Fiscal 'cliff' deal proving elusive

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., walks to a closed-door meeting with fellow Democrats as he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., work to negotiate a legislative path to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Senate and House leaders rushed to assemble a last-ditch agreement to stave off middle-class tax increases and possibly delay steep spending cuts in an urgent attempt to find common ground after weeks of gridlock. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., walks to a closed-door meeting with fellow Democrats as he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., work to negotiate a legislative path to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Senate and House leaders rushed to assemble a last-ditch agreement to stave off middle-class tax increases and possibly delay steep spending cuts in an urgent attempt to find common ground after weeks of gridlock. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, center, arrives at his office in the Capitol as he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Neveda, try to negotiate a legislative solution to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, walks to a closed-door GOP caucus as Congress meets to negotiate a legislative path to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts that could kick in Jan. 1., at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, arrives at his office in the Capitol as he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Neveda try to negotiate a legislative solution to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., third ranking in the Senate Democratic leadership, speaks on his cell phone following a closed-door caucus at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 to discuss how to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts that could kick in Jan. 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Capitol Hill deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" was proving elusive Sunday as a deadline to avert tax hikes on virtually every American worker and block sweeping spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and other federal agencies grew perilously near.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell remained at odds on such key issues as the income threshold for higher tax rates and how to deal with inheritance taxes, among other issues. McConnell complained that Reid had yet to respond to a GOP offer made Saturday evening and reached out to Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime friend, in hopes of breaking the impasse. Biden assumed the lead role for Democrats, and a McConnell spokesman said the Kentucky Republican and the vice president were expected to negotiate by telephone into the night.

Rank-and-file lawmakers left the Capitol Sunday night with hopes that their leaders would give them something to vote on when they returned Monday morning.

One sign of progress came as Republicans withdrew a long-discussed proposal to slow future cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients as part of a compromise to avoid the cliff. Democrats said earlier Sunday that proposal had put a damper on the talks, and Republican senators emerging from a closed-door GOP meeting said it is no longer part of the equation.

"I was really gratified to hear that Republicans have taken their demand for Social Security benefit cuts off the table. The truth is they should never have been on the table to begin with," Reid said late Sunday afternoon. "There is still significant distance between the two sides, but negotiations continue."

At stake are sweeping tax hikes and across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect at the turn of the year. Taken together, they've been dubbed the fiscal cliff, and economists warn the one-two punch ? which leaders in both parties have said they want to avoid ? could send the still-fragile economy back into recession. Tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at midnight Monday, and $109 billion in across-the-board cuts in federal spending this year would also begin this week.

Workers could see more taxes withheld from their paychecks and federal agencies are likely to soon receive warning of possible furloughs if lawmakers fail to reach a deal to avert the cliff. The new Congress will be sworn in on Thursday and would inherit the problem if the current crop of lame-duck lawmakers can't find an answer before then.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the two sides remained at odds over the income threshold for higher tax rates and tax levels on large estates. Republicans said that Democratic demands for new money to prevent a cut in Medicare payments to doctors and renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed should be financed with cuts elsewhere in the budget. Republicans also balked at a Democratic proposal to use new tax revenues to shut off the across-the-board spending cuts, known as a sequester in Washington-speak.

President Barack Obama, in a televised interview, blamed Republicans for putting the nation's shaky economy at risk.

"We have been talking to the Republicans ever since the election was over," Obama said in the interview that was taped Saturday and aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''They have had trouble saying yes to a number of repeated offers."

"The mood is discouraged," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who caucuses with Democrats. "The parties are much further apart than I hoped they'd be by now."

The pessimistic turn came as the House and Senate returned to the Capitol for a rare Sunday session. Reid and McConnell had hoped to have a blueprint to present to their rank and file by mid-afternoon.

McConnell and Reid were hoping for a deal that would prevent higher taxes for most Americans while letting rates rise at higher income levels, although the precise point at which that would occur was a sticking point.

Obama had wanted to raise the top tax rate on individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families making more than $250,000 from 35 percent to 39.6 percent. In talks with Republican House Speaker John Boehner, he offered to raise that threshold to $400,000.

The estate tax issue was particularly tricky since several Democrats, including veterans like Max Baucus of Montana, disagree with Obama's proposal to increase the top estate tax rate from 35 percent to 45 percent.

Republicans said Democrats pressed to turn off more than $200 billion in the across-the-board spending cuts over the coming two years. This so-called sequester is the punishment for last year's deficit "supercommittee" failure to strike a deal.

Hopes for blocking across-the-board spending cuts were fading and Obama's proposal to renew the 2-percentage-point payroll tax cut wasn't even part of the discussion.

Obama pressed lawmakers to start where both sides say they agree ? sparing middle-class families from looming tax hikes.

"If we can get that done, that takes a big bite out of the fiscal cliff. It avoids the worst outcomes. And we're then going to have some tough negotiations in terms of how we continue to reduce the deficit, grow the economy, create jobs," Obama said in the NBC interview.

Gone is the talk of a grand deal that would tackle broad spending and revenue demands and set the nation on a course to lower deficits. Obama and Boehner were once a couple hundred billion dollars apart on a deal that would have reduced the deficit by more than $2 trillion over 10 years.

Republicans have complained that Obama has demanded too much in tax revenue and hasn't proposed sufficient cuts or savings in the nation's massive health care programs.

Obama upped the pressure on Republicans to negotiate a fiscal deal, arguing that GOP leaders have rejected his past attempts to strike a bigger and more comprehensive bargain.

"The offers that I've made to them have been so fair that a lot of Democrats get mad at me," Obama said.

Boehner disagreed, saying Sunday that the president had been unwilling to agree to anything "that would require him to stand up to his own party."

The trimmed ambitions of today are a far cry from the upbeat bipartisan rhetoric of just six weeks ago, when the leadership of Congress went to the White House to set the stage for negotiations to come.

But the deal under discussion Sunday appeared unlikely to settle other outstanding issues, including the sequester, which would total more than $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years, divided equally between the Pentagon and other government agencies. And off the table completely is an extension of the nation's borrowing limit, which the government is on track to reach any day but which the Treasury can put off through accounting measures for about two months.

That means Obama and the Congress are already on a new collision path. Republicans say they intend to use the debt ceiling as leverage to extract more spending cuts from the president. Obama has been adamant that unlike 2011, when the country came close to defaulting on its debts, he will not yield to those Republican demands.

Meanwhile, a senior defense official said if the sequester were triggered, the Pentagon would soon begin notifying its 800,000 civilian employees that they should expect some furloughs ? mandatory unpaid leave, not layoffs. It would then take some time for the furloughs to begin being implemented, said the official, who requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the internal preparations.

Lawmakers have until the new Congress convenes to pass any compromise, and even the calendar matters. Democrats said they had been told House Republicans might reject a deal until after Jan. 1, to avoid a vote to raise taxes before they had technically gone up, and then vote to cut taxes after they had risen.

___

Associated Press writers David Espo, Robert Burns, Julie Pace, Jim Kuhnhenn and Michele Salcedo contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-30-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-7cddb1f7055b46f8bf1f0d1818f8c851

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Man Threatened Family Members Inside Crystal Lake Home ? CBS ...

Michael Walls (Credit: Crystal Lake police)

CRYSTAL LAKE (STMW) ? A northwest suburban man was arrested Saturday after wielding a gun and threatening family members, who barricaded themselves inside a room to escape him.

Officers responded to a domestic dispute at a single family home in the 400 block of Kelly Lane about 5 p.m., Crystal Lake police said. A man with a gun was threatening four other occupants, who barricaded themselves in a room while waiting for police officers to arrive.

Officers began speaking with Michael J. Walls, 45, who was seen holding a semi-automatic pistol while inside the home, Crystal Lake police said.

Walls surrendered to police and was arrested about 6:40 p.m., Crystal Lake police said. No one was injured.

Walls was charged with domestic battery, unlawful restraint, three counts of felony aggravated assault to a peace officer, and misdemeanor aggravated assault, Crystal Lake police said.

Walls is being held on $50,000 bond at the McHenry County Jail.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire ? Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/30/man-threatened-family-members-inside-crystal-lake-home/

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Randy Shannon out as linebackers coach at TCU

Former Miami head coach Randy Shannon is on the move again, leaving TCU to possibly fill the LB coach position at Arkansas.

Randy Shannon is out as TCU's linebackers coach, according to FootballScoop.com. Shannon appears to be leaving on his own terms and could be headed to Arkansas to fill the same position, sources told the site.

Prior to arriving to TCU before the 2012 season, Shannon served as the head coach at Miami from 2007 to 2010, guiding the Hurricanes to a 28-22 record during his stint in South Beach. Before that, Shannon spent six years as Miami's defensive coordinator. The Hurricanes were perennially dominant on defense during that time, finishing in the top 10 nationally in total defense in five out of six seasons. Shannon received the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the best assistant in college football, after the 2001 season.

Shannon began his coaching career with Miami as a graduate assistant and held positions of defensive line coach, linebackers coach and defensive assistant with the Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins during his first decade as a coach.

In addition to being brought up in rumblings about the Arkansas job, Shannon's name has also been mentioned as a candidate to fill South Florida's vacant defensive coordinator job.

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Source: http://dallas.sbnation.com/tcu-horned-frogs/2012/12/30/3819642/randy-shannon-coach-tcu-arkansas

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Latin Americans most upbeat despite woes

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? The world's happiest people aren't in Qatar, the richest country by most measures. They aren't in Japan, the nation with the highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of college graduates, doesn't make the top 10.

A poll released Wednesday of nearly 150,000 people around the world says seven of the world's 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America.

Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being, like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the United Nations' Human Development Index, a composite of life expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in positive emotions.

"In Guatemala, it's a culture of friendly people who are always smiling," said Luz Castillo, a 30-year-old surfing instructor. "Despite all the problems that we're facing, we're surrounded by natural beauty that lets us get away from it all."

Gallup Inc. asked about 1,000 people in each of 148 countries last year if they were well-rested, had been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment.

In Panama and Paraguay, 85 percent of those polled said yes to all five, putting those countries at the top of the list. They were followed closely by El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Guatemala, the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

The people least likely to report positive emotions lived in Singapore, the wealthy and orderly city-state that ranks among the most developed in the world. Other wealthy countries also sat surprisingly low on the list. Germany and France tied with the poor African state of Somaliland for 47th place.

Prosperous nations can be deeply unhappy ones. And poverty-stricken ones are often awash in positivity, or at least a close approximation of it.

It's a paradox with serious implications for a relatively new and controversial field called happiness economics that seeks to improve government performance by adding people's perceptions of their satisfaction to traditional metrics such as life expectancy, per capita income and graduation rates.

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan famously measures policies by their impact on a concept called Gross National Happiness.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a national well-being program in 2010 as part of a pledge to improve Britons' lives in the wake of the global recession. A household survey sent to 200,000 Britons asks questions like "How satisfied are you with your life nowadays?"

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which unites 34 of the world's most advanced countries, recently created a Better Life Index allowing the public to compare countries based on quality of life in addition to material well-being.

Some experts say that's a dangerous path that could allow governments to use positive public perceptions as an excuse to ignore problems. As an example of the risks, some said, the Gallup poll may have been skewed by a Latin American cultural proclivity to avoid negative statements regardless of how one actually feels.

"My immediate reaction is that this influenced by cultural biases," said Eduardo Lora, who studied the statistical measurement of happiness as the former chief economist of the Inter-American Development Bank

"What the empirical literature says is that some cultures tend to respond to any type of question in a more positive way," said Lora, a native of Colombia, the 11th most-positive country.

For the nine least positive countries, some were not surprising, like Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Haiti. For others at the bottom, Armenia at the second lowest spot, Georgia and Lithuania, misery is something a little more ephemeral.

"Feeling unhappy is part of the national mentality here," said Agaron Adibekian, a sociologist in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. "Armenians like being mournful; there have been so many upheavals in the nation's history. The Americans keep their smiles on and avoid sharing their problems with others. And the Armenians feel ashamed about being successful."

The United States was No. 33 in positive outlook.

Jon Clifton, a partner at Gallup, acknowledged the poll partly measured cultures' overall tendency to express emotions, positive or negative. But he said skeptics shouldn't undervalue the expression of positive emotion as an important phenomenon in and of itself.

"Those expressions are a reality, and that's exactly what we're trying to quantify," he said. "I think there is higher positive emotionality in these countries."

Some Latin Americans said the poll hit something fundamental about their countries: a habit of focusing on posivites such as friends, family and religion despite daily lives that can be grindingly difficult.

Carlos Martinez sat around a table with 11 fellow construction workers in a Panama City restaurant sharing a breakfast of corn empanadas, fried chicken and coffee before heading to work on one of the hundreds of new buildings that have sprouted during a yearslong economic boom driven in large part by the success of the Panama Canal. The boom has sent unemployment plunging, but also increased traffic and crime.

Martinez pronounced himself unhappy with rising crime but "happy about my family."

"Overall, I'm happy because this is a country with many natural resources, a country that plays an important role in the world," he said. "We're Caribbean people, we're people who like to celebrate, to eat well and live as well as we can. There are a lot of possibilities here, you just have to sacrifice a little more."

Singapore sits 32 places higher than Panama on the Human Development Index, but at the opposite end of the happiness list. And things weren't looking good Wednesday to Richard Low, a 33-year-old businessman in the prosperous Asian metropolis.

"We work like dogs and get paid peanuts. There's hardly any time for holidays or just to relax in general because you're always thinking ahead: when the next deadline or meeting is. There is hardly a fair sense of work-life balance here," he said.

In Paraguay, tied with Panama as the most-positive country while doing far worse than Panama by objective measures, street vendor Maria Solis said tough economic conditions were no reason to despair.

"Life is short and there are no reasons to be sad because even if we were rich, there would still be problems," she said while selling herbs used for making tea. "We have to laugh at ourselves."

___

Associated Press writers Romina Ruiz-Goiriena in Guatemala City; Juan Zamarano in Panama City; Heather Tan in Singapore; Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia; Pedro Servin in Asuncion, Paraguay, contributed to this report.

___

Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mweissenstein

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/latin-americans-most-upbeat-despite-woes-214447953.html

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Midland police won't charge truck driver in Texas train crash

Two weeks ago, the streets of Midland were lined with flags during the funeral services for Army Sgt. Joshua C. Michael, one of four veterans who died in the train collision. (Roberto Rodriguez/The Amarillo Globe News/Associated Press)

By Andrew Khouri

December 7, 2012, 11:59 a.m.

In the wake of last month's deadly Texas train crash, the Midland Police Department does not plan to file charges against the man who drove a parade float carrying 12 veterans and their wives onto railroad tracks, a city spokeswoman said Friday.

The Nov. 15 crash in the West Texas town killed four veterans and seriously wounded five other people. The driver, Dale Andrew Hayden, was not physically injured in the crash.

?We don?t have any plans to file against the driver,? spokeswoman Sara Higgins told the Los Angeles Times.

She said the police report on the tragedy is nearing completion. It will then be sent to the district attorney?s office. ?

She could not explain why police do not plan to file charges against Hayden, but added that such information may be included in the forthcoming report.?

Midland County Assistant Dist. Atty. Steve Stallings told the Los Angeles Times that until he receives the police report, no decision can be made by his office on whether to prosecute Hayden.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board have previously said the truck pulling the float drove onto the tracks while warning bells rang. Witnesses said one of the crossing arms had dropped down and hit the parade float as it attempted to cross.

As of Wednesday, NTSB investigators still hadn?t interviewed Hayden.

The accident left Hayden ?highly traumatized" and he has received hate mail, according to Dallas-based lawyer Douglas Fletcher, who represents Hayden's employer,?in an interview with?the Los Angeles Times.

Fletcher said Hayden had been placed in a VA hospital in Big Spring, Texas, within 72 hours of the crash.

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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-police-no-charges-against-driver-in-texas-train-crash-20121207,0,5043575.story?track=rss

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2nd winning ticket for huge Powerball pot claimed

NBC News

The Arizona Lottery held a press conference Friday in Phoenix to announce that an Arizonan had won half of the Powerball jackpot.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

The other winner of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot has come forward with the winning ticket, The Arizona Lottery announced Friday.

At a press conference, the lottery said the winner was a male in his 30s who lives in Fountain Hills, Ariz., with his wife. The couple have lived there for about a year, having moved from Pennsylvania, the lottery said.

The lottery did not disclose the winner's name because he requested anonymity, but under the lottery rules in Arizona his name will eventually become public.

The jackpot was the largest in Powerball history, with a cash option of $384.7 million before taxes.

---

It is being shared with Mark and Cindy Hill, who claimed their prize on Nov. 30. The Missouri couple took the lump sum payment of $136.5 million after taxes.

The Arizona winner also elected to take the cash option, the lottery stated. It did not have specifics on how the winner planned to invest or spend the money.

The jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a minute.

Before the Nov. 28 drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without anyone hitting the jackpot. In a Mega Millions drawing in March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest lottery payout of all time.?

Earlier, some media speculated that a man in Maryland might have won the other half of the Powerball jackpot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cindy Hill, ?the matriarch of the Missouri family who half the record $580 million Powerball jackpot, and her children talk about their new life as millionaires.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/07/15757507-second-winning-ticket-for-5875-million-powerball-jackpot-claimed-in-arizona?lite

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Hearing Aid Styles for Different Preferences

A hearing aid is an instrument that is used to improve the ability of a person to receive sounds. People who are prescribed to use this device basically have some problems with the way they hear. The problems can be anything, including the way they hear low or high frequency sounds. There may also be problems with the amplification of the sound and the modification of it as it is received. Since a lot of people can develop this loss or may have had it when they are born, manufacturers of the hearing aid have made them into different styles to fit the needs of the individual.

In the Ear or Canal Aids

There are several devices that can actually fit in the ear and even up to canal. The hearing aid fits right into the ear and may appear inconspicuous because of its size. These types are considered some of the smallest instruments that can help a person hear well. Many people prefer them because they are not as noticeable as others and offer a great advantage when it comes to the appearance of the person. The individual will also benefit from the different kinds of improvements that the instrument can offer. The ones that fit into the canal are basically smaller than those designed to fit just up to the ear. Despite their being inconspicuous, some of the older individuals who need these instruments prefer the bigger ones that are up to the ear only because of the difficulty of handling the smaller devices that fit up to the canal.

Behind the Ear

The instruments that are placed behind the ear are a little bulky and may need some getting used to and some extra care. Despite the need for being careful, children are some of the number one individuals who use these types of instruments. The reason behind promoting the hearing aid of this style for kids is the fact that they are still growing and will need the flexibility of something that can be adjusted to the size of the ear. It is also considered safer than the smaller ones because it cannot be pushed into the ear forcefully or fall out without being noticed. Some degree of getting used to the cumbersome object is needed, but many children adapt well to it. There are also some models that are similar looking to the behind the ear devices, which features the receiver being placed in the canal, either fully or partially.

Long Term Device

The extended wear hearing aid is a popular trend these days for those who cannot hear so well. These instruments are placed into the ear canal and left there for several months to serve its purpose. It can be worn in many activities and is replaced with a new one after a few months. The different kinds of innovations for these instruments are growing by leaps and bounds.

In Hagerstown, MD hearing aid help is available from the trusted professionals at http://www.miracle-ear-hagerstown.com. Learn more about how this device can help you.

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/healthandfitness/2012/11/10/hearing-aid-styles-for-different-preferences/

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Body Fitness Championships & Northern Bahamas Bodybuilding ...

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Source: 7 Navy SEALs punished for secrecy breach

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UK lawmaker suspended for joining reality TV show

LONDON (AP) ? A British lawmaker was suspended by her party Tuesday after she swapped the political jungle for the Australian rainforest and became a contestant on a reality TV show.

Conservative legislator Nadine Dorries was under fire for taking part in "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here." The show strands C-list celebrities in the Australian wilderness, subjects them to trials involving assorted creepy-crawlies and lets viewers vote them off one by one.

The Conservatives, who lead Britain's coalition government, said Dorries was being suspended from the party's parliamentary caucus until she could return and meet with Chief Whip George Young, who is responsible for party discipline.

Dorries was criticized by fellow Conservatives for taking up to a month off from her duties to appear on the show. Former Conservative member of Parliament Harry Greenway called the decision "outrageous," and Home Secretary Theresa May said a lawmaker's job "is in their constituency and in the House of Commons."

But Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie said appearing on the show, which begins Sunday, could help Dorries "present an image of a Tory MP that defies some of the popular preconceptions and caricatures."

It could also backfire.

In 2006, George Galloway, a lawmaker with the small Respect party, appeared on the TV show "Celebrity Big Brother" ? and was widely mocked for escapades that included performing interpretive dance dressed in a red leotard and lapping imaginary milk while pretending to be a cat.

Dorries is an outspoken backbencher, best known for her prolific blogging and attempt to restrict access to late-term abortions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-lawmaker-suspended-joining-reality-tv-show-182155717.html

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ANGLAGARD Viljans ?ga music review by Bonnek

ANGLAGARD have a solid reputation amongst fans of progressive rock fans and their reunion and subsequent return to the studio has been a big and nice surprise for fans. And those fans will certainly not be disappointed. Anglagard continues their quest for vintage sounding symphonic prog exactly where they left it one and a half decade ago.

I must admit Anglagard's previous albums have never done much for me; their focus on technical musicianship could never distract from their failure to come up with anything I found remotely memorable. And while their best album so far, "Viljans ?ga" is an album that goes with a near dazzling perfection through the prog motions, but it is also one that shows a stunning disinterest for song coherence and purpose. They may have perfectly assembled all the ingredients needed in order to produce a mix of vintage GENESIS and YES, but there are not two bars of music here with as much of a hint of the songwriting mastership of those bands. Really, if this is a masterpiece of Prog then how do I rate "The Musical Box" and "Siberian Kathru"?

Just like their previous album "Epilog", "Viljans ?ga" is entirely instrumental. On both albums this seems motivated by lack of a decent singer rather then by artistic choice, and it certainly doesn't help to make the tracks distinguishable from one another. All song section segue into one another whitout ever really grabbing my attention, and less then 5 minutes into any of these long compositions the music simply fades to the background, failing to capture my ear.

Concluding, this isn't at all bad as background music, but this is far removed from the demanding and distressing Prog of the bands they seek to copy. Nice enough and not too cheesy, but nothing that urged me return to it a lot in the last half year.

Bonnek | 3/5 | 2012-11-6

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Source: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=851648

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Inked Out: SallyAnn Salsano Leaves Jersey Shore For Tattoo ...

It?s no secret that for the past three years, America?s guilty pleasure has been watching those kids from MTV?s Jersey Shore. The show and its cast became an overnight phenomenon. Now, the creator of Jersey Shore, SallyAnn Salsano, is at it again with a brand new show for Spike TV called Tattoo Nightmares. You know that we?ve all had them! Well, not me, but some of you have gotten caught looking for a cheap way to get tattooed and just ended up with a horrifying piece of skin art. Well, SallyAnn?s new show takes you through those awful moments, but she?s also enlisted three top-notch tattoo artists in Jasmine Rodriguez, Big Gus, and Ink Master?s Tommy Helm, to cover up these Tattoo Nightmares.

For those of you not familiar with SallyAnn Salsano or her work, she?s a local girl from Farmingdale, Long Island. In 1996, she got her first taste as finalist for MTV?s original reality series, Real World: Miami. Salsano would continue with her career in entertainment as an intern for Howard Stern and Sally Jesse Raphael. She then helped produce shows like The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Surprise Weddings I & II. In 2006, SallyAnn launched her own production company, 495 Productions. It was with 495 where she would produce hit reality shows like Jersey Shore, Nashville Star, and A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila I and II.

Tattoo Nightmares premiered on Spike a couple of weeks ago, and being in the business of writing about tattoo shops, I thought this show was fantastic and funny. I got the chance to chat with SallyAnn Salsano the day of the Spike TV premiere, and here?s what she had to say:

After reading your bio, I had no idea how much you?ve accomplished besides Jersey Shore!

Yeah, I?ve been alive and kickin? for a while. It?s just those damn eight guidos put me on the map. Who would?ve thought?

Well, you?re a Farmingdale girl. You hung out with these guidos growing up, I?m sure?

It?s true! That?s actually where that all came from because I would go to the shore and party, and listen, I was the quintessential guidette! I was a total disaster! I drove the cars with the pinstriping with my name written on the door. If there was a stereotype to be had, I filled it to the nines. I worked at a tanning salon. I was definitely a full-on disaster. I have long nails. My nails were pierced. I was a disaster.

But how does a girl from Farmingdale choose Seaside Heights over The Hamptons?

I?ll tell you why. This is the absolute truth. I would do half shares; one in the Hamptons and then one in Seaside because when you went to the Hamptons and since I was working in TV world, you had to go out to the restaurants and do the right thing. Then you would go to Seaside because no one in their right mind would go there, and it was there where you can kind of misbehave. It was a strategic business move at the time, and until I got my life together, I figured that was the way I had to do it (laughs).

I write this tattoo column every month and it seems that scratch artists have been a big problem in the tattoo industry and because of that, cover-ups became a necessity at many tattoo shops. What made you decide to create a show like Tattoo Nightmares?

Well, here?s the deal. There?s two things that you don?t want to save money on: permanent ink and sushi! It?s not a good idea! You should be overcharged for both of them as far as I?m concerned. Nothing should be a good deal or a swap trade. The thing about getting bad ink is that people do it spur of the moment and don?t really accredit to the fact that this is really with you forever. I think that there are more and more people just saying, ?Hey, I?m a tattoo artist,? ?I?m this? and ?I?m that,? rather than realizing that you truly have to be an artist. I think it?s just as hard to be a tattoo artist as it is to be a famous painter or anything else.

How many tattoos do you have?

Not one! I love tattoos and I can?t believe that I just never got caught up in it and got one, to be completely honest. I don?t know how that happened. I?ve made so many bad decisions in my life and I have no tattoos, which is crazy to me. I don?t have an ex-boyfriend?s name or any of the clich? stuff that happens. Watching these people, though, you can?t believe the stories! If you have a little dolphin or a weird ?Vegas ?09,? I mean, all right, I get it, but some of these people, you?re like, ?No way! How was that a good idea??

What were some of the bad tattoos that you?ve seen during casting for the show?

We had dudes with tramp stamps, which I don?t get on any level. I mean, even for a girl with a tramp stamp, I don?t get it, but a guy? That?s pretty epic! We had this one guy who got this girl pregnant, and she was like, ?I know you?re not going to be there for me,? and in order to prove it to her, not only did he get the baby?s name, but the baby?s name and face tattooed on his body, to which she felt so guilty that she had to confess that it wasn?t his kid (laughs).

And then there are some poignant stories of like, ?I went in to get this tattoo for my brother and they spelled USMC wrong.? How the hell do you spell that wrong at a tattoo place near a base? Then the guy was like, ?It was only $5 a letter, I should?ve known.? Here?s where the show?s fun comes from and makes it different because, listen, I watch all of the Miami Inks and LA Inks. I watch it all, and it?s not that I don?t enjoy it, but when somebody sits in a chair, and our tattoo artists go, ?Oh shit! How the hell did you wind up with this mess?? These guys go into their story and we shot very cinematic, yet comedic, reenactments of their nights. So, as they?re telling their story of their hazy night or the bad girl they got mixed up with, we did a full reenactment and we cut in and out of them in the chair to them telling the story, which is actually very funny. You find yourself going, ?Oh, I so did that one night! That could?ve been me.? To me, it makes the show somewhat relatable.

The thing that intrigued me the most is that I never actually saw a cover-up get done. I?ve always seen, ?I have nothing and now I have ink.? What?s also unbelievable is some of these people have these giant tattoos, but want to make it different. It is such an artistry that I would say is 100 times harder than being a regular tattoo artist. These guys are making tracings, and every single line and shading has to completely match up. There?s no way around it and the goal is to never be able to look at it and see that there was something underneath. We do three different stories and three different tats per episode.

What made you choose Tommy Helm, Jasmine Rodriguez and Big Gus as your cover-up artists?

I was such a huge fan of Ink Master. I love competition/elimination shows, and I felt like Tommy Helm was cheated and Spike TV loved him too. I mean, the winner won, but everybody, including myself, loved Tommy Helm. So, we all agreed that it was a good idea to use him, and then we just started casting, and it?s funny because we came across Big Gus, and we were like, ?But can he tattoo?? The fact that I even asked myself that question is now like, ?How embarrassing!? That guy is like a genius! And his personality is so fun and infectious that as people are telling him their stories, his reaction to it is almost better than the stories.

?

You have to check out Tattoo Nightmares on Spike TV Tuesday nights at 11 p.m. right after Ink Master. The show is only three episodes in, but it?s absolutely entertaining! SallyAnn Salsano has outdone herself on this show, especially because it will make you really think before you ink! Check the show out on the web at spike.com/shows/tattoo-nightmares.

Well, I?m off to check out my next tattoo spot! Who knows what state it will be in! If you have a tattoo shop that you want to suggest, please e-mail me the name of the place and whom I should ask for at tim@theaquarian.com.

Source: http://www.theaquarian.com/2012/11/07/inked-out-sallyann-salsano-leaves-jersey-shore-for-tattoo-nightmares/

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New James Bond film gets five-star Vatican blessing

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - If anyone thinks the Vatican newspaper is still a staid broadsheet that publishes only religious news and harsh papal edicts, consider this: On Tuesday it ran not one but five articles about the new James Bond film.

"Skyfall" gets a rave review in l'Osservatore Romano, which calls it one of the best of the 23 James Bond films made over the past 50 years.

In the main article, titled "007 License to Cry," the newspaper says the latest incarnation of the world's most famous spy is a rather good one because it makes him less of a clich?, and "more human, capable of being moved and of crying: in a word, more real".

A second article compares the different actors who have played James Bond, from the original Sean Connery to the current Daniel Craig.

In an interview with the newspaper, Craig says he feels "very different" from the actors who have preceded him in playing Bond but does concede that Connery is "a point of reference".

Another article explains why author Ian Fleming chose the name James Bond for his hero (Fleming wanted an ordinary sounding name), and the fifth article analyses the various soundtracks composed for the 23 films.

The Bond splash shows just how much the newspaper has changed.

Since taking it over in 2007, editor-in-chief Gian Maria Vian has slowly transformed it from a newspaper critics said could compete with sleeping pills to one that follows current events, trends and show business as well as Church business.

Pope Benedict gave Vian a mandate to rejuvenate the 151-year-old mouthpiece of the Holy See when he appointed him.

Other changes have included more articles by women, more international cover, a reader-friendly layout and typeface.

The newspaper has come a long way from the time its austere nature led some to call it the "Catholic Pravda," a reference to the communist party organ in the former Soviet Union.

It's a safe bet that when the second James Bond film, "From Russia with Love," came out in 1963, the Catholic Church either ignored it or, more likely, condemned it as it did Federico Fellini's classic "La Dolce Vita" in 1960.

But James Bond has changed with the times and so has the Vatican newspaper.

Its influence is disproportionate to its tiny print circulation of just 15,000, which is smaller than that of some American university dailies.

An editorial reflecting the Vatican's position on something quickly reverberates around the world when it is picked up by the mainstream media.

It gets tens of thousands of hits on its internet site each day, which it publishes in seven languages, and recently it started publishing a monthly edition written exclusively by women.

Speaking of women, the newspaper also praises the character "M", the female head of MI6 in the latest Bond film.

It says "M," played by Judi Dench, shows the "the fragility of a woman who hides behind the cold mask of the boss of the powerful MI6, rendering her less distant and more appealing".

(Reporting By Philip Pullella, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/james-bond-film-gets-five-star-vatican-blessing-184551469.html

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How to Effectively Clean your Pet's Teeth with Ease

Entry #1774, October 31, 2012

One of the common problems that affect our pets and especially dogs is dental disease. Sad to say, this issue is often overlooked. You have to remember that our pets also need proper hygiene in order to stay healthy and comfortable. With proper dental care for our dogs, you can definitely avoid discomforts that come from dental disease that your dogs can acquire.

Tips for cleaning your pets teeth with ease

Helping your dogs to perform dental care is a kind gesture of a responsible pet owner. It doesn?t need to be expensive nor will take a lot of your time and effort to do so. All you need are proper tools and knowledge to take care of your dogs dental concerns. Here are some of the tips to perform painless teeth cleaning for your pets:

Choose the right timing

As a pet owner, you have to know when your dogs are sleepy or just woken up from a regular nap. These are the best times when you can perform the dental cleaning procedure. Dogs are usually not aggressive and active at these times. Also, it is advisable to have it before their meal time. This way, your dogs will take it as a reward after a cleaning their teeth.

Use the right tools and solutions

This is very important to effectively clean your dog?s teeth with hurting their gums or any part of their mouth. Make sure to have a toothpaste that is made for dogs. Be aware that human toothpaste has a high level of fluoride that is not good for dogs. Also, use a toothbrush designed for dogs to prevent damage of their gum tissues.

Use these ideas to effectively clean your pet?s teeth

Ask for veterinarian?s advise

This is probably the most important thing to do first. Consulting your veterinarian will help you choose the right tool and other essentials for your dogs. These experts can also assess the dental health of your dogs, hence, giving you the best method to address the problem.

Studies show that keeping your dog?s teeth clean and healthy can increase their lives from 3 to five years. Well, that?s a great reward for a simple effort!

Image sources: 1, 2

For more home wellness for your pet, click here.

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Source: http://stagetecture.com/2012/10/how-to-effectively-clean-your-pets-teeth-with-ease/

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Grimes: CARB tightens regs, partners with cops

The yo-yo?s running the State are diligently working to come up with a new tax.? CARB is the California Air Resources Board.

?The more disturbing part of the presentation was that the CARB staff was very excited about all of the data that can be collected from a car?s onboard computer. It?s not just about the smog.

CARB Board member Daniel Sperling suggested that drivers should be taxed on the smog they produce. ?Has there been any thought given to basic economic principles to just charge drivers for their emissions?? Sperling asked. ?Economists have talked about this for decades.?

This launched CARB staff members into a discussion with board members about the ?incentives? they?ve tried to impose for years to encourage people to get rid of older cars.

?I think that if we?ve had a hard time convincing the public of a carbon tax, not sure a tax is a good idea,? said CARB Board member James Balmes.?

You should know they have mandated new equipment for the smog check that would allow them to tax you car!? We have a fire tax, Chicago is going to have an ammunition tax?and you will pay a carbon for your drive to the unemployment and welfare offices.

?

CARB tightens regs, partners with cops

By Katy Grimes, Calwatchdog, 10/19/12

SACRAMENTO ? The monthly meeting of the California Air Resources Board on Thursday was nothing more than a mutual admiration society and big tax-and-spend club. After board members shared esteem for one another and CARB staff, several members of the audience jumped in to grovel before the board, instead of showing fear of the omniscient state agency.

The self-congratulatory tone at the final board meeting before the November?California Cap-and-Trade Program Greenhouse Gas?Allowance Auction?should have been enough to make even the most hardened bureaucrat wince, but instead, the agenda did that.

Help us!

Earlier in the week, the AB 32 Implementation Group delivered a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown advocating policies to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions to meet AB 32 goals in a manner that will protect jobs and the economy.??They said they were disappointed that CARB has not made very necessary repairs to the Cap and Trade program before the November cap-and-trade auction of allowances, and asked Brown to step in to exercise his authority under AB 32.

Part of the self-congratulatory tone from CARB board members is because they have made it right up to the November Cap and Trade auction without having to address the concerns of the public, employers, taxpayers, manufacturers and other industries, who have begged them to stop the auction, or face more business closures, downsizings, and ?leakage? to other states.

The Legislative Analyst?s Office said the greenhouse gas auction of allowances is not necessary to achieve the mandates of AB 32, which is to reduce greenhouse gasses to 1990 levels by 2020. California is already showing greenhouse gas emissions reductions to 1992 levels. So many in business facing the very real prospective of having to buy expensive carbon credits just to keep doing business in the state are asking why the auction has to take place.

Windshield washer fluid, smog check program, and ?Clean truck month? were on the agenda Thursday. These issues sound innocuous enough, but not in the hands of the Air Resources Board.

Windshield Washer Fluid regs

In 1990, CARB authorized changes to windshield washer fluid to lower Volatile Organic Compound emissions from the fluid. Initially, they recognized that the changes to the washer fluid would render it useless in freezing temperatures, and allowed the old formula to continue being sold in parts of the state with the colder temperatures.

But over the years since 1990, the Air Resources Board altered the exempted areas, and again lowered the washer-fluid VOC emission requirements four or five times. Ultimately, the washer fluid in the freezing temperature areas was worthless and a safety hazard.

At Thursday?s CARB meeting, after months and months of studies and staff time, CARB had to relax the washer fluid standards so that people living and working in mountainous regions of the state in freezing temperatures could use a washer fluid that actually works and won?t cause crashes.

Smog check program

CARB, together with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, is proposing to change the Smog Check program from the tailpipe emission test, to testing with a car?s onboard computer for emission levels.

Anyone who drives an older car knows the uncomfortable feeling of holding your breath during the tailpipe smog check test, hoping and praying that the car passes.

CARB wants to change the test on cars manufactured in 2000 and newer, to plug in to the car?s computers and read the engine data. They say it will take about three minutes, instead of the 20 minute tailpipe test, and mechanics and technicians can?t cheat to get a passing score for the auto owner.

Cars 1999 and older will still receive the same tailpipe test.

CARB and the Bureau of Automotive Repair also plan to increase the fine for cheating from $2,500 to $5,000 on station owners and technicians. They propose to do this with expensive new computer equipment that stations and mechanics will have to use. And there is an application process with CARB and the automotive repair bureau for the stations which want to be a part of the new program.

The more disturbing part of the presentation was that the CARB staff was very excited about all of the data that can be collected from a car?s onboard computer. It?s not just about the smog.

CARB Board member Daniel Sperling suggested that drivers should be taxed on the smog they produce. ?Has there been any thought given to basic economic principles to just charge drivers for their emissions?? Sperling asked. ?Economists have talked about this for decades.?

This launched CARB staff members into a discussion with board members about the ?incentives? they?ve tried to impose for years to encourage people to get rid of older cars.

?I think that if we?ve had a hard time convincing the public of a carbon tax, not sure a tax is a good idea,? said CARB Board member James Balmes.

But he was interrupted by CARB Director Mary Nichols before he could finish his thought. ?Hey, congratulations on getting ?carbon tax? back in the discussion,? she said.

Balmes pointed out that most of the poor drive older cars and a tax on emissions would unfairly hurt them.

The discussion led to how new technology would allow CARB to ?track emissions? from cars through the onboard computer. ?Nichols said that finding a way to monitor C02 would be a good project for a grad student.

CARB?s Clean truck month

Nichols then talked about how successful the new diesel regulations have been in forcing truck owners to replace their diesel engines with new ones at a cost of $50,000 to $60,000 each. Truck owner-operators who could not afford to do this have gone out of business.

However, the diesel regulations imposed by CARB were doctored, as I have written about extensively.?Even with this information, CARB forged ahead with the program and killed a great many small businesses.

CARB?s enforcement arm

CARB has now ?partnered? with law enforcement to ensure compliance. The California Highway Patrol has been ordered to pull truck drivers over to run tests on their engines to see if they are complying with CARB?s diesel regulations.

CARB calls this their ?full commitment to compliance.? There was a great deal of talk at the meeting about enforcement and penalties.

Last month, enforcement activities were conducted at CHP inspection stations, border crossings, truck stops, roadside locations, rest stops and port facilities.

Additionally, there was a well-coordinated media campaign orchestrated by CARB. Board members and staff bragged about the 37 news stories done by television news. They even showed clips of a few news stories. These were not public service announcements.

So now we have the California Air Resources Board writing the news, and compliant media reporting it as if it is spontaneous.

The CARB board meeting ended after discussing a resolution to the Cap and Trade program?to cap prices at the level of the price containment reserve.

Dorothy Rothrock, with the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, was the only audience member to speak out vehemently against CARB?s Cap and Trade program.??We are disappointed that CARB is moving forward without fixing the serious flaw of auctioning allowances to raise revenue in the cap and trade program,? she said. ?CARB?s plan to kill manufacturing jobs is not necessary to achieve AB 32 goals. There is still time before the auction for the board to make a firm commitment to provide free allowances for all the compliance periods between now and 2020.?

The?CMTA also explained on its?website:

?The Emissions Market Assessment Committee met in September and identified a few more issues that CARB should resolve before the first auction.? The EMAC economists said that CARB should define what constitutes ?resource shuffling? ? at this time electric power utilities and traders throughout the west do not know what is illegal ?resource shuffling? and what is normal power trading behavior.? Yet CARB?s regulation makes resource shuffling illegal and subject to penalties, also uncertain, starting in January 2013. This isn?t just an academic concern. EMAC said ?uncertain liabilities associated with imports to California could discourage, and therefore raise the cost of, power imports into the state.??

Many say that the price containment reserve will probably not protect companies from high prices, especially in the final years of the program. CMTA is concerned that California could have a market failure similar to the energy crisis of the 1970s, when prices skyrocketed and politicians stepped in to stop the market.

EMAC suggests the price containment reserve should ?be strengthened and clarified before market operations commence.?

Source: http://capoliticalnews.com/2012/10/19/grimes-carb-tightens-regs-partners-with-cops/

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L.A. developer ordered to let hikers use trail on his land

A Los Angeles real estate developer must allow hikers to use the popular Hastain Trail across his private property in Franklin Canyon, a judge has tentatively ruled.

Mohamed Hadid, who has designed and built more than a dozen Ritz-Carlton hotels and many Beverly Hills mega-mansions, has been ordered to stop "interfering with the public recreational use" of the trail, which runs across nearly half of the 97 acres he owns next to Franklin Canyon Park between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills.

Tuesday's tentative decision by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos directed Hadid and his companies Coldwater Development LLC and Lydda Lud LLC to "remove all items," including fences and equipment, from the portion of the trail that traverses Hadid's land and leads to a peak with sought-after views.

"All of us just felt that it was the right thing that this land should be saved," said Ellen Scott, whose grassroots group Friends of Hastain Trail sued Hadid's companies.

Hadid did not return calls to his cellphone seeking comment. One of his attorneys, Matthew Pahl, said Thursday that he was not ready to comment in detail. "We're naturally disappointed by what it appears the tentative judgment is," Pahl said. "We need to review it a little more before we decide what our next step will be, if there will be one."

In an interview last year, Hadid told The Times that he wanted to build six or seven houses on the ridgeline and envisioned a mix of luxury Mediterranean and contemporary-style homes, structured to blend into the mountainside. He brought in bulldozers, erected barriers and essentially blocked hikers from walking the complete 2.3-mile loop that climbs on a fire road through lush shrub-land to the ridge.

Environmentalists, hikers and mountain bikers argued that the section of trail that crossed Hadid's land had been used by the public for decades. Eric Edmunds, attorney for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which joined Scott's group in the lawsuit, said private property could be presumed to be for public use if members of the public had been using it unimpeded for five consecutive years before 1972, when a state law changed the rule.

During the trial, several so-called legacy hikers testified about how their use of the trail went back decades, and, critical to the plaintiffs' argument, preceded the 1972 legal change. James Goller, 55, testified that he had used the trail since he was about 7 years old, hiking with fellow Cub Scouts and having time with his father. Today, he mountain bikes there each morning.

Judge Palazuelos also toured the trail at the request of the plaintiffs' lawyers. Edmunds said he believed the outing was pivotal. "Once she actually saw the trail, once she saw the panoramas and views, she knew right away what was at stake here," Edmunds said.

ann.simmons@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/fJg4IIV5rI0/la-me-hastain-trail-20121019,0,3292937.story

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Jacksonville native Gen. Craig R. McKinley retires after historic career

By Sgt. 1st Class Blair Heusdens

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (October 19, 2012) ? Gen. Craig R. McKinley spent the past 14 years serving in the nation?s capital, but he came back home to Northeast Florida Friday to celebrate his nearly 40-year military career with the people he served with the longest.

General Craig R. McKinley (right) and his wife Cheryl head to the parade field for General McKinley's retirement, St. Augustine, Fla. October 19, 2012. General Craig R. McKinley, Chief National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired after 38 years of service in a ceremony held in his honor on the grounds of historic St. Frances Barracks. General McKinley started his military career as a fighter pilot, and is the first National Guard Officer to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo by Master Sgt. Shelley Gill

?On behalf of all the men and women who make up our National Guard ? about 460,000 nationally ? I?m deeply honored to be back in my home state of Florida and honored to have the commander and chief of the Florida National Guard retire me today,? said McKinley.

Flanked by his friends, family and peers, McKinley received the Governor?s Medal of Merit from Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Cross from The Adjutant General of Florida, Maj. Gen. Emmett R. Titshaw Jr., during a formal retreat ceremony on the parade field of the historic St. Francis Barracks in St. Augustine.

McKinley, a Florida National Guardsman, made history at the beginning of this year when he became the first National Guardsman to serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was not the first time, however, that he set a ?first.? McKinley was also the first National Guardsman to head the National Guard Bureau as a four-star general. He also made history in 1991 when he took command of the Florida National Guard?s Fighter Interceptor Group, becoming the youngest group or wing commander in Florida Air National Guard history.

Master Sgt. Paul Still, 125th Fighter Wing Honor Guard recovers the Florida and American flag prior to raising the ceremonial flag which will fly during a retirement and retreat ceremony for General Craig R. McKinley.General Craig R. McKinley, Chief National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired after 38 years of service in a ceremony held in his honor on the grounds of historic St. Frances Barracks, St. Augustine, Fla. October 19, 2012. General McKinley started his military career as a fighter pilot, and is the first National Guard Officer to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo by Master Sgt. Shelley Gill

The elevation of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff was a significant step in recognizing the importance of the National Guard to the safety and security of the nation.

?It is a great tribute to the Senate Armed Services Committee for realizing these last 12 years of men and women in the National Guard serving alongside our active components to give us an opportunity to be at the table where decisions are made,? said McKinley.

McKinley received his commission in 1974 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Southern Methodist University. He joined the Florida National Guard in 1980 as a T-23 and F-106 alert pilot. He has served in numerous assignments in flying and operations, as well as command positions at group, wing, sector and field operating agency levels.

During his celebrated career, McKinley rose through the ranks to prestigious achievements, but it was his 18 years in Florida that formed the foundation for his future successes. Many in the Florida Air National Guard today served and flew alongside McKinley and remember his contributions and legacy in the organization.

?This is an historic day for the Florida National Guard,? said Titshaw. ?We are all very honored and appreciate the fact that General McKinley chose to come back and retire where his heart is and where his root is back in here in Florida.?

General Craig R. McKinley, Chief National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired after 38 years of service in a ceremony held in his honor on the grounds of historic St. Frances Barracks, St. Augustine, Fla. October 19, 2012. General McKinley started his military career as a fighter pilot, and is the first National Guard Officer to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo by Master Sgt. Shelley Gill

Like many who retire after a long and successful career, the day held mixed feelings for McKinley.

?It?s a tough day, it?s a bittersweet moment,? said McKinley. ?But all of us know when we put on the uniform there will come a day when we have to say goodbye. Today?s that day for me and I couldn?t have been more proud to be here.?

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Source: http://www.floridaguard.army.mil/280858

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A Look At Rayne Longboards : Sports and Recreation

Long boarding is among the most well liked sports. Rayne longboard is a sport where people utilise a skateboard. Many individuals like using these widgets as compared to bikes nowadays due to their ease in handling. They are light, so presenting minimum difficulty when carrying from one [place to another. The experience is equivalent to surfing the difference being it's used on land.

It's important to note that riser should train well before riding these gizmos. This is thanks to the fact that it requires balancing and courage in the rider part. Teaching lessons can be had from the local boarding association where riders are offered the abilities and systems required to deal with the widget with ease. Coaching is thus basic before going out for a ride on an individual basis.

There are various riding techniques available. This includes cruising, carving and downhill amongst others. It's critical to always wear the right protective gear in the ride. This is because accidents are lethal and individuals face a very great danger in case they are properly tooled up for the occasion. Protecting gear includes elbow and knee pads. Riders are also suggested to use a helmet at all times.

The long board is longer and larger than a skateboard. This makes it much easier and comfortable to ride the item since it permits ease in handling. Most users enjoy the equipment while having fun or on a sporting event. Scholars use them for transportation to school since they're more fun and better to manipulate. But caution must be taken when riding in a busy street or road.

The device is much expensive than skateboards due to its size and ease in handling. They also have further features that distinctively make them different from skateboards. Possible purchasers are given advice to look at local sporting retail outlet. Searching the net also helps land the best deals. Diverse dealers advertise their merchandise online, offering different prices in an effort to lure more clients. Therefore it's advisable to make an online search.

It's also necessary to wear eyeglasses for a clear and glorious vision. Glasses also help to protect the eyes from the wind and insects. Riders are given advice to make sure the glasses they select fit with the helmet they wear. These guarantee a good experience when riding and safety in equal measure. Nothing is far more critical than the security of the individual and that of other pedestrian and riders.

These things are becoming popular with many residents. They provide an ideal way of having a good time while simultaneously offering transport form one pint to another. Users are encouraged to carry out regular maintenance so that the state of their item is defended. As an example, the wheels should be lubricated on a regular basis in order that they can be well placed to roll without effort. This guarantees that they last for longer.

Rayne longboards offers an absolutely glorious experience to riders. They're easy to use and supply comfort to just about anybody. Residents are happy with its design and pliability.

Stoked Skateboards carries a variety of long boards, including longboards for sale.

Source: http://www.theyellowads.com/recreation_sports/a-look-at-rayne-longboards/

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