Mursi due in Germany on visit shortened by Egypt crisis

CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi is to leave Egypt's political crisis behind on Wednesday with a short trip to Germany to seek urgently needed foreign investment and convince Europe of his democratic credentials.

But with the Egyptian army chief warning on Tuesday that the state was on the brink of collapse after days of lethal street violence, Mursi cancelled plans to go on to Paris from Berlin and will instead hurry back to Cairo later in the day.

Fifty-two people have been killed in unrest surrounding the two-year anniversary of Egypt's popular revolution, whose values Mursi's critics say he has betrayed.

His supporters say protesters want to overthrow Egypt's first democratically elected leader, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood that was banned under former President Hosni Mubarak but has come to dominate Egypt since his downfall in 2011.

Mursi on Monday declared a month-long state of emergency in three violence-ridden cities on the Suez Canal - Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, imposing a curfew and allowing soldiers to arrest civilians.

The turmoil eased on Tuesday but the instability has stirred unease in the West about the direction of the Arab world's most populous country, where a currency slump has compounded severe economic problems.

Mursi will be keen to allay those fears when he meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel and powerful industry groups in Berlin.

"TURBULENCE"

"President Mursi is very welcome in Germany," Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Reuters in an interview last week.

"He is the first democratically elected president in the history of Egypt. We all know that a revolution means a lot of turbulence ... Of course we are not happy with everything that has been decided in the last few months in Egypt but it is necessary to seek solutions, increase the dialogue."

Germany has praised Mursi's efforts in mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, but became concerned at Mursi's efforts last year to expand his powers and fast-track a constitution with an Islamist tint, something that his critics say does not reflect Egypt's communal diversity.

Mursi's vitriolic remarks against Jews and Zionists in 2010, when he was a senior Brotherhood official, disturbed many in Germany, whose Nazi past and strong support of Israel make it highly sensitive to anti-Semitism.

Germany industry leaders see potential in Egypt but are concerned about political instability there.

"At the moment many firms are waiting on political developments and are cautious on any big investments," said Hans Heinrich Driftmann, president of Germany's Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

DIHK's Africa expert Steffen Behm said no companies were leaving Egypt but none were newly setting up there either.

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that any collapse in Egypt would send shock waves across the wider region.

"(But) it cannot in any way be overlooked that there is a large number of Egyptians who are not satisfied with the direction of the economy and the political reform," she said.

"This is not an easy task. It's very difficult going from a closed regime and essentially one-man rule to a democracy that is trying to be born and learn to walk," said Clinton.

"You have to represent all of the people and the people have to believe that ... You have to have a constitution that respects and recognizes the rights of all people and doesn't in any way marginalize any group."

(Additional reporting by Gernot Heller in Berlin and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-protesters-defy-curfew-attack-police-stations-074130394.html

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CMAS replaces popular Wireless AMBER Alert Program for child ...

In December 2012, changes were made in the way abducted-child AMBER Alerts are delivered to cell phones and other mobile devices.? In mid-December, AMBER Alert distribution began through FEMA?s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).? As part of this change, alerts delivered via the long-established Wireless AMBER Alert Program were ended on December 31, 2012.? But should this move have been made at this time?

Should CMAS Replace a Popular Alerting Method?

As noted before on AWARE, CMAS only began in April 2012, and the vast majority of mobile devices currently out in the field do not yet incorporate the ability to receive CMAS alerts.? Conversely, the Wireless AMBER Alert program was begun by the wireless carriers back in 2005, and had a subscriber base of 700,000 people who had opted in to receive these alerts.? Granted, the Wireless AMBER Alert Program was SMS-based and was designed to target only down to the zip code area, but one would wonder with the still-low penetration of CMAS handsets whether the SMS-based program with almost three-quarters of a million subscribers (who opted in voluntarily) should have been retired at this early point in CMAS deployment.? Somewhat acknowledging that shortcoming, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) published a list of alternate sources of AMBER Alerts for those former SMS-based subscribers who do not yet own a WEA-capable mobile device to transition to.? The options include AOL, Facebook, Google, MySpace and Yahoo.? Those links are on the NCMEC website here. Also on the NCMEC site is the press release regarding this wireless device alerting change.

AMBER Alerts on CMAS

Nonetheless, the change was made.? So what do AMBER Alerts via CMAS look like?? Now that we are into 2013 and a few of these alerts have been issued, we can answer that question.? The graphic accompanying this story shows the screen capture of a CMAS AMBER Alert issued in Washington State recently.? The alert contains the vehicle description and license plate number.? This is similar to what we saw in the initial CMAS AMBER Alert issued in San Antonio, Texas, which read:

AMBER Alert: check local media.
LIC/7CZTJ (TX) 2002 Black Chevy Trailblazer

With CMAS messages limited to 90-characters, there isn?t much room for further details.? Note also that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules prohibit the use of Internet website links or phone numbers, so officials are relegated to the phrase ?check local media? as a suggested source of further information.? For those interested in the details of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message issued by NCMEC, the Headline element contains the same 90-character wording as above, but the Description and Instruction elements are not used.? The CAP Area Description is simply, ?Target Area?.? NCMEC also uses the new BLOCKCHANNEL feature, which limits IPAWS dissemination to only the intended CMAS channel. ?For AMBER Alert cancelations, the CMAS message issued by NCMEC is to read: ?The AMBER Alert in your area has been canceled.?

How CMAS AMBER Alerts are Activated

AMBER Alerts are typically issued by a State AMBER Alert Coordinator, or other associated officials.? Those authorities route the abduction details to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which then issues the AMBER Alert via CMAS as well as other numerous notification methods established by NCMEC.? NCMEC was established as the gatekeeper by FEMA to ensure that all AMBER Alerts issued via CMAS meet appropriate age and abduction details to ensure uniform CMAS AMBER Alert criteria across the country.? FEMA noted in a recent webinar that NCMEC has thus far issued 17 CMAS AMBER Alert messages involving eight to ten actual abduction events, with some events having multiple messages disseminated such as for the cancellation of the alert.? FEMA stated that most AMBER Alerts were statewide, but a few have been multi-county alerts.? It was agreed during the webinar that more public awareness needs to be done on CMAS AMBER Alerts; FEMA said it will likely involve its External Affairs office as it joins NCMEC in that effort.

How to Receive CMAS AMBER Alerts

The wireless carriers refer to CMAS as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).? When purchasing a new mobile device, be sure to ask for a device that is WEA-capable.? For a list of carrier web pages listing the currently-available WEA-capable devices go to www.ctia.org/wea. WEA-capable devices are sold with the user opted in, so if you wish to receive these alerts there are no settings to change.? As we progress further into 2013 and we gain more experience with CMAS AMBER Alerts, AWARE will update this issue.

Source: http://www.awareforum.org/2013/01/cmas-replaces-popular-wireless-amber-alert-program-for-child-abduction-alerts/

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Bill Seeks Protection for Enormous Condors

A bill has been introduced to the Peruvian Congress that would protect Andean condors, a huge species of raptor that is in decline and in danger of dying out in some parts of its territory.

Backers of the bill would like to do away with an Andean ritual in which condors are strapped to the backs of raging bulls, which conservationists say hurts and kills the birds, according to Andean Air Mail & Peruvian Times, a regional news website. The law would declare the birds a "national treasure" and implement jail sentences for anybody who hurts or kills one.

Andean condors are some of the largest birds on Earth, with 10-foot (3 meter) wingspans. They can fly up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) in a single day, and they feed on the remains of dead animals like cattle and other large mammals. The birds inhabit the Andes Mountains, ranging as far north as Colombia and south to Patagonia. There are approximately 10,000 condors left, and they are classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.?

The bill targets a ritual called the "yawar" festival, in which a condor, representing indigenous people, is tied to the back of a wild bull, representing colonists, according to Reuters. The clawing of the bird enrages the bull; townspeople then take turns running in front of the angry bovine. It's unclear exactly how the ritual affects the birds, according to the news service, although some scientists say it leaves the condors too traumatized or injured to survive.

There are probably no more than 500 condors in Peru, and the population is in decline, according to the Peruvian Times. The bird's population takes a while to grow since the animals are long-lived and reproduce infrequently. The bill would lead to a captive breeding program for the condors, according to the Times.

The Andean peoples have held Condors sacred for thousands of years. A 445-foot (135 m) depiction of a condor is one of the best known Nazca Lines, the geoglyphs mysteriously carved into the Peruvian desert more than 1,500 years ago, according to Reuters. Quechua-speaking communities throughout the Andes consider the bird sacred.

The bill was sponsored by Peruvians who live near Colca Canyon, a popular tourist destination twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, now home to just 25 condors, a fraction of those seen in years past, Reuters reports. The Colca Canyon Provincial Mayor Elmer C?ceres said his province slaughters donkeys every week and leaves them as food for the condors, according to the Peruvian Times.

He told that site that some 80 percent of the region's visitors come to see the birds, and asked Peruvian supporters of the legislative initiative to visit the province's website and sign a petition to save the condor. It's too early to say if, or when, the bill might be passed, according to reports.

Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2013 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bill-seeks-protection-enormous-condors-133118070.html

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All The President's Plans (The Note)

By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES:

OBAMA IN VEGAS: President Obama maps out his immigration plan at this afternoon in Las Vegas where, a senior administration official tells ABC's Reena Ninan, he will focus largely on what he's discussed before. The president won't put forward a bill - instead he'll support the Senate's principles outlined yesterday and explain what else needs to be done. The White House feels Las Vegas is a community symbolic of the growing Latino population in both the state and the nation and since immigration reform is a pledge the president made during the campaign, the White House says he wants to deliver.

EL DIABLO IS IN THE DETAILS: Even the senators who wrote the immigration reform proposal outlined yesterday admitted there's lots of work still ahead. One land mine: Some Republicans want to link getting green cards to whether the border is secure. Border security still a gray issue. If the Gang of Eight's efforts fall apart the president's team will step in with its own proposal, Ninan notes.

SECRET CONGRESSIONAL GROUP WORKING ON IMMIGRATION ALTERNATIVE: A separate bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives is on the verge of finalizing its own designs for comprehensive immigration reform, ABC's John Parkinson reports. The discussions, which top aides close to the talks discussed on the condition that they not be identified, are described as "Washington's best-kept secret." Multiple sources say those involved in the talks include Democratic Reps. Xavier Becerra (California), Luis Gutierrez (Illinois), Zoe Lofgren (California), and Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida), Sam Johnson (Texas) and John Carter (Texas). The House's not-yet-finalized proposal is expected to address five general areas of immigration reform, according to aides close to the negotiations. Secure the border, implement a permanent E-verify system nationwide, reform the visa system, address the predicament of how to handle immigrants already in the country illegally in a "fair" and "legal manner" while determining how to handle those who have applied for legal immigration and are currently waiting in line, and reform the immigration system for future applicants. http://abcn.ws/WnjOfh

THE ROUNDTABLE:

ABC's RICK KLEIN: What could possibly go wrong? The bipartisan Senate proposal is on the table, with boldfaced names like McCain, Rubio, Graham, Schumer, Durbin, and Menendez signed on. The House isn't far behind. And the president takes up the mantle himself today, as he lobbies the public to force action at last on immigration reform ? Wait, this could get interesting, after all. The White House has had mixed results with letting Congress handle the details of much of anything. But these are the kinds of details that members of Congress from both parties have spent months if not years wrestling through; witness the twin failures of immigration reform, in 2006 and 2007, under the leadership of a different president. The real question for the White House: Will heavy involvement - and pushing in directions the Gang of Eight doesn't want to go - be more harmful for helpful?

ABC's MICHAEL FALCONE: At yesterday's bi-partisan news conference announcing the Gang of Eight's immigration reform principles, Sen. John McCain's answer about why Republicans were so eager to move on the issue was telling. "Elections, elections," the Arizona senator said. "The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens." He's right: Hispanic voters are becoming a larger share of the electorate and GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, won just 27 percent of the vote among the group compared to 71 percent who supported President Obama. There was also something striking about watching Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the immigration reform group, launch into Spanish during the press conference. Neither Rubio's language skills nor his familiarity with the immigration issue are breaking news, but I imagine it will give other potential 2016 Republicans pause.

ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: Currently, the prevailing theory about Sarah Palin is that because she doesn't have the megaphone of Fox News anymore, the "Palin moment" is now officially over. It might be true, but there have been so many "Ends of Sarah Palin" that it's almost hard to keep track. She was over when she lost the 2008 campaign, she was over when she quit the Alaska governorship, she was over when she decided to do a reality show, she was over when she decided not to run for president. Now she's over because she severed her ties with Fox. But the reality is different. Even after she decided to resign as governor and to pass up a 2012 presidential bid, people who both love her and hate her still just couldn't get enough information about her. Palin still got an incredible amount of coverage and her voice was heard - loud and clear. It's yet another example of what she's able to pull off that others who came before or after just aren't: She's been written off since Day One, but she keeps coming back.

ABC's JASON RYAN: The FBI has released new gun background check data yesterday showing that the week after the Newtown massacre (December 14, 2012) was the busiest for gun background checks ever, followed by the week President Obama announced new gun control proposals on January 16, 2013. As ABC News has reported, gun sales have been booming since Newtown. After previously denying journalists access to gun data, National Instant Check System figures show that overall in December 2012 there were more than 2.78 million background checks carried out to purchase firearms surpassing the previous record from November 2012 when more than 2 million checks were performed. The number of total sales during the first month of the new year will be released in the first few days of February.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: MEET DEFIANT DEMOCRAT, HEIDI HEITKAMP. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., defied the odds in November when she won the closest senate race in the country, and now that she's arrived in Washington, she's defiant as ever. But now, instead of defying the pollsters, she's defying the Democratic caucus by taking divergent opinions on issues central to the President Obama's second term agenda, ranging from gun control to the environment. Heitkamp, who says growing the economy is her top priority, is concerned that the president is changing his focus to issues like climate change and gun control. "I think, you know the one thing that has gotten lost by everyone is one of the best ways that we can perform here is by getting people back to work, making sure that this economic recovery, slow as it is, gets amped up and moves forward," Heitkamp tells ABC's Jonathan Karl, host of "Politics Confidential." "It's one of the reasons why I've been such a big proponent of the Keystone Pipeline. There's a shovel ready, private sector jobs program, good paying jobs." WATCH: http://yhoo.it/TQOxTJ

BUZZ

IMMIGRATION REFORM PLAN INCLUDES A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP. The Senate's plan does not grant undocumented immigrants automatic "amnesty," rather it requires them to go through an arduous process that includes undergoing a background check, paying fines, back taxes and learning English and American civics over the course of a number of years, reports ABC-Univision's Jordan Fabian. The new law would grant eligible undocumented immigrants permission to live and work in the U.S. legally, but would not confer permanent legal status, or a green card, until the border is deemed to be secure. Young people brought into the U.S. illegally as minors and some agricultural workers would face an easier path to citizenship. "We will never put these people on a path to citizenship until we have secured the border," New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who helped lead the last effort on a comprehensive immigration bill in 2007 said, "We have been too content for too long to allow individuals to mow our lawns, grow our food, clean our homes, and even watch our children while not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great." http://abcn.ws/YBGY4Q

OBAMA TALKS GUN VIOLENCE WITH POLICE CHIEFS. President Obama is enlisting the help of police chiefs from communities devastated by mass shootings as he continues a public push for Congress to act on his proposals to curb gun violence, ABC's Mary Bruce notes. "No group is more important for us to listen to than our law enforcement officials," the president told reporters before a White House meeting yesterday with sheriffs and police chiefs from across the country. "They are where the rubber hits the road." The president and members of his cabinet met with the police chiefs who responded to the deadly shootings in Aurora, Colo., Oak Creek, Wis., and Newtown, Conn, along with representatives from the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association and the Major County Sheriffs' Association. "I welcome this opportunity to work with them; to hear their views in terms of what will make the biggest difference to prevent something like Newtown or Oak Creek from happening again," Obama said.

CHICK-FIL-A CEO AND GAY ACTIVIST FIND COMMON GROUND. The leader of a national gay-rights group says he's coming out-as a friend of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, ABC's Chris Good reports. "I've gotten to know Dan, he's gotten to know me. He's shared concerns about young people, about Chick-fil-A being used for certain purposes," Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, told ABC News. Last year, Cathy sparked a national controversy by telling a radio host that "we're inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about." Windmeyer said that Cathy called him last year, during the heat of the controversy that led national gay-rights groups to protest Chick-fil-A. Cathy reached out seeking advice and understanding, Windmeyer said. Windmeyer was a guest of Cathy's at this year's Chick-fil-A Bowl between LSU and Clemson at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The activist also says Chick-fil-A has stopped donating to anti-gay groups, according to his review of the company's 990 tax forms. http://abcn.ws/WxuchC

GOVERNMENT WASTE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. The Government Accountability Office is due to produce its biannual report on the areas of the government that present the highest risk for squandering tax payer dollars in the next couple weeks. Though the GAO does not preview this list ahead of time, ABC's Sarah Parnass takes a look at what might be targeted: http://abcn.ws/113uncb

WHO'S TWEETING?

@DavidMDrucker : How central to immigration reform's success is @marcorubio?I'll predict that if he ever backs out bill is dead in House. W/ him: it passes.

@ByronYork: Speaking of deal killers, what will Chairman Leahy do to Gangof8 plan in Sen Judiciary Committee? http://ow.ly/hdUOC

@onetoughnerd: Speaking at @GOVERNING Magazine conference in DC today about how we're reinventing Michigan. http://ow.ly/hdUkP #govlive

@JoshDorner: 4 years ago today, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It was opposed by all but 8 Congressional Republicans.

@kjplotkin: RT @BobbyJindal: Let's Meet, Mr. President http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bobby-jindal-to-fix-medicaid-listen-to-governors/2013/01/28/ff5c8e5e-6711-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7_story_1.html ?

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/presidents-plans-note-142323398--abc-news-politics.html

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White House praises Senate immigration plan (The Arizona Republic)

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Nanophotonics enables new kind of optical spectrometer

Jan. 28, 2013 ? By bringing nanophotonics technology to traditional optical spectroscopy, a new kind of optical spectrometer with functions of sensing and spectral measurement has been recently demonstrated by a research team at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Dr. Junpeng Guo, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Optics at UAHuntsville, recently created a new nanoscale photonic device called a super nano-grating, with the assistance of his doctoral student, Haisheng Leong. With a fabricated super nano-grating, Dr. Guo's group demonstrated a new kind of optical sensing apparatus called spectrometer sensors.

Traditional optical spectrometers measure the spectra of light. Traditional optical sensors use light to detect the presence of chemicals. A spectrometer sensor is an optical spectrometer and also a chemical sensor because it measures the optical resonance spectrum that is controlled by chemicals bonded on the nanostructure surface. A spectrometer sensor with a super nanoslit metal grating was first published in Optics Letters (vol. 36, 2011) and a spectrometer sensor with a super nanohole metal grating was published recently in Optics Express (vol. 20, 2012).

Nano-gratings are periodic nanostructures with the feature size in the nanometer scale. One nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter, about 1/50,000th of the diameter of a human hair. Because the feature size of nanostructures is less than the wavelength of light, we are not able to see nanostructures with our eyes. However, light can sense nanostructures by strong absorptions at specific wavelengths. This phenomenon is called optical resonance of nanostructures, a fundamental phenomenon in optics.

Optical resonances of nanostructures typically are measured by using optical spectrometers. By creating a super-grating pattern of nanostructures, the UAHuntsville team made super diffraction gratings with nano-grating structures. With the super nano-grating, the resonance of the nanostructure can be measured with a photodetector array. That way, the use of an optical spectrometer is not needed.

The nanostructures, such as nanoholes or nanoslits, are made by using a tightly focused electron beam, a technique called electron-beam lithography. Nanostructure patterns were first drawn with a computer and then sent to the electron-beam lithography machine to control the movement of the tightly focused electron beam to write nanoholes or any other nanostructure patterns in a thin layer of special polymer called e-beam resist.

The e-beam written polymer layer is then developed so the nanostructure patterns are imprinted to the thin polymer layer. The patterned polymer layer works like a mask and an argon ion etching process is used to transfer the pattern from the polymer layer to the thin metal film underneath it. This device was made by Haisheng Leong, a graduate research assistant at UAHuntsville.

The super nano-grating is a super-period nanohole array drilled in a thin gold film on a transparent glass substrate. The thickness of the gold film is 60 nanometers and the size of the nanoholes is about 100 nanometers. The periodic nanoholes in the thin metal film support collective free electron oscillations, referred to as surface plasmons, in the nanostructured metal.

The super nano-gratings have rich physics that needs to be investigated, Dr. Guo said. A paper he wrote and recently published in Applied Physics Letters (vol. 101, 2012) is trying to explain the resonance mode splitting phenomenon observed in the super-nanohole grating. The resonance mode splitting can be utilized to make better sensitivity chemical sensors.

The spectrometer sensors can detect toxins or contaminants in very small quantities. UAHuntsville recently has filed a patent to license the new technology.

"Spectrometer sensors are best suited in applications requiring small size and weight," Dr. Guo said. Such small size and lightweight sensors may be useful for NASA space exploration applications like measuring the chemical makeup on the surface of Mars, he said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Alabama Huntsville.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Haisheng Leong, Junpeng Guo. A surface plasmon resonance spectrometer using a super-period metal nanohole array. Optics Express, 2012; 20 (19): 21318 DOI: 10.1364/OE.20.021318

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/slXlhURve9k/130128104416.htm

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Obama, Biden to meet police chiefs from towns scarred by shootings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with police chiefs from three U.S. communities scarred by mass shootings last year to talk about the administration's push to reduce gun violence, a White House official said.

The meeting, at the White House, is the latest in a series of discussions that Obama is using to try to galvanize political support for tighter gun control after 20 young children and six adults were killed in December by a gunman at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Newtown's police chief, Michael Kehoe, plans to be at the meeting along with his counterparts from Aurora, Colorado, where 12 people were killed and 58 wounded in a mass shooting at a movie theater last July, and from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where six people were killed and four wounded at a Sikh temple in August.

Obama wants to ban military-style assault weapons and ensure that all gun buyers are subjected to background checks, but he needs Congress to pass laws on the politically tricky issues.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on Wednesday on the measures.

The National Rifle Association, the country's most powerful pro-gun lobby group, has vowed to try to defeat the plan, which it says would infringe on gun ownership rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Obama and Biden have said the plan would not affect the rights of responsible gun owners. Biden traveled to Richmond, Virginia last week with that message.

Monday's meeting will include representatives of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs Association, as well as U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-biden-meet-police-chiefs-towns-scarred-shootings-110748510.html

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Facts About registry cleaner for windows xp: Were You Aware The ...

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Software piracy on the web is not a secret. Internet sites like The Pirate Clean honestly sell and have numerous landscapes a day. Lots of people tend to acquire windows registry cleaners along with other software package readily available submit giving in addition to . torrent web sites. The reason regarding this is certainly: "why spend when you buy this free of charge?" In this posting you will definitely get to know a number of the threats at the rear of grabbing unlicensed registry products by illegal torrents.

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Information About aml registry cleaner review

Most of us recognize just how frustrating as well as stressful it is to cope with continuous computer overall performance difficulties along with method failures. Picking a choice by what merchandise would be better to repair registry errors merely adds to which anxiety.

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Every pc seller would like his or her equipment to be able to be as durable as possible, and also thankfully, computer existence (which include parts such as the harddrive) may be steadily expanding for many decades. Nonetheless, zero pc is going to are an extremely long time with no some clever, regular personal computer routine maintenance, also in new operating systems including Home windows 7.

Fortunately, it really is pretty very easy to diy. Just acquire among the many good Computer cleaner applications which are easily obtainable on the web, along with your personal computer registry mistakes might be a subject put to rest. These kinds of packages scan the body, discover and proper the down sides routinely.

After knowing that a specific report just isn't around the world, customers may well then utilize Registry Reviver so you can get it. You could possibly see a big eco friendly key in the bottom right nook pertaining to accomplishing this activity. Seasoned consumers make decide on the individual if they should ignore this particular aspect or even remedy it.

When 'microsoft' introduced .Web platform back 2002, Windows registry may be replaced by xml setting report using extension associated with . config, with increased plus much more .Web application, Registry troubles have been diminished. Nevertheless, until the subsequent release of House windows 7, House windows individual nonetheless should take care of the personal computer registry with a few software program, except if they in no way put in over 12 software, including deleted applications.

Bloated registries usually are not necessarily a problem since the OS is made to skip over unacceptable records, along with the further Central processing unit time needed to learn the actual personal computer registry mustn't be as well apparent. Even so presently there perform seem to be cases where running a clean up system can cause a important performance enhancement.

Source: http://www.magentoo.com/node/69817

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WhiteWash

I know that there's a roleplay tab with the same name that I made already, but that is closing due to the co-owner being unable to continue in it. But, I was hoping to recreate while the story was still fresh in my mind, but a bit differently. This isn't a Roleplayer's Wanted because I would be making a whole new roleplay based around the same idea and I'm looking for interest, not inviting people to join the one that's already created.

I am not really good at making interest checks, so please try to bear with me.

WhiteWash is set in the world of Evarb, a world I am still creating and would take any suggestions on, but it's going to be not totally like the 3.5 D&D world. Note, I said not totally, which means there will be sharp differences but that's kind of the groundwork I'm coming off of and the world will be built differently. But the ideas of magic, races and a medieval style of living would have a lot in common with the 3.5 D&D structure.

The story, the story would be revealed during the game, it's something that I really don't want to reveal in an interest check or roleplayers wanted that I may make later. Depending on what the other characters do, it would either be a character driven, goal based roleplay based on what the authors of the individual character, or possible a group of characters, choose for their character, or it would be an action roleplay where the group or groups of characters fight (a) villain(s). It would start with everyone's starting post and within a reasonable number they would all end up on a ship crossing an ocean to a foreign continent.

Again, I do have a main story that I plan on showing to the players, not that they necessarily HAVE to follow that story, but I don't want to reveal it right now. And besides that, I would appreciate any suggestions and notes of interest in this. As already states, this was originally a 1x1 roleplay, which I'd never tried before and was trying to get experience in, but I prefer group roleplays. Regardless, thank you for reading this and any suggestions or interest you show in this.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Iai9DpphFMA/viewtopic.php

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Newtown residents join gun control march in Washington

Susan Walsh / AP

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control.

By Becky Bratu, NBC News

Residents of Newtown, Conn., the scene of a school massacre in which 20 children and six adults were killed last month, joined thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday for a march supporting gun control.

Similar organized demonstrations were planned in support of gun control in about a dozen other places across the United States, according to organizers.

In addition to the 100 people who traveled together from Newtown, organizers told The Associated Press participants from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia would join the demonstration.

Alongside Mayor Vincent Gray, a crowd that stretched for about two blocks marched down Constitution Avenue toward the Washington Monument, where speakers called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition. Some of the demonstrators held signs that read "We Are Sandy Hook."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed the crowd, saying he and President Barack Obama would work to enact gun control policies, the AP reported.

"This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear," he said, according to the AP.

"We must act, we must act, we must act," Duncan said.

According to the AP, demonstrators held signs that read "Ban Assault Weapons Now," "Stop NRA" and "Gun Control Now." Other signs carried the names of victims of gun violence.

The silent march is organized by Molly Smith, artistic director of Washington's Arena Stage, and her partner.

"With the drum roll, the consistency of the mass murders and the shock of it, it is always something that is moving and devastating to me. And then, it's as if I move on," Smith told the AP. "And in this moment, I can't move on. I can't move on.

"I think it's because it was children, babies," she told the AP. "I was horrified by it."

The event is co-sponsored by One Million Moms for Gun Control, an independent organization that is also responsible for similar demonstrations in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Austin, Texas.

The Newtown massacre has reignited the debate over firearms in the United States, and last week Obama laid out a series of measures intended to curb gun violence, most significantly proposals to limit the size of ammunition magazines, ban assault weapons and require universal background checks on firearm purchases. That plan won little praise from Republicans.

Earlier this month, New York lawmakers approved the toughest gun control law in the nation, expanding the state's existing assault weapons ban and addressing gun ownership by those with mental illnesses.

Supporters of gun control held a rally in Washington D.C. calling for action following the school shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/26/16712528-newtown-residents-join-gun-control-march-in-washington?lite

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Holocaust archive reunites relatives after decades

Nearly 70 years after the end of the Second World War, a Holocaust archive in Germany is helping victims and survivors of Nazi atrocities to find clues about the past -- and is still reuniting families. NBC News' Andy Eckardt reports from Bad Arolsen, Germany.

By Andy Eckardt, Producer, NBC News

BAD AROLSEN, Germany -- Wilhelm Thiem may be 72 but he celebrated his first real birthday in November.

Abducted in Poland by Nazi troops at age two, Thiem has spent most of his life on a painful journey, seeking to discover his true name and identity.?

Until just a few months ago, the retired entrepreneur had not known his birth date, where he was born, what had happened to his mother or whether he had any other family members.

"I hardly knew anything about my personal history," Thiem said.?"I always felt like an outsider, it was a feeling of not belonging in this world."

Thiem was raised by a foster parent in northern Germany who was appointed by the Nazis to take care of the young child. Thiem called her "Mrs. Huebner" but was later officially adopted and given her maiden name.

At age 12, Thiem learned that Mrs. Huebner was not his real mother. He started asking her about his past, wanting to learn more about his family, but his questions remained unanswered. For decades, his personal history remained a mystery.

Early last year, Thiem came across a newspaper article about the International Tracing Service?(ITS), an organization that maintains a vast archive of files related to more than 17.5 million victims of the Holocaust and Nazi oppression.

"At first the ITS researchers told me that they could not find any documents with my name on them," Thiem recalled. "But then they contacted the Red Cross in Poland and in the end, there were some leads."

'Very emotional moment'
After several months of research, Thiem was informed that he had been born in Lodz, Poland, and that his birth name was Zbigniew Wilhelm Katmierczak.

For the first time in his life, Thiem held a birth certificate in his hands that gave him an identity.

"It was a very emotional moment," Thiem recalled. "Both my wife and I could not hold back tears."

Researchers revealed that his mother was also sent to Germany as a forced laborer but later returned to Poland. She eventually married a Frenchman and relocated to France.

Thiem was also told of a surviving aunt, who still lives in his Polish hometown.

He is now anxiously making plans for a trip to Lodz with his wife for a very special family reunion.

"I am hoping to learn more facts, maybe find other family members," Thiem said. "Maybe I can find traces of my mother and father.?All of this is of huge interest to me, it means so much."

Established by Allies in the final days of the Second World War and originally run by the Red Cross, the ITS helps to uncover the fates of Holocaust victims and others who suffered under the Nazi regime.

The archive in Bad Arolsen is said to be the largest storage facility of documents related to the Holocaust. It includes 30 million documents in 16 miles of shelves housing information about Holocaust survivors, displaced persons, slave laborers and political refugees from former Eastern Bloc countries.

Over the past 50 years, the ITS has answered more than 10 million requests. About 1,000 search requests continue to trickle in to the archive monthly.

"Many people still do not know what has become of their loved ones,"?said Dr. Ingeborg Berggreen-Merkel from Germany's federal commission of culture. "Even decades after the end of the Holocaust and the war, there is this persisting uncertainty, which results from the fact that part of one's own history remains untold."?

Visitors to the archive come into direct contact with the bureaucracy of mass murder.

Its meticulous records include concentration camp files, "deportation cards," patient records and a post-war index of non-German citizens. Its researchers plow through the stacks of yellowing paper, registering and scanning as many of the historic documents as possible. More than 95 percent have now been digitized.

But due to concerns about the victims' privacy, the ITS and the German government kept the files closed to the public for half a century. While search requests have been accepted since the end of the war, the archive was initially not "open source."

Following public pressure from survivor groups, historians and researchers, who called for public access to the archives, the ITS Commission -- consisting of 11 member states -- declared itself in favor of opening up Bad Arolsen in 1998.

Yet, scholars and researchers were only given access to the documents beginning in 2007.

"I think it was criminal that the documents were not opened up earlier," said Holocaust survivor and U.S. judge Thomas Buergenthal. He was able to find?records of his father's ordeal in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald at Bad Arolsen.

"This archive is my father's only memorial, we have no other," Buergenthal added.

But although time has claimed many eyewitnesses, the archive is still helping to reunite survivors of Nazi terror -- such as Thiem and his long lost aunt. She remembers her nephew -- who is now an elderly man -- as a "little child."

"I spent a lifetime wondering who I really am, now I know," Thiem said.

Related:?

A retired teacher's courageous crusade: Tackling neo-Nazi hate

Despite dark past, young Israelis seek new lives in German capital

Warm glow of Berlin's 'beautiful' gas streetlights set to fade

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/26/16641847-holocaust-archive-rescues-lost-identities-reunites-family-after-decades?lite

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Report: Galaxy Tab 3 initially coming in 10.1-inch version, Galaxy Note 8.0 LTE planned

We've learned much about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 over the past week, and now we're seeing further indications of what plans Samsung might have for its Galaxy Tab line. Samsung fansite SamMobile, which broke some of the Note 8.0 news a few days ago, now says that Samsung plans to launch new Galaxy Tabs this year, but only 10.1-inch versions are on the cards at the moment. The "Tab 3 7.0," it reports, has been mothballed in favor of the stylus-toting Galaxy Note 8.0. Depending on sales of the Note 8.0, SamMobile's source says, an 8.0-inch Tab 3 may be offered at some point in the future.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/I2JPL0GbEWc/story01.htm

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McDonough no stranger to Obama inner circle

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In selecting Denis McDonough to be his next and fifth chief of staff, President Barack Obama is tapping a longtime confidant and unflappable ally to be his gatekeeper to the personalities and challenges that will confront him in his second term.

Obama announced Friday that McDonough, now one of the president's closest national security advisers, will replace outgoing White House chief of staff Jack Lew, whom Obama has nominated for the treasury secretary.

McDonough, 43, becomes the latest link in a chain of staffers elevated to key roles in the Obama White House following years of service within the president's closely guarded inner circle. The risk-averse strategy keeps Obama in his comfort zone and ensures that those setting the tone for the administration are in tight harmony with his way of thinking.

"The president trusts him ? perhaps more than anyone else in the White House. And I think he knows the president's mind perhaps better than anyone else in the White House," said John Podesta, who served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff and co-chaired Obama's transition team. Podesta worked closely with McDonough both in former Sen. Tom Daschle's office and at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the White House.

A native of Stillwater, Minn., McDonough obtained a master's degree from Georgetown University in 1996 and soon became a foreign policy staffer in the House, then later in the Senate under Daschle, the top Senate Democrat at the time. Like so many of the president's senior aides, his work for Obama started during the 2008 campaign, where he served as a foreign policy aide and was a senior adviser on the transition team. In 2009, he became the chief of staff for Obama's national security staff.

Announcing his choice on Friday in the White House, Obama said McDonough was not only one of his closest advisers but also one of his closest friends, recounting the "countless crises" during the first term that had engrossed McDonough at all hours of the day.

"I've actually begun to think that Denis likes pulling all-nighters," Obama said to knowing laughter from fellow staffers in the East Room. "The truth is nobody outworks Denis McDonough."

Current and former White House staffers describe McDonough as an exceptionally hard worker with deep loyalty to the president. Highly regarded by fellow White House staffers, McDonough has a deep well of experience navigating tough national security issues; he is among the top officials photographed with Obama in the situation room in 2011 as Navy SEALs carried out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

But McDonough is also known for putting a human touch on his demanding job, occasionally sending handwritten thank-you notes to co-workers for their help on projects or foreign trips.

"You often find in Washington people very skillful on substance. You have very good people on the politics of people. It's a fairly rare staffer who combines the two," said former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., who employed McDonough as a foreign policy adviser in the 1990s and described his demeanor as calm and reasonable. "Firm, commanding in a sense. He had command of the facts without being offensive in any way."

That's important, because Obama has made no secret of his preference for a low-key work environment, free of the drama and clash of personalities that can so often distract from the pursuit of a policy agenda.

Obama's first chief of staff, current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was known more for volatility than cool-headedness. And some administration officials still bristle at the president's attempt to bring in an outsider for the chief of staff job ? Bill Daly, who replaced Emanuel but only lasted about a year before leaving Washington. McDonough is expected to be more in the mold of Lew, the even-keeled budget guru who, like McDonough, had already amassed a lengthy Washington resume before becoming Obama's chief of staff.

But what McDonough boasts in foreign policy expertise he lacks when it comes to domestic policy, which encompasses the bulk of the major issues the president will confront as his second term gets under way. Looming over the start of McDonough's term as chief of staff are a set of fiscal showdowns over debt and government spending, a heated campaign for gun control legislation and a major push for comprehensive immigration reform.

Although McDonough's portfolio has been national security, he is involved in daily senior staff meetings at the White House that often focus on domestic issues. Last year, when the White House was embroiled in an internal debate over a mandate requiring religious organizations to offer contraception coverage, McDonough, a Catholic and one of 11 children, was among a handful of aides who raised concerns.

Obama is expected to surround McDonough with aides who have broader experience on domestic issues and congressional negotiations ? most notably Rob Nabors, Obama's legislative director and chief negotiator with Capitol Hill, who the president tapped Friday to become his new deputy chief of staff for policy.

"He does not have the kind of background that Jack Lew had in budget matters, so he'll have to bring on board some very knowledgeable people," said Hamilton. "He probably already has."

___

AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcdonough-no-stranger-obama-inner-circle-173755618--politics.html

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J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars Episode VII

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/jj-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii/

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Bad Credit? Try These Tips To Improve Your Credit Score. - Finance

Having poor credit means you might not get the results you want from companies that look at your credit. The longer your low credit score lasts, the more limited your financial choices will be. It is possible to repair the credit, however, and you will start to see doors reopening. The tips provided here will help you repair your credit.

Be upfront about your situation with the collectors, and they may be able to make payment arrangements you can afford. Let them know a realistic amount you can pay. Remember that they?re usually open to negotiation.

Interest Rates

High credit card balances can damage your credit. The first step to repairing credit is to pay those balances down. You should first work on paying down the credit cards with the highest balance or interest rates. Your debt will not grow as fast as before, if you get rid of high interest rates first, and your creditors will see you are making efforts.

You will be able to buy a house and finance it if you maintain a good credit rating. If you wish to have an even higher credit score, make sure that you pay your house mortgage off on time. Home ownership also means you have assets that you can rely on to increase your credit score. This will be useful in case you need to borrow money.

You can work with the credit card companies to start repairing your credit. If you do this you will not go into debt more and make your situation worse than it was. Contact your credit card company and request to change your scheduled due date or interest rate.

You will repair your credit score by paying off your outstanding debts first. Your credit will get worst if you do not start taking action and paying off what you owe.

Order a credit report, and search it for old debts you?ve forgotten about, as well as for outdated information on paid debts. Pay particular attention to correcting any errors. Next, begin to improve upon your past mistakes. Set up a budget to pay off the balance with the most expensive interest rate first, making sure that you have enough to keep your other accounts current each month.

The first step in repairing your credit involves a thorough and careful check to ensure your credit report doesn?t contain erroneous information. You could find mistakes in dates and other factors which can cause the whole item to be removed from the report.

Credit Card

If you want to repair your credit but do not qualify for a regular credit card, consider a secured credit card. You will most likely be approved for this type of card, but you will have to add money to the card before you can use it so the bank will know that you can pay for all of your purchases. Even though this card will be secured by your own money, you will make payments and manage it as if it were unsecured. This will improve your credit as you show yourself able to make the payments on time.

You should devise a plan to get your debts paid off. Although these accounts won?t be expunged from your credit report, they will reflect the fact that you have paid them in full, and the problems you have encountered as a result of having unpaid debts on your report will be reduced or eliminated.

Do not live beyond your means. This is nothing short of a lifestyle overhaul. In many cases, people are using credit cards to buy things they want, rather than focusing on things that they need. Keep track of your spending habits and income, then realistically create a budget that will get you out of your debt dilemma.

Turn a negative into a positive. Repairing your credit standing is not impossible, although it will take some discipline and patience. Take comfort in the fact that you do have no-cost options to repair your credit; all it takes is a little bit of footwork to get it done. Use the hints from this article and you will soon begin to fix your credit.

If you are new with analysis of the stock market today, you might not have known about all these things. While you?ve learned some information, there is much more to know. You will soon find yourself an expert if you start to use this helpful advice today.

Related Posts:

Source: http://thenysefloor.com/2013/01/26/bad-credit-try-these-tips-to-improve-your-credit-score/

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Procter & Gamble fiscal 2Q profit jumps

In this Wednesday, April 27, 2011, photo, Procter & Gamble products are displayed at a Target store in Richmond, Va. Procter & Gamble said Friday that its fiscal second quarter net income more than doubled and boosted its profit outlook as the maker of Tide and Pampers took back market share. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

In this Wednesday, April 27, 2011, photo, Procter & Gamble products are displayed at a Target store in Richmond, Va. Procter & Gamble said Friday that its fiscal second quarter net income more than doubled and boosted its profit outlook as the maker of Tide and Pampers took back market share. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Procter & Gamble is turning a corner.

The world's largest consumer goods company, whose products like Tide detergent and Gillette razors are in 98 percent of U.S. households, in recent years has lost business to competitors as it grew too fast overseas and kept prices high.

But on Friday P&G reported that its fiscal second quarter profit more than doubled as the plan the company launched last year to lower costs and roll out new products boosted its bottom line. It is the second quarter in a row that P&G beat Wall Street estimates.

"We have more work to do, but the underlying trends are improving," said CFO Jon Moeller in a call with analysts.

The results signal a change for P&G, which like many U.S.-based companies, has been focusing on growing its business in places such as China and India as growth in more developed regions like North America have slowed. But while competitors lowered prices, P&G took for granted that many of its products are household names in some regions, and the company held its ground on pricing. As a result, P&G lost market share in more than half of the categories in which it sells products.

Investors, most notably activist William Ackman, who took a 1 percent stake in P&G in July, have been vocal about the company's need to streamline operations and grow market share globally.

P&G in February launched a plan to focus on the company's 40 top businesses, 20 biggest new products and 10 most profitable emerging markets. It also rolled out cost-cutting measures aimed at saving $10 billion by fiscal 2016. Later in the year, P&G lowered prices for laundry detergent, toothpaste and other products in the U.S., and cut jobs.

P&G's quarterly results show that the strategy is finally working. The company, which is based in Cincinnati, held or grew market share in businesses representing almost 50 percent of sales during the fiscal second quarter that ended on Dec. 31.

Another good sign: The positive results come from both developed markets as well as emerging markets. For instance, in China, a key emerging market that has been facing slowing growth, P&G held or grew market share in about half of the categories it competes in, while market share improved for two-thirds of its portfolio there.

"We're really seeing growth both in developed markets and developing markets," said CEO Bob McDonald said in a conference call.

The growth was driven in part by recent product launches that include 3D White toothpaste in Brazil and the introduction of a low-priced razor Gillette Guard in Egypt. In the U.S., Tide Pods drove the improvement in the detergent category and Cascade dish detergent, Gillette Fusion razors and Crest toothpaste were other strong sellers.

Lower prices in North America helped spur market share gains for products such as Gain detergent, dishwashing liquid such as Cascade and Gillette razors, which gained 2 points of market share to boast 74 percent in the U.S. male blades and razors category.

P&G's cost-cutting measures also boosted results. The company said a plan to cut 10 percent of its non-manufacturing workforce, or 5,700 jobs, by the end of the fiscal year is 95 percent complete ? about four or five months ahead of schedule. The company also plans to cut 2 to 4 percent more jobs per year in fiscal 2014 to 2016.

"We remain confident that our focus areas ... are the right ones, and should generate over time the kind of earnings progress that will put us among the best in our industry," Moeller, P&G's CFO, said in the conference call.

During the fiscal second quarter, P&G earned $4.06 billion, or $1.39 per share, up from $1.69 billion, or 57 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Excluding special items, it earned $1.22 per share. Revenue increased 2 percent to $22.18 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.11 per share on $21.86 billion in revenue.

Based on the better-than-expected results for the first half of the year, P&G said it expects fiscal 2013 core earnings of $3.97 to $4.07 per share on revenue growth of 1 percent to 2 percent. It previously predicted an adjusted profit of $3.80 to $4 on flat revenue growth to up to 1 percent. Analysts expect earnings of $3.97 per share.

On the news, P&G shares closed up $2.78, or nearly 4 percent, to $73.19, after reaching a 52-week high of $73.24.

Analysts had mixed reactions to the upbeat report. Wendy Nicholson, an analyst at Citi Investment Research, wrote in a note that P&G's strategy seems to be working.

"We are optimistic that this trend of improvement will continue, especially given that many of P&G's new product launches have just recently, or have yet to, hit the market," Nicholson wrote in the note.

Erin Dash, an analyst for Morningstar, was more cautious. She said that the cost-cutting moves P&G has put in place have boosted results, but the effect might be temporary.

"P&G is benefiting from their stepped up cost saving efforts," she said. "We can't deny those are gaining traction, but we question the sustainability of their efforts.

P&G's results come after its competitor Unilever on Wednesday reported that its full-year net income rose 5 percent, helped by higher prices and cutting costs.

The Dutch company, which makes consumer products such as Dove soaps and Magnum ice cream, recently has been outperforming its larger rival.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-25-Earns-Procter%20and%20Gamble/id-bbfcc0001ef54bcf9cd90d0d04bc9415

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Holmes and CUA have been a perfect fit together - Home of the CUA ...

January 24, 2013

Few things bring Shawn Holmes more enjoyment than playing the game of basketball. It?s easy to see how much fun the Baltimore native has when he?s on the court, making his way past defenders with relative ease or setting up teammates for another basket.? Blessed with terrific speed and athleticism, Holmes? on-court ability often leaves people with a smile on their face, especially the ones who have been there for his entire journey.

When Holmes was only three years old, his father passed away, meaning his mother would be the one to raise Shawn.? She was hardly alone though, as James and Patsy Holmes, Shawn?s grandparents, immediately stepped in and provided any type of support they could.

?My mother was on the younger side when I was born, so my grandmother did a lot of looking after me,? Holmes explains.? ?My grandfather was the man of the house and between the two of them, my grandparents were the ones who really helped shape me into the man I am today.?

One particular moment between Shawn and his grandmother took place when Holmes was in eighth grade, but it helped to put him on the path he is currently on.

?My grandmother asked me what I wanted to do when I get older, because she knew I needed a backup plan after basketball,? Shawn explains.? ?So I said I like money, and she said I should consider accounting.?? Simple enough, Holmes thought.? Fast-forward to today, and Holmes is on his way to earning an accounting degree from The Catholic University of America.

Before heading to CUA however, Holmes needed to decide which college he would attend.? After playing three years of varsity basketball for one of the strongest Catholic high schools in the Baltimore area (Calvert Hall College High School), college coaches like CUA?s Steve Howes knew Holmes would be an impact player on the next level.

?I was impressed with the passion Shawn played with,? Howes says.? ?He played in big games in high school on a night-in, night-out basis, so I knew he would be prepared to make an impact from the start.? The thing that has been most enjoyable to me though, has been the tremendous growth Shawn has gone through during his four years at Catholic University.?

?Coach Howes has been with me since the summer before my senior year of high school,? Holmes explains.? ?He?s someone I can simply go to and talk to about anything, on the court or off.? He?s helped me in my development going from being a boy when I got here to becoming a man.?

In addition to his relationship with Howes, Holmes also liked the fact that CUA offered a top-notch education and was close enough to home that his family could see him play often.? ?No other school offered the combination of academics, a strong coaching staff and the sense of family that CUA did,? Holmes says.? ?I knew it was the university for me.?

Holmes started 10 games as a freshman and then moved into the starting lineup full-time as a sophomore.? As a junior, he earned All-Landmark Conference recognition after averaging a team-high 14.7 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Even with all the success Holmes had attained, Howes knew he could get more from his soon-to-be senior.? ?I know Shawn has aspirations to play overseas following college,? Howes explains.? ?But for him to fulfill that goal, I thought he needed to change his offseason training.? I thought he really needed to push himself in order to get to the next level?

Howes continues, ?There was one particular Friday evening during the spring semester when the entire building was empty and I was getting ready to go home.? As I walked downstairs, I could hear a ball bouncing in the gym, and by the time I made it down, Shawn was headed for the water fountain, dripping with sweat from head to toe.? It was at that moment I knew he was on a mission.?

The numbers prove it.? Holmes is averaging a career-best 16.2 points this season, having scored in double figures 17 times with a high of 27 vs. Randolph-Macon.? One of those double figure scoring games came in the championship of CUA?s own holiday tournament in a win over Husson.

Late in the first half, Holmes rose for a 3-pointer from near the top of the key, as he has done plenty of times throughout his career. This particular time had a special outcome though, and the large throng of Holmes supporters let the DuFour Center crowd know it.

Holmes had scored the 1,000th point of his career, becoming only the 39th men?s basketball player in The Catholic University of America?s history to accomplish this feat.? ?I knew I needed eight points going in, but I lost count once the game started,? Holmes admits.? ?And then after I hit that shot, I could hear people screaming in the crowd so I figured that must have been it.?

If it seems like Holmes is brushing the achievement aside, it?s because he is.? Along with fellow seniors Nate Koenig and Chris Kearney, the Cardinals have larger goals for their final season.

?We?re trying to win a championship and get to the NCAA Tournament,? Holmes emphatically states.? ?Nate and Chris, those are my guys.? We want to leave our mark on this program.? There were nine of us as freshmen, now there are just the three of us.? It?s gone by in a flash, but it?s not over yet.?

Despite living nearly an hour from CUA?s campus, Holmes? grandparents were in attendance that day when their grandson connected on his historic basket.? They try and make it to as many of Shawn?s games as they can, home and away.

It?s this type of support that Howes has seen from Holmes? family since the day he first met them.? ?I really enjoy my relationship with Shawn?s family because they are very special people.? During the recruiting process, Shawn was on the quiet side, but I was able to speak with his grandmother quite a bit and really got to know her.?

Howes continues, ?Shawn?s grandparents are so special to him in terms of what they?ve done for him, and so I let them know that I would do anything I could to help Shawn along the path to becoming a man; I would play my part.? I take that obligation very seriously with each of the young men in our program.?

?My family loves Coach Howes and he loves my family,? Holmes says.? ?He has called my family in the past just to check in and see how they are doing.? That?s the type of relationship they have developed.?

Now that he?s a senior, Holmes sees himself offering words of wisdom and guidance to his younger teammates, including freshman Kyle Phanord.

?Shawn has made my transition to college very easy because he constantly teaches the little things that he learned throughout his basketball career, such as receiving a pass with two hands or calling for the ball at all times and being vocal,? Phanord explains.

?He is arguably one of the best guards in the country, so I consider myself privileged as a freshman to be under Shawn's wing and have the opportunity to pick his brain everyday in practice and mimic my game after his.? Shawn is the epitome of a role model that I'm grateful to have.?

?I see myself in more of a mentoring role this year,? Holmes admits.? ?I feel like I have always been a leader on the team, but my role has changed this season.?

?The offseason work that Shawn put in gave him the confidence to be the type of leader he is this season,? Howes explains.? ?My new assistant coaches have said they think Shawn is a completely different player than the one they saw on tape from last season, and that?s a testament to his work ethic and maturity.?

Phanord echoes those sentiments, ?Shawn leads by example in practice.? You can always count on him to go hard in every drill that we do.? He sets a high standard of what practice should be like everyday.? Every great team has a great leader, and Shawn has filled that role for us.?

While Holmes does envision playing overseas in the future, he also plans on becoming a certified public accountant (CPA).? He says walking across the stage later this year to accept his diploma will be a big achievement.? ?A lot of people helped me accomplish the goals I?ve set for myself.? It?s definitely going to make my grandmother proud,? he says with a smile.

?It?s been a lot of fun to watch how Shawn has developed throughout his four years,? Howes explains.? ?He?s paid very close attention to detail and has been a tremendous asset to our program.? People want to be around Shawn, they rally around him.? He?s a special, special person, and I?ll miss him a great deal on a personal level.?

Source: http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/releases/holmes_feature_story

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