Monday, December 31, 2012

2012: The Year Crowdfunding Was Kickstarted Into The Mainstream

3437967475_7d80cbfa8f_zThere we were, circled around a bachelor party campfire and drunk on keg beer, discussing the viability of using Kickstarter to fund a sex toy startup. My buddy Dan (he goes by Dangerous D at karaoke) had designed and handmade a compact speed controller for small vibrators (pic below). He was selling them at $75 a pop and apparently - I have yet to see or try one - they were getting rave reviews. Dangerous D's Magic Box, he called it. Another friend and I were passionately trying to convince him to quit his job as a bank manager and start a sex toy startup. We were positive, and a bit drunk, that all he needed was a successful Kickstarter campaign. The video would obviously be key.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/kzmfZX2v_Ww/

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Are EV's Ready to Meet Society's Demands?

What has not been said of Electric Vehicles? A Google search of ?EV? results in 71,900,000 hits. Talk of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and all-electric vehicles (EV) have given society both hope and confusion.

Depending on what you read and hear, it?s highly questionable if EVs are truly gaining traction. If gaining traction means slowly nudging forward towards the industry?s overzealous market projections, then one could say the industry is growing. But overall, it is safe to say EV sales have been disappointing and well short of expectations.

Customers are caught between a rock and a hard place between the cost, range, and recharging time of EVs and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb climate change, which is here and now and getting worse before our eyes. Yet, sometime in the future, in one form or another, EVs have to be successful. Our future depends on it.

Today, the lines are drawn between the technologists who developed the advanced battery technologies powering EVs, the environmentalist who look at EVs as a salvation to global warming and a cleaner environment, the marketers who see EVs as the next major paradigm shift and a huge market opportunity, and finally the consumers who a sit on the sidelines knowing that EVs pose many economic and unanswered questions.

Anyone, other than those in the O&G industry, would be foolish to support the ongoing use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Those against finding a cleaner and more economical solution are as illogical as a member of the NRA still supporting retail sales of assault weapons with +30 cartridge magazines.

One item needs to be cleared up, that is EVs claim of zero-emissions. In of themselves, battery powered vehicles do not emit pollutants. However, electrons flowing out of rechargeable batteries are generated at the utility level primarily from greenhouse emitting coal and natural gas, see following chart. So from a life cycle perspective, EVs are not zero-emitting vehicles.

The hope that clean sources of energy from solar, wind, hydro and geothermal will replace dirty fossil fuels to generate electricity remains bleak in the near and not too distant future. U.S. net electricity generation from renewable and clean sources of energy showed only a 2% increase from 1993 to 2011 and is projected to increase only another 3% by 2040. Without exception, a sad state of affairs!

Related Article: GM Experiences Record Sales for Eco-Friendly Cars

US Electricity Net Generation

Safety of EVs remains another concern. Long battery runtimes have been achieved by packing more active material into a cell by making the electrodes and separator thinner. This enabled a doubling of energy density since lithium-ion was introduced in 1991. Battery developers are not foolish and have engineered-in safety systems, which prevent them from getting too hot or over-charged. The lithium-ion cells have to be pushed to extreme lengths to get them to overheat, break or explode?lengths well beyond their safety limits. The concern stems from the limited time EVs have been in the field. Testing technology under pristine or controlled conditions is one thing, operating in everyday situations by the general public is entirely an entirely different matter.

According to UL?s report Powering the New Generation of Electric Vehicles, ?Beyond the technical sophistication of electric-powered vehicle propulsion, EVs require a complex system of electrical and electronic components to support the recharging of the vehicle?s on-board batteries. On the other side, an electrical system is required to provide the requisite power to recharge EVs. These on-board and off-board systems and components must be designed to integrate seamlessly with one another to ensure a safe, convenient and trouble-free experience for consumers. On-board and off-board charging systems typically include some or all of the following individual components?: EV on-board and off-board components?:

Related Article: Solar and Big Oil Join Forces in Middle East

EV components

On the Utility side, an article ?Utilities Conflicted Over Electric Cars? stated:

??.. electric car charging at 120-v will draw about 1500 watts of power, similar to a large microwave oven, or small air conditioner. Both the LEAF and VOLT will also charge at 3300 watts (240-v) potentially exacerbating the concern.

??.. By itself this draw will have a negligible effect on the grid. What the electric companies fear, however, is clustering of EV owners within certain neighborhoods, potentially taking own local transformers.?

??.. ?nightmare scenario? is described as a hot summer afternoon when a cluster of EV owners come home to their neighborhood, turn on their air conditioners, microwaves plasma screen TVs, and plug in their electric cars all at the same time.?

??.. doubling the load of a conventional home, It?s a big problem.?

?The utility infrastructure was built for something completely different. Neighborhood concentrations pulling new EV loads at 6 p.m. on still-hot afternoons could be disastrous for local distribution grids.? That?s one reason he?s hoping to see continued, and expanded, federal incentives to build out infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Targeted charging technology would let utilities ?talk? to chargers and spread out the demand and underpin the incentives to integrate an array of ?smart? technology across the electricity system.?

Another form of EVs that is starting to emerge is hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. (FCV). FCVs run on hydrogen gas rather than gasoline. Fuel cells convert hydrogen gas stored onboard with oxygen from the air into electricity to drive the electric motor that propels the vehicle. ?FCVs have greater range and shorter refueling times than battery-powered ones and can be used in large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. But the processes used for extracting and transporting hydrogen can be energy intensive and rely on fossil fuels. Besides the high price of FCVs, one major barrier to wide-spread adoption of fuel-cell cars is the need for a network of refueling stations, which according to analysts cost upward of $1 million each to build. But hydrogen-powered cars cannot exist without hydrogen filling stations, and vice versa.?

In closing, society needs EVs but EVs must deliver what society needs. The goods are just not ready. More time is needed to develop an EV that gives consumers what they value and what they can afford.

Shakespeare said it best some 410 years ago in Hamlet ?What feast is toward in thine eternal cell, You?. Are here arriv?d,?. High on a stage be placed to the view; And let me speak to the yet unknowing world, How these things came about?. Of accidental judgments?. And, in this upshot, purposes mistook Fall?n on th? inventors? heads: all this can I (?EV?) Truly deliver.

By. Dr. Barry Stevens

Source: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Are-EVs-Ready-to-Meet-Societys-Demands.html

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A year to forget in Winnipeg sports [Photos]

Does Evander Kane posting this photo to Twitter signify the end of the honeymoon between the Jets and their fans? (TWITTER.COM)

Will Donald Fehr be able to negotiate an end to the lockout in time for a compressed season in 2013? (FRED THORNHILL/Reuters)

Will Bombers GM Joe Mack keep his job? (JASON HALSTEAD/Winnipeg Sun)

Will Buck Pierce be able to complete a successful season? (FRED GREENSLADE/Reuters)

Will the Bombers be able to capitalize on their new stadium? (COURTESY BOMBERS)

Report an error

Normally this is supposed to be a rumination of the year that was. A look back at some of the highlights of the last 12 months.

There. Done.

Seriously, 2012 will not go down as a memorable one for Winnipeg sports fans.

Going in, our local CFLers were supposed to follow up their 2011 Grey Cup appearance with another serious run at their first championship in more than two decades.

Instead, the Blue Bombers turned out to be a one-year wonder.

A few clicks to the east down Portage Avenue, there at least were some highs involving our pucksters.

But our exciting new taste for the NHL would turn more sour by the month, beginning with the Jets crash-and-burn from playoff contention and culminating with the hollow, clanging sound of yet another lockout.

Considering we had one the year before the original Jets bolted for Phoenix, I suppose it?s some sort of cruel symmetry we have one the year after they return.

Wasn?t 2012 also supposed to usher in an exciting new era in sports facilities in this town?

Alas, we?ve killed enough trees on that story.

Add it all up, and it?s enough to make a Winnipeg sports nut go nuts.

lnstead of revisiting the gory details, I thought we?d look ahead.

So here are five storylines worth watching going into what has to be a better year in the toy department.

Because it couldn?t get any worse ? could it?

Frozen Fallout

As of this writing, the NHL had cancelled games through Jan. 14, or more than half the season.

That doesn?t mean we can?t have a compressed 48-game campaign, probably with conference play only.

But the two sides are getting closer and closer to the edge of that cliff, as that type of season would have to start around Jan. 20.

You?d think the deadline would produce a deal, like most deadlines do in labour negotiations.

You wonder, though, how much anger the players and owners have stirred up in fans and sponsors, and how it?ll be manifested whenever they do get back on the ice.

End of the Honeymoon

On a related topic, a few members of the Jets have had bad off-seasons, led by Ondrej Pavelec?s drunk driving crash and conviction in the Czech Republic.

Others, defenceman Ron Hainsey ? the face of the lockout ? and winger Evander (Moneybags) Kane have simply raised the ire of fans looking for people to blame for not having hockey.

Coupled with the normal subsiding of the NHL honeymoon, does the local shinny shack become a less friendly place for the home side in 2013 and beyond?

?

?

Field of Dreams

The Bombers will finally move into that spectacular facility down at the U of M, and that will create quite a buzz on its own.

Until 2013?s opening kickoff, at least.

How the Bombers play in their new digs will either buff the place to an impressive shine and launch the team to new financial heights or tarnish it, hurting the team?s ability to ?maximize revenues,? as they say.

After last year ? the losing, the security clampdown, the firing of yet another head coach ? the Bombers don?t have a lot of credit in the fan goodwill account right now.

There shouldn?t be any empty seats in the first year of a facility that?s now costing $200 million.

If there are, it won?t help the Bombers as they begin repaying a whopping $95 million in debt.

Armed or Dangerous?

What happens at quarterback for the Bombers is the story to watch on the field in 2013.

There isn?t a team in the CFL more in flux at football?s most important position.

If the Bombers don?t get this right ? having Buck Pierce somehow complete a successful season or finding someone who can ? they will be doomed to extend the longest championship drought in franchise history to a 23rd year, and then some.

That?s a dangerous road to stay on, new stadium or not.

If the Bombers solve their quarterback problem, GM Joe Mack will have gone a long way to saving his job.

Entering the last year of his contract with a 21-35 record in games that matter, Mack needs to show CEO Garth Buchko he knows how to build a consistent winner, not just a team that stumbles into the Grey Cup game once in a while.

If the Bombers post another losing season, Buchko will be forced to undergo the difficult task of conducting a GM search, and the Bombers will be back at the drawing board. Again.

That would leave a lousy taste in the mouths of poor, downtrodden Bomber Nation.

It?s true head coach Tim Burke will be under the microscope in his first full season as head chef. But it?s Mack?s job to supply the ingredients.

So there?s you?re recipe for a successful 2013.

After the past year?s heartache, is that too much to ask?

How would rate 2012 for sports in Winnipeg?

Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/12/29/a-year-to-forget-in-winnipeg-sports

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Road fatality in Christ Church

Barbados has recorded another road fatality.

Police are reporting there was a two-vehicle collision just after 3 this morning on the Adam section of the ABC Highway which resulted in the fatality.

The deceased is Argyle Walker, age 63 of Thyme Bottom, Christ Church, who died at the scene. ?Walker?s car was involved in a collision with another car driven by Anthony Jordan, age 23, of Lewis Gap, Green Hill, St. Michael.? Jordan is being treated for minor injuries at the QEH.?

The police report also states that the accident took place in an area "about midway between the Henry Forde Roundabout and the Kingsland junction).

Anyone who may have witnessed this accident or may have information concerning this accident is asked to call the Oistins Police Station at telephone number 418-2612.

This is a developing story.

Source: http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/road-fatality-in-christ-church/

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

No light, no light (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273634129?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Syrian Generals Defect, Turkish Officials Say

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Abbas Awsara, 16, a former student, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Abdulrahman Zahir, 17, a former farmer, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Malik Jaafar, 21, a former farmer, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Mohammed Al-Qassim, 22, a defected soldier, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, Syrian rebel fighter, known as Abu Rabii, 21, a former farmer, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Tariq, no last name given, 19, a former student, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, photo, Syrian rebel fighter, Ayman Alhashim, 26, a former farmer, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, photo, Syrian rebel fighter, known as Abu Omar, 25, a former money exchanger, poses for a picture, following a training session in Maarret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/syrian-generals-defect_n_2374523.html

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    World's longest fast train line opens in China

    BEIJING (AP) ? China has opened the world's longest high-speed rail line, which more than halves the time required to travel from the country's capital in the north to Guangzhou, an economic hub in southern China.

    Wednesday's opening of the 2,298 kilometer (1,428 mile)-line was commemorated by the 9 a.m. departure of a train from Beijing for Guangzhou. Another train left Guangzhou for Beijing an hour later.

    China has massive resources and considerable prestige invested in its showcase high-speed railways program.

    But it has in recent months faced high-profile problems: part of a line collapsed in central China after heavy rains in March, while a bullet train crash in the summer of 2011 killed 40 people. The former railway minister, who spearheaded the bullet train's construction, and the ministry's chief engineer, were detained in an unrelated corruption investigation months before the crash.

    Trains on the latest high-speed line will initially run at 300 kph (186 mph) with a total travel time of about eight hours. Before, the fastest time between the two cities by train was more than 20 hours.

    The line also makes stops in major cities along the way, including provincial capitals Shijiazhuang, Wuhan and Changsha.

    More than 150 pairs of high-speed trains will run on the new line every day, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Ministry of Railways.

    Rail is an essential part in China's transportation system, and the government plans to build a grid of high-speed railways with four east-west lines and four north-south lines by 2020.

    The opening of the new line brings the total distance covered by China's high-speed railway system to more than 9,300 km (5,800 miles) ? about half its 2015 target of 18,000 km.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-longest-fast-train-line-opens-china-121838743--finance.html

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    Friday, December 28, 2012

    Is the Federal Government's $100-Million Predator Control Program in Need of Reform?

    Animal advocates say it?s not fair to kill animals owned by the public trust and indispensable to ecosystem health just to protect privately held livestock

    wolf and baby bird PROTECTION RACKET: The U.S. kills 100,000 carnivores yearly under the Wildlife Services program, mainly to protect livestock. However, its own statistics show most livestock losses result from weather, disease, illness and birthing problems, not predation. Image: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

    Dear EarthTalk: A friend of mine told me that our government kills thousands of wild animals like bears and wolves every year in the name of protecting livestock. How can the government, which is supposed to protect dwindling numbers of animals, instead be killing them??Amy Pratt, Troy, N.Y.

    Actually, the federal government kills some 100,000 carnivores every year under the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s (USDA?s) Wildlife Services program. While the program does much more than so-called ?predator control??threatened and endangered species conservation, invasive species mitigation, wildlife disease monitoring, airport bird strike prevention, rabies and rodent control?killing bears, wolves, coyotes and mountain lions to protect livestock does take up $100 million of the federal budget each year.

    Animal advocates say it?s not fair to kill animals owned in essence by the public trust and indispensable to ecosystem health just to protect privately held livestock, let alone spend millions of tax dollars doing it.

    ?Working directly with commercial operators and state and local governments, Wildlife Services uses a combination of lethal control methods, like trapping, aerial gunning, poisoning, and denning (killing young in their dens), and some non-lethal control methods,? reports the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). ?But driven by narrow agricultural interests, these predator control activities often ignore the greater public need for a healthy environment, fiscal responsibility, and safe public lands.?

    NRDC cites USDA statistics showing that most livestock losses result from weather, disease, illness and birthing problems?not predation. They also argue that the lethal methods employed by Wildlife Services have led to dozens of human and pet injuries and deaths and degrade ecosystems that rely on healthy predator populations to function. Also the two most commonly used poisons, Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide, go beyond killing animals and wreak havoc on entire ecosystems.

    Predator Defense, another group committed to ending federal predator control efforts, says that it is important to maintain healthy populations of the very predators Wildlife Services works to kill. When, for instance, predators are around to keep deer and elk populations in check, more and varied kinds of plants are given space and time to grow, in turn preserving and creating habitat for many different species.

    ?Wildlife Services? predator control work cries out for reform,? says NRDC. The group recommends bringing more transparency to the process so the public can assess how tax dollars are being used; taking a more scientific approach instead of centering the program around the demands of commercial interests; holding the program to higher environmental standards; ending the cruelest, most hazardous and environmentally harmful killing methods; and requiring non-lethal methods when possible.

    There has been no decisive legislation to stop predator control efforts, but a bill introduced into the House by California Republican John Campbell III calls for amending the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide for predator control. The bill (H.R. 4214) was referred to committee and may or may not see a floor vote this year.

    CONTACTS: NRDC, www.nrdc.org; Predator Defense, www.predatordefense.org; H.R. 4214, www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr4214.

    EarthTalk? is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.


    Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=76d66820a899bab87db1c07ed5e2b27d

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    Thursday, December 27, 2012

    2012 Review: Philanthropy, nonprofit stories focus on generosity ...

    A community and its citizens can be distinguished in many ways but in no way better than the culture of giving, volunteering, service to good causes and needs of the neediest among us. When good people share their resources ? money, time, talent, expertise ? we are all enriched and we have the good examples we need to make us better. Our special section on Our Philanthropy and our special understanding of its importance, celebrates the giving-back in our community and the people who provide the front line services. Here is just one of many, many stories related to this important subject that appeared on KyForward?s pages this year:
    ?

    Coach Calipari understands ?luck,? purpose,
    the advice mama gave him ? and giving back


    ?

    By Judy Clabes
    KyForward editor
    ?

    As he approaches his fourth season as coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team, John Calipari sounds a lot like the awe-struck, wide-eyed kids who flock to his camps as worshipful followers. And the parents who tag along, hoping to get a noticing nod from the Great One.

    ?

    He just doesn?t understand how he got so lucky.

    ?

    He isn?t being coy. He means it.

    ?

    For a kid from Pittsburgh?s Moon Township whose daddy worked the coal mines and whose grandparents came from the ?Old Country? speaking no English, the rarified air of the coach?s office at UK?s Craft Center is still a big deal.

    ?

    ?How could this happen? How could it happen to me?? he says, verbally pinching himself for a reality check. ?I wasn?t a great player, I didn?t go to a big school, I didn?t have the greatest coaching career. . .?

    ?

    And yet, here he is, in arguably the best job in college basketball ? with the most devoted fans (or fanatics), with a legacy of great basketball, with a built-in magnet for attracting the best players and with the opportunity to ? well, win a national championship in your third year on the job. He gets it: The only place to go from that is to win the next one.

    ?

    ?We didn?t have much growing up,? he says of himself and his siblings, ?but our parents had expectations ? and that was that we could go to college. We all did, although our parents had only a high school education.?

    ?

    It?s against that experience that he values education, though his frame of reference for what to do with a college education back then was limited. He thought he?d become a high school teacher because those were his role models.

    ?

    He recalls what his mama told him: ?Don?t let your surroundings define you.?

    ?

    That meant he couldn?t let himself be defined by the small, modest world in which he grew up but it also means he can?t let himself be defined by the bigger-than-life trappings around the storied head coaching job at the University of Kentucky.

    ?

    ?I am the coach, and that?s my job,? he says, pointing to a big sign painted on his wall, as if he might forget:

    ?

    COACH YOUR TEAM.

    ?

    ?So, yes, I coach basketball, but if that?s all I do, I cheat the position.?

    ?

    His upbringing, his mama?s advice, the influence of his wife, Ellen, his own values ? all these push him to do more than the minimum requirements of the job.

    ?

    ?I?ve been blessed. I want to set an example for giving back.?

    ?

    And he has big plans for that, big dreams for making a difference, for being part of solutions and for playing a major role in the ?village? it takes to change the lives of children who face so many challenges in today?s world.

    ?

    The kid who had nothing and now has plenty wants to help other kids dream big, to ?think beyond their surroundings,? to achieve beyond their own limited expectations.

    ?

    In Memphis, his family?s last home, he and Ellen established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (CFGM). It was, he said, an ?easy and clean? way to set aside charitable dollars for the community good, and it allowed the Caliparis to focus on the giving and not on infrastructure or the process or the details of management.

    ?

    Through the Calipari Family Foundation for Children Fund at the CFGM, they could ask that their charitable donations go to qualified nonprofits, could respond to the CFGM?s recommendations, and could be sure all contributions were reported appropriately and met all legal standards. Primarily, they asked that their funds focus on ?children,? in the broadest sense.

    ?

    In all, Calipari says the family has given a substantial amount through the CFGM fund. The grants have helped do such things as endow scholarships and support churches.

    ?

    ?Ellen and I consider giving a private matter; that is, we don?t give in order to draw attention to ourselves,? he said. ?In fact, one of the reasons we have given through the community foundation in Memphis is so we can quietly, anonymously help others.?

    ?

    However, the Caliparis do sometimes choose to publicize their support of certain causes and organizations about which they are passionate. The reason for doing this, Calipari says, is to raise awareness, to encourage the public also to become active in supporting these same causes and organizations.

    ?

    Lending their names publicly to charities often helps ?move the needle? for those groups ? which ultimately means more people will receive assistance.

    ?

    Perhaps the most public of Calipari?s charitable efforts has been his pledge of $1 million, almost paid in full, to the Memphis Street Ministries a Christian ministry serving impoverished Memphis youth in what is the third poorest zip code in the nation.

    ?

    Another large CFGM contribution was made to Team Focus, a charity that works with young men (ages 10-18) who don?t have a father figure in their lives. Specifically, the Caliparis? contribution has aided that group in establishing and maintaining a Lexington Team Focus chapter.

    ?

    ?We look for accountability ? and results,? Calipari said. ?We want to help make a difference.?

    ?

    Now, the Caliparis are beginning to think about how they will deal with their philanthropy in the new home they have fully embraced. That doesn?t mean they?ll abandon Memphis ? they have special charitable interests there and expect to continue to support them. But their primary philanthropic focus will be Kentucky.

    ?

    Since moving to Kentucky, they have given through their CFGM fund about $160,000 to various charities that assist Kentuckians. A majority of these groups are geared toward helping children, such as Team Focus, Christ the King School in Lexington and the School Choice Program in Louisville. Other Kentucky nonprofits that have already received support include The Jewish Community Federation of Louisville and the World Food Program USA.

    ?

    The grants made through CFGM are in addition to contributions they have made from personal funds. These contributions are carefully vetted through Sandy Bell, UK?s compliance officer, to be sure there are no conflicts with NCAA rules.

    ?

    In addition, he has used his ?Coach Cal? bully pulpit to leverage his ?sphere of influence? to raise funds through Hoops for Haiti, Kentucky Cares, and a Papa John?s campaign ($1 for every pizza purchased using the ?BOUNCE? code) for Children?s Hospital.

    ?

    In Memphis he used his sphere of influence to assist the Jubilee Schools, eight schools and two urban education initiatives in Memphis, which opened in 1999 and now serves 1300 at-risk students. The Catholic-based schools, open also to non-Catholics and all ethnicities, outperform their counterparts on standardized tests in reading, math and science and provide a values-based environment.

    ?

    He fully understands the advantage of the ?moral authority? of the UK basketball coach.

    ?

    ?About 98 percent of the money to the donor-advised fund was generated personally by me or my family,? Calipari said. This includes monies sent directly to the fund for his speaking engagements or personal appearances.

    ?

    The first steps have been taken to establish a charitable presence in Kentucky. The Calipari Foundation, Inc. has been registered with the Secretary of State and the next step will be to apply for 501(c)3 status with the IRS ? that?s the tax-exempt designation required for public charities and foundations, making contributions to them tax-deductible to the extent defined by law.

    ?

    Once the charitable status of the Calipari Foundation in Kentucky has been granted, he and Ellen will put some additional definition to its mission, make additions to the board of directors, and finalize the operational structure.

    ?

    Calipari expects to be aggressive in giving-back ? and, at least initially, expects to focus on financial literacy for grade school children, a Catholic schools initiative (similar to Memphis? Jubilee Schools) ? because he believes every child should have the option of a values-based education ? and childhood obesity, which he knows is a serious problem in Kentucky.

    ?

    He will also continue to hold himself accountable for being the right role model for the young men he coaches ? young men on track to lucrative professional careers where money can come early and aplenty. He believes he has a responsibility to help them understand the obligation to give back ? and to ?change the cycle of their lives.? Many of them have come from poverty, he says, and they have a chance to change themselves and their families.

    ?

    ?Life is all about who you are taking with you,? the Coach says, as he glances at those big letters emblazoned prominently on his wall:

    ?

    COACH YOUR TEAM.

    ?

    * * * * * * * * * * * *

    align="center"> ?

    Check out more of Our Philanthropy stories:
    ?

    Oakley and Eva Farris: A story of love, success and a devotion manifested into giving back
    ?

    With business success, philanthropic vision, UK alum Bill Gatton still making a difference
    &nbsp

    Central Ky. Community Foundation receives $2.42 million gift to set up scholarship fund
    ?

    Three KPI Commonwealth Awards honor extraordinary service to philanthropy
    ?

    Toyota to give away 100 Cars for Good again in 2012 to non-profit organizations and Eight Kentucky nonprofits among winners in 100 Cars for Good program
    ?

    Judy Clabes: Give because you?re part of the community and you care about good works
    ?

    Good Giving Challenge 2012 kicks off at West Sixth launch party, runs through Dec. 31
    ?

    UK?s annual DanceBlue marathon raises more than $834,000 for cancer research
    ?

    Lexington Legends? donations to Central Ky. nonprofits during 2012 top $800,000
    ?

    Holiday Wish List: A guide for charitable giving to those in need this time of year
    ?

    Lexington couple fund Haitian medical mission trips through ?Repurposed Soul?
    ?

    ?Gift of Heat? given to six families in sixth year of Fayette Heating & Air Christmas giveaway
    ?

    Tates Creek High School dance team donates tips to Komen for the Cure of Lexington
    ?

    Campbellsville students raise homelessness awareness through Cardboard Nation event
    ?

    ?Rebounding from Sandy? telethon already a success with online auctions ongoing
    ?

    Amazon donates 40 Kindles to broaden reading opportunities at The Learning Center
    ?

    Tates Creek Christian Church provides Julius Marks backpacks through new partnership
    ?

    High Hope Steeplechase draws big crowd, for festive day on behalf of four charities
    ?

    Adena Springs farm breeds some great horses as well as a lot of goodwill in the community
    ?

    Years in the works, plans to build senior facility in Midway get boost with new funding
    ?

    Frankfort women?s groups give back in a big way ? by supporting local cancer research
    ?

    To read all the 2012 reviews click here.

    Source: http://www.kyforward.com/philanthropy/2012/12/27/2012-review-philanthropy-nonprofit-stories-focus-on-generosity-service-and-unselfishness/

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    Observatory: A Newly Discovered Mosasaur Adapted to Fresh Water

    [unable to retrieve full-text content]A newly discovered species of mosasaur probably adapted to fresh water the same way as river dolphins in Asia and South America.

    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/science/a-newly-discovered-mosasaur-adapted-to-fresh-water.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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    Mridul Bhattacharyya, Assam Tea Estate Owner, Killed In Fire By Workers In India

    GAUHATI, India -- Hundreds of tea estate workers surrounded the plantation owner's home in India's northeastern state of Assam and set it on fire over a labor dispute, killing him and his wife, police said Thursday.

    Police recovered the charred bodies of the couple, Mridul Kumar Bhattacharyya and his wife, Rita, from the burned remains of their house in Tinsukhia district, police Superintendent P.P. Singh said.

    The plantation had been rocked by labor trouble over the past few weeks and some workers had been suspended two weeks ago.

    On Wednesday, around 700 workers armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows surrounded the house and set it on fire, trapping the couple. The house had burned down by the time police reached the remote region in Tinsukhia.

    Police are investigating but no arrests have been made, Singh said.

    The estate is about 700 kilometers (435 miles) northeast of Assam's capital, Gauhati.

    More than half of India's tea production comes from some 1,000 tea estates across Assam. Tea plantations, also known as `gardens,' employ thousands of women, especially for plucking the leaves from tea bushes.

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/mridul-bhattacharyya-killed-assam-tea-estate-india_n_2370657.html

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    Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    Syrian rebels make more gains in north

    BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels fully captured a northern town near the Turkish border on Tuesday after weeks of heavy fighting and attacked a regime air base in a neighboring province, activists said.

    The air base is in Aleppo province, where opposition fighters have already captured three other large military bases in recent months. Rebels have also laid siege to the international airport in the city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital, and launched an offensive on the police academy near the city.

    With steady rebel gains across the north, President Bashar Assad's regime is having increasing difficulty sending supplies by land to Aleppo province, especially after rebels cut a major thoroughfare from Damascus. It is just another sign that the opposition is consolidating its grip across large swathes of territory in northern Syria near the Turkish border.

    In his traditional Christmas address, Pope Benedict XVI decried the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria, where anti-regime activists estimate more than 40,000 have died in fighting since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule began in March 2011.

    In another blow to the regime, activists said that Mohammed Adnan Arabo, a member of Syria's parliament has left the country and joined the opposition. Ahmad Ramadan, an executive council member of the opposition Syrian National Council group, and other activists said Arabo arrived in Turkey on Tuesday.

    He said the regime's hold on power is deteriorating and rebels are besieging military bases for weeks until they either take over or negotiate with local army commanders to surrender. He added that some regime forces are being diverted to the capital to fight there.

    "The regime cannot protect its bases and also cannot send forces to support troops under siege," he said.

    Over the weeks, rebels fighting to overthrow Assad have also been able to take the battles into the capital Damascus, Assad's seat of power, where the southern neighborhoods are witnessing almost daily clashes between troops and rebels.

    The big successes began in mid-November, when rebels captured Aleppo's Regiment 46, a large military base, carting off tanks, armored vehicles and truck-loads of munitions. Three weeks later, they captured the Sheik Suleiman base near the provincial capital of Aleppo and days later they took an infantry base in the city.

    Last week, they captured an army technical regiment near Damascus' international airport but were pushed back in a counter attack. The army command said in a statement that the regiment's commander was killed in the battle.

    The rebels have also brought the battle to areas around Damascus international airport where some flights were cancelled earlier this month because of the intensity of the fighting.

    One of the biggest blows came in Damascus on Dec. 12 when a suicide attacker blew his vehicle outside the Interior Ministry, killing five and wounding many, including Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar. The government denied at first that al-Shaar had been wounded until it got out when he was brought last week to a Beirut hospital for treatment.

    It was the second injury the minister suffered after being wounded in a July 17, bomb inside a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus that killed four top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister.

    The rebel takeover of Harem, a town of 20,000 in northern Idlib province, was the latest in a string of recent rebel successes.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels captured Harem in the early hours of Tuesday. Mohammed Kanaan, an Idlib-based activist, said the last post to be taken was the historic citadel, which overlooked the town. The army had turned the citadel into a military post.

    "Harem is fully liberated now," Kanaan said via Skype. He added that as the rebels pounded army posts and checkpoints in Harem, the troops withdrew to the citadel that later fell in the hands of rebels.

    Rami-Abdul-Rahman, who heads to Observatory, said nearly 30 soldiers and pro-government gunmen surrendered late Monday. He added that rebels set free all gunmen at the age of 16 or less and referred others to local tribunals.

    "Harem was very important because it is one of the towns that was loyal to the regime," Abdul-Rahman said by telephone about the town that is nearly a mile from the Turkish border.

    In Aleppo province, which neighbors Idlib, local activist Mohammed Saeed said rebels attacked the air base in the town of Mannagh near the Turkish border. He said it is one of four air bases in the province, adding that rebels also attacked the police academy near the city of Aleppo.

    Regime forces have been using helicopters to carry supplies to besieged areas and to attack rebel positions.

    The regime has had increasing difficulty sending supplies by land to Aleppo province after rebels captured in October the strategic town Maaret al-Numan. The town is on the highway that links Damascus with Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a major battleground in the civil war since July.

    "Airplanes and helicopters are the only way to send supplies since the Free Syrian Army controls the land," Saeed said. He added that rebels are also laying a siege to Aleppo's international airport known as Nairab and threatening to shoot down military or civilians planes using it.

    In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, opposition gunmen ambushed the head of military intelligence in the area and seriously wounded him. He later died of his wounds, the Observatory said.

    Elsewhere in Syria, the Observatory reported violence in areas including the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, the southern area of Quneitra on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Height and the southern region of Daraa.

    In Israel, top officials said they cannot corroborate Syrian activists' claims that the regime has used chemical weapons against its citizens.

    Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio that Israel has "no confirmation or proof" the regime has employed such weapons in the civil war. He says Israel is "monitoring the situation with concern."

    Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad told Israel Radio that Syria was closely guarding its chemical weapons stockpiles.

    On Monday, the Observatory quoted activists in the central city of Homs as saying that six rebels died in two neighborhoods the day before after inhaling white smoke that came out of shells fired by government troops in the area. Amateur videos released by activists showed men in hospital beds suffering breathing problems as doctors placed oxygen masks over their faces.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-more-gains-north-200112054.html

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    Impact Real Estate Delivers 50 Homes | 2merkato.com

    Impact International Real Estates, Ethiopia delivered its first group of 50 houses, built on near Lake Tana in Amhara Regional State.

    The 50 homes delivered to clients are the first of the 120 home housing project launched by the real estate company in 2006. The company intends to build 400 houses altogether.

    The cost of the project is estimated at 450 million birr with construction to be conducted on a 150 thousand meter square plot of land. The design of the project also includes the construction of constructing health facilities, schools, and various entertainment facilities with bungalows, a supermarket and other services.?

    The construction projected has created 300 jobs for people within the community noted Minyechel Getnet (Eng) founder and General Manager of Impact Real estate.

    The location of the project ideal for residence, entertainment, conference and tourism services and as such has attracted the attention of Ethiopian Diaspora and people of Ethiopian lineage he added.

    ??Even though there was a shortage of cement and price escalation during construction work, as well as price escalation of iron and other related construction inputs and shortage of qualified staff, these didn?t prevent us from delivering the houses as we promised,?? Minyechel said.

    Source: Capital

    Source: http://www.2merkato.com/201212251917/impact-real-estate-delivers-50-homes

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    Tuesday, December 25, 2012

    Contents of antique doll museum go under the hammer | Christian ...

    A pretty period doll is the perfect addition to any antique cabinet in Lancashire . On 8th December, there were no fewer than 117 to choose from in a unique on-site museum sale, in which more than 500 lots went under the gavel.

    The sale took place at the Vina Cooke Museum of Bygone Childhood, which occupies four rooms of a family home at the Old Rectory, Cromwell, Nottinghamshire. Following Vina?s death last year, her husband made the sad decision to downsize to smaller premises, and build a new, smaller museum there. Besides dolls, the 545 lots included teddy bears, toys, games, vintage cots and prams, books, pictures, railwayana, costumes, textiles and other collectors? items. This being a museum, there were plenty of items of furniture to display the exhibits, including glass-fronted antique cabinets, scaled-down Victorian dining chairs and a bamboo antique bookcase. The auctioneer also dropped the gavel on several lots of antique dolls house furniture and dolls houses.

    The sale drew intense interest, both locally and from across the globe. While stacking dolls weren?t among the lots, the auction still drew attention from a Russian doll museum, while buyers in Chicago placed bids for authentic period outfits.

    There are dealers in Lancashire and Cumbria specialising in vintage toys and dolls, whose prices are free of commission and other unforeseen fees. Antique dealers also have Victorian dining chairs and antique desks for Lancashire collectors to display their heirlooms on.

    No comments yet.

    Source: http://blog.christiandaviesantiques.co.uk/contents-of-antique-doll-museum-go-under-the-hammer-2849.html

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    Brent extends losses, below $109, on US budget uncertainty

    SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude fell for a third day, staying below $109 a barrel, as uncertainty over the ability of the United States to resolve a budget crisis before a year-end deadline stoked investor concerns about demand growth in the world's top oil user.

    The doubts over the so-called U.S. "fiscal cliff" that will trigger harsh spending cuts and tax hikes and risk tipping the country back into recession further dented investor appetite for assets such as oil. Markets have been under pressure after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner failed to get lawmakers support a deal with the White House.

    Brent crude dropped 33 cents to $108.64 a barrel by 0350 GMT on Monday, while U.S. oil declined 14 cents to $88.52.

    "It's all about the U.S. fiscal cliff issue," said Victor Shum, managing director at IHS Purvin & Gertz. "The chances are that we will get a deal between the White House and the Republicans, but the fact that Boehner failed to get members to support his plan is worrying."

    With just nine days left, some U.S. lawmakers are voicing concerns the country would go over "the fiscal cliff." President Barack Obama and Boehner, the key negotiators, are out of town for the Christmas holidays. Congress is in recess, and will have only a few days next week to act before the January 1 deadline.

    Given this scenario, investors are now looking at a stop-gap that puts everything off for a while as the most promising alternative. Such a fix may help delay the spending cuts and tax hikes further into 2013 as well as work to address in a long-term way a government budget that has generated deficits exceeding $1 trillion in each of the last four years.

    The uncertainty and rising oil supplies will continue to put more downward pressure on prices in coming weeks, Shum said.

    Iraq's oil production has exceeded 3.2 million barrels a day (bpd) so far this month and may hit capacity of 4 million bpd in 2014, its Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said.

    Shum expects U.S. crude to trade between $85 and $89 a barrel, with Brent around $20 more expensive than the U.S. benchmark.

    U.S. oil is expected to drop more to $87.30, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao, and Brent may keep declining to $107.58, the December 17 low, as a rebound from the December 6 low of $106.63 seems to have completed.

    STEMMING LOSSES

    Losses were capped due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

    Dozens of people were killed in an air strike while queuing for bread in Syria's central Hama province on Sunday, activists said, with some residents giving an initial count of 90 dead.

    Such a toll, if confirmed, would make it one of the deadliest air strikes in Syria's civil war.

    Oil markets have also been on edge through most of the year as tensions between Iran and the West escalated over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

    Western sanctions on Iran's shipping and energy sectors caused serious problems for its oil industry earlier this year but Iran has mostly overcome those challenges, Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi was quoted as saying on Sunday.

    Iranian officials usually play down the impact of U.S. and European restrictions on the country's oil industry, but Qasemi said Iran had faced some difficulties selling its oil this summer.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brent-extends-losses-below-109-us-budget-uncertainty-054959177--finance.html

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    98% Brooklyn Castle

    All Critics (45) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (1)

    "Brooklyn Castle" easily checkmates your inner cynic.

    Katie Dellamaggiore's lively and affecting documentary introduces us to a cast of characters that's very winning (in both senses of the word).

    It's not To Sir, With Love: It's fierce ambition, the channeling of emotion, and hours of drilling.

    Enlightening, inspiring and expertly crafted.

    An irresistibly uplifting doc.

    Castle is suspenseful, funny and, particularly in its depiction of the challenging home lives of some of the kids, moving.

    ... a powerful and positive story about dedicated teachers helping kids succeed no matter what their circumstances

    Like chess, not exactly a high-energy experience but seeing what these kids accomplish, seemingly against all odds is breathtaking all the same.

    ...provides a corrective to the popular image of American schools as obsessed with sports and popularity, and it makes the strongest possible case for funding after-school activities.

    Chess, brilliant young students and great teachers potent mix.

    The I.S. 318 team? A delightfully motley, vulnerable, multicultural bunch, whose addiction to chess has allowed them higher aspirations for top high schools and, eventually, college and careers. You will root for them like crazy.

    We meet five of the team's members and several of their teachers; by its end, you'll be rooting for them all.

    "BROOKLYN CASTLE is a compelling, engaging and inspiring Documentary, featuring Junior High kids that you can relate to. Even if you don't know the game of Chess all too well, it won't stop you from enjoying this pleasant film."

    Brooklyn Castle provides a snapshot of indomitable American can-do attitude, and gives one hope.

    The admirable Brooklyn Castle transcends its formula to become an optimistic look at extracurricular education and young people.

    Great story, well-made, what's not to like?

    It's clear that chess isn't just a game; for these students, it can also open doors.

    No quotes approved yet for Brooklyn Castle. Logged in users can submit quotes.

    Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brooklyn_castle_2012/

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    news local: Boat Transportation | Sports n Recreation Info Center ...

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    Monday, December 24, 2012

    Video: Awkward Christmas? Handling sticky situations this holiday

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

    Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50283338/

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    Lindsay Lohan: RIDICULED in Scary Movie 5!

    Source:

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    Swedish princess to marry next June

    STOCKHOLM (AP) ? Sweden's royal family says Princess Madeleine's wedding will take place on Saturday, June 8, at the Royal Palace chapel in downtown Stockholm.

    King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia's youngest daughter was engaged to U.S.-British boyfriend Christopher O'Neill, a 38-year-old New York banker, in late October. The 30-year-old Madeleine is fourth in line to the Swedish throne.

    The royal family's chief spokesman Bertil Tenert said Sunday that wedding organizers will now start planning details of the nuptials. He added that Madeleine's wedding will be smaller than Crown Princess Victoria's wedding two years ago in Stockholm.

    The Swedish royal family has only ceremonial duties, such as supporting charities and promoting Swedish businesses.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-23-Sweden-Princess%20Madeleine/id-c089bc619553470097721cf52060e6d3

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    Sunday, December 23, 2012

    Video: Leaders leave town as fiscal cliff deadline approaches

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    Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50277819/

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    NRA chief: 'If it's crazy to call for armed security in school..call me crazy' (Reuters)

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    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272719396?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    Video: Sideshow: This year's biggest 'Pinocchios'

    2012 was a dangerous year for journalists

    The civil war in Syria, targeted shootings in Somalia and continued violence in Pakistan made 2012 a particularly dangerous year for journalists, with at least 67 killed worldwide in direct relation to their work, according to an organization that defends press freedom.

    Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50275138/

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    Saturday, December 22, 2012

    The 12 Most Amazing Science Stories of 2012

    2012 has been a big year for science: people sank to record depths, a private company made it into space, NASA landed something the size of a car on Mars, and physicists finally found the particle that could unify science once and for all. Here are 12 of the most exciting science stories we've covered this year. More »


    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/76D-b3GQMkQ/

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    Positives and Perils of Debt Consolidation | MustReads.Info

    Living in hard fiscal intervals, all your personal finances could certainly end up being out of hand rapidly. Before long, you?ll have escalating visa or mastercard expenses as well as a variety of extra borrowing products, and so you?re going through a difficult time just paying the actual month-to-month invoices. A good number of consumers currently are actually making use of consolidation in order to get themselves out from consumer debt.

    Consolidation will require merging quite a few lending options into only one loan program. You will end up carrying out monthly installments to a single lending company, which means that your individual obligations should be less of a challenge to cope with. Among the list of strongest merits of combined consumer debt would be that the payments will undoubtedly be much lower. A loan consolidation is designed to help you stretch the life of the finance, so the settlements would probably drop.

    One additional perk to debt consolidation is usually that your rate of interest can be reduced. The actual rate on store cards and unsecured finance is quite large; so, whenever you combine, the actual rate is probably scaled down.

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    For anybody who is in personal difficulty, you?ll be overdue on several of your current finance payments; thus, banking institutions are probably pestering you. Immediately after joining together the debt, you?re going to pay down virtually all of your payment cards and borrowings, which means that debt collectors are not ringing you all the time. Also, by simply carrying out timely payments, your own credit ranking probably will not drastically decrease.

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    Source: http://www.mustreads.info/positives-and-perils-of-debt-consolidation/

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    Former Singapore banker arrested in U.S. over Olympus fraud

    SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Singapore banker was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday and accused of helping "liquidate" hundreds of millions of dollars in an accounting fraud at Olympus Corp , one of the biggest corporate scandals in Japan's history.

    Chan Ming Fon, a one-time bank vice president, is the latest former executive and the first from outside of Japan to become ensnared in the $1.7 billion accounting cover-up at the camera and medical equipment maker.

    The company has admitted it used improper accounting to conceal massive investment losses under a scheme that began in the 1990s.

    Court papers in the United States said Chan was paid $10 million by Olympus or entities controlled by Olympus for his role in the fraud. The case against Chan was filed in a federal court in New York.

    "The defendant had a direct role in the secret liquidation of hundreds of millions of dollars of Olympus investments. He then waged a six-year campaign to conceal that misdeed by lying, certifying to auditors that the investments still existed years after liquidation," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos.

    Olympus declined to comment.

    Chan's arrest comes after three former Olympus executives pleaded guilty in September to charges related to the fraud.

    Chan, a Taiwan national, was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations this week, U.S. authorities said. He is being held in custody ahead of a scheduled appearance in a federal court in Los Angeles on Friday.

    The former banker at Commerzbank and Societe Generale in Singapore is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.

    Commerzbank and Societe Generale could not be reached for comment.

    Chan, 50, is currently listed as a director of three Singapore companies, GIT Capital, GIT Consulting and SJ New Energy.

    OLYMPUS STRUGGLE

    The accounting fraud at 93-year-old Olympus was exposed in October 2011 by chief executive Michael Woodford, who was fired after he questioned dubious deals that were later found to have been used to hide losses.

    The three former executives who pleaded guilty had been identified by an investigative panel, commissioned by Olympus, as the main suspects in the fraud seeking to delay the reckoning from risky investments made in the late-1980s bubble economy.

    Former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, former executive vice president Hisashi Mori and former auditor Hideo Yamada said they inflated the company's net worth in financial statements for five fiscal years to March 2011. They are awaiting sentencing.

    Revelations of the huge accounting fraud have revived calls for more outside scrutiny of its boardrooms but have failed to trigger sweeping corporate governance reforms similar to those introduced a decade ago in the wake of U.S. scandals such as at Enron.

    Forced to re-issue several years of financial statements, Olympus has been left financially weakened, and it booked a loss of $581 million in the year to March 31. Its shareholder equity to total assets has dipped as low as 2.2 percent, well below the 20 percent level regarded as a minimum for stability.

    The liquidity crunch has prompted it to accept $592.49 million from Sony Corp in return for an 11.46 percent stake and an agreement to set up a joint venture to develop medical equipment. The two companies on Friday said that plans to establish that company had been delayed as they wait regulatory approval overseas.

    Olympus shares in Tokyo dipped 1.4 percent on Friday compared with a 0.8 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei 225 index.

    TRAIL OF INTRIGUE

    Chan's family in Singapore could not be reached for comment on Friday. A neighbor, who described the family as "avid piano players," said they kept to themselves. Nobody answered the door at GIT Capital's office in downtown Singapore.

    An investigative panel report, commissioned by Olympus last year, mentioned a banker but used only the name Chan. It said the banker was an outside collaborator who first met Olympus executives Yamada and Mori in 1998.

    At the time "Chan" was working at Commerzbank in Singapore, but resigned in 2000, it said. After leaving Societe Generale in 2004, the report said Chan formed his own company where he continued to work for former Olympus executives.

    A statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York said Chan was a former bank vice president, without naming the firm.

    It said that from 1995-2004 he was employed as an executive at two financial institutions, and his primary responsibilities at one of them was to service accounts maintained by Olympus and entities that Olympus controlled.

    The complaint said that in 2005 Chan established an entity in the Cayman Islands called SG Bond Plus Fund.

    Until about 2010, Chan submitted false and misleading documents to Olympus's outside auditor regarding hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of assets purportedly maintained by Chan at SG Bond for the benefit of Olympus, it said.

    Chan had actually transferred the assets to a British Virgin Island-based entity controlled by Olympus, the complaint said. ($1 = 84.3900 Japanese yen)

    (Additional reporting Rachel Armstrong and Saeed Azhar in Singapore; Tim Kelly and Nathan Layne in Tokyo; Editing by Gary Hill and Jeremy Laurence)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taiwanese-man-arrested-u-olympus-probe-012627339--finance.html

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