By Erika Conner and Lisa Fernandez, NBCLosAngeles.com
The Santa Cruz, Calif., County Sheriff's Department says two Santa Cruz police officers were shot to death Tuesday afternoon ? the first time?in city history that officers were killed in the line of duty.
One suspect was also killed.
Authorities believe there are no more outstanding suspects or any danger to the community, but they are going door-to-door in the perimeter they've established as a precaution.?
A resident, who declined to give his name, said he was sitting in his house in the 800 block of North Branciforte Avenue when he heard gunfire across the street around 3:30 p.m. Police arrived soon, he said. That's when a suspect fired at police, hitting the two officers.
A while later, he heard a "multitude of gunfire" coming from an area nearby. He said police told residents to stay inside and not to leave.?
Following the incident, schools in the immediate area were placed on lockdown.?
Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel said at news conference,?"Our department is in mourning. This is a horrific day in my career as the police chief and for our community and for our police department. We lost two exceptionally fine officers today."
"We need to figure out a way to bring our department together and get through this," Vogel added.?"It's a horrible, horrible day for the Santa Cruz Police Department and the community of Santa Cruz."?
After the police were killed, a second shooting occurred a half-hour later while police were in pursuit of at least one suspect, maybe two on Doyle Street. A barrage of gunfire erupted that apparently left a suspect dead on Doyle Street, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Police were on a citywide manhunt for several hours after the initial shooting. The FBI joined the investigation just after 4 p.m. as well as law enforcement from the sheriff's office, Capitola, Watsonville and Scotts Valley police departments and the California Highway Patrol.
NBC Bay Area's George Kiriyama and Bay City News contributed to this report.
Feb. 27, 2013 ? New research led at the University of Leicester reveals that individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes would benefit from being told to sit less and move around more often- rather than simply exercising regularly. The experts suggest that reducing sitting time by 90 minutes in total per day could lead to important health benefits.
Currently, at risk patients are advised to engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for at least 150 mins per week. But the new study published in Diabetologia (The journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) suggests that patents should in fact be advised to reduce their sedentary time (time spent moving very little or not at all, for example sitting or lying down).The research was led by Joseph Henson and colleagues from the Diabetes Research Unit, University of Leicester and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit (BRU), UK.
Henson and colleagues analysed patients from two studies: 153 from project STAND (Sedentary Time and Diabetes study, mean age 33 years, 29% men) and the Walking Away from Diabetes study (mean age 64 years, 65% men). The team examined the extent to which sedentary time, breaks in sedentary time, MVPA and total physical activity were independently associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in a population with known risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Accelerometers were used to assess sedentary time, MVPA, and total physical activity. Breaks in sedentary time were defined as a transition from a sedentary to an active state.
The researchers found that for these patients with known risk factors for type 2 diabetes recruited from primary care, sedentary time was detrimentally associated with 2 h glucose, triacylglycerol and HDL-cholesterol, independent of measured confounders. These results remained significant after further adjustment for MVPA and adiposity.
Furthermore, the findings were consistent across groups with diverse age ranges, providing evidence that the negative consequences of excess sedentary time exist across young to old adults. Interestingly, sedentary time was shown to have stronger associations with several important cardiometabolic markers (2 h glucose, triacylglycerol and HDL-cholesterol) compared with total physical activity and MVPA, after adjustment for each other and other important confounders.
"These studies provide preliminary evidence that sedentary behaviour may be a more effective way to target the prevention of type 2 diabetes, rather than just solely focusing on MVPA. Moreover, sedentary time occupies large portions of the day, unlike MVPA," says Henson.
He adds that the new data raise questions regarding the possible prescription of optimal daily movement for health. He concludes: "Diabetes and cardiovascular prevention programmes concentrating solely on MVPA may overlook an area that is of fundamental importance to cardiometabolic health. Along with messages related to accumulating at least 150 min/week of MVPA, which form the cornerstone of diabetes prevention programmes, such interventions may be more effective still if individuals are further encouraged to simply sit less and move more, regardless of the intensity level."
He concludes: "This approach requires a paradigm shift, so that individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes think about the balance of sedentary behaviour and physical activity throughout the day."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Diabetologia, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
by J. Henson, T. Yates, S. J. H. Biddle, C. L. Edwardson, K. Khunti, E. G. Wilmot, L. J. Gray, T. Gorely, M. A. Nimmo, M. J. Davies. Associations of objectively measured sedentary behaviour and physical activity with markers of cardiometabolic health. Diabetologia, 2013 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-013-2845-9
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
There?s nothing better than watching an action-packed movie on a big screen supported by an astounding 12,000 watts of sound delivered via a network of over 40 speakers. The experience is incredible, and it?s beginning to pay dividends for investors of Canada-based IMAX Corporation (NYSE/IMAX) and its advanced theater technology for a movie screen as high as 98 feet. (Source: Brain, M., ?How IMAX Works,? How Stuff Works, last accessed February 26, 2013.) We are talking colossal here as far as the screen size goes?and it could be a big investment opportunity, too.
Driving the excitement behind IMAX has been the movement of big-budget Hollywood movies to the IMAX experience in not only North America, but also Western Europe, Japan, China, and Russia. According to the company, it operated 643 IMAX theaters in 52 countries as of March 31, 2012.
China is a major area of growth and expansion, which is a major investment opportunity for IMAX. There are currently 92 IMAX?theaters operating in China with another 133?theaters slated to open. With 1.3 billion people, the Chinese market is captivating.
Movie viewers want to see action movies on the big screens; so far, this has helped IMAX make big profits, suggesting the stock could be a good investment opportunity.
Recent blockbuster films include The Hunger Games, The Avengers, and The Dark Knight Rises. Films currently in IMAX theaters include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and A Good Day to Die Hard. Soon to come will be Jack the Giant Slayer and Oz: the Great and Powerful.
While the move to the big screen has been strong, IMAX has been inconsistent with its revenues; it reported higher growth in 2009 and 2010 before a slight relapse in 2011. Revenues are estimated to grow 9.5% to $311 million in 2013, followed by 15.7% growth to $360 million in 2014, according to Thomson Financial consensus estimates. If IMAX can steadily record higher revenue growth, the stock will continue to deliver and could provide a sound investment opportunity.
On the earnings side, IMAX has also been inconsistent, though it has made money in seven of the last 10 years. What?s encouraging is that the company is expected to ramp up earnings to $0.98 per diluted share in 2013, followed by $1.35 per diluted share in 2014, according to Thomson Financial consensus estimates; this increase in earnings makes IMAX an intriguing possible investment opportunity.
For IMAX, it will be a matter of consistency that will make the stock a good investment opportunity. After quarters of inconsistent results versus Wall Street estimates, IMAX has beaten Thomson Financial consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters, including a stellar 43.8% outperformance in the fourth quarter. We may be seeing a good investment opportunity setting up.
The chart of IMAX below shows an upward-moving trendline along with strong relative strength and a bullish moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) reading. The stock?s chart is showing a bullish ?golden cross,? with its 50-day moving average (MA) of $23.60 above its 200-day MA of $22.21, based on my technical analysis. The Fibonacci retracement levels suggest that if IMAX can hold on to its current break at the horizontal, blue resistance line, we could see a move toward $28.80, and then $38.00; this would make IMAX a great investment opportunity.
Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com
But watch the major short positions on IMAX, as about 25.5% of the float or 14.4 million shares shorted as of January 31, 2013, according to Thomson Financial. An upward move in the stock could drive short-sellers to the exits, pushing the stock price higher and representing a good investment opportunity.
There are various ways you can play IMAX, whether it?s buying the stock or call options. The length of the call option will depend largely on how rapid you believe the share price will rise.
Please note: the information on IMAX contained in this article is not to be construed as advice to buy the stock; rather, it is meant to provide an example of a potential good investment opportunity.
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Chinese Buyers Snapping Up U.s. Real Estate Rate Topic:
#1 ? The Masked Tulip?
Group:Members
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Posted Yesterday, 11:15 AM
Same thing to happen here as the Pound tanks?
http://live.wsj.com/...6A-1A00D72E51D0
The success or failure of your deeds does not add up to the sum of your life. Your spirit cannot be weighed. Judge yourself by the intention of your actions and by the strength you faced the challenges that have stood in your way.
The people closest to you have been trying to tell you that you have made a difference. That you did change things for the better. The Universe is vast and we are so small. There is really only one thing that we can ever truly control - whether we are good or evil.
The political triumph of the American Right has been to advance relentlessly the economic interests of the country's richest people, while emphasising a swath of moral, social and foreign policy issues that motivate and certainly distract middle-class and poor voters.
#2 ? Mrs Bear?
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Posted Yesterday, 11:28 AM
The Masked Tulip, on 27 February 2013 - 11:15 AM, said:
Isn't it happening already? Particularly shiny newbuild flats - I gather they're not much interested in older property unless it's prime or super-prime.
#3 ? Bloo Loo?
Group:Members
Posts:46,057
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Posted Yesterday, 11:35 AM
estate agent says business is booming.
with 10m houses for sale, I think the Yanks had better get borrowing and buying...just in case they miss the boat...course the chinese will be blissfully unaware that legal title to millions of US properties is blighted by the bankers MIRS fiasco.
WARNING Your country is at risk if you do not keep up repayments on a gilt or other loan secured on it
#4 ? Venger?
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Posted Yesterday, 12:14 PM
Mrs Bear, on 27 February 2013 - 11:28 AM, said:
Isn't it happening already? Particularly shiny newbuild flats - I gather they're not much interested in older property unless it's prime or super-prime.
It has already significantly happened, in the boom years, and desperate stimulus years.
The more interesting question I think is whether the foreign owners who already own in UK, with the pound sliding a bit, the prospects going forward, together with fragile weak growth, will jolt more foreigners into putting their UK homes on the market.
If so, more supply onto market, perhaps with more motivated sellers... and remaining foreign wealth not already committed facing stamp duty changes, with choice of investing in many other countries as well, including the USA. The resulting sentiment change were that to occur likely to be felt keenly.
Quote
The Smith Institute estimated that 60% of homes in central London were bought by overseas investors in the first half of 2011. Figures from Jones Lang LaSalle suggested that only 19% of central London developments during an unspecified time period were bought by British people.
This extends beyond the so-called prime postcodes, where stereotypes of Russian oligarchs come to mind. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, many of those buyers were snapping up one- and two-bed homes in new developments across London, often without even looking at the property, propping up the market where first-time buyers are priced out.
Foreign buyers are one part of a bigger picture of under-occupation in London. The 2011 census revealed that there are an astonishing 229,803 second homes in London, many of which will be owned by British residents. Put very crudely, that is seven times the mayor's annual housebuilding target.
http://www.guardian....vestors-housing
#5 ? ToughEgg?
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Posted Yesterday, 12:55 PM
#6 ? Bruce Banner?
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Posted Yesterday, 12:57 PM
The Masked Tulip, on 27 February 2013 - 11:15 AM, said:
Let's hope so. The less properties owned by "hard working families", when the music stops, the better.
.
See Below:
It looks to me like there is a massive coordinated attempt by the various VIs to engineer a spring bounce by press releases and trolling popular Internet forums such as this.
Following the reported 1.9% monthly rise from a government controlled lender and the (expected) 0.5% rate cut, this forum seems to be targeted by bulls, many joining in the last few day to talk up the market.
The general drift seems to be... 'Savings accounts are paying a pittance so get into property now and pick up a bargain'.
I wonder if the various EA and lenders associations are emailing their members, suggesting that joining this forum to talk up the market would be a good idea.
Note: The above was posted in late January 2009, the following is updated as and when required.
#7 ? wherebee?
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Posted Yesterday, 01:34 PM
What amazes me in that in the US, UK, and Australia foreigners are allowed to buy property with very little difficulty. Try that in China or any country with a half decent idea of how the world works, and you will soon be given short shift.
And yet the voters do not seem to care....
There is always death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.....
my predictions for H1 2012 were: UK Houseprices vary by +/-5% in GDP, but fall another 20% in currencies that hold their value, such as AUD, CHF !TICK! 1 or more countries exit the Euro by end June 2012 !LOSE! Riots/civil unrest cause +10 deaths in european countries !TICK! gold reaches $2000 by end June 2012 !LOSE!
predictions for H2 2012: UK national houseprice average down by -10% in GDP on YOY average !TICK! 1+ more round of QE in UK, 1 more round of helicoptering in US !TICK! Obama win in US elections !TICK! gold reaches $2300 by end December 2012 !LOSE!
predictions for H1 2013 UK national houseprice average stays steady by +-3% in GBP 1+ more round of QE in UK, 1+ more round of helicoptering in US !TICK! IPCC issues some statements that 'global warming' is in a hiatus period, but will come back, oh yes gold reaches $2000 by end June 2013
#8 ? okaycuckoo?
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Posted Yesterday, 04:33 PM
Beware! There was a fuss in Canada a couple of weeks ago about EAs posing as Chinese buyers to big-up the Vancouver market.
There was a TV expose etc. and the ultimate point is that domestic buyers drive the market, not outsiders.
Reference to it from a Chinese news source here: http://vreaa.wordpre...falling-prices/
They think everyone's stupid, but that's not really true.
The bankers rubbed their palms together, and the economy went up in flames."If the government is big enough to give you everything you want, it is big enough to take away everything you have." Gerald Ford.
#9 ? SeeYouNextTuesday?
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Posted Yesterday, 04:53 PM
?okaycuckoo, on 27 February 2013 - 04:33 PM, said:
Beware! There was a fuss in Canada a couple of weeks ago about EAs posing as Chinese buyers to big-up the Vancouver market.
There was a TV expose etc. and the ultimate point is that domestic buyers drive the market, not outsiders.
Reference to it from a Chinese news source here: http://vreaa.wordpre...falling-prices/
They think everyone's stupid, but that's not really true.
http://www.greaterfo...he-myth-of-ham/
JustYield, on 30 September 2006 - 02:00 PM, said:
Zanu Bob, on 21 September 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:
love is getting a cup of tea with yer morning hand job everything else is noise.
#10 ? Sledgehead?
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Joined:17-August 04
Posted Yesterday, 06:28 PM
Seen it all b4. Mum was looking to sell her childhood home in Bath in the early / mid nineties. Her brother kept holding out for the rich Hong Kongese flocking to the London market. When the ink had finally dried on the handover documents in 97 her brother capitulated - having ridden the bear right to the bottom with not one member of the former colony expressing even the slightest interest.
Bubble Thinking & The Wisdom of the Property Bulls (click the pink arrow to see it in full!):
QUOTE(BTLlondon @ Jun 13 2005)
QUOTE(nodumsunreader @ Aug 10 2005, 03:48 PM)
QUOTE(TheLittleGuy @ Aug 13 2005, 02:16 PM)
#11 ? wherebee?
Group:Members
Posts:894
Joined:05-May 10
Posted Today, 12:32 AM
Sledgehead, on 27 February 2013 - 06:28 PM, said:
Seen it all b4. Mum was looking to sell her childhood home in Bath in the early / mid nineties. Her brother kept holding out for the rich Hong Kongese flocking to the London market. When the ink had finally dried on the handover documents in 97 her brother capitulated - having ridden the bear right to the bottom with not one member of the former colony expressing even the slightest interest.
If it is all a myth, why is my postbox in Hong Kong full EVERY DAY with multiple flyers for London property? Why is the South China Morning Post printing large, half and full page adverts EVERY DAY for London property? Why have I seen dozens and dozens of small offshore companies owned by mainland Chinese owning property in Australia and the UK? Why, when I lived in Australia, of the 15 houses in my street, I knew of 4 that were owned by Chinese or Singaporeans (didn't know about the rest), of which two lived in and two were rented out.
Some myth.
This post has been edited by wherebee: Today, 12:32 AM
There is always death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.....
my predictions for H1 2012 were: UK Houseprices vary by +/-5% in GDP, but fall another 20% in currencies that hold their value, such as AUD, CHF !TICK! 1 or more countries exit the Euro by end June 2012 !LOSE! Riots/civil unrest cause +10 deaths in european countries !TICK! gold reaches $2000 by end June 2012 !LOSE!
predictions for H2 2012: UK national houseprice average down by -10% in GDP on YOY average !TICK! 1+ more round of QE in UK, 1 more round of helicoptering in US !TICK! Obama win in US elections !TICK! gold reaches $2300 by end December 2012 !LOSE!
predictions for H1 2013 UK national houseprice average stays steady by +-3% in GBP 1+ more round of QE in UK, 1+ more round of helicoptering in US !TICK! IPCC issues some statements that 'global warming' is in a hiatus period, but will come back, oh yes gold reaches $2000 by end June 2013
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Neil Heslin says it's all about his slain son, Jesse.
Heslin, a 50-year-old construction worker, says he normally pays little attention to politics. But he was yanked painfully into the middle of the nation's gun debate last December, when his 6-year-old son, Jesse, along with 19 other first-graders and six educators, was shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
"It's a burden, it's more than a burden on me," Heslin said in an interview Tuesday as he and three dozen others ? including other Newtown families and relatives of other mass shooting victims ? arrived in Washington for two days of lobbying lawmakers. "But I have to do it for my little boy."
Heslin is set to testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in support of legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to ban assault weapons.
Other witnesses testifying to the Senate panel include William Begg, an emergency room doctor who treated Newtown victims that day, and U.S. attorney John Walsh from Colorado.
"Guns that are fashioned from war don't belong on the streets," Feinstein said Tuesday, acknowledging that her legislation to ban assault weapons faced difficult odds in Congress. "Maybe I've just seen too much from my days as mayor and watching this stuff for 30 years."
Feinstein, who rose to become San Francisco mayor, was on the city's board of supervisors in 1978 when Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were fatally shot in City Hall.
Across the Capitol on Wednesday, the House Education and Workforce Committee planned to hear from school safety experts and counselors about how to keep students safe.
Witnesses testifying to the Republican-controlled House panel were expected to emphasize the role of school resource officers ? security professionals who are often armed and can double as informal counselors and liaisons to law enforcement. Those officers are commonplace in many schools and help officials develop safety plans.
Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, was among those slated to testify, along with a school counselor and a school safety director.
Heslin and his group met with around six lawmakers and aides Tuesday, mostly Senate Democrats from Republican-leaning states. Participants said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said he would try to help and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., expressed optimism that the Senate would produce gun legislation, but neither committed to anything specific.
In his prepared Senate testimony, Heslin said he's been told his son died yelling to people to run. He said Jesse was hit by one bullet grazing the side of his head, another hitting his forehead.
"That means the last thing my son did was look Adam Lanza straight in the face and scream to his classmates to run," Heslin said, referring to the 20-year-old who committed the massacre. "The last thing he saw was that coward's eyes."
Despite the raw emotion, Feinstein's effort to ban assault weapons is expected to fall short due to opposition by the National Rifle Association and many Republicans, plus wariness by moderate Democrats.
Feinstein's bill has attracted 21 co-sponsors, all Democrats. Including herself, it is sponsored by eight of the 10 Judiciary panel Democrats ? precarious for a committee where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10-8. Democrats on the panel who haven't co-sponsored the measure include the chairman, Pat Leahy of Vermont, who said Monday he hadn't seen the bill.
President Barack Obama made bans on assault weapons and large capacity magazines key parts of the gun curbs he proposed in January in response to the Connecticut school massacre.
The cornerstone of his package is a call for universal background checks for gun buyers, some version of which seems to have a stronger chance of moving through Congress. Currently, only sales by federally licensed gun dealers require such checks, which are designed to prevent criminals and others from obtaining firearms.
Obama also proposed providing more money to school districts to hire school resource officers and counselors and take other safety steps.
Feinstein's bill would ban future sales of assault weapons and magazines carrying more than 10 rounds of ammunition but exempt those that already exist. It would bar sales, manufacturing and imports of semiautomatic rifles and pistols that can use detachable magazines and have threaded barrels or other military features. The measure specifically bans 157 firearms but excludes 2,258 others in an effort to avoid barring hunting and sporting weapons.
Feinstein, who helped create a 1994 assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, and other supporters cite studies showing use of the firearms in crimes diminished while the prohibition lasted. A 2004 report said the proportion of gun crimes involving assault weapons dropped by up to 72 percent in five cities studied.
Opponents cite data from that same study showing assault weapons were used in only 2 percent to 8 percent of gun crimes, arguing that a ban would have little impact. The study also estimated there were 1.5 million assault weapons owned privately in the U.S. in 1994, and an estimated 30 million high-capacity magazines as of 1999, which critics say means exempting them would diminish a ban's effect
Precious metals have been a popular investment since the economy went haywire back in 2008. While the value of the dollar has consistently eroded, the value of precious metals such as gold and silver has been rising inexorably. For thousands of years people have recognized that precious metals hold their value like no country's currency can. Precious metals also provide a great hedge against economic uncertainty. As financial uncertainty spreads worldwide people have found investing in precious metal provides them with a measure of financial stability and even allows them to turn a profit.?
Gold and Silver Have Intrinsic Value
There are a number of good reasons to invest in precious metals. Precious metals are physical commodities. They have value in and of themselves. They can be used as collateral or to purchase goods and services almost anywhere in the world. Things like currency, stocks and bonds are only pieces of paper and virtual goods. They may represent something of value, but they have no real value themselves. If the companies or governments that issued them fail they become worthless. Precious metals, on the other hand, retain their value regardless of what happens in the political/economic landscapes. The value of gold and silver can simply never go to zero.?
A Limited Commodity
Another reason precious metals are better than cash is because they are a limited commodity. There is a finite amount of gold and silver on the planet. This is part of the reason they are so valuable. True, companies mine for them every day, still they represent only a tiny fraction of the resources on the planet. Reams of paper money are printed in countries all over the world each day. When governments (or counterfeiters) want more money they simply print it. But there have been numerous instances where it took baskets of money to buy a loaf of bread. That has never been the case with precious metals.
Durable And Versatile
Gold, silver and other precious metals are versatile. They can be transformed into jewelry, used in industry, made into coins or bars and still keep their value. They are also able to hold their value when deluged by water, burned by fire or broken into pieces. The same cannot be said of paper currency. For paper money to have any value it must be in pristine or near pristine condition. Damaged bills are usually not accepted as legal tender. Paper money can also easily be rendered useless by flood, fire or a mischievous child playing with scissors. This makes it a more risky proposition to have your wealth in paper currency than precious metals.
Enduring Value
For thousands of years precious metals have been used as a means to pay for goods and services. During that time many forms of paper currency have become worthless. Many forms of paper currency today are theoretically backed by precious metals. It makes more sense to own the precious metal than the paper currency. Banking today is handled electronically. With a few strokes or miss strokes on a computer the life savings of millions of people can be gone in an instant. If people are looking for a medium of exchange that has stood the test of time precious metals is their best bet.
How to Invest
If you are now convinced that gold is something you'd like to invest in, the 1st step is to find a reputable gold dealer that can help you through the whole process of investing in gold. Do your research and look at different?gold dealer reviews on the web. It is recommended to work with a dealer that is in your area and that has some positive testimonials from other clients like you. Also, look for accreditations to make sure that the gold or silver you're purchasing meet the minimum purity requirements.
Investing through your IRA
One of the most popular ways of buying gold in 2013 is investing through your IRA or 401k retirement accounts. Many Americans don't know that this is possible, yet it is one of the best ways of investing in gold. Check out a site like goldiraguide.org to learn more. One of the main advantages of buying gold through your IRA is the tax-saving aspect. In fact, certain plans allow you to buy gold bullion coin or bars tax-free, as long as your gold is being held by an accredited custodian.? Author
Johnny Stein is a financial analyst who occasionally blogs about precious metals, stocks, real estate and other investment options. He has over 30 years of experience in commodities and stock market investing in the United States.
Feb. 26, 2013 ? Recent research offers a new spin on using nanoscale semiconductor structures to build faster computers and electronics. Literally.
University of Pittsburgh and Delft University of Technology researchers reveal in the Feb. 17 online issue of Nature Nanotechnology a new method that better preserves the units necessary to power lightning-fast electronics, known as qubits (pronounced CUE-bits). Hole spins, rather than electron spins, can keep quantum bits in the same physical state up to 10 times longer than before, the report finds.
"Previously, our group and others have used electron spins, but the problem was that they interacted with spins of nuclei, and therefore it was difficult to preserve the alignment and control of electron spins," said Sergey Frolov, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, who did the work as a postdoctoral fellow at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Whereas normal computing bits hold mathematical values of zero or one, quantum bits live in a hazy superposition of both states. It is this quality, said Frolov, which allows them to perform multiple calculations at once, offering exponential speed over classical computers. However, maintaining the qubit's state long enough to perform computation remains a long-standing challenge for physicists.
"To create a viable quantum computer, the demonstration of long-lived quantum bits, or qubits, is necessary," said Frolov. "With our work, we have gotten one step closer."
The holes within hole spins, Frolov explained, are literally empty spaces left when electrons are taken out. Using extremely thin filaments called InSb (indium antimonide) nanowires, the researchers created a transistor-like device that could transform the electrons into holes. They then precisely placed one hole in a nanoscale box called "a quantum dot" and controlled the spin of that hole using electric fields. This approach -- featuring nanoscale size and a higher density of devices on an electronic chip -- is far more advantageous than magnetic control, which has been typically employed until now, said Frolov.
"Our research shows that holes, or empty spaces, can make better spin qubits than electrons for future quantum computers."
"Spins are the smallest magnets in our universe. Our vision for a quantum computer is to connect thousands of spins, and now we know how to control a single spin," said Frolov. "In the future, we'd like to scale up this concept to include multiple qubits."
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Journal Reference:
V. S. Pribiag, S. Nadj-Perge, S. M. Frolov, J. W. G. van den Berg, I. van Weperen, S. R. Plissard, E. P. A. M. Bakkers, L. P. Kouwenhoven. Electrical control of single hole spins in nanowire quantum dots. Nature Nanotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.5
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The overuse of antibiotics has created strains of bacteria resistant to medication, making the diseases they cause difficult to treat, or even deadly. But now a research team at the University of Rochester has identified a weakness in at least one superbug that scientists may be able to medically exploit.
Biologists Gloria Culver at Rochester and Keith Connolly, now at Harvard University, thought one key to stopping the bacteria may lie with proteins, so they studied the mechanism behind the development of bacterial ribosomes?the cell's protein-manufacturing machine.
"We targeted the ribosomes in our research because cells and organisms can't live if they don't make proteins, and they can't make proteins if their ribosomes aren't functioning properly." said Culver.
Culver and Connolly specifically worked with cultures of E. coli, a bacteria commonly found in the intestines. While E. coli is usually harmless, some strains are resistant to antibiotics and can cause serious food poisoning.
They discovered that two proteins already present in E. coli cells?RbfA and KsgA?need to be in balance with each other in order for ribosomes to function. If those proteins are present in the wrong concentrations, the ribosomes will not mature properly and will be unable to produce proteins, leading to the death of the cells. Their findings are being published this week in the journalMolecular Microbiology.
Culver said with the discovery that KsgA and RbfA.must be balanced for the cells to function properly, the next goal is to determine an effective way to disrupt that balance.
Crucially, RbfA does not exist in humans. "That may make it possible," Culver said," to kill E. coli without having a harmful effect on people."
Eric Brown, a professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., calls their work creative and scholarly. "Ribosome assembly represents a rich target for much needed antibacterial drugs to treat drug-resistant infections," said Brown, "and this work offers new and important insights into the process."
Culver explained the role the proteins play in ribosome maturation. A healthy ribosome is made up of two compartments?or subunits?that must come together only when each one is mature. An overabundance of RbfA hurries the process along, which could result in an ineffective structure. The job of the KsgA is to bind with the smaller of the compartments, preventing the formation of the ribosome until both parts are ready.
Culver says RbfA and KsgA belong to "the chicken or the egg" category of microbiology. While they're essential to the development of ribosomes, the ribosomes themselves are needed to create proteins, including the RbfA and KsgA. She calls it an ongoing and intriguing question for biologists.
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University of Rochester: http://www.rochester.edu
Thanks to University of Rochester for this article.
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BERLIN (AP) ? Consumer confidence in Germany is edging higher as shoppers feel more optimistic about the economic outlook, according to a survey published Wednesday ? the latest in a string of hopeful indicators for Europe's biggest economy.
The GfK research institute said its forward-looking confidence indicator stands at 5.9 points for March ? up from 5.8 in February.
Consumers' economic expectations continued to brighten amid predictions that economic growth will return in the current quarter after declining in the October-December period, the group said.
Those predictions have been fueled lately by improvements in other indicators ? notably the Ifo institute's closely watched survey of business confidence, which has risen for four consecutive months.
The German economy shrank by 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with the previous three-month period.
A leading think tank, the German Institute for Economic Research, forecast Wednesday that it will grow by 0.3 percent in the current quarter as companies' confidence increases along with orders ? even from other countries in the 17-nation eurozone. That would keep Germany out of recession, commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of shrinking output.
Consumers' optimism is being fed by a solid job market. German unemployment stood at 7.4 percent in January, comparing favorably with some of the countries worst-hit by Europe's debt crisis.
GfK said the labor market situation will be key to determining how consumer confidence develops this year.
These days it seems like every app wants your Facebook or Twitter info -- it figures that Google wants a piece of that action, too. Today the software giant announced Google+ Sign-in, a new feature that makes it possible to log into non-Google apps using your credentials for its myriad services (your Gmails, your YouTubes, et al). Google promises that Sign-in, which will be available for Android, iOS and web apps alike, will deliver the "protections and safeguards you've come to expect." The feature also makes it possible to decide what information you're sharing, so you don't spam the rest of us with your fitness goals (have we mentioned how fit you're looking these days?). You can also manage all of the apps you're using with Sign-In through Google+. More information for developers and users alike can be found in the source link below.
Fat worms confirm that researchers from Michigan State University have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves -- a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.
The results, published in the current issue of The Plant Cell, the journal of the American Society of Plant Biologists, show that researchers could use an algae gene involved in oil production to engineer a plant that stores lipids or vegetable oil in its leaves ? an uncommon occurrence for most plants.
Traditional biofuel research has focused on improving the oil content of seeds. One reason for this focus is because oil production in seeds occurs naturally. Little research, however, has been done to examine the oil production of leaves and stems, as plants don't typically store lipids in these tissues.
Christoph Benning, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, led a collaborative effort with colleagues from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. The team's efforts resulted in a significant early step toward producing better plants for biofuels.
"Many researchers are trying to enhance plants' energy density, and this is another way of approaching it," Benning said. "It's a proof-of-concept that could be used to boost plants' oil production for biofuel use as well as improve the nutrition levels of animal feed."
Benning and his colleagues began by identifying five genes from one-celled green algae. From the five, they identified one that, when inserted into Arabidopsis thaliana, successfully boosted oil levels in the plant's leaf tissue.
To confirm that the improved plants were more nutritious and contained more energy, the research team fed them to caterpillar larvae. The larvae that were fed oily leaves from the enhanced plants gained more weight than worms that ate regular leaves.
For the next phase of the research, Benning and his colleagues will work to enhance oil production in grasses and algae that have economic value. The benefits of this research are worth pursuing, Benning said.
"If oil can be extracted from leaves, stems and seeds, the potential energy capacity of plants may double," he said. "Further, if algae can be engineered to continuously produce high levels of oil, rather than only when they are under stress, they can become a viable alternative to traditional agricultural crops."
Moreover, algae can be grown on poor agricultural land ? a big plus in the food vs. fuel debate, he added.
"These basic research findings are significant in advancing the engineering of oil-producing plants," said Kenneth Keegstra, GLBRC scientific director and MSU University Distinguished Professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. "They will help write a new chapter on the development of production schemes that will enhance the quantity, quality and profitability of both traditional and nontraditional crops."
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Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu
Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.
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The Radio 4 programme Woman?s Hour recently published its list of the UK?s most powerful women.?
Out of the 100 women featured on the Power List, just four were from the world of sport: Clare Balding, Karren Brady, Heather Rabbatts and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
The top twenty was ranked in order of power and was topped, somewhat bizarrely in my view, by HM The Queen.
The other 80 were listed in alphabetical order, and the sporting four featured in this group.
But what is power and how can it be measured?
The Woman?s Hour website?s?definition?was based on a list of questions:
?Which women have the biggest impact on our economy, society, politics and culture?
?Who has the ability to inspire change as a role model or a thinker?
?Does power boil down to having the money to make things happen?
?Has new technology changed what it is to be powerful??
The Woman?s Hour Power List, the site continued, looked at ?the achievements of British women across public life and offer some measure of the progress women have made in society?.
It hoped to ?shine a light on the top female politicians, business women and leaders in their field ? from areas as diverse as finance, education, health, engineering and the arts?.
And it asked how much power these women have in modern Britain.
Anyone could be nominated via an online form. The nominees were then judged by a panel comprising Eve Pollard, former Woman?s Hour editor Jill Burridge, Baroness Oona King, writer Val McDermid, journalist Dawn O?Porter and Priti Patel MP.
In addition to this, ?expert witnesses? could be called to advise on specific areas.
I was going to put a name forward, but I wasn?t quite sure where or if sport would fit into it.
I was glad to see four did actually make the list, but there could have been so many more.
So, if you?ll indulge me, I?d like to mention a few outstanding women from sport who I think should have made the list.
But first, a look at the four women who did make it.
They are a diverse group, coming at their roles from varying angles, but with a shared love of sport and a will to influence the future.
Clare Balding was a figure of ridicule when she started her broadcasting career.
She still has her detractors, but they are now in a minority and Balding is undoubtedly a rising star.
She has gone from being ?the horsey one? to being able to show a real depth of knowledge in everything she covers. Her stock rose greatly during the London Olympics when her hard work clearly paid off with universal acknowledgement as one of the best broadcasters around.
Since then she seems to have gained confidence and is not afraid to make comments on wider issues pertaining to women.
On the Radio 4 website Balding is quoted as saying, ?I think ?ambitious? is one of those adjectives used for women in a derogatory way.
?And, yet, I think ambition is crucial in life ? you have to know what you might be capable of and push yourself slightly beyond it.?
Karren Brady crosses effortlessly between the worlds of business and sport.
She came to public prominence when she became the first female Managing Director of a football club at Birmingham City from 1993 to 2009.
Since then she has featured on Alan Sugar?s ?The Apprentice?, while maintaining her links with football, becoming vice-chair of West Ham United in January 2010.
She has spoken out against sexism in business and in sport and continues to campaign on the issue.
In an interview with the Telegraph in 2012 she said, ?I don?t feel any shame in saying I enjoy my work.? I do.
?There are two things important to me: my children and my work.? I won?t give either up.?
Heather Rabbatts CBE is another woman equally at home in business and sport.
After spells as chief executive at the London boroughs of Lambeth, Merton and Hammersmith and Fulham she turned her attention to football, becoming Executive Deputy Chair of Millwall FC in 2006.
In 2012 she became the first female board member at the Football Association (FA).
She is also a trustee of the Royal Opera House and sits on several other boards.
She has broken through spectacularly in the notoriously male-dominated world of football.
In an interview with The Independent?following?her appointment at Millwall, Rabbatts said, ?Given football is the national game and such a huge part of our cultural life, women should have a bigger part in it.
?When you look at the people running it on the FA Council, where the average age is about 65 and there?s only one woman out of 93, you think, ?Come on guys, get real.
?More and more women are going to football. Don?t you need to embrace us??
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson competed in five Paralympic Games, winning 16 medals, of which 11 were gold.
Since her retirement from competitive sport in 2007 she has carved out a career in television.
She is also a non-executive director of UK Athletics and is on the board of the London Marathon.
She was made a life peer in 2010, and speaks not only on disability issues, but more recently has used her time in the House of Lords to contribute to the Welfare Reform and Legal Aid Bills.
So, these are the four women to whom we can look to make a difference and to fight for a greater role for women?s sport and women?s role within sport.
As for my choices, top of the list is Sue Tibballs, CEO of the Women?s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF).
Her profile is steadily increasing as she is called upon for a pertinent comment whenever the future of women?s sport or the state of women?s fitness is discussed.
The WSFF website is awash with excellent initiatives to get women more active. When searching for an ?expert? opinion, it is one of the first sources I turn to.
Commenting on WSFF?s ?She Moves??campaign, Tibballs said, ?We know that women have busy lives and often lack the time or motivation to invest in getting fit and making themselves feel good.
?Women are finding it harder than ever to prioritise exercise while they are facing the pressures of work, childcare and running homes?
??As a mother myself, I know that big life events like having a child or starting a new job can create real barriers to staying active, and we want to bring women together to motivate each other to stay fit and healthy.?
My second choice? England cricket captain?Charlotte Edwards.
Despite suffering surprise losses in the last two international tournaments, Edwards has been exemplary in her conduct both on and off the field.
She became the first woman to join the MCC World Cricket Committee, in May 2012 and will be a real force to be reckoned with when promoting women?s cricket in this traditionally conservative world.
Indeed, cricket is one sport in which women are, at last, making an impact. Things are changing with pace. I considered several candidates from cricket, who could not only have the potential to be movers and shakers in the game, but could influence policy with regard to the promotion of sport and physical activity to a wider audience.
These include former England captain Clare Connor, the first female member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) cricket committee, and the woman who did it all first and is still influential,?Rachael Heyhoe-Flint.
Now Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, she was elected to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2010. She was the first woman to be inducted to the ICC Hall of Fame.
Hope Powell, the England women?s football manager could also have made it onto the list. She has been instrumental in the regeneration of the women?s game in this country.
And finally, cyclist Lizzie Armistead. Never afraid to voice an opinion, Armistead has shown herself to be confident and erudite when discussing the gender gap in cycling.
She has already taken on an unofficial role as an advocate for women?s cycling equality.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Armistead was forthright in her views, saying, ?The sexism I have encountered in my career can get quite overwhelming and very frustrating.?
The thing that strikes me is that not one of the names on the official list operates solely in sport. This is in direct contrast to my own suggestions and implies that excellence in one field is not enough when that field is sport.
It is a shame that this seems to be the case as this is not the impression given by the definition quoted.
However, it is good to see sport represented.
Those of us who are passionate about women?s sport and about sport in general can only follow the careers of these four women who did make the 100 list with interest.
NEW YORK (AP) ? With Danica Patrick starting from the pole, the Daytona 500's television ratings were much higher than last year's.
Sunday afternoon's race earned a 9.9 rating and 22 share on Fox, the network said Tuesday. That's up 24 percent from 2012, when rain pushed the event to a Monday night. It was the highest rating since 2008.
Jimmie Johnson won the race while Patrick was eighth, the best finish by a woman at the Daytona 500.
The race had plenty of buildup: Patrick making history as the first woman to start a Sprint Cup race from the pole, the revamped cars, no more tandem drafting and a frightening crash the day before in the second-tier Nationwide Series.
The increases in viewership were particularly notable in some of the country's biggest cities. Ratings were up 91 percent in Chicago, 64 percent in San Francisco, 60 percent in Los Angeles, 59 percent in Boston and 43 percent in New York.
The average rating for women between the ages of 18 and 34 grew by 16 percent.
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.
A Knox County judge has taken a boyhood interest and turned it into a phenomenon that's drawing national attention.
Tom McClanahan tells you more about the Indiana Military Museum.
Tom reports, "In fact, this is not the first time I've reported on the Indiana Military Museum. I did a report with Jim Osborne nearly 13 years ago at the orginal site north of town. The actual museum started in the early 80's but the idea behind it was hatched long before that when Jim was a boy and his father brought home a Civil War musket.
Jim says, "And then the next door neighbor, who was a veteran of World War Two, was on his way out to the trash pit with a German helmet and a flag and a canteen, various things like that he'd brought back from the war and he looked at me and handed them to me instead of throwing them in the trash, so I became an early pack rat for military history items."
Pack rat is an understatement! There has been a huge amount of work to get the museum to where it is today. A real break came when the Museum bought the property of the old Blackford Glass Factory near 6th and Willow Streets. One of the buildings has been renovated to house many of the exhibits. The 14 acres is adjacent to the grounds of the George Rogers Clark Memorial and the site of the annual Rendezvous where battle re-enactments take place. This museum has it's own re-enactments on site with enough room to accommodate a large crowd.
The Museum is now the home of an actual plane that was used in combat, a rare find.
Jim says, "One of our latest big acquisitions was a B-26 bomber from World War II. We acquired that up in Rockford, IL from a private owner a year and a half, two years ago and had the tenacity to go after it, go up there, get it, take it apart, bring it here, put it back together, you've got be willing to do those things and we were."
Which sums up how most of the memorabilia ended up here and some of it is very, very, interesting. We'll show you just a sample in the second part of Indiana's Military Museum.
A grand opening banquet is set for late May for the Museum. Guest speakers will include a direct relative of General George Patton.
?I hate tombs,? Lara Croft sighs as she enters a musty crypt in Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics? bold reboot of the long-running series. The franchise had grown a bit musty in recent iterations, bogged down in clumsy shooting and silly supernatural elements like an evil Lara doppelg?nger, and distancing itself from the core experience of, you know, raiding tombs. Despite a string of solid if unspectacular efforts, Lara?s star had faded considerably, and Uncharted?s Nathan Drake largely supplanted her as gaming?s top adventurer, in gameplay and graphics ?until now. This new Lara has taken a page from Drake?s exploits and is officially reclaiming her throne.
In this new origin story, Lara is not a girl, not yet a woman when she is shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Separated from her crew and visibly scared, she is forced to grow up quickly when a murderous cult kidnaps her friends. Armed with a bow and arrow, she channels The Hunger Games? Katniss Everdeen in sheer grit and determination, gaining new weapons and abilities that open up the world as the game progresses in a nod to gaming?s first lady, Metroid?s Samus Aran.
The brutal island changes her, and voice actress Camilla Luddington (Grey?s Anatomy) gives a fully realized performance that sells Lara?s evolution from untested neophyte to warrior princess. She?s put through the wringer ? escaping burning buildings, getting tossed off cliffs and over waterfalls ? in a series of stunning set pieces that are as fun to play as they are to marvel at. The graphics are dazzling, zooming in close in tight corridors to show the emotion on her face, and then panning way out as she ziplines off a mountain, flaunting the game?s impressive scope and size.
The greatest improvement is in the game?s combat sequences. In past games, Lara would lock onto an enemy and then blast away with her trademark dual pistols, and it felt very disposable. But this game?s enemies are much smarter, rushing her, flanking her, and throwing explosives to keep her constantly scrambling for cover. While she gains access to several guns, the bow and arrow is most satisfying, as Lara can use it to silently pick off enemies from a distance or arm it with fire or explosive tips to make things go boom.
When not fighting crazed cultists, exploring the island is just as entertaining thanks to the rock-solid platforming system, which has Lara leaping across chasms and clinging to the sides of mountains. Hunting animals (sorry, Bambi!) and finding salvage rewards the player with XP that is used to upgrade weapons and unlock new abilities that prove invaluable. The titular tombs exist as optional side missions that are absolutely worth seeking out, since they contain clever physics-based puzzles that provide a nice reprieve from the campaign?s breakneck pace. Lara may hate tombs, but gamers are going to love them ? and her ? all over again. A?
Follow Aaron on Twitter: @airlinem
Read more: The most anticipated games of 2013 E3 Snap Judgment: More serious ?Tomb Raider? hits its target A new Lara Croft and ?Tomb Raider? reboot in the works ? farewell, Angelina Jolie
Malaysian troops are negotiating with about 100 men from the Philippines who have identified themselves as the 'royal army' of the Sulu Sultanate, which has a historic land claim to the area, say police.
By Simon Roughneen,?Correspondent / February 15, 2013
Malaysian policemen check a vehicle along the main road near Lahud Datu in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state Thursday. Malaysian security forces in Borneo surrounded armed intruders believed to be from the southern Philippines and sought to persuade them to leave peacefully Thursday, authorities said.
Bernama News Agency/AP
Enlarge
It's around an hour by speedboat from Sulu in the southern Philippines to Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo, a route often plied by fishermen, traders, and migrants. The maritime route goes from what is the poorest part of the Philippines to eastern Malaysia, and many make the journey in search of work.
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But when on Tuesday around 100 men arrived in batches to ? and depending on what account you read ? camp out in, or occupy a village called Lahud Datu, it soon become clear these weren't the usual fishermen or migrant workers.
What exactly is going on is unclear, but it has both countries on high alert. Malaysian security forces have sealed off the village, which is 300 miles from Sabah's regional capital Kota Kinabalu, a two-hour flight from Malaysia's main city Kuala Lumpur.
On Thursday, Malaysia's Home Affairs Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said that Malaysian security forces had cornered the group, said to be armed. By Friday, however, the Sabah police chief was reportedly negotiating with the men, some of whom were claiming to be descendants of the Sultan of Sulu and therefore, they said, entitled to land in this part of Malaysia.
What is the Sultanate, anyway?
The sultanate, or the territory the sultan governed, existed from the late 15th century until the late 19th century, governing Muslims spanning parts of Sulu and northern Borneo. ?? Though the sultanate is not recognized anymore internationally as a governing entity, Malaysia still pays a token "rental fee" to the heirs of the last sultan. ?? The claims could put the Philippines in an awkward position, embroiled in an unwanted territorial dispute, given that the men camped out in Lahud Datu are Filipino nationals.
Who are these men?
Though it?s unclear who this ?royal army? is, analysts are eyeing three southern Filipino militias. Militants from the southern Philippines have a history of crossing the narrow stretches of water to Borneo. ?? Some speculated at first that the groups' appearance had something to do with deadly clashes in early February between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf, two Muslim armed groups from Mindanao, in the southern part of the Philippines. ?? Some Filipino media reports suggested that at least some of the men who crossed the waters to Sabah are MNLF fighters. But that has not been confirmed. ?? The MNLF signed a peace deal with the Manila government in 1996, while the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a MNLF splinter, recently forged its own tentative peace agreement with the Filipino government (with the aid of Malaysia). ?? By far the smallest of the three groups, Abu Sayyaf opposes the agreements, as they grant autonomy to parts of Muslim Mindanao, because Abu Sayyaf has said it wants an Islamic state in the southern Philippines. ?? And Abu Sayyaf has been known to make the same crossing to Malaysia as these self-described descendants of the Sultan of Sulu, much more frequently than other groups, as they have been pursued on and off by the Filipino Army. ?? Abu Sayyaf has long been linked to Al Qaeda. It?s known for hosting the likes of Khalid Sheihk Mohammed, a central figure in the 9/11 attacks. And it is also known for taking 20 people, mainly tourists, hostage in 2000 in Malaysia. ?? These days, though, the group seems more like a criminal gang than a politically-motivated terror cell. It is currently holding, by some estimates, six foreign hostages who it likely wants to exchange for ransom, a money-making tactic used by Abu Sayyaf in the past. ?? MNLF leaders spun a recent attack on Abu Sayyaf as an attempt to crush the group, end such hostage-taking, and thus widen the appeal of the impoverished southern Philippines to tourism. ?? If this group of self described descendants are linked to either the MILF or MNLF, Manila will hardly be happy that groups with which it signed peace deals crossed to Malaysia and faced off with Malaysian soldiers. If they're linked to Abu Sayyaf, it would highlight the inability of US-trained Filipino troops to rein in the group.
There?s nothing better than watching an action-packed movie on a big screen supported by an astounding 12,000 watts of sound delivered via a network of over 40 speakers. The experience is incredible, and it?s beginning to pay dividends for investors of Canada-based IMAX Corporation (NYSE/IMAX) and its advanced theater technology for a movie screen as high as 98 feet. (Source: Brain, M., ?How IMAX Works,? How Stuff Works, last accessed February 26, 2013.) We are talking colossal here as far as the screen size goes?and it could be a big investment opportunity, too.
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The Masked Tulip, on 27 February 2013 - 11:15 AM, said:
The Radio 4 programme Woman?s Hour recently published its list of the UK?s most powerful women.?