Property is used as security collateral against most real estate loans.?Non-recourse real estate loans?are no exception. When you sign a note directly with your lender the note is a Primary Market note. In the event that you purchase a note from a lender that already had executed the original note, you are said to be working in the Secondary Market. Those familiar with the financial crisis of 2008, will understand that a huge part of the bubble-burst came from asset-backed securities sold in the secondary market. Many of such junk real estate notes were sold after the loans created were known to be extremely risky. The problem with such notes is that the lender could loan large amounts to someone incapable to pay and then transfer all liability to another individual or entity on the secondary market, without reaping the consequences of the loan?s eventual default. In essence, it was a way to make large of amount of money by writing extremely risky loans and then passing the risk on to others in the secondary market. Ultimately, the entire country, including the taxpayers, took the heat for such predatory lending.
Just because asset-backed securities received a bad rap, thanks to the financial crisis of 2008, it doesn?t mean that they?re evil or avoidable at all costs. It is, however, helpful to understand the potential areas of risk when heading headlong into investing in such products. With that in mind, here is some information on investing in real estate-backed notes with your real estate IRA.
When it comes to your self-directed IRA, it is important to note that you can invest in both primary and secondary note markets.
Senior Notes vs. Junior Notes
Unless your IRA is extremely well-funded, it is advisable that you only invest in Senior Notes. Here?s why. Junior Notes represent higher risk loans: second mortgages and/or home equity lines of credit. They?re loans that are ultimately more risky because they have second claim to the property behind the senior note and are more likely to go into default. Remember, your real estate IRA is sacred. We suggest only investing in high-grade, real estate-backed senior notes.
Ultimately, the risk of the note is not just based on whether it was Senior or Junior. It is based on other important factors as well, including:
Term of the loan. Is it a 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 year note??
Interest Rate. The percentage balance charged by the lender and paid by the borrower can have an affect on the riskiness of the payback.
Creditworthiness. While credit scores and other measure are highly subjective in nature, other objective measurements help determine a person?s ability to pay (like income etc.)
Loan-to-Value Ratio (LTV): Divide the balance of the loan by the market value of the property. This helps to measure the ultimate risk of the mortgage note. If you?re buying a note, the lower the better.
Using the aforementioned factors can help you gauge the riskiness of the note in which you invest with your self-directed IRA. When the customer?s credit score and LTV ratio are too low for a traditional bank or mortgage lender, someone with a home that wanted to borrow against it could go with a private investor for a higher interest rate. That?s where notes come into play. We will be discussing further how such mortgage notes can be structured and the best ways in which to invest in securitized obligations with your retirement account funds in later posts. Stay tuned.
Enterprise network infrastructure company BTI Systems has raised $10 million in new capital led by Bain Capital Ventures and including existing investors BDC, Covington Capital and GrowthWorks. The company has raised more than $33 million since 2011.
For years I've lived by the personal mantra, particularly in times of fear and stress -- crippling or otherwise -- feelings aren't facts. For me, it's a simple, clarifying yet true phrase that has seen me through a number of sticky, stressful, even painful moments. Fear can be one of the most crippling of all the emotions. It can paralyze and hinder progress or, when channeled, it can transform into courage.
Fear and stress also have bad raps. Sometimes it's a necessary evil to get to what we really want or need. In my adult life, I've made some difficult decisions that created stressful situations as byproducts. For example, I chose to end a marriage and become a single mother, I chose to eventually get remarried and introduce a stepfather to my two beautiful children, and I chose to make a career change to pursue something I was more passionate about. All of these things came with their share of sadness, stress, fear and tears, but what was on the the other side was joy, laughter, anticipation and excitement.
Between the "before" and "after" in all those situations, I did not lose my fear -- at least not initially. What I've come to understand is that courage isn't the absence of fear at all. It's taking an action or risk, making a move or decision in spite of it, and here are some of the tools that I found were handy:
1. Know this too shall pass: No situation or feeling is forever, not even fear, you just have to have the patience and persistence to wait it out.
2. Perspective is everything: Even before your circumstances change, your perspective might and that is a beautiful thing.
3. Just take the next right action: When it feels like there are a million things to accomplish and it's insurmountable, it's easy to become paralyzed, and that's often when an "all or nothing" mindset can sneak in and take over (example: well, doing that one thing won't fix the whole problem, so why do anything at all?). The fact is, a journey of 100 miles began with the first step, so when I feel overwhelmed and I start focusing on doing the best thing I can do that's right in front of me, I can stay on task, and pretty soon the little tasks start to add up.
4. Identify quantifiable evidence: Feelings may not be facts, but sometimes in moments of high stress or true despair they can be worse. What I try to do -- in moments that are less fraught -- is collect pieces of quantifiable evidence that combat the fear so I can have them in my back pocket. For example, if I fear I will be alone, I have letters and notes from my husband and children that say how much they love me; if the fear is about not being talented in a chosen field, perhaps keep a scrapbook of professional accomplishments.
5. Resist the urge to isolate: When I'm feeling bad, I always want to hibernate. It makes sense... facing the world is the last thing I want to do when I feel like the word "LOSER" is written across my face. The truth is, isolation feeds desperation and only digs the hole deeper. Support systems are really important when getting through moments of stress as is continuing to feel like a citizen of the world.
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Question: I'm getting ready to do my taxes soon and would like to know if there are any good mobile apps or websites that will make this less painful and stressful (besides the obvious tax prep tools, of course). Help me get all the stuff I need organized!
Answer: Ah, tax season. Just the thought of it gives some of us headaches. The good news is there are lots of free and inexpensive apps and tools that can greatly simplify this awful process, from getting organized to filing your return. Here's what we recommend.
Get your tax documents in order
If you have an uncomplicated return (one W2, for example, and take the standard deduction), congratulations: You don't have to worry much about organizing your tax records. For everyone else, though, managing the piles of receipts and other documents is a big part of the pain. Several apps can help with that.
Evernote: The Swiss Army knife of note taking and capture tools, Evernote excels at keeping your documents categorized into notebooks. You can set up a tax notebook and then either sub-notebooks or tags for different categories like income statements, interest earned, charitable contributions, and the like. Combine Evernote with compact scanner Doxie or ScanSnap, and you can quickly file your receipts in Evernote. Another strategy is to use webapp automation serviceIFTTT to automatically send any emails you tag in Gmail with a tax label to your Evernote tax notebook. Handy!
Shoeboxed: If scanning and managing all those papers isn't your thing, take a look at receipt scanning solution Shoeboxed. As we've previously mentioned, you can mail, email, or upload your receipts to Shoeboxed and they'll OCR and categorize the documents for you. You can export those receipts to popular tax programs, as well as Evernote, and mobile apps are available. A free account lets you store 5 documents per month, while premium plans starting at $9.95 give you more capacity.
Slice: Slice is a brilliant receipt and package tracking webapp and mobile app. It scans your Gmail for receipts and gives you an overview of your entire purchase history. Last year, I used the convenient listing to find tax-deductible receipts I had forgotten about.
Expensify (pictured right): If you can take deductible expenses like car mileage and meals and entertainment expenses when you travel for business, Expensify has your back. The mobile apps and web receipts extension capture all those stray receipts and attachments and can turn them into IRS-approved eReceipts. It's a great app for independent contractors.
Your personal finance program and financial accounts: Of course, don't forget to consult your personal finance tool, such as popular Mint or Quicken to see spending by category and find all those deductible expenses. Both can port your information to TurboTax.
Also, your year-end statements from your credit card or bank can also come in handy if you're hunting down your tax-related expenses. (American Express has an awesome searchable and sortable view of statements by category.)
TaxCaster by TurboTax (pictured right): Want a sneak peek at how much of a refund (or tax bill) you'll get this year? This free tax refund calculator will estimate your taxes based on your quick inputs. It's available online, for Android, and for iOS.
Bloomberg BNA Quick Tax Reference: This app for Android,iPhone, and BlackBerry gives you instant access to tax rates and other handy information, such as IRA limits, mileage rates, and more. It's developed for financial professionals, but also offers useful tools like quickly calculating your total tax.
TaxACT Central: A companion app to the popular, free tax filing service, TaxACT Central can answer your tax questions and keep you organized, with a convenient checklist of what you need to file. You don't have to use TaxACT for filing to make use of the Android or iPhone app.
File your taxes and monitor your refund
We generally recommend going to a tax professional unless you have a very simple return. If yours isn't complicated, though, mobile and desktop apps can streamline filing your return and tracking your refund.
TurboTax SnapTax (pictured right): You can file your taxes in as little as ten minutes using this simple Android and iPhone app. Snap a photo of your W2, answer a few questions, and file right from the phone or online. (Isn't the future great?) This app is only for those who: make under $100,000 ($120,000 if married); only have W2, interest, or unemployment income; and don't own a home. Free to try, but $24.99 to file both federal and state.
H&R Block also offers mobile tax apps. The 1040EZ for Smartphone prepares your simple federal and state returns for free on Android and iPhone. There's also a iPad app not limited to 1040EZ returns, with free federal filing for simple returns and an additional fee for state filing.
Of course, both of these tax services (and many others) have desktop and/or webapps. Not all tax preparation software will give you the same results, though.ConsumerSearch has rounded up reviews of the top four tax prep applications, and Get Rich Slowly has an excellent (yet older) price comparison of these solutions and services.
IRS2Go: From Uncle Sam himself, IRS2Go doesn't let you file taxes from the Android oriPhone apps, but you can check the status of your refund, get tax law updates, request a copy of your tax records in the mail, and watch IRS YouTube videos. (Perhaps not the most exciting download, but we are talking about the IRS and taxes here.)
Grab these apps and put them in a new tax organization folder and you'll be set for this tax season and beyond.
TCU rifle has a shot at its third national championship title in four years, as the team was selected as one of the top eight teams to compete in the NCAA Championship.
The top eight teams were announced Wednesday evening. The competitors are TCU, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alaska-Fairbanks, Jacksonville State, Army, Nebraska and Air Force.
Team qualifiers were determined by combining the team's top three scores in both smallbore and air rifle for the 2012-2013 season, adding the team's score from their qualifier this past weekend and averaging the four scores.
The event will mark the seventh straight year that the Horned Frogs qualified for the NCAA Championship.?The Frogs were national air rifle champions in 2010 and 2012, finished third in 2008 and 2011, and finished fifth in 2007 and 2009.?
Senior Sarah Scherer was the individual smallbore national champion in 2010 and 2012.
The team shot over the 4,700 point-mark three times this season including a school-record of 4,718 against Kentucky on Nov. 17.
Scherer broke the NCAA record in smallbore with an individual 597 score and set the NCAA record for an aggregate score when combined with her 598 score in air rifle.
Team members include Sarah Beard, Catherine Green, Megan Lee and Scherer.
The rifle team went undefeated in the 2012-2013 regular season and are riding a 23-match win streak. The team has only lost two matches since the start of the 2009-2010 season.
The 2013 NCAA Championship takes place at the Ohio State University March 8 and 9.
Author: Robert Strong | Total views: 157 Comments: 0 Word Count: 873 Date:
With the growing powers and capabilities of the internet and smart phones, businesses are less and less needing to be centered in an office setting. Many businesses now are operated from home. This can be advantageous in so many ways. This article will offer some tips about being a home businesses operator.
Running your home based business is a challenge, it is important to reward yourself so you will stay motivated. For instance, for every work related task that you complete from your list, you could reward yourself with fifteen minutes of non work activities. This will help to keep you focused and motivated.
Ensure that your home business is properly insured, by discussing the business with an insurance agent. You should also make sure that your home business complies with local zoning laws and city ordinances. You don't want to start a dog care business, if there is a limit to the amount of animals you can have on your property.
Keep an attitude that will bring you success in your home business venture. If you go about your day thinking of your home business as a hobby, you are not going to see the success that you would if you really considered it to be your real job. Keep a business attitude even when your business is in your home.
It is wise to engage the services of a professional accountant early in your home business career. Even the simplest home business owner is in a far more complex tax situation than a salaried employee. A tax expert can ensure that you avoid any pitfalls awaiting you in home business ownership, and make sure you meet all of your tax obligations.
Use a spreadsheet to keep track of your business activity. You can enter mileage, purchases, income and other business related transactions all in one spreadsheet using different columns. Use formulas to run totals on the columns and tax time will not seem quite so threatening.
One way you can keep your home business on track is to set fixed hours for working on it. Running a business out of your home can tempt you to put off your work or prioritize other interests ahead of it. By committing to a relatively inflexible schedule, you can encourage yourself to treat your business professionally.
In order to make your home business successful, make your website attractive. The number one thing a person notices when they click on a website is its design. If the website is too flashy or too plain, it may turn customers off. If you are unsure how to design your website, there are many tools online.
Keep everything you commonly use on your desk or at your workbench within easy reach. That may seem like an obvious tip but if you always have to over extend or even get up from your work area to get something you need then your aren't organizing your area efficiently. Organize according to need.
In order to make a home business successful, your business must be found in the Google search results. Search engine optimization is key in succeeding in today's business world. Many different companies offer tools for search engine optimization, and it is imperative that you employ a few different strategies in order to obtain success.
Leveraging social media for your home business is an absolute must! Both brick-and-mortar stores as well as online-only companies will find that it not only expands your reach but also creates a conversation with your customers. People love it when a company replies to their questions or comments on Twitter or Facebook!
Get your friends and family to promote your home business for you. Give them business cards so they can hand them out to the people they know who might want to use your services. You can even make it a fun game by putting a coupon code on the card which is specific to the individual you give it to, and then the person with the most referrals wins a prize!
Keep your equipment up to date. If you buy equipment that you obviously need for your business, such as office supplies or a computer, you can deduct your expenses from your taxes. To avoid getting in trouble, do not write off expenses that might fit into what you bought for your home rather than your business.
To reduce distractions keep your office off limits to children. Have set work hours that enable you to run your business and still have time for your family. Older children should understand not to disturb you while you are working. For your business to succeed your family needs to be supportive and respectful of your work schedule.
It is extremely important to set up specific space and time to work. When you are interrupted, you must maintain those work-at- home boundaries. With small children, child care is required as if you were not home. As the owner, you don't have any benefits. Sick days, vacations, and paid holidays are a thing of the past.
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1: Understanding Online Business Success
Starting a home based business to earn income online takes a significant amount of time and energy upfront to get things going. Not seeing results immediately can be discouraging and cause people to give up too early. In this article, we look at the process of starting a home based business and working through the frustrations to be there when the sales come flowing in.
2: Why You Need To Build Multiple Streams of Income For Yourself
Being an entrepreneur and earning multiple streams of income is a dream that many have, but in reality it does take some initial hard work to achieve this. Earning multiple streams of income is the wave of the future, and here are some tips and advice for you when you are looking for ways in which to do this for yourself.
3: What is Cyber Marketing And Why It Is So Important For The Success Of Your Website
Cyber marketing has now become an indispensable segment of e-commerce as well as the internet and World Wide Web related topics. Cyber marketing simply refers to a technique of attracting potential customers by advertising your products or services through such means as websites, emails, and banners.
4: Article Marketing Strategy: Putting Together a "Class Schedule" For Your Article Topics
Businesses go to so much trouble when there is one sure-fire, simple, very inexpensive way to attract new clients to a business: Teach a free class. That is what article marketing is like. Your articles are just like free classes. You teach your target readers something helpful in your article. Your resource box then says, "If you enjoyed this article you can visit my website and apply what you have learned."
5: The Best Way To Optimise Your Website SEO For Google Panda
If you want your SEO to work you now need to concentrate on appeasing Google Panda, and to do this you need to know what Google Panda's spiders/bots will be looking for. Find out here how to search engine optimise your website for the latest Google Panda algorithm, and achieve the success you deserve.
Oscar Pistorius spent Saturday at his uncle's home after being released on bail. Pistorius, the double-amputee South African Olympic sprinter, is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The Steenkamp family has been beset by grief.
By Christopher Torchia,?Associated Press / February 23, 2013
Adam Steenkamp, (center l.), the brother of Reeva Steenkamp, walks with family members after attending her funeral, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Tuesday. Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is charged with the murder of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day. The defense lawyer says it was an accidental shooting.
Schalk van Zuydam/AP
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Far from the courtroom drama that has gripped South Africa, the family of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend has struggled with its own private deluge of grief, frustration and bewilderment.
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The victim's relatives also harbor misgivings about efforts by the Olympian's family to reach out to them with condolences.
Pistorius, meanwhile, spent Saturday at his uncle's home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria, the South African capital, after a judge released him on bail following days of testimony that transfixed South Africa and much of the world. He was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day, but the athlete says he killed her accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.
"We are extremely thankful that Oscar is now home," his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said in a statement that also acknowledged the law must run its course. "What happened has changed our lives irrevocably."
The Pistorius family took steps to lower its profile on social media after someone hacked into the Twitter account of his older brother, Carl, family spokesman Janine Hills said.
"Carl did not tweet this afternoon, out of respect to Oscar and Reeva," Hills said in a statement. "We are busy cancelling all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister."
Mike Steenkamp, Reeva's uncle, told The Associated Press that the family of the double-amputee athlete initially did not send condolences or try to contact the bereaved parents, but had since sought to reach out in what he described as a poorly timed way. After Pistorius was released on bail in what amounted to a victory for the defense, Arnold Pistorius said the athlete's family was relieved but also in mourning "with the family" of Reeva Steenkamp.
"Everybody wants to jump up with joy," Mike Steenkamp said, speculating on the mood of Pistorius' family after the judge's decision. "I think it was just done in the wrong context, completely."
A South African newspaper, the Afrikaans-language Beeld, quoted the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, law school graduate and participant in a television reality show, as saying the family had received a bouquet of flowers and a card from the Pistorius family.
"Yes, but what does it mean? Nothing," June Steenkamp said, according to the Saturday edition of Beeld. She also said Pistorius' family, including sister Aimee, a somber presence on the bench behind the Olympian during his court hearings in the past week, must be "devastated" and had done nothing wrong.
"They are not to blame," June Steenkamp said. According to Beeld, she said she had hoped to plan a wedding for her daughter one day.
In an affidavit, 26-year-old Oscar Pistorius said he was "absolutely mortified" by the death of "my beloved Reeva," and he frequently sobbed in court during the several days during which his bail application was considered. However, prosecutor Gerrie Nel, suggested in a scathing criticism that Pistorius was actually distraught because his vaunted career was now in peril and he was in grave trouble with the law.
"It doesn't matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he will have to live with his conscience if he allows his legal team to lie for him," Barry Steenkamp, Reeva's father, told Beeld.
"But if he is telling the truth, then perhaps I can forgive him one day," the father said. "If it didn't happen the way he said it did, he must suffer, and he will suffer ... only he knows."
Barry Steenkamp suffered "heavy trauma" at the loss of his daughter and his remarks to the newspaper partly reflect how he is working through it, said his brother, Mike Steenkamp.
Steenkamp was cremated in a funeral ceremony on Feb. 19 in her family's hometown of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southern coast. Mike Steenkamp delivered a statement about the family's grief to television cameras, at one point breaking down in tears.
The three-story house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt and uncle lies on a hill with a view of Pretoria. It has a large swimming pool and an immaculate garden.
Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and had his legs amputated at 11 months. He has run on carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is a multiple Paralympic medalist, but he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meter race and on South Africa's 4x400 relay team.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Samsung Galaxy S Duos: This is a comparison between two dual sim smartphone from the house of Samsung. Being a Samsung lover you would love to have any of these two. In that case you might be confused which one to choose and why. There is almost a difference of Rs 8000 in price. Therefore, the confusion might be even higher in your mind. Samsung Galaxy S Duos has been in the market for a while. The major disadvantage of S Duos is the slow processor. In fails to run high-graphics games in most occasions. The GPU is also not very efficient. However, it still belongs to Qualcomm, the largest smartphone chip manufacturer.
In display segment you will see considerable difference between these dual sim droids. Galaxy Grand Duos flaunts 5 inch display with WVGA resolution. On other other hand, Samsung Galaxy S Duos is compact and sports smaller 4 inch WVGA display. Naturally, display ppi is high in Galaxy S Duos. At least HD resolution would have been ideal for Grand but you can?t do anything about this.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Samsung Galaxy S Duos
In contract to that, Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos ensures really fast multitasking. It uses Broadcom BCM28155 SoC where two ARM Cortex A9 processor cores are clocked at 1.2 GHz processor. VideoCore IV GPU is there as well. It scores really good in benchmark test.
Benchmarks
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
Samsung Galaxy S Duos
Quadrant
3706
2193
Antutu
7746
3450
Nenamark 2
58.9 fps
19.9 fps
In camera segment Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos is way better than Galaxy S Duos. It only only has a 8 MP shooter it records full HD video too. In contrast to that Galaxy S Duos sports 5 MP shooter that records 480p VGA video.
Internal 8 GB storage of Galaxy Grand gets a straight edge over Samsung Galaxy S Duos. Like other budget smartphones Galaxy S Duos comes with 4 GB ROM.
Galaxy S Duos lacks ambient light sensor while it?s present in Galaxy Grand Duos. The major advantage of ambient light sensor is it adjusts display brightness depending on exposure. It?s always hectic to adjust brightness as per requirement.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Samsung Galaxy S Duos Rear
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Samsung Galaxy S Duos
Features
Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
Samsung Galaxy S Duos
Weight
161 gm
120 gm
Operating System
Android 4.1.2 JellyBean
Android 4.0.4 ICS, planned upgrade to Android 4.1.2 JellyBean
8 MP, AF, LED flash, BSI sensor, Image Stabilization, face detection, smile detection
5 MP, AF, LED flash
Video Recording
1080p full HD
480p
Secondary Camera
1.9 MP
VGA
Data
GPRS/EDGE Class 12, HSPA speed up to 21 Mbps, HSUPA speed up to 5.76 Mbps
GPRS/EDGE Class 12, HSDPA speed up to 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA speed up to 5.76 Mbps
Connectivity
Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi, micro USB
Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-Fi, micro USB
Battery
2100 mAh
1500 mAh
Entertainment
Music, video player, FM Radio
Music, video player, FM Radio
Audio Enhancement
N/A
No
No of SIM Card
Two, Dual Standby
Dual standby
Dimension
143.5x76.8x9.6 mm
121.5x63.1x10.5 mm
Final Thoughts, Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Samsung Galaxy S Duos
In all areas Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos is better than Samsung Galaxy S Duos. Now affordability plays an important role here. You may not stretch your budget over Rs 20000 so easily. In that case, you must consider something like Micromax Canvas HD. It?s better than Galaxy S Duos. I already created a post on Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos vs Micromax A116 Canvas HD. Display size is big, camera quality is way better, more RAM, higher internal storage, app space, powerful processor and GPU and other premium features and excellent gaming compatibility makes Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos better choice over S Duos.
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The snowplow driver calling himself Dogg has been ticking off a lot of people.
Mark Hussey, who plows the streets of Lowell, Mass., for a private contractor, made a video of himself as he buried cars in the white stuff and blocked driveways by pushing back the snow shoveled off of them. The worst part: He's loving every minute of it.
The video, which he posted on YouTube, has caught the attention of the winter-weary Web?and confirmed some people?s fears that snowplow drivers make their lives more difficult on purpose, leaving the roads clear, but everyone else pretty much stuck.
Hussey filmed himself through the windshield of his snowplow after a Feb. 10 storm dropped two feet of snow on the area. The local Fox 25 News station interviewed the 47-year-old, whose video showed the joy he took in doing his job just a little too aggressively.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was your car down there?" Dogg is heard at one point as he buries one sedan in snow. "You want to find your car? You come see me, I'll let you know where your car is."
Needless to say, residents are not amused. Al Bedard, who was digging out in Dogg's wake, told the Fox station, "It's very aggravating. You want to throw a shovel at him. It's very aggravating,"
Dogg claims he?s just doing his job, which is to widen the streets. And there's no doubt he enjoys it.
He says on his video, ?If you?re plowing, I know you?re not having as much fun as I am.?
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Unique proteins in these amphibians cast doubt on the existence of any latent potential for limb regeneration
By Zoe Cormier and Nature magazine
The Eastern, or red-spotted, newt may have evolved the ability to regenerate organs and limbs in relatively recent timesImage: Flickr/StoneHorse Studios
The ability of some animals to regenerate tissue is generally considered to be an ancient quality of all multicellular animals. A genetic analysis of newts, however, now suggests that it evolved much more recently.
Tiny and delicate it may be, but the red spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) has tissue-engineering skills that far surpass the most advanced biotechnology labs. The newt can regenerate lost tissue, including heart muscle, components of its central nervous system and even the lens of its eye.
Doctors hope that this skill relies on a basic genetic program that is common ? albeit often in latent form ? to all animals, including mammals, so that they can harness it in regenerative medicine. Mice, for instance, are able to generate new heart cells after myocardial injury.
The newt study, by Thomas Braun at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, Germany, and his colleagues, suggest that it might not be so simple.
Attempts to analyze the genetics of newts in the same way as for humans, mice and flies have so far been hampered by the enormous size of the newt genome, which is ten times larger than our own. Braun and his colleagues therefore looked at the RNA produced when genes are expressed ? known as the transcriptome ? and used three analytical techniques to compile their data.
The team compiled the first catalogue of all the RNA transcripts expressed in N. viridescens, looking at both primary and regenerated tissue in the heart, limbs and eyes of both embryos and larvae.
The researchers found more than 120,000 RNA transcripts, of which they estimate 15,000 code for proteins. Of those, 826 were unique to the newt. What is more, several of those sequences were expressed at different levels in regenerated tissue than in primary tissue. Their results are published in Genome Biology.
Modern or ancestral? The findings add to existing evidence that the ability evolved recently, says Jeremy Brockes of University College London, whose research provided the first evidence that regenerating tissue in salamanders express proteins that are not found in other vertebrates.
?I no longer believe that there is an ancestral program that is waiting to be reawakened,? Brockes says. ?However, I absolutely do believe it?s possible to coax mammal tissues into regenerating to a greater degree with the lessons we learn from newts.?
But saying that the trait is either ancestral or recent is probably too ?black and white?, says Elly Tanaka of the Center for Regenerative Therapies in Dresden, Germany. The truth, she says, could be somewhere in the middle. ?It may in fact be that regeneration is ancestral, but that newts have species-specific adaptations that allow it to have such spectacular regenerative capacities compared with other vertebrates.?
Moreover, Tanaka adds, scientists would do well to look for more grey zones in the potential for harnessing the regenerative capacities of newts (and of other animals, such as fish). Rather than focusing on spectacular, but perhaps unlikely, scenarios in which amputees could regrow entire limbs, researchers should instead focus on more plausible options, such as improving the healing of scars and burns or increasing the speed of organ regeneration.
This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on February 21, 2013.
Out of Central Michigan, Eric Fisher is considered one of the top offensive tackles in the 2013 NFL Draft. He spoke to reporters at the 2013 NFL Combine in Indianapolis and had some bold statements, namely that he's working to be the No. 1 tackle in the nation. Yes, that would mean above Luke Joeckel who many think the Chiefs will select with the top pick. NFL Network's Mike Mayock called Fisher one of four options for the Chiefs with the top pick. Take a look at what Fisher had to say at the Combine on Thursday.
Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum speaks to reporters outside City Hall in Montreal, Tuesday, Februray 19, 2013, following a raid by UPAC on the premises. (Graham Hughes /THE CANADIAN PRESS)
(Reuters) - The owner of the stricken Carnival Triumph cruise ship was hit by a lawsuit seeking class action status for stranding more than 3,000 passengers for five days on a ship without electricity or adequate sanitation.
Carnival Corp should be held liable for physical and emotional anguish inflicted on the passengers as well as punitive damages, according to the lawsuit by Matt and Melissa Crusan. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in U.S. federal court in Miami.
The Triumph was towed into Mobile, Alabama on Thursday, four days after a fire knocked out the ship's power while it was off the coast of Mexico.
The lawsuit alleged the world's largest cruise company failed to provide a seaworthy ship. In addition, "motivated solely by financial gain" Carnival negligently brought the Triumph to Mobile, where it would be repaired, rather than a closer Mexican port. That decision extended the trip by 350 miles, the plaintiffs said.
Passengers were exposed to disease as sewage and "human waste sloshed around the vessel as the vessel listed while drifting and/or while under tow," according to the lawsuit.
A Carnival spokesman, Vance Gulliksen, said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit seeks to represent all of the passengers on the stricken cruise.
The complaint said that the Triumph ticket limits passengers' rights to bring a class action, but that provision should be voided by Carnival's negligence in using an unseaworthy vessel and not towing the ship to the nearest port.
Carnival has offered Triumph passengers $500, reimbursement for their transportation and many onboard costs, and given them a credit toward a future cruise equal to the amount they paid for the Triumph vacation.
Jim Walker, who specializes in representing cruise ship passengers, told Reuters last week that the compensation offer was probably more than Triumph passengers would likely win in court. Walker is not involved in this suit and said he is unlikely to bring a case.
The class action lawsuit, which was filed by the Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman law firm in Miami, is at least the second by a Triumph passenger. On Friday, Cassie Terry of Brazoria County, Texas sued Carnival.
Michael Winkleman, an attorney with Lipcon, Margulies could not be reached for comment.
Like the Crusans, Terry sued for the conditions aboard the ship, which lacked working toilets and proper ventilation.
The case is Matt Crusan and Melissa Crusan v Carnival Corp, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, No. 13-20592.
(Reporting By Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; editing by Carol Bishopric)
Scientists say amending an EU directive on GMOs could help stimulate innovation in making vaccines, cheaper pharmaceuticals and organic plastics using plants.
In a paper to be published in Current Pharmaceutical Design, six scientists from the US and Europe compare risk assessment and regulation between the two continents. They will run a web chat on the subject with Sense About Science from 12-1 on Wednesday 20th February.
In the EU, plant-made pharmaceuticals have to be authorised in the same way as GM agricultural crops. In theory, agricultural crops can be grown by any farmer in the EU once approved. But for crops producing pharmaceuticals this would never actually happen. Drug companies would likely license farmers to grow these crops under controlled, defined and confined conditions.
"We need tight regulations enforced by continuous oversight to encourage investment, while maintaining trust," said Dr Penny Sparrow from the John Innes Centre.
"This will be of high importance, especially in Europe, where the issues surrounding the cultivation of GM agricultural crops remains a contentious concern."
"Plant-made pharmaceuticals challenge two sets of existing EU regulations and to make progress in this area we need to make sure they are applied sensibly to allow pharmaceuticals to be produced in plants."
Advantages of using plants to produce therapeutic proteins include the ability to produce large quantities quickly and cheaply, the absence of human pathogens, the stability of the proteins and the ease with which raw material can be stored as seed. This could be of huge benefit in developing countries where problems with storage can render vaccines useless.
If seed could be transported to local production and extraction facilities, the technology could also help boost local economies. The technology is also known as "plant molecular farming".
Just one farm growing 16,000 acres of safflower could meet the world's total demand for insulin. But potential cost savings are eliminated under current regulations, set up for GM agricultural crops not pharmaceuticals.
The average cost for having GMOs approved in Europe is estimated at 7-10 million per event, compared to $1-2 million in the US. This helps keep Europe behind in exploiting the potential of these technologies.
"Openness and transparency are needed to develop new regulations that work for the public and for investors," said Sparrow.
"Regulations need to be harmonised across the world, in order to keep advances and competition on a level playing field."
They propose amendments to EU Directive 2001/18 to allow pharmaceutical products from GM plants to be commercialised without needing authorisation to enter the human food or animal feed chain. Instead, the scientists say they should be grown under clearly defined and enforced conditions to keep the food and animal feed chain 'contamination free'.
As each GM plant moves from the laboratory to scaled-up production in a greenhouse or field, additional oversight is needed to consider issues with environmental release and the ultimate use by humans. Measures can include those adopted in the US, such as limited acreage, confinement, fallow zones and only supplying seed to farmers specifically contracted to grow PMPs.
Dr Sparrow was involved in a collaboration with EU partners to road test the challenges faced by potential investors. They chose the first plant-derived anti-HIV monoclonal antibody to be tested in humans. It was isolated, purified and formulated as a topical saline solution. One result of the project was preparing a regulatory pathway that others could follow to take a product into clinical trials. Another was establishing good manufacturing practices for biologically active proteins expressed in transgenic plants.
###
Contact
To arrange pictures or interviews please contact Zoe Dunford at the JIC press office: +44 (0)1603 255111, 07768 164185, zoe.dunford@jic.ac.uk
To participate in the web chat
Questions for the live #plantsci Q&A with the authors can be sent via email to plantsci@senseaboutscience.org, via Twitter using #plantsci or via the Sense About Science Facebook page.
Reference
Risk assessment and regulation of molecular farming a comparison between Europe and US.
Notes to editors
About the John Innes Centre
The John Innes Centre, www.jic.ac.uk, is a world-leading research centre based on the Norwich Research Park www.nrp.org.uk. The JIC's mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, and to apply its knowledge to benefit agriculture, human health and well-being, and the environment. JIC delivers world class bioscience outcomes leading to wealth and job creation, and generating high returns for the UK economy. JIC is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Live Q&A: Wed 20th Feb, 12-1pm
Plants can be modified to 'grow' medicines. For example, insulin can be 'grown' in a GM safflower plant, which would be cheaper and more efficient than current methods. These plant-made pharmaceuticals are never likely to enter the food-chain but they fall under the same EU regulations as GM crops that are grown as food. The EU GM regulatory system is lengthy and costly, making the cheaper plant-made alternative production method prohibitively expensive.
In a soon to be published paper, a comparison between the US and EU regulations surrounding plant-made pharmaceuticals is made and the authors discuss whether EU regulation hinders progress and investment into these new technologies. Sense About Science will be running a live #plantsci Q&A with the authors on Wednesday 20th February from 12-1pm UK time. You can start sending questions, concerns and ideas now, on any aspect of this, for the authors to respond to.
Questions can be sent via email to plantsci@senseaboutscience.org, via Twitter using #plantsci or via the Sense About Science Facebook page.
#GM plants to 'grow' medicine - Live #plantsci Q&A from @senseaboutsci, Wed 20th Feb, 12-1pm http://ow.ly/hIoMM
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
'Growing' medicines in plants requires new regulationsPublic release date: 19-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Scientists say amending an EU directive on GMOs could help stimulate innovation in making vaccines, cheaper pharmaceuticals and organic plastics using plants.
In a paper to be published in Current Pharmaceutical Design, six scientists from the US and Europe compare risk assessment and regulation between the two continents. They will run a web chat on the subject with Sense About Science from 12-1 on Wednesday 20th February.
In the EU, plant-made pharmaceuticals have to be authorised in the same way as GM agricultural crops. In theory, agricultural crops can be grown by any farmer in the EU once approved. But for crops producing pharmaceuticals this would never actually happen. Drug companies would likely license farmers to grow these crops under controlled, defined and confined conditions.
"We need tight regulations enforced by continuous oversight to encourage investment, while maintaining trust," said Dr Penny Sparrow from the John Innes Centre.
"This will be of high importance, especially in Europe, where the issues surrounding the cultivation of GM agricultural crops remains a contentious concern."
"Plant-made pharmaceuticals challenge two sets of existing EU regulations and to make progress in this area we need to make sure they are applied sensibly to allow pharmaceuticals to be produced in plants."
Advantages of using plants to produce therapeutic proteins include the ability to produce large quantities quickly and cheaply, the absence of human pathogens, the stability of the proteins and the ease with which raw material can be stored as seed. This could be of huge benefit in developing countries where problems with storage can render vaccines useless.
If seed could be transported to local production and extraction facilities, the technology could also help boost local economies. The technology is also known as "plant molecular farming".
Just one farm growing 16,000 acres of safflower could meet the world's total demand for insulin. But potential cost savings are eliminated under current regulations, set up for GM agricultural crops not pharmaceuticals.
The average cost for having GMOs approved in Europe is estimated at 7-10 million per event, compared to $1-2 million in the US. This helps keep Europe behind in exploiting the potential of these technologies.
"Openness and transparency are needed to develop new regulations that work for the public and for investors," said Sparrow.
"Regulations need to be harmonised across the world, in order to keep advances and competition on a level playing field."
They propose amendments to EU Directive 2001/18 to allow pharmaceutical products from GM plants to be commercialised without needing authorisation to enter the human food or animal feed chain. Instead, the scientists say they should be grown under clearly defined and enforced conditions to keep the food and animal feed chain 'contamination free'.
As each GM plant moves from the laboratory to scaled-up production in a greenhouse or field, additional oversight is needed to consider issues with environmental release and the ultimate use by humans. Measures can include those adopted in the US, such as limited acreage, confinement, fallow zones and only supplying seed to farmers specifically contracted to grow PMPs.
Dr Sparrow was involved in a collaboration with EU partners to road test the challenges faced by potential investors. They chose the first plant-derived anti-HIV monoclonal antibody to be tested in humans. It was isolated, purified and formulated as a topical saline solution. One result of the project was preparing a regulatory pathway that others could follow to take a product into clinical trials. Another was establishing good manufacturing practices for biologically active proteins expressed in transgenic plants.
###
Contact
To arrange pictures or interviews please contact Zoe Dunford at the JIC press office: +44 (0)1603 255111, 07768 164185, zoe.dunford@jic.ac.uk
To participate in the web chat
Questions for the live #plantsci Q&A with the authors can be sent via email to plantsci@senseaboutscience.org, via Twitter using #plantsci or via the Sense About Science Facebook page.
Reference
Risk assessment and regulation of molecular farming a comparison between Europe and US.
Notes to editors
About the John Innes Centre
The John Innes Centre, www.jic.ac.uk, is a world-leading research centre based on the Norwich Research Park www.nrp.org.uk. The JIC's mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, and to apply its knowledge to benefit agriculture, human health and well-being, and the environment. JIC delivers world class bioscience outcomes leading to wealth and job creation, and generating high returns for the UK economy. JIC is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Live Q&A: Wed 20th Feb, 12-1pm
Plants can be modified to 'grow' medicines. For example, insulin can be 'grown' in a GM safflower plant, which would be cheaper and more efficient than current methods. These plant-made pharmaceuticals are never likely to enter the food-chain but they fall under the same EU regulations as GM crops that are grown as food. The EU GM regulatory system is lengthy and costly, making the cheaper plant-made alternative production method prohibitively expensive.
In a soon to be published paper, a comparison between the US and EU regulations surrounding plant-made pharmaceuticals is made and the authors discuss whether EU regulation hinders progress and investment into these new technologies. Sense About Science will be running a live #plantsci Q&A with the authors on Wednesday 20th February from 12-1pm UK time. You can start sending questions, concerns and ideas now, on any aspect of this, for the authors to respond to.
Questions can be sent via email to plantsci@senseaboutscience.org, via Twitter using #plantsci or via the Sense About Science Facebook page.
#GM plants to 'grow' medicine - Live #plantsci Q&A from @senseaboutsci, Wed 20th Feb, 12-1pm http://ow.ly/hIoMM
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
A New Jersey man survived a car crash early Monday, only to be killed while trying to cross the highway on foot, police said.
New Jersey State Police said 21-year-old Luis Sarmiento was found dead around 12:45 a.m. after he had been struck by two vehicles on the Garden State Parkway.
About 25 minutes earlier, Sarmiento had been involved in a two-vehicle accident on the northbound side of the parkway about a half?mile?from where he was killed, police said.
A preliminary police investigation revealed that Sarmiento left his car shortly after the accident and climbed over the center median to try to run across the southbound lane.
Police said state troopers matched Sarmiento?s identification to the owner of a Honda Accord abandoned at the accident scene.
Troopers also spoke to the drivers of the two vehicles that struck Sarmiento, police said. The incident remains under investigation.?
BANGKOK (AP) ? Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has called on the Thai government to ban all ivory trade in the country, as part of a global campaign to tackle the illegal wildlife crimes.
International conservation group World Wildlife Fund said in a statement Tuesday that DiCaprio sent a personal email to his friends and supporters to encourage them to sign a petition addressing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra over the wildlife trade.
In the email, DiCaprio called on the Thai government to take the lead on elephant conservation by shutting down the ivory market.
Although Thai law prohibits sales of African tusks in the kingdom, ivory from domesticated elephants can be traded legally.
Activists say the loophole encourages massive quantities of African ivory to be illegally imported to Thailand each year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans currently hold one pick in six of the seven rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft, including the 10th overall selection in the first round.?
Additionally, the Titans are expected to be granted more picks in Rounds 3-7 as compensatory selections, based on net unrestricted free agency losses in 2012.?
The sixth round is the only one in which the Titans do not own a pick.? During the final day of the 2012 draft, the Titans acquired a seventh-round selection from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Titans? 2013 sixth-rounder.? They used the pick from the Vikings to draft defensive end Scott Solomon from Rice.
THREE-DAY PROCESS BEGINS APRIL 25 IN PRIMETIME
The 2013 NFL Draft will start in primetime for the fourth consecutive year.? The first round will be held on Thursday, April 25.? The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 26.? Rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday, April 27. The entire NFL Draft will be televised by NFL Network and ESPN.
The NFL will conduct the draft from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, while Titans personnel will be headquartered at Baptist Sports Park in Nashville.
WEBSTER?S SECOND DRAFT
The selection process will be the second overseen by Ruston Webster, who was named general manager on Jan. 18, 2012.? Webster?s first-ever pick as general manager was Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, chosen in the 20th spot in the first round.? As a rookie, Wright led the team with 64 receptions for 626 yards and four touchdowns.? His reception total tied Justin Blackmon for the NFL rookie high, and Wright ranked second in franchise history in receptions by a rookie (72 by Bill Groman in 1960).
With his second pick?the 52nd overall selection?Webster decided upon North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, who went on to tie for third on the squad in tackles (93).? He was the only NFL rookie in 2012 to finish among the top five rookies in both interceptions (3, tied for fourth) and sacks (5.5, tied for fifth).?
Tennessee?s 2012 class also included Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin (third round), Clemson cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (fourth round), Southern Methodist tight end Taylor Thompson (fifth round), Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin (sixth round) and Solomon.
Six of the seven draft picks were on the club?s 53-man roster for the entire 17-week regular season.? The only one who was not was Markelle Martin, who was on the reserve/physically unable to perform list for the duration of the campaign.?
In total, the 2012 draft class accounted for 92 games played and 26 starts.? Brown, Mike Martin, Sensabaugh and Thompson played in every game, and Brown?s 13 starts represented the high total from the group.
THE 10TH PICK
In determining draft order, non-playoff clubs select first through 20th, according to the reverse order of their standing (i.e., the team with the worst record receives the first pick, the team with the second-worst record receives the second pick, etc.).? Playoff teams select 21st through 32nd based on their level of advancement in the postseason.
The Titans were one of three teams in 2012 to win six games, along with the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets.? The three clubs will rotate picks 8-10 in each round, meaning the Titans will select eighth in the second round, ninth in the third round, 10th in the fourth round, etc.
The franchise has never owned the 10th overall pick since the NFL and American Football League began the ?common draft? in 1967.?
Previous 10th overall picks include running back Marcus Allen (L.A. Raiders, 1982), running back Keith Byers (Philadelphia, 1986), defensive back Rod Woodson (Pittsburgh, 1987), wide receiver Herman Moore (Detroit, 1991), running back Jerome Bettis (L.A. Rams, 1993), tackle Willie Anderson (Cincinnati, 1996), cornerback Chris McAlister (Baltimore, 1999), defensive end Terrell Suggs (Baltimore, 2003) and linebacker Jerod Mayo (New England, 2008).? More recently, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the 10th pick in 2011, and the Bills took South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore in 2012 in the same spot.?
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