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I may have one of the more original stocking stuffers for that gadget/audio freak. It’s the Stoweblank TinyMix, a ? well,? I’m not sure exactly what you call it. It’s not an amp or a sound processor. What it does, is allow you to connect up to four devices to one set of powered speakers. [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/25/stoweblank-tinymix-review/

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LONDON (Reuters) ? Fund managers keen to cash in on the cult of celebrity are being warned high-profile, pricey marketing campaigns in today's tough economic times could lose them more business than they win.

Soccer manager Jose Mourinho recently joined the roster of Hollywood stars and sporting legends hired by banks and insurers to promote their brands, signing up last month to represent funds firm Henderson Group (HGGH.L).

Against the backdrop of industry job cuts, sluggish business and flatlining fund fees however, this kind of spending may backfire, say financial advisors and corporate governance groups.

"The use of celebrities can be damaging as well as helpful especially as the link between celebrity and company can be tenuous to say the least," said Tom Biggar, investment manager at TQInvest.

"It may become a hindrance as clients express interest in products that are completely inappropriate for them."

Henderson's campaign is designed to project unity and strength after two recent buyouts. But spending vast sums on marketing that may be more geared to boosting internal morale than luring new clients could alienate cost-conscious investors expecting to see far more bang for their buck.

Henderson recently reported retail investors, spooked by the Euro crisis, withdrew 692 million pounds more from their funds than they put in during the three months to September 30.

"You can understand why Henderson would like the public to equate the firm with Mourinho - 'the special one' - and his endorsement may be quite compelling if Mourinho limits the number of companies he pitches," Simon Wong, a partner in active investment firm Governance for Owners said.

"Whether the Mourinho deal is justifiable depends on, among other things, the amount paid to him and the expected payback measured in terms of increased name recognition of the firm, reputational impact and success in growing revenues from the targeted segments," he said.

Mourinho signed up as the new face of Braun's Series 7 electric razors in September and has also fronted financial sector campaigns for American Express and more recently Portugal's Millennium Bank, in which he urged fellow countrymen to be proud of their country despite its economic difficulties.

Richard Wilson, Henderson sales & marketing director, said his company was delighted with its "excellent value" arrangement with the Real Madrid coach but conceded it would be tough to pinpoint how much new cash he could help Henderson bring in.

"It's clear Henderson has been through a period of change and is now rallying around the idea of having a common objective," Wilson said.

Pete Davis, founder of Getmemedia.com, a search service for marketing ideas, who in the past managed sponsorships at Swiss foods group Nestle, estimates endorsement by a well known personality could be worth about 1-2 million pounds to the individual.

By comparison, sponsorship of a Formula 1 racing team could cost around 25 million pounds.

British insurer Aviva (AV.L) ruffled feathers among its investors with its 10 million pound celebrity-backed rebranding of unit Norwich Union in 2009, at a time when the reputation of financial services firms was languishing in the doldrums.

Some shareholders used the forum of that year's annual general meeting to accuse Aviva of overspending on the campaign, which featured actor Bruce Willis and supermodel Elle Macpherson, but Chief Marketing Officer Amanda Mackenzie said time has underlined just how effective the tactic was.

"Our television advertisements, featuring famous people who had all changed their names, showed how this had helped them achieve a change in fame and fortune. Using celebrities is a proven way of gaining high impact fast, so you ultimately spend less on media buying," Mackenzie said.

"Media costs were also lower at the time we rebranded due to the economic downturn and we benefited from billboard advertising staying up beyond the period we'd paid for."

Davis suggested the financial crisis may have driven the cost of celebrity endorsement for fund managers and banks higher because of caution on the part of the stars about being associated with institutions seen by the public as villains.

"Quite often now... celebrities will turn things down because they don't think the fit is right or they don't think the brand is moral enough. They don't necessarily need the money at the top level, so they can pick and choose," said Getmemedia.com's Davis.

Although the campaigns are likely to generate a spike in interest in financial services firms in the short term, advisors said they seldom lead directly to a product sale, particularly with so many other factors influencing fund selection.

"I can honestly say that this should have absolutely no impact upon an advisor's decision when recommending suitable investments to clients, and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect," TQInvest's Biggar said.

(Editing by Sophie Walker)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/bs_nm/us_endorsements_funds

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Americans are reporting that they weigh, on average, about 20 pounds more than they did 20 years ago, according to a new report from Gallup.

The findings, based on the annual Gallup Health and Healthcare Survey, show that men are reporting they weigh 196 pounds on average and women are reporting they weigh 160 pounds on average, up nearly 20 pounds from self-reported weights in 1990.

In addition, our "ideal weight" has also increased -- for men, it is now 181 pounds (up from 177 pounds a decade ago), and for women, it is now 138 pounds (up from 137 a decade ago), according to the report.

The findings also indicate that most Americans consider their weight as "just-right" -- despite a previous Gallup report showing that 61.6 percent of people in the U.S. are overweight or obese. In that previous Gallup report, published last month, researchers found that obesity rates were slightly decreasing for most U.S. demographic groups, although there are still fewer normal weight people in the U.S. than there are obese and/or overweight people.

Earlier this year, a report in the Lancet suggested that half of Americans will be obese by the year 2030 if obesity and overweight trends continue as they are now.

"At the rate we're looking at right now, it's a dire prediction," study researcher Claire Wang, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, told ABC News. "Something has to be done."

For a look at the obesity of certain demographics in the U.S. based on the October Gallup report, click through this slideshow:

1. Blacks: 35.4% Obese

1?of?15

Black people are still the demographic with the highest incidence of obesity, with 35.4 percent obese so far this year. However, the incidence of obesity has decreased from last year, going down 0.6 percent. In 2008, 35.1 percent of these people were obese.

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

1. Blacks: 35.4% Obese

Black people are still the demographic with the highest incidence of obesity, with 35.4 percent obese so far this year. However, the incidence of obesity has decreased from last year, going down 0.6 percent. In 2008, 35.1 percent of these people were obese.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/20-pounds-heavier-americans-weight_n_1110883.html

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The "Spiderman" float is seen during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Times Square in New York on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The parade premiered in 1924, this is its 85th year. (AP Photo/Andrew Burton)

A balloon of video game icon "Sonic the Hedgehog" passes spectators on a balcony during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in New York. A jetpack-wearing monkey and a freakish creation from filmmaker Tim Burton are two of the big new balloons that will make their inaugural appearances in front of millions of people at this year's parade. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The "Snoopy" float is seen during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Times Square in New York on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The parade premiered in 1924, this is its 85th year. (AP Photo/Andrew Burton)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., waves to airmen while serving a Thanksgiving meal at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Occupy Wall Street protestors host Thanksgiving dinner in Zuccotti park, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in New York. Protestors used the holiday to give thanks alongside strangers at outdoor Occupy encampments nationwide, serving turkey or donating their time in solidarity with the anti-Wall Street movement. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Spectators cheered and sang at annual Thanksgiving Day parades from New York to Philadelphia to Detroit and friends enjoyed feasts with strangers at Occupy protest gatherings, reminding each other there is much to be grateful for despite the country's hard economic times.

Delighted crowds gathered Thursday for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan under brilliant sunshine. Millions more viewed the live broadcast of the annual holiday production on television from the comfort of their homes.

"Here comes Snoopy!" said an excited Regan Lynch, 5, nudging her grandfather, Nick Pagnozzi.

Pagnozzi, 59, of Saddle River, N.J., drove into the city at 6 a.m. to get a seat on the bleachers along Central Park West. He said Regan wanted to make sure he took pictures of every balloon.

With winds gusting to 22 miles per hour and temperatures in the mid-30s, parade-goers in Detroit bundled up. Before the celebration, 21,000 runners followed the course for the Turkey Trot races. A cluster of Ford Model T cars in the parade testified to the city's status as America's battered but rebounding auto capital.

"I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most," President Barack Obama said in his weekly radio address. "But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny."

The president later telephoned 10 U.S. service members stationed abroad to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and praise their military service.

Dishing up Thanksgiving meals, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords appeared at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz. She used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in the head Jan. 8 as she met with constituents. Eighteen others were injured and six people died in the assault.

Giffords donned a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. Her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, supported her from her left side as she worked the turkey station on the serving line.

"Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for your service," she told Airman 1st Class Millie Gray of Kansas City, Mo.

Others in San Francisco, Oakland, Calif., and New York celebrated the holiday, serving turkey or donating their time in solidarity with the anti-Wall Street movement triggered by frustration with the slow pace of the economic recovery.

Some 3,000 meals were served in New York City. In Las Vegas, Occupy organizer Sebring Frehner said protesters had a potluck Thanksgiving meal at their campsite near the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He said he was happy to skip the traditional meal at home.

"Instead of hunkering down with five or six close individuals in your home, people you probably see all of the time anyway, you are celebrating Thanksgiving with many different families ? kind of like the original Thanksgiving," Frehner said.

The thousands lining the parade route in Detroit for the 9 a.m. start, watched dozens of floats and hundreds of marching musicians, including the 170-person Viking Marching Bad from Walled Lake Central High School.

Forty dancers from Deborah's State Door dressed as hot dogs, and a 41st costumed as a bottle of mustard, made up a contingent sponsored by the National Coney Island restaurant group.

Philadelphia's Thanksgiving parade, which began in 1920 and considers itself the nation's oldest, went off with one hitch. Before the parade, in a preparation area, a balloon of the lasagna-loving comics feline Garfield burst while being inflated.

Organizers weren't sure if it popped from over-inflation, a problem with the strings, or some other issue. Maybe it was too much lasagna?

In all, the Macy's parade featured more than 40 balloon creations, 27 floats, 800 clowns and 1,600 cheerleaders. Star appearances included Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne and the Muppets of Sesame Street. Some performances were at a stage at the end of the route in Herald Square; others were on floats.

"I feel like a kid all over, man, you know?" said Green, who rode a float featuring young hockey players.

Giant balloon versions of a jetpack-wearing monkey and a freakish creation from filmmaker Tim Burton made inaugural appearances. Paul Frank's Julius and Burton's B. joined fan favorites like Snoopy and Spider-Man. The parade also featured an elf balloon designed by Queens resident Keith Lapinig, who won a nationwide contest.

In the crowd along Manhattan's Seventh Avenue, tourist Wilfred Denk of Munich, Germany, said he was most impressed by the high school marching bands. The procession featured bands from as far away as Hawaii.

Suddenly, a float bearing a replica of Mount Rushmore came into view. "Look, Neil Diamond!" said Bethina Denk.

The crowd started singing "Sweet Caroline! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" as Diamond waved from a platform in front of the Mount Rushmore heads.

Near the beginning of the route, Conor Jones, 5, of the Bronx, ducked as a troupe of clowns dressed as firefighters doused the crowd with multicolored confetti. He and his twin brother, Nolan, have attended the parade three years in a row.

"I like the bands best," he said. His brother preferred the Spider-Man balloon.

Dozens of handlers got revved up with a cheer heralding their cartoon balloon character: "Buzz! Lightyear! Buzz! Lightyear!"

Nearby, balloon handler Joe Sullivan, a retired banker, held one of six nylon lines securing a huge floating pumpkin. He's been volunteering in the parade for more than 15 years.

"When it's windy it's a struggle," he said. "But today is great weather."

Macy's predicted 3.5 million people could crowd the parade route, while an additional 50 million watched from home.

All the balloons are created at Macy's Parade Studio in New Jersey, and each undergoes testing for flight patterns, aerodynamics, buoyancy and lift. The floats are driven into New York through the Lincoln Tunnel before the parade.

___

Associated Press Writers Julie Walker in New York, Julie Pace in Washington, David N. Goodman in Detroit, and Matt York in Tucson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-24-Thanksgiving%20Day%20Parade/id-ca2c38fc049244a184228c513312c20e

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45421906#45421906

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Among yesterday's service shutdowns at Google, which included underperforming and deprecated Web properties like Knol, Wave and Gears, there was also news of the end of RE<C. What's RE<C? Just one of those ambitious "we can save the world with Google money!" type projects that gave the search giant the appearance for caring about more than the influx of ad dollars. In this case, RE<C was focused on lowering the cost of renewable energy. Or, as the acronym indicates, to make "renewable energy" (RE) less than (cheaper than) coal (C). As it turns out, that was easier said than done.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CUy6hSBRhBo/

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Too much fast food, poor meal choices and bad eating habits are causing more Canadians to be overweight or obese. Despite this trend, individuals who eat well are 20 per cent less likely to be obese, according to a study by Concordia University economists published in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.

"The risk of being obese or overweight is directly related to bad eating habits such as skipping meals, eating away from home, high consumption of fast and processed foods, as well as low consumption of fruit and vegetables," says first author Sunday Azagba, a PhD candidate in the Concordia Department of Economics. "In Canada, food purchased from restaurants accounts for more than 30 per cent of the average weekly food expenditure per household."

As part of their study, the researchers examined data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey to evaluate how eating habits could impact obesity trends among adults aged 18 to 65. The World Health Organization, which uses the body mass index (BMI) to measure weight-for-height, estimates that a BMI greater than or equal to 25 makes for an overweight person and a BMI greater than or equal to 30 equals obesity.

"More than 25 per cent of Canadians aged 31 to 50 exceed the safe limit of total calories derived from fats," adds co-author Mesbah Sharaf, a PhD candidate in the Concordia Department of Economics, noting advances in food engineering by producers may have contributed to the difficulty of resisting food craving and increase obesity rates.

Measures to encourage healthier eating

Higher taxes on fatty foods might encourage healthier eating, the economists suggest, yet higher prices won't sway everyone to choose a better diet. "Some people are unresponsive to taxes and such added costs to fast food would reduce their spending power without altering their eating behavior," says Azagba, noting an alternative would be for governments to subsidize less calorie-dense foods such as fruit and vegetables. "This might induce more people to substitute healthy foods for unhealthy ones."

Other measures to encourage healthier eating could entail subsidizing healthy meal plans at schools and universities, restricting junk food in educational institutions and improving physical education programs in schools. "Education programs that raise awareness of the benefits of physical activity and the health implications of food choices, as well as compulsory warning labels about the health risks on food packaging, similar to those on cigarette packages, may also help to mitigate obesity rates," says Sharaf.

It's imperative that obesity rates across Canada decline, says Azagba: "Health-care costs for caring for obese individuals are estimated to be 42 per cent greater than for people with normal weight. Research has found excessive body weight to be a risk factor for many chronic disease, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, liver diseases, as well as prostate, breast and colon cancer."

Excessive body weight is an epidemic with repercussions beyond Canada. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion adults are overweight and that obesity accounts for more than 2.6 million deaths each year. The European Union estimates the combined direct and indirect costs of obesity to be ?33 billion a year, whereas in the United States the total cost of obesity is estimated to be $139 billion annually.

###

Concordia University: http://www.concordia.ca

Thanks to Concordia University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 67 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115395/Hefty_impact_of_poor_eating_habits

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Mitt Romney brings us today's biggest political non-scandal by admitting to People Magazine that he once tasted beer and tried a cigarette.?In excerpts from an interview from the magazine's upcoming issue, the interviewer asks Romney if he's tried beer. He responds:

Never had drinks or tobacco. It?s a religious thing. I tasted a beer and tried a cigarette once, as a wayward teenager, and never did it again.
Romney rather famously abstains from drinking?because?of his Mormon faith, and this revelation doesn't do a whole lot to damage his reputation as comically straight-laced. ABC News's Michael Falcone is also tweeting other fun facts from the interview, most notably that Romney likes listening to the Killers and plays Angry Birds on his iPad, which he uses while on the treadmill. (Is that a sly attempt to highlight his skill at multi-tasking? If so, we're impressed. It's not easy to walk and fling explosive birds at the same time.)?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111121/pl_atlantic/mittromneyhasfacttastedbeer45263

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Researchers led by Prof. S?bastien Sauv? of the University of Montreal's Department of Chemistry have discovered that traces of caffeine are a useful indicator of the contamination of our water by sewers. "E colibacteria is commonly used to evaluate and regulate the levels of fecal pollution of our water from storm water discharge, but because storm sewers systems collect surface runoff, non-human sources can contribute significantly to the levels that are observed," Sauv? explained. "Our study has determined that there is a strong correlation between the levels of caffeine in water and the level of bacteria, and that chemists can therefore use caffeine levels as an indicator of pollution due to sewerage systems."

The researchers took water samples from streams, brooks and storm sewer outfall pipes that collect storm waters across the Island of Montreal, and analyzed them for caffeine, fecal coliforms, and a third suspected indicator, carbamazepine. Shockingly, all the samples contained various concentrations of these contaminants, which would suggest that contamination is widespread in urban environments. Carbamazepine is an anti-seizure drug which is also increasingly used for various psychiatric treatments, and the researchers thought it might be a useful indicator because it degrades very slowly. However, unlike with caffeine, no correlation was found.

Caffeine degrades within a few weeks to 2-3 months in the environment and is very widely consumed. The presence of caffeine is also a sure indicator of human sewage contamination, as agriculture and industry do not tend to release caffeine into the environment. The team also noted that the data suggest that Montreal's storm water collection system is widely contaminated by domestic sewers. On the other hand, the researchers observed high levels of fecal coliforms but little or no caffeine in some of the samples, which they attribute to urban wildlife. "This data reveals that any water sample containing more than the equivalent of ten cups of coffee diluted in an Olympic-size swimming pool is definitely contaminated with fecal coliforms," Sauv? said. "A caffeine sampling program would be relatively easy to implement and might provide a useful tool to identify sanitary contamination sources and help reduce surface water contamination within an urban watershed."

###

"Fecal coliforms, caffeine and carbamazepine in stormwater collection systems in a large urban area" was published online in Chemosphere on November 8, 2011.

University of Montreal: http://bit.ly/mNqklw

Thanks to University of Montreal for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 74 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115393/Chemistry_professor_links_feces_and_caffeine_

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Google has heard your Galaxy Nexus complaints loud and clear, and it's already working on a fix. That's just about all the company had to say today, in response to widespread gripes over a strange volume bug on Samsung's new flagship handset. "We are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix," Google said in a statement. "We will update devices as soon as possible." It appears, then, that the problem lies not in the phone's hardware, but in its software, meaning that a simple OTA update may just do the trick. No word yet on when we can expect to see the fix, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out.

Galaxy Nexus volume fix in the works, Google confirms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BEIJING (Reuters) ? First it was money folded into paper planes that were flown over the walls of dissident artist Ai Weiwei's home. Now Chinese Internet users' latest show of solidarity with Ai has taken the unlikeliest form of protest: mass nudity.

By Monday afternoon, seventy people had posted nude photos of themselves on a website called "Ai Wei Fans' Nudity -- Listen, Chinese Government: Nudity is not Pornography" -- a rare form of protest in a country where public nudity is still taboo.

They uploaded the photos after Beijing police questioned Ai's videographer on Thursday for allegedly spreading pornography online by taking nude photographs of Ai and four women.

Supporters of Ai, whose 81-day secret detention earlier this year sparked an international outcry, say that the questioning over the nude photographs is China's latest effort to intimidate its most famous social critic.

The videographer, Zhao Zhao, said Beijing police interrogated him for about four hours on the motives behind the photographs.

"They said: 'Don't you know that the photos that you've taken are obscene photos?'" Zhao told Reuters by telephone. "I said: 'I didn't know that' and said 'how can they be considered obscene?' They said they've characterized them as such."

Ai paid a bond of 8.45 million yuan ($1.3 million) last Tuesday, paving the way to file what he fears may be an ultimately futile appeal on a tax evasion charge that his supporters have said is a political vendetta. The money was raised from contributions from his supporters.

Wen Yunchao, who posted two nude photographs of himself on the website, said he believed the investigation against Ai's assistant was the latest form of "persecution" against Ai.

"This is a matter that has made many people very indignant," Hong Kong-based Wen said. "Because the interpretation of people's naked bodies in itself is an individual freedom and a form of creative freedom. Also, we don't see any pornographic elements in (Ai's) photographs. So we are using this extreme method to express our protest."

Many of the photos posted on the website were accompanied with politically tinged commentaries.

"Grandpa, is this pornography?" wrote a user, who was photographed bare-bottomed and writing on a wall with the words "'89 political turmoil," referring to the June 4, 1989, armed crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

During Ai's confinement, police had also questioned him about the nude photographs that were taken in August last year, Ai told Reuters.

Ai said the nude photographs had no deeper political meaning and were not meant to criticize the government, but he added that the government could perceive the photos as a "rebellious act."

"We did it because it was a way to remove fear and the feeling of isolation," Ai told Reuters. "Because fear and the feeling of isolation are defining characteristics in certain societies.

"Today, in reality, these (actions) are inappropriate for the time being. So when I see everyone like this, I feel young people still have some conscience."

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Don Durfee)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/wl_nm/us_china_dissident

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NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Some 20 New York business, labor and political leaders were asked on Monday by Governor Andrew Cuomo to help solve the state's fiscal problems in the wake of the Congressional super committee's apparent failure.

Cuomo invited the leaders to take part in a Monday conference call, a Cuomo aide said, in a move that suggested the Democrat is trying to build a diverse, bi-partisan coalition to support budget cuts that could prove necessary.

The call follows Cuomo's warnings last week that New York's current $133 billion budget had sprung a $350 million hole while next year's accord has a $3.25 billion gap.

The governor said some steps the super committee might have enacted, if successful, could have a "catastrophic" impact on New York, by cutting programs such as Medicaid and abolishing deductions for state and local taxes.

After months of talks, the high profile congressional effort to rein in ballooning U.S. debt was expected to end in failure due to disputes over taxes and spending cuts.

The New York financial experts invited to take part in Monday's call include American Express Chairman Kenneth Chenault, Ken Langone, co-founder of Home Depot, and Felix Rohatyn, a special adviser to the chief executive of Lazard, who helped lead New York City out of its 1970s debt crisis.

Others on the call have expertise in exchanges, asset management and hedge funds such as Glenn Dubin, co-founder of Highbridge Capital Management, James Chanos, founder of Kynikos Associates, and Frank Zarb, former chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Cuomo also invited Pat Barrett, ex-Republican state party chairman and former chief executive officer of Avis.

Labor representatives include Denis Hughes, president of the AFL-CIO and Alexis Herman, former U.S. Secretary of Labor.

The governor's invitation extended to some representatives of poor and minority groups such as Rossana Rosado, chief executive officer of the newspaper El Diario and Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League.

Representing the upstate area is Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, a Democrat who is close to Cuomo.

To represent New York City, Cuomo chose Peter Solomon, a former vice chairman of Lehman Brothers and a deputy mayor of Economic Policy and Development under former Mayor Edward Koch.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a political independent, has no representatives on the call.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111122/us_nm/us_newyork_budget

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dsouzadylann · Nov. 19, 2011

updated 6:23 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2011

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Football Association says people should forgive FIFA President Sepp Blatter for his controversial comments downplaying racism in the sport.

SAFA said on Saturday that Blatter's remarks were unfortunate but hopes "the world will move on" after football's highest figure apologized for saying that racist slurs on the field could be sorted out with a handshake after the match.

SAFA said the matter was blown out of proportion but also noted in its statement that Blatter had "sent the wrong signal."

South Africa's football body paid tribute to Blatter's efforts in taking the World Cup to South Africa last year and said his recent comments were "unfortunate, regrettable and out of sync with what he (Blatter) stood for all his life."

More newsJeff Gross / Getty Images

Donovan, Becks lead LA to title

Landon Donovan scored in the 72nd minute on passes from Robbie Keane and David Beckham as the Galaxy's three superstars won their first MLS Cup together with a 1-0 victory over Houston.

Harold Cunningham / Getty Images

Blatter?'sorry'

FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologizes, sort of, for offending people with his racism remarks but refuses to resign.

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Missouri Botanical Garden signs exchange agreement with 3 botanical institutions in China

Public release date: 18-Nov-2011
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Contact: Karen Hill
karen.hill@mobot.org
314-577-0254
Missouri Botanical Garden

Memorandum of Understanding seeks to promote conservation, education and awareness about plant diversity

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Mo. USA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with three of China's botanical institutions in an effort to promote conservation, education and awareness about plant diversity. The mutually beneficial agreement between the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Nanjing Botanical Garden, Lushan Botanical Garden and Guangxi Institute of Botany calls for the exchange of herbarium specimens, plant materials, publications, data, scientific materials and personnel (staff and students), for the purpose of sharing experiences. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on October 28, 2011 at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

"Agreements such as these are frequently undertaken to explore a mutual, shared scientific challenge. In this case, each of our institutions are keenly aware of the current threats to our respective floras, and through these agreements we seek to work jointly in documenting the plants found in our areas of interest, study the effects of climate variation on the ecosystems and promote our respective scientific efforts through collaborations," said Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden. "The exchange of staff, literature and ideas can only enhance our botanical, horticultural and conservation research and promote our efforts to mediate the common threats to biodiversity."

The cooperative agreement calls for the Missouri Botanical Garden, Nanjing Botanical Garden, Lushan Botanical Garden and Guangxi Institute of Botany to pinpoint the relevant program opportunities and research needs at each of their institutions and identify staff and scientists to participate in the exchange. Administrators will propose, coordinate and supervise all exchange programs and projects, and each institution will provide appropriate assistance to visiting staff and research scientists.

The exchange of plant materials and herbarium specimens supports the development of plant collections and conservation work at the institutions. Providing copies of selected and relevant publications, documents, data and other materials is also addressed under the agreement.

"In addition to encouraging collaborations among our scientific staffs, these agreements facilitate herbarium study visits and field trips, as the local institution requests all visas, collecting permits and specimen transfer agreements for the visits," said Dr. Bob Magill, senior vice president of science and conservation at the Missouri Botanical Garden. "This equates to more time in the field studying plants or working directly with our colleagues in China."

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Peter Wyse Jackson, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden; Zhuang Yule, director of the Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yet-Sen in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province; Wu Yiya, director of the Lushan Botanical Garden, CAS in Lushan, Jiangxi Province; and Wen Yongxin, director of the Guangxi Institute of Botany, CAS in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.

Today, 152 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display. With scientists working in 35 countries on six continents around the globe, the Missouri Botanical Garden has one of the three largest plant science programs in the world and a mission "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life."

Garden scientists collaborate with local institutions, schools and indigenous peoples to understand plants, create awareness, offer alternatives and craft conservation strategies. The Missouri Botanical Garden is striving for a world that can sustain us without sacrificing prosperity for future generations, a world where people share a commitment to managing biological diversity for the common benefit.

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For general information about the Missouri Botanical Garden, visit http://www.mobot.org. Follow the Garden on Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/missouribotanicalgarden and http://twitter.com/mobotnews.

More than 37,000 households in the St. Louis region hold memberships to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Members help support the Garden's operations and world-changing work in plant science and conservation. Learn more at http://www.mobot.org/membership.

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