Monday, December 31, 2012

Hawkeye iPhone 4 & 4s Case

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Source: http://sharpshirter.3dcartstores.com/Hawkeye-iPhone-4-4s-Case_p_219.html

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Using Twitter hurts athletes' performance, says Lord Coe as he attacks Olympic failures

  • Lord Coe said he found a 'high correlation' between tweeting and underperformance
  • Thinly veiled attack against Olympic diver and keen tweeter Tom Daley

By Hannah Roberts

|

Lord Coe has attacked sports stars who use Twitter too much, saying it is linked to ?underperformance?.

The Olympics organiser, who has been made a Companion of Honour in the New Year honours list, said he found it ?bizarre? that athletes spent their time writing banal comments online during competitions instead of concentrating on winning medals.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the Olympic gold medallist said: ?I?ve always found quite a high correlation between people who spend their time in competition texting and tweeting and underperformance.

Correlation between tweet and fail: Lord Coe said that althletes who spent time on their phones underperformed during the games

Correlation between tweet and fail: Lord Coe said that athletes who spent time on their phones underperformed during the games

Distracted? Divers Tom Daley and Tonia Couch enjoying a meal in the Olympic Village in one of the photos posted online during the games

Distracted? Divers Tom Daley and Tonia Couch enjoying a meal in the Olympic Village in one of the photos posted online during the games

?I just can?t imagine why you would want to be doing that when at the most important moment in your career you?re thinking about telling the world you?ve just had a haircut or seen a movie.?

While he did not refer to anyone, his? comments may ring in the ears of British? stars whose promise did not quite live up to? the hype.

?

Diver Tom Daley was expected to reach the gold standard. But the 18-year-old, who has more than two million followers on Twitter, took home only a bronze medal.

At the height of the Games, Daley was tweeting up to nine times a day.

As well as posting pictures of the Olympic Village, he chatted to celebrities such as Cheryl Cole and Mollie King, of pop group The Saturdays, and even attempted to drum up a TV appearance on comedy quiz show Keith Lemon?s Celebrity Juice.

Keen tweeter: Tom Daley, who posted this picture of himself to two million followers on Twitter, 'only' won a bronze despite being expected to reach a gold

Keen tweeter: Tom Daley, who posted this picture of himself to two million followers on Twitter, 'only' won a bronze despite being expected to reach a gold

Criticised: Lord Coe said Olympians should stay off their phones during competitions - Tom Daley clearly does not agree

Criticised: Lord Coe said Olympians should stay off their phones during competitions - Tom Daley clearly does not agree

Not deserving of time off? A picture from Tom Daley's Twitter of himself and fellow athletes relaxing in the Olympic village

Not deserving of time off? A picture from Tom Daley's Twitter of himself and fellow athletes relaxing in the Olympic village

On his two competition days in the individual event, August 10 and 11, Daley posted on Twitter at? least 18 times.

One message read: ?Competing in the individual prelims tonight at 7pm :) aaaaaaahhhh!!!!?

A later one read: ?Nap time before the finals! China seem unstoppable at the moment! But anything can happen! See you on the other side!? His spokesman did not return calls last night.

Before the Games, swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who won two gold medals at Beijing, swore off the internet after cruel taunts about her appearance.

But it didn?t last long and she tweeted several times during her swimming final on July 29.

Pre-contest post: Tom Daley sent this tweet on the evening before the finals

Pre-contest post: Tom Daley sent this tweet on the evening before the finals

Team Twitter: Tom Daley, seen being photographed by his teammates during a training session at the Aquatics Center during the games, tweeted up to nine times a day

Team Twitter: Tom Daley, seen being photographed by his teammates during a training session at the Aquatics Center during the games, tweeted up to nine times a day

Miss Adlington, who has more than 300,000 Twitter followers, posted: ?Just sneaked into tonights final in 8th place!

?Not expecting anything tonight, all I can do is my best :-) thank you for all the support x?

Later she wrote: ?Ahhhhhhhh bronze medal!!! Can?t believe it! SOOO happy it?s unreal! The? crowd was incredible! THANK YOU to everyone, your support? is amazing!?

Her spokesman declined to comment last night.

Thanking supporters: Rebecca Adlington tweets after her bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics

Thanking supporters: Rebecca Adlington tweets after her bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics

By comparison, Jessica Ennis, who stayed off Twitter during the? fortnight of the Games because she did not want the distraction, took home gold in the heptathlon.

Lord Coe, who received a life peerage in 2000 for his services to sport, said that during his career he was so focused he did not even notice the people around him.

He added: ?I?ve walked past? my parents. I?ve walked past? close friends an hour before a? race and not even recognised them or registered.

?So I just find it bizarre that people can be sitting there, figuring out in 140 characters what they would say to the world at that moment. Just go out and win the bloody race.?

During the Games, a number of athletes were criticised for using Twitter to promote their sponsors? products. Diver Tonia Couch wrote about her new car, while synchronised swimmer Jenna Randall tweeted almost daily about her five main sponsors.

?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255132/Using-Twitter-hurts-athletes-performance-says-Lord-Coe-attacks-Olympic-failures.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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David Gregory's Interview With Obama - Business Insider

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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/david-gregorys-interview-with-obama-2012-12

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Storms on US Plains stir memories of the 'Dust Bowl'

Staff / Reuters

A sprinkler is used near Dodge City, Kansas, in this Nov. 26 photo. Residents of the Great Plains over the last year or so have experienced storms reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Experts say the new storms have been brought on by a combination of historic drought, a dwindling Ogallala Aquifer underground water supply, climate change and government farm programs.

By Reuters

LIBERAL, Kan. - Real estate agent Mark Faulkner recalls a day in early November when he was putting up a sign near Ulysses, Kansas, in 60-miles-per-hour winds that blew up blinding dust clouds.?

"There were places you could not see, it was blowing so hard," Faulkner said.?

Residents of the Great Plains over the last year or so have experienced storms reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Experts say the new storms have been brought on by a combination of historic drought, a dwindling Ogallala Aquifer underground water supply, climate change and government farm programs.?


Nearly 62 percent of the United States was gripped by drought, as of Dec. 25, and "exceptional" drought enveloped parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.?

There is no relief in sight for the Great Plains at least through the winter, according to Drought Monitor forecasts, which could portend more dust clouds.?

A wave of dust storms during the 1930s crippled agriculture over a vast area of the Great Plains and led to an exodus of people, many to California, dramatized in John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath."?

Drought worsens in High Plains; winter outlook grim

While few people believe it could get that bad again, the new storms have some experts worried that similar conditions -- if not the catastrophic environmental disaster of the 1930s -- are returning to parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado.?

"I hope we don't talk ourselves into complacency with easy assumptions that a Dust Bowl could never happen again," said Craig Cox, agriculture director for the Environmental Working Group, a national conservation group that supports converting more tilled soil to grassland. "Instead, we should do what it takes to make sure it doesn't happen again."?

Handout / Reuters

Webcam views show South Loop 289 before and during a dust storm in Lubbock, Texas, in these National Weather Service handout images dated December 19.

Satellite images on Dec. 19 showed a dust storm stretching over an area of 150 miles from extreme southwestern Oklahoma across the Panhandle of Texas around Lubbock to extreme eastern New Mexico, said Jody James, National Weather Service meteorologist in Lubbock. Visibility was reduced to half a mile in places, stoked by high winds, he said. At least one person was killed and more than a dozen injured in car crashes.?

"I definitely think these dust storms will become more common until we get more measurable precipitation," James said.?

'Dirty 30s'?
The Great Plains is a flat, semi-arid, area with few trees, where vast herds of buffalo once thrived on native grasses. Settlers plowed up most of the grassland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to create the wheat-growing breadbasket of the United States, encouraged by high commodity prices and free "homestead" land from the government.?

The era known as the "Dirty 30s" -- chronicled by Ken Burns in a Public Broadcasting Service documentary that aired in November -- as when a 1930s drought gripped the Great Plains and winds carried away exposed soil in massive dust clouds.?

More stories in Environment

Bill Fitzgerald, 87, a farmer near Sublette, Kansas, remembers "Black Sunday" on April 14, 1935, when a clear, sunny day in southwest Kansas turned black as night by mid afternoon because of a massive cloud of dust that swept from Nebraska to the Texas panhandle.?

"My older brother and I were in my dad's 1927 or '28 Chevy truck a mile north and a mile west of the house and we saw it rolling in," Fitzgerald said. "It was about 10 p.m. when it cleared enough for us to go home."?

Farming practices have vastly improved since the 1930s. Farmers now leave plant remnants on the top of the soil and less soil is exposed, to preserve moisture and prevent erosion.?

The governor of Missouri has enacted an emergency measure to drill new wells in areas where water is scarce, providing much-needed relief for the state's farmers and ranchers. NBC's Thanh Truong reports.

Irrigation beginning in the 1940s from the Ogallala aquifer, a huge network of water under the Great Plains, also made land less vulnerable to dust storms.?

Drying?
But the Ogallala aquifer is drying up after years of drawing out more water than was replenished.?

Many farmers have had to drill deeper wells to find water. Others are giving up on irrigation altogether, which means they can no longer grow crops of high-yielding and lucrative corn. They will instead grow wheat, cotton or grain sorghum on dry land, which depends completely on natural precipitation in an area that typically gets 20 inches of rain a year or less.?

Near Sublette, Kansas, farmer Gail Wright said he would probably give up irrigating two square miles of his land and would plant wheat and grain sorghum instead of corn because of the diminishing aquifer. Drilling deeper wells would cost $120,000 each, Wright said.?

/

Drought conditions plague much of the United States after a summer of scorching temperatures and a lack of rain. The dryness is affecting America's farmland, threatening crops like soybean and corn.

"When we drilled those wells in the 1960s and 70s, we were doing 1,500 or 1,600 gallons per minute," said Wright. "Now, they are down to anywhere from 400 to 600 gallons per minute. We probably pumped out 200 feet of water."?

Another farmer in Sublette, 79-year-old Lawrence Withers, whose family farms land his grandfather settled in 1887, is resigned to a future without irrigation.?

"We have pumped 170 feet off the aquifer, that's gone. There's just a little tick of water at the bottom," he said.?

The Ogallala supplies water to 176,000 square miles of land in parts of eight states from the Texas panhandle to southern South Dakota. That amounts to about 27 percent of all irrigated land in the nation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.?

60 percent of lower 48 states now in drought

The volume of water in the aquifer stood at about 2.9 billion acre feet in 2009, a decline of about 9 percent since 1950, according to the Geological Survey. About two-and-a-half times as much water was drawn out in the 14 years ended 2009 as during the prior 15-year period, data shows.?

The water may run out in 25 years or less in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and southwest Kansas, although in other areas it has 50 to 200 years left, according to the Geological Survey.?

Rationing has been imposed on irrigation in the region but it may be too little too late.?

"It's a situation where across the Plains the demand far exceeds the annual recharge," said Mark Rude, executive director of the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District.?

Record drought?
The worst drought in decades has exacerbated the situation. The semi-arid area around Lubbock, which typically gets about 19 inches of rain a year, received less than 6 inches in 2011, the lowest ever recorded. This year was better but still far below normal at 12.5 inches, meteorologist James said.?

Climate change is also having an impact on the region, said atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe, co-director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.?

Grain prices soar as drought impact deepens

"It is definitely hotter in the summer and drier in the summer because of climate change," she said.?

The average annual temperature in Lubbock has increased by one full degree over the last decade, according to National Weather Service data, and the average amount of rainfall has fallen during summer months by about .50 inch over the decade.?

Some say government policies are making things worse.?

Federal government subsidized crop insurance pays farmers whether they produce a crop or not, encouraging farmers to plant even in a drought year.?

Another subsidized U.S. government program that pays farmers to take sensitive marginal land out of crop production and put it into grassland is gradually shrinking.?

A look at the latest market moves from the trading floor, including the trade on corn prices, with Phillip Streible, RJO Futures.

In a possible case of history repeating itself, high commodity prices are encouraging farmers to break up the land and plant crops when the 10-year conservation contracts with the government expire, said environmentalist Cox. This is similar to what happened in the 1920s when vast areas of grassland were plowed up.?

The government also has imposed restrictions on how much land can go into conservation reserves to save money at a time of massive U.S. budget deficits, he said.?

The amount of land in conservation reserves has declined by more than 2.3 million acres over the last five years in five states of the Great Plains -- Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data.?

If most of that land is plowed up for crops it could lead to more dust storms in the future.?

"I think you are probably going to see increased erosion if that happens," said Richard Zartman, Chairman of the Plant and Soil Science Department at Texas Tech, adding that it was unlikely to get as bad as the Dust Bowl days.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/30/16248220-storms-on-us-plains-stir-memories-of-the-dust-bowl?lite

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

The 15 Most Surreal Moments From 2012's Sports-Related Next Media Animation Videos

Next Media Animation, the Taiwanese animation company that produces short cartoons recapping the news of the day, has its best muse in sports, where the lines between good and evil lend themselves to pictures of angry video game characters, and events are just cartoonish enough to spark the overactive NMA imagination. It's a vision of what sportswriting once was: loose with the facts, endlessly biased, and happy to caricature villians and add fantastical unlikelihoods to its summaries. There's also the fact that some of the jokes are clearly lost in translation, CGI characters doing anything looks weird, and the good people at NMA are obviously a little insane. Nonetheless, this is more or less the way the year went down.

This year, NMA incorporated photoshops from Deadspin commenters into its recap of Pacquiao-Marquez?you guys are famous!?and with that overlap in mind, it seemed there were few better ways to relive the year in sports than taking a look back at the strangest moments?out of many, many options?from their summaries. Take it away, God playing with Tom Brady and Eli Manning action figures to decide Super Bowl XLVI, from "Super Bowl 2012: Manning clutch as Giants beats Patriots 21-17," and click through for more of the delightfully surreal NMA weirdness that will eventual end up replacing the actual events in our memories.

Source: http://deadspin.com/5971921/the-15-most-surreal-moments-from-2012s-sports+related-next-media-animation-videos/gallery/

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Energy Part II: EROEI | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

Energy Part II: EROEI thumbnail

In the first part of this two part series we discussed how the sheer amount of energy coupled by its cheap cost enabled society to increase the amount of work that could be produced at a much reduced cost. It was this cheap energy subsidy that made the process of arbitrage between human labour and fossil powered capital very profitable as the price difference between hiring labour ?energy? and capital ?energy? was so vast.

This huge energy subsidy not only provided great wealth to the ruling classes who owned the factories and other capital infrastructure it also enabled the workers to become more materially wealthy as the cost of producing items was reduced drastically. This happened because all work requires energy to transform a basic resource into a commodity that is of economic value. If the energy cost is reduced and the supply of energy is greatly increased then the amount of work that can be achieved by a society will greatly expand and thus the items produced well sell at lower price due to the principles of supply of demand. What is important when discussing these matters of energy availability and will become increasingly important going forward is the concept of net energy. To understand this concept it would be wise to understand the laws of thermodynamics, more precisely the first law of thermodynamics. This law was originally described as:

?In all cases in which work is produced by the agency of heat, a quantity of heat is consumed which is proportional to the work done; and conversely, by the expenditure of an equal quantity of work an equal quantity of heat is produced.? ? Rudolf Clausius, 1850[1]

For the mathematically inclined the following

formula captures the law of conservation as

any heat input will equal the work done.

?

dU = dQ ? dW[2]

where U =Internal energy of system, Q = Heat input,

?W = work done

To many this statement may seem a little unwieldy and rather abstract but it basically describes the concept that energy cannot be created or destroyed and all energy transactions are merely conversions of one form of energy source to another. This idea is an important one to grasp since we can never actually generate energy; we merely extract it from existing sources.

This statement may seem rather obvious but since terms such as energy production and energy generation are so widespread it is easy to forget this fact. If we were to take such statements as energy production on a literal level they would be a clear violation of the first law of thermodynamics. Perhaps it can be argued this is just an argument over semantics and most people will know you cannot actually create energy but let us not underestimate the power of language and how it can shape conversations and narratives; over time people will believe such statements at face value as true even if they are patently false. This is especially relevant today when we hear so much talk about the US becoming not only energy independence but also becoming the top energy producer in the world.

But I digress, the main thing to take home is no form of energy extraction, be it from coal, nuclear fission (fusion for the optimists) and wind or solar actually generates energy. It just utilises existing energy sources. In the above examples energy is extracted either through nuclear fission/fusion reactions, potential chemical energy in coal/oil/gas or wind and solar energy. Another concept that will come from this basic idea and one that perhaps even more relevant is that it takes energy to get energy. This concept while important is something that rarely (if ever) gets discussed in the mainstream media. Much of the talk about oil, coal or gas ?production? only refers to the amount of total energy that can be obtained from burning or utilising a given resource. This amount is merely the gross energy obtained from the ground. If we wish to determine the amount of useful energy available for greater society however we need to subtract the amount of energy used to obtain the resource in the first place. This is because it is only this energy that gets to be used by society for other economy activities. Thus for us to work out net energy we subtract the gross energy by the energy needed to extract the resource as described in the formula.

Gross energy = Total amount of energy obtained from energy source.*

Net energy = Gross energy ? Energy required to obtain energy source.

* = Energy maybe expressed in other ways such as barrels of oil or million short tons of coal.

As a note net energy should not be confused with the similar but different term EROEI (Energy Return On Energy Invested) which describes the potential energy return from an energy source. The terms maybe used interchangeably by other commentators in the blogosphere but it would be a mistake to think they are the same thing. The way to calculate EROEI is quite different as demonstrated below:

EROEI =Gross energy / Energy required to obtain energy source.

or

EROEI = (Net energy/ Energy required to obtain energy source.) + 1

NOTE: Net energy is the energy available to society and thus something greater society would be interested in whereas EROEI is more of a potential concern for the person who wishes to see a return on their investment.

Since it is only net energy that gets used by the greater economy it is this value that we should be interested in knowing about rather than the gross amount. For example it is quite possible for our total gross energy to increase while our total net energy is actually in decline. If this were to happen we could easily see a scenario where we are getting materially poorer even though our total energy output is increasing. This process of increasing gross energy but declining net energy comes about due to the principle of low hanging fruit. That is the easiest and most favourable economic sources of energy ? which yield the highest net energy ? are extracted first and as those resources are depleted we move onto progressively worse and worse sources. It is this fact that the decline in net energy will be much steeper than gross energy decline.

This trend of declining net energy has likely already past as the newest sources of energy, a lot of which is touted as the energy source that will give the US energy independence actually yield poor amounts of new net energy. This is despite the fact this new energy sources (shale oil/gas) increase the amount of gross energy expended by the economy quite substantially. As a result from an economic standpoint these new sources of energy will deliver less economic benefit to society than would otherwise be believed as the extra net energy available will be more limited. It this reason why we should exercise caution when listening to claims that these sources of energy can offer a panacea to our economic troubles. In fact when hearing such claims it is useful to know the energy returns on energy for various sources as while this is not net energy which is ultimately the most important metric to gauge the EROEI can still provide an insight on how useful these sources will be:

As the graph clearly demonstrates; early sources of energy yielded a very high return of energy on energy invested. These high returns came about because early sources of energy such as shallow coal mines did not need much capital investment to extract the resource furthermore once these resources were obtained they would yield high quality energy such as light sweet oil or in the case of coal high quality anthracite. It is this reason in fact why net energy or EROEI has largely been ignored as historically gross energy for all intents and purposes equalled net energy.

In recent years however this has not been the case and the difference between gross and net energy is sufficiently large to warrant greater attention. Moreover another troubling fact to take note is that once EROEI reaches about 10:1 or lower the graph goes into steep decline. This steep decline means the available net energy that can be used by society will begin dropping at an alarming rate if current trends of extracting lower quality energy sources continue. If we take a recent major discovery of shale oil we discover the EROEI for this resource is 5.[3] In net energy terms this represents 20% of the total gross energy being used to extract the energy source. So from this information we can say that if all existing resources of energy were replaced by sources that were to yield returns equivalent to shale oil then our total net energy available to society would decline by 20%. This assumes there are no efficiency gains in how we utilised this energy and total gross energy remained constant. If that is the case then this would effectively mean we are 20% poorer as less energy would be available for economic transactions.

Off course what is more likely to happen is the EROEI and thus net energy will decline even faster than suggested in the previous paragraph as worse and worse sources of energy come online to replace existing high EROEI resources. As a result we are likely to see a steep decline in net energy available to society and we can say with some certainty that this decline in net energy will be faster than the rate of efficiency gains which has been around 1.7-3.0% per annum since the 1970s.[4] [5]

What is more due to the rebound effect (see this article for more info) it is likely that any efficiency gains made will need to exceed declines in available net energy by a few percentage points each year if we want sustain economic growth (which is a requirement for the financial system to remain stable). This all seems unlikely particularly if we consider that energy efficiency and conservation strategies will see diminishing rates of return as it becomes harder to increase energy efficiency after each progressing year. After all no economic activity can ever achieve 100% efficiency. Speaking of 100% efficiency this leads on nicely to the second law of thermodynamics which states:

?That the entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium ? the state of maximum entropy.?

Like the first law, this sentence describing the second law can seem a little unwieldy. In fact it is best to breakup this statement into two sentences as the quotation above addresses two very relevant points the first of which is displayed below:

?No process is possible in which the sole result is the absorption of heat from a reservoir and its complete conversion into work.? ? William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, 1851[6]

In other words no energy transaction can ever be 100% efficient meaning some energy will always be lost when converting energy into some form of work. This point while blatantly obvious is often overlooked in the contexts of economics and broader society. It is this reason why there will always be a limit to amount of economic growth that can be realised as the planet has a finite number of resources and there are limits to the amount of efficiency that can be achieved. Another major consequence that does derive from the second law of thermodynamics comes from this statement:

?Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without some other change, connected therewith, occurring at the same time.? ? Rudolf Clausius, 1850[7]

While at first glance, the concept of heat transfers may seem a little out there this statement does pertain to one important idea. That is over time all bodies and structures go from a process of order to disorder. For those that are really curious about this process and wish to learn more about the exact mechanics of this process please look up entropy. If this idea still seems a bit out there consider the fact that all structures, be it capital or labour, degrade over time and require maintenance to allow proper functioning. This maintenance always requires energy and thus some resources will always be needed to maintain current capital or labour.

?

?

The entropy of a system can be calculated by applying the following formula:

dS = dQ / T[6]

where S = entropy, Q = Heat input, T = Temperature of system.

If we use the formula from the first law of thermodynamics and

rearrange the formula

shown above this statement can be derived:

dU + dW = TdS

?*4 basic thermodynamic relationships develop out of this math

?

Internal Energy dU=TdS-PdV+??dN

Enthalpy (Heat) dH=TdS+Vdp+??dN

Hemholtz Free Energy dF=-TdS-pdV+??dN

Gibbs Free Energy dG=-TdS+Vdp+??dN

?

If you do a little basic algebra, you get

dG=dH-TdS

This equation gives the Free Energy available in a system as a function of the

Heat Content, the Temperature and the Entropy in the system. Only reactions

with positive dG can go forward without Heat Input.

*from RE

In the case of labour humans need food to stay alive and remain functioning while capital requires some energy inputs to prevent it from degrading and evening breaking down over time. What is more the greater the complexity of a structure the more energy will be required for maintenance. This is because a more complex structure has a greater degree of order and since things naturally go from a state of order to disorder then more energy will be needed to prevent overcome this natural process.

This is another weakness with applying the logic that technology will save the day as increasing the complexity of technology not only increases the existing maintenance cost due to the second laws of thermodynamics; the cost of producing such items increases as more energy per unit weight are needed in the manufacture of the product. To demonstrate this example a car requires something in the region of 12-25 barrels of oil to build a car depending on the weight of the car but a computer ? on a weight by weight basis ? requires 10 times the amount of energy to manufacture.[9] A similar cost will be borne in maintaining these two pieces of capital. While in theory there can be energy savings on a production basis as less energy will be consumed despite the increased weight for weight costs (we do not need 1000kg+ worth of computers after all) what will increase significantly are maintenance costs of more complex infrastructure. To give a better idea of this concept at work consider healthcare. As the capital becomes increasingly complex capital then the maintenance costs will rise for the reasons described above.

To summarise this article and the one before it; when we wish to engage in a discussion on energy we need to be aware of range of things. First we need to understand the sheer amount of energy fossil fuels provide. It is truly immense and is a miracle resource and there needs to be a greater appreciation just how much energy they can deliver. From this we can truly grasp the scale of the task an energy transition (if it is even possible) will be. It is seems unlikely to me any combination of renewable or nuclear energy can fill the gap left by fossil fuels. That is not to say renewables cannot make life easier, they do have their uses but we would be setting our expectations too high if we expect them to maintain our current industrial lifestyles.

The other important points that need to be considered is the point we should be interested in not only the quantity of energy delivered but also the quality of energy. At the end of the day it is net energy or EROEI we are really interested in as it is this energy that gets used for greater society. Finally we need to be aware that due to the increasingly complexity of society our maintenance costs will rise due to the second law of thermodynamics so these costs need to be accounted for.

Doomstead Diner


Source: http://peakoil.com/generalideas/energy-part-ii-eroei/

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

?change? using hypnosis and NLP - Self Help Hypnosis

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Source: http://selfhelphypnosis.co.uk/wayne-donnelly-explains-change-using-hypnosis-and-nlp

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Clippers roll past Celtics 106-77

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Clippers came roaring out of the opening tip and kept on going to their 15th consecutive victory.

Boosted by an early 24-9 lead their starters provided, Los Angeles beat Boston 106-77 on Thursday night to become the first team to win that many in a row since the Celtics four years ago.

Matt Barnes tied his season high with 21 points off the bench, fellow reserve Jamal Crawford added 17 points and Chris Paul had 11 assists as the Clippers scored their sixth straight blowout victory. They haven't had a close win during the streak since Nov. 28, when they beat Minnesota by six points.

"Shows we have a lot of depth. I've probably sat out more fourth quarters this season than any of my previous seven seasons," Paul said. "It's a really good feeling now, a good vibe because everyone is enjoying it."

Blake Griffin had 15 points, Caron Butler added 14 and Lamar Odom 13 rebounds to help the Clippers improve the NBA's best record to 23-6.

"Some people may be impressed by the record, but we can't be," Paul said. "We're not measured by our regular-season wins."

Griffin agreed, saying, "We want to be winning in April, May and June."

Kevin Garnett scored 16 points for Boston, which committed 18 turnovers and never led in dropping to .500 at 14-14 with its fifth loss in seven games. Paul Pierce and Jeff Green added 12 points each to go with 10 apiece from Jason Terry and Rajon Rondo.

Boston's winning streak extended to 19 games in 2008-09.

"Every individual on our team wanted to beat them and every individual tried to do it by themselves instead of just playing our game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

It was the Clippers' largest-ever win against Boston, coming six years to the day of their previous largest, a 100-77 win on Dec. 27, 2006.

"I thought we came out with too much respect. We wanted to back off some of their bigs and Blake hit some shots that he doesn't usually hit," Garnett said. "They came out with a lot of confidence and they packed the paint and that is the reason why have won 15 in a row. They had us on our heels all night."

Barnes had the Clippers' first five points in a 9-0 run that opened the fourth quarter and boosted their lead to 90-67. Willie Green briefly played; otherwise the Clippers' other starters rested to close out the game.

The Celtics were held to 10 points in the final 12 minutes.

"We just want to continue to build good habits," Barnes said. "We jumped on them early and didn't let them have any breathing room."

The Clippers' starters and their bench played to a draw, scoring 53 points each one game after the reserves outscored the starters in a win over Denver on Christmas.

"It still feels like we can get better," said Ronny Turiaf, who had four points and five rebounds. "We're just having fun. We're in the now. We're just trying to ride the wave."

Garnett had six points in the third when the Celtics were narrowly outscored 22-20, but still trailed 82-67. The Clippers' 9-0 run pushed their lead to 21 points before Boston went on a 10-4 run, including 3-pointers by Courtney Lee and Rondo to end the quarter.

The game got chippy at times. In the third, Jared Sullinger was called for a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing the front of Griffin on his way up to dunk. Then Butler and Pierce emerged from a big mass both holding onto the ball, leading to a jump ball. In the first, Rondo was lying on the ball and Paul tried to take it out from under him on the sideline, leading to a testy moment.

The Celtics cut their deficit to four points early in the second quarter ? the closest they came after the opening quarter ? with consecutive 3-pointers by Terry and Lee before the Clippers' second unit rebuilt the double-digit lead the starters had created. Crawford scored 13 points for Los Angeles, highlighted by a fast-break floater and a rainbow 3. He scored the final four points to keep the Clippers ahead 60-47 heading into halftime.

NOTES: The Clippers are assured of finishing December as their best month ever with two games remaining, including the second half of a back-to-back at Utah. They've already surpassed the franchise record for most wins in a month, bettering the old mark of 12 shared by the 1974-75 Buffalo Braves and the 1991-92 Clippers (which included Celtics coach Doc Rivers). ... Boston fell to 5-9 on the road. ... The Clippers' last loss was on Nov. 26 at home against New Orleans. ... Justin Bieber (who had Paul's young son sitting on his lap), Billy Crystal and Olympic 200 sprint champion Allyson Felix were among the Clippers' 67th consecutive sellout crowd.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clippers-roll-past-celtics-106-77-062716724--spt.html

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U.S. suspends embassy operations in rebel-hit Central African Republic

For a moment there, we almost believed it: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's radical solution for the ongoing fiscal cliff nightmare, and maybe politics entirely, was going to work. Scrawling a vaguely political message on paper cups containing overpriced coffee would deliver us from partisan politics, from disagreement itself. We were going to Come Together? while consuming a Trenta vanilla soy half-caf latte?with extra chocolate drizzle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-suspends-embassy-operations-rebel-hit-central-african-013604999.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Whale dies after getting stranded on NYC beach

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News

NEW YORK -- An emaciated 60-foot finback whale that washed up on a coastal community devastated by Superstorm Sandy has died, marine officials said Thursday.

The whale was found beached Wednesday in Breezy Point, Queens, where 126 homes burned down and more than 2,000 were damaged during the Oct. 29 storm. It was carried out at high tide but washed ashore another time on Thursday, and marine officials said they found it dead, according to media reports.

?Biologists have confirmed that the whale has died,? Mendy Garron, a marine mammal rescue specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Reuters. ?Plans are currently being developed for necropsy and disposal of the carcass."


PhotoBlog: Finback whale beached at Breezy Point

Finback whales are an endangered species. They are second in size only to the blue whale, and can reach up to 70 feet in length and weigh up to 70 tons. The whales migrate to equatorial waters in the fall and during winter, they mostly fast, surviving on their fat reserves. Winter is also when they mate, and calves are born one year later, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

It is one of the fastest large whales and can stay underwater for up to 50 minutes on one breath.

Tim Dufficy, 26, a member of the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department, said the firehouse was contacted by security in the private cooperative about the animal. He and a few other volunteers took some new equipment, such as a portable pump and a special hose, that they'd gotten in the aftermath of the storm to keep water flowing on the whale during low tide since it was mostly out of the water.

"Everyone was hoping," he told NBC News. "But ... we knew the prospects were grim."

The whale did respond to the firefighters efforts, opening its eyes and moving its tails and side fins, he said. The fire crew eventually left the animal in the care of marine biologists. When Dufficy went to check back on the whale on Thursday, it had drifted seven blocks down the beach.

Rob DiGiovanni, executive director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation told NBCNewYork.com?on Wednesday that the whale was ?severely emaciated? and that the outcome did not look good.

Calls placed Thursday seeking comment to the foundation and NOAA were not immediately returned.

The whale was found on the bay side of the community, which is tucked in by the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay. With most homes rendered uninhabitable by the storm, many residents have had to move away and make daily trips to continue repairs.

Sharks, dolphins and a large sea turtle have also turned up on the beaches of Breezy Point, which was founded more than a century ago by Irish immigrants. It's not clear how many survived, said Dufficy, though he knew the sea turtle was alive when marine officials took it away.

A whale also beached itself on the community's Atlantic coast around the summer of 1960, said Point Breeze Fire Chief Marty Ingram.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16192829-officials-endangered-whale-dies-after-getting-stranded-on-nyc-beach?lite

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Superior Service for Heating Arlington Homes | Ellis A/C - Dallas Air ...

Heating Arlington, TX homes is a specialty of Ellis Air Conditioning and Heating. When you choose a contractor to take care of equipment that affects your air quality, you deserve a company that stands out from the competition. Ellis has a distinguished record of achievement in serving Arlington since 1975. Your family can rely on services provided by a family owned business that cares about the community.

Signs of Superior Service
An indicator that you can use to compare the merits of Ellis with the competition is the length of time in business. It is hard to find a competitor who has served the Arlington community for almost 40 years the way we have.

Another important comparison is the level of commitment to the community. Our family owns and operates our business, a far different business model than you find at national chain stores. They just want your business, but we want to serve you. When you need help, we respond the same day on almost all air conditioning calls.

Price is not always the best way to make a business decision, but it is usually a contributing factor. Our prices are competitive, and we strive to save you money even on the best brands. We accept all major credit cards for your convenience, and we also offer our own financing programs.

Training Makes a Difference
We recommend Carrier equipment for our clients, based on our experience with the reliable service it provides. Our technicians are professionally trained, and we continue educational programs on the latest advancements on cooling and heating Arlington, TX homes and businesses. We invest in our employees to enable them to serve you with the highest level of knowledge and skill. We hire only the best technicians, and we obtain a complete background check on each employee.

A Full Service Approach
Your home?s heating and air conditioning system is comprised of sophisticated components that need maintenance on a periodic basis. Many factors affect the way your equipment performs, including the amount of insulation that you have in your attic. Part of our full service approach to managing your system is to inspect your insulation and to increase it if needed.

Our concern for your family?s health extends to the quality of indoor air as well as to proper heating and cooling levels. Statistics indicate that the quality of air that people breathe inside their homes is often poorer than the air outside. Our technicians are experts in indoor air quality, and you can rely on their expertise to measure it accurately. If there are problems, we have effective ways to improve the air quality in your home.

Assessing Your Comparisons
When you count the advantages of choosing Ellis as your HVAC contractor, you can see that our competitors do not measure up as well. Our commitment to providing you with the highest quality of equipment at the most competitive prices gives you the confidence to make the right decision.

Posted by admin on Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 7:43 pm?
Filed under Uncategorized ? Tagged with

Source: http://ellisac.com/superior-service-for-heating-arlington-homes/

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auto insurance-45309 | Kenan Biel

auto insurance 45309 We see more and more cars on the road every year. This could lead to a higher possibility of a car accident. The difference between a little aggravation and major obstacle can be automobile insurance. So how do you know what type of car insurance you need and the quantity you should purchase? Insurance requirements vary by state/province, but typically include the following: Liability: This type of insurance can pay for the damage that you have caused. These damages can include personal injury, and property damage. If you are sued, it also pays your legal fees. Recommended, higher levels of insurance are available that cover more than the stripped-down, state-mandated insurance. Personal Injury Protection: This type of insurance pays for the medical treatment for you or other people in your car, regardless of who was at fault in the crash. It is mandated in some states and optional in others. The minimum amount of personal injury protection is typically set by the state. Medical Payments: This type of coverage is available in non-no-fault states and will pay regardless of who is responsible for an accident. It pays for all insured person?s necessary medical or funeral expenses resulting from an accident. Collision: This pays for damage to your car caused by a collision. Comprehensive: This applies if your car is stolen or damaged by something other than a wreck, including fire, wind, hail, flood or vandalism. Uninsured Motorist: Many drivers are breaking the law by driving without owning the right amount of auto insurance. This insurance will cover you if one of these irresponsible drivers hit you. Under-Insured Motorist: Similar to uninsured motorist protection, this type of insurance covers you from people driving without enough insurance protection. Emergency road service, car rental, and other types of coverage can also be purchased. Your car insurance payments vary by company and will depend on several factors, including: * What coverage you choose * The type of the car you own * Whether or not you have been in an accident * Your age, gender and marital status * Where you live Some drivers don?t want to pay for car insurance, but it is truly something you don?t want to live without. Evaluate your needs, do your research , and with the help of your insurance agent, choose the option that best suits you.

Source: http://kenanbiel.com/auto-insurance-45309/

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Daily Kos: The Five Biggest Regrets of the Dying

For those wondering; in the book, there was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps.

Instead, Ware, a nurse who specializes in palliative care has counselled the dying in their last days and in her book, revealed the most common regrets that we have at the end of our lives.

Interestingly for me, among the top from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'.

*Editor's Note - Most of the patients that she is recording are in the last 12 week of their lives and they are AWARE OF THIS.*

In her book, Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. "When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware in her book The Top Five Regrets of The Dying:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.

Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize ?until they no longer have it."

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners.

All of the men that Bronnie nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

Many developed illnesses, relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result."

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years.

There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives.

Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again."

With many of us living with regret; think about this deeply. ?What's your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to achieve or change before you die?

For the original story : ?Caf? Con Leche

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/26/1173973/-The-Five-Biggest-Regrets-of-the-Dying

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Buying an Arizona Home as a Foreign Buyer - Arizona Real Estate

by Brandon on December 27, 2012

What is FIRPTA

Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act

All funds deposited for escrow must be via wire transfer. International (out-of-USA) transfers are executed through SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), and there is an additional charge for this type of transfer. Typically this charge is deducted from the wired funds and varies from bank to bank. The charge is usually a flat rate and does not exceed $50, so it is a good idea to wire an additional $50 when wiring from outside the USA.

IRS Withholding

When a foreign owner gets ready to sell, they could be subject to a 10% (of the sales price) withholding unless the transaction is exempt from FIRPTA.

FIRPTA Withholding Exemptions

  • Most common: sales price is not more than $300,000, the foreign buyer (or a member of their family) must have plans to reside at the property for at least 50% of the number of days the property is used by any person during each of the first two 12-month periods after the sale.
  • Seller to provide a certificate showing they are not a foreign seller
  • Seller receives a withholding certificate from the IRS excusing withholding

Applicable Forms

  • Application for IRS individual taxpayer identification number: Form W-7
  • Application for withholding certificate for Dispositions by Foreign Persons of Real Property Interests: Form 8288-B and Instructions

This article is courtesy of First American Title Insurance Company.

Source: http://www.azsearchforhomes.com/buying-arizona-home-foreign-buyer/5891

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Colleges help students clean up online profile

6 hrs.

BUFFALO, N.Y. --?Samantha Grossman wasn't always thrilled with the impression that emerged when people Googled her name.

"It wasn't anything too horrible," she said. "I just have a common name. There would be pictures, college partying pictures, that weren't of me, things I wouldn't want associated with me."

So before she graduated from Syracuse University last spring, the school provided her with an online tool that allowed her to put her best Web foot forward. Now when people Google her, they go straight to a positive image ? professional photo, cum laude degree and credentials ? that she credits with helping her land a digital advertising job in New York.

"I wanted to make sure people would find the actual me and not these other people," she said.

Syracuse, Rochester, and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore are among the universities that offer such online tools to their students free of charge, realizing ill-considered Web profiles of drunken frat parties, prank videos and worse can doom graduates to a lifetime of unemployment ? even if the pages are somebody else's with the same name.

It's a growing trend based on studies showing that most employers Google prospective hires and nearly all of them won't bother to go past the first page of results. The online tools don't eliminate the embarrassing material, they just put the graduate's most flattering, professional profile front and center.

"These students have been comfortable with the intimate details of their lives on display since birth," said Lisa Severy, president-elect of the National Career Development Association and director of career services at the University of Colorado-Boulder, which does not offer the service.

"The first item on our 'five things to do before you graduate' list is 'clean up your online profile,'" she said. "We call it the grandma test ? if you don't want her to see it, you probably don't want an employer to, either."

Managing your online presence
After initially supplying BrandYourself accounts to graduating seniors, Syracuse University this year struck a deal with the company ? begun by a trio of alumni ? to offer accounts to all of its undergraduate and graduate students and alumni at no additional charge. About 25,000 people have access to it so far.

"It's becoming more and more important for students to be aware of and able to manage their online presence, to be able to have strong, positive things come up on the Internet when someone seeks them out," said Mike Cahill, Syracuse's career services director.

Online reputation repair companies have been around for at least a couple of years, often charging hundreds or thousands of dollars a year to arrange for good results on search engine result pages. BrandYourself, which normally charges $10 a month for an account, launched two years ago as a less expensive, do-it-yourself alternative after co-founder Pete Kistler ran into a problem with his own name.

"He couldn't get an internship because he was getting mistaken for a drug dealer with the same name," said co-founder Patrick Ambron. "He couldn't even get calls back and found out that was the problem."

An April survey of 2,000 hiring managers from CareerBuilder found nearly two in five companies use social networking sites to research job candidates and 11 percent said they planned to start. A third of the hiring managers who said they research candidates reported finding something like a provocative photo or evidence of drinking or drug use that cost the candidate a job.

"We want our students and alumni actively involved in shaping their online presence," said Johns Hopkins Career Center Director Mark Presnell. Students are encouraged to promote positive, professional content that's easily found by employers, he said.

BrandYourself works by analyzing search terms in a user's online profile to determine, for example, that a LinkedIn account might rank 25th on Google searches of the user's name. The program then suggests ways to boost that ranking. The software also provides alerts when an unidentified result appears on a user's first page or if any links rise or fall significantly in rank.

A professional image
Nati Katz, a public relations strategist, views his presence online as a kind of virtual storefront that he began carefully tending while in graduate school at Syracuse.

Google his name and up pops his LinkedIn page with a listing of the jobs he's held in digital media and the "500+ connections" badge of honor. His Facebook account is adorned with Katz smiling over an elegant Thanksgiving dinner table. There are a couple of professional profiles and his Tumblr link, one after another on the first page of results and all highlighting his professional experience.

Before his 2011 graduation, he took the university up on its offer of the BrandYourself account and said it gave him a leg up with potential employers and internship supervisors.

"Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with anything negative under my profile," said Katz, who used the reputation website BrandYourself.com while pursuing dual degrees in public relations and international affairs. "What I was trying to form was really a nice, clean, neat page, very professional."?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/colleges-help-students-clean-online-profile-1C7660222

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Health and Fitness: Back Pain ? Some Clues to Discovering the ...

Health and Fitness: Back Pain ? Some Clues to Discovering the Cause ? fyfedyfolygo \ '); $('#wpl-mustlogin').hide().slideDown('fast'); } ); $('#wpl-mustlogin input.input').live( 'focus', function() { $(this).prev().hide(); }).live( 'blur', function() { if ( $(this).val() == '' ) { $(this).prev().show(); } }); $('#wpl-mustlogin input#wp-submit').live( 'click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); $.post( 'http://fyfedyfolygo.wordpress.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { 'action': 'wpl_record_stat', 'stat_name': 'loggedout_login_submit' }, function() { $('#wpl-mustlogin form').submit(); } ); }); $('#wpl-mustlogin a#wpl-signup-link').live( 'click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); var link = $(this).attr('href'); $.post( 'http://fyfedyfolygo.wordpress.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { 'action': 'wpl_record_stat', 'stat_name': 'loggedout_signup_click' }, function() { location.href = link; } ); }); }) })(jQuery); /* ]]> */ Follow

Source: http://fyfedyfolygo.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/health-and-fitness-back-pain-some-clues-to-discovering-the-cause/

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[VIDEO] Prima ballerina sisters believe motherhood made them ...

Tonight, Lorna Feijoo will be slipping on her satin ballet slippers and transforming herself into the Sugar Plum Fairy for the last time this season. She has been performing as?a principal dancer in Boston Ballet?s ?The Nutcracker,? which officially ends on December 30, since November, and she has loved every minute ? pain and all.

?Ballet gives you the opportunity to be with the audience,? which she says feels like a prize after months of arduous practice. ?You can see what the people feel when you dance. You can enjoy being on stage, because you are free?and there?s nothing better than the applause afterwards. That?s like the gold for us ? when you feel the applause.?

One of the only things she loves beyond being on stage she says, is her older sister, Lorena, ? also a prima ballerina ? who dances on the West Coast? in the San Francisco Ballet.

?One of my biggest inspirations is, and was, my sister,? says Lorna who began dancing in her native Cuba, at age 10, and is now 38. ?She?s three years older than me, and I?ve seen her since little how she was so different from everyone else. She has a lot of talent, but she has something else ? her movement, her arms, she was my ideal [dancer]. There are many other dancers who are very good, but my thing to follow was her.?

Lorena Feijoo (left) and Lorna Feijoo (right) at the Getty Villas in Malibu. (Photo/Robb Aaron Gordon)

Lorena Feijoo (left) and Lorna Feijoo (right) at the Getty Villas in Malibu. (Photo/Robb Aaron Gordon)

Ballet has been a way of life for the Feijoo sisters practically since the womb. Their mother, Lupe Calzadilla, was a member of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba at a time when Cuban ballet had reached its Golden Era.

?My mom was still dancing when she got pregnant,? says Lorena, the elder of the two sisters, and began dancing at age 8. ?In Cuba they allowed kids to hang around the company?That kind of planted the seed in me. She had me and kept dancing, until my sister arrived??

Although their father was concerned for his daughters, who both hard-headedly chose a career which involved so much competition, fearing they would forever compete with each other, the Feijoo sisters says for them it was the contrary.

?We helped each other so much,? says Lorna. ?The competition was in a good way?In my sister?s case, she was very disciplined, but I was so bad with that ? I love chocolate and chips.?

During their early 20?s, both sisters danced through Europe and eventually ended up in the U.S., where they say has been more challenging ? working more hours with up to six choreographers at the same time. And now, they both have graduated to perhaps their hardest role yet ? motherhood.

?The best thing in our lives is Lucia,? says Lorna about her 2-year-old daughter.? ?It?s hard, but it?s completely different. I feel better now than before. I used to worry so much before about everything, but now she?s the most important thing in my life.?

Lorena, who has a 5-month-old daughter, Luciana, at home, mirrors that feeling.

?This career [motherhood]? is one of the hardest things ? you don?t have a social life,? says Lorena, who is home saving her energy for her debut performance as a mother in January. ?The shows ends at midnight, and then you start over at 10am till 11 at night?[but] having a baby makes you think the way you should.?

She says before, every decision she had to make seemed like life or death. After her daughter was born, she says she realized ballet is still the same career she takes very seriously, and she loves it, but it?s not life.

?A child is so powerful that it puts things in perspective in a beautiful way,? says Lorena. ?It adds a tranquility to your dancing that is incredible. The dancers I?ve seen who?ve had children have become so much better. In Russia and Cuba it?s more common to see more people with kids. In America, it?s very competitive?In my company?there are maybe three or four moms out of 70 [who are mothers].?

Lorena says now her daughter is her inspiration.

?There is nothing more exquisite really,? she says. ?When you have a performance and you get home, and they smile and it means the world to you. If I would have known it was that wonderful, I would have started earlier. I think I have found more beautiful things about my job because of her.?

Although both sisters are grateful for their new positions in life as mothers, they are hesitant for their daughters to follow in their footsteps.

?I have mixed feelings, because it is a very difficult career that comes with a lot of sacrifices,? says older sister Lorena, who plans on dancing until the day she loses her passion, which she doesn?t feel will?be any time soon. ?Emotionally you have to be very sturdy, very secure of yourself. It comes with a lot of pain, [physically and] in your heart as well?I will do what my mom did to both of us. I?m going to warn her, and she will be involved like we were, so we will see.?

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Source: http://nbclatino.com/2012/12/26/video-prima-ballerina-sisters-believe-motherhood-made-them-better-dancers/

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State Department piles misdirection on Benghazi misdirection (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273218509?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Emotions high as Newtown splits over gun control

By Stephania Jimenez, NBCConnecticut.com

Emotions ran high Sunday evening as dozens gathered at St. John?s Episcopal Church in Newtown, Conn., to discuss violence prevention and gun control.

People there were still reeling from the deadly shooting at the elementary school that killed 20 children.

Some at the meeting called for increased controls on guns, but others said taking them away from law-abiding citizens was not the answer.

?I?m horrified at what has happened in Newtown,? said Rev. Joseph Pace. ?I certainly support a ban on assault weapons and also much more attention, funds and support given to those who are mentally ill.?

NRA chief: If putting armed police in schools is crazy, 'then call me crazy'

For the first time since the Connecticut shootings, NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre answers questions from NBC's David Gregory about his organization's stance on gun violence in America.

Rep. John B. Larson, (D-Conn.) who hosted the forum, is co-sponsoring a bill that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity clips.

?We will persist in making sure that we stay after this legislation in a comprehensive manner,? Larson said.

Obama on gun control petition: 'We hear you'

Children growing up in the U.S. witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time they reach their 18 birthday. Hollywood knows the body count is high ? but also profitable. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

Some thought mitigating violence lies with stricter gun control laws and more mental health services.

?Guns kill people. Access to guns will allow somebody to kill people,? Alberto Cohen-Abbo said.

Cardinal: Teacher who gave her life is 'like Jesus'

Others disagreed. ?If you want to prevent crime, get the criminals off the street and keep them off the street,? said Ed Peruta.

??The root cause of why [Adam Lanza] did this, had nothing to do with assault rifles. He would have found another way to do this,? said another man.

Read more from NBCConnecticut.com

But Larson said lawmakers must act to make sure mass shootings don?t happen again.

?If we don?t stand up now ? whether you?re a member of congress or you?re a member of any community ? aren?t we then complicit for not having done [anything]??

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/24/16120764-emotions-run-high-as-newtown-splits-over-gun-control?lite

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