Monday, February 4, 2013

Home Improvement In Today's World. The Best Tips Available! | OK ...

TIP! Where will you find your inspiration when looking to make home improvements? It?s important for you to be inspired before starting. A quick look through magazines devoted to interior design and decor (you can find them at book stores or your local library) can give you great ideas.

People often believe that improving their home is too difficult for them to do. You do need to do your research, but you can accomplish what you set your mind to. Details that can assist with your home improvement endeavors are provided in this article.

Don?t try and fix that leak underneath the sink yourself. Make sure you provide a catch for the leaking water, and then call a professional plumber.

TIP! Before you begin any upgrade or renovation, make sure you have a method for getting rid of the trash that the project will create. A project that involves demolition will certainly generate trash and debris that needs to be handled properly.

Cover your electrical outlet covers with aluminum foil before painting your walls. It?s easier to use aluminum foil, and it protects the outlets. It is quick and easy to remove, too. Prior to removing and recycling the foil, make sure that the paint is totally dry.

TIP! Are you planning on painting your home? Try no-VOC paints. No-VOC paints are better for the environment as they don?t contain many of the harmful chemicals found in traditional paints.

Use newer lighting fixtures to make your home look more vibrant without shelling out lots of cash. New lighting fixtures can be replaced by a certified electrician for less than a thousand dollars. Pendant lighting is a great option, and can help modernize your kitchen.

TIP! Learn your personal style before beginning any home customization. Narrowing down what style you will decorate in is a big step.

Safety gear is essential when working on potentially dangerous or heavy projects. This includes wearing a hard hat when working around possible falling objects and using a back harness for lifting.

TIP! To increase your knowledge of home improvement projects, consider taking a class at a home improvement store. Giant home improvement retailers often have classes on home improvement projects.

Prior to installing paneling, paint stripes on the existing walls. Often even the most carefully installed paneling allows a bit of the old wall to peek through. To start, simply measure where the panels meet. Try to select a color of paint that matches as closely as possible.

TIP! Composting can really help minimize the amount of garbage your home produces. A compost pile can be created by choosing an outside area for remains like fruit peels, coffee grounds and eggshells.

As you can see, there are many steps you can take to prevent yourself from being overwhelmed by your home improvement efforts. When making such repairs, remember to always keep an open mind. The above article is designed to give you vital tips when it comes to making home improvements. If you implement these tips, you can update your house before you know it!

Source: http://okheyday.com/home-improvement-in-todays-world-the-best-tips-available/

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Sunday, February 3, 2013

On A Journey Toward Self Improvement? - Reach Your Goals and ...

Self improvement is an umbrella term that encompasses both mental and emotional improvement. To achieve the goals set forth in your plan, you will need to become more knowledgeable on different strategies and approaches, and zero in on the ones that will work best for you. Read the following article to learn some good personal development advice to get you started on the right track.

Define and chart your progress meticulously. You can stay on track if you tackle small things first. Keep track of your progress via a planner or use a journal just for your goals in self improvement.

If you have extensive personal development goals, consider enlisting the help of a therapist. Self help books can help you, but do not expect these methods to replace a doctor who can assess your situation personally. Talking things out can really help you make a success breakthrough. Reading even the best self-help book cannot start up a back-and-forth dialog, the way a therapy session can.

TIP! Don?t look at your outside beauty; seek out inner beauty. In the long run, wearing the best clothes or looking incredible does not matter.

The true path to self improvement is one of consciously choosing beneficial change. You have to choose and accept the change in order to grow.

Having a degree and the ability to do the job is usually more important than which school you attended. However, there are some instances, such as with financial institutions, that this may not be the case. In most cases though, just getting a four year degree will make all the difference in the world.

Picture how your life is right now and where you want it to be in the future. See your shortcomings. This can help you get where you plan to be. If you are unable to recognize this need, you will not be effective in developing yourself to your highest potential.

TIP! Whatever you might think you need in life, remember that nothing takes place without action. Don?t sit on the sidelines; take control of your life! If you are observing instead of living, you are not really alive.

You should always treat everyone with respect, regardless of who they are or what they are able to do for you. The way that you treat others says a lot about the person that you are.

Choose just one thing that you want to change about yourself. Perhaps there are several areas you want to improve, but focus on just one at a time. Remember that the goal is to change for good, and that those changes have to come slowly from the inside out.

Try to live your life with your faith and love reflected in your actions. Love is a vital ingredient to faith. You will also make decisions guided by your core beliefs. Faith and love can lead you to help those in need, and believe in people when they need it most, especially yourself.

TIP! Happiness is often lost to stress. Stress in the mind hurts us both mentally and physically across our body.

Start giving other people compliments. If you are kind to other people, you will be kind to yourself.

Your mental health can be directly influenced by the physical heath of your body. Partake in regular exercise and stick to a nutritious diet. Remember, a healthy, fit body can contribute to a healthy mind.

You must focus on living your life and making decisions that fall within the limitations of your own personal strengths and abilities. We need all kinds of people in the world, because diversity helps us to stay strong. You should not concern yourself with skills you don?t have, instead focus your attention on what you already know and bring those to the table.

TIP! If you overreact you might be stressed for no reason. Analyze the situation carefully, and deal with the stress.

If you get extremely angry, do a ten-count before you act. Breath deeply and think calm, peaceful thoughts. Avoid saying anything that could be mean, and try to stay calm.

Stress can impede your ability to be happy. When our minds undergo stress, this actually damages our whole body, physically and mentally. Eliminating stress is essential for thinking clearly and achieving goals. Make time in your schedule each day to take a few minutes alone and clear your mind. Following this practice will improve your inner peace.

Your body?s health affects your mind?s health. Have healthy meals that are full of nutrients, and be sure to exercise as much as you can. If you want a healthy mind, make sure it resides in a healthy body.

TIP! As you begin your personal development journey, accept that fact that you truly do deserve the best of everything! You have no one to disappoint but yourself. When all is said and done, you will realize that you have done everything that you can possibly do, and that you will not regret the decisions that you have made.

Having a good attitude will empower your growth as an individual. A negative attitude never gets anyone too far, and it can actually work against you. The best thing to do is to remain positive, and realize that maintaining a positive attitude, can aid you in reaching your goals.

You can negatively impact your life by wishing others ill; remember what you want for others may come back to you. For this reason, it is important to wish only positive things for the people in your life. If you keep your emotional self positive, you won?t be knocked down by all those negative feelings.

Mistakes cannot be avoided, this includes going off of your diet. Stress can take a toll on your body, so don?t get stressed over small things.

TIP! The goals you set out for your personal development program need to be measurable and specific. With specific goals, chances are you?ll do the things that need to be done to accomplish them.

Fostering a strict sense of self discipline is a great way to improve yourself. Learn not to give in every time your body craves something that may not be good for it. For example, you may need to overcome the urge to eat more than you should or to refrain from consuming too much alcohol. When you take control of these desires you life will be a richer and healthier one.

The advice in this article shows you that you can improve both your life and yourself through personal development strategies. In order to succeed in your goals, you have to know what strategies will help you with self improvement and what won?t. Select the tips from this article that could work for you and start transforming your lifestyle one step at a time.

Select one important part of yourself that you would like to improve, and focus on that. Perhaps there are several areas you want to improve, but focus on just one at a time. This also helps the changes stick because it is easier to maintain one new habit compared to ten.

TIP! There is nothing wrong with taking a little risk every now and then. People often resign themselves to life within their comfort zones.

Optimal performance requires you to study the topic of Goal Setting for a bit. This article has offered many tips concerning Goal Setting. You?ll reap rich rewards by applying what you have learned in this article.

Source: http://www.projectpb.net/blog/index.php/personal_development/on-a-journey-toward-self-improvement-try-these-ideas/

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Saturday, February 2, 2013

Cats and humans suffer from similar forms of epilepsy

Cats and humans suffer from similar forms of epilepsy [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Dr Akos Pakozdy
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at
43-664-602-576-866
University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna

There is something sinister about epilepsy: the disease affects the very core of our being, our brain. Epileptic attacks can lead to seizures throughout the body or in parts of it. Clouding of consciousness or memory lapses are also possible. The causes are still only partially understood but in some cases brain tumours, infections, inflammations of the brain or metabolic diseases have been implicated.

Epilepsy is not confined to humans and many animals also suffer from it. Together with partners in Oxford and Budapest, Akos Pakozdy and his colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have managed to identify the cause of a certain form of epilepsy in cats, in which the body's own immune system attacks particular proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The symptoms include twitching facial muscles, a fixed stare, chewing motions and heavy dribbling. Based on their clinical experience, the researchers believe that this form of epilepsy is fairly widespread in cats. Interestingly, a highly similar type of epilepsy occurs in humans: an inflammation in the brain, known as limbic encephalitis, leads to epileptic seizures that generally manifest themselves in the arm and the facial muscles on only one side of the body.

Pakozdy and his colleagues have found antibodies in the blood of epileptic cats that react to proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The proteins form the building blocks of ion channels that are involved in the production of nerve signals. The same ion channels are affected in the corresponding human form of epilepsy. They control the membrane's permeability to potassium ions based on the electric potential across the membrane, thereby helping generate the rapid nerve signals of the so-called action potential.

Immunotherapy for cats?

If the immune system attacks components of these ion channels, the production of nerve signals is disrupted. There is an increased release of neurotransmitters, which leads directly to the symptoms of epilepsy. Previous work in another group on human patients has shown that normal anti-epilepsy medication has hardly any effect on this form of epilepsy. However, immunotherapy has proven to be relatively effective. Pakozdy's work now shows that "limbic encephalitis in cats has the same cause as it does in humans, where the origins have been known for years. It is important that cats with epilepsy are diagnosed early, so that the correct form of therapy can be started. We believe this will dramatically increase the chances of a successful treatment. It seems as though epileptic cats might benefit from treatment with immune preparations."

###

The article Suspected Limbic Encephalitis and Seizure in Cats Associated with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC) Complex Antibody by A. Pakozdy, P. Halasz, A. Klang, J. Bauer, M. Leschnik, A. Tichy, J.G. Thalhammer, B. Lang and A. Vincent is published in the current issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2013(27), 212-214).

A summary of the original article is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.12026/abstract

The full text is available for purchase or by subscription.

Press release to a previous article by the research team, in which the symptoms of epilepsy in cats were described: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/de/infoservice/aktuelles/presseinformationen/presseinfo2011/pakozdy-epillepsie-katze/

Scientific contact:
Dr Akos Pakozdy
Clinical Department for Internal Medicine of Small Animals
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 664 60257-6866
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at

Contact:
Klaus Wassermann
Public Relations/Science Communications
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 1 25077-1153
klaus.wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Cats and humans suffer from similar forms of epilepsy [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Dr Akos Pakozdy
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at
43-664-602-576-866
University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna

There is something sinister about epilepsy: the disease affects the very core of our being, our brain. Epileptic attacks can lead to seizures throughout the body or in parts of it. Clouding of consciousness or memory lapses are also possible. The causes are still only partially understood but in some cases brain tumours, infections, inflammations of the brain or metabolic diseases have been implicated.

Epilepsy is not confined to humans and many animals also suffer from it. Together with partners in Oxford and Budapest, Akos Pakozdy and his colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have managed to identify the cause of a certain form of epilepsy in cats, in which the body's own immune system attacks particular proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The symptoms include twitching facial muscles, a fixed stare, chewing motions and heavy dribbling. Based on their clinical experience, the researchers believe that this form of epilepsy is fairly widespread in cats. Interestingly, a highly similar type of epilepsy occurs in humans: an inflammation in the brain, known as limbic encephalitis, leads to epileptic seizures that generally manifest themselves in the arm and the facial muscles on only one side of the body.

Pakozdy and his colleagues have found antibodies in the blood of epileptic cats that react to proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The proteins form the building blocks of ion channels that are involved in the production of nerve signals. The same ion channels are affected in the corresponding human form of epilepsy. They control the membrane's permeability to potassium ions based on the electric potential across the membrane, thereby helping generate the rapid nerve signals of the so-called action potential.

Immunotherapy for cats?

If the immune system attacks components of these ion channels, the production of nerve signals is disrupted. There is an increased release of neurotransmitters, which leads directly to the symptoms of epilepsy. Previous work in another group on human patients has shown that normal anti-epilepsy medication has hardly any effect on this form of epilepsy. However, immunotherapy has proven to be relatively effective. Pakozdy's work now shows that "limbic encephalitis in cats has the same cause as it does in humans, where the origins have been known for years. It is important that cats with epilepsy are diagnosed early, so that the correct form of therapy can be started. We believe this will dramatically increase the chances of a successful treatment. It seems as though epileptic cats might benefit from treatment with immune preparations."

###

The article Suspected Limbic Encephalitis and Seizure in Cats Associated with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC) Complex Antibody by A. Pakozdy, P. Halasz, A. Klang, J. Bauer, M. Leschnik, A. Tichy, J.G. Thalhammer, B. Lang and A. Vincent is published in the current issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2013(27), 212-214).

A summary of the original article is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.12026/abstract

The full text is available for purchase or by subscription.

Press release to a previous article by the research team, in which the symptoms of epilepsy in cats were described: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/de/infoservice/aktuelles/presseinformationen/presseinfo2011/pakozdy-epillepsie-katze/

Scientific contact:
Dr Akos Pakozdy
Clinical Department for Internal Medicine of Small Animals
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 664 60257-6866
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at

Contact:
Klaus Wassermann
Public Relations/Science Communications
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 1 25077-1153
klaus.wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uovm-cah020113.php

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Can Timbuktu stay pacified after Islamist rebels are run out?

With gun caches still to round up and ethnic rivalries to negotiate as thousands of residents return, can Timbuktu avoid spasms of 'vengeance'?

By John Thorne,?Correspondent / February 1, 2013

French soldiers patrol outside Djingareiber mosque after Friday prayers in the center of Timbuktu, Mali, Friday.

Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Enlarge

Captain Yann of the French army?s 6th ?Marine engineer battalion got into his jeep early in the morning, drove to the Djingareiber Mosque inside this city and, with a team of soldiers and other army personnel, started digging for bombs.

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?We?d had information that men had been seen doing digging work around the mosque that seemed suspect,? he said a few hours later at Timbuktu?s airport, where French troops are based. The strange digging apparently would have occurred while Islamist militants still held the city.

Capt. Yann isn?t allowed to give his last name or say whether this morning?s search uncovered anything. But he can disclose that some 200 pounds of hidden explosives have been found in Timbuktu since French and Malian troops rolled in on Monday.

Clearing mines is just one of many task involved in stabilizing north Mali as Islamist militants flee from cities into the desert. Those militants could make a comeback, while the fractured society they leave behind could splinter into reprisals amid a detritus of leftover weapons.

While Timbuktu is largely calm, there have been a few signs of tension. According to Colonel Mamary Camara, deputy commander of Malian troops in Timbuktu, his men have intervened in recent days to stop locals from looting the shops of alleged Islamist sympathizers. In one instance, munitions were found, he said.

?Saying there will be ethnic war would be going too far,? says Col. Mamadou Mangara, Timbuktu?s regional governor, who was visiting the city today to assess its needs. ?But there will be desire for vengeance.? Col. Mangara is a central government appointee.

Timbuktu stands near a bend in the Niger River where scrubby woodland meets the Sahara desert: a low city of sandy streets and mud-brick houses, with the pyramidal form of the Djingareiber Mosque rising in the center. Timbuktu reached its height in the 16th ?century as a crossroads of commerce, culture, and language.

That entrep?t heritage is evident today is Timbuktu?s diversity. There are Arabs who share their dialect with the populations of Mauritania and Western Sahara; the ethnic Tuareg are related to North Africa?s Berbers; and adding to the mix are sub-Saharan peoples such as the Songhay, Peul, and Bambara.

While Tuareg rebellions in recent decades have been cause for tension in northern Mali, Timbuktu has endured. Then, last year, Islamist militants blazed into the picture on the heels of a fresh Tuareg revolt. While preaching a purportedly universalist and ultra-orthodox creed, they may have sown seeds of division among Timbuktu?s ethnic communities by seeming to associate with or favor some groups over others.

?Frankly, many who took up arms against Mali were light-skinned Tuareg and Arabs, although other ethnic groups were involved, especially in Ansar al-Dine and the MUJAO (Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa),? says Mangara, citing two of three groups that overran northern Mali last year.

The particular ethnic mix among rebels may be owing in part to circumstance. Ansar al-Dine, one of two militant groups that ran Timbuktu, began as a mainly Tuareg outfit. The other, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has its roots in largely Arabic-speaking Algeria.?

Still, ?Only a few Arabs went with the Islamists,? says Nden Ould Dahama, an Arab trader in Timbuktu?s Abaradjou district, a heavily Arab neighborhood. ?And of those, many went because they were paid, or because they just weren?t thinking.?

Today Mr. Ould Dahama is among a handful of Arabs who remain in Timbuktu, where he sells food brought north from central Mali, and salt brought south from Saharan mines. Most other Arabs left last year as crisis set in, he says; some went abroad, and some simply melted into the desert.

They are among thousands of displaced who have fled Timbuktu. It?s unclear for now when these residents might return, and what kind of city might await them. Mangara, the governor, says authorities are working to make it a stable, secure one. But it may take a year before Mangara himself is back on a permanent basis, he says.

For now, the most urgent challenge is ensuring security. Some 40 gendarmes arrived today to help keep order. Nothing so far indicates that militants - who fled north last weekend - remain in Timbuktu, says Col. Paul Geze, who has overseen the operation by French and Malian forces to take Timbuktu.

?But that doesn?t mean there isn?t someone hidden within his house, who will decide to carry out his personal jihad,? he says.

With that in mind, Malian troops are conducting a house-to-house search of the the city. So far, they?ve found caches of weapons including assault rifles, RPG?s, and light machine-guns, as well as mines and homemade bombs, according to Col. Camara.

That?s where Capt. Yann and his team come in. His unit has de-mining specialists, soldiers to cordon off roads, and medical officers, and work at the request of Malian authorities, he says. For today?s visit to the Djingareiber Mosque, a Catholic chaplain came along to liaise with the mosque?s imam.

The team has been busy since arriving in Timbuktu four days ago. Capt. Yann?s jeep is crammed with radio equipment, rations, and various other gear. he calls it, ?My house.? ?Their first task was clearing the airport, where the runway was littered with bits of rocket and the control tower booby-trapped with a bomb.

Often they must block streets or cordon off areas. Sometimes locals understand, and sometimes they don?t, Capt. Yann says. ?But all these weapons -- especially if they start circulating -- are a danger to everyone.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/vzg66pXmbtA/Can-Timbuktu-stay-pacified-after-Islamist-rebels-are-run-out

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Video: In the hot seat: the hawks surround Hagel



>>> hawks or buzzards? let's play "hardball."

>>> good evening. i'm chris matthews down in washington. let me start tonight with this. the boiling hatred of the american right poured over today in hearings on chuck hagel 's nomination to be secretary of defense. hatred, pure and simple. from the mouths of john mccain and lynn say graham as they slashed away at war hero hagel . badgering the witness is too nice a description. the haushtion swirled like buzzards sweeping down, pecking and pulling at the skin of a former colleague who dared to say this country's been too ready to enter wars the american people quickly wish we'd never gotten into. what's with this hatred? now centered in the american sunbelt. what do we make of this poll shows two out of three texas republicans now want our president impeached? why the cussedness, why the range war , why the hatred of anyone who dares to stand with obama ? why can't politics be a batter matter of belief and honest disagreement, not hatred? why the sick little intermurals we saw today? we begin with senator jeanne shaheen of new hampshire. i want you to watch this back and forth between john mccain and the witness today, chuck hagel . let's take a look.

>> were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam ? were you correct or incorrect?

>> my --

>> yes or no.

>> my reference --

>> can you answer the question, senator hagel ? the question is were you right or wrong. that's a pretty straightforward question.

>> well --

>> i would like to answer whether you were right or wrong and then you are free to elaborate.

>> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer --

>> well, letted record show you refused to answer this question. now please go ahead.

>> if you would like me to explain why --

>> i actually would like an answer. yes or no.

>> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no. i think it's far more complicated than that, as i have already said. my answer is i'll defer that judgment to history. as to the comment i made about the most dangerous foreign policy decision since vietnam was about not just the surge but the overall war of choice going into iraq .

>> i think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you're on the wrong side of it.

>> senator shaheen, i don't know what to make of that. it looked like badgering the witness. i mean, it was mccain with some vendetta against this guy. it looked personal. and i don't know what it had to do with his qualifications, his abilities, to simply pound away trying to get him to agree on john mccain on something mccain believes in.

>> well, this was the longest hearing for a nominee that i have ever attended in my years here. i think -- i thought senator hagel answered as forthrightly as he could all the tough questions that were in front of him. i would hope we could all be respectful and be willing to give the witness an opportunity to answer when there are serious questions. i was pleased to hear senator hagel . i didn't ask him about the surge in iraq . i wasn't there for that interchange, but i was pleased to have him recommit, as he did when we met privately, his support for maintaining the defense of israel and point out that his voting record has consistently been to support israel . i was pleased to hear him talk about iran and his support for international sanctions and the president's position on iran . so i think he is -- and this hearing is still going on. i think he's been trying to be very forthrite and responsive to all the questions that have been asked by the committee members.

>> it seems like a rear guard action on the vietnam war . a few minutes later in the very hearings i was showing you there, chuck hagel returned to the topic of the surge in iraq and gave a more thoughtful response. it related to his decision making in his time as mccain had time there, too, in vietnam . let's watch.

>> i saw it from the bottom. i saw what happens. i saw the consequences and the suffering and the horror of war. so i did question a surge. it wasn't an aberration to me ever. i always ask the question is this going to be worth the sacrifice because there will be sacrifice. in the surge case in iraq , we lost almost 1,200 dead americans during that surge and thousands of wounded. now, was it required? was it necessary? senator mccain his own opinion on that shared by others. i'm not sure. i'm not that certain that it was required.

>> senator shaheen, we have had so many wars recently, some of them bite-sized but they always involve casualties, vietnam , granada, iraq , iraq again, afghanistan, iran , libya to some extent. now mccain is pushing us to go into syria. some people are hawks pure and simple. every war is good to them. every war is justified from the second it's discussed. all wars that even come up as potential wars are good wars for these characters. why is this a standard for whether you can be a good secretary of defense? that you have a knee-jerk love of war.

>> well, i thought and believe that --

>> didn't you hear that today? i mean mccain seems crazed on this issue like if you're not for every surge, every war that comes along, you're not to be trusted and the other guy said i served in vietnam as a grunt, i know what it's like. i know the grunts are the ones who take it. the big shots take them into war, the big shots talk about climate change two weeks later, they're still in the ditch fighting the war. your thoughts.

>> and i think it will be good to have somebody with senator hagel 's perspective on war, somebody who understands that sometimes we have to go to war because there aren't any other alternatives and we've got to defend our values, but who also understands the horrible consequences of war, and certainly senator hagel does that as the former enlisted man who was -- got two purple hearts in vietnam . he knows what the human fallout is from war, and i think that's a perspective that it's important to have, and, you know, i think it's unfortunate to impugn people's motives.

>> i agree.

>> we look at two sets of circumstances, and we can have very different views on what we should do, but the important thing is when it comes to the bottom line , we all need to work together, and we all need to respect each other's point of views.

>> quickly, what happened to the u.s. senate you and i grew up with, where people actually respected each other? it doesn't have to be a club again, but what about mutual respect? this rat pack attack on people led by the so-called amigos, mccain and lindsey, it looks personal as hell. what did you think on that question? is this personal, this vendetta you're seeing today against chuck hagel ?

>> you know, i don't know if it's personal or not, but i think it is important for us to set a standard for the american people because we need to keep our comments civil. we need to be respectful because that then plays for the rest of the country.

>> like you do, senator. thank you so much. jeanne shaheen of new hampshire. we have more reaction to the hearing now from peter by nart, editor of the daily beast . you're always interesting to watch. here is lindsey graham , one of the amigos you might say, not an amigo of hagel , also grilling the witness. listen to how he went after his past reference to, quote, the jewish lobby . let's watch.

>> name one person in your opinion who is intimidated by the israeli lobby in the united states senate .

>> well, first --

>> name one.

>> i don't know.

>> well, why would you say it?

>> i didn't have in mind a specific person.

>> name one dumb thing we've been goaded into doing because of the pressure from the israeli or jewish lobby .

>> i have already stated that i regret the terminology.

>> what is he trying to do there, peter? i mean, he's trying to bait him it seems to me. i'll answer my own question, into saying something against a fellow senator. first of all, if he were to name a fellow senator that would be the headline tomorrow morning and tonight on the news, it would be mccarthyism. this guy got prodded into voting a way he didn't want to vote because he's worried about some influential people somewhere. what kind -- it was like did you stop beating your wife? it's that kind of question. there's no good answer to that question.

>> you're right, it was entirely gotcha. look, the problem here with hagel is that he came into a gun fight with a water pistol. these guys, as you said, were going after him. they had made up their decision, and instead of hagel actually defending the arguments that he's made saying, yes, we should have a military action against iran on the table but we should be very open about how dangerous military action would be. yes, we support israel . yes, we want to give it military aid , but we also think that some of its policies in the settlements are bad for israel and the united states . he didn't really depend those policies.

>> i think that's what they wanted him to do. i think lindsey graham was trying to get him to sake some shots at israel . the minute did he -- you're good at analyzing the news, how the headlines will run, then the headline will be nominee attacks israel .

>> that's right.

>> and the pro israeli press or analysts will say there he goes again taking a shot at netanyahu or somebody over there and lindsey gets what he wants. maybe i'm being machiavellian here.

>> no, i think that's exactly right. but i think barack obama chose chuck hagel because he doesn't agree with lindsey graham and benjamin netanyahu on everything. most of his real security establishment doesn't agree that what netanyahu is doing --

>> most of the israeli security establishment doesn't agree --

>> not at all. and hagel has a good case that he could have made there.

>> he didn't do it. so what do you think? was it obama 's first debate? just a bad night or was it a rope-a-dope meaning he said i'd rather take the punches today, i'll still get a 14-10 vote out of that committee but if i were to attack back, it's almost like ted kennedy in the old days when he was attacked by an opponent. he decided if i attack back i'm in the mess with them. if i don't attack back, i'll be okay.

>> i think it was a mistake. it was like obama 's first debate. it's like let's not try to lose this ping. i don't think that works in sports. i don't think it works in poll picks tp.

>> prevent defense wasn't the answer here.

>> that's right. hagel has a good case for why he believes -- for goodness sake, the last ten years of american foreign policy , these disastrous wars reaffirm hagel 's basic instincts about the danger of taking america into war casually. he should have made that case. that's why obama chose him.

>> do you think he has an articulation problem? is this endemic? he's going to have to stick up to a lot of people in the world, fight with generals. do you think he just doesn't have it or do you think he didn't have the strategy for today? all day today?

>> i think whoever was counseling him did not say to him, you go out there and say what you believe because that's why we want you. they went and they said you basically try to show there's no difference between you and john mccain . there is a difference and that's why he should be secretary of defense.

>> just remember, watch the tape. mccain never gave him a chance to explain himself.

>> absolutely.

>> lindsey graham , his amigo, never gave him a chance. they sat badgering that guy to answer their yes or no questions for their own personal gratification. anyway, peter, you're the greatest analyst i have ever heard of. thank you. just kidding. i love it because i can't predict you, buddy. i think you're very honest.

>> thank you.

>> coming up, gun fight . what did we learn at yesterday's gun hearings? that the pro- gun lobby tries to have nonsense to oppose background checks. take wayne lapierre 's assertion. we shouldn't have any laws at all because criminals will break them. that's why we have the laws because they're bad things they shouldn't be doing. this is "hardball," the place for

>>>

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50657835/

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Friday, February 1, 2013

Fighting #VoIP #fraud Part 2: false #Ukash transactions with ...

Dear customers,

!! WARNING !!

Take a look at the false Ukash transaction below. We receive MANY of these incorrect transactions from a person named ?Gera Borok? (registered on our system from Germany) using email address: gbodok1 . Most possibly both name + email address are false. A Google search leads back to some Russian sites.

What they do is this (mail from the Ukash Fraud Prevention Team):

#### Beginning of mail from Ukash ####

Thanks for your email

These type of transactions are indicative of the way criminals try and break the audit trail and are usually associated with money laundering. The criminals would try and redeem transactions for small amounts with a merchant ( usually less than ?1) in an attempt to get a change voucher. They believe this action would hide the audit trail so that the new change vouchers is not connected to the original fraud. The minimum spend of ? 12.50 which you have in place should protect you from these types of transactions.

Under no circumstances should you accept these redemptions. The accounts into which the small transactions amounts were going to be loaded should be classified as suspicious and should be investigated as well. It is possible that these account holders are connected to a to money laundering scheme. If you have any information on the these account holder, it would be very useful if you can pass this information to our investigators. Information such as verified name and address will be very helpful in preventing this from re-occurring

#### End of mail from Ukash ####

Now here is such a ?false transaction?: (we do NOT sell SIP amounts of 10 or 50 cents at all!)

? So be careful and always check the Ukash transaction thoroughly before you top up or deliver goods / services to your customers!

If you have more information that you which to share with us, feel free to comment.

Thank you!

Team XeloQ IQ-Telephony

?

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Source: http://xeloq.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/fighting-voip-fraud-part-2-false-ukash-transactions-with-incorrect-sip-prepaid-amounts-do-not-deliver-your-services/

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Metro PCS gets the LG Spirit 4G

Metro PCS LG Spirit

Metro PCS has announced it'll carry the LG Spirit, a 4.5-inch Android 4.0 smartphone with 4G LTE data. It's powered by a dual core processor running at 1.2GHz, has a 2150 mAh battery and sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3MP shooter up front. The Spirit is available online and in stores today for $199 (after a $70 mail-in rebate). Metro PCS' no-contract plans start at $40 a month.

More: Metro PCS



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/CTtHMlfeTvE/story01.htm

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