rania attachment: January 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013

What Science Should We Fund? Questioning New Policy on H5N1 Gain-of-Function Research

Terrence Tumpey, whose team reconstructed the extinct 1918 ?Spanish Flu? virus. Cutting edge influenza research has generated controversy, with some claiming that the benefits of creating new (or resurrecting old) viruses are outweighed by the risks of an accidental or intentionally caused pandemic. Source: CDC

Science can be risky business, but it is important to know what those risks are. It is established wisdom that we need to experiment on viruses, for example, to better defend against emerging infectious diseases. But there is a fine line between creating a new strain of avian influenza to better understand how to defend against infectious disease, and using the same strain to cause a deadly pandemic.

Studies like this, which increase a virus?? ability to infect and kill, are part of a class of research known as ?gain-of-function studies.? These studies, and others like them, are ?dual-use.? That is, studies into highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses, more commonly known as ?bird flu,? are promised to raise awareness of the imminence of a bird flu pandemic in humans, improve disease surveillance, and aid in building better countermeasures against flu.

Despite these benefits, however, some fear the research could lead to the accidental or intentional release of a new, deadly strain of bird flu. Yet while recognizing dual-use research is easy, deciding what to do is a fraught exercise. How to regulate research so we capitalize on the benefits of new discoveries, while avoiding or mitigating the harms caused by the malevolent use of science and technology?

This dilemma isn?t a matter of idle speculation, but a live debate with far-reaching implications. Two gain-of-function studies have already shown that bird flu can be modified to become transmissible between ferrets, which often stand in for humans in influenza studies. In one study, bird flu was passed from ferret to ferret until it gained the capacity to spread through the air. The other study showed that the combination of parts of the 2009 H1N1 ?swine flu? virus with bird flu creates a strain of bird flu that is transmissible in ferrets.

Passing flu between ferrets. Source: Science/AAAS.

Both studies were embroiled in controversy in late 2011 when the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) recommended that neither piece of research be published (a recommendation it recanted in March of 2012). A continuing international moratorium exists on gain-of-function studies in bird flu, highlighting the seriousness of gain-of-function research.

At the end of 2012, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new policy framework for determining funding of this dual-use, gain-of-function research into bird flu. Under the new policy, gain-of-function studies must meet the following criteria in order to secure funding from HHS:

The research addresses a?scientific question with high significance?to public health;
The research does not intend, nor is reasonably anticipated to yield a HPAI H5N1 experimental virus which has increased transmissibility, pathogenicity, or expanded host range, unless there is?evidence that such a virus could be produced through a natural evolutionary process?in the foreseeable future;
There are?no feasible alternative methods?to address the same scientific question in a manner that poses less risk than does the proposed approach;
Biosafety risks?to laboratory workers and the public can be sufficiently mitigated and managed;
Biosecurity risks?can be sufficiently mitigated and managed;
The?research information is anticipated to be broadly shared?in order to realize its potential benefits to global health; and
The research is supported through?funding mechanisms that facilitate appropriate oversight?of the conduct and communication of the research.

If gain-of-function research meets these criteria, pending a further review the research may then be funded but monitored for its outcomes, transferred to an agency to be conducted as classified research, or denied funding altogether.

The policy is still in its infancy, but already raises some concerns.? Critics have already questioned what counts as being ?significant? to public health, or what constitutes sufficient evidence for a virus strain occurring in nature. There is always likely to be room for disagreement about the extent to which gain-of-function studies are significant, or viruses emergent, but at present the ambiguity is stark enough to be worrying. With no guidance, researchers may be pressed upon to provide assurances they simply can?t make given evidence possessed before research is conducted.

Yet even if we do overcome the hurdle of identifying what is beneficial, and what manifestly dangerous, the proposed actions given by the framework are somewhat alarming. The framework gives the option to transfer dangerous gain-of-function research to agencies that conduct classified research, such as the Department of Defence or the Department of Homeland Security.

Yet classified government research in the life sciences doesn?t have a great track record of being in the public interest: the Defence Intelligence Agency?s attempts to make genetically modified anthrax, the Defence Threat Reduction Agency?s milling weapons-grade anthrax in secret, or the CIA?s creation of Soviet-style ?bomblets? that are used to disperse biological agents (in the name, so claimed, of assessing their effectiveness in use against the US), are all example of deeply troubling classified life sciences research purported to be in the public interest.

The possibility of taking research we?ve already ascertained is problematic, and giving it to an agency with a history of misuse of research, is frightening. We should question this new policy to the extent that it leaves open this option. If research is risky to public health, or doesn?t show merit regarding actually emerging infectious diseases, why open the way for that research to be done in secret?

Finally, it remains to be seen how the international community will respond to the US policy. In the absence of strong international compliance or confidence building measures around the spread of biological weapons, gain-of-function research may simply move offshore to locales with as much money but less oversight, something that is surely to the detriment of all. Alternately, other countries may simply ignore the lead of the US in favour of their own research agendas.

These aren?t reasons to reject the new framework, but they are difficult problems that need addressing. Ultimately, the reasons for creating policy need to be the right reasons, and generate the right kinds of outcome?in this case, funding research that really is in the public interest. After all, when regulation succeeds in its aims, no one notices; when it fails, science is derailed, corruption occurs, and people get hurt. So it pays to engage in and question the policy process to ensure the right regulations happen for the right reasons. We should all take a closer look at how HHS and others intend to handle this type of dual-use research. Ultimately, our lives really might depend on it.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ebfc7038905b8d3c6213fb5b8144b05e

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bogleheads ? View topic - Real Estate Tax Question [Sale of Property]

Non-investing personal finance issues, including insurance, credit, real estate, employment and legal issues such as trusts and wills

Real Estate Tax Question [Sale of Property]

by BoulderTrojan ? Mon Jan 14, 2013 10:27 pm

I am currently doing my 2012 taxes. In 2012 I sold a rental property for a gain of $56K. In 2012 I also sold my primary residence for a loss of $40K. I was expecting to subtract the loss of $40K from the gain of $56K and pay taxes on the remainder of $16K. Then TurboTax informed me that one cannot deduct a loss from the sale of one's primary residence (personal losses are not deductible.) Oops! Any constructive ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

BoulderTrojan: ?; Posts: 1; Joined: 14 Jan 2013

Re: Real Estate Tax Question [Sale of Property]

by Sulvar ? Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:48 am

Yep this is correct. If you have any carry over loss from the rental property from previous years, this is something that you can deduct from the gain on the sales price.

Sulvar: ?; Posts: 286; Joined: 26 May 2010

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Fast food diet linked to asthma and eczema severity in kids, large study finds

Jan. 16, 2013 ? Eating three or more weekly servings of fast food is linked to the severity of allergic asthma, eczema, and rhinitis among children in the developed world, indicates a large international study published online in the respiratory journal Thorax.

The findings prompt the authors to suggest that a fast food diet may be contributing to the rise in these conditions, and if proved causal, could have huge implications for public health, given the popularity of these foodstuffs.

The authors base their findings on data from more than 319,000 13-14 year olds from 107 centres in 51 countries, and more than181,000 six to seven year olds from 64 centres in 31 countries.

All the participants were involved in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which is a collaborative research project involving more than 100 countries and nearly two million children, making it the largest study of its kind.

The teens and the children's parents were formally quizzed on whether they had symptoms of asthma (wheeze); rhinoconjunctivitis (which produces a runny or blocked nose accompanied by itchy and watery eyes); and eczema; and their weekly diet.

Questions focused particularly on the severity of symptoms over the preceding 12 months -- including frequency and interference with daily life and/or sleep patterns -- and certain types of food already linked to protective or damaging effects on health

These included meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, pulses, cereals, bread and pasta, rice, butter, margarine, nuts, potatoes, milk, eggs, and fast food/burgers. Consumption was categorised as never; occasionally; once or twice a week; and three or more times a week.

After taking account of factors likely to influence the results, the analysis showed that fast food was the only food type to show the same associations across both age groups, prompting the authors to suggest that "such consistency adds some weight to the possible causality of the relationship."

It was associated with current and severe symptoms of all three conditions among the teens -- across all centres in the participating countries, irrespective of gender or levels of affluence.

The pattern among children was less clear-cut, but a fast food diet was still associated with symptoms across all centres -- except for current eczema -- and poorer countries -- except for current and severe asthma.

And this difference might have to do with the fact that children have fewer options about their food choices, suggest the authors.

Three or more weekly servings were linked to a 39% increased risk of severe asthma among teens and a 27% increased risk among children, as well as to the severity of rhinitis and eczema, overall.

On the other hand, fruit seemed to be protective in both age groups across all centres for all three conditions among children -- both current and severe -- and for current and severe wheeze and rhinitis among the teens.

Eating three or more weekly portions was linked to a reduction in symptom severity of between 11% and 14% among teens and children, respectively.

The authors suggest that there are plausible explanations for the findings: fast food contains high levels of saturated and trans fatty acids, which are known to affect immunity, while fruit is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.

The authors emphasise that their results do not prove cause and effect, but they do warrant further investigation.

"If the associations between fast foods and the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema is causal, then the findings have major public health significance owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally," they conclude.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Philippa Ellwood, M Innes Asher, Luis Garc?a-Marcos, Hywel Williams, Ulrich Keil, Colin Robertson, Gabriele Nagel, the ISAAC Phase III Study Group. Do fast foods cause asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Global findings from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three. Thorax, 2013; DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202285

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/pMnH70-_IEY/130116085352.htm

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Family Home and Life: Wow Us Wednesday

Hello everyone, welcome to this weeks Wow Us Wednesday! I'm really glad to have you, please check out all the great links today and link up your own. Come back next week to see if you were featured :)
Chocolate?Chocolate?and More?made some yummy Fried Lemon Pies.
Erin Branscom?wrote about?Simplifying?School Morning Routines.
What Happens at Grandma's?made fun Pop Up A Snowman! Art Club Blog?has fun with Paper Snow Flakes.
With A Blast?shows how she makes Lazy Cook's?Hawaiian?Pizza.
Most clicked link was.....Rain on a Tin Roof wrote about her Lazy Girls Way to Add Interest to Cabinet Backs.

If you have been featured, please choose the button you like best.

Wow Us Wednesday is a linky for:

All items, projects or ideas?made by you, please don't link post about another blogs projects or photos....?crafts, art, photography, furniture re-dos, organizational feats, recipes, money saving tips, decorating ideas, party plans, you name it!?Please don?t forget to link back with text link or button!

Please consider following me, and visit some other linkers and comment there too.?

Link up to three specific post, not your blog home page. No Etsy shops or giveaways, please!

I love to feature projects I choose and share them the following week here and on Facebook -?by submitting a link?to this party you?are allowing authorization?for your project to be featured with a?photo from your post. I also Pin all Features. Featured links will include?a photo and a link?back to the originating site.

Thank you for linking up today! I am sorry that time does not permit me to comment on?everyone's?post.

Source: http://www.familyhomeandlife.com/2013/01/wow-us-wednesday_16.html

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Oregon firefighters free woman trapped between buildings

Oregon firefighters have rescued a woman who was trapped between a very narrow space created by the outside walls of two buildings.

The unidentified woman fell between the parking garage of the Gretchen Kafoury Commons apartment building and the Joyce Furman building in Portland around 3:45 a.m. PST, firefighters told ABC News' Portland affiliate KATU.

Firefighters cut a door-size opening in one of the concrete walls and used lubricant to help her slide out from where she was stuck.

Relief cuts were made in the walls and airbags were wedged between the walls in an effort to spread the walls out as much as possible.

The woman's plaid shirt was cut off, leaving her with only a turqoise t-shirt. When she finally managed to squeeze out of the space, the woman looked relieved and pumped her arms in the air.

She hugged and kissed her husband and paramedics quickly took her away to be examined for injuries.

The woman was stuck in a space that is roughly one-foot wide. A team of firefighters worked to cut out portions of the concrete walls to free the woman.

The initial plan was a cut a doorway into the wall near her, Simmons said, but an excess of dust made it hard for her to breathe so rescuers had to reassess the plan.

Firefighters cut windows in the concrete on either side of the woman in order to blow heat since she is cold and give her blankets. They have also passed her cups of water through the hole. She is conscious and firefighters are talking to her to "keep her spirits up." They also brought her husband to talk her through the process.

"She is very, very uncomfortable, scared, agitated," Portland Fire Bureau spokesman Lt. Damon Simmons told KATU on the scene as firefighters worked to free her. "It's just really scary and uncomfortable, as you can imagine."

Dispatchers told KATU that someone called 911 at around 3:45 a.m. to report that a woman had fallen between the buildings. She was walking on the roof of the two-story building when she fell, according to KATU. The other building is 8 stories tall.

Neighbors told KATU they could hear the woman screaming for help.

A Robot Army Is Destroying The American Workforce - Business ...

The age of robots has been talked about since the beginning of the last century.

People have long fantasized about robots serving as our personal assistants. But now that they're here, we're competing against them for jobs.

The rise of robots in the workplace is "absolutely" at least partially to blame for the lack of jobs in America, MIT professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee said in a recent interview on 60 Minutes.

"Technology is always creating jobs, Brynjolfsson told 60 Minutes reporter Steve Kroft. "It's always destroying jobs. But right now the pace is accelerating. It's faster we think than ever before in history. So as a consequence, we are not creating jobs at the same pace that we need to."

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-robot-army-is-destroying-the-american-workforce-2013-1

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The Bachelor Recap: Punk'd

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/the-bachelor-recap-punkd/

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Barcoding Inc. promotes Shane Snyder to president

Shane Snyder has been named president of Barcoding Inc.?

Baltimore?s Barcoding Inc. has promoted Shane Snyder to president.

Snyder has been vice president of sales at the company since 2010. Company founder Jay Steinmetz had previously served as president and CEO but will now serve soley as CEO.

?Shane?s deep understanding of our business model, target markets, and breadth of mobile solutions more than qualify him to assume role of president,? Steinmetz said in a statement.

Barcoding provides barcoding and radio frequency identification services to more than 2,500 clients. The company posted 2011 revenue of $38 million, according to Business Journal research.

Sarah covers health care, higher education, biotech and technology.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_43/~3/QlGwAIXty9s/barcoding-inc-promotes-shane-snyder.html

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Wetzel: Questions that Lance Armstrong should answer

Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, according to the Associated Press.

Excluding the most devout Lance believers, this isn't exactly a revelation.

Dozens of former teammates, support staff and competitors already have detailed Armstrong's use. The United States Anti-Doping Agency released a 1,000-page report that was staggering in its detail proving it. There have been books and investigative reports and on-the-record accusations. Armstrong has been stripped of his titles, dumped by most of his sponsors and banned from competition.

And, of course, there is the fact that he competed in a sport overwhelmed by PED use, making his years of asserting his purity all the more ridiculous. That would mean the clean rider beat all the dirty ones. The drugs, after all, are called "performance enhancing" for a reason.

We'll see what Lance does and doesn't cop to and who he does and doesn't apologize to when his sit-down with Oprah is televised, but here's the thing: Lance Armstrong doesn't really owe much to most of us.

Lance Armstrong stepped down from the Livestrong Foundation board in November. (AP) His fans who were duped into cheering for the fairy tale? Get over yourself. You were rooting for a guy to ride his bike really fast around France, you weren't conned out of your house. And really, you willingly suspended belief. This is on you as much as him.

The sport of cycling itself? Well, that endeavor has proven nearly corrupt to the core. If anything, those races Armstrong won were on a fairly level playing field ? a dirty one, but level nonetheless. Cycling is a great sport, but this is an unavoidable byproduct.

The people who donated to Livestrong under the illusion that this was 100-percent real? So what? The money still went to a good cause. It wasn't stolen for some nefarious purpose. You really aren't the victim.

[Related: Lance Armstrong owes a lot of apologies if he comes clean about doping]

In the end, Armstrong did far more good for the world ? particularly in the cancer wards where inspiration is so desperately needed ? than bad. He rides a bicycle. He didn't kill anyone.

He did, however, try to destroy some people ? their finances, their businesses, their reputations, their names. These are the victims of Lance Armstrong, and the only hope is that Winfrey didn't just let Lance brush aside the truly aggrieved parties or the obvious questions.

Armstrong isn't necessarily a bad guy for doping. He is a bad guy for the way he used his immense power, fame and fortune to attempt to ruin anyone who dared to speak the truth to his avalanche of lies.

That was some punk behavior.

So here are some of the questions we hope Oprah asked Lance:

1. Why now, Lance? Is it because in one potential perjury case the statute of limitations has passed? Is it because you've already lost almost all your sponsors, had to step back from your foundation and are no longer getting the attention you once earned?

Did you have to lose nearly everything until you sought the only possible out? And at this point, why are you worth listening to at all?

2. Why are you doing this with me, Oprah Winfrey? I'm not known for my cycling knowledge or for pointed follow-up questions or my investigative journalistic skills. In fact, it's the opposite.

Wouldn't sitting down with Scott Pelley at "60 Minutes" have been a more legitimate forum? How about the Sunday Times of London, which you sued for libel for printing the truth? Or any of the French or American media that you bashed all along when in fact they weren't wrong at all?

You always fashioned yourself as a tough guy, Lance. You beat cancer for crying out loud, why go soft now?

3. Let's talk Betsy Andreu, the wife of one your former teammates, Frankie. Both Andreus testified under oath that they were in a hospital room in 1996 when you admitted to a doctor to using EPO, HGH and? steroids. You responded by calling them "vindictive, bitter, vengeful and jealous." And that's the stuff we can say on TV.

Armstrong (yellow) rides down the Champs Elysees next to Frankie Andreu in the 1999 Tour de France. (AP)Would you now label them as "honest?"

And what would you say directly to Betsy, who dealt with a voicemail from one of your henchmen that included, she's testified, this:

"I hope somebody breaks a baseball bat over your head. I also hope that one day you have adversity in your life and you have some type of tragedy that will ? definitely make an impact on you."

When you heard about that voicemail, why didn't you call Betsy and apologize then?

4. By the way, did you take performance-enhancing drugs prior to your diagnosis of testicular cancer, as Betsy Andreu, who I now have every single reason to believe, says you admitted to doing? Do you think it played a role in your diagnosis?

And while the reason you contracted cancer does nothing to diminish the intensity of your battle, or the great example of strength it provided, don't you think it would've been an essential part of your public campaign against the disease to mention that you used performance-enhancing drugs?

5. Just to get it on the record, because the way things are going I'm pretty sure this will come out at a later date, did you or your minions ever pressure federal authorities to stall out investigations into your doping?

Now, you wouldn't lie to me, right, Lance?

[Related: Lance Armstrong's fall from grace one of 2012's top sports stories]

6. What do you say to Emma O'Reilly, who was a young Dublin native when she was first hired by the U.S. Postal team to give massages to the riders after races?

In the early 2000s, she told stories of rampant doping and how she was used to transport the drugs across international borders. In the USADA report, she testified that you tried to "make my life hell."

Her story was true, Lance, wasn't it? And you knew it was true. Yet despite knowing it was true, you, a famous multimillionaire superstar, used high-priced lawyers to sue this simple woman for more money than she was worth in England, where slander laws favor the famous. She had no chance to fight it.

She testified that you tried to ruin her by spreading word that she was a prostitute with a heavy drinking problem.

"The traumatizing part," she once told the New York Times, "was dealing with telling the truth."

Do you want to apologize to her? Not in general. I mean directly and by name. I mean, Lance, of all the people to attack like that, of all the people you had power and wealth over, you had to go after her? How Lance, could you do this to someone, and why would anyone want to believe again in someone capable of doing this to someone?

7. In 2011, former teammate Tyler Hamilton spoke about you and doping on "60 Minutes." He later said you two ran into each other in a Colorado restaurant where he says you tried to intimidate him, saying, "I'm going to make your life a living hell both in the courtroom and out of the courtroom."

Yet you knew he was telling the truth, right Lance? So why threaten him?

8. Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, once raised the following hypothetical question: "If Lance's story is true, it's the greatest comeback in the history of sport. If it's not, it's the greatest fraud."

The allegation is that you heard that and decided to use your influence with Trek bikes to drop its association with LeMond's brand. The company even went to court to end a long-term contract. "Greg's public comments hurt the LeMond brand and the Trek brand," a company official said at the time.

What comment? Wondering about something that was true?

The move cost LeMond millions. Did you try to ruin him financially simply for spite?

9. We've just scratched the surface on people you pushed around. There are more victims in your wake. Do you want me to continue with the others?

Related Lance Armstrong coverage:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/questions-oprah-should-ask-lance-armstrong-230849439.html

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Video: Mahaney's 2013 Internet Sector Outlook

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50457971/

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Alibaba CEO Jack Ma To Step Down As CEO On May 10th, Stay On As Chairman Of China?s Ecommerce Giant

Jack Ma, who has been CEO of Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba for the past 14 years (since it was founded in 1999), will step down on May 10 2013 but remain as company chairman -- focusing on Alibaba's strategic vision, talent development to grow the internal leadership team, and corporate social responsibility efforts. Alibaba's new CEO will be announced when Ma steps down.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/RR_1tanbtnE/

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'A true gentleman': artistic community mourns Brown

Queensland (abbreviated as Qld) is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. Situated in the northeast of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, southwest and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. Queensland has a population of 4,580,700, concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The state is the world's sixth largest subnational entity, with an area of 1,852,642?km². The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. Referred to as the 'Sunshine State', Queensland is home to 10 of Australia's 30 largest cities and is the nation's third largest economy.

Queensland was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived at least 40,000 years ago. The first European to land in Queensland was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1607. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain. The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney; New South Wales at that time included all of what is now Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. Queensland was explored in subsequent decades until the establishment of a penal colony at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley. Penal transportation ceased in 1839 and free settlement permitted in 1842. Queensland was separated from New South Wales, forming a self-governing colony, on 6?June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day. Queensland achieved statehood with the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901.

Queensland's Governor is Penelope Wensley, and the Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria, who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. Queen Victoria, who went on to become Britain's longest reigning monarch, chose an eponymous name for the colony over Cooksland, which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of navigator James Cook.

History

The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the northeastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The Australian Labor Party has its origin as a formal organisation in Queensland and the town of Barcaldine is the symbolic birthplace of the party. The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. June 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales. A rare record of early settler life in north Queensland can be seen in a set of ten photographic glass plates taken in the 1860s by Richard Daintree, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.

Geography

Queensland borders the Torres Strait to the north, with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of its territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while the Coral Sea? an arm of the Pacific Ocean? borders Queensland to the east. To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138?E longitude, and to the southwest by the northeastern corner of South Australia.

In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29?S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.

The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60?mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far southwest.

Queensland has many places of natural beauty, including: the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches; the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas; Carnarvon Gorge; Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island.

The state contains six World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Lamington National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Climate

Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland, based on temperature and humidity:

hot humid summer (far north and coastal)

warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal southeast)

hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)

hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)

temperate ? warm summer, cold winter (inland southeast, e.g. Granite Belt)

However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

The annual mean statistics for some Queensland centres is shown below:

The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 69.3??C (157??F). This temperature was recorded between 2003 and 2005 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite.

The lowest minimum temperature is ?10.6 ?C (13 ?F) at Stanthorpe on 23 June 1961 and at The Hermitage on 12 July 1965.

Demographics

A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Christian: 70.9%:

* Roman Catholic: 24.9%

* Anglican: 22.3%

* Uniting: 8.4%

* Lutheran: 2.1%

* Other: 13.2%

Non-Christian: 2.3%

* Buddhism: 1.1%

* Islam: 0.4%

* Hinduism: 0.3%

* Judaism: 0.1%

* Other: 0.4%

No Religion: 14.8%

Not Stated: 12.0%

On 9 December 2005, the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. For many years until 2008, Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia. At its peak growth in 2007, it was estimated that over 1,500 people moved to the state per week including 1,000 to the southern part of the state alone and the state recorded a TFR of 2.1, the highest since 1977. Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia).

Economy

Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizeable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008?09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% the state's worst performance in 18 years.

Between 1992 and 2002, the growth in the Gross State Product of Queensland outperformed that of all the other states and territories. In that period Queensland's GSP grew 5.0% each year, while growth in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose on average 3.9% each year. Queensland's contribution to the Australian GDP increased by 10.4% in that period, one of only three states to do so.

In 2003 Brisbane had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.

Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone. There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

Tourism

Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and overseas visitors flocking to the Sunshine State each year. The industry generates $4.0?billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's GSP. Queensland is a state of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas, lush rainforests to dry inland areas.

The main tourist destinations of Queensland include, Brisbane, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, Townsville, Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach and Whitehaven Beach.

The Gold Coast of Queensland is also sometimes referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks. These are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World.

There are numerous wildlife parks in Queensland. On the Gold Coast there is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin and David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads. On the Sunshine Coast there is UnderWater World at Mooloolaba and Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket and Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap are located in Brisbane. North of Brisbane is Alma Park Zoo which is relocating to Logan City and Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary which was originally called Bunya Park Wildlife Sanctuary.

Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%).

Transport

Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1. The Queensland government Department of Transport & Main Roads oversees the development and operation of main roads and public transport, including taxis and local aviation.

Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly between the major towns along the coastal strip east of the Great Dividing Range.

Major seaports include the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone, Townsville and Bundaberg. There are large coal export facilities at Hay Point / Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Abbot Point. Sugar is another major export, with facilities at Lucinda and Mackay.

Brisbane Airport is the main international and domestic gateway serving the state. Gold Coast Airport, Cairns International Airport and Townsville Airport are the next most prominent airports, all with scheduled international flights. Other regional airports, with scheduled domestic flights, include Great Barrier Reef Airport, Hervey Bay Airport, Mackay Airport, Mount Isa Airport, Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast Airport, Rockhampton Airport, and Sunshine Coast Airport.

South East Queensland has an integrated public transport system operated by the TransLink Transit Authority, which provides services bus, rail and ferry services through contracted bus and ferry operators and Queensland Rail. The TransLink network operates a fare system which allows a single ticket to be used across all modes for the same price irrespective of the number of transfers made on the trip. Regional bus and long-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.

Governance

Executive authority is vested in the Governor, who represents and is appointed by Elizabeth II on the advice of the Premier. The current governor is Ms. Penelope Wensley, AO. The head of government is the Premier, who is appointed by the Governor but must have the support of the Legislative Assembly. The current Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party. Other ministers, forming the Executive Council, are appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Assembly on the Premier's recommendation.

The Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly, is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad" so called because they were appointed for the purpose of voting to abolish their own offices. The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. The state's politics are traditionally regarded as being conservative relative to other states.

The judicial system of Queensland consists of the Supreme Court and the District Court, established by the Queensland Constitution, and various other courts and tribunals established by ordinary Acts of the Queensland Parliament.

In 2001 Queensland adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted Acts of Parliament that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

Local government

Local government is the mechanism by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993?2007. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires or Regions.

Each area has a council which is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities, and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers, and grants and subsidies from the State and Commonwealth governments.

Universities

The state's first university, the University of Queensland was established in 1909. It was moved to St Lucia in 1945, where it remains today. The University of Queensland ranks amongst the top 100 universities in several global rankings.

James Cook University was setup in 1970 to become the first tertiary education institution in North Queensland. Griffith University was established in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan in 1971. Bond University was established in 1989 as a not-for-profit university, the first of its type in Queensland and is located at Robina on the Gold Coast. In the Brisbane central business district at Gardens Point the Queensland University of Technology was opened in 1989 (previously the Queensland Institute of Technology).

In the following decades the Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast were established. The Australian Catholic University also operates a campus in Brisbane.

Sports

The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are Rugby league, Rugby union and cricket, respectively. Rugby league football's annual State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the Queensland Maroons in 2012 winning a record seventh series in a row. The Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.

Queensland's dominance is not restricted to rugby league. The early part of this century saw the AFL's Brisbane Lions claim a hat-trick of premierships between 2001?2003 inclusive, and coming so close to a record-equalling fourth, whilst recently Brisbane Roar FC won back to back A-League titles in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 season . Just four years after being branded "the joke of rugby union", the Queensland Reds won its first Super Rugby title in July 2011. The Queensland Firebirds were also an outstanding team in 2011, going undefeated in the Netball ANZ Championship to win the Grand Final.

Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.

Major professional teams include:

Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns

Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze

Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat

Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury (no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United (no longer in the A-League)

Netball: Queensland Firebirds

Rugby League:

* Representative: Queensland Maroons

* Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys

* State Competition: Queensland Cup

Rugby Union: Queensland Reds

Events include:

Gold Coast Indy 300

State of Origin series

NRL All Stars game

Queensland 400

Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro

References

External links

Government of Queensland

Queensland State Archives

Watch historical footage of Far North Queensland from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection.

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories of Australia Category:States and territories established in 1859

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Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2013/01/13/A_true_gentleman_artistic_community_mourns_Brown_f/

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JPMorgan told to fix controls tied to $6B loss

WASHINGTON (AP) ? JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been ordered to take steps to correct poor risk management that led to a surprise trading loss last year of more than $6 billion.

Federal regulators also on Monday cited the bank for lapses in control that allowed the bank to be used for money laundering.

JPMorgan, the nation's largest bank by assets, will not pay a fine under the agreements with the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, a Treasury Department agency. The bank promised to strengthen its policies and procedures to control risk and to screen customers to prevent money laundering.

The regulators each issued two cease-and-desist orders against JPMorgan, a sanction that requires a bank to change its practices.

JPMorgan in May disclosed that its London office lost billions in trades designed to hedge against risk. The bank later said that some traders had tried to hide the size of the losses.

The loss, which occurred less than four years after the 2008 financial crisis, also hurt the bank's reputation. JPMorgan had survived the crisis by taking fewer risks than its competitors.

U.S. Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry told a Senate panel in June that the loss at JPMorgan was tied to "inadequate risk management."

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon acknowledged before lawmakers that the bank made mistakes. But he defended its strategy for managing risk.

Still, the bank took action against several employees at the heart of the controversy. Two senior managers and the trader linked to the London trading operation were fired. The bank took back nearly two years' compensation from them.

In addition to the firings, Ina Drew, the bank's chief investment officer overseeing its trading strategy, retired after 30 years at the bank and voluntarily repaid two years of salary.

The bank also made a broad reshuffle of its top management, in an apparent bid to restore investors' trust.

The second action announced Monday against JPMorgan was related to money laundering controls. It was similar to an agreement Citibank reached with regulators last April.

Money laundering takes profits from the trafficking of drugs or arms or other illicit activities and passes them through bank accounts or other legitimate businesses to disguise the illegal activity.

Money laundering through banks has become a prime target for U.S. law enforcement.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jpmorgan-told-fix-controls-tied-6b-loss-210456600--finance.html

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Hillary Clinton will testify at Benghazi hearings

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear on Jan. 23 to answer a congressional committee's questions about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

By Staff,?Reuters / January 14, 2013

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, shown here at a November 2012 news conference, is scheduled to testify before Congress about the Benghazi attacks on Jan. 23.

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP / File

Enlarge

After a month's delay for health reasons, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before a congressional committee on Jan. 23 to answer questions about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. Secretary Clinton was originally due to appear before the committee on Dec. 20.

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Lawmakers want to question Clinton about the attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11 last year, and ask about the adequacy of security in foreign posts.

Republican Representative Ed Royce, chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said he wants Clinton to explain why the attack was not better anticipated and what failures or deficiencies need to be corrected to properly protect U.S. diplomats and diplomatic facilities.

"It is important to learn all we can about what happened in Benghazi because at the end of the day, it could happen again. After all, al-Qaeda plans attacks over and over again," Royce said in a statement.

The attack in Benghazi, the first to kill a U.S. ambassador in the line of duty since 1979, resulted in sharp criticism of the State Department. An independent inquiry last month found widespread failures in both security planning and internal management in the department. The State Department's top security officer resigned from his post and three other employees were relieved of their duties.

The controversy also cost Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, her chance to succeed Clinton as secretary of State.

Republicans in Congress harshly criticized Rice for her comments on several television talk shows in which she said the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi appeared to be the result of a spontaneous demonstration rather than a planned assault.

Even though Clinton publicly accepted overall responsibility for Benghazi and the safety and security of U.S. diplomats overseas, Rice eventually withdrew her name from consideration for the top diplomatic job.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/_BnjWlPkv5w/Hillary-Clinton-will-testify-at-Benghazi-hearings

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Try Practicing These Great Self Improvement Tips Today ...

You can often learn a great deal about yourself from other people. You can seek assistance from your friends, family or even professionals to help you to understand yourself better.

There is one key strategy to consider, no matter what your individual goals for personal development. Don?t sit on the sidelines; take control of your life! If you are only watching your life go by, you are not experiencing what your life was meant to be.

Don?t worry so much. The habit of worrying is really imagining a situation that hasn?t really happened and will most likely not ever happen. Instead of worrying, consider the worst case scenario, and start taking concrete steps to address that worst case. This provides you with the relief of having a game plan, so you can can feel less anxious and focus on other important matters in your life.

When you start your self improvement journey, always remember to focus on the fact that you are worthy of nothing less than the very best in life. Doing your best will bring you great joy, and you deserve that! When all is said and done, you will be satisfied that you have given your best effort, and you will regret nothing.

Choose someone you admire to assist you with your goals and accountability in personal development. Those who are very successful often have coaches or mentors to advise them. There are many people that are more than willing to help others. This is an important strategy for ensuring that everyone is able to achieve their goals. Behind every star, there is a spectacular coach.

When developing a plan for personal improvements, include the values that are most important in your life. Therefore, you must value your best and make it an important aspect of your life.

You have to provide care for yourself before you can properly care for other people. It doesn?t matter if you are succeeding or failing in your path. You should always find time to rest your body so that you can renew yourself.

Your library and bookstore probably have an entire section devoted to self-help. When you read a really good personal development book, you may come away with life-changing advice and ideas. Pay attention to reviews when you pick a self-help book. The genre has some poorly-written books in it; however, you want one that has proven useful to other readers.

Are you a heavy alcohol drinker? Do you smoke or do other activities that may be harmful to your health? Your body can best be described as a temple; make sure you treat it as such. Eradicating negative behaviors is key to leading a better lifestyle. Take stock of how you are living your life and the habits you have accumulated. Which ones do you think you could get rid of right now?

Be more productive at work by getting the most out of your time there. The easy way to do this is to simply take more breaks during your work day. Taking breaks is not a waste of time. It will help you stay relaxed and focused on what you need to accomplish.

Reduce the stress in your life. When something happens try not to go overboard and over-react. Know that things sometimes go wrong when working on a goal, so find ways to overcome the obstacle instead of feeling defeated when they pop up.

If you want to improve yourself, write down a specific list of things you want to improve. Find things you want to possess, a career you want to pursue or a quality you want to acquire. Next, think of actions that you could take or have taken to boost your self-assurance. Afterwards, you can try to make these things happen. This method will increase the likelihood of your success.

Choose one of your most important aspects that you want to improve, and put your focus there. There may be several aspects of your life that you want to improve, but if you limit your attention to one thing at a time, your chance for success improves. You will also have an easier time developing new habits if you introduce them one-by-one.

Because you allow yourself to be more vulnerable when pursuing personal development, failures can be especially hard to handle. Treat failure as a chance to learn and grow. You will now know how to deal with the situation and what your weaknesses are. Looking at it this way, failure is a source of pride, because you?ve unlocked another piece of the puzzle when it comes to your development.

Challenges should always be undertaken. You can always open up new possibilities for yourself. You will see, do and explore more things than you ever thought possible. You can set the bar for something that no one had ever accomplished. Do something new and unique, instead of copying others.

It is important to know yourself and accept who you are as a person. Treat yourself with the respect you deserve, don?t fool yourself and enjoy spending time working on yourself. In the end, you only have yourself.

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Source: http://ineedinfotips.com/health/try-practicing-these-great-self-improvement-tips-today/

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Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth Married? Stars Wear Rings on Wedding Finger [PHOTOS]

By Shiryn Ghermezian, EnStarz | Jan 13, 2013 09:14 PM EST

(Photo : Reuters) Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemworth got engaged in June 2012 but there is a chance they may have secretly wed since they both sported rings on their wedding fingers recently.?

They were?spotted at a West Hollywood surf shop?on Jan. 7 and HollywoodLife.com noted that Hemsworth was wearing a ring on his ring finger during the outing. Cyrus also tweeted a picture on Jan. 4 of her wearing what looked to be a wedding ring (see below).

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(Photo : Twitter/Miley Cyrus)

Rumors of the couple secretly getting married first surfaced around Christmas time when Cyrus posted Twitter pictures showcasing a never-before-seen wedding band on Hemsworth's finger.

Cyrus posted a picture on Instagram of her and her fiance?posing beside a Christmas tree and?TMZ?noted,?"Check out Liam's left ring finger -- it looks suspiciously like a wedding band." The report also addressed another holiday picture in which the "Can't Be Tamed" singer has her left hand on her hip. A close up of the image, posted on the gossip website, had TMZ comment that "It looks like she might have 2 bands on her ring finger, one being her engagement ring."?

The former Disney star?spoke to Ellen DeGeneres in November 2012 about her wedding plans?and said there are some things she cares about more than others.

"Like, I don't care what color the napkins are, to be honest," she said, adding that the big day requires focus on "a lot of?weird?details" that she does not care about.

"What I'm most excited for," she added. "Is that look when, you know, who you're marrying, you see, the first time you're seeing the dress and everything that you've planned for months and months, like, coming together, and that you did it together.

"This is the one day that it's what I choose and every detail is things that I love. And that look, I don't want people to ever forget about that."

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Source: http://www.enstarz.com/articles/11595/20130113/miley-cyrus-liam-hemsworth-married-stars-wear-rings-wedding-finger-photos.htm

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Activists seek same-sex marriage rights in 'unwinnable' U.S. South

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Same-sex couples stood at government counters in two North Carolina cities on Monday to ask for marriage licenses they knew they would be denied, part of a push across the U.S. South this month to demand equality even where opposition runs deep.

"We have to leave our home state to get married, so that's a little sad," said L. Rankin, 45, after the assistant register of deeds in her city of Winston-Salem refused a license to her and partner Kristin Hedin, 38.

Couples braved rain and potential ridicule to join the "We Do Campaign," an effort by the nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality to protest state laws activists believe to be unjust and to call for full equality under federal law.

As part of the campaign, couples in seven Southern states are applying for marriage licenses in January. At the final stop on Thursday, couples expect to be denied licenses in Arlington, Virginia, before marching to Washington, D.C., where same-sex marriage is legal.

Participants say they want their neighbors and lawmakers to know they aren't going away, even if taking a stand can be uncomfortable and risky in a part of the country known for its strong religious ties and history of racial discrimination.

"The South has been written off as being unwinnable when it comes to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights," said Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality and a United Church of Christ minister.

"One of the unintended consequences of that is that LGBT people also get written off," she said.

Gay rights activists billed 2012 as a watershed year after voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state approved same-sex marriage, and President Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to declare support for such unions.

But the year also brought a sobering reminder for same-sex couples that the momentum lagged in the Southeast. Last May, North Carolina became the last state in the region to add a voter-approved ban on gay marriage to its constitution.

Thirty-one of the 50 U.S. states have passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Nine states and Washington, D.C., have legalized it.

Some of the 35 couples who have taken part in the "We Do" effort this month have married outside the South but said they still want to live there.

"I can go to a restaurant, and I can order sweet tea and grits and they have them," said Sara Bell, 31, a lifelong resident of Mississippi. "I don't think that I should have to leave those things behind just to be who I am."

STRONG OPPOSITION

Surveys by the Pew Research Center last year showed that while opposition to gay marriage in the South has waned, it is still greater than any other region in the country.

Fifty-six percent of people in the central Southern states, including Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, oppose allowing same-sex couples to marry, compared with 29 percent who are against same-sex marriage in New England.

The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes allowing same-sex couples to marry, has not taken any action in response to the "We Do Campaign," spokesman Thomas Peters said.

"Obviously these are acts of civil disobedience against laws passed overwhelmingly by voters in those states," he said on Monday.

Support for gay marriage in the South is comparable to where the country as a whole was a decade ago, according to Pew, so activists said their strategy for seeking change their inevitably looks different than in other regions.

The efforts overall are "not very sexy," admits Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

That organization is one of many working to build support for marriage equality at the grassroots level, including training volunteers, developing young leaders and working to change the minds of local politicians.

The task force will hold its annual "Creating Change" conference in Atlanta later this month. Nipper said bringing 3,500 activists to that Southern city will generate excitement and help raise the profile of the issues they want addressed.

With no imminent likelihood of winning same-sex marriage rights at the state level in the South, activists are pressing for national change. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases challenging laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Gay rights supporters also are seeking more protections in other areas such as the workplace and schools, said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality.

"I really think that you'll see a faster pace of movement in the years to come," he said. "But we have to take a more incremental approach in what our wins are. And frankly we have to give people the space to change their opinions."

Diana Coe, 48, and Li Hooper, 49, whose 2011 wedding at a church in Winston-Salem is not recognized by the state, said they hope to see attitudes change soon.

"We think of ourselves as being married, and then we realize we are second-class citizens," Coe said.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/activists-seek-same-sex-marriage-rights-unwinnable-south-034937107.html

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Blind Russian girl criticizes adoption ban

MOSCOW (AP) ? A blind Russian high-schooler's impassioned criticism of the ban on adoption by Americans has added a new and compelling voice to the chorus of condemnation of the law.

Since her Jan. 6 blog entry complaining about the ban, written as an open letter to President Vladimir Putin, Natasha Pisarenko has attracted the wide attention of Russian media and, she fears, drawn the disapproving notice of authorities.

The adoption ban, which went into effect Jan. 1, is one of the most controversial moves of the first year of Putin's third term in the Kremlin. It was enacted as part of a bill retaliating for a new U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators.

But critics say it punishes innocent children by denying them a chance of escaping Russia's often-dismal orphanages. Around 20,000 people held a protest march against the measure in Moscow on Sunday that included banners likening Putin to King Herod, whom the Bible says ordered the massacre of Jewish male infants.

Pisarenko wrote sarcastically that by signing the law, Putin was "saving children from American evil" and said that Russians rarely adopt disabled children because the country's medical system is backward and can't take care of them.

"They die because Russia doesn't have modern medicine," she wrote.

Pisarenko, blind from birth, writes that she has painful personal experience with Russia's medical inadequacy. She says that although her father detected her blindness within days of her birth, Russian doctors were unable to diagnose it for months. But, she says, she received precise diagnosis and the hope of treatment from German and American doctors.

"For Russian doctors, I am a child with an illness of unknown etiology ... but in Germany and America I am a patient whose sight the doctors are trying to restore," she wrote.

Concluding her post, Pisarenko called on Putin to adopt five or 10 children with serious congenital disorders.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by a local radio station as saying "Of course we will pay attention to such a statement.

"This girl is well known to us, she's known by the regional authorities and by the health ministry," he said.

Pisarenko and her parents have challenged authorities before, according to Russian media, notably when her parents agitated to have her educated at a regular school in her native Rostov-on-Don, rather than sending her away to a school for the blind. She's now in 10th grade, one year short of graduation under the Russian system.

In a later post, she expressed worry that her letter would cause her parents to be called in for questioning by regional authorities.

When The Associated Press on Monday asked her father, Nikolai, if Natasha could be interviewed, he said he had been ordered not to comment to news media, but declined to say who issued the order.

"Probably, I will regret that I wrote what I think," Natasha wrote in her blog on Saturday.

_____

Online:

Natasha Pisarenko's blog (in Russian): http://blindnatasha.livejournal.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blind-russian-girl-criticizes-adoption-ban-142056447.html

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