watsonalex95: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Cute Kid Note Of The Day: Dear Easter Bunny

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-joshuas-timeline_n_2958603.html?1364401579" target="_blank">Joshua's Timeline </a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/how-to-be-a-cool-person-cute-kid-note_n_2916368.html?1363804857" target="_blank">How To Be A Cool Person</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-tyler_n_2812772.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day" target="_blank">A Crying Little Devil </a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-math-problem_n_2868938.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day" target="_blank">Matthew Has 20 Girlfriends...</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-kyles-ideal-friend_n_2083717.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">My Ideal Friend</a>

Dear Disney Cruise Line

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/07/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-love-letter-to-mom_n_2599928.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">A Love Letter To Mom</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/03/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-sisterly-love_n_1954236.html">Sisterly Love?</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-never-seen-a-man-cry_n_2123205.html" target="_hplink">I've Never Seen A Man Cry Before</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/cute-kid-note-thank-you-michelle-obama_n_2233557.html" target="_hplink">Thank You Michelle Obama</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-genius-inside_n_2442300.html" target="_hplink">Do Not Disturb</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-you-should-not-hit-dogs_n_2449837.html" target="_hplink">You Should Not Hit Dogs</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/07/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-the-westing-game_n_2424802.html" target="_hplink">Thank You For The Books</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-2013-goals_n_2397998.html" target="_hplink">2013 Goals</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-muslim-student-letter-to-santa_n_2286714.html" target="_hplink">A Question For Santa</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-hanukkah-card_n_2271774.html?1355238952" target="_hplink">Let's Not Fight</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-dear-santa_n_2237847.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents" target="_hplink">Dear Santa</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-letter-to-queen_n_2165500.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents" target="_hplink">A Letter To The Queen</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-spy-rules_n_2083816.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents" target="_hplink">Spy Rules</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-halloween-ninja_n_2049421.html" target="_hplink">I Will Be A Ninja For Halloween</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-allergic-to-facebook_n_1901696.html" target="_hplink">"Allergic To Facebook"</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/19/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-if-i-get-a-boyfriend_n_1922946.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents">If I Get A Boyfriend...</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-tooth-fairy_n_1935936.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents" target="_hplink">My Tooth Whint Down The Drane</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-run-away_n_1819603.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">Don't Forget To RUN AWAY</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/cute-kid-note-stuffed-animal-rules-hurricane-isaac_n_1842734.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">Ashley's Hurricane Rules</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-how-to-raise-some-cats_n_1751695.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">How To Raise Some Cats</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/07/i-am-a-star-because-i-just-am-note_n_1748601.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">I Am A Star Because...</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-and-i-think_n_1723626.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">Chasing Annie</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/25/lie-to-mommy-kid-note_n_1687502.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">I Will Lie To Mommy</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/being-a-girl-is-wonderful-kid-note_n_1690858.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">Why Being A Girl Is Wonderful</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/10/summertime-kid-list_n_1659302.html?utm_hp_ref=kid-note-of-the-day">Flow Of Evening</a>

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-dear-easter-bunny_n_2985863.html

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Pigbag: Year Of The Pigbag - album review

Pigbag: Year Of The Pigbag (Sugar Shack Records)
CD/DL
Out Now

7/10

Thirty years after going their separate ways, Pigbag are back with a new album. Our man Paul Scott-Bates gives us his thoughts below.

Pigbag?s Got A Brand New Album!

This was very intriguing. Makers of one of the finest dance singles of the eighties (and one guaranteed to get everyone on their feet at the time) have reformed with founding members Chris Lee, Ollie Moore and Kofi Adu and bombed back to the studio to record nine new tracks in the shape of ?Year Of The Pigbag?. The title is as adventurous as the sound of their debut single, but, we all know what happened to that.

Since those heady days of dancing like there?s no tomorrow, members of Pigbag have been playing with the likes of The Pogues, Neneh Cherry and the mighty Abyssisians, and, it would appear from the tracks on the new album, maturing a bit.

With track titles like ?Cuban Rice (Is Very Nice)? and ?Jumpers For Goalposts?, their sense of humour clearly hasn?t deserted them and neither has their ability to crack out a good tune. The former opens the album with a dubbed horn and launches straight into, as the title would suggest, a Cuban beat with cool funky guitar and tinkling keyboards.

The sound quality of the recording is striking, crystal clear and the eight-piece could almost be sat over your shoulder, the hook is compulsive listening and the baritone saxophone is delightful. At over nine minutes long, it?s a quite brilliant start to the album.

The melody hooks on the album are probably as you?d imagine ? rousing horn sections playing tunes that become unforgettable ? ?Disco Mama? being no exception with its ?70s wah-wah guitar and bass reminiscent of ?Car Wash? or ?Shaft?. There are hints of The Apples? ?Fly On It? album from last year with the groovy horns brought right up to date in a modern day, almost clinical sounding, style.

Where the album goes slightly of the rails, is where Pigbag have obviously matured. Some of the tracks are far too long and become slightly pretentious. From the opening of ?Out Of Chaos? is an almost avant garde, freestyle sort of format. It?s not unlistenable, but, is very film soundtrack based, (and more forgettable), sounding more like a jazz jam session than a structured track. A case of too much too, with a couple of minutes that could have been quite easily shaved off. It?s s shame, and a lively horn section at the end is most welcome.

?Beluga? for me is just filler. It experiments and doesn?t really have any cohesiveness. It doesn?t really go anyway and could really have been left off the album.

What happens next though is marvellous, ?Jumpers For Goalposts? is a monster of a track, superb hook and great feel and possibly the natural progression from ?Papa?s Got A Brand New Pigbag? for us 40-something year olds. Bootsy Collins would be proud of recording ?Brains?, and the Black President himself, Fela Kuti, would be more than happy to have ?Afrodite On The Horizontal? to his name with the funkiest of funky basslines going on.

In summary, some diamonds and some dirt. When Pigbag fail to deliver, they barely glisten in the sun, but, when they shine, they shine brightly, and really come up with the goods. The year of the Pigbag? Possibly.

Check out the Pigbag website here. Follow them on Twitter here and do Facebook stuff here.

All words by Paul Scott-Bates. More of Paul?s writing on Louder Than War can be found here?and his?website is Heaven Is A Place On Pendle.

Paul has been working hard to save Radio Lancashire?s On The Wire, easily one of the best radio shows on the BBC. Follow him on twitter as @saveonthewire for all On The Wire news or follow his personal twitter, @hiapop.

Source: http://louderthanwar.com/pigbag-year-of-the-pigbag-album-review/

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Bee deaths stir up renewed buzz

From 2012: Honeybees may be victims of widely used insecticides. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

This past winter has been exceptionally rough for honeybees ??and although it's too early to say exactly why, the usual suspects range from pesticides that appear to cause memory loss to pests that got an exceptionally early start last spring.

Friday marked the start of an annual survey that asks beekeepers to report how many bees they lost over the winter, conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership, the Apiary Inspectors of America and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The advance word is that the results will be brutal.??The New York Times, for example, quoted beekeepers as saying the losses reached levels of 40 to 50 percent?? which would be double the average reported last year.

One beekeeper in Montana was quoted as saying that his bees seemed health last spring, but in September, "they started to fall on their face, to die like crazy."

Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland who is one of the leaders of the survey team, said he can't predict what the past winter's average loss figure will be. The beekeepers' reports are being solicited online for the next two weeks, and the figures are due for release on May 7.

"What I can say is, when we were in California this year, the strength of the colonies that were there was significantly lower than it was in previous years," vanEngelsdorp told NBC News.?

Pesticides at issue
That's consistent with a mysterious ailment known as colony collapse disorder, which has stirred scientists' concern for the past decade. The malady almost certainly due to combination of factors ??including the Varroa mite, a single-celled parasite known as Nosema, several varieties of viruses, and pesticides. Researchers point to one particular class of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids, as a prime suspect.

Neonicotinoid-based pesticides are commonly applied as a coating on corn seeds, but the chemicals can persist in the environment. Although they have low toxicity for mammals, they've been found to have a significant neurotoxic effect on insects, including bees. Several European countries have banned neonicotinoids, the European Union has been looking at a wider ban, and the Environmental Protection Agency is considering new limitations as well. Just last week, a lawsuit called on the EPA to suspend the use of two types of neonicotinoids immediately.

Two recently published studies add to the concern: This week, researchers report in Nature Communications that neonicotinoids block the part of a bee's brain that associates scents with foods. They suggest that without that functionality, the bees effectively forget that floral scents mean food is nearby, and thus die off before they can pollinate. A study published in January in the Journal of Experimental Biology found a similar link to problems with scent-related learning and memory.

Mild winter, dry summer
Although neonicotinoids are currently front and center in the debate over colony collapse disorder, they're not necessarily the primary reason for this winter's dramatic dip in bee colonies.

VanEngelsdorp noted that the winter of 2011-2012 was easy on the bees: Losses amounted to just 21.9 percent, compared with a 2006-2011 average of 33 percent. However, the mild winter was kind to the bees' pests as well. VanEngelsdorp speculated that Varroa mites may have gained an early foothold in the hives last spring. By the time beekeepers started their treatments on the usual schedule, it was too late to keep the mites from weakening the colonies. That would help explain why the past winter's losses were worse than usual.

Scott Bauer / USDA via AP

A worker bee carries a Varroa mite, visible in this close-up view.

California beekeeper Randy Oliver, who discusses industry trends on the Scientific Beekeeping blog, said the past summer's drought was also a factor: "When there's a drought, the bees are in poor shape with the food," he told NBC News. He said he and other beekeepers predicted that there'd be heavy winter losses last July, when the scale of the drought became clear.

Heavy losses are bad news, and if bee colonies are becoming progressively weaker, that's worse news. It's not just because of the honey: The Department of Agriculture says that bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year. A bee scarcity increases costs for the farmers who need them for pollination, and that could lead to higher food prices. But Oliver said it's important to keep a sense of perspective about the bad news.

"The situation with the bees is not dire," he said. "The bees are doing OK. There's no danger that the bees will go extinct. ... That's just not true."

More about bees:

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a2553f5/l/0Lcosmiclog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C290C175187930Ebee0Edeaths0Estir0Eup0Erenewed0Ebuzz0Dlite/story01.htm

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Penguins move within 3 of NHL consecutive win mark

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Sidney Crosby isn't concerned about making history. He'd also prefer not to have the Pittsburgh Penguins repeat it.

Sure, Crosby is enjoying Pittsburgh's 14-game winning streak. Yet he also knows his team's perfect run through March won't mean a thing if the Penguins don't come through in May and June.

"I don't think anyone is going to remember (this) come playoff time," Crosby said.

The Penguins moved within three games of the NHL record for consecutive victories by easing by the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Pittsburgh can draw within two of the mark set by the Mario Lemieux-led Penguins in 1992-93 on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

It's heady territory. Yet Crosby insists it won't mean much if it this ride doesn't end with a Stanley Cup. The Penguins' quest for a three-peat 20 years ago ended with a loss to the Islanders in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Pittsburgh's current star-studded group doesn't want to meet the same fate.

"We're just trying to get better, we know there are things we can improve on," said Crosby, who had two assists to push his points total to a league-leading 56.

Pascal Dupuis scored twice for Pittsburgh and Evgeni Malkin celebrated his return to the lineup with his first goal in more than three weeks. Chris Kunitz added a goal and an assist as the Penguins capped a giddy 24 hours by dominating the Southeast Division leaders.

And to think newly acquired Jarome Iginla is still in Canada working through immigration issues. The Penguins acquired the six-time All-Star forward late Wednesday night, an audacious move that thrust them from Stanley Cup contender to favorite.

Pittsburgh hardly played like the pressure ? of what is now the third-longest winning streak in NHL history ? is a burden.

"We made it tough on them," said Crosby, whose team hasn't lost since the last day of February. "The fact we got to them early probably helped us a little bit but we kept our foot on the gas the entire game."

Tomas Vokoun stopped 20 shots and even recorded an assist as the Penguins posted consecutive shutouts for only the second time in franchise history. Vokoun also became the 26th goaltender in NHL history to record 50 career shutouts.

"He was strong, really solid in there," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "Fifty is a big number."

Al Montoya, making a rare start, made 39 saves for Winnipeg but the Jets were no match for the NHL's hottest team.

The latter half of Pittsburgh's streak has been filled with taut defensive struggles, one-goal thrillers and stunning third-period comebacks, proof the Penguins say they're ready for playoff hockey.

There was no such drama required against the Jets, who have lost 12 straight in Pittsburgh.

"We started watching and stopped skating," Winnipeg forward Andew Ladd said. "Against a team like that, that's not a good thing."

Bylsma said he will experiment with line combinations while trying to work in Iginla and Brenden Morrow ? who came over in a trade with Dallas on Sunday ? but it's unlikely he'll mess with the trio of Kunitz, Dupuis and Crosby.

Hockey's highest-scoring line wasted little time getting to work against the little-used Montoya, making his seventh appearance this season.

Kunitz put the Penguins in front 15:03 into the first period, though the play was all Crosby, who flicked a no-look backhand pass from behind the net to Kunitz in the left circle. The puck somehow found its way through a pair of Winnipeg defenders and by Montoya for Kunitz's 20th goal of the season.

The Penguins appeared to go in front 2-0 less than 2 minutes later when a slap shot from Dupuis rocketed by Montoya and caromed back into play. Half of the arena rose in unison, but the red light never came on and play continued.

No biggie. Not the way Pittsburgh is rolling.

Malkin scored his first goal since March 4 just over 30 seconds after Dupuis' near miss when a centering pass from James Neal hit off the Russian's skate twice and rolled over Montoya's right pad.

Dupuis singlehandedly doubled the lead in the second period. He scored his 16th goal of the season off a feed from Kunitz then added his 17th later in the period when he faked a pass to Tanner Glass and fired a wrist shot over Montoya's glove. The short-handed goal pushed the lead to 4-0.

Winnipeg had no answer. The Jets rarely do in Pittsburgh. The franchise hasn't beaten the Penguins on the road since Dec. 27, 2006, when the franchise was in Atlanta.

NOTES: Pittsburgh G Marc-Andre Fleury was scratched from the lineup while he recovers from an upper-body injury sustained in a 1-0 win over Montreal on Tuesday. The Penguins brought up Jeff Zatkoff from the team's AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre-Scranton to serve as the backup to Vokoun ... Pittsburgh has outscored opponents 50-26 during the winning streak ... The Jets host Carolina on Saturday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/penguins-move-within-3-nhl-consecutive-win-mark-080435616--spt.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Google Street View lets former Fukushima residents see the town they left

It's been more than two years since the tragic Eastern Japan tsunami and resulting Fukushima Prefecture nuclear plant crisis, but many of those who lived in affected areas still can't return: witness the 21,000 residents of Namie, who had to evacuate and haven't been back since. Thanks to a newly published Google Street View run, those former residents can once more see the town they had to leave. The 360-degree imagery shows Namie in the deserted state it faces today, with little recovery work done or possible. Google's photos can't accelerate the recovery process, but Mayor Tamotsu Baba views them as an incentive to eventually return -- and a better way for the rest of the world to understand the tsunami's long-term effects.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Comments

Via: Google Official Blog

Source: Memories for the Future

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_Gm82Y54bsM/

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Nigerian police say British businessman kidnapped in Lagos

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigerian-police-british-businessman-kidnapped-lagos-205755622--sector.html

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Peter Dinklage drops 'Game of Thrones' spoiler

By Drusilla Moorhouse, TODAY contributor

The third-season premiere of "Game of Thrones" is just five sleeps away, but Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion on HBO's epic fantasy series, dropped a major spoiler on "The Daily Show" Monday.

After Jon Stewart jokingly predicted, "not to give anything away, but your family does win and you become king," the Emmy winner teased: "We get a drive-through at Westeros!"

(Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out Burger? Guess we'll have to tune in to find out!)

Just like his sardonic character, Dinklage is a master of deadpan.

When his host asked where they filmed the visually stunning series, he quipped, "Jersey. Occasionally we'll go to a land called Connecticut."

Actually, he admitted most of his scenes take place in Northern Ireland, where, unlike America's obsessed fans -- about whom Dinklage coined the term "nerd glaze" -- the residents "don't care" about the film shoots.

To keep things legit, Dinklage cracked, "We are called to set by a raven. Ca-caw!"

How excited are you to see the return of Tyrion Lannister on Sunday night? Tell us on our Facebook page!

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/03/26/17474945-peter-dinklage-drops-game-of-thrones-spoiler-on-the-daily-show?lite

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Court justices take on fertility question

Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan attends U.S. President Barack Obama's State??In Tuesday's oral arguments over whether California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, a few of the liberal Supreme Court justices took aim at one of the central arguments made by gay marriage opponents: that the ability to naturally procreate is key to the definition of marriage.

Charles Cooper, the attorney representing proponents of California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage, argued that allowing same-sex nuptials would fundamentally change the definition of marriage for the worse.

"The concern is that redefining marriage as a genderless institution will sever its abiding connection to its historic traditional procreative purposes, and it will refocus the purpose of marriage and the definition of marriage away from the raising of children and to the emotional needs and desires of adults," Cooper said.

Justice Elena Kagan, an appointee of President Barack Obama, pressed Cooper on that argument, asking him why then the government could not bar couples who are both over the age of 55 from marrying, on the assumption that they are infertile.

Cooper replied that it would violate the Constitution to ban older people from marrying.

"Your Honor, even with respect to couples over the age of 55, it is very rare that both couples?both parties to the couple are infertile," Cooper began, before he was interrupted by the audience in the courtroom erupting into laughter.

"I can just assure you, if both the woman and the man are over the age of 55, there are not a lot of children coming out of that marriage," Kagan retorted, provoking more laughter.

Justice Antonin Scalia jumped into the fray, joking that "Strom Thurmond was not the chairman of the Senate committee when Justice Kagan was confirmed."

Thurmond, the late South Carolina Republican senator, fathered children well into his 70s with his decades-younger wife. Kagan pointed out that in her hypothetical, both members of the couple would be over 55, not just the man.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also cast doubt on the procreation aspect of Cooper's argument, reminding him that the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that prisoners have a right to marry even if they are locked up and unable to procreate with their new spouse. Cooper replied that even in that case, the prison was a co-ed facility and it's possible the prisoner would have had children.

Outside of this exchange, Cooper did not rely heavily on the natural procreation point in arguing the government should bar gay people from marrying. In his brief opening statement, Cooper urged the justices to allow Americans to engage in "an an earnest debate over whether the age-old definition of marriage should be changed to include same-sex couples" by not declaring from the bench that gay marriage bans are unconstitutional.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/gay-marriage-case-justices-focus-trade-laughs-fertility-220612049--election.html

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USDA expanding program to fight rural poverty

FILE - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks at Maine Medical Center, in this March, 14, 2013 file photo taken in Portland, Maine. Vilsack was expected in South Carolina on Tuesday to announce the expansion of the so-called StrikeForce initiative, a program intended to reduce poverty and improve life in rural areas, which already operates in 10 states. The program will now also be available in the Carolinas, the Dakotas, Alabama and Virginia. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks at Maine Medical Center, Thursday, March, 14, 2013, in Portland, Maine. Vilsack has worked to improve nutrition in school lunches. Maine has the highest obesity rates in New England.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? U.S. officials are expanding a program intended to reduce poverty and improve life in rural areas through better access to federal funding.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was expected in South Carolina on Tuesday to announce the expansion of the so-called StrikeForce initiative, which already operates in 10 states. The program will now also be available in the Carolinas, the Dakotas, Alabama and Virginia.

The goal of StrikeForce is to help farmers, food producers and other businesses get access to money for projects such as new wells, greenhouses, community gardens, kitchen space, and summer meals for low-income school children. The money is often hard to access due to complicated grant applications, requirements for matching funds, and limited staffing.

"You just don't have the technical wherewithal, technical assistance, in your city officials, council members, part-time mayors, even your city administrators, to know what the federal programs are," Vilsack, a former Iowa governor who is also an ex-mayor of a small town in Iowa, told The Associated Press this week. "Oftentimes these programs have matching requirements. For small communities operating by themselves, that is very difficult."

The USDA uses U.S. Census data to find areas with poverty rates higher than 20 percent. The agency then works with local officials and community-based organizations to publicize the program and reach out to potential applicants. Included in the secretary's expected stops Tuesday is Bamberg County, home to South Carolina's fourth-highest unemployment, at 15.3 percent.

The money has already helped Larry Harris, who has operated a small farm in South Carolina's Sumter County for about 15 years. Harris says he used to farm row crops such as soybeans and corn but, several years ago, learned of a USDA-funded program that could help him build a well to irrigate more profitable specialty vegetable crops. Harris is bound by a contract with USDA to use the well for irrigation for three years. After that, he can use the well as he sees fit.

Other small farmers from neighboring counties have come to see his setup and get ideas for their own projects, Harris said.

"On an acre of land, through these programs you could make more growing vegetables than you could doing row crops," he said.

In addition to increasing profits for farmers, specialty vegetable gardens of the type Harris operates could help reduce obesity rates in poor counties by increasing residents' access to better-quality healthy foods, Vilsack said.

In Sumter County, 74 percent of adults are considered overweight or obese, compared to South Carolina's overall rate of 67.4 percent.

"The key to nutrition is access to foods that are healthy and nutritionally dense," Vilsack said. If farmers grow more of their own fruits and vegetables, he said, "people don't have to rely on a convenience store that has a very limited set of offerings."

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-26-US-USDA-Reducing-Poverty/id-60f3888f84304a0baf3e9b1eff010f49

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The Legend of Zelda: Nicolas Cage Edition!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/the-legend-of-zelda-nicolas-cage-edition/

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Arguments in the home linked with babies' brain functioning

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Being exposed to arguments between parents is associated with the way babies' brains process emotional tone of voice, according to a new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study, conducted by graduate student Alice Graham with her advisors Phil Fisher and Jennifer Pfeifer of the University of Oregon, found that infants respond to angry tone of voice, even when they're asleep.

Babies' brains are highly plastic, allowing them to develop in response to the environments and encounters they experience. But this plasticity comes with a certain degree of vulnerability -- research has shown that severe stress, such as maltreatment or institutionalization, can have a significant, negative impact on child development.

Graham and colleagues wondered what the impact of more moderate stressors might be.

"We were interested in whether a common source of early stress in children's lives -- conflict between parents -- is associated with how infants' brains function," says Graham.

Graham and colleagues decided to take advantage of recent developments in fMRI scanning with infants to answer this question.

Twenty infants, ranging in age from 6 to 12 months, came into the lab at their regular bedtime. While they were asleep in the scanner, the infants were presented with nonsense sentences spoken in very angry, mildly angry, happy, and neutral tones of voice by a male adult.

"Even during sleep, infants showed distinct patterns of brain activity depending on the emotional tone of voice we presented," says Graham.

The researchers found that infants from high conflict homes showed greater reactivity to very angry tone of voice in brain areas linked to stress and emotion regulation, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

Previous research with animals has shown that these brain areas play an important role in the impact of early life stress on development -- the results of this new study suggest that the same might be true for human infants.

According to Graham and colleagues, these findings show that babies are not oblivious to their parents' conflicts, and exposure to these conflicts may influence the way babies' brains process emotion and stress.

Support for this work was provided by the Center for Drug Abuse Prevention in the Child Welfare System (1-P30-DA023920); the Early Experience, Stress, and Neurobehavioral Development Center (1-P50-MH078105); a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31-10667639); and the Lewis Center for NeuroImaging at the University of Oregon.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

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

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/top_news/top_health/~3/sLArOIeEaa4/130325135359.htm

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Questions remain after Obama?s Israel trip

President Obama almost made it through his trip to Israel without demonstrating the incoherence at the heart of his approach to the region. Almost.

If he now understands and can recite how many times Israel has offered the Palestinians their own state, why was he lecturing Israeli students on the unjustness of the Palestinians lack of statehood?

If he extolled Israeli democracy, why wasn?t he telling?Mahmoud Abbas to have free and fair elections?

If he understands that there are to be ?two states for two peoples,? why doesn?t he adopt as U.S. policy ? as he did with ?1967 borders? plus land swaps ? the truism that the right of return?for Palestinians must be only?to the Palestinian state?

If he respects the Israelis? elected government and its right to make decisions on its own, why go to a university to implore college kids to lobby their government to make peace? And what else could Israel offer that hasn?t been tried already?

The biggest impediment to peace, of course, is that the Palestinian Authority has made a pact with Hamas. Maybe Obama should have mentioned that and the impossibility of a Palestinian state so long as that embrace continues.

The problem with merely changing rhetoric is that exposes the gap between speeches and mindset and between rhetoric and actions.

Nevertheless, friends of Israel will be glad to hear that Obama will leave the fruitless peace processing to Secretary of State John Kerry and not use his own good offices to strong-arm Israel. And?Obama has dropped the ?illegitimate? modifier to ?settlements.?

The most curious part of the trip came at the very end. I?have a great deal of sympathy?with this sentiment expressed by the New York Sun:

Mr. Obama ended his visit by hornswoggling Prime Minister Netanyahu into apologizing to the Turkish premier, Recep Erdogan, for the deaths on the?Motor Vessel Mavi Marmarra.?We don?t fault Mr. Netanyahu. . . .?But sending the?Mavi Marmarra?to run Israel?s blockade was one of the most provocative acts any major country has ever countenanced against Israel. The blood of the nine dead is entirely on Turkish hands. It was the Turk who owed the apology. By maneuvering things the other way around Mr. Obama offered an incentive for more trouble that will mar the good feelings he seems so sincerely to want to engender.

Ironically, what?a U.N. investigation?defended (astonishingly for the United Nations)?? Israel?s right of self-defense and right to maintain a blockade? Obama pressured Israel to apologize for to the enablers of the raid.

One can argue that the terms if the apology are muted. It went to pains to reiterate that?Israel?s own report found there?were missteps (?In light of Israel?s investigation into the incident, which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the prime minister expressed Israel?s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury?).

One can hope that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got something more than restoration of diplomatic relations (A green light from Obama on Iran? A promise of bunker-buster bombs?) to make it worth his while. But to the outside world this will look like the United States leaning on Israel to apologize for defending itself. That, unfortunately, sends the wrong signal to the PA, Hamas, Turkey?and just about everyone in the region. And unless Israel got something very dear in return, it suggests that Obama still views Israel as the party responsible for conflict and violence.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/03/24/questions-remain-after-obamas-israel-trip/

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93% No

All Critics (81) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (6)

A cunning and richly enjoyable combination of high-stakes drama and media satire from Chilean director Pablo Larrain.

A mesmerizing, realistic and often hilarious look at the politics of power and the power of ideas ...

A political drama, a personal drama, a sharp-eyed study of how the media manipulate us from all sides, No reels and ricochets with emotional force.

It's a funny look at the way the media warp public opinion, and a curiously hopeful one.

On every level, "No" leaves one with bittersweet feelings about democracy, love and the cost of compromise.

If you can shake off the inherent grossness of mining the Pinochet years for yet another Mad Man-style deification of zeitgeist-grasping salesmen, this is moderately interesting stuff.

Freshens up a decades-old story with vibrant humor and a good sense of storytelling.

No continually impresses for its slyness and savvy -- rarely has such an eyesore been so worth watching.

Larrain fashions an unlikely crowd-pleaser from a historical episode that has its share of tragedy as well as triumph.

Stirring as a celebration of voter empowerment, No may also inspire pangs of wistful nostalgia.

Fascinating work from director Pablo Larrain and screenwriter Pedro Peirano, who manage to slip into the skin of a beleaguered country and detail the urgency of a revolution, sold one jingle at a time.

Swims upstream against high-definition with a defiantly lo-fi approach that's also ingeniously evocative of the historical period.

Wildly colorful strokes, full of bitter humor.

It's a fascinating and surprisingly fun look behind the scenes of politics and media.

An Oscar-nominated win for more than just political junkies.

A worthy and a quite interesting slice of modern international history ...

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_2012/

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Head coach Dana Altman (L) and assistant coach Tony Stubblefield of the Oregon Ducks react in the first half against the Saint Louis Billikens during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Damyean Dotson #21 of the Oregon Ducks goes up against the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Mike McCall Jr. #11 of the Saint Louis Billikens guards Johnathan Loyd #10 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon Henderson/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/florida-gulf-coast-university-name-cbs_n_2944798.html

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Russian tycoon Berezovsky found dead in London

Exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent Russian opposition figure, was found dead at his home near London on Saturday. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News

Exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent Russian opposition figure, was found dead at his home near London on Saturday, British officials told NBC News. He was 67.

His death was also reported in a Facebook post by his son-in-law, Egor Schuppe. "Boris Berezovsky dead," the post read.

Ben Stansall / AFP - Getty Images, file

A picture dated Oct. 4, 2011 shows Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky leaving the Court of Appeal in Central London. Berezovsky, the exiled Russian oligarch and long-time opponent of the Kremlin, has died in Britain at the age of 67, his spokesman said on March 23, 2013, without giving further details.

Police would not directly identify Berezovsky, but when asked Saturday about him by name they said "the death of a 67-year-old man at a property in Ascot, Berkshire" was being treated as "unexplained" and a full investigation is ongoing.

Ascot lies about 25 miles west of London.

"The area around the property has been cordoned off in order to allow the investigation to take place," the Thames Valley police statement read.

Officers, including some trained in dealing with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, were conducting a number of searches as a precaution. Police said Berezovsky's body was still in the property Saturday night.
?
"I would like to reassure residents that we are confident there is no risk to the wider community," Supt. Stuart Greenfield said. "The property is part of a large estate so a number of roads are closed off at the moment and will remain so for the time being."

Berezovsky accumulated his wealth in the early 1990s, when Russia's privatization of state assets turned chaotic. He orchestrated the re-election of Boris Yeltsin in 1996 and played a role in Vladimir Putin's rise to prominence, but he fell out of favor with the latter after Putin became president of Russia in 2000.?

Berezovsky fled Russia for Britain in 2001 after criticizing Putin's government. He was granted political asylum in Britain in 2003.

Berezovsky was a close friend of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, who was fatally poisoned with radioactive polonium in London in 2006.

Last year, a court ordered him to pay $53.3 million in legal costs to fellow Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, after losing a legal battle against him. The legal and other costs of that lawsuit amounted to about $250 million.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/29e97bd2/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C230C174312210Erussian0Etycoon0Eberezovsky0Efound0Edead0Ein0Elondon0Dlite/story01.htm

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

5 Ways To Leverage And Grow Your Business With Instagram

Last updated 9 hours ago

Instagram has over 80 million users, has been acquired by Facebook and has become a social media photo sharing champion. It wouldn't be compared to Facebook or Twitter for driving relevant traffic to your website but has become a great way to build a brand and get images and products in front of potential customers and put information in front of your audience.

How will these photos help your business with Instagram and increase exposure?

Here are 5 tips to help your small business get on the path to Instagram growth and success:

Follow Your Customers - if your customers are on Instagram make an effort to follow them. Take pictures of your customers, employees and post them to instagram. Like and comment on your customers photos. If they are interested in your photos they will be more likely to follow you back and engage with your posts.
Use Hashtags - use hashtags, use hashtags - I can't stress enought how important hashtags # are. Placing a hashtag on every single photo will enable any potential user to find your photos with a search. This will help you gain more exposure and drive more content. Tag each photo with a hashtag with words that are relevant and important and that help promote the picture.
Comment On Photos - Make interesting, relevant and fun comments. This will help to get people to take notice of your pictures and develop interest in following you.
Promote Your Instagram Page on Website - This is a great way for more exposure so your found and people will engage with your pictures. It makes sense to even have a page on your website with your instagram photos. Write a blog post about your instagram handle that will get out the news and information on your brand and company
Contest Creation - contests are a great way to get people interested in your brand. This will help add fans and followers and encourage more exposure. Use a certain hashtag of your business or the promotion to have a place where all photos will be held.

Instagram needs to be updated often and can be a great marketing channel for small businesses. Think about the ways you can increase exposure of your brand and how you can gain followers and increase engagements.

Does your small New York City business need help with social media marketing? Brad Sharenow has experience helping small businesses win new customers online through SEO, social media, PPC advertising, and more. Contact Brad today at (877) 411-3777 to set up a free digital marketing consultation.

Source: http://www.onlinemarketingconsultantnyc.com/666888/2013/03/20/5-ways-to-leverage-and-grow-your-business-with-instagram.html

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New Advance In 3D TV Technology

Viewing angle is one of the factors missing from the stereo-vision hack being marketed as "3d" today. Another is focal depth.

Supplying 64 different angles of view is (barely) a start. It'll still foul up your visual processing, though, because the focus cues to your brain are entirely wrong. And that, unfortunately, leads to neurological problems like headaches.

You're not going to see actual 3d displays for a while. First we need the tech, then we need it standardized so manufacturers have a consistent targ

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/PXuaGV_y6IY/story01.htm

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

US sees no evidence of chem weapons use in Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is rejecting the claim by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime that the U.S.-backed Syrian rebels used chemical weapons Tuesday, an official said.

The U.S. official said the United States has no evidence that either the regime or rebels fired chemical weapons in the attack in northern Syria. The origin of the attack is still unclear, the official added, but noted that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, too, is reporting no independent information of chemical weapons use.

The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Syria's state-run news agency said 25 people were killed in the attack on the Khan al-Assad village in northern Aleppo province. It said 86 people were wounded, some in critical condition, and published pictures of children and others on stretchers in what appeared to be a hospital ward.

Russia, which has steadfastly supported Assad in Syria's two-year civil war, backed Assad's assertion Tuesday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the rebel use of chemical weapons represented an "extremely dangerous" development in a conflict that has already killed 70,000 people. It said the rebels detonated a munition containing an unidentified chemical agent, but didn't give further details.

Syria has one of the world's largest arsenals of chemical weapons and Washington has been on high alert since last year for any possible use or transfer of chemical weapons by Assad's forces. It feared that an increasingly desperate regime might turn to the stockpiles in a bid to defeat the rebellion or transfer dangerous agents to militant groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, which the Syrian government has long supported.

At the time, officials noted movement of some of the Syrian stockpiles but said none appeared to be deployed for imminent use. Still, President Barack Obama declared the use, deployment or transfer of the weapons to be his "red line" for possible military intervention in the Arab country.

U.S. officials say they've been closely monitoring Syria's unconventional weapons stockpiles and coordinating with allies in the region and beyond on possible contingency plans in the event the weapons are no longer secure. They've provided no indication that Syrian rebels seized some of the stockpiles or acquired such weaponry in recent months.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-sees-no-evidence-chem-weapons-syria-145437413--politics.html

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Writing For Free Issue Goes Viral

Should writers write for free, for exposure, or for fun? Or maybe all three? Everybody has an opinion, sometimes heated.

An argument about getting paid for online work erupted recently, when a respected journalist blogged about an Atlantic Wire editor who asked to repost a long article online for free.

What?s unbelievable is that just a few years ago, the Atlantic magazine offered him $21,000 per article for original reporting, and now they?re offering him nothing in exchange for ?exposure.?

Here?s the scoop from Reuters blogger Felix Salmon:

?The exchange has particular added poignancy because it?s not so many years since the Atlantic offered Thayer $125,000 to write six articles a year for the magazine. How can the Atlantic have fallen so far, so fast ? to go from offering Thayer $21,000 per article a few years ago, to offering precisely zero now? The simple answer is just the size of the content hole: the Atlantic magazine only comes out ten times per year, which means it publishes roughly as many articles in one year as the Atlantic?s digital operations publish in a week. When the volume of pieces being published goes up by a factor of 50, the amount paid per piece is going to have to go down.?

That?s a cogent explanation for why writing online pays so little, or nothing. (If you have time, read the whole post, which includes a link to a HuffPo article that got more than 15,000 comments!)

Meanwhile, a food blogger, Stephanie Lucianovic of Grub Report, wrote a post about why she writes for free. An Atlantic Wire editor paid Lucianovic $75 to run her essay?online. Ironic, no? (Turns out Lucianovic pitched that piece to the Atlantic Wire?months ago, and didn?t hear back until the other post by the journalist ran. Coincidence? More like a defensive strategy.)

As usual, hand-wringing about writing and compensation ensued on social media and blog posts. Here are two more particularly good discussions:

As you know, writing for free or little pay is one of my favorite subjects. My most recent recent post,?Whose Fault is It that Food Writing Doesn?t Pay?, had remarkably thoughtful?comments, and I thank you for them.

As this debate goes on, I realize my background determines how I think about writing for free, as it must do for you. Because I?m a professional writer, I think people should be paid to write. My blog is an exception. I write it for free as a branding strategy and for self-expression. It brings me clients, keeps my books in front of people, creates opportunities for speaking engagements, and produces what I love most: communicating with you about the issues we face.

My bottom line, though, it that writers should be paid to write if they?re doing a job. I like what one commenter said in response to Lucianovic?s piece in the Atlantic Wire about writing for free:

?I don?t always consider writing ?work.??

Except it really *is* work.

Just because the act is rewarding doesn?t make it any less of a job. And magical, ?gotta express myself,? soul-of-a-writer waxing ? particularly when posed in print ? fuels rampant exposure-based compensation, content farms, and unpaid internships. This is a profession, not a hobby, and perpetuating romantic mythologies harms us all.

While I am in this guy?s camp, you may not be. Many bloggers write for a hobby, and they don?t think about being paid. Some people write for fun or just to express themselves, so they don?t care about getting paid either. And some professional writers have told me they wrote something for free for a website, because they too get confused about what they?re supposed to do.

It?s complicated. There are professional writers and amateur writers, and the division between them is blurring, particularly as hobby bloggers break into paid work.

Where do you stand on the issue? Is it ever worthwhile to write for free for ?exposure,? if you?re used to getting paid? If you write as a hobby, is it fine for another site to post your work for free?

(Thanks to Sarah Henry and Mary Margaret Pack for sending me some of these links.)

(Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Tagged as: writing for exposure, writing for free, writing for pay

Source: http://diannej.com/blog/2013/03/writing-for-free-issue-goes-viral/

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Breaking Travel News interview: Uwe Schramm, general manager ...

A-ROSA Kitzb?hel has been selected to host the inaugural World Ski Awards later this year.

Here Breaking Travel News sits down with general manager Uwe Schramm to discuss just what it is that makes this resort so special.

Breaking Travel News: First off, can you perhaps tell our readers what is on offer at A-ROSA Kitzb?hel?

Uwe Schramm: Our A-ROSA resort ? built in the style of a Tyrolean castle ? sits on the slopes of the majestic Alpine mountains on the sunny side of the Kitzb?hel valley.

Incorporated into Austria?s most venerable golf club, the resort offers spectacular views of the world?s most famous ski racing slope, the Streif at the Hahnenkamm Mountain.

The heart of the resort is the 3,000sqm SPA area, called SPA-ROSA. It turns new pioneering concepts into reality with innovative wellness tourism. Guests are offered an extensive spa menu combining the very best rituals from around the world.

The three resort restaurants stand for a reinterpretation of Alpine cuisine.

With our fine dining options we invite our guests to a discovery trip through culinary indulgence.

In addition to the main restaurant Streif, A-ROSA Kitzb?hel has two a la carte restaurants: the innovative gourmet restaurant Heimatliebe and the restaurant Monti e Mare, which offers Tyrolean and Mediterranean dishes.

The culinary highlight is the award-winning restaurant Heimatliebe with head chef Andreas Senn. Gault Millau 2012, one of the most famous gourmet guides, distinguished the restaurant Heimatliebe with 17 points.

What has to be mentioned beside the outstanding events such as Hahnenkamm race, Polo on Snow and the ATP Tennis Tournament, is the unique holiday experience our guests have at our resort.

All year round we offer our guests exclusive eureka moments by offering several programs and special events in our resort.

Weather it is a culinary evening with our head chef Andreas Senn or other famous guest chefs, a private golf experience or an exclusive outing in to the stunning mountain scenery of the Kitzb?hel Alps, we always create special treasured moments only our guests can experience.

BTN: A-ROSA recently underwent a re-branding exercise. Can you bring us up to date with the latest developments?

US: With our new advertising campaign, A-ROSA Resorts & Hideaways focuses on the values and the featured contents of the brand, and replicate the earlier success of the logo with the red rose.

The pictured themes and the slogan ?Coated with Hospitality? communicate the warmth and professionalism many guests and employees appreciate so much.

The realisation of values and the applied A-ROSA culture makes our features - such as the luxury spa, award winning culinary concepts and unique destinations with a high leisure focus - come alive and makes A-ROSA a one of a kind resort concept.

BTN: A-ROSA Kitzb?hel will host the World Ski Awards later this year; can you tell us a little about this event? How will it boost the brand?

US: We are very proud to host the World Ski Awards 2013. It is a great chance to share our services with important players from different ski destinations worldwide.

Kitzb?hel as ?sports city of the alps? is an incredible resort to experience a charismatic mix of endearing tradition and a glamorous cosmopolitan atmosphere.

The great ski history which reaches back to 1892, the Hahnenkamm race and being one of the leading ski resorts in the Alps makes Kitzb?hel a perfect place to launch the World Ski Awards.

The historic medieval town is synonymous with ski tourism and is one of the world?s most popular winter sports destinations. The Kitzb?hel skiing region was shortly awarded in the highest classification of ?Skiresort.de? and therefore fulfils all requirements for a state of the art ski destination.

BTN:? How do you differentiate the property from competitors in the region?

US: Our consistently good guest comments concerning our hospitality show we again and again satisfy our guests with a variety of offers and experiences. Weather it is our culinary concept, the spa, or our golf and sports offering, A-ROSA resort is the ideal place for a luxurious wellness holiday at any time of the year.

A-ROSA is a stylish meeting place in the Alps for discerning visitors from all around the world.

The characteristic architecture, which includes a mix between modern and Tyrolean Style interiors, fits perfectly into the surrounding mountain scenery and is located on the sunny side of Kitzb?hel.

And, not to forget, our staff at A-ROSA treat all our guests with friendliness and warmth, making the property come to life and turning it into an extra ordinary retreat.

BTN: What do you think is your most important attribute when managing the team at A-ROSA Kitzb?hel?

US: I am an absolute team leader and probably one of a kind.

To give my employees a lot of responsibility and by that creating a high sense of responsibility and professionalism is essential for me.

The team always stands first and social attributes and soft skills such as friendliness, helpfulness, the way to talk with a guest - just to name a few - are in focus. I am happy to work with such a competent and reliable team like mine at A-ROSA Kitzb?hel.?

More Information

For more information on A-ROSA head over to the official website.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Dear Disney Cruise Line

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Butler vs. Marquette

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Colorado State vs. Louisville

Sunday, March 24, 2013

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

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