writes.

China, Pyongyang?s biggest trading partner and most critical ally, has appointed itself the unofficial mediator between the North and the international community. In an editorial, the Global Times asserts that China cannot take sides, nor will it ?stay aloof? from the dispute between the North and South and its international backers.

But in the editorial, Beijing voiced exasperation with Pyongyang?s recalcitrance and provocative actions.

It seems that North Korea does not appreciate China's efforts. It criticized China without explicitly naming it in its statement yesterday: "Those big countries, which are obliged to take the lead in building a fair world order, are abandoning without hesitation even elementary principles, under the influence of the US' arbitrary and high-handed practices, and failing to come to their senses."

?

China's role and position are clear when discussing North Korea issue in the UN Security Council. If North Korea engages in further nuclear tests, China will not hesitate to reduce its assistance to North Korea. If the US, Japan and South Korea promote extreme UN sanctions on North Korea, China will resolutely stop them and force them to amend these draft resolutions.

Just let North Korea be "angry." We can't sit by and do nothing just because we are worried it might impact the Sino-North Korean relationship. Just let the US, Japan and South Korea grumble about China. We have no obligation to soothe their feelings.

RECOMMENDED: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/threatening-us-north-korea-turns-ire-south-korea-140900935.html

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Optimism abounds at inauguration time (Offthekuff)

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NBA All-Star Reserves 2013: Tim Duncan Gets 14th NBA All-Star Nod, 2 Bulls Chosen

NEW YORK -- Tim Duncan was selected to his 14th All-Star game, Spurs teammate Tony Parker is joining him, and the Chicago Bulls also had two reserves chosen Thursday for next month's game in Houston.

Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were picked from the Bulls, who have stayed in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race despite the season-long absence of point guard Derrick Rose. Noah is one of five first-time All-Stars for the East, along with New York's Tyson Chandler, Indiana's Paul George, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, and Philadelphia's Jrue Holiday.

Miami's Chris Bosh, picked for his eighth All-Star team, rounded out the East squad.

West forwards David Lee (Golden State), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland) and Zach Randolph (Memphis) all were picked for the second time. Houston's James Harden was chosen for the first time and joins former Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook, headed to his third straight All-Star game.

Duncan wasn't chosen last year for the first time in his career but has bounced back with a terrific season at age 36, averaging 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots, his best statistics since 2009-10.

The co-MVP of the 2000 All-Star game joined a group that includes Michael Jordan for fifth-most selections. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, both voted to start, and Shaquille O'Neal all were picked 15 times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the career leader as a 19-time All-Star.

The reserves were voted by the head coaches from each conference, who had to select two guards, three frontcourt players and two players regardless of position. They were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.

With centers Chandler and Noah, East coaches passed on Brooklyn's Brook Lopez, the leading scorer for a resurgent team that is right behind the Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead. Perennial All-Stars Deron Williams and Joe Johnson of the Nets also missed out, as did Boston's Paul Pierce.

Lee gave the Warriors their first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997, but coach Mark Jackson and his team hoped for more. However, Stephen Curry wasn't selected despite averaging 20.9 points. He's the league's eighth-leading scorer and the highest one who won't be in Houston for the Feb. 17 showcase.

Lee called his selection "bittersweet" because Curry ? the first person to send him a congratulatory text ? wasn't picked.

"In our practice facility, there's that All-Star chart and it stops at '97 and there hasn't been any since. So the whole team was really excited with the improved record this year and to get one or both of our guys on there," Lee said. "I'm really excited to be the one that goes and represents our team. I wish Steph could be a part of it and maybe he'll still be able to. I'm just very, very excited. It's been a long time for the Bay Area fans. Not only to have an All-Star, but to be winning games."

Voted as East starters by fan voting along with Garnett were Miami's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, New York's Carmelo Anthony and Boston's Rajon Rondo.

The West starting five is Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard of the Lakers, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, and Clippers teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

The Clippers were hoping for a third All-Star, but sixth-man Jamal Crawford wasn't picked.

Commissioner David Stern would choose the replacement if any players are injured.

Randolph leads the NBA with 27 double-doubles and becomes the first Grizzlies player with multiple selections.

"It is truly an honor to be named by the NBA's coaches to the 2013 Western Conference All-Star team," he said in a statement. "I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to playing with the best players in the world."

The leaders of the teams with the best winning percentage in their conference through games of Feb. 3 will be the coaches. Miami's Erik Spoelstra has the inside track on the East spot, while San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and the Clippers' Vinny Del Negro are battling for the West honor since Scott Brooks, whose Thunder have the league's best record, is ineligible after coaching last year.

Irving, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and Holiday were rewarded for outstanding individual seasons even though their teams are well below .500. The 22-year-old Holiday, the youngest All-Star in franchise history, is averaging 19.0 points and 9.0 assists but feared the 76ers' 17-25 mark would work against him.

"I thought so. I definitely thought so. I think anybody else probably would, too," he said while watching a Philadelphia Flyers game. "We're not getting on a winning streak or anything like that. I just tried to stay positive and not talk about it."

___

AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Antonio Gonzalez in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/nba-all-star-reserves-2013-rosters_n_2546493.html

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'Top Gun' And 'Die Hard' Re-release Trailers Get Us Pumped For February

By Hannah Soo Park Forget romance—the month of love is getting a serious taste of macho action courtesy of a few upcoming re-releases. First up is the 3-D debut of '80s classic "Top Gun"—the airborne movie that put Tom Cruise on the action-star pedestal and grossed more than $350 million worldwide. And to rekindle your [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/01/24/top-gun-die-hard-re-release-trailers/

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Concern over alliances between al-Qaida, Africa groups

In a first account of the hostage situation, the Algerian prime minister said Monday that the Islamic militants who attacked a BP facility in the Algerian desert were prepared to blow it up. At least 37 hostages and 29 militants are dead after Algerian special forces waged a counter-attack. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.

By Richard Engel and Robert WindremNBC News

In Texas on Tuesday, the FBI told Erin Lovelady that her father was one of three Americans who had been killed in the terrorist assault on an Algerian gas facility last week. The news destroyed a bit of his daughter's faith.

"My whole life he always told me that good things happen to good people and that I was a good person and good things were going to happen for me," she said Tuesday.

The grief of the Lovelady family is a poignant reminder of the growing concern among U.S. counterterrorism officials that the amorphous al-Qaida-affiliated groups contesting swathes of northern Africa are increasingly coordinating their strategy with al-Qaida central in Pakistan ?? the remnants of the terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden.

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Victor Lovelady had gone overseas because the month-on, month-off schedule gave him more time to be with his family.

"He felt 100 percent comfortable going there and he wanted that, it was never about money, it was never about that, he was going to retire and you know ...," Erin Lovelady said, her voice trailing off.

Pat Sullivan / AP

Mike Lovelady, left, sits with niece Erin Lovelady as she wipes her tears and talks about her father Victor in Nederland, Texas, on Tuesday.

Victor Lovelady was one of at least 37 foreign hostages executed by their captors or killed in the Algerian rescue mission.? The government in Algiers, aware that Western governments were angered by what they perceived as hurried decision-making on its part, released videotape on Tuesday of kidnappers carrying out executions.

"It should have been no surprise that the Algerians were going to be aggressive," said Michael Leiter, former director of the U.S. National Counter Terrorism Center and now an NBC News counterterrorism analyst. The Algerian government? couldn't afford to have prolonged hostage crisis in the midst of their southern gas fields that are crucial to its economy, he said.?

While analysts noted that the attacks did not affect the price of natural gas, they pointed out that the price of gas has already dropped and that any instability in Algeria would make negotiating with prospective partners or financiers more problematic.

?They had to consider that," Leiter said.

It's believed that two of the dead militants in the Algerian crisis are Canadian, driving the total number of people killed to 23 in a siege where extremists used rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. NBC's Keir Simmons reports that there are still an unknown number of Americans among the victims. 1

Now, with the Algerian standoff ended in a bloody massacre, U.S. and other Western officials are wondering where the terrorists will strike next. They note that with the death of the three Americans in Algeria, and the?killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others in Libya, al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) has suddenly become the most active of the "affiliates" of the central terrorist organization founded by bin Laden.

They point to October's video message from bin Laden?s successor, al-Qaida central leader Ayman al-Zawahri? to al-Qaida affiliates, in which he suggested that they engage in kidnappings to free prisoners held in the West, particularly Omar Abdul Rahman. Rahman, the so-called blind sheikh imprisoned in the U.S. for his role in the 1993 conspiracy to topple the World Trade Center, was one of two convicted terrorists the Algeria hostage takers demanded in return for Americans they held and later killed.

The other was Aafia Siddiqui, convicted of planning attacks on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mokhtar bel Mokhtar, whose Signatories in Blood group claimed responsibility for the Algerian attack, has said that his organization been in touch with al-Qaida in Pakistan and that the assault on the natural gas plant was conducted on the umbrella group?s behalf.

Although there's no indication that AQIM is planning attacks on the U.S., there is intelligence suggesting that its members have planned attacks in France. That's one reason that France decided last week to move troops and arms into Mali to stop fundamental Islamists from reaching the capital of Bamako.

On Tuesday, the U.S. took another step in helping the French. American C-17s began transporting French troops and equipment to near the front line of the fighting in Mali. ? ?

Richard Engel is NBC News' Chief Foreign Correspondent. Robert Windrem is a Senior Investigative Producer.

More from Open Channel:

Follow Open Channel from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook?

Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/23/16652281-concern-grows-over-apparent-alignment-between-al-qaida-central-africa-groups?lite

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Reasonably honest impressions of #overlyhonestmethods.

I suspect at least some of you who are regular Twitter users have been following the #overlyhonestmethods hashtag, with which scientists have been sharing details of their methodology that are maybe not explicitly spelled out in their published ?Materials and Methods? sections. And, as with many other hashtag genres, the tweets in #overlyhonestmethods are frequently hilarious.

I was interviewed last week about #overlyhonestmethods for the Public Radio International program Living On Earth, and the length of my commentary was more or less Twitter-scaled. This means some of the nuance (at least in my head), about questions like whether I thought the tweets were an overshare that could make science look bad, didn?t quite make it to the radio. Also, in response to the Living On Earth segment, one of the people with whom I regularly discuss the philosophy of science in the three-dimensional world, shared some concerns about this hashtag in the hopes I?d say a bit more:

I am concerned about the brevity of the comments which may influence what one expresses. ?Second there is an ego component; some may try to outdo others? funny stories, and may stretch things in order to gain a competitive advantage.

So, I?m going to say a bit more.

Should we worry that #overlyhonestmethods tweets share information that will make scientific practice look bad to (certain segments of) the public?

I don?t think so. I suppose this may depend on what exactly the public expects of scientists.

The people doing science are human. They are likely to be working with all kinds of constraints ? how close their equipment is to the limits of its capabilities (and to making scary noises), how frequently lab personnel can actually make it into the lab to tend to cell cultures, how precisely (or not) pumping rates can be controlled, how promptly (or not) the folks receiving packages can get perishable deliveries to the researchers. (Notice that at least some of these limitations are connected to limited budgets for research ? which maybe means that if the public finds them unacceptable, they should lobby their Congresscritters for increased research funding.) There are also constraints that come from the limits of the human animal: with a finite attention span, without a built in chronometer or calibrated eyeballs, and with a need for sleep and possibly even recreation every so often (despite what some might have you think).

Maybe I?m wrong, but my guess is that it?s a good thing to have a public that is aware of these limitations imposed by the available equipment, reagents, and non-robot workforce.

Actually, I?m willing to bet that some of these limitations, and an awareness of them, are also really handy in scientific knowledge-building. They are departures from ideality that may help scientists nail down which variables in the system really matter in producing and controlling the phenomenon being studied. Reproducibility might be easy for a robot that can do every step of the experiment precisely every single time, but we really learn what?s going on when we drift from that. Does it matter if I use reagents from a different supplier? Can I leave the cultures to incubate a day longer? Can I successfully run the reaction in a lab that?s 10 ^oC warmer or 10 ^oC colder? Working out the tolerances helps turn an experimental protocol from a magic trick into a system where we have some robust understanding of what variables matter and of how they?re hooked to each other.

Does the 140 character limit mean #overlyhonestmethods tweets leave out important information, or that scientists will only use the hashtag to be candid about some of their methods while leaving others unexplored?

The need for brevity surely means that methods for which candor requires a great deal of context and/or explanation won?t be as well-represented as methods where one can be candid and pithy simultaneously. These tweeted glimpses into how the science gets done are more likely to be one-liners than shaggy-dog stories.

However, it?s hard to imagine that folks who really wanted to share wouldn?t use a series of tweets if they wanted to play along, or maybe even write a blog post about it and use the hashtag to tweet a link to that post.

What if #overlyhonestmethods becomes a game of one-upmanship and puffery, in which researchers sacrifice honesty for laughs?

Maybe there?s some of this happening, and if the point of the hashtag is for researchers to entertain each other, maybe that?s not a problem. However, in the case that other members of one?s scientific community were actually looking to those tweets to fill in some of the important details of methodology that are elided in the terse ?Materials and Methods? section of a published research paper, I hope the tweeters would, when queried, provide clear and candid information on how they actually conducted their experiments. Correcting or retracting a tweet should be less of an ego blow than correcting or retracting a published paper, I hope (and indeed, as hard as it might be to correct or retract published claims, good scientists do it when they need to).

The whole #overlyhonestmethods hashtag raises the perennial question of why it is so much is elided in published ?Materials and Methods? sections. Blame is usually put on limitations of space in the journals, but it?s also reasonable to acknowledge that sometimes details-that-turn-out-to-be-important are left out because the researchers don?t fully recognize their importance. Other times, researchers may have empirical grounds for thinking these details are important, but they don?t yet have a satisfying story to tell about why they should be.

By the way, I think it would be an excellent thing if, for research that is already published, #overlyhonestmethods included the relevant DOI. These tweets would be supplementary information researchers could really use.

What researchers use #overlyhonestmethods to disclose ethically problematic methods?

Given that Twitter is a social medium, I expect other scientists in the community watching the hashtag would challenge those methods or chime in to explain just what makes them ethically problematic. They might also suggest less ethically problematic ways to achieve the same research goals.

The researchers on Twitter could, in other words, use the social medium to exert social pressure in order to make sure other members of their scientific community understand and live up to the norms of that community.

That outcome would strike me as a very good one.

* * * * *

In addition to the ever expanding collection of tweets about methods, #overlyhonestmethods also has links to some thoughtful, smart, and funny commentary on the hashtag and the conversations around it. Check it out!

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b94fe0cb08053413535c6c928d5507e9

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Simple leads Android Apps of the Week

Current event coverage, from the Oscars to the Sundance Film Festival to this year's X Games, dominates this week?s list of app. However, our top app, Simple, ?is much less exciting yet more ?useful in your daily life, making banking and budgeting a breeze. Finally, we've got a novel new car locator app named after a certain Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott vehicle from back in the day.

I decided to start this list off with something a bit more useful and practical, despite being less glamorous than the apps below. Simple is about the all-too-boring but incredibly necessary task of money management and budgeting. Using Simple you can check all of your transactions, know how much you can afford to spend with Safe-to-Spend, set memos for yourself, and even find the nearest ATM in a pinch. The interface is well-designed and easy-to-use, and the Android version is just as good as the iOS version. This is a great way to bank.

Ah, the Oscars. Nothing says prestige like the grand, spectacular, somewhat pretentious and elitist but still pretty awesome Academy Awards. Well, this year's awards are almost one month away, in fact, on February 24th, so why not prepare for the occasion with this fun app? The app lets you look up all the nominees for various categories and read up on their history or other interesting tidbits. You can also make your Oscar predictions and share them with friends. Just make sure to have the app handy on Oscar Sunday so you can enjoy a little 'second screen' experience.

Speaking of pretension, when was the last time you sat down with a good indie flick? Do you enjoy movies with a little less money and a little more...heart? I joke, but I actually do tend to follow indie scenes in general, pretense and all, and one of the biggest events for indie movies is the Sundance Film Festival, currently in progress. This is similar to the Oscars app in that it lets you watch trailers and interviews about the various featured movies, reading up on them a bit too. But, since this is an event that normal, unimportant humans like you or I can attend, it's also a handy pocket guide with all the schedules, maps, shuttle information, and so on.

Despite sharing its name with the wonderfully ridiculous and completely insipid movie that I've seen way too many times, this app is just all around useful. It's the latest in a long line of car location apps, for all of us with poor short term memory or a bad sense of direction. This app stands out with a ton of cool features. You can take pictures of the surrounding landmarks to help identify the area, share your spot with friends and family, and even set reminders for yourself if you're parked at a meter or a garage, saving yourself some money. There is a free version of the app as well.

Last, but certainly not least, we get to an app for all of you sports fans. Specifically, Extreme Sports fans. ESPN has released this official X Games app so you can follow the six main events of 2013. It has all the features you would expect: video highlights, news, schedules, athlete information, brackets, constantly updated results, and so on. The app is generally well-made and a must-have for any fan planning to fully follow the events. The app is kind of slow and drains your battery, but you might as well download it now. X Games Aspen 2013 is going on as you read this!

Download the Appolicious Android app

Source: http://www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/13164-simple-leads-android-apps-of-the-week

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London ? Flag Day

Tags: British Flag, England, Fashion Photography, Fashionable, Fashionista, London, London Fashion Week, London Street Style Fashion, Man With, Menswear, UK, Union Jack Bag, Union Jack Clutch, Wayne Tippetts

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2013 at 10:30 am and is filed under Street Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.waynetippetts.com/?p=21510

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Enchanted Homeschooling Mom: The ABC's of Homeschooling ...

I will be finishing my discussion on the topic of homeschooling today. Please note that due to the lengthy topics I will not be able to cover all topics in full detail so please feel free to comment on the posts or email me. If you are a blogger and have an article that you think fits a certain topic please email me with the link and I will be more than happy to include your link in my ABC?s of Homeschooling 5 day series. ?Here are today?s final additions to the series?

It is vitally important that no matter what type of program you are in as a homeschooler, be it a charter school, a religious program, or on your own, that you understand your State?s laws pertaining to homeschooling.? Most states allow homeschooling, but the regulations governing the implementation and execution of homeschooling vary greatly.? One state might allow require physical education, another might not.? One state may allow electronic transmission of records, another may require it by mail or fax.? The list goes on.? I would highly recommend that you find out for yourself what your state?s educational laws and regulations require of you as a homeschooling parent.? I would also recommend that if you do not know where to find this information you should be able to ask your homeschooling contact (education consult, teacher, proctor, charter school, or whatever your program calls it) to explain the rules or provide them to you.? You never know what you might find in your rules and how often the rules may be changed; just remember to know how they apply to your family. Here are some wonderful articles and links to get you started on your research into understanding your state laws:

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You can also do a Google search for you state to find out more. For example ?Oregon Homeschooling Laws?

What would this world be like without YouTube?? Seriously though, how many times have you read a blog and it links you to a video? I know that I reference YouTube and other video options (like a DVD from your local library) in my blog posts.? I also rely on videos in my homeschooling day.? It is not every day that I use a video, but I know that brick and mortar school use them, so why not us homeschoolers, right?? Just make sure that you are not relying on videos all the time.? There is no substitute for teaching your children efficiently, so I sometimes use educational videos to emphasize my curriculums.? Are you teaching about a historical figure?? There is probably an official site about that person with imbedded links, why not use it? Are you teaching about an event that has happened? There is probably a video, CD, news snippet, or DVD about that person out there, why not use it? I would just highly recommend previewing and loading it first since there seems to be less and less controls on the content out there in cyberspace.? Be safe and view it first so that you can verify that it is what you want it for, assuming you do not trust the source already.

Why did you choose homeschooling?? This is a question I get all of the time.? I can go on-and-on about the positives and negatives, but I think the best reason to choose homeschooling is for you to decide for yourself.? I think that my answer is all encompassing and I talk about it on my about page found HERE. The reason that you should choose homeschooling will be yours and yours alone and please do not let anyone tell you any different.? Each family is different and homeschooling can be a great environment for you to teach your children, grow as a family, and provide the best environment for your children to grow into great adults under your influences.

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A common phenomenon that is sometimes unavoidable in the homeschooling world is the constant comparison to other homeschool family routines, other curriculum?s, one family?s version of extracurricular activities and so on. Thanks to the digital age and homeschooling building such a large online community and presence this phenomenon has become even more prevalent. While we all would love to put on a pair of X-Ray goggles and stand outside the home of a homeschooling mom that we may envy, there is something important to be learned from this. While watching another homeschooling parent can be a lot of fun and you can gain insightful ideas that you can implement into your own homeschool please remember the old adage, ?If it ain?t broke then don?t fix it?. Just because you see something in one family?s routine that ended up not working in yours it does not mean that they are doomed to the same results as when you did it.? You might also see something that totally failed you in your situation working wonders for theirs.? It is hard to remember that each family is made up of different people, personalities, circumstances, and different sets of situations. It is often hard to say what works and what does not because I do not get to wear the X-Ray goggles that often, but I know what has worked for me and it has come from trial and error.? Do not be afraid to try something and then if you end up realizing at some point that it isn?t working or it isn?t doing what you thought it was, try something different.? It goes the same with others that we interact with.? Do not be afraid to give your honest opinion on something, but remember that each situation is different for those involved in it and they might not be looking for your opinion either.?

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So, when it comes to homeschooling, I see a lot of great things out there that I pin or move to implement in my own homeschool, but I also see a lot of things that make me think, wow, how the heck or why do they do that? I try not to put on the X-Ray goggles and then pick apart what I am seeing, but rather on those rare cases where I do get my turn of using the X-Ray goggles, I try to see how it would work or fit into our homeschooling journey.

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Record keeping?? What is that?? Why do you have to keep records you ask? The best reason is that you never know when or who will ask you for them in an official capacity.? The records that we keep are to document by keeping proof that your student has met their education objectives. Because larger schools can produce records at the drop of a dime, so should we as homeschoolers.? This also means that those schools will also have tried and true methods of what to keep.? As homeschoolers we need to determine what the state laws and regulations are and keep records that illustrate our students meet those requirements.? Although it is not always the case, a lot of regulators may view homeschooling records with skepticism and that can lead to a lot of heart burn if you have not kept enough records.? I have often heard the mantra that whether it is correct or not, the more records you keep (and examples of work) the more likely you will be to overcome the skepticism.? As a parent your record keeping will be vital if your consultant or teacher looses, misplaces, or simply does not get enough samples to justify your progress.? I tend to keep extra samples of my children?s work in a spare printer paper box so that I have my own records and samples of what I have turned into my homeschooling fairy.? Do not get me wrong, I do not keep everything, but I do tend to keep more than my fair share.? It is also important to remember that not only are you keeping these examples and samples for your records, but you are also keeping them for yourself as keepsakes too!
So, now that it has been established that it is indeed a good idea to keep records, what type should we keep?? I would recommend keeping the following times (you might come up with more): Daily attendance, grades, test scores, reading logs, PE logs, accomplishments, accolades, examples that meet specific standards, official letters, proof of grade advancement, education agreements and so on.? The most important thing to remember is that even if you are not required to keep records, it is always a good idea to keep them anyway to prevent any issues later down the line. And remember that you only need to keep enough records to substantiate the homeschooling education you have completed.? The length of time to keep those records varies, but I would recommend keeping them for about four years during the lower grades and permanently once they get into junior high and high school.? I would also strongly recommend looking into your state laws concerning high schoolers since some will be applying for colleges, military careers, scholarships, work programs, and the like.? Keeping records might not be the thing about homeschooling you want to do, but you must keep records to protect the hard work that your homeschoolers are doing each day, not the mention the dedication you are providing to them as their parent and teacher.

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Do you have a Zoo in your community?? I know that we have a local zoo and it is always a blast to go.? In the past I have even had a yearly pass to ours and we went every few weeks.? The kids had a blast learning about the animals.? What they did not realize at the time was that I was planning days at the zoo around their school lessons and was supplementing their learning with real live animals.? At one time we were learning about tigers so I made sure the next time we went to the zoo to have the kids ask the tiger keepers about the tigers.? Then, the next day when we started learning about tigers they really connect because the spent the previous day learning about them already.? It was great to see the children build on their hands-on knowledge with classroom exercises too.

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Also keep in mind that most zoo?s give discounts to students and teachers (see my I is for ID cards section of this series) so do not be afraid to let the ticket booth workers know you are a homeschooling family.? You can also look into your local zoo because most will have educational programs for schools.? Since you are a teacher you should be able to tap into their educational resources for your homeschool too, your children.? Then, when you are at the zoo next you can sometimes participate in the learning events, special education themed shows, and special school themed behind the scenes that any school child would love to be part of.? Remember, because you are a homeschooling family means that you have a teacher and student in the same place and most zoos require teacher and student involvement.? Zoos are a great resource in my opinion.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ABC?s of Homeschooling 5 day series. I hope that some of the topics I have covered and links I have provided have helped some of you while on your homeschooling journey.?

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Participants for the 5 Day Series Blog Category of School Activities (make sure to hop on over and say "Hello!"):

Make it a magical homeschooling day,

Source: http://www.enchantedhomeschoolingmom.net/2013/01/the-abcs-of-homeschooling-day-5.html

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Awakening the Fountain of Youth: Connecting to Your Optimal ...

Discover how Lifebook VIP Member Julie Fedeli radically transformed her health and fitness, and gain access to her secrets and more with this month?s free Health and Fitness content.

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• Lifebook?s powerful Health and Fitness video, so you can reconnect with your physical purpose.
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• Dozens of resources, including interviews hosted by Jon, powerful articles by Health and Fitness contributors, exclusive invitations to Lifebook events, and much more!

Click here to sign up for your 30-day free trial of the VIP Program, and get January?s Health and Fitness content absolutely free!

By:? Lifebook Member Julie Fedeli

My journey to the Fountain of Youth began in the jungles of India and ended with life-changing anti-aging products, with a profound Lifebook experience along the way. Sharing these products with you is an integral aspect of my passion and mission.

In 2009, after a week of silence and contemplation in Mumbai, India ? I could have stayed forever. It felt like home.

But I had a loving, amazing husband and beautiful son back in Chicago. And I wasn?t ready to shave my head and become a monk. I knew I needed to bring the India bliss into my ?real? life. With that clarity in my heart and mind, I arrived with my husband Dan at Lifebook.

One of the most beautiful offerings of Lifebook has been the reawakening of my potential and my truth. As a teenager, I sometimes had the feeling of being invincible. I would come up with innovative ideas and could feel inspiration flowing through me. I felt connected to my heart?s desires, and believed that anything was possible.

Like most of us, by the time I arrived at Lifebook ? after decades of living ? life had taken its toll on me. I could no longer feel my deep longings or see my fabulous visions. It was an incredible experience to attend Lifebook, rekindle those feelings, and begin to design a blueprint for my life.

Lifebook awakened the Fountain of Youth within me!

I began to thaw out and remember my life?s purpose and my heart?s deepest longings. I felt the flow, saw the vision, and experienced my own unlimited potential.

At that same time, through a series of marvelously synchronistic events, Dan and I found a line of cutting-edge, anti-aging, natural health products. We loved them immediately for their remarkable power to promote healthy and graceful aging and longevity. Dan is a magical, skilled chiropractor with a unique brand of upper cervical care. He founded The Balancing Center in 1987. We have decades of education and experience in natural healing, so we knew these products were the ?real deal!?

Our already admirable health was amped to another level. Our skin literally began to glow. We experienced more energy, clarity and focus. Our minds functioned like finely tuned equipment. Stress lessened, and we became more relaxed, kind and generous. Over the year, Dan became lean, toned, and stronger, effortlessly losing 25 lbs. I lost 15 lbs., my mid-life hormones were happily back in balance, and an auto-immune challenge began to resolve. Patients, friends, and family were amazed. We were looking so much?well? younger!!!

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, this optimal-aging protocol gave us the physiological support to manifest the dreams and visions of our Lifebooks!

These products lit us up and awakened the Fountain of Youth within our physical bodies! We know that this is one of the major reasons we have been successful in the realization of the visions we created during our Lifebook session. We are physiologically AWAKE!

Let me explain this Fountain of Youth briefly: The Orenda International products are NOT like other supplements. They were created with the powerful intention to go ?up stream? and nourish the core systems of our bodies. With this protocol, the pituitary and the cells of the body are literally reawakened to the flow of life.

So many folks just can?t move beyond their challenges ? the glitches in their matrix. Many don?t have the power and energy to do much. They might not even be aware of this, because they might actually feel somewhat ok ? after a cup of coffee or a workout. But after they begin using Orenda, they realize what true life force is.

I have seen hundreds of people make miraculous shifts in their lives after beginning to use the protocol. Women in abusive relationships finally decide to leave their partners. Forty-year-old men who wanted to start businesses when they were 20 finally take the leap and move their inventions into the world with great success. People?s worldviews begin to expand as they experience deep health and happiness ? and they want to serve the world in a bigger way. That is exactly what the Orenda products were designed to do!

Orenda International makes eight different products. My two favorites are Otropin and Immune.

Otropin is a one of a kind product for anti-aging that can create phenomenal results for those who use it. It has patented technology that supports healthy pituitary function.* Scientific experts recommend maintaining a healthy pituitary as an effective anti-aging strategy.

The benefits of a healthy pituitary are Energy and Endurance, Healthy Immune Function, Libido/Sexual Function(!), Normal Sleep Patterns, Healthy Mood and Brain Activity, Healthy Metabolism, Lean Muscle Mass, and more.

Immune supports both cellular detoxification and immune system balancing. If you think you are already immune enough, look around! We are living in a toxic soup. As of September 2009 there are 5 million man-made chemicals on our planet, as well as ?super-bugs? that confound the medical world. Immune addresses both. The advanced ingredients of Immune can protect the body from a vast array of threats, and literally cleanse the cells of toxins.*

We give this product to our pre-teen son daily, and he doesn?t get the bugs that go around school anymore. We also feel we are strengthening his system for the future.

Dan and I are passionate about sharing our Lifebook experience with others. We are committed to supporting humanity in realizing a vision for a happier, healthier planet. Our friends? lives have shifted tremendously through Lifebook.

Dan and I are motivated to share our keys to radiant well being with everyone who wants more out of life. The Orenda products and protocol are uplifting humanity every day by awakening the physical body to its ultimate potential.

As more people embrace radiant good health, the world becomes a better place for all of us. Imagine that, Lifebook friends?imagine that!

Describing all the ways in which Orenda has rocked our life would be impossible to fit into this article. We would love for you to call or email us to find out how this cutting-edge technology will help you energize your body and your Lifebook!

Our love to you,

Julie and Dr. Dan Fedeli
www.danandjulie.com
www.thebalancingcenter.com
312.772.6883

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease.

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Source: http://mylifebook.com/blog/?p=3229

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Patriots vs. Texans, 2013 NFL Playoffs: J.J. Watt and Houston pass rush still on Tom Brady's mind

One of the first things that pop into most minds when discussing the Houston Texans is the long arms extending from J.J. Watt's jersey.

Almost always busy, wrapped around a quarterback or swatting a ball from the air, those arms serve as devices of havoc, and somehow are made more menacing by the black brace, a device that typically signifies weakness or some kind of defect, that slides over the left one.

But with Watt, weakness doesn't seem to exist. A strong front-runner to win the defensive player of the year award, the defensive end recorded 16.5 sacks and 20 passes defensed. He hung zeros in both categories against the New England Patriots during a Dec. 10 meeting, but still managed to hit quarterback Tom Brady five times.

The performance by New England's offensive line was celebrated as a huge success, and considering Watt's typical level of destruction the reaction was justified. A repeat performance in Sunday's divisional playoff game will be necessary if the Patriots hope to cruise to another easy victory.

"He's an incredible player," Brady said. "You have to know where he's at on every single play because he's so disruptive with tackles for loss and his penetration of the backfield. He gets to the quarterback, led the league in sacks. He's as good as anyone playing the game."

New England once again brought out the tennis rackets and broomsticks to simulate Watt's arms in practice to help prepare Brady to throw over them, but the bigger key here, perhaps, is finding a way to keep him caged up. The approach last time was a simple: don't run his direction and use two blockers to contain him on deep passes.

Many of the times when Watt wasn't double teamed, Brady got rid of the ball quickly and afterward, ProFootballFocus.com reported that the New England quarterback only held the ball an average of 2.27 seconds, one of the fastest times the site clocked throughout the season.

"Obviously I didn't play well enough," Watt said. "I got quite a few hits on Brady, but obviously the ball was gone every time. Didn't bat any balls, didn't have any tackles for a loss, so I need to do more.

"I think that's understood, I think that's known, but that's why you get another shot and this is the playoffs. I'm going to bring everything I have."

Watt is going to be an issue no matter what, but the Texans and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips enter the week with an even bigger decision about what to do with the rest of the pieces of defense.

Houston sent five or more pass rushers on 56 percent of the plays in the last meeting and was eaten alive by Brady. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns against the blitz.

This wasn't something unique to Houston or the result of some defensive failure. Brady has historically excelled when teams take players out of coverage and send them after him, and that's been no different this year. He completed 105 of 163 passes when blitzed this season for 1,328 yards with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Houston may stick to its guns and hope for the best, but they may be better served following the blueprint the Jets created in 2010 when they largely opted not to blitz in a divisional playoff game and instead clogged the middle of the field with defensive players.

The approach took away many of Brady's options of the middle and disrupted his timing with his receivers. The Jets walked away with a 28-21 victory after losing the New England, 45-3, a little more than a month earlier.

Houston isn't tipping its hand on how it plans to approach things this time, but Watt did admit that the Texans were surprised by how quickly Brady actually gets rid of the ball.

"Yes, he gets the ball out quick," Watt said. "He knows the scheme very well, he knows where his receivers are and he knows who's going to be open."

There's only so much Watt can do with those arms. In the end, he's going to have to get some help from the other 10 guys on the field to atone for what happened last month.

Source: http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2013/01/jj_watt_texans_brady_pass_rush.html

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